San Diego CityBeat • July 6, 2016

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Does Red Cross exclude homeless from aid?

T

HE AMERICAN RED CROSS is a vener“In the case of the homeless gentleman, our team able organization that responds to disas- did connect him with a caseworker at Interfaith ters—ranging from fires to earthquakes—by Community Services in Escondido, a place to stay providing shelter, food, health and mental where he could also receive food and other servichealth services to people so they can get back on es,” Shannon wrote. “We were also able to get him a their feet. A recent series of phone exchanges after referral for replacement glasses.”

Wokmunskie is adamant that the Red Cross repa North County structure fire, however, raises questions about whether the Red Cross mission includes resentative told her on the phone that the organization couldn’t aid one homeless person without havdisaster relief for homeless individuals.

On Thursday, June 30, a four-alarm fire engulfed ing to help thousands. She said Dave gave her the the abandoned Talone Meat Market in Escondido. number for the Interfaith shelter, but that Julien had Jennifer LaVine, a manager at nearby Tri-City Car- already told her he’d had a bad experience there and did not want to go back. pet, saw a man outside her store JENNIFER LAVINE No one at Interfaith could watching smoke fill the sky. He confirm or deny that Julian came seemed in distress. The man, in for assistance or got a referidentified in an NBC-TV news reral for new glasses, or if the Red ports as Larry Julien, was homeCross had interacted with the less and told LaVine he’s been shelter in the aftermath of the inside the shuttered meat packing Talone fire. plant. He was concerned about Advocate Michael McConfriends he could not find who’d nell, who runs the widely viewed been sleeping there. He’d also lost Homelessness News San Diego all his belongings in the fire, inpage on Facebook, said situations cluding reading glasses and false like these are far too common. teeth.

“People experiencing homeLaVine said she and co-worker lessness are already in a crisis so Taylyn Wokmunskie exchanged some may think there is not much four telephone calls with the lothey can or should do when an adcal chapter of the Red Cross, ditional tragedy hits,” he said. “Not seeking assistance for Julien. On responding only sends people furthe last call from the Red Cross, Wokmunskie said she was told The Talone Meat Market fire ther down the ladder and shows how we have grown to ignore no aid would be forthcoming. She said a man identified as “Dave” said: “If we help this those who are some of the most vulnerable among us.”

Other recent news about homelessness can’t be homeless gentleman we have to help the thousands of other homeless people that come to us.” She said ignored. CNN picked up on this week’s story of San Dave added: “People might get the idea that if they Diego police seeking a man believed to be responsible for three separate attacks on homeless men over set a house on fire they can get help.”

As of Tuesday, July 5, the cause of the fire was the Fourth of July weekend, leaving two dead and another with life-threatening injuries. still under investigation.

In June, six homeless people were assaulted LaVine said she was the one who offered to reach out to the Red Cross on Julien’s behalf, and made the while they slept near downtown’s Horton Plaza. first call on Thursday afternoon around 1 p.m. She And earlier this spring, two brothers and a cheersays she fielded two callbacks from the Red Cross, leader from Santee were arrested and accused of and then had to leave her store before Wokmunskie involvement in the fatal beating of a homeless man who was a grandfather. took that last call.

Response to murders and assaults aren’t within A spokesperson for the Red Cross said the local chapter did assist with the Escondido fire. “How- the outreach mission of the Red Cross. But post-fire ever, I cannot confirm that response from any em- aid is—including aid to those who are homeless. ployee, and we have no record of that response being

—Ron Donoho given,” Communications and Marketing Specialist Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com Brianna Shannon wrote in an email.

This issue of CityBeat welcomes those attending the All-Star Game to San Diego, Rock Garden Capital of the World.

Volume 14 • Issue 48 EDITOR Ron Donoho MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich ARTS EDITOR Seth Combs WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos STAFF WRITER Torrey Bailey COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, Minda Honey, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Baldwin, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Jessica Johnson, Scott McDonald, Sebastian Montes, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Michelle Poveda, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Tom Siebert, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen EDITORIAL INTERNS Duncan Moore, Chloe Salsameda

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Beau Odom Mark Schreiber Jenny Tormey ACCOUNTING Kacie Cobian, Sharon Huie Linda Lam HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE Kacie Sturek

PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden

MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paulina Porter-Tapia

PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Interested in advertising?

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

EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE 3047 University Ave., Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92104 Phone: 619-281-7526 Fax: 619-281-5273 www.sdcitybeat.com

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

4 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

UP FRONT | LETTERS

SHOCK AND AWE

It’s been a while since I’ve written but that doesn’t mean I’m not reading Ed Decker. His column [“Not singing along to that old time religion,” June 29] caught my attention because I’ve been studying this belief system for some years now and will conclude that it’s more than a religion. It’s as Ayaan Hirsi Ali says “Islam is not a religion of peace, it’s a political theory of conquest that seeks domination by any means it can.”

It is not content to be treated equally alongside other world religions; it insists on supremacy.

Do you know if you’ve been lulled into a false sense of mental comfort when thinking about Islam?

Brigitte Gabriel in her 2006 book wrote that “moderate Muslims and apologists and propagandists for Islam will attempt to deny or obscure the real meaning, nature, and intent of jihad.”

Throughout the Koran and the Hadith, “harb” (war) and “qital” (“killing, slaughter”) are ordained by Allah as the unavoidable and immutable punishment for refusing to convert or submit to Islam. “Jihad” means warfare against infidels. These tactics are called “taqiyya”—lying deception, deceipt—every lie to achieve the goal of being “supreme in the world” is not only permitted, but sanctified.

Obviously it is “good” for Islam that the infidel, that’s you and me, should be kept ignorant of the true meaning of “jihad.”

Can this be interpreted to mean that all Muslims must be viewed with suspicion? Is there such a thing as a peace-loving “good” Muslim who does not subscribe to Sharia law, a law that is so diametrically contrary to our nation’s Founding Documents?

Will anyone even attempt an answer to this question?

Keep pounding that keyboard with your “shock and awe” journalism.

Dianne Obeso, University Heights

WE’RE BACK

Thank you Seth Combs for your article focusing on the local poetry scene [“Fine Lines,” June 22].

I’ve read three of the books you reviewed already, and your coverage has spurred my interest in the three others.

Additionally, I’ve heard four of the six authors read locally and their performances took me away. Several weeks ago, in an editorial, I criticized CityBeat for lack of participation at the North Park Festival of Arts; now, I commend the publication for promoting local poets. The writing community benefits from your support.

TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Backward & In High Heels. . . . .

4 6 7 8

FOOD & DRINK The World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

THINGS TO DO Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . 13-15

ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FEATURE: Hillcrest . . . . . . . 17-22 Well, That Was Awkward . . . . 23 Seen Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Films . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25-26

MUSIC FEATURE: White Lung . . . . . . . 28 Notes from the Smoking Patio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . 31-33

LAST WORDS Advice Goddess . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

ON THE

COVER

Gerald Vanderpot, North Park

A WORD ON WORDS

Lou Cumming, Alex Zaragoza’s column [“The La Jolla Stanford rapist and the power of language as a weapon,” June 15] was excellent. Words perpetuate the false notion that we’re supePILLAGING rior and others are second-class Love this headline [“Seaport Pil- citizens. There is no such thing. lage,” June 22] and it’s so true. I Period. quit going to Seaport Village sevWe can’t let people get away eral years ago except for the walk with hurtful, wrong, old-fasharound the perimeter which is ioned thinking, whether they beautiful. The parking lots are mean it or not. jammed and this whole area is Thank you for your column. congested. Parking isn’t free.

Hordes of people going to festivals

Robert Melikian that are roped off and exclusive.

Phoenix, AZ

6 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

Now the thought of hotels and venues add to the mess.

Raking money from tourists and trashing the locals who just want a promenade to enjoy the view— whose access may be restricted further. When my daughter was five or six we would go there on Friday evenings, have dinner and walk. I do agree that the shops are stale now and the food options outdated. I am sure that the powers that be in the city will sell another lovely site down the tubes to the big guys to make a huge profit soon.

Goodbye to another piece of San Diego which is being developed to the advantage of a few.

Thanks and keep your comments up. I do feel absolutely powerless in the face of what goes on around here.

One other note: a large pothole on my street was filled in but it’s just that black stuff that erodes! So it’s not going to last.

Thanks, mayor!

For a look into the life of a go-go dancer, staff writer Torrey Bailey went backstage at Rich’s, one of San Diego’s most popular gay nightclubs. She photographed the two men in the cover shot while they were in between onstage sets, taking one last glance in the mirror and curling one last rep. Read more in our Neighborhood Watch series, which this week focuses on Hillcrest, beginning on page 17.

#SDCityBeat

JOHN R. LAMB

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

Faulconer, Jacobs again tout Balboa Park extreme makeover If at first you don’t succeed, get a a better automobile mousetrap bigger hammer. right around the corner, that

—Alan Lewis what’s worth fighting for sometimes can wait until after an elect 2:30 on a shimmering tion, but not a minute more.

Ladies and germs, we’ve Fourth of July Eve Sunday afternoon, the sup- jumped forward to the past, to a posed not-good-enough Plaza de land once thought abandoned afPanama in Balboa Park literally ter the previous mayor, otherwise pulsates with human activity. The odoriferous, did one thing right world’s languages waft by as peo- and rid the Plaza de Panama of ple of all makes and models shuf- parking. Yes, the concrete-heavy fle, skip, skate, jog, bike, you name park-remodeling dream of billionit through this reclaimed slice of aire Qualcomm co-founder and philanthropic whiz Irwin Jacobs, the San Diego public realm.

But a mere three days prior, seemingly shelved permanently our newly re-elected Mayor Kevin when legal and fundraising woes Faulconer stood just to the east of mounted, is back with a vengeance.

First announced in the summer here—weird he wouldn’t hold a presser in the actual location he of 2010 by Jacobs and then-Mayor was referencing (maybe it was too Jerry Sanders, the so-called Jacrowded!)—and proclaimed that cobs Plan, at a cost of $45 million, this beehive of enjoyment wasn’t was hailed as the salve to all of up to his standards, that there’s Balboa Park’s car-oriented woes.

A

#SDCityBeat

But critics immediately jumped on the over-engineered nature of the proposal, which called for a bypass “Centennial Bridge” grafted on to the historic Cabrillo Bridge at the park’s west entrance that would lead via tunnel to a massive subterranean paid-parking garage behind the Spreckels Organ Pavilion.

Proponents argued the bypass was a necessary evil to get cars out of the center of the park and return roadways to pedestrian use. Local preservationists with Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) filed suit in 2012 to stop the project. A local Superior Court judge eventually agreed, but an appellate court decision last year overturned that ruling, and the state Supreme Court—which rarely intercedes on municipal matters—declined to review the case.

Last Thursday, the mayor and his backers glossed over the legal wrangling during the surprise announcement, acting as though Sleeping Beauty had now awakened from her forced respite and was ready to shovel some serious dirt.

“The Plaza de Panama project will make Balboa Park safer, easier to get to, give us even more breathtaking sights to enjoy,” Mayor Faulconer preached to the assembled choir. “It will remove cars and traffic from the heart of

Former mayor Jerry Sanders, Irwin Jacobs and Mayor Faulconer salute the return of the Jacobs Plan for Balboa Park. Dead? Neener!

Balboa Park, allowing visitors to reclaim these public spaces by eliminating the current mix of cars and pedestrians.”

“So, you know, the fight’s over, the project’s been approved, the courts have blessed it,” City Attorney Jan Goldsmith added at the revival meeting. “The opponents went to the Supreme Court.

They’ve had their day in court.

Now it’s time for the community to move forward, um, together uniformly in making this possible.”

Earth to city leaders: The park didn’t just sit around waiting for this moment. Last year, the San Diego Zoo completed its own 650-space parking structure near the Old Globe Theatre, and the California Department of Transportation has completed a $40 million rehab of the Cabrillo Bridge.

And it’s not like Jacobs has let go of the past, either. Bruce Coons, SOHO’s executive director, said Jacobs continues to seek legal fees from his organization, a matter that continues to meander through the court system.

“He’s trying to punish us,” Coons said before adding, “We have not yet begun to fight.”

