San Diego CityBeat • Feb 20, 2019

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Keep it dead

W

hen readers think of San Diego design and architecture, what comes to mind?

Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Look, we don’t have an Empire State Building or a Transamerica Pyramid. Most tourists equate our skyline as looking something like the top ends of tools one would find in a hardware store. Personally, I love the bizarre, almost whimsical design elements of Horton Plaza, which will soon be turned into some kind of tech-bro office park. I shudder every time I think about Jon Jerde’s “experience architecture” being used as a skateboard park by some Red Bull-fueled Silicon Valley transplant on his two-hour lunch break.

No, we are not a city that respects or even loves the intricacies of good design. We like shiny. We like new. And we like them even at the expense of something interesting, functional or built to last. Once something becomes old, we tear it down and start over or it sits vacant for years until some corporate developer buys it and turns it into condos (which often sit vacant as well).

This isn’t exclusive to us, by any means.

It’s kind of the Southern California way. We don’t beat L.A. at much of anything, but they are a bit keener on historical preservation.

That’s not to knock the fine folks over at the city’s Historical Resources Board, but it’s not like much of the public is showing up to their public comment forums in order to vie for the preservation of the Latonia Hotel building in the East Village. (This is a real thing, by the way. The board is set to consider it next week) The San Diego Central Library gave me hope when it was completed in 2013. Coming down Interstate-5, the steel-and-mesh dome shines like some kind of bizarre beacon. Some might say it looks incomplete or even dystopian. I think it looks badass.

With that in mind and Horton Plaza no longer my go-to place for a Hot Dog on a Stick and two-hour wander around a parking lot trying to remember if I parked on the “Tomato” or “Pepper” level (or was it “Corn”?), I would like to propose to anyone listening that we officially (and I mean, like, let’s get it written in stone somewhere) kill this Plaza de Panama revamp once and for all.

In case readers haven’t heard, the mayor

and Irwin Jacobs officially shelved the plan for the Balboa Park overhaul last week after fundraising stalled and construction bids came in way over budget. The city was set to pick up nearly $50 million of the cost of the project—which would have converted the nonsensical car roundabout area of the park into a pedestrian-only plaza—but after multiple delays and lawsuits over the years, the cost of the actual construction, understandably, just kept increasing.

Without getting too bogged down in the minutiae of it all, let me just first say that I applaud the mayor for calling a spade a spade and taking the L on this one. He could have easily tried to get the city council to try and approve more funding or simply increased the size of the $49 million worth of bonds they were seeking in the first place.

Instead, he understood that, at this moment, it’s simply not something that’s a priority.

And it should stay that way.

Not only was the plan always flawed (paid parking instead of free? A bridge that connects to another bridge? A parking garage with grass on top… WTF?), but the intangibles were never properly addressed. Those who would regularly drive around all day looking for free parking rather than pay (like me) would spill out into neighborhoods like Bankers Hill and an increasingly car-unfriendly Hillcrest, angering residents. Museums voiced concerns about attendance dropping because people would have to pay to park, albeit temporarily.

And for what? So there won’t be any more cars in what is already a safe, pedestrian-friendly plaza? So we’d all have to sit through years of jackhammering and construction? Sure, the Plaza could be more beautiful, but it’s part of the park’s history, warts and all, and there’s certainly something to the logic of groups like the Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO), who delayed the project in the courts.

I don’t always agree with SOHO on every piece of property they want to save, but when it comes to the Plaza, I’m fine with leaving it the way it is. It’s not shiny. It’s not new. But until there’s an actual plan that works, it’s beautiful the way it is.

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FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

X IS MY PRESIDENT

I beg to differ with you [“Words mean something,” From the Editor, Feb. 13]. If “is my President” means nothing more than “is President of the US,” then it is a redundant, unnecessary, and obscure expression of fact.

But the person saying it does not mean that.

Rhetorically, “X is my President” means “I approve of and embrace him as President,” while “not” negates that sentiment. The Dotard Trumphole is emphatically not MY President.

David Cohen Hillcrest

UNDERHANDED TACTICS

Of all the wall nonsense Trump has come up with, “human wall” might be the most absurd [“All Eyes on S.D.,” From the Editor, Feb. 6]. A “human wall” in different words, is “border patrol.” The bottom line is Trump doesn’t know what he wants but wants it now, and is demanding that others jump through hoops to come up with some thread that he and his henchmen can spin as a success. To that end, Trump is willing to use extortion or other underhanded tactics. To put things in perspective; withholding disaster aid for wildfires, no big deal; but refugees seeking asylum, well that’s a national emergency. Outrageous. And it’s not just Trump who is the culprit, Republicans are complicit, they have even spouted the talking point—paraphrasing—that $5 billion for the

wall isn’t too much to ask for, it’s only onetenth of 1-percent of the federal budget.

In essence they are saying it’s OK to waste taxpayer money on a political stunt because it’s just chump change. And they claim to be the party of fiscal responsibility??? Vote their asses out!!!

Dan Jacobs

Mira Mesa

DIG DEEPER!

I am delighted to see such a passionate and committed spelunker as Al Howard write about vinyl treasures for your paper [“I dig vinyl,” Black Gold, Jan. 30].

And in the interest of inclusivity I offer the following observations in this period of post-truth Trumpism, which might fall under the title “Colored Gold.”

It will not sweeten the sour exclamation point that Al referenced in his being sidetracked and then by-passing that box of Loggins and Messina that it may have contained the multi-colored (audacious even aggressive red whites and blues to attract service men) Bell Song Taiwanese import ripped from the very high quality Japanese tapes of L and M’s first Quad album which was not only in the 4 channel discrete SQ format, but also contains two additional takes of Mama Don’t Dance and Angry Eyes (with Pharoah Sanders replacing Al Garth on tenor on the first, and Rahsaan Roland Kirk replacing Jon Clarke on flute on the second) using the lit-

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

tle-known Holographic Ghosting Processor (developed by Prof. Watanabe “Benji” Botan, D.Phil., D.Lit.) to create ambient sound artifacts out of the original tape’s deep EMF structure. Impossibly rare!

And consider the possibility of finding lost colored gold in that Paul Anka box in the form of the fantastically elusive multicolored picture-disc 45 of “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” with the face of Paul McCartney mistakenly superimposed on Paul Anka (see John Lennon’s comment on this and the walrus, “Anka” being the Canadian (especially in Quebec) transliteration of “anchor”). Deceptively elusive!

Lastly, the collectability and value of the Windjammers’ “Poor Sad Child” is hard to figure, it being a highly derivative rip of the Temps (as Al rightly points out and as is obvious on first hearing it). None of us who lived in Oakland during the rough and tumble ’70s would ever have thought much of it (given the rampant “hunger” and “desperation” in Oakland at the time). Indeed, it might be argued that the seeds of both the poverty and sadness of said child might be better found in why mama don’t dance and those angry eyes! Dig deeper, digger!

Let us hope that Al’s mom (May Allah bless her with long life) continue to try to straighten out her wayward son (Boston College did not seem to help at all).

Dr. Alvin Chicago, Ph.d Normal Heights

TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 A Side-Eye of Sanity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Sordid Tales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

FOOD & DRINK World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Feature: SmART Spending. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-18

MUSIC Feature: Transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . . . . 21 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-25

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 CannaBeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

MAURA FOX

UP FRONT | NEWS

Living in uncertainty Migrants waiting in Mexico have some access to health care, but many worry it’s not enough

By Maura Fox

W

hen a group of Central Americans traveling to the United States arrived in Tijuana in November, their journey to the U.S. came to an abrupt halt. Public spaces became encampments and individuals, some of whom who were already suffering from chronic illnesses, began searching for temporary healthcare.

Luis Conde, a migrant from Guatemala, was sitting on a curb outside the Benito Juarez Sports Complex, a migrant camp that has now been closed since December.

Laughing with friends, he seemed relaxed but troubled when asked about his uncertain future.

Conde has diabetes, and has struggled to come by medication at the migrant camp. He needed health insurance to access medication but, at the time, he wasn’t sure if that was an option for him.

And Conde isn’t alone in his uncertainty.

In response to public health

concerns among migrants, free health clinics in Tijuana are providing medical care and helping them enroll in public healthcare, as many are now facing an indefinite stay in Mexico.

Health Frontiers in Tijuana (HFIT) is a free, student-run clinic, just a 10-minute drive from the San Ysidro border. The clinic, led

by Dr. Jose Luis Burgos, primarily cares for patients with diseases like HIV and Tuberculosis in the Tijuana neighborhood of Zona Norte.

HFIT, Prevencasa, Enclave Caracol, the San Diego Border Dreamers and the International Health Collective are some of the organizations along the border trying to address migrant health. Migrants suffer from a range of conditions including diabetes, respiratory infections and mental health illnesses, as well as contagious diseases like chickenpox, scabies and lice.

Under Seguro Popular, Mexico’s health insurance for individuals without formal employment, migrants can receive 90 days of free

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

health coverage. Applicants can enroll at general hospitals in Tijuana or through the National Institute of Migration.

Dr. Burgos stressed the importance of public health in Tijuana, especially as the number of migrants staying in the border town has begun to increase again under the new U.S. policy, Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). MPP mandates that individuals seeking asylum in the U.S. must be sent back to Tijuana to wait while their cases are processed. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the unprecedented policy on Jan. 24.

Of the 2,400 people on the list who are seeking asylum at the San Ysidro border crossing, the U.S. plans to return 20 asylum seekers to Mexico each day after processing their cases. As asylum seekers and migrants wait in Mexico, they can enroll in temporary Seguro Popular, which is intended for those “who have nothing,” César Alejandro Monraz Sustaita, director of Seguro Popular in Baja California, said in an email.

Of the 9,501 people who have enrolled in Seguro Popular in the state of Baja California from Jan. 1 to Feb. 12, 36 applicants were from El Salvador, 25 were from Honduras, 18 were from Guatemala and four were from Nicaragua, accord-

Luis Conde ing to data from Seguro Popular.

Sustaita said the 90 days of healthcare is intended for migrants while they register as legal immigrants, find a job, return to their home country or obtain the necessary documents to renew Seguro Popular.

This is where problems may arise.

Migrants, who may not plan to stay in Mexico permanently, can apply for a humanitarian visa in Mexico and receive up to one year of Seguro Popular. But to apply for a visa, migrants must have identification documents from their home countries, such as a birth certificate, national identification card or professional license.

Jose Paramo is a student studying social work at the Autonomous University of Baja California and works with a team at HFIT comprised of doctors, lawyers and human rights groups to help patients access humanitarian visas. He said many migrants did not arrive in Mexico with these documents, so he works with consulates in Mexico City to obtain migrants’ identification.

According to Paramo, the entire visa process takes a little over a month and all cases he has assisted with have resolved in favor of the migrant.

Paramo’s focus is on migrants from Honduras, but he is hoping to work more with the consulates in El Salvador, Guatemala and other countries to help migrants secure humanitarian visas, as well.

Paramo says he will continue to help migrants even though Mexico recently ended a program to grant fast-track humanitarian visas for the new group of migrants entering Mexico through its southern border.

And as these migrants work through the layers of policy or go uninsured, concern for public health in Tijuana grows. Dr. Israel Alba is a physician with Prevencasa, another health clinic in Zona Norte just a few blocks from HFIT. The neighborhood is known

for its prevalent drug use and sex trafficking. The sidewalks are dirty and some pedestrians walk around with sores on their bodies.

“This is the red district,” Alba said. “If you don’t provide social security [and medical care] for immigrants... This is what they are doing to survive in these areas. If you want to get money, you’re going to find drugs and sex [work].”

