San Diego CityBeat • July 25, 2018

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

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JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Block the vote

I

’ve been beating the drum with readers on the importance of paying attention to the all white, all Republican Board of Supervisors. From supporting Trump’s lawsuit against California’s sanctuary laws to punting, and then dropping, the ball when it came to the hepatitis crisis, the five-member board has an immense amount of power and makes extremely important decisions that affect all San Diegans.

And now, the supervisors are meddling in election affairs. On Tuesday, the board met to vote on whether to include a measure on the November ballot that would change county election rules when it comes to primaries. In a nutshell, the measure would change the primary system so that candidates would be required, to win in the November general election rather than the primary. The way the rules are set up now, a candidate running for certain offices can win outright in the primary with a simple majority.

The logic for the ballot measure is simple enough: All candidates should have to participate in the November runoff election, when voter turnout is typically higher. A primary should be a process in which the two best candidates are determined by the votes and move onto the November ballot.

“Elections should be held when they can maximize participation—the more voters who are able to participate, the better,” says Matt Strabone, who recently ran for County Assessor and who would have likely benefited from such a change (he lost to the incumbent in the primary). “Allowing certain races to be decided in the primary shuts out the substantial portion of voters who, whether due to hardship or lack of information, only show up to vote in November. “ The measure came about in the first place thanks to a bill (AB 901), which was introduced by State Assemblymember Todd Gloria. The resulting measure qualified for the ballot by gathering the necessary amount of signatures. All that had to happen was for County Registrar Michael Vu to sign off the signatures.

Simple enough, right? Nope.

Vu found some that there were not enough signatures gathered for this kind of measure and determined that the 103,000 signatures simply weren’t enough.

Still with me? OK, good, ’cause this is where things get tricky.

So Vu was well in his right to reject the measure because it lacked the necessary amount of signatures.

But when Gloria and company retroactively fixed the language of the original bill so that the measure would qualify with the 103,000 signatures, Vu said it was too late to qualify for the November ballot even though it wasn’t. Again, there’s not anything particu-

larly unlawful about what Vu was doing, but some, like SEIU political director David Lagstein, took issue.

“What is happening here is this appears to be a political move under pressure of the Board of Supervisors,” he told Voice of San Diego at the time.

So why would Lagstein think that? Well, because the current all-Republican Board of Supervisors, who are technically supposed to act in a non-partisan role, stand to lose the most from such a measure. For example, Board Chair and Fox News talking head Kristin Gaspar—who is up for reelection in 2020—would face a much tougher battle in a general November election faceoff than a primary. To Gaspar’s credit, she put the issue on the Board’s Tuesday docket in order to determine whether to let the measure on the November ballot or whether to order a rather arbitrary impact report in order to study the measure. This process takes up to 30 days. Supervisor Dianne Jacob even went so far as to introduce her own version of the measure.

State Assemblymember Todd Gloria makes his case In the end, the Board voted 3 to 1 to order the impact reports of both measures, which, by election rules, means that neither measure will be ready by the Aug. 10 deadline in order to qualify for the November ballot. It’s likely such a measure won’t appear on any ballot until November 2020, well after Gaspar has been reelected.

“Clearly, it’s an attempt to suppress the vote,” says Dave Myers, who recently lost his bid to replace Sherriff Bill Gore in the June primary and likely would have benefited from such a measure. “Historically, the data supports that the voters who show up and vote in a general election, they support Democrat candidates and Democratic issues. And so clearly, there is an attempt to suppress the vote by a majority on the current Board of Supervisors, which is controlled by the— and I’ll say because it’s true—it’s been controlled by the white and privileged for many, many years.”

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat wakes up with a Woody Award.

Volume 16 • Issue 49 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker John R. Lamb Rhonda “Ro” Moore Alex Zaragoza

CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey, Torrey Bailey, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Julia Dixon Evans, Rachel Michelle Fernandes, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Lizz Huerta, Davey Landeros, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen, Ian Ward

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4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

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UP FRONT | LETTERS

ON THE

THE NEEDS OF SAN DIEGANS

Short-term vacation rentals are partly a zoning issue, it’s one thing if you live near a commercial area, no biggie, and you expect some disturbance [“Shortterm stupidity,” July 18]. But if you bought a home or rent in a strictly residential area, there should be the expectation that you won’t be subjected to the vagaries that come with living near a hotel or motel with their temporary occupants. Most people can tolerate occasional weekend parties by neighbors, but behavior that would get long-term residents evicted occurring more frequently, and especially on weekdays, gets old fast. As for the decision by the mayor and city council: for too long the city has tended to cater more to tourists and special interests than to the needs of San Diegans, it’s time that they stood up for residents.

Dan Jacobs Mira Mesa

NEIGHBORHOODS ARE FOR RESIDENTS

How disappointing to see CityBeat editor Seth Combs take up the talking points of the short-term vacation rental (STVR) industry [“Short-term stupidity,” July 18]. It’s no secret that San Diego has a crisis of affordable housing, and residents are being pushed out of their leases and desired communities in order for landlords to rent properties out via Airbnb or VRBO, making triple or quadruple the fair market monthly rent. I once tried out Airbnb for a single night stay in the Hollywood area—I rented an apartment from an individual who used a fake address and fake name to mask that she was renting out her place in violation of her lease and existing zoning rules. It was very uncomfortable having to answer questions

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from her inquisitive neighbors who suspected what she was up to. I suspect a lot of this activity is taking place right here in San Diego.

Obviously, some types of vacation rentals are fair and reasonable; proper zoning, rules and enforcement are needed, and this is what Councilmember Barbara Bry’s compromise measure accomplishes.

We cannot allow our neighborhoods to be turned into mini-hotels next to mini-hotels. Neighborhoods are for residents, and it is not unreasonable for communities to have an expectation of normalcy. Calling those who came to City Hall to speak out against the STVR industry’s desired selling out of our residential housing stock a bunch of “NIMBYists” and suggesting that neighborhood advocates are somehow shills for the hotel lobby is beneath the advocacy we’ve long come to expect from CityBeat.

My hat is off to all six of the councilmembers who resisted a well-funded campaign by the STVR industry and voted for residents and neighbors tired of the constant overturn and buying up of properties by outside investors with zero interest in doing long-term residential leases. Funny that Councilmember Chris Cate, who has demonstrated little interest in communicating with his own constituents about street repairs, would attempt to grandstand on this issue as a red herring, and that CityBeat would take glee in repeating his talking point about tax revenue from STVRs. Finding solutions for San Diegans displaced by the Airbnb craze is going to cost taxpayers as well.

With the proper enforcement, we will see homes returned to the housing stock for regular folks who live and work in San Diego.

Richard Ram Serra Mesa

COVER

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

Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . .

A Side-Eye of Sanity . . . . . . . . . .

Sordid Tales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 5 8 9

FOOD & DRINK World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . 13-15 Our cover this week comes courtesy of CityBeat’s very own editorial assistant Tigist Layne, who stepped in at the last minute to shoot city council candidate Tommy Hough outside the San Diego County Democratic Party office in Kearny Mesa.

In addition to photography skills, Layne [edit note: I mean, I know I’m a Superman fan, but is there any better last name for a journalist than Layne?) has also contributed to the Seen Local section of the paper and is currently working on a story about the local poetry scene.

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 FEATURE: Melissa Broder and Chelsea Hodson . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21

MUSIC FEATURE: Mannequin. . . . . . . . 23 Notes From The Smoking Patio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . 27-29

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . 29 CannaBeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | NEWS

A fighting chance Tommy Hough is a former radio disc jockey and environmental advocate.

Is he ready for City Council?

by Seth Combs

J

ust across the street from the San Diego County Democratic Party office in Kearny Mesa, City Council candidate Tommy Hough sits at Societe Brewing Company sipping on a West Coast IPA. It’s late afternoon and the heat is getting to him, and when it comes to issues such as homelessness, housing and even short-term vacation rentals, Hough (pronounced as “how”) becomes even more heated. Even more so when talking about his opponent (incumbent councilmember Chris Cate) in the District 6 race and the way he has handled some of these issues.

But at this moment, as he wipes his brow, he’s got other things on his mind.

“I don’t really like those Bernie-style beers,” Hough says, when asked about the current popularity of New England IPAs. “I think they’re too sweet and hazy.”

While he’s clearly outspoken when it come to beer, Hough, who, up until recently, worked for over a decade as a disc jockey on various radio stations, has learned that he needs to balance honesty and diplomacy. He’s become an

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

PHOTO BY TIGIST LAYNE

upstart in the progressive community and one who is becoming increasingly more popular in the district, which encompasses areas such as Clairemont, Mira Mesa, Kearny Mesa, Miramar, Sorrento Valley and southern Rancho Peñasquitos.

Still, when it comes to the issues, he doesn’t hold back.

On homelessness: “We need to stop treating the issues as onesize-only… I don’t have all the answers, but god damn it, I’m tired of the city not leading on this. We need a solution that is lasting, effective and compassionate.”

On affordable housing: “We’re not going to build our way out of this problem… we can do what we’re already doing in Kearny Mesa and utilize the density and footprint we already have… It’s flawed but it can be replicated in places like Miramar if we tweaked the zoning laws.”

On short-term vacation rentals: “There are zoning laws that have worked for his city for decades, and we should be enforcing them… Neighborhoods are not commercial enterprises unless they’re zoned for that.”

On the stadium: “We have a perfectly functional stadium… I’m not in favor of SoccerCity. It’s a land grab that dodges the California Environmental Quality Act, so you’ve lost me right there.”

Naturally, discussions about the SoccerCity plan leads to opinions about Councilmember Cate, of whom Hough, again, doesn’t hold back.

“He’s not talking to his neighbors and he’s looking out for moneyed interests and moneyed elites,” says Hough when asked about an incident last year where Cate leaked confidential memos to SoccerCity developers. Although an inquiry from the state attorney general led to no charges against Cate, Hough says he should have at least resigned.

“If you or I did that in the course of our job, we would have been fired with cause immediately,” says Hough. “He admitted to a misdemeanor. Tell me what other job where that’s acceptable.”

Still, publications like the Times of San Diego have all but declared victory for Cate after he received more than 50 percent of the vote in the June primary. Hough, who lives in Mira Mesa, sees his second place showing—coupled with the fact that two other Dems finished third and fourth (Matt Valenti and Fayaz Nawabi)—as a positive sign. He says there is an “anyone but Cate” constituency that may have not shown up in the primary, but that will turn out in November.

“We did the best job we could in the primary with a packed ballot, and all we had was shoe leather and phones and ink and paper,” says Hough. “But now we’re the endorsed Democratic candidate so the party can do some of the heavy lifting and I can get out there to talk to some of the no-party preference people.”

Hough knows he still has an “uphill fight,” but he’s quick to point out that fighting is in his Tommy Hough blood. Both his grandfather and father worked in the steel industry in Pittsburgh, and were heavily involved in organizing and labor unions. This instilled in Hough a sense of the importance of a middle class and standing up for the rights of workers. While some would point out he has no political experience, Hough counters that by pointing out his environmental jobs at the Surfrider Foundation and co-founding San Diego County Democrats for Environmental Action [SDCDEA] in 2014.

Hough’s morning show on 91X officially ended in 2017 and he stepped down from the leadership position of the SDCDEA shortly after to focus full-time on his campaign. He says it’s rare that people take issue that this is technically his first foray running for office. This makes sense especially in an age where a real estate tycoon and reality star is President and a relatively unknown, 20-something organizer just unseated one of the most powerful congressional Democrats in congress.

If he wins, his immediate concerns for District 6 would be to address the crumbling infrastructure and short-term vacation rentals. For now, he’s gearing up for some campaign events being held at, naturally, some breweries both in and outside of his district. Hough has been passionate about local beer since his days as a disc jockey, starting a “Beer for Breakfast” segment while at FM94/9 in the early ’00s. His campaign material is vehement about his support of the craft beer industry and says he promises to “protect them from conglomerates like Anheuser-Busch and Coors, who threaten our local breweries with phony ‘San Diego’ Trojan horse breweries.”

When asked what he could actually do as a city councilmember to help “protect” the industry, he hesitates and works in generalities about accessibility and the importance of the “biggest small business in the county knowing they have an advocate.” Hough concedes that he wants to look into what he can actually do but points out that the local beer industry, to him, is like the steel industry of his western Pennsylvania upbringing. And just like his father and grandfather before him, he wants to fight for the industries that are made up of everyday San Diegans.

“Having grown up in an area that was really reliant on just one industry that virtually went away overnight, it made an impression on me,” says Hough. “I carried that with me to California.”