The battle over a billionaire’s attorneys fee did allow for an interesting opportunity for Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor, who originally ruled in SOHO’s favor that the city had violated state and municipal law in approving the park plan.

While noting the project’s site development permit had expired in July of last year, Taylor in an early 2016 ruling took issue with the logic of the city’s argument, upheld on appeal, that without the extreme makeover, “current use of park area was not a reasonable beneficial use.”

While praising the city’s outside legal counsel for “first-class legal work,” tongue may have been planted firmly in cheek when Taylor noted, “He persuaded the Court of Appeal that ‘no reason-

able beneficial use of a property’ does not in fact mean “no reasonable beneficial use of a property.”

Taylor went on to write “it is certainly arguable that the only ‘significant benefit’ that was ‘conferred on the general public’ was the stopping of the project and the avoidance of the Centennial Bridge and the parking structure (which in turn gave rise to the much more modest changes ordered by Filner.) Said another way: It is more than arguable that SOHO was the ‘successful party’…”

So, is that what’s this is all about? Scrubbing from our memories any last vestiges of the distasteful Filner Era? A toilet-swirly to the head of anyone who opposes those with money to burn, an inkling of an idea and a willing pair of mayoral ears desperate for a legacy?

Speaking of Sanders, who now heads up the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and earned glowing remarks Thursday from the current Republican mayor: Wouldn’t it be funny if this all had to do with Mayor Faulconer looking to the future—not the park’s, but his own. With dwindling options for political climbs, perhaps he envisions a future as Sanders’ chamber-made successor.

That would certainly be a more logical fit than a parking garage in the center of Balboa Park. And Jacobs, part of a development team proposing massive changes at Seaport Village, can move on to other battles. He recently told The San Diego Union-Tribune that he won’t spend another dime on the project but will lead the fundraising.

So let’s review: A mayor reelected by touting a Climate Action Plan kicks off his second term by reviving an auto-centric park proposal straight out of the 1960s that even its chief “architect” won’t support further financially.

What could go wrong?

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

Broken but never bowed

W

hen people ask what happened to my arm, I tell them about the fight I had with a white supremacist. “You think this is bad,” I say, “you should see the other guy.” Ba-dum-dum.

Most people who know me don’t question whether this story is true. “Nice!” they say, not at all surprised. Most people who don’t know me also don’t question whether this story is true.

“Were you at a Trump rally?” they ask, not at all surprised. Oh, and the racists who’ve heard me say this just stare at me, speechless. Blink, blink go their beady eyes.

This is the current happy climate in which we now live: Cloudy with a chance of frogs falling from the sky.

I may be a fighter, but I’m not so much a physical one. I have a tolerance for remaining in the most futile of conversations. But taking out assholes in a single bound?

Only if I can do it through words.

Anyway. Three weeks ago, I fractured the fuck out of my wrist and though the above story is fun to tell for the sheer reactions to it, it is a straight-up exaggeration.

Which is to say it’s completely untrue. But it’s a self-serving untruth because the regular truth makes me feel like a woman withering her way toward a life of caftans, complete with deli-counter lunches of cottage cheese and lukewarm coffee.

Regardless, it doesn’t take a physicist to calculate the velocity at which I hit the ground when my three-and-three-quarter inch wedge shoe glided across the bullnose edge of the concrete stair I was trying to walk down. For how my leg came out from under me, I might as well have stepped on a valley of banana peels. Had there been a bystander anywhere in the vicinity, they would have reported seeing a cartoon disaster complete with whirly-gig sound effects, a big ker-SPLAT! and tweety birds chirping, doing circles above my head as the poof of dust slowly cleared.

I knew it was bad as soon as I’d hit. The epic bruise on my left butt cheek the next morning was a deep purple testament to that. But it was the unfamiliar bend of my wrist in that moment that confirmed my dire situation. A wrist is not supposed to zig-zag that way.

And why did this happen, you may ask? Well.

Let me just say this: I’m a modern woman who pretends I’m not so busy but who is ridiculously, stupidly, ominously busy. As if being busy is out of my control. As if busyness has happened to me like an autoimmune disease or Cox internet service regularly sucking balls.

I’m so busy that I have 194 unread emails in my

personal account at any given time. I’m so busy that I forget sometimes to close the garage door or turn off the bathroom lights or put on underwear when I leave the house. I’m so busy that I tend to lose track of time and end up racing around so as not to be late for (fill-in-the-blank) like I was on the evening of Radial Fracture 2016. So take the message I was so generously given by the universe as your own: Slow down.

So, there I was, looking fly in my kimono (caftanlite?) and skinny jeans, breathless and flipped out. I was a hot mess. But! I was an independent hot mess and as such, I got in my whip and hyperventilated as I single-handedly drove myself to the emergency room while listening to Hamilton.

And this is where things get really good. Vanessa and Calvin at the UC San Diego radiology department were holding. It. Down.

They were cool as hell even though I wanted to punch them in their collective teeth as I had to move my hand all over the place to get the images they needed. Like I said, I’m a lover not a fighter, so I concentrated on Vanessa talking about the evils of menopause. I don’t remember what those specific evils were since I was dealing with pain that went to 11.

A bit later, a humorless doctor wheeled into my room a contraption straight out of Ramsey Bolton’s torture closet, announced that the bone was misaligned, and stated that he would need to reduce it. That’s medispeak for I’m-going-to-move-thepieces-of-your-radius-arounduntil-they-are-aligned-again. So, yeah. They say “reduce the fracture” because it’s as innocuous as a new mother saying she needs to burp the baby.

Now, if a doctor wants to get me on his side, a little humor goes a long way. But if there is a party spectrum, and Vanessa and Calvin are at the get-out-the-blow end, this doctor was about five tick marks beyond the defined endpoint of the cocaine-is-really-bad-foryou other end.

Even with some Norco and a few shots of lidocaine given directly into the fracture site (and no, Dr. No Discernable Personality, it didn’t feel like a mere bee sting), reducing wasn’t so awesome. And in the end, there was another piece of bone that couldn’t be “reduced” without a titanium plate and eight screws.

So be warned, white supremacists and Stanford Rapists and any other dickhead–ists. I’m bionic now. You don’t want to see me when I’m angry.

“

But it was the unfamiliar bend of my wrist in that moment that confirmed my dire situation.

“

8 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

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

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

possibly, no breakfast in town better than its sample breakfast plate: three slices of Bread & Cie’s fresh baked bread—I tend to go with the fig/ anise, walnut/raisin and lemon pugliese—with sweet butter, preserves and cream cheese. I never get to the later two, opting instead to dip butBread & Cie’s still standing tered breads into my coffee. It makes me feel so European I couldn’t care less about Brexit. hy do so many restaurants open and Another good breakfast option is the smoked close in Hillcrest?” There’s no shortage salmon platter. Superficially, it’s not an unusuof theories: lack of (a) parking, (b) resial take on the theme, with smoked salmon, a dential critical mass, (c) foot traffic culture, (d) all schmear-like dill cream cheese, onions, capers of the above, or the ever popular (e) none of the and cucumbers. Instead of bagels, Bread & Cie above. Bread & Cie (350 University Ave.), howoffers a wonderful—if small—lemon ficelle bread. ever, puts the lie to them all.

Its brilliant flavor casts the dish in a new light, but the bread’s gone before the salmMICHAEL A. GARDINER on is. Order it anyways.

For lunch, Bread & Cie offers salads, sandwiches, panini and soups. The signature soup is a classic creamy tomato that just begs to have some of the great bread dipped into it. My favorite sandwich there is the curried chicken salad, featuring diced chicken breast, water chestnuts, raisins and cilantro in a curried mayonnaise on its brilliant fig/anise bread. It plays like a take on British Coronation curry. I wonder if that’ll be tariffed to death in Paris in the near future.

There’s always a special sandwich that’s worth considering. On a recent trip it was a Manchego Supremo featuring Spanish manchego, ricotta cheese, roasted eggplant and capers Manchego Suprema on a levain bread (think Euro-sourdough…take that, Brits). It’s a creative Charles Kaufman started the place in 1994 as vegetarian sandwich that leaves nothing wanting. a transition from a career in movies. He’s best There’s not one reason restaurants fail in Hillknown as the writer, director and producer of crest, nor just two. There are many. Far fewer cult classic slasher pic and Variety Top 100 grossare the reasons Hillcrest restaurants succeed ing indie, Mother’s Day. His goal was to bring over time. One commonality is they tend to adopt French and broader European (but, it seems now, a unique place in the market—a niche—and exnot British) style artisan bread to San Diego. In ecute well within that niche. Corvette Diner did that, clearly, he’s succeeded. Bread & Cie is, as a that, Khyber Pass does. Instead of putting yet trip to a local Farmer’s Markets or many superanother ramen place or two or three in the same markets shows, a successful wholesale bread opstretch, these places—and Bread & Cie—chart eration. It’s an operation that’s readily evident at their own courses. the University location.

And that’s why they’re still standing.

But Bread & Cie’s also a café with a great The World Fare appears weekly. menu for breakfast and lunch. There is, quite Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

FARE W

“

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

UP FRONT | DRINK

FINAL

BY BETH DEMMON

DRAUGHT haven’t been the victim of the ever-rampant mass shooting epidemic that’s sweeping the country, most recently at a gay club in Orlando. s a straight, white, cisgender female raised In response to the horrific tragedy, Hillcrest in an upper middle class suburb of WashBrewing Company teamed up with Karl Strauss ington, D.C., I try to be aware of my pretty and Intergalactic Brewing Company for All You extensive privilege. Sure, women don’t exactly Need Is Love, a collaboration brewing project to dominate the craft beer industry—yet—but that benefit the victims and their families of the Pulse hardly qualifies me as marginalized. I’ve never Orlando massacre, as well local organizations had to worry about much more than the tragically championing peace, equality and tolerance. run-of-the-mill college rape culture (and the fact Still, it’s heartening to see BETH DEMMON that I took it for granted I’d how many other San Diego even go to college means I’m craft brewers have answered much better off than the avthe call to be allies. Other erage human). participants include Second I recognize that not Chance Beer Co., Belching everyone has the luxuries Beaver Brewery, Wavelength I benefit from every day.

Brewing, Border X Brewing, That’s why carving out safe ChuckAlek Independent spaces in the community to Brewers and Indian Joe cater to groups who actually Brewing, which will be face oppression is incredibly brewing its own versions important—now more than as part of the movement. ever.

Hillcrest’s iteration (a hoppy As the self-proclaimed session red ale) will be world’s first “Out and Proud released at all Karl Strauss LGBT Brewery,” Hillcrest locations, HBC and other Brewing Company (1458 local beer bars just in time for University Ave.) answered Pride Day on July 15. that call in 2012 when it With Pride coming up, opened its doors in the let’s all take a stand to fight heart of the most glorious Hillcrest Brewing Company fear with beer and support gayborhood in San Diego, this important movement, almost directly in the shadow of Hillcrest’s iconic because when it comes to beer—or life, really— rainbow flag. With beer names such as Crotch it doesn’t matter if the person drinking it is gay, Rocket, Perle Necklace and Banana Hammock, straight, somewhere in between or anywhere HBC gloriously mocks the standard approach to else on the wonderfully fluid human spectrum. beer and splashes it with technicolor flamboyance.

All that matters is that you aren’t a complete Yes, it’s a little cheesy, but delightfully and asshat. unapologetically so.

If you’re asking yourself, “It’s just beer—why To keep up with the collaboration’s progress, do you have to make it gay?” you’ve probably follow #AllYouNeedIsLove and #SDCollab on never been harassed at a bar for your skin color, social media. gender, sexual orientation, or even noticed any of

the countless microaggressions against anyone Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com. that falls outside the stereotypical footballFollow her on Instagram at @thedelightedbite, watching, potato chip-eating, bumbling white and on Twitter at @iheartcontent. guy demographic. And you almost certainly

Fight fear with beer

A

10 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

UP FRONT | BOOKS

THE FLOATING

BY JIM RULAND

LIBRARY Circling the drain

A

rash of books by indie and punk rockers have taken center stage of late. It started, perhaps, with Patti Smith’s Just Kids in 2010 and continues to this day. In fact, Smith’s second memoir, M Train, was released last year.

With recent offerings from X’s John Doe, Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Marky Ramone and many more, we are living in the golden age of rock memoirs.

