San Diego CityBeat • Mar 18, 2015

Our 12th annual Great Demo Review features 122 bands

2 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Editor’s Note

Wish you all were here It’s Monday night, and I’m 503 miles north of the Citywriter Will Shilling (inherited from SLAMM magaBeat office. I’m in my new home in a neighborhood zine, two of the most creative people you’ll ever come known as Mansion Flats in downtown Sacramento. across), along with art director Tom Gulotta. Our It’s more a flat than a mansion, and it’s perfect. I realgoals were to give San Diego the slice of progressive ly lucked out when I found it. Still, I’m feeling kinda political opinion it so desperately needed, add our funny, and that has nothing to do with the glass of share of hard-hitting investigative reporting, turn our Slow & Low rye whiskey that I’m drinking, a thoughtreaders on to emerging art and music and generally ful going-away gift from my friend Seth Hall. offer up narrative writing that oozed with flair.

Meeting Seth years ago was a product of my poIf those were the tests, I’d say we passed. That’s sition as editor of CityBeat. He’s a regular reader of thanks in part to news writers Davis, Dave Maass, this paper and a voracious consumer of local media, Joshua Emerson Smith, John Lamb, Dan Strumpf and and I consider him a member of an extended family Eric Wolff. Kinsee Morlan, for my money the toughof sorts. I arrived in Sacramento two days ago. My est and hardest-working woman in the business, has girlfriend was here for a day-and-a-half, and we kept defined CityBeat’s arts-and-culture presence in San busy moving me into my place and exploring my new Diego, and I am in awe of her. I’m particularly proud David Rolland of our music coverage, and the fact city, but she’s returned to San Diego, and I’m already missing her, as well that we’ve mostly elevated our muas my CityBeat family. I’m feeling evsic editors from our freelance-writer ery one of those 503 miles tonight. pool: Seth Combs, Peter Holslin and This is my final column for CityJeff Terich have followed Johnson’s Beat before new editor Ron Donoho lead, along with lone import Nathan takes over this space and grabs the Dinsdale (yikes, that’s a lot of tesreins of the paper. I suspect that he’ll tosterone—if Terich ever leaves, the introduce himself to you next week. next music editor really should be a For now, it’s all about the goodbye, A whiskey for the road. woman). As for progressive opinion, and every time I’ve thought about that was largely my job; I’d like to what I should say, it sounds in my head like a tirethink I had a positive impact on the city. some award speech; all I want to do is thank people.

I’ve touched on loyalty, the concept of family First a word or two about Southland Publishing and from-the-heart writing. I’ll be forever thankful Inc., CityBeat’s parent company, and Kevin Hellman, for these brothers and sisters: Edwin Decker (who’s our in-house publisher. After nearly 16 years with a been with CityBeat from day one and became my company (starting in Ventura), it’s natural to develop very close friend), Aaryn Belfer, D.A. Kolodenko, some philosophical differences with the folks running Anders Wright, Alex Zaragoza, Ryan Bradford and the business, and I certainly have those. But there’s our late, beloved Kia Momtazi. My leadership style one major positive that I want to mention: These still needs a lot of work, but, hey, it can’t be that guys stayed out of my hair. There was no meddling in bad—these amazing people did so many years with the editorial content by Hellman or the mother ship. me. I just—they’re the best.

We wrote whatever we wanted; we said what was on I’ve name-dropped the core people, but there are so our minds. There’s been an airtight seal between edimany more: Jenny Montgomery, Jim Ruland, Michael torial and advertising. We were completely free to be Gardiner, Ian Cheesman, Glenn Heath, Candice Woo, who we were. That’s huge, and I’m grateful.

Carissa Casares, Marty Westlin, Enrique Limón, DaThat freedom allowed my writers and me to vid Coddon, Caley Cook, Jim Ballew, Scott McDonald, hone our collective voice and develop a unique perMatt Irwin—oh boy, this could get so completely out sonality. And I believe the freedom our writers have of hand. Victor Patton, Justin Roberts, Todd Kroviak, had to follow their passions and write from their Rachel Jones, Susan Myrland, Mina Riazi, Shane Lidhearts engendered loyalty despite very low pay. I dick, Jen Van Tieghem, Quan Vu, Steve Mayberry, couldn’t give them much, but I could give them the Marie Tran-McCaslin, Emma Silvers, Lydia Osolinsky, space they needed to find their own way.

Jeff “Turbo” Corrigan, Ms. Beak (remember her?)— My lengthy chapter in CityBeat’s history started in god, there’s that award speech I was talking about.

Oh, man, the art directors, whose professional the summer of 2002, when my staff consisted of Kelly Davis (about whom I wrote roughly 1,000 words two weeks ago), arts-and-music editor Troy Johnson and CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 This issue of CityBeat is dedicated to Dave Rolland, who is going on to a less stressful career in politics.

Volume 13 • Issue 33 Editor David Rolland

Staff Writers Carly Nairn, Joshua Emerson Smith

Contributors Ian Cheesman, David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Kelly Davis, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Dave Maass, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen

Web Editor Ryan Bradford

Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse

Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Kinsee Morlan

Art director Lindsey Voltoline Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

Production artist Rees Withrow MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia

Cover design by Lindsey Voltoline Senior account executive Jason Noble Account Executives Beau Odom, Christina MacNeal, Kimberly Wallace Intern Drake Rinks Accounting Alysia Chavez, Kacie Cobian, Linda Lam Human Resources Andrea Baker

Advertising inquiries Interested in advertising?

Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail advertising@sdcitybeat.com. The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue.

Editorial and Advertising Office 3047 University Ave., Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92104 Phone: 619-281-7526 Fax: 619-281-5273 www.sdcitybeat.com

Vice President of Finance Michael Nagami Vice President of Operations David Comden Publisher Kevin Hellman

San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2015.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

San Diego is so lame!

I will never vote to fund a stadium for the Chargers [“Editorial,” Feb. 4]. I do not want to waste my tax money even more.

I recently drove onto the onramp from Florida Canyon onto Interstate 5 and almost wrecked my car when I tried to avoid a big pothole in the road—right front tire went into it, and I really thought I was a goner even though I was driving at a modest speed. Secondly, this is a daily dodge game in my University Heights area—what in the ###### is the mayor thinking?

On the next topic, I’m totally scorched by the idea that a space needle or huge Ferris wheel is needed Downtown [“Editorial,” Feb. 11]. Recently, my family and I tried to find a parking space Downtown.

Nothing could be found. Every street was filled with people milling around and jaywalking. What we could use is more tourists to further clog up the alreadycongested city?

I moved back here in 1979 after a few years away in cities like Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, which have a good idea about shuttling visitors Downtown with a sort of Old Town Trolley vehicle that picks people up on a designated route of touristy options and makes a loop. You don’t need to bring your car into a traffic jam. I’m horrified at what the city has become and mostly avoid it. Even peripheral residents don’t use Downtown—let’s be honest. As

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I cannot afford a high-rise down there, I will use things in my own ’hood and continue to vote no on these crazy ideas.

Dianne Obeso, University Heights

Stadium economics Regarding your Feb. 4 editorial: Some years ago, when talking to a UCSD audience, Jesse Ventura, the then-Minnesota governor, was asked about public financing of professional stadiums. He said that academic reports show it to be bad economics; otherwise, the team owners would be financing them. Yet another San Diego mayor is focusing a large amount of city time on getting a new Chargers stadium whose construction cost alone would be in the range of $527 million to $1.6 billion, based on the last 10 NFL stadiums built. Meanwhile, San Diego budgets $478 million to repair the fourth-worst streets in the nation.

You might wonder what’s wrong with Qualcomm Stadium. Maybe the real issue is that there are not enough luxury boxes for the wealthy. Forbes magazine reports that “premium seat revenue is also a big differentiator with stadiums and the NFL’s financial hierarchy. The Cowboys, Washington Redskins and New York Giants all generate at least $75 million annually from club seats and luxury suites.

The San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings are at the bottom of the premium seating category at less than $10 million, although both franchises are building new stadiums that will dramatically improve their fortunes.”

Roger Newell, College Area

Disappointing departures I have to admit I was disappointed to read of editor David Rolland’s departure—and that of associate editor Kelly Davis [“Editor’s Note,” Feb. 18]. I can’t tell you how much I think CityBeat has become part of San Diego since it arrived on the scene.

From the early days scrutinizing the old-boys network here and skirmishes with Bob Kittle to recent coverage of deaths in county jails and all things political, your support of local music, your sickand-twisted regular contributors, your appearances on KPBS, your coverage of happening events, restaurants and bars have all become part of my San Diego, part of this changing (changed!) city. Well done!

I look forward to hearing about what Rolland and Davis have been up to. Thanks again and good luck!

Donny Vaughn, Midtown

Editor’s Note CONTINUED from PAGE 4 lives I made something akin to Hell because I think I’m so smart about design: Gulotta, Maynard Chastain, Adam Vieyra, the sospeedy Lindsey Voltoline. And the unsung heroes who sell the ads, keeping CityBeat afloat and me and my staff employed all this time: long-timers Jason Noble, Paulina Porter-Tapia and the many, many others whose jobs are not easy—not to mention the ad designers, people like Charles Park, Adam Collins, Robin Waldman, Mike Pekonen, Tristan Whitehouse. I’m missing others.

Sorry, but this is what happens when I reflect. I think about the people who made my job easier, whose company I enjoyed, whose work I respect and who made my time in San Diego much richer. And I haven’t even touched on the people on the outside—all the folks in politics, policy, music and art, the many great friends I’ve made through San Diego’s robust, vibrant Twitter community.

The extended family. Shall I name them all?

OK, maybe not—except Candice Eley, who also gave me booze on my way out.

Alright, I’ve run out of room, and speaking of booze, I need another whiskey.

Cheers to you, San Diego. Thank you for the wild ride.

—David Rolland Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Joshua Emerson Smith

Driving a harder bargain Facing stricter standards, Rural / Metro quietly adds new ambulances

by Joshua Emerson Smith When it comes to life-threatening emergencies, such as a stroke or cardiac arrest, a patient’s chance of survival can be measured by how fast she or he gets to a hospital, often down to the second. That’s why cities and counties have response-time standards for 911 ambulance providers.

After tougher response-time standards were implemented last year, the city of San Diego ambulance provider, Rural/ Metro, increased its local fleet. Since October, the private company has brought on at least three and as many as six new ambulances, city officials and sources inside the company say.

“I would call it an enhancement to improve response times,” said Alyssa Ross, program manager for the Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services, which oversees the ambulance company’s contract compliance. “It will have an impact in that Rural / Metro has decided to add more units. To meet a higher demand, they added three additional units to meet the stricter standards.”

Michael Simonsen, Rural / Metro’s California director of public affairs, wouldn’t confirm the addition of new ambulances, but said, via email, that Rural / Metro “is constantly evaluating demand for service in [the] San Diego EMS system and makes unit hour and staffing adjustments when necessary to ensure a continued prompt response.”

But getting a true measure of an ambulence provider’s performance can often be complicated by its contract terms.

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For the most serious emergencies, the city of San Diego requires Rural / Metro to arrive within 12 minutes 90 percent of the time, measured quarterly, or face fines. For years, the city’s compliance reports proudly showed that the Scottsdale, Arizonabased company met the standard about 97 percent of the time.

That storyline hit a speed bump last year when the city, facing public scrutiny, amended its contract with Rural / Metro to close a longstanding loophole. Until July, ambulances dispatched after 12 other ambulances were on the road weren’t held to response-time standards. With more than 30 ambulances in the company’s local fleet, the loophole resulted in thousands of exempted calls.

Rural / Metro maintained that the loophole didn’t affect how it did business.

“We don’t manage to the exemptions,” Simonsen told CityBeat in August 2013.

“We manage the system how it is.”

After the city amended the contract last spring, Rural / Metro quickly announced it would station a new ambulance at the San Ysidro border crossing, an area where, without the exemptions, response times would have triggered a fine, according to a city analysis. About a month later, Mayor Kevin Faulconer held a press conference to celebrate improved response times at the border.

“The changes made last year to the city’s ambulance contract have improved response times in the South Bay, and Rural / Metro has fully complied with the required performance measures under the current deal,” said Craig Gustafson, the mayor’s spokesperson.

However, since then, Rural / Metro has continued to add ambulances to its local fleet, although to considerably less fanfare.

The ambulances were added as Rural / Metro readied to face its second quarterly

compliance report without the loophole.

Released this month, the report showed the company has been flirting with noncompliance. From October to December, Rural / Metro’s ambulances arrived on time to life-threatening emergencies in zone 1—which includes the border crossing—only 90.2 percent of the time.

Since the loophole was closed, Rural / Metro has responded to life-threatening emergencies citywide less than 92.7 percent of the time. Among the city’s four zones, quarterly response-time compliance topped out at 93.7 percent.

Currently under negotiation, the city’s contract with Rural / Metro could be about to get even more strict, including elimination of another little-known exemption.

“We are currently in negotiations for a contract extension with Rural / Metro and are looking at opportunities to work with Rural / Metro to provide even better service in the coming year,” Gustafson said.

Under review has been a provision called “system upgrade,” which allows more response time for calls upgraded to a life-threatening emergency while an ambulance is en route. The idea has been to compensate for the fact that ambulances on non-life-threatening calls can’t use lights and sirens, slowing down response times.

However, it came to the attention of city regulators that many of these upgraded calls don’t start as non-life-threatening calls but, rather, without any designated emergency level. In such cases, ambulances have been allowed to use lights and sirens, making the system-upgrade exemption in many cases unnecessary.

If approved, the higher standard would likely be applied in the next compliance report, Ross said.

“I think we’ve made tremendous efforts over the last few years,” she said. “I think the

language is going to be more specific now.”

Part of the reason the city may be getting tougher with its ambulance provider is that officials recently realized they could be stuck with the company for several more years. Last August, the city tried to put its ambulance service up for bid, but state EMS officials intervened, stating that under the law, the county’s Local Emergency Medical Services Agency (LEMSA) had to conduct the competitive-bidding process. The city hoped to reach a compromise before its contract with Rural / Metro expired this summer.

However, in late January, LEMSA released a memo that said state EMS officials have encouraged the city to extend its contract with Rural / Metro for at least two more years to “ensure uninterrupted” service.

That’s especially frustrating for city officials because a request for proposals for ambulance service has been sitting on the shelf for years. In 2011, following allegations that the company embezzled more than $17 million from the city, officials dramatically restructured Rural / Metro’s contract and prepared a competitive bidding process.

While a request for proposals was completed under Mayor Jerry Sanders, the document was never released. When Mayor Bob Filner took over, he further delayed the process to consider allowing the San Diego Fire Department to bid. By the time the city got around to issuing the bid, state officials had, based on a previous legal ruling, insisted that most counties take over the process.

While that freezes a major overhaul of the ambulance contract, the city will have a chance to tweak its agreement with Rural / Metro when it renews the agreement this summer.

Among other issues being reviewed is the performance standard for non-lifethreatening emergencies. When the city tightened parts of its ambulance contract last year, it simultaneously loosened others. Specifically, compliance for urgent but non-life-threatening and non-emergency calls was significantly watered down. Instead of individually measuring the two categories, they were combined along with life-threatening calls for a citywide compliance category.

The change was seen as a compromise to help the company meet response-time standards with the elimination of the contract’s loophole. However, at the urging of the city’s Independent Budget Analyst, the performance data for the previous categories continued to be tracked. Since last July, response times for non-life-threatening emergencies, such as broken arms, fell below the former 90-percent standard in both quarters to 85.5 and 89.5 respectively.

Whether the city reinstates the higher standard for non-life-threatening emergencies, residents will have a better understanding of their ambulance service once contract negotiations wrap up in the next few months. The ambulance contract extension will then come before the City Council for approval before it expires on June 30.

Write to joshuas@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

john r.

spin cycle

lamb Winging it “If you can’t dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull.”

—W.C. Fields On the keep-the-Chargers-frombolting front, it’s gotten so bad for Mayor Kevin Faulconer that even Republican-friendly KUSI is stirring it up. On its late-night edition Monday, the station ran a clip from its morning show that seemed to imply that City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, a guest on the show, was questioning the wisdom of Faulconer’s task-force-redux strategy to solve the stadium dilemma.

“We don’t have a plan. We don’t have a design. And we don’t have financing,” Goldsmith says in the evening segment, the words “CATCHING UP TO L.A.” blaring at the bottom of the TV screen.

Reporter Steve Bosh then booms in a voiceover, “On Good Morning San Diego, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith suggested the city might have taken a different approach.”

Cut back to Goldsmith, who declares, “Let’s recognize our position and go in a businesslike manner and do it the right way.

And the Chargers respect that.”

Goldsmith proceeds to note that he’s spoken to Chargers front man Mark Fabiani on the subject and then drops this mea culpa: “If you look historically where mistakes are made in negotiating with the NFL and sports teams, it has been city attorneys like me thinking we know it all. And although I know how to negotiate, I don’t know stadiums.”

Holy snickers!

Goldsmith seemed to be saying the frat boys over at Camp Kevin had really screwed the pigskin pooch this time, with their hair-on-fire, waaah-theChargers-don’t-love-us-anymore pronouncements that highlighted the first half of this so-far lopsided game of chicken in cleats.

But then along comes Goldsmith’s able wordsmith, Gerry Braun, to spoil the whole backbiting conspiracy. “The media often creates conflict where there is none,” he tells Spin via email.

Mr. Smooth submits as evidence the actual eight-minute interview from that morning—“I found a link in about six seconds,” he boasts—

which, indeed, seems to be more about, as Braun puts it, “what to do from this point forward.”

“That particular sound bite could benefit from context less [sic!] it be misconstrued,” Braun almost flawlessly explains, lest Spin Cycle quibble.

The actual context of this tiny episode of digital manipulation might have gone unnoticed, like most KUSI stories, had it not been for the electrified air already enveloping this bitter custody battle over a precious NFL asset.

Fortunately, Spin’s parents stuck together till their dying days, so don’t expect any worthwhile tidbits of insight into the trauma that such parental warring can impart on all interested parties. But let’s be honest: While Smilin’ Fabiani’s temperament continues to remain as silvery slick as his hair, the mayor’s entourage is beginning to resemble one of those shaggy after-party-hangover scenes from Animal House.

Spin wanted to see how the mayor was holding up, particularly after his press office was pushed into full alert last week when a curious email floated down into the media buzz saw. The email, from longtime Republican fundraiser Jean Freelove, contained the subject line, “Keeping The Chargers in San Diego.”

“I’ve been asked to help Mayor Faulconer in an effort to keep the Chargers football team in San Diego,” the email pitch to unnamed local companies opened. “We need to raise funds for the cause and I’m hoping that [you] might be able to give $10,000 or so to help out.”

As you might expect, the reaction was frenzied. KPBS reported how Freelove referred queries to the mayor-appointed-butsupposedly-independent Citizens Stadium Advisory Group (CSAG), which promptly denied any knowledge of the outside fundraising effort. The KPBS story noted that chief Faulconer adviser Jason Roe took the credit (blame?) for the fundraising misstep, saying the email was simply intended to “gauge their interest.”

Well, yes, that is what a fundraising pitch is all about: to gauge one’s interest in forking over dough to be spent—well, we don’t

know exactly how, since that question remains unanswered. The mayor’s office did not respond when asked if it had received a satisfactory explanation of how Faulconer’s name was invoked in an apparent unauthorized fundraising effort.

But, hey, the CSAG has settled on a site for a stadium, and it just happens to be where a stadium is currently sited! And it’s a site the Chargers studied ad nauseam a decade ago and came to the conclusion that it would simply be a permitting beast to lock down the additional development entitlements in order to offset the cost of a new Mission Valley stadium. NFL players might be wearing jet packs by the time that stadium’s built, in other words.

No, the Chargers were really hoping for a Downtown stadium.

But Fabiani said the team is open to either site, CSAG chair Adam Day said in reaction. A U-T San Diego editorial quickly echoed that sentiment in jilted fashion, calling on Chargers President Dean Spanos to put “his cards on the table: Does he really want the team to remain in San Diego or not?”

On Monday, Spanos came “out of hiding,” as the U-T headline described it, to repeat “at least four times during a 40-minute conversation” that “I’m anxiously await-

John R. Lamb

Are Dean Spanos (left) and Mark Fabiani (right) just messing with Mayor Kevin Faulconer? ing what the mayor and the task force come up with.”

As Fabiani told Spin recently, “We get calls every week from all kinds of people who want to finance the stadium. And we’re very nice to them, because, look, it only takes one to actually come through. But when they figure out the cash flows, then all of them politely go into a different direction.

“What they do is they think they can take the revenue from stadiums, which may be what the [CSAG] is trying to do, right?” Oh, and this crusher: “I hate to tell you this, but we haven’t read a UT editorial in several years now.”

It’s all fine and dandy to consider the $1.7 billion Chargers-Raiders stadium plan in Carson an unholy alliance of bluff-tacular proportions, but this is about business.

Professional football is a business.

Negotiating is a business. Politics is a big room surrounded by mirrors.

This is a cutthroat business decision—one, it must be emphasized, that centers on our big brother / nemesis to the north. Los Angeles is the once-in-a-lifetime prize for NFL owners. What if we, dear San Diegans, are the mere pawns?