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JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

CULTURE | VOICES

RHONDA “RO” MOORE

A SIDE-EYE OF Still worth it

S

SANITY

an Diego Comic-Con [SDCC] has officially ended. My feet are so very over tennis shoes and my local bookstore, once again, exists solely as a brick and mortar. It also means I’ve had five days of geeks and nerds running amok with impunity, which always does my inner seven-year-old a world of good.

Despite the growing influence of Hollywood on SDCC, the fandom is still a small world in some regards. I see some of the same people every year like clockwork. Each shows up with a “gimmie” list a mile long and a tangible aura of gleefulness. Whereas in previous years many attendees would camp out for a Hall H wristband, this year’s shake-up in programming pulled even diehard fans into panels they may have otherwise missed. Many may not agree, but I thought it was great that attendees could get into some of the bigger events with less fuss and stress than in years past. It made for fewer frustrated and/or short-tempered customers come Saturday.

I know, there I go worrying about how something may affect others again. It’s a curse.

San Diego puts out its prettiest welcome mat and polishes as much as it can to a high gloss for that extra sparkle. In return, the world shares its eclectic citizenry right back with the locals.

I met teenagers from Brazil who thought I was trying to somehow trap them at my booth by offering a buy-one-get-one deal. I spoke with residents from almost every state who all, curiously, had the same problem: none of them had called their bank before hitting the Exhibit Hall. Each stared in identical horror as their bank declined their transaction at my register go through. I walked more than a few through getting the fraud alert removed from their account. It seems, my skill set—last seen in action at my former dayjob as a regulatory compliance specialist—will never stop coming in handy when it comes to getting people out of a bind.

I was willing to part with dollars to own. I hit up a few panels and window shopped until I came across Sebastian A. Jones, who helped many things find their way into my giddy hands at the Stranger Comics booth.

I gave away books to readers I noticed developing a relationship to the book aisle and returning multiple times. I watched two strangers speak in Portuguese and figured out by the hand gestures that they were neighbors back home. I stared at a man who left his manners in Massachusetts until he not only found them, but also used them unfailingly every time he and I crossed paths. I talked to strangers who didn’t feel like strangers, met up with new friends and talked shop with them over drinks. And, of course, I gossiped

shamelessly with my booth-mates while snapping pictures of passing cosplayers.

This year, I saw more (fully covered) female warriors, Valkyries, and other powerful female characters roaming about. The women this year had swagger and flair. Security was, overall, better in the Exhibit Hall and it seemed to cut down on the dogpiling type situations where girls weren’t really free to continue moving along. I saw plenty of women saying “no” to stopping and, what’s more, I saw plenty of people who were more than willing to do what was needed to make their “no” stick.

I was far less subtle when pushing back when people crossed the line or wasted my time. Of course, I still spent two hours being mansplained to over a problem that seriously didn’t need that many males to mansplain it to me.

In the current climate, real “down with the patriarchy” moments (no, I don’t mean the trend known as “call-out culture”) are pretty rare. I heard more than one male cracking tasteless #metoo jokes as they milled around. It’s pretty clear plenty in the fandom still aren’t interested in meeting women even halfway when it comes to building healthy relationships (of all types). There are too many women in the fandom that are still learning the hard way that there’s no choice but to actively defend one’s person in one way or another.

Still, my absolute favorite moment was watching a father who brought his daughter to the book aisle and told her to go shopping.

She was dressed as Cinderella until you reached her feet. This pintsized princess had on a pair of purple and blue combat boots that triggered a case of the envies I still haven’t shaken off. I watched her float from table to table, gathering picture books and coloring books into her arms. Occasionally, she’d pause and say something to her father (often too low to be overheard) and he’d shake his head and steer her to another table.

By the time she reached my counter, she was sporting a grin and skipping every other step. I rang up her purchase and told her father the total. He looked down at her and said, “You’re getting to be really expensive kiddo.”

Without skipping a beat she replied, “I’m worth it.” He stared at her for a few minutes, then silently handed me his credit card.

Clearly, I need to find some purple and blue combat boots.

I saw plenty of women saying ‘no’ to stopping and, what’s more, I saw plenty of people who were more than willing to do what was needed to make their ‘no’ stick.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

A Side-Eye of Sanity appears every four weeks.

Follow Ro Moore on Twitter at @BookBlerd.

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UP FRONT | OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

SORDID

TALES

When it comes to dating, it’s harder for men

I

worry about Allie,” my mother said to dad and me about her 40-something, single friend who is dabbling with online dating. “It’s just so hard to be single these days.”

“Um, Mother? Hello?” I said. “Have we met? This is your son speaking. The one you raised from infancy, the one who is now divorced and has spent the last 1,172 nights sitting alone under the glow of a Netflix logo? Yet it is Allie about whom you are concerned?

“I worry about Allie,” she said, “because dating is harder for women.”

With this last statement, I sprayed a mouthful of hot coffee across the patio. That happened for two reasons. The first being that my mother married dad right out of high school and has about as much dating experience as a male black widow with gullibility issues. The second is because it was the most ludicrous sentence ever uttered since, “Mexico is going to pay for the wall.”

Ok, look, I am not one of these, “Men-Have-it-Harder-Than-Women” kind of guys. I have always believed that things are equally hard, in different ways, for the two sexes. But when it comes to romantic connections—specifically, that small window of time when men and women transition from strangers to lovers—there is no question it is harder for males, generally speaking.

Whether at a bar, party or even an AA meeting (my cruising turf of choice), it is generally up to the man to break the ice. And few scenarios are more terrifying than approaching an unknown woman and saying, “Er, uh, hi. I really enjoyed your testimonial about how you blacked out at your father’s funeral, may I sit here and stutter a lot?”

Meanwhile, all that women have to do to attract men is not be foaming at the mouth. We all know it’s true. How often do we hear women complain that men are constantly leering, wolf-whistling or just plain hitting on them? And sure, that must be annoying. But that’s exactly the problem. How can a regular guy differentiate himself from every other nimrod that stammers out a creepy, “You look nice today”?

It’s surely not with pickup lines. There is nothing— not a question, not a compliment, not a joke, not a suggestion, not a pun under the sun—that a guy can deliver that won’t sound like the thesis to his incel manifesto. The best he can hope for is that the first thing out of his mouth is not so preposterous that she won’t hear the next, slightly less preposterous remark, and the next, and the next—until finally saying the most intelligent, interesting, hilarious, confident thing she has ever heard so that, hopefully, she might forget that first preposterous thing he said.

And then—should the planets align and she agrees to a date—it is entirely up to the man to keep the con-

“

versation going (without dominating), show value (without bragging), use humor (without clowning) and make her feel sexy (without perving). On a first date the man must be a ringmaster—parading his assets one after the other while the woman has but one job. A job that has been biologically drilled into her brain over millions of years; a job which, in her defense, has kept our species thriving but sucks for suitors nonetheless. And that job is to find a reason to end the date prematurely.

Then, if he’s still somehow in the game, the man has to make the dreaded first move. And we all know what that means. Here come the confidence spiders! Am I reading the signals correctly? She can’t possibly want me to kiss her. Will she laugh at me? What if she slaps me? It’s enough to make a person go insane.

Of course, I can only see this from the male perspective. So I took the question online. And while several gals did respond with issues I had not considered, I stand by my assertion.

T.A. [bartender] “At my bar I see lots of single beautiful woman looking for men, and all that show up for them are Boys. Where all the Good men at?”

Perhaps. However if true, doesn’t it support my theory? If most of these men are undateable, doesn’t that make it harder for those men to get dates?

E.G.: “I think online dating has somewhat leveled the field because at least you go out both knowing that that is what you’re meeting for.”

Perhaps, but who broke the ice? One thing I know about online dating, it is overwhelmingly the men who must initiate. They have to “Like” and “Favorite” and “Wink” and “Poke” and write dorky introductory messages such as, “Hi there, I really like that picture where you are not foaming at the mouth,” whereas the woman’s only task is deleting the dozens of messages they get every day to unearth the most viable candidate.

Y.Y.:“The downside for women is that they are stigmatized against making first moves and therefore cannot take action with a guy they like.”

Nonsense! Women most certainly can take action! All she has to do is cast a dreamy gaze across the room. If he doesn’t respond, then he’s uninterested, unavailable or blind. Either way, said women saved themselves the deathly embarrassment of having to walk across the Valley of the Shadow of Rejection and say, “Er, uh, Hello. I like piña coladas and getting caught in the rain. Do you have cats?”

Yes I do, baby. Yes. I. Do.

All that women have to do to attract men is not be foaming at the mouth.

We all know it’s true.

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Sordid Tales appears every other week.

Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

Japanese cooking with a bit of yang

I

t’s a concept from China that’s permeated Eastern philosophy and entered the Western lexicon: yin and yang. It describes the interrelatedness and connection of seemingly opposite forces. One common example of yin-yang in Chinese philosophy is the genders, with yin equated to female and yang to male.

A little over three years ago, I reviewed Wa Dining OKAN in the Convoy District, noting that “‘Okan’” translates to English as ‘mother,’ and you can feel the presence of a mother in the place.” At Robataya Oton (5447 Kearny Villa Road), under common ownership, it’s the father’s imprint that’s felt. Not surprisingly, “oton” translates as “father.” But if the mother at OKAN was in the back packing the bento boxes, the father at Oton is the guy who created the menu.

Take, for example, the robatayaki grilled dishes for which the restaurant

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

is named. There’s none better than the hamachi kama, the soy and yuzu marinated and grilled collar of yellowtail. The collar section (just behind the head and gills) is the fattiest and juiciest part of every fish.

Oton grills it to the point that the skin is crispy and the meat is sweet and tender. It almost feels like a backyard barbecue dish, but maybe the best one ever.

Oton’s duck and beef tongue skewers— gyu-tan and kamo kushi—were different takes on Japanese grilled dishes with a touch more elegance. The texture of the beef tongue was a pleasure with its deep, beefy meatiness.

It was firm on the outside but tenderer inside, even if the duck was a bit past the rare inside than what I would have preferred. Sadly, both lacked the hint of smoke from the binchōtan oak lump charcoal.

As at OKAN, one of Oton’s best dishes (dad must have loved mom’s dish) is the cold soba noodles served on a basket-tray garnished with nori seaweed strips, chopped scallions and a dipping sauce. It’s a simple dish but perfectly refreshing on a hot evening. Add an order

of tempura—classic fried lightly breaded shrimp and vegetables—and it is a deeply satisfying full meal in and of itself with the tsuyu dipping sauce doing double duty.

Chawanmushi is a classic, steamed and savory Japanese egg custard dish.

The key to good chawanmushi is balance,

M

IC

H

L AE

A.

G

D AR

IN

ER

Ankimo

both in texture (not too firm, not broken or soupy), flavor (between sweetness, saltiness and umami) and ingredients (lots of little surprises like the shrimp, chicken and shiitakes at Oton, but with the custard still the star of the show).

Oton nailed it.

The best dish at Oton is the ankimo, or monkfish liver. Often called the foie gras of the sea, Oton’s ankimo is served over ponzu sauce (citrus-soy) with finely chopped scallions, seaweed and daikon.

Oton’s ankimo is a bit more fishy than most, but it’s all the more pleasurable for that. It’s not hiding, and it is delicious.

The use of gender as an illustration of the opposing forces of yin and yang—okan and oton— may seem anachronistic. But is it? Ultimately, it’s all about balance, interdependence and a recognition that there’s neither pure yang nor pure yin. And the elegance and hominess of Robataya Oton is emblematic of that.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

FINAL

BY BETH DEMMON

DRAUGHT Elephant in the tap room

COURTESY OF MELVIN BREWING

N

ew brewery openings in San Diego don’t cause much of a stir nowadays, but breweries that have won a mountain of awards tend to spark some buzz. Those with consistently killer West Coast-style IPAs get people talking even more, and when the brewer is a San Diego legend, beer nerds reach Pliny the Younger-type levels of excitement.

Melvin Brewing from Wyoming fits all that criteria, plus a little extra. They plan to open a new brewpub in the East Village in October, but initial excitement has been dampened with controversy.

Former brewer Kirk McHale (ex-Pizza Port and Breakwater Brewing) was publicly accused earlier this year of inappropriate touching (a form of sexual assault), which led to mass boycotts and a huge backlash against the brand. On top of that, until recently, Melvin Brewing’s “Contact Us” page featured tasteless verbiage like “Show us on the doll where Melvin Brewing touched you.”

“We like to push the envelope a little,” proclaimed Melissa DePierro, Melvin’s brewpubs consultant at a recent meet-and-greet at East Village’s Knotty Barrel in reference to their marketing plan. Ted Whitney, Melvin’s sales director, called this former strategy “a big fuck you to the market,” a tactic which he admits hasn’t aged well in the #MeToo era.

