San Diego CityBeat • Aug 1, 2018

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

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AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Just one line Monday’s City Council session certainly brought out a number of concerned citizens to weigh in on which measures the council would decide to send to the ballot in November. In the end, of the eight measures before the council, seven were approved to appear on the November ballot. The Union-Tribune certainly devoted a lot of ink to the measure that would give pay raises to the council, the mayor and the city attorney.

There was even a graph devoted to the approval of the SDSU West and SoccerCity measures.

But the rejected measure? For that one, there was only one line.

“The rejected measure proposed creating a city commission on police practices.”

That’s it. Just one line.

To the U-T editorial board’s credit, they did eventually run a piece, but this issue deserved a lot more initial attention. Kudos to Andrew Bowen over at KPBS for reporting on the rejected measure, which would have overhauled the processes and charged the city charter to amend the Community Review Board on Police Practices and to create an entirely independent board to look into officer misconduct, something the city desperately needs. Those who voted against it—four Republicans and one Dem (Councilmember Chris Ward)—claimed that a meet-and-confer process was needed with city employee unions before they could place it on the ballot before the Aug. 10 deadline. It’s worth pointing out, however, that the council has had months do just the thing they claim they don’t have enough time to do now.

“After years of abuse and death by rogue officers, an independent study proving the existence of racial profiling, and a whistleblower bringing the existence of Rewards for Arrests programs to light, the people of San Diego need the tools to hold police officers accountable,” said City Council District 4 candidate Monica Montgomery in an email. “Communities came together to make changes and were rejected.”

At a time when our county is reeling from another controversy surrounding the death of a Black man while in police custody, we need these kinds of reforms more than ever. We share the sentiments of Ms. Montgomery.

Support your local weekly Over the weekend, San Diego CityBeat had the pleasure of hosting the annual Association of Alternative Newsmedia [AAN] convention. For those unfamiliar with AAN, it’s a 40-year-old organization representing over 107 alternative newsmedia organizations throughout North America, including big names like the Chicago Reader, East Bay Express, The Stranger and, naturally, San Diego CityBeat.

Et tu, Chris?

I had the pleasure of hosting and participating in a number of panels where I met a number of writers and editors, all of whom were worried about many of the same issues affecting our industry: How do we stay relevant in an increasingly media saturated world? How do we maintain staff? How do we do more with less?

It’s ironic that at the same time I was having these discussions when, just a week before, President Trump was blasting “the fake news” and that “what you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening.” Over the same weekend as the AAN convention, Trump tried out a new nickname for the press: “Enemy of the people.”

Still, as I met and mingled with members of the alternative newsmedia, I found myself almost on the verge of tears when nary one of them, despite being overworked and underpaid, ever wavered from what the true mission of our profession: reporting on the people and the issues that we feel are important and should not be overlooked.

With Trump’s new nickname in mind, I had to stand in front of a crowd of my peers and introduce State Assemblymember Todd Gloria, who gave an excellent speech on the importance of free speech and freedom of the press. If readers are so inclined, they can view my entire introductory speech at the online version of this article, but here’s a snippet: “The mission of the alt-weekly and the alternative newsmedia has and should always be simple enough: to cover the stories and the people who will not make the front page of the dailies, below or above the fold. Whether it’s a story about a community issue that politicians are ignoring or a feature on an under-the-radar band… we do the stories that the major papers will often do the next week, the next year. We cover the people and the issues that readers will be hearing more about years from now, but we cover them now, today.”

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is just dumb enough to try.

Volume 16 • Issue 50 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker John R. Lamb Rhonda “Ro” Moore Alex Zaragoza

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

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble

EDITORIAL INTERNS Tigist Layne Jonathan Mandel

ACCOUNTING Perla Castillo, David Garcia Linda Lam, Yiyang Wang

PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse

HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker

MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paulina Porter-Tapia

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES RIchard Diaz, Beau Odom CONTROLLER Kacie Cobian

PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

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San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2018.

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

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UP FRONT | LETTERS

WE, THE OPPOSERS

Did you ever see that episode from the original Star Trek series where an alien gets its strength from getting others to fight? It fed off violence and hatred. That “Day of the Dove” episode is the situation we’re in now. We opposers [sic] are more valuable to Trump as scapegoats, as enemies, then by being contributing members of society, which we are. He wins if he gets us to attack him. In his follower’s minds, he’s the savior for society’s ills and we are the problem.

Maybe, here’s how we disarm him: 1.) Ignore what he says and tweets, as best we can.

He’s not 100 percent mentally or emotionally sound. But, continue to fight like hell against every bad thing he and his administration does; 2.) Constantly say that we are equal patriotic Americans and have the best interests of the U.S. in mind; 3.) Realize that, even though the other side is mostly wrong on every policy, moderate Republicans have the best interests of the country in mind too; and, 4.) We should all work hard to shape up the Democratic party and moderate Republicans, but the current state of the Republican party is unsalvageable, so for the time being, do not vote Republican under any circumstances.

If we realize we’re fighting in a burning house, we can get rid of extreme Republicans and settle on reasonable policies that we mostly agree on as the patriotic Americans we are.

Thank you.

Robert Melikian Coronado

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BACK TO THE REAL AIRBNB

Hats off to Chris Ward for defending the uptown neighborhood with his City Council vote on July 16 to retain the original idea of AirBNB for our neighborhood, i.e., to offer a room or couch in your residence to rent to a visitor for a few days [“Short-term stupidity,” July 18]. Ward has been under pressure (shameonward.com) this year to do something about the lack of available housing in Uptown due to investors buying properties that they then rent full-time (by the weekend, the week, a month, etc.) through AirBNB and other like companies—making three times the usual income than from a long-term rental.

Nothing in the Uptown area is “affordable” (unless you bought your place 20 years ago) but at least now we will have over 3,000 housing units “available” for community residents to rent long-term.

And, BTW, I am a NIMBY and proud of it—a resident who contributes every day to the San Diego economy through my work for a biotech, my taxes for schools, parks, infrastructure, to local businesses… an actual citizen and not a tourist. I have lived in San Diego for over 50 years and we will always have tourists, but when we do not have enough housing for residents, I vote for residents over tourists. NIMBYs have created stable neighborhoods with particular characteristics throughout the city. The character of the Uptown neighborhoods is what makes people want to live here and not be spoiled

by full-time tourists, investors, YIMBYs and their developers.

Donna Shanske

Bankers Hill

I

t’s worth acknowledging that our little weekly took home a number of honors at the annual San Diego Society of Professional Journalists Awards. This includes first place honors for editor Seth Combs, who won in the Nondaily Opinion/Editorial category for the “Net Neutrality for Kids” piece that appeared in this space. Former associate editor Torrey Bailey also took home a first place honor for her news feature on local Navy servicemen suffering from radiation exposure at Fukushima. Former beer writer Andrew Dyer won first place for a column he did about 10 Barrel Brewing Co., while Alex Zaragoza and Minda Honey both were honored for their columns (“There She Goz” and “At the Intersection,” respectively). Finally, our very own web editor and resident class clown Ryan Bradford won the very prestigious Herbert Lockwood “Woody” Award for Humor Writing for his ongoing “Well, That Was Awkward” column, the latest of which you can read in this very issue.

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

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

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

Backwards & In High Heels . . . . . . . . . . .

Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 5 6 8 9

FOOD & DRINK World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene. . . . . . . . . . 12 Revenge of a Beer Nerd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 FEATURE: Decolonization of Balboa Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19

MUSIC FEATURE: Hop Along . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Notes From The Smoking Patio . . . . . . 22 About Last Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 CannaBeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

JOHN R. LAMB

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE Hide and go seek Don’t rely too much on labels, for too often they are fables.

W

—Charles H. Spurgeon

hen Mayor Kevin Faulconer stepped before reporters last week to spank the city’s Public Utilities Department for a rash of water bill complaints, he had City Auditor Eduardo Luna by his side.

Faulconer even included a quote from Luna in his July 26 press release on the controversy.

The release included the observation that “the audit staff did an outstanding effort in determining the extent and causes of the reported high water bills.”

There was something, however, that the mayor didn’t mention. On the very same day of the press release, the city quietly issued a request for a proposal to seek a replacement for Luna, whose 10-year term is set to expire next April un-

JOHN R. LAMB

less he’s reappointed. (Under city rules, the mayor nominates someone to the position, but the San Diego City Council must approve the pick.)

Faulconer also didn’t offer any words of praise or otherwise on the scathing performance audit that Luna had released three days prior.

An audit that, once again, put the city’s Real Estate Assets Department (READ) in a harsh spotlight.

Both reports were on the agenda for Monday’s meeting of the city council’s Audit Committee. But in an interesting twist, committee members—including two Republican councilmembers whose votes Faulconer would need to oust Luna—not only gushed about Luna’s recent work and saved their sharpest knives for the revelation that, despite warnings to shape up dating back to 2005, the leadership of READ still seems to be unable to walk and chew gum simultaneously.

The READ performance audit discovered much about the depart-

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

ment. It showed that there was some improvement in such nobrainer duties as knowing exactly how much land the city owns (the portfolio boasts a whopping 1,600 sites totaling 123,000 acres), as well as updating the department’s antiquated computer system. Still, READ still seems to have a problem telling the difference between an undeveloped plot of dirt or a vacant building and a sparkling new neighborhood park.

The auditor’s office reviewed the “current use” classifications for city-owned properties, which is managed by the departments of Parks and Recreation and Public Utilities, and unearthed some troubling errors. For Parks and Rec, auditors found that in a sampling of 126 sites larger than a quarter acre, 20 parcels of the 126 “did not reflect the current status of the property,” senior performance auditor Kevin Christensen told the Audit Committee Monday.

In the case of the Public Utilities Department, 29 of 111 properties sampled were similarly misclassified, a 26 percent error rate.

The auditor’s office determined that the problems existed due to poor communications between READ and other property-managing departments and that there was a failure to “align with industry best practices,” Christensen noted. (It should also be noted that

Councilmember Scott Sherman seethed this week over city Real Estate Assets honcho Cybele Thompson’s inability to differentiate between a park and a patch of dirt, as discovered by City Auditor Eduardo Luna. at least Parks and Recreation and Public Utilities had information to analyze. Conversely, the city’s Transportation and Storm Water Department—which manages more than 300 acres of city property— said it had no information to offer.)

Cybele Thompson, READ’s director—who was already feeling heat for the handling of the city’s purchase of the old Sempra headquarters building just north of City Hall that remains vacant—seemed almost nonchalant Monday about the seriousness of the high rate of classification fuckups.

As Audit Committee member Thomas Hebrank put it, “In going through this audit, we seem to have something of a long history of some shortcomings and deficiencies here.” He was noting that problems have been highlighted as far back as a 2005 San Diego UnionTribune exposé, as well as a 2007 grand jury report and a Grubb & Ellis analysis that same year.

“The major issue has been what the current use is,” Thompson told the Audit Committee. “So for other land-managing departments… a lot of times they’ll change what a use is, and we may not know until we go do something with the property or sell it or lease it. So that’s one of the recommendations that we’ll be working on for this year.”

