San Diego CityBeat • May 13, 2015

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2 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

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May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Up Front | From the editor

Something to really cheer about The city’s self-appointed head cheerleader is ready Maass summed up the banality of that slogan in December 2011: “…the U-T is now the galaxy’s corniest to hang up his pompoms. Developer-cum-newspadaily newspaper.” per-publisher Doug Manchester is ready to sell off Things went from corny to ( journalistically U-T San Diego. After a three-year run, the uber-conspeaking) criminally conservative. servative circus big tent appears to be coming down.

You’d hope a publishing executive would check his This should be a measured sigh of relief for anyone personal baggage at the door to the newsroom. But who respects, treasures and still might hope a major almost immediately, Manchester and Lynch began to metropolitan paper/website can disseminate untainted and properly delineated news and opinion. unabashedly announce how they planned to use their Tribune Publishing Co., as its corporate moniker bully pulpit to champion conservative causes. suggests, is a professional publishing organization.

Lynch stated that he wanted the paper to be The Chicago-based company has made an $85 mil“pro-business,” and the sports pages should be lion offer to Manchester to buy the U-T, minus the advocates for a new downtown football stadium.

Mission Valley property where the reporters work.

Lynch said he wanted writers to call out those who Let’s separate Manchester’s desire to develop that didn’t support a new stadium as “obstructionists.” land from the likely prospect that a credible news Across the nation, journalists cringed when management team is preparing to take the reins.

Lynch stated: “We’d like to be a cheerleader for all The negative knee-jerk reaction to Tribune’s that’s good about San Diego.” Hip, hip…huh? takeover comes because the company runs the Los Tim Sullivan is a talented former sportswriter Angeles Times. (Tribune also owns The Chicago for the U-T who strongly believes in the church/ Tribune, The Baltimore Sun and newspaper club / flickr state separate between newspaa total of 10 major daily newsper owners (who can opine on papers. After Gannett and Mcthe editorial page) and writers Clatchy, Tribune is the third(who present fact, or fact-based largest print publisher in the opinion). Sullivan says one reacountry.) son he was let go was that he The (newly renamed?) U-T was not “on board” with ownwill share management with ership’s stadium politics. (Read the Los Angeles Times. It would Sullivan’s amazing letter on this be a disaster if current Times subject on the following page.) publisher Austin Beutner, who Editorials that favored ManPresses keep rolling. chester/Lynch pet projects bewill also take that title in the U-T masthead, decides to make San Diego the farm gan to show up on the front pages of the U-T. As did team for L.A. political endorsements of Republican political candiBeutner says he won’t do that, and that the San Didates, namely Congressional candidate Carl DeMaio. ego office will maintain (attain?) editorial oversight.

Any smattering of journalistic credibility the paper Fine. We’ll see how that plays out. The beststill held was effectively neutered. case scenario for San Diego stewardship of mainIt would be naïve to believe Tribune Company stream journalism would not have been the arrival newsrooms around the country are devoid of inof a mega-corporation. But compare any downsides house politics. Many call the Los Angeles Times a brought by Tribune to the current state of affairs. bastion of the left. But when you look at any red-flag Recall that before he even began practicing publabels that might apply to Times publisher Beutner, lishing, Manchester drew ire—and a boycott of his like investment banker or former politician, one dehotel properties—for donating $125,000 to 2008’s scriptor not on the list is cheerleader.

“Yes on 8” campaign, which successfully passed Stay cautious and guarded about the future of Proposition 8 and banned same-sex marriage (at mainstream media in San Diego. But realize forthe time) in California. ward progress was never going to occur until the It was just a little more than three years ago cheerleaders left the field and some professional players took over. when Manchester and then-partner John Lynch bought the newspaper. They promptly put a new —Ron Donoho tagline under the logo on A1: “The World’s Greatest Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com.

Country & America’s Finest City.” CityBeat’s Dave This issue of CityBeat is dedicated to rich handsome dudes with supermodel wives who still feel the need to cheat at a stupid game.

Volume 13 • Issue 40 Editor Ron Donoho Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Kinsee Morlan Staff Writer Joshua Emerson Smith Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Carolyn Ramos Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

Contributors Ian Cheesman, David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Dave Maass, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse Production artist Rees Withrow MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia

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

4 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

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Up Front | Letters

TIM SULLIVAN ON THE U-T [Editor’s note: I reached out to the highly regarded, former U-T sportswriter for comment on the impending sale of the newspaper (see previous page).

His reply was so eloquent and insightful it needed to be run in full.]

I like to think of myself as a quick study, but one of the late-breaking insights in my career is that the most important person in any sports franchise—and any business—is the owner.

Ownership sets the budget and sets the tone.

It determines the direction of a company with its long-term vision and its hiring, but also in how it handles day-to-day operations. The best teams and the best businesses are committed to the quality and the integrity of their product, to serving the needs of their customers and to treating their employees equitably and humanely.

Achieving all of those goals amid the steep decline in advertising revenues is more challenge than any major newspaper has been able to meet. Between 2003 and 2012—a period that corresponds almost exactly to my time in San Diego—the number of fulltime newspaper jobs in America dropped by 16,200 and the Union-Tribune had three owners. Things were plenty convulsive long before I was let go.

Because the prospect of another ownership change at the U-T is likely to bring more layoffs, the end of the Doug Manchester era means more uncertainty and anxiety for people throughout the paper.

As much as the product may benefit from Tribune Company’s stewardship, the human cost of the transition figures to be high. From a personal standpoint, it’s hard to work up a lot of enthusiasm for a change that may put friends of mine out of work.

Professionally, though, I am encouraged that the paper may be able to regain some of the credibility and trust it lost to heavy-handed and counterproductive leadership. Though I can only speculate on the exact reasons for my dismissal, the idea that any newspaper should be a cheerleader for the pet projects of management—and not only on the editorial page—is antithetical to all I was taught and everything I believe about the profession. It was obvious to me from the outset of Manchester’s ownership that there would be friction.

In my only meeting with John Lynch—which took place a few days after I was fired—I tried to make the point that a newspaper is strongest that maintains a wall between news and opinion and that allows the opinions expressed in its pages to reflect varying points of view. If I was not “on board,” as Lynch told at least some of those who complained about my ouster, it was not only because we disagreed about stadium politics, but because his approach to journalism was inconsistent with the core precepts of the profession.

The day we met, I carried a copy of Walter Williams’ “Journalist’s Creed” in my pocket. I thought about handing it to Lynch at the end of my exit interview, but decided that my high horse was already high enough without a dramatic and probably futile gesture.

Among the privileges of ownership is the right to choose direction, to set policy and to remove those who are incompatible with the changes you implement. As it happened, I landed on the unemployment line within days of two sports columnist jobs coming open at the Louisville Courier-Journal. At least from my end, Kentucky has been a good fit— passionate sports fans, a strong journalism tradition and affordable real estate.

Your question about whether I would return to San Diego is both hypothetical and presumptuous.

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No one has approached me, either directly or indirectly, and I have no reason to expect that anyone will. Though it’s gratifying to be sought out about new ownership at the U-T, I don’t imagine there’s any great groundswell to get the band back together.

Tim Sullivan, Louisville, Kentucky

BLACK AND WHITE Why won’t you be consistent and mention that three of those six Baltimore cops are black, one of them a woman [“Lights, police, cameras, action,” May 6]? Or that CBS news footage of riots showed a black riot police officer? Or even that the photo included in your article shows a black National Guardsman... shoulder to shoulder with a white one? Right-wing religious nuts have no monopoly on hypocrisy. Good media to have a dumbed-down citizenry, isn’t it?

CityBeat still have honesty to print this?

Brooks Russell, Linda Vista

CALLING THAT BLUFF I thoroughly enjoyed your article, “Call the Charger’s bluff ” in the April 29 issue of CityBeat. I am in opposition to any taxpayer funding for a stadium or giving any city assets or land to the Chargers. I have hoped to find a group of organized opposition to raise money to fight taxpayer/city involvement. Perhaps your paper could be a catalyst for forming serious opposition. Please contact me if you can help with this or have some ideas on how to proceed.

Hal Herritt, La Jolla

On the

Cover

Photographer Jeff “Turbo” Corrigan ( jeffcorrigan.com) drew on his previous experience shooting sports to photograph this week’s cover of kickboxer Ashley Curry sparring at Undisputed North Park. “You can’t plan too much when you’re trying to get an action shot,” Corrigan says. “Those girls were pretty active in the ring and pretty assertive.”

Corrigan used strobes in the dark gym, and says he couldn’t have gotten any shots without assistant Sergio Gomez constantly moving the lights around while the action shifted in the ring. Corrigan’s studio is Downtown, and his last cover for CityBeat was “The Beer Issue” (April 15).

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Up Front | News joshua emerson smith

signed days, time limits for sprinkler systems and a ban on irrigation for two days after it rains. Residents are also prohibited from “excessive irrigation” and must “immediately” correct leaks in their private water systems.

Environmentalists have argued the mayor’s office can meet its reduction target by getting tough on residential outdoor irrigation, which accounts for more than a quarter of all water use in the city.

“We’re not at the point where we’re running out of water to drink or not be able to take showers,” said Livia Borak, an attorney with the Coast Law Group. “We’re just not going to be able to have lawns. There’s definitely a lot of room for savings there.”

However, politically, such water conservation is never an easy sell, she noted. Because the cost of running a water system is fixed regardless of how much water is used, rates go up when everyone uses less.

“It’s just hard messaging that I don’t think the city wants to do,” Borak said.

“That being said, they just have to be honest with people. We’re going to pay more.”

The city may eventually have little choice. The state’s new plan comes with hefty penalties. Last year, Gov. Jerry Brown called on municipalities to voluntarily curb water use and saw a reduction of less than 9 percent statewide. This University Heights Travis Pritchard kneels over a water meter that’s been leaking for weeks. year, starting in June, if a water supplier is not meeting its monthly reduction target, officials can issue fines up to $10,000 a day—a cost that would likely be passed on to ratepayers.

The state isn’t going to be quick to pull This is an example of how the city In response to the most severe drought the trigger on issuing fines, said George KoCity drags its feet in needs to significantly improve its drought- in 1,200 years, the state water board ap- styrko, spokesperson for the water board. If response efforts, said Pritchard, who also proved an emergency plan last week to cut a water provider isn’t meeting its monthly state-mandated race happens to work for the environmental urban water use by 25 percent compared reductions target, the state will discuss to cut water use advocacy group San Diego Coastkeeper. to 2013 levels. The rules require water sup- with the provider ways to improve its en“There’s still a lot of low-hanging fruit plies to meet individual reduction targets, forcement strategy. in the water-conservation realm that measured monthly, ranging from 8 to 36 “It’s a judgment call, but it’s really talkby Joshua Emerson Smith they’re not getting at,” he said. percent, based on residential per-capita ing to the water districts first because we Despite a statewide campaign to con- use last year.

On Monday in University Heights, Travis don’t want to fine,” he said. “Fines don’t As its own water agency, the city of San generate water savings.”

Pritchard stood over a row of leaking wa- serve water during California’s now unter meters. Thoroughly soaking the dirt precedented drought, over recent months, Diego fought to lower its assigned reducThe mayor’s office declined to comment around where the meters were dug into the the city of San Diego has fought state-man- tion target, arguing with the water board on the political implications of calling for ground, clean drinking water overflowed dated reductions for water use and used a that recent conservation efforts, such as water conservation but conceded that confeather-light hand when enforcing its own the Carlsbad Desalination Plant, scheduled vincing folks to stop watering their lawns into the street. to come on line this fall, would cut down could pose a challenge.

“This water was pumped up and over conservation rules.

In March, the city received 372 reports on the city’s use of drought-impacted waa mountain to get here so that it could go “Conserving water is already a way of right into the storm drain,” he said in dis- of water-use violations but issued only two ter sources. life for many San Diegans and reducing However, when asked by CityBeat, the water usage even further won’t be easy,” gust, referring to the region’s reliance on warnings, according to data released last the Colorado River and runoff from the Si- week by the State Water Resources Control mayor’s office seemed comfortable with Gustafson said. “Reducing outdoor irrigaBoard. By comparison, San Jose received the city’s assigned, monthly target of 16 tion is the quickest and most reliable way erra snowpack.

About a month ago, Pritchard, who lives 100 complaints and issued 96 warnings. percent below its 2013 baseline. to lower water usage for San Diego’s busi“San Diego has a long history of leader- nesses and homeowners.” a few blocks away, first noticed the leak. He The Los Angeles Department of Water and didn’t immediately take action, thinking Power received 1,215 complaints and pro- ship in water conservation and recycling, Still, even one of the city’s biggest critics and the Mayor will continue to encourage when it comes to water conservation has city officials would quickly address some- actively issued 1,364 warnings.

Starting in April, San Diego changed its San Diegans to conserve to meet Governor reserved hope that efforts can turn around. thing so blatant.

However, at the beginning of the month, enforcement process, said Craig Gustafson, Brown’s mandate,” Gustafson said. “The 16 “We want to see San Diego stepping up after watching for days as the meters con- press secretary for Mayor Kevin Faulconer, percent reduction target is reflective of that to be the leader in water conservation for tinually hemorrhaged water, he used the in an email. In response to confirmed wa- leadership and gives San Diegans credit for the whole state,” Pritchard said. “We can set city’s “Waste No Water” app to report the ter-waste complaints, officials will now is- their past conservation efforts.” the example. The population’s ready to conSan Diego has a long way to go, accord- serve if they’re just given the impetus. ” situation. According to his phone, the issue sue warning notices that, if unaddressed, will lead to fines of up to $1,000. ing to data from the water board. Between was “referred to storm water.”

“Previously, the city’s enforcement of wa- June of last year and this February, the Write to joshuas@sdcitybeat.com.

A man popped his head out of a window from the apartment complex connected to ter use restrictions allowed for ample time city’s average water use saw a reduction the meters and added in frustration that for customers to learn about the restrictions of just 2 percent below 2013 levels, and in Go to sdcitybeat.com March, water use actually increased 4 perhe’d also reported the now month-old leak and complete corrective action,” he said. and click on “News” The mayor’s office didn’t respond by cent over the baseline. to the building’s property manager. “Glad to see a video of the The city’s drought restrictions include to see you reported it,” he called down. “I press time to questions about the leaking leaking water meters. water meters reported by Pritchard. watering only three times a week on asappreciate that, man.”

Un-tap the Rockies

6 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

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Up Front | opinion

Spin

John R. Lamb

Cycle Convention Center expansion woes The politics of surprise leads own mega-conference spaces. through the Gates of Astonishment A City Council whose hopes were set on a contiguous center into the Kingdom of Hope.

