San Diego CityBeat • July 26, 2017

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Changing course

I

’ve been waiting for weeks to see some kind of article from the San Diego press about the anniversary of the homeless murders that took place last year. The suspect in those brutal murders, Jon David Guerrero, was arrested on July 15 of last year and aside from a few articles about Guerrero’s mental competency hearing, we don’t hear much more about the murders. Perhaps the crimes were just so brutal in nature, we’d all prefer to just forget about them and move on.

The problem with moving on is that not only does it further dehumanize our homeless population, but it also doesn’t serve to fix the problems when it comes to protecting that population. Try to imagine if it had been tourists who had had railroad spikes driven into their heads on the streets of San Diego.

The public outcry would have been deafening.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not blaming the police at all, but I have maintained in these pages before that I believe that the city needs to reform the current methods of law enforcement as it pertains to the homeless population. That is, there needs to be a shift from the current policy—one that emphasizes residential quality of life, issuing citations and encampment sweeps—and moves it in the direction of protection and engagement. It wouldn’t have prevented the murders or likely prevent future crimes against the homeless, but it would go a long way in humanizing a population that has gone ignored for too long.

“From my viewpoint, there are quality-oflife teams that focus on homeless people,” says Michael McConnell, who runs the Homelessness News San Diego Facebook page and has been active in the community for years. “But they seem to be about protecting the quality of life for the housed people and not necessarily the quality of life for the homeless.”

McConnell goes on to say that some of these quality-of-life teams have certainly helped some people, but there still needs to be a moratorium or a full decriminalization on homelessness. A statement from local criminal defense attorney Coleen Cusack at the city council’s Select Committee on Homelessness meeting on Monday speaks volumes.

“You are inviting complaints for harassment and rogue enforcement,” said Cusack,

referring to the police departments’ qualityof-life teams. She also referred the council to a recent settlement against Officer Colin Governski was for $7,500 dollars after a homeless man sued for harassment. The same officer is now under an internal affairs investigation according to Cusack.

“Criminalization also defeats the objective of getting the homeless off the street, reduces support and the fact that you’re criminalizing homeless could be used as a basis to deny HUD funding under the consortium of care.”

In response, councilmember Lorie Zapf cited a ride-along she took with a quality-oflife team and said she found them to being doing a fine job.

Zapf probably thought she’d had the last word on the topic, but Cusack stuck around for public comment on another issue so she could respond to the comments.

“The quality-of-life team has rogue actors on it. They are committing perjury, they are engaging in harassment,” said Cusack. “With all due respect, you’re not going to get the same impression when you do a ride-along as a member of city council as you do if you watch the body-worn camera evidence that is out there. I have it, I would be happy to share with all of you, it would take 25 minutes of your time.”

I mean, if there was ever a moment for a mic drop, it was that.

Just as it seems our elected officials are finally coming to grips with the crisis-level situation when it comes to homelessness (see Jamie Ballard’s excellent round-up piece of some of the planned proposals that are being discussed on the next page), any proposals moving forward also need to include reforms on how the SDPD’s HOT and quality-of-life teams deal with the homelesss. And politicians such as Zapf and fellow councilmember Scott Sherman can’t keep citing ride-alongs and photo-op clean-ups (in the case of Sherman) as evidence that they’ve studied the problem.

And as long as the city keeps with the current policy of law enforcement, it will continue to be inhumane, unjust and unfair. What’s more, the homeless will never be safe.

—Seth Combs

This issue of CityBeat has naturally beautiful eyebrows.

Volume 15 • Issue 50 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos ASSOCIATE EDITOR Torrey Bailey STAFF WRITER Jamie Ballard COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, Minda Honey, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Rachel Michelle Fernandes, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr.,

CONTRIBUTORS (CONT’D) Lizz Huerta, Jen Lothspeich, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Kinsee Morlan, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Amy Wallen, Ian Ward EDITORIAL INTERNS Victoria Davis, Vitta Oliveri PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse DIGITAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Megan Kennedy MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paulina Porter-Tapia SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Beau Odom, Mark Schreiber, Jenny Tormey CONTROLLER Kacie Cobian

ACCOUNTING Sharon Huie, Alysia Chavez, Linda Lam HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE Kacie Sturek VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

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@SDCITYBEAT

JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

COPS ARE HUMAN BEINGS TOO

While I don’t have any idea what it feels like to be a Black person [“Existing while black,” June 28], l have read history books and have seen the injustice suffered by Blacks at the hands of some bad cops in documentaries and news reports. Having said all of that, I have to say that cops deserve respect: one, because they are on the front lines everyday and, secondly, because they are walking targets.

Thirdly, because they are there to protect us and put their lives on the line everyday, and in addition, they don’t get paid what they deserve.

I am a 67 year old Mexican-American born in Mexico, raised in this country and also educated in the U.S. I am college educated and teach at a state prison.

ON THE

I have been stopped many times in my life by cops (including Border Patrol). One day in 1969 I was hitchhiking to Southwestern College and an officer stopped me and asked me some questions. He gave me a ride to school (no handcuffs). Why did he do that? Cops are human beings too, with all the imperfections that being a human being entails.

Long story short, if you’re not doing anything illegal, don’t give the cops attitude, because they are just doing their jobs trying to keep you safe. If you messed up—speeding, DUI, etc.—man-up (females too) and accept the responsibility. If you disagree with the cop, argue your case in court.

One guy’s opinion.

Julio C.Barron

Chula Vista

Sometimes potholes are just problems for our cars, but sometimes they can also be a danger to people. San Carlos resident Jay Schwartz says that’s the case with this hole on Melotte Street between Tuxedo Road and Monte Verde Drive. “I take my 91-year-old, disabled mother for daily walks around the block,” says Schwartz, who adds that they often have to walk in the street and that he feels the hole is a danger to pedestrians. “I put in a fix request last month to the city, but no repair has taken place so far.”

Send your favorite pothole location and pics (but really, only if it’s safe to do so) to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com.

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

COVER

UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

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

At The Intersection. . . . . . . . . . . .

3 4 5 6 7 8

FOOD & DRINK Musician and overall Renaissance man Al Howard looks like a total badass on the cover this week thanks to Kristy Walker. The local photographer has been serving as sort of the in-house documentarian for Redwoods Music, snapping gorgeous photographs of artists such as Dani Bell, Birdy Bardot and Shelbi Bennett. For the shoot with Howard, Walker wanted to capture him in his natural environment. “Cow Records provided an inspiring environment to shoot in,” says Walker about the Ocean Beach record store where Howard is an employee. “As a photographer, it made sense for telling a bit of Al’s story.” While Walker’s portfolio is certainly impressive (see more at kristywalkerphotographer.com or on Instagram at kristywalkerphoto), she says Howard is always a joy to photograph. “Al has authentically become one of my favorite subjects,” Walker says. “He is up for anything so any blame for lack of creativity is on my shoulders.”

The World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Dishing It Out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Beerdist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

THINGS TO DO The Short List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . 12-15

ARTS & CULTURE Books: The Floating Library. . . . 14 Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 FEATURE: La Frontera Unites. . 18 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21

MUSIC FEATURE: Al Howard . . . . . . . . 22 Notes from the Smoking Patio. . 24 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . 27-29

LAST WORDS Astrologically Unsound. . . . . . . 30

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | NEWS

Making sense of the homeless plans After years of frustrating impasses, three new proposals aim to combat the crisis

M

ayor Kevin Faulconer and the San Diego Housing Commission recently unveiled an $80 million plan to address homelessness in San Diego, to much fanfare. The plan takes a “housing first”

approach and aims to provide permanent housing for thousands of people while also bolstering homelessness prevention and outreach efforts.

But the mayor isn’t the only one with an ambitious plan. Local nonprofits, city councilmembers and key business leaders are just a few of the other groups who recently released their big ideas about how to reduce homelessness. Here are three of the proposed plans in the works.

By Jamie Ballard COURTESY OF SPRUNG

SPRUNG Industrial Tents

SPRUNG Industrial Tents The idea: Industrial tents, or SPRUNG structures, to house 250 people each. They have been used in San Diego as seasonal shelters, though this plan calls for the structures to be more permanent.

Peter Seidler, managing partner of the San Diego Padres, and Dan Shea, a partner at Paradigm Investment Group LLC, presented the plan at a press conference on July 20.

The cost: About $800,000 to purchase and erect the structures. Seidler and Shea have offered to pay for the first two.

What people are saying: Seidler emphasized that even if these industrial tents aren’t a perfect solution, it’s “a heck of a lot better than doing nothing.”

People living in the structures would also be offered support services through county and city entities.

The pair said it would be up to the city and county to determine viable locations.

Between choosing locations and providing most of the accompanying services, the plan appears to rely heavily on action by city and county officials, none of whom have formally endorsed the plan.

When asked about officially proposing the plan to city council, Shea said “consider it proposed.” Someone clarified, asking Shea if there was no plan for an official proposal.

“Do you want us to write it down on a piece of paper and take it to City Hall?” Shea said. “I guess we could do that.”

Seidler and Shea say that they “believe the mayor is on board” and there’s “nobody on city council who doesn’t know about this plan.”

Councilmember Chris Cate made a brief reference to the plan at the Select Committee on Homelessness meeting, saying that the city should be open to developing creative partnerships.

@SDCITYBEAT

JAMIE BALLARD

Tiny House Villages The idea: Tiny-house villages. The idea has been successful in other cities, including Seattle, where the Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) created six tiny-house villages for previously homeless individuals.

Sharon Lee, executive director of LIHI, explained how they were able to build and maintain these villages at a discussion called “Emergency Housing Solutions for Now and for Real” on June 28, hosted by local nonprofit Amikas. Following her presentation was a panel discussion on the possibility of tiny homes in San Diego.

The cost: In Seattle, each structure cost $2,200 in materials. The city provided $559,598 in funding for three of the villages, which included case management and operational expenses for approximately a year.

What people are saying: Amikas vice president and realty lawyer Shanna Welsh-Levin explained that while California has strict laws to legally define a “dwelling,” there are certain instances where an exception can be made.

She referred to California’s AB 932, which allows certain jurisdictions (including San Diego) to relax local approval procedures for the construction of homeless shelters. The bill is currently going through the California Senate. If it passes, then the San Diego City Council would basically have the option to redefine a “dwelling” to include tiny homes.

She said Amikas doesn’t have a particular location it’s pushing for, but East Village could be a good option.

District 9 Councilmember Georgette Gomez said that she was learning a lot from Amikas and she believes that an interim housing solution could include construction of small homes.

Gomez will discuss this and other aspects of her Housing Action Plan Wednesday, July 26 at a meeting of the Smart Growth and Land Use Committee.

COURTESY OF LIHI

Tiny House

Select Committee on Homelessness

Interim Bridge Housing The idea: “Interim bridge housing,” at Golden Hall or the Qualcomm Stadium practice field. This would be housing for homeless individuals who have been matched to permanent housing through the Coordinated Entry System but are still waiting for said housing to become available. There is a 90 day limit for people living in interim bridge housing.

This idea is part of Councilmember Chris Ward’s multipronged “Recommendations for an Immediate, Initial Response to the City’s Unsheltered Crisis,” which was presented at a meeting of the Select Committee on Homelessness on July 24. The committee voted in favor of moving the plan forward.

The cost: Currently unknown. Ward’s office will be working with government and community partners to develop the plan, including approximate costs, and report back in September at the next meeting of the Select Committee on Homelessness.

What people are saying: “We know we have 3,200 unsheltered individuals. That’s a humanitarian crisis,” Ward said. “Immediate beds can provide safety and services.”

Ward’s director of communications, Lucas O’Connor said that the 90-day limit for people living in bridge housing is a “soft target.”

“We’ll be working on policy details, but in general the 90 days is intended as a soft target based on current turnaround times, not as a hard deadline where we’d potentially be putting people back on the streets,” O’Connor explained.

Many members of the public, along with Councilmembers Georgette Gomez and Chris Cate, were largely in support of Ward’s recommendations. Councilmember Lori Zapf was more hesitant, saying there are still many questions about the plan that need to be answered.

Local advocate Tasha Williamson also voiced opposition to the plan, because she doesn’t believe that the funding will reach people throughout the county­—including herself.

She said after losing her two jobs, she will be homeless by October.

“I would say I oppose your actions...When I look at the homelessness and I realize how much money is being spent, but am told that services can’t be provided for me and the many, many people besides myself who need it in Southeastern (County), it’s hard for me,” she said.

JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

“We’re not having the right conversation” Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings.

