San Diego CityBeat • Apr 13, 2016

2 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

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#SDCityBeat

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Up Front | From the editor

Nuñez release points to need for clemency reform

S

an Diegans became incensed all Ruckman is critical of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walkover again when Esteban Nuñez was reer for recent public declarations that he will never isleased this week after spending less than six sue any pardons (Walker was called upon by national petition to reconsider the imprisonment of Steven years in prison for participating in the stabbing death of Mesa College student Luis Santos.

Avery, whose incarceration is the subject of the NetfNuñez is the son of Fabian Nuñez, the former state lix documentary series Making A Murderer).

Assembly Speaker who was buddies with former Aside from Walker, Ruckman says clemency is Gov. Arnold Swarzenegger. On his last day in office trending higher in states, including issuances from in 2011 the then-and-again action movie star comGov. Jerry Brown. California’s governor regularly pardons about 100 former convicts per year—primarmuted the sentence of the son of his political pal.

Esteban Nuñez and co-defendant Ryan Jett ily individuals who have been out of jail for a decade pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and asand have received a Certificate of Rehabilitation.

Ruckman notes that the political left and the sault in 2008. Jett is still serving a 16-year senright agree that prison overcrowding is an issue and tence.

“Of course you help a friend,” Swarzenegger inthat clemency is slowly rising in cases that involve famously told the media. nonviolent drug charges. wiki commons This sort of political cronyism “Rarely, though, is a commuboils the blood. If your dad is a welltation granted to a violent crimiconnected politician you can escape nal, as was the case with Arnold the clutches of the system. Nobody’s Swarzenegger,” says Ruckman. “My crying for Jett to be sprung, but if slant is that celebrities and relatives your pops doesn’t hang with The of public officials deserve justice as Governator you rot in jail. much as anybody. But if you’re stinThe San Diego District Attorney’s gy with pardons and commutations, Office and the Santos family sued to like Swarzenegger had been, that overturn the Nunez commutation. makes a case like this obnoxious The case went to the 3rd District Court and invites well-deserved skeptiof Appeals in Sacramento in 2012. cism.”

The court concluded Swarzenegger’s Note: Stemming from the Santos decision showed “back-room dealings case, California law now requires a were apparent.” It called the action governor give victims and prosecutors “reprehensible” and said the former 10 days notice before issuing a comgovernor “was deserving of censure mutation.

As of December 2015, at least half and grossly unjust.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger a dozen states administer the power Yet it was all declared to be legally of pardons by an independent board, within the power of the governor of California. notes Ruckman, and 20 other states have advisory Can’t this unchecked power be reined in, or at boards. He adds that it’s extremely difficult to exleast partially remedied? tract data or identify trends about clemency poliPolitical science professor P.S. Ruckman Jr. has cies around the country—but if a state has made a some insight. He teaches at Rock Valley College in change in the recent past it has been to create an Illinois and authors the Pardon Power Blog. Ruckindependent board.

Altering gubernatorial clemency oversight man created a database of every political pardon would require a change to the state constitution. An on the federal level since 1789 (the exact number is independent board might not solve all the problems impossible to pinpoint but is greater than 30,000), related to pardons and commutations. But the Nuand is a media expert on state-level clemency. ñez case should be a call to action to legitimize a He believes such programs at the executive level system that can be inconsistent and arbitrary, and are “an important part of the criminal justice sysleaves an opening for back-room deals. tem, since our legislative and judicial branches are definitely not perfect.”

—Ron Donoho Indeed, Alexander Hamilton and the founding fathers saw fit to include pardon power in the Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com Unites States Constitution.

This issue of CityBeat can’t remember if Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early or late Democracy Spring.

Volume 14 • Issue 36 Editor Ron Donoho Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Seth Combs Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Carolyn Ramos editorial assistant Torrey Bailey Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

Contributors David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Jessica Johnson, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Tom Siebert, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen editorial Intern Elizabeth Pode Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia

Senior account executive Jason Noble Account Executives Beau Odom Mark Schreiber Jenny Tormey Accounting Kacie Cobian Sharon Huie Linda Lam Human Resources Andrea Baker

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

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San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2016.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

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TABLE of contents UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Backwards & In High Heels. . . . . . . . . . 7 The World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Dishing It Up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Floating Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 jessica bradford

Well, That Was Awkward (Page 19)

EVENTS The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15 Theater Review. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

ARTS & CULTURE Seen Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Well, That Was Awkward. . . . . . . . . . . 19 Film Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 Marije Kuiper

Bombino (Page 22)

MUSIC Feature: Bombino. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . 23 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Concerts and Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-28 Advice Goddess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Up Front | Letters

MOVED TO VERSE

Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the timely and informative column regarding the Lincoln High boys [“The Lincoln High boys are our children,” March 30]. As an African-American male I typically stay away from the race issue with my “white” friends because I don’t want to argue and be that black friend that’s so sensitive. I go back to Trayvon Martin, a scared child who was stalked like prey when he found himself in, literally, a life-or-death situation for “not belonging” where he belonged.

A nation would not stand united. Trayvon was not our child. He was painted as a bully and a thug. The whole ordeal was lost in a race war where the point was Trayvon is your child. Recognizing that there is a problem is huge. Thank you for using your platform to bring attention to such an important issue. When we as humans realize that we are all humans and we should treat each other equally then the healing can begin. Hopefully leading to a better world for all our children. Here’s a poem I wrote July 19, 2013, shortly after Trayvon was killed: Trayvon is your child Wonder when the kids gonna stop dyin’ Walkin around in hoodies not even tryin’ You out at night you must be lyin’ So they watch us hard Prepare for scars Yes, this is war Boy shot down in front of your face No conviction prosecutor doesn’t understand the case Shoot first questions later so you know your place The people will let themselves be heard a couple of months Won’t last longer than a group of four with a couple of blunts We speak up fast then all forgotten remember our Wall Street wants Price is getting cheaper just Skittles and tea this time Are you really listening or just trying to guess the rhyme Trayvon is your child racial profiling isn’t blind They want us to come to blows make me swear off my white friends Want us divided so they’re pushing you as a token friendship it’s just pretend Forget everything you’ve been through with the people that have stuck with you through day’s end Aren’t you tired of things getting worse by the day Don’t bury your head pretty soon you won’t even have a say Staring at a number tattooed on your skin now it’s too late you shouldn’t have looked away.

#SDCityBeat

Alan Washington, Chula Vista

MORE BELFERS

Excellent article [“The Lincoln High boys are our children,” March 30]! I’m incredibly impressed by your take on, and response to, the subliminal undermining of progress and sociological advancement of people of color in the United States. It is a thing of beauty to witness a white person who stands in “truth,” who is intelligent, articulate, well-written and willing to tell it like it is. Aaryn Belfer is a strong and beautiful person and may God make lots more like her.

On the

Cover

Gene Vann, North Park

AIDING LINCOLN HIGH BOYS

I wanted to first thank Aaryn Belfer. Thank you!

You write good and insightful pieces [“The Lincoln High boys are our children,” March 30] on parts and persons of the city that people seem to ignore or maybe just don’t have reason to think about.

Secondly, I wanted to know what I could do to help those boys at Lincoln. A mistake as a teenager can leave you with a felony record that no matter what you’ve done with your life; years after the fact, the stigma is there.

I’m not sure what I could do but if they have a defense fund I could donate to it. If there is a petition to sign I could do that If there is a city council person to call or email or visit, could do that. I want to do something that prevents people who cannot legally vote or buy cigarettes even, not have felony records.

Thanks for the great articles.

Keep on keeping on.

Omar Wilkins,

Kensington

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

You forgot to mention that the name, Chargers, isn’t about charging down the field, nor even about a certain muscle car [“Padres v Chargers: Dawn of Injustice?,” April 6]. At the time, Barron Hilton was also a principal in the Carte Blanche credit card company; although he denies it, the name refers to plastic.

Michael-Leonard Creditor,

Clairemont

CALLING FOR PRICE CONTROLS

One theory pro minimum wage increase people tout is that local buying power increases for the minimum wage crowd and thus they have a better quality of life [“Lorena Gonzalez zips into the Sacramento power lane,” March 30].

This is only temporary. I work as a bike messenger downtown, clocking 30-milesplus a day. I need to eat a decent amount, and I am about running a clean engine (no fast junk food). There are three local lunch places that have increased prices on me

The first-ever cover image showcasing the contents of a Well, That Was Awkward column was taken by Jessica Bradford (pictured), wife of CityBeat columnist and web editor Ryan Bradford. A feline fanatic, Ryan focused on a performance by the Acro-Cats, a traveling cat circus. “My memories from this photo are fuzzy,” Ryan said.

“What I do remember is a star-struck feeling so intense that it registered as a blinding white light. After The Rock Cats finished their set, the audience rushed the stage to meet the cats. I asked my wife, ‘Can you get a picture of me with the band?’ We weren’t allowed to touch any of the cats, which— in addition to my natural fear of the tambourine-playing chicken—explains my goofy, hesitant lean in.” Ryan asked Jessica if she wanted to add any backstory. “Just make us sound cool,” she said. Mission accomplished. recently, a percentage beyond what I used to afford. An Indian buffet I used to eat at ($9.99) went up ($11.99)—a 20 percent increase. A deli’s buffet for $11.07 went to $12.96 (prices with taxes), meaning a 17-percent increase. A market’s ceviche, which was $6.99, went up to $8.99—a 29percent increase! My $9- to $10-an-hour increase is just 11 percent.

So am I to sacrifice quality of life and eat junk food from now on? Get fired because I do not have enough energy to work? Many will say that I should pack my own lunch and bring it to work, but these price increases are happening across the board. My wife makes $14 an hour, but the wage increase did not affect her. That means our total household spending will be reduced.

So the local buying power idea is a fail.

San Diego City Councilmember Todd Gloria is pushing the minimum wage agenda heavily (and sometimes councilmember David Alvarez), but giving people more money is just causing inflation. We need price controls, such as rent control, tax-free sales exclusive to local citizens for buying from local to San Diego county-only business, et cetera.

Roger Leszczynski,

Logan Heights

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Up Front | opinion

spin

cycle

john r. lamb

Will the city block a public vote on the Citizens Plan?

A government is the only known frequently and publicly. And it’s a sock to the gut of City Attorvessel that leaks from the top.

ney Jan Goldsmith, who issued a

—James Reston sky-is-falling rebuke to the Briggs hotel-tax-hike ballot measure hen it comes to maklate Monday before heading off ing big decisions, San to warm up the crowd gathering Diego frequently seems in Mission Valley to cheer on the to walk into a wall. The battle over presidential prospects of Sen. Ted whether, where and how to build Cruz of Texas. a new stadium for the Chargers is While Faulconer—who initiala classic example of this phenomly preferred Marco Rubio—now enon. claims he’s a John Kasich guy, As Spin Cycle types away Tuesthere is little other light separatday morning, activist attorney and ing the mayor and Goldsmith, Citizens Plan author Cory Briggs particularly in their quest to crush is holding court with reporters to November ballot measures that detail the latest municipal slam would revamp how hotel taxes are into an immovable object, which administered and spent. he has attributed to a “vacuum of “This riff is a long time in the political leadership.” making,” Briggs told Spin Cycle This is a direct smack to the Monday. “It’s anything to try to forehead of Mayor Kevin Faulconfuck things up, gain more leverage er, with whom Briggs has clashed over us.”

W

6 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

Briggs maintains that the panic attack from City Hall was hastened by a unanimous closedsession decision recently by the Tourism Marketing District board to settle a long-standing legal fight with Briggs over the validity of the TMD’s very existence. (A settlement has not been confirmed by the TMD.) Briggs, on behalf of his client San Diegans for Open Government, has sued the TMD and the city, arguing a 2 percent surcharge approved by hotel owners for tourism promotion that’s tacked on to the city’s 10.5 percent hotel tax is illegal.

Goldsmith’s memo, requested by the mayor, claims that the Briggs measure is so fraught with legal risks that the San Diego City Council might even want to consider declining to put it on the November ballot.

“If a legislative body refuses to place an initiative on the ballot, even though it qualified with sufficient signatures, that refusal may be validated by a judicial declaration that the measure should not be submitted to voters,” the memo states.

Briggs said such “advocacy” statements indicate that the in-

tent of the memo is to head off an initiative the mayor would prefer to dodge while he’s running for re-election.

“This all shook out when it became clear the TMD was prepared to settle, including an endorsement of the Citizens Plan,” Briggs

appears to be a plan that could tie up the city in court for years at great cost to taxpayers.”

Of course, the same could be said of the hoteliers’ decision to add the tourism promotion surcharge to customer bills, which is teetering on the brink of legal extinction. john r. lamb Goldsmith has spoken publicly in the past about those concerns, and yet the city continues to defend that practice in court. Tuesday afternoon, Goldsmith issued a statement claiming his office had requested a copy of the settlement but had only received “an agenda of topics” for an upcoming meeting.