But what if I told you that the best of these new books chronicles the highs and lows of the band NOFX? Yes, NOFX. The band responsible for songs such as “My Vagina” and “Don’t Call Me White” and albums titled Heavy Petting Zoo and White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean, and whose singer, “Fat Mike” Burkett, started a media firestorm not too long ago by convincing a crowd at South by Southwest that the free tequila shots he had served them were spiked with his urine.

That NOFX. For the uninitiated, NOFX is a punk band from L.A. that formed in 1983 and has never been accused of taking itself too seriously. While they often give the impression of being a joke band onstage, they have amassed a large following (and a small fortune) by sticking with what they know. In fact, founding members who are still with the band have never had to work a so-called “real job” a day in their lives.

The Hepatitis Bathtub follows the formula of Mötley Crüe’s The Dirt, co-written with Neil Strauss, in which each band member tells his side of the story in a series of alternating chapters. The contradictions and kerfuffles that emerge from the telling give the reader access to something intimate, unfiltered and new.

And so it is with The Hepatitis Bathtub & Other Stories. Whether anyone would want such intimacy is another question.

You’ve got S&M fanatic and consummate drug dabbler Fat Mike contradicting guitarist and weed enthusiast Eric “Melvin” who finishes stories by recovering heroin addict Eric “Smelly” Sandin and commented on with rueful disbelief by Aaron “El Hefe” Abeyta, the unlikeliest member of the band.

The book also includes chapters from exmembers, who played with the band in the early days when things were more dangerous and disorganized. Take this testimony from former guitarist Steve: “None of this was happening the way I thought

12 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

it was supposed to happen. Tour was supposed to be fun. Fights weren’t supposed to break out.

Guns weren’t supposed to be drawn. Beer wasn’t supposed to equal money. Drummers weren’t supposed to destroy everything. People weren’t supposed to die.”

It took a while for NOFX to find their sound and hit their groove, but they were quick studies in the sex and drugs department. Here’s Smelly reflecting on the “dark side” of experimenting with drugs: “I remember once watching a freckle on my arm turn into an ant, crawl to the tip of my finger, turn into a droplet of water, drip upward, cause ripple pattern on the ceiling, which turned into a swirl, out of which emerged a horse that drifted toward my face, and when I was nose to nose with the horse, the sky peeled away from its head until I was staring into its skull. Life on the dark side was fucking cool.”

Smelly, whom Courtney Love once called “the worst junkie she’d ever seen in her life,” had a heroin problem that he hid from the band for years, which prompts the question, how bad a junkie do you have to be to earn the distinction of worst from the likes of Courtney Love?

This and other tantalizing questions are answered in The Hepatitis Bathtub. Sometimes the book is violent (“I liked punk rock but I didn’t like the idea of getting killed over it”), sometimes it’s absolutely horrifying (“When you have hepatitis, your shit turns white and your piss turns brown”), but it holds nothing back.

It’s fascinating to follow the individual members as they deal with drug abuse and the deaths of parents, to getting clean and becoming parents.

While there are plenty of shocking stories, the biggest surprise may be how sincere they are. In the beginning, you’ll be glad these people weren’t your friends, but by the end you’ll wish they were.

Kudos to co-author Jeff Alulis who briefly served as the vocalist for the Dead Kennedys and filmed NOFX’s tour documentary that evolved into the television series Backstage Passport for Fuse TV. Alulis coaxes amazing stories from the band and puts them together in a way to create that rarest of rarities, a book that’s impossible to put down—even if you will occasionally want to hold it at arm’s length.

Jim Ruland’s collaboration with punk rock legend Keith Morris—My Damage—will be published in August 2016. Write to jimr@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

SHORTlist

EVENTS

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

EAST VILLAGE AND MISSION VALLEY

1

FOOD, GLORIOUS, FOOD!

A lot is made of getting our respective live entertainment, carnival rides, games, eating bodies toned, tight and selfie-worthy competitions and, naturally, a beer garden. Tickets for the summer. Still, there’s something to be are $10 in advance ($12 at the door) for unlimited said for just letting go and shamelessly indulging. reentry throughout the weekend. It all happens at Sure, we’re the 10th fittest city in the U.S. accord- Qualcomm Stadium (9449 Friars Rd.) from 4 to 10 ing to American College of Sports Medicine, but p.m. Friday, July 8, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, we’re also the city that brought you the weekly July 9, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 10.

And since there craft beer festival.

COURTESY OF THE GREAT AMERICAN FOODIE FEST are three days to The city that colchoose from when lectively said, “You it comes to the know what? That Great American carne asada looks Foodie Fest, why awfully lonely not be even more in that burrito. I gluttonous and hit think I’ll add some up the Cheese and French fries.” The Beer Festival on city with not one, Saturday, July 9, but two different from 7 to 10 p.m. bacon festivals.

Held at the Silo in So yeah, it Makers Quarter makes sense that (753 15th St.), the The Great AmeriThe Great American Foodie Fest festival offers uncan Foodie Fest (greatamericanfoodiefest.com), which started in limited samplings of more than 15 breweries and, Vegas, chose San Diego for its maiden So-Cal fes- well, all cheese everything. Cheese soups, cheese tival. Rather than simply cull from the best local samples, fondues, mac ‘n’ cheese, grilled cheese… restaurants, the event brings in the best restau- You get the idea. Cover bands the Faux Fighters rants, food trucks and vendors from all over the and The Big Lewinsky provide the entertainment, nation. There are more than 50 food vendors to and a portion of the $40 to $60 ticket price goes choose from, including ones featured on The Great to Promises2Kids, a local child abuse prevention Food Truck Race and Chopped. There will also be nonprofit. cheeseandbeerfest.com

ENCINITAS

LA JOLLA

2 FUNNY BONE

There are too many mopey music videos out there—which makes lyrical escapades about dick pics and screwing sci-fi writer Ray Bradbury that much more refreshing. Upand-coming comedian Rachel Bloom got her start as a YouTube sensation singing about such topics. Her viral videos have appeared on The Onion, Jezebel, Buzzfeed and more sites since.

Now, she’s a Golden Globe-winning actress for the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, which she created and wrote. She’ll be sharing her twisted wit at The Center of Jewish Culture’s An Evening with Rachel Bloom on Saturday, July 9.

As one might assume, the performance isn’t Grated. Tickets run for $20 to $25 and admission includes a drink voucher for beer or wine. It goes down at 8 p.m. at La Paloma Theatre (471 South Coast Highway 101). lfjcc.org

3 LOOKS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT

Adolescence is a transformative age.

Whether you were the star quarterback in high school or spent your formative years wearing black and hiding from the outside world, who you are as a teenager has a profound effect on who you become later in life. This transitional period is explored in The Teen Years, an exhibition of photographs at the Joseph Bellows Gallery (7661 Girard Ave.). The exhibition works as a comprehensive portrait of adolescence over the years and features work from a variety of photographers, going back over the past half century. The subject matter is diverse; portraits of 1970s roller skaters are juxtaposed next to photos of contemporary youth in Italy and teens getting ready for prom night. The exhibition opens with a reception on Saturday, July 9, from 6 to 8 p.m., and runs through Friday, August 26. Admission is free. josephbellows.com COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND JOSEPH BELLOWS GALLERY

HThe Last Call at Tractor Room, 3687 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Local “Pulpcore” artist David Russell Talbott will display new works from his “Batvisions” series at this final art show at The Tractor Room. Opening from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7. Free. 619-543-1007, facebook.com/ events/100796887022253/ HA Study in Balance at The Vishuddha Creatives, 2226 Fern St., South Park. A “celebration of skateboarding in art” featuring works from dozens of artists including Christopher Ryan, Brandon Lee, Melissa Walter and more. Specials on skateboard-themed tattoos will also be offered.

Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 8. Free. 619-808-1634, thevishuddha.com Collections in Context: American Art from a Pacific Northwest Collection, 1860-1950 at Timken Museum of Art, 1500 El Prado, Balboa Park. The exhibition features more than 20 works by American painters, sculptors and printmakers, providing a strong overview of artistic practice in the United States from the Civil War to the turn of the last century.

From noon to 5 p.m. Friday, July 8. Free.

619-239-5548, andiego.edu/galleries/exhibitions/hoehn-family-galleries HArtHatch Studio Artists at Distinction Gallery and Artist Studios, 317 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. A wide range of work from the ArtHatch artists including original paintings, photography and other mixed media.

Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Free. 760-781-5779, distinctionart.com HCreative Blocks at Thumbprint Gallery, 920 Kline St., #104, La Jolla. This group exhibition features works by dozens of local artists on 12x12” wood panels. Artists include Somaramos, Jon Molina, Saratoga Sake and more. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Free. thumbprintgallerysd.com HDavid Bowie Cave of Wonder at Escondido Municipal Gallery, 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. An exhibition that pays tribute to the Thin White Duke and includes stories by activist and artist Nina Hopkins Deerfield, as well as art by Stephanie Bedwell, Michelle A. Chavez and Scott Genglebach. Opening from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Free. 760-480-4101, facebook.com/ events/254067778275380 Regional Multimedia Invitational at The Studio Door, 3750 30th St., North Park. A new exhibition showcasing art by the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, San Diego Watercolor Society, Visions Art Gallery, Foothills Arts Association and more. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Free. thestudiodoor.com The Frida Kahlo Art Show at La Bodega Studios and Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. Frida-themed art from dozens of artists including Amy Rodriguez, Ann Lim, Camilla Robina and more. Also includes live music and a Frida lookalike contest. Opening from 4 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, July 9. Free. facebook.com/ events/1121417621202023/ HThe Teen Years at Joseph Bellows Gallery, 7661 Girard Ave., La Jolla. An exhibition of photographs that works as a comprehensive portrait of adolescence over the years and features work from a variety of photographers, going back over the past half century. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Free. 858-4565620, josephbellows.com

BOOKS HKara Platoni at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The science writer and former staff writer for the East Bay Express will be signing her new book, We Have the Technolo-

Rachel Bloom

#SDCityBeat

“South Boston, 1982” by Sage Sohier

H = CityBeat picks

gy, which covers the cutting-edge research that is changing our sensory experience of the world. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 8.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Jane Haseldine at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The journalist and and newspaper columnist will be promoting her debut suspense novel, The Last Time She Saw Him. At 2 p.m. Saturday, July 9.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Peggy Hinaekian at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The artist and novelist will sign her book Of Julia and Men, an erotic romance about a Middle Eastern Young woman from Cairo breaking away from her traditional environment to find her sexuality. At noon. Sunday, July 10. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Mark Johnson at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The Del Marbased writer will discuss and sign his new book about doping in the Olympics, Spitting in the Soup. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 12.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Victor LaValle at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The author will be promoting The Ballad of Black Tom, a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s infamous story, The Horror at Red Hook. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 13. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

COMEDY HHotter Than July Comedy Festival at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. This touring comedy fest features performances from SOMMORE, Rodney Perry, Tony Rock and Joe Torry. At 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9. $30. sandiegotheatres.org/hotter-than-july-comedy-festival HRachel Bloom at La Paloma Theater, 471 S. Coast Hwy. 101, Escondido. The comedian is probably best known for her viral music videos and as the Golden Globe-winning actress from the show Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. At 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9. $20-$25. 760-436-7469, lfjcc.org HTabled: Ghostbusters at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. Local comedians perform a live reading of iconic screenplays. This week: the original Ghostbusters. From 8 to 10 p.m.

Wednesday, July 13. 619-284-6784, amodernprofession.com

FOOD & DRINK HThe Great American Foodie Fest at Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley. This traveling fest brings in over 50 food vendors, restaurants, food trucks and more from all over the nation.

Also includes live entertainment, carnival rides, games, eating competitions and a beer garden. From 4 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 8, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 9 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 10. $10-$12. greatamericanfoodiefest.com HCheese and Beer Festival at SILO in Makers Quarter, 753 15th St., East Village. Enjoy unlimited samplings of over 15 breweries as well as cheese soups, cheese samples, fondues, mac ’n’ cheese, grilled cheese—You get the idea. Also includes live music from local cover bands. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 9. $40-$60.

