San Diego CityBeat • Mar 14, 2018

2 · San Diego CityBeat · march 14, 2018

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march 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

A supportive jerk

A

t this point, the majority of my adult life has been spent as an arts editor. The majority of that has been focused on covering music. I’ve been on record, both in this space and talking to CityBeat readers in person, about how it’s been a steep learning curve for me when it comes to immersing myself in local politics and how, for the most part, I’ve had to leave the music and arts in the capable hands of fellow editors Torrey Bailey and Jeff Terich.

The Local Music Issue is particularly special to me.

It was the first issue of CityBeat that I ever contributed to and, over the years, I’ve been fortunate to discover bands and artists that not only enriched my life, but eventually became my friends as well. All of this while also earning a reputation as a brutally honest and downright disrespectful critic that some bands loved to hate.

It was quite silly, really. I’ve had my email account hacked several times, been physically threatened and had people talk shit about me on multiple online forums all because I didn’t like somebody’s music.

As annoying as those things were, it never deterred me from being “just some guy with eyes, ears and an opinion,” as I would often describe myself to those who complained. I wasn’t deterred when a local singer-songwriter bought an ad in this very paper that said nothing but “Seth Combs is an asshole.” I wasn’t deterred when this CityBeat’s publisher would email complaints to me from angry club owners threatening to never work with the paper again because I gave one of their shows a bad review. And I still wasn’t when CityBeat asked me to compile my top-10 “best (worst) reviews” for its 10th anniversary issue back in 2012 (complete with a caricature of me holding a no Sublime picket sign).

The headline: “Straight shooter or total jerk?”

No, what really gave me pause was when some bands would actually seek me out at a club or bar and specifically request that I give them a bad review.

You see, while I had anticipated the blowback and the trolling, I never expected that it would become more desirable for bands to get a bad review because they knew that review would get twice as much attention as a good review. And they were right! I can recall dozens of albums that I loved and wrote about, but barely

anyone would read those reviews. It’s possible they meant something to the people whose albums got the accolades, but that review wasn’t going to get half as many Facebook likes or comments as a bad one. And that’s just sad.

My point is that while I’d still consider myself to be “just some guy with eyes, ears and an opinion,” my time away from the music and arts scene has given me a lot of perspective. For as long as I can remember, whether it came to music and art, San Diego has always been a city on the verge of greatness. And if you ever see me out in public and you’re feeling particularly masochistic, I’ll happily provide you a bulletpointed, subReddited diatribe about how the music and arts scene can be improved and all the things that would make it the shining music and arts beacon it deserves to be.

I could lay that all out here, but my space and your time is limited so I will just say this: In the nearly 20 years I’ve been writing about music and arts in this town, the one common thread, the one crucial element to making the scene better has always come down to support.

Support can come in a lot of different ways. It can be as simple as you, dear reader, going out and supporting a local band on a Friday night (ahem, may I recommend the Redwoods Revue show at The Casbah this Friday). By god, read the good reviews (not just the bad ones), and go seek out those bands. Support can also come in the form of local marketing and PR firms (we certainly have a lot of them) working pro-bono for bands and artists that they like to help them get the word out.

And now that I’m getting my feet wet in politics, I can say that support is often as simple as showing up to protest city budget cuts to the arts (which is about to be an issue again) or speaking at a City Council meeting about the importance of affordable housing.

One thing that will never change about our rich and diverse arts scene is just how much support it needs from other people to thrive. Without it, San Diego will continue to always be that city on the verge and not the cultural destination it deserves to be.

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is tired of waiting for bootleg Russian software to download.

Volume 16 • Issue 30 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 14, 2018

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march 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

UP FRONT | LETTERS

JUST SAY NOPE Nice column [“Big Blue Beacon of Nope,” Feb. 28]. Among disorganization at the CALDEM convention, I found it strange that: 1. Filing for office does not end ‘til March 12, a week away, but to be considered for an endorsement, candidates must have sought the endorsement by Jan. 12.

That leaves me, the local endorsement for the state Board of Equalization, out in the cold, as I did not opt to file until Feb. 13. There are a handful of Dems and Sen. Joel Anderson who are maybe going to drop out, as he already raised $290,000 to run for SD County Board of Sups in 2020 for a retiring East County congressional seat; and it is sooooo obvious he is just seeking a stepping stone. I am the only San Diego County Dem, and the convention ended up ignoring Board of Equalization.

2. As a candidate, the Chair put in a comp registration for me. I live in Ocean Beach. Drove down Friday morning when I heard some things were happening, expecting to get registered at 10 a.m. I survived parking, etc. but all I found was exhibitors setting up. Was assured that I had to wait until 3 p.m. to register. I went to second deck to attend a busy Policy Issues Committee meeting, thinking I could get an education ‘til 3 p.m., but at noon, I opted to take a pal from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to an Arabic Buffet on Midway Drive next to Taco Bell, knowing he’d be amazed; he

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

was. I returned Saturday at 1:15 p.m. to register and was told by security that it was supposedly shutting down at 1 p.m., and they were right, at 1:20 p.m., all I found was officials assuring us it closed at 1 p.m. Bottom line: never got registered.

Would recommend that someone be able to do registration during all hours that meetings are going on, and that eligibility to be considering for endorsements be open until perhaps 10 days prior to convention.

As a former two term City Councilman of San Diego, assistant city prosecutor, l970s candidate for BOE4 (there were nine counties then, four today) against Ernie Dronenburg Jr., and have had BOE cases both county and state. I am a great candidate to equalize our tax assessments consistent with Prop. 13 and have endorsed the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (they cannot stop me from endorsing them, thought I had a better chance at that they being one of half-dozen seeking their favor, ha!).

Keep up the good work. Nancy Reagan told us to just say NO. You bring back NOPE, rhymes with HOPE.

Mike Schaefer Ocean Beach

DOCTORS NEED HELP After reading the Letters section in the 2/21/18 issue (I missed the 2/14 issue), I also felt “shocked and appalled” on hearing of the County’s pursuit of Kelly Davis for reporting on jail deaths [“We still care,” Feb. 14]. I worked at all of the jails as a psychiatrist for several years. The lack of understanding most of the personnel had regarding these inmate/patients, I believe, led to the majority of completed suicides. Now, I understand from employment counselors (“headhunters”) for different companies, it is expected for a psychiatrist to evaluate and treat between 20 to 27 inmate/patients per eight-hour shift. These numbers are far beyond what a psychiatrist can safely perform. I said this to deaf ears and therefore no longer work there. Dr. Alfred Joshua, the Sheriff’s Department’s Chief Medical Officer since 2013, would not speak directly to me but rather chose his secretary to hear this very important issue.

As an avid CityBeat reader, I hope to keep informed of Ms. Davis’ situation. If you think I could help her (I don’t have names or records but mainly a gestalt of the situation), please feel free to give my contact information to Ms. Davis or her attorney.

Lou Fontana, M.D. Mission Valley

UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CityWeek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Spin Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Backwards & In High Heels. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

FOOD & DRINK World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Anatomy Of A Cocktail Scene. . . . . . . . . 13 Final Draught . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

THINGS TO DO The Short List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Seen Local. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

MUSIC FEATURE: Hot Snakes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 FEATURE: Jake Najor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 The Local Music Review. . . . . . . . . . . 30-40 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43-45

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 CannaBeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

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NEWS | OPINION

WAIT... WHAT?

By Torrey Bailey and Seth Combs

A semi-regular section where we break down an otherwise complicated and confusing issue so readers understand why it matters.

THE ISSUE: President Trump visited San Diego on Tuesday to tour the border wall prototypes and to talk to soldiers at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: “I welcome President Trump to California and San Diego. He will see firsthand how a major American city benefits from having not just a modern border crossing but also a working relationship with Mexico. San Diego is living proof that a healthy economy, low unemployment rate and strong international ties are not mutually exclusive.”

—Mayor Kevin Faulconer “@POTUS, while you’re in SD visiting your wasteful border wall prototypes, you should stop by the Tijuana River Valley. I can think of better ways to use the $$$ you want to waste on your wall—like improving our infrastructure to prevent sewage spills that pollute our beaches.”

—Rep. Juan Vargas, via Twitter

“Thanks for the shout-out, @realDonaldTrump. But bridges are still better than walls. And California remains the 6th largest economy in the world and the most prosperous state in America. #Facts”

—Gov. Jerry Brown, via Twitter

OUR TAKE: Honestly, what a complete farce. While we’re not downplaying the impor-

tance of a presidential visit to San Diego, the local media practically treated it as if it was some kind of historical summit or as if Trump was here to reveal some grand plan to fund his pet project. In the end, he spent less than an hour touring the prototypes and mainly used the visit as a publicity stunt to talk about how California was “begging him to build a wall,” how Gov. Jerry Brown is doing a “poor job” and how he especially likes the walls that he can see through. Great. Brilliant. Meanwhile, there’s no funding for the wall (and there probably won’t be anytime soon) and San Diego is spending much-needed funds and resources protecting these monuments to the president’s ego. We commend the patriots who came out to protest the president’s racist policies, but at the end of the day, this was merely a grandstanding, reality show distraction from the more substantive news of the day (hey, did you hear about that story the Washington Post broke about ICE agents separating a Congolese mother and her 7-year-old daughter and how the daughter has been held in a Chicago jail for over four months? No? Oh, well).

NEWSY BITS 3/7

BEST DAY EVER!

University of San Diego basketball coach Lamont Smith resigns after Oakland arrest for domestic violence. No charges were filed.

Construction crews accidentally rupture a gas line in Mission Valley, forcing the evacuation of residents and shoppers at nearby Fashion Valley Mall.

Oh, and the traffic, dear god, the traffic.

FML

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So what just happened?

As this issue was going to press, Service Employees International Union [SEIU] Local 221 was preparing to make a big decision: whether to withdraw from the San Diego Working Families Council [SDWFC]. The potential union breakup comes down to the endorsement of former Assemblymember Lori Saldaña for the Fourth District County Supervisor seat. Saldaña told Voice of San Diego she got the nod from SDWFC, but SEIU 221 supports fellow Democrat Nathan Fletcher in the race. This pits two labor allies, SDWFC and SEIU Local 221, against each other.

Wait, what? Why is this happening?

OK, so Mickey Kasparian started SDWFC after he was removed from the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council last year. This happened after a wave of lawsuits from former female employees accusing him of workplace misconduct. There were accusations of gender and disability discrimination, sexual assault, wrongful termination and more.

Standing with the women instead of Kasparian became San Diego’s own #MeToo movement. During the height of the accusations, Saldaña was one of 46 high-profile San Diego Dems who demanded an independent investigation on Kasparian. But now she’s backtracking a bit and stopping short of condemning Kasparian. Through the SDWFC endorsement, Saldaña has gained his blessing and probably doesn’t want to ruffle his feathers anymore. She also probably feels a little safer doing this now that, within the last two months, all the lawsuits against Kasparian were settled privately.

Why does this matter to me?

It’s yet another bad look for organized labor. It’s not entirely uncommon for one labor council to back one candidate and another union to endorse another, but it’s rare that this happens with two that are so inter-connected.

The real concern here is with Saldaña. She’s essentially using the legal settlements’ indiscretion to support Kasparian, because it’s personally beneficial to her. Seeing Saldaña ease up on Kasparian, although she’s historically stood beside women in such circumstances (i.e. former mayor Bob Filner’s scandal), is worrisome. Saldaña has not raised a ton of campaign funds, and an endorsement from a labor council might help, but is it really worth the bad optics? When voters connect the dots, it just doesn’t look good for her. And while Kasparian is legally off the hook without having to admit guilt, the SEIU going against him could be yet another sign that his castle is crumbling.

All the seriousness, silliness and stupidity of the past week

3/8

A Democrat—in this case, Michelle Gomez—finally enters the County Board of Supervisors race in District 5.

3/9

3/10

SDSU men’s basketball team rally to beat New Mexico and win the Mountain West title and make the NCAA tournament, but…

Carl DeMaio withdraws name from run for Congress in 50th District to focus on gas tax repeal (this is only down this low because we were really looking forward to making fun of him for the next few months).

Disturbing video of woman being ripped away from her daughters by Border Patrol agents in National City goes viral.

3/11

3/12

Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States orders Broadcom to halt attempts to purchase Qualcomm citing national security concerns. President Trump signs off. ...The team can’t travel to tournament’s first round using state funds because of a California law that prohibits state tax dollars from being used to travel to states like Kansas that have laws that are discriminatory.

City Council approves SDSU West initiative for Nov. 6 ballot setting up election showdown with SoccerCity plan.

Area beaches including ones in Coronado and Imperial Beach closed because of sewage from the Tijuana River. Bruh, on #311Day?!

Cannabis entrepreneur accuses Lemon Grove City Councilmember David Arambula of assault after details emerge of a drunken altercation back in July that included choking, biting, beer bottles and more.

3/13

U-T breaks story that city officials approved a no-bid emergency contract to a Massachusetts firm to pressurewash sidewalks during the Hepatitis A fiasco. This included flights, per diems and overtime pay to shuttle workers to and from Los Angeles.

Debra Reed steps down as president and CEO of SDG&E parent company Sempra Energy only a few days after $18.8 billion corporate takeover of Energy Future Holdings Corp.

These fucking guys.

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

JOHN R. LAMB

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

Lorena to Lindbergh: You’re next!

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.

—Mark Twain

S

tate Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher may not have been in the room last Friday during the Executive Committee meeting of the San Diego Association of Governments, but her presence was certainly felt.

Just two days prior, Voice of San Diego reported that the governance-reform maven—fresh off successful restructuring efforts of SANDAG and the Metropolitan Transit District—would now be aiming to reform the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, an asset-rich independent agency that oversees Lindbergh Field.

The proposed legislation, which she said she planned to reveal this week, would fold the Airport Authority back under the umbrella of the San Diego Unified Port District. The pronouncement seemed

to catch most local elected officials off guard, leading to deafening quiet.

“I’m surprised by the relative silence to date from likely opponents and those who backed the creation of the Airport Authority,” fellow Assemblymember Todd Gloria told Spin on Tuesday.

But that silence was shattered Friday at a SANDAG meeting when termed-out County Supervisor Ron Roberts flayed airport officials over their foot-dragging on traffic improvements needed outside the airport’s footprint, particularly along Harbor Drive and roads leading to Little Italy.

“Grape Street, Hawthorn Street and Laurel Street are absolutely a disaster,” Roberts said. “And nobody wants to pay for anything…

Nobody has focused on how do we do a better job on this.”

Port District plans for the bayfront land west of the airport, which once housed car rental

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

agencies, will only create more density and traffic, Roberts said.

He also added that promises of traffic solutions have largely been “a charade.”

Then Roberts lowered the Lorena boom. “Maybe it’ll be a good thing for the port to take over the Airport Authority. We’re not getting solutions, not even small solutions, for the problem that’s there, and it’s going to get increasingly worse.”

Roberts is no dummy, unlike his thankfully termed-out Board of Supervisors colleague Bill Horn, who spoke just before Roberts and suggested that a transit rail line could be run across the west end of the airport runway to help alleviate traffic.

“You can’t do that on a runway,” said Jim Desmond, mayor of San Marcos and an Airport Authority board member, as others at the meeting laughed.

Perhaps other elected officials will jump on the Airport Authority reform train, but as of yet they’re not running to any microphones.

Councilmember Mark Kersey, an infrastructure wonk who sits on the Airport Authority, referred questions to the head of the authority.

Kimberly Becker, president and CEO of the Airport Authority, said in a statement Monday, “Although we have been made aware that legislation is a possibility, we have

Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher is gunning for the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority! not yet seen any language around this potential legislation… What we can say is that since the Airport Authority was formed, all of our time, attention and resources have been focused on making SAN a better airport for our customers, a more agile and responsive community partner, and a stronger economic driver for the region.”

Becker, just a year into the job, added that “we’ve optimized the use of the airport’s 661-acre footprint, delivering major capital projects on-time and under budget, creating thousands of jobs and providing unprecedented opportunities for local and small businesses.”

Gloria, too, said he would withhold judgment until he sees the language of his colleague’s bill.

But he, like many Spin spoke to privately, wonder what the end game is. He too said he’d like to see improvements delivered faster, including the planned revamp of Terminal 1 and a Harbor Drive trolley extension. Gloria also mentioned that he’s concerned about airport workers and “any transition that might impact their jobs. We’ll see.

It’s early in the process.”

Gonzalez Fletcher has indicated that her intent was to start a conversation about how to spur an independent agency into trafficsolution action. On that she has apparently succeeded.

Activist attorney Cory Briggs, who has frequently crossed legal swords with the port district, said he agreed with what Gonzalez Fletcher is attempting to do. “The problem,” he added, “is that the port is poorly organized and governed. If they fix the port, this’d be great.”

One political insider noted privately that “the port’s motives usually revolve around enhancing their revenue. When the port ran the airport, it was able to ‘adjust’ the books to classify some airportrelated revenue as non-aviation, not subject to FAA restrictions. It’s possible that is part of what’s going on here.”

Laurie Black, a former port commissioner and longtime non-wallflower, took to Twitter to blast the plan. “OMG Lorena calling locals about folding #Port & Airport. Don’t be surprised by regional #power play, she’s creating ‘platform’ in order to run for #statewide office on the backs of thousands of local #governmentjobs Bad policy!” she wrote.

It should be noted that Black is no fan of Gonzalez Fletcher, nor her husband, Board of Supervisors candidate Nathan Fletcher. Black has thrown her support behind attorney Omar Passons since day one.

But she has also been an advocate for consolidating local governance for nearly two decades. “I don’t really understand what the goal is,” Black told Spin, “unless it’s to consolidate transit services in the region. If that’s the goal, then I don’t understand why we’re not talking about including SANDAG, MTS and North County.”

A better tactic, she said, would be to focus on how officials are appointed to these agency boards.

Both the port and Airport Authority boards are ruled by people who are appointed by elected officials, making it difficult for the public to put pressure on these agencies to evolve.

Gonzalez Fletcher’s reforms to date of SANDAG and MTS have cattle-prodded those agencies out of a comatose state of indecision, and perhaps her plan to turn back the clock some 15 years to a time when the port ruled the airport could do the same.

In a statement, the firebrand assemblymember said planning for transit, sea-level rise and 10 million additional airline passengers in the next decade requires “breaking down bureaucratic barriers… I know that makes some in the older generation of leadership uncomfortable just as it did with SANDAG reform last year, but it’s a discussion I think we’re ready to have.”