Prevencasa provides medical care to migrants and Tijuana residents and has also helped patients enroll in Seguro Popular, including low-income Zona Norte residents.

The clinic also runs a needle exchange program designed to decrease HIV in the neighborhood.

While health concerns in Tijuana primarily impact the city itself, Burgos still worries about the bi-national consequences if public health concerns are not addressed, especially with the amount of interaction and travel between the U.S. and Mexico.

Despite these concerns, there haven’t been any outbreaks of extremely contagious diseases among asylum seekers who have entered the U.S., said Wilma Wooten, MD, MPH, San Diego Health and Human Resources public health officer.

But for the more than 55 million people enrolled in Seguro Popular in Mexico, the future of their healthcare remains in limbo.

The Secretariat of Health recently announced that Seguro Popular will be changing — one of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s campaign promises — although specific changes have not yet been announced. It is not expected to change in the state of Baja California in 2019.

Amidst speculation about the future of Seguro Popular, Burgos is most concerned about the impact on public health if migrants stop receiving healthcare and are not treated.

“The problem with public health is if you don’t address these problems, you can end up worsening the situation,” Burgos said. “Infections don’t care about policy.”

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FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

CULTURE | VOICES

RHONDA “RO” MOORE

A SIDE-EYE OF

SANITY

No, you still can’t touch my hair… or me

T

here’s this proffered belief that heterosexual, cis-gendered and white folks are the real marginalized people in modern America. This myth of white persecution lies behind the legal undermining of decades of societal corrective action and the undoing of centuries of reformative lawmaking. I suppose the logic is that we, as a society, are beyond the need for legal intervention; that the so-called fixes put in place to address America’s discrimination problem also work to disadvantage white folks.

It’s a lie. But it’s a good one.

I’ve been watching the efforts to derail the campaigns of Black people announcing their candidacy for President, as well as the slanted media focus on some of the female freshman Congresswomen. Watch these efforts and it becomes crushingly clear how old tactics still work in these modern times.

To some, Black people in America are like store displays. And, we all know what happens to a display item that begins to take up too much space. Its square footage gets decreased or the display is removed from the showroom floor all together.

This means that the second Black people don’t cater to white folk’s feelings in all things, we’ve gone a step too far and need to be reeled in… by any means.

White people, collectively, still don’t see Black people as legitimate equal-rights-holders in American society. Period, full stop.

Don’t get me wrong: they think we have a place and a role to play.

But when a picture of “America” comes to mind, it is light, bright and damn near all white.

How do I know? That’s an easy one. Campaigns built around the “Make America Great Again” ideology keep working to put white men in the Oval Office (thanks Reagan). Nowadays, they barely even need to talk a good game to qualify to lead. They just need to promise to topple all efforts to make any race, ethnicity or religion as equal with a Christian white person.

White people are angry at how marginalized and disenfranchised groups have become increasingly adept at advocating for ourselves on all levels. As a result, there’s been a concerted pushback against initiatives geared toward diversity, inclusion and equality by white people, especially men. They feel the balance of power tipping out of their favor even if data suggests it’s not (we’re talking feelings here, not reality).

Encouraging people to rally around Klan and country (yeah, I said it!) helps keep news outlets in business, wins state and federal elections, empowers lobbies and reinvigorates propaganda designed to maintain the economic status quo.

But this isn’t just about politics or political drama to me. I’m not just ranting to push some agenda.

Recently, while at an event, I was stopped by an extremely indignant white couple. And by stopped, I mean they physically impeded my way in order to

question me. They wanted to know why I wasn’t getting in line with everyone else. I told them it wasn’t their business. When I attempted to move around them, they shifted to block my path. The woman again demanded I get to the back of the line. I told her I was working and asked them to get out of my way. The woman looked me up and down and snidely replied that I didn’t “look like” I was there to work.

I politely suggested she fuck off and mind her business.

At that point, the man with her took a step forward like he intended to grab my arm. I stepped back and informed him I’d be happy to break something in his hand if he touched me. He stomped off muttering. Shortly thereafter, he returned with security. The security person, however, knew me and waved me on my way. As I was walking away, I heard the woman say, “Well if she can go in, then I should be able to go in, too.”

On the surface, this might seem like just an obnoxious couple acting up because they didn’t want to wait their turn. But it’s rarely that simple. I’d walked in shortly after a group of white people. They also passed that couple.

Neither the man nor the woman made any attempt to investigate what they were up to, why they didn’t get in line or how they had permission to enter the building before them. It’s also worth pointing out that they didn’t try to stop the white person who I walked in with. They just stopped me.

This type of shit happens to me all the time; almost as often as white women I don’t even know reaching out to touch my damn hair because it “looks soft.”

As a Black woman, I don’t have the luxury of ignoring the consequence of my actions or words. As a Black woman who weighs more than 130 pounds, I don’t have the luxury of being thoughtless. Hell, I can’t even wear my hair in its natural state without someone having an opinion about it. One misstep, and I’ll be labeled angry, loud, unprofessional, lazy, ghetto, out of line, uppity, belligerent or unkempt. It can cost me my job or professional advancement opportunities, as well as goodwill and friends. It can cost me my freedom.

As far as I’m concerned, of all the lessons I learned when I was a kid, this is the Golden Rule: Think before you speak. At a minimum, I’m relatively certain it’s the first step in the whole “treat others how you want to be treated” gig. Lately though, some folks treat this simple advice as somehow hindering their rights. What’s more, they are making anyone advocating for it the enemy. And white people, it seems, are adamant that they’re entitled to live in a frictionless world without doing any of the work necessary to prevent the friction.

White people are angry at how marginalized and disenfranchised groups have become increasingly adept at advocating for ourselves on all levels.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

A Side-Eye of Sanity appears every other week.

Follow Ro Moore on Twitter at @BookBlerd.

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UP FRONT | OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

SORDID

TALES

Getting sweet revenge on a Tab Pirate

I

was in Manhattan recently, looking for some of that wildly overrated New York City nightlife when I came upon a bar with some live music and a small crowd of smokers outside the front door.

“Those guys are great,” said an attractive woman who approached me as I studied the band’s flyer.

“There’s no cover either,” she added, nearly flooring me with her smile. Her name, I learned, was Claire and, let’s be honest, she was too beautiful to be this eager to chat with me.

But chat we did. She asked my name, where I was from and other small-talky type questions before suggesting we go inside and check out the music. Given the likelihood that my appearance—which could be best described as frump chic— was not what attracted her, I assumed I was being played.

At worst, she was an organ thief with a purse-full of roofies and a boyfriend back at the hotel waiting to carve out my kidney. At best, she was a Loser Lure, a person who lavishes attention on the lonely in exchange for cocktails. She also could have been a B-Girl, hired by the owner to draw men into the bar and encourage extravagant spending.

Or, she was a Tab Pirate—someone who puts drinks on other people’s tabs without their knowledge. I was confident she was one of these, but just didn’t know which.

Regardless, my many years as a bartender provided ample experience with barracudas like these— and the band actually did sound good—so I did not object when she hooked her arm into mine and led me to the bar to order drinks.

When the bartender arrived—with my beer and her white Russian—Claire did not even feign a payment attempt. She plopped her red Chanel handbag on the bar, pulled out a phone and checked her messages.

Not that I cared. I was expecting as much and was not in the mood for awkwardness.

When I gave the bartender my card, Claire scooched closer and rested her hand on my forearm. It was then I knew that I had a Tab Pirate on my hands—rotten of heart with a cold shriveled soul.

See, this was a classic piracy tactic. By walking us up to the bar arm in arm, and being all lovey-touchy, she created the illusion we were a couple. This way, she could run up my tab without raising the bartender’s suspicion.

I have seen this plenty of times during my days behind the bar. It even happened to me a few years ago.

I was watching football in the now-defunct Kristy’s MVP Sports Bar, when two women sat on the stools beside me. They asked about the food, which led to more conversation and our becoming fast friends.

Before long we were cracking jokes and buying each other rounds. And yeah, they were stunning, espe-

cially the woman sitting beside me, who looked like a newbie stripper unsullied by the nightly grind. To my surprise, she was a newbie, and was scheduled to audition at Pacers Showgirls, across the street, in an hour!

To my further surprise, she invited me to watch the audition—for “moral support”—to which I responded, “Well gee, I suppose, if you think it will help.”

So we three walked over to Pacers, and up to the bartender, arm in arm. I ordered us a round and left the card open. Fun ensued. Memories were made.

Then I closed my tab. Sure enough, they put about $200 worth of drinks on it. I fumed, looked around and saw the pair in the corner surrounded by a group of dancers and customers. They didn’t even have the humility to skulk away before I discovered their betrayal!

Rattling the tab over my head, I approached and shouted, “What the fuck is this?”

They didn’t even bat an eye.

The dancer’s friend just matter-offactly explained that I was lucky to have paid so little to be in the presence of such exquisiteness. I followed this by calling them “exquisite twats.” This was then followed by some mutual yelling, frothing, flailing—and at least one glass breaking—before the bouncers dragged my ass out for harassing a dancer.

I was livid. I swore to myself that, somehow, I was going to get my revenge.

And that is what I was remembering as the Manhattan bartender waited for me to answer his question about keeping the tab open.

I wanted revenge on all the cold, black souls of Tab Pirates everywhere, even if it was only symbolic. So I told the bartender to leave the tab open (as bait) then bade farewell to Claire and disappeared into the pool room.

After a couple of hours, when Claire was on the dance floor, I asked for a subtotal on my tab. The bartender said I had three beers and three white Russians. Just as I suspected, Claire was a Tab Pirate.

I ordered another Russian—with double Kahlua to maximize the sticky factor—and closed out. When she was finished dancing, I flagged her over.

“Another drink?” I asked.

“Thanks!” she said, and placed her purse on the bar to receive it.

But I did not hand it to her. Instead, I pulled open the flaps of her fancy, red handbag and emptied the Rusky into its main compartment.

“This one’s on you,” I said, and rushed out the door, her expletives fading as I made my getaway down the street.

This was then followed by some mutual yelling, frothing, flailing—and at least one glass breaking— before the bouncers dragged my ass out for harassing a dancer.

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Sordid Tales appears every other week.

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FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE W Hunan nature

hen the massive mortar of smashed eggplant and green chili pepper, along with preserved eggs, arrived at the table, I realized it was a bit of a metaphor for Taste of Hunan as a whole. Sure, the oversized mortar is one thing, but there’s also the tableside show of the staff pounding the ingredients, as well as the huge flavors that opened to reveal a range of tastes and textures.

That eggplant dish not only spoke to the nature of the food at the Mira Mesa restaurant (9880 Hibert St., Ste. E2, taste-of-hunan.business. site), but of Hunan cuisine itself.

About three years ago, Village Kitchen opened in Clairemont and brought a respectable take on Hunan cuisine to San Diego. Today, it’s not quite what it was. Inconsistency and some menu changes have taken a toll, perhaps because an original partner left to open Taste of Hunan.

One of the dishes that wowed at Village Kitchen was that eggplant dish and it’s every bit as good, if not better, at Taste of Hunan. The key is the way the comforting warmth of the eggplant, heat of the chili pepper and funk of the preserved egg complement each other and create a unified whole. While the dish doesn’t offer textural contrast in the classic sense, it does in more subtle ways, with the soft stringiness of the eggplant giving way to the slight crunch of the pepper and, finally, the soft plasticity of the preserved egg.

