1 · San Diego CityBeat · January 6, 2016
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3
Up Front | From the editor
Restorative justice at Lincoln High
R
estorative justice” is a practice that aims to foster dialogue between victims of crime and criminal offenders. It’s the opposite of punitive justice—find somebody guilty, lock ’em up, end of story. This new social movement is a policy squarely at odds with the bare-knuckled philosophies of retribution being espoused at the campaign rallies of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Thankfully, it is the restorative approach that’s being applied by the San Diego Unified School District in the case of the officer-involved melee at Lincoln High School. There are detractors who say this practice coddles criminal offenders. It stands to reason, however, that a policy aiming to create longer-term solutions—and one that flies in the face of a presidential contender who condones roughing up protesters and suggests he might pay legal fees for supporters who do so—deserves a fair chance in the public square. Lincoln’s on-campus police officer encountered a group of students “play fighting” on Feb. 26. He intervened and then followed one student into a parking garage. Ultimately, students were pepper sprayed and one teenager was knocked out by a Taser. Officer Bashir Abdi was hospitalized after he was punched in the stomach and struck on the back of his head. We’d know more about the specifics of the incident if the school’s surveillance video was released to the public. As continues to be the misplaced policy of the San Diego County District Attorney’s Office, the video is being withheld. Three students are being charged as juveniles on offenses ranging from assault on a police officer to theft and vandalism. The father of one of the accused teenagers is Brandon Duncan, a rap artist who goes by the name “Tiny Doo.” Last year, he was charged by DA Bonnie Dumanis under a controversial gang conspiracy law; those charges were thrown out by a judge. Officer Abdi was involved in another incident in which he tased a student, and also had a previous run-in with another of Duncan’s sons. While a court date looms, the three students have not been expelled from school. They’re being
charged with felonies in juvenile court, were released to home confinement and one teen has been allowed to transfer to another school so he can try out for the track team. It’s all part of a restorative-justice effort, says school superintendent Cindy Marten. “We know there are people who are going to say you’re not being tough and you’re not going to teach these kids a lesson,” she said in an interview on KUSI-TV. Marten said the school system is being respectful of the judicial system but also wants to allow students to continue their education while facing the penal system. At the proper time, Marten says, “We’ll get our students together and they will have a conversation in a facilitated setting to talk about the harm that was caused, and how do you repair that harm. It’s a very structured dialogue and it takes time. It’s not where people say ‘I’m sorry’ and then it’s a fake sorry.” Marten said The National Conflict Resolution Center has provided information on restorative justice, and points to a pilot program in place in City Heights that is showing progress. “You face your victims and have Cindy Marten a dialogue,” Marten said. “There’s no getting away with something… The charges are serious but what we’re looking for is how to not repeat. Recidivism is what we’re trying to change. When somebody truly understands and realizes how they hurt others around them the chance of recidivism goes down.” If video and a trial show that the students deserve to be punished, then punish them. The NAACP, incidentally, is off base to insist the charges against the three teens be summarily dropped. However the case is decided, though, it’ll eventually be worth the effort to have a cop and some kids face off in a moderated setting and let each side digest the consequences of their actions. Meanwhile, Trump appears to believe the Hammurabi Code’s “eye-for-an eye” mandate isn’t strict enough. Sorry, but sucker punching nonviolent protesters is not making America great again. Restorative justice, on the other hand, is a sensible counterbalance to a world gone Trump.
—Ron Donoho
Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com
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4 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
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Up Front | Letters
On the
Cover
MARTY GARDNER FOR MAYOR
I wasn’t “upset” by [Ken Stone] contacting me, as he so sublimely and subjectively interjected into his otherwise objective reporting [“San Diego now has a mayoral race,” March 9]. As I communicated, I am upset by the entire business-as-usual, do-nothing politics of San Diego City Hall. I was approached to be part of some imaginary “Stop Faulconer club.” The role of a strong mayor, which has not been fully developed since its implementation in 2006, is not a buddy system. The last thing I want to do is team up with other candidates, who for the most part, seem concerned with national issues that are irrelevant to the immediate, serious problems that face San Diego. Number one, money: Where the hell is it going, and why do so many get to put their hand in the pie as consultants who accomplish nothing but getting press coverage by the handful of pet papers in this town? It is all going to stop under my administration—the cronyism, the buddy system, the back scratching. We’re going to count the money like it is your penny jar at home. We are going to stop giving it away to sports team owners and illegal sports monopolies that jerk us around. The money is coming home, getting consolidated and staying home. No more fluffy language and talking in circles. It’s getting done under me. Marty Gardner, via sdcitybeat.com
HOMELESS COMPLEXITY
You talk of the old development model of sweeping the homeless out of east village and bus tickets for everyone [“Homeless left out in the rain,” March 9]. One problem is bus tickets into San Diego by other cities
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This week’s cover photo of a jukebox fully loaded with some of our favorite new local music was shot/designed by art director Carolyn Ramos. This is our annual Local Music Issue, which has historically been one of the biggest issues of the year, for one major reason: The Great Demo Review. This year, our writers listened to 119 new demos from San Diego bands, and picked 11 ExtraSpecialGood favorites. Find out what we loved or loathed and check out all the reviews starting on page 22. and states (of their homeless). Some who find they can’t make it here are offered a ticket home if they work a day with Clean and Safe, and have someone back home that is willing to help them. There is also a follow-up to make sure they are home and OK. HOT (the San Diego Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Team) know most of the ones on the street and do try to get them help but many refuse even when beds are available, because of rules. The housing-first method is being tried but it is tough to find rooms, as vacancy is so tight. The issue is complex.
Jan Bourgeois, East Village
March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5
Up Front | opinion
spin
cycle
john r. lamb
Ed Harris on Kevin Faulconer: “He’s an illusionist” When you’re hanging on by your to the director’s record solo deepsea dive into the famed Mariana fingernails, you can’t go waving Trench in 2012. your arms around. “I’ve always been very aquat —(Actor) Ed Harris in The Abyss ic,” Harris told Spin Cycle on Satnteresting six-degrees-of-sepa- urday. A lifeguard sergeant who ration factoid about late-entry also serves as the union represenSan Diego mayoral candidate tative for city lifeguards, Harris Ed Harris and his Oscar-nomi- had just been warmly greeted by nated namesake: Harris, the actor, labor leaders, social-justice adportrayed Virgil “Bud” Brigman in vocates and other progressives the James Cameron-directed 1989 at a precinct-walking “Raise the Wage” rally in the shadow of the underwater sci-fi epic The Abyss. Harris, a San Diego lifeguard green water tower in North Park. The mission that day for walkfor 26 years, former appointed District 2 city councilmember and ers: Get the word out to voters one of eight who have filed papers that roughly 200,000 San Diegans to challenge Mayor Kevin Faul- struggle to make ends meet and coner in the June primary, was a “are counting on us to get this test diver for Cameron leading up message out so that they can have
I
6 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
a raise as soon as this measure is passed,” Councilmember Todd Gloria told the crowd of about 80 volunteers, referring to the June ballot measure that would raise the city minimum wage to $11.50 and mandate five days of paid sick leave per year. “With the help of Ed Harris and [colleague] Marti Emerald,” Gloria said, “we got that done a few years ago. But you all know what happened, right? You all know that the mayor vetoed it”—a chorus of boos rang out—“and that billionaires and corporations who don’t even live here paid a ton of money to repeal it and delay it for two years. They may have money… but they don’t have you.” Gloria told the crowd Harris was “the deciding vote” on the issue while on the City Council in 2014, filling in for Faulconer when he rose to the mayor’s office—the position from which he would later veto the wage/sick-leave decision. “Ed was there fighting with me,” Gloria said, “and he got the thing done.” As the rally evolved into a training session, Harris broke away for a few minutes to talk to Spin Cycle about his decision to join the race. But he may have summed it up
john r. lamb
Lifeguard Sgt. Ed Harris joins field including Lori Saldaña to challenge Mayor Kevin “Blissful Abyss” Faulconer. best as he took a hug of congratulations from a rally attendee. “Yeah,” Harris said with a laugh, “they finally pissed me off.” The Point Loma resident said he’s been gratified by the outpouring of support, considering what he freely described as a campaign in embryonic form. “My rollout is terrible, so I have a lot of people to talk to,” he said. What he’s clearly projecting is a Mr. Regular Guy persona. “People always say they want a normal person to run,” Harris said, making no apologies for the late entry. “Normal people are not going to take a year and a half making promises to run for an office when they really don’t need to be there. There’s no job you can’t get done in three months.” Harris seems relaxed for this fight, one you can tell he’s relishing. He’s patched things up with local Democratic Party Chairwoman Francine Busby after a 2013 email she sent out that erroneously tried to link Harris to a gender-discrimination lawsuit filed against the city by a female lifeguard as he contemplated a run for the District 2 council seat. He chose not to run but blasted the inference during the tainted Bob Filner era. “She got to know me and I got to know her,” he says. “Same with labor. Labor didn’t back me when I was appointed to council. But I tell them the same thing: I’m not in this office because you supported me, and I don’t owe you anything. So they’ve more than warmed up to me. I mean, they’ve been asking me for six months if I’d run, and I told them, quite frankly, this is a business where I don’t trust anybody.” Added Harris: “The only people I want to work for are the city employees of San Diego and the citizens. And trust me, if June comes around and the citizens decide they want the status quo with Kevin, I’m going to be OK. I’m going to go back to the beach and go
backpacking with my son. But I’m offering myself up to fix things, and I’m OK with that.” The fix-it list is long and getting longer: Over his work radio and talking to dispatchers, he’s learned about delays in picking up 911 calls. “You call up and your kid’s not breathing or is choking, and you’re getting put on hold by 911 for unbelievable amounts of time,” he said. “You can’t have people on hold for 10 minutes.” The exodus of city employees to greener economic pastures isn’t helping, he said. “I think we’re seeing it on every level. Everybody is saying we’re in trouble.” Vacation rentals are a growing worry for some communities, Harris said, while admitting he has rented out his house before while on vacation. “But I came back to be the resident. That fits within the existing municipal code. But now a lot of people are making a business out of it. Neighborhoods are upset because they don’t have neighbors.” He supports the Citizens Plan, the ballot initiative aiming for November that would raise the hotel tax to 15.5 percent and reform how that money is spent. Faulconer’s $200-million commitment to a Chargers stadium? “Just another taxpayer giveaway, like Belmont Park,” Harris said, referring to a lease agreement at the Mission Beach site he vehemently opposed. Harris said voters are tired of the “deception of government,” in which politicians “perfect the ability to not tell the whole story to the public.” How good is Faulconer at that? “I think he’s really good. He’s an illusionist. He’s a magician, and I think his victim is the taxpayer. All he wants to do is show the budget is intact, show that it’s all smiles and walk over our backs to climb up into the governor’s chair.” Spin Cycle appears every week. Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.
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Up Front | Opinion
Aaryn Belfer
Backwards & in
high heels Donald Trump’s racist, three-ring circus clowns “Beyond being almost alarmingly prescient, this theory speaks to an oft-stated concern about Trump: that what’s scariest is not the candidate, but rather the extent and fervor of his support.” —Amanda Taub The Rise of American Authoritariansim
I
n yet another completely unsurprising turn of events last week, 26-year-old Rakeem Jones, who is black, was being escorted out of a Trump rally in North Carolina along with several other protesters, when he was clocked in the face by a white, 78-year-old named John McGraw. Dude is old enough to be Jones’ granddad, and he’s acting like a schoolyard bully. There are at least two videos of the incident, and while disturbing to watch, it makes me grateful once again for the ubiquity of smart phone technology that allows all of us to peep incidents that would—in another era—have been successfully spun to make the victim the perpetrator and the perpetrator the hero. This still happens all the time, of course, but it requires greater contortions by the justice system, and no small amount of magical thinking by the average citizen who continues to be dismissive. Though taken from different angles, what both videos make clear is that McGraw, a greyhaired, ponytail-wearing thug in a Crocodile Dundee hat and leather vest sidled calmly past his fellow revelers like a football fan with a prostate issue exiting his row to hit the john. But when this geezer reached the stairway, he proceeded to compete for his Ultimate Fighting Championship belt with an unsuspecting opponent. Now, I know it’s difficult, but those of us watching The Trump Show must resist the urge to stereotype the fanatics. While some of the Trump supporters are violent racists with pus-filled gnarls of hate where their hearts ought to be, the others are relatively decent blokes who are simply seeking order out of chaos (or at least, that is the argument some researchers at University of Massachusetts Amherst and Vanderbilt University are making). These Trumpians are down on their perceived luck compared to where they think they deserve to be, regular people afraid of losing all they’re entitled to: They can’t afford college for their kids and resent affirmative action; their paychecks aren’t growing with the economy; opportunity evades them on myriad levels; it’s tough to pay the bills and feed the fam. The American Dream is but a mirage in a scorching oasis. In other words, they are experiencing the America experienced by so many black and brown people.
But that doesn’t mean all of them are ready to physically attack black and brown people. Which is why several of these decent types wasted no time in leaping to Mr. Jones’ defense when the CroMagnon with an inverted penis threw a hard right elbow. Their reaction to such a violent outburst by one of their own was instinctual. They were compassionate toward this young black activist who has a different point of view than their own, and out of sheer humanity and respect for democracy, they made sure Jones was safely removed from danger and given medical attention for his injuries. Meanwhile, an untold number of other attendees subdued Cowboy McGraw and hailed security guards who promptly arrived to detain him and take him away. Er…wait. Wait just one second. This is a Trump rally. What should have happened is exactly what did not happen. McGraw landed his punch and then…he returned to his seat where he was congratulated by smiling fellow Trump supporters. Jones, the victim here, was followed by several security guards up the stairs to the landing where he collapsed (or he was shoved?) to the ground and was subsequently held down by no fewer than five security guards before his arms were pulled awkwardly behind him as he was lifted to standing and ushered out. Because video or no video, in Amerikkka 2016 the victim is the perpetrator and the perpetrator is the hero. Flipping this for a sec, if McGraw were black and Jones were white, the security team would have wrestled the instigator to the ground and assaulted/tased/killed him before five seconds could expire. “The next time we see him, we might have to kill him,” said the toe-fungus McGraw to a reporter for Inside Edition. He was exiting the rally to head home. He was later identified and charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct. But he isn’t feeling like he was in the wrong at all. And neither are the other hundreds of thousands of Trump supporters who might not be participating in the fights, but who aren’t doing anything to speak out against them. These do-nothings can’t all be vile scoundrels like McGraw. But their wide-eyed, tightlipped silence is complicity. And we don’t really need to wonder what can come of good people doing nothing. There is context for that.
“
This is a Trump rally. What should have happened is exactly what did not happen.
“
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Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com.
March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7
Up Front | Food
by michael a. gardiner
the world
fare
A Tijuana taco crawl
A
tapas crawl in San Diego is hard to come by. A taco crawl in Tijuana a much easier find and a better bet. There may be no better place to do one than on Calle Francisco Javier Mina outside Tijuana’s Mercado Hidalgo in the Zona Rio. The tapeo is the Spanish ambulatory tradition of proceeding from one tapas bar to the next, enjoying the signature dish at each. Because tapas tend to be “small plates” a diner can pack in quite a few stops. What’s true of the tapa is true of the taco: Enter the “taceo.” There are many places for a Tijuana taceo. Perhaps the most famous is “Taco Alley” where Tony Bourdain enjoyed a late night run to Tacos Las Paisas on No Reservations. But the area around any city’s central market is always a good bet for good eats. Start at Tacos Fitos across the street and just north of the Mercado Hidalgo’s western exit. Tacos Fitos offers two basic dishes: tacos de birria—beef braised in a rich broth spiked with cumin, cinnamon, clove and vinegar, yielding a thick, rich and utterly exhilarating stew—and tacos of tripe a la plancha, crispy and caramelized rather than rubbery. The heady birria defines the dish’s flavor profile but the crispy tripe brings it to another dimension. The show—the tacquero quite literally throwing the birria juice into the tortilla waiting in his other hand— would be worth the taco’s price on its own. Next, walk half a block south to Tacos El Gordo. Known for its adobado—pork marinated in a combination of dried chiles, achiote, spices and pineapple grilled on a vertical rotisserie setup—the tacos de buche may be even better. Pork stomach isn’t likely the first protein on the mind
8 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
of many but perhaps at El Gordo it should be. The slight mineral flavor of the organ meat is there, but buche are sweeter and meatier than most offal, and the braise leaves them tender as well as tasty. Perhaps the best part of this taco crawl wasn’t tacos, but rather Mariscos El Paisa just across the street from the Mercado Hidalgo. El Paisa features the mariscos of Sinaloa from which some of Mexico’s best seafood (and many of Tijuana’s Mexican migrant population) comes. While cocteles, campechanas and tostadas are on El Paisa’s menu, try the aguachile con todos and get it as spicy as you can stand. Aguachiles are seafood (usually shrimp) doused (but not, like ceviche, “cooked”) in a citrus-based sauce with cilantro, onion and chiles. El Paisa’s Sinaloan take includes a brooding salsa negra that adds a deep flavor layer. The seafood includes cooked and raw shrimp, scallops, oysters, two kinds of clams and tender, meaty octopus. Fresh, deep and spicy, it was the perfect finish to a taceo. Michael A. Gardiner
Aquachiles con todos at El Paisa The best part of a taco—or tapas—crawl is the way the processional element slows you down. You pay attention to what is around you and enjoy the atmosphere, your company and your food all the more. The World Fare appears weekly. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.