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

Jones-Wright claps back

W

hen we talk about a 48 percent decline in juvenile filings, we must unearth what they’re really saying,” said candidate for District Attorney Geneviéve Jones-Wright in her opening remarks at a candidate forum last Wednesday night at the Jacobs Center.

Jones-Wright was responding to a statistic her opponent, interim DA Summer Stephan, gave as a success story for the work she’s done for San Diego.

“The reason why, in San Diego, we have that decline in Latino and African American boys and girls [being charged as juveniles], is that they are actually being treated as adults in adult courts.”

This was just the first of many stinging rebuttals Jones-Wright offered to combat her opponent during the forum.

In another era, it would be accurate to say that Jones-Wright brought a gun to a knife fight, but I’m not feeling the gun metaphor these days. So I’ll say instead that Jones-Wright—who lives in Southeast San Diego and who has served as a public defender in this city since 2006—brought a truth-bomb cyclone to a spin blizzard when she sat shoulder-to-shoulder with San Diego County’s current—did I mention appointed?—District Attorney.

Our current DA was left in charge when Bonnie Dumanis resigned last July to run for a seat on the County Board of Supervisors. This move was tactical, of course, because that same Board of Supervisors gave their thumbs up to Dumanis’ chosen replacement who got one year to network, schmooze and position herself to eventually get elected.

I’ll hand it to the Republicans: They’re better at the game.

Now, the appointee gets to put the word “incumbent” by her name on the ballot. And words matter: Who among us hasn’t at some point just shrugged and voted for an incumbent because who the hell knows either of these candidates?

Reader, hear me when I say, please don’t let this be you on June 5.

The importance of the DA’s race cannot be overstated. There is so much at stake in this particular election and like many cities around the country, this is a crucial moment of possibility. Our choice is between a law-and-order candidate and one who has an eye toward reform, fairness and equality. Who we choose to lead us forward in this era of draconian rule will shape the future of our city and its most marginalized residents for a very long time.

When listening to the candidates, I found JonesWright to be very clear about where she stands and whom she stands with.

Take cannabis, for instance. The interim DA recently surprised a local entrepreneur by reducing 15 felony charges to a $1,000 fine and two misdemeanors. Yet, she has other felony cases pending and has also been opaque about how she will respond if, as promised, Jeff Sessions’ Department of Justice cracks down on San Diego’s legal marijuana market.

More concerning were some remarks Stephan

“

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made at the forum about how her deputy DAs come “in all colors and shapes.” An interesting remark given that the deputies in attendance were overwhelmingly white. She also said—and this is hair-raising— that she considers implicit bias to be nothing more than “low-grade prejudice.”

Stephan also claimed her deputies haven’t charged anyone under Penal Code 182.5, a little-known criminal conspiracy clause fancied by Dumanis that says active gang members can be charged for crimes committed by other members. To that, Jones-Wright clapped back.

“I just spoke with a mother of a young man who was charged with 182.5, and that was just this year,” said Jones-Wright. “So if you can’t manage an office of 1,000 deputies to know they’re using 182.5, I don’t know if you’re managing properly.”

And though Stephan claims to be in favor of bail reform, her actions say otherwise. Not only has she neglected to explicitly support SB10, a bill that would ensure people aren’t kept in jail because they can’t afford their bail, but her deputy DAs regularly argue for bail—very high bail—in low-level, non-violent cases. I work with people navigating the criminal justice system and watch this happen with unsettling regularity.

For me, watching Jones-Wright at the mic was like going to church. She wasn’t having any of her opponent’s pleasantries and non-answers of how she will address so many of our problems. I was impressed with her focus on how prosecution needs to be balanced by a focus on prevention. She called out inconsistencies with the current DA’s approach and offered ideas of how she would make change.

On the school-to-prison pipeline: “When we are trying to affect truancy and get truancy levels down, it is not prudent, fair or right to arrest parents of truant students.”

On mass incarceration: “Stop prosecuting homeless people for simply existing, stop prosecuting for encroachment violations, stop prosecuting for illegal lodging.”

On racial profiling: “What needs to happen other than implicit bias training is to... really diversify the district attorney’s office by race, gender, religion and perspective; and to actually have someone in your issuance unit, when they see that the stop originated from racial profiling, that that case never sees the light of day.”

This drive for criminal justice reform has earned Jones-Wright the endorsement of Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom and Assemblymember Lorena GonzalezFletcher, among many others. At the forum I attended, she implored the crowd to “reimagine the role of the district attorney.” She takes a humanistic approach to the office, which I hope will drive Democrats to the voting booth on June 5 in a collective effort to oust the old guard.

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week.

Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

A super-chill guide to dockless bikes

L

ike every other Southern Californian, few things get me angrier than having to walk. Just the thought of using my two legs to get from one point to another curls my cargos. If my destination is farther than two blocks, readers best believe I’m going to drive there. Sure, the bills add up every day that I Uber from my parking place to my office a couple blocks away, but can we really put a price on comfort?

How can someone expect to enjoy the chill serenity of San Diego while putting one foot in front of another?

So readers could imagine my absolute befuddlement—befuddlement!—when a legion of multicolored, dockless bikes suddenly appeared in North Park, Downtown and [checks Nextdoor complaint threads]... everywhere. Are we, as a society, finally moving away from the most boring method of moving? Dope.

However, the appearance of these bikes did concern me.

Again, as a Southern Californian, I have a natural aversion to things on the road that are not cars. When I see a biker, I often think: How come you’re not in a car, my dude? Whenever I feel that familiar ill-will toward cyclists harshing my vibe, I try to remember the immortal words of Bob Marley: “One love.”

For the sake of journalism, I decided to suppress my So-Cal prejudices and give each new service a spin. Here are the results: Ofo: I don’t think the brightyellow coloring of these bikes is coincidental, because these bikes have appeared with wasp-like aggression. One day, we North Parkers were just chillaxin’ to the max, and then the next minute we couldn’t even get to our IPAs without tripping over one of these things.

Ofo bikes are the most basic of the dockless bikes; they’re also the cheapest. At $1 per hour, I could easily waste an afternoon for less than the cost of a California burrito. However, the service seems to be free for the rest of March to get us hooked, which seems a little nefarious but, hey, free rides? [Anthony Keidis voice] Flippidity dippity sign me up!

The app is pretty simple. On the homescreen, there’s a map that shows all the bikes in the surrounding area. It sort of reminded me of Pokémon GO but for bikes, and I experienced brief yet intense anger at yet another app trying to trick me into going outside.

I strapped on a helmet, unlocked one of those babies and took off. And it was fun. Pedaling around made me realize that perhaps I don’t need a car to feel complete, and I briefly forgot all the hurt and anger that I will forever hold against the Chargers for their decision to move out of San Diego.

But the thing I didn’t realize is that sometimes I’d

have to go uphill on a bike. And these bikes—beach cruisers, essentially—are not super conducive to riding up an incline. There are three gears on Ofos, but mine didn’t work, so I spent a good 20 minutes sweating while pedaling up a slight incline. I couldn’t help but wish I was back in a car with the A/C blasting my face and the sweet sounds of 311 wafting through my speakers.

LimeBike: These bikes seem pretty much the same as Ofo, except... green? They’re also a little more expensive—$1 per half hour, which is still affordable to most. The rad thing about LimeBike is that they offer electric-augmented bikes, which are placed randomly among the regular bikes, and designated on the app by a little lightning bolt. To ride these bikes is as delightful and refreshing as an ice-cold sour beer. Each pedal activates an electric boost, which makes inclines as easy as the waves in Ocean Beach. It’s as close to being a car that a bike will ever get. More like SublimeBike, amiright? (RIP Bradley Nowell).

Bird: Okay, so these aren’t bikes, but electrically-motorized scooters. However, the sudden appearance of these coincided with the bikes, and when things happen fast and suddenly, my hella laid-back brain can’t comprehend, so I put them in the same category.

I was definitely stoked to try the Birds out, because from what I saw, they required the least amount of effort—just hop on and go. And due to the sideways stance, it pretty much feels like I’m surfing on asphalt, which makes me look really cool (can we all agree that the rigid, nerdy posture required to ride a Segway is the least chill?).

These scooters can get up to between 15 and 20 mph, which is like whoa, and they definitely satisfied my desire for convenience, but I don’t know how somebody’s not going to die using one of these things. The scooters say that helmets are required, but I’ve not seen one scooterer wearing a helmet. Gotta protect those domes, bros!

Birds cost $1 to unlock and 15 cents every 10 minutes, which makes it the most expensive of the options. But fuck yeah, scooters!

Verdict: Listen, I love driving around in my car just as much as the next duder, but these dockless bikes don’t seem to be going anywhere. Days after testing these three, I saw even more options: Mobikes and Lime-scooters.

But if I—a chill-blooded San Diegan—can accept the need for alternative methods of transportation, so can you. Namaste.

I couldn’t help but wish I was back in a car with the A/C blasting my face and the sweet sounds of 311 wafting through my speakers.

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

march 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

Pushing the boundaries

J

apanese cuisine often feels old, but this isn’t always true. Even though ramen is Japan’s national dish, for example, it wasn’t created until the early 20th century and has been endlessly reinvented ever since. Sometimes, especially outside of Japan, that innovation tends to feel a bit hit or miss. Hachi Ramen (2505 Fifth Ave.) in Bankers Hill is looking to get it right.

Hachi is hardly the first San Diego-area restaurant to play around the edges of the ramen world. Underbelly’s Western takes on ramen are sometimes more successful (its namesake ramen) than others (the charred kimchi). Nishiki Ramen’s Ramen del Sol is more of an example of what not to do when it comes to ramen innovation. Davin Waite’s duck shoyu ramen at The Whet Noodle in Oceanside, on the other hand, shows that innovation can be achieved.

The best dish at Hachi is the Tan Tan, a ramen take on dan dan noodles, a fiery Sichuan classic. It is, in a sense, a trip back to the origin of ramen: China. Until after World War II, the Japanese called ramen shina soba (Chinese soba) and the characteristic alkaline noodles of ramen are, indeed, Chinese in origin.

The Sichuan features noodles with minced pork in a spicy sesame and chili oil sauce (not a broth).

At Hachi, the pork is swapped out for chicken, the spice is barely evident and the sauce becomes a profoundly creamy, sesame miso broth. Where other versions of Tan Tan ramen substitute elegance for the Sichuanese heat and muscle, Hachi’s version is a big and rich dish: a powerhouse in a different way Hachi’s duck ramen is more elegant than powerful. Marinated and roasted duck breast is the star topping of this dish, and it pairs well with the chicken shoyu broth. While shoyu broths tend to

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

be the saltiest in the ramen world, that wasn’t a problem here. That said, neither the foie gras oil nor the yuzu pepper promised on the menu really came through in the dish. Still, the broth, the noodles and the tender, still-rare duck were more than enough.

Hachi’s tonkotsu pork is its most traditional ramen. The pork belly is rich, yes, but it doesn’t make up for a broth that, while tasty, lacks the depth of many other (better) tonkotsus in town. The more noticeable problem was the noodles. Ramen noodles should always be al dente, never mushy. The noodles in my tonkotsu were the latter. Indeed, the level of noodle doneness varied from dish-to-dish.

A better pork belly option is the teriyaki pork bun. Where so many bao buns in town end up with

Tan Tan Ramen

a dry slab of meat inside a pre-made bun (thanks, David Chang), this was a moist treat. The mizuna (Japanese mustard greens) cut the richness of the pork and the sweetness of the teriyaki mayo, a condiment/sauce that tasted a whole lot better than it sounded.

Ultimately, what worked best at Hachi were the least traditional dishes: elegant duck ramen, bao done right and Tan Tan unlike any San Diego has seen before. Hachi isn’t a traditional ramen shop, nor is it exactly cutting edge. What it does is push the boundaries a bit and gets it right.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | DRINK

ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE #27: Drinking for the first and last time at Bali Hai

A

lright, buckle up kids, we are going for a ride. It will be a depressing one, but rest assured, there will be a point.

I’ve always been a firm believer that alcohol doesn’t make people alcoholics; life makes people alcoholics. Death, love, loss, the loss of love, etc. All these things in my life have at one point or another driven me to alcohol, for better or for worse.

I’ve gone through years of sobriety, and more so, years of painful drinking. Alcoholism in the bar industry is horribly frequent. When you work so closely with alcohol for years, it becomes a familiar crutch.

Detrimentally close. It must be easy for accountants. When life turns hurtfully against you, you can’t seek comfort in numbers (or maybe you can?).

When you’re a bartender, your wares become your comfort.

Recently, I have come out of a very dark, long tunnel. It took a long time, but I can confidently no longer call myself an alcoholic. I guess.

THE MAI TAI as prepared at Bali Hai Restaurant 1 1/2 oz. Cruzan 2-year

1/2 oz. Trader Vic’s orgeat

light rum

1/2 oz. triple sec

1 1/4 oz. Coruba dark rum 1 oz. Klark’s sweet & sour

Place crushed ice in a tumbler or double rocks glass. Add all ingredients. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and a cherry.

@SDCITYBEAT

BY BETH DEMMON

BY IAN WARD

So after a hurtful relationship loss, I found myself, once again, at the Bali Hai Restaurant (2230 Shelter Island Drive, balihairestaurant.com). For years, I have heard people complain that the Mai Tai at Bali Hai was not a traditional Mai Tai. For just as many years, I have found myself there in times of need. There are few places in my life that, when I feel at my lowest, always seem to make me feel better. That is the most honest sentence I may have ever written. It has some “Sitting on the Dock of the Bay”-type shit going for it and from the window of the Bali Hai, one can watch the waves move in and out of the harbor.

Most people in San Diego have their own Bali Hai Mai Tai story.

Some positive. Some negative. But the Mai Tai at Bali Hai has alThe Mai Tai ways been there for me.

And, as an ex-alcoholic, heartbroken writer, there is no other place that I would rather face down my sorrows than among the kitschy Tiki décor and oil lamps. Recovering from alcohol or finding it for the first time.

As for the Mai Tai itself, it tastes like petrol and citrus. Sweet and sour. Tart, and molasses, and memories, whether for the first time or those that sit long within you. All the rum and the after tones. Most importantly, it is the maker of memories.

Whether they are mine, or yours, or those yet to be. The Mai Tai at Bali Hai tastes different to everyone for different reasons, and there is nothing more comforting in a cocktail than that. And after all the years of battling alcoholism, and circumstance, it might be one of the best places I know to watch the sun set against the moving waves, for better or for worse.

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

FINAL DRAUGHT If by sea

eventually make the area a craft beer destination. Torrance was also appealing here are some pockets of San Diego because it essentially negated a huge that aren’t terribly welcoming to portion of start-up competition Absolution the craft beer takeover. Places like would have faced in San Diego.

“If we were to open in San Diego…

Encinitas have fought new beer tasting rooms tooth and nail, while others seem I believe we would have been around to lack the stereotypical demographic of [brewery] number 75,” says Farguson. craft beer drinkers to justify opening a “By opening in the region we did in L.A., formidable venture like a brewery. This we were number five. This allowed us to leads to underserved areas. But as craft get recognized much earlier and… helped beer’s core fan base evolves beyond the fuel our growth.”

The original Torrance location will twenty-something, flannel-clad bro with a be primarily responsible for brewing beard—as well as its slow progression the core beers, while the La Jolla into a more elevated beverage brewhouse—dubbed Absolution space—areas such as La Jolla and by the Sea—will focus on more La Mesa are gradually opening specialty and seasonal releases. their gates to the craft beer flood.

Unlike many of the bare-bones La Jolla is better known breweries across the county, for scenic, sometimes smelly Absolution will offer swanky pub beaches and pricey cocktails fare, although Farguson is quick to rather than beer, but the tide may describe it as “an upscale, fresh food be turning in the bougie beach town. experience.” He promises to source Absolution Brewing Company all produce locally from his in(absolutionbrewingcompany.

Absolution laws’ family farm. Menu items com) recently held its grand Brewing will range from flatbreads and opening in the old La Jolla Company kale salads, to steak tartine and Brewing location at 7536 Fay wild caught salmon. Everything is Ave. and hopes to fill a void in designed to pair with its many IPAs brewed the craft beer space as the third brewery in La Jolla. (Karl Strauss and Rock Bottom on-site, as well as blonde ales, oatmeal stouts, and other farm-to-glass artisan both operate nearby.)

“We never like to follow,” says beers. He also describes future plans Absolution co-founder Steve Farguson to expand, including entering the craft when asked about why he decided to distilling industry this summer.

Personally, I have a feeling the pub-style open in a non-beer-centric location. “We atmosphere will appeal to the local La Jolla always do our own thing.”

The Torrance-based Absolution crowd. In a city where the median home Brewing Company actually has roots in price is well over three-quarters of a million San Diego. Farguson resides here and dollars, the seemingly standard minimalisthad hoped to open in S.D. before settling meets-industrial-chic aesthetic of far too in southern Los Angeles four years ago. many local breweries won’t cut it. But even At the time, Torrance was nearly devoid San Diegans who are absurdly wealthy of craft breweries, which made it, much deserve their fair share of quality watering like La Jolla now, an attractive but risky holes. Who knows… maybe Rancho Santa site. But Farguson knew the strategic Fe could be next? location near L.A., Orange County and the Inland Empire—plus, the huge freeway Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check infrastructure connecting it all—would her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

T

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

EVENTS

SHORTlist

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

GASLAMP

JUNGLE LOVE

In more ways than one, Florencia en el Amazonas is exactly the right opera at exactly the right time. It was the first Spanish-language opera to ever be commissioned by a major American opera company and when it debuted at the Houston Grand Opera in 1996, it helped, as one writer put it, “generate a new genre of populist opera.”

20 years later, there is now no doubt that Daniel Catán’s opera was a game-changer.

For director Candace Evans—who previously staged Florencia at Indiana University and is now heading up the San Diego Opera’s production— the story speaks to her on multiple levels.

“This piece really resonated with me in a Shakespearean way,” says Evans. “The characters travel into a wilderness and emerge changed, so there’s that impact of nature and that nature can be revelatory.”

That story revolves primarily around the title character (played by Cuban-American soprano Elaine Alvarez) as she ventures on a boat down the famous river in order to find the lover she left behind when she chose to become an opera singer.

There are nuanced subplots involving two other female characters on the boat, and Evans points out that these stories make for an opera that is primarily driven by complex women dealing with relatable choices.