Only one thing endures and that is character.

—Horace Greeley

T

he race to replace termedout county Supervisor Ron Roberts could be the political boxing match of 2018. That is, if the media provides the platform for a robust debate among the growing roster of qualified candidates.

But one of those candidates, construction/land-use attorney and community volunteer Omar Passons, has some doubts about whether the local press will look beyond political intrigue and push for a battle of ideas.

Some might view this as a logical argument from a candidate whose name is not Nathan Fletcher, the handsome Marine veteran, former Republican state assem-

blyman and unsuccessful mayoral hopeful whose political leanings have run the gamut over the years.

But county voters, Passons argued, deserve a discussion more on the merits of each candidate’s commitments and less on insidepolitics machinations.

“You write to a broader audience than the small subset of people who are now enwrapped in the sort of inner-party back story,” he told Spin.

He pointed with frustration to a politics column by veteran reporter Michael Smolens in the San Diego Union-Tribune this weekend about the race that focused primarily on Fletcher’s penchant to garner political flak from both sides of the aisle, given his political evolution from staunch Republican to independent and then to Democrat.

“We raised $126,000 by the [filing] deadline, and instead he

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

writes about Fletcher’s convergence or transfer or whatever the thing is,” Passons lamented.

“There’s so much substance that could be written about.”

But he remains hopeful, despite the challenge to break through the chatter.

“I look forward to that debate,” the North Park resident said, “and the extent to which I can have a conversation with journalists about how dramatic and important investing in children is, or how a quarter-of-a-million seniors can’t afford their basic needs in San Diego County. And that I’ve spent the time over the years holding values that relate to these issues and have spent that time to dig in and get to understand the substance of these issues.”

He noted that San Diego County Democratic Party leaders seem on a fast track to endorse Fletcher early, which party bylaws preclude unless a race is deemed “strategically critical,” which the party last week decided it was.

“We’ll never have that conversation if the conversation we’re always having is, is one candidate just destined for this?” Passons said. “That squeezes all the air out of all the other stories.”

Those stories would also include that of former state Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, who re-

COURTESY OF OMAR PASSONS

Candidate Omar Passons hopes substance, not flash, rules the 2018 race to succeed county Supervisor Ron Roberts. cently told a gathering of Bankers Hill residents that she is also jumping into the District 4 race. With a significant progressive following, she too will add substance to the conversation, if that is to be had.

Passons, with a master’s degree in public health, said his experience evaluating such programs would be well suited for the 40 percent of the county’s $5.78 billion budget that is dedicated to public health. His private-sector work defending companies, smallbusiness owners and individual homeowners has afforded him an opportunity “to have an earnest conversation with people who see the world a little bit differently.”

His time during college working as an in-home healthcare worker and Veterans Administration nurse’s aide taught him to appreciate the hard work of these dedicated folks who “don’t make enough because the jobs don’t pay well and they get exempted from all the labor protections,” he said. “That’s something worth talking about.”

In a recent interview with Voice of San Diego, Passons said if the region is to take homelessness and housing affordability seriously, then the county government needs to pay to build modest homes for people. “That doesn’t sound particularly revolutionary,” he conceded, “but when’s the last time you heard an elected official actually say that with their out-loud voice? Certainly not the county of San Diego.”

Added Passons: “But we’re not having the right conversation.

We’re just not paying attention to the pieces of this puzzle that really matter. And with a $5.7 billion budget, the county has this opportunity. I fundamentally believe that our county government has a responsibility to do more to support those with the promise—our children—and to do a better job in supporting our senior citizens.”

But meanwhile, the endorsements for Fletcher continue to

mount. He recently snagged nods from Councilmember Chris Ward, himself rumored on a fast track for a 2020 mayoral run, and from former Councilmember Donna Frye.

Frye said she gave the decision “much consideration” and did meet with Passons, whom she found “kind and thoughtful.” But she said she’s known Fletcher for seven years and determined that “he is the best and most experienced person for the job.”

Passons said he would soon unveil “a bunch of neighborhood-level endorsements” of his own, including “folks that are into children’s issues, senior issues and those who understand housing policy.”

He’s also been walking precincts since April. Unlike Fletcher, he doesn’t have the advantage of a marriage to a powerful state Democratic official (Fletcher married State Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez on New Year’s Day).

“I’m just going out and knocking on doors and meeting people,” he said. “I’m campaigning the way I think it was intended, and that’s the way that goes.”

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen if a significant Republican will enter the race. Former District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis has hinted she’s considering a run, and at least subconsciously, local media could be drooling over an eventual blistering rematch between her and Fletcher, both of whom ran for mayor in 2012.

Local Republican insiders seem ready to continue their hate campaign against Fletcher for abandoning the party, issuing on social media photographs of Fletcher with a host of former Republican notables, from current Vice President Mike Pence to ex-gubernatorial loser Meg Whitman.

Maybe it’s a pipe dream that substance will prevail, but one can always hope.

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

SORDID

TALES

The Ten Commandments of the restaurant bill

M

ore often than not, when dining out with friends, the responsibility of figuring out the check typically falls on me.

It makes sense. As a sorta-kinda control freak who’s pretty quick with basic math and has worked in the service industry for the past 25 years, I’m an efficient and reliable check-figurer-outer (CFO). And I really don’t mind doing it, except, of course, when having to deal with stingy little check-dodging weasels.

You know about these people, right? These chumsucking, check-ducking, cheap-ass charlatans who’ll do whatever it takes to avoid paying their fair share?

Such as the snake who conveniently slithers off to the bathroom moments before the check arrives; or the dastard who neglects to factor the tax and tip on his bill; or, worse, the rapscallion who pulls the old, “I had the frog-leg linguini, so all I owe is X,” conveniently forgetting he also ordered three glasses of champagne, the coeur á la créme and the hunks of gruyere cheese aged in Catherine Deneuve’s timeless vagina.

Then there’s Jonesy, a “friend” who likes to play Mr. Big Spender when dining with a big group.

Jonesy will run up the tab by ordering appetizers, extra sides, booze and desserts. He will order shots for the table and make grandiose statements like, “Y’all just have to try the Sumatranorangutan tempura,” then order five plates to be passed around the table, making everyone think, Wow, what a fine and generous fellow. Only, he ain’t fine and generous. He’s a conniving, lowlife bloodsucking scallywag—because 15 to 30 minutes before the check arrives, he’ll announce that he has to pick up his wife at the airport, drop a wad of bills on the table and be gone.

And you can’t count the money before he leaves because that would make you the untrusting worm that’s nickel-and-diming everyone. So it isn’t until long after he’s gone, when the bill arrives, that you realize the “wad” he left was composed of fives and ones and barely enough of them to cover his entrée, let alone tax, tip and five frickin’ plates of orangutan tempura.

There are countless other ruses, but you get the point. We need to put a stop to this! Are you hearing me, you little weasels? No longer shall we fall victim to your chicanery. To this end, I have created the Ten Commandments of Check Splitting. I urge all you veteran and novice CFOs to laminate it and pass to your group whenever dining out: Preamble: “Yea did the CFO climbeth Mt. Sinai and come upon a flaming soufflé. And the soufflé said, “I am the Lord thy God. Inscribed upon these tablets are Ten Commandments of Check Splitting, which I created one night after Satan ordered the pan-seared souls of bastard babies platter and expected me to

chip in.”

1. Thou shalt be truthful about what thou ordered: This is the first commandment for a reason.

When figuring out what thouest owes, remember thine appetizers, thy dessert, thy booze and thy tax and tip.

2. Thou shalt not be a disappearing bathroom scallywag: If thou does leaveth the table to avoid paying, thouest should expect everyone to be gone upon return—except security and management—who will be waiting with bill in hand because when we left, we said, “The guy in thy bathroom is paying.”

3. Thou shalt have no false CFOs before me: Do not alloweth more than one check-figurer-outer to figure out the check. There is only one true CFO, and it gets confusing if too many people try to do it at once.

4. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s appetizers: Did thou sampleth the appetizers ordered by others? How was the shrimp cocktail thou hath scarfed? Did thou enjoy the satay? Well, then, chip the fuck in, Rikki Tikki Tavi.

5. Thou shalt not say thy server’s name in vain: Do not forget a generous tip when factoring the amount thee oweth.

Do not complain of a mistake on thy bill unless absolutely sure.

And, for crissake, do not ask for separate checks.

6. Thou shalt honor thy vegans: Do not make thy vegan companion payeth as much as everyone else, because thy vegan only had a plate of celery and thou had the minced monkey pancreas marinated in the hormonal secretions of clubbed baby seal.

7. Thou shalt not screweth over thy teetotaler: If thou is having dinner with thy buddy who is on the wagon and drank only coffee, while thou had 10 beers, six cocktails and three shots, do not expect him to pay the same as you.

8. Thou shalt not kill—the festive mood of the dinner party by making a big deal about small amounts: If thou has been asked to pay $20, but feel like thou only oweth $19, pay thine extra dollar and suck it up already, thou.

9. Thou shalt honor thy CFO: Being CFO is a high-pressure job: Do not sass him with any of thy lip.

Do not impugneth his credibility. Do not bellow to the gods if a mistake is made. Just calmly make thy case that thou would never have ordered the frog-leg linguini because thou art allergic to amphibians.

10. Thou shalt not commit adultery: Do not play footsy with thy buddy’s wife beneath the table. It doesn’t have anything to do with check-splitting, but I needed a 10th commandment.

You know about these people, right? These chumsucking, checkducking, cheap-ass charlatans who’ll do whatever it takes to avoid paying their fair share?

@SDCITYBEAT

Sordid Tales appears every other week.

Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

CULTURE | VOICES

MINDA HONEY

AT THE

INTERSECTION

Love the skin you’re in. Literally.

M

y niece will be one in August. The last time I babysat, my sister asked me if I would mind giving her a bath. My niece made me nervous, especially when I tried to stand up in her baby tub like a little surfer. I managed to get her wrapped up in a big towel without getting myself drenched in bath water. I carried her into the nursery where her mother had laid out her footiejammies and left some lotion out that claimed to battle baby eczema.

I get the occasional spot of eczema, but that didn’t start until I moved to Denver. My skin did not like Denver.

The eczema, although it shouldn’t have, made me feel like I’d failed myself in some way. It was just one more undeniable sign that Denver was not for me—I wasn’t made for the cold or that city. My first winter there, an irritated, scaly patch of flesh grew above my ankle on my right leg.

A dermatologist prescribed a steroid cream for discoid eczema. He told me that, sometimes, when someone has eczema as a child it can resurface later in life.

I called my mother to inquire.

“What? No, I always put lotion on you.”

You would’ve thought I’d accused the woman of not feeding me. No mother wants to be known as the one who let her Black kids run around all ashy. I let her know that even a well-lotioned child can develop eczema. But she’s right, I have memories from childhood of my mother toweling us off, pumping a few bursts of Jergens lotion into her palm and slathering it all over me from head-to-toe.

I remember the way my brown skin shined; nourished and cared for.

Even as a grown person, putting lotion on every morning is an essential part of my morning routine. I don’t use Jergens though. I’m too bougie for that shit now. When I’m feeling flush, I buy fancy lotions from Sephora that cost as much as a tank of gas. The first sign for me that I’ve made it will be when I can afford to clean out L’Occitane in the name of quality skincare. Most of the time I have to be realistic about the budget of a working writer when I’m in the checkout line, so I go for Trader Joe’s coconut body butter (plus, it smells like frosting).

I get anxious when I run low on lotion, prioritizing the parts of my body seen by the public over the

places that would fall beneath a bathing suit. I don’t want to be caught in these streets with ashy elbows or knees. If I miss a day, my skin feels too small, itchy.

I get self-conscious that other Black folk are judging the gray cast of dry skin on my arms and legs. I say Black folk because I was probably already a teenager when I learned that this ritual wasn’t as firmly rooted outside of the Black community. After all, the Black community has basically kept Palmer’s cocoa butter in business for decades (I’m the odd Black person whose skin hates cocoa butter).

And it is a ritual. I don’t meditate, but moisturizing my skin comes pretty damn close. It’s centering. It can be a moment in a hectic morning for my thoughts to wander, for me to reflect on the night before or mentally prepare for the day ahead. It can be a moment for me to appreciate my body, gliding my hands over my calves, reaching for my shoulder blades and between my toes. A cartography of my body by touch; intimate, but not. I can’t think of any other opportunity, particularly one that isn’t sexual, for hands-on self-care of your body.