—Max Lerner expansion instead reacted last Thursday as if their favorite pony Public officials who claim to be had been sold to a glue factory in “shocked” at anything these days the dead of night. should come equipped with a Convention center officials had large grain of salt. arrived at the hearing ready to The most recent example? Last make the case for $3.9 million in week’s City Council review of next additional funding from city coffers year’s proposed budget for the San for needed repairs and upkeep for Diego Convention Center Corp. the coming fiscal year, but council had everything: intrigue, raised members instead took aim at the eyebrows and indignant pro- status of a 7-acre hunk of property nouncements of shock and horror. that separates the convention cenThe city’s months-long obses- ter from the waterfront. sion with keeping the San Diego Known as the Fifth Avenue Chargers in town may be prov- Landing, the parcel is now home to ing a distraction from San Diego’s a sizable parking lot and docking other financial worries, including facilities for fancy yachts that go by how—and whether—to proceed such names as My Way and Guru. with an expansion of a conven- As part of the recommendation tion center that now finds itself from a 2009 task force established competing with neighboring ho- by then-Mayor Jerry Sanders, the tels that are rapidly building their convention corporation agreed to

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use reserve funds to, in essence, sublease the property from its leaseholders, longtime tidelands wheeler-dealers Ray Carpenter and Art Engel.

The pair at one time envisioned building a hotel on the property, but the Coastal Commission eventually ruled that the project should be smaller, raising concerns that the project wouldn’t pencil out financially.

Annual payments of $500,000 have been made, but on May 6 a balloon payment of more than $13 million came due. But without a financing plan for the center expansion—ruled invalid last year in court—there was no money for that balloon payment.

On Thursday, council members bemoaned the decision to default on the so-called “non-recourse promissory note,” which, as described to Spin Cycle, won’t result in any effect to credit ratings or cost the city or convention center any additional funds. As one observer noted, “It’s simply a transfer of the property back to the original leaseholder.”

But hearing the council members react, one might have thought the end of the world was approaching.

“We’ve just found out we will not have a contiguous convention center, and it disturbs me greatly,” Council President Sherri Lightner

John R. Lamb

5th Avenue Landing said, “because the first we knew of this was three days before the default…I think a head’s up sooner would have been great.”

Councilmember Lorie Zapf echoed the bewilderment. “I think, like everybody, I literally just found out sitting up here about what was going on,” she said. “Anybody picked up a phone and talked to anybody? Not me.”

Rabbi Laurie Coskey, vice chairwoman of the convention center board, told the council that board chairman Steve Cushman “has worked hand in glove with the mayor’s office, so there’s been a great deal of back and forth…certainly since the first of the year.”

Zapf asked Brian Pepin, the mayor’s council affairs director, about that. “I haven’t been personally involved in those conversations,” Pepin said. “But yes, there is constant communication between the mayor’s office and parties like this. So moving forward I will try to do a better job of making sure everyone is fully in the loop.”

Spin reached out several times to Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s office for an assessment of the situation, to no avail.

Carlos Cota, business manager for Local 122 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, a key convention-center trade union, found the council bewilderment “sickening.”

“I’ve been dreading this decision [the default] for a year,” Cota told Spin. “The council has discussed it at least twice. It disgusted me.”

Chairman Cushman, in a brief interview Tuesday, agreed that communication with the council could be improved. “We do our best, but I can do a better job,” he said.

“Look,” Cushman added, “council members are well meaning.

They have a lot on their plate, including some 30-alarm fires. This just kind of flew under the radar, I guess.”

He noted that a “head’s up” letter was hand-delivered to the mayor and council offices on April 30, prior to a May 4 letter confirming the default and a

follow-up May 6 letter from Fifth Avenue Landing asking how the center board wanted to handle the lease transfer.

Spin checked with all nine council offices regarding receipt of the April 30 letter. Of the six that responded, two—David Alvarez and Mark Kersey—said they never received the letter. Two— Scott Sherman and Chris Cate— received the letter “the week of the meeting.” Zapf’s office confirmed receipt but was unsure when it arrived. Councilman Todd Gloria’s office would only say it had received the letter from another office.

Despite much media pontification, Cushman would not say a contiguous convention center expansion is officially dead. “All options are still on the table,” he said, adding a study due in August should shed light on what center customers want: contiguous or a “campus setting” across Harbor Drive.

For the much-prized ComicCon International convention, spokesperson David Glanzer said securing hotel rooms is now the bigger challenge. “The truth is, without affordable housing we could lose our attendees, which would have a dire impact on our ability to remain in San Diego for future years,” he said.

One option might be privatizing the center, which both Sherman and Kersey mentioned during last week’s hearing. Los Angeles has found success doing so, Sherman reasoned, and did it with the support of labor. Why not here?

Cushman wouldn’t rule out the possibility, but Cota had a different take: “It’s a quick fix that doesn’t fix anything. Labor is not behind privatization here.”

Center spokesperson Steven Johnson agreed: “There’s no private entity that’s going to take on the $30 million in deferred maintenance as well. Why would they?”

That, indeed, would be shocking.

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Up Front | Opinion

Aaryn Belfer

Backwards & in

high heels

Bail setting is racially imbalanced Allen Bullock had been sleeping in jail for more than a week, and not too many people seemed appropriately pissed off about it. In fact, most people I talk to about him just stand silently, blinking, blinking.

Bullock is out of custody now. For those who care—and everyone should—he is an 18-year-old kid with no prior criminal record who had been held on $500,000 bail, and faces a possible life in prison because he “attacked a Baltimore police car with an orange traffic cone.” At least, that’s how The New Republic phrased it. Bullock committed his apparently incarceration-worthy crime in response to the lynching of Freddie Gray, the young black man who made eye contact with a police officer one day and got his neck snapped as a result.

Severing a spinal cord during an (in this case unwarranted) arrest is an attack. Shattering windows on a police car is therapy.

(Oh, and hold off hitting send after you pound out an email decrying my use of the term “lynching.” I’m aware that it’s incendiary and offends white sensibilities. But it’s time for a Come To Jesus talk about the realities of Amerikkka, circa 2015.)

Well, that there was a major detour and I’m sorry I didn’t put some orange cones out to guide you. Now, back to Assata Shakur… er…I mean Allen Bullock.

Several days after he made like a Penn State broham on an angry bender after Joe Paterno’s firing, Bullock turned himself in at his parents’ urging. Like most good parents I know, they expressed deep disappointment over his actions and thought the best way forward was for their son to own what he’d done, to come forward and begin making reparations. Pun intended.

Little did they know that their son’s bail— double what some of the six cops who killed Gray enjoyed—would be far out of their economic reach, like so much else in poor communities around this country (the permanent underclass purposefully constructed and carefully maintained with the help of both institutions and the apathetic). Little did they know their son would become the poster child for what happens to rioters who destroy property.

Now, I’m a curious person, so—after reading this story but before using an orange traffic cone to bash my computer screen into the next solar system—I did a Google search to find out how much time those crazy Nittany kids are serving for flipping over a news van. You’re never going to believe what I found.

Nothing. Surprising, isn’t it?

I couldn’t find anything about anyone doing any prison time for any of the riotous events in

State College, Pennsylvania. Not only that, but I couldn’t so much as come up with the name of a person who was charged with felony vandalism for flipping a news media van during the Penn State riots. I find this intriguing, seeing as how Allen Bullock’s face and several spectacular photos of him obliterating a cop car are ubiquitous.

Anyway, I decided to dig a little deeper into the arrests, charges and convictions of other rioters around the country.

I looked for anyone facing life imprisonment for rioting following Kentucky’s loss to Wisconsin in the Final Four this past April. Same for the riots following their Final Four win in 2012. Same for the Pumpkin Festival in Keene, New Hampshire, last fall.

Through search after search of riot after riot (or “melees” as they’re often called when the “revelers” are not poor and black), I came up with no names or mug shots or trial dates or sentence lengths. I did come up with the spinning wheel of death as my computer sputtered and shrugged, followed by an error message: “Girl, you do know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results?”

Of course, I do know this.

But I also know that I’m already insane. (Partially because I’m a middle-aged woman with hormonal changes.) But mostly because of the relentless and blatant injustice that allows middleand upper-class white kids to have accountability-free melees, while relegating poor black (and brown) ones to endure severe punishment following riots.

And where is the outrage from the average citizen who claims to love democracy? Based on my Facebook feed and cocktail party banter, it seems to be reserved for dogs left in hot cars and cheating quarterbacks. But it’s crickets when it comes to Allen Bullock, and that along with everything else makes me want to take one of the orange cones in our garage and hurl it through the first available window.

For all the hopelessness I feel, for how crestfallen I’ve been while watching Baltimore these past weeks—and noting the deafening silence of too many people I call my friends on the layered and complicated underlying issues—it’s no stretch for me to imagine that it must have been damned cathartic in the moment for Bullock to bust up that cop car. But he doesn’t deserve to be sleeping in a jail cell because of it.

”

I couldn’t find anything about anyone doing any prison time for any of the riotous events in State College, Pennsylvania.

”

8 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week.

Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com.

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May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

Up Front | Food

by michael a. gardiner Michael A. Gardiner

based sauce. Kabob House’s version, made with multiple bean varieties, including garbanzos, is wonderfully crispy on the outside and particularly fluffy on the inside. It’s well seasoned, with notes of cumin, coriander, sumac, parsley and onion. The tahini sauce was elegant, with a good balance of nuttiness, acid and texture. It was also artfully drizzled on the falafel, which is served as a side or in a pita sandwich. If there was anything wrong with the falafel, it was the absence of pickled vegetables and excellent hot sauce, which generally acKabob House’s Falafel Sandwich companies the fritters in the Middle East.

Kabob House’s sliced meats—they call it “shwarma”—were not as good. The beef was overly dry, leaving far too much work for the yogurtbased tzaziki sauce to accomplish. Their “kabob” (ground meat grilled on skewers) was far better— Dishing up food porn everything you like in a grilled hamburger. One thing they do well throughout the Middle East In Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184 (1964), Supreme is grill chunks of meat. Kabob House’s Chaldean Court Justice Potter Stewart declined to define owners are no exception. The unattractively “hardcore pornography,” writing, instead: “I named chicken “chunk meat” was a particularly know it when I see it.” The same might be said of good choice, caramelized on the outside, juicy on Middle Eastern food. A good place to get to know the inside and well seasoned. it locally would be Kabob House (2479 BroadKabob House’s “Plates” are served with rice way) in Golden Hill. or couscous. Go with the rice, it’s a great dish.

Middle Eastern food is less a distinct cuisine The texture is perfect, each grain distinct and than it is a group of dishes appearing in various the broth it’s cooked in gives the rice a savory, forms over a vast swath of land stretching from mouth-filling flavor. Plates are also served with North Africa to the Russian steppes, and from two sides: falafel, of course, is an excellent choice; Turkey down through the Arabian peninsula. tabouleh (a parsley and couscous salad) and humThe names, while familiar, sometimes refer to mus are always good, but the stuffed grape leaves completely different dishes. Kebab, for example, (dolma) were slightly underseasoned. might be chunks of meat grilled on a skewer It may be difficult to define Middle Eastern (which might also be called souvlaki or shashlik). cuisine in any generally applicable way, but when Or, it could be pressed meat sliced off a vertical you see perfectly formed, perfectly fried falafel, spit and served in pita or lafa bread (which could and that crispy exterior gives way to a fluffy, saalso be called döner, gyros or shawarma). vory interior, you know you’ve found it. When it’s One dish understood through most of the rethat good, like Potter Stewart and pornography, you know it when you see it. gion, and with only one name, is falafel. It’s a dish at which Kabob House excels. Falafel is deepThe World Fare appears weekly. fried balls of ground beans (particularly garbanWrite to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com. zos or favas) served in pita or lafa with a tahini-

the world

fare

10 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

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Up Front | food

by jenny bymontgomery Ron Donoho jenny montgomery

comes to limiting and eliminating things that can make eating so delightful.

The cafe seeks to be a culinary refuge for those who struggle with food allergies, providing breakfast, lunch and now dinner, as well as custom cakes and baked goods. But it’s clear their kitchen isn’t just churning out food that is “good enough” for people who are used to accepting less than the full eating experience. They’re committed to serving delicious and healthful food that can be enjoyed by everyone, without anyone feeling like dishes are lacking.

Everything is baked in-house, and you can even buy loaves of 2GOOD2BE’s Chicken Pot Pie their gluten-free bread to take home. The basil pesto chicken sandwich was summery and tangy, with tons of garlicky pesto.

I ordered this hearty sammie on the 7-seed bread and was wowed at how toothsome and tasty the bread was. The only thing I have found to be problematic with some gluten-free bread (and Delicious allergy-free foods this one was no exception) is that they don’t seem to travel well. I got my sandwich to go, and by the time I was ready to dig in, the pesto-coated layer We live in an age of severe allergies. Has it always of bread was breaking down. The flavors were been this way, and we’re just now able to connect all there, though, so just eat your sandwiches in with each other and identify the causes of previhouse for the best experience. ously mysterious ailments? Or, has something I loved the chicken pot pie, with an impreschanged about how and what we eat that has sively flaky top crust and a creamy filling, with led to an increase in people suffering from food? tender shreds of chicken and a ton of fragrant, Whatever the reason, there is a huge market for fresh herbs. Each entrée comes with some pretdelicious food that’s free from some of the more ty great sides, including roasted root veggies, a common allergens: gluten, corn and soy. mildly spicy rice-and-pork dish and thick slabs Diana Benedek, founder of 2GOOD2BE Bakery of cheesy bread pudding. The only miss I expe& Café in Encinitas suffered from myriad debilirienced was the basic cheese flatbread, which retating health problems—from fibromyalgia to miminded me of a school cafeteria. graines—until she started to change her diet and The bakery case is not to be missed, with a learned, through genetic testing, that she suffered dense and fudgy brownie, sweet and savory muffrom non-celiac gluten sensitivity, as well as an alfins and scones, and a colorful array of cupcakes, lergy to corn. Thus, 2GOOD2BE was born. including many that are dairy-free.

I have no allergies, and can only imagine the Even those of us who don’t have to navigate frustration and anxiety that comes with navigatthe minefield of food allergies would do well to seek out 2GOOD2BE for delicious choices. ing what most of us take for granted: eating. To have one of our most basic needs and pleasurNorth Fork appears every other week. able experiences turned into a mine field must Write to jennym@sdcitybeat.com. be incredibly frustrating, particularly when it

north

fork

#SDCityBeat

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

Up Front | Food

by Ron Donoho Ron Donoho

Breakfast is served all day. The winner from the morning menu selections is the downtown hash brown. For $6.95, it’s loaded. The bun, from Bread & Cie, is baked.

Yes, it’s got a hash brown in it. There’s also smoked ham, sugar-glazed bacon, Parmesan cheese, tomato (which I decline) and spicy mustard aioli.

Oh yeah, and a fried egg.

I’d say 40 percent of my loyalty card hole punches came during morning encounters with this hefty dish.

For my free sandwich, I came in for lunch and ordered the muy bueno The District’s “El Cubano” El Cubano. Inside a ciabatta bun, there’s roasted pulled pork, smoked mozzarella, spinach, cilantro, tomato (but not for me) and pickled red onions. It’s these colorful onions that put some pop into the El Cubano. I’ve had more than a couple of these. The pork can be a little dry, though, and once I added the house-made spicy mustard aioli, Sandwich loyalty at The District to positive effect.