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Up Front | Drink
final
by beth demmon
draught Ladies are brewing it, too
out on their own as part of Little Boots Brew Day, the homebrewing counterpart. Unlike the Pink Boots Society, another ven casual drinkers have to know that somefemale-only beer group, you don’t have to work thing’s rotten in the state of craft beer. Bein the beer industry to join SDSS. From beer tween debating the merits of “indie” versus judges to women who simply like drinking beer, “craft” terminology and which breweries qualify members run the gamut of experience. But what as a sellouts, even picking a pint at your local waremains the same is a passion for craft beer. tering hole has become a political statement. “When I first joined QUAFF, there weren’t However, searching for bright spots in this a lot of women, and the beth demmon emotionally charged climate ones who were there were couldn’t have come at a mostly significant others,” better time. Last weekend, says SDSS founder Juli San Diego breweries and Goldenberg. “I wondered homebrewers participated in why that was, so I thought the Big Boots and Little Boots I’d just try something new Brew Days in support of the to see how it would do.” 3rd Annual International It’s done well. While Women’s Collaboration their numbers are Brew Day (IWCBD). still relatively small, Breweries such as Fallbrook participation seems to be Brewing Company, Karl extremely high. Between Strauss, Culture Brewing monthly meetings at Company and a handful of White Labs, regular pub others opened their doors for nights, helping QUAFF aspiring brewers, beer fans host America’s Finest and anyone else who wanted Homebrew Competition to join. and more, SDSS members The catch? Ladies only. represent a rare dedication If you have a problem with to craft. a women-only event, you However, there are might as well stop reading detractors. “We’ve gotten now before I hunt you down San Diego Suds Sorority some pushback—even from with my feminist pitchfork. women—who don’t think More women than ever before are buying beer, that we need to be separate,” says Goldenberg. But brewing beer and spearheading change that’s she assured me that they actually aren’t exclusive revolutionizing the craft beer industry, so fostering to females. In fact, two men attended the brew day, this growing demographic in a traditionally malebut held back from the actual process to ensure dominated industry is more important than ever. the entire brew remained women only. Thus—despite my own not-so-successful forays While “Big Beer vs. Small Beer” tends to domiinto homebrewing—I joined the San Diego Suds nate today’s conversation, it’s crucial that we don’t Sorority for their Little Boots Brew Day event to forget about Very Small Beer. Homebrewing is what make a Belgian IPA. As part of the Quality Ale set many world-class brewers on their professional and Fermentation Fraternity (QUAFF), SDSS journey, and we’re lucky to have passionate women has participated in IWCBD for Big Boots Brew who truly exemplify the love of the craft. Day every year since its inception by partnering with official breweries such as URBN and Mike Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or follow Hess Brewing, but this is the first year they struck her on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9
Up Front | books
The floating
by jim ruland
library Apocalypse soon in Age of Blight
A
s the glaciers melt, the sea levels rise and the human project accelerates toward its inevitable decline, Kristine Ong Muslim is building a world of her own, one story at a time. It’s hard to say with any kind of authority what this world is like or how it came to be, as we only catch glimpses of it in her fascinating new short story collection, Age of Blight, which represents a fraction of the 600 stories and poems she has published. One thing we can say with absolute certainty is this world isn’t a utopia. Here’s what we know. The year is 2115, and some kind of cataclysmic event has devastated the planet, triggering a wave of extinction events that the population more or less takes in stride. Yet life in the suburb known as Bardenstan and in nearby Outerbridge, “the only part of America where plants are still grown in soil,” life goes on with some semblance of normalcy. Children attend school. Parents go to work. Families gather together for dinner and chew fake celery. But in Muslim’s world the dead return to life with terrifying regularity, families adopt two-legged pets they torture and train, and people fall prey to a terrifying disappearing disease known as The Empty. When a student succumbs to this disease in the story, “There’s No Relief as Wondrous as Seeing Yourself Intact,” the headmaster addresses the student body with a less than reassuring message. “The Empty will get us all in the end and we can’t do anything about it, unless something else kills us first.” That’s no idle threat in Muslim’s oeuvre where there are many things more terrifying than a disease that causes body parts to disappear. For example, in “Zombie Sister,” the narrator reacts to the news that his sister is no longer dead but not quite living. Though the story is just five pages long, her newly undead status is thoroughly examined. After undergoing a quick formaldehyde treatment, the sister is ready to return to her family, who are told they “shouldn’t take it personally”: “‘Besides, the world is going to end soon,’ the physician, who was schooled in the science of human vital signs, said. Then he winked at my sister, who did not or could not wink back.”
10 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
In Muslim’s stories, appearances can be deceiving. Things are not as they seem—they’re much worse. In “Dominic Dominic” a young boy buries his fingernail clippings in his backyard. Within a short period of time the boy is astonished to find fingers “growing” in the same spot. “By the time Dominic was eating dinner, the fingers were twitching for the first time, feeling the air of the small fenced backyard that was silent in the stifling late-summer heat.” When Dominic tries to bring this to his mother’s attention, she can’t see what he sees, and therefore doesn’t notice when Dominic’s double begins to take shape in the dirt outside her door. In these stories, children have it worse than adults. When they’re not being ignored they endure the brunt of their elder’s mistakes and manipulations. They see things more clearly, but they’re not entirely without blame and are capable of deeds every bit as monstrous as their forebears. Muslim, who comes from a small rural farming community in the province of Maguindanao in the southern Philippines, seems to be saying that we lack agency when it comes to the forces, big and small, that shape our world. Sometimes these forces are ecological, such as a severe drought, and sometimes the forces are personal, like a boy with bad intentions and a sharp rock. It’s interesting to speculate whether Muslim’s upbringing makes her more attuned to these forces, but in “The Quarantine Tank,” it feels as if she is addressing her readers in the West. “Because you and your people are safely ensconced in your part of the world, you do not care about anything else.” There’s not a lot of caring in Muslim’s devastatingly spare stories whose characters are tied to their fates like sea captains lashed to the wheel in a storm. Muslim’s brand of storytelling is perversely pessimistic, the wink of a zombie who has lost control of her body, replete with metaphors for our poor stewardship of a doomed planet. You won’t find many happy endings in Age of Blight, but these stories sound a convincing wakeup call. Write to jimr@sdcitybeat.com.
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11
EVENTS
SHORTlist
ART
the
THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE
1 BUNCH OF BULL
Performing and creating original theater is tough, but ask anyone who does it and you’ll often get the same response: They do it for the love, despite the risks that come with it. The same could also be said for bullfighting. Local theater veteran Derrick Gilday sees all kinds of parallels not only between theater and bullfighting, but he also sees being a matador as a metaphor for life. “It’s about staring right back, unflinching and ready for anything,” says Gilday, one half of the production company Teatro Gustofino. “You must bullfight your destiny.” It’s this unflinching attitude that’s at the center of Teatro Gustofino’s The Young Matador, an original production about a young man, Todo, who believes he’s destined to be a bullfighter despite being the adopted son of a once-famous matador who has vowed never to fight again or let his children fight. What’s more, the father raises Todo as a gay Buddhist, despite the fact that Todo knows
COORDINATED BY
SETH COMBS
he’s not either. So yeah, it’s complicated, but it’s decidedly original. “Just as bullfighting is steeped in tradition, so are the roles fathers have in shaping their sons vision of the world,” says Gilday, who has performed in everything from Technomania Circus to Clowns Without Borders. “I would say this show is as much about killing a bull as it is about overcoming the CRAIG BRAYTON sense of loss a man must overcome when he realizes he is all alone in the middle of the ring with the bull, which is life.” Gilday first created as a solo street show that he performed through the Central Valley of Mexico and Cali, Colombia in 2014. The Young Matador With help from Teatro Gustofino cohort Dan Griffiths, and the addition of music from local gypsy-jazz band Trio Gadjo, the play will make its stage debut for three performances starting Thursday, March 17, and running through Saturday, March 19, at the City Heights Performance Annex (3795 Fairmount Ave.). Tickets are $10 at theyoungmatador. brownpapertickets.com, which is a small price to pay for supporting local, original theater.
2 ENTERTAIN US, AMADEUS 3 SOUTHERN PRIDE
It’s difficult to get people to care about high art these days. Remember when the San Diego Opera was at risk of closing in 2014? No? Perhaps nobody wants to remedy our culture’s apathy toward high art more than musicians Igudesman & Joo, who infuse the likes of Mozart and Bach with some much needed humor. Whether they’re Riverdancing to their own songs or haphazardly foiling each other’s performance, they’re a joy to watch (as eviJULIA WESELY denced by a rabid YouTube following). Not only are they classically adept on piano and violin, respectively—sheer talent that even the most stuffy monocle-wearer can enjoy—they also sing, dance and have killer comic timing. Igudesman & Joo The tasteful hilarity goes down at 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 20, at Copley Symphony Hall. Ticket prices range from $20 to $70. sandiegosymphony.org
After getting a dose of Latino films this past week, we’re ready to check out more high-minded arts from south of the border. The second annual Latin American Art Festival runs from Saturday, March 19, through Sunday, March 20, and will feature more than 70 hand-selected artists from various cities in Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, Colombia and more, presenting artwork as diverse as their regions. Some artists are animal rights activists and environmentalists, while others are breast cancer survivors or foodies. A few notables on the list include Hugo Crosthwaite, Essau Andrade and Aida Valencia. There will be music, dance, fashion, food and drinks, all in respect to Latin culture. The festival, which is taking place at the ARTS DISTRICT in Liberty Station (2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barrack 16), is free and goes from 10 p.m. to 6 p.m. both days. latinamericanartfestival.com
HUGO BENSON PHOTOGRAPHY
HNew Codex Oaxaca: Immigration and Cultural Memory at Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Drive, Clairemont. This traveling exhibition takes a poignant look into what it means to migrate and includes textiles, photographs, engravings and more from Mexican artists. Works from two local artists, Omar Pimienta and Claudia Cano, will also be on display. Opening from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17. Free. 619-3882829, sdmesa.edu/art-gallery HShapeshift at Gym Standard, 2903 El Cajon Blvd. #2, North Park. A solo show from local artist Bradford Lynn, who specializes in paintings that illustrate the imaginative and unseen world we all might see when we close our eyes. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 18. Free. 619-501-4996, facebook.com/ events/488848884655953 HDo Ho Suh at MCASD - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. This solo exhibition by the South Korean artist features work ranging from large-scale architectural installations and sculptures, to works on paper and video, all of which reflect ideas of home, identity and personal space. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 18. Free-$10. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org Gods of Suburbia at Madison Gallery, 1055 Wall St., La Jolla. A new collection of photographs by Dina Goldstein that analyze religious faith within the context of the modern forces of technology, science and secularism. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free. madisongalleries.com HLatin American Art Festival at NTC Promenade in Liberty Station, 2640 Historic Decatur Road, Point Loma. The second annual fest will feature more than 70 hand-selected artists from various cities in Latin America. Also includes music, dance, fashion, food and drinks. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 19 and Sunday, March 20. Free. 619-573-9260, latinamericanartfestival.com HMAS Attack at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. A traveling, one-night only “nomadic series of exhibitions” that aims to introduce artists to each other in order to build a wider community of networks. Dozens of San Diego and L.A. artists will be on hand to display their work. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free. sandiego-art.org HResonance at Sparks Gallery, 530 6th Ave., Gaslamp. The downtown gallery celebrates its first year in business with an all-abstracts group show. Artists include Alexander Arshansky, Amy Paul, Duke Windsor and dozens more. RSVP required. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free. 619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com HRevising History at jdc Fine Art, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Suite 208, Little Italy. New tongue-in-cheek photographic works from Jennifer Greenburg that challenge the viewer’s conception of history when it comes to looking at well-known pictures. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free. 619-985-2322, jdcfineart.com
The Six-Word Story at Front Porch Gallery, 2903 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad. A new photographic exhibition based around the famous six-word story by Ernest Hemingway, with each picture in the exhibition accompanied by a six-word story. Opening from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20. Free. 760-795-6120, frontporchgallery.org In The Shadows at Basic, 410 10th Ave., Downtown. VIZ CULT Artist Showcase presents new works from local artists Carrie Anne Hudson and Optimus Volts, who both share a natural fascination with all things dark and strange. Opening from 7 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, March 22. Free. 619-531-8869, https://facebook.com/ events/187686508253404
BOOKS Owen Laukkanen at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The author will sign and discuss The Watcher in the Wall, the fifth installment in the thriller series featuring BCA-FBI Violent Crimes agents Kirk Stevens and Carla Windermere. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com Amy Cuddy at Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace, 5998 Alcala Park, USD, Linda Vista. The social psychologist and popular TED-x talk presenter will be discussing and signing her new book, Presence: Bringing your Boldest Self to your Biggest Challenges. Ticket price includes copy of book. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 18. $32.90. 619-260-7509, warwicks.com HMichael Tennesen at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The science writer and author will discuss and sign his book The Next Species: The Future of Evolution in the Aftermath of Man. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com
DANCE HBallet Flamenco De Andalucía at Spreckels Theater, 121 Broadway, Downtown. The dance company is recognized as the most important representative of flamenco art in Spain. This 20th anniversary performance revisits five of the most celebrated choreographies of its repertoire. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 16. $20-$75. 619-235-9500, ljms.org HShakespeare Danced at Shiley Theatre, 5998 Alcala Park, Camino Hall, USD campus, Linda Vista. This free lecture and demonstration will feature four principal dancers of Germany’s internationally recognized Hamburg Ballet and will feature insight from Kyoto Prize Laureate John Neumeier about his choreographic approach. From 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 17. Free. 619-260-4600 HMusic in Motion: Dance and The Firebird at Jacobs Music Center, 750 B St., Downtown. This Jacobs Masterworks program features a world premiere orchestration by Gabriela Frank that will be accompanied by dancers from Malashock Dance. Also includes selections from Alberto Ginastera and Igor Stravinsky. At 8 p.m. Friday, March 18 and Saturday, March 19, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 20. $20-$96. 619 235 0804, sandiegosymphony.com
HThe Power of Feminine Energy at
Casa Valencia Gallery
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HConviction: The Works of Project PAINT Prison Artists at Kruglak Art Gallery, MiraCosta College Campus, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside. MiraCosta College presents an exhibit featuring the paintings of artists incarcerated at Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa. Includes a panel discussion with the curators and a formerly incarcerated artist. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 16. Free. 760-757-2121x6268, miracosta.edu
Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2125 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. In honor of International Women’s Day, over 50 women from all over San Diego and beyond will showcase works. Organized by the artist collective Mujeres de Maiz Fronterizas. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free. 619-235-6135, centroculturaldelaraza.com
H = CityBeat picks
EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 #SDCityBeat
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13
EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
FOOD & DRINK The Pub Drop: St. Patrick’s Day at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Described as “a neighborhood pub crawl in your backyard,” this event includes beer, cocktails and live music from Zombie Surf Camp, Bill Fleming Duo and Finnegan Blue. From 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 17. $20. 619-296-2101, eventbrite.com HBerry Best Chocolate Fest at NTC at Liberty Station, 2640 Historic Decatur Road, Point Loma. The inaugural event features chocolate and berries to sample, as well as pie eating contests and other activities. A portion of proceeds benefits the Helen Woodward Animal Center. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free-$40. 619-573-9300, eventbrite.com HCultivating Conversation: Farm-toTable or Farm-to-Fable? at Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center, 2505 N. Ave., National City. Join featured speaker Troy Johnson for an intimate outdoor dinner, guided tour, and thought-provoking discussion on the sustainable food movement, farm-to-table restaurant claims, and the real champions of local farms. From 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 20. $75. cultivatingconversation.bpt.me
MUSIC HLuciana Souza Quintet at The Auditorium at TSRI, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Dr., La Jolla. The Brazilian vocalist and percussionist performs a lively and at times intimate jazz concert with her multi-cultural band. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17. $35. 858-784-2666, ljathenaeum.org
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“Somewhere Else” by Bradford Lynn is on view in Shapeshift, a solo show opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 18, at Gym Standard (2903 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park).