She also boasted about her department’s annually required Portfolio Management Plan [PMP], which she described as “very thorough,” but within that same breath she also admitted that the plan “doesn’t include a list of every single property in its current use because that would be quite a lengthy list and not really useful to [city] council.”

She was then slammed for not presenting the PMP report to the full City Council, as required by Council Policy 700-10. Instead, she provided the annual report by email to city executives and council offices, while also posting it on READ’s

website. Thompson said the council hasn’t docketed such a presentation.

“We offer briefings and presentations if anyone would like them,” she added.

The steam was almost visible from the ears of Councilmember Scott Sherman, who sits on the Audit Committee chaired by Republican colleague Lorie Zapf. “I think the thing that concerns me the most is the lack of accountability from [READ],” he fumed, “especially the lack of desire for a standardized form or a truing up of the current use versus the designated use.”

Always one with a personal story, Sherman railed about a 10-acre parcel of land north of Rancho Park Drive in Del Cerro that’s listed as parkland.

“That land’s been sitting there vacant since I was in high school, which is quite a while ago,” he said.

“A park was built a couple blocks away just a year or two ago, so I mean I don’t think it’s ever going to be parkland.”

Dirt plots and some vacant buildings across San Diego are listed similarly as neighborhood parks, even though those dreams may be years away if not altogether unreachable.

Zapf added, “it’s a little insulting” to community members to list land as a park “when it’s just dirt.”

Luna told Spin he’d like to continue on as city auditor, but preferred for now to stay above the politics.

“I think the work speaks for itself,” he said. Asked for comment, mayoral spokesperson Greg Block noted that READ has agreed to all recommendations in the audit, which he called “critical to good government.” As to a search for Luna’s replacement, Block added, “This process is healthy for the city to go through and is standard procedure.”

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

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AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

You! Have! Blood on your hands!

I

t was never on my bucket list to spend a single moment of my life in jail, let alone an entire night.

But when Black women speak, I listen. And Black women activists in San Diego made it clear to a group of protestors that it was past time for good white folk to put our bodies on the line just as they have been doing since—well, forever.

And so, there I sat last Tuesday at 10 p.m. and nearly to the edge of dawn on Wednesday at the Las Colinas Detention and Reentry Facility with a purple band on my left wrist.

I was arrested as part of a group being called the NC6—“NC” standing for National City, and “6” for the five women and one man who disrupted the National City Council meeting on June 24 in protest of the stiffarming coming from the National City Police Department [NCPD] concerning the death of Earl McNeil.

I was among those dragged from council chambers while chanting: You! Have! Blood on your hands!

For those who aren’t familiar, McNeil was a Black man who suffered a fatal brain injury and other bodily traumas while in NCPD custody. In an interesting twist, he also happened to be a paid informant for DA Summer Stephan. Testimony McNeil later recanted and claimed was coerced helped Stephan put a man, James Carter, in prison for 237 years.

Yet for two months since McNeil was violently arrested, the NCPD has been recalcitrant with the public and—despite its claims otherwise— with McNeil’s family as well. Its multiple statements have been slippery shapeshifters, and at every turn the community has been met with taunts from Chief Manny Rodriguez in the form of indifference, outward disdain and bullying punctuated by his trademark callous smirk.

You! Have! Blood on your hands!

The demands we were trying to highlight are simple and reasonable in a so-called democracy: 1. Release all unedited surveillance and bodycam footage; 2. Release the Medical Examiners report to the public; 3. Release the names of all officers involved; and, 4. Allow an independent investigation.

As activists, our compass point is Earl McNeil. His well-being should have been central to those sworn to protect and serve. The public deserves transparency; after all, if there is nothing to hide, why are they hiding?

And so it was with our hands painted red, the NC6 rushed the front of the room and engaged in a die-in.

You! Have! Blood on your hands!

That mantra, directed at police and council members alike, would become our meditation. We continued to repeat it long after we’d been removed from the public meeting room and propped up against the wall in the hallways of the council chambers.

You! Have! Blood on your hands!

Video of the action is readily available on social media and what is clear, as our arrests unfolded publicly, is the contrast between how the white women members of NC6 were handled carefully (the police were pretty rough with our male co-conspirator), while the Black women activists were treated violently. One of us (because we are an us) was dragged from the room by her handcuffs, injuring her shoulder.

Which prompts the question: If the NCPD behave this way openly and in front of cameras, what exactly are they doing when they think nobody is watching?

You! Have! Blood on your hands!

While the NC6 has gotten a lot of recognition, there were more than 40 people acting together with the singular goal of transparency from the NCPD. The experience has been transformative, and I only have 850 words of a story that deserves 85,000.

This collective act of civil disobedience is a story of leadership by some fierce-as-fuck Black women in the face of corruption.

It’s the story of an audience that erupted in support at the moment we began our die-in.

It’s the story of activists who refused to go home while the NC6 could not.

It’s the story of brave people who stationed themselves at every exit of the building until we were led out for police transport.

It is the story not of protesters, but protectors who stood face-toface with officers clad in riot gear showing them what de-escalation looks like.

It is the story of allies and concerned citizens who did not leave us behind; from racial justice soldiers who stayed up all night to help get us out of jail, to the (full circle) Black women warriors who picked us up from jail blasting Kendrick Lamar on the car stereo, and bearing food and water and love and a pack of smokes. Damn it if I’m not engulfed in emotion all over again.

You! Have! Blood on your hands!

Earl McNeil was on my mind as I entered the doors of Las Colinas where I turned over my few belongings, gave a urine sample, had my photo taken, got a full body scan, and was patted down. And then we, the women of NC6, waited out the hours in solidarity. We waited with each other, with the other women awaiting their fate, and with those on the outside waiting for our release. We waited in solidarity with the McNeil family and the families of every single person killed at the hands of police across the country.

The NCPD has blood on its hands, and if Chief Rodriguez and the city council think we are going away, they are gravely mistaken.

You! Have! Blood on your hands!

If the NCPD behave this way openly and in front of cameras, what exactly are they doing when they think nobody is watching?

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week.

Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

Yeah, sex is good, but have you tried throwing an axe?

B

en Edgington, the operations manager for Bad Axe Throwing (badaxethrowing.com), hands me a small red-and-white axe. It looks dangerous.

It reminds me of the hatchet my family had when I was growing up. Why did we have a hatchet? I don’t know. It’s not like we ever chopped wood, but I remember it feeling like the scariest thing we owned.

It was dark red with spots and speckled with rust. It was vicious. The perfect murder weapon—if I was ever brave enough to hold it.

I take the axe from Edgington’s hand. It’s not heavy, but it could still cause some serious damage.

Crack a skull, split a log, kill a zombie—all within its capability. It feels strange to hold an object that can cause so much abject carnage, so in order to deflate my unease, my mouth begins to form a joke.

Don’t do it, my brain says.

But I do: “And my axe!” I say, mimicking the dwarf Gimli from Lord of the Rings in the scene in which he figuratively devotes his service to Frodo’s cause. I regret it the moment the line leaves my mouth.

“Never heard that one before,” Edgington says, dryly. “A lot of bros will use that line.”

Oh, I think, with the wind thoroughly removed from my sails.

“There are also two team names that everyone uses,” Edgington says, talking about vocational pet peeves. “‘Kiss My Axe’ and ‘The Axe Holes.’ I usually give an extra two points if they can come up with a name I haven’t heard before.”

Phew, I think, glad I didn’t bust out the back-up material, which definitely included some variation on “axe holes.” I’ve only known Edgington for a couple minutes, but it’s already feeling a little bit like we have a father/son dynamic going on. Well, I doubt he shares the sentiment—it’s mostly just me trying to win his respect. I’ve quickly realized that it’s easy to desire the approval of a man holding an axe.

Edgington—a full-time coach from Denver’s Bad Axe—was flown down to San Diego roughly two weeks ago to oversee the San Diego launch. He tells me he’s been working 11-hour days to turn a former gym into an axe-throwing playground.

In a couple hours, Bad Axe will open to the general public, which, in this case, will be the denizens of Pacific Beach. I can’t imagine the logistical nightmare of catering to a bunch of drunk spring breakers who suddenly have the desire to throw deadly weapons around, but Edgington doesn’t seem fazed.

“If people look drunk, or messed up, we don’t let them throw. However, if you need a beer to loosen up and get rid of any timidity, then by all means.”

Edgington lifts the axe with both hands over his head, reels back, and hurls it at one of the wooden tar-

gets. THWACK. It’s a sound so visceral that I imagine it as a written-out sound effect in a comic book.

“Holy shit,” I exclaim, my voice a mixture of awe and jealousy. I sound like a preteen ogling his friends’ new bike.

Edgington throws overhand. He throws underhand. He throws overhand and underhand simultaneously—each new thwack cutting away the notion that I have anything as cool as axe skills to offer the world.

Now, it’s my turn. He asks if I want to stand or walk into the throw. I want to walk into it, because that feels more badass. Who’s throwing an axe from a standstill? Not me, that’s for sure.

“Walk into it like you’re bowling. Lift the axe straight over your head and let go when it matches your eye line. Release when your dominant foot is forward.”

My dominant foot? The fuck? I raise the axe, then lower it. I take a step back, then forward. I wind up, hold my breath and let go. The throw is more of a toss. I watch the axe spin through the air in a lazy arc. If axes could speak, it’d be more of a “weee” than an “arrrgh!”

It bounces off the wood with a thud and falls to the ground.

Edgington, ever so patient, lays out the things I did wrong. I released too soon. I didn’t step forward enough. The axe didn’t rotate.

What he’s not saying out loud, but what I hear in my head: It was too timid of a throw. I’ve heard variations of this my whole life—that I’m slow to anger. That I’m nice to a fault. That I rely on humor too much. I suspect that all of these are true, but it still stokes something deep inside of me whenever I’m accused of it. It fucking enrages me to be considered nice.

I try again. And again. With every throw, I try to further shake off my need for approval. It’s getting to the point of embarrassment.

Finally, I lean back and let the dormant aggression fill my hands and shoulder. I launch forward and let that baby fly.

THWACK! Well, hello there, new fetish. The feeling of sticking an axe is as good as the sound it makes.

“When you get it once, you have it,” Edgington says.

Bad axe I think, forgetting that I’m not a clever punster for basically just repeating the name of the business.

Cocky, I throw another axe and it falls short, completely missing the target and leaving a chip in the brand new baseboard.

I watch the axe spin through the air in a lazy arc. If axes could speak, it’d be more of a ‘weee’ than an ‘arrrgh!’ It bounces off the wood with a thud and falls to the ground.

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Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

A spinning top, CDMX-style

P

icture a mass of pork—marinated in a combination of dried chiles, achiote, spices and pineapple—cooking slowly before a gas flame, all on a vertical rotisserie set-up called a trompo (a “spinning top”). Picture a man with a large knife shaving thin strips of meat off that rotating vertical spit onto a tortilla. If you’re neither vegetarian, vegan nor kosher, there is pretty much no way that could possibly suck.

