San Diego CityBeat • July 24, 2013

Grow at your own risk Activists challenge District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ interpretation of medical cannabis law · by Joshua Emerson Smith · Page 6

Filner P.4 Zimmerman P.9 Adios P.12 311 P.24

2 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

San Diego’s sad, sick joke San Diego has a mayor who’s not allowed to be alone with a woman on city property. We repeat: San Diego has a mayor who’s not allowed to be alone with a woman on city property. Let that sink in.

It sounds like a side-plot in a zany late-’60s comedy set in Podunk, U.S.A., and one of the kooky characters is the local deviant mayor who can’t keep his mitts off the pretty girls in town. That would have been hilarious 45 years ago—much like Mickey Rooney’s racist Japanese caricature, I.Y. Yunioshi, in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, was hilarious to some people 52 years ago.

But this is 2013, and San Diego is the eighth largest city in the country, the second largest in California, trying desperately to be taken seriously and shake off its inferiority complex in the shadow of the much more politically influential Los Angeles.

The mayor’s chief of staff, who’s supposed to serve him and help create an environment conducive to success, is tasked with making sure that he doesn’t prey on women. His security detail, whose job is to protect the mayor from those who might harm him, is charged with protecting female city staffers and members of the public who might be harmed by the mayor. San Diego is a sad, sick joke, manna from heaven for cynics who like to giggle at politicians’ pratfalls.

CityBeat two weeks ago called for Mayor Bob Filner to resign amid charges that he’s a serial sexual harasser. They’re merely allegations, but they ring awfully true, and his initial accusers—former City Councilmember Donna Frye and progressive lawyers Marco Gonzalez and Cory Briggs—carry oodles of credibility. In any other professional environment, a person accused of such behavior would be suspended pending an investigation. There’s no mechanism for suspending the mayor; there’s only resignation, felony conviction or recall.

When you sincerely believe that a man can’t control his sexual urges, you do whatever you can to separate him from potential victims; when you sincerely believe that about the leader of the city, you do whatever you can to separate him from his position of power—both to protect women who have little choice but to interact with him, and to serve citizens who deserve a leader with a capacity to move the city forward.

Understandably, some folks weren’t as eager to oust Filner. Some of them needed more than vague accusations from intermediaries; they needed to hear from real people with real descriptions of unacceptable behavior. They got one on Monday, when Irene McCormack, Filner’s former communications director, appeared alongside the splashy feminist civil-rights lawyer Gloria Allred, and described a vile work environment. (Please, let’s not get caught up in Allred’s arrival on the scene; she’s not the story here.)

As a witness, McCormack is as solid as they come.

She has decades’ worth of high-profile history in San Diego, as a longtime daily-newspaper reporter, an executive with the Port of San Diego and an enthusiastic employee of the Filner administration who took a large pay cut in order to serve the new mayor.

David Rolland McCormack said Filner suggested she work without wearing underwear, kissed her without permission, put her in the now-infamous “Filner headlock” so that it was difficult to separate herself from him and said they should “consummate” a hypothetical marriage. We believe McCormack is merely the lead victim; we believe there are many more women with horror stories of their own.

Other skeptics say that even Bob Filner with identified first-hand accusers, it’s unfair to call for Filner’s resignation before he gets his “due process.” They need to keep in mind that Filner’s calling the shots. Given that he doesn’t plan to resign, he’s in power until he’s recalled or convicted of a felony, which both qualify as “due process.”

Liberals who can’t bear to consider life after Filner need to get a grip. He’s not nearly as inspiring or effective as they portray him to be. We suggest they start to coalesce around someone who can pick up and carry the mantle, who isn’t crippled by severe personality disorders. As McCormack said Monday, “A man who lacks character makes a mockery of his ideas.” Filner has good ideas about how government should serve its citizens, but he’s stripped himself of the credibility needed to see them to fruition.

Please think about it again: He’s not allowed to be alone with a woman on city property.

What do you think? Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

This issue of CityBeat suffers from compulsive lying and can juggle six oranges and a chainsaw.

Volume 11 • Issue 51 Editor David Rolland Associate Editor Kelly Davis Music Editor Jeff Terich Staff Writers Alex Zaragoza, Joshua Emerson Smith Events Editor Shea Kopp Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Adam Vieyra Columnists Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb

Contributors Ian Cheesman, David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Jeff “Turbo” Corrigan, Katrina Dodson, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Dave Maass, Jenny Montgomery, Kinsee Morlan, Mina Riazi, Jim Ruland, Marie Tran-McCaslin, Jen Van Tieghem, Quan Vu Interns Elizabeth Shipton, Connie Thai Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse Production artist Rees Withrow Multi-Media Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia Senior account executive Jason Noble

Cover illustration by Adam Vieyra Advertising Account Executive Beau Odom director of marketing Chad Boyer Circulation / Office Assistant Shea Kopp Vice President of Finance Michael Nagami Human Resources Andrea Baker Accounting Alysia Chavez, Linda Lam, Monica MacCree Vice President of Operations David Comden 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 2013.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

Acrosanti’s still there A recent article by Kinsee Morlan [“Art & Culture,” June 12] makes multiple references to Arcosanti while failing to distinguish clearly between Arcosanti as a setting for an art film and Arcosanti as it actually is. I would therefore like to clarify a number of misleading and/or inaccurate statements: “Arcosanti was supposed to be an example of what a smartly designed, environmentally conscious town could be.”

Arcosanti still exists, quite actively, and still represents a significant alternative to suburban sprawl. The live-work integration, ecological responsiveness and responsibility and elimination of automobile dependency Soleri envisioned more than 40 years ago is perhaps more salient now than ever and far better actualized at Arcosanti than in any of our neighboring cities.

“Soleri always envisioned Arcosanti as somewhat dense— about 5,000 people on a 25-acre swath of land—with tall, vertical buildings constructed using ecologically sustainable materials and techniques.”

It is a common fallacy to judge Arcosanti-as-it-is against the various visions of it. Arcosanti 5000 is perhaps the most famous model of the town, but it’s only one of many.

In fact, Soleri’s vision for Arcosanti changed frequently. It is the density and building principles, and not the overall population, that are the common and critical features across all the models. “‘It feels both utopian and dystopian,’ says San Diego artist Victoria Fu....”

Utopia was never a goal and never a word Paolo Soleri felt applied to the project. That people come here expecting such a thing is largely an effect of persistent media misrepresentation.

“The town definitely encapsulated both sides. It was kind of

sad, but hopeful—desolate, but it wasn’t completely giving up.”

Again, the use of the past tense suggests that Arcosanti no longer exists. We are very much here, holding workshops every five weeks and open to visitors seven days a week. Website: arcosanti.org. Twitter: @arcosanti.

Facebook: Arcosanti. “[C]aptures Arcosanti’s otherworldliness by following a woman wandering through the empty town’s extraordinary buildings and the surrounding desert.”

Arcosanti is never empty. It is inhabited year-round by a population of 60 to 100 people, attracting tens of thousands of visitors annually and hosting numerous arts and cultural events that attract hundreds of attendees.

Kate Bemesderfer, Arcosanti, Mayer, Ariz

Not equal to slavery I’m not sure where Michael Lueras hangs out [“Letters,” June 12], but I remember Mitchy Slick’s hood [“Music,” May 15] from the days before the gang injunctions.

As a patrol cop and gang detective, I spent years serving the people in that community.

I think it’s safe to say one is much less likely to get shot now than they were then. Of course, the inability for gangsters to hang out puts a crimp on their moneymaking abilities, selling dope, stealing, vandalism, prostitution—the beat goes on. Comparing injunctions to slavery is simply a bunch of crap. Injunctions keep groups engaged in criminal behavior from associating, not regular folks from hanging out. Lueras should also remember gangsters come in all colors, not just black.

Woody DuBois, San Carlos

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Joshua Emerson smith

Deborah and Dennis Little are facing three years in prison.

Grow at your own risk Activists challenge District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis’ interpretation of medical cannabis law · by Joshua Emerson Smith

L

ast September, when Deborah and Dennis Little first saw a Sheriff’s Department helicopter hovering over their rural property in Ramona, the couple never imagined that almost a year later, they’d be sitting in a courtroom.

The Littles were into their second year of growing cannabis.

Dennis, 64, used marijuana to relieve pain from arthritis and neuropathy in his hands. Deborah, 59, who’d been treated for AIDS for two decades and is a cancer patient, used it to stimulate hunger and also alleviate pain.

“We were both standing in the garden looking up at it, and I said, ‘We’re legal,’” Dennis recalled.

“And I fully expected a sheriff’s car to pull up and knock on the door and say, ‘We saw your garden from the air. Can we have a look?’”

However, that’s not how it went down. Looking like a pair of hip grandparents, the Littles found themselves last week in a Downtown San Diego courtroom, listening to their lawyer and a District Attorney prosecutor argue before a Superior

Court judge the merits of the search warrant sheriff’s deputies used to raid the Littles’ property.

“There’s no way to determine prior to going in there if someone is using medical marijuana, or is a legitimate user of medical marijuana,” Deputy District Attorney George Loyd, told the judge.

The agent in the helicopter reported spotting roughly 100 cannabis plants on the Littles’ property. Based on the report, a judge issued a search warrant.

In October, the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force showed up for an early-morning raid.

“There were a bunch of them, 15 or 16,” Dennis said. “They all had their guns pulled on us. I had four guns pointed at me. They were swarming all over like bees.”

After handcuffing the couple, the agents searched the house.

They found roughly 29 cannabis plants, a digital scale, and several dozen zip-lock bags and jars filled with buds. They also found that the Littles’ doctor recommendations for medical marijuana were more

6 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

than a month expired, a point the defense contests.

In response, the District Attorney’s office filed felony charges for illegal cultivation and possession for sales, threatening to send the couple to prison for up to three years.

The DA’s office offered a plea deal. The Littles declined, deciding to join a growing group of medicalcannabis patients determined to take their case to a jury trial.

Over the last four years, San Diego newspapers have been filled with stories of arrests and prosecutions of medical-marijuana users who claim innocence under state law. At the same time, medical cannabis dispensaries have been all but wiped out.

District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and Southern District U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy have said they focus only on individuals who use California’s medical marijuana laws as an excuse to sell drugs.

“We’re not going to look at anyone who has a valid recommendation, who’s using for themselves,” said Deputy District Attorney Steve

Walter, assigned to the narcotics unit. “The problem is people who are abusing the law for profit.”

The medical-cannabis community argues Dumanis’ policy targets innocent people. They encourage defendants to fight such charges, saying the majority of jury trials end in acquittal.

“The procedure is the punishment,” said defense attorney Lance Rogers, who’s representing the Littles. “Many people have no prior conviction. They’re attempting to comply with state law and feel they’re treated as criminals.”

So just how many San Diegans have been convicted of raking in sizable profits while hiding behind the state’s medical-cannabis laws?

“I couldn’t even hazard a guess,” Walter said. “We’re just not set up to give you meaningful data.”

How about a few examples where the DA’s office thwarted some obviously flagrant operations?

Crickets.

“It’s not like I’m trying to hide anything,” Walter said. “It’s just that people have rights to privacy. I just don’t want to put their names out there needlessly to try to prove a point.”

The DA’s office interprets “sales” very narrowly, said Nate Bradley, executive director at the California Cannabis Industry Association, a trade organization for dispensaries.

“The law says sales are illegal,” Bradley said. “But there’s state law that [says] you can get reimbursed.

It’s basically an illegal transaction and a legal transaction going on at the same time.”

Depending on where you live, interpretation of the law can vary significantly. If you’re in Sonoma, Butte or Frenso counties, there’s little tolerance for the dispensary system. On the other hand, San Francisco’s Department of Public Health has a Medical Cannabis Dispensary Program that “permits, regulates and inspects medical cannabis dispensaries.” Advocates maintain San Diego’s lack of clear medical-cannabis guidelines allows Dumanis and law enforcement officials to dictate policy, spending resources on an unpopular cause.

“They’re not convicting people for this stuff,” Bradley said. “People don’t have faith in marijuana prohibition as a whole. You’re seeing a massive public rejection of those cases.”

However, the DA’s office doesn’t need sympathetic jurors to stop people from growing and distributing cannabis. The tool of choice has become the plea deal.

“Not many of these cases go to trial,” Walter said. “We work out some resolution—whether they

provide evidence and we dismiss or they take a plea. That’s true in all criminal prosecutions.”

Rogers, whose legal practice specializes in defending medicalcannabis patients, agreed. “Many people, if you have a wife, a job, a reputation, say, ‘My back is against the wall. I want to fight but I can’t risk it.’”

Beginning in fall of 2008, regional law enforcement officials began cracking down on medical-cannabis collectives and dispensaries, targeting dozens of individuals.

Many people took deals. But some didn’t.

Eugene Davidovich, 32, who was charged with possession with intent to distribute, sales and transportation, opted to take the case to trial. In March 2010, a jury acquitted him on all charges.

“When I personally felt the injustice, I realized that this was misinformation, spin, and I just couldn’t stand for it,” said Davidovich, who went on to become the president of the San Diego chapter of Americans for Safe Access.

Around the same time, a jury cleared former dispensary owner Jovan Jackson, 35, on five counts related to possession and sale of cannabis. Following the acquittal, the DA’s office charged him again with one count of cannabis sales based on new information.

This time, the trial judge didn’t allow the medical-marijuana defense. The judge said Jackson’s roughly 1,600-person collective was invalid because not all of the members participated in cultivation of the cannabis.

The case was appealed in 2010, and in October 2012, a state appeals court reversed the trial court’s decision, setting a statewide precedent. The case is scheduled to go back to court this fall, and Jackson will be allowed to argue he’s in compliance with state law.

The DA’s office suffered another defeat last May when a judge dismissed the case of collective owner Dexter Padilla after a hung jury.

Some cases were referred to the U.S. Attorney’s office, where federal law doesn’t recognize California’s medical-cannabis laws.

The case of former dispensary owner Ronnie Chang, who’s facing more than 60 charges in federal court, prompted San Diego Mayor Bob Filner in May to publicly call on the jury to ignore the law based on moral principle and acquit Chang, an act known as jury nullification. The case is ongoing, and Chang remains behind bars.

At the end of 2011, under pres-

cannabis CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

kelly davis

spin cycle

john r.

lamb Three funerals and no wedding “One can survive everything nowadays, except death, and live down anything, except a good reputation.”

—Oscar Wilde They came to bury Mayor Bob Filner, not praise him. As Marc Antony (who also considered himself quite the ladies’ man) said, via Shakespeare, “The evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones.”

And so it will likely be for this mayor, who’s made so many 21stcentury promises—some fulfilled— but seems to be stuck with a Stone Age view of women. And based on allegations that came to light Monday, Spin apologizes to all cavemen for the comparison.

