San Diego CityBeat • Mar 19, 2014

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Backers of a local minimum-wage increase aim for a sweet spot that voters can support

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SeaWorld P.3 Wooden P.7 Typewriters P.18 Sex P.23

2 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

E ditor’s N ote

SeaWorld: one guy’s take First disclosure: I’ve lived in San Diego for nearly a dozen years, and I’ve never been to SeaWorld. Wait.

Check that. I’ve been there once, when I was about 12 years old, and my family was visiting from greater Los Angeles. I recall nothing about the experience, but I probably had an OK time; this was roughly two years before a became a seriously surly teenager.

Second disclosure: Like most people, I know little about killer whales. I’m not a marine biologist (although I’ve played one on TV), and I haven’t spent a lot of time studying their behaviors (whales, not biologists).

Third disclosure: I don’t believe I’ve written anything about SeaWorld or its whale shows since we launched CityBeat in 2002, so, obviously, the theme park’s business model and practices haven’t been a huge priority. I’m chiming in now because, with last year’s critical documentary Blackfish and state Assemblymember Richard Bloom’s consequent bill to ban some of what SeaWorld does, the theme park has become a huge issue.

Bloom, a Democrat who represents the Santa Monica area, wants to ban public entertainment involving killer whales, end the captive breeding of whales, bar companies from importing or exporting whales and move SeaWorld’s 10 whales into ocean pens.

The city’s top two politicians, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and City Council President Todd Gloria, have announced their opposition to the bill. Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez so far is the only local state legislator to indicate support. I’m particularly interested in what position Toni Atkins will take— this week, she became speaker of the Assembly, and SeaWorld is in her district. She’d seem to be colossally important in this debate.

Politicians like Atkins no doubt feel pressure to consider the economic impacts of such a bill, and economic concerns might sway some San Diegans.

But, from my view, it’s about morality. I suspect that SeaWorld could make adjustments to fit a new reality and do OK—maybe even better—but even if it can’t, morality should trump the loss of some tourism jobs and city general-fund dollars.

My guess is that the low-hanging fruit for Bloom are the killer-whale shows. I suspect that of all the things SeaWorld does, it’s demanding that these

majestic creatures perform tricks, in exchange for food, for our entertainment, that rubs the most critically thinking people the wrong way. Assuming that SeaWorld truly doesn’t take whales from the wild anymore, next on the objection list would likely be the importing and exporting of whales, particularly when mothers are separated from their offspring.

To me, a separation scene in Blackfish was eerily reminiscent of a horrific scene in 12 Years a Slave, when two children are torn from their mother. I’ll bet that the tougher public sell for Bloom will be the ban on breeding and the requirement to relocate the whales currently housed at SeaWorld to the ocean, whether it’s to the wide-open sea or fenced-off pens.

Though I haven’t crusaded against SeaWorld’s practices, I’d sign a petition banning the shows and the separation of family members in half a second.

Irina Silvestrova By nature, I’m also against holding large, wild marine mammals prisoner in relatively small pools. Even reputable zoos make me uneasy; I think I’ve been to the San Diego Zoo once in the 12 years I’ve lived here.

I’m all for wildlife research, rescue, conservation and education, but those efforts tend to exist as mitigation for the public entertainment in these parks rather than from any sense of genuine altruism. I believe you can have the research, rescue, conservation and education without the exploitation and the gaudy entertainment.

But that’s just me. I think wildlife habitat should be preserved to the greatest extent possible, and the critters and creatures should be protected and left alone. I don’t think wild animals should be caged, unless it’s to rehabilitate and add strength to numbers in the wilderness.

I’m inclined to view SeaWorld’s past as disgusting and shameful and its present as obnoxious, at best. It bugs me that this amusement park is iconic to San Diego. I’ll take a real park—Balboa Park—any day of the week. And I think that steps toward more humane treatment of other species are steps toward the positive evolution of our own.

—David Rolland What do you think? Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

This issue of CityBeat has plans to annex Jamul.

Volume 12 • Issue 32 Editor David Rolland Associate Editor Kelly Davis Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Kinsee Morlan Staff Writer Joshua Emerson Smith Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Lindsey Voltoline Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

Cover illustration by Lindsey Voltoline

Contributors Ian Cheesman, David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Nina Sachdev Hoffmann, Peter Holslin, Dave Maass, Scott McDonald, Jennifer McEntee, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Mina Riazi, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Jen Van Tieghem, Quan Vu

Circulation / Office Assistant Giovanna Tricoli

Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse

Vice President of Finance Michael Nagami

Production artist Rees Withrow

Vice President of Operations David Comden

MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia

Publisher Kevin Hellman

Senior account executive Jason Noble Account Executives F. Scott Berman, Beau Odom

Accounting Alysia Chavez, Linda Lam, Monica MacCree Human Resources Andrea Baker

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March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

4 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

David Rolland

Supporters of a higher minimum wage in San Diego rallied at City Hall on March 12.

Ready, Hike!

San Diego officials kick off campaign to increase local minimum wage

by Joshua Emerson Smith On her hour-long morning commute, Lisette Orosco drops off her 6-year-old daughter at school near their home in Chula Vista and her 4-year-old son at daycare in San Ysidro, then drives north to Sorrento Valley, where she works as a legal assistant.

She wants to move closer to work, but making $11 an hour, she hasn’t found a place she can afford. Instead, the single mother and her children rent a room for $400 a month in a house with two other people.

She recently got a second job selling kitchenware on the weekends but is still living paycheck to paycheck.

“It’s kind of scary to be at a standstill, because right now I feel like I’ve sort of plateaued in my life,” the 25-year-old said. “I can’t even put myself through college. How am I going to put my kids through college?”

Although she’s an articulate high-school graduate working more than 40 hours a week, Orosco—who was introduced to CityBeat by the Center on Policy Initiatives (CPI), a left-leaning San Diego think tank— has little to no disposable income and often struggles to secure basic necessities for her family, such as food and clothes. The federal

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and YMCA-subsidized daycare keep them afloat, but it’s hard to imagine the family doing more than treading water.

“Right now, the only way I can see getting ahead is by either getting another job or making more hourly,” she said.

As the middle class continues to shrink, situations like Orosco’s are increasingly common. In San Diego County, roughly 38 percent of households with working-age residents can’t pay for basic needs without government assistance, according to a new report from CPI. That’s up from roughly 30 percent in 2007, before the recession.

“We’re moving in the wrong direction,” San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria said at a rally last week. “No one who works in a full-time job should be unable to pay for basic shelter and food. Full-time work should lift you out of poverty, not keep you in it.”

His rhetoric follows a game plan laid out

by Democrats on the state and federal levels: Increase the minimum wage.

Joined by Councilmembers Marti Emerald, Myrtle Cole and Sherri Lightner, Gloria announced last Wednesday a campaign to place a city-sponsored initiative on the November ballot that would increase the minimum wage.

“No one who works full time should live in poverty,” Emerald said. “Raising the minimum wage will make a positive difference in all of our lives, not just the tens of thousands of people who are struggling to get by.”

$34,253 a year, or $16.47 an hour.

At the same time, a lot depends on a person’s situation. To meet basic needs without government assistance, an adult in the San Diego region must make about $13 an hour, according to the CPI study. However, add a preschool-aged child into the mix and that number jumps up to more than $25 an hour.

The proposed initiative would also guarTens of thousands of San Diegans are livantee workers up to five earned sick days, ing below this “self-sufficiency standard,” acofficials said. About 44 percent of workers cording to the CPI study. More than one in in the region accrue no sick leave at their five area households with a full-time breadjob, according to the Institute for Women’s winner, about 113,000 families, cannot make Policy Research. ends meet without government assistance.

“There is no doubt that access to earned For single mothers, it’s more than 72 percent.

Numbers like these are partly why a sick days creates stronger and safer workplaces,” Emerald added. “As consumers, do growing group of government officials have we really want to walk up to a counter or sit recently backed minimum-wage increases down at a restaurant and have the person across the country. After more than five years, the California Legislature voted last serving us sick?”

The extent to which a bump in the mini- fall to incrementally raise the minimum mum wage will help working folks will like- wage to $9 an hour this summer and then ly depend on the size of the increase, and to $10 an hour, or $20,800 a year, in 2016.

At the federal level, President Obama the fight to determine that number has yet to begin. The city of San Diego has no wage has campaigned to boost the federal minirequirement beyond the current state-man- mum wage from $7.25 an hour to $10.10.

However, Congress has dated $8 an hour. shown little willingness “Honestly, I don’t “Full-time work should to take up the issue. have a figure that I’m As it stands today, wedded to,” Gloria told lift you out of poverty, Washington state has CityBeat after the rally. not keep you in it.” the highest minimum “This is going to be part wage at $9.32 an hour. of a public process where —Todd Gloria Of the 21 states that have we hear from everybody. minimum-wage requireI think, ultimately, what we’ll try to pick is what can get through ments above the federal level, California is the City Council, and then what we think tied for eighth, with states such as Colorado and Massachusetts. The highest hourly the voters will ultimately adopt.”

In a commentary on raising the minimum minimum wages are in cities, such as San wage published in U-T San Diego in January, Francisco, where it’s $10.74, and SeattleGloria quoted an estimate from the Califor- Tacoma, Wash., where it’s $15. nia Budget Project that calculated a “modest Wage CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 standard of living” in San Diego costs at least

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Joshua Emerson Smith

Wage CONTINUED from PAGE 5 Bumps to the minimum wage often face opposition from business groups, such as the California Chamber of Commerce, which attacked the state’s minimum-wage hike as a “a job killer.”

In a widely distributed press release blasting a minimum-wage increase for the city of San Diego, Jerry Sanders, president and CEO of the Regional Chamber of Commerce, said, “Any proposal by the City Council to add an additional increase on top of the recently approved $10-an-hour increase by the state will put San Diego at a further competitive disadvantage. The City Council’s proposal should be reviewed by an independent third party to understand the economic impact an additional increase will have on our local economy and businesses.”

The San Diego County Taxpayers Association and the conservative lobby group The Lincoln Club of San Diego County declined to comment.

In response to a CityBeat request, Mayor Kevin Faulconer provided this statement through a spokesperson: “As mayor, it’s my job to grow our local economy and protect the jobs San Diego families rely on. I would hope that our City Council adheres to those same priorities as they move forward.”

Asked if the Mayor’s support is necessary to put a minimum-wage initiative on the November ballot, Gloria said, “I would like to have his support. I think this effort would be even more successful if we had his support, and we’ll discuss it with him. I’m sure he’ll have strong feelings about this.”

Many in the business community have expressed support, Gloria added. “All the meetings I’ve had, everyone, maybe with one exception, said this should happen,” he said. “They get that $8 is too low, that $10 in three years is not enough. The question is, what’s the dollar figure that doesn’t harm them too much? What’s the phase-in to get to that dollar amount that makes a lot of sense?”

Minimum-wage advocates should also expect pushback from the city’s tourism industry, including hotels and restaurant owners. More than half of hotel, restaurant and recreation workers in the region don’t make enough to survive without government assistance, the CPI study concludes.

The retail industry trails close behind with about 38 percent of workers struggling to pay for their basic necessities, such as food, rent and health care.

The campaign to boost San Diego’s minimum wage is in the “very beginning,” said Robert Nothoff, research and policy analyst for CPI. “They’re going to claim it’s a job killer, that it’s bad for business. We’re going to make sure that we have our studies and the data that show the benefits.”

So, will an increase to the city’s minimum wage help lift folks out of poverty or will it prompt businesses to cut hours and eliminate positions? If you ask a dozen economists, you get 13 answers.

6 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria is spearheading the campaign to boost the minimum wage.

One thing to consider is that the federal minimum wage, when adjusted for inflation, has been significantly higher in the past, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 1968, the country’s hourly minimum wage peaked at roughly $10.75 in today’s dollars. Since then, the buying power of the minimum wage has steadily declined, reaching a low point in 2007, before rebounding slightly.

However, on the city level, raising the minimum wage prompts concerns that neighboring municipalities with lower wage requirements might lure businesses away.

Lifting the minimum wage will likely “redistribute poverty” rather than reduce it, as businesses either move jobs or eliminate positions, said Joseph Sabia, professor of economics at San Diego State University.

“Among the narrow sliver of poor and near-poor workers who would be affected by the higher minimum wage, those who keep their jobs after a minimum-wage hike

may see modest income gains, but those who lose their jobs will see dramatic earnings losses,” he said.

Counter-intuitively, a minimum-wage increase is more likely to help the middle class than the struggling poor, Sabia argued. “In contrast to the myth that a common minimum-wage worker is a poor single mother struggling to make ends meet, the typical minimum-wage worker is actually a second or third earner in their 20s from a non-poor household.”

On the other hand, Alan Gin, professor of economics at the University of San Diego, supports a minimum-wage increase, arguing that while not all workers will benefit, it would help more people than it hurts.

“Since the mid-’90s, there’s been just a spate of research done on the minimum wage, because prior to that, everyone was under the assumption that economic theory said employment should decrease,” he said. “But a huge amount of studies have Lindsey Voltoline

shown that the effect on unemployment is small to insignificant.”

Studies looking at adjacent cities where one has a higher minimum wage have found “no difference in terms of the employment situation,” Gin added. “There are other factors that impact where people locate.”

A major issue driving talk of minimumwage increases on both the local and federal level is the idea it would help the overall economy. Some economists argue that the increase to workers’ income will be quickly pumped back into local businesses. To this point, Walmart recently announced it might support a federal minimum-wage increase.

“Even though they’d have to pay their employees more, they’re seeing their sales hurt right now because of sluggish income among lower-income people,” Gin said. “It will give people more money at the lower end, and the people on the lower end tend to spend almost all their money. So, that should have ripple effects throughout the economy.”

A wage increase could also help small businesses that pay workers more than the minimum, Gin added. “It would help level the playing field. Right now, they’re under heavy pressure from these low-cost big chains. If Walmart had to increase its wages, that would make it easier for some of these small businesses to compete.”

The debate will continue at a meeting of the City Council’s Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations Committee on Monday, March 24. It starts at 9 a.m. on City Hall’s 12th floor (202 C St.). Elected officials will hear testimony from residents as they craft a ballot proposal to be forwarded on to the full City Council.

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

spin cycle

john r.

lamb ‘We wanted him to be distracted’ “A politician’s words reveal less about what he thinks about his subject than what he thinks about his audience.”

—George F. Will Two-plus weeks into the Kevin Faulconer mayoral administration, and already state Republicans are hoisting up the Blond Bland One as 2018 governor fodder? Really?