If this double-headed brouhaha could be chalked up to a learning experience that resulted in positive change within the industry, I’d be all for it. But despite pleasant conversations with several Melvin employees, I’m not convinced about the motives behind the change of heart.

When I asked Melvin employees (April Brigham, head of human resources; Jamie Morris, general manager and DePierro) about McHale’s admitted touching incident at Bellingham, Washington’s Menace Brewing last November, they were quick to downplay it. Brigham explained that she contacted the victim and Menace’s owner for their side of the story.

“We’re not excusing anything, there was just no sexual assault,” claims Brigham. “She [the victim] was not groped. Not grabbed. Not fondled. Kirk’s always been touchy, but he’s not a sexual predator.”

I’m no legal expert, but I’m (#humblebrag) pretty good at Googling. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission explains: “harassment can include sexual harassment or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.”

Sliding a hand across someone’s butt and onto their upper thigh without consent, as McHale is alleged to have done, qualifies as a form of sexual assault.

And while it’s possible this one instance was exaggerated, there seems to be a pattern of misbehavior emerging at Melvin and some of it has taken place in San Diego. Kristina Blake, tasting room manager at Council Brewing Company, described a similar incident she witnessed at a Melvin Brewing beer dinner during San Diego Beer Week 2017.

According to Blake, a female bartender bent over in the course of her work during the event. An un-

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Melvin Brewing identified Melvin employee attempted to slap her rear end. Blake says she immediately confronted him and demanded he stop.

“He apologized, but it was more confirmation of what kind of jerks they are,” she said. “This ‘bro’ culture needs to die.”

This wasn’t the only isolated incident during the event, according to another guest (who requested anonymity). He described the vibe as “uncomfortable” and claimed that “one of the Melvin employees was parading around his female friend as if she were available for sexual services. It felt really weird.”

Melvin’s far from the only offender, even locally, but that shouldn’t negate its role. Craft beer, along with the entire service industry, can be a culture of borderline inappropriateness. Add alcohol to the mix, and I’m surprised this doesn’t get more attention (because it happens all the time).

Whitney claims that the majority of management positions at Melvin are held by women, which, to be fair, is rare in the craft beer industry.

It’s an admirable metric, but “bro” culture doesn’t mean women are excluded from strategically cultivating a vibe of toxic masculinity. He described efforts to become a “diverse and inclusive space,” which I think is possible. I hope San Diego is a part of that change. But when I hear comments like “don’t take it too seriously. It’s just beer” (Morris), I have to question whether any transformations will last.

Melvin’s beer is great, no doubt about it. And for those who have outrage fatigue, by all means patronize Melvin when they open. But as Brigham said to me, “you don’t have to buy a beer at a place you don’t agree with.” Unless I see genuine change, I don’t plan to.

Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

SHORTlist

EVENTS

SAN DIEGO

AMERICA’S WINEST CITY

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

DOWNTOWN

PEACE MOVEMENT

out that the org’s music festival showcased eco artists and benefited groups like the San Dieguito River Local arts org A SHIP IN THE WOODS Valley Conservancy Group. “We are excited to work [aka WSOHOIDPS] has been on a roll with our friends at Greenpeace highlighting one of lately. In addition to the killer art events they hold our favorite local artists, Ingram Ober, whose body of work has been inspired by such at their Escondido headquarCOURTESY OF GREENPEACE social activism.” ters, they recently wrapped up Ober will be showcasing an excellent music and arts new works from his Red/Green festival in neighboring Felicand now Blue Century series of ita County Park. works, which focuses on the For anyone who missed any dangers of plastics in the maof the above or simply didn’t rine environment. One of the want to trek north, there’s simpieces, “50 Grams,” is a video ply no excuse to miss Ship’s in which Ober ate 50 grams of latest venture, WSOHOIDPS + single use plastic packaging GREENPEACE: Art Night on The Arctic Sunrise to, in his words, show “solidarthe Arctic Sunrise. As if the name didn’t give it away, Ship has teamed up with ity with Northern Fulmar sea birds.” There will also the iconic environmental organization to throw a be live DJ sets by Scott Travis Johnston and Alehappy hour event on board, well, a Greenpeace ice- jandra Frank, as well as complimentary beer and breaker ship named the Arctic Sunrise. The event beverages.

WSOHOIDPS + GREENPEACE: Art Night on will be a benefit for Greenpeace’s Million Acts of Blue initiative, which is devoted to the vision of a the Arctic Sunrise happens Friday, July 27 from 6:30 to 9:30. The Arctic Sunrise will be docked at plastics-free future.

“A SHIP IN THE WOODS has always been a sup- the B Street Pier (1140 North Harbor Drive) on porter of environmental activism, bringing attention the south side of the pier. Admission is donation to new ecological solutions and discussions through based and more info and RSVP link can be found art,” says SHIP co-founder RJ Brooks, who points at shipinthewoods.com.

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

Indie bookstores, indie films, indie music—slap an “indie” in front of just about anything, and it becomes exponentially cooler. InCOURTESY OF NAT DIEGO die viticulture is no exception. Cue Nat Diego, a bastion of natural wine programming and tasting events around town on Friday, July 27 and Saturday, July 28. Natural wine emphasizes nonindustrial farming and ancestral practices of winemaking, sans chemicals and additives. The festival kicks off late Friday morning with a series of seminars on producing natural wine, followed Nat Diego wine tasting by a big opening party that night at The Rose in South Park (2219 30th St.) that includes pétillant-naturel (natural sparkling) wines and $1 street tacos. Nat Diego continues on Saturday with tastings of over 50 natural wine producers at various locations, and concludes with a free party that evening at Bread & Salt in Logan Heights (1955 Julian Ave.). Times and ticket prices (which range from free to $60) are at natdiego.com.

SOUTH PARK

COME SAIL AWAY We’re still not entirely sure why reggae is such a perennial genreof-choice in San Diego when yacht rock is so much better. For those tragically unfamiliar with the genre, it’s the chill brand of soft rock DJ Claire that was mostly produced in the ’70s by artists like The Doobie Brothers, Kenny Loggins and Christopher Cross. And no one is as well versed in yacht rock as DJ Claire, who will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of her signature day party at the Whistle Stop (2236 Fern St.) on Saturday, July 28 from 4 to 8 p.m. The free Yacht Rock parties were originally inspired by the viral web series of the same name, but Yacht Rock Vol. 10 is likely to be the biggest one yet so get there early and be sure to wear that nautically-inspired gear. whistlestopbar.com

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EVENTS ART RAW: CONNECT at House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. A showcase featuring film screenings, musical performances, a fashion show, art gallery, performance art and hair and makeup design.

From 6 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, July 26. $22-$30. rawartists.org/sandiego

communities. At 2 p.m. Sunday, July 29.

Free. 619-226-2601, laplayabooks.com James Ziskin, Eric Beetner and Caroline Kepnes at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The three crime novelists will sign and discuss their new titles, A Stone’s Throw (Ziskin), Unloaded Vol. 2 (Beetner) and Providence (Kepnes). At 2 p.m. Sunday, July 29. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

HWSOHOIDPS + GREENPEACE: Art Night on the Arctic Sunrise at Arctic Sunrise at the B Street Pier, 1140 North Harbor Drive, Downtown. A happy hour art event aboard the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise featuring DJs, complimentary beverages and art from Ingram Ober. Benefits Greenpeace’s Million Acts of Blue initiative. From 6:30 to 9:30 Friday, July 27. Free. RSVP recommended. shipinthewoods.com

HNomi Prins at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The bestselling author and respected journalist will sign and discuss new nonfiction book, Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 31. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com

HMapping Home: Land/Water/Place at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., North Park. Immersive installations exploring cultural experiences of home and migration, produced by seniors and adolescents from San Diego-area refugee communities in conjunction with local artists.

Opening from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 28. Free. 619-500-2787, artproduce.org

HStand-up Comedy at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Riff City Comedy presents a night of stand-up featuring Debra DiGiovanni, Deric Poston,Tatiana Cwiklinski and more. From 8 to 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 25. $5. 619-284-6784, whistlestopbar.com

HLast Call! at Quint Gallery, 5171 Santa Fe St. Suite H, Bay Ho. A solo exhibition of new paintings from revered local artist Jean Lowe, who examines the language of advertising and promotion in this new series of paintings. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 28. Free. 858-4543409, quintgallery.com HI AM THE OTHER at Quint Gallery, 5171 Santa Fe St. Suite H, Bay Ho. An exhibition of new works from Tijuana artist Marcos Ramírez ERRE consisting of six painted aluminum wall panels containing text that addresses the current status of our society.

Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 28. Free. 858-454-3409, quintgallery.com HModi Operandi: The Process of Creation in Confinement at the Hill Street Country Club, 530 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. An exhibition highlighting the unique creative methods necessitated by incarceration, featuring over 50 artists involved in Project PAINT at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa. Opening from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, July 29. $10 suggested donation. 760917-6666, thehillstreetcountryclub.org

BOOKS HJean Guerrero at The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park. The KPBS reporter will sign and discuss her new book, Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 25. Free.

619-795-3780, thebookcatapult.com Colleen Hoover at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The bestselling author will sign and discuss new romance novel, All Your Perfects. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 26. $17.24. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HLast Exit: Chelsea Hodson, Melissa Broder at Sash, 3753 Sixth Ave., Hillcrest.

The first event in a new series of readings and workshops will feature Chelsea Hodson (Tonight I’m Someone Else), Melissa Broder (Last Sext), Ana Carrete (Baby Babe), Suzy Fincham-Gray (My Patients and Other Animals) and more. From 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 27. Free. lastexit.org HMickey Brent at Lhooq/xrealism, 755 1/2 Carlsbad Village Drive, Carlsbad. The local author will sign and discuss his novel, Underwater Vibes, a contemporary lesbian romance. From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday July 28. Free. lhooqxrealism.com Alexa Kingaard at La Playa Books, 1026 Rosecrans St., Point Loma. The author will discuss her book Keep Forever, which is about returning veterans and the impact their service has on their families and

H = CityBeat picks @SDCITYBEAT

COMEDY

Kathy Griffin at Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. The award-winning comedian stops by on her “Laugh Your Head Off” tour. Her act will include commentary on current pop culture as well as her Trump beheading scandal. At 8 p.m. Saturday, July 28. $39-$250. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org

DANCE HDancerPalooza and Beat Street at San Diego Convention Center, 111 W Harbor Drive, Downtown. This three-day dance festival brings together top professional choreographers, dancers from TV and film, master teachers, dance professionals, dance students of all ages for special performances and more. Times vary each day. Friday July 27 through Sunday, July 29. Free. 206-521-9551.

FILM Sex Trafficking at The Father’s House, 1185 Linda Vista Drive, San Marcos. This documentary screening will educate audience members about the problem of sex trafficking in San Diego and what individuals can do to help. The evening also includes a Q&A panel with special guests.

At 4:30 p.m. Sunday, July 29. $10-$15. sexsellsdocumentary.eventbrite.com

FOOD & DRINK HWing Feast at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Top local chicken wing eateries and chefs will present an assortment of creative flavors for just $1 a wing. Participants include Belly Bombs Asian Inspired Wings, Po’s Cambodian Wings, Full Belly BBQ. At 4 p.m.

Saturday, July 28. $6. 858-755-1141, dmtc.com HPhil’s Big BBQ at the Ballpark at Petco Park, Park & Imperial, Downtown.

Guests will enjoy Phil’s ribs and chicken plus sides and beverages, as well as live music and a ticket to that night’s Padres game. All proceeds benefit Operation Bigs, which provides mentors to children of military families. From 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, July 29. $25-$60. sdbigs.org/PhilsBigBBQ HCalifornia ClamBake at Hotel Del Coronado, 1500 Orange Ave., Coronado.

Enjoy a shellfish feast on the beach featuring a menu by renowned chef Javier Plascencia and paired with wine service. The event will also include beach games and live entertainment. From 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 28. $125. 619-435-6611, hoteldel.com

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 HCoronado Brewing’s 22nd Anniversary at Coronado Brewing Company San Diego Tasting Room, 1205 Knoxville St., Bay Park. Celebrate the brewery’s anniversary with live music by The Sidekicks and DJ Mike Czech while enjoying a variety of fresh local beer. From 2 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 28. $10. 619-275-2215, facebook.com/events/396654747510992 HNat Diego at various locations. This two-day weekend festival packed with international winemakers, importers and advocates of natural wine includes seminars, wine tasting parties, food trucks and lots of natural wine, naturally. Various times. Friday July 27 and Saturday, July 28. Free-$60. natdiego.com Gather for Good at Blind Lady Ale House, 3416 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. The family-friendly craft beer tavern and restaurant will donate a percentage of sales to the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation for kids’ educational programming.

