San Diego CityBeat • Feb 28, 2018

2 · San Diego CityBeat · february 28, 2018

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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Big Blue Beacon of Nope

I

honestly can’t remember the last time I felt this competitive 49th Congressional District—where Darrell Issa has chosen not to seek reelection—is officialdisenchanted.

Wait, actually I can. It was August of 2004 when ly troubling. One of the five (still!) candidates—Doug I decided on a whim to fly to New York City to pro- Applegate, Paul Kerr, Sara Jacobs, Christina Prejean test the Republican National Convention. I wanted and Mike Levin—really could have used that endorseto hang out with people who thought like me. Who ment and that momentum heading into June. Yes, it’s considered George W. Bush just as evil as I did. Who largely ceremonial, but it still means something.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are seeing the writwanted to show strength in numbers and show the world that the citizens of the U.S. do not agree with ing on the wall. They’re endorsing candidates and getting rid of dead weight (re: Duncan Hunter and crony capitalism and unjust wars in Iraq.

What I got instead was a bunch of disorganized Darrell Issa). The candidates aren’t going to be attacking each other or throwing and equally disenchanted whiners SETH COMBS shade when their convention rolls who, for the most part, were too through town in May. In that highly busy arguing among themselves to competitive 49th Congressional look at the big picture. I pitched District, a recent poll showed two CityBeat’s editor at the time to let Republicans getting the most votes me write about it. The title of the in the June primary, which, because piece I turned in said it all: “How I of California’s open primary law, went to protest the RNC and came means those two would compete back a nihilist.” in November. They wouldn’t even I don’t bring all this up out of have to worry about one of those any sense of nostalgia. Rather, five Democrats.

I couldn’t help but think of that Sure, it’s uplifting to see the when, over this past weekend, I atDemocrats get behind a candidate tended the California Democratic like Ammar Campa-Najjar, who Convention in Downtown. I was California Democratic is running against Rep. Duncan hoping to witness what I’d seen Convention Hunter in the 50th District. But the when I actually went inside the Republican Convention in 2004: a unified, spirited and, Republicans are playing chess by trying to run other sure, angry bunch of people who were ready to back Republicans against Hunter. It’s not inconceivable at some candidates, but not get too angry if their pre- all that Hunter and someone like El Cajon Mayor Bill ferred candidate didn’t get the backing of the state Wells could be on the ballot together in November party. Those things happen. With so much at stake in (more about that on page 5), while Campa-Najjar is 2018, I can’t help but feel that this was such a huge buried under racist attack stories from the GOP conopportunity for California to lead the way. To pres- spiracy factory (and Facebook) between now and June.

One thing that has always frustrated me about ent itself as truly unified and, as the slogan for the convention stated, as the “Big Blue Beacon of Hope.” being a progressive is the vehemence in which my Instead, what I mostly witnessed was more akin to fellow progressives will not settle. We want what we those protesters back in 2004: passionate, but disor- want and we want it now! We won’t settle (ahem, Jill ganized. If I’ve learned anything from having a lot of Stein. *cough* Ralph Nader)! Conservatives are as raunion member friends and family, it’s that organiza- bid a bunch as we are, but when push comes to shove, tion always trumps passion. Passionate about a can- they’ll settle on a candidate even if said candidate didate? That’s great! That candidate didn’t win? Too doesn’t completely agree with their batshit political fucking bad. Get back in line and let’s make sure the passions. Because at the end of the day, even if that candidate slightly agrees, it’s still better than nothing. party candidate wins.

“The worst Democrat is better than the best ReThe Democrats had the opportunity to endorse their preferred candidate for nearly every major office. publican,” said Assemblymember Dr. Shirley Weber From the Governor and the U.S. Senate to the State on Saturday.

Sure, but it sure would be nice to just have just one Assembly and the U.S. House. And while I imagine Dianne Feinstein won’t lose any sleep about the fact Democrat we could all get behind. that she only received 37 percent of the delegate vote,

—Seth Combs the fact that a candidate wasn’t endorsed in the highly Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com This issue of CityBeat is happily the paper of Lisa Simpsons.

Volume 16 • Issue 28 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos ASSOCIATE EDITOR Torrey Bailey COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker Minda Honey John R. Lamb Alex Zaragoza

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FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

DON’T BE BLANK PAGES

WAKE-UP CALL

Thank you for your article about the U-T’s “Empty Pages” [Feb. 21] and ideas for what people can do to take action to end gun violence. To update you on some of the actiontaking in San Diego, the S.D. chapters of Brady Campaign and Moms Demand Action have formed a coalition which has already been joined by local and national organizations. We are maintaining our national brands but the purpose of the coalition is to speak with one strong voice that will eventually drown out that of the NRA. Our hope is that this coalition will serve as a model for other parts of the country that have Brady and Moms chapters.

By the way, Americans for Responsible Solutions is now just giffords.org. They have an excellent online presence and have the Giffords Law Center which has a fund of information. We appreciate your letting people know what they can do. We’ve been deluged with enquiries, so for people to see ideas in CityBeat as well is really helpful. If you’d like to continue to give people ideas, please add SD4GVP to your list. San Diegans can get involved with our many projects which right now include tabling events, getting out the vote, speaking, working with school districts, meeting with our elected officials. There is a lot we can do, so please encourage people to not be blank pages.

Our website will go live next week, but we do have a Facebook (facebook.com/sd4gvp).

After reading your editorial [“Empty Pages,” Feb. 21], and while composing this letter, I’ve had varying thoughts. When I heard about the U-T’s blank-space response to the Douglas school shooting, my initial thought was that it was thought provoking; my second thought was that the U-T was part of the problem. For decades they championed the policies and candidates that facilitated—among other ills—the implementation of too-lax firearms regulations. Upon reading your editorial, I then agreed that the U-T response was not that provocative, and did little more than tell us what we already knew; nothing would happen. But as I was composing this letter; it occurred to me that the U-T’s response doesn’t necessarily perpetuate a defeatist attitude, as stated in your editorial. It’s possible that those who haven’t paid constant attention to current events got a wake-up call.

As for how to change things, nothing will change until the Citizens United ruling is reversed and we get the enormous sums of money out of politics that constitutes legal bribery and undermines the will of the voters. If memory serves, 90-percent-plus of voters favor stricter background checks, yet that failed to pass. Meanwhile our president, Don Demento, is in a world of delusion and saying that it’s simple, just arm teachers. Somebody should tell him that stopping active-shooters is not as simple as shooting large still objects—such as unarmed elephants. Repeal of Citizens United is DOA with the GOP in control of Con-

Carol Landale Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

gress: the only solution is to vote out all Republicans, otherwise nothing changes.

ON THE

Dan Jacobs Mira Mesa

COVER

UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Spin Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Backwards & In High Heels. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Well That Was Awkward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

FOOD & DRINK World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene. . . . . . . . . . 10 Final Draught . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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

“Most of my experience is shooting bands, artists, friends when they’re starting out with things and then documenting them... which means I can watch them grow like a proud mum,” says Holly Whitaker, who captured this week’s cover stars, Shame.

The London-based photographer has done professional shoots with bands such as Goat Girl and Sorry, in addition to concert photography. She first began doing press shoots with Shame back when the members were just 18 years old. “Seeing my photo of them in fancy suits nuzzling tiny piglets all over the tube and on billboards three years later is very exciting,” she says. More of her work can be seen at holly-whitaker.com

ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FEATURE: Lomaland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

MUSIC FEATURE: Shame. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . . 20 About Last Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 CannaBeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

@SDCITYBEAT

NEWS | OPINION

HAM OF THE WEEK

By Torrey Bailey and Seth Combs

THE ISSUE: Two weeks after the Parkland, Florida school shooting, state and federal policy-

makers are still grappling with how to best move forward with sensible gun control legislation.

On a local level, parents and students barely had any time to even think about solutions before spray-painted threats began appearing on half a dozen area high schools including 20 graffiti threats at Rancho Bernardo High School, one of which included a swastika and another stating “Florida was NOTHING.” And according to the district attorney’s office, there have been eight threats in San Diego County since the Parkland shooting.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

“Regardless, that was a severe disruption to the school day— as well as it strikes fear in the hearts of students, parents, teachers. This kind of stuff we have to take seriously in this day and age.”

“Just the words of a threat are a felony crime…

Absolutely report anything suspicious. Never view it as a joke.”

—District Attorney Summer Stephan, to CBS8

—Christine Paik, spokesperson for Poway Unified School District, to Fox5 News

“Our legislators will say it’s too soon to talk about gun violence, but for those families, it’s too late.”

—Wendy Wheatcroft, director of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense San Diego, to KPBS

OUR TAKE: Many readers are old enough to remember the San Diego State University shooting

in 1996 or even the 1979 shooting at Grover Cleveland Elementary School, an incident that many cite as the first school shooting. Either way, San Diego has a history with these types of tragedies.

However, there does seem to be something different this time. Whether it can be attributed to the post-Trump uptick in progressive activism or local politicians waking up to the fact that most Americans (70 percent to be exact) support gun control laws, the youth-driven momentum on this issue doesn’t seem to be slowing down. There are stories now surfacing that San Diego Unified School District might back student walkouts. Local politicians are realizing that they don’t need to introduce grand legislation that has no chance of passing, but simply pass sensible laws that won’t run afoul of the Second Amendment. Examples include California Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher’s ban on gun buy-back gift cards to retailers that sell guns, Assemblymember Todd Gloria’s bill to require special training for concealed carry permits, and, as this issue went to press, Rep. Susan Davis’ reintroduction of the assault weapons ban in the House of Representatives.

NEWSY BITS 2/21 BEST DAY EVER!

Mayor Faulconer joins other California mayors to back state legislation that would create $3 billion to combat homelessness.

After complaints from a student, UC San Diego chooses not to cancel course on the work of Woody Allen.

FML

@SDCITYBEAT

Coming down the pipe Previews of the important or idiotic items possibly coming to a ballot or legislature near you.

In 1978, California passed Proposition 13, or Tax Limitations Initiative, as a constitutional amendment that limits the property tax rate. Since then, taxes on residential, commercial and industrial properties have been capped at one percent of the property’s purchase price, maxing out increases at no more than 2 percent per year.

Now, civil rights organizations and unions are proposing an initiative for the November ballot (if enough signatures are collected) that would change Proposition 13. If passed, The California Schools and Local Communities Funding Act of 2018 would instead base taxes for commercial and industrial properties on their market value starting in 2020.

To be clear, this initiative does not apply to homes, and there are also exemptions for small businesses.

Earlier this month, the California Legislative Analyst’s Office estimated this initiative would increase statewide property tax revenue by $6.5 billion to $10.5 billion annually. “After paying for county administrative costs and backfilling state income tax losses related to the measure, the remaining $6 billion to $10 billion would be allocated to schools (40 percent) and other local governments (60 percent),” according to the office.

The verdict: More money for schools and local government services?

Sign us up. But this is not going to be an easy fight. Big money will be thrown from both sides. Opponents with deep pockets may try to scare voters away by saying that homes will be the next target for increased taxation. A columnist for The Mercury News says opponents will contend that “the extra money wouldn’t mean better schools and local government services, but rather would shore up pension funds that face huge unfunded liabilities.” But we’re leaning on the side of the unions, who are facing an uphill battle to maximize on the economy’s success for the sake of schools and local government.

All the seriousness, silliness and stupidity of the past week

2/22 San Diego County Sheriff’s Deputy Richard Fischer charged with 14 criminal counts related to sexual misconduct case, including charges of assault and battery, sexual battery and false imprisonment.

President Trump tweets that he’s considering pulling immigration and customs agents out of California and that in “two months they’d be begging for us to come back.”

2/23

2/24

2/25

2/26 New “Wheels of Change” program begins, which pays homeless people $11.50 an hour to pick up trash and clear brush.

After a remark from Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer’s agent, Padres officially adopt #HotTalentLava as a new team motto.

How much of that lava will be playing for the Dodgers in three years remains to be seen.

SDPD confirms Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was arrested earlier this month for driving a federal patrol vehicle while drunk and brandishing a firearm at another motorist. (Source: NBC San Diego)

Democratic State Sen. Tony Mendoza resigns after sexual misconduct accusations, but calls the investigation a “farce” and pledges to still run for the seat in November.

San Diego Police Department close off four blocks in North Park after reports that a shooting suspect is holed up in an apartment building, but after nearly six hours, they confirm he wasn’t even there.

UCSD neuroscience student Andres Perkins killed in hit-andrun crash while attempting to cross Interstate 5 on foot.

David Nisleit unanimously confirmed to be next San Diego Police Chief.

Assumes office on March 2.

2/27 Parks and Recreation cocreator Michael Schur confirms he’s working on a pilot called Abby’s, set in a backyard bar in San Diego and starring Natalie Morales.