But beyond Filner’s growing problem with the women who traveled in his apparently twisted

orbit, this seemingly never-ending saga has exposed a cringing public to the seedy underbelly of political power plays.

Some smart folks note the unfolding drama involving San Diego State University and its mysteriously fired women’s basketball coach, Beth Burns, over what U-T San Diego claims was physical contact with an assistant who left and was paid a $250,000 settlement.

In that case, both sides are tight-lipped.

Conversely, nearly every political tree in the forest seems to believe they have salient points to make about the Bob Problem.

Some, like Council President Todd Gloria and sidekick/BFF Councilmember Kevin Faulconer, have a clear interest in Filner’s departure, considering how their names

Kevin Faulconer and a lone Filner supporter at Monday’s press conference. get floated as potential replacements, even, Spin is told, from their own mouths. (If both really want it, it makes Spin wonder how long that friendship lasts.)

At high-noon Monday, in possibly the poorest-timed press conference in modern political history, the duo stood before cameras to repeat their call for Filner’s head and insist the city’s a rudderless ship amongst threatening icebergs.

But, the good news, they assured, is that the city will be fine under GloFaulc leadership. In other words, it was rehearsal time for mayoralcandidacy speeches.

But a half-hour later, those reassurances were a mere blip compared with the damning accusations laid at the feet of the mayor

we’ve known about Filner from Day One: He’s a seriously flawed human being who will go down in flames before giving up the fight. His heart—at least the good part—is forever tied to the underdogs among us while simultaneously holding people of privilege in contempt. This will be Filner’s call, not the local Democratic Party and its members who seem conflicted about how to react to this ticking time bomb.

And it certainly won’t be the call of the sneering class over in local Republican-land, some of whom as city staffers continue to blame the molasses pace of city business on the Filner escapades, all the while spending most of their working days trying to out-clever themselves on social media.

(How council members like Faulconer and Scott Sherman tolerate this willful waste of taxpayer money—in essence paying staffers to earn non-fungible brownie points with local GOP pointy heads like Chairman/“retired” hacker Tony Krvaric—is beyond Spin, but there it is.)

But these folks are like mosquitoes sticking it to a beached whale carcass. Jumping on a casket doesn’t make anyone more dead; it just makes the jumpers out to be the petty, small-minded adolescents who back in my school days would be relegated to “squealer” status and ostracized, if not thoroughly pummeled on the playground.

These little mosquitoes will still be buzzing around saying “I told you so,” you can bet, but they owe a huge debt of thanks to McCormack-Jackson, who Monday bravely waded into a sea of media sharks to humanize allegations that beforehand were simply read to us by surrogates. As well-intentioned as these surrogates might have been, the gravity— the full-throated grossness—of the claims made by McCormack-Jackson, calm under the brutal lights of inquisition, took hold like we were voyeurs to a creepfest.

Which reminds Spin: what the heck was that third and final press conference all about with City Attorney Jan Goldsmith? For a guy whose typical response to questions about pending litigation is a terse “No comment,” it seemed an awful lot like a prosecutor laying out a case rather than a city defender calling for calm.

As one political observer noted privately to Spin, “Same political disease—not smart enough to keep their mouths shut.”

Apparently there is still no cure for the ambitious.

by his former communications director, Irene McCormack-Jackson, and her famous pitbull of an attorney, Gloria Allred, the handsdown media queen of sexual-harassment dragon slayers.

The lawsuit filed by Allred paints a perverse portrait of our sitting mayor, a sort of Larry Flyntmeets-Fred Flintstone. And the fact that the victim making the allegations is a former top-notch journalist, experienced public-relations impresario and, frankly, one tough cookie, Spin has little doubt that she will be Filner’s worst nightmare.

Filner, as he did later Monday, can respond all he wants that he’s “saddened” by these mounting allegations, that comments about pantyless work days and consummation pleas and headlockdragging incidents were somehow misconstrued—aka, “Hey, I was only teasing!”

Again, Filner is certainly entitled to his defense, but he must know deep down somewhere beyond the “monster inside” that his dream days as mayor are closer to the end than the beginning—that is, if he truly loves this city and would do anything to care for it.

But by his defense, what is not made clear is whether Filner has begun the counseling he readily admitted, via DVD, that he needs in light of blistering allegations that have emerged since his public breakup with fiancée Bronwyn Ingram. Of course, that was the day before he returned to Defiant Bob and vowed to fight all charges brought against him.

Which leads, of course, to the inevitable speculation about Filner’s true motives here. Are the feds planning a July / August surprise of indictments over the recent Sunroad “pay-to-play” allegations, which many on the left believe was a set-up royale? If so, have Filner’s attorneys suggested he hold his ground until those drop so as to provide a bargaining chip— that being resignation—in hopes of Got a tip? Send it to making those charges go away?

What’s becoming clear is what johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Cannabis CONTINUED from PAGE 6 sure from a referendum, the San Diego City Council repealed a zoning ordinance that, while heavily restrictive, would have allowed dispensaries to operate in a few parts of the city.

After the repeal, medical-cannabis dispensaries evaporated under heat from U.S. Attorney Duffy and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith.

Raids and civil prosecutions left only a handful of operations hiding in the shadows.

With many dispensaries out of the way, Dumanis has recalibrated her sites, Rogers said. “Her office has been really focused on the patients, the cultivators.”

Cannabis dispensaries are no longer a major issue, Walter, the deputy district attorney, agreed.

“We’re starting to see different types of cases coming to us. You see a lot of delivery services, commercial grows.”

Under a January 2010 California Supreme Court decision, a judge or jury must determine what’s “reasonably related to the patient’s current medical needs” when considering an individual’s

medical-cannabis defense.

As a result, the appropriate size of a defendant’s cannabis garden has become a major point of contention.

Law-enforcement officers arrested Tim O’Shea, 48, in February 2012 for growing 16 cannabis plants. He was charged with cultivation and possession for sales.

O’Shea maintained he was a legal patient and the caregiver of his brother in-law Rick Krukowski, who also has a doctor’s recom-

before. He doesn’t know how big the plants are going to get. But the amount isn’t so far off that this would be unreasonable.”

Orlosky will likely appeal the case, Sheppard said. But the outcome is telling. He had more than a pound of processed cannabis, three pounds drying and seven plants in the ground. The uncultivated cannabis was estimated to yield about three and a half pounds, bring his estimated yearly haul to around eight pounds.

“Most of my crop was bunk. I didn’t know what I was doing. It’s a ton of work.”

—Dennis Little mendation. The judge acquitted O’Shea in July after a hung jury.

Not as lucky was Robert Orlosky.

The 23-year-old was found guilty last week of felony cultivation. The DA’s office failed to convict him of possession for sales, but convinced a jury Orlosky was growing more than he needed, despite his doctor’s recommendation.

“The DA did a good job of turning it into a battle of math,” said his attorney Laura Sheppard.

“This is a kid who’s never grown

8 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

An expert witness testified that eight grams a day or about 6.5 pounds a year, was considered high-but-realistic usage. The extra pound and a half was enough for the jury to convict Orlosky.

But that’s not a general rule of thumb.

Court-qualified cannabis expert Chris Conrad said he’s participated in cases where courts have allowed patients more than 100 plants.

“Most people start off with about 30 plants,” said Conrad,

who’s testified in more than 275 cases around the state. “They don’t expect them all to make it.

Most people try to stock up in case a subsequent year’s harvest fails.”

The Littles can relate to that. In 2011, when they first started growing, almost none of their plants made it, Dennis said. “Most of my crop was bunk. I didn’t know what I was doing. It’s a ton of work.”

He doubled down on his efforts and vowed to make 2012 a more plentiful harvest. However, right before the raid, the crop was hit with torrential rain.

“We had mold,” he said. “I’m out there trying to tie up broken branches. I was getting little caterpillars. A lot of the plants I had weren’t going to make it.”

If everything goes perfectly, an outdoor plant can yield, on average, roughly half a pound of processed cannabis, Conrad said.

After evaluating the 29 plants seized from the Littles’ garden, the DA’s office charged the couple with possession of 640 pounds of marijuana. Rogers said law enforcement officers could have been weighing unusable material, such as dirt and branches. A narcotics officer testified in court that the plants have since been destroyed.

As San Diego continues to define its medical-cannabis policy, three factors could play a major role over next 18 months.

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg has proposed a bill aimed at cleaning up some of the ambiguity around exchanging money for cannabis. SB 439, now in the Assembly, would allow nonprofit collectives and cooperatives to be reasonably compensated for the service of growing medical cannabis without the threat of prosecution.

The city of San Diego is considering bringing back a zoning ordinance for medical-cannabis dispensaries. While the ordinance would likely be restrictive, the medical cannabis community has voiced support for the move.

And lastly, the District Attorney’s race in November 2014 is already ramping up, with challenger Bob Brewer preparing to face off against Dumanis. Brewer has signaled support for a more lenient interpretation of medical-cannabis laws, vowing, if elected, to work with local governments to establish clear guidelines for its use.

Write to joshuas@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

edwin

sordid tales

decker Why the Zimmerman verdict’s a good thing, especially for black people I am truly astounded by the outrage over the George result in a shit-ton more innocent brown faces wastZimmerman verdict. I watched much of that trial ing away inside the Prison Industrial Complex. and it was pretty obvious, pretty quickly, that ZimConsider the tragedy of Ronald Jones, who was merman would not, and should not, be convicted. on death row for 10 of his 18 years in prison because There just was not enough evidence to disprove the system was defied when the police beat him into a Zim’s account; yet there’s all these people on the bogus confession. Take Dennis Brown, who was constreets and on TV and radio howling about how the victed because the system was bastardized when DNA system is broken, and the system is racist, and that evidence was willfully misrepresented to the jury. we have to change the broken, racist justice system And pity poor Timothy Cole, who died in a Texas prisright now. What these people don’t realize is that it on, where he was sent for a rape he didn’t commit beisn’t the system that’s broken—humanity is broken— cause the system was willfully shat upon by just about and the system is the best thing we’ve got to manage everyone involved. And now you’re all talking about our broken humanity and its ancient, ugly biases. diminishing the burden of proof and making it easier The truth is, people lie, people cheat, people murto get convictions? You must be out of your mind. der, people are terrible eyewitnesses, people have On MSNBC, Rev. Jacques De Graff called for a selective memory, people are racist, people are prejuboycott of Florida because (paraphrased) the Zimdiced, people have tunnel vision, people have confirmerman verdict had sent a message that it’s open mation bias, people are corrupt and people have blind season on black children. spots. History has shown that it’s far too easy to send Only problem with that statement? The state of innocent folks to the dungeon on the whims of a biFlorida was on Trayvon Martin’s side! The state tried ased accuser, so we created a system of judicial fairlike hell to convict George Zimmerman! The state inness, to help protect humanity from itself. And oh, dicted him even when everybody knew there wasn’t how we love to boast due proenough evidence to convict. cess and reasonable doubt as They knew it! But they caved being the stanchions of the best under public pressure and And now you’re all talking system in the world until we get charged him with second-deabout diminishing the a verdict we don’t like, and then gree murder anyway—an act everyone starts clucking, “The that spits in the face of the sysburden of proof and making system is broken, the system is tem because the system does it easier to get convictions? broken!” But the system isn’t not press charges based upon broken. The system is as close to emotion and public pressure. perfect as possible. The justice The system presses charges system is like a multi-million-dollar super-computer. based on evidence and facts and there simply was not It processes data accurately, however the results are enough, no matter how much you want there to be. only as reliable as the data that humans put into it. And Jerome Horton said he couldn’t understand sometimes humans can’t help but input their ancient, how the jurors came up with a not-guilty verdict, and followed that by saying the prosecution was ugly prejudices. This is what the technology geeks incompetent. call GIGO—Garbage In / Garbage Out—and there’s no “I watched the two defense attorneys tear down known system that can solve that problem. everything the state did. I watched the state not have On CNN, Jerome Horton—a friend of the Martin any rebuttal to what [the defense] was saying.” family—was talking about how the system is unfair Sometimes I just wish people could hear themto blacks and needs to be changed. “How many Afselves. You cannot say you don’t understand how rican Americans that we know went to prison for a the jury could have ruled against the prosecution crime they didn’t commit?” he asked. and also say the prosecution got their ass kicked.

Exactly my point! Can you imagine how many But, see, Horton, and the bulk of the black commumore black people would be incarcerated if we unnity are, understandably, very emotionally involved dermine the thing that most protects them from with this case and emotion is the mortal enemy of their eager accusers? Because Horton and the protruth, proof and justice. testers are right about one thing: Blacks in America This is why Horton never considers that maybe, get the short straw when it comes to criminal justice. just maybe, the reason the defense was able to tear They are over-profiled, over-arrested, over-charged, down the state’s case so easily was because the state over-prosecuted, over-convicted, over-sentenced didn’t have a case; and maybe, just maybe, the reaand over-executed. So it is they, more than anyone, son the state couldn’t debunk the defense’s account who needs the system to remain in place. was because the defense’s account was credible.

So I ask Mr. Horton, what about the system And “maybe, just maybe” is just another way to should we change? The only way a guilty verdict say “reasonable doubt.” would have been issued in the Zimmerman case would be if we switched the burden of proof to Write to ed@sdcitybeat.com the defense and did away with “reasonable doubt” and editor@sdcitybeat.com. which, sure as vegans don’t eat head cheese, would

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

by michael a. gardiner michael a. gardiner

Baja Med cuisine. The first dish on the tasting menu was a statement of intentions and a primer: Baja Med on a plate. Using the best local ingredients, a refined European technique and the culinary traditions of his land, Plascencia’s appetizer was a remarkable parfait of avocado meringue, labne, Baja scallops and chile chiltipin, garnished with a deeply briny sea bean. The overall flavor profile was familiar, but combined as the elements were, instead of bold flavors crashing against each other, what emerged was a subtle interplay, more string quartet than bombastic symphony.

The hit parade continued with a dish of grilled octopus with puréed garlic, pistachios and habanero Grilled octopus with puréed garlic, salsa. Aside from the drama of the pistachios and habanero salsa presentation, the texture, temperature and flavor contrasts offered a cascading series of intrigues. The perfectly grilled octopus offered textural interest with the slight crunch of the grill’s kiss playing against the supple interior, not to mention the interplay with the pistachios and puréed garlic.

Perhaps the best dish was a risotto with heirBaja Med and beyond loom beans, truffles, huitlacoche and epazote foam. It was also the richest dish of the evening.

The best restaurant in our region may not be in This risotto would have pleased in any high-end San Diego. It may not even be in this country.