Along our border those tacos are called adobada. But go further south and they’d be called something different: al pastor. It’s also the name of a new Chula Vista restaurant built around the Mexico City version of those tacos: Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill (520 Broadway, Chula Vista).

Tacos al pastor originated when the Lebanese immigrants to Mexico brought shawarma with them to the Yucatan. The term “al pastor” translates as “shepherd’s tacos,” as the meat in shawarma is lamb. Still, it was not until Lebanese lamb was subbed out for Mexican pork, and Mexican flavors took over from Middle Eastern originals, that al pastor was born. Mexico City’s El Tizoncito claims to have invented the dish 30 years ago, and it’s that style that Francisco “Paco” Perez—owner of the famed Chula Vista barbacoa spot, Aqui Es Texcoco—opened Al Pastor to offer it locally.

Al Pastor offers three versions of the dish: pork, chicken and beef. A trompo of each is spinning and cooking at all times. Each is ladened with thin, interlayered slices of meat, spices and fat. The fat melts, soaking through the layers of meat and keeping it moist and flavorful.

On my first trip to the restaurant—the week it opened—all three yielded uncharacteristically dry meat. Since then, all three have improved. The pork is the best, with a moist, tender mouthfeel that characterizes good al pastor, and a good balance of savory, sweet and spice. Part of it is the pineapple that tops the trompo, which sends bromelain (an enzyme in pineapple), along with the fat, to tenderize the meat. Al Pastor also serves a couple batons of pineapple with each taco. The beef and chicken

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

versions have also improved since opening but still have a ways to go. Neither matches the pork.

The best dish at Al Pastor is, surprisingly, the mushroom soup. It’s a remarkably simple dish: a broth featuring aromatic vegetables with no shortage of mushrooms. It’s light, but the flavors are deep, earthy and even passionate. It feels familiar, even if you’ve never had it before.

MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Pork al pastor trompo The huitlacoche (corn truffle… or corn smut if you don’t want to sound fancy) quesadillas capture a bit of that same depth, with the fattiness of Oaxaca cheese rounding out the flavor profile. Another standout is the green chorizo tacos, featuring ripe poblano and serrano peppers, as well as herbs such as cilantro and oregano. It sets off all of the taste buds across the full flavor spectrum.

I’ve yet to find a place serving al pastor tacos from a trompo that I didn’t want to go back to, and Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill is no exception. I have to say though, it may be that mushroom soup I want as much as the pork al pastor.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

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AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE #37: Beating the heat at the Lafayette Hotel

BY IAN WARD

Some giant bird or meat that had been brined, basted or roasted and served alongside bright, steaming, vibrant veg’m just going to come out and etables with breads and salads. I say it: I have a garbage palate. might as well have been watching It’s not that I cannot differthe inner workings of some tribe entiate between the distinct spices on the Discovery Channel. What present in a dish, or pull out certain is all this exotic-ass shit and this botanicals in a tasting. It’s more that strange communal behavior? while doing so, they always remind me Sometimes I’d have the audacity of junk food. For instance, whenever I eat a beautiful encrusted sweet- Watermelon to complain that dinner was better Juice Box across the street. It took me a long bread, my mind automatically goes time to realize the hardship that my to McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets.

The same goes for cocktails. Whenever mother endured just to provide the shelI sip on a fruit-forward citrus cocktail, my ter and comfort that I took for granted. brain starts to draw a line between garbage So now, as a result I cherish my garbage flavor memories from my childhood. Is that palate because it’s a reminder of all of the Fun Dip I taste? Or, is it more of a red Skittles? love it took to create the junk palate.

That being said, the Watermelon Juice It happens every time. To me, Hefeweizen and Banana Daiquiris are pretty Box at the Lafayette Hotel (2223 El Camuch Banana Runts. The list goes on and jon Blvd., lafayettehotelsd.com) appealed on. I’m pretty sure it is a direct result of heavily to my junk palate. It was during spending much of my formative years eat- the most recent heat wave, and I was preting from the kitchen of a single working ty beat down by the high temperatures. At mom. Most of my meals growing up came the time, it reminded me of how grumpy from out of a box, and we ate them sitting and useless I was as a kid in the heat while around the TV. Stouffer’s chicken pot pie, my mom was trying to drag me to the tuna fish sandwiches, pizza delivery and, beach on her day off. Hating every minof course, McDonald’s. That was most of ute of it until we got there and my mom busted out a bunch of chopped-up watermy meals growing up.

I remember going to friends’ houses melon from her bag. Damn that used to as a kid and being absolutely awestruck make me happy.

I was thinking about that when, lo and about what they were having for dinner. behold, I saw the Watermelon Juice Box on the menu. Vodka, lime, elderflower and watermelon juice? In this fucking heat? Yes, WATERMELON give me that!

JUICE BOX Honestly, I know what some of you as prepared at The Lafayette Hotel are thinking: A vodka cocktail with watermelon? That’s fucking easy. What’s the big 2 oz. Tito’s Vodka deal? Well, to be honest, it wasn’t a big 1 oz. house-made watermelon juice deal, but it had a ton of watermelon juice 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice with mild citrus to help bring it to life and 3/4 oz. St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur vodka to offer respite from the heat but not Combine all ingredients together in a tall to distract from the refreshing attributes. glass. Stir, pour over ice and garnish with It made my garbage palate and me very watermelon slice. happy, indeed.

I

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

BY DAVEY LANDEROS

REVENGE OF THE BEER NERD Amplified gets E-Vil

A

mplified Ale Works just opened a third facility and second brewpub right in the heart of East Village.

Located at the corner of 14th and Island, the team affectionately calls it “Amplified E-Vil” and only had 30 days to renovate the former Stella Public House. While there are still some finishing touches that need to be done, the skeleton looks promising.

Co-founder Alex Pierson took me on a tour of the new digs and talked me through his master plan for the space.

“We had the financial opportunity to expand, but we just needed the right location,” says Pierson.

Pierson set his eyes on the spot seven years ago before Amplified opened.

“It was love at first sight,” Pierson says before adding that he originally envisioned the brewery downstairs, but that it was ultimately “a dumb idea.”

The new space has the same communal, casual feel of Amplified’s Pacific Beach location, which features turf lawn and wooden picnic tables. Though the new space lacks an ocean view, the serene setting of Fault Line Park and the Coronado Bridge cresting in the horizon helps to create a relaxed vibe.

The space is zoned to where there must be three-meals-per-day offered and it must be open at 7 am. Thankfully, Amplified is stepping into a fully functioning coffee shop and will feature coffee and baked goods alongside non-alcoholic beverages. Once they’ve mastered the challenges of the new space, Amplified will adapt its brunch menu to the café for everyday breakfast service. For lunch and dinner, Pierson says they’ll be using the same menu from PB. ‘We won’t be able to serve skewers, but we will be using the pizza oven built into the kitchen.”

The license of the E-Vil location allows Amplified to offer spirits as well, and they

intend to highlight local distilleries such as Malahat, Cutwater, Old Harbor, among others.

“We want to showcase the local talent in the spirits game and collaboration has always been a huge part of our identity,” says Pierson. It has a cocktail list available now and plans to expand it with beercocktails.

DAVEY LANDEROS

Amplified Ale Works The building has a spacious downstairs area that’s currently used for storage, but Amplified has big plans for it. In addition to hosting special events and possibly concerts, Pierson has applied for a beer production license to add sour production and a barrel room downstairs. The license would also allow beer-to-go, albeit not through the restaurant.

To match increased demand, Pierson says production will increase in Amplified Miramar.

“We’re adding two more 30 barrel unitanks and increasing our hot liquor tank.”

The PB location will continue to be used for research and development, and experimental batches that will be featured at both of its brewpubs. The final details should be done before the Grand Opening on August 25 but that shouldn’t stop anyone from scoping out Amplified E-Vil before then.

Write to Davey at daveyl@sdcitybeat.com or check him out on Instagram at @daveythebeernerd.

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AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

DOWNTOWN

WALK IT LIKE WE TALK IT

This section is generally reserved for of support for doing something about this. The larglighthearted and fun activities, but we’re not above er the crowd we can get, the quicker they’ll know.”

One especially nice thing about this year’s walk telling readers about events that are deadly serious.

To keep it even realer: Homelessness is about as se- is just how many other organizations and religious rious as it gets. And for many of us, there’s often a institutions are getting involved. Father Pat Mulcasense of helplessness when it comes to collective hy of the St. Joseph Cathedral says his parish wanted to get involved after seeing how well the even actions to address the problem.

COURTESY OF FATHER JOE’S VILLAGES did last year.

A Short Walk Home is one “It’s such a natural thing for such action. The annual “walk us to be involved, because we’re to end homelessness,” now in right in the Downtown area,” its second year, is put on by says Mulcahy. “We’re not only Father Joe’s Villages and also close to Father Joe’s, but to those serves as a fundraiser for the people who lack basic shelter. local organization. In addition We want to help the people in to raising much-needed funds, our neighborhood, and it’s a Father Joe’s Chief Development great way to get involved.”

Officer Bill Bolstad says the 5K The walk happens Saturwalk (registration contribuday, Aug. 4 at 8 a.m. beginning tions range from $15 to $30 at Spanish Landing Park (3900 at fjvwalkhome.com) will also N. Harbor Drive) and ends with serve another purpose.

A Short Walk Home participants walking through “The really heartbreaking thing when it comes to homelessness is that it’s ab- an oversized front door at the finish line.

“The cure for homelessness is housing. That’s solutely something we can do something about. We can end this,” says Bolstad. “The more we can draw why we have people walking through that open public awareness to this issue, the more we can show door,” Bolstad says. “It’s the idea that you’re helpour leaders here in town that there is a groundswell ing people find their way home.”

MISSION VALLEY & SHELTER ISLAND

TIKI OR NOT TO BE

OLD TOWN

LATIN LOVERS

As we found out last year, four days is simply too short for the world’s largest and longest-running tiki festival. This year, Tiki Oasis is back with five full days of programming to celebrate Polynesian-inspired kitsch and its campy cultural milieu. Although weekend passes have sold out, there are still tickets to individual symposiums and plenty of free public events, beginning Wednesday, August 8 at the Bali Hai (2230 Shelter Island Drive) with a meet and eat, a fashion show and live surf music. If that’s not your cup of rum, cruise over to Crowne Plaza (2270 Hotel Circle North) between Thursday, August 9 and Sunday, August 12 to check out the art show, buy some handcrafted Tiki merch, or learn how to hula. The full schedule of events and prices can be found at tikioasis.com.

COURTESY OF TIKI OASIS

Many arts festivals claim to be experiential and hands-on, but the annual Latin American Festival and Mata Ortiz Pottery Market is truly one that lives up to the hype. From Friday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 5, more than 25 artists from Mexico, Peru, Guatemala, Ecuador and other Latin American countries will showcase their work, as well as create pieces on-site. These include colorful woodcarvings, handwoven Zapotec rugs, hand-embroidered Mexican apparel, pottery and ceramics, jewelry and more. Some of the live demonstrations by artists include Jacobo and Maria Angeles, whose works were featured in Disney’s animated film Coco. The free event also includes live music and a variety of authentic Mexican foods.