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

aaryn

backwards & in high heels

belfer Smarter Balanced Assessments are around the corner It’s that time of year again, one I simultaneously grant schools flexibility: to teach with creativity and love and loathe. We’ve lost an hour of sleep, but the passion; to stop teaching to the test; and to replace tradeoff is all that glorious extra sunlight stretchteachers who just aren’t helping kids learn. That’s a ing each day—golden light that allows me to outrun bargain worth making.” (or die trying) my endless supply of public-school There’s a whole lot to unpack there in the Presiangst in a five-mile loop around Lake Murray. dent’s 2012 speech, given that his Race to the Top is Yes, the birds are birding, the bees are being and a direct contradiction of what he said. Nevertheless, summer is more visible to me than the mugs in a viwhen a school sends home a warning notice about ral video of Parker Rice and Levi Pettit (could their Cramfest 2015, it’s safe to say there isn’t a whole names be more bougie?), the now-expelled Singing lot of flexibility, creativity or passion. And this says Sooners. Their racist rendition of “If You’re Happy nothing about whether the tests are representative and You Know it Clap Your Hands” earned their enof learning. Or whether an 8-year-old has the comtire SAE team a schadenfreudian eviction notice. This puter skills necessary to be successful. swift action was shocking given how fraternal wagAs shocking as a fraternity being shuttered for its ons circle so tightly after rich-frat-boy indiscretions. members’ bad behavior was the San Diego Unified It would seem the collective outrage over blatant racSchool District Board of Education’s unanimous ism is having an impact on systems complicit in it. vote last month to eliminate federal testing of the Now, if only all national chapters reacted as decisively district’s students. The board sent a resolution to when—oh, I don’t know—their members rape women.

Congress declaring, among other things, “that highToo much, too soon? stakes standardized testing is an inadequate and ofThe only thing obstructing my view of the end ten unreliable measure of both student learning and of my daughter’s fourth-grade educator effectiveness, and the year is the ugly last third of it. I over-reliance on standardized say “ugly” because what comes testing has caused considerFist dap to SDUSD; better with the final excruciating able collateral damage in many late than never, I say. months is the amplified prep schools, including narrowing for, and implementation of— the curriculum, teaching to the wait for it—standardized testtest, reducing students’ love of ing. Or, as Common Core enthusiasts have happily learning, pushing students out of school, driving labeled it, the Smarter Balanced Assessments. teachers out of the profession, and undermining It sounds so wholesome that it’s bound to have school climate….”

100 percent of the FDA recommended daily allowFist dap to SDUSD; better late than never, I say. ance of bran. Maybe that’s why some kids get physiLast year, 557 New York principals wrote a poically ill at test time. If Belfer PR Inc. were hired to regnant open letter to parents encouraging them to opt brand “Smarter Balanced Assessments,” it would be out. “If your child scored poorly on the test,” the letter called “Child Abuse,” and people would flock in the said in closing, “please make sure that he does not inother direction by opting out, like South Bay parents ternalize feelings of failure. We believe that the failure Kristin Phatak and Heather Poland and yours truly. was not on the part of our children, but rather with As predictable as the “We know his heart; he is not the officials of the New York State Education Departa racist” response of Levi Pettit’s parents, our child ment. These are the individuals who chose to reckbrought home the annual note informing us about lessly implement numerous major initiatives withthe tests. The letter was appropriately smeared with out proper dialogue, public engagement or capacity the remains of a peanut-butter-and-grape-jelly sandbuilding. They are the individuals who have failed.” wich and crumpled at the bottom of her backpack.

Three cheers for New York. And for the Lone Star “With the rigorous California Common Core StanState, too. dards for upper grades 4-8 in Language Arts, Math, “[O]ne of the crucial elements in the grassroots movement to roll back the tide of high-stakes testing Social Studies and Science,” read the letter, “no matstarted in Texas,” education historian and activist Diter how hard we try, it always seems that we’re behind ane Ravitch noted in a Feb. 12 post on her blog, “when around March/April… which means we have to forge school board after school board voted to oppose highahead at a faster pace. May is going to be a very busy stakes testing, and eventually more than 80% of the short month. We have a great deal of learning to do state’s school boards voted against high-stakes testbefore the State testing begins at the end of May.” ing. The legislature heard the voters, and pulled back Good thing they’re not cramming. Or teaching from a proposal to require 15 tests for high school to the test. graduation. This is how a movement grows.”

Funny, but I seem to recall President Obama sayWhole districts pushing back; school adminising something about this in one of his State of the trators denouncing a broken system; parents opting Union speeches. Hmmm. What was it that he said? their kids out. This is how a movement grows.

Oh, thanks, Internet! Now I remember: Opt out, people.

“Teachers matter. So instead of bashing them or defending the status quo, let’s offer schools a deal.

Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com Give them the resources to keep good teachers on and editor@sdcitybeat.com. the job and reward the best ones. And, in return,

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March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

by michael a. gardiner Michael A. Gardiner

local ingredients and culinary milieu.

Many of the best dishes at Mi Casa are starters. Bendana again shows her deft touch with savory pastries in a baked mushroom tartlet with caramelized onions and ricotta cheese, the onions serving to tie together the other ingredients.

Not quite as good was the tres chilies Caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, Serrano pesto and adobo baby mozzarella. It was an utterly gorgeous dish— maybe the best-looking Caprese salad I’ve seen. But as lovely as those baubles of heirloom tomatoes were, they didn’t taste quite as good. Colorful? Yes. But they were still February tomatoes.

No dish was better than the layered vegetable ratatouille with broccoli purée and tomato-pine-nut sauce. If you’ve seen the Disney movie Ratatouille, you Mi Casa’s baked wild salmon know this dish. It’s the one chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry created for the film, served to the restaurant critic. Bendana’s presentation might not have quite reached the precision of Keller’s (or Remy’s), but whose does?

Certainly, there’s no loss of precision whatsoever in the flavors and textures. This is not the homey ratatouille of a French child’s (or critic’s) memoMoroccan-Baja-Med ry. As you taste the bright vegetable flavors—with their firm, precise textures—they come together Geographically, Morocco is a long way from Mexas a single, unified whole. The broccoli purée and ico. It’s halfway around the world, on the edge of the tomato-pine-nut sauce give the dish a luxuriAfrica, with different religious and cultural tradious richness and add layers of flavor. tions. But Rosarito’s Mi Casa Supper Club (Av. Mi Casa’s main courses are not quite at the Estero 54) is working to bring Morocco closer. same level. A chicken-roulade dish was overly There are geographical similarities between dry, its gorgeous vegetable accompaniments Baja and Morocco—a Moroccan friend of mine overcooked. Conversely, the beef in the bourhas said that the coast north of Punta San Miguel guignon was undercooked and tough. But baked reminds her of Morocco’s Atlantic coast, where wild salmon with chermoula, preserved lemons, she grew up. And there’s also a surprising culigreen olives and a saffron-scented couscous was nary compatibility. perfectly executed, with exotic Moroccan flavors We assume that the “Med” in BajaMed is Euand textures bringing it to a different level. Safropean: France, Italy or Spain. Chef Bo Bendana fron-scented couscous made another appearance Sein, though, reminds us that Morocco is on the with slow-cooked lamb in a prune-based mole: a Mediterranean, too. Take, for example, her phyllo perfect melding of Moroccan and Mexican. The briwat with turmeric crab. Briwat are Moroccan pairing of mole with the lamb seemed angular at deep-fried and stuffed turnovers that are tradifirst, but the couscous rounded it out perfectly. tionally made with a phyllo-like pastry dough Mexico, it seems, may not be so far from Morocco after all. called warka. This was a classic Moroccan dish right up until Bendana chose to use incredibly Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com sweet local crab and pair it with jalapeño-citron and editor@sdcitybeat.com. sauce. It’s overtly Moroccan food adapted to the

the world

fare

12 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

by ian cheesman

beer &

chees

Kearny Mesa’s new energy source

Kilowatt Brewing represents the 99th brewery to be opened in San Diego. I’m not sure what that is in terms of geographic density, but it’s safe to say we’ve crossed the threshold of “a lot” of breweries. It’s a worthy illustration of our unquenchable demand for new craft beer, but I think I may have a better one: Every barstool in Kilowatt Brewing was spoken for within the first three minutes of its soft opening. This town manages to fill breweries before they’re even open.

Those unable to capture a seat at the main bar will still find themselves feeling welcome in the Kilowatt Brewing tasting room (kilowatt. beer, 7576 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. in Kearny Mesa). It’s bright and lively, an atmosphere summoned with loads of creative lighting (hop lamps!) and multiple bands of artwork across the brewery interior. It’s a vibe that co-founder and CEO Steve Kozyk will continue to cultivate by inviting new artists to display and create works of art in the brewery. “We hope to create a place where people will be stimulated by their surroundings and motivated to share ideas amongst each other,” he says.

Calling the space stimulating might actually be underselling it. For all its various ornamentations, nothing draws the eye quite like the

animated sweeps of LEDs illuminating the main bar. I know it sounds a bit distracting (and may well be a seizure waiting to happen), but it’s fun to experience a dash of Vegas with your pint.

As is typical for soft openings, the eight beers currently residing on the board are by no means staples. For that matter, Kozyk mentioned that they’re still refining their water’s mineral profile and the brews’ hop schedule, meaning the available offerings didn’t truly represent a finalized formulation. Since that potentially gives any tasting notes I’ve gathered a short shelf life, I’ll share some broad impressions instead.

On the positive side, I definitely believe Kozyk’s outlook on refining the beers is on point. Many of the pale offerings tended to be somewhat flabby, lacking the hoppy counterpoint needed to align with their styles. The Mango Pale Ale (4.5-percent ABV), however, actually did a wonderful job producing lush tropical fruit aromas while keeping a restrained sweetness in the flavor.

There were fewer dark beers to contend with, but they were likewise a mixed bag in their first incarnation. The Coconut Chai Porter (5.5-percent ABV) offered a creamy array of milk chocolate, cinnamon and chai spices that really delivered on its name, but the roasty character of the stout would do well to be rolled back a smidge.

While the first pass at Kilowatt Brewing’s beers somewhat underwhelmed, the brewery’s festive space and embrace of fanciful styles (Fruit Cocktail Pale Ale, anyone?) make it rich with potential. And that’s not even considering Ian Cheesman the added value of a karaoke lounge next door, which likely has a windfall coming courtesy of its new neighbor’s clientele. The tasting-room environment alone would make it a fun visual counterpoint on any brew tour, especially given some time to dial in the recipes. If you’re thirsty in Kearny Mesa (and, judging by the lines at Council Brewing, you are), it’s a spectacle worth beholding.

Write to ianc@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

by jenny montgomery Jenny montgomery

side, move on with your life.

There are plenty of combinations to choose from, but definitely start with the beef tri-tip. This is wellseasoned meat, fork-tender and incredibly savory. I ate it plain, occasionally dipping it into the classic sauce, which skews to the sweet side of the spectrum. Each plate comes with a chemically soft Hawaiian roll—possibly the best-worst thing in the world to eat—if you want to make a sandwich.

They offer up a couple of pulled varieties: pork and chicken. I dug the pork for When Pigs Fly’s spare ribs its thin, delicate shreds, with no lingering fat globs to pick through. The pile of pig is rich and moist and stands up quite nicely without needing a drop of sauce.

If you’re feeling a bit more Flintstonian, grab a plate of spareribs. The ribs are lean, but juicy and thick, with plenty of toothsome bites Fillin’ up of pork. A healthy coating of dry rub gives each bite of tender meat a peppery zing, a nice conUnless you’re a long-haul trucker, or someone trast to most barbecue places’ wet and sticky who hates her or his digestive system, you probcoating of sauce. Your hands will remain just ably don’t spend much time dining in a gas staslightly cleaner, but you’ll still have plenty of tion. But when you consider that nearly all of us tasty bits to lick off your fingers. have to fill up our cars on a regular basis, it was Not surprisingly, the meat is where When only a matter of time before some intrepid food Pigs Fly shines, with the classic barbecue sides entrepreneur took a chance on filling our bellies acting as perfectly acceptable filler. The beans with decent food while we pump. had great flavor and a building heat that warmed Tucked inside a shiny Chevron on a busy submy tongue nicely. But the mac-and-cheese was a urban corner of Vista is When Pigs Fly BBQ bit starchy for my taste and had a lingering fake (1211 E. Vista Way, whenpigsflybbqandcatering. smoke flavor that may have been an anomaly but com), and its owners hope you’ll back away from which I found off-putting. The smoked corn was the Slim Jims and tuck into some brisket. unique and spicy; I’m imagining it in the peak of These folks have been collecting ribbons on summer when corn is at its sweetest. the competitive barbecue circuit for years, and Although a restaurant in a gas station may last April they decided to open a storefront on sound odd at first, we’ve all been on road trips one side of the Chevron. It’s actually a perfect where a bite of less-than-appealing fast food setup: no tables or chairs, just a window for orcame along with filling the tank. Fortunately, betdering and one for pickups. When Pigs Fly also ter fare is available at When Pigs Fly BBQ, and does a mean catering business—check out the you don’t even have to cross the county line. autographed pic from former customers The Write to jennym@sdcitybeat.com Zac Brown Band. and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Ordering is easy: Choose a meat, choose a

north

fork

14 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

[T echnology ] no life

offline

by dave maass

WWWedding planning

Invitations: From the beginning, M. was mindful that e-cards carry a certain stigma in wedding culture; some see it as an affront to tradition. The visit to the paper store to inspect thickness and cursive styles has become a rite of passage. Still, we wanted to go digital, because it would keep the costs down, make it simpler to manage the guest list, be better for the environment and just be altogether easier.

M. chose Paperless Post (paperlesspost.com) because it had an elegant e-invite system but also because you can print fancy paper versions of the cards for the analog members of your family.

Paperless Post has a token-based payment system. You buy a bunch of “coins” that you then spend on special, premium design features. M. estimates we dropped about $40 to $50 in coins to customize our save-the-date and invitation emails.

The service was pretty successful for us: About 90 percent of our guests clicked through and RSVP’d. A few people needed nudging, but I imagine that happens with any invitation, whether they’re on paper or on the backs of $1,000 bills.

Registry: M. and I have a very small apartment and we don’t have room for knick-knacks or gadgets. But what we do need is a few big-ticket items, such as a new bed and help paying for our honeymoon (plus the exorbitant dog-sitting rates that would make a trip possible). So, M. began looking for a site that would allow for groupgifting, the wedding equivalent of crowdfunding.

Unless Bruce Schneier is your wedding planner, it doesn’t take long for the marketing analytics companies to figure out you’re getting married. It was actually pretty eerie: One moment M. was checking out blueprintregistry.com; the next moment I’m noticing a Facebook ad for zola.com, a competitor, and I emailed her the link.

Zola was exactly what M. was looking for: She added a few small houseware items, set up a hon-

Lindsey Voltoline

This summer, I’m getting married to the woman I was looking for all my life. She’s smart and talented and kind and gorgeous and, as I’m now realizing firsthand for the first time, extremely competent at getting complicated web projects done on time.

It’s true: Nothing so far that I’ve encountered on the Internet has been as bewildering and exhausting as wedding planning. Invitations? Registries? Our own wedding URL? Unlike other Do-It-Yourself projects, DIY wedding planning isn’t something you’re supposed to learn through repetition. You want to nail it on the first try. There’s no shortage of blog posts and magazine articles offering weddingplanning advice, and if that’s what you need, then you should Google around for that now. While I can’t offer you tips, I can add to the conversation what we did and how we did it.

I sat down and interviewed my fiancée—let’s call her M.—about the decisions we (mostly she) made when it came to the online aspects of our wedding:

eymoon fund and created an option for guests to pool their money for that new magic mattress.

She also liked that guests could give you experiences, such as cooking classes, instead of just material objects.

M. was happy with the design, especially since there was room for me to write witty descriptions for each of the items. Zola is “free,” because it makes money when you buy gifts through their vendors (but you can also add items from external stores). They also charge a 2.7 percent creditcard processing fee when guests donate to your honeymoon fund.

The wedding site: M. knew that we’d need a central hub for all the wedding information.

Initially, she set out to use Google Sites, but it became quickly apparent it would take considerable effort and time to put together a page that looked even half-attractive.

I listen to a dozen podcasts a week, so I’m constantly inundated with advertisements for Squarespace. But, you know, I love my podcasts, so I figured why not support them.

M. subscribed us for the rest of the year (less than $10 per month) and built an elegant site (with the default wedding template) in a matter of hours.

Then we locked it down with a password.

Now, M. basically did all the heavy lifting, but I was in charge of polishing the text, and that’s one thing I can say about all three sites: They made collaboration easy. I’ve heard it said that wedding-planning struggles can destroy marriages before they happen. But now that we’re on the other side of it, I’d say the experiences with these sites only made us closer.

Write to davem@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

the

SHORTlist

COORDINATED BY SETH COMBS

MALLORY LYNN

Barnes started her namesake contemporary dance company, infusing humor and interactivity into a scene that rarely had either. The Washington Post proclaimed her the “Tina Fey of dance,” and The New York Times once described one of her works this way: “Think of Buster Keaton in Vegas.”

Most recently, she toured with This American Life’s Ira Glass for a production called, appropriately, Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host.

For Happy Hour—which she’ll preview at White Box Live Arts in Liberty Station (2590 Truxtun Road, Suite 205) at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, through Thursday, March 26— Barnes and dance partner Anna Bass Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass perform a vaudeville-inspired romp where the two, dressed as men, take viewers on a karaoke-inspired journey through the history of Monica Bill Barnes describes her new the men’s cocktail hour. Think Mad Men-style marproduction, Happy Hour, as a “cocktail tini lunches and Rat Pack Vegas shows. The dances party dance show,” but it’s worth point- will be set to music by an eclectic selection of artists ing out that it also marks a bit of a homecoming for ranging from Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley to the acclaimed New York choreographer.

Nat King Cole and even Journey.

I actually studied philosophy at UCSD,” Barnes “Both Anna and I feel like this work is the most says. “While I was there, I got caught up in the fun we’ve ever had on stage, and we’ve had ridiculous dance-and-theater department. I’ve been so lucky fun on stage,” Barnes says. “Fun is the No. 1 priority with the professors that I’ve had there, and just the for me. We’ve done some workshop performances San Diego community in general.” and seen people just cringe. If we can accomplish After she moved to New York in the mid-’90s, making you cringe and almost look away and make you laugh and maybe feel something, I feel like our jobs are done for the day.” sandiegodancetheater.org

1

GET HAPPY!

2

DOWN SOUTH

With festival season upon us, the inaugural Latin American Art Festival comes to the NTC Arts & Culture District in Liberty Station from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22, a welcome relief from the inevitable crowds at Balboa Park. Showcasing the region’s best in cuisine, art and performance, the free event brings together experts such as artist Alfredo Zavala, whose thematic abstract paintings touch on the plight of wildlife, and chef Javier Plascencia of the soon-to-open Little Italy restaurant Bracero Cocina de Raiz. The festival’s slogan, “Let art represent your country,” is embodied by the event’s cultural program coordinator, Silfredo La O Vigo, who’ll paint to an Afro-Cuban beat as part of a performance. face book.com/latinamericanartfestival

3

JUNK IN YOUR TRUNK

Looking for something to spruce up the ol’ man cave? Or perhaps liven up your kitchen, living room or wardrobe? The roving Junk Bonanza, featuring dozens of venders hocking everything from artisan jewelry to antique furniture to homemade crafts, kicks off from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 20, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds (2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.) and runs through Sunday, March 22. Venders include Venice Beach-based Kismet, which imports artisan work from rural India, and San Diego’s Vintage Rabbit, which offers home decorations. Activities include a photo booth by Amigo Booth and a vintage wedding lab with celebrity wedding planner Jo Gartin. The cover is $10 a day, cash only. Children younger than 12 get in free. Parking is $10. junkbonanza.com KATHERINE HARRIS PHOTOGRAPHY

“El Penacho de Mocdezuma” by Yunuen Esparza

16 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

Some junk to put in your trunk

ART The Days of Roses and Wine at Exclusive Collections Galleries Seaport Village, 835 West Harbor Drive, Ste AB, Downtown. Artist Steven Quartly shows off new paintings of scenic tranquility. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 20. 800-599-7111, facebook.com/ events/1587475978131416 Going Native at O’Dunn Fine Art, 8325 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. New oil paintings by Vanessa Rusczyk of the flora native to the American West. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m.

Friday, March 20. ODunnFineArt.com HSPUN at Low Gallery, 1878 Main St., Barrio Logan. New pieces from Nashville artist Adrienne Outlaw, whose installation work addresses issues of individual choice, global consumption and how desire shapes society. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 20. lowgallerysd.com HIntervention at A Ship in the Woods, 1660 Lugano Lane, Del Mar. A group exhibition exploring ideas of art activism and social change in the 21st century with works from John Chwekun, Yoshie Sakai, Anna Zappoli and more. Includes music from Vern Rumsey, Pall Jenkins and Nothingful. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m.

Friday, March 20. $12. facebook.com/ events/1536166063337946 Keep it Fresh at Nomad Donuts, 4504 30th St., North Park. Co-curated by Thumbprint Gallery and local artist Andrew Alcasid, this show celebrates spring with fresh art (and donuts). Includes work by Kaylene Marie, Leo Angelo, Mark Mags and Sonia López-Chávez. From 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 20. thumbprintgallerysd.com Light and Sound at Dolphin and Hawk Fine Art Gallery, 7742 Herschel Ave., La Jolla. New works from local Francisco

Eme, whose art takes on many forms including music, film, photography, graphics and video installation. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 21. 858401-9549, dolphinandhawk.com HLatin American Art Festival at Liberty Station, Point Loma. Artists from Latin America will showcase and sell their works. There will also be a performingarts stage, Latin American cuisine and kid-friendly activities. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22. Free. 619-752-6118, face book.com/latinamericanartfestival The Structure of Water at L Street Fine Art, 628 L St., East Village. Last chance to see the abstract oil paintings of Anita Lewis, who incorporates classical and modern in a fusion of design. Closing reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 21.

619-231-6664, lstreetfineart.com Art. It’s Elemental at Gallery 21, 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park. An art show centered around the four elements and featuring work from the members of the Spanish Village Art Center. Opening from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21.

619-233-9050, gallery21art.com HRolling Thunders at La Bodega Studios and Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. New pop-surrealist street art from local artists Eye Gato, Buffalo and Beavster. There will also be live music by Sound Lupus. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, March 21. facebook.com/ events/926241064087757 Love, Sex and Sensuality at La Valencia Hotel, 1132 Prospect St., La Jolla.

