San Diego CityBeat • Feb 24, 2016

1 · San Diego CityBeat · January 6, 2016

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2 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

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February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Up Front | From the editor

Giving the vote to 16-year-olds

W

hat’s your knee-jerk reaction to the question: Should 16-year-olds be allowed to vote in municipal, state or even federal elections? Is it equivalent to the derisive “HA-ha” from The Simpsons’ Nelson Muntz? Aren’t freckle-faced Beliebers and Swifties more focused on new apps and random hashtags than political candidates and ballot issues?

Even when the state’s New Motor Voter Act eventually kicks in, millennials wouldn’t look up from their smart phones long enough to realize signing up for a driver’s license automatically registers them to vote, right? That’s the conventional thinking.

Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez disagrees.

She’s pushing to allow state 16- and 17-year-olds to vote—but only in selected local races. The idea isn’t exactly new, but it is part of an active and ongoing campaign by Gonzalez to lower voting barriers and encourage more people to get to the polls.

Changing California’s voting age would require a Constitutional amendment that would have to pass a twothirds vote in both the state Assembly and Senate. Assembly Constitutional Amendment 7 isn’t ready yet for legislative consideration, but— shoot—why not make it part of the conversation during the three-ring circus that is our presidential election run-up?

ACA 7 (Vote@16) proposes to let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in local school board and community college district governing board elections. Gonzalez says those races directly affect the teen demographic. And she says science shows that there’s little difference between the cognitive abilities of 16- and 18-year-olds. While 18 year-olds are often in transitory times in life, 16-year-olds are usually in more stable environments and are likely studying civics in high school. Another upside: Voting is a habit, and habits are more likely to stick the earlier in life they’re started.

While most states prohibit people younger than 18 from serving on juries, marrying without parental consent and from being eligible for the death

penalty, the under-18 demographic does drive, work and some pay taxes—without representation.

For centuries, the voting age in most states was 21. During the Vietnam War, consensus developed that if you were old enough for the draft, you were old enough to vote. In 1971 the 26th Amendment lowered the voting age to 18.

Middle teens have been eligible to vote in other countries for years, including Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and Indonesia, and recently, Scotland.

Two Maryland municipalities, Tacoma Park and Hyattsville, have lowered the voting age for city elections to 16. San Francisco is considering it; legislators in Colorado and New Mexico are looking at limited voting proposals similar to California’s ACA 7.

In a false start, a push surfaced in California in 2004 to allow teens to vote, albeit at fractional values. State senators proposed that 16- and 17year-olds would get a half vote and 14- and 15-year-olds would get a quarter vote. Partly due to the cringe-worthy memory of counting slaves in America as three-fifths of a person, that idea didn’t fly.

Gonzalez admits that ACA 7 isn’t 100 percent fleshed out.

For one thing, giving limited vote to kiddos would come at a cost of producing separate ballots. But the country’s pathetic voter turnout—especially in primaries—is worth the price of some sort of repair and/or maintenance. It’s a stretch to imagine an Election Day sceLorena Gonzalez nario where a mom is threatening her wonky kids that they can’t vote until they clean their rooms and finish their homework. But I’m inclined to consider including junior voters, especially if it would create lifelong voting-day responsibility.

If your gut response to giving 16-year-olds the vote was the Muntz laugh, consider this: Which Simpson would you rely on to not vote for Donald Trump for president—Lisa or Homer? D’oh!

—Ron Donoho

Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is looking forward to soon doing a feature on Jeb Bush’s new painting career.

Volume 14 • Issue 29 Editor Ron Donoho Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Seth Combs Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Carolyn Ramos editorial assistant Torrey Bailey Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

Contributors David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Jessica Johnson, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Tom Siebert, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen editorial Intern Elizabeth Pode

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San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2016.

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February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Up Front | Letters

ELECTION YEAR SIGNS

With more than 80 days before the primary election, a candidate for city attorney, Robert Hickey, is trashing his Point Loma neighborhood (and probably elsewhere) with campaign signs illegally posted in the public right-of-way and on private property [“Off and running for San Diego city attorney,” Jan. 20]. As an assistant district attorney and an officer of the court, he should know better. Worse, when his office was contacted and asked to remove the unlawful signs, his campaign manager refused to do so. Unfortunately the Neighborhood Code Compliance folks will probably do nothing about this and we will be stuck with Mr. Hickey’s unlawful and unsightly trash until June and maybe until November. Who would vote for a scofflaw for anything, especially for city attorney?

Scott Mac Laggan, Point Loma

NOTHING NEW FOR THE HOMELESS I suggested circa 1985 that folks with no place to bathe would likely have difficulties keeping a job, due to their smell, and also that being on the street deprives people of sleep [“Rebuking county homeless efforts,” Feb. 17]. So, I suggested that if we want homeless individuals to work and

6 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

On the

Cover This week’s cover highlights some of the talented video artists featured in our Arts & Culture feature. CityBeat art director Carolyn Ramos compiled stills from artists’ videos, which include everything from documentaries on cultural assimilation to cut-andcompiled psychedelic projections. The cover could give readers a sense that the videographers featured in the story couldn’t be more different stylistically and aesthetically, and while that’s true, one thing they do have in common is the desire to make a statement with no ulterior motive. One artist, Lenny Gerard, could be speaking for the group when he says, “I couldn’t care less if it goes viral.” hold a job, we first have to find them some reasonable place to live. It was a psychological evaluation, but it made me a homeless advocate. The only things new about all this is that HUD now adopted that for a model, plus gave it the name “Housing First.”

Dr. John Kitchin,

San Diego Homeless News

#SDCityBeat

photos by ken stone

Up Front | news

xxxxxxx

Sarah Saez

Georgette Gómez

Back-room deal in District 9?

City council candidates joust in battle to

by Ken Stone

A

story is circulating that Ricardo Flores, chief of staff to retiring City Councilmember Marti Emerald and the hand-picked successor in District 9, is the payoff in a deal with Latino leaders that had Emerald serving just one term in this new council district.

Sarah Saez is running against Flores. The labor activist and program director for the United Taxi Workers of San Diego talks about a “deal” made for Flores.

Flores’ candidacy was “predetermined,” said Saez, 35, of City Heights. “Marti said, ‘Let me run again, and next time I promise it’s going to be a Latino’” in the overwhelmingly Democratic district drawn to favor a Latino candidate.

The other main candidate in the District 9 race, Georgette Gómez, 40, said a group of Latino leaders, including City Councilmember David Alvarez, told Emerald before the 2012 race: “We’re not going to run anyone against you, but you promise you will only run one term. And you’re going to support the person we think should be running in District 9.”

Gómez says that person was Flores—even though Flores didn’t join Emerald’s team until after the election.

(Emerald beat Mateo Camarillo 72 percent to 28 percent in the June 2012 primary.)

So Emerald, the former Channel 10 “Troubleshooter,” is on the phone joking about how she can’t keep a secret.

She calls the rumor “sour grapes” from “people who aren’t able to get traction in the community...can’t get the community to back them.”

“I never made a pledge” to serve one term, she says, but suggested it wasn’t a secret that she didn’t plan to serve eight years in District 9 atop the four years she was in office as the councilmember representing District 7. “At every stump speech I gave, I told them: ‘Look, here’s my intention. And it was always to make myself obsolete. And build a staff that was so effective that I could step back and let this new generation of leadership step in.’”

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er going back to her Boston youth. She contrasts herself with Flores: “I’m not on the 10th floor (of City Hall). I’m here in the trenches with these workers and with these community members.” replace Marti Emerald Gómez, born in Barrio Logan and living in Azalea Park (her home is her campaign headquarters), is backed by Alvarez and former councilmembers Donna Frye, John Hartley and Christine Kehoe. (Gómez once toured California Emerald adds: “We cannot foist upon our district… with a Spanish-punk band. She was the singer, but mostly inexperienced people who don’t know where to find the screamed, she said.)

“Aligned with both” Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sandbathroom, yet.”

Alvarez, via representative Lisa Schmidt, said he was ers, Gómez boasts 20-plus years working for social justice, “absolutely not a party” to a D9 deal. “I assumed (Emer- especially via the Environmental Health Coalition. She ald) was going to run for re-election in 2016—as did every- brought a Farmers Market to City Heights and $20 million for biking and walking routes. one else.”

At the end of 2015, Flores led the money race, raising Emerald announced her decision to retire last April. Days $108,000 to Gómez’s $50,000 and Saez’s $21,000. Trailing later, she endorsed Flores, 38, as are South Sudan-born Rebecca Paida, 27 ($9,000); Eritreanher successor. About the same born African advocate Sam Bedwell, 45 ($5,000); and three time, he and his campaign man- others who didn’t respond to interview requests—Vietnamager wife, Deanneka Goodwin, born Tami Murillo, 60; L.A.-born lawyer Araceli Martinez, moved to affluent and vote-rich 36; and “Fight for 15” leader Sandra Galindo, 49.

Flores—whose donors include longtime power brokers Kensington, next to Talmadge.

The district also includes the 16 Steve Cushman, David Malcolm and ex-City Manager Jack neighborhoods of City Heights, McGrory—says Saez was told to register as a Democrat to the College Area and Rolando get labor endorsement. (She got the backing.) “In fact, she on the north and Mount Hope, wanted to run as a Socialist.”

Ricardo Flores Mountain View and Southcrest.

He says Gómez hasn’t always been a Democrat either, and Flores lived in the area as a child, but his main rivals “I’m not going to leave [the party] because I’m indifferent to one of their issues. Are you willing to stick it out for somecall him a carpetbagger. They note his thing even when things are difficult?” interest in the 2010 race for District The 2016 Flores has voted in 18 of 23 local 8 (Alvarez turf ). He briefly sought a elections since 1996, according to the District 2 appointment in 2014.

Registrar of Voters Office. Gómez, Saez says of Flores (who also has once a Green Party member, voted in backing from Rep. Juan Vargas, his 20 of 28 elections since 1994 (includformer boss Rep. Susan Davis and When is it?: ing some as No Party Preference). And councilmembers Sherri Lightner and Tuesday, June 7 Saez voted in all seven of her eligible Myrtle Cole): “All his money, all his elections since 2010—but as NPP in the Register at: connections, all his accomplishments registertovote.ca.gov 2012 presidential primary. he’s taking credit for are Marti’s.”

Not taking his front-runner status With the slogan “Making San DiDeadline: for granted, Flores says: “I’m literally ego Affordable, Safe And Green,” Saez May 23 in a mini-war right now.” said: “You’re pretty much an incumAsked to look ahead, the former bent if you’ve been endorsed by the More info: Hollywood worker (he photographed establishment. Are we saying to our sdvote.com and filed thousands of pencil drawcommunities: The only people who ings for Shrek 2) is open to even highcan serve in elected office are people er office, but says: “I really don’t think with connections? People with money? Are we talking about the most qualified person or the most connected about (later races). If there are people out there who say, ‘You sound great, you sound like you have a great future,’ person?”

Once homeless at age 16, Saez is a Bernie Sanders back- then that’s wonderful. Then support me now.”

Primary Election

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Up Front | opinion

spin

cycle

john r. lamb

john r. lamb

Magic Budget Fairy yuks it up for Mayor Bobblehead The chickens have come home notepad and just as frantically ripping out pages and crumpling to roast.

—Jane Sherwood Ace them up. A pile of paper balls gathered nearby at the base of a pin Cycle recently sought recycling bin.

One was inscribed with: “The refuge from the political chicanery of our time by soaking mayor of Happyland USA, Kevin in the regular humanity that con- Faulconer, is so overly confident verges daily in Balboa Park’s Plaza about his re-election prospects in de Panama. (Mock the repugnant, June that his minions have begun delusional, politically regressive measuring the drapes—in Sacraarc of former Mayor Groper’s rap- mento.”

Another: “Mayor Faulconer, id descent all you want, but name one accomplishment under Faul- in a recent meeting with Chargers coner’s far lengthier time in office Chairman Dean Spanos to discuss that rivals Bob Filner’s reopening how to pay for a new stadium, suggested the NFL team consider a of a civic touchstone.)