Well, heck, why not? If progressive-minded voters decide that staying home for all but presidential elections is the way to go, anything’s possible. And who can blame California right-wingers for dreaming, given their pathetic track record in recent years?

Still, the question remains, is the Faulconer Phenomenon a one-trick pony? Or is it scalable for a broader political assault statewide against a backdrop of shrill Tea Party bravado? In other words, can a man who stiffens at the thought of an ideological discussion take his show on the road and succeed?

In an article for Campaigns & Elections last week, Faulconer’s Washington D.C.-based TV-ad creator talked about the challenge of helping a “wooden” Republican candidate appeal to moderates.

“We understood it wasn’t Faulconer’s issues that needed to be sold, it was Kevin himself,” wrote Sam Dealey, the managing principal at Monument Communications and formerly editor of the conservative Washington Times.

“We wanted him to be distracted,” Dealey continued. “If he was going to speak to camera, we made sure he spoke to someone just off-camera, and in his kitchen. If he was going to be walking somewhere, we wanted him to be walking and talking with someone he knew well.”

Dealey said they even mounted cameras in his car “and just drove around San Diego, talking.”

What they were trying to avoid, Dealey explained, was what came across from Faulconer’s previous campaign ads, which he described as “by the book” straight-into-thecamera clips of the candidate ram-

bling on about pension reform and the occasional “walk-in-the-park cutaway.” The technique, Dealey surmised, “wasn’t working for Faulconer, who appeared uncomfortable and wooden.”

The “docu-style” technique used in the most recent ads, Dealey wrote, allowed Faulconer’s “rote sound bites” to disappear “in the give-and-take of a real conversation. He was relaxed, engaging and authentic.

“And when we told Faulconer the cameras were turned off, that’s when he really came through.”

Contacted by Spin, Dealey declined to go into more detail publicly about the challenges of his task, nor what this might mean for the new mayor, given that press conferences rarely occur in a mayor’s kitchen or involve surreptitious videotaping.

Talk to local media types privately about covering Faulconer, and the overwhelming reaction is something akin to an eye-roll, followed by a pantomime of a nap.

Boring, in other words. Highly choreographed. Little to no divergence from message, sometimes to ridiculously awkward levels.

About the only issue upon which Faulconer so far has shown some teeth is SeaWorld, a company he knows well from his publicrelations days that, as Spin noted in previous columns, Faulconer found so discomforting talking about during the campaign.

He has clearly shown his irritation with state Assemblymember Richard Bloom, a Democrat from Santa Monica, who’s proposed a bill that would ban not only captive breeding but also the use of orcas at the politically connected San Diego theme park for “entertainment or performance purposes.”

Faulconer told the Los Angeles Times that the bill “will only serve to hurt San Diego jobs,” adding, “I think there are much more pressing issues in Sacramento to address.”

It’s a technique Faulconer falls back on frequently to stay on message: Highlight the economic significance and ignore the moral dilemma—whether it’s an

A scene from a Faulconer campaign ad industry’s environmental impact on residents in a neighborhood like Barrio Logan or if highly intelligent animals belong cooped up at a for-profit tourist mecca.

Apparently in Faulconer’s world, there is no room for ideological debate, only ones involving dollars and cents.

That’s an interesting precipice from which to govern, because it appears to discount exactly what his handlers used to catapult him into the Mayor’s office—the emotional claims that his opponent cared little for neighborhoods beyond his south-of-8 sphere being arguably the most damaging. And yet, these are the same people he now surrounds himself with as he sets sail as mayor.

Dealey wrote that when he met Faulconer, “I got the sense he was

a politician in the Romney mold,” someone who “preferred the nuts and bolts of administration to the preening and baby kissing of the trail. This is a man, after all, who attended City Hall meetings as a kid—for fun.”

In other words, it’s the perfect antidote to the wild unpredictability of the Bob Filner era, which seemed fueled by theoretical discussions. That lack of discipline had its severe downsides, clearly, but it also returned Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama back to pedestrian use swiftly and cheaply. Spin doubts that would have occurred under the disciplinarian authority of a Faulconer or a Carl DeMaio.

In his article, Dealey contended that it was his company’s TV ads— from the initial Spanish-speaking

spot to the Father Joe Carroll homelessness strolls and the kitchen-table chats—that “helped take Faulconer from a nail-biting edge to a commanding lead.”

Spin has no idea how much tape remained on the cuttingroom floor in order to pull out a few 30-second spots’ worth of humanizing Faulconer moments, but governing leaves little room for second takes.

Perhaps San Diego will never be a progressive city. It certainly seems there are enough wealthy people in town who, when faced with even a hint of a more level playing field, will shell out the dough to play to the darkest human emotions.

But if Faulconer is truly a nutsand-bolts guy, he must demonstrate to all San Diegans that he’s listening. Most engaged citizens understand that trickery is an ingredient of political campaigns, but they are intolerant of its use for governing.

San Diegans want to see results. They want to know they’ve had a fair hearing. That’s Faulconer’s challenge in the unforgiving spotlight going forward, whether here or in Sacramento. No smart D.C. ad man will change that.

Got a tip? Send it to johnl@sdcitybeat.com

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

edwin

sordid tales

decker Revisiting floodageddon Now here’s a headline that caught my eye right they multiply really fast. I just know we’re gonna be quick: “Russell Crowe film ‘Noah’ edited to appease scratching and rubbing and bleeding for every one Christians upset by ‘historical inaccuracies’” (raw of those 40 nights—don’t even get me started about story.com, March 6, 2014). the tapeworm. Talk about evil!”

Let me get this straight, Raw Story headline: Here’s another quote that caught my eye. This What you’re saying is that there are some people out one’s from Ben Kayser of FaithDefenders.com, who there, people over the age of 8, people who presumasks, “[Will the movie] dishonor the true story of ably have not been raised in the wild by dimwitted justice, mercy and redemption?” coyotes, people with normal brains—and by “norNow, I know it’s crass to razz people’s religion, mal,” I mean that they contain a sufficient amount and the flood of bitter emails to come could quite of neural tissue, no less than 10 billion assorted axpossibly rise to biblical proportions. However, I’m ons and neurons, most of their synapses firing and not mocking anyone’s faith. I’m mocking their intelall their ganglia still gangling—who think that the ligence! I mean, how wasted must one’s pre-frontal biblical story of Noah is a historical recounting? cortex be in order to believe that Noah’s Ark is a stoI find this to be deeply disturbing hilarious. ry of “justice, mercy and redemption”? OK, maybe, if Of all the preposterous yarns in the Bible—from by “justice” you mean “cruel and unusually over-theMary’s virgin birth, to Jonah living inside a giant top punishment,” and if “redemption” means having fish for three days, to Moses parting the Red Sea, to your sins literally washed away, and if “mercy” is deBalaam’s talking ass—there’s none more ludicrous fined as “willfully murdering nearly every person on than the story of Noah’s Ark. the planet including teachers, doctors, children, vegAnyone with even only 5 billion axons and neuans, grandmothers, community organizers, children, rons knows there’s no way eight laypeople (all of crisis volunteers, Samaritans, children, philanthrowhom were more than 100 years pists, drum circlers (they never old) could cut, gather, transport, hurt nobody), midwives, and did shape, erect and cure all the wood I mention children—as in babies?

Unless they were needed to build such a vessel.

What about the babies? running Indonesian They know there’s no way these For the record, I’m not one of horrifically ancient farts could these “what-about-the-babies” sex-slavery rings from round up several million animals blowhards. I don’t believe it’s any the womb, God killed from all corners of the planet—all worse to murder a kid than a cabthem for no reason. their food, equipment and enbie. I only mention babies because, closures—and shove them onto a in this instance, it’s relevant. God boat that’s smaller than your averannihilated the population beage Carnival cruise liner. cause there was too much evil running amok. Yet Anyone whose cerebral cortex still contains all babies are utterly innocent. Unless they were runits subcortical structures would wonder how all the ning Indonesian sex-slavery rings from the womb, different races of the world spawned from one man’s God killed them for no reason. genes: How did they supply a diverse gene pool. And So, I ask, is this your guy? Is this someone deservhow did Noah determine the sex of all those creaing of your idolatry? The savage who sent a bear—a tures whose genders are not so easily determined, friggin’ bear!—to maul 40 kids because they poked like salamanders, earthworms and Bret Michaels? fun at Elijah’s baldness? The prick who slew Onan, While we’re at it, how did eight people with no zonot because he balled his dead brother’s widow, but ological experience care for several million animals? because he had the nerve to pull out? The misanWhose job was it to shovel the dinosaur dung? Who thrope who dropped Egypt into a fuck-you funnel organized the bingo and shuffleboard tournaments? of lice, flies, frogs, locusts, frogs (what, no bears?), Oh sure, Bible literalists will argue that The Aldarkness, infanticide and restless-leg syndrome? mighty helped Noah build the boat, round up the Oh, and, by the way, floodageddon didn’t work, animals and sex the geckos. But if God were going did it? God hosed down all the evil on the planet, to help, why didn’t he just say, “Abracadabra,” and yet, somehow, evil returned. My guess is that it conjure an ark from thin air? For that matter, why was the Devil who brought it back. Wrap your idle ganglia around that for a moment. Not only is Mr. fuss with a boat at all? Why not simply abracadabra Omniscient a murderous tyrant; he’s also incompeall the evil off the planet and never mind all this tent. He should have known Satan would bring evil messy tsunami business? back—that’s what devils do! God smote everyone on Question: Do you think Noah regretted bringing the planet for no good reason, which makes him the fleas? more of a devil than The Devil. Satan may reign over GOD: “You are to bring onto the ark two of all the minions of Hell, but it is Our Father who Art in living creatures, male and female, no matter how Heaven who sends us there. big or how small.”

NOAH: “Sounds great, God. Just one thing, though.

Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com Do you think it’s a good idea to bring the fleas?” and editor@sd citybeat.com. Listen to GOD: “Of course it’s a good idea. I’m God!” “Sordid Tales: The Podcast!” at sdcitybeat.com.

NOAH: “I know, I know, but the thing of it is,

8 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

by michael a. gardiner Michael A. Gardiner

their roots to the Caribbean or Africa— went to work for the next. What emerged was a fascinating mélange based on the same ingredients, and some of the same traditions, as that of the Cajuns. Cajun food tends toward the spicy, Creole to the rich, and time has wrought a convergence.

One good place to experience this is the New Orleans Cuisine & Catering food truck (neworleansfoodtruck.com).

One excellent starter is the chicken-andAndouille-sausage gumbo, a heavily seasoned stew that’s perhaps Cajun-Creole’s most widely recognized dish. Gumbo consists of onion, bell pepper and celery (the Cajun Holy Trinity), stock, meat and/or shellfish and a thickener (okra, roux, filé powder—dried and ground sassafras leaves—or some combination thereof. The truck’s version had gumbo’s The chicken-and-sausage gumbo characteristic rich and piquant flavor profile, but seemed ever-so-slightly light on the distinctive earthy notes of the filé.

Shrimp and corn bisque—a Creole classic—is another good starter. The flavors of the shrimp and corn come through, set off nicely by a hit of white pepper. Both roux and cream brought a rich and luxurious feel to the dish, perhaps a What’s stirring in the gumbo? bit too rich; a touch of acid might have been nice.

Less successful was another Cajun-Creole staDetractors of America’s culinary scene argue ple—jambalaya—the riotous Caribbean cousin of that we have no national cuisine, no culinary traSpanish paella, featuring meat and vegetables findition of our own. Even our greatest chefs, they ished with stock and rice. The truck’s version was say, merely offer spins on the cuisine of others. characterless, tepid even. It seemed like nothing Is Thomas Keller’s French Laundry not based on more than tomato-stained rice garnished with French cuisine. Does Grant Achatz’s Alinea not chopped parsley. That’s not jambalaya. echo the modernist cuisine of Feran Adria’s El The best bite from the truck was the fried-oysBulli. Even Southwest cuisine is basically Euroter po’ boy. A po’ boy is New Orleans’ version of a pean technique applied to Mexican flavors. submarine sandwich: a baguette filled with meat or Then there’s New Orleans’ Cajun-Creole cuifried seafood. The truck’s oyster version (shrimp is sine. Ironically, it started as two distinct styles of also available) was superb, fried to a crispy exterior cooking but merged through history and geogwith a creamy and moist interior. The Zatarain’s raphy. Cajun cuisine traces its roots to Frenchspice mayonnaise was a perfect accompaniment. A speaking immigrants to Nova Scotia, driven out hit of Tabasco completed the picture. after the French and Indian War, subsequently Cajun-Creole cuisine might not be all of Amerisettling in French-speaking Louisiana. ca’s cuisine but is certainly all-American cuisine. It Where Cajun food was rustic, rough-aroundreflects the history and culture of its place and its the edges cooking based on Southern French roots, people in a genuine, organic culinary tradition. Try it at the New Orleans Cuisine & Catering truck.

Creole cuisine was grounded in classical European styles of the various flags that flew over New OrWrite to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com leans, particularly French and Spanish. As one set and editor@sdcitybeat.com. of rulers left town, their cooks—who mostly traced

the world

fare

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

By Jen Van Tieghem

bottle

Rocket Perfect for weekday winos

Hillcrest, please accept my apologies. In my many wine-bar excursions, I’ve somehow neglected you. Hopefully, a recent trip to Jake’s on 6th (3755 Sixth Ave., jakeson6thwinebar.com) makes up for that.

With a small patio, a large bar, a couple of couches and several tables spread throughout, Jake’s layout is ideal for a date or meet-up with friends—a long table toward the back welcomes larger parties as well.

Since this was a date night, I chose a table in the middle and began exploring the wine menu. I decided to start with the 2011 Heinz Eifel Riesling from Germany—sweet wines are what my significant other finds most appealing. He likes his wines like his women, eh? The rich flavor of apricot was pleasant, but it proved a bit too sweet for my taste and

10 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

I let my boyfriend finish the glass.

I followed this with a 2011 Zinfandel from Bianchi in Paso Robles. Bianchi always has tasty offerings, and this one was no different.

The deep cherry flavor matched the color, and the hint of tobacco on the nose was reflected in light smoke on the tongue. The spiciness of the Zin also went well with our appetizer; panini bread topped with creamy melted ParmigianoReggiano and fresh mozzarella—simply called Jen Van Tieghem “cheese sticks”—had the perfect amount of pesto aioli and came with a side of brilliant red marinara sauce that tasted as fresh as it looked.

Another great thing about Jake’s are the wine specials.

Mondays feature half-off bottles, and all-night happy hour on Tuesdays and Wednesdays includes $10 wine flights.