Briggs noted that City Attorney Jan Goldsmith and Mayor the memo Goldsmith Kevin Faulconer assess the leaky damage issued Monday actually had been leaked to the said. “I’m told that was a unani- media last month but was retractmous decision, pending sign-off ed when it was pointed out that it from the mayor. Instead, he re- made no mention of recent court quests the city attorney to issue developments suggesting such this memo, which is a conscious initiatives would not require twoeffort to torpedo our initiative. thirds passage by voters. Briggs But it turned out to be a dud.” contends his measure, as a general In the memo, Goldsmith refers tax hike, requires only majority apto what he calls a “poison pill” proval. The Chargers, meanwhile, provision in the measure, which are reportedly assuming theirs—a would “void the entire initiative if special tax for specifically laid out any substantive provision is suc- purposes—will require two-thirds cessfully challenged in court.” to pass.

“This is a very unusual proviGoldsmith in his Tuesday statesion,” Goldsmith noted. “An initia- ment said a draft of the memo was tive would typically state just the shared with “proponents about opposite to ensure that all of its three weeks ago” seeking a reterms are not jeopardized by one sponse to legal issues. “We have not legal issue.” heard from them since,” he said.

To which Briggs responded, “I “It’s been quite clear for some agree! It is totally unusual. This is time that the NFL is not coming a compromise, where I was trying to Mission Valley,” Briggs said, to make sure everybody was hap- “so what’s the outcome if Mission py and nobody thought they’d get Valley no longer has the Chargers double-crossed. All parties have to but the city still has $25 million hang together to make this work. to $30 million in bond debt for We didn’t want someone turning Qualcomm Stadium? The mayor around and suing over a portion wants to sell the property to his of the measure. This was actually developer friends so they can designed to protect taxpayers.” build condos.

Briggs said he believes the out“The goal is to keep voters come the mayor seeks is quelling from voting,” he adds. “The mayor both the Citizens Plan—which knows the TMD board wants to would raise the hotel tax to 15.5 settle, and all he’s saying is ‘Let’s percent and create incentives for get together on April 15.’ He’s just hoteliers to voluntarily pay for kicking the can down the road, a convention center expansion hoping neither measure makes it while forging a path for a new sta- on the ballot.” dium downtown without use of Maybe that explains why the taxpayer money—and a compet- mayor has agreed to only three ing Chargers initiative that would televised debates with his two boost the hotel tax to 16.5 percent opponents—city lifeguard serbut mandates use of the visitor-tax geant Ed Harris and former state increase to help pay for a hybrid Assemblywomen Lori Saldaña— stadium/convention center annex. leading up to the June 7 primary.

On Monday, Faulconer issued As Harris poked on Twitter, a statement calling the Briggs “Crime’s up, infrastructure crummeasure “well intentioned,” but bling, no leadership on convagloomily added that “the city at- dium. I wouldn’t want to debate torney’s analysis shows that this either…”

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | Opinion

Aaryn Belfer

Backwards & in

high heels Menopause and baseball: Two sides of the same coin?

I

’m a sports fan. Football. Soccer. Basketball (college and pro). Tennistennistennis of any kind.

But there are few things I like less than baseball.

It seems completely irrational that ESPN should be saturated with baseball highlights for nine months of the year, and that each team should need to play 162 games just to get to the playoffs. Snore.

Zzzzzzzz. Kill me now.

My friend Scott, on the other hand, is so dedicated, he decided to live tweet his deep (and hilarious) thoughts about the Padres opener until they scored a run. As it happens, Scott’s not on Twitter so my Facebook feed filled up with almost as many baseball tweets as there are games in the season. “This live tweeting until the Padres score a run in 2016 seemed like a funny idea in the bottom of the second inning...#CelibateFriars,” he wrote of their 27 scoreless innings that prompted Fox Sports to call their season opener a “putrid beginning.” Ouch and double ouch.

As I read through Scott’s Facebook tweets (“This is what happens when your team mascot wears opentoed shoes. #CelibateFriars”), I started to ponder the many things I’d rather endure than baseball, and I decided that even menopause is preferable to this game. Which is saying something because menopause is eerily similar to baseball. The discomfort it causes varies in type and severity from person to person, it drags on without end, and just when you get a respite from the symptoms and think it’s done, it ramps up all over again.

First of all, there’s sweating. Not the dew-y, glow-y, Scarlett Johansson-y kind, but the I-just-completed-ahot-yoga-class kind. Except I didn’t just complete a hot yoga class. I completed getting out of bed in the morning, or overexerted myself by laughing at a joke, or looking over my shoulder to check my blind spot while driving, or swiping my credit card a little too vigorously while checking out at Target and boom, my knee caps are sweating like Hollywood Medium Tyler Henry’s forehead as he convenes with the dead.

The weight gain shouldn’t be a shocker but it’s hard to imagine until it happens to you. The day after I turned fortyblurgityblurg, I had to put out an APB for my waistline, which still hasn’t been seen.

I’m beginning to worry. Meanwhile, I had a long talk with my dry cleaner to find out what he’d done to my shirts seeing as how I was suddenly Incredible Hulking my way out of every blouse I owned.

Menopause has given a whole new meaning to

tight pants and believe me when I say that as much as I like ’em tight, I do not want to emulate Chris Christie in his NYPD baseball costume of 2015. (Labia can go south, BTW, increasing the likelihood of a moose-knuckle situation, but my husband has urged me not to disparage the vag here in any way so I’ll stop there and just say: All hail the vag!) Did you know your fingers contain fat cells? And your shoulders? Turn away if this is upsetting to you.

Memory, of course, is affected by the hormonal changes. If I know you and we bump into each other at Trader Joe’s and I don’t acknowledge you, please don’t take offense. I don’t even remember what it was I came to buy. Was it the corn nuts or the Cookie Butter? This is not my beautiful wife.

My, God! How did I get here?

The emotions in menopause are as unbearable as 13 innings. I’ve always been a crier. I like having feels, as my friend’s tweenage daughter puts it. But I don’t want to have all of the feels all at once. In the span of 60 seconds, I’m fine, I’m happy, I’m in love, I’m ecstatic, I’m sinking, I’m blue, I’m despondent and now I’m weeping like John Boehner at the feet of Pope Francis.

But don’t unbuckle yet, folks, because now I’m so pissed I could crack the sweet spot of a Louisville slugger over my knee and splinter that thing in half. I’ll hulk right out of the dugout and lead the brawl, my friends. I am the Valedictorian of rage. You ballers don’t want to see me when I’m angry.

And look here. No discussion of menopause would be honest if I didn’t mention the gargantuan effort it is to want to have sex. Here’s me keeping it 100: If given the choice between watching one of the Padres no-score season openers or having sex, and death is not an option? I’d choose to go to the DMV to renew my driver license without an appointment. And while I don’t wish to disparage the vag, well…let’s just say that, if I were live tweeting menopause on Facebook, my hashtag might be #aridgyners.

Fortunately for me, I want to want to have sex, so I think things are looking up. And according to friends who have already been through this, it gets better. But I cannot say the same for baseball. Unless the bases are loaded and the score is tied in the bottom of the ninth in Game Seven of the World Series, I’d rather go through menopause for the next 10 years. Don’t even get me started on golf.

“

The emotions

in menopause are as

unbearable as

“

13 innings.

#SDCityBeat

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com.

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Up Front | Food

by michael a. gardiner

the world

fare

No drought about it at Ike’s Place

I

s there any dish a good sauce doesn’t help?

Sadly, it seems, the sandwiches at Ike’s Place (1010 University Ave., Suite C101) in Hillcrest answer that question.

Fueled by Food Network appearances and Yelp-driven fanaticism, the original Ike’s in San Francisco’s Castro District became wildly popular—so popular the ever-present lines got it evicted. Ike’s now has 22 locations from Mesa, Arizona, to Chico, California (14 in the Bay Area alone).

Every sandwich at Ike’s features its socalled “dirty sauce.”

While Ike’s creator, Ike Shehadeh, has suggested tongue-in-cheek the sauce includes “unicorn farts, fairy dust, love potion, crack cocaine,” the fact is it’s a kickedup aioli (garlic mayonnaise). It is delicious and it is an addictive, sneaky addictive. And that’s the problem. Ike’s is one of the addicts. Every Ike’s sandwich features a layer of dirty sauce baked into the bread and another spread on afterwards.

That presents several problems.

Take, for example, the Ted Danson sandwich featuring slices of turkey, purple slaw, French dressing and Swiss cheese: It sounds like a good sandwich, and that’s without even mentioning that wicked dirty sauce. And the first bite really is great, whether on sourdough or on Ike’s signature Dutch crunch bread. The sauce washes over your tongue, you get the great textural contrast of the slaw, you put the sandwich down and smile.

But the problems start when you pick it up for

8 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

the second bite—structural instability and dripping liquids pooling on the sandwich wrapper below. By the third and fourth bites the bread is soggy and you go in search of extra napkins. By the time you get back to the table you thank the guy above for your good decision not to wear a suit. It is that wet.

It was even worse with the Tony Soprano, Ike’s take on an Italian—turkey, ham, salami, Italian dressing and provolone cheese. The Dutch crunch bread was no match for the double assault of liquids—dirty sauce and Italian dressing.

Perhaps the problem is in baking the dirty sauce Michael A. Gardiner into the bread, leaving it more vulnerable to the sandwich’s other wet ingredients.

The flavor profile of the Madison Bumgarner was better. It had the same structural and liquid problems.

But the thinly sliced ribeye steak, yellow BBQ sauce, habanero salsa, pepper jack and American cheese offered big enough flavors to compete with the power packed by that dirty sauce.

And that was the other part of the dirty sauce’s problems— its strength. The very The Tony Soprano same things that make it addicting also make it dominate everything it touches. I can barely remember the flavors of any of the meats at Ike’s.

To a significant degree the only flavor I really remember is that sauce.

Ike’s has a long menu. There are 26 meat and 10 veggie sandwiches at the Hillcrest location.

But you can order any of the chain’s 400 items anywhere. The problem is they all taste very nearly the same. They all taste, first and foremost, like dirty sauce.

It is that rare instance in which a good sauce—a very good sauce—makes a dish worse.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | Food

by james vernette

dishing it

Possibly the most famous locally-based hot sauce is Just Chili (3328 Mccully St.), a Srirachatype sauce invented locally in the 1970s and is available at many local restaurants.

However, the original owners sold the company two years ago to a family in Huntington Beach Not yet a hot bed for hot sauce and the product is bottled in Temecula.

Lerner sells a variety of locally made hot sauces, onsidering how popular hot sauce is in San but says the most popular is Ring Of Fire, a brand Diego, it’s amazing that the city hasn’t demade by Mike and Diane Greening in El Cajon. veloped a signature hot sauce—unless you “It’s a great hot sauce,” Lerner says. “It used count those little plastic tubs that every taco shop to win all sorts of awards when the owners were throws in your order. entering contests.”

“There’s no real community, but a lot of local hot But the sauce creator has a dirty little secret. sauces,” laments Hector Mon“I’m actually not a fan of courtesy awesome hot sauce tano-Dupont, the co-owner hot food,” says Mike Greenof Wassumatta Hot Sauce ing. “It was designed for body(555 Saturn Blvd.), a brand of builders who eat a very bland hot sauce and salsas sold at lodiet. It’s a way to add flavor to cal farmer’s markets around chicken breasts or egg whites. town. “But if we all pull toI don’t just want heat. I want gether to become a hot sauce to have a variety of flavors in city, we’ll all be better off.” my mouth.”

Making a good hot sauce Greening says one reason is like learning the blues: The why there’s no real hot sauce elements of both are basic, community locally, may be but doing it well can take a because many of the makers lifetime to master. are so busy making sauce they Sandra Bushfield knows don’t have time to connect. this firsthand. She owns Hot “What I’d really like to do Sauces ‘N More in the Otay is work with a microbrewery Ranch Shopping Center and to make hot sauces and musis often pitched new hot tards based on their brews,” sauce ideas by aspiring pephe says. perheads hoping to make A more cohesive sauce Awesome Hot Sauce owners scene might help raise awarethe next Tabasco, Sriracha or Rebecca and Daniel Urbaetis Frank’s Red Hot. ness locally and nationally of Most leave her cold. area hot sauce samplings, but some saucy entre“I want something that doesn’t taste like just a preneurs like Daniel Urbaetis are happy right different flavor of ketchup,” she says. where they’re at.

Specialty shops like Hot Sauces ‘N More (2015 Urbaetis runs Awesome Hot Sauce (2754 CalBirch Road) and Hot Licks (865 W. Harbor Drive) houn St.) in Old Town, where he sells 28 types of at Seaport Village usually sell a variety of spicy hot sauce using his family recipe. Although his items. In addition to hot sauce, the store sells musHummzinger, a hummus-based hot sauce came in tards, jerkys, barbecue sauces and even jellies. third at the 2015 World Hot Sauce Awards, he has You’d think that many hotheads want food no dreams of making oodles of dollars getting his products that bring the heat, but that’s not the products into stores. case according to Hot Licks owner Craig Lerner.