Italian restaurant. But the epazote foam and the If Tijuana’s Misión 19 (Misión de San Javier beans suggested something slightly different, 10643, Zona Urbana Río, mision19.com) isn’t the something that the huitlacoche and truffles debest local restaurant, it’s certainly a finalist. And livered: a conversation between the “Baja” and that’s why we crossed the border into Tijuana the “Med” that carried through on the promise of for what was clearly the most innovative food I that first appetizer. have tasted recently.

Misión 19 offers a very different kind of MexiOnce upon a time, Tijuana traded on its “wrong can cuisine from what we’re accustomed to on side of the tracks” reputation, selling itself (in this side of the border. More refined? Yes. But more than one way) to off-duty Navy personnel also something more than that, something new and kids looking for fun (or trouble). But when the and creative and a statement that carries an even cab dropped us off at a spectacularly modern, subroader message still. And yet Plascencia’s cuiperbly designed building in the heart of Tijuana’s sine is also unmistakably Mexican and unquesZona Río, there were no cheap hookers (or booze) tionably Baja. It speaks, quite specifically, of a to be found, no forlorn donkeys painted as zebras time and of a place. It speaks of a new Baja that and no Tweety Bird dolls. The floating staircases has shed its inferiority complex and no longer feels the need to sell itself cheaply. were the only visual evidence that we weren’t in one of the tonier sections of our fair county.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com Misión 19 is the flagship restaurant of Javier and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Plascencia, one of the vanguard chefs of the new

the world

fare

10 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

Jen Van Tieghem

bottle

Rocket Chilling with a hybrid red

Sometimes I fall into the habit of being a seasonal wine drinker. I’ll relish chilled whites all summer long, and as soon as I feel the faintest fall breeze, I grab on to a hearty red for dear life. To curb this, I’ve tried finding red wines whose flavors can stand up to my taste buds after a little time in the fridge. My most recent chillable find is the Peltier Station 2011 Hybrid Petite Sirah.

The trick to chilling reds, and whites for that matter, is not overdoing it. If a wine gets too cold, you lose the ability to taste some of the more subtle characteristics. This Petite Sirah was typical of the varietal in its complex flavors, and taking it down a bit from room temperature made it easy to enjoy on a hot day. Strong plum and cherry notes were the first things I tasted, followed by an earthy dryness. Even at more than 14-percent ABV, it went down smooth with a balance I find

pleasant in many wines out of Lodi, Calif.

While inspecting some tasting notes online, I discovered that the producer actually incorporates Syrah and Viognier into this wine—the spice of the former and the floral hints of the latter enhancing its drinkability.

These grapes play well together, and each sip offered a new facet.

This wine and brand are very earth-friendly. Adhering to the Lodi Rules for Sustainable Jen Van Tieghem Winegrowing, the vineyards used are put through an apparently rigorous certification process, with yearly audits confirming that they meet guidelines for care of land, air, water, soil and employees. My new goal is to die and come back as a pampered Lodi grapevine.

Another plus to a wine like this is its layers, allowing it to stand alone or be paired with a variety of dishes. Don’t ask me how I know that it goes equally well with cheap takeout pizza and homemade Chinese food.

I’d like to pair it with a pasta dish next time—maybe an arrabbiata sauce to match its spice punch-for-punch.

Write to jenv@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

by Marie Tran-McCaslin Marie Tran-McCaslin

at Romesco. Elegant and inexpensive three-course meals at Wine Vault and Bistro. Neopolitan-style pizza from Pizzeria Bruno. Pot stickers and stir-fried eggplant at Dumpling Inn. Filipino dishes like sisig from Tita’s Kitchenette and Pinoy spaghetti from Manila Sunset. Vietnamese egg rolls from A Chau. Breakfast at Café Chloe. I’m going to miss living in North Park, where the beer was plentiful at Toronado and where I was only a couple of blocks from Carnitas Snack Shack. I will also miss crossing the border and having fantastic food at Tortas WashMobile and Mariscos Ruben.

I’ve noticed that conversaCafe au lait, Almost Grilled Cheese sandwich tions about food in San Diego and dark-chocolate-chip cookie at Con Pane tend to focus on what it’s not. I’d rather leave remembering what it is. In Omaha, I’m looking for farmers markets that might remind me of the ones in Hillcrest and Little Italy. Coffee places that make me think of the terrific brew and great people at Roast Coach, Zumbar and Café Moto. Chinese food that will tide me over until I get back to Southern Adios, San Diego California for visits. Thai food that might be as nuanced as what I have at Sab-E-Lee. Guisados By the time you read this, I will be settling into like the ones at Super Cocina. my new hometown of Omaha, Neb. After 14 years There’s no beach in Omaha. The craft beer is in San Diego as a student and then a chemist, I’m from Colorado, which is great, but different. I’m pursuing something new: medical school. really unsure of what I’m going to do during the I’ve left San Diego with a heavy heart, knowwinter, when going outside becomes a chore. All I ing that it’ll be awhile before I can take beautiful know is that I’m going to keep eating and explorbeaches and a perpetual mild climate for granted ing until I find all of the tasty spots. That’s how I again. In the two years I’ve written The Wandercame to know San Diego, and I truly believe the ing Appetite, some of you may have gathered that heart of any place is in its food.

I am not a writer by trade. David Rolland and the I look forward to watching San Diego’s food CityBeat team took a chance on publishing an enscene continue to grow and evolve from afar. I thusiastic amateur’s ramblings about food, and know the CityBeat team will keep all of us up I will always be grateful for the opportunity to to date. If you have a moment, do let me know write about my favorite topic. via Twitter (twitter.com/meanderingeats) or I’m going to miss San Diego. I’m going to my blog (meanderingeats.com) how things are. miss places like Cucina Urbana, where I had After all, I have to keep a must-try list going for many wonderful dinners with friends. Bakeries future visits.

Until next time, San Diego. Eat well. like Con Pane, Panchita’s and Charlie’s Best Bread. San Diego’s amazing coffee roasters. TaWrite to editor@sdcitybeat.com. cos from TJ Oyster Bar and happy-hour tapas

the wandering

appetite

12 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

the floating

library

by jim ruland

Catching up with a classicist Anne Carson With the publication of Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse in 1998, Anne Carson became something of a cult figure.

Carson employed the familiar trope of taking a story out of Greek lore and making it contemporary. But Autobiography of Red is neither epic like James Joyce’s Ulysses nor archaic like Mary Shelley’s retelling of “The Modern Prometheus” in Frankenstein.

Carson uses the obscure story of Herakles’ killing of Geryon, a red-winged creature who watches over a herd, to explore why we are cursed with “the human custom of wrong love.”

What little we know of the original tale survives in fragments attributed to Stesichoros, who lived, Carson tells us with tongue planted firmly in cheek, in the time between Homer and Gertrude Stein.

In Carson’s version, Geryon is an inordinately sensitive young man who can “feel his eyes leaning out of his skull on their little connectors.” Abused by his brother and shunned by his mother, when Geryon comes of age, he trades the domestic nightmare of his childhood home for the rough companionship of Herakles, who proves to be even more indifferent to Geryon’s affection than his mother. Red’s “autobiography” documents their on-andoff romance and Geryon’s burgeoning relationship to art.

Geryon is a hugely sympathetic character—a wounded bird who has to be coaxed from the nest he’s built for himself. He’s also a monster: His skin is red, and he possesses enormous wings that he keeps hidden underneath his clothing. Geryon is both a modern figure and a mythological creature in the same way that Carson’s book is both a novel and a poem.

If an artist is someone who makes the old new and the familiar unfamiliar, then Carson certainly qualifies. The fact that she’s an expert in mythology and teaches ancient Greek for a living is both the key to her work and beside the point, because her concerns are contemporary and her language fresh.

“A church bell rang across the page and the hour of six P.M. flowed through the hotel like a wave. Lamps snapped on and white bedspreads sprang forward, water rushed in the walls, the elevator crashed like a mastodon within its hollow cage.”

All you really need to know is that Carson writes whatever the hell she wants. Her stories, structure and language are unique, which probably says something about our culture’s ambiva-

lent attitude toward history and its chroniclers.

Earlier this year, and 15 years after the publication of Autobiography of Red, Carson released a sequel of sorts called Red Doc>. The front flap, typically reserved for teasers from the publisher’s marketing department and blurbs from peers, contains a 50-word statement from the author in which she describes her motives.

“Some years ago I wrote a book about a boy named Geryon who was red and had wings and fell in love with Herakles. Recently I began to wonder what happened to them in later life. Red Doc> continues their adventures in a very different style with changed names.”

Carson isn’t kidding around.

Red Doc> bears little resemblance to its forbear. Even the way the words are assembled on the page is unusual: column after column of justified type that guides the eye down the page.

Geryon, now older and more confident, is recognizable as G, and Herakles has been transformed into The Great Sad as a result of his participation in a war that tried to teach him how to accept the unacceptable—with mixed results.

Red Doc> is a book in which interesting things happen but the events aren’t connected in a linear fashion. G befriends bats. Sad gets hospitalized. Cows hallucinate and fly. It’s all funneled into remarkable slivers of language that dazzle.

“Out of black nothing into perfect expectancy—flying has always given him this sensation of hope— like glimpsing a lake through trees or that first steep velvet moment the opera curtain parts.”

Carson is a master of the multiple. There are always several things going on at once. The mythological markers aren’t always visible, but they’re there.

Her erudition explains her vision, but it’s her passion that engulfs the reader.

While neither book can be called conventional, it’s not necessary to read Autobiography of Red before Red Doc>. I’m not even sure if it’s advisable to read Red Doc> in sequence. There are gaps in the story line and character development that don’t feel like they’re missing so much as lost. It’s as if Carson penned a complete manuscript and left only jumbled fragments behind.

Leave it to Carson to turn her readers into modern-day archaeologists, puzzling over the broken pieces of a culture that we will never understand.

Write to jimr@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

the

SHORTlist

ART

COORDINATED BY ALEX ZARAGOZA

DIRK HANSEN

pion Brewery” award at the 2013 San Diego International Beer Competition), Stone Brewing Co. and Green Flash Brewing. Bottom line: beer aficionados will have roughly 120 beers to choose from. In the words of Frank the Tank from the movie Old School, “Once it hits your lips, it’s so good.”

Event co-organizer Tom Nickel points out that since the fest is happening at the track (2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd. in Del Mar) during racing season, attendees get more bang for their buck.

“You can go to the beer festival, and then you can go back and watch the races and watch the ponies,” Nickel says. There’s also a Bet on the ponies after guzzling beers at the Del Mar Beer Fest. free concert that night by Sammy Hagar and the Wabos. That’s right: Van Halen’s ex-replacement singer San Diego isn’t at a loss for beer festivals. will be on-hand to get the ladies reminiscing about We seem to have one every weekend and, their days as hair-metal babes in skintight acid-wash for the most part, they’re pretty similar. So why make jeans. There will even be some of Hagar’s Cabo the Del Mar Racetrack Beer Fest our favorite event Wabo Tequila on hand if you want to go full-force on this week? We figure that after the insane nerd-nado the nostalgia. of Comic-Con and its traffic-making ways, you could “It’s multiple experiences in one,” Nickel says. probably use a beer.

“Definitely a unique experience in beer festing.”

The festival, happening from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Entry to the beer festival, races and concert is July 27, will feature 35 breweries, 16 of which are only $6. However, to taste the beers, it’s an additionfrom right here in San Diego. The line-up includes al $17, which gets you five tasting tickets, each one AleSmith Brewing Company, Port Brewing, Monkey good for a 7-ounce pour. Go to the calendar section Paw, Societe, Lost Abbey (which received the “Cham- at dmtc.com for more info.

1

2

BEER ME ANOTHER FESTIVAL

WHITE COOL

For its Jazz Residency Project, the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park picked three outstanding musicians to perform three Thursday evening shows each. First up in June was Danny Green and August’s featured artist will be Mark Dresser (with performances on Aug. 15, 22 and 29). At 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, the truly outstanding Joshua White—whose piano skills secured him a second-place finish in the 2011 Thelonius Monk International Piano Competition—and his quartet will perform two sets with special guest Hugh Ragin.

Ragin, a trumpeter, has performed with greats like Dizzy Gillespie and poet Amiri Baraka. The performance is free with museum admission, snacks and Joshua White beverages will be available for purchase and the galleries will be open for perusing until 9 p.m. sdmart.org

14 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

3

WITH FEELING!

The folks who organize the monthly “Visual Art Music Performance” showcase, better known as VAMP, choose performers from blind online submissions and then put them through a rigorous workshop process to flush out often powerful and onceprivate material. The final product is a live readings of stories, often accompanied by witty power-point style presentations, music and boisterous crowd reactions. This month’s showcase, from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday, July 25, is themed “They Had It Laura Condi Coming” and the lineup features performances from nine writers, including Laura Condi, Jessica Hilt, Eddie Deull and Julia Evans. The monthly event’s been packing the Whistle Stop (2236 Fern St. in South Park) since 2009, so get there early to grab a seat. There’s a $5 suggested donation. sosaywecallonline.com

Cruising the Art Scene at Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad. Stroll through multiple galleries for this open house event that includes live music and refreshments. From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25. 760931-8400, coalartgallery.com

Book Store, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. The author joins the San Diego Writers Workshop to discuss the writing process and his novel, Little Wolves. At 7 p.m. Monday, July 29. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

HFemme Fatale at El Dorado, 1030 Broadway, Downtown. Five female artists—Jessica Krantz, Espana Garcia, Michele Del Rey, Miranda Marks and Carrie Anne Hudson show their work Event also includes live music and burlesque performances. At 9 p.m. Thursday, July 25. eldoradobar.com

Kevin Hearne at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. Hough discusses Iron Druid, which follows a 1,000-year-old warrior named Atticus O’Sullivan. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 30.

858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

Sunset Art Walks at Bernardo Winery, 13330 Paseo del Verano N., Rancho Bernardo. Enjoy art, food and music every Friday through Oct. 4. The winery’s tasting room will be open late. From 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 26. 858-487-1866. bernardowinery.com Gypsy Bride at CSUSM Art Gallery, 1080 W. San Marcos Blvd., San Marcos. A series of oil paintings that explore the tradition of marriage in Western culture by artist Raziah Roushan. Runs through Aug. 18.

Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 26 Digital Design Showdown at World Resources Simulation Center, 1088 Third Ave., Downtown. A fast-paced design competition where participants go head to head, getting 20 minutes to create a piece of artwork in 2D, 3D, and animation competition categories. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Friday, July 26. $10-$20. wrsc.org True Ryndes at Kensington Gallery, 4186 Adams Ave., Kensington. Last chance to view exquisite paintings and one-of-a-kind silk scarves. From 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, July 26. 619 534 8120, kensingtongallery.org Regina Lyubovnaya at Monarch Gallery, 1205 Prospect St., La Jolla. Meet the expressive oil painter and see her new work.

