San Diego CityBeat • Mar 7, 2018

2 · San Diego CityBeat · march 7, 2018

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march 7, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Whole lotta housing love

A

s this issue was going to press, the City Council was meeting to decide on dozens of changes to the San Diego housing code and, more specifically, the Land Development Code. These changes were proposed by Mayor Kevin Faulconer for one major reason: the seemingly never-ending rise of housing prices in San Diego.

“We need more housing that people can actually afford and the changes we’re pushing for are aimed at making that a reality,” Faulconer said a few weeks ago.

When it comes to the City Council, it didn’t take much consideration. The changes were passed by a vote of 7-1, with Councilmember Barbara Bry recusing herself and Councilmember David Alvarez voting no. In the case of Alvarez, it’s not immediately known why he decided to oppose the changes, but he may not have received the answers he wanted when he issued a memorandum back in February requesting clarification and additional changes on some of the proposed amendments.

Still, the council’s two staunch progressives, Chris Ward and Georgette Gomez, were decisive in their endorsements and ultimate “yes” votes on the amendments. Gomez did have what she called “concerns” about certain aspects of the amendments and Ward voiced concerns about, of all things, food trucks.

But what was most striking about this particular council session was just how much everyone seemed to be in agreement on what is certainly a crisis-level issue. The public speakers were a decidedly mixed bag, but none spoke in oppositions of the changes.

“These proposed changes once again put San Diego in the lead on innovative solutions to address housing affordability and affordable housing,” said Laura Nunn, policy director at the San Diego Housing Federation.

“We support the package of policies brought forward today by Mayor Faulconer, and our organization has a long history of working on housing issues because of the clear nexus between housing affordability and development capacity,” said Maya Rosas, advocacy manager for Circulate San Diego, a public transportation advocacy group.

“I’m proud to say to my colleagues and clients up and down the state that the city of San Diego has one of the best policies to get these projects done… it demonstrates that the city of San Diego can get things right and generate affordable housing units in addition to the market-rate units that are generated by this policy,” said Tim Hudder, an attorney that works on density bonus development projects.

Wow, that’s a lot of love. So what exactly is there

to love? The amendments’ most pressing and perhaps most important changes are as follows: - streamline the environmental review process - create more live/work developments by loosening rules on whether a business and a home can be located in the same unit -allow for construction of three-story buildings in zones that were previously not allowed -expedite affordable housing permits -amend municipal code to allow for more granny flats -create a “Middle Income Density Bonus Program,” which would provide incentives to developers for the construction of housing developments that provide units that can be sold or rented to entry-level or middle-income households.

That entry-level bonus is particularly important.

Jonathan Herrera, the mayor’s Senior Advisor on Homeless Coordination, hit the nail on the head when he said on Twitter that “at the heart of our homeless crisis is a housing crisis.”

One of my favorite parts of this plan is the promise that developers who build “projects reserving 10% of the total units for very-low income, transition-age foster youth, disabled veterans, or persons experiencing homelessness are eligible for a 20% density bonus.”

I’ve been hard on the mayor in the past, but I commend him for including this language in his plan. It’s implicit that more available housing to all San Diegans will ultimately result in more housing for low or verylow income housing, which will only help citizens transitioning out of homelessness. The mayor could have very well not mentioned homelessness at all, so he gets props for explicitly including it in the plan.

And while that plan isn’t perfect and Councilmember Alvarez brought up some valid questions and concerns, the city and the mayor deserve some credit not only for bringing a lot of people to the table to discuss this issue, but for actually getting it done. Even if things are pretty bad, it could always get worse.

However, it’s important that San Diego progressives continue to monitor and support the progress of state legislation such as the California Sustainable and Affordable (CASA) Housing Act, as well as the repeal of the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, which is currently in the signature gathering process.

Still, Tuesday’s affable and agreeable consensus in the City Council was, in my opinion, a decisive step in the right direction.

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is growing a side John Bolton mustache.

Volume 16 • Issue 29 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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4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

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UP FRONT | LETTERS

A YUGE UMBRELLA Thank you, Seth, for one of the most important columns you’ve ever written, concerning gun violence [“Empty pages,” Feb. 21], good points said well. I agree that the U-T blank page statement was clever, but weak in not furthering the counterpoints to the NRA propaganda blitz. Their heart was in the right place but not their head. That space could have been used to list the carnage events and casualties in the U.S. and shown the increasing frequency. Or called out the California legislators who take funds from and support that downright evil empire. I am a gun owner, a marksman, yet have no use for that organization because I know our government has no intention of taking away a target shooter or deer hunter’s firearm. We need a buy-out program for all assault type weapons and have automatic prison time for those caught with them afterwards. Do the gun nuts really think the public can win a standoff with the most well-armed military in the world? A flimsy excuse for ownership of weapons of mass destruction is all it is.

Also, the NRA is a massive, united, well -funded and ruthless organization, as we all know. We need a “United Way” umbrella group to organize the Brady bunch, Gabby’s people and the others to be able to amass the power and influence to go head-to-head with the gun zealots, win more of the legal battles and eventually the war for the hearts and minds of the U.S. citizenship. One of the

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problems with the environmental movement is the plethora of well-intentioned entities all vying for financial support and not presenting enough of a united front against the short sighted and selfish money interests bent on (y)ugely compromising the health of this planet and the future of humanity.

As with the gun violence problem, united we stand or divided we fail. I do hope, along with so many, that this is finally the long overdue turning point and we are able to pivot the debate to a moral, sensible and compassionate outcome. There! I feel better now, somewhat.

Brian Richard O’Brien North Park

BLOOD DRINKING PARASITES AND HEARTLESS OGRES SHOULD RESPECT EACH OTHER I feel compelled to comment on Dan Jacobs’ letter [Feb. 28] stating that, if we are to get any good results on this fight to eliminate school shootings, the only way to do it is to vote out all Republicans.

In your editorial [“Empty pages,” Feb. 21], you defile the name and soul of the Republican Party as a collection of evil beings worthy of annihilation. The both of you seem to want a government of a single party; can you both be in favor of a dictatorship by the self-righteous proletariat? If so, don’t pick on those who want a single party of creative people who rebel at the idea of

being forced to feed, clothe and house the “professional” dependents of an overly generous society.

Mister Jacobs needs to consider that, as he likes the idea of Democrats controlling those heartless Republican ogres, it is as essential that there be Republicans fighting off the parasitic Democrats who drink the blood of those who create healthy economies.

It’s all a matter of where one is coming from as to who’s right or wrong, without there being any such thing in philosophy as right and wrong to begin with; it’s all a matter of personal values.

We need to respect each other, boys and girls! We need balance!

Saul Gritz Hillcrest

WE WANT FEEDBACK Email letters to editor Seth Combs at seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside.

Note: All comments left on stories at sdcitybeat.com will also be considered for publication.

UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CityWeek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sordid Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 At The Intersection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

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

THINGS TO DO The Short List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-13

ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FEATURE: Tomi Adeyemi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Thank You For Staring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-22

MUSIC FEATURE: Shopping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . . 24 The Spotlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-30

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 CannaBeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | NEWS

TORREY BAILEY

Who is Matt Strabone?

The nonprofit attorney is running for an office many people don’t care about. They should.

by Seth Combs

M

att Strabone has a cold, but he’s not letting it get in the way of telling a good dad joke.

“I save all my best material for real life, not Twitter,” Strabone remarks to a potential voter inside a communal meeting room inside a downtown condo complex. A little over a dozen people have gathered to hear Strabone speak about his candidacy and, while he seems nerdy on the surface, one gets the sense that people laugh at his jokes not so much because they think they’re funny, but rather, his aw, shucks demeanor is seemingly untainted and infectious.

The crowd isn’t exactly large, but Strabone addresses them as if he’s speaking to a filled auditorium.

“Now I know what you’re all thinking, and it’s always the first question I get,” Strabone begins telling the crowd before pausing.

“What does the San Diego County Assessor-Recorder-Clerk actually do?”

No one raises their hand or disputes his query. He then launches into a well-rehearsed outline of what the office does exactly.

“The answer, my friends, is primarily three things: It assesses how much property tax you pay, it stores the county’s public land records and it issues marriage licenses, as well as birth and death certificates.”

But then Strabone hits them with the real pitch: “But I like to say instead that its real purpose is to support us in some of the most important moments in our lives.

When we’re getting married, when we’re having children or when we’re buying a home. I’m running, in essence, to improve how this office supports us.”

A few days later, Strabone, a nonprofit and ethics attorney, admits that much of his now yearlong campaign to become the next County Assessor-Recorder-County Clerk [Assessor, moving forward]

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

has been about simply trying to explain just how important the office really is to the day-to-day life of a local.

“It takes up at least half the time when I’m talking to folks,” Strabone says. “And I knew that going in. I knew that very few people even knew that this office even existed, let alone what it does and how it can help them.”

It’s the last part of that statement that Strabone is especially keen on pointing out.

He believes it’s what separates him from his opponent, current Assessor Ernest Dronenburg Jr. Whereas most may see a position that is meant to simply assist, Strabone emphasizes the importance of help. That is, it’s one thing to perform a function; it’s another to actually help people understand that function.

Still, he knows that when it comes to getting people to actually care about the functions of that office, it’s not an elected position

Matt Strabone that most people will bother to research so he has to put it to voters in a way that’s accessible.

“It’s one thing to list out that the office has three primary roles, but people still need you to connect the dots,” Strabone says. “When I go up to folks and tell them that there are 150,000 homeowners in San Diego County who are not getting the property tax exemption that they should be getting and that those people are paying extra money on property tax every year, that gets their attention.”

“Then I get a million questions about the exemption, which is good because that’s what I want.

I want them to understand and ask questions. If you make it real for them, then they pay attention and begin to think, ‘oh, this really matters to me.’”

If Assessor Dronenburg’s name sounds familiar to some, Strabone likes to remind them why that might be. Back in 2013, Dronenburg made national headlines when he filed a petition to the California Supreme Court to halt same-sex marriages even after it was essentially the law of the land. He was also in the news more recently when a UnionTribune story revealed that he had taken more than 100 trips and racked up over $90,000 in travel expenses between 2012 and 2017, all funded by taxpayer dollars.

“For me, if you’re an engaged citizen and you think you could do a better job than the person who’s currently representing you, then you should,” Strabone says.

“For me, it was time to step up and do something about this subpar public service.”

Still, even with his opponent’s varying missteps, Strabone may still have an uphill battle. First, he is running against an entrenched incumbent who was reelected handily in 2014. There’s also the

matter that Strabone is running in a non-partisan race, which means his party affiliation will not appear next to his name on the June primary ballot. Oh, and that primary, not the November election, will decide the Assessor race so it’s likely there will be fewer voters. Finally, there’s also the matter that Dronenburg has hired a longtime Republican insider, Jordan Marks, as a “Special Assistant.” Or, as Strabone puts it, “he’s essentially making a six-figure government salary to serve as Dronenburg’s campaign manager.”

Strabone does see a silver lining in all of this. He says the fact that Dronenburg felt the need to hire Marks at all is evidence that the Assessor now considers Strabone a viable threat to win the election in June. If he does manage to pull off a victory, he says he will immediately begin to overhaul and update certain functions at the office. For example, Dronenburg returns about $2 million of the Assessor budget every year back to the county. Strabone sees this as a waste and that the $2 million should go toward things like upgrading the office’s software system so that the public can easily access public records. He says that once this is done, it will significantly free up staff time to do more expanded public outreach. He wants to partner with community groups in order to better inform citizens of the functions of the office. Or, rather, how the office can help them.

“Anything I can do to improve customer service and outreach, I will do it,” he tells the people gathered in the condo complex. “I know that this isn’t the most highprofile office in the world, but it does touch the lives of literally every person in the county and that’s why it’s so important to me.”

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NEWS | OPINION

HAM OF THE WEEK

By Torrey Bailey and Seth Combs

THE ISSUE: This week marked the deadline for Congress to act on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA] after President Trump announced an end to the program back in September. However, several court orders and decisions have forced the administration to keep issuing renewals. One of those decisions by a U.S. District Court will likely head to the Supreme Court, which would conceivably keep DACA alive through the midterm elections.