Plus, the daily happy hour, from 4 to 7 p.m., gets you $2 off wines by the glass, 25 percent off bottles and a few discounted food items. Any place that gives me a good excuse for weekday wining gets a gold star.

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

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

by jenny montgomery Jenny montgomery

north

fork

Bright, stylish and cool Is Carlsbad hip? I’ve never quite been able to figure it out. There are certainly spots of coolness, and although the village has the ubiquitous, never-changing tourist shops, there are interesting nooks around every corner with funky antiques, fresh art and tasty food. Café Topes occupies a busy corner (3091 Roosevelt St., find it on Facebook) one block off the main drag, with plenty of outdoor seating for watching the beach-bound go by and a great menu to fill your belly.

The interior, though clean and contemporary, with concrete floors and an order-at-the-counter efficiency, also has welcoming warmth. Simple, Pendleton-inspired pillows line the wall-length bench seat, and a gorgeous living wall of succulents is a design showstopper. With wide open doors and a large, sunny patio, Café Topes has a bustling and happy energy. It’s open six days a week (sorry, Monday, you lose again) for breakfast and lunch, and although it’s quite popular, there’s always a place to rest your bones and have a nibble.

I continued my quest to eat every version of eggs Benedict on Earth by checking out Café

12 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

Topes’ classic presentation. The kitchen poached the eggs beautifully. They were a vision of warm, jiggly, sunny yolks that popped with one prick of my fork, slowly oozing onto the English muffin and surrounding potatoes.

They also don’t skimp on the creamy Hollandaise, thank you very much, and although I loved how much of it I got, it could have used a bit more flavor. Amp up the lemon, Café Topes, and I’ll order that sauce by the pint. If you’re not a traditionalist, try the Crack n’ Benedict; a layer of burgundy tri-tip, cooked to order, beefs up the eggs and muffin.

I don’t go in for baked-goods hyperbole. I stand by my opinion that since fewer people bother to bake at home, we’re all wowed by anything semidecent with a pantload of frosting. All that said, Café Topes does make a mean cinnamon roll, if a bit overhyped. The best I’ve ever had? No. I like my buns slightly underdone with a soft, gooey middle. This bun is well-cooked, cakey and quite delicious. It’s ample and clearly made with love in the kitchen (not from anything artificial or frozen), and the frosting is classic, sweet and generously drizzled over the dough. If you’re a lunatic, ask for it “dirty” and they’ll drown your bun in the sugary stuff.

There are plenty of tasty lunch options, as well. Don’t miss out on the grilled cheese with Brie, tart green apples and a sticky swipe of fig jam. The hamburgers are also a menu standout.

I had a classic cheeseburger and fries and loved every bite. The hand-formed patties are as succulent as the plants on the wall, and the fries are hot and wonderfully seasoned.

Whether or not the village of Carlsbad is hip, Café Topes is definitely a bustling spot of openhearted coolness. This is no ’tude-filled hipster haven; it’s a stylish eatery with great food, great service and a bright future.

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

urban

by Nina Sachdev Hoffmann

scout Where can I find…

Spring trends?

While researching current spring trends, I learned that neon crop tops are here to stay, iridescent trench coats are the thing and orange is the new black. I gave this a lot of thought. Really, I did. So, I’m going to try to respond to this as fairly and objectively as possible: Hi, um, 2014 spring trends? The ’80s called. They want their shit back.

Luckily for all of us (even for those of us who love the ’80s), what’s trending closer to home is far less—er, bright. I asked a bunch of local retailers to weigh in, and this is some of what’s flying off their shelves:

Natural fragrances

Courtesy: Make Good

Hand-woven baskets from the Kumeyaay tribe Hulk-smashed, drooled on or otherwise disrespected. Real sorry about that, guys. So, that leaves the ceiling. And air plants, out of the way but in your line of sight, look great in any room and can hang from pretty much anywhere. They grow without soil. They require very little water and attention. They’re super cool-looking because they hang in glass orbs, which are at once sophisticated yet casual in the way the plants just hang out there.

Pigment (3801 30th St. North Park, pigment.com) has a nice selection of DIY kits (starting at $30), but you can also buy them pre-arranged ($39.99 and up) at Grounded (897 S. Coast Hwy. 101 in Encinitas, shopgrounded.com).

Asking someone to describe how their perfume smells is not all that different from asking them to describe their red wine: “I detect notes of blackberry, road tar and pencil shavings.” It just sounds silly (those are all real wine descriptions, by the way). Case in point: My sister fell in love with West Third Brand, a Seattle-based smallbatch perfumery whose stop-you-on-the-street fragrances can be found at Establish (1029 University Ave. in Hillcrest, establishsd.com) and Love + Aesthetics (621 W. Fir St. in Little Italy, loveandaesthetics.com). I asked her to wax poetic on the one she bought, Voyage d’Tabac: “It kind of reminds me of how someone’s British grandfaAnything American Indian ther would smell after smoking his pipe and readDream catchers, silver jewelry with hints of turing old books in a leather chair. He may or may quoise, hand-woven baskets from indigenous not have been wearing plaid and have had elbow tribes and anything associated with pads.” See what I mean? Well, it’s lovely American Indian motifs is trending in just the same. And, like all of West Third a big way here. One hyperlocal clothing Brand’s products, it’s free of synthetics. line, 32nd & Elm (thirtysecondandelm.

For fragrances this refined, it’s hard to com), named after designer Katie Empbelieve you can get a bottle for only $32. key’s cross streets in South Park, is capiAdded bonus: They’re all unisex. talizing on the popularity. Empkey is Looking for something more travelturning out some really rad hand-drawn friendly? Try a locally made roll-on designs of cow skulls, Aztec snakes, perfume (also all-natural) by Purity arrows and more for her line of kids Apothecary (purityapothecary.com), clothes. Check out her new designs on which makes soap, skin-care products and more. You wouldn’t think to wear Voyage d’Tabac Instagram (@thirtysecondandelm).

Or, go directly to the source of these lemongrass (I only think to eat it in Thai fashions. For jewelry and accessories from the food), but it’s bright and crisp and sets you back— Kumeyaay tribe (the original habitants of the get this—only $8. You can find these at various land you’re standing on), head to Make Good farmers markets around town or at Glimpse (2207 Fern St. in South Park, themakegood.com), (3813 Ray St. in North Park, glimpseliving.com). the only store in the U.S. where you can find these carefully crafted works. The handcrafted baskets Tillandsia (air plants) are the stars of the tribe’s offerings, though. Look Terrariums are ever-popular, but lately I’ve been for the ones woven with leaves; they’d make great seeing these air plants hanging in more and more centerpieces or fruit bowls for the kitchen table.

Supplies are limited and going fast. shops around town. And the more I see them, the more I feel like I need them. Why? Because if Write to ninah@sdcitybeat.com you’re a piece of art in our household, chances are and editor@sdcitybeat.com. you’ve been baby-handled. You have possibly been

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

the

SHORTlist DAVID ROLLAND

ART

COORDINATED BY KINSEE MORLAN

sdsciencefestival.com), at 25 bars and brewpubs around San Diego County.

At Blind Lady, the Fleet folks put up a sign—“We are Scientists. Ask us anything!”—near the bar and just stood there, waiting for someone to engage them in conversation. Soon, an effervescent woman approached and told the scientists that she saw a ball of light late at night in the sky—20 years ago. She wanted to know: What was it?

Steven Snyder, a physicist and Fleet center executive director, didn’t know, of course, yet still offered Steve Snyder (right) fields a question at Blind Lady Ale House. up some possibilities. But the precise answer isn’t the point; the idea is interaction and informal conversation about science.

“The point, really, is just to connect scientists and their community together,” Snyder says later.

It wasn’t your typical bar conversation: What even- “We have scientists all over San Diego; it’s a matually happens to helium balloons after they’re re- jor part of who actually San Diego is, but we don’t leased into the sky? What’s string theory all about? normally think about it. So, we’re just trying to How does a vinyl record produce sound? Does the play matchmaker.” universe have a center of mass?

To be sure, the scientists are ready for wacky, Or maybe it was typical: Hey, what’s the best drunken questions, so let them fly. But what about strain of marijuana? the guy who won’t go away, who dominates a scienThese were some of the brain challengers put to tist’s time for, like, 45 minutes or more? three scientists last Wednesday night at Blind Lady “Well, that’s why there are two scientists,” Snyder Ale House in Normal Heights, where the smart- laughs. “They can tag-team.” ies from the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center were Find the list of locations and exact times at each holding a trial run of its new Two Scientists Walk at rhfleet.org/events/two-scientists-walk-bar.

Into a Bar event, which will go down for-reals from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 20 (to coincide with the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering, At only 24, Karla Mi Lugo is a woman of many talents. A street performer who got her start in San Francisco, she can juggle Music and arts festivals rarely provide while balancing on a basketball, draw your portrait much in the way of surprises. But the on a balloon, play accordion dirges that’ll break your New West Electronic Arts & Music heart and do a killer Billie Holiday impersonation.

Organization (NWEAMO)—shepherded by SDSU The latter is what music professor Jozefius Vaatierz Rattus—offers brings her to the Vica more engaging feast for the senses, intertwining tory Theatre (2558 audio and visual performances. This year’s festival Imperial Ave. in LoJAZMIN FILLION features multi-sensory gan Heights) at 9:30 presentations from p.m. Friday, March the likes of Swarmius, 20, where, accomPeripateticus and De- panied by members lighted Decay, all under of gypsy-jazz band the theme of “Play and Trio Gadjo, she’ll Playfulness.” NWEA- bring Holiday to life.

MO takes place at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15—or, Saturday and Sunday, for $30, show up at Geoffrey Burleson, March 22 and 23, at the 8 p.m., when Techaka Peripateticus First Unitarian Church nomania Circus, the Self-portrait of Karla in Hillcrest (4190 Front St.) and at the Reuben H. folks who run the Mi Lugo as Billie Holiday Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park (1875 El Prado), theater, will host a where performers will take advantage of the Fleet’s pre-show musical jam and art exhibition and offer 76-foot IMAX dome theater. Tickets are $20 per day, a special tour of the theater’s 100-year-old projector $10 for students. nweamo.org room. technomaniacircus.com

1

2

HEY—HIC!—I HAVE A QUESTION

SENSORY LOAD

14 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

3

LADY DAY

HStories on my Back and I CON at Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Drive, Clairemont. Stories is a multimedia installation by Richard A. Lou dealing with his Chinese and Mexican heritage, while I CON is a series of performancebased photographs by James Luna exploring the tension between icons and stereotypes of American Indians. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, March 20.

388-2829, sdmesa.edu/art-gallery setup(); draw(); at Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Balboa Park. The undergraduate students in UCSD’s Department of Visual Arts’ Introduction to Computing in the Arts course present an evening of abstract animation and 4k film inside the Fleet’s Heikoff Giant Dome Theater. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20. 619-2381233, visarts.ucsd.edu Dreams: A Retrospective at Mission Healthcare, 2385 Northside Dr., Suite 200, Mission Valley. Patti Fox showcases new work with a portion sales to be donated to ARTS: A Reason to Survive, a nonprofit organization that provides arts programs to children experiencing adversity. Opening from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20. 619-757-2700, homewithmission.com HRenewed: A Short Story About the San Diego Public Library’s Visual Art Program at New Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. MCASD’s Kathryn Kanjo curated this exhibition featuring 32 works by artists who previously exhibited in the library’s Visual Arts Program. Closing reception from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 20. 619-236-5800, sandiego. gov/public-library/news-events/visualarts HShadow Spaces from The Art at SDSU Library, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area. Photographer Stephen Chalmers unveils Interrogating Dump Sites, a collection of landscape photos of sites where serial killers dumped dead bodies. Also on view is The Prison Art Project, curator Laura Pecenco’s collection of art made by prisoners. There’s a panel discussion and reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, March 20. On view through March 31.

619-594-6054, artcrimearchive.org A State of Disorder and Dumbsun at UCSD Art Gallery, Mandeville Center, La Jolla. Last chance to see Fred Ploeger’s explorative collage works and Tomas Moreno’s multimedia exploration of the relationship between the transformation of jazz musician Herman Poole Blount aka “Sun Ra” and the creation of Disney’s Dumbo. Closing reception from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 20. uag.ucsd.edu HJarmo Makila at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. The Finnish artist will unveil his new series of largescale autobiographical paintings that reflect personal childhood memories and the mythology of his native land. Opens Friday, March 21. On view through May 24. 760-436-6611, luxartinstitute.org HThe Spring Thing: Pool pARTy at MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd. The launch of MCASD’s spring party witnesses the Downtown location transformed into an underwater odyssey. Enter through a tropical cabana, dine on barbecue by local Chef Andrew Spurgin and dance in the underwater dance club featuring DJ Man-Cat. From 6 p.m. to midnight. Friday, March 21. $75-$175. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org HTransannual at Adams Avenue from 32nd to 34th Streets, Normal Heights. A new event focused solely on performance art, installation, video, sound and new media practices. The artwork will interact and relate to spaces in Normal Heights.

Participating artists include Tony Allard, Kim Garcia, Jason Gould and others.

From 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 22.

facebook.com/transannual HAn Honest Medium at Taylor Branch Library, 4275 Cass St., Pacific Beach. West Coast Drawing’s exhibition of current work highlighting exceptional drawing. Opening from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 22.

858-581-9934, pblibraryfriends.org HArt Lab: Cy Kuckenbaker at Museum of Photographic Arts, Balboa Park. The genius behind all those time-compressed videos will be editing his latest and discussing how he does it. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, March 22. Free with museum admission. mopa.org HDichotomy: Kenneth Capps at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. The soft opening for UCSD graduate Capps’ sculptural exhibition that traces the artist’s extraordinary body of work from the early ‘70s ink-onpaper and steel cut-out drawings suggesting to his more recent work. Opens Saturday, March 22. On view through July 6. 760-435-3720, oma-online.org HNo One You Know: Good Work by Artists You’ve Never Heard Of at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. Five starving artists from Southern California, all trained in classical realism, branch out into their own creative methods. Show includes painting, sculpture, drawing, taxidermy and street art. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 22. sdspace4art.org Natural Awakening at San Diego Sculptor’s Guild, Gallery 36, 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park. Sculptor Kim Ogburn will unveil a new series of large-scale, naturethemed works. Opening from 4 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 22. 619-238-0522, sandiegosculptorsguild.com HUnderground Art in the Underground at Mission Valley Mall, 1640 Camino Del Rio North, Mission Valley. An event to kick-off the San Diego Cultural Arts Alliance’s Graffiti Education & Mural Arts Program. Some of San Diego’s most talented street artists, such as Writerz Blok, The Crown Royals and Hasl One, will unveil new works in the Westfield Mission Valley underground parking structure. There will also be music, food and voting for your favorite wall. From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 22. muralallianceproject.org A Golden Age of Marketing Design: Huyler’s Pure Delicious Chocolate 1874-1925 at Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park. An exhibition telling the story, through vintage cocoa tins, chocolate boxes, trading cards and more, of the company that was, for years, the largest chocolate maker in the U.S. Opens Saturday, March 22. $5-$8. mingei.org The Legend of the Neverending Labyrinth: A Fantasy Fan Art Show at Basic Urban Kitchen, 410 Tenth Ave., Downtown. Fantasy art inspired by movies like Legend, The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, The Last Unicorn, Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings, Spirited Away and more. From 7 p.m. to midnight Tuesday, March 25. thumprintgallerysd.com

BOOKS Renee Swindle at SDSU Library, Room LL430, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area. The author of Please, Please, Please and Shake Down will do a special reading.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. 619594-4991, library.sdsu.edu Dan and Robison Wells at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. The authors (and brothers) both take a dark look at the future.