619-702-5655, cheeseandbeerfest.com

MUSIC Point Loma Summer Concerts at Point Loma Park, 1049 Catalina Blvd., Point Loma. ‘80s music cover band BETAMAXX will open the 16th season of concerts that includes five community concerts on the Main Stage and musical groups from Point Loma and Ocean Beach on the Junior Stage. From 5 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, July 8. Free. plconcerts.org

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

THEATER KEN JACQUES

Rat Pack-ing it in Lamb’s Players’ American Rhythm

America The Musical

L

amb’s Players Theatre’s revival of its 2000 musical American Rhythm might as well have been titled “American Marathon.” Over the course of nearly three hours, an ensemble of 10 sings and dances to what has to be over 100 songs (at least in part) from more than 100 years of American musical history, and they make dozens of costume changes along the way. This show written and arranged by Kerry Meads and Vanda Eggington (directed by Meads with in-

14 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

spiring choreography by Colleen Kollar Smith) is exhausting to watch, but not as exhausting as it must be for the cast and the seven musicians up there.

American Rhythm is a nostalgic trip that delights most of all in the second act when the historical period stretches from the ‘50s to the present. Prior to then, it’s strictly Squaresville. But with Act 2 comes welcome comedy in between and within the numbers, from a sophisticated Rat Pack knockoff to variations on “Whip It” and “YMCA.” The athletic Siri Hafso is the dazzling dancer in the ensemble,

which also features affable interpretations and antics by David S. Humphrey, Caitie Grady, Sandy Campbell and Kiana Bell.

American Rhythm runs through Aug. 7 at Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado. $28-$78; lambsplayers.org *** At Lamb’s Players’ Horton Grand Theatre downtown, Intrepid Theatre Co., which is in residency there, is staging a quieter, gentler American musical retrospective. In Peter Glazer’s 1988 Woody Guthrie’s American Song, five actor-singers and three onstage musicians tell the story of and pay tribute to a man of legend and conviction.

Guthrie wrote reportedly 3,000 songs for the common people, for the oppressed, for hardscrabble Americans who persevered with pride and dignity when perseverance didn’t seem possible.

Screen projections and dramatic enactments in between the evening’s 30some songs illuminate Guthrie’s story, but this show doesn’t really need them. The wonderful Guthrie songs are earnestly given their due. Leonard Patton’s “Nine Hundred Miles” and Megan M. Storti’s “Deportee” will leave you breathless, and it’s damned impossible to resist the company’s bringing home “Bound for Glory,” “Hard Travelin’” and, naturally, “This Land Is Your Land.”

Woody Guthrie’s American Song runs through July 17 at the Horton Grand

Theatre, downtown. $33-$58. intrepidtheatre.org

—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 Making Porn: An unemployed straight actor takes a role in a gay porn film in ‘80s San Francisco. The wife finds out and hilarity ensues. Written by Ronnie Larsen, it opens July 7 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. diversionary.org The Dixie Swim Club: Four comedic vignettes of five longtime female friends who have reunited every year for 33 years at a North Carolina beach house. Directed by Jerry Pilato, it opens July 8 at the Lamplighters Community Theatre in La Mesa. lamplighterslamesa.com Ain’t Misbehavin’: A musical revue of the black music of the ‘20s and ‘30s, as well as the Harlem Renaissance movement. Written and directed by Richard Maltby, Jr., it opens July 13 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

For full theater listings, visit “T heater ” at sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

EVENTS Well-Strung at Moonlight Amphitheatre, 1200 Vale Terrace Drive, Vista. The New York City-based string quartet blends vocals and strings, classical and pop music. Concert benefits the theatrical arts through the Moonlight Cultural Foundation. At 8 p.m. Saturday, July 9. $20$150. moonlightpresents.com Christoph Bull at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park. The composer and organist at the world’s largest church pipe organ at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles performs as part of the 2016 International Summer Organ Festival. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 11. Free. 619-702-8138, spreckelsorgan.org

PERFORMANCE 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 Wednesday, July 6 through Sunday, July 17. Various times. $20-$75. sdrep.org HPride Night Benefit Show at Finest City Improv, 4250 Louisiana St., North Park. GAYJAM, Short-Shorts and the Big Gay Improv Show will perform comedic skits to benefit the LGBT Center of San Diego. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9. $20.

619-306-6047, finestcityimprov.com HThe Big Gay Improv Show at Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights. A team of San Diego’s finest improvisers present a montage of hilarious scenes that are totally made up on the spot and inspired by the real life stories from the LGBT community. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 12. $10-$12. 619220-0097, diversionary.org

#SDCityBeat

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD Annual Poetry Reading at La Jolla Library, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla. Local poets read selected works from the San Diego Poetry Annual 2016-2016. From 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Free.

858-552-1657, lajollalibrary.org HAnna Zappoli at Escondido Municipal Gallery, 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. The local artist and poet will read from her new book, From Somewhere Else, followed by an open mic. At 1 p.m. Sunday, July 10.

Free. 760-480-4101, escondidoarts.org

SPECIAL EVENTS Pin It + Tin It! Traveling Tintypes at Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. MOPA’s Late Night Thursday event will feature ready made tintype jewelry and tintype making in a portable darkroom studio. At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, July 7. $23. 619-238-8777, mopa.org HColor Your Community at Downtown Encinitas. A community celebration where several murals will be completed as part of the first phase of an Alley Activation Program. Include live music, hands-on art activities and more. Takes place in the alley between D and E Streets. From 4 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 9. Free. encinitas101.com Noche Cubana at WorldBeat Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. A celebration of Cuban music, dance, culture and cuisine with live percussion bands, AfroCuban dance performances and free salsa lessons. From 7 to 11:59 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Free-$25. 619-230-1190, omoachecubanculture.org HSouth Park Summer Walkabout at South Park. A quarterly evening festival

that showcases all the unique and independent businesses within South Park.

Enjoy complimentary treats, live entertainment, special offers and discounts and much more. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Free. southparksd.com

SPORTS HMLB All-Star FanFest at San Diego Convention Center, 111 W Harbor Drive, Downtown. Baseball fans will have the chance to meet professional players, see historic memorabilia and participate in events and activities surrounding the MLB All-Star Game. From Friday, July 8 through Tuesday, July 12. See website for times. Friday, July 8. Free-$35. 619525-5000, mlb.com World Championship Over-The-LineTournament at Fiesta Island, E. Mission Bay Drive, Mission Bay. The annual beach game tournament that combines elements of beach baseball, softball and cricket is celebrating its 63rd birthday with more teams, more matches and special permits so fans can BYOB. From 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 9, Sunday, July 10, Saturday, July 16 and Sunday, July 17.

Saturday, July 9. Free. ombac.org

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Shoulders to Stand On: Chicana Community Organizers Inspiring Change at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, Point Loma. Facilitated by Maria Garcia, a panel of Chicana activists will share their experiences of community organizing since the 1960’s. At 6 p.m. Friday, July 8. Free.

619-233-7963, womensmuseumca.org

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

16 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

#SDCityBeat

(The latest in a series of features on San Diego’s most interesting communities)

TORREY BAILEY

T

by Torrey Bailey

HERE’S ONE WORD often used to describe Hillcrest: fabulous. It’s proudly flaunted by residents and written in rainbow across advertisements.

This neighborhood is known for its personalities and pours, both of which are strong. Here, boozy brunches take place every day of the week at a slew of favorite stops such as Hash House a Go Go, Snooze or Fig Tree Cafe. Regardless of the time of day, locals are clinking glasses and bobbing heads to Top 40 remixes. An inviting energy attracts people of all shapes, colors and preferences to this noted LGBTQ community. Although now vibrant, Hillcrest was once home to a low-socioeconomic, high-age demographic. As the ’60s came

and went, so did that generation, creating a platform for change and sparking the onset of a movement.

Aside from its affordability, Hillcrest was attractive because the mature population hadn’t generated much foot traffic, meaning there were fewer chances for antiLGBTQ confrontations on the streets in a time of discrimination, according to the San Diego History Center.

While northern Balboa Park popularized as a meeting ground for gay men, bars and restaurants started popping up nearby to cater to them. Each step contributed to Hillcrest’s role as an LGBTQ safe haven. Since 1993, it’s been the focal point of San Diego Pride week and, today, remains a year-round hub of acceptance.

THE CORNER Despite fuss over its 2011 makeover from pink neon tubing to LED luminosity, the red-and-white landmark neighborhood sign hanging above University and Fifth avenues marks the neighborhood’s core.

Beneath it, couples stroll hand in hand, men jog shirtless and pride stands strong.

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

COLORFUL CHARACTERS Grant Foreman

Chris Shaw

Carolina Ramos

Monday through Friday, he’s a personal trainer for his company Grant Foreman Fitness. But several Saturdays a month, he’s onstage, rocking his scarcely covered hips to the thumping bass line at Rich’s (1051 University Ave.), one of Hillcrest’s gay nightclubs. He’s been hanging there since he was just 16 years old, living in a studio behind the club and flashing his fake ID to get in. Now 34, he’s been working the crowd professionally for seven years. “I’m the same person when I’m dancing on a box as I am dancing on the floor,” he TORREY BAILEY says. “There are other dancers who have names, but this is just Grant in his underwear.” Although he says he moves his hips a lot, his go-to move is bending over and giving a little shake when he needs to catch a quick breath. “There’s nothing worse than a bored stripper face,” he says. His mastered moves aren’t an invitation to cross boundaries though. He’s talking to you, bachelorette parties. “At least once a night, I have to give the educational go-go speech, saying, ‘All right girls, this is how it works.’” The dancers just want a dose of R-E-S-P-EC-T to complement their hard-earned tips.

Anyone who’s been to Hillcrest would recognize at least one of Shaw’s restaurants. Urban MO’s, Baja Betty’s, Gossip Grill and Hillcrest Brewing Company are all a part of MO’s Universe, which was named after slang used in a famous TV show. “Everyone in Will and Grace would go, ‘Look at that mo,’ and we just kind of picked up with the 2000s kitschy word of ‘mo.’” But this restaurant group is more than the sum of its parts. “We can’t have a strong business unless we have a strong community,” he says. “We kind of practice what we preach, TORREY BAILEY so we’re all involved in boards and committees and anything that we can do to better Hillcrest.” This includes fundraising for the permanent Hillcrest Pride Flag at University Avenue and Normal Street, which was erected in 2012. “It was great to see one of our managers take it on and create something like that,” he says. “You look at the flag and you feel proud that we have that symbol for Hillcrest, and it keeps our community our community. It has become a social gathering point.” Moving forward, Shaw hopes to see the neighborhood with cleaner streets and shuttles that go between bars in Hillcrest and downtown.

“One of the things we’ve always said here at The Center is embrace all of who you are,” she says. “That includes your culture, your religion, your sexual orientation, your spirituality.” Ramos describes a one-stop shop of acceptance, where counseling, direct client services, education and support groups are at the ready. She specializes in Latino services, which she says is a family affair. “It’s not like we just have José as our client. We have José and his mother TORREY BAILEY and his siblings and las abuelas. That’s the way we work.” Whether the client is in the hospital, in hospice care or going to court, she’s there, all the while being respectful of culture. “We never start a meeting without food because for us, food is important,” she says. “That’s where you break bread, that’s where you talk about stuff that’s very intimate and personal.” Ramos also works to eliminate racism and promote equal human rights throughout the entire community. “We don’t have the luxury of leaving our brown skin at the door, or our accent, or the language that we speak, or our spiritual beliefs.”

Go-Go Dancer at Rich’s

MO’s Universe Owner

Chief Diversity Officer The San Diego LGBT Community Center

18 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

—Torrey Bailey

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

TORREY BAILEY

NIFTY THRIFTY Even with Revivals closing back in December, Hillcrest has a rep for upcycled fashion. Lost and Found, Flashbacks and Buffalo Exchange are known for their marked-down, gently used goods. But, there are also traditional, ultra-affordable thrift shops such as Goodwill or the Baras Foundation Thrift Shop (1455 University Ave.), which is where Jolene LaSalle was flipping through the racks on a Friday afternoon. “The only things I don’t buy at thrift stores are underwear and shoes,” she says. She holds an $8.99 purple evening gown from David’s Bridal against her patterned blouse that she also got at Baras. “Even if I don’t buy anything, I’m usually in at least one thrift store every day.” But it’s not only about getting a good deal for LaSalle. She’s budgeting for her newly established womanhood and finds that the thrift store’s $1.49 bras are a bargain. “Right now, with being in transition, the girls are still growing,” she says. She’s been shape shifting through multiple sizes in months, and the discounts allow her to expand her own wardrobe inexpensively.