“Really, my wife and I just want enough mon“As popular as hot sauce is, we found many ey to feed our family,” he says “I’d just like to raise customers don’t want a super hot sauce,” he says. enough money for a separate facility.”

“They just love the flavor of peppers but prefer a medium or mild sauce.”

Dishing It Out appears every other week.

out C

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April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

Up Front | Drink

final

by beth demmon

draught Danish gypsy brewer lands in San Diego

Despite heavy overlap, Mikkeller San Diego hasn’t just pulled talent from AleSmith, although head brewer Bill Batten comes straight from AleSmith’s team. Bartenders include Ballast Point and an Diego has been thirsting for Mikkeller’s Alpine alumni and multiple Level 2 Cicerones, doors to open since the wandering Danish while the three other brewers come from a variety beermaker announced his flagship brick- of projects, including the former head brewer and and-mortar brewery in the former AleSmith wild ale expert Daniel Cady from the now-defunct space (9368 Cabot Drive) in Miramar last year. Twisted Manzanita brewing program.

The wait is (nearly) over, with grand opening celAlthough most of the funky stuff is still in the ebrations planned for future, San Diegans beth demmon this weekend. Events can expect to see include a Mikkeller at least 19 taps and Running Club 10K bottles available at and VIP sessions on the grand opening Saturday as well as a with casks and cans sold-out Beer Geek coming soon.

Breakfast on Sunday.

“You have to have “He [founder an IPA and APA in Mikkel Borg Bjergsø] San Diego,” says wants to stand out Holko, also confirmand be something ing that a blonde completely differale, saison, tripel, ent,” says Mikkeller Berlinerweisse and San Diego general many more spemanager John Holko. cial releases will be “That’s the way his flowing this weekNot empty for long - Mikkeller San Diego end. VIP attendees beers are and the way his philosophy is.” will have first crack at bottles of Ny Verden, a When asked if this permanent location means huge, robust Olde Ale that pays homage to old EuMikkel can no longer be called a true “gypsy” brew- ropean beers in a New World way and is recomer, Holko says that’s not the case. “I don’t know if mended for aging. Variants of cult favorite Beer he loses that moniker. It’s almost like experimen- Geek Brunch are already in progress and promise tation in reverse. Now he’ll have people come and to deliver what will likely be the freshest versions visit his brewery and do collaborations here.” With most people outside Europe have ever consumed. a decade of successful group brews, we can likely While San Diego isn’t the only Mikkeller projexpect a lot of collaborations to come. ect in the works—Tokyo and Los Angeles restauAs far as selecting San Diego for establish- rant/bars are also underway, plus a membership ing residency, Holko acknowledges the obvious. club and local bottle shop—we’re the first location “You’ll have arguments from the folks in Oregon in the world where Mikkel has laid down permaand Denver, but if San Diego’s not the best craft nent roots as a brewer. That’s precisely the type of beer city in the country, it’s one of the top three. outside influence San Diego needs.

So why not put it there? The level and expertise “The grand opening is just the start,” promises and discerning palates we have are just incred- Holko. “Hopefully the beers are unlike anything ible.” Plus, with a long history between Ale- San Diego has ever had.”

Smith’s traditional purist Peter Zien and zany experimentalist Mikkel, their pairing seemed Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or follow inevitable. her on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

S

10 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | books

The floating

by jim ruland

library Travels in Indian Country with Simon J. Ortiz

H

ave you ever read a book that failed to make an impression on you the first time you read it, but then the book came back to you right when you were ready for it?

That happened to me recently. Last month I traveled to Shiprock, New Mexico, to do a reading at Dine College with Navajo storyteller Erik Bitsui. I met Erik almost 25 years ago when he was a student of mine during my first semester as a teaching assistant at Northern Arizona University.

Erik made an immediate impression with his long black hair, deep collection of black heavy metal T-shirts, and his refusal to write in capital letters. We hit it off and I always looked forward to reading his imaginative essays about growing up on the Navajo reservation.

Many years later, I was writing a book inspired by my experiences working at an Indian casino in San Diego, and I asked Erik to recommend his favorite books by Native American writers from the Southwest. He suggested I read Men on the Moon by Simon J. Ortiz. I read the book, or at least some of it, but it wasn’t what I was looking for at the time.

Years passed. While I was packing for my trip to Shiprock last month, I stumbled upon the book, with a letter from Erik tucked into its pages. I stuck it in my bag and off I went. I spent the better part of a week as a passenger in a car traveling all over the Navajo Nation, darting back and forth across the Arizona-New Mexico border over and around the Lukachukai Mountains, with day trips from Shiprock to Canyon De Chelly and Chaco Canyon.

At some point I cracked open Simon Ortiz’s collected stories and fell into a world that looked a lot like the one outside the car’s windows.

Known primarily as a poet, Ortiz comes from the Laguna Pueblo on the Acoma Reservation in New Mexico. The stories operate in a variety of modes and were composed at different times in the poet’s long career. Some lean on cultural traditions while others are autobiographical. The same characters appear in multiple stories, some of which clearly draw on the same real-life experiences.

In the title story, “Men on the Moon,” an old

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man named Faustin is given a television by his daughter and tunes in just in time to watch the moon landing. The grandson explains that men have gone to the moon in search of knowledge.

Puzzled, “Faustin wondered if the men had run out of places to look for knowledge on the earth.”

The next time we meet Faustin, he is standing up to the local sheriff who demands that the community produce an Indian accused of killing a white man.

Ortiz’s prose is powerfully clear and his principal theme is cultures in conflict, namely Anglo vs. Indian. Rarely do the two communities live in harmony in Ortiz’s tales.

There’s a great deal of anger on the page. (I was going to say “whitehot anger” but that’s misleading and “redhot” is even worse.)

We’re talking Biblical anger. Faulknerian anger. Anger in the age of massacres as cultural memory—but when is that ever not the case?

The anger of Ortiz’s characters is the fury of learning that Michigan’s governor willfully poisoned his own citizens or that Arizona’s school board banned teaching ethnic studies or that North Carolina is going to start policing bathrooms. It’s anger in the face of the dim-witted brutality of tin pot bureaucracy. Anger that solves nothing and makes things worse. The anger of Ortiz’s protagonist vibrates through the pages, but it’s not the only note Ortiz sounds.

Even though my reality is remote from the native experience, Ortiz’s stories are both relatable and relevant. I was especially moved by “Woman Singing,” which tells the story of a young Indian traveling to town for a night of fun after a season of picking potatoes in the Idaho fields. Yearning for home, he looks forward to the company of other Indians. When the foreman, a white man, uses his power to take advantage of the protagonist’s friend, a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions unfolds.

Unlike the astronauts in Men on the Moon, I didn’t embark on my journey to seek knowledge, but with Ortiz as my guide I came back with a greater understanding than when I left.

Write to jimr@sdcitybeat.com.

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SPIN ROOMS

of the 18 stores in San Diego County participating in Record Store Day. “I don’t normally have CityBeat has always been a champion people waiting for me to open in the morning and of local businesses, especially record it’s a steady flow of business all day long.” Hamstores. And while sales of vinyl records were up ilton says.

Stores from Carlsbad (Spin Records, 370 Grand 30 percent in 2015, according to a recent Forbes article, a number of articles have also pointed out Ave.) to Hillcrest (Record City, 3757 Sixth Ave.) to that independent record store sales only make up Mission Hills (M-Theory Records, 915 W. Washington St.) will have fesa smallish percentage TORREY BAILEY tivities throughout the of the numbers. day. There will be hunThat’s why an event dreds of limited releaslike Record Store es this year, from David Day, which happens Bowie, Johnny Cash Saturday, April 16, reand RSD ambassadors mains important to loMetallica, to name cal shops. The annual a few. Times vary celebration of indepenso check out redently owned stores cordstoreday. first took place in 2008 com for full list as a means to get peoof participating ple out to shop at stores stores, and also try to that were struggling. It remember the real reawas a humble affair son this was all started. in the beginning, but Mark Hamilton, owner of FeeLit Records “I do get a kick the event has grown to more than a thousand record stores all over the out of it when people say’, Happy Record Store world and includes a smorgasbord of limited edi- Day,’ like it’s our birthday or something,” says tion vinyl releases that are only available that day. Zack Wentz, a local musician and writer who also “We’ll have some of the limited releases and works at Off the Record in North Park (2912 Unisome sales, but for entertainment, we’ll have DJs versity Ave.). “It’s kind of cute and sweet, and for all day and hip-hop acts playing beats,” says Mark a moment I remember, ‘Oh yeah, we’re a record Hamilton, owner and proprietor of FeeLit Re- store and an endangered species so hurray for us cords, an East Village shop (909 E St.) that’s one for still being alive.’”

1

2 PUNK PROSE

We’re confident local author Richard Louv’s book launch event for Vitamin N: The Essential Guide to a Nature-Rich Life will be swell (it takes place 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at Point Loma Nazarene University). Still, we’ve heard a lot about the event already from other media outlets, so what kind of alt-weekly would COURTESY OF DA CAPO PRESS we be if we didn’t recommend a book event that’s a little more, well, alt? So check out legendary punk band NOFX, who are appearing at Warwick’s bookstore (7812 Girard Ave., warwicks.com) on Thursday, April 14, at 6 p.m. to promote their disturbingly funny new memoir, The Hepatitis BathNOFX: The Hepatitis tub and Other Stories.

Bathtub and Yeah, there’s some Other Stories nature, but most of the stories are just LOL-worthy tales of a veteran band’s life on the road. Tickets are $27, but that admits two and includes a copy of the book.

3 BARDS BEHIND BARS

Authenticity makes for great theater productions, but not even the best playwrights can fully understand themes of incarceration and redemption like actual inmates can. I’m Good: Incarcerated Men Getting Over Obstacles Daily is a unique combination of the “Out of the Yard” rehabilitation program at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility and the San Diego State University School of Theater, Television and Film. Written by inmates and performed by ED DELOS REYES students, the staged reading will give audiences an unfiltered glimpse into the harsh realities of Playwrights from the prison life and Richard J. Donovan the inner transCorrectional Facility formation that can take place there. Part rehabilitation project, part creative initiative, this powerful play will be performed for free at the SDSU Experimental Theater (5500 Campanile Drive) Wednesday, April 20 through Saturday, April 23, at 7:30 p.m. (the April 23 performance will be at 1 p.m.). playwrightsproject.org

Plush Rock Art Show at Fall Brewing Company, 4542 30th St., North Park. New works from local artist Emily Connell who makes extremely detailed, hand-sewn plush sculptures inspired by the vinyl record art of the Clash, The Cramps, AC/DC and more. At 5 p.m. Thursday, April 14.

Free. 619-501-0903, fallbrewing.com HPaper Cities at Low Gallery, 1878 Main St., Barrio Logan. A performative installation of Animal Cracker Conspiracy’s devised hybrid puppetry performance that involves puppets, animated objects, original film, live music and sound design. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 15. $15-$20. 619348-5517, animalcrackerconspiracy.com HSpeculative Landscapes: The Photography of Connie Samaras at UCSD Calit2 Atkinson Hall Auditorium, Voigt Dr. and Equality Ln, La Jolla. Two decades worth of pictures from the Los Angelesbased artist who uses photography and video to apprehend built environments of late modernity in places such as Vegas and Antarctica that are at once visionary and dystopic. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m.

Friday, April 15. Free. gallery.calit2.net HArt Exonerated: Prison Art Now at Alexander Salazar Fine Art, 1040 7th Ave., Downtown. A showcase and sale of Alex Salazar’s collection of art done by prisoners. 25 percent of sales will be donated to Houston Victims Fund in Memory of his father Ramiro Salazar Sr. Opening from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free. alexandersalazarfineart.com HBlue Light at Quint Contemporary Art, 7547 Girard Ave., La Jolla. A solo exhibition of new paintings by artist Gary Lang, who creates work in a vein of repetition that is similar to the practice of meditation via circular works with hand-painted layers that trick the eye with slight gradients to create optical illusions. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free. 858454-3409, quintgallery.com HMurmuren No. 4 at Estacion Federal, Larroque 271, Empleados Federales, 22010, Tijuana. Arts collective Somos Coyote presents this group show of regional artists including Celeste Byer, Elsoldelrac, Toni Larios and more. Also includes music from Entre Desiertos and Siberium. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free. somoscoyote.org The Jury Is In at Visions Art Museum: Contemporary Quilts + Textiles, 2825 Dewey Road, Suite 100, Point Loma. An international, juried exhibition of contemporary art quilts from seven artists including Liz Axford, Sue Benner, Judith Content, Patty Hawkins, and more. From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 16. $7. 619546-4872, visionsartmuseum.org H8) Lauren Elder, Greg Ito and Kara Joslyn at Scripps Pier, 8648 Kennel Way, La Jolla. Art organization SPF15’s eighth show features site-specific works from the three contemporary artists. Takes place at under the Scripps Pier. From 2 to 5 p.m.

Sunday, April 17. Free. facebook.com/ spf15exhibitions

BOOKS HNOFX at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The iconic punk band will be signing and talking about their new memoir, The Hepatitis Bathtub and Other Stories. Ticket price includes admission for two and a copy of the book. At 6 p.m.