Either one of the cold/hot fish sandwiches are worth trying for lunch. The sweet albacore It was time to start over at The District. My is griddled white bread in a tuna-salad style; the customer loyalty card finally had 10 holes seared ahi comes on a bun with ahi that’s blackpunched in it. It’d been in my money clip for ened and seared, and complemented with those months. Now I could turn that frayed piece of pickled red onions and a lemon thyme aioli. laminated paper in for a free sandwich. There’s something about gratis grub that tastes better The District is a local endeavor. Four friends than paid-for foodstuffs. own the spot, and the owner/manager who’s Eating 10 times at The District (1021 Market most visible is Trong Nguyen-Dinh. He takes Street, thedistrictsd.com) was worth the time orders, serves dishes from the kitchen and and energy. The sandwiches are distinctive, yet will offer a friendly smile if you can slow him none cost more than $10, and some are in the down from the frenetic pace at which he oper$5-$6 range. They serve lunch and breakfast, ates. Around the corner, Nguyen has partially and staff recently started getting up earlier to opened (dinner and special-events only) a sushi open the doors at 7 a.m. on weekdays. spot called The Parlour (550 Park Boulevard).

It’s easy to miss the storefront here. It’s across The District, though, has a loyal customer in the street from Grocery Outlet and nearly kittyme. And only nine more hole punches ’til the next freebie. corner from East Village Tavern + Bowl. There’s nothing flashy in The District’s windows, but Urban Eats appears every other week. there are attention-grabbing picnic tables that Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com. get put out on the Market Street sidewalk.

Urban

Eats

12 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | books

The floating

library

by jim ruland

A trio of debut novels with SoCal connections Oceanside author Andrew Roe has written woman with a fluid hold on reality who never what could be called a pre-apocalyptic novel let go of her dreams of being a Hollywood starlet set in the heady days leading up to Y2K, when and projects them onto her overtaxed daughter. doomsday cults were predicting Oh! You Pretty Things is also the end of the world as we knew it. about class, but you’d be hard The Miracle Girl is set in El Porpressed to find a class struggle tal, a fictional suburb of souththis entertaining. When the stoeast Los Angeles. It’s a hard-tory prepares you for a Hollywood find neighborhood where it’s inending, the long-suffering, acidstantly clear whether you belong tongued narrator (“If I were a there or not, but as the name cutter, I’d have crop circles on suggests, it just might take you my thighs”) brings the funny. where you need to go. *** After a violent traffic accident, Everything I Never Told You is Annabelle Vincent has fallen into the devastating story of a young The Miracle Girl girl growing up during the 1970s a coma-like state. The story follows the aftermath of this acciin a small town in Ohio. The novel dent that has also wrecked the opens with the mysterious death marriage of Annabelle’s parents, of Lydia, the middle child in a famKaren and John. But when visitors ily of five, who drowns in a lake. to Annabelle’s bedside start reCeleste Ng’s novel moves porting strange and unexplainable back and forth (but mostly back) phenomena, people from all over in time to explore the aftermath the country hang their hopes and of this tragedy and how it came fears on this helpless little girl. to pass.

“These things can be explained: “Upstairs, Marilyn opens her the weeping icons, the bleeding daughter’s door and sees the bed statues, the healing of disease, the unslept in: neat hospital corners aberrations of sun and sky and still pleated beneath the comfortlight, the apparitions of Jesus and er, pillow still fluffed and convex.

Mary and Springsteen. Because Nothing seems out of place. Musthe answers are there. It’s only a tard-colored corduroys tangled on matter of knowing how to look, the floor, a single rainbow-striped how to see beyond the glow and Oh! You Pretty Things sock. A row of science fair ribbons the primitive need to believe. But on the wall, a postcard of Einstein. wanting to believe doesn’t make it Lydia’s duffel bag crumpled on the true. Truth is what makes it true.” floor of the closet. Lydia’s green While the novel features a cast bookbag slouched against her of lovable losers and fortune’s desk. Lydia’s bottle of Baby Soft fools right out of a Nathanael atop the dresser, a sweet, powWest novel, Roe’s takes on hope, dery, loved-baby scent still in the faith, and our willingness to beair. But no Lydia.” lieve makes The Miracle Girl a The mystery slowly unfolds memorable debut. in the weeks after Lydia’s death *** and in the survivors’ memories Oh! You Pretty Things by San of her last days. As a result, over Diego author Shanna Mahin half the book is rendered in flashfollows the adventures of Jess back. The book is also somewhat Dunne, a woman who has aged daring in its of multiple points out of the barista racket and of view as the perspective shifts finds herself starting a new cafrom character to character, not reer as a personal assistant to Everything I Never Told You only from chapter to chapter Los Angeles celebrities. but from within them as well. In Mahin deploys her superior powers of snark a less skilled novelist’s hands, this would feel on this sendup of our culture’s obsession with ceclumsy and disorienting but Ng acquits herself lebrity, but it’s also a surprisingly serious ruminaadmirably. tion on the perils of female friendship—especially If you’re looking for a heart-wrenching read when the friend in question is famous. about the dynamics of a dysfunctional family, “But being in Megan’s orbit makes my own Everything I Never Told You is for you. Celeste star shine a little brighter. When she’s gone, it’s Ng isn’t a Californian but she will be at Warwick’s in La Jolla on May 14. like an eclipse, the dark side of the moon. Am I still shining if nobody sees?”

Write to jimr@sdcitybeat.com.

The story is complicated by Jess’ mother, a

#SDCityBeat

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

Three you have to see

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

YARO JANE PHOTOGRAPHY

remember the latter as the chorus that backed up the actors during the La Jolla Playhouse’s production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. And just like Malashock, SACRA aren’t afraid to mess with the idea of what’s expected of a professional chorus (see their cover of Prince’s “Purple Rain”).

“It’s an incredibly eclectic score, because I have incredibly eclectic influences and John really appreciates that,” says SACRA creator and choir director Krishan Oberoi. “It’s a piece that moves very quickly through many different music and dance styles. John’s ability to take all the different elements I’ve thrown at him and Snakeskin shape it into a very compelling, coherent story has been very cool to see.”

The story, told through singing, instrumental Let’s face it: Modern dance isn’t for ev- music and Malashock’s choreography, is based on eryone. However, if there’s one dance the plays and characters of legendary playwright company in the local scene that’s managed to bridge Tennessee Williams, and centers around a small, the gap between cerebral and accessible, while also Southern town dealing with issues like bigotry, infimaintaining a reputation for exquisite choreog- delity and classism. Oberoi also recruited an eightraphy, it’s John Malashock. The artistic director member chorus who could double as musicians, so of Malashock Dance isn’t afraid to take chances viewers can expect some surprising musical intereither. Need proof? Check out Snakeskin, which ludes within the performance. makes its world premiere on Friday, May 15, for Performances are at 7:30 p.m. throughout the three performances at the La Jolla Playhouse’s Fo- weekend and tickets range from $15 to $45. There rum Theatre (2910 La Jolla Village Dr.). Described is also the option of a “backstage pass” ticket for as an “evening-length dance drama,” the show is a Saturday’s performance that includes admission collaboration between Malashock, the UC San Di- to a post-show meet-and-greet with the perego Department of Theater & Dance and local cho- formers, complete with beer, wine and bubbly. ral group SACRA/PROFANA. Culture vultures may malashockdance.org

1

2

SKIN DEEP

PEDAL REVOLUTION

3

PAINT THE TOWN

Unlike many SoCal cities, San Diego hasn’t completely succumbed to the automotive shackles. City leaders want to expand freeways while bike lanes take a back seat. Keep this in mind on Friday, May 15 as folks celebrate Bike to Work Day 2015. For those commuting on two wheels, more than 100 pit stops will be available throughout the city between 6 and 9 a.m., including San Diego Zoo’s pit (2920 Zoo Dr.) and UC San Diego’s pit at Warren Athletic Field at Gilman and Voigt Dr. For a complete list of pits, visit icommutesd.com.

Also, look for other bike-related events throughout the month, including a screening of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19 at the Pacific Beach Taylor Library (4275 Cass St.) and the Bike Month Bash from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 30 at the Lafayette Hotel (2223 El Cajon Blvd).

If they held a festival on the street where you worked, wouldn’t you go?

The 19th annual North Park Festival of Arts happens right outside the CityBeat offices, and sure, we welcome the masses to our ’hood. This arty party is centered at the intersection of University Ave. and 30th Street, and happens on Saturday, May 16, running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Of course there’ll be a wide variety of art on display and for sale, including a Live Art Expo. Bring your own skate deck, or favorite inanimate object, and try to get a participating artist to customize it. A Kids Art Block, music and dance performances, food trucks and a beer garden will surely only enhance the experience. Bonus: The festival is free and donations benefit the nonprofit North Park Main Street organization. northparkfestivalofarts.com

JOEL FLOOD

ANNA GAMBOA

Garden Party at O’Dunn Fine Art, 8325 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. Enjoy artistic renderings of Balboa Park from four painters and chat with some of the premier authors of the region’s history. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 14. Free. 619-3378342, odunnfineart.com HArtOASIS Showcase at MCASD, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Celebrate the work of more than 75 active duty military members who engage in a series of weekly art classes and visits to MCASD to produce original works of art as a means to heal from the emotional wounds of PTSD. At 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 14. 858-4543541, mcasd.org HCreative Block at SILO in Makers Quarter, 753 15th St., East Village. Postponed from last week because of rain, a group art show set outdoors that combines traditional white gallery walls with large public murals and installations.

Artists include Exist 1981, Carly Ealey, Christopher Konecki and more. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 15. Free. 619702-5655, cohortcollective.com Penthouse at Low Gallery, 1878 Main St., Barrio Logan. Artists Reno Prezio and Cody Huff show off new work of glamorous fantasy inspired by the sizzling ‘70s.

Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 15. Free. 619-348-5517, lowgallerysd.com Polymer Clay: On the Creative Edge at Spanish Village Art Center, 1770 Village Pl., Balboa Park. A unique display of polymer clay in its most innovative forms by world-renowned masters and local artists chosen by jury. Opening from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 15. Free. 619-7028006, spanishvillageart.com TEN: Tattoo Artist Art Show at Planet Rooth Design Haus, 3334 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. A showcase of over 70 local tattoo artists’ original creations using multiple mediums to create their art. Artists include Terry Ribera (Remington Tattoo), Sierra Colt (Bearcat Tattoo Gallery) and more.

Opening from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Free. 619-297-9663, sd-too.com HWe are where we are not at Disclosed unLocation, 1925 30th Ave., San Diego, South Park. A new body of work from artist Kim Garcia comprising sculpture, installation and video that manifest a compilation of interactions that occur in between the boundaries of physical and digital spaces. Opening from 7 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 16. Free. 619-578-9097, unlocation.com Art Academy of San Diego Faculty Art Show at Art Academy of San Diego, 3784 30th St., North Park. An evening of art pieces from Art Academy instructors.

Potluck-style hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be served. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 16. Free. 619-231-3900, artacademyofsandiego.com HSavoir Faire: What It is and How to Get It at Quint Contemporary Art, 7547 Girard Ave., La Jolla. A new solo exhibition of new works by Jean Lowe that resemble books and are painted directly onto aluminum sheets. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Free. 858-4543409, quintgallery.com Latin American Prints and Drawings at Meyer Fine Art, Inc., 2400 Kettner Blvd., Ste. 104, Little Italy. A showcase of prints and sketches from established artists such as Matta, Lam, Flores and more. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Free.

619-358-9512, meyerfineartinc.com Drawn to Light at Joseph Bellows Gallery, 7661 Girard Ave., La Jolla. This group exhibition will feature seascape photographs by Anthony Friedkin, Steve Kahn’s Corridor series, and architectural images by Grant Mudford. Open-

Bike to Work Day pit stop at Snooze in Hillcrest

14 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

North Park Festival of Arts

ing from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 16.

Free. 858-456-5620, josephbellows.com Above Ground at R.B. Stevenson Gallery, 7661 Girard Ave., Ste. 201, La Jolla.

A group show from painters Robert D. Cocke, Jeanne Dunn, Anthony Hernandez, Frances McCormack, Astrid Preston and Peter Stephens. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Free. 858-4593917, rbstevensongallery.com Urban Horses at Madison Gallery, 1020 Prospect St., La Jolla. New works from Colorado-based artist Doug Owens, who makes horse sculptures out of repurposed steel. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 16. Free. 858-459-0836, madisongalleries.com Young Art Student Tours at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. A tour led by students whose artwork is featured in Young Art 2015: Visualizing Music. An opportunity to meet young artists and learn what it is like to participate in this exhibition. At 3 p.m. Sunday, May 17. Free-$12. 619-232-7931, sdmart. org Dusk to Dawn and Beyond at Front Porch Gallery, 2903 Carlsbad Blvd., Carlsbad. An exhibit using a variety of media that explores the eternal and intertwining themes of darkness and light. Opening from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 17.

Free. 760-795-6120, frontporchgallery.org Playful Interactions at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 West Broadway, Downtown.

An exhibition from three San Diego artists who use interactivity as a way to engage visitors. Curated by Chantel Paul, the exhibition features regional artists Dave Ghilarducci, Rizzhel Javier, and Margaret Noble. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, May 18. Free. downtowngallery.sdsu.edu HROUND but SQUARE: Undergraduate Exhibition 2015 at UCSD Art Gallery, Mandeville Center, La Jolla. This exhibit serves to highlight the most ambitious works by emerging artists of UCSD’s undergraduate community. Features work from Erina Alejo, Joshua Macapagal, Negar Nekouee and more. Opening from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 19. Free. ucsdundergraduateart.tumblr.com

BOOKS Tan Lin and MariNaomi at UCSD SME Presentation Lab, Voigt Drive and Matthews Lane, La Jolla. Tan Lin is the author of over ten books, most recently of Heath Course Pak, while MariNaomi is the author and illustrator of the award-winning graphic memoir Kiss & Tell: A Romantic Resume. Part of UCSD’s New Writing Series. From 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 13. Free. literature.ucsd.edu Neal Griffin at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The commander of the Criminal Investigations Division of Escondido will sign and discuss his debut thriller, Benefit of the Doubt. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com HDrew Andrews and Ryan Bradford at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. Drew Andrews (Bit Maps, The Album Leaf) and Ryan Bradford (San Diego CityBeat) will read from and sign their novels,The Shepherd’s Journals and Horror Business. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 13. Free. 619-284-6784, facebook.com/ events/1586133441668675/ Ona Russel at Del Mar Library, 1309 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. The Solana Beach author talks about her latest book, Rule of Capture, her third Sarah Kaufman historical mystery novel, which takes place in 1928 Los Angeles. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13.

Free. sdcl.org

H = CityBeat picks

#SDCityBeat

FASHION Flaunt It Fashion Series: Alexandra Marie at W Hotel, 421 West B St., Downtown. Fashion Week San Diego designer, Alexandra Marie, shows off her womenswear collection at an exclusive runway show. From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 14.

Free. 858-270-9466, fashionweeksd.com

FOOD & DRINK Flavors in Harmony: Pairing Beer and Food at San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park. Try specially paired craft beer and food tastings and discover how certain food and beer flavors complement each other so well. From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 14. $20-$30. 619-239-2001, museumofman.org

Joto Brewers Sake and Sushi Tasting Dinner at Saiko Sake & Sushi Bar, 2884 University Ave., North Park. Enjoy some of Japan’s finest sake while enjoying Executive Chef Anthony Pascal’s five-course menu. Sake specialist Evan Bennett will provide an introductory tutorial on the basics of sake. At 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 14. $70. 619-677-3907, brownpapertickets.com/event/1470948 Culinary Fusion Festival at Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park. The Jacobs Center and Operation Samahan presents an Asian food festival focused on healthy options. There will be live music and dance by the San Diego Asian and Pacific Islander Community Health Network. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Free.

