2 · San Diego CityBeat · february 14, 2018
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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR
We care
O
ne of the key elements of being a responsible appalling story; we hope that, one day, you’ll care.” Davis continued to cover the issue for the Uniongrown-up is accepting mistakes and making changes to make sure the same mistakes Tribune and others. As it turns out, someone cared. Davis reported on the wife of a Marine who was suing don’t happen again. It’s certainly not that simple when it comes to the county over the suicide of her husband Kristopher making changes to the county’s jails. When policies Nesmith, a 21-year-old Marine. Turns out Nesmith had are bad and even cruel, they will often go unchecked fashioned a makeshift noose while detained at Vista and unchanged until someone gets to the bottom of it jail. A guard saw him do it but didn’t bother placing and calls them out. And that’s often where the media him on suicide watch. The judge in the lawsuit, citing Davis’ reporting, recently rejected a request by county comes in. For years, journalist Kelly Davis has reported on the lawyers that Nesmith’s suit be dismissed. So what did those lawyers do? They made Davis a alarming number of people who have died while in custody at San Diego County jails. She has written about party to the lawsuit, serving her a subpoena and filing this topic in several local and national publications, a motion to compel that would force her to give up her including her brilliant tenure as Associate Editor at notes, research and sources for all of her jail stories. And while I certainly didn’t expect the county to CityBeat. With help from fellow journalist Dave Maass, Davis diligently reported on how San Diego County had admit they were wrong and implement the necessary the highest mortality rate of any large county in the changes to ensure no inmates die in custody again, I also didn’t expect them to come state between 2007 and 2012. after an award-winning journalist And she didn’t stop at a onewhose only agenda was to report the off, number-crunching story filled truth about what most agree was a with a few facts and figures. She very disturbing trend in the county’s did an entire series of articles. She jail system. talked to relatives and jail personAnd there are others who care. nel, medical examiners and exI commend local attorney Matperts, to get to the bottom of these thew Halgren, who is working pro “60 Dead Inmates,” as the series bono to defend Davis and filed an was called. The series won some opposition to the county’s motion. awards and even prompted the Citizens’ Law Enforcement Review Russell Hartsaw And while a judge recently ruled that Davis does not have to give Board to criticize the Sheriff’s Department, which oversees the jails. Still, Sheriff Bill any information to the county lawyers, it’s not clear Gore (who is up for reelection this year), via a spokes- whether they still plan to pursue her. We reiterate the statement made by Voice of San Diego this week person, said that Davis was overstating the problem. What were those problems? There was the case of when they said, “Enough. The county needs to stand Tommy Tucker, who was handcuffed, pepper-sprayed, up and back off.” What’s more, they also need to (finally!) start takput in a chokehold and suffocated because he tried to take a cup of hot water back to his cell. There was ing these deaths seriously. Maybe they didn’t care Russell Hartsaw, an elderly gay man who was moved then and maybe they don’t care now. But people are from protective custody and placed in a cell with a dying unnecessarily, and the county pays a huge price gang member who ended up beating him to death. for it and not just from the huge settlements they end And there was Daniel Sisson, whose family was up paying to bereaved families. Stop shooting the awarded $3.2 million after he died from an asthma at- messenger! The cause of a fellow journalist who was brave tack while withdrawing from heroin in the Vista jail. enough to report the truth is one that we should all The list goes on. And as former CityBeat editor David Rolland put it care about, but we should also care about the stories at the time in the appropriately titled editorial “Who she was reporting on in the first place. To paraphrase cares about jail inmates dying?,” these weren’t con- my predecessor, I hope that one day, you’ll care, but victed criminals in prison, these were detainees who today is as good a day as any. had not yet been convicted of any crime. —Seth Combs “The apathy surrounding this issue saddens us,” Rolland said at the time. “We’ll continue to cover this Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com This issue of CityBeat is already looking forward to the summer Olympics in Benihana.
Volume 16 • Issue 26 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos ASSOCIATE EDITOR Torrey Bailey COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker Minda Honey John R. Lamb Alex Zaragoza
CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Rachel Michelle Fernandes, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Lizz Huerta, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Kinsee Morlan, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen, Ian Ward EDITORIAL INTERNS Alex Noble
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES RIchard Diaz, Beau Odom CONTROLLER Kacie Cobian ACCOUNTING Perla Castillo, David Garcia Linda Lam, Yiyang Wang HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker
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FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3
UP FRONT | LETTERS
WHERE IS THE LOVE? Another year and another Love & Sex issue [Feb. 7]. What I don’t understand about these issues is why the word “love” is even in the title. As usual every article and column dealt with sex only. And this year the word “love” is missing in all of them. This year we got to learn that Minda Honey fakes orgasms, but no word about how she really felt about the guys she sleeps with. Then there is the article about the 60-day sex challenge that seems intended to promote a podcast, but nothing about love. Of course, what would a Love & Sex issue be without the requisite kink and porn articles. Nothing wrong with kink or porn, but where’s the “love?” And in keeping with the times, we get sex with cannabis. I’m sure sex under the influence is great, but does it enhance “love”? My guess is that it can but there wasn’t a word about it. Why not be honest next year and just call it the “Sex” issue? Then a hopeless and generally failed romantic like me won’t get his hopes up.
Rob Cohen Mission Hills
WHAT AM I MISSING? I may be missing it, but when reading commentaries on the attention to the homeless [“A policy of punishment,” Jan. 17], I don’t
see any consideration of there being two parts of the question: the permanent and the temporary; the idea of whether to have a permanent burden of caring for those whose lifestyle is to vegetate on the streets, as well as those who want to, and try, and need help to rejoin society. We fear dehumanizing people to such a degree that we do nothing to actually help those who need it to “reform” themselves as painful as that may be. I, for one, don’t see the benefit of doing all we can to make vegetation a permanent lifestyle, and to which we all should chip in; what we should be doing is chipping in to get them off the streets and on the job whatever it may be. To contribute to the attraction of Southern California and the Paradise of the Pacific: San Diego as the place to keep warm while sucking blood from the treasury to which they had never contributed is a stupid idea. To replace our dumb welfare programs with a guaranteed minimum income seems to be too intelligent and effective to make real. A federal guaranteed basic income that, in the case of street people, would enable them to rent a permanent bed and toilet, but my fellow Conservatives and Liberals (I’m both!) are too obstinate and illogical to make it happen. Instead we have a Mayor who is left with efforts to solve this problem with momentary and ineffectual efforts like sweeps. I’m glad I am old, with a personality that cannot thrive in the public eye, for if
4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
I were, I’d have long ago bit the dust attempting to do things logically and effectively, but that’s not possible in this real world of stupid politics, political parties and an election system that makes it impossible to have it any other way. But, another consideration is that this dilemma, as all social dilemmas do, supports arguments, politics, the media and my having the opportunity to waste my time with commentary, so it ain’t all bad! Saul Gritz Hillcrest
UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Spin Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Backwards & In High Heels. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Well That Was Awkward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
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
WE WANT FEEDBACK Email letters to editor Seth Combs at seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside. Note: All comments left on stories at sdcitybeat.com will also be considered for publication.
ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FEATURE: High Dining. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-18
MUSIC FEATURE: Mary Timony. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . . 20 About Last Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26
IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 CannaBeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
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NEWS | OPINION
HAM OF THE WEEK
By Torrey Bailey and Seth Combs
After a year of controversy and desperately trying to get their shit together, a proposed budget by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) will likely delay several key bike projects across the county. This comes barely a month after spending $61 million on accelerating the projects only to have less than four miles completed. (Source: KPBS)
THE ISSUE: Over 100 people gathered at a public hearing at City Hall on Monday to voice their comments and concerns with incoming police chief David Nisleit, who is expected to be confirmed for the job on Feb. 26. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: “Great to hear so many positive thoughts tonight on the appointment of David Nisleit for the next Chief of @SanDiegoPD. This just reaffirms what we already knew - that he is the right person for the job!” —Mayor Kevin Faulconer, via Twitter
Coming down the pipe Previews of the important or idiotic items possibly coming to a ballot or legislature near you.
“What we require is integrity, trust, competence and leadership at the San Diego Police Department and this is exactly what Chief Nisleit provides.” —District Attorney Summer Stephan
“There’s a lack of color in everything that has to do with SDPD. I am asking you to dissect the word ‘diversity’ when people stand here and tell you that we have diversity.” —Francine Maxwell
OUR TAKE: There was barely a naysayer in attendance, and everyone seems to agree that Nisleit is an excellent choice and more than qualified. One City Heights resident even proclaimed that Nisleit “has always been there for the community.” However, that didn’t stop many from pressing their concerns about issues that Nisleit is likely to inherit. Many residents, including the president of the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s youth council, want specific ideas and written agreements on everything from retention of officers of color to how Nisleit plans on handling policing of youth in neighborhoods like Southeast San Diego. Jamie Wilson, the mother of one of the San Diego youths who were illegally detained and DNA swabbed, showed a narrated video of herself and police footage from her son’s interrogation, ending it by proclaiming “they don’t get to do this to our kids.” In the end, while everyone agrees that Nisleit is likely the best person for the job, he will inherit a department that is dealing with a host of issues, from officer retention and community outreach, to homelessness and racial biases.
On Friday, Feb. 9, local Democratic Assemblymembers Todd Gloria and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher announced their coauthorship of Assembly Bill 2103, which would require firearm safety training for concealed carry weapons (CCW) permit applicants. Specifically, the bill would set a minimum training time of eight hours for California CCW applicants. Training programs would cover safety measures, handling and technique. AB 2103 would also require that applicants perform live-fire shooting exercises in a firing range to demonstrate what was learned. Statewide, minimum training standards don’t exist. But, many sheriffs (including San Diego County Sheriff) and police departments throughout California already practice similar regulations as outlined in AB 2103. It’s important to note 25 other states have minimum training standards for CCW. The Verdict: CityBeat staff may not agree on every parameter of gun control, but we are all in favor of keeping communities safe. If someone is allowed to carry a weapon in public, they should know how to properly use it. In short, we applaud Gloria and Gonzalez Fletcher’s effort to push bills on firearm safety, especially considering the rate of mass shootings over the past few years. However, we weren’t born last night, and we aren’t blind to the size of the NRA’s budget. In 2016, CBS News reported that more than 100 gun control proposals had failed in Congress since 2011, blaming the millions of dollars the NRA pours into lobbying efforts for the blockage. And while we think standardized training should be enforced statewide and has a good chance of passing, it also seems just as likely that AB 2103 will be challenged in court.
NEWSY BITS All the seriousness, silliness and stupidity of the past week 2/7
2/8
2/9
California Sen. Kamala Harris introduces two bills aiming to increase safety and security of decommissioned nuclear power plants such as San Onofre.
BEST DAY EVER!
City Council committee votes to begin drafting $900 million bond ballot measure that would raise property taxes to finance 7,500 homes for homeless and low-income San Diegans.
FML
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After a story in the U-T on astronomical water bills, Public Utilities Department says “human error” was to blame and the employee responsible no longer works for the department.
Local protestors gather in front of federal Courthouse claiming Trump administration used illegal environmental waivers to construct border wall prototypes.
2/10
Escondido shopping center evacuated and bomb squad called to the scene after suspicious package dropped off at a DD’s Discounts store. Package turns out to be architectural plans.
Former MLB pitcher Esteban Loaiza is arrested at his Imperial Beach home with suspected 44 pounds(!) of cocaine.
Local snowboarder Shaun White takes break from being annoying to compete in Winter Olympics in South Korea.
2/11
Three people shot in two different shootings in south San Diego, one a 13-year-old boy from Logan Heights.
2/12
2/13
Stone Brewing announces suit against MillerCoors, citing the company’s emphasis of the word “Stone” on the packaging of its Keystone Light beers. Story in the U-T reveals city has had 17 traffic-related pedestrian deaths since January and is behind schedule on its Vision Zero goals.
Man’s body found off the coast of La Jolla. Later identified to be a local musician who fell off Crystal Pier in January.
SDPD K-9 officer Dexter is stabbed while taking down a suspect in Encanto. Suffers broken rib and lacerated spleen, but expected to survive.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors votes unanimously to lobby against oil drilling off California coastal waters.
Per inewssource, new data shows record high 23,800 local students were homeless last year, a 4.7 percent increase over the previous year.