Enjoy wine and nibbles while taking in new works from German figurative painter Cathrine Edlinger-Kunze. From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 21. 858-4540771, monarchfineart.com

Hthe spoils at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. An exhibit of new work by Carlos Castro Arias and J Noland, who use the neighborhood and grounds of Space 4 Art as their source material. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 21. 619-2697230, sdspace4art.org

and sign his new book, How to Travel the World on $50 a Day: Revised: Travel Cheaper, Longer, Smarter. At 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 18. 858-454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com

HClay Walker: Gone But Not Forgotten at Meyer Fine Art, Inc., 2400 Kettner Blvd., Ste. 104, Little Italy. A collection of paintings, sculptures, drawings, woodcuts and more from the late local artist. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 21.

619-358-9512, meyerfineartinc.com

Jon Morgan Woodward, John Carvalho and Nadia Sahari at Barnes & Noble Mira Mesa, 10775 Westview Pkwy., Mira Mesa. The authors of The Crisis of Our Time (Carvalho), Hidden Valley The Awakening (Woodward) and Break Away: The Road to Freedom (Sahari) will sign and discuss their works. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19. barnesandnoble.com

Art in Nature: Legacy of the Land at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Artists represent California’s rural, urban, ocean and park scenery as it was yesterday, is today and will be in the future. From 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 22. $8. 800-9884253, artcenter.org

Girls Gone SciFi at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. Five young-adult sci-fi/fantasy writers will sign and discuss their books: Jesssica Brody, Claudia Gray, Jessica Khoury, Melissa Landers and Debra Driza.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 20. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com

Murals of La Jolla Walking Tour at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. A walking tour led by project curator Lynda Forsha. View murals by Kim MacConnel, Ryan McGinness, Kelsey Brookes and Mark Bradford’s newest mural, “Sexy Cash.” At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. Free. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org

Lee Silber at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. Silber will sign and discuss his second novel, The Homeless Hero, about a former football player living on the beach who has a chance at redemption. At 4 p.m.

Saturday, March 21. mystgalaxy.com

BOOKS J.A. Jance at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. Jance will sign and discuss the latest in her Ali Reynolds series, Cold Betrayal. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Matt Kepnes at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The author known as ”Nomadic Matt” will discuss

Lesia Cartelli at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekend with Locals program, Cartelli will discuss and sign Citadel of Fire. At noon Sunday, March 22.

858-454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com HDennis Lehane at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling author of Mystic River, Gone Baby Gone and Shutter Island will sign his new novel, World Gone By, about a former crime boss trying to outrun his past. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. Book purchase required.

858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

COMEDY World Series of Comedy at Comedy Palace, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. The sixth annual comedy competition attracts comics from all over the U.S. and Canada. Comics who qualify will travel to Las Vegas for the main event in September. At 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. through Saturday, March 21. $20-$25.

858-573-9067, thecomedypalace.com

DANCE Nations of San Diego International Dance Festival at Spreckels Theater, 121 Broadway, Downtown. The 22nd annual fest features more than 250 dancers and musicians from cultures around the world.

At 8 p.m. Friday, March 20, 2 and 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 21, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 22. $20-$30. 619-235-9500, nationsdancefestival.com HA Midsummer Night’s Dream & Carnival of the Animals at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. San Diego Ballet will perform two ballets, one a classic and one an original. Special appearances from hip-hop crew Culture Shock San Diego, as well as puppet collective Animal Cracker Conspiracy. At 8 p.m. Friday, March 20, and 2:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 21. $28-$57. 619-2947378, sandiegoballet.org On the Spot at Malashock Dance Studio, 2650 Truxton Road, Suite 202, Point Loma. This performance will explore the creative process of choreographer John Malashock as he allows patrons to peek

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

into what it’s like to make a new dance from scratch. At 7 p.m. Sunday, March 22. Free. malashockdance.org HHappy Hour at White Box Live Arts, 2590 Truxtun Road, Studio 205, Point Loma. Acclaimed dancers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass mix dance, theater, humor and a card trick with the sounds of Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Journey and Nat King Cole. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, Wednesday, March 25, and Thursday, March 26. $20. 619-225-1803, sandiegodancetheater.org

FOOD & DRINK HBLVD Market at The Boulevard Center, 2855 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. A veritable food-fest of dishes prepared by up-and-coming chefs and food purveyors.

Stroll the outdoor eatery and enjoy beverages by a new guest bartender every third Friday. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, March 20. Free. 619-283-3608, theboulevard.org HVernal Equinox Beer and Wine Event at Krakatoa, 1128 25th St., Golden Hill. Celebrate the changing of the season with pairings from Julie Oakes, baker and treat maker at Krakatoa; Dennis Fassett of Epic Wines, Emily Norton from Venissimo Cheese and special guest Tammy Soto, former chef of Local Habit. At 6 p.m.

Friday, March 20. $22. 619-230-0272, vernalequinox2015.bpt.me Cultivating Conversation at Olivewood Gardens & Learning Center, 2505 N. Ave., National City. An intimate outdoor dinner, guided tour and thought-provoking discussion. Engage with local experts and enjoy authentic farm-to-table cuisine.

From 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 21. $75. 619-434-4281, cultivatingconversationowg.brownpapertickets.com

Craft Beer For Us, Water For People at The Greek Palace, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. Craft-brew tasters from Ballast Point, Stone, Karl Strauss and more, plus a Mediterranean buffet and live music. Benefits Water for People, a global nonprofit dedicated to bringing fresh water to all corners of the world. From 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, March 22. $16-$35.

858-573-0155, craft-beer-for-us-water-forpeople.eventbrite.com Whisky and Cheese Class at Venissimo @ Headquarters, 789 West Harbor Drive, Seaport Village. Cheese monger Robby G and San Diego’s own The Dirt on Whiskey will take you on a tour of six cheeses paired with whiskeys and bourbons. From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. $60.

619-358-9081, venissimo.com

MUSIC Visibility at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. A concert featuring the music of Helmut Lachenmann and Vinko Globokar. Lachenmann is known for his concrete treatment of sounds and the unique demands he makes upon the listener. At 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 19. $10-$25. 858-4545872, ljathenaeum.org HThe Art of Music: Susan Narucki at San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park.

Grammy Award winning soprano Susan Narucki and San Diego pianist and composer Stephen Lewis explore the astonishing range of expression of the 20th century. At 7 p.m. Thursday, March 19. $15-$20. 619-232-7931, sdmart.org New City Sinfonia at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., Hillcrest. The 40-member orchestra presents “Evening of Mozart,” the orchestra’s

first all-Mozart program. At 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 20. Free. 619-298-9978, newcitysinfonia.com San Diego Sings! Festival at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, Balboa Park. The annual festival brings together 20 of San Diego’s top choral groups in a free daylong concert. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Saturday, March 21. Free. choralcon sortiumofsandiego.org

ov, cello; Toni James, piano) will perform as part of the 2015 Winter/Spring Concert Series. At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 22.

Free. 619-236-5800, sandiegolibrary.org HCharlie Albright at The Auditorium at TSRI, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. The acclaimed pianist will play selections from Beethoven, Chopin and Mussorgsky. At 3 p.m. Sunday, March 22. $30. 858-784-2666, ljms.org

Zukerman Performs Beethoven at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman begins his two-week San Diego residency with this hybrid concert exploring the chamber and symphonic music of Beethoven. At 8 p.m. Saturday, March 21. $20-$96. 619-235-0804, san diegosymphony.com

HThe Zukerman Trio at The Auditorium at TSRI, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. Hear violinist and composer Pinchas Zukerman perform with his chamber ensemble as well as members of the San Diego Symphony. Program includes music of Beethoven and Brahms. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. $50. 858-7842666, sandiegosymphony.org

John McCutcheon at San Dieguito Methodist Church, 650 Second St., Encinitas.

The Grammy-nominated American folk balladeer will perform selections from the 31 albums in his catalog. At 7:30 p.m. Sat� urday, March 21. $22. sdfolkheritage.org

Art and Music of the Baroque: From Ecstasy to Enlightenment at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The second in a five-part art and music lecture / concert series given by art historian and violinist Victoria Martino, who’ll explore Italian music in the 17th century. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. $30. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org

HCoppice, Mathieu Ruhlmann, Joda Clement and A.F. Jones at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. A night of experimental, electronic and sonically adventurous music from American and Canadian music projects. At 7 p.m. Sunday, March 22. $10. 619-269-720, sdspace4art.org Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra at New Children’s Museum, 200 W. Island Ave., Downtown. Enjoy tunes from Mainly Mozart’s Youth Orchestra and an interactive musical petting zoo. At 2 p.m. Sun� day, March 22. Free-$12. 619-233-8792, thinkplaycreate.org HThe Neave Trio at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. The chamber music trio (Anna Williams, violin; Mikhail Vesel-

Classics for the Piano at University Community Library, 4155 Governor Drive, La Jolla. A rare treat from concert pianist Irina Bessanova, who’s performed extensively throughout Europe and the U.S. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. Free.

858-552-1655, sandiegolibrary.org

OUTDOORS Grunion Run at Birch Aquarium, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. Observe hundreds of small silver fish ride the waves onto La Jolla beaches to spawn. Includes DAREN SCOTT

THEATER Oedipus El Rey is not for Mother’s Day Luis Alfaro’s Oedipus El Rey takes the Greek tragedian Sophocles’ Oedipus the King (also known as Oedipus Rex) and reimagines it as a modern-day story in a Los Angeles barrio.

The play, which began life at the Magic Theatre in San Francisco five years ago, is now on stage at the Lyceum Theatre in an incendiary production directed by San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Sam Woodhouse. In terms of tone and pacing, it’s uneven, but the events of Oedipus El Rey, as in Sophocles’ classic work, are devastating.

In both plays, a young king (in the Rep production, he’s portrayed by Lakin Valdez, seen last year in El Henry, the memorable site-specific collaboration with La Jolla Playhouse), is doomed to murder his father, then marry his mother. As even most high-school scholars know, the impulsive Oedipus ends up literally blinded by the unspeakable truth.

This is a tale that’s nearly 2,500 years old.

Neither time nor the critical dissections of academics or Sigmund Freud has made it any less disturbing. The transfer of Oedipus’ saga from ancient Greece to South Central L.A. doesn’t dilute the foundation of the tragedy, though the intended infusion of street-gang energy isn’t consistent.

Oedipus El Rey’s prison scenes at the beginning of the play set a propulsive mood— fierce, unpredictable and often funny—that re-emerges whenever the inmate characters return to the stage. But once Oedipus meets

18 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

Jocasta (Mónica Sánchez) and almost immediately beds her, melodrama washes over much of the high spirit. Theatergoers may not notice that, however: The nudity and lovemaking are frank and sensual, as they should be. The audience knows it’s incest even if the characters don’t, and the significance of that can’t be minimized or PG-13’d.

Valdez is macho and properly agonized as Oedipus, while Sánchez oozes a haunted sexuality as Jocasta. In the lesser but critical role of the prophet Tiresias, Matt Orduña stands out even when he’s only walking silently across the stage with his blind man’s cane.

At times a hybrid of histrionics and barrio machismo, Oedipus El Rey is possibly overambitious. But it’s a well-intentioned attempt to make relevant, and add some meanstreets blood and thunder to, a story written in—wow—430 B.C. It runs through March 29 at the Lyceum Theatre at Horton Plaza, Downtown. $31$75. sdrep.org

—David L. Coddon Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING Heart of a Lion: A staged reading of a new play about a widower and his friend, a talking lion puppet, who try to unite three people who need love. It happens at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, at Moxie Theatre in Rolando.

a presentation by Birch Aquarium scientists. From 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Sun� day, March 22. $12.50-$17. 858-534FISH, aquarium.ucsd.edu

PERFORMANCE HOpera on the Concourse at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. Artists from the current opera (Nixon in China) along with Opera Exposed/University Partners artists present a lunchtime recital of songs and opera favorites at the concourse in front of the Civic Theatre. At noon Thursday, March 19. Free. sdopera.com HNixon in China at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. John Adams’ modern masterpiece, tells of President Nixon’s historic trip in 1972 that normalized relations between the U.S. and China. At 7 p.m. Saturday, March 14, Tuesday, March 17, and Friday, March 20, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 22. $45-$230. sdopera.com VaVa Voom! at The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park. A burlesque show that brings together dancing showgirls, fire dancers, acrobats, circus performers and more.

From 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 21. $20. 858-344-2774, unityhoops.com That’s BS Cabaret at Hennessey’s of La Jolla, 7811 Herschel Ave., La Jolla. A new cabaret show that follows Bryan Stanton (BS) as he pursues happiness, sanity and a musical career. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25. $10-$15. 619-993-6924, bryanstanton-productions.ticketleap.com/thats-bs

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HLong Story Short: No Car? No Prob� lem at Evolution Fast Food, 2965 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Share stories, or just listen to others’, about the ups and downs of taking mass transit at So Say We All’s monthly improv storytelling show. From 7 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 21. $5 suggested donation. 619-550-1818, sosayweallonline.com HJoseph Fasano at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The New-York based poet will be reading from his new collection Inheritance. At 7 p.m. Satur� day, March 21. Free. dgwillsbooks.com

Lakin Valdez and Mónica Sánchez (center) Reserve tickets at admin.consensus@mail.sdsu.edu.

My Children, My Africa: A staged reading of a play in which a star student and his caring teacher are at odds over how to affect political change in South Africa. Presented by Intrepid Shakespeare Company, it happens on March 23 at the Encinitas Library. intrepid shakespeare.com Rhinoceros: In playwright Eugene Ionesco’s Theater of the Absurd work, a post-World War II comment on conformity, the inhabitants of a French town transform into rhinoceroses one by one. Opens March 20 at Patio Playhouse in Escondido. patioplayhouse.com Sunset Park: A widow’s Brooklyn apartment building is going co-op, and her adult children sow conflict when they see an opportunity to profit. Presented by Scripps Ranch Theatre, it opens March 21 at Legler Benbough Theatre in Scripps Ranch. scrippsranchtheatre.org The White Snake: A play based on a Chinese fable about a snake that turns into a woman, falls in love and runs afoul of a mean ol’ monk. Opens March 21 at The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org

For full listings,

please visit “T heater ” at sdcit ybeat.com

HElmaz Abinader at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The poet, memoirist, playwright and novelist will read from her new collection of poetry, This House, My Bones. At 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 25. Free. 858-4561800, dgwillsbooks.com

SPECIAL EVENTS San Diego Festival of Science & En� ��� gineering The seventh annual fest features a week of interactive demonstrations, activities and speakers to engage kids and families. See website for schedule and locations. Through Saturday, March 21. Free. 858-455-0300 ext. 131, sdsciencefestival.com HHillcrest Egyptian Bazaar & Movie Night at The Lot, 3811 Park Blvd., Hillcrest. Peruse one-of-a-kind crafts at this Egyptian-style bazaar. Bring a blanket for a screening of The Wizard of Oz on the pop up movie screen. From 8 to 10 p.m.

Friday, March 20. fabuloushillcrest.com HBankers Hill Art and Craft Beer Fest at The Abbey, 2825 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest.

Sample local craft brews and dishes from Bankers Hill restaurants while taking in art installations. At 5 p.m. Friday, March 20. $25-$35. brownpapertickets.com/ event/1171526 The Spring Thing: Heavy Metals at

MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. MCASD’s fundraiser includes an “Artful Dining” experience featuring cocktails and dinner from Chef Andrew Spurgin and an after-party with music by DJs Adam Salter and Steve French, as well as a Mixology Lounge. From 7 p.m. to midnight. Friday, March 20. $75-$175. mcasd.org/events/spring-thing-0 HJunk Bonanza at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. This giant market specializes in vintage finds, antiques, architectural salvage and repurposed goods. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Friday, March 20, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat� urday, March 21, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, March 22. $10-$25. 858-7551161, junkbonanza.com Manos Zapotecas Trunk Show and Craft Demo at Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park. A two-day trunk show with Manos Zapotecas, a local company working with artisans in Oaxaca. There will be live weaving and woodcarving demos, folk art, wool handbags, pillows and rugs. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21.

619-239-0003, mingei.org Healthy Living Festival at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Attendees can choose from more than 30 lectures and workshops, as well as cooking demos, medical testing, yoga, zumba or qigong classes and more. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 22. Free. healthylivingfestival.com Feeding the Soul Foundation’s Five Year Festival at Goat Hill Park, 2323 Goat Hill Drive, Oceanside. Feeding the Soul celebrates its fifth anniversary with a night of music, food and giving back. Includes performances by Bushwalla, Cody

Lovaas and Barnwell Shift, and proceeds benefit Kainga Music. From 3 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 21. 15-$25. 760-4338590, feedingthesoulfoundation.org San Diego Festival of Science & En� ��� gineering at Petco Park, Park & Imperial, Downtown. The seventh annual expo features interactive demonstrations, handson activities and speakers to engage kids, families and teachers in science and engineering. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat� urday, March 21. Free. lovestemsd.org HSouth Park Spring Walkabout at 30th & Juniper, South Park. The quarterly festival’s meant to introduce folks to the shops and cafes of the hip and historic ‘hood.

Shops are open late, with entertainment, specials and surprises. From 6 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, March 21. SouthParkSD.com The Art of Rugby Sevens at SILO in Makers Quarter, 753 15th St., East Village.

Meet the Olympic-bound women’s rugby sevens team, who’ll demonstrate rugby basics. Then learn how to throw and catch, create art inspired by the sport and enjoy food (for purchase). From 1 to 4 p.m. Sat� urday, March 21. Free. 619-840-6858, facebook.com/events/1657566931138137 HMakers Arcade Spring Fair at North Park Post Office Space, 3077 North Park Way, North Park. The locally curated arts and crafts market will feature more than 50 vendors showcasing everything from jewelry and ceramics to clothing and home wares. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 21. $2. makersarcade.com FLEX IT! Video and Performance Fes� tival at Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park.

The family-friendly event will encourage healthy lifestyle choices and feature events like capture the flag, badminton,

bread making and more. From 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 21. Free. 619527-6161, sandiego-art.org Monarch Butterfly Love Festival at Butterfly Farms, 3012 Oleander Ave., Vista. Come see butterflies up close in a freeflight house and help paint a massive butterfly wall mural. Includes live music, food trucks, education, art and more. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and Sunday, March 22. butterflyfarms.org UC San Diego Bus Tour at UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Take a scenic ride across campus with stops at landmarks including the Theatre District, Rady School of Management, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Qualcomm Institute and east campus medical facilities. From 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 22. Free. 858-5344414, ucpa.ucsd.edu/resources/tours King of Ping This fundraiser for Jefferson and McKinley elementary schools will feature live music, food, beer and a pingpong tournament. Takes place at Thorn St. Brewery, Ripe Market and Grande Ole Barbeque in North Park (at Thorn and 32nd streets). At 11 a.m. Sunday, March 22. 619-297-2056, kingofpingsd.com

SPORTS Renegade Roller Derby at Skate San Diego, 700 East 24th St., National City.

Another season of roller derby begins with the Renegades taking on the Outlaw Renegades. At 6:45 p.m. Saturday, March 21. $5-$13. 619-474-1000, face book.com/events/1559947970930532 LPGA Kia Classic at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, 7100 Aviara Resort Drive, Carlsbad. Hundreds of the best women golfers such as Michelle Wie, Anna Nordqvist

and Paula Creamer compete in the sixth annual tourney. Monday, March 23, to Sunday, March 29. Various times. $10$80. kiaclassic.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Jacob Goldberg at David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. The former s�������������������� enior adviser �������������� to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will discuss everything from Middle East chaos to Islamism, the upcoming elections in Israel and more. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 18. $16.50. sdcjc.org Citizens Climate Lobby: The Carbon Fee & Dividend Solution at World Resources Simulation Center, 1088 Third Ave., Downtown. CCL Executive Director Mark Reynolds will discuss how the CCL is advocating for clear and simple economic incentives to reduce carbon emissions. From 5:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 18. $10. 619-865-5904, wrsc.org HA Medical Forensic Exploration of Dolls at Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park. Dr. Steve Eilenberg, a radiologist and artist, discusses using x-ray and CAT-scan equipment to reveal new information on dolls featured in Mingei’s exhibition, Black Dolls. From 6 to 8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 18. $12. mingei.org Food Stories of India at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Culinary Historians of San Diego host lecturer and travel writer Prem Kishore, who’ll discuss the food traditions and rituals she recalls from the kitchens of her Indian mother and grandmother. From 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21. Free. 858-3498211, CHSanDiego.com

Women in Film at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, Point Loma. Filmmakers, educators and women activists discuss the role of women in film, challenges and success stories based on their own experiences. At 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21.

Free. womensmuseumca.org HRob Quigley at NewSchool of Architecture & Design, 1249 F St., Downtown.

The local architect discusses “Post-Modernism: Everyone Visits San Diego Eventually” as part of the California-Panama Exposition Centennial Lectures. At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 21. $5 suggested donation. friendsofsdarch.com What Does a Climate Scientist Think We Should Do About Climate Change? at World Resources Simulation Center, 1088 Third Ave., Downtown. Renowned climate scientist Dr. Richard Somerville will share his perspective. From 6 to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, March 24. $15. wrsc.org Conversations on Beauty at Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park. A panel discussion on San Diego’s past and how a grand achievement like Balboa Park can inspire our future. From 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 24. $10. mingei.org Cindy Greatrex at La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. San Diego is one of three U.S. cities that have full U.N. powers. Find out what this means with the vice president of U.N. SD. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 24. $5-$10 suggested donation. ljcommunitycenter.org

For full listings,

please visit “E vents” at sdcit yb eat.com

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Seen Local

Michael James Armstrong

Tom Driscoll is a conehead One could easily feel intimidated looking at Tom Driscoll’s eerily misleading cones. Whether they’re placed tidily on the floor or hung carefully on the wall— as they will be when his new solo show opens from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at Ice Gallery in Bread & Salt (1955 Julian Ave. in Logan Heights)—the concrete pieces have the look of something weaponized: smooth and perfect in form, but dangerous nonetheless.

