San Diego CityBeat • Apr 20, 2016

DINING OUT FOR LIFE PROGRAM INSIDE

2 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Making homelessness a story

W

HAT GETS PEOPLE INTERESTED ans off the street by the end of 2016. and engaged in issues regarding How about if we track that—say, on a monthly homelessness? Well, the local news basis? was dominated for days recently afIf this initiative succeeds—where too many have ter a homeless man was set on fire in Oak Park. You failed in the past—we can quickly emulate it, widen couldn’t have missed the headlines or news reports it and spread the safety net further. As well, if Housabout this unprovoked and tragic attack in a Rite Aid ing Our Heroes fails to hit its goal then the stink of parking lot. that failure needs to be permanently pinned to the There ought to be more critical analysis about responsible lapels, especially including a mayor eyeinfrastructural efforts to eradicate homelessness, or ing re-election or even higher office. updates on political promises to house local veterThe San Diego Housing Commission is directing ans (keep reading for that). Yes, “homeless man set the Housing Our Heroes program. SDHC director of on fire” is news. Send in the reporters, hold whatever homeless housing innovation Melissa Peterman says presses are still in use and light up social media. A bi- the official launch date was March 1. As of April 12, zarre tragedy like this duly fosters public sympathy. she says 29 veterans have been housed (27 via VetMeanwhile, the nightly threat faced by thousands of eran Administration Supportive Housing vouchers; RON DONOHO San Diego men, women and one through a Section 8 vouchchildren who sleep outside er and one “rapid-rehousing” on dangerous streets with no participant). means to overcome severe Peterman says they’ve been mental illness and health isdoing outreach to landlords sues does not. and brought at least 18 into the Homelessness has become program, accounting for 59 white noise. It’s like when you new units earmarked to house live under the flight path near veterans.

Lindbergh Field. The extreme Awareness ads have been sound of a descending jet enThe presser for Housing Our Heroes created and are running on logine is obnoxious, not unlike (from left): Kevin Faulconer, Todd Gloria, cal TV (CBS, KUSI and Cox being front row at Coachella Richard Gentry and Jerry Sanders. Channel 4) and radio (KOGO with Axl Rose on stage. A suband KFMB). Peterman says the conscious immunity can develop, causing your brain ads have caused calls received from veterans and landto pay less attention. It’s a survival mechanism, a nat- lords on the Housing Commission hotline to increase ural reaction to stress or negativity. three-fold, from 15-20 to 50-60 per week.

Whatever your sympathy level, most people are OK, but nearly two months into an initiative with at wit’s end with the realities of homelessness. a 10-month lifespan and a goal of housing 1,000 peoOver the past few months, regularly scheduled ple…and just 29 veterans have been brought in off but traumatizing sweeps of East Village encamp- the street. Out of the gate, 100 veterans a month was ments have occurred. These sweeps seemingly dem- going to be needed to hit goal. onstrate to downtown constituents that politicians Not good. Is an uptick expected or predicted? are responding to complaints. Sweeps are the knee“We’re still in the building-awareness phase but jerk reaction. But it’s just deck chair re-arrangement we feel like we’re on track,” says Peterman. “We’ve on the Titanic, played out using the meager posses- committed resources to provide housing opportunisions of human beings. ties for 1,000 veterans and the progress we’re makThis daily tragedy goes largely ignored. ing is putting us on track for that.”

I don’t want to add to the white noise playlist on CityBeat will keep an eye on The Housing Comhomelessness, but it’s immensely frustrating to watch mission’s progress. If that’s newsworthy to you—or a problem continuously circle around upon itself. even information you’d use to be informed come So back in January, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faul- ballot box time—check back here before the June 7 coner used his State of the City address to announce primary election for a more telling update. an initiative that promised to aid a segment of the

—Ron Donoho city’s homeless population. Specifically, he said his Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com “Housing Our Heroes” plan would get 1,000 veterWARNING: This issue of CityBeat should not be rolled and smoked.

Volume 14 • Issue 37 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

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Interested in advertising?

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VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE Kacie Sturek VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

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

4 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | Letters

TABLE of COW contents HOLY Witch doctor??? My God, what is your probUP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 NEWS: Pot Laws. . . . . . . . . . . 6 OPINION: Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . 7 FOOD: The World Fare. . . . . 8 WINE: Bottle Rocket. . . . . . . 9 BEER: The Beerdist. . . . . . . . 10 All Things Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . 12

EVENTS SHORT LIST: Three you have to see. . . . . . 14 Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-16 Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Seen Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Films. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29-30

SPECIAL ISSUE:

CANNABIS ARTS & CULTURE: High Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 DINING: Dishing It Up. . . . . 23 OPINION: Sordid Tales. . . . 24 VOICES: There She Goz. . . 27 LAST WORDS: In the Weeds. . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

MUSIC FEATURE: Black Mountain. . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . . 32 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Concerts and Clubs. . . . 34-35

#SDCityBeat

lem? Mother Teresa was one of the greatest humanitarians of our century [“Why the church is in a hurry to canonize Mother Teresa,” April 6]. Your editors were asleep at the wheel when they let this poisonous, personal, anti-religious tirade get printed.

Una Nelson-White, via sdcitybeat.com

STADIUM SITING

With all the attention to a downtown football stadium I’m waiting for the mayor to “jump forward in the foxhole” and remind everyone of his decision on the Mission Valley location [“Padres v Chargers: Dawn of Injustice?”, April 6]. Didn’t he spend more than two million dollars of taxpayer money on his select commission to reach this conclusion? Let’s hold his feet to the fire.

IF YOU BUILD IT…

Ed Grier, La Mesa

It is possible to construct a new stadium in San Diego with no new costs to the city [“The folly of oversized tax hikes,” March 30]. It must be built downtown adjacent to Petco Park. Building it downtown is advantageous for two reasons. First, it must have a roof that allows it to become an “event center.” Second, it must be downtown to utilize Gaslamp Quarter and other restaurants and bars before and after events, as well as downtown hotels. This event center can be used more than 200 days a year, like the center in Indianapolis.

Placing it downtown allows the selling and redevelopment of the Qualcomm site, and building with a roof allows the selling of the sports arena site. This plan puts both sites back in the private sector. Selling both sites should provide about $250 million for the new center.

The next move is to use the old redevelopment concept of having local agencies agree to defer the new property taxes from this new private property for 10 years. The city can zone these properties to make them very attractive.

The deferment of taxes is better for the local agencies than the deal not going through and getting nothing. The deferred property taxes should net another $250 million over the 10year period. After the 10-year deferral, this ad-

ditional income would be a windfall for the city, county and public schools.

The NFL and Dean Spanos have already said they will contribute $300 million. The new naming rights should be worth $250 million over the 30-year bonding period.

The new “event center” should contribute more than 200 events a year. In addition to the Chargers, that will make substantial money. Thus, the center itself should contribute minimally $300 million over the 30-year bonding period.

The combination of the various revenues adds up to sufficient financing to build a quality center without new cash from the city or county.

This public/private ownership of a new “event center” in downtown San Diego would benefit San Diegans who might wish to go to basketball games, hockey games, concerts, NCAA events, national political party conventions, as well as the Chargers and Aztec football games and Super Bowls. The coordination with the convention center is obvious. Let us not forget that tourism is our number-one private business in San Diego.

This “event center” can create thousands of jobs in the center, restaurants, and hotels.

James C. Wilson,

San Diego

On the

Cover With April 20 falling on a publishing date for CityBeat we couldn’t resist the 420 connection, so we put together an issue with a special slant toward what’s new in the cannabis business.

You’ll enjoy leafing through stories on: the legal-versus-licensed debate concerning San Diego pot shops; some high art designed by heady local artists; the effect legalization will have on the food and dining industry (munchies!); the not-so-necessary need to celebrate marijuana on April 20 (thanks, veteran contrarian Ed Decker); dos and don’ts for while you’re high (don’t do karaoke); and a visit to a pot convention where legitimacy of the budding industry seems to be out for all to see, taste and inhale. Cover design by art director Carolyn Ramos.

NOBODY FOR PRESIDENT

I am 70 years old but I enjoy reading your publication. (Edwin Decker is great.)

Here we are facing the worst presidential election of my lifetime and maybe ever [“Local pols mum on presidential candidates,” March 23]. The best candidates have already dropped out.

Eight years ago, the Democrats had to have made a deal. If she dropped out now, we’ll make you president next time. Look at the opponent.

Some old duffer with no chance of winning.

The Republicans are no better.

No matter who wins, the country loses.

Please keep printing political articles for all the good they will do.

Ronald E. Long,

San Diego

THE ARNOLD ANOMALY

As infuriating as this instance [with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger] may be [“Nuñez release points to need for clemency reform,” April 13], I think our parole and clemency system, as a whole, is vastly stingier than we realize.

icantstop, via sdcitybeat.com

we want feedback Read a story in San Diego CityBeat that made your blood boil, or caused you to laugh so hard you pulled a muscle in your stomach? If something inspires you to send us your two cents we welcome all letters that respond to news stories, opinion pieces or reviews that have run in these pages. We don’t accept unsolicited op-ed letters.

Email letters to editor Ron Donoho at rond@sdcitybeat.com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside. Note: Comments left on stories at sdcitybeat.com will also be considered for publication.

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

NEWS

THE 420 ISSUE

NEWS

Dispensary owner dances on legal high wire

TORREY BAILEY

After claiming to have spent $1 million, San Diego potrepreneur still seeks city’s acceptance byTorrey Bailey

M

ORE THAN 30 CLEAR containers with various strains of sativa, indica and hybrids—with names such as Mr. Nice Guy, Sour OG and Lemon Diesel—are perched on shelves bordering the room. Each case has a magnifying glass for patients to inspect the product and a removable cover so they can get a sample sniff. Beneath the shelves are sealed, prepackaged quantities of the corresponding medicinal strain. Employees and security guards chat with patients next to walls hung with 75 varieties of edibles and photos of crystallized purple petals.

This isn’t a roadside stem stand. It’s Mankind Cooperative, and a lot of money has been poured into this project. Almost a million dollars, according to the owner, which is about the average investment for acquiring a Conditional Use Permit, the golden ticket to a licensed, legal medical marijuana storefront in San Diego County.

The key word here is licensed. There is a difference between being legal and licensed. Many shops around town are legal within state laws under Prop 215, or the Compassionate Use Act, and Senate Bill 420 (yes, that’s really the name). But, unless the dispensary is licensed with a CUP, it’s not in compliance with San Diego law.

“Even if you are operating under Prop 215, it doesn’t mean that the city or county has said it’s OK for you to operate,” said Linc Fish, co-owner of licensed dispensary Outlier Collective. “So, you aren’t licensed, and therefore I would say you are not legal.

But, basically, the county has said it’s not okay for you to [ just] be legal.”

Confused yet? Join the club.

Opening a licensed dispensary in San Diego is a lengthy, complex process for everyone, including 41-year-old Ebon Johnson, the owner of Miramar’s Mankind Cooperative. He’s taken a few tumbles in the industry in the past, including having a criminal record and an unlicensed dispensary that was shut down. Now, he is the only black, locally licensed dispensary owner.

The licensed medical marijuana industry is overwhelmingly white and male dominated, with minorities arguably left out due to higher drug offense arrest rates. Blacks are 3.73 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession, according to numbers from the American Civil Liberties Union. If such an arrest results in a felony, it bars that person from opening a licensed dispensary. Do the math.

Johnson felt accomplished on June 18, 2015, when his CUP was approved. But just seven days later his house, where he was

6 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

running a delivery service, was raided, and his product was seized without much explanation, even though he showed his license. One month later, the police returned to arrest him. “[My neighbors] had no idea, and the police tried to come in my house and embarrass me at 6 o’clock in the morning so they could arrest me and show all the neighbors that there was a criminal here,” Johnson claimed.

He was arrested on two felony counts, one for the transportation of more than 28.5 grams of marijuana and the second for possessing marijuana with the intention of selling it.

It may seem that a delivery service constitutes criminal charges, but Deputy City Attorney Shannon Thomas made a statement in front of the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhood Committee on July 16, 2014 that stated the opposite.

“Delivery is a form of transportation of medical marijuana. And transportation is a crime for which a qualified patient or caregiver can claim a defense under the Medical Marijuana Program Act or the Compassionate Use Act, so we’d basically be criminalizing what the state has already said an individual may have a defense for,” Thomas said.