619-477-4451, jacobspresents.com

HBrew Rendezvous at SILO in Makers Quarter, 753 15th St., East Village. The third annual food, farm and craft beer paring event celebrates the unique role of craft brewers, local growers and restaurateurs in cultivating community and health.

From 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $25$55. 858-609-7966, sdchip.org/brew Spring Pig Roast at SummerSalt Rooftop Pool & Lounge, 1047 5th Ave., 4th Floor, San Diego, Downtown. Saltbox Chef Jeremiah Bryant prepares a whole roasted pig served with Saltbox’s signature barbecue sauce. Includes traditional sides. From 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $20. 619-515-3003, pigroastsd.bpt.me SDCVA Wine & Food Festival at Bernardo Winery, 13330 Paseo del Verano N., Rancho Bernardo. The annual fest will feature 21 San Diego County wineries,

“Adult Paranormal Finances” by Jean Lowe is on view in Savoir Faire: What It Is and How To Get It a solo show opening from 6 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 16, at Quint Gallery (7547 Girard Ave., La Jolla).

HCeleste Ng at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The author will sign and discuss her debut novel, Everything I Never Told You, about a mixed-race family dealing with a mysterious tragedy in 1970s rural Ohio. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks. indiebound.com Robert Riley at San Diego Automotive Museum, 2080 Pan American Plaza, Balboa Park. The local writer will sign and discuss his new book about his hometown, Detroit... Why the Circus Left Town, which attempts to demystify the U.S. industry’s failure to thrive. At 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 14. Free. 619-231-2886, sdautomuseum.org Diane Vallere at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The mystery author will sign and discuss her latest Madison Night novel, With Vics You Get Eggroll. At 2 p.m.

Sunday, May 17. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Sue Monk Kidd at Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St, La Jolla. The author of The Secret Life of Bees will sign and discuss her latest bestseller, The Invention of Wings, about two women both affected by slavery in 19th Century South Carolina. Price includes copy of book. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19. $18.36. 858-454-3541, warwicks. indiebound.com Scott McEwen at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The co-author of American Sniper will present the latest installment of the fictional Sniper Elite series, The Sniper and the Wolf. At 7 p.m.

#SDCityBeat

Wednesday, May 20. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.indiebound.com Lyndsay Faye at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling author will sign and discuss the final Timothy Wilde mystery, The Fatal Flame. At 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com

DANCE Dance Break 2015 at MiraCosta College, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside. MiraCosta College’s Dance Program presents a concert featuring choreography by students and faculty featuring ballet, jazz, modern and tap. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14 through Saturday, May 16, and at 2 p.m.

Sunday, May 17. $10-$15. 760-435-3065, miracosta.edu HSnakeskin at La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla.

Malashock Dance and choral group SACRA/PROFANA team up for an eveninglength dance drama told through live folk-rock song, instrumental music and modern dance. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 15, Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17. $15-$45. 619-260-1622, malashockdance.org more UNICORN at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. Directed by Leslie Seiters, a dance performance created and performed by Anya Cloud, Eric Geiger, Jess Humphrey, and Leslie Seiters centered around the belief that magic is inevitable. At 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. $10. 619-269-7230, sdspace4art.org

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

many of them national and international award winners, along with educational winemaking and food demonstrations, silent auction and live music. From 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $50-$65. 858-4871866, sandiegowineries.org Coast of Pacific Beach Restaurant Walk at 1100 Garnet Ave. The annual foodie event offers a variety of food samples from 27 local restaurants as well as special deals from retailers as you stroll past the shops. From 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 19. $20-$25. 858-273-3303, coastofpb.bpt.me A Beer Dinner of Epic Proportions A five-course dinner featuring the cuisine of local chef Keith Lord (The Wild Thyme Company) and paired with 32 North beer selections. The location will be announced the day before the event. From 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 19. $70-$80.

832-465-4240, dinnerlab.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS HBike to Work Day Join thousands of bike riders throughout the region to bike to work and stop by one of an estimated 100 pit stop locations to pick up t-shirts, snacks and encouragement. From 6 to 9 a.m. Friday, May 15. Free. icommutesd.com

MUSIC International Rhythm & Blues Review at Brooks Theater, 217 North Coast Hwy., Oceanside. An all-star lineup of rhythm and blues acts including The Rhythm Scratchers, Carl Sonny Leyland, Igor Prado and more. At 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 13. $20. 760-4338900, oceansidetheatre.org HClaire Chase at James S. Copley Audi-

torium, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Flute instrumentalist and performance artist Claire Chase will perform part of her centennial homage to Edgard Varèse’s pathbreaking 1936 flute solo, “Density 21.5.”

At 7 p.m. Thursday, May 14. $17-$20.

619-232-7931, sdmart.org A Spanish Rhapsody at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Conductor Jahja Ling and young violinist Ray Chen perform a concert featuring the works of Spanish composers Emmanuel Chabrier, Edouard Lalo, Manuel de Falla and Maurice Ravel. At 8 p.m. Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16, and 2 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $20-$96. 619-2350804, sandiegosymphony.com Bamboo at Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, 404 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park. Philippines top recording artist and Philippines The Voice coach performs songs from his debut album, No Water, No Moon. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 15. $55-$95. 619-527-6161, brownpapertickets.com/event/1470546 Neil Diamond at Valley View Casino Center, 3500 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. “Cherry, Cherry,” “Sweet Caroline,” “Hello Again”… The man is timeless. At 7 p.m. Friday, May 15. $39.50-$150. axs.com/events/254631/ neil-diamond-tickets Boz Scaggs at Pechanga Casino & Resort, 45000 Pechanga Pkwy, Temecula.

The man behind easy-listening hits like “It’s Over,” “Lowdown,” “What Can I Say” and “Lido Shuffle” rolls into town. At 8 p.m. Friday, May 15. $55-$85. 951-6931819, pechanga.com Sheryl Staples, Cynthia Phelps and Carter Brey The three members of the New York Philharmonic will perform a program with pianist Shai Wosner that includes Mozart and Dvorak. The Saturday concert will be at The Auditorium at

16 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

TSRI. The Sunday shows will be at St. Elizabeth Seton Church in Carlsbad and the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club in Rancho Santa Fe. At 6 p.m. Saturday, May 16 and 2 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $55-$70. 619-239-0100, mainlymozart.org Jean Will Strings Spring Concert at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. A concert showcasing young musical talents featuring several classical and traditional pieces. At 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Free.

(800) 988-4253, artcenter.org Pacificaires and Cedar Center Chorus at College Avenue Baptist Church, 4747 College Ave., College Area. Worldclass community choir of older adults, with 40 years of experience, which features soloists, ensembles and a sevenpiece orchestra. From 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 16. Free. 858-272-1287, facebook.com/pacificaires Arturo Sandoval and Poncho Sanchez at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The La Jolla Music Society closes its 46th Season and Jazz Series with the two legendary Latin Jazz performers. At 8 p.m. Saturday, May 16. $27-$77. 619-570-1100, ljms.org Sandy Cash with Jen Hajj at San Dieguito Methodist Church, 650 Second Street, Encinitas. San Diego Folk Heritage will host Israeli songstress Sandy Cash and Idyllwild resident Jen Hajj for an evening of songs and stories. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 16. $15-$18. sdfolkheritage.org The Center Children Chorus at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The chorus presents a “Songs of America” program celebrating the music that unites us. At 3 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $15-$18. 800-9884253, artcenter.org HSan Diego Women’s Chorus at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Down-

town. Frenchie Davis will join the SDWC for an exclusive concert entitled, “Broadway, Our Way” benefiting the Lesbian Health Initiative of the San Diego Human Dignity Foundation. At 7 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $19.90-$74.10. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org

after being cyber bullied combined with uplifting songs of hope. At 3 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $20. 858-459-3421, sdgmc.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD

WEDS@7: KaiBorg and Kronomorfic at Conrad Prebys Music Center, UCSD campus, La Jolla. David Borgo of the UCSD Department of Music Faculty performs with two of his brass ensembles, KaiBorg and Kronomorfic. At 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20. $10.50-$15.50.

858-534-3448, music.ucsd.edu/concerts

Frontera Piel/Border Skin at Southwestern College, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista. A bilingual poetry reading and discussion, with contributing editors, poets and translators from the San Diego Poetry Annual. At 1 p.m. Thursday, May 14. Free.

619-421-6700, sandiegopoetryannual.com

Celtic Woman at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown.

The multi-platinum, all-female music ensemble performs their takes on traditional Irish standards, classical favorites and contemporary pop songs. At 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20. $51-$82. sandiegotheatres.org

HLong Story Short: Creepy Crawlies at Evolution Fast Food, 2965 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Come tell your stories of things that make your skin crawl at So Say We All’s improv storytelling night. Anything from creepers lurking in the shadows to that one time you got worms on vacation. From 7 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 16. $5 suggested donation.

619-284-6784, sosayweallonline.com

JJ Grey & Mofro and Beth Hart at Birch Aquarium, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. Part of the Green Flash Concert Series, enjoy live music, drinks and snacks while taking in the sites of the Birch Aquarium. From 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20. $34.95-$38.95.

858-534-FISH, aquarium.ucsd.edu

PERFORMANCE Quest, Daring and Growth at 10th Avenue Arts Center, 930 10th Ave., East Village. A shadow puppetry and intergenerational dance show that tells stories about our common humanity. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 15. $10-$15. 619-9208503, danzaimpulseyarte.com Tyler’s Suite & A Celebration of Life at St. James by-the-Sea, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla. The acclaimed musical retelling of the life and tragic loss of Tyler Clementi

POLITICS & COMMUNITY 15 Now Public Meeting at Ansir Innovation Center, 4685 Convoy St. Suite 210, Kearny Mesa. 15 Now San Diego is holding a free public meeting to talk about the success of 15 Now to raise the minimum wage in Seattle and lead a discussion on how to win in San Diego. From 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 14. Free. 800-795-5080, facebook.com/ events/1614689532104451/

SPECIAL EVENTS Bike From Work Day Party at The Wine Pub, 2907 Shelter Island Dr., Shelter Is-

#SDCityBeat

EVENTS

THEATER

KEN JACQUES

Jeffrey Scott Parsons (top) and Eric Hellmers in “Cabaret.”

Cabaret pulls no punches

German Jewish suitor Herr Schultz, Susan E.V. Boland and David Allen Jones strike the production’s most tender chords. At the Welk, their future and the forces that prove obstacles to it elicit more compassion than the young couple’s plight.

When fate, stamped with a swastika, takes a hand in the play’s powerful second act, everyone in the cast rises to the occasion, especially Espinosa with her ironic rendering of the line, “Life is a cabaret, old chum.” It sure as hell wasn’t a cabaret back then. Far from it.

Cabaret runs through July 26 at the Welk Resort Theatre in Escondido. $48.

Welkresorts.com

If you’ve never experienced Cabaret in person—in other words, your only reference point is the 1972 movie—then you really haven’t experienced Cabaret at all.

Entertaining as the film is, it departed substantially from the original theatrical book

by Christopher Isherwood. The splendid songs of John Kander and Fred Ebb survived, like “Maybe This Time,” “Money” and the show’s iconic title tune. But the darkness of the story, the rise of the Nazis in pre-World War II Berlin, took a back seat in the film to the showmanship of Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey.

The Welk Resort Theatre in Escon—David L. Coddon dido, which is staging Cabaret through July 26, makes sure audiences are aware Theater reviews run weekly. of the difference before the curtain goes Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com. up. A note from director Joshua Carr in the program reminds patrons that what they’re about to see is not, in the words of OPENING Hal Prince (director of the original Broad- The Whale: The San Diego premiere of the offway production) the “soft-centered” ver- Broadway hit about a 600-pound recluse despersion. It was apparent from uncertain ap- ately trying to reconnect with his daughter before eats himself to death. Opens in previews May 14 plause and occasional gasps on opening he at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. cygnettheatre.com night that quite a few in the crowd knew Last Chance Romance: Sam Bobrick’s comical Cabaret only from the movie, which was romp about a thirty-something woman desperate directed by Bob Fosse. to get married at any cost. Opens May 15 at LampIn this production, Carr and his un- lighters Community Theatre in La Mesa. flagging cast do right by Cabaret the way Grounded: Actress Heather Ramey stars in this it was meant to be, dancing and clowning one-woman show about a promising fighter pilot when appropriate but not prettifying the who is forced to remotely fly drones after becoming pregnant. There will be only one performance story’s ugliness. Ashlee Espinosa and Eric on May 17 at the Lyceum Space at San Diego REP Hellmers are solid as Kit Kat Klub singer in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org Sally Bowles and the American writer she Savage in Limbo: A staged reading of John Patfalls for (and vice versa), though they lack rick Shanley’s comical play about a pack of losers chemistry as a pair. The relationship never whose only respite is hanging out together at a feels that serious. In the scene-stealing shabby Bronx bar. Presented by the Intrepid Theatre Company, it happens May 18 at the Encinitas role of the Emcee, Jeffrey Scott Parsons Library. intrepidtheatre.org flirts with going over the top in both German accent and mannerisms, but his is For full listings, a role where over-the-top is almost explease visit “T heater ” pected. In the secondary roles of boarding at sdcit ybeat.com house owner Fraulein Schneider and her

#SDCityBeat

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

land. Thousands of people will bike to work on May 15, but stop by The Wine Pub on the way home for food, wine and an extended happy hour to celebrate completing a full day of commuting by bike. From 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, May 15.

Free. 301-395-4145, thewinepubsd.com Endangered Species Day The 10th annual national day includes special presentations at places like the San Diego Botanic Garden, San Elijo Lagoon, the Living Coast Discovery Museum and more. See website for full schedule of events and prices. Various times. Friday, May 15. 508748-0816, endangeredspeciesday.org Very Cherry Grand Opening and Art Show at Very Cherry Gallery and Garments, 8257 El Paso St., La Mesa. The boutique specializing in women’s vintage clothing, accessories and rare designer pieces opens its doors. There will also be new works from local artist David Smith.

From 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 15. Free.

206-769-4387, theverycherrystore.com HArt After Dark: Modern Madonnas at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. The one-nightonly thematic art event features a variety of music, live and interactive art and performances, as well as wine and beer tastings. Regional artists will showcase modern interpretations of the Madonna.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 15. $20.

760-435-3720, oma-online.org HNorth Park Festival of the Arts The 19th annual festival features dozens of artists, vendor booths, live music and a craft beer block. On University Avenue between 30th and 32nd Street. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Free.

760-435-3720, northparkmainstreet.com Pet Day on the Bay at Hornblower Cruises, 1066 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. Bring a donation of gently used towels or blankets for the Helen Wood-

ward Animal Center’s orphaned animals and Hornblower will donate those, plus a portion of the ticket sales. At 9:30 a.m.