NBC7 reporter Wendy Fry, who continues to spread misinformation on Twitter about the 2016 detainment of five teenagers in Logan Heights by San Diego police officers. Despite a judge throwing out the case on the grounds that the teens were detained, searched and swabbed for DNA illegally, Fry has used her personal Twitter account to speculate that the police were justified in searching the teens because she’s found pics of one of the kids hanging out with gang members, among other things. She claims she’s simply attempting to “look at this from all sides,” but as a journalist, she should know that by airing her speculations (not facts) on social media, she does a disservice to both sides.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: “Young immigrants need urgent, permanent solutions to the crisis created

by President Trump without further militarizing border communities like San Diego. The uncertainty of a temporary court injunction will lead some not to renew out of fear about what will happen to them if those injunctions are lifted.”

— Lilian Serrano, Chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium “That might mean the pro-illegal alien side will try to force something in Congress now while they can, but I don’t see any reason for the Trump people to agree to anything under these circumstances.”

—Pete Nunez, Center for Immigration Studies and former U.S. attorney “A temporary injunction is a Band-aid for a wound that requires well-thoughtout care and solutions. For months, we (Border Dreamers) have been living in fear and uncertainty while this administration has dangled our freedom, our safety, and our protections. We are not bargaining chips, we are not pawns and our lives should not be toyed with.”

—Itzel Guillen, Dreamer and Immigration Integration Manager at Alliance San Diego OUR TAKE: San Diego County is home to over 44,000 DACA recipients. Should they be detained or even deported, the impacts on families and the local economy would be swift and devastating. California alone would lose over $11 billion in annual GDP according to a study from the New American Economy coalition. This should scare both fiscally minded conservatives and pro-immigration progressives equally. For those not affected, it’s easy to get discouraged with the inaction in Congress, but now is not the time to get discouraged when so many lives remain in limbo. Republicans in Congress are trying to kick the issue down the road until after the midterms in November, afraid that a DACA deal would signal a Democratic victory just before the election. Progressives must keep reiterating and even pestering their senators and representatives to keep fighting for Dreamers.

NEWSY BITS 2/28 BEST DAY EVER!

Chula Vista City Council approves regulatory framework that would make it the largest marijuana marketplace, per capita, in San Diego County.

Includes rules for marijuana delivery services, a first for the county.

FML

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… that proposition that passed to make the treatment of farm animals more humane?

Back in 2008, California voters passed Proposition 2, or the Standards for Confining Farm Animals. This measure banned farmers from raising egg-laying hens (i.e. chicken, turkey, duck, goose or guinea fowl), pregnant pigs and veal calves in spaces too small for them to turn around, stand up, lie down or stretch out.

Proposition 2 didn’t go into effect until 2015. And in the years leading up, farmers filed lawsuits calling the Proposition’s language vague because it did not provide specific cage size minimum requirements.

Farmers wanted dimensions, but the Humane Society of the United States, who sponsored the bill, argued the law requires egg-laying hens to be raised cage-free.

Now, the Humane Society is trying to clear up the language by sponsoring a new bill, the California Farm Animal Confinement Initiative. This initiative explicitly bans the sale of eggs laid by hens

not housed in cage-free environments. It also spells out the square foot minimum requirements for raising veal calves and pregnant pigs. Selling products from an animal living in an environment less than these requirements would be deemed illegal. This also means that all products imported into California would have to follow these guidelines as well.

The initiative is still in the signaturegathering process, but would appear on the November ballot if it reaches its goal. If the initiative passes, it would go into effect in either 2022 or 2024.

Those in opposition to the bill include the Association of California Egg Farmers who argue the “expedited timeline may result in supply disruptions, price spikes and a shortage of eggs for sale.” The National Pork Producers Council is also against the initiative for similar reasons. PETA and the Humane Farming Association also oppose it, arguing that there is no such thing as humane farming, and that the best way to care for animals is through a plant-based diet.

All the seriousness, silliness and stupidity of the past week

3/1

3/2

Mayors of Imperial Beach and Chula Vista file lawsuit against the International Boundary and Water Commission claiming spills are in violation of Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

In a cruel twist of meta-irony, U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel—the same judge that Trump once called biased because “he’s a Mexican”—rules in favor of the Trump administration’s plans to skirt environmental regulations to build border wall.

SO, WHATEVER HAPPENED WITH…

3/3

County judge sides with Save Our Heritage Organisation and halts the demolition of historic downtown California Theatre, citing environmental impact concerns.

Consumer group Public Watchdogs comes out in opposition to California Public Utilities Commission settlement that charges ratepayers nearly $2 billion for useless San Onofre Nuclear equipment.

8,000 people show up for annual Chelsea’s Run in Balboa Park.

Little Italy Association District Manager Christopher Gomez requests cease and desist on bike- and scooter-sharing companies because sidewalks are “flooded with rogue units.”

District Attorney Summer Stephan clears four county sheriff’s deputies in four fatal shootings last year, one in which a man was shot 22 times.

3/4

New voter data suggests that Democrats now competitive in historically red North County 76th and 77th Assembly districts. (Source: Union-Tribune)

3/5 Local Andra Day steals the show at the Academy Awards singing “Stand Up For Something.”

Grand jury indicts Border Patrol agent Ramon Delgado for making false statements about his relationships with drug traffickers.

3/6 City Attorney Mara Elliott issues 15-page review of SDSU West proposal, citing problems with who will purchase the land and what happens after sale. (source: KPBS)

Qualcomm delays key shareholder vote on Broadcom takeover, amid federal scrutiny of deal and national security concerns.

Carl DeMaio files papers to run for U.S. House in the 50th District, becoming the fourth Republican to challenge Rep. Duncan Hunter.

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

SORDID

TALES

Suspending students for protest walkouts is not a violation of their rights

B

y now readers have probably heard that some miss school except for a handful of reasons. Politics districts are threatening to suspend students and protesting are not among the reasons.

“What’s really weird about this,” Professor Feldwho participate in school walkouts to protest permissive gun laws—a phenomena which is spreading man told the Post, “is that NISD announced they will suspend [students] over the content of their off-camthrough school districts nationwide via social media.

In Texas, for instance, the superintendent of the pus protest. Content-based restrictions on speech are Needville Independent School District (NISD) an- anathema to the First Amendment.”

Feldman is correct. The court has forbidden “connounced on the school’s Facebook page that students who choose to walk off campus during school hours tent-based restrictions” on school protest. The only problem is that Superintendent Rhodes said no such would be suspended for three days.

Unsurprisingly, many find NISD’s position to be thing. In fact, he explicitly stated the opposite in his draconian, if not illegal. Chip Gibbons, lead attorney Facebook announcement.

“Please be advised that the Needville ISD will not for Defending Rights and Dissent (DRAD) issued a statement saying that Superintendent Curtis Rhodes’ allow a student demonstration during school hours for any type of protest or awareness.” warning is “unacceptable.”

Rhodes did not say only some protests are acDr. Heidi Li Feldman, a professor at Georgetown Law, told the Washington Post that Rhodes’ decree is, ceptable. He did not say, for instance, that students are not allowed to demonstrate against the faculty, “a quintessential First Amendment violation . . .”

Now, everybody knows teenagers are contemptible, or the crappy cafeteria meatballs or permissive gun narcissistic, exasperating little dimwits who think po- legislation. He said they can’t leave school to protest anything, as in no things, or litical demonstration is throwing a zero things—not a single goddamn tantrum when their parents deny them the new iPhone. But I actualA walkout is different, thing—during school hours.

Admittedly, a one-day walkout ly respect these little rabble-rousbecause the Tinker is not that big of a deal. A whole lot ers for participating in democracy decision also found more can likely be learned during and have a new hope for humanity a demonstration of this magnitude because of it. that the student’s than an average day in class. But That said, the statements made speech or action must

by Feldman and Gibbons are giant it goes back to “content-based repiles of nincompoop. Not only is strictions,” about which the court, not, ‘materially and a suspension not “unacceptable,” the schools and the ACLU are substantially interfere and and not a “quintessential” violain agreement. with… the operation tion of the First Amendment—it’s Peter Eliasberg of the Southnot even an arguable one. It would ern California chapter of the ACLU of the school,’ which, be one thing for a lay person to says, “you can’t have a harsher clearly, a walkout does. punishment for students who miss misunderstand this, but for Constitutional lawyers not to know—or school to protest compared to not have at least conducted 10 minutes of research those who miss class to hang out with their buddies.” before piling on—well, that my friends is the stuff of So, if Rhodes had said something like, “Don’t nobody which nincompoop is made. talk no shit about no guns or nuthin,” you can damn To support their opinion, both Feldman and Gib- well bet the ACLU would come down on his head like bons cited the 1969 Supreme Court ruling Tinker v. The Hammer of Gallagher comes down on a cantaloupe.

Des Moines, which ruled that people do not “shed In a nutshell, there are no villains here—except their constitutional rights… at the schoolhouse gate.” incompetent lawyers who need to fabricate them.

Well I’m glad you brought that up counselors be- And it seems to me, a way to make everyone happy is cause, yes, Tinker v. Des Moines is the overriding court for the schools to advocate on-campus options. Like case involving free speech in school. But there’s a big Mary Tinker’s armband concept, or pins, or ribbons, difference between the merits of Tinker and what whatever. And while they’re at it, give kids a dedicated we’re seeing now: Mary Beth Tinker was a 13-year- alcove for political artwork and banners, a wall for a old middle-schooler who rallied classmates to wear cooperative mural perhaps. Faculty should embrace black armbands in condemnation of the Vietnam War. their yearning to demonstrate. Maybe schedule a rally When she and others refused to remove them, they in the gymnasium, or an organized debate in the auwere suspended. Their parents sued and won the right ditorium. They can even debate whether the school is of their children to protest on campus grounds. violating their First Amendment rights. They can inHowever, that case was about armbands on cam- vite Feldman and Gibbons so their expert legal opinpus. A walkout is different, because the Tinker deci- ions can be torn to shreds by a sophomore who actusion also found that the students’ speech or action ally did research. Oh what a fantastic opportunity for must not “materially and substantially interfere schools to teach about civic involvement and dissent. with… the operation of the school,” which, clearly, a If only they recognized a teachable moment when walkout does. they saw one.

Then there is the issue of truancy, also not a factor in the Tinker case. Laws about truancy vary slightly Sordid Tales appears every other week. among states, but they all effectively say you can’t Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

CULTURE | VOICES

MINDA HONEY

AT THE

INTERSECTION

A Wrinkle in Time and Black girls at the center of the universe

I

’ve been reading Brittney Cooper’s new book, Eloquent Rage. In it, she writes about her relationship with white women and how they were often her only companions as a child. How she cherished Mildred D. Taylor’s Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and her “Logans” series of novels, because many of the books she read featured white women. She, like me, read stacks of Sweet Valley High books featuring blonde twins and fantasized about having a clique as tight as the Baby-Sitters Club girls.

Like Cooper, I never had any issues relating with the white girls at the center of the books I read. I could envision how, like Dicey in Dicey’s Song, I’d take care of my two little sisters if our parents abandoned us. I vibed with the ultra-quirky Ramona Quimby and, like Judy Blume’s Margaret, I wanted answers from God. I just as easily fell in love with Meg, the girl who journeys through time and space to find her father in Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.

After four years of Spanish classes, fourth grade was the year my elementary school decided to break with tradition and teach us kids Russian instead. This was also the year I discovered A Wrinkle in Time.

Our Russian teacher was not a dude that had it together.

By the fourth grade, I’d seen enough adults not have it together to mostly opt-out of paying attention during the hour he half-assed his way through supposedly teaching us a foreign language.

One day, as he led the class through drills on the 33-letter Russian alphabet, I sank down in the corner of the classroom in front of a small bookshelf.

One book had a title so evocative, I tipped its spine toward me and lifted it from the shelf.

A wrinkle in time? What could that possibly mean?

That book was basically my entry into science fiction and, eventually, into the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre in general. When I began imitating the writing I was reading, I put girls that looked like the girls I was reading about at the core of my stories, rather than girls that looked like me. It wasn’t until high school that I began to question this and re-centered Black women in my work. It wasn’t something I thought much about, and I was actually pretty ashamed of it until I got older and Twitter became a thing and engaging with other writers of color became a thing that I learned I wasn’t alone in this. It’s why when

Obama got elected I so deeply knew that little Black kids, boys especially, would now truly be able to see themselves as President some day. I knew this because I had been the little girl who couldn’t even see herself at the center of the fictional worlds she created because she’d read so few books that told the stories of Black girls.