Judge Gonzalo Curiel— who Trump said in 2016 couldn’t be impartial because “he’s a Mexican”—rules in favor of the Trump administration and that the government can bypass environmental laws to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump administration confirms he’s visiting San Diego in midMarch to tour the border wall prototypes.

FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

Please stand by California is where you can’t run any farther without getting wet.

P

—Neil Morgan

erhaps it was serendipitous that on the first day of the California Democratic Convention last week, San Diego’s temperature couldn’t reach 60 degrees.

A biting chill greeted thousands of fired-up delegates, statewide candidates, politics junkies and activists last Friday as they converged on the downtown San Diego Convention Center for essentially the Comic-Con of political geeks.

The top-ticket 2018 statewide candidates would find that reaching 60 percent support of assembled delegates—the magic number that bestows official party endorsement status and the bounty that unleashes—to be equally elusive.

“I didn’t expect an endorsement in most of the races,” San Diego

County Democratic Party Chairwoman Jessica Hayes told Spin on Monday. “We have so many amazing candidates—an embarrassment of riches—that with that kind of caliber, that quality, I didn’t expect it.”

The snarled knot of hopefuls vying to become California’s next governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general all failed to garner enough support to earn the party endorsement and a ticket to campaign riches. Delegates also could not settle on their pick for U.S. Senate—no doubt an awkward position for the long-time sitting incumbent, Dianne Feinstein, the Senate’s oldest member at 84. Doubly awkward is that her opponent, State Sen. Kevin de León, narrowly missed nabbing the party nod with 54 percent backing.

Alice Knebel, a teacher from Santa Clarita who had traveled to the convention with her delegate husband, Henry, looked like a human billboard for political hope-

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

fuls with all the stickers blanketing her shirt. First-time conventioneers, the Knebels made clear why they were here.

Explained Henry: “When Trump won the election, we went, ‘Fuck!’”

Henry’s wife, a self-admitted “trash mouth,” repeated his sentiment.

“I will say the ‘fuck’ word,” Alice smiled. “But if I’m in school, I will say ‘nuckinfuss’ and get away with it!”

Thwarting the spasmodic Trump agenda was on everybody’s mind, naturally, but oddly that did not translate into the availability of any overtly anti-Trump paraphernalia, as far as Spin could tell. “You didn’t see people wearing it,” Hayes concurred, suggesting this exemplified the “fundamental difference” between Democrats and Republicans.

“We’d rather move forward, take one issue at a time,” Hayes said.

“If you get sucked into the rhetoric of hate that Donald Trump has for mocking, deriding, being sexist, misogynistic, homophobic and everything else that his presidency has embodied, we would never accomplish anything.

“Our goal is to accomplish something.”

By contrast, the Democrats—despite the inability to coalesce behind one candidate on multiple occasions—“felt to me very cohesive,” Hayes said. Despite some calls for

JOHN R. LAMB

California Democratic Convention candidates to drop out for the sake of unity, no one was biting.

“The Republicans, they can squeeze candidates out,” she added. “I don’t know how they do it, but they do it really well. For us, every candidate believes they can win. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be in the race. You can’t take that away from them, because it is the juice on which candidates run.”

That’s not to say it was all beer and Skittles even on the convention’s first day. The voices of rentcontrol advocates boisterously echoed through the convention corridors early on with the chant, “The rent, the rent is too damn high!”

Some convention observers would later note that San Diego’s housing crunch, and California in general for that matter, seemed to be relegated to the political back burner over the three-day confab.

One local party insider, speaking privately, didn’t push back on that sentiment but preferred to point out that a potential ideological bloodbath was avoided.

Added the insider: “There could have been some really contentious stuff, but common ground was reached.” An example? A potential platform fight over Israel was averted by compromise “at the last minute.” Hey now.

Not everyone felt the need to play nice at what is typically a mellow affair of reunions and impromptu candidate sightings with their contrails of exuberant supporters.

Outside, a youthful delegate from Los Angeles puffed on a cigarette and said he was most excited about an upcoming raffle drawing for a basket of cannabis-related products. The basket was courtesy of the Brownie Mary Democrats, long-time advocates of marijuana legalization who, along with CannaDems, were the only pot-oriented organizations to have booths at the convention.

The delegate lifted up an “I

Stand with Black Women” T-shirt to reveal another one underneath proclaiming, “Solidarity By Any Means Necessary.”

He chose the shirt, he said, “because I feel like we’re fighting too much as a party right now. I used to give a lot of fucks about things, but because everyone’s fighting, I’m like, ‘let’s see who makes it into the top two and then fight hard.’ Right now, it’s a shit show.”

Before Spin could get his name, the delegate opened up his backpack and pulled out what appeared to be an aerosol can. “I gotta go back in,” he said. “I’m trying to get Gavin Newsom in a picture with this.”

He displayed the can, labeled “Back Off Harasser Repellent,” which was available for sale at a “convenience store” art installation at the convention (along with “Don’t Tell Me to Smile” mouthwash), perhaps the most visible nod to the #MeToo movement along with a “catcall” booth that some male candidates endured.

Veteran convention attendees did seem to notice a more subdued atmosphere. As one put it, “The joke going around was that there would be a lot less drinking than at conventions past.”

And for a city that now boasts a significant number of recreationalmarijuana dispensaries, there were no indications that the convention became a den of pot smoke. The Brownie Mary Democrats did request a toking area, founder Lanny Swerdlow said, but were denied.

As Spin left the convention on Friday night and Newsom’s bright red “Nurses Trust Newsom” bus circled around for the umpteenth time, a delegate did ask me for directions to Harbor Collective just down the road.

“Need it for the weekend,” he sighed before hopping on the trolley.

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

No closets to hide in

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers.

You will always find people who are helping.’”

I

—Fred Rogers

’d only driven one mile from my daughter’s school when the phone rang. It had only been eight days since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre. And even as I was feeling so deeply inspired by the actions of the student survivors, the 14 dead children (and three dead adults) had been haunting my morning drop off since news of the violence broke on Valentine’s Day. “Follow your inner North Star,” I said, beginning my daily mantra to my daughter Ruby as she was getting out of the car. “Be the best you can be today,” I said as she hoisted her backpack. “I love y—” I said as she closed the car door on my desperation.

I watched her walk away and thought of the 14 sets of parents who—as the newest members of a most morbid and exclusive club—will never again have a door slammed against those words.

The phone rang.

“Good morning, families,” said the school principal in the pre-recorded call the district sometimes sends out. His calm, positive, compassionate demeanor was a stake in the heart of every blockhead politician who would dare suggest that teachers carry guns.

And, too, it was the antidote to what was coming out of my car radio moments before: an angry speech by NRA evangelist and spokeswoman Dana Loesch at the Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) meeting.

Gone were the composure and barely-concealed resentment she’d wrapped up in a dainty black bow for the previous night’s Town Hall gathering. In place of her faux refinement was a seething beast, growling and clawing and storming its way through a litany of reasons for yet one more school slaughter.

These reasons, of course, excluded mention of inadequate waiting periods or more stringent background checks or large-capacity magazines or easyto-access semi-automatic weapons of war.

Loesch also didn’t mention what the bullets did to the bodies of Nicholas, Aaron, Jaime, Alyssa, Scott, Meadow, Christopher, Luke, Carmen, Gina, Alex, Peter, Alaina, Martin, Helena, Joaquin and Cara.

“It has come to our attention that a false threat was issued via the media for our school,” said the principal. “At this time, the San Diego Unified School District Police Department does not have any record of a threat being made toward our school. As a precautionary measure, however, staff and students have been reminded to remain vigilant to ensure a safe learning environment for all.”

I listened to the message twice, and then turned off my radio to drive the rest of the way home in silence.

This is education in 2018 America, as it was education in 2012 America (Sandy Hook), as it was education in 1999 America (Columbine), and before and between and since and until the end of time.

Unless.

“We don’t have any closets in our classrooms to hide in,” my daughter said to me the night of the shooting as she tried to process the stories from Douglas High children. And what could I possibly say to that?

Promises are meaningless. So I told her that her teachers and principal are doing everything they can to keep her safe. The same goes for many grown-ups.

But most importantly, I told her she need only to look at all the kids going into the street to be assured that change will come.

Those kids who lived through this most recent shooting and have decided to speak out are her peers and they are leading the way. By taking their grief and anger to the public and by using social media and utilizing the kind of bravery borne of youth. And by not being shamed into silence (despite overt and ugly attempts), these kids are going directly into battle with the most powerful of entities.

I showed Ruby how, in between attending funerals, these kids got on buses and went to visit their governor and their legislators.

I showed her videos of the kids chanting, “Vote them out!” in the halls of their capital. I showed her videos of kids all around the country walking out of their classrooms, marching in solidarity and holding a lie-in at the White House.

And for the first time in a really long time, I felt truly hopeful about the future. This is Ruby’s generation. Kids have long been the leaders of movements, from the lunch counter sit-ins that moved the Civil Rights Movement along, to the one-day public school boycott in Chicago that helped end segregation and create more resource equality. The new activists we are seeing and cheering would do well to study history to help them build and understand that nothing comes quickly. And even with change, this battle will be an endurance test.

I take heart, as the Loeschs and the LaPierres of our country try to swat these kids aside. They may be David to the NRA’s Goliath, but the thing about kids is this: They grow up. Childhood is the longest shortest time and the kids who are fighting so hard despite hurting so much will be voters very soon—some even

by November. And make no mistake: This horrible incident and our collective reaction to it will, undoubtedly, create a wave of future policymakers who are not down with the status quo.

This is education in 2018 America, as it was education in 2012 America (Sandy Hook), as it was education in 1999 America (Columbine), and before and between and since and until the end of time. Unless.

@SDCITYBEAT

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week.

Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.

FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

I FUCKING LOVE CROWS!!

A

dmittedly, before attending the San Diego Bird Festival, I had not recently spent a lot of time thinking about crows. Unless we’re talking about the movie The Crow (which I think about nearly every day), I’ve generally reserved my thinking capacity to non-crow-related subjects.

But now, after listening to the festival’s opening night lecture, “The Uncommon Crow: The Hidden Life of a Familiar Bird,” I’m obsessed. It’s like that scene in Hitchcock’s The Birds where all the crows are perched on the playground, but replace the playground with my brain.

The festival goes down at Marina Village, which has always felt a little ghost-townish whenever I’ve been there, but the birders are out tonight. I arrive at the tail end of the opening reception, which features a build-it-yourself taco bar and free booze. Most attendees sport the mountaineering, Patagoniavested look, both rugged and distinguished. I look and feel out of place, basically going into this festival without knowing the first thing about birds. I pray that no one tries to engage me in bird talk, because I can’t imagine I’d last very long without reverting to bushtit references.

Rather than socializing, I help myself to a couple tacos. It seems kind of scandalous that they’re offering chicken, but I also imagine that no serious birder respects chickens. And hey: bird fest! Let’s get caww-razy!

On my way to the Captain’s Room—the room where the opening night’s lecture on crows is to take place—I hear a voice behind me.

“Are you going to the crows?

Can I follow you?” The woman’s name is Cheryl, and she’s come all the way from Albuquerque to attend this bird fest.

“There should be little crow footprints that lead you to the room.”

“Or, like, a flock of actual crows that swoop down and take you there,” I say, and her ensuing laughter suggests she’s taken advantage of the free booze a lot longer than I have. Birders are cool, I think. My people.

The Captain’s Room is packed. Festival coordinator Jen Hajj stands in the front of the room to welcome everyone to the opening night. The response is electric. I look around and see a crowd of beaming faces, just waiting to get their crow on. The excitement is infectious, and when Hajj pulls a raffle ticket to win a plush crow, I feel brief-yet-intense sadness for not winning it.

Hajj introduces the evening’s speaker, Kevin McGowan Ph.D., a professor at Cornell University who’s studied crows for 30 years. His expertise has been featured on NOVA, NPR and The Washington Post. No doubt he’s a rockstar of the ornithology world, but

he’s got a chummy demeanor and a holster of dad jokes that make him an A+ speaker. And—oh my god— he’s wearing a blue shirt that says “CROW” on it.

“Who here likes crows?” he asks. Most of the crowd raises their hands. “Now, who here hates them?” A few brave souls among the crow-lovers raise their hands.

“Why do you like them?”

“They’re smart!” someone yells.

“They know who I am!” yells a lady behind me, and... um... what?

“Why do you hate them?”

“THEY KILL BABY BIRDS!” someone yells.

McGowan displays a slide titled “Chipmunks: The Real Killers” with a pie graph showing how many more baby birds chipmunks and snakes kill compared to crows. The next slide shows a chipmunk chowing down on an egg and just like that, he turns everyone pro-crow and really anti-chipmunk.

