2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR
Time to expel
D
uncan Hunter Jr. needs to resign. Of course, that’s not going to happen. Why would he? He was handily reelected despite allegedly cheating on his wife, using campaign money to pay for personal expenses, grossly insulting the military, running racist and xenophobic ads against his opponent, proudly proclaiming his anti-immigrant zealotry and (*stops to catch breath*), most recently, he admitted to killing civilians while serving in Iraq. When constituents give a politician a mandate despite their seemingly endless indifference to law and morality, the concept of resignation will never cross that candidate’s mind. Hunter lives in Trump’s America, and in Trump’s America, someone like Hunter can say and do whatever he wants. Some speculate that Rep. Hunter could be pressured to resign by his colleagues in Congress. Fat chance. He has a fan in Trump, who Hunter famously endorsed long before the majority of Republicans sold their souls for an easy rubber stamp from the White House. Sure, they’ll strip Hunter of his committee appointments and feign disappointment whenever his name is brought up, but it ends there. It’s tempting to look at Hunter’s menagerie of scandals at face value and to be angry that someone so repugnant hasn’t already been asked by his colleagues to step down. I’ve used this space before to opine on just how far the needle has moved when it comes to the types of behavior that we as a society are willing to tolerate. We elected a person to the highest office who openly admitted to sexually assaulting women. With that, it’s hard not to question what’s even unacceptable anymore. It’s also tempting to think that the Democrats would have jettisoned any member of their own party who was accused of half the things that Hunter is accused of doing. Or would they? At this point, the lines are becoming increasingly blurred. Remember the scandals involving the Democratic Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Virginia? Well, they’re still in office. Hell, in the recent Virginia primaries, voters chose a Democrat to run for State Senate who went to jail for allegedly sleeping with his 17-year-old assistant. He was in his 50s at the time.
The simple truth is that both Republicans and Democrats are capable of excusing repugnant behavior if it’s politically convenient for them to do so. And even when the majority does call for someone to step down, the impetus for the accused to do so is now so subjective, it’s almost as if we’re living in a bizarro world where anything and everything is acceptable. There are plenty of speculative theories as to why Hunter has chosen not to step down. Is he biding his time in hopes that he can somehow pass the seat off to his father, Hunter Sr., who previously served in the seat before retiring in 2009? There’s the theory that, like his wife did last week, he’ll take a plea deal and hope for a light sentence (it should also be pointed out that there’s no law against him serving out his sentence while still holding his seat). There’s even the theory where Hunter believes that even if he is convicted, his number one fan in the Oval Office will pardon him. Either way, until his trial begins in September, we have no way of knowing what his mindset is at this point. But as the scandals surrounding Hunter become more of a national story, there still doesn’t seem to be a call from House Dems for Hunter’s expulsion. I understand that there are larger fish to fry, but given the unlikelihood that the House will impeach Trump, could it not be time to pick off an easier target? The Constitution grants the House the power to expel a candidate with a two-thirds majority vote. It would be an uphill battle and one that would involve Republicans to get on board, but Democrats need to think like Republicans for once. If the shoe was on the other foot, and a Democrat was accused of the same crimes, Republicans would be falling over themselves to bring an expulsion measure to the floor. Dems need to explain to Republicans the political consequences of letting this continue; how they will likely lose Hunter’s seat in November 2020 if they let this continue. Expulsion is not impossible. It’s happened five times in the history of this country and for crimes less than that of what Hunter has been accused of doing. But will the other four local leaders in the House (all Democrats) call for such a vote? Not without pressure from their constituents to do so. Until they muster up the anger to say we will not accept this kind of behavior anymore, it will continue unchecked and Hunter will remain right where he is.
—Seth Combs
Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com
This issue of CityBeat still peels garlic the old-fashioned way.
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JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3
UP FRONT | LETTERS
TECH OVER ART
Great editorial on Horton Plaza [“Shop Around,” From the Editor, June 12]. Yes, the city blew it. While I don’t think it should be turned into affordable housing, I love the notion of a cultural hub. Come on, if downtown Oceanside can have an “art alley,” why can’t the city take over the Horton Plaza mall and create an inviting cultural hub with galleries, cool boutiques and public spaces? I’d impose a no chain rule, offer subsidized rents to local startups (mom and pop restaurants, boutiques, hell, even bead shops or funky used furniture or clothing stores). How cool would it be to have a Cow or Spin Records next to Wear It Again Sam; a vegan restaurant next to an industrial arts gallery, a bike shop and a Mexican grocer? This could be done! And a resounding yes to making the parking garage a paid city lot—at reasonable rates so you can leave your car for the day (or even overnight) and truly enjoy the area. Such a shame, turning it into a tech hub to further drive up housing demand, and costs. A tangent: are we as a society too STEM-focused? What about culture and the arts? Will our kids listen to jazz and read Faulkner and watch indie films? We are collectively minimizing talent and artistry in favor of brainpower and technology. No, I am not a Luddite but goddamnit, don’t take art and music out of our schools and make all our kids programmed to be engineers! Rant over. Good column.
Thomas K. Arnold Carlsbad
As usual, enjoying the latest CityBeat. Talk about an ignorant tone deaf comments; your Rhonda Moore wins the award this year in A Side-Eye Of Sanity [“Not My Ma,” June 12]. In an article that appears to be about parenting and being their kids’ friends and drinking, a racist non-sequitur slam on whites about “white-people-speak” comes up (“... do it where they would be ‘safe.’ But I still think this is white-people-speak for...”). What on earth does race have to do with this column? Or, is that “black-people-speak” for whites are fools? I hadn’t even thought of race until she revealed her racism. The only element of race in this column this week is Ms. Moore’s disdain for whites. ROTFL!!!! I’ve read this column before and she thinks she’s just so “woke” and worldly and fair minded and clever. Yet here’s this comment showing that, lurking just below the surface of her facade, is a racist. My point to writing this letter is not to complain that her comment shouldn’t be allowed. It absolutely should be there in a free society. But there is NO WAY a white man could say something like that. In fact, I’m sure my “black-people-speak” comment is thought racist. So... the next time one of these so called “woke” and color-blind people clutch their pearls in mock horror when a middleaged white man’s statement is taken out of context and called “racist” by a fool like Ms. Moore, take a pause. Because chances are the person doing the squawking is the racist. I hear stuff like this all the time, so I’m pleased to see it in writing and can call attention to it. “He who smelt it dealt it.”
4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
WE HAVE A
YOU’RE RACIST!
John Muoio El Cajon
PODCAST! Two is the magic number! The second show of the second season of Show in Progress with Matt Strabone is online now and might be the best one yet. For readers who’ve ever wondered about the buzzy acronyms revolving around the affordable housing crisis (YIMBY? NIMBY? PHIMBY?!), this week’s episode offers a convenient primer on the issue. Strabone calls it “The Great Housing Debate” and talks to local experts on all sides of the debate including Jim LaMattery (Raise the Ballon), Maya Rosas (YIMBY Democrats of San Diego) and public housing advocate Andy Kopp. One by one, Strabone gets to the bottom of what each person stands for and presents the listeners with a clear and concise introduction to the issue. As always, Strabone ends the show with one of his signature jokes, which are so awful/awesome, they make even the cheesiest of dads roll their eyes. Show in Progress is available pretty much anywhere podcasts are available, but readers can find it streaming on sdcitybeat.com as well.
TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Backwards & In High Heels. . . . Well, That Was Awkward . . . . .
3 4 5 6 7
FOOD & DRINK World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene . . 9 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . 10-11
ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Feature: James Halliday. . . . . . 12 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-23
MUSIC Feature: Tacocat. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Black Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . 27-29
IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . 30 CannaBitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
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JOHN R. LAMB
UP FRONT | OPINION
SPIN
CYCLE
JOHN R. LAMB
We’re all Eggburt A politician should have three hats. One for throwing into the ring, one for talking through, and one for pulling rabbits out of if elected.
A
—Carl Sandburg
s turbulence begins to build as we make our final descent into the 2020 election season, let’s all take a moment to peer out the window at the landscape below and maybe even get to know our seatmates. With the jacaranda in full spectacular lavender bloom, it’s sometimes easy to forget that San Diego is an amazing city despite our imperfections, politically speaking and otherwise. Oh sure, we constantly find ourselves sitting amidst our fair share of naysayers and recalcitrant tortoises, but occasionally our seat assignment lands us right next to an intriguing rabbit. This got Spin to thinking about Eggburt, currently the most fa-
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mous rabbit this side of Bugs or the Cadbury Bunny. Thanks to a plea agreement last week from the wife (for now?) of scandal-plagued Congressman Duncan Hunter, we’ve learned that Eggburt is the name of the family pet that took a campaign-financed flight to D.C. back in Hunter’s free-wheeling spending days. Hunter campaign folks claimed the expenditure was a mistake that should have been deducted from Hunter’s frequent-flyer miles instead. Still, even highly attuned bunny ears couldn’t pick up that explanation over the din of the nationwide laughter. But are we not all Eggburts? Don’t we all dream of flying first class gratis? Aren’t some of today’s woes tempered by a good chomp on a proverbial carrot? Look, Spin gets it. Commandant Bone Spurs and his legion of followers prefer the stick to the carrot and a slap to the haunches over a
Candidates in 2020 best avoid the rabbit holes that embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter has encountered. pat on the head. And much like the plight of Eggburt, many in this city can’t pick their owners. But we, the voters, can pick our leaders, and it looks like the ballot, much like rabbits, might be multiplying soon. First, rumors are thumping that San Diego City Councilmember Mark Kersey, who recently left the Republican Party, will soon toss his independent hat into the 2020 mayoral race in hopes of replacing the termed-out Kevin Faulconer.
Both Kersey and still-Republican council colleague Scott Sherman, who also is said to be mulling a run for mayor, took to the social media airwaves last week to excoriate the Democratic council majority. The reason for their rebuke was the council’s 6-3 decision to direct City Attorney Mara Elliott to invalidate 2012’s Proposition B, the pension-reform initiative that required 401(k) retirement plans for new city hires, instead of pensions. Police officers were exempted. The California Supreme Court last year ruled that the city violated state labor laws by neglecting to negotiate with city labor unions prior to submitting the measure to voters. “The Council’s vote today to invalidate Prop. B goes far beyond what any court—including the [state] Supreme Court—has ordered the city to do,” Kersey tweeted after the decision. “We have the ability to make whole the affected employees without overturning the will of a near supermajority of voters in 2012… This action by the Council majority takes us back to the bad old days when terrible decisions by past city leaders led to a massively unsustainable system.” Sherman echoed that sentiment in a tweet: “I am deeply disappointed that instead of doing the right thing and defending this clear mandate in court, the Council chose to ignore the will of a vast majority of San Diegans.” Opponents of Prop. B argue that the measure has failed to save the city money while also putting the city behind the eight ball when it comes to recruiting staff. They also argue that it has prompted an exodus of good employees, lured away with bigger carrots offered
by neighboring municipalities and agencies. Nevertheless, it seems like a suitable political plank to stand on for any conservative-minded mayoral candidate, should anyone officially decide to enter the fray against Barbara Bry and Todd Gloria. How the pension issue is decided may well be one of the rabbitout-of-the-hat moments that come to define the 2020 mayoral race. If there’s one thing that Eggburt’s owner has demonstrated, it’s that words matter. If someone decides to try to throw their wife under the bus for their own failings and (alleged) misdeeds, it’s only natural that the karmic powers of hubris will land on them like a ton of rabbit pellets. For Spin, these types of events also put into perspective the impersonal, flame-throwing world of political social media, where wellmeaning ideas and views are sometimes met with Molotov-cocktail responses; where discussions of future goals slam headfirst into brick walls of resistance. Spin isn’t naïve enough to think that the coming debates about the future of this fine city won’t include bursts of hyperbole, misinformation and thumb-generated social slap fights. That’s politics, unfortunately. We are all, indeed, Eggburts. We all prefer carrots over sticks. We want our leaders to lead but also to listen. But most importantly, Spin would like to think we yearn for authenticity in these topsy-turvy times. As Ambrose Bierce once said, “A rabbit’s foot may bring good luck to you, but it brought none to the rabbit.” Spin Cycle appears every other week. Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.
JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5
UP FRONT | OPINION
AARYN BELFER
BACKWARDS & IN
HIGH HEELS
Same as it ever was
“I had to keep breathing. Episode #1 nearly broke my heart, however I’ll keep watching. This is essential viewing for EVERY American! As essential to your understanding of America as was, ROOTS!”