Jolene LaSalle “I also am stocking up on grungies because there are days when you are working around the house, and you don’t want to wear your Joan Collins,” she laughs. LaSalle plans to donate and sell back the clothes she’s outgrown since starting her transition in December, and hoping to help other shoppers feel fabulous and frugal.

—Torrey Bailey

TORREY BAILEY

RAUNCH SAUCE With a slogan like “home of the three-fingered pour,” Gossip Grill (1220 University Ave.) takes the cake as having the wildest, tounge-in-cheek-(or wherever)-iest drink menu in the ‘hood. Staff writer Torrey Bailey and web editor Ryan Bradford tried some of their cocktails, and here are their thoughts: First round: Ménage-À-Twat (piña colada) and Pussy Punch (vodka with lots of fruit juices) RB: The Ménage-À-Twat is super sweet, super boozy. It feels like I could drink one of these every day this summer, despite it being my eventual cause of death.

TB: This Pussy Punch is very juicy.

RB: ...

TB: No, I mean, like, POG juice.

RB: Pogs??

TB: Passionfruit, orange and guava.

RB: Oh. Second round: Ginger Snatch (ginger-infused whiskey, bitters and ginger ale) and Clam Slammer (spiced rum and ginger ale).

RB: Ginger Snatch is really good! *hic* TB: The Clam Slammer is strong. Maybe the name means it’s gonna make you sloppier?

Like, balls-slapping-type shit.

RB: Haha!

TB: Haha!

RB: *accidentally knocks over water cup* —Ryan Bradford

1. Baby Cakes

(3766 Fifth Ave.)

2. Uptown Tavern

(1236 University Ave.)

3. Gossip Grill

(1220 University Ave.)

4. Number One Fifth Avenue

(3845 Fifth Ave.)

5. Alibi Bar

(1403 University Ave.)

20 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

ON A SCALE OF ONE T DRUN O K Whe

re t on a s o drink ca relaxe le of to rau d (1) cous 1 0).

6. Flick’s

(1017 University Ave.)

7. Numbers

(3811 Park Blvd.)

8. Urban Mo’s

(308 University Ave.)

9. Brass Rail

(3796 Fifth Ave.)

10. Rich’s

(1051 University Ave.)

#SDCityBeat

TORREY BAILEY

WISHFUL THINKING

CHALKING IT UP

“Dougie the Gnome”

Bartender and musician Andrew Barajas certainly didn’t expect the “Before I Die I Want to…” chalkboard art installation on the side of Alibi (1403 University Ave.) to become as iconic as it has. “Seriously, I only thought it would last six months,” admits Barajas. Resembling Bart Simpson’s ever-changing punishment scene from The Simpsons opening credits, the mural celebrates its fourth anniversary this month. The chalkboard was inspired by a Candy Chang art piece that was originally installed on an abandoned house in New Orleans (the artist gave permission to others to duplicate the piece in other cities). Just as famous is Alibi employee “Dougie the Gnome,” who dons a handmade gnome outfit and cleans the board daily. Barajas has seen a wide variety of wishful writings over the years, but his favorite will always be the first one. “My little daughter Emma was the first one to write on it,” Barajas says. Her hope? To swim with dolphins. Awwww.

DIGGING FOR GOLD

—Seth Combs CANDICE ELEY

If you’re a vinyl collector, and you happen to find yourself on Sixth Avenue in Hillcrest—or, let’s be honest, if you’re just in San Diego County—rummaging through the endless rows of new and used LPs in Record City’s (3757 Sixth Ave.) crates is a necessary addition to your itinerary. And if you’re a crate digger from the old school, then I likely can’t teach you anything; may you be on your record-hunting journey. But considering the recent resurgence in interest in vinyl, here are a few tips worth imparting for those looking to expand their collection. First things first: Save the new releases for last. Unless you’re specifically seeking something out or it’s a new release Friday, put that off.

Go directly to the “Just In” bins, where the shop Record City keeps its newly purchased acquisitions. This is where you’ll find the sought-after rare jazz, funk, punk and other gems that get nabbed quickly. I recently found a copy of A Charlie Brown Christmas on vinyl—you’re jealous. Next, look by genre—R&B, classic rock, metal, indie—it’ll take some time to find the real gems, but they’re in there. Only then, once you’ve exhausted your search, can you look through the new items. Chances are you won’t be leaving empty handed.

#SDCityBeat

—Jeff Terich

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

SPOTTED AT THE HILLCREST DMV

The Appointment Maker

The Hopeful Senior

The Stinky Guy (with no concept of personal space)

ILLUSTRATIONS BY CAROLYN RAMOS

The Photo-Ready Stud

The Walk-In (aka The Dead)

22 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

#SDCityBeat

CULTURE | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

If it’s not a Scottish Fair, it’s CRAP!

I

s it smug to just feel a little bit of schadenfreude over the Brexit decision? Sure, it points to the disturbing trend of anti-globalization, xenophobia and the reality that “no way that could happen” events can happen—but wasn’t it kind of nice to not be the butt of the world’s joke for once?

Of course, I’m not going to bring this up to my friend Julia on our way up to the San Diego Scottish Highland Games & Gathering in Vista. Julia was born in Cumbria, a county in Northwestern England and whose family moved to the U.S. when she was 11. It’s the day after the Brexit vote, and I can tell it’s a sore subject for her.

It may seem stereotypically American—i.e. naïve and uneducated—to invite an English girl to a Scottish festival, but Cumbria’s proximity to Scotland has given Julia a robust knowledge of the area, including the English and Scottish border reivers who raided and pillaged the area between the 13th and 17th centuries.

But just try imparting that jolly-good knowledge on two American dudes.

“Is that at all like the movie Highlander?” I ask.

“Remember the bad guy’s laugh in that movie?” asks Nathan, my friend and regular collaborator. He does an impressive reenactment of actor Clancy Brown’s laughter from the backseat. Julia sinks deeper into her British depression.

When we arrive in Vista—my first time—it turns out my worldview is narrower than I thought.

Did we just pass an ERI-bertos?

I think. I’ve never seen that name on a taco shop before. This place is freaking me out.

My interest in the Scottish Festival is distinctly American, i.e. whimsical and appropriating when it suits me best. My mom’s side of the family are direct descendants of the Buchanan clan—a lineage that has meant very little to me until now, when I use it as passionate justification to attend a Scottish festival. I quietly congratulate myself for being the best—a distinctly American act, i.e. cherry-picking the best traits of my heritage to exploit.

The first thing I see upon entering the festival is dude with black-dyed hair, a black Metal Mulisha shirt (preferred brand of motocross and MMA fans), and a black-patterned kilt. His girlfriend, wearing a matching skirt, hangs on him while he checks his phone over her shoulder and sucks on a vape.

“I can’t tell where the goth overlap is,” Nathan says, observing the Hot Topic-esque crowd. “Are they just bored suburban kids and/or do they actually have interest in the Old World?”

He’s right. The crowd seems less like connoisseurs of Scottish tradition and more like alt-right misfits: metalheads, mall-punks and goths—all aching for another excuse to wear a kilt outside of an AC/DC or Flogging Molly concert. Since we’re far

“

from San Diego proper, and this being a celebration of, well, white heritage, there’s a serious white pride vibe to the whole thing. Not that everyone here is a white nationalist, but we do see more skinhead tats than black people.

We stop to watch men—nay, mountains carved into men—play a game that involves pitchforking a bag of hay up and over a football goal post. With each round, the bar is raised higher. We deem our favorite competitor “The LeBron James of the Scottish Bag Thing.” By the end of the day, our LeBron is tossing hay nearly 50 feet high, but the effort makes him stumble, and we get a view up his kilt. He’s wearing bike shorts underneath and we’re simultaneously thankful and disappointed.

We walk among the tents. In case you haven’t worn a kilt, there are plenty opportunities to buy a new one. I think of the delusion that falls over people when they come to events like this. In what other situation would anyone think it’s A-OK to buy a $70 kilt?

We’re not even 10 steps away from the kilt tent— still mocking people for their impulsive purchases—when a solidly built, gnomish man selling beard oil jumps out in front of us. He gives me and Nathan the hard sell, squirting the oil into our hands, dishing out veiled insults regarding the quality of our hitherto unoiled beards, saying things like “the colors are already popping!” and “feels much better, right?” and “no more beard itch, huh?”

Of course, I’m nodding along.

I’m nodding when he directs us, zombie-like, to the back of the tent where his assistant asks which flavor of oil we want. I’m still nodding when she runs my card for a $22 bottle of Scottish snake-beard-oil.

We continue along the fairway, trying to play cool by complimenting the “popping colors” in each other’s beards in American fashion—i.e. vaguely sad, proud and unable to admit that the shit we spend money on is stupid. Julia holds back her judgment, but I can tell she’s basking in a little schadenfreude herself upon watching us try to co-opt her culture.

We stop by a sword tent and just, like, fondle swords for a good 10 minutes. Compared to the beard oil, they seem relatively affordable. I calculate that for only twice what I paid for the beard oil, I could’ve bought an instrument of death.

We eat curry lamb pies and haggis while we listen to an awful band butcher hard rock covers of traditional Irish/Scottish songs. After spending $6 on thimbles of Scotch-whiskey, we decide it’s time to go home. In truly American fashion, we’ve played tourists in a culture, but now I’m hot and annoyed that my newly realized Scottish skin is getting burnt in the sun.

Well That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com.

“

We deem our favorite competitor ‘The LeBron James of the Scottish Bag Thing.’

“

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

CULTURE | ART

SEEN LOCAL MURAL WATCH: CREST CAFE’S PURPLE ELEPHANT A monthly feature where we track down the stories behind San Diego’s most colorful murals.

M

urals have come and gone in Hillcrest over the years, with many of them disappearing as fast as some of the neighborhood’s restaurants and bars. Back in 2012, the Crest Cafe was celebrating just the opposite.

The brunch mainstay was about to turn 30 years old and owner Cecelia Moreno was looking to celebrate the milestone by coloring up the alley wall on the side of the restaurant. Cody Griffith saw an ad on Craigslist and quickly contacted Moreno about the job.

“She really dug the work that I had done before,” Griffith says, referring to murals he’d previously done in San Diego, as well ones in Baltimore and Ocean Springs, Mississippi, where he grew up. “She wanted something that celebrated 30 years, but also celebrated the neighborhood.”

Considering the neighborhood and that the mural was to be unveiled close to Pride weekend, Griffith could have easily played it safe with a mural that was rainbow-centric rather than a big purple and pink elephant. He says he chose the animal for very good reasons.

“I wanted something iconic and stoic,” Griffith says. “I think that Hillcrest is malleable and change-

able, but it has stood the test of time. It’s eclectic and kooky, so yes, the mural is an elephant, but that elephant has a very Tahitian, circus look to it. He has a lot of flair.”

Since the Crest Café mural, he’s landed more jobs working with design company Bells & Whistles and also created a mural for the Bankers Hill restaurant Barrio Star, where he works as the chef. He says he’s always open to doing more murals, but that his many responsibilities and projects (he’s also working on SETH COMBS

Cody Griffith and his elephant an “epic sci-fi fantasy” novel) keep him very busy.

“For me, murals should always be something that hopefully will be around forever,” Griffith says. “You can have something silly or you can have something that’s resonating. That’s what I’m interested in.”

Have a mural in your neighborhood and want to know where it came from? Leave us a comment on this story or on our Facebook page and we’ll see what we can find out.