Saturday, May 16. $24. 619-686-8715, hornblower.com

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 16 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $10.

858-755-1161, boardroomshow.com

Walk to End Lupus Now at NTC Park at Liberty Station, 2455 Cushing Road, Point Loma. Join others at this annual walk to raise money for lupus research and education programs. From 8 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16. Free.

202-346-1155, lupus.donorpages.com/ SanDiegoWalk2015/

CineCucina at L’Auberge Del Mar Resort & Spa, 1540 Camino del Mar, Del Mar. Enjoy dinner action stations, traypassed hors d’oeuvres, dessert and coffee served by KITCHEN 1540 and a screening of the Italian film, Without Makeup, in the outdoor amphitheater.

From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 16. $90. 858-259-1515, delmarmainstreet. com/cinecucina-dinner/

America On Main Street at Downtown El Cajon, El Cajon. The annual street fair features international food, rides, information, entertainment and a performance from Klezmer band, Honorable Menschen. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 16. Free. 619-441-1762, americaonmainstreet.org

Mini Golf for A Good Cause at Pellys Mini Golf, 15555 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Join Special Needs Playdate to play a round of putt-putt and raise funds to support local Special Needs families.

From 8 to 11 a.m. Sunday, May 17. $15 donation. 858-481-0363, facebook.com/ events/468127583350325/

Generations on the Move Scholarship Walk-A-Thon at Lake Murray, 5540 Kiowa Drive, La Mesa. Join others at this fourth annual walk to raise money for well deserving, low income students at Barrio Logan College Institute and MACC Community Charter School. At 7:30 a.m.

Saturday, May 16. $25. 619-232-4686, generationsonthemove.org

Navy’s Bay Bridge Run/Walk at Downtown San Diego, North Harbor Dr., Downtown. This unique 4-mile run/walk over the Coronado Bay Bridge raises funds for the Navy’s Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs. Start line is at One Park Blvd. at Harbor Dr. At 8:30 a.m. Sunday, May 17. $23-$46. navylifesw.com/bridgerun

House Of Norway Fete at Balboa Park.

The annual fest includes authentic music and performances, as well as the The Seaman’s Norwegian Store selling Norwegian cheese, porridge, soups, candy, pickled fish, sauces, crackers, bread, souvenirs and more. At 2 p.m. Saturday, May 16. Free. houseofnorway.org Boardroom Surfboard Show at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. A surf industry gathering showcasing state-of-the-art surfboards, fins, wetsuits, and other hard goods. Featuring exhibits, live shaping, craftsmanship, technology and surf culture. From

18 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

SPORTS Ramona Rodeo at Ramona Outdoor Community Center, 421 Aqua Lane, Ramona. One of the country’s top pro rodeos, events include barrel racing, tiedown roping, bull riding and more. From Thursday, May 14 to Sunday, May 17.

Various times. Thursday, May 14. $2$50. 760-788-0811, ramonarodeo.org Pedal to the Park at Petco Park, Park & Imperial, Downtown. Choose from route offerings or build-your-own route to Petco Park, where your bike will be guarded in

the Padres Bike Pavilion while you are at the game. Reserved game seat included.

At 1 p.m. Sunday, May 17. $15-$23. 619507-9834, pedaltothepark.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Design @ Large Lecture Series: Driver at UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Professor and Chair of the Visual Arts Department Jordan Crandall leads a discussion on automation with Jim Hollan and Ed Hutchins. In CSE 1202. From 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 13. Free.

858-534-2230, designlab.ucsd.edu Stories Mona Lisa Could Tell: Fascinating Tales of the Lives of Famous Artworks at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The first of a four-part lecture series by art history lecturer James Grebl, Ph.D. exploring an intriguing array of art history tales. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 14. $19. 858-4545872, ljathenaeum.org Lecture: Lalla Essaydi at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 334 14th St., Del Mar. Marika Sardar, Ph.D., Associate Curator of Southern Asian and Islamic Art, will speak about Lalla Essayd’s photographs of women covered in Arabic writing. At 9:30 a.m. Monday, May 18. Free-$5.

619-232-7931, sdmart.org Queer Latinidad Performance and Dance at UCSD SME Presentation Lab, Voigt Drive and Matthews Lane, La Jolla. Ramón Rivera-Servera and Joel Valentín-Martinez of Northwestern University will speak on the negotiation of border cultures, migration, and latinidad identity through performance theory and dance practice. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 19. Free. visarts.ucsd.edu

WORKSHOPS Drawing in the Galleries: Figurative Drawing with Chiaroscuro at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. This informal drawing workshop gives adults and teens the opportunity to draw from objects in the collection while guided by instructor Damon Hitchcock. Meet in the Rotunda. At 2 p.m. Friday, May 15. $15. 619-2327931, sdmart.org Beekeeping 101 at City Farmers Nursery, 4832 Home Ave., City Heights. Learn to set up and maintain a thriving hive, how to safely help maintain the bee population, and how to harvest honey. From 8 to 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16. Free.

619-284-6358, cityfarmersnursery.com Photo 101 at Outside the Lens Media Lab, 2750 Historic Decatur Rd., Barracks 15, Studio 103, Point Loma. In this intensive one-day workshop, professional photographer Daniel Solomon will teach you the ins and outs of your DSLR camera. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Saturday, May 16. $39. 805-807-8461, outsidethelens.org Blogging with WordPress at Oasis, 1702 Camino del Rio North, Mission Valley. Learn how to do a business blog that will increase your web presence (SEO), provide content to share in social media, and build trust with prospects and loyalty with customers. From 1 to 3 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20. $42. 619-8816262, saraohara.com

For full listings,

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

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Culture

Checking Out, Permanently Cold, hard facts gleaned by networking with right-to-die activists

by Amy Wallen

H

emlock, a poisonous herb in the parsley family, is fatal. According to medical experts, the death is drawn out with painful convulsive gasping. Putting it in a tea probably won’t do the job. You’ll just end up on a respirator waiting for acknowledgement of your Do Not Resuscitate Order. A long painful death is not the preferred option supported by the Hemlock Society, nor most people. Hemlock is their name, not their method.

San Diego has the only active Hemlock Society left in the United States, their President Faye Girsch tells me. In 2003, Hemlock USA split into two other entities with different names: Compassion and Choices, which focuses on right-to-die legislative change; and Final Exit Network which also supports legislative change, but “recognizes the need NOW for compassionate support and death with dignity education in all states,” according to its website.

Hemlock Society San Diego is closely affiliated with the Final Exit Network. If you call the HSSD and ask what you can do to control your own death, they’ll refer you to FEN. When I first heard about the Hemlock Society in the early ’80s, right after the original organization was founded, I pictured a coven concocting recipes of death over a cauldron. I had a morbid imagination even then. But I appreciated the Hemlock Society’s intentions—to help people choose a peaceful death. I pictured that same coven gathering around deathbeds putting the terminally ill to sleep. The Hemlock Society isn’t a coven and does not pass out poison recipes. They sell a do-ityourself video instead.

I watched the video. How could I not?

It was like watching Alistair Cooke commit suicide. He starts off with a sewing lesson. First you create a hem on a tur-

20 · San Diego CityBeat · June 10, 2015

key-roasting bag. Elastic is pulled through “What liberty could be more individual is a compassionate soul who is present, but the hem with a safety pin. After the bag is than the liberty to not become a drooling, does not assist, a person who has decided stitched up nicely and tested over the head mind-fried flesh pod?” to take their own life. Unlike other Right to Monthly HSSD public meetings educate Die organizations, FEN does not discrimifor correct fit, the video camera pans to a drawing room. The big red upholstered the San Diego community about end-of- nate against non-terminally ill patients. armchair was what made me think Mas- life choices. The May meeting was filled to Think: Alzheimer’s patients or people with terpiece Theater. The narrator’s British ac- the brim. Held at the Scottish Rite Center severe debilitating chronic pain who want cent helped, too. The British not only kill in Mission Valley, three speakers provided to go when they want to go. Isn’t it always themselves with dignity, but with impec- information on the legal battles ongoing best to leave the party while it’s still fun? cable diction. Next to the red armchair sits across the country. The battles are not only The HSSD meeting’s Q&A was not at two helium tanks. The Final Exit Network efforts to legislate Death with Dignity, but all what I expected. No pity party among endorses the “helium method” for taking also in defense of people who are accused these folks. Everyone in the audience knew they were going to die (we all are) and they one’s own life. You will have to watch the of assisting suicides. want to make sure they are in control video to get full instructions. But, safe courtesy of compassion and choiceS over how and when. Getting hit by a bus to say, it’s painless, quiet and quick.

Isn’t that how we all want to go? is obviously one exception where you Suicide is not illegal. Assisting suidon’t have control, but so is ending up cide is. You can take your own life, but in a hospital that disregards your living you can’t help someone else. You’ll be will.

A woman with a name tag made out hauled off to jail for helping a disabled in giant scrawl raised her hand, “I have person drink the pentobarbital, or macular degeneration and while I can turning on the helium tanks, or even see right now, in fact I drove myself putting the turkey roasting bag over here…” (Mental note: wait until the parktheir head.

Last year, Brittany Maynard, a 29ing lot empties before leaving). She was year-old dying of brain cancer who concerned about the news that the Party moved to Oregon from California to City helium tanks were only 80 percent take advantage of Oregon’s Death with helium now. This was a big issue, and Dignity law, was national news. Only not for balloons. There’s a chance the five states have Death with Dignity Helium Method could be faulty. Party choice. That’s where the Final Exit Net- Brittany Maynard and her mother Debbie Ziegler City is the best source for helium. Unwork comes in: for the other 45 states. less you are a birthday party clown or Last week in California, the state I picked up a FEN newsletter and found watched the Alistair Cooke suicide video, Senate voted to advance legislation that an ad for cartoon coordinator and another you might not know this. would allow physicians to assist termi- offering training on how to become an “exit The next questions were about substinally ill patients who choose to end their guide.” Qualifications required of an exit tutes. If the most reliable method now was own lives. The End Of Life Option Act guide: “able and willing to travel, some- full of air, how could they ensure a timely passed the Senate with a vote of 23-14, and times on short notice, flexibility to adapt to death? Nitrous oxide? Nitrogen? Finally, now moves forward to the state Assembly, changing situations, detail-minded…ability everyone was reminded that as long as oxwhere two similar bills stalled in the past. to put first the member being served, and… ygen is displaced, anything will work.

The Hemlock Society’s website states The legislation would have to be signed communicate with empathy and kindness.”

by California Gov. Jerry Brown, who has Proficiency at PowerPoint is a plus. (Okay, its mission as “Choice, dignity and connot indicated whether he would sign the I added that last one.) trol at the end of life.” These folks are not Besides sounding like an empath from afraid of death, and when it’s time, they measure into law.

As comedian/TV host Bill Maher said, Star Trek, an exit guide provided by FEN want to do it right.

#SDCityBeat

Culture | Art seth combs

Seen Local keep on truckin’ Noè Olivas has always had an interest in all things automotive. Way before becoming a full-time artist, he was considered a life as a mechanic.

“I actually didn’t want to go to college at first,” says Olivas, a first-generation MexicanAmerican who grew up in Linda Vista. “I actually wanted to go to auto mechanic school. I’ve wanted to be around cars since I was a kid.”

Whereas locals might have lost an honest mechanic, they gained a promising and prolific young artist. He did end up going to college at the University of San Diego and throughout his time in school, he was showcasing his work at local galleries. Still, he always had a project in the back of his mind—one that would allow him to combine his passions.

“I wanted to create a micro institution,” he says.

“Something that you can take anywhere and just pop up guerrilla style.”

What he ended up creating was Untitled Space, an art project focused around a 1967 Chevy bread truck that he’s using as a mobile exhibition space. He came up with the idea around 2011 during an internship at Voz Alta in Barrio Logan. He found a truck online and he and his dad drove to Jamul to pick it up. Olivas found that the truck needed a lot of work, so it turned into even more of a passion project.

“I’m married to this, man,” says Olivas. “I do all the dirty work. It’s been a blessing and a curse.”

That dirty work eventually paid off. Olivas was actually working at the New Children’s Museum when he heard about the Creative Catalyst grant. He was awarded $20,000 through the program, and is using the funds to make repairs, get a proper studio in City Heights and hire two artists for an NCM show called Low ’n’ Slow that he hopes will open in mid-summer.

Noe Olivas’ truck Untitled Space The exhibition will include piñata and homemadeinstrument workshops, along with abstract pieces that Olivas created using the truck’s original oil and brake fluid.

Olivas plans on eventually going to grad school, but isn’t sure what he’ll do with the truck. He might create an artist residency program around it, or let another artist take over the mobile pop-up activities.

More immediately, he says once the Children’s Museum show is finished, he wants to take the Untitled Space truck for a little ride to show his love for local low-rider culture.

“There are signs all over Highland Avenue in National City that say ‘no cruising,’” he says. “At the end of the project, I’m gonna cruise that bitch and get my ticket.” Olivas laughs, then adds, “The ticket is something like $1,000. I might have to create a Kickstarter to help me pay that.” noeolivas.com

—Seth Combs Wanna see more photos from this story?

Go to sdcitybeat.com and search “Noe Olivas.”

FIELD NOTES

overlap with other fields like straightforward activism, environmental work or participatory planning.”

To hear Grant Kester tell it, he’s been planning this Kester held FIELD’s first issue launch and semifor decades. nar on May 1 at UCSD, and plans to release new ar“I’ve been writing about various forms of activist ticles three times a year. and socially-based art forms for probably 25 years,” FIELD contributors include academics and artsays the UC San Diego professor of art history, who ists from all over the U.S. and Mexico. There are also has a background in art journalism. “I put two and 13 articles already on the site and vary in subject, two together and started Farshid Bazmandegan tone and execution. L.A.thinking about taking my based writer Marc Herbst experience in publications personally reflects on the and connecting it with my cultural practices of East research interests.”

Germany. Local artist Alex Those interests led Kershaw interviews Tania Kester to become the Bruguera, a New Yorkfounder of FIELD, a rebased performance artist cently launched website of and member of Immigrant “socially-engaged art critiMovement International. cism.” The description can FIELD Seminar 1, UCSD, May 1, 2015 Almost all the articles have be a tad misleading. One some kind of political or could read it and think that the dozens of contrib- societal bent, but if there’s any reoccurring theme, uting critics are the ones being socially engaged, but it’s that there’s not one.

Kester is quick to point out that the site is devoted to “The idea of the journal is to have a space to at the critical analysis of art practices that are socially least begin to have these cross-disciplinary converengaging. That is, readers won’t be reading lengthy sations about how we evaluate this practice,” says commentaries on museum exhibitions, but rather, on Kester. “And not just art critics contributing, but artwhat Kester describes as “amazing, complicated and ists and curators, along with anthropologists, phicontradictory forms of art practice that are being de- losophers and sociologists. We want to have a mix.” veloped by artists and collectives internationally. field-journal.com “It really can cover a huge range of things,” he adds.