Thursday, April 14. $24.83. 858-4540347, warwicks.com Daymond John at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The host of ABC’s Shark Tank and CEO and Founder of FUBU will be signing his new book, The Power of

H = CityBeat picks

12 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

Broke. Ticket price admits two people and includes copy of the book. At 7 p.m. Friday, April 15. $27.30. 858-454-0347, warwicks. com/event/daymond-john-2016 Melissa Marr at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The author of the bestselling “Wicked Lovely Series” will be promoting her newest book, Seven Black Diamonds, the first in a new two-book YA faery series.

At 7 p.m. Friday, April 15. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com HLuciana Navarro Powell at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekend with Locals Program, Powell will sign and discuss Whose Hands are These?: A Community Helper Guessing Book. At noon.

Sunday, April 17. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Kim Dower at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The acclaimed poet will discuss and sign her new collection, Last Train to the Missing Planet. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 18. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.com HAline Ohanesian at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The debut novelist and finalist for the PEN/Bellwether Prize will discuss and sign Inheritance, which takes place during the Armenian Genocide. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks. com/event/aline-ohanesian-2016

COMEDY HLily Tomlin at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The comedian, actress and six-time Emmy winner performs some of her classic bits and characters. At 8 p.m. Saturday, April 16. $35$140. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org

DANCE HAspen Santa Fe Ballet at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. This touring company is known for effectively dissolving the divide between ballet and modern dance and were praised by The New York Times as “a breath of fresh air.” At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14. $20-$60. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org/event/aspen-santa-fe-ballet/ HLive Arts Fest at White Box Live Arts, 2590 Truxtun Rd., Studio 205, Point Loma.

Jean Isaacs curates a living history of dance, organized around ten evenings that follow the development of modern dance in the United States, from the early 20th Century to today. From Tuesday, April 12 through Sunday, April 24. See website for full schedule and times. Various times. Thursday, April 14. $20. 619225-1803, sandiegodancetheater.org/ whitebox/live_arts_fest.html The Engagement Ring Series #5: Liquid Flux at NTC Park at Liberty Station, 2455 Cushing Road, Point Loma.

Created by Lara Segura, this Malashock Dance series combines fun, interactive educational activities with the power and beauty of live dance. From 1 to 2 p.m.

Saturday, April 16. $10-$15. 619-5739260, malashockdance.org

FOOD & DRINK HTacos & Beer Tasting at San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park. Enjoy tastings from several popular craft breweries and snack on a variety of tacos from local eateries all while exploring the Museum of Man’s exhibits. From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 14. $20-$30.

619-239-2001, museumofman.org HTaste of Hillcrest at Hillcrest. Sample

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 #SDCityBeat

EVENTS COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 more than 30 restaurants at the 16th annual self-guided culinary tour. All proceeds will benefit the Hillcrest Business Association. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 16. $30-$35. fabuloushillcrest.com HChef-Driven Bake Sale for No Kid Hungry at LOUNGEsix, 616 J St., Downtown. Thirteen of San Diego’s top chefs converge for a chef-driven bake sale in support of Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign to end childhood hunger in America. Each chef will present a signature item (sweet or savory) priced at $5. From 10 a.m. to noon Sunday, April 17. $5. 619-531-8744, eventbrite.com/e/ chef-driven-bake-sale-for-no-kid-hungrytickets-21981823225 HTaste of Point Loma at United Portuguese S.E.S. Inc., 2818 Avenida de Portugal, Point Loma. Sip and savor your way through Point Loma and Shelter Island during this annual event featuring samples from dozens of area eateries. Shuttle services will be available to attendees throughout the night. From 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20. $15-$25. tasteofpointloma.eventbrite.com

MUSIC

“Hibrid NoV” by Mishcka Ippólita will be on view at Murmuren No. 4, a group show opening from noon to 4 p.m.

Saturday, April 16, at Estación Federal (Larroque 271, Empleados Federales, 22010, Tijuana).

#SDCityBeat

HAutoduplicity: Machaut + Rauschen at UCSD Conrad Prebys Music Center, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla. The musical duo explores the hidden complexity in simple sounds and hidden sounds within masses of complex noise and often leap from the simple purity of a single melody to the “everything always” of white noise.

From 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 14.

Free. ucsdmusic.blogspot.com HSpringfest: Three Bodies (moving)

at UCSD Conrad Prebys Music Center, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla. A 45 minute work exploring relationships between a violin, a cello and a bass clarinet that only produce tones within the framework of the harmonic series of an imagined fundamental. From 5 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14. Free. ucsdmusic.blogspot. com/p/blog-page.html HKenny Barron Trio at The Auditorium at TSRI, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Dr., La Jolla. The Jazz at TSRI Spring 2016 series concludes with “one of the top jazz pianists in the world” (Los Angeles Times) playing with his touring band. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 15. $30-$35.

858-784-2666, ljathenaeum.org HLorraine Castellanos: Jazz Singers I at 98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy. Part one in a two-part series where the local singer will perform the works of legendary jazz singers such as Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and more. From 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday, April 15. $20-$25. 619-2557885, 98bottlessd.com HSan Diego State University Downtown at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Performances by the SDSU Symphony, Wind Symphony, Choirs, Jazz, Percussion, San Diego Community Music School, and the Aztec Marching Band with selections from Bernstein, Beethoven, Wagner and more. From 7 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 15. $15-$100.

619-235-0804, music.sdsu.edu HSpringfest: Rainforest: Southland Ensemble at UCSD Conrad Prebys Music Center, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla.

David Tudor makes everyday objects or sculptures into speakers for audio playback. The concert will feature an installation and live performance of “RAINFOR-

EST IV,” as well as a world premiere of a new composition. From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 15. Free. ucsdmusic.blogspot. com HRecord Store Day at various locations, San Diego. Stop by your local record store this Saturday for exclusive vinyl deals, sidewalk sales, live performances and much more. Then stop by again to support them all year round. See website for full list of participating stores.

From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free. recordstoreday.com HSpringfest: Bread and Salt Festival at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. This one day festival showcases the breadth of the San Diego music and arts community and features performances throughout the day, workshops, a 10-channel fixed media room, collaborative installation works and more. From 2:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 16.

Free. ucsdmusic.blogspot.com/p/blogpage.html Anoushka Shankar at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The sitar player and composer’s music is deeply rooted in Indian classical music, having studied exclusively with her father, the legendary Ravi Shankar. At 8 p.m. Sunday, April 17. $20-$50. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org Celso Piña at Market Creek Plaza Amphitheater, 310 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park.

The internationally acclaimed “rebelde del acordeón” (rebel of the accordion) is known for a fusion of cumbia, rock, reggae and hip-hop. Performance begins at 6 p.m. From 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday, April 17. $20-$25. 619-527-6161, brownpapertickets.com/event/2507677

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

THEATER SHAUN HAGEN

Big River makes a splash

W

Oceanside Theatre Co. is a quietly powerful one, with co-director Fran Gercke (with Christopher Williams) achingly poignant as Merrick. This production eschews scenery in favor of projections that suggest settings and, at the play’s beginning, show us the extent of Merrick’s deformity. (The play calls for the actor portraying Merrick without prosthetic makeup.) Gercke is supported by a cast of nine doing veddy British, Victorian accents, among them Nick Cagle as the doctor beset by doubt and torment who rescues Merrick from the cruelty of the carny. If the play seems long, that’s probably because Merrick’s story is so painful.

The Elephant Man runs through April 24 at the Brooks Theatre in Oceanside. $14-$21; backyardrenaissance.com

ith its infectious music and heapin’ helpin’ of comedy, Big River is a broader, somewhat sunnier take on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn penned by the great Mark Twain. But the Tonywinning musical nurtured more than 30 years ago at La Jolla Playhouse is fairly faithful to Twain’s classic tale.

Big River is big news for Carlsbad’s New Village Arts Theatre, which has mounted a crowd-pleasing production of the show written by William Hauptman with lyrics and music by the late Roger (“Dang Me”) Miller. Big River is also a big sit, lasting well over two and a half hours, but it’s largely time well spent.

Director Colleen Kollar Smith’s cast is highlighted by Bryan Barbarin as Jim, the slave longing to be free, with

—David L. Coddon Reed Lievers as a winning, if too well-scrubbed, Huck.

Spouses Manny and Melissa Fernandes practically take Theater reviews run weekly. over with their antics as the grifters who scam their way Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com. aboard Huck and Jim’s raft. But it’s Jon Lorenz’s musiOPENING: cal direction and a rousing six-piece band onstage that Jesus Hates Me: The San Diego premiere of Wayne Lemon’s could make Twain, at his most cynical, smile.

Big River runs through May 15 at New Village Arts dramedy about a down-on-his-luck ex football player who begins to question his existence after visiting a Christian-themed miniature golf Theatre in Carlsbad. $44-$47; oldglobe.org course. Presented by ion theatre, it opens in previews April 16 at BLKBOX Theatre in Hillcrest. iontheatre.com *** early 40 years ago from the mind of playwright I’m Good: Incarcerated Men Getting Over Obstacles Daily: A Bernard Pomerance came the almost unbearably staged reading of a new play written by inmates who have participated the “Out of the Yard” rehabilitation program at the Richard J. Donosad story of John Merrick, a real-life grotesquely in van Correctional Facility. Performed by the San Diego State University deformed man possessed of a beautiful soul. From stage School of Theater, Television and Film, it opens for April 20 at the SDSU to film and back to stage again, The Elephant Man has Experimental Theater in the College Area. playwrightsproject.org mesmerized audiences ever since.

The Elephant Man is Backyard Renaissance’s second For full theater listings, please visit production (following last year’s Parlour Song). Its stag“T heater ”at sdcitybeat.com ing at Oceanside’s Brooks Theatre in conjunction with

N

Reed Lievers (left) and Bryan Barbarin in Big River

14 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

#SDCityBeat

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 HMuch Ado About Music: Shakespeare and the Symphony at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown.

The San Diego Symphony Orchestra, joined by dancers from San Diego Civic Youth Ballet and young actors from San Diego Shakespeare Society, will perform music inspired by Shakespeare from Prokofiev, Korngold, Tchaikovsky and more.

At 2 p.m. Sunday, April 17. $15-$25.

619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org Alex Greenbaum at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The cellist Alex Greenbaum will perform a program that highlights the music of Mexican composers crossing paths with New York. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. $10$25. 858-454-5872, sandiegonewmusic. com/2016-Apr20.html

monthly event highlights the enclave of shops, services and eateries on El Cajon Blvd., between Utah and 28th streets.

Participating businesses include Garden Grill, Sleep Bedder and more. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 15. Free. 925-5860990, theboulevard.org

event will feature handmade goods by more than 40 local makers, food trucks, spring-inspired craft cocktails, a local draft beer bar, and large-scale floral installations. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free-$3. 619-755-6355, sandiegomade.org

HExplore Salk at Salk Institute, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. The Salk Institute opens its doors to the public for the fourth annual, once-a-year community open house. Includes guided tours, science booths and a talk by Salk’s new president, Nobel laureate Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 16. salk.edu

HEarthFair Parade and Festival at Balboa Park, 2514 6th Ave, The 27th annual event features more than 250 exhibitors and the Children’s Earth Day Parade down El Prado at 10:30 a.m. Includes food and craft vendors, children’s activities, live music, and much more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 17. Free.

(858) 576-1211, EarthDayWeb.org

HMade In Bloom Spring Market at Union, 2191 Main Street, Barrio Logan.

The second annual shopping and culture

HSan Diego Velodrome VeloSwap at San Diego Velodrome, 2221 Morley Field Drive, North Park. The swap meet-

style event features vendors selling road bike, track bike, mountain bike, and even BMX parts, as well as brand new clothing, helmets, bike parts, and just about everything you can imagine. From 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, April 17. $5. 931-2335749, sdvelodrome.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HEdible Flowers: From Shovel to Blossoms at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Culinary Historians of San Diego will present Kitty Morse and Nan Sturman, two local experts who will divulge their secrets about growing, gathering and cooking with edible flowers. A sampling of edible flowers and

treats will follow the presentation. From 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 16.

Free. 619-236-5800, culinaryhistoriansofsandiego.com

THEATER HI’m Good: Incarcerated Men Getting Over Obstacles Daily at SDSU Experimental Theatre, 5500 Campanile Dr., College Area. Written by inmates and performed by SDSU students, this staged reading of a new play will give audiences an unfiltered glimpse into the harsh realities of prison life and the inner transformation that can take place there.

Various times. Wednesday, April 20 through Saturday, April 23. Free. 619594-6365, playwrightsproject.org

HChristopher O’Riley at The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. The acclaimed pianist performs a program entitled “True Love Waits: The Music of Radiohead,” where he offers unique interpretations of the band’s catalogue. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. $18-$28. theloft.ucsd.edu

PERFORMANCE HSpringfest: HOME LIFE: domestic text at UCSD Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla. Performances navigating families, intimacies, interiorities, femininities and lived-in spaces. From 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 13.