Since the city does not regulate other deliveries, like pizza, it does not have a “rational basis” for regulating dispensary deliveries, she said.

So, why raid Johnson?

“I don’t know if it was racially motivated, but there was no benefit to the city of San Diego to do what they did,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that would have happened to a regular candidate, especially since the city already said they do not regulate delivery services. So, I could put two and two together, but who would know.”

By “regular candidate,” Johnson means a white guy.

Neither the city nor the District Attorney’s Office would comment on an ongoing case for which a preliminary exam has not yet been held.

City Attorney spokesman Gerry Braun said Thomas’ memo is being revised “to clarify that only licensed, permitted dispensaries should be able to run marijuana delivery services within the City of San Diego,” specifically banning house-run delivery services like Johnson’s. After the revision, Braun expects it will go to the Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee before summer for a hearing and then on to the city council.

Ebon Johnson, owner of Mankind Cooperative, shows his product.

Local marijuana attorney Michael Cindrich said cases like Johnson’s often go to trial as a way for the District Attorney’s Office to show its adverse opinion toward medical marijuana, but within doing that, he said the office also shows its inexperience with the laws.

“Most members of law enforcement do not have a clear understanding of medical marijuana laws, and the majority of district attorneys who prosecute these cases do not have a thorough understanding of California medical marijuana laws,” Cindrich said.

Cindrich said the arresting officer in Johnson’s case previously testified to incorrect information regarding the sale of medical marijuana in a 2014 case that Cindrich defended.

If Johnson’s case goes to trial, he would have to pay for additional legal fees, which would add to his $30,000 bail and lost product revenue from the raid, as well as the hundreds of thousands of

dollars he put into getting licensed. In an attempt to put this behind him, Johnson at first considered a plea agreement that would render the felonies as misdemeanors. But that misdemeanor would have, in turn, also restricted him from opening a licensed storefront.

For now, Johnson is trying to figure out where he stands with the law. He’s also trying to keep his business afloat against the competition from all the unlicensed dispensaries that don’t pay increased rent, employee tax and many other fees that a licensed storefront does.

“I just want people to know what happened because it’s shameful,” Johnson said. “We went and spent $800,000 to a million dollars to get to this position to be legal, and then the city doesn’t support us. I love this industry, I really do. I was meant for this industry.” And despite all the legal hurdles, he said he would do it all over again.

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | opinion

spin

cycle

john r. lamb

Why so few debates, Mayor Faulconer?

That’s a good question.

Let me try to evade you.

—Paul Tsongas

ast month, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s re-election campaign guru took to the digital airwaves to proclaim the importance of incumbents defending their record against challengers in public debates.

“I think elected officials, when they’re incumbents, the election is a referendum on them at the end of the day,” strategist Jason Roe said in a March 4 Voice of San Diego podcast. “And I think officials have an obligation to stand and debate and accept criticism, to promote their accomplishments, because the voters at the end of the day are first, in an incumbent election, making a decision on if this person is doing the job that we want them to do.

L

#SDCityBeat

“So this isn’t me driving, this is the mayor that wanted to do the debate.”

Perhaps the reference to “the debate” was simply a slip of the tongue or a generalization and not a tally of clashes to which the mayor will subject himself. But with less than seven weeks to go before the June 7 primary, the facts are undeniable: One debate on a Spanish-language television station down, two more to go— weeks after ballots drop in voter mailboxes.

Even if Roe believes that incumbents have an “obligation” to debate, he also acknowledged in the podcast, “I mean frankly, if I’m just trying to think strategically about the easiest path to re-election, not doing debates would be fine.”

Naturally, this notion does not sit well with Faulconer’s challengers. On Tuesday, Democratic chal-

lenger Ed Harris, a city lifeguard sergeant and former City Council member, issued a press release with the headline, “Faulconer Runs and Hides from Debates.”

“So much for transparency and accountability,” the release begins.

“When he was making promises as a candidate for mayor, establishment Republican Kevin Faulconer was anxious to debate. He took part in six televised debates. But now, when he has to explain why most of his campaign promises have been broken, he’s doing everything he can to avoid debates.”

Attached to the release were a series of emails from Roe and campaign manager Francis Barraza declining debate requests from two community groups and a television station.

In one to the La Jolla Town Council, Roe thanks the group for the invitation, but adds, “We have already agreed to three debates which will be televised to give maximum exposure to the San Diego voters…Those are the only three the mayor will be participating in.”

In another to television station CW6, Roe wrote, “Given the multitude of invitations we receive we’ve established the three forums in the release. We will not be adding any additional forums unless the race proceeds to November.”

john r. lamb

Will dodging debates threaten Mayor Faulconer’s re-election hopes?

To the Ocean Beach Town Council seeking confirmation for a debate later this month, Barraza had bad news: “I have reviewed the mayor’s calendar and unfortunately he is not available that date.”

In his release, Harris notes that the remaining two debates will occur “two weeks after absentee voting has already begun” (a May 24 forum hosted by incumbent friendly KUSI and the San Diego Union-Tribune) and “when a majority of ballots will already have been cast” (a June 3 event put on

by NBC7 and Voice of San Diego). “[Roe’s] suggestion that these debates will give ‘maximum exposure’ to the voters of San Diego is like much of Faulconer’s tenure as mayor—smoke and mirrors,” the release charged, adding that media should “demand Faulconer participate in a minimum of six televised debates. If he says no, we encourage the stations proceed without him.”

That doesn’t appear likely, given the reaction the candidates are getting from groups pondering a forum without the incumbent participating. For many community groups, these forums are also membership drivers. Lacking the star participant—the incumbent—tends to lead these groups to pass on organizing an event involving only challengers.

“That’s the reaction we’re getting,” said Michael Kreizenbeck, campaign manager for the other challenger, former state Assemblymember Lori Saldaña, who is running as an independent.

Kreizenbeck said the list of rejected forum organizers includes a local organization of architects, the League of Women Voters, the Catfish Club and one proposed for San Diego State University, Faulconer’s alma mater.

“Without the incumbent, who everyone normally asks first, there’s not much reason to do one,” Kreizenbeck said. “Unfortunately, these groups give up before they get to us.”

Even when there is a debate, Faulconer seems somehow to avoid direct questioning. During the first debate last week on Spanish-language network Univision,

delays in translating the discussion forced the station to cut two segments from the hour-long forum (a half hour broadcast live and another half-hour live-streamed online), including the portion where each candidate would have an opportunity to ask a question of their competition.

“We learned a lot,” news director Lourdes Sandoval told Spin Cycle. “Last time we had a debate it was [city councilmember] David Alvarez and Mayor Faulconer, so only one translation was needed because Mr. Alvarez speaks Spanish fluently. It was easier and really fast paced. This time we found with three candidates, it was a challenge.

There were some gaps where the candidates were speaking over each other, and the translation was terrible. We slowed down the pace so the translators could do their job.”

When Alvarez and Faulconer ran for mayor to replace Bob Filner in 2014, the two sides agreed to six televised debates, although one was canceled when Alvarez felt a proposed moderator was biased.

Former councilmember Donna Frye said she recalled “at least 10 or more” pre-primary debates with eventual mayoral victor Jerry Sanders and nine others in 2005—“morning debates and evening debates and TV debates and radio debates.”

City attorney candidate Gil Cabrera said he’s participated in a half-dozen debates with another eight pending prior to June 7. “I feel like we’ll do more than three in the two-week period surrounding today,” he said.

So why such a debate drought in the mayor’s race? Fear of Faulconer’s minimum-wage veto coming up? Roe, in the podcast, said that won’t be “a vote-determinative issue for most voters.” But Harris countered that a recent poll he heard about suggested that Faulconer “was there when minimum wage passed.”

Oh, he was there all right. Just not participating.

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Up Front | Food

the world

fare

Tacos Perla nails TJ-style street tacos

S

ome might argue San Diego’s a great taco town. After all, we’re on the border. Others believe most of our Mexican food is Californicated; at least tacowise we’re on the wrong side of that border.

Then there’s Tacos Perla (3000 Upas St.) in North Park, which shows that close counts not only in horseshoes, hand grenades and thermonuclear devices, but in tacos, too.

One of the key figures in developing Perla’s menu was Chef Oso Campos of Tijuana’s Tacos Kokopelli. A three-star Michelin restaurant veteran, Campos had a lot to do with Tijuana’s vastly upgraded food scene and food carts’ function as culinary laboratories for that scene. Campos brought that same sense of creative ferment to the menu at Perla.

One of his signature dishes at Kokopelli, the Kraken (braised, then mesquite-grilled octopus in a Mexican pesto of poblano chile peppers and cilantro), becomes the Ocho taco at Perla with cheese joining the party.

A little of Perla’s addictive pink (beet juice?) pickled onions and the rich nut and chile arbol salsa makes this an unbeatable taco.

8 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

Michael A. Gardiner

by michael a. gardiner Perla’s vegetarian and vegan options—and there are quite a few of them—shine. Neither mere afterthoughts nor dumbed-down meat dishes, they have their own sparkle. On one recent trip, the “Veggie” taco (there’s also a “Vegan” and a “Veg”) was panela cheese melted inside Perla’s homemade tortillas with an assortment of mushrooms, stewed in red wine with garlic, onion and tomatoes and topped with slices of perfectly ripe avocado and a red pepper purée drizzle.

The latest addition at Perla is a line of Oso Campos designed “TJ-style” burritos.

Not the military-mortar-sized gut bombs Americans call “burrito,” these are smaller in scale and more finely-tuned in flavor.

El San Quintin, for example, is made with spicy hummus, summer squash, bell pepper, Portobello mushroom (a Campos favorite ingredient), onion, eggplant, tomato and cheese. Like all of Perla’s burritos it’s garnished with guacamole, pickled carrots, a cauliflower floret and a dramatic and delicious fried onion ring.

While the non-traditional tacos get much of the attention, Perla does good work with more traditional choices: the adobado and carne asada, in particular. As good as these interpretations of the classics are, however, the adventurous can give them a bit of a twist with a topping of chapulines.

Seasoned with copious amounts of lime and salt, these tasty deep-fried bugs (crickets if

Taco adobada with crickets you must know) provide both a textural element and a hit of flavor.

Given that Perla shares a building with the Modern Times tasting room you wouldn’t be the first to wash down a Perla taco with a microbrew. Every once in a while, though, a guy’s gotta drive and The World Fare is duty bound to recommend sobriety under such circumstances. Perla’s jamaica (hibiscus flower) agua fresca is a good answer: fruity, floral, tart, wet and

cold with just enough sweetness, but not over the top.

Tacos Perla isn’t just in the neighborhood of great south-of-the-border fare; it is great south-of-the-border fare. It captures not just the form of the TJ taco but its heart, its soul and its experimental spirit.

Border be damned.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | drink

bottle

By Jen Van Tieghem

Rocket Proving German wine is truly fine

D

amon Goldstein likes a challenge. The co-founder of Truly Fine Wine (4060 Morena Blvd.; trulyfinewine.com) wooed a woman who was half a world away—now his wife, Sabrina Bochen—for more than two years.

Then he started a wine importing and distributing company that tied the couple to Bochen’s homeland of the Rheingau in Germany.

That was a beautiful and romantic way to stay “close” to the enchanting and historic wine region. But bringing their view of small grower-producer wines to the American masses has been less beguiling.

“We’re in a tough category,” Goldstein admits. “Most people [think] ‘I don’t drink German wines, I don’t like sweet wines.’ I hear that every day. And 70 percent of German wines are pretty dry.

They’re the third largest producer of Pinot Noir in the world.”

This is one of many facts Goldstein easily rattles off, as well as tidbits about the small properties he works with—some of which have been in existence for 600 to 700 years, run by seventh and eighth generations of the same family.

Goldstein clearly knows his winemakers well and notes that the company started with a “research project.” He and his wife researched more than 300 German winemaking properties, narrowing that down to approximately 20 to visit, then selecting eight to start working with in 2005.

This intimate knowledge makes buying from Truly Fine Wine an educational experience, but

#SDCityBeat

also a fun one. While many are happy to walk into a grocery store and pick up a familiar label, there’s much to be gained from shopping at a specialty store such as the one Goldstein runs with business partner Brian Donegan. In addition to the aforementioned Pinot Noir, they showcase Sekt (German sparkling wine) jen van tiegham and wines ranging from bone dry to desert sweet. Both gentlemen are eager to share their passion for these wines and help customers find a new favorite.