I
—LeVar Burton on When They See Us, via Twitter
’ll never forget sitting with my mother on her bed, staring beyond the brass footboard at our giant box of a television, my eyes locked on the screen as Kunta Kinte (played by LeVar Burton) was brutally whipped by another slave. The year was 1977 and over the course of eight nights, I curled up next to my mother in her room to watch Roots. I was 6 years old and even if I didn’t have the words to express the experience of bearing witness to the ugliness of slavery and racism, I felt every bit of that program deep down in my soul. Based on the Alex Haley novel, Roots an epic saga of a man, stolen from The Gambia and sold into slavery in colonized America, and of seven generations of his descendants. Believe me when I say there was zero discussion in my house about whether the miniseries was appropriate for children. Whether this was due to the seatbelts-what-arethose?, loosey-goosey vibe of the ’70s, or it was more of a conscious choice by an enlightened parent, the end result was the same: I learned early that America enslaved and brutalized Black people. It is not hyperbolic for me to say that Roots, and my early knowledge of our original sin, imprinted something indelible in my heart, and the experience of watching Roots is foundational to who I am today. I’ve been thinking a lot about this formative experience since watching Ava DuVernay’s four-part Netflix series, When They See Us, which began streaming on May 31 and is currently the most-watched series on the platform. It is, in my mind, a masterpiece, analogous to Roots in its importance, urgency and relevance. For those who don’t know, When They See Us is a docudrama about five Black and Brown boys—Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise—falsely accused, convicted and imprisoned for raping a white woman in Central Park in 1989. Another person eventually confessed to the crime and DNA confirmed his guilt, and the innocent men were exonerated. But while the show is centered around the Exonerated Five (who were little more than babies at the time), it is also a searing indictment of institutions— law enforcement, the media, the criminal (in)justice system, the prison system—and highlights how systemic racism operates just as it was designed to. No systems are broken here. DuVernay does a magnificent job showing how the white power structure depicted in Roots and endemic
to how our society has evolved (and also hasn’t) to perpetuate the violence and oppression of Black and Brown people today. The events in When They See Us may have taken place in America circa 1989, but the same thing is happening every single day in 2019 America, and just as it did in 1889 America. Same as it ever was. When They See Us is as pertinent to right now as is Roots. And like Roots, When They See Us is an emotional wrecking ball. It is so devastating, I had to break my binge into two sessions. My heart was broken by the first episode as I saw so many children I know in those boys, and it continued to shatter as their childhoods came to an abrupt end in a single night. Shocking and despicable are but two words to describe watching as white people conspired to shred these kids to pieces. They did so as the kids’ families collapsed, as hope gave way to despair in the courtroom, as they went to prison and later as they tried to rebuild their lives. And then came episode four, the crushing pinnacle that made me physically ill and left me prone to audible outbursts and bouts of weeping. In other words, it is not a night of light family cinema. And yet, this exceptional, painful, gamechanging work should be required viewing for all people. Well... for all white people. Including children. Kids today do active-shooter drills in school, play hours of violent video games and, at any time, can pull up videos on their phones of violence against Black people. They can even see a live-streamed massacre. So they can handle a series about the violence of white supremacy and racism. It seems, though, it’s the grown-ups who can’t handle the truth. Since watching the series, many white people I’ve spoken to about it have crinkled their foreheads and put hand-to-throat to say, “Oh, no. I can’t. I can’t watch that. It’s too hard.” This is a total cop out. I can understand why Black people might opt out as they live the reality depicted in this series every day simply by being Black in America. So the very least we can do—and I mean that literally—is to be witnesses to the trauma and to try to understand our complicity in it. To be uncomfortable for a few hours. “It is bittersweet,” Kevin Richardson told Oprah in her follow up interview with the Exonerated Five. “Cause watchin’ this is painful. But it’s necessary. This needs to be watched.” When They See Us has continued to resonate for me and I’m percolating on it still as I prepare to watch it for a second time with my daughter. And maybe, at some point soon, we’ll go back and revisit Roots.
The events in When They See Us may have taken place in America circa 1989, but the same thing is happening every single day in 2019 America, and just as it did in 1889 America.
6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.
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UP FRONT | VOICES
RYAN BRADFORD
WELL THAT WAS
AWKWARD
Hold me close, tiny horses
I
spend the weeks leading up to Mini Horse Beach Day obsessed with the zero-chill comments posted on the event’s Facebook page. The event’s hosts appear to be two tiny white horses named Jiggy and Tubby. One message reads: I’ve had a lot of people ask if they can bring their “big horses.” Every day is “big horse day” at fiesta island; the minis only have a few days each year, let’s leave this day for them! Another urgent message—bookended by siren emojis—reiterates this request, because apparently mofos love to ruin Mini Horse Beach Day by riding in on their large boys: I’ve already asked but PLEASE DO NOT BRING YOUR LARGE HORSES, LARGE HORSES ARE NOT TO BE A PART OF THIS EVENT. It’s called mini horse beach day for a reason. Honestly, I feel for Jiggy and Tubby. It’s not easy to be taken seriously when you’re so small and cute, let alone a variant of a larger, more majestic species whose domestication heralded humanity’s supremacy. But I agree with the manic posts—to hell with large horses. The reign (or... rein?) of the large horse has gone on for far too long. It’s not that I hate them (in fact, I pray for the day that the Del Mar Racetrack gets Blackfish’d), I just think they all want to kick me in the face. I generally don’t trust animals that are bigger than me, and this rule of thumb has kept my face nice and unbroken. Perhaps mini horses, on the other hand, are made for people like me. I decide to investigate. Mini Horse Beach Day takes place on Fiesta Island, which may be the most egregious misnomer in all of San Diego, unless “riding jet skis in shallow water while breathing manure-scented air” counts as a fiesta. I’m not going to place all the blame on large horses for the dour setting—the Eastbound and Down contingent plays a huge role— but I immediately understand why the mini horse people would not want to associate with the shitspreading regular horse crowd. As my friend Julia and I approach the mini horse gathering, I’m reminded of a Renaissance painting— a measured image of perfection. Tiny horses trot through the white sand, led by cherubic tweens. Ocean breezes rustle the lil’ horses’ manes, which have been styled, feathered and ponytailed. It’s a vision of innocence, pure and simple. “How much horse dong are we going to see today?” I ask. “Ah, always asking the hard hitting questions,” Julia replies. At that moment, a horse whinnies behind us, as if
on cue. We both turn around and see a woman leading a little brown horse with a toddler riding it. The littlest cowboy! I think, and just let my jaw hang open, with no regard for how much Fiesta Island shit-air is getting in there. The first horse I meet is Checkers, a young buck who is vaguely patterned like its namesake. I tentatively lay my hand on the tiny horse, and feel the angled musculature under his coarse hair. Despite Checkers’ youth and size, he’s still a powerful animal. I ask the young owner (who wears a hoodie with the words “Horse Crazy” emblazoned across the front) if mini horses kick. “Yeah,” she says in a way that sounds either guarded or threatening, and I step away. One of the things I quickly realize about mini horse girls is they possess an incredible devotion and reverence to their animals. The horse’s human companions are willing to share their steeds up to a point, but the animal’s needs come first. If Checkers were to kick me, I know I’d get no remorse from his person, only scorn. We meet Cooper and Callie, two older—but no less handsome—ponies. Then there’s Tiara, a majestic mini who jumps over cute knee-high hurdles. I also become acquainted with Nicki, who’s not a horse, but the largest, fluffiest caucasian shepherd dog I’ve ever seen, and seeing a large dog in contrast with mini horses breaks my brain’s ability to understand animal sizes. We meet Nacho, another sweet boy. “Nacho average-sized horse,” Julia says. We only see one dong, but wow. Way to defy all expectations, mini horses. Two white ponies stand at the edge of the gathering, surrounded by a couple of people in folding chairs. The smaller of the two wears a green jacket, which makes him look distinguished yet tired (why the long face? Okay I’m done). I overhear someone refer to the horse as Jiggy. “This is Jiggy and Tubby?” I nearly shout. “From the Facebook event page?” It feels a little like I’m in the presence of a celebrity. I give Jiggy some room because it’s been a long day for him and he’s apparently “carrot-ed out” according to the person with him. I ask if they’re ever allowed in the house, and the people laugh and tell me that they’ve been in the house a couple of times, but Jiggy can get a little too rambunctious. Classic Jiggy, I think. I lean down and give Tubby a big hug. I still don’t trust big horses, but I am now a fan of these animals—nay (neigh)—friends.
The horse’s human companions are willing to share their steeds up to a point, but the animal’s needs come first. If Checkers were to kick me, I know I’d get no remorse from his owner, only scorn.
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Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week. Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com
JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7
UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK
BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER
THE WORLD
FARE Off to the Raíces
T
here are many ways to evaluate a chef. From Michelin stars and James Beard nods, to technical prowess and business acumen, there is no singular or definitive right way. For me, though, one of the surest ways to assess a chef’s skill in the kitchen is their vegetable cookery. By that measure alone, chef Jesus Villicaña Soria and his Raíces Restaurante Baja Internacional Cuisine (Carretera Libre Tijuana-Ensenada Km 44.5, facebook.com/RaicesBaja) in Puerto Nuevo are well worth a visit. Take, for example, Villicaña’s chicken supreme with ricotta cheese and spinach, mashed potatoes, sherry sauce and baby vegetables. The “supreme” aspect of the dish—chicken breast stuffed with ricotta and spinach—was the star, in theory at least. What could be wrong with well-prepared chicken breast, gooey cheese and fresh spinach? And as tasty as that was, it was, in reality, those baby vegetables that ate like the dish’s focus. Pattypan squash, carrots, radishes, beets and baby Brussels sprouts were all cooked to that perfect point where they remained crisp, their inherent beauty and sweetness on display for all to see and taste. It was glorious. Villicaña’s a graduate of IGASTUR, the Instituto de Gastronomía y Turismo de Baja California, one of the many professional culinary arts programs in Tijuana and Baja California. These programs are graduating culinary professionals at an astonishing rate. And I would argue that those graduates contribute as much as the big-name chefs, if not more, to the technical competence of Baja’s rapidly growing culinary scene. Not everything is perfect at Raíces. Some of the sauces are a bit too sweet and nearly every dish would have popped just a bit more with a few more grains of salt. In the slow-cooked beef short rib with mashed potatoes, corn, pesto and beer BBQ sauce, Villicaña seemed to be trying just a bit too hard.
8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
The short ribs themselves were gorgeous and tasty but between the sauce, the mash, the corn and its pesto, Villicaña seemed to be striving for complexity at the expense of a simple, direct message. That direct message is there in Raíces’ skirt steak and marlin tacos. Everything on the steak taco was there for a reason and the message was simple, direct and delicious. The same was true of the marlin tacos. So often in Baja, marlin is served smoked. Here, Villicaña allowed the natural flavor of the fish to take center stage. Perhaps the best dish at Raíces, though, was the appetizer of roasted bone marrow with avocado, onion ash, tortillas and a salsa of tomatillo, jalapeño and poblano chiles. It’s a dish so rich, it could easily be out of balance, but this one was not. The smoky flavors of the onion ash and the char on MICHAEL A. GARDINER
Chicken supreme the tomatillos in the salsa helped bring the different elements into line. Still, it was that salsa’s acidity that harmonized this nearly perfect dish. There’s a sense at Raíces that the best is yet to come. The menu sometimes seems to be caught between where it’s at and where it wants to be. That will work itself out. Those glorious vegetables are the proof of Villicaña’s skill. That bone marrow dish shows just how flawlessly conceived and executed his food truly can be. The World Fare appears weekly. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.
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UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK
ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE #59: Electric Lillet-land at CUCINA urbana
T
here are a few things for which I am a complete sucker. Fruity Pebbles for example. I am a grown-ass man and yet I am held completely hostage every time I’m at the supermarket and see that colorful sugar garbage. I try to avoid it. I bypass the cereal aisle in an attempt to grab the rest of my goods and get the hell outta dodge before the urge to buy Fruity Pebbles strikes. But by the time I get to the check-out line, a box of that toxic, tiny rice crap finds its way into my goddamn cart. It’s shameful, but it’s true. However, I do not feel ashamed for another product for which I am a giant sucker even though a lot of people might think I should be: Lillet Rosé. When the weather hits a certain temperature, I devour Lillet Rosé the way Joey Chestnut devours hot dogs. I can’t help myself and I am not ashamed to admit it. For those unfamiliar with Lillet Rosé, it is a wine-based aperitif made from Grand Cru Bordeaux grapes, primarily the Sémillon variety. It’s the same base as the inarguably more popular Lillet Blanc,
ELECTRIC ROSÉ as prepared at CUCINA urbana 3/4 oz. Gin 3/4 oz. Luxardo Bitter Bianco 3/4 oz. Dry Curaçao 3/4 oz. Lillet Rosé 2 dashes of Peychaud’s bitters Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a rocks glass with a single large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.