In 2010, I signed up for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

I was paired with a 12-year-old Mexican-American girl. I cruised through her entirely Mexican neighborhood and met her family. And still, when I suggested we read a book together, the book I was eager to share with her was A Wrinkle in Time. This book was difficult for us to get through. The Christian allegories in the story, which I had mostly missed when I was young, turned me off now and even so, I think she was already too old to enjoy it. But my main regret is not choosing a book that centered on a Mexican-American girl. How had I—a memoir writer who writes about her own Blackness and being a woman—forgotten how important it is to see yourself in the books you’re reading?

Fortunately, my Little didn’t completely write me off for my poor choice in reading material. Instead of immediately suggesting another book, I focused our time on having experiences together. I was the first person to introduce her to crème brûlée, and I took her to the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena. She showed me things too. Her mother invited me to her niece’s first communion party, and I was asked to be a madrina for her quincenañera. Often, I wondered what kind of role model I was being and what of herself she could see in me. She’s in her twenties now and going to school at NYU. We’re Facebook friends, and she occasionally likes my posts and it makes me feel good to still be connected to her in some way.

When it was announced that Ava Duvernay’s movie version of A Wrinkle in Time would star a little Black girl, I thought about myself as a child. I thought about my Little and I thought about all the little Black girls who’ll get to see this movie, and who will live and breathe the fantasy of it all. What will it mean for their creative journeys to always have stories that are centered on women that look like themselves? I can’t wait to find out.

I had been the little girl who couldn’t even see herself at the center of the fictional worlds she created because she’d read so few books that told the stories of Black girls.

At The Intersection appears every four weeks.

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY BETH DEMMON

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

Fine dining in pizza form

I

t was in the midst of the Great Recession that Tracy Borkum closed fine dining fixture Laurel Restaurant in Bankers Hill in favor of Cucina Urbana (505 Laurel St.), a concept more in tune with the times.

Special occasion California-French refinement (and the attendant price tag) made way for a less fussy, Cal-Italian sensibility that was also affordable (no menu items over $20). A decade on, it’s now clear that while some elegance was sacrificed at the altar of budget, the flavors and culinary sophistication were not.

It wasn’t only the address that remained after 2009’s reboot but Chef Joe Magnanelli as well. Where the Laurel space oozed sophistication and the food was intricate, elegant and composed, Urbana is more casual with a rustic feel and décor. There were no pizzas on the menu at Laurel; there are at Urbana. While Urbana is definitely not “a pizza joint” there really is no better way to taste Urbana’s casual sophistication than in those pizzas.

Take, for example, the potato, leek and prosciutto pizza with mozzarella, fennel pollen and chilies. It’s basically a vichyssoise (or, slightly more accurately, a Parmentier) soup done in pizza form. The gentle, delicate oniony flavor of the leeks is there as is the creaminess that, in the soup form, is provided by potatoes, but on the pizza comes in the form of mozzarella.

What may have read visually as slices of pepperoni (or as prosciutto) are actually thin oval slices of purple potato, and that prosciutto is there throughout the pizza in ground form. It becomes clear quickly that there’s a cheffie intelligence at work here.

The crust of Urbana’s pizzas–perhaps the most important part of any pizza– ends up somewhere between the Neopolitan and New York styles, perhaps closer to the former. It’s a thin crust but without

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

Neopolitan’s characteristic chewy, savory and deliciously bready bulbous bubbling at the edge. And while it’s not quite as firm as the New York pizza it is, at times, strong enough to fold.

The spicy guanciale, marinated tomato and smoked cheddar with béchamel, fresno chili and basil is another pizza one’s not likely to find at the corner delivery place. Guanciale is cured but unsmoked pork cheek; think lovechild of bacon and prosciutto. The cheek of just about any creature is its tastiest part, and it is definitely what makes this dish. But pairing it with the sweetness of the tomato, the smoke of the cheddar, creaminess of the béchamel and the heat of the chiles gives the guanciale a perfect stage on which to perform.

MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Casalingo pepperoni, fennel sausage, mozzarella and peppadew peppers For a somewhat less exotic take on pizza try the Casalingo pepperoni and fennel sausage with mozzarella and peppadew pepper. It’s basically a meat lover’s pizza, but takes a step back from protein overload insanity. And there is a lot more at Urbana (the fried squash blossoms are a specialty and the pastas—particularly the two meat Bolognese—are excellent picks).

But it is those pizzas that are at the core of what they do. There’s a reason Borkum put a pizza oven in the place. It is in those pizzas that the creative soul of Laurel lives on.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

FINAL DRAUGHT Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em

SOCIETE BREWING COMPANY

M

y transformation from casual Pabst drinker into an embarrassingly committed beer geek happened in three distinct stages. First, I embraced the hop. When I moved to San Diego in 2008, craft beer was starting to really explode and with it came the utter domination of IPAs. With few other high quality options, it was an easy switch from generic (and often tasteless) lagers to the bitingly bitter local hop bombs.

Next came sours. Sour beers can be a challenge for newbies, but the trick that finally flipped me was to not to treat them the same as the beers I was crushing in my backyard. Drinking pint after cold pint without stopping to really enjoy what I was tasting doesn’t work with sour beers.

Once I experienced the magic of pairing sours with food (especially desserts), I realized that my narrow-minded notion of “drinking beer” had limited my exposure to the unknown. There was a whole new world of funky flavors for me to discover!

The final frontier in my journey: smoked beer. I was 22 the first time I tried a rauchbier (translated from German as simply “smoke beer”). Back then was way too early for me to appreciate the subtleties of a well-crafted smoked beer. It took me a decade to revisit them with a more experienced and critical palate. Much to my surprise, I’m wild about them. I’m a failure of a homebrewer, but my husband just bought a smoker and the thought of smoking malt is the first thing that’s gotten me excited about brewing in years.

Admittedly, smoked beers aren’t for everyone. But once one gets past their own preconceptions or prejudices, they’re actually incredibly intricate, fascinating beers that are well worth trying.

Locally, ChuckAlek Biergarten’s Grodziskie, dubbed The Hussar, is a great place to start. At 4 percent ABV, this almost completely defunct Polish style is deceptively light and crisp. Don’t be put

Societe’s The Mentor off by the moderately oaky smoke aroma; it’s much smoother than one might guess.

Alas, ChuckAlek has been out of what’s usually a regular offering on the menu for a few weeks, but I have my fingers crossed it’ll reappear before summer. (3139 University Ave., Suite B) Slightly smokier on the spectrum is Societe Brewing Company’s collaboration with Gordon Biersch San Diego head brewer and lager master Doug Hasker: The Mentor smoked Helles lager. At 5.1 percent ABV, it’s still relatively light with a pleasant beechwood essence, making it approachable but still complex. (8262 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.)

For those ready to succumb to the true smoke scene, head to Monkey Paw Brewing Company (805 16th St.). The Low and Slow rauchbier (5.6 percent ABV), as well as the Bill Batten collaboration Ashes From The Grave smoked brown ale (6.66 percent ABV), are not for the faint of heart. The same goes for Thunderhawk Alements’ 6 percent ABV Sun Kissed Black and Savagewood Brewing Company’s (8675 Miralani Drive, Suite #100 and 9879 Hibert St., Suite F) 6.3 percent ABV Catholic Guilt.

These two smoked porters are big, bold, and simply smolder.

Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com. Follow her on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

@SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

MAKING HERSTORY

March is Women’s History Month, and Blvd.) for a concert from emerging jazz artist Bria March 8 is International Women’s Day. And while Skonberg. Known for performing a unique blend there are certainly plenty of events over the next of jazz, blues and soul, the NYC-based singer and few weeks for women and their alCAROLINA PALMGREN trumpeter plays at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25-$40 at artcenter.org. lies to raise a proverbial fist, here Next, from 5 to 10 p.m. on Satare a few to get things started. urday, March 10 in Barrio Logan, First, The FRONT Arte Cultura La Bodega Gallery (2196 Logan (147 W San Ysidro Blvd., casafaAve.) is hosting its annual Venus miliar.org/thefront) in San Ysidro exhibition, which will feature celebrates International Womworks from over 100 women arten’s Day with the 11th annual ists working in nearly every conDia de la Mujer exhibit, which ceivable medium. Full lineup can features over a dozen women be found at labodegagallery.com. artists including CityBeat faves End the week on a literary such as Paola Viola, Anna Stump note staring on Monday, March and Arzu Ozkal. The show opens 12, with an appearance at 7:30 from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, p.m. from author Shobha Rao at March 8. The same night, from Warwick’s in La Jolla (7812 Girard 6 to 8 p.m., the Sparks Gallery in Ave., warwicks.com). Rao will be Downtown (530 6th Ave., sparksdiscussing her heartbreaking new gallery.com) will be hosting a novel, Girls Burn Brighter, which book release and 90th(!) birthday Bria Skonberg is set in India. Then on Wednesparty for local artist Lenore Siday, March 14, poet Billiekai mon. Her new Quest exhibition at Sparks is a must-see and the new book collects 24 Boughton will be hosting a free All Women Poetry of her newest digital illustrations. Both exhibitions Night featuring an open mic and select readings from notable locals. It happens from 7:30 to 10 p.m. are free.

On Friday, March 9, head north to the Califor- at Verbatim Books (3793 30th St., verbatim-books. nia Center for the Arts Escondido (340 N. Escondido com) in North Park.

LA JOLLA

NORTH PARK

FUN-RAISER

HOME BASE Honor, pride, anxiety and uncertainty are emotional undertakings of serving in the military. Without pledge, military families often weather the same sentiments.

Home of the Brave shares their story. Inspired by interviews with children in military families in San Diego and Honolulu, the new play portrays life on base and all that comes with it, including the relocations and deployments of a parent. Part of the La Jolla Playhouse’s 2018 Performance Outreach Program (POP), Home of the Brave is touring San Diego County schools, but there will be four public performances happening Saturday, March 10 and Sunday, March 11 at 1 and 3 p.m. at La Jolla Playhouse’s Rao and Padma Makineni Play Development Center (2910 La Jolla Village Drive). Tickets range from $9 to $12. lajollaplayhouse.org JAMIE LYTLE

Home of the Brave @SDCITYBEAT

School fundraisers aren’t exactly known for being spirited affairs, especially for parents, but the third annual San Diego Homebrew Festival and Competition is definitely an exception. In addition to having samples from 35 local brewers and 10 breweries, the event will double as a boozy fundraiser for Jefferson Elementary School. Admission includes unlimited tastings, food vendors and the opportunity to vote for favorite brews. And while this “anti-bake sale” will definitely be kid-free, the beneficiary, Friends of Jefferson, is a nonprofit that funds education and enrichment programs for Jefferson students.

It happens Saturday, March 10 in the parking lot behind the Observatory North Park (2896 North Park Way) from noon to 4 p.m. Tickets are priced at $35 for general admission and $10 for designated drivers. Visit sdhomebrewfest.com for more info.

ERICK PEARSON

Homebrew Fest

EMPOWER Part I at Mike Hess Brewing Company, 3812 Grim Ave., North Park.

The first installment of an exhibition that celebrates women. The event, which syncs up with International Women’s Day, will feature pieces by both women and men. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 7. Free. 607-349-9599, facebook.com/events/138715843490071 HSweet Wall: An Allan Kaprow Happening Recreation at UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Art critic and curator Jeff Kelley will recreate Allan Kaprow’s Sweet Wall, a 1970 mortar structure held together by bread and jam that was intended to mock the Berlin Wall. This time, it will be created in reference to Trump’s proposed border wall. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Thursday, March 8. Free. visarts.ucsd.edu HDia de la Mujer at The FRONTE Arte Cultura, 147 W San Ysidro Blvd., San Ysidro. The 11th annual exhibit solely showcases female artists. More than 20 participating artists, including Heejung Shin and Anna Stump, will display works in various visual mediums. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 8. Free. 619428-1115, casafamiliar.org/thefront HY Llega Siempre at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. The artist-inresidence, Tatiana Ortiz-Rubio, will reveal and discuss the final result of her temporary mural installation. There will also be works by Griselda Rosas and Kaori Fukuyama on view in the main gallery. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 10. Free. facebook.com/events/1665996793467251 HVenus at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, this exhibit features art created by women from all over the world in a wide variety of media. There will be work by more than 150 female artists. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 10.