While retail is a small branch in their tree, distribution is the main focus. Truly Fine Wine is in 10 markets across the U.S. and does exceptionally well here in San Diego, landing on innumerable lists around town.

“We’ve been really honored that people that really care about wine, love what we do and that helps carry it,” says Goldstein, citing relationships with Market Del Mar, Juniper & Ivy Truly Fine Wine and the Cohn Restaurant Group, just to name a few. “The wine programs have evolved. When I started this company German Riesling was lumped into a category called ‘other whites.’ Now you see ‘Germany’ as a category on wine lists.”

Donegan, an Advanced Sommelier working on his Master Sommelier diploma, and Goldstein see a younger generation of wine drinkers helping their cause and elevating the wine scene, as it becomes an everyday beverage.

“The millennial group is a lot more inquisitive,” Donegan says. “I think they’re a lot more open to new experiences and new wines.”

Write to jenv@sdcitybeat.com

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

Up Front | Drink

the

by andrew dyer

beerdist Burning Beard Brewing rises from ashes

S

un-baked East County is a land of mystery offering more questions than answers. Why do all the pickups look like they have broken rear axles? Why do people drive 15 miles per hour slower on the freeway than the rest of the county?

Scholars have debated these and other fine cultural points for generations, so it’s unlikely I will solve them here. But if the question is who will step into the void left after two East County breweries went under this year, there is already an answer. From the ashes rises Burning Beard Brewing (785 Vernon Way).

Without tasting a drop, Burning Beard already had a lot going for it. First, it has “beard” in the name, which I obviously appreciate. Next, when I sat down, owner Jeff Wiederkehr complimented my Bad Religion tattoo, remarking that Suffer was his favorite album.

Very cool considering I had not yet introduced myself, and the tattoo is pretty shitty.

Beard wordplay and punk compliments only go so far in this game, but Burning Beard was up to the challenge. The tasting room was not hard to find, its name boldly painted across the building’s façade. The interior had a distinct rockabilly vibe featuring an old school jukebox packed with Wiederkehr’s favorites, from Dead Kennedys to Judas Priest. It was distractingly loud, an effect magnified by the fact it was a weeknight and there were fewer than a dozen patrons inside.

The tap list was standard fare for what is expected in San Diego County. Of the two IPAs, one, called Dankness Visible, was not available. Wiederkehr said it went fast during their soft opening period in March, and that there was more on the way.

The other IPA, Hopmata, was aromatic and clean. Rye the Lightning Pale Ale surprised with

10 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

its big hop flavor considering it is 4.6 percent ABV. It was more session IPA than pale ale, but completely in line with the new wave of San Diegostyle pales that have become the standard.

Normcore pils, a Czech pilsner, hit all the right notes of the style. Ingsoc Russian Imperial Stout was full-bodied and chocolaty, but it was the 6 percent ABV Holy the Voyd Stout, brewed with Darkhorse coffee, that really impressed. Both stouts and its Banksy ESB were also available on nitro, for those who are into that sort of thing.

Burning Beard is a well planned and executed operation. From its slick website, featuring an andrew dyer

Burning Beard interesting and not-too-pretentious blog, to its quality first run of beers, they are poised for success. But can El Cajon support such an operation?

Although East County closed out last year strong with Santees BNS Brewing bringing home Great American Beer Festival gold for its Revolver IPA, 2016 has not been so kind. But now, with Burning Beard in their backyards, the loss of El Cajons URBN and Santees Twisted Manzanita is a bit easier to swallow. As is the beer.

The Beerdist appears every other week.

Write to andrewd@sdcitybeat.com

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April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

Up Front | technology

by tom siebert

all things

tech

What we didn’t learn from previous bubbles

T

he original plan for this column was to try and spin a new angle on the “Uber-ization of Everything” that continues to percolate among many different wannabe billionaire startups around the country and most certainly here in San Diego.

We’ve got Heal, a “doctor on your doorstep” delivery service, and Veyo, which delivers patients to doctor appointments. There’s several Uber-ish business riffs for pizza and other restaurant deliveries such as Grubhub and DoorDash; there’s an Uber to summon stylists to your home/gym/office, Glamsquad. Go deep webbing and you’ll find Uber-types for reefer and hookers.

But as I was working to somehow make this repetitive trend story interesting and local, I was increasingly burdened by the question: “Who gives a fuck?” There are a ton of places where you can read about the Uberization of America, the sharing economy and what it’s done for “entrepreneurship,” etc., ad nauseam.

Then Disrupted: My Misadventures in the Startup Bubble, the crash-and-burn business memoir by Dan Lyons got released, and it’s such a perfect zeitgeistcapturing snapshot of our specific moment in time, and the hubris-anchored smoke and mirrors of too much of the modern business paradigm, that the most important thing to write this week is that you need to read it.

In our electronics-inspired ADD world, it’s become increasingly tough for me to finish a book; I get distracted by a screen and it goes by the wayside after 150 (or 15) pages. But I tore through Disrupted in a day. I couldn’t put it down, because it casts such a clear and engagingly written portrait of a business model that is doomed to failure. It reads like a last Cassandra-call before the pending Dot.Bomb 2.0.

Lyons—Newsweek’s longtime tech columnist and current scriptwriter for HBO’s Silicon Valley—gets downsized from the dying journalism business and ends up taking a job at HubSpot, a hot company that makes inbound marketing software but is even better known for its evangelical content marketing stance to promote its product.

The place turns out to be a complete shit show— petty, political, full of stupid and shallow people selling a mediocre product buttressed by spectacular marketing strategy.

Beyond the hilarious and disturbing human drama, “Disrupted” effectively explains the inherent pyramid scheme at the center of the current digitally driven charade that passes for modern industry. The Federal Reserve is pumping money into the system to keep it afloat; a lot of this money is flowing to Venture Capital, which has been throwing it at companies often run by people who are in way over their head.

But the book really cut me to the quick about halfway through with the introduction of a character Lyons called “Trotsky”—the book offers shorthand nicknames for many key players, including “Cranium” for the detached chief marketing officer and “Spinner” for the vapid and strategically

12 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

short-sighted PR gal—who gets one of the most fullyrealized depictions of hateful to dangerously sociopathic workplace behaviors in modern journalism.

Trotsky is a chilling addition to the narrative, but what makes it all the worse is that I know this guy. I would call him a fallen friend, a guy I shared meals and beers with, and hung out at with several of the biggest conference circle-jerks such as SXSW, CES and Advertising Week. We talked a lot of baseball and left-leaning politics. He was smart and funny and had some sharp edges I liked. So I’m not going to write any more about Trotsky. His fate is in the book and I see no need to pile on.

But where I would like to cast a stone, and a warning, is at the entire tech industry world, which is built on sand, the same sand that was washed away in 2001-02 and 2008. Nothing has changed. People with too much money and not enough sense are throwing around immense sums of virtual cash in a manipulated bubble market that cannot do anything but ultimately pop.

But as bad as those two previous crashes were, we are in uncharted waters when it comes to the world of finance and its influence on the tech space, which in turn is a key driver for the American workforce and consumption-based economy. Plan your next couple months conservatively is my suggestion.

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

1

A DAY IN THE PARK

It’s hard to believe now just how controversial Chicano Park was at the time it was created. In 1970, when local residents held a 12-day occupation of the space—after hearing that the city was prepared to turn it into a California Highway Patrol station—few expected it would become one of the most revered public spaces in the city and a landmark that remains emblematic of the power of a movement, a culture and, most of all, a community.

“From April 1970 through today, there are still ongoing struggles to preserve and enhance Chicano Park,” says Annie Ross of the Chicano Park Steering Committee.

This is why Chicano Park Day on Saturday, April 23, is a Short List mainstay. The free annual celebration up and down National and Logan avenues, now in its 46th year, features a family-friendly festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. that includes traditional dance and musical performances from more than a dozen groups. There will also be the annual lowrider car show from the Amigos Car Club, children’s art workshops led by muralist Victor Ochoa, and, of course, food and crafts vendors.

“When we celebrate the 46th anniversary, we honor the people, some of whom are no longer with us, who have cultivated and protected Chi-

2 TEMPLE RUN

There are some special humans who can communicate with animals and then there’s Temple Grandin. The subject of a 2010 HBO biopic film (with Claire Danes playing the title character), Grandin has truly defied the odds of autism by becoming a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, as well as a world-renowned autism spokeswoman and livestock consultant. An Evening with Temple Grandin will highlight the bond between animals and the autistic community, with Grandin speaking on topics such as algebra, social labels and life skills. The $45 ticket price will include a signed copy of Grandin’s book, hors d’oeuvres and live music. The reception begins at 5:30 on Wednesday, April 27, at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts (15498 Espola Road). powaycenter.com ROSALIE WINARD

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

COURTESY OF THE CHICANO PARK STEERING COMMITTEE

Desert Beauty: Springtime in Joshua Tree National Park at Vista Library, 700 Eucalyptus Ave., Vista. An exhibition of aluminum-printed photographs by Louisville artist Lisa Huber that showcases a 2015 trip to Joshua Tree National Park.

From 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. Free. sdcl.org HModernistic Volumes at Verbatim Books, 3795 30th St., North Park. A contemporary book art exhibition that features cover redesigns and projects generated

by Platt College San Diego students. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 20.

Free. 619-501-7466, verbatim-books.com HSUSSAGES at UCSD SME Building, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla. A work-specific installation conceived by Javier Fresneda that reflects modes of accessing digital images and their infrastructural condition.

Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. Free. visarts.ucsd.edu

Ballet Folklorico cano Park, and we want to inspire and empower others, particularly the youth, to continue,” says Ross, speaking on this year’s theme of “Empowering Our Youth, Ensuring Our Traditions Live On.” In addition to the main event, there will be a series of events around Barrio Logan that will keep the celebration going. Chicana Art Gallery (2117 Logan Ave.) will have their Dia Del Parque Chicano group art show from 3 to 10 p.m., and if you caught Seen Local last week you already know to check out the thematic Bifocal: Bridging Perspectives art show at Gallery D (1878 Main St., Unit D) from 5 to 9 p.m. chicano-park.com

3 BEER BEAT

If you’re reading this, you obviously have the feels for CityBeat, and since you live in San Diego, chances are that beer has got you feeling a certain way, too. And so we present to you the ninth annual CityBeat Festival of Beers. On Saturday, April 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. in front of the Lafayette Hotel (2223 El Cajon Blvd.), 61 different breweries will be at your disposal, including local favorites such as Mission and Green Flash, as well as imports such as Sierra Nevada and Kona. As always, CityBeat has teamed up with the San Diego Music Foundation so there will be live music from Hills Like Elephants, Mayfield and Oh, Spirit. Tickets run $45 for general admission and $55 for VIP tickets that allow patrons to get in an hour early. sandiegomusicfoundation.org COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO MUSIC FOUNDATION

HDowntown at Sundown at MCASD - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. MCASD’s after-hours event offers free admission and guided tours of exhibitions at MCASD and the SDSU Downtown Gallery. Includes specials at local businesses, a book club, and live music. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 21. Free.

858-454-3541, mcasd.org Art For Everyone at Barrio Logan Event Center, 1786 National Ave., Barrio Logan.

An exhibition of work from local artists Daphne Hill, Anna Stump, Prudence Horne and Paula Desjardins. Opening from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free. 858245-9360, barriologaneventcenter.com HBifocal: Bridging Perspectives at Gallery D, 1878 Main St., Unit D, An exhibition connecting the past and the present of Barrio Logan. Curated by the San Diego Mesa College Museum Studies class and featuring works from Daniel Silvio Carbone, Alvaro Millan, Kathleen Mitchell, Armando Nuñez, and over a dozen more. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free. facebook.com/galleryd.sandiego/ HDia Del Parque Chicano at Chicano Art Gallery, 2117 Logan Ave. #1, Barrio Logan. A group art show held in conjunction with Chicano Park Day and featuring neighborhood artists. Opening from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free. 619-792-2815, facebook.com/ events/204318273258518/ HSecret Sale at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Inspired by the annual Secret Sale at the Royal College of Art in London, patrons can view and snap up new artwork by locally and nationally acclaimed artists who were asked to create an 8 x 10” piece of art. Opening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free.