You never know whom you’ll potentially lucrative upgrade to bump into when wandering the its logo: Replace the lightning bolt plaza. On this particular day, Spin with the image of a Dodge muscle Cycle found a familiar winged car. Cha-ching!”

“You know that’s technically creature, appearing a bit disheveled, feverishly scribbling on a littering,” Spin said from behind

S

8 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

as he collected the wadded-up rejects.

“Oh shit, you startled the pixie dust out of me!” exclaimed the Magic Budget Fairy. “For a minute there, I thought you were the mayor coming to check on me again.”

Up close, Magic Budget Fairy appeared even more bedraggled.

Blood-shot eyes blinked from a ruddy face. Once flowing hair now appeared like a nest of thistles daring a comb to approach. Ever the perceptive one, Magic noted Spin’s look of concern: “I know, I look like crap. You think this job is easy?”

Spin asked exactly what job that entailed these days, and Magic Budget Fairy slammed a fist on the abused notepad. “Jokes! Fucking jokes! I’m a joke writer. How’s that for a slide down the alimentary canal!” Fairy bellowed.

Spin sat down and tried to calm Fairy. “Humor is an important facet of human existence. You’re undoubtedly providing a service for, um, someone. You mentioned the mayor?”

“Yeah, Mayor Bobblehead’s people tracked me down—in the Bahamas!—and insisted I come back to help with this roast speech he’s giving at the Downtown San Diego Partnership installation

dinner,” Fairy said, clearly irked.

“Well, a gig’s a gig,” Spin said, trying to put the best face on the moment. That’s when Magic Budget Fairy burst into a glittery gush of tears.

“I once brought joy to millions by finding money in the sofa cushions and vending machines in the halls of power!” Fairy shouted.

“Little Suzie arrives at a library only to find the doors locked because of a stupid budget gap? Little Suzie now runs a cat café and Magic Budget Fairy joins the bobbleheads. fantasy sports league.

I OPENED THOSE party-conformist Lori Saldaña is GODDAMNED DOORS!” Spin noticed that people in the challenging him for office,” Fairy plaza were beginning to stare. “But explained, “so I’m thinking somehey, you’re writing jokes for the thing like, ‘It doesn’t matter if an Republican Party’s Great White idea comes from a Republican, a Hope, a future gubernatorial can- Democrat or a Democrat who calls didate, maybe a vice-presidential herself an independent, a good idea is a good idea—as long as it pick,” Spin stretched.

Fairy’s tears turned to almost doesn’t come from Cory Briggs!”

Spin chuckled briefly. “That’s maniacal laughter. “Oh Spin, you kind of true for the mayor, no?” always know how to cheer me up.

Fairy snapped: “Who said there’s But I look terrible. Let me put this no humor in truth? OK, I’ve got on to feel better.”

With that, Fairy pulled a rub- others.”

Fairy then launched into a gag ber mask out of a tiny backpack about how all these media outlets and slipped it on. The face looked familiar but simultaneously vague. like The San Diego Union-Tribune “I know you did some crisis man- and Voice of San Diego moving agement work for that Toronto downtown will bode ill for City mayor. Is that the head of Rob Hall insiders, who will finally be discovered and covered.

Ford?” Spin inquired.

“OK, paranoid humor. Good, “No no no,” Fairy laughed and what else?” Spin asked. The rubber reached again into the backpack. mask trembled with annoyance.

Out came a bobblehead figure of a smiling suited gentleman wear- “OK, how about this? The mayor ing a t-shirt emblazoned with the says something like, ‘I was thinking phrase “I [Heart] San Diego” on it. about running for governor until I “It’s supposed to be Mayor Faul- heard that [the Voice’s] Liam Dilconer. Like last year, this’ll be the lon was taking a job in Sacramento.

Good luck with that, Todd!” centerpiece at the dinner.”

“That’s a tad disjointed, no?”

“I’m sure your jokes will be the Spin replied. “Councilmember centerpiece,” Spin said diplomatiTodd Gloria basically paved Kevcally.

“But how many measuring- in’s path for re-election by opting drapes-in-the-governor’s-man- for a run at the state level. Maybe sion gags can one write?” Fairy said polish that one a bit.”

At that, Fairy picked up the as the mask kept smiling. “What joke can transcend the comedy of notepad and heaved it into a errors that already exists between nearby fountain. “Screw this. I the mayor and the Chargers? Hell, can do better,” Fairy muttered and Jason Roe, the mayor’s campaign reached into the backpack a final guru, already stole my idea of hav- time. Out popped a bobblehead ing the mayor show up in a Raid- of presidential candidate Marco ers helmet! I can’t work under this Rubio, coincidentally Faulconer’s pick for president. pressure!”

“Now this guy is funny,” Fairy Spin, an expert in deadline said.

“Remember his Red Bull pressure but growing weary of joke?

‘When I’m president, everythe rubber mask, offered to help.

“Whatcha got so far?” Spin asked. one will have wings, and Mexico “Well, we all know the mayor is going to pay for them’? You’re hates Cory Briggs and his com- lookin’ at the author!” plicated Citizens Initiative and is Spin Cycle appears every week. perturbed that someone like non- Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

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Up Front | Opinion

Sordid

Edwin Decker

Tales

Legal advice for the Free the Nipple Movement

H

ave you heard about the movie Free the Nipple and the activist organization of the same name?

Free the Nipple is a docudrama about a group of feminists striving for topfreedom—the right of women to go topless in the same public places that men can. I know some of you are rolling your eyes, but they are the real deal. They’ve got chapters around the country, a team of lawyers and a stable of martyrs, by which I mean people willing to get arrested and test the laws in court.

Of course, a lot of folk think they’re a bunch of militant feminitionists (feminist exhibitionists) merely trying to draw attention to their tits.

I doubt that’s true, but it doesn’t matter. We are a supposed to be a free country. And yes, I am aware that doesn’t mean we have the freedom to do whatever we want, wherever we want. What it does mean, however, is that our government may not deny a person, or group of people, their freedom to do something without having a damn good reason.

Especially if it is permissible for a different person or group to do that exact same thing.

Well I sure don’t know any reason why women can’t show their areola in the places that men can. Nipples are nipples fer crissake. The only notable difference in appearance is the surrounding tissue, which on most women is bulbous and protruding. But so what? I’ve seen plenty of bulbous and protruding man-boobs exposed on the same beaches where flat-chested women are required to cover up.

Some state courts assert that the bosom is a sex organ and are therefore not analogous to a man’s chest. This is absurd. The definition of sex organ is “an organ of the reproductive system,” meaning it must have a function relative to reproduction, such as the vagina, uterus, fallopian tubes, etc. Tits don’t help make babies. Yes, they produce milk to feed them after they’re born but lactation has nothing to do with reproduction per se.

Of course, we all know what the real reason is.

The real reason is because female breasts are sexy and sexy scares the shit out of us! Remember how hysterical America became after Janet Jackson’s nipple made a guest appearance at the Super Bowl?

You’d have thought that nipple jumped off the stage and started raping people. It’s so pathetic. So infantile. So irrational to demand a thing be covered because it might arouse us. As if there is something wrong with arousal. As if it would cause all the dicks in the country to explode. As if the fact that we like to have sex with a particular body part is a valid reason to hide it. If that were true then what about the other organs we like to have sex with

that we see out in the open all the time? Like lips and tongues and the act of kissing. Think about it.

When the tongues coil and explore the warm, wet wormhole of your connected mouths, and it feels like another galaxy is on the other side of that kiss, you cannot tell me that licking and fondling the mammilla is sexier, more intimate, than that.

So why don’t all our genitals explode every time we encounter lips and tongues in public? All those filthy, dripping craws that maybe five minutes ago were wrapped around a male stripper’s greasy pole, or seeking nirvana in the muggy recesses of an escort’s call box? The reason we don’t get horny when we see an uncovered mouth is because they have always been uncovered. Because the very act of concealment further sexualizes them. And that, my friend, is the only good argument against topfreedom. The danger of freeing the nipples is not that we may become all bonery and bothered by them, but rather, that we won’t. That the magic and the mystery will fade and the naked female breast will turn in to just another thing that blocks a sign you’re trying to read.

Nonetheless, my reservations don’t factor into it. What’s fair is fair. Which is why I say, “Free the nipple! Take the fight to the next level.” And how might that be done, you wonder? Well, if I were the lawyer for the California feminitionist movement, I would employ a more aggressive legal tactic.

First, I would visit a few of the local drag houses to seek a queen who is down to martyr for the cause.

Ms. Lottie von Hotty will have to look and act like a woman, but still have male genitals. When the time is right, Ms. von Hotty and I will stroll topless down Prospect Avenue in La Jolla until he is arrested and I, of course, am not.

Smash cut to the courtroom drama that is The State of California v. von Lottie. All eyes are on the prosecutors as they flounder to provide a legal reason why the provably male defendant was arrested for being topless right beside another topless male (me) who was not. If they try to say it’s not about gender but about breast size, I’ll run a slide presentation of Michael Moore, Kevin Smith, Chris Christie, Biz Markie, Chaz Bono and all 60 contenders in the U.S. Sumo Open exposing their floppy, fat tits in public. For closing arguments I will simply read the 14th Amendment and snort, “So I ask the court—with all due respect—what part of ‘equal and impartial justice under the law,’ is so hard to understand?”

“

I’ve seen plenty of bulbous and protruding man-boobs exposed on the same beaches.

“

#SDCityBeat

Sordid Tales appears every other week.

Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

Up Front | Food

by michael a. gardiner

the world

fare

Embargo Grill is a roll of Miami Dice

H

avana was known for its casinos (before Fidel Castro and before the Miami exodus).

Perhaps there’s a whiff of this at Embargo Grill (3960 West Point Loma Blvd.). The décor says Cuba. The menu says Miami. The execution is a roll of the dice.

Embargo Grill is less “Cuban” than “CubanAmerican,” reflecting Miami’s broader Latin influence. Take, for example, its Cubano sandwich.

While it may be called “Cuban” it is—like Marco Rubio and (arguably) Ted Cruz—Cuban-American. Whether the first Cubanos were made in Tampa, Key West or Havana is a subject of debate. That the dish came to prominence in post-Castro Miami is not.

The classic Cubano is a pressed sandwich featuring sliced mojo-marinated roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese and dill pickles layered on buttered Cuban bread slathered with mustard. It’s a play on the ham and cheese sandwich with the pickles adding another dimension. Often, though, dry roast pork spoils the ensemble. Embargo Grill addresses this brilliantly by replacing the roast pork with moist pulled pork. It is a truly great take on a classic.

Embargo Grill similarly turns another classic Cuban dish—ropa vieja—into another excellent sandwich. Ropa vieja is a stew of shredded flank steak with caramelization from the sear and the depth of flavor developed by the braise resulting in a dish of beguiling complexity. Embargo Grill combines that with the concept of a French dip. It’s an inspired mash-up, doubling down on meaty moisture to great effect.

Unfortunately, Embargo Grill went downhill from there. The Elena Ruz sandwich was a confused mess. Supermarket-level roast turkey fought with a gargantuan glob of guava paste, guava cream cheese and Cuban sweet bread that would have been wonderful had it not been showered with powdered sugar, dessert style. Had the sweet-savory balancing act come off it might have

10 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

been a contender. It toppled.

Several classics disappointed. Tostones, fried plantains, were dreadfully overcooked. Mofongo, another plantain dish, was ruined by raw bottled chopped garlic. And what ought to have been a signature, the classic chop-chop (which, for reasons that are far from clear, they simply— and somewhat anonymously—call their “Embargo Grill Dish”) fell down at the last hurdle. It’s wonderful rice and beans with chopped romaine, tomatoes and onions on top. The classic version has chicken, chopped too, a mayonnaise-curry sauce, and is topped with rum-macerated cranberries.

It’s pure Miami, made famous by South Florida’s Chicken Kitchen chain. Embargo Grill’s version has the form of the original without catching its magic. Perhaps the sauce was to blame, all mayo with just barely enough curry to color the sauce, and maybe the bag of cranberries was near some rum on the shelf.