Free. 619-255-7036, labodegagallery.com The Shadow of Dreams at Distinction Gallery, 317 E. Grand Ave., Suite A, Escondido. A solo exhibition featuring hyper–realism paintings by Seattle-based artist Daniel Dust. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 10. Free. 760-7072770, distinctionart.com HVoluminous Art: Treasures from San Diego’s University Libraries at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. The Mingei partners with local renowned institutions for an exhibition that showcases 75 volumes—a sampling that reveals centuries-old practices of book design, typography, binding and printing.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 10 through Monday, Sept. 3. Free-$10.

619-239-0003, mingei.org A Night in the Art of Monstro and the Barrio Allstars at CM Curatorial, 2070 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. A night of immersive music, dance and art featuring the works of Victor Ochoa, Mario Torero, Rob Benavides, Salvador “Queso” Torres and more. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, March 10. Free. facebook.com/ cmcuratorial

Saturday, March 10. Free. 858-354-6294, thumbprintgallery.com Made by X: Panca at Museum of Contemporary Art, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. Cocktails will be served as Tijuana artist Paola Villaseñor, aka PANCA, gives a hands-on demonstration of her creative process. Ticket price includes admission, art materials and drinks. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14. $25-$40.

858-454-3541, mcasd.org.

BOOKS HLenore Simon at Sparks Gallery, 520 Sixth Ave., Downtown. In conjunction with the closing of the Quest exhibit, the artist will release and sign her limited edition book of new digital illustrations. She will also be celebrating her 90th birthday.

From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 8.

Free. 619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com Thisbe Nissen and Jay Barron Nicorvo at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The two novelists will be promoting their respective new titles, Our Lady of the Prarie (Nissen) and The Standard Grand (Nicorvo). At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com HAlma Katsu at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The acclaimed novelist will sign and discuss her new supernatural historical novel, The Hunger. At 2 p.m. Saturday, March 10. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Niti Sampat-Patel at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Point Loma. As part of the museum’s Second Sunday author series, Sampat-Patel will sign and discuss her new novel, Moon Goddess, which chronicles multiple generations of women through India, Lebanon and the U.S. At 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 11. $5. 619-233-7963, womensmuseumca.org HShobha Rao at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The acclaimed writer of An Unrestored Woman will sign and discuss her new novel, Girls Burn Brighter. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 12.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HMarci Shore at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The noted historian will read from and discuss her timely new book, The Ukrainian Night: An Intimate History of Revolution. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 13.

Free. 858-456-1800, dgwillsbooks.com Brendan Reichs at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The writer of the Virals series will discuss his new novel, Genesis (the sequel to the popular Nemesis) with bestselling novelist Kiersten White. At 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 14. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com Kristin Hannah at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The New York Times bestselling author will sign and discuss her new novel, The Great Alone. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 14. Free.

858-454-0347, warwicks.com

DANCE

HNorth Park Street Gallery at various locations. Local artists and musicians will create and perform live in the streets.

There will also be food and drink specials offered at various North Park venues.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 10. Free. explorenorthpark.com

HGiselle at Spreckels Theater, 121 Broadway, Downtown. The City Ballet presents its interpretation of this classic love story, in which a peasant girl unknowingly falls for a nobleman and complications ensue.

At 8 p.m. Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11. $25-$75. 858-272-8663, cityballet.org

Imaginary Pets at Thumbprint Gallery, 920 Kline St., La Jolla. This exhibit features new works by pop-surrealist artist Evgeniya Golik, aka Evgola. The Russian-born, San Diego-based artist will display pieces inspired by her childhood dream of having a pet dog. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m.

HSip & Shop at Fifth & Rose, 550 J St., Downtown. A pop-up fashion event featuring the designs of Thieves Like Us, The Salty Ones, Wolven and more. Includes compli-

H = CityBeat picks

FASHION

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY

EVENTS MUSIC

EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 mentary small bites and drink with entry.

From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 11.

Free. thieveslikeuscollection.com

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. Through Sunday, March 11. $10-$275. sdfilmweek.com

FOOD & DRINK Taste of Third at various locations. A selfguided food and drink tour of Chula Vista’s main street, Third Avenue. Includes bites from La Bella Pizza Garden, Italianissimo Trattoria and more, as well as drinks from Bar Sin Nombre and others. From 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 8. $25-$30. 619422-1982, thirdavenuevillage.com HSan Diego Homebrew Festival and Competition at Observatory North Park, 2896 North Park Way, North Park. The third annual tasting event and fundraiser will feature 35 homebrewers, 10 local licensed breweries and three food vendors, all to raise funds for Jefferson Elementary.

Event takes place in the Observatory parking lot. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 10. $10-$35. sdhomebrewfest.com HBest Coast Beer Fest at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. Will Ferrell’s beer festival of choice offers over 300 different beers to taste from local breweries, as well as 15 restaurants and food trucks. Benefits Cuck Fancer charity. From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 10. $40-$115. bestcoastbeerfest.com

Chris Botti at California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido.

The Grammy-award winning trumpeter, who toured with Frank Sinatra and Buddy Rich, will perform. He’s known for his unconventional musical partnerships with Yo-Yo Ma, Steven Tyler and more. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8. $40-$75. 800988-4253, artcenter.org HMarquis Hill Blacktet at The Loft at UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla.

This jazz musician is known for his fusion of Chicago style, hip-hop and spoken word poetry. He and his quintet will perform songs from their new album The Way We Play. At 8 p.m. Thursday, March 8. $18-$30. 858-678-0922, theloft.ucsd.edu.

HBria Skonberg at California Center for the Arts, 340 N Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The young jazz singer, songwriter and trumpeter has garnered a reputation for putting a modern twist on jazz classics.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 9. $25-$40.

800-988-4253, artcenter.org.

The Ten Tenors at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The vocal group’s latest tour, “Wish You Were Here,” salutes legendary musicians gone too soon. The concert will include classics by artists such as David Bowie, Michael Jackson and more. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10. $32-$68. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org.

HL.O.S.T. at St. Andrew’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, 1050 Thomas Ave., Pacific Beach. The San Diego Pro Arte Voices will present the professional premiere of Jason Rosenberg’s original composition, which will be paired with Thomas Tal-

Globetrotting ghoul

G

rowing up in a Navy family meant moving around a lot, but one of my earliest childhood memories comes from right before my father shipped out.

My parents put my younger brother and I in a daycare facility on the Navy base in Norfolk, Virginia, so they could go shopping in peace at the commissary. I vividly recall playing outside and looking across the parking lot where I spotted my parents loading groceries into the back of the station wagon.

I watched in horror as they got in the car and drove away. I was convinced I would never see them again.

They picked us up a few hours later, but the memory lingers. I thought about this incident often as I read When We Were Ghouls, by San Diego writer Amy Wallen, published this month by University of Nebraska Press.

When Wallen was seven years old, she moved from the small town of Eli, Nevada, to Lagos, Nigeria, a city of eight million. Wallen’s father had been summoned to Africa by a petroleum company that tasked him with finding oil.

That meant he was gone a lot, exploring the bush for resources to exploit. Her older siblings were sent to a boarding school in Switzerland, and after her mother was infected with malaria and was confined to bed, this left Wallen in the care of the staff that

the oil company had hired to care for their expat employees.

“My family could have been magicians, their specialty: the disappearing act.”

With deadpan humor and youthful incredulity, Wallen explores a series of strange events, each more bizarre than the last: stepping over dead bodies on her way to school, witnessing a cook stab a clerk with a knife at her school and declining an invitation to attend the execution of a predator, who had, as the story goes, turned himself into a goat after being apprehended by the authorities.

Just as she was acclimating to Lagos, her family moved halfway across the globe to Lima, Peru, where things were even more ghoulish. On a rare weekend together, her family went on a trip to an ancient gravesite, which they promptly plundered for household décor. They even kept a skull, which was stashed in the pantry.

Wallen investigates these memories with the mordant wit of a wisecracking detective as she excavates the crippling loneliness and fear of abandonment that followed her from country to country.

—Jim Ruland

The Floating Library appears every other week.

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 lis’ “Lamentations of Jeremiah,” from the Renaissance era. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 11. $10-$30. sdproartevoices.org HBach and Mahler at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Concertmaster Jeff Thayer will open the show with one of Bach’s rare violin concertos followed by the symphony’s rendition of Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 under the direction of conductor Edo de Waart. At 8 p.m. Friday, March 9 and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11. $25-$72.

619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org.

A Celebration of Leonard Bernstein at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Noted musicians will pay tribute to the famed composer, who wrote music for everything from ballets to operas to films.

The program will include an array of music from his career. At 3 p.m. Sunday, March 11. $45. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org.

HBuddy Guy at Center for the Arts, 340 N Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Once described as “the best guitar player alive” by Eric Clapton, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer will be playing his R&B classics. He will be joined by Brandy Zdan and her unique gothic folk sound. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 12. $45-$115. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org.

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD Palabra at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Avenue, Barrio Logan. Poet Kimberly Dark will read from her collection of latest works.

After, there will be an open mic session for other poets, short stories writers and lyricists hosted by Ted Washington. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8. Suggested donation. 619-255-7036, labodegagallery.com

@SDCITYBEAT

HNon-Standard Lit: Wallace + Fermentto at Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., North Park.

The monthly poetry and cross-genre reading series presents local authors Mark Wallace and Julia Fermentto to discuss their works.

Wallace has published more than 15 pieces and Fermetto has written two bestsellers in Israel. From 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 9.

Free. facebook.com/nonstandardlit HAll Women Poetry Night at Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., North Park. In honor of International Women’s Day, the Women Poets International Movement presents an open mic poetry event that will feature solely female writers. Poet Billikai Boughton will host the event. From 7:30 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 14. Free. 619501-7466, verbatim-books.com

SPECIAL EVENTS

stop yoga classes every hour on the hour.

Courses will include all types of yoga from Kundalini and Reiki to Vinyasa, as taught by some of Southern California’s top instructors. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, March 9 to Monday, March 12. Free$235. sandiegoyogafestival.com HGreat Inflatable Race at SDCCU Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley. A fun run with inflatable obstacles spread throughout the running course. Benefits Blue Star Families. At 9 a.m. Saturday, March 10. $75-$90. thegreatinflatablerace.com HBarrio Logan Chingona’s Flea Market at Barrio Logan Flea Market, 2146 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. In honor of Women’s History Month, this will be a special edition of the Barrio Logan Flea Market featuring chingona, aka badass women, vendors.

From 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 10.

Free. facebook.com/barriologanfleamarket

PechaKucha Night at IDEA1 Apartments, 899 Park Blvd., East Village. The San Diego Architectural Foundation hosts this event where presenters display 20 images at 20 seconds per image on any topic. The night is also a networking opportunity for designers and creative types of all disciplines.

From 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 8. $10. 619-232-1385, sdarchitecture.org

HAgainst the Wall at Tijuana, Baja California. An expedition to Trump’s border wall prototypes, Friendship Park, the northernmost corner of Latin America and more.

The tour will be joined by members of Espacio Migrante, a Tijuana-based, human rights group. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 11. $53.74. turistalibre.com

HSan Diego Cherry Blossom Festival at Japanese Friendship Garden Society, 2215 Pan American Road, Balboa Park.

Celebrate the blooming of the garden’s cherry trees. The day includes Japanese cultural performances, craft activities, vendors and authentic Japanese food.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 9 through Sunday, March 11. Free-$10.

619-232-2721, niwa.org

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS

San Diego Yoga Festival at Imperial Municipal Beach, 10 Evergreen Ave., Imperial Beach. A four-day festival offering non-

HShaun King at Broadway and E Street, Downtown. The journalist, humanitarian and activist, who is one of the most powerful voices of the Black Lives Matter movement, will host a kid-friendly rally on how to make change happen. Time, date and location are subject to change. From 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 14. Free. facebook.com/events/1793669120935949

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

THEATER COURTESY OF TRINITY THEATRE COMPANY

A youthful prince

S

hakespeare’s Macbeth, often referred to in traditionally superstitious theatre circles as “The Scottish Play,” is back yet again on a San Diego stage. But this Macbeth is a bit different: It’s performed by an almost entirely non-professional cast and supported by a volunteer crew. The producer is the six-year-old Trinity Theatre Company, whose young co-founders brought to fruition a dream they first shared while they were classmates at San Diego High School.