RSVP requested at info@monarchfineart. com. From 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 27.

858-454-1231, monarchfineart.com HLiving Lowbrow at Encinitas Library, 540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas. Mary Fleener curates the work of 24 artists who operate outside of the realm of artistic hierarchy.

On view through Aug. 27. From 2 to 4 p.m.

Saturday, July 27, encinitaslibfriends.org HTenant Series Exhibition #1 at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. Check out the kick-off opening for this series of one-week exhibitions of work by Space 4 Art tenants. This week, see art by Victor Pena, Meghan Augustine and Bob Jones.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 27, sdspace4art.org/2013/07/july-24-27-2013 A Moment in Time at Mission Trails Regional Park, One Father Junipero Serra Trail, San Carlos. Award-winning photographer Jim Schwertman displays the photos from his years of traveling the world.

On view through Aug. 23. Opening from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 28 Art in the Afternoon at Timken Museum of Art, Balboa Park. Education Director Kristina Rosenberg leads a gallery talk about the dress and display in Northern Italian Renaissance portraits. At 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. 619-2395548, timkenmuseum.org

COMEDY Anita Miller at Haritna Mediterranean Restaurant, 7303 El Cajon Blvd., La Mesa. Lots of laughs with the veteran stand-up comic.

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24. 619-4622722. brewhahaentertainment.com Daryl Wright at Mad House Comedy Club, 502 Horton Plaza, Downtown. Hear the hilarious stand-up from a comedian who was once homeless and sleeping on trains. At 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 26-27. $15. 619-7026666, madhousecomedyclub.com Roar Theatre’s Improv Show at Twiggs University Heights, 4590 Park Blvd., University Heights. A completely improvised show based on audience suggestions.

From 8 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $5. roartheatre.com

FOOD & DRINK National Tequila Day at Cafe Coyote, 2461 San Diego Ave., Old Town. Try 24 high-end tequilas to celebrate lime and salt’s favorite spirit. From 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, cafecoyoteoldtown.com Greek Classics Without the Tragedy at Venissimo Cheese, 871 G St., Downtown.

Taste cheeses that Robby G. has collected from his travels in Greece. Ticket includes samples and a glass of wine. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 25. $50. 619-3589081, venissimo.com History Happy Hour at San Diego History Center, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Owner and brewmaster at Alpine Beer, Pat McIlhenney, discusses featured IPAs. The documentary SUDS will also be shown.

From 5:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 26. 619232-6203, 6785. sandiegohistory.org HGrand Opening at Thorn Street Brewery, 3176 Thorn St., North Park. Enjoy beer specials, food, prizes and a ribbon cutting with former Mayor Jerry Sanders. At 10 a.m. Saturday, July 27, facebook.com/ events/379413342141512 HWine Country Festival at Bernardo Winery, 13330 Paseo del Verano N., Rancho Bernardo. Taste wines from more than 20 local wineries and meet the winemakers in person. Ticket includes 12 tastings, a fresh baguette, olive oil and vinegar for dipping. From 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $25-$30. 858-487-1866, localwineevents.com/events/detail/481559

BOOKS

Wine-Tasting Benefit at Cielo Village, 18055 Calle Ambiente, Rancho Santa Fe. Taste wines from Benizger Family Winery and Imagery Estate Winery in an effort to raise money for the San Diego Center for Children. From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $50. centerforchildren.org

Meg White Clayton at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The author discusses her novel The Wednesday Daughters, which is about mothers, daughters and the secrets they share. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24. 858-4540347, warwicks.indiebound.com

HDel Mar Beer Fest at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Meet local brewers and tastings from among 40 top-rated San Diego beers. Afterwards former Van Halen lead singer Sammy Hagar performs. At 1 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $20. 858-755-1141, dmtc.com

Thomas Maltman at Mysterious Galaxy

Bees & Cheese at Mission Hills Nursery,

1525 Fort Stockton, Mission Hills. Beekeeper Paul Maschka shows guests how to grow plants to attract bees and which cheeses pair well with honey. From 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 28. $35. 619-358-9081, brownpapertickets.com/event/415743 Dual Chef Bartender Shakedown at Hilton Carlsbad Oceanfront Resort & Spa, 1 Ponto Road, Carlsbad. Top chefs and bartenders compete before an expert panel for a chance at the finals at San Diego’s Spirits Festival. Guests get the opportunity to taste the competitors’ creations.

From 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, July 28. $20.

8585511605, sandiegospiritsfestival.com/ event/chefbartender-shakedown HBrew Rendezvous at Handlery Hotel, 950 Hotel Circle N., Mission Valley. A local craft-beer and food pairing fundraiser featuring top brewers, restaurants and sustainable farms. Proceeds benefit the Community Health Improvement Program.

From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 28.

619-298-0511, sdchip.org/brew Vinopera Winemaker & Music Paired Dinner at Acqua Al 2, 322 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Selections from two wineries from the Spanish region of Ribera del Duero will be paired with a four-course meal. Daniel Hendrick and Kasondra Kazajian perform.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. $70. 619-230-0382, acquaal2.com

HEALTH & WELLNESS Living Healthy on a Budget at Mira Mesa Library, 8405 New Salem Strett, Mira Mesa. Get tips from experts on how to eat healthy without going broke. From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 30. 858-5388165, sandiegolibrary.org

MUSIC HThe Low Frequency Ensemble at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. An acoustic performance by Aubrey Foard, Jory Herman, Nicolee Kuester, Eric Starr and Leyla Zamora. At 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 24. $10-$20. sdspace4art. org/2013/05/july-24-2013 International Youth Symphony Chamber Music Concert at Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park. Featuring a number of musical pieces for both small winds and strings groups. From 7 p.m.

Thursday, July 25. 6192333232, sdys. org/events/international-youth-symphonychamber-music-concert Santee’s Summer Concert Series at Town Center Community Park, 9400 Cuyamaca St., Santee. The start of a nineweek concert series in the park with the opening day performance by Left4Dead.

From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 25.

619-258-4100 ext.218, ci.santee.ca.us HThursday Night Jazz: Joshua White at the San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park. White and his quartet are joined by famed trumpeter Hugh Ragin. At 7 p.m.

Thursday, July 25. Free with museum admission. sdmart.org/calendar Sene Africa at Museum of Photographic Arts, Balboa Park. World music and traditional songs from Senegal with Ibrahima Ba and Abdoulaye Sow. At 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25. 619-238-8777, mopa.org/ calendar/2013-07-25 Beach Party at Kona Kai Resort & Spa, 1551 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island.

Elan Trotman performs as part of the resort’s outdoor summer music series. At 6:30 p.m. Friday, July 26. 619-221-8000, resortkonakai.com

HSummer in the Park at Trolley Barn Park, 1998 Adams Ave., University Heights. The free weekly concert series hosts the Bill Magee Blues Band. Bring your picnic basket and lawn chairs. From 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 26. 619-274-8010. uhcdc.org/whatsNew.html HCalifornia Loves Zydeco at Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2004 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. Ruben Moreno plays his unique blend of honky-tonk, blues and zydeco.

Dance lessons at 6:30 p.m.; show from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, July 26. $10. centroculturaldelaraza.com/upcoming-events Fourth Fridays Jazz Series at La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Award-winning pianist Mike Garson and bassist Rob Thorsen perform. Complimentary hors d’oeuvers and a glass of wine. At 7 p.m. Friday, July 26. $15-$25.

858-459-0831, ljcommunitycenter.org Louie Cruz Beltran at Wood House, 1148 Rock Springs Road, San Marcos. A Latin Jazz performance in the gardens of an old Victorian home. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27, san-marcos.net Hillcrest Wind Ensemble Cabaret at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Hear music from Broadway and the big band era in the Mississippi Room. At 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $15-$20. 619-6922077 ext. 814, hillcrestwindensemble.com Grainne Hambly & William at Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad. Irish and Scottish harpists combine their talents and play concertina, tinwhistle and bouzouki as well. At 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 27. 760-438-5996, museumofmakingmusic.org Sounds of Brasil at Upstart Crow, 835

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

West Harbor Drive, Seaport Village. Hear the tropical sounds of Brazil as part of Upstart Crow’s July music series. From 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 27. 619-232-4855, upstartcrowtrading.com/live-music Alphabet Soup at Qualcomm Hall, 5775 Morehouse Drive, Sorrento Valley. A benefit concert where guests enjoy toe-tappin’ Southern jazz performances as sung by the San Diego Chorus. From 5:30 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, July 27. $60. 858-587-1121, rollingreadersconcert.eventbrite.com Kanan Road at Bird Park, Thorn and Upas streets, North Park. Country-rock group Kanan Road performs at park of the Bird Park Summer Concerts series. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27. northparksd.org/concerts Beach Party at Kona Kai Resort & Spa, 1551 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island.

Whitney Shay performs as part of the resort’s free summer music series. At 2 p.m.

Sunday, July 28. 619-221-8000 Athenaeum Summer Festival at Scripps Ranch Institute, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. Celebrated pianist Gustavo Romero performs a four-part concert series every Sunday, celebrating composers Maurice Ravel and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

At 4 p.m. Sunday, July 28. $35-$50. 858459-3728, ljathenaeum.org/musicfest.html Summer Sizzle at San Dieguito Academy, 800 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas. North Coast Symphony presents its annual pops concert with works by Offenbach, Vaughan Williams and Jerry Brubaker. At 4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 28. $10. northcoastsymphony.com International Summer Organ Festival at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, Balboa Park.

Barbara Dennerlein, a German-born organ virtuoso, who specializes in jazz, performs

16 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

“Candye Kane as Wonder Woman” by Julie Warren is part of Wonder Women: On Paper and Off, on view at the Women’s Museum of California (2730 Historic Decatur Road, Suite 103, in Point Loma’s Liberty Station) through Sept. 1.

as part of the free concert series. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 29, sosorgan.org SummerFest at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, Coast Blvd., La Jolla. Bring your picnic blanket for a free outdoor concert featuring SummerFest artists and the San Diego Youth Symphony. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. 619-233-3232. sdys.org

OUTDOORS Best Beer Can Party Ever at Bali Hai, 2230 Shelter Island Drive, Point Loma.

View yacht races from the dock while you enjoy live music from Music Moves and cuisine from Chef Dion Morales. Boats sail in honor of Craig Williams. At 6 p.m.

Wednesday, July 24. 619-222-1181, balihairestaurant.com San Diego River Walk at Rio Vista Trolley Station, 2185 Station Village Way, Mission Valley. A guided walk hosted by the San Diego River Park Foundation. From 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 25, sandiegoriver.org

dogs.eventbrite.com GreenDrinks at California Kebab & Beer Garden, 4150 Mission Blvd. #208, Pacific Beach. Hear the latest from the American Institute of Architects on how Mission Beach and Pacific Beach can become self-sufficient eco-communities. From 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, July 30. 858-270-5222, greendrinks.org

SPECIAL EVENTS Bonkers for Bingo at The Pearl Hotel, 1410 Rosecrans St., Point Loma. Bring your friends for a chance to win awesome prizes. At 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, thepearlsd.com Extreme Autofest Car Show & Concert at Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road,

Mission Valley. Rock, reggae and hip-hop performances take place alongside hundreds of custom vehicles. See a low-rider hop contest and motorcycle stunt show.

From 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $20.

619-407-4180, extremeautofest.com Superheroes’ Night Out at New Children’s Museum, 200 W. Island Ave., Downtown. Join the museum for art and superhero themed activities. There will be a hosted bar and food from local restaurants. From 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $25-$35.

619-233-8792, stayclassy.org/san-diego/ events/superheroes-night-out/e25303 July Artisan Market at Coast Highway Traders, 530 S. Coast Hwy 101, Encinitas.

Support local artists and small businesses in downtown Encinitas. The market features artists Crystal B. Cruz, Linda Deremo

and Yvonne Sliger. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, July 27. 760-944-1381, coasthhwytraders.com Doggie Street Festival at Liberty Station, Roosevelt & Cushing, Point Loma.

Check out pet-oriented vendors and perhaps take home an adoptable pup. More than 30 agencies will be on-site to answer your questions. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 27, doggiestreetfestival.org Obon Festival at Vista Buddhist Temple, 150 Cedar Road, Vista. See taiko drumming performances and other cultural demonstrations. Enjoy Japanese food, boutique items and game booths. From noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 27. 760941-8800, vbtemple.org Haute La Jolla Nights at La Jolla Village Square, 8657 Villa La Jolla Dr., La Jolla.

Enjoy a night of live music, art, shopping and dining deals. Over 20 San Diego bands perform jazz, blues, country and other genres. At 6 p.m. Saturday, July 27, lajollabythesea.com/hautelajollanights Bridal Bazaar at San Diego Convention Center, 111 W Harbor Drive, Downtown.

Get ideas for your wedding from over 200 experts and see hundreds of vendors.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, July 28. $12. 619-525-5000, BridalBazaar.com Cajon Classic at Prescott Promenade, East Main St., El Cajon. The weekly car show attracts over 200 model and classic vehicles. This week’s them is Cajon Speed Week. Enjoy restaurant specials, kids activities and vendors. From 5 to 8 p.m. Wednes-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

Get Their Butt on a Bike at Bicycle Warehouse, 4650 Santa Fe St., Pacific Beach. Celebrate 21 years of operation with giveaways and free barbeque. Manufacturers Thule, Giant Bicycles and Endura showcase their latest merchandise.

From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 27.

858-273-7300, bicyclewarehouse.com

PERFORMANCE Circus & Magic at Victory Theater, 2558 Imperial St., Logan Heights. Technomania Circus presents an all-ages variety show featuring Sleeveless the Magician. At 8 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $8. 619-2361971, technomaniacircus.com North County’s Got Talent at Brooks Theater, 217 North Coast Hwy., Oceanside.

Singers, dancers, jugglers and all talented people are invited to audition for a chance to perform on the main stage of the Sunset Market and win cash prizes. From 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 27-28.

760-433-8900, oceansidetheatre.org HFeelin Groovy at Birch North Park Theater, 2891 University Ave., North Park. San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus sings and dances to songs from the psychedelic ’60s. At 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 27, and 7:30 p.m. Sunday, July 28. 619-239-8836, sdgmc.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HThe Had it Coming at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. VAMP storytellers dish about wrong choices, wrong paths and people who got what was coming to them.

From 8:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday, July 25.

619-284-6784, sosayweallonline.com HPoetry & Art Series at San Diego Art Institute-Museum of the Living Artist, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Participating poets have a chance to win cash prizes and represent San Diego at the National Poetry Slam in Boston on Aug. 12. At 6:30 p.m.