“The core of the story is that Florencia had to

BALBOA PARK

GOLD RUSH Discontented with one-sided and overwhelmingly negative narratives, photographer Alanna Airitam set out to humanize Black people through classical art. The short film, From Haarlem to Harlem, documents the creative process and cultural significance of Airitam’s The Golden Age, a series of stunning portraits that depict Black San Diegans in the regality of Rembrandt-style portraiture. For Airitam, the project isn’t intended to detract from preexisting masterpieces but to fill the glaring omission of people of color from the history of fine art. The film will premiere at the Museum of Photographic Arts (1549 El Prado) on Wednesday, March 28 at 6 p.m. The screening will be followed by a post-show discussion with Airitam and the film’s directors. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. mopa.org

RAFAEL W. PORTO

Florencia en el Amazonas make a decision early in her life on whether to follow love or whether to stride out into the world.

She’s made her choice, but now she’s coming to say, ‘here I am, now what? Can I combine it? Is it still there? Did I make the right choice?’… You have three woman all coping with the same quandary.

How do you combine love and career? It’s resonant for me because I’ve wrestled with the same things, as have many other women.”

Florencia en el Amazonas opens on Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m. at the San Diego Civic Theatre (1100 Third Ave.). There will also be three more performances on Tuesday, March 20, Friday, March 23 and Sunday, March 25. Tickets range from $25 to $243 at sdopera.org.

SOUTH PARK

EYE CANDY With jazzercise, perms and Hulk Hogan, the ‘80s were scary enough on their own. Now local literary nonprofit So Say We All is ramping up the decade’s terror factor with their latest release, Black Candies: The Eighties.

The book contains 23 horror stories that are set in the age of Reagan. The local authors lay the nostalgia on thick with references to the music and fashion of the times. The official launch party happens Thursday, March 15 at Whistle Stop (2236 Fern St.) from 9 to 11 p.m., and there will be readings from and inspired by the book.

There will also be an art show, ‘80s dance music, movie clips, book signings and more. Full disclosure: Some CityBeat staff and freelancers were involved in the editing, writing and illustrating process of Black Candies. Entry is a $5 suggested donation. sosayweallonline.com

COURTESY OF SALT & SUGAR PRODUCTIONS AND MORSE FILMS

From Haarlem to Harlem 14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

Black Candies: The Eighties @SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS ART

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 HRemember the Trees: Southern California’s Changing Ecology at San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Drive, Kearny Mesa. Ruth Wallen, an ecological and community based artist, will showcase her photographic series that takes a hard look at the ecological changes in a few locations in Southern California. Opening from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15.

Free. 619-388-2829, sdmesa.edu/art-gallery Mind the Gap at Southwestern College Art Gallery, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista. In honor of Women’s History Month, a new exhibit by the Feminist Image Group, which was formed by local artist and curator Anna Stump. Opening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 15. Free. facebook. com/events/972938976201802 Trapped in the Clouds, Pondering the Night at Calit2, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. A multimedia installation reflecting on chaos through environmental and social indicators, as inspired by observing the night sky. Includes augmented reality, video, audio, performance, kinetic sculpture and more. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 15. Free. visarts.ucsd.edu HDavid Adey at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S El Camino Real, Encinitas. A new exhibit of sculpture and collage work from the local artist focusing on the body, life and time.

Includes a discussion on his work and artistic process, as well as live music. Opening from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 15.

Free-$10. 760-436-6611, luxartinstitute.org Julia Reidy, Anna Homler and Jorge Martin at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. This show takes over several rooms to feature vocal, visual and performance artist Anna Homler, Australian musician Julia Reidy, Mexican sound operator and research artist Xareni Lizárraga, and local composer Anthony Vine. Opening from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15. Free. 619-851-4083, facebook. com/events/196423080957775 HDowntown at Sundown at MCASD - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. MCASD’s after-hours event offers free admission and guided tours of exhibitions at MCASD and the SDSU Downtown Gallery. Also includes specials at local businesses and live music. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 15. Free. 858-4543541, mcasd.org HGlenn Barr Drawings and Prints at Warshaw’s Provisions, 2209 30th St., South Park. The Detroit artist will make his first appearance in San Diego to show off some of his surreal creatures, specters and tragic characters that live in seedy universes. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 17. Free. warshawsprovisions.com smART Festival at Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. An exhibit featuring work by students from each of the 23 Escondido Union Schools. There will be visual arts, as well as dance, music and theater performances. Opening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 17.

Free. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org HSurvival is Insufficient at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. An exhibit in which artworks visually express themes related to preserving culture in a dystopian landscape. This exhibit is inspired by Emily St. John Mandel’s novel Station Eleven. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17. Free. 760435-3720, oma-online.org

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The Museum of Civilization at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. An exhibit featuring the public’s everyday items reimagined in a post-apocalyptic world. This exhibit is inspired by Emily St. John Mandel’s novel Station Eleven.

Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 17. Free. 760-435-3720, oma-online.org HAnna Stump at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., Downtown. A showing of the local artist’s nude paintings, which she creates using live models and incorporating pieces from vintage men’s magazines to depict the male gaze perspective. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, March 18. Free.

619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com HArt Night Casbah at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Art Unites hosts an event combining art, music and dance.

Features artworks by Mothership, SoCal Artists Collective and Hanalei Artworks, plus dream and dark pop musical performances by Wsprgrl, Matize and Sempra Sol. At 7 p.m. Sunday, March 18. $5. 619232-4355, casbahmusic.com

BOOKS

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 HBlack Candies: The Eighties at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. The release show for the ’80s-themed anthology of literary horror and dark fiction. Includes an art show, ’80s dance music, movie clips, book signings and more. From 9 to 11 p.m.

Thursday, March 15. $5 suggested donation. 619-284-6784, sosayweallonline.com Alison Gaylin at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling author will sign and discuss her new mystery novel, If I Die Tonight. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Denise Lee Yohn at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The brand-building expert will sign and discuss her new book, Fusion: How Integrating Brand and Culture Powers the World’s Greatest Companies. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 15. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HNasty! at Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., North Park. A special release show for the charity anthology benefiting Planned Parenthood and featuring stories about body positivity, sexual empowerment and more. There will be readings by Tara Dublin, Diana Kirk and others. At 8 p.m. Sunday, March 18.

Free. 619-501-7466, verbatim-books.com HLauren Toyota at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The YouTube foodie celeb will sign and discuss her new cookbook, If Vegan Comfort Classics. Price includes copy of the book. At 7 p.m. Monday, March 19. $22. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HKimberly Dark at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. The release show for the local writer and storyteller’s new book, Love and Errors. There will also be performances from Jimmy Jazz, Sharon Elise, Michael Klam and Lizzie Wann. From 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, March 21. Free.

619-284-6784, punapress.com Jasmin Darznik at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The New York Times bestselling author will sign and discuss her new novel, Song of a Captive Bird. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 21.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The Sci-fi/Fantasy authors will sign and discuss third and final installment of The Illuminae Files, Obsidio. Price includes copy of the book. At 7

p.m. Wednesday, March 21. $19.99. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

DANCE

winterWORKS 2018 at Mandell Weiss Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. A UCSD undergraduate dance performance choreographed by Yolande Smith and featuring original works that demonstrate the creativity and technique that emerge within and through the body in mastering the art of dance. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15, Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17. $10-$20. 858-534-4574, theatre.ucsd.edu White in White at White Box Live Arts, 2950 Truxtun Road #205, Point Loma.

The San Diego Ballet will perform Les Sylphides, Afternoon of a Faun and more cherished works. At 8 p.m. Friday, March 16 and Saturday, March 17. $25. 619294-7378, sandiegoballet.org HThe Ride: Malashock @30 at Lyceum Theater, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown.

Malashock Dance is celebrating 30 years with a new show. The choreography is set to the work of composers Matthew McBane, Judd Greenstein and Leos Janacek. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17 and Sunday, March 18. $15-$45. 619260-1622, malashockdance.org

FILM

HSan Diego Latino Film Festival at AMC Fashion Valley, 7037 Friars Road, Mission Valley. The 25th annual fest will showcase documentaries, feature films, shorts and animated films from around the world.

Also includes parties, food events and more. Various times. Thursday, March 15 through Sunday, March 25. $11.50-$225. sdlatinofilm.com HMetropolis at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B. St., Downtown. A showing of the 1927 silent film about class struggles in a futuristic world. A live performance of the score will accompany the movie and be played by organist Russ Peck. At 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 17. $20-$30. 619-2350804, sandiegosymphony.org HFrom Haarlem to Harlem at Museum of Photographic Arts, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park. The premiere of the documentary short about local photographer Alanna Airitam, who is best known for her portrait series, The Golden Age. The screening will be followed by a post-show discussion with Airitam and the film’s directors. At 6 p.m.

Wednesday, March 21. $10-$15. mopa.org

FOOD & DRINK

HCeviche Chef Showdown at Franco on Fifth, 3334 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Eight chefs compete in the first of a two-part challenge.

Judges will decide based on blind taste tests, and winners will go on to the finals at ArtWalk San Diego. From 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, March 19. $20-$25. vanguardculture.com

MUSIC

HSan Diego Music Awards Pre-Party and Nominees Reception at Karl Strauss Tasting Room & Beer Garden, 5985 Santa Fe St., Pacific Beach. Enjoy the debut of KARL’s Isomerizer IPA cans and live music from a few of the 2018 SDMA nominees including The Verigolds, The Routine and the Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio. From 5 to 9 p.m.

Friday, March 16. RSVP recommended.

858-273-2739, sandiegomusicawards.com San Diego Music Awards Showcase at Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. A night of performances by the SDMA nominees for alternative, rock and pop: Sister Speak, Imagery Machine and Ariel Levine & Mechanical Royalty. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 17. $5. sandiegomusicawards.com

Civic Youth Orchestra Spring Showcase Concert at California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido.

Comprised of aspiring young musicians of all ages and skill levels, the Civic Youth Orchestra presents its annual spring showcase. At 3 p.m. Sunday, March 18. $10.

800-988-4253, artcenter.org Tchaikovsky Deconstructed at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B. St., Downtown.

The San Diego Symphony and the San Diego Junior Theatre will depict the famed composer’s creative process, specifically in relation to his Overture 1812. At 2 p.m.

Sunday, March 18. $25. 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org HSan Diego Music Awards at House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp. The annual awards show celebrates the best in local music with live performances and awards given in a variety of categories. Performances include P.O.D., Trouble in the Wind, Berkley Heart and more. At 6 p.m. Monday, March 19. $40. sandiegomusicawards.com

PERFORMANCE

HSuper Awesome Showdown: Unlimited at Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St., Mission Bay. This wrestling event draws from outer space video game superhero combat as well as pop culture. From 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17. $5-$20. 858-6892422, superawesomeshowdown.com Las Arpías at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. A Spanish language comedy based on the text of French author Robert Thomas. The performance follows the story of eight women accused of murdering a millionaire. At 7 p.m. Sunday, March 18. $50$90. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org Cirque du Soleil: Crystal at Valley View Casino Center, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Point Loma. Cirque’s first-ever experience on ice features world-class ice skaters and acrobats performing amazing feats on a new frozen playground. Various times. Wednesday, March 21 through Sunday, March 25. $90$100. cirquedusoleil.com/crystal

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD

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 The Poetry Brothel at Cafe Bar Europa, The Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St., Pacific Beach. Dubbed, “New York’s sexiest literary event,” this interactive performance imitates old time medicine shows with poetry readings, burlesque and more. From 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17. $20-$75.

347-260-2847, thepoetrybrothel.com HSt. Patrick’s Day Open Reading of Irish Poetry and Prose at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Members of the public are invited to read their favorite passages from James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie and others at this annual tradition. At 7 p.m. Friday, March 17. 858-456-1800, dgwillsbooks.com HLong Story Short: Beast Mode at The Ink Spot, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 202, Point Loma. So Say We All’s monthly improv storytelling night features five-minute stories with no notes where anyone can share stories about domestic, wild or any variety of animals. From 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 17. $5 suggested donation. 619-6960363, sosayweallonline.com HStorytelling Festival at Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas. A live storytelling event that includes readings,

workshops, kids’ programs, and selections from veterans participating in So Say We All’s “True Stories from Veterans” program.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 18. Free. storytellerofsandiego.org Voices of Ireland at Lamb’s Players Theatre, 1142 Orange Ave., Coronado. A reading of traditional tales by guest artists Ron Choularton, Michael Cusimano and Caitie Grady. Irish folk band Celtic Echoes will also be performing. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 19. $40. 619-437-6000, lambsplayers.org

SPECIAL EVENTS

ShamROCK at various locations, Gaslamp Quarter. A St. Patrick’s Day block party with three stages and 25 participating bars. There will be performances by Too $hort, several Irish bands, DJs and more. From 4 p.m. to midnight. Saturday, March 17. $55-$65.

619-233-5008, sandiegoshamrock.com HSouth Park Spring Walkabout at South Park, 30th & Juniper, South Park. A quarterly evening festival that showcases all the unique and independent businesses within South Park. Enjoy complimentary treats, live entertainment, special offers and discounts, and much more. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 17. Free. southparksd.com HSpring Planting Jubilee and Tomato Sale at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. The annual fest features a wide variety of herbs, spring plants, bromeliads, garden art and implements, plus guest speakers and garden experts on hand to answer questions.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 17 and Sunday, March 18. Free-$14. 760436-3036, sdbgarden.org HRolando Street Fair at Rolando Village, 7824 Rolando Blvd., Rolando. This annual, family-friendly fest features food, vendors, rides and live music from Lee Coulter, Voices of our City Choir, Viva Santana and many more. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 18. Free. rolandocc.org HSan Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Joe and Vi Jacobs Center Celebration Room, 404 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park. An induction of five notable women honored for their values, empowerment, activism, trailblazing, cultural competency and historical preservation. From 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, March 18. $50. womensmuseumca.org

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS

Gala Porras-Kim and Ana Iwataki at Structural and Materials Engineering Building 406, UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The artist/curators discuss their practices and work with Commonwealth and Council, an artist-run exhibition space in Koreatown, Los Angeles. From 12:30 to 3 p.m. Thursday, March 15. Free. visarts. ucsd.edu HTAG> Artistic Intervention at Museum of Contemporary Art, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. MCASD’s Teen Advisory Group hosts a participatory event that’s inspired by the exhibit Memories of Underdevelopment: Art and the Decolonial Turn in Latin America, 1960-1985, and conversations surrounding food justice in San Diego and Mexico. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15. Free. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org HDistrict 8 Candidates at Sherman Heights Community Center, 2258 Island Ave., Sherman Heights. The Environmental Health Coalition hosts a forum for the candidates running to replace David Alvarez as District 8 councilmember. Jose Cruz, chief executive officer of Barrio Logan College Institute, will moderate.

From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 15. Free. 619-474-0220, facebook.com/ events/552768541760247

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

THEATER DAREN SCOTT

A Little Night Music

Music of the night

F

or those hopeless romantics who’ve dreamed of waltzing seemingly without end, there is A Little Night Music. Stephen Sondheim’s 1973 musical (with a book by Hugh Wheeler and based on the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night)—about a countryside gathering of spouses and lovers—is composed largely in threequarter time. The story’s players exist in a world in which there is a rhythm to life, not only to its acquiescence to growing older but its youthful pursuit of the embraceable.

A Little Night Music was Artistic Director Sean Murray’s first production when his formerly Rolando-based Cygnet Theatre moved into its Old Town space 10 years ago. Coming full circle, Cygnet is again staging Sondheim’s musically complex work, with Murray again directing and starring as the principal male role of Frederik Egerman. Karole Foreman, last seen at Cygnet in 2016’s Stupid Fucking Bird, plays faded performer Desiree Armfeldt, the true love of Frederik’s life.

A Little Night Music is best known for “Send in the Clowns,” arguably the most poignant song Sondhei��������������������������������������� m has written. Its performance by Foreman midway through Act II, then later reprised in a tender exchange between Foreman and Murray, is indeed the high point of a score that is by turns studied and operatic. The elaborate ensemble numbers, including the opening “Night Waltz” and the first-act-culminating “A Weekend in the Country” are more reflective of the show’s tonality.

Murray has enlisted a prodigious cast. Standout performances are delivered by Sandy Campbell, who plays the wry spouse of a foppish, philandering dragoon (David S. Humphrey), as well as from Anise Ritchie as Desiree’s mother with a past. And then there’s Murray himself, perhaps picking up where he left off a decade ago.

This is a lengthy show (should it have been A Lot of Night Music?), and its second act, when all the lovers and schemers congregate for that titular weekend in the country, boasts the majority of the mem-

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

orable sequences. A Little Night Music is elegantly costumed (by Jeanne Reith) and choreographed (by David Brannen), and like Shakespeare’s enchanted forest trifles, it is charming from start to finish.

A Little Night Music runs through April 22 at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. $43-$64; cygnettheatre. com

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING:

Bachelorette: Leslye Headland’s dark comedy about three bridesmaids who go on a vice-filled tear after ruining their friend’s wedding dress. Presented by Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company, it opens March 15 at Diversionary’s Black Box Theatre in Hillcrest.

The Happiest Place on Earth: The West Coast premiere of Phillip Dawkins’ one-man show about an infamous trip his family took to Disneyland after their father (Dawkins’ grandfather) dies. Directed by Jonathan L. Green, it opens in previews March 15 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest.

The Heir Apparent: David Ives’ comedic adaptation of a JeanFrançois Regnard play about a broke commoner who will do anything to prove he’s worthy of the maiden Isabelle. Presented by the Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department, it opens March 15 at the Stagecoach Theatre in El Cajon. grossmont.edu Legally Blonde: The Musical: A musical adaptation of the hit film about a co-ed who leaves an entitled life in Malibu to chase her boyfriend to Harvard Law School. Presented by STAR Repertory Theatre, it opens for three performances March 15 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. artcenter.org Fuddy Meers: A staged reading of David Lindsay Abaire’s comic romp about a woman with a rare case of amnesia who is kidnapped by a man claiming to be her brother. Presented by Carlsbad Playreaders, it happens March 19 at the Schulman Auditorium at the Carlsbad City Library. carlsbadplayreaders.org

Find more theater listings at sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | ART

SEEN LOCAL

be as inclusive as possible.

“This all started out just as a discussion initially, but then grew into this show with a panel,” says Starks. “We wanted to have engagement and get the community and students involved. But this year, we wanted to open it up for everyone who had something to say or has a standpoint or perception about this or five years now, the annual Women in Light ex- particular theme.”