One of the most surprising and subtle dishes at Taste of Hunan was the black chicken soup with cordyceps flowers. Black chicken are scrawny things (literally, black in color) and are valued more for the broth they produce then the little meat on their bones. Cordyceps are not actually flowers, but rather mushrooms with a floral fragrance, although they do have some of the meatiness of mushrooms.

The soup made from the two is a classic Chinese

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

medicinal preparation designed to enhance energy.

Together, there is a depth of meaty flavor with a beguiling hint of floral fragrance.

Hunan cuisine is famously known for its heavy use of spice. It was something I was warned about repeatedly at Taste of Hunan. And despite my assurances to the staff that I was there for spiciness, I can’t say I was ever overwhelmed—or even fully satisfied—by the spice level (don’t tell them or they might take revenge next time). On several occasions—particularly with the stir-fried beef with pickled chili pepper—the missing heat and the lack of caramelization of the meat left little character to the dishes.

MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Sautéed beef tripe with pickled radish Still, one of the most remarkable dishes at Taste of Hunan was the sautéed beef tripe with pickled radish. While I was already a fan of Chinese stewed tripe before this dish, I’d never really enjoyed sautéed tripe. This dish, however, was texturally fascinating, presenting crispiness and crunchiness in three ways (the tripe, the pickled radish and the Chinese celery) along with a fresh feel that had both salty and spicy undertones.

It’s easy to pass Hunan cuisine off as simply spicy, but there’s so much more to it. From the graduating textures and flavors of the eggplant dish to the complex consistencies of the braised pig feet, it’s these aspects of the cuisine that makes Taste of Hunan impressive.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY BETH DEMMON

FINAL

DRAUGHT

Northern exposure

I

can’t pinpoint the exact moment when Oceanside became cool. If the number of craft breweries is any indication, the fact that the city doubled its number of taprooms in just five years is good for at least two (okay, maybe three) scene points. There are now almost a dozen taprooms and if we add those to the growing list of destination restaurants and trendy coffee shops, all signs are pointing to O-side shedding its rough-aroundthe-edges reputation sooner rather than later.

Northern Pine Brewing (326 N. Horne St., northernpinebrewing.com) is one the most promising additions to the area. First of all, points to the owners for not going with the clichéd surfboardand-sunset design aesthetic that beachside breweries seem obliged to employ. Walking into Northern Pine is more mountain forest escape than beachside brewery; stacked cords of wood make up the towering backsplash behind the taps and the bulk of the accent décor is silhouettes of pine trees.

But unique vibe alone doesn’t make a brewery noteworthy. What is noteworthy, however, is the fact that of the twelve beers available during my visit, only two were IPAs. Two! As in one-sixth of the total beer offered. That’s damn near sacrilege ’round these parts, and I am absolutely living for this blasphemous break from recent trends. Other styles include a barleywine, golden ale, amber ale and milk stout on nitro.

With so few hop-heavy choices, obviously I had to try the Golden Horizons, a 6.7-percent ABV IPA. Its grapefruit aromatics carry over nicely into the flavor, which finishes with a clean, light pine bitterness. It’s straightforward and simple, the hallmarks of a well-crafted IPA. I can see why they didn’t bother brewing 10 more variations when this one hit the mark perfectly.

My next beer, the 6.1-percent ABV rye porter, doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor. Rye is very easy to go overboard with and the Rye God Rye is no exception. The dark malts come across overly roasted, on the verge of burnt. I much preferred the Fallen Needles 5.6-percent ABV dry-hopped brown ale. Dry-hopped with Simcoe, it beautifully strikes the balance between a classically malt-forward

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brown ale with aromatically aggressive hops.

“If you close your eyes, it’s almost an IPA,” remarked the beertender when I questioned him about Fallen Needles. I wouldn’t go that far, but it was one of the more interesting brews I’ve had in awhile.

BETH DEMMON

Northern Pine Brewing The 5.6-percent ABV Czech-style pilsner, Dawn of Jan, is a fairly conventional pilsner with a crisp bite and light floral aromatics. It’s somewhat difficult to draw out major scent notes at Northern Pine since it shares a space with a southern Louisiana-style barbecue joint, That Boy Good, but it’s worth the sensory exercise. Still, I eventually succumbed to the omnipresent meat cloud filling the taproom and devour a plate of hot wings alongside the gluten-reduced 6.3-percent ABV saison.

Saisons belong to a notoriously broad category that’s often a catch-all for beers that are decidedly undeserving of the moniker. Northern Pine’s bears the name proudly.

It’s hard to stick out in the San Diego beer scene nowadays, but sometimes not following the trends can be trendsetting in itself. Returning to a more traditional approach, and doing it well, is the best— and coolest—way to go.

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

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

BACK TO BLACK How’s your Black History Month going?

The news out of places like Virginia can be dispiriting for sure, but there are still some great events coming up that will hopefully uplift readers into turning February back into a month of celebration.

First, there’s the Man Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James, who is on tour promoting his new fantasy novel, Black Leopard, Red Wolf, the first in his new Dark Star trilogy. For Black Leopard, James drew from African history and mythology to tell the tale of a mercenary who teams up with a band of miscreants and even a shape-shifter to help find a missing boy. The author will discuss and sign the book at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21 at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice Theatre (5998 Alcala Park) on the University of San Diego campus in Linda Vista.

Tickets are $32.33 ($42.33 for two) at warwicks.com and both options include a copy of the book.

Next, it’s time to celebrate the past with a performance of No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. For those who don’t know, Brooks was a teacher, poet laureate and the first Black person ever to win the Pulitzer Prize. Chicago-based performance collective Manual Cinema bring her story to life via a multimedia show that combines theatre, puppets, live jazz and even a vintage over-

KENSINGTON

HEARING THEIR TRUTH It’s hard to believe The Vagina Monologues is over 20 years old. Even if it seems we’ve regressed as a society (see: the Trump administration), Eve Ensler’s episodic play still packs a punch due to it’s haunting and moving stories of womanhood and the trials, tribulations and traumas that often come with it. A number of spaces held special “V-Day” performances of the play, but we’re particularly excited about Broad Salon and Tini Elba’s showing at the Kensington Club (4079 Adams Ave.) on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 6:30 p.m. Not only will the show be performed in an intimate space, but there will also be vulva cookies and proceeds will benefit the Casa Cornelia Law Center, a nonprofit law firm providing quality legal services to victims of human and civil rights violation. Admission is $5 at the door. tini-ebla.com

MARK SELIGER

Marlon James head projector. It happens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22 at the Mandeville Auditorium at UC San Diego (9500 Gilman Drive). Tickets range from $15 to $25 at artpower.ucsd.edu.

Finally, the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library opens its spring jazz programming with a performance from local legend Charles McPherson. The concert on Tuesday, Feb. 26 serves as a prelude performance to a yearlong 80th birthday celebration for the local saxophonist. But before heading to Manhattan to play Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis, McPherson will perform with his NYC quartet at The Auditorium at TSRI (10620 John J. Hopkins Drive, La Jolla) at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $32 to $37 at ljathenaeum.org.

BALBOA PARK

FANTASTIC VOYAGE If Valentine’s plans fell through or you and your boo just ended up chilling and watching Netflix, the San Diego Museum of Art’s quarterly Culture & Cocktails event always makes for a great date night. José María Sert’s breathtaking works depicting the sailor Sinbad inspired this month’s theme of “Legends and Voyages” and, naturally, there will be a nautical theme throughout the night including “Seven Voyages” cocktails from Malahat Spirits Co., Message in a Bottle-inspired craft stations and food from Cousins Main Lobster Food Truck. There will also be photo booths and music from DJ Gabe Vega. It happens Thursday, Feb. 21 from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $10 for SDMA members and $25 for non-members at sdmart.org.

HFutures Past and Present at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 W. Broadway, Downtown. Mingle with faculty and student artists while browsing a new exhibition devoted to alternate realities and depictions of our world to come. Artist include Katrina Bell, Rona Duhoki, Eleanor Greer and dozens of others. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 21. Free. art.sdsu.edu Priceless and Worthless at You Belong Here, 3619 El Cajon Blvd., Normal Heights.

You Belong here hosts an opening reception for urban artist Priceless and Worthless.

Check out the works both inside and out of the building, as the artist turns a wall to canvas. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21. Free. youbelongsd.com HCulture & Cocktails: Legends and Voyages at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Showcase of newly installed work of art by José María Sert depicting the adventures of Sinbad the Sailor alongside exotic drinks, art activities and themed food. From 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21. $10-$25. sdmart.org Cloths of Heaven at Porto Vista Hotel, 1835 Columbia St., Little Italy. Hosted by 1805 Gallery, this exhibit showcases photographs from Siobhán Arnold inspired by the historical representation of women in art and traditional narratives. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21. Free.

1805gallery.com HDripping Glitter at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Opening reception of new work from ManRabbit, two female artists who work collaboratively to layer various medias in a glittering piece of art.

Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Free. 619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com Spectacle & Satire at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. A new exhibition of vintage works from the likes of William Hogworth and Francisco Goya, among others, that took a critical and humorous look at morality and politics. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Free$15. 619-232-7931, sdmart.org HValya: She at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. New works from Ukrainian fabric artist Valya Roenko Simpson, whose work speaks in messages of feminism, empowerment, family, and the interconnectedness of our ancestral roots. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $10. 760-435-3720, oma-online.org HSan Diego Surreal at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Over 50 works of art in a variety of media created over several decades and focuses on the work of local contemporary artists including Hugo Crosthwaite, Marianela de la Hoz, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, and more. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $10.

760-435-3720, oma-online.org HMatthew Barnes: Painter of the Night at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. A collection of the late San Francisco San Francisco modernist’s work, which deals in isolationism and is often seen as a forbear of dark Surrealism.

Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $10. 760-435-3720, oma-online.org Southern California Inspirations, Past and Present at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Collection of selected paintings from over 50 current and former National Watercolor Society artists, among others. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $10. 760-4353720, oma-online.org

BOOKS HMarlon James at Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace at USD, 5998 Alcala Park, Linda Vista. The Man Booker Prize-winning au-

The Vagina Monologues 12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

Culture & Cocktails

H = CityBeat picks

thor will discuss and sign the first book in his new trilogy, Black Leopard, Red Wolf.

Price includes a copy of the book. At 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 21. $32.33 warwicks.com Charlie Jane Anders at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The founding editor of io9.com will sign and discuss her latest novel, The City in the Middle of the Night.

At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21. Free. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com David E. Presti at D.G.Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The UC Berkeley neuroscientist will discuss his new book, Mind Beyond Brain: Buddhism, Science, and the Paranormal. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23.

Free. 858-456-1800, dgwillsbooks.com HMomo and Andrew Knapp at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The Instagram star Momo the Border Collie, and his human photographer, Andrew Knapp, will be promoting their latest photography collection, Find Momo Across Europe. At 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HWorld Bookmark Day at Geisel Library at UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla.

Special exhibit of unique bookmarks accompanied by a DIY bookmark making station to celebrate the common book companion.

From noon to 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25.

Free. 858-822-5758, library.ucsd.edu Massimiliano Di Ventra at Geisel Library at UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The theoretical physicist will discuss and sign his new book, The Scientific Method: Reflections from a Practitioner.

From 4:30 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26.