—Seth Combs

LAST CALL

Johnny Rivera. The two went to high school together and played in a band called Infantry. Even after the band split, the two remained close and Rivera ofn the 10 years that Tractor Room has been open, fered Talbott a hosting job when Tractor Room first David Russell Talbott (davidrusselltalbott.com) opened. This eventually led to the art shows. reckons he’s had an art show at the Hillcrest Talbott’s work for The Last Call will feature restaurant and cocktail bar COURTESY OF THE ARTIST new pieces from a series nearly every year. He recalls called “Zombies Among the first show in the summer Us,” that he says is more of 2007, but struggles to reof a social commentary on member all the details of evwhat he calls “our walkery show since then. ing dead culture.” There’s “I think this is the eighth also works from his vintage or ninth one,” says Talbott, comic-book series called when asked about The Last “Batvisions” which spoofs Call, a show of new work the propagandizing, Goldopening Thursday, July 7, en Age era of superheroes from 6 to 9:30 p.m., just a such as Wonder Woman few days before the Tractor and Batman.

Room closes for good.

“I took these old stories Talbott is known for his like with Wonder Woman, “Kristina’s World” by David Russell Talbott noir-inspired brand of popfor example, instead of her surrealism that he’s lovingly fighting gangsters, she’s Mexican and fighting the dubbed “Pulpcore.” Think of it as Rockwellian AmerTea Party,” Talbott says. “It’s using the same format icana and vintage Hollywood as filtered through the but just inserting new people into those scenarios.” mind of someone like Chuck Palahniuk. The playful, Talbott says he’d be open to showing his work at but dark subject matter was often perfectly suited Rivera’s other local restaurants such as Hash House for the den-like atmosphere of Tractor Room. a Go Go and Great Maple, but is happy with the leg“There’s humor in it and it’s satire, but it’s also a acy of the Tractor Room shows. commentary on the issues and things that we may be “It’s all very bittersweet,” Talbott says. “Obviturning a blind eye to,” Talbott says. “I enjoy doing the ously, I loved doing the art shows there, but we’re art, but I’ve always felt that there has to be a point to it.” hoping to go out on a good note.”

Even before he started showing his work at Tractor Room, Talbott had a long history with owner

—Seth Combs

I

24 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

#SDCityBeat

CULTURE | FILM

Possessed

The Fits

Indie coming-of-age drama traverses the road to adulthood through mystery and performance

by Glenn Heath Jr.

M

ost American indie films lack a sense of If the community center’s boxing area (a place mystery. The Fits has it in spades. Anna populated only by men) remains a church of indiRose Holmer’s elliptical debut confronts vidual achievement and betterment, the practice our need to pigeonhole gender and identity through room for dance provides a space for collective feperformance. These preconceived judgments about male bodies in motion. Toni’s slender frame gets who should participate in sport and art are so natu- swallowed up in a sea of controlled chaos. The rally ingrained in society that it’s hard to pinpoint mysterious illness that first spreads between the where they begin and end. Individual expression older girls and then down the ranks seems to be challenges such norms in exciting ways, offering a viral attack on predetermined notions of hierarhope of a newfound convergence between physical chy and conformity. Holmer doesn’t address these and emotional expression. ideas overtly, but the order in which each character The film takes place almost entirely in an expan- becomes stricken makes for a fascinating metaphor sive Cincinnati community center used by different nonetheless. groups of primarily African American youth. SomeIt’s important to note that Toni is left unscathed times bustling with activity, the space can also feel from the seizures while her friends and leaders belike an abandoned playground. Here, desires and come members of a panicked club, doubling down jealousies meld seamlessly with the unexplained on her outsider status. She finds herself trapped bemoments of adolescence, most tween passions, too masculine for glaringly when multiple girls on seductive gyrations of the dance the dance team begin to have club, too feminine for the macho THE FITS seizure-like symptoms. Without uppercuts of the boxing ring.

Directed by Anna Rose Holmer warning, their bodies become The Fits, which opens FriStarring Royalty Hightower, frozen in space, seemingly transday, July 8, at the Digital Gym fixed by an invisible stranglehold.

Cinema in North Park, alludes Alexis Neblett, Inayah Rogers, Young men who use the space for to possession as a necessary rite and Da’Sean Minor boxing are left unaffected. of passage, something Toni iniNot Rated Traditional gender roles tially experiences from afar. This mean nothing to Toni (Royalty changes during the film’s mesHightower), an 11-year-old girl merizing final passage, a collecwho incessantly trains in the boxing gym with her tion of surreal and expressionistic images that coolder brother. The opening shot finds her doing sit- here a number of competing thematic impulses. All ups, rising up and out of the frame in determined the mystery that’s been building is released through defiance. Holmer’s patient camera tracks her inces- Toni’s evolving perspective. santly, paying attention to the mundane tasks that Unlike the appallingly manipulative Swiss Army connect eventual moments of change. Early on, Toni Man, a trite and showy film about loneliness that first glimpses a rehearsal for the expressionist dance treats its viewers like freshman philosophy students, team while pushing a large gallon of water up a steep The Fits sees coming-of-age not as a twee excuse ramp. The gravitational push from the heavy con- for showboating but an opportunity to deepen the tainer is no match for the allure of music. mystery of everyday expression. Work and play are Toni secretly begins experimenting with her own not separate experiences but flipsides of the same form of dance, one that merges both boxing and hip- thorny perspective. Toni’s curiosity about this evohop. Breaking free of routine becomes a natural by- lution confirms her singularity as a human being. product of transitioning between childhood and the In the end, she’s no longer a slave to gravity, or the adult world. To forge your own path means recog- limitations put upon her by others. All the world’s nizing and also subverting the experiences that have her stage. come before. Eventually, her brother notices Toni’s increased interest and suggests she tries out for The Film reviews run weekly.

Lionesses dance team.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 25

CULTURE | FILM

Carnage Park

Bloody mess

C

arnage Park’s maniac sniper believes “the world is a funny place.” He calmly says so right before shooting an innocent bystander in the chest from an obscenely far distance. The irony of his statement is meant to be chilling, a darkly comic declaration of post-Vietnam rage and psychosis before the dawn of Reagan’s presidency. It seems like all of those failed American foreign policies have finally come home to roost.

Instead, director Mickey Keating’s sun-drenched exploitation film delivers very few genuine scares. It tallies up a high body count while depicting Wyatt Moss’ (Pat Healey) reign of terror

26 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

on hitchhikers and unfortunate motorists who’ve found their way onto his expansive mountainous property. Who needs depth when you’ve got a tired catalogue of Tarantino-esque music cues and gratuitous violence?

The survival efforts of a right wing farmer’s daughter (Ashley Bell), kidnapped by a pair of misbegotten bank robbers on the lam, eventually stymie Wyatt’s murderous rampage. When she admonishes one of the criminals for being a draft dodger like her no-good brother it’s crystal clear how Keating plans to stack the deck against her pro-war ideology. Brain fragments gloss the screen a few moments later.

Historical failures by the

American government are referenced not so slyly in Carnage Park, sometimes effectively, to contextualize the complicated social issues at play during the late 1970s. Still, the base instincts of the bloodthirsty viewer must be quenched, so a series of heinous kill shots quickly make mince meat out of any intelligent subtext.

Keating’s lazy and nearly incoherent finale proves he’s more interested in plagiarizing Rob Zombie than anything else. Wyatt’s serial killing merely acts as an entryway to experience the visceral, nearly moment-to-moment aggravation of being trapped by an insufferable menace. Carnage Park, which opens Friday, July 8, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park, plays a sadistic onesided game of game of cat and mouse that fails to hit its mark.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Carnage Park: A maniacal Vietnam vet stalks innocent victims with a sniper on his expansive mountainous property in rural California. Screens through Thursday, July 14, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words: This documentary takes an in-depth look at the life and work of avant-garde musician, Frank Zappa.

Les Cowboys: In this loose updating of John Ford’s The Searchers, a father goes looking for his missing daughter in the French countryside.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates: Two brothers post online ads to find wedding dates to their sister’s wedding. This is quite possibly the laziest film title of all time.

My Love, Don’t Cross That River: Director Mo-young Jin looks at the relationship between a couple who’ve been together for 76 years as they enter the last stage of their marriage. Opens Friday, July 8, at the Angelika Carmel Mountain.

The Fits: Set almost entirely in a Cincinnati community center, this film follows a young girl who decides to ditch her boxing training to join a dance team, whose members begin to mysteriously be afflicted by seizure-like symptoms. Screens through Thursday, July 14, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Secret Life of Pets: Apparently dogs and cats go cray cray the second you leave your house. From the directors who made Despicable Me and Minions.

Zero Days: Alex Gibney’s latest documentary explores the world of cyber terrorism in the power struggle between America and Iran.

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

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

MUSIC

you say ‘I want to challenge myself as a songwriter’ and do something that branches out and reaches and maybe is super unusual for us without breaking what made us great in the first place.

“That was one of the first riffs that Kenny (William, guitarist) showed me and I think I told him it sounded like a video game and I hated it,” she adds. “And then in the studio it came to life and it was like this great song with so much room to grow on. I mean, that’s probably one of my favorites on the record.”

“Below” isn’t necessarily the only song of its kind on Paradise, if only because—even at a slower tempo—it still sounds like an extension of White Lung’s previous work.

Similarly, the album’s first single “Hungry” has an edgier sound to it, but one that’s less immediately aggressive than usual. With Paradise, Barber-Way, William and drummer Anne-Marie Vassiliou teamed up with veteran alt-rock producer Lars Stalfors, whose credits also include albums

by The Mars Volta, HEALTH and Matt and Kim. As a result it’s their biggest sounding record yet.

Dramatic examples aside, even when White Lung are firing on all cylinders and powered by punk fury, the details are often what stand out.

The low end in opening track “Dead Weight” feels massive and consuming, while William’s guitar effects on “Narcoleptic” are dreamy

RICK RODNEY

HREE SONGS INTO WHITE LUNG’S new album, Paradise, the Vancouver band sends an immediate signal that things are changing. The song in question, “Below,” moves at a much slower BPM than anything the band released on previous albums. It’s more conventionally pretty than the visceral two-minute punk rock rave-ups they’re mostly known for, and its production is crisper, its climax’s highs that much higher as a result of a more spacious arrangement overall.

It’s not quite a ballad, not quite an anthem, but if I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s a hit.

Mainstream radio has yet to pick up on “Below”—summer just started so there’s still time for it to reach playlist ubiquity—but commercial impact aside, the song and by extension Paradise (released in May via Domino Records), marks some notable shifts in the band’s approach. Ahead of their summer U.S. tour, vocalist Mish Barber-Way explains in a phone interview that the instinct to challenge themselves was much greater this time around.

“Think about it this way: You start off being Taylor Swift and playing your country ditties...you eventually need to branch out from there. So where do you go? You start doing something a little harder and a little edgier, because that’s the opposite of what you began with,” she says. “And I think that’s just naturally what happens. With us, we started in punk and hardcore, and you grow as a songwriter and

and hypnotic despite the general sense that the song could punch a hole clean through a brick wall. For her part, Barber-Way sounds even more dynamic as a vocalist than ever before, hitting even higher notes and showcasing a wider range in songs about serial killers, fading beauty and fucked-up white trash love.

Barber-Way—who outside of performing also writes a sex column for Vice called “Muff Stuff”—says that, in order to surpass what they’ve done before, it was important to embrace modern technology and recording techniques, rather than to get stuck in the rut of romanticizing an obsolete idea of how to make records.

“There was this interview with Jimmy Page where he was like, ‘Yeah, of course, we were using all of the technology we had available at that moment to make the craziest thing we could,’” she says. “And I’m not equating us with Zeppelin in any way, but this mentality of making something sound vintage or old, I just don’t get it. Why would you want to do that? You have all this money to do something great, why not just use it and make it weird and great?”

For how much effort White Lung have put into updating their studio creations, they’re still, at heart, a punk band.

They play loud and fast, they deliver blistering live performances, and they’re likely not going to let off the intensity any time soon—even if they do manage to write a hit.

“That’s how we play together. That’s what we do really well, that’s what makes the best live songs. That’s the thing we do best, the three of us,” she says. “A song like ‘Paradise,’ which I think we wrote in the studio in like 20 minutes, it’s my favorite song on the record. Kenny played his part, and I went into the booth and was like ‘I know exactly what I’m going to do.’ I don’t think we’re going to lose the 238 BPMs because that’s how Anne-Marie drums. That’s still in there, and it’s probably never going to go away.”