858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org Tortured Souls: Exploration in Art at Spanish Village Art Center, 1770 Village Pl., Balboa Park. The San Diego Sculptors Guild exhibit will feature a new series of ceramic and metal sculptures by Tracie Monk. Also includes live music with members of the Cactus 5. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free. 619-7028006, sandiegosculptorsguild.com

BOOKS 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

Temple Grandin

14 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

CityBeat Festival of Beers

read from and discuss his new book, Behold: What is Greater Than Thyself and Other Surf Stories. At 7 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free. 858-456-1800, dgwillsbooks.com/ HSt. Jordi’s Day at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The inaugural festival celebrates “books, roses, and romance” with book tables, live music, Spanish food and more. Ten percent of all sales will benefit local libraries. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Oyuki Aguilar at Upstart Crow, 835 West Harbor Dr., Downtown. The local author will be reading and signing her new book, The Sport of Parenting, which features artwork and reflections on parenting. From 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 24. Free. 619232-4855, upstartcrowtrading.com Quinn Farrar Wilson at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekend with Locals program, Wilson will sign and discuss Bone Broth: 101 Essential Recipes and Age Old Remedies to Heal Your Body.

At noon. Sunday, April 24. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.com HChitra Banerjee Divakaruni at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The acclaimed author will discuss and sign her new novel, Before We Visit the Goddess, about three generations of Indian mothers and daughters. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 25. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com HScott Woolley at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The technology and business writer will sign and discuss The Network: The Battle of the Airwaves and the Birth of the Communications Age. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 27. Free.

858-454-0347, warwicks.com

COMEDY HJudd Apatow and Friends at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The man behind The 40-Year-Old Virgin andKnocked Up returns to the stand-up stage after a 20-year hiatus. Also includes performances from Demetri Martin and Jimmy Carr. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21. $45$65. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org

DANCE HPleasant Beast and Knot Knowing at UCSD Arthur Wagner Theatre, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Choreography and performance by Anne Gehman and Erin Tracy that examines animal nature and the act of gazing. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. Thursday, April 21. $10-$20.

858-534-3791, theatre.ucsd.edu

FOOD & DRINK HCityBeat Festival of Beers at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Sample brews from dozens of local, national and international breweries while enjoying crafty food and local bands like Hills Like Elephants, Mayfield and Oh, Spirit. A portion of proceeds benefit the San Diego Music Foundation. From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 23. $45-$55. 619296-2101, citybeatbeerfest.com

MUSIC

Chris Ahrens at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The surf writer will

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

H = CityBeat picks

HChristopher O’Riley at The Loft @ UCSD and the Conrad Prebys Music Cen-

#SDCityBeat

EVENTS Diabla and DJs Chicano Playboy and Bob Green. From 8:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, April 23. $12-$15. 619-232-HELL, facebook.com/events/575618235926013/ HMurray Perahia at MCASD Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St, La Jolla. Part of the La Jolla Music Society’s Frieman Family Piano Series, the legendary pianist will perform selections from Haydn, Mozart, Brahms and closes with Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in B-flat Major. At 8 p.m. Sunday, April 24. $40-$95. 858-454-3541, ljms.org

“Avis Miller, November 1970” by Daphne Hill will be on view at Art for Everyone, a group show opening from noon to 4 p.m.

Sunday, April 24, at the Barrio Logan Event Center (1786 National Ave.). ter, UCSD, 9500 Gillman Dr., La Jolla. The acclaimed pianist performs a program on Wednesday entitled “True Love Waits: The Music of Radiohead,” where he offers unique interpretations of the band’s catalogue and, on Thursday, a classical concert with the New York Chamber Soloists. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 20 and Thursday, April 21. $18-$54. theloft.ucsd.edu HCalifornia Dreamin’ at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus performs songs in the key of CA with classics by Tony Bennett, Brian Wilson and many more. At 8 p.m. Saturday, April 23 and 3 p.m. Sunday, April 24. $35-$70. 619570-1100, sdgmc.org Kartik Seshadri at UCSD Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla. Described as “today’s greatest sitar player” by Songlines Magazine, Seshadri

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will perform classical Indian ragas in the Maihar tradition, a style that his mentor, Ravi Shankar, once championed. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free-$15.50. musicweb.ucsd.edu/concerts/ HTaking the Title: A Celebration for the World’s Largest Outdoor Pipe Organ at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park. The Spreckels Organ Society celebrates taking the title of “World’s Largest Outdoor Pipe Organ” with performances by Robert Plimpton, Russ Peck, Diane Alexander, Miles Anderson, and a world-premiere piece by Dr. Carol Williams.

At 7 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free. 619702-8138, spreckelsorgan.org HThe Roots Factory Six Year Anniversary at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. After Chicano Park Day, join The Roots Factory as they celebrate six years of culture with music from Jungle Fire, La

Wednesdays@7: Erik Carlson and Aleck Karis at UCSD Conrad Prebys Music Center, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla. Violinist Erik Carlson and pianist Aleck Karis will perform Swiss composer Jürg Frey’s “Buch der Räume und Zeiten.” At 7 p.m.

Wednesday, April 27. Free-$15.50. musicweb.ucsd.edu/concerts/

PERFORMANCE 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. Friday, April 22 and 2 p.m.

Sunday, April 24. Friday, April 22. $45$315. sdopera.com

POLITICS & COMMUNITY San Diego City Attorney Candidate Forum at National University Sanford Education Center, 11355 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. Ponzio Oliverio will moderate this forum featuring the four candidates

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free. encinitas101.com

vying for the city attorney spot (Gil Cabrera, Rafael Castellanos, Mara Elliot and Robert Hickey). From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, April 20. Free. nu.edu/News/San-DiegoCity-Attorney-Candidate-Forum-Event.html

Earth Day on the Bay at Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. Guests can enjoy the museum for free and visit booths from over 20 different organizations including Birch Aquarium, Ocean Connectors, The Living Coast, Wild Coast and other local organizations working to preserve our oceans. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 24. Free.

619-234-9153, sdmaritime.org

SPECIAL EVENTS HChicano Park Day at Chicano Park, National and Logan Avenues, Barrio Logan. Visitors to this 46th annual event will experience traditional music and dance, live bands, classic lowrider cars, food, arts and crafts vendor booths, and much more.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Free. chicano-park.com HHappy Birthday, Mr. Shakespeare at Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. Celebrate The Bard’s 452nd birthday with live music, Sonnet Karaoke, a life-sized board game, interactive puppet theatre show and more. Oh, and DJ Miki Vale will be dropping the “banging-est” beats.

From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 23.

Free. 619-231-1941, theoldglobe.org/ My Sound Future: Creative Career Expo at ARTS A Reason to Survive, 200 East 12 St., National City. A career fair that aims to introduce youth in underserved communities to creative career experts in the fields of sound and lighting technicians, managers, marketers, graphic designers and more.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23.

Free. 619-297-2787, bit.ly/MSFcce Spring Street Fair at Downtown Encinitas, South Coast Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. The 33rd annual fair features more than 450 vendors, a beer garden, three stages, a brand new Adventure Zone, a dog zone and more. From 9 a.m.

HTijuana Market Hop at Turista Libre Meeting Spot, 727 E. San Ysidro Blvd, Tijuana. Tour the city’s longest-running flea market and Mercado Miguel Hidalgo, the city’s oldest open-air farmers market in Zona Rio. Tickets include roundtrip border transport and complimentary pan dulce and coffee.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 24. $25. 858-754-9406, turistalibre.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HJames Victore at SDSU Donald P. Shiley Bioscience Center, 5500 Campanile Dr., College Area. The graphic artist, author and activist, known for teaching creatives how to illuminate their individual gifts in order to achieve personal greatness, is going to give a presentation as a part of the Entrepreneurship Lecture Series. At 5 p.m. Thursday, April 21. Free.

619-594-5200, lavincenter.sdsu.edu The Wealth Gap in America: How Inequality Affects us All at World Resources Simulation Center, 1088 3rd Ave., Downtown. Dr. Jeoffry Gordon will discuss the extraordinary extremes of income and wealth inequality that has been allowed to develop in the USA in the last 30 years.

From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 21.

Free-$10. 619-865-5904, wrsc.org Crossover: Where Comics and Science Meet at San Diego Comic Art Gallery, 2765 Truxtun Rd. Barracks 3, Point Loma. Join IDW Publishing and the the Fleet Science Center for a four-part event series that will look at the art, science and technology featured in some of our favorite comics. This week’s topic: “Transformers and the Science of Robotics.” From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 22. $10. 858270-1315, rhfleet.org/events/crossoverwhere-comics-and-science-meet HAn Evening with Temple Grandin at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Rd., Poway. The worldrenowned autism spokeswoman and livestock consultant will highlight the bond between animals and the autistic community. Proceeds benefit Tender Loving Canines Assistance Dogs, Inc. At 6:45 p.m.

Wednesday, April 27. $30-$150. 858748-0505, powaycenter.com

16 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

THEATER

AARON RUMLEY

humor of playwright Morgan’s script, brought to vivid and engrossing life by a skilled cast, ensure that rather than being flooded with messages, we are gently guided toward our own unanswerable questions. Akins would have liked it that way—that we accept the unreachability of answers, and just live on.

Way Downriver runs through Richard Baird and Sara Fetgatter May 8 at North Coast Repertory in Way Downriver Theatre in Solana Beach. $43$50. northcoastrep.org

Don’t mess with old man river

W

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Passage Into Fear: Set on a passenger train in the waning days of World War I, this play tells the story of an elderly woman who disappears after reveling she knows details of an international conspiracy.

Presented by the North County Players, it opens April 21 at the Patio Playhouse Theatre in Escondido. northcountyplayers.org Rapture, Blister, Burn: When successful Catherine returns home to take care of her ailing mother, she finds herself clashing with her childhood friend whose life took a more domestic path. Presented

by San Diego Repertory Theatre, it opens

April 21 at the Lyceum Space in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org The BFG (Big Friendly Giant): Roald Dahl’s classic tale of an English orphan girl who meets up with a, well, you can probably guess. Adapted for the stage

by David Wood, it opens April 22 at the SDSU Don Powell Theatre in the College Area. ttf.sdsu.edu Dinner with Marlene: This world premiere dramedy centers on an actual dinner party that took place in 1938 Paris with movie star Marlene Dietrich and her famous friends. Written by local playwright Anne-Charlotte Harvey, it opens April 22 at Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado. lambsplayers.org Red Dog Howls: A staged reading of Alexander Dinelaris’ drama about a man

attempting to find out the truth about his family’s survival of the Armenian genocide. Presented by Intrepid Theatre Company, it happens April 25 at the Encinitas Library. intrepidtheatre.org Ted Williams: A Tip of the Cap: Matt Thompson stars in this one man show about the local baseball legend, and chronicles his days on the Pacific Coast League Padres to his legendary run with the Boston Red Sox. It happens April 25 at the Point Loma Playhouse. pointlomaplayhouse.com For full theater listings, please visit “T heater ” at sdcitybeat.com

illard Akins may seem to be luckless and uncomplicated: 25 years old and already a confirmed stoic, manfully doing a stretch at a penal farm in Mississippi because his boyhood fascination with a book about a train robbery precipitated the real thing, in which two men died. But in Edward Morgan’s stirring and literate Way Downriver, adapted from William Faulkner’s short story “Old Man,” Akins is much more complex. As beautifully played by Richard Baird, Akins is a fearless survivor resigned to the sometime violent whims of nature and of fate. He is also imbued with a deeply rooted decency and even a philosophical curiosity.

David Ellenstein directs the West Coast premiere of this extraordinary play, which finds Akins one of two convicts in 1927 set out onto the overflowing Mississippi to rescue a pair of imperiled souls. One of them, a wary and very pregnant young woman named Ellie (Sara Fetgatter), becomes Akins’ companion (and more) in the ensuing adventure of the flood and of the heart. In a parallel narrative, Akins (who had been presumed drowned) is telling his fantastic story after the fact to fellow cons Tommy (an aptly hyper Benjamin Cole) and old Ike (Robert Grossman, whose bluesy guitar playing of music he composed himself provides a moody backdrop to the narrative accounts past and present).

These two recurring scenarios—Akins’ and Ellie’s journey on the Mississippi, and the convicts’ often-comical interplay—give Way Downriver its texture and context.

Morgan’s play, as with Faulkner’s story, confronts formidable realities: Nature does not give up its secrets, and man’s behavior is not always reflective of his supposed humanity.