“It almost kind of looks like an arsenal, doesn’t it,” Driscoll jokes as he looks over the assembled pieces, most of which were made using discarded molds from a military base. “It all started around ’96. I worked 23 years at this research lab in Point Loma right when you go into the submarine base. I had access to all this thrown-away stuff that I ended up using for my art.”

Indeed, one man’s trash became Driscoll’s treasure. His coworkers and neighbors embraced the dumpster diving, knowing that he was using the military relics to create conceptual sculptures.

A couple of the pieces in the show aren’t actually sculptures at all, but rather two of the original molds that Driscoll used to make the cones. He’s reluctant to throw things away and, as such, has become a prolific artist, if not a bit of a hoarder. His studio is piled with things he’ll eventually use in his pieces, as well as completed works, which vary from corkscrew-shaped sculptures made from plastic soda bottles to molded pieces that include debris from his dumpster diving.

The cone show represents the closest thing Driscoll’s had to a mid-career survey of his work,

Tom Driscoll at Ice Gallery even if the show’s focus is solely on the cones.

There are also pieces that Driscoll calls “hemispheres,” indented half-spheres that he’s fashioned into speakers for past installations. Ice Gallery previously showcased some of his foam work in 2012 at the gallery’s old location in North Park. Ice curator Michael James Armstrong has developed a particular fondness for Driscoll, helping the artist clean out his studio and even building him a website (tomdriscoll.net) to show off his work. For now, the new show at Ice Gallery could serve as a fantastic introduction to an artist who’s been under the radar for too long.

“This is just one tiny phase that Tom went through.

There’s a ton of sculptural work that’s totally different,” Armstrong says. “Locally, he has a nice following, but I know there’s a gallery somewhere not in San Diego that would fall in love with his work.”

—Seth Combs Carly Ealey

Getting crafty Folks who’ve wandered into Bottlecraft’s Little Italy location at 2252 India St. may have noticed Dolan Stearns’ peculiar “Ghost Painting” hanging above the myriad beer bottles on the shelves. And another piece, “Multiface Design 1 & 2,” by wire artist Spenser Little was recently added near the entrance of the craft-beer store. But neither of the pieces was exactly hand-selected by Bottlecraft. Rather, they’re part of a monthly collaboration with Cohort Collective (cohortcollective.com), a contingent of artists loosely based out of SILO in Makers Quarter in East Village.

“We were already doing art shows together, and you end up hanging out after the show talking about: ‘We should do this or that,’ so we decided to start our own collective,” says Cohort member Carly Ealey.

Other artists in the collective who’ll have work at Bottlecraft include Christopher Konecki, Exist1981, Neko and Joey Vaiasuso, each of whom will either create or install a new piece, depending on that artist’s medium, when one of the other’s work comes down. It will culminate with a group show at Bottlecraft in August; before then, Cohort will hold a group show at SILO in May that will include the Cohort gang, as well as a few dozen other artists outside of the collective.

“We want to put up the best local lineup that we can,” says Konecki, who previously curated the giant Parachute Factory pop-up exhibition in 2013.

20 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

Spenser Little installs his piece at Bottlecraft “Then the idea is to eventually have a small gallery space and infuse that with a lot for live paintings— basically, just do as much cool shit as we can.”

—Seth Combs Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com

Bleeding heart Sean Penn’s liberal activism takes a violent turn

by Glenn Heath Jr. Sean Penn tries to do his best Liam Neeson impression in The Gunman, a bloody and self-serious action saga about an aging military contractor turned NGO worker being hunted by one of his former employers. The film is even directed by Pierre Morel, whose Taken initiated a new sub-genre of lean B-movies centered on the brooding Neeson-archetype wreaking havoc all over Europe and Africa.

Unfortunately, The Gunman contains none of the pulpy energy and playful kinetics often found Sean Penn in Neeson’s best work with Jaume Collet-Serra and Joe Carnahan. liberating. One extended sequence in which a bunch Much of this can be attributed to the sluggish is- of trained assassins lays siege to a Spanish country sue-based plot bluntly critiquing everything from cor- villa housing Jim and Annie is consistently propulruption to the colonialism that begins in the Congo sive. The violence is sudden and shocking, making and eventually spills over to London, Barcelona and more of a political statement than any of the leftGibraltar. Penn’s veteran killer, Jim Terrier, assassi- leaning, sanctimonious dialogue does. nates a progressive Congolese government official in With this motif in mind, it’s fitting that The Gunorder to protect his clandestine security firm and its man concludes within the cavernous confines of a vested interests in multiple mining corporations prof- bull-fighting coliseum. Here, Morel and Penn take iting from civil war. Forced to leave the country and the carnage to another level, even using the raging end his relationship with a noble doctor named Annie instinct of a horned animal to dispatch a key villain.

(Jasmine Trinca), Jim decides to retire from the mur- All of this reactionary violence feels necessary to the der game and start anew as a bornquickly paced chase scenes that again activist. Eight years later, his hold a nervous energy, but it stands The Gunman past comes to collect. in direct contrast to Jim and AnDirected by Pierre Morel Nods to political and social innie’s incessant proselytizing about Starring Sean Penn, Javier justice pop up as Jim investigates humanitarianism and equal rights.

Bardem, Jasmine Trinca why he’s suddenly marked for Overall, this makes The Gunman, death. One of his old war buddies, which opens Friday, March 20, a and Ray Winstone a man named Cox (Mark Rylance) sort of cinematic Frankenstein, Rated R working in London as the head of a part bare-knuckle bruiser and part massive security outfit, spells it out: bleeding-heart liberal. This cock“I went from killer to cashier.” Money drives almost tail of diverging tones always feels contradictory. every plot point in The Gunman, a fact that produc- Penn’s strained performance doesn’t help; he’s often es a rather low-stakes game of ideological chicken, saved by sharing the screen with smooth operators clearly dividing Jim’s violent righteousness and the played by Ray Winstone and Idris Elba, who at least shady dealings of his former compatriots. This rings look like they’re having a good time working within especially false while he’s matching eerily forced this universe. lines of dialogue with his former boss, Felix (Javier Morel’s film ends tritely and conventionally deBardem), a drunken fool who initiated Jim’s exile so spite its desire to be something profound. With a title many years before simply to get his girl. like The Gunman, one might expect a Spartan genre In a blatant attempt to increase uncertainty and throwback in the vein of Budd Boetticher’s westerns tension, the script (adapted by from a novel by Jean- or Sam Fuller’s war films. No dice. Penn and Morel’s Patrick Manchette) contains a sub-plot involving wooden effort crams multiple credos about the imJim’s post-concussion syndrome thanks to his many portance of peace down the throat of a story that’s years around loud booms. Conveniently, he gets more interested in the visceral imagery made from stinging headaches at the most inopportune times, gaping war wounds. Talk about mixed messages. usually when a bad guy stands over him with a gun.

When Morel is freed from this silly convention and Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com allowed to shoot action freely, the results are often and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

The spin doctors

Merchants of Doubt

“I’m not a scientist, but I occasionally play one on television.” Marc Morano, executive director of ClimateDebot.com, chuckles to himself after making this statement during a key interview with the filmmakers of Merchants of Doubt. It’s a bold and gregarious confession by one of America’s most suc-

cessful professional “skeptics,” lobbyists posing as experts who are paid by corporations to debunk environmental concerns like global warming through shock-and-awe sensationalism.

Robert Kenner’s new film examines the role of these skeptics in helping shape the national narrative and shift public per-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22 March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

ception about the addictiveness of tobacco, financial malfeasance on Wall Street and Big Oil. These spin doctors offer a simplistic and accessible retort to the scientific facts presented by the actual specialists in these respective fields.

Merchants of Doubt uses talking-heads interviews, flashy graphics and b-roll footage to tell the long-gestating story of these skeptics and their influence on recent American history. As a result, it’s not that stylistically inventive, instead leaning heavily on the allure of the sometimes nefarious subject matter. One section of the film looks at the disturbing history of the unnecessary use of cancer-

Opening Merchants of Doubt: Robert Kenner’s documentary about pundits-for-hire tells an unspeakable truth about corporate malfeasance in America today. See our review on Page 21.

ous flame retardants in couches to reduce fires caused by cigarettes.

Kenner presents the isolation and alienation of hard-working scientists as an American tragedy, one that’s as disappointing as it is absurd. Merchants of Doubt, which opens Friday, March 20, toes the line between being a blatant critique and an entertainingly dark history lesson. Still, it seems like the film could be just a prologue to a much deeper examination of America’s pervasive desire to always deflect the boring truth of our imminent demise through show-business theatrics.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

Ken Cinema.

Maestra: Catherine Murphy’s pivotal documentary examines the story behind Cuba’s push to create a literate country in the early 1960s. Screens at 5 p.m. Sunday, March 22, at the Women’s Museum of California in Point Loma’s Liberty Station.

Gabrielle: A sickly musician attempts to see the world anew after meeting a new love. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 23, at the San Diego Central Library in East Village.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent The Divergent Series: Insurgent: Super-revolutionary Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) confronts the powerful alliance that threatens to tear her society apart.

The Gunman: Sean Penn plays a former special-forces soldier who must clear his name after his old compatriots try to frame him. See our review on Page 21.

The Wrecking Crew: This documentary tells the story of The Wrecking Crew, a group of studio musicians who helped revolutionize the West Coast sound and win multiple Grammy awards in the 1960s and ’70s. Screens through Thursday, March 26, at the Ken Cinema.

One Time Only Drake’s Homecoming: The Lost Footage: This concert documentary depicting a pivotal 2009 performance by the Toronto-based rap star was thought to be lost. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at various theaters. Visit fathomevents.com.

La Cose Belle (Beautiful Things): A documentary that was shot over the course of 13 years and follows four young subjects growing up in Southern Italy.

Screens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.

This is Where I Leave You: Jason Bateman and Tina Fey, leading an all-star cast, play members of a family thrust together in the wake of the father’s death. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Tim Curry’s sci-fi madman dresses up in drag and decides to torture newlyweds whose car has broken down in the rain. Screens at 11:55 p.m Saturday, March 21, at the

22 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

Rosewater: An Iranian-Canadian journalist (Gael Garcia Bernal) attempts to survive a prison sentence after he’s detained while covering Iran’s corrupt elections.

Screens at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 24, at the Point Loma / Hervey Branch Library.

Calvary: Brendan Gleeson plays a Catholic priest who gets a death threat from one of his constituents and decides to spend the last week of his life finding out who in his community hates him that much.

Screens at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at the Mission Valley Library.

The Matrix: As Neo (Keanu Reeves) would say, “Whoa.” Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, at Arclight La Jolla.

Garden State: Zach Braff created the hipster aesthetic with this whiny, entitled, ironic comedy about a young man searching for meaning. Screens at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 25, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Now Playing ’71: During a violent battle in the middle of Belfast, an English solider is left behind to fend for himself against a hostile community.

ian overlords.

The Salvation: Starring Mads Mikkelsen as a Danish immigrant seeking revenge for the death of his family, this western set in the 1870s echoes the work of Leone and Eastwood.

The Second Best Marigold Hotel: The long-awaited, much-anticipated sequel to the movie you never thought would get a sequel, this time sporting the charms of Richard Gere.

Timbuktu: This Oscar-nominated drama

by Abderrahmane Sissako depicts the oppression of a Malian town under siege

by Islamic militants.

Unfinished Business: Three hard-working business associates travel to Europe, hoping to close a massive deal, only to get sidetracked by numerous distractions involving booze and women.

Focus: Will Smith and Margot Robbie talk wise and look sexy as grifters embarking on one last con job. It’s directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (I Love You Phillip Morris).

Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem: A distraught Israeli woman spends years in a rabbinical court trying to obtain a divorce from her well-respected husband.

The Lazarus Effect: Olivia Wilde stars in this thriller about a team of medical students who discover a way to bring back the dead. From the looks of the creepy trailer, this was not the best idea.

Leviathan: A land dispute in a rural Russian town escalates quickly, leaving a family in ruin and reinforcing the corruption wielded by government and religious institutions. Director Andrei Zvyagintsev updates The Book of Job with striking force.

Red Army: Documentary about the Soviet Union’s famed Red Army hockey team, as seen through the eyes of the squad’s leader.

Hot Tub Time Machine 2: In order to save a friend who’s been shot, the Hot Tub gang jumps back into the time machine and begins messing with the past.

McFarland, U.S.A.: Kevin Costner stars as a cross-country coach in a small California town who takes a team of Latino athletes and transforms them into championship contenders. Disney strikes again.

The Duff: Bianca (Mae Whitman), a teenager who’s been labeled unattractive by her more popular friends, decides to lead a social revolution that will undermine the pecking order at her high school.

The Last Five Years: Richard LaGravenese adapts the famous musical about a struggling actress (Anna Kendrick) and her novelist lover (Jeremy Jordan) who experience the highs and lows of a volatile relationship.

Ballet 422: Jody Lee Lipes’ documentary goes backstage at New York City Ballet to watch the process of an exciting new choreographer named Justin Peck.

What We Do in the Shadows: Four vampires living in modern-day New Zealand struggle to find happiness and friendship in Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s hilarious mockumentary.

Cinderella: Kenneth Branagh’s lavish liveaction retelling of the classic fairy tale stars Lily James as the servant stepdaughter who wins the heart of a dashing prince.

Fifty Shades of Grey: The perfect Valentine’s Day present for your masochistic significant other.

Deli Man: Hungry? This delicious-looking documentary takes a look at the history of delicatessens in New York City and the United States at large.

Kingsman: The Secret Service: Colin Firth leads a team of British secret agents against a maniacal bad guy played by Samuel L. Jackson.

Run All Night: A former hit man (Liam Neeson) must go back to his old ways to save his son from a mafia boss out who’s for revenge.

For a complete listing

Chappie: Neill Blomkamp (District 9) directs this sci-fi film about a police robot who’s reprogrammed to think and feel for himself, drawing the wrath of his totalitar-

sdcit yb eat.com under

of movies, please see “F ilm S creenings” at the “E vents” tab.

Erin stevenson o’connor

Hitting the books The ins and outs of putting on live shows in San Diego

by Jeff Terich

In

the 1990s, San Diego’s live-music scene had a kind of Big Bang moment, growing from a sleepy seaside town into a scene that Spin magazine called “the next Seattle.” Since then, a lot of the bands that prompted that description have gone (or returned, in the case of Rocket from the Crypt and Drive Like Jehu), but the scene has slowly expanded in other ways. In the late ’80s, only a few clubs were hosting regular live music, including The Casbah, The Spirit Club and Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach. Today, there are more than five-dozen clubs in the city, many of which host live bands—both local and out-of-town—every night.

Bringing those out-of-town bands to San Diego is a fairly structured process. It usually begins with a booking agent, who’ll ask the venue to hold a series of dates for their band, after which point the venue is expected to make an offer for how much the band will get paid. But before any of that is finalized, bookers like Soda Bar’s Cory Stier will do research on the bands he’s considering—including looking up Last.fm and Spotify streams, Facebook likes and live history.

“I field everything that’s coming to me,” Stier says. “We get a lot of inquiries, so I look for acts that I know, or have a feeling, will pack the place.”

Getting to the point where you can predict what band will sell out a 200-capacity club like Soda Bar takes some time. Tim Mays, owner of The Casbah, who’s been booking shows in San Diego since the 1980s, says he likes to bring bands to San Diego early in their careers and then continue to help build their audience here to a point where they’re able to sell out the club and eventually move to bigger venues, the booking of which often happens in conjunction with

The Casbah. He offers an example of what happens when that practice is successful.

“Spoon played here in the ’90s to 30 or 40 people,” he says. “And now their show at the Observatory sold out in a day.”

In some ways, there are advantages to booking bands early in their careers. Because they’re still hungry for exposure, they’re more likely to want to hit up as many cities as they can, while some acts might not make it to San Diego on a tour.

Mario Orduno, who books shows for The Hideout—and got his start putting on house shows as a teenager—likes to seek out upand-coming bands, both because they want to come to San Diego and because he often books bands that interest him personally.

“Basically, I have to know I want to see all the bands,” Orduno says. “I want to be exposed to bands.”

Not every band that plays in San Diego will return every time, however. Certain external factors sometimes get in the way. Occasionally, a nearby festival like Coachella will have bands sign a contract with a “radius clause,” which stipulates that bands can’t play or promote nearby shows within a certain amount of time. Likewise, when some bands play Los Angeles, they’ll keep the next evening open for media appearances, like performances on late-night TV, instead of heading south to play here.

Then again, sometimes a band just plays a show to an empty room, and when that happens, they’ll occasionally tell another band that playing in San Diego might not be worth their time.

“When bands have bad shows, they talk about it with other bands,” Orduno says.

“It’s a bummer, but it happens.”

Stier adds that San Diego can be an “elusive market,” because the music scene is small in proportion to the city. Because most people have regular jobs and have

Venues like Soda Bar in City Heights book bands based on how likely they are to sell out. to be up early in the morning, he says it’s important to consider booking bands that have a wider appeal—bands that might bring in the person who’s not already out in clubs every night.

“You have to think of it like that person,” he adds. “You can’t just count on the kids that are in the know.”

Booking local bands can be equally important for venues in San Diego, because they often have built-in followings and can bring more people to shows. So, Mays says he likes to put local bands on bills as openers instead of touring support acts, noting that the money is better spent on a band with a local draw.

But the bookers stress that local bands still have to put in work. Stier says the music should come first, but it’s almost as important to have a good name, a proper website and some money saved up for a decent demo recording. Mays adds that simply playing at The Casbah isn’t enough to bring people to the club.

“We promote, but you have to promote, too,” he says. “You have to get people to come see you. Find like-minded bands.

Bring friends. And don’t book shows locally three times a week.”

Booking live music is a business, and with any business, there’s risk. The bottom line for Mays, Orduno and Stier—and every other booker in town—is to minimize that risk as much as possible. But because booking music involves being a fan in the first place, that sometimes means disappointment when it doesn’t work out.

“The biggest bummer is when there’s a band I really like and show presales are low and turnout is not really good,” Stier says. On the other hand, it’s just as encouraging to see an up-and-coming band gain momentum.

“It’s exciting to watch bands rise,” he adds. “It’s totally fun.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

Local Music Issue

Geek squad Hot Nerds is the sound of survival and the enjoyment of life—you’ll probably hate it

by Seth Combs

Mike Blabac

“Hardcore mariachi music.”

“The type of music you’d play at the circus to get people to leave—or when the lions turn on the tamers.”

“An autistic kid’s worst nightmare or wet dream. Probably both.”

T

From left: Alia Jyawook, Nathan Joyner and Thomas O’Connell

24 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

“Every sound is calculated to some extent,” Joyner says.

“Tommy knows where every drum hit goes. There’s no point in any of our songs where we’re like, ‘This is the part where we spaz out.’”

The album is about as short as short gets, featuring 10 tracks in a span of 16 minutes. Given the rate at which most punk bands release material these days, the release seems belated, considering the core unit (Jyawook and Joyner) has been together for more than three years (O’Connell came aboard in 2013). Talking with them, I quickly realize that the album—like the band itself—has been a labor of love and that, for Joyner especially, they’re lucky to be playing together at all.

The details are pretty brutal. Walking home from his bartending job one night in September 2012, Joyner was struck by a car. The list of injuries he sustained is lengthy and cringeworthy: brain bleeding, torn ligaments and broken bones.

“He woke up after a week of being in a coma and was like, ‘What happened to me last night?” recalls Jyawook, “and I looked at him and said, ‘Girl, it’s been a week.’ For a couple weeks, he was just rolling around like an animal.”

Joyner’s right elbow and tibia had to be replaced with metal, and he had to do extensive physical therapy just to walk again. After a month in the hospital, Jyawook, Joyner’s girlfriend and music partner, helped nurse him back to health. Joyner says he still pulls gravel out of his neck and head that had been lodged in there and has been slowly pushed out by his body.

“I wish I had gotten those metal claws like Wolverine,” he jokes.

“I feel like we could still get them for you,” Jyawook counters.

Joyner says the accident helped him reevaluate his priorities. He’d been a hard partier for years, having spent time in bands like noise-punks Some Girls and Justin Pearson’s farcical, electro-punk group All Leather. After the accident, he decided to get sober and focus more exclusively on Hot Nerds.

“It was definitely an eye-opener, but not because life is so precious or whatever people think. It just made me realize that it was time to do something different and see what happens,” Joyner says. “They were telling Alia that I was going to have permanent brain damage, but I don’t know, I just kind of snapped out of it. I knew then that I had been lucky. I got a second chance. Not even a second chance, a third chance.”

“Or maybe a ninth chance,” Jyawook chimes in. “Like nine lives.”

“Yeah, I’m on my ninth life right now,” Joyner agrees.

“So let’s not waste this opportunity.”

So, maybe that’s it: Hot Nerds is the sound of a band happy to be alive and playing together.

“The thing with us is that we don’t take ourselves too seriously,” Joyner says. “Some people might see it as us not being serious, but the point of this band is to have a shitload of fun.”

hese are just some of the more creative comments I heard used to describe local spaz-rockers Hot Nerds at their record-release show at Soda Bar, where they were dressed in matching banana costumes. None of those descriptions seemed entirely apt, but none of them seemed totally wrong.

“We get the whole autism thing, but more often than not, we get the ADHD thing translated into music,” singer and guitarist Nathan Joyner responded when I read the descriptions to the band a few days after the show. “Really, though, what mariachi band was that person listening to?”

“Sometimes Nathan’s guitar can sound like a horn,” points out drummer Thomas O’Connell, citing all the effects pedals Joyner uses onstage to make his guitar sound like anything but a guitar. “I guess it could sound like a saxophone.”

The fact of the matter is that even Hot Nerds don’t exactly know how to describe their music. It’s certainly weird, and the members of the group (Joyner, O’Connell and Alia Jyawook on keyboards) are just some straight-up weirdos. Still, I’m not entirely sure who the target audience is for Hot Nerds’ debut, Strategically Placed Bananas.

Other weirdos? I don’t think it’s unfair to predict that the band will never sell more than a few thousand records, and it’s entirely likely you’ll never hear their music unless you purposefully look for it. And once you do, there’s a great chance you won’t like it. But that just means you probably Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com. don’t get it, because you aren’t weird enough.