Barber-Way is serious about the importance of growing in a band, but shrugs off the idea that White Lung have gone “pop” by any dramatic measure. White Lung are continuing to expand on the foundation they’ve already built via their more abrasive first three albums. And if that’s a problem with any of their fans, well, it’s sure not a problem with her.

“It’s really not that crazy of a change, you know,” she says. “I think people are blowing it out of proportion. Doing the same thing each time is so boring. But if you don’t like this one, our old records are still available and you can listen to those.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and follow him on Twitter at @1000timesjeff

From left: Anne-Marie Vassiliou, Mish Barber-Way and Kenneth William

28 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO DARREN BRADLEY

L

e Chateau is getting ready to release their second EP. Following their self-titled debut release, which was an ExtraSpecialGood pick in the 2015 Great Demo Review, the synth-pop trio has put the finishing touches on Brutalism, tentatively set for release later this summer. In a phone interview, the band’s members say that it came together more collaboratively and confidently than their first set of music.

“I think we kind of just forged ahead and went with how we were feeling,” says vocalist Laura Levenhagen. “The first EP, we were still finding our sound. After that we were solid. It just kind of came together naturally, really well.”

Frank Green, multi-instrumentalist, describes the album as being more aggressive than its predecessor, though he notes that the basic elements of their sound are still there. Le Chateau say they went through several versions and mixes of each songs to get the sound just right. And as a result, says multiinstrumentalist Erik Visnyak, there’s a lot more ear candy to consume.

“It’s more of a headphone record,” he says.

“There are little things you can pick up after multiple listens.”

There isn’t a specific street date for the record just yet, as the band explores their options for how to release it. They’ve been looking into getting some label interest in the record in order to help with manufac-

From left: Erik Visnyak, Laura Levenhagen and Frank Green turing and distribution of a physical release. In the meantime, they have a show lined up for July 29 at Whistle Stop, at which they’re likely to perform new songs from the upcoming EP. “We’ve contacted a handful of labels,” says Green.

“We’re not looking for a golden ticket. It’s hard to get a record label to go gaga over things. But we’d love to do a vinyl release or get some kind of financial backing.”

—Jeff Terich

BOOK REVIEW Locust House

by Adam Gnade (Three One G/Pioneers Press)

F

olks of a certain age may remember Adam Gnade as the editor of the short-lived indie weekly Fahrenheit. Published for a little over a year from 2003 to 2004, the music-heavy paper offered a provocative take on the local scene and, for those who remember it, Gnade’s reportage was as invigorating and fresh as the bands he was covering.

It is this era in the local music scene that Gnade revisits in Locust House, a short, moving novella that works as both a tribute and a cautionary tale. It’s easy to get nostalgic about that particular time. I know ’cause I was present at a lot of the shows and house parties where bands such as The Locust, Holy Molar, The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower and Cattle Decapitation brought a newfound energy to what had previously been a stale punk and metal scene. For those who were there, many will agree with one of Gnade’s narrators when he describes the music as “the brutalest, smartest, meanest kind of punk rock” that “opened up life like a giant window with all the sunlight in the world streaming in.”

Rather than sentimentally recount scenes from a bygone era, Gnade chooses to use varying narrators and formats to paint a vivid portrait of post-9/11 San Diego. Much of the book is told in first-person nar-

#SDCityBeat

rative by characters like Frances and Tyler, who offer almost an oral history. These reflections are often heartbreakingly poignant, but it’s in the other chapters, where Gnade tells the tale of a day in the life of a young punk girl named Agnes McCanty, that he really shines as a writer. There’s also a short story of a young couple living in Golden Hill that is a touching and picturesque snapshot of the neighborhood just as the grit was giving way to gentrification.

There are moments when the novella seems disjointed and aimless.

Gnade has certainly proven himself to be an excellent novelist and essayist since moving away (check out his zine-style The Do-It-Yourself Guide to Fighting the Big Motherfuckin’ Sad to get an idea), so I couldn’t help but crave something a bit more focused and plot-driven. Nonetheless, Locust House serves as a creative and foundational treatise of a spirited scene that now seems legendary to today’s punk kids.

“We wanted power violence with a big, loving heart and good ethics to match,” writes Gnade. It’s sentimental for sure, but for generations to come, the sentient itself will never change.

—Seth Combs

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, JULY 6

PLAN A: Dawn Patrol, Festering Grave, Killing Tyranny @ The Merrow. Dawn Patrol are a little bit punk, a little bit thrash metal and a whole lotta gnarly. If your week is beginning to sag and needs a swift kick in the ass, this’ll provide the jolt you need. PLAN B: Lyrics Born, Just Blackk, iD the Poet, DJs Artistic, Tramlife @ Belly Up Tavern. I’ll admit that it’s been a little while since I dug deep into Lyrics Born’s catalog, but the Bay Area emcee’s been doing great things with West Coast hip-hop since the first Latyrx album in the ’90s. He’s got some underrated classics that I’m sure will make the setlist.

THURSDAY, JULY 7

PLAN A: Los Adictos Violentos, Rever, FLAKEs @ The Hideout. Tijuana’s Rumble Fest is presenting this showcase of bands from either side of the border. Los Adictos Violentos in particular are a badass bunch, playing fiery, high-energy rock ‘n’

30 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

roll that’ll get your weekend started with a bang (and a night early at that). PLAN B: Big Bloom, Splavender, Bad Vibes @ The Casbah. Big Bloom describe their sound as “lounge grunge,” and while I might not necessarily choose those words in particular, it’s not totally off the mark. Their music is damn good, though, and they’re releasing a new record. Support your local lounge grunge (or whatever) band.

FRIDAY, JULY 8

PLAN A: Margaret Glaspy, Birdy Bardot @ Soda Bar. Margaret Glaspy kinda rocks, kinda leans a little toward over-precious twee, but if 2015 San Diego MVP Birdy Bardot is opening the show, then it gets my vote. PLAN B: The Mighty 388s @ Panama 66. For an earlier, family friendly and much funkier show, settle in at

Panama 66 and take in the grooves of local soulsters The Mighty 388s, featuring NST’s Jake Najor and Sure Fire Soul Ensemble’s Tim Felten.

SATURDAY, JULY 9

PLAN A: White Lung, Plague Vendor @ The Casbah. Read my feature this week on Vancouver’s White Lung, who have just released their best album, Paradise. It’s their most pop-friendly recording, but it’s still punk as fuck. PLAN B: Royal Headache, Teenage Burritos, Mexico City Rollers @ Soda Bar. Australia’s Royal Headache occupy a comfortable space between fuzzedout garage rock, jangly pop and moody post-punk. Whichever effects they’re using on their guitars, they sound fantastic.

BACKUP PLAN: Amigo the Devil, Bleak Skies, Hours @ The Merrow.

SUNDAY, JULY 10

PLAN A: Kyle Craft @ The Casbah. Recent Sub Pop signee Kyle Craft is a tall, skinny dude with crazy hair, which means he’s at least halfway to being a rock star. Yet his T. Rex-meets-Springsteen roots-glam sound is what’ll put him over the top. Craft is one to keep your eyes (and ears) on. PLAN B: New Madrid, Jimmy Ruelas, Michael McGraw and the Butchers @ Soda Bar. New M. Ward Madrid’s music is layered

with dreamy, hypnotic and gorgeous guitars, which can sometimes be even more intoxicating than if they were overloaded with distortion. Soak in the sweet sounds and let New Madrid take you somewhere with their lullabies.

MONDAY, JULY 11

PLAN A: Miwi La Lupa @ Soda Bar. I’ll be upfront with you: I had no idea who Miwi La Lupa was before I started writing this week’s column. But it turns out he’s a great singer/ songwriter with a gentle and melancholy indie folk sound that I found immediately endearing. A strong way to start the week.

TUESDAY, JULY 12

PLAN A: Underpass, Soft Kill, Crime Desire, DRAA @ Soda Bar. Naturally, I can’t resist a show full of synth-heavy post-punk and darkwave bands, so this one was always a lock for Plan A. In particular, I’m giving this show my seal of approval for Soft Kill, a Portland band with a Cure and Chameleons streak, and whose new album is due out via Profound Lore later this year. PLAN B: M. Ward, Nice As Fuck @ Belly Up Tavern. M. Ward is one of the most consistent indie folk songwriters out there, and at this show, he’s bringing along with him Nice As Fuck, the new sort-of-supergroup fronted by Jenny Lewis. Sounds like it’ll be a hoot. BACKUP PLAN: Falls of Rauros, Wayfarer, Old Man Wizard @ The Merrow.

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Natalia Lafourcade (HOB, 8/2), The Donkeys (Casbah, 8/13), Globelamp (HOB, 8/18), Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (Soda Bar, 8/21), Z-Trip (BUT, 8/26), Y La Bamba (Soda Bar, 9/7), Porches (Irenic, 9/15), Chrome Sparks (The Irenic, 9/28), Between the Buried and Me (Observatory, 10/4), Fred and Toody of Dead Moon (Soda Bar, 10/8), The Selecter (Casbah, 10/13), MOTHXR (HOB, 10/13), Tricky (BUT, 10/21).

GET YER TICKETS Deerhoof (Casbah, 7/14), 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), 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), Riff Raff (Observatory, 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,

#SDCityBeat

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), !!! (Soda Bar, 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), Carla Morrison (Observatory, 9/16), Luke Bryan (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/17), Atmosphere (Observatory, 9/23), Tegan and Sara (Observatory, 9/25), Ash (Soda Bar, 9/23), Molotov (Observatory, 9/26), DJ Shadow (HOB, 9/27), Glen Hansard (Observatory, 9/28), Cymbals Eat Guitars (Soda Bar, 9/28), Steve Gunn (Soda Bar, 10/1), Okkervil River (BUT, 10/1), Phantogram (Observatory, 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), Yellowcard (HOB, 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), Neko Case (Poway OnStage, 11/19), Henry Rollins (Observatory, 12/27), The Devil Makes Three (Observatory, 1/4-5).

JULY 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. Bryan Adams at Harrah’s Resort.

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

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20

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 Humphrey’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. La Luz at Harrah’s Resort.

SUNDAY, JULY 17 Wye Oak at The Irenic. Saosin at Observatory North Park. The Dickies, The Queers at The Casbah. Rick Springfield at Harrah’s Resort.

MONDAY, JULY 18

The Joy Formidable at The Irenic. Nails at Brick by Brick. Tacocat at Soda Bar. Kiiara at The Casbah. Barenaked Ladies at Open Air Theatre. Belanova at House of Blues.

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). Brantley Gilbert at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

MONDAY, JULY 25

Robert Ellis at The Casbah.

Big Business at The Casbah. Black Milk at Soda Bar.

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.

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

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 32

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30 WEDNESDAY, JULY 27 Escort at The Casbah. Dead & Co. at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Bonnie Raitt at Civic Theatre (Sold out).

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 Clay-

pool Lennon Delirium at Observatory North Park.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 4 Allen Stone at Music Box. Kansas at Humphreys by the Bay. People Under the Stairs at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, AUG. 5 Girl Talk at Del Mar Racetrack. Last Shadow Puppets at Observatory North Park. Metalachi at Music Box. ‘Warped Tour’ w/ Sleeping With Sirens, Sum 41, New Found Glory at Qualcomm Stadium.

FRIDAY, AUG. 6 Earthless at Belly Up Tavern. Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot at Del Mar Racetrack.

SATURDAY, AUG. 7 America at Humphreys by the Bay. Shabazz Palaces (DJ set) at The Casbah.

MONDAY, AUG. 9 Kurt Vile and the Violators at House of Blues.

TUESDAY, AUG. 10 Ducktails at The Hideout. Monsieur Perine at The Casbah.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Rae and Zalophone. Fri: Fooz Fighters, Mostly Platonic. Sat: Core, Class of ‘99. Tue: Tacky Little Hatshop, The Dead Blue.

32 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Fri: Steph Johnson Trio. Sat: XIV. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., San Diego. Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Breezy Bliss’ w/ DJs Mystro, Josh Taylor, Volz, Jus Sven, Giana, Viking. Thu: ‘Libertine’ w/ DJs Jon Wesley, 1979. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ DJ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJ Karma.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: Affion Crockett. Fri: Affion Crockett. Sat: Affion Crockett. Sun: Nick Youssef.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Spring Valley. Thu: Darkwave Garden. Fri: Terrans, Emphasize, The Profit Heist, False North. Sat: It’s Casual. Sun: Reech.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Cazzette.