Way Downriver could have been ponderous and biblically symbolic, in the way that so many scholars view Faulkner’s original story. But the tenderness and

#SDCityBeat

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

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COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

18 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

“THC” by Kelsey Brookes

Self-proclaimed “necro-re- alist” David Gough likes to compare San Diego to a Fabergé egg: lovely and exquisite on the outside, but empty and dark on the inside. It’s easy to see that outlook in his highly evocative, but unquestionably bleak paintings that draw influences from Hieronymous Bosch, ’70s occultism and his own Catholic upbringing in Liverpool, England. “My style definitely doesn’t fit with a lot of the art people want to buy around here,” says Gough, who has a studio inside La Bodega Gallery space in Barrio Logan. “Nobody wants to come home and be greeted with eviscerations and mortal truths. They’d rather be looking at surf art and I get that, but I have my crowd and I’m happy with that.” Most of his work features fantastical elements, a la Heavy Metal, and bad tripstyle depictions of religious extremism, and his “Man/Son” series was recently featured in the John Borowski documentary film, Serial Killer Culture. “It mostly runs the gamut, and by and large everyone is pleasant,” says Gough, when asked about his admirers. “Still, you’ll occasionally get someone who has a particular religious ax to grind, but I just remind them that they sit prostrate before a man who’s hanging from a cross and bleeding from every orifice so my stuff’s pretty tame in comparison.” davidgoughart.com

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

COURTESY OF POOCHIE PRESS

“The Evisceration of Adam”

by David Gough

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

The lysergic tones in the paintings of Kelsey Brookes are undeniable. The local artist meticulously applies dazzling colors and shapes to canvas resulting in a psychedelic surge of cathartic light. It’s made him one of the most successful local artists over the last decade with solo shows everywhere from Quint Gallery in La Jolla to Velmorbida Gallery in London. Much of his past work was figuratively based in biochemistry, a topic the avid surfer studied extensively in college and in a broader sense, by experimenting with hallucinogens. His recently released book, Psychedelic Space, features paintings of the molecular framework of things such as LSD, mescaline and, yes THC, but the North Park-based Brookes has never been limited in his approach.

He’s currently working on a 19foot commissioned mural for a building in Detroit as well as a solo show for the Library Street Collective in the same city which he says will depart from the more trippy work he’s done in the past. “Conceptually, everything has changed,” Brookes says. “I’ve stopped doing molecules. Right now, I’m painting patterns that are generated through number sequences, mostly through geometry. It ties in with the other works in the sense that it’s empirical-based concepts. They’re aligned, but they deviate a bit.” kelseybrookes.com

Travis White, who goes by the rather munchie-friendly moniker Teddy Pancake, specializes in a unique brand of psychotropic pop-surrealism that has landed his work in the pages of High Times and on the walls of Thumbprint Gallery.

And while the Poway native’s paintings seem perfectly suited for a blacklight, there are themes of existentialism and spirituality that make us think his work could appeal to a demographic outside of the desert-dwelling, Burning Man-types.

“I’m kind of in the middle of a bunch of different genres,” says White. “It’s kind of dark, but it’s kind of cute. It’s not heavy metal enough for metallers, but it’s not sunshiny enough for the hippies.

It just floats somewhere out there in the middle.” He says his style really took root in 2008 when he got burned out working in graphic design and wanted to let his “inner madness” come out a little bit. He’s made enough fans to where he’s now planning a crowd-funded line of merchandise that will include things such as patches and pins. Still, he hasn’t lost sight of where his art might sell best.

“I’ve been talking with some of my buddies in head shops,” says White, referring to the stores that sell smoking paraphernalia. “I feel like it’s a good move for me.” teddypancake.com

Cover of Real Good Stuff #2

by Mary Fleener

Encinitas-based artist Mary Fleener has been working in the underground comic book scene since the ’80s on titles like Weirdo, Twisted Sisters and her own Slutburger, to her credit. Influenced by the likes of Zap Comix, Mad Magazine and Matt Groening’s early work, Fleener developed a bright, kinetic style that evokes both Picasso as well as Robert Crumb. She’s become a bit of a feminist legend at comic book conventions, but remains humble.

“This was our industry and it didn’t offer riches, but it didn’t need to,” says Fleener when asked about her early days. “I have been fortunate enough that people seek me out and it’s enough to keep me busy and get published, but there is no money in it.”

Her recent cover for Mineshaft, a comic and literary magazine is a great example of her style: vivid and bizarre with subtle touches of psychedelia and the “Golden Age” of comic books.

Her work was just featured in a two-part, hardbound collection of the ’80s series Wimmen’s Comix and she’s also working on a graphic novel about her music career. At this point, Fleener says she knows her audience: “They’re people who don’t have money to buy art. Shit, they can barely afford rent and food.”

“Does This Path Have a Heart” maryfleener.com

#SDCityBeat

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food

The 420 issue

food

by james vernette

dishing it

out

San Diego restaurants going to pot?

F

or many people, a hit of pot is the perfect aperitif to a meal—and the perfect closer. Some people like to do it in between as well. That’s their choice. Whatever you want to say about the wacky weed, its appetite-inducing powers are legendary. Ever hear of a thing called “the Munchies”?

If all goes to plan, Californians will vote on legalizing recreational marijuana in November, joining a list of lit-up states that includes Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

Polls suggest six out of 10 likely voters support marijuana legalization. Some legalization supporters say a 15 percent tax on weed could bring as much as $1 billion to state coffers.

Local restaurateurs like Yoheu Umezu also believe it could increase business. Their business.

Umezu owns San Diego Poke Company (10387 Friars Road), which will open for business May 1. He believes pot legalization will only increase sales.

“There’s an obvious reason, marijuana causes munchies,” he says.

“An increase in appetite is a common side effect of smoking pot and because of this I can really see it benefiting the community.”

Although potheads are stereotyped as people that just subsist on Doritos, Umezu says that’s a myth.

“No one wants to eat the same thing every single day, not even stoners,” he said. “They would be much more inclined to go around and test different types of food and hopefully stay away from the generic fast food places that we go to when we have nothing else to eat.”

Umezu’s theory is spot on, according to Colorado restaurant owner Kyle Sabra, who runs Fat Jack’s Subs, a Denver chain with six locations.

“Since marijuana has been legalized here, we’ve seen increased sales,” he says. “When people are under the influence of pot, they’re hungrier. We’re selling more dessert and cookies and we’ve started selling pints of ice cream.”

Sabra also says he’s benefitting from a population boom caused by people who are moving to Colorado specifically for the legal bud.

“We advertise at dispensaries,” he says. “And delivery business has increased.”

#SDCityBeat

Increased food sales are one thing, but Karen Barnett, owner of Small Bar (4268 Park Blvd.) in University Heights, believes legal pot might decrease alcohol consumption, but that’s not a bad thing.

“I think more people would come to eat than drink,” she says. “I can tell you I’d be the first one to host a dinner utilizing marijuana as an ingredient in cuisine. It’s an idea/conversation I’ve had with other chefs in San Diego and it has legs.”

Barnett thinks there could be other benefits for restaurants if pot is legalized: Fewer belligerent drunks.

“After seven years in the bar industry and 20 years in the food industry, I can’t recall one issue with stoned customers. They’re typically mellow, happy, and quiet,” she says.

But restaurateur Ryan Jubela believes there could be some growing pains if pot is legalized.

Jubela, who owns Masters Kitchen and Cocktail (208 S. Coast Hwy.) in Oceanside worries that some employees might think legal pot gives them license to light up before work.

“With alcohol it’s pretty easy to tell if someone has been drinking, unlike marijuana,” he says. “I think we would have large problem with employees thinking since it’s now legal, that smoking while on break is acceptable. This will for sure cause a customer service issue and possible work comp claims.”

Sabra says Jubela has a point.

“When pot was first legalized in Colorado, there was a perception that people who smoke would be doing it all the time,” he says. “But the state has done a good job of telling people how to be safe about smoking.”

Jubela also doesn’t believe every type of restaurant will benefit from increased business from munchies craving pot smokers.

“It really depends on what type of restaurant you are trying to be,” he says. “If you’re a fast casual restaurant then yes. However if you’re Market Del Mar then no.

As for me I would not try and market to the pot smoking masses.”

Jubela may be in the minority, based on the experience in Colorado where, Sabra says, dispensaries are starting to outnumber Starbucks.

Umezu definitely thinks restaurants and fast food joints will have to market to stoners as a matter of course—and some already are.

“The KFC Corporation was approved on February 3, 2015, for their marijuana retail recreation pot/medical marijuana occupational business license,” Umezu says. “Currently, 42 of the nearly 100 KFC franchises in the state of Colorado have added this ‘option’ to their menu.”

Dishing It Out appears every other week.

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

OPINION

THE 420 ISSUE

SORDID

TALES

OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

Why April 20 is an unfit holiday for the pot subculture

S

o hey—for this special April 20 issue of CityBeat—can we agree on one thing?

That all this 420 infatuation is kind of dopey. I mean, I smoke a little weed but honestly, if one more of my friends gets all stupid and giggly because a cashier said, “That’ll be $4.20 please,” I’m going to strangle a pigeon.

As most everyone knows by now, 420 is: a designated time at which to smoke dope, a secret code smokers use to get all winkwink-nudge-nudgey with each other in public places, and the official holiday (April 20) of the bud subculture—as if stoners aren’t also “celebrating” on April 19 and April 21.

As if the fact that the big hand is on the four and the little hand is on the 20 is any more reason for a pothead to light up than if the big hand is on the pipe, the little hand is on the lighter and the knee is on the steering wheel.

But I get it. Every subculture needs to have an inside joke to share. However, as an official holiday, 4/20 is lame. See, the movement to legalize weed is more than a silly little sideshow perpetuated by longhaired hippies tailgating jam festivals in Technicolor camper vans. It is also a serious civil rights issue that roils in the heart of what liberty truly means, not to mention the utterly disproportionate manner in which drug laws are enforced on minorities, and the outrageous number of people incarcerated for an activity that nearly half the country has enjoyed at one time or another.

The movement to legalize cannabis is vital to the health and fairness of this democracy and in being so, needs a holiday with purpose and meaning. Sadly 420 has neither.

There are many incorrect myths about the origin of 420, such as that it is the number of chemical compounds in cannabis, or that April 20 commemorates the death of Bob Marley, or that it’s tea time in Holland, or that 420 is the penal code section for marijuana use in California. Sadly, the real answer is more mundane than any of these. It was coined in 1971 by a group of five San Rafael High School students who would meet at a statue of Louis Pasteur just off school grounds. The purpose of the meeting was to get baked and go search for a reefer plot that was rumored to have been abandoned on the Point Reyes Peninsula. During school hours they would pass each other in the hallways and say “420 Louis” which meant, “We’re meeting today at the statue at 4:20 pm.”

What a yawn-fest. When you compare that to other holidays it sure comes up flat.

Take Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates the 1862 Battle of Puebla, when a ragtag militia of 2,000 Mexicans defeated 6,000 French soldiers. Or the Fourth of July, which honors the day a new nation was born. Or even Christmas, which celebrates the birth of the

24 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

person who created the entire universe, or was it his son’s birthday? Or both? Whatever. Point is, these are holidays that mean something! But celebrating a group of high schoolers who met after class to smoke pot then went looking for more pot to smoke?

Seriously? Is this the event that we want to mark as the premier blazer holiday?

I say, “No.” Not with so many better events in cannabis history from which to choose. For instance, we could have 115 Day, which recognizes the date, November 5, 1996, when the first state, California, legalized medical marijuana.

Another possibility is 915 Day, commemorating September 15, 1978, the day that two groundbreaking journalists released the most important, informative documentary about marijuana ever filmed—Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke.

Speaking of marijuana movies, we could also go with Reefer Madness Madness Day to honor when Mayor LaGuardia of New York made a mockery of the spurious claims made by the anti-marijuana propaganda film, Reefer Madness.

See, thanks to that movie, and the subsequent Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, the country was whipped into a terror over this alarming new dope epidemic that caused violence, insanity, addiction and—worst of all—white girls to dirty-dance with Negroes in jazz clubs!

Recognizing hysteria mongering when he saw it, my man La Guardia—a name that should be engraved on the bong of every pothead in America—empowered The New York Academy of Medicine to conduct a five-year study on the effects of marijuana— the first of its kind.

Well, as should come as no surprise to anyone who has partaken, the La Guardia Report concluded that marijuana does not cause insanity or violence and is not physically addictive. Oddly, the report did find that, “Yes, actually—smoking weed sometimes does cause white women to dance dirty with Negroes. But we consider that a good thing.”