Michael A. Gardiner

Ropa vieja sandwich The Caribbean curry stew was, perhaps, the restaurant’s poster child. The curry itself was deliciously spicy, deep and complex. But while the lamb meat was tender and tasty it was also untrimmed and featured huge blobs of fat. Someone probably found some of it in our napkins.

Embargo Grill is maddeningly inconsistent.

At its best, it offers creative takes on classics. At its worst it is downright careless. It’s a roll of the dice.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

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Up Front | drink

bottle

Rocket

By Jen Van Tieghem

Loire Valley wines just around the corner

S

mall-production wines from France’s Loire Valley may be crafted half a world away, but entrepreneur Luc Bonhomme makes them accessible stateside.

Bonhomme’s company Loire Valley Wineries imports quality wines from all over the Loire wine region to its warehouse in Carlsbad, and the owner and his team have personally connected with 21 winemakers.

While sampling wines with the company’s sales manager, Dakota Simoneaux, I learned its main goal is to get these imported wines into local restaurants. That doesn’t mean individual wine buyers have to miss out.

The company’s website (loirevalleywineries.com) showcases the wines and ways to purchase them: wine club memberships with quarterly deliveries of three bottles; sampler sets of six red, rosé or white wines; and singlebottle retail with free shipping when purchasing more than six bottles.

I enjoyed everything I tasted with Simoneaux, especially the 2012 Domaine Du Champ Chapron Muscadet. It was more flavorful and richer than other Muscadets but with an edge of familiar salinity.

Another intriguing wine we sipped was the 2011 Domaine De La Gabilliere Touraine Amboise, a red blend of Malbec (called Cot in France), Cabernet Franc and Gamay. The wine comes from a training domain château where future winemakers hone their craft while making wines like this

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one. The fruitiness of the Gamay shone through in this wine but had a rich balance provided by the savory grapes.

Another fun feature of the website are the videos produced with each of the winemakers. These introduce shoppers to each of the vineyards and styles of the small wineries. My interest was piqued by the video of winemaker Patrice Colin and his beautiful estate, and I went home with a bottle of his 2013 Coteaux du Vendomois Pierre a Feu, made from 100 percent Chenin Blanc.

This wine was a

perfect mate for a roasted chicken dish I made, seasoned with Herbes de Provence to keep with the French theme. The sharp acid of the wine worked well with the bits of fat in the dish, striking a nice balance between the dry wine and the richness of the food.

Loire Valley Wineries hope to open a tasting room soon, but in the meantime its bottle prices (many under $20) and unique offerings give plenty of reasons to stock up on small-production French gems.

Write to jenv@sdcitybeat.com

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

Up Front | Drink

by andrew dyer

the

beerdist Artist turns passion for beer into business

R

udy Pollorena Jr. is a recognizable figure on the beer-festival circuit. The bearded, bespectacled artist and designer is the entrepreneur behind Craft Beerd (no relation to the Beerdist column), which will celebrate its third anniversary next month. Shirts, hats, prints and glassware with a San Diego focus are his signature products. Like many of the breweries from which he draws inspiration, the company is beginning to outgrow its modest beginnings.

Pollorena graduated from Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, and, after a year at San Diego State University, was back in the South Bay at Southwestern College.

“I wanted to start taking art classes,” he said. “At the same time, I was taking a computer class in graphic design. That was where I started to hone in on my art.”

Despite his interest in graphic design, Pollorena was soon designing in a different medium—video games. But, after 10 years in that industry, and far from San Diego, he became restless.

“I was living everywhere but San Diego, there weren’t any game jobs here,” he said. “I was living in Georgia. I loved it, but wanted to come home.”

Pollorena began doing freelance graphic design under the name 8-bit Chicken.

“Basically, I was making the least amount of money I’ve ever made,” he said, “but was happy because I was back home.”

Pollorena launched Craft Beerd in March 2013 after sharing a one-off print on social media, the first iteration of his “Beer Matrix.”

“I came up with the piece just for fun, to add it to my portfolio,” he said. “I started playing around with brewery names and it ended up be-

12 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

ing a crossword (design). I shared it on Facebook to every brewery that was on the matrix.”

The piece was soon shared among breweries and beer fans alike. Pollorena said the response was encouraging.

“After that I started working with different breweries and bars, leaving what was 8-bit Chicken to the beer-focused Craft Beerd,” he said.

Pollorena runs his business with his wife, Amy, from their North Park home. He said the business should outgrow its space by summer.

“Our living room is andrew dyer our warehouse,” he said.

“I have racks and racks of stuff.”

Pollorena said San Diego’s beer community inspires him.

“Going to the bars, the breweries, and meeting all the people and making friends, it all starts with beer, and the love of beer,” he said.

“Talking passionately about breweries and the Rudy Pollorena Jr. culture in San Diego, you feel like everyone’s your friend. You make friends easily.”

Pollorena said Craft Beerd would continue developing unique products, but that his renowned Beer Matrix is discontinued.

“The latest matrix had 101 unique brewery names,” he said. “To keep updating that year after year, I would have to make two shirts.”

Pollorena’s story exemplifies how San Diego’s robust brewing industry creates opportunities— not just in the jobs created directly—but also those enabled by the resulting culture. It’s homegrown entrepreneurs like him who benefit when consumers value independence, and make it a priority to support local businesses.

The Beerdist appears every other week.

Write to andrewd@sdcitybeat.com

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | technology

all things

by tom siebert

tech Apple vs. FBI: Trust no one?

S

o where do you come down on Apple giving away the keys to its kingdom (and your smartphone) to the FBI, in order crack a terrorist’s iPhone?

That’s the latest in the “personal freedom vs. personal security” battle that’s been unspooling since 9/11, and we all know how it’s mostly gone so far: Usually the tech companies have rolled over and played lapdog. But last week Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote, in a much-shared public letter, that the company would not create a backdoor (e.g., secret access) to its device to access the information of one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Before we get into what’s happening now, it’s good to step back a bit, because history is happening so fast and there’s so much distraction that what came before is too often forgotten.

Thus, you may not remember that Apple only introduced enhanced encryption to the iPhone operating system in September 2014, making it (presumably) impossible to crack.

That was a step forward for Americans’ personal digital security, but you’ve got to remember why they did it: Whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked information revealing the NSA had the capacity to hack iPhones and was doing so through its PRISM program (PRISM had been rumored to exist for years, which the government denied, but that’s yet another story).

Moreover, before late 2014, Federal investigators could bust a device if they sent it to Apple with a search warrant.

The company would unlock the tech for authorities and send it back.

Since then, according to London’s Guardian newspaper, FBI director James Comey has been trying to figure out a way around the new-and-improved software. But the Obama administration told him to back off because it didn’t want a public battle with one of America’s most popular (not to mention valuable) companies. Bad optics, you know.

The terrorist attack, however, changed the game for the government, and gave them plausible impetus to put Apple to heel. The killer’s phone has a four-digit code that will cause the phone to essentially self-destruct if you don’t get the numbers right in 10 tries.

The court order—ruled after a Justice Department argument based on the All Writs Act of 1789— demands Apple build software that would allow the FBI to enter as many combinations as it takes to crack

#SDCityBeat

the code. For four digits (about 10,000 combinations), a whiz-bang computer could knock it out fast.

But that’s it. As soon as Apple builds the software for the Feds to crack its phone for the shooter, it’s given them software that enables them to crack your phone. Or mine. And while what’s on your phone or mine may not be all that bad (I’ve got a John Mayer album, I confess), what about someone investigating government corruption? A political opponent? A guy who suspects his wife is having an affair?

Because, as self-described “cyber-security legend” (and either possible murderer or they’re-outto-get-me paranoiac with good reason) John McAfee wrote on Business Insider Friday, it only takes one bad apple in the government to make it a whole lot worse than simply the Feds metaphorically reading over your shoulder. One compromised federal operative, be it with money or drugs or women (or men) or whatever vice of their choice, and suddenly Russia, China and/or the terrorist bogeyman of the week gain access to every iPhone on the planet.

Am I exaggerating? The fact that nobody wants to talk on the record about it suggests I’m not.

I contacted several mobile developers and cyber-security experts around town, but only two of them got back to me and nobody wanted to talk on the record. I can’t say I blame them.

As one said: “There’s no upside here. Either you piss off the government or Apple, and neither of those guys do you want to get on the wrong side of.”

Another, after pointing out Apple’s history of helping the government crack its products in the past, said: “Look, who do you trust here? Actually, you shouldn’t trust anybody, but I’m going to lean towards Apple on this one. The FBI actually said that they would use this back door only once, for this case, and then never again. Does anybody actually believe that crap? They’re drooling to get this.”

Before I close, here’s something else I got from one of the two guys who would at least talk on background about the FBI/Apple dustup: FBI director James Comey, who is spearheading the charge to bust the iPhone, was positioned as a righteous iconoclast in the Bush Administration when he was U.S. Deputy Attorney General, because he allegedly had misgivings about personal surveillance overreach. It was these very bona fides that allowed President Obama to appoint him FBI Director, even though he was a Republican and a Bush guy.

Is your head spinning? You’re not alone.

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

1 DANCE OFF

Fans of pop music may want to check out PGK Even for the most ardent supporter of Dance Project’s Mashed Up Songs & Dances the arts, attending modern dance peron Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Inspired by a formances are the cultural ELAZAR C. HAREL collaboration between PGK equivalent of flossing your choreographer Peter Kalivas teeth; something that we and musician Rayme Sciaroshould really do more often, ni, the night will include but just can’t seem to find the multiple dance performances time. But if there was ever a backed by live singers perweekend to move your butt forming mash-ups of songs and see what San Diego has

by Katy Perry, Adele, John to offer in the modern dance Legend and more. And condepartment, this might be sidering it’ll be held at the that weekend. downtown Sparks Gallery First up, Somebody (530 Sixth Ave.), we expect Somewhere from Mojalet it’ll be a much more intimate Dance Collective cleverly affair. Tickets start at $25 at plays on themes of worldly thepgkdanceproject.org. balance. That is, while someAnd while it’s not technione is sleeping, another percally this week, do keep the son might be running for his UC San Diego’s Theatre & life. While one couple breaks Dance department’s winterup, another is reconciling. A WORKS showcase on the racompany of 10 dancers, chodar. Held Thursday, March reographed by Mojalet artis10 through Saturday, March tic director Faith Jensen-Is12, each at 7:30 p.m., the permay, will perform variations Somebody Somewhere formances are centered on on this theme starting Friby Mojalet Dance Collective the theme of collaboration, day, Feb. 26 thorough Sunday, with dozens of professional dancers working with Feb. 28, at the Raw Space Off Broadway venue novices who had never even walked into a studio (923 First Ave.) in downtown. Performance times before. Tickets start at $10 at theatre.ucsd.edu. vary and tickets start at $16 at mojalet.com.

2 SERIAL THRILLER

If the success of the This American Life-produced podcast, Serial, proves anything, it’s that truth remains stranger than fiction.

Hosted by reporter Sarah Koenig, the second season of the weekly true crime/investigative reporting show revolves around Bowe Bergdahl, the former Army soldier who was captured by the ELISE BERGERSON Taliban and later accused of desertion. While we certainly don’t expect any spoilers from Koenig and comJulie Snyder and Sarah Koenig pany at their Wednesday, March 2, appearance at the Balboa Theatre (868 Fourth Ave.), the Binge-Worthy Journalism: Backstage with the Creators of Serial live event should offer a behind-the-scenes window into all the investigative work that goes into each episode. Both Koenig and cocreator Julie Snyder will be there for a 60-minute presentation followed by a half hour Q&A session. It starts at 7 p.m. and tickets start at $30 at sandiegotheatres.org.