Both discuss and sign books from their catalogue, including Dan’s newest dysto-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

pian thriller, Ruins. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HSuzanne Bourgeois at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla.

Professor emerita and founding director of the Regulatory Biology Laboratory at the Salk Institute will discuss and sign her new book, Genesis of the Salk Institute.

At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20. 858454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com Kathleen A. McLaughlin at San Diego History Center, Balboa Park. The first female mechanic at SDG&E in the 1970s will discuss and sign her new book, Do These Work Boots Make My Feet Look Fat, which looks at the transformation she and the company made as it broke the gender barrier. At 6 p.m. Thursday, March 20.

619-232-6203, sandiegohistory.org HTijuana / 22000 at Centro Cultural Tijuana, Paseo de los Heroes, Zona Rio. A release party for the coffee-table book that offers readers 37 reasons to celebrate or consider exploring our sister city to the south. From 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, March 21. facebook.com/envillepublishing HChicana Lesbians: The Women Our Mothers Still Warn Us About at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, Point Loma.

Celebrate queer Chicana life and literature with readings, book signings and a queer Chicana book fair. Novelists Carla Trujillo and Felicia Luna Lemus will be on hand to sign and read. From 7 to 9 p.m.

Friday, March 21. $10. 619-233-7963, womensmuseumca.org Thomas K. Matthews at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. The local author signs and discusses his latest, Premium Life, a hard-boiled detective novel based around the life-insurance trade. At 2 p.m.

Saturday, March 22. mystgalaxy.com Seth Fishman at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The New Jersey-based author will discuss and sign his new novel, The Well’s End, about a 16-year-old heroine trying to uncover the truth of why her town has been quarantined. At 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22.

858-454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com Caitlin Rother at El Cajon Library, 201 E. Douglas Ave., El Cajon. Rother will discuss and sign her new book, I’ll Take Care of You, about the murder of multimillionaire Bill McLaughlin by his femme fatale fiancée, Nanette Johnston Packard, and her NFL linebacker lover, Eric Naposki. At 2 p.m. Saturday, March 22.

619-588-3718, caitlinrother.com Lauryn Evarts at Rancho Valencia Resort, 5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe. The creator of the local lifestyle, fashion and health blog, The Skinny Confidential, celebrates the launch of her book, The Skinny Confidential: A Babe’s Sexy, Sassy Health and Lifestyle Guide. At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, March 22. theskinnyconfidential.com HThe Minimalists at Upstart Crow, 835C West Harbor Drive, Seaport Village. Joshua Milburn and Ryan Nicodemus discuss the principles of living life with less, as espoused in their books and on their website TheMinimalists.com. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 25. upstartcrowtrading.com Mel Freilicher at SDSU Library, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area, College Area. The author of The Unmaking of Americans: 7 Lives and Encyclopedia of Rebels will read from his work. At 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 26. library.sdsu.edu

COMEDY For The People Comedy Tour at American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth

Ave., Downtown. Founded in 2009 by San Francisco comedian Frankie Quinones, this tour has since become one of standup comedy’s most high-energy and diverse shows featuring a range of comedians from different ethnic backgrounds.

At 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. $12.

619-795-3858, americancomedyco.com Steve Trevino at Comedy Store, 916 Pearl St., La Jolla. The comedian’s “TexMex” style has earned him regular slots on Despierta America, Que Locos and The Latino Laugh Festival. At 8 and 10:30 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, March 21-22. $20. lajolla.thecomedystore.com Melissa Villasenor at Mad House Comedy Club, 502 Horton Plaza, Downtown.

You’ve seen her on America’s Got Talent and Ellen or heard her voice on Family Guy. At 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 21-22. $20. 619-7026666, madhousecomedyclub.com HLaughter for a Cure at Benchmark Brewing Company, 6190 Fairmount Ave., Grantville. Wakin With Bacon presents this comedy fest to raise money for cancer research. Local acts Steven Briggs, Benji Garcia, Hayli Nicole and more will perform. There will also be food trucks and a raffle. From 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 22. $15-$25. 619-795-2911, facebook.com/laughterforacure Annie Lederman at American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Most have seen her regularly on Chelsea Lately, MTV’s Money From Strangers or Adam Devine’s House Party, but gamers might recognize her voice as “Cheryl” from the latest Grand Theft Auto video game. At 8 p.m. Sunday, March 23. $12. 619-7953858, americancomedyco.com Dustin Ybarra at Mad House Comedy Club, 502 Horton Plaza, Downtown. He’s only 21 years old, but the Latino comic was recently the finalist for the Funniest Dallas Comic and just taped a pilot for MTV. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 26. $15. 619702-6666, madhousecomedyclub.com J.C. Coccoli at American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. She’s performed at SXSW, Bonnaroo and the NY Comedy Festival and has been on Chelsea Lately and Key and Peele. At 8 p.m.

Wednesday, March 26. $12. 619-7953858, americancomedyco.com

DANCE The Art of Human Being at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., North Park. A site-specific and interactive dance event designed by choreographer Lara Binder that explores genuine embodiment and the unique cultural matrix of place through engagement and inclusion. At 6:15 p.m. Saturday, March 22. $10 suggested donation. 619-584-4448, artproduce.org East Meets West, North Meets South at Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace, 5998 Alcala Park, USD, Linda Vista. A night of multicultural dance performances, with proceeds benefiting emerging philanthropic initiatives, the Latina Giving Circle and Root 54 Giving Circle. From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 22. $100. 619260-7509, foundation4change.org

FOOD & DRINK HFlavors in Harmony: Pairing Beer & Food at San Diego Museum of Man, Balboa Park. Discover the Museum of Man’s BEERology exhibit while enjoying specially paired craft beer and food samples. Learn how certain food and beer flavors complement each other so well. From 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 20. $20-$30. 619-2392001, museumofman.org

16 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

THEATER DAREN SCOTT

The rights of spring in Old Town Having seen Spring Awakening before, back in 2008 at the Balboa Theater, it doesn’t seem as fresh or startling as it was upon first exposure. But Cygnet Theatre’s new production of the musical

by Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik, based on Frank Wedekind’s late-1890s play, has lost none of its urgency. This is a spirited but dark work about both repression and oppression, a daring cautionary tale for its time.

The awakening of the young to the lure of their sexuality can be an uneasy one, especially if you happen to be young and awakening in 1891. It can, the German author Wedekind wrote, end in tragedy.

Sater and Sheik’s modern-day language and blistering rock score (intermingled with haunting ballads) have reminded audiences from Broadway to Old Town that if the old morals no longer apply in and of themselves, there remain narrow minds who would enforce them to the point of pain, or worse.

Cygnet’s Sean Murray directs this production in all its vigor and sensitivity. Dave Thomas Brown (as Melchior) and Taylor Aldrich (as Wendla) portray the new lovers for whom the sweetness of discovery is destined for cruel separation and pain.

Aldrich, making her Cygnet debut, is a shining, deeply sympathetic presence. Charles Evans Jr., as tormented Moritz, and Katy Tang, as Ilse (both also making their Cygnet debuts), give aching, robust performances, as well. The six-piece band behind the vocals, conducted by Terry O’Donnell, provides the precise balance between muscle (as on the show standard “The Bitch of Living” and the crowd-pleasing, and crowd-shocking to some, “Totally Fucked”) and the tenderness that befits Spring Awakening’s balladry.

Spring Awakening is a frank, unfettered examination of not only sexual curiosity and emergence but also child abuse, homosexuality and abortion (circa 1891). Even with Sheik’s pop-rock score and Sater’s contemporary candor, those themes are just as critical.

We are on the threshold of spring 2014, and perhaps it’s an apt time to remember that, when it comes to the young in particular, discovery is such an important part of life and that intolerance in

HEALTH & WELLNESS pop!TALK: Art & the Body at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, 7445 Mission Valley Road, Mission Valley. Kevin Petti, professor of Science & Health of San Diego Miramar College, will discuss the profound connection between art and the science of the body. At 6 p.m. Friday, March 21. $5-$10. 619-574-6909 x116 Healthy Living Festival at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.

Choose from more than 30 lectures and workshops where experts will share new ideas about lifestyle changes that can help prevent disease and lower stress.

Activities include cooking demos, medical testing, classes and more. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 22, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 23.

805-461-6700, healthylivingfestival.com

MUSIC Sue Palmer Quartet at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside.

In the spirit of Women’s History Month,

Taylor Aldrich (left) and Dave Thomas Brown the name of protecting them from discoveries can do worse than any truths they may find.

Spring Awakening runs through April 27 at the Old Town Theatre. $39-$59. cygnettheatre.com

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

OPENING And the World Goes ’Round: A staged revue of the music of composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb, who gave us the songs from Cabaret, New York, New York and Chicago.

Presented by Moonlight Stage Productions, it opens March 20 at Avo Playhouse in Vista. moonlightstage.com Cats: Which feline in the Jellicle tribe will be chosen to be reborn into a new life in the Heaviside Layer? Presented by San Diego Musical Theatre, it opens March 21 at the Birch North Park Theatre. sdmt.org Quilters: A musical about the lives of pioneer women in the American Old West. Opens March 21 at Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado. lambsplayers.org The Gin Game: Two nursing-home residents engage in psychological warfare as they battle in games of gin rummy. Opens March 21 at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. onstageplayhouse.org Other Desert Cities: This is a staged reading of a play about a novelist who visits her famous parents in Palm Springs amid her plans to publish a memoir that will unearth an unpleasant family secret. It happens March 23 at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. onstageplayhouse.org

For full listings,

please visit “T heater ”

OMA welcomes back The Sue Palmer Quartet, who mix boogie-woogie, swing, ballads and blues with sly, suggestive lyrics. Guests will enjoy an open-air cocktail format with appetizers, desserts and specialty wines from 333 Pacific. From 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 20. $20-$30. 760435-3721, oma-online.org HSDSU Jazz Ensemble with Kim Richmond at Smith Recital Hall, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area. The acclaimed SDSU Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Bill Yeager, presents its highly popular biannual special guest concert, this time featuring saxophonist Kim Richmond.

From 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 20. $10-$15. 619-594-1692, music.sdsu.edu Mozart, Hadyn and More at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown.

A delightful program of European music from the Classical and Romantic eras, led by guest conductor Gilbert Varga. At 8 p.m.

Friday and Saturday, March 21-22, and 2 p.m. Sunday March 23. $20-$96. 619235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org GrooveSession and Sister Speak at World Beat Cultural Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. Funk-soulsters

at sdcit ybeat.com

GrooveSession headline, but show up early for the CD-release/performance of Sister Speak, who play lush folk-pop with just a dash of country-style songwriting. At 8 p.m. Friday, March 21. $5-$8.

6192301190, worldbeatculturalcenter.org HRock in the Park: Steve Poltz at Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Balboa Park. Local singer-songwriter Steve Poltz will headline the final “Rock in the Park” concert, inspired by the current exhibition, “Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World.” At 7 p.m. Friday, March 21. $25-$30. 619-238-1233, rhfleet.org Jack Tempchin, Israel Maldonado and Jeffrey Joe Morin at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The trio of local legends will perform as part of the Athenaeum’s Acoustic Evenings Concert Series. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 21. $12-$45. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org HNWEAMO Festival at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., Hillcrest. A special concert from the New West Evolving Art and Music Organization, dedicated to the promotion of music that involves the creative use of computers and electronics. The concert will fea-

ture Peripeteticus, violinist-on-fire Maribella and the SWARMIUS Ensemble. At 8 p.m. Saturday, March 22. At 8 p.m. Sunday, March 23, the festival moves to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park and the Fleet’s Heikoff Dome Theater, which will feature video and live electronic compositions. Artists include Jonathan Zalben, Jon Kull and a special pre-concert lecture from neuroscientist John Iversen. $10-$20. 619-298-9978, nweamo.org Collaborative Keyboard Series at Smith Recital Hall, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area. A chamber series featuring pianist Steven Schwarz and special guests Lori Bell (flute), Todd Rewoldt (saxophone), Alex Greenbaum (cello) and Jennifer Wu providing soprano vocals. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25.

6195946031, music.sdsu.edu

PERFORMANCE HKarla Mi Lugo as Billie Holiday at Victory Theater, 2558 Imperial St., Logan Heights. A simultaneous portrait of the immortal Lady Day and street performer Karla Mi Lugo. The story is told with improv, accordion music, whistling, comedic storytelling, Butoh-inspired choreography, balloons and circus arts.

Musical accompaniment by members of Trio Gadjo.

At 9 p.m. Thursday, March 20. $15-$30. 619-2361971, technomaniacircus.com She’s History at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, Point Loma. Writer/performer Amy Simon brings her onewoman show about the “real” important women who make and made history. At 7 p.m. Saturday, March 22, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23. $18-$20. 619233-7963, womensmuseumca.org

SPECIAL EVENTS San Diego Race for Autism at Balboa Park. The 10th annual race featuring a 5K chip-timed run or walk, one-mile family fun walk, educational resource fair, children’s activities, music, medals, prizes, refreshments and more, all to benefit local autism charities. From 7 a.m. to noon. Saturday, March 22. $20$40. 858-679-8800, raceforautism.org Cosmic Run San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley. Run, walk, jog or dance through this nocturnal, 5K journey of light, sound, and color and then stick around for a night of electronic music DJs and producers such as Makj, PROJECT 46, Robbie Rivera, and Starkillers. At 7 p.m. Saturday, March 22. $50-$60. 8778275017, rush49.com HSouth Park Walkabout at South Park, 30th & Juniper, South Park. A seasonal, fun-filled evening festival to introduce you to South Park’s unique and independent boutiques, cafes, and taverns. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 22. southparkscene.com Bedtime with MOXIE! at MOXIE Theatre, 6663 El Cajon Blvd., Rolando. MOXIE Theater Co.’s ninth annual fundraiser is a bedtime-themed party that includes food, naughty nightcaps, a pillow-fight photo booth, silent auction and live lullabies and bedtime stories read by folks like Todd Gloria, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Sue Palmer and more. At 8 p.m. Saturday, March 22. $55. 858-598-7620, moxietheatre.com/bedtime Hot Chocolate 5K/15K at Petco Park, Park & Imperial, Downtown. Put on your running shoes and race towards some yummy hot chocolate. The course begins at 13th Street in East Village. Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. At 6 a.m.