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THEATER ADRIANA ZUNIGA WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY
Alex Guzman (left) and Jonathan Sachs in Seminar
Learning the hard way
A
spiring serious novelists Kate (Samantha Ginn), Martin (Alex Guzman), Douglas (Robert Malave) and Izzy (Dana Wing Lau) each pay self-proclaimed writing genius Leonard (Jonathan Sachs) $5,000 to teach, critique and mold them in Theresa Rebeck’s super-smart Seminar. Bad idea. In short order, teaching becomes trashing, and critiquing insulting. But there’s more to this one-act staged by Inner Mission Productions than a flammable instructor-student dynamic. The series of seminars quickly become acid tests for each student’s ego, resolve, self-esteem and sex drive. The insufferably HIgudesman & Joo at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. The musical duo of Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo present their funny theatrical show that combines comedy with classical music and popular culture. From 8 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday, March 20. $20-$80. 619235-0804, sandiegosymphony.com HJulia Bullock and Renate Rohlfing at Salk Institute, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. The Salk & Science Music Series continues with a performance from soprano Julia Bullock and pianist Renate Rohlfing. Professor Geoffrey Wahl will also give a presentation on gene expression. At 4 p.m. Sunday, March 20. $45. music.salk.edu David Crosby at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The iconic singer-songwriter from The Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash will perform an intimate solo acoustic set with only his voice and guitar. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 23. $40-$75. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org Montreal Symphony Orchestra at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Music Director Kent Nagano conducts an evening of orchestral works by Debussy, Stravinsky and renowned Rus-
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smug Leonard is always in the mix, though when the vulnerabilities of Rebeck’s genuinely drawn characters surface, even he is to a degree sympathetic. Anyone who’s ever tried to write fiction seriously—in or out of a classroom—should be spellbound by the language of this cogent 2011 play. Kym Pappas’ expert direction elicits top performances from all, especially Sachs as Leonard and Guzman’s Martin, an understandably reluctant protégé. Seminar’s truths about writing and human insecurities are inescapable. Seminar runs through March 26 at Diversionary Theatre’s Black Box space in University Heights. $20. innermissionproductions.org *** Playwright Beth Henley’s Jacksonian Motel in Jackson, Miss., in 1964 is a motel hell. Its inhabitants include a sword swallower-turned-barkeep who’s likely committed a murder (Jake Rosko), a nitrous oxide-swigging dentist (Dónal Pugh) with terrifying mood swings, the thoroughly unstable wife who’s dumping him (Beverly Baker) and a motel maid (Kristin Woodburn) skilled in flirtation and bigotry. The only guileless figure among the distasteful bunch in this Southern Gothic melodrama is dentist-and-wife’s young daughter Rosy (Nicole Sollazzo), but she’s clearly been screwed up by her parents, and the doings at the Jacksonian Motel ain’t helpin’, as they might say in the Deep South. Henley’s one-act The Jacksonian, a wallow in misery and terror, flits back and forth in time, dangling its characters over a steaming cauldron
sian pianist Daniil Trifonov performing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 23. $30-$105. 619-235-0804, ljms.org
POETRY & SPOKEN WORD 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 read their favorite passages from James Joyce, William Butler Yeats, Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie and others at this annual tradition. At 7 p.m. Thursday, March 17. 858-4561800, dgwillsbooks.com HLong Story Short: Pink Slip at The Ink Spot, 2730 Historic Decatur Rd., Barracks 16, 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 work, and of course, about no-work. From 7 p.m. to 9 a.m. Saturday, March 19. $5 donation. 619-696-0363, sosayweallonline.com HStorytelling Festival at Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Dr., Encinitas. A live
of self-destruction. Unhinged as they appear, they manage to wax eloquent at the least predictable junctures, no doubt the product of Henley’s gift for language. The Jacksonian runs through March 26at ion theatre’s BLKBOX @ 6th & Penn in Hillcrest. $32. iontheatre.com
—David L. Coddon
Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
OPENING: Private Eyes: Steven Dietz’s dark “comedy of suspicion” in which the audience is left to their own devices to decide whether or not a couple is cheating on one another. It opens March 18 at PowPAC Community Theatre in Escondido. powpac.org Clarence Darrow Tonight!: A one-man-show about real-life attorney Clarence Darrow, who famously defended controversial people and which earned him the nickname “Defender of the Damned.” Starring Broadway vet Laurence Luckinbill, it opens for two performances March 21 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org
For full theater listings, please visit “T heater ” at sdcitybeat.com
storytelling event featuring the theme of “Strong Women.” Enjoy storytelling concerts, workshops, kids’ programs, and selections from former Olympians and veterans from Incoming, KPBS’s radio show with So Say We All. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free. storytellerofsandiego.org
State San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos. The seventh annual festival features food, crafts and live entertainment from dancers, musicians and comedians, all in celebration of the cultures of the Micronesia, Polynesia and Mariana Islands. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free. 760-7504000, chelusd.org
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 19. Free. southparksd.com
SPECIAL EVENTS
HWriterz Blok Crowdfunding Campaign Launch at Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park. The local urban art program holds a special event to launch its crowdfunding campaign to raise money to expand its facility. Includes live musical performances, graffiti art demonstrations and live screen-printing by The Roots Factory. From 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free. 619-527-6161, jacobscenter.org
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 19 and Sunday, March 20. Saturday, March 19. Free-$14. 760-436-3036, sdbgarden.org
Passport to the Pacific: A Tour Around the World’s Largest Ocean at Living Coast Discovery Center, 1000 Gunpowder Point Dr., Chula Vista. The fun, travelinspired exhibit showcases the diverse animals that make their homes in and around the Pacific region. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free-$14. 619-4095900, thelivingcoast.org
Whales: Giants of the Deep at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. Inspired by the San Diego Zoo’s centennial celebration, this new interactive and immersive exhibition brings adults and children eye to eye with some of the world’s most elusive creatures. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 19. Free-$19. 619-232-3821, sdnhm.org
HshamROCK Gaslamp Block Party at Gaslamp Quarter, Downtown. Now in its 21st year, this annual music fest along Fifth Avenue will feature dozens of bands and artists as well as the requisite beer gardens. See website for full details and lineup. From 4 p.m. to midnight. Thursday, March 17. $30-$75. 619-233-5227, sandiegoshamrock.com HBad Madge 5th Anniversary Party at Bad Madge & Company, 2205 Fern St., South Park. The South Park shop celebrates five years with DJ Vaughn Avakian, refreshments, informal modeling and art by Eliza Tolley. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 18. Free. 619-285-1668, badmadge.com HChamorro Cultural Festival at Cal
March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15
Culture | Art Dan Fauchier
Seen LocaL ship has landed
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“
hen the sun sets, it’s like bird city, because all these flocks of birds migrate back to the lake,” says RJ Brooks, executive director and co-founder of local arts organization A Ship in the Woods (shipinthewoods.com). “There might be a mountain lion as well,” adds Ship curator Lianne Mueller. Brooks is quick to point out that he recently spoke to a park ranger and has been assured that there are no mountain lions, but if they sound awed, it’s because A Ship in the Woods has landed, quite literally, in the woods. After nearly a year of looking, the self-described “culture capitalists” have found a permanent home on a two-acre estate in Escondido. Brooks and Ship assistant director Addison Stonestreet have been working nonstop to convert what was a residential property (3007 Felicita Road) into an art showcase facility that will include several gallery spaces—and a swimming pool. “We’ve been putting everything we have into this house,” says Brooks, who along with Ship co-founder Dan Fauchier, purchased the property outright instead of renting. “This really is a labor of love. Emphasis on the labor, but we’re really blessed to have found this spot.” Brooks and Stonestreet have done almost all of the construction themselves, which includes everything from ripping up tile and knocking down walls to installing a drip irrigation system to save water. They’re also building a “crash pad” that they hope to use for an artist residency program, and are planning
on the seen
A Ship in the Woods for an underground recording studio. In the past, Ship has been particularly keen on throwing events that find novel ways to combine the music and visual arts scene, and Mueller wants to continue that intermingling approach. “Whatever we can do to amp that up and create a space that incorporates both,” Mueller says. “We’d like it to be an internationally known place to record. Something that’s really unique.” Once everything is up and running, they plan to throw monthly Saturday night openings. The first one, tentatively scheduled for May 28, will feature the work of local artist Adam Belt and will open almost a year to the day after their last house show at their Del Mar location. They’re also in talks with neighboring Felicita Park about the use of the parking lot and want to collaborate with the park for shows and events that tie into the park’s movie night and upcoming Renaissance Faire. “We want to work together with a lot of other organizations,” Mueller says. “We want to create the ultimate art world here.”
—Seth Combs courtesy of the artist
In this semi-regular department, we ask some of our favorite local artists and curators what new shows or artists are worth checking out. Whether it’s a particular piece, an entire exhibition or just a current obsession, here are some artsy options from eyes we trust. Leticia Gomez Franco Independent Curator “At the Power of Feminine Energy exhibition at the Centro Cultural de la Raza (2004 Park Blvd.), there is a piece called ‘Mestiza’ by artist Anna Torres, which stopped me in my tracks. The piece is made up of three life-size wood panels and each panel is a full-body self-portrait of the artist. Portraits of women, of faces and bodies, are common in all-women exhibitions, particularly those that are celebrating female empowerment, but Torres’ piece goes beyond this. The figures in the pieces size you up. They confront you and they break the viewer/ subject relationship by looking at you, and make you wonder if perhaps you’re the one on exhibit.” Susan Myrland Curator, Arts Writer “I’ve known Bhavna Mehta (bhavnamehta.com) since I curated the International Women’s Day show at The Front in 2014. I’ve loved watching her progression over time and what she’s doing with her new show [Body 1.0, which opens April 2 at Bay Park Press at 4138 Napier St.] is embroidery on paper. She’s known for just doing paper works, but with the embroidery it allows her to be ambidextrous and more productive. The fact that she’s still working with paper, which is
16 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
“Mestiza” by Anna Torres such an unforgiving medium, gives the works these overtones of fragility and transience. The title of the show tells me that she’s thinking about spirituality, the next life and what she’s learned in this life.” Don Hollis Owner, Hollis Brand Culture and Subtext Gallery “I always find great new talent at the exhibitions at La Bodega Gallery (2196 Logan Ave.) in Barrio Logan. They always have these large group shows, but you can really find some good nuggets in there. Kelly Vivanco’s new show at Distinction Gallery (317 E. Grand Ave. in Escondido) is great. I love her work and she’s always been one of the more consistent local artists who has managed to make a living at it here. Katherine Brannock (katherinebrannock.com) left San Diego and recently came back. She has these amazingly intricate pen-and-ink fine art pieces. They’re really beautiful and spontaneous, and I just don’t think she gets her due, locally. Also, people should check out the work of N.C. Winters (ncwinters.com).” —Seth Combs
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Culture | Film
Ghosts in the shell
Juanicas
San Diego Latino Film Festival returns for its 23rd year by Glenn Heath Jr.
E
ach of San Diego’s many (and I mean many) ity about the plasticity of history and memory. The film festivals represents a unique opportunity eponymous Soviet filmmaker (Elmer Bäck) of such for residents to break free of Hollywood’s con- Communist classics as Strike! and Battleship Potemstraints and experience vital perspectives from the kin arrives like a force of nature in Mexico to shoot a around the world. Our proximity to the Tijuana bor- film. He quickly becomes enveloped in a heightened der region has long made the San Diego Latino Film state of sexual awakening and madness. Festival one of the most essential cultural events in The film marvelously contorts our expectations, town. Where else can you find films as diverse as using rear projection and expanded depth of field to Matteo Garrone’s surreal anti-fable Tale of Tales, play visual tricks aplenty while filling each frame with Marcia Tambutti Allende’s riveting essay film Al- pristine texture. Greenaway’s hyper-style matches his lende, Mi Abuelo Allende, and Michel Franco’s anti- lead actor’s insanely unhinged performance, creatseptic horror show Chronic? ing an artificial version of reality that somehow feels Now celebrating its 23rd year, SDLFF runs closer to the truth than any historical account. See it through Sunday, March 20, at the on the biggest screen possible. AMC Fashion Valley Cinemas and Footage from old family movthe Digital Gym Cinema in North ies shot on aged film stock opens san diego Park. There are special programs Karina Garcia Casanova’s Juanilatino film on Colombian and Mexican cinecas, a personal documentary that ma, along with sections devoted to confronts long-gestating effects of festival documentary, short films and LGbipolar disorder and familial denial March 10 to 20 BTQ experiences among others. on a Mexican family that immigratAMC Fashion Valley Cinemas As of this publication, the festival ed to Quebec. The images have very and Digital Gym Cinema is in mid-swing, so consider this a little meaning without context, so preview of the best films screening the director spends the duration during the event’s second half. doing her best to fill in the blanks, Arturo Ripstein’s La Calle de la Amargura (aptly unpacking all of the emotional tumult associated with titled Bleak Street in English) lingers alongside strug- her brother Juan and his battle with depression. gling tenants of a destitute Mexican neighborhood Made up of footage taken from over eight years of as they negotiate the terms of daily survival. Twin filming, Juanicas merges heartbreaking interviews, luchadores refuse to take off their masks, two aging hospital documents and panicked phone messages prostitutes fatefully try to relive the glory days, and to paint a picture of the paralyzing grief felt by the multiple sets of parents fail to protect their children. filmmaker as she watches Juan and her mother siShot in pristine black and white, the film gracefully multaneously suffer from mental illness. explores the long-term cost of economic and social Garcia Casanova’s intent is to bring this hidden disenfranchisement without dovetailing into misery disease that has ravaged her family out into the open. porn. The most powerful moment comes when she films Here, brutality is organic and time passes slowly. the damage done by Juan to their family home after The steady camera seems to dance with each ac- one of his prolonged mania episodes. “This is what tor as they move through cramped, dank spaces. In it was always like,” she says crying, finally capturing these smooth, talky sequences both are in perfect physical evidence of a disease that had been, up to unison, calling attention to the film’s overt fascina- that point, pushed into to the shadows. tion with doubles. Risptein populates his entire film Do yourself a favor and see all three. For more inwith partnerships that are doomed, a theme that formation on SDLFF, including screening times for crescendos with a single line of dialogue: “Better to the above films, visit sdlatinofilmfestival.com. be blind than alone.” Not for the faint of heart, Peter Greenaway’s Film reviews run weekly. Eisenstein in Guanajuato is a fascinating odd- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.
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March 16, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 17
Culture | Film
The Bronze
The Bronze face plants hard
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ark comedy demands a tricky balancing act between diametrically opposed tones. This is why films such as Election and Dick are rarities. Both are able to successfully skewer corrupt institutions while humanizing the nasty citizen monsters they produce. Bryan Buckley’s Olympic gymnastics satire The Bronze explores similar territory but does so in an aggravating and simplistic way that relegates adolescent rage and insecurity to a steady stream of curse words and sexual innuendo. It mistakes vulgarity for vision. Hope Annabelle Gregory (Melissa Rauch) attended her mother’s funeral as a baby wrapped in an American flag BABYBJÖRN. Get it? Her family is patriotic. Two de-
18 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
cades later she’s now a burnt out former Olympian cashing in her fame for free Sbarro in Amherst, Ohio. When a new local prodigy (Haley Lu Richardson) threatens this freeloading lifestyle, Hope takes an active role in sabotaging the young woman’s career. The Bronze hopes you’ll miss its razor thin story and feeble attempts at sarcastic comedy by focusing on Rauch’s gleefully grotesque performance. She is indeed a tornado of arrogance, entitlement and lust created by a sport that robs young girls of their adolescence. Nearly every scene becomes a showcase for Hope to belittle her adoring father (Gary Cole) or lambast a twitchy love interest (Thomas Middleditch). Despite her horrendous attitude, the filmmakers make an egregious decision to force redemption down Hope’s throat, something that feels as unnatural as the blindly optimistic ending. The only scene free of all inhibitions is a rowdy sex scene that finally makes a gender segregated sport salaciously co-ed. Opening on Friday, March 18, The Bronze reeks of desperation in its attempt to be an edgy character study. It face plants hard, failing to indict an abusive sport
eager to replace its superstars with younger, dumber copies. The end result is a toothless and squishy mess that is neither funny nor scathing.
—Glenn Heath Jr.
Opening Creative Control: An independent sci-fi film set five minutes in the future that follows a marketing executive that develops mind-bending virtual reality glasses that will change everything. Opens Friday, March 18, at the Ken Cinema. Eye in the Sky: Aaron Paul and Helen Mirren star in this tense thriller about a military drone operation targeting an Islamist terrorist that could produce collateral damage. Hello, My Name is Doris: A self-help seminar helps a 60-something woman (Sally Field) gain the courage to pursue a romantic relationship with a younger man. Miracles From Heaven: After experiencing a terrible accident, a young girl’s rare digestive disorder is miraculously cured. Opens Wednesday, March 16. The 23rd San Diego Latino Film Festival: This 11-day event showcases the best in Latino film, including special showcases on Colombia, documentary and LGBTQ cinema. Screens through Sunday, March 20, at the AMC Fashion Valley Cinemas and Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. The Bronze: A former Olympic medalist in gymnastics coasts by on her dwindling
fame while being threatened by the success of a young upstart. The Divergent Series: Allegiant: The final part of this futuristic trilogy sends rebel Tris (Shailene Woodley) beyond the city walls and into the barren desert hoping to find salvation. The Little Prince: A little girl meets a daring aviator and is introduced to a brand new world where anything is possible in this adaptation of the classic children’s story.
One Time Only Parting Glances: A gay couple living in New York City must come to grips with their impending separation while also confronting a mutual friend’s crippling AIDS diagnosis. Presented by FilmOut San Diego. Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas. Rushmore: Wes Anderson and Jason Schwarztman’s collaboration began with this funny, snarky and sincerely moving story of a talented young man who prefers to distract himself from his education by joining every conceivable school club. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma. The Big Short: Adam McKay gathers a superstar cast including Steve Carrell and Brad Pitt to put a darkly comedic spin on the corruption and greed the initiated the 2008 American housing crisis. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 18 and 19, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.