Free. ucsdmusic.blogspot.com HMadama Butterfly at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. The San Diego Opera presents Puccini’s classic about a young Nagasaki geisha who falls in love with a U.S. Navy Lieutenant, who “marries” her, but then the deserts her. At 7 p.m.

Saturday, April 16, Tuesday, April 19 and Friday, April 22, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 24. $45-$315. sdopera.com HPaper Cities at Low Gallery, 1878 Main St., Barrio Logan. A performative installation of Animal Cracker Conspiracy’s devised hybrid puppetry performance that involves puppets, animated objects, original film, live music and sound design. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, April 15. $15-$20. 619-348-5517, animalcrackerconspiracy.com

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HLong Story Short: Instant Message at The Ink Spot, 2730 Historic Decatur Rd., Barracks 16, Suite 202, Point Loma. So Say We All’s monthly improv storytelling night features five-minute stories with no notes where anyone can take the stage and tell a story on what it means to communicate instantly with people. From 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 16. $5 suggested donation.

619-696-0363, sosayweallonline.com

POLITICS & COMMUNITY HHarmony In Action at Casa Del Prado, Balboa Park, Balboa Park. Come learn more about many of the finest non-profit international organizations operating in San Diego and meet with their leaders and representatives to find out how to get involved. Meets at Patio B (next to Casa Del Prado). From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 16. Free. harmonyinaction.org

SPECIAL EVENTS The BLVD Market at Boulevard Arts District, 4326 Alabama St, North Park. The

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April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

16 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

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COURTESY OF FOX BROADCASTING

CULTURE | ART

AN DIEGO NATIVE LALO ALCARAZ has always had a tendency to cross the line. Early on he drew political cartoons at The Daily Aztec. His recent foray into animation is as a cowriter on the Fox animated series, Bordertown, about a border patrol agent and his Mexican neighbors that takes place in the fictional town of Mexifornia. The outspoken cartoonist and Latino activist has built a reputation for pushing the envelope of political correctness (check out his Twitter feed for a taste). His syndicated daily comic strip, La Cucaracha, is now published in more than 60 newspapers since beginning in 2002 and is one of the few daily strips with primarily Latino themes and characters.

Last year, he led a boycott of Disney after the company tried to trademark the phrase “Day of the Dead.” The company withdrew its trademark application and ended up hiring Alcaraz to consult and help write the upcoming Pixar film, Coco, which centers on the Día de los Muertos holiday. We sat down with the Lemon Grove native to discuss his roots, the controversies surrounding Bordertown and the Twitter trolls who call him a sellout.

CityBeat: Did you always want to do a comic strip when you were growing up in San Diego? I don’t imagine you were looking at Peanuts or Garfield and thinking it spoke to you, but were there any strips you could relate to growing up?

Lalo Alcaraz: I read comics like everybody else and didn’t really realize there was anything until I saw Gordo, the comic strip that used to run in the Union-Tribune and I realized, “Oh my God, this is the only Mexican in the comic pages!” It made me think that there was a problem here and why is that? So I became a fan of Gordo creator [Gustavo] “Gus” Arriola. He had the first syndicated strip with any Latino themes. So that was something that spurred me.

CB: Tell me about when you started and the early days of La Cucaracha.

Alcaraz: Yeah I think that could be kind of blamed on me doing editorial cartoons back at San Diego State. I was doing the editorial cartoon gig for The Daily Aztec. That was great training for doing a daily strip. Just working with deadlines, you know? I eventually started doing edito-

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rial cartoons nationally and you have to join those trade groups and such. Then I got to know the cartoonists and one of them recommended me for cartooning to a couple syndicates and one of them finally bit for me to do syndicated editorial cartoons. After a couple years they asked me if I’d consider doing a daily strip and I said yep.

CB: Considering how topical and political the cartoon was, was it hard to come up with new material and to consistently make it funny?

Alcaraz: Oh yeah! The big challenge was trying to develop new characters and trying to be topical and come up with story lines at the same time.

CB: You’ve said in the past that you relentlessly pitched La Cucaracha as an animated show. Did you find that networks just weren’t open to it?

Alcaraz: Maybe it’ll still happen. I still have hope in the next few years to keep pitching but in the past, I definitely think it was too political and too Mexican for the networks.

They just had me in as a courtesy.

CB: One of the things I like about Bordertown is that, while it’s clearly farce, it’s equally offensive to people on both sides of the immigration issue. What made you want to get involved with the show?

Alcaraz: When I saw the pitch I thought, “Whoa, wait a minute. This is going to be on network television? And half the characters are Mexican? And this guy [show creator Mark Hentemann] is trying to hire Latino writers?” It made me think that this guy is the real deal. He’s not a big activist, but it showed that he cares about writing meaningful stuff and making it honest.

CB: The show has gotten mixed reviews. Do you think that some people just don’t get it?

Alcaraz: The show is not what people think it is. It’s not a racist free-for-all. Hollywood is littered with the corpses

of bad Latino TV shows that were written by white guys.

This one may be too challenging for people who may be expecting just something dumb, but that’s not the case.

CB: What’s next for you? Are you still working on the Coco cartoon for Pixar?

Alcaraz: Yeah, I go up and watch meetings and do a little tiny bit of writing and pitching jokes and consult on casting and cultural issues and things like that. It’s coming out in 2017. I can’t really talk about it much, though.

CB: I was amazed at the reaction you got when you announced you were working on the movie. To me, it was very clear that Disney was coming to you to make sure they got those cultural nuances right, but your own fans and community were screaming at you not to do it. That had to be kind of frustrating, no?

Alcaraz: It’s pretty clear to me but maybe it’s too subtle of a situation for a lot of people to understand. Instead of suing me, I got Pixar to give me money to help them and do this project right.

Lalo Alcaraz I was let down because I was hoping people would give me a little bit of credit for the stuff I’ve done; to give me the benefit of the doubt. Obviously I don’t chase money. I’m an artist. And I do stuff about Chicanos and Mexicans and there’s really not a big cachet there. I’ve held it together for 25 years. I would have sold out a long time ago if I liked money.

CB: Though Pixar and Fox are certainly nice to add to the resume, no?

Alcaraz: I want to pitch some books this year and, of course, I’m going to put Fox and Pixar in front of my bio when I reach out to publishers. I really just want to do the same old stuff I’ve been doing which is to create diverse characters and have visibility for Latinos in media.

But yeah, I’m going to reverse pimp my latest activities [laughs].

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

Culture | Art

Seen LocaL

more on “indie and eco-friendly” products and also started bringing in local artists and crafters to help fill out the space. Local painter Rich Walker was one of the first artists she tapped, but the space was soon filled with names such as True Delorenzo, Jerry Catarius and a “Camp Kitchen” shop-within-a-shop run by Weksler’s friend Stephen Bennett.

“I wanted to infuse the farmer’s market stand ne could easily get the impression that Soconcept into a store,” Weksler says. “To bring the nia Weksler never intended to follow in her artist community in this neighborhood together.” father’s footsteps. The self-described “ecoThis farmer’s market approach also extends to her thug” was raised in Texas by her mother and would visit her father during her summer vacations, spend- participation in the neighborhood’s monthly BLVD ing much of her time in her father’s Sleep Bedder Market event where Weksler hosts new artists and bands inside the store (the next one is on April 15 furniture and mattress Torrey Bailey from 6 to 10 p.m.). She also store in Rolando. She evenhosts weekly and monthly tually moved to San Diego workshops that include in 2001 and worked on a everything from commucollege thesis at UC San Dinity yoga and crystal healego about how small busiing to kombucha classes nesses can compete against and chess tournaments. corporate brands.

She’s also hoping to get So when it came time approval from the city to for her dad to retire in 2014, let Golden Coast Mead to she was reluctant at first open a tasting kiosk on the but saw an opportunity to outdoor patio of the store. bring her own personality And while she certo the family business.

Sonia Weksler, Rama and Stephen Bennett tainly wants anyone who “I needed an outlet for needs a mattress to come all my passion and purto her business first, she also sees the store as a pose,” says Weksler. “I had other ideas, but I needed means to get people to think about larger issues. something creative and productive.”

“This is a guerrilla marketing technique to raise She bought her father out and, last year, opened awareness about what we do, what we eat and what a new incarnation of Sleep Bedder in North Park we buy,” Weksler says. “We support local artists in (2855 El Cajon Blvd., sleepbeddernorthpark.com) every medium.

We take the same approach to sourcinside a shopping center that also includes local business such as The Heart & Trotter butchery and ing our mattresses that we do with our art.”

Unico juice shop. She rebranded the store to focus

—Seth Combs

A bedder place

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were there in the ’70s and a new generation of artists who are only beginning to understand Barrio Logan’s BIFOCAL: BRIDGING PERSPECTIVES cultural cachet. Up through April 28 inside the newly opened Gallery D (1878 Main St., Unit D), the exhibiIn this semi-regular department, arts editor Seth tion includes a myriad of works from OG muralists like Combs reviews a notable new art show or exhibition Armando Nunez, Victor Ochoa and Salvador Torres.

One of the more impressive works is “Ella, Bella, Strelt’s important to remember that the seven-acre la,” an unfinished painting from 1970 by Mario Torero Chicano Park in Barrio Logan, courtesy of the artist that features a woman astride a which includes the country’s rather fantastical looking steed. largest collection of outdoor muOne could easily envision the rals, could have been a parking women having become some kind lot. That’s exactly what it would of glorious Aztec warrior on the have become had residents and side of the I-5. The fact that she activists not staged a non-violent was never completed brings to takeover of the area in 1970. The mind all kinds of convenient metrest is, as they say, history. aphors of the neighborhood itself It’s easy to understand why (to be saved for another day). the neighborhood has been so While the older works make attractive to hip 20-somethings, sense for a survey show like young families and, consequentthis, some of the emerging artly, real estate developers ever ists seem strikingly out of place. since. That’s why an exhibition While I appreciate the pop-cullike Bifocal: Bridging Perspecture references in the drawings tives seems so auspicious and of Jules Centeno, as well as the poignant. The show is subtitled mirrored, mixed-media works “Connecting the Past and Pres“Ella, Bella, Estrella” of Kline Swonger, their inclusion ent of Barrio Logan” and, on the

by Mario Torero seems forced. Both are immensesurface, does seem rather conly talented, but I’m just not sure what the work brings veniently timed to coincide with the annual Chicano to a conversation about connecting the past and the Park Day Celebration (there will be an after-party present other than the fact that it’s, well, present. event there from 5 to 9 p.m. on April 23).

Still, Bifocal is a bold and highly respectable show However, there’s nothing blatant or opportunistic that doesn’t blatantly attempt to speculate on the past about Bifocal. Curated by Mesa College Museum Studor the future, but rather simply tries to do what it can ies professor Alessandra Moctezuma, the exhibition for the neighborhood in the present. attempts to bridge the gap between the “artivists” who

—Seth Combs

I

18 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

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CULTURE | VOICES

WELL THAT WAS

RYAN BRADFORD

AWKWARD

In the meowth of madness at the cat circus “

T

HERE’S A SUCKER BORN EVERY MINUTE.” It’s a quote that seeps into my thoughts during the opening night performance of The Acro-Cats at Diversionary Theater in University Heights. The place is packed—my wife and I have to traverse our way to the only empty seats in the back. The audience sits primed on the edge of their seats; nearly everyone wears a pair of cat ears.

It’s then, after tacitly confirming nothing wrong here, that I realize I’m one of those cat people. Perhaps if the toxoplasmosis hadn’t already rendered my brain into a pink sludge of kitty litter, a little awareness of the situation would tell me how far I’ve fallen into the depths of meowdness.

It’s during brief moment of lucid clarity that the “suckers” line pushes through. Attributed to the great showman P.T. Barnum, the quote feels apt not only because we’re all here to witness what is essentially a kitty version of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, but also because, well, we are suckers.

We’re not suckers just for paying good Ameowican dollars to see cute cats on stage—we’re suckers for being cat people in general.

We’re suckers for devoting unconditional love to these little beasts who couldn’t give any less of a shit about us; who can scratch us, barf, piss on our clothes and know that all will be forgiven after one phony cuddle-sesh.

But, whatever. The moment of introspection is brief. All rational thought disappears as soon as the lights dim and the first cat takes the stage. Her name is Tuna, and she’s the star of the Acro-Cats. Good lord, she is beautiful. Imagine if God had a cat—nay—was a cat. An audible gasp escapes the audience as it leans forward to get a better glimpse of what is, in reality, just an ordinary house cat. People whip out their phones to shoot Tuna’s picture. I am one of them.

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A groundhog scampers onstage and puts his mouth in front of a little groundhog microphone. Over the PA system, a voice—the groundhog’s supposedly—welcomes us to the show.

Boo! Get off the stage! I think, while mentally doing the jerk-off motion. Bring out more cats! This ain’t a groundhog show.