—Seth Combs “They can be public art projects but ones that also

#SDCityBeat

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

Culture | Film

Life’s a catwalk Bertrand Bonello’s striking biopic about Yves Saint Laurent

by Glenn Heath Jr. Saint Laurent Bertrand Bonello’s couture biopic Saint Laurent explodes the tropes usually associated with the genre. downfall. Instead, these moments are elliptical and By placing history (dates, events, figures) on the pe- horrific, repeating time and again to reveal a man riphery of its main subject’s self-absorbing and occa- unable to recognize the self-portrait of deterioration sionally surreal tumult, the film avoids a clear time- staring him back in the mirror. line in favor of a moody, slippery narrative. Many Grandiose experiences, both destructive and afpsychological trap doors lead to countless places firming, become normal for Yves. He eventually befor traumas to hide; sometimes they slither out in comes numb to the idea of artistic and sexual climax. the form of a black snake that torments the fashion Herein lies one of the most interesting qualities of a designer Yves Saint Laurent (Gaspard Ulliel) at his film about the nature of genius as an enigmatic and weakest moments. He is truly a beguiled artist, but impatient force. “It takes a lifetime to be Matisse,” the reasons why abound. his mother says late in the film after Yves expresses Covering the peak years of Yves’ dominance in his desire to be a master of his craft. the fashion world (1967-1976), Saint Laurent tours a As a cinematic pageant of elaborate design and line of swanky flats with posh décor, nightclubs that color, Saint Laurent has few rivals. Each lusty integleam, and other mazes of Mise-en-scène. In a world rior makes a stylistic statement about Yves and his of high-class excess and socializing, time passes by mental state. Reflective surfaces are literally everyvery slowly, probably because Bonello wants you to where, providing all of these dashing characters the study every corner of each lavish frame. Pillows of reflective opportunity to understand that their elsmoke and clanging champagne glasses fill the air. egance almost never buys happiness.

The camera often pins Yves up By the end of Saint Lauagainst walls, mirrors, adornrent, which opens Friday, May saint laurent ing men, and gorgeous runway 15, the active viewer has given Directed by Bertrand Bonello models that dance like Shiva to up on trying to understand the Creedence Clearwater Revival’s myth and become infatuated Starring Gaspard Ulliel, “I Put A Spell On You.” with simply watching the man Louis Garrel, Jérémie Renier, Style is emotion in Saint Lauand his experiences cascade and Léa Seydoux rent, both inside the world of the through time. The psychologiNot Rated film and the formal ways Bonello cal aspect that so many biopics connects his lead cipher with the yearn for is created almost orfluctuating social issues around him. Dynamic split- ganically through Bonello’s use of music and sound. screen sequences juxtapose archival footage of late No need for great speeches or trendsetting moments.

1960s upheaval, including student protests in Paris Here we simply have a brilliant and conflicted wunand international colonialist collapse. Bonello fills the derkind that’s made himself the centerpiece of his other half of the image with swan-like women model- own fragile and fragmented life picture. ing ravishingly chic dresses. This clash of seemingly Yves Saint Laurent was an emperor that made disparate tones leaves us wondering which side con- new clothes for other emperors. Yet Bonello undertains truth and which one contains reality. Are the two stands that underneath the buzz and gossip of this mutually exclusive? man’s public life lays an ongoing personal crisis of The darker elements of Yves’ life are awakened identity, sexuality and doubt, all relating to a fear of when he starts an illicit relationship with Jacques being found out as emotionally naked. In the fashion de Bascher (Louis Garrel), a smooth-talking hustler world, one can’t imagine a greater demise. who has an appetite for the erotic. Yet unlike other biopics, Bonello doesn’t paint Yves’ slow descent into Film reviews run weekly. drug addiction and alcohol abuse as a melodramatic Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

Style maven

Iris

Odds are Iris Apfel is going to outlive us all. The legendary interior decorator/costume designer/ style maverick has worked in the fashion industry for more than six decades. Her spitfire tenacity and improvisation are on full dis-

22 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

play in Albert Maysles’ sublime documentary Iris, which leisurely and lovingly examines the smiling woman, the outlandish myth, and the tireless legend.

Instead of trying to overcomplicate things visually, Maysles lets the dynamic patterns and colors of Iris’ collection dominate the frame (see the opening credits). His camera walks calmly alongside as she’s honored with awards, participates in photo shoots, and traverses many different apartments packed to the brim with clothing and accessories.

While the film’s first half focuses almost primarily on the

intense momentum and glam of Iris’ professional life, Maysles tends to address looming uncertainties about health and exhaustion in the second, specifically in relation to her husband, Carl. The couple, who’ve been married for 66 years, can sense the end is near, but that doesn’t stop either of them from living each day with a striking sense of humor and wit.

“I like to improvise,” Iris says, and she’s not just talking about with clothing. This is a woman in love with possibility and deathly afraid of banality. Her greatest fear is that today’s designers will forget the history and craft that

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has defined their profession. In order to offset this trend, Iris donates countless pieces of clothing to museums while also holding a weeklong symposium for young fashion students.

Iris, which opens Friday, May 15, won’t be the final film from the great Maysles, who died on March 5, 2015 at the age of 88 years old, but it most definitely feels like a master slowly waving goodbye to the medium he helped create. Maysles finished one more project just before he died, and like Iris, he understands that the only way of preserving the future of one’s art form is to lead by doing, and reminding.

—Glenn Heath, Jr.

Opening The 100-Year-Old Man Who Jumped Out the Window and Disappeared: An elderly man escapes his nursing home immediately before his 100th birthday hoping to rekindle his sense of adventure.

Opens on Friday, May 15, at the Reading Gaslamp Cinemas.

Every Secret Thing: Elizabeth Banks and Dakota Fanning star in this gripping psychological thriller about a detective who is destroyed after failing to save a missing child. Screens through Thursday, May 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Felix and Meira: Two lost souls attempt to find a romantic connection despite the obstacles presented by the neighborhood they inhabit.

I Am Big Bird: Caroll Spinney has been the man behind Sesame Street’s Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969.

This documentary tells his story. Screens through Thursday, May 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Iris: Documentary about style maven Iris Apfel, whose interior decorating company launched her career in fashion that has spanned over six decades. Screens through Thursday, May 21, at the Ken Cinema.

Mad Max: Fury Road: George Miller’s infamous policeman-turned-road-warrior returns to the big screen in what looks like one long bonkers chase through a dystopic desert. Tom Hardy reprises the role made famous by Mel Gibson.

Saint Laurent: A strange and beguiling biopic about the famous French fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent, portrayed with unflinching vulnerability by Gaspard Ulliel. Bertrand Bonello directs.

One Time Only Pitch Perfect: Anna Kendrick and her Bellas compete in a singing competition for the ages. Just in time for the sequel. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 13, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Miele: A woman who has devoted herself to helping people in pain comes to a crossroads in life. Directed by and starring Valeria Golino. Screens at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at La Poloma Theatre in Encinitas.

Delirio: A collection of clips from the strangest Z-grade international cinema.

Screens at 9 p.m. Thursday, May 14, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Godfather: Part II: Francis Ford Coppola’s massive sequel charts the rise of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York while his son Michael attempts to lead the family syndicate right before the Cuban revolu-

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tion. Screens at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, May 14 and 15, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Sand Dollars: Geraldine Chaplin stars as a wealthy matriarch living in the Dominican Republic who begins a relationship with a younger woman. Screens at 7 p.m. Friday, May 15, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?: A married man begins to question his sexuality after his wife begins to consider having another child. Screens at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, May 18, at San Diego Central Library in East Village.

In the House (Dans La Maison): This comedic mystery from Francois Ozon tells the story of a high school teacher who gets lulled into the life of a precocious student.

Screens at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the Point Loma / Hervey Branch Library.

The Two Faces of January: An American couple traveling in Greece meet an ex-pat with a shady past. Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 20, at the Scripps Ranch Public Library.

There’s Something About Mary: Ben Stiller tries to figure out why Cameron Diaz has all that hair gel. Screens at 8 p.m.

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

The 4th Annual San Diego Surf Film Festival: This multi-venue film festival includes 25 international surf films, a VIP party, and will welcome dozens of filmmakers and producers participating in Q&A’s. Runs from Wednesday, May 20 through Saturday, May 23.

now playing About Elly: While on a picnic in the north of Iran, a kindergarten teacher disappears, leaving her friends distraught with panic. From director Asghar Farhadi (A Separation).

Black Souls: Based on Gioacchini Criaco’s novel of the same name, this gripping mafia tale explores the tension and conflict between three brothers fighting for control of an Italian crime family.

Far From the Madding Crowd: Carey Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts star in Thomas Vinterberg’s adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s sweeping romance about a fiercely independent woman who struggles to choose between three suitors.

Hot Pursuit: An uptight cop played by Reese Witherspoon tries to protect the vivacious widow of a Mexican drug boss while being pursued through Texas by a collective of bad guys.

Misery Loves Comedy: Featuring interviews with Jimmy Fallon, Tom Hanks and Jim Gaffigan, this documentary looks at the profession of stand-up comedians from the inside out. Screens through Thursday, May 14, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Noble: A feature film based on the true story of Christina Noble, an Irish children’s rights campaigner who traveled to Vietnam to make a difference.

Reality: Another surreal oddity from director Quentin Dupiex (Rubber) about a cameraman who dreams of making his own horror film. Screens through Thursday, May 14, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The D Train: Jack Black and James Marsden are quite a pair in this dark comedy about the head of a high school reunion committee who travels to Los Angeles, hoping to convince the most popular guy from his graduating class to attend the event.

Welcome to Me: A psychotic woman (Kristen Wiig) wins the lottery and decides to stop taking her meds and creates her

own talk show. Opens Friday, May 8, at the Reading Gaslamp Cinemas.

Any Day: Sean Bean plays an ex-fighter who attempts to find redemption from his troubled past. Co-starring Eva Longoria and Kate Walsh. Screens through Thursday, May 7, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Avengers: Age of Ultron: The brood of Marvel superheroes are back to battle the nefarious Ultron, who has plans to take over the world.

Tangerines: A citrus farmer attempts to save soldiers from the opposite sides of an ongoing civil war in the Caucasus Mountains. Screens through Thursday, May 7, at the Ken Cinema.

Adult Beginners: When his new business crashes and burns on the eve of its launch, a young entrepreneur is forced to move in with his estranged pregnant sister and his brother-in-law. Runs through Thursday, April 30, at the Reading Cinemas Gaslamp.

Clouds of Sils Maria: A middle-aged actress decides to star in a reboot of the play that made her famous 20 years before. Starring Juliette Binoche, Kristin Stewart and Chloë Grace-Moretz.

Dior and I: Documentary that takes you behind the scenes of the storied world of the Christian Dior fashion house.

Ex Machina: Set in the near future, Alex Garland’s sci-fi film tells the story of an Internet mogul who convinces one of his employees to conduct a Turing test on his newest A.I. creation.

Little Boy: With his father away in WW II, a young boy goes to great lengths to restore stability to his family.

Man From Reno: A Japanese novelist known for a series of crime novels gets wrapped up in a mystery of her own while visiting San Francisco. Runs through Thursday, April 30, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Spring: A young American on a backpacking trip in Italy meets a beautiful woman at an idyllic village and instantly falls in love. Runs through Thursday, April 30, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Age of Adaline: Rendered ageless after a fateful accident, a young woman born at the turn of the 20th century lives a lonely life of immortality until she finally meets a stranger who may be worth dying for.

The Road to Juarez: An ex-con recruits his friends to pull off a daring heist against a powerful Mexican drug cartel. Opens Friday, April 24, at AMC Mission Valley 20 and AMC Palm Promenade 24.

The Water Diviner: After the battle of Gallipoli, an Australian man travels to Turkey hoping to locate his three missing sons.

Fifth Annual San Diego Asian Film Festival Spring Showcase: Sixteen Asian films from nine countries will make their San Diego premieres during this cinema showcase, beginning with an opening night tailgate party from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, at Ultrastar Mission Valley Cinemas. The fest continues through April 23 before moving to Hoover High School April 24 and 25 in honor of the showcase’s Cinema Little Saigon retrospective.

Desert Dancer: An ambitious young man risks everything to start a new dance company despite the politically volatile climate of his home country of Iran.

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

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

Jonah Takagi

Music

WORK HARD, PLAY HARD Ex Hex’s high standard of power-pop

by JEFF TERICH

From left: Betsy Wright, Mary Timony and Laura Harris

W

riting a pop song is easy. All you need are three by guitar, bass, drums or human voice. Harris, guitarist chords, a snappy chorus and a bridge. Top it off Mary Timony and bassist Betsy Wright stick to a pretwith an unforgettable hook, keep it under three ty simple method on the 35-minute LP, and true to its minutes, and friend, you’ve got yourself a hit. name, it most certainly rips.

Writing a good pop song is an entirely different story.

Taking inspiration from power-pop bands such as The After a century of major developments in popular muCars or The Nerves, and early punk in the vein of The sic, coming up with something that still sounds fresh afBuzzcocks or The Heartbreakers (Johnny Thunders, not ter hearing thousands of other songs is an uphill battle.

Tom Petty), Ex Hex place a high premium on strong melThere’s always the risk of making something that’s unodies and, above all, fun. A track like “Waste Your Time” derdeveloped, overcomplicated or inadvertently borrows is just a simple, three-chord, mid-tempo strut, and yet it the melody from a Tom Petty song (see: Sam Smith). All of doesn’t sound like it’s missing a thing. Meanwhile, openwhich is to say that making an effortless pop song ing track “Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love” is built on only looks easy. heavy layers of riffs, reverb and attitude. It’s likely When I asked Laura Harris, drummer for that most of these songs will remind you of one Washington, D.C., power-pop trio Ex Hex band or another, but Ex Hex make certain each about the difficulty of writing songs as simsong has a modern spin on a classic sound. ple and straightforward as her band’s, she “We just wanted to play simple songs,” May 16 confirmed it emphatically.

Harris says. “It’s something that was more The Casbah “Fuck yeah! Yeah, totally,” she says in a exciting to us. We all love the Runaways and exhexband.com phone interview with CityBeat. “The songs we the Heartbreakers. We’re into all that stuff and were listening to when we were recording this we thought, ‘Why can’t we play stuff like this?’ record were ’70s power-pop songs, and ’80s pop.”

That was the running theme that kept us focused.”

“But not like radio pop,” she clarifies. “We all love Roky Each member of Ex Hex has been in other bands— Erickson, and there’s something about a lot of his songs Harris in The Aquarium, Wright in The Fire Tapes, and that are like magic. How did this fucking guy write this Timony in Helium and Wild Flag, just to name a few. And little perfect idea? You can really just repeat that one part over time, they’ve set some pretty high standards and exof the song for three minutes and it would be really awepectations for their own music. The three musicians have some. I also do illustrations and cartoons and stuff, and developed a pretty strict work ethic to ensure that they’re one line can fuck up a whole drawing.” writing the best songs they possibly can. If an idea isn’t On Ex Hex’s debut album Rips, released last year on quite good enough, it’s likely to be jettisoned. For that Merge Records, you won’t find a single note out of place. matter, they make that extra effort to show their work by Each of its 12 tracks is concise and streamlined (not a getting it all on tape. single one pushing the four-minute mark), and there “We record everything,” Harris says. “We record pracare almost no sounds on the record that weren’t made tices and we record demos. We’re kind of constantly talk-

EX HEX

24 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

ing about that stuff. What doesn’t make the cut are just parts—like little ideas. Maybe this drum fill doesn’t need to be there. Or this guitar lick, ‘ah, that’s not working.’