The

Great

Demo

E

Review

very spring, more than 100 demo CDs, tapes and MP3 files pile up in CityBeat’s mailbox and email inbox as we prepare for that great annual tradition: The Great Demo Review. It’s developed a reputation as being a place where dreams die: This year, we actually received a few demos with notes attached that read, “Do your worst” or “Let us have it!”

We don’t write these reviews because we want to insult anyone. We do this because we want to hear absolutely everything that San Diego musicians have to offer.

And every year, we find lots of great new music that we might not have otherwise discovered. We dub the best of the best as EXTRASPECIALGOOD, and this year, you’ll find quite a few demos that really blew us away.

Of course, there are a few that we weren’t crazy about, but that’s just how it shakes out. No matter what, we gave it our precious time and offered our feedback.

Sometimes it has to be tough love, but we do it because we care.

1019 and J. Treel Treel Tales of Number Running When Parker and the Numberman’s 1019 The Numberman and Day-Go Produce’s J. Treel do the Wonder Twins thing on their latest collaboration, they activate a winner. Amid sharp production from DJ PNutz, the two MCs deftly navigate this five-song EP to its apex—the anthemic album closer “Who Want It.” To get technical, the 43-second “Yes Indeed” actually closes the album, one of two interludes included. And that’s the only knock here: This tale is over almost as quickly as it begins.

belts it out with the power of is OK. It sounds like it’s on ProGrace Slick and the cool of Inger zac—no highs, no lows. Ditch the Boss Heavy metal pedal. The secLorre in ’91. ajfroman.com —Scott McDonald ond song has a Swervedriver thing going, which I kind of dig. Nice vocals. facebook.com/amigomusicsd

American Smith

—Kelly Davis

American Dreams

The 808 beats and dreamy synthesizers that open the first track on American Smith’s CD are pretty typical of cloud rap, and American Smith has a lazy flow that’s a little bit like a more grown-up-sounding A$AP Rocky. But despite the blograp opener, Smith leaps all over the map stylistically on this one, incorporating heavy rock guitars one moment and throbbing industrial synth the next. While nothing here is outright awful, American Dreams seems to lack focus; it’s treelnumbers.bandcamp.com —Scott McDonald a little too all over the place, and Smith doesn’t leave much of an impression, too often playing second banana to his backup singers.

The basic elements are strong, but Nocturno EP the way they come together leaves Every time Ocean Beach cranks something to be desired. out a decent band that isn’t —Jeff Terich white-boy reggae, an angel gets its wings. AJ Froman is good enough that they’re likely responsible for a few pairs. They’re an amalgam of rock styles from 3 Song EP psychedelic to the straight-up This came with a handwritten note variety, and their not-so-secret describing Amigo as “rock / stonweapon is singer Sarah Norwood. er rock.” You’d have to be high to Backed by quality musicians, she think the guitar tone on this demo

AJ Froman

Amigo

Bakkuda

Liars might be able to make some sense out of what’s otherwise nonsensical gibberish (“Cooking Up Meat Suits”?), but all I hear is LOL DIY that makes me go FML. —Seth Combs

Bangladesh Certain Illusions EP

Demo The one-woman indie R&B project of Alex Capella is certainly the type of stuff that prickly, bespectacled music critics like myself love to proclaim as the next big thing.

Songs like “Gravity” and “Happy Tears” made me think of recent ingenues like FKA Twigs, Jessie Ware and BANKS, but EP closer “Pity Party” spoils an otherwise sexy vibe when Capella starts to rap for no real reason. The other four songs are fantastic, but not everyone should channel their inner Iggy Azalea. bakkuda.com —Seth Combs

This quartet has gotten some well-deserved local buzz lately for their thoroughly enjoyable mix of somnolent psychedelia and guitar-heavy indie-rock. Songs like “Paper Chains” and “Paramnesia” are equal parts eerie and elating, paranoid and parable, with singer Jennie Grunstad’s seductive voice providing the perfect balance to Tom Kaiser’s driving guitars. bangladeshband.com —Seth Combs

Bayou Brothers High Roller Zydeco

Now 20 years in and still going strong, this San Diego institution keeps the party rolling with their Demo latest studio release. Another great The opening track (“Sloppy for collection of Cajun-flavored tunes, Seconds”) sounds like The Butt- and there’s not really much else hole Surfers’ Gibby Haynes sing- to say. No one in San Diego does ing over a warped vinyl copy of Zydeco better. bayoubrothers.net Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna —Scott McDonald Go My Way?” and it’s downhill from there. Fans of Ween and early CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

Ball Turret Gunner

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Local Music Issue BhorelordE

com/sydneyblakeandthemisters —Jeff Terich

Unmanifest Transcendent

I have no idea what the term “Unmanifest Transcendent” is supposed to mean, but who gives a Bloojeanne shit—heavy-metalers BhorelordE rip it with their doomsday riffs and Singer / songwriter Bloojeanne gloomy piano interludes, and that’s (whose real name is Becca) offers simple lyrics over simple acousticthat. bhorelorde.bandcamp.com guitar riffs. While Keith Jarrett —Peter Holslin won’t be giving her any session work anytime soon, her honest approach shows promise. Her lovestruck lyrics (narrowly) avoid sap and evince genuine, often-understated passion. This is a decent The Dream Chase descent into folk in its most budThe kind of strummy, charming ding stage. Keep working at your pop that Sydney Blake and the craft, Becca. I have high hopes.

Misters make is sweet, inoffensive, soundcloud.com/bloo-jeanne engineered-for-meet-cute-com—Joshua Emerson Smith edies indie pop that sounds like Mumford and Sons playing Zooey Deschanel’s wedding. Blake has a great voice that’s really impressive when she shows off her range. The Demo band is talented, for sure, but it’s This one came from Temecula. just too damn adorable to take for I was secretly hoping it was East more than a few minutes at a time. Coast gangsta rap about naviIf two doe-eyed 20-somethings gating the mean streets of wine lock eyes from across the room at country. It wasn’t. Instead, the one of their shows, then maybe it’ll non-descript CD contained a pair all be worth it. But this is just too of nicely produced, beat-orientsugary for my taste. I blame the ed instrumentals. A bit cold and overuse of ukulele. reverbnation. austere overall, it shows promise

Bloojeanne

Sydney Blake and the Misters

Brooklyn G

26 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

of finding a nice middle ground someday between the more mainstream cuts by Burial and Entroducing-era DJ Shadow.

—Scott McDonald

Extraspecialgood

Brothers Larson Larson’s Best Neil Young-style country tunes with an emphasis on storytelling.

Pleasant enough, but so generically boring that I fell asleep on my keyboard. So my original review was “/erbggfewiewwelfew;/” and a little bit of drool. These guys owe me a new MacBook.

—Seth Combs

BrovaBey Memoirs of a Moor

Blood Dancer Shadow of Death The classic sound of traditional heavy metal has been making a comeback recently, thanks to bands like Skull Fist, High Spirits, White Wizzard and Lord Magus, who make no attempt to veil their love of the heavy ’70s (and ’80s). Add to that list Blood Dancer, whose second album, Shadow of Death, is a seamless fusion of chugging riffs, twin guitar solos, machine-gun drums, anthemic choruses and soaring falsettos. Add in the band’s love of fantastical lyrics—good luck maintaining your metal scowl while listening to “The Great Khan”—and Shadow of Death, is a rousing listen. facebook.com/blooddancermusic

Before moving to San Diego, BrovaBey (aka Obed H. Bey) grew up on hip-hop in Philadelphia. And as they say, you can take the MC out of the East Coast, but you can’t take the East Coast out of the MC. Listening to Memoirs, there are shades Geography of EPMD, The Beatnuts and Big Combining the ambition of Rush Daddy Kane. And that’s not a bad with the chops of a fourth-grade thing. bandmine.com/brovabey flutophone ensemble, Butler —Scott McDonald specialize in clumsily performed rock opuses. I can’t imagine ever

Butler

—Ben Salmon

listening to these gents in my off hours. However, I admire their energy as well as their goofy name, and you can never go wrong with a song whose key lyric is “I chopped off my head

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March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Local Music Issue and gave it to my boss!” facebook. com/ butler.music —Peter Holslin

Chiefs Tomorrow’s Over Chiefs play heavy-rock / sorta metal—the kind of music that’s not really my thing. But this is the CD I was dealt. So, I outsourced to CityBeat music editor Jeff Terich.

“Yeah, it’s kinda fun. Stoner rock-y stuff. Not the most original thing in the world, but I can kinda dig it.” reverbnation.com/wearechiefs

Christina Cosio Demos Some of this is confusing. “Sweet Lies” starts with a twinkly synth line, but then it goes into a generic club beat, and the whole time Cosio is singing through a tinny vocal filter that makes her sound like she has a cold. Uh, is this dance music?

Experimental lo-fi? I’m not sure.

Things improve when Cosio tries her hand at Gershwin’s “Summertime,” but she loses track of the melody with all her sultry melismata.

—Peter Holslin

—Kelly Davis

Cosmoskii

Clifford Bess Dove

Demo The grooves that Cosmoskii lay down are so smooth that it should be pronounced “smoove.” The band layers plinking guitars and indie dance over a rhythm section that would not feel out of place in a ’70s porno. Listening to it, it’s easy to find your head bouncing and hips thrusting at the same rhythm, but for completely different reasons. At —Seth Combs times, it can sound a little too remi-

A collection of almost unlistenable anti-folk, easy listening and drivel-soaked rock that includes a song that I can only describe as an operatic tribute to the Peanuts comic strip. Now that I write that, it kinda sounds cool, but I assure you, this “music” could be used to frighten off rodents and feral cats.

Extraspecialgood

Chateau Chateau The word “atmospheric” gets arbitrarily thrown around a lot these days when describing a certain kind of music. I can only speculate that the first arts critic to do this had a band like Chateau in mind.

It’s something that belongs in the sky—weightless and airy, it’s expansive and formless form holding the promise of flight. Filled with soaring electronic textures and lush instrumentation, the six magnificently crafted and immediately accessible (read: they’re also poppy as hell) songs on this EP hold that kind of promise. Frontwoman Laura Levenhagen’s voice and lyrics offer just about everything you’d want in this kind of music. Strong but vulnerable, resolute but filled with heartbreak. The collection is loaded with these kinds of dualities. The EP’s most sinister track, “The Bird, the Bee, the Owl,” finds Levenhagen in full scorned-lover mode, sounding like Zola Jesus in full stalker mode. On the next track (“What’s Left”), she comes to accept the dissolution of a relationship in the span of a little more than four minutes. “I will bury you in time,” she coos over a restrained bass line in “Bury You,” only to have multi-instrumentalists Erik Visnyak and Frank Green drop one sonic bomb after another on her until her voice sounds more like a plea than a promise. The song ends with a looped guitar diminuendo that fades out over what sounds like television static in the distance. There’s a word for it: atmospheric. soundcloud.comchateausandiego —Seth Combs

28 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

niscent of Foals, and the repetitive guitars often get too much volume in the mix (c’mon guys, turn the drums up), but overall, Comoskii comes to get down.

—Ryan Bradford

Cruz Radical Only Demo That Matters I admire Cruz Radical’s moxie.

Calling your demo Only Demo That Matters takes some confidence, balls or, failing that, total snottiness. And maybe the title isn’t 100percent accurate, but this demo’s actually really good. Cruz Radical play high-energy power-pop and punk-rock with simple but super-catchy melodies. They’re a bit like The Ramones with a drum machine and lyrics en Español—a slight variation, but just enough of a change from a familiar formula to make it work. Did I mention how goddamn catchy these songs are? cruzradical.bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

Cryptic Language Razorleaf EP Spark up a doobie and get ready to free-fall into a magical land of distorted guitar riffs, crashing symbols and heavy bass. This sludgy, instrumental, doom-metal album is surprisingly refreshing, featuring a playful psychedelic flair. Had I listened to less Phish and more Black Sabbath as a kid, this nifty little EP (if it existed 20 years ago) could’ve have easily found its way into my regular teenage rotation.

Even today, with my jaded adult sensibilities, I found myself listening to the entire 11 minutes and 34 seconds of the three-song album’s longest track, “Woodstone.”

Clever stuff! crypticlanguages. bandcamp.com —Joshua Emerson Smith

Dark Measure Army of Bones As heavy metal has splintered into countless subgenres, pure thrash—the kind Metallica and Megadeth and Slayer made in the 1980s—came to feel quaint, almost outdated. But the thrash revival is here, and Dark Measure is well-positioned to ride it. The band’s first full-length album is a bracing blast of meaty riffs, rumbling drums, squiddly-squiddly guitar solos and Jason Lenhard’s positively Hetfieldian roar. Dark Measure does classic thrash

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Local Music Issue the right way. Seek and destroy, party’s over but the next one has dudes! darkmeasure.com begun” repeated over and over —Ben Salmon and over. I think this is supposed to be a concept album, but the concept eludes me.

pect to hear at a Halloween party.

Their lo-fi sound is helmed by a female singer’s sometimes offkilter voice, which ranges from seductive to menacing. The high—Kelly Davis light of this four-song collection is the moody “Turn the Page,” in which vocals are on point over a Edited Immaterial simple beat. The low mark is a live version of a song called “Tug of Twenty songs, most of them less War,” which is all cymbal crashes than a minute long, featuring biand muted utterances. I’m a litzarre, sometimes melodic, synth- The Introductory Curse and-drums tracks with phrases This aptly named band presents tle bit torn on this one. draculas like “I’m single again,” “Left of a grungy rock style with the kind daughter.bandcamp.com —Jen Van Tieghem center, right of mark” and “This of spooky aesthetic you might ex-

The Distinguishing Marks

Dracula’s Daughter

Dre Cat

comes in the intro track, “Who That Be,” where DC raps, “Smoke What’s a Dre Cat? more, drink less, since you’ve got Dre Cat’s album cover features a two lungs, but just one liver.” Can’t cat holding a bong—so at least I argue with that logic. facebook. know what I’m in for. Smoky ex- com/drecatmusic tracurriculars aside, these songs —Jen Van Tieghem are anything but lazy; each has solid beats layered with samples and Dre Cat’s quick-flowing lines.

He drops a bunch of enjoyable CALiENS hometown shout-outs to everything from Trevor Hoffman to Dre Trav hands a rap listener the Ballast Point Brewing to the San right to have high expectations Diego Clippers. One example of with its Outkast-inspired album his clever, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and song titles. The similarities to the seminal Atlanta rap duo stop there because there are no contagious hooks or interplanetarygangster lyrics. Instead, Dre Trav offers 14 tracks of staccato rap bars over cool jazz xylophones and horns with scattered pulsing drums. If Dr. Doom had a halfbaked cousin living on the West Coast it would be Dre Trav. sound cloud.com/dretrav

Dre Trav

—Dita Quiñones

Dropshot Longtime Coming I’m as much of a ’90s music fan as the next guy, and I dig most of the angular, stoner riffs that are showing up in music lately—riffs that sound mined from Built to Spill or Pavement. However, I’m confused as to who, exactly, is into post-grunge-era mid-tempo aggro-rock (well, besides everyone who still listens to FM radio).

Dropshot, for example, are not a bad band, just perhaps born in the wrong decade. They’re tight, and their production is pretty great, but it’s too easy to see them angrily circle-jerking to bands like Filter or Disturbed.

—Ryan Bradford

Sean Duncan Demo Sean Duncan is here to rock the fuck out. He’s just one guy with one guitar (sometimes multitracked), but that doesn’t stop him from going all-in on some burly, Mastodon-style metal. So, if you’re down with that band’s 2004 album Leviathan, imagine it without vocals, bass or drums, and this is more or less what you get. And it definitely sounds like it’s missing something. A lot, really, but for one dude with one guitar, it’s at least got some heft to it.

—Jeff Terich

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32 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

Local Music Issue Fear Forever Demo 2015 This demo arrived in a large stack of hip-hop CDs with similar-looking labels, but one of these things is clearly not like the others. Fear Forever’s 2015 demo sounds a lot more like the painfully earnest faux-alternative pop that’s clogging up the Billboard charts right now, with lots of stomping, clapping, “whoa-ohoh” choruses and young, good-looking people who spend their spare time as extras in vodka commercials. Then there’s an EDM cover of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” that makes it that much more obnoxious.

This kind of music is an advertising agency’s dream, but as far as actual listening goes, I think I’ll stick to something that sounds a little less like it was made by a focus group.

—Jeff Terich

of tracks on SoundCloud, which draw on straight-ahead jazz, avant-garde poetry, electronic music, hip-hop and indie rock.

While Flores plays with diverse genres, his compositions consistently feature melodic and complex textures. Against dreamy arrangements, he often uses softspoken hip-hop phrasing. However, the music falls flat when he uses rap clichés as punch lines to sappy lyrics about love and “keeping the beat knocking.” The instrumental material and artful arrangements far exceed the poetry. soundcloud.com/stealingthe-mona-lisa —Joshua Emerson Smith

Fused Restless

This is a whopping five-minutelong single that sounds like a hair-metal relic from the Wayne’s World basement. It has some pretty awesome guitar solos and heavy drums, but the lyrics are often The Earthling Demos muffled, so it’s hard to understand The last couple of years have the message. “Restless” dates itbeen tough on feminists. After the self before the song even finishes. #gamergate goons, the Santa Barreverbnation.com/fused bara massacre targeting women and —Dita Quiñones countless assaults on reproductive rights, it’s increasingly clear that we’re not an equal society. This is why riot grrl acts like The Fictitious Dishes are so essential. The all- Demo women group has the bite of Bikini There’s a refined audio alchemy Kill and the humor of Bratmobile. throughout these three solid This demo’s atonal guitar sound is tracks by Golden Hill beat maker as assaultive and ear-catching as fz. It’s difficult to discern more the message (a good thing). Some- with so little to go on, but crisp times the lyrics veer into Punk 101- production and creative remixing territory, but that’s easy to overlook. make it worth a listen. facebook.com/thefictitiousdishes

The Fictitious Dishes

fz

—Ryan Bradford

Tom Field Pale Blue Dot Slick, slippery, glassy and glossy, Tom Field—a guy named Tom? Not a guy named Tom? Who knows?— creates futuristic synthscapes that whoosh past your ears and curve toward the horizon, with no end in sight. There are elements of hip-hop, glitch-pop, downtempo and ambient music here, but for the most part, Tom Field’s Pale Blue Dot is, in fact, an edgeless expanse of icy electronica perfect for a moody night of adventurous listening, extensive screen time and avoiding other humans.

—Ben Salmon

Gilbert Flores

—Scott McDonald

G Burns Jug Band G Burns Jug Band It’s awesome when anyone can faithfully and flawlessly tackle century-old styles and canvass the early roots of American music. Bandleader Clinton Davis leads his quality quintet through rousing instrumentals (“Cowboy Waltz,” “Banjoreno”) and standout vocal tracks (“Railroadin’ Some,” “The Train That Carried My Girl From Town”) with equal vigor. This is the kind of band that could just as easily lead a shoulder-to-shoulder backwoods barn stomp into the midnight hour as take the helm in producing period music for Hollywood. gburnsjugband.com —Scott McDonald

Stealing the Mona Lisa This project comprises dozens

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34 March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

Local Music Issue John Gavares Johnny G.’s Jingles Vol. I Eighteen songs of goofy, occasionally funny home recordings by a guy I can only assume counts Jello Biafra, Wesley Willis and Brak from Space Ghost as his biggest musical influences. It’s like that guy from Laugh-In used to say, “Veddy intedesting.” But also stupid.

—Seth Combs

Generik Raven Like Coco Chanel said, remove one accessory before you leave the recording studio. Or something like that. In this case, it’s the demonic voice that leads off the first and second songs. This is otherwise intelligent hip-hop—Generik scored a recent opening slot for GZA—produced in a city that could use more hip-hop. facebook. com/GenerikLNC

berman, and this demo comprises outtakes from Edison’s The Couch Tapes. So, on one level, it’s generally in the same vein as a lot of the music that Parker’s released in the past.

But most of these tracks feel halffinished or, in some cases, like the bonus material on a DVD. There’s some sound recorded at the San Diego Music Awards, some audio recorded from a KPBS story involving Edison and various other found sounds. When you cut through that, the three songs here are decent-togood hip-hop tracks, but there’s a reason they’re outtakes.

—Jeff Terich

Danny Green Trio After the Calm

Danny Green is a skilled pianist, and his trio is rounded out by bassist Justin Grinnell and drummer Julien Cantelm. But they really ought to pick a true band name, because these three guys fit to—Kelly Davis gether seamlessly. They play jazz, and while it’s far from avant-garde, it is complex, sharply composed and full of surprises. But together, Green, Grinnell and Cantelm make Yesterday’s Moon it sound easy. Listening to After Gram Parsons-style country and the Calm is like listening to all the folk that’s ideal for road trips and parts of a clock working in perfect solo excursions to the bar. The harmony. Part bop, part pop, it’s almusicianship is excellent, but ways on time. dannygreen.net Gindling’s talk/sing style wears —Ben Salmon thin pretty quickly, and otherwise dark and dusty songs like “Marilee” and “She Walked Away” are bogged down by cheesy sax solos and superfluous harmonica noodling. dangindlingmusic.com Untitled

Dan Gindling

Sahara Grim Quartet

—Seth Combs

I have a hard time getting into music without vocals, so, luckily, this is one jazz outfit that has them in spades. Singer Sahara Grim is a triple threat, equally skilled at guitar Desperate Love EP playing and songwriting. Lead guiThis band calls itself dance-punk, tarist Jake Nuffer wails on “Paper although I’m not so sure about the Heart” and other tunes, giving the “punk” part—and I mean that in a music an interesting rock injecgood way. Their catchy hooks and tion. Grim’s vocals are mostly welldeep, dark bass lines are reminisexecuted, but at times it sounds cent of a more straightforward like she’s singing lower than her rock band like Band of Skulls. The natural register. Overall, it’s a solid vocals alternate between sounding collection of tracks, and I’d be haplike a brooding Nina Persson and an py to catch the band live. reverb upbeat Deborah Harry. The trippy nation.com/saharagrimquartet synth-romp “I Feel It” is a highlight —Jen Van Tieghem of the EP, due in part to cowbell and woodblock percussion, and an equally colorful video to match. facebook.com/GlassSpells

Glass Spells

Gunner Gunner

—Jen Van Tieghem

Our Time

Because I typically keep my youthful obsession with hair bands (i.e. cock rock) to myself, it’s hard for me to imagine someMore Tapes one bringing back the days when This is a bit of an odd one. GMG SesMötley Crüe’s “Home Sweet sions is, essentially, Parker Edison of Home” ruled MTV’s airwaves. hip-hop duo Parker and the Num-

GMG Sessions

34 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

But it might as well be these guys.