Free. 858-534-0533, libraries.ucsd.edu

COMEDY HHaters Roast-Shady Tour at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. Join contestants from RuPaul’s Drag Race for a night of comedy and shade throwing. Watch as the Queens drag each other all in the name of fun and humor. At 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25. $38.50-$150 sandiegotheatres.org

DANCE HBeer & Ballet at Observatory North Park, 2891 University Ave., North Park. See brand new choreography from Artistic Director Jared Nelson and the California Ballet while enjoying a cold brew at the ballet’s annual fundraiser. At 5:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $40-$75. observatorysd.com

FOOD & DRINK Tequila Fest at Coasterra, 880 Harbor Island Drive, Harbor Island. Taste a variety of tequilas and mezcals, compete in a margarita-making competition, enjoy tacos and paella, or join in a blind taste test at Coasterra’s tequila tasting event. From 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $40-$50. cohnrestaurants.com

MUSIC HArt of Élan: Loving Vincent at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. A chamber music concert inspired by Vincent Van Gogh and his painting “Mother and Child,” which is currently on display at the museum. The concert will be followed by a screening of the film, Loving Vincent, though separate admission is required. At 7:00 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. Free. sdmart.org HSir András Schiff at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. World renowned classical pianist Sir András Schiff performs Bach, Schumann, Bartók and Janácek. At 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. $35$85. sandiegotheatres.org Brubeck’s Time Out In Concert at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. This

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 @SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 Jazz @ The Jacobs concert will see curator Gilbert Castellanos bringing together several of today’s most exciting jazz artists to perform Dave Brubek’s classic 1959 album in its entirety. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. $24-$76. 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org HGregory Porter at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. The Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Gregory Porter performs songs from his five albums.

At 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24. $40-$65. sandiegotheatres.org HCharles McPherson NYC Quartet at The TSRI Auditorium, 10640 John J Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. The internationally known saxophonist and San Diego local Charles McPherson performs in his hometown. This concert will celebrate McPherson’s 80th birthday. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26. $32-$37. ljathenaeum.org Habib Koité & Bassekou Kouyate at Price Center East Ballroom, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Musical performance from two performers who specialize in the historical, cultural and unifying properties of Malian music. From 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26. $9-$30. artpower.ucsd.edu

PERFORMANCE Hershey Felder, Beethoven at San Diego Repertory Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, Gaslamp. The musician and actor performs as Beethoven in order to tell his life story. The story is inspired by Dr. Gerhard von Breuning’s memoir, which recounted how he helped care for the aging composer when he was a boy. Various times.

Thursday, Feb. 21 through Sunday, March 24. $31.50-$78. sdrep.org HNo Blue Memories: The Life of Gwen-

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dolyn Brooks at Mandeville Auditorium at UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Chicago-based performance collective Manual Cinema bring her story to life via a multimedia show that combines theatre, puppets, live jazz and even a vintage overhead projector. From 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. $9-$35. artpower.ucsd.edu

POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD HMaureen Owen and Barbara Henning at D.G.Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The two acclaimed poets will read from their respective books, Edges of Water (Owen) and Just Like That (Henning).

At 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. Free. 858-4561800, www.dgwillsbooks.com Poetry & Art at SDAI 2019: Karla Cordero, Jeff Walt, People’s Choice at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Michael Klam will host the People’s Choice Poem Performance Award, an interactive arts and culture experience with speakers, music and more. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. Free-$6. 619957-3264, poetryandartsd.com HJenny Minniti-Shippey at Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., North Park. Celebrate the launch of Minniti-Shippey’s After the Tour, a new collection of poetry. She will be accompanied by fellow poets Karla Cordero and Sheila McMullin. From 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23. Free. verbatim-books.com

WORKSHOPS HThe Insect Show with Little Dame at Good Friday Gallery, 566 19th St., Sherman Heights. Enjoy a taxidermy demonstration, specimen displays, art by Vincent Schafer, Lex Talkington, and Prey and Profit and live music from Gloomsday. From 2 to 10 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 22. littledameshop.com

BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY May the focus be with you

W

hen I heard that Sam Lipsyte had a new novel out called Hark, which is a synonym for “listen,” that’s exactly what I

did.

I mostly prefer to experience literary fiction in book form, especially those read for language rather than story or plot; but Lipsyte is a wildly comic writer who translates well to audio format. Plus, the novel is read

by Lipsyte himself, which sealed the deal for me.

Lipsyte has written four novels and a pair of short story collections, and enjoys something like a cult following among irreverent readers. I first encountered his work in a strange literary journal called J&L Illustrated, which included Lipsyte’s “Ode to Oldcorn,” a sad, strange and deeply funny story about a shot-put coach.

That story was eventually published in his second short story collection, The Fun Parts, but it set the stage for much of his current work, which is often centered on male misfits who are more nebbish than menace. After all, they’re just struggling to find their way in what Lipsyte calls “this hard turd of a world.”

Hark is like this as well, but in a more circumspect way. The figure at the heart of the story is Hark Morner, a handsome, charismatic man who

has developed a technique called “mental archery” that he believes will help people focus. It’s kind of like The Force in the Star Wars universe, but mental archery is more of an extended metaphor.

Those drawn to Hark can’t help but see a grander design behind his message. Hark, however, lacks the evangelical zeal of a for-profit prophet and keeps insisting there is no message.

At one event, Hark proclaims, “One aims at the future, but not a static future. One shoots where the stag, the target, one’s chance for fulfillment, are about to appear. You lead your prey. You don’t dress for the job you want. You dress for the job your child will someday be denied.”

These are the empty calories of guru claptrap, and the loose collection of enablers in Hark’s orbit know it. But what if there really is a message behind the BS, perhaps one that Hark himself isn’t aware of?

Lipsyte has been crafting deadpan dystopias for the better part of two decades (the publication of his first novel, The Subject Steve, on September 11, 2001, reads like a cosmic joke). Hark not only hits the mark, but it just might be Lipsyte’s most accessible and fulfilling work to date.

—Jim Ruland The Floating Library appears every other week.

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

THEATER COURTESY OF ONSTAGE PLAYHOUSE

Sex, love and advice

F

or anyone who’s ever stayed up all night in the company of someone very special, there’s Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune. McNally’s genuine and intimate 1987 play tells the story of a first date between a short-order cook named Johnny and a server named Frankie that lasts until dawn.

During this time, the two characters figuratively and literally bare themselves to each other, and loneliness becomes new love.

At ���������������������������� OnStage Playhouse the company’s artistic director, Teri Brown, is profoundly moving as Frankie, who isn’t sure about the deeper feelings coming from Johnny (Charles Peters, superb) or from inside herself. There isn’t a moment during Frankie and Johnny’s two engrossing hours that rings false, a testament to not only McNally’s words but to the performers and to the director of this production, Jennifer Peters (Charles’ wife). It’s easy to believe that the little Chula Vista stage is a New York studio apartment, that the unseen neighbors in the next building are in abusive or dead marriages, and that, in a nod to hope, Frankie and Johnny have found their soulmates.

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune runs through Feb. 23 at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. $20-$22; onstageplayhouse.org

soothe and succor, though as with real life, uneasiness pervades throughout.

Tiny Beautiful Things runs through March 17 at the Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre in Balboa Park. $30 and up; theoldglobe.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: The Misanthrope: Molière’s 17th Century classic about a young man who must navigate high society in order to find his place in the world. Presented by the UC San Diego graduate theatre program, it opens Feb. 21 for five performances at the Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre in La Jolla. theatre.ucsd.edu

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

A

uthor Cheryl Strayed’s “Dear Sugar” advice column ran for almost two years in the online literary magazine The Rumpus, and, well, it was certainly not “Dear Abby.” Both its inquiries and its answers were lengthy, sometimes painfully frank and, in the case of Strayed’s advice, delivered with literary aplomb. A subsequent book compiled from the “Dear Sugar” columns later became a one-act play adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos (audiences will remember her

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

from My Big Fat Greek Wedding). Now, Tiny Beautiful Things is getting its West Coast premiere in the Old Globe’s theater-inthe-round space.

Directed by James Vasquez, Opal ����� Alladin bravely portrays Strayed, who responds to three supporting actors (Keith Powell, Dorcas Sowunmi and Avi Roque) playing the letter writers. The subject matter is frequently dark, even wrenching at times, with even one of “Sugar’s” own life stories being just as horrifying. The play strives to

The Vagina Monologues: An intimate performance of Eve Ensler’s episodic play, which explores the many facets of womanhood. Benefits the Casa Cornelia Law Center. Presented by Broad Salon and Tini Elba, it happens Feb. 21 at the Kensington Club. tini-ebla.com Mr. Rickey Calls a Meeting: A staged reading of Ed Schmidt’s play about an imagined meeting between Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey on the even of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier. Presented by the La Jolla Theatre Ensemble, it happens Feb. 24 at the La Jolla Library. facebook. com/ljtheatreensemble

For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | ART

T

wo years ago, Angelica Lorenzo which is made up of staff and 15 volunteers, broke down in tears while ask- administers funds from that budget to San ing the City Council not to reduce Diego’s nonprofit arts and culture organifunding to an arts program that her zations. The commission’s funding comes from a percentage of a tax paid by tourism four children have benefited from.

“Please think of the damage these cuts in the form of a Transient Occupancy Tax will do to our schools and communities,” she (TOT). Back in 2012, the City Council approved a plan known as “Penny for the Arts,” says to the councilmembers.

Dozens of arts supporters like Lorenzo which would have increased arts and culture spoke before the Budget Review Committee funding from the TOT by 10 percent by 2017. in 2017 to express their concerns with May- However, the adopted budget for Fiscal Year or Kevin Faulconer’s proposed $4.7 million 2019 allocated only 5.9 percent of the TOT. “For a city the size of San Diego and a city budget cut to arts and culture organizations, that counts itself as America’s a 31-percent cut from the prefinest city, the commitment vious fiscal year. to arts and culture and the “It seems that over the citizens is not up to par,” says years, when legislators have Baza. some cuts to make, they want Alan Ziter, co-chair of the to make them in the arts,” says San Diego Regional Arts and Larry Baza, former chair of the Culture Coalition, has been inCity’s Commission for Arts and volved in the arts community Culture, almost two years since for more than 33 years and says that meeting. funding has always been an isIn the end, the 31-percent sue. cut was not approved, but the “We are always concerned adopted budget ($14.6 million) Mayor Kevin with what’s going to happen did include a 3-percent cut to Faulconer year to year, especially because the commission.

As the Mayor and City Council prepare to the City has some funding challenges with tackle the budget for Fiscal Year 2020, it begs the budget because of pensions, infrastructo question if the arts will see cuts to fund- ture and other requirements,” says Ziter. ing given the city’s other priorities like the “But this year we are cautiously optimistic housing crisis, infrastructure costs, home- that funding for the arts and culture will remain stable in the coming fiscal year.” lessness and public safety.

While the Mayor has proposed cuts to Looking back now, Baza believes it was public pressure and advocacy that helped arts funding in the past year, leaders in the prevent those cuts, but it’s not a fight that commission, however, are optimistic that the Mayor Faulconer’s upcoming budget proposwill likely disappear.

“I think that Mr. Faulconer is going to al will not include cuts to arts funding.

Janet Konstantin Poutré, chair of the continue to do that (propose cuts) while he’s in office. It has been one of his strategies,” Commission for Arts and Culture, is among says Baza, who is now the vice chair of the the hopeful.

“I think all of those things aren’t going to California Arts Council in Sacramento.