That dream, according to Trinity’s 24-year-old artistic director, Sean Boyd, was to “unify friends, family and the community by putting on shows of societal value.” He and Kenden Reed, who manages the business side of the nonprofit company, started out with “no capital,” but just two months after graduation, they presented their first show, Brian Friel’s Lovers, at Community Actors Theatre in City Heights. Twenty-some productions later, Trinity Theatre Company is tackling Macbeth at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in Downtown, which it leases in five-month increments for not only the theater, but for the office space upstairs as well. Reflecting its artistic diversity, Trinity will present Joseph Kesselring’s comedy Arsenic and Old Lace this summer and Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot beginning in late November, which Boyd will direct.

Trinity’s Macbeth is directed by Coronado Playhouse board member Thomas Haine, who Boyd says “has a passion for this work. He gave me a thousand reasons why we had to do it.” Haine’s adaptation of the script features 14 actors (three of which are kids), including nonprofessionals such as Kristen Washington as (a very promising) Lady Macbeth and local fixture Mark C. Petrich (Moxie Theatre,

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

OPENING: A Bench in the Sun: Two lifelong friends become rivals when they begin competing for the affection of a woman who just moved into the retirement home. Written by Ron Clark, it opens March 9 at PowPAC Community Theatre in Poway. powpac.org Company: Stephen Sondheim’s Tony-winning musical about an unapologetic bachelor who begins to question his single life after a series of interactions with married friends. Directed by Stephen Brotebeck, it opens March 9 at the SDSU Experimental Theatre in the College Area. ttf.sdsu.edu Lend Me a Tenor: Set in 1930’s Cleveland, a manager of an opera company must scramble after his lead singer drops dead. Presented

by Vanguard, it opens March 7 at the Westminster Theatre in Point Loma. vanguardsd.org Spike Heels: Teresa Rebeck’s biting dramedy about four morally flawed New York characters caught in a series of love triangles. Directed by Charley Miller, it opens March 9 at the OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. onstageplayhouse.org

Courtney Sims (left) and Randy Coull in Macbeth the North Coast Rep., among others) as the play’s comicrelief porter.

“We want people with a lot of experience to be involved with those with less experience,” says Boyd.

Besides its mainstage productions, Trinity Theatre Company is heavily involved in arts education, which includes workshops, classes and productions for young audiences. “It’s (arts education) something we take very seriously,” said Boyd, who made his own acting debut at age 10 in a production of The Grapes of Wrath.

Macbeth runs through March 18 at Tenth Avenue Arts Center, downtown. $18-$28; trinityttc.org

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

—David L. Coddon

POP Tour 2018—Home of the Brave: A new play featuring a collection of scenes and stories inspired by interviews with real-life children whose family members are serving in the military. It opens for four public performances March 10 at the Rao and Padma Makineni Play Development Center in La Jolla. lajollaplayhouse.org The Skriker: Caryl Churchill’s playful drama about a fairy who transforms itself into various people and things in order to manipulate the lives of two young mothers. Directed by Jon Reimer, it opens March 13 at the Arthur Wagner Theatre at UC San Diego in La Jolla. theatre. ucsd.edu A Jewish Joke: Set in 1950s Hollywood, a blacklisted Jewish screenwriter fights back against the Communist witch hunt the best way he knows how: with his jokes. Presented by the Roustabouts Theatre Co., it opens in previews March 14 at the MOXIE Theatre in Rolando. theroustabouts.org

Find more theater listings at sdcitybeat.com

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march 7, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

25th Annual Latino Film Festival • 2018

25th Annual Latino Film Festival • 2018

RICH DEAS

CULTURE

Children of Blood and Bone he release of Black Panther has (hopefully) ushered in a new era of the Black superhero. But more importantly, the film’s themes and diverse cast of Pan-Africans reinvigorated the debate about the net effect that positive Black images can have on society.

The publishing world heavily influences what “diversity” and “representation” look like, not only on the written page but in all of pop culture. The when, how and if to take a more inclusive approach to the literary arts in the current call-out culture (that is, the tendency to publicy call out oppresive or bigoted language and behavior) can be a minefield of pitfalls. There’s also the dawning realization—for some—that to stay in the game, you may just have to up your game.

There’s an incoming crew of women of color authors continuing the work to change the landscape of young adult (YA) fiction. Make no mistake: The YA genre is riding a wave of Black girl magic on all levels. With impeccable timing, there are now books consisently hitting the shelves that not only feature main characters of color adventuring in fantastical worlds that are plentifully populated by non-stereotypical people of color, but they’re also written by creators of color.

Last month, Dhonielle Clayton served up The Belles, a deeply subversive tale about a magical young girl forced to acknowledge her bonds in order to break them. The story was wrapped in decadent visuals, biting descriptions and gripping political intrigue. This month, San Diego local Tomi Adeyemi’s debut novel, Children of Blood and Bone (Henry Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan), picks up the baton with a tale set in West Africa and inspired by the myths and folklore of the region, as well as her own Nigerian heritage. Readers may recognize the name, as CityBeat profiled her after her three-book deal and film option broke records and put her on the radar.

Children of Blood and Bone’s official synopsis captures what makes this book one of the most anticipated debuts of 2018: “Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls. But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were targeted and killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope. Now, Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.”

Readers may have caught Adeyemi’s most recent stop on the #NowWeRise book tour at local independent bookstore Mysterious Galaxy. If not, let me now explain why swinging by a store to grab a copy is worth readers’ time.

This is the journey of two young women, Zélie, who’s living under the crushing rule of a king driven to wipe her kind out, as well as Amari, a princess turned rogue after witnessing the death of a friend at her father’s hand. Each will battle against the King’s genocidal agenda and work to return magic to Orïsha. But they must face off against a crown prince who’s been sent to hunt down his treacherous sister.

Adeyemi’s built a world that brings dimension to West Africa. This setting leaves no room for biased assumptions about character or culture and this is accomplished mainly by thwarting preconceived notions about non-Western societies. Orïsha is a world where magic was once celebrated and the maji (essentially magic–wielding characters) are viewed as a blessing among the populous. Adeyemi weaves this history into the chapters in a way that makes the creeping rot at the heart of this kingdom even more poignant.

In an interview with Black Girl Nerds, Adeyemi said discovering Orïsha while studying in Brazil was inspiring. She was in awe of “blackness portrayed and celebrated as this awesome sacred thing.”

That inspiration is manifested in Children of Blood and Bone’s setting and descriptions that eventually orient the reader to the time and place for this adventure. I would’ve liked these elements to have kicked in earlier, but the initial focus on the characters’ dynamic ultimately pays off.

Still, no matter how interesting the premise, this is hardly a unique concept, especially in a YA novel. Pitting one of the downtrodden against the system in order to address some grievous wrong is a tried-and-true plot device. But, having both the downtrodden and the oppressors as Black? That is most assuredly something we don’t see often (and when we do, it’s poorly done). Centering dark-skinned otherness as

a mark of potential greatness? Well, that’s even more of a rarity in fiction.

Those decisions alone by Adeyemi were guaranteed to spark intra-community discussions about colorism and social bias in favor of light-skinned people. I won’t lie, I would’ve liked to see a theme more deeply rooted in the action, but having it overtly present at all in a fantasy novel is noteworthy.

Children of Blood and Bone’s primary characters are Black females, not waiting for a white person (or male) to clue them into danger. And despite exhibiting the typical YA youthful recklessness, each character is keenly aware ELENA SEIBERT from the outset of the potential fallouts of their choices.

These key differences empowered Adeyemi to do deeper character development. The tense dynamic between family members, as well as each girl’s caustic social interactions in their home life, set the stage for understanding what motivates and hinders them long before they ever meet.

When all is said and done, Children of Blood and Bone is a story about family, power, truth and destiny. There’s unflinching violence, oppression, tangled feelings, conflicting loyalties and smart decisions that result in tragic consequences. All of this, while being built around allegory that is centered on the value of Blackness. Adeyemi’s well on her Tomi Adeyemi way to meeting her goal to, as she put it in the Black Girl Nerds interview, “write a story so good with just Black people... that you have to read it, or you’re gonna be missing out.”

Talking about substantive representation in media and the arts is a touchy subject all around. Mostly because folks who are already comfortable have little interest in making room for more seats at their table. Books like The Belles and Children of Blood and Bone go a long way toward making such discussions unavoidable in publishing.

The tides are shifting and where seats aren’t available, Black and Brown creatives are more than happy to set a whole new table.

I’m here for every flavorful dish waiting to be served.

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march 7, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

CULTURE | VOICES

RACHEL MICHELLE FERNANDES

THANK YOU FOR

Young and ready

D

STARING

uring the countercultural movements of the ‘60s, there was a saying that was echoed by the defiant younger generation: “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” Taken from a San Francisco Chronicle interview with Jack Weinburg, key strategist and cofounder of the Free Speech Movement, the phrase was obviously hyperbolic and meant to be provocative. But Weinburg was trying to make a point that still holds true today: Young people are a strong, independent force capable of organizing themselves effectively for change.

As a nation, we’re seeing this evidenced by the powerful speeches and direct action from the teens of Parkland, Florida. In San Diego, the younger set are starting to form collectives to make their voices heard and find strength in numbers, especially in the arts, where public and financial support is constantly wavering.

I recently had the chance to speak with several emerging arts leaders here, most of whom are women (hooray!), about how they are coming together. Luckily they trusted me enough to listen, even though I just turned 40.

“The DIY community is all we have, and we’re figuring out how to establish ourselves as organizations, businesses and artists,” says 20-year-old Anna Zeltins, a multi-disciplinary artist, designer, DJ and founder/editor-in-chief of her own magazine, Garamonde.

“It’s possible to do things on your own. You don’t necessarily need a very expensive art education or a background of working at art institutions to create your own entities to support the arts in San Diego.”

Recently, Zeltins learned the hard way that some of the more established arts institutions are not to be relied upon. After serving as the main curator and designer for the latest incarnation of the San Diego Art Institute’s gift shop, Zeltins says she was dismissed from the organization with no advance notice (she says the new director told her “it’s not working out”).

“I feel like it’s this facade that’s put up by these places, like ‘wow, we’re stimulating the art community and we’re giving so much back!’ But they’re really just taking a lot from it,” she laments.

Despite her disappointment, Zeltins is not letting the setbacks get her down and is instead taking action. She recently moved into a house called The Pink House in Golden Hill where she and her artist roommates have already started to hold meetings and plan pop-up art and music shows. She’s also teaming with the collective Weird Hues, who CityBeat covered last June, to help sync calendars with other DIY arts groups as well as stage a number of transborder events.

In addition, Zeltins and Weird Hues are joining forces with one of the most active young voices on

the scene, Carmela Prudencio, who serves as MOPA’s marketing and communications assistant, as well as the social media coordinator for the Rise Up For The Arts campaign.

“All of us are so personally affected by the arts in San Diego in completely different ways, but there’s a sense of solidarity that I feel from my peers that will make us steadfast,” asserts Prudencio. “People trash Millennials far too often, but we’re just doing things differently. We are able to connect faster and get to know each other on a different level, and maybe that’s why we’re more likely to work collectively. I have friends from Instagram that I have met a few times IRL, but I feel a sense of closeness to them because I can see and support what they’re creating and promoting through social media.”

With the Pink House serving as an IRL meeting place and social media as megaphone, Prudencio plans on forming a mighty front to stand up to proposed budget cuts to the arts by a city government that often seems none too eager to support the little guy. She and her compadres are also looking at this as an opportunity to address funding inequities at large.

“I once perceived voting as this big government thing, but looking at my city and seeing that I can change our narrative is huge,” Prudencio says.

Meanwhile, up in Oceanside, another living room is serving as an incubator for the arts. Alofa Gould, a 23-year-old artist and local community organizer (along with her friends, Grace Gray, 25, Isabel Pichardo, 22, and Norma Beaz, 30) recently started Normal Girl Collective. Just barely off the ground, the group has found enormous solidarity, encouraging each other, as well as other young women and girls, to call themselves artists and regularly produce work.