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5
UP FRONT | OPINION
SPIN
CYCLE
JOHN R. LAMB
San Diego loses out to… Murrieta??? Town planning is not mere place planning, nor even work planning. If it is to be successful, it must be folk planning. —Sir Patrick Geddes
S
ince Mayor Kevin Faulconer took office in 2014, the city of San Diego has chewed through three planning directors. The search now begins for number four. Last week, Jeff Murphy was introduced as the new developmentservices director for the city of Murrieta, a commuter town up the freeway that boasts a tenth of San Diego’s population and an operating budget of roughly $85 million, a speck in the eye of San Diego’s $3.5 billion. Little public hubbub resulted from Murphy’s departure as San Diego’s planning director, a position he had held for slightly more
than two years. A recent picture on Twitter showed a smiling Murphy in a downtown bar as Elyse Lowe, the mayor’s director of land use and economic development policy, read from what appeared to be some kind of proclamation. Spin Cycle requested a copy of the proclamation, but so far no one from the mayor’s office has responded to the request. One City Hall observer suggested the silence could suggest the remote possibility it was a “joke” proclamation not intended for public consumption. Nonetheless, it was a far cry from the official gush-fest that followed the near-simultaneous news that Faulconer’s top manager, Chief Operating Officer Scott Chadwick, was jumping ship to take a similar post in the city of Carlsbad and that veteran downtown insider Kris Michell would be replacing him. In addition, Mur-
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phy’s departure was also overshadowed by the hoopla surrounding the mayor’s pick of Dave Nisleit to succeed retiring Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman. Spin reached out to Murphy to talk about his decision to leave for a much-smaller city whose motto has evolved from “Gem of the Valley” to the much cockier “The Future of Southern California.” A cheerful woman who picked up the phone at Murrieta City Hall could not track him down but noted he was now in charge of four departments. Of the move north, she laughed when saying, “I don’t know what he was thinking.” Rumblings behind the scene suggest the thinking for both Chadwick and Murphy is a mutual desire to serve as city managers one day, and that wasn’t going to happen in a strong-mayor city like San Diego, where the city manager position has gone the way of the dodo bird and saber-toothed tiger. But the planning-director position lives on, and the Faulconer administration was more than assuring that the post is an important one, equally deserving of attention. David Graham, deputy chief operating officer of Neighborhood Services, was on paternity leave when Murphy scooted north, but he said the department is set up to
JOHN R. LAMB
San Diego Planning Director Jeff Murphy skipped town for a job in Murrieta. Now what? weather shakeups at the top. Graham said he has begun the recruitment process for Murphy’s replacement and hopes to have the position filled sometime this summer. In the meantime, Alyssa Muto, a deputy planning director specializing in environmental matters, will serve as interim planning director, Graham said. “She has a great background,” he added. However, the choice of an environmental specialist over, say, a long-range planner for the interim post shouldn’t be read as any indication of the mayor’s priorities, Graham said. “No, it’s kind of the right person, right position, good to have somebody willing to move quickly to fill the position,” he explained. He did note that implementation of the city’s Climate Action Plan “continues to be extremely important,” as is completing a rash of community plan updates and kicking off development of a citywide park master plan, which recently received funding. “So this department has not lacked for support and resources under this administration,” Graham insisted. The question is whether that support will translate into innovative solutions on the ground that address San Diego’s continuing woes over housing affordability, safe streets and underserved communities. Howard Blackson, a local urban planner frequently disappointed by City Hall’s lack of vision, said it’s been this way since San Diego got rid of its city architect position in the Great Planning Department Bloodletting of 1992, when the department was slashed by a third of its employees. “Since we lost the city architect, we’ve lost the ability to do these innovative projects to move the needle forward from a city perspective,”
Blackson told Spin. “It’s simply poor governance,” he said. “The status quo is highly subsidized, and it’s easier and has inertia. Like they say, when times are bad, planning gets in the way. And when times are good, we try to get planning out of the way. So planning is always kind of in the way.” The growth spurts of San Diego during the ‘50s and ‘60s, contrary to today, also created significant local wealth, Blackson explained. Now, he said, “we have a housing crisis, but we don’t have that same ‘60s explosion of San Diego’s wealth. I just see minor crises that we have to keep putting out, putting out, putting out, and housing has always been one here historically.” Mike Stepner, who served as San Diego’s last city architect, lamented that this city “always takes the short-term approach where we’ll approve [building] permits real fast and everybody will react and then we don’t do anything.” Blackson gave Murphy credit for updating the city’s Land Development Code, calling it “probably the most radical for parking and density that I’ve seen in my lifetime.” When asked if this is unique to San Diego, Blackson laughed, “No, everyone is doing it. We’re just catching up. Let’s not jump up and down and think we invented soup.” Stepner said there was a time when public safety and city planning stood on equal footing, and that it can be equal again if the mayor so chooses. “The planning director can really talk about what should be, what could be, and how to do it,” he said. “I’m biased, but I think planning is a way of knitting this all together.” Spin Cycle appears every other week. Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.
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february 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 7
UP FRONT | OPINION
AARYN BELFER
BACKWARDS & IN
HIGH HEELS
La Jolla’s revisionist history
S
an Diego County schools have a problem. Several weeks ago, an educator at a local charter school, Helix High, called the police on a 17-year-old Black female student because she was carrying pepper spray in her backpack. I wrote about her being body slammed in my last column, and the details are there. This week, the racism is coming from north of Interstate 8, where racist content à la Charlie Hebdo was published in a recent issue of Hi-Tide, the student paper at La Jolla High School. The cartoons were enough of an emergency that Superintendent Cindy Marten co-signed an email to all San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) families denouncing—if what she wrote can even be called that—the images published by La Jolla High’s best and brightest. It’s worthy to note that no similar email was sent to Grossmont Union High School District families when the Helix High student was physically assaulted. “The school newspaper published a cartoon depicting various ethnic groups with their features exagger-
ated based on ugly racial stereotypes,” wrote Marten, Area Superintendent Mitzi Moreno and Principal Chuck Podhorsky, who all signed the email. “The decision to publish this cartoon was an error in judgment and a breach of all the values we hold dear at La Jolla High School.” The co-signers stated they “talked to those involved with the publication of this cartoon,” which “does not represent the values of our community.” But never fear, because the district is “well-equipped to continue this conversation in a responsible way.” And then: “That conversation is starting now at La Jolla High School.” The caricatures don’t represent the values of the community? The district is well equipped to continue this conversation? The conversation is starting now? Forgive me but what kind of messaging is that? I must paraphrase Dolly Parton’s character from Steel Magnolias here: When it comes to racism, SDUSD doesn’t know whether to scratch its watch or wind its butt. Marten, Moreno and Podhorsky failed to adequately decry the ugliness and hate coming from the most privileged of stu-
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dents. These fools don’t even begin to have a handle on racism in the classroom. They couldn’t bring themselves to state explicitly what they are going to do to change a culture of bias, blindness and outright racism in the students or the teachers at La Jolla High. Nowhere did they use the words “vile” or “abhorrent” or “unacceptable” or “despicable” in describing the actions or choices of students they have been charged with educating. And they conveniently skipped any description of the offensive cartoons in their crisis management drafted email. It’s pretty important for context, though. So here it is: One of the cartoons depicts a bearded man in a turban with the words “I’m the bomb” across his shirt. Another is of a Jewish man with an exaggerated nose, a yarmulke and payot or curling sidelocks. His shirt reads, “Who Nose?” If Cindy Marten can’t bring herself to be honest about these depictions, how are we supposed to believe her when she says she wants “all students who may have been hurt or offended by this incident” to know that “their well-being matters to all of us”? SDUSD indulges in the pleasing sentiment that this kind of thinking is not indicative of the community. Yet, despite revisionist history—and there is a lot of that—anti-Semitism and racism are in the cultural fabric of La Jolla. It wasn’t until the mid-to-late 1960s after the foundation of UC San Diego when La Jolla finally began to let Jews purchase homes there. In an insightful yet still relevant 2005 piece in the La Jolla Light, journalist Will Carless wrote about the “virulent culture of hous-
ing discrimination” aimed directly at Jews. Even after legislation banning restrictions was passed, realtors engaged in a Gentleman’s Agreement to keep Jews from moving in. Carless interviewed a realtor at the time that expounded on this. “We were told that if somebody came into our office and he looked like a Jew or had a name like a Jew, and he wanted to look at property, we were to tell him that we didn’t have anything for sale,” she said. This toxic history is absolutely relevant to this moment and still permeates the community that Marten would have us all believe isn’t represented by Hi-Tide. Furthermore, and thanks in no small part to Chief Babyfingers and his regime, white supremacy and Nazism is on the rise in our country. Now is not the time for weak-kneed leadership in our schools and meaningless references to “conversations starting now.” No. We need action. At La Jolla High, the students responsible should have to do community service with organizations that they harmed, and then write papers about what they learned. The teachers and administrators who run the paper must be held to account and be required to engage in ongoing education focused on internal bias. It is long past time for all administrators and educators across this county to get properly trained and then actively, firmly, unapologetically clap back at any and every instance of racism and anti-Semitism, no matter where or what form it takes. Without that, SDUSD will continue to have this big problem.
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UP FRONT | VOICES
RYAN BRADFORD
WELL THAT WAS
AWKWARD
Who let the dogs... in?!
A
s far as horror goes, it’s hard to beat “home-invasion” as one of the more effective subgenres. Anybody who’s been the victim of a burglary can tell you, the violation doesn’t come from seeing another human lurking in the corner, or losing some material possessions—it’s the fear that comes from no longer feeling safe. A home-invasion turns a home into something unknowable and uncanny. It turns the safety net inside-out, transforming a sanctuary into a site of terror. I think about home-invasion films when my sister-in-law’s two dogs come to stay with us for a week. These doggos exemplify the best of their species: Lana, a three-yearold light-brown mutt, is just goddamn perfect in every way, and Bear, a two-month-old puppy of a similar breed, is just... can’t finish... sentence without... squeeing. So, no, the dogs aren’t scary. Except to Harvey and Vincent, my two cats. Vincent—my little black cat—is terrified of everything, but Harvey—the wizened black and white alpha—has a deep-mistrustslash-social-curiosity that keeps things interesting between the two species. And it’s
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watching these little interactions that first turns me onto the notion that my cats are living out their own little home-invasion story. In light of this realization, I decide to unscientifically map this story, using other home-invasion stories as references. The set-up: In 2008’s The Strangers—a modern classic of the genre—a failed marriage proposition infuses the story with tension before the masked murderers even show up. This is a starting point of many home-invasion movies, the idea that “home” is a precarious term, primed to topple at the slightest push. Before Lana and Bear show up at our house, I imagine how our cats perceive their lives, and it’s far from perfect. Food only appears twice a day. Nobody will turn on the sink faucet so they can drink from it (despite the fact that I bought them their own goddamn kitty water fountain, which performs the exact same function as a sink faucet). Sometimes I even work on the computer instead of petting them. In short, life for Vincent and Harvey is obviously a cauldron of tension already. The bad guys arrive to defile, dismantle securities and exploit insecurities:
Straw Dogs, Sam Peckinpah’s psychotic 1971 film, features a meek mathematician and his young wife moving to an isolated house in rural England, the birthplace of the wife. When the woman’s townie ex-boyfriend and his posse start committing a series of escalating atrocities—including killing the cat and raping the woman—all notions of familial and domestic security fly out the window. Unlike the mathematician in Straw Dogs, Harvey is not a meek cat. Or at least he believes he’s not. When Lana and Bear arrive, Harvey tries to play cool, despite emitting a guttural noise that I’ve only heard one other time when I tried to take a freshly-maimed grasshopper away from him. The noise unnerved me so much that I let him rip up that grasshopper. Bear has puppy accidents in the house, which are normal accidents for a dog her age. I can only assume, however, that these accidents are the ultimate acts of defilement for Harvey. He’s had three good years of spraying his urine and wiping his glands all over everything in the house, and now this dog—this fucking intruder—is destroying all that hard work. The victims fight back: In Home Alone— the 1990 movie that may have set the standard in modern home-invasion films (seriously)—Kevin McAllister creates a series of traps to defend his house against two burglars, including... well, you’ve seen Home Alone. A guy steps on broken glass with his bare feet; another dude gets a blowtorch to the skull. When Harvey retaliates against the dogs,
it’s way more passive-aggressive than Kevin McAllister. He takes his aggression out on me, his owner, because I’m the one who let these aggressors into his home. He riles up Vincent with a game of Cat Rodeo at 3 a.m., jumping around on us while we try to sleep. He jumps from the headboard of the bed onto my chest right after I’ve fallen asleep. He demands his breakfast before the sun has even come up. He sneaks out before the dogs wake up and eats a portion of a plastic bag, an object he will gleefully barf up later. He makes sure that someone is going to pay for the dogs’ transgressions, and if it’s not the dogs, then it will be me. A return to normal?: In Wes Craven’s first film Last House on the Left, the final shots linger on two parents who’ve just murdered intruders that are responsible for their daughter’s death. It’s a bleak moment of realization that suggests recovery is impossible. I watch Harvey with his eyes and ears constantly perched toward the closed door, as if expecting the dogs to burst through and terrorize him, and I can’t help but feel sorry for him. When the pups leave, will he be happy? Will things go back to normal? But then I remember that I’m a cat owner, and the amount of low-key concern and projection I’ve done on my cats’ behalf during this very cute home-invasion is just an indicator that things will never return to normal. Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week. Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9
UP FRONT | FOOD
BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER
THE WORLD
FARE
The best Cuban sandwich in town
A
fter one bite of the Cuban sandwich at Havana 1920 (548 Fifth Ave.) in the Gaslamp District, I knew it was the best I’d tasted this side of Tampa. After the second bite I knew why: Cuban bread shipped from the La Segunda Central Bakery in Tampa. Nearly everything about the Cuban sandwich is the subject of vigorous debate, starting with the ingredient list: ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard on Cuban bread. Everyone seems to agree that mayonnaise, lettuce, onions, bell peppers and tomatoes are verboten. However, if you meet someone from Tampa, it’s not a real “cuban” unless it also includes Genoa salami. Wars are fought over that salami. What about the origin? Both Miami and Tampa officially claim it, and NPR tried to settle the debate with an unscientific poll. If, indeed, the “Cuban sandwich” name was first used in Tampa (and its Ybor City neighborhood) and Miami was largely responsible for its popularity, then perhaps the inside track on the best claim belongs to Key West where the first wave of émigrés arrived from Cuba in the 1860s. They had brought their sandwiches with them from Cuba, and by the time Vincente Martinez Ybor’s Key West cigar factory burned down and relocated to Tampa, the sandwich was the workers’ lunchtime staple. As historian Loy Glenn Westfall put it, the “Cuban sandwich was born in Cuba and educated in Key West.” One of the few things that isn’t in dispute, though, is that a sandwich cannot be a genuine “Cuban sandwich” without Cuban bread: a Europeanstyle loaf with lard, which is added to allow the sandwich bread to crisp up while retaining its softness and also adding a subtle hint of porky flavor. There
10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
are few places that make the real thing outside Tampa (and a couple places in Miami) and La Segunda is one of the few places that ships its bread nationwide. Havana 1920 puts La Segunda’s Cuban bread to glorious use in its Cuban sandwich, which, of course, is built of layers of slow roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. While Havana 1920 buys the bread from Tampa, it doesn’t buy into Tampa’s salami requirement. What makes Havana 1920’s sandwich so good is the balance. Roast pork hits a savory note, while the ham hits a sweet one, and the acidity of the pickles and mustard rounding it all out. The entire affair is given a panini press treatment that crisps the bread and melds all the ingredients together. There’s more at Havana 1920. Those who’d like to try a sweeter sandwich should order the medianoche, which features the same ingredients on sweet Cuban bread. The ropa vieja is a pile of profoundly savory, beefy goodness, and the lechón asado showcases an excellent roast marinated pulled pork. And the empanada, croqueta and papa rellana MICHAEL A. GARDINER
Cuban sandwich starters (the ham and cheese versions are good, the vegetarian empanada is excellent) are all good calls. But do not miss that Cuban sandwich. People wouldn’t argue so hard about its origins if it wasn’t worth fighting about. And this one is. If there’s a better Cuban sandwich west of Tampa, I certainly want to try it. The World Fare appears weekly. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.