14 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

3 SAUSAGE FEST

Let’s be frank, tubed meat is the most disturbing alternative to commercial cover-ups such as hot dogs or sausages, yet, they are one and the same. At The Abnormal Tube Meat Madness, bratwursts, hot links and a smorgasbord of meats will be grilled, griddled, smoked and boiled by six chefs from Carnitas’ Snack Shack, Fathom Bistro, Little Lion Cafe and more. Aside from referencing the event’s abnormality, the name is also a play on the beer pairing provided by Abnormal Beer Co. On Saturday, Feb. 27, mustard up an appetite and head down to Machete Beer House (2325 Highland Ave.) at 12:30 p.m. for this event, which costs between $40 and $65 for six pairings. Just keep your sausage jokes to a minimum. They’re the wurst. brownpapertickets.com/event/2492681 SHUTTERSTOCK

Commune San Diego at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. Artists, designers, musicians and people take a stand against tobacco corporations at this monthly event. There will be a pop-up shop and artists include Leah Tumerman, Hailey Johnson, Monica Bujas, Cami Robinson and more. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 24. Free. 619-2846784, jointhecommune.com El Nino Farewell at Brokers Building, 402 Market St., Downtown. Thirteen San Diego artists will showcase new works including Claudia Mackey, Norma Brinker, Billie Dee, Hans Chobolits, Norman Tancioco and many more. Opening from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. Free. facebook. com/brokersbuildinggallery HRemington Tattoo Grand Re-Opening Art Show at Remington Tattoo Parlor, 3436 30th St., North Park. Remington Tattoo and Gallery celebrates its new home with original works from the Remington crew. There will also be a canned-food drive for Mama’s Kitchen and raffle prizes from local businesses and artists. Opening from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26.

Free. 619-795-8915, remingtontattoo.com HAUDOxVZLS at Out Here, Calle Chapo Marquez 158, Tijuana. Local video artist MR.IMD will showcase psychedelic inspired works while also providing live visuals for performing bands like Angels Dust, Mystery Cave and more. Opening from 9 to midnight. Saturday, Feb. 27.

Free. 52-664-607-3876, outhere.mx Charlando Con La Muerte at Chicano Art Gallery, 2117 Logan Ave. #1, Barrio Logan.

New works from local artist LuChuk, who specializes in low-brow sculpture and visual art. From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27.

Free. 619-792-2815, facebook.com/pages/ Chicano-Art-Gallery/148819355327810 Intimacy at Pikku Gallery, 2323 Broadway, Ste. 102, Golden Hill. Photography, video, mural, book, and illustrations by local artists including Laurie Nasica, Sleeping Bunny, Leeland Bain, Riain Hager and more. Opening from 7 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. Free. 6194328736, pikkusalon.com Hxxs xs s m l xl xxl and Rebecca Maria Goldschmidt at Helmuth Projects, 1827 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill. New collaborative and individual works from emerging female artists will be showcased at this show, the fourth and final show in the new IUD: A Place You Think About series.

Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. Free. 619-265-6842, sayingtheleastandsayingitloud.com David Bowie Art Tribute at Hess Brewing North Park, 3812 Grim Ave., North Park. Local artists like Fabiana Foca, Anna Van Fleet, Annie Hardy and dozens more will pay tribute to the Thin White Duke in a variety of mediums. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 2.

Free. mikehessbrewing.com

BOOKS HKimball Taylor at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The Surfer Magazine contributor and author will discuss and sign his newest book The Coyote’s Bicycle: The Untold Story of 7,000 Bicycles and the Rise of a Borderland Empire. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24. Free.

858-454-0347, warwicks.com Simply Local Reads at Simply Local, 3013 University Ave., North Park. Local author Kathi Diamant and Adventures by the Book CEO Susan McBeth will do a presentation on Literary Travel Adventures, where readers journey with their favorite authors to follow the story and ex-

H = CityBeat picks

plore the locales presented in their books.

From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24. Free. 619-756-7958, simplylocalsandiego.com Susan Herrmann Loomis at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The food writer and French cooking school owner will be promoting her latest book, In a French Kitchen: Tales and Traditions of Everyday Home Cooking in France. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.com HHillary Whittington at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla.

The local author will sign and discuss her book, Raising Ryland: Our Story of Parenting a Transgender Child with No Strings Attached. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Ann A. McDonald at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The novelist and screenwriter will sign and discuss her new thriller, The Oxford Inheritance, about a Oxford University student who digs a little too deep while investigating her mother’s mysterious past. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Raymond M. Wong at Poway Library, 13137 Poway Road, Poway. The local author will share his journey to Hong Kong and convey how it changed his life as documented in his memoir, I’m Not Chinese: The Journey from Resentment to Reverence. At 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. Free.

858-513-2900, raymondmwong.com Kathryn Lang-Slattery at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla.

As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekend with Locals Program, Lang-Slattery will be signing and discussing her book, Immigrant Soldier: The Story of a Ritchie Boy. At noon. Sunday, Feb. 28. Free.

858-454-0347, warwicks.com Kelley Kaye at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The author will be promoting her new mystery novel, Death by Diploma, the first in the Chalkboard Outlines series. At 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com Melanie Benjamin at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The New York Times bestselling author will discuss and sign her new novel, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, about New York’s Swans of the 1950s and the friendship between Truman Capote and socialite Babe Paley. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 1. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.com HMo Daviau at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The debut novelist will be promoting her book, Every Anxious Wave, about a thirty-something bar owner who stumbles upon a timetravelling worm hole in his closet. At 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 2. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com

DANCE HSomebody Somewhere at RAW Space Off Broadway, 931 1st St., Downtown. A company of 10 dancers, choreographed by Mojalet Dance Collective’s artistic director Faith Jensen-Ismay, will perform variations on the theme of of worldly balance. At 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. $15-$20. mojalet.com HMashed Up Songs and Dances at Sparks Gallery, 530 6th Ave., Downtown.

Inspired by collaborations between PGK Dance Director Peter Kalivas and musician Rayme Sciaroni, this show shares successfully mashed songs in unexpected ways and includes performances from five different choreographers. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. $15-$35. thepgkdanceproject.org

#SDCityBeat

THEATER JIM CARMODY

Left to right: Ross Hellwig, Erin Petersen, Robert Smyth and Deborah Gilmour Smyth in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

An American classic still packs a wallop

R

edoubtable performances by Robert Smyth and Deborah Gilmour Smyth, and the keen, inspired direction of Christy Yael-Cox make Intrepid Theatre Company’s production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? the first truly must-see show of the year. More than half a century after it was written, Edward Albee’s piercing three-act drama about George, Martha, two unwary guests and a lot of booze remains an

COMEDY Brew School’d Improv Comedy at Green Flash Cellar 3, 12260 Crosthwaite Circle, Poway. Green Flash teams up with Finest City Improv for a night of improv comedy and expert beer tastings. Ticket price includes show and four beer tastings.

From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. $20.

858-622-0085, bit.ly/brewschoold201602 National Comedy Theatre at National Comedy Theatre, 3717 India St., Little Italy. Similar in style to Whose Line is it Anyway, this improv comedy show features local comedians performing a series of games and scenes all based on audience

iconic work of the American theater. The searing tension, raw energy and horrifying emotive twists and turns nonetheless do not overwhelm Albee’s biting and eloquent language.

Intrepid is staging this production at the Horton Grand Theatre downtown as guest residents of Lamb’s Players Theatre.

It’s Lamb’s’ producing artistic director, Smyth, and its associate artistic director, his wife Deborah Gilmour Smyth, who co-

suggestions. At 9:45 and 11:25 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. $12-$17. 619-295-4999, nationalcomedy.com

FASHION HThe Future is Meow at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park.

SDAI hosts a feline inspired fashion show featuring both human and feline models and apparel. Includes designs from Francisco Medavog, Hi Hairy (Jenni Beckstrom), Macy Daisy and Frances Mann.

From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. $10. sandiego-art.org COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART

star as George and Martha—bravely and inexhaustibly. Ross Hellwig and Erin Petersen portray the young couple quickly in the crossfire of Georgia and Martha’s war of insults, insinuations and threats.

The exquisite Intrepid production boasts silences that are as potent as the destructive clamor.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? runs through March 26 at the Horton Grand Theatre, downtown. $43-$48. intrepidtheatre.org HHH What would seem impossible—making the Old Globe’s compact Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre feel like a stadium court at the U.S. Open tennis tournament—is impressively achieved in the world premiere production of Anna Ziegler’s The Last Match. A combination of the principal actors’ athleticism, a realistic set by Tim Mackabee and the ambient sounds of a roaring crowd and pummeled tennis balls heighten the believability of this showdown between veteran star Tim Porter (Patrick J. Adams) and fiery Russian foe Sergei Sergeyev (Alex Mickiewicz). But the side stories that involve Tim’s either tormented or perpetually unhappy wife, Mallory (Troian Bellisario) and Sergei’s equally fiery (and sexy) girlfriend, Galina (Natalia Payne) are rife with melodrama and tired socio-emotional profundities. This tennis match-as-met-

FOOD & DRINK HThe Abnormal Tube Meat Madness at Machete Beer House, 2325 Highland Ave., National City. Bratwursts, hot links and a smorgasbord of meats will be grilled, griddled, smoked and boiled by six chefs from Carnitas’ Snack Shack, Fathom Bistro, Little Lion Cafe and more. Ticket price includes six tastings with Abnormal Beer Co. pairings. At 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. $40-$65.

619-773-6986, brownpapertickets.com/ event/2492681

MUSIC The Chieftains at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The traditional Irish band led by Paddy Moloney had had a storied 52-year career that has garnered them six Grammy Awards. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. $35-$75. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org Symphonie Fantastique at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown.

A Jacobs Masterworks Concert, Joshua Weilerstein will conduct flutist Rose Lombardo and the symphony through French composer Hector Berlioz’s major orchestral work. Also includes selections Carl Nielsen and Christopher Rouse. At 8 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 26 and Saturday, Feb. 27, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. $20-$96.

619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org

“The Watchers” by Lynn Chadwick is on display at Art of the Open Air, a new sculptural exhibition at the Plaza de Panama in Balboa Park. #SDCityBeat

HThe Westerlies at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. The New York-based brass quartet re-imagine the chamber music experience and are known for playing with the precision of a string quartet, the audacity of a rock band, and the charm of a family folk ensemble. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. $10-$15. freshsoundmusic.com Ladino Soul at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escon-

aphor would be better served if it better trusted its audience’s intuition.

The Last Match runs through March 13 at the Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre. $29 and up. oldglobe.org

—David L. Coddon Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Now You See It: Georges Feydeau’s comical farce includes a philandering husband, hypnotism and scandalous discoveries galore. Directed by Bruce Turk, it opens Feb. 24 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org WaistWatchers The Musical: A musical parody about four women obsessing over diet, work out regimens, plastic surgery and sex in their search for self-love. Presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre, it opens Feb. 24 at the Lyceum Space Theatre in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org Annie Warbucks: Everyone’s favorite redheaded orphan returns in this sequel to the beloved musical.

Presented by JHCompany Youth Theatre, it opens Feb. 26 at the David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre in La Jolla. jcompanysd.org

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

dido. Featuring guitar virtuoso Sir Angel Romero and acclaimed soprano Ronit Widmann-Levy, the local group explores musical themes of crime, passion, murder and seduction. At 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. $30-$35. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org San Diego Mixtape Society at Blind Lady Ale House, 3416 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Join fellow music lovers as they swap music at this bimonthly event. Bring a CD or flash drive of the songs that have an overall theme. Other patrons will write down their guess as to what the theme is on a piece of paper. From 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. Free. 619-255-2491, https:// facebook.com/sdmixtapesociety HFor the Sender: Love Letters from Vietnam at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Author and singer-songwriter Alex Woodard presents this multimedia experience of stories and songs based on the true correspondence of a soldier stationed in Vietnam in 1968 and his daughter. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 29. $25.

858-481-1055, northcoastrep.org Navy Band Southwest Woodwind Quintet at Rancho San Diego Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El Cajon.