It goes down from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday at Bazaar Del Mundo (4133 Taylor St.). bazaardelmundo.com COURTESY OF BAZAAR DEL MUNDO

HJuried Exhibition at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Join 51 artists including Irene Abraham, Erin Behling, Arie Menes, Vincent Robles and many more in the annual exhibit as they showcase their artwork and compete for first, second and third place honors. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Free.

858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org An Evening of Art & Music at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Enjoy live artists, DJs, bands including Bad Vibes, Taken by Canadians and Belladon, and professional puppet man Waldo Oswaldo for a night to remember.

From 8 p.m. to midnight. Friday, Aug. 3. Free. 619-284-6784, facebook.com/ events/2054472394881053 HWithout Borders at Border X Brewing Tasting Room, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. A multimedia exhibition that will showcase the positive effects of immigration and demonstrate solidarity through a collective of local artists, musicians, poets and photographers of diverse cultural backgrounds. Opening from 2 to 6 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 4. Free. veroartsy.com Please Please Please at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 West Broadway, Downtown. Curated by Glenn Adamson, this exhibition will display approximately 14 furniture pieces by experienced woodworking artist Tom Loeser, whose goal is to encourage his audience to be playful with their environment. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday Aug. 4. Free. 619-5016370, art.sdsu.edu HFloat at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., East Village. Paintings as well as a brand new collection of sculptural creations by pop surrealist artist Richard Becker, whose current focus is on “lighter, buoyant works.” Opening from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 4. Free. RSVP required.

619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com TAROT: The Fool’s Journey Through Life at The Studio Door, 3750 30th St., North Park. This exhibition will present each of the Tarot cards as a symbolic figure or situation of significance that represents the human journey starting with the innocence (The Fool) and ending with complete knowledge (The Universe).

Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. Free. 619-255-4920, thestudiodoor.com

BOOKS Michelle Gable at Del Mar Library, 1309 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. A talk with the New York Times bestselling author, who will be promoting her new novel, The Summer I Met Jack. At 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. Free. 858-755-1666, sdcl.org HR.O. Kwon at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellow will discuss her new book, The Incendiaries with local writer Lizz Huerta, followed by a signing.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Free. 858454-0347, warwicks.com Joseph Crespino at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The distinguished history professor at Emory University will discuss his new book, Atticus Finch: The Biography, which examines the beloved progressive father in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. At 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5. Free. 858-456-1800, dgwillsbooks.com Patrick Hasburgh at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The former TV and motion picture writer, producer and director, best known for the television series 21 Jump Street, will sign and discuss his second novel, Pirata. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday,

Tiki Oasis 14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

Mata Ortiz Pottery Market

H = CityBeat picks

Aug. 7. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks. com Mary E. Pearson at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The fantasy writer will sign and discuss her new novel, Dance of Thieves. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7. Free.

858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

COMEDY Dan & Phil: Interactive Introverts at Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Gaslamp.

The bestselling authors and YouTube stars are taking their comedy and stories on a world tour. Part of the proceeds from the tour will support various charitable organizations. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8. $40-$85. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org

FILM HOceanside International Film Festival 2018 at Sunshine Brooks Theater, 217 North Pacific Coast Hwy., Oceanside.

This event features five days worth of independent cinema and offers local and international filmmakers the opportunity to screen to a wide audience. At 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 1 through Sunday, Aug. 5. $10-$70. 760-433-3632, osidefilm. org HBruce Nauman Films at Bread & Salt, 955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. An expanded cinema performance of two dance films with multi-channel projections and accompanied by a dance performance and live music. From 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. $5-$7. spacetimeart.org Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. For the first time ever, audiences can rediscover the music of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire while The San Diego Symphony Orchestra performs Patrick Doyle’s score. Part of the Bayside Summer Nights series. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4 and Sunday, Aug. 5. $57-$109. 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org

FOOD & DRINK HChili Challenge at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Enjoy free chili samples including tastings from more than 25 booths and vote for the winner. The event will also feature live music and beer. Free with racetrack admission.

At 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. $6-$20. 858755-1141, dmtc.com HTaste of Encinitas at various locations.

The 30th annual event features tastes from at least 30 restaurants, as well as live music and samples of wine and beer at 19 Sip Stops. From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7. $45. visitencinitas.org

MUSIC Burt Bacharach at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. As part of the Bayside Summer Nights Concert, the iconic vocalist, pianist and conductor will return to the San Diego Symphony to play a collection of pop hits which will be recreated by his company of singers and the orchestra.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. $33-$80. sandiegosymphony.org Darryl Williams at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. A night of improvised jazz jamming begins with the acclaimed local bassist and food trucks on site. Attendees who want to jam with Williams must arrive early in order to register. From

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 @SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Free-$12.

760-839-4138, artcenter.org HCelebrate! at St. Andrews by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, 1050 Thomas Ave., Pacific Beach. The local arts nonprofit San Diego Pro Arte Voices kicks off its concert season with renditions of choral music by Leonard Bernstein, Nadia Boulanger, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, and more. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. $10-$30. 609-937-6619, sdproartevoices.org Matisyahu at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The reggae vocalist and alternative rock musician will perform as part of this year’s summer concert series. At 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. $6-$20. 858-755-1141, dmtc.com Marine Band San Diego Summer Concert at Piazza della Famiglia, 523 West Date St., Little Italy. This 45-piece band made up of Marines, as well as other music groups such as Sound Strike and Double Time Brass Band, will perform familiar musical numbers. From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. Free. littleitalysd.com HVinyl Junkies Record Swap at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown.

The vinyl marketplace is celebrating it’s fifth anniversary with vendors selling thousands of collectible and vintage records, plus DJs spinning throughout the day.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. $3. 619-232-HELL, facebook.com/VinylJunkiesRecordSwap HThe Joshua White Trio at Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Ave., Coronado. A performance of original compositions and selections from the Great American Songbook by jazz pianist Joshua White, accompanied by Dean Hulett on bass and Dan Schnelle on drums. From 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. Free. 619522-7390, coronado.ca.us Ken Cowan & Lisa Shihoten at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park. As part of the International Summer Organ Festival, the highly accomplished husband-and-wife team will perform organ and violin duets. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 6. Free.

619-702-8138, spreckelsorgan.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HLong Story Short: The Gooder, the Badder & the Uglier at Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd #101, University Heights. So Say We All’s annual “best-of” storytelling revue returns with seven performers including Ryan Hicks, Kelsey Shultz, Paul Gee and more, along with musical accompaniment by Dan Steinman.

From 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. $10-$20.

619-220-0097, sosayweallonline.com

SPECIAL EVENTS HPush Pin Party at The Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. This new and improved version of the museum’s inaugural celebration will feature a live DJ, hard kombucha by Boochcraft and local art vendors. Be sure to bring your own photo to pin to the wall.

From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. Donations accepted. mopa.org HLatin American Festival and Mata Ortiz Pottery Show at Bazaar del Mundo, 4133 Taylor St., Old Town. The annual fest features San Diego’s largest collection of Latin American folk art and Mata Ortiz pottery. Includes a vast

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array of artisan jewelry, Mexican clothing and colorful collectibles. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3 and Saturday, Aug. 4, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 5. Free. 619-296-3161, bazaardelmundo.com HBon Odori Festival at The Japanese Friendship Garden, 2215 Pan American Road East, Balboa Park. Enjoy a variety of merchants, family friendly activities, Japanese festival food and drinks and traditional cultural performances such as a glowing lantern festival and an inclusive Bon Odori dance. From noon to 8 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 3 through Saturday Aug. 4. Free-$12. niwa.org HA Short Walk Home at Spanish Landing Park, 3900 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. Local nonprofit Father Joe’s Villages hosts the second annual walk to end homelessness. The 5K route will end with participants walking through an oversized front door to symbolize that every person should have a home. From 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. $15$30. fjvwalkhome.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HThe Business of Cannabis in California at Fifth Ave Kitchen & Tap, 3515 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Join San Diego’s cannabis industry experts including founder of Direct Cannabis Network Adelia Carrillo, CEO of Canopy San Diego Eric Gomez, cannabis attorney Kimberly Simms and more in a panel discussion. From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 2. Free. 619-578-2873, facebook.com/ events/1064790157013325 Ask a Librarian at the Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Complimentary happy hour and miniature bookmaking, followed by a panel of special collections librarians from

UCSD, USD and SDSU, who will discuss their work and how they share their rare resources with the community. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Free-$5. 619-2390003, mingei.org HAn Artist’s Life in Deaf and Black at San Diego Central Library, 300 Park Blvd., Downtown. Christopher Smith, a deaf actor, dancer and choreographer will speak about his life and career, as well as growing up black, queer and deaf in America.

From 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. Free. sandiego.librarymarket.com HCura Caos: On Family Separation at Tiger!Tiger!, 3025 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. The month’s regionally focused Cura Caos podcast interview will be Esteban Aguilar, who was separated from his family at the border a decade ago at

10 years old. Tijuana hip-hop group tulengua will unveil their new collaborative music video with Border Angels. From 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7. Free. 619487-0401, tigertigertavern.com

WORKSHOPS Poetry: Surrealism and the Art of the Unexpected with Heather Sweeney at San Diego Writers, Ink, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, #202, Liberty Station. This workshop will introduce students to surrealism and explore a variety of related tools and techniques including dream-work, cut-up, found material, chance operation, collaboration, surrealist games, Tarot, and more. From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. $45-$54. sandiegowriters.org

HA Midsummer’s Masquerade Ball at The Observatory, 2891 University Ave., North Park. Put on your most formal attire and masquerade mask for a night of “Shakespearean whimsy,” featuring live music, craft cocktails, dining, cirque performances and interactive entertainers. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. $40-$65. 619-239-8836, northparkcarnival.com HBorder Angels Fundraiser at Border X Brewing, 2181 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan.

A multimedia exhibition and fundraising event that includes artwork, poetry, music and more, while also highlighting immigration topics and issues. From 5 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 4. Free. 619-501-0503, facebook.com/events/338445273351625 HFarm to Bay at Living Coast Discovery Center, 1000 Gunpowder Point Drive, Chula Vista. Guests will enjoy food and beverage sampling from 30 popular San Diego restaurants and craft breweries and wineries while experiencing close-up animal encounters in a national wildlife refuge setting. From 4 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 4. $100. 619-409-5900, thelivingcoast.org/farmtobay HIsland Vibe Music Festival at SDCCU Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley. A one-day event featuring cultural foods, island dancers, a haka showcase, cultural vendors, a beer garden and musical performances by Pacific Islandinspired performers. From 3 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 4. $10-$150. islandvibemusicfestival.com HChula Vista Lemon Festival at Third Avenue Village Association, 353 3rd Ave., Chula Vista. To celebrate Chula Vista’s heritage, Third Avenue will feature hundreds of vendor booths, live bands, sour contests, a craft beer garden and a kids’ fun zone with rock climbing and bungee rides. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5. Free. 619-422-1982, thirdavenuevillage.com Vista Rod Run at 319 E. Broadway, Vista. The largest classic car show in North Country returns to showcase custom hot rods and vintage vehicles amidst Vista’s many restaurants, breweries and shops.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 5.