Unlike the larger commitments of eating well and working out, putting on lotion is a small act of love I show myself daily. And it’s different than putting on sunscreen, which is quickly smacked on so that you get onto something better. It’s one more reason, other than my melanin, to take pride in my skin. Every man I’ve ever been with has praised its softness, when strangers and friends’ arms brush against mine at parties, they always pause, to comment on the smoothness of my skin.

Standing in my niece’s nursery, looking at that tube of baby lotion made me happy to think of my sister passing this ritual down to her daughter. I rubbed lotion over my niece’s tiny arms and her little legs, caring for her the way my mother cared for me so many years ago. When the day comes for my niece to take over the task for herself, I wonder if she’ll just grab whatever off the shelf at Target or if she’ll use it as a chance to celebrate herself and buy that fancier, smell-good stuff like her auntie who will surely be tearing down the L’Occitane store by then.

Either way, I hope she takes it as a daily moment to ground herself, commune with her skin and nurture her spirit at the start of each day.

You would’ve thought I’d accused the woman of not feeding me.

No mother wants to be known as the one who let her Black kids run around all ashy.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

At The Intersection appears every four weeks.

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UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

signature dish and its combination of mesquitegrilled octopus and a “pesto” of chiles poblano and cilantro remains exciting. The Black Harder is there too, a tostada of halibut ceviche with squid ink joining lime juice in the marinade accompanied by a marvelous tomatoes, chile, squash, cilantro and avocado salsa. And the rest of Kokopelli’s Toward a longer horizon greatest hits are there too.

But the fate of Tras/Horizonte was always going t seems like an example of what should happen: A popular food truck graduates to brick and to be a tale told about what wasn’t at Kokopelli, not mortar. Tacos Kokopelli was one of the best food what was. Taking street cart fare indoors was never trucks in Tijuana making some of the most creative going to be enough no matter how nice it is to be street tacos anyone’s seen in that street taco crazed able to sit down.

Enter the Malacestra, a taco of marlin-stuffed town. It’s now a proper restaurant: Tras/Horizonte (Río Colorado 9680, Colonio Marron, 22015 Ti- mild chiles gueritos under a blanket of crisp-fried cheese with a serrano chile crema and squash seeds. juana).

But neither Kokopelli nor Tras/Horizonte quite It was a near miss. When the marlin-stuffed chiles fit the usual bill of Chef Guillermo “Oso” Campos. came into play the dish was nothing short of great, but too much of the plate was missMICHAEL GARDINER ing that good stuff. The imagination that animated Kokopelli was at work again in this dish, but some of the job remained unfinished.

And then we tried the scargots.

It’s a dish that showed just how much more there is to snails than the classic French escargots preparation and its five tons of butter and enough garlic to send Lestat, Dracula, Anne Rice and Bram Stoker’s ghost into Chapter 11. This was escargot reconceived through a Mexican lens: a human-scale open-face “burrito” (not the familiar California gut-bomb) with a salad of nopales, sweet peppers, capers and cilantro. Salsa borracha—a classic Mexican “drunken” Scargots sauce of chiles, juices, beer and tequila (the traditional version features For one thing, he is not exactly a kid right out of pulque)—completed the picture. Instead of losing culinary school. He’s done his time in the trenches, the delicate, savory flavor of the snails in all those worked at three-Michelin-star Oud Sluis restaurant ingredients, though, the other ingredients framed and as executive chef at the Parque Bicentario in the snails, highlighting and enhancing them.

This was something different, something new.

Guanajuato, Mexico. The hardships of the last decade—both drug war and economic—got in the way This was what was so exciting about Kokopelli. This of what was otherwise a meteoric rise. If Kokopelli was Campos coming in from the cold and beginwas the result of those hardships, Tras/Horizonte ning to lay claim to his rightful place. This was a is less a promotion to the Major Leagues from AAA renewal of a promised rise. than it is the next step in a rise that was briefly in- The World Fare appears weekly. terrupted.

Much of Tras/Horizonte’s food will be famil- Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com. iar to Kokopelli fans. The Kraken was Kokopelli’s

FARE I

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JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY JAMES VERNETTE

DISHING IT

OUT

Processing produce

F

rom a produce standpoint, few areas are as blessed as San Diego. It’s hardly a secret that the climate and soil mean that locals can enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables all year long.

But just like my old roommate in Ocean Beach who refused to ever go into the ocean, not everyone takes advantage of the local bounty. Just look at all the people buying frozen produce at the local Vons or Albertsons.

Part of the problem is imagination: Even people who order adventurously at restaurants get stuck in a rut and buy the same old, same old when shopping for themselves.

Liberty Public Market is attempting to change that with a series of events called “Shop With A Chef,” where local chefs will guide guests through Liberty Station’s Thursday afternoon farmers market and educate them on what to look for in produce.

Then the chef uses the produce from the market to make a farm-fresh, multicourse dinner back at their restaurant.

The latest event takes place July 27 at Solare Ristorante with Chef Accursio Lota (tickets are $50 at solarelounge. com), who’s been at the restaurant since 2012.

(Other events with other chefs are scheduled for Aug. 31 and Sept. 28.)

A native of Sicily, Lota believes locals are taking the ideas of eating locally and seasonally more seriously since he’s been here.

“I think people appreciate it more and more,” Lota said while briskly walking from Solare to the Farmer’s Market to see what was fresh. “San Diego is one of the cities with the most number of farms.

That’s a big thing. Can it get bigger? Yes!”

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

Because the event depends on freshness, Lota may not have a set menu until close to the event.

Still, he hopes to surprise diners with less popular types of produce or more unusual examples of favorites like tomatoes.

“It’s like jumping in the ocean, you don’t know what’s there, but once you’re in the water, it’s always nice,” Lota said. “Some recipes work out, some don’t. But in the excitement, you get stimulated and want to do more.”

Just walking around a farmers market with a chef is a learning experience. During our chat, Lota offered a whole bunch of fun facts, including: The most effective way to tell a good watermelon is to look at the spot where it connects to the vine.

Also, an outie is better than an innie.

Smell is a better judge of fruit freshness than the eyes.

JAMES VERNETTE

Solare chef Accursio Lota If bell peppers are a little leathery, braise them with a little cinnamon instead of eating raw.

Lota believes it’s important for chefs like him to make consumers aware of supporting local farms and produce, but admits he has a grass-is-greener philosophy when it comes to the seasons.

“When it’s winter, I want to be in the summer,” he laughs. “When it’s in the summer, I want to be in the winter. Right now, I’m missing good artichokes.

The winter ones are a little sweeter.

Dishing It Out appears every other week.

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UP FRONT | DRINK

THE

BY ANDREW DYER

BEERDIST

How official is San Diego’s “official” craft beer?

promotes tourism to San Diego. These promotions usually go unnoticed locally, so it’s understandable why some may have been confused about the designation and what it says about local beer. n announcement by the San Diego Tourism “I think there was some confusion with people Authority earlier this month that San Diego thinking there was some kind of contest, but that had an “official” beer was met with dutiful was not the case,” Eley says. “It was a new beer.” coverage by local media and an almost predictable Hana Pruzansky, who handles communications backlash by some in the increasingly reactionary at Bay City, says the beer was crafted as an entrybeer scene. Much of the derision stemmed from the level brew for people curious about San Diego’s brewery and beer involved, as well as the process by beer scene. which the designation came about.

“We wanted to make it more accessible to tourThe new “official” beer, a 4.2 percent ABV sesists,” she says. “It’s a collaboration to bring attension IPA dubbed 72 and Hoppy is a collaboration betion to family-owned breweries, and a gateway into tween the SDTA and Bay City Brewing, a two-yearall the other wonderful (local) breweries.” old outfit located behind Valley View Casino Center.

Eley says Bay City was an ANDREW DYER The brewery, visible right off Inideal brewery for the SDTA to terstate 8 coming out of Ocean collaborate with.

Beach, has flown mostly under “They are (SDTA) members, the radar in the saturated San and we like the idea of teamDiego market, which likely coning up with a smaller, newer tributed to at least some of the brewery, since smaller upstarts negativity on social media after are the bulk of San Diego’s craft the announcement. beer scene,” she said.

Commenters on published San Diego’s craft beer indusversions of the story questry is a huge draw for tourism, tioned why Bay City was brewand this is not the SDTA’s first ing this beer as opposed to a craft beer campaign. more established, recognizable “In my younger haze” “It’s a very integral part of brand. As usual, people saved and “72 and hoppy” IPAs how we market San Diego,” their worst selves for FaceEley says, “but the nature of book, where dozens of posts mocked an admittedour work means that most San Diegans never get ly cringe-worthy NBC 7 livestream of the launch to see the promotions.” party. Many wondered why a popular Alesmith pale Those promotions include everything from a ale wasn’t chosen with one commenter on the staBuzzfeed “which San Diego beer are you?” poll to tion’s website asking, “What the .394 is this?” featuring local brewers in its “Guide to the good SDTA Director of Communications Candice Eley stuff” video series. The SDTA also has a San Diego was surprised at the reaction.

Beer Week campaign specifically targeted at Los “I think it speaks to the passion of San Diego craft Angeles, which helps explain all the Angelenos beer fans that everyone has such strong opinions that seem to show up at beer week events around about it,” Eley says (full disclosure: Candice Eley is the county. the wife of CityBeat music editor Jeff Terich). “The 72 and Hoppy is a solid session beer that can be whole goal of this project was to get people talking found on tap at bars and restaurants around town, about San Diego craft beer around the world.” as well as at Bay City’s tasting room. Bay City plans The SDTA is a private, non-profit organization on canning the beer by the end of summer. consisting of, according to its website, “approximately 1,000 member organizations, businesses The Beerdist appears every other week. (including breweries) and local governments,” that Write to andrewd@sdcitybeat.com

A

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JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

SHORTlist

EVENTS

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

HILLCREST

1

HIS STORY

For many, the name Emmett Till is, sadly, just a name. Some may have a loose, referenced concept of who Till was, what he meant and what he came to symbolize, but younger generations may simply know him from a casual namedrop in a Kanye West or Lil Wayne song.

That’s why ion Theatre’s production of The Ballad of Emmett Till is so very vital.

Yes, Ifa Bayeza’s play tells the story of how the young, Black 14-year-old boy traveled from to Chicago to Mississippi and, after he reportedly offended a white woman, was kidnapped, tortured and eventually lynched. However, Bayeza constructed a narrative that truly encapsulates Till’s life—described as “part history, part ghost story”—which makes his murder and the events that followed all the more impactful.

“He was murdered in August of 1955, but people forget that just a few months later, Rosa Parks refused to move on the bus and she said in interviews after that she couldn’t stop thinking of Emmett Till in that moment,” says ion Executive Artistic Director Claudio Raygoza, who adds that ion has been trying to bring The Ballad to San Diego since he first read it shortly after its premiere in Chicago in 2008.

“Someone came to a show the other night and remarked how relevant and so current it was with

MISSION VALLEY

2

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS DAREN SCOTT

The Ballad of Emmett Till Black Lives Matter and all the shootings,” says ion Executive Artistic Director Yolanda Marie Franklin, who co-directed the production.

While the original 2008 production was nearly three hours long, ion’s production at the BLKBOX Theater (3704 6th Ave.) will be Bayeza’s scaleddown, 90-minute one-act that features five actors, as well as musical numbers.

“This story opens up a whole new world for some people,” Franklin says. “As heartbreaking as it is, people will leave inspired.”

The Ballad of Emmett Till has been extended for three performances on Friday, July 28 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, July 29 at 4 and 8 p.m. Tickets range from $29 to $35 at iontheatre.com.

NORTH PARK AND BAY HO

BITE CLUB

If we’re to go by the logic of the semiregular SoundBite dinners, music is to be tasted as well as heard. Though we still have no idea what a treble clef tastes like, musical notes will be be digested at the newest dinner with Miss Erika Davies at Lot 8 (1201 Hotel Circle South). Three chefs, including SoundBite creator Nick Brune, will cook six dishes between them to match six songs performed live by Davies and her band. Each dinner plate prepared will be inspired by the song’s meaning and background. It’s a chance to be moved, stomach and soul, by music.

The BYOB event lasts from 6:30 to 11 p.m. Thursday, August 3. Tickets are $65, which is certainly not bad for a six-course meal. For more information, go to facebook.com/SoundBiteDinner.

RICK NOCON

3

BEERS AND BEATS

Mike Hess Brewing’s (3812 Grim Ave.) annual Hessfest celebrates seven years of great beer with unlimited beer samples, local food, souvenir glasses and the release of the Hessfest 7 Anniversary Stout, a big 12 ABV brew. The event will also benefit Next Step Service Dogs and the YMCA of San Diego County.