This year’s “Weapon of Choice” theme is based hibition (womeninlightcom.wordpress.com) has shifted thematically and stylistically, but there on a book by photographer and filmmaker Gordon were always two defining rules: The medium was pho- Parks. In it, he describes the camera as his “choice COURTESY OF THE ARTIST of weapon against what I hated tography and the photographers most about the universe.” Starks had to be dealing in broad themes says she and organizers wanted of femininity. Since its inception to take that concept to show how in 2012, the showcase at San Dithe camera can, indeed, work as ego City College has become one a weapon to combat misogyny of the more notable showcases of and celebrate women. This year’s photographic talent in the city. judged exhibition—which opens However, all of the work presentMarch 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. at City ed in the past has been limited to College’s Luxe Gallery and was photographers involved with City curated by City College Profesor College’s Photo Department, be Lisa Vella—includes over a dozen they staff, faculty or alumni. works from names such as Lauren That all changes this year with LaBells, Rayo Huerta and Jennie Women in Light: Weapon of Choice, Nelson, among others. Sparks where it was decided that the fifth says it’s been a bit more work annual exhibit would be open to since they’re now receiving more the public. Charcee Starks helped submissions, but is pleased with create the exhibition along with the end result.

Paula Miranda, Cariely Benitez “Concrete Ocean” by Carla Love “The fact that this started out and Nicole Espina. She says the original intention was always to create something as just a few lab techs doing a show for women, by that was primarily for women, but was also open to women, as women, and has evolved into something allies. Starks feels the fact that they’ve now opened up like this, that means a lot.” the show to anyone is representative of the idea that

—Seth Combs women and feminist allies need to come together and

SEEING THE LIGHT

F

FORGET ME NOT

W

hen Ruth Wallen (ruthwallen.net) gradu- Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The result is Remember the Trees, a collection of ated with a degree in biology and anthropology, she felt that she was on her way to photographic collages. Each collage compacts 25 to 50 photos, taken by Wallen in an area of up to a halffulfilling a career path her parents encouraged.

“I could’ve gone to medical school, and I could’ve mile, and splintered into one landscape. Burnt and regotten in, but that’s not where my heart was at. You covering swaths of forest are the centerpieces.

“The typical way people photograph the landcan do all the science that you want but, ultimately, the decision-making is based on values,” Wallen says. scape, let’s say like Ansel Adams, is in terms of the “I felt I could do that better through art than science.” sublime landscape, the grandiose, the magnificent,” She’s since spent her adult life blending the two Wallen says. “I do think there’s something grand and fields as an ecological artist, emphasizing the impact magnificent, but I also wanted to get more of a seCOURTESY OF THE ARTIST ries of glances, and a sense of urbanization, globalizathat there is a system fragtion and climate change. menting and changing.”

Following the California The exhibit, which fires of 2003 and 2007, opens at the San Diego her focus shifted to the Mesa College Art Gallery region’s trees. San Diego with a reception on March County had lost more than 15 from 3 to 7 p.m., also 50 percent of its coniferincludes an iPad showing ous forest to the fires. She data on climate change. became hyper aware that pines, oaks, Joshua trees, “Pinyon Pine at Joshua Tree National Park 2017” Wallen worked with scienjunipers and essentially

by Ruth Wallen tists at Scripps to diagram the sizes of tree rings to every type of tree in the region was weakened by the drought, and therefore the year 2100 based on two different emission scenarios—one following the effects of current environmenmore susceptible to fires, bark beetles and more.

“We exchange oxygen with the trees,” she says. tal standards, the other of practices by what she calls “The tree is such a basic image in cultures, so I just an “enlightened government.”

Wallen says she wants the exhibit’s visitors to got fascinated and heartbroken by what was happenthink of what flourished before, and how they can ing to the trees.”

Wallen began visiting and revisiting places such as help the forests return to that luscious state.

“I want people to see that it’s still beautiful. There Torrey Pines State Park, Pine Creek Wilderness and other areas of San Diego County to photograph the are a few trees that are alive, but it’s heartbreaking.” vegetation over the years. She also ventured to Joshua

Tree National Park, Walker Pass Campground and the

—Torrey Bailey

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

CULTURE | FILM

Zama

25 years strong San Diego Latino Film Festival celebrates its silver anniversary

by Glenn Heath Jr.

A

s with any broadly defined umbrella term, “Latino cinema” merely provides an entry point for what is a vast array of cultures, dialects, themes, myths, perspectives and styles all being transcribed through film. Over the past quarter century, multiple sea changes have brought those many complexities to the forefront.

Mexican New Wave filmmakers such as Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo del Toro all have successfully infiltrated Hollywood (and won Oscars). Film movements in Argentina, Brazil and Chile have introduced the world to the likes of Lucrecia Martel, Lisandro Alonso, José Padilha and Pablo Larraín among others, not to mention helped further solidify auteurs such as Patricio Guzmán and Arturo Ripstein in the lexicon of film history.

The San Diego Latino Film Festival, originally founded by Ethan van Thillo as a student film festival in 1993, has spent the last quarter century promoting the expansiveness and malleability of Latino cinema while providing local, national and international filmmakers the necessary platform to share their work with large audiences.

With the SDLFF’s 25th edition set to begin Thursday, March 15 and run through Sunday, March 25, the fest continues to explore the multi-faceted qualities of modern Latino cinema. Programs focusing on women filmmakers, LGBTQ stories and documentaries are just some of the special sidebars included in this year’s program. In truth, the massive schedule is daunting to navigate even with most of the events and screenings happening at AMC Cinemas Mission Valley and the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park,

but there are some clear gems that are high priorities for the serious cinephile.

Top on the list will be Zama, the aforementioned Martel’s return to filmmaking after a nearly 10-year hiatus. This rigorous period epic based on the 1956 novel written by Antonio di Benedetto exposes the crumbling confidence of one disillusioned magistrate (Daniel Giménez Cacho) who is slowly going crazy in a backwater Argentine colony sometime in the 18th century.

Imagine the madness of Werner Herzog’s films reduced down to the elliptical austerity of Robert Bresson.

Greed permeates Zama like the chorus of crickets and birds that flood the sound design. It’s what drives every character to make business deals, seduce partners and betray their loved ones. Martel depicts it all as absurd human folly and with each passing day, the sweltering heat slowly degrades fragile bodies hoping for salvation. The film’s scathing critique of colonialism becomes rooted in this organic dichotomy pitting mankind’s abnormal presence against the unflinching natural splendor surrounding Zama’s outpost.

Martel strips away all sense of time, turning the act of conquering into a lethargic undertaking with no end (or satisfaction) in sight. The character of Zama comes to symbolize this theme; he’s less living than biding time. Despite this pervasive anxiousness, the film itself feels completely at ease, using an almost calypso-style guitar to evoke the relaxed cycles of nature that cannot be stopped. In the final moments of spiritual rebirth, Martel evokes Jim Jarmusch’s black-and-white masterpiece Dead Man, but

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

in beautiful living color.

If Zama sometimes condenses decades of cinematic time down into a single cut, The Desert Bride functions in more traditional terms by stretching out days into what feels like a lifetime. The restrained Argentine character study from co-directors Cecilia Atán and Valeria Pivato anchors itself to career maid Teresa Godoy (Paulina García) who’s being forcibly relocated after spending decades serving one family.

While on the road, Teresa befriends a nomadic street vendor named El Gringo (Claudio Rissi) whose rambling lifestyle provides her with the opportunity to momentarily forget the strict structure of regimented routine. If the film as a whole feels like an incomplete art house version of How Stella Got Her Groove Back, this comparison is upended as we watch García’s measured performance, which sways between cautiously paranoid and openly curious in response to male affection.

On the documentary side of things, Los Truenos de San Juan from Mexico is a stirringly visceral experience. Santiago Mazo’s film embeds itself in local community where debate over the use of sledgehammers to detonate homemade explosives called “thunders” rages on. While many citizens equate them with celebrating the past during their town’s yearly carnival, law enforcement and government stakeholders see them as a potentially dangerous safety issue.

As black market merchants stockpile supplies for thunder making and police strategize on how best to contain the raucous celebrations, conflict between the two seems inevitable. This tension helps turn

Los Truenos into something of a thriller, even if the ending fails to live up to these expectations. More importantly, Mazo taps into the masculine need to express themselves through varying methods (control vs. chaos) and the historical and religious icons that often get appropriated in the process.

On paper, Matar a Jesús from Colombia reads like a run-of-the-mill revenge film. After witnessing her father’s assassination, a privileged Medellín university student Paula (Natasha Jaramillo) happens upon the killer while out clubbing with friends. Instead of calling the police, she decides to befriend Jesús (Giovanny Rodríguez) with the hopes of enacting her own vengeance.

The decision to kill turns out to be a difficult one, and director Laura Mora Ortega navigates the complicated emotional terrain with ease. The result is a sobering minimalist drama that relies on its two central performances to subvert standard tropes associated with the genre. Instead of feeling increased rage, Paula begins to question her motivations. In coming to understand the social and economic pressures that define Jesús’ life, she becomes more perplexed about her own endgame, growing up before our eyes under the most impossible of circumstances.

Along with presenting 150-plus films, SDLFF will also be hosting a 25th Anniversary Awards Ceremony Gala and Concert and the annual Sabor Latino Food, Beer and Wine Fest. For all ticket and event information visit sdlatinofilm.org.

Film reviews run weekly.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

OPENING 7 Days in Entebbe: Rosamund Pike stars in this dramatic thriller based on the 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight bound for Tel Aviv. Directed by José Padilha (Narcos).

25th annual San Diego Latino Film Festival: Celebrating their silver anniversary, SDLFF will present 150-plus films, a food and wine festival, an award’s gala and 11 days of community programming. For more info visit sdlatinofilm.com Love, Simon: A closeted young gay man struggles to adapt once his friends and family find out about his secret.

Loveless: In the throes of a nasty divorce, a Russian couple must deal with the disappearance of their unhappy son. Opens Friday, March 16, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

The Cured: After the zombie apocalypse comes and goes, society looks down on the undead and the families who try to care for them. Opens Friday, March 16, at the Ken Cinema.

The Leisure Seeker: Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland play a nomadic couple that set off on the road in their faithful RV. Opens Friday, March 16, at Angelika Film Centers Carmel Mountain and Landmark Hillcrest.

Tomb Raider: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl) reprises the role of Lara Croft, the dynamic adventurer previously played by Angelina Jolie.

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

@SDCITYBEAT

official program present The 27th

San Diego Music Awards

House of Blues San Diego • March 19, 2018 A portion of the proceeds from this event will once again benefit the San Diego Music Foundation and Taylor Guitars for Schools

SanDiegoMusicAwards.com

2018 San Diego Music Awards performers

P.O.D.

TROUBLE IN THE WIND

SURE FIRE SOUL ENSEMBLE

BERKLEY HART

WHITNEY SHAY

PARKER MERIDIAN

2018 SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARDS

O F F I C I A L

P R O G R A M

O F F I C I A L

P R O G R A M

2018 SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARDS

2018 San Diego Music Awards Nominees album of the year nominees

Cindy Lee Berryhill The Adventurist

Best Singer / Songwriter Grampadrew Jimmy Ruelas Lindsay White Sarah Rogo Lee Coulter Shane Hall Best Jazz Danny Green Euphoria Brass Band Jason Hanna Montalban Quintet Nathan Hubbard Sue Palmer & her Motel Swing Orchestra Best Blues Bill Magee Blues Band Black Market III Mercedes Moore Missy Andersen Stoney B Blues band Whitney Shay Best Country or Americana Berkley Hart Morgan Leigh Band Nena Anderson Sara Petite Shawn Rohlf The Moves Collective

2018 SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARDS

Jack Tempchin Peaceful, Easy Feeling

Best Hip Hop / Rap DJ Pnutz Odessa Kane C-Hecc Riston Diggs TC Doe Vokab Kompany Best Indie / Alternative Authentic Sellout Bad Kids Buckfast Superbee The Bassics The Heavy Guilt The Verigolds Best Pop Birdy Bardot Ki The Ordeal Tolan Shaw The Phantoms The Midnight Pine Best Rock Bossfight Earthless The Farmers The Oxen The Routine The Schizophonics Best World Music B-Side Players Doornob Collective Hirie Split Finger Todo Mundo Tribal Theory

Joshua White 13 Short Stories

Best Jazz Album Dave Scott - One Big Beautiful World Lori Bell & Ron Satterfield - Blue(s) Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio - I Am Calm Patrick Yandall - A Journey Home Rebecca Jade & Peter Sprague - Planet Cole Porter Wayne Riker - Soulfully Sliding Best Blues Album Chickenbone Slim - The Big Beat Fuzzy Rankins - The Blues Robin Henkel - Slippery Like a Watermelon Seed John January & Linda Berry - Chemistry 101 Nathan James - What I Believe Best Country or Americana Album Jeff Berkley - Whore House, Hot Sauce & Souvenirs MohaviSoul - Hometown Blues Nancarrow - Hot Chicken Ryan Hiller - Big Medicine Sara Petite - Road Less Traveled Tim Flannery - Last of the Old Dogs Trouble in the Wind - Pineapple Moon

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2018 San Diego Music Awards Nominees album of the year nominees

Ariel Levine Let the Machine Get It

Best Hip Hop / Rap Album 1019 The Numberman - Solus Superstes Stanz tha Six9teener - Audio Card JF & Biggie Babylon #HipHopNdance Bloodstone - Rapolutionary No1MC - Conditional Struggle Saviorself - Nasty City Best Indie / Alternative Album Aviator Stash - s/t Grizzly Business - Spanish Old Fashioned Imagery Machine - Skydriver Sights & Sages - Double Plus Skyterra - Over The Edge Splavender - Hallucinations & Hospitalizations Best Pop Album Marie Haddad - Stories from Atlantis Nina Francis - Between Dreams Astra Kelly - Chasing the Light Michael Tiernan - Love & a Gun Sister Speak - The Stand Steven Ybarra - The American Dream

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Little Hurricane Same Sun, Same Moon

Best Rock Album Electric Mud - Dangerous Promises Mittens - Endlessly Superunloader - Twice in Half Taken by Canadians - s/t The Paragraphs - It’s Always Never Dirty Sweet - Once More Unto the Breach Best World Music Album B-Side Players - California Brown Mango Habanenro - Live Marujah - Marujah Rising Mike Pinto - Hotel Rendezvous Strictly Skunk - s/t Tribal Seeds - Roots Party Best Local Recording Ambassadors of Soul - Just Make It Funky Comanche Moon - Derailed Sham Saints - Out of Tune The G. Burns Jug Band - The Fever Veronica May - Awakened Wish & the Well - Darling Darling

Parker Meridien Fists Like Gotti

Best Live Performer Joshua White Mrs. Henry Surefire Soul Ensemble The Creepy Creeps The Schizophonics Trouble in the Wind Best New Artist Belladon Jumbotron Sights & Sages Well Well Well Stephanie Brown & The Surrealistics The Goldettes Artist of the Year Casey Hensley Band Parker Meridien Gilbert Castellanos The Redwoods Collective The Schizophonics Trouble in the Wind Song of the Year Ariel Levine - Sunshine Part 2: On My Color TV Aviator Stash - Lazy Summer Days Buckfast Superbee - Sex it Sells Little Hurricane - OTL Switchfoot - If the House Burns Down Tonight P.O.D. - Soundboy Killa

2018 SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARDS

lifetime achievement award

The paladins

by Bart Mendoza Few San Diego bands have had the worldwide impact of The Paladins. The band first formed in 1980 and while they never signed to a major label, they did build a cult following for their mix of blues, rockabilly, country and rock ‘n’ roll. Over the couse of over a dozen live and studio albums on various indie labels, they won over a legion of diehard fans across the globe, inspiring the formation of countless groups in their wake.

Pioneers of the roots rock/ Americana sound, the trio has been led since the beginning by the duo of guitarist Dave Gonzalez and bassist Thomas Yearsley, alongside longtime drummer Brian Fahey—and their accomplishments have been many. The Paladins have toured the U.S., Europe and Australia, opened for the likes of Los Lobos, The Blasters and Stevie Ray Vaughn and, most importantly, filled dance floors coast to coast. The Paladins took a decade off beginning in 2004, but have since come back with a vengeance, releasing their latest album, New World, just last year.

The band’s various members have also gone on to do much respected work beyond the Paladins—Gonzalez with his band The Hacienda Brothers, Fahey with session and tour work and Yearsley with his Oceanside-based Thunderbird Analog Recording Studio, which has produced numerous albums from the likes of Sue Palmer and Casey Hensley.

But it’s the original trio that continues to draw attention. It’s likely that Gonzalez, Yearsley and Fahey were merely looking to have some fun, play some music and maybe meet some girls when the Paladins first took flight. But the ensuing 38 years have shown the band to have been trailblazers of the indie music scene as well as ambassadors for San Diego’s music community.

For these and many other accomplishments, the San Diego Music Awards are proud to honor The Paladins this year with the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award.

2018 SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARDS

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P R O G R A M

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P R O G R A M

2018 SAN DIEGO MUSIC AWARDS

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hange is good. If nothing changes, then it certainly can’t get any better. After more than a decade of listening to local bands’ submissions in a marathon session for the annual Great Demo Review, we’re making some improvements. Bands still make demos, and bands still send them to us, but the state of music in 2018 is such that those demos are, more often than not, the releases that end up being heard by the public.

Instead of meticulously prepping songs in pre-studio sessions, bands are self-recording and immediately posting their music to sites such as Bandcamp and Soundcloud, cutting out the middleman entirely. Then again, a lot of bands simply don’t bother with the step of making a demo, and end up sending us their finished, studio-quality recordings. And we’d hate to overlook those submissions just because they’re not technically a “demo,” whatever that is anymore.

So this year we’re changing the name of the Great Demo Review to, simply, the Local Music Review. In a slightly more slimmed-down version of last year’s 26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

epic review session, we tackled 77 submissions this time around, eight of which we deemed, as is tradition, ExtraSpecialGood. The rest range from good to meh to good-god-why-are-you-doing-this-to-me? It’s always fun to discover new bands in town that we love, and while there are always bands that we end up cringing at, we hope our feedback is taken constructively. Just because we didn’t like something doesn’t mean a band should pack up its instruments, but it’s probably worth considering some adjustments. Like we said: Change is good.

This wouldn’t be a Local Music Issue without some more in-depth features on the artists that continue to make the scene interesting, even legendary. This year we take a look at a celebrated punk band releasing their first new music in more than a decade, as well as a musical MVP who has performed on many of our favorite local releases. More than anything, this issue is a celebration of San Diego’s music, even if it sometimes requires some tough love.