Free-$35. vistarodrun.com HTiki Oasis Art Show, Car Show and Marketplace at Crowne Plaza Hotel, 2270 Hotel Circle North, Mission Valley. A Polynesian celebration full of vintage finds and limited edition items, as well as a car and art show featuring some the country’s top tiki artists. Various times. Wednesday, Aug. 8 through Sunday, Aug. 12. Free. tikioasis.com

AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

THEATER DAREN SCOTT

Blonde ambition

I

mplausible and predictable as it was, the 2001 film Legally Blonde succeeded primarily because of the on-screen charms of Reese Witherspoon. While the 2007 stage musical adaptation was Reeseless, it also succeeded for its dependable formula of cleverness and corniness.

Legally Blonde The Musical is based both on the movie and, like the film, the novel

by Amanda Brown. Brown’s experiences at Stanford Law School were the inspiration for those of the Malibu Barbie named Elle Woods, who, after being dumped by her Harvard Law School-bound boyfriend, finagles her way into Harvard herself. Once there, the antics ensue and the maturation of seemingly vacuous Elle takes place.

New Village Arts in Carlsbad has opened its new season with Legally Blonde The Musical (book by Heather Hatch; music and lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and Nell Benjamin). NVA’s production is a true ensemble effort, with no one member of the cast (even Danielle ������������������� Levas as Elle) owning the performance. That includes the potentially scene-stealing dog Monty (aka Rufus), one of two canines with stage time.

The merit of the musical is often its laugh-out-loud lyrics, which spoof the shallowness of wealth and contemporary relationships, as well as the stuffiness of bastions of protocol and self-importance

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

OPENING: Cymbeline: Shakespeare’s tale of a peasant who falls in love with a princess, but when the king finds out, things get complicated. Presented by the Theatre School @ North Coast Rep, it opens for four performances Aug. 2 at the La Colonia Community Center and Park in Solana Beach. northcoastreptheatreschool.org Hairspray The Musical: The hit musical about a social outcast who becomes an overnight sensation after going on a ’60s dance show. Presented by San Diego Musical Theatre, it opens Aug. 3 at the Horton Grand Theatre in the Gaslamp. sdmt.org Latinx New Play Festival: Staged readings of four new plays written by Latinx writers and dealing in themes affecting the community. Presented by the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Amigos del Rep program, it happens over three days beginning Aug. 3. sdrep.org

Legally Blonde like Harvard. The beautician subplot from the film is also carried over, and Marlene Montes is memorable as the wisecracking but troubled Paulette. The recurring presence of Elle’s chorus of “muses” (specters of her sorority sisters) adds sauciness and choreography to the proceedings.

While the first act of Legally Blonde The Musical is, despite its length, tightly woven, the show goes a bit off the rails in Act 2. In particular, the gyrating “Bend and Snap” interrupts the story rather than moving it along. The legal case Elle is trying wraps up so conveniently that it raises the question of what all the pretrial fuss was about.

But this is just quibbling. Legally Blonde The Musical is, like its screen predecessor, eye and ear candy ideally suited to a girls’ night out or a first date. When a show comes with funny lines, beautiful clothes (designed by Samantha Vesco), a fine band (directed by Tony Houck) and a couple of dogs, what’s to complain about?

Legally Blonde The Musical runs through Sept. 9 at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. $28-$58; newvillagearts.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

Mary Poppins: The popular musical about a singing, dancing nanny who changes the lives of two children in ’30s London. Based on the popular Disney movie and presented by Center Stage Productions, it opens for four performances Aug. 3 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

The Wizard of Oz: The classic musical about a Kansas girl who gets swept away by a tornado only to land in a fantastical world of witches, scarecrows and tin men. Presented by Star Repertory Theatre, it opens Aug. 4 at the Lyceum Theatre in the Gaslamp. starrepertorytheatre.com La Cage Aux Follies: A gay couple has to play straight when their son brings his bride-to-be home along with her conservative parents. Presented by Cygnet Theatre, it opens for two performances Aug. 6 at the Old Town Theatre. cygnettheatre.com For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

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CULTURE | ART

or many native San Diegans, class field trips to museums such as the Museum of Man or the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park often meant listening to heroic tales about Spanish explorers and friars who established the state’s first mission. The brutal treatment of indigenous peoples, however, was hardly touched upon.

In recent years, however, a number of museums around the country, as well as in Balboa Park, have embarked upon journeys to “decolonize” both their collections and their messaging. Locally, this means changing not only how the story of San Diego’s past is told, but also who tells it. The San Diego Museum of Man in particular has been at the fore.

Last year, it established the position of Director of Decolonizing Initiatives, which is currently held by Jaclyn Roessel.

These actions and hires aim to identify colonizing practices in each of its departments and create a strategic plan for museum-wide decolonization. ‘’ Although decolonization may sound vague, Roessel says the museum has centered its efforts on the three main tenets: acknowledging the harm that the institution has previously perptuated via colonizing practices, as well as amplifying voices from within cultural communities that have been ignored in the past and working in collaboration with such communities.

For years, a point of friction between the Museum of Man, which has served as Balboa Park’s anthropology museum since 1915, and the homeland community was the mummified remains and funerary items of indigenous Americans on display in the museum. Even after the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act [NAGPRA] in 1990—which, as its title suggests, requires the repatriation of grave contents to homeland communities—the Museum of Man refused to recognize the origin of the ancestors on display, and subsequently refused to repatriate them to the local Kumeyaay Nation under NAGPRA. Recently, however, the museum passed policies to repatriate all ancestor remains, and to restrict collections access to Kumeyaay and Kumeyaay-approved individuals.

According to the Museum of Man’s Deputy Director Ben Garcia, future exhibits “will not tell stories of indigenous communities without those communities being the ones who determine what those stories are and how they’re told.”

“We’ve been historically misrepresented because we haven’t had a chance to represent ourselves,” said Brandon Linton, Chair of the Kumeyaay Heritage Preservation Committee, in an email to CityBeat.

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Kumeyaay scholar Michael Connolly Miskwish, who recently curated an exhibit at the Museum of Man, observed that many individuals who went to public schools and institutions for information were misled.

Tina Zarpour, Director of Education at the San Diego History Center, echoed this point.

“We heard criticism concerning outdated, incomplete, and in some cases false information presented, especially through the public school curriculum, concentrated in third and fourth grade,” she said. Through a variety of programs, including a lecture series of Kumeyaay speakers that will help educators revamp curricula, the History Center has been hoping to present a more complete picture.

SAN DIEGO HISTORY CENTER

Brandon Linton, Chair of the Kumeyaay Heritage Preservation Committee, speaking at the San Diego History Center “Our focus is not so much on artifacts, but ‘decolonizing’ the historical narrative that emanated from colonial relationships, and actively looking to make sure our history is viewed and considered from multiple perspectives,” said Zarpour.

As Miskwish put it, the issue isn’t that “there’s an Indian perspective and a white perspective,” but that history can’t be complete without studying multiple experiences.

Take the Junípero Serra Museum, which is operated by the History Center. Although Miskwish consulted with the museum to install more accurate exhibit panels, he remains skeptical about the idea of a Junípero Serra Museum, suggesting an “Early San Diego Museum” as a more suitable name. He fears that focusing too much on the legacy of Serra, a Spanish priest instrumental to the California missions, obfuscates all of the colonial activity, not to mention the pre-colonial era, that was happening in the region at the time.

While the Museum of Man and the History Center have waded knee-deep in decolonizing initiatives, one of their neighbors, the Mingei International Museum, is only beginning to dip its feet. The Mingei was the subject of a federal raid 10 years ago, after the museum became ensnared in an art fraud scheme and came to possess almost 70 artifacts looted from the Ban Chiang culture of Thailand. Unsurprisingly, the Mingei is ready to move in a new direction. It is digitizing its 26,000-piece collection of folk and craft art to become more transparent, and building relationships around mutual interests with local cultural groups in City Heights, including the Karen Organization and the Asia Project.

Barbara Forsyth, Mingei’s Senior Manager of Collections and Registration, says the museum sees “the opportunity to assess where we’ve been and where we’re going and to reexamine some of our policies.” Forsyth says these policies go beyond curating and collecting. “Who’s your board comprised of, how diverse is your staff, what kinds of programs are you developing, what kind of educational issues, what schools are you going into? It’s all related.”

Back at the Museum of Man, Ben Garcia said he thinks “San Diego is really showing a lot of leadership,” noting that, as far as he’s aware, the Denver Museum of Nature and Sciences is the only other museum with a policy of returning ancestor remains.

“Even though San Diego is in some ways seen as a less political kind of community than maybe the Bay Area or L.A… we’ve found with our board of trustees there is a real willingness to listen, think and show up as allies and responsible gatekeepers and change something that was unethical,” Garcia said.

Linton considers the Museum of Man as the best example of decolonizing so far, because it has built strong relationships by “reaching out to the Kumeyaay Nation, and not solely relying on a single contact, but by really making efforts to work their way through as much of the Nation as they could.”

Still, Linton stated that few museums have taken big strides to create strong relationships with the indigenous population, and almost all of them need to reexamine their practices.

“The standard of almost any institution’s relationships with Kumeyaay is so low that anything is an improvement,” Linton said. “In the future we would like to see complete decolonization. All our materials, our stories, our history returned to the Kumeyaay and our culture to be respected as a culture of a nation and not a relic.”

AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

CULTURE | FILM

Slow and steady

Araby

Memories are made for chasing in new Brazilian road movie

by Glenn Heath Jr.

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arly on in Araby, João Dumans and Affonso with new people, and solitary nights sleeping alone.

Uchoa’s sublime Brazilian road movie, an ill The clues to this new formal identity were there all elderly woman ruminates about the healing ef- along: it does, after all, feature opening credits scored to Jackson C. Frank’s rambling-man ode “Blues Run fects of rest.

“We get there if we take it slow, “ she says in a raspy the Game.”

Once merely an extra in the film, Cristiano now bevoice.

For a rambling saga awash with melancholic si- comes its focal point. His life takes substantial shape lence and sobering regrets, her words carry the wis- through intimate moments never meant for sharing. dom of life experience. This scene also foreshadows Friendships, failed love affairs and devastating secrets the surprising character arc of a singularly nimble act as signposts. Like André, the audience becomes a voyeur watching Cristiano reconstruct the details of story that reveals itself quietly over time.

On the surface, Araby’s first act languishes in tem- his incomplete memories.