@SDCITYBEAT
UP FRONT | DRINK
ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE #25: The smell of love at Park & Rec
the decision making when people order a cocktail. Try waving a glass of tequila under the nose of a person who has had a bad experience with tequila. Watch their eyes remember reading Fast Food Nation begin to water as they tell you to get that back in college. Perhaps it was high glass away from them. Or pour a glass of school, but either way, it was back when Laphroaig near someone that loves Islay I was young, passionate and, most imporscotch and watch as they jerk their head tantly, firmly of the belief that one person around in pleasant excitement. could make a difference. I read everything I was really at Park & Rec (4612 Park from Chomsky and Zinn, annoyingly regurBlvd.) just to watch the Super Bowl when I gitating facts to people that did not want came across something on the menu that to hear them. sounded pleasant enough: IAN WARD One such fact that I would a variation on a Paloma, consistently spit out was which I’ve always found to that McDonald’s French fries be a rewarding day time siponly taste good because they per. Seeing as how it was still were sprayed with smell-good early in the evening, I went for chemicals. You see, there was a it. It was a mix of tequila and part within Eric Schlosser’s book Giffard pamplemousse liqueur, where he goes into detail about which I’ve only recently found a company called International to be a lovely marriage, along Flavors and Fragrances and the role with lemon and soda. To be honest I it plays in fast food. It should be no wasn’t expecting much, other than a shock to anyone that chemicals, both sweet/tart refreshing highball. SomeLove of the flavor enhancing and aromatic Dove thing to help pass the time, but nothkind, play a huge part in what Ameriing that would make me stop and recans think tastes good. flect. Then came the cocktail. Aroma, especially, is such a beautiful, In ordering, I must have overlooked sensual and sometimes neglected part of the rosewater listed on the menu. They the human experience. It’s time bending. had finished the drink off with a very It transports you to places you haven’t healthy misting of rosewater. God, I love been for decades. To an exact moment. that smell. After years and years of barAromas are such an important part of tending, the aroma still transports me back to my early days of learning and exLOVE DOVE perimenting and fumbling around behind as prepared at Park & Rec the old proverbial stick. It certainly took a cocktail that was going to be delicious 1 1/2 oz. blanco tequila regardless, and brought it to a whole new 1 oz. Giffard pamplemousse lustrous level, like French fries sprayed 3/4 oz. simple syrup with smell-good juice. 3/4 oz. lemon juice I know some readers may think it seems Soda and rose water trite and implicit, but thinking back on Grapefruit wedge many recent cocktail experiences, I have not been affected by aroma this way in Combine all ingredients except soda quite some time. I’m sure it was a combiwater. Shake. Add soda water and pour nation of the agave and the pamplemousse over fresh ice. Spritz with rose water. and the rosewater, but at the end of the day, Garnish with a grapefruit wedge. isn’t that what makes a great cocktail?
I
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BY BETH DEMMON
BY IAN WARD
FINAL DRAUGHT Fear and loathing in Vista
OWL FARM BEER
G
onzo journalism plays fast and loose with facts, so it’s appropriate that Owl Farm Unique Fermentations seeks to completely redefine San Diego beer. Named for Hunter S. Thompson’s Colorado writing haven, this offshoot of Vista brewery Booze Brothers (2545 Progress St., Suite D) has been in the works for two years and finally launched on Feb. 9. The brewing focus includes a variety of peculiar potables ranging from sour beer, cider, cocktail-inspired ales and, as manager Kris Anacleto puts it, “anything that breaks up the status quo of what a San Diego beer brand is normally comprised of.” “Our goal for this brand is to have someone constantly wondering what kind of different beer will come out next,” says Anacleto. This commitment to far-out fermentations is a refreshing change of pace after 2017’s never-ending deluge of hazy IPAs, and I’m betting the gamble will pay off. Last year, eight local breweries closed for a variety of reasons, but with plenty of competition left, it’s got to be increasingly difficult to stand out in San Diego’s crowded craft beer scene. By embracing the counterculture of craft, Owl Farm is poised to attract interest. Anacleto describes Owl Farm’s first three releases; the Peachy Monkey, a 6.4 percent ABV ale with brettanomyces and peach, which he calls “the funkiest of the three.” Next is the Gin Gose, a 4.5 percent ABV gin-inspired kettle sour and finally, Blackberry Cruiser, a 5.6 percent ABV blackberry-lemon-oolong tea ale. After the initial offerings, patrons can expect a new release every two months or so. Since Owl Farm falls completely under the Booze Brothers corporate umbrella, co-owner Donny Firth and brewer Maurey Fletcher will remain in charge of coming up with the unique recipes, while Jeff Morrison and Tod Winchester will be
Owl Farm’s Blackberry Lemon Ale responsible for creating their concoctions. It’ll also be hard to miss the eyecatching art adorning the cans; Arizona artist Clay Halling’s psychedelic illustrations use electric hues and fantastical designs that quickly reveal his skateboard art roots. In fact, it’s the skateboard art that initially caught Anacleto’s eye, which led to an art show at Booze Brothers and eventually creative concepting for Owl Farm. For now, Owl Farm’s output is limited to the Booze Brothers’ tasting rooms (its main room as well as its adjacent private event space known as the Wood Shed). Its cans will also be distributed across Southern California via Booze Brothers' self-distribution channels, but Anacleto promises plenty of opportunities to try the new brews at festivals, beer dinners, tap takeovers and many other events in the coming months. “By no means is Booze Brothers taking a back seat, but we're going to be pushing Owl Farm real hard for a while.” A lot’s changed between Booze Brothers’ opening in 2013 and today. But Anacleto’s not put off by local beer’s evolution. “We had a lot of fumbles in the beginning of starting Booze Brothers, but now that we're (slightly) more aware of how things work, we think we've got a product that's going to keep people really excited about what's coming out from under our roof.” Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com. Follow her on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11
EVENTS
SHORTlist
ART
the
THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE
COORDINATED BY
SETH COMBS
POINT LOMA
NEVER AGAIN
FOUNDATION / YOSHIO OKUMOTO
confinement and the subsequent separation impact on these American individuals and/or families As Congress tries to come to an agree- warranted a dedicated lens to reflect and continue ment on immigration reform and the courts con- to remind us of what we are capable of,” says NAM tinue to hear challenges on Trump’s hateful travel Executive Director Linda Caballero Sotelo. “What bans, it’s important to remember that there are par- we’re capable of as a nation, under the justification allels to the past. While one may not immediately of war and of ‘national security,’ and how we and our government can come to desee connections with the COURTESY OF HEART MOUNTAIN WYOMING fine what constitutes being recent ICE crackdowns and American.” the internment of JapaneseThe opening of the exAmericans during World War hibition on Friday, Feb. 16 II, some of the logic used to from 6 to 9 p.m. will include round-up innocent people refreshments and a perforon the basis of their race or mance from Japanese koto religion is, sadly, something player Reiko Obata. There that happened then and still will also be a screening of happens today. the Jeff MacIntyre docuThat’s what makes Japamentary, The Legacy of Heart nese Americans & the ImMountain, which recounts pact of Internment: Modern the story of a particularly Lens, Old Wounds so pressJapanese Americans & the Impact of ing. The new exhibition at Internment: Modern Lens, Old Wounds large prison camp in Wyoming. The exhibition itself the New Americans Museum (2825 Dewey Road, newamericansmuseum.org) in will be on display through April 15 and most of the Liberty Station examines the American citizens who photos and objects are on loan from the Japanese were rounded up and imprisoned in the internment American Historical Society of San Diego. Caballecamps following Franklin Roosevelt’s Executive ro Sotelo says she just hopes that viewers will come Order 9066. The exhibition examines the everyday away with one lesson in particular. “That our democracy is fragile and that we are lives and struggles of the people imprisoned there via photographs, artifacts and documentary footage. prone to repeat such offenses if we forget or refuse “We felt the nature of forced displacement and to acknowledge and learn from our past actions.”
POINT LOMA
STORY TO TELL Twenty-three years ago, the annual Writer’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University (3900 Lomaland Drive) began as a quaint showcase for writers and authors. Now the four-day event is set to be the biggest yet, opening with mind/body expert Deepak Chopra, and followed by Pulitzer winner Jane Smiley, Peabody winner Krista Tippett, activist/NBA champ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and filmmakers/authors Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray. NPR’s Kelly McEvers will host a workshop titled, Conflicted: Telling the Stories of Conflicts at Home, Abroad, and in the Heart. In addition, speakers will share insight into their craft during Q&A sessions. The series runs from Monday, Feb. 19 through Friday, Feb. 23. Tickets range from $5 to $40, and times and locations can be found at pointloma.edu/events. ESTHER LIN
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
OLD TOWN
CROSSING THE LINE In a time of familiar revivals and safe adaptations, The Finish Line Playwright Commission strives to break the cycle of theatrical banality by spotlighting new voices. The commission has selected three unproduced plays for live readings at the Cygnet Theatre (4040 Twiggs COURTESY OF CYGNET THEATRE St.) from Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18. Dust by Danielle Mohlman will kickoff the weekend followed by Mike Sears’ When It Comes, a collaborative production that includes appearances from locals such as Animal Cracker Conspiracy and musician Clinton Davis. There’s also Alone Above a Raging Sea by Christopher Mike Sears Oscar Peña, who is a writer for hit shows such as Jane the Virgin and Insecure. Each reading begins at 8 p.m. and concludes with a post-show forum. Admission is free but a $5 donation is encouraged. Visit cygnettheatre.com for more information.