For the next hour and a half, McGowan fires off so many sweet facts and stories about crows, including: Crows can assess a new situation and react quickly: We watch a video of a crow turning a piece of wire into a hook to fish a piece of food out of a bottle, and that, my friends, is dope as hell. It’s also way better than my own method of reacting to new situations, which is just getting as drunk as fast as possible. Or retreat to the nearest taco bar.

“Ravens are cool, but they’re boring socially”: I love listening to McGowan talk shit about ravens and making fun of something due to social behavior, because it makes me feel like a popular kid.

“Crows are medium at everything,”: McGowan describes crows as “generalists,” which means they are decent at everything and incredibly smart, but being a scavenger in a world of apex hunters means you’ll never be at the top. I find this very relatable to my own mediocrity.

He ends the lecture by taking questions from the audience. Someone asks where “murder of crows” comes from, and McGowan pleads with us to discontinue the term, as it reinforces an evil stereotype. He wants to make “bouquet of crows” a thing.

For a moment, I think about life as a crow—how cool it would be to hang with your “murder,” everyone just being medium together and using wires to get food. Hell, as scavengers we could still eat tacos! But would it still be as cool if we were called “a bouquet”?

It’s the one point where McGowan loses me. I just don’t think “bouquet” will fly.

The next slide shows a chipmunk chowing down on an egg and just like that, he turns everyone pro-crow and really anti-chipmunk.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

TJ dogs, lowrider style

I

n this Snapchat and Instagram-fueled day and age, food photographs are regularly hashtagged as #foodart or #foodporn. The Tijuana-style hot dog may figure to be more the latter than the former. It’s not exactly elegant nor precisely pretty, it’s basically just street food. For Barrio Dogg (2113 Logan Ave.) in Barrio Logan, though, the TJ dog—like the lowriders that are a regular staple in the neighborhood—can be art.

The TJ dog is not so much one specific kind of hot dog as it is a wide-ranging approach to meat in tubular form inside a bun. Put differently, it’s tacos done as hot dogs: wrap the dog in bacon (or don’t) then fry or grill it and pile on ingredients of your choice. There are no rules. It was when that Tijuana-born-and-bred dog found a welcoming home on streets north of the border (where no one cared about license-status) that it really became “a thing.”

Barrio Dogg is situated in front of (and inside) the Cruizin Lowrider Galeria, an art gallery devoted to lowrider culture. That dedication is apparent from before entering the front door. The street cart on which the dogs are cooked—nestled into the gallery’s front wall/window—is itself a lowrider. More specifically, it’s a candy red 1964 Chevy Impala.

At the heart of what Barrio Dogg does is the El Xolito. At first glance it is, essentially, the classic TJ dog: a grilled bacon-wrapped hot dog with mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup, topped with diced red onion, tomato, jalapenos, cilantro, grilled onions, cheddar, sour cream and salsa verde. Barrio Dogg makes some changes though. One is the addition of Sriracha aioli. The more important one is the upgrade to foodie/locavore/hipster-sanctioned ingredients (100 percent Brandt Beef hot dog, artisan bun, etc.).

The El Bombero kicks the heat up a few notches with seven different chile peppers. Somehow,

@SDCITYBEAT

though, even with all those incendiary accoutrements, it doesn’t register as too spicy. The fact there’s anything on that list of seven after habaneros shows the chiles are there for flavor, not heat.

Things did get a little bit weird with the El Samurai. It’s an Angus beef dog served with hoisin-BBQ sauce, pickled jicama, cucumber and carrot along with Sriracha with jalapeno and cilantro, crunchy garlic and wasabi sesame seeds. It’s a tour-de-Asia reaching San Diego after a detour in Mexico. It’s also a mess.

Many of Barrio Dogg’s options are TJ-style takes on pre-existing dogs. The El Capone, for example, is its take on the Chicago dog and El Aleman is its German-style dog. They all work and work well.

MICHAEL A. GARDINER

El Pueblito and El Bombero For decades Chicano lowrider culture was marginalized based on inaccurate associations with violence, gangs and drug dealers. And yet, it is, in many ways, a Baroque approach to mid-century Detroit automobiles. By taking a pre-existing functional object, celebrating and elevating it beyond any functional requirements, lowrider culture has, over time, gained wider acceptance.

That is, essentially, the same thing Barrio Dogg’s doing to the TJ dog. Does a hot dog really need seven chile peppers? Must it be wrapped in bacon? And high-end beef? There’s a beauty in that Baroque approach to the lowly hot dog. It transforms a street food into something that happily blurs the lines between high and low.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | DRINK

ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE #26: Drinking the details at Juniper & Ivy

I

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

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

FINAL DRAUGHT Fear and loathing in Vista

head brewer Chuck Silva departed to start Silva Brewing. That same year marked the eople have serious feelings about opening of Cellar 3 (Green Flash’s barrelGreen Flash Brewing Company. If aging and wild fermentation facility/ I asked ten local beer nerds their tasting room) and the Virginia Beach opinion on the Mira Mesa-based brewery, bewery shortly after.

But just as things seemed to be I’m likely to get ten different answers ranging from “they ruined Alpine’s trending up, early 2017 brought the first Nelson!” to “they’re gods of #SDbeer!” And round of layoffs. And just as the opening yes, in this fictional (but realistic) exchange, of the Nebraska project was announced, it pulled distribution from 33 states earlier beer nerd #2 actually says “hashtag."

Regardless of where Green Flash actually this year.

There are a million different ways falls on the spectrum (Nelson’s just fine, by to grow a brewery. Stone’s “True Craft” the way), a storm is brewing on its oncepromising growth. A recent Brewbound initiative aims to keep Big Beer money out of independent craft brewing. article—published a month after Modern Times invested in itself Green Flash announced a 15 and it seems to be working out percent workforce reduction and nicely. Eppig Brewing expanded massive distribution scaleback— from the turnkey Brewery revealed that the country’s Igniter model to a scenic second 37th largest brewery is actively location in Point Loma. And, seeking “strategic alternatives” of course, there’s always the for financing its empire. corporate buyout method that Green Flash owner and cobreweries such as Saint Archer founder Mike Hinkley has (MillerCoors) and Ballast Point publicly stated many times Green Flash (Constellation Brands) have that he has no plans to sell Brewing Co. opted to take advantage of.

Green Flash, but never flatObviously no plans are out says it won’t happen. And according foolproof.

The point is that bigger isn’t to the article, new investments don’t rule out the chance of a sale. This isn’t the always better. The sun may have set on first time Green Flash has sought outside Green Flash’s aspirations to be a wholly financing; a failed deal in late 2017 led to national craft beer brand—for now—but I, for one, am rooting for it. I know I wouldn’t the layoffs in January.

“We know that we have too much debt be alone in feeling super bummed if to go forward, and the business itself it “sold out.” For the vast majority of cannot support the extra debt that we people, a homegrown, independent took on to build Virginia Beach,” Hinkley craft brewery selling to an unknown corporation would not affect their daily told Brewbound.

Despite the seemingly prohibitive debt lives. But as we’ve seen with the recent it accrued to build the $20 million Virginia water protests against Constellation Beach facility, Green Flash is still planning Brands, corporate ownership isn’t always on opening its 10,000 square foot Lincoln, the non-issue people make it out to be. So Nebraska brewpub sometime this year. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Green This roller coaster of good and bad news Flash doesn’t go down that (admittedly has defined Green Flash for years: 2014 was attractive) billion dollar road. the year it acquired Alpine Beer Company and launched European distribution of its Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com. Follow her West Coast IPA. The next year, its revered on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

P

COURTESY OF GREEN FLASH

“Would you like to try our variation on a Gold Rush with Applejack and baked apple bitters?” someone would ask.

“Man, fuck your couch! That’s just aplove when the cosmos seems to line up ple drink!” I would think, before politely perfectly. When everything seems to be declining. aligned. Harmonious and cyclical.

And on it went.

And there so happens to be such Until recently. an event happening right now. I am, of Something changed. I began to apprecourse, referring to the recent releases ciate the subtle nuances. The details. I have of Dave Chappelle’s comedy stand-ups often heard that most people with great on Netflix and the rapidly growing palates for wine gravitate toward whites trend of purple drink in cocktail rather than reds, finding them more bars. Just look at Instagram. Purple intriguing. That they enjoy the act of drink, everywhere. searching for the details, rather than So, what is purple drink? Just ask drinking big flavor bombs. Maybe, the expert. that was my problem for years: “Sugar, water and, of course, not having a discernable palate purple” are the ingredients, acfor cocktails and leaning heavcording to Chappelle himself in ily on giant flavor bombs. a vintage stand-up bit.

The Velvet Unicorn at JuniThe majority of cocktails that per & Ivy (2228 Kettner Blvd., I drink are nothing more than Little Italy) treads water somelemonade. It’s a cynical outlook where in between being both a that I started taking after years of flavor bomb and something in craft cocktail bartending. What’s a which there are tiny nuances to lemon drop martini? That’s lemseek out. Mixing with gin is funny. onade with vodka. What’s a Bee’s Sometimes it shines through inexKnees? That’s lemonade with gin plicably well, while other times it and honey. What’s a Gold Rush? The seems to get lost in a crowd. With same fucking thing with bourbon. the Velvet Unicorn, the gin is always It is an outlook that has somewhat The Velvet present without being dominant.

Unicorn crippled my professional growth.

More of a dancing partner with the I think I just became jaded too young. clove elements of the Falernum (a sweet syrup often used in tropical drinks), rather than the bully it can sometimes be.

THE VELVET I found this to be one of the more inUNICORN triguing, enjoyable and visually beautiful as prepared at Juniper & Ivy cocktails that I’ve had in San Diego. Bar Manager Joseph Fisketti’s menu seems to • 1 1/2 oz. Nolets Gin • 1 oz. Butterfly pea perfect and reflect everything I’ve come to flower tea • 1/2 oz. Falernum know about Juniper and Ivy. Thoughtful, • 2 dashes • 1/4 oz. Simple syrup creative, vibrant and, yet, refined. Some orange bitters • 3/4 oz. Lemon juice thing both for those seeking brash flavors and for those looking to find love in the Place all ingredients in a shaker with tiny details. crushed ice. Shake and transfer into a Collins glass. Top with Butterfly pea flower tea. Garnish with micro flowers.

BY BETH DEMMON

BY IAN WARD

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

february 28, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

DOWNTOWN

BUSK OR BUST Busking on the streets of San Diego is about the most punk-rock thing a performer can do. Whether it’s someone doing juggling tricks on a street corner or strumming folk covers on a beat-up acoustic guitar, a local busker faces both public ridicule and police harassment. And even if people like the performance, it’s not like the money collected at the end of the day is going to pay all the bills.

While buskers can be found on any given night in places like Ocean Beach and the Gaslamp, the annual Seaport Village Busker Festival is still a fantastic way to see some of San Diego’s most talented street performers. Now in its 12th year, the festival inside the waterfront shopping center (849 W Harbor Drive) features over a dozen performances ranging from circus acts to juggling comedians.

“It’s nothing short of amazing,” says Seaport Village General Manager Terry Hall. “This longstanding event is one of the highlights of the year, and we are thrilled to welcome back another group of outstanding performers to help us bring this unique festival to life.”

A few of our favorites include Sara Kunz, a comedian, acrobat and contortionist whose act includes a 10-foot unicycle and hula-hoops. There’s also the Lynx Variety Show, which includes sideshow stunts

SAN DIEGO

FLICK OFF There seem to be so many local film festivals happening lately that it’s sometimes hard to keep track. But San Diego Film Week is certainly one of the most comprehensive, spanning a full 11 days. Presented by the San Diego Film Consortium, the festival kicks off with a red carpet preview night on Thursday, March 1 at 6 p.m. at Sunset Temple (3911 Kansas St.) in North Park. From Friday, March 2 through Sunday, March 11, there will be screenings of short and feature films at various theaters throughout San Diego, plus workshops on women in the industry, film financing and more. There will also be a closing ceremony on Sunday. Tickets range from $10-$12 for individual screenings, $50 for five screenings (excluding the opening and closing receptions) or $275 for an all-access pass. sdfilmweek.com

Tales of a 5th Grade Zombie Slayer 12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

COURTESY OF SEAPORT VILLAGE

Sparks Gallery: 3 Year Anniversary at Sparks Gallery, 530 6th Ave., Downtown.

A celebration of the three-year anniversary of Sparks Gallery with wine, appetizers, performances and music. Patrons can also check out the gallery’s current exhibition, Illuminated. From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 1. Free. RSVP required. 619-6961416, sparksgallery.com Friday Night Liberty at Liberty Station, 2640 Historic Decatur Road, Point Loma.

This monthly gallery and studio walk features open artist studios, galleries, live performances, shopping and entertainment throughout NTC’s Arts and Culture District. From 5 to 9 p.m.