The chamber ensemble featuring members of Navy Band Southwest will perform selections for woodwinds from a variety of musical genres. From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 1. Free. 619-660-5370, sdcl.org/locations_RD.html

PERFORMANCE HDorkbot at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. An international event featuring artists, musicians, experimentalists, educators, students and inventors presenting their work. This show will feature organic-electronics, experimental music and from Interspecifics, Michael Trigilo, and more. From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday,

Feb. 24. Free. 619-284-6784, facebook. com/events/855124134608698/

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HVAMP: Dirty Talk at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. So Say We All’s monthly live storytelling show presents a special edition of their annual Valentine-antidote show. Local writers will share sordid, raunchy stories or perhaps just a muddy gardening story. From 8:30 to 10 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 25. $5 suggested donation 619-284-6784, sosayweallonline.com

SPECIAL EVENTS HSan Diego Made at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. San Diego Made will be joining the hotel’s weekly music night for a pop-up shop with four local makers. Crafters include Be Kind Vibes, Georgina Trevino Contemporary Jewelry, First & Ibis and 185 Design. From 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. Free.

619-296-2101, sandiegomade.org Read and Romp at McMillin Event Center, 2875 Dewey Rd., Point Loma. The seventh annual family fundraiser encourages parents to read to their children and promote a love of reading. Proceeds benefit the pediatric literacy program Reach Out and Read. From 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 27. $8-$40. rorsd.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HHumanizing Homelessness in San Diego at San Diego History Center , 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. Artist Neil Shigley

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 will discuss his large-scale block-print portraits of local homeless people, followed by a panel of experts speaking on the state of homelessness in the city. From 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. $10-$15.

619-232-6203, sandiegohistory.org HA Night with Jose Antonio Vargas at Price Center East Ballroom, 9500 Gilman Dr, The Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, filmmaker and immigration rights activist will visit UCSD to speak on the topic of “Race, Privilege and Immigration in the U.S.” RSVP recommended. From 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25. Free. calendar. ucsd.edu HBikes on Tap at The Local, 1065 4th Ave., Downtown. The San Diego County Bike Coalition hosts a new monthly bike-in happy hour event to get biking residents involved in their communities and discuss bike projects planned for that specific community. This month examine the downtown mobility plan.

From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25.

Free. sdbikecoalition.org HShip Cats: Adventure! Courage! Betrayal! at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Los Angeles-based author and photographer Dr. Paul Koudounaris, who will deliver remarkable stories of the famous cats who prowled the high seas. Um, ok. From 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 25. $5. sandiego-art.org Visiting Speaker Series: Zach Kaiser at UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The educator, designer, artist, scholar, and DJ will discuss trans-disciplinary sampling and mixing from the languages of graphic design, interaction design, experience design, speculative design, and music-mak-

ing. Takes place in York 2622. At 5 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 25. Free. 858-534-2230, visarts.ucsd.edu El Niño Lessons Learned at ViaSat Headquarters, 6191 El Camino Real, Carlsbad. Local expert speakers will discuss how the first wave of El Niño weather impacted local businesses and how they can refine their preparedness plans for the next wave of storms. From 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 26. $15. carlsbad.org HBinge-Worthy Journalism: Backstage with the Creators of Serial at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The creators of the popular podcast, Serial, offer a behind-the-scenes window into all the investigative work that goes into each episode. Sarah Koenig and cocreator Julie Snyder will do a 60-minute presentation followed by a half hour Q&A session. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 2. $30. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org

WORKSHOPS Vineyard Management Seminar at Curds and Wine, 7194 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. Patrons interested in planting their own vineyard will learn the basics from Keith Wasser, a local vineyard owner who’s been featured on A Growing Passion on KPBS. From 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27. $45-$75. 858-384-6566, curdsandwine.com Short Story at The Ink Spot @ Art Center Lofts, 710 13th St., Ste. 210, Downtown. Instructor Libby Flores will examine the parameters of the short story form and what Irving Howe named as the four kinds of short shorts. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28. $45$54. sandiegowriters.org

16 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

“for eleanor” by Sister Corita Kent is on display at love is here to stay (and that’s enough): Prints by Sister Corita Kent, a new exhibition of the American pop artist’s work on view through May 13 at the Robert and Karen Hoehn Family Galleries at the University of San Diego (5998 Alcalá Park, Linda Vista).

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CULTURE | ART

The art of video is alive and well. The culture of social media and online interactivity has already moved well beyond the still image and into the instantly shared, often live-streamed video. Be it on established platforms such as YouTube and Vine, or on newer platforms such as Periscope or Cincopa, here are a few locals who are using those platforms to make broad and beautiful statements.

From animated documentaries and interactive public art to timecollapsed kites and psychedelic projections, these five video artists are the kind that will make you rewind, refresh and watch again.

“Self” by Evan Apodaca

“The Razor’s Edge”

For Georgia native Stefani Byrd, her ascent into what she calls “large, media-based, interactive public art” was a bit accidental. She was originally studying black-andwhite photography in Atlanta when she was invited to participate in a public art show, and she hasn’t looked back since. “Usually you have to work in the gallery or museum system for a long time and then eventually you dabble in public art,” says Byrd, who’s in her final year as an MFA student at UC San Diego. “I sort of had an odd path.” Byrd uses the video medium to make statements on technology and human-to-human contact or what she calls “live-ness and simulated live-ness.” For the piece “(i want to be private)” she used sensors and digital projectors to create a “digital surrogate” that viewers could interact with. Her most recent piece, “The Razor’s Edge” debuted at the Art San Diego art fair in November and features three people breathing against glass. As the glass fogs up, it gives the illusion that the people are breathing on the screen of the TV in real time. “Often the screen is used as a medium and an interface to a different world,” Byrd says. “But I wanted to make it something more like a mirror.” That piece will be seen at UCSD’s annual MFA Open Studios on March 5, as well as a solo exhibition at UCSD at the end of April.

“20 Minutes of Kite Flying Time Collapsed: San Diego Study #6”

Untitled

Once you see one of Cy Kuckenbaker’s “San Diego Studies” videos, you’re not likely to forget it anytime soon.

Using what he calls a “time-collapse” technique, hours and hours of otherwise mundane footage is distilled into a beautifully meditative short film. Singular plane landings at the airport become a 26-second bombardment of dozens of planes seemingly all landing at the same time.

In another, highway footage becomes a color-coordinated flash mob of automobiles. His most recent video, the sixth in the series, features 20 minutes of Kuckenbaker flying a red kite collapsed into just over a minute to give the appearance of multiple kites all being flown at the same time. He says future pieces in the series use technology that stretches time rather than compressing it. Right now, he’s focusing on a video art piece that he describes as “a contemplation of phone and tablet UI scrolling” and this summer, he’ll head to Lithuania to shoot a short film about the guerilla war the country fought against the USSR after World War II. “This one is really high risk. It could very easily blow up in my hands,” says Kuckenbaker, who lived in Lithuania for three years as a Peace Corps volunteer.

“It’s a tough place for an American to lock things down.

Fingers are crossed.”

In many ways, Ian M. De Cerbo’s beginnings in the local graffiti and hip-hop scene led him to create the grainy, psychedelic video collages he’s mainly known for today. Working under the name MR.IMD, he started a band called Hezus and wanted to have live visuals when the band played, but he didn’t know anyone who could produce the videos he wanted. “I knew what I wanted so I just started sampling old videos, recording off old TVs and using vintage video cameras,” De Cerbo says. “Just chopping things up and experimenting.”

His chopped-up, grainy, and beat-friendly visuals led to him working with experimental music producer Gonjasufi and, after a brief hiatus, De Cerbo recently got back into creating video visuals that he says “take the analogue world and digital world and mix them together.” He showcases his visual collages during the monthly BLVD Market event and posts some of the results on Instagram. On Friday, Feb. 27, he’ll be showing off pieces at AUDOxVZLS, a show at the Out Here space in Tijuana where he’ll do on-the-spot visuals while bands such as Mystery Cave and Angels Dust perform live. He recently left his job to focus exclusively on his art. “I just want to pursue things that make me happy,” De Cerbo says. “Something that makes me more fulfilled.”

© CY KUCKENBAKER, 2013

“DIVA: Re:Dux”

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ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS

© CY KUCKENBAKER, 2013

“Landings at San Diego Int Airport Nov 23, 2012: San Diego Study #5”

VIDEO CONTINUED ON PAGE 20

Untitled

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

18 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

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February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Culture | Art

video CONTINUED from PAGE 17 Courtesy of Oink Entertainment

“Feel Me Now”

Que Lejos Estoy

Lenny Gerard might not consider himself to be a video artist per se. Rather, he sees himself as a musician who loves to make statements in his music videos. The San Diego native, who splits his time between here and Los Angeles, once worked as a staff videographer for Def Jam, and this experience helped him create the music video for “Feel Me Now.” While the song itself is a dance-friendly pop song, the video features Gerard acting out scenes from an abusive relationship with another man and is part of a larger awareness campaign called #menRvictims2, meant to shine a light on domestic violence in the gay community. “I couldn’t care less if the video goes viral,” Gerard says. “I just hope that some people have a connection with the video or with the hashtag to where they’ll want to share their stories.” A victim of domestic violence himself, Gerard hopes to collaborate with local LGBT org Out With It on a larger campaign for #menRvictims2 and will also be doing some San Diego concerts to promote his second album, Unbound (out March 29). “The video is just a precursor for what we’ll be doing long-term to raise awareness of this issue,” he says.

Before taking a documentary film class at San Diego City College, Evan Apodaca was much more focused on sculpture and installation art, but given the initial responses he’s received for Que Lejos Estoy (How Far Am I), he may stick with filmmaking from here on out. A mixture of live interview footage (mostly with Apodaca’s grandmother) and animation, the 12-minute doc explores assimilation, Chicano history and Apodaca’s own sense of identity. He uses animation to turn vintage photographs of his distant relatives into lively storytellers. “I asked myself, how can I possibly interpret and visually portray my family’s past, and my first answer was that it has to be through bringing old photographs to life,” says Apodaca, who grew up primarily in East L.A. “So I sought out to animate family quotes, conversations, their feelings and also reimagine a history through my own eyes.” The film was selected from hundreds of submissions for the annual San Diego Latino Film Festival and will screen on Monday, March 14. And while Apocada is still promoting Que Lejos Estoy, he says he’s already working on a follow-up doc about “the relationship between theater and life, but specifically about performing Chicana identity and gender.” “It’s in very early stages,” Apocada says. “But I can say that there’s a lot of surrealism involved.”

20 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

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Culture | Art

Seen LocaL DOWN IN THE BARRIO, PART II

I decided to put up four posters, because, for once, I just wanted to be a patron on this night. I wanted to celebrate the art and wander around. I didn’t want to have to answer a million questions about why we did this or on rental information…I thought it was very open-handed, but if that was an issue, I wouldn’t do it again. That’s not why we do the events.

Redeveloper Greg Strangman responds to criticism of his art event

CB: You also felt that the article was unfair to characterize the event as a sign of gentrification.

GS: We don’t want to come in and change the

by Seth Combs neighborhood. We want to come in and integrate.

We as a company had many choices as to where we he Parallel art event held in the Communi- wanted to be located and we chose Barrio Logan ty@ Mi Apartamento apartment complex in because of the history here. Because of the people Barrio Logan was the subject of an arts-and- here. culture editorial [“Down in the Barrio”] published last month in CityBeat. While many felt the article CB: A mark of gentrification is that developing brought up valid points about the future of Barrio companies displace the small businesses and the Logan, the owner of the property, L.W.P. Group, low-income families that have historically been Inc.’s Greg Strangman, believed the article unfairly part of that neighborhood. Is it even your job to criticized the event’s true intentions of promoting worry about that, or how people view you? local artists.

GS: I consider myself to be an investor and a reStrangman agreed to revisit the topic in an inter- developer. I feel like we create better spaces in comview (along with Voice of San Diego’s Kinsee Morlan) munities. A founding principle of our company is we at L.W.P.’s headquarters, which will soon double as will not own or be a part of a development or project an art gallery, on National Avenue in Barrio Logan. unless we’re not willing to live in it ourselves.

Below is an edited version of the conversation between CityBeat and Strangman.

CB: Do you feel like these art shows, both this one and the ones in the past, have helped you conCityBeat: I’ve often said that I know your heart nect with the community? is in the right place, but the Parallel art party just GS: I think so. Every show we’ve ever done, it’s torrey bailey a lot of the same artists in that community showing their latest and greatest works. My argument is that if these artists really felt like this was a commercial endeavor, that I was somehow leveraging art for my company’s benefit, I think these artists would give me a big middle finger.