Samantha Martin, the ringleader, and her two assistants enter the stage wearing spandex and cat ears, instantly earning “cosplaying cat lady” a space on the sadder part of my fetish spectrum. She high-fives Tuna and her assistant RYAN BRADFORD holds up a giant cardboard cutout of Tuna and we’re all screaming “TUNA!” Martin introduces us to more cats. There’s Asti, Nue, Pudge, Jax and a bunch of others. They’re all super cute, but Jax is my favorite. He’s “the troublemaker,” which appeals to my affection toward troubled cats. Plus he he’s black and white like my cat, Harvey (aka Harv D. Cat, aka Harv-Harv, aka Harvard McHarverson Esq.) who is The Acro-Cats also kind of a dick.

Each cat has a different colored scrunchie around its neck and a tragic origin story. A coyote ate one cat’s mom; another cat’s mom ate a poison mouse. “Damn,” I whisper under my breath.

Martin has fostered all the cats in her show. She trains them and lives with them. She confesses that the set design—an assortment of purple and black colored obstacles, perches and platforms—is her regular living room furniture. “And that’s why I’m single!” she shouts. It’s supposed to be a joke but we all kind of nod. Makes sense, we think.

Martin has been in charge of the Acro-Cats for a little more than a decade, which I guess is how long it takes to get cats to perform a fraction of what she wants them to. And

yes, watching the Acro-Cats is like witnessing controlled Harvey chaos. It’s a shitshow, honBradford estly. The cats often don’t perform their tricks, they wander out in the audience, and at one point, Tuna scratches and bites Martin.

These are the qualities that I come back to when I wonder if attending an Acro-Cats show is supporting animal exploitation. I’ve never been a fan of watching animals perform for human entertainment. When SeaWorld announced they were doing away with their orca shows, I was stoked.

So why do the Acro-Cats seem okay? Why does this show instill so much unadulterated joy in this audience, which is unquestionably, irrefutably made up of cat people?

The show ends with a performance by The Rock Cats, the only cat band in the world (although a chicken joins them, but it’s cool because he absolutely kills it on tambourine). Tuna—TUNA!—sits off to the side and works a modified cowbell. The cats pluck a guitar and press their paws into a keyboard. However, there’s a technical difficulty and we can’t hear any of the amplified instruments.

The theater compensates by turning the volume way up, and an overbearing feedback fills the room. Martin and her assistants run around, trying to fix the problem. A schlubby tech guy comes in and pokes his finger into the keyboard. Tuna continues to paw at the cowbell, which, in addition to the overbearing feedback, has become maddening. Asti, the Rock Cats’ drummer, decides that she’s had enough and abandons the set. Drummers, amiright?

This chaos seems to answer my question whether the show is exploitative. The cats are the ones in control. They’ll do the tricks whenever the fuck they want to, or sometimes never. Any cat owner knows the parasitic relationship between felines and humans. We’ll clap and love them and rise out of our chairs to give The Rock Cats a standing ovation despite the hellish performance.

Because we’re suckers.

Well That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com.

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Culture | Film

Social music

Miles Ahead

Don Cheadle’s experimental biopic captures the enigmatic genius of Miles Davis

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azz is a dirty word in the rule-breaking head-trip ject, portraying Davis’ hard drinking and drug adMiles Ahead. Early on, wacked out music legend diction as just another coping mechanism that also Miles Davis (Don Cheadle), currently mired in includes denial and delusion. a drug-induced multi-year retirement, chastises a For the film’s first hour, Cheadle somehow mansmarmy Rolling Stone reporter named Dave Brill ages to keep up this swiftly experimental pace, build(Ewan McGregor) for describing his work incor- ing toward a larger crescendo involving his embattled rectly, preferring “social music” as a fitting descrip- relationship with Brill. Unfortunately, that climax tor. Labels are illusive and incomplete in this oddly involves a silly chase sequence where a shady muaffecting and lucid take on the innovative American sic producer (Michael Stulhbarg) tries to blackmail trumpeter, bandleader and composer. To accept Davis for his secret session tape. Here, Miles Ahead them as fact is a great artistic sin, an affirmation of becomes a slightly comedic buddy comedy, another your status as a reductive cultural tourist. in a long line of tonal departures. Despite this unreDavis rose to fame in the 1950s and would con- warding turn of events, it’s hard not to admire such tinue to influence American mudaring structural flexibility. sic until his death in 1991. Instead Cheadle understands the of trying to capture his entire life impossibility of filling in the miles ahead in an insufficiently linear fashblanks of any man’s life, and ion, Miles Ahead focuses on the there’s something powerful Directed by Don Cheadle tail end of his retirement period about embracing that sense of Starring Don Cheadle, (1975-1980) when Columbia Reincompletion. The film does so Ewan McGregor, cords began hassling him to make through a heightened, hallucinew music and the opportunistic natory aesthetic that mirrors Michael Stulhbarg and Brill tried to get him on record the fluidity of its subject’s muEmayatzy Corinealdi about a possible comeback. Ussic. During an opening interRated R ing psychedelic flashbacks and view, Davis calls out Brim for jarring sound bridges, the film trying to sugarcoat his life: “If tackles Davis’ career as a series of you’re going to tell a story, come disjointed fragments. with some attitude.”

Directed and co-written by Cheadle (with Steven Miles Ahead, which opens on Friday, April 15, Baigelman), Miles Ahead coolly disobeys the conven- brings the attitude and then some. Destroying the tional wisdom of linear storytelling; it simply has no typical boundaries of classic set design and time, need for it. In examining the life of such a dynamic it rather brilliantly suggests a subjective perspecperson and musician, Cheadle understands that he tive can aesthetically break apart, divide on impact, has grabbed a historical tiger by the tail. All he can tailspin into a deep void of depression. The biopic do is hold on. The film is breathless at times, cutting genre has been mined so many times by lackluster between images and time periods as if the memories filmmakers with no vision that Cheadle’s imperfect, in Davis’ head were battling it out for control. Some- elliptical mish mash feels slightly revolutionary. His times a specific sound or gesture will set off these nutty performance is equally riveting, a combination frantic jumps in logic. of grating insecurity and established bravado that Instead of giving us a life’s story, Cheadle gives us hides a layer of longing underneath. a life’s essence. The film assembles a mosaic of exGenius innovators like Davis can never truly be periences and references that don’t quite add up to pegged, not by labels (music or otherwise), critics or a clearer picture, but communicate a sense of Davis’ films. Cheadle has come close to giving us a better complicated love affair with music and self-destruc- understanding of why. tion. Guilt produced from a failed marriage to dancer Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi) haunts him Film reviews run weekly. most of all. Cheadle refuses to pity his flawed sub- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

20 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

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Culture | Film an all-night taping of a New Year’s Eve television special. Screens through Thursday, April 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Miles Ahead: Don Cheadle’s Miles Davis biopic focuses grapples with the infamous musician’s genius and self-destructiveness.

The Adderall Diaries: James Franco plays a young writer who suffers from addiction, guilt, regret and everything else a millennial can complain about. Screens through Thursday, April 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The First Monday in May: Curator Andrew Bolton prepares his exhibition China: Through the Looking Glass in this documentary by Andrew Rossi.

Fireworks

Family squabbles

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ranian director Asghar Farhadi’s great relationship drama A Separation won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012, and this critical acclaim paved the way for his earlier work to gain distribution in the United States. Last year brought the long-awaited American release of 2009’s About Elly, a devastating look at small personal judgments that are magnified by a single moment of public confusion.

Now San Diego audiences have the chance to see Farhadi’s impressive 2006 drama Fireworks Wednesday. A multi-character potboiler set primarily in a buzzing Tehran apartment complex, it foreshadows many of the striking themes that he would later perfect in A Separation.

Sent by her cleaning agency to an apartment across town, brideto-be Rouhi (Taraneh Alidoosti) finds her clients mired in a domestic dispute. Morteza (Hamid Farokhnezhad) argues incessantly with his wife Mojdeh (Hediyeh Tehrani) while the young outsider tries to piece together what exactly has happened thus far. As Rouhi gets pulled deeper into the inner workings of this dysfunctional family, truth and blame become increasingly obscured.

Like many of Farhadi’s films, Fireworks Wednesday begins with assumptions, arguments and betrayals already in full swing. Listening to his characters maneuver around each other with lies and gossip is a thing of beauty. Small inconveniences add up over time, creating an environment of subtle hostility and increasing pressure.

Seemingly trivial coincidences reveal essential plot information, not through exposition but calculated editing choices. Fireworks Wednesday, which opens Friday, April 15, stands out from Farhadi’s work in this sense, using the occasional jump cut and shift in

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perspective to create a distrustful sense of time and space.

The complexities of matrimony turn darkly comic as the narrative unspools. Multiple angry conversations between Morteza and Mojdeh take place in close proximity to the couple’s large wedding portrait. The symbolism may be a bit obvious by Farhadi’s standards, but Fireworks Wednesday doesn’t dance around its disdain for failed institutions and stubborn people.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

The Jungle Book: The Disney children’s classic you never thought Jon Favreau would decide to remake. Run Mowgli, run!

Opening

One Time Only

Barbershop: The Next Cut: The follicle franchise that keeps on giving…cuts.

Bridge of Spies: Tom Hanks plays a New York City litigator tasked with defending a Russian spy caught on American soil at the height of the Cold War. Screens at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at the Chula Vista Civic Center Library.

Criminal: The memories and skills of a murdered CIA agent are planted into the brain of a violent convict.

Fireworks Wednesday: Asghar Farhadi’s 2006 infidelity drama centers around the bee hive of an apartment complex mired in gossip and judgment.

Hostile Border: This frontera drama centers around a young woman thrust into a dangerous position once she is arrested by the FBI. Screens through Thursday, April 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Mi Gran Noche: Álex de la Iglesia’s wacky dark comedy takes place during

Donnie Darko: Richard Kelly’s strange and illusive debut film set in suburban hell of the 1980s tells the story of a disaffected teenage boy who begins to have visions.

Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

Superbad: Jonah Hill and Michael Cera play high school students hell bent on having one crazy night of drinking and sex. They get that and then some.

Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at

Donnie Darko The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Grandma: Screens at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 15 - 16, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Join maniac host Tim Curry in the wildest midnight movie this side of Mars. Screens at 11:55 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at Landmark’s Ken Cinema.

Wall-E: The greatest Pixar film about a robot that saves the world from its worst self-destructive tendencies through loyalty and friendship. Screens at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, April 20, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

For a complete listing of movies, please see “Film Screenings” at sdcitybeat.com.

April 13, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 21

marije kuiper

he more famous Bombino becomes, the more sharply that fame contrasts the modest personality of Nigerien guitarist Omara Moctar. But that’s working within the premise that Moctar and Bombino are one and the same—that the line between person and global music star is permanently blurred. It is, of course, even if it doesn’t always feel that way to the man himself.

“I feel comfortable with myself, whatever you wish to call me,” Moctar says in an email interview with CityBeat. “I am a rather shy and quiet person offstage, but when I am on stage all of this melts away, and I feel like a different person, like another spirit has come into my body through the guitar. This is why I feel like when I am offstage I am Omara and when I am on stage I am Bombino.”

It’s the latter who will take the stage at Belly Up Tavern next week as part of a tour schedule behind his brand new album Azel, a 10-track collection of elegant guitar work that debuted atop the iTunes World Music Chart earlier this month and has received glowing reviews from The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Spin, among others.

Moctar was born in 1980 in Agadez, a key market town in northern Niger and one of the urban hubs for the nomadic Tuareg people, principal inhabitants of the Sahara Desert. Moctar is Tuareg, and he first started to play guitar while he was in exile in Algeria with his family during the Tuareg rebellion of the early 1990s.

“I had older cousins there that had a guitar and they would play it,” he says. “I fell in love with the guitar…and became obsessed with learning to play it.”

Moctar did just that by listening to the political music of his Tuareg generation and watching videos of famous Western guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix and Mark Knopfler. He studied under Tuareg guitar virtuoso Haja Bebe, joined Bebe’s band and then eventually started his own band and began working as a professional musician. By 2009, when tastemaking Portland label Sublime Frequencies released a compilation of performances called Grupo Bombino: Guitars from Agadez, Vol. 2, Moctar’s music was ready for a breakthrough in the world outside Niger. His 2013 album Nomad did exactly that, carrying Bombino and his crisp, undulating guitar sound across the planet.

It helped, of course, that Nomad was produced by Dan Auerbach, the frontman of a little shoestring blues-rock band called The Black Keys. The album needed a push, and Auerbach grabs headlines; mission accomplished. But when it came time to record a follow-up, Moctar’s longtime manager, Kevin Herman, went in a different direction, connecting Bombino with Dave Longstreth, the omnivorous musical mind behind avant-pop band the Dirty Projectors. Together, the group recorded Azel over several days at

22 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

pastoral Applehead Studio in Woodstock, New York.

“I knew at the time of recording it that it was a special opportunity,” Moctar says.

“I understood that Dave was a big and influential figure in music and that working with him would let my music be heard by many more people.”

Longstreth’s proven appreciation for the sound of Saharan music made him an unsurprisingly snug fit with Bombino and his band. When appropriate, Longstreth steered with a gentle hand, allowing the guitarist to do what he does best. (“His playing is effortless, endless,” Longstreth has written about Moctar.) At the same time, Azel is profoundly influenced by its producer and his proclivity for complex, beautiful harmonies.