Hessfest kicks off Saturday, July 29 from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $16 to $60 at mikehessbrewing.com. Afterward, call a Lyft and head over to Karl Strauss Brewing Tasting Room & Beer Garden (5985 Santa Fe St.) for the summer finale of Arts & Amps. The free event includes live music from The Schizophonics and Creature Canyon, as well live mural art and a gallery show. It happens from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. See karlstrauss.com for more info.

HWe Are Here/Estamos Aquí at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 West Broadway, Downtown. Stefan Falke, Ingrid Hernandez, Tom Kiefer and other photographers present works that depict the social aspects and cultural influences of the U.S./Mexico border. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 27. Free. 619-501-6370, art.sdsu.edu HOpen Show San Diego #5 at Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. Five local photographers, filmmakers and multimedia producers come together to share their works of street photography, cultural films and more. Audience members are encouraged to give feedback and ask questions about the products. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 27. Free-$10. openshow.org HArt Unites Presents: Bright Lights at Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. The overnight exhibition highlights “who’s who” in San Diego’s art scene. Works ranging from canvas paintings to ethereal and electronic music art will be presented along with refreshments and desserts. Opening from 9 p.m. to 1:45 a.m. Friday, July 28. $10. facebook. com/events/231932747305613 Joan Jonas Screening and Readings at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Avenue, Logan Heights. SPACE Time Art presents readings by local poets and a screening of I Want to Live in the Country (And Other Romances), a narrative work by the American visual artist who pioneered video and performance art. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, July 28. $7. spacetimeart.org HMillennial Pink at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. An exhibition dedicated to the evolution of queer aesthetics. Includes works by Erica Cho, Zackary Drucker and more. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, July 29. Free-$5.

619-236-0011, sandiego-art.org HA Time to Heal at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. A collaborative art project between artist Trinh Mai and Armed Forces veterans that focuses on healing through the practice of art making. Opening at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 29. Free-$8. 760-435-3720, oma-online.org HGone Thriftin’ at Visual SD, 3776 30th St., North Park. Over 100 framed pieces by local artist Don’t Trip will be featured with a majority of the frames found at area thrift stores. Beers provided by Pabst Blue Ribbon. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, July 29. Free. 619-501-5585, visualshopsd.com

BOOKS HLee Siegel at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The acclaimed culture and political writer will discuss and sign his new memoir, The Draw. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 26. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com C.J. Box at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The author of the award-winning Joe Pickett series will sign his new mystery novel, Paradise Valley. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.com Glen Erik Hamilton at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling author will be signing the third Van Shaw crime novel, Every Day Above Ground. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 28. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HChad Stroup at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The writer and editor from San Diego will sign and discuss Secrets of the Weird, a novel of transformational

SoundBite 12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

Hessfest

H = CityBeat picks

horror. At 2 p.m. Saturday, July 29. Free.

858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HJason Reynolds at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The award-winning author will sign his new Spider-Man novel, Miles Morales: Spider-Man. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

FILM Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. This concert features the film in high-definition, on a giant screen, while a live orchestra performs John Williams’ score. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30. $32-$116. 619235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org

FOOD & DRINK HFeast Oceanside Food Festival at The Old Mission San Luis Rey, 4050 Mission Ave., Oceanside. A food festival and fundraiser highlighting over a dozen restaurants, breweries and distilleries located exclusively in Oceanside and benefitting local non-profit organizations. From 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, July 26. $45-$50. mslrfeast.com HGourmet Food Truck Festival at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The seventh annual festival for food on wheels will have 40 trucks on site with a beer garden available for pairing. Free entry with racetrack admission.

From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, July 29. $6. 858-755-1141, dmtc.com

MUSIC The Courage to Create: Women’s Voices Concert at Moniker Group, 705 16th St., East Village. This event will feature music

by Veronica May and Golden Hour, handcrafted cocktails, art and a variety of raffle prizes. Proceeds benefit Courage to Create, a project providing music therapy programs through the International Rescue Committee. From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 27. $10-$20. 619-641-7510, rescue.org HDr. John at the Embarcadero Marina Park, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. Sixtime Grammy winner Dr. John will bring his New Orleans-style jazz to town as part of the San Diego Symphony’s Bayside Summer Nights series. Euphoria Brass Band opens. From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, July 27. 619-388-3037, sandiegosymphony.org Violent Femmes at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar. The iconic alt-rock band plays a concert after the last race as part of the racetrack’s 4 O’Clock Friday Summer Concert Series. At 2 p.m. Friday, July 28. $5-$50.

858-755-1141, dmtc.com Hooray for Hollywood at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. A salute to movie music of yesterday and today with a new set of clips from Oscar-winning films. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 28. $45-$101. 619-2350804, sandiegosymphony.org HDIVAS at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. The San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus will be performing power ballads, pop smashes and everything in between as part of this special performance. At 8 p.m.

Saturday, July 29 and 3 p.m. Sunday, July 30. $18-$70. 619-432-2244, sdgmc.org Striking a Chord at Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall, 5775 Morehouse Drive, Sorrento Valley. Singers from all over the nation gather for a benefit concert to raise money for ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.

All proceeds go to the ALS Association. At 7 p.m. Saturday, July 29. $15-$100. 858271-5547, webgsd.alsa.org

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 @SDCITYBEAT

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july 26, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY Alchemy of desire

I

n her debut collection of poems, Lessons on Expulsion, published earlier this month by Graywolf, Erika L. Sánchez invites the reader into a world that is both sensuous and strange.

In the title poem, the narrator ignores her mother’s call and runs into the wilderness. She, however, is not the one who has been expelled. She is a “plumping” vessel who seeks to expel that which has taken root inside her. She recollects taking toxic substances, or perhaps she only fantasizes about them, calling out their names as if they were an incantation. Realizing it will take more than herbs to remedy her situation, she lets “the leeches crawl/until nightfall.”

The poem is arranged like a tapestry, a narrow story that spills down the page. But poems aren’t two dimensional, and narrative is incidental to their expression. No amount of thread will transform the reader into the girl at the end of her poem, pressed against a eucalyptus tree, delirious with desire. Not the desire that got her into this mess, but its opposite. The kind of desire that reduces God to “an open-mouthed stranger.” The kind of desire one seldom reads about in poems.

Sánchez has a knack for making pa-

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

thos poignant. Take this scene set in New York but which could be any major city: “In the melted fat of the hour, a crust punk chokes his dog in an empty park.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, the dog whimpers, licking the filth from his wounded feet.”

It’s not violence that up-ends the reader’s expectations, but the dog’s infinite capacity for forgiveness that twists the knife in these lines that close the poem “Letter from New York.” The poem prompts the question: Is it worse to be an animal like this human or a human like this animal?

At times Sánchez writes like a fabulist (“A pack of spotted horses turns to the foaming moon”), but she is at her most ferocious when she calls down moral terror on the reader, as the does in the final lines of “Quinceañera,” the collection’s opening poem: “In that slurry of August, the silence climbs you like a man until you hear the meaty flaps of God inside you.”

A great book of poetry doesn’t instruct the reader how to see the world differently.

Rather, great poetry provides fresh insight into what a poem can say and do and be.

Sánchez’s poems are spells that hide their intentions until their work is done, leaving the reader transformed.

—Jim Ruland

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EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15 HZsa Zsa Gabor Final Show at Helmuth Projects, 1827 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill. A noise funeral and cassette release party commemorating the final album, Left Skull Bank. Performances by Beware We Are The Werewolves of Belial and more. At 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 29. Free. staystrange.com

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HVAMP: After The Disaster at Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern St., South Park. The literary and performing arts non-profit organization, So Say We All, hosts an evening where seven writers will share their post-disaster stories, both natural and man-made. At 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27. Suggested donation. sosayweallonline.com

Encinitas Flea Market at Pacific View Academy of Arts, 608 3rd Street, Encinitas. Encinitas Friends of the Arts is sponsoring a community event with food, live music, henna paintings and more to support the restoration of the school into an arts and culture hub. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, July 29. $2. encinitasarts.org HArts and Amps at Karl Strauss Brewery, 5985 Santa Fe Street, Bay Ho. The third and final event in a community-focused series centered around local creatives, plus performances by The Schizophonics and Creature Canyon. From 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, July 29. Free. 858-2732739, karlstrauss.com HRedwoods Swapmeet & Greet at Allegory Tattoo, 3641 El Cajon Blvd, Normal Heights. Vintage vinyl records, art and

more will be on sale. Plus, performances

by Dawn Mitschele of Cardinal Moon, Birdy Bardot and Shelbi Bennett of Midnight Pine. From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, July 30. Free. 619-500-4828, facebook. com/events/1400710103298621

just south of the pier. Includes live music, a beer and wine garden, skateboarding competitions, plus autographs from prosurfer. From 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, July 28, Saturday, July 29 and Sunday July 30. Free. 321-722-9300, supergirlpro.com

HFolk Arts’ 50th Anniversary at Folk Arts Rare Records, 3072 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. The record store celebrates half a century with album sales, plus complimentary Julian pies and local beer.

From 2 to 8 p.m. Monday, July 31. Free.

619-282-7833, folkartsrarerecords.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS

SPORTS HSupergirl Surf Pro at Oceanside Beach, 300 The Strand North, Oceanside. The world’s largest women’s surf competition and festival will be hosted

HSummer by Design at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Explore connections between the exhibition KANBAN: Traditional Shop Signs of Japan and contemporary approaches to design. This week, Sean McCoy of Glanz Signing and Graphics will discuss the art of crafting signs. At 5 p.m. Friday, July 28. $5. 619-239-0003, mingei.org HFrank Lloyd Wright’s Legacy in San

Diego: The Taliesin Apprentices at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla.

Noted architectural historian Keith York will discuss and show slides of Frank Lloyd Wright’s impact on local architecture. At 2 p.m. Sunday, July 30. Free.

858-456-1800, dgwillsbook.com

WORKSHOPS Something We Don’t Know Part 3: Can You See Us? at Museum of Contemporary Art – Downtown, San Diego, 1100 Kettner Blvd, Downtown. The third and last phase of the museum’s workshop concludes by taking works from previous collections and encouraging artists and attendees to reflect on how the meaning of the artwork might shift from creator to curator to viewer. From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 29. Free. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org

HPalabra at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Avenue, Barrio Logan. Poet Michael Klam will read from The Cheapest Flight to Paradise, a collection of his latest work. After, there will be an open mic session for other poets, short stories writers and lyricists. At 7 p.m. Thursday, July 27. Suggested donation. 619-255-7036, labodegagallery.com

PERFORMANCE Songs From An Unmade Bed at Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights. This musical performance explores the tumultuous romantic life of a New Yorker seeking his Mr. Right. Stars Tony Award nominee Joey Landwehr, with music direction by Tim McKnight and choreography by Michael Mizerany. Various times. Friday, July 28 through Sunday, July 30. $20-$25. 619-220-0097, songsfromanunmadebed.brownpapertickets.com

SPECIAL EVENTS HMystic Carnival Lady Killas Launch Party at Moniker Group, 705 16th St., East Village. The organization devoted to supporting women in leadership positions celebrates one year of business with a bohemian-themed carnival. The night includes DJs, live art, Lady Killas apparel, food, drinks and more. From 7 to 11:30 p.m. Friday, July 28. $20. ladykillas.com HPOP FACTORY After Party at MCASD - Downtown, 1001 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. MCASD’s annual gala after party features a Warhol Factoy theme and includes themed cocktails, food, live music and a Warhol-inspired screen test. From 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday, July 29. $75-$100. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org HImperial Beach Surf Dog Competition at Imperial Beach Pier, 10 Evergreen Ave., Imperial Beach. More than 60 dogs will compete in various competition categories, including dog-and-human surf, dog-and-dog surf, and dog-and-human paddleboarding. Raises money for the San Diego Humane Society. From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 29. Free. 619424-3151, surfdogevents.com Summer Market at Newport Avenue Antique Center, 4864 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach. A showcase of more than 30 artisans’ vintage and handmade goods, including jewelry, home decor, art and more. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, July 29. Free. 619-222-8686, facebook. com/events/141404086418312 HBe Well Fest at Rancho Valhalla Nursery, 1998 East Chase Avenue A, El Cajon. Aiming to raise awareness for mental health, this benefit hosts lineups from punk bands like The Aquadolls and Billy Changer, plus art curated by Weird Hues Art & Music Collective. All proceeds go to American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. From 1 to 10 p.m. Saturday, July 29. $15. eventbrite.com

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JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

THEATER DAREN SCOTT

Lauren King Thompson (left) and Samantha Wynn Greenstone in Animal Crackers

More Groucho, please

I

t’s supreme silliness and comic anarchy when the Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo and, to a lesser extent, Zeppo) are center-stage in Animal Crackers, the 1928 musical that became a beloved film two years later. When they’re not center-stage and the action turns to tap dancing and handsome couples in love crooning to each other, Animal Crackers loses its crunch. Back in the late ‘20s, when audiences gobbled up things like tap dancing and cute crooning, the charm most likely never waned. While Cygnet Theatre’s production of Animal Crackers doesn’t intend to suggest that times have changed, they most assuredly have.