—Jeff Terich

@SDCITYBEAT

ARLENE IBARRA

THE LOCAL MUSIC ISSUE

A NEW NOISE Local legends Hot Snakes return with their first new album in 14 years

By Jeff Terich

I

t’s hard to recall a night when The Casbah felt as packed, steamy and sweaty as when Hot Snakes take the stage on a recent balmy evening.

Condensation collects on mirrors, and barbacks cautiously inch upstream through a sea of bodies. It feels like a joyous, if not humid, punk rock family reunion, and in some ways it is: This is the kickoff of Hot Snakes’ tour in support of Jericho Sirens, their first album in 14 years.

It’s taken six years for the members of the veteran San Diego punk band to go from sharing the same stage to turning that kinetic energy into new music. Released this week via Sub Pop, Jericho Sirens was written and recorded throughout 2017 in a handful of sessions in both Philadelphia and at San Diego’s Singing Serpent Studios. They’d been performing festival and club shows for more than half a decade at that point, following a seven-year hiatus in which the band’s members worked on other concerns both musical (Night Marchers, Obits) and personal (fatherhood). But in order to keep the energy and excitement of the band alive, it was important that they had something concrete to show for it.

“It was a conversation that continued for six years until we were at the same place, at the same time,” says guitarist John Reis.

“Not necessarily physically the same place, more mentally. Like, if this is going to happen, it should happen now.”

Jericho Sirens sounds like Hot Snakes, but

From left: Rick Froberg, Jason Kourkounis, Gar Wood and John Reis just a bit noisier, more manic and intense.

The group’s always been loud and abrasive, which is defined by the clash of Rick Froberg’s frantic vocals, Reis’ guitar scrape, Gar Wood’s melodic basslines and (depending on the album) Jason Kourkounis’ or Mario Rubalcaba’s bruising drum beats. All the characteristic elements are still there, just dialed up a few notches like on the densely layered assault of “Psychoactive” or the minute-long primal scream, “Why Don’t It Sink In?” They all reflect an aggressive sound that Reis describes as “perfecting the downstroke and using it as a means to enslave and decapitate.”

In fact, at times Jericho Sirens sounds a little bit like another local band: Drive Like Jehu, which also features Reis and Froberg.

In fact, that band’s reunion in 2014 helped build up the motivation to finish a new Hot Snakes record. In turn, Jehu’s abrasive, intricate style subliminally influenced the new Snakes songs.

“I think it totally [influenced the record],” Froberg says of playing again with Jehu.

“There’s no way it wouldn’t. When we were doing that, it was weird, because...this band broke up in 1994, and we’re playing again and I’m not 23 anymore. We had to make adjustments to feel comfortable with it, and in doing so, we wanted to build things out from it. I think it’s sneaking in there for sure.”

One crucial element of making a new Hot Snakes record was enlisting everyone who played on their first three: Reis, Froberg and Wood, as well as Kourkounis (who played on

2000’s Automatic Midnight and 2002’s Suicide Invoice) and Rubalcaba (drums on 2004’s Audit in Progress). They never play with two drummers at once—this is Hot Snakes, not the Allman Brothers—but if anyone was involved the first time, they most definitely took part for these recordings.

“That’s the sound of the band,” Reis says. “You can replace a piece and maybe it doesn’t affect it that much to one listener, but to another listener, you might be replacing the thing they really liked about the band. We’ve always had gang mentality because you get in the van, you hit the road and there is a part of you that feels like it’s us against the world. I’m playing with my best friends. I’m a firm believer in the concept of bands. I like to hear bands. And I still get inspired by hearing a really great band.”

During the recording of Jericho Sirens, however, Reis was hit with a harsh setback.

His guitar was stolen from inside of his car.

Yet in just one week, thanks to the efforts of friends and peers spreading the word on social media and tracking down the gold Gibson Les Paul on an app called OfferUp, he ended up getting it back. But losing something dear to him, even if only for a few days, ended up resulting in a change of attitude and method going forward.

“Guitars and amps, it’s just stuff,” Reis says. “My sound is in my head and my fingers. It’s not in a guitar. It’s not in a pedal.

It’s just me. For better or for worse, when I pick up a guitar, it’s going to sound like me

playing it. When that guitar was stolen, I began to realize how important it was to me.

“I didn’t really use that guitar in Hot Snakes,” he adds. “I used it in Jehu and Rocket (from the Crypt), but when I got it back we were still recording. So I was like, ‘I’m playing this guitar now!’ I’m playing it on this record and whenever we play live.”

And while Hot Snakes comprises the same people who started the band nearly 20 years ago and they’re still playing many of the same songs they once did, none of the members are interested in recapturing something that existed in their earliest days.

It’s about using the same elements to build something entirely new. Something, perhaps, even better.

“You can do it exactly the same way, and get exactly the same thing out of it,” Froberg says. “Unless you want to get something different out of it, which I think everybody does a little bit. You want to make it better, make it more where you are now than where you were 15 years ago. We’ve done a lot since then, and we’re ready to bring our experience to it. A whole new record’s worth of stuff helps a lot. That made it fresh and exciting and worth getting out of bed for.”

“It’s more fun,” Reis adds. “This version of the band is a better version than what we were when we were around the first time. This is the best noise yet from us, for sure.”

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

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27

THE LOCAL MUSIC ISSUE

Give the drummer some

T

here is a face that Jake Najor makes when he’s behind the drums. While he’s noticeably tall and large, he mostly maintains a subdued and understated presence onstage even if he is, unquestionably, the best and most in-demand drummer in town. For those lucky to have caught him in a zone—free to let loose or in a rhythmic space where he’s just feeling the other musicians around him—that face is everything. It’s somewhere between the presence-of-god looks that marked the faces of jazz greats such as Elvin Jones and Sunny Murray, and the resounding joy of legends such as Ndugu Chancler and Mick Fleetwood.

That being clearly established, Jake Najor is definitely not making that face right now.

“What is this place, dog?” Najor asks as we try to find a booth among the vacuous shitshow that is Holy Matcha in North Park. It’s Saturday afternoon and the teahouse is bustling with millennial hipsters ordering seaweed-colored lemonades and, naturally, plates of avocado toast. Still, if Najor is uncomfortable, it’s hard to tell, as his demeanor is as zen-like and congenial as ever.

“I don’t know what it is man,” says Najor when I ask him about those faces he makes onstage. “I think that’s just when I’m really feeling it and feeling good. But sometimes

28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

TORREY BAILEY

“I’m confident in my abilities, but I’ve always tried to be the guy who isn’t boastful about what I do,” Najor says.

“Like, ‘hey, look at me.’ I always try to keep things low key.

People always ask me about playing songs with some of the bigger people and I’ll say, ‘yeah, it was cool,’ but I try not to make a big deal about it. Usually, people will mention it more than I do.”

Raised in a musical family, Najor got into drumming via his two older brothers, one of whom, Zak Najor, still plays in local jazz band The Greyboy Allstars. Jake says he wasn’t all that interested in music at first. He began playing in various bands after high school, picking up shows at places like SOMA. Coming from a private Christian school, he admits that his initial bands had a Jesus-y bend to them but that he wasn’t really “into that vibe.” It was also around this time that he was discovering bands like Fishbone, a group known for seamlessly blending a variety of styles and genres (punk, ska, metal, jazz, R&B, etc.), often on the same song.

He may be in the back, “Bands like that really opened my eyes as to what a band could do. That you could be that diverse stylistically,” says but Jake Najor is the truth Najor, adding that Fishbone worked as something of a gateway band to discovering other groups ranging from Blue

By Seth Combs Note jazz albums to funk classics. “This was also around the time that my brother was in Greyboy Allstars so I was hearing all this soul and jazz. That music is influential to me to this day. It was a revelation.”

Soon enough, his reputation as being a versatile drummer, well versed in a variety of drumming styles, began to spread. This led to other projects and, before he knew it, he was being asked to join other bands, some of which were Jake Najor established touring groups.

And he hasn’t stopped since. Now, 20 years later, he’s when it’s a more mellow kind of a gig, you know, it’s not refinally moving more into the spotlight with his new quartet, ally about me.”

Jake Najor & the Moment of Truth. While he maintains it’s a That humbleness and affability has served Najor well collaborative affair with the rest of the band (Matt Labarber over the 20-plus years he’s played in dozens of bands and on bass, Nick Costa on guitar and Tim Felten on keys), this musical projects. In a scene known for diva-like behavior, is the first band that has had his name on it, and thus he Najor is what you might call a musician’s musician; the guy feels more comfortable asserting creative control. The reyou call when you need to get exactly what you want without sulting album, In the Cut, is finished, and a few of the songs having to work all day to get it. are posted on his Soundcloud page (soundcloud.com/jna“Obviously you gotta know how to play, but you also have jor). Najor wants the band to perfect their live performances to be easy to work with,” Najor says. “If you’re a cool hang, before they release the album in the summer. you have a better chance of getting a good gig. If you’re just “It’s definitely influenced by soul and funk, but it’s got a good drummer, but you’re kind of hard to deal with, people a little psychedelic influence to it,” says Najor. “There’s a will remember that.” little fuzz on that guitar. It’s a little more rock, and it’s got So yes, Jake Najor is the ultimate “cool hang,” but if he a little more grit. Most of it’s instrumental, but not quite won’t say it, I will: He’s also a hell of a drummer. Ask Big Dadsoundtracky. I don’t know man, it’s hard to put into words.” dy Kane. Ask TV on the Radio. Ask Redman or Kelis. Ask Joss It’s only fitting that the guy who has spent the bulk of his Stone or Jason Mraz. Jake’s played with all of them. Or ask career with a “it’s not really about me” mindset is now struganyone in any of the local projects he’s currently involved gling to describe his own band’s sound, but that’s the way it in whether it’s the Sure Fire Soul Ensemble and the Natural goes with Jake Najor.

Sounds Trio, or being the studio drummer for the countless “People have their own way of presenting themselves. I bands in the Redwoods Music collective (he’ll be performhave a brand and it’s just me as a drummer. I want my brand ing with them at a Redwoods Revue show at The Casbah on to be, ‘this guy’s cool, he’s easy to work with and he’s not a March 16). Look at a live music calendar for San Diego and pain in the ass. He gets the job done and it’s all good.’” chances are that Najor is playing at a club that night.

@SDCityBeat

march 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

1019 and iD the Poet This “trip-hop” mixtape finds 1019 & iD the Poet employing some eclectic samples that range from classic jazz to an excerpt from the cult film Valley of the Dolls—and then grinding them up in what sounds like a garbage disposal. It also features the unfortunate line “got a duffle of dough big as a buffalo, yo.”

10-19thenumberman.bandcamp.com

last year, and while all of them showcase a knack for cinematic beatmaking, Model Macrocosm is the most complete and diverse entry in the collection so far. From more bright and straightforward compositions (“Vodka In A Wooden Kiln”, “Arcade Bodega”) to murky and fractured ones (“It Is Raining & The Water”, “From Survival To Thrival”), A Swoop & A Cross does a nice job covering it all here. aswoopandacross.bandcamp.com

—Alex Noble

—Scott McDonald

Untitled EP

Demo

Demo

It’s hard to take a band seriously when their name sounds like the subtitle to a Karate Kid sequel, but you gotta give these guys props for their metal chops. Great guitar and drum work—reminiscent of In Flames—elevate the generic lyrics (then again, what great metal band doesn’t have its share of eye-rolling lyrics?). The band works best when evoking the laser-sounding, lip-biting nostalgia of ’80s metal; not so much when they wade into hardcore screamo territory. aherowithinband.com

Matthew Binder and Mike Kamoo are local scene vets, having played in bands such as Hotel St. George, The Stereotypes and Vinyl Radio. And you can hear that experience in these songs, which are tuneful, unhurried and handled with care. They submitted three tracks from this project, and all three swing with small-batch indie-rock ‘n’ soul charm.

Highlights include the stately chorus of “Cocaine Company” and the croaky speak-sung swagger of “This Ain’t About You.” facebook. com/bangbangjetaway —Ben Salmon

—Ryan Bradford

A Swoop & A Cross Model Macrocosm

A Swoop & A Cross had four separate releases

—Scott McDonald

Battery Point

—Carolyn Ramos

When you receive a demo on a CD-R from 2002—complete with the home-printed label—the first thought is: why? But there’s also a morbid curiosity to what the disc may contain, sort of like watching the cursed video from The Ring. Good news: despite the questionable format, Heather Baziotes’ single “Never Let Nobody Break Me” is actually a pretty good pop-dance jam with the same don’t-take-shit attitude as the songs P!nk was releasing in 2002. The bad news: The CD-R nearly broke my computer by getting stuck inside it, therefore confirming my suspicions that it was a cursed object. People, just get a Bandcamp page.

—Ryan Bradford

A Memory For Today

Ian Beeson

This Chula Vista-based sextet obviously love Morrissey and The Smiths. They even spend

Track “002”: Remember “Somebody That

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

I Used To Know?” Now imagine that both Gotye and Kimbra are drunk as hell and breathless because they ran the last block home. It’s 2:28 a.m., and both of them have the munchies. Kimbra screams, “No one wants to make a sandwich for you, Gotye.” Lyrical content aside, that’s what this track sounds like, including the arrhythmic kitchen noises. soundcloud.com/user270904846

Heather Baziotes

Never Let Nobody Break Me

Bang Bang Jet Away

A Hero Within

one of the three songs here covering Another Sunny Day’s “You Should All Be Murdered,” a song so Smiths-y that ASD should have been required to hand over royalties. But this is Battery Point’s third solid collection in as many years, and they are proving themselves to be more than the sum of their influences. batterypoint.bandcamp.com

Untitled

The Black Sofas Razorblade

In all of two minutes, The Black Sofas piledrive their way through two tracks, “Razorblade” and “Contrived,” about half of which comprises a sampled political rant. I mean, I get it—punk songs work better when they’re short. But there’s barely anything here, and the music that is on the CD sounds like a Pennywise demo from the early ’90’s. It’s fine for what it is, but with only a minute of music, what’s here is barely worth mentioning.

—Jeff Terich

Bridey

Missed the Boat Bridey’s wailing Florence and the Machineesque vocals paired with an upbeat sound

MUSIC REVIEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

march 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

MUSIC REVIEWS CONT’D FROM PAGE 30

Sean Burdeaux

makes for some standard, but still fun altpop faire. Even with buoyant highlights such as “You” and the eponymous “Missed the Boat,” this all feels like one long song with some occasional fluctuations in tempo.

Still, the nonchalantly jaded lyrics make the album worth the listen, effortlessly brushing off one romantic mishap after another. bridey.bandcamp.com

A single track clocking in at just over 47 minutes, this self-proclaimed “iterative, improvised drone/noise piece” sounds like what one would hear if chock-full of PCP and attempting to cut sheet metal between two extremely large turbines. But hey, fuck yeah for self-expression! facebook.com/itsokayimcrying

—Alex Noble

Christmas 2017

“Heavy On My Mind” This could easily be placed in a dramatic montage at the end of a Sons of Anarchy episode. Broken Stems’ sound and image lean toward generic blues-rock, but they’re sophisticated musicians and songwriters.

There are strong vocals, atmospheric organs and drumming that accompanies the group perfectly, all of which allows the keys and fat, bluesy guitar riffs to shine. Seems like they paid attention in music theory class— their use of dynamics, harmonies and an unconventional song structure make this an engaging listen. brokenstems.com —Lara McCaffrey

Bunk Acid Rash Demo

Some praise the internet for demolishing the gatekeepers that have traditionally held art back, thus creating a level playing field that gives independent artists just as much chance to be seen or heard as famous stars.

With this, unfortunately, comes a lack of quality control, and artists think that whatever they do is worthy of posting. Now, maybe I’m just not the audience for Bunk Acid Rash’s washed-out hardcore. Maybe I’m too elite to find the charm in a demo that sounds like it was recorded on the Talkboy from Home Alone 2, but it’s frustrating to listen to genuine talent buried under a thousand layers of analog scuzz. bunkacidrash.bandcamp.com —Ryan Bradford

toilet paper hanging from the ceiling. facebook.com/Naya-Dane-187969841274797

—Jeff Terich

—Torrey Bailey

Clay Fox

Daytrip

Burdeaux is back and there couldn’t be more juxtaposition between his two celebratorytitled entries. With a total running time just under four-and-a-half minutes, the two songs here sample the likes of Count Basie, Schubert, Buddy Rich and Dave Brubeck for a pair of nicely executed and perfectly off-kilter patchworks. facebook.com/itsokayimcrying

One of the minor qualms about doing this music review every year is realizing how many San Diego bands take themselves so. fucking. serious. I mean, cool moodiness, bros, but are you even having fun? In contrast, Clay Fox—the project of multi-instrumentalist Daniel Schraer—feels like a breath of chaotic fresh air. The album sounds like a busker-style street performance with indie-rock sensibilities, and there are many moments when it feels like it’s going to fly off the rails (in a good way). For example, opening track “Now It Has Begun”—a demented polka tune—would fit right in on the soundtrack to Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.

Weeeee! clayfox.bandcamp.com

Jangly, well-produced power pop with a touch of second wave emo. Daytrip stick to a pretty straightforward guitar-driven sound with their self-titled EP. It’s fairly risk averse, but that’s not necessarily standing in the way of making it an enjoyable listen. All in all, these are strongly written, if conventional alt-rock songs, and Daytrip are good at what they do. That being said, I’d love to hear them get more ambitious and a little more experimental, but for now they’ve got a really solid set of songs to start with. daytripsd.bandcamp.com

—Scott McDonald

—Ryan Bradford

—Scott McDonald

Sean Burdeaux Birthday Beats

Broken Stems

far from novel or innovative, it’s definitely fun. reverbnation.com/captainviejo

Light And Sound Came Pouring In

Calcutta Kid

Robert Crawford

Calcutta Kid

Demo

Other than hearing raga in the background of TV or film scenes, I’ve never listened to the genre, but I found Calcutta Kid’s instrumentals accessible to my Western ears. Their slow sitar-and-bass grooves are pretty. And while the droning effect might not appeal to everyone, it felt like someone cleared my third chakra. I could play it at a dinner party, while working on some art or while sitting on a train with Adrien Brody. calcuttakid. bandcamp.com

A single-track CD marked only in barely legible writing (with no track titles), Robert Crawford’s demo doesn’t offer much in the way of useful information. But the sole track on the demo is extremely lo-fi acoustic indie rock in the vein of early Neutral Milk Hotel, sans the fantastical imagery. He’s got heart and a good knack for melody, but it sounds like a work in progress, particularly because of the fuzzy recording quality. A good start, but still a long way to go.