HTransforming Existence at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 W. Broadway, Downtown. An exhibition created by faculty and students that explores surrealism with works inspired by the movement’s icons to contemporary approaches. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. Free. 619-5016370, art.sdsu.edu/sdsu-downtown-gallery HBy(e) Default at Art Gallery at Mesa College, Mesa College Drive, Clairemont. In this new show curated by Andrea Chung, five contemporary artists and three poets will examine white anxieties and the role of whiteness in the revision and celebration of Black History. Opening from 3 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. Free. sdmesa. edu/campus-life/galleries-and-attractions/ mesa-college-art-gallery HStudio Series: Francis Upritchard at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S El Camino Real, Encinitas. View new sculptural and watercolor works from artist in residence Francis Upritchard, who will also lead an engaging discussion about her artistic process. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. Free-$10. 760-436-6611, luxartinstitute.org Downtown at Sundown at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. MCASD’s after-hours event offers free admission and guided tours of exhibitions at MCASD and the SDSU Downtown Gallery, as well as specials at local businesses and live music. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. Free. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org
plus vintage style hand-cut original collages on canvas or watercolor paper by Ramona Szczerba. From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. Free. 619-347-9866, facebook.com/events/167531960635900
BOOKS Cecil Castelluci and Sally Pla at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. YA author Castelluci will sign and discuss her new book, Don’t Cosplay With My Heart, while local author Pla will be promoting her new novel about anxiety, Stanley Will Probably Be Fine. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com HWriter’s Symposium by the Sea at Point Loma Nazarene University Crill Performance Hall, 3900 Lomaland Drive, Point Loma. Five days of workshops, seminars and lectures from featured authors such as Deepak Chopra, Jane Smiley and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. See website for full schedule and times. Various times. Monday, Feb. 19 through Friday, Feb. 23. $5$40. 619-849-2200, pointloma.edu/writers Susan Meissner at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The former editor and columnist will sign and discuss her newest novel, As Bright as Heaven, about a mother and her daughters in WWI-era Philadelphia. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com
DANCE
HJapanese Americans & the Impact of Internment at New Americans Museum, 2825 Dewey Road, Point Loma. This exhibit highlights the experiences of Japanese Americans imprisoned in the internment camps during World War II. The reception will feature music by Japanese Koto player Reiko Obata. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16. Free. 619-7567707, newamericansmuseum.org
HRitmos Latinos at Lyceum Theater, 79 Horton Plaza, Gaslamp. A San Diego Ballet premiere combining a dance performance choreographed by Javier Velasco with a new commissioned Latin Afro-Cuban jazz suite composed and performed live by trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos. At 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18. $35$50. 619-294-7378, sandiegoballet.org
Antonio Adriano Puleo and Kraig Cavanaugh at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Puleo will debut In and In-Between, a body of work that investigates “the space in and in-between” artworks, while Cavanaugh will showcase Aesthetic Engineering, a thoughtful assortment of his most recent sculptures and wall works. Opening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16. Free. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org
HDance > Pause at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego - Downtown, 1100 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A dance trio performance choreographed by Deborah Hay and co-choreographed and performed by dancers Eric Geiger, Leslie Seiters and Jess Humphrey. At 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17 and 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18. Free-$15. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org
HLori Cozen-Geller: Origins at Madison Gallery, 1055 Wall St., Suite 100, La Jolla. A retrospective of the L.A.-based artist that showcases her white, minimalist sculptures made from industrial materials. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. Free. 858-459-0836, madisongalleries.com ‘80s Revisited at Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Art Unites presents a night of live 80’s cover bands, local dark wave DJs, live hairstyling and makeup, a themed fashion show, art and more. At 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. 619-540-0310, facebook.com/events/633684533691515 Into the Center at R.B. Stevenson Gallery, 7661 Girard Ave., La Jolla. New painted works from contemporary artists Michelle Mansour and Ricardo Xavier. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. 858459-3917, rbstevensongallery.com Connective Issues at Basic Bar/Pizza, 410 10th Ave., Downtown. Viz Cult presents a group art show featuring new and emerging Southern California artists, plus music by J of slip vintage. Opening from 7 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20. Free. facebook.com/events/538213929869427 WRES Third Wednesdays at WRES, 930 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Watercolors by Susanne Slater and Bonnie Woods,
H = CityBeat picks
FASHION HIndiri Collection Trunk Show at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. A chance to buy artisan crafted jewelry made with sterling silver from Bali. Purchases help preserve the ancient traditions of Bali and provides fair and sustainable income to the independent artists. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. Free. 619-239-0003, mingei.org
MUSIC Lana Del Rey at Valley View Casino Center, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Point Loma. Known for her trademark retro atmospheric sound on the road, Del Rey is touring in support of her latest album, Lust for Life, but show up early for supporting act Kali Uchis. At 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. $39-$125. 619-224-4171, valleyviewcasinocenter.com Where the Wild Things Are at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Our Lady of Peace’s annual Spring Sing celebrates its 45th anniversary. The program is produced and choreographed by students and will include songs on mermaids, dragons and other mythical creatures. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17. $15$45. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org
EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 @SDCITYBEAT
EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 HDavid Friend at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Fresh Sounds presents the New York-based pianist who studied with Phillip Kawin at the Manhattan School of Music while also participating in the city’s underground art world and street activism. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. Free. 619-8514083, freshsoundmusic.com Air Supply at Harrah’s Rincon Casino Events Center, 777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Valley Center. The legendary soft-rock duo behind hits like “All Out of Love” and “Here I Am” stop by on their current tour. From 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. $116. harrahssocal.com HTribute to the Reggae Legends at WorldBeat Cultural Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. Formerly known as Bob Marley Day, this 37th annual event features two days of performers including big names like Junior Reid, Big Youth, Bobby Dread and many more. See website for full lineup. From 3 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17 and Sunday, Feb. 18. $35-$65. bobfestsandiego.com Opera Exposed! At San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. A performance by college and young professional singers who have undergone the Opera Exposed! training program. From 2:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18. Free. 619-533-7000, sdopera.org Beth Hart at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The Los Angelesbased, Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter stops by in support of her latest album Fire on the Floor. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18. $40-$55. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org
@SDCITYBEAT
International Guitar Night at California Center for the Arts Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. This event, which started in 1995, brings together some of the most talented acoustic guitar players. Includes performances from Lulo Reinhardt, Calum Graham, Marek Pasieczny and Michael Chapdelaine. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18. $30-$35. 760-839-4138, artcenter.org
PERFORMANCE HSuper Awesome Showdown: Space Love Adventure at Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St., Mission Bay. This lovethemed wrestling event draws from outer space video game superhero combat as well as pop culture. From 7:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. $5-$20. 858-689-2422, superawesomeshowdown.com
SPECIAL EVENTS Forward Fridays: Benefitting Progressive Causes at Basic Bar/Pizza, 410 10th Ave., Downtown. Occurring every third Friday of the month, this event donates proceeds from food and drink purchases toward a selected cause. This month will benefit Life After Hate, an organization working toward fighting hate crimes. At 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16. Free. Facebook. com/events/347782698958572 H5K Paw Walk in the Garden at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. Guests can bring their pooches to the S.D. Botanic Garden at this annual 5K which benefits the Rancho Coastal Humane Society and the Garden. From 8 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Feb. 17. $14-$32. 760-436-3036, sdbgarden.org
POETRY & SPOKEN WORD
HSoCal Etsy Guild Market at Horton Plaza Park, 900 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. A one-day, outdoor event featuring Southern California artisan vendors, food, live art and more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. Free. socaletsyguild.com
HOpen-Mic Night: Valentines’ Day Edition at Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., North Park. This holiday-themed open mic night is dedicated to poetry’s biggest muse: love. This is the first Verbatim Poets Society gathering of the year. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14. Free. 619-501-7466, verbatim-books.com
HFemme Forme at Blonde Bar, 1808 W. Washington St., Middletown. A faceto-face networking event for female identifying artists and creative women. Includes visual art, live performances, zines and pop up shops. From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday, Feb. 19. facebook.com/ events/391363991323588
HLong Story Short: Pills at San Diego Writers Ink, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 202, Point Loma. A monthly improv storytelling night featuring five minute stories where anyone can take the stage and tell a tale of medicine, drugs, addiction, etc. From 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. $5 suggested donation. 619-696-0363, sosayweallonline.com
SPORTS Harlem Globetrotters at Valley View Casino Center, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. The iconic basketball team stops by on their current world tour to show off their trick plays and ridiculous ball skills. Spoiler alert: They win the game. At 7
p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 and Friday, Feb. 23. $16-$140. valleyviewcasinocenter.com
Tuesday, Feb. 20. $9-$12. 619-232-3821, sdnhm.org
TALKS & DISCUSSIONS
VALENTINE’S DAY
Parking, Transit, and Economic Development: The Intersection of Data & Policy at Downtown Works, 550 West B St., Downtown. A fireside chat with San Diego Neighborhood Investment Manager Liz Studebaker and La Mesa Councilmember Colin Parent who will be discussing the current state of parking and transit locally. From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15. Free-$23.16. 619-535-9675, downtownworks.com
HPalentine’s Day Pairing Dinner at Mike Hess Brewing, 3812 Grim Ave., North Park. A family-style, farm to table dinner with beer pairings. Ticket includes a four-course, family-style meal with dessert and a flight of Mike Hess craft beer. From 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14. $47.83. 619-255-7136, mikehessbrewing.com
Transborder Voices at Friendship Park, Costa, 92154 Tijuana, Baja California. The Indigenous Governing Council and its spokesperson Marichuy will speak about advocating for the visibility of pueblos and indigenous communities throughout Mexico. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17. Free. 619-531-8869, facebook. com/events/127154754767392 Talking Race & Inclusion at Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park. Sydney Garcia, an education specialist on race, equity and social justice, will facilitate a discussion while navigating the exhibit Race: Are We So Different? From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20. $10. 619-2392001, museumofman.org Nat Talks: The State of Biodiversity at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. National and regional scientists and conservationists discuss the latest science, emerging threats and management success stories in the world of conservation. From 7 to 9 p.m.
Second Halloween at Modern Times Beer, 3725 Greenwood St., Point Loma. No love for Valentine’s Day? Resuscitate last year’s costume one more time and celebrate a superior holiday with brews aplenty. From 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14. Free. 619-546-9694,facebook. com/events/553400255037550 Anti-Valentine’s Day Singles Social at HIVE, 4428 Convoy St., Clairemont Mesa. Enjoy an upbeat karaoke bar while singles will get a free shot. Newly single? Bring a picture of your ex for shredding to receive a free cocktail. At 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14. Free. 858-576-0700, facebook.com/ events/215077129060163 Valentine’s Day at The Lafayette at Lafayette Hotel, Swim & Bungalow, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. HOPE 46 Classic American Cuisine hosts a three-course dinner, plus Brian Wahlstrom on piano, vocals by opera singer Ashley Cutright and Dirty Dancing playing on the poolside screen. From 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14. $100 per couple. 619-296-2101, www.lafayettehotelsd.com
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13
THEATER JIM COX
Helen Cespedes and Kate Abbruzzese in The Importance of Being Earnest
An Earnest comedy endures
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s dependable as the sun coming up over the English countryside, Oscar Wilde’s venerable comedy of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest, entertains mightily no matter how often it’s staged. So it goes at the Old Globe Theatre, whose Mara Aitken-directed production is both eye and ear candy. Inhabiting sumptuous sets designed by Hugh Landwehr and romantically lit by Philip S. Rosenberg, a smart and sprightly cast milks every drop from Wilde’s shamelessly witty script. Both the male leads, Matt Schwader (as Worthing) and Christian Conn (as Algernon), and all three female principals (Kate Abbruzzese as Gwendolen, Helen Cespedes as Cecily and Helen Carey as Lady Bracknell) look tremendous in Fabio Toblini’s costumes. Still, it’s their verbal thrusting and parrying as they play the story’s delicious games that are most engaging about this lush production. The Importance of Being Earnest is featherweight, escapist comedy for those wild about Wilde and wild about words. The Importance of Being Earnest runs through March 4 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. $30 and up; theoldglobe.org
The Cake runs through March 4 at La Jolla Playhouse. $25-$60; lajollaplayhouse.org
••• s “issue plays” go, Bekah Brunstetter’s The Cake is, well, sweet. Its bipolar dialectic (northeastern liberal vs. Southern conservative) comes with layers of relevant tenderness and dollops of hearty laughs, both of which might defuse a lesser message show. But Brunstetter’s script is stridently uncompromising, which is good news for the La Jolla Playhouse production directed by Casey Stangl that closes the theater’s 2017’18 season. The purveyor of cakes is a North Carolina baker with a blonde wig, a Bible Belt belief system and a lot of unexpressed regret in her heart. Faith Prince is outstanding as Della, whose conscience and long-embraced values are rocked to the core when her late best friend’s daughter Jen (Aubrey Dollar) asks her to make a wedding cake for her and her fiancée Macy (Miriam A. Hyman)—another woman. Though overly sentimental at times, The Cake doesn’t cop out in deference to a neat and tidy resolution, while skirting the edges of, but never lapsing into, regional or political stereotyping.