Friday, July 26, sandiego-art.org Poetry Ruckus at Ducky Waddle’s Emporium, 414 N. Coast Hwy. 101, Encinitas.

Brett Benson, a.k.a. Weasley, joins the live poetry line-up. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 31. 760-632-0488, ruthlesshippies.org

POLITICS & COMMUNITY All for One at Knotty Barrel, 844 Market St., Downtown. Raise money for Freedom Dogs and mingle with the people who train the service dogs. From 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 27. 619-269-7156, freedom-

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

day, July 31. 619-401-8858, downtownec.com

SPORTS Renegade Roller Derby Bout at Skate San Diego, 700 East 24th St., National City. San Diego’s derby girls take on the girls from Arizona. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, July 27. $12. 619-474-1000, brownpapertickets.com/event/405760 Run For The Warriors at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 111 W. Harbor Drive, Downtown. Run for the men and women wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At 6 a.m. Sunday, July 28. $25-$30. 910-381-8272, hopeforthewarriors.org/sandiegorun

Jankovia and Flavia Pennatta playing. See website for full schedule. Monday, July 29 through Sunday, Aug. 4. 619-231-6664, southerncaliforniaopen13.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Topics in Skepticism at Joyce Beers Community Center, 3900 Vermont St., Hillcrest. Join other conspiracy theorists, UFO believers and others for a group discussion about how these hoax topics affect the public.

From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, July 28, sdari.org

For full listings, please visit

Southern California Open at Omni Hotel, 675 L St., Downtown. A major stop on the tennis Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series with top players Ana Ivanovic, Jelena

“E vents” at sdcit yb eat.com

THEATER Fruitful summertime theater If you’d substituted the wine drinking for beer drinking, Sideways the movie might have become the ultimate guy picture, because it had all the other requisite elements, including sexual escapades with two gorgeous women. Even with wine instead of beer, Sideways, adapted from Rex Pickett’s novel, became a hit that burnished the reputations of director Alexander Payne, actor Paul Giamatti and the Santa Ynez Valley wine country. Now Pickett’s tale of two buddies on a no-holds-barred road trip has been turned into a play, adapted by Pickett and directed by Des McAnuff for La Jolla Playhouse.

Can a road movie be turned into a play? Absolutely. With the inventive use of quickly interchangeable tasting-room, hotel-room and restaurant sets, along with picturesque backdrops of the Central Coast, this Playhouse production carries you away every bit as well as the film did. After all, Sideways is less a travelogue than a ride-along with two flawed but funny protagonists—the neurotic oenophile Miles (Patrick Breen) and the engaged party boy Jack (Sean Allan Krill). When they encounter comely waitress Maya (Nadia Bowers), party-girl wine pourer Terra (Zoe Chao) and a beer-swilling boar killer named Brad (Tom Patterson), you know you’re in for one hell of a ride.

Pickett’s play takes a few significant detours from the 2004 film (director Payne and Jim Taylor wrote that screenplay), but the essence of the story is the same. The Playhouse cast is, like a good pinot noir, rich and memorable, with Krill turning in a knockout performance that blends physicality with deft timing. His Jack, hedonist though he may be, is more likable and profound than Thomas Haden Church’s movie version. Krill’s Jack is a friend to the end—betrayals, bloody noses and all.

Breen has his moments—especially when Miles is filthy drunk—and the boar hunt the guys embark upon is a raucous departure from the tasting rooms. Terra’s gun-wielding confrontation of the duplicitous Jack is even more dangerous to our heroes. But survive it all they do.

18 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

KEVIN BERNE

From left: Sean Allan Krill, Zoe Chao, Nadia Bowers and Patrick Breen Sideways the play is more profane than the film (a good thing) and less precious (an even better thing). Wine lovers will be thirsty on the way out—maybe a few beer drinkers, too.

Sideways runs through Aug. 25 at La Jolla Playhouse. $15 and up. lajollaplay house.org.

—David L. Coddon Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING Double Indemnity: In a theatrical version of the 1943 noir novel and 1944 film, an insurance man falls for a sexy dame who wants her husband dead. Opens July 27 at The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. oldglobe.org In the Heights: A musical about working-class folks trying to get ahead in a Dominican-American neighborhood in New York City. Opens July 30 at the Lyceum Theatre at Horton Plaza, Downtown. sdrep.org Sister Act: A nightclub singer witnesses a murder and is sent, via witness-protection program, to a convent, where she teaches the choir to rock.

Presented by Broadway San Diego, it runs July 30 through Aug. 4 at the Civic Theatre, Downtown. broadwaysd.com The Wizard of Oz: A Kansas girl’s blunt-force head trauma sends her to a colorful land where men are made of straw and tin, lions dance and monkeys fly. Opens July 24 at Moonlight Amphitheatre in Visa. moonlightstage.com You Say Tomato, I Say Shut Up!: The nationally touring stage version of a 2010 book by comedians Annabelle Gurwitch and Jeff Kahn about their real-life marriage and family. Opens July 24 at the Lyceum Theatre at Horton Plaza, Downtown. lyceumevents.org

For full listings, please visit T heater ” at sdcit yb eat.com

alex zaragoza

a thinker’s theater The new performance group Public Moves makes it for the masses

by Alex Zaragoza

Public Moves’ Michael Mufson (left) and John Polak spread social justice through theater.

“S

tay away from my pipeline!” bellows the smarmy Senator Cash in front of the hordes of Comic-Con attendees making their way into the San Diego Convention Center. Dressed in a Wall Street-slickster suit, he’s shilling for the Keystone Pipeline, which would carry Canadian tar sands across the United States for refining.

Senator Cash loves money. You can see it in his eyes— mainly because there are big, glittery dollar signs on the lenses of his U.S.-flag-emblazoned sunglasses. And that’s why Senator Cash loves oil—big, black, juicy oil that will make his wallet nice and thick. He doesn’t give a damn about the environment.

Another thing about Senator Cash: He’s a farce. No, not in the accidental way so many ultra-right-wing conservatives tend to be farcical; he’s an actual farce, an activist street-theater character created by Michael Mufson that Mufson takes to protests under the umbrella of Public Moves Ensemble Theater (publicmoves.org).

Only 8 months old, Public Moves’ mission and motto is to create “theater projects for the public good.” The company is the brainchild of Mufson, John Polak and Marcos Martinez. They’re theater professors at Palomar College, Mesa College and California State University, San Marcos, respectively, and have been involved in all aspects of theater for 20 years or longer.

“I think, in some ways, [Public Moves] is a maturation of all three of us,” Mufson says. “We’ve known each other for 15 years and we’ve gone together frequently over those years and talked about what we love about the theater and talked about our politics and our points of views.”

Judging by Mufson’s T-shirt, which has an American flag on the chest and reads “Please stand by… our democracy is experiencing technical difficulties,” it’s safe to say some of those discussions were subversive.

“We agree on many things, disagree on some things,” he

continues. “But we agree that theater should address the political, social-justice culture that we’re in. And so now, we’re three mature theater artists, three mature teachers who’ve reached a point in their lives where we have the opportunity to make all of those things concrete in the form of a company that engages in the public.”

It was through these discussions that they decided to start making the kind of theater they want to see: didactic performance that borrows from various theatrical forms.

Those include Brechtian theater, which calls for repeated breaking down of the fourth wall; the theater-of-the-oppressed method of using performance as a means of political and social awareness; Tina Landau and Anne Bogart’s “viewpoints” technique, an emphasis on movement and gesture; and Jerzy Grotowski’s “poor theater,” which means doing it all on a shoestring budget. But, above all, they want it to be fun—“theatrically delicious and intellectually nutritious,” as Mufson puts it.

The ensemble company takes a grassroots approach, working collaboratively and collectively on projects.

“Public Moves also exists to explore models of theater and explore ways of making, because if you make it with hierarchical power structures, then the product reflects hierarchical power structures,” Polak explains.

“I believe what I see around me is a slave-ish acceptance of the community model of doing theater,” adds Martinez, a master of the Suzuki method of acting, which incorporates martial arts and ancient-Greek theater styles to build an actor’s awareness of his body. He says he’s dissatisfied with what he thinks is contemporary theater’s lack of nerve.

“We wanted to do theater that is about people, real situations and things that are not being covered in the media.”

So far, Public Moves has been able to apply its principles to two productions. Earlier this year, Martinez directed Dreams in the Sand at CSU, San Marcos. Written by Escondido playwright Joe Powers, it tells the story of an immigrant

who dies in the desert while attempting to cross back into America after being deported. When it was in rehearsals, the trio decided to make it the first Public Moves production.

Later, at a festival in Greece, Martinez discovered a radical new play by French playwright Remi de Vos that addresses violence and immigration in Europe. The play, Alpenstock, is an absurdist satire of nationalism and xenophobic attitudes in Germany: A lederhosen-clad husband named Fritz fears his good German housewife, Grete, has been corrupted after purchasing foreign laundry detergent.

Freedom fries, anyone?

Martinez felt the play’s themes meshed well with current events, particularly border issues in San Diego, much like the way Arthur Miller’s The Crucible—about the Salem witch hunts in 17th-century Massachusetts—made perfect sense in the era of McCarthyism.

“The idea of Public Moves was to do theater that speaks to the human condition in contemporary society, which is what theater is supposed to do,” Martinez says.

He fell in love with the play’s ideas and style, despite knowing zero Greek. So he had it translated. Reading it in English, he loved it even more and decided to share it with his comrades. The men, along with actress and teacher Christina Wenning, staged the play at the San Diego Fringe Festival, which took place earlier this month.

Martinez, Mufson and Polak were so happy with the outcome that they’ve decided to stage the play again, on Sept. 12 at Palomar College. It’ll be a free show, possibly with a postperformance discussion—something that the ensemble very much wants to incorporate in all Public Moves pieces.

“The hope is that we entertain them for an hour, but we’ve given them something that’s interesting, provocative and mysterious,” Mufson says, “that they’re going to leave and still turn it over in their mind and chew on it.”

Write to alexz@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

seen local Hot boxed Small pieces of public art go a long way.

Whereas a childish drawing of a penis on a Realtor’s cheek can ruin a perfectly good bus bench, splashes of well-made art can turn an ordinary public object into a thing of beauty that encourages civic pride.

Utility boxes, for example, have become a popular conduit for public art.

You can see cool, colorful art-covered utility boxes in South Park, North Park and now Serra Mesa thanks to the Serra Mesa Utility Box Project.

Funded by the Serra Mesa Community Council, the project seeks to beautify the neighborhood and deter those damn street youths from tagging up the boxes. Along with that, Liz Rice, spokesperson for the Serra Mesa Community Council and the person spearheading the project, feels that it can bring a bit more culture to the area.

“I wanted to create a local art movement in Serra Mesa that is long overdue,” Rice says. “For the neighborhood to embody more culture, be more vibrant and colorful.”

The council was granted permission from San Diego Gas & Electric to use any of the utility boxes in the area as a canvas for local artists to create original pieces.

So far, Rice and the council have commissioned pieces from five artists: Sonia Lopez-Chavez, Saratoga Sake, Lukia Esparza, Elura Morris and Adam Kyron Murillo.

Murillo, 27, is a Chula Vista native. He describes his utility box as having a more “realistic feel” with a focus on landscape and local wildlife.

“What I’m trying to do is more of the surrounding animals and nature that are local to the Serra Mesa area, since I’m more of a landscape/portraiture artist,” explains Murillo, whose first utility box creation can be seen in front of William H. Taft Middle School. “I’m trying to get together with locals and ask what they think should be on the boxes.”

Murillo feels this project can have many positive effects on the community as well as the artists who participate.

“I think it’s a great idea because it promotes art, first of all,” he says. “Second, I’m not sure what their budget is, but hopefully they’ll be able to give work to these local artists that are trying to get their work out there. “ This is the beginning of what Rice and the council hopes to be a continuing project. Any artist who’d like to contribute can email artwork examples to Rice at emlmedia@yahoo.com. The council will evaluate all submissions for consideration.

Artist Lukia Esparza with her utility box The gallery is where Cirello and his partner, Jasmine Lee, created, displayed and sold their metal sculpture and jewelry. But as any gallery owner can tell you, the business side of things can affect one’s creative side.

This is why Cirello and Lee have decided to rent out the front half of their space to other artists and will focus on making their art in their private metalsmithing studio. Cirello Gallery will now be called Cirello Metalsmith.

“We need more time to be creative,” he says.

“We’ve been doing a lot of administration and working with other artists. It’s been lots of fun, but it’s time for us to focus on our jewelry.”

That need to zero in on their main calling is especially important now that their jewelry will be sold in the Smithsonian gift shop. Cirello and Lee want to spend their time making new pieces instead of worrying about the day-to-day business of running a gallery.

They’ve already rented out 400 square feet of the space to Brandon Hubbard and are looking for another artist to take over the other 400 square feet.

Cirello says the space can be used as a private gallery, studio or for retail.

Cirello and Lee will still sell and showcase their work at every Ray at Night, unveiling anything new they’ve made.

“We’re really excited,” Cirello says. “It’s something we’ve been thinking about for a year now. It’s going to relieve a lot of stress and pressure off our shoulders.”

“It is scary,” he adds. “It’s a big change, but we’re looking at it in a positive way.”

—Alex Zaragoza Write to alexz@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com

Changes at Cirello Gallery “But what I really want to do is direct.”

You hear actors say this all the time. So much so that it’s become cliché.

Matthew Cirello, owner of North Park’s Cirello Gallery (3803 Ray St., cirellogallery.com) started as a director, so to speak. Then he fell into acting, and then set design, and then somehow became the key grip who didn’t get a chance to set foot behind the camera as much as he used to. So now he’s going back to his original passion.

20 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

Cirello Gallery

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

Acid trip Michael Cera and Gabby Hoffman find fear and loathing in Chile

by Glenn Heath Jr. During the course of his career, Michael Cera has cornered the market on playing fidgety, insecure nerds. Whether it’s talking to girls, facing down opponents or even the simple act of breathing, Cera’s characters make every action look uncomfortable.

But his feeble frame and sarcastic sense Michael Cera is awkward and angry. of self-loathing often camouflages an internal courage that one doesn’t expect until he blooms actual people underneath. Silva allows each scene strength right before your eyes. Cera’s massive buildup to progress at a very lethargic pace; a few days’ time of repression eventually explodes like a geyser. Take, protracts into what feels like weeks. The film’s hazy for example, Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, visual look accentuates this feeling, as does the charthe only film thus far that has successfully channeled acters’ rambling dialogue, creating a space where the actor’s brand of heroic anti-masculinity. moments unfold at an instinctual pace. It’s as if CrysCera’s aggravating turn in Sebastián Silva’s oddly tal were directing a film about Jamie, and not the entrancing Crystal Fairy—opening Friday, July 26, at other way around. the Ken Cinema—is another beast entirely. On vacaThe drugged-out beach sequence that ends Crystion in Chile, his Jamie depicts every trait usually tal Fairy culminates in a campfire concession that associated with a typical ugly American: insensitive, seems fittingly random. Even though Jamie and arrogant, selfish and pushy. But his narcissism goes Crystal grow closer simply because of proximity and deeper than simple rude oblivitime, the divide between them ousness. Jamie’s personality is will always be vast due to their acidic and judgmental in a way contrasting views of the world.