Dumans and Uchoa also examine social and ecoporal and physical tedium. André (Murilo Cailari) and his sickly brother are stuck waiting for their parents nomic tensions of modern Brazil through Cristiano’s to return home from travelling. He cycles around eyes. While picking fruit on a massive tangerine farm, town searching for something, anything of interest. he learns of local activists who helped fortify worker His health worker aunt Márcia (Gláucia Vandeveld) unions in the area. One particular man spent years checks in on them sporadically, but really the inces- organizing strikes, and he’s remembered differently depending on the citizen hissant mechanical hum from a torian doing the talking. Imlocal industrial plant down pressions are always subjecthe street is the only constant ARABY tive, but from bias some truth in their life. emerges.

Factory alarms blare one Directed by João Dumans Another striking aspect of morning and André rushes and Affonso Uchoa Araby is its musicality. Guitar to investigate. He finds MárStarring Aristides de Sousa, ballads are performed in rustic cia standing over the unMurilo Cailari and Gláucia Vandeveld settings helping tell the story conscious body of Cristiano Not Rated of each region. Some of these (Aristides de Sousa), a regroup renditions happen durserved drifter with no iming layovers in small towns or mediate family. In the days following, André happens upon the collapsed man’s on backwoods farms, providing a soundtrack not only journal while gathering his personal effects. This is to Cristiano’s life, but also to the country as a whole.

If songs and laughter provide Cristiano with the when Araby beautifully and suddenly transforms like no other recent film; in a radical shift, Cristiano be- hope needed to survive life on the road, the loneligins narrating the contents of his sprawling notebook ness that comes with being alone tends to have the which play out on screen, poetically reminiscing of his opposite effect. His fling with a co-worker named Ana (Renata Cabral) might offer some chance at happitime spent on the road.

Is this truly Cristiano’s perspective, or just André ness, but things turn bad fast. Life has a funny way creating drama out of life’s mundane details? The of souring things for a man so used to walking away.

Without pretense or sentiment, Araby (opening filmmakers only give us the factory worker’s revealing confession: “All we have is what we remember.” Friday, Aug. 3, at the Digital Gym Cinema) is one of Even at the time of writing, Cristiano recognizes that the year’s richest cinematic experiences. It unearths he might not truly recall the whole story. What mat- the costs of constantly roaming free, chasing memoters the most here is that he’s documenting it, gaps ries, leaving people behind, and refusing to express one’s self in the moment. For Cristiano, fresh starts and all.

The film itself also adopts a nomadic existence. are just another way to justify running away.

Fluid and tangential, it jumps between lyrical vignettes that deepen Cristiano’s backstory. His days are Film reviews run weekly. full of long walks down country roads, conversations Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

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CULTURE | FILM

Generation Wealth

Net worth

L

auren Greenfield’s Generation Wealth doubles as both societal critique and self-reflection. The documentary first addresses modern society’s skewed values in relation to commodification, from moneyobsessed hedge fund maestros like Florian Homm to women addicted to plastic surgery. Greenfield also examines her own workaholic tendencies as a career photographer, and the very real cost its taken on her family.

As a result, the film doesn’t simply function as a cautionary tale of Western civilization’s potential downfall, although Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges has plenty to say about our Kardashianfueled demise. By turning Generation Wealth into a personal exploration, Greenfield complicates definitions of value and currency with haunting segments on body image, plastic surgery and power.

The past informs the present. Greenfield looks back on previous projects for clues regarding her own obsessions, including photo collections on wealthy Beverly Hills teenagers from the 1990s and women with eating disorders. In doing so, she gets real about potentially unhealthy interests that overlap with those of the subjects. Difficult moments follow, like when Greenfield addresses feelings of abandonment with her own mother.

Troubled relationships between parents and children pop up in multiple vignettes. Much of the tension stems from differences in value systems and priorities.

Homm’s flamboyant assessment of Wall Street corruption is juxtaposed with his soft-spoken adult son still trying to process their life-long estrangement.

Refusing the mantle of social issue doc, Generation Wealth (opening Friday, Aug. 3, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas) becomes a feature-length archive of regret, not dissimilar to Greenfield’s previous doc, The Queen of Versailles. Sometimes these feelings go unspoken,

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like in the case with Greenfield’s mother. Their difficult interview late in the film reaches the psychological equivalent of détente. Instead of forcing the issue, Greenfield relies on her still photographs to do the talking. Generation Wealth feels incomplete and haunted as a result, which is apt considering our value systems seem to change with each passing day.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Araby: In this sublime Brazilian road movie, a young man living in an industrial town learns about the life of a drifter by reading his personal journal. Opens Friday, Aug. 3, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Christopher Robin: Ewan McGregor plays Christopher Robin, the now grown working class son of Winnie the Pooh author A.A. Milne, who rediscovers his love for the famous animated characters of his youth. Opens wide Friday, August 3.

Custody: Xavier Legrand directs this tense melodrama about a bitter custody battle that tears apart the embattled son caught in the middle. Opens Friday, Aug. 3, at the Ken Cinema.

Generation Wealth: Lauren Greenfield’s new documentary examines our modern obsession with commodification, including money, power, plastic surgery, body image and sex. Opens Friday, August 3, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

The Darkest Minds: In this YA drama, a group of teens fight back against an adult world who has become afraid of everyone under 18 years of age. Opens wide Friday, Aug. 3.

The Spy Who Dumped Me: Mila Kunis plays a woman who finds out her ex-boyfriend is an international spy in this action comedy that co-stars Kate McKinnon and Gillian Anderson.

Opens wide Friday, Aug. 3.

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

AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

TONJE THILESEN

MUSIC

From left: Joe Reinhart, Frances Quinlan, Tyler Long and Mark Quinlan hen Philadelphia’s Hop Along started, it didn’t sound anything like the indie rock band that earned widespread acclaim for their 2015 album Painted Shut. Rather it was a solo project of singer/songwriter Frances Quinlan, whose 2005 debut album Freshman Year comprised a series of giddy, upbeat, acoustic lo-fi tracks that occasionally featured other instrumentation such as melodica or glockenspiel. It’s a fun, cute record but one that, more than a decade later, feels like an outlier. So when Quinlan invited her brother Mark to join the project on drums in 2008, that’s when Hop Along became a proper band.

As a quartet that also includes bassist Tyler Long and guitarist Joe Reinhart, Hop Along has evolved into a group who emphasizes a sophisticated kind of songwriting.

It’s still fun, but instead of scratchy guitar strums and glockenspiels, the band creates a sound that balances a heavy emotional weight with melodic nuances and unpredictable musical directions. Mark says that, from the beginning, this unconventional song-

writing approach was a big part of Frances’ vision for the band, which meant having to train himself to become the kind of musician who can pull it off.

“I definitely understood immediately that it was going to be a learning experience and one that had a lot of growth,” he says.

“What she wanted wasn’t something that I was used to providing. I could do it, but I knew it was going to take time.

“It started as something completely different,” he adds. “At first I didn’t have a very good grasp of dynamics, and I think Frances and the band have given me the ability to actually play all the voices on the drum kit rather than just pound on them.”

Hop Along’s new album, Bark Your Head Off, Dog, is representative of the kind of growth the band has gone through over the past decade. Its songs are dynamic and intricate, revealing new subtleties with each

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

listen. It’s far from a straightforward threechord rock record, and if the band’s members sound even more proficient this time around, it’s because they have to be to a degree. This is a more progressive form of indie rock, albeit one that doesn’t sacrifice accessibility.

“Somewhere a Judge” maintains a groove while building up layers of instrumentation and gorgeous effects, while the leadoff track “How Simple” transitions from an emotionally charged verse into an unexpectedly danceable chorus, complete with some infectious disco beats. And the sprawling “Look of Love” goes on an epic musical journey from a fuzzy, lo-fi folk sound into a more lushly produced dreampop ballad and eventually a climactic finish.

There aren’t a lot of songs on the album, but what is there took hard work to mold into the shape it finally took. In fact, Mark says

the band probably threw out more ideas than they kept.

“We scrapped a lot of things in making this record,” he says. “There’d be points where we really started to go somewhere with it and then one or two people would get really attached, and then it just wouldn’t work out. That’s kind of the name of the game. You just work on something until it’s a song and not a bunch of parts jammed together. It can be a little heartbreaking, but it’s also a learning process.”

When asked if the band is made up of perfectionists, Mark says that’s not the case with most of them, but notes that his sister might be the exception.

“You know, I think Frances is to a degree,” he says. “But it’s hard to be a perfectionist when you’re defined by your limitations.

And I know my limitations pretty well. I’m far from perfect but I’m always trying to do my best, and once I’ve done my best I know what that feels and sounds like. So it’s a lot of practicing on my own and getting what I can do to the peak, so that when we go into the studio I can lay it down. You’re always getting better—10,000 hours [will make you a virtuoso] or whatever, so we keep playing the songs over and over again, and six months goes by and I go ‘I should have played this way on the record now that I know the song so intimately.’ It’s always transforming, and you have to know it’s not going to be perfect, and it’s where you are in that moment. And you have to be OK with that.”

Hop Along doesn’t have a massive catalog, and they’re not the sort of band to rush anything. It shows in the music they release, which continuously grows more elaborate with each new album. Mark says their quality-over-quantity approach has not only made them better musicians, but also makes them more confident about their songwriting and ability to communicate with each other. As far as the band has come since Freshman Year, there’s always a higher goal to reach.

“I think we’re personally a little more confident in our ability to paint the picture that we were imagining,” he says. “It’s difficult when you have this idea in your head and you have to start turning it into something real. A lot of the time it ends up morphing or taking the direction that you didn’t perceive, but we’ve been able to realize more of our vision on this record than we’ve ever been able to.”

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

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AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY

B

ritish art-pop artist Kate Bush is famously reclusive, having only performed a handful of live shows throughout her career. In 2014 she played an entire month’s worth of shows in London, but it’s unlikely she’ll ever make her way to San Diego. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t hear her music live. In 2017, a group of local musicians formed Baby Bushka and performed the first of what would become a recurring Kate Bush Dance Party night at The Casbah. Natasha Kozaily, who started the tribute project, says the idea started when she began to receive feedback about her own music.

“For years with my own music, people would tell me, ‘You remind me of Kate Bush,’” she says. “Last year I became really obsessed with her music, and I thought it would be cool to do one of her songs, or even a whole night of covers. I just thought ‘I know all these amazing women who are great musicians,’ and so I emailed all of them. And then we did the night, but I don’t think any of us knew what was in store.”

Kozaily, Lexi Pulido, Nancy Ross, Nina Deering, Batya MacAdam-Somer, Leah Bowden, Dani Bell and Shelbi Bennett are now setting their sights for something more am-

ALBUM REVIEW Wild Wild Wets PRISOM (Grizzly)

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ust when Wild Wild Wets seemed like they were in hibernation, turns out they’re always up to something.

Three years have passed since the release of their debut album 14th Floor, though a significant chunk of the intervening time has been dedicated to the band members’ various other projects—most recently, vocalist Mike Turi’s new band COMMANDc, which grew out of a covers project called Nico & The Bunnymen. Add to that a lineup change (after a bit of a hiatus, drummer Marco Piro is back in the band), and it’s no surprise that the band’s return on PRISOM is a little bit different than where they left listeners in 2015.