Friday, March 2. Free. 619-573-9300, ntclibertystation.com HTijuana Street Art Trek at Tijuana, Baja California. The first in a series of Turista Libre tours focusing on street art. This one will view works by Carlos Rodriguez, aka Clos, who combines Eastern theology and pre-hispanic inspired geometry. From 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 3. $59.02. turistalibre.com

Seaport Village Busker Festival like sword-swallowing and magic tricks that leave audiences perplexed. This year’s fest also includes music from the Clay Colton Band and a live mural painting from Kelsey Montague. And while the fest is certainly family friendly, adults will want to seek out the 18-and-over Buskers After Dark event, which includes many of the same buskers as well as beer, wine and live music.

The Seaport Village Busker Festival happens from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4. Buskers After Dark takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Saturday. Both events are free, but for god’s sake, bring some cash! These buskers are still working for tips. See seaportvillage.com for more details.

SOUTH PARK

DEEP GRAVE Amy Wallen has been an integral member of the San Diego literary community for some time now. She’s authored the bestselling novel MoonPies and Movie Stars, critiqued for the Los Angeles Times, and created the NPR reading series DimeStories. Now, she’s celebrating the release of her latest work, When We Were Ghouls, a “memoir in ghost stories.” Spanning multiple decades and continents, Ghouls depicts Wallen’s unconventional upbringing as the child of graverobbers. At 5 p.m. Saturday, March 3 at The Book Catapult (3010-B Juniper St.), Wallen will be joined by CityBeat book critic Jim Ruland for a funny and insightful discussion of her most personal When We Were Ghouls story yet. The event is free and open to the public. See thebookcatapult.com for more details.

HGraduate Open Studios 2018 at UCSD Visual Arts Facility, Russell Drive and Lyman Ave., La Jolla. The UCSD Department of Visual Arts opens its doors for a showcase of graduate student artwork. Over 40 artists will open their studios to share their process and art practice with the public. Opening from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 3. Free. visarts. ucsd.edu Optimus Volts Art Show at Project Reo Collective, 2335 Reo Drive #6, Paradise Hills. A night of coffee and art by artist Isaac Coronado, who’s known for combining ‘80s cartoons, spray paint, origami and more. Opening at 4 p.m.

Saturday, March 3. Free. 619-434-8464, prjctreoco.com H50 to Watch Exhibit Preview at The Studio Door, 3750 30th St., North Park.

The annual group show that showcases 50 of the best up-and-coming contemporary artists in the region. There will be works by John Makinster, Rich Stewart and more.

Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 3. Free. 619-255-4920, 50towatch. com Empower Part 1 at Mike Hess Brewing Company North Park, 3812 Grim Ave., North Park. The first installment of a series celebrating the beauty and history of the female spirit, featuring both male and female artists. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 7. Free. 619-255-7136, facebook.com/ events/138715843490071

BOOKS Jen Wang at Comikaze Liberty Station, 2750 Historic Decatur Road #101, Point Loma. The graphic novelist will be making an appearance to promote her latest project, The Princess and the Dressmaker.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28. Free.

619-363-0004, mystgalaxy.com Tori Telfer at The Book Catapult, 3010B Juniper St., South Park. The Chicagobased author will discuss and sign her book Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History. At 7 p.m. Thursday, March 1. Free. thebookcatapult.com Andre Aciman at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The acclaimed author will discuss his career with Beth Accomando and sign his books Enigma Variations and Call Me By Your Name, the latter of which was adapted into the Oscarnominated film. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 1. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks. com

H = CityBeat picks

HKirsten Imani Kasai at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The local author and poet will be promoting her new book, House of Erzulie, a historical novel set on a 1850s plantation. At 2 p.m. Saturday, March 3.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HAmy Wallen at The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park. The author of bestselling MoonPies and Movie Stars, is back with her latest book When We Were Ghouls: A Memoir in Ghost Stories.

Celebrate its release with Wallen and fellow novelist Jim Ruland. At 5 p.m. Saturday, March 3. Free. thebookcatapult.com HDavid Coddon at San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village.

CityBeat’s own theatre critic will be signing and discussing his novel, There and Back Again. At 1 p.m. Saturday, March 3. 619236-5888, sandiego.librarymarket.com Richardo Daxmillion at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekend with Locals program, Daxmillion will sign and discuss his nonfiction book, Memoirs of Fatherhood. At noon. Sunday, March 4.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Kimberly D. Holmes at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekend with Locals program, Holmes will sign and discuss her account of bipolar disorder, It’s My Life and I’ll Cry if I Want To. At 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com HTomi Adeyemi at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The local author holds the launch party for her highly anticipated YA Fantasy novel, Children of Blood and Bone. At 7 p.m. Monday, March 5. Free.

858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

COMEDY Tuesday Night Comics at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Hosted by local comic Mark Christopher Lawrence, this semi-regular stand-up show is comprised of talent from all over the country. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6. $25. 858-4811055, northcoastrep.org

DANCE Dancing with the Stars Live! Light Up The Night at San Diego Symphony, 750 B St., Downtown. Fans of the hit ABC show will have the chance to see two celebrity finalists, Hamilton’s Jordan Fisher and Malcom in the Middle’s Frankie Muniz, reprise their most memorable dances. The production will feature every dance style seen on the show plus original pieces choreographed by Mandy Moore. At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 4. $41-$479. 619235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org

FILM HSan Diego Film Week at various locations. The San Diego Film Consortium’s 11-day festival with screenings of shortand feature-length films. Plus workshops for women in the industry, financing and more. At various times. Thursday, March 1 through Sunday, March 11. $10-$275. sdfilmweek.com

FOOD & DRINK Stone IPA Madness Festival of Hops at Stone Brewing locations throughout San Diego County. Stone will be showcasing the best IPAs they have to offer including special releases, pilot beers and exclusive casks. Various times. Thursday, March

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 @SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 1 through Saturday, stonebrewing.com

March

31.

MUSIC HNew Breed Brass Band at Price Center East Ballroom at UCSD, La Jolla Village Drive and Gilman Drive, La Jolla. A New Orleans nine-piece known for mixing the second-line brass band sound with funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop. At 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 28. $35. artpower. ucsd.edu Displaced at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. A program that explores the concept of displacement through musical metaphors and works by composers who have been literally displaced by war or political necessity, such as Ingolf Dahl, Krzysztof Penderecki and more. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, March 1. $5-$25. 858454-5872, ljathenaeum.org Jake Shimabukuro at California Center for the Arts, 340 N Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The ukulele virtuoso, who has been compared to Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis and is known for his covers of classic songs from all genres. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11. $35-$60.

760-839-4138, artcenter.org Pierre-Laurent Aimard at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. This pianist is a Grammy-award winner and the recipient of the 2017 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize. He makes his debut performance with the La Jolla Music Society performing Chopin, Beethoven and more. At 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 1. $28-78. 619-5701100, sandiegotheatres.org

@SDCITYBEAT

Smetana Trio at Conrad Prebys Concert Hall at UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The Czech chamber ensemble will perform selections from Alexander Zemlinsky, Dmitri Shostakovich and Felix Mendelssohn. At 8 p.m. Friday, March 2. $9-$59. 858-246-0809, artpower.ucsd. edu HClara Latham at Conrad Prebys Music Center Experimental Theatre, Russell Lane at Gilman Drive, La Jolla.

The keynote performance for the Sonic Fluidities Conference features the experimental musician performing pieces that deal in themes of voice, gender and sexuality. At 7 p.m. Friday, March 2. Free. sites.google.com/view/ sonicfluidities STOMP at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Returning to the Balboa Theatre for the first time in seven years, this eight-member troupe uses unconventional percussion instruments to produce rhythms. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 2, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3, and 1 and 6 p.m. Sunday, March 4. $60.50-$95.50. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org HBread and Salt Musique at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Sherman Heights.

A night of local sounds featuring Trip Advisor, Quali, Vaginals and Fivepaw.

Plus DJ mixes by Freek Beat and Micro Tonix. At 7 p.m. Saturday, March 3. $8. 619-851-4083, facebook.com/ events/167920443848504 J.S. Bach and Friends at The Auditorium at TSRI, 10620 John J Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. Musicians from the San Diego Symphony perform works from Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as Jan Dismas Zelenka, his Czech contemporary, and Felix Mendelssohn. At 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 6. $35. 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org HCelebrating David Bowie at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown.

Bowie’s friends and former bandmates— including Mike Garson, Earl Slick and more—perform a career-spanning concert of nothing but David Bowie music.

At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6. $31$46. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org Herbie Hancock at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The legendary jazz pianist, composer and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner will perform with support on bass, drums, guitars, keys and saxophone. At 8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 7. $78. 619-5701100, sandiegotheatres.org

PERFORMANCE HTurandot at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Gaslamp. San Diego Opera’s lavish take on the Puccini’s classic about the icy Chinese princess who is being pursued by the cunning Calàf. At 7 p.m. Friday, Mar. 2. At 2 p.m.

Sunday, March 4. $30-$303. sdopera. org HSeaport Village Busker Festival at Seaport Village, West Harbor Drive, Downtown. This 12th annual festival features colorful street performers—from jugglers on unicycles and stilt walkers, to contortionists and acro-balancers. From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 3 and Sunday, March 4. Free. seaportvillage. com HBuskers After Dark at Seaport Village, West Harbor Drive, Downtown.

A less-tame version of the annual busker festival, this event will feature a DJ, food

and drink specials and busker acts best suited for those over 18. From 7 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, March 3. Free. seaportvillage. com Play UnScripted at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Impro Theatre starts with audience suggestions and improvises a contemporary two-act play from scratch with no pre-set genre, no guidelines and no safety net. At 7:30 p.m.

Monday, March 5. $20-$25. 858-4811055, northcoastrep.org

SPECIAL EVENTS Spring Home Garden Show at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Three days of landscapes, handson demonstrations, home improvement products, educational seminars, plant sales and consultations with top experts.

From 10 to 5 p.m. Friday, March 2, 10 to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 3, and 10 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 4. $1-$9. 858-7551161, springhomegardenshow.com San Diego Undy Run/Walk at Mission Bay Park—De Anza Cove, 3000 E. Mission Drive, Mission Bay. A family and petfriendly underwear-themed 5K that raises funds and awareness for colon cancer.

This all ages event also includes a one-mile Fun Run, a giant inflatable colon and more.

From 8 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 3. $30-$40. ccalliance.org/undy-runwalk HSan Diego Vintage Flea Market at Observatory North Park, 2891 University Avenue, North Park. Hundreds of vendors show off interesting vintage or vintage-inspired treasures including home furnishings, bric-a-brac, clothing

and accessories, tiki-infused items and much more. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday, March 4. Free. 619-239-8836, sdvintagefleamarket.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Hung Liu: Summoning Ghosts at UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla.

Known for her expressive paintings that combine both Eastern and Western traditions, this prolific Chinese-American artist will discuss her works at her alma mater. At 5 p.m. Thursday, March 1.

Free. visarts.ucsd.edu.

HMosaic Lecture at California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. This talk will be held in conjunction with the closing of the exhibit Niki de Saint Phalle: Mythical California.

Artists featured in the exhibit will discuss their creative process. From 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 4. $5-$10. 760-8394138, artcenter.org HAn Evening with Dan Winters at Casa de Balboa, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park.

American Photographic Artists San Diego and the Museum of Photographic Arts host a presentation by acclaimed photographer Dan Winters. Best known for his celebrity portraits, Winters’ work has been featured in publications such as GQ, Vanity Fair and National Geographic. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 6. $25. mopa.org HBobbi Brink at San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park. Brink will be talking about the development of the Lions, Tigers & Bears sanctuary and tell a few interesting animal stories. At 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 7. $6-$12.50.

619-239-2001, museumofman.org

FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

THEATER

AARON RUMLEY

Kevin Hafso-Koppman and Diana Irvine in This Random World

Right place, right time

T

he world of Steven Dietz’s prefab play isn’t so much random as it is �������������������� highly coinciden� tal. Of course This Random World makes for a much bolder title than This Highly Coincidental World. But by any name, Dietz’s world is one in which connectivity pervades, and social media has nothing to do with it. Fatalistic Beth Ward (Lisel Gorell-Getz) gets a kick out of Googling obits of others with her same name, and she urges her sad-sack brother Tim (Kevin Hafso-Koppman) to do so as well. They do so while also fearing that their mother Scottie (Anne Gee Byrd) is at death’s door. Before leaving on a trip to Nepal to purposely get “off the grid,” Beth not so casually inquires about Tim’s long-past girlfriend, Claire (Diana Irvine).