The Commission for Arts and Culture, get in the way of understanding the underly-

@SDCITYBEAT

ing role that arts and culture plays in every are other serious budget priorities, he plans aspect of city life,” Poutré says, referring to continue supporting funding for the arts. to the city’s other priorities that may take “I hope we don’t go through the exercise precedence over arts funding. that we’ve seen in years past where he’s goPoutré believes that the arts community ing to propose drastic cuts because I’m sure has demonstrated the important role the not just elected officials but the community commission and the arts play in general at large will be very opposed to an overture especially after a study released in 2017 like that,” says Ward. found that the arts and culture is a $1.1 Councilmember Barbara Bry is also rebillion industry. questing an overall increase in arts funding in After a five-year financial outlook re- the form of one-time funds. She recently anleased by the city in November revealed a nounced that she is running for Mayor in 2020 $73.6 million projected budget deficit, Faul- and one of her campaign slogans has been coner tasked all city depart“Full STEAM Ahead,” which ments for a 3-percent budget stands for science, technology, cut proposal for Fiscal Year engineering, arts and math.

2020. The Mayor has not yet However, despite art being announced any intentions to a focus in her campaign, she include additional proposed could not say how she or her cuts to arts funding and is excolleagues will vote if cuts are pected to propose his Fiscal proposed, and says they will Year 2020 budget in April. look at the totality of what Jonathon Glus, Executive the community prioritizes and Director of the Commission for council obligations.

Arts and Culture, says that in “I think that we are going the big scheme of things, the to have some challenging deciCity Councilmember sions and so community input 3-percent budget cuts would Barbara Bry is going to be very important,” be around $44,000 and would involve adjusting programs that are in the says Bry. The City Council will hold two evening planning stages for several years down the budget committee meetings on May 1 and road.

Glus, who was appointed by the Mayor in 13 at 6 p.m. where the public can talk about November, says that he’s only heard positive their budget priorities.

Baza, who says he is looking forward to support from the mayor and his leadership team. He also sees that there is support from working with the city to continue elevating the arts, says the arts programs should not the city council.

Another positive sign: six of the nine be threatened every time the budget comes councilmembers included funding for the around.

“The most important thing is there should arts commission in their Fiscal Year 2020 budget priorities. Councilmember Chris be secure funding every year and that the Ward, who has been a supporter of the arts commission doesn’t have to go begging evin the past, is actually requesting that the ery year for its budget,” says Baza. “No one’s commission’s funding programs be in- ever given us a good reason as to why a certain creased. And while he is mindful that there amount every year can’t be established.”

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

CULTURE | ART

SEEN LOCAL LOGAN SCIENCE

T

here’s more to lowriders than cultura and style.

There’s the engineering and the physics behind the hydrologic systems that help the cars steal the show on any road.

That science and more will be explored at the first annual Barrio Logan Science and Art Expo on March 16, at the Mercado del Barrio (1101 Cesar E. Chavez Pkwy.).

Organizer Alberto Vasquez tells me that making connections between culture and science reaffirms opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professions for youth from underserved communities.

Vasquez is a academic preparation specialist with the Center for Research on Education Equity, Assessment and Teaching Excellence at UC San Diego or CREATE. He grew up in the Logan Heights area during a time when gangs and violence were prevalent in the neighborhood, so the opportunity to collaborate on an event focused on bringing education resources to the community is extremely rewarding he says.

In partnership with Barrio Logan Association and CREATE, Barrio Logan Science and Art Expo (barriologansae. com) will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s free and open to the public. The event will focus on exploring the science behind everyday things that surround the lives of the individuals in the community.

“The truth is that kids need to see scientists and engineers that look like them as well as understand that they have been doing and observing science all around them—

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

they just don’t realize it,” Vasquez says.

What’s the chemistry and physics behind making tortillas, beer or paint? Visitors will be able to learn about those and much more through the numerous demonstrations and science booths dedicated to science, technology engineering math and art. There will be an interactive science shows by MAD Science San Diego and DJ Professor Shadow (Rob Rubalcaba), who will demonstrate the connection between music and science. There will also be a music performance by Dulcet.

Businesses in the community will also offer tours though their establishments and present the science behind their products. Fourth through eighth grade students can also register online to participate in the Egg Drop Competition, which will test their engineering and problem solving skills.

And in an effort to also increase parent participation in STEM and art related activities, educational parent booths will be available at the event.

“We need to make science accessible, less intimidating and culturally relevant in an effort to increase interest and ultimately diversity in STEM areas,” Vasquez says.

—Andrea Lopez-Villafaña

FINE LINES: KARLA CORDERO A semi-regular column where we review notable new poetry collections and chapbooks.

I

f there were any justice in the world or, at the least, San Diego artists received the same amount of national attention as places like L.A. and San Francisco, local Karla Cordero would surely be in the discussion as being one of the best Chicanx poets working today. The fact that border imagery is so often evoked in her work would only help solidify her standing.

And if Cordero continues with her current trajectory, she

may yet receive the attention she deserves. Her new collection, How to Pull Apart the Earth (Not a Cult Press), is a huge leap forward. I was first introduced to her work after reading 2016’s Grasshoppers Before Gods, as well as her work as the editor of Spit, an online literary mag for poetry and social justice issues. Cordero weaves in and out of reflective, personal trials and political issues in How to Pull Apart the Earth, but the humanity of the topic at hand is always what the reader is left with.

Still, Cordero, who works as a professor at San Diego City College, may be at her best when she is directly addressing the border and the myriad complicated emotions and stances that come with it. In “Truths at the All-American Canal,” she addresses the deaths of migrants attempting to cross canals along the border and while she begins the poem with an excerpt from a CBS News report, it’s her connection with what she sees the canal as representing that makes the reader re-think what would otherwise be seen as simply a swampy moat.

In “My Country is Panting,” she compares hypocritical U.S. policies to the instinctive and distractible nature of a dog.

I wish I had more words to devote to how much I was touched by this collection, both in its politics and its personal stories. Cordero is both accessible and cerebral, and she makes her words matter in ways few poets attempt or even know how to do.

Karla Cordero will be reading from How to Pull Apart the Earth at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 at Verbatim Books.

—Seth Combs

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM

Ball don’t lie

High Flying Bird

Steven Soderbergh’s dizzying basketball drama upends the NBA’s business model

by Glenn Heath Jr.

A

s a cultural and sporting entity, the Nation- around Ray’s attempts to strategically protect his al Basketball Association represents a unique client by orchestrating situations that challenge the cross-section in which capitalism, race, enter- NBA’s owner-friendly business model. Without gotainment and politics all intersect. Within that space ing into too much detail about the brilliant specifics, is an inherent tension between the players (pre- these subversive moves help disrupt paradigms that dominantly young Black men) and controlling own- promote systemic inequality and disenfranchisement.

Through their various actions and intentions, Ray, ers (mostly old white men), who each have different stakes in a wildly popular game that has become Sam and Spence are each positioned as different kinds of mentors for professionals of color who can easily increasingly star-driven.

Steven Soderbergh’s High Flying Bird takes place be manipulated by the business of sports. Soderbergh during a moment when this business relationship has includes interviews with actual NBA players (Karlindefinitely stagnated in the form of a lockout, echo- Anthony Towns, Donovan Mitchell and Reggie Jacking the last major NBA work stoppage in 2011. Sports son), providing immediate real world context for the agent Ray Burke (André Holland) is starting to feel the pressures that Erick experiences with money, online economic and emotional pinch from this prolonged representation and public opinion.

From this vantage point, Soderbergh and Mcstalemate. Complicating matters even more, his latest rookie client Erick Scott (Melvin Gregg) has made Craney create one of the finest sports films about the art of teaching. The intense some poor financial decisions stressors that young athletes during the league’s downtime. face are often ignored because of Lunching high atop the New HIGH FLYING the high rewards associated with York City streets in a posh glass BIRD superstardom. High Flying Bird tower, the two men share a panDirected by Steven Soderbergh never forgets that these players icked exchange during a speedy are people first, and not merely opening sequence. Tarell Alvin Starring André Holland, X’s and O’s on a dry erase board.

McCraney’s ankle-breaking script Zazie Beetz, Melvin Gregg Genre films of this ilk tend to is full of verbal crossovers and and Bill Duke simplify the perspective of talaround-the-backs, mirroring the Rated R ented Black athletes, relegating fast pace of the game itself. Filmthem to clichés and stereotypes. ing once again using an iPhone But High Flying Bird does just the and professional lenses, Soderbergh accentuates the greys and blues of swanky urban opposite by centering its entire narrative on the importance of education and leadership. “Don’t let ’em spaces devoid of personality.

In fact, the only location with any warmth is the fool ya,” Ray advises Erick at one point. This advice South Bronx community gym where legendary player doesn’t just relate to the owners or media, but anyone and coach Spence (Bill Duke) trains the next genera- who’s looking to capitalize on someone’s talent withtion of ballplayers. Otherwise, the film is set largely out consent.

High Flying Bird (which is currently streaming on in corporate lobbies and boardrooms that appear entirely temporary; Ray’s corporate lackey of a boss Netflix) makes the case that without passionate stake(Zachary Quinto) nearly disappears into the dark hues holders invested in both the past and present of basketball, the game’s future identity will be forever at risk. Inof his own corner office.

Ray and his overqualified assistant Sam (Zazie stilling such urgency and agency in young NBA players Beetz) both move and speak so quickly, it’s easy to (especially players of color) from draft day on becomes miss the details of their lifeless surroundings. But a political act of necessary revolt. It’s the difference each room evokes the nomadic lifestyle of behind- between controlling your own destiny and falling prey the-scenes professionals moving just as fast the ath- to outdated systems of bureaucracy and licensing that letes they represent. echo power dynamics of white supremacy.

Because High Flying Bird unfolds at such a rapid clip, it takes an active viewer to notice and appreci- Film reviews run weekly. ate all of its subtle virtues. The core story revolves Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

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FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

CULTURE | FILM

Everybody Knows

Fresh old wounds

I

ranian dramatist Asghar Farhadi makes films about secrets; the unforgivable kind that tears families apart, dissolves marriages and rattles entire communities. His flawed characters perform elaborate attempts to hide the truth, but in doing so they only further complicate situations already rife with tension and surprise.

Everybody Knows, Farhadi’s latest thriller, is set in Spain and seems modest compared to his previous familial potboilers (A Separation, The Salesman). But the film has plenty of untold truths of its own. Told mostly in linear fashion and without the crutch of narrative twists, it’s a deceptively crushing tale of old wounds and spite lobbed between residents of a rural town near Madrid.

Laura (Penélope Cruz) returns to her working class childhood home with her teenage daughter Irene (Carla Campra) and young son Diego (Iván Chavero) to attend a family wedding. She left years before to marry a wealthy Argentine businessman (Ricardo Darin), much to the dismay of Paco (Javier Bardem), an old flame and local winery owner with complicated business ties to her family.

At first, Everybody Knows revels in the sundrenched celebration of wedding day bliss. The ensemble of characters becomes increasingly more inebriated, partying well into the night. Irene suddenly disappears and Laura begins to receive threatening texts from an unknown source.

Like many Hitchcock films, the inciting criminal incident exists simply to activate dangerous feelings people have long tried to repress. The smiling faces of a picturesque village gradually turn sour with accusations and threats flying in all directions. Paco becomes the lighting rod for much of this animosity.

This isn’t Farhadi’s tightest

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

script; messy subplots and redundant dialogue exchanges make Everybody Knows (opening Friday, Feb. 22 at Angelika Film Centers Carmel Mountain) feel bloated at times. Much more interesting are the ways in which it reveals issues of class through both passive and overt aggressions. Those seemingly petty squabbles are just entry points into something much more menacing.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Everybody Knows: In Asghar Farhadi’s latest film, Penélope Cruz plays a distraught mother searching for her kidnapped daughter while the surrounding community grapples with the disappearance. Opens Friday, Feb. 22, at Angelika Film Centers Carmel Mountain.