From 11:30 a.m. to midnight. Sunday, July 29. Free. 619-255-2491, facebook. com/events/1695626550506524

MUSIC HGodfathers of Latin Jazz: A Salute to Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. As part of the Bayside Summer Nights Concert series, bandleader Jon Faddis pays tribute to the “godfathers” of Latin Jazz and some of today’s most notable jazz musicians. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 26. $21$69. sandiegosymphony.org American Idol Live at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. The hit

show’s tour featuring this season’s top seven finalists, including season winner Kris Allen. The winner of the 2017 competition show Boy Band, In Real Life, will also be joining the tour. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 26. $35.50-$85.50. 619-2350804, sandiegosymphony.org Mark Cohn & The Blind Boys of Alabama at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown.

The Grammy winner will perform alongside the gospel music group as part of the Bayside Summer Nights concert series. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 27. $18-$69. 619686-6200, sandiegosymphony.org Yale Strom and Hot Pstromi at California Center for the Arts Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The American violinist and composer Yale Strom leads his band through a concert of traditional klezmer and Jewish jazz. From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 27. Free. 800-9884253, artcenter.org Steel Pulse at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The legendary reggae act will play after the day’s last race as part of the Del Mar race Track’s Summer Concert Series. At 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18. $6-$20. 858-755-1141, dmtc.com HRhythm Nation 1 Year Anniversary at The IN Gallery 1878 Main Street #D, Barrio Logan. This semi-regular party “for derelicts, outcasts and freaks” celebrates the past year with a lineup of DJs including Rhythm Nation’s Urbanzky as well as Keith Worthy and Aaron Paar. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, July 28. $20 facebook.com/rhythmnationsd HABBA Greatest Hits at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus presents a performance

Bathing in blood

W

hat does it mean to live in a dark age?

The phrase calls up images of peasants dying horrible deaths during the Middle Ages. When Petrarch coined the term in the 13th century, he was referring to the period after the collapse of the Roman Empire, but Tom McAllister’s new novel How to Be Safe suggests we’re living in a new dark age.

How to Be Safe explores the aftermath of a horrific school shooting. Anna Crawford is a teacher at the school who was suspended two weeks before the massacre. She is spared the actual tragedy, but is dragged into the drama by conspiracy theorists. The media and the muckrakers, police and politicians, the citizenry and the crackpots all have their roles to play.

“I received occasional emails from amateur detectives who accused me of helping the government run a false-flag operation,” Anna explains in the book. “Others admitted I hadn’t done the shooting—they acted like this was a gracious concession, admitting that all the facts existed as facts—but they still were convinced I was guilty of something… Facts are not facts at all; they’re just the first line of an argument.”

Virtually every action taken on behalf of Seldom Falls makes the situation worse for the community

of survivors, of which Anna is one whether she admits it or not. “It’s a mistake to look at your past and imagine alternate outcomes, because time machines don’t exist, and even if they did, only the rich could afford them.”

How to Be Safe is not a realist novel. The mirror it holds up to society gives back warped reflections. In one passage, McAllister deconstructs the term “bloodbath”: to fill a bathtub with blood would require “forty humans worth.” By this logic, most bloodbaths can more accurately be described as blood sinks. “It’s important to be precise, to know exactly how much blood there is and how much is spilled. You don’t want to sensationalize it.”

For all its ironic assertions and satirical distortions, McAllister’s novel arrives at the truth of postTrump America in a way that most nonfiction falls short. Where else will you find advice like this: “The world is in a prolonged state of massacre and the only thing we can do is try not to see it all at once.”

How to Be Safe is essential reading for those who hope to survive these new dark ages.

—Jim Ruland

Floating Library appears every other week.

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

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EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 of the acclaimed pop group’s biggest hits including “Take a Chance on Me,” “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen” and more. At 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 28 and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 29. $20-$75. 619-570-1100, sdgmc.org Beethoven by the Bay at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, San Diego. Orchestral performance of the iconic composer’s “Fifth Symphony” as well as the “Egmont Overture” and “Piano Concerto No. 3.” Special guests include conductor Yaniv Dinur and Swiss pianist Albert Cano Smit. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Sunday, July 29. $27-$92. sandiegosymphony.org Chelsea Chen and Joseph Lee at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 2125 Pan American Road, Balboa Park. The acclaimed organist (Chen) and New York City Ballet Orchestra cellist (Lee) bring their unique artistry to a concert of cello and organ music, as part of the Summer Organ Festival.

At 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 30. 619-7028128, spreckelsorgan.org

Obon Festival at Vista Buddhist Temple, 150 Cedar Road, Vista. Enjoy Japanese food while watching taiko drumming, cultural demonstrations and koto performances. Plus discussions on Buddhism and a farmer’s market. From noon to 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 28 and Sunday, July 29.

Free. 750-941-8800, vbtemple.org

SPORTS HSupergirl Pro Surf Competition at Oceanside Pier, 300 N. The Strand, Oceanside. The world’s top professional female surfers come to Oceanside for a weekend full of competitions. Includes a festival village loaded with surf and skate vendors, art, fashion, live music, fitness, dance, food and a beer garden. From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, July 27, 8 a.m. to

6 p.m. Saturday, July 28, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 29. Free. 760-6326843, supergirlpro.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HThinking Shakespeare Live! at Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. Artistic Director Barry Edelstein and three professional classical actors will explore a performer’s approach to Shakespearean language so that audiences may easily understand the Bard. At 11 a.m. Saturday, July 28. Free. RSVP required. 619-231-1941, oldglobe.org

WORKSHOPS HDIY Zine Zone Summer Camp at the

San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. A week of zine-making for students between the ages of 10 and 18 with any interest in the visual arts and a desire to explore the possibilities of media. Led by Luisa Martinez and David Peña, founders and organizers of the Tijuana Zine Fest. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Through Friday, July 27. $250-$300.

619-236-0011, sandiego-art.org

The Queer Poets: Poem-Making with Jim Moreno at San Diego Writers, Ink, 2730 Decatur Road #202, Liberty Station. This workshop offers discussion on the best LGBTQ poets starting with Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Langston Hughes and other Queer writers of many generations and cultures.

From 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 29. $72. sandiegowriters.org

HWhite People for Racial Justice 101 at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, 4089 Fairmount Ave., City Heights. Allies of racial justice are invited to discuss the basics of white supremacy, privilege and fragility, as well as learn tools for undoing biases and combating racism. RSVP required. From 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, July 28. Free. facebook. com/events/2119264588293956

Stop Motion Camp at the San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Kids ages five through nine are invited to grab their cameras and spend a week learning how to make their own animated short videos with local artist Francisco Eme. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Monday, July 30 through Friday, August 3. $250-$300. 619-236-0011, sandiego-art.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HVAMP: Weird Science at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. So Say We All’s monthly storytelling night features stories about science of all stripes. Featured readers include Michelle Chan, Jesse O’Sullivan, Ariana Remmel and more.

From 8:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 26. $5 suggested donation. 619-284-6784, sosayweallonline.com HPalabra at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave, Logan Heights. The evening of poetry will include readings from Adam Greenfield and hosted by Ted Washington.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 26.

Free. 619-255-7036, labodegagallery.com

SPECIAL EVENTS HNational Carousel Day at Balboa Park Carousel, 1889 Zoo Pl, Balboa Park. A community event that includes musical entertainment, food vendors, children’s activities and of course, free Carousel rides. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 25. Free.

619-232-2282 friendsofbalboapark.org HJust My Type at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Part of the Summer Cover to Cover series, this all day event features a trunk show from typography artist Yomar Augusto, a happy hour and a lecture from SDSU Professor Emerita Susan Merritt. From noon to 8 p.m. Friday, July 27. $5. 619-704-7495, mingei.org On the Steps at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. In conjunction with SDMA’s new exhibition, Epic Tales from Ancient India, this outdoor community event includes a Bollywood-inspired dance performance, art-making activities, live art, henna artists and more. Followed by a film screening of Mughal-e-Azam. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 27. Free-$5. sdmart.org HArts and Amps at Karl Strauss Tasting Room, 5985 Santa Fe St., Bay Ho. A gallery show and live mural-painting will be accompanied by music from local bands Little Hurricane and Well Well Well, food from Urge Gastropub and, of course, plenty of craft brews. From 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 28. Free. 858-273-2739, karlstrauss.com HImperial Beach Surf Dog at Imperial Beach Pier, 10 Evergreen Ave., Imperial Beach. In its 13th year, this unique competition is expected to have over 60 dogs paddle out for waves and compete in the multi-heat event. Fun for two-legged creatures will also be available, including a beer garden and food trucks. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 28. Free. surfdogevents.com

@SDCITYBEAT

JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

THEATER ADRIANA ZUNIGA-WILLIAMS

Films turned musicals hit the heights

T

he 1980 film Xanadu was flat-out bad. It even inspired the snarky Razzies Awards, an annual mock award for the year’s worst cinema. On the other hand, the 2007 Broadway musical version, a self-parodying 90 minutes of anything-goes silliness, is fun with a capital F. With artistic director Teri Brown at the helm, OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista has opened its 2018’19 season with a completely entertaining production of Xanadu. In spite of some noticeable sound problems on opening night—hopefully fixed by now—this goodnatured staging of the show by Douglas Carter Beane, John Farrar and Jeff Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra fame) amuses with its snide satirizing of Greek mythology, Los Angeles (at its most laid back) and even Broadway itself. Moreover, it might actually make you nostalgic for Olivia Newton-John, the star of the film whose “Magic” and “Have You Never Been Mellow” are among this stage adaptation’s tunes.

Another Olivia, Olivia Berger, stars in OnStage’s Xanadu as the comely muse brought to life who falls in love with an artistically minded slacker boy (Joshua Tyler Powers).

No one in the talented cast, especially the other muses, takes the story very seriously—nor should they. Everyone’s simply in the what the hell? spirit of this shamelessly silly romp, and the house band performing in the wings never misses a beat.

Xanadu runs through Aug. 18 at OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. $25; onstageplayhouse.org

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

as “The World Will Know” and “Seize the Day,” and on whirling athletic dancing choreographed by Colleen Kollar Smith. Newsies’ love story is obligatory and its ballads rote, but the heart and conscience of the story are sincere.

Newsies runs through Aug. 4 at Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. $17-$57; moonlightstage.com

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Beauty and the Beast: The new musical production based on the original story (read: not the Disney movie) about a grumpy hairball and the woman who falls for him. Presented by the Grossmont College Theatre Arts Department, performances begin July 26 at the Stagehouse Theatre in El Cajon. grossmont.edu

Xanadu

T

he Newsies musical based on the 1992 motion picture is, sadly, anachronistic. It celebrates, with no shortage of youthful energy, an era when newspapers were not only relevant but they reigned supreme.

At the same time, labor unions were both championed and cheered. In the case of this likable show by Alan Menken (music), Jack Feldman (lyrics) and Harvey Fierstein (book), the time was 1899 and the inspiration is a strike by New York City newsboys, which subsequently made its own headlines.

Moonlight Stage Productions’ take on Newsies thrives on the emotional uplift of anthemic battle cries such

Barefoot in the Park: Neil Simon’s opposites attract comedy about a New York couple trying to find a way to make it work despite their conflicting personalities. Directed by Jessica Stone, performances begin July 28 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org The Protestor: A staged reading of Judge H. Lee Sarokin’s play about the importance of free speech centers on a Hispanic school teacher trying to balance going to law school and also protect his brother from deportation. It happens July 30 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org On Your Feet: The life and career of Gloria Estefan gets the Broadway musical treatment with songs and choreography from the creators of Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots. Presented by Broadway San Diego, performances begin July 31 at the Civic Theatre in the Gaslamp. broadwaysd.com

For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

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JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

MELISSA BRODER PHOTO BY LORD BYRON / CHELSEA HODSON PHOTO BY RYAN LOWRY

CULTURE | BOOKS

Melissa Broder and Chelsea Hodson bare their souls in new books

By Jim Ruland

Melissa Broder and Chelsea Hodson

“

s soon as you stop wanting some- is a book that is strangely more honest and thing, you get it,” Andy Warhol fa- real than many novels that take a more remously quipped. But for many of alist approach to romance. Broder told me us, it’s not the getting that’s the es- she wanted to understand “why a love that sential component of desire, but the is healthy and present and abundant can sometimes feel not as real as a love that is endless want.

Two books by authors coming to San Di- a fantasy.”

Inspired by the novel The Professor and ego—as part of the new literary and reading series Last Exit [full disclosure: Last Exit is the Siren by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Broder set out to explore this curated by CityBeat contribuparadox of desire with classic tor Julia Dixon Evans]—explore themes, but it was important to desire in very different ways.