Well, what do you know? Tim proceeds to post a faux obit of himself and it’s seen by Claire, who has just been dumped by Gary (Patrick Zeller), who happens to meet Beth while climbing a mountain in Nepal. Mother Scottie, meanwhile, has instruct� ed the sister (Ava Hill) of her caregiver (Yolanda Franklin) to travel to Japan on a Benedictine quest where ultimately she meets, of course, Beth, whose Nepal trip was interrupted.

These serpentine machinations aside, North Coast Repertory Theatre’s production of This Random World is a satisfying one, and in spite of the play’s love of weighty platitudes, it’s often quite funny. Irvine, for example, makes Claire’s case of neurotic low self-esteem an art form, as does Haf� so-Koppman with Tim’s hapless confusion. This raises the question of what the two characters were like when they actually were a couple. A shrink’s dream?

Director David Ellenstein keeps all the plates spinning in this one-act show, which consists of short scenes that pair up its characters in various venues and in various serendipitous—or not so serendipitous—situations. In spite of the fact that the random encounters in the script are mostly foreseeable, Dietz has crafted a world of charac� ters whose personal dimensions transcend their mere place in his game of chance. Each longs for something that he or she doesn’t possess and, with the exception of Scottie, confidently dispense the play’s aphorisms about life and death with a rest� less heart.

This Random World runs through March 18 at

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. $42-$53; northcoastrep.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Smoke on the Mountain: An encore production of Connie Ray’s gospel-fueled bluegrass musical about a family of singers who hit the road in post-Depression America. Presented

by Lamb’s Players Theatre, it opens March 1 at the AVO Playhouse in Vista. lambsplayers.org Women in Jeopardy!: Wendy MacLeod’s comedy about two divorcees playing detective when their friend begins to date a suspicious dentist. It opens March 1 at the Broadway Theatre in Vista. broadwayvista.biz Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: The musical production based on the Disney movie about a grumpy hairball and the belle who loves him. Presented by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, it opens March 2 at the Garfield Theatre in La Jolla. sdcjc.org Macbeth: A young prince murders and schemes his way to the throne of Scotland in Shakespeare’s bloody classic. Presented by the San Diego Shakespeare Society, it opens in previews March 2 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in Downtown. sandiegoshakespearesociety.org ‘Night Mother: Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer-winning play about a middle-aged woman who has to confront some longstanding personal issues after moving back in with her mom.

Directed by James Darvas, it opens March 2 at the Lamplighters Community Theatre in La Mesa. lamplighterslamesa.com San Diego, I Love You #swiperight: A public performance where viewers will see an online dating story told from the perspective of two different people and at different real-world locations. Audiences will be given a map to where the performances take place. Presented by Circle Circle dot dot, it begins March 3. circle2dot2.com Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.: Alice Birch’s feminist play that examines the language, actions and biases of patriarchal society. Directed by Sean Graney, it opens in previews March 6 at the Mandell Weiss Forum at UC San Diego in La Jolla. theatre.ucsd.edu A Little Night Music: In Stephen Sondheim’s musical, a freewheeling woman gets caught up when both of her lovers show up with their wives to a weekend in the country. Presented by Cygnet Theatre, it opens in previews March 7 at the Old Town Theatre. cygnettheatre.com

For full listings, visit “Theater” under Culture at sdcitybeat.com

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COURTESY OF SDSU LIBRARY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS

CULTURE

Greek Theater at Lomaland s Ken Small grew up, he noticed his household was different from others in San Diego. His family had dinner guests from all over the world. They would discuss philosophy and Sanskrit literature, and his family would often receive international mail. He says there was a noted sense of extended community and often wondered why others’ homes weren’t filled with books.

“I thought it was quite normal to have the complete works of Shakespeare or Emerson,” Small says. “But this was still the ‘50s, and it was a little strange as I came to realize.”

Small later learned that all of this was his parents’ passive approach to Theosophy, a philosophical belief system that seeks the purpose of the universe through divine nature. He adds that he became interested in the religion, but that it was never forced on him.

“My parents are very wise in that they never taught their children Theosophy,” he says. “We were surrounded by it, but whether we found it interesting or not was entirely up to us.”

This upbringing carved the course of Small’s life, leading him to eventually study Buddhism and holistic medicine. He also lived in a zen monastery for a year and, now, teaches meditation. For him, it all traces back to San Diego’s former Theosophical community called Lomaland, where his parents grew up. Lomaland was created by Katherine Tingley in 1898 and previously occupied the land where Point Loma Nazarene University’s campus now sits, although most of the original buildings have been torn down. During Lomaland’s peak in the 1920s, 500 residents from 26 nations lived there.

“It was an incredibly cohesive group who

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worked very hard to put their ideals into practice and by entering that community, they were willing to engage in their work and their values in this overview for the harmony of the whole,” says Small.

Small’s mother was born in a house at Lomaland, while his father was sent there when he was three years old. Like other members of Lomaland, Small’s parents attended Tingley’s Raja Yoga School, which taught theories of universal brotherhood and followed a regimented schedule of community activities including meditation.

Residents were also heavily encouraged to participate in the arts.

TORREY BAILEY

Rob Ray and Ken Small “It was a very supportive atmosphere and curriculum to build these capacities in everybody,” says Small. “People who grew up there who were not musically inclined or were tone deaf and could not tell whether a scale was going up or down, they still had to go to chorus practice. Tingley was adamant.

You had to be there.”

Tingley directed large-scale productions of Shakespeare classics that would unfold on the outdoor, white-pillar stage of Lomaland’s Greek Theater. According to the San

Diego History Center, it was the first Greekstyle theater in the country, and it still stands at PLNU. From Lomaland came prestigious poets, sculptors, writers, painters and more. Impressionist artist Maurice Braun, who joined the Theosophists in 1909, founded the San Diego Art Guild, which later became the San Diego Art Institute. Other residents became teachers at San Diego’s Normal School, Francis W. Parker School and elsewhere.

“It was San Diego’s arts and culture.

There wasn’t any outside of Lomaland,” says Rob Ray, the curator of San Diego State’s Special Collections. However, he says that’s not common knowledge.

“Most people today are not aware of either Katherine Tingley or the Theosophists on Lomaland or the community itself. They know that Point Loma Nazarene is there, but they make no connection to that and this fabulous community back in the late 19th Century.”

The community ostensibly failed in 1942 following financial issues and a power struggle in the years following Tingley’s death in 1929. If not for telling the stories of his parents and their Theosophist friends, Small worries Lomaland’s history may die with the surviving residents. In hopes of stopping that, Ray and Small have been collecting artifacts and are now co-curating the exhibit Revisiting Visionary Utopia: Katherine Tingley’s Lomaland, 1898-1947.

Starting March 12 at SDSU’s Special Collections Room 4410, they will unveil the first of a multi-part exhibit. This first installment will be an overview of Lomaland’s culture—a topic Small says has never been covered in a gallery setting. The exhibit will include works by various Lomaland residents who

became notable artists, books that were published at Lomaland’s print shop and more.

Some of the best-known books published there and that will be on view are by Lomaland resident Kenneth Morris, whose writing style is often compared to J. R. R. Tolkien.

While at Lomaland, Morris would often collaborate with fellow resident Reginald Machell, a well-known artist who would illustrate the pages. Ray says Machell was “the crystallization of the Theosophical outlook.”

One of his large-scale paintings will be on loan from the San Diego History Center.

On view are also black-and-white photos taken at Lomaland, capturing scenes from a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Tingley’s other large-scale drama productions directed at the Greek Theater. Small’s mother can even be seen in one of the photos.

The following installments of the exhibition will focus on the subsets of Lomaland’s culture, such as its music, theater or other schools Tingley started elsewhere.

Together, the exhibits will be on view for at least a year. Ray also expects to host two lectures that accompany the exhibit—one

by Small himself, and a tentatively planned talk from Point Loma history professor Dwayne Little.

“The idea is to really immerse the viewer, especially our students, in a time and place that once was,” says Ray. “To get them interested enough to want to learn about Theosophy. How this one woman and the strong supporters around her were able to build this extraordinary community on the American West Coast that had great influence on the arts, especially the arts, but also on the culture in general, in a young and growing San Diego.”

FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

CULTURE | FILM

Best disappointment

The Shape of Water

Reconciling the masochistic urge to make Oscar predications

by Glenn Heath Jr.

I

give the Oscars a lot of grief. As a barometer of cinematic value, they tend to reward mediocrity rather than audaciousness. But each year I can’t help but spend a lot of energy prognosticating. Why? At its best, the Academy Awards can function as a gateway for young cinephiles to discover new films and talent they might not otherwise. With that sense of curiosity in mind, here are my thoughts on four major categories that I feel offer that chance for discovery, with further predictions to follow. The 2018 Academy Awards air on Sunday, March 4.

Best Actress: Frances McDormand is a force of nature as the angry and aggrieved mother in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. With every curse word and death stare she challenges the masculine status quo by calling out its blatant hypocrisy. Saoirse Ronan’s inspired turn in Lady Bird foreshadows many awards worthy performances to come, but this is not her year. Margot Robbie’s warped incarnation of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding is fittingly grotesque, but probably not a harbinger for the squeamish (read: older) Academy members. The category’s dark horse is Sally Hawkins, who infused The Shape of Water with an angelic silent film star quality and heart wrenching sense of longing.

Will Win: Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Should Win: Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water Best Actor: An absolutely stacked category aside from the stodgy performance that will inevitably win (I’m talking about grousing sourpuss Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill). The other contenders are aces: Daniel Day-Lewis’ supposed final performance in Phantom Thread is a master class in passive aggressive fussiness; Timothée Chalamet’s heartbreaking vulnerability fuels Call Me by Your Name; Denzel Washington’s gonzo activist lawyer is the antisocial justice hero we need in Roman J. Israel, Esq.; and Daniel Kaluuya gives Jordan Peele’s Get Out its desperate, nuanced soul.

Will Win: Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour Should Win: Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name Best Director: For the first time in years, every nominee deserves inclusion. Paul Thomas Anderson’s surprise nomination will be deemed victory enough for this brilliantly devious couture two-hander. Greta Gerwig’s momentum for Lady Bird has slightly stalled,

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

having not won any of the major awards leading up to the Oscars. Jordan Peele could eke out a surprise win if there’s an increased ground swell of support for Get Out, but that’s doubtful. Christopher Nolan’s incredible orchestration of three different storylines in Dunkirk might be the most monumental achievement in the category, but my money is on Guillermo del Toro for The Shape of Water, the safest pick that checks multiple boxes for the nostalgic Academy voter yearning for the glory days of classic Hollywood.

Will Win: Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water Should Win: Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk Best Picture: In a perfect world, Phantom Thread would be a no-brainer, but this is not a perfect world and innately tedious period movies like Darkest Hour probably have a better chance of winning the big prize. Of the other nominees, Lady Bird, Get Out, Call Me by Your Name and The Post all feel like middle-tier contenders. At this stage it looks like a three-way race between The Shape of Water, Dunkirk and Three Billboards… Considering the terrible state of the world, it’s looking like people might be game for the fantasy romance rather than the dense non-linear wartime thriller or the social issue sledgehammer.

Will Win: The Shape of Water Should Win: Phantom Thread More predictions: Best Supporting Actor: Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards…

Best Supporting Actress: Allison Janney, I, Tonya Best Cinematography: The Shape of Water Best Adapted Screenplay: Call Me by Your Name Best Original Screenplay: Get Out Best Animated Feature: Coco Best Costume Design: Phantom Thread Best Documentary Feature: Last Men in Aleppo Best Film Editing: The Shape of Water Best Foreign Language Film: Loveless Makeup and Hairstyling: Darkest Hour Original Score: The Shape of Water Original Song: “Mighty River,” Mudbound Production Design: Blade Runner 2049 Sound Editing: Dunkirk Sound Mixing: The Shape of Water Visual Effects: War for the Planet of the Apes Film reviews run weekly.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

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CULTURE | FILM

Bombshell

More than a Bombshell

A

ctress Hedy Lamarr has long been dismissed as just another glamorous starlet of the studio age. The new documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story seeks to upend that misconception by exploring her life outside the Hollywood bubble. A life that happened to include a deep passion for scientific invention.

Having grown up in Austria immediately before the rise of fascism in Europe, Lamarr made it a habit of repressing her Jewish identity. The film doesn’t exactly try to uncover

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exactly why. Of more interest are the personal tidbits Lamarr speaks freely about during a taped interview with Forbes journalist Fleming Meeks from 1990.

Director Alexandra Dean uses these recordings as a structuring device. Lamarr’s memories are potent, especially those regarding the innovation of a frequency-hopping system, which she invented along with composer George Antheil for the Navy during WWII. Despite having no formal training as an engineer, Lamarr was curious and thoughtful when it came to seeing the world anew. The same couldn’t be said of her choice in men—she was married six times, seemingly making the same mistakes time and again.