Sunday, March 23. $44. hotchocolate15k.com HSan Diego Vintage Flea Market at Birch North Park Theater, 2891 University Ave., North Park. Hundreds of vendors selling vintage and vintage-inspired treasures including home furnishings, bric-a-brac, clothing and accessories, tiki items and more. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 23. 619-361-5173, sdvintagefleamarket.com Encinitas Arts Festival at San Dieguito Academy Performing Arts Centre, 800 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas.

Enjoy dozens of artist booths and student art shows, as well as three stages of music, dance, theater and battle of the bands. From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 23. 760-295-7541, encinitasca.gov/Festival

SPORTS SD Renegade Roller Derby Bout at RSportz Arena,

165 Denny Way, El Cajon. The Renegade Rollergirls kick off their eighth season of full-contact, no-penalty roller derby as they battle it out with the Renegade Rollergirls SoCal. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 22. $5-$12. 619-562-0323, renegaderollergirlssd.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HMeeting of the Minds at Liberty Station, Roosevelt & Cushing, Point Loma. Voice of San Diego and arts reporter Kelly Bennett host another eclectic lineup of pechu-kucha-style presenters, this time with a compelling theme: how some interesting things are made in San Diego. Speakers include Neva Parker, Mary Beebe and Steven Cohen. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. $20. voiceofsandiego.org FED Talks at New Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. The first edition of the Jewish Federation of San Diego County’s new speaker series will feature Dr. Philip Low, inventor of the iBrain, stem-cell researcher Dr. Lawrence Goldstein and MacArthur Fellow Dr. Phil Baran. At 6 p.m. Thursday, March 20. $18. 858-737-7150, jewishinsandiego.blogspot.com Kevin Faulconer’s Top 10 Challenges as Mayor at World Resources Simulation Center, 1088 Third Ave., Downtown. Guest speakers will identify and discuss the most pressing matters our new mayor faces and how he should tackle them. Issues include jobs, the border, income inequality, affordable housing and homelessness. From 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 20. $10 suggested donation. 619-234-1088, wrsc.org HTwo Scientists Walk Into a Bar at various bars throughout San Diego. Fifty scientists will be at 25 bars all over San Diego County, waiting for your questions.

Just look for the sign that reads: “We are scientists. Ask us anything!” See website for full list of bars and times.

From 5:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 20. rhfleet.org HChange in the Arctic: What Does it Mean for Planet Earth? at Balboa Park Club, 2150 Pan American Road West, Balboa Park. Join SDSU geology professor Pat Abbott for a thought-provoking exploration of what change in the Arctic means for the rest of the planet. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, March 23. 619-469-0851, sundayassemblysandiego.org The Illusion of Psychic Powers: Magical and Critical Thinking at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., Hillcrest. Magician Jamy Ian Swiss will show how so-called “psychics” use techniques to deceive the public and scientific community into believing the claims of parapsychology. From 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 23. 619-298-9978, sdari.org Duncan Sheik at Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town. To celebrate the opening of Cygnet’s staging of Spring Awakening, the composer will discuss his creative process and how musical theater resonates with him. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 24. $20. 619-574-0059, cygnettheatre.com Art and Music of the Renaissance: From the Medieval to the Mannered, Superstitious to the Scientific at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Victoria Martino will discuss the complex interrelationship between the arts in Europe from 1400 to 1600. She will be accompanied by Musica Pro Arte Ensemble, who’ll perform the music that she’s discussing. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25. $25. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org HChristopher Puzio at Hepner Hall at SDSU, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area. Part of the ongoing “Artists Designers in Real Time” speaker series, the local artist, industrial designer and onetime Spacecraft Gallery owner will talk art and design in San Diego. From 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, March 25.

619-594-5200, facebook.com/artistsinrealtime HBanker’s Hill, Hillcrest & Forgotten Florence Heights at San Diego History Center, Balboa Park.

Learn how the completion of the University Heights Motorway (electric streetcar) brought new faces to places unseen by many prior to 1904, including the hilltop neighborhoods of Bankers Hill, Hillcrest and the now forgotten Florence Heights. From 10 to 11 a.m.

Wednesday, March 26. $12. sandiegohistory.org

For full listings,

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

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

The

man that

time forgot

Mitchell Vassiliou makes a good living as one of the last typewriter repairmen Story & photos by Kinsee Morlan

M

itchell Vassiliou has gradually transformed his City Heights home into an eclectic enclave of vintage typewriters and electronic word processors.

“This is typewriter heaven,” Vassiliou says, his small dog, Maggie, at his heels as he walks through stacks of old machines and heads to the back door, which opens to reveal a sprawling backyard with a canyon view. Nearly every inch of the yard is packed with so many odds and ends, it looks like he’s hosting an estate sale.

“There are typewriters everywhere,” he laughs heartily.

Wearing a bright-blue lab coat, the 62-year-old steps over a book laying on his back doorstep, 1,001 Timely Tips for Clutter Control, and leads through a passageway

flanked by several old wheelchairs holding various machines—the wheelchairs serve as his back-saving method of transporting the typewriters from his car in the front driveway to the shed where he fixes them up.

“This is where all the magic happens,” he says, walking through a small doorway that opens up to his jam-packed workshop, where even more machines are stored.

Vassiliou clicks on a single bright overhead lamp and begins pulling out a few of his most beloved typewriters—a handsome Underwood, a Corona and a Blickensderfer, all from the early 1900s. He explains that some of the typewriters, especially the older, good-looking ones, are part of his personal collection. When he comes across a machine he really respects—ei-

18 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

ther online, through his many personal typewriter-supplier connections or at yard sales—he finds it hard to let it go. Others typewriters, he says, are overflow from his repair business, Abbotts Business Machines, which has a storefront in Kearny Mesa. And the majority of typewriters— the hundreds stacked in a few more sheds spread out across the yard—are for-sale.

Vassiliou’s been repairing and reselling typewriters and word processors for 40 years. Like any other businesses, demand has waxed and waned.

“It used to be gangbusters—15 years ago, there were still a lot of machines,” he says in his slight West Virginia accent. “I mean, the local yellow pages had 15 pages of typewriters. Now, there are just two ads in the

yellow pages.”

Hence the name of his business, which starts with the first two letters of the alphabet so it would appear first in the phone book. Little tricks like that have helped keep his business afloat all these years.

In the ’70s, IBM came out with the Selectric, a popular electric typewriter. Vassiliou fell for the machine and became well-known for being one of the country’s go-to guys for its repair. While he can’t stand most electric typewriters, he says the Selectric was built well and made with a repairman in mind. He respects the machine so much that he’s dedicated a section of his website to it under the tab “Million Dollar Typewriter.”

“Yeah, this is the beast,” he says, pointing to a Selectric sitting on a wheelchair

outside. “I was in high demand back then— real high demand.”

Things will never be as great as they once were, but despite the typewriter’s inevitable replacement by the computer, business remains surprisingly good. Vassiliou is quick to attribute the secret of his success to nothing more than a numbers game.

“It’s the benefit of being one of the last of the Mohicans,” he laughs.

But customers who’ve either had their machines repaired by Vassiliou or purchased one of his finds say the key to his longtime success is his genuine customer service. As his five-star rating on Yelp relays, it’s easy to see his intense respect for typewriters and anyone still using one.

“You can just tell he loves his job,” says Jessica Iddings, who recently had Vassiliou repair her slick, art-deco-style 1935 Remington Rand 5. “He oozes passion for what he does.”

Iddings uses her typewriter to write letters to her mom and types up friends’ favorite lyrics or quotes, which she then frames and gives as gifts. A writer who blogs about arts and culture and a curator of art exhibitions at local bars, she was so impressed by Vassiliou that she recently posted a fawning review of his work on her blog (25stripes.com) “I have never been so excited about a customer experience in my life, ever,” Iddings says.

Artist and product designer Kelly Kinoshita has purchased two of Vassiliou’s machines to add to her vintage-type-

One of Mitchell Vassiliou’s many stashes of typewriters writer collection.

“I don’t go there too often because then I would have just too many typewriters,” says Konoshita, a history buff who has a portfolio filled with typewriter advertisements from the early and mid-1900s.

She stays in touch with Vassiliou by emailing him links to stories about typewriters. He contacts her when a new machine that might interest her lands at his shop.

While some of Vassiliou’s customers are the hipster-type artists-and-writers crowd one might expect—like artist Sheryl Oring, who did a public performance-art piece last year with several type-writers at San Diego International Airport—he describes the rest of his base as diverse. He recently sold a machine to a naval officer who uses it for purchase orders.

Pulling a manila folder from a shelf, Vassiliou opens it and reveals a pile of hand-written and typed thank-you letters from former customers. He picks out a card typed by an 80-year-old man.

“Thank you so much for your generosity,” Vassiliou reads. “I’m a brontosaurus of the

Vassiliou leads the way to his workshop, “where the magic happens.”

Peterson family with only a typewriter…. I still like to hear the voice and write, by hand, cards and notes. No fancy computers for me.”

“I can tell you this,” Vassiliou says, setting down the note. “There are 10-year-olds that want typewriters, 12-year-olds, 25, 30, writers, upcoming writers; it’s all age groups now. People are just getting mesmerized with typewriters. I just can’t keep up with them, which is a good problem to have.”

On the coffee table in front of Vassiliou is an old electric, automatic cat bowl he recently fixed so he can feed a stray cat that hangs around his house. He’s always been technically inclined—the type of guy who can fix or build anything. As a kid, he used to rummage through people’s trash and pull out old fans, clocks and other discarded electronics.

“I’d study it,” he says. “I didn’t have any tools, but a lot of times I’d fix stuff just because I was interested.”

His innate skill eventually led him to the Navy, where he assumed the rank of instrumentman. Even amid others who were good with machines, his ability stood out.

“When you’re in the Navy, you had to take apart a .45[-caliber revolver],” he says with a proud smile. “You had to disassemble it and then you had to do it blindfolded…. Boy was I good at it.”

Vassiliou’s only son isn’t keen on taking over Abbotts Business Machines. But Vassiliou’s mom lived to be 96, so he figures he has a few more decades before he has to start worrying about who’ll take care of his beloved machines. He says typewriters are generally so well-built, they’ll be around forever.

He just worries that the folks who know how to fix them will eventually fade away.

“I like keeping these machines alive,” he says, sitting on his couch under a shelf boasting his collection of vintage brass lighters (he likes how easily you can bring back the luster of old brass). “I fix typewriters because I like it. It’s my therapy. All of the pieces just harmonically go together.”

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

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Seen Local

Kinsee Morlan

Sidewalk sideshows Arts events don’t typically come with written manifestos, but nothing about Transannual could be described as “typical.”

On a windy afternoon, some artists participating in the avant-garde event—which will happen from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, March 22, along Adams Avenue between 32nd and 34th streets in Normal Heights— stand beneath the marquee at the old DisTransannual artists hold up head shots of other artists count Fabrics store on Adams Avenue, involved in the event (plus one photo of their mascot). which is advertising the event, and do their best to describe, without giving away too much, what ams Avenue on the day of the event is a sea of booths people can expect. They want to keep things a little hawking paintings or other art objects. Instead, mysterious, hoping people will be intrigued enough they’ll stumble upon a series of experimental, siteto show up. specific happenings—anything from film to interac“Basically, the street becomes the studio,” says tive / participatory performance or installation art.

Robert Sanchez of robyko, a collaborative art proj- There’s no map indicating where you can find the ect he does with his wife, Emiko Lewis-Sanchez. art; people have to explore the designated area on “It’s about an experience—coming upon art in a fresh their own. way without expectations.”

There’s also an emphasis on improvisation; while “You can’t really have any expectations for this the core artists—robyko, Jason Gould, Tony Allard, event,” artist Lawrence Chit adds. “We only have Kim Garcia, John Paul Labno, Noe Olivas and these ideas that could change at any moment.”

Brett Phelps—and their teams of collaborators have Transannual (facebook.com/transannual), the an idea of what they and others are doing, the artists artists explain, is a response to consumer-focused art are encouraged to respond in real time to the site, the fairs. Nothing at the event will be for sale. None of audience or any other unknowns. the participating artists is getting paid. The event’s “There really is going to be a lot of improvisation sole purpose is to get people to experience art in its the day-of,” Gould says. “What happens on the 22nd many forms, with an emphasis on conceptual work is probably going to be a variation of what I thought that follows in the footsteps of Dadaism or other art I was going to be doing.” movements based on anti-commercial themes.

—Kinsee Morlan What folks won’t see when they show up to Ad-

Contemporizing native art

ed to draw attention to the way museums tend to treat Much of James Luna’s work is distinctly Native native cultures as if they’re a collection of artifacts American, but the contemporary artist isn’t churn- from dead people, focusing on their history without ing out traditional pottery or Kachina dolls. The acknowledging their place in contemporary culture. edgy, half-Mexican, half-Luiseño artist is known for The photographs in Luna’s new show continue his politically charged, often humorous installations to prod at the notion of mainstream culture’s incluand performance art. His bestsion and exclusion of American known work includes the conIndians, asking viewers to dig troversial “Artifact Piece” that deeper into the meaning behe originally staged in the late hind his whimsical work. He ’80s for the Museum of Man in calls the photos in the show Balboa Park. Dressed in a loin “Performographs”—perforcloth, he lay in a glass case for mance art captured with a camhours as museum visitors ogled era. Many of the pieces start him, reading informational with a written script or concept. cards describing the source of He boils it down to a solitary scars on his body, mostly results moment and then freezes it in a of alcohol-fueled incidents. stylized, narrative photo.

“Physically, spiritually and In one series, for example, mentally, that piece was devasLuna, who lives on the La Jolla tating, because you’re so vulnerIndian Reservation in North “Say Whaaat!” from County but rarely shows locally, able being looked at like that,” James Luna’s Ishi Series Luna recalls, giving CityBeat juxtaposes images of himself a quick preview of I Con, his new photography ex- next to historical photos of Ishi, the last member of hibition opening with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. the Yana tribe of Northern California.