The eight, nicely produced songs here might just have enough straight-faced sincerity, stadiumsized power chords and whiskeysoaked solos to rally head bangers into a revival. Plus, their website features a “Gunner Girls” section dedicated to photos of scantily clad girls with guitars. Will someone please get these guys some pyrotechnics? gunnergunner.com —Scott McDonald

Bob Haro Untitled I’ll be the first to admit I wouldn’t know good modern-day electronic music, even if it handed me some molly and slapped me upside the head with a glowstick. That said, Bob Haro’s tunes are definitely less grating than some EDM I’ve been subjected to. At the very least, there’s lyrical content.

Songs like “Standing in the Rain” have an ’80s influence I can get on board with (think Erasure and Pet Shop Boys). The robotic “It’s Only Love,” on the other hand, makes me reach for the “skip” button. bandmix.com/bob-haro

Human Resources

ing track sounded promising, but things quickly fell apart when the reverb-flooded singing started. Not a Through Street The name of the album seems I’m not even sure this qualifies as prophetically accurate. facebook. music. It sounds like Lou Reed’s com/hookersonstilts corpse recording a sequel to Set the —Seth Combs Twilight Reeling with a Phish cover band backing him up. The lyrics are train-of-thought gobbledygook, and, worse, the songs just go on and on and on. “Savage Beauty Steps (Single) / Down to Kill” clocks in at more Inspired by a local Race for the than 14 minutes, which is 14 minCure event, this sincere tribute was utes too long. ricks-studio.com penned for a breast cancer survivor.

Jessica Hull

—Seth Combs

—Scott McDonald

Hypocrite in a Hippie Crypt

The Humble Crab Humble 3.14

OK. I get it. It’s Saturday night.

You’re at Bob’s house. Y’all get shitBest band name (or worst—I can’t faced. Joe grabs Bob’s guitar. And— decide) goes to North Park’s Evan look!—there’s a harmonica in the Winiger, the man behind this junk drawer. Yee-haw, let’s record mouthful of a moniker. While my an album and sing songs about favorite thing about this 11-song whether Baby Jesus would like Mcalbum is the accompanying of- Donald’s and how San Diego smells fer of a hand-drawn singing hot like urine in the summer. I generally dog, these easy-going guitar con- have a good sense of humor but this fessionals are eminently listen- elicited little more than an eyeroll. able, and Winiger’s unique voice —Kelly Davis switches from gravelly weirdness to falsetto oohs and ahs with sur—Jen Van Tieghem prising ease. Consistently wellwritten and enjoyably loose, Bet- Work Epic Ep1 ter Days is the perfect companion for lazy afternoons in a hammock A mixtape that actually comes on a or a last-call wind-down after a cassette tape warms my sentimenNobody is Listening But Me! night of going hard. hypocriteina tal heart. It certainly helps when One-man blues-punk in the vein the hip-hop contained therein rehippiecrypt.bandcamp.com of folks like Bob Log III and Jon calls vintage Definitive Jux artists —Scott McDonald with beats to match (the short and Spencer. The instrumental opensweet “Medicine Show” is grimier than a rest-stop bathroom). This guy remains one of the best-kept secrets in the local hip-hop scene. idthepoet.com

Better Days

iD the Poet

Hookers on Stilts!

Extraspecialgood

—Seth Combs

Imbalanced Assimilation of the Enslaved

Juice Box Juice Box In beat-head circles, the cool thing to do with instrumental jazz and R&B is whip up nasty psychedelic breaks and fusion freakouts for MCs to rap over. Well, Juice Box does nothing of the sort. Instead, the quartet opens up to the perpetual San Diego sunshine with clean guitar, winsome Rhodes and delicate grooves. Their sound skews towards sentimental, and I can already hear fans of Flying Lotus and BADBADNOTGOOD guffawing at the brisk melody of LP opener “Strut.” But they also accomplish a lot with their subtle approach, and they really show their stuff on “Rebecca,” a breathtaking tune that straddles the line between happy and sad. All in all, it’s refreshing to hear a band embrace a sound and explore its facets, blissfully oblivious to the latest trends. juiceboxsd.bandcamp.com —Peter Holslin

This CD came with an illustration of a cow-skulled beast with six arms pulling the heart out of a woman in a Satanic ceremony, so there’s no mistaking just how evil Imbalanced intend to portray themselves. The music itself is sufficiently evil, as well, a pummeling, grunting, growling and gruesome style of brutal death metal that takes a lot of technical skill to pull off, and also an ear for melody to actually make it interesting. There’s enough going on to keep it from getting boring, but I’m guessing, based on the organripping cartoon cover art, that their live shows are sausage fests. youtube.com/imbalancedtv —Jeff Terich

Is This Fake Blood EP This four-song EP feels like a rough draft of something that could be really good. The note accompanying it says it was written and recorded by Aaron de la Fuente, and it’s definitely got a solo-project / bedroom-recording sound. Reference points range from Primal Scream’s “Higher than the Sun” to Panda Bear. There’s some of The Verve here, a little Seefeel. I really wanted the songs to go somewhere—to build just a bit. Keep working at it, Aaron, and maybe I’ll see you at the next demo review. twitter.com/ isthisfakeblood —Kelly Davis

The Jackstones “She Dyed it Red” “She Dyed it Red” is a twangy rock tune about a local woman who dumps her groom-to-be at the altar and then initiates a personal awakening by dying her wedding gown red. The Jackstones trick you into swallowing this completely illogical premise by delivering a smooth, proper performance, and then they seal the deal by getting Roger Hedgecock to make a cameo in their music video. Rock on, old dudes. thejackstones.com

Extraspecialgood

Kendall-era 120 Minutes. There are catchy pop songs here waiting to be set free. soundcloud.com/ kingdomoflights —Ben Salmon

Lessons From Zeke Untitled EP

Left in Company ARTiFACTS The first true album since 2009 for veteran hip-hop duo Generik and Aneken is filled to the brim with eclectic samples, buzzy bass and all manner of squiggles, sproings and whirs. At the center of this vibrant sonic swirl are two MCs who are not only lyrically thoughtful, but also skilled at using their voices in melodic, interesting and unconventional ways. “Arnold Schwarzenegger” is a representative cut; it sounds like Kool Keith and circa-2000 Eminem riding a homemade rocket through a nitrous cloud. As hip-hop’s aesthetic stretches at warp speed thanks to weirdos like Young Thug and Rae Sremmurd, it’s easy to see a path to a breakthrough for Left in Company. leftincompany.com —Ben Salmon

Another Day in Paradise feels more like a genre exercise than a peek into someone’s heart and soul. soundcloud.com/janko-wolf

Looking to take a trip back to the ’90s? This four-piece, selfdescribed “modern rock” band is willing to be your guide. With two guitarists, a drummer and a bassist, Zeke sound practiced and comfortable on this five-track EP. While I can’t give these guys points for originality, I’m willing to concede they’ve produced a radio-ready sound that refuses to offend anyone. “I wish you’d stay all summer long,” croons frontman Mike Horvath, in lyrics typical of the band’s sensitive sensibilities. lessonsfromzeke.com —Joshua Emerson Smith

jazzy beats that provide a chill bed for Kaus’ rhymes. There’s a lot of hip-hop that sounds kind of like Love Playing the Blues this, so it’s to Kaus and Inform’s Jacob Levy’s voice is a dead ringer —Ben Salmon benefit that they’re just that much for post-Zeppelin Robert Plant better at it than most. soundcloud. (there’s even a “Stairway to Heavcom/kaus-and-inform en” reference on the title track), —Jeff Terich but Levy just can’t hit those high notes. His guitar playing is re—Peter Holslin spectable, if standard blues-byWelcome to the World of... numbers riffage, while his lyrics In the first few seconds of this CD, Demo are Prozac-infused cheeriness. I a DJ scratches out a sample of a Another Day in Paradise Kingdom of Lights are a band don’t know, call me old-fashioned, voice saying, “Wack rappers shut but I like my blues, well, bluesy.

One cassette, two sides, 30 min- the fuck up.” This should be a bold- with lots of moving parts. There —Seth Combs utes of instrumental hip-hop built er statement than it is, but in 2015, are multiple vocalists, jangling dream-pop guitars, high-minded out of soulful samples, twinkling it’s pretty much par for the course keys, daydream vibes and blood- to come barreling through the ideals, the robotic pulse of dance less boom-bap. Janko Wolf is no gates by putting shame in others’ music, some modest ambition and doubt a big Madlib fan, and the game. Kaus and Inform, however, a sort of mystic Eastern vibe, all The Liquidmind evidence covers this tape from make hip-hop strong enough to smashed together and given to The Liquidmind brand themend to end and comes at the ears warrant the wack-shaming. Kaus the sky. It’s like if Perry Farrell got selves in the style of a psychewith impressive persistence. Side has a voice that’s deep but smooth, his grubby little paws on the Coc- delic band, from the trippy, A is a buffet of solid, homespun reminiscent of Guru in his prime, teau Twins and sprung for a new hand-drawn optical-illusion art beats, and Side B thankfully deliv- while Inform spins laid-back, wardrobe that would guarantee a on their demo CD to a name like spot on the second hour of Dave ers a few more quirks. Ultimately,

Janko Wolf

Kaus and DJ Inform

Jacob Levy

Kingdom of Lights

The Liquidmind

The Liquidmind, which probably makes more sense after a brownacid binge. But they’re really just a punk band with some pretentious flourishes. The spoken-word intro to the second track, for instance, doesn’t really add much to their ultra-short, high-energy blasts of noisy guitar and explosive drums.

And the recordings are pretty lofi, which makes an already noisy band sound even more chaotic.

But what ends up being The Liquidmind’s greatest sin is their shaky, off-key vocals. The two singers in what otherwise sounds like a band with some talent just can’t get their shit together. I’m not saying they need to hire Chris Cornell or anything, but finding someone who can emote melodically would be a good start.

—Jeff Terich

Little Galaxies Patterns Bending the local-music rules a little here, singer / guitarist Jeanna Fournier of this Venice Beach dream-pop band grew up in Encinitas and graduated from the Coronado School of the Arts. Sounding more like The Cranberries crossed with Temper Trap than the bands they claim to have been compared to (Bjork, Mazzy Star, Portishead), they still do pop pretty damn well.

Too bad they didn’t stay in San Diego. littlegalaxiesband.com —Scott McDonald

Little Heroine Little Heroine If I ever caught my kids listening to this, I would immediately blast several hours of Public Enemy into their impressionable ears. This band is a San Diego stereotype soup: one part alt-rock, one part heavy rock, a pinch of beach sand

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March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 35

Local Music Issue and a smattering of sexy sax. They have moments where I think, “OK, I can stand this,” but then they inevitably dive headfirst right back into the American cheese. little heroine.bandcamp.com

Extraspecialgood

—Joshua Emerson Smith

Los Guzmanos Demo Two unnamed, poorly recorded songs submitted with a large tree diagram of the trio’s first names and a zip code. I don’t know, dudes. I just don’t know. But I did like the diagram.

—Scott McDonald

Lurid Memory Dematerialized EP

Little White Teeth This album is so outstanding that I’m not sure a “demo” review is the right place to review it. I mean, for chrissakes, Rob Crow from Pinback produced this thing. A guy who once played drums in Modest Mouse is on one track. Name-drops aside, the beauty of this album stems from its homespun nature. These are atmospheric indiefolk songs, recorded in an attic and layered with banjo, keyboards and strings. Opener “Between Stations” gives me shivers with its gripping melody, while “1903” weaves a haunting tale of early-1900s elephant electrocution. Little White Teeth have always been a wonderful fixture of the San Diego scene, but here they’ve achieved a new level of sonic power. soundcloud.com/littlewhiteteeth

of electronics and guitars, a knack for good melody and even some attitude—as is clear in “Unusual Pleasures,” in which they dish out sneering lyrics over lo-fi garage riffs. But they could use an extra spark because this stuff is still fairly pedestrian.

—Peter Holslin

—Peter Holslin

Spoken Soul: Music for Life Lyrical Groove, known for their mix of R&B, jazz and spoken word, are lucky to have “overdraft protection” (as noted in the “Uncertain Times” track), because there are a few setbacks on their full-length debut. To their credit, the musicians are ridiculously onpoint, and vocalist Kendrick Dial finds a strong balance between singing and spoken word. What it’s lacking are seamless duets between Brisa Lauren and Dial.

You don’t know who’s leading and who’s in the background. But one message is clear: The Lyrical Groove are serving up some positive messages through their neosoul music. thelyricalgroove.com —Dita Quiñones

MAG Two Unicorns The mysterious, ungoogleable band called MAG apparently includes some confident songwriters. They’ve got a solid command

—Ben Salmon

Songs the Attic Sings

Now here’s a band that hits all the right marks and still ends up missing the target. Lurid Memory play technical death-metal and are quite good at their instruments, but they don’t have the same over-the-top prowess as outfits like Fallujah or Cephalic Carnage. With the exception of the funereal Spanish-guitar forays of “Pangea”—easily the EP’s best song—most of this stuff is just generic showy riffage. reverb nation.com/luridmemory

The Lyrical Groove

a treadmill of creepy, improvised industrial sounds set to a relentless, robotic beat. “11” clatters and throbs alongside a sinister drone. And so on. These experiments would probably have more impact if they were half as long and didn’t sound like they were played in one room and recorded in another. Then again, the stubborn length and standoffishness is part of what makes Music for Future Suicides unnerving.

Just Be Claus It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that a CD called Just Be Claus, by a band with “Nativity Scene” in its name, is the product of a band that exclusively plays Christmas songs. And most of the Christmas songs on the CD are, in fact, songs that have already existed for a pretty long time—”Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” “Run Run Rudolph,” etc. They’re performed well, and it’s all good fun, but I have to be honest here: In March, this is absolutely the last thing I want to hear. facebook/com/martin andthebignativityscene

with some smooth and danceable New Jack Swing hooks, but, sadly, that was not to be. The group is essentially an amalgamation of pop-punk sheen and heavy-metal guitar riffs, and as much as I want to like it, it just doesn’t work. That said, I’m willing to let them attempt a cover of “This is How We Do It” before rendering my final judgment. face book.com/themontelljordans —Jeff Terich

—Jeff Terich

—Jeff Terich

The Montell Jordans “Meant to Bleed” I was hoping that The Montell Jordans were going to wow me

36 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

Mr. Ridley

Nein

The Inevitable Adventure and Grand Demise of Dizzy Rapture

“Upside Down” single (reissue)

As a member of Anti-Citizens and producer extraordinaire for the likes of Orko Eloheim, Black Mikey and Parker and the Numberman, Mr. Ridley has established himself as someone who knows his way around a slick beat. This 15-song collection only strengthens that rep and adds to the proof that he excels whether with a mic in his hand or sitting behind the mixing board. Dizzy Rapture is solid from start to finish.

—Scott McDonald

Murder by Techno Music for Future Suicides Four tracks, each between 10 and 12 minutes long, and named “10,” “11,” “12” and “13.” Intriguing, yes.

Interesting? In parts. “10” is like

—Jeff Terich

Go Fuzz Considering that Nebula Drag invoke both outer space and smoking in their name, I pretty much heard their stoner-rock grooves coming from all the way across the Southern California desert.

Not that I’m complaining; Nebula Drag do Kyuss-style riff monsters better than a lot of dude-bros currently worshipping at the altar of Orange amplifiers. Their chops are thick and meaty. Their melodies are simple and immediate, but their heavy-as-Thor’s-hammer rhythms and noxious fuzz are ultimately what make Nebula Drag’s rock ’n’ roll what it is.

And given that their singer actually kind of sounds like Ozzy Osbourne, it would appear they’ve been puffing on more than one kind of sweet leaf. nebuladrag. bandcamp.com

—Peter Holslin

Martin and the Big Nativity Scene

Nebula Drag

effects that he uses. These are much slower, much more dreamy dirges that carry a little bit of gothic ambiance and codeinecocktail wooziness. Everything is a bit off here, but in a good way.

The melodies are solid enough, and Romanik occasionally throws in some off-kilter guitar riffs that sound like they could have been plucked from early Modest Mouse records. It seems like he’s working up to something, even if he’s not quite there yet, but Other Bodies has a lot of promise. other bodies.bandcamp.com

I’m not sure who exactly was clamoring for a vinyl reissue of the ’80s power-punk band’s cover of a Diana Ross song (as well as an original on the b-side), but it’s nice enough to see it being submitted, albeit 30 years late.

The song isn’t very good, even by punk’s already-low standards, but, hey, if you turn the speed down to 33 rpm, it sounds like a really dark ’80s-metal cover of a Diana Ross song. neintheband. wordpress.com —Seth Combs

Other Bodies Demo Other Bodies is a side project of Taejon Romanik of Wild Wild Wets, but it’s a project that sounds almost nothing like his other band, outside of the hazy vocal

John Pemberton Three Songs I really liked the first 15 seconds of this CD—some lovely fingerpicked guitar joined at the ninesecond mark by a rockabilly groove. The rest of the song’s not bad—it’s got a nice loungey feel. But the second song doesn’t sound much different from the first and the third song doesn’t sound much different from the second. It’s like a meal of mashed potatoes, french fries and hashed browns—not bad on their own, but together it’s a starch overload.

Someone pass the hot sauce.

—Kelly Davis

Savannah Philyaw EP 2015 Savannah Philyaw ostensibly plays country-folk music—some acoustic guitar, a little pedal steel, some piano and more earnestness than I really know what to do with. Or maybe it’s just mainstream folk-pop touched up with a little bit of modern studio magic—I’m not sure that really matters. But as I listen to the Hammond and fiddle hoedown of “Overflowing Town,” I can’t help but think that if Philyaw traded her acoustic guitar for a Marshall stack, this would basically be Hot Topic mall-emo. And this might be what’s getting in the way of me liking it—that and the fact that its schmaltzy, Hallmark Channel ballads are unbelievably sappy, with lyrics like “I am the tree and you are my roots.” It’s produced well and, sound-wise, has a lot to offer, but as actual songs go, I’m not hearing anything spectacular here. savannahphilyaw.com —Jeff Terich

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March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 37

Local Music Issue

Extraspecialgood

PRGRM Eavesdropper EP There’s something to be said about a band that can strike a balance between being dark and still sonically pleasurable enough that people would actually want to listen them. Lyrically and musically, this fourpiece isn’t doing anything that’s particularly innovative. They’re just trying to find that balance. And while I wasn’t initially wowed by this balance, what struck me was that songs like das uber-synthy “Leipzig” and the arena-ready “Rebel” were buzzing around my head days after hearing them. “Phantom” sounds like one of those heartbeat-paced Nine Inch Nails remixes from the mid-’90s, complete with lyrics and a bass-drum beat that’s just all lust and longing and libido. “Hourglass” unfolds like one of those playfully seductive Grimes songs, but then, just as you think the song is ending, a tin-like beat begins, the guitars and keyboard whirlpool around it and frontwoman Tza (no relation to Wu-Tang members, as far as I can tell) robotically chants “just come with me” over and over as if she were saying it to all of humanity. That song, much like the album overall, is eerie and seductive at the same time, like the world coming to an end, but at the hands of really hot robot overlords. And with a kick-ass soundtrack. prgrmmusic.com —Seth Combs

38 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

Adam Powell

com/pussytrot-the-cat —Peter Holslin

Demos The prince charming of San Diego’s twee scene, Adam Powell spends this collection ruminating on the wonders of childhood (“Laelia’s Song”), plunging into the giddiness of true love (“A Pear and a Peach”) and generally just being a really wonderful guy.

He gets a little dark in “Downer, Dude,” lamenting how we “decorate the spineless / commemorate the mindless,” but even his disillusionment is leavened with bright vibraphone and swooning accordion.

—Peter Holslin

Pussytrot the Cat Unreleased Demos One of the tracks Pussytrot sent in is a 14-minute, multipart experimental-folk piece called “The Sun is at its Zenith and Antonius Block is Playing a Game of Chess with Death.” There’s an Ingmar Bergman reference in there, which is all well and good, but how about a memorable melody or a nice harmony or something—anything— to spice up this acoustic-guitar strummy lo-fi gruel? soundcloud.

Quali The Familiar and the Other The static-ridden beats that open this album-length set from Quali might lead you to believe they deal in bedroom-produced hiphop or electronica. But then a shimmering guitar arpeggio takes over, and in rushes a hypnotic pop lullaby in the form of the song “Reach.” From there, the group tackles Pinback-style indie-rock (“Choke”), dense and noisy shoegaze (“Bleed / Breathe”) and pulsing, heroic epics (“Mirror”).

It’s a solid set of guitar-driven rock songs; Quali is definitely a band worth keeping an eye on. qualiband.bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

Quor “Human Paradigm” I’m guessing the dudes in Quor listen to a lot of Tool. Their riffs are heavy but melodic. Their singer has a heroic voice that echoes the dramatic croon of Maynard James Keenan. And

“Human Paradigm,” their onetrack entry into the Great Demo Review, just feels epic. It isn’t really, though—at only three minutes long, it’s much more compact than most Tool songs, which already makes me like it slightly more than the meandering nonsense of Lateralus. But, then again, Tool without the meandering nonsense is basically just A Perfect Circle, which isn’t all that interesting. Quor is the kind of band that seems like it would be fun to watch live, but “Human Paradigm” isn’t doing much for me. quorbackstage.com —Jeff Terich

Radio-Active Stand Your Ground EP I was gonna make fun of these kids, but then I searched for them on Facebook and realized they’re probably, like, 12 to 15 years old.