For a complete listing of movies, please see “Film Screenings” at sdcitybeat.com.
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TONY ADAMS
about 15 years ago, later joining psychedelic prog-rock outfit Psicomagia and heavy psych outfit Astra. He’s still a member of those latter two bands, though he’s since expanded his scope into even broader musical territory, having since made R&B, ambient, jazz fusion and synth-funk records. There isn’t much that Brian Ellis won’t do, musically, simply because there aren’t many styles of music that don’t capture his interest. “I just listen to a ton of stuff,” he says. “Everything can influence each other. I like doing a lot of different types of music. Sometimes there’s a lot of genre mashing that’s not good, and I feel like by doing a lot of different music...I can separate the different avenues I want to pursue and it won’t come out as a jumbled cacophony—kind of defining what I want to do before I do it.” That endless curiosity and interest in a wide swath of music led to 2015 being one of the most productive years of Ellis’ career. Last year he released three full-length albums: In the Dark, a funk record under his own name; Brian Ellis Group’s Escondido Sessions, an album of electric jazz fusion; and At Dusk, a collaboration of ambient music with South CarMarch 26 olina producer Brian Grainger. Add to that three seven-inch Pour House singles and a handful of combrianellis.earstroke.com pilation appearances, and you have a year that’ll make most other artists look downright lazy. Even after that much output, Ellis is at work mastering a double-album slated for release later this year. The problem with trying to do so much, he says, is that he doesn’t have the time to commit to all of it. “I’m kind of swamped right now,” he says. “I’m trying not to start new stuff before I finish it. It gets a little frustrating sometimes, because I distract myself. Especially when I know I have other stuff to do, that’s when I really start working on stuff I’m not supposed to. I have so much stuff I have to work on right now.” Something that does work in Ellis’ favor, at least in terms of increasing his productivity, is being in North County. While the region has been showing signs of an increase in musical creativity, particularly in Oceanside and Carlsbad, Ellis appreciates the fact that his hometown isn’t quite as bustling. Even though playing in Astra has taken him to far off locales, going back to a sleepy burg means being able to focus. “What I like about up here, Escondido in particular, is that you can’t be cool,” he says. “There’s no hipsters. It doesn’t really exist up here, so that kind of competition feel isn’t there. It’s so boring that it keeps me kind of focused on doing what I want to do. I have to create my own outlets. It’s not like there’s something to go out and do every night.” For how far Ellis’ scope reaches, right now he’s more focused on making music that’s more social. His major project right now is his ’80s-influenced synth-funk group, Brian Ellis’ Reflection, which finds him in more of a leader role. He’s been honing his chops as a vocalist via many long nights of karaoke (his go-to songs: “The Rain” by Oran “Juice” Jones and Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger Strike”), and more than ever before, he’s invested in making pop music—in some Brian Ellis BY JEFF TERICH shape or another. He’s not done challenging himself, but Ellis says that he’s more interested in bringing new listeners into the tent. “I think my pursuit is to make a universal sound that gear. There he has an even bigger collection of guitars, amdoesn’t alienate a listener, but is still super musical,” he plifiers and synths, as well as his saxophone and even a says. “Someone who’s really into music can take a lot out sitar. Not that he considers himself particularly skilled at of it, but it’s not abrasive. So you can’t say ‘This isn’t for playing sitar, he admits. “I’ve just done YouTube lessons,” he says. “It would be you.’ There’s a lot of music like that. But listening to stuff really awesome to meet someone who actually plays. I know like…a lot of the early ’80s funk has that sound. It has great guitar solos, it has great bass, and if you put it on at a party, I’m doing something wrong. It’s such a traditional thing.” everybody’s into it.” As Ellis’ gear would suggest, his musical scope is wider
BRIAN ELLIS
BRIAN ELLIS FINDS HIS GROOVE Escondido artist expands his scope
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HE LIVING ROOM OF BRIAN ELLIS’ Escondido home is littered with musical instruments, music and random miscellanea. There are guitars and keyboards, and a laptop open to some studio recording software. Next to his laptop are two DJ turntables, and a long stack of records—the one on top is a rare LP by enigmatic third-stream jazz artist Moondog. Just next to the kitchen is a leather-upholstered bar with a foot-tall Ninja Turtle standing on top. Compared to what he has in a studio space in another part of Escondido, Ellis says this isn’t really that much
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than most. Since he was a teenager, Ellis has been on an ongoing journey to broaden his musical horizons. He started the epic post-rock group Lights and Sirens as a teenager
Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com or follow him on Twitter at @1000TimesJeff
March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 19
ROB CROW RETURNS FROM A GLOOMY PLACE
The local singersongwriter and Pinback frontman hasn’t quit music. Not yet. BY SETH COMBS
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HE ALBUM TITLE SAYS IT ALL: You’re Doomed. Be Nice. In fact, it’s hard to think of a more appropriate, career-encapsulating mantra when it comes to Rob Crow. In a career that’s well into its third decade, the singer-songwriter and Pinback frontman (not to mention countless other local bands) has developed a reputation for mixing self-depreciating lyrics with, well, just about every conceivable music genre there is. You’re Doomed. Be Nice came out on March 4, almost a year to the day that Crow posted a very concerning message on Facebook saying that “making music in this climate is financially irresponsible” which led to speculation that he was quitting music altogether. He didn’t, but he did quit a lot of other things. We sat down with him recently to talk about the last year and his new band, Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place, and while his outlook on life is a lot more positive, he says some things will never change. CityBeat: It’s been over a year since you wrote that Facebook post. Take us back to the moment when you posted that. Rob Crow: I was just confused. I mean, I’m still confused, but not as much today. Today I feel really good about things in general. I needed to quit being in situations that were unhealthy for me. I quit drinking. I quit drinking caffeine and sugar, and I started working out every day. I hate exercise, but I do it everyday now. CB: What made you decide to cut out all of these negative things at once? RC: It was really tough, but it’s not the worst thing any human’s had to go through. All I did was stop being an asshole. [laughs]
CB: Yeah, but it had to be a bit of a shock to your system. RC: I don’t know, because I was drinking a bottle of Jameson every two days and three bottles of wine a day so that can be pretty shocking to your system too. I was basically self-medicating. I also realized that I needed to stop creating things the way I had grown accustomed to. I was spending so much of my time creating things that nobody really wanted to hear, and I was running out of money. Pinback has always been the one project that ever really made any money, and I was using all that money to make all these side-projects that I rarely made any money back on. So when Zach [Smith, Crow’s bandmate in Pinback] was losing interest in doing Pinback stuff, then that and the other work started to suffer, and I never wanted to get to a point with that band where we did a bad thing. I never wanted to make a bad record, but I feel like if we had kept going and hadn’t changed then we would have made a bad one…And if it’s just me, that’s fine. I’ll just continue to be me and put out records, but I have a family and my family means everything to me so that’s why I just couldn’t keep doing the same thing. Nothing can get in the way of me wanting to make sure that they’re safe and stable. CB: Did these changes reinvigorate your creative spirit as well? RC: Not yet, because a lot of my neuroses are what drive me to do stuff. There is a fear that if I start to feel better then I won’t be able to write, but I’m beginning to think that’s not the case.
ROB CROW’S
GLOOMY PLACE March 27 The Casbah
CB: You recently said that music was the only thing you failed to quit. Do you think there would ever come a time where you would quit? RC: Oh, definitely! If this outing fails, I won’t have a choice. I just won’t announce it this time. It’s as simple as this: If people buy the record, then I can make more. If they come out to the shows, then I’ll be able to play more.
CB: What about the new band name, Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place? Is meant to be tongue-in-cheek or more sincere? RC: Since I first started writing, there’s been a lot of references to Winnie the Pooh. Sometimes I feel like a Christopher Robin and sometimes I feel like a Piglet or an Eeyore. Gloomy Place is where Eeyore lives in the Hundred Acre Wood so that’s what that’s referencing. CB: The album title itself is also kind of interesting. This fatalism mixed with optimism, or are we reading too much into that? RC: That’s probably dead on and that’s really how I feel. It’s meant to be nice. It’s the most raw, honest thing that I can say. CB: The album just came out, but you always have other projects going. What’s next? RC: I have a bunch of albums sitting on my hard drive. I just have to talk someone into putting them out. The last Thingy album is all done and there’s also two Goblin Cock albums which are by far the best ones yet. There’s the new Optiganally Yours album. I’m also writing and practicing with Nick [Reinhart] from Tera Melos and Gabe [Serbian] from The Locust. That’s some really fuckedup stuff. It’ll be the most fucked-up thing I’ve ever done.
Rob Crow, far left, with new band Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place
20 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 21
THE GREAT DEMO REVIEW
Our annual effort to offer critiques—good, bad and ugly—to local bands
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HERE’S NO BETTER WAY to get to know the pulse of a music scene than to listen to dozens and dozens of demos from local bands. For CityBeat, the Great Demo Review is an annual institution—a regularly scheduled physical to gauge the health of local music. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable; you can think of our slams and critiques as a much-needed reminder to cut down on the cholesterol, if that helps. But more often than not, it introduces us to some of our favorite new bands in town and reminds us that hype and packed clubs are their own kind of measure, but certainly not the only way to find the best music in San Diego. This year we reviewed 119 demos—about the same number as last year—and 33 of which were written by me. That tested my resolve, let me tell you. But of those 129 we found a lot that we liked (earning the label “EXTRASPECIALGOOD”) and a handful that we really didn’t. In turn, we hope this means you, the reader, will find your new favorite local band as well. Listening to this many demos always wears us out, but in the end, it’s worth it in the name of discovery.
—Jeff Terich
2 Bottles
Feel the Heat Picture the iconic “slappin’ da bass, man” jam sesh from I Love You, Man. Now, keep the crappy garage acoustics, but deduct the charm of Jason Segel and Paul Rudd’s bromance, and ramp up the band members’ alcohol intake. Throw in some original songwriting, and that’s 2 Bottles. Unable to remember their own lyrics, play in sync or maintain a rhythm, 2 Bottles’ attempt at a rock band will never leave the dark, drunken depths of their man cave. -TORREY BAILEY
3D
“Living My Life” “Living My Life” samples The Menahan Street Band’s “Make the Road by Walking,” which immediately made me think that I was about to hear Jay Z’s “Roc Boys,” which also samples that slice of laid-back funk. This isn’t half bad though, if only because
the producer has great taste. The emcee’s lyrics are fairly forgettable, but it’s good chillout hip-hop for lazy afternoons. 3dakabennycanales.bandcamp.com -JEFF TERICH
13 Wolves
Invasion It’s pretty much what you’d expect from a self-described “Nordic Werewolf Horror Punk” band whose members all wear wolf masks (get it?) while they play. Sample lyric from “Hungry For Your Flesh”: “I’m the monster in your dream/Creature in the closet that makes you scream/I’m the raven at your door/Caw, caw, caw, I’m hungry for more/Caw, caw, caw, I’m hungry for more.” Caw, motherfucker! 13wolves. bandcamp.com
On the heels of 2014’s conceptcollab with J. Treel, Treel Tales of Number Running, as well as his own envelope-pushing, four-song cassette last year, The Natalie Rose EP, 1019 The Numberman keeps the ball of solid releases rolling on his latest three-track excursion. Nicely produced by Aki Kharmicel, 1019 (aka Jay Smith) once again showcases his lyrical acuity over a selection of funky and fragmented beats. -SCOTT MCDONALD
AJ Froman
Phoenix Syndrome Not a person, but rather a band— and one with a robust lineup at that—AJ Froman crams a lot of ideas and dramatic sounds into their progressive pop. Taking some heavy cues from The Mars Volta and just about every prog-SCOTT MCDONALD rock band from the ’70s, they err on the side of excess, which would 1019 The be trying if they weren’t so good at it. In fact, I can’t help but be imNumberman pressed at the rhythmic dexterity Demo
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and diversity of sound they showcase here. It’s not necessarily the first thing I’d reach for, but it’s a strong showing even if the whole thing smacks of effort, man. ajfroman.bandcamp.com -JEFF TERICH
Amen BK
“One Sky Above” This is spoken-word poetry over world beat production. With a kumbaya sentiment that’s a bit hokey, “One Sky Above” has good intentions but ultimately misses the mark. It’s not necessarily a bad song, but with lines like, “Tolerance is unity for the sake of humanity,” this one comes up a tad short. -J. SMITH
American Rust
American Rust American Rust tread that awkward middle ground between pop-punk, grunge and glam metal, which means they play loud, distorted power chords in familiar progres-
sions. Their singer sounds a bit like Bryan Adams, which means his earnest rasp comes across as a little awkward next to the wall of Marshall stack chords, but at least he stays in key. The most ridiculous part of the whole EP is the song “American Rust,” which starts with cigarette-lighter-beckoning fretwork before mashing up Mellancamp and Guns ‘n’ Roses. Ain’t that America. americanrust. bandcamp.com -JEFF TERICH
Amigo
Little Cliffs Straight-ahead hard rock that chugs and then slogs along at the speed of a Tony Iommi bowel movement. The closing ballad “Amulet” hints at something a little more mature but is still bogged down in derivative riffage and ’70s golden god platitudes. facebook.com/amigomusicsd -SETH COMBS
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Δstral Touch
Demo The bedroom recording, no doubt, carries many connotations—not all of them positive. For starters, the Internet is overstuffed with homemade recordings that were rushed to fruition just because the artist had technology. But let us not forget the inherent sexiness of the bedroom, and that is where Δstral Touch shines. Nathan Leutzinger, the one-man operation behind Δstral Touch, is both expansive and constrictive through his four-song demo. His music—a healthy mix of Animal Collectiveesque experimentation, pre-bro dubstep, the coldness of the xx and Drive-soundtrack nostalgia—pulses like a one-night stand that you’ll regret the next day. Δstral Touch evokes memories of our first make-out session: a weird, exciting and vaguely frightening experience, but ultimately leaves you wanting more. soundcloud.com/ astral-touch -Ryan Bradford
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Arms Away
Megafauna EP With no included band information and the attached links not shedding any additional light, it’s hard to tell much about this North Park quartet. But they do know how to craft songs. The Megafauna EP is well written, and there’s a refined sense of sonic texturing throughout. It’s polished and would fit right in on modern rock radio.