Fighting with My Family: A young woman and her brother, each obsessed with professional wrestling, get their chance to try out for the WWE. Opens in wide release Friday, Feb. 22.

High Flying Bird: In the midst of an NBA lockout, tenacious sports agent Ray (Andre Holland) tries to protect his brand new client and his own reputation. Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Now streaming on Netflix.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World: Hiccup and Toothless must fight to protect the diverse community of dragons under threat by evil poachers.

Opens in wide release Friday, Feb. 22.

ONE TIME ONLY A Star is Born: Bradley Cooper stars as an alcoholic musician who finds a new lease on life after discovering a fresh singing talent played by Lady Gaga. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

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

@SDCITYBEAT

TESSA ANGUS

MUSIC

Transfer ock music thrives on extremes. From Jimi Hendrix to Sid Vicious to Kurt Cobain, the most legendary artists are the ones who go for broke and succeed beyond their wildest dreams, only to crash out in a flaming wreckage of self-destruction.

The story of Transfer is less romantic but, to be honest, it sounds like a much better deal: They reached for the stars, and then, when things didn’t quite work out as they’d hoped, they made it safely back to earth. Nobody died. Nobody went to jail. There wasn’t even a teary-eyed breakup announcement on Facebook.

There is one problem, however. Now that they’ve reunited, they’ve forgotten how to play some of their songs.

“We’re barely hanging onto the old shit right now,” says guitarist and singer Matt Molarius on a recent Sunday as he sits with his bandmates in their newly-rebuilt Kearny Mesa studio. “There were songs that we played over and over again, and I struggled remembering lyrics and parts. There were other songs that I hadn’t played in eight years—stuff that we didn’t even play when we were touring—that were right there [in my muscle memory]. If I thought about it, I would’ve fucked it up.”

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It’s hard to be in a band. It’s even harder to be in a successful band, especially nowadays as the legends of rock have grown old and a new generation of EDM DJs, Scandinavian songwriting teams and emo-rappers with face tattoos have risen to take their place.

But for many years, Transfer was one of the great behemoths of the San Diego scene.

Formed in 2004, they spent years rising to the top of the scene alongside peers such as Wavves and The Burning of Rome. They would regularly sell out venues like The Casbah, and their 2009 album, Future Selves, swept listeners away with iconic songs like “Take Your Medicine” and “Wake to Sleep,” which were filled with pendulum-swinging riffs and stunning orchestral swells.

Then, in 2010, it seemed as if they were finally getting their chance at the big leagues.

After landing a plum gig as the opening band on a US/UK tour with The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, they signed a deal with the European label Mascot Records, which offered support for them to hit the road across Europe and the UK to open for groups such as White Lies and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

“We were doing big tours, playing to a lot

of people, having a great response, shifting a bunch of CDs,” recalls drummer Andy Ridley. “We’re touring Europe, playing to 5,000 people a night with another band.”

They nearly froze to death in a rusty tour van. They goofed off with Paul McCartney during a taping for a TV show at London’s legendary Abbey Road Studios. They were living the dream.

But the industry was changing. Record sales were at record lows. The album format was losing relevance amid the rise of streaming services and the ubiquity of social media.

One day, the A&R guy at Mascot Records, who had been Transfer’s champion, fell out of the picture (he was either laid off, fired or he quit—the band is still not quite sure).

Though Mascot offered tour support, there was no follow-through in terms of marketing

or promotion. During the recording process for their next album, 2014’s Shadow Aspect, members of their team started demanding to hear early drafts and demos, anxious to know whether Transfer could deliver a hit.

“We were working on this record for a little bit longer than you might expect, because we were touring so much and we were kind of chipping away at it. By the time we actually put out our record, it was a whole other music industry,” Molarius recalls. “We had to stay constantly active to be relevant— but we worked on this record for so long. You drop this record and then five minutes later it’s like, ‘Alright, what else? What’s next?’”

In May 2015, Transfer played a final show at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival. Then they quietly took a hiatus to focus on other things like raising kids, jobs and other music projects.

Now, nearly four years later, they returned with a headlining set at The Casbah as part of the club’s 30th anniversary celebration. The show was sold out and fans even flew out from the UK to attend. The response was so positive that the band booked another night at the Casbah on Saturday, March 2.

Still, outside of these two shows, it’s hard to say what will happen next with Transfer.

The bandmembers seem to have different goals nowadays and rock superstardom isn’t one of them.

“We’re just kind of taking these shows as they come. There’s no master plan,” says bassist Shaun Cornell.

That doesn’t mean they’ve lost their love for music. And that’s what this whole thing is supposed to be about in the first place, right?

“You don’t lose that passion for music just because you’re not actively pursuing whatever it is you’re trying to achieve,” says Ridley. “Your priorities change, I think, because you’re no longer chasing your tail.”

“It goes back to that original question of ‘then versus now’—it’s that pressure,” adds guitarist Jason Cardenas. “You could imagine everything that we’ve been talking about: the amount of pressure that’s on a band to not only go out and tour and promote yourself, but also be writing the entire time. Come back home, record, constantly have new material, that new material has to catch peoples’ ears… That machine gets very cumbersome,” Cardenas continues.

“Now, you go back and revisit these songs, and you just find the fun of why you wrote it.”

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

@SDCITYBEAT

BY RYAN BRADFORD

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO

THE

SPOTLIGHT

LOCALS ONLY

Decapitation will definitely appreciate their crushing riffs and breakneck blast-beats. For something completely different, there’s ack in the 1980s, hardcore punks gave San Diego the nickname Codex Confiteor. Who knew that tuba, accordion and voice could “Slow Death” because it was the scariest place you could go to make such an unholy combination? Composed of locals Jonathan see a show. Venues like Wabash Hall were in run-down neigh- Piper and Meghann Welsh, the duo seeks repentance through drone borhoods, and skinheads were always lying in ambush just around tones and doom-y atmospheres. the corner. Nowadays the city has calmed down quite a bit, but you’ll L.A. artists Moment Trigger and Endometrium Cuntplow will be able to summon some of those dark vibes at Slow Death IV, a represent the underground noise contingent. The former delivers daylong showcase of musical extremes that goes COREY HOWARD POWER vampiric, distorted techno with a pinch of harsh down at The FRONT Arte Cultura (147 W. San vibes. The latter makes “tree-hugging devil muYsidro Blvd.) in San Ysidro on Saturday, Feb. 23. sic” that falls somewhere on the margins beThe all-ages event, which starts at noon, is put tween Aphex Twin and Merzbow. There will be on by Sam Lopez of the Stay Strange collective. multimedia elements as well. Post-industrial There will be art vendors, a special video perforproducer Helixhand has created glitchy, permance, and sets by half a dozen of the weirdest, cussive soundscapes in collaboration with the spookiest bands ever gathered in one space — inlegendary sound collage miscreants of Negacluding Lopez’s own ukulele project, The Sorcerer tivland, while Sore Sisters will be a duet perforFamily. mance between experimental violinist Nicole “I guess most of my shows are noise musicHong Kong Fuck You Faramita and media artist Nasim Biglari. based, but I wanted to have a festival where it was Though it sounds kind of scary, Lopez says it’ll be a celebration just extreme,” Lopez says. “Extreme-style music that not necessar- of the dark side of art, and that the name of the festival doesn’t just ily was specifically a noise thing, but that had all different elements allude to San Diego punk history. of darkness.”

“The idea too is that we’re slowly mutilating ourselves, disfigurFor some punk vibes, look no further than Tijuana power-vi- ing ourselves through the course of just living,” he says. “By living a olence outfit Hong Kong Fuck You. The name alone makes it all long life, you’re living a slow death.” worthwhile, but people who love bands like The Locust and Cattle

—Peter Holslin

B

ALBUM REVIEW Volcano The Island (Tee Pee Records)

A

s a child of the ’80s, I can testify to the fact that there used to be a time when saying that a band sounded like Santana was a huge compliment. Those early Santana records (Santana, Abraxas and Caravanserai) were masterful amalgamations of rock, Latin rhythms and psychedelia. As a live act, the band was a jamming force to be reckoned with. If Carlos had followed Jimi, Janis and Jim into an early grave, I have no doubt that he’d be looked at as some kind of Mexi prophet who propelled polyrhythmic rock ’n’ roll into another stratosphere.

Instead he went on to be the guy behind “Smooth (Feat. Rob Thomas).” :-/ Local psych-rockers Volcano do not list Santana as an influence on their music, but listening to their debut album, it’s hard not to think about the line of artists before and since who pulled and pushed against the parameters of what rock could be, and who also knew how to rock the fuck out and blow minds. Artists such as

James Brown, Fela Kuti and even the Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Considering the members of Volcano have collectively played in some excellent local bands (JOY, Harsh Toke and Loom), it makes sense they’d want to blow minds minds with epic guitar solos, drum breakdowns and talismanic percussion.

The six tracks on The Island could very well be one track, both conceptually and stylistically. Not only is there a sense of seamlessness, with one song bleeding into the next, but there’s also a loose narrative in the lyrics about island natives attempting to fight back against invaders. “No Evil, Know Demon” and “Skewered,” in particular, are boiling pots of jamming that rank up there with anything in the local psychedelic-rock scene. The fact that Volcano add elements of Afrobeat and krautrock only adds nuance and energy to a sound that could have been a mess in lesser hands.

My only gripe with the record, and it’s a small one, is that aforementioned seamlessness. Listening to The Island is an exercise and one that should be done as a whole. The fact that it feels as if we’re listening to one extended track is cool, but I couldn’t help but wish at times that there was one track that stood out as a singular statement.

But again, this is a small gripe. Not everyone has an “Oye Como Va,” an “Evil Ways” or even a “Smooth” in them, and that’s quite OK.

—Seth Combs

iDKHOW Full disclosure: I’ve known Ryan Seaman, the drummer for iDKHOW (stylistic shorthand for I Don’t Know How But They Found Me) for a long time. We went to the same high school and played in a couple punk bands together—one of which appeared in the made-for-TV Disney movie The Poof Point. Even back then, his musical prowess was astonishing. He’s just one of those infuriating people who just seems to master every instrument he picks up.

But as with a lot of teenage friendships, we lost touch. I followed his various musical exploits as best I could but, you know: life happens and connections fade.

A couple years ago, he started playing drums for an awful band called Falling in Reverse, fronted by Ronnie Radke, a legitimately crazy and violent garbage human. Although Ryan’s drumming in Falling in Reverse still ruled, it was kind of like watching a friend sell his soul to the devil.

But thankfully, Ryan left Falling in Reverse. Now, he’s in iDKHOW and it’s easily the best thing he’s been a part of. The two-piece (fronted by former Panic! At the Disco member Dallon Weekes) plays a fun mix of new wave and dance-punk, and delivers it with the sardonic attitude and swagger of a band that’s going for broke. And they’re killing it despite having only one EP under their belt. They’re selling out shows and even landed an Alternative Press magazine cover and a spot playing Reading Festival last summer.

Just goes to show what can happen when we shake the Ronnie Radkes out of our lives. iDKHOW plays Thursday, Feb. 21 at Music Box.

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

MUSIC

IF I WERE U

BY CITYBEAT STAFF

Our picks for the week’s top shows

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 20

PLAN A: Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel, Necrot, Blood Incantation @ The Observatory North Park. It probably goes without saying that Cannibal Corpse’s music is not for everyone. After all, a critic once described their music as “if vomit were a movie, this would be the soundtrack.” But we’re talking about one of the pioneering bands of death metal and we defy anyone not to have the compulsion to headbang to “Hammer Smashed Face.” PLAN B: Nexus 4000, Fistfights with Wolves @ Whistle Stop.