“We kind of all picked up different kinds of art practices with each other as a way to vent and hang out, but it wasn’t anything super serious at first,” says Gould. “And then we decided that it could go somewhere because it was just healthy to do for our own mental reasons.”

Hosting pop-ups in her house for a project called Unit F, as well as an upcoming series of workshops for teens in collaboration with The Hill Street Country Club, Alofa and the Normal Girls are another awesome example of youth in action and how you don’t have to have a master’s degree to make an impact.

“Everyone’s just so ready for a change or some sense of community,” says Gould. “It’s not about being competitive, it’s just about actually helping people through a process that can be their outlet.”

People trash millennials far too often, but we’re just doing things differently. We are able to connect faster and get to know each other on a different level, and maybe that’s why we’re more likely to work collectively.

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

Thank You For Staring appears every other week.

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CULTURE | FILM

Mother Russia

Loveless

Andrey Zvyagintsev’s frigid drama paints a dire picture of humanity

by Glenn Heath Jr.

B

eware to all the newlyweds, lovebirds and hope- image compounds to represent the stunning banality less romantics out there: Viewing Loveless might of their numbness. The camera seems right at home permanently alter your faith in humanity. Set in in empty dilapidated spaces such as the abandoned late 2012 immediately before the Mayan calendar pre- building that houses Alyosha’s underground secret dicted the world’s end, director Andrey Zvyagintsev’s base.

Being the blunt object that it is, Loveless injects bleak film depicts its own emotional apocalypse that is currently ripping one family apart. Misery loves scathing critiques of Putin-era bureaucracy and rampant fundamentalism in both the workplace and company in Mother Russia.

Zhenya (Maryana Spivak) and Boris (Aleksey Ro- homestead. Economic pressures are omnipresent, zin) are putting the final coffin nails in their dead warping priorities and skewing motivations. Empathy marriage, arguing relentlessly over who gets what and and compassion have long been replaced by the popuhow much. Another point of contention is what to do lar allure of financial standing and familial security.

Much of Zvyagintsev’s previous work, specifically with their 12-year-old son, Alyosha (Matvey Novikov).

Neither parent wants to lay claim to the disaffected Leviathan and The Return, contain elements of absurboy since both have already moved on to new lives and dity that helped justify fractured timelines and jarring gaps in the narrative. There’s no such comfort zone in partners.

Considering the dire circumstances, it’s of no great Loveless, which belies any and all surrealist tendencies surprise when Alyosha suddenly disappears one day for obvious political statements that are transcribed through personal tragedy and after getting fed up with his unhappiness. There are few bickering parents and their bitterer pills one can imagine seemingly endless negativity.

LOVELESS swallowing.

His absence manages to set By the time reality begins to the film on a different pace, Directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev set in, not even the memory of and what was setting up to be Starring Maryana Spivak, Alyosha’s ghostly presence rea particularly nasty divorce Aleksey Rozin and Matvey Novikov mains for comfort’s sake. Lovemelodrama suddenly turns Not Rated less believes modern Russia is into an urgent missing persons very much at peace with this procedural. However, that shift sort of gaping absence, which in genre doesn’t diminish the brutal war of attrition that wages between Zhenya and extends to the death of empathy and kindness too.

The film’s two central characters couldn’t be bothered Boris over accountability and blame.

During an extended search sequence, Loveless be- to care enough about their son, so why should they comes a film of dead ends. Aided by a crack squad of care about the next children they have, or with the crivolunteers, the besieged parents are force to endure sis in Ukraine, or about anything beside themselves? one disappointment after the next, with Alyosha It’s an endless cycle of selfishness.

Zvyagintsev’s didactic symbolism eventually leaves having seemingly vanished into thin air much like Lea Massari’s character in Michelangelo Antonioni’s little in the way of cinematic finesse. Loveless (opening L’Avventura. The most time-consuming and taxing of Friday, March 16) lives up to its title and then some, these disappointments centers on a trip to Zhenya’s presenting adults as so resentful of responsibility that estranged mother’s house. As vitriolic statements are their children just vanish into thin air in order to esthrown across the room like knives, the viewer gets cape the vicious cycle. The film ends with one last barthe sense that these characters don’t know how to do ren vista for good measure, leaving an incredible sense of fatigue to ponder as the closing credits roll. This is a anything but fight.

Zvyagintsev fuses the gloom with stylistic grace, ride you’ll only want to take once. employing both lengthy camera movements and perfectly framed static shots to scan the frigid locale. Film reviews run weekly.

Suffering is a way of life for these characters, so each Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

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MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

CULTURE | FILM

Before We Vanish

Clean slate

I

n Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s positively evil serial killer film, Creepy, the central antagonist wields powers of persuasion that feel out of this world. With Before We Vanish, the Japanese master filmmaker cuts right to the chase with actual extraterrestrials taking over human bodies to study (and question) conceptions of language and emotion in advance of an alien invasion. The resulting gonzo scifi hybrid is insanely fun and ambitious, but also quite melancholic.

The narrative splits into two halves, one evoking the classic Hollywood blockbuster and the other swaying closer to spiritual melodrama. Hunting for leads concerning the gruesome murder of an entire family, tabloid journalist Sakurai (Hiroki Hasegawa) happens upon a pair of intergalactic interlopers. Along with conducting thought experiments on unsuspecting humans, they are searching for their third companion who has taken control of Shinji (Ryûhei Matsuda), the estranged husband of an artist named Narumi (Masami Nagasawa).

As the doomsday clock ticks away, Before We Vanish remains intimate in scale. The romantic underpinnings between Shinji and Narumi play out in stark contrast to the action set pieces that engulf Sakurai. One of the film’s strangest (and finest) sequences involves a massive missile-firing drone that might as well be mankind’s own spaceship.

Kurosawa deftly handles scenes of mass hysteria and quiet reflection, juxtaposing both until they momentarily collide in the last act. While it employs certain stock conventions familiar in apocalypse sagas, the film stays focused on the philosophical and emotional conundrums that arise due to the alien’s research.

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

Before We Vanish (opening Friday, March 9, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park) ultimately centers on the theme of sacrifice as humanity’s saving grace. Whether or not it matters in the long run seems moot; Kurosawa mines plenty of hope in the romantic urgency of individual moments that transcend theoretical concept. In the end, feeling is believing.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING A Wrinkle in Time: Ava DuVernay adapts the famous children’s novel about a young girl who goes searching for her missing scientist father only to be sent into space by three peculiar beings.

Before We Vanish: Kiyoshi Kurosawa blends a strange mix of romance and science fiction in this story of alien invaders who try to understand humanity’s concepts of love, time and self. Opens Friday, March 9, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Gringo: In Nash Edgerton’s dark comedy, businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo) becomes embroiled in the criminal underworld and must do everything he can to survive a host of different threats.

Oh Lucy!: A lonely woman living in Tokyo is inspired to take an English class where she discovers her alter ego. Opens Friday, March 9, at the Ken Cinema.

The Strangers—Prey at Night: Three masked psychopaths stalk a family who’s visiting a mobile home park for the night.

The Young Karl Marx: In 1844, the young Karl Marx meets Friedrich Engels, who shares his views on the exploitation of the working class. Opens Friday, March 9, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Thoroughbreds: Set in an upper crust Connecticut neighborhood, two teenage girls rekindle their unlikely friendship and hatch a plan to make their problems go away forever.

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

@SDCITYBEAT

CJ MONK

MUSIC

from left: Rachel Aggs, Andrew Milk and Billy Easter hopping were handed a bit of a setback before making their third album. Power Lunches—the UK dance-punk trio’s rehearsal space, DIY venue and artist venue—closed down because it was “financially unviable” to continue operating, according to a Facebook post. It’s not an uncommon occurrence in a city like London, where rising rents create major obstacles for artists on a budget to maintain a stable creative space. But for a band like Shopping, whose songwriting is born of spontaneous jam sessions within a central physical space, it brought about some complications. The experience eventually led to drummer Andrew Milk and guitarist/vocalist Rachel Aggs pulling up stakes and relocating to Glasgow, Scotland.

Not that this stopped Shopping from eventually creating The Official Body, which

was released in January via FatCat Records.

The band didn’t let the inconvenience of a shared rehearsal space, or even living in different cities, become a bigger roadblock than it needed to be. Yet the closing of Power Lunches did result in an even greater sense of pessimism about whether or not independent art and music can continue to exist in a city like London.

“A space we were all really involved in shut down and it really took the heart out of our little scene,” says Aggs from her home in Glasgow. “It’s those little scenes that keep the city fun and interesting, and it became difficult. It’s just a product of the way London is in general. Just in general, normal people can’t afford to live in London anymore. It’s become a weird sort of haven for the super rich, basically.”

Shopping is a band that only makes

sense when all three musicians (Aggs, Milk and bassist Billy Easter) are locked into a groove. The 10 songs on The Official Body are made of funky, danceable, interlocking disco-punk parts while the three musicians engage in infectious call-and-response vocal chants. Their music isn’t the sort of thing that sounds as immediate or taut when built layer by layer on a laptop. With only three musicians in the band, each instrument is given equal emphasis, creating a unique chemistry between the three of them that gives even their studio recordings a live feel.

“The songs are the sum of the parts of the band,” Aggs says. “It’s very minimal musically so you can hear each part, and our personalities come through. Because we want it to be dance music, and made within our means as musicians, we make the drum and bass really important and high in the mix. Everything’s important, and that’s how we feel creatively with all of us. We all have equal ownership of the songwriting.”

Even within Shopping’s minimal framework, there’s a great deal of diversity. Leadoff track “The Hype” carries a dub-influenced rhythm similar to those of songs by punk icons The Slits, while “Discover” is backed by a fat synthesizer bassline. There’s a touch of surf-rock in the guitar sound of “Asking for a Friend” and some ominous use of space in “Control Yourself.” Some of the credit for the various sonic treatments goes to producer Edwyn Collins, best known for fronting the band Orange Juice in the ‘80s, as well as his hit song “A Girl Like You” in the ‘90s. The band recorded in his studio, and often employed various bits of other instrumentation, such as synths or melodica.

Yet Aggs says that the group approached the recording with practicality in mind, never attempting anything that they couldn’t pull off a live with just the three of them. Shopping are a band that take economy seriously, and if something is beyond their means, they’re likely to scrap it.

“We always want to be able to replicate what’s on the record live,” she says. “All the things that are on the record, little synth parts that we don’t necessarily do live, we’re still trying to see if we can do live. I don’t think it massively changes the song to not have them there. It’s just not an issue for us.

I know a lot of bands don’t do that, but for us, it’s a kind of economy of sound. If you

have an extra sound, you need an extra musician, and it becomes a whole thing.”

Aggs summarizes the intent behind Shopping’s music fairly succinctly: “We want to write songs that make people dance.”

Yet to call Shopping “dance music” overlooks some of the subtle political commentary in their music. On “The Hype,” they chant, “Don’t believe/Ask questions,” pushing back against conventional wisdom and dubious information. “Suddenly Gone” is about feeling undervalued as a marginalized person (“Throw it away, throw it away/ disposable”), and “My Dad’s A Dancer” opens with a blunt confrontation of prejudices: “This is such a simple thing/ You don’t like me and I don’t look like you.” Even the album’s title, The Official Body, can be seen as a double entendre, interpretable as either a commentary on acceptable body types or as a euphemism for the powers that be.

In the past, Shopping were hesitant to call themselves “political,” though they acknowledge that an increasingly politicized world means that isn’t really possible. However, instead of sloganeering, they’re simply offering their own reflections on complicated real-life issues that they encounter on race, gender or sexual identity. And in turn, they’re doing their part to help create their own expressive space for other marginalized people to join them.

“We get asked a lot about whether we’re a political band, and in the early days of the band we’d say no, because we’re not activists,” she says. “We’re not changing anything, so it felt a bit serious. But it’s weird to think about someone not being a political band. What would that mean and why would you say that? Everything you do is politicized, especially when you’re in a minority, which we all are in some ways. So we’re just making music about what it is to be alive and the frustrations that we experience. And it’s really cathartic for us, because it’s just one small thing that we can do.