—Carolyn Ramos

—Jeff Terich

Captain Viejo

Naya Dane

#2

“Badder”

Captain Viejo’s #2 features cover art depicting the titular Captain, wearing a cape and Cyclops-style visor, flying through space presumably to kick some intergalactic bad guy ass. With that kind of image to live up to, Captain Viejo really only had the option to schlock it up, with big guitar riffs and a singer that doesn’t know how not to ham it up. Ultimately, Captain Viejo doesn’t step too far outside bar-band boundaries, but while it’s

Unfortunately for Naya Dane, his song’s download link expired last month. Unfortunately for me, his music video is on YouTube. It has all the makings of a low budget hip-hop music video: a house party, women eye-fucking the camera and meager special effects. While Naya Dane has picked up on the infectious popularity of a dancehall-inspired beat, it’s difficult to take him seriously as he weaves through decorative (?) strips of

32 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

Daytrip

—Jeff Terich

Dirty Pennies Dirty Pennies

If Heart had a torrid affair with The B-52’s and their lovechild started a band with a ’90s rock guitarist, that just might be Dirty Pennies. The nine tracks here come with varied success, but the punk-infused “American Dream,” while slightly out of place, ramps up the snarl and sass for a high-note album closer. dirtypenniessd. bandcamp.com —Scott McDonald

Divad Divad

Divad suffer from the same ailment that plagues a lot of bands—they don’t know what kind of band they want to be. They’re constantly on the verge of exploding into nu-metal testosterone mania, but often just get stuck in some kind of Incubus-like middle ground. It doesn’t rock as hard as it should, but it’s not really soulful or smooth either. Only “God of Thunder” finally soars into butt-rock excess, and while it’s completely absurd (“I was raised by the deeeemonnnnnns!”) I admire the commitment to schlock. At least it’s fun, which is a lot

MUSIC REVIEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC REVIEWS CONT’D FROM PAGE 32 more than I can say for the other songs. reverbnation.com/divadtheband —Jeff Terich

HE X T R A S P E C I A L G O O D H Dream Burglar Major Turn Offs

Justin Cota is a busy man. His impressive portfolio of bands includes Gloomsday, Deep Sea Thunder Beast and Bosswitch, but when some CARI VEACH of his homerecorded rock songs piqued the interest of his buddies, he turned ‘em into a living, Dream Burglar seething thing.

The result is Dream Burglar, and Dream Burglar’s first album Major Turn Offs, a rough-and-tumble collection of punchy rock ‘n’ roll pushed through a fuzz-punk filter. Sometimes Dream Burglar is bluesy and bruising, like a heavier Rolling Stones.

Other times, they’re ragged and reminiscent of punk icons Wire. Either way, this band rocks so efficiently, one might wonder if there’s just one person locking down the sound. (There is—Cota played every

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glorious part on the album.) dreamburglar. bandcamp.com —Ben Salmon

Electromagnetic Electromagnetic

Tool and Deftones-style alt-metal with overwrought crooning and unintendedly goofy choruses like “I’m not psycho!” In fact, one particular track sounds almost exactly like a track from Deftones’ Around the Fur. It’s competently executed, but the band sounds like they’re trapped in 1997. facebook.com/ electromagneticmetal —Jeff Terich

Frontside Heat EP

Frontside is a rock-solid punk band. They’ve got all the parts: Bouncing bass. Relentless drums. A guy with a throat full of broken glass and plenty of pissed-offedness. Guitar tone like the jagged edge of an opened Campbell’s soup can lid. The band’s name may evoke images of surf ‘n’ chill, but its sound is straightforward, neck-veins-poppin’ hardcore à la Minor Threat, with just enough melodic sense to grab your ear and hold on to it. Long may they rage! frontsidehc.bandcamp.com

Half Car Garage

—Ben Salmon

Untitled

Embajada Demo

It’s unfortunate that we don’t receive a lot of Latin music for review, considering our proximity to a wealth of talent in town and beyond the border. So we’re pretty lucky that Embajada’s two-song demo found its way into our ears. The song “Salvaje” has a sexy melancholy reminiscent of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” but with Latin percussion and a horn section. The other song “Hay Onda” dabbles in light hip-hop, but retains the laid-back smoothness. Embajada is the audio equivalent to getting buzzed on a muggy night. I dig it. embajada.bandcamp.com —Ryan Bradford

This should be called Full Capacity on the Lido Deck, because Half Car Garage sound as if they play everything on a cruise ship. Its seven tracks seem to blend everything from pop-punk to ’70s rock and light funk. When they’re trying to convey more complex emotions, they still end up sounding cheerful.

Just like on a cruise, there are too many things happening and I felt trapped while listening to it. halfcargarage.bandcamp.com —Carolyn Ramos

Half Eaten

Garbage Games Decidedly rough around the edges, Half

Eaten still delivers a dozen quite enjoyable psych-rock/jangle-pop tunes with perfectly paired titles like “Diddley Squat” and “Freeze Dried Eyeballs.” Extra props for the Facebook band pic with one of the guys sporting a shiner. facebook.com/halfeatenband —Scott McDonald

Trent Herzman “Floating Around”

It’s hard to judge off one song, but if I’m to go off this single track, I’d have to say this is a highly uninspired sea chantey that channels the worst parts of ’70s pop-rock. Think Harry Nilsson dumbing it down for an audience full of kindergarteners. trentherzman. bandcamp.com —Seth Combs

Homeless Sexuals 5 Song EP

I don’t necessarily expect a band titled Homeless Sexuals to be all that serious, and this band certainly isn’t. They do fucking rock, however. The extremely lo-fi recordings on the band’s five-song EP are oldschool rock ‘n’ roll in the vein of The Stooges or MC5, with completely unintelligible lyrics that sound like they were screamed from inside of a cardboard box. Paying a few extra bucks to make a better quality recording

MUSIC REVIEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 33

MUSIC REVIEWS CONT’D FROM PAGE 33 would probably make a world of difference, though I get the idea that the lyrics probably aren’t worth deciphering. This hard-rocking, mumble-mouthed din will have to do. homelesssexuals.bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

H EXTRASPECIALGOOD H Hospital Birthday Cake

Tarnation

Throughout Tarnation, Hospital Birthday Cake is at the crosshairs of eerie and serene.

And it’s artfully done. Between three band members, there’s JESSICA SANDS guitars, keyboards, xylophones, percussion, wind instruments and even a sarangi, a string instrument often used in Hindustani clasHospital Birthday sical music. TarnaCake tion has a clear build and peak, like the aural equivalent of being hunted by a monster, which eventually comes to get you by the ninth track, “Ice Cream Palace Dungeon.” Even then, Hospital Birthday Cake held their punches, and I’ll sleep better because of that. hospitalbirthdaycake.bandcamp.com —Torrey Bailey

a good name, Jackslacks. jackslacks.bandcamp.com

Latin Mass

—Ryan Bradford

H Although decently executed, the problem here is that the two songs included just don’t seem to go together. Named after the band’s moniker, the 19-and-a-half-minute opener covers a lot of ground in its exorbitant run time—from punk to hardcore to metal and back again. Meanwhile, the two-and-a-halfminute “Janus Redux” sounds more like a leftover demo from a Black Lips jam session.

—Scott McDonald

League of Assholes IM PEACH, The Sequel

I listened to all 22 minutes and 47 seconds of this “noise opera” inspired by President Trump, and I can vouch that it’s a literal fucking nightmare. I mean this in the most flattering way possible considering that this was definitely the League of Assholes’ goal.

The Assholes use industrial, garbage disposal-esque instrumentation with the intention of evoking terror. The ominous tone is sustained throughout the entire runtime via incessant screaming, chainsaw-like guitar riffs and gibberish chanting. I can say with complete confidence that I’ve never experienced anything like it. Chalk it up to #trumpsamerica? titicacaman.com

Le Ra

—Alex Noble

Limbs

The Humble Crab Humble Crap

The Humble Crab’s Bandcamp page says it all: “File Under: Post-Folk-Indie-Hip-HopCurrent-Events-Hobo-Core”… the music industry has suffered from over-hyphenation for quite some time now, but this description is pretty much spot on. This band of genre-allergic merrymakers belongs to the same lineage of weirdos as, say, Ween and They Might Be Giants. They combine canned beats, sound effects, distorted vocals, persistent humor, warped vocals and acoustic guitars into one big fun-bag of oddball pop gems. In the end, Humble Crap comes off not as amateurish hobby, but more like an inspired homemade art project. thehumblecrab.bandcamp.com —Ben Salmon

Jackslacks

Earthling Sessions It’s no secret that being a drummer is often a thankless role in the band, so I gotta give some props to Jackslacks, a drummer who wrote and sang all the songs on Earthling Sessions. It’s not entirely groundbreaking, but the album does settle into a comfortable groove, peddling nostalgia via ’60s-style rock, rockabilly and honky-tonk. Plus, the spirited ode to Ocean Beach (“The 92107”) is a fun, regional romp. The album’s peak comes during “Best Friend Gone Away,” which sounds like classic Beach Boys: carefree and warm. Thanks for giving drummers

For a band with so many dark and macabre references in their song titles—“Diablo”, “Skin and Bones”, “Fear”—Le Ra’s music is pretty bright. That’s not to say that there isn’t underlying sadness to all the songs, but it’s hard for music not to lift your spirits when it veers between hazy, psychedelic pop and classic rock (“Diablo” sounds like it belongs on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack). Singer/guitarist Mónica Mendoza (who’s been a pioneer of cross-border art/music projects for quite some time) imbues the tunes with a voice that’s simultaneously playful and haunting. We always appreciate a little goth in our summer jams, and Le Ra delivers. soundcloud.com/le-ra-5 —Ryan Bradford

Loose Cannon Lump of Coal

The second song on Loose Cannon’s Lump of Coal is called “Fuck You,” and features the lines “fuck your face!” and “I hate your guts and I hope you fuckin’ die!” They definitely have a punk rock attitude, and a pretty hostile one at that. But Loose Cannon sounds more like mid-’90s grunge à la Bush or Bad Religion’s “Infected.” Simple, snotty, fourchord alt-rock that’s catchy but not terribly innovative. facebook.com/loosecannonsd1 —Jeff Terich

Lovefest

The Lovefest Musical Compendium

34 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

Lovefest boast song titles such as “Megaton Dumpsterfuck” and “Nicole’s Got Hog’s Ass Sauce in Her Eyes,” which speaks to the seriousness or lack thereof in these 16 songs.

“Hog’s Ass Sauce” is actually a pretty good song, sort of a shoestring-budget shoegaze/ dream pop thing with a good melody. The problem is that this demo is all over the fucking place. The band is seemingly halfserious and half-joking, and I still don’t get the punchline. facebook.com/lovefestmusic —Jeff Terich

Mighty Mage Art is Magic EP

I swear music editor Jeff Terich sent me this steaming pile of soiled buttcheese on purpose. He’s trying to ruin me. OK, so the album cover features a rather foreboding image of a guitar ablaze, but the only thing magical about the five folky songs on this EP is that I managed to magically not kill myself while listening to them. Drab and derivative lyrics belted out by what sounds like someone’s overzealous youth group pastor. mightymage.bandcamp.com —Seth Combs

dragons, but Nation’s voice—somewhere between Kate Bush and Joanna Newsom— serves as a lovely respite from any Medieval allusions. heathernationmusic.com —Seth Combs

Novus Spero

Degenerate Music It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of band Novus Spero is, because that seemingly changes with each track. On “Nutmeg Tree,” it’s gentle folk music. On “Anna Karina,” it’s lushly arranged, jazzy pop à la The Sea and Cake. And on “Stop Before You Start,” it’s bouncy power pop. In each case, the band pulls it off well, even though there’s not a lot of rhyme or reason to how these songs tie together. Still, it’s hard to get too upset about it when they’re playing a song like the absolutely gorgeous “Cave Paintings.” Plus the band gets extra points for the ballpoint pen drawing of an octopus on the CD sleeve. novusspero.bandcamp. com —Jeff Terich

Nowhereland The Falcon EP

Mt. Pleasant Mt. Pleasant EP

I had high hopes for this particular EP considering the band members sowed their chops in local groups like New Mexico and Roxy Jones. It starts out with a blistering Crazy Horse-style jam (“Masques”), but then veers into danceable post-punk (“Trees”), ’90s alt-rock (“Assist and Decease”), ’70s hard-rock (“VG”) and a bizarre robotic monologue (think a crass, irreverent take on Radiohead’s “Fitter Happier”). The bouncing between genres is proof enough that these guys have a ton of talent, so I expect great things once they settle into a more cohesive sound. mtpleasantmusic.bandcamp.com —Seth Combs

This is how this whole listening exercise went down: I saw the name of the band and assumed I was in for some Beatles-esque tunes and from the opening chords of “Falcon,” I figured my assumptions were spot on.

Then, the band launched into a poppy, albeit derivative blend of hard and psych-rock.

They get points for tightness, but the cockrock nuances get old fairly quickly. Let’s call it Queens of the Clone Age, but hey, the cover features a sweet pic of a falconer so there’s that. nowherelandusa.bandcamp.com —Seth Combs

H EXTRASPECIALGOOD H Of Ennui

Tone Poems

MY MYND

“Back Pocket”/“In My Mynd” MY MYND has an interesting combination of soulful sounds, sometimes recalling the progressive R&B of Frank Ocean while keeping up a laid-back ’70s funk sensibility. There are some futuristic synths that sometimes cut through the vintage soul, and “In My Mynd” in particular has a super catchy chorus. That being said, the vocals are breezy and not as powerful as Ocean’s, but they’re nice enough. It’s just a start, but it has the potential to be something really cool. facebook.com/nickcostamymynd —Jeff Terich

Heather Nation Lost Ark Demos

Beautiful, folk-inspired acoustic jams that could be better served once they’re fleshed out of demo form. Still, after a couple listens I couldn’t help but think they work well on their own. She gets a little too Ren Faire with all the mentions of sirens, beasts and

Most albums feel like they’re simply performed; Of Ennui’s EP Tone Poems is one of those rare albums that feels lived-in, intrinsic, containing the blood and veins and heart of the people who created it. It’s an album that feels incredibly personal, yet harrowingly epic. Of Ennui’s sound is a culmination of every heavy and pretty song that came before it: the cinematics of Explosions in the Sky, the complexity of Cave-In, the preciseness of Tool ALBERTO SANCHEZ and the catharsis of Deafheaven are just a few examples that come to mind. But let’s not forget: The album rocks and Of Ennui the band’s technical prowess shows through on all 40 minutes of the five-song release. And sonically, Tone Poems sounds fantastic, with soaring guitars and snare hits that sound like they were

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@SDCityBeat

march 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 35

MUSIC REVIEWS CONT’D FROM PAGE 34 recorded in a 16th century cathedral, and singer Brian Strauss’ vocals instill the songs with vulnerability (think Anhoni meets Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart). To create a record that sounds simultaneously big and intimate is a feat of immersing oneself in the music, and I’m sure if you could cut it open, it would bleed. ofennui.bandcamp.com —Ryan Bradford

Other Ways

Hello Wiretap EP Blistering short bursts of noise-punk that manage to be both pissy and tunefully pleasant. A lot of it is standard punk-by-numbers and the vocalist channels all the right influences (Henry Rollins and Stooges-era Iggy), but I’d like to hear the band expand their sound beyond the minute-and-a-half blasts and explore the droney parts of tracks such as “Snail Man” and “Alt Fuck.” otherways. bandcamp.com —Seth Combs

On a Phone On a Phone

With its genre-spanning collage of sounds and Brit-pop-inspired vocals, this album would have sounded righteously innovative in the mid-’90s, but now it just sounds a bit dated. There are some true gems on here such as the Animal Collective-style calland-responses on “Paradigm” and muchtoo-short ballad “Levitate.” However, most of the songs seem to get cut off just as the listener might expect it to be going somewhere more expansive (see: “Torn”). These guys have a lot of talent though so I can’t help but feel that with a little more attention to the parts that work, they’ll craft something truly innovative. onaphone. bandcamp.com —Seth Combs

Paper Forest

There’s some interesting moments in the songwriting, but the musicianship isn’t great on this. “Cannon Fodder” and “I Tried to Give Up the Ghost” are reminiscent of Violent Femmes and early Modest Mouse, while “Dead Bugs” recalls the party punk of FIDLAR. “No Moon” has some nice melodies and harmonies, but needs more work to make it tighter. On top of Paper Forest’s simplistic instrumentals, the vocalists have limited ranges and are often pitchy. soundcloud.com/paperforest —Lara McCaffrey

Paloma Luna EP

36 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

from

—Lara McCaffrey

The Passengers The Passengers

How To Become a Mountain

Luna goes

alternative to pop, and it works—for the most part. “Touch” and “Climbers” have psych rock sensibilities à la Tame Impala.

“Isabel” and “Thick of it all” sound a little more mainstream alt-rock but retain the same atmospheric and dreamy quality as the other songs. ”Fish” has a more overt pop sensibility, making it the odd song out on the EP. I’d like to see Paloma either cut this song or tweak it to make Luna more cohesive. soundcloud.com/paloma_luna

psychedelic

rock

to

Swapping hardcore for post-punk, local growler Adam Bixel sings, plays guitar, bass and keys, while enlisting Therapy’s Matt Donnert for drums on this five-song debut. The result is a solid and cohesive 20 minutes of music that is as nuanced as it is driving.

—Scott McDonald

Pharmacy

Wrack and Roll For me, it sounds likes really bad T-Rex covers. However, I listened to this album in the office and here’s what art director Carolyn Ramos had to say: “Oh my god, I can’t.”

“Did they say human dick?”

At this point, Carolyn just starts drunkenly reciting what she hears: “Here’s a pan!

Here’s a pan! Do you recycle?”

Carolyn slams fist on table.

Singer says, “I’m too busy drinking booze.” Carolyn replies, ”Me too, bro.”

Carolyn starts playing with pen and looking on phone.

Genuinely awful punk singer says, “You always want me to come, but I don’t wanna.”

Carolyn screams, “REALLY?! This dude is a virgin!”

Track seven of 12: Carolyn falls asleep on desk Carolyn wakes up and yells, “This guy sounds like he tried to date my niece and I was all like, ‘fuck you!’”