One last remark. While we’re creating new stoner holidays, it might be a good idea to recognize at least one unhappy milestone in the history of cannabis—kind of like how we grieve for 9/11 or Pearl Harbor Day. An event that will give us cause to rage against the machine. For this, I say we go with The Ides of Chong, which mourns that bleak day in 2003 when Tommy Chong was sentenced to nine months for selling bongs. It is both an injustice around which we can rally and a word of warning to paraphernalia sellers—beware the Ides of Chong.

Sordid Tales appears every other week.

Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

26 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

VOICES

THERE SHE

THE 420 ISSUE

ALEX ZARAGOZA

GOZ

What to do and not to do when high AF

F

ull disclosure: I’m not much of a pot smoker. I don’t even know if using the term “pot smoker” is so abominably lame that I just outed myself as the most embarrassing nana that ever lived. However, I have smoked enough pot to know a few things to never, ever do when you’re high.

Like karaoke. It seems like a great idea.

You’re stoned and feeling pretty confident.

The anxiety of being on a stage singing in front of strangers is replaced by a chillness that leads you to believe you can sing anything. You know who else feels super confident when they’re picking out a song from the karaoke book? Drunk girls at a bachelorette party, who are the worst because they end up slurring and screaming through “Rapper’s Delight.” No one can do “Rapper’s Delight” at karaoke. Not even The Sugar Hill Gang can pull that off.

And yet I stood on the threadbare karaoke stage of The Ould Sod in Normal Heights, stoned out of my goddamn mind

#SDCityBeat

ready to sing “Runaround Sue” by Dion.

I kind of know that song. Not once have I sung it at karaoke, but I was positive I would dominate it when I bounced up to the mic.

What ensued was three minutes of me blinking blankly at the screen and begging the karaoke DJ to slow down the music in between a feeble attempt at singing the lyrics. “I should have known it from the very… this is going way too fast. Hey! Oh, oh, oh, ohhhhh. Dat, dat, dat, dat. I’m way too high for this.” Someone booed. The crowd was embarrassed for me. I kept pushing on, but it was an affront to karaoke artists everywhere.

So don’t do karaoke, stoners. It ain’t pretty.

Another thing never to do while high is accuse your oldest friend of giving you meth. If you’re not a frequent smoker, very potent weed will destroy you. My lovely friend handed me a giant bong named The Green Lantern. In it was some intense, medical-grade weed that left a few other friends mildly comatose. Feeling a bit ad-

VOICES

venturous, I decided to take a small hit.

That was the beginning of the end.

I started coughing violently. My insides felt like they were being scratched by a demon who delighted in inflicting tickle fingers on its victims. The high hit me right away. I politely excused myself from the kitchen, making my best attempt at being cool and normal. It only made me look more like a narc. I walked to my room not fully understanding how legs and arms worked. My whole body felt alien to me. Then began the meltdown.

Hidden under my covers, I shook uncontrollably and called my friend. “Did you give me meth? Be honest. You gave me meth.” She rushed over and did her best to calm me down. When I started screaming about a spider on my ceiling that was definitely going to bite me, she patiently climbed to her feet from the bed and showed me it was just an exposed nail.

Thank god for lovely friends. So yeah, don’t accuse your wonderful friends of giving you meth when it’s really your inability to handle anything stronger than schwag weed bought off a sketchy middle schooler.

Obviously, when you’re high af, you want to eat the entire planet’s worth of snacks in one sitting. But any stoner will share a story about a time they took the snackage way too far. One friend ate an entire tub of vegan cheese. Another ordered $75 worth of food from Taco Bell. If you go to Taco Bell you know that is a fuck ton of food. Like more than any one person should ever eat. I once

took down an entire box of Fudgsicles.

When a bit dropped on my exposed stomach, I just picked it off and ate it. To be fair, I do that regardless of whether I’m under the influence of the dank shit.

It’s a good thing, perhaps, that ripping into a bong load makes your body melt so far into your couch that you become one.

For those few hours of highness, “couch you” becomes your truest, dankest, form.

But if you do manage to peel yourself off, remember what not to do. Before I come off as a total buzzkill, here are some suggestions from me and some true blue stoners on what to do when you’re high af.

One buddy highly recommends hanging out on the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge in Hillcrest. It’s quiet and secluded, and a fun little adventure to take.

Apparently if there’s a wind, the bridge slightly rocks which sounds terrifying to me, but whatever. Just don’t be an after school special and fall off it while high.

You’ll ruin it for the rest of us.

Presidio Park has a beautiful view and is secluded enough to enjoy your high uninterrupted. Bring your munchies and chill on the grass.

Find a hot tub. I don’t know where but maybe ask your parents since moms and dads always have access to a Jacuzzi, it seems. Old people just want to soak in hot water and drink wine, which is OK by me and how I plan to die. The last time I got high in a Jacuzzi, well, I don’t remember much of what happened but it was insanely hilarious.

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Culture | Art

Seen LocaL

says he’s always had bigger plans for the property, which includes the lot behind the alley. These plans include a new building that will include up to 30 live/work units for artists on top of a ground floor business space that he hopes will include a cafe, a performance space and other businesses.

“We’re about one-third of the way through the vision of the building,” says Brown, who adds that the read & Salt is huge. Due to its size, one could city council is putting the finishing touches on the easily miss the bustle going on inside the forupdated southeastern San Diego Community Plan, mer Cramer’s Bakery factory in Barrio Logan which will help him clear any restrictive zoning (1955 Julian Ave.). Outside, artist thomas demello hurdles. “It’s been a challenge, and Ice Gallery owner Michael but really fun to work on.”

James Armstrong is diligently The lot is zoned for residenspray-painting part of a maketial and mixed-use spaces and shift train that will be used in Brown expects to break ground Ice’s upcoming Saratoga Sake soon. Phase two will also inexhibition. Down the hall, artist clude an expansion of the main Thomas DeMello is clearing out Bread & Salt gallery. And begina room to make space for anothning next month Brown will er upcoming exhibition. Head begin to accept applications through the Athenaeum’s recentfor a new artist-in-residence ly opened Art Center, into the program (the aforementioned outdoor courtyard and through DeMello will be the program’s the backdoor of the cavernous maiden artist). He also recently brick space in the back (yes, it’s received a $5,000 grant to start quite easy to get lost), and you’ll a community garden and even find yourself in the alley. Here, in wants to turn the main buildthe neighboring parking lot, Noé ing’s flour silo into one “crazyOlivas is sprucing up his custom ass” apartment. lowrider bread truck.

“I could see a winding stairOn the surface, there’s nothJames Brown inside Bread & Salt case over here. One room might ing much to that parking lot, but be down here and another room it’s central to what Bread & Salt owner and archimight be over here,” says Brown, pointing around tect James Brown calls “phase two” of the building. the gigantic cylindrical silos. “You could do a lot of Opened more than three years ago, Brown has transformed the Bread & Salt warehouse into a multi-use different things.”

dawn of the bread

B

arts, performance and culture destination, but he

—Seth Combs

Jolee Pink/blog.wabisabigreen.com

ON THE SEEN In this semi-regular department, we ask some of our favorite local artists and curators what new shows or artists are worth checking out. Whether it’s a particular piece, an entire exhibition or just a current obsession, here are some artsy options from eyes we trust.

Marina Grize Creative Director San Diego Art Institute “I’m interested in work that can challenge our senses. A stand-out piece at UC San Diego’s recent ‘Springfest’ event was Samuel Dunscombe and Judith Hamann’s sound installation, ‘Hidden in a Dark,’ which is a cubby-like room—large enough for only two people to stand at the same time—with a musical composition emanating. It was at once meditative, and in a way, a poetic moment amongst the light and sound performances happening simultaneously in the space.” samueldunscombe.com Ben Strauss-Malcolm Director Quint Gallery “I’d recommend the Tom Driscoll exhibition at the Oceanside Museum of Art (704 Pier View Way).

Having watched Tom’s work grow and evolve ever since he moved here 12 years ago, it was nice to see such a nice survey of his work in such a small space.

I especially enjoyed seeing the intimate smaller objects in relationship to his larger sculptures. I loved the two or three action gestural line pieces. They’re sculptural pieces and they’re really strong next to his cluster of cast objects made from found material.

I also like that Tom kept the exhibition monochro-

28 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

Installation by Tom Driscoll matic which really emphasizes the material and the use of the material.” oma-online.org Edwin Negado Founder and Director Gym Standard “Russell Wood’s Emanations installation at Coffee and Tea Collective (through May 12 at 2911 El Cajon Blvd.) in North Park is the second stage of a continuing series that uses light to explore the history of the physical universe. It’s a follow-up to his 2014 exhibition, Vermiculations + Originations, which examined the very moment the physical universe was created.

Emanations examines the parallels between the progress of the physical universe, biological systems, societal systems and the progress of technology. With light beams radiating from wooden structures, the exhibition allows people to interact with the light in an almost tactile way.” russelltwood.com

—Seth Combs #SDCityBeat

Culture | Film

Welcome mat

The Invitation

Karyn Kusama’s bloody toast to the nightmare dinner party genre

C

Kusama, a talented director whose been relegatharacters in Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation often confuse mercy with mercilessness. Killing ed to mostly television work since bombing with a wounded animal may be acceptable, but fin- Jennifer’s Body in 2009, infuses The Invitation with ishing off a wounded madman that’s made your life the same authorial confidence that marked her dea living hell? That’s another thing altogether. Many but film Girlfight. Each sequence within the expanof the Los Angelenos that attend the film’s central sive house unfolds quietly but not without menace. dinner party have had their souls whittled away by Memories from Will’s previous life in the house trauma and loss. Part of the film’s fun lies in trying come raging back in the form of lucid and splintered to separate the vulnerable from the irredeemable, a flashbacks.

Much of the film’s plot revolves around the protask that is quite a bit more difficult than one would cess of grieving, specifically how someone moves on initially expect.

Driving along a desolate road in the Hollywood from trauma, or what Will describes as “a scream hills, young couple Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and trapped inside of me.” Coping mechanisms come in Kira (Emayatzy Corinealdi) accidently run over a coy- weapons of all shapes and sizes, and when The Invitation eventually does paint the ote, leaving it crippled and barely mid-century modern walls red, breathing. Their ugly experience it’s built up enough emotional becomes a point of conversation the heft to make it hurt. upon arriving at the posh hillScarily, the warped philoinvitation side home of Will’s ex-wife Eden sophical ramblings that Eden, (Tammy Blanchard) and her slick Directed by Karyn Kusama David and Pruitt embody begin new husband David (Michiel HuStarring Logan Marshall-Green, to resonate with others, even as isman), who have rounded up all Will’s distrust for them grows.

Tammy Blanchard, of their mutual friends for a casual This might be an instance of evening of food, drinks and catchEmayatzy Corinealdi polite dinner guests humoring ing up. The hosts themselves have and John Carroll Lynch their hosts, but Kusama sees it as been mysteriously off the grid at a Rated R just another example of people “retreat” in Mexico for two years. avoiding the discomfort that’s Friendly quips between old staring them in the face. That’s pals quickly turns sour when what makes The Invitation so feelings of regret and betrayal come to the forefront. The root of Will and Eden’s often scary; destructive ideologies can worm their pain lies in the violent death of their son many years way into any person’s brain if they are wrapped in before. Kusama expertly avoids using this as an overt the perfect package. It’s how cult leaders have condramatic instigator, instead focusing on how Eden’s vinced their followers to murder and maim in the inability to cope has led her down a more fundamen- name of their beliefs.

If Charles Manson ever got the chance to view tal path than Will, who has instead entered a state of The Invitation, which opens Friday, April 22, at the isolated denial.

Strangely, Eden and David have invited two of their Digital Gym Cinema in North Park, he might find it a friends from their time south of the border, a cackling delightful and ambitious origin story about mass repixie nightmare girl (Lindsay Burdge) and a hulking demption. To those of us living in the real world and soft-spoken lug named Pruitt (John Carroll Lynch). lacking psychopathic tendencies, it’s a diabolical reWill immediately grows suspicious of them both, and minder of the great lengths traumatized people will the entire affair in general. Phil Hay and Matt Man- go to feel at peace again. The body count they incur fredi’s slippery script wiggles out of the usual horror is simply a means to an end. movie traps, resisting the urge to show too much. Instead, it conjures up an increasing sense of dread out Film reviews run weekly. of the smallest details and simplest of images.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

April 20, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 29

Culture | Film

Lost in the desert

I

n the trippy opening sequence of A Hologram for the King, Alan Clay (Tom Hanks) wakes up after having a surreal Talking Headsinfused dream about failure. Professional and personal pressures, including a relentless ex-wife and an abrasive boss who wants immediate results, have driven him into a state of panic. Escape seems like the only option.