Authentic Sellout
Take Back the Streets Authentic Sellout aims to be a force to be reckoned with. Their timing is in tight synchronicity, with drums booming mightily while guitars tear through the atmosphere and lead singer Sulo guiding the songs with his powerful belt of a voice. The title track would be perfect background music to a bar fight that got out of hand, and now the big guy in the corner has a knife. facebook. com/authenticsellout/ -Evan Nyarady
-Scott McDonald
Badonkaville
Arus
Escape from DELTHON-7 The Internet has given us a window into musical worlds we never would’ve seen just a couple of decades ago. It’s hard to imagine a major record label getting behind a band like Arus. But in 2016, anyone can set up a Bandcamp page, and Arus uses theirs to tell stories about space pirates set to heavily processed metal. These are hyper-melodic epics that feature laser-guided guitar shredding and the robotic churn of programmed drums. There’s good material here, but Arus just needs more resources. arusofnemedia.bandcamp.com -Ben Salmon
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Three Songs Badonkaville’s three submitted songs aren’t so much credible demos but experimental goofs by some guys with nothing but time on their hands. “Holy D” features a keyboard set to “choir” and a conversation about “spaghetti dick” between God and someone named Thomas. The other two songs are a stylized synth-soul ballad called “Wet Dream” and an a cappella doo-wop tune called “Now You See It, Now It’s Big.” They make “Holy D” sound brilliant. -Ben Salmon
Ball Turret Gunner
Ian Beeson’s Ball Turret Gunner Spazz-punk romps with lines like “I’m in
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love with the village bicycle” and quandaries like “How come you don’t ever look me in the eyes when I’m taking you from behind?” If you overlook the fact that Beeson has that Fisher Price: My First Punk Band John Lydon snarl and don’t get bent out of shape about actual musicianship, then it’s a fun listen. facebook. com/ballturretgunner -Seth Combs
Bang Bang Jet Away
Bighorn Run
Demo Bighorn Run would fit in perfectly at a music festival featuring surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd and, if Duane could somehow pull a Lazarus, an Allman Brothers revival tour. Good solid rock is a rare bird nowadays, and there was a reason this kind of music swept through the minds of an entire generation. It’s perfect music for surfing the inner waves of consciousness, working in a metal shop and all things in between. The album opens with the seven-minute jam “All the Years,” a meditation on continuing through life, albeit with dirty guitar and kicking drums. “On Your Own” serves as a nicely paced crescendo jam with a taut song structure. But the real gem is “Upside Down.” Opening with a slow feedback whine, the song descends into an evil end-of-the-world swamp jam. When the vines crumble the bridges once and for all, if humanity is reduced once more to traveling nomads with sharpened bones for knives, this is the song they will chant. These guys know what they’re doing. soundcloud.com/bighornrun -Evan Nyarady
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Temptation Resisted Always Feels Like A Good Time Wasted This collection of songs from Bang Bang Jet Away is fun, jangly, garage rock. There’s something light-hearted and nostalgic about this six-song EP. While the vocalist sounds partly like Bob Dylan and Lou Reed, he still manages to make the songs his own. “When I raise hell you’re gonna know it,” he sings on “When A Proud Man Is Down.” I’m excited to hear what kind of hell they have in store. soundcloud.com/ bang-bang-jet-away -Alex Morales
Beira
Vol. I There are only four tracks on Beira’s Vol. I, but it still runs well past the 40-minute mark. Indeed, these are pretty massive compositions, each one a slow-moving doom metal monolith with psychedelic overtones. They require a little patience on the part of the listener; “Cailleach” and “Mountain” each takes around 90 seconds or longer before finally wrapping up the intro. Yet once the band lets those riffs fly, Beira becomes a roaring beast, chugging with power and majesty. This gives me hope for the future of doom in San Diego. beiramusic.bandcamp.com -Jeff Terich
Big Bloom
Heavy Angel EP This co-ed foursome band is all over the place on this five-song EP. From jangly garage-pop (“Country Boy”) and post-punk kiss-offs (“Punk Song”), to gorgeous balladry (“Slow Ride”) and a killer psychedelic freakout (the appropriately titled “Heavy Angel”), the band seems to be indecisive what kind of band they
want to be. But who cares?! The songs are all great and whatever they lack in sonic cohesiveness, they make up for it with craftsmanship in spades. bigbloom. bandcamp.com -Seth Combs
Black Oak Hymnal
Cults Double EP This is self-described “Acid Folk/ Death Country” in the key of Tindersticks and Mark Kozelek, and hallmarked by veteran musicianship and clever lyrics. Both the album and the individual tracks seem to meander on and on for far too long, though, and I found my eyes glazing over a bit, but if you’re walking the Appalachian trail with a pocketful of Adderall, this would make a killer soundtrack. blackoakhymnal.bandcamp.com -Seth Combs
Brooklyn G
Demo Beat-laden, sample-heavy noirhop with no vocals but clips of dialogue from films and god only knows what (there’s a woman talking about being told to grab
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a photographer’s junk). It’s dark and unsettling, sometimes veering toward industrial, though the first track has a cheesy late-nite Skinemax soundtrack feel about it. I get the feeling Brooklyn G is trying to make a statement, I just have no idea what that statement is. soundcloud.com/brooklyng -Jeff Terich
Captain Viejo
“Doormat” “Doormat,” the single track that comprises Captain Viejo’s demo, sounds dated in a lot of ways—from the Eddie Vedder-esque intensity of the vocals to The Cult-like psychedelic freakout. But that’s not to say it’s bad. In fact, the production quality is way better than a lot of other nostalgia-mining bands. If you remember the weird intersection of dying hair metal and burgeoning grunge in the early ’90s, then you get the idea. -Ryan Bradford
Chill Pill
Lavender There are some records that you throw on and immediately think to yourself: Oh, this dude definitely smokes weed. Chill Pill’s music is like the aural equivalent of being so high that you almost can’t hang, but if you can keep it together, there’s a lot of great weirdness to behold. If you’ve ever pined to listen to slowed-down Oasis, or wished that MGMT was even weirder, then Chill Pill has you covered. soundcloud.com/ haveachillpill -Ryan Bradford
Cloud Mammoth
Between the Sounds of Sleep It’s a shame this lo-fi quartet from Escondido had a “gigantic and drama-filled breakup last October” and “almost no one listened” to this nine-song release. It’s pretty good. And like early Low or Sparklehorse, it’s a solid solution when in need of some auditory morphine. soundcloud.com/cloudmammoth -Scott McDonald
Cloudside
Emerging Echoes Cloudside is a band of local veterans, which includes members of Weatherbox, among others. And that being said, it’s an albumquality recording rather than one that sounds like a demo, as can be expected of a team of musicians that have been in the game a while.
26 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
Hexa
Bata Motel Back in the mid-’90s, I was always quick to point out why I preferred PJ Harvey’s brand of alt-rock over Tori Amos. Put simply, Tori Amos always sounded like she was going to kill herself. PJ Harvey sounded like she was going to kill you. (#TeamPJ #4Eva.) With her adept piano playing, it might be tempting to lump Carrie Gillespie Feller into the Amos camp, but the main creative force behind Hexa is much more aligned with Harvey’s brand of moody, mysterious and mischievous baroque-rock. This four-song primer capitalizes on the promise Feller showed in bands such as Street of Little Girls and Ilya, but leans much darker. Opening track “Campo” begins with a simple piano riff that builds into a foreboding horror film score, accompanied by Feller’s fierce bellow. “Enyo” and “Grace” are droning, ethereal ballads, recalling recent peers such as Julianna Barwick and Julia Holter. The EP closes with the aggressive kiss-off, “Chloe,” where Feller proclaims, “I’m blank inside, but if that’s your thing, I’m as good as good has ever been.” Can’t say I disagree. hexamusic.bandcamp.com -Seth Combs
Emerging Echoes is pure #emorevival feelings-core, loaded with hands-to-the-heavens sing-along moments and young dude angst. It skews a little Dashboard Confessional, but the melodies aren’t half bad. soundcloud.com/cloudside -Jeff Terich
“punk” part of that equation behind and instead blend Irish folk with bluegrass in a knee-slappin’, foot-stompin’, jug-blowin’ jamboree. You’ve definitely heard bands like this before at Irish pubs and farmer’s markets, which doesn’t mean this isn’t fun, just familiar. crookedmusic.bandcamp.com
CPRS
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“Pensar en ti” Mid-tempo MOR rock with lyrics in Spanish. This could possibly be mistaken for a Baja-based Jimmy Eat World cover band, which endears me to it a bit, though CPRS isn’t doing anything terribly new or innovative. -Jeff Terich
Crooked
Crooked San Diego, for some reason, can’t get enough of Irish punk, but thankfully Crooked left the
Eddie Cruz
ORALE I’m not really sure there’s an appropriate response to an artist who uses the hashtag #sugarray on his Soundcloud page other than “nope.” But there are so many disjointed ideas here that it’s hard to focus. Even the #sugarray tag becomes confusing, as there are no sonic similarities to that innocuous staple of terrible ’90s artists. Wait a minute, maybe Cruz’s grating synth sounds, midtempo beats and a confusing hiphop song are all statements about
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the great demo review the thematic laziness of that bygone decade. Let’s hope so. -Ryan Bradford
Disco Death Bots
Attack of the Disco Death Bots On the first proper song of this release, “A Dark Beginning,” Disco Death Bots are neither disco nor robotic. I was beginning to think that they were guilty of some false advertising, but it turns out that they were just waiting a little bit longer to hit me with those funky robotic beats. As lo-fi, synth-based indie pop goes, it’s not half bad, but there’s not a lot of cohesion here, other than the general application of synthesizers and danceable beats. This is fun, but Disco Death Bots has some stuff to figure out. soundcloud.com/discodeathbots -Jeff Terich
Def Shon
Pre-Registration Def Shon’s Pre-Registration takes a lot of cues from Kanye West’s Late Registration, right down to the artwork and overstuffed tracklist. That’s both a good and bad thing, for while Def Shon’s great in his strongest moments, and the production is bright and vibrant, this did not by any means have to be 25 tracks long. Nor did it need eight skits. To be sure, Def Shon is awfully generous to pack all this material in here, but even Kanye eventually came around to erring on the side of brevity. facebook.com/defshon -jeff terich
Indoor Cities
DiVad
Demo The singer’s name is Gene Simmons, but unfortunately this is no KISS. Kiss-my-butt-rock is more like it. I don’t know if they got their band name from the Urban Dictionary term for procrastination or not, but by the sound of their music, originality isn’t their thing. -Demetrius Antuña
Down Big
Loosie “Finished in Fresno,” the first track on Down Big’s two-track demo Loosie, sounds exactly like Pavement’s “Range Life.” That’s not a bad thing, of course, although based on the drinkin’and-fightin’ roadhouse countrywestern storytelling in the song, Down Big likely fancy themselves more akin to Buck Owens or Merle Haggard. And that’s perfectly admirable. It’s decent altcountry, whatever they’re going for. downbig.bandcamp.com -Jeff Terich
The Drabs
Here Comes The Joy If Big Star had ever recorded a Christmas album, it might have sounded like this four-song EP from the self-described “slack rock/clandestine pop band.” March isn’t exactly the ideal time to listen to the Westerberg-style rock of “Santa’s Got Toys” and the melodic ballad “Mary Christmas,” but there are sentiments through-
out the record that are nice no matter the season. thedrabs.bandcamp.com -Seth Combs
Dreams Made Flesh
“You Now” A brand new band featuring two former members of Ilya (Blanca Rojas and John Mattos), Dreams Made Flesh mostly abandon that band’s grand, ornate darkness in favor of a catchier, more 4AD-inspired post-punk and dream-pop sound. The immediacy of their sole recorded song, “You Now,” captures attention on first listen, but it’s the brilliant swirl of guitars and effects that rise up in the chorus, set against Rojas’ commanding vocals, that turn this track from good to great. Whatever Dreams Made Flesh is cooking, I’ll take a dozen to go, please. facebook.com/ dreamsmadefleshmusic -Jeff Terich
Floodflower
Two Songs At this point, it seems like every genre of music has smashed into every other genre. We’ve got electro-pop, punk-grass, psychjazz and so on. Prog-rock and post-punk aren’t exactly an obvious musical pair, but Floodflower ably touches on both. “Cliff Song” begins with two minutes of a taut drum-and-bass groove before launching into darkened canyons of electric guitar separated by odd
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Holy Land, Wayward Seas A lot of math rock runs the risk of being really technically impressive but totally unlistenable after about two minutes. Not Indoor Cities, however. Their songs are complex but easy to listen to and get lost in. Everything is thoughtfully composed, from the driving drums and bass, to the noisy but delicate guitar, to the moody electro-ambient interludes between songs. This band was active in 2014 and released one amazing album. I would kill to see them live, and I am calling for a reunion, so make it happen, dudes. indoorcities.bandcamp.com -Carrie Gillespie Feller
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 27
the great demo review demo CONTINUED from PAGE 27 rhythmic shifts. “Midnight’s Halo” is funkier, with more emphasis on the singer’s unique, theatrical vocals. Strangely compelling stuff. -Ben Salmon
Freedom Fries
Demo Despite the amateurish execution of this demo, it’s really hard to get mad at a band named Freedom Fries. That’s not to say it’s not without its merits: The song “Rebel Run,” is a driving lo-fi rocker that sounds like early R.E.M., but the fierceness of that song disappears on the rest of the demo, which is slow, overly dramatic and can be gratingly repetitive. You work better when you keep it mean, Freedom Fries. soundcloud.com/ freedomfriesunite -Ryan Bradford
Matt Fowler
Demo Matt Fowler previously put in work as a drummer for Stewardess, but this new set of demos finds him stepping up to the microphone and strapping on a guitar, delivering his own country-influenced indie folk tunes. As a vocalist, he relies less on histrionics than like-minded singer/songwriters such as Conor Oberst, but the songs themselves are lushly arranged and gorgeous. Perfectly breezy ballads to pair with whiskey on weekend afternoons. -Jeff Terich
Girl in the Middle
Magnolia Despite my hard-earned loathing of country music, I’ll willingly applaud the percussionists and guitarists in this Americana ensemble. I even have respect for the cheesy-yet-creative lyrical comparison between unwanted feelings for an ex and a breeze that finds its way through the door cracks in “Some Doors.” But for the lot singing through the tracks sounding like Shania Twain coming down with laryngitis, it’s not working. soundcloud. com/gkzoid -Torrey Bailey
John Gross
Demo Nothing quite drowns my happiness and shatters my faith in the human project than goofy white-dude, feel-good rock. John Gross means well, and he’s got a decent voice, but his music is so vanilla that it makes comparable Better Than Ezra sound dangerous. I’m sure this type of stuff kills in Solana Beach, where the crowd is too rich, drunk and sunburnt to discern quality music. -Ryan Bradford
The Hand of Gavrilo
Two-song EP As each song started on this post-punk duo’s two-track debut, I hoped some vocals would spice it up. Be careful what you wish for. The chorus of “Black Beauties” deserves an award for special achievement in snore-inducing lyrics. “Too Late” doesn’t get much better with excessive rhyming and a flat-lining plotline. There’s talent in the instrumentation, but overall, I have just one word for them: underwhelming. thehandofgavrilo.bandcamp.com -Torrey Bailey
The High Gallery
The High Gallery Five songs of standard-issue roots rock, but hey, it’s available for purchase on 8-track, so that counts for something. And while Carissa Schroeder’s bluesy vocals do hold up across the EP’s subtle stylistic variations, and Mark Steven Wiskowski should get an “atta boy” for the heavy-lifting of writing both music and lyrics, I just can’t imagine anyone under 35 caring. facebook. com/thehighgallery -Scott McDonald
Rick Hines
Sampler Basically, this is what happens when a failed slam poet learns the basics of GarageBand and decides to subject all his Facebook friends to his political diatribes set to tuneless, mismatched sound collages. There is some pleasurable guitar work on “Panda,” but it sadly doesn’t pair well with Hines’ eye-rollingly awful banalities about sad pandas and lonely wolves. ricks-studio.com -Seth Combs
Hookers on Stilts
Bombed at the Box Office High octane, one-man rockabilly blues jams in the spirit of Bob Log and Jon Spencer that don’t really offer up anything particularly innovative but would still be fun to listen to if you were drunk at a bar. Even then, I’d probably still find frontman Ian Beeson’s cockney Jello Biafra voice to be grating. facebook.com/hookersonstilts -Seth Combs
I Forgot
Skinny Veny A nondescript CD with a couple of twoword phrases written in Sharpie, this demo offered precious little in the way of actual information. (Honestly, I’m not totally sure which is the artist name and which is the album title.) Doesn’t matter though—this is hypnotic, psychedelic hip-hop in the vein of Flying Lotus with a pair of hungry emcees. I don’t know anything about these guys, but I definitely want to know more. -Jeff Terich
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cellent musicianship and a maltshop feel.
flipping chipmunk soul samples. I’m into it.
-Scott McDonald
-Jeff Terich
iD the Poet
cementstrumentals vol. 1 iD the Poet has already established himself as a rapper with striking flow and a populist point of view. On this five-track collection, he lets his beats do the talking, and the results are lowkey cinematic. “Angels Landing” pairs a stark drum pattern with some moody, moonlit soul vibes, while the smeared horns and record scratching of “Solid Gold” sound like the theme song from a ’70s detective show diced and spliced into something cool. Let this EP soundtrack your night in, homebody. idthepoet.com -Ben Salmon
Jackslacks
Invisible As a founding member of veteran San Diego acts Forbidden Pigs and Hot Rod Lincoln, Jackslacks (aka Chris Giorgio) has long enjoyed a career steeped in rockabilly and roots-rock. But the drummer/vocalist has released a lot of new music in recent years, and the three songs on Invisible feature a solid cast of players, ex-
John Intrabartolo
Just Another Day in Paradise Breezy, easy-going Latin jazz made essentially entirely on keyboards. And that goes for the beats, the horns, just about everything except for the appearance of a live trombone on “Whoa Yeah!” This probably wouldn’t be so cornball if Intrabartolo didn’t use the MIDI horns, but it’s impossible to ignore them. OK when it doesn’t sound like a Casio demo track. mojopiano.bandcamp.com -Jeff Terich
Just Blackk
The Black Files My iTunes actually recognized this CD, which was handy—not having to reference a handwritten tracklist is always a plus. But it’s also a signifier of something bigger: Just Blackk is beyond the demo phase. The Black Files is a proper album of socially conscious, politically charged yet soulful and fun hiphop that recalls those halcyon days of the early ’00s when J Dilla was still with us and Kanye West was
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K-Rock tha Fantom
Nearly God//Almost Human Album Sampler I commend any rapper trying to address issues such as global warming and police violence, but K-Rock unfortunately spends most of his time dealing in the same ‘ol rap cliches: The hustle is real, the struggle is hard, and no one spits better rhymes than him. Some of the beats are sick (“Save Me” from producer Infinity Gauntlet is a definite standout) and there are some tight guest verses, but K-Rock is, in the end, only human. soundcloud. com/k-rock-tha-fantom -Seth Combs
Keith Richard Ramirez
The Sniffer With Keith on drums and Ramirez on “gits” and “vox,” this metal duo left me wondering: who the hell is Richard? I’m also curious how sales are going for their “limited-edition cassette with Crystalmeth infused jewel case.”
Either way, The Sniffer is like bad foreplay that never ends and all vocals, especially on “Ese.P.E.C.” (whatever that stands for), sound like they were recorded on a Sidekick 4 as the singer was drowning while also going through puberty. keithrichardramirez.bandcamp.com -Torrey Bailey
Krass Bros.