Nexus 4000 is very interesting. They specialize in that weird hybrid of jazz fusion and prog-rock that bespectacled dudes geeked out over in the ’70s. Think highly technical, almost psychedelic jams that are played to blow minds. BACKUP PLAN: Spear of Destiny, DJs Vaughn Avakian, Javi Nunez, Camilla Robina @ The Casbah.

MATTHEW DILLON COHEN

play in Dillinger Escape Plan and Nine Inch Nails. PLAN B: AURORA, Talos and Kingsbury @ The Observatory North Park.

Norwegian artist AURORA has some soaring, orchestral pop songs and an angelic voice to match. Her live show is truly an experience.

BACKUP PLAN: Serengeti, Dre Trav, PVC, Tenshun @ SPACE.

SATURDAY, FEB. 23

PLAN A: ‘Slow Death IV’ w/ Hong Kong Fuck You, The Sorcerer Family, and more @ The FRONT Arte Cultura. A cool lineup of bands from the weirdos over at Stay Strange. See this week’s Locals Only section for more info. PLAN B: Lords of Acid, Orgy, The Genitortures, Gabriel and the Apocalypse, Little Miss Nasty @ Brick By Brick.

Readers hopefully caught our feature on The Genitorturers a few weeks ago. They specialize in highly sexualized industrial-punk with a body-positive, LGBTQ-friendly message.

BACKUP PLAN: The Joshua White Trio +2 @ Dizzy’s.

SUNDAY, FEB. 24

Houses

THURSDAY, FEB. 21

PLAN A: Houses @ Soda Bar. The duo of Dexter Tortoriello and Megan Messina were all the buzz back in the late ’00s for their dreamy chill-wave, but we haven’t heard much from them since 2013’s stark, experimental and highly underrated A Quiet Darkness. Now they’re back with a new EP and a brightened, poppy sound, but who’s to say they won’t take another break so see ‘em while you can. PLAN B: KOLARS, Alex Lilly, Seabase @ The Casbah. KOLARS are fun with their cutesy blues-pop, but we’re going to this free show for Alex Lilly, who is making some killer, synth-driven avant-pop that fans of St. Vincent and Janelle Monáe will appreciate. BACKUP PLAN: Justin Timberlake @ Pechanga Arena.

FRIDAY, FEB. 22

PLAN A: The Black Queen, KANGA, Uniform @ Brick By Brick. Folks who miss the early days of industrial music (back when you could actually dance to it) should definitely check out The Black Queen. Kind of a goofy name, but it’s melodic, modulating synth music from some dudes who used to

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

PLAN A: Crumb, Video Age, Shindigs @ The Irenic. There’s not a bad band on this lineup. Video Age and Shindigs both specialize in dreamy, lo-fi indie-pop, but it’s the headliner we’re most excited about. The NYC-based youngsters in Crumb are putting out some of the best slacker-friendly psychpop we’ve heard in a while. PLAN B: Un, Body Void, Garth Algar, Abyssal @ SPACE. We only recently learned that there’s a subgenre of doom metal called “funeral doom,” which… like… JFC! An entire category that takes an already dark AF genre and combines it with funeral dirges? That being said, Seattle-based band Un exemplifies the genre perfectly. It’s dinnertime music for orcs while cooking hobbits over the fires of Mordor.

BACKUP PLAN: MDRN History, Belladon, The Lucy Ring @ The Casbah.

MONDAY, FEB. 25

PLAN A: Graveyard Witch, Supra Summus, Death Boys @ The Casbah. A night of some solid local metal bands. Graveyard Witch (how was this name not already taken?) has an old-school, Mötley Crüe vibe to them, especially on tracks like “Rude Awakening” and “Anarchy.” Cause you can never have enough songs about anarchy.

BACKUP PLAN: Malachi Henry and the Lights, The Jankeys, Blazing Jane @ Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, FEB. 26

PLAN A: ‘DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot’ @ The Casbah. Go support local hip hop.

Just do it. BACKUP PLAN: Robert DeLong, Morgxn @ Music Box.

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MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Ladytron (Music Box, 3/2), Whethan (Music Box, 3/3), Sammy Brue (Casbah, 3/4), Kate Berlant (Casbah, 3/10), Jesika von Rabbit (Soda Bar, 3/13), Headphone (Casbah, 3/13), Emo Nite (Casbah, 3/15), Plainwrecks (Casbah, 3/18), Reyno (HOB, 3/29), Cassie B (Soda Bar, 4/3), Trevor Hall (Observatory, 4/4), Ashes of Acres (Brick By Brick, 4/7), Smino, EarthGang, Phoelix (Observatory, 4/18), Bastard Sons Of Johnny Cash (Soda Bar, 4/18), Brent Cowles (Soda Bar, 4/21), Epik High (Observatory, 4/23), OTown (Music Box, 4/25), Reaction Phase (Brick By Brick, 5/4), IGNITE (Soda Bar, 5/11), Foxing (Casbah, 5/12), Archspire (Brick By Brick, 5/13), Shy Boys (Soda Bar, 5/16), Skeletonwitch (Brick By Brick, 5/21), Brad Paisley (North Island Credit Union Ampitheatre, 6/1), Blue October (Observatory, 6/16), Local Natives (Observatory, 6/19), Jenny and the Mexicats (Music Box, 6/21), Tacocat (Casbah, 6/23), Millencolin (Brick By Brick, 9/13), Gloria Trevia (Viejas Arena at SDSU, 11/10).

CANCELLED Joy Williams (BUT, 2/26).

GET YER TICKETS Albert Hammond Jr. (BUT, 2/24), Sharon Van Etten (Observatory, 2/28), Saves the Day (Observatory, 3/2), CRSSD Festival (Waterfront Park, 3/2-

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3), Waxahatchee (Soda Bar, 3/3), Muse (Pechanga Arena, 3/5), Band of Horses (Observatory, 3/6), Hatebreed (HOB, 3/7), YG (Pechanga Arena, 3/7), Action Bronson (HOB, 3/13), Cold Cave (BUT, 3/19), Boy Harsher (Casbah, 3/20), Mike Doughty (Soda Bar, 3/23), Queensrÿche (Casbah, 3/27), Black Moth Super Rainbow (BUT, 3/31), Vince Staples (Observatory, 4/2), Anvil (Brick By Brick, 4/4), San Holo (Observatory, 4/5), Taking Back Sunday (Observatory, 4/6-7), Meat Puppets (Soda Bar, 4/7), T-Pain (Observatory, 4/9), David Archuleta (California Center for the Arts, 4/17), Passion Pit (Observatory, 5/1), Brad Paisley (North Island Credit Union Ampitheatre, 6/1), Local Natives (Observatory, 6/19), Priests (Soda Bar, 6/26), Billie Eilish (Cal Coast Credit Union, 7/13).

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

THURSDAY, FEB. 21 Houses at Soda Bar. Amy Grant at California Center for the Arts. Kimmi Bitter at Belly Up Tavern. Leftover Crack at Brick By Brick. Justin Timberlake at Pechanga Arena. Bob Seger at Viejas Arena. Kolars at The Casbah. iDKHOW at Music Box.

FRIDAY, FEB. 22 Mother Hips at Belly Up Tavern. Aurora at Observatory North Park. Brasstracks

at Music Box. King Tuff at The Casbah.

The Black Queen at Brick By Brick.

SATURDAY, FEB. 23 Thumpasaurus at House of Blues (sold out). King Tuff at The Casbah. Lords of Acid at Brick By Brick. Madball at Soda Bar. The Como La Flor Band at Music Box. Kaleena Zanders, Friendz, SiLVA at Music Box. Banding Together, The Shift at Belly Up Tavern.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Wood Brothers at Belly Up Tavern.

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

Arena. Twiddle at Belly Up Tavern. Novo Amor at Music Box.

MARCH

Naked Giants at The Casbah. Band of Horses at Observatory North Park. G. Love, Special Sauce at Belly Up Tavern.

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

FRIDAY, MARCH 1 Lettuce at Observatory North Park.

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

Trappist at Brick By Brick.

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

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

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

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

Sammy Brue at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, MARCH 5 Adia Victoria at The Casbah. Metric at Open Air Theatre. Muse at Pechanga

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6

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

FRIDAY, MARCH 8 Mudhoney, Claw Hammer at The Casbah. Conan at Brick By Brick. Redwoods Review at Music Box. Griffin House at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, MARCH 9 Welles at SPACE. The Monochrome Set, The Coathangers at Soda Bar. Common Kings with Natalli Rize at Observatory North Park. Ella Vos at Belly Up Tavern. You Me At Six at Music Box.

SUNDAY, MARCH 10 Empress Of, Sid Sririam at Soda Bar. Makana Shawn and Lehua at Belly Up Tavern. Better Oblivion Community Center at Music Box. Kate Berlant at The Casbah.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

rCLUBSr

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Secret Lynx, Veronica May, Nate Donnis Trio. Thu: Kimmi Bitter, Nena Anderson, Alice Wallace. Fri: The Mother Hips, The Midnight Pine. Sat: Steve Poltz, The Rugburns (sold out).

Sun: Albert Hammond Jr.

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Electric Mud. Fri: The Brewhahas, The 23s, Kathryn Cloward & The Royals. Sat: Marauak & The Love Messenger. Sun: Karaoke.

Mon: Future Human, Sights and Sages, Oak Palace. Tue: The In-Itself, Blue Jean.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: ‘Chocolate: Afro House & Forward Thinking House Music’. Fri: ‘WE ARE YR FRIENDS’. Sat: ‘Through Being Cool’.

Sun: ‘Chvrch’. Mon: “Blue Monday’. Tue: ‘Techit EASY’.

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

Thu: Marko Darko. Fri: ‘House Music Fridays’. Sat: ‘JUICY’. Mon: ‘Organized Grime’. Tue: ‘Kizomba Night’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: Leftover Crack, Days N Daze, Skullcrack, Cop/Out. Fri: The Black Queen, Uniform, Kanga. Sat: Lords of Acid, Orgy, Genitorturers, Gabriel and the Apocalypse. Tue: Jake E Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel, Murder of Five, Taz Taylor Band.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Jordon Rock. Fri: Andrew Schulz. Sat: Andrew Schulz. Sun: Tim Lee. Tue: Open Mic. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Delma, Osmium, The Danger Field with Sinister Pig. Fri: The Tale, The Mice, Batlords, Sideshow. Sat: Fused, Late Night Union, Bastard Saints. Sun: Casey of Second Echo.

Mon: Trivia. Tue: Karaoke.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Hercules & Love Affair. Sat: Jacques Greene.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Thu: DJ L. Fri: Gary Wilson & the Blind Dates, Fresh Veggies, My Mynd. Sat: Rio Peligroso. Sun: DJ Ratty. Mon: DJ Grimm. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Mark Fisher. Fri: Fish and The Seaweeds. Sat: Emotional Rescue.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: Spear of Destiny. Thu: Kolars, Alex Lilly, Seabase. Fri: King Tuff, Tropa Magica. Sat: King Tuff, PAINT. Sun: MDRN HSTRY, Belladon, The Lucy Ring.

Mon: Graveyard Witch, Supra Summus, Death Boys. Tue: ‘DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot’.

Che Cafe, 1000 Scholars Drive S, La Jolla. Wed: Death Threat, Hangman, Rod of Correction, Slow Decay. Thu: Rodes Rollins, Evolfo, Mr. Griever, Hello Existence.