For those enamored with classic Hollywood, there are a few juicy stories about Howard Hughes and Louis B. Mayer that are thrown in for good measure. When the subject is stars like Lamarr being forced to take drugs in order to survive the grueling shooting days, these fascinating historical details are notably glossed over.

Bombshell doesn’t take many chances stylistically, unspooling linearly and banally in standard PBS fashion. Like so many portrait films, glowing praise for the subject tends to minimize its power. The film succeeds in the more basic sense by surveying a complicated woman’s existence. It also does so without diminishing the intimate details that help audiences relate to Lamarr’s complexity not just as an icon, but as a human being.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story: Documentary that explores the surprising passions and interests of starlet Hedy Lamarr. Opens Friday, March 2, at the Ken Cinema.

Death Wish: Eli Roth remakes the Charles Bronson classic with Bruce Willis taking on the role of a vigilante hell-bent on making every criminal pay after his wife is murdered.

Mohawk: After one of her tribe sets an American camp ablaze, a young Mohawk warrior finds herself pursued by a contingent of military renegades set on revenge. Opens Friday, March 2, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Nostalgia: Multiple stories intersect in this drama about love and loss starring Jon Hamm and Catherine Keener.

Opens Friday, March 2, at the Angelika Film Centers Carmel Mountain.

Red Sparrow: Jennifer Lawrence stars a Russian sleeper agent tasked with using her body as a weapon against enemies foreign and domestic.

ONE TIME ONLY Sixteen Candles: Samantha (Molly Ringwald) wants the perfect sweet-sixteen birthday party but suffers one embarrassment after another. Screens at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 28, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Bottle Rocket: Anthony (Luke Wilson) has just been released from a mental hospital, only to find his wacky friend Dignan (Owen C. Wilson) determined to begin an outrageous crime spree. Part of the Wes Anderson Retrospective. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, March 2, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

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

FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

HOLLY WHITAKER

MUSIC

here’s not a lot of middle ground when it comes to reactions to a band like Shame. With the release of their debut album, Songs of Praise, in January, the London-based post-punk quintet was met with a steady stream of critical praise on both sides of the Atlantic.

And with their combination of humor, social commentary, intense guitar-driven singles and a dynamic stage presence, it’s easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm.

Yet Shame has also seen their share of bitter backlash, as exemplified by a recent Guardian article comments section, loaded with remarks that guitarist Eddie Green describes as “very abusive.” Various readers criticized the band for being everything from “naive” and “shouty” to “distinctly uninteresting,” as well as drawing comparisons to ill fated and poorly received Britpop bandwagoners Menswear.

Green acknowledges that Shame are a love-them-orhate-them kind of band, and he’s OK with it.

“I think anything that doesn’t provoke a strong reaction means it’s innocuous in a way,” he says. “I’d rather have a wildly mixed bag of reviews than solidly good ones or solidly average ones. I don’t think we try to provoke a reaction, but it’s part and parcel of not being a typical, standard-issue guitar band. There are a million and one of those types of bands going around the UK at the moment, ripping off Kasabian and not doing anything of interest. It’s good to have a mixed bag rather than a solid block of people telling you you’re the best. I don’t think that’s good for anyone.”

Green, vocalist Charlie Steen, guitarist Sean Coyle-Smith, bassist Josh Finerty and drummer Charlie Forbes hold nothing back on Songs of Praise. It’s an album of dark textures and taut, aggressive anthems in the vein of recent post-punk outfits such as Savages or Iceage, and influenced by the likes of The Fall and The Chameleons. “Gold Hole” balances brooding verses with an explosive chorus, while “One Rizla” showcases a dreamier side of the band, undercut with Steen’s messages of defiance: “My voice ain’t the best you heard/ And you can choose to hate my words/ But do I give a fuck?” Then there’s “Tasteless,” which finds Steen growling “It’s fucked! It’s fucked!” over one of the band’s catchiest melodies.

The band’s sound was developed the past three years, as they tightened up their performances in UK pubs and concert halls. But the actual production of the record has a sleekness

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

From left: Charlie Steen, Eddie Green, Josh Finerty, Sean Coyle-Smith and Charlie Forbes and clarity thanks to producers Dan Foat and Nathan Boddy, who are better known for working with electronic artists such as James Blake and Teengirl Fantasy. The producers’ collective experience helps give the album a more distinct aesthetic.

“We recorded it with two guys who mainly had kind of an electronic background,” Green says. “So the way we actually recorded and produced that record was unorthodox for a band with our sound. But we knew what we were getting into, because we recorded our debut single with these guys.

Each song on the record... it’s a separate entity from the previous one and the next one.

Each song has its own character, and we wanted to maintain that while still having some kind of clear sound throughout the record that makes it work as a full article.

“We had loads and loads of guitars, and a million and one different pedals that I’ll probably never use again,” he adds. “It was fun to experiment.”

Green is quick to point out that the sound of the record and the band’s live show are two separate things, and the latter has helped build up the band’s notoriety. Steen’s been known to engage in some outlandish antics onstage, occasionally stripping off his clothes or, in one now-infamous incident, being threatened with a £700 bill for property damage after dangling from a venue’s chandelier. So while Shame certainly want their live show to sound good, it’s not their number-one concern when they perform.

“I think the main focus of the live show is entertain-

ment,” Green says. “As much as live sound is good for the audience, and we try as much to make that work, it is first and foremost entertainment. I find it really disappointing when I go see a live band sometimes and the sound is exactly the same as on the record, as if it’s the only thing they’re focusing on. It can be a little frustrating as an audience. But I think our reputation precedes us.”

The effort that Shame have put into their dynamic live show has helped to expand their steadily growing fanbase, which has also served to drown out some of the harsher critics of the band. It’s something that they’re still getting used to. Green sounds essentially unfazed when discussing trolls and naysayers, though he seems to grow slightly more uncomfortable when talking about the face-to-face adoration that they’ve encountered. They’re adjusting to a new level of success, but however much the idea of stardom rubs them the wrong way, it all washes away when they’re onstage.

“It takes a huge level of adjustment for people asking you to take pictures. It’s a very bizarre feeling for someone to be interested in us enough to want our picture,” he says. “It also used to weird me out seeing kids singing our lyrics. Like, why would these people know or care about what we’re singing?

But when we’re onstage, it’s a very cathartic experience.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com. Follow him on Twitter @1000TimesJeff

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february 28, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

MUSIC

AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO mance from Clara Latham that’s thematically inspired by the history of psychoanalysis and how it ties into genusic and social change are often interconnect- der. And additionally, there will be sound installations ed, whether through protest songs or benefit throughout the conference.

“There are talks that touch upon genres like hip-hop concerts. But a conference at UC San Diego has been organized with the intent of exploring the socio- and jazz and electronic dance music, and looking at how political aspects of music beyond the lyrical content. different communities have used the music to advance Sonic Fluidities, which is free and open to the public their expression and agenda,” Hankins says. “We also have on March 2 and 3 at Conrad Prebys Music COURTESY PHOTO a range of talks looking at queerness and femininity in piano music in the late 1800s. And Center on the UCSD campus, focuses on how another one is looking at Blackness through music is tied to ideas such as intersectionalthe blues scale.” ity, race and gender identity. The conference Hankins says that, because the idea is to was organized by graduate students in the make ideas of “intersectionality” more accesIntegrative Studies program, and combines a sible, Sonic Fluidities isn’t strictly academic lot of different aspects on the sounds within lectures. Because it’s an interactive and persocial and political situations. formance-based event, it could potentially “It’s sort of intentionally broad, but the appeal to an audience outside of academia. conference explores sound as a means of af“It’s worth noting that this is not just a fecting social change,” says Sarah Hankins, Clara Hunter Latham assistant professor of Sound Studies at UCSD. “It’s also traditional academic conference,” Hankins says. “There a way to explore identity, whether it’s queerness, Black- are installations throughout the conference, as well as performances. We are looking at sound and performance ness or other forms of identity.”

Sonic Fluidities covers a lot of ground over two days. as a way to break social boundaries.” More information The programming includes a keynote address titled can be found at sites.google.com/view/sonicfluidities “Black Liveness Matters” from George Lewis, professor of American music at Columbia University, and a perfor —Jeff Terich

LOCALS ONLY

M

ALBUM REVIEW Earthless Black Heaven

E

(Nuclear Blast)

arthless is far from the most commercially viable band ever to emerge from San Diego’s music scene, though they’re no doubt one of the most important.

For 17 years the band has been helping to build up a swirl of weird, psychedelic experimentation that has, in turn, fostered a flourishing cohort of diverse psych-rock bands in the region, many of whom will be joining Earthless at the Roadburn festival in The Netherlands this year.

Yet while Earthless’ sound has been well established over the course of three epic full-lengths and a handful of split releases since their 2005 debut, Sonic Prayer, they still have some surprises up their sleeves. On the band’s fourth album, Black Heaven, the biggest of those surprises is the addition of vocals. Where the band’s previous records were all-instrumental cosmic voyages into the beyond, Black Heaven is much closer to a proper rock ‘n’ roll album. The group’s stylistic approach hasn’t shifted

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

entirely—they’re still creating trippy, effects-heavy excursions with more than their share of fuzz. But with guitarist Isaiah Mitchell stepping up to the microphone, those excursions are more concise, and with clearly defined verses and choruses.

Those accustomed to the version of Earthless that let their riffs and improvisation do the talking might miss some of the far-out jam sessions they’ve indulged in on past records. Though it’s not like there isn’t any of that here, it’s just tightened up and made more digestible.

This is an album of proper songs, and they’re good ones at that. “Gifted by the Wind” opens with a wah-wah scratch seemingly borrowed from Shaft before delving into a badass strut, and the heavy “Electric Flame” is steeped in Black Sabbath’s bluesy thunder. Most surprisingly, “Volt Rush” clocks in at less than two minutes in length, which is as far from Earthless’ prior extremes as it gets.

As much as Earthless fucks with the formula, they still sound like Earthless. I’m not sure it’s possible for them to sound like anyone else, even when slimming down and trimming out the excess. It’s still heavy, loud and weird.

—Jeff Terich

Outfoxed

KEVIN BAIRD / FLICKR

W

ith its red, neon sign and rouge awning to match, The Red Fox Room Steakhouse and Piano Bar (2223 El Cajon Blvd.) is a local institution. The bar-restauThe Red Fox Room rant combo unabashedly calls itself “an undeniable city icon” on its website. However, its historic run may be coming to an end.

“March 2019 is the last time we’re going to be here,” says Red Fox owner Jim Demos, referring to the date in which the restaurant’s lease is set to expire.

Demos says that the Lafayette Hotel and Red Fox Room property owner, Jay Wentz of JCG Development, won’t be renewing that lease. Wentz declined to comment, but by word of mouth and through social media, news of the potential closing has spread quickly.

“I hear [Wentz] is getting a lot of pushback,” says Demos.

“People are calling and asking what’s going on.”

In the half century it’s been open, The Red Fox Room’s unique look has attracted a diverse clientele ranging from older regulars to young scenesters. The color-coordinated decor carries inside with red walls and booths, accented by carved-wood Tudor paneling and fireplace mantle that reach back to 1560 Surrey, England. Across the pond, the walls once made up a three-room inn before they were dismantled and shipped to Hollywood for starlet Marion Davies’ beachfront home and, later, private club.

They were reconstructed next to the Lafayette Hotel in North Park in 1966 when Demos’ father, John, first opened The Red Fox Room. Demos says it’s an all-around family establishment. His wife, Nancy, does the bookkeeping, their teenage kids bus tables during the holidays and many of their employees have worked there for 10 or even 20-plus years.

While Demos doesn’t know what will happen to the property, he says the Lafayette Hotel is undergoing construction in six months and The Red Fox Room could change with it. A recently missed call from Wentz gave Demos a tinge of hope for the future. “[Wentz] might want to get us out before then, buy out their lease, or maybe he’s rethinking it and is calling to say he wants us to stay.”

Demos isn’t holding his breath though.

“If we leave, it’s not because we want to,” he says.

In the case that Wentz doesn’t have a change of heart, the Demos family hopes to reopen The Red Fox Room within the area. The family business has gathered a loyal crowd that they don’t want to abandon.

“We are very cosmopolitan,” he says. “On a Friday and Saturday night, there’s every different kind of person and lifestyle is in here, and that makes us who we are.”

—Torrey Bailey

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february 28, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda

MARK WALKER

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28

PLAN A: Dengue Fever, Winter, Summer Twins, Patsy’s Rats @ Music Box. The second night of Burger A-Go-Go features Los Angeles band Dengue Fever, who is unlike just about any other band right now. They blend psychedelic rock with Cambodian pop and Ethio-jazz. It’s a unique, international swirl and it’s very cool. PLAN B: Thurston Moore Group, Rogue Squares @ The Casbah.