@SDCITYBEAT
BY IAN WARD
but the Rosé is blessed with the addition of fruit liqueurs made from berries and oranges, which brings with it wonderful notes of bitterness, sweetness and high floral aromatics. On the rare occasions when I have the whole-hearted pleasure of coming across Lillet Rosé, my general preference is to have it served tall, topped with club soda and with a grapefruit twist. I’ll say it again, I’m IAN WARD not entirely sure why this makes me so happy, but it does. And rest assured, if readers were to try it, I like to think they’d find themselves feeling happy as well. However, for some reason, Lillet Rosé proves itself to be a very hard indulgence to come across, in this, America’s Finest of Cities. But for those who are now curious and want to seek it out, they can certainly find it at CUCINA Electric Rosé urbana (505 Laurel St., urbankitchengroup.com) in Bankers Hill, where it shines through in their Electric Rosé cocktail. The Electric Rosé has no true inclinations of sweetness, but has lasting notes of lush, ripe peaches and orange marmalade. It is dangerously soft and elegant with lingering bitterness from the Luxardo Bitter Bianco. And while the bitterness remains subtle throughout the imbibing experience, the tongue seems to be constantly bathed in it, but in an incredibly pleasant way. Anyhow, that is my way of saying the Electric Rosé is far superior to my standard order of Lillet Rosé and soda. Either way someone chooses to drink Lillet Rosé in the coming hot summer days, they’ll find themselves becoming a sucker for it as well. Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene appears every other week. Write to ianw@sdcitybeat.com.
BY BETH DEMMON
FINAL DRAUGHT An old favorite
beer competitions. There are quite a few of them; New English has won four dozen ive restaurant monogamy a try,” gold, silver and bronze medals plus some begged San Diego Magazine food honorable mentions. critic Troy Johnson earlier this year The brewers also received a Best in in an impassioned essay titled, “Your Res- Show accolade from the Los Angeles Countaurant Promiscuity Is Out of Control.” His ty Fair in 2015 for their Zumbar chocolate theory: eateries are involuntarily shifting coffee imperial stout. This collaborative away from relying on regular customers, imperial stout, made with a blend of Inthanks to the proliferance of foodie floo- donesian and Latin American coffee beans zies fueled by FOMO (fear of missing out), from Zumbar Coffee & Tea, is now one of and only popping in for a one-night stand. New English’s most decorated brews, notaThis behavioral sea change equally bly taking home the gold at the Super Bowl affects San Diego’s beer scene. Our abun- of beer (the Great American Beer Festival) dance of breweries (perhaps an overabun- in 2015. At 9.3 percent ABV, it packs a hefty dance, depending on who’s asked) means punch and is bursting with deep, decadent competition is fierce. For conbaker’s chocolate and roasty BETH DEMMON sumers, there’s almost a nevrichness throughout the aroer-ending variety of choice. ma and flavor. The carbonFor the breweries themselves, ation is ideal: just enough to it means every day is a struglet the individual flavors exgle to earn repeat business plode without getting needfrom even loyal fans. lessly aggressive. There’s a need for anyWhenever I try a flight of one interested in craft beer New English’s other offerto keep paying attention to ings, they’re vastly different. San Diego’s pioneer comThe award-winning Explorer panies. They provide the ESB is an ode to honeysuckle context of how we arrived at and toffee, while the Hop Zumbar chocolate where we are today. Brewercoffee imperial stout Slap’d Mosaic pale ale is a ies that have been around tropical fruit bomb—but for decades deserve just as much recogni- they all carry a similar thread that harkens tion than the well-funded, strategically back to founder and brewmaster Simon located new kids on the block. Not only Lacey’s U.K. roots. I’d get a growler of any have businesses like Karl Strauss Brew- of them, if growlers didn’t suck. ing Company, Stone Brewing, AleSmith As I continue to revisit my draught Brewing Company and Coronado Brewing of Zumbar, I find myself getting lost in Company managed to survive a massive thought. It’s an unfamiliar feeling in toinflux of competition, but they also built day’s age of social media distraction, but the foundation upon which that competi- a welcome one. It could be due to the fact tion rests. my phone recently died, but I like to think New English Brewing Company this beer might have the power to trans(11545 Sorrento Valley Road, Ste. 305, port its drinker back to a time when connewenglishbrewing.com) isn’t the old- templating the quality of the beer in front est brewery in San Diego, but it predates of them was good enough. a staggering majority of those currently operating. Its Sorrento Valley brewery Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check and taproom is simple, with wall decor her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite. mostly made up of medals won in various
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JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9
EVENTS
SHORTlist
ART
the
THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE
COORDINATED BY
SETH COMBS
LOGAN HEIGHTS
GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE...
We’d like to pose a question to readers: When it comes to having art in your house, is it better to have something everybody knows was bought from one of those big-box stores, a reproduction guests won’t look at twice? Or is it better to have something unique—a one-of-a-kind conversation starter? We’d like to think readers already know the answer. At the end of the day, don’t we all want something original hanging in our house rather than a mass-manufactured print of a cliché painting? An exemplary way to get started on an art collection is by attending the Art Auction for the Museum School. The 13th annual event will feature dozens of San Diego’s best and brightest artists (Andrew Alcasid, Michael James Armstrong and Claudia Cano, to name a few), all of whom have donated pieces to benefit the Museum School, a tuition-free, public charter school in San Diego that focuses on the arts. “We do a variety of different fundraising activities, but the art auction is an opportunity to reach out into the larger community and we’ve been really fortunate in growing and curating this event,” says Museum School director Phil Beaumont. “We’ve got folks that have shown and presented in museums internationally and here in the Museum of Contemporary Art in San Diego, so it’s a high caliber body of work that we have, which is wonderful.”
OCEAN BEACH
CHILI TIME Ocean Beach has a well-known and deserved reputation for chill vibes. But chili vibes? Well, once a year for 40 years, it’s all about them chili vibes at the annual Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off. For those who’ve never been, it’s a bean, meat and cheese-filled day that also includes carnival rides, an “Artists Alley,” a Hodad’s burger-eating contest, a Beachside Bar area and, of course, dozens of chili samples for sale. There will also be four different stages of live music from bands such as The Lonesome Lowdowns, Electric Waste Band, The Heavy Guilt and more. The party starts on Saturday, June 22 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the 4800 to 5000 blocks of Newport Avenue, along the waterfront. The street fair is free with chili samples ranging from $2 to $20 to try them all.oceanbeachsandiego.org COURTESY OF OCEAN BEACH MAINSTREET ASSOCIATION
COURTESY OF THE ARTISTS
Wonderspaces: in common at B Street Pier, 1140 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. The latest iteration of the immersive and experiential art experience and featuring works from Margaret Noble, Don Ritter, Foo/ Skou, Candy Chang and more. Various times. Through Friday, June 21. $15-$24. sandiego.wonderspaces.com HDowntown at Sundown at MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. MCASD’s after-hours event offers free admission and guided tours of exhibitions at MCASD and the SDSU Downtown Gallery. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 20. Free. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org HCorrespondence: A Vending Machine Group Art Exhibition at Porto Vista Hotel, 1835 Columbia St., Little Italy. 1805 Gallery presents a group art exhibition inside a vending machine that features an array of poems, postcards, paintings, sculptures, drawings and sound works. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, June 20. Free. 1805gallery.com HTo Do · A Mending Project at MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A new workshop-based exhibition conceived of by artists Michelle Montjoy, Anna O’Cain, and Siobhán Arnold, and which is in response to the escalation of political, social, and economic tensions in the United States. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, June 21 through Sunday, Sept. 22. Free-$10. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org
Clockwise from top left: art from Matt Devine, Tom Driscoll and Joe Yorty The auction is open to all art lovers and also serves as an excellent survey exhibition of the best contemporary artists in the region. It all goes down Saturday, June 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Bread & Salt (1955 Julian Ave.). More details at museumschool.org.
NORTH PARK
BEST OF THE HESS We do love our neighbors over at Mike Hess Brewing (3812 Grim Ave.) and their annual HessFest is one beer festival that stands above the rest because it feels more like a block party filled with friends and neighbors. Not only that, but it’s a fundraiser for The Navy SEAL Foundation, The Pablove Foundation and the San Diego Music Foundation. Patrons can enjoy beers from 25 breweries, as well as food vendors and live music from Sully and the Souljahs, Jack Casket, The Liqoursmiths and more. A ticket includes unlimited beer tasters, four food samples and a souvenir pint glass that’s good for reduced refills at Mike Hess locations throughout the year. Hessfest9 happens Saturday, June 22 from 12:30 to 5 p.m. (VIP tickets get beer-lovers in at 11:30 a.m.) and tickets range from $40 to $60 at mikehessbrewing.com. COURTESY OF MIKE HESS BREWING
HSongs That Never Die at MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. Artist Marnie Weber’s 2015 filmic installation about the Spirit Girls, a fictitious all-female rock band whose members died tragically in the 1970s. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, June 21 through Sunday, Oct. 27. Free-$10. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org HMore like a Forest: Paintings and Sculptures by Richard Allen Morris at MCASD Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A reprisal installation of the local artist’s 1988 show, which featured Morris’ evocative sculptural work. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, June 21 through Sunday, Oct. 27. Free-$10. 858-4543541, mcasd.org HLegendary Drag Queens of San Diego at San Diego History Center, 1649 El Prado, Ste. 3, Balboa Park. San Diego History Center presents its newest exhibit highlighting the art of drag, which includes costumes and stories of successful drag queens. Part of the LGBTQ+ San Diego: Stories of Struggles and Triumphs exhibition. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 21. $10. sandiegohistory.org HArt Auction for the Museum School at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Friends of the Museum School hosts the 13th annual silent auction of work by San Diego and Tijuana’s top artists to support the art programs at the Museum School. From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free. museumschool.org The Good the Bad and the Fringe at Creative Studio, 2870 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill. Club Purple presents a night of hair, music, and visual stimulation. Includes mixed media and analog art with live performances by Edna Lugo and Zoie Rose, sound by Lola Rey and visuals by Rees Withrow. From 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $10-$15. facebook.com/ events/1909077402532108 Indoor/Outdoor at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. A collaborative Swedish American art exhibition featuring the work of artists from Feminist Image Group and Krogen Amerika. Opening from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 23. Free. sandiego-art.org
Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off 10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
Hessfest
H = CityBeat picks
HCalifornia Tapestry at Mission Trails Regional Park Visitor and Interpretive Center, One Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Carlos. Los Angeles-based painter Lesley Goren’s exhibition showcases vegetation native to Southern California, highlighting preservation and conservation. Opening from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 23. Free. mtrp.org/art
BOOKS HMaya Motayne at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The fantasy writer will sign copies of her debut novel, Nocturna, as well as discuss it with fellow fantasy writer Tomi Adeyemi. At 7 p.m. Thursday, June 20. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Aliza Sherman and Dr. Junella Chin at Hera Hub, 4010 Sorrento Valley Blvd., Sorrento Valley. Casual gathering to hear from the authors about their new book, Cannabis and CBD for Health and Wellness. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 21. Free. 907-312-2922, ellementa.com HDan Werb at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The associate professor of epidemiology at UC San Diego will discuss and sign his new book, City of Omens: A Search for the Missing Women of the Borderlands. From 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 25. Free. warwicks.com HCarmen Maria Machado at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The writer will discuss and sign her critically lauded debut short story collection, Her Body and Other Parties, a finalist for the National Book Award. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 26. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com
COMEDY HSan Diego Humane Society Fundraiser at American Comedy Co. San Diego, 818 Sixth Ave., Gaslamp. Comedian Iann Bagg will perform to raise funds that will go toward the San Diego Humane Society. From 8 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. $25. americancomedyco.com HImpractical Jokers at San Diego County Fair, Del Mar Fairgounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. A live performance from The Tenderloins, a New York-based comedy troupe whose four members who specialize in public pranks. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 20. $39-$166. sdfair.com HChelsea Handler at Spreckels Theater Building, 121 Broadway, Downtown. Chelsea Handler will perform a sit-down comedy set that highlights topics from her new book, Life Will Be the Death of Me. At 8 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $68-$88. spreckels.net HEddie Izzard at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. The comedian’s all-new show will expand on his own surreal view of life, love, history and his “theory of the universe.” From 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, June 25. $47. 858-5701100, sandiegotheatres.org
DANCE HOceans, Flamenco en Vivo at the Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd. Ste. 101, University Heights. This Flamenco performance will feature Seattle-based dancer Savannah Fuentes, singer and percussionist Jose Moreno, and guitarist Pedro Cortes. At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, June 23. $7-$37. 800-838-3006, brownpapertickets.com
FILM HNot-So-Silent Short Film Festival: Women Filmmakers Pioneers of Cin-
EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 @SDCITYBEAT
THEATER KEN JACQUES
Of producers and plants
O
nly a Mel Brooks show can still get laughs with the “walk this way” sight gag. No one can get away with broad, irreverent and politically incorrect comedy like Brooks, which makes The Producers musical, based on his 1968 film, such a guilty pleasure. The often family-minded Moonlight Stage Productions has opened its 39th summer season with one for the grownups. Its staging of the musical, originally staged in 2001, does not disappoint either. The production reunites actors Jamie Torcellini and Larry Raben, who played the lead and second banana, respectively, in Moonlight’s production of Young Frankenstein in 2013. This time around, Torcellini stars as the sleazy Broadway producer Max Bialystock, with Raben (who also directs) as the timid account Leo Bloom. They’re both in fine form, as are Josh Adamson, Luke H. Jacobs and Max Cadillac in uproarious supporting roles. Moonlight’s orchestra, conducted by Lyndon Pugeda, is big time as well. The Producers is an irresistible farce still capable of shocking first-time viewers. The Producers runs through June 29 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. $17$57; moonlightstage.com
OPENING: Asimov’s Last Chapter: A staged reading of Herbert Siguenza’s fictional play centering on Isaac Asimov and the famous sci-fi writer’s last days. Part of the Jewish Arts Festival, it happens June 19 at the New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. sdrep.org
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ema at IDEA1, 899 Park Blvd., Downtown. The first of three interactive evenings of silent short films curated by award-winning multimedia curator and soundscape artist Scott Paulson. From 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free-$30. vanguardculture.org
HBaja Bash at the Coronado Cays Yacht Club, 30 N. Caribe Cay Blvd., Coronado. Celebrate Wildcoast’s sustainability projects with Baja cuisine, local craft beer, live music, and a silent auction to raise funds for coastal-marine conservation. From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $95. wildcoast.org
FOOD & DRINK HTaste of Little Italy at Little Italy, San Diego. Explore the best food and drink at 41 participating restaurants between north and south routes. Includes “Taste Passports” that map out the menu offerings. From 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 19. $45. littleitalysd.com HCityBeat Burger Week at various locations. $5 burgers and $8 combos from San Diego’s best burger joints. From gourmet blends to off-menu specialties, restaurants such as Crazee Burgers, Red Wing, Fernside and more pay tribute to the hamburger. Various times Wednesday, June 19 through Wednesday, June 26. sdcitybeat.com/burgerweek HCalifornia Wine Festival at Park Hyatt Aviara Resort, 7100 Aviara Resort Drive, Carlsbad. Fine wine lovers will sip on samplings of hard-to-find trophy wines, craft brews, artisanal cheeses, breads, olive oil and more at this inaugural festival. From 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 21 and noon
@SDCITYBEAT
The Producers
here’s just no denying it: The bloodthirsty, flesh-hungry plant Audrey II is the star of Little Shop of Horrors. When Audrey II (played here by Eboni Muse) first bellows “Feed me!,” the horror side of Little Shop comes to startling life. Clad in a spectacularly garish costume designed by Amanda Quivey, Muse makes for a wildly sinister diva queen. New Village Arts’ Little Shop of Horrors, directed by AJ Knox, enjoys a delightful ensemble led by Sittichai Chaiyahat as Seymour, the man-eating plant’s nerdy minder. As his co-worker/love interest Au-
to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $35-$175. californiawinefestival.com
Chula Vista Film Festival at the Chula Vista Civic Center Library Auditorium, 365 F St., Chula Vista. The inaugural festival will present short animated films by students and aspiring filmmakers. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 26. Free with RSVP. eventbrite.com
—David L. Coddon
Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
Little Italy Summer Film Festival at Amici Park, W. Date and State Streets, Little Italy. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic and blanket to these outdoor screening of an Italian movie with English subtitles. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $5. littleitalysd.com
Little Shop of Horrors runs through Aug. 4 at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. $25-$47; newvillagearts.org
HHessfest9 at Mike Hess Brewing Co. North Park, 3812 Grim Ave., North Park. The annual one-day festival features unlimited tastings from 25 breweries, plus 10 food vendors and live music. Proceeds benefit The Navy Seal Foundation and the San Diego Music Foundation. From 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $40$60. 619-255-7136, mikehessbrewing.com HWing Fest San Diego at Broadway Pier, Downtown. The best wings from top San Diego wings venues along with live performances, craft beer and spirit sampling. From 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $25-$45. wingfestsandiego.com HScoop San Diego Ice Cream Festival at 30th Street and North Park Way, North Park. Sample nearly two-dozen local ice cream and gelato spots in the heart of North Park with proceeds benefitting the Monarch School. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 23. $20-$35. scoopsandiego.org
MUSIC HMainly Mozart Festival Orchestra: Love, Life and Loss at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Michael Francis conducts a performance of Mozart’s compositions from his Vienna years as an independent composer. From 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday, June 20. $15-$88. 619-2390100, mainlymozart.org HSue Palmer & Her Motel Swing Orchestra at the California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The local award-winning “Boogie Woogie Queen” will be performing a range of swing, blues, and boogie-woogie songs,
drey, the dependable Cashae Monya brings out the lovelier side of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s kitschy songs, while a ubiquitous singing trio (Chris Bona, Natasha Baenisch and Patricia Jewel) evoke the ’50s when socks were for hopping and Bgrade horror movies reigned at drive-ins. Melissa Fernandes is superb in the role of Mrs. Mushnik (Mr. Mushnik in the original musical), and Philip David Black nails it as sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello. After a strong opening act, the show gets bogged down a bit, but Audrey II satisfyingly chews the scenery throughout.
as part of the Center’s “Hidden City Sounds” series. At 7 p.m. Friday, June 21. Free-$40. artcenter.org Gran Partita! Spotlight Chamber Music at TSRI Auditorium at Scripps, 10620 John Jay Hopkins, La Jolla. Members of the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra present a performance of Mozart’s work with a wine reception. From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 21. $65. 619-239-0100, mainlymozart.org HIndian Jazz Journey at Quartyard, 1301 Market St., Downtown. East and West mash-up featuring four masters of jazz and classical Indian music. Also includes Indian food truck delicacies and more. From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $10-$50. 858-822-2026, indianjazzjourney.eventbrite.com Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra: Elemental Drama at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Michael Francis will conduct a musical illustration of the elements that shaped Mozart’s first years in Vienna. From 8 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $15-$88. 619-239-0100, mainlymozart.org HOrquesta Akokán at the California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Featuring musicians from Irakere, NG La Banda, and Los Van Van, the multigenerational Cuban band will play originals from their debut album. At 5 p.m. Sunday, June 23. $15-$50. artcenter.org HThe Alexander Project at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. A live band of musicians and vocalists will revitalize selected songs with hip-hop influences in tribute to the music of Hamilton. From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 23. $14-$36.50. 858-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org The Voice of the Guitar at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center, 7600 Fay Ave., La Jolla. International classical guitar sensation Milos Karadaglic and members of the Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra will perform a mix of classical and popular favorites. From 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday, June 23. $50. 619-239-0100, mainlymozart.org
Two by Two: A staged reading of Richard Rodgers’ retelling of the biblical story of Noah and his famous ark. Directed by Joey Landwehr, it happens June 20 at the Garfield Theatre in the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla. sdcjc.org The Ruby in Us: In celebration of Juneteenth, the Old Globe presents an original work from Karen Ann Daniels about the life of Ruby Bridges, who at age six became the face of school integration in the American South. It happens June 21 and June 22 at the Fourth District Seniors Resource Center in Encanto. theoldglobe.org
For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com
San Diego International Organ Festival at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 2125 Pan American Road E., Balboa Park. Raúl Prieto Ramírez and the Spreckels Organ Rock Band will perform a tribute to the music of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, June 24. Free. 619702-8188, spreckelsorgan.org HThe Pop 2000 Tour at San Diego County Fair, Del Mar Fairgounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. A live performance from artists who were popular around the turn of the century including Lance Bass of HNSYNC, O-Town, Aaron Carter and more. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 26. $39-$166. sdfair.com
PERFORMANCE HTom Gun Live! at Music Box, 1337 India St., Downtown. An interactive, satirical homage to the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise, and the iconic characters he’s played. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 22. $27-$52. tomgunlive.com
SPECIAL EVENTS HSan Diego County Fair at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. It’s time again to ride some rides, play some games and, best of all, stuff your face with a bizarre variety of deep-fried food. Various times. Through Thursday, July 4. Free-$20. 858-755-1161, sdfair.com HWorld Refugee Day Celebration at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 W. Broadway, Downtown. Series of programming and activities centered around stories of migration and refugee communities. From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 20. Free. 619-501-6370, art.sdsu.edu Maker’s Market & Everything Swap at The Brown Building, 4133 Poplar St., City Heights. Loud and Queer Zine hosts local crafters and artists along with an everything swap that allows people to bring whatever they’d like to rehome and take anything in
return. From 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 21. facebook.com/loudandqueerzine Summer Solstice with the Arts at the Arts District Liberty Station, 2825 Dewey Road, Point Loma. Visit Liberty Station’s art studios, enjoy a dance performance, picnic on the Promenade, or participate in a yogathon at this celebration of the solstice. From 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 21 and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 22 and Sunday, June 23. Free. 619-5482137, libertystation.com/solstice HSouth Park Summer Walkabout at various location, South Park. A quarterly evening festival that showcases all the unique and independent businesses within South Park. Enjoy complimentary treats, live entertainment, special offers and discounts, and much more. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free. southparksd.com HOcean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-Off Festival at Newport Avenue and Abbott Street., Ocean Beach. The 40th annual festival will have chili samples from over a dozen restaurants, as well as food and merchandise vendors, four stages of music, the Hodad’s burger-eating competition, an artist showcase and more. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free. 619-546-5390, oceanbeachsandiego.com HArts & Amps at Karl Strauss Tasting Room & Beer Garden, 5985 Santa Fe St., Pacific Beach. The beer-heavy event includes live music from Trouble in the Wind and Parker Meridien, as well as a gallery art show from Creative Souls on the West Coast, Cong Nguyen and more. From 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free. karlstrauss.com Fairy Festival at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. Young children are invited to enjoy the garden, take photos with a fairy princess, visit the Fairy Land Market and create-themed crafts. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free-$18. sdbgarden.org
JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11
PHOTOS BY ANDREA LOPEZ-VILLAFAÑA
CULTURE | ART
James Halliday o tell the story of A Reason to Survive (ARTS), we have to start at the beginning. Well, actually, let’s begin in the middle. It’s difficult to discuss ARTS without first mentioning Inocente, the 2012 documentary short that was shot over two years in San Diego and ended up winning the 2013 Academy Award for “Best Documentary-Short Subject.” In the film, directors Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine follow then 15-yearold Inocente Izucar as she navigated a life filled with hardships including homelessness, abuse and her undocumented status. She finds solace is her art and paintings, much of which she did at the programs offered at ARTS. At the 2013 Oscars, Fine and Nix, joined onstage with Izucar, provided one of Oscar night’s most heartfelt speeches. “Most of all, we want to thank this young lady who was homeless just a year ago,” said Fine, looking at Izucar. “And now she’s standing in front of all of you. She’s an artist and all of you are artists, and we feel like we need to start supporting the arts—they’re dying in our communities. And all of us artists, we need to stand up and help girls like her be seen and heard. It’s so important.” This moment thrust the filmmakers and their subject into the spotlight over-
12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
night, but ARTS also received a lot more attention as a result. Founded in 2001 by Matt D’Arrigo, ARTS’s mission was simple: help underprivileged youth deal with the adversity in their lives by providing artsbased education and programs. The Oscar win also came just after the organization moved from the NTC Liberty Station barracks to a 20,000-plus-square-foot space in National City. “There are lots of creative, artistic youth who are being told to fit into certain boxes,” D’Arrigo told the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2015. “They are being told that what they do is nice, but it’s not important. That’s saying they are not important.” In 2015, ARTS launched the Creating Vibrant Neighborhoods Initiative, a $1.4 million community improvement project that would have students create and install public art all over National City. Even with the support of the city and the San Diego Foundation, D’Arrigo still conceded that the plan was “ambitious” and new staff members, such as a community arts manager, were hired to help with the initiative. Things seemed to be going well at first, but while the city was paying for the work around National City, the rest of ARTS’ programming depended mainly on donations and philanthropy. When D’Arrigo announced his departure in 2017, citing that
he felt “burnout” from the “hamster wheel of raising money,” the organization’s budget had ballooned and its finances were becoming untenable. Marty Remmell, who had decades worth of nonprofit experience, was hired to take over for D’Arrigo. She left after four months. She also recommended the “indefinite suspension of all operations and an organized closure.” Enter James Halliday.
ARTS Maker Workshop “I saw that opportunity to take on an organization that was seemingly dying and potentially breathe some life into it,” says Halliday. “And that was a crazy notion.” He says this last part somewhat flippantly. After D’Arrigo was temporarily rehired by ARTS as a part-time consultant in late 2017, in hopes that the organiza-
tion wouldn’t have to shut its doors, Halliday attended a stakeholder meeting. After the meeting, he submitted a proposal to D’Arrigo and the ARTS Board of Directors in hopes of saving the organization. “In retrospect, they were probably thinking, ‘Oh, we found the sucker,’” says Halliday, who grew up in San Diego and has a background in journalism, youth development, education policy and school learning. He was hired as ARTS’ new Executive Director in January 2018 and immediately set out to sustain the org’s current programs while also planning ahead. He implemented a four-year plan that included renegotiating the lease of the space in National City, as well as spearheading a “50 Projects” initiative that would see the organization working more closely with the city on public art on civic infrastructure such as benches, bike racks, bus stops and even trash cans. He managed to do both together via an agreement with the city to essentially lease the ARTS space rentfree as long as their was a “public value requirement” in place. That is, as long as ARTS has value to National City, they can stay in the current building. Halliday maintains that the core fundamentals of ARTS remain intact. A recent tour of the facility is proof of that, with rooms devoted to art, photography and even a woodworking shop where ARTS recently launched a skateboard deck-building program. Halliday sees the last year and a half as a rejiggering of the overall mission—one that still focuses on getting youth to not only harness their creative potential but to use it to better their community. “So there’s this notion of creative place-making that’s community informed, and that, in our case, is youth-lead,” says Halliday, who previously served as the program director of Education Synergy Alliance and the MacCarther-funded Collective Shift. “That we can transform our community in a variety of ways. We’re looking at the timeline around thriving, healthy and safe communities. So in that regard, we see creative place-making as a strategy to get larger community development outcomes around heightened civic engagement, health equity and multigenerational experiences.” “That’s been the recasting of who we are,” Halliday continues. “When young people, in partnership with mentors and professional artists, are able to understand their community, and public spaces that are available to them through partnerships with the city or the school district, their identity—their idea—goes to this place and the community literally becomes theirs because they’re building it.” Halliday and the staff at ARTS are now optimistic about the future. The fact that Halliday’s four-year plan is set to conclude in 2021, on the 20th anniversary of the organization, is not lost on him. Still, he does not look at his role as being the savior of a revered, albeit previously floundering, arts nonprofit. “My role is to think about where the networks are and say, ‘This might be an interesting partnership,’” says Halliday. “Then I do some magic and get out of the kids’ way.”
@SDCITYBEAT
June 19 through June 26
at participating restaurants throughout San Diego
five, six, seven, Eight! Burgers We Appreciate!
$5 -$8 Burgers & Combos Presented by
Instagram Contest!
Win $300!*
CHECK-IN AT PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS AND USE #CITYBEATBURGERWEEK *GRAND PRIZE IS $300 IN GIFT CERTIFICATES TO PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS. (MUST CHECK IN TO A MINIMUM OF 10 LOCATIONS AND FOLLOW @SDCITYBEAT TO QUALIFY)
SDCityBeat.com/burgerweek • #CityBeatBurgerWeek
2019 San Diego Burger Week
#citybeatburgerweek
June 19 through June 26 $5-$8 Burgers & Combos at participating restaurants San Diego CityBeat brings you the 6th annual San Diego Burger Week! Each restaurateur and chef will prepare their unique take on the burger. Take advantage of $5-$8 burgers & combos at participating restaurants.
Go to SDCityBeat.com/BurgerWeek for a description of each burger and a list of all combos!
10 BARREL BREWING COMPANY 1501 1501 E St., East Village (619) 578-2311 • 10barrel.com/pub/san-diego Smashburger - $8
AD LIBITUM 1263 University Ave., Hillcrest (619) 487-0361 • adlibitumsd.com Cheddarwurst Slider, garlic fries and a Lager - $8
BULLY’S EAST 2401 Camino del Rio S., Mission Valley (619) 291-2665 • bullyseastsd.com The Bully Burger - $7 • w/ fries - $9 Spicy Bulgogi Burger - $8 • w/ fries - $10 French Onion Burger - $6 • w/ fries - $8 Shrimp Burger - $8 • w/ fries - $10
CHINATOWN BAR AND GRILL 4727 University Ave., City Heights (619) 795-4478 • chinatownbarandgrill.com Chinatown Burger - $8 • w/ fries or tots - $9 add a pint of Modelo - $4
CRAFT HAUS 4101 30th St., North Park (619) 255-1151 Hippie Burger - $7 Not So Basic Burger - $8 Combo - Burger with house chips and drink - $12. Or add a beer for $15.
CRAZEE BURGER 3993 30th St., North Park (619) 282-6044 • crazeeburger.com Texas Burger - $6 Cajun Burger - $6 Buffalo Burger with fries - $10
DUCK DIVE 4650 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach (858) 273-3825 • theduckdive.com Duck Dive Slider with duck fat fries - $5 One Duck Dive Slider, and one bacon & blue cheese slider, duck fat fries - $8 #citybeatburgerweek
2018 San Diego Burger Week
2019 San Diego Burger Week
#citybeatburgerweek
June 19 through June 26 $5-$8 Burgers & Combos at participating restaurants FERNSIDE 1946 Fern St., South Park (619) 255-9591 • fernsidebar.com Fernside Burger - $6 w/ fries - $10 add a Miller High Life - $3
GARAGE KITCHEN AND BAR 655 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp (619) 231-6700 • garagekitchenbar.com The Vegan Burger - $6 Butchers Burger - $8
GUAVA BEACH 3714 Mission Blvd., Mission Beach (858) 488-668 • guava-beach.com Ol’ Smokey w/ fried onion strings - $7
JOHNNY B’S BURGERS, BREWS & SPIRITS 8393 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa (619) 464-2465 • johnnybsburgersandbrew.com Any burger on the menu - $7
#citybeatburgerweek
2018 San Diego Burger Week
June 19 through June 26 $5-$8 Burgers & Combos at participating restaurants MCGREGORS
10475 San Diego Mission Rd., Mission Valley (619) 282-9797 • mcgregorssandiego.com McGregor Burger w/ your choice of side: Fries, pasta salad, coleslaw, black beans, homemade potato chips - $8
MISHMASH
1805 Newton Ave., Barrio Logan (619) 955-8544 • mishmashsd.com 1/3lb MishMash Burger - $6 Two 3oz MishMash Sliders - $6 Two 3oz Cheese Louise Sliders - $7 1/3lb MishMash Burger w/ house cut fries - $8
MOTHER’S SALOON
2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach (619) 221-8100 • motherssaloon.com SoCal Burger - $8
RED WING
4012 30th St., North Park (619) 281-8700 • redwingbar.com New Standard Burger - $7 Or served with a 12 ounce draft beer for $8
2019 San Diego Burger Week
#citybeatburgerweek
June 19 through June 26 $5-$8 Burgers & Combos at participating restaurants ROYALE 4204 Voltaire St., Ocean Beach (619) 431-5653 • royalesd.com Western-style Burger - $8
SISTER RAY’S 549 25th St., Sherman Heights (619) 237-8041 • sisterrays.com The Chili Burger - $6 The Vegan Chili Burger - $8
SLATER’S 50/50 2750 Dewey Rd., San Diego (619) 398-2600 • slaters5050.com The Original 50/50 - $6
THE SMOKING GUN 555 Market St., San Diego (619) 233-3836 Smoking Gun Double Cheeseburger - $5
#citybeatburgerweek
2018 San Diego Burger Week
2019 San Diego Burger Week
#citybeatburgerweek
June 19 through June 26 $5-$8 Burgers & Combos at participating restaurants STATION TAVERN 2204 Fern St., South Park (619) 255-0657 • stationtavern.com Spicy Black Bean Burger - $7
WEST COAST TAVERN 2895 University Ave., North Park (619) 295-1688 • westcoasttavern.com BBQ Burger - $7
WHIP HAND 935 J St., East Village (619) 450-5515 • whiphandsd.com Whip Hand Burger - $8 Vegan Impossible Burger - $8
WORKING CLASS 4095 30th St., North Park (619) 642-0114 • workingclasssd.com Working Class Burger - $8
#citybeatburgerweek
2018 San Diego Burger Week
CULTURE | FILM A24
Land rights
The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Ownership, race and friendship converge in Joe Talbot’s indie by Glenn Heath Jr.
I
n director Carl Franklin’s underrated gem, Devil in der systematic attack by uncaring institutions. The Last Black Man in San Francisco values correlaa Blue Dress, Denzel Washington plays Easy Rawlins, a financially strapped WWII veteran who takes tions between property and identity. A group of young a dangerous private investigator job so he can pay the Black men refuse to move from one specific portion mortgage on his newly purchased home. For a Black of sidewalk, spouting aggressive smack talk while tryman living in 1948 Los Angeles, holding land was not ing so hard to play the role of gangsters in their coronly rare, but an act of defiance against economic and ner of the world. These exaggerated mannerisms and social disenfranchisement. Franklin’s film didn’t treat aggressive movements are of great interest to Montland ownership as a privilege, but a right worth fight- gomery since he’s a budding playwright. Jimmie only finds inspiration in the deep hallways ing for no matter the cost. Thematic correlations between property and dig- and vaulted ceilings of his family home. Due to an esnity are also highly relevant to The Last Black Man in tate squabble between warring siblings, he’s able to exSan Francisco, a lovely, if not precious, indie where perience one last prolonged sleepover after the current housing inequality and gentrification have pushed tenants are forced to move out. Much of Talbot’s script out communities of color into the Bay Area fringes. (co-written by Fails) foreshadows the inevitable conDirected by newcomer Joe Talbot, the film uses slow flicts that befall Jimmie and Montgomery after they’ve motion and stylized zooms to create surreal moments begun squatting. But for a brief moment, they are at contrasting with an on-the-ground immediacy. Im- home in a place worthy of the name. Like all flawed versions of pressive as they are, mixing nostalgia, Jimmie’s romanticizthese tones sometimes distracts THE LAST ing of the past leaves him vulfrom the sublime lead perforBLACK MAN IN nerable to false narratives and mances. crushing disappointment. “You Invoking the presence of a SAN FRANCISCO never really own shit,” says his young Don Cheadle (another Directed by Joe Talbot bitter father James Sr. (Rob MorDevil connection), Jimmie Fails Starring Jimmie Fails, gan), and those words could also stars as Jimmie Fails, playing Jonathan Majors, Danny Glover apply to their own family hisa version of himself who’s oband Mike Epps tory. The Last Black Man in San sessed with the Victorian house Rated R Francisco ultimately functions as his family once called home. An a hopeful reaction to his warnelderly white couple now live on ing, which Talbot and Fails place the vintage Golden Gate area plot, but Jimmie still stops by almost daily to perform within an almost magical realist framework. Stable living spaces are not just powerful because upkeep on the façade much to the owners chagrin. There’s something spiritual about the trek Jimmie individuals can own them, but also for the safety they and best friend Montgomery (Jonathan Majors) make provide people to share experiences and shape colfrom their working class neighborhood to historic lective memory. Jimmie’s house represents this flurry downtown San Francisco. Talbot introduces the city of emotions, at once part of a painful past, turbulent through an impressionist montage of diverse faces, all present and unwritten future. It works much like Danof them serving to represent the deep class divisions iel Herskedal’s haunting rendition of “San Francisco in the Silicon Valley age. Later, an incredible telepho- (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair),” a cover that to shot shows Jimmie skateboarding down a series of captures the peaceful urgency of Talbot’s melancholy steep inclines from afar, with the street looking like a ode to community and friendship. While Devil in a Blue Dress addressed the ghosts of massive concrete wave about to swallow him whole. Dystopian elements define the everyday reality of slavery through a strong Black landowner subverting Jimmie’s marginalized neighborhood. The confronta- the traditionally white genre of noir for his own gain, tional opening shot reveals a young Black girl com- The Last Black Man in San Francisco (opening Friday, ing face-to-face with government workers wearing June 21) personalizes these themes with less guile and hazmat suits. She stares them down before skipping far more tenderness. on toward her destination. The men continue spraying unknown chemicals into the bay while an angry Film reviews run weekly. activist screams the oral history of a community un- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com
22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
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CULTURE | FILM SONY PICTURES CLASSICS
The Fall of the American Empire
Woe is meh
I
’m too intelligent,” says PierrePaul (Alexandre Landry), sealing his fate during the crucial opening scene in Denys Arcand’s Québécoise neo-noir, The Fall of the American Empire. A delivery driver by day and philosopher by night, the pouty young man spends lunch waxing loquaciously about the corrupt Canadian banking sector and why his academic degrees are commercially useless. This worldview is quickly put to the test a few scenes later when Pierre-Paul stumbles upon a robbery gone wrong and bags of money are presented for the taking. Like most of the greedy protagonists in this classically unforgiving cinematic category, he makes the wrong decision. As The Fall of the American Empire tightens the noose around Pierre-Paul’s neck, it functions as an effective potboiler concerned with the ramifications of contradiction. Dangerous opportunists appear from every angle, and the lead character becomes a quivering embodiment of why actions speak louder than words. Arcand is not a genre filmmaker, nor is he a subtle one. He quickly shifts gears from the devious machinations of fatalism to a more politically minded focus. With Pierre-Paul as the centerpiece, the film orchestrates a kind of tonal switcheroo, moving from noir to pop heist movie a la The Italian Job or Ocean’s 11. Except it’s not about stealing money, but rather laundering it while also using the unjust system against itself. Going back to Pierre-Paul’s whiney opening salvo, he truly believes that “intelligence is a handicap.” Well, so is self-righteousness, and Arcand’s underhanded vision of resistance produces plenty of that to go around. Known for highbrow art films like The Decline of the American Empire, Jesus of Montreal, and The Barbarian Invasions, Arcand deserves some credit for going out-
“
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side of his comfort zone. But he also has little clue how to make more salacious material equally scathing politically. The result is that The Fall of the American Empire (opening Friday, June 21) becomes a hybridized mess about many modern social ills.
—Glenn Heath Jr.
OPENING Anna: Action maverick Luc Besson directs this stylish thriller about a young woman trained to become one of the world’s best assassins. Kinda sounds like his La Femme Nikita. Opens Friday, June 21, in wide release. Papi Chulo: Set in Los Angeles, this dramedy follows a lonely weatherman who befriends a Latino migrant after going through a tough breakup. Opens Friday, June 21, in wide release. The Fall of the American Empire: Deny Arcand’s neo-noir follows a French-Canadian delivery man who is presented with a dangerous opportunity that will put his life at risk. Opens Friday, June 21, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas. The Last Black Man in San Francisco: Two friends navigate the difficult social realities of modern San Francisco where the tech bubble has deepened the vast economic divide. Opens Friday, June 21, at Angelika Film Centers Carmel Mountain. The Raft: This doc looks at the 1973 experiment where five men and six women drifted across the Atlantic on a raft to study the sociology of violence, aggression and sexual attraction in human behavior. Opens Friday, June 21, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. The Third Wife: A 14-year-old girl living in rural 19th century Vietnam is given away by her family in an arranged marriage and must fight for her dignity amid acts of aggressive patriarchy. Opens Friday, June 21, at Landmark Ken Cinema. Toy Story 4: Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and Woody (Tom Hanks) return, this time going on the road, for the final installment of Pixar’s flagship animation. Opens Friday, June 21, in wide release.
For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.
JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23
MICHAEL LAVINE
MUSIC
From left: Emily Nokes, Eric Randall, Bree McKenna and Lelah Maupin n the morning of Nov. 9, 2016, I strapped on my sneakers and went for a run. I didn’t check my phone. I didn’t pick up the paper. I already knew my worst fears had come true. Living in a red state, I understood all along that Donald Trump had a serious chance of becoming president. I witnessed firsthand the growing resentment toward Democrats and, specifically, Hillary Clinton. I worked with people who would vote Republican no matter what, or abstain from voting all together. They didn’t love Trump, but he was, in their words, “the lesser of two evils.” There was no changing their minds. The writing was on the wall. Being right, of course, doesn’t always feel good. The four members of Tacocat, unlike myself, were shocked and bassist Bree McKenna admits they were “isolated in our queer, feminist, liberal Seattle bubble.” Which is why when Tacocat’s Emily Nokes sings, “I woke up today and everything was different,” my stomach sinks all over again. I’m back on that post-election run, bracing for the inevitable shitshow. Everything will be awful. Forever.
24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
But “New World” doesn’t linger in despair. Like the rest of Tacocat’s new release, This Mess is a Place, the song faces our unsettling state of the union head-on while keeping one foot firmly planted in positive vibrations. “New World” is, by and large, a portrait of what could very well still be. After the opening line, Nokes adds, “I woke up today and everything was better / Put back together, rearranged.” The upbeat tempo and sugary new-wave vocals add to the takeaway that maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance to learn from this historical nightmare. Things were different when Tacocat first started 10 years ago. Different White House, different headlines and different ambitions for the group of friends who just wanted to form, as McKenna puts it, a “fun party punk band” without any other real agenda. “We found each other one by one,” says McKenna of her karmic kinship with Nokes, guitarist Eric Randall, and drummer Lelah Maupin. “Then it was, OK, we have a basement we can all practice in using our roommates’ instruments. Then, ‘oh, this is cool— what if we played a real venue? What if we went on tour? What if we made a record?’
Our goals slowly expanded.” Tacocat crushed each goal and, indeed, had fun. A ton of fun. But fun doesn’t mean vapid. The band’s catchy and simple pop-punk brims with biting socio-political commentary that brings new meaning to “say it with a smile.” No topic is off limits,
including (gasp) menstruation, which the band normalizes on their 2014 breakout single, “Crimson Wave.” The video for the song, like most Tacocat videos, looks like a B-52’s beach party, complete with mermaids and dancing lobsters. It’s campy and jubilant surf-punk that would fit nicely next to “We’ve Got the Beat” on a summer jams mixtape. It’s not, however, a complete and total joke, as some people suggested when
they first came out. “There’s a difference between being a joke band and having humorous lyrics. It doesn’t mean that all of our experiences are jokes,” McKenna says. “It’s a weird sexist label to put on us because of our subject matter. Did Green Day ever get called a joke band because they talked about masturbation?” This Mess is a Place has mostly silenced anyone who questioned Tacocat’s credibility. Produced by Erik Blood, the record is a solid evolution of their rising talent and proof that faking it until making it totally works. Nokes tends to sing in ascending and descending scales, taking careful bites out of each note to articulate her wise points. On “Hologram” she rises and falls slowly at first, then speeds up so that “every reality, every little reality is ripping at the seams” becomes a brilliant word jam. McKenna, Randall and Maupin complement her fierce composure with comforting melodies that are snug, but never too tight. “The Joke of Life,” for example, is a perfect slice of Sleater-Kinney power chords and harmonies. “It sounds more polished because we really did learn a lot about playing our instruments,” McKenna says. “There’s a pretty big leap from the first album to this last one.” This Mess is a triumphant work by reasonable people trying to make sense, as well as make the most, of insanely complicated times. “We have always written songs about what we like and what interests us but the rise of Trump put a little bit of a darker effect on our music,” McKenna says. “The effect of women’s rights being totally torn down and just rampant racism and sexism affected this whole album. The personal is political and sharing our experiences means something to people.” They’re making lemonade from the grossest lemons and marveling at the increasingly diverse community that comes to their shows—from women and non-binary fans to little kids and men who can acknowledge their privilege. It’s quite a change from the early days. “When we started, there were mostly male bands dominating the scene in Seattle. At the time it didn’t feel fashionable to have a feminist stance,” she says. “Women and queer bands are a lot more popular now because it’s a perspective that hasn’t been a dominant voice in the last 30 years of rock. We know how a sad white man feels—maybe it’s time for someone else to have a point of view.”
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MUSIC
BLACK
ALFRED HOWARD
GOLD Swing (box set) and a miss
I
I wiped my tears and went to the homay look like I do, but I don’t smoke tel. It was just past 10 p.m. and Black Star, pot often. OK, so maybe I partake a couple times one of my favorite hip-hop acts, had yet a year just to keep myself irregular. I usu- to go on. But I had to wake up for the ally take a journey inside my mind, regret Oakland swap meet at 5 a.m. because, it, then six months will pass until I forget well, I had created a problem. When I first pitched this column to the mistake and say “Sure, I’ll hit that.” One of those times was two weeks ago. CityBeat, I said “every couple of weeks, I’ll I was backstage at my brother’s concert find an extremely rare record and write a for his new band Knife Knights who were story about it.” But shortly thereafter I opening for Black Star at the Fox Theater in was quickly reminded that rare records Oakland. My brother is considerably cooler are, well, rare. This isn’t the ’90s when you could just walk into than me so when he ofa thrift store and trade fered a hit, I had to say yes. pocket change for holy So there I was—stoned grails. This is 2019. Reand suddenly hungry when cords are in vogue. Swap I spotted a basket of apples meet vendors have smart and some almond butter. I phones and the diligent took an insufficient plasones do their research. tic knife and started slopEvery weekend there’s a pily slicing and dipping. I flock of people like me walked out of the room and patrolling the pre-dawn there was Dave Chappelle, parking lots for miracles just standing there like a “Evil Ways” by The Lido of sound. So every two regular human being. Now, I’m not one to get starstruck. I’ve used the weeks, I have to find an obscure album finest porta potties at music festivals after and hope that a story worth telling coinrock stars and I can assure you, their shit cides with the quest. The Oakland swap meet didn’t have stinks just as much as anyone. The vegan any answers. I’ve never really been to ones are probably worse. But this was Dave Chappelle. I got any swap meets outside of San Diego. nervous, swallowed a whole apple slice I’m used to the way they run down here, and started choking. Full-blown choking. and I was a tourist in Oakland. I arrived If everyone else around me hadn’t been at the stadium when they opened at 6 lit, someone probably would have given a.m. And I was the first person there. Not me the Heimlich and I’d have fired out a single vendor. Not another shopper. It a bullet of apple toward some celebrity. was just me, an overcast sky and a line I was crying, coughing uncontrollably, of vans slowly entering the purgatory of waiting for Chappelle to say “lemme hit commerce. I waited for the swap meet to whatever shit that guy had” as a circle of form around me. There were great deals unfamiliar people laughed. But he didn’t on piñatas and stolen bikes, but the only records were swing music box sets. I notice I existed.
couldn’t wait for the late blooming flea market to potentially peak because I had to rush back to the hotel, sneak in before my mom woke up (she thinks I have a problem, because she’s smart) and then run to play the Bottlerock Music Festival. The story wasn’t here. Soon enough, I was back in San Diego, searching for a story. I stopped at the Stadium Swap Meet to walk in aimless circles of slowly depleting hope. There was a couple selling records. The guy spoke with the motor-mouthed clarity of the Micro Machines pitchman (this antique reference may necessitate a quick Google search). He and his partner sweated and shook on a cool day with the frenetic pace of amphetamine. They invited me back to their house to check out an extensive record collection (or to possibly shiv me and take my wallet). This was it. This was my story. I took the number down and called the following day to make an appointment with my destiny but (surprise!), their number had been disconnected. So I was back to the drawing board, deadline looming. One day, I woke up like I have everyday thus far and I took a shower. I opened up my top drawer and the pair of boxers I picked out had a second hole in them; a hole that could only complicate things. So I reached a little deeper into the drawer and I felt something. It was a 45. Who knows how many years it’s been sitting there, or how it landed there in the first place? It looked interesting. Not a familiar record label. “Evil Ways” by The Lido. I threw it on the turntable and discovered a hidden gem. It’s a cover of the Sonny Henry song, which was made popular by Santana. It was pretty standard until the instrumental break where the percussion and piano lift off with frenetic energy. The drums and piano dance in a call-andresponse, but it has a distinctly Latin feel and when they reach their peak, it falls back into the familiar groove. I could have saved myself a lot of hassle, but I guess the adventure is the best part. Black Gold appears every other week. Alfred Howard is always looking for vinyl and stories, and can be contacted at blackgoldsandiego@gmail.com.
THE
SPOTLIGHT MPL COMMUNICATIONS LTD
Paul McCartney
F
or a while now, I’ve had a theory about the great, longstanding debate about who was, in fact, the best Beatle. Now, while I’m not here to declaratively settle this debate once and for all, I will pose my theory knowing full well that bunch of middle-aged (mostly) male dorks will @ me, but so it shall be. Now, first things first: Ringo Starr is not the best Beatle. Sure, he’s an excellent, underrated drummer, but if he’s your favorite Beatle, just go ahead and stop reading this now. With that out of the way, here’s my theory: Who we choose as our favorite Beatle often comes down to age and experience. When we’re young, angsty and bouncing between hope and rage, our favorite Beatle is obviously John Lennon. When we reach our 30s, and our rage/hope has been subsided with a more zen-like approach to life, we suddenly understand the more nuanced, ethereal music and outlook of someone like George Harrison. And then we reach our 40s and we just want simplicity. Something transportive, nostalgic and enjoyable that will get our minds off the rigors of work, parenthood and everyday responsibilities. And that’s when the music of Paul McCartney makes so much more sense. And that’s not to imply that Paul wasn’t as emotionally visceral as John (“Helter Skelter” was punk before punk) or as spiritually evocative as George (“The Long and Winding Road”), but I’m sick of the man being dismissed for writing simple pop songs and “silly love songs,” because sometimes, and especially at a certain age, that’s all we really want to hear. Also, he wrote the greatest Beatles song ever (“Yesterday”). Fight me or let it be. Paul McCartney plays Saturday, June 22 at Petco Park.
—Seth Combs
JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25
MUSIC
IF I WERE U
BY CITYBEAT STAFF
Our picks for the week’s top shows
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19
PLAN A: James Supercave, Bay Ledges, MACK @ The Casbah. It would be convenient to simply label L.A. band James Supercave a psych-pop band in the vein of Glass Animals and Alt-J, but there are layers here. They manage to imperceptibly transition from smooth, piano-based ballads (“With You”) to danceable art-rock (“Alarm Will Sound”), making them one of the more versatile bands we’ve heard in a while. BACKUP PLAN: Local Natives, Middle Kids @ The Observatory North Park.
THURSDAY, JUNE 20
PLAN A: Mattson 2, Montalban Quintet, Puerto @ Belly Up Tavern. Hopefully everyone has read Ben Salmon’s excellent feature from a few weeks ago on local sibling duo Mattson 2. After over a decade of jazz experimentation, the pair stripped it down for their new album, Paradise, so we expect this show will be very intimate. PLAN B: Eric B. & Rakim, Jaz @ House of Blues. Remember when Rakim declared, “I hold the microphone like a grudge”? That was everything. BACKUP PLAN: No Win, Late Bloomer, Machine Politik @ Tower Bar.
spired everyone from Mary J. Blige to Missy Elliott. BACKUP PLAN: BAT!, The Blackjackits, The Writhers @ Soda Bar.
SUNDAY, JUNE 23
PLAN A: Tacocat, The Paranoyds @ The Casbah. Check out this week’s feature on Seattle pop-punkers Tacocat, who perfectly balance playful and serious subject matter on their new LP, This Mess is a Place. PLAN B: Khalid, Clairo @ Pechanga Arena. Khalid Robinson’s ascendancy to pop stardom has been heartwarming to witness and there’s just no denying the pleasure we get from songs such as “Young, Dumb & Broke” and “Better.” Same goes for Clairo, the lofi YouTube sensation behind “Pretty Girl.” BACKUP PLAN: New Spell, The Hate Club, Wsprgrl @ San Diego Content Partners. GRACE PICKERING
FRIDAY, JUNE 21
PLAN A: Matthew Logan Vasquez, Walter Lukens, PR Newman @ Soda Bar. We covered Matthew Logan Vasquez in last week’s issue and not just because he was the frontman of local roots-rockers Delta Spirit. His new album, Light’n Up, is filled with spirited, Springsteen-esque rockers and ballads that suggest he’s an artist who still has a lot to say. PLAN B: Antibalas, Gene Evaro Jr. @ Belly Up Tavern. Brooklyn’s Antibalas call themselves “your favorite band’s favorite band“ and that might not be too far from the truth. They are, after all, a collective of extremely talented musicians who play a highly infectious brand of Fela Kuti-inspired afrobeat that’s amazing to see in a live setting. BACKUP PLAN: Jenny and the Mexicats, Bang Data, Tesuque Revolt @ Music Box.
SATURDAY, JUNE 22
PLAN A: Paul McCartney @ Petco Park. There is a case to be made that Paul McCartney was the best Beatle (we try to make it in this week’s Spotlight section), but whatever side one falls on when it comes to that debate, there’s no doubt that this is going to be a one-of-a-kind show. PLAN B: ‘Gospel Festival’ w/ The Clark Sisters and the Walls Group @ Del Mar Fairgrounds. However you feel about spiritual music, there’s no denying the talent on this bill. The Clark Sisters in particular are legends and have in-
26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
Khalid
MONDAY, JUNE 24
PLAN A: No Exits, Famblood, Mood of a Sinner @ Soda Bar. The goth show of the week. Taking a page from early Ministry and Echo and the Bunnymen, L.A.’s No Exits craft highly addictive darkwave grooves anchored by the frontman’s forlorn pleas. BACKUP PLAN: Sincere Engineer, Heart Attack Man @ House of Blues.
TUESDAY, JUNE 25
PLAN A: Silent, Hexa, DJ Justin Pearson @ The Casbah. Regular readers know we love Mexicali noise rock outfit Silent, who are loud, intense and blow minds when they play live. Same goes for Hexa, who continue to impress us with their sweeping brand of goth-rock. BACKUP PLAN: Miss Rayon, Contact, Jinx, Kan Kan @ Che Café Collective.
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MUSIC
CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!
Thread the Lariat (Brick By Brick, 6/29), Tubulars (Soda Bar, 6/30), Zedd (OMNIA, 7/3), My Mynd (Soda Bar, 7/7), Vaya Futuro (Casbah, 7/10), The Havnauts (Casbah, 7/14), The Hiroshima Mockingbirds (Casbah, 7/16), Porter Robinson (OMNIA, 7/19), Confide (Brick By Brick, 7/19), Chantel Jeffries (OMNIA, 7/20), Kim Gray (Soda Bar, 7/22), AJ Froman (Casbah, 7/26), Lil Jon (OMNIA, 7/26), Ninet Tayeb (Soda Bar, 7/29), Jeff Bridges (BUT, 8/6), Beach Bums (Soda Bar, 8/8), Ruby Haunt (Soda Bar, 8/9), Damage, Inc. (HOB, 8/10), Demon Hunter (HOB, 8/11), DeVotchKa (Music Box, 8/14), Max Weinberg’s Jukebox (BUT, 8/14), The Devastators (BUT, 8/16), The Fixx (Music Box, 8/16), Julian Marley (BUT, 8/18), Nebula (Brick By Brick, 8/23), Paula Fuga (Music Box, 8/25), Man Or Astro-Man? (Casbah, 8/25), The Last Ten Seconds of Life (Brick By Brick, 8/29), Sacri Monti (Casbah, 8/30), Andy Grammer (HOB, 9/2), Chris Cresswell (Soda Bar, 9/7), Kalimba (HOB, 9/7), Mason Jennings (BUT, 9/8), Quantic (Music Box, 9/14), The Regrettes (Music Box, 9/19), The Movement (BUT, 9/27), Yoke Lore (The Irenic, 9/28), Avatar (Observatory, 10/2), Big K.R.I.T. (HOB, 10/3), Crumb (Music Box, 10/10), Kishi Bashi (Music Box, 10/13), Surf Curse (Observatory, 10/16), Senses Fail (HOB, 10/19), Hepcat (Music Box, 10/26), Night Club (Brick By Brick, 10/27), Helmet (BUT, 11/7), Rat Boy (HOB, 11/9), Sleater-Kinney (Observatory, 11/12), Goblin (Brick By Brick, 11/14), Strung Out (The Irenic,
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11/14), The Crystal Method (Music Box, 12/28).
ALL SOLD OUT PUP (Music Box, 6/19), Local Natives (Observatory, 6/19), Jamestown Revival (BUT, 6/19), Scott Russo (Casbah, 6/22), John Hiatt (BUT, 6/25), Sticky Fingers (HOB, 6/30), The English Beat (BUT, 7/5), The Chats (Soda Bar, 7/9), The Struts (Observatory, 7/12), Billie Eilish (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 7/13), The Psychedelic Furs (Observatory, 8/6), Death Cab For Cutie (Observatory, 8/9-10), Touché Amoré (Ché Café Collective, 8/13), David Grisman (BUT, 8/29), Queen Nation (BUT, 8/30), The Marshall Tucker Band (BUT, 9/12), MXMTOON (HOB, 10/2), Jonas Brothers (Pechanga Arena, 10/7), Morcheeba (BUT, 10/13), Tyler Childers (Observatory, 10/15), Mike Watt & The Missingmen (Casbah, 11/2), Two Door Cinema Club (Observatory, 11/8), Built To Spill (Casbah, 11/14).
CANCELLED Ozzy Osbourne (North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 7/23).
GET YER TICKETS Rob Thomas (Humphreys, 6/20), Khalid (Pechanga Arena, 6/23), Aly & AJ (Observatory, 6/25), Priests (Soda Bar, 6/26), Zedd (OMNIA, 7/3), Porter Robinson (OMNIA, 7/19), Pouya (HOB, 7/23), Lil Jon (OMNIA, 7/26), Blink-182, Lil Wayne (North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre, 8/7), Kacey Musgraves (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 8/27), Andy Grammer (HOB, 9/2), Carrie Underwood
(Pechanga Arena, 9/10), The Who (Viejas Arena, 10/16), Judah & The Lion (Observatory, 10/17), Senses Fail (HOB, 10/19), Hozier (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 10/26), Helmet (BUT, 11/7).
JUNE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19 Slingshot Dakota at Soda Bar. James Supercave at The Casbah. Simple Plan at Del Mar Fairgrounds.
THURSDAY, JUNE 20 Rob Thomas at Humphreys. The Mattson 2 at Belly Up Tavern. Katie Toupin at Soda Bar. BAILEN at The Casbah. Eric B. & Rakim at House of Blues.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21 Matthew Logan Vasquez at Soda Bar. Jenny and the Mexicats at Music Box. Antibals at Belly Up Tavern. Hootie & the Blowfish at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. Alanis Morissette at Humphreys. Xavier Wulf at SOMA. Long Beach Dub Allstars at House of Blues. Emo Night at The Casbah. Larry Dunn at Music Box. Alanis Morissette at Humphreys.
SATURDAY, JUNE 22 As Cities Burn at Brick By Brick. Tom Gun at Music Box. Paul McCartney at Petco Park. America at Humphreys. Emo Night at House of Blues. Desperado at Belly Up Tavern. BAT! at Soda Bar. Phil Weeks at Music Box. Saving the State at SOMA. Village Park at Ché Café Collective.
SUNDAY, JUNE 23 Tacocat at The Casbah. Remo Drive at
The Irenic. Khalid at Pechanga Arena. Santana at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. Clairo at Pechanga Arena. Nathan Lee at California Center for the Arts. Intocable at Del Mar Fairgounds. Spacewizardinspace at Soda Bar.
MONDAY, JUNE 24 Heart Attack Man at House of Blues. No Exits at Soda Bar. DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot at The Casbah.
TUESDAY, JUNE 25 Aly & AJ at Observatory North Park. Jon Walker at Soda Bar. Silent at The Casbah. Miss Rayon at Ché Café Collective.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26 Priests at Soda Bar. Mini Mansions at The Casbah. Indigo Girls at Humphreys. Anderson .Paak at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre.
THURSDAY, JUNE 27 Rooney at Soda Bar. Okkervil River at The Casbah. Half*Alive at Music Box. Warish at Belly Up Tavern.
FRIDAY, JUNE 28 Led Zepagain at House of Blues. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at Humphreys. The Lost Monarchs at Del Mar Fairgrounds. Yachtley Crew at Music Box. The Bones of J.R. Jones at Soda Bar. Burritos: A Tribute to Sublime at Belly Up Tavern. The Schizophonics at The Casbah.
SATURDAY, JUNE 29 The Winehouse Experience at Music Box. Charly Bliss at The Casbah. Smokey Robinson at Del Mar Fair-
grounds. Through The Roots at Observatory North Park. Ginger Root at Soda Bar. Gasolina Party at House Of Blues. Thread the Lariat at Brick By Brick.
SUNDAY, JUNE 30 David Gray at Copley Symphony Hall. Los Tigres del Norte at Del Mar Fairgrounds. Tubulars at Soda Bar.
MONDAY, JULY 1 The Spits at The Casbah. Faun Fables at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, JULY 2 Trace Adkins at Del Mar Fairgrounds.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 3 80’s Heat at Belly Up Tavern. Ceremony at The Irenic. New Found Glory at House of Blues. Slum Village at Music Box. Futurebirds at Soda Bar. Zedd at OMNIA.
THURSDAY, JULY 4 The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern. Beekeeper at Soda Bar. High Tide Society at The Casbah.
FRIDAY, JULY 5 Anuel AA at Viejas Arena at SDSU. Drug Hunt at The Casbah. Fuerza De Tijuana at Music Box. Amerikan Bear at Soda Bar. Helsott at Brick By Brick.
SATURDAY, JULY 6 Tainted Love at Belly Up Tavern. Six String Society at Music Box. The Convalescence at Brick By Brick. Earthless at The Casbah.
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27
MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 SUNDAY, JULY 7 Ian Anderson at San Diego Civic Theatre. Chuck Ragan at Belly Up Tavern. Earthless at The Casbah. My Mynd at Soda Bar.
MONDAY, JULY 8 Amyl and the Sniffers at Soda Bar. Shawn Mendes at Pechanga Arena. Usnea at SPACE.
TUESDAY, JULY 9 Secret Fun Club at The Casbah.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 10 Bob Schneider at Belly Up Tavern. Jon Bellion at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre. Guster at Humphreys. Nightmares on Wax DJ set at Music Box. Glitterer at Ché Café Collective. Vaya Futuro at The Casbah.
THURSDAY, JULY 11 Tim Skold at Brick By Brick. Foghat at Belly Up Tavern. The Manhattan Transfer at Music Box. Xiuhtezcatl at House of Blues. XYLØ at The Casbah.
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: ‘Bringing Back Rock ‘N’ Roll’. Fri: Sat: Digital Bath, The Jagerbombs. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Erick Tyler & The Vibe, Riaan Smit. Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘#HipHopWeds’.
28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
Thu: Jay Davis. Fri: ‘House Music Fridays’. Sat: ‘Hands & Knees’. Sun: ‘Sunday Feels’. Mon: ‘Organized Grime’. Tue: ‘Kizomba Night’. American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Ian Bagg. Thu: Brian Posehn. Fri: Brian Posehn. Sat: Brian Posehn. Tue: Open Mic. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Modern Mimes, Forget Conformity, The Godawful Truth. Fri: Tony Palkovic, Grandpa Drew, Bessie’s Half. Sat: Dum Chumpsters, The Miles. Sun: DAB, Cryptic, Kryptid, Bummer Dreams. Mon: Trivia. Tue: Karaoke. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown. Thu: Claptone. Fri: Yusek, Azari. Sat: Mason Maynard. Sun: Lee Burridge. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Sat: Slapback. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Jamestown Revival (sold out). Thu: Mattson 2, Montalban Quintet, Puerto. Fri: Antibalas, Gene Evaro Jr. Sat: Desperado, SantanaWays. Sun: Rock for Rare Diseases. Tue: John Hiatt, David Luning (sold out). Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: ‘Chocolate: Afro House & Forward Thinking Music’. Fri: ‘WE ARE YR FRIENDS’. Sat: ‘Through Being Cool’. Mon: The Sisters of Mercy Night. Tue: ‘Techit EASY’. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Sat: Big Dude. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Sat: As Cities Burn. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown.
Wed: James Supercave, Bay Ledges, MACK. Thu: Bailen, Hailey Knox. Fri: Emo Nite. Sat: Scott Russo, Jason Cruz (sold out). Sun: Tacocat, The Paranoyds, Sweetie Darling. Mon: DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot. Tue: Silent, Hexa, DJ Justin Pearson. Che Cafe, 1000 Scholars Drive S, La Jolla. Thu: Leon Canoe, Lefties, Foxtide, Nikola, Street Surfers. Fri: Skylar Johnson, Chain Paradis, Gender Reveal Party, Saturdays on Saturn, Glow. Sat: Village Park. Tue: Miss Rayon, Contact, Jinx, Kan Kan. Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Fri: Benedetti Ensemble. Sun: JazzKatz Orchestra, Whitney Shay, Christopher Hollyday. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: ‘TakeOver Thursdays’. Fri: Rell. Sat: Brees. Sun: ‘Reggae Sundays’. Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Tony Tone. Sat: Wellman. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Patrick Ellis Band. Thu: Eric B. & Rakim. Fri: Long Beach Dub Allstars. Sat: Emo Night Brooklyn. Sun: Fish and the Seaweeds. Mon: Sincere Engineer, Heart Attack Man. Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Roni Lee Group. Thu: Come Together. Fri: Beta Maxx. Sat: Groove Mercenaries. Sun: About Face. Mon: Chris Fast Band. Tue: Whitney Shay & The Hustle. The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park. Sun: Remo Drive, Slow Pulp, Heart to Gold. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: ‘Re:Turn’. Thu: ‘Synthwave’. Sat: ‘Acid Varsity’. Tue: ‘Industry Night’. Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Scintillating Stories. Fri: Crystal Bowersox, Savannah
Philyaw, Kelly Hoppenjans. Sat: Dropout Heroes, Wizard. Sun: Carlie Shultz. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Comedy Night. Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Glenn Smith. Thu: Josie Day Band. Fri: Stilettos. Sat: Miss Demeanor. Sun: Jackson & Billy. Tue: Bob Wade. Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: Garrett Clayton, Ashley Argota, Desi Dennis. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Hemlock’. Sat: Jehlad, King Whiskers. Sun: In Concert Variety Show. Tue: Semisweet, Michael McGraw, Julia Sage. Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Tue: Trivia Night. Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Three Chord Justice. Fri: Bonneville 7. Sat: Drivin’ the Bus. Sun: Tony Ortega Jazz Jam. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Wed: PUP, Ratboys, Beach Bunny (sold out). Fri: Jenny and the Mexicats, Bang Data, Tesuque Revolt. Sat: Phil Weeks, Cris Herrera, Sprout. The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘Drip Trop’. Thu: ‘Dig Deeper’. Fri: ‘After Hours’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’. Mon: ‘Motown on Mondays’. OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: ‘Undone on Thursday’. Fri: Tiesto. Sat: Jayceeoh. Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Wed: ‘The Wednesday Jam Session’. Fri: Mochilero Allstars. Sat: Montalban Quintet. Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Sat: B.O.B.
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 29
@SDCITYBEAT
MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Stephanie Brown & The Surrealistics. Fri: Pinkeye. Sat: NuVintage. Sun: Whit Aadland. Mon: Trivia. Tue: DJ Lexicon Devil. Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Sue Palmer. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Len Rainey. Sat: Stoney B. Blues. Sun: Sue Palmer. The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘Country Dance’. Sat: ‘Sabados en Fuego’. Sun: ‘Noche Romantica’. Mon: Trivia. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘Mischief with Bianca’. Thu: ‘#LEZ’. Fri: ‘Dirty Pop!’. Sat: ‘Voltage’. Sun: ‘Discoteka’.
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Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’. Thu: Trains Across the Sea. Fri: Frankie T. & The Triple B. Sat: Chickenbone Slim & the Biscuits. Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Digital Lizards of Doom. Thu: DJ Ratty. Fri: Joey Harris & the Mentals. Sat: The Helana Holleran Band. Mon: ‘Rosie’s Jazz Jam’. Tue: ‘Funk Jam’. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Slingshot Dakota, Hey, Chels, Neutral Shirt. Thu: Katie Toupin, Havelin. Fri: Matthew Logan Vasquez, Walker Lukens, PR Newman. Sat: BAT!, The Blackjackits, The Writhers, The Hots. Sun: Spacewizardinspace, Delta Sine, Post Elvis, NATO. Mon: No Exits, Fam-
blood, Mood Of A Sinner. Tue: John Walker, Mark Rose. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Fri: Xavier Wulf, Beau Young Prince, Marty Grimes, RecoHavoc. Sat: Saving the State, Atomic 99, Bad Influence, Ten Til Dawn, Glamour Waves, Virtual Bird. SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Jesus Gonzalez, La Boogie Buena, OxM. Thu: Awakeners, Mezzoa, Call of the Wild. Sat: ‘Transmission’. Tue: Karaoke. Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Sat: ‘Pink Hearts’. Sun: ‘House2ourselves’. Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Paul Gregg. Tue: Trivia. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Sun: ‘PANTS Karaoke!’.
Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Jimmy Lewis. Thu: Corey Gray & Jake Coco. Fri: Sound the Groove. Sat: Keep Your Soul. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Erick Tyler. Tue: Coriander. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Wed: The Jazz Pockets. Thu: Mercedes Moore. Fri: Funks Most Wanted. Sat: Dennis Jones Band. Mon: ‘Sexy Salsa & Sensual Bachata’. Tue: The Bayou Brothers. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: Yatra, Gutter, Vedic, Mortar. Thu: Late Bloomer, No Win, Machine Politik. Fri: The Ichabod Five, Los Sweepers, DJ Tony the Tyger. Sat: Short Temper, Pissed Regardless, Burn Infinite, Gut Punch. U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park.
Thu: ‘BoomBox Thursday’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: DJ JuniorTheDiscoPunk. Sun: Ital Vibes. Mon: ‘#31 Flavors’. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Marisa Crane Book Release Party!’. Thu: ‘Love Affair: Queer Dance Night’. Fri: ‘F#$%ING In The Bushes’. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’. Sun: ‘Subterranean Desire’. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’. Tue: Sketch Party. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: ‘Club Kingston’. Thu: Lost Monarchs, Cherry Road, Sweet Myths. Fri: Joe Marcinekc Band, Philthy. Sat: The Moves, The Blonde Brothers, Casual Yak, Drug Hut, The Powerballs, Lifes Little Crisis, DJ Green T. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Bands. Tue: Aunt Cynthia’s Cabin, Lunar Hand, Puerto.
JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29
BY CHRISTIN BAILEY
ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): This week, you’ll feel like you are completely underrated. However, I’m here to say that you absolutely are not rated at all.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): It
TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): It is important to give other people the benefit of the doubt this week, but only up to the point where they start asking for your social security number.
SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Anything you put down in writing can
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): They say no good deed goes unpunished. Why don’t you try doing a good deed for once and find out if that’s true or not? CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You might have an idea for a sandwich that will catapult you to stardom, or maybe you won’t. There’s a 50/50 possibility for pretty much anything. Like, statistically or whatever. LEO (July 23 - August 22): Don’t feel low about all the bad financial decisions Past You made. Just focus on how much better Future You would feel with new Bluetooth headphones. VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): I took pseudoephedrine and feel like I’m vibrating at a higher frequency right now, so even if I were to tell you what the stars say, you wouldn’t have the capacity to understand me.
is important to never lose sight of yourself unless it’s in a distorted funhouse mirror. That is, after all, sort of the point.
always be traced back to you. That’s why you should always carry a glue stick and pre-cut letters from magazines.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21): Making mistakes is a natural
part of the learning process, which is why learning should be avoided at all costs this week—who can bear the humiliation!? CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): Some days you’re the ant, some days
you’re the anteater and, some days, like today, you are—against all odds—somehow both. AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): You will benefit from getting out of
your “comfort zone” this week, maybe not by going all the way to your “discomfort zone,” but just a jaunt over to your “it’s fine, I guess” zone. PISCES (February 19 - March 20): As the
world grows increasingly uninhabitable for humans, you may as well start what you’re planning to do now. It certainly won’t be any easier next year.
Astrologically Unsound appears every week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.
30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JUNE 19, 2019
@SDCITYBEAT
BY JACKIE BRYANT
IN THE BACK
CANNABITCH Good in meds
COURTESY OF GOLDLEAF
I
was scrolling through Twitter two years ago when a CityBeat article caught my eye. It was by former columnist Alex Zaragoza, who wrote about using CBD to manage her anxiety. I remember my eyes lighting up. I had been teetering between admitting I had an anxiety problem and brushing it off as jitters from being a human out in the world. At the time, I wasn’t smoking weed very much, but I knew I was stressed to the bone. I was overworked, generally dissatisfied with living in San Diego and in an unhappy marriage that was making me more depressed by the day. We were already connected on social media, so I DMed Zaragoza to learn more. She pointed me toward Charlotte’s Web (charlottesweb.com), a Colorado-based CBD company that seemed to be one of the more reputable sellers when it came to high-quality, legal CBD oil that could be shipped all over the country. The little bottle I ordered sent me on a years-long path of trial and error, as I tried to figure out how to properly use CBD and other cannabis products to help maintain my mental health. A lot has changed for me since that first CBD inquiry. That marriage ended. Freelancing is stressful, but I have a better handle on it. And San Diego finally feels like home. I also waved the white flag during my divorce and began taking Lexapro for anxiety and depression. Once I gave the pills a month to kick in, I began re-introducing cannabinoids into my system. Since then, I have consistently used CBD products and, if anything, have only ratcheted
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Goldleaf cannabis patient journal up my consumption of THC over time. According to the limited number of studies conducted on the interactions between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, of which Lexapro is one) and cannabinoids, the jury is still out on whether or not this is a good idea. For one, ingesting THC can increase serotonin, which could produce side effects when using SSRIs. Secondly, doctors generally won’t recommend that anyone with a family history of anxiety and/or depression medicate with cannabis. But a University of Connecticut study on “Psychotropic Medications and Substances of Abuse Interactions in Youth,” published in 2010, noted they received shockingly few reports of adverse effects.
This could either be because newer pharmaceuticals have more therapeutic benefits or because people don’t know how to measure adverse effects. To that point, I monitor my mood like a diabetic checks their blood sugar. I’m in weekly therapy. Lexapro is always coursing through my veins. I use THC recreationally, but only when I’m feeling happy and fun. CBD is something I use for acute, in-the-moment anxiety, which, at this point, only happens every few weeks or so. I also use Goldleaf’s (shopgoldleaf.com) cannabis patient journals to keep track of products and dosages. As it goes with mental health, it’s an ongoing process that requires constant evaluation. Recently, I’ve also been loving Care By Design’s (cbd. org) suite of products, especially their 1:1 and 4:1 CBDto-THC soft gels, which contain 10 milligrams of product in addition to coconut oil. The company uses full-spectrum CBD from high-quality plants. If I’m having trouble sleeping, I take CBDistillery’s Night Time Gummies (thecbdistillery.com), which contain 30 milligrams of CBD and 2 milligrams of melatonin. For those with the resources to do so, it is important to explore cannabis and mental health treatment while under the care of medical doctors. Though I know my regimen will need tweaking someday, I’m happy to say that I’m feeling good lately, and that’s thanks, in some part, to cannabis. CannaBitch appears every week. Follow Jackie Bryant on Twitter at @jacqbryant.
JUNE 19, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 31