Crystal Fairy that takes passive aggression to Jamie is the center of his own Directed by Sebastián Silva a high art form. universe, while Crystal obsesStarring Michael Cera, Gabby Most of the time Jamie’s sively soaks in the experiences Hoffman and Juan Andrés Silva host, Champa (Juan Andrés Silof others. Silva is less interested Not rated va), kindly ignores these flaws, in judging either character than opting to include him in variplacing them in the same frame ous adventures like a road trip and seeing what happens. to the Atacama Desert to find a local cactus that can This approach is interesting to an extent, but ulbe boiled down into a psychedelic agent. The night timately the story buckles under the pressure of its before Champa and his two younger brothers are set own ambiguity. Is there anything more to Jamie beto leave, Jamie drunkenly invites another traveling sides a crippling pattern of neediness and egotism?

American named Crystal Fairy (Gaby Hoffman) to Will he ever change? Is Crystal simply a free spirit at join them, only to become quietly enraged when she peace with her own past trauma? We’ll never know. actually takes him up on the offer the next day.

If Crystal Fairy captures one unnerving aspect of a As awkward and overbearing as Jamie is with vacation gone sideways, it’s how some people pretend nearly every social interaction, Crystal seems per- to want collective improvisation when, in reality, they fectly at ease with her new-age, flower-child self. just desire structure and personal control. The way The contrast in demeanors makes Silva’s film initially Jamie dictates the trip at every turn is horrific. He’s obnoxious. Jamie’s tantrums are mind-numbing and certain of only one thing: His experience, no matter boorish, while Crystal’s spirituality feels deathly con- how warped, is the most important. trived and thin. Having them in the same car traps the Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com viewer in a hostile space without any escape route.

Over time, though, these masks begin to reveal and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Submerged psychosis

Blackfish

22 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

Blackfish starts like so many documentaries do these days: with shock and awe. A 911 emergency call made on Feb. 23, 2010, from SeaWorld in Orlando, Fla., informs the viewer of a trainer not just being brutally killed, but “eaten” by a killer whale.

The victim’s name was Dawn Brancheau, a well-respected

professional who had what most described as a great working relationship with her murderer, a giant male orca named Tillicum.

From here, director Gabriella Cowperthwaite explores the nefarious nature of marineanimal captivity as a for-business venture, using the story of Tillicum as a focal point. Since his capture in 1983, the whale’s killed three people. Relying heavily on testimonials from ex-trainers and found footage,

the film positions Tillicum’s story as a grand tragedy of scientific and moral injustice, an indication of nature being bastardized for public exhibition.

This subject matter is especially topical to San Diego, considering how it bluntly addresses the environmental impact of SeaWorld as both a potentially corrupt institution and a kind of insane asylum for animals, with Tillicum being its prized mental patient. There’s a lot of anger here, and rightfully so. The talking-head interviews are intensely personal confessions from naïve and well-intentioned trainers attempting to gain closure for their culpable participation with big business.

Discourse really isn’t Cowperthwaite’s main concern, though.

Blackfish—opening Friday, July 26, at Hillcrest Cinemas—is more of a call to arms for awareness and activism. But the calculating execution is so emphatic, specifically the use of sweeping music cues to pinpoint emotion, that the filmmaking often stifles the message.

Even more troubling is how Blackfish uses death as climactic event, a way to confirm ideology instead of evaluate change.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

Opening Adventures in Wild California: The splendors of California get the IMAX treatment in this breathtaking documentary featuring a plethora of natural and human wonders.

Screens at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.

The Attack: An Israeli Palestinian surgeon finds his life destroyed after his wife is accused of conducting a suicide bombing that leaves countless dead. It’s directed

by Ziad Doueiri (West Beirut).

Blackfish: SeaWorld and its potentially corrupt business practices take a shellacking in this documentary about the killer whale responsible for three deaths during its time in captivity. See our review on Page 22.

Broche de Oro: Three senior citizens escape their strict retirement home for a road trip to the sea in this comedy from Puerto Rico. Screens through Aug. 1 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Crystal Fairy: Northern Chile’s Atacama Desert provides the backdrop to this road film about 20-somethings (Michael Cera, Gaby Hoffman) seeking the ultimate psychedelic drug trip. See our review on Page 22.

Smurfs 2: Another Smurfs movie, because why not? Opens Wednesday, July 31.

Storm Surfers 3D: Surfing legends Tom Carroll and Ross Clarke-Jones travel the globe seeking the ultimate wave, in 3-D. The To-Do List: Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) finally gets a leading role in this comedy about a high-school senior hoping to gain some life experience before heading off to college.

The Wolverine: Hugh Jackman reprises

his iconic role as the immortal clawed XMan battling a brutal band of Yakuza in modern Japan.

on all things fashion and film. Runs Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27 at La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art. Check ljfff. com for details.

One Time Only

Berberian Sound Studio: A British sound engineer (Toby Jones) travels to an Italian film studio for a project, only to get consumed by the psychedelic environment in this thrilling homage to the Giallo horror genre. Screens at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 26 and 27, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

(500) Days of Summer: Love is hard, so very hard, in the case of these two starcrossed millennials (Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel). Screens at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, July 24, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Monty Python and the Hold Grail: The King Arthur legend gets some serious revisionist treatment by John Cleese and company. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Garden in Escondido.

Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson’s divine story of runaway young love has an all-star cast that includes Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Edward Norton. Screens at 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 24, at the Mission Valley Library.

Terraferma: Set on a Sicilian island, Emanuele Crisalese’s latest film tells the story of an old-fashioned fisherman who rescues a boatload of African refugees, only to face the repercussions of his decision. Presented by the San Diego Italian Film Festival, it screens at 6 p.m. Thursday, July 25, at La Paloma Theatre in Encinitas.

Torn Curtain: Paul Newman and Julie Andrews star in this Alfred Hitchcock thriller about an American scientist posing as a defector in East Germany to smuggle out a secret formula. Screens at 8:30 p.m.

Thursday and Friday, July 25 and 26, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

La Jolla Fashion Film Festival: A series of diverse programs and parties based

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted: Alex, Mart, Gloria and the rest of the gang join a traveling circus in Europe hoping to find their way home. Screens at 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 27, at Morley Field Sports Complex in Balboa Park.

The Seven-Year Itch: Billy Wilder’s classic comedy-romance helped make Marilyn Monroe a superstar. Screens at 8:30 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday, July 27 and 28, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Reveal the Path: A documentary about what it means to live an inspired life by way of the bicycle. Screens at 6 p.m. Monday, July 29, at Tiger!Tiger! in North Park.

Rear Window: Jimmy Stewart plays an ace photographer who tries to solve a murder from his wheelchair in this iconic masterpiece of voyeurism and perspective by Alfred Hitchcock. Screens at 8 p.m. Monday, July 29, at the San Diego Museum of Art. Ginger and Rosa: Sally Potter’s latest drama follows two teenage girls living in 1960s London during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Screens at 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, at Hervey Branch Library in Point Loma.

Springsteen and I: See The Boss like you’ve never seen him before: up close and personal. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Tues-

day, July 30, at various local theatres. Visit fathomevents.com for details.

How to Train Your Dragon: Revisit this family favorite about a clumsy young Viking who befriends a young dragon despite being natural enemies. Screens at 10 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, July 30 and 31, at Reading Grossmont and Town Square Cinemas.

The Lorax: Dr. Seuss’ classic about a grumpy creature who helps a young boy find courage gets the big-screen treatment. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 31, at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens in Escondido.

The Graduate: Are you trying to seduce me, Mrs. Robinson? Screens at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, July 31, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

now playing Broken: An 11-year-old girl is forced to grow up quickly when she discovers a neighbor abusing another child and must face the consequences of telling the truth. Co-starring the great Tim Roth. Runs through July 25 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Conjuring: Ghosts and demons haunt a large suburban family who just moved into a rickety Rhode Island home with a dark past. It’s directed by horror maestro James Wan (Insidious, Saw).

For a complete listing

of movies pla ying locally, please see “F ilm S creenings” at sdcit yb eat.com under the “E vents” tab.

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

Eli Watson / flickr

Down with 311

The unintentional hilarity—and surprising charm—of a dated rap-rock band

by Peter Holslin Ever have a 311 moment?

Let’s say you’re at a party, sipping on a tall can of PBR and joking around with friends. All of a sudden, you remember the words to “Down,” the 1995 anthem by Omaha rap-rock quintet 311.

“Hey, everybody, remember ‘Down’?!” you ask. People smile, chuckle and nod their heads. Yes, they remember. Of course they remember. So, you pick up your air guitar, strum out some beefy riffs and, in an act of drunken irony, belt at the top of your lungs: “Du-nu-nu-nu-nuuuuuuuh / down, down!”

That’s a 311 moment.

I’ve been having lots of 311 moments lately. Some of my friends have, too. If you’re a guy between the ages of 25 and 35—that is, if you were a middle-school or high-school kid in the mid-to-late ’90s, when the band was at its commercial peak—chances are you’ve had a 311 moment.

For some music listeners (me included), 311’s legacy boils down to the 311 moment.

We don’t put on 311 to ponder the artistic merits of “All Mixed Up” or “Beautiful Disaster.” We listen because we want to laugh, and, really, what’s funnier than 311’s awkward, unabashedly ’90s blend of hard-rock riffage, hip-hop flow, white-boy reggae riddim and pseudo-mystical lyricism about positivity and good vibes?

“Whoa, oh! Amber is the color of your energy.” Totally, bro.

Indeed, 311 might just be the world’s most unintentionally hilarious band. But maybe the joke’s on us—we 20- and 30something music snobs, who laugh at 311 today—because, after all, many of us used to actually like this band. We might be a little embarrassed to admit it, but back in middle school, we totally rocked out to “Down.”

Well, I know I did, at least.

Back in 1997, I was in seventh grade, grow-

24 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

ing up in the suburbs near the UTC mall.

Trying my hardest to be cool, I rocked a wallet chain, skate shoes, baggy pants and extralong canvas belt—usually all at the same time.

Among my prized possessions (alongside a skateboard, several Tech Decks and an impressive collection of yo-yos) was a copy of 311’s 1995 breakthrough self-titled album.

At the time, rap-rock and nü-metal were mandatory listening for any 12-year-old boy eager to be seen as a badass. I considered Limp Bizkit too aggro and Korn utterly baffling, but 311 hit my sweet spot. They had rocking riffs and a subversive allure—they took their name from Omaha’s police code for indecent exposure—but they came with a laid-back, enlightened-stoner attitude.

“Down,” 311’s opening track, was my No. 1 jam. Everything about it kicked ass: The beefy riffs of Nick Hexum and Jim Watson, the popping piccolo snare of drummer Chad Sexton, the wicked turntable scratches of S.A. Martinez. But it was Martinez’s rapping that really put the track over the edge. Spitting words with a tough, loose, rapid-fire flow, he was one of the coolest dudes I’d ever heard.

It’s funny how perceptions can change so radically with time. Eventually, I grew out of my rap-rock phase and found much better music to listen to. Realizing that 311 wasn’t that good after all, I came to see “Down” in a cringe-worthy new light.

Those beefy guitars? Cheap and digitized.

Those wicked turntables? A tawdry raprock cliché. And Martinez’s rhymes? They don’t even make sense!

“Chill! Light on my sight as my ego becomes / A funky child with some words on my tongue—.” Um, what?

“Down” still strikes a chord with me, though. Like so many middle-school boys back in the ’90s—and I was certainly one of them—the guys in 311 seemed to be trying

311 vocalist Nick Hexum, having a 311 moment desperately to fit in. They often failed miserably, stumbling along with clumsy riffs and trite rhymes. But “Down” was one of the few moments when they actually kind of pulled it off. “Down” is dated and totally hokey. But there’s no denying that it rocks.

So, here I am now, among all these 20somethings and 30-somethings who’ve grown up and gotten wiser, hipper and more critical when it comes to music. Out of a mixture of mean-spiritedness and nostalgia, we’ve turned 311 into the unwitting court jesters of rap-rock, with “Down” their biggest punch-line.

When I have another 311 moment, however, there will be traces of love in my laughter. It’s funny because it’s 311. But it’s extrafunny because I used to be down, too.

The thing about the 311 moment is that it isn’t just about 311. On a deeper level, it’s about the inextricable link between bad

music and bad taste. Before the 311 moment, there was the Poison moment. And after, there will definitely be the Skrillex moment. Many people have a favorite bad band—and, eventually, a bad-band moment to go with it. It’s all a part of growing up.

These days, rap-rock might be out of style, but 311 are still going strong. They continue to put out records and fill up amphitheaters with thousands of devoted fans—they’ll play with Sublime, Rome, Cypress Hill, Pennywise and G. Love & Special Sauce on Saturday, Aug. 3, at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

And they’ve accomplished something they might never have intended, but that’s still special in its own peculiar, perhaps frustrating way: They’ve made people laugh, one 311 moment at a time.

Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

notes from the smoking patio Locals Only

Jen Jansen

Another local musician is packing up and heading east.

After 10 years in San Diego, singer-songwriter Matt Curreri announced that he’s pulling up stakes and heading to Charlottesville, Va. However, the decision—motivated by an effort to remove the geographical gap in a long-distance relationship— was a bittersweet one for Curreri.

“San Diego has been so good to me over the past decade, and especially this past year when old friends have made me feel so loved through some very rough months,” Curreri says in an email to CityBeat.

Curreri has one more show scheduled in San Diego on Saturday, July 27, at Tin Can Ale House in Banker’s Hill (1863 Fifth Ave.). He’s also doing final mixes for an album that he’s finishing up before leaving.

“The band has gotten to a really good place, and I’m bummed to be leaving just as we’re hitting a new stride,” he says.

Curreri is also putting on a final production of “Little Shop of Horrors” on Thursday, July 25, with The Winston School Music Program, a program he founded at the Winston School in Del Mar, which specializes in curricula for students with learning differences.

As far as what comes next for Curreri, things are “still very up in the air at the moment,” he says. “I just plan to finish this play, rock the Tin Can, and get in the car.”