Still, not everything about the band has changed on PRISOM. In fact, it still sounds like the same band for the most part, and the fuzzy, heavily effects-treated gui-

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

bitious: a UK tour. Since the cost of getting there is a bit steep (Kozaily estimates it at around $17,000 for the eight of them), they’ve set up a GoFundMe account at gofundme.com/babybushka, and are putting all the money they make performing back into the fund, including what they earn from their next show at The Casbah on Sept. 9. But Kozaily says the group is getting there one way or another.

“All of the shows are booked. Now it’s just a matter of fundraising,” Kozaily says. “No one’s MEESH DOTSON making any money on this band yet.”

However, there’s definitely demand for what Baby Bushka’s doing, especially considering seeing the actual Kate Bush live is so rare. Interestingly enough, the band has gotten support from a musician close to Bush herself.

“Del Palmer, Kate’s bass player and Baby Bushka longtime partner, wrote to us a couple months ago,” Kozaily says. “He said he thought what we were doing was really interesting, and he donated $200 to our GoFundMe campaign. And he also said, ‘I’ll be at your London show!’

“I’ve had difficulties booking solo tours,” she adds.

“But you book a Kate Bush tribute and people flip out.”

—Jeff Terich

tar sound from Taejon Romanik is still a central part of the band, as is Turi’s reverb-drenched vocals. But on the album’s leadoff track, “Neon Avenues,” the Wets sound bigger and heavier than they ever have on record. Its lowend is beefy, and Piro’s tom-heavy beats provide a thunderous rhythm. They’ve clearly been working on building up their presence in the studio, and it shows.

There’s also a lot more groove to this album. It’s a bit more soulful, a bit sexier, and considerably darker than their last record. “Now Wow” is all sultriness and sleaze, while “Over/Under” finds them dosing their psychedelic rock with a lot more goth-rock darkness. And it shouldn’t be too surprising to discover that the Echo and the Bunnymen influences, more obviously showcased on their side projects, also happens to show up in “May Games.” It takes a lot these days to make a psychedelic rock album standout, especially since Southern California exports this kind of sound in bulk. But with PRISOM, Wild Wild Wets hold their own by playing louder, harder and darker.

—Jeff Terich

AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT

Comfort zone illcrest has always been great for the gay and lesbian “ community,” says Dylan Wilde. “But as a queer person

H

myself—who is also gender fluid and doesn’t always present just masculine or just femme—I and other people in my community who are trans feel that it’s a little uncomfortable to be in those spaces. People expect you to be one way or the other—you’re either gay or you’re lesbian or you’re straight.”

So, Wilde and her partner, Alexia Arani, began Love Affair, a new monthly night at Whistle Stop catered toward transgender and gender fluid people, as well as the rest of the queer community. The night has no cover and features house, techno, disco and other genres COURTESY OF DYLAN WILDE that honor the queer- and POC-bred roots of electronic music. Arani and Wilde consider Love Affair an alternative to the often pricey, mainstream atmosphere of many local gay bars.

“In San Diego as a whole, there’s not really Dylan Wilde and Alexia Arani anyone doing specifically queer nights,” says Wilde. “And what I mean by that is not only queer in your sexual orientation, but queer in the sense of your politics.”

She explains that the term “queer” itself is shifting from being simply an umbrella term for the LGBTQ+ community to being used to represent a subset of people focused on political activism.

“It’s people who show up to protests and people who are ready to stand up for the people in their community; to fundraise to get people top surgery, and to fundraise for bail to get people out of jail for protests they were involved in,” Wilde says.

That said, Love Affair doubles as a fundraiser. The first event, which took place the Thursday before Pride, collected money for someone within the queer community in need of surgery for multiple sclerosis. The second iteration taking place at Whistle Stop (2236 Fern St.) on Thursday, Aug. 9, will fundraise for someone transitioning and in need of a mastectomy.

Wilde says that she’s moved to be able to create a place where people can help one another financially and emotionally.

“People were really blown away by how special that space was to them and kind of how comfortable they felt,” she says of the first Love Affair. “That’s really what it’s about for Alexia and I... We just want to remind everybody that San Diego is a great place. Let’s make it even better and go forward in really queering nightlife in San Diego and making it safer for people.”

—Torrey Bailey

About Last Night appears every other week.

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MUSIC ALEXANDER ROTONDO

JEFF TERICH SATURDAY, AUG. 4

PLAN A: Levitation Room, Lucille Furs, The Kabbs, DJs Mike Turi, Andrew McGranahan @ Soda Bar. When I first heard the name Levitation Room, I assumed a trendy new bar had opened. But no, it’s a cool band in a familiar venue, playing ’60sstyle psychedelic rock with lots of reverb and guitar jangle. PLAN B: Vacationer, Sego @ The Casbah. Vacationer are a band that sounds modern despite employAfrobeat sounds. BACKUP PLAN: Wimps, ing a crackly, analog, vintage aesthetic.

Keepers @ Soda Bar. Maybe it has something to do with millennials wanting to make stuff with their hands again, or maybe it’s just because PLAN A: American Football, Phoebe everybody samples everything now. But it Bridgers @ Observatory North Park. grooves.

American Football are an emo/post-rock band who released one amazing record before breaking up and then coming back 15 PLAN A: Hop Along, Thin Lips @ The years later. Their new stuff is just as en- Irenic. Read my feature this week on Philachanting, and opener Phoebe Bridgers (who delphia’s Hop Along, who make accessible I wrote about in January) is a must-see. Don’t indie rock out of intricate arrangements and get there late. PLAN B: Lucinda Williams, complex parts. Their new album Bark Your Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam @ Open Air Head Off, Dog is one of the year’s best. PLAN Theatre. It’s not every day that three leg- B: Morricone Youth, Hexa, The Color ends of Americana are playing on the same Forty Nine @ The Casbah. Morricone stage. These three troubadours each have Youth are a New York band whose members their own unique spin on country, rock and have put in time in San Diego bands such folk, which should make this a memorable as Creedle and Crash Worship. They write night. BACKUP PLAN: Rebecca Jade and new scores for classic films, and no matter the Cold Fact, Euphoria Brass Band, Ste- what they have planned, it should be an enphen El Rey @ The Casbah. tertaining set.

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, AUG. 1

PLAN A: Swearin’, Mike Krol @ Whistle Stop. Featuring singer/songwriter Alison Crutchfield, Swearin’ hasn’t played any shows or released any new music in the past five years, but they’re back with a new album on the way. And that means it’s going to be a good year for indie rock. PLAN B: Dentist, The Slashes, Mostly Sunny @ SPACE. Dentist are a little gloomy, a little dreamy, and a lot of fun. They’re the sort of band that exists in that odd space between twee and goth, but it’s a middle-ground that suits them well. BACKUP PLAN: Givers, Naughty Palace @ Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, AUG. 2

PLAN A: Femi Kuti and the Positive Force, DJ James Barak @ Belly Up Tavern. Femi Kuti is the son of Fela Kuti, the legendary Nigerian musician and pioneer of Afrobeat. Femi carries on that legacy with his own politically charged and super funky

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FRIDAY, AUG. 3

SUNDAY, AUG. 5

Swearin’

MONDAY, AUG. 6

PLAN A: The Havnauts, Nathan Raney, Chloe Lou and the Liddells @ The Casbah. The Havnauts are one of my favorite local bands right now. In fact, we even put them on the cover a few weeks ago. Come to this show and find out why I was instantly won over by their catchy-as-fuck punk pop.

TUESDAY, AUG. 7

PLAN A: Hocus, Babydoll Warriors, The Touchies @ The Casbah. Tuesdays can sometimes be slower than other nights of the week, but sometimes they offer the opportunity to catch up on some cool, rocking local bands, like this trio of acts right here.

AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Slothrust (Casbah, 9/1), Little Hurricane (Casbah, 9/29), The Lion’s Daughter (SPACE, 10/8), Hinds (Irenic, 10/11), Decrepit Birth, Arsis (Brick by Brick, 10/12), We Came As Romans (Irenic, 10/15), Maggie Rogers (Observatory, 10/19), Mad Caddies (Brick by Brick, 10/25), Wolfmother (Observatory, 11/1), Gorgon City (Observatory, 11/2), Mr. Twin Sister (Soda Bar, 11/2), This Will Destroy You (Brick by Brick, 11/17), Justin Courtney Pierre (Casbah, 12/2), The Black Dahlia Murder (Brick by Brick, 12/2), Fu Manchu (Casbah, 12/14-15).

GET YER TICKETS SOB x RBE (SOMA, 8/9), Boris (Casbah, 8/15), Red Fang, Elder (Brick by Brick, 8/20), J. Cole (Viejas Arena, 8/22), The Alarm (BUT, 8/23), Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/24), Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever (Soda Bar, 8/25), Napalm Death (Brick

by Brick, 8/27), Smashing Pumpkins (Viejas Arena, 9/1), The Vandals (Observatory, 9/1), B-Side Players (Music Box, 9/1), Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (Copley Symphony Hall, 9/1), Leon Bridges (Open Air Theatre, 9/5), The Original Wailers (BUT, 9/6), Lee Fields and the Expressions (BUT, 9/8), Ms. Lauryn Hill (Open Air Theatre, 9/9), Murder by Death (BUT, 9/11), YOB (Brick by Brick, 9/14), Nothing (Soda Bar, 9/22), Grizzly

Bear (Observatory, 9/24), First Aid Kit (Observatory, 9/25), Deep Purple, Judas Priest (Mattress Firm, 9/26), Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band (Observatory, 10/1), Courtney Barnett, Waxahatchee (Observatory, 10/3), Chelsea Wolfe, Russian Circles (Music Box, 10/3), Roky Erickson (Casbah, 10/5), Ozzy Osbourne (Mattress Firm, 10/9), Graham Nash (Humphreys, 10/13), Alkaline Trio (HOB, 10/15), Sting and Shaggy (Harrahs SoCal, 10/16), The Joy Formidable (Casbah, 10/17), St. Lucia (Observatory, 10/17), D.R.I. (Brick

by Brick, 10/20), Simple Minds (Humphreys, 10/22), Jay Rock (SOMA, 10/25), Dawes (Observatory, 10/29), The Selecter, The English Beat (Casbah, 11/2), Maxwell (Humphreys, 11/2), Dia de los Deftones w/ Deftones, Future, Rocket from the Crypt (Petco Park, 11/3), Mac Miller (Open Air Theatre, 11/3), Lucero (Observatory, 11/7), Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin (Irenic, 11/7), Khruangbin (Observatory, 11/10), Ghost (Spreckels Theatre, 11/12), Blitzen Trapper (BUT, 11/12), Billie Eilish (SOMA, 11/17), Cat Power (Observatory, 11/24), How to Dress Well (Casbah, 11/27), Fucked Up (Soda Bar, 12/5), Neko Case, Destroyer (Observatory, 12/8), Fleetwood Mac (Viejas Arena, 12/8), Kurt Vile (Observatory, 12/9), Ministry (HOB, 12/18).