Foxtales: A curious fox named Sonny explores the world, encountering lessons along the way. Written by Charles Pascoe, it opens Feb. 16 at the Don Powell Theatre at SDSU in the College Area. ttf.sdsu.edu
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—David L. Coddon
Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
OPENING: Anything Goes: An evangelist, a stockbroker, a British lord and a gangster walk onto a luxury cruise liner, and hilarity ensues in Cole Porter’s classic musical. Presented by Ovation Theatre, it opens Feb. 16 at the David H. Thompson Performing Arts Center at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad. ovationtheatre.org The Bill and Judy Garrett Finish Line Commission: A showcase of readings of new works from both local and established playwrights. Featured playwrights include Christopher Oscar Peña, Danielle Mohlman and Mike Sears. It happens Feb. 16 through Feb. 18 at the Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. Camping with Henry & Tom: In Mark St. Germain’s comedy, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison bring President Harding along on their annual camping trip, with disastrous results. It opens Feb. 16 at the Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado. lambsplayers.org The Diary of Anne Frank: The stage adaptation of the inspirational true story of a young girl hiding from Nazis in WWII Amsterdam. Presented by the Pickwick Players, it opens Feb. 16 at Off Broadway Live in Santee. pickwickplayers.net
I Ought to Be in Pictures: Neil Simon’s classic comedy about a Hollywood screenwriter whose long-lost teenage daughter shows up on his doorstep with dreams of stardom. Directed by David Guthrie, it opens Feb. 16 at the Patio Playhouse in Escondido. patioplayhouse.com Othello: The Bard’s classic tragedy about a general who is tricked into thinking his wife is having an affair. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t go well after that. Directed by Dylan Key, it opens Feb. 21 at the Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre at UCSD in La Jolla. theatre.ucsd.edu This Random World: The West Coast premiere of this comedy about missed chances and connections told from the perspective of various characters. Written by Steven Dietz, it opens Feb. 21 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org
For full listings, visit “Theater” under Culture at sdcitybeat.com
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february 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 15
CULTURE
hen we sat down it felt a bit like a dinner party. However, this particular dinner party, held by fine dining company Lego Optimo, had a kitchen full of renowned chefs doing the cooking. Two of those—Benito Molina and Solange Muris—own a restaurant recently featured on a list of San Pellegrino’s “50 Best Restaurants in Latin America.” Still, the chefs weren’t the only attractions on this night. The other star was John Barleycorn’s herbal cousin: cannabis. As California clocks struck midnight on New Year’s Eve 2017, Proposition 64—or the Adult Use of Marijuana Act—went into effect. For those who don’t already know, it allows adults to possess and privately use marijuana at their residence. There’s also 2017’s Senate Bill 49 (the Medical and Adult Use of Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act), which legalizes commercial sale, distribution and production of cannabis. Additionally, local jurisdictions can restrict or ban cannabis businesses in their jurisdiction. That much seems clear, but the effect legalization may have on the food world is less so. As much as Prop. 64 changed things, cannabis restaurants are definitely not in the immediate future. Kimberly Simms, a local attorney specializing in the business of cannabis, made clear in an interview with CityBeat that “current law doesn’t allow for cannabis cuisine in restaurants.” What’s more, cooking cannabis-infused cuisines would require a manufacturing license and selling it would require a retail license. Current law allows for each but not both for the same licensee. And there’s no single license covering both. Then there’s the fact that San Diego prohibits onsite consumption of cannabis. Many in the restaurant industry seem nonplussed about the impact of legalization
on their businesses. Matt Gordon, the owner and chef of Urban Solace, said he’s not “terribly worried there will be a big impact on our industry, at least yet.” Gordon is aware of concerns in the industry that stoned customers might drink less, hitting restaurants’ bottom line. But Gordon “watched Colorado fairly closely and, surprisingly, it seems alcohol sales were affected less than industry folk may have feared.” He also suggested that might be partially offset by the “munchie effect.” Seaside Market executive chef James Montejano agrees the effect on alcohol sales is likely to be minimal, because it’s not as if cannabis use wasn’t already a reality. Montejano also sees the wave of interest in cannabis cuisine as a result of legalized recreational marijuana being “in its infancy. After a while people will get over it.” Then there’s the issue of cannabis cuisine. Sara Stroud, co-owner of Carnitas Snack Shack, highlights that it’s a rather thorny issue and calls it “a slippery slope now it’s legal.” “I foresee potential lawsuits in the future,” Stroud says. There are also fears that cannabis-infused dining could lead to more DUIs. As currently written, driving under the influence laws apply just as much to marijuana as alcohol even if testing for cannabis isn’t nearly as reliable as for alcohol. Many see the confusing state of regulation as temporary. Simms says it’s too early to think about legal cannabis-infused restaurants, but expects that license categories will expand as jurisdictions gain experience with legalization. Montejano agrees, saying “the problems will work themselves out” over time.
16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
As Gordon says, “from a chef’s perspective, I would love the ability to play and experiment with [cannabis] in a culinary capacity. As an owner of restaurants that have serious bar programs, where our goal is to delight people with unique concoctions and enhance their mood in the meantime, it’s only natural that we’d like to see it as another tool in the arsenal.” But the law doesn’t allow that yet. Until it is allowed, it’s likely there will be more and more cannabis pop-up restaurants. They tend to fall in two categories: cannabis-infused dinners and cannabis-pairing dinners. The former are ones in which the cannabis is used in the food. Essentially, it’s being used as an herb. Frequently the cannabis is steeped into butter much like compound butters frequently used in noncannabis cuisine (though extraction of the THC and CBD requires a lengthy, tea-like infusion). It’s worth pointing out though that cannabis-infused dinners are legally dubious under current law, and there will also be challenges when it comes to proper dosing. Cannabis-pairing dinners, however, are easier to structure legally so long as diners buy their own marijuana (which can be selected by the dinner’s organizer or cannabis sommelier) and get local authorization (for which there isn’t currently a formal process). This allows for giving control of dosing to the diners. The only downside is they’re not really using the cannabis to its best culinary effect. Rather, as one detractor put it, cannabis-pairing dinners are more like “getting high and going to Roberto’s.” But is that really a bad thing? At the Lego Optimo dinner it certainly wasn’t. Rather than using cannabis in the food, it’s used like wine in fine dining: as an enhancement.
MICHAEL A. GARDINER
Cannabis used an Indica-heavy strain to relax and bring us gently down followed by a more sativa-heavy strain for euphoric effect. As the dinner progressed—going from Muris’ yellowtail tiradito to Molina’s quail and crab to Flor Franco’s beef short rib and pork tenderloin duo with recado negro—Timmerman’s selections found different points in between. At the end of the day, for all the excitement about cannabis and food and legalization, the bottom line is little has changed in practice. People smoked marijuana before, and they’ll smoke marijuana now. People did cannabis dinners before, and they do so now. They were illegal before and kind of still are. As Simms says, it’s “all gray.” But they did happen then and do happen now, as Lego Optimo spectacularly showed. Was the weed the star of the show? Perhaps not. But it certainly deserved the Oscar for MICHAEL A. GARDINER
Yellowtail tiradito with abalone and seaweed salad with soy and ginger But while the aromas of raw pot are many and varied and certainly could enhance food, much of that is lost when smoked. Lego Optimo co-organizer and cannabis sommelier Joshua Timmerman explained it was the experience he was curating. He
best performance by an herb in a supporting role. It was gourmet food and gourmet weed in an elegant environment. It was, in essence, a high-end, carefully curated cousin to getting high and going to Roberto’s. College me would have loved it.
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CULTURE | FILM
Split in two
Double Lover
François Ozon’s French thriller is nasty squared by Glenn Heath Jr.
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ore often than not, when twins show up in a Double Lover doesn’t quite reach Brian De Palma-level film, it means mischief or terror will follow. mind-fuck. That is aside from one twisted ménage à Maybe’s it’s because two people who look trois where bodies bend and morph against the laws exactly alike can be completely different beasts emo- of nature. A modern art exhibit where Chloé spends tionally, and that fact is an inherently creepy propo- her days working as an attendant is also decidedly sition to reconcile. David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers, grotesque. Inside the pristine hallways she’s literally starring Jeremy Irons as identical gynecologist broth- surrounded by suspended fleshy masses posing as ers took this notion to the extreme, depicting the dual modern art. Otherwise, Ozon never fully lets his disturbed sceslow motion breakdown of demented sibling soul mates obsessed with controlling and contorting the nario loose. However repressed, these characters cling to their inhibitions even when the film’s dream logic human body. Double Lover is far less ambitious, but director screams for them to abandon ship. Sure, there’s plenty François Ozon has some nasty fun riffing on the nar- of pulse-pounding moments (as well as pounding of the rative misdirection created by warring doppelgangers. sexual nature) and the occasional narrative switcheroo, This salacious thriller finds the great French actor but Double Lover seems quite content to remain a lowJérémie Renier in the dual role of estranged twin psy- level nightmare with minimal stakes. Much of the film’s chologists who are unknowingly sexually entangled striking production design and color schemes seem with the same tormented patient. It’s a love triangle ripped from Pedro Almodóvar’s swatch collection, while the editing scheme lacks the kithat becomes split in two. netic unpredictability one would Chloé (Marine Vacth) first normally associate with the genre. visits Paul Meyer (Renier) hopDOUBLE LOVER One could argue there’s never ing to cure her crippling stomDirected by François Ozon been a film more predicated on ach pains that have mystified Starring Marine Vacth, the creation (and abstraction) of doctors for years. He’s the silent Jérémie Renier and twin characters. Duality is bred listener type and she’s a broken Jacqueline Bisset into every fiber of Double Lover damsel, so naturally the two fall Not Rated (opening Friday, Feb. 16 at Digiin love. Ozon leaves most of the tal Gym Cinema in North Park), emotional foreplay off screen, almost to the point where only dancing around the particulars of their relationship except to fixate on the occasional the act of achieving balance matters to these characters, whether it’s through rough sex, psychiatric consession of hot sex. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows—after moving fessions or confronting past traumas. One character in together, Chloé thinks she spots Paul across town with calls the “stomach a second brain” referring to followanother woman. Further investigation reveals the man ing one’s gut instinct, which can be deadly for these to be Louis Delord (Renier), Paul’s twin brother who’s characters as they descend into the space between peralso a head shrink albeit with far more aggressively ception and reality. Ultimately, Double Lover’s lava lamp surrealism sensual methods. Intoxicated by the danger of her new predicament and equally attracted to both men, Chloé’s is enjoyably hollow (one blinking crotch shot is hard to forget). One could imagine a midnight movie aucontradictory desires overcome all rational thought. Double Lover makes sibling rivalry an unconscious- dience finding plenty of dirty comfort in its warped ly organic struggle for supremacy. It’s a film that at sensibilities and gratuitous image stacking. After all, one moment waxes poetically about an in utero battle there’s something to be said for a film that conflates between fetuses, and the next discusses absorption a good man’s loving glance with the wolf-like gaze of in relation to cannibal twins. Renier’s suave Louis is his cocky fuckboy twin. In this world, one couldn’t exthe mouthpiece that communicates these ideas to his ist without the other. perturbed lover, who often can’t seem to tell herself from her own reflection. Film reviews run weekly. In the grand canon of seedy cinematic charades, Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com
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FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17
CULTURE | FILM OPENING Black Panther: Chadwick Boseman stars as the T’Challa, the King of Wakanda who must become a superhero in order to defend the dignity of his advanced African nation. Call Me by Your Name: This Oscarnominated romance starring Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer returns for a second run at Digital Gym Cinema. Opens Friday, Feb. 16. Detective Chinatown 2: Two New York City Chinatown detectives hunt down the killer of a famous community member in Chen Sicheng’s action comedy.
The Cloverfield Paradox
Lost in space
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rendy commercials have long been part and parcel with the Super Bowl viewing experience. But never before has a film studio taken advantage of this mega event’s captive audience to announce the surprise release of a highly anticipated blockbuster. That’s exactly what happened during the big game telecast when Netflix unveiled The Cloverfield Paradox, the third film in the monster franchise shepherded by J.J. Abrams, and which would be available for streaming on Netflix immediately after the game. The Cloverfield series has always benefited from mystery and audience anticipation, but this latest exhibition ploy reeks of desperation. One need only watch the laborious dud to understand why. Taking place immediately before the events of the first film, an international team of scientists is sent into space with the hopes of successfully launching a radical particle beam that will create an infinite energy source and save the world from descending into chaos. A successful launch only achieves the opposite. Messing with the laws of nature ends up unleashing unexplained horrors, including but not limited to disap-
18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
pearing limbs, death by worms and an autopsy where key hardware is found inside someone’s stomach. The crew is made up of your standard cross-section of nebbish and aggressive personalities. While their specialties are never made clear, they do have the pleasure of trying to rationalize the absurdity of alternate dimensions colliding. Director Julius Onah shows little interest in the psychological stakes of any character, specifically the film’s hero Hamilton (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). Each lazy stab at human complexity just feels like window dressing. When Zhang Ziyi’s inexplicable character finally states that “logic doesn’t apply to any of this,” one could almost hear the laughter from the production team behind the scenes. The Cloverfield Paradox is an astonishingly poorly written film that wastes talented actors like Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, John Ortiz and Daniel Brühl. Whatever excitement its rushed marketing campaign may have momentarily conjured, it has been immediately squashed by the tepidly inane final product.
—Glenn Heath Jr.
Double Lover: In this steamy thriller from director François Ozon, a fragile young woman falls in love with her psychologist only to discover he has a far more aggressive twin. Early Man: The British animated studio Aardman (Chicken Run, Wallace and Gromit) returns with this claymation comedy about a secluded tribe of humans who must fight off a mighty enemy.