We’re just really strict about editing. It’s easy for a song to become overthought or overcomplicated. We’re just not that kind of a band.”

As hard as the members of Ex Hex work on making music that satisfies their high standards, Harris repeatedly emphasizes that their ultimate goal is to create something fun. The word “fun” comes up over and over again during the course of the interview, and it’s hard to hear Rips as anything but. The added benefit of putting so much blood and sweat into tightening and refining their concise, loud and catchy-as-hell rock ‘n’ roll tunes in the studio is that, by the time they’re ready to tour, they’re a well-oiled machine.

And playing these songs live, Harris notes, is the best part.

“It’s, like, the most wonderful feeling in the world, playing live,” she says. “You could be having the shittiest day—we’ve been touring nonstop for the last year and a half, and there have been times when we’ve been sick, or driving for 11 hours. And maybe you slept on a kitchen floor the night before. But it’s all better when you’re playing, and there are people there that are happy. And they’re into it.

“It’s the best.””

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com.

Wanna hear this band?

Go to sdcitybeat.com and search “Ex Hex.”

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May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Music

notes from the smoking patio locals only Musician, published author and longtime bartender Ben Johnson is now a part-owner of The Casbah. Johnson, who began working at The Casbah in the late ’90s, says when former co-owner Bob Bennett died earlier this year, it left an opening in the partnership.

Johnson approached founder and owner Tim Mays about the possibility of becoming a part owner, and without much fanfare, it was approved.

“There was no formality,” says Johnson, in an interview at the 26-year-old music venue. “It was kind of just like, ‘here you are.’”

Johnson—who is also in The Long and Short of It and Wha?, and raps under the name Grammatical B—notes that his stake in the club isn’t a “controlling interest,” but it does reaffirm his commitment to working for The Casbah, which he says never stopped being fun, even after 20 years of employment. However, Johnson also says that while his actual position at the club, managing the bar, won’t be much different than it was before, it does “put things into perspective,” and that he’ll work just as hard as he ever has.

“I’ve been here a long time,” he says. “I’ve been managing the bar for 10 years. Whatever needs to be done, I’m happy to do it.

“This doesn’t really change what I actually do,

Ben Johnson but I probably have to come quicker when I get a call about something,” he adds.

Johnson, who last year published his first novel, A Shadow Cast in Dust, says he’s excited about the new change, and that his position now is pretty much ideal. As far as the future goes, he looks forward to The Casbah retaining its reputation as an important place in the San Diego music scene.

“I just want it to stay busy—just to stay relevant,” he says. “To stay happening, cool—just keep the machine rolling.”

—Jeff Terich

festival preview

liners this year are Morrissey and Frank Ocean, and will also feature performances by The Jesus and A look at the music fests happening Mary Chain, D’Angelo, Belle and Sebastian, FKA in the region this summer and fall Twigs, Run the Jewels and Savages.

The Kaaboo Del Mar festival announced its Summer is drawing closer, and as the region heats lineup earlier this year, but it’s been enhanced by up, more and more music festivals are being ana few notable local acts, including The Midnight nounced throughout Southern California. Some Pine and The Burning of Rome. There are also five of them are free, small-scale festivals in our own more “special acts” set to be announced, according backyard, while others are destination festivals feato the festival website. Kaaboo Del Mar happens on turing big names in mainstream and underground Sept. 18-20. music. Here’s a roundup of the more notable fests The lineup of acts performing this year hasn’t been happening in the coming months. announced yet, but San Diego Music Thing has been The annual Art confirmed for Nov. Around Adams street 11-14. Submissions festival happens on are now open for June 6 along Adams bands interested in Avenue, and will feaplaying those dates. ture a long list of loLikewise, the Carlscal favorites, includbad Music Festiing Lyrical Groove, val—which features Satanic Puppeteer a more avant-garde Orchestra, Generik, selection of contemHocus, Podunk Noporary music—has where and Roseset its 2015 dates wood & Rye. for Aug. 28-30. PerPunks, greasformers have not yet ers and metalheads been announced. will want to make There are, of the drive up to Long course, plenty of loThe Burning Of Rome Beach for the June cal shows happen12-14 Ink-N-Iron festival. This year’s headliners ining in venues throughout the city, and whatever the clude rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson and punk case, there’s no excuse not to see some live music veterans Bouncing Souls, plus Peter Murphy, The this summer.

Dillinger Escape Plan, Gary Numan, Fishbone and —Jeff Terich The Adolescents.

A little bit further up the road is FYF Fest, taking place in Los Angeles on Aug. 22 and 23. The head- Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com.

26 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

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May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Music

Jeff Terich

If I were u

that goes. Make sure to show up a little ear- that band. You’ll get the same ly to see the blistering Death Eyes. BACK- great tunes, with just a little UP PLAN: Two Gallants, Blank Range @ less volume.

Soda Bar.

Saturday, May 16

PLAN A: Ex Hex, The Shivas, Die Mißbildungen Des Menschen @ The Casbah.

Read my feature this week on Washington, D.C. trio Ex Hex, fronted by Mary Timony, A music insider’s weekly agenda formerly of Helium. They play power-pop a Thursday! Atlanta rapper iLoveMakon- and punk with a reverence for hooks and Wednesday, May 13 nen made his mark last year with the single PLAN A: Wayne the Train Hancock, Ac- “Club Goin’ Up on a Tuesday” (a Drake big melodies. Warning: You’ll have their tion Andy and the Hi-Tones, Fanny and feature didn’t hurt things either), and he’s songs in your head all week. PLAN B: Wolf the Attaboys @ The Casbah. Wayne Han- a fascinating, eccentric performer. He’s an Alice, Gateway Drugs @ Soda Bar. Wolf cock does classic honky-tonk and Western interesting new face and sound in hip-hop. Alice has a dreamy, ethereal sound, which swing you rarely hear outside of Nashville BACKUP PLAN: Ava Luna, Media Jew- I tend to be a sucker for when done right.

They balance ’90s-era shoegaze with some anymore. This is country like your grand- eler, Longclaws, Holling @ Soda Bar. darker post-punk textures, and that’s never pappy used to listen to—rowdy, simple and not a good idea, as far as I’m concerned. real. BACKUP PLAN: Amerikan Bear, Ocelot, Barbarian @ Belly Up Tavern.

Friday, May 15

Thursday, May 14

PLAN A: The Waterboys @ Humphreys by the Bay. The Waterboys were one of the great bands of the 1980s, whose sound was often referred to by the name of one of their early singles: “Big Music.” It’s heroic and anthemic, often with lush arrangements and Celtic elements. Bring your lighter for “The Whole of the Moon.” PLAN B: MDC, Deathwish, Systematic Abuse, Death Eyes, Sculpins @ Til-Two Club. It’s never a bad idea to scare up some room for at least one gnarly hardcore show during the week, and this is one of your best bets as far as

PLAN A: Fat White Family, L.A. Drugz, The Bassics @ The Casbah. Britain’s Fat White Family have made a name for themselves playing explosive live shows of intense, primal post-punk, inspired by Nick Cave and Captain Beefheart. They’ve also earned a reputation for being, shall we say, fragrant? Nose plugs might be in order, but don’t let that steer you away from a good show. PLAN B: iLoveMakonnen, Key! @ House of Blues. Club goin’ up—on

28 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

Sunday, May 17 PLAN A: Nothing, Cloakroom, Witness 9 @ The Hideout. These Philadelphia shoegazers have been to San Diego a few times, and they’ve certainly got the volume and density of sound to fill venues bigger than what they’re currently playing. That just means the experience will be more intense, which is one always worth savoring. PLAN B: Hutch and Kathy, S, Allie Goertz @ Soda Bar. If you’re a fan of indie rock trio The Thermals, then you’ll want to catch Hutch and Kathy, which is two-thirds of

Monday, May 18

PLAN A: San Fermin, Natalie Prass @ The Natalie Prass Casbah. I can vouch for San Fermin’s ornate chamber pop songwriting, but that’s not why I’m recommending this show. The reason you need to be here is for Natalie Prass, whose beautiful, melodic debut album showcases her as one of the best talents of 2015. She won’t be playing venues this intimate for long.

PLAN B: Acid Mothers Temple, ST 37 @ Soda Bar. Japan’s Acid Mothers Temple have been making reliably far-out psychrock for a long time, and if your Monday just isn’t weird enough, here’s the solution.

BACKUP PLAN: Microwave, Brian Warren, Traffic Bear @ The Hideout.

Tuesday, May 19 PLAN A: Speedy Ortiz, Alex G, Kooties @ Soda Bar. Speedy Ortiz’s Foil Deer is one of my favorite records of the year, featuring a cool, darker spin on their abrasive indie rock sound. I’ve also seen them twice and don’t plan to miss them on their third visit here in a row. Nor should you— they just might be your new favorite band.

BACKUP PLAN: Anciients, The Atlas Moth @ Brick by Brick.

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Music

Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Sleeping People (Hideout, 5/23), Gary Wilson (Hideout, 5/26), The Warlocks (Hideout, 6/11), Dead Feather Moon (BUT, 6/18), J Boog (Observatory, 6/19), Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox (BUT, 6/22), Jungle (Observatory, 6/22), Big Business (Casbah, 6/29), Don Most (BUT, 7/1), Mac Sabbath (Brick by Brick, 7/3), The Aquabats (HOB, 7/9), Bruce Cockburn (BUT, 7/26), The Aggrolites (BUT, 7/31), Stephen Stills (BUT, 8/1-2), Anthony Raneri (HOB Voodoo Room, 8/6), The Alabama Shakes (Open Air Theatre, 8/12), ZZ Top (Humphreys, 9/13), Citizen Cope (Observatory, 10/4), alt-j (Open Air Theatre, 10/13), Joe Rogan (Balboa Theatre, 10/16), Heartless Bastards (BUT, 10/19), Mudhoney (Casbah, 10/24), Tobias Jesso Jr. (BUT, 10/28).

GET YER TICKETS The Rentals (Irenic, 6/4), Unwritten Law (HOB, 6/6), ‘X-Fest’ w/ Pennywise, Cold War Kids, Public Enemy (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 6/7), Joey Bada$$ (Observatory, 6/11), King Sunny Ade (BUT, 6/12), Jonathan Richman (BUT, 6/16), Slayer, King Diamond (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 6/26), Best Coast (Observatory North Park, 6/26), Mono (Casbah, 6/28), John Mayall (BUT, 7/2), The Appleseed Cast (Soda Bar, 7/3), Jurassic Five (Humphreys, 7/8), Brian Posehn (HOB, 7/8), Sublime with Rome (Sleep Train Amphitheatre,

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7/16), Built to Spill (BUT, 7/17), The Helio Sequence (Casbah, 7/17), Charli XCX, Bleachers (Observatory North Park, 7/21), Between the Buried and Me (Observatory, 7/22), Soul Asylum, Meat Puppets (HOB, 7/23), The Adolescents (BUT, 7/23), Melt Banana, Torche (Casbah, 7/28-29), Say Anything (HOB, 7/29), Spank Rock (Soda Bar, 7/31), Bill Maher (Humphreys, 8/2), Milky Chance (Soma, 8/3), Hurray For the Riff Raff (BUT, 8/5), Echo and the Bunnymen (Humphreys, 8/6), Buddy Guy (BUT, 8/12), Nicki Minaj (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/13), Toadies, Fuel (HOB, 8/14), The B-52s (Humphreys, 8/15), Jill Scott (Humphreys, 8/25), Lee “Scratch” Perry (BUT, 9/1), Ariana Grande (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/9), The Who (Valley View Casino Center, 9/14), Future Islands (Observatory, 9/22-23), Foo Fighters (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/24), Death Cab for Cutie (Open Air Theatre, 9/25), Florida Georgia Line (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 10/3), Luke Bryan (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 10/16), My Morning Jacket (Open Air Theatre, 10/19), John Waters (Observatory, 11/30).

May Wednesday, May 13 The Wombats at House of Blues.

Thursday, May 14 Lord Huron at Observatory North Park.

Ava Luna at Soda Bar.

Friday, May 15 Young Dubliners at Belly Up Tavern.

The Palace Ballroom at The Casbah.

Two Gallants at Soda Bar. The Rela-

tionship at House of Blues. The Waterboys at Humphreys by the Bay.

Saturday, May 16 Ex Hex at The Casbah. Lana Del Rey at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Wolf Alice at Soda Bar. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out).

Sunday, May 17 Hutch and Kathy at Soda Bar. Passion Pit at Observatory North Park (sold out).

Nothing at The Hideout. Nellie McKay at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, May 18 Little Dragon at Observatory North Park (sold out). San Fermin, Natalie Prass at The Casbah. Acid Mothers Temple at Soda Bar. Shakey Graves at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

Tuesday, May 19 Speedy Ortiz at Soda Bar. Robby Krieger’s Jam Kitchen at Belly Up Tavern.

The Atlas Moth at Brick by Brick. Glass Animals at Observatory North Park.

Wednesday, May 20 Quintron and Ms. Pussycat at Soda Bar. Bryan Adams at Open Air Theatre.

Thursday, May 21 The Rezillos at The Casbah.

Friday, May 22 Hiatus Kaiyote at House of Blues (sold out). Pinback at Belly Up Tavern. Little

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Music joe lencioni / wiki commons

River Band at Casino Pauma. Paramore at Open Air Theatre (sold out). X at Observatory North Park.

Saturday, May 23 X at Observatory North Park. KATA at The Hideout. Sleeping People at The Hideout.

Sunday, May 24 Negative Approach at Soda Bar. Train at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Slick Rick at Porter’s Pub.

Monday, May 25 Lo-Fang at Soda Bar. L.A. Witch at The Hideout.

Tuesday, May 26 Main Attrakionz at Soda Bar. Jeremy Loops at Belly Up Tavern. The New Regime at The Casbah. Gary Wilson at The Hideout.

Wednesday, May 27 Mae at The Irenic. Ciara at House of Blues. Xavier Rudd at Belly Up Tavern.

Dead Heavens at Soda Bar.

Thursday, May 28 Xavier Rudd at Belly Up Tavern. Saxon at Brick by Brick. Neutral Milk Hotel at Observatory North Park (sold out). Transfer at The Casbah.

Friday, May 29 Chris Robinson Brotherhood at Observatory North Park. Pinata Protest at The Hideout. Bubba Sparxxx at Brick

by Brick.

30 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

Tuesday, June 10 The Weepies at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, June 11 Joey Bada$$ at Observatory North Park.

The Warlocks at The Hideout.

Thursday, June 12 Steel Panther at House of Blues. Anuhea and Etana at Observatory North Park. King Sunny Ade at Belly Up Tavern. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at The Casbah. Goatwhore, Ringworm, Black Breath at Soda Bar.

Friday, June 13 Sufjan Stevens Saturday, May 30 Strung Out at House of Blues. PigPen Theatre Company at Soda Bar. Everlast at Belly Up Tavern.

June Sunday, June 1 Spoon at Observatory North Park (sold out).