“Harmonies are something very foreign to Tuareg music,” Moctar says. “Early in the sessions Dave had the idea to try some harmonies on one song. I think it was ‘Akhar Zaman,’ and we ended up spending a lot of time perfecting them and doing more of them on other songs. At first it sounded strange to me but once I could hear the harmonies he had in his head I realized the beauty of the idea. In the end it was worth it because we have an interesting innovation on Tuareg music and at the same time Dave got to put his signature on this album.”

Indeed, the blended vocals on “Akhar Zaman” pair with Moctar’s prickly guitar work for the album’s catchiest song. And Longstreth’s harmonic influence is perhaps most obvious on “Tamaditine Taranham,” a roiling love song with an offbeat chorus that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Dirty Projectors album.

Some of the album’s finest moments come when it unplugs. “Igmayagh Dum” is a tender acoustic love song with a low-key vibe; you can imagine Bombino playing and singing it around a campfire.

“Inat Ninhay / Jaguar” is a typically slowburning, stretched-out number that gives Bombino a chance to show off its new “Tuareggae” style, a fusion of Jamaican guitar chop and Saharan desert blues.

And “Naqqim Dagh Timshar” is a droning propulsive lament so evocative, you can practically hear the pain in Moctar’s vocals even if you can’t understand his words.

Lyrically, Azel is pockmarked with sadness: about being away from home, about times gone by, about “the pain of love,” Moctar says, and about the slow ebb of traditional Tuareg culture. But sonically, the music is generally upbeat, and Moctar sings in the language of Tamasheq, these BriansoEllis themes may not be so obvious to Western audiences.

Which is OK with Moctar. Some of those themes may not be universal. But the feeling behind the music is, and that can be enough. “[Joy] is the feeling that I get from music and I want everyone to have this experience,” he says. “When you feel the joy of music you cannot do harm to other people.

You cannot feel bad about even big, serious problems. This is the gift that music has for the world, and I wish to share that gift, quite simply.”

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO S

pooky Cigarette is about to release their debut EP. The band, fronted by Frank Mindingall (also of Trips), is releasing As Loud As I Can in May, with a release show scheduled for May 19 at Soda Bar. The band recorded the album with Andrew Montoya of The Sess, says Mindingall in a phone interview with CityBeat, though it’s still a work in progress.

“We started working on it in February—that’s when we went into the studio,” he says. “We’re still mixing it.”

The new EP will be released digitally and on cassette, and Mindingall says the sound of it is based pretty heavily in synth textures. Not every song on the release is brand new, at least not in terms of when they were written. Mindingall says that the Spooky Cigarette project started with a backlog of songs that he had built up since he was a teenager.

“It’s kind of a weird thing. I wrote a lot of stuff on Frooty Loops, a hacked version of it that I’ve had since high school,” he says. “So the stuff we recorded is stuff I’ve collected over the years. It’s kind of punk, new wave sounding.”

Not all of those songs made the EP, however.

Spooky Cigarette Mindingall says that most of the songs he wrote at the beginning of the project ended up not making the cut, and that he’s changed a lot since he first started writing.

“The oldest song we play is probably from 2012 or 2011,” he says. “A lot of the songs I’ve been writing since high school—I just jettisoned a lot of it. It’s primitive to me. I don’t listen to a lot of that music anymore.”

—Jeff Terich

Blackout, the band’s new five-song EP, does nothing to dispel that notion. Crisply produced with a professional quality sound that eschews the fuzz and chaos of lo-fi recordings, Blackout sounds like a band arriving fully formed, confident in what they want to do and where they want to go. And yeah, the songs are pretty damn good.

On a purely aesthetic level, a lot of what The Gloomies do is heavily influenced by the sounds of the past. Their guitar melodies frequently split the difference between the rockabilly riffs of Link Wray and the French yé-yé pop of Francoise Hardy. And there’s a light layer of psychedelic haze to each song that nods to pre-Summer of Love garage rock. At no point do their sounds come across as mere homage, however, which has more to do with how they use their influences than what they are.

One of The Gloomies’ greatest strengths is how well they use space. Few of their songs are particularly loud or noisy, and they’re perfectly comfortable letting a note ring or a moment land. In fact, most of their verses are pretty sparse, slowly and carefully building up into something richer and more lushly arranged. And when they do, the lovely details start The Gloomies to take shape, be it the gentle touch of vibraphone on Blackout EP (Thrill Me) “Fire Escape,” the subtle piano chords on “Bleached he Gloomies started off 2016 with the kind Out,” or the Farfisa organ whir of “Want You Bad.” of momentum that most young bands would The Gloomies aren’t about radical change or reinenvy. Their debut single “LSD” received high vention. But it doesn’t take a pioneer to write a great praise from British music magazine NME, thus win- song, and they’ve got five excellent ones right here. ning over international press even before playing a San Diego doesn’t necessarily need any more bands show outside of Southern California. A well attend- full of laid back dudes with guitars, but if they keep ed Monday night residency at Soda Bar followed, on forming, they better sound this good. and by all accounts The Gloomies were shaping up

—Jeff Terich to be one of the best new bands in town.

T

#SDCityBeat

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

Music

Jeff Terich

If I were u A music insider’s weekly agenda Wednesday, April 13

PLAN A: Jay Electronica @ Music Box. Jay Electronica’s “Exhibit C” is, without question, one of the best rap tracks of the last decade. Now, since then he’s been less than prolific, and to date he hasn’t released a proper album but that doesn’t mean he won’t serve up some top notch hip-hop tracks while he’s in town. PLAN B: Spencer Moody, Iska Dhaaf @ The Casbah. If you missed Murder City Devils frontman Spencer Moody when he played here last week, you’re in luck. He’s doing a second show, so don’t forget to show up. BACKUP PLAN: Red Wizard, Mountain Tamer, Nebula Drag, The Bad Light @ The Merrow.

Thursday, April 14

PLAN A: Cruz Radical, Santa Ana Knights, Slums of the Future @ The Casbah. Cruz Radical caught my attention in one of our Great Demo Review features a couple years back. They’re a rowdy, rocking punk band who’ll ensure a night of fun and frenzy. PLAN B: : Bone Thugs N Harmony @ Observatory North Park. You didn’t live through the ’90s if you don’t have fond memories of hearing Bone Thugs N Harmony. The Cleveland hip-hop group had their share of hits (“Tha Crossroads,” “1st of tha Month”) and you’re in for a night of classic jams.

Friday, April 15

PLAN A: Frankie Cosmos, Eskimeaux, Yowler, Anna McClellan @ Che Cafe.

Frankie Cosmos is young but surprisingly prolific, with a Bandcamp page that contains an astonishing 51 releases(!). Her twee-adjacent indie pop is concise and easy to like, so it’s really a blessing that there’s so much to dig through. PLAN B: Wild Wild Wets, Soft Lions, Some Kind of Lizard, Fake Tides @ The Casbah. It never quite feels right to make a Wild Wild Wets show a Plan B, but sometimes you have to give a boost to the touring bands.

In any case, expect loud, awesome psychedelic rock, as always.

Saturday, April 16

PLAN A: L.A. Witch, Dirty Ghosts, Prism Tats @ The Hideout. L.A. Witch are definitely from Los Angeles, but their style of witchcraft mostly comes in the form of darkly atmospheric garage rock with post-punk undertones. Vibe out. PLAN B: El Vez Punk Rock Revue, Schizophonics, The Little Richards @ The Casbah. It’s always a party when El Vez is onstage, and this show, which features a revolving cast of the same pool of musicians, will be nothing but top-notch showmanship from beginning to end.

Sunday, April 17

PLAN A: Acid Mothers Temple, Mounds, JOY @ Soda Bar. Japan’s Acid Mothers Temple aren’t strangers to playing in San Diego, and their return always signals a much-needed convergence of weirdness in our sometimes sleepy burg. Far out. PLAN B: Foals, Kiev @ Observatory North Park. Since it’s Coachella season, quite a few bands playing the annual desert festival are making appearances in town. Several of those shows are sold out already, but there’s still time to grab tickets to see UK alt-rock outfit Foals. BACKUP PLAN: Laura Stevenson, Crying, Chris Farren @ The Casbah.

Monday, April 18

PLAN B: Ex Hex, Sheer Mag, Ditches @ The Casbah. Another Coachella band that’s coming to town is Ex Hex, fronted by Mary Timony of Helium and Wild Flag. They’re a rowdy punk band with decades of experience between them, and they’ll kick your ass. BACKUP PLAN: Foxtails Brigade, Shades McCool, Noble War @ Soda Bar.

Tuesday, April 19

PLAN A: The Damned, The Creepy Creeps @ Belly Up Tavern. And here we have yet another Coachella band. I would think I don’t have to introduce you to the music of The Damned, but basically their single “New Rose” in 1976 was more or less the starting pistol shot for UK punk. Legends.

The Damned

24 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Music

Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!

D.O.A. (Casbah, 5/27), The Hush Sound (Casbah, 5/31), Broncho (Casbah, 6/3), The Mentors (Brick by Brick, 6/11), Ceu (BUT, 6/21), Sonny and the Sunsets (Soda Bar, 6/24), Jacquees (Observatory, 6/24), Pierce the Veil (Observatory, 6/25), Joan Jett (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 7/9), Tacocat (Soda Bar, 7/20), Inter Arma (Soda Bar, 7/24), Deftones (Open Air Theatre, 8/29), Counting Crows, Rob Thomas (Open Air Theatre, 9/14), Florida Georgia Line (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 10/9).

GET YER TICKETS Deafheaven (Casbah, 4/21), Deerhunter (Observatory, 4/22), Puscifer (Copley Symphony Hall, 5/1), Tortoise (BUT, 5/3), Beach Slang (Casbah, 5/6), Explosions in the Sky (Observatory, 5/3-4), Four Tet (Music Box, 5/8), X, Los Lobos, Blasters (Observatory, 5/8), Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires (Observatory, 5/12), Beyonce (Qualcomm Stadium, 5/12), Pennywise (Observatory, 5/13-15), Aesop Rock (BUT, 5/13), Andrew Bird (Music Box, 5/13), Joseph Arthur (Music Box, 5/17), Wreckless Eric (The Hideout, 5/19), Titus Andronicus, La Sera (Che Café, 5/20), The Thermals (Soda Bar, 5/20), Frightened Rabbit (BUT, 5/21), Pentagram (Brick by Brick, 5/25), Insane Clown Posse

(HOB, 5/27), Big Black Delta (Casbah, 5/29), Refused (BUT, 5/30), The Cure (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/30), Modern Baseball, Joyce Manor (HOB, 6/1), Voivod (Brick by Brick, 6/1), Yeasayer (Observatory North Park, 6/2), ‘X-Fest’ w/ Offspring, Cheap Trick (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 6/5), Case/Lang/Veirs (Humphreys, 6/22), Blue Oyster Cult (BUT, 6/26), Brian Wilson (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 6/30), Ringo Starr and His All Star Band (Humphreys, 7/1), Lady Antebellum (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 7/5), Toad the Wet Sprocket, Rusted Root (Observatory, 7/9), White Lung (Casbah, 7/9), Widespread Panic (Civic Theatre, 7/12), M. Ward (BUT, 7/12), Wye Oak (Irenic, 7/17), Psychedelic Furs, The Church (Humphreys, 7/19), The Joy Formidable (Irenic, 7/20), Brand New, Modest Mouse (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/26), Julieta Venegas (HOB, 7/30), Sublime with Rome (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/30), Weezer, Panic!

At the Disco (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/3), Kurt Vile and the Violators (HOB, 8/9), Guns ‘n’ Roses (Qualcomm Stadium, 8/22), Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Melissa Etheridge (Open Air Theatre, 8/23), Ben Harper (Humphreys, 8/23), Dave Matthews Band (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/26), Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/27), Jackson Browne (Humphreys, 8/29), Huey Lewis and the News (Humphreys, 9/1), Mana (Viejas Arena, 9/9), Dierks Bentley (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/11), Ray Lamontagne (Open Air Theatre, 9/13), Sigur Ros (Copley Symphony Hall, 9/23), The Specials (HOB, 9/26), Ani DiFranco (BUT, 10/2), ZZ Top (Humphreys, 10/4), Kamasi Washington (Humphreys, 10/7), Jethro Tull (Bal-

26 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

boa Theatre, 10/17), Tracy Morgan (Humphreys, 10/20), Peter Hook and the Light (HOB, 11/8).

April Wednesday, April 13 Lord Huron at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

Chvrches at Observatory North Park (sold out). Spencer Moody at The Casbah. Jay Electronica at Music Box.

Thursday, April 14 NOFX at House of Blues (sold out). Steve Miller Band at Humphreys by the Bay. Bone Thugs N Harmony at Observatory North Park. Dwele at Music Box.

Friday, April 15 Beach House at Observatory North Park (sold out). Wild Wild Wets at The Casbah.