Strictly V.I.P.’s Extra props to this local soul/jazz trio for naming their band after the Philly-based “Store of the Stars” and its crazy-awesome commercials. Nothing but solid grooves on these eight nicely arranged instrumentals, and Mark Boyce’s badass work on the keys would have even Jimmy Smith saying, “Hot damn!” I would love to hear a great vocalist with these guys sometime, but for now, they’re doing just fine holding it down on their own. soundcloud.com/krassbros -Scott McDonald
La Receta de la Abuela
LRDLA II As a Long Beach native, I separate
myself from the thick layer of disgust coating Sublime-style music in this office. But Tijuana-based band La Receta de la Abuela (translation: Grandma’s Recipe) decreases the genre’s obnoxious bro factor with cross-cultural pride that’s tuned to psychedelic tones, blending border cultures by mixing tongues. This guera was tapping her toes and bets people beyond Pacific Beach’s sandy, fratty shores might, too. soundcloud.com/lrdlaofficial -Torrey Bailey
Leather Werewolf
Demo Jamie Sweetin, aka Leather Werewolf, recorded five songs in his bedroom and played, wrote and sang all of it. Some of it reminds me of early Bright Eyes or Daniel Johnston, in that it’s pretty indulgent and lacks discipline, but is oddly charming. Bedroom recordings are easy to do these days, but bouncing your ideas off other people sometimes is a better idea. -Carrie Gillespie Feller
Left in Company
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’70s hard-rock. The whole thing echoes Terror Twilight-era Pavement had they grown up in Laurel Canyon with The Afghan Whigs as roommates. Part of me wishes they could reel the sound in a bit more, but given some of the stellar tracks here, I’m confident the experimentalism is leading them somewhere promising. mangonoise.com -Seth Combs
Martin and the Big Nativity Scene Live at the North Pole
The Natives
FUNNSEXY The Natives are a testament to how ridiculousness can work if you’re 110 percent committed to it, and their FUNNSEXY demo feels like a culmination of San Diego music at its best. There’s infinite joy in listening to lead singer Tony Fantano’s unhinged bark—a cross between Jello Biafra and Murder City Devils’ Spencer Moody—and the band’s raw energy seamlessly incorporates a sly sense of humor, a dash of menace, and darkness around the edges. It’s basically the sonic equivalent of an R-rated Looney Tunes cartoon. Listening to the increasing rage of Fontano’s repeated “Fun, Fun, Fun, Sexy! FUN FUN FUNSEXYFUN!” on the demo’s title track is worth the price of admission alone. This type of music is always welcome at our table. facebook.com/thenatives03 -Ryan Bradford
honorees Left In Company released this set of songs recorded seven years ago (hence the name), which finds them sounding a lot younger and not quite as dynamic as they’ve become. That being said, considering their relative youth on this recording, they still sound pretty damn good. This is the sound of a pair of local hip-hop MVPs shaping their sound, and while they’d certainly only get better from here, it’s a strong showing for sure. leftincompany.com -Jeff Terich
Little Heroine
“Crying Skies” From the beginning of Little Heroine’s “Crying Skies,” it’s hard not to get the impression that this band is working with a bigger budget than a lot of the bands we listened to during this round, or at least have some friends with a nice recording studio. So of course it’s produced crisply and pristinely. As for the song itself, it sounds like Rilo Kiley’s “Portions for Foxes” as covered by Fall Out Boy or something, with some R&B melisma after the chorus. It’s ... confusing. soundcloud.com/littleheroine -Jeff Terich
Lo-Fi Eyed
Demo Lo-Fi Eyed is an instrumental rock
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band that could probably best be described as post-rock, though the beginning of “Twisted” sounds more like Metallica than Tortoise. Dramatic, dynamic music with a cinematic bent that aims for the heroic, and more often than not comes pretty close. lo-fieyed.com -Jeff Terich
Los Shadows
-Jeff Terich
Faux Music/Shy Music Just on the verge of being EXTRASPECIALGOOD, these guys take the spirit of ’90s slacker-rock and combine with-it elements of electro, folk, psychedelia and
-Scott McDonald
Mimi Zulu
Demo Singer Mimi Zulu has potential. And her voice, a liquor-soaked whisper, is her best asset. The biggest drawbacks here, though, are the beats. As interesting as her voice is, it doesn’t save the music— sterile backing tracks that suffer from bland factory presets and stock drum sounds. If Mimi Zulu can find herself a solid production team or a decent live band, she just might discover a winning formula. mimizulu.bandcamp.com -J. Smith
-Seth Combs
Mindray
Marujah
Guerrero San Diego’s Marujah (by way of Tennessee) follow in the footsteps of France’s Mano Negra— blending multiple styles, over a foundation of rock and ska, into songs that range from politically charged to tongue-in-cheek. Selfdescribed as “almost equal parts rock, reggae, Latin, electronica and stoner rock,” Marujah would benefit from putting all those styles in the old Sesame Street “One of these things (is not like the other)” box and ditching the odd one out. (Hint: Stoner rock.)
Demo National City’s Los Shadows encapsulates the current sound of San Diego pretty clearly and succinctly. It’s surf-inspired garage rock with dreamy post-punk touches and catchy melodies. In certain parts, like “Seaside,” the more atmospheric textures take over and showcase them as a band with sounds and directions still yet to explore. A lot of it is mostly feel-good rock ‘n’ roll, however, like the lounge-garage bossa nova of “Sangria.” I like what they’re doing, and I’m interested to see where they’re going. losshadows. bandcamp.com
Mango
facebook.com/martinandthebignativityscene
the face, but either way, these kids can play. Wouldn’t be surprised if some, if not all of these guys, were making some real noise in the San Diego scene within a handful of years.
EP Listening to this, I thought I was hearing some great lost sides from Ride and Echo & the Bunnymen. The three tracks on this EP are slightly shoegazey, slightly psychedelic and have more than a hint of Smiths-ian moodiness to them thanks to a frontman who
sounds like he stumbled upon a batch of ’ludes. It isn’t mind-blowingly novel, but the sad bastard in me can’t wait to hear more. soundcloud.com/mindray-506320866 -Seth Combs
Minor Gems
Demo Pretty, hazy, effects-laden indie pop in the vein of Wild Nothing, Beach Fossils or Beach House with a little bit more muscle. Minor Gems have a sound that’s pretty and smoothed out in all the right places. That being said, it’s not the kind of music that leaves a big impression when you hear it, but they’ve got an interesting aesthetic down. With a few more memorable songs, they’ll be on to something. soundcloud. com/minorgems -Jeff Terich
Mockingbird
Demo Mockingbird is a singing/songwriting husband-and-wife duo that occasionally morphs into a trio by inviting their son to play bass with them. As terrifying as that sounds, the three songs here are perfectly easy going, nicely arranged and more genu-
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MILATK
Demo There’s an uncanny quality to MILATK’s music that’s both intriguing and infuriating. Much like early Ween, it sounds like someone strained easy-listening music through a mesh of nightmares. At times, it’s almost lucid enough to make you tap your feet and nod your head. Most of the time, however, it sounds like what you would hear if you were drowning in six inches of water in a kiddie pool at Bonnaroo. -Ryan Bradford
Millionaire Beach Bums
Shorebreak The Millionaire Beach Bums are a quartet of 12-to-15-year-old kids that play original surf jams. That statement will either make you stoked on the youth of today or feel like punching their parents in
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Nylon Apartments
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Demo Nylon Apartments takes darkwave pretty seriously. Their Soundcloud page is wallpapered with an austere image of a cemetery, and the thumbnails accompanying each track are the kind of thing you’d find under an Instagram search for #creepy. Naturally, I love it. Their style of goth-pop is driven by pulsing synthesizers, electronic beats and slinky post-punk guitars, turning San Diego’s obsession with surf-rock on its head by using reverb for evil rather than happy-go-lucky garage tunes. “Small Moon” is a dirge for dancing in the dark, while “To Copy the Inscription” is electro-industrial menace made catchy, and “Trials” proves that there’s still something new and interesting to be made from a heavy Joy Division influence. Nylon Apartments casts one hell of a pall. soundcloud.com/nylonapartments -Jeff Terich
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Morphesia
Four Song Demo “Now you must die,” screams the frontman known as Zombie on “Left to Rot,” the fourth track on this solid comp of death metal. Considering the genre, it’s not the most novel of sentiments, but Satan would nonetheless be proud of these four face-melting tracks. The production value could use some work, but considering this is a one-man project, it’s easy to overlooks and Morphesia should fit in nicely within San Diego’s already criminally underrated metal scene. morphesia.bandcamp.com -Seth Combs
The Moves Collective
mertime” that traveled into the 21st century looking for heads to knock. The other three songs don’t deliver quite the same thrill, but each is a compelling reminder that there’s a whole world of hiphop bubbling under the underground. This is rock-solid hiphop that’s organic and inventive. -Ben Salmon
Murder By Techno
Demo I put this on in the background while I was working, and I completely forgot I was listening to music. I found myself completely absorbed in the task at hand, and it wasn’t until after the John Carpenter-esque track “Storming the Castle” ended that I was abruptly taken out of my zone by unnecessarily disjointed noodling guitar sounds. Hypnotic stuff, but the songs are way too short and the guitar(?) is distracting. -Demetrius Antuña
Two Miles High “Two Miles High” would fit perfectly on an indie-folk playlist featuring Of Monsters and Men or Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. With songs built on multi-part harmony and emotional sincerity, The Moves Collective are polished. They aren’t redefining folk rock on this EP, but when you have songs like “Elizabeth” and “Don’t Waste Another Day,” there’s no need to. themovescollective.com -J. Smith
Mr. Nobody
End Me For the most part, Mr. Nobody’s sound can be summed up using one of their own song titles: “Stupid Fast Song About the Same Old Fucking Thing.” The title is an apt description for any of the 11 songs on this EP. Straight-ahead punkby-numbers that doesn’t stray far from the genre’s limited chord progressions and subject matter. It’s not bad for what it is, but it’s by no means good. mr-nobody. bandcamp.com -Seth Combs
Mr. Ridley & Parker Edison
The Parker Meridien EP The opening track of this foursong EP is a feast for the senses. “Getters” is a bouncy blend of blown-out beats, sturdy raps, jazzy piano and party vibes that sounds like a brawny cousin of Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince’s “Sum-
it was about Never Pass Go’s music that bothered me so much. I’m a sucker for blue-collar street punk, and the singer’s voice had a finely cultivated rasp similar to the singer of One Man Army. Then I figured it out: the guy can’t sing on the beat. Try tapping out the rhythm while listening, and you find yourself lost in frustrating discordance. facebook.com/NeverPassGo
Patrick Murphy
Mind & Sound At first listen, the opening track sounds like a cut from R.E.M’s Automatic For The People. Then the guitar solo kicks it out of alignment with a style that sits just off center. Track three stumbles into a Spin Doctors-style, whiteboy funk sinkhole that is meant to display some kind of musical prowess, but it fires with all the grace of a jalopy with a squirrelchewed ignition system. All told, the music lacks fire but is fun and a good fit for people that like tailgate parties and non-polarizing acoustic rock. -Brian Reilly
NEIN
(I Wanna Incite a) Riot The cover art of NEIN’s demo features an old photo of the three members as teens, snarling in scary teen fashion; the back features them now—photographic proof to the enduring power of punk. When you remove the shrink-wrap(!) from the CD, you find a lyric sheet inside. That’s a lot of packaging for one song. The song’s pretty good though. Wish they’d spent more time making music instead of manufacturing physical waste. NEIN.band -Ryan Bradford
Never Pass Go
Death Walks In A Bar… For the first couple of listens, I couldn’t place my finger on what
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-Ryan Bradford
No1Special
The No1Special EP The debut EP from local rap duo No1Special could be the soundtrack to an episode of Broad City. Though the title track “The Worst,” was initially a turnoff with lyrics like “I’ll put this pen up in your neck,” overall the EP was decent. “Grow” and “Gold and Silver” both stood out with their Gramatik-like samples. Some of the tracks had potential with politically infused lyrics but got lost in layers of noise and vinyl scratching.
Shades McCool
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Mountains ate the Rivers No Time to Tarry describes itself as an “experimental outsider folk collective originally from Arkansas.” They have a Bandcamp page with a broken link to the notimetotarry.com website, no social media presence, no individual musician credits, no band photos. Acoustic guitar is interspersed with what sounds like occasional oboe and organ, and it’s all very mysterious, with a film soundtrack vibe. If you are into mid’90s Chicago music like Gastr Del Sol or Loftus, this might be your thing. Notimetotarry.bandcamp. com -Carrie Gillespie Feller
O†ion
“Moonset” O†ion is a singer named Savannah Moreau and a producer named Fa†e. On “Moonset,” the former patiently unfurls a story heavy with earthy elements as a twinkling, new age beat floats beneath her. The vibe isn’t bad; Moreau’s graceful voice complements the mellow track. But as the references to the natural world pile up—waterfalls, sunshine, storm clouds, a sea of stars, flowers in the breeze, towering trees—“Moonset” begins to feel like something birthed in a high school poetry class. -Ben Salmon
DH
The First Four Demos The Bandcamp tags on this EP include “comedy,” “crouton,” “math rock” and “power pop.” Somehow, that’s exactly right. These four songs are fine little chunks of pop-rock candy, each pumped up with an appropriate amount of wriggling energy, plus well-placed synth sounds and pop-culture references (Game of Thrones, MST3K, etc.) There’s a predilection for novelty here—one song is about how to make croutons—but it never distracts from the punchy chord progressions or the memorable melodies. Shades McCool reminds me of the indie-pop band Wolfie, criminally overlooked synth-emo heroes The Anniversary and San Diego’s own Pinback. So it’s no surprise, perhaps, that Rob Crow recorded a couple of these songs. shadesmccool.bandcamp.com
-Alex Morales
No Time to Tarry
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Palos Verdes
Three Song Demo If I’ve learned anything from my world travels, it’s that reggae and its white cousin ska are huge everywhere. What’s more, both genres are more tolerable if the songs are sung in a different language. So, yeah, this band’s bilingual ska en ingles and español is tolerable, but here are other things I tolerate: hemorrhoids, root canals and Donald Trump supporters. facebook.com/palos.verdes.73 -Seth Combs
Parahyena
“Ayakan” A light, easy-to-enjoy, samba-pop track with lyrics in what sounds like Portuguese. And then it switches to English and the singer says “I can make love with my hand.” What the actual fuck? -Jeff Terich
Party McFly
Off the Shelf EP About what you’d expect given the name. Generic hard rock that somehow manages to hit on every cock-rock cliche in less than four songs. There’s plenty of “uhhaws” and “oh, yeahs” and lyrical poetry like, “Wrap your legs ‘round me real tight/C’mon baby, let’s go for a ride.” They even manage to somehow ruin a cowbell on “Do Something.” Gentle-
men, please, do nothing instead. soundcloud.com/ryan-housman/ sets/off-the-shelf -Seth Combs
Phoenix Band
Singles Club Steve Miller is best known for hits such as “Abracadabra” or “Fly Like An Eagle,” but before he lit up every hi-fi in Los Angeles like a two-foot line of coke at a frat party, he had genuine conviction and rubbed elbows with legends. I feel like that’s the story here. The over-polished and clean recording showcases road-worn, tangible talent. These guys are real players. Hardened hands and firm chops grace this record, but something is missing. Predictable though the second track may be, it has an enjoyable lineage in the vein of Canned Heat. And “Bad Wind” is a solid reflection of the charming harmonies you would find on Workingman’s Dead. I say get dirty fellas. Get out the crappy old gear, and let it all detune. Yeah, I like it. -Brian Reilly
Plane Without a Pilot
“Cutting Ties, Cutting Losses” Sign of the times: This demo was sent in as a Spotify link. And really, the line between demos and official releases has all but disappeared in the instant-stream-
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the great demo review rubbing my temples like a depressed English teacher: “You can’t beat me in a battle/I’m a werewolf, tearing your flesh like cattle/I’m a beast, I’m a cannibal, something like a Hannibal.” Are those really your best rhymes, Psycho? I thought. And you want to repeat them how many times? Okay, let’s look at your next song: “I worship the mic, for reals and I’m tight/See me Las Vegas bustin’ live and that’s no hype.” Sigh. -Ryan Bradford
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Red Tape/Demos The abstract surf-driven opening of Slay Dean’s “Alien Mondo” kicks off their Red Tape demo in the best way, mixing Television’s Marquee Moon with The Astronauts’ Everything is A-Ok record. From there, this killer sprawls into a Jorma-fueled Interpol-tonerefinement seminar with rapid-fire bursts of psychedelic lightshow music. Is it good? No. It’s brilliant. It’s a wandering land mine of fragmented lines, brave warm sun guitar tonality and spectral melodies that will have you wondering “who the hell is this, and where can I get this?” I hope that Slay Dean doesn’t plan on wearing out their welcome by getting mainstream radio airplay. What am I even saying—it won’t get major radio airplay. It’s far too good for that.