Rockin’ riffs, crashing drums, some wicked solos, lots of energy.

It gets pretty cheesy, so maybe consult Led Zeppelin for inspiration. officialradioactiveband.com —Peter Holslin

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March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 39

Local Music Issue Riboflavin 7 Song EP Either these teenage poppunks live hyper-average lives or they’re holding out on us.

They live in North County and sing about standard high-school stuff—facing up to a school bully, taking a girl to Disneyland, begging mom for a ride to the Warped Tour. But, hey, I was a high-school kid once. I know how interesting things can get.

Where’s the song about blacking out on Xanax or losing your

virginity in the back seat of the family station wagon? Come on, boys. Cough it up. facebook. com/riboflavinmusic —Peter Holslin

Rosewood & Rye Live at Lestat’s This band sounds exactly like a band you’d imagine seeing at Lestat’s. While their harmonies are solid, there isn’t a lot of originality here. I am a fan of classical instruments mixed into

mainstream genres, so Rosewood & Rye get extra points for straying from the standard boy-girl folk duo with the addition of a violinist. The strings are especially strong on their cover of Damien Rice’s “Volcano,” which is where I also find the best of both singers’ voices.

It and “Wynona Falls” are nice reprieves from cringe-worthy hip-hop scatting à la Jason Mraz on other tracks. Please stop that. rosewoodandrye.com —Jen Van Tieghem

The Roxanne Wars

notice when the singer drops a line like “She don’t want to be squeezed Demo when she’s bleeding to death.” face The Roxanne Wars seem like the book.com/theroxannewars type of band that’s still nostalgic —Jeff Terich for the bedroom-produced, fourtrack, indie-pop of the late ’90s.

Each of the tracks on this four-song demo is a mixture of electronic Complexify EP beats, shoegazing guitars, soulfulif-nerdy vocals and beds of samples This EP opens with a track dedithat put it somewhere between cated to rapping about how much the Odelay chicanery of Beck and modern music (including rappers) the hazy psychedelia of Ride. It’s suck. Rumblepack suggests the soplenty enjoyable, even pleasant, lution to the “simplistic” and “runto the point that you almost don’t of-the-mill” is to “complexify.” I’m assuming the guitar solo thrown into their hip-hop style is meant to do whatever that is and set them apart. It doesn’t. The rest of the EP is more of the same low-rent 311 sound. An exceptional low point comes on the funk-infused “Coffee Mate,” in which these MCs describe the “chicks at the coffee shop” who should “leave room for cream.” Is this a joke? Ick. rumblepack.co

Rumblepack

—Jen Van Tieghem

Sasquatch Calmplex This 20-minute mix of experimental, instrumental hip-hop is sneaky dope. Warm horns, psychedelic guitars, burbling bass lines and subterranean beats are chopped up, pieced together and melted down into a syrupy soundtrack for heavy-lidded late-night excursions. Before you know it, time’s up and you’ve spent the past 20 minutes on an upward trajectory of enjoyment, bobbing along and fakescratching records on your desk like some sort of business-casual DJ. Or maybe that’s just me. Oh, Sasquatch’s music is sneaky dope?

Probably should’ve seen that coming. sasquatch-tma.bandcamp.com —Ben Salmon

Shake Before Us Radio Time Bomb Garage-rock bands are more common in San Diego than Instagram sunsets, so I’m amazed it took me eight demos to finally get to something that sounds like Shake Before Us. Their style is rooted in the mod and soul sounds of the ’60s rather than the Burger Records phenomenon that appears to be swallowing Southern California whole. It’s a fun slice of Farfisaheavy rock ’n’ roll, with massive hooks, hip-shimmying rhythms and fuzz aplenty. Generally, I’m loath to invite more garage bands into my ears, but Shake Before Us do a better job than most at

40 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

keeping an old sound interesting. soundcloud.com/shakebeforeus —Jeff Terich

Sir Froderick Bruuh Don’t be overwhelmed by the 20minute play time for each side, “A Bruuh” and “B Bruuh.” Just think Pink Floyd and you might respect the ridiculous length of it all.

Froderick is fancy; that’s why he’s Sir Froderick, but in a very playful, colorful Native Tongues-crew kind of way. Bruuh is one of those instrumental, long-play jazzy hiphop albums you can play in the background for business or pleasure. You can even enjoy Froderick’s zoom-zap-boom-onomatopoeia comic-book collage artwork when you need a little distraction. sirfroderick.bandcamp.com —Dita Quiñones

Sister Speak Rise Up for Love I could use all kinds of words to describe Rise Up for Love, like “rootsy” and “bluesy,” “alluring” and “well-crafted,” “organic” and “real” (whatever that means). But the first word that comes to mind when listening to this album is “warm,” thanks not only to its analog recording methods but also

frontwoman Sherri-Anne’s natural charisma, which practically leaps from these songs. Her dusky alto is like an old friend, her melodies are unforced and memorable and the band that backs her is certainly capable of soulful folk-rock. They create a world that welcomes lingering. sisterspeakmusic.com —Ben Salmon

Skeet Balloon EP Meet the band where innovative altrock and head-scratching weirdness collide. Skeet’s song “Simon” is probably their best, a keyboardand-riffs power ballad with hints of both Weezer and The Flaming Lips. But they go totally off the rails on “Quakers Barilla,” seesawing between Auto-Tuned verses and goofy, funk-rock choruses. And I’m not sure how I feel about the self-serious ’90s confessionalism of “Bottledeep.” But, hey, sometimes it takes a few failed experiments to hit on something new.

—Peter Holslin

Skelly Sküll Underground Pop This is a 16-minute beat tape that’s been dragged through the sonic gutter. There’s a Morrissey sample covered in muck. A nasty hip-hop beat straight out

Extraspecialgood

of some psychedelic-banshee lair.

Chillwave moods rendered nightmarish by reverb and distortion.

Kinda messy, but dope as hell. skellyapexrealm.bandcamp.com —Peter Holslin

Sloat Dixon Sloat Dixon walks a risky musical line, smashing together grimy club beats, DayGlo disco-pop and rock ’n’ roll attitude in an effort to make 1) butts move and 2) a name for himself. It almost works—some of these tracks are legit bangers built from unorthodox parts—but Dixon’s brash, broken-glass bark is a nonstarter; it sounds lifted from a Chris Parnell sketch on Saturday Night Live. Dixon’s beats might draw you to the dance floor, but his rapping may trigger your fightor-flight response. sloatdixon.com

The relative ease of recording at home and layering samples with easily accessible software has led to what seems like an over-saturation of bedroom producers. Not everybody is capable of making something on the level of DJ Shadow’s ...Endtroducing, but that hasn’t stopped thousands of Bandcamp beatmakers from giving it a shot. Recycled Dolphin, however, are much better at it than most.

They blend ethereal, surrealist ambiance with buzzing and dirty bass lines, creating a yin-and-yang effect that makes for a much more interesting product than the typical laptopper. Their creations can be ominously sedate (“Starbucks Buddhism”) or hyperactive and flashy (“Personal Brand Development”), and the closer one listens, the more the small but fun details begin to pop out. Not everyone can be the next Gold Panda or Andy Stott, but it’s worth wading through the attempts to stumble upon a Recycled Dolphin. recycleddolphin.bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

Head First I highly recommend this album if you a) buy most of your music from bands that play at farmers markets, b) spend a good chunk of time on Reddit debating the artistic merits of the TV show Nashville, c) often sing Shania Twain records to your cats or d) all of the above, in which case you should probably just turn in your badge. sometimesjulie.com —Seth Combs

Smarter Than Robots

Speaker in Reverse

What’s Another 28? EP

Demo

This EP starts out with a Bolerostyle guitar instrumental that sounds straight out of a Robert Rodriguez film and then does a complete 180 and launches into some prog-tinged thrash metal. Their ability to mix multiple styles of music is admirable, and while there’s nothing particularly groundbreaking here, it’s certainly metal as fuck. smarterthanrobots.bandcamp.com

Tropical-tinged indie-pop for a sunny Saturday afternoon. The band sets a fresh mood with intertwining guitar parts and organ harmonies, but the crucial ingredient is Itai Faierman’s light, falsetto vocals, which act as a kind of sonic citrus infusion. soundcloud. com/speaker-in-reverse

—Seth Combs

Vocalist / guitarist Megan Liscomb has a powerful, husky voice and a good ear for nasty guitar tone. Keyboardist Lex Pratt and drummer Jon Bonser lock in well, and the wicked groove of “Mountain” channels ’60s trip-out bands like Silver Apples. But though the trio puts in a solid performance, it seems they’re holding back too much with their blocky riffs. soft lionsmusic.com —Peter Holslin

Sol Horse

Several other local bands do this style in a much more interesting way (see: Gloomsday). Each of the three songs submitted sounds basically the same, and not in a good way. The female vocalist’s style sounded better than the male’s, so perhaps putting her in focus would have improved these mediocre tunes. It left me underwhelmed at best. soundcloud.com/brielle84 —Jen Van Tieghem

Sometimes Julie

—Ben Salmon

Earth Energy EP

Recycled Dolphin

—Ben Salmon

Demo 2015

Soft Lions

Recycled Dolphin

what he has is interesting: Think power-pop with a post-punk makeover. T. Rex meets Television. Fang running with Gang of Four (Gang of Fang! Fang of Four!). Pavement and Parquet Courts, slathered in cymbal crashes and lo-fi hiss. There are gems here; they just need to be dug up, dusted off and dialed in.

—Peter Holslin

Spooky Cigarette Bonky Demonstration First, anyone who names their band Spooky Cigarette is going to get mad props from this critic (can we all agree that we need to have more “spooky” things?). Better yet is when the band delivers on its name. Spooky Cigarette are a newwave, synth-pop group who sound like they were produced in a haunted basement where the ghosts are friendly. Equal parts Future Islands and Digital Leather—with a little bit of Gary Wilson weirdness thrown in—it’s a sound that’s simultaneously catchy and unsettling.

—Ryan Bradford

Demos 2014-15

The Steinbacks

Sol Horse is Dylan Stallard, a guy with a bedroom, a recording rig, a guitar and some chord progressions. His songs are idiosyncratic little garage-pop nuggets that mostly sound not quite finished. But

I’m not sure what a Steinback is, but I sure hope it’s not an unfortunate spelling of Steinbeck. Regardless, this duo’s grunge-punk sound is very familiar and a bit bland.

The Steinbacks

Stratocar Demo By far the worst one of my lot this year. I don’t know if this is a band or a one-man rock project, but nothing is in sync here. All the instrumental parts sound like everyone is just playing together— and their instruments—for the very first time. Not to mention the singer sounds like a high-as-balls Marc Bolan doing shitty spoken word in Brian Jones’ pool. The CD case brags “No Protools! No computers!” Seriously, guys, there’s technology to make untalented people sound decent. Use it.

—Seth Combs

The Tarr Steps Demo Well, damn. From the opening note of The Tarr Steps’ demo, the band unleashes a flood of neon-lit disco funk that carves out a groovy middle ground between Chic and Jamiroquai. The group layers on the synth textures pretty heavy, not to mention some amazingly cheesy saxophone in second track “Don’t Ever Stop,” but The Tarr Steps own it. There’s no irony in their throwback jams; nor are they simply taking existing ideas and running with them. The songs are actually pretty strong. In the greater scheme, The Tarr Steps aren’t really innovating so much as making something fresh out of sounds that have long since gone stale. But I’ll let the first track on the demo, “Move Yourself,” do the talking: “Move yourself for the good of your health.” johnny tarr.com/the-tarr-steps —Jeff Terich

Three Chord Justice One | Four | Five When country music is bad, it’s really bad—like the opposite of what they say about sex and pizza. But when it’s good, it sounds

CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 41

Local Music Issue something like Three Chord Justice. And the star of this show is the dueling precision of guitarists Jeff Houck and Tom Wolverton.

Between Houck’s discernable honky-tonk chops and Wolverton’s expertise on steel, lap, dobro and mandolin, this is the real deal. Not to mention, frontwoman Liz Grace sings these dusty, deepfried and well-written tales with lilting ease and genuine accessibility. threechordjustice.com —Scott McDonald

Tribal Theory Cali Love I’m surprised this band would subject itself to the often-harsh Great Demo Review after reaching their level of popularity, which afforded them a nomination and a performance at last year’s San Diego Music Awards. The album they’ve submitted blends reggae, rock, hip-hop and an islander vibe, all of which are done well and are ideal for fans of these styles. Though I’m not one of them, I can attest to the power of their music, which inspired my boyfriend’s mother and her best friend to dance in the aisles for the entirety of their SDMA performance (the gin and tonics probably didn’t hurt). tribal theorymusic.com

Two Eyes Meet Redux

Various artists

Viva Apollo

BHSP Compilation

Demo

Illusions and Tragedies

This compilation is over-ambitious with its genre hopping, illmatched lineup of artists. However, three songs did stand out and represent our border town well: Castillo’s body-moving, rock en Espanol “Latina,” along with the anti-establishment head-bobbing rap from San Diego Music Awardwinning producer Scatterbrain and rapper Kaboose, “The 6th World of Conscienceness [sic]” and “The Killa is Shook.” But the mystery remains: What or who is behind the acronym BHSP?

Viva Apollo sound like a dangerous band. They sound like a band at the New Orleans bar into which you’ve stumbled during the wee hours of morning, lost and far away from your hotel. Taking cues from dark blues and rock bands like The Dead Weather, Viva Apollo not so much carve out their place in the music scene as press themselves into it like a branding iron; suffice it to say, the music sizzles. Lead singer Amanda Portela sings with a sultry croon that’s at once menacing and haunting. vivaapollo.com

When listening to this album, be ready for lots of noise and pitchy vocals, and it can’t be blamed on Garage Band. Two Eyes Meet Redux attempt the classic darkgoth sound from the ’80s, but their over-filtered vocals and unkempt music layers cause them to miss the mark. “Young and Free (Are Dying)” almost qualifies—it needs a do-over with a new vocalist and mix because the totally emo songwriting isn’t bad. two eyesmeetredux.bandcamp.com

—Dita Quiñones

—Dita Quiñones

Ugly Roomers Demo These guys are so amazingly uncool that they’re actually cool.

Their songs are scruffy and bizarre, balancing King Crimson-y prog structures and hilarious Dave Mustaine-like vocal flourishes with quotidian lyrics about higher education and sons-in-law.

Also, their drummer apparently used to play in Michael McDonald’s backing band—yeah, man, real-deal shit. The world needs more bands like Ugly Roomers.

—Jen Van Tieghem

—Peter Holslin

Extraspecialgood

The Verigolds “Grunge” Based on this sole selection submitted by the band, I’m ready to call myself a fan. Singer Jenna Cotton brandishes her Deborah Harry vocals while otherworldly psychedelic elements dance in and out. Halfway through, the song’s playful guitars mimic the sing-song of the vocals for a cool effect. It wraps up with more trippy alien and robot sounds. The song is catchy enough to be dancefriendly; I’d say it’s electro-pop that doesn’t overdo either the electro or the pop. I’ll have an ear out for the The Verigolds in the future. soundcloud.com/theverigolds —Jen Van Tieghem

Vice Society Tuneage

The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble It would make sense that the farther one gets from Nigeria, the less likely it is that you’re going to find authentic or, at the very least, decent Afrobeat. Yet, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble—like Brooklyn’s Antibalas or Canada’s Souljazz Orchestra before them—make a highly compelling case for California Afrobeat on their self-titled, full-length release. The group’s unique blend isn’t a pure distillation of the heady grooves pioneered by Fela Kuti, but, rather, one that incorporates bits and pieces of fusion, Meters-style funk, Ethio-jazz and even David Axelrod’s cinematic instrumentals of the late ’60s. It’s a stunning stew of influences, and the way the band translates them is vibrant and colorful, whether easing into a badass, dirty groove on “Strollin’ Adams” or firing up a carefree boogaloo melody on “Funky River.” With these 43 minutes of music, The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble are proving once and for all that San Diego truly is home to the funk. thesurefiresoulensemble.bandcamp.com —Jeff Terich

42 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

The name of Vice Society’s demo may or may not be Tuneage, but that’s what was written on the CD-R, and that the disc was labeled with such charmingly uncool slang says a lot about the band. Vice Society are not cool— not even remotely. Their influences seem to be some combination of The Black Crowes, Gin Blossoms and The Beach Boys after Brian Wilson checked out, and most of their songs are about hot women and just feeling good, man. An actual lyric from one of their songs is “I feel alive when you’re here by my side, so shine your soul on me.” That should tell you a lot about Vice Society. And when I say they’re not cool, that’s not a knock against their musical abilities, necessarily. More often than not, they ease into a pretty melody or sweet riff.

But cool? They don’t even know the meaning of the word. sound cloud.com/vice-society/ —Jeff Terich

—Ryan Bradford

Void Lake Demo There are some cool details in this lo-fi trip-hop—like the squeaky bass of “The Other Side” and the dusty drum machine of “Pointless Game”—and I’m thinking they might explore these quirkier aspects of their sound further, because they’re really not accomplishing much with their fatigued grooves and off-key vocals. void lake.bandcamp.com —Peter Holslin

We Are Friends Talking Loud EP “Sometimes life is a little rough.”

So sing We Are Friends on their song “Life,” which makes even the hard parts of growing up sound like the chillest time ever. No, you won’t be hearing much tension on this EP, which drifts along on mild electronic / acoustic indiepop arrangements and winsome Ben Gibbard-style poetics. It’s music by nice people for nice people, and I think that’s nice.

—Peter Holslin

Wicked Tongues Jackals There’s been a surge in recent years of blues-rock bands fronted by a guy with a big voice and tons of swagger. Many of these bands are terrible because they lack the muscle for the music, or the frontman’s voice isn’t as big as he thinks it is. Neither is a problem for Wicked Tongues, a quartet with nice chops and enough horsepower to stomp a hole in your skull and fill it with brawny fuzz. The band’s greatest asset, though, is singer Mason Betsch, whose jaw-drop-

ping range and agility place Wild Tongues well ahead of the sea of Jack White wannabes. wicked tonguesband.com —Ben Salmon

Normandie Wilson Flowers EP / Until the Whole of My Heart is Yours “If you’re looking for a reason to rock... keep looking, pal,” says Wilson’s Bandcamp profile, and it’s right. This is piano music, gently performed. Flowers was inspired by a trip to the Pacific Northwest, and, indeed, its tunes recall the pitter-patter of light rain on a windowsill. Until the Whole of My Heart is Yours is jazzier and just as sparse, making room for Wilson’s smoky vocals. Neither release will change your life, but they do make for perfectly pleasant mood music, if you don’t forget they’re playing. normandiewilson.com —Ben Salmon

Mike Wojniak Anima Mundi Nature plays a significant role in this EP from Ohio transplant Mike Wojniak, a skilled singersongwriter with a penchant for grand productions. Each of these four tracks begins as unabashedly ambitious pop songs and then grows bigger as Wojniak layers on vocals and instruments until he’s built a stately wall of sound.

The EP opens with “Stone & the Sea,” which starts off sounding like Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” before blooming into a reasonable facsimile of Coldplay.

And it closes with its best song, “Oak Tree,” a lush, jangly number with a soaring chorus. mike wojniak.com —Ben Salmon

E.N Young Live Love Stay Up E.N Young is basically the Joel Osteen of reggae. He takes a genre that’s legitimately cool— rooted in a history of social justice and sonic exploration—and dumbs it down with his bland voice and easy-listening backing band. Then he spouts a bunch of bullshit self-help platitudes over the top, about inspiration and willpower and love and yadda yadda yadda. Sorry, dude, I don’t buy it. facebook.com/E.Nyoung7 —Peter Holslin

if i were u

BY Jeff Terich

Wednesday, March 18 PLAN A: The Juliana Hatfield Three, The Burning of Rome @ Belly Up Tavern.

You may or may not be aware that The Juliana Hatfield Three has reunited and will be playing the entirety of their 1993 alternative-pop album Become What You Are. That means you’ll definitely hear “My Sister,” so that’s a plus. But Hatfield’s got new songs, too, so if you’ve been thirsting for fresh material, there should be some of that as well.

BACKUP PLAN: The Midnight Pine @ The Whistle Stop.