Josh ����������������������������� Odsess-Rubin’s Groucho, Spencer Rowe’s Chico, Samantha Wynn Greenstone’s Harpo and Bryan Banville’s Zeppo (the “serious” one) ignite constant hilarity during this long-winded show (Act One alone is 80 minutes). Melinda Gilb in particular provides amusing support as a flustered foil, but much of Animal Crackers turns wearying (more so than in the 97-minute movie) with its incidental “plot” and the drawn-out devices that seek to hold it together.

Animal Crackers runs through Aug. 13 at Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. $43 and up; cygnettheatre.com ••• Right off the bat, playwright Nagle Jackson should have second-guessed himself when he titled his ‘80s comedy At This Evening’s Performance. It’s not what anyone would consider an attention grabber. Alas, neither is the play itself, which under the direction of Andrew Barnicle closes North Coast Repertory Theatre’s 35th season. There is certainly potential for hilarity in the set-up: A contentious theater troupe in the mythical European nation of Strevia is forced to perform “the classics” at the behest of the oppressive political party in power. Toss in the threat of the assassination of someone in the cast, and we’re all set, right?

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

But the guffaws and gesticulations exhaust themselves early in the going, and we’re left with what feels like a script Mel Brooks might have rejected as not nearly clever enough. Within the dutiful sevenperson ensemble, only Richard Baird as the scowling stage manager fits into the spirit of what playwright Jackson apparently intended: physical, unadulterated farce.

At This Evening’s Performance runs through Aug. 6 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. $43 and up; northcoastrep.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Tick, Tick… Boom!: A staged reading of Jonathan Larson’s (of Rent fame) autobiographical musical about a struggling playwright in ‘90s New York City. It happens July 27 at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center in La Jolla. sdcjc.org Pump Up the Volume: A “musical ‘90s-Palooza” where seven strangers travel back to the days of grunge and raves only to find themselves out of step. Presented by San Diego Musical Theatre, it opens July 28 at the Horton Grand Theatre in Downtown. sdmt.org Kill Local: A second-generation assassin begins to question the merits of her job in this black comedy from new playwright Mat Smart. Directed

by Jackson Gay, it opens Aug. 1 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A public performance of Shakespeare’s fantastical comedy filled with fairies, an Amazon queen and an honest Puck. Presented by North Coast Repertory Theatre School, it opens Aug. 2 for five performances at La Colonia Community Center in Solana Beach. northcoastreptheatreschool.org

For full listings, visit “Theater” under Culture

at sdcitybeat.com

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july 26, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

JESSICA PONS

CULTURE | ART

T

he border wall has always been a deeply politicized space—a monument to America’s contentious relationship with Mexico and immigrants (documented or not) as a whole.

Because of this, artists have long used sections of the expansive 653-mile-long wall for activist art. Forty-six of those miles are in San Diego, which has hosted artistic interventions over the decades, including murals, film screenings, installation pieces, yoga classes and symphonic performances, all in an effort to dismantle the muro’s power.

With the political climate veering more and more anti-Mexican and anti-immigrant—especially after Donald Trump’s executive orders upping deportations to Mexico and his general intolerance for immigrants—there has been a surge of resistance art surrounding the border.

This month, San Diego State University’s Downtown Gallery hosts We are Here/ Estamos Aquí, a curated photography exhibition focused around the border experience through the varied and dynamic perspectives of each artist. The exhibit, which opens July 27 at SDSU Downtown Gallery (725 Broadway), features established photographers and a group of young artists out of the arts nonprofit The AjA Project.

Then there’s La Frontera Unites.

The exhibit, organized by Los Angelesbased photographers Jessica Pons and Sandra Garcia, is a “guerilla-style pop-up” photography exhibition that takes place at El Faro de Tijuana Monumental in Playas de Tijuana. Happening at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 29, the event features, well, anyone.

Photographers of any age or skill level are invited to bring in a photo print or series of

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

El Faro de Tijuana Monumental prints representing the theme of unity. Pons and Garcia will hang all images on the actual border wall, but only on the Tijuana side.

“We wanted to find a place of unity between two places, and thought the frontera is a great space to do that because the government is trying so hard to divide us,” says Pons, an American-born Argentinian who was primarily raised in Argentina.

“Our hope is to create a space for dialogue through photography,” Pons and Garcia explain in a joint statement via email.

“If we can spark others to create a change, whether it’s through arts, collaborations or something else that will unify people, then we feel we have succeeded.”

The idea for La Frontera Unites (lafronteraunites.com) was born out of the work Pons organized at La ColectiBA, a photography collective based out of Argentina that created pop-up shows with the aim of bringing community together. When a friend from La ColectiBA visited her in L.A., they talked about the frustrations, fears and WTF-ness the current administration unleashes daily.

That led to the idea of doing a La ColectiBAstyle exhibit on the border wall.

Soon after, Pons recruited her longtime friend and fellow photographer, Garcia, who had the contacts in Tijuana to make it happen. Garcia then reached out to Angel de Alba Cano, Coordinator of the Master’s Degree program in Photography Management at Universidad Ibero Tijuana, who was able to secure permitting on the Tijuana side (permitting on the U.S. side proved to be too challenging for the duo). Cano is also providing transportation from the border to the exhibit for attendees coming from the U.S. “Looking at that wall, what’s really weird

is that it’s so unnatural,” says Garcia, who was born in Mexico City and came to the U.S. with her family as undocumented immigrants when she was four. “Borders are man-made.

In reality, if you look across the world, borders never existed. To see these giant columns go out even into the sea, it’s bizarre.”

“It’s a perfect time to bring people from both sides of the border in unity and have something in common between us, and that’s photography,” says Jessica. “This is a political space. There’s so much I can do as a citizen or as a human, that I can do with my reach, my friends or my community.”

JESSICA PONS

Sandra Garcia and Jessica Pons Pons and Garcia’s experience with the border is arguably not as deeply entrenched in their daily lives as it is with locals. The wall is, after all, 135 miles away from Los Angeles, and they didn’t grow up in San Diego, Tijuana or another border city, so their experience is not the same. But they are immigrants and the children of undocumented immigrants. They’ve felt the presence of the border and its impact from afar because its reach extends far past the region.

“The border is always there. People sacrifice their life for a better future, and you

lose connections and your family in the process,” says Garcia. “The border has always existed for me. Even though I was one of the lucky ones that got to become a legal citizen, it still exists within my family and our friends. The position of the wall still exists within our world.”

“It’s a symbol of power rather than an actual solution,” says Pons, who recalls sitting for hours in amazement the first time she visited the border. “It doesn’t represent more than a symbol of power.”

Some artists and cultural producers have expressed their concerns with new artists and producers entering the conversation through exhibits without understanding the long history and dialogue that’s surrounded border art, treating it as a hot trend. Others welcome the influx of awareness and discussion, taking the more-themerrier approach, as they believe the surge of border art can educate and heal.

For Pons and Garcia, the goal isn’t to enter the local art scene, but rather continue to push the conversation, build community and inspire those who haven’t visited Tijuana to experience the city. Photographers interested in participating must register in advance and bring their photos mounted on rigid material for hanging. As Pons and Garcia explain, La Frontera Unites isn’t “a highend curated show.” Art will not be sold, nor is it exclusive to professionals.

“We are without a doubt affected by our president’s words and actions because it represents us as Americans,” they explain via email. “The current political climate does​inspire us to speak our truth and try to be the change we want to see within our community.”

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CULTURE | VOICES

RACHEL MICHELLE FERNANDES

THANK YOU FOR

Do the hustle

STARING

S

ing contact info. There was so much art and not just zines, but little photo books, postcards, stickers, buttons and little framed items as well. Women sold fresh tamales and sold aguas frescas, while others cracked open cans of beer and danced. A glittery sign said “Second Try” with a bunch of free zines about the zine fest underneath it.

There were also colorfully printed maps and schedules directing you where to go and what was happening when. It was clear that a lot of work went into this event and the energy felt unstoppable.

“In TJ, if you don’t organize something, nobody else is gonna do it,” said Luisa Martínez, who organized the fest along with David Peña. “If it’s not DIY, it’s not going to happen.”

RACHEL MICHELLE FERNANDES And then it hit me. All my favorite people are the hardest workers and aren’t afraid to get things moving. All the inspiring events I’ve participated in or attended since I’ve been back in San Diego have had that same, unstoppable energy. It’s the opposite of complaining, it’s making. And in many ways, a zine itself is a perfect little microcosm of this energy.

“A zine is a way to give yourself your own show,” Martínez also said. Instead of sitting around wishing for an art show or more space to make big paintings, why not make a zine?

It’s not a radical notion. Stop complaining, get off the sofa and participate. And for those who are Tijuana Zine Fest going to complain, make a zine about it or organize a panel for San Diego is the city of the perpetually uttered people to voice their complaints and come up with phrase “no worries.” No worries is almost a term of some solutions.

There are some incredible people who are hustling aggression in my mind. I mean, has anyone seen the news lately? I am worried, and no amount of yoga or super hard here to support emerging artists, such as the people behind Madwoman Etc, Teros Gallery and hiking to potato chip rocks is going to rid me of that.

That’s why I love the local arts community. Artists Little Dame—all of whom were down in TJ tabling in San Diego love to complain. Occasionally, and a lot (the latter two have zine libraries in their spaces). more frequently as of late, artists and curators here There’s also the San Diego Zine Fest coming up in seem to be harnessing that discontent to put on some October at the Centro Cultural, which I honestly canpretty rad shows (see my first column). Still, it often not wait to check out.

How can we rise above the basic-ass shit and seems like people would rather complain than take push ourselves to communicate beyond complainaction or even show up.

Then there’s Tijuana. Our sister city and neighbor ing? How can we be advocates for one another and to the south who refuses to be kept down despite how fight issues such as gentrification, corruption and the much shit we throw in her yard and how high we keep “status-BRO”? And can’t we have fun while doing so?

I don’t have all the answers. But a clue lies not threatening to build the fence.

Recently, I attended the second annual Tijuana only in the TJ Zine Fest itself but in one of my faZine Fest and was completely blown away by what vorite pieces from the festival by Sophie Montoya was hands down the best organized arts event I’ve called Travesias. It’s her first ever zine and is made up of photos she took, as well as some photos from been to on the West Coast.

Immediately walking into the venue, Pasaje Gó- people she gave disposable cameras to in Haiti. The mez (and Pasaje Rodríguez), a once abandoned walk- work is extremely sincere and beautiful and sends a way off of the heavily trafficked Avenida Revolución, clear message—go out and make something. Even if I knew something special was happening. There was we have next to nothing, it can change our lives. good music and tons of uniquely stylish people milling about, visiting each other’s tables and exchang- Thank You For Staring appears every other week. an Diego, I love you but you’re bringing me down.

After over a decade of hustling my ass off through the mean streets of New York City, I moved back here to seek sanctuary. I was burned out from trying to make films and TV, as well as working a 90hour work week. At least San Diego has nicer weather and a slower pace. And herein lies the rub.

A friend of mine recently compared this city to an attractive person with no personality. That San Diego is like that woman on Tinder with flat abs and selfies from Burning Man and Coachella to prove she’s down with culture. It’s this basic-ass shit that just seems to dominate. Maybe the weather is just too nice, but we all know it’s much more complicated than that.

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JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

CULTURE | FILM

Back in time

A Ghost Story

Legacy is infinitely cyclical in David Lowery’s oddly moving parable

by Glenn Heath Jr.