Thurston Moore probably needs no introduction, but here’s a reminder: He’s a founding member of Sonic Youth and a longtime innovator in indie rock and experimental music.

THURSDAY, MARCH 1

PLAN A: The Dears (solo acoustic), Drew Thams @ The Casbah. The Dears were one of the more underrated indie rock bands of the ‘00s, and their album No Cities Left is an excellent collection of artful songwriting and big arrangements. Frontman Murray Lightburn is doing an acoustic tour, so it’s a chance to hear those songs in a totally differ-

Craig Wedren is best known for being the frontman of Washington, D.C. post-hardcore band Shudder To Think, and he’s since done music for TV and film as well as releasing a handful of solo records. He continues to make excellent art-pop and has a hell of a voice. PLAN B: Earthless, Kikagaku Moyo, JJUUJJUU @ The Casbah. For something a bit different, turn it up with Earthless.

The local trio helped grow a movement of psychedelic rock bands in San Diego, and they’re still making some massive, explosive sounds. BACKUP PLAN: Langhorne Slim @ Music Box.

SATURDAY, MARCH 3

PLAN A: Earthless, Kikagaku Moyo, JJUUJJUU @ The Casbah. If you missed the first night of cosmic, psychedelic explorations with Earthless, then here’s opportuDengue Fever nity number two. The band plays some truly epic psych-rock that always becomes a pretent context. PLAN B: Money Chicha, Dos ty heavy jam session when performed live.

Santos, La Chamba @ Soda Bar. Money It’s a trip. PLAN B: Whitney Rose, Nena Chicha is really fucking cool. They’re a Texas- Anderson, Sara Petite @ Soda Bar. Austin based band that plays a style of cumbia that’s singer Whitney Rose does both old-school weird, psychedelic and heavy on far-out ef- countrypolitan music and more contempofects. And while more and more artists are rary variations on Western sounds, includexperimenting with cumbia today, Money’s ing some dark takes on standards and torch brand is truly a fresh sound. BACKUP PLAN: songs. It’s not like it hasn’t been done beSoft Kill, Choir Boy, Hexa @ SPACE. fore, but she is very good at it.

FRIDAY, MARCH 2

PLAN A: Craig Wedren @ House of Blues.

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

SUNDAY, MARCH 4

PLAN A: Ex-Cult, Kids in Heat, Cat Scan,

DJ Jimbucha @ Soda Bar. Memphis band Ex-Cult put an interesting spin on garage rock by blending it with Krautrock and making as much fucking noise as possible. It’s tense, deranged stuff, which should make for a fun show.

MONDAY, MARCH 5

PLAN EH?: 311, Zebrahead @ House of Blues. It’s actually come to this. This is basically the only show happening (that’s been announced) in San Diego on this Monday night, so if it’s of the utmost importance that readers hear “Down” or “All Mixed Up,” then by all means. But hey, maybe you just go ahead and catch up on some Netflix?

TUESDAY, MARCH 6

PLAN A: Celebrating David Bowie @ Balboa Theatre. A lot of people have been playing the music of David Bowie since the rock legend’s death in 2016, but Celebrating David Bowie is the only one to feature a number of musicians who actually played with him, including Mike Garson and Earl Slick.

They’ll no doubt do Ziggy justice. PLAN B: Of Ennui, Battery Point, Hawk Auburn @ Soda Bar. Of Ennui, previous recipients of Extraspecialgood in our Great Demo Review, have a sound that merges doom metal with shoegaze. They’re loud and a lot of fun to watch live. BACKUP PLAN: New Me, Holy Pink, Ingemar, Snapghost @ The Merrow.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Prong (Brick by Brick, 4/8), Sacri Monti (Casbah, 4/12), Common Sense (BUT, 4/13), Sheer Terror (SPACE, 4/15), 5 Seconds of Summer (HOB, 4/26), Cody Jinks (Observatory, 4/26), Boombox Cartel (Observatory, 5/6), Erika Wennerstrom (Casbah, 5/8), Vagabon (Casbah, 5/10), Sparta (Soda Bar, 5/11), Mushroomhead (Brick by Brick, 5/16), Primitive Man (Soda Bar, 5/25), Xavier Rudd (BUT, 5/29), Lord Huron (HOB, 5/31), D.O.A. (Brick by Brick, 5/31), Anvil (Brick by Brick, 6/1), Speedy Ortiz (Soda Bar, 6/6), Blue October (HOB, 6/10), Sunflower Bean (Che Café, 6/13), Joe Bonamassa (Humphreys, 7/26-27), Toto (Humphreys, 8/7), Dispatch (Open Air Theatre, 8/18), Punch Brothers (Observatory, 8/25), Joan Baez (Humphreys, 10/30).

CANCELED Taake (Brick by Brick, 4/6).

GET YER TICKETS American Nightmare (Brick by Brick, 3/9), Talib Kweli (Music Box, 3/9), Wolves in the Throne Room (Brick by Brick, 3/11), Flogging Molly (Observatory, 3/14), Lucy Dacus (Casbah, 3/21), Russian Circles, King Woman (Brick

by Brick, 3/26), George Clinton (HOB, 3/28), Titus Andronicus (Soda Bar, 4/2),

@SDCITYBEAT

Ty Dolla$ign (HOB, 4/5), Matt and Kim (Observatory, 4/9), Frankie Cosmos (Quartyard, 4/10), Chromeo, Phantoms (Humphreys, 4/10), Angel Olsen (Music Box, 4/12), Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox (Humphreys, 4/13), The Soft Moon (Casbah, 4/14), Murder City Devils (Irenic, 4/14), Fleet Foxes (Humphreys, 4/15), Jungle (Observatory, 4/16), Miguel (Humphreys, 4/17), Dashboard Confessional (HOB 4/18), HAIM (Observatory, 4/19), alt-J (Humphreys, 4/19), Big K.R.I.T. (Music Box, 4/20), Japanese Breakfast (Irenic, 4/20), Los Lonely Boys (BUT, 4/22), ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ (Observatory, 4/25), Art Garfunkel (Balboa Theatre, 4/27), Bunbury (HOB, 4/29), Baths (BUT, 5/3), Joey Bada$$ (SOMA, 5/3), Keb’ Mo’ (BUT, 5/6-7), Built to Spill, Afghan Whigs (Observatory, 5/9), Weird Al Yankovic (Humphreys, 5/12), Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness (Humphreys, 5/13), Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite (BUT, 5/12-13, 5/15-16), Kendrick Lamar, SZA (Mattress Firm, 5/13), Nada Surf (BUT, 5/14), Earth, Wind and Fire (Harrah’s SoCal, 5/18), Godspeed You! Black Emperor (Observatory, 5/22), The Head and the Heart (Open Air Theatre, 5/22), The Wonder Years (HOB, 5/22), Rufus Wainwright (BUT, 5/24), Madeleine Peyroux (BUT, 5/28), Iceage (Casbah, 6/5), Kesha, Macklemore (Mattress Firm, 6/12), Belle and Sebastian (Observatory, 6/22), Wye Oak (Soda Bar, 7/20), Thirty Seconds to Mars (Mattress Firm, 7/21), Weezer, The Pixies (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/11), Chris Stapleton (Mattress Firm, 8/16), Charlie Puth (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/20), Church of Misery (Brick by Brick, 8/21), Rebelution (Mattress Firm, 9/8), The Eagles (Petco Park, 9/22), Ozzy Osbourne (Mattress Firm, 10/9), D.R.I. (Brick by Brick, 10/20).

FEBRUARY WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 Dengue Fever at Music Box. Thurston Moore Group at The Casbah. Spafford at Belly Up Tavern. I The Victor at Soda Bar.

MARCH THURSDAY, MARCH 1 The Dears (acoustic) at The Casbah.

Soft Kill at SPACE. Money Chicha at Soda Bar. They Might Be Giants at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

FRIDAY, MARCH 2 Langhorne Slim at Music Box. Theo Katzman at Soda Bar. Margo Price at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). ‘Wacken Metal Battle - Round 1’ at Brick by Brick.

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 Gogol Bordello at Observatory North Park (sold out). Anderson East at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Earthless at The Casbah. Whitney Rose at Observatory North Park.

SUNDAY, MARCH 4 Stone Temple Pilots at Observatory North Park (sold out). Ex-Cult at Soda Bar. Matt Costa at The Casbah. Zach Deputy at Belly Up Tavern.

MONDAY, MARCH 5 311 at House of Blues.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6 Celebrating David Bowie at Balboa Theatre. Pimps of Joytime at The Cas-

bah. The Psychedelic Furs at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). 311 at House of Blues.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 EDEN at House of Blues. Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

Hot Snakes at The Casbah (sold out).

The Academic at Soda Bar. K. Michelle at Music Box.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8 Antibalas at Belly Up Tavern. U.S. Girls at Soda Bar. Protomartyr at SPACE. New Politics at House of Blues. Spawnbreeze, Innavision at Music Box.

TUESDAY, MARCH 13 Hibou at Soda Bar. We Had a Name at The Merrow.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14 The Mowgli’s at The Casbah. Flogging Molly at Observatory North Park. Gaby Moreno at Music Box. Thee Oh Sees at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, MARCH 15 A$AP Ferg at House of Blues. Rachael Yamagata at Belly Up Tavern. Emancipator Ensemble at Music Box.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

FRIDAY, MARCH 9 Iced Earth at House of Blues. Palm at SPACE. American Nightmare at Brick

by Brick. Talib Kweli at Music Box. Mt. Joy at Soda Bar. Thunderpussy at The Casbah.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10 Billie Eilish at Music Box (sold out). ZZ Ward at House of Blues. ‘San Diego Freak Out’ w/ Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Wild Wild Wets at The Casbah.

G. Love and Special Sauce at Belly Up Tavern.

SUNDAY, MARCH 11 Norma Jean at Soda Bar. Wolves in the Throne Room at Brick by Brick. Halfnoise at Soda Bar. G. Love and Special Sauce at Belly Up Tavern. Ethan Bortnick at Music Box.

MONDAY, MARCH 12 Chai at The Casbah. He Is We at Soda Bar.

Hippie Sabotage at Observatory North Park. Morgan Leigh Band at Belly Up Tavern. Band of Gringos, The Delta Saints at Music Box. ‘The Redwoods Revue’ w/ Midnight Pine, Birdy Bardot, Dani Bell and the Tarantist, Heavy Guilt at The Casbah. Soul-Junk, Pistolita at Soda Bar. Shoreline Mafia at SOMA.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17 Taylor Bennett at House of Blues. Blockhead at Soda Bar. Hippie Sabotage at Observatory North Park. DSB at Music Box.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18 Walter Trout at Belly Up Tavern. Shopping at Whistle Stop. C.W. Stoneking at Soda Bar. The Polish Ambassador at Music Box. Michaele Graves at Brick by Brick.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 MONDAY, MARCH 19 Chrome at The Merrow. Liza Anne at Soda Bar. San Diego Music Awards at House of Blues.

TUESDAY, MARCH 20 DTO and Kiyoshi at Belly Up Tavern.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21 Royal Thunder at Brick by Brick.

Queens of the Stone Age at Observatory North Park (sold out). Lucy Dacus at The Casbah. Sonreal at House of Blues.

Crumb at Soda Bar. The Paragraphs at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, MARCH 22 Montalban Quintet at The Casbah.

The Night Game at Soda Bar. Queens of the Stone Age at Observatory North Park (sold out). Phillip Phillips at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23 Tribal Theory at House of Blues. Mako at Observatory North Park. RJD2 at Music Box. Phillip Phillips at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). The Main Squeeze at The Casbah. BirdBath at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24 Brett Dennen at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Pale Waves at SOMA. Dogwood, No Innocent Victim at Brick by Brick.

L.A. Salami at The Casbah. Durand Jones and the Indications at Soda Bar. Skeletal Family at SPACE. Through the Roots at Observatory North Park. Sir Mix-A-Lot at Music Box.

SUNDAY, MARCH 25 Brett Dennen at Belly Up Tavern. Rhett Miller at Soda Bar. Lil Xan at House of Blues. The Go! Team at The Casbah. Umphrey’s McGee at Observatory North Park.

MONDAY, MARCH 26 Russian Circles, King Woman at Brick

by Brick. Butcher Brown at Soda Bar. Jake Bugg at Observatory North Park.

Nick Bone and the Big Scene at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, MARCH 27 Triathlon at House of Blues. Quinn XCII at Observatory North Park.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28 George Clinton at House of Blues.

Schizophonics Soul Revue at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, MARCH 29 Galactic at Belly Up Tavern. The Garden at Soma. KOLARS at Soda Bar. Missio at House of Blues. Declan McKenna at Music Box. 3Teeth, Ho99o9 at Brick by Brick.