—Seth Combs

The Powerballs Two Songs

On Two Songs, The Powerballs are ’90salternative-cover-band palatable, but without any meaningful lyrics. This CD sampler is like if Hole were slow-your-roll chill bros and sang songs about girls who shop too much. facebook.com/thepowerballs —Carolyn Ramos

MUSIC REVIEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC REVIEWS CONT’D FROM PAGE 36

Se Vende “regular”

Pumphouse

Too Broke for Fun Initially it would seem that there’s nothing all that remarkable about Pumphouse’s grungy rock, but it only takes a minute or so for the band to reveal their secret weapon: a saxophone player. He doesn’t go “Careless Whisper” all over these tracks, but if they lean a little closer to Morphine that’s always a plus in my book. The songs are fine enough—big choruses, chugging riffs and the like—but it’s really all about that sweet, sweet sax. pumphousesd.bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

Julia Sage “Este Año”

While my Spanish is limited at best, I was captivated by Julia Sage’s singing even if I didn’t totally understand it. The melody is simple and beautiful, requiring nothing but a gentle acoustic guitar instrumentation to complement Sage’s stripped-down, sorrowful vocals. The track has a traditional vibe to it, almost as if it’s a Mexican folk song. The fact that “Este Año” is actually an original song is a testament to Sage’s talent as both a singer and songwriter. facebook.com/juliasagemusic —Alex Noble

@SDCITYBEAT

While Se Vende’s 10-track album “regular” is in quotes, like David Bowie’s “Heroes,” it’s not a recording on that level of conceptual art rock. It’s more visceral, albeit melodic punk rock that sounds like what I remember from growing up in Southern California in the ’90s.

Or right now, even. So-Cal punk is pretty much always So-Cal punk, and Se Vende are pretty good at it, with searing, four-chord throwdowns, bilingual lyrics and song titles like “Later Dicks.” sevende.bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

Sherman Sherman and the Hardwoods

H EXTRASPECIALGOOD H Sights and Sages

Bacon Bits

Funky, sorta loungey, sorta soulful pop and R&B songs that make catchy melodies out of throwaway joke concepts like eating McRibs and washing your ass. It’s crude, silly and fun, though with some solid grooves here, it’s easy to see how these could be transformed into some really good funk jams instead of novelties. Not necessarily a wasted opportunity, but certainly one that wasn’t seized to the fullest. facebook.com/Sherman-Sherman-The-Hardwoods-328133613785

What in the living fuck is going on here?

There’s a kinda-funky, kinda-loungey keyboard sound going on here, but way too many voices seem to be overlapping one another. At one point, a voice-over explains a pun, another one calls someone a “bitch boy” for drawing a unicorn. And that’s just the first track. The brief “Quieres Surfear” is far more accessible, with lyrics in Spanish over some Latin-tinged shoegaze, and “Fortune Cookie” is all groove. I’m not sure whether or not SHRUBBRAVO is intended to be a joke, but if it is, I don’t get it.

This band only sent this track (via a YouTube link) to be reviewed. However, as is the case with YouTube, it autoplayed me some other videos from this NAZ MASSARO group—“Virgil” and “Derivative”—and I have to say that I’m thoroughly impressed by their Sights and Sages earnest and catchy take on prog and math-rock. Both of those tracks have all the hallmarks of latter day prog and math-rock (tight, astute polyrhythms and crunchy bursts of guitar), but what’s particularly impressive is how the group manages to make both those genres sound accessible to listeners who wouldn’t know a King Crimson from a Coheed and Cambria. It’s easy to see why the group was recently nominated for “Best New Artist” at the San Diego Music Awards. “Aghori,” in particular, sees the band heading in a more dance-friendly direction with tight, toe-tapping rhythms and a falsetto chorus that gets stuck in your head all day. I have no idea what an “aghori” is or why the lead singer wants so bad to be one, but by the end of the song, I

—Jeff Terich

MUSIC REVIEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

—Jeff Terich

Shepherd’s Glen Monsters Inside Me

The first pitch on this album is a wicked curveball. Opening track “Lament” sounds like it could kick off a killer collection of melodic drone music or baroque indie rock. It does not. The rest of Monsters Inside Me sounds like an unearthed cult classic from some bygone era of hard rock. Shepherd’s Glen excel at writing guitar riffs and solos, but the vocals— impassioned and imperfect, for sure—are an acquired taste. Still, there is a singular vision happening here that is to be commended. facebook.com/shepherdsglenofficial —Ben Salmon

“Aghori”

SHRUBBRAVO Approachable

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 37

MUSIC REVIEWS CONT’D FROM PAGE 37 couldn’t help but want the same thing. facebook.com/sightsandsages —Seth Combs

H EXTRASPECIALGOOD H Sixes

Hisss EP Sixes are, ostensibly, a punk band. A basic, bass-guitar-drums trio, they certainly have the lo-fi sound down, proudly branding this DAVID MEAD EP as “self-produced, self-released, recorded live to a 4-track cassette machine.” (Refreshing in this age of digital gloss, tbh.) The five songs on the Hisss EP are lean and potent, with sharp Sixes corners and sharper melodies. But the coolest thing about Sixes is the thread of vintage influence that courses through their tunes. It can be heard in the submerged surf vibe of “Crusher” and the oldsoul chorus of “Begging For Your Love” and the wild-eyed psych-garage jam “Don’t Mess With Ryan.” Punk bands are a dime a dozen.

Deeply rooted punk bands like Sixes are far more valuable. sixessixessixes.bandcamp.com

H EXTRASPECIALGOOD H

Stellar Systems

Strawberry Moons

Edge of Infinity

A self-described “Rock Opera starring a team of scientists,” Edge of Infinity is nerdy as fuck. Generally speaking, that’s the point of sci-fi rock operas, and while the performance and production quality of the record is good, it’s hard to get past the feeling that I’m listening to an off-Broadway musical. The lyrics are all very train of thought (“This trip is gettin’ long, but we gotta be strong...put our heads together”) and with little in the way of distinguishable hooks or a unique style, there are far too many eggs in that particular basket. edgeofinfinity. bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

Stone Crow Stone Crow

Laid-back, forgettable and strummy folk music with pseudo-profound lyrics like “Call me a sinner, I don’t care...call me a believer, I’m already there.” Basically the sound of every chill coffeehouse guitar-dude in Southern California, without the swirly latte foam designs or tip jar that says “karma.” There’s also one weird grunge jam session for no good reason.

—Ben Salmon

38 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

—Jeff Terich

H EXTRASPECIALGOOD H Sure Fire Soul Ensemble

4-Song EP

“Aragon”/“Ode to the Poets”

Something about the name Strawberry Moons initially led me to believe there was a folky, heartland sensibility about them, but the North County band’s frame of reference spans well outside of ANASTASYA KOROL Neil Young’s Harvest. The band has more of a dreamy, psychedelic pop sound, their richly layered sound somewhere in the middle of a Mazzy Strawberry Moons Star, Fleetwood Mac and The Jesus and Mary Chain trifecta. It’s hazy without being sleepy, and catchy while allowing each track a great deal of nuance. Of the four tracks here, opening track “Microphone” is the most urgent, a hard-driving rock number that features a stunning male-female vocal harmony and a persistent organ whir. Yet the other three tracks tend to be slow burners, building up into something even greater than how they began. The Strawberry Moons balance a lot of ideas, but they all come together well, even when it seems like they shouldn’t. This is as fun as indie pop gets. thestrawberrymoons. bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

After releasing back-to-back LPs in 2015 and 2016, San Diego’s finest instrumental (mostly) soul ensemble is set to drop a third full-length by the end of this year. For now, the Tim Felten-helmed collective are placating fans with this double dip of dopeness. Side A’s “Aragon” is a groovy Roy Ayers cover originally written for the soundtrack to the 1973 blaxploitation film Coffy starring Pam Grier. It’s backed by original tune “Ode To The PoKENNY SHOOK ets,” which tips its cap to German funksters The Poets of Rhythm in more than just its title. The SFSE also strength- Sure Fire Soul Ensemble ened their already talented troupe with the recent additions of Jake Najor and Omar Lopez (B-Side Players / Original Wailers) to the mix. While the band’s upcoming fulllength should definitely be among the best local releases of the year, these two tunes will both keep the party going and leave fans wanting more. thesurefiresoulensemble.bandcamp.com —Scott McDonald

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@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC REVIEWS CONT’D FROM PAGE 38

Ryan Daniel Tafolla Songs from Hollywood

This dude seems genuine, and he puts the time in. Here’s what he said about his limited edition hand made CD of Songs From Hollywood: “I literally hand made them. I like crafts.” So it’s a shame that the two best songs in this eight-song collection are instrumentals. ryandanieltafolla.bandcamp.com —Scott McDonald

Taken By Canadians Taken By Canadians

Taken By Canadians is just one of many bluesy psych-rock bands in San Diego.

Their take on an old genre isn’t unique, but this album should have widespread appeal with its ’70s psych-rock throwbacks and polished musicians. There’s a bit of Thin Lizzy on the chorus of “The River” and Tom Petty vibes on “Get Lost” and “Do You Believe Me?” The vocals have an excellent, gritty quality, and throughout there are some unexpectedly pleasant keyboard parts. takenbycanadians.com

Tape Heads

—Lara McCaffrey

Tape Heads EP

Things I thought to myself while listen-

@SDCITYBEAT

ing to the five songs on this CD: -Yeah, of course a group full of white guys playing a surf/reggae/pop-punk hybrid that they oh-so cleverly refer to as “sweggae” would forget to include a tracklist. Way to live up to the stoner stereotype, guys!

-I wonder if Bradley Nowell was cremated. If not, can I piss on his grave? Long Beach isn’t far.

-Fucking sweggae? REALLLY?!

-[in Jerry Seinfeld voice] You ever notice that reggae is the only genre where it’s completely acceptable to culturally appropriate and not get dragged. Is it because everyone’s too chill to care? [*Seinfeld bass riff plays in my head* *doesn’t drown out the sweggae*] -Why are white bros still trying to do dreads? Unless you’re Keith Morris or you’re allergic to every single brand of shampoo, it’s unacceptable.

-Yep, there’s the requisite G-C-D reggae guitar chord progression. Knew that was gonna happen. Sweggae badge, unlocked!

-Wait, where does the “w” in sweggae come from? Surf-rock doesn’t have a “w.” Reggae doesn’t have a “w.” Maybe it’s cause I’m supposed to sway? They’re all white guys…. Ohhhhhhh…

-Why the fuck am I listening to this? tapeheadsmusic.com —Seth Combs

Theghost lover’s day

lover’s day is the sound of longing. A little bit

of house, a little bit of R&B, a little bit of trap and a touch of dubstep make for a record that would play well on a 3 a.m. drive toward selfdestruction after having your heart broken.

The drum tracks feel a little too much like GarageBand presets, and they maybe go a little too heavy with The Weeknd influences, but there are worse bands to ape. Next time you break up with someone, give this a spin— you won’t feel better, but you’ll at least know there are people in the world as sad as you. soundcloud.com/listentheghost

these 90-second tracks are, they’re actually well-written songs, never neglecting melody or cohesion for the sake of speed or volume.

“Menace” has one of the album’s catchiest choruses, while “Failure” features as many interesting chord changes as it does moshpit breakdowns. And while this EP is labeled Demo, it sounds fantastic, capturing both the rawness of the band and the precision of their instrumentation. It’s a rare occasion to hear something from San Diego that kicks this much ass. therapysd.bandcamp.com

—Ryan Bradford

—Jeff Terich

Translation Has Failed

H EXTRASPECIALGOOD H

Isolation Clause

Therapy

Demo

Holy shit. Therapy does not fuck around.

The hardcore group, featuring members of DANIEL RODRIGUEZ Age of Collapse, plays with the intensity of a Category 5 hurricane barrelling through a landscape of twisted Therapy metal and broken glass. The guitars are razor sharp, and the rhythms are breakneck, while vocalist Chris has the kind of ferocious screech that could peel paint from walls. Yet for just how furious

Drummer Nathan Hubbard is simultaneously a fixture of the jazz, hip-hop and experimental music scenes in San Diego, and he’s likewise one of the busiest musicians in town. His band Translation Has Failed reflects the eclectic style he’s absorbed from all the various projects he’s taken on, with a smooth-soul aesthetic a la Sadé combined with some progressive rock arrangements and electronic elements. It’s hard to know what to call Isolation Clause, as it seems to encompass many styles at once. They’re all at least interesting, often dazzling, and the mark of a group of musicians determined to defy easy categoriza-

MUSIC REVIEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 39

MUSIC REVIEWS CONT’D FROM PAGE 39 tion. translationhasfailed.bandcamp.com

Tulengua

We’re lucky to have a band this willing to upset the status quo. vaginals.bandcamp. com —Jeff Terich

—Jeff Terich

Velour

Unreleased Demos

Right on Time for Being Late

Crispy production, slick beats and heady flows make these four tracks a tasty appetizer for what the band is calling a “soon-tobe-released Baja Funk LP.” Channeling the best of Beatnuts, Control Machete and De La Soul, while updating it all through their own funkified cheesecloth, this self-professed hip-hop supergroup could easily crush a backyard party or sold-out show in equal measure. tulengua.bandcamp.com

Velour is fun. Even on the topic of breakups, this rock ‘n’ roll group sounds chipper.

And when performing live, I bet they’re a riot. But sprucing up the hooks’ lyrical creativity would take them further. The choruses contain tired phrases such as “I don’t know why I love you, but I do,” and “eyes as cold as ice.” Their supporting verses prove they can do better than that. velour1.bandcamp.com

—Scott McDonald

—Torrey Bailey

Vaginals

Assorted Demos As one of San Diego’s weirder and more prolific bands, Vaginals are a difficult band to summarize succinctly, and the offerings here are pretty all over the place. “Valentina” is an atmospheric, exotic-sounding electronic dirge that pairs synth drones with high-pitched vocals, while “The Curse of Buddy Bitch (Official Bitch Mix)” is avant garde industrial synth-pop with lots of strange dialogue samples. Whatever expectations one might have about Vaginals, they’ll find a way to circumvent them.

Eliza Rose Vera

can take her far. elizaroseveramusic.bandcamp.com

Warsaw

40 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

—Ben Salmon

William Wells

Wires

Listening to Warsaw is like slipping into an icy bath. The darkwave band (featuring members of Ilya) is unrelentingly cold, with a sound that fuses the grooves of Interpol and the ennui of Chromatics with a dash of a giallo horror movie soundtrack. Considering those ingredients, one would think the chilliness of this record make for a dour journey, but the strength of Demetrius and Rebecca Antuña’s vocals give the music heart and warmth. Don’t get me wrong: Wires is goth af, but instead of pushing you into darkness, it takes your hand and guides you there. soundcloud.com/anakatamusic

“Too Young For This” It is far too early to declare Eliza Rose Vera the next Cat Power or Sharon Van Etten (or whoever), but for this one song, at least, the San Diego singer/songwriter conjures up a similar spirit. Simply arranged and plainly spoken, “Too Young For This” is a mournful tale of lost love and immaturity set against tentatively strummed acoustic guitar and gentle synth adornments. But the undisputed centerpiece of this performance is Vera’s warm, rich voice, which has a naturally entrancing quality that

—Ben Salmon

mism” gallops through some hazy ’80’s vibe. wellwellwelltheband.com

—Ryan Bradford

Well Well Well Poptimism/Ships

This year brings not one but two new EPs from dark synthpop band Well Well Well, aka guitarist Seton Edgerton and drummer Dan Nichols, both formerly of Barbarian. The band’s sound hovers somewhere near the nexus of warm-and-woozy indie rock, dusky post-punk and smooth wall-of-sound pop, like Beck playing Beach Boys songs at Goth Night. Highlights include both title tracks: “Ships” sports a luscious chorus, and “Popti-

Demo

Submissions to the Local Music Review take all shapes and sizes. Some are fully realized productions, while others are pretty bare bones. File William Wells under the latter.

He emailed two links to two songs, both of which are mid-paced solo guitar pieces played with zero pizzazz. “Trouble Cat” is bland and bluesy, “Steady Current” is a repeated four-chord pattern with just a little bit of heat. They both need lots of work.

—Ben Salmon

The Wintergardens Demo

Most of this demo comes across like postgrunge alt-rock complete with silly vocal treatments (“Creeps”) and molasses-paced come-ons (“HeadCase”) that are about as seductive as a butterfly tramp stamp. “Liquor Store” and the otherwise awfully titled “Love is Blind” both offer a sunnier and poppier side to the group, and I wish they’d dwelled in that sound a bit more. Instead, most of the demo comes across like Blues Hammer doing hambone covers of Stone Temple Pilots.

—Seth Combs

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

march 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 41

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda

JOHN DWYER

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14

PLAN A: Oh Sees, Prettiest Eyes @ Belly Up Tavern. It seems like every new band in America is influenced by John Dwyer’s longrunning psych-rock outfit Oh Sees. But none compare to the original, who always put on a fiery, trippy and high-energy rock show.

PLAN B: Luke Rathborne, J. Hofstee, Mess of Fun @ Soda Bar. Luke Rathborne has a tuneful, jangly pop sound in the vein of Kevin Morby. And though he hasn’t released an album in about four years, I expect we’ll be hearing some good new material from him soon.

THURSDAY, MARCH 15

PLAN A: A$AP Ferg, Denzel Curry, IDK @ House of Blues. I can’t keep track of every A$AP out there, but Ferg’s got one of the stronger track records. He’ll be joined

by Florida rapper Denzel Curry, who has released some hard-hitting, dark trap that shouldn’t be slept on. PLAN B: Whipstriker, Negative Vortex, Mysticism, Christ Killer @ Til-Two Club. Whipstriker are a Brazilian speed-metal band with riffs and attitude seemingly straight out of the ’80s.

The songs are fun, though, and those riffs are badass. BACKUP PLAN: Mac Ayres, Cehryl, Psalm @ Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, MARCH 16

PLAN A: The Redwoods Revue w/ The Midnight Pine, Birdy Bardot, Dani Bell and the Tarantist, The Heavy Guilt @ The Casbah. The bands that make up the Redwoods collective are pretty ubiquitous in San Diego at the moment, but it’s that way for a reason. They’re really fucking good.

And for this show, they’re releasing a book that Redwoods founder Al Howard collaborated on with his mother, which features lyrics and illustrations. PLAN B: Soul-Junk, Pistolita, Miss New Buddha, Lion Cut, Daniel Crawford and the Unkind Ravens, Kenseth Thibideau, Sumatraban @ Soda Bar. It’s another family affair! This is a showcase of bands associated with Singing Serpent Studios, including the recently reunited Pistolita and owner Glenn Galloway’s long-running Soul-Junk project. BACKUP PLAN: Schizophonics, Pinkeye, Dirty Pennies @ Bar Pink.