ONE TIME ONLY Magic Mike: Spend Valentine’s Day hooting and hollering at Channing Tatum’s abs in Steven Soderbergh’s stripper fable. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. The Lodgers: Two twins living in a gothic estate must follow the rules set upon them by a sinister presence in their homes called The Lodgers. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Wonder: Jacob Tremblay stars as a young disfigured boy who decides to attend public school after spending most of his life secluded at home. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16 and Saturday, Feb. 17, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills. Jawbreaker: FilmOut San Diego presents this dark comedy starring Rose McGowan and Rebecca Gayheart as teenage socialites who accidentally murder one of their friends. Post-screening Q&A with director Darren Stein. Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas. Pretty Woman: Richard Gere and Julia Roberts star in the classic romantic comedy about a rich businessman who falls in love with a fast-talking working girl. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.
For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.
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SUSHIESQUE / FLICKR COMMONS
MUSIC
ary Timony is many things: an indie rock guitar hero, an underground music veteran and an influential songwriter. It’s been a long road going from an up-and-coming artist out of college to a musician with more than a dozen records released over seven different bands. Most recently, her music with power-pop trio Ex Hex has been the subject of critical acclaim. Before that, she played guitar in Wild Flag, which featured members of Sleater-Kinney. Still, it took Timony a few years to shake off some of the bad experiences from earlier in her career. In the mid-’00s, she was in the middle of touring behind one of her solo albums when she had a moment of demoralizing clarity. “I remember I had this one night in Florida, I ended up staying in some kid’s mom’s house, and I was sleeping next to the cat box on the floor,” she says. “It was just so depressing. I’m fucking 35 years old. I’m not going to ask people to support my music if they don’t want to fucking buy it, that’s fine. I’m not going to beg to have a career. I’m just like, yeah I can’t do this, so I went home and I’m like, ‘OK I’ve done this for awhile I’m going to take a break.’” Timony’s break only lasted a short time, however, and that’s when she entered the second and, arguably, more successful phase of her career that’s seen her take on a number of new projects. She’s also taken on one old project: performing the music of her ‘90s-era band, Helium. Originally comprising Timony, bassist Ash Bowie and drummer Shawn Devlin, Helium released two albums on Matador Records (1995’s The Dirt of Luck and 1997’s The Magic City), both of which were reissued last year along with a compilation of rarities titled Ends With And. To support the reissues, Timony has returned to the stage with a new group of musicians to perform the music of Helium live for the first time in two decades. Helium’s music was in some ways characteristic of the styles of the ‘90s indie era, with guitar sounds that recalled the likes of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. But there’s also a unique quality to their guitar-driven aesthetic, in part because Timony, a classically trained musician, went out of her way to make sure the music didn’t sound too technical or precise. More than anything, she and her band were just attempting to make something that they thought sounded like nobody else.
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Mary Timony “In the 90s, I feel like there was this sort of feeling in rock music, at least with the people that I knew, that you were just trying to make music that hasn’t been made yet,” she says. “More so than now. There’s a lot better bands in a certain way now, but things just kind of fall into genres and are more ‘retro’ sounding. But in the ‘90s… it was harder, we didn’t reference the internet all the time. Maybe it was just because I was younger, too, but there was this feeling like, you could be in a cave... of your own stuff.” Helium were only together for about five years, though they had a brief moment in the spotlight when several of their videos made it onto MTV’s midnight-aired alt-rock show 120 Minutes and, as fate would have it, Beavis and Butt-Head. Yet unlike many of their peers in the ‘90s, Helium never took advantage of the major-label signing spree that took place after Nirvana became the biggest band in America. Timony, who was in her early twenties when the band started, credits her youth for her apprehension toward making any life-changing business decisions. She also points to her upbringing around the D.C. punk scene, which emphasized independence above everything else. “I think when Helium was just starting out... we went through one of those things that happens where you become a ‘buzz band’ and then labels are interested in you,” she says. “I was really freaked out by it because I’m from D.C. and I was going to a lot of hardcore shows in the ’80s and saw every single Fugazi show. I was part of the whole Dischord
Records thing here. So, in my early twenties I was just like, ‘fuck that shit,’ like…there was this whole feeling that if we signed to a major label we were selling out. It was funny— music was different then, there was a definite underground music community and then there was like, the mainstream music. Now it’s so different.” Now in her 40s, Timony has a much different outlook on the music industry. She’s seen her share of ups and downs as a musician, and is in a position where her music is more visible than it’s ever been—even without the assistance of Beavis and Butt-Head. While Helium ended anti-climactically, never quite breaking up but never reforming either, Timony has come to find new appreciation for music she made two decades ago. She’s also learned that the once-intimidating industry landscape back then wasn’t really anything to be threatened by. “I’d learned not to be scared of people,” she says. “I was terrified. I had like really crippling social anxiety in my 20s. And I was just settling for stuff a lot because I was just terrified, I don’t know why. “I wish I could go back and help myself, I was so scared of everything,” she adds. “Everybody says that, ‘if I knew then what I know now.’ I guess it’s a cliché, but of course. I definitely have learned not to be terrified of everything.” Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com. Follow him on Twitter @1000TimesJeff
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19
MUSIC
AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT
NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY
S
inging Serpent Studios has announced a Singing Serpent Nite at Soda Bar. The event is taking place on Friday, March 16 and features a lineup of six bands, all of which feature musicians who work at the studio, either as an engineer or in a writing capacity. The show’s lineup includes Soul-Junk, Pistolita, Miss New Buddha, Lion Cut, Daniel Crawford and the Unkind Ravens, Kenseth Thibideau and Sumatraban. And though a lot of musicians have been connected to Singing Serpent over the years, this is the first official showcase exclusively comprising Singing Serpent bands. “We had been talking about all of the bands that are centered around here,” says Glen Galloway, studio owner and member of both Soul-Junk and Sumatraban. “We thought, ‘why don’t we try to get as many Singing Serpent-connected bands as we can?’” For the time being, the event is being planned for just one date. However, Galloway says if the first one goes well and the opportunity presents itself again, there could be potential follow-ups. For instance, there were bands
ALBUM REVIEW Stuntdouble and Tenshun The Hunchback of Golden Hill
B
(Self-released)
ack in 2011, San Diego emcee-and-DJ duo Stuntdouble and Tenshun released the first in a series of EPs dubbed the “Welcome to San Diego Now Go Home” series. Each one thematically revolved around San Diego in some way. The first, The Ballad of Shawn T. Nelson, took its name from the infamous individual who went on a tank rampage on state Route 163 in 1995. The second, Pay Us A Visit, features a vampiric variation on the kissing statue on the waterfront. And the latest, The Hunchback of Golden Hill, name-checks the city’s historic Golden Hill neighborhood while painting the landscape in some dark, grimy hues. Tenshun, who also makes dark and intense noise records both on his own and as one-half of Skrapez, provides a pretty harrowing backing to Stuntdouble’s narratives, which range from playful to paranoid. They make for strong counterparts to one another, especially con-
20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
floated as possible additions to this show that weren’t able to make it this time. “Singing Serpent bands have shared bills before, like when Rafter was here, he played a show with Soul-Junk,” he says. “And I’ve played out with Kenseth before. But Sarah [Linton, of Miss New Buddha] actually threw it out there and suggested we start reaching out. She even suggested getting Truman’s Water to play, PAUL SILVER though they weren’t available. But there’s no lack of acts to do it.” This will be the first Pistolita show in about eight years, as well as the first from Soul-Junk in a couple years. Yet while SoulJunk entirely comprises Galloway’s family (his son and brothers are in the current lineup), he understands cynicism about comebacks from dormant bands. “It’s kind of funny. I used to write record Soul-Junk reviews for many years,” he says. “And I was always suspect of reunion albums. Like ‘you guys called it quits six years ago, maybe you should leave it alone.’ With Soul-Junk, it’s a little different. It’s kind of become the family band. And I just love playing these songs.”
—Jeff Terich
sidering the frustration behind many of Stuntdouble’s lyrics. The title track is a gloomy meditation on gentrification, opening with the lament, “I’m done with this place,” before reminiscing about how he “locked my doors and parked where the street’s lit/Guess that’s the reason rent was so cheap then.” From there the mood fluctuates between a horror/scifi sound like that of “Up at Night” and a more manic approach as heard in “Drone Poem,” in which Stuntdouble rhymes “nut fuzz” with “Herbie the Love Bug.” Yet each track offers an impressive juxtaposition between the two musical partners’ strengths, and all within a relatively concise span of time. All but one of the tracks here runs less than three minutes long, and there’s a leave-themwanting-more sensibility that I admire. That goes double for final track “Raise Hell,” which at one minute long is way too short. But I’m also well aware that a beatmaker like Tenshun has no shortage of ideas or material to work with. This may be the final installment in the duo’s “Welcome to San Diego” triptych, but I know I haven’t heard the last of these two.
—Jeff Terich
Rhythm intersection
F
“
rom [the] Stonewall [Riots] to the Black discos on the South Side of Chicago, to the gay liberation movement… without those movements, without those people, none of this would exist,” says Vincent Intrieri, referring to the now widespread acceptance of dance music. Intrieri started his own local underground electronic music collective, Rhythm Nation (facebook.com/rhythmnationsd), about a year ago in hopes of honoring the genre’s historical origins with younger generations. “In the world of dance music, specifically Latinos, AfricanAmericans and homosexuals have played a huge role in the dance music community,” Intrieri says. Rhythm Nation’s agenda seems especially important given the fact that as electronic music has become more popular, the mainstream faces of the genre have become increasingly less diverse. In 2014, a Nielsen study showed that the majority of the fanbase was white men. Intrieri says he’s trying to book CHRISTIAN VILLAREAL more minority DJs for Rhythm Nation. So far, the events, which have taken place at Mission Hills bar Blonde, have featured names such as Santiago Salazar, a Latino techno DJ, and Ricardo Miranda, a Chicago house music DJ. These music nights aren’t Vincent Intrieri the only way Intrieri is trying to further the conversation on the music’s roots. He’s also teamed up with local DJ Chris Manik (aka Manik) to orchestrate a series of panel discussions called DANCE, which stands for Discussions About Nightlife Culture and Environment. The first discussion was held last month at M-Theory Music. At the panel, Miranda and Salazar spoke on the history of their respective genres, as well as topics such as whether the internet keeps DJs from introducing new tracks anymore and how San Diego’s scene differs from other cities. “Even a small spotlight like DANCE can provide underground artists an open discussion and maybe even debate,” says Manik. “Any sort of feedback for voicing one’s own two cents at the end of the day can only be positive.” Next up on April 7, Intrieri has booked Atlanta-based DJ Kai Alcé to play the Rhythm Nation night. Then on April 13, in collaboration with local collective Bouquet, Rhythm Nation has booked female DJs Masha and Alison Swing to discuss succeeding in a male dominated music scene before playing sets at a location to be determined. Considering the current political climate, Intrieri says diversity on the decks is something to strive for. “Dance music is something where people are coming from different perspectives in life whether it be their race, sexual orientation, their religion,” he says. “It allows us all to come together under a common bond even if it is just for a few hours.”
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february 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 21
MUSIC
JEFF TERICH
IF I WERE U
A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14
PLAN A: Pearl Charles, Acid Tongue @ Soda Bar. Pearl Charles is one of my favorite new singer/songwriters. She has a style that mixes dreamy, contemporary pop with a classic ‘70s folk-rock approach and a slight touch of twang. It’s wonderful. PLAN B: Chuck Ragan, Jesse LaMonaca, Brett Newski @ The Casbah. Our web editor Ryan Bradford already wrote a bit about this show in the Spotlight column, but former Hot Water Music frontman Chuck Ragan has gone into rootsy Springsteen mode as a solo artist, and I’m into it. DANA TRIPPE
SATURDAY, FEB. 17
PLAN A: You Are Going to Hate This Fest w/ The Frights, Diet Cig, Jeff Rosenstock, Together Pangea @ SOMA. Local favorites The Frights just announced they’ve signed with Epitaph Records and they’re celebrating with a big party featuring a bunch of great bands, including twee-pop duo Diet Cig and epic punk songwriter Jeff Rosenstock. PLAN B: Ha Ha Tonka, The Heavy Guilt @ The Casbah. For something a bit mellower, but with plenty of grit, catch these two rootsy rock ‘n’ roll bands and vibe out. BACKUP PLAN: Nowhereland, The Oxen, Sweet Myths @ The Merrow.
SUNDAY, FEB. 18
Pearl Charles
THURSDAY, FEB. 15
PLAN A: Mary Timony plays Helium, Allison Crutchfield @ The Casbah. Read my feature this week on Mary Timony, an indie rock veteran who’s playing the music of her ‘90s-era band Helium for the first time in decades. That music happens to be really good, so don’t miss this rare opportunity. PLAN B: Mammoth Grinder, Cave Bastard, Therapy, Heat @ SPACE. A band named Mammoth Grinder would be very disappointing if they didn’t make an unholy ruckus, so it’s a good thing they do. It’s gnarly, thrashy death metal that goes for the jugular. BACKUP PLAN: Doug Tuttle, Sam Kogon, Summer Knowledge @ Blonde.