Push Retra features a strong female vocalist who sings over a tight, smooth alt-rock band. They are all very talented and professional, and I want nothing more than to hear them shred a cover of Sleep’s “Dopesmoker,” or declare their love of The Dark Lord. Or I just want them to do something unexpected, I guess. The vocals are compelling, and I have a feeling the live show captures something the recording is lacking. weareretra.bandcamp.com -Carrie Gillespie Feller
-Brian Reilly
ing age, so why the hell not? In any case, Plane Without A Pilot’s new single certainly sounds good, with crisp production full of chiming guitars and rich vocal harmonies. The song’s not much to write home about—’90s-style power pop somewhere between Weezer and Harvey Danger— but, they play it well enough. planewithoutapilot.com -Jeff Terich
Post Attraction
Demo Post Attraction doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a
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delight. Heavily influenced by the funky/stark post-punk of bands like Interpol, Post Attraction is basically the soundtrack to vampires falling in love. Even the frantic, compartmentalized drumming on “Unknown” recalls Bloc Party in a good way. A lot of bands seemed to have influenced Post Attraction—the good news is they’re all fine inspirations. -Ryan Bradford
Psycho
Slay by the masses I wasn’t even two minutes into this hip-hop demo before I was
Roiz Won87
Dia De Los Muertos Solid hip-hop for DatPiff enthusiasts that includes beats that will appeal to devoted crate-diggers. Roiz has a decent flow and mostly uses it to chastise politicians (“Richard Ramirez Flow”) and fake-ass ballers (“I Am Not Them”). The album works best when Roiz gets dark and brings in friends like Doble Philo on tracks like “Libertad,” a stony, paranoid anthem that should get trunks rattling in no time. soundcloud. com/roizwon87 -Seth Combs
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Second Cousins
EP I’ll be the first to admit that new Americana tends to activate my gag reflex, but there are always exceptions to the rule. Second Cousins are one such exception, performing breezy and rustic folk-rock that’s rich in layered textures and hypnotic arrangements. “Something to Lose” is a Laurel Canyon daydream full of Rhodes piano and shimmering guitars, while “Thrown Right In” is finger-picked beauty akin to a bluesier Elliott Smith. “Tijuana” even gets kind of loud once they crank up the distortion. Second Cousins have learned all the right lessons from Dad-Rock. secondcousins.bandcamp.com -Jeff Terich
Sei Nove
Demo Sei Nove’s bio states that they sound like both Jim Morrison and The Doors, which perhaps suggests they’re more Morrison than Morrison, but that’s not even really true. The music is more akin to early Beck, heavy on acoustic guitars, drum machine beats and traces of psychedelia. And it’s actually pretty damn decent. When the saxophone kicks in on “J’s Ways,” it’s like those Doors comparisons never even happened. reverbnation.com/seinove -Jeff Terich
Showcase
Untitled While this demo’s opening track, “Teeth,” quickly finds a seat at the Gap-punk table and shoves Billy Joe Armstrong off his seat, it loses its grit in its anthemic chorus, which lacks fire and any kind of message. As the demo progresses
further down the bunny trail, it bounces loosely on Alien Ant Farmstyle vocals atop solid musicianship that would have captivated crowds of the MTV Beach House generation. No one can refute that it’s catchy, but I’m waiting for the screaming, visceral howls of the oppressed humans that wrote the goddamn thing. Find something that pisses you off and come back. Happy people make shitty art. I know you bastards aren’t happy. -Brian Reilly
Sissy Ray
Demo Sissy Ray should be lauded for their daring if for nothing else. Their jams feature a chorus of men’s vocals in pseudo-chants, dirty and jangling guitar, and a flare of mariachi. The combination produces something that sounds like Nirvana mingling with Fleet Foxes at a tequila festival. The songs end up sounding fuzzy and only slightly rehearsed. It’s interesting for the combination of styles but not much else. soundcloud.com/sissyray
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Stalins of Sound
DH Demos for Biology Museum “Obviously the recordings are shitty demos,” says the email from Stalins of Sound, “and the LP versions will be different.” Understood, but here’s hoping these synth-punk pillagers don’t clean things up too much. The songs here sound like The Faint made a baby with Black Flag, and that baby’s flinging corroded buzzsaws at your head like Frisbees. Stalins of Sound are grimy and propulsive and unrelenting, and if tracks such as “Prison Planet” and “Sputnik” are any indication, their upcoming album is going to be one bracing blast of beautiful noise after another. Hail to our new bleep-bloop hardcore overlords. stalinsofsound.bandcamp.com -Ben Salmon
-Evan Nyarady
The Skipping Nature
Dig the Skip Listening to the opener on this CD was like taking acid and wandering into the office of my middle school guidance counselor just in time to hear him tell me about the genius of David Hasselhoff’s new record. While I dug the loop on the second track, and the vocals were a little easier to handle, the lyrics zigzagged like a drunken bicyclist on Garnet Ave at 2 a.m. I can appreciate the abstract nature of the words, but it felt forced. This is also a very long demo: 23 tracks make this longer than The White Album and Odessey And Oracle combined. By
34 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
PECIALGOO
track three, I was wondering if I should even continue writing. -Brian Reilly
Small Culture
Synthetica I hate when people submit one song. Shit, dude. Really? But this one, from the solo project of one Jerik Centeno, is worth checking out. Like something born of a steamy, chemically-enhanced ménage à trois between The Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie and múm, it also features vocals from Jenna Cotton of The Verigolds. I’m in. Now, let’s hear some more. -Scott McDonald
Sometimes Julie
Bright Side of the Line For reasons I can’t fully explain, this CD was misidentified by Apple as a Justin Bieber and Jaden Smith collaboration. It’s not that. It’s pretty basic rock music with bluesy riffs, hammy vocals and generic platitudes like “Take me to another world!” Pleasant and forgettable, but I suppose it’s at least not a collaboration between Jaden Smith and Justin Bieber. -Jeff Terich
Stanz
The Untitled Album In the first track on Stanz’s The Un-
titled Album, the emcee proclaims that he’s been on his grind since he was 12 years old. That’s pretty impressive, though on this brief, seven-track set of mid-’00s-style laidback West Coast hip-hop with jazz flourishes, Stanz keeps that grind going, with frequent references to “hustlin’” and having to “get this dough.” Only occasionally does Stanz dial up the intensity, instead getting comfortable in the stoned soundscapes he’s surrounded by, the exception being a raunchy sex track in which he declares his intentions to “make that pussy hurt.” I hope for her sake that she has a say in the matter. -Jeff Terich
demo CONTINUED ON PAGE 36
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 35
the great demo review
Tall Can & Generik
H EXTR AS
PECIALGOO
DH
Fungi.Psych(E).Boots If Generik is involved in a record, there’s bound to be a degree of certainty that it contains some topnotch beats and rhymes. So it is with Fungi.Psych(E).Boots, the local beatmaker and emcee’s collaboration with rapper Tall Can. Based on the name, it’s pretty apparent that this collection of songs is heavily influenced by some mind-bending substances, and as such it’s one hell of a sampladelic trip. Generik treats each of the record’s 18 tracks to various layers of heady effects and soulful, jazzy weirdness. Tall Can holds his own as an emcee, punctuating these tracks with his herky-jerky flow, but he could be rapping about anything and these tracks will still be incredible. Pure hallucinatory ear candy. tallcangenerik.bandcamp.com -Jeff Terich
demo CONTINUED from PAGE 34
Stranger Ranger
Demo tracks The woozy, dark psychedelic sound of the guitar in first track “Baby Come On” made me think that Stranger Ranger would be delivering some dreamy postpunk à la Warpaint. That was not to be. That particular song all too quickly transitioned into some lazily plodding jam rock.
36 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
Not that it’s necessarily bad, but over the next three tracks on the EP, Stranger Ranger can’t seem to figure out what it wants to be. They’re breezy indie pop one moment, Mumford-y busker folk the next, and slow-burning blues rock in the final track. There are kernels of promise in each song, but at the end of the day, Stranger Ranger would benefit from a bit more focus. -Jeff Terich
Sunset at Duck Pond
Demo Two ambient instrumentals that sound like a cross between the music you hear before an IMAX movie at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center and the soundtrack for time-lapse footage in a documentary on crystal formation. I think it’d also pair well with narrationless, deep-sea footage. And weed. -Scott Mcdonald
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the great demo review average 311 soundalike. Still, “McKenna” shows they’re not above delving into some ill-advised reggae-rap-rock. This is better than it has any right to be, but it’s still rap rock at the end of the day. terrans.bandcamp.com -Jeff Terich
The Thief’s Lineage
H EXTR AS
Two Moons Merging
PECIALGOO
DH
Wax Bodies Dark, noisy sounds have been a part of the San Diego music scene—however minor—for as long as I can remember. Yet as time presses forward, that sinister, experimental spirit produces even better results. Two Moons Merging, the project of producer Bradley Coy, finds beauty in darkness, combining drone, noise, musique concrête and ambient into a gorgeously unsettling blend. Coy’s closest spiritual predecessor is Tim Hecker, whose conceptual works mine a similar cross-section of grace and grime. The four tracks on Wax Bodies carry a similar juxtaposition of instrumental elegance and digital dissonance, each one like a journey through some horrific, yet awe-inspiring realm. Most impressive of all is the closing 10-minute track, which slowly builds up into a symphony of static. Wonderful things happen when San Diego gets weird. twomoonsmerging.bandcamp.com -Jeff Terich
The Tascams
Demo Apparently named The Tascams because all their songs were recorded on analog 8-track tape, The Tascams made their demo the old-fashioned way. There’s an inviting warmth to the shimmering indie rock grooves they deliver and a ’90s throwback indie vibe with some gentle slowcore tones. This isn’t groundbreaking stuff, but for anyone who ever made mixtapes of lo-fi
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obscurities in their college years, it’s impossible not to like. -Jeff Terich
Terrans
Terrans I can honestly say I was not expecting Terrans to sound like Rage Against the Machine. The band features rhythmically dynamic punk and hard rock arrangements, juxtaposed against a vocalist that raps more than sings and, for that matter, does so with more ferocity than your
Demo This four-song sampler starts out with two killer, proto-punk songs featuring slick organ riffs that are right out of a silent horror film. So I was a little confused when the last two songs were folky clap-along campfire jams. Not that I’m complaining. Both sides of this band’s proverbial coin are pretty damn good so it’ll be interesting to hear if they can combine or coalesce their varying influences. thethiefslineage. bandcamp.com -Seth Combs
Toques
01 Highly listenable ambient and drone music with some eerie beats and jazz fusion elements thrown in for good measure. The entirety of the record’s eight tracks sound like the soundtrack of an indie thriller film, and each song feels like it’s made up of tiny vignettes from differing scenes, all of which are dark and foreboding (smoke some herb and listen to the haunting “6_1” and “7” to get some good feels). toquesmusic.bandcamp.com -Seth Combs
Trelic
Three Teaser Tracks Three segments of songs packed into one three-minute Sound-
demo CONTINUED ON PAGE 38
March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 37
the great demo review demo CONTINUED from PAGE 37 cloud track. This is Trelic, a San Diego quartet that walks a wobbly line between thrash metal, strangled punk and brutish hard rock. Ryan Toth wrangles some pretty good, fuzzy tone out of his guitar, and Ryan Kelly’s got the kind of snarl that’s made for this kind of music. There are good parts here, but Trelic needs to continue to refine its vision. facebook.com/ trelic619
Tribal Theory
Reclamation EP Despite the 2014 departure of two co-founding members, Tribal Theory’s Reclamation EP still sounds like it comes from a band that firmly knows its identity. The EP’s half dozen songs (five, plus a remix) are sharply produced, radio friendly and honor the vocally driven, Polynesian-rooted reggae sound that established them in the first place. facebook. com/TribalTheoryMusic
-Ben Salmon
-Scott McDonald
True 12
Five song EP sampler I can’t tell if these five hip-hop songs are supposed to be some kind of clever and ironic parody of hip-hop clichés. I think it is, as evidenced by what I think is a Lil Jon spoof (“Nine Months Mistake”) and ’80s-tinged odes to tasting the rainbow (“Skittles”). Still, even if it is, this music is neither clever nor ironic. It’s not even slightly funny. It just sounds like some stoned idiots setting their inside jokes to some awful beats. -Seth Combs
Trunk Slammers
The 4 for Fucking EP Trunk Slammers are a capable bar band. Simple as that. Four guys with different backgrounds from different parts of the country who’ve come together in San Diego to play rock ‘n’ roll flavored with blues, surf and, most often, classic soul. The recordings on this unfortunately named EP aren’t life-changing, but they’re tuneful and well-crafted, and the best of ‘em is an easygoing pop
‘n’ soul nugget called “Greenlight” that contains a couple of unexpected turns. soundcloud. com/trunk-slammers -Ben Salmon
Various Artists
Extrasensory Perception Vol. 2 Extrasensory Perception Vol. 2 features songs compiled by Ekstre Records founder, DJ Arkon. It’s an all-star line up of electronic producers exploring a variety of drum and bass styles. Across six songs, ESP Vol. 2 is a quick trip that extends from the Chill Collective’s bass warbles on “Genetikz” to nKey’s “Sub Level” cool, as a solid EP that leaves no DnB sub-genre untouched. -J. Smith
Vietnam Hardcore
Demo There’s an undeniable tightness to Vietnam Hardcore—opener “I Confess” blasts out the gate like vintage H2O—but the songs eventually end up sounding the same. Also, when the band veers into political territory, they opt for the annoyingly vague antiestablishment rhetoric that most punk bands fall into when they don’t know the political environment. I mean, there’s nothing damning or insightful about the repeated refrain, “Guess the West could care less” in “Lords of War.” vietnamhardcore.bandcamp.com -Ryan Bradford
Vice Society
Tuneage Look fellas, when you have a name like Vice Society, you best not sound like a church youth group band trying to pass off Boston songs as their own. Actually, with all the mentions of divinity, resurrections and purity, I might not be too far off on the church presumption. I should get a fucking medal for having listened to 17 tracks of this. What are their vices exactly? Cool ranch Doritos, promise rings and binge watching My Little Pony? Fuck outta here. soundcloud.com/ vice-society -Seth Combs
Western Settings
Old Pain I had major flashbacks of attend-
38 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
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the great demo review ing angsty high school shows at the SOMA sidestage while listening to Western Settings’ demo, Old Pain. If you’re into punk sounds with black hoodies and mosh-pit vibes, then this is the EP for you. My favorite was the instrumental “Swells,” a particularly pleasant and dreamy track. More of that, please. facebook. com/westernsettings -Alex Morales
Wicked Monk
Smooches N’ Junk “No Other One,” the first of four songs on the Smooches N’ Junk EP, is the kind of rowdy, lo-fi punk blues that sounds great while driving fast with the windows down. Unfortunately, the three tunes that follow don’t even come close to matching its pace or charisma, instead settling for a forgettable middle ground somewhere between singer/songwriter blah and forced quirk. -Scott McDonald
Wolff
Two-song sampler If the NRA is looking for an anthemic crowd-pleaser for their rallies, they should look no further than this band’s “My Dead Hands.” It’s only toward the end of the song that you realize that Wolff is actually trying to make some kind of profound pro-guncontrol statement, but by then, it’s too late. Your ears will already be bleeding from the back alley aural abortion they’ve just received. wolff.rocks -Seth Combs
Yegor
Demo At first, I was optimistic about Yegor’s mind-blowingly corny lyrics, which I might have likened to Jonathan Richman. But that optimism disappeared at the start of song two, specifically when he starts singing, “girl it’s true, my body wants you.” I just didn’t want to listen anymore. He’s an incredibly skilled guitar player and his jangly surf-rock is fun, but even jangly surf-rock needs a little bit of substance. soundcloud.com/yegor -Carrie Gillespie Feller
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 39
Music
Jeff Terich
If I were u A music insider’s weekly agenda Wednesday, March 16 PLAN A: Esperanza Spalding @ Music Box. Bassist and singer/songwriter Esperanza Spalding has made an interesting transition into Prince-inspired psychedelic funk on new album Emily’s D+Evolution, and it’s a goddamn thing of beauty. If you need a night of theatrical, head-trip grooves, come and get ‘em here. PLAN B: Kenseth Thibideau + Nathan Hubbard Project, Andrew Bernstein, Booker Stardrum, Archie Carey @ Whistle Stop. Sleeping People’s Kenseth Thibideau and prolific percussionist Nathan Hubbard are collaborating on a new project together, which they’re debuting at this show. If experimental, innovative instrumental music is your thing, then you should definitely check this out. BACKUP PLAN: Intronaut, Scale the Summit, North @ Brick by Brick.
Thursday, March 17 PLAN A: KATA, Die Mißbildungen Des
Menschen, Riververb, Monochromacy, Hexa @ The Hideout. I’m not often one to pat myself on the back, but I’m at least partially responsible for this show happening. Last fall, I wrote an article about some of the best dark bands in San Diego, and hey, they’re all playing a show together! It’s going to be gloomy, weird, noisy fun. PLAN B: Systems Officer, Madly, The Slashes @ The Casbah. Now that Pinback is in a kind of inactive phase, Zach Smith is focusing his efforts on Systems Officer, and the stuff he’s been posting on Bandcamp lately sounds great. Might as well go and hear it live. BACKUP PLAN: Soft Lions, The Bad Vibes, Sheila and the Rainbow Colored Trash Bags @ Soda Bar.
punk acts. I have a bias toward this sort of thing, but that doesn’t mean they’re not good. PLAN B: The Schizophonics, The Gargoyles, The Hurricanes @ Til-Two Club. The Schizophonics have earned a reputation as one of the best live local acts for good reason. Go see evidence of their awesome stage presence first hand.