“The main idea is to provide some sort of catharsis through dancing and expressing yourself,” she adds. “Creating a space for queer people and people of color to freak out and express themselves, and that’s political in itself.”

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

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO

BY RYAN BRADFORD THE

SPOTLIGHT

LOCALS ONLY

JONAS ROGOWSKI / WIKI COMMONS

O

ptiganally Yours are releasing their first new mu- tered around the Optigan, a keyboard manufactured in the sic in 18 years. The duo, comprising Rob Crow and ‘70s that played music stored on plastic discs, which often Pea Hicks, released two albums in 1997 and 2000, sounded lo-fi and crackly. Since the band’s debut, however, Hicks got hold of the recordings the discs respectively, and spent nearly two decades JEFF WIANT were made of, which were used in the makworking on what would eventually become ing of the new album. The recording quality the next full-length, though they had some of those sessions are of much better quality, obstacles along the way. hence the title, Optiganally Yours in Hi-Fi. “We started the process 18 years ago,” “I acquired the master-tape archives of Hicks says. “A lot of the songs come from studio recordings for optigan discs, includthat time period. We would work on it in fits ing lots of unreleased material,” he says. and starts, just in flurries of activity. One of “The tapes have hours and hours of raw the reasons it’s taken so long is that the almaterial. It’s not much different from makbum was stored on my system, but also on ing records out of sampling records.”

Rob’s. So reconciling the different versions Because it’s taken nearly two decades of it was kind of a chore.” for the album to finally see the light of day, The new album, Optiganally Yours in HiHicks says he’s eager to just have the finFi, is being released through Joyful Noise Optiganally Yours ished product out in the world.

Records as part of a package with other ma“The album has basically been finished terial involving Crow. The album, along with Crow’s other releases, will be included in a box set at the end for a while,” he says. “At this point, I just want the record out.

It doesn’t need any special treatment.” of the year, as well as individual digital and vinyl releases.

Optiganally Yours was originally started as a project cen —Jeff Terich

ALBUM REVIEW Twin Ritual Hand Through the Mist (Self-released)

T

here’s a general rule in San Diego (and probably most cities), that if a musician is in one band, they’re probably in at least a couple others. Such is the case for Twin Ritual, a group of musicians who’ve all had prominent past and parallel projects, including Glass Spells (bassist Anthony Ramirez), Astral Touch (guitarist Nathan Leutzinger) and Le Chateau (vocalist Laura Levenhagen). To call them a supergroup doesn’t feel quite right, though each member of the band is certainly both talented and accomplished. Rather, the group’s debut EP, Hand Through the Mist, is a showcase for a different stylistic side of those strengths.

The EP is also the most unabashedly pop recording that any of these artists have been involved with. That’s to be expected given the involvement of producer Dave Trumfio, whose impressive list of credits includes OK Go, Grandaddy and Billy Bragg and Wilco’s collaborative album,

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

Mermaid Avenue. Twin Ritual doesn’t necessarily sound like any of those bands in particular, but they do sound like the sort of band that aims for a more polished, radiofriendly sound.

“Is It Paranoia,” the first track on the EP, sets the stage with a high-energy dance-punk approach that would sound natural both in a disco or a large concert hall. However, “Angry” is the song that sounds most like a natural hit with a big, synth-driven chorus reminiscent of the likes of Phoenix or Metric, showcasing Levenhagen’s impressive, soaring vocal abilities while grooving the fuck out.

The next two tracks are mostly along the same lines as the first two, all impeccable-sounding alternative pop songs that flirt with darkness without ever descending into it fully (like Ramirez’s other band, Glass Spells, for instance). I’d like to hear where the band goes from here, as this only feels like a small sampling of what they could do, and a bit more variation could serve them well. But I feel like I’m already going to have trouble getting “Angry” out of my head, which probably bodes well for the band’s future.

—Jeff Terich

T

Doyle

here are not many musicians that pull me into an internet wormhole quite like Doyle. Brother to Misfits founding member Jerry Only, Doyle has played guitar in every incarnation of the seminal horror-punk band since joining at the young age of 16.

That includes the weird born-again Christian phase and the current Danzig-led reunion.

But it’s not just his impressive career that’s so captivating, it’s his entire being. First off, the dude looks like an undead WWF wrestler: huge, ripped and scary. When he plays live, it’s not so much playing the guitar as it is beating it into submission. He builds his own guitars, too—customized so they don’t cut his hands (which sounds a lot like prison-rules guitar playing to me).

Yet, for a guy who looks like he could bite your head off, he’s a devout vegan. And watch any interview with him and it’s striking how quiet and shy he is.

Sure, he shares the no-nonsense Jersey attitude of his Misfits brethren, but compared to the infamous hot-headedness of Danzig and Jerry Only, Doyle seems downright grounded. He also chews bubblegum and blows bubbles during shows, which is a cool juxtaposition when his frontman is singing about dreaming of dead girls.

Doyle’s solo stuff is a lot more metal than The Misfits ever were; it’s also not as distinctive. But that’s not really the point. The spectacle of watching a Frankenstein-of-a-man demolish the stage while chewing bubblegum is the worth the price of admission.

Doyle plays Saturday, March 10 at Brick By Brick.

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march 7, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

26 · San Diego CityBeat · march 7, 2018

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MUSIC

JEFF TERICH FRIDAY, MARCH 9

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7

PLAN A: Jake Najor and the Moment of Truth, Smoota @ Bar Pink. Jake Najor’s played in countless bands in San Diego, and anyone who hasn’t seen one needs to get out of the house more. He’s debuting his new band at this show, which will definitely be a funky one. BACKUP PLAN: Abyss X, Hounds, Japanese Emoticon, John Jolley @ SPACE.

THURSDAY, MARCH 8

PLAN A: Protomartyr, Shame, Miss New Buddha @ SPACE. Protomartyr is one of my favorite bands of the past five years, thanks to their consistently great, dark postpunk records. They’re playing with UK group Shame, who graced our cover last week and will provide a kickass set of their own. PLAN B: U.S. Girls, Trip Advisor @ Soda Bar. U.S. Girls’ new album, In a Poem Unlimited, is an early favorite record for 2018, full of high-energy disco songs tackling issues of sex, gender and imbalances of power. This

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COLIN MEDLEY

PLAN A: Palm, The Spirit of the Beehive, Rob Crow (acoustic) @ SPACE. Palm is the kind of band whose guitars don’t sound like guitars. They make catchy, albeit unconventional pop in the vein of Deerhoof and Battles, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun. PLAN B: American Nightmare, Torso, Fireburn, Spiritual Cramp @ Brick by Brick. Hardcore fans should be well acquainted with American Nightmare, a Boston band of miscreants fronted by Wes Eisold, now of Cold Cave. Get there early for Spiritual Cramp, who does old-school punk with a fresh approach. BACKUP PLAN: Talib Kweli, DJ Bar1ne @ Music Box.

SATURDAY, MARCH 10

PLAN A: ‘San Diego Freak Out’ w/ Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Wild Wild Wets, The Mad Walls, Creepseed, Bad Kids, Spooky Cigarette, The Kabbs @ The Casbah. The quarterly San Diego Freak Out is always a great time, loaded with trippy bands and cool visuals. Based on the lineup, this one will be full of great psych-rock sets U.S. Girls from beginning to end. PLAN B: Therapy, HEAT, Karbonite @ Teros Gallery. Theralready looks like a night full of tough deapy’s a relatively new band featuring memcisions. PLAN C: Antibalas, Here Lies bers of Age of Collapse, and their heavy-asMan @ Belly Up Tavern. This night is so fuck hardcore is extremely intense. Prepare stacked, I’m playing the Plan C card. Antibafor some seriously bruising sounds. BACKlas are carrying the torch for Afrobeat with UP PLAN: Homeless Sexuals, Bosswitch, politically-charged songs that bring some Half Car Garage @ Black Cat Bar. serious funk.

SUNDAY, MARCH 11

PLAN A: Wolves in the Throne Room, CHRCH, Abyssal @ Brick by Brick.

Wolves in the Throne Room are one of the first black metal bands I ever got into, so I highly endorse their atmospheric but still intense and ominous approach. It’s epic, dark and overwhelming. PLAN B: Kate Bush Dance Party w/ Baby Bushka @ The Casbah. I’m extremely selective about cover or tribute shows. But Kate Bush is the greatest, and Baby Bushka, which comprises a bunch of local singers and musicians, will no doubt do her music justice. BACKUP PLAN: Guantanamo Baywatch, No Parents, Honey Pot, Sixes @ Blonde.

MONDAY, MARCH 12

PLAN A: Peaking Lights, Minor Gems, Oak Palace @ Blonde. Peaking Lights are a duo that make cool, psychedelic dub-pop that’s danceable but strange in the best way.

It’s heavy on effects and spacious sounds, but still grooves.

TUESDAY, MARCH 13

PLAN A: Sara Petite, The Hiroshima Mockingbirds, Euphoria Brass Band, Bad Kids @ The Casbah. The San Diego Music Awards are just around the corner, and this showcase is a good way to get acquainted with some of the best bands in town. It’s also free, which is pretty hard to pass up.

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Lovelytheband (Music Box, 3/27), Jaden Smith (Observatory, 4/4), Ryley Walker (Casbah, 4/16), John Doe and Exene (BUT, 5/2), Meshell Ndegeocello (Music Box, 5/8), Current Swell (Casbah, 5/11), Hot Snakes (Observatory, 5/11), Dirty Projectors (Music Box, 5/12), Trash Can Sinatras (Casbah, 5/16), Horse Feathers (Casbah, 5/18), Ocean Alley (Soda Bar, 5/23), Ray Lamontagne, Neko Case (Open Air Theatre, 6/2), Curtis Harding (Casbah, 6/2), She Wants Revenge (Music Box, 6/8), JD McPherson (BUT, 6/12), Post Animal (Soda Bar, 6/17), Kenny Chesney (Mattress Firm, 6/21), Warped Tour (SDCCU Stadium, 6/22), Farruko (Observatory, 6/29), Reyno (Soda Bar, 7/2), Avenged Sevenfold, Prophets of Rage (Mattress Firm, 8/21).

GET YER TICKETS 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), 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), Jessie Ware (BUT, 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), Xavier Rudd (BUT, 5/29-30), Lord Huron (HOB, 5/31), Iceage (Casbah, 6/5), Kesha, Macklemore (Mattress Firm, 6/12), Sunflower Bean (Che Café, 6/13), Belle and Sebastian (Observatory, 6/22), Wye Oak (Soda Bar, 7/20), Thirty Seconds to Mars (Mattress Firm, 7/21), Joe Bonamassa (Humphreys, 7/26-27), Weezer, The Pixies (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/11), Chris Stapleton (Mattress Firm, 8/16), Dispatch (Open Air Theatre, 8/18), Charlie Puth (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/20), Church of Misery (Brick by Brick, 8/21), Punch Brothers (Observatory, 8/25), Smashing Pumpkins (Viejas Arena, 9/1), 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), Joan Baez (Humphreys, 10/30).

28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

MARCH 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, Shame at SPACE. New Politics at House of Blues. Spawnbreeze, Innavision at Music Box.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Merrow. Sara Petite, Hiroshima Mockingbirds at The Casbah.

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

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

FRIDAY, MARCH 16 Hippie Sabotage at Observatory North Park. Morgan Leigh Band at Belly Up Tavern. Band of Gringos, The Delta Saints at Music Box. ‘The Redwoods Revue’ w/ Midnight Pine, Birdy Bardot, Dani Bell and the Tarantist, Heavy Guilt at The Casbah. Soul-Junk, Pistolita at Soda Bar. Shoreline Mafia at SOMA.

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

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 (sold out).

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.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 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. Sisu at The Casbah.

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 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. Circles Around the Sun at Belly Up Tavern.

SATURDAY, APRIL 7 Courtney Marie Andrews at Soda Bar.

Jefferson Starship at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Joshua Radin at Music Box. J.D. Wilkes and Legendary Shack Shakers Unplugged at The Casbah.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Karaoke.

Fri: Manic Fanatic, Thirty House Premiere.

Sat: Ranking Joe and SM Familia, Introspective Culture. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: The Drednotz.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop House’.

Thu: ‘Centerpiece’ w/ DJ Eliasar Gordillo.

Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Karma, Alice.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Aries Spears. Fri: Aries Spears. Sat: Aries Spears.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band (sold out). Thu: Antibalas, Here Lies Man. Fri: Dead Man’s Party, Manganista, DJ Richie (sold out). Sat: G. Love and Special Sauce, Ron Artis II and the Truth (sold out). Sun: G. Love and Special Sauce, Ron Artis II and the Truth. Mon: ‘Let the Good Times Roll’.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Uptown Rhythm Makers.

Fri: The Heart Beat Trail, Rhinoceros III, Dreams Made Flesh. Sat: Homeless Sexuals, Bosswitch, Half Car Garage.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ Jan Ozlanski. Thu: ‘Ceremony’. Fri: ‘Dance Punk’. Sat: ‘Tron ‘80s New Wave Party’.

Sun: Guantanamo Baywatch, No Parents, Honey Pot, Sixes. Mon: Peaking Lights, Minor Gems, Oak Palace.

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

Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Thu: Tobi D’Amore. Fri: Max Fite, Dead Country Gentlemen, Sluka, Ganjawatch. Sat: Tzimani, Sociocide, Call of the Wild, Meltdown. Sun: Blues Kitchen.

Tue: Karaoke.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Fri: American Nightmare, Torso, Fireburn, Spiritual Cramp. Sat: Doyle, Society 1, Chemical Warfare, Steeltoe, Bunch of Heathens. Sun: Wolves in the Throne Room, CHRCH, Abyssal.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Sat: Henry Fong, Jinco.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Hot Snakes, The Widows, Sumatraban (sold out). Thu: Kyle Craft, Soft Lions. Fri: Thunderpussy, The Andrew McKeag Band, Mittens. Sat: Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Wild Wild Wets, Mad Walls, Creepseed, Bad Kids, Spooky Cigarette, The Kabbs. Sun: ‘Kate Bush Dance Party’ w/ Baby Bushka. Mon: Chai, With Age, Kitty Plague. Tue: Sara Petite, Hiroshima Mockingbirds, Euphoria Brass Band, Bad Kids.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park.

Wed: Jake Najor and the Moment of Truth, Smoota. Thu: Hurricane Kate, VJ Grim. Fri: Stephen Rey and the Crew D’etat Brass Band. Sat: Sara Petite, Shantyannes. Sun: The 3, Doc Hammer.

Mon: DJs Angie, Claire. Tue: DJ Girlgroup.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Sam Bybee. Fri: Gusto. Sat: The Voices.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: FX5. Sat: TNT.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Fri: Louis Valenzuela Sextet.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Sat: DJ SixFoota.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Sat: Mario.

Hooley’s, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa. Fri: Camino Paz. Sat: The Heart Band.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Eden, Marmozets. Thu: New Politics, Dreamers, The Wrecks. The Stolen, Patternist, Jara. Fri: Iced Earth, Fozzy, Sanctuary. Sat: No Vacation, Hot Flash Heat Wave, Beach Goons. Sun: Robert Stevenson, I Am Strikes. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Tradewinds. Thu: Bumpasonic. Fri: Funk’s Most Wanted, Y3K. Sat: Wildside, Sue Palmer. Sun: GruvMac, Stellita. Mon: Mercedes Moore. Tue: January Berry Band.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Kozmoz. Fri: Digital Cocoon, Red Sonya. Sat: Britton, Ghost Strype.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Sat: Los Chido, Dresden Wolves, Hawk Auburn, Weasel Dust.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: One Sultry.

Fri: Scottie Chandler, Julian Jaime. Sat: Jessie Frye, Winter River. Sun: Alexis Diller, Patrick Collins.

Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla.

Wed: The Aces, morgxn. Thu: Marquis Hill Blacktet. Fri: Tritones. Sat: Xylouris White.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): No person is an island and baby you’re landlocked.

There’s not even a moat. You’re a compact city in the dead center of Pangaea and you need all the help you can get.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You are

like the mighty ladybug: cute for a pest, basically harmless, and whenever anyone sees you, they, by instinct, immediately tell you to get out and fly away home.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Please, allow me to be personal for a moment. I need to be accountable for myself and see this reminder for myself in print: You have enough cowboy hats already!

CANCER (June 21 - July 22):

Imperceptible to you, the paths of your life have diverged and as you come to the fork, the life that lays ahead of you is fully dependent on what color socks you wear on Sunday.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): Here is a simple but difficult truth about life: Nobody— and I mean truly nobody, not one person—at all cares about what you said right when you came out of anesthesia.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22):

This week you will have an opportunity to correct an error you made in the past, which you will realize when doubling down on the error and then refusing to correct it out of principle.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22):

Many butterflies scare critters who might otherwise like to take a bite out of ‘em, because they have eerie wing markings that look like the eyes of predators. However, nobody would ever call that lying!

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Life, like chess, is a game of strategy and despite the protestations of the old purists, blowing an airhorn into another person’s face to startle them does, indeed, qualify as strategy.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): The biblical verse “what has been will be again” certainly holds true for you this week as you reach the second spin cycle while trapped inside the laundromat washing machine.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): At any moment, without warning, a solar flare can annihilate all life on Earth so there is no reason to take your savings account so seriously.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February

18): “Razzle-dazzle” was a form of naval war camouflage that worked by confusing the eye so much that nobody could tell what was even happening. Sound familiar?

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): Do not let the unkind actions of others dishearten you.

Let them distill into a perfect, crystalline rage; a beautiful and unyielding vengeance that wakes you up on time without having to set an alarm.

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

MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Goodal Boys. Thu: Sophisticats. Fri: Manic Bros. Sat: Street Heart. Sun: Gonzology.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Leslie Jordan. Thu: Leslie Jordan. Fri: Janice and Nathan.

Sat: Anthony Federov and Shelley Segal.

Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. Mon: Andy Anderson and Nathan Fry. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Monsterwatch, The Shutups.

Thu: Mega Ran, None Like Joshua, Digital Lizards of Doom, Kirby’s Dream Band. Fri: ‘Pasion Latina’. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’. Sun: ‘The Playground’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore.

Tue: We Had A Name, Orenda, Authentic Sellout.

Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Fri: Evan Diamond.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Jim Allen Band. Fri: Custard Pie. Sat: Leo Rising, Jerome Dawson.

Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: K. Michelle, Damar Jackson. Thu: Spawnbreezie, Kennyon Brown, Donell Lewis, DJ Noiz, Kaimi Hanano. Fri: Talib Kweli, Niko Is, DJ Spintelect. Sat: Billie Eilish (sold out). Sun: Ethan Bortnick – Generations of Music.

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

Wed: ‘1,2,3’ w/ DJ EdRoc. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Kid Wonder, Adam Salter. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: ‘Undone’. Fri: Lil Jon. Sat: BRKLYN.

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 7, 2018

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Nipsey Hussle. Sat: Karma.

Sat: The Gargoyles, Shake Before Us. Tue: Karaoke.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Barry Baughn. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Fred Heath. Sat: Tacos Deluxe.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Middletown. Fri: Dieselboy, Foreign Concept. Sat: ‘House2Ourselves’ w/ Kevin Saunderson.

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

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Sat: ‘Euphoria’ w/ Teiarra Mari.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Coastal Eddies. Fri: Three Chord Justice. Sat: Alvino and the Dwells.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: Casey Hensley. Sat: Modern Day Moonshine.

Mon: ‘Jazz Jam’ w/ Louis Valenzuela.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: Red Fox Tails. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: Quel Bordel. Sat: Unsteady.

Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Tue: Second Cousins.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: The Academic, Creature Canyon, Stray Monroe. Thu: U.S. Girls, Trip Advisor. Fri: Mt. Joy, Hawai. Sat: Norma Jean, Gideon, Toothgrinder, Greyhaven. Sun: Halfnoise, The Gloomies.

Mon: He Is We. Tue: Hibou, Oak Palace, Dream Haze.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Wed: Of Mice & Men, blessthefall, Cane Hill, Fire From The Gods, MSCW. Sat: I Set My Friends On Fire, Kissing Candice, Awaken I Am, Petrichor, Our Second Home.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Wed: Abyss X, Hounds, Japanese Emoticon, John Jolley. Thu: Protomartyr, Shame, Miss New Buddha. Fri: Palm, Spirit of the Beehive, Rob Crow (acoustic).

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: The Havnauts, Clay Fox. Sun: The Big Decisions.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Deterioration, Girth, Hong Kong Fuck You. Sat: Midnight Track, MIT, Cadaver Pudding. Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Thu: ‘Laugh Out Loud’. Fri: Keep Your Soul, Kenny and Deez. Sat: Keep Your Soul, Chad and Rosie. Sun: ‘Super Soul Sunday’. Tue: Corey Gray.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Thu: Tommy Price and the Stilettos. Fri: The Siers Brothers. Sat: Detroit Underground.

Tue: Big Time Operator.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Cars and Trains, Curta, PVC, Kemtrell, Adder, DJ Willy Gutz. Sat: DFMK, Horror Squad, Santa Ana Knights, Se Vende. Tue: The Sheckies, The Touchies, International Dipshit.

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

Wed: ‘Wild Wednesday’. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: DJ Bacon. Sun: Kush.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Thu: ‘Soul Time’ w/ Bosco Mann, Cochemea Gast. Fri: Bad Vibes, Creature and the Woods, Tino Drima, Le Ra. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Tue: Videodrome.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach.

Wed: Make Roots, DJ Carlos Culture.

Thu: Gene Evaro Jr., Boostive. Fri: The Heavy Guilt, AJ Froman. Sat: Psydecar, Dubbest. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Wonderdogs.

BY PAMELA JAYNE

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat Freedom at last

W

hen Proposition 64 was voted into law in November 2016, the ballot measure not only legalized recreational cannabis in California— it also allowed people to petition the courts to have cannabis convictions dismissed entirely, or reduced from felonies to misdemeanors, and misdemeanors to infractions.

So far, 680 convictions have been adjusted in San Diego County. About 4,000 other cases have been identified and are now in the process of being reviewed. However, that is not the full extent of it—cases prior to the early 2000s will probably require those convicted to come forward and seek petitions to have their records cleared. Per the District Attorney’s office, a petition in San Diego can be filed, reviewed and adjudicated in as little as one week.

A person seeking relief for employment or housing can have it done in as little as one day.

For those unaffected, it would be easy to write these numbers off as mere statistics and move on to the next story. However, these numbers represent real people, one of whom we spoke to about her experience. Andrea (whose last name is withheld for privacy), a 27-year-old college graduate and resident of San Diego, is the picture of an upstanding citizen. She did not have a criminal record, and had never been in any kind of trouble, when she was arrested in October of 2014 and charged with felony

possession of cannabis for sale. Andrea was convicted of a felony in May of 2016.

“I fought my case all the way through what would be the first day of trial when the DA’s office offered an ultimatum: accept their deal or risk serving six years in federal prison should I not win in trial,” Andrea said. “I accepted their offer, and I served my entire 120-day sentence with CPAC (ankle monitoring). However, my probation has been reduced from felony probation to unsupervised misdemeanor probation, thanks to Prop. 64.”

Andrea, who consumes cannabis medically to treat migraines, credits her attorney, Michael Cindrich, and the San Diego chapter of the cannabis advocacy group, Americans for Safe Access, for her new lease on life.

“Cannabis has changed my life, and I will continue to be an advocate for the community,” she said. “Prop. 64 has reopened the doors, and I will forever be grateful for my second chance!”

While Andrea’s story has a positive ending, there are an untold number of victims of the campaign against cannabis who are not so lucky. To help them, a state law was introduced last month that would shift the burden to the court system. Assembly Bill 1793, intro-

duced by Oakland Democrat Rob Bonta, would require eligible cannabis-related convictions to be automatically expunged or reduced.

When asked how she felt about finally having this ordeal behind her, Andrea said, “I can still remember the night in November when I sat anxiously refreshing my browser on my computer waiting for the results of the poll on Prop. 64. I knew what it would mean for my future if it was passed. With one click, I saw that green check mark appear over the state of California, I saw the dark cloud that lingered over me disappear. Although I was serving my CPAC sentence on that night and was unable to rejoice with the cannabis community, I was having my own celebration.”

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

MARCH 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 31