•••

Sleepwalking, the monthly low-rider-oldies club night, is re-launching after being cancelled at the Whistle Stop in May. On Saturday, July 27, organizers Jeff Graves and Michelle Rubano are kicking off the new series of Sleepwalking events with a launch party at Centro Cultural De La Raza in Balboa Park (2004 Park Blvd.).

After the inaugural event, Sleepwalking will be held monthly at Til-Two Club in City Heights (4746 El Cajon Blvd.).

“We were sad to see the night end at the Whistle Stop, but it grew to be too big for its britches,” says Graves in an email to CityBeat. “Til-Two will be a great new home, offering more parking for our lowrider community, a dedicated night geared more towards our music genres… and a more hospitable atmosphere for our fans.”

The first Sleepwalking at Til-Two is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 10.

music review Barbarian City of Women EP (Manimal Vinyl/Loose) Certain implications come attached to a name like Barbarian. It seems to indicate something raw and brutal, and most likely a bit histrionic. My mind goes to some middle ground between the pummeling sludge of High on Fire or the operatic power metal of Manowar, though your mileage may vary.

San Diego’s Barbarian sound nothing like Manowar or High on Fire,

26 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

Matt Curreri nor do they seem to draw much inspiration from the orgy scene in Conan the Barbarian (though if they ever get a big video budget, it’s something to think about). Rather, on the band’s new EP, City of Women, Barbarian deliver six tracks of dreamy, rhythmic indie rock, the likes of which fall a good distance from barbaric, veering much closer to the sublime.

The space that Barbarian inhabit on City of Women is an ethereal and fluid one, rife with ambient effects and shimmering guitars. Yet for a band whose sound is so atmosphere-heavy, Barbarian deliver hooks in plentiful supply. Lead-off track “California Nightmare” initially seems to levitate in a hushed, distorted miasma, but quickly erupts into a catchy indie-rock bounce, albeit one that maintains a dense, trippy atmosphere, complete with sitar-like guitar sounds.

“Night On Earth” maintains a similar motif, made more exotic with Latin rhythms and otherworldly backing vocals, lending an otherwise fun tune a touch of the sinister. As note-perfect as Barbarian are at crafting hazy, heady indie-psych, however, when they allow themselves the opportunity to rev up and let loose, the band can rock pretty damn hard.

Case in point: “Red Tide,” a Jesus and Mary Chainstyle rocker that layers on the fuzz thick and kicks up the tempo halfway through.

Barbarian is at their best when tempering their hard-rocking impulses with a dreamy, late-night ethereality, as they do on the EP’s gorgeous closer “Chromatose.” If the question is “What is best in life?” then Barbarian’s answer is moody, eerie indie-pop with hooks that never let go.

—Jeff Terich Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com or editor@sdcitybeat.com

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

if i were u

BY Jeff Terich

Wednesday, July 24 PLAN A: Meraki, Grand Tarantula, Uber Monk, Big Bad Buffalo, Number One Lincoln @ Che Café. Math rock is an endangered species these days, which is a shame. Feelings and sloppy power chords are nice enough, but there’s something cool about seeing four amazing musicians lock into a groove, which Meraki pull off nicely.

PLAN B: Amerikan Bear, TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb, Jimmy Ruelas @ Tin Can Ale House. About 3.5 million bands have covered “Hey Joe,” most versions of which will never touch Hendrix’s. Amerikan Bear hold their own on the classic tune, as well as their originals; the band does garage rock like it was in the 1960s: Loud, chaotic, and, above all, soulful.

local supergroup of sorts, featuring members of No Knife, Pinback, Sleeping People and Tanner. But the band sounds nothing like any of those groups, instead creating cinematic instrumentals akin to Calexico or Ennio Morricone’s film scores. BACKUP PLAN: Josephine Foster, Victor Herrero @ Seven Grand.

Sunday, July 28

PLAN A: Speedy Ortiz, Supermodel Razorblades, Tworooms @ Soda Bar. Remember the name Speedy Ortiz, because this band is going places. With one foot in the ’90s, the band churns out amazing tunes that sound like a more progressive Breeders, or Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville cranked to 11.

Prepare to be blown away. PLAN B: Jeru Thursday, July 25 the Damaja, Zoolay, Odessa Kane @ El PLAN A: Sonny and the Sunsets, Memo- Dorado. Jeru the Damaja made a name for ries, Teenage Burritos @ The Casbah. himself in the ’90s by dropping razor-sharp Sonny and the Sunsets’ Sonny Smith began rhymes on hip-hop records like The Sun as a blues pianist, honing his chops and Rises in the East. His signature song is “You Tommy McAdams paying his dues well beCan’t Stop the Prophet,” and fore getting into the indiethe man will most likely drop rock game. And it shows. some serious knowledge.

Smith is a hell of a songwriter, and knows his way Monday, July 29 around a hook. BACKUP PLAN A: Chico Trujillo, PLAN: New House, Stage Cumbia Machin, Amazon Kids, Happy Body Slow Audio @ The Casbah. And Brain, Quad IX, Sufficient now for something comSounds @ The Griffin. pletely different. Wash off the punk and garage-rock Friday, July 26 Writer grit with a show by Chico PLAN A: Swim Party, Trujillo, an eclectic ChilModern Rifles, Kalashnikov My Wife @ ean band that blends traditional Colombian Soda Bar. Swim Party have been playing cumbia with jazz, salsa, soca, ska and surfdiverse indie-rock sounds in San Diego for rock that always sounds like a party.PLAN a good seven years now, ably transition- B: Jeans Wilder, Summer Twins, Sixties ing from lengthy, dreamy compositions to Guns @ The Void. Very likely what most taut, harder-rocking gems. A must for any- people outside of our sunny burg imagine one who digs guitars. PLAN B: Hills Like bands from San Diego sound like, Jeans Elephants, River City @ Seven Grand. Wilder embody a lo-fi, surf-inspired garage Hills Like Elephants describe their sound aesthetic reminiscent of a less punk Wavves as “Motown with drum machines.” More or a more ramshackle Best Coast. The band’s accurately, they’re a soulful rock band with 2012 album Totally even begins with the a singer who can really belt. Whatever the sound of waves crashing on the beach. Somedescription, Hills Like Elephants bring the times it’s better to embrace it than fight it. jams. BACKUP PLAN: Surf Club, Sisu, Cruel Summer @ The Void.

Tuesday, July 30

Saturday, July 27 PLAN A: Shakey Graves, Amigo the Devil, New California Sun @ Soda Bar. Shakey Graves is Austinite Alejandro Rose-Garcia, a blues-country songwriter who knows how to kick-up a rustic, one-man hoedown.

He’ll be in good company with San Diego’s resident murder balladeer, Amigo the Devil, whom Peter Holslin profiled in CityBeat back in May. PLAN B: Montalban Quintet, Takahashi, Never Come Down, Subsurfer @ The Casbah. Montalban Quintet is a

28 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

PLAN A: Writer, Mrs. Magician, Illuminauts, DJ Mateo @ Soda Bar. Writer left San Diego for New York City last year, but thankfully the group is circling back over to their hometown to bring us more of their taut, fuzzy indie-rock. Rounding out the bill is Mrs. Magician, whose jangly surf-pop is always a pleasing sound. PLAN B: Whirr @ The Void. Whirr is about as apt as a name can get, in just one syllable summing up the swirling, hypnotic shoe-gaze sound of this Oakland band. Bring earplugs and be ready to get sucked into their euphoric vortex.

HOT! NEW! FRESH! Rocket From the Crypt (Del Mar Racetrack, 8/30), Todd Barry (The Casbah, 9/16), Matt Nathanson, Joshua Radin (HOB, 9/29), And So I Watch You From Afar (The Casbah, 10/4), Adult. (The Void, 10/12), Guitar Wolf (Soda Bar, 10/14), Widowspeak (The Void, 10/15), Chali 2na & House of Vibe (BUT, 10/18), Passion Pit (Open Air Theatre, 10/22), Paramore (Viejas Arena, 10/23), Har Mar Superstar (The Casbah, 10/24), Hunx and His Punx (The Irenic, 10/25), Gramatik (HOB, 11/7), Quasi (The Casbah, 11/12), English Beat (BUT, 11/22-23), The Black Crowes (Avalon, 12/11).

CANCELLED Van She, French Horn Rebellion (Soda Bar, 9/18), Matthew Good (Soda Bar, 9/29).

GET YER TICKETS Deafheaven (The Void, 8/22), Agent Orange (The Casbah, 8/30), Neko Case (HOB, 9/11), The Big Pink (Casbah, 9/13), Ra Ra Riot (Birch North Park Theater, 9/13), Rascal Flatts, The Band Perry (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/13), Titus Andronicus (The Irenic, 9/13), Wild Nothing, Pictureplane (Soda Bar, 9/14), The Album Leaf (The Irenic, 9/14), Jason Isbell (The Casbah, 9/17), Valient Thorr (The Casbah, 9/18), Dirty Beaches (The Void, 9/21), The Julie Ruin, La Sera (Irenic, 9/22), The Naked and Famous (HOB, 9/25), Woods, The Fresh & Onlys (Soda Bar, 9/26), Vampire Weekend (Open Air Theatre, 9/30), Shigeto (Casbah, 10/5), Travis (HOB, 10/6), Conor Oberst (BUT, 10/8), Pet Shop Boys (Copley Symphony Hall, 10/8), Phoenix (RIMAC Arena, 10/10), King Khan and the Shrines (Casbah, 10/11), Disclosure (HOB, 10/16), Supersuckers (Soda Bar, 10/20), Father John Misty (House of Blues, 11/1), Pearl Jam (Viejas Arena, 11/21), Obits (The Casbah, 11/22), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (Valley View Casino Center, 12/5).

July Wednesday, July 24 Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls at Valley View Casino Center. BoDeans at Belly Up Tavern. Ugly Boogie at The Casbah.

Thursday, July 25 The Cult at House of Blues. Sonny and The Sunsets at The Casbah. Hockey, Saint Motel at Soda Bar.

Friday, Aug. 2 Son Volt at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, Aug. 3 Sublime with Rome, 311, Cypress Hill, Pennywise, G. Love & Special Sauce at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. Daughn Gibson, William Tyler at The Casbah.

Sunday, Aug. 4 The Fabulous Thunderbirds at the Grand Del Mar.

Monday, Aug. 5 The Heavy at Belly Up Tavern.

Tuesday, Aug. 6 Xavier Rudd at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, Aug. 7 Sed Non Satiata at Che Café. Willie Nelson at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay. Xavier Rudd at Belly Up Tavern.

Thursday, Aug. 8 Foals at House of Blues.

Friday, Aug. 9 Midnight Red at House of Blues. Lightning Dust at The Casbah. Kenny Loggins at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, Aug. 10 Kenny Loggins at Belly Up Tavern. Mac Miller, Action Bronson, Chance the Rapper, Vince Staples, The Internet at SOMA. Rebelution & Matisyahu, Zion-I at SDSU Open Air Theatre. Sebadoh at The Casbah. P.O.D., Flyleaf at House of Blues. D’Angelo at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.

Sunday, Aug. 11 Luke Bryan at Sleep Train Amphitheatre. White Fence, Jessica Pratt at The Casbah. The Monkees at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay. The Ultimate Stones at the Grand Del Mar. Mike Stud at Porter’s Pub. Vaud and the Villains at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, Aug. 12 Smith Westerns at The Casbah. Plain White T’s at Belly Up Tavern.

Tuesday, Aug. 13 King Tuff at Soda Bar. Pacific Air at The Griffin.

Friday, July 26 The 1975 at The Casbah. Common Sense at House of Blues. Fitz and the Tantrums at Del Mar Racetrack.

Saturday, July 27 Audrey Napoleon at Voyeur. Maria Gadu at Spreckels.

Sunday, July 28 Speedy Ortiz at Soda Bar. Peter Murphy at Belly Up Tavern. Rancid, Transplants at House of Blues. Bob Log III at Casbah. Arrival at the Grand Del Mar.

Monday, July 29 Rancid, Transplants at House of Blues.

Tuesday, July 30 Hollywood Undead at House of Blues. Mister Lies at Soda Bar. Bad Rabbits at The Casbah. Whirr at The Void. The Chain Gang of 1974 at The Griffin.

Wednesday, July 31 Tom Odell at House of Blues. Misery Signals, The Color Morale, Elitist, The Kindred at Che Café.

Jesca Hoop at The Casbah.

August

Wednesday, Aug. 14 Jonas Brothers at Viejas Arena.

Thursday, Aug. 15 Taylor Swift at Valley View Casino Center. Cold War Kids at House of Blues. Souls of Mischief at Belly Up Tavern. Terry Malts at The Void.

Friday, Aug. 16 Les Claypool’s Duo De Twang at Belly Up Tavern.

Sunday, Aug. 18 Gregory Alan Isakov, Kris Orlowski at Soda Bar. Vienna Teng at the Grand Del Mar.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach.

710bc.com. Wed: Open mic, open jam. Thu: DJs Trey, Al. Fri: The Big Lewinsky, Rage Again. Tue: ‘710 Bass Club’.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy.

98bottlessd.com. Fri: Cathouse Thursday. Sat: The Weiss Guy’s Jazztet.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St, Normal Heights. airconditionedbar.com. Wed: Funktion. DJs

Thursday, Aug. 1 Wild Cub, Rare Times at Soda Bar.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Drone Disco, Dropset, Nicky Valentino, Dead Prez. Thu: DJs Subtle System, Bala, Ledher 10. Fri: DJ Junior the DiscoPunk.

Sat: Juicy, Mike Czech.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. americancomedyco.com.

Wed: Taylor Williamson. Thu-Sun: Deray Davis. Fri: Tue: Open mic.

AMSDconcerts, 4650 Mansfield St, Normal Heights. amsdconcerts.com. Fri: Eilen Jewell. Sun: Herb Ohta Jr., John Yamasoto, Keoki Kahumoku.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St, Downtown.

Fri: Bixel Boys. Sat: Justin Jay. Sun: Shlohmo. Tue: Andrew Wyatt.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. barpink.com. Wed: DJ L. Thu: Krass Bros. Fri: DJs Vaughn Avakian, Heather Hardcore. Sat: Okapi Sun, Dramady, Rllrbll. Sun: DJ Joemama.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla. brocktonvilla.com/beaumonts.html. Thu: Joe Cardillo. Fri: John Stanley King Band.

Sat: Jones Revival. Sun: Sando.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. bellyup.com. Wed: BoDeans, The Luke Mulholland Band. Thu: Johnny Winters, The Blitz Brothers. Fri: Livin’ on a Prayer, Thunder Road. Sat: ‘Ocean Beats’ w/ Ana Sia, EPROM, Grenier, Epcot, Masta Syphe. Sun: Peter Murphy (sold out). Mon: Wolfmother (sold out). Tue: Jeff Bridges and the Abiders, Jesse Bridges (sold out).