Saturday, March 19 PLAN A: Quilt, Mild High Club, Nicely @ The Hideout. Quilt splits the difference between dream-pop and psychedelic folk, and it’s quite a wonderful combination. Hippies and hipsters alike should find something to love. PLAN B: Emphasize, Aki Kharmicel, 10-19 and J-Treel, Skinny Veny, DJ Tramlife @ The Merrow. Get reacquainted with your local hip-hop scene and hear some of the best emcees in town show off their skills at this showcase.
Friday, March 18 PLAN A: Wax Idols, Hunny, Nylon Apartments @ The Hideout. Wax Idols outdo the great majority of indie rock bands these days by honing in on some compelling, dark textures that recall vintage 4AD and post-
40 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
Esperanza Spalding
Sunday, March 20 PLAN A: Dwarves, The Queers, Stalins of Sound @ Soda Bar. I love a good punk show, and this triple-threat lineup is one hell of a night of punk. In fact, your bones probably aren’t adequately prepared for it. Load up on calcium.
Monday, March 21 PLAN A: Aries, Sulcus, Littlecoaldove @ Soda Bar. Aries is the stage name of Isabel Reviriego, who plays hypnotic, electronic tinged indie pop with lyrics in Spanish. It’s utterly gorgeous stuff, and if you haven’t explored her music yet, you’re likely to become an instant fan. BACKUP PLAN: PINS, September Gurls, Shady Francos @ The Casbah.
Tuesday, March 22 PLAN A: Underpass, Tangerine, Morning Coup @ The Hideout. It’s not a coincidence that Underpass share their name with a John Foxx track. Their gloomy postpunk shares a similarly eerie vibe, and one that I’m definitely into. PLAN B: Painted Zeros, Sledding With Tigers, Izzy True, Haybaby @ Soda Bar. Sledding With Tigers make their debut as a plugged-in, genuine punk band at this show, and I for one can’t wait to see the transition in action. Turn it up!
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Music
Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!
Joe Mande (Casbah, 4/30), Givers (Casbah, 5/5), Voodoo Glow Skulls (Soda Bar, 5/6), Soulfly (Brick by Brick, 5/21), Brett Dennen (BUT, 5/29), Modern Baseball, Joyce Manor (HOB, 6/1), Michael McDonald (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 6/10), X Ambassadors (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 6/15), Day Wave (Casbah, 6/18), Ozomatli (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 6/21), Kenny Rogers (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 6/22), Good Old War (Casbah, 6/25), Brian Wilson (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 6/30), Rascal Flatts (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/8), Widespread Panic (Civic Theatre, 7/12), Julieta Venegas (HOB, 7/30), Sublime with Rome (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/30), Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Melissa Etheridge (Open Air Theatre, 8/23), Jethro Tull (Balboa Theatre, 10/17).
GET YER TICKETS Santigold (HOB, 3/29), Head Wound City (Casbah, 3/31), Tyler the Creator (Observatory, 4/1), Peter Murphy (Irenic, 4/1), White Denim (BUT, 4/2), Into It. Over It., The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die (The Irenic, 4/3), Tinashe (HOB, 4/4), Amon Amarth (HOB, 4/7), The Darkness (HOB, 4/10), Steve Miller Band (Humphreys, 4/14), Silversun Pickups (Observatory, 4/19), The Damned (BUT, 4/19), Deafheaven (Casbah, 4/21), Mac Sabbath (Music Box, 4/22), Deerhunter (Observatory, 4/22), Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (BUT, 4/28), Immortal Technique (Observatory, 4/29), Puscifer (Copley Symphony Hall, 5/1), Tortoise (BUT, 5/3), Beach Slang (Casbah, 5/6), Explosions in the Sky (Observatory, 5/3-4), Fear Factory (Brick by Brick, 5/5), So Hideous, Bosse-deNage (The Merrow, 5/7), Torche (The Hideout, 5/7), Four Tet (Music Box, 5/8), X, Los Lobos, Blasters (Observatory, 5/8), The Residents Present Shadowlands (BUT, 5/8), Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires (Observatory, 5/12), Andrew Bird (Observatory, 5/13), Beyonce (Qualcomm Stadium, 5/12), Joseph Arthur (Music Box, 5/17), Titus Andronicus, La Sera (Che Café, 5/20), The Thermals (Soda Bar, 5/20), Frightened Rabbit (BUT, 5/21), Jewel (Humphreys, 5/21), Big Black Delta (Casbah, 5/29), Refused (BUT, 5/30), The Cure (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/30), Leon Russell (BUT, 5/31), Yeasayer (Observatory North Park, 6/2), Brian Jonestown Massacre (BUT, 6/2), ‘X-Fest’ w/ Off-
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spring, Cheap Trick (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 6/5), Eric Bachmann (Soda Bar, 6/5), PUP (Soda Bar, 6/11), Case/Lang/ Veirs (Humphreys, 6/22), Lady Antebellum (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 7/5), Chicago (Harrah’s Resort, 7/8), Slightly Stoopid (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/9), Phish (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/23), Brand New, Modest Mouse (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/26), Weezer, Panic! At the Disco (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/3), Burt Bacharach (BUT, 8/21), Ben Harper (Humphreys, 8/23), Dave Matthews Band (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/26), Jackson Browne (Humphreys, 8/29), Journey, The Doobie Brothers (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/30), Mana (Viejas Arena, 9/9), Ray Lamontagne (Open Air Theatre, 9/13), Leon Bridges (Humphreys, 9/21), Peter Hook and the Light (HOB, 11/8).
March Wednesday, March 16 Intronaut at Brick by Brick. The String Cheese Incident at Observatory North Park. Electric Six at The Casbah. Esperanza Spalding presents: Emily’s D+Evolution at Music Box.
Thursday, March 17 KATA at The Hideout. Systems Officer at The Casbah.
Friday, March 18 Junior Boys at The Casbah (sold out). Ben Rector at Observatory North Park. Super Diamond at Belly Up Tavern. Smith Street Band at Che Café. The Schizophonics at Til-Two Club. Anthony David at Music Box.
Saturday, March 19 Super Diamond at Belly Up Tavern. Quilt at The Hideout. A Great Big World at The Irenic.
Sunday, March 20 Madeleine Peyroux at Belly Up Tavern. Dwarves, Queers at Soda Bar. Disturbed at House of Blues (sold out).
Tuesday, March 22 Warren Haynes at Belly Up Tavern. Underpass at The Hideout.
Wednesday, March 23 Yuck at Soda Bar. Wolfmother at House of Blues. Reverend Horton Heat at Belly Up Tavern. Bayonne at The Hideout.
Thursday, March 24 Glassjaw at Observatory North Park. Daughter at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).
Black Tusk, Holy Grail at Brick by Brick. Little Hurricane at Music Box.
Friday, March 25 Black Tusk, Holy Grail at Brick by Brick. TEEN at Whistle Stop. Napalm Death at The Casbah. Prince Rama at Soda Bar.
Saturday, March 26 Hey Marseilles at Soda Bar. High on Fire, Skeletonwitch, Tribulation at Observatory North Park. Alex Calder at The Hideout. Brian Fallon and the Crowes at House of Blues. Murder by Death at The Casbah.
Sunday, March 27 Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place at The Casbah.
Tuesday, March 29 Foxing at The Irenic. Santigold at House of Blues.
Wednesday, March 30 Quantic at Music Box.
Thursday, March 31 Head Wound City at The Casbah.
April Friday, April 1 Alex G at Che Café. Redwoods Revue at Music Box. TV Girl at The Hideout. Tyler the Creator at Observatory North Park. Peter Murphy at The Irenic.
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Superband. Thu: Superunloader. Fri: Academy, KL Noize Maker. Sat: Sunny Rude, Ocean Natives, Dubbest. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: The Profit Heist, Color Till Monday. 98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Fri: Will Pierce Quintet. Sat: 145th Street. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Carmen Lynch. Thu: Bill Bellamy, Sean Cullen. Fri: Sean Cullen. Sat: Carlos Mencia. Sun: Carlos Mencia. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: UNER. Bar Dynamite, 1808 W. Washington St., San Diego. Mission Hills. Mon: Icons Take Over Word Of Mouth Mondays.
clubs CONTINUED ON PAGE 42
March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 41
Music clubs CONTINUED from PAGE 41 Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., San Diego. North Park. Wed: DJ Girth. Thu: DJ Ikah Love. Fri: Rio Peligroso. Sat: ‘Neon Beat’. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’ w/ DJ Marshall Islands. Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Chugboat. Fri: Modern Day Moonshine. Sat: The Voices. Sun: Michael LeClerc. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Brawley’s Blues Ball for Candye Kane. Thu: Jackie Greene, Skin and Bones. Fri: Super Diamond, AM Gold. Sat: Super Diamond, Graceband. Sun: Madeline Peyroux Trio (sold out). Mon: Makana, Paula Fuga. Tue: Warren Haynes and the Ashes & Dust Band. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Wed: Intronaut, Scale The Summit, North. Fri: The No Name Gang, Pillars of Creation, A Hero Within, Malison. Sat: Open Arms, The Song Renames the Same, Naked Sunday. Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Aro Di Santi. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Joef and Co. Sat: Malamana. Sun: Aire. Mon: Malamana. Tue: Perla Negra. Cat Eye Club, 370 7th Ave, San Diego. Downtown. Fri: Tony Davis. Sat: Tony Davis. Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Lemon Grove. Fri: 2 Lil 2 Late. Sat: DJ Hurricane Andrew. Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. Mission Bay. Fri: Esto Es Cuba!. Sat: Nathan Hubbard’s A Thousand Butterflies. Sun: Brian Levy, Mikan Zlatkovich, Katie Thiroux, Matt Witek. F6ix, 526 F St., San Diego. Downtown. Sat: DJ Dynamiq. Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: E-Man. Sat: Reflex. Sun: Method Man and Redman. Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave., San Diego. Ocean Beach. Thu: Green Breeze. Fri: Green Breeze. Sat: Noise Makerz. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: August Burns Red, Between The Buried And Me, The Faceless, Good Tiger. Sun: Disturbed, Nonpoint (sold out). Mon: Finish Ticket, Vinyl Theatre. Tue: Issues, Crown the Empire, One Ok Rock, Night Verses. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Thu: ‘Acid Varsity’. Fri: ‘Progress’. Sat: Qrion. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’. Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Jackson and Jesus. Thu: Northstar, Ron’s Trio, Steve Brewer. Fri: Ron’s Garage. Sat: In Midlife Crisis. Sun: Flipside Burners. Tue: Steve Brewer. Moonshine Flats, 344 7th Ave., SAN DIEGO. Gaslamp. Thu: ROCK ON to Stagecoach. Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego. Little Italy. Wed: Esperanza Spalding. Fri: Anthony David and Algebra. Sat: Se Baila Con Polanco. Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego. Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Wet’. Fri: ‘Vogue Decadence’. Tue: Karaoke Latino. Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: The Upshots. Thu: RedWave. Sat: WG and the G-Men. Sun: The Fuzzy Rankins Band. Mon: The Groove Squad. Tue: Paddy’s Chicken Jam. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Wed: DJ Kiki. Fri: DJs Drew G, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs Luke Allen, Hektik.
42 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
Sun: DJ Hektik. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Chloe Lou. Fri: Homesick. Sat: Good Mojo Men. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: The Fresh Brunettes, The End, Los Shadows. Thu: The Bad Vibes, Soft Lions. Fri: Fleetmac Wood. Sat: Pour Habit, Skipjack, Margate, Somatic, No Skill Required. Sun: Dwarves, Queers, Stalins of Sound. Mon: Aries. Tue: Painted Zeros, Izzy True. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. Midway. Fri: Tonight Alive, Set It Off, The Ready Set, SayWeCanFly. Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: The Jackson Price Band. Sun: Noelle Pederson, Nathan James. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: ‘Darkwave Garden’. Fri: BJ Jezbera, A New Ending, Plane Without a Pilot, DreCat. Sat: ‘Club Therapy’. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Electric Six, Parlour Tricks, Spitfire Torpedo. Thu: Systems Officer, Madly, The Slashes. Fri: Junior Boys, Jessy Lanza, Borys (sold out). Sat: Get Back Loretta, Kimmi Butler. Mon: Pins, September Girls, Shady Francos. Tue: Lawrence. The Che Cafe, 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla. Fri: The Smith Street Band, Hard Girls, Diner, Sledding With Tigers. The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: KATA, Die Mißbildungen Des Menschen, Riververb, Hexa, Monochromacy. Fri: Wax Idols, Hunny. Sat: Quilt, Mild High Club. Mon: J.D. Wilkes. Tue: Underpass, Tangerine, Mourning Coup. The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., San Diego. North Park. Sat: A Great Big World. Tue: Ra Ra Riot. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Fri: Powerslaves, Epic, A Perfect Tool. Sat: Emphasize, Aki Kharmicel, J. Treel + 10-19, Skinny Veny, DJ Tramlife. Sun: ‘The Back Room’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore. Tue: Black Market III, The Shifty-Eyed Dogs, Rhythm and the Method. The Office, 3936 30th St., San Diego. North Park. Mon: Los Nastys, Policias y Ladronas, Some Kind of Lizard. Tue: ‘Trapped’. The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, San Diego. Gaslamp. Wed: Corey Gray, Jake Coco, Tay Watts. Thu: Quel Bordel, The Moves. Fri: Diana Ferror, Chad & Rosie, Guiro Grass. Sat: Coriander, Nate Donnis Duo. Sun: Adam Henry, Braeden Counts, Boxcar, Kenny & Deez. Mon: Greg White Jr. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: The Schizophonics, The Gargoyles, The Hurricanes. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Karaoke. Sat: Nukem, Systematic Abuse, Santa Clause, Pissed Regardless. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego. South Park. Wed: Kenseth Thibideau + Nathan Hubbard, Andrew Bernstein, Booker Stardrum, Archie Carey. Thu: ‘Astro Jump’ w/ Kill Quanti DJs. Fri: ‘F-ing in the Bushes’. Sat: ‘80s vs. 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe, Saul. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego. Ocean Beach. Wed: Mighty Mystic, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Modern Day Moonshine, Smokey Hoof. Fri: Dazed and Confused. Sat: Gift of Gab, Atlantis Rizing, Brendon B, Seancy, KoolBeef Productions, DJ Product. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band.
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March 16, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 43
last words | Advice
amy alkon
advice
goddess Hi Money, I’m Home! My boyfriend is going to a dinner out of town to get an award for a film he made, and he didn’t invite me. When I told him I felt excluded, he said that he was embarrassed because his parents are paying for his flight and he has to stay with a friend. I get it; he does wonderful work, but he’s still struggling financially. Still, if the tables were turned—if I were getting an award—I would at least tell him I wish he could come. —Upset There are a lot of things Martin Scorsese has been known to say, but one of them is not, “I want you by my side at this festival, and I only have to dig through the trash for 8,234 more cans to make that happen.” It isn’t surprising that your boyfriend—as a man—is more sensitive about being…as they say…brokeahontas than you would be if the (awards dinner) tables were turned. As I frequently explain, men and women aren’t just physically different; they evolved to have corresponding psychological differences. A biggie comes out of how there was a far greater potential cost to an ancestral woman from any sex act (pregnancy and a kid to feed) compared with the cost to a man: “Gee, that was a whole teaspoonful of sperm!” So female psychology evolved to push women to look for “providers”—men with access to resources and a willingness to share them. That’s why women go for guys who show signs of wealth, like a temperature-controlled nursery for their sports cars. Wealth is a cue to the all-important ability to bring home the bison. But in ancestral times, we couldn’t hang on to stuff— including food—because we didn’t have refrigerators, let alone houses to keep them in. There was just the meat you could eat before it went bad and your man’s ability to hunt it down. So what does it for a lot of women is potential—signs that a man could soon be, uh, dragging home tasty dead animals (probably shrink-wrapped, unless their guy is good with a crossbow). You seem to be one of those women. (You get that they don’t give out film awards to just any doof who shoots a cat video on their iPhone.) If you do believe in your boyfriend, tell him—regularly, in detail. If he gets that you’re proud of him and that you’d be happier eating hot dogs on a bench with him than dining with some corporate drone at Le Whatever, he’s less likely to feel he’s failing you by being undercapitalized. This should help him be more inclusive in the future—at least emotionally—when that “historic location” where he’ll be staying is the sagging love seat where his buddy lost his virginity in 1992.
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Wealth is a cue to the all-important ability to bring home the bison.
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(c)2016, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@ aol.com (advicegoddess.com). Weekly radio show: blogtalkradio.com/ amyalkon Order Amy Alkon’s book, “Good Manners For Nice People Who Sometimes Say The F-Word” (St. Martin’s Press, June 3, 2014).
44 · San Diego CityBeat · March 16, 2016
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