Thursday, March 20, at Mesa College Art Gallery, “The point of the work is, if you don’t know alongside an exhibition by former collaborator Rich- about this man, you should,” Luna explains. “If you ard A. Lou. Lou will discuss his work, and Luna will want to know more, go look it up. I’m not going to present a 20-minute performance piece immediately spoon-feed people.” after the reception in Room G101.

—Kinsee Morlan Like much of Luna’s work, “Artifact Piece” carried a message about how mainstream culture chooses to Write to kinseem@sdcitybeat.com include or ignore Native American culture. He want- and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

20 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

22 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

Origin of species Act 1 of Lars von Trier’s fascinating sex epic

by Glenn Heath Jr. When news broke that Danish auteur Lars von Trier would follow up his apocalyptic Melancholia with a massive, two-part epic titled Nymphomaniac containing explicit sex scenes, many film pundits predicted Sophie Kennedy Clark (left) and Stacy Martin a controversial and gut-wrenching experience. Leave it to Denmark’s resident bad boy to game between Joe and a female friend competing to throw even the most optimistic of them a curveball. see who can sleep with the most men. On paper, this Volume 1 is not only a poignant origin story about sounds like an opportune time for von Trier to punish a self-professed sex-addict named Joe (Charlotte his lead character (as he’s done so many times before) Gainsbourg), who recounts her tale after being found with a mosaic of humiliating and/or abusive trysts. brutally beaten by a stranger; it also has a romantic However, the filmmaker pays careful attention to the air to it that can only be described as tender. protean feel and one-sidedness of each sex act, never This compassion is not immediately apparent, sensationalizing Joe’s subjective point-of-view. though; it’s earned over time as von Trier provides Joe Her sexual experiences become more elaborate with a surprisingly earnest forum for recollection. Ero- and rhythmic as she gets older; at one point, Joe adsion dominates the early shots of Volume 1, the camera mits to scheduling rendezvous with up to 10 men each panning and tilting down a nasty looking brick build- night. What might’ve started as a rebellion against love ing full of pockmarks and divots, rainwater gliding has now become just another job of sorts. Martin’s tethrough the architectural crevices to the urban alley nacious performance suggests that some excitement below. There’s a repugnancy to this theatrical-looking stems from juggling power and control over so many stage, calling to mind the grimier parts of von Trier’s men, but Joe is a far more complex character than masterpiece, Dogville. It’s here, simply an adrenaline addict. in this hellish environment, The sex she experiences is both Nymphomaniac: that Seligman (Stellan Skarsa collaboration and confrontaVolume 1 gård) finds Joe battered and tion with gender and identity. bruised before asking her, back Take, for instance, Volume Directed by Lars von Trier at his quaint apartment, to dis1’s most magnetic scene, which Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, cuss the serpentine timeline involves the invasion of Joe’s Stellan Skarsgård, Stacy Martin that’s led to their meeting. apartment by the distraught and Shia LeBeouf Joe begins her confession wife (Uma Thurman) of one of Not Rated with a self-hating proclamaher older lovers. As the woman tion: “I’m just a bad human behysterically guilt trips both ing.” It stands to reason that Seligman (and, by proxy, Joe and her cheating husband, using their children as von Trier) will spend much of Nymphomaniac compli- pawns, the film reveals not only its absurdist elements, cating this assertion. Volume 1 certainly does so, trac- but also an amazing sense of humor. Only in looking ing Joe as a sexually curious child living under the roof back at such a staggering moment can a person underof a domineering mother (Connie Nielson) and a na- stand the nuances that stretch beyond the surface. ture-loving father (Christian Slater). There’s nothing Volume 1—which opens Friday, March 21, at Hillsalacious about her progression, but something quite crest Cinemas—ends on a tenuous note, with Joe forenatural, even preordained. Seligman even interrupts shadowing the violence and degradation that are sure Joe’s narration with a string of fly-fishing metaphors, to swoop into Volume 2 like an unflinching hurricane. seemingly his own organic addiction that draws some Even if von Trier goes back to his old tricks in the secoddly resonant parallels to her extreme sexuality. ond half, we’ll always have this strangely beguiling orInitially, von Trier seamlessly dips and dives be- igin of species that’s smart enough to understand the tween time periods before staying entrenched in the elemental delirium that defines so many of our urges. past when Joe (now played by Stacy Martin) reach- Fault, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder. es her teenage years. Experimentation and strategy come to define these sequences, the most ambitious of Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com which takes place on a moving train and involves a sex and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

C’est la vie

Le Week-End

The jazzy score that lingers over the opening images of Roger Mitchell’s lovely Le Week-End is the first sign that it will embrace an improvisational narrative style. That doesn’t mean the lead characters initially share this same quality: After spending a few scenes with Meg (Lindsay Duncan) and Nick (Jim Broad-

bent), an older British couple trying to rekindle their marriage during a weekend trip to Paris, breeziness stand at odds with their long-gestating frustrations.

Both are stressed amid their adult son’s bad life decisions, their lack of money and a growing emotional unhappiness, yet they aren’t zombie-like pensioners

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24 March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

trying to stave off the inevitable. “I think we’ve earned a good time,” Meg says, and Le Week-End deftly proves how a conflicted couple can gracefully dance from charming cohabitation to a brazen shouting match in a matter of steps.

Such volatility stems from Meg’s desire to be alone and Nick’s fear of isolation, which creates a subtext-heavy cocktail for romantic disaster. When the couple runs into an old friend (a perfectly smarmy Jeff Goldblum) on the Paris streets, their vulnerabilities are amplified further by the seemingly inevitable nature of change. It would all be so depressing if Mitchell, Broadbent

Opening Bad Words: A former spelling-bee loser (Jason Bateman, who also directs) decides to find a loophole in the competition rules and participate as an adult.

Blood Ties: In 1970s Brooklyn, two brothers face off from opposite sides of the law, turning their families upside down. Expect a lot of yelling and bloodshed. Starring Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis and Marion Cotillard.

Divergent: The future is a world divided into factions based on tested virtues. A young woman (Shailene Woodley) threatens to topple this rigorous framework when she’s deemed “divergent”—an out-

and Duncan didn’t inject so much depth into the proceedings.

Herein lies Le Week-End’s true virtue: By spending time with these characters through thick and thin, the film—which opens Friday, March 21, at La Jolla Village Cinemas—gives them the needed space to rekindle a youthful vitality and joy that’s been long repressed. The marvelous and playful reference to Jean-Luc Godard’s Band of Outsiders late in the film only confirms that Mitchell’s wise character study deals squarely in the possibility of reinvention.

One simply must be brave enough to take the first step.

—Glenn Heath Jr. sider who must be disappeared.

The Jewish Cardinal: Jean-Marie Lustiger grew up in a Jewish household and converted to Catholicism at a young age.

This documentary explores how one man maintained his cultural identity even after he shifted religious beliefs. Screens March 24 through 27 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Lunchbox: In Mumbai, thousands of lunchboxes are delivered every day, thanks to a famously efficient service run by couriers. When one of these orders is delivered to the wrong address, the mistake inadvertently connects an aging businessman and an unhappy housewife.

Muppets Most Wanted: Miss Piggy,

24 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

Kermit and the rest of the Muppets gang find themselves embroiled in a European jewel heist. It co-stars humans like Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais and Ty Burrell.

Nymphomaniac: Volume 1: The first part of Danish auteur Lars von Trier’s epic about a self-professed sex addict (Charlotte Gainsbourg) who recalls her origins in the apartment of a stranger (Stellan Skarsgård) while recuperating from a brutal beating. See our review on Page 23.

Particle Fever: Documentary about the launch of the Large Hadron Collider, one of the most expensive and ambitious physics experiments ever conceived. Screens through March 27 at the Ken Cinema.

Le Week-End: An elderly British couple (Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan) come to grips with their crumbling marriage while spending a weekend in Paris.

See our review on Page 23.

One Time Only: Cold Souls: Paul Giamatti plays a man who decides to get rid of his soul in a futuristic sci-fi society that’s beginning to lose all human emotion. Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 19, the Scripps Ranch Library.

Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannon): The youngest son of a traditional Italian family that runs a massive pasta-making business decides to come out of the closet, risking exile. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 20, at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.

American Hustle: A con artist and his partner / lover are forced to conspire with a loony FBI agent to catch corrupt politicians. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, March 21,

through Saturday, March 22, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

A Box Full of Rocks: The life of rock critic Lester Bangs is explored in this new documentary by San Diego filmmaker Raul Sandelin. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 24, at the San Diego Public Library in East Village.

shops runs through March 23 at UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas and Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me: This documentary follows the legendary Broadway stage actress as she tries to launch another one-woman show at age 87. Ends March 20 at La Jolla Village Cinemas.

Inside Llewyn Davis: A folk singer tries to find success in the 1960s Greenwich Village music scene despite being afflicted with deep melancholy. Screens at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, at the Hervey Branch Library in Point Loma.

Generation War: Big-budget World War II film tells the story of five young German friends who must make compromises and sacrifices as Berlin turns into an overtly fascist state. Ends March 20 at the Ken Cinema.

Celda 211: Two men on different sides of a prison riot are forced to lean on each other to survive. Screens at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, at the Hall of Nations in Balboa Park.

The Face of Love: Ed Harris and Annette Bening star in a drama about a woman who falls in love with a man who bears a striking resemblance to her late husband.

You Will Be My Son: The owner of a prestigious vineyard in France must come to grips with his winemaker son’s success when he returns home from California.

Screens at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, at the Mission Valley Library.

Silent Spring: This WGBH Public TV documentary is about Rachel Carson, whose work in the 1950s and ’60s sparked the environmental movement. Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, at the San Diego Women’s Museum in Point Loma.

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off: Sometimes we all need a day off as cool as Ferris Bueller’s. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 26, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Now Playing San Diego Latino Film Festival: This 11-day festival of films, parties and work-

The Grand Budapest Hotel: Ralph Fiennes leads an all-star cast in director Wes Anderson’s latest film, which takes place inside an elaborate European hotel populated by eccentric characters.

Need for Speed: Based on the popular video game, this action film follows an ex-convict (Aaron Paul) street racer who vows to catch the man who set him up years before.

Stranger by the Lake: Set at a pristine lake that doubles as a cruising spot, a young French man begins a torrid and potentially dangerous love affair with a handsome stranger.

For a complete listing of movies, please see “F ilm S creenings” at sdcit yb eat.com under the “E vents” tab.

Rebels without a pause The hip-hop terror of Skrapez

by Peter Holslin

A

lbert Camus once wrote that a rebel is a man who says no. By that rubric, Skrapez is without a doubt the most rebellious hip-hop group in San Diego. DIY almost to a fault, the duo doesn’t do the normal things most local acts do, like maintain a Facebook page, record studio albums or curry favor with movers and shakers behind the San Diego Music Awards. Instead, they forge their own, distinctly hellish path, terrorizing unsuspecting audiences with brash soundscapes, clanging breakbeats and vicious turntable scratches.

Understandably, the group’s gained more notoriety than fans, as plenty of concertgoers have been put off by their merciless approach. And yet their dedication to craft has earned them a rabid cult following, along with the respect of some of San Diego’s best-known hip-hop heads.

“They’re dope,” says DJ Artistic, a fixture in the city’s nightclub scene. “They’re extremely progressive, and they’ve been committed and dedicated for over a decade, and that’s probably why they’re getting some of the respect and attention that they’re getting.”

Formed in the early ’00s, the duo—Jon Calzo, aka Tenshun, 33, and David Lampley, aka Psychopop, 34—is essentially the missing link between San Diego’s two noisiest punk and rap movements. On one hand, they’re aligned with Masters of the Universe, the hip-hop crew famed for its rawness and innovation. On the other hand, they have a spiritual kinship with Three One G Records, home to such uncompromising acts as The Locust.

If anything, though, the duo is like a

Psychopop (left) and Tenshun create hip-hop noise as Skrapez. next-millennium noise-jazz combo out of a William Gibson novel, reveling in the atonal textures and earsplitting glitches of live improvisation.

“We’ve only practiced probably three times in, like, 15 years,” Psychopop says, speaking by phone from Los Angeles, where he relocated a year-and-a-half ago.

“That’s pretty much my brother. I can just look at him and know what’s about to happen. I think we just ate a bunch of mushrooms together so many times that we could just feel it out.”

Though they’re well-known for their live shows, Skrapez have never released a full-length album. Ruthlessly analog, they limit their recorded output to cassettes and records, the latter of which Tenshun presses himself on a portable lathe in his bedroom. To give the productions a gritty, lo-fi

finish—and save money—he cuts the tracks directly from his MPC sampler onto plastic picnic plates cut in the shape of 7-inches, instead of genuine vinyl.

“We just wanna keep stuff on the smallrun-type steez,” Tenshun explains, lounging on a sectional sofa in his house in Stockton, a southeastern San Diego neighborhood, on a recent Saturday afternoon. “I kind of like it limited. For me, it kind of narrows it down. I can see who’s buying my stuff out there.”

Rocking black-framed glasses and a Tshirt bearing the image of a wise old mountain goat, Tenshun emits a humble, almost nervous vibe—more curious audiophile than noise terrorist. But it seems there’s a lot of angst boiling beneath his calm demeanor, and that’s what draws him to music.

“It’s really therapeutic for me,” he says.

“I’ll be at work just thinking about stuff,

and I’ll come home and that’s my way of expressing, ‘Man, fuck this job.’ I’ll make a song called ‘Kill Your Boss’ or something: Make it all angry and stuff. Play something out on my bass guitar. Try finding some hard drums that matches it. I just see it as my way of releasing frustration and anger— feelings in general.”

On top of playing in Skrapez, he and Psychopop have both worked on solo material and collaborated with other artists.

They first met in the late ’90s, bonding over the trip-hop beats of DJ Shadow and nextlevel abstractions of L.A.’s Living Legends.

Sometimes joined by their friend Sumach Ecks, aka the Warp-signed singer and rapper Gonjasufi, they loved to while away the hours jamming, creating a soundtrack for troublemaking.

“We were just trying to make music to just not give a fuck,” Psychopop recalls.

“Like, some felony music, pretty much.

Music to start a riot to or some shit.”

Things got heavy in 2006, when Tenshun was caught doing graffiti at the train yards in Logan Heights. Already on probation for previous graffiti charges, he was arrested and sent to the Descanso Detention Facility in Alpine, where he spent his days watering trees and maintaining the grounds of a medium-security work camp.

Held in a dorm-style compound, he had plenty of time to plot his next move.