Bluefoot Bar & Lounge, 3404 30th St, North Park. bluefootsd.com. Wed: Djs Francy Pants, P Star. Thu: DJ Mike Face.

Fri: DJs Julz, J Time, Kev Mighty. Sat: DJs Profile, Uncle Junie. Sun: VJ JK. Tue: DJ Peso.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave, Carlsbad. boarcrossn.net. Thu: Great Electric Quest.

30 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Sat: So Cal Vibes.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave, Bay Park. brickbybrick.com. Wed: Open mic.

Thu: Locked Out of Eden, Pleasure Fix, As the Crow Flies. Fri: Joe Robinson, Temporal Riff, Jim Earp. Sat: Symbolic, Suicide Chords, Blood Dancer, Rushed.

Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Ugly Boogie, The Tilt, The Midnight Pine. Thu: Sonny and the Sunsets, Memories, Teenage Burritos.

Fri: The 1975, Bad Suns. Sat: Montalban Quintet, Takahashi, Never Come Down, Subsurfer. Sun: Gone Baby Gone, The Phantoms, The Routine. Mon: Chico Trujillo, Cumbia Machin, Amazon Audio. Tue: Bad Rabbits, Air Dubai, Sahtyre.

Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. thechecafe.blogspot.com. Wed: Meraki, Grand Tarantula, Uber Monk, Big Bad Buffalo, Number One Lincoln.

Croce’s, 802 Fifth Ave, Downtown. croces. com. Wed: Fuzzy. Thu: Gilbert Castellanos and the New Latin Jazz Quintet. Fri: Sue Palmer. Sat: Daniel Jackson (11:30 a.m.); Gio Trio 1 (8:30 p.m.). Sun: Elliott Lawrence (11:30 a.m.); The Archtones (7:30 p.m.).

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Mission Bay. dizzyssandiego.com. Fri: Dmitry Matheny. Sat: ‘A Tribute to Antonio Carlos Jobim’ w/ Maria Rosa, Peter Sprague, Gilbert Castellanos. Sun: The Levy Sprague Zlatkovich Trio.

El Dorado Bar, 1030 Broadway, Downtown. eldoradobar.com. Wed: Johnny B and the Avenues, Kid Wonder, Saul Q. Thu: Crash and Burns, DJ Cliche. Fri: ‘Soul Flexin’ w/ DJs Kien Lieu, Charlie Rock, Question, Marsellus Wallace. Sat: ‘Good and Plenty’. Sun: Jeru the Damaja, Odessa Kane, Zoolay, Brother Nature, Altered States. Mon: ‘Fundraiser for Tim

Richardson’ w/ DJs Rags, Fingaz, Billie Knight, Steven Flex, Cros1, Chris Cutz, Mike Ski, Syko, Pacman.

Epicentre, 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd, Mira Mesa. epicentreconcerts.org. Sat: KD and X, Cali King, Glasses, Landodarapper.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd. com. Thu: Tom Fall. Fri: DJs Brett Bodley, Ricky Rocks. Fri: Project Ethos. Sat: DJs Sid Vicious, Rico DeLargo.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach. 619-222-5303. Wed: Sam Hosking. Fri: Mafard, Todo Mundo. Sat: No Kings, Atlantis Rizing. Mon: The Night Owl Massacre, Deadly Birds.

Griffin, 1310 Morena Blvd, Bay Park. thegriffinsd.com. Wed: Dirty Sirens, Legs, Mrs. Henry, The Blackjackits. Thu: Happy Body Slow Brain, Stage Kids, Quad IX, Sufficient Sounds. Fri: Armagedon, Zenith, Leather Nun, Mortuus Terror. Sat: Tone of Arc, John Dadon, Adam Salter, Golf Clap. Tue: The Icarus Line, Grand Tarantula, Vampire.

Amigo the Devil, New California Sun. Sun: Speedy Ortiz, Supermodel Razorblades, Tworooms. Mon: Fallen Riviera, Duping the Public. Tue: Writer, Mrs. Magician, The Most Hi, DJ Mateo.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway. somasandiego.com. Fri: Silent Vice, Reprieve, Axis of Vendettas, Jagged Lines, Strangely Strange, Glass Dimensions.

Sat: Anchors, Cavalist, Lightning Starts Fire, Jara, Frequency, The Shallow End. Sun: Casey Veggies, Travis Scott, Kyle DiPiero, Cali Cam. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave, Hillcrest. rubyroomsd.com. Sat: So Long Davey, Plane Without a Pilot.

The Void, 3519 El Cajon Blvd, North Park. thevoidsd.com. Wed: Dan Padilla, Rational Anthem, The Plurals, The Floor Notes,

Nathan Damschen. Thu: East of Sweden, Ultra Violent Rays, Machines Learning, The Sinclairs. Fri: Surf Club, Sisu, Cruel Summer. Sat: Cochino, OkayOkay, Buffalo Picnic, Someday Assassin, St. Cloud Sleepers, The Calefaction. Mon: Jeans Wilder, Summer Twins, Sixties Guns, The Frights. Tue: Whirr.

Amerikan Bear, TJ Kong and the Atomic Bomb, Jimmy Ruelas. Thu: Just Like Jenna, New York Rifles, Focke-Wolves. Fri: Translation: Audio, The Roman Watchdogs, Calefaction. Sat: Black Market III, Matt Curreri, The Silver Kings. Mon: The Tin Can Country Club. Tue: Habitat, Caustic Casanova, Cash Crop.

Tiki House, 1152 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. tikipb.com. Fri: Jet Pack Mojo.

Sat: The Nards. Sun: Open mic. Mon: Doug Woolsy. Tue: Sweet Dreams.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City Heights. thetowerbar.com. Sat: Love Lashes, Two Wolves, JJCNV, Chiefs.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. tiltwoclub.com. Fri: Shiva Trash, Northern Tigers, The Natives, Electric Healing Sound, California 666. Sat: DJ Charlie Rock.

Tin Can Ale House, 1863 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill. thetincan1.wordpress.com. Wed:

Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St, Pacific Beach. theturquoise.com/wordpress.

Wed: Patrick Dowling (4 p.m.); Tomcat Courtney (6 p.m.). Thu: Sene Africa (4 p.m.); Pan Am (7 p.m.). Fri: Tomcat Courtney (5 p.m.); Afro Jazziacs (9 p.m.). Sat: Tomcat Courtney (5 p.m.); Peligroso Caramelo (9 p.m.). Sun: Sounds Like Four (4

p.m.); Middle Earth (8 p.m.). Mon: Patrick Dowling (4 p.m.); Stephanie Schmitz (7 p.m.). Tue: Carlos Velasco (4 p.m.); Afro Jazziacs (7 p.m.).

Voyeur, 755 Fifth Ave, Downtown. voyeursd.com. Thu: Adam F. Fri: dBerrie.

Sat: TJR. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. whistlestopbar.com. Thu: The Had it Coming. Sat: ‘Yacht Rock’ w/ DJ Claire; ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. winstonsob.com. Wed: Papa Michigan, Dub Trinity. Thu: Mudgrass, The Chi Club.

Fri: Rootz Underground, The Expanders.

Sat: Squirming Coils, The Earful, PoolParty. Sun: Stained Glass Windows. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Fareed Haque and Mathgames.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave, Downtown. henryspub.com. Wed: Johnny Tarr, DJ Chris London. Thu: Fish and the Seaweeds. Fri: ‘Good Times’ w/ DJs Rev, Yodah. Sat: DJs E, Yodah. Mon: DJ Yodah.

Tue: Midnight Alley Cats.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave, Downtown. houseofblues.com/sandiego. Thu: The Cult, White Hills (sold out). Fri: Common Sense. Sat: Tribal Theory. Sun: Rancid, The Transplants, The Interrupters (sold out). Mon: Rancid, The Transplants, The Interrupters, Rat City Riot. Tue: Hollywood Undead, Escape the Fate.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave, Normal Heights. lestats.com. Wed: Alex Wong, Paul Freeman. Thu: My Beautiful Leah, Louie and the Koodies, Rosasharn.

Fri: Cara, OH Spirit, Paper Cranes. Sat: Pale, Reckless in Vegas, The Gaffer. Sun: The Robin Henkel Band. Mon: Open mic.

Onyx Room / Thin, 852 Fifth Ave, Downtown. onyxroom.com. Fri: Martin Kache.

Sat: ‘Bring the Noise’ w/ DJ Rags.

Patricks II, 428 F St, Downtown. patricksii.com. Wed: Bill Magee Blues Band.

Thu: Johnny Vernazza. Fri: 145th Street.

Sat: Mystique Element of Soul. Sun: TnT. Mon: WG and the G-Men. Tue: Walter’s Chicken Jam. Porter’s Pub, 9500 Gilman Dr., UCSD campus, La Jolla. porterspub.net. Tue: Cory Gunz, Hi-Rez, Phreshy Duzit.

Quality Social , 789 Sixth Ave, Downtown. qualitysocial.com. Sat: DJ Junior the DiscoPunk.

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

Wed: Kice Simko. Thu: Pete. Fri: Secret Samurai. Sat: Hot Rod Trio.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave, North Park. sevengrandbars.com/sd. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos jazz jam. Thu: Billy Bonnell, James Lovejoy, Bijan Mostafavi, Jacob Leigh. Fri: Hills Like Elephants, River City. Sat: Josephine Foster, Victor Herrero, Mark Borthwick. Tue: Lady Dottie and the Diamonds.

Shakedown Bar, 3048 Midway Drive, Point Loma. theshakedownsd.com. Thu: T Junior, Records with Roger. Fri: The Slow Poisoner, Shake Before Us, Zombie Surf Camp. Sat: Nutstache, HFL, No More Saints. Sun: Supermodel Razor Blade, Dirty Sirens (1 p.m.); Oddball, Modern Kicks, The Freakouts, The Objex.

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

Wed: Roadkill Ghost Choir, The Lonely Wild, T Hardy Morris. Thu: Hockey, Saint Motel, Swimm. Fri: Swim Party, Modern Rifles, Kalashnikov My Wife. Sat: Shakey Graves,

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

the hit list Oldie and newbies It’s always exciting when a new bar or nightclub opens. Even though our old stand-by bars fit like the worn-out pajama pants we’ve had since college, those same pajamas sometimes make us look like a slob. So if you want to try something new, here are a couple of options.

There are plenty of breweries in San Diego, but Belching Beaver Brewery (4223 30th St. in North Park, belchinbeaver.com) has one thing the others don’t have— and if you don’t know what it is yet, you’re blind. A name like that is going to get some attention, so stop in to see if their brewskis warrant it. The Beav started off in Vista and opened its second tasting room here last month.

Make note: Wednesday through Friday, pints are $1 off from 3 to 6 p.m.

Bang Bang (526 Market St.) is the latest addition to the Downtown party scene, and with a name like that, it should fit right in perfectly.

There’s already a full line-up of DJs on the bar’s calendar. Kudos to Bang Bang for coming out of

32 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

the gate with a, well, bang. On Friday, July 26, L.A.-based electronic-music duo Bixel Boys will bring the ruckus to your tuchus. The following night electronic DJ Justin Jay will be in the house, making sure you exit stage left covered in sweat.

Remember when I mentioned old favorites? Well here’s one for all you smooth-sailing parrot heads out there. On Saturday, July 27, park your schooner outside of Whistle Stop (2236 Fern St. in South Park) for Yacht Rock V: Still So Smooth.

From 5 to 8 p.m., DJs Claire and Ascot will be spinning the songs that your parents made sweet love to in front of a roaring fire.

Nautical attire is very much enDJ Justin Jay couraged. If your PJs have anchors on them, you’re stoked. If you have some shag carpeting lying around the house, you should probably bring that, too.

—Alex Zaragoza Write to alexz@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

Proud sponsor: Mitch’s Seafood

Ink Well Xwords by Ben Tausig

Across 1. Bird’s jazz style 4. Foreign service officer 10. Scolds, in a way 14. Ensler who wrote The Vagina Monologues 15. Electric current unit 16. Girdle bones 17. Slimer filling in for Letterman?

19. 20-Across’s st.

20. “___ lives” (apt anagrammatic phrase) 21. Quarantine 23. Drivers often hit them 24. Veteran forty-niner?

27. Hayek who is Will Smith’s unrequited love in “Wild Wild West” 29. Jim Davis dog 30. Drab arsenal?

33. Adult entertainment award 36. Mate 37. Kind 41. Power or Gator ending 42. Dual-band, as a radio 44. Outstanding infielder?

46. Common supermarket tomato 49. Hebrew month when the universe was created 50. Money for regulating the thyroid and thymus?

53. Old Slavic title 57. Popular Moroccan beverage 58. Medical insurance giant 59. Paul who collaborated with Michael Jackson 60. Nervous first-time husband-to-be?

64. Huge fan of One Direction, e.g. (um, obvs, they r a.ma.zing) 65. Microscopic oxygen user

Last week’s answers

66. Poem meant to be sung 67. Yemen’s capital 68. Move with swagger 69. Man cave, e.g.

Down 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Bring about, as a baby Developing egg “Pet” annoyance Noted Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Message board “Holy shit!”

“Doogie Howser” star, to fans Term that explains a great deal of the nonsense on the modern Internet 8. Bear, taxonomically 9. “We’re gonna miss the bus!”

10. 1972 law that benefited women’s athletics 11. Worm 12. Kunta ___ (“Roots” hero) 13. More with it 18. Wimp 22. Source with 600,000 words 24. “Why so ___?”

25. Luxury hotel group 26. Baked sheets 28. ___ Khan 30. Mean in high school: Abbr.?

31. Hit head-on 32. Senator formerly on “SNL” 34. Words made more broadly applicable by the Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor 35. Letter after Y, in England 38. Russian pancake 39. Shed 40. Longoria who spoke at the 2012 DNC 43. Sitting Bull’s state 45. Pass through 47. 43-Down summer hrs.

48. Years separating a couple, say 50. Exams for future tycoons 51. Form top, say 52. More bloody 54. Rose 55. Positive battery terminal, sometimes 56. Food for which there is a museum in Yokohama 58. “Let Us Now Praise Famous Men” author James 61. Pitching stat way less important than xFIP, to a Sabermetrician 62. Twenty bajillion years 63. “30 Rock” setting (and channel)

Two $20 gift certificates to Mitch’s Seafood will be awarded weekly. Email a picture of your answers to crossword@sdcitybeat.com or fax it to 619-325-1393. Limit one win per person per 30 days.

34 · San Diego CityBeat · July 24, 2013

July 24, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 35