Broder to locate the novel in a Melissa Broder (melissabroder. modern setting. com) is a poet, essayist and “There was a lot more I wantTwitter sensation, but her novel ed to say about the addictive naThe Pisces is her first formal forture of sex and love, Broder said. ay into fiction.

“I wanted Tinder to be a part of The Pisces is a love story bethis book.” tween a woman in her thirties Broder moved to Los Angeand a much older man. It’s imles from New York five years possible to know exactly by how ago where she composed her much, because he’s a mythical The Pisces poetry on the train. When she sea creature. Lucy meets Theo traded the subway for a car she down by the rocks at Venice Beach while house sitting for her sister. Af- started dictating prose, which led to expand ter mistaking him for a young, fit swimmer, on many of the ideas generated in her enorshe discovers he is a merman who is really mously popular Twitter feed @sosadtoday, which is dedicated to addiction, anxiety and into her.

“Did it take a mythological deformity to depression. This resulted in an essay collecfind a gorgeous man who was as needy as I tion of the same name and columns for Vice, Lenny Letter and Elle.com. was?” Lucy marvels.

Now she is at work on two new novels.

The Pisces has made a splash because of its graphic sex scenes, of which there are Broder says she enjoys the novel form beseveral. The book’s central problem, how- cause she feels it’s where “poetry and nonever, does not concern the physical romance fiction intersect.”

Chelsea Hodson (chelseahodson.com), between Lucy and Theo, who is endowed with the genitals of a human, but with her on the other hand, is interested in intersections. Her book Tonight I’m Someone Else is a reckless desire for what she can’t have.

Broder tackles the question of why we collection of essays. The impossible-to-pin want what we know is bad for us. The result down selection, “Pity the Animal,” docu-

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

ments the collision of culture and capitalism performance artist whose medium is words. and was previously published as a chapbook.

“I do think of the book as an art object,” Early excerpts of two other essays were pub- she said. lished in small literary journals, but the maHodson has a background in zine culture jority of the book has never been published and for her, “doing zines comes from that before now. anxiety of having your voice heard and be“I think of the book as one long essay,” ing part of something whether that be art or Hodson said. “I felt strongly that once the music or writing.” book was done it would read better as a colBut after being so public she had a strong lection rather than individual essays out in impulse to be private, a period that she rethe world. I didn’t really have the desire to fers to as “an incubation stage.” publish them one by one… I liked the idea of In Tonight I’m Someone Else, Hodson reit living on my computer with very few read- flects on how her desires put her at odds ers. Then it could continue to morph and with society. For instance, her desire for change as I kept working on it.” gainful employment was often reduced to This is an interesting choice for the cre- an ongoing conversation with herself about ator of “Inventory,” a project where Hodson what she was and wasn’t willing to do with documented everything she her body. Her desire for the owned by describing one affection of a pop singer was item per day, every day. compromised by the adula“‘Inventory’ was a way to tion of thousands of other fans. Hodson has a gift for focus my writing. I felt like I putting the reader in these wasn’t writing enough, daymoments of keenly felt obto-day. I wanted something servation. that had the possibility of “For me, it’s much more having an audience… Even if visceral and focused in on it was one paragraph, which something like a filmmaker. it often was, that was what I I’m really interested in isoproduced every day.”

She started with approxiTonight I’m Someone Else lating things and creating an atmosphere.” mately 10 followers and it In trying to understand why we want grew from there. 657 days and more than 40,000 words later, the project was com- what we want, Broder and Hodson arrive plete. A live performance of “Inventory” at essential truths about the human condilasted over seven hours and was document- tion—even if sometimes what we want is a ed by the Marina Abramovic Institute. merman with a penis.

Hodson’s willingness to experiment and be fearlessly open with her life are two hall- Melissa Broder and Chelsea Hodson will be marks of her writing. She is drawn to guide- reading at 7 p.m. Friday, July 27 at The Sash lines and restraints. In this way she is like a Store (3753 6th Ave., Hillcrest).

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CULTURE | ART

SEEN LOCAL RE-COLLECTIONS

A

“

library’s special collections department has always been kind of tucked away in the past because they were a special place that you had to seek out to go to and get permission to use,” says Anna Culbertson, the head of Special Collections and University Archives at the San Diego State University library.

Such has been the case for the SDSU department, which is located on the fourth floor of Manchester Hall, above the offices of the university’s president and administrators. There, in an attic-like space, the department stores away its archives, but also curates exhibits on fascinating, yet unconventional topics such as the cult of Jonestown and Lomaland, the former theosophist society that sparked San Diego’s art scene. However, with little foot traffic, these exhibits are seldom seen.

But, that’s in the process of change. The Special Collections Department is making a big move to the first floor of the Love Library, a central and heavily trafficked space. The department already hosts exhibits in this section, but this will make room for additional exhibits that would have been on display in Manchester Hall. The expansion will also quadruple the size of the reading room, where visitors can access the collections for research.

“The dean has been talking a lot lately about how libraries, in the future, are going to start focusing more on showcasing their special collections as their physical and tangible collections, since a lot of things are going digital these days,” says Culbertson. “For that reason, it’s becoming increasingly popular for

libraries to put special collections in more centrally located parts of the library.”

The expansion also includes the Edward E. Marsh Golden Age of Science Fiction Library. It honors the SDSU alum who donated a collection valued at $2.25 million and includes signed first edition copies and rare works. SDSU Pop Culture Librarian Pamela Jackson also points out the 60,000 traditional comic books (not counting graphic novels), making it one of the largest such collections in the nation. The department anticipates this move will motivate more people to take advantage of the collection. The new reading room and additional exhibition space are set to open in September.

PAMELA JACKSON

Edward E. Marsh Golden Age of Science Fiction Room “We have such a great pop culture focus in a lot of the areas that we collect in,” says Culbertson. “And given our relationship and proximity to Comic-Con and Southern California fandom communities, we really think it’s important to drum up as much use and collaboration between the collections and the community as possible.”

“We have some cool things,” says Jackson, “so we want people to be able to find us and see it.”

—Torrey Bailey

TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE: I KNOW YOU DON’T REALLY CARE

I

’ve had in my life some extraordinary art experi- size and scope, but there’s no mistaking the political ences. Jenny Holzer’s stunning Protect Protect at nature of the pieces. Some pieces like “While Smelling the Whitney in New York City. The vast collection a Rose” are a little more blatant than others. That one of masterpieces at the Detroit InCOURTESY OF THE ARTIST includes a hand cast adobe tile that portrays a Turkish regal who looks a stitute of Arts. The outdoor High lot like our current president.

Desert Test Sites installations scatThen there’s the large-scale, tered throughout the Joshua Tree untitled installation that serves as region. Salvador Dali’s home in the exhibition’s coup de grâce. CreCadaqués, Spain. ated mostly on-site, it features traBut if someone were to ask me ditional Turkish wall carpets, some which for an experience that reof which include heads of state and ally stood out, I’d almost surely inTurkish flags. Ceramic face casts of clude my visit to Beliz Iristay’s (beMustafa Kemal Atatürk (Turkey’s liziristay.com) ranch in the Valle de first president) seem to trickle Guadalupe area of Baja. Sure, I was down the carpets, which are sewn mostly there to see the Turkishtogether and hung as if they’re casborn Iristay’s amazing raku-style cading down from the ceiling like ceramic works and to witness her some kind of woven waterfall. The process, but the trip turned into a piece comes to an end at a puddle magical experience. of white slip porcelain on the floor.

In the four years since I first Whatever type of stream that is encountered Iristay’s work, she represented by the carpets has has gone on to expand her already “Untitled” by Beliz Iristay come to an end here, while adobe impressive artistic repertoire with amazing installations at places as varied as wineries figurines and towers stand atop the dried and cracked in the Valle and the Bienal Ciudad Juárez-El Paso Bi- liquid. Some of the figures have fallen over.

All together, I’m at a loss as to think of a more ennial.

Her new exhibition at Bread & Salt in Logan Heights, moving installation that I’ve seen in San Diego in reI Know You Don’t Really Care (on display through Sept. cent years. I Know You Don’t Really Care is profoundly 22), continues her exploration of border issues and moving and further proof that Iristay is one of the best political contentions. The sculptures, tiles and other artists in the region. ceramic pieces included within the exhibition vary in

—Seth Combs

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JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

CULTURE | FILM

Yours truly

Eighth Grade

Bo Burnham and Elsie Fisher deliver a raw portrait of Generation Me

by Glenn Heath Jr.

I

f the Internet is the world’s new church, then You- ing in skimpy swimsuits—imagine the tween equivaTube videos are surely its form of confession. Thing lents of the cast of MTV’s The Real World. During an is, the sanctity of privacy has been replaced by to- excoriatingly uncomfortable moment, she walks down tal access, with mass audiences now passing ultimate the stone path toward the pool seemingly invisible to her peers. Kayla eventually chooses to submerge her judgment.

In 2006, American comedian Bo Burnham entered body under water to escape the obnoxious chaos.

As Eighth Grade progresses, Kayla’s highs and the public spotlight by navigating this very platform, one that rewards confidence and tomfoolery over vul- (mostly) lows grow increasingly intense. There’s a pivnerability. Working as a one-man band out of his bed- otal dinner scene with her well meaning but clueless room, Burnham performed controversial songs about father Mark (Josh Hamilton) that nails the growing listlessness modern parents must feel trying to coneverything from homosexuality to race.

Taking the next decade’s worth of Burnham’s com- nect with their Instagram-obsessed children. But such edy work into consideration, it might be surprising to discomfort pales in comparison to the back seat game think him capable of something as tender and raw as of Truth or Dare Kayla gets conned into playing by a his debut feature, Eighth Grade. And yet this modern horny high school boy. It is here that Fisher’s indelible story of a disaffected middle school student named performance reveals an entirely new layer of courage.

While over-stylized at times, Eighth Grade (openKayla (Elsie Fisher) truly understands the woozy implications of mixing pubescent confusion and social ing Friday, July 27, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas) media saturation. If anything, it shows that overnight manages to reveal constant social frustrations young people experience during this success stories are often built on a potentially unnerving time in foundation of unspoken traumas. life. At the same time, Kayla’s Like Burnham in his heyday, EIGHTH GRADE triumphs (and there are some Kayla chooses to express herself Directed by Bo Burnham great ones) are emblematic of through personal YouTube videos Starring Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton a girl beginning to understand shot on a makeshift set. Her topand Emily Robinson that stagnation is scarier than ics include confidence, self-worth Rated R taking risks. and identity, but the target demoBurnham’s film also nails the graphic—her fellow classmates— phenomenon witnessed all too don’t even know these videos exist. So in essence, Kayla’s online voice only serves often in modern society where one person ignores to talk directly to her insecure, real world self, the one another because they’re preoccupied with a device. that drifts through school days sometimes without ut- Many scenes take place with this uneven exchange at tering a word. Call them lonely pep talks from the digi- the forefront, an everyday occurrence that nevertheless remains staggeringly sad and regressive. Watchtal void.

Much of Eighth Grade structures Kayla’s coming- ing such lost moments become even more difficult as of-age story around these online admissions, which an audience member since it’s likely they’ll begin to are inspired by awkwardly stressful experiences dur- recognize how often similar scenarios play out in their ing the final two weeks before graduation. Burnham own life.

Eighth Grade imbeds these critiques in subtle ways orchestrates impressive set pieces around the collision between internal and external forces, situations without detracting from Kayla’s profound arc. Surwhere Kayla finds it increasingly difficult to avoid rounded by meanness, flippant pop culture and selfputting into practice the advice she gives in her vid- doubt, she circles back to realize that kindness and eos. Aesthetically, the film heightens her feelings of generosity transcend any number of likes and views. angst through visual superimpositions and striking Mark reminds her of this during a touching come-toJesus scene around a campfire. It is, not surprisingly, music cues.

The most audacious example unfolds at a posh the film’s best scene. pool party celebrating the birthday of the school’s resident mean girl. Invited out of pity, Kayla arrives Film reviews run weekly. unnoticed by a legion of cool kids frolicking and pos- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

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CULTURE | FILM

Body Heat

Endangered husbands

L

ike any classic genre, the Film noir has gone through much iteration during the last century. But the more things change, the more they stay the same. Take, for instance, Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and Lawrence Kasdan’s Body Heat (1981), which have been paired together by the Film Geeks for the Digital Gym Cinema’s latest Noir on the Boulevard series.

While different stylistically— the former is a bruising black and white California melodrama, the latter a steamy Florida neo-noir shot in color—both extend from the “Let’s kill my husband” noir

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subgenre (my unofficial designation) that also includes Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity. Viewing them in close proximity allows one to explore the trappings of noir through the prism of gender.