C

If the moment is defined by raw intensity, many ountless films position female characters on the sidelines, forcing them to suffer silently others in A Ghost Story fall prey to cloying whimsy. while brooding men ponder their legacy. A After M finally sets off on a new beginning, C bears Ghost Story turns the table on this convention, at least witness to multiple new tenants that come and go momentarily, by placing a deceased musician’s ghost over the years. A Spanish-speaking single mother and into the role of anonymous passive observer while his her two children arrive and have the unfortunate bad wife grieves. Draped in only a white sheet with two luck of experiencing C’s true telekinetic powers. The holes cut out for eyes, the iconic phantasm watches hipsters arrive next and, during a house party monotime pass from an invisible vantage point, confined logue, actor/musician Will Oldham’s philosopher bro sums up Lowery’s coda on legacy and time. somewhere between heaven and Earth.

The house is eventually destroyed, freeing C to David Lowery’s deceptively sentimental film nestles up closely to the young couple, simply named C walk through time and stand on the precipice of a (Casey Affleck) and M (Rooney Mara). Sublime early neon future. This surreal vision of temporality echoes moments depict the typical ups and downs. She’s the fluid journey seen in Don Herztfeldt’s It’s Such a Beautiful Day, another film ready to leave their quaint subwhere the specter of death opens urban house, while he’s strangeup the mysteries of the universe. ly drawn to its hazy confines. InA GHOST STORY Shot in a cramped full frame timacy comes easier than comDirected by David Lowery with vignette edges, A Ghost Story munication; the camera hovers collapses the image to fixate on over their bed during a lengthy Starring Casey Affleck, the static relationship between embrace, but grows more fidgety Rooney Mara and Will Oldham the ghost and its surroundings. when thornier conversation topRated R Interior shots are dense and clutics come up. tered with inanimate objects, Otherwise, few details are while exteriors highlight mallearelayed before C is killed in a car accident and permanently hidden underneath ble horizons. Both concepts align in one of the film’s the literal cover of death. Such lack of specificity most gorgeous shots: C stands atop the ruins of his old allows Lowery a blank slate to connect universal house as fog drifts through the frame.

Despite its experimental approach to familiar subthemes of love and loss with deeply personal transitions, all the while using art-film aesthetics as a ject matter, the film’s ending is littered with convobridge. Long takes are important to this approach— luted spiritual revelations about the cyclical nature not only does the extended duration position the of love. Whereas Lowery managed to convey genuine audience firmly in the ghost’s silent perspective, it emotion in his tender Pete’s Dragon remake, he’s less watches M’s character experience initial glimmers successful here due to the manipulative tone.

In the end, A Ghost Story, which opens Friday, of panic and independence untethered from her reJuly 28, is an oddly compelling study of masculinity lationship with C. The most notable example comes when M returns searching for reinvention through anonymity. But unhome from the morgue and begins furiously eating like Terrence Malick’s superior Song to Song, a sister pie. Mara spends nearly five minutes on the floor film of sorts, it’s not concerned with complicating the shoveling one spoonful after the next into her mouth female perspective beyond what lies on the surface. before finally rushing to the toilet and vomiting. With Make no bones about it; this is a man’s ghost world this extreme shot, which is eerily reminiscent of the with no beginning or end. great cabbage binge in Tsai Ming-Liang’s Stray Dogs, Lowery confronts us with sudden isolation and pain Film reviews run weekly. that Mara internalizes behind the act of consumption. Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM

City of Ghosts

Pen as sword

I

n 2015’s Cartel Land, Matthew Heineman examines Mexico’s drug trafficking epidemic from inside the lion’s den, interviewing vigilante leaders fighting the cartels on both sides of the border. The film’s rawness stems from its close proximity to danger and panic, which in turn creates a nightmarish subjectivity that is constantly under duress.

Heineman’s new documentary City of Ghosts works in reverse fashion, exploring the experiences of Syrian activists who’ve been forced to flee their hometown of Raqqa after ISIS forces took con-

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trol in 2014. Operating from afar in Turkey and Germany, “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently,” a collective of citizen journalists, illuminate the mass atrocities perpetrated within a city now cut off from the rest of the world.

After giving a brief historical recap of the Arab Spring and ISIS’s violent land grab, City of Ghosts focuses on the personal stories of its subjects and the many challenges they face covering Raqqa from a distance. Each man has experienced extreme trauma; their family members and colleagues have been assassinated, sometimes even

in videos shared online. The journalists also face reprisals from ISIS sympathizers operating in their new home countries.

Horrific b-roll footage from within Raqqa is used strategically to heighten the importance of the group’s calls for global intervention and awareness. It’s hard to deny the importance of this project from an ideological perspective. But Heineman’s emotional approach threatens to turn City of Ghosts into a PSA for “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” rather than a complex character study of dedicated men struggling to fight evil on the digital front lines.

With Raqqa’s liberation imminent, hopefully Hieneman will take the opportunity to follow these brave men back home and dig even deeper into their harrowing experiences.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING A Ghost Story: After a struggling musician (Casey Affleck) dies in a car accident, his ghost returns and spends eternity watching the woman (Rooney Mara) he once loved.

Atomic Blonde: Charlize Theron plays a badass MI6 agent who must recover a

list of double agents in Berlin during the Cold War. City of Ghosts: Citizen journalists from Raqqa, Syria attempt to illuminate the atrocities of ISIS after being exiled from their homeland.

It Stains the Sands Red: A woman finds herself stranded in the middle of desert with a ravenous zombie on her trail. Opens Friday, July 28, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Marie Curie: The Courage of Knowledge: Polish actress Karolina Gruszka stars in this sweeping biography of the legendary, Nobel Prize–winning physicist and chemist. Opens Friday, July 28, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Pop Aye: In this melancholic road movie, a disenchanted architect travels around Thailand with his long-lost pet elephant.

Opens Friday, July 28, at the Ken Cinema.

The Emoji Movie: A multi-expressional emoji named Gene sets off to become a normal emoji. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ The Women’s Balcony: When a charismatic rabbi enters their lives, some women in Jerusalem attempt to unite their neighborhood and preserve their traditions. Opens Friday, July 28, at AMC La Jolla Village 12 and Angelika Film Center—Carmel Mountain.

For complete movie listings, visit F ilm at sdcitybeat.com.

JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

MUSIC

n many ways, Alfred Howard is the antithesis of rock ‘n’ roll. He’s keen to point out that he doesn’t smoke, drink, do drugs or have much interest in after-parties. Hell, he doesn’t even drink coffee.

“Yeah, I’m kind of a dork,” Howard says, lounging in a chair in front of the Ocean Beach studio space he shares with bandmate Matt Molarius.

Howard is also into bird-watching and once came in sixth place in a 24-hour Bird-a-thon. He works in a record store, fulfilling what he says was a lifelong dream of “working a minimum wage where I get to belittle children over their music choices.” He also goes to four swap meets a week looking for cool pots, pans and chains he thinks will make cool noises on stage and in the studio.

So, yeah, he’s kind of a dork. He also happens to be one of the most prolific and recognizable faces in the local music scene. He’s currently involved with eight different musical projects, almost all of which he plays in, produces the music and/or is the main songwriter. Working mostly under the Redwoods Music umbrella—a collective and music label

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

KRISTY WALKER

Howard started in 2015 with fellow bandmates and musicians—he anticipates the label will release something like five albums this year, including LPs from Dani Bell & the Tarantist, Rebecca Jade & the Cold Fact, Birdy Bardot and Howard’s main project, The Heavy Guilt.

“I’m a collector, I guess,” Howard says. “To an extent, I don’t want to say I collect bands, but there’s just a lot of things I want to do.”

In a way, Howard has always been a collector. Up until he was 13 years old, he grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey before his mom, rattled by some of the crime in the neighborhood, moved young Al to Morristown, a suburb of Newark. Once there, Howard says his spirit of collecting moved toward nature.

“From a very early age I got really into nature. We would go up to a family friend’s house in Massachusetts for the summers, and they kind of got me into bird-watching and as soon as we moved in Morristown, I felt real good there,” Howard says.

Still, Howard says he stood out not just because of his

race (he was one of five Black kids in his graduating class), but because he was, as he puts it, a “13-year-old metalhead bird watcher” who had no interest in sports. Even with a growing vinyl collection that he’d pillage from swap meets, playing music never really interested Howard all that much.

He would listen and study music religiously, but he just never took to playing an instrument. Even now, he says his reputation as a working musician is a distinction even he disputes.

“I don’t really play much. I don’t really play anything,” Howard says, adding that most people, because of his race, assume that he plays bass. “I play some percussion. I bang on stuff.”

That desire to bang on stuff still hadn’t developed when he decided to move to California in 2000. Once here, he got a job at a record shop, but still didn’t have much interest in the local music scene until, one day, he was invited to a La Jolla jazz and spoken word night. A friend suggested that he write a poem to perform.

“I never had written a poem in my life,” Howard recalls.

“The owner of the restaurant was like, ‘dude, I really like that. Would you be down to be our featured poet?’ This meant that I had to perform for 30 to 45 minutes each night, but necessity is the mother of invention and that’s how I became a writer. Not a very good one at that point, but that’s how it all started.”

The poetry sparked a creative streak in Howard that hasn’t subsided. He began writing lyrics for songs and was soon jamming with musicians, mostly playing percussive instruments and spitting spoken word verses. The resulting group, Alfred Howard and the K23 Orchestra, blended funk, soul and psychedelic rock and developed a solid local fan base. The group lasted about seven years until the rigors of touring caught up with Howard, who still suffers varying physical and mental maladies due to chronic Lyme disease, which he contracted when he was still a teen.

Nonetheless, he persisted.

After the K23 Orchestra broke up in 2008, Howard says his focus shifted to songwriting. He’s now the songwriter for all of the Redwoods bands. What’s more impressive is how varied the bands are in style and sound, which range from rootsy alt-rock (The Heavy Guilt, Black Sands), dreamy psychedelia (Birdy Bardot), funk-infused soul (Rebecca Jade) and lo-fi pop (Dani Bell). He recently started a new project called Louise Walker (named after his grandmother) that has a jazzier, standards feel thanks to vocalist Lindsay Olsen, as well as a project with Matt Molarius called Sickle Wing.

The entire crew will be playing a “Redwoods Revue” show on Aug. 6 at the Loews Coronado Bay resort, as well as a swap meet and concert at Allegory Tattoo in Normal Heights on July 30 to kickoff a Redwoods crowdfunding campaign where they hope to raise $25,000. If that wasn’t enough, Howard is also planning on releasing a follow-up to his hilarious book, An Autobiography of No One. When asked if there’s anything he doesn’t do, Howard doesn’t miss a beat.

“I’d like to sleep more,” he says, only somewhat jokingly.

“I want to sleep late but I just can’t. The sun hits my room and it’s like, ‘Okay, what are we doin’?”

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

july 26, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY

F

olk Arts Rare Records is turning 50. The store, which is one of the longest-running record stores in California, was opened by Lou Curtiss with a business partner in 1967 in Mission Hills.

Their partnership dissolved nine months later and Curtiss continued to run it for 47 years before selling the business to Brendan Boyle in 2014. To honor the history of the store and commemorate the anniversary, Boyle is hosting a party at the shop on Monday, July 31, where he’ll be having a sale and giving Curtiss the opportunity to play some of his favorite music.

“The plan is to just have a party,” says Boyle.

“We’re going to keep it simple. There’s going to be a sale on certain sections: Blues, folk, country, jazz.

Those are the styles of music that are Lou’s favorites and what he catered to.”

Folk Arts has moved many times over the years, having relocated to Hillcrest in 1972, Normal Heights in 1977, a second location on Adams Avenue in 2004 and eventually to North Park where it stands today.

When Boyle bought the business, he says he didn’t really want to have to move it, but a sinking floor and a bad parking situation made the previous Normal Heights location less than ideal when it came time to take over the business.

“I did feel a little bad about moving it,” he says.

“Lou’s store was my favorite record store I’ve ever been to. But I made sure that I kept the same feel of his store, even if it was in a different place.”

Boyle says that he wants to honor Curtiss’ legacy especially since he kept the store open for so many

Folk Arts Rare Records years. In fact, he says he stocks some records that he knows Curtiss loves, even if he doesn’t actually sell them. So the party is as much a celebration of him as it is the store itself.

“I thought it would be neat to have Lou here and have a party,” he says. “It’s just going to be a coming together of all different people, all walks of life.”