T

CB: But doesn’t this type of event still help your business?

GS: It doesn’t hurt.

Think of it this way: Companies like Qualcomm or Sempra Energy on a much more broad level make a $100,000 donation to the Greg Strangman Museum of Contemporary Art and they’re still getting some PR out of it, right? Personally, I don’t had this feeling of art for the sake of commerce. see anything wrong with it, but I also want to say that That it was planned and staged for the sake of it was not our intent. promoting these apartments, but you’ve maintained that the event was purely to promote the CB: What’s next for Barrio Logan for the next 10 artists, yes? years now that you’re so vested in the community?

Greg Strangman: Well, this wasn’t the first time GS: I think what’s going to happen is you’re gowe had done this. This was actually the fourth edi- ing to end up with more art galleries and more art tion of the event. We’re completely hands-off when studios here per capita than anywhere else in the it comes to this thing. We do the financial underwrit- city. I think that’s cool. What’ll happen…Well, hopeing…My financial partners have always asked me, fully, we won’t get any more coffee shops [laughs].

“Why do we do this?” and I’ve always told them that We need more food and fruterias. I think it’s going to it’s a certain part of me that loves art, loves culture grow, and it’s going to grow organically. I just don’t and loves to see people experience things in San Di- see it as something where someone will come in and ego that maybe they’re not used to experiencing. tear it down. I could be wrong. Maybe a Charger stadium could change the whole dialogue.

CB: So why were there posters up informing people on how they could rent one of the apartCB: God, I hope that there’s never a Target here. ments?

GS: Oh, no, that won’t ever happen.

GS: After fielding questions at the first three events

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February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

Culture | Film

Rank and file

A War

Danish combat film looks at the dual toll of waging war

by Glenn Heath Jr.

P

ragmatism and survival go hand in hand for holm’s most ambitious work to date; yet he and AsTobias Lindholm, the Danish director of R, A bæk are not interested in making a film about the Hijacking and A War. Taking place in a maxi- political implications of Denmark’s military action mum-security prison, a besieged freighter and war- against the Taliban. Instead, A War stays dedicated torn Afghanistan, respectively, his films explore what to the ground level and the support systems that exhappens when a person’s empathy is slowly stripped ist in order to make prolonged sacrifice seem toleraway by the volatility and madness of his surround- able and mundane. ings. Each complicates the limits of human durability.

Claus’ relationship with both his soldiers and Much of this complexity can be attributed to Pilou family are tested when he’s indicted for calling in an Asbæk, the star of all three films. The actor’s guarded airstrike that inadvertently killed civilians during a intensity comes to personify the extreme situational fierce gunfight in an Afghan village. Lindholm exangst, linking Lindholm’s work pertly cuts the action scene from as a trilogy founded on the dethe vantage point of Claus and tails of performance and mallehis men, never directly referencability. Compromising one’s best ing the Taliban fighters. All we a war self takes a toll, and the talented see is chaos; all we hear is gunDirected by Tobias Lindholm Asbæk is already an expert at fire, explosions and the screams Starring Pilou Asbæk, making this extremely nuanced of his men.

Tuva Novotny, Dar Salim, process relatable. Lindholm and The impending trial back his star have developed a rapport home can’t help but take a more and Søren Malling that could end up rivaling that of calculating structure, which Rated R Scorsese and De Niro. stands out from the more freeIn A War, Asbæk plays resoform first half. But the same dilute military commander Claus lemmas are on display. Can one M. Pederson whose regiment of Danish soldiers goes rationalize a mistake if it was made in the name of on daily patrols in the Helmand Province. The open- saving lives? Even Asbæk’s thick beard can’t hide the ing sequence establishes the deafening sound design, severity of this internal conflict every that weighs so as an IED decimates one unlucky recruit upon deto- heavily on his face. nation. This latest loss understandably affects the While the film fails to plow new ground in the soldiers’ morale, leading Claus to lead by example war genre, it’s meticulously crafted and wisely interand join his subordinates on high-risk operations. prets pragmatism as a double-edged sword. Claus is Unlike Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, which undeniably a good and thoughtful leader, but the hufirmly situates its narrative within the professional manity of his actions makes him more vulnerable to duties of beleaguered soldiers, A War intercuts be- mistakes and scrutiny. This is somewhat an inverse tween Claus and his wife Maria (the equally impres- point of view from A Hijacking’s story of resolve and sive Tuva Novotny) who’s raising their three young endurance, aligning more with R’s degradation of the children back at home in Denmark. Lindholm sees human spirit, albeit in subtler ways. these stories as mirror images of each other, with A War, which opens Friday, Feb. 26, refuses to both man and wife having to compartmentalize their highlight the typical dramatic highs. In fact, it often pain of separation in order to do their jobs. denies us access to them, instead lingering on the If Lindholm’s R and A Hijacking are very much thunderous silence that follows. stories of individual struggle, A War broadens its scope to look at how family and professional rela- Film reviews run weekly. tionships are tested. This effectively makes it Lind- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

22 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

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Culture | Film and Andre the Giant. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the Arclight Cinemas La Jolla.

Love Actually: Take your honey to see the ultimate Valentine’s Day movie. Or just tell them how much you love them yourself. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 24, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Fargo: In Joel and Ethan Coen’s frozen masterpiece, a pregnant police officer (Frances McDormand) investigates a kidnapping case that leads her down some darkly comic roads. Screening at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, and 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at the La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.

Spotlight: An investigative journalist team from The Boston Globe uncovers an elaborate pattern of corruption and deceit while researching a story on abuse cases involving Catholic priests. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 26 and 27, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Tommy Boy: “Fat guy in a little coat.”

Damn, I miss Chris Farley. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 2, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Only Yesterday

Days gone by

I

sao Takahata only provides a few shots of modern Tokyo in his 1991 animated film Only Yesterday, now being re-released in a restored version by GKIDS. Before 27-year-old Taeko leaves her job for a prolonged vacation in the countryside, the camera scales up a large office building, its windows reflecting even more urban structures beyond. It’s a staggering image of congestion that’s quickly left behind.

Takahata’s heart lies elsewhere, as does his heroine’s. The master animator and longtime Studio Ghibli stalwart spins Only Yesterday into a fluid memory dump for his lead character, an independent woman who often takes trips to different corners of Japan looking to experience the reward of physical labor. This latest trek takes her to a distant relative’s farm for the safflower harvest where she meets an appealing young man named Toshio.

All the while Taeko experiences flashbacks to 1966 when she was in fifth grade. While noting that it was a culturally pivotal year for her two Beatles-obsessed sisters, she’s somewhat perplexed by why it was such a transitional moment for her former self.

The vignettes come as quickly as they disappear. Eating pineapple for the first time, talking to a handsome young baseball player, struggling with fractions: They are all recollections surmounting to something, but Taeko is often unsure of the grand revelation to come.

The film’s genius lies in its refusal to answer these questions.

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As he did with Grave of the Fireflies (a stone-cold masterpiece), Takahata infuses the smallest of moments with a sense of sublime longing. The true joys of life are never far from one’s grasp, but one must be present to truly appreciate them.

Only Yesterday opens in Friday, Feb. 26, at the Ken Cinema, which will be screening in its original Japanese language with English subtitles and an English dubbed version. I implore you to seek out the former.

Ejiofor, Kate Winslet, Woody Harrelson and Aaron Paul.

One Time Only The Princess Bride: This referential take on the classic fairytale follows a dashing young warrior who must save his beloved princess from an evil king

For a complete listing of movies, please see “Film Screenings” at sdcitybeat.com under “E vents.”

—Glenn Heath Jr.

Opening A War: A Danish military commander in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province attempts to lead by example after mounting losses, while his wife tries to keep their family afloat back at home.

Eddie the Eagle: This sports dramedy tells the story of the British sky jumper who became the first to represent the U.K. in the sport at the 1988 Olympics.

Gods of Egypt: This fantasy/action film

by Alex Proyas envisions a battle between good and evil forces in ancient Egypt.

Only Yesterday: Taeko decides to leave her cushy office job for a work vacation in the countryside, a decision that conjures up memories from her childhood. Screening through Thursday, March 3, at the Ken Cinema in its original Japanese language with English subtitles version and newly dubbed cut in English.

Rolling Papers: Journalists for The Denver Post decide to write a series of articles on marijuana once the drug becomes legal in Colorado. Screens through Thursday, March 3, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Triple 9: A corrupt ring of cops decides to murder a new recruit in order to create a distraction so they can conduct a daring robbery. Starring Casey Affleck, Chiwetel

February 24, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 23

JAKE CUNNINGHAM

MUSIC

Julien Baker OR EVERY YOUNG ARTIST who produces work streaked with intense human emotion, there’s an older person standing by ready to dismiss that artist’s feelings and experiences. “What does this teenage pop singer know about love?” they might ask.

“How could a handsome and successful prodigy have the blues? Why are these suburban metal kids so angry?”

It’s an easy position to take, one padded by primacy and the passage of time. It’s also a lousy position in that it devalues the art, the artist and the very real roots that run between the two. Young people feel things too, see? The question is whether they can express those feelings in a way that makes sense to those outside their world.

Enter Julien Baker, a 20-year-old singer-songwriter from Memphis whose debut solo album Sprained Ankle, released last year by 6131 Records, is as deeply engaging as it is devastatingly sad. With nine sparsely arranged songs that center on heartbreak, insecurity, loneliness, addiction and faith, it’s a harrowing work that belies Baker’s mere two decades on Earth but rewards repeated listens, no matter how painful they may be.

“Do you think that there’s a way I could ever get too far,” Baker sings on “Blacktop,” Sprained Ankle’s opening song, “that you’d ask me where I’d been like I ask you where you are?” Her accompaniment is a simple, almost sheepishly plucked acoustic guitar, and her voice seems to echo for days. The rest of the song is profoundly sad, a slow motion montage of church pews and bar stools, love letters and cars wrapped around streetlamps. “The devil in my arms says feed me to the wolves tonight,” Baker sings. “Come visit me in the back of an ambulance.”

She doesn’t talk much about her past issues with substance abuse, but otherwise, Julien Baker is a wonderful conversationalist, bright and forthcoming about Sprained Ankle despite her misgivings about the attention it has brought her.

24 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

“I feel really strange talking about myself so much.

I don’t want to just be singing my own praises into this weird echo chamber,” she says in a telephone interview.

“So I’m bad at going off on tangents about this record or that record, or about gear. Because it’s a lot more disarming to talk about that than to drone on about my personal experiences. There’s six billion damn people on this earth, and I feel bad because, like, why is my opinion more important than others?”

That egalitarian attitude is reflective of Baker’s background in the Memphis DIY community. In high school, she fronted Forrister, a rock band that played more than its share of house shows, which helped shape Baker’s formative songwriting efforts. (She still plays and writes with Forrister as often as she can, she says.)

“I knew the setting we were going to perform in would be a house show packed with kids, so I wanted to write, like, cool gang vocal parts that everyone could sing along with,” Baker says. “(And) since it’s a collaborative process, it’s a lot more conceptual. Lyrically, I end up being a little bit more flowery and less direct, less confessional. I’ll write about the concept of God or the concept of morality and not, say, an experience.”

Sprained Ankle, on the other hand, is Baker unfiltered.

After high school, she went to Middle Tennessee State University, snagged some time in a recording studio at the college’s school of music, and cut some demos with an engineer named Michael Hegner. Hegner had a connection to Richmond, Virginia’s Spacebomb Studios (the site of recordings by Matthew E. White and Natalie Prass), and the

two found an open time in the schedule to make a “really rough recording in a really nice studio,” Baker says.

“When it was just me with total control, there was nothing else to do except just write in a very documentary-style way,” she says. “That’s how I felt and there’s no trappings around it. It was just whatever came out at the time.”