When Lana Turner’s ambitious trophy wife Cora meets John Garfield’s shifty drifter at her husband’s roadside petrol station in The Postman Always Rings Twice, their fates are immediately intertwined. All he wants is sex, but she wants freedom.

The same could be said of Kathleen Turner’s character of Matty in Body Heat; she uses sex not just for extreme pleasure but also

as a means to convince the twobit lawyer played by William Hurt that her gangster husband has to die for their love to flourish. The film brings new meaning to having “skin in the game.”

Both women are fed up with playing by the rules of male society and hatch murderous plans to break free and ensure financial independence. The key difference involves premeditation: Cora could never fathom the elaborate maliciousness put on display by Matty, whose dense web of lies grows exponentially with each kiss.

The Postman Always Rings Twice screens at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 29, while Body Heat plays Monday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Blindspotting: Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and co-star in this eerily relevant comedy about two friends trying to survive in a rapidly gentrifying Oakland.

Opens Friday, July 27, at Angelika Film Centers—Carmel Mountain.

Eating Animals: Narrated by actor Natalie Portman, this documentary discusses modern dietary choices and how the food we put in our bodies is cultivated. Opens Friday, July 27, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Eighth Grade: Elsie Fisher delivers an indelibly raw performance as middle school student Kayla, a kind and quiet young girl who feels invisible in a social media obsessed world. Opens Friday, July 27, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

Mission Impossible – Fallout: Tom Cruise reprises his role as IMF Agent Ethan Hunt, who faces his toughest mission yet after global disaster strikes.

The Cakemaker: Ofir Raul Graizer directs this drama about a pastry chef who travels to Jerusalem to find the wife and son of his dead lover. Opens Friday, July 27, at the Landmark Ken Cinema.

ONE TIME ONLY Jaws: Steven Spielberg’s iconic blockbuster takes place on 4th of July weekend when a man-eating shark stalks its prey off the coast of Massachusetts. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, July 25, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Shadow of a Doubt: In Alfred Hitchcock’s diabolical 1944 thriller, a young woman discovers that her visiting uncle might just be a killer. Screens at 8 p.m.

Thursday, July 26 and Friday, July 27, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Guerra per Amore: A Sicilian immigrant living in New York City falls in love with the fiancé of the local mob boss’ son. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 28, at the Amici Park Amphitheater in Little Italy.

For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.

JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

OSCAR ARANDA

MUSIC

Taylor Allen and David San German omething feels just a little bit off about the rehearsal space where I’m supposed to meet Carlsbad darkwave/synth-pop duo Mannequin. It’s on the second floor of an office and shopping complex in downtown Escondido, and just upstairs from a reptile supply shop. Inside their practice room, which is shared with another band and next door to a space occupied by a Foo Fighters cover band, the walls are covered with the iconic red, black and white stripe pattern from Eddie Van Halen’s guitar.

It’s an unlikely atmosphere to find a band responsible for some of the most interesting dark, synth-based music in San Diego. Bassist/vocalist David San German and keyboardist Taylor Allen, the two musicians that comprise Mannequin, don’t have stadium-rock fantasies. And though they look like musicians (that is, tall and clad head-to-toe in black), their goal from the beginning was to have Mannequin be a studio-only project.

Shortly after Mannequin uploaded their first three songs to Bandcamp back in August of 2017, Brussels-based cassette label Sentimental expressed interest in releasing their music.

And from there, Mannequin quickly went from being a bedroom project made by a couple of friends into a proper band.

“This label Sentimental Records hit us up and wanted to release our music on cassette. And they kind of just kept

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

asking us,” Allen says. “And they wanted us to make a video, and that was kind of out of the question. And then they asked ‘when we were going to make an Instagram,’ and then ‘when are you going to start playing shows?’”

A couple months later, Mannequin played their first show at Park & Rec in University Heights. Allen is a veteran of a handful of bands including Vessel and See You Space Cowboy, and has already logged some time on stage. But for San German, it was his first show ever.

“I was so nervous because it was the first show that I ever played,” he says.

“I was really nervous. I struggle with anxiety, and so when I got onstage... I just begged the guy for a lot of reverb.”

Everything about Mannequin came together remarkably quickly. They played their first show just a couple months after forming, released a six-song cassette—through a label, no less—only two months after their first show. That cassette is already sold out. Even their first song came together in just one day, and that’s coming from two musicians who had only known each other less than a year at that point.

“It happened to work out perfectly. [Taylor] got all his equipment. And then we wrote and recorded ‘Melissa’ and

came up with a band name,” San German says. “All in the same day.”

The six songs that comprise Mannequin’s debut EP, Singles/Factions, are moody, minimal synth-pop jams that often recall some of the gloomier acts of the late ’70s and early ’80s. A track like “Hours” is essentially a great punk song written with synthesizers, driven by a fast, pulsing rhythm and infectious hooks. “Melissa,” meanwhile, is two minutes of moody, atmospheric goth-pop and dancefloor-friendly beats. As the band tells it, the melancholy “Everybody” is the song their friends request the most, even though they’re ready to cycle it out of their repertoire. They think the disco thump of “Astro” is the one that most sounds like a hit.

The songs that Mannequin have compiled so far present a band with a clearly defined aesthetic, albeit one that seems to be intent on expanding their palette. In the beginning, Allen and San German had only a general idea of what the band could be, but as they’ve spent the past year performing and writing songs together, they say they feel like they have a better sense of what they want their music to sound like going forward.

“From the start, we always had this idea, but we don’t like to narrow ourselves down to just that one idea,” Allen says. “But as we keep writing music, we try to refine ourselves. At first it was a bit more all over the place. But now it actually sounds like the same band making all the music.”

“It’s like our greatest hits,” San German says of their debut cassette.

Mannequin have written enough material for a fulllength release, which they hope to record later this year. But as of yet, most of those songs won’t be making their way into their live sets anytime soon. Because their music includes various layers of synth and drum programming, their songs essentially have to be ready to be recorded before they can be performed. The process of being able to perfect their sound has become even more streamlined over time as they’ve become more confident with their sound and abilities.

“We’re only two people, but there are six things happening at once, so we kind of have to get everything perfect,” San German says.

“We definitely came a long way with our instruments since we started recording,” Allen adds. “I didn’t know how to play synthesizer at all. And now we’re halfway decent.”

Mannequin aren’t itching to be rock stars anytime soon, despite the Eddie Van Halen pattern on their practice room walls. They’re still more comfortable in dark spaces, making dark music. But they also have a lot of fun doing it. In the beginning, neither of them expected to be in front of an audience. Whether audiences show up or not, Mannequin is having too much fun creating something to worry about it.

“It’s a good way to get stuff out of my head,” Allen says.

“I get a lot of joy out of this project. We’re two best friends making music.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com. Follow him on Twitter @1000TimesJeff

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JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

PHOTO OF THE OFFSPRING BY SAM JONES PHOTO OF 311 COURTESY OF MSO PR

BY RYAN BRADFORD

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO

THE

SPOTLIGHT

LOCALS ONLY

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oudspeaker, 91X’s local music show, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a special live show on Tuesday, July 31 at The Casbah. The radio show—which broadcasts on Sunday nights at 7 p.m.—debuted in 1988 with host Marco Collins who later relocated to Seattle.

Since then, it’s also been hosted by Lou Niles, and is 91X Loudspeaker now hosted by Tim Pyles, who has been the voice behind Loudspeaker for much of its lifetime, having first begun hosting it in 1998.

“There’s something to be said for 91X’s commitment to the show,” Pyles says. “Once I got the key card, I was set on being there every Monday night. Eventually I took the reins of the program, and I got a lot of other opportunities through that.”

The anniversary show will feature a Pyles-curated lineup of artists who’ve been Loudspeaker regulars throughout its history, including Low Volts, Rob Crow, Pall Jenkins, N-E-1, Pony

ALBUM REVIEW Optiganally Yours O.Y. in Hi-Fi (Joyful Noise)

B

ack in the ’90s, Pinback’s Rob Crow (then of Thingy and Heavy Vegetable) teamed up with Pea Hicks for a peculiar musical project. Optiganally Yours was centered around the use of the optigan, a keyboard that used optical discs featuring actual recordings of various musical instruments, giving the illusion of an entire ensemble performing.

That novelty produced a pair of fun pop records in 1997’s Spotlight On and 2000’s Exclusively Talentmaker!, though the project’s been mostly quiet since.

O.Y. in Hi-Fi finds Crow and Hicks finally reviving it with a long-in-the-works set of 13 tracks that materialized after Crow formed a partnership with Joyful Noise Records, which will also see the release of more previously unreleased material from his catalog. The unique spin on this record is that the optigan, itself, doesn’t exactly play the same role on the album. Rather, Hicks obtained master tapes from the optigan

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

Death Ride and Chris Cote. There will also be Pants Karaoke sessions between sets in the Atari Lounge. However, not everyone who Pyles considered—including the now-defunct Stranger’s Six—made the final cut.

“Obviously it can be a struggle trying to coordinate any kind of show, so there was some back and forth about having some bands possibly reunite,” he says. “Rob and Pall are two seminal dudes in San Diego, they’ve inspired a lot of people and are part of San Diego royalty. Plus N-E-1 is a band from my youth, one of the first bands to be played on 91X in any kind of regular rotation.”

July 31 is also Loudspeaker Day in the City of San Diego, and Councilmember David Alvarez will present the station with a proclamation.

“It helps to have a City Councilmember like David Alvarez, who was nice enough to sponsor us,” Pyles says. “A lot of different people have been involved with the show at different times. Lou [Niles] also hosted it from around ‘90 to ‘96. And Marco [Collins], he was the one who created it. But I feel lucky to be a part of it.”

—Jeff Terich

library, essentially removing the fuzzy, lo-fi sound that the discontinued ’70s-era organ created and sampling the audio banks directly. Hence: O.Y. in Hi-Fi. The overall character of the project hasn’t changed.

There’s still a sunny, loungey charm to most of the tracks, but that was probably inevitable considering the source material leans heavily on the vintage, easy listening aesthetic. Think the instrumental tracks from The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds or vinyl records that you might find in a particularly kitschy thrift store. But they provide a strong foundation for Crow and Hicks’ songwriting, which is as strong as any of the former’s other projects but with a refreshing aesthetic that sets it apart from just about any other project to come out of the San Diego music scene.

The mixture of heavy electric guitars and grooving organ sounds on “How Do You Feel?” is a fun slice of cut-and-paste pop, an early indicator of the band’s playfulness. But even beyond the quirkiness of it, it’s an exceptional song. The same can be said of “Hope In Your Eyes,” whose shimmering piano and vibraphone make for a lush, lightly psychedelic effect. As sugary as the samples might sound, there’s a lot to sink one’s teeth into here.

—Jeff Terich

The Offspring and 311

I

t was inevitable. We hoped that it wouldn’t happen. Crossed our fingers. Prayed. But in our heart of hearts, we knew that it was bound to happen: The Offspring and 311 are touring together.

And as if the union of these two regionallybeloved bands wasn’t bad enough, they had to kick sand in our eyes with the announcement that they had covered each other’s hits! Offspring recently covered 311’s “Down” and 311 covered Offspring’s “Self Esteem.” And yes, both versions are far, far worse than we could imagine.

But it’s not always been this way—we haven’t always cringed in horror at the mention of either of these bands. In fact, CityBeat has a very complicated love/hate relationship with both The Offspring and 311, and perhaps our frustration comes from a slight place of admiration.

Take 311, for example. It’s hard to think of a landlocked band (Nebraska, y’all!) that has exploited those chill Southern Californian vibes as well as they have. That’s annoying, but there’s no denying how good “Down” sounded when we first heard it. Our former music editor Peter Holslin once wrote how—despite our general attitude toward 311—everyone has a “Down” moment. It’s a sentiment that still holds true.

And The Offspring... well, The Offspring will always have Smash, one of the greatest pop-punk records of all time. Front to back, it is more vicious than anything Green Day or Rancid were putting out during the mid ’90s punk explosion. Plus, frontman Dexter Holland is the founder of Gringo Bandito, a very, eh, adequate hot sauce, and that’s probably more than what you’ve done with your life.

Offspring and 311 play Sunday, July 29 at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre

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JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda

TIM REESE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 25

PLAN A: Adeumazel, Mother Mosaic, Gawdblakk @ SPACE. Tijuana’s Adeumazel has a laid-back sound that’s somewhere between jazz and post-rock in the style of Tortoise or Tristeza. It’s gorgeous, instrumental music that takes the listener on a journey.

PLAN B: Dave Alvin & Jimmy Dale Gilmore with The Guilty Ones, Jon Langford @ Belly Up Tavern. Americana icons Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Dave Alvin (also of The Blasters) recently released a new collaborative album, and it’s a refreshing, earthy antidote to the more obnoxious bro-country that’s so prevalent now. Get there early for post-punk legend Jon Langford of The Mekons, who also happens to have a folky side. BACKUP PLAN: AJ Froman, Sundrop Electric @ The Merrow.