—Jeff Terich

ALBUM REVIEW DJ Pnutz 16 Psyche (Bulabeats)

E

arlier this year Laura Bolokoski, aka DJ Pnutz, received a well-earned ExtraSpecialGood honor in CityBeat’s annual Great Demo Review for her mixtape, The Good Wife’s Guide to Beatmaking. Both funky and subversive, it found Pnutz using kitschy samples to satirize outdated ideas of sexism, which put an interesting new spin on turntablism. A little bit of that feminist wit reappears early on here, where an intro that includes a TV dialogue sample of what sounds like James T. Kirk saying “A girl or a monster?” bleeds into an upbeat first track titled “Pretty Good For A Girl.” And it absolutely fucking knocks.

The thematic threads on 16 Psyche are a bit different this time around, and they don’t always entirely make sense.

There’s a blend of sci-fi and sports themes, which don’t necessarily seem like natural complements; “Deep Space Radio” is followed by “Pass It” and “7th Inning Stretch,” for instance. But musically, none of this is a problem. Pnutz’s beats and soundscapes all bleed together seamlessly in a set of tracks that recall the likes of DJ Shadow, Madlib and RJD2 (before he

decided he wanted to sing, that is). In fact, “Top International DJ” merges space and sports brilliantly, beginning with an Eastbound and Down sample (“I think this dude is about to find out that Americans do not want to be stuffed into a sweaty club, raving out to the sounds of DJ Communism”) before letting loose with ‘80s-style synth-funk loaded with spacey effects.

Whatever gimmicks DJ Pnutz works into her tracks, it’s ultimately the strength of the songs themselves that makes 16 Psyche a success. She assembles compositions full of jazzy ambience (“Dark Adaptation”), breezy funk (“Phase 2”) and cinematic big beat (“I Don’t Know How You Came By This Record”) without ever missing a beat. Somehow she even manages to make a Christmas standard work in the context of the record (“The Most Wonderful Time of the Year”). The 20 tracks on 16 Psyche are all over the place, which is kind of what makes it interesting. It flows together like a great DJ mix should, but ends up in a totally different place than where it began. The fun is finding out how she gets there.

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

—Jeff Terich @SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

july 26, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, JULY 26

PLAN A: Night Drive, Trip Advisor @ SPACE. When reading the name Night Drive, I immediately think of the Chromatics album of the same name. And that’s not a bad comparison. Night Drive does play dark, sexy synth-pop in a similar vein, but their brand is more indebted to disco and ‘80s-era pop. There will be dancing, guaranteed. PLAN B: The Upper Strata, Kairoots, Malu @ Soda Bar. The Upper Strata are a peculiar group, creating electronics-driven dance music that employs elements of folk, R&B and dark cabaret. It’s a pretty diverse array of styles that come together in unexpected ways, and it’s pretty interesting regardless of how odd it looks on paper.

SUNDAY, JULY 30

PLAN A: Steve Gunn, Heron Oblivion, James Elkington @ SPACE. Steve Gunn is an excellent singer/songwriter with more albums to his name than people realize. He’s also a hell of a guitar player, and can probably win audiences over on the strength of his perfect fretwork alone.

PLAN B: Big Business, Death Eyes @ Whistle Stop. Stoner-rock duo and sometimes Melvins collaborators Big Business have gone through some changes over the years, but they’re back to being a duo. And that’s all they need, really, since their bassand-drums attack is massive and heavy AF. BACKUP PLAN: Cayetana, Snail Mail, Keepers @ The Casbah.

THURSDAY, JULY 27

PLAN A: David J, Dani Bell and the Tarantist @ The Casbah. David J is a founding member of Bauhaus and Love and Rockets so he’s essentially goth-rock royalty. He has his share of really good solo albums, but he’s been known to perform tracks from throughout his career. And there’s a lot of highlights, so it’s bound to be a great show no matter what. BACKUP PLAN: Soft Lions, Emily Bell @ Bar Pink.

FRIDAY, JULY 28

PLAN A: Schizophonics Soul Revue, Thee Allyrgic Reaction, DJs Claire, Mr Mazee @ The Casbah. It’s a rare instance to see a Friday night without a long list of good shows to choose from, but that’s fine. The Schizophonics are sort of hard to compete with anyway, and their Soul Revue ensures that every ass will be moving.

SATURDAY, JULY 29

PLAN A: Be Well Fest w/ Matt Lamkin, Los Shadows, Splavender, Svelte @ Rancho Valhalla Nursery. Last week I wrote about Be Well Fest, an all-ages festival that features a long list of great local bands, and which benefits mental health charities. It’s for a good cause and features lots of great bands, plus it’s early enough to allow readers time for… PLAN B: Zsa Zsa Gabor, BWATWOB @ Helmuth Projects. Sam Lopez of Stay Strange is retiring his noise project, Zsa Zsa Gabor. Come and give this peculiar, constantly changing project a proper burial with one last set of weird, abrasive intensity.

BACKUP PLAN: The Gloomies, Beginners @ Soda Bar.

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

Steve Gunn

MONDAY, JULY 31

PLAN A: Tobin Sprout, Elf Power @ The Casbah. Tobin Sprout is a former member of Guided by Voices who has also released about a half-dozen lo-fi indie pop albums of his own, all of which are underrated, by the way. Make it there early for Elf Power, who are also an underrated indie pop group who have released their share of great, lightly psychedelic gems. PLAN B: Que Oso, Year of the Dead Bird, Bloodflowers @ Soda Bar. Que Oso describe themselves as “Chicano Power rock,” though in terms of musical influences, the Escondido group sound a bit like emo with lyrics in Spanish. Sounds good to me!

TUESDAY, AUG. 1

PLAN A: Unsane, Fashion Week, Archons, Lo and Be Told @ The Casbah. For more than 20 years, New York’s Unsane have been making some of the most abrasive and brutal noise rock. They briefly had a moment of MTV fame with their skateboarding-injury video for “Scrape,” but they continue to make kickass, gnarly sounds.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Daedelus (SPACE, 8/10), Bone Thugsn-Harmony, Dogg Pound (Observatory, 8/25), Wyo (Music Box, 9/8), Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers (Music Box, 9/14), Sean Paul (Observatory, 9/19), Arkells (SPACE, 10/5), Griffin House (Soda Bar, 10/6), A$AP Mob (Observatory, 10/22), M. Ward (BUT, 10/24), Thievery Corporation (BUT, 10/26), Cold Specks (Soda Bar, 11/13), Tim Barry (Casbah, 12/7).

GET YER TICKETS Metallica (Petco Park, 8/6), Incubus, Jimmy Eat World (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/11), Neon Indian (BUT, 8/14), Royal Blood (Observatory, 8/15), YOB, SubRosa (Brick by Brick, 8/16), Matthew Sweet (Casbah, 8/16), Dead Cross (Observatory, 8/19), 311 (Open Air Theatre, 8/20), Mew (Observatory, 8/24), B-Side Players (Music Box, 8/26), Pelican, Inter Arma (Brick by Brick, 8/26), Ira Glass (Balboa Theatre, 8/27), The Pharcyde (Observatory, 8/31), Stiff Little Fingers (BUT, 9/6), Quicksand (BUT, 9/11), Goo Goo Dolls (Open Air Theatre, 9/12), Green Day (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 9/13), Kaaboo Festival w/ Tom Petty, Muse, Red Hot Chili Peppers (Del Mar Fairgrounds, 9/1517), Against Me! (Observatory, 9/16), The Church (Music Box, 9/16), Future Islands (Open Air Theatre, 9/17), Zola Jesus (Casbah, 9/21), U2 (Qualcomm Stadium, 9/22), Swervedriver (Casbah,

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9/22), The Beach Boys (Humphreys, 9/23), Ben Folds (HOB, 9/23), WAND (Soda Bar, 9/24), Sublime With Rome, The Offspring (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 9/26), Bleachers (Observatory, 9/27), Benjamin Booker (BUT, 9/29), Jay Som (Soda Bar, 9/30), The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Loft, 9/30), The Shins, Spoon (Open Air Theatre, 10/1), Algiers (Soda Bar, 10/1), Chelsea Wolfe (BUT, 10/2), Sheer Mag, Tony Molina (Soda Bar, 10/2), Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas (OAT, 10/3), Irma Thomas, Blind Boys of Alabama (BUT, 10/5), Depeche Mode (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 10/6), Pinegrove (Irenic, 10/6), Coldplay (Qualcomm Stadium, 10/8), Obituary, Exodus (Observatory, 10/8), Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile (HOB, 10/11), The Afghan Whigs (BUT, 10/12), John Maus (Soda Bar, 10/12), The National (Open Air Theatre, 10/12), The Black Angels (HOB, 10/17), Torres (Casbah, 10/17), Café Tacuba (Observatory, 10/17-18), Arcade Fire (Viejas Arena, 10/18), Mastodon (HOB, 10/19), City of Caterpillar, Thou (Soda Bar, 10/19), Linkin Park (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 10/20), The Kooks (Observatory, 10/20), KMFDM (HOB, 10/20), Tegan and Sara (Balboa Theatre, 10/20), Jimmy Buffett (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 10/21), Carla Morrison (Humphreys, 10/22), Real Estate (Music Box, 10/24), Turnover (Irenic, 10/27), Roky Erickson (Casbah, 10/27), Iron and Wine (Balboa Theatre, 10/28), The Drums (Observatory, 11/1), Black Heart Procession (Casbah, 11/4), ‘Live Wire 25th Anniversary’ w/ Rocket from the Crypt (Observatory, 11/4), Halsey (Viejas Arena, 11/5), Cults (Irenic, 11/5), Hamilton Leithauser (BUT, 11/9), D.R.I. (Brick by Brick, 11/10), Fall Out Boy (Viejas Arena, 11/15), Gary Numan (Observatory,

11/15), Ariel Pink (BUT, 11/16), Boris, Torche (Casbah, 11/17), Blues Traveler (HOB, 11/19), Mogwai (Observatory, 11/20), New Found Glory (HOB, 11/25), METZ (Casbah, 12/13), Julien Baker (Irenic, 12/15), Jay-Z (Viejas Arena, 12/19), Josh Ritter (BUT, 1/16).

JULY WEDNESDAY, JULY 26 The Dabbers at The Casbah. The Upper Strata at Soda Bar. John Waite at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, JULY 27 David J at The Casbah. Bush at Open Air Theatre. Imagery Machine at Soda Bar. Reckless Kelly at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, JULY 28 Schizophonics Soul Revue at The Casbah. Violent Femmes at Del Mar Racetrack. Taking Back Sunday at Observatory North Park. Lower Class Brats at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, JULY 29 Robert Cray at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

The Gloomies at Soda Bar.

SUNDAY, JULY 30 Steve Gunn at SPACE. Maxi Priest at Belly Up Tavern. Big Business, Death Eyes at Whistle Stop. All Get Out at House of Blues Voodoo Room. Hollis Brown at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, JULY 31 Rodrigo y Gabriela at Humphreys by the Bay. Que Oso at Soda Bar.

AUGUST

MONDAY, AUG. 7 Bent Knee at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, AUG. 1 Unsane at The Casbah. AFI, Circa Survive at Open Air Theatre. Huey Lewis and the News at Humphreys by the Bay. The Rocketboys at Soda Bar. Marshall Tucker Band at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

TUESDAY, AUG. 8 Diana Krall at Humphreys by the Bay. James Vincent McMorrow at Belly Up Tavern. Stage Kids at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 9

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 2 The Buttertones at The Casbah. Alex Napping at Soda Bar. Curren$y at Observatory North Park. Brawley’s Barroom Brawl at Belly Up Tavern.

Rag’n’Bone Man at Observatory North Park. Of Ennui at Soda Bar. Creepseed at Belly Up Tavern. Tyler Childers at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, AUG. 10

THURSDAY, AUG. 3 Swirlies at SPACE. Chevelle at House of Blues. Rooney at The Irenic. Mobina Galore at Soda Bar. Inspired and the Sleep at Belly Up Tavern. Oh, Spirit! at The Casbah.

FRIDAY, AUG. 4 Wheeler Walker Jr. at House of Blues.

Chastity Belt at SPACE. Eagles of Death Metal at Del Mar Racetrack. Peking Duck at Music Box. In the Valley Below at The Casbah.

SATURDAY, AUG. 5 Turnpike Troubadours at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Amigo the Devil at Soda Bar. The Crystal Method at Music Box. The Paladins at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, AUG. 6 Ed Sheeran at Valley View Casino Center.

Metallica at Petco Park. Nails at Brick by Brick. 10,000 Maniacs at Belly Up Tavern.

Parker Gispert at Soda Bar. KRS One, Slick Rick at Observatory North Park. The Delta Bombers at The Casbah.

Sam Hunt at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre.