“When I came out, I was just super hungry to make music. I had all these ideas.

I was writing them down on paper—like, album-title names, or ideas [for] how I can compose a certain track,” he says.

In the years since, Skrapez—who’ll play at The Bancroft (9143 Campo Road in Spring Valley) on Saturday, March 22— have continued to roll hard, exploring the nuances of their dirty sound. Meanwhile, they’ve gotten a little more attention from the wider world: In 2012, they went on U.S. and European tours with Gonjasufi, doubling as his opening act and backing band.

And even with these prominent gigs, they refused to soften their approach.

“If someone tells me not to do something, then I’m going to do it,” Psychopop says, summing up the duo’s rebellious ethos. Somewhere up there, Albert Camus must be nodding with approval.

Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Chinchilla’s reunion coincides with Julie D.’s (left) 50th birthday.

notes from the smoking patio Locals Only For the first time in nearly 18 years, long-defunct San Diego indie rockers Chinchilla are playing together again.

The band, which broke up shortly after the release of their debut—and only full-length album—101 Italian Hits, will play their first shows together since 1996. Prior to a hometown show at The Casbah on April 26, they have shows lined up in Portland on April 18 and Seattle on April 19.

In a phone interview, guitarist Julie D.—who now lives in Seattle—says the three-date West Coast tour has been in the works for a long time, planned as a kind of celebration for her 50th birthday.

The group’s been rehearsing together since November and re-familiarizing themselves with their catalog.

“Thankfully, all of our stuff has been recorded,” she says. “So, we can listen back and relearn everything.”

Since the band’s dissolution, drummer Morgan

Music review Deadphones Deadphones (Waaga) When Cuckoo Chaos announced late last year that their time was coming to an end, it seemed like more of a symbolic end than anything. The five musicians in the band would continue performing together, just under a different name: Deadphones. It wouldn’t be the first time a group went through the trouble of changing its name, either: The Grateful Dead used to be The Warlocks, and Red Hot Chili Peppers started out as Tony Flow and the Miraculously Majestic Masters of Mayhem, just to throw out two examples.

Even during Cuckoo Chaos’ last year, however, they seemed like an entirely different band. In their live shows, they increasingly distanced themselves from older songs, instead favoring a denser, darker sound that harbored only a trace of the Caribbean-influenced indie pop of their sole album release, Woman. The group’s commitment to a new sound and direction is on display on Deadphones’ self-titled debut album, a taut yet atmospheric set of eclectic dream-pop that slinks in shadows rather than frolics in sunlight.

26 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

Doctor moved to Toronto and has continued performing in different capacities, with bands like The Cliks and Lights, and singer Siobhan has been performing in Echo Twin. Julie D. and bassist Krista Kansas haven’t been playing music professionally lately, but Julie D. says that once they started rehearsing together again, it felt natural to get back into it.

“Playing together at practice made me realize how much I missed it,” she says. “The type of magic we always felt playing together—we all felt that again. People who are fans of ours, I think they’ll like it. We’re into it.”

The group will sell merch at the reunion shows, including some vinyl that was pressed while they were still together. And the band’s complete discography is now available to download or stream at chinchilla1.bandcamp.com.

—Jeff Terich As good a band as Cuckoo Chaos was, Deadphones is better. Yet rather than sounding like an entirely separate entity, this is almost like the yang to Cuckoo Chaos’ yin—the evil twin, the bad cop. And damned if it isn’t fun to hear the group explore more spacious and sinister grooves, often presented in subtler ways.

The album’s first song, “On Being a Psycho,” eases in slowly with a sparse bass line and gently lilting guitar licks, only to jab you with a boom of percussion and handclaps. It hits unexpectedly, effectively ratcheting up what was an already-tense atmosphere.

“Somnambulator” billows and drifts with space-age synth sounds while building into a tropical shoegaze sound that feels more like an extension of the group’s past material than anything else here. The group adds some dramatic flourishes of piano on “Do I,” trippy vocal effects on “Skinless” and simply some of their best hooks yet on “Pictures.”

Given the sophistication and intricacy of Deadphones’ first outing, it occurs to me that there’s a much simpler way of looking at the band: This is what Cuckoo Chaos sounds like grown up.

—Jeff Terich Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

if i were u

BY Jeff Terich

Wednesday, March 19 PLAN A: Ski Lodge, The Belle Game, TV Girl @ Soda Bar. The Belle Game sound like all of the indie-rock bands you like. I don’t say this to discredit or dismiss the band—quite the contrary: They mash in a little bit of the best of groups like Broken Social Scene and Grizzly Bear, with the songwriting chops to live up to those comparisons. It’s not like I said they sound like all the indie rock bands you hate.

be there, unless you have a problem with fun or joy. PLAN B: The Widows, Neighborhood Brats, D.P.I., Pissed Regardless @ Soda Bar. Which isn’t to say you can’t have fun or take some joy while seeing a rowdy punk-rock show. In which case, this is the one to go to. BACKUP PLAN: The Loons, Schitzophonics, Operation Mindblow Lightshow, Los Sweepers, The Grim Imperials @ The Casbah.

Thursday, March 20

Sunday, March 23

PLAN A: Lydia Loveless, Nena Anderson @ Seven Grand. Ohio alt-country troubadour Lydia Loveless has a soulful yet rough-and-tumble sound that will likely bring to mind Neko Case. Not that she’s not her own artist, of course, but that’s not a comparison I throw around lightly, so she gets my Plan A recommendation without hesitation. PLAN B: Weekend, Cities Aviv, Surf Club @ The Casbah. Now here’s an eclectic bill: The noisy shoegaze sounds of Weekend and the experimental hip-hop of Cities Aviv, back to back. All told, you’re getting a great show.

BACKUP PLAN: Lecherous Gaze, Dirty Fences, JC Satan, Wild Honey @ Til-Two Club.

PLAN A: London Grammar, Highasakite @ House of Blues. London Grammar first caught my attention last year with “Help Me Lose My Mind,” their stunning collaboration with U.K. house act Disclosure.

But the group’s got some dreamy, floaty pop of their own that’s well worth hearing. Spin their debut, If You Wait, and get blissed out. PLAN B: Ana Tijoux, Kumbia Queers, Cumbia Machin @ The Casbah.

French-Chilean rapper Ana Tijoux began her career as a member of Makiza but later branched out into more mainstream Latin pop sounds after going solo. And if the name sounds familiar but you just can’t place it, her song “1977” appeared in “Shotgun,” an episode in Season 4 of Breaking Bad.

Friday, March 21

PLAN A: Boogarins, Monday, March 24 Amerikan Bear, PLAN A: Kool Keith, GramMuscle Beech @ matical B, Odessa Kane, Tower Bar. BoogOld English, DJ Artistic arins are a psy@ The Casbah. You may chedelic-rock band know Kool Keith as either from Brazil, and if that Sharon Jones a member of hip-hop piomakes you think Tropicalia, you’re on the right track. This group has neers Ultramagnetic MCs, villianous rapsome Os Mutantes in their musical DNA, per Dr. Dooom or, more likely, the MC beand if you ask me, that’s far more exciting hind the cartoonishly sinister Dr. Octagon. than taking inspiration from Floyd or The In any case, he’s a living legend and a hipDoors. PLAN B: English Beat, 2 Tone hop icon. Any true head wouldn’t miss this Sounds @ Belly Up Tavern. Consider- one. PLAN B: Doomsquad, Coldair, The ing Dave Wakeling has been in California Anomaly @ Soda Bar. Given their name, for some time now, the opportunity to see Doomsquad sounds like they’d be either English Beat arises a lot more often than doom metal or a massive hip-hop posse— it used to, though that doesn’t necessar- or, perhaps, both! The music they actually ily mean you should pass it up. If Special play is a miasmal electronic post-rock kind Beat Service isn’t a new-wave classic, I’ll of thing, which on paper doesn’t seem as eat my hat (full disclosure: I don’t own a cool, but musically, sounds great. hat). BACKUP PLAN: Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, Shannon and the Clams Tuesday, March 25 @ The Irenic.

PLAN A: Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, Pony Death Ride @ Soda Bar. San Saturday, March 22 Diego’s premier robot-and-professor duo, PLAN A: Sharon Jones and the Dap- Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, is about to Kings, Valerie June, DJ Claire @ House release a new album, Experiments with Auof Blues. Last year, Sharon Jones had to to-Croon, and here’s your chance to hear cancel her tour and album-release plans what they’ve been cooking up in the lab. If because she was undergoing cancer treat- you have no idea what I’m talking about, ment. But she’s back, energized and ready then all you need to know is that there’s to bring some funk to our fair town. Plan to going to be a robot on stage.

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

HOT! NEW! FRESH! Chrome Sparks (Soda Bar, 4/16), Thou (Che Café, 4/22), Gondwana (HOB, 4/22), Jeff Bridges (BUT, 4/23), Night Beats (Soda Bar, 4/25), Eukaryst (Soda Bar, 5/2), The Pharmacy (Soda Bar, 5/5), Mariachi El Bronx (BUT, 5/5), Papercuts (Soda Bar, 5/22), Backstreet Boys, Avril Lavigne (Viejas Arena, 5/28), Kill Holiday (Soda Bar, 5/31), Rodriguez (North Park Theatre, 6/3), The Menzingers (The Irenic, 6/22), Kiss, Def Leppard (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/6), Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/21), The Young Dubliners (HOB, 9/18).

GET YER TICKETS Too $hort (Porter’s Pub, 3/28), Adolescents (Casbah, 4/4), The Cult (Humphrey’s, 4/5), Rome (BUT, 4/6), The Dodos (The Loft, 4/11), Cypress Hill (HOB, 4/17), Bryan Ferry (Humphreys, 4/17).

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (Casbah, 4/17), Ghost B.C. (HOB, 4/26), Danny Brown (Porter’s Pub, 5/2), Goblin (HOB, 5/2), Tokyo Police Club (BUT, 5/2), The Bad Plus (The Loft at UCSD, 5/4), Manchester Orchestra (HOB, 5/6), Old 97s (BUT, 5/8), Iggy Azalea (HOB, 5/17), Damien Jurado (Casbah, 5/19), Wanda Jackson (Casbah, 6/7), Dierks Bentley (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/27).

March Wednesday, March 19 St. Vincent at House of Blues. Wakey!

28 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

Wakey! at The Casbah. Galactic at Belly Up Tavern.

Thursday, March 20 Weekend at The Casbah. Bayside at House of Blues. The Toadies at Belly Up Tavern

Friday, March 21 Small Black at The Casbah. The Orwells at The Casbah. G. Love and Special Sauce at House of Blues. Total Chaos at Soda Bar. Nobunny at The Casbah.

Saturday, March 22 Kings of Leon at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings at House of Blues. Jeremy Messersmith at House of Blues.

Sunday, March 23 London Grammar at House of Blues.

John Legend at Balboa Theatre. Ana Tijoux at The Casbah. Lady Antebellum at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Monday, March 24 Kool Keith at The Casbah. Fanfarlo at House of Blues. The Sounds at House of Blues.

Tuesday, March 25 The Reverend Horton Heat at The Casbah. Delta Rae at Belly Up Tavern. The Sounds at House of Blues.

Wednesday, March 26 The Reverend Horton Heat at The Casbah.

Thursday, March 27 The Reverend Horton Heat at The Casbah.

Friday, March 28 Too $hort at Porter’s Pub.

Saturday, March 29 Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks at The Casbah. San Diego Experimental Guitar Show 2014 at Soda Bar.

Monday, March 31 The Appleseed Cast at The Casbah.

William Tyler at Soda Bar. Celtic Woman at Copley Symphony Hall. Cut Copy at House of Blues.

April Tuesday, April 1 The Mavericks at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, April 2 Il Divo at Copley Symphony Hall. VNV Nation at Belly Up Tavern. Ume at Soda Bar.

Thursday, April 3 Cheetah Chrome at Soda Bar. The Grouch and Eligh at Porter’s Pub. Big Head Todd and The Monsters at Belly Up Tavern. Lo-Fang at The Casbah.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. 710bc.com. Wed: Open mic, open

jam. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Russel Ramo and Brian Barbarin (5 p.m.); A Will to Wander, Bond and Bentley, DJ J West (9 p.m.). Sat: Splitfinger, Isleside. Tue: ‘Reggae Night’ w/ DJ Non Profit.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy. 98bottlessd.com. Fri: Zzymzzy Quartet. Sat: Gilbert Castellanos. Sun: Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

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

Wed: ‘Brokenbeat’ w/ DJ Walker Holland.

Thu: ‘DIVE’ w/ DJs ALA, Mikeytown. Fri: DJ Junior the DiscoPunk. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Sunday Sonic Chill’ w/ DJ Shermz.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. americancomedyco.com.

Wed: For The People Comedy Tour. ThuSat: The Amazing Johnathan. Sun: Annie Lederman. Tue: Open mic.

AMSDconcerts, 1370 Euclid Ave, City Heights. amsdconcerts.com. Fri: Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen. Sat: Ellis Paul.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St, Downtown. facebook.com/BangBangSanDiego. Fri: Dan Ghenacia. Sat: Annie Mac. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. barpink.com. Wed: Stevie and The HiStax. Thu: Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas, Heymoonshaker. Fri: Fam Royal.

Sat: Gone Baby Gone, Sad Robot. Mon: Tori Roze and the Hot Mess. Tue: Old Man Johnson.

Bassmnt, 919 Fourth Ave, Downtown. bassmntsd.com. Thu: Dyro and Grandtheft. Fri: 12th Planet. Sat: EC Twins.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla.

brocktonvilla.com/beaumonts.html. Sat: Jewel City Rhythm Authority.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. bellyup.com. Wed: Galactic, Brushy One String. Thu: The Toadies, Supersuckers, Battleme. Fri: English Beat, 2 Tone Sounds. Sat: English Beat, Oceanside Sound System (sold out). Sun: Rhys Darby, JJ Whitehead. Tue: Delta Rae, Joshua James.

Bluefoot Bar & Lounge, 3404 30th St, North Park. bluefootsd.com. Wed: ‘Records With Roger’. Thu & Sun: VJ JK. Fri: ‘The Hangtight’ w/ Profile, Uncle Junie. Sat: ‘Pleasures Unknown’ w/ C Wizard, Art Vandelay.

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

Bourbon Street, 4612 Park Blvd, University Heights. bourbonstreetsd.com. Wed: ‘TRW’ w/ VJ K-Swift. Thu: ‘Wet’. Sun: ‘Soiree’.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave, Hillcrest. thebrassrailsd.com. Thu: ‘Opium’ w/ DJ Simon Taylor. Fri: ‘Rivalry’. Sat: ‘Sabado en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA. Sun: ‘Noche Romantica’ w/ Daisy Salinas, DJ Sebastian La Madrid. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJs Junior the Disco Punk, XP. Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave, Downtown. cafesevilla.com. Wed: Aro di Santi. Thu & Sat: Malamana. Fri: Joeff and Co. Sun: Aragon y Royal.