THURSDAY, JULY 26

PLAN A: Tennis System, Quali, Infinity Eyes @ Soda Bar. It’s a funny coincidence that the best bets for Thursday involve a whole lot of shoegaze. The first option is Tennis System, who balance pop hooks with lots of layers of whooshing guitar effects.

Make sure not to miss Quali, one of my favorite San Diego bands right now. PLAN B: Battery Point, The Shed, Delahcruz, Unpopular Opinion, Vlush, Shameface, Blunites @ Brick by Brick. Another great shoegazey outfit, Chula Vista’s Battery Point specialize in all things dreamy. Their songs are catchy but hypnotic, the kind of sound that’s really easy to get lost in. BACKUP PLAN: Stephanie Brown and the Surrealistics, The Strawberry Moons, Dream Phases, Miss New Buddha @ The Casbah.

FRIDAY, JULY 27

PLAN A: Mrs. Magician, Hideout, Sixes, Calcutta Kid @ Soda Bar. It’s hard to go wrong with a lineup of four great (mostly) local bands, with the sole exception being the half-New York half-San Diego indie pop outfit Hideout. Get there early and soak in the guitar riffs. PLAN B: Brume, Mustard Gas and Roses, Beira, Nebula Drag @ Brick

by Brick. For something slower, heavier and louder, check out Brume, whose unique sound balances doom metal heaviness with ethereal vocals and elaborate prog-rock songwriting.

BACKUP PLAN: The Weirdos, Egrets on Ergot, The Executives @ The Casbah.

SATURDAY, JULY 28

PLAN A: Night Nail, Creux Lies, Mannequin, DJs Javi Nunez, Disorder @ Soda Bar. Read my feature this week on local goth-pop duo Mannequin, who back up their synth-driven gloom with driving rhythms and catchy hooks. They’re playing with L.A. post-punk outfit Night Nail, so it’ll make for

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore a fun night of theatrical darkness. PLAN B: Playboi Carti @ SOMA. Playboi Carti is far from the best rapper in the world, but the genius of his songs is that they’re so immaculately produced. Those beats are the attraction, and the lyrics are just a nice bonus.

BACKUP PLAN: Mystic Priestess, Crime Desire, Therapy @ Teros Gallery.

SUNDAY, JULY 29

PLAN A: Faust, Featherstone, Duuns @ The Casbah. Yes, this is that Faust. And for those who have no idea who that Faust is, they’re a legendary German art rock band whose early records such as Faust and Faust IV are both groundbreaking and massively influential. I don’t really know what to expect, but it’ll be interesting no matter what. PLAN B: The Body, Lingua Ignota, SOLVE, OAA @ Soda Bar. The Body are a super heavy, super loud band whose industrial-sludge can make any venue feel like its walls are crumbling. Add to that the avant-garde vocal sensibility of Lingua Ignota and things are going to be super intense. BACKUP PLAN: Adam Ant @ Humphreys by the Bay .

MONDAY, JULY 30

PLAN A: The Decemberists, Whitney @ Humphreys by the Bay. I haven’t really kept up with The Decemberists over the last seven or eight years, but I won’t lie to you and say that I never listened to them. I still have a soft spot for Picaresque and The Crane Wife, and hearing some tracks from those albums will make it all worth it.

TUESDAY, JULY 31

PLAN A: Loudspeaker 30th Anniversary w/ Low Volts, N-E-1, Rob Crow, Pall Jenkins, Chris Cote, Pony Death Ride, Pants Karaoke @ The Casbah. Iconic 91X local program Loudspeaker turns 30 this year, and this bash celebrates its momentous anniversary with some of the bands that have been regulars on the playlist over the decades. Plus Pants Karaoke, which should be interesting.

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MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Pinback (Casbah, 9/6), Eryn Allen Kane (Soda Bar, 9/13), Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears (Casbah, 9/14), Shoreline Mafia (SOMA, 9/15), Ghostface Killah, Raekwon (Observatory, 9/16), Devotchka (Observatory, 9/28), Rebel Souljahz (Observatory, 10/4), Tennis (BUT, 10/7), Thievery Corporation (BUT, 10/17), Metalachi (BUT, 10/19), The Silent Comedy (Casbah, 10/19), Matthew Sweet (BUT, 10/22), Maxwell (Humphreys, 11/2), Mac Miller (Open Air Theatre, 11/3), Vundabar (HOB, 11/7), Billie Eilish (SOMA, 11/17), Yndi Halda (Soda Bar, 11/18), Cat Power (Observatory, 11/24), How to Dress Well (Casbah, 11/27), Fucked Up (Soda Bar, 12/5).

CANCELED Cobi (Soda Bar, 7/31).

GET YER TICKETS American Football, Phoebe Bridgers (Observatory, 8/3), Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam (Open Air Theatre, 8/3), Hop Along (Irenic, 8/5), SOB x RBE (SOMA, 8/9), Boris (Casbah, 8/15), Deafheaven (Brick by Brick, 8/17), Red Fang, Elder (Brick by Brick, 8/20), J. Cole (Viejas Arena, 8/22), The Alarm (BUT, 8/23), Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/24), Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever (Soda Bar, 8/25), Napalm Death (Brick by Brick, 8/27), Smashing Pumpkins (Viejas Arena, 9/1), The Vandals (Observatory, 9/1), B-Side Players (Music Box, 9/1), Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Copley Symphony Hall, 9/1), Leon Bridges (Open Air Theatre, 9/5), The Original Wailers (BUT, 9/6), Lee Fields and the Expressions (BUT, 9/8), Ms. Lauryn Hill (Open Air Theatre, 9/9), Murder

by Death (BUT, 9/11), YOB (Brick by Brick, 9/14), Nothing (Soda Bar, 9/22), Grizzly Bear (Observatory, 9/24), First Aid Kit (Observatory, 9/25), Deep Purple, Judas Priest (Mattress Firm, 9/26), Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band (Observatory, 10/1), Courtney Barnett, Waxahatchee (Observatory, 10/3), Chelsea Wolfe, Russian Circles (Music Box, 10/3), Roky Erickson (Casbah, 10/5), Ozzy Osbourne (Mattress Firm, 10/9), Graham Nash (Humphreys, 10/13), Alkaline Trio (HOB, 10/15), Sting and Shaggy (Harrahs SoCal, 10/16), The Joy Formidable (Casbah, 10/17), St. Lucia (Observatory, 10/17), D.R.I. (Brick by Brick, 10/20), Simple Minds (Humphreys, 10/22), Jay Rock (SOMA, 10/25), Dawes (Observatory, 10/29), The Selecter, The English Beat (Casbah, 11/2), Dia de los Deftones w/ Deftones, Future, Rocket from the Crypt (Petco Park, 11/3),Lucero (Observatory, 11/7), Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin (Irenic, 11/7), Khruangbin (Observatory, 11/10), Ghost (Spreckels Theatre, 11/12), Blitzen Trapper (BUT, 11/12), Neko Case, Destroyer (Observatory, 12/8), Fleetwood Mac (Viejas Arena, 12/8), Kurt Vile (Observatory, 12/9), Ministry (HOB, 12/18).

JULY WEDNESDAY, JULY 25 Jenny and the Mexicats at The Casbah.

Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore at Belly Up Tavern. Dent May at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, JULY 26 Joe Bonamassa at Humphreys by the Bay. Stephanie Brown and The Surrealistics at The Casbah. Henry Kapono at

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Belly Up Tavern. Tennis System at Soda Bar. Juice WRLD at SOMA. Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra at Music Box. Battery Point at Brick by Brick.

FRIDAY, JULY 27 Weirdos at The Casbah. Joe Bonamassa at Humphreys by the Bay. Steel Pulse at Del Mar Racetrack. Mrs. Magician at Soda Bar. Rob Vicious at The Irenic.

Brume at Brick by Brick.

SATURDAY, JULY 28 Brian McKnight at Harrah’s SoCal. Playboi Carti at SOMA. OFU at Brick by Brick.

Swindle at The Casbah. Wayward Sons at Belly Up Tavern. Sleeping With Sirens at The Irenic. Swindle at The Casbah (sold out). Night Nail at Soda Bar.

SUNDAY, JULY 29 Adam Ant at Humphreys by the Bay. Faust at The Casbah. The Body at Soda Bar. Taipan at Brick by Brick.

MONDAY, JULY 30 The Decemberists at Humphreys by the Bay. The Modern Appliances at Soda Bar. Butcher Babies at Brick by Brick.

TUESDAY, JULY 31 The Faceless at Brick by Brick. Corey Leal Duo at Belly Up Tavern. ‘Loudspeaker Anniversary Show’ w/ Low Volts, Rob Crow at The Casbah.

AUGUST WEDNESDAY, AUG. 1 Dentist at SPACE. G-Eazy at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Givers at Soda Bar. River Whyless at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, AUG. 2 Wimps at Soda Bar. Supersuckers at The Casbah. Femi Kuti at Belly Up Tavern. Vansire at House of Blues.

FRIDAY, AUG. 3 American Football, Phoebe Bridgers at Observatory North Park. Matisyahu at Del Mar Racetrack. Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam at Open Air Theatre. Rebecca Jade and the Cold Fact at The Casbah. Buyepongo at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, AUG. 4 Trinidad Cardona at House of Blues.

Hall & Oates, Train at Viejas Arena.

Vacationer at The Casbah. Levitation Room at Soda Bar.

SUNDAY, AUG. 5 Gipsy Kings at Humphreys by the Bay. Hop Along at The Irenic. Beach House at Observatory North Park (sold out). Morricone Youth at The Casbah. The Chairman & The Board at Belly Up Tavern.

Whiskerman at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, AUG. 6 Cody Johns at Soda Bar. The Havnauts at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, AUG. 7 Toto at Humphreys by the Bay. Them Evils at Soda Bar. Hocus at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 8 Shooter Jennings at Belly Up Tavern.

Zac Clark at The Casbah. Jesse Marchant at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, AUG. 9 Paul Cauthen at Harrah’s SoCal. Ace

Frehley at Belly Up Tavern. KRS-One at Observatory North Park. SOB x RBE at SOMA. Forest Grove at The Casbah.

Matthew Logan Vasquez at Soda Bar. The Ataris at SPACE.

FRIDAY, AUG. 10 Pato Banton at Belly Up Tavern. Aloe Blacc at Del Mar Racetrack. Ben Nichols at The Casbah. Tenshun at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, AUG. 11 Ziggy Marley at Del Mar Racetrack. Weezer, The Pixies at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Lemuria at The Casbah. Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas at Soda Bar. Super Diamond at Belly Up Tavern. The Struts at Observatory North Park.

SUNDAY, AUG. 12 Pyrrhon at SPACE. Shawn Colvin at Belly Up Tavern. The Redwoods Revue at Loew’s Coronado. Giraffes? Giraffes! at Soda Bar. Paty Cantu at Observatory North Park.

MONDAY, AUG. 13 Between the Buried and Me at SOMA. Jess Williamson at Soda Bar. Sundrop Electric at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, AUG. 14 Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang at Humphreys by the Bay. OhGr at House of Blues. Lead Pony at Soda Bar. Mimi Zulu at Belly Up Tavern. Downers at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 15 Summer Salt, Hot Flash Heat Wave at The Irenic (sold out). SALES at Music Box. Boris at The Casbah. Knox Hamilton at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, AUG. 16 American Aquarium at The Casbah.

Chris Stapleton at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Brandi Carlile at Humphreys by the Bay. Sneaks at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, AUG. 17 David Cross at Observatory North Park (sold out). Deafheaven at Brick by Brick.

Tribal Theory at Belly Up Tavern. Audio Karate at Soda Bar. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats at Del Mar Racetrack. Snow Patrol at Harrahs SoCal. Set It Off at The Irenic.

SATURDAY, AUG. 18 Rooney at The Casbah. Dispatch at Open Air Theatre.

SUNDAY, AUG. 19 Timber Timbre at The Casbah. Abigail Williams at SPACE. X at Observatory North Park. Otep at Brick by Brick. Don Carlos at Harrah’s SoCal. Paul Cherry at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, AUG. 20 AJJ at Observatory North Park. Charlie Puth at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Red Fang, Elder at Brick by Brick.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Jessica Lerner Band. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Sun Drenched, Mdrn Hstry, Crucial Blend. Sat: Psydecar, CitySide, Dread Daze. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Jahkobeatz, The Dreadnotz.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop Wednesday’ w/ Julian Ramirez, Geronimo X, Devvlov. Thu: ‘SubDrip’ w/ DJ Damon Millard.