SATURDAY, MARCH 17

PLAN A: Blockhead, Yppah @ Soda Bar. Blockhead is a hip-hop producer whose beats have been featured on albums by Aesop Rock and Illogic. His instrumental soundscapes are consistently psychedelic, kaleidoscopic and a lot of fun. PLAN B: Nebula Drag, Dali’s Llama, Ritual Potion, Condor @ Tower Bar. Local group Nebula Drag’s stoner rock is particularly cosmic and

42 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

Oh Sees

massive, which is a pretty awesome thing to hear. Make sure to wear earplugs, though, because they make some serious noise on their way into space. BACKUP PLAN: Ariel Levine, Imagery Machine, Sister Speak @ Bar Pink.

SUNDAY, MARCH 18

PLAN A: Shopping, French Vanilla @ Whistle Stop. Those who missed it should go back and read my feature on UK trio Shopping, who play a rhythm-centric, danceable punk style that’s downright infectious. BACKUP PLAN: Wsprgrl, Matize, Sempra Sol @ The Casbah.

MONDAY, MARCH 19

PLAN A: San Diego Music Awards @ House of Blues. The San Diego Music Awards is one of the few times you’ll find hundreds of local musicians all under the same roof, so it’s worth going to check out performances from the likes of Sure Fire Soul Ensemble and Trouble in the Wind while cheering on this year’s winners. PLAN B: Chrome, Teach Me, Hurricane Kate @ The Merrow. For a much weirder evening, catch noisy sci-fi punks Chrome, who began putting out fuzzy, intense and tweaked records back in the ’70s. It’ll kick ass in a strange and disorienting way. BACKUP PLAN: Liza Anne, Valley Queen @ Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

PLAN A: The Parker Meridien, 10-19, Jumbotron @ The Merrow. Just one night after making an appearance at the San Diego Music Awards, The Parker Meridien are playing a headlining set of their funky, full-band hip-hop. Parker Edison’s sometimes partner 10-19 will also be there, so some collaboration isn’t totally out of the question.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Unwritten Law (Observatory, 4/21), The Verigolds (Music Box, 4/28), Blackalicious (Soda Bar, 4/26), Poptone (BUT, 5/10), Tricky (Music Box, 5/17), Dirty Heads (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 5/18), Life of Agony (Brick by Brick, 5/22), Josh Rouse (Casbah, 6/3), Rodrigo Amarante (Soda Bar, 6/5), Sick of It All (Soda Bar, 6/7), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 6/20), Gary Hoey (Brick by Brick, 6/23), Citizen (Soda Bar, 7/12), Paramore (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 7/19), Brad Paisley (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 7/20), Logic (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 7/24), The Decemberists (Humphreys, 7/30), hed(p.e.) (Brick by Brick, 10/19).

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), 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), alt-J (Humphreys, 4/19), Big K.R.I.T. (Music Box, 4/20), Japa-

nese 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), John Doe and Exene (BUT, 5/2), Baths (BUT, 5/3), Joey Bada$$ (SOMA, 5/3), Meshell Ndegeocello (Music Box, 5/8), Built to Spill, Afghan Whigs (Observatory, 5/9), Hot Snakes (Observatory, 5/11), Weird Al Yankovic (Humphreys, 5/12), Dirty Projectors (Music Box, 5/12), Andrew McMahon and the Wilderness (Humphreys, 5/13), Kendrick Lamar, SZA (Mattress Firm, 5/13), Nada Surf (BUT, 5/14), Trash Can Sinatras (Casbah, 5/16), 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), Ray Lamontagne, Neko Case (Open Air Theatre, 6/2), Iceage (Casbah, 6/5), Kesha, Macklemore (Mattress Firm, 6/12), Sunflower Bean (Che Café, 6/13), Kenny Chesney (Mattress Firm, 6/21), Warped Tour (SDCCU Stadium, 6/22), 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), Avenged Sevenfold, Prophets of Rage (Mattress Firm, 8/21), 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).

MARCH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14 The Mowgli’s at The Casbah. Flogging Molly at Observatory North Park (sold out). 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

MONDAY, MARCH 26

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

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. Lovelytheband at Music Box.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28

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.

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.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 43

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 43

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. Jaden Smith at Observatory North Park.

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. AJ Froman at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, APRIL 6 Autograf at Music Box. Chrome Sparks, Machinedrum at House of Blues. Sadistic Intent 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.

SUNDAY, APRIL 8 Protest the Hero at SOMA. Kontras Quartet with Branford Marsalis at Music Box. Mud Slide Slim at Belly Up Tavern.

Prong at Brick by Brick. Sloth and Turtle at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, APRIL 9 Matt and Kim at Observatory North Park.

Kevin Morby at The Casbah. Soccer Mommy at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, APRIL 10 Frankie Cosmos at Quartyard. Kweku Collins at The Casbah. Chromeo, Phantoms at Humphreys. Hannah Wicklund and the Stepping Stones at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11 Hayley Kiyoko at Observatory North Park. Yungblud at The Casbah. BlinkFest at Soda Bar. The California Honeydrops at Belly Up Tavern. Bilal at Music Box.

THURSDAY, APRIL 12 Kate Nash at Observatory North Park (sold out). Angel Olsen at Music Box (sold out). Sacri Monti at The Casbah. Lou Rebecca at Soda Bar.

44 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

rCLUBSr

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

Fri: Wakane, Pali Roots. Sat: ‘Let’s Get Shamrocked’ w/ DJs Green T, Akrite, JStylez. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Cold Kingdom, Sleep Signals.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop Wednesday’ w/ Kahlee. Thu: ‘Upload’ w/ DJ Gordon Russell. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech.

Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Alice, 2Bit, Will Lavin.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Jess Hilarious. Thu: Jacob Sirof. Fri: Jacob Sirof. Sat: Jacob Sirof.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Sat: Dark Globe, The Phantoms, Funky Thigh Collectors.

Sun: Southview. Tue: Karaoke.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Matthew Anthony, Stranger, Hotfire.

Sat: Medasin.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Flogging Molly after-party. Thu: Puebla, Bernie and the Wolf, Cochinas Locas, Miranda and the Beat. Fri: Schizophonics, Pink Eye, Dirty Pennies. Sat: Ariel Levine, Imagery Machine, Sister Speak. Sun: Heartbeat Trail, Belladon, Downs Family. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’ w/ Alvino and the Dwells.

gan Leigh Band, Wish & The Well, Shane Shipley. Sat: ‘Beatles vs. Stones’ w/ Abbey Road, Jumping Jack Flash (sold out). Sun: Walter Trout, The BLITZ Brothers. Tue: DTO, Kiyoshi.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: The Downs Family, The Widows, The Touchies. Sat: The Focke Wolves, The Bourbon Saints, DJ Russian Roulette.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ Pabulum.

Thu: ‘Chocolate’. Fri: ‘Dance Punk’. Sat: ‘Bump!’ w/ DJs Dazzla, Shige. Sun: ‘Hood Politics Night’. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’. Tue: ‘T is 4 Techno’.

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

Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Fri: Eye of Solitude, Marche Funebre, Dhatura, October Flame. Sat: Up the Irons, Hardwired, Priest Unleashed. Sun: Michaele Graves, Fishing For Chips, Dusty Mitchell, Midnight Track.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: The Mowgli’s, Mainland, Coral Bells. Thu: Mainsail, Avenue Army, Chasing Claymores. Fri: ‘The Redwoods Revue’ w/ The Midnight Pine, Birdy Bardot, Dani Bell and the Tarantist, The Heavy Guilt. Sat: Grampadrew’s Flim Flam Revue. Sun: WSPRGRL, Matize, Sempra Sol. Mon: Ziggy Shuffledust and the Spiders from Mars. Tue: DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla.

Thu: Mark Fisher. Fri: Sully and the Blue Eyed Soul Band. Sat: Rare Form.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: Road Rage. Sat: Cover Conspiracy.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Oh Sees, Prettiest Eyes, DJs Hofmann, Peri Levin. Thu: Rachael Yamagata, Craig Stickland. Fri: Mor-

The Field Irish Pub, 544 Fifth Ave., Down-

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park.

Fri: The Benedettis. Sat: Brasiliense. Sun: Sinne Eeg, Peter Sprague Trio.

town. Wed: Joseph Carroll. Thu: Eamon.

Fri: The Fooks. Sun: Eric French. Mon: Fiore. Tue: Chris del Priore.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Fri: Isaac B. Sat: Bootleg Kev. Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Heart Attak. Sat: Too $hort.

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

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

Hooley’s, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa. Fri: Amy and the Unknowns.

Sat: Tony Cummins, Disappointing Joseph.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: DJ Mike White. Thu: A$AP Ferg, Denzel Curry, IDK. Fri: Jerry ‘Hot Rod’ Demink. Sat: Taylor Bennett, Kami, Bianca Shaw. Sun: ‘Digitour: Arctic Lights’.

Mon: San Diego Music Awards. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Bayou Brothers. Thu: Luv A Lot. Fri: Viva Santana. Sat: Rising Star. Sun: Cerissa McQueen. Mon: Missy Andersen. Tue: Backwater Blues Band.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: ‘Out of Step’ w/ Andy Internets.

Thu: ‘Acid Varsity’ w/ Ancient Artifacts. Fri: ‘Purps ‘n’ Turqs’ w/ Michael Rosa. Sat: ‘Mystic Mistress’ w/ Nicky Genesis.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Fri: Shane Hall Band, Crew D’etat Brass Band, Stephen El Rey. Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: New Alchemy Poetry Series. Fri: Tommy Ragen, Jordan Renzi, Kahlil Nash. Sat: ‘Queer Cuties Got Tal-

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): It is written in the stars, a cosmic quandary from the celestial bodies. A message from the universe… it says… “Is your refrigerator running?”

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22):

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): This week

Your life today would be unimaginable a year ago, especially since it was only recently that you have successfully assimilated into the carbonbased host you’ve been inhabiting. Its memories are now yours.

you are taking your spiritual cues from the hedgehog. That’s fine. Just try not to take your culinary cues from them as well.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): You

have to work through the difficult “growing pains” phase to arrive at the final completed project when everything transforms from transitionally ugly to ugly beyond repair.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): The world

There’s an untold amount of security footage of you in databases across the world. It’s frightening to think that you might look really good in some if it.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21):

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21): In a moment of clarity, you’ll understand in totality the suffering of the world and how to solve it. Then, in the next moment, all that will remain is the “Cotton Eye Joe” intro. Again.

is endlessly mysterious and in spite of the abounding miracles, your missing phone is probably not going to be in your pocket.

You know, the one you checked three times already. No need to check it again.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): It is important to always keep things moving, oh no—(pottery wheel spinning at incredibly high speed begins flinging clay all over the room)—not like that.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): The deepest

desires of your heart will be realized when, this week, you are showered with attention.

Unfortunately the cosmic wires were crossed and your adulators will all be mosquitoes.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Do you wonder what lies beyond your perception?

Past your comprehension? What you do not even know you don’t understand? You do? Wow. It sounds like you really think about yourself a lot.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22):

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): Spend

This week you will have to confront some longstanding issues surrounding your core identity. That, or you have to choose a catchphrase. Something like “Yowza!” or “Yoink!”

some time this week in a beautiful cathedral, auditorium or any room that echoes. This way, you can know what it is like to talk to you while being constantly interrupted by you.

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

MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 44 ent’. Sun: Dixie Maxwell, Caroline Corn, Raena Jade, Kennady Tracy, Chapel, Phili Villalobos.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: JG Trio. Thu: North Star. Fri: Misty & The Moby. Sat: In Midlife Crisis, Ron’s Garage, Steve Brewer. Sun: Ron’s Garage. Tue: Glen Smith.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: Vickie Shaw. Fri: Janice & Nathan. Sat: Jarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett. Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. Mon: Andy Anderson and Nathan Fry. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Thu: ‘Boylesque’. Fri: ‘Trick’ w/ DJ Mateo Segade. Sat: Alexis Lillian Lefranc, Sometimes Julie, Mitch Dembin & The Limited Jurisdiction, The Innocent Bystanders. Sun: ‘The Playground’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore.

Mon: Chrome, Teach Me, Hurricane Kate.

Tue: The Parker Meridien, 10-19, Jumbotron.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Wed: Douglas Benson. Thu: Steelhorse Country. Fri: Flipside Burners. Sat: Horsefly, Adrienne Nims and Spirit Wind. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Wed: Gaby Moreno, Sean Watkins, Rosby. Thu: Emancipator Ensemble, Little People. Fri: Band of Gringos, Delta Saints, Electric Mud. Sat: DSB, Santanaways. Sun: The Polish Ambassador, Scott Nice.

The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘1,2,3’ w/ DJ EdRoc. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: ‘Undone’. Fri: Ookay. Sat: Eric Dlux.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Sid Vicious. Sat: Laidback Luke.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Laura Chaves. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Robin Henkel and Whitney Shay. Sat: Mercedes Moore.

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

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: DJs Kiki, Kinky Loops. Thu: Casa Nuova, DJ K-Swift. Fri: DJs Drew G, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs Hektik, Jon Williams. Sun: DJs Casey Alva, Hektik.

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: Ian Patrick Cler Trio. Sat: Thump Juice. Mon: ‘Jazz jam’ w/ Louis Valenzuela.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: Red Fox Tails. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: Ed Kornhauser Organ Trio. Sat: Crew D’etat Brass Band. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Tue: Shane Hall.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Wed: Luke Rathborne, J. Hofstee, Mess of Fun. Thu: Mac Ayres, Cehryl, Psalm. Fri: Soul-Junk, Pistolita, Miss New Buddha, Lion Cut, Daniel Crawford & The Unkind Ravens, Kenseth Thibideau, Sumatraban. Sat: Blockhead, Yppah. Sun: C.W. Stoneking, Stephen El Rey. Mon: Liza Anne, Valley Queen.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Thu: The Brilliance, Brother James, Mike&Hilary. Fri: Shoreline Mafia.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Thu: ‘Cemetery Lipstick’. Fri: ‘Off the Books’ w/ Mr. Hek, Norm Rocwell. Sat: ‘The Stomp’.

Sun: ‘Make Yourself At Home’. Mon: James Brandon Lewis + Android Trio, INUS, Fistfights with Wolves. Tue: Karaoke.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Middletown. Fri:

Nic Fanciulli. Sat: ‘Overdrive’.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Christian Taylor and the Rhythm Makers, Nick Crook. Sun: King Taylor Project, Josh Weinstein.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Thu: Whipstriker, Negative Vortex, Mysticism, Christ Killer. Fri: Blood and Gold, The Powerballs, Razor Nights. Sat: Channel 3, Spent Idols, Glitter Trash, The Pictographs. Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: The Void Nation. Thu: ‘Paging the 90s’. Sat: Kenny and Deez, Coriander. Sun: Allegra Duchaine. Mon: Lauren Leigh and Sam. Tue: Kyle Castellani.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Wed: Leonard Spins Vinyl. Thu: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Fri: The Siers Brothers. Sat: Alastair Greene Band.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Good Time Girl, Sweetie Darling. Sat: Nebula Drag, Dali’s Llama, Ritual Potion, Condor. Mon: Wolves Wolves Wolves Wolves, Allweather, Bad Idols, City Windows.

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

Wed: ‘Yes Lawd’. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: Jessica Lerner, DJ Kid Wonder.

Sat: DJs Havoc, Kid Wonder. Sun: Prezident Brown.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Thu: ‘Black Candies Release Party’. Fri: ‘Fing in the Bushes’ w/ DJ Daniel Sant. Sat: ‘80s vs. 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul Q. Sun: Shopping, French Vanilla. Tue: ‘Videodrome’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach.

Wed: Earthkry, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Eldorado Slim and the Commodore Hotel Orchestra. Fri: Stranger. Sat: Wise Monkey Orchestra, Mango Habanero, Jefferson Jay Band, Ristband. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Ghost Light.

MARCH 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 45

BY NICOLE POTTER

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat CannaBasics: Best Strains for Beginners

F

or those new to the cannabis community, there’s a lot to learn—especially when it comes to choosing the right strain to try. After choosing whether or not you want an indica, sativa, hybrid or maybe even a strain high in CBD, what then? The options are limitless, and classic strains are widely available and new strains are being bred every year. So as a beginner to the world of cannabis strains, how does one choose?

What most are looking for are strains with low to medium THC levels, meaning that when they’re consumed, the high isn’t overwhelming. For those who want a little extra insight in choosing what’s best for them, here’s a short and sweet list of the best strains to possibly try.

Blue Dream: This strain is one of the most well-rounded strains on the market. It’s popular, and therefore easy to obtain in most areas, mostly due to its desired effects. While offering a light cerebral effect, the strain brings on full-bodied relaxation that is pleasant but not overwhelming—traits that are

46 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 14, 2018

perfect for first-timers. Plus, it’s a great strain to use in treating a variety of medical conditions as well.

Harlequin: This well-known sativa is the go-to for a gentle body effect that offers the benefits of CBD without the anxiety of strains with a higher-THC content. This ultrarelaxing strain provides a small amount of energy upon consumption, allowing consumers to feel comfortable and safe.

ACDC: Also well-known for its high CBD content, ACDC provides consumers with just a mild psychoactive effect. Perfect for beginners, this strain gives users a relaxed yet focused feeling that keeps them comfortable and happy. ACDC is also known for its unique, painrelieving properties.

Cannatonic #4: Also referred to as “The Children’s Strain,” this high-CBD offering is one of the best ways to consume cannabis without worrying about the psychoacBlue Dream tive effects. Thoughts become more

Sour Diesel

clear, focus is strengthened and a much-needed calming effect washes over the user when consuming this strain. For comsumers looking to take their first steps into the world of cannabis, it’s hard to go wrong with a strain like this one.

Jack Herer: Herer strains are very popular, not just for the name (which is presented in honor of a wellknown activist), but for its strength as well. It has a good amount of THC within, but don’t worry; it’s not the kind of strain that will have users couch-locked for hours on end. However, it is the kind of strain that will lift you up if you’re experiencing depression or lethargy.

Sour Diesel: Our reviewers have reported that this particular strain sneaks up on the user, but that it does ultimately result in a strong, uplifting and creative effect.

It’s potent, but not overpowering in moderation, making it a decent choice for newbies seeking to experience the effects of THC. For the latest cannabis news and lifestyle trends, please pick up our sister magazine CULTURE every month or visit culturemagazine.com.

@SDCityBeat

march 14, 2018 · San Diego CityBeat · 47