Monday, June 2 Todd Rundgren at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Superheaven at House of Blues.

Spoon at Observatory North Park. Sufjan Stevens at Copley Symphony Hall (sold out).

Tuesday, June 3 Walk Off the Earth at Observatory North Park. Ghoul at Soda Bar. Kids in the Hall at Balboa Theatre. Awolnation at House of Blues. Ron Sexsmith at The Casbah. Stranger at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, June 4 Miami Horror at Soda Bar. Crowbar at Til-Two Club. Eddie Izzard at Civic Theatre. The Rentals at The Irenic. ‘June Gloom’ w/ Innerds, Tron, Zsa Zsa Gabor at The Hideout.

Thursday, June 5 Mrs. Magician, Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects at Soda Bar. July Talk at The Hideout. Dustin Kensrue at The Irenic.

Friday, June 6 Brad Paisley at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Unwritten Law at House of Blues.

Common Sense at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, June 7 ‘X-Fest’ w/ Pennywise, Cold War Kids, Public Enemy at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

1349 at Brick by Brick. Jedi Mind Tricks at Observatory North Park. Preservation Hall Jazz Band at Belly Up Tavern. Zero Boys at Til-Two Club.

Saturday, June 14 Robin Trower at House of Blues. UK Subs at Soda Bar.

Sunday, June 15 Motopony at The Casbah.

rCLUBSr 710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. www.710bc.com. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Live band karaoke. Fri: The Pleasure Victims, The Brewhahas. Sat: Rhythm and the Method, Restoration One, The Charlie Rae Band. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: DJ Royale.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy. www.98bottlessd.com. Thu:

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Music Danny Green Trio. Fri: The Reka Parker/ Paul Seaforth Quartet. Sat: Robert Dove.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St, Normal Heights. www.airconditionedbar. com. Wed: ‘Electric Martini’ w/ DJs Jeneration Y, Electric Honey. Thu: ‘DIVE’ w/ DJs Ala, Mikeytown. Fri: DJ Junior the DiscoPunk. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Church’ w/ DJs John Reynolds, Karma.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. www.americancomedyco. com. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Brooks Wheelan. Thu: Brooks Wheelan. Fri: Brooks Wheelan. Fri: Brooks Wheelan. Sat: Brooks Wheelan. Sat: Brooks Wheelan.

Sun: Colin Kane. Tue: John Leguizamo.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St, Downtown. www.facebook.com/BangBangSanDiego. Fri: Doorly, Craig Chambers. Sat: Louis La Roche.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. www.barpink.com. Wed: Taurus Authority. Thu: The Husky Boy All Stars. Fri: ‘Turn It Loose’ w/ Mr. Blow. Sat: ‘Neon Beat’. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Tue: Alvino and the Dwells.

Bassmnt, 919 Fourth Ave, Downtown. bassmntsd.com. Thu: John Dahlback.

Sat: Danny Avila.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla. http://www.brocktonvilla.com/beaumonts. html. Thu: Simeon Flick Duo. Fri: Johnny Carto. Sat: Bumpasonic. Sun: Spanky.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. www.bellyup.com. Wed: Amerikan Bear, Ocelot, Barbarian. Thu: Collie Buddz, Los Rakas, DJ Carlos Culture. Fri: Young Dubliners, The Paragraphs. Sat: No Duh, Green Today, Godspeed McQueen. Sun: Nellie McKay, Nathan Rivera. Mon: Shakey Graves, The Barr Brothers (sold out). Tue: Robby Krieger’s Jam Kitchen.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave, Carlsbad. boarcrossn.net. Thu: The Great Electric Quest. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Sat: So Cal Vibes.

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

Sat: ‘Sabado en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA. Sun: ‘Dive’. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJs Junior the Disco Punk, XP. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave, Bay Park. brickbybrick.com. Fri: Smack This, YYZed, Spiral Out. Sat: Jason Michael Carroll, The Sickstring Outlaws, Alaina Blair. Sun: The Meteors, Blackjackits, The Tramplers, Hard Fall Hearts, Hell on Heels Burlesque Revue. Mon: ‘Metal Monday’.

Tue: Anciients, The Atlas Moth.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave, Downtown. http://www.cafesevilla.com. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Joef and Co. Sat: Malamana. Sun: Aire. Mon: Dusty and Bruno. Tue: Gio Trio.

Croce’s Park West, 2760 Fifth Ave., #100, Bankers Hill. www.crocesparkwest. com. Wed: Nathan Collins. Thu: Rob Thorsen Quartet. Fri: Allison Adams Tucker. Sat: Eve Selis. Sun: Danny Green Trio.

Mon: Shambhu. Tue: Gilbert Castellanos.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. www.dirksniteclub.com. Fri: Josie Day Band. Sat: DJ Kool T. Epicentre, 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd, Mira Mesa. epicentreconcerts.org. Fri: Mainsail, Empty Spaces, Between California and Summer, Aura and Ovation.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown, Downtown. f6ixsd.com. Fri: DJ Fingaz. Sat: DJ B.A.D. Sun: DJ Dynamiq.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd.com. Thu: Waka Flocka. Fri: TJR. Sat: DJs Sid Vicious, Ricky Rocks.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach. 619-222-5303. Wed: Naiz. Thu: Layne Tadesse and 7 Seal Dub. Fri: Wild Side. Sat: KL Noize Makers. Sun: Pali Roots. Mon: ‘Strictly Hip Hop’.

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Hard Rock Hotel, 207 Fifth Ave, Downtown. www.hardrockhotelsd.com. Thu: Idyll Wild, Le Chateau.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave, Downtown. www.henryspub.com. Wed: The Fooks.

Thu: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: DJs E, Yodah. Mon: DJ Antonio Aguilera. Tue: Big City Dawgs.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave, Downtown. houseofblues.com/sandiego. Wed: The Wombats, Life in Film, Cheerleader.

Thu: ILoveMakonnen. Fri: The Relationship. Mon: Los Cafres. Tue: Alex G. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. kavalounge.com. Wed: ‘Wildcard’.

Thu: ‘Progress’. Fri: The Screaming Yeehaws, Strikers, Rail them to Death. Sat: Orphic. Tue: East Ghost, Quarry, Sleeve, Mystery Cave.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave, Kensington. 619-284-2848. Sat: ‘Therapy’.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave, Coronado. www.mcpspub.com. Wed: Harmony Road. Thu: The Sophisticats. Fri: Ron’s Garage. Sat: Trunk Monkey. Sun: Gonzology.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd, Hillcrest. http:// www.numberssd.com/. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’. Fri: ‘Vogue Decadence’. Tue: Karaoke Latino.

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

Tue: ‘Neo Soul’.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St, Downtown. www.patricksii.com. Wed: The Upshots.

Thu: The Fuzzy Rankins Band. Fri: Len Rainey’s Midnight Players. Sat: Mystique Element of Soul. Sun: Johnny Vernazza.

Mon: The Groove Squad. Tue: Paddy’s Chicken Jam. Porter’s Pub, 9500 Gilman Dr., UCSD campus, La Jolla. porterspub.net. Thu: Nipsey Hussle. Sat: Chester See. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest. www.richssandiego.com. Wed: DJ John Joseph. Thu: DJ K-Swift. Fri: DJs Drew G, Will Z. Sat: DJs John LePage, Hektik.

Sun: DJ Moody Rudy.

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

Wed: Westside Inflection. Thu: Israel Maldonado. Fri: Black Market III. Sat: Cali Co. Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave, North Park. sevengrandbars.com/sd. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos jazz jam. Thu: Banditos.

Fri: The Routine. Sat: Still Ill. Sun: The Show Ponies, Songs For People. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Side Bar, 536 Market St, Downtown. www.sidebarsd.com.

Wed: Kyle Flesch. Thu: Vince Delano. Fri: DeeJay Al, Rico DeLargo. Sat: DJ Brett Bodley. Sun: DJ Scooter.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. www.sodabarmusic.com.

Wed: The Junk Poets, The Burdens, Philosopher’s Ray Gun. Thu: Ava Luna, Media Jeweler, Longclaws, Holling. Fri: Two Gallants, Blank Range. Sat: Wolf Alice, Gateway Drugs. Sun: Hutch and Kathy, S, Allie Goertz. Mon: Acid Mothers Temple, ST 37. Tue: Speedy Ortiz, Alex G, Kooties.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway. www.somasandiego.com. Sat: Guidelines, Jara, Essex Class, Pumphouse, Subsurfer.

Somewhere Loud, 3489 Noell St, Midtown. somewhereloud.com. Sat: Lucent.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St, Midtown. www. spinnightclub.com. Fri: Dej Loaf. Sat: ‘Eden’. Sun: ‘Reggae Sunday’.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave, Normal Heights. www.sycamoreden.com.

Thu: Second Cousins, Tomten, Kithkin.

Sun: Tori Roze and Johnny Alexander.

The Balboa, 1863 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill.

619-955-8525. Fri: Juice Box, Soft Limits. Sat: Miss Erika Davies, Trio Gadjo (7 p.m.); Foreign Bodies, Last Days of Ancient Sunlight (10 p.m.).

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

Thu: ‘Darkwave Garden’. Sat: Darks of Heaven, Zombie Barbie. Sun: Nathan Hubbard. Tue: Girl Fry, Batlords, Horsefly, Butt Candy.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Wayne the Train Hancock, Action Andy and The Hi-Tones, Fanny and the Atta Boys. Thu: Fat White Family, L.A. Drugz, The Bassics. Fri: The Palace Ballroom, Birdy Bardot, Grizzly Business, Diamond Lakes. Sat: Ex Hex, The Shivas, Die Missbildungen Des Menschen. Mon: San Fermin, Natalie Prass.

Tue: Bang Pow, The Eiffels, Sal Filipelli.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. http://www.thehideoutsd.com.

Sun: Nothing, Cloakroom, Witness 9.

Mon: Microwave, Brian Warren. Tue: Scott Yoder, Ben Katzman, Amerikan Bear, Howardian.

The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. http://theloft.ucsd.edu. Wed: Tropicool, Raytac. Fri: Cathedrals, Tunji Ige. Mon: Prides, Magic Giant. Tue: Zack Chase Lip, Tobin Chodos, Kyle Motl and Nathan Hubbard.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave, Hillcrest. theMerrow.com. Wed: Social Club, Digital Lizards Of Doom, Dirty Disciple And Goldfingaz. Fri: Happy Heartbreak, The Liquorsmiths, Bad and Ugly. Sat: S.P.Y. Sun: Golden Coast. Tue: Sandollar, Jagged Lines.

The Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. www.officebarinc.com. Wed: ‘Friends Chill’. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings. Mon: Amerikan Bear, The Cardielles, DJ Mike Delgado.

The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, Gaslamp. http:// www.tinroofbars.com/Home/SanDiego.

Wed: Pat Hilton Duo. Fri: Jonathan Lee Band. Sat: Jonathan Lee Band. Sun: Alyssa Walker, Tyler Parks, Blue Dream Chicago.

Mon: Cult Vegas, The Bassics, Oak Palace.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. www.tiltwoclub.com.

Wed: Maeth, Those Darn Gnomes, Fadrait, Groove of Death. Thu: Sur Une Plage, The Backhomes, Drug Cabin. Fri: MDC, Deathwish, Systematic Abuse, Death Eyes, Sculpins. Sat: The Nashville Ramblers, The Rosalyns, Diddley Daddies.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St, Bay Park. www.tioleos.com. Thu: Chris Antonik.

Fri: Pandora. Sat: Bump n Brass. Tue: Bayou Brothers.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City Heights. www.thetowerbar.com. Wed: ‘The Ratt’s Revenge’. Fri: Desert Suns, The Well, Chiefs, Amigo. Sat: Murder by Techno, Deep Sea Thunder Beast, They Feed at Night, Noise-a-tron. Sun: Ditch Witch, Hugh Jass.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave, North Park. u31bar.com. Wed: DJ Mo Lyon. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’. Fri: Lee Churchill.

Sat: DJ Qenoe. Sun: Jah Army Soundsystem. Mon: DJ R-You. Tue: Karaoke.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. whistlestopbar.com. Wed: Drew Andrews and Ryan Bradford. Thu: ‘Recommended Dosage’ w/ DJs Mike Turi, Mark Garcia.

Fri: ‘F-ing in the Bushes’. Sat: ‘80s vs 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. www.winstonsob.com. Wed: Ambassador, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Sour Bridges, Frances Bloom. Fri: GrooveSession. Sat: ‘Subdvsn’. Sun: Karaoke.

Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Rebirth Brass Band.

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

Last Words

Brendan Emmett Quigley

The Other Way Around

Across

1. Basket from downtown 5. Author Ken 10. Scheduling problem 14. “Is this where it goes?”

15. One-up 16. “Julius Caesar” costume 17. Directly above 18. Optimistic business goal?

20. Prefix with state and lateral 21. Lionel Messi’s number 22. Jafar’s macaw in “Aladdin” 23. Gut reaction in a ship’s hospital?

29. Gulf of Masirah resident 30. “Milk me!”

31. Legendary drag Dame 32. “Mr. Blue Sky” band, for short 34. Risk-taking 37. Finale 38. Guided trip through state assistance?

41. “Road soda” crime, briefly 43. Mix things up 44. Oprah’s cable channel 45. Uncreative learning method 47. Loretta E. Lynch’s grp.

49. “Hungarian Rhapsodies” composer Franz 53. Any of nine characters underneath a picture of a leaping stag?

57. “Days Are Gone” sister band 58. It gets laid down around the house 59. Line that points to infinity 60. Carbs eaten before a martial arts workout program?

64. Round caramel candy 65. “You ___ be assimilated” (“Star Trek” catchphrase) Last week’s answers

32 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

66. Thick woolen fabric 67. Big name in cosmetics 68. Classic, in cheesy store names 69. Time (seemingly) in between checks, for a freelancer 70. Ballerina’s leap

Down 1. “... really?”

2. Make some adjustments to the topiary 3. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 4. “You betcha” 5. Land divided by the 38th parallel 6. Dr. Seymour Butz, the proctologist, e.g.

7. Rd. relatives 8. Name on a Slow Churned quart 9. Ashram visitors 10. Chintzy cigar 11. “Now, THAT explains it!”

12. Band’s rep.

13. Exasperated cry 19. Singer with a death wish?

21. Investments that mature in 52 weeks 24. ACL’s area 25. Warning from a bad drive?

26. Lymphatic mass 27. Cable channel pumped into airport lounges 28. Teensy smidgen 33. Habitually, to Hardy 35. Popular muscle car 36. Cried loudly 38. Kept back 39. President’s “body man,” e.g.

40. Section of a class 41. First player to slam dunk from the free throw line, familiarly 42. Make a pitch for 46. Authorize 48. Yorick’s job 50. Labored 51. Young Turk 52. Sampler’s message 54. God in Rome 55. Depleted 56. Laundry piles 60. A quarter of eight 61. Catch something 62. Astonishment 63. “In the Aeroplane over the ___” (Neutral Milk Hotel magnum opus) 64. British rule in Asia

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

34 · San Diego CityBeat · May 13, 2015

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

May 13, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 35