Thematically and sonically, Sprained Ankle never strays far from its opener. The title track finds Baker wishing she “could write songs about anything other than death” and employing a chorus of soft “oooh” sounds. “Brittle Boned” is a slow-burning hospital-room lament that crescendos with a cymbal crash, one of the album’s few percussive moments. And “Rejoice” stands out for two reasons: Baker finally raises her voice above a whisper, and she speaks plainly about her faith. “I think there’s a God and He hears either way when I rejoice and complain,” she sings, her voice quivering. “I never know what to say.”

The album spills over with the kind of raw, confessional songwriting that’s difficult to do well, but when it works, it’s an irresistible magnet for folks who recognize themselves in the songs.

Which suits Baker well; she loves touring, traveling to new places, hanging out at the merch table and meeting people.

“My job is to relate to others through art and then through literal conversation. I just get to learn about people. It’s fascinating,” she says. “My aspirations were so small, it afforded me a lot more license and freedom with these songs, and there’s merit in being honest about the way you feel. I have a positive outlook on life but sometimes I do feel like, ‘Oh fuck, I ruin everything.’ And that’s a relatable feeling.”

#SDCityBeat

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February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO M

rs. Magician is finally releasing their second album. On May 20, the band will release Bermuda, their follow-up to 2012’s Strange Heaven, via Swami Records. The album has been in the works for the past three years, and in that time frontman Jacob Turnbloom says the sound of the band has changed a little bit.

“I was writing songs for myself that I kind of carried over to the band,” he says in a phone interview.

“They sound different sonically.

There are a lot of things we did in the past that are different now. I wanted to make everything more audible—when you put so much reverb on there, it’s not as audible.”

Mrs. Magician took a brief hiatus in 2014, following a couple of years supporting Strange Heaven with a handful of tours and a long list of local shows.

Turnbloom says that the pieces of the record came together at different times and different places, finally wrapping up in 2015 after the band reconvened.

“It was recorded kinda all over the place after we got back from touring with the Night Marchers in 2013,” he says. “We started recording them in late 2013, here and there. I probably finished writing the songs a year ago.”

The name Bermuda comes from a song called

Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place You’re Doomed, Be Nice (Temporary Residence)

F

Mrs. Magician “Bermuda,” which the band wrote several years ago. However, Turnbloom says that it ties in well with both the overarching themes of the record and people’s perceptions of the band, whether accurate or not.

“People lump us in with a lot of bands that play surf-rock,” he says. “I don’t really think we play surf rock. And I don’t even surf. So we thought it would be funny to call it Bermuda. But there are also a lot of songs about being lost, and a lot of different themes like that. It’s kind of poking fun at everything the band is while being kind of sincere at the same time.”

Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place is a fully fleshed out band rather than simply a clever name for a solo project, and sounds bigger and beefier than anything Crow’s done in years. It’s reminiscent of any number of past Crow projects, ranging from Heavy Vegetable to Thingy and Goblin Cock, endearingly quirky and accessibly disjointed, with perfectly catchy rock songs being interrupted by abrupt changes in time signature or tempo.

Leadoff track “Oh, the Sadmakers” could be initially mistaken for vintage Heavy Vegetable—its spunky and jagged waltz never fully committing to a steady beat or rhythm for too long. But in the song’s final minute, Crow’s metal influences shine through in a series of burly thrash riffs. There’s a lush orchestral approach to “This Distance,” which begins as an eerie acoustic post-rock melody.

“Business Interruptus” sounds more or less like Pinback, but it’s all the more thrilling when the songs take a turn toward post-hardcore rawness, as on “Light On.” With songs this strong, it’s safe to say the break served Crow well. This is his most interesting set of music in years.

or a minute there it looked like we weren’t going to be hearing any new music from Rob Crow. The singer/songwriter and half of Pinback’s core duo, disillusioned with being a professional musician, made a Facebook announcement that he was stepping away from music in mid-2015, thus more or less ending Pinback and any other such projects he might have otherwise gone forward with.

Or so it seemed, anyhow.

Crow’s hiatus came to an end a few months later, and Pinback played a radio-station sponsored show, though their long-term status still comes punctuated with a question mark. The end of Crow’s public retreat from the spotlight also came with the announcement of a new band, Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place, and a whole new album ready for release in 2016. That album, You’re Doomed, Be Nice, is finally here after a long press campaign to remind listeners that, yes indeed, Crow is playing music again. And after hearing “Fortress” on local radio enough times to take it for granted, it’s somewhat refreshing to hear Crow back in the saddle.

26 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

—Jeff Terich

—Jeff Terich #SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Music

Jeff Terich

If I were u A music insider’s weekly agenda Wednesday, February 24 PLAN A: Metric, Joywave @ House of Blues. Canadian synth-pop outfit Metric have been making their sweet, danceable sounds for nearly two decades, and I can’t help but find their radio-friendly sound fun and charming. Worth going for “Gimme Sympathy” alone. PLAN B: ‘Dorkbot’ w/ Michael Trigilo, Interspecifics @ Whistle Stop. The monthly Dorkbot event at the Whistle Stop brings conceptual, highbrow music and performance art to a small bar setting, and this one involves using sound to understand bioelectrical activity in organisms. Sounds like a party!

Thursday, February 25 PLAN A: Escort, Bob Dazzla, Shige @ The Casbah. If you missed it, make sure to go back and check out my cover story from last week on Brooklyn disco-funk band Escort. They’ll get you dancing until you’re sweaty and overheated. And then you’ll keep dancing a little longer. PLAN B:

Violent Human System, Teenage Burritos, Nervous Defects @ Tower Bar. First of all, the name Violent Human System (VHS for short) is fantastic. Second, their noisy, disorienting post-punk assault is even better. They’re dark, melodic and kick six kinds of ass. BACKUP PLAN: Liquid Stranger, Space Jesus, Au5 @ Soda Bar.

Friday, February 26 PLAN A: Mono/Poly, DJ Pound, Mystery Cave, Angels Dust, Ghost Traps @ The Hideout. Los Angeles producer Mono/Poly, part of Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder family, makes spacious and distorted glitch hip-hop that’s a hell of a trip. It’s also super funky, so let’s get those hips moving. PLAN B: Kneebody and Daedelus @ The Loft at UCSD. Another Brainfeeder show in the same night? Indeed! Kneebody and Daedelus’ collaborative work is still based in beats, but leans more heavily toward jazz fusion. It’s highbrow hip-hop psychedelia of the highest order. BACKUP

28 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

PLAN: The Natives, Electric Healing Sound, Kid Galahad and the Eternals @ Til-Two Club

Saturday, February 27 PLAN A: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers @ The Irenic. Read Ben Salmon’s feature this week on singer/songwriter Julien Baker, who makes astonishingly powerful music for being only 20 years old. She’ll make you feel some feelings. PLAN B: Joyce Manor, Andrew Jackson Jihad @ Observatory North Park. Joyce Manor is one of the best bands to combine pop and punk into one perfectly upbeat and tuneful whole. Most of their songs are less than two minutes long, so expect to hear several albums’ worth of emotions and angst. BACKUP PLAN: The Westerlies @ Bread and Salt.

used to, but Adam Gimbel & Co. always reassemble for a special Leap Day show.

Mark this once-every-four-years occasion with some fun, good-humored indie rock. BACKUP PLAN: Coeur de Pirate, Haunted Summer @ Belly Up Tavern.

Tuesday, March 1 PLAN A: Andra Day @ Observatory North Park. Local soul diva Andra Day has become something of an R&B sensation, earning herself a Grammy nomination this year. And it’s easy to see why she’s made such an impact. She has a great voice and a timeless style.

Sunday, February 28 PLAN A: Cave Singers, Current Swell @ The Casbah. Seattle’s Cave Singers feature ex-members of punk bands such as Murder City Devils and Pretty Girls Make Graves, but there’s nothing particularly loud about them. They’re more of a laid back folk-rock kind of group, perfect for a Sunday night.

Monday, February 29 PLAN A: Rookie Card @ Whistle Stop.

Rookie Card doesn’t play as often as they

Andra Day

#SDCityBeat

Music

Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Tyler the Creator (Observatory, 4/1), The Killers (Harrah’s Resort, 4/2), The Darkness (HOB, 4/10), The Big Pink (Soda Bar, 4/20), Mariachi El Bronx (BUT, 5/5), Violent Femmes (Humphreys, 5/6), So Hideous, Bosse-de-Nage (The Merrow, 5/7), Torche (The Hideout, 5/7), The Residents Present Shadowlands (BUT, 5/8), Bear Mountain (Casbah, 5/10), Andrew Bird (Observatory, 5/13), Steel Panther (HOB, 5/13), Yuna (Casbah, 5/18), Titus Andronicus, La Sera (Che Café, 5/20), Frightened Rabbit (BUT, 5/21), Idlewild (Casbah, 5/22), U.S. Girls (Soda Bar, 5/28), Local H (BUT, 6/1), Islands (Casbah, 6/10), PUP (Soda Bar, 6/11), Chicago (Harrah’s Resort, 7/8).

RESCHEDULED Rihanna (Viejas Arena, 5/9).

GET YER TICKETS Waxahatchee (The Irenic, 3/3), Wavves, Best Coast (Observatory, 3/4), Young Thug (Observatory, 3/13), Magma (Brick by Brick, 3/15), Junior Boys (Casbah, 3/18), Napalm Death (Casbah, 3/25), Black Tusk, Holy Grail (Brick by Brick, 3/25), Abbath, High on Fire, Skeletonwitch, Tribulation (Observatory, 3/26), Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place (Casbah, 3/27), Santigold (HOB, 3/29), White Denim (BUT, 4/2), Into

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It. Over It., The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die (The Irenic, 4/3), Tinashe (HOB, 4/4), Amon Amarth (HOB, 4/7), Third Eye Blind (Observatory, 4/8), Steve Miller Band (Humphreys, 4/14), Foals (Observatory, 4/17), The Front Bottoms (Observatory, 4/18), Silversun Pickups (Observatory, 4/19), The Damned (BUT, 4/19), Deafheaven (Casbah, 4/21), Mac Sabbath (Music Box, 4/22), Deerhunter (Observatory, 4/22), Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (BUT, 4/28), Immortal Technique (Observatory, 4/29), Puscifer (Copley Symphony Hall, 5/1), Tortoise (BUT, 5/3), Beach Slang (Casbah, 5/6), Explosions in the Sky (Observatory, 5/3-4), The Slackers (Music Box, 5/7), Four Tet (Music Box, 5/8), X, Los Lobos, Blasters (Observatory, 5/8), Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires (Observatory, 5/12), Beyonce (Qualcomm Stadium, 5/12), Modern English (The Hideout, 5/17), Joseph Arthur (Music Box, 5/17), Filter (HOB, 5/19), Jewel (Humphreys, 5/21), Refused (BUT, 5/30), The Cure (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/30), Leon Russell (BUT, 5/31), Brian Jonestown Massacre (BUT, 6/2), Thrice (HOB, 6/4), Eric Bachmann (Soda Bar, 6/5), Lady Antebellum (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 7/5), Phish (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/23), Brand New, Modest Mouse (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/26), Weezer, Panic! At the Disco (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/3), Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/14), Ben Harper (Humphreys, 8/23), Dave Matthews Band (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/26), Journey, The Doobie Brothers (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/30), Mana (Viejas Arena, 9/9), 5 Seconds of Summer (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/9), Ray Lamontagne (Open Air Theatre,

9/13), Leon Bridges (Humphreys, 9/21), Peter Hook and the Light (HOB, 11/8).

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

Metric at House of Blues.

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

Drive Like Jehu at The Irenic (sold out).

Friday, Feb. 26 Rihanna at Viejas Arena. The Infamous Stringduster at Belly Up Tavern. Mono/ Poly at The Hideout. English Beat at The Casbah. Vokab Company, The Routine at Music Box. Kneebody, Deadelus at The Loft at UCSD.

Saturday, Feb. 27 Diane Coffee at The Hideout. Julien Baker at The Irenic. Joyce Manor, Andrew Jackson Jihad at Observatory North Park. Passafire at Music Box.

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

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

March Tuesday, March 1 Joe Satriani at Balboa Theatre.

music CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Music music CONTINUED from PAGE 29 Wednesday, March 2 Protomartyr at Soda Bar. Basia Bulat at The Casbah. Mutemath at House of Blues.