Thursday, March 19 PLAN A: This Will Destroy You, Cymbals Eat Guitars @ The Casbah. Last year, Cymbals Eat Guitars put on a kickass show at Soda Bar, where they played a high-energy set of highlights from their latest album, LOSE. This time they’ll be joined by post-rock outfit This Will Destroy You. Sounds like an epic night. PLAN B: Saviours, Archons, Christ Killer @ Soda Bar. Saviours rock hard. Really hard. But whether or not they’re technically a metal

mental Guitar Show is becoming something of an institution, and for good reason. It Monday, March 23 brings together music and performance art PLAN A: Black Rivers, Sundrop Electric, in a way that few other shows in San Diego Speaker in Reverse @ Soda Bar. If you ever do. Expect the unexpected, and prepare miss having U.K. group Doves around, then yourself for things to get good and weird. you’ll want to hit up Black Rivers, which Friday, March 20 BACKUP PLAN: Mrs. Henry, Schitzopho- is two-thirds of that excellent, underrated PLAN A: DJ Quik, Warren G @ Observa- nics, The Paragraphs, Erik Canzona and band. Their self-titled debut just dropped, tory North Park. DJ Quik is the original the Narrows @ The Casbah. so give it a spin before hitting up the show. gangster. The L.A. hip-hop artist has been releasing g-funk albums since way back in Tuesday, March 24 the early ’90s, and he just keeps on knocking Sunday, March 22 out one great, funky West Coast rap album PLAN A: Matthew White, Wilsen @ The PLAN A: Tweedy, The Minus 5 @ Balboa after another. He’ll be joined by Warren G, Casbah. Matthew White is both an excel- Theatre. Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and his son so it’s almost like it’s 1994 all over again. lent chamber-pop singer/songwriter and a Spencer are the duo behind Tweedy, and Next stop is the East Side Motel. PLAN B: label head, whose Spacebomb imprint is re- their 2014 debut album, Sukierae, features a Sara Padgett lengthy selection of briefTim Barry, Jenny Owen Youngs, Cory leasing stuff by other great but-fun tracks that prove Branan @ The Casbah. You don’t always artists. He’s got a soulful, sometimes all you need is see a show lineup that features three great string-laden sound, and a a guitar, a drum set and a singer/songwriters, one right after another, fine head of hair as well. strong father-son bond to but here’s one to hit up if earnestness and PLAN B: John Doe, Exemake great music. PLAN B: grit are your thing. Tim Barry is a punk ne Cervenka and Robyn Quantic, DJ Vadim, Tauvet, originally from Avail, and Jenny Owen Hitchcock @ Belly Up rus Authority @ Soda Bar. Youngs and Cory Branan each have a hand- Tavern. John and Exene If you haven’t read Scott Mcful of solid indie-folk records of their own. from X have done acousDonald’s feature on prolific, Get there early and get comfortable for this tic shows in the past, but genre-shifting DJ Quantic one. BACKUP PLAN: Moon Hooch, Dr. this one’s a little different because they’ll be joined from last week, go back and Seahorse, Bakkuda @ Soda Bar.

by U.K. singer/songwriter check out the story behind Matthew E. White Robyn Hitchcock. I have no the turntablist’s new tour, in Saturday, March 21 idea what to expect, but if there’s some kind which he’ll be making beats exclusively from PLAN A: “San Diego Experimental Guitar of medley of “Los Angeles” and “I Often 45 RPM singles. Get there early to hear some Show” w/ Mudhead, Joileah Concepcion, Dream of Trains,” then count me in. BAC- sweet grooves from local trio Taurus AuthorOld Salt, Steve Flato, Hirsch the Machine KUP PLAN: Idlehands, Ghost Parade, ity. BACKUP PLAN: Ghetto Blaster, Ape Hirsch @ Soda Bar. The San Diego Experi- Belle Noire, The Calefaction @ Soda Bar. Machine, Girl Band @ The Casbah. band depends on how much of a purist you are. But no matter the philosophy on what qualifies, they’ve got some meaty, sludgy riffs that sound just fine to these ears.

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 43

HOT! NEW! FRESH! Peach Kelli Pop (The Hideout, 3/27), Falling In Reverse (HOB, 4/24), Helmet (BUT, 4/29), People Under the Stairs (Porter’s Pub, 5/2), Rhiannon Giddens (BUT, 5/6), David Guetta, Pitbull (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/8), James Bay (BUT, 5/16), Wolf Alice (Soda Bar, 5/16), Speedy Ortiz (Soda Bar, 5/19), Bryan Adams (Open Air Theatre, 5/20), Steel Panther (HOB, 6/12), Preservation Hall Jazz Band (BUT, 6/13), Robin Trower (HOB, 6/14), James McMurtry (BUT, 6/17), Melt Banana, Torche (Casbah, 7/28-29), Dierks Bentley (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/16).

GET YER TICKETS Action Bronson (Observatory, 4/9), Andrew Jackson Jihad (The Irenic, 4/10), D.I. (Brick by Brick, 4/11), Antemasque (BUT, 4/12), Meshuggah (HOB, 4/14), Built to Spill (Irenic, 4/14), Toro y Moi (Observatory North Park, 4/15), Ride (Humphreys, 4/16), Ratatat (Casbah, 4/16), Good Riddance (Brick by Brick, 4/17), Drive By Truckers (BUT, 4/22), Nikki Lane (Soda Bar, 4/24), Waxahatchee (Casbah, 4/26), Dan Deacon (Casbah, 4/29), The Decemberists (Observatory North Park, 4/30), Kinky (Observatory, 5/2), Tennis (Irenic, 5/2), They Might Be Giants (BUT, 5/3), Mariachi El Bronx (BUT, 5/5), The Growlers (Observatory North Park, 5/9), The Sonics (BUT, 5/10), NKOTB, TLC, Nelly (Viejas Arena, 5/11), The Wombats (HOB, 5/13), Ex Hex (Casbah, 5/16), Lana Del Rey (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/16), Little Dragon (Observatory North Park, 5/18), Pinback (BUT, 5/22), X (Observatory, 5/22-23), Train (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/24), Chris Robinson Brotherhood (Observatory North Park, 5/29), Spoon (Observatory North Park, 6/2), Sufjan Stevens (Copley Symphony Hall, 6/2), Awolnation (HOB, 6/3), The Rentals (Irenic, 6/4), Best Coast (Observatory North Park, 6/26), John Mayall (BUT, 7/2), Third Eye Blind, Dashboard Confessional (Harrah’s Resort, 7/18), Darius Rucker (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/2), Juanes (Civic Theatre, 8/2), The Who (Valley View Casino Center, 9/14).

March Thursday, March 19 Saviours at Soda Bar. This Will Destroy You, Cymbals Eat Guitars at The Casbah.

Friday, March 20 Railroad Earth at Belly Up Tavern. DJ Quik at Observatory North Park. Blink

44 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

182 at Soma (sold out).

Saturday, March 21 Railroad Earth at Belly Up Tavern. San Diego Experimental Guitar Show at Soda Bar.

Sunday, March 22 John Doe, Exene Cervenka and Robyn Hitchcock at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, March 23 The Last Bison at The Casbah. Jake Shimabukuro at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). The Ting Tings at House of Blues.

Tuesday, March 24 Lust for Youth at The Hideout. Pete Rock and Slum Village at Porter’s Pub. Tweedy at Balboa Theatre. Quantic at Soda Bar.

Wednesday, March 25 The Pink Floyd Experience at House of Blues. Gang of Four at Belly Up Tavern.

Self Defense Family, Makthaverskan at The Hideout.

Thursday, March 26 Hawthorne Heights at Porter’s Pub. George Benson at Balboa Theatre. Jeff the Brotherhood at Soda Bar.

Friday, March 27 Swimmers at House of Blues.

Saturday, March 28 Warren G at Porter’s Pub. Jeremy Enigk at The Irenic. Tyrone Wells at House of Blues. Blockhead at Soda Bar.

Sunday, March 29 Echosmith, The Colourist at House of Blues (sold out). Tsu Shi Ma Mire at The Casbah. Hinds at Soda Bar. Jonny Lang at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, March 30 Pile at Soda Bar.

Tuesday, March 31 Ceschi at Soda Bar. Soko at The Loft.

April Wednesday, April 1 The Punch Brothers at North Park Theatre. Maroon 5 at Viejas Arena. Ed Kowalczyk at Belly Up Tavern.

Thursday, April 2 TV on the Radio at North Park Theatre

(sold out).

Friday, April 3 Disappears at The Casbah. The Used at House of Blues. The Swellers at House of Blues.

Saturday, April 4 Leftover Salmon at Belly Up Tavern. His Name Is Alive at The Casbah.

Monday, April 6 Ying Yang Twins at Porter’s Pub. Angry Samoans at Soda Bar.

Tuesday, April 7 Drive Like Jehu at The Casbah (sold out).

Wednesday, April 8 The Maine at House of Blues.

Thursday, April 9 The Preatures at The Casbah. Blue October at House of Blues. Interpol at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). Action Bronson at Observatory North Park.

Friday, April 10 Hills Like Elephants at The Casbah. Andrew Jackson Jihad at The Irenic. Peelander-Z at Soda Bar. Three Days Grace at House of Blues. The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, April 11 The Underachievers at Observatory North Park. Buddy Guy at Balboa Theatre. D.I. at Brick by Brick. The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy. 98bottlessd.com. Thu: ‘A Tribute to Bobby Hutcherson’ w/ Anthony Smith, Ian Harland. Fri: The Benedetti Trio. Sat: Cathouse Thursday. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St, Normal Heights. airconditionedbar.com.

Wed: DJ Ele. Thu: DJs Ala, Mikeytown.

Fri: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Sat: Mike Czech. Sun: DJs John Reynolds, Karma.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. americancomedyco. com. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Michael Yo. Fri-Sun: Christopher Titus.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St, Downtown. facebook.com/BangBangSanDiego. Thu: Bicep, Lee K. Fri: Kevin Saunderson. Sat: Bakermat.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. barpink.com. Wed: ‘Funked Out’. Thu: DJ Ikah Love. Fri: ‘Turn It Loose’ w/ Mr. Blow. Sat: ‘Neon Beat’. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: ‘Soultry Monday’ w/ Tori Roze and the Hot Mess. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’ w/ Old Man Johnson.

Bassmnt, 919 Fourth Ave, Downtown. bassmntsd.com. Thu: Moti. Fri: Tony Junior. Sat: Cash Cash.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla. brocktonvilla.com/beaumonts.html. Wed: Daryl Johnson. Thu: Crackers. Fri: Modern Day Moonshine. Sat: Slower. Sun: Joe Cardillo.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. bellyup.com. Wed: The Juliana Hatfield Three, The Burning of Rome.

Thu: Ocelot, Gene Evaro Jr. and the Family, Second Cousins. Fri: Railroad Earth.

Sat: Railroad Earth. Sun: John Doe, Exene Cervenka and Robyn Hitchcock.

Mon: Jake Shimabukuro (sold out).

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave, Carlsbad. boarcrossn.net. Thu: SB4U, Schitzophonics. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Sat: Sol Seed, Burning Wave.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave, Hillcrest. thebrassrailsd.com. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’.

Sat: DJs XP, KA. Sun: ‘Soiree’. Mon: DJs Junior the Disco Punk, XP. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave, Bay Park. brickbybrick.com. Thu: Sterling, Some Type of Stereo. Fri: Red Wizard, Loom, Fever Dog, Space Wax. Sat: Punk Rock Karaoke, Implants, Sic Waiting, Torches To Triggers. Mon: ‘Metal Monday’.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave, Downtown. cafesevilla.com. Thu & Sat: Malamana.

Fri: Joef and Co. Sun: Oscar Aragon and Bruno Serrano. Tue: Noches Fusion Latina.

Comedy Palace, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Clairemont. thecomedypalace.com.

Wed-Sat: World Series of Comedy.

Comedy Store, 916 Pearl St, La Jolla. lajolla.thecomedystore.com. Fri: Andrew Santino.

Croce’s Park West, 2760 Fifth Ave., #100, Bankers Hill. crocesparkwest.com.

Wed: Sahara Grim. Thu: Kevyn Lettau.

Fri: Sue Palmer. Sat: Coast Bop. Sun: Choro Sotaque. Mon: Steph Johnson and Rob Thorsen. Tue: Gilbert Castellanos and the Gaslamp Quarter Jazz Orchestra.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. dirksniteclub.com. Fri: Serious Guise.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Mission Bay. dizzyssandiego.com. Thu: Therian-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

Sunday, April 12 Antemasque at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, April 13 St. Lucia at Observatory North Park.

Bane at Epicentre.

Tuesday, April 14 Drive Like Jehu at The Casbah (sold out).

Built to Spill at The Irenic. Father John Misty at Observatory North Park (sold out). Meshuggah at House of Blues.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. 710bc.com. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Live band karaoke. Fri: Smack This, Epic, Township Rebellion. Sat: The Rapscallions, Cold Craft, The Royal Death. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: DJ Royale.

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 45

thrope. Fri: Pamela York.

Epicentre, 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd, Mira Mesa. epicentreconcerts.org. Fri: Against The Odds, Chrysalis, Radio Active, Emoticon, Pissed Regardless. Sat: Treaded Zone 7 Victimized Vile Creations Raise The Guns.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown, Downtown. f6ixsd.com. Fri: DJ XP. Sat: DJ Kurch.

Sun: DJ Craig Smoove.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd.com. Thu: Congorock. Fri: Kyle Flesch. Sat: Karma. Mon: FLUXX MMA Fight Night.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach. 619-222-5303. Wed: Andy Mauser. Thu: Maka Roots, DJ Reefah, TRC Soundsystem. Fri: Sandollar, DJ Lya. Sat: KL Noise Makerz. Mon: Odessa Kane, Rocky Rey. Hard Rock Hotel, 207 Fifth Ave, Downtown. hardrockhotelsd.com. Fri: Fashen.

Sat: DJ Kaos, Mr. Brown.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave, Downtown. henryspub.com. Wed: The Fooks. Thu: DJs Junior the Disco Punk, Antonio Aguilera. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: DJs E, Yodah.

Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Ryan Hiller. Tue: Big City Dawgs.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave, Downtown. houseofblues.com/sandiego. Thu: Dan and Shay, Canaan Smith. Fri: Yelawolf, Crazy Town. Sat: Local Brews Local Grooves. Sat: Lee Dewyze. Mon: The Ting Tings. Tue: The Airborne Toxic Event.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest. richssandiego.com. Wed: DJ John Joseph. Thu: DJ K-Swift. Fri: DJs Dirty Kurty, QooLee Kid. Sat: DJ Hektik. Sun: DJ Cros.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave, La Mesa. rivierasupperclub.com.

Wed: Westside Inflection. Thu: Erik Canzona. Fri: The Palominos. Sat: Johnny Deadly Trio. Tue: Karaoke.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave, North Park. sevengrandbars.com/sd. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos jazz jam. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Side Bar, 536 Market St, Downtown. sidebarsd.com. Thu: Jay Valdez. Fri: DJ Dynamiq. Sat: DJ Slowhand.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. sodabarmusic.com. Wed: Union 13, Infirmities, DFMK. Thu: Saviours, Archons, Christ Killer. Fri: Moon Hooch, Dr. Seahorse, Bakkuda. Sat: ‘San Diego Experimental Guitar Show 2015’. Sun: Idlehands, Ghost Parade, Belle Noire, The Calefaction. Mon: Black Rivers, Sundrop Electric, Speaker In Reverse. Tue: Quantic, DJ Vadim, Taurus Authority.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway. somasandiego.com.

Stage Bar & Grill, 762 Fifth Ave, Downtown. stagesaloon.com. Thu: Superbad.

Fri: Disco Pimps, DJ Slynkee. Sat: Hott Mess, DJ Miss Dust. Mon: Karaoke.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. kavalounge.com. Wed: ‘100 % Jungle and Drum n Bass’. Thu: ‘Acid Varsity’.

Fri: ‘Ritual’. Sun: ‘Beatness Room’. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave, Normal Heights. sycamoreden.com. Thu: Johnny Deadly Trio, Fanny and the Attaboys. Sun: Sydney Blake and the Misters, Artmonk.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave, Kensington. 619-284-2848. Sat: De Anza, Cumbia Machin, Rafi El.

Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St, Mission Bay. tangodelrey.com. Sun: Ctrl+Alt+Dance.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave, Coronado. mcpspub.com. Wed: JG Duo. Thu: Ron’s Trio. Fri: Pat Ellis and Blue Frog Band. Sat: Traxx. Tue: 2 Guys Will Move U.

The Balboa, 1863 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill.

619-955-8525. Fri: Big Bloom, Buddy Banter. Sat: Chateau, Angels Dust.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd, Hillcrest. numberssd.com/.

Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’. Fri: ‘Vogue Decadence’. Tue: Karaoke Latino.

Onyx Room / Thin, 852 Fifth Ave, Downtown. onyxroom.com. Fri: ‘Rumba Lounge’. Sat: ‘Onyx Saturday’. Tue: ‘Neo Soul’.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St, Downtown. patricksii.com. Wed: The Rayford Brothers.

Thu: The Bill Magee Blues Band. Fri: The Fuzzy Rankins Band. Sat: WG and the GMen. Sun: Rosy Dawn. Mon: The Groove Squad. Tue: Paddys Chicken Jam. Porter’s Pub, 9500 Gilman Dr., UCSD

46 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

campus, La Jolla. porterspub.net. Tue: Pete Rock and Slum Village.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd, Spring Valley. 619-469-2337. Wed: Karaoke.

Thu: ‘Darkwave Garden’. Fri: Radiator King. Sat: ‘Club Therapy’.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Joe Pug, Field Report. Thu: This Will Destroy You, Cymbals Eat Guitars. Fri: Tim Barry, Jenny Owen Youngs, Cory Branan. Sat: Mrs. Henry, Schitzophonics, The Paragraphs, Erik Canzona and the Narrows. Sun: Matthew E. White, Wilsen. Mon: The Last Bison, Neulore. Tue: Ghetto Blaster, Ape Machine, Girl Band.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. thehideoutsd.com. Tue: Lust for Youth, Marshstepper, Permanence.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave, Hillcrest. theMerrow.com. Wed: CLAMR, Bakkuda, Christine Sako. Thu: Viri y Los Bandidos, High Rolling Loners, Abe West.

Fri: Castoff, Terminally Ill, Strike Twelve, Chango’s Psychotic Garage, Weird. Sat: Misc. Ailments, Forbear, Project Analogue. Sun: Ogd_S(11) Translation Has Failed, Vaginals, Blackberry Tongues, Son of Radul. Mon: Plastik Deer, Sleeze, Rogue Stereo, Portrait On Fire. Tue: Desert Suns, Mos Generator, Wounded Giant, The Great Electric Quest.

The Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. officebarinc.com. Wed: ‘Friends Chill’.

Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings. Tue: ‘Trapped in the Office’ w/ Ramsey.

The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, Gaslamp. tinroofbars.com. Wed: ‘Rock ��������� Out Karaoke’. Thu: Freeze Frame. Fri: CLAMR, Betamaxx. Sat: Jonathan Lee Band. Sun: ‘G Street Sessions’ w/ Allen and Maria.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. tiltwoclub.com. Fri: The Stitches, The Dogs, Spent Idols, Dirty Eyes. Sat: Amerikan Bear, Sycamore. Sun: Open mic comedy. Mon: Karaoke.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St, Bay Park. tioleos.com. Thu: Mercedes Moore. Fri: The Distractions. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band. Tue: Sue Palmer.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City Heights. thetowerbar.com. Fri: Mary Simich, King Flamingo, Nico Bones.

Sat: DJs Juliancito, Monster Mike, Mark Garcia. Tue: Curioser, Kyle Alfred Hillig, Cloud Person, Rosewood and Rye. Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St, Pacific Beach. theturquoise.com/wordpress.

Wed: Tomcat Courtney. Thu: The Jade Visions Jazz Trio. Fri: Gabriela and La Buena Onda, Afro Jazziacs. Sat: Vera Cruz Blues, Goma. Sun: Sounds Like Four, Middle Earth. Tue: Grupo Global.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave, North Park. u31bar.com. Wed: DJs Ukeim, Mo Lyon.

Thu: DJ Bacon Bits. Fri: Lee Churchill.

Sat: DJ Qenoe. Sun: TRC Soundsystem.

Mon: DJ Fishfonics. Tue: Karaoke.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. whistlestopbar.com. Wed: The Midnight Pine. Thu: Kill Quanti DJs. Fri: ‘F-ing in the Bushes’ w/ DJs Rob Moran, Daniel Sant. Sat: ‘80s vs 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. winstonsob.com. Wed: Audio Republic, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Atlantis Rizing.

Fri: ‘Ocean Boogie’. Sat: Sister ‘Bam Bam’ Nancy, Dub Bandalero. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Meeting of the Meyends.

March 18, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 47

Brendan Emmett Quigley

Across

Stickfigure heads

1. Ladies’ room?

6. Common person 10. Programmer’s banes 14. Trooper company 15. Massage therapeutically 16. From the top 17. Yarn purchase 18. By virtue of position 20. Central Utah city 22. “Are we doing this?”

23. “Plush” rock band, initially 26. Awards for some plays 28. Skier’s mecca 29. Ring leader?

32. 67-Across committee members: Abbr.

33. Lot measurement 34. Long-distance runner’s training stats.

35. “D’oh!” in Düsseldorf 37. Movie about the TV soap “Southwest General” 39. Rather underwhelming movie 43. “Shame on you” 44. Wrestler’s material 45. Full of smarts 46. “U ___ BRO?” 49. The surf in some surf and turf dishes 52. Glass piece?

54. Linen tape used for trimmings (anag. of KLEIN) 55. Newspaper that last endorsed a Republican in 1956: Abbr.

56. “February” feature, to some people 58. Actor Idris 60. “We’re Not Gonna Take It” singer 62. Riveting woman?

66. Plasm prefix Last week’s answers

48 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

67. Themed dance 68. Bagel selection 69. Petting zoo handful 70. Line up, sound-wise 71. Google tablet

Down 1. Introductory words 2. “Funny you should ___” 3. Regret 4. 52-Across star Pinza 5. See 31-Down 6. Grand opening 7. Fish for breakfast 8. Actress Mumford of “Fifty Shades of Grey” 9. Totes close pals 10. Puts on the line 11. Gets ready to use, as a tube of toothpaste 12. ___ counter (radiation gauge) 13. Dramatic faints 19. SNAFU 21. Charlotte’s chronicler 23. Card game that sounds like a command to nudniks 24. Mexican dish that’s best served with fish (just sayin’) 25. Light-hearted guy?

27. The Loop loopers 30. “Bad Reputation” singer Joan 31. With 5-Down, cartoonist of the comic strip whose name is phonetically represented by the first words in the long Across answers 36. Ginsberg masterwork 38. “Valley of the Dolls” author Jacqueline 39. Terrible rapper on a dis track 40. Utah national park 41. Best Play award 42. Staycation’s goal, perhaps 44. Web portal that features Outlook 46. “___ & Talib Kweli are Black Star” (2002 hip-hop album) 47. Each 48. Remove a file 50. Hang in the breeze 51. Youngest #1 overall NBA draft pick 53. Fix the front lawn 57. Waitress’s wages, largely 59. Simply the best 61. Time it takes for a mountain to form 63. Highest number represented on a domino 64. Cheapskate’s letters 65. Dash lengths

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50 · San Diego CityBeat · March 18, 2015

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