Fri: Summer Twins, Twin Ritual. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ DJ William Houseman. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs 2 Bit, Karma Black, Will Lavin.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Joe DeRosa. Fri: Joe DeRosa. Sat: Joe DeRosa.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Joveth, Hana Loggins, Enzo Long. Fri: The Mice, Color + Thunder, Sideshow. Sun: Question? No Answer. Tue: Karaoke.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Cherokee, Boys Don’t Disco. Sat: Falcons.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Fri: DJs Grimm, L. Sat: Tori Roze and the Hot Mess, Lyrical Groove. Sun: Mochilero All Stars. Mon: Zak Najor Band.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Hummingbird Hotel. Fri: The Grapes. Sat: Manic Fanatic Sun: Hummingbird Hotel.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jon Langford. Thu: Henry Kapono and the Dukes, Johnny Valentine.

Fri: Betamaxx, Cassie B. Sat: Wayward Sons, Radio Thieves. Tue: Corey Leal Duo, Jungle Poppins, Ryan Hiller Solo.

Skot. Thu: Aitherios After Dark. Fri: ‘Dance Punk!’. Sat: ‘Through Being Cool’.

Sun: ‘Catechism’. Tue: ‘T is 4 Techno’.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad.

Thu: Red Wizard. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: Battery Point, The Shed, Delahcruz, Unpopular Opinion, Vlush, Shameface, Blunites. Fri: Brume, Mustard Gas and Roses, Beira, Nebula Drag. Sat: OFU, Motorbäbe, Madman. Sun: Taipan, Hand of Fire, Contortion, Death Therapy, Convent. Mon: Butcher Babies, Hyro the Hero, Tetrarch, A Hero Within. Tue: The Faceless, Lorna Shore, Dyscarnate, The Convalescence.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Jenny and the Mexicats, Marujah. Thu: Stephanie Brown and the Surrealistics, Strawberry Moons, Dream Phases, Miss New Buddha. Fri: The Weirdos, Egrets On Ergot, The Executives.

Sat: Swindle, Agent 51, Classified (sold out). Sun: Faust. Mon: DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot. Tue: Low Volts, N-E-1, Rob Crow, Pall Jenkins, Pony Death Ride, Chris Cote, Pants Karaoke.

Ché Café, UCSD campus, La Jolla.

Sat: Venetion Blinds, Necessities, El Myrons, The Shed. Sun: Dinorah Zamora, Free Paintings, Delahcruz, Common Ivy, Kilikili.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Downtown. Fri: Julian Roel & his Quartet. Sat: Matt Hall. Sun: Chase Morrin Quintet.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: DJ Moe. Fri: DJ Vision. Sat: DJ Bar1ne.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Stephen El Rey, Crew D’etat Brass Band. Sat: The Heart Beat Trail, Bloody Mary Bastards.

Fluxx, 500 4th Ave., Downtown. Fri: Esco.

Sat: Ginuwine.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ Marques

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): As soon as you think you have a handle on a problem, the wily thing is liable to slip right through your fingers.

However, that’s when the problems for the wily thing end.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): If all you plan for is the ascent and don’t prepare at for both ways of the journey, then all you’ll end up with is a prison with a really nice view.

Confidence doesn’t come from being the boss. Confidence comes from having information that you can blackmail the boss with.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): The borderline between childhood and adulthood is when you start assuming every sound you hear is the house settling instead of a nefarious creature, though it could be either.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20):

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 -

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20):

You carry within you the secret, guiding dream of your heart. It’s like a popcorn kernel stuck under your gums and slowly infecting your entire head.

CANCER (June 21 - July

22): The human mind is a perfect instrument that will transform being hungry into getting mad at the sun for shining on you.

December 21): As they say, pride goeth before the fall, but it’s less of a fall and more like walking face-first into one of those fun house mirrors over and over again.

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 19): If you are reading this you are most likely not a Capricorn and instead someone trying to figure out what’s going on with a Capricorn this week, to which I say, good luck!

LEO (July 23 - August 22): The path of least resistance sounds boring, but the birds sitting on electrical wires and not getting zapped seem to be having a great time.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February

VIRGO (August 23 September 22): The song of the

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): Holding grudges against people who have wronged you will only harm you unless you can come up with an actionable 10-step process for revenge.

cricket is nice as it drifts through your window. That doesn’t mean you’re gonna go platinum releasing a full length album of it.

18): If you think about it, everything has 50 percent odds because it either will happen or it won’t. But if you think about it longer, that’s really not true at all, huh?

Astrologically Unsound appears every week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.

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MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Chad and Rosie. Fri: ‘Emo Night Brooklyn’. Sat: Snow tha Product.

Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Bayou Brothers. Thu: Kim Jackson. Fri: Full Strength Funk Band. Sat: Hitmen of San Diego, Reflectors. Sun: Groove Squad, Stellita. Mon: Mercedes Moore. Tue: Casey Hensley.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Fri: Rob Vicious, ManMan Savage, AZ Swaye. Sat: Sleeping With Sirens, The Rocket Summer, Kulick.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: ‘Midnight in a Perfect World’. Thu: FUNKeDELiC. Fri: ‘Purps n Turqs’. Sat: ‘Muted Noise’.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: DJs John Joseph, Kinky Loops.

Thu: DJ Kinky Loops. Fri: DJs Kiki, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs K-Swift, Taj. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Kick-Stomp Ensemble.

Fri: Black Market III. Sat: Evan Diamond and the Library.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Lex + Jux. Sat: League of Liars.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: Moth and Sons. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: Power of Soul. Sat: Grass Fed Giants. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Tue: Shane Hall.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Dent May, Shannon Lay, Pearl And The Oysters. Thu: Tennis System, Quali, Infinity Eyes. Fri: Mrs. Magician, Hideout, SIXES, Calcutta Kid. Sat: Night Nail, Creux Lies, Mannequin, DJs Javi Nunez, Disorder. Sun: The Body, Lingua Ignota, SØLVE, OAA. Mon: The Modern Appliances, VHS Club.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Thu: Juice WRLD, Lil Mosey, YBN Cordae. Fri: Ok Shore, Thee Azmatics, The Abstracts, Scatter-Brain, Nikola, The Beachstones. Sat: Playboi Carti.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Adeumazel, Mother Mosaic, Gawdblakk. Thu: ‘Broken Beat’. Fri: ‘Meaning of Love’. Sat: Almost Radical, Hot Fingers, GHTODRM. Tue: Karaoke

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Sat: Partywave, Goopsteppa, Ill Chill. Sun: Claudia Amprimo.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Widows, Bosswitch, Dead on the Wire, Pumphouse. Sat: The Loons, The Sellwoods, Thee Allyrgic Reaction. Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: The Corner. Thu: Scott Porter. Fri: Keep Your Soul, Scott Porter. Sat: Keep Your Soul, Scott Porter. Sun: Lauren Leigh.

Mon: Evan Diamond Goldberg. Tue: Keep Your Soul.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park.

Wed: Theo and Zydeco Patrol. Thu: Johnny Deadly Trio. Fri: Big Time Operator. Sat: Bless Your Heart Burlesque. Tue: The Coffee Club Sextet.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: The Shindigs, Half Eaten, The Tubulars. Thu: Christ Killer, Flaunt, Pissed Regardless. Fri: Hammerkill, Space Wax, Beevil, Slowdraw. Sat: Old Fashioned Assassin, Mezzoa. Sun: Aseptic, Skulls, Chemical Slaughter, Mortar.

Mon: Esther Martinez, Mike Fine, Old Man Amtrak Jones.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: Debra DiGiovanni. Thu: ‘Vamp’.

Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: Johnny Love, The Wicked Hanging Chads, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Pink Froyd. Fri: Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, The White Blinds. Sat: Electric Waste Band. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Ernie Halter, Savannah Philyaw. Fri: Everything Undone, Jara, Alex Lievanos. Sat: Gayle Skidmore, Astra Kelly, Kenny Eng. Sun: New Speak, Lefties, Dragon Dragon.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Goodall Boys. Thu: Fish & JG. Fri: Ron’s Garage. Sat: Pat Ellis and Blue Frog Band. Sun: Ron’s Garage.

Mon: Tommy Price. Tue: JG Solo.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘Come Fly With Me San Diego’. Thu: John Lloyd Young. Fri: Janice and Nathan. Sat: Sophia Alone.

Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. Mon: Andy Anderson and Nathan Fry. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: The Monolithic, AJ Froman, Sundrop Electric. Thu: M. Crane, Bosswitch, Endcastle. Fri: Godsandkingsx, Divad, The Grind, The 4Three, Static on the Radio. Sat: Kill Your Name, Sinshrift, Aghori, Loose Cannon, Fire Glass. Sun: ‘The Playground’. Tue: Color Til Monday, After Hours, Jaws.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Rick Elliot. Fri: Elastic Waste Band. Sat: Celeste Barbier. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: Mt. Joy, Vista Kicks. Thu: Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra, Unsteady, San Diego City Soul Club DJs. Fri: The Pettybreakers, Fooz Fighters. Sat: Como La Flor Band, Grupo Bronco Tribute, DJ Viejo Lowbo. Sun: Shawn Mullins, Max Gomez.

Mon: King Princess, Donna Missal.

The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park.

Wed: ‘Instant Crush’ w/ Nastea, Wenzo.

Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Tritonal.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Thu: Mad Hat Hucksters.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Direct. Sat: Karma.

Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Graveyard Witch, Endo Sol, The Bleeskiez. Fri: Thee Allyrgic Reaction The Sellwoods, Los Sweepers, Nathan James and the Rhythm Scratchers. Sat: Nite Lapse. Sun: The Night Howls. Tue: DJ Lexicon Devil.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Steve Pandis. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Chris Fast Band.

Sat: Len Rainey.

The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’. Sat: ‘Sabado En Fuego’. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk.

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JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29

BY LARA MCCAFFREY

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat Adapt or fail

S

ome San Diego cannabis labs are slowly seeing the effects of Phase II regulations. A final list of regulations is scheduled for completion by the end of August and while most labs report that products are passing, there are still issues with concentrates and clients not yet educated on the new regulations.

Josh Swider, CEO of Infinite Chemical Analysis, says concentrates struggle with passing because of pesticides.

Concentrates are products used in vape pens and dabs and are more potent than the cannabis flower.

“It goes back to where we live in a country where we use pesticides,” says Swider. “That being said, if you grow flower and it has very, very trace amounts of pesticide on it, what happens when you concentrate it? You concentrate the pesticide at the same time.”

Phase II emergency regulations require labs to now test cannabis products for Category II residual pesticides, as well as Category I residual solvents and processing chemicals, and run foreign material testing. Phase I testing, passed January 1, required testing for pesticides but this new round of regulations requires testing for even more kinds of pesticides.

Swider has also seen some issues with tinctures and edibles. He recalls a manufacturer that made tangerine and lemon flavored tinctures that ended up failing. Category I pesticides commonly used on citrus were the culprit.

“Lemons and tangerines and citrus fruits are commonly

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 25, 2018

used with many pesticides,” says Swider. “People make these products and they put a couple drops of lemon flavor or tangerine flavor into their tincture, and then it fails for pesticides.”

Amber Myers, operations manager at PharmLabs (which has a San Diego location), agrees that concentrates have the hardest time passing the stringent testing but thinks edibles also present challenges in remediation.

Every cannabis product that fails has the chance to be remediated granted the manufacturer has approval from the state. This isn’t the case for edibles.

“The edibles cannot be remediated at all,” says Myers.

“If an edible batch fails, it just has to be destroyed.”

Some waste management companies exist for destruction of non-compliant product, otherwise the state allows the manufacturer to do it themselves. They must provide proof of destruction such as photos.

Myers says the bigger cause of any product fail is whether or not the manufacturer was prepared to adapt to new regulations.

“It's less dependent on the actual product, it's who has read ahead—like studying for any exam,” says Myers.

“Have they tested their product before, or are they coming into it blind?”

Myers recommends companies take care to limit product contamination during all stages of production.

For example, a trimmer shouldn’t cut flower while using their cell phone, workers shouldn’t enter grow rooms without proper coveralls and lab instruments need to be

INFINITE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

Josh Swider cleaned properly with products that won’t leave residual solvents on cannabis.

Myers is getting more panicked phone calls than usual from clients who want to know if their product has passed or failed. Still, both Myers and Swider are seeing more passes than fails.

“We are seeing a lot of clients who have taken the steps to have clean products,” says Myers. “I'm able to make more good news calls right now... I was worried I wasn’t going to be able to.”

For the latest cannabis news and lifestyle trends, please pick up our sister magazine CULTURE every month or visit culturemagazine.com.

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JULY 25, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 31