Cramped into a small airplane seat, he’s bound for Saudi Arabia on behalf of an expanding AmeriHologram For The King can technology firm. Clay has

been tasked with selling a revolutionary teleconference technology to the royal family who’s currently building a megalopolis in the desert.

Director Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) immediately establishes the absurdity of Clay’s attempts to get business done. Miscommunications and distractions perpetrated by the Saudi bureaucracy turn his stay into an extended quagmire of wasted time.

But the delays allow him to meet two important locals that change his perspective on life: a philan-

dering cab driver and an insightful surgeon.

On paper, this wreaks of the sentimental self-discovery found in films like Eat Pray Love where an American becomes inspired to live again thanks to exotic new experiences. A Hologram for the King, which opens Friday, April 22, avoids these traps by exploring the theme of reflection through a number of different shifts in the narrative. The result is not a schizophrenic “many movies in one” but a single film that has the freedom and courage to evolve multiple times over. It’s also very funny.

A Hologram for the King has a misleading title. It doesn’t begin to capture the emotional subtly and structural flexibility of Tykwer’s efforts. While the film definitely flails at times, it rides on the charisma of its three central performances that each link up in a way that’s surprisingly organic.

Despite the inherent culture class that connects them on the surface, they feel like people first, archetypes second.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

Opening A Hologram for the King: Tom Hanks plays a failed businessman who travels to Saudi Arabia in order to close a major technology deal with the local aristocracy.

Casa Grande: When his overprotective parents become too much of a hassle, a teenage boy struggles to escape their grasp. Screens through Thursday, April 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Elvis & Nixon: This behind-the-scenes biopic looks at the meeting between then president Richard Nixon (Kevin Spacey) and the King of Rock ’n’ Roll (Michael Shannon).

Sing Street: Set in 1980s Dublin, this musical by John Carney (Once) tells the story of a rebellious teenager who decides to start a band and move to London.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War: A band of roughnecks led by Chris Hemsworth’s The Hunstman unite to protect the princess Freya (Emily Blunt) from from the evil queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron).

The Invitation: A hostess that has been mysteriously out of touch for two years calls a group of old friends together for a dinner party. Screens through Thursday, April 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Messenger: Documentary filmmaker Su Reynard looks at the hazards faced by various songbirds from around the world.

Screens through Thursday, April 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

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

30 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

#SDCityBeat

MAGDALENA WOSINSKA

From left: Stephen McBean, Colin Cowan, Amber Webber, Joshua Wells and Jeremy Schmidt IX YEARS CAN SEEM like an eternity in rock ‘n’ roll. Bands have formed and subsequently broken up in shorter spans of time, and even some of the all-time greats, such as The Police or The Pixies, essentially fit their entire careers in that length of time. And as digital media platforms like Bandcamp hasten the process of getting new releases to listeners’ ears, a longer wait only works against an artist.

But then again, touring, recording and performing for six years nonstop sometimes necessitates taking a much-needed break.

After Vancouver band Black Mountain released their 2010 album Wilderness Heart, the individual members each embarked on their own musical Rumspringa. Vocalist Amber Webber and drummer Joshua Wells focused on their Lightning Dust side project. Keyboardist Jeremy Schmidt scored a film under his Sinoia Caves alias. Bassist Matthew Camirand ended up exiting the band, and Colin Cowan took his place. And guitarist/vocalist Stephen McBean started a hardcore band, Obliterations.

The time away from each other gave the members of Black Mountain the space they needed, as well as some necessary distractions. And in the process, McBean says, the break ended up making the album stronger.

“We were on our own for a bit. And I think that helped with this record,” he says in a phone call from Belgium. “It’s nice to come back. We needed a break. Once you get a couple or three records in, you want the music to remain, hopefully, vital and

#SDCityBeat

energized and sometimes with the same people you gotta rearrange things.

“With the stuff that I play in Obliterations, I’m not gonna bring in a song to Black Mountain that sounds like Discharge or Jerry’s Kids,” he continues. “I still love that stuff.

It’s fun to play. We’re in Europe now and lugging around what seems like thousands of pounds of gear. So it’s nice to get back to the primal and just plug in and...you just go. But it’s nice to have the old fancy analog synths and the Marshalls and the Hi-Watts.

With music, it’s always changing. It’s the same as food. You always like pizza. But sometimes you want nachos, or maybe you want to get some sushi.”

It only takes a small taste to detect the change in flavor on IV, the first set of music to come out of Black Mountain’s kitchen since their extended hiatus.

The first song on the album, “Mothers of the Sun,” is an eight-minute prog odyssey built on misty, atmospheric synthesizers. It’s a pretty significant distance from past doses of thunder such as “Old Fangs” or “Drugonaut,” but before long, in comes a massive stoner rock riff that nods to past Black Mountain triumphs, as well as to the likes of Sabbath and Zeppelin.

IV is a dramatic new step for Black Mountain, in that so much of the album

is driven by the sound of big synthesizers.

However, it bridges their past triumphs with new textures, like the mixture of prog futurism and burly riffs on “Florian Saucer Attack,” or the slowly building dirge “Over and Over (The Chain)”, which came about after “doing bong hits and jamming and just recording on someone’s phone,” McBean says.

As fresh as the material sounds however, some of it was born much farther back in the band’s history. The central riff on “Mothers of the Sun” was written in 2008, around the time In the Future came out. Not that this is an unusual practice for the band.

“Riffs are kind of like bank accounts,” McBean says. “You store as many riffs as you can store in the riff bank... for down the road when you get older and softer.”

Older, maybe, but Black Mountain hasn’t softened a bit. Playing music in your 12th year as a band versus your second, however, requires thinking differently about your approach. Maintaining the energy to keep playing together that long is already enough of a challenge, but trying to keep the music fresh, McBean says, presents an entirely different set of obstacles.

“I guess that was something we strug-

gled with when we were writing this record at first—trying to destroy formulas or walls or limitations we created,” he says. “What we were as a band or what we weren’t. When we first came out there was a real resurgence across North America of bands playing weird, loud rock music. It was all very exciting, and then you hone your skill a bit, but you’re constantly in this battle of refining it better and playing something from the gut and from the heart.

Being in a band is weird. You don’t know... when you’re going to start sucking.”

With eyes toward the future, Black Mountain aren’t tempering their ambition or worrying too much about whether or not they actually suck. In fact, the Metacritic score for IV is 76 out of 100, which would indicate that the consensus among critics is they have a way to go before sucking is a possibility. Even if it were, though, McBean still has a positive outlook on being able to play music for people and enjoy Brian Ellis sharing art with people the world over.

“You can’t get greedy with life. If you’re able to write one song that fucking floors someone, that’s awesome. That’s killer,” he says. “If you’re able to have a song that people dig, and people sing along to, you can travel the world. That’s amazing, too. I think people can get lost, or have your little explosion of spiritual self—wanting to stay alive and I dunno, try new kinds of nachos all over the world.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com or follow him on Twitter at @1000TimesJeff

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO S

wami Records is releasing a new compilation that brings together 22 local bands, with proceeds benefiting a San Diego school. The label, run by John Reis of Rocket from the Crypt and Drive Like Jehu, will issue Hardcore Matinee, a vinyl collection that includes artists such as Pinback, Octagrape, Gary Wilson and Mrs. Magician. It was released in limited quantity for Record Store Day, and will have a wider release on April 23, with proceeds benefiting the Museum School, and in particular its music department.

In a phone interview, Reis says the idea comes from records he listened to when he was younger.

“I really like the concept of compilation records,” he says. “As a teenager, that’s how I found out about a lot of bands. Since then, I’ve really liked the idea of getting a lot of bands together to do different stuff on a record.”

All of the tracks on the record are new or unreleased, including an unreleased Hot Snakes song and the first new Sultans track in more than a de-

A SAN DIEGO 420 PLAYLIST

I

t only makes sense to augment this week’s Notes from the Smoking Patio— pun very much intended— with a playlist of weedian San Diego jams. Now, personally, I’m not one to partake (no judgment, just not my cup of tea) but that being said there’s a lot of local music that’s either made under the influence of weed or replicates the high.

Tune into this bong-rattling seven-track playlist.

JOY: “Under the Spell” I don’t know for sure that “Under the Spell” isn’t a euphemism, but JOY’s druggy psych-rock music certainly has an intoxicating quality about it, this instrumental intro providing some nice atmosphere for what’s to follow.

Amigo: “Cosmo Blaster” The thick, noxious riffs of stoner rock have always been much more appealing to me than the embarrassing white-dude reggae that keeps getting regurgitated on the radio. Local riffmeisters Amigo provide their share of big, smoky guitars here.

Wavves: “Weed Demon” Admittedly, I’m including this mostly for the use of the word “Weed” in the title, but Wavves’ ultra lo-fi

32 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

cade. (“It definitely was a good excuse to get the band back together,” Reis says.) Each song clocks in at two minutes or less in order to fit on one piece of vinyl, which added a challenge to the release.

“There’s so much great music here,” he says. I had a hard time whittling it down to 22 bands. If it was a month later, I’d probably have even more bands.”

On May 15, Bar Pink is hosting a unique sort of release show for the album, in which most of the bands will perform their contributions to the compilation. Reis says he’s not quite sure how it’ll work out, but it’s meant to mirror the experience of listening to the album.

“I don’t know what to exHardcore Matinee pect,” he says. “I know there is a vision. We’ll see if it’s able to be executed. Most of the bands are playing. The album has a flow to it, and we’re trying to make the live concert feel like that. Hopefully it’ll feel more like an art installation than a rock show.”

—Jeff Terich

slacker punk is a fine complement to getting wasted and doing nothing in particular.

The Soaks: “TV Life” The Soaks have their own merch with sketches of marijuana leaves on it, so it seemed only natural to include a track pick, in particular this fuzzy and peppy number about a couch-ridden lifestyle.

Tall Can and Generik: “Green Skies - Nothing to Do” Tall Can and Generik seem to take inspiration from a wide array of psychedelics, but it’s no doubt laced with THC, as on this suitably trippy standout that finds the local hip-hop duo seeing green.

Wild Wild Wets: “UK Drugs” Wild Wild Wets most likely took the name of this song from a certain generation of psychedelic British post-punk bands, but it still works. Their effects are heavy and disorienting, and their melodies addictive.

Earthless: “Sonic Prayer” The dudes in Earthless have gone on record as being nonstoners. Interesting, then, that they make music that would indicate the opposite. They are, in certain moments, a bit like a really heavy jam band, and this 20-plus-minute epic is a spacey way to ride out your high.

The Soaks

—Jeff Terich #SDCityBeat

Music

Jeff Terich

If I were u A music insider’s weekly agenda Wednesday, April 20

PLAN A: Bombino, Last Good Tooth @ Belly Up Tavern. If you missed it, make sure to go back and read Ben Salmon’s interview with Nigerien guitarist Bombino.

The Saharan blues musician makes music that’s universal, no matter the geographical or language barrier. PLAN B: The Big Pink, Sundrop Electric @ Soda Bar. The Big Pink made a splash in 2009 with the release of their debut, A Brief History of Love, featuring the hits “Dominos” and “Velvet.” They put on a pretty fun live show, so be prepared to dance. BACKUP PLAN: Blackbird Blackbird, Chad Valley, Manatee Committee @ The Hideout.

it’s an experience well worth revisiting.

PLAN B: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Vinyl Williams @ Belly Up Tavern. Unknown Mortal Orchestra somehow manages to always make records that sound like lo-fi basement oddities, complete with fuzzy guitars and quirky synths. Their last album Multi-Love is a fun one, particularly the disco-influenced “Can’t Keep Checking My Phone.”