Saturday, April 16 L.A. Witch at The Casbah.

Sunday, April 17 Acid Mothers Temple at Soda Bar. James Bay at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). Foals at Observatory North Park.

Monday, April 18 The Front Bottoms at Observatory North Park. Protoje at Belly Up Tavern.

Tuesday, April 19 The Damned at Belly Up Tavern. Silversun Pickups at Observatory North Park.

Wednesday, April 20 The Big Pink at Soda Bar. The Arcs at Observatory North Park.

Thursday, April 21 Deafheaven at The Casbah.

Friday, April 22 Deerhunter at Observatory North Park.

Mac Sabbath at Music Box. Prong at Brick by Brick.

Saturday, April 23 Ellie Goulding at Viejas Arena. Dilated Peoples at Observatory North Park.

Wednesday, April 27 Har Mar Superstar at The Casbah.

Thursday, April 28 Thao & the Get Down Stay Down at Belly Up Tavern.

Friday, April 29 Immortal Technique at Observatory North Park. Body of Light, High Functioning Flesh at The Hideout.

Saturday, April 30 Flatbush Zombies at Observatory North Park. 36 Crazyfists at Brick by Brick.

Joe Mande at The Casbah.

May Sunday, May 1 Chris Stapleton at Humphreys (sold out). Puscifer at Copley Symphony Hall.

Tuesday, May 3 Tortoise at Belly Up Tavern. Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds at Soda Bar. Explosions in the Sky at Observatory North Park.

Wednesday, May 4 Crystal Bowersox at House of Blues.

Explosions in the Sky at Observatory North Park. Kool Keith at The Casbah.

Thursday, May 5 Mariachi El Bronx at Belly Up Tavern.

Fear Factory at Brick by Brick. Givers at The Casbah.

Friday, May 6 Violent Femmes at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). Beach Slang at The Casbah. Jim Bruer at Observatory North Park. Voodoo Glow Skulls at Soda Bar.

Saturday, May 7 So Hideous, Bosse-de-Nage at The Merrow. Torche at The Hideout. The Slackers at Music Box. Lily and Madeleine at The Loft at UCSD.

Sunday, May 8 Four Tet at Music Box. The Residents Present Shadowlands at Belly Up Tavern. X, Los Lobos, Blasters at Observatory North Park.

Tuesday, May 10 Bear Mountain at The Casbah.

Thursday, May 12 Beyonce

at

Qualcomm

Stadium.

#SDCityBeat

Music Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires at Observatory North Park.

Friday, May 13 Steel Panther at House of Blues. Andrew Bird at Music Box. Aesop Rock at Belly Up Tavern. Pennywise at Observatory North Park.

Saturday, May 14 Kris Allen at Music Box. Pennywise at Observatory North Park.

Sunday, May 15 Pennywise at Observatory North Park.

Tuesday, May 17 Tech N9ne at Observatory North Park.

Joseph Arthur at Music Box.

Wednesday, May 18 King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at Soda Bar. Yuna at The Casbah.

Thursday, May 19 Wreckless Eric at The Hideout.

Friday, May 20 Titus Andronicus, La Sera at Che Café.

The Thermals at Soda Bar.

Saturday, May 21 Iron Butterfly at Music Box. Soulfly at Brick by Brick. Jewel at Humphreys by the Bay. Frightened Rabbit at Belly Up Tavern. Dreams Made Flesh at The Hideout. Father at Observatory North Park.

Sunday, May 22 Idlewild at The Casbah.

#SDCityBeat

Tuesday, May 24 Son Little at The Casbah.

Wednesday, May 25 Pentagram at Brick by Brick.

Thursday, May 26 Anti-Nowhere League at Soda Bar.

Friday, May 27 Moderat at Observatory North Park.

Gary Wilson at Brick by Brick. Lumineers at Open Air Theatre (sold out).

Insane Clown Posse at House of Blues.

D.O.A. at The Casbah.

Saturday, May 28 U.S. Girls at Soda Bar. Upsilon Acrux at The Hideout.

Sunday, May 29 Big Black Delta at The Casbah. Brett Dennen at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, May 30 The Cure at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Refused at Belly Up Tavern.

Tuesday, May 31 Leon Russell at Belly Up Tavern. The Hush Sound at The Casbah.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Good Girl Bad Boy. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Pakman, Watusi, 5nslime, Lee the Fourth, Joshua Odessa.

Sat: Dirty Taxi. Tue: Roman Watchdogs, No Secrets Anymore.

ego. Mission Bay. Fri: The Black Market Trust at Dizzy’s Jazz Club.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Fri: Lorraine Castellanos: Jazz Singers I, ‘The Jazz Singers’ w/ Lorraine Castellanos. Sat: No Pals.

Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown., San Diego.

Thu: OT Genesis. Fri: Murphi Kennedy.

Sun: DJ Beatnick.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., San Diego. Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Electric Martini’ w/ DJs Jeneration Y, DirtyHoney. Thu: ‘Libertine’ w/ DJs Jon Wesley, 1979. Sat: ‘JUICY’ w/ DJ Mike Czech.

Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJ Karma.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Ape Drums. Sat: Museum of Love (DJ set).

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., San Diego.

North Park. Wed: Taurus Authority. Thu: The Husky Boy All-Stars. Sat: ‘Neon Beat’. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: Alvino and the Dwells.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Simeon Flick Duo. Fri: Aquile.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Lord Huron, The Night Times (sold out). Thu: Blackberry Smoke, Charlie Overbey & The Broken Arrows.

Fri: Queen Nation, Livin’ on a Prayer.

Sat: Crystal Fighters, Crystal Fighters, CHELA. Sun: Puddles Pity Party. Mon: Protoje, The Devastators, DJ Rashi. Tue: The Damned, The Creepy Creeps.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Fri: Etched in Stone, Pissed Regardless, Feeble Fetus, The End Return.

Cat Eye Club, 370 7th Ave, San Diego.

4S Ranch. Thu: Cool Cat Karaoke. Fri: Modern Day Moonshine.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Di-

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: CX. Sat: Rick Wonder.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: ‘Family Matters’.

Thu: ‘Progress’. Fri: Knowa Lusion, Omega Squad. Sat: ‘Bass Tribe’. Tue: ‘Tribe Night’.

Moonshine Flats, 344 7th Ave., San Diego. Gaslamp. Fri: Stephan Hogan. Sat: Honky Tonk Boombox.

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Wed: Jay Electronica. Fri: Fooz Fighters, Slaves Against the Machine, Geezer. Sat: Celso Pina.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Stacy Antonel. Fri: Alvino & the Dwells. Sat: The Sickstring Outlaws.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Patrick Sweany, Rin Tin Tiger, Jimmy Ruelas. Thu: Wasted Days, Nancy Sin, The Monsoon. Sat: Jeff Bernat, JR Jarris, Avalon Young, Joyce Wrice, DJ Sasha Marie. Sun: Acid Mothers Temple, JOY, Mounds. Mon: Foxtails Brigade, Shades McCool, Noble War. Tue: Bighorn Run, The Bulbs, Marujah.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. Midway. Fri: Echoes, Cut Your Losses, Lords & Wolves, Undercurrent, Frontside, Awake Me Daylight. Sat: Carnifex, Winds of Plague, The Iron Son, Phinehas, Enterprise Earth, Suntorn.

clubs CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Music clubs CONTINUED from PAGE 27 Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Heidi Huges and the Almighties, Karina Frost and the Banduvloons. Sun: The Babes, Lady Indigo, Lakis.

Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St., San Diego. Mission Bay. Thu: Danyavaad Palace of the Funky Sheik.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Thu: Darin Caine. Fri: Imperial triumphant, UADA, Invocation War, Sicarius.

Sat: George Sarah & String Trio.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Spencer Moody, Iska Dhaaf. Thu: Cruz Radical, Santa Ana Knights, Slums of the Future. Fri: Wild Wild Wets, Soft Lions, Some Kind of Lizard, Fake Tides. Sat: El Vez Punk Rock Revue, Schizophonics, The Little Richards. Sun: Laura Stevenson, Crying, Chris Farren. Mon: Ex Hex, Sheer Mag, Ditches.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Fri: The Summer Set. The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. La Jolla. Wed: Springfest: Late Nights at The Loft, Part I. Thu: Springfest: Late Nights at The Loft, Part II. Fri: Stephanie Simbari. Sat: The Moves Collective, Amnesia, The Daily Surprise, Austin North. Tue: Judah & The Lion.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Wed: Red Wizard, Mountain Tamer, Nebula Drag, The Bad Light.

Thu: Kimmi Bitter, Roger, Daddy Issues.

Fri: Ghost Syndicate, Big Goat, QUOR, The Devil in California. Sat: The Bawdy Show presents. Sun: ‘The Back Room’.

28 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

Tue: Fistfights with Wolves, Juice Box, Abstrack.

The Office, 3936 30th St., San Diego.

North Park. Wed: ‘Wild Planet’ w/ DJ Jon Blaj. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King.

Mon: ‘Velvet Goldmine’ w/ Heather Hard Xore. Tue: ‘Trapped’.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: Raise the Guns, Sentinel, Vic Viper. Sat: ‘La Escalera Fest’ w/ Jon Cougar Concentration Camp, Get Dead. Mon: The Devils of Loudun, Lurid Memory, Ruderalis.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: ‘La Escalera Fest’ w/ Bad Cop Bad Cop, DFMK, Caskitt, Gentlemen Prefer Blood. Sun: The Returners, 13 Wolves, Beneath the Cellar, JasonXVoorhees.

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

Sun: The Vinyl Frontier Record Show.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’.

Fri: DJ Lee Churchill. Sat: DJ Qenoe.

Sun: KUSH, Prime Livity, Queendom Tribe.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Thu: ‘Recommended Dosage’. Fri: ‘F-ing in the Bushes’ w/ DJs Daniel Sant, Rob Moran. Sat: ‘80s vs. 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe, Saul. Sun: ‘Early Rolling Stones Night’ w/ DJ Mario Orduno. Tue: ‘Videodrome’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: King Schascha, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Moonalice, Cubensis. Fri: Gangstagrass, The Higgs, Smokey Hoof. Sat: Arise Roots, Krooked Treez, Coastal Frequency. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Jon Kadlecik.

#SDCityBeat

last words | Advice

amy alkon

advice

goddess The Mummy’s Cursor I’m a woman in my 20s, and female friends and I find that, generally speaking, once a guy gets into a relationship, his texting dwindles into brief news bites, like “fell asleep!” or “phone died.” Why do men seem to lose interest in chatting by text like I do with my girlfriends? Are men just less feeling than women?

—Annoyed Who says men aren’t emotional? “I don’t wanna talk about it!” is an emotion.

But actually, the male brain is not the emotional dead zone many women suspect it to be, with a few tumbleweeds and a Doritos bag blowing through in place of feelings. In fact, neuroscientist Tor Wager reviewed 65 brain imaging studies and found that men’s brains aren’t any less responsive to emotional stimuli than women’s.

However, women do tend to be more emotionally expressive. This difference makes sense, as women evolved to be the caregivers of the species—tending to the needs of babies (who typically require a more nurturing response than “Bring it, bro!”). Men, on the other hand, evolved to be the warriors of the species—competing for the alpha dog spot by clubbing a rhino or the most hombres from another tribe. This has had an effect on how men express themselves. As sex differences researcher Joyce Benenson explains, when you’re a warrior, revealing your feelings—like having a good cry on the battlefield—puts you at a disadvantage. (Kind of like going out in a T-shirt with a big arrow and “Your spear here!”)

Conversationally, where men and woman differ is in why they talk and what they talk about. Linguist Deborah Tannen describes male versus female styles

of communication as “report” versus “rapport.” In short, while women use conversation (including texting) as a form of bonding, for men, it’s a tool.

And just like other tools, men use it as needed. As my boyfriend put it, “you bring out the wrench when you have a loose nut; you don’t go around looking for nuts to fasten. Also, afterward, you put the wrench away; there’s no ‘Let’s us boys get together and explore how we feel about wrenches.’”

This explains why many guys text more in the chase phase, when they need to “talk chick,” to a degree, to reel you in. Once they have you, they fall back to what’s more natural for them—texting merely to say stuff like “late!” or “w/get wine” (the SMS form of grunting).

But this should simply be seen as a different style of communicating, not a deficient one. You judge whether a man cares about you by the sum of his actions, not by his pointer finger action. And besides, if you demand that he text you like a woman, he’s within his rights to expect you to act like a man—by carrying his luggage like a pack mule while he totters behind you in heels or by chasing a mugger while he stands on the corner crying softly and hoping you’ll come out of it alive.

“

This explains why many guys text more in the chase phase, when they need to ‘talk chick.’

“

#SDCityBeat

(c)2016, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved.

Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave, #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or e-mail AdviceAmy@aol. com (advicegoddess.com). Weekly radio show: blogtalkradio.com/amyalkon Order Amy Alkon’s book, Good Manners For Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck (St. Martin’s Press, June 3, 2014).

April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

30 · San Diego CityBeat · April 13, 2016

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April 13, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 31