Battalion of Saints at Til-Two Club.

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

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

The Mother Hips at Belly Up Tavern.

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

Sunday, March 6 311 at House of Blues (sold out).

Monday, March 7 John Hiatt at Belly Up Tavern.

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

Thursday, March 10 Pearl Charles at The Hideout.

Friday, March 11 Bongzilla at Brick by Brick. Gary Clark

Jr. at House of Blues (sold out). Eleanor Friedberger at The Hideout. Astronauts Etc. at The Merrow. XXYYXX at Observatory North Park. Brian Ellis Group at Til-Two Club. Mystic Braves at The Casbah.

Saturday, March 12 Wolf Eyes at The Hideout. Slaves at The Irenic. The Soul Rebels, Chali 2na at Music Box.

Sunday, March 13 Culture Abuse at Til-Two Club. Young Thug at Observatory North Park.

Tuesday, March 15 The String Cheese Incident at Observatory North Park. Magma at Brick by Brick. Goldfish at Music Box.

Wednesday, March 16 Intronaut at Brick by Brick. The String Cheese Incident at Observatory North Park. Electric Six at The Casbah. Esperanza Spalding presents: Emily’s D+Evolution at Music Box.

Thursday, March 17 KATA at The Hideout. Systems Officer at The Casbah.

Friday, March 18 Junior Boys at The Casbah. Ben Rector at Observatory North Park. Super Diamond at Belly Up Tavern. Smith Street Band at Che Café. The Schizophonics at Til-Two Club. Anthony David at Music Box.

Saturday, March 19 Super Diamond at Belly Up Tavern.

30 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

Quilt at The Hideout. A Great Big World at The Irenic.

Sunday, March 20 Madeleine Peyroux at Belly Up Tavern.

Dwarves, Queers at Soda Bar. Disturbed at House of Blues (sold out).

Tuesday, March 22 Warren Haynes at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, March 23 Yuck at Soda Bar. Wolfmother at House of Blues. Reverend Horton Heat at Belly Up Tavern. Bayonne at The Hideout.

Thursday, March 24 Glassjaw at Observatory North Park.

Daughter at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

Black Tusk, Holy Grail at Brick by Brick.

Friday, March 25 Black Tusk, Holy Grail at Brick by Brick.

TEEN at Whistle Stop. Napalm Death at The Casbah. Prince Rama at Soda Bar.

Saturday, March 26 Hey Marseilles at Soda Bar. High on Fire, Skeletonwitch, Tribulation at Observatory North Park. Alex Calder at The Hideout. Brian Fallon and the Crowes at House of Blues.

Sunday, March 27 Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place at The Casbah.

Tuesday, March 29 Foxing at The Irenic. Santigold at House of Blues.

Wednesday, March 30 Quantic at Music Box.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Audio Avi8r.

Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Hirie, Arise Roots.

Sat: Hirie, Maad T-Ray. Sun: Karaoke.

Tue: Nothing Sacred, American Rust.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Fri: The Moves Collective. Sat: Black Mambo. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., San Diego. Normal Heights. Wed: DJ David Leeds. Thu: ‘My 80s Vice’ w/ DJ Girth.

Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ DJ Man-Kat. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJ Karma.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: James Adomian, Dana Carvey. Fri: James Adomian, Poundhouse with Brent Weinbach and DJ Douggpound, Dana Carvey. Sat: James Adomian, Poundhouse with Brent Weinbach and DJ Douggpound. Sun: Marcella Arguello.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Amtrac, Hotel Garuda.

Sat: Purple Disco Machine.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., San Diego.

North Park. Wed: DJ L. Thu: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Fri: ‘80s vs. 90s’. Sat: Bella Novella. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Sat: Bumpasonic. Sun: Dale Peters.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Tribal Theory. Thu: Ani Difranco (sold out). Fri: The Infamous Stringdusters, Nicki Bluhm, Della Mae.

Sat: Nick Carter, Riley Blederer. Sun: Matisyahu (sold out). Mon: Coeur de Pirate. Tue: Matisyahu.

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

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Wed: Reagan Youth, Authentic Sellout, Revolt-Chix, The Yucks, The Hathcocks. Thu: Nervosa, Taipan, Santa Claus. Fri: Sprung Monkey, Tsunami Bomb, Contortion. Sat: Sonic Tonic, Xanadoodz, Arena.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: Aro Di Santi. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Joef & Co. Sat: Aire. Sun: Aire. Mon: Perla Negra.

Comedy Palace, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego. Clairemont. Sat: The Magic of Nicholas Gentry: Wonder 101?

A Thinking Man’s Theater.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Aleks Allday. Sat: Rell.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: Reflex. Sat: Aazar.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave., San Diego. Ocean Beach. Thu: Socal Vibes.

Fri: The Village Squares. Sat: Pali Roots.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Metric, Joywave.

Thu: Metric, Joywave. Fri: Kip Moore.

Mon: Fetty Wap (sold out).

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: ‘Family Beatdown’. Sun: ‘Pleasure Pajama Party’.

Tue: ‘Tribe Night’.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., San Diego. Kensington. Mon: ‘Lights Out’.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave.,

#SDCityBeat

Music Coronado. Wed: Sophisticats. Thu: Jackson & Jesus. Fri: Trunk Monkey. Sat: Manic Brothers. Sun: Gonzology.

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Wed: Meiko, Marie Digby. Thu: Adam Ray, Bo Scott. Fri: Vokab Company, The Routine. Sat: Passafire.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Wet’. Fri: ‘Uncut’. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: The Upshots. Thu: Bill Magee Blues Band. Fri: WG and the G-Men. Sat: Redwave. Sun: Rosy Dawn.

Mon: The Groove Squad.

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

Hillcrest. Wed: DJ Kiki. Fri: DJs John Joseph, Will Z. Sat: DJ K-Swift. Sun: DJ Hektik.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Fri: Swing Thing Trio. Sat: Three Chord Justice.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Beacon, Natasha Kmetko. Thu: Liquid Stranger, Space Jesus, Au5. Fri: A Static Lullaby, Idlehands, The Calefaction. Sat: Glass Spells, Some Kind Of Lizard, Big Bloom, Astral Touch, DJ Rachel Frank. Sun: Dirty River Boys, The Os, Liquorsmiths. Mon: Era Troika, Los Shadows, Luna Skies. Tue: Banta.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. Midway. Sat: LIVN, Oceanside Sound System, Midnight Track, Roman Watchdogs, Punchcard, Opt Out. Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: The Shifty Eyed Dogs. Sun: Tim Mudd, Podunk Nowhere.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Secnd best,

#SDCityBeat

Bedpost Buzzards, Nick Carter. Fri: League of Liars, Captain Viejo, Jovi & the Issues. Sat: Russian Tremors, Does it Explode, Rebels and Traitors, I Dare You. Sun: Bob Butler. Tue: Karaoke.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Thu: Escort, Bob Dazzla, Shige. Fri: The English Beat (sold out). Sat: The Stone Foxes, The Bassics, Spero. Sun: Cave Singers, Current Swell.

Mon: DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot. Tue: Grim Slippers, Raf Deza and the Avenue, Heather Nation.

The Che Cafe, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla.

Thu: Svelte, Dent, Bear State, So Bored.

Fri: My Iron Lung, Keyes, Movements, Rope. Sat: Days of Light Gravity, Logan & Lucille. Sun: Armors, The Gloomies, Kid Cadaver. Mon: Edhochuli, Moxiebeat, Fugue, Letters to Catatonia, Onizuka.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: Mono/Poly, DJ Pound, Mystery Cave, Angels Dust, Ghost Traps. Sat: Diane Coffee, The End, Chill Pill.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Thu: Drive Like Jehu, Systems Officer, Cruz Radical (sold out).

The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. La Jolla. Fri: Kneebody and Daedelus.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Thu: Advance Base, Bouquet. Fri: MRCH, Natalie Emmons, PRGRM, Garden Echo. Sun: Sunday Soirée pole and burlesque show.

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

North Park. Wed: ‘Grand Ole Office’. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Adam Salter, Kid Wonder.

Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Rank-

ing’. Mon: ‘David Bowie Under Cover II’.

Tue: ‘Trapped’.

The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, San Diego.

Gaslamp. Wed: Lawrence Park. Thu: K. Emeline Duo. Fri: Coriander, Nate Donnis Duo, Tom Macgurn. Sat: Cassie B. Band, Nate Donnis Duo. Sun: Sickstring Outlaws, The Mobros, Sticky Buds Josh Ferreira. Mon: Skyler Lutes Band, The Naked I. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Calabrese, The Blackjackits, Jasonxvoorhees. Fri: The Natives, Electric Healing Sound, Kid Galahad and the Eternals. Sat: ‘Sleepwalking’.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., San Diego.

Bay Park. Wed: Gino & The Lone Gunmen. Thu: Nathan James & Trick Bag. Fri: Suspicious Minds. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Violent Human System, Teenage Burritos. Fri: Filner Headlock, Foreign Bodies, Dirtbag Sufferers, Que Oso. Sat: Desert Suns, Zed, Nebula Drag. Sun: Squarecrow, Cut Up, Drunk Dial, Never Pass Go. Ux31, 3112 University Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Fri: DJ R-You. Sat: DJ Junior the DiscoPunk. Tue: Karaoke.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Wed: ‘Dorkbot’. Thu: So Say We All’s VAMP: Dirty Talk. Fri: ‘Fantasy’ w/ DJ Mario Orduno. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Mon: Rookie Card.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: Sol Seed, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Condor, Desert Suns, DPI. Fri: Father Psalms, Kali Navales, Jah Gumby, Roots Covenant. Sat: ‘SUBDVSN’. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

Last Words

Brendan Emmett Quigley

Back to front Across 1. Hulu selection 7. Alta’s opposite 11. Actor Hiddleston 14. Boorish dudes 15. German white 17. Stay behind 18. “You’ll love the show!”

19. One crying foul 20. Statesman Abba 22. Music for rude boys 23. ‘60s hipsters 25. Club whose last performer was Patti Smith 27. Jabba the ___ 30. Utter failure 32. Full of beef fat 34. Japanese tuna 36. Us Parisians 38. Common 40. Wearing chain mail 43. Latticed gazebo part 44. Removed from consideration 46. Gentle urging 47. What’s more 48. ___-Sketch 50. Car gear 52. Hit, as one’s toe 54. Clark who leads a double life 56. When repeated, a childish taunt 58. “Whatcha doin’?”

60. “Deadpool” star Reynolds 62. Chinese tea 63. Chew out 67. Quit the band but keep playing Last week’s answers

32 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

69. Springsteen album named after a state 70. RNA component 71. Celebrity scientist Bill 72. Dragon’s pad 73. Side with a sandwich

Down 1. Rugby action 2. Group with numerous hits 3. The only presidential candidate with his own board game 4. Period named after someone 5. Live ___ (be someone you’re not) 6. “Morning Joe” network 7. With 45-Down, trail ... or a hint for this puzzle’s theme 8. Little island 9. “Rather Be” singer ___ Glynne 10. Route in the Afghanistan-Pakistan mountains 11. Money left on the table 12. Blended together 13. Bus. VIP 16. Dinner with limbo dancing 21. Muscles used while limboing 24. Melted treat 26. Karate level 28. Rob Roy or martini, e.g.

29. Spicy takeout 31. Radiohead’s “Pablo Honey,” e.g.

33. Maryland athlete 35. Walk-___ (some clinics) 37. Fireplace blackener 39. Online mortgage broker 40. Belfast political grp.

41. Some sisters 42. Alan who played Cameron in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” 45. See 7-Down 49. “Doesn’t matter which” 51. “The Prophet” writer Gibran 53. Country where Bernie Sanders honeymooned 55. Get ready to run after a 68-Down 57. Island non-native 59. Arno city 61. Sushi seaweed 63. “New Day” channel 64. “Over here” 65. Lisa’s grandpa 66. Travel between poles?

68. ___ fly

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#SDCityBeat

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

34 · San Diego CityBeat · February 24, 2016

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#SDCityBeat

February 24, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 35