Friday, April 22

PLAN A: Deerhunter @ Observatory North Park. Deerhunter have a pretty solid discography as far as contemporary indie rock goes. Their newest, Fading Frontier, is a bit more laid back, yet still big on Thursday, April 21 melody. And if they play “Desire Lines,” PLAN A: Deafheaven, Youth Code @ The then you already have your reason to show Casbah. I’ve seen Deafheaven play the last up. PLAN B: Mac Sabbath, Kids in Heat, three times they’ve made their way to San Shady Francos @ Music Box. I saw Mac Diego, and each time has been incredible. Sabbath about a year ago at The Hideout The shoegazing black metal band does in- and it was absolutely ridiculous. In a fun tensity with more than a little emotion, and way, of course. Word has it that there will

#SDCityBeat

be discounted burgers at this show, too, in case you’re getting a case of the munchies.

BACKUP PLAN: The Bad Vibes, Gloomsday, Pleasure Burn, Subtropics @ Soda Bar.

Saturday, April 23

PLAN A: Dilated Peoples, BoonLeague @ Observatory North Park. I’ll admit I haven’t heard Dilated Peoples in a minute, but I have fond memories of hearing them in the early ’00s.

They’ve maintained an organic throwback sound that nods to the Native Tongues, and they’re sure to bring the jams. PLAN B: Lower Class Brats, Channel 3, The Widows @ Til-Two Club. Lower Class Brats have been playing loud, snotty punk rock for more than 20 years, and if you can’t get enough old school chicanery, come down and get in the pit.

Sunday, April 24

PLAN A: Holy Holy, Jessica Morgan @ Music Box. Earlier this year, we lost one of the greatest artists of our time: David Bowie. But his music lives on in the band Holy Holy, comprising some of Bowie’s collaborators, including longtime producer Tony Visconti. They play Bowie’s music from the early ’70s, and it should be a splendid, cathartic experience.

Deafheaven

Monday, April 25

PLAN A: Magic Wands, Drinking Flowers, Future Age @ Soda Bar. Los Angeles’ Magic Wands play a dreamy, post-punk influenced style of pop that’s a little bit dark and a lot of fun. They also do a pretty excellent cover of Madonna’s “Burning Up,” so fingers crossed they’ll break that one out.

Tuesday, April 26

PLAN A: Black Mountain, Marissa Nadler @ The Casbah. Read my feature this week on Black Mountain, who have returned after six years with a proggy stonerrock epic in new album IV. They continue to get more interesting with age, with riffs still intact. BACKUP PLAN: Nebula Drag, Supersonic Dragon Wagon, Kosmic Halo @ Soda Bar.

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

Music

Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Greys (The Merrow, 6/11), Too $hort (Observatory, 6/11), Toots and the Maytals (Observatory, 6/15), The Muffs (Casbah, 6/17), Cherry Glazerr (The Irenic, 6/23), Saosin (Observatory, 7/17), Xibalba (Soda Bar, 7/19), Rhett Miller (Soda Bar, 8/14), Piebald (Soda Bar, 9/24).

GET YER TICKETS 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), 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), Refused (BUT, 5/30), The Cure (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/30), Modern Baseball, Joyce Manor (HOB, 6/1), Voivod (Brick by Brick, 6/1), ‘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

34 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

the Wet Sprocket, Rusted Root (Observatory, 7/9), Joan Jett (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 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), Inter Arma (Soda Bar, 7/24), 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), Deftones (Open Air Theatre, 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), Counting Crows, Rob Thomas (Open Air Theatre, 9/14), 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), Florida Georgia Line (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 10/9),Jethro Tull (Balboa Theatre, 10/17), Tracy Morgan (Humphreys, 10/20), Peter Hook and the Light (HOB, 11/8).

April 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.

Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires at Observatory North Park.

#SDCityBeat

Music 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.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Crucial Blend.

Fri: Pleasure Victims. Tue: Blue Halas, Cold Threat.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Thu: La Esencia Flamenca. Fri: Charlie Arbelaez and Matt Hall. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

90s’. Sat: ‘Tribute to Paul Weller’ w/ Bart Mendoza. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: Tori Roze and the Hot Mess. Tue: DJ Marshall Islands.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Bombino, Last Good Tooth. Thu: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Vinyl Williams. Fri: Johnny Clegg, Jesse Clegg. Sat: The Ann Wilson Thing. Sun: Six String Society, Lady Rogo. Tue: Micky and the Motorcars, Strangetowne, Jake Loban.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Fri: Prong, Kulteir, Redmond, Dead Serial Killers. Sat: Godhammered, Aghori. Tue: Eyes Set to Kill, OPEN YOUR EYES, A Hero Within, Contortion.

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

Downtown. Thu: Cool Cat Karaoke. Fri: Modern Day Moonshine.

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

Fri: DJ Brett Bodley. Sat: Wellman. Sun: DJ Craig Smoove.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: Neil Jackson. Sat: Kyle Flesch.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Libertine.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: Parachute, Jon McLaughlin. Fri: Andy Mineo. Sat: Say Anything, mewithoutYou, Teen Suicide, Museum Mouth. Sun: The Who Generation, Heart Love Alive, Journeymen. Tue: Robin Henkel.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: Rex Navarette. Fri: Rex Navarette. Sat: Rex Navarette. Sun: Dallas McLaughlin.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: ‘Sesh Fest’. Thu: ‘Acid Varsity’. Fri: ‘Purps and Turqs’. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Sat: Bixel Boys.

Moonshine Flats, 344 7th Ave., San Diego. Gaslamp. Fri: The Matte Gray Band.

Sat: The Matte Gray Band.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., San Diego. North Park. Thu: DJ Ikah Love. Fri: ‘80s vs

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego. Lit-

tle Italy. Fri: Mac Sabbath. Sat: Orquesta Tabaco Y Ron. Sun: Holy Holy.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Chloe Lou. Fri: Rio Peligroso. Sat: Joseph Luna Band.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: The Big Pink.

Thu: Haunted Summer, The Lulls, Annie Girl and the Flight, Garden Echo. Fri: The Bad Vibes, Gloomsday, Pleasure Burn, Subtropics. Sat: Black Sabbitch, GayC/ DC, Great Electric Quest. Sun: The Funk Ark. Mon: Magic Wands, Drinking Flowers, Future Age. Tue: Nebula Drag, Supersonic Dragon Wagon, Kosmic Halo.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. Midway. Fri: Fighting Friction, Hard To Hit, Nothing Sacred, Steuer, Riboflavin, So Bored. Sat: Enter Shikari, Hands Like Houses, The White Noise, Lucia.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Duping the Public, Tom Lord. Sun: Tim Mudd, Podunk Nowhere.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Spring Valley. Thu: ‘Darkwave Garden’. Fri: New Rome Quartet, Detangler, Derde Verde, Inward Creature. Sat: Kommunity FK, Texylvania.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Wild Nothing, Whitney (sold out). Thu: Deafheaven, Youth Code.

Fri: Dead Feather Moon, The Nervous Wreckords, Mrs. Henry. Sat: The Roots Factory 6 Year Anniversary w/ Jungle Fire & La Diabla, Jungle Fire, La Diabla. Tue: Black Mountain, Marissa Nadler.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Blackbird Blackbird, Chad Valley, Manatee Commune.

Sat: ‘The Smiths and Morrissey Night’.

Tue: Dirty Fences, The Flytraps, Kids in Heat.

The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. La Jolla. Wed: Christopher O’Riley.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Wed: Never Let This Go, Sweet Ascent, Short Stories, Plane Without A Pilot. Fri: Strange Crew, Matchbox Twenty Too, Jovias. Sat: Jagged Lines, Mario Esteban and the Blessed Hellhounds, Phantom Dissonance. Tue: Lucid Season, No Girlfriends, Causers, Citrus and Katie.

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

North Park. Wed: ‘Ceremony’. Tue: ‘Trapped’.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: Take Em Out, Haruka. Sat: Lower Class Brats, Channel 3, Widows.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Sun: Mother, Clean Room Ux31, 3112 University Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’.

Fri: DJ Bodyrawk. Sat: DJ Junior the DiscoPunk. Sun: I-Taweh, Top Stock, DJ Daddy.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Wed: Naked Lights, Negative Scanner, DJ Mario Orduno. . Thu: ‘Astro Jump’ w/ Kill Quanti DJs. Fri: Shark Toys, Bent Shapes. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’. Sun: Death Eyes, Low and Be Told.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: Piracy Conspiracy, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Dead Winter Carpenters. Fri: Brothers Gow. Sat: Brothers Gow. Sun: Anthony Presti Band. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 35

36 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

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April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 37

LAST WORDS

IN THE

THE 420 ISSUE

BY SEBASTIAN MONTES

WEEDS Local Sesh brings pot into the limelight

A

piney haze has long since settled over the room when the emcee’s announcement sends two dozen people rushing to the stage with outstretched hands, clamoring for Angela Mazzanti’s attention. But the cannabis model/promoter holds her gummy bear rewards for ransom, demanding first that the eager throng define terms such as CBD and CBN, cannabis compounds that a growing body of research suggests hold astonishingly vast curative powers.

With each answer, Mazzanti scatters gummies into the blissed-out crowd, each candy infused with 100 milligrams of THC—more than enough to render the potuninitiated flat on his or her backside.

Celebration, solidarity and, yes, the chance to partake copiously, brought nearly 800 medical marijuana patients to the second iteration of Local Sesh, the newest effort to convene San Diego’s cannabis community. Building off the inaugural Local Sesh in January, the recent event played as part trade show and part collaboration of like minds. Nearly 50 local exhibitors filled

38 · San Diego CityBeat · April 20, 2016

the 10,000-square-foot tent at the Hilton Resort in Mission Bay, drawn from all facets of the cannabis trade: cultivators, consultants, delivery services, dispensaries and more.

At the front of the room, cannabis advocacy groups Americans for Safe Access and POW420 recruit new members. In the back, seedlings-for-sale huddle beneath a nurturing purple grow light. And in between, vendors brandish a bewildering array of buds, extracts and edibles as bleary-eyed patients lean in to take a whiff or sample the proffered wares.

Such events have long been common fare in Los Angeles and San Francisco, but have so far been scarce in San Diego’s fledging scene. Last spring’s San Diego Cannabis Cup was followed by the PotLuck Expo in November. Now, Local Sesh hopes to position itself as a more business-minded event.

Plans are already in motion for a repeat performance.

“We hope to get more people involved so that we’re not just in the outskirts and the warehouses and stuff like that,” says 30year-old co-organizer Devin (who declined

LAST WORDS

to give his last name). “This is our way of coming out of that era and into the legitimate realm.”

Measured in terms of political sophistication and financial wherewithal, San Diego’s cannabis scene lags behind L.A. and the Bay area, says cannabis attorney Kimberly R. Simms—far, far behind. But she sees events like Local Sesh as an encouraging start.

“Can you imagine?” she says. “In 2016 I never thought we would have a lovely cannabis event on a beautiful day in March at a Hilton. That alone says a lot.”

Off near a side entrance, Dion Markgraaff scans the room with quiet calculation. After a quarter century in cannabis, he’s now part of General Hemp LLC, a San Diego-based investment firm that owns or has stake in 40 cannabis-based ventures.

“Hopefully, this is the future,” he said.

“I’ve seen things here in the last two hours that are totally game changing.”

He gestures toward the crowd huddled around a hydraulic contraption at the Medisun Farms Concentrates booth. Picture an industrial-strength panini press, except designed instead to squeeze pot’s psychoactive essence into a versatile and highly potent rosin, without need for harsh solvents common to other extraction methods.

Cleaner and more potent is a sort of mantra for the medical marijuana community.

Patients are always on the hunt for more effective means to self-medicate. That makes events like Local Sesh a ground zero in an ever-escalating arms race. Vendors boasted

SEBASTIAN MONTES

Ocean Beach’s Always Greenest was one of two dozen dispensaries on hand. breeds that top out above 25 percent THC and concentrates that peak in the 80-percent range—achievements celebrated with trophies and raucous rounds of applause.

The mind-boggling potency is an order of magnitude stronger than what Cookie, a 61-year-old great-grandmother clad in a WuTang Clan t-shirt, has seen throughout her lifetime of smoking her friends’ and neighbors’ pot. But events like these are also about throwing caution to the wind, she said as she readied to try “dabbing” for the first time, wherein the user smokes a hyperpotent concentrate from a titanium bowl super-heated by a blowtorch.

“To see everyone doing it legally, it’s...”

Cookie paused for a moment, falling into a pensive gaze as Parliament’s “Give Up The Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” thumped from the soundstage.

“Our dream became a reality,” she says.

“I’m not a criminal anymore.”

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April 20, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 39