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

North Park. Wed: DJ Grandmasta Rats.

Thu: ‘Ceremony Night’. Fri: Dead Kids Get Up DJs. Sat: The Milkcrates DJs. Sun: Rat Sabbath. Mon: Wreckord Mania w/ DJ @Large. Tue: The Fink Bombs.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Wed: Adam Block Duo. Fri: Stupefyin’ Jones. Sat: Fish & The Seaweeds. Sun: Kenny Eng. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Solana Beach. Wed: Lyrics Born, Just Blackk, iD the Poet, DJs Artistic, Tramlife. Thu: The Art Dealers, Oliver Trolley, Christine Parker. Fri: Foreverland, Graceband. Sat: Livin’ on a Prayer, Fan Halen. Sun: The Six String Society.

Tue: M. Ward, Nice As Fuck.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Rude Dog DJs.

Fri: Levi Dean and the Americats, Rosewood & Rye. Sat: Nicey Nice World, Son of Radul.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

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 Discopunk.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Fri: Up the Irons, Cowgirls from Hell, Blackout, Blaze of Jovi.

Sat: Hellbent, Motorbreath, Noise Pollution, Snakebite. Tue: Ne Obliviscaris, Black Crown Initiate, Starkill, Sleepless Under the Earth.

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: Joe Pug, Korey Dane. Thu: Big Bloom, Splavender, Bad Vibes. Fri: Big Sandy and His Flyrite Boys, Deke Dickerson and the EccoFonics, Hotshot Drifters. Sat: White Lung, Plague Vendor. Sun: Kyle Craft. Mon: Parker Milsap, Travis Linville. Tue: Smoke Season, Caught a Ghost.

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

Downtown. Thu: Cool Cat Karaoke.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: Josie Day Band. Sat: DJ Alex.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. Mission Bay. Fri: Diane Moser with Mark Dresser, Hafez Modirzadeh, Vijay Anderson. Sat: Lizzi Trumbore. Sun: Lorie Kirkell & Jorge Soto.

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

Downtown. Fri: DJ Jae. Sat: DJ Vision.

Sun: DJ Beatnick, DJ Beatnick.

The Field, 544 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: Sorrell Park Duo. Thu: Eamon & George. Fri: The Diddley Idols.

Sat: Lifelike Band. Sun: The Fooks.

Mon: Midnight Satellites.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Don Cannon. Sat: Reflex.

Sun: O.T. Genasis.

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. Wed: Audios, The Terras, DJ Chevy Bass. Thu: Los Adictos Violentos, Rever, FLAKEs. Sat: Body Language.

Hoffer’s Cigar Bar, 8282 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. Sat: Lisa Hightower.

The Holding Company, 5040 Newport Ave., San Diego. Ocean Beach. Wed: Lady Dottie & the Diamonds, Jonathan Lee Band. Thu: DJ Reefah, Maiz. Fri: DJ Green T, The Fooks. Sat: DJ Chelu.

Sun: Skyler Lutes Band, The Naked I, Julia May & The Penguin Players. Tue: You Rock It (live band karaoke), Two From Blue Acoustic.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Industry Night.

Thu: Jerry ‘Hot Rod’ DeMink, Iration, Through the Roots, Mike Pinto. Sat: Jon Bellion, Sonreal. Sun: Intocable, Grupo Reo. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphrey’s Backstage Live, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego. Point Loma. Wed: Blue Rockit. Thu: Debora Galan. Fri: Viva Santana, Michele Lundeen. Sat: Detroit Underground. Sun: Curtis Brooks, Stellita. Mon: The Cadillac Wreckers. Tue: Mercedes Moore.

Java Joe’s Normal Heights, 3536 Ad-

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC

Anderson .Paak performs at House of Blues on Tuesday, August 3 ams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights.

Wed: Veronica May, Veronica May. Thu: Lisa Sanders. Sat: Gregory Page. Sun: Nina’s Showcase. Tue: Open mic.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Midnight Wave.

Thu: Psilo. Fri: Synaptik Event. Sat: General Malice fundraiser. Sun: Elevate One. Tue: High Tech Tuesday.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., San Diego. Kensington. Thu: Los Shadows, The Genders, Young Wants, Aquarium.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Francesca Blanchard with Janine Rose.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Wed: Dawn Patrol, Festering Grave, Killing Tyranny. Thu: Active Lifestyle Nerds. Fri: Pop Punk Mayhem, Approaching Fiction, Labor Weight. Sat: Amigo the Devil, Bleak Skies, Hours. Tue: Falls of Rauros, Wayfarer, Old Man Wizard.

Moonshine Flats, 344 7th Ave., San Diego. Gaslamp. Sat: Scotty Alexander.

Sun: Scotty Alexander. Mon: Locash.

Mr. Peabody’s Encinitas, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Wed: Society Beat. Thu: High Minded. Fri: Easy Wind Band. Sat: Milk Money, Coyote Blues Redemption.

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Wed: Tarrus Riley, Alandon.

Thu: Miguel Mateos, Said Aguilar, Miguel Matos, Said Aguilar. Fri: Seedless, The Steppas. Sat: Beatles vs.

Stones.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Tagged’. Fri: ‘Uncut’. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’.

The Office, 3936 30th St., San Diego. North Park. Wed: Robin Henkel &

#SDCityBeat

Friends, ‘Grand Ole Office’. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Kid Wonder, Saul Q. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings. Mon: ‘Three One G/Planet B Night’ w/ Justin Pearson, Gabe Serbian.

Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 6th Ave, San Diego. Thu: DJ Spider. Fri: Vice. Sat: Cedric Gervais.

Pal Joey’s Cocktail Lounge, 5147 Waring Road, San Diego. Mission Valley. Sat: Blown Fuse.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Gilbert Castellanos jazz jam. Fri: The Mighty 388s. Sat: The Bed Breakers.

Sun: Uptown Rhythm Makers.

Park & Rec, 4612 Park Blvd., University Heights. Sun: Robin Henkel, Whitney Shay & Billy Watson.

Parq, 615 Broadway, San Diego. Fri: Spryte. Sat: Karma. Sun: ‘Wonderland’ w/ DJ Craig Smoove. Tue: Fabolous.

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 Kiki. Thu: DJs Myxzlplix, K-Swif, Rockthediscotek, Moniq.

Fri: DJs Dirty Kurty, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs Taj, Hektik. Sun: DJs Cros, Bret Love.

Rosie O’Grady’s, 3402 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Band of Goodmen.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Patriot, Antagonizers, Aggroculture U.S.. Fri: Margaret

Glaspy, Birdy Bardot. Sat: Royal Headache, Teenage Burritos, Mexico City Rollers. Sun: New Madrid, Jimmy Ruelas, Michael McGraw and the Butchers. Mon: Miwi La Lupa. Tue: Underpass, Soft Kill, Crime Desire, DRAA. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. Midway. Sat: Ash Jetson, Shanny Mac, Axelle Goldie, J-Run, Nate Fitzbutler, R3nd0, Sly Disciple.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Shane Hall, The Shifty Eyed Dogs. Sun: Crooked.

The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, San Diego.

Gaslamp. Wed: Keep Your Soul. Thu: J Liberio. Fri: Keep Your Soul, Pat Hilton.

Sat: Diana Ferrer, Kenny and Deez. Sun: Keep Your Soul. Mon: Anna Vaus. Tue: Electric Molly.

Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Tomcat Courtney. Thu: Fred Hardy Trio. Fri: Chris McKenna, Gabby and Friends. Sat: Doug Trip, Tomcat Courtney. Sun: Sounds Like 4. Tue: Gypsy Caravan.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Thu: ‘Kiss and Make Up’ w/ DJs Jon Blaj, Kyle Badour. Fri: ‘Death

by Dancing’ w/ DJ Jon Blaj. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Sun: Fistfights With Wolves. Tue: ‘Videodrome’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: SM Familia, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: The Brian Jones Rock ‘N’ Roll Revival CD release party, Brian Jones Rock n Roll Revival. Fri: LAW, Perro Bravo, No Kings, DJ Product. Sat: Zach Deputy, Addison Scott.

Sun: Rowdies and Rum, Kevin Wallace.

Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: The Event Horizon.

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

LAST WORDS | ADVICE

AMY ALKON

ADVICE

GODDESS Fasten Your Deceit Belt I’m a 44-year-old woman who’s been dating a successful actor for a year. When we met, he told me he was 35. Well, in picking up a prescription for him, I discovered he’s actually 42! I’m relieved—but miffed that he lied. I’ve felt uneasy about being so much older (especially because his previous girlfriend was 24). He said he’d been meaning to say something and he was glad I found out. He explained that as an actor, it’s important to be viewed as young. (His agent doesn’t even know his real age.) He seems to be a good person, but I’m wondering what else he’s lied about. I don’t lie, and I don’t want to be with someone who is a liar.

—Worried Welcome to Moral High Ground, population: you. Wow, so that’s your real weight on your driver’s license?

The truth is, we all lie—yes, all of us—which is why social psychologist Bella DePaulo explains in her research on lying that people can’t be tossed into “one of two moral bins, one for people who are honest and the other for the liars.” DePaulo explains that you are lying whenever “you intentionally try to mislead someone.”

This includes telling your friend “I completely forgot you were performing at the coffeehouse!” or assuring her that her new haircut looks “cool and edgy,” and not like a small animal that got hit by a car.

However, there are different kinds of lies, and the kind your boyfriend told is an “instrumental lie”—a strategic lie people use to take a shortcut to something they want. This kind of lie is common to Machiavellian personalities—schemers who manipulate other people to get their way.

It’s also linked to having crappy relationships, since you can’t very well be close to somebody who’s frequently pretending to be somebody else.

Ruh-roh, huh? Maybe not. Context matters— including why he lied, why he didn’t tell you, and whether his lie has lots of brothers and sisters to keep it company. If he doesn’t seem to be a big truth shaver, consider that this age fibbie may be a necessary evil—a “cost of doing business” lie. (In poetry, “Beauty is truth, truth beauty.” In Hollywood, truth is unemployment.)

Why didn’t he tell you? Maybe because he didn’t tell you, and then he still hadn’t told you, and then it seemed he was way late in telling you. If you don’t see a pattern of lying, maybe this is a sign, not that he’s a terrible person but that he dreaded disappointing you. You and he could even turn this incident into a positive thing—an opportunity to come up with a policy for honesty in your relationship.

What’s especially important is making it a safe place for telling the truth—pledging to sit down and talk stuff out instead of going all explodypants over it. This includes shocking Hollywood revelations like his current one, which—frankly—is too hohum to even make the wastebasket at TMZ. You’ve merely discovered that the guy’s another age, not that there’s another woman—the one he’s always dreamed of being.

Your Place Aura Mine?

I’m a man who respects science and tries to live rationally, and I’m dating this truly great woman who, unfortunately, is into astrology, energy healing, past lives and other ridiculousness. I try to be open-minded, and I’ve been telling myself, “Hey, people can be different and still be together.” However, she recently told me she’d seen a giant space worm out of the corner of her eye. It was 4 feet tall. Come on.

—Reasonoid

Yes, “people can be different and still be together.” In one case, headphones made this possible—for a sweet guy who cheers up by listening to death metal but fell in love with a woman whose favorite music video scene has the von Trapp children skipping around the Swiss Alps in drapes.

Unfortunately, there’s no nifty audio technology to block out the lack of respect you feel for your girlfriend when you hear about her getting pony rides from a space slug or refusing to eat chicken when the moon’s in Aquarius.

A lack of respect for your partner’s beliefs (as opposed to finding them merely odd or infuriating) is the starting line for contempt—the amped-up form of disgust—which marriage researcher John Gottman finds is the single best predictor that a relationship will tank.

So, in vetting partners, yes, it’s good to keep an open mind. However, as the saying goes, just “not so open that your brains fall out”—and you come to hear, “Hey, honey, the kids and I will be home a little late. They’re running an hour and two ritual slaughters behind at the primary care shaman.”

“

The truth is, we all lie—yes, all of us.

“

34 · San Diego CityBeat · July 6, 2016

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

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

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

July 6, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 35