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

THURSDAY, AUG. 2 Wimps at Soda Bar. Supersuckers at

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

The Casbah. Femi Kuti at Belly Up Tavern. Vansire at House of Blues.

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

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

Hall & Oates, Train at Viejas Arena.

Vacationer at The Casbah. Levitation Room at Soda Bar. Shot Out Hoods at Brick by Brick.

SUNDAY, AUG. 5 Gipsy Kings at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). Hop Along at The Irenic.

Beach House at Observatory North Park (sold out). Morricone Youth at The Casbah. The Chairman & The Board at Belly Up Tavern. Whiskerman at Soda Bar. Alterbeast at Brick by Brick.

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

TUESDAY, AUG. 7 Toto at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out).

Them Evils at Soda Bar. Hocus at The Casbah.

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

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

THURSDAY, AUG. 9 Paul Cauthen at Harrah’s SoCal. Ace Frehley at Belly Up Tavern. KRS-One at Observatory North Park. SOB x RBE at SOMA. Forest Grove at The Casbah.

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

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

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

SUNDAY, AUG. 12 Pyrrhon at SPACE. Shawn Colvin at Belly Up Tavern. The Redwoods Revue at Loew’s Coronado. Giraffes?

Giraffes! at Soda Bar. Paty Cantu at Observatory North Park. The Green at Harrah’s SoCal.

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

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

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

THURSDAY, AUG. 16 American Aquarium at The Casbah.

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

FRIDAY, AUG. 17 David Cross at Observatory North Park (sold out). Deafheaven at Brick by Brick (sold out). Tribal Theory at Belly Up Tavern. Audio Karate at Soda Bar. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats at Del Mar Racetrack. Snow Patrol at Harrahs SoCal. Set It Off at The Irenic. Stepping Feet at Music Box.

SATURDAY, AUG. 18 Rooney at The Casbah. Dispatch at Open Air Theatre. Clairo at House of Blues. Khofa at SOMA. Glass Spells at The Merrow.

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

MONDAY, AUG. 20 AJJ at Observatory North Park. Charlie

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 Puth at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Red Fang, Elder at Brick by Brick.

TUESDAY, AUG. 21 Church of Misery at Brick by Brick. Jack White at Viejas Arena. OrchidxMantis at The Casbah. Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads at Belly Up Tavern.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 22 Wish and the Well at Belly Up Tavern.

Mystic Braves at The Casbah. J. Cole at Viejas Arena. Erasure at Copley Symphony Hall. Phillip Phillips at Humphreys by the Bay. Mura Masa at Observatory North Park.

THURSDAY, AUG. 23 Rodriguez at Humphreys by the Bay. The Alarm at Belly Up Tavern. Anderson East at Harrah’s SoCal. Attila, Suicide Silence at Observatory North Park. Flynt Flossy and Turquoise Jeep at Soda Bar. Katastro at Music Box.

FRIDAY, AUG. 24 Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe at Belly Up Tavern. Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre.

The Frights at Observatory North Park.

Six Organs of Admittance at Brick by Brick. Tribal Seeds at Del Mar Racetrack.

Cash’d Out at Music Box. Halestorm at Harrah’s SoCal.

SATURDAY, AUG. 25 Beach Goons at The Irenic. Pivit at Belly Up Tavern. Punch Brothers at Observatory North Park. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever at Soda Bar. Lady An-

@SDCITYBEAT

tebellum, Darius Rucker at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Swingin’ Utters at The Casbah. Omar Apollo at House of Blues Voodoo Room. The Iron Maidens at Brick by Brick.

SUNDAY, AUG. 26 Israel Vibration at Belly Up Tavern.

TSOL at Brick by Brick. Jared and the Mill at The Casbah. George Benson at Humphreys by the Bay. Rod Stewart, Cyndi Lauper at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Hirie at Harrah’s SoCal.

MONDAY, AUG. 27 Yes at Humphreys by the Bay. Napalm Death at Brick by Brick.

TUESDAY, AUG. 28 Rodrigo y Gabriela at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 29 The Exploited at Observatory North Park. Peter Frampton at Harrahs SoCal. Rodrigo y Gabriela at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Moon Ensemble at Soda Bar. A Killer’s Confession at Brick by Brick.

Tyrone Wells at Music Box.

THURSDAY, AUG. 30 Inspector at Observatory North Park.

The Expendables at Belly Up Tavern.

Parkway Drive at SOMA.

FRIDAY, AUG. 31 Koffin Kats at Soda Bar. Black Uhuru at Belly Up Tavern. Collie Buddz at Music Box. Goldfinger at House of Blues. Evanescence at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre.

SEPTEMBER SATURDAY, SEPT. 1 The Vandals at Observatory North Park.

B-Side Players at Music Box. Midge Ure, Paul Young at Belly Up Tavern.

Smashing Pumpkins at Viejas Arena.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Copley Symphony Hall.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 2 One Drop at Belly Up Tavern. The Steely Damned 2 at Music Box. New Kingston at Harrah’s SoCal.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 4 Jeremih at Observatory North Park. The Lagoons at Soda Bar. The Marcus King Band at Belly Up Tavern.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Karaoke.

Fri: Slower. Sat: Faux Fighters, Oceans.

Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Something Like Seduction, Hunter Green.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop Wednesday’ w/ Steez76D, Cali the Dreamer. Thu: ‘Funky Lil Beat’ w/ DJ Moniloca, Chulita Vinyl Club. Fri: ‘House Friday’ w/ DJ Matthew Brian. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ DJ SG. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs 2Bit, Karma Black, Will Lavin.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Christopher Titus. Fri: Christopher Titus.

Sat: Christopher Titus.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: Wolves of

Eden, The North, Reyah. Sat: Child of War, Modern Racket, The Rock and Rollies. Sun: Woody & Sunshine, Roadside Coyotes.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Oona Dahl. Sat: Oliver Nelson.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Thu: Nite Lapse, Tears on Tape, Ingonoir & Snapghost. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Fri: Part Time Model. Sat: Fish and the Seaweeds. Sun: Sam Bybee.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Easy Wind. Thu: Femi Kuti & The Positive Force, DJ James Barak. Sat: Dead Man’s Party, The Black 52’s, DJ Richie. Sun: The Chairman & The Board.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: ‘Rock En Espanol Night’. Fri: ‘Dance Punk!’.

Sun: Doc Hammer, Nebula Drag, Poor.

Mon: ‘Blue Monday’. Tue: ‘T is 4 Techno’.

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

Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Fri: Pathology, Aenimus, Parasitic Ejaculation, Orphic Eye, Slugger. Sat: Shot Out Hoods, Powerflo, Authentic Sellout, Drag Volt, Jinx. Sun: Alterbeast, Reaping Asmodeia, Silence the Prince, Reaction Phase.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: River Whyless, Adam Torres.

Thu: Supersuckers, Henchmen. Fri: Rebecca Jade and the Cold Fact, Euphoria Brass Band, Stephen El Rey. Sat: Vacationer, Sego. Sun: Morricone Youth, Hexa, The Color Forty Nine. Mon: The Havnauts, Nathan Raney, Chloe Lou and the Liddells. Tue: Hocus, Babydoll Warriors, The Touchies.

Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla.

Thu: Dollar Signs, Spanish Love Songs, Watashi Wa Dance, Miss Spok.

Fluxx, 500 4th Ave.., Downtown. Fri: Rich the Kid. Sat: Amen.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Vansire, Loving, Boyo, Temporex. Fri: Molotov. Sat: Saved by the 90s.

Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Tradewinds. Thu: Luv-a-Lot. Fri: Rising Star. Sat: Viva Santana, Sue Palmer.

Sun: Cerissa McQueen, Mercedes Moore.

Mon: Whitney Shay. Tue: Michele Lundeen.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Sun: Hop Along, Thin Lips.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Sun Araw, Dntel, Mystery Cave, Otherr. Thu: ‘Archetype’. Fri: ‘Techno Sabbath’. Sat: ‘Ascension’ w/ DJs Robin Roth, Severin, Doctor Zayus. Sun: ‘Deep Bass’.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Linus of Hollywood, Chris Price, David Myhr. Fri: Kahlil Nash, Lizabeth Yandel, Ending Left. Sat: Emily Elbert, Dauzat St. Marie. Mon: Open mic.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Jackson and Billy. Thu: 4-Way Street. Fri: Mystique. Sat: Street Heart. Sun: Ron’s Garage. Mon: Steve Brewer. Tue: JG Solo.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: Spencer Day. Fri: Janice and Nathan. Sat: Joanne Baduria and Soul Fire. Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. Mon: Marya Grandy. Tue: Ben Vereen.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): It’s time to pick up the slack of the dwindling numbers of pollinators by rolling around in pollen and then rolling around somewhere else.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): A diamond can only be shaped down

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20):

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): When someone writes a smiley face on your receipt it doesn’t mean that they’re in love with you. Wait, if thinking that will make you tip 30 percent then go right on ahead and think that.

Sometimes the only thing you get from laboriously leaving no stone unturned is a really good workout.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20):

People like to say that great power comes with great responsibility, but what nobody tells you is that having no power at all means having like 900 percent more responsibilities.

CANCER (June 21 - July

22): The laws of man cannot bridle the soul. Wait, where am I going with this? Oh, that’s right, that you have an unmitigated spiritual right to pirate the Mission Impossible movies.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): A single length of yarn can be woven into a sweater, but one wrong move and it can unravel back into that thread again. Hopefully you will be better at knitting by then.

VIRGO (August 23 September 22): Would you look at

that, a flower growing through a crack in the pavement. I bet you want to take a picture of it and post it on social media with an inspiring caption. Don’t!

by another diamond. The thing most capable of cutting you down this week is yourself (or a laser).

SAGITTARIUS (November 22

- December 21): You are looking for solutions to your problems in all the wrong places, so here are some more wrong places to look: Knott’s Berry Farm, the DMV, behind the refrigerator.

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 19): Financial burdens you’ve been having will ease when the value of the dollar collapses and we revert to a shell and sand dollar economy. Then you’ll have shell burdens.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): People are interested in the things you have to say. And by people I mean the government entities who scan all communication for terrorism buzzwords.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): You are only allowed to really and truly believe one conspiracy theory. It’s up to you which one, but please don’t push it.

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

MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: Hub City Stompers, The Lexicons, The Gritty End. Fri: The Audio Virus, Squirrelly Arts, Luna 13, Syntax. Sat: The San Diego Golden Girls. Sun: ‘The Playground’.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: The Sickstring Outlaws.

Fri: The Chrome Domes. Sat: Illicit Behavior, Pitch Michael. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: The Plastic Revolution, The Frets, MDRN HSTRY, Coral Bells, Golden Howl.

Thu: Mya, Roann Mesina, Ella Harp. Fri: Little Jesus, Policias Y Ladrones, Derians.

Sat: Lies N Roses, Up The Irons, Alice Insane and A Perfect Tool.

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

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

Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King.