FRIDAY, FEB. 16
PLAN A: Dead To Me, Horror Squad, DFMK, Kira Jari, Muscle Dungeon, Se Vende, Allweather, Night Danger @ Soda Bar. Awesome Fest is happening all weekend at various venues in San Diego, and this is the first night of punk rock mischief. Don’t miss Tijuana band DFMK, whose peppy hardcore is super fun. PLAN B: Western Settings, Civil War Rust, The Lucky Eejits, Typesetter, Toy Zoo, The Trashies, Clown Sounds, Marriage Material @ SPACE. Even more Awesome Fest. Even more punk. Oi!
22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
PLAN A: Samiam, Odd Robot, Adult Magic, Racquet Club, Squarecrow, Never Old Bones, The Stupid Daikini @ Soda Bar. Sunday is the last night of Awesome Fest and features some of its best bands, like Samiam, a pioneering emo band who’s been making intense feelings sound catchy since the late ‘80s. PLAN B: Iron Chic, Turkish Techno, The Chinchees, Chagrin, Maniac, The Drowns, The Dodges @ The Office. Get the punk rock party started early with this Awesome Fest matinee, headlined by the excellent Iron Chic, who remind me of Superchunk with gang vocals.
MONDAY, FEB. 19
PLAN A: Grails, Chuck Johnson @ Soda Bar. Post-rock outfit Grails aren’t super prolific, nor do they tour a whole lot. So when they come to town, one should make a point of being treated to their soaring, cinematic creations in person. PLAN B: Bully, Melkbelly @ The Casbah. Nashville band Bully are sort of grungy, definitely catchy and exploding with energy. Their album Losing was an underrated gem from 2017; go listen to it and then rock the fuck out at their live show.
TUESDAY, FEB. 20
PLAN A: Palehound, Weaves, Exasperation @ Soda Bar. Palehound was recently a New York Times crossword clue, which was weird. But what’s not weird is the Boston group’s tuneful indie rock, which belongs on everybody’s next mixtape. PLAN B: Tune-Yards, Sudan Archives @ Observatory North Park. I’m not the biggest Tune-Yards fan, though they do put on a good show. However, I absolutely adore Sudan Archives, and I’m stoked that she’s playing a stage this size. Watch and be mesmerized. BACKUP PLAN: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Steady Holiday @ The Casbah.
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february 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 23
MUSIC
CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!
Soul-Junk, Pistolita (Soda Bar, 3/16), 3Teeth, Ho99o9 (Brick by Brick, 3/29), Pine Mountain Logs (BUT, 4/14), Miguel (Humphreys, 4/17), Japanese Breakfast (Irenic, 4/20), King’s X (Brick by Brick, 4/21), Sum 41 (HOB, 4/28), The Wonder Years (HOB, 5/22), The Head and the Heart (Open Air Theatre, 5/22), GBH (Observatory, 5/24), Iceage (Casbah, 6/5), Trampled by Turtles (Humphreys, 6/23), Wye Oak (Soda Bar, 7/20), Thirty Seconds to Mars (Mattress Firm, 7/21), Amorphis (Brick by Brick, 9/25), Ozzy Osbourne (Mattress Firm, 10/9).
GET YER TICKETS Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled (Viejas Arena, 2/26), 311 (HOB, 3/5), Antibalas (BUT, 3/8), Protomartyr (SPACE, 3/8), American Nightmare (Brick by Brick, 3/9), Talib Kweli (Music Box, 3/9), Wolves in the Throne Room (Brick by Brick, 3/11), Flogging Molly (Observatory, 3/14), Lucy Dacus (Casbah, 3/21), Russian Circles, King Woman (Brick by Brick, 3/26), George Clinton (HOB, 3/28), The Garden (Soma, 3/29), Titus Andronicus (Soda Bar, 4/2), Ty Dolla$ign (HOB, 4/5), Matt and Kim (Observatory, 4/9), Frankie Cosmos (Quartyard, 4/10), Chromeo, Phantoms (Humphreys, 4/10), Kate Nash (Observatory, 4/12), Angel Olsen (Music Box, 4/12), The Soft
Moon (Casbah, 4/14), Dashboard Confessional (HOB 4/18), Big K.R.I.T. (Music Box, 4/20), Los Lonely Boys (BUT, 4/22), ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ (Observatory, 4/25), Art Garfunkel (Balboa Theatre, 4/27), Bunbury (HOB, 4/29), Baths (BUT, 5/3), Keb’ Mo’ (BUT, 5/6-7), Built to Spill, Afghan Whigs (Observatory, 5/9), Weird Al Yankovic (Humphreys, 5/12), Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness (Humphreys, 5/13), Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite (BUT, 5/12-13, 5/15-16), Kendrick Lamar, SZA (Mattress Firm, 5/13), Nada Surf (BUT, 5/14), Earth, Wind and Fire (Harrah’s SoCal, 5/18), Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Observatory, 5/22), Rufus Wainwright (BUT, 5/24), Madeleine Peyroux (BUT, 5/28), King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Observatory, 6/1), Kesha, Macklemore (Mattress Firm, 6/12), Belle and Sebastian (Observatory, 6/22), Weezer, The Pixies (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/11), Chris Stapleton (Mattress Firm, 8/16), Charlie Puth (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/20), Church of Misery (Brick by Brick, 8/21), Rebelution (Mattress Firm, 9/8), The Eagles (Petco Park, 9/22), D.R.I. (Brick by Brick, 10/20).
FEBRUARY WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14 Lettuce at Observatory North Park. Chuck Ragan at The Casbah. Pearl Charles at Soda Bar.
THURSDAY, FEB. 15 Lana Del Rey at Valley View Casino Center. Miranda Lambert at Viejas Arena. Mary Timony plays Helium at The Casbah. Black Pussy at Brick by Brick. ‘Awesome Pre-Fest 11’ at Soda Bar. Caifanes at Observatory North Park.
24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
FRIDAY, FEB. 16 ‘Awesome Fest 11’ at various venues. Ghostemane at House of Blues (sold out). Gameface at The Casbah. Sweet and Tender Hooligans at Observatory North Park. The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). ‘Musicians United’ w/ Loose Cannon Band at Brick by Brick.
SATURDAY, FEB. 17 ‘You Are Going to Hate This Fest’ w/ The Frights, Jeff Rosenstock, Diet Cig at SOMA. Gramatik at Observatory North Park. G Perico at House of Blues. Dorothy at Music Box. Ha Ha Tonka at The Casbah. Trauma at Brick by Brick. ‘Awesome Fest 11’ at various venues. The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Trauma at Brick by Brick.
SUNDAY, FEB. 18 Beth Hart at Balboa Theatre. The Delta Bombers at The Casbah. ‘Awesome Fest 11’ at various venues. Lotus at Music Box. Betamaxx at Belly Up Tavern.
MONDAY, FEB. 19 Bully at The Casbah. Grails at Soda Bar. Dan Auerbach at Observatory North Park (sold out). Mike Gordon at Belly Up Tavern.
TUESDAY, FEB. 20 Theory of a Deadman at House of Blues. Tune-Yards at Observatory North Park. Palehound, Weaves at Soda Bar. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at The Casbah. Shovels and Rope at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 21 Motionless in White at House of Blues.
Superchunk at The Casbah (sold out). Alex Cameron at Soda Bar. Icon for Hire at House of Blues Voodoo Room. Julian Lage Trio at Music Box.
THURSDAY, FEB. 22 Keys N Krates at House of Blues. 1000Mods at SPACE. Willie Watson at The Casbah. Adan Jodorowsky at Soda Bar. Sevdaliza at Observatory North Park. Mike Pinto and Josh Heinrichs at Music Box. The Wood Brothers at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Eyehategod at Brick by Brick.
FRIDAY, FEB. 23 X Ambassadors at SOMA. Missing Persons at The Casbah. All Pigs Must Die at Soda Bar. The Spits at SPACE. Septicflesh at Brick by Brick. Bahamas at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).
SATURDAY, FEB. 24 The Spits, Beehive and the Barracudas at SPACE. Bruno Major at The Casbah (sold out). Steve Poltz Birthday Bash at Belly Up Tavern. The Aggrolites at Music Box. ‘Musicians United’ w/ Loose Cannon Band at Brick by Brick.
SUNDAY, FEB. 25 Crooked Colours at Soda Bar. Enter Shikari at The Irenic. Busty and the Bass at The Casbah. Herb Alpert & Lani Hall at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Exhumed at Brick by Brick.
MONDAY, FEB. 26 Snarky Puppy at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Jacob Sartorius at House of Blues. Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled at Viejas Are-
na. Year of the Cobra at Brick by Brick. Janiva Magness at The Casbah.
TUESDAY, FEB. 27 The Coathangers at Belly Up Tavern. Real Estate at Music Box. Wage War at Soda Bar.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 Dengue Fever at Music Box. Thurston Moore Group at The Casbah. Spafford at Belly Up Tavern. I The Victor at Soda Bar.
MARCH THURSDAY, MARCH 1 The Dears at The Casbah. Soft Kill at SPACE. Money Chicha at Soda Bar. They Might Be Giants at Belly Up Tavern.
FRIDAY, MARCH 2 Langhorne Slim at Music Box. Theo Katzman at Soda Bar. Margo Price at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). ‘Wacken Metal Battle - Round 1’ at Brick by Brick.
SATURDAY, MARCH 3 Gogol Bordello at Observatory North Park (sold out). Anderson East at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Earthless at The Casbah. Whitney Rose at Observatory North Park.
SUNDAY, MARCH 4 Stone Temple Pilots at Observatory North Park (sold out). Ex-Cult at Soda Bar. Matt Costa at The Casbah. Zach Deputy at Belly Up Tavern.
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
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MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 MONDAY, MARCH 5 311 at House of Blues. Lo Moon at The Casbah.
TUESDAY, MARCH 6 Celebrating David Bowie at Balboa Theatre. Pimps of Joytime at The Casbah. The Psychedelic Furs at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 EDEN at House of Blues. Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Hot Snakes at The Casbah (sold out). The Academic at Soda Bar. K. Michelle at Music Box.
THURSDAY, MARCH 8 Antibalas at Belly Up Tavern. U.S. Girls at Soda Bar. Protomartyr at SPACE. New Politics at House of Blues. Spawnbreeze, Innavision at Music Box.
FRIDAY, MARCH 9 Iced Earth at House of Blues. Palm at SPACE. American Nightmare at Brick by Brick. Talib Kweli at Music Box. Mt. Joy at Soda Bar. Thunderpussy at The Casbah.
SATURDAY, MARCH 10 Billie Eilish at Music Box (sold out). ZZ Ward at House of Blues. ‘San Diego Freak Out’ w/ Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Wild Wild Wets at The Casbah. G. Love and Special Sauce at Belly Up Tavern.
BY CHRISTIN BAILEY SUNDAY, MARCH 11 Norma Jean at Soda Bar. Wolves in the Throne Room at Brick by Brick. Halfnoise at Soda Bar. G. Love and Special Sauce at Belly Up Tavern. Ethan Bortnick at Music Box.
MONDAY, MARCH 12 Chai at The Casbah. He Is We at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, MARCH 13 Hibou at Soda Bar.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14 The Mowgli’s at The Casbah. Flogging Molly at Observatory North Park. Gaby Moreno at Music Box. Thee Oh Sees at Belly Up Tavern.
THURSDAY, MARCH 15 A$AP Ferg at House of Blues. Rachael Yamagata at Belly Up Tavern. Emancipator Ensemble at Music Box.
FRIDAY, MARCH 16 Hippie Sabotage at Observatory North Park. Morgan Leigh Band at Belly Up Tavern. Band of Gringos, The Delta Saints at Music Box. ‘The Redwoods Revue’ w/ Midnight Pine, Birdy Bardot, Dani Bell and the Tarantist, Heavy Guilt at The Casbah. Soul-Junk, Pistolita at Soda Bar. Shoreline Mafia at SOMA.
SATURDAY, MARCH 17 Taylor Bennett at House of Blues. Blockhead at Soda Bar. Hippie Sabotage at Observatory North Park.
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25
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ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): I have often heard people say “life is short,” and I have to say I agree, but it’s not so short that you can justify using combination shampoo and conditioner.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22):
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): So long as you are waiting for inspiration to strike, you will always be waiting. Then again, maybe there will be something that really speaks to you in the next episode.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Instead of giving unsolicited advice this week when someone vents to you, it is important to just listen quietly and hand over the money, as is bank policy.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): It’s time to follow your dreams and construct a crazy straw that is so long and crazy that by the time you finally get a sip of your ice-cold beverage, it’s room temperature.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): Many other living things can find a way to survive in hostile environments. Take the resilient cactus, for example, which thrives by being shallow, greedy and extremely violent.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22): As a result of a non-disclosure agreement included in a civil settlement with the celestial bodies, I am barred from telling you what will happen to you this week.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): There are a lot of reasons why I would like to dissuade you from your current course of action, but the top one is that hydraulic mining shovels are expensive to repair.