The Casket Lottery at The Merrow.

FRIDAY, MARCH 30 Lindi Ortega at Soda Bar. Senses Fail at Observatory North Park. ‘Wacken Metal Battle - Round 2’ at Brick by Brick. Ella Vos at The Casbah. Yonder Mountain String Band at Belly Up Tavern. Whiskey Myers at Music Box.

SATURDAY, MARCH 31 Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark at House of Blues. Lido Pimienta at The Casbah. Slothrust at SPACE. The Mother

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

Hips at Belly Up Tavern. Roy Wood$ at Observatory North Park. The Oh Hellos at Music Box. Spice Pistols at Brick by Brick.

APRIL SUNDAY, APRIL 1 Kelly Lee Owens at Soda Bar. Los Tres Tristes Tigres at House of Blues. Mint Field at Blonde.

MONDAY, APRIL 2 Moose Blood at Quartyard. Titus Andronicus at Soda Bar. Dumbfounddead at SOMA.

TUESDAY, APRIL 3 The Dickies, Queers at The Casbah.

Neighbor Lady at Soda Bar. Arlo Guthrie at Belly Up Tavern. Falsifier at Brick

by Brick.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4 Moonchild at The Casbah. The Goddamn Gallows, Koffin Kats at Soda Bar. Brian Fallon at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, APRIL 5 Electric Six at The Casbah. Ty Dolla$ign at House of Blues. Stanton Warriors at Music Box. Hell or Highwater at Soda Bar. John 5 and the Creatures at Brick

by Brick.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6 Autograf at Music Box. Chrome Sparks, Machinedrum at House of Blues. Taake at Brick by Brick. Luke McCombs at Observatory North Park (sold out). Agent Orange at The Casbah. Lincoln Durham at Soda Bar.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Faux Fighters, Oceans. Sat: The Voices, The Bird Rockers. Sun: Karaoke.

Tue: The Tones.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop Wednesday’ w/ MC Kahlee. Thu: ‘Centerpiece’ w/ DJ Eliasar Gordillo. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Church’ w/ Alice, 2 bit, Will Lavin.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Nick Thune. Fri: Nick Thune. Sat: Nick Thune.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: CatsMelvin.

Fri: New Crimes.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘Rock Lottery’ w/ DJ Girl Group. Thu: CAPYAC. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’ w/ DJ Ratty.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: DJ Harvey. Sat: Shiba San, Klatch.

Sun: Gorgon City, Jason Bentley.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Nate Donnis. Fri: Greasy Petes.

Sat: Emotional Rescue.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Spafford, The Higgs.

Thu: They Might Be Giants (sold out).

Fri: Margo Price, Blank Range (sold out).

Sat: Anderson East, JS Ondara (sold out).

Sun: Zach Deputy, Steph Johnson. Tue: Psychedelic Furs, Mia Dyson (sold out).

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: ‘Hella’ w/ DJs Listerine, Ryan Solomon. Fri: ‘Dance From Above’. Sat: Honey Dijon,

Heidi Lawden. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’. Tue: ‘T is For Techno’.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad.

Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: Act of Defiance, Shattered Sun, Shawshank Redeemed, Blackcast. Fri: Warpath, Theosis, Shred Bundy, Nightshadow, In the Name of the Dead. Sat: Murkocet, Motive, The No Name Gang, The Killing Word, Defy The Tyrants.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Thurston Moore Group, Rogue Squares. Thu: The Dears (solo acoustic), Drew Thams. Fri: Earthless, Kikagaku Moyo, JJUUJJUU. Sat: Earthless, Kikagaku Moyo, JJUUJJUU. Sun: Matt Costa, Jordan Lovelis. Tue: Pimps of Joytime.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: Harley and the Pirates. Sat: January Berry.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Fri: Gerard Nolan and Les Arbuckle.

Sun: ‘Brazil Jazz Festa’.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., Downtown.

Thu: DJ Yodah. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: ‘Rock Star Saturday’.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: DJ Mike White. Fri: Craig Wedren. Sat: ‘Emo Night Brooklyn’. Sun: Uno the Activist, ThouxanbanFauni, Warhol.SS. Mon: 311, Zebrahead. Tue: 311, Zebrahead.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: It’s Never 2L8. Thu: Hitmen of San Diego. Fri: Full Strength Funk Band, Backwater Blues

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

february 28, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): This week the sta—hey, shhhh, I’m talking. As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, this wee—this will literally take five secon—You know what? You’re on your own.

22): Don’t leave leftovers at the restaurant

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): This week

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Good news: The planets will be aligning in a beneficial formation later this week. Bad news: They might all be obliterated by errant space debris we littered up there.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): An important lesson to learn is that you have to rely on your instincts. That is, unless that’s exactly what it is expecting you to do…

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): Not really sure how good that treasure map is going to be for you if you never even bothered to take the time to figure out how to use a compass.

you are not so different from the phenomenal force of gravity: dependable, virtually inescapable and really bringing everybody down.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You can go a week without water, a month without food and not even one single minute without complaining about how bad parking is “over here” regardless of where you are.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): A problem that has been vexing you for quite some time will soon come to an end when you finally realize the sunglasses you are looking for are on your head.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22):

We can see you walking around trying to draw attention to yourself. Everyone can see you do the final twist that solves the Rubik’s Cube. We all know what you’re doing.

just because you’re scared of looking stupid carrying the little bag around all night like a big-time sucker, obsessed with your little container.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): The worst thing about buying a haunted dummy at the swap meet is that now everyone will find out you’re a ventriloquist.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February

18): If you want to start spinning plates as a hobby, that’s fine. I just think that there is no reason to start with grandma’s heirloom china.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): When you feel eyes on you, but don’t see anybody around, it’s your future self-telling you to stop bidding on online auctions. Or, it’s a very soulful raccoon peering down from the vents.

LIBRA (September 23 - October Astrologically Unsound appears every week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.

MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Band. Sat: Keiko Matsui. Sun: Irieality, Missy Andersen. Mon: Shelle Blue. Tue: Fuzzy Rankins.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Swisha, Mya Gomez. Fri: ‘Techno Sabbath’. Sat: ‘Ascension’ w/ DJs Robin Roth, Ladynoir, Kaerie. Tue: Deadcrow, Harukasuka, DJEDI. Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Thu: ‘Late Night Jazz Jam’.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Lee Coulter, Dixie Maxwell. Sat: Sabyrtooth, Air-Go. Sun: ALOUD, Christina Carson, Travis Mason.

Mon: Open mic.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Sophisticats.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: Chadwick Johnson.

Fri: Janice and Nathan. Sat: Tori Roze and the Hot Mess. Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. Mon: Andy Anderson and Nathan Fry. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Ben Allen, Heidi and the Almightys, Evan Diamond. Thu: Goodnight Caulfield, Taller Younger Brother, Westerly.

Sun: ‘The Playground’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Fri: Elastic Waste Band. Sat: Grey Illusion. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: Dengue Fever, Winter, Summer Twins, Roya. Thu: Suicide Girls Blackheart Burlesque. Fri: Langhorne Slim, Twain.

Sat: Tiga, Mark Knight, Rob Stone, Ant Beale. Sun: This Ain’t Bristol.

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

Wed: ‘1,2,3’ w/ DJ EdRoc. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘Nite Moves’ w/ DJ Beatnick. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · FEBRUARY 28, 2018

DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Mon: Veronica May Band, The Rogue Pilots.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: ‘Undone’. Fri: ATB. Sat: DJ Ruckus.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Yo Gotti. Sat: Joe Maz. Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Benji Davis.

The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’. Sat: ‘Sabados en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA, K-Swift. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: DJs John Joseph, Kinky Loops.

Thu: Technomancer, Von Kiss. Fri: DJs John Joseph, Will Z. Sat: DJs Hektik, Taj. Sun: DJ Cros.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Swing Thing. Fri: Upshots.

Sat: Baja Bugs.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: OBTuse Goose. Sat: Rosa’s Cantina. Mon: ‘Jazz jam’ w/ Louis Valenzuela.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: Ed Kornhauser’s Organ Trio. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: I The Victor, OrchidxMantis, Salt Petal. Thu: Money Chicha, Dos Santos, La Chamba. Fri: Theo Katzman, Bridget Kearney. Sat: Whitney Rose, Nena Anderson, Sara Petite. Sun: Ex-Cult, Kids In Heat, Cat Scan, DJ Jimbucha. Tue: Of Ennui, Battery Point, Hawk Auburn.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: With Age, Honeypot, Super Lunch, Pocket Hole, Chris Coté, Old Notes. Sun: Starset, Palisades, Grabbitz, Year of the Locust.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Wed: ‘Make Yourself at Home’. Thu: Soft Kill, Choir Boy, Hexa. Fri: ‘Rituals’ w/ Mannequin. Sun: ‘Pocari Sweat’.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Middletown.

Wed: ‘Baile do Victinho’. Fri: Rybo, Lubelski, Ghostea. Sat: Cirez D, Charlotte de Witte, Cristoph. Sun: Nicole Moudaber, ANNA, Man Power, Pig&Dan. Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Dreams’ w/ DJ Gabe Vega.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Bloodshot Bill, Jittery Jack and Miss Amy, Sean Mencher. Sat: New Skeletal Faces, Ritual Obsidian. Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Kenny and Deez. Fri: Paging the 90s, Keep Your Soul Duo. Sat: Keep Your Soul, Chad and Rosie. Sun: Keep Your Soul, Chad and Rosie. Tue: Corey Gray.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Wed: Leonard Spins Vinyl. Thu: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Fri: Dennis Jones Band.

Sat: Big Daddy Orchestra.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Karaoke. Sat: Decent Criminal, Gentlemen Prefer Blood, Allweather.

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

Wed: ‘Yes Lawd’. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: DJ Kid Wonder. Sat: DJ Freeman. Tue: ’31 Flavors’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Fri: The Amandas. Sat: ‘80s vs 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul Q. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’. Tue: ‘Videodrome’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach.

Wed: Mighty Mystic, DJ Carlos Culture.

Thu: Doug Stanhope. Fri: Band of Gringos, The Shakes, DJ Green T. Sat: Dazed and Confused. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

@SDCITYBEAT

IN THE BACK

BY CULTURE MAGAZINE

CannaBeat Kosher Kush

SMOKE STUDIES A semi-regular feature where we’ll review the latest strains, products and Cannabisrelated merch.

Cheech’s Private Stash Do Si Dos Cheech’s Private Stash Do Si Dos absolutely lives up to its icon’s namesake. A family affair, each strain from Cheech’s Private Stash is personally selected by the famous cannabis enthusiast himself.

His daughter is the company marketing manager, and his son serves as the director of operations. The company more than lives up to its motto “It will always be good” with its Do Si Dos strain. These dense nugs, mostly lime green in color with some very bright green leaves and accents of deep lavender throughout also sport tons of shiny trichomes and thick, dark orange pistils. The nose has a heavily sour aroma with some sweet, candylike notes as well. There is also a slight citrus smell to it. The dominant flavors

@SDCITYBEAT

Cheech’s Private Stash Do Si Dos are fruity and sweet, with an excellent balance of earthiness and floral tastes.

The hit is smooth and clean, yet still packs a punch without being harsh. This crop was clearly grown and cured very well. The effect is quickly calming, both physically and cerebrally, and provides a euphoric, giggly, relaxing, appetiteinducing effect.

Available from: Deeply Rooted delivery service in San Diego.

Kosher Kush is a potent, 80/20, indica-dominant hybrid of unknown origins, which may or may not have been blessed by a rabbi.

This hard-hitting strain’s original L.A. street name is said to have originally been called “Jew’s Gold,” but was changed by the new breeders to avoid offensive language. What is clear is this pungent hybrid’s ability to induce powerful relaxation while increasing a craving for Bubbe’s noodle pudding. Kosher Kush is quickly becoming a favorite on iheartjane. com, across multiple markets.

As this issue went to press, Kosher Kush was available from Green Lady, M Delivers and THCSD.

late Diesel is said to be one of the world’s most sought-after strains and its one-hit effects may require proper restraints, as they include an immediate and intense body and head effect which often borders on the psychedelic. Gorilla Glue #4 comes in many forms, variations of the flower, extracts, pre-rolls, etc. Right now on iheartjane. com there are over 200 products available across local dispensaries, all of which are named as some form of “Gorilla Glue #4.”

For the latest cannabis news and lifestyle trends, please pick up our sister magazine CULTURE every month or visit culturemagazine.com.

Gorilla Glue #4 Gorilla Glue #4 is a highly-potent, “five star” hybrid with the pungent aroma of earth, pine and cat urine. This product of Chem’s Sister, Sour Dubb and Choco-

FEBRUARY 28, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27