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

Fri-Sat: Flip Schultz.

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

Wed: Ryan Shaw and his Trio. Thu: Gilbert Castellanos and The Park West Ensemble. Fri: Tripp Sprague. Sat: Gio Trio 1. Sun: Irving Flores Trio.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. dirksniteclub.com. Fri: Wild Rumors. Sat: The Farmers.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Mission Bay. dizzyssandiego.com. Fri: Curtis Taylor with Amanda Portela. Sun: John Reynolds.

El Dorado Bar, 1030 Broadway, Downtown. eldoradobar.com. Wed: ‘The Tighten Up’. Thu: Marsellus Wallace. Fri: ‘Hickies and Dryhumps’. Sat: ‘Good and Plenty’.

Epicentre, 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd, Mira Mesa. epicentreconcerts.org. Fri: Waking in Sonata, Alex Lievanos, All in Line, As we Were, ChinChins Optometrist. Sat: With Age, When Whales Collide, Cursed Graves, Donnie and The Dethtones, Headway, The Workday Release, Oogee Wawa.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown, Downtown. f6ixsd.com. Fri: Epic Twelve. Sat: DJ Fingaz. Sun: ‘RBS’.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd.com. Thu: Big Sean. Fri: DJ Brett Bodley. Sat: DJ Karma. Sun: Hardwell.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach. 619-222-5303. Thu: Arise Roots, DJ Reefah, TRC Soundsystem. Fri: Deadly Birds, DJ Lya. Sat: So Cal Vibes, DJ Chelu.

Hard Rock Hotel, 207 Fifth Ave, Downtown. hardrockhotelsd.com. Thu: Parade of Lights. Fri: Mr. Brown, DJ Skratchy.

Sun: Fedde Legrand.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave, Downtown.

henryspub.com. Wed: Johnny Tarr, DJ Christopher London. Thu: Mark Fisher, DJ Yodah. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: DJs E, Yodah. Mon: DJs Yodah, Joey Jimenez, Johnny Tarr. Tue: Big City Dawgs.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave, Downtown. houseofblues.com/sandiego. Wed: St. Vincent, Noveller (sold out). Thu: Bayside, Four Year Strong, Daylight, Mixtapes. Fri: G. Love and Special Sauce.

Sat: Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, DJ Claire, Valerie June. Sun: London Grammar, Highasakite. Mon: Fanfarlo, Lilies On Mars. Tue: The Sounds, Blondfire, Strange Talk.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. kavalounge.com. Wed: ‘Future Wednesdays’. Thu: DTCPU, Mystery Cave, Sasquatch, ZOCHI. Fri: ‘Jungle Fridays’. Sat: Simpler Trip. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave, Kensington. 619-284-2848. Thu: Brent Loveday and the Dirty Dollars, Johnny Deadly Trio, Fanny and the Atta Boys. Fri: Los Esmiths, Neo Noize. Sat: Love and the Skull, The Paper Thins, Mariel.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave, Coronado. mcpspub.com. Wed: Harmony Road. Thu: Goodall Boys. Fri: 4-Way Street. Sat: The Upshots.

Onyx Room / Thin, 852 Fifth Ave, Downtown. onyxroom.com. Fri: ‘Coast 2 Coast’ w/ DJs Frisko Eddy, Chuwe. Tue: Jasmine Sullivan.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St, Downtown. patricksii.com. Wed: Mystique Element of Soul. Thu: Myron and the Kynptionz. Fri: Johnny Vernazza. Sat:

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March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

The Fuzzy Rankins Band. Sun: Trey Tosh. Mon: The Groove Squad. Tue: Walter’s Chicken Jam. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest. richssandiego.com. Wed: DJ Kiki. Thu: Von Kiss. Fri: DJs Dirty Kurty, Will Z. Sat: DJ Taj. Sun: DJ Qoolee Kid. Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave, North Park. sevengrandbars.com/sd.

Thu: Lydia Loveless. Fri: Agua Dulce.

Sat: The Earful.

Shakedown Bar, 3048 Midway Drive, Point Loma. theshakedownsd.com. Wed: The Amalgamated, The Lexicons, San Diego City Soul Club. Fri: Jason and the Punknecks, Large Mouth Bastards, Local Demise. Sat: Punchard, Castoff, Just in Case, The A-Bortz. Mon: Walker and the Texas Rangers, The Iron Outlaws, Whiskey Dick.

Side Bar, 536 Market St, Downtown. sidebarsd.com. Wed: DJ Scooter. Thu: ‘Divino Thursday’. Sat: Kyle Flesch. Sun: ‘Five/Ten’.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. sodabarmusic.com. Wed: Ski Lodge, The Belle Game, TV Girl. Thu: Mandolin Orange, Taken By Canadians, Katie Leigh and the Infantry. Fri: Total Chaos, Sculpins, Nerve Control, Abject.

Sat: The Widows, Neighborhood Brats, DPI, Pissed Regardless. Sun: Tijuana Panthers, The Districts, Golden Beaches.

Mon: Doomsquad, Coldair, The Anomaly.

Tue: The Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, Pony Death Ride.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway. somasandiego.com. Fri: Stick To Your Guns, Terror, Hundredth, Counterparts, Expire. Sat: Short Stories, I Am The Conqueror, Good Morning Coffee, Guide-

30 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

lines, Leave The Universe, Justice Fire.

Sun: Memphis May Fire, The Word Alive, A Skylit Drive, Hands like Houses, Beartooth. Tue: The Wonder Years, Fireworks, Citizen, Real Friends, Modern Baseball.

Beekeeper, Too Much Beer. Thu: Idyll, Ken South, Heartrot. Sun: Valley Girls, Bad Kids, Ash Williams.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St, Midtown. spinnightclub.com. Fri: Jimmy Edgar, Danny Daze. Sat: ‘Revive’.

The Griffin, 1310 Morena Blvd, Bay Park. thegriffinsd.com. Wed: Milagres, The Soil and the Sun, The Family Crest. Fri: SVPER, Fesway, Mirror Pop, DJ Memory Lounge.

Stage Bar & Grill, 762 Fifth Ave, Downtown. stagesaloon.com. Wed: Mark Fisher and Gaslamp Guitars. Thu: Van Roth.

Fri: Disco Pimps. Sat: Hott Mess, Two Day Job (7:30 p.m.); DJ Miss Dust (10:30 p.m.). Sun: ‘Funhouse/Seismic’. Mon: ‘Fettish Monday’. Tue: Ryan Dishen.

The Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. officebarinc.com. Wed: DJ Ikah Love. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ Edroc, Big Willie Style.

Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings. Mon: ‘Dub Dynamite’ w/ DJs Rashi, Eddie Turbo.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego, Normal Heights. sycamoreden. com. Thu: The Midnight Pine. Sun: G Burns Jug Band.

Thrusters Lounge, 4633 Mission Blvd, Pacific Beach. thrusterslounge.com.

Wed: ‘Spank Party’. Fri & Mon: DJ FishFonics. Sat: Eddie Cutlass. Sun: DJ Schoeny. Tue: DJ Craig Smoove.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd, Spring Valley. 619-469-2337. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Nikki and the Mongoloid, These Hands Create, Z.O.D., Emphasize, DJ Geneticz, DJ Admiral. Sat: Batwings, Tron, Semis Muerte, Skrapez. Mon: Nutstache, Butler, The Mercury Tree, Arcane.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Wakey!Wakey!, Jillette Johnson. Thu: Weekend, Cities Aviv, Surf Club. Fri: Small Black, Snowmine, Soft Lions, Sweaty Dune DJs. Sat: The Loons, Schitzophonics, Operation Mindblow Lightshow, Los Sweepers, The Grim Imperials. Sun: Ana Tijoux, Kumbia Queers, Cumbia Machin. Mon: Kool Keith, Grammatical B, Odessa Kane, Old English, DJ Artistic. Tue: Reverend Horton Heat, Nekromantix, Deke Dickerson (sold out).

The Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. thechecafe.blogspot.com. Wed: Slouch,

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. tiltwoclub.com. Thu: Lecherous Gaze, Wild Honey, Dirty Fences, J.C. Satan. Sat: ‘Sleepwalking’. Sun: Vampillia, Zarigani$, Jungles, The Touchies, Heather Hardcore.

Tin Can Ale House, 1863 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill. thetincan1.wordpress.com.

Wed: Defero, Solander, Creature and the Woods, Mike Kay. Thu: Lazy Cobra, Deep Sea Thunder Beast, Chiefs. Fri: Indoor Cities, Kenseth and Brandon and Jason and Andrew, Interrobang. Sat: Birdzilla, Grammatical B, Ruben Lady. Mon: ‘Tin Can Country Club’ w/ Grampadrew. Tue: Snowapple, Laura Gravelle.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St, Bay Park. tioleos.com. Thu: The Fremonts. Fri: Candye Kane. Sat: Billy Watson. Tue: Joe Sands Fontenot Band.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City

Heights. thetowerbar.com. Wed: Ray City Rollers, The Phantoms, The Cutaways, DJ Mikey Ratt. Thu: The Amalgamated, Lexicons, Viva Apollo. Fri: Boogarins, Amerikan Bear, Muscle Beech. Sat: Drop Dead Dames Burlesque, Toothless George, Arc. Mon: Saint Shameless. Tue: Rats in the Wall, The Grim Imperials, At Fault, Bat Lords.

Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St, Pacific Beach. theturquoise.com/wordpress.

Wed: Tomcat Courtney (7 p.m.). Thu: The Jade Visions Jazz Trio (7 p.m.). Fri: Tomcat Courtney (7 p.m.); Afro Jazziacs (9 p.m.). Sat: Zak Lipton Trio (4 p.m.); Tomcat Courtney (6:30 p.m.); Santana Pa Ti (9 p.m.). Sun: Sounds Like Four (4 p.m.); Middle Earth (8 p.m.). Mon: Stefanie Schmitz (7 p.m.). Tue: Grupo Globo (7 p.m.).

Ux31, 3112 University Ave, North Park. u31bar.com. Wed: Heavy Hawaii, Swim Team, Golden Beaches, DJs Keith Sweaty, Karma. Fri: DJ R-You. West Coast Tavern, 2895 University Ave, North Park. westcoatstavern.com.

Wed: DJ Qenoe. Thu: Clean Cut. Fri: DJ Slowhand. Sat: DJ Decon. Tue: DJ Slowhand.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. whistlestopbar.com. Thu: ‘Astro Jump’ w/ Kill Quanti DJs. Fri: ‘F-ing in the Bushes’.

Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. winstonsob.com. Wed: Papa Michigan.

Thu: Rebirth Brass Band. Fri: King Schascha, Dub Trinty, Simmer Down Reddim Section, Carlos Culture, Dash Eye. Sat: ‘Ocean Boogie’. Sun: Tiger Heros. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Meeting of the Meyends.

Proud sponsor: Pacific Nature Tours

Ink Well Xwords by Ben Tausig

Across 1. Mon wid crucial dreads cum outa he head, perhaps 6. Military acronym since WWI 11. Collar accessory 15. Freeze, as a windshield 16. Styx venue?

17. “I’m still hungry!”

18. Blitzen’s seating instruction to his sleigh driver? (No dark forces at work here!)

21. “Clueless” phrase 22. Lukas who played Ryan White 23. Like Conan O’Brien, ethnically 24. Org. for Ann Miller, who said “You try to help them, try to sing and dance ... it’s heartbreaking.”

26. Important substance in immune development 28. What a goofy, witty waitstaff provides?

(Everyone is alive and well) 35. ParaGard, e.g.

36. Locks something in before it comes out?

37. Blows away 40. Certain musical chord 42. Piece of eight, e.g.

43. Lay’s partner in snack food 44. ___ suit (baggy ‘40s outfit) 45. It includes Piccadilly and Victoria lines 47. A Marine Corps lance corporal no longer qualifies as one: Abbr.

48. The holiest of poker hands?

(You screaming convicts can relax) 51. Vantage 52. Outrageous, briefly 53. Be on pins and needles for 56. Channel with highlights 59. Soon, a long time ago 63. Tender hugs and kisses, e.g.? (No hitting!)

67. One published in a literary magazine, perhaps 68. Vehicle for many a long, strange trip 69. Online clip-sharing site whose name is

Last week’s answers

an anagram of MOVIE 70. Back talk 71. Obeys a neatnik pirate’s command regarding the deck 72. Squirrel’s staple

Down 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Capital of Latvia Whizzes Agcy. often “quoted” by Weekly World News Quantity of beers at a hotel party Bonobo, e.g.

LaBeouf of acting petulant and then being excused by James Franco in the New York Times 7. Caretaker’s nickname 8. Drops in the bucket, perhaps 9. Not masc.

10. Manipulate 11. Modern fuel-efficient vehicle 12. R&B singer Braxton 13. The A in B.A. 14. “America (Fuck ___)” (“Team America: World Police” song) 19. Time to attack, in the military 20. “___, find me a crossword clue for yourself” 25. Gp. that was an antagonist in “Milk” 26. Become dispirited?

27. Some catheters, briefly 28. Name in crackers or accommodations 29. Currency for many Member States 30. “Peace, muchacho” 31. Jason Sudeikis, to George Wendt 32. Keanu Reeves classic about a bus 33. Divisions in both the AL and NL 34. J.R. who was shot 38. Set in stone?

39. Coke product?

41. Biological throwbacks 43. Unit of derring-do 45. Green Day drummer Cool 46. Feral horse, casually 49. Mets stadium namesake 50. Biased type type 53. Silicon Alley exports 54. Joey’s rather uninspired catchphrase on “Blossom” 55. Yes votes 56. Isle of exile to which many modern Romans escape 57. Refuse to acknowledge 58. One of Carlin’s seven dirty words that’s since become commonplace 60. Hideo with two career no-hitters 61. Kaput 62. Arcade Fire’s “___ Bible” 64. Walgreens alternative 65. “OMG! that Pomeranian is wearing a life vest!”

66. Actress Longoria who divorced Tony Parker

A pair of tickets for a 4.5 or 8 hour Pacific Nature Tour will be awarded weekly. Email a picture of your answers to crossword@sdcitybeat.com or fax it to 619-325-1393. Limit one win per person per 30 days.

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

32 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

March 19, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

34 · San Diego CityBeat · March 19, 2014

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