Steve Earle and the Dukes at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Barns Courtney at House of Blues. O-Town at Music Box. Brick and Mortar at Soda Bar. Jesse LaMonaca and the Dime Novels at The Casbah. Daedelus at SPACE.

FRIDAY, AUG. 11 Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at Belly Up Tavern. Nite Jewel at The Casbah. The White Buffalo at Del Mar Racetrack. Incubus, Jimmy Eat World at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Betty Who at Observatory North Park. The Creepy Creeps at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, AUG. 12 Steve Martin and Martin Short at Open Air Theatre. Ludacris at Del Mar Racetrack. 2 Chainz at House of Blues. Petit Biscuit at Observatory North Park. America at Humphreys by the Bay. Hans Zimmer at Viejas Arena. Swingin’ Utters at SPACE. Wayward Sons at Belly Up Tav-

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 ern. GZA at Music Box. Glass Spells at Soda Bar. The Ataris at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, AUG. 13 The Black Dahlia Murder at House of Blues. Meat Wave at Soda Bar. Pokey LaFarge at Belly Up Tavern. Systems Officer at The Casbah.

MONDAY, AUG. 14 Neon Indian at Belly Up Tavern. Electric Elms at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, AUG. 15 Royal Blood at Observatory North Park.

The Alarm at The Casbah. Secret Drum Band at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 16 The Doobie Brothers (Humphreys, 8/16), Matthew Sweet (Casbah, 8/16), Mt. Joy (SPACE, 8/16), YOB, SubRosa (Brick by Brick, 8/16), Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, AUG. 17 X at Belly Up Tavern. Brazilian Girls at The Casbah. Real Numbers at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, AUG. 18 Dungen at The Casbah. Steel Pulse at Del Mar Racetrack. Pickwick at SPACE. The Flatliners at Soda Bar. X at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

SATURDAY, AUG. 19 Dead Cross at Observatory North Park.

Mrs. Magician at Soda Bar.

SUNDAY, AUG. 20 Atmosphere at Observatory North Park (sold out). Young Dubliners at Belly Up Tavern. 311 at Open Air Theatre. Warbly Jets at Soda Bar. Vesperteen at House of Blues Voodoo Room.

MONDAY, AUG. 21 Moon Honey at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, AUG. 22 VNV Nation at The Casbah (sold out).

Mark Stoermer’s Filthy Apes and Lions at Soda Bar.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Fri: Johnny Love, Red Sage, African Postman. Sat: The Vinyl Moods, Boxcar Chief. Tue: Karlos Marz Band.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Interconnected’ w/ DJ Alex Mattrey. Thu: ‘Libertine’ w/ DJ Jon Wesley. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Karma, Alice.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Fri: Missie Page and the Rifftones.

Sat: The Fuzz Junkies.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Rock ‘n’ Roll Lotto. Thu: Soft Lions, Emily Bell. Fri: DJ Saul Q. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Cherokee, Kartell. Sat: CID. Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Fri: Scratch. Sat: Greasy Petes. Sun: Blaise Guld.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., So-

28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

lana Beach. Wed: John Waite, Joey Harris. Thu: Reckless Kelly, Alex Woodard.

Fri: Beatles vs Stones. Sat: Robert Cray Band, Jim Woodard Duo (sold out). Sun: Maxi Priest, Blaine Mazzetti & The Originators. Tue: Marshall Tucker Band (sold out).

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Miss Lana Rebel, Birdbath, Matthew Strachota. Fri: Kitty Plague, Gone Baby Gone. Sat: The Anomaly, Sinflood.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ Murrayyy. Thu: Kaz Mirblouk, Campus Security, Wyatt Blair (DJ Set). Fri: ‘Through Being Cool’. Sun: Jared and The Mill, Creature Canyon, Matthew Strachota, Black Oak Hymnal. Mon: Holy Wars, Yacht Punk, Captain Auzmo. Tue: Avi Buffalo, Haunted Summer, Noble War. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad.

Thu: DJ B Russ. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: Geoff Tate’s Operation: Mindcrime, Lucky Bailey’s Dirty Puppets, Nightshadow, RDG. Fri: Black Pussy, Ironaut, Uber Monk. Sat: Rock ‘n’ Roll Reunion Show.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: The Dabbers, Gloomsday, Blood Ponies. Thu: David J, Dani Bell and the Tarantist, Darwin. Fri: Schizophonics Soul Revue, The Magnificent with Mighty Manfred, Thee Allyrgic Reaction, DJs Claire, Mr Mazee. Sat: Kitten, Love Glow, Sights and Sages. Sun: Cayetana, Snail Mail, Keepers. Mon: Tobin Sprout, Elf Power. Tue: Unsane, Fashion Week, Archons, Lo and Be Told.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: Camel Tones. Sat: Zone 4.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Mission Bay. Fri: Matt Hall Quintet.

The Field Irish Pub, 544 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Gary Flick. Thu: The Glides.

Fri: The Fooks. Sat: Hoist the Colors.

Sun: Todd Goodnaugh. Mon: Stacy Antonel. Tue: Chris del Priore.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Fri: DJ Heartattak. Sat: DJ Rell and Paris Paul.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Deejay Al. Sat: Reflex.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., Downtown.

Wed: Ride the Mule. Thu: DJ Yodah. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: Rock Star Saturday.

Tue: ‘50s/60s Dance Party.

Hoffer’s Cigar Bar, 8282 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. Sat: Lance Dieckmann.

The Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach. Wed: Pat Hilton, Oren. Thu: Mickey Avalon, DJ Mancat.

Fri: Faux Fighters, DJ Oren. Sat: Green Today, DJ Man Cat. Tue: Irie G. Hooley’s, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa. Fri: Up Front.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: PJ Morton. Thu: Damien Escobar. Fri: Lola Demure’s Burlesque & Variety Show. Sat: AJR, Johnny Balik.

Sun: All Get Out, Souvenirs. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: 52nd St. Thu: Rosey Dawn. Fri: Detroit Underground. Sat: Wildside, The Reflectors.

Sun: City Lights. Mon: Missy Andersen.

Tue: Michele Lundeen.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: ‘Midnight in a Perfect World’.

Thu: ‘Divinity Techno Sabbath’. Fri: Highlander. Sat: ‘Triptych’.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Antonette Goroch, Eddie Lenhart. Sat: Aaron Bowen, Jordan Tyler, Courtney Preis. Sun: PB & Jam, Raena Jade.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: JG Trio. Thu: Stilletos.

Fri: Mystique. Sat: North Star. Sun: Stilettos. Mon: Glen Smith.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Heir Gloom, The Serotonin Experiment, DragonDragon. Thu: Reckless Disregard, Steeltoe, Hyper Active Slackers. Fri: ‘Lift Me Up’ Benefit w/ Karina Frost & The Banduvloons, Soul Ablaze.

Sat: ‘The ‘80s Are Dead’. Sun: ‘Back Alley’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Wed: ‘Encinitas Gong Show’ w/ DJ Mancat. Thu: Grand Canyon Sundown. Fri: Electric Waste Band. Sat: Upfunk.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Thu: Enjambre. Fri: FAULKNER, Spare Parts for Broken Hearts, Cali Conscious, Matthew Phillips. Sat: Dead Man’s Party, Total Distortion.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Uncut’. Sun: R&B Divas. Tue: Karaoke Latino.

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

Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’. Mon: The Cars Under Cover.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Elephante. Fri: ‘One Night Stand’ w/ Zedd. Sat: DJ Five.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 29

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Fri: Erika Davies. Sun: Uptown Rhythm Makers.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Ikon. Sat: DJ Mustard.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: DJs John Joseph, Kinky Loops.

Thu: DJ Moniq. Fri: DJs K-Swift, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs K-Swift, Taj, Luke. Sun: DJs Hektik, Brynn Taylor.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Coastal Eddies. Fri: Johnny Tarr. Sat: Creepxotica.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., San Diego. Wed: Red Fox Tails. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: dB Jukebox. Sat: Jimmy Ruelas. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei.

SPOTLIGHT The opening guitar riff to Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun” may be the catchiest and most annoying earworm in rock ‘n’ roll history. And that’s too bad, because that megahit often overshadows the folk-punk originators’ incredibly diverse catalog. They’ve pretty much tackled everything from gospel (“I Held Her In My Arms”) to country (“Country Death Song”), yet have always maintained a dark edge. Violent Femmes play the Del Mar Fairground on Friday, July 28.

—Ryan Bradford

@SDCITYBEAT

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: The Upper Strata, Kairoots, Malu. Thu: Imagery Machine, Skyterra, Kingdom Of Lights. Fri: Lower Class Brats, Special Duties, Dead on the Wire, Sculpins. Sat: The Gloomies, Beginners.

Sun: Hollis Brown, Jimmy Ruelas, Ted Z and The Wranglers. Mon: Que Oso, Year of the Dead Bird, The Bloodflowers. Tue: The Rocketboys, The Whistles & The Bells, The Colour Monday.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: Beach Goons, Jurassic Shark, Super Lunch, Hot Brothers, Transpirations. Sat: King Lil G, Young Gravy.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Wed: Night Drive, Trip Advisor. Fri: ‘Other Voices’. Sat: ‘A Toda Madre’. Sun: Steve Gunn, Heron Oblivion, James Elkington.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: ‘Tribe Out West’. Sat: Skeptical, Prolix, Ben Soundscape, Collette Warren. Sun: Rick Wade, Jimbo James, Dink, Hylas.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Dreams’ w/ DJ Gabe Vega. Thu: Burlesque Boogie Nights.

Sun: Podunk Nowhere, Rosa’s Cantina.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Ghost Town Gamblers, Midnight Block, Cat Chasers. Fri: ‘Soul Ago-go’. Sat: Honey Sauce Band, Throwback Zack, DJs Boogieman, Blackbelt Jonez. Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: The Void Nation. Thu: ‘Paging the 90s’.

Sat: Kenny and Deez, Coriander. Sun: Allegra Duchaine. Mon: Lauren Leigh and Sam. Tue: Kyle Castellani.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: DFMK, Cold Stare, The Wasteaways. Fri: Divided Heavens, Dead Frets, Bossfight, Laughing Liars. Sat: Slippers & Aceyalone, CAliens, Subgenre Apparel, Tiegamerivalry. Tue: Lendakaris Muertos, Neck Down, 22 Missiles.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Open Oscillator’. Thu: ‘Vamp: After the Disaster’. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Sun: Big Business, Death Eyes. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: Mighty Mystic, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: ‘OB Hip-Hop Social’. Fri: ZepTune, Cowgirls from Hell, Hardwired.

Sat: Arise Roots, Dubbest. Sun: Hit the Wall. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

JULY 26, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29

LAST WORDS

CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY

UNSOUND

Semi-weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Your self-assuredness will be a wonderful asset for you this week. It’ll help you push through and ignore the tens, if not dozens, of people telling you that what you’re doing is just not a good idea no matter how you look at it.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): In your peripheral vision, you’ll see a mannequin but think it’s a person but then turn around and the mannequin actually is a person and you’ll both jump and say to each other, “I thought you were a mannequin!”

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Intuition is a process that was developed to aid us during a short and brutal life spent being stalked as prey in caves and jungles.

This week, you will be able to channel this primitive instinct to determine which line at the grocery store is moving the fastest.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Be like the limestone and let pressure harden your millions of little skeletons into an unfeeling, sedimentary mass. Wait, don’t do that.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Consider this: Life is so boring for the eye of the tornado that it must sometimes think as it’s weaving lazily about.

It’s got nothing to do with all the commotion going on around it.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Anger can be instructive, but rage is a gratuitous excess and an indulgence that will never provide returns. Remember this in your interactions with cable service providers this week.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): Seek out a peaceful place for quiet contemplation. A place of stillness and serenity where the world slows around you.

And in this delicate environment, wear the absolute loudest possible shoes while walking around.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): It is visible faintly in the stars… the outline of your body in the swollen belly of an anaconda.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21): Your lucky number this week is 9,742, but who knows where that will even come up?

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): Why be the marionette puppet if you can be the puppet master and why be the puppet master if you can just watch the puppet show.

And really, if we’re being honest, why watch a puppet show at all?

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Learn the difference between the two silences: the one when your teenage neighbor’s band practice is over and the one when you don’t hear the canary anymore.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): This week you may feel as though you are wading in shark-infested waters, but get a grip. Waters can’t be shark-infested because waters belong to sharks. You’re the one doing the infesting.

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

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · JULY 26, 2017

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@SDCityBeat

july 26, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 31