LEO (July 23 - August 22): You are walking this week with the conviction and confidence of a person who truly believes they are about to win the lottery even though you never bought a ticket.
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18):
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): To view everything in absolutes is to
PISCES (February 19 - March 20): This week, the endless drone of a metal detector skimmed over sand is only broken up by the excitable chirping that tells you that you’ve found… oh, just more trash.
rob yourself of a nuanced understanding of the world and flatten the subtle but critically important difference between “edible” and “non-toxic.”
Picture it: you, but as a cartoon mascot for a chicken restaurant. Pretty cute, I guess, but maybe wouldn’t hurt to think about what’s going on here.
Change can be scary but is necessary for growth. It is time to be fearless. It is time to be bold. It is time to take the ringback tone off your phone.
Astrologically Unsound appears every week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25
MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Zen Robbi, The Shakes. Sat: Broken Stems, Electric Elms, Mario Esteban and the Blessed Hellhounds. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: The Utility Players. Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop Wednesday’ w/ Kahlee. Thu: ‘Upload’ w/ DJ Gordon Russell. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Alice, 2 Bit, Will Lavin. American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Wed: ‘Doug Loves Movies’ w/ Doug Benson. Thu: Hannibal Buress (sold out). Fri: Hannibal Buress (sold out). Sat: Hannibal Buress (sold out). The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Thu: James Ian. Fri: DJs Hoof Hearted, Vinyl Richie. Sat: Tim Saxton, Symbol 6, Motor Gun Hotel. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown. Sat: Elderbrook. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘Shock’ w/ DJ Old Man Johnson. Thu: Doc Hammer, Braggers, Nicely, DJ Dunekat. Fri: The Loons, Hiroshima Mockingbirds, DJ Mike Delgado. Sat: Fleshies, Evil Livin’, Cringeworthy, The Pretty Flowers, Justus Profit, Kid Coast. Sun: Tiltwheel, City Mouse, Playboy Manbaby, The Plurals, Fuck You Idiot, Robot (Re)Pair. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: Alvino and the Dwells. Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Mark Fisher. Fri: Moonage Daydreams. Sat: Sights and Sages. Sun: Sam Bybee. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Casey Hensley Band, Karina Frost & the Banduvloons, Southland Soul. Thu: Stephanie Brown & The Surrealistics, Pharlee, Creature & The Woods, AGE. Fri: The English Beat, Unsteady (sold out). Sat: The English Beat, King Schascha (sold out). Sun: Betamaxx, Paging the 90s. Mon: Mike Gordon. Tue: Shovels and Rope (sold out). Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Downs Family. Sat: Levi Dean and the Americats, Heidi and the Almightys. Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: Doug Tuttle, Sam Kogon, Summer Knowledge. Sat: Mozghan, Mark Quark. Sun: ‘Staybad and Friends’. Mon: ‘Femme Forme’. Tue: ‘T is 4 Techno’. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Thu: The Goodtones. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: Black Pussy, Space Wax, Amigo, Well Well Well. Fri: ‘Musicians United Benefit’ w/ Taz Taylor Band, Pet Shark, RDG, Aether X, Deliverance Machine. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Chuck Ragan, Jesse LaMonaca, Brett Newski. Thu: Mary Timony plays Helium, Allison Crutchfield. Fri: Gameface, Errortype:Eleven, Weight of the Sun. Sat: Ha Ha Tonka, The Heavy Guilt. Sun: The Delta Bombers, The Sleepwalkers, Hard Fall Hearts. Mon: Bully, Melkbelly. Tue: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Steady Holiday. Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: FX5. Sat: Nemesis. Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Wed: ‘Tribute to Pops & Ella’. Fri: Bertram Turetzky. The Field Irish Pub, 544 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Chris Del Priore. Thu:
26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 14, 2018
Smoky Hoof. Fri: The Fooks. Sat: Clint Westwood. Sun: The Broker’s Band. Mon: Gary Flick. Tue: Fiore.
Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Sat: Lex and the Jewels.
F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Fri: DJ Isaac.
Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: Miss Erika Davies and the Men. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: Cassandra Jenkins. Sat: Jimmy Ruelas. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Tue: The Gabriel Sundy Jazz Trio.
Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Rich the Kid. Sun: Trey Songz. Hooley’s, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa. Fri: My Cousin Kazi. Sat: King Taylor Project. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Ramon Ayala Y Lorenzo De Monteclaro. Fri: Ghostemane (sold out). Sat: G Perico. Tue: Theory of a Deadman, Spirit Animal. Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Hitmen of San Diego. Thu: Bumpasonic. Fri: Wildside, The Reflectors. Sat: Rising Star, Backwater Blues Band. Sun: The Groove Squad, Mercedes Moore. Mon: Fuzzy Rankins. Tue: Missy Andersen. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Thu: ‘Acid Varsity’. Fri: Digital Cocoon, Susio, Pro-K. Sat: ‘Tech Support’ w/ Marvin Jest, Donald Thump, Mr. Smith. Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: New Alchemy Poetry Series. Fri: We Are One, Air-Go. Sat: Tony P, Eric Nielson. Sun: Home, Spencer Dugan. Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘The Divine Miss Bette’. Thu: Alisan Porter. Fri: Janice and Nathan. Sat: Tori Roze and the Hot Mess. Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: The Ziggens, No Kings, Elastic Waste Band. Sat: Nowhereland, The Oxen, Sweet Myths. Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Fri: Ryan Staniszeski. Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Steelhorse Country. Fri: Clapton Hook. Sat: Lifelike, Adrienne Nims. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Thu: Yacht Rock Revue. Fri: Como La Flor Band: Tribute to Selena, Grupo Bronco Tribute. Sat: Dorothy, Dinorah Zamora. Sun: Lotus, Marvel Years.
Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Pearl Charles, Acid Tongue. Thu: Santa Ana Knights, Ninja Night Race, Grids, Shallow Cuts, Signalman, Slaughter Boys, Maniac!, Typesetter. Fri: Dead To Me, Horror Squad, DFMK, Kira Jari, Muscle Dungon, Se Vende, Allweather, Night Dangers. Sat: Toys That Kill, The Globs, Snuggle!, Dimber, Squishers, Rad, The Mission Creeps. Sun: Samiam, Odd Robot, Adult Magic, Racquet Club, Squarecrow, Never Old Bones, The Stupid Daikini. Mon: Grails, Chuck Johnson. Tue: Palehound, Weaves, Exasperation. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Sat: The Frights, Together Pangea, Jeff Rosenstock, Ryan Key, Diet Cig, HUNNY, Thee Commons, King Shelter, On Drugs, The Spook School, Buddha Trixie, Cheeks, The Grinns. Sun: Xavier Wulf. SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘Pocari Sweat’. Thu: Mammoth Grinder, Cave Bastard, Therapy, Heat. Fri: Western Settings, Civil War Rust, The Lucky Eejits, Typesetter, Toy Zoo, The Trashies, Clown Sounds, Marriage Material. Sat: Nothington, The Shell Corporation, Form Rank, Sciatic Nerve, Canadian Rifle, Signalman, Cruz Radical. Sun: Dead Bars, Matt Caskitt and the Breaks, Tracy Soto, Lysolgang, Hammerbombs, The Chill Gangs, Ash Williams. Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Middletown. Fri: Waze & Odyssey, Denney, Secondcity. Sat: ‘Overdrive’. Sun: Call Super. Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Lex and the Jewels, Abnormal Mammal. Sun: Teddy Fantastico. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Living Deads, Toothless George, Cat Chasers. Sat: ‘Kilowatt Hop Sound System’ Sun: Pants Karaoke.
The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park. Sat: Bad Cop/Bad Cop, Decent Criminal, Needles/Pins, Shallow Cuts, Black Paw, Reunions, The Bigger Empty. Sun: Iron Chic, Turkish Techno, The Chinchees, Chagrin, Maniac, The Drowns, Dodges.
Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Kenny and Deez. Thu: Evan Diamond Goldberg. Fri: Coriander, Evan Diamond Goldberg. Sat: Kenny and Deez, Coriander. Sun: Jen Hecht Duo. Mon: Josh Field. Tue: Evan Diamond Goldberg.
OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: ‘Undone on Thursday’. Fri: Porter Robinson. Sat: Vice. Sun: Matoma.
Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Thu: Mercedes Moore Band. Fri: Funk’s Most Wanted. Sat: Bless Your Heart Burlesque. Tue: Robin Henkel Band.
Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Thu: Robert Dove. Fri: Miss Erika Davies. Sat: Chris Murray Combo. Sun: Sue Palmer.
Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Convictions, Minority Whip, Hong Kong Fuck You. Fri: Karaoke. Sat: The Lumps, The Widows, Space Wax, Christ Killer, Slashers, Gravedodger. Sun: ION, Dhatura, Witherandrot. Tue: Daikaiju, Fractal, Bosswitch.
Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Captn 20. Sat: Grandtheft. Sun: Lil Wayne. Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Gregory Michael. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Chickenbone Slim and the Biscuits. Sat: Robin Henkel and Whitney Shay. The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’. Sat: ‘Sabados en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA, K-Swift. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: DJs Kiki, Kinky Loops. Thu: DJs Kinky Loops, Kayden. Fri: DJs Drew G, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs Hektik, Luke Allen. Sun: DJs Hektik, Paulo Ramirez. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: MImi Zulu. Fri: Johnny Deadly Trio. Sat: Rosa’s Cantina.
U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park. Wed: ‘Yes Lawd’. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: Kid Wonder. Sat: DJ Qenoe. Mon: ‘All That’. Tue: ’31 Flavors’. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Cemetery Lipstick’ w/ DJ Camilla Robina. Thu: Profligate, O/X, DJ Scott Johnson. Fri: ‘F-ing in the Bushes’ w/ DJ Daniel Sant. Sat: ‘80s vs. 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul Q. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’. Tue: ‘Videodrome’. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: EARTHKRY, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Desert Rhythm Project, CMoney and the Players Inc. Fri: Electric Waste Band. Sat: GrooveSession, Shaky Feelin. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Jefferson Jay Band, Big Decisions.
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IN THE BACK JONESWRIGHT4DA / FLICKR
BY PAMELA JAYNE
CannaBeat Are the Feds coming?
O
n Jan. 4, Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent shock waves through the cannabis community when he rescinded an Obama-era policy known as the Cole Memo, which instructed federal prosecutors to limit the type of prosecutions they pursue in states where cannabis is legal. This came as no surprise to those who are aware of Sessions’ history of inflammatory remarks. However, the interim United States Attorney for the Southern District of California, Adam Braverman, released a written statement saying, “The Department of Justice is committed to reducing violent crime and enforcing the laws as enacted by Congress. The cultivation, distribution and possession of marijuana has long been and remains a violation of federal law. We will continue to utilize long-established prosecutorial priorities… ” This understandably has many people in the local cannabis industry feeling alarmed. Some law enforcement officials indicated that they do not expect much to change in their approach to enforcement. Black market dealers will still be the focus of investiga-
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tions, not legally licensed businesses. Still, there has been a great deal of panic since these statements were released. Public defender and candidate for District Attorney (DA) of San Diego County, Geneviéve Jones-Wright, explains how these statements will affect San Diegans. She says that Sessions’ memo is troubling and shows a lack of understanding. Jones-Wright provided further insight by describing the situation from her perspective. “Unfortunately, either as a signal of what is ahead for San Diegans or another example of the interim DA’s tone deafness on criminal justice issues, my opponent [Summer Stephan] met with Adam Braverman on Jan. 4, 2018 to discuss collaboration between the District Attorney’s office and the U.S. Attorney’s office. [Stephan] then publicly stated that she was ‘looking forward to collaborate [sic] with San Diego’s new U.S. Attorney [Braverman].’ This was the very day Sessions wrote the memo and Braverman said he stood with Sessions on the issue.” This information is unsettling to activists and consumers alike, yet locally-licensed
Geneviéve Jones-Wright cannabis retailers are reporting business as usual. Homebound patients who rely on medical cannabis feel less confident that there will be enough delivery services to meet their needs. “It is important to understand that while possession of marijuana is prohibited under federal law, the Sessions memo does not really implicate cannabis users, as U.S. Attorneys don’t routinely focus on users in prosecutions,” Jones-Wright added. Jones-Wright explained that the DA does not prosecute federal crimes, and is not obligated to assist federal agencies in the prosecution of crimes that do not implicate state or local laws. Because enforcement of federal law is not under the purview of the DA’s office, the DA can help protect the cannabis
community from Braverman and the Attorney General simply by honoring the people they were elected to represent. “There could very well be consequences if these federal prosecutors decide to go after businesses legally operating under state law,” she said. “One consequence could be a negative effect on the relationship with local law enforcement agencies. This is why we need leaders at the local level (police chiefs, sheriffs, District Attorneys) who will stand with the people and not bow to the feds when state and federal laws are in conflict.” For the latest cannabis news and lifestyle trends, please pick up our sister magazine CULTURE every month or visit culturemagazine.com.
FEBRUARY 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27