Sat: Dying For It, WithxWar, xREIGNx, Frontside, Spirited Away. Sun: Regulate, Dead Heat, Soul Power.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Fri: Richard Thompson Quintet. Sat: The JW Trio.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): The choices you make today will affect the rest of your life. But that’s a low bar when you consider the haircuts you got when you were a toddler affected your life as well.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): The world is so much bigger than you realize. There are system-failure notifications on your electronic devices that you have yet to see.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): You cannot change the past. You also cannot influence the future. The present is continually slipping away. It’s probably someone else’s job to worry about this.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Have faith in the goodness of the world and trust others. But also, never pack anything in your checked luggage that you cannot live without.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): This week your ego is like the insects of the earth: dying out at an alarmingly fast rate and possibly triggering the catastrophic end of the world. But hey, no bug bites!

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): I don’t know which one of you needs to hear this but one of you definitely does: A lot can go wrong when you’re on a boat.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Problems you once thought were solved reemerge this week like a plucky detective who has identified a previously passed-over clue.

Figuratively speaking, right?

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): What’s the hardest part of robbing a bank? It’s not getting the money into your bag.

It’s not even walking out the door. It’s stopping yourself from telling everybody how you got away with it.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): This week is going to feel like all those times the fire alarm beeped twice, but then went silent, and then in that moment where you forgot that it had even beeped in the first place, it beeped again.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): Tomorrow let all your choices be decided by one guiding principle and dictated by the answer to one simple question: “Is this something a cool person would do?”

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Small talk is a more meaningful and pleasant way to interact with strangers than soliloquizing every inane thought you have in order to feel interesting.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): The phases of your life can only be viewed in retrospect like the layers of colored sand in a sand art bottle. And just like a sand art bottle, your life sort of sucks.

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

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: ‘Takeover Thursdays’. Fri: DJ Isaac B. Sat: DJ MoGotti. Sun: ‘Reggae Sundays’.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Troy Ave. Sat: DJ Bad. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Moneybagg Yo. Thu: Maiden USA. Fri: Dark Star Orchestra. Sat: Bones, Thumpasaurus. Sun: Chad & Rosie. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Clapton Hook. Thu: Whiskey Ridge. Fri: Detroit Underground. Sat: Wildside. Sun: Psydecar. Mon: Fuzzy Rankin. Tue: Whitney Shay & The Hustle.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Sun: Crumb, Video Age, Shindigs.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Thu: ‘Acid Varsity 55’. Fri: ‘Tech Support’. Sun: ‘#ThatLoud’.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Scintillating Stories’. Fri: The Gregory Page Show.

Sat: Alex Lievanos, JARA, Tristan Brooks.

Sun: Moxie & Leon, 87, Haley Blaze.

Mon: Open Mic. Tue: ‘Comedy Night’.

Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla.

Wed: ‘TV Dinner’. Mon: ‘Black February’.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Harmony Road. Thu: Jackson & Billy. Fri: Pat Ellis & Blue Frog Band. Sat: Ron’s Garage. Sun: Ron’s Garage. Tue: Gene Warren.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘Stars of Today and Stars of the Future’. Thu: Sam Harris. Sat: Lady Bunny. Sun: Lady Bunny.

@SDCITYBEAT

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: Veronica Storm. Fri: SoundSlave, Punkture, Twist of Fate. Sat: Done Taloking, Snail Fight, Evening’s Empire.

Sun: ‘The Designing Women’. Mon: ‘Playground Monday Night Dance Party’. Tue: Roger!, The Lucy Ring, The March Divide, Rebekkah Darling.

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

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Steelehorse Country. Fri: Bonneville 7. Sat: Dirty Taxi, Car Radio.

Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: Justin Nozuka, Craig Cardiff. Thu: iDKHOW, The Nervous Wreckords. Fri: Brasstracks, Pell, Kemba. Sat: Kaleena Zanders, SiLVA. Tue: Robert DeLong, Morgxn.

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

Wed: Karaoke. Thu: ‘No Limits’. Fri: ‘After Hours’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’. Sun: Tribe of Kings. Mon: ‘Motown on Mondays’.

Tue: ‘Night Shift’.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Borgeous. Sat: Graves.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: ‘The Wednesday Jam Session’.

Thu: Erika Davies. Fri: Lex and The Jewels. Sat: Dave Gleason. Sun: ‘Funk Jam’.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Kaos. Sat: Lost Frequencies.

Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open Mic. Fri: Twisted Relatives. Sat: Spice Pistols. Sun: The Night Howls. Mon: Trivia. Tue: DJ Lexicon Devil.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Dr. Blues Conway Redding.Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Len

Rainey & The Midnight Players. Sat: Black Market III. The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Sat: Sabados En FUEGO!’. Sun: ‘Noche Romantica’. Mon: Trivia.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: ‘Mischief with Bianca’. Thu: ‘#LEZ + House Music’. Fri: ‘Electro-POP!’. Sat: ‘Voltage’. Sun: ‘Stripper Circus’.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’. Thu: Spiritual Motel. Fri: Dave Gleason Trio.

Sat: Johnny Deadly Trio. Tue: ‘Everything and Anything Jam’.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Karaoke. Sat: Lexington Field, Finnegan Blue. Mon: ‘Jazz Jam’.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Smoking Popes, Direct Hit!, Squarecrow. Thu: Houses. Fri: Black Sabbitch, Great Electric Quest, Call of the Wild. Sat: Madball, BillyBio, Cutthroat, Authentic Sellout. Sun: Private Island, Kuwada, Hush. Mon: Malachi Henry and the Lights, The Jankeys, Blazing Jane. Tue: Within A Week.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: Seizure, Manic, Twelve Foot Shadow, Sociocide, Dab, Neurotic Mirage.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Wed: ‘Make Yourself at Home’. Sat: ‘Transmission’. Sun: Un. Mon: Thomas Erak, The Shoreline. Tue: Karaoke.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Shiba San, Tim Baresko. Sat: Stay United, Pleasurekraft.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Paul Gregg. Sun: The Walter Brothers. Tue: Trivia.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City

Heights. Thu: ‘Sound In Color’. Fri: ‘Original Hip Hop’. Sat: No Service Band, DreadHawk, Stereo Love. Sun: ‘PANTS Karaoke!’.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Sky Zada. Thu: Keep Your Soul Duo. Fri: Coriander. Sat: Coriander. Sun: Karaoke.

Mon: Andrew Barrack. Tue: Sky Zada.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Wed: ‘Hoots Is Home Wednesdays’. Thu: Mercedes Moore Band. Fri: Albert Castiglia Band. Sat: ‘Bump City Brass’. Mon: ‘Sexy Salsa & Sensual Bachata’. Tue: The Jazz Pockets.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: Nebula Drag, Mezzoa, Mortar. Thu: G-Spot, Midnight Track, Late For Life, La Chapuza. Fri: The Waste Aways, Fallen Monuments, 9 Volt Murder, Fisted.

Sat: PunchCard, Roman Watchdogs, Midnight Track, A-Bortz, Delma. Sun: The Screamin Yeehaws, The Heroine, The Homeless Sexuals. Mon: Gnawed, Monochromacy, Those Darn Gnomes, Pruitt, Igoe, FLWRS. U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park.

Wed: DJ Ulkeim. Thu: ‘BoomBox Thursdays’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: Junior The Disco Punk. Sun: ‘Live Reggae’. Mon: ‘#31 Flavors’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: Nexus & Fistfights, Wolves. Thu: Havnauts, Chris Avetta, Swimming Bell, Wild Yawp. Fri: ‘Black Friday’. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach.

Wed: ‘Club Kingston’. Thu: ‘Open Jam’.

Fri: Electric Voodoo, TV Broken 3rd Eye Open. Sat: Band of Gringos, Moves Collective, Brothers Gow, Modern Day Moonshine, AJ Froman. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Chris Bullock Band.

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

BY LARA MCCAFFREY

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat Unintended consequences

A

llison Ray Benavides uses an oil derived from the high CBD cannabis strain, Charlotte’s Web, to treat her 9-year-old son’s epilepsy. The co-founder of Pediatric Cannabis Support (pediatriccannabissupport.com) says the CBD has proven beneficial to her son, Robby, but adds that the CBD products he and other medical patients need have been in short supply since adult-use cannabis was legalized.

“Once your child has a product with THC in it, mailing it is no longer an option,” says Benavides. “We have to go to a brick-and-mortar location to pick up THC products for our children. And that's where it gets dangerous because recreational products [don’t have] the same level of consistency and quality that there is in the medicinal products.”

She isnt alone in this assesment. Some experts believe legalization of recreational cannabis has affected access to medicinal cannabis products, as well as their efficacy and prices in California. If there’s a need for families like the Benavideses, why aren’t medical products on the shelves of the local dispensary?

“It’s just really been a classic case of unintended consequences—regulators trying to deal with a situation they’ve never dealt with before,” says Tom Adams, managing director and principal analyst of industry intelligence at BDS Analytics (bdsanalytics.com). “They thought, ‘This oughta work... We’ll just have a dual regulatory system. But of course the economics just turned out not to work.”

The Boulder, Colorado-based BDS Analytics uses a combination of various sales and government data from six states to estimate the size and growth trajectory of the cannabis market. Its data shows a disappearance of California’s medical cannabis industry, which Adam links to the new, costlier and more difficult process to get a Medical Marijuana Identification Card (MMIC).

Patients must now get a recommendation from a medical doctor, then visit their County’s health department, put in an application, wait for approval, then come back to the County to collect their MMIC. Adams says most medical patients don’t bother getting a MMIC since adult-use cannabis and cannabis products are now legal to sell in most California cities. As a result, Adams says stores stopped stocking medical products because they can't move it.

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 20, 2019

need, but there’s a risk of quality control with that, says Sexton. She’s concerned about products not being affordable, effective or clearly labeled.

However, patients can use many recreational products medicinally, says Jeremy Riggle, chief scientist of cannabis company Mary’s Brands (marysmedicinals.com and marysnutritionals.com). The research at JEN SCHWENK BDS confirms a lot of patients already are.

“There is a lot of overlap between recreational and medicinal products,” says Riggle. “This varies from state to state, so this differentiation between recreational and medicinal is dictated by the state and is somewhat arbitrary from a product perspective.”

Benavides thinks it’s important to have medical products (especially for children) as they provide exact measurements and are subject to higher quality control.

She can get her son’s cannabis prodRobby and Allison Ray Benevides ucts mailed to her home (it’s legal for CBD “Many of my patients—because the products, but not THC) but wishes there product they had been using is now no lon- were more San Diego dispensaries carrying ger available—they switched over to differ- pediatric cannabis products. She says she ent products,” says Sexton. “It apparently saw some products from Care By Design got held up at a laboratory level where (cbd.org) and Canniatric (canniatric.com) there's not enough laboratories providing last time she visited March and Ash, a Misanalyses... the patients are running into sion Valley dispensary. things that they have no experience with “I appreciate that they're trying,” says because they've only accessed medicines Benavides. “Because we need at least one through pharmacies.” spot.”

Some patients have resorted to the black market to buy the products they CannaBeat appears every other week.

Michelle Sexton, a doctor of naturopathic medicine and UC San Diego adjunct professor, says a lack of medicinal products is detrimental to patients. A common theme she’s seen is cannabis companies stopping production due to various reasons like manufacturing problems or lack of labs to run tests.

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@SDCITYBEAT

FEBRUARY 20, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27