San Diego CityBeat • June 29, 2016

2 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Media coalitions aimed at homelessness

T

HUMBS UP TO THE MORE THAN 70 calling what we see on our streets the new normal. media outlets in San Francisco that are Frustration and resignation are not a healthy psyche banding together today (June 29) to flood for a city. Our aim is to provide you with the nectheir market with a sea of coverage on local essary information and potential options to put San homelessness.

Francisco on a better path. Then it will be up to all of It’s an idea worth replicating here in San Diego. us—citizens, activists, public and private agencies, In fact, a plan is in the works to do just that. City- politicians—to work together to get there.”

Beat, KPBS and Voice of San Diego are onboard and That makes sense. details will be announced in coming weeks. All San Like San Francisco, San Diego has seen its unDiego media outlets are invited to join. sheltered homeless population climb. Another simiWhat is it? The San Francisco Homeless Project larity: Both cities were also selected—years ago—to is the brainchild of San Francisco Chronicle Editor host major sporting events in 2016.

In Chief Audrey Cooper. In May, it was reported For the Super Bowl, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee in The New York Times how the publicly announced that homeSAN FRANCISCO HOMELESS PROJECT tipping point for Cooper came less people would have to vacate while she was pushing her young certain areas, and with varied child in a stroller past a homelevels of success, provided alterless couple in a tent on the sidenative lodging sites. walk of San Francisco’s business In San Diego, as the July 12 district. A pit bull was standing All-Star Game approaches Mayor guard while the couple had sex, Kevin Faulconer has not formally tent flaps wide open. Cooper kinannounced any plan to relocate da lost it. downtown homeless individuShe started making calls to als. Instead, the SDPD oversees executives at Bay Area television, daily clear-outs of encampments radio, print and online publicaand threatens to “bring down the tions. The goal was to gain power hammer” on faith-based groups in numbers in order to heighten that do food-share programs, awareness and, perhaps, find conwhile the city places rocks unsensus on solutions. In an email to CityBeat, Coo- der bridges to discourage sleeping there. It’s been a per wrote that she expected “maybe 20 outlets and shadow sweep. now we have more than 70. A lot of that is thanks to Been to 17th Street in East Village lately? The the NYT article.” police sweep sizeable encampments there in the The San Francisco Homeless Project is loosely morning. The homeless pile their belongings into structured. No central organizational body is assign- the proximal Neil Good Day Center, and then by ing stories to different media outlets. Each is doing evening return tents and tarps to the street. What’s its own thing. The goal is for rival media organiza- the endgame? What’s the plan? There’s ominous tions to set aside competition for a day and collec- potential for confrontation there on 17th Street tively focus on this crisis-level issue. that hopefully won’t become violent or deadly.

Critics might call this advocacy journalism: Why Maybe a San Diego Homeless Project, made up homelessness as a common cause, and not some- of as many local media outlets that will sign on, can thing else? Who decides? And should media gang up help shine an amplified light, rock the boat a little harder and move the needle a little further. It’s on an issue? worth a try.

Those are fair concerns.

Today, we stand with the San Francisco HomeThe San Francisco Homeless Project is being called a “unified front in search for answers.” A let- less Project. I wish we’d thought of it first. Here’s to ter addressed to the city and people of San Francisco the hope that this kind of out-of-the-box effort can and signed by The SF Homeless Project said: “Like bear weight.

News managers can email me (rond@sdcitybeat. you, we are frustrated, confused and dismayed by the seemingly intractable problem of homelessness com) for details that will be provided as soon as they in our city. Like you, we want answers—and change… are solidified.

Fundamentally, we are driven by the desire to stop

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June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sordid Tales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 All Things Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

FOOD & DRINK The World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 In The Spirits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Beerdist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . 12-14

ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 FEATURE: Old is new. . . . . . . . . . . 16 At The Intersection . . . . . . . . . . 17 Seen Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-21

MUSIC FEATURE: Kevin Morby . . . . . . 22 Notes from the Smoking Patio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . 26-29

LAST WORDS In The Weeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

ON THE

COVER

The cover photograph shows Rod Groenewold, director of Vista’s Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum in his element. Arts editor Seth Combs’ feature on the man and his museum, “Old is the new new,” is on page 16. And while what’s old may be new again to a generation of makers, what new in our office is intern Duncan Moore (above), who took the cover shot and accompanying feature photos.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

UP FRONT | LETTERS

SWIFT KICKS

I’d heard about this [“Pastor: SDPD nixed street feedings for All-Star Game,” June 22] from one of my Amikas board members who was collecting info for a phone app we are building to make it easier for homeless people to connect with the folks offering them food (FindMyFood.org). I thought it had to be a mistake.

Sharp rocks...weekly sweeps...but not this! In April the San Diego City Council declared an emergency shelter crisis. Since then they have dealt with this crisis by cementing pointy rocks into the area under I-5 where many homeless people found refuge from the elements and by weekly purges of homeless people in makeshift tent and tarp shelters downtown. And now this...It makes me want to line these bullies up and give them all a swift kick in the shins!

Jeeni Criscenzo,

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TRUTHINESS

I understand the concerns about improperly done street feedings.

However, I have known James and Claudia Merino for years [“Pastor: SDPD nixed street feedings for All-Star Game,” June 22].

They are compassionate, caring, loving, honest and reliable people who are truly motivated by their faith. I am very disturbed to hear the SDPD threatening their ministry for the benefit of the All-Star Game and feel compelled to speak out on their behalf.

There is clearly an effort underway to purge the homeless from downtown prior to the AllStar Game. I don’t know which scares me more: 1) the mayor’s office not telling the truth about “no such directive from the mayor’s office regarding the All-Star Game” or 2) The SDPD and other city departments developing oppressive policies to deal with the homeless without any direction from the mayor’s office. Either scenario is very troubling.

Tom Theisen,

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CITY OF EVIL

What a shame [“Pastor: SDPD nixed street feedings for All-Star Game,” June 22]. To deny food to someone who is hungry and homeless just to show the world how beautiful and nice San Diego (aka America’s Finest City) is. San Diego: America’s Evil Ran City if you ask me.

Ron Goodwin,

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TRUMPED THE SHARK

Regarding the “Trump has finally jumped the shark” editorial from June 8: Though any rational thinking person hopes it is the case, it is not a certainty that Trump has jumped the shark. For nearly a year, predictions that his comments were the last straw have not panned out. Among other things, you can chalk it up to: complicit media, extreme partisan politics, broken government, vast sums of money corrupting the political process and dumbed-down voters. Essentially, our system, and democracy are massively broken.

While I’d like to be optimistic, I see few signs that the confluence of factors leading to the perfect storm and the resultant nomination of Trump are abating.

Dan Jacobs,

Mira Mesa

A SHOW OF FORCE

Get over it [SDPD addresses Barrio Logan invasion, June 8]. The police were there to break up the crowd that was told to leave. The people that got arrested were told to leave.

They didn’t and so they were arrested. It doesn’t matter your race or color, but you need to respect law enforcement. If you feel you have been given an injustice then file a complaint after the fact. If you are going to let your ego get in the way of intelligent decisions then you will get what you deserve.

Noajorspanos, Via sdcitybeat.com

NOT AFFORDABLE

One of the reasons there is so much homelessness in San Diego is because San Diego gave builders the option of building expensive high rises or low-to-moderate housing [“Veteran homelessness can be conquered…slowly,” June 8]. Very few opted to have affordable units. There are more buildings all over downtown San Diego with available units.

In East Village we have the 47-floor monstrosity eyesore [condo] and they are going to build a twin. Next to it is a new, 12-story low-income building. Ballpark Village advertises low-income units but is not providing housing in its structure. Rents are very high in San Diego so people either need to move further out of the city or sleep in the street. The city needs to change the building codes but that is not going to happen under Mayor Kevin Faulconer.

Debby Shapiro, San Diego

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UP FRONT | NEWS COURTESY OF ABBIE CORY

San Diegan among first in state to legally end her life Friends and physician describe process of taking final dosage

by Torrey Bailey

I

N THE LIVING ROOM of the University Heights home that she remodeled herself, 54-year-old Eurika Strotto sat in her favorite La-Z-Boy chair. She’d found relative comfort in that recliner after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS,) two and a half years ago. During that time, the neurodegenerative disease debilitated her muscles, hindered her motor skills and subjected her to a breathing mask.

On June 13, in her recliner, Strotto became one of the first in San Diego to take advantage of California’s End of Life Option Act, which went into effect on June 9 after 25 years of effort. Strotto’s funeral took place Sunday.

Her friends, family and doctor described her final days to CityBeat, recalling a woman who thought of others first, and who was ready to leave the prison that her body ultimately became.

Although Strotto’s prescription was written on June 9, she had a few things left to do, including attending her friend’s wedding.

“She wanted to go and not take her life until after that— not so much because she wanted to see them get married, but because she didn’t want them to be sad on their wedding day,” said Abbie Cory, a close friend of Strotto. “That’s how she was, always thinking about the other person.”

Strotto said her goodbyes that day, and more on the next day at her living memorial. “She had what she called ‘The party to end all parties,’” said Dr. Sunita Shailam, a physician from Sun Health Medical clinic who prescribed Strotto’s final medication.

Sitting in her La-Z-Boy that day, too, Strotto ate pork roast made by her brother, indulged in her favorite South African dessert made by her niece, and connected with everyone one last time.

“It was a mixture of tears and laughter,” Cory said. “She was saying goodbye to everybody, and it was a party at the same time. People would come and talk to her and spend time with her, and then go into the backyard, which we dubbed the relief area, so you could go and laugh, and let go of the stress of saying goodbye to her.”

After the party, Strotto watched that night’s episode of Game of Thrones, but didn’t finish it, opting to save the rest of the episode to watch on her final day.

“Then she was eager, and she said to her wife Nita, ‘Mix up the pills, I’m ready to go,’” Cory said.

Oregon pioneered the legalization of aid-in-dying drugs in 1997. Since then, 991 people have taken advantage of the law there. Right-to-die laws also exist in Montana, Vermont and Washington. California’s new law was propelled

Eurika Strotto (right) and her wife, Nita, at their friend’s wedding on June 11 by the very public story of Brittany Maynard, a young woman with terminal brain cancer who moved from California to Oregon to die with dignity.

Although a 2015 Gallup poll measured that 68 percent of the American public supports medical aid in dying, there is already active opposition to California’s new law from religious groups, as well as medical ones. The day before the act was put into effect, six doctors from the American Academy of Medical Ethics filed a lawsuit in Riverside County, requesting the district attorney temporarily deny the law’s implementation. Controversy also surrounds the availability and expense of the two most commonly used drugs, pentobarbital and secobarbital.

Pentobarbital has not been available in the United States since 2014, said Dr. David Grube of Compassion & Choices, a right-to-die advocacy group.

In choosing secobarbital, Strotto would have paid $3,300 to take the effective dosage of 100 tablets, Shailam said. Instead, Strotto was prescribed a more cost-effective alternative, recommended by Compassion & Choices.

Strotto took an anti-nausea medication, followed by high doses of two prescriptions: Lorazepam, a sleep-inducing anti-anxiety medication; and amitriptyline, an antidepressant used for insomnia and pain, Shailam said.

The process wasn’t completely fluid. The dosage gave Strotto nausea and she had to fight to keep it down.

“Then she went to sleep,” said Cory, who was not there but spoke to friends and relatives of Strotto. “Apparently, she sort of woke up once or twice. The first time she woke up, Nita said, ‘You’re still here?’ and Eurika actually

“

I told her that I didn’t want to let her go, but that I was happy she was going to be free.

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laughed. But then they said, as her respirations were getting slower and slower, she smiled.”

After an hour, Strotto’s hospice nurse showed her how to take an extra dose of morphine, and within 15 minutes she had completely passed away, Shailam said.

This was the first time Shailam prescribed the medication, and she says she would do it again.

“She wasn’t getting better, and she was only going to get worse, and there was really nothing I could do to stop the progression of it,” Shailam said. “The one thing that I could do to help her and comfort her was to give her this prescription and prevent further suffering. Anything I could do to make her happy and comfortable, I was going to do it.”

Strotto requested that her brain and spine be donated to the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

Her donation could help clarify the clouds surrounding an ALS diagnosis. At UC San Diego Health’s ALS Clinical Trials program, donated brain and spinal tissues affected

by ALS are compared with healthy tissues to better understand the disease’s phenotype and genotype, said Ivy Cass, a research coordinator there.

“The [central nervous system] samples are really, really valuable in terms of understanding, not only what causes ALS, but also how to treat it because there’s still so much to learn about the disease,” Cass said.

That is exactly what Strotto wanted, Cory said. “She hated having the disease, and she wanted to do whatever she could to prevent anybody else from having it or if they had to have it, to help find a cure,” she said.

From the comfort of her La-Z-Boy, Strotto was the one consoling her friends in her last moments, rather than the other way around. “She was done with living in that body,” Cory said. “I told her that I didn’t want to let her go, but that I was happy she was going to be free. She said to me, ‘I’ll see you on the other side.’”

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

Lord Carl and his Dome-aio Existence is no more than the precarious attainment of relevance in an intensely mobile flux of past, present and future.

—Susan Sontag

C

arl DeMaio has found his perfect perch.

His afternoon AM radio gig on KOGO allows the former San Diego City Councilmember and wannabe mayor an ample stage from which to banter on all sorts of subjects, mostly in a similar vein to the Republican rants of another ex-San Diego politician, Roger Hedgecock.

But last Thursday, DeMaio jumped headfirst into the local stadium debate with a proposal by a little-known Newport Beach realty firm to build a multi-use stadium in one of three locations with only private money. You read that cor-

rectly: a plan that involves no tax increases nor taxpayer subsidies.

You might be wondering if the radio station is built above a marijuana dispensary, given the full gamut of reactions to the idea.

But reactions to DeMaio and anything he proposes typically result in strong opinions one way or the other, so what is it exactly he’s proposing?

First off, his reasoning for entering the stadium sweepstakes fray seems clear: He gets to bash the current administration of Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “What I’m really upset about is that the mayor and city councilmembers have dragged out the clock…and haven’t looked at creative ideas,” DeMaio preached on his show last week.

“And as a result, it almost feels like we have a gun to our head.”

Rumors from the political peanut gallery suggest that DeMaio

6 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

may be angling for another mayoral run in 2020 when Faulconer’s second term expires—DeMaio lost bitterly to Bob Filner in 2012—so what better way to seize the headlines than by trying to keep the San Diego Chargers in town and football fans happy?

The idea he’s pitching, however, is not a new one and will likely gain little or no traction with the NFL, a money-hungry organization known to prefer its stadiums publicly financed. Rather than a so-called “convadium”—a convention center expansion coupled with a stadium, as proposed by the Chargers in a hoteltax-hike initiative the team hopes to qualify for the November ballot—DeMaio is pimping a combo stadium/hotel/retail hybrid reminiscent of the complex that Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays call home.

Formerly named the SkyDome, for the mechanized retractable roof said to be the first of its kind, the stadium is now known as the Rogers Centre, named for a communications company that purchased it in 2005. The SkyDome in 1998 had filed for bankruptcy protection after repeated cost overruns and dwindling luxury suite renewal sales. Late plans to add a hotel within the stadium, with 70 of 348 rooms overlooking

JOHN R. LAMB

Carl DeMaio lords over the stadium debate, with Toronto’s hotel-embedded former SkyDome in mind. the field, also drove up the cost of the complex, which was heavily subsidized by taxpayers.

The idea being sold by DeMaio has actually been pitched for some time by the folks at Newport Beach-based Tieback Realty, which describes itself as “a real-estate finance, investment, advisory and development organization that includes [a] crowdfunding channel.”

Richard McCay, a co-founder of the firm, spoke briefly with Spin Cycle about his proposal before having to hang up for a lunch meeting. “I’ve been thinking about this since 2007,” McCay said.

“Carl, at the end of the day, is only the first guy to give me a microphone, and that’s what he is. He’s not involved in this other than that. And he understands that it makes a lot of sense if people will listen.”

In short, McCay believes anywhere from $1.4 billion to $2 billion can be raised in private financing to build and maintain a multi-use sports and entertainment facility that would be home to the Chargers and events yearround. The idea has variables based on location—Mission Valley and two sites downtown, including a portion of the 10th Avenue Terminal, which the Port District has declared off-limits for such a development—but would in essence rely on funding sources from a boutique hotel and retail development ($500 million), naming rights ($150 million), the NFL ($300 million), the Chargers ($150 million), the Port District ($100 million), local universities and potentially Major League Soccer ($125 million), and a Mission Valley development partner ($125-$200 million).

In addition, football enthusiasts would be able to purchase “Fan-Lord” ownership shares in the new stadium to the tune of a lowball estimate of $300 mil-

lion, but potentially $525 million to $1.3 billion. DeMaio said these shares would be an improvement over the current personal seat licenses, or PSLs, sold at other stadiums because those only guarantee the right to purchase a season ticket. With a stadium-ownership share “they’re getting a property right, they’re a shareholder in the event-management corporation for the facility, they probably get access to parking discounts as well as other events.”

On DeMaio’s show, McCay also noted, “Don’t discount the bragging rights. I am the landlord of my team, you know? Look, the Chargers aren’t going to be harmed economically. They’re going to have a tighter bond with their fans. This is going to garner worldwide press, and it’s going to build the brand of the team, the NFL and the city. This is a win, win, win.”

Back in 2007, McCay was involved in a proposal to build a stadium on land next to the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Spin Cycle wanted to talk to him about that plan, which never went beyond one brief media mention, but an extended conversation McCay promised never materialized.

Matt Heller, head of business development for The Jerde Partnership, a Los Angeles urbanplanning firm that designed Horton Plaza, is listed in the 41-page proposal distributed by DeMaio last week as a project participant, but he said his firm’s involvement is only “peripheral” at this point.

“It’s very, very preliminary. Tieback came to us to serve as the lead planner, but there’s been no pen to page at this point,” Heller said. “It’s an idea and concept that’s distinctive and unique, but we get a lot of very interesting requests.”

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | OPINION

SORDID

EDWIN DECKER

TALES

Not singing along to that old-time religion

O

nce the shooter in Orlando had been idenCenter—a nonpartisan think tank widely considtified as Muslim, the Islamophobes of the ered one of the most credible in the country—there world wasted no time blaming Islam for the is widespread support for Sharia; especially in the attack. This was immediately followed by the IsMiddle East-North Africa region. It should be notlamophobe-ophobes accusing the Islamophobes of ed that there are many countries with considerably bigotry, which was followed by condemnation from less support, but get this. More than 60 percent of a mis-Islamophobe-ophobe—namely, me—a person Muslims living in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mowho condemns people who condemn people who zambique (and more) favor it as law. In Egypt, Nicondemn Islam. geria, Jordan, Thailand, Indonesia and Congo more In other words, it’s not right to call somethan 70 percent of Muslims support it. Think that’s one a bigot for pointing out the inherent bigbad? How about Pakistan, Palestine, Niger, Malayotry of Islam. If you think that makes me a bigot sia, and Morocco Muslims, who clock in at more please note, I am not condemning Muslims. I than 80 percent. Iraq has 91 percent. And a whopcondemn Islam, a religion, which is simply a set ping 99 percent of Muslim Afghanis favor the savof ideas. And no idea—religious or otherwise— age tenets of Sharia so no, not quite obsolete. is immune to criticism in a healthy democracy.

About the gay nightclub shooting in Orlando, As for the followers of Islam, I harbor no bigotry: Samra Habib—a lesbian, Muslim photographer I do not want Muslims banned from the country. I and activist—wrote in The Guardian: “...every time do not want Muslims profiled in airports. I admired a criminally misguided Muslim commits an act Muhammad Ali for dropping his of violence, the entire religion... slave name thereby terrorizing is placed under suspicion...” the Caucasian industrial complex.

You’re goddamn right Islam is suspect. What do you expect when its I was all for building a mosque I do not want playbook calls for the execution of near Ground Zero. And whenever Muslims banned homosexuals? The only mystery I see an Arab on a plane I don’t is how, with all its homophothink, Oh crap we’re being hifrom the country. I here bic rhetoric, a gay human rights acjacked! I think, Man—I sure could can even consider identifying go for some hummus right now. do not want Muslims tivist with Islam. That’s about as contraI have absolutely no problem with Muslims per se but the reliprofiled in airports. dictory as a slaughterhouse chicken butcher identifying as vegan. gion they follow is rancid as a manFriends, I have a dream. I have a gled-up road skunk decomposing dream that all the world’s peace and in a cloud of its final death spray. love-loving Muslims will come together and rewrite “[Muhammad Ali] understood the love their scriptures. I dream they will edit out all fear and preached by Islam that has captured the minds hate and crimes against humanity or, at the very least, and hearts of over 1.5 billion followers,” wrote tack on disclaimers to all those hateful passages.

HuffPo blogger Najma Khorrami. “This is the Quran (4:16): “If two men among you are guilty Islam that has taught love for centuries...” of lewdness, punish them both– just kidding LOL!” Taught love for centuries? You are aware of a cerHadith (9.84.57): “Whoever changed his Islamtain, centuries-old tome called the Qur’an, right? ic religion, then kill him—not!”

The rulebook transcribed, if not outright written, Quran (2:223): “Your women are your fields, so go by the overlord of the universe? The one that says into your fields whichever way you like— Oh, c’mon, you must “Kill [unbelievers] where you find them...” you didn’t really think we were serious about that now and about a hundred other bloodthirsty passages did you? We’re just joshing around with all this stuff. which I know you know are in there yet for some Didn’t you read Quran 5:544b: “...and Allah doth spoke, reason skip—as if the Qur’an is a cookbook and you ‘Go forth and make jokes. Crack wise to unbelievers, for are skipping over the eggplant recipes. they are certainly a silly people. Go forth and make jokes Then there is Sharia law. Sharia is a legal frameabout women drivers. And doth not the gays listen to work derived from the Qur’an. It is the medieval, some godawful music? I mean, ABBA? Bronski Beat? barbaric, ridiculous fucking insult to humanAm I right? Make jokes freely but always remember to ity which prescribes torture and/or death for such love them and respect them, as thou respect thy mother, “crimes” as homosexuality, inter-religious marand thy father, and thy garbanzo bean farmer...’” riage, adultery, apostasy (defecting from Islam) Of course, the extremists will howl bloody murder. and/or simply not being Muslim in the first place.

They will say the Qur’an is the word of Allah and canIt also contains the most egregious examples of not be changed. Fine. The moderates can just rename misogyny under the sun. For instance, Sharia pertheir new faith. They can call it Blisslam, and market mits a man to beat his wife for insubordination. Feit as a religion for the 21st century. A true peace and male rape victims cannot testify against their rapist. love-loving religion. A religion even secularists like A women’s testimony counts as 25 percent. The list me can get behind. As-Salaam-Alaikum. goes on. And if you think this is some obsolete system of rule, think again.

Sordid Tales appears every other week.

According to a 2013 report by Pew Research Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

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June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

Brilliant lamb barbacoa in Chula Vista

I

n his concurring opinion in Jacobellis v. Ohio, 378 U.S. 184 (1964)—one of the most famous in Supreme Court history—Justice Potter Stewart said of hardcore pornography: “I know it when I see it.” He might as well have been talking about “authenticity” and Mexican food. My most recent trip to Aqui es Texcoco (1043 Broadway) in Chula Vista taught me that.

Aqui es Texcoco is known for barbacoa, a mainland Mexican (by way of the Caribbean) method of cookery in which primal cuts of meat are slowsteamed in an earthen pit over coals covered in maguey leaves. At Aqui Es Texcoco—and the town outside Mexico City from which it takes its name—the meat of choice is lamb.

On a first trip to Aqui es Texcoco, go for the lamb tacos. It’s barbacoa on training wheels featuring delicious, fallen-off-thebone meat in a perfect corn tortilla delivery system. You wonder what could possibly be better.

On your second trip to Aqui es Texcoco you find out: the lamb plate. The meat is served on aluminum foil alongside warm corn tortillas and a broth that is liquid lamb. There are several options for the meat (not all available every day): maciza (lean meat), costilla (fattier rib), pancita (tripe) and sesos (brains). Get the combination.

The result is alternately fatty and lean, savory and rich, all deeply flavored and earthy, with an overall sense of meaty warmth.

On your third trip go all in and order the lamb’s head: eyeballs, brains, cheeks and all. The eyeballs are, truth be told, mostly an adventure. The cheeks, though, are glorious: pretty much the best

8 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

part of any creature. And there is a simple, primal pleasure inherent in the act of picking meat out of a mammal’s head.

Or go more direct with the grilled brain tacos. Often more of a texture than a flavor, these brains offer a meaty, umami warmth well worth the bravery. Or try the tacos de Morongo (blood sausage) which brought a pleasing minerality and deep savory flavor to the taco.

But for pure fun there’s nothing better than the chicharrón de queso, big tubes of shredded cheese cooked into crisps served with a rustic, homey, full-flavored guacamole. A squeeze of lime cuts through all that richness. You know it could not MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Taco de barbacoa possibly be good for you but you really don’t care.

At issue in Jacobellis was a Louis Malle film, The Lovers. Stewart emerged from a dark screening room after he and eight other old men (who wear black nighties for a living) watched a film to determine whether it was porn. Stewart concluded the legal formulas of precedent were meaningless because of different standards in different places at different times. The same might be said of authenticity in food: where, when and to whom?

The answer to these questions depends on the eye—or the palate—of the beholder. And at Aqui es Texcoco it just feels right. Like The Lovers there can be no question in the end it is right, even if it’s pornographically good.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | DRINK PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOHNNY RIVERA

IN THE

BY MICHELLE POVEDA

SPIRITS Last call on Tractor Room

T

he Tractor Room (3687 Fifth Ave.) is one of a kind. Most people can remember their first experience in this dark and alluring Hillcrest spot— whether it was for a first date, or to enjoy a hearty and indulgent brunch. Arguably the first bar to introduce craft cocktails to San Diego, Tractor Room made quality drinks without pretense. Craft cocktails have surged in popularity of late, but now after 10 years in business, Tractor Room will be shutting its doors after a Sunday brunch on July 10.

San Diego native Johnny Rivera opened Tractor Room in 2006 with co-owner Andy Beardslee. Rivera also owns two other Hillcrest hot spots, Great Maple (1451 Washington St.) and Hash House A Go Go (3628 Fifth Ave.). When asked why he chose to open Tractor Room on Fifth Avenue, he says, “We felt Hillcrest needed an authentic cocktail house, and thought right down the street from Hash House would be a perfect place to start.”

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With more than 25 years of experience in the food-and-beverage industry, Rivera was a touring musician before opening Hash House. He dreamt of opening a cocktail house that was, at the be kind and reletime, missing from vant in this world,” San Diego. he says. “The cockRivera says his Andrew Beardslee, Anthony Bourdain tail and the customgoal when opening and Johnny Rivera er were always king, Tractor Room was “to achieve the best cocktails, and free- and the bartender was just the concierge dom with the menu…to bring an elevated to their evening, not the star.”

Here, here! Can we bring back this view of classic cocktails, a great song list and a place Andy and I would want to philosophy, please? Like me, maybe hang.” Some of his best memories include you’ve met one too many “stars” at a special wine dinners, cocktail events with number of local drinking holes. Rivera local producers and especially the time says, “We knew we kept it real and we Anthony Bourdain, host of CNN’s Parts are most proud of that!”

It’s often difficult to get a straight Unknown, requested that his book signing answer from business owners on why take place there.

Rivera’s business philosophy was they’re closing up shop. Rivera was no strong. “I always told my crew, you could exception; he says he’s busy opening up

The Tractor Room another Great Maple location in Pasadena, and recently opened another Hash House a Go Go in Texas, and perhaps they’ll open up another bar down the road, but he’s sketchy on the details. So let me speculate: Since Tractor Room’s opening in 2006, Hillcrest has seen a wave of businesses come and go—neighbors R Gang Eatery and Celadon included. Maybe the rent got to be too much?

Maybe the competition was too stiff, or maybe Rivera’s other businesses are just so wildly successful (have you been to Great Maple on a Sunday morning?) that they just said, “Eh, time to move on.”

Whatever the reason, we’ll miss you, Tractor Room. Cheers to you.

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

UP FRONT | DRINK

THE

BY ANDREW DYER

BEERDIST Major festivals: beer and loathing

closed, eating tater tots drenched in nacho cheese and drinking Ballast Point Yellowtail pale ale. I surveyed the proletariat from behind my imagihave not been shy about my loathing of beer nary velvet rope, knowing that eventually I would festivals. The oversold, over-poured and overhave to join them. I took some photos, ate some drunk spectacles offer little more than an Rita’s frozen custard, took a deep breath and all-you-can-drink smorgasbord of debauched instepped down from upon high. dulgence aimed more at flask-carrying frat bros The main floor was standard beer fest frustrathan bonafide beer nerds. But I had never been to tion: oblivious groups of four or five people obthe self-proclaimed “largest beer festival on the noxiously loitering in front of booths or obstructWest Coast,” the San Diego International Beer ing pathways; already-drunk dudes in tank tops Festival, and thought now was as good a time as wearing pretzel necklaces cutting in line, throwany to take another swing at fun. It was only half ing elbows and ANDREW DYER the nightmare I exspilling beer. Most pected. breweries brought I splurged on the their production $122 VIP pass and beers, and much of MTS fair tripper what was available ticket bundle, which was the same stuff included train fare, anyone can find at unlimited full pours Vons. Fortunately, and access to a VIP Abnormal Brewing lounge. The lounge, was on hand with its advertised as “overMostra mocha stout, looking the festival” Abbey Normal IIPA with “several” food and Steampunk Ale, stations, sounded a steam ale brewed like just the thing to for the fair. salve my fest anxiety.

Although not Arriving an hour worth what I paid, I Pretzel-bearded Andy Hadley was king of the fest. late, I dumped my did enjoy the festival. family on the midway and hoofed over to the areSomething about the carnival, blue ribbons and atna. I began waiving my Ticketmaster receipt at mosphere of gross indulgence was infective. I saw the event staff, frantically asking where the VIP the award ceremony and watched as several local entrance was. I was pointed toward a booth but brewers accepted their ribbons. I observed the latapproached with caution. It looked suspiciously est in pretzel-jewelry technology and, despite the like General Admission. In no time I was handed crowds of loiterers, there were plenty of places to my souvenir glass and wristband and set loose on sit and refocus for more. Only one person passed the Del Mar Arena floor. Starving, I made a beeout during my session (that I saw) and only one had line to the VIP lounge. to be carried after collapsing on the way out. While By “overlooking the festival” organizers meant not a ringing endorsement, if I can get through a “a platform three feet above the main floor.” A sefour-hour, full-pour festival and not hate myself the curity agent eyed my wristband. We exchanged sientire time, anyone can. I might even do it again lent nods as I was granted access to the exclusive next year. area. There were a handful of food options but only one captured my imagination. Two words: The Beerdist appears every other week. tot bar.

Write to andrewd@sdcitybeat.com I stayed in the VIP lounge until the tot bar

I

10 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | TECHNOLOGY

BY TOM SIEBERT

ALL THINGS

TECH Broken narratives and brainwashed confusion

T

here’s a famous New Yorker cartoon from the early days of the World Wide Web with a canny canine sitting at a desk in front of a computer. He says (barks? whines?) “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”

It was funny, but it’s getting to a point where I’m not laughing about any of this anymore.

Over the past couple weeks, it’s seemed to me that the online war to control the conversation—at best influence and at worst manipulate, the minds of Americans—has gone DEFCON 3.

Bots and shills are all over social media, from Facebook to Twitter to LinkedIn to (probably) Instagram (I don’t spend a lot of time on that one). Shadow banning and selective shadow banning on news sites. Censorship on so-called “progressive” websites like DailyKos. Reddit deleting genuine news posts like a shooting gallery of inconvenient truths.

It’s pretty scary, actually. Let’s run the gamut of what I’ve experienced since my last column.

First, shadow banning: A shadow ban is when you leave a comment on a website, but the people who run the site ding the comment so you can see it but no one else can. This makes you think that you’re engaging with an online community and thus continue to click and give them page views, when actually you’re just screaming into the void.

There’s a particularly insidious version of shadow banning through Facebook Identification verification, where you sign into a site like, say, Huffington Post.

HuffPo can then selectively shadow ban you, where you can see your comments and your Facebook friends can see your comments, but no one else can see the comments.

I know this personally because I got shadow banned on Huffington Post. But you can see for yourself: Go to a Huffington Post story with a bunch of comments. Follow one of the comment threads. When you get to the end, there will be something that says “Show XX more com-

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ments.” When you click, those comments aren’t there. They’ve been shadow banned. Only the person who made those comments and his or her Facebook friends can see them.

I also got a confirmation that is happening from someone in the PR department at Facebook, who would only confirm it “on background,” so you know it’s a touchy subject.

What’s the big deal, you ask?

Well, if you’re trying to create a false consensus, one way to do that is selectively censor any comments or opinions that go against that consensus. Meanwhile, you let people think their voice is being heard, but maybe they also have doubts about their own position.

Or, in a particularly insidious way this can play out, you could experience what happened to me when I dared comment on the “Ready for Warren” Facebook page—I group I belonged to for more than a year—that I was displeased with the senator’s endorsement of Wall Street fave Hillary Clinton. My comment was deleted and I was blocked from commenting or rejoining the page.

Worse, when another Ready for Warren member on that thread sent me an IM to ask if I deleted my comment and I told her no, she followed up with the peeps who run the page who told her I was a bot account that had made numerous SPAM comments all throughout the group, and that’s why I was deleted. It was a total lie, though when I tracked down the people who run the page and told them I was writing about this for publication, they claimed it was just an honest mistake. They also didn’t want to give me their name for publication.

How about the morning I got up and immediately saw the news about the horrific massacre in Orlando, so I went to Reddit?

It was early, and there was lots of speculation that the killer was a rabid fundamentalist Christian nut who hated gays. There were threads about it everywhere.

But later, when it turned out that the killer was a rabid fundamentalist Muslim nut who hated gays (or so the media narrative now claims), the moderators on Reddit were deleting posts as fast as they appeared. A new Reddit narrative, full of posts that it was the guns or mental illness and not all Muslims are like this at all took hold. It was both fascinating and sickening to see it happen in real time.

On Twitter, I was attacked by a troll using the handle BillyT_202, who created his Twitter persona around the time Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy and has spent every single day making every single tweet about how great she is and how terrible everyone else is. As I began to chase him down and put him on the spot about his anonymity and date of joining, his attacks became uglier and refused to address any of my questions. Then he blocked me, and, suddenly, the attacks were picked up by another big Clinton fan, @JenniferTidd. She, too, refused to engage on any substantive issues, and would only mock and insult, before disappearing when asked to confirm her identity for this article.

On YouTube, comments for the video where President Obama endorsed Clinton didn’t load for days. Now there are none at all.

On inquisitr.com, I tried to leave a comment several times after a story mocking anyone who wasn’t buying the Official Government Story on the Orlando shooting, asking why the State of Florida was refusing to release public records of the event to the Miami Herald. The comment was deleted repeatedly, and the publication’s editor, when contacted via email, expressed mystification.

When I see this happening, I’m reminded of two things: First, in 2012, in a late night session of Congress, a rider was added to a defense authoriza-

SHUTTERSTOCK

“On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” tion bill at the last minute that made government propaganda to the American people legal. As reported by Buzzfeed reporter Michael Hastings—who died in an explosive, single-vehicle car crash a couple weeks later—the tweak to the bill neutralized two previous acts, the SmithMundt Act of 1948 and Foreign Relations Authorization Act in 1987(that had been passed to protect U.S. audiences from our own government’s misinformation campaigns). Google Michael Hastings Buzzfeed Propaganda.

You’ll find it.

Second, one of the big reveals in the Edward Snowden leaks

was that the government employs thousands— literally thousands—of people who do nothing but sit on the Internet all day to influence conversations and create consensus. Or false consensus. Again, you can Google Glenn Greenwald Intercept Edward Snowden. You’ll find it easily.

What is apparently happening is that this shit is out of control. It’s a free for all out there, a wild, wild World Wide Web of the West, where truth and fiction and grassroots and Astroturf and propaganda and secrets and lies are all being blended into one big horrible blob of broken narratives and brainwashed confusion.

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

1 THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND

Between terrorist attacks, the ongoing ego County Fair (sdfair.com) and eating a bunch gun control debate, the Brexit and the of artery-clogging fried food? Independence Day prospect of a Trump presidency, the idea of cel- weekend includes demolition derbies, monster ebrating the greatness of America just seems, well, truck shows, professional wrestling, a Kool & the ham-handed and bitCOURTESY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR Gang concert and, yes, tersweet. a fireworks show. To But that’s exactly quote William Walwhy we need to get lace, “FREEDOM!!” out there and celThe San Diego ebrate! Our country Padres have the pretwasn’t founded on, ty cool distinction of “Oh, well, shit’s really playing America’s fabad right now. Guess vorite team to love/ I’ll just stay home.” It hate, the New York was founded on, “Hey, Yankees, over the shit’s bad but I’m weekend (Friday, gonna get drunk and July 1, 2 and 3). Like maybe throw some the Sox and Cubs, San Diego County Fair there will be plenty tea into that harbor over there. Then I’m gonna cheer as I watch some of visiting fans in the stands, so if you need extra shit blow up.” Or something like that. incentive, there’s a laser show on Saturday. Lasers, We’ve been celebrating that kind of “America! bruh. Lasers.

Fuck yeah!” logic with fireworks since 1777. The If fried pickles and America’s pastime Big Bay Boom at 9 p.m. on Monday, July 4, along aren’t your thing, the rather (in)famous Booty the San Diego Bay remains the biggest, baddest Bassment club night will be at The Casbah (2501 show in town (bigbayboom.com), and even after Kettner Blvd.) on Sunday, July 3, at 9 p.m. for a the downright apocalyptic Boom of 2012 (where one-night-only, bass-heavy, dirty hip-hop party all the fireworks went off at the same time), it’s that’s bound to include debauchery. It will sellstill cool to hear youngsters oooh and ahhh over out so get $10 tickets at casbahmusic.com. the display.

Booty shaking...Fuck yeah, America invented What’s more ’Merican than going to the San Di- that!

DOWNTOWN

2

SOUTH PARK

DOUBLE THREAT

It’s nothing new for celebrities to dabble in areas outside their expertise, but pianist Hershey Felder has fashioned himself into something of a double threat. That is, he’s mastered the art of acting while also playing the piano at an expert level. In the past, Felder has channeled Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt and Irving Berlin to tell the tales of some of the most influential musicians. For his new show, Maestro, he transforms himself into world famous musician Leonard Bernstein to recount the story of how Bernstein rose to worldwide fame as a multitalented composer, conductor, author and pianist.

It runs from Wednesday, July 6 through Sunday, July 17, at the San Diego Repertory Theatre (79 Horton Plaza). Tickets range from $20 to $75. sdrep.org COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO REPERTORY THEATRE

3

WILD STORIES

Let’s face it: We don’t deserve the top spot on the food chain. Regressive thinking has turned us into an idiocracy obsessed with celebrities, guns and Making America Great Again.

Frankly, we should probably just hand the keys back over to our animal brethren. Literary nonprofit So Say We All’s live storytelling showcase VAMP: Animal Control will pay tribute to all that is furry, slimy and/or scaly via eight writers telling stories about psychic pets, reptile friends, parasites and more. Some of the writers include Matthew Baldwin, Amy Thorton and CityBeat web editor/columnist Ryan Bradford. The stories start at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 30, at Whistle Stop Bar (2236 Fern St.). Admission is free but a $5 dollar donation is strongly suggested. Don’t be cheep! sosayweallonline.com

ART

JULY 4TH

HLooking Back/Forward Discussion at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., North Park. Artists from the retrospective group show, which featured sitespecific installations and performancebased interactive pieces, will participate in an informal discussion. From 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, June 30. Free. 619-584-4448, artproduce.org/looking-backforward.html

HStar Spangled Pops at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 206 Marina Park Way, Downtown. Matthew Garbutt conducts an all-American program featuring hits from movies, Broadway tunes and pop music, along with a military salute and a fireworks finale. From 7:30 Friday, July 1, Saturday, July 2 and Sunday, July 3. $20-$85. 619-6866200, sandiegosymphony.com

Oceanside Art Walk: Letters and Lines, A Literary Art Walk at Downtown Oceanside, Pier View Way and Tremont St., Oceanside. A literary-themed version of the monthly art walk featuring art inspired by stories, poetry readings, creative book bindings and more. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 1. Free. oceansideartwalk.org Steering Small: The Wonders of Nautical Models at Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. A new exhibition of nautical models, tiny and intricate mini models that showcase historical renderings of ships from our past. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Opens Saturday, July 2. $8-$16. 619-234-9153, sdmaritime.org

BOOKS HSteven Rowley at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The debut novelist will discuss and sign Lily and the Octopus, a heartwarming tale of a man and his dog. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 29. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Ted Chiang and Adam Rakunas at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The two sci-fi writers will sign and discuss their respective books, Stories of Your Life and Others (Chiang) and Like a Boss (Rakunas). At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 29.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HRichard Kadrey at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling author of the Sandman Slim fantasy series stops by to promote the latest installment, The Perdition Score. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 30. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Greg Grunberg and Lucas Turnbloom at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The writer and artist will sign and discuss their new kids’ graphic adventure, Dream Jumper: Nightmare Escape. At 6:30 p.m.

Friday, July 1. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Andy Duncan at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The three-time World Fantasy Award winner will be promoting his new novella, Wakulla Springs, and will be speaking on writing fantasy and science fiction. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 6.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

COMEDY Sebastian Maniscalco at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The American Comedy Award nominee, who’s known for his social commentary on marriage, family and his Italian upbringing, performs at the San Diego County Fair. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 4. Free-$26. 858-755-1161, sdfair.com

MATTHEW BALDWIN

DANCE HEvery Night’s a Show Night at White Box Live Arts , 2590 Truxtun Road, Studio 205, Point Loma. Monica Bill Barnes takes time off of her national tour with This American Life to perform with Anna Bass in a new choreographed show made from scratch. From 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, June 29. $20. 619-2251803, sandiegodancetheater.org

Maestro

12 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

VAMP

H = CityBeat picks

Celebrate the USA at Rancho San Diego Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El Cajon. Get ready for July 4th with this family event featuring music, stories, crafts, games, and food. The group Trails and Rails will perform Americana music.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 2.

Free. 619-660-5370, sdcl.org House Of Spain Fourth Of July Celebration at House of Spain, 2168 Pan American Rd. E, Balboa Park. The House of Spain, one of the international cottages in Balboa Park, celebrates Spain’s strategic, military and financial support of the colonies enabling eventual independence from England. From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 3. Free. 619-615-3188, casadeespanasd.com 4th of July Fireworks Cruises at Flagship Cruises & Events, 990 N. Harbor Drive, Experience San Diego’s Big Bay Boom aboard a cruise ship. Admission includes complimentary boarding champagne, a gourmet meal, live DJ entertainment and dancing. From 7 to 10 p.m.

Monday, July 4. $25-$100. 800-4427847, flagshipsd.com Above the Fireworks at Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma Peninsula. Patrons can watch firework shows while enjoying the sunset and nighttime views at the Cabrillo monument. From 6 to 10:30 p.m. Monday, July 4. $50. friendsofcabrillo.com HBig Bay Boom at various locations.

Fireworks will be discharged simultaneously from barges placed strategically around San Diego Bay off Shelter Island, Harbor Island, Embarcadero North, Seaport Village, and more. See website for exact locations. At 9 p.m. Monday, July 4. Free. bigbayboom.com HFourth Of July Celebration At San Diego County Fair at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Enjoy pie eating contests, pro wrestling, monster truck shows and the Hometown Heroes Parade, as well as all the other activities the fair has to offer. From 9:30 a.m. to midnight. Monday, July 4.

Free-$16. 858-755-1161, sdfair.com HIndependence Day Festival at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The 53rd annual festival will feature live music, food, games, and activities for children. The evening will conclude with a performance from Camp Pendleton’s 1st Marine Division Band and a fireworks display. From 4 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, July 4. Free. 760839-4190, artcenter.org La Jolla Cove Fourth Of July Fireworks at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, Coast Blvd., La Jolla. Bring a blanket, check out the fireworks and celebrate the holiday at the scenic cove. At 9 p.m. Monday, July 4. Free. lajollabythesea.com Old-Fashioned Fourth Of July Celebration at Old Town Historic Park, 2454 Heritage Park Row, Old Town. This annual event attempts to capture how early San Diego residents would have celebrated their Independence Day; through games, period clothing, demonstrations, music and dance. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, July 4. Free. 619-491-0099, parks. ca.gov/oldtownsandiego

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 #SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 HTribute to Johnny Cash on the 4th of July at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 206 Marina Park Way, Downtown.

Celebrate America’s independence with tribute band, Cash’d Out, who boast over 150 Cash hits in their repertoire. Guests will also have a view of the Big Bay Boom fireworks display. From 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Monday, July 4. $20-$85. 619-686-6200, sandiegosymphony.com

MUSIC HSono at La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. A concert of Mexican Classics with an opera twist courtesy of this group of young Mexican classically-trained musicians. Concert includes opera arias, zarzuelas, international music, Neapolitan and Mexican songs.

At 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 29. $20.

858-459-0831, ljcommunitycenter.org HBooty Basement at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. A special Fourth of July edition of the popular club night known for DJ Dimitri and DJ Rob Moran spinning bass-heavy, hip-hop bangers that get the throngs sweaty. At 9 p.m.

Sunday, July 3. $10-$12. 619-232-HELL. casbahmusic.com HSummer International Organ Festival: Dave Wickerham at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park. The concert artist performs an allAmerican program that celebrates the “Spirit of ’76.” At 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 4. Free. 619-702-8138, spreckelsorgan.org/2016-international-summerorgan-festival/ Brit Floyd at San Diego Civic Theatre,

1100 Third Ave., Downtown. The “World’s Greatest Pink Floyd Show” stops by on their Space and Time Continuum World Tour for a concert that spans the entire recording career of Pink Floyd and includes a light and laser show. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 5. $35-$52. sandiegotheatres.org

OUTDOORS HMorning After Mess Cleanup at Various locations. Volunteers can help clean up the morning after July 4th festivities before the excess litter reaches the ocean. See website for locations.

From 8 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 5.

Free. sandiego.surfrider.org

PERFORMANCE HVAMP: Animal Control at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. So Say We All’s monthly live storytelling show presents stories about how animals still shape our reality in many (sometimes ridiculous) ways. From 8:30 to 10 p.m.

Thursday, June 30. $5 donation. 619284-6784, sosayweallonline.com HFlight of the Conchords at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 5800 Aztec Walk, College Area. The musical/comedy duo, most famous for their acclaimed HBO series, stop by on their “Flight of the Conchords sing Flight of the Conchords” tour.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, July 2. $35-$50. 619594-0234, as.sdsu.edu/calcoast/ HMaestro at San Diego Repertory Theatre, 79 Horton Plaza, Downtown. Acclaimed pianist Hershey Felder transforms himself into Leonard Bernstein to recount the story of how Bernstein rose to worldwide fame as a multitalented composer, conductor, author and pianist. Runs from

14 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

Wednesday, July 6 to Sunday, July 17.

Various times. $20-$75. sdrep.org

SPECIAL EVENTS HThe Lafayette Hotel’s 70th Anniversary at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Celebrate the iconic local hotel at this event featuring local vendors, a 1950’s themed USO show, cocktail lounge, live music, and a time capsule that will be opened in 30 years. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 1. Free. 619-2962101, eventbrite.com/e/the-lafayettes70th-anniversary-tickets-25940821696 HSip and Spin: A Group Ride and GetTogether at San Diego Museum of Man, 1350 El Prado, Balboa Park. An opportunity for cyclists to ride through Balboa Park and celebrate at an after-party in the museum’s rotunda. Participants will also prepare bike-safety kits to benefit the San Diego Mission. From 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 2. $10-$15. 619-239-2001, museumofman.org/bike

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HPride World Forum at LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre St., Hillcrest.

A contingent of LGBT movements from around the globe will participate in a panel discussion focusing on “Human and Civil Rights for the LGBT Community.” At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 29. facebook.com/events/1163190047045755/ HReel Justice: Fiction and Reality in Courtroom Films at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 2121 San Diego Ave., Old Town. An overview of pop legal culture versus reality as shown through film clips

“Sin Onda” by Out Here is now on view at La Vida is un Sueño, a dual show featuring the works of David and Daniel Peña that runs through July 10 at Teros Gallery (3888 Swift Ave., City Heights). from over the years. Presented by Paul Bergman, author of Reel Justice; The Courtroom Goes to the Movies. From 6 to 7:15 p.m. Thursday, June 30. Free-$25.

619-297-9700, sdesl.org From Atoms to Black Holes: A Citizen Science Series Lecture at La Jolla Library, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla. Dr. Ed Gerck will explain how this Big Idea in physics has been successfully applied across many other fields. From 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 5. Free. 858-5521657, lajollalibrary.org/events/ Syria: The Story Behind the Conflict at La Jolla Library, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla. Former US Deputy Ambassador in Syria, George Novinger, and Editor-

in-chief of The Syrian Observer, Wael Sawah, will go beneath the headlines to give expert views on the situation in that country. Registration required. From 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 6. Free. 858552-1657, lajollalibrary.org

THEATER HThat 24 Hour Thing 2016 at San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. In this Fringe Festival event, six playwrights each have 24 hours to write a 10-minute play. Then six directors and 18 actors have eight hours to rehearse before the curtain goes up. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 3. Free. sdfringe.org

#SDCityBeat

THEATER JIM COX

Director Brian Kulick spares none of the “Scottish Play’s” gruesomeness or brooding air, and merits cheers for his adventurism and appreciation of the tale’s lighter moments. But if not exactly resulting in toil and trouble, there’s awkwardness in the pairing of Cake and Blake, whose height disparity is distracting, and Blake lacks the stage presence we expect of Lady M., a cunning manipulator and the tragedy’s driving force. Conversely, Clifton Duncan, who starred in the Globe’s memorable Scottsboro Boys in 2012, is stellar as Macduff. Duncan is both cerebral and understated.

Macbeth runs through July 24 on the Old Globe Theatre’s Lowell Davies Festival stage. $29 and up. oldglobe.org Marsha Stephanie Blake and Jonathan Cake in Macbeth

A bubbling cauldron

R

ather than freshen or fortify the perpetually staged Macbeth, the Old Globe’s new production that kicks off its 2016 Summer Shakespeare Festival calls too much attention to its creative nuances. The World War I-era military uniforms may strike a metaphorical chord with the play’s treatises on power and war, but their presence

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thoroughly expunges any reminder that we are in Scotland. The hospital ward beds on wheels are easy to roll on and off stage, but Macbeth (Jonathan Cake) and his queen (Marsha Stephanie Blake) appear strange making love on one of them. The stark ward, occupied by mental patients rather than the traditional “weird sisters,” genuinely disturbs, even though the sisters upstage Cake’s aristocratic, nearly Hugh Grantish Macbeth.

***

M

oonlight Stage Company has opened its 36th summer season with a likable production of Sister Act, the Catholic-joke-filled Broadway musical based on the popular Whoopi Goldberg flick from 1992. This show is really all about Daebreon Poiema, a singing, dancing, sassing force of nature as Deloris Van Cartier, the nightclub singer hiding from a vengeful gangster boyfriend in a staid convent of nuns. Poiema so dominates Sister Act that scenes without her frankly aren’t

as exciting, in spite of a comical, sympathetic turn by Cornelius Jones, Jr. as Eddie (or “Sweaty Eddie,” as Deloris calls him), the cop who’s fallen for her. Still, Moonlight’s summer crowds eat up spectacles like cloistered sisters breaking the solemn habit to go full-on Vegas.

Sister Act runs through July 2 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. $23$55. moonlightstage.com

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Sense & Sensibility: The West Coast premiere of the musical based on the Jane Austen novel about the perseverant Dashwood sisters. Adapted

by Paul Gordon, it opens July 6 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org

For full theater listings, visit “T heater ” at sdcitybeat.com under the E vents tab.

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

SETH COMBS

DUNCAN MOORE

CULTURE

DUNCAN MOORE

Clockwise from left: 1932 Available truck, Rod Groenewold and Pat Mackin, 1954 Tucker Sno-Cat

“

OU PROBABLY WON’T SEE ANOTHER ONE of those ever again,” says Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum director Rod Groenewold, a hint of a Nebraskan accent poking through his words. He’s just pointed out a 1932 truck that was ostensibly a moving van before moving vans ever existed.

“That big ugly green thing is called an Available. They were in business 50 years and built less than 200 trucks,” Groenewold says.

The truck might need some TLC and a new paint job, but to call it ugly is a bit of a misnomer. Much like the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum (agsem.com) itself, what it lacks in aesthetics it makes up for in historical significance.

Soft-spoken, reserved and accompanied by his Chihuahua, Sis, Groenewold points out the rows and rows of vintage tractors that he’s lovingly dubbed “Rusty Acres.”

“A lot of places, they’ll paint something historical up to look like a piece of candy and you’ll just go through looking around with your hands in your pockets,” says Groenewold, who adds that he’s never wanted AGSEM to be just a place that people came to look at old stuff. Rather, he wanted it to be a place that people could come to really learn something and even get their hands dirty if they wanted to.

It’s this facet that makes AGSEM one of the best-kept secrets in San Diego. Spread out over 55 acres in the heart of Vista, the museum recently celebrated its 40th year and just wrapped up its annual Antique Engine and Tractor Show.

Groenewold himself has been at the museum for 25 of those years and says he’s seen it grow from a place that only appealed to a few “old dirt farmers” to a respected educational institution that appeals to locals and tourists alike.

“Most folks are surprised once they get here just how much there is and the diversity of the collection, says Groenewold. “I’ll be honest, it’s hard to keep track of it all.”

He isn’t kidding. It’s easy to get lost here. What’s more, nearly all the machines on the property are functional.

There’s a machine shop on site where they’re able to fix, repair and, more importantly, create parts that they need for restoration. As overwhelming as restoring one of these

16 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

giant machines sounds, Groenewold says that most of lot of it on TV now. Blade Masters and crap like that.” these machines were built in a way that many of them only The demand for classes is so high that the museum is need a few tweaks in order to work again. planning on constructing an additional space. The mu“It was a different mindset in the old days,” says Groe- seum also recently held its first ever North County Mini newold, referring to the time when many of these ma- Maker Faire, perhaps trying to capitalize on the growing chines were made (the collection focuses on 1850 to about popularity of handmade goods. In the coming months and the 1950s). Dependability often superseded affordability. years, Groenewold and company will be fundraising in or“Stuff really was made to last forever. When something der to build a new 20,000-square-foot building to house a didn’t work, it was usually recently opened West Coast SETH COMBS because it was dirty or dry, Clock and Watch Museum, but the idea was that you a large hall of antique timecould make it go again fairly keeping pieces some of which easily. All this stuff was made date back to the 18th century. to be fixed.”

Groenewold has been an avid And that just might be the clock collector for more than reason that the AGSEM has 30 years and jumped at the been seeing a lot more visichance to bring the Clock tors lately. Whereas in the Museum’s collection down past it may have just been from its original location in old dirt farmers, these days Bellingham, Washington. He there’s interest from people also mentions that, in a way, wanting to learn a craft like the clock collection is repreblacksmithing, textile weavsentative of the museum at ing, clock repair and engine large and its commitment to restoration, all of which the “picking up” different kinds West Coast Clock and Watch Museum of clubs and collections over museum offers classes in.

“We cater to the folks who the decades. get their ass off the couch and want to go do something,” Still, with a collection that continues to grow and is no Groenewold says. longer limited to just antique gas and steam engines, GroeAnd there are plenty of people who are getting off newold acknowledges that the museum’s name can be detheir ass. The blacksmithing classes, which teach patrons ceiving. He says he won’t ever change the name, but with everything from making knives to steel padlocks, have a all the things offered here, the moniker just doesn’t fully three-month wait-list. The blacksmithing space where the encapsulate it. Instead, he’s toying with the idea of coming classes are taught is large and ominous. Aside from a few up with a catchy slogan. So far, his favorite is “ingenuity, hand-written signs and stray soda cups, it looks straight industry and arts.”

“We work really hard to keep these trades alive and out of medieval times.

“Actually, it’s set up very similar to the old factories in unlike a lot of museums, we’re just growing all the time,” the 1800s,” Groenewold points out, adding that the build- Groenewold says.

Later he adds another potential slogan: “If shit wasn’t ing itself has only been there since the 1980s. “A lot of the metal works now, people are doing it for the art. There’s a old, we wouldn’t have it.”

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CULTURE | VOICES

MINDA HONEY

AT THE

INTERSECTION

Beyond glitter and good times

D

G took me to my first gay bar. I’d known him since our freshman year of college.

One afternoon, he’d walked across the quad wearing white sunglasses and I had hollered at him, “Where did you get those and why aren’t we friends yet?”

DG was a Stingray-driving country boy whose fashion sense never failed to impress me. The night he invited me to a gay bar, I swiped on some hot pink eye shadow, slithered on a tight dress and met up with him to pre-game.

DG had come out to me a few weeks earlier. We had been seated at a small table in front of a big window at a hookah bar. “I’m bi,” he’d said.

Out the window, I could see the stoplights at the intersection go from green to yellow to red and back to green against the black night sky before I responded, “Okay. But you’re still going to, like, marry a woman when you’re ready to settle down, right?”

I didn’t know any bi men.

I didn’t know how DG would lead a life in the middle. I’d gone on Spring Break earlier that year with him and his (now ex-) girlfriend. She thought the two of them were going to get married someday. I worried that his family would reject him if he ventured away from a hetero-norm life of marriage to a woman and a white picket fence and kids. Instead of listening to my friend and supporting him in that crucial moment, I brushed aside what he was saying as a “phase.”

He smiled at me, nodded, “Yeah. Right. Totally.” Then he took a turn looking out the window or maybe he was looking at our reflection in the glass, a white boy and a black girl, mouths moving with the wrong words.

It would be years before I’d realized what I’d said and done were the wrong things to say and do.

Yet still, if anyone had asked me back then if I was an ally, I would have said yes. I didn’t have anything against gay people. I couldn’t see myself, a black woman, denying anyone else equal rights. And I’d thought that was enough. I was wrong.

Inside the club, we walked across the dance floor to the theater in the back to watch the drag show. I was mesmerized. I stood in a long line to tuck a dollar bill into a drag queen’s cleavage; she kissed me ever so lightly on the cheek. After the show, we returned to the dance floor that was now pulsing with hundreds of bodies.

Over the years, I would go to that gay bar with DG dozens of times. I’d spend my 21st birthday at

that bar. His friends readily accepted me. We’d both dance until our eyeliner sweated off.

After I moved to Southern California, DG came for a visit. He wanted to go to West Hollywood.

All I could think about was what to wear and the beautiful men we’d dance with all night, but when I pulled onto Santa Monica Boulevard I realized the visit to WeHo was more than glitter and good times for DG. He stared intently out the car window. I followed his gaze. It was a rare sight: two men standing on the sidewalk holding hands in broad daylight. So casual. So normal. So in love. It was 2010, five years before the Supreme Court would legalize gay marriage. Sitting there in my car at the stoplight we had no idea what was to come or that some day back in the city where we’d gone to college two men would just as easily stand on a sidewalk holding hands for all to see; that those two men would be DG and the man he loved.

Last summer, DG and I had lunch at a sushi spot. He wanted to ask me about a recent situation with a friend of his that was racially tense and he wasn’t sure if he’d handled it right. I looked at him over a few half-eaten rolls and I remembered the night he’d come out to me.

Yes, I’m black, and I’m a woman, but that doesn’t mean I get everyone’s struggle. I’m not a part of the LGTBQ+ community. And were it not for DG’s grace and understanding that night and his continued friendship over the years, I would not have learned what it really is to be an ally. It’s to lend a hand when the party is over and the parade has passed; it goes beyond the glitter and the good times. It’s to speak up when it’s hard and it’s uncomfortable. It’s to have these tough conversations with each other and our selves. We are all imperfect in our allyship. When I learned to be an ally, I had to constantly push myself beyond my narrow understanding of what a life could look like.

I told DG that all he could do was listen, apologize and do better next time. It’s all any of us can do when reaching across all that divides us to connect with someone on the other side. I hoped that his friend would find the same grace in their heart that DG had found for me. I hoped, that after all those years, I had finally found the right words to say and the right way to be there for my friend.

“

When I learned to be an ally, I had to constantly push myself beyond my narrow understanding of what a life could look like.

“

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At The Intersection appears monthly.

Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

CULTURE | ART

SEEN LOCAL

GEOFF CUNNINGHAM

MICHELLE MONTJOY

Michelle Montjoy

So Many Hours in the Day

CREATIVE SPIRIT

F

ive local artists have been announced as recipients of the 2016 Creative Catalyst awards. Awarded annually by local nonprofit The San Diego Foundation, Creative Catalyst works as both a grant and fellowship with artistic projects chosen by local institutions such as the New Children’s Museum, the San Diego Ballet and San Diego Writers, Ink. This year’s winners include Tim West, an actor and playwright who will be working on a serial theatrical performance based on the lost years of William Shakespeare. Playwright Janet Wright will be sponsored by the Playwrights Project to produce a series of interconnected monologues about the importance of caregiving. Set and costume designer David Reynoso will be working with the Old Globe to create a “theatrical experience inspired by Mexican myths and folklore.” Finally, theater vet Steve Gunderson will be working on a collaborative music/theater/dance piece entitled The Artificial Woman.

While the award has often seen a good mix of the performing and visual arts in the past, only one visual artist was chosen this year for Creative Catalyst. Chosen by

18 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

the Oceanside Museum of Art, Michelle Montjoy (michellemontjoy.com) is known for her amazingly intricate “knitted environments” and sculptural work.

“It’s a really wonderful feeling to be picked by the Oceanside Museum of Art, because I live here,” says Montjoy, who pitched a project called “River” for the grant.

The genesis of “River” really began with an installation Montjoy did in 2015 at Art Produce Gallery called So Many Hours in the Day. She worked with friends

and other helpers to create the snake-like knitted installations and says she enjoyed the collective aspects of that project so much that she wanted to take it further for “River.”

“As I took a step back from that show, I realized this is super powerful. This action where we’re making something together and not looking at our phones,” says Montjoy, who will host a series of free workshops for “River” all over North County starting in September (the schedule can be found at oma-online.org). In

the workshops, visitors will help craft knitted and crocheted sculptural works using old t-shirts. Montjoy says she has no idea how the piece or pieces will ultimately turn out, but she will ultimately curate them into an installation piece that will debut at OMA on March 25, 2017.

“There really is a power in sitting around together and making things,” Montjoy says. “It really is about connecting the community.”

—Seth Combs

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CULTURE | FILM

Spirited away

The BFG

Steven Spielberg brings a classic Roald Dahl novel with a lively, timely new big screen fantasy

by Glenn Heath Jr.

P

ublished in 1982, Roald Dahl’s The BFG takes complicated the détente he shares with the carnivoplace in a sleepy alternate vision of Thatcher- rous titans who occupy the same stretch of land. The era Britain where young children are disap- status quo is strafed with ripples. pearing from their beds without explanation. NewsSpielberg beautifully balances spectacle and papers write confounding headlines offering very humor to consider the deep ramifications of this little in the way of an explanation. Other royal in- change. Sophie’s relationship with The BFG evolves stitutions seem collectively unaware that the disap- over discussions of language and perspective. Surpearances are happening in the first place. This is a prisingly, their difference in physical scale matters nation with its head collectively in the sand. less than the size of emotional connection. All of this That bone-crushing giants who live on the out- character development occurs under the threat of skirts of civilization are doing the snatching is a re- discovery by Fleshlumpeater (Jermaine Clement), ality too terrible for anyone to fathom. It takes the the menacing leader of the giants who has a nose efforts of a tenacious orphan and the rogue “Big and taste for human meat.

Friendly Giant” to stop the carnage, an operation Visually, The BFG favors sublime moments of that involves dream catching, language and the revelation, where wisps of color and texture help to Queen herself. Did I mention this is a kid’s story? expand the emotional impact. Audacious showstopWithout overtly calling attention to patterns pers akin to the eagle chase sequence in Spielberg’s of class division or specific immigration policies, The Adventures of Tintin are noticeably absent. Yet Dahl’s novel implicitly alludes to the U.K.’s rap- the film’s modest and dreamlike quality puts the emidly changing national identity. phasis squarely on the characters Steven Spielberg’s serene and themselves, specifically the ways lovely new film adaptation of The in which they communicate and THE BFG BFG doesn’t shy away from this challenge each other to make a Directed by Steven Spielberg complicated issue either, using difference.

Starring Ruby Barnhill, allegory and fantasy to unpack Narratively, the film eventually Mark Rylance, Jermaine Clement long-gestating social issues that shifts from deepening these relaand Penelope Wilton now seem doubly important contionships to a more plot-driven Rated PG sidering last week’s Brexit vote. quest to stop the child-stealing The film begins with a trio giants, a task involving a surreal of perfectly executed camera visit to the Queen’s (Penelope movements traversing the foggy ‘witching hour’ Wilton) mansion that would make Luis Buñuel giggle of London. Spielberg’s longtime cinematographer with glee. Along the way, Sophie and The BFG visit a Janusz Kaminski gives each shot a sense of rest- majestic tree of forgotten dreams, a place where “all less curiosity, first dipping down to hover over the the whisperings of the world” live in harmony with River Thames before pushing toward the frosted nature. windows of a rowdy pub. Farther down the road is Recognition and acceptance go a long way to a quiet orphanage where young Sophie (Ruby Barn- solving the major societal problems of The BFG. Sohill) maneuvers the confines of her state-run prison, phie’s precocious desire to understand the “other” stymied by insomnia and a distinct fear of shadowy inspires her community to do the same. In a year boogeymen. where right wing nationalism has become a domiRumblings from the alley below draw her atten- nant and acceptable ideology, demanding to secure tion to the window where she locks eyes with the the physical and racial borders of old, Spielberg’s scavenging Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance). All defiantly inclusive fable refuses to cower in the face of her trepidation seems to come true when his giant of such fear mongering. Brazen ignorance and rhethand whisks her to his messy cave located on a lush oric flail against the power of bright-eyed spirit. rural grassy knoll in the clouds. At first frightened, Sophie quickly realizes that the BFG has kidnapped Film reviews run weekly. her to sustain his anonymity, but in doing so has also Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

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June 29, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 19

20 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

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CULTURE | FILM

Rigor mortis

I

magine a depressed Wes Anderson got high, watched a bunch of Farrelly Brothers films, then went out into the woods and remade Lord of the Flies as a buddy comedy. That’s Swiss Army Man, the infamous Sundance Film Festival sensation about a delusional cast away who befriends a farting corpse that’s washed up on the beach. Let that stink in for a second.

Directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert capitalize on the power of shock and awe from the very beginning. Seconds after the marooned Hank (Paul Dano) discovers a decomposing body (Daniel Radcliffe) drifting in the waves, extreme flatulence becomes not only a gag but also a key plot point.

Due to either madness or starvation, Hank begins to hallucinate and talks to the lifeless vessel as if they were friends. Eventually, the cadaver talks back, calling himself Manny, and the two begin a complicated friendship based on their equally distorted sense of memory and love.

The film gains its title from the many ways Hank uses Manny’s body to stay alive, examples of which range from the practical to orgasmic. Any more explanation would ruin some of the film’s more notorious moments which end up defining the film’s ambitious and disturbing treatment of mental illness.

Swiss Army Man, which opens Friday, July 1, claims to sympathize with both of its fringe characters, men who’ve found themselves emotionally exiled from the regular world. Except it’s empathy gets buried under a thick layer of cloying hipster angst and emo self-pity made worse by manipulative slow motion shots and referential music cues.

One can hardly take a second to breathe before the next triumphant crescendo (or mood swing) hits, leaving little up to the imagination. Rigor mortis be damned, the film charges forward, false spirits high, embodying the law of diminishing returns all too well.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Elivra Te Daria Mi Vida Pero La Estoy Usando: A woman becomes an amateur sleuth when she investigates her husband’s disappearance after he doesn’t return from a trip to buy cigarettes.

Screens through Thursday, July 7, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

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Swiss Army Man Our Kind of Traitor: Ewan McGregor stars in this thriller about a couple caught between the Russian mob and the British secret service.

Swiss Army Man: Paul Dano plays a marooned cast away who befriends a farting corpse (Daniel Radcliffe) that’s washed up on the beach.

The BFG: Based on Roald Dahl’s novella, the latest children’s fantasy from Steven Spielberg tells of a young orphan who is whisked away by a giant (Mark Rylance) and introduced to the world of dreams, both good and bad.

The Music of Strangers: Yo Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble: This documentary tells the story of the famous cellist who gained international acclaim and then began a company of musicians featuring instruments from every Silk Road country.

Thursday – Sunday, June 29 – July 3, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

2001: A Space Odyssey: See Stanley Kubrick’s epic Sci Fi masterpiece on the big screen! Screens at 11:55 pm. Saturday, July 2, and at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 3, at the Ken Cinema.

My Neighbor Totoro: Two sisters move to rural Japan and meet a forest sprite and its woodland companions. Screens at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 2, and at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, July 6, at the Angelika Carmel Mountain Cinemas.

Big Trouble in Little China: Kurt Russell stars in John Carpetner’s insanely wonderful and strange action comedy

about a trucker who gets caught in the middle of a supernatural war in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Screens at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 5, at the Arclight La Jolla Cinemas.

Top Gun: You can be my wingman anytime. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 6, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

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

The Phenom: When a major league pitcher mired in a long slump is sent down to the minors, past traumas begin to sneak their way to the surface. Starring Ethan Hawke and Paul Giamatti. Screens through Thursday, July 7, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Purge: Election Year: This horror film about society’s worst impulses is certain to be entirely pertinent considering Donald Trump’s presidential campaign founded on hate, xenophobia and violence.

Tickled: A journalist begins researching a mysterious online tickling competition in this documentary by David Farrier and Dylan Reeve. Opens on Friday, July 1, at the Ken Cinema.

Wiener-Dog: One very unlucky Dachshund is passed between one oddball owner after the next, impacting their lives in complex ways. From director Todd Solodnz (Welcome to the Dollhouse).

ONE TIME ONLY American Sniper: Bradley Cooper stars as Chris Kyle, the man who claimed to be the most lethal sniper in American military history, in this biopic by Clint Eastwood. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, at the Arclight La Jolla Cinemas.

Sex and the City: It’s ladies night.

Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Casablanca: Humphrey Bogart thinks Ingrid Bergman is the beez neez in this romantic thriller set in North Africa during the beginning of WWII. Screens at 8 p.m.

June 29, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 21

MUSIC

EVIN MORBY ISN’T FLASHY. He isn’t known for on-stage antics, run-ins with the law or heroic battles with substance abuse. The 28-yearold singer/songwriter is the kind of performer far more likely to be found writing new songs in his hotel room rather than trashing it in some kind of Dionysian stupor.

Yet, despite his workmanlike approach and matter-offact demeanor, Morby’s backstory reads like a page out of the “How To Make It In The Big City” playbook.

He escaped Kansas City at 18, heading to New York by train at the request of the one friend he had there. With little more than a sleeping bag and wide-eyed ideas of making music, Morby made ends meet working short-term jobs from bicycle courier to babysitter.

It didn’t take long before the affable singer was playing bass with Brooklyn folk-rockers Woods and cranking out a couple of albums (as The Babies) with Cassie Ramone of Vivian Girls. But much like the icons that inspired him, Morby was destined to carve out a path of his own.

Recorded after a move to Los Angeles, 2013’s Harlem River served both as the young musician’s solo debut and an eight-song homage to his time in the Empire State. He followed it a year later with the 10-song collection Still Life, and just released his third album, Singing Saw, in April.

“I like the metaphor of something that’s beautiful,” Morby says while driving to a recent show in Minneapolis, “but also eerie.”

The first release for indie label Dead Oceans, Singing Saw was again inspired by geography.

This time around, musical

ideas were sparked by a move to the Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood of Mount Washington.

Nighttime walks, with the expansive city lights as a backdrop, first led Morby to the sparse and otherworldly sounds found on his new record.

Perhaps more than anything, it was an upright piano left behind by previous tenants that helped to shape Singing Saw’s collection of songs. Never having written songs on piano before, Morby was excited by the serendipity that was seemingly directing him to shake up his songwriting process.

“The guitar is my go-to,” he says. “And it’s always been that way. But things get a little boring when you’re writing and recycling the same chords that you always do.

To stumble upon an instrument like that opened up this whole new world for me.”

Even as a beginner, Morby found that dealing with basic mechanics again was anything but a hindrance. Things like not realizing what key he was in while on the piano allowed him to forget his own accrued musical prejudices and simply concentrate on sound.

Renewed energy and a creative push weren’t the only benefits the piano brought, either. Working on a new instrument allowed the songwriter to blow off steam in a new way.

“It’s really percussive,” says Morby. “I’m a big Fiona Apple fan and I read this interview with her where she said that she liked to write on the piano because she could take out her aggression on it. And it’s true. You can bang it. It’s almost like you’re hitting it. Even now, I write something on guitar and I’ll take it out on the piano. It’s like having two different lives or something.”

Singing Saw’s arrangements were fleshed out by Sam Cohen (Apollo Sunshine, Yellowbirds), who Morby met while playing in a Cohen-led live recreation of The Band’s final performance. Although the two became friends, it wasn’t until he heard one of Cohen’s self-produced solo albums that Morby thought about working with him.

“We had gotten along really well,” he says. “But it was never my intention to record the whole album with Sam. It was more just about testing it out—a ‘Hey, let’s get together, record a few songs and see what happens’ kind of thing. But then we got together for four days and it went so well, the album was basically done.”

Morby has since moved from Mount Washington and taken a sublet in Echo Park, but for all practical purposes is on the road for the foreseeable future.

“I’m living in the town of tour,” he says.

But no matter where Morby ends up, the creative shift and expansion of musical arsenal he acquired in the L.A. hills left an indelible mark.

And while he admits that his next project is already close to completion, it will be interesting to see what comes when the singer has a long stretch of nights to just walkabout and absorb his surroundings again.

“I’m always working,” says Morby. “But a big part of this record was the time and space I had from touring. There was a lot of reflecting and being appreciative of music in general. It sounds cheesy, but I really found an appreciation for all instruments and aspects of music. And that’s exciting.”

DUSDIN CONDREN

22 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

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MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO B

ar Dynamite is going Blonde. At the end of July, the Mission Hills bar (1808 W. Washington St.) will permanently close, and three weeks later, on August 20, it’ll reopen as Blonde Bar. Allen Colaneri, who will be taking over ownership of the bar once Dynamite finally closes its doors, says he first came up with the concept behind Blonde three years ago when he was manager at The Void, but only now was able to see it fully realized. When word was first put out on Facebook about it, Colaneri sent out a picture of Blondie’s Deborah Harry, who is sort of a muse for the place.

“It’s gonna be a dive, first and foremost,” Colaneri says in an interview at Rancho’s in North Park. “I love the music that came out of CBGB in the ‘70s: The Ramones, Television, Talking Heads, Blondie.

Just the spirit of that scene—they were local bands that were given an opportunity to play and they created this creative haven.”

Blonde Bar will feature a mixture of live bands and DJs once it opens. It’s also going to undergo a slight remodel.

The basic layout of the bar won’t change that much, but a new stage will be put in, and there will be some design changes, including a wall of vinyl records behind the bar.

Colaneri says that he wants it to be a place where people can see a show, or simply kick back in a booth with their friends.

“When I go out to catch a show, I also like to be able to go where I can talk with friends,” he says. “A lot of the time you can’t do both in the same place.”

Colaneri says that the calendar is already starting to fill in and that once Blonde Bar is open, there will be a pretty full schedule of entertainment. But, staying true to the idea of being a comfortable place to hang out, he doesn’t want to overdo it. No matter what, he says, “It’s gonna be a badass bar.”

—Jeff Terich

Tiny Telephones The Sleep of a Dreamer (self-released)

Y

ou have to hand it to Patrick Heaney and Aaron Blomberg. Two-thirds of the late ’00s electro group Shark Attack, the two musicians could have easily coasted the rest of their careers crafting aggressive bangers for the wide-eyed, Molly-popping club kids. Instead, we have Tiny Telephones, an instrumental post-rock project with a rotating cast that specializes in sweeping, cinematic songs that sound as if they’re pulled straight from a Peter Bergdirected sports doc. The 2012 EP, The Heavenly Child, was a nuanced introduction to the project, but sounded all too familiar after repeated listening.

The Sleep of a Dreamer, however, should serve as the record where Heaney and company really find their groove. “He Was the Torch Driving the Savages Back Into the Woods,” despite it’s rather metal-esque title, is one of the most touching tracks on the record. Starting out with two overlapping keyboard sequences, the song moves and grows like ivy, with instruments popping up one at a time only to fully engulf the listener once they’re all combined. The single “The Colors Here Are Not Right” spends the majority of its time

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building up to something the audience knows is coming, but isn’t sure what, exactly, that plot twist will be. The winning touchdown? The final battle?

The hero rising in victory? That first kiss?

The climaxes and pay-offs don’t come easy and are often unexpected on The Sleep of a Dreamer.

It’s a testament to the maturity of the musicians involved that they’ve learned when to hold back on tracks like “Take My Legs and Stand Up For Me” and “His First Dream That Shattered the Earth.” All too many rock bands blow their wad too early, letting a song build only to have that crescendo morph into a jumbled zenith that can sometimes make the listener feel smothered. Ethereal yet epic, grandiose but subtle, Tiny Telephones have managed to bypass many of the instrumental trappings and craft sweeping scores of sound that make you want to change the world. It’s transcendent instrumental rock that understatedly taps into the warrior angels of our nature. tinytelephonesmusic.com

—Seth Combs June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29

PLAN A: Katie Von Schleicher, Wimps, Gravvyard @ Soda Bar. Katie Von Schleicher writes songs that have gorgeous melodies and more than a little soul.

And then she drenches them in distortion so they’re noisy as hell. It’s a pretty solid combination. PLAN B: Nebula Drag, The Judge, Velvet Merlin @ The Merrow.

Sometimes the thing you need to get you through the week is a big and beefy slab of psychedelic stoner rock, and Nebula Drag has just the fix you crave. BACKUP PLAN: Omega Three, Future Age, Los Shadows @ The Casbah.

THURSDAY, JUNE 30

PLAN A: Brian Wilson @ Del Mar Fairgrounds. Last week I wrote about my reservations with musicians playing their albums in full at concerts, but as far as I’m concerned, if that album’s Pet Sounds I have no problem with it. Wilson is playing the Beach Boys’ legendary 1966 album for its 50th anniversary, and it’s going to be spectacular. PLAN B: Beginners, The Dabbers, DJs Chrissy Strothers, Katie Serbian @ The Hideout. A couple weeks back, I reviewed the new album by local duo The Dabbers, and it’s good stuff.

They’re a duo that makes a big sound with just drums, bass and vocals, and they rock.

BACKUP PLAN: Harsh Toke, Elektric Voodoo, Monarch @ Belly Up Tavern.

DJs Tony the Tyger, Mateo Londres @ Soda Bar. Want a second night of Schizophonics rock action? Then head here for a garage rock extravaganza headlined by MVPs The Loons.

SUNDAY, JULY 3

PLAN A: Emily Jane White, Eva and the Vagabonds, Hexa @ Soda Bar. Emily Jane White’s music is stark and quiet, and probably not the kind of show where you’d wanna shout “Freebird!” But it is utterly gorgeous, haunting stuff, and you may well be captivated into a hypnotic state while she’s performing. PLAN B: Ignite, Skipjack, Eken is Dead, Somatic @ Brick by Brick. Ignite’s been around for a pretty long time, playing melodic hardcore that’s catchy but still leaves a mark. Throw those fists in the air and shout along.

FRIDAY, JULY 1

PLAN A: Griever, Graf Orlock, Days of Struggle, Burning Hammer @ Soda Bar. Griever has been holding it down as one of San Diego’s best metal bands for about half a decade now. This is a release show for their new EP, so get ready for something heavy, and maybe bring a few extra dollars for the merch table. PLAN B: Schizophonics Soul Revue, The Magnificent With Mighty Manfred, DJs Claire, Mr Mazee @ The Casbah. If you prefer your rock shows with a bit more choreography, Stax Records influence and sweet grooves, then catch San Diego’s hardest working band with a set full of feelgood tunes.

SATURDAY, JULY 2

PLAN A: Kevin Morby, Big Thief @ The Casbah. Read Scott McDonald’s feature this week on singer/songwriter Kevin Morby, whose new album Singing Saw is easily one of the best of the year.

Soak in some lovely indie folk tunes for the three-day weekend. PLAN B: The Loons, Schizophonics, The Gargoyles,

24 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

Emily Jane White

MONDAY, JULY 4

PLAN A: Fireworks, burgers, beer @ Your House. It’s the 4th of July—the celebration of our nation’s founding—which would be a great time to go see a punk show. But there aren’t any (outside of some house shows, maybe). So enjoy the day off, have a barbecue, drink some cold ones, pass out on the couch.

TUESDAY, JULY 5

PLAN A: Destroyer of Light, Beira, Garth Algar @ Soda Bar. Destroyer of Light is a relatively young band but their style of doom metal is old school. They’ve graduated with honors from the University of Sabbath and they do that tradition proudly.

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Riff Raff (Observatory, 8/18), !!! (Soda Bar, 9/8), Joseph Arthur (Music Box, 9/13), Subhumans (Music Box, 9/15), Chance the Rapper (OAT, 9/15), Carla Morrison (Observatory, 9/16), Atmosphere (Observatory, 9/23), Twin Peaks (The Irenic, 9/23), Ash (Soda Bar, 9/23), Crystal Bowersox (Poway OnStage, 9/24), Molotov (Observatory, 9/26), Cymbals Eat Guitars (Soda Bar, 9/28), Mary Chapin Carpenter (BUT, 9/28), The Heavy (Observatory, 9/30), Soul Rebels Sound System with Talib Kweli (BUT, 9/30), Clint Black (Poway OnStage, 10/9), Yellowcard (HOB, 10/16), Lemaitre (Music Box, 10/22), Capitol Steps (Poway OnStage, 10/22), D.R.I. (Soda Bar, 10/23), Pansy Division (Soda Bar, 11/4), Neko Case (Poway OnStage, 11/19), Home Free (Poway OnStage, 12/3), Henry Rollins (Observatory, 12/27), The Devil Makes Three (Observatory, 1/4-5)Fabulous Thunderbirds (Poway OnStage, 1/21), Jose Feliciano (Poway OnStage, 2/18), Irish Rovers (Poway OnStage, 3/9), Andy McKee (Poway OnStage, 4/8), Taj Express (Poway OnStage, 4/23), The Doo Wop Project (Poway Onstage, 4/29), Back to the Garden (Poway OnStage, 5/20).

GET YER TICKETS

White Lung (Casbah, 7/9), M. Ward (BUT, 7/12), Deerhoof (Casbah, 7/14),

26 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

Psychedelic Furs, The Church (Humphreys, 7/19), The Joy Formidable (Irenic, 7/20), Boris (Casbah, 7/22), Blink 182 (Viejas Arena, 7/22), Dirty Dozen Brass Band (Music Box, 7/28), Savages (Observatory, 7/29), Sublime with Rome (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 7/30), Anderson .Paak (HOB, 8/3), ‘Warped Tour’ w/ Sleeping With Sirens, Sum 41, New Found Glory (Qualcomm Stadium, 8/5), Last Shadow Puppets (Observatory, 8/5), Kurt Vile and the Violators (HOB, 8/9), The White Buffalo (BUT, 8/13), Guided

by Voices (BUT, 8/17), The Weight: Members of the Band/Levon Helm Band (BUT, 8/18), Parquet Courts (The Irenic, 8/19), Digable Planets, Camp Lo (BUT, 8/20), Guns ‘n’ Roses (Qualcomm Stadium, 8/22), The Black Heart Procession (Casbah, 8/24), Todd Terje and the Olsens (Observatory, 8/25), Hot Chip (Observatory, 8/26), Dave Matthews Band (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/26), Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/27), Deftones (Open Air Theatre, 8/29), Baroness, Pallbearer (Observatory, 8/30), Squirrel Nut Zippers (BUT, 8/31), Huey Lewis and the News (Humphreys, 9/1), Flamin’ Groovies (Casbah, 9/2), Yes (Humphreys, 9/4), Los Lonely Boys (BUT, 9/4), The Kills (Observatory, 9/4), Tr/ st, Cold Cave (Music Box, 9/8), Zombies (BUT, 9/8), Floating Points (BUT, 9/12), Ray Lamontagne (Open Air Theatre, 9/13), Counting Crows, Rob Thomas (Open Air Theatre, 9/14), Local Natives (Observatory, 9/15), Luke Bryan (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/17), Band of Skulls (BUT, 9/24), Tegan and Sara (Observatory, 9/25), O.A.R. (Humphreys, 9/25), DJ Shadow (HOB, 9/27), King (Casbah, 9/28), Glen Hansard

(Observatory, 9/28), Steve Gunn (Soda Bar, 10/1), Okkervil River (BUT, 10/1), Phantogram (Irenic, 10/1), Alice in Chains (Copley Symphony Hall, 10/2), Ani DiFranco (BUT, 10/2), Sia, Miguel (Viejas Arena, 10/5), Failure (Music Box, 10/6), Bad Boy Family Reunion (Viejas Arena, 10/6), Kamasi Washington (Humphreys, 10/7), Florida Georgia Line (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 10/9), Colbie Caillat (Humphreys, 10/12), Halestorm (HOB, 10/12), RJD2 (Observatory, 10/13), Prophets of Rage (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 10/16), Jethro Tull (Balboa Theatre, 10/17), The Faint, Gang of Four (Observatory, 10/18), Young the Giant (HOB, 10/18-19), Willie Nelson (Humphreys, 10/19), Saint Vitus (Brick by Brick, 10/22), Preoccupations (Irenic, 10/26), Alice Cooper (Harrah’s, 10/28), Ingrid Michaelson (Humphreys, 10/28), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Death from Above 1979 (HOB, 10/28), M83 (SOMA, 10/29), Andra Day (Humphreys, 11/2), Diamond Head (Brick by Brick, 11/5).

JUNE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 29 Bryson Tiller at Observatory North Park.

THURSDAY, JUNE 30 Brian Wilson at Del Mar Fairgrounds.

Spero at The Casbah. Harsh Toke at Belly Up Tavern. Mudcrutch at Humphreys by the Bay.

JULY FRIDAY, JULY 1 Ringo Starr and His All Star Band at

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC Humphreys (sold out). Schizophonics Soul Revue at The Casbah. Griever at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, JULY 2 Kevin Morby at The Casbah. The Loons at Soda Bar. Flight of the Conchords at Open Air Theatre (sold out).

SUNDAY, JULY 3 Ignite at Brick by Brick. Emily Jane White at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, JULY 5 Destroyer of Light at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 Tarrus Riley at Music Box.

THURSDAY, JULY 7 Big Bloom at The Casbah. Iration at House of Blues. Miguel Mateos at Music Box.

FRIDAY, JULY 8 Rascal Flatts at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Chicago at Harrah’s Resort. Big Sandy and His Flyrite Boys at The Casbah. Seedless at Music Box.

SATURDAY, JULY 9 Toad the Wet Sprocket, Rusted Root at Observatory North Park. Slightly Stoopid at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Joan Jett at Del Mar Fairgrounds. Body Language at The Hideout. White Lung at The Casbah. Royal Headache at Soda Bar. Lyle Lovett and His Large Band at Humphrey’s by the Bay.

SUNDAY, JULY 10 Kyle Craft at The Casbah. Six String Society at Belly Up Tavern.

MONDAY, JULY 11 Boston at Humphrey’s by the Bay.

TUESDAY, JULY 12 Widespread Panic at Civic Theatre. M. Ward at Belly Up Tavern. Underpass, Soft Kill at Soda Bar. Boston at Humphrey’s by the Bay.

THURSDAY, JULY 14 Deerhoof at The Casbah. Pinegrove at House of Blues. Lalah Hathaway at Music Box.

FRIDAY, JULY 15 We Are Scientists at House of Blues Voodoo Room. Screeching Weasel at Brick by Brick. Felipe Esparza at Hum-

#SDCityBeat

phrey’s by the Bay. Cowboy Mouth at Music Box.

SATURDAY, JULY 16 Pitbull at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Slapshot, Poison Idea at Brick by Brick.

Boss Hog at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, JULY 17 Wye Oak at The Irenic. Saosin at Observatory North Park. The Dickies, The Queers at The Casbah.

MONDAY, JULY 18 Robert Ellis at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, JULY 19 Fear of Men at The Hideout. Xibalba at Soda Bar. Psychedelic Furs, The Church at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay. The Yardbirds at Belly Up Tavern.

Yoni and Geti at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 The Joy Formidable at The Irenic. Nails at Brick by Brick. Tacocat at Soda Bar. Kiiara at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, JULY 21 Slayer at House of Blues (sold out).

Straight No Chaser at Humphrey’s by the Bay. Autolux at The Irenic. Vinnie Caruana at Soda Bar. Culture Shock, World/Inferno Friendship Society at The Casbah.

FRIDAY, JULY 22 Boris at The Casbah. Blink 182 at Viejas Arena. Cold War Kids at Del Mar Racetrack.

SATURDAY, JULY 23 TTNG at The Irenic. Robert Cray Band at Belly Up Tavern. Phish at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. The Aquabats at House of Blues.

SUNDAY, JULY 24 Inter Arma at Soda Bar. Twentyonepilots at Viejas Arena (sold out).

MONDAY, JULY 25 Big Business at The Casbah. Black Milk at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, JULY 26 Brand New, Modest Mouse at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Happy Diving at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27 Escort at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, JULY 28 Dirty Dozen Brass Band at Music Box. Mozzy at Observatory North Park. Nite Jewel at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, JULY 29 Savages at Observatory North Park. Fitz and the Tantrums at Del Mar Racetrack.

Zella Day at Quartyard. The Wailers at Belly Up Tavern.

SATURDAY, JULY 30 The Wailers at Belly Up Tavern. ‘Reggae Fest’ w/ Ziggy Marley at Del Mar Racetrack. Julieta Venegas at House of Blues. Sublime with Rome at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

AUGUST SUNDAY, AUG. 1 Boz Scaggs at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out).

MONDAY, AUG. 2 Marissa Nadler at The Casbah. Gary Clark Jr. at Humphreys by the Bay.

TUESDAY, AUG. 3 Gary Clark Jr. at Humphreys by the Bay. Anderson .Paak at House of Blues. Weezer, Panic! At the Disco at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. The Claypool Lennon Delirium at Observatory North Park.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Good Girl Bad Boy. American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: Chris Distefano. Fri: Chris Distefano. Sat: Chris Distefano.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Rezz. Sat: Kry Wolf.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Thu: Kadesh Flow, Shubzilla. Fri: Imbalanced, 1001, Systematic Abuse, Greenskull, Dhatüra. Sat: Los Homeless, Scatterbombs, Mandoshanks, No Convention. Sun: Gimme Gimme Gimme.

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

North Park. Wed: ‘Temple Party’ w/ DJs Sweet Lu, Simon Pure. Thu: DJ Saul Q. Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Cougar Canyon Band.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Solana Beach. Wed: Kut U Up, Buckfast Superbee, Tightwads.

Thu: Harsh Toke, Elektric Voodoo, Monarch. Fri: Common Sense, Psydecar.

Sat: Billy Galewood Album Release Party with Tribal Theory, Tribal Theory, Billy Galewood, Aloha Radio. Sun: 80s Heat Aloha Party, Bang Pow. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Thu: Odd Ball.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Fri: Hip Hop Fridayz. Sat: ‘Sabado en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA, KSwift. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Fri: Disgorge, Paroxysmal Butchering, Lurid Memory, Stages Of Decomposition. Sat: Godhammered, Calamitous Intent, One Inch Punch, Parade of Horribles. Sun: Ignite, Skipjack, Eken is Dead, Somatic.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Sat: Flamenco Dinner Show.

Sun: Buena Vista Sundays.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Omega Three, Future Age, Los Shadows. Thu: Spero, The Boondock Brothers, Pale Hush. Fri: Schizophonics Soul Revue, The Magnificent With Mighty Manfred, The Raveups, DJs Claire, Mr Mazee. Sat: Kevin Morby, Big Thief. Sun: ‘Booty Bassment’.

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

Downtown. Thu: Cool Cat Karaoke .

Chico Club, 7366 El Cajon Blvd, La Mesa. Thu: DJ Harvest.

28 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Wed: Karaoke.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. Mission Bay. Thu: Tiffany Jane & The Kicks.

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

Thu: Trill Thursday.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: DJ Dynamiq. Sat: Loczi.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: Ride the Mule. Thu: Night Skool. Fri: Good Times. Sat: Rock Star Saturday. Tue: ‘50s/60s Dance Party.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Beginners, The Dabbers.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Hinder, Like a Storm. Thu: King Taylor Project. Tue: Robin Henkel solo blues.

Humphrey’s Backstage Live, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego. Point Loma. Wed: Francois Sims and Groove Squad. Thu: R:Tyme. Fri: Rising Star.

Sat: Wildside, The Cadillac Wreckers, DJs John Joseph, Taj, K-Swift, Nikno.

Sun: Jason Brown, Funk’s Most Wanted.

Mon: Missy Andersen. Tue: Backwater Blues Band.

Java Joe’s Normal Heights, 3536 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights.

Thu: Gregory Page. Fri: Nathan Welden, Ricky Ruis.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Family Beatdown.

Thu: ‘Flypt’ w/ Rex Rulah. Fri: Purps and Turqs. Sat: ‘Ascension’. Sun: Elevate One. Tue: Tribe Night.

The Kraken, 2531 S. Coast Highway 101, Cardiff. Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Wed: Ashley Hollander. Thu: Chunk.

The Dabbers perform at Henry’s Pub on Thursday, June 30.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Harmony Road. Thu: Goodall Boys.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Wed: Nebula Drag, The Judge, Velvet Merlin. Thu: Punchcard, Let’s Face It, The Mandosharks, The A-Bortz. Fri: Kill Chord, Mad Z and the Boones, Fractured Sky, RDG. Sun: Chase Anthony Shelton Benefit & Tribute.

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

Mr. Peabody’s Encinitas, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: John Dank, The John Dank Show. Fri: Dark Water

Rebellion, Dark Water Rebellion. Sat: Blues Skies, Dr Funk (mind, body and soul), Blue Skies, Dr. Funk. Sun: Sunday Jazz With Tony Ortega. Mon: Open Mic with Jay Cain. Tue: Karaoke (Daniel Grunan).

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Fri: Still Ill. Sat: David Maldonado. Sun: Los Cafres.

Nate’s Garden Grill, 3120 Euclid Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Sat: Robin Henkel solo blues.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Tagged’. Fri: ‘Uncut’.

Sun: R&B Divas.

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

#SDCityBeat

North Park. Wed: ‘Through Being Cool’ w/ DJs Derek Hubbard, Steven Oira. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 6th Ave, San Diego. Thu: Clinton Sparks.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: The Upshots.

Thu: The Bill Magee Blues Band.

Plaza Bar @ Westgate Hotel, 1055 Second Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: Gilbert Castellanos. Sat: Allison Tucker.

Mon: Julio De La Huerta.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Wed: DJ John Joseph. Thu: DJ Kinky Loops. Fri: DJs Kiki, Hektik. Sun: DJs Cros, Paulo Ramirez.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Fri: Joseph Luna Quartet.

Sat: Baja Bugs.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Katie Von Schleicher & Wimps, Katie Von Schleicher, Wimps. Thu: Obligerant, Cabuloan, Slum Summer. Fri: Griever, Graf Orlok, Days of Struggle, Burning Hammer. Sat: The Loons, The Schizophonics, The Gargoyles, DJs Tony the Tyger, Mateo Londres. Sun: Emily Jane White, Eva and the Vagabonds, Hexa. Tue: Destroyer of Light, Beira, Garth Algar.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. Midway. Fri: Ascensions, Lords and Wolves, Mandala, Awake Me Daylight, Against the Odds, Petrichor. Sat: Demagagh, Steeltoe, HOX, Big Goat, Transpirations.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Clinton Davis & Tim McNalley.

The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, San Diego.

Gaslamp. Thu: Shake and Shout. Fri: Big Flavor, DJ Matty Mac. Sat: Coriander, Keep Your Soul. Sun: Diana Ferrer. Tue: Chuck Prada and Israel.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., San Diego.

Bay Park. Thu: Charles Burton Band. Fri: The Distractions. Sat: Suspicious Minds.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Milo, Safari Al, SB The Moor, Randal Bravery. Sat: Kids In Heat, Dead Shakes, Swap Meat, Dethsurf. Sun: Houserockin’.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’.

Fri: DJ Bacon. Sat: DJ Kid Wonder.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Thu: VAMP: Animal Control.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: Raggabond, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: The Dip, Euphoria Brass Band. Fri: AJ Froman, Strange Planet, Art Dealers. Sat: Ocean Boogie.

Mon: Electric Waste Band.

#SDCityBeat

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

SEBASTIAN MONTES

LAST WORDS

BY SEBASTIAN MONTES

IN THE

WEEDS The wild world of weed

S

tart with a bud of high-powered pot (the strain “Girl Scout Cookies,” for anyone keeping track). Soak the bud in a bath of cannabis oil. Then cake that sticky nugget with a thick layer of THC crystals.

This chimera of hyper-potent cannabis—dubbed “moon rocks”—earned its moniker from both its appearance and a tendency to render its victims catatonic.

And while the menacing concoction weighs in at a whopping 50 percent THC, that’s a far cry from the mind-boggling 80-plus percent being reached by the latest generation of cannabis extracts.

Welcome to the wild world of weed in 2016, where even the most cursory of surveys reveals a landscape that would seem utterly alien not long ago, shaped by the relentless pursuit of pot supremacy onto frontiers of getting higher, cough, more medicated.

30 · San Diego CityBeat · June 29, 2016

“We’re starting to see flower that tests up to 34 percent THC, which some people would’ve said was impossible a couple years ago,” says Stacey Krzywinski, a manager at Point Loma Patients Consumer Co-Op. “People are determined to learn more about the plant, what makes it happy, how to keep boosting those THC levels.”

Some of the most momentous strides have come in the variety of products and their ever-increasing sophistication. One San Diego company has developed a “sublingual pump” that delivers cannabis engineered on a nanomolecular level.

Oh, how quaint pot brownies now seem. Cannabis cuisine is not only more healthful (Ginger mango smoothie, anyone?) but also refined enough to satisfy the most discerning palate (Pass the cannabis crème brulee, please).

Leaving the proverbial kitchen, our ganja tour heads to the bou-

A widening array of goods fill the cannabis landscape doir, where we find a growing assortment of THC-infused lotions, massage oils, lube...and did someone say suppositories?

Yes, suppositories. Of pot.

An awkward few months have given way to a quiet clamor, Krzywinski says—suppositories for menstrual pain and the lube for, ahem, self-enjoyment.

“At first everybody giggles and laughs when they see them behind our counter,” she says.

“It’s one of those things where once you try it, you keep coming back. If you’ve got a lady-friend, I promise she would not be mad to get some as presents.”

For those inclined toward a more orthodox means of intake, cannabis concentrates like “Shatter”—with its translucent, amber-

hued promise of preposterous potency—continue their climb in popularity.

“It’s definitely gone a crazy step forward,” says Jonathan, manager of the Coastal Wellness delivery service in San Diego.

“The full, decompressing feeling of the higher potency; I totally understand why people want it.”

But fear not this THC arms race; plenty of pot prognosticators foresee things taking a gentler turn.

“Really the wave of the future is going to be to make marijuana more accessible to the people who aren’t so hardcore, or who’ve never tried it at all,” Krzywinski says.

“It’s going to be things that are really mellow, on par with having a glass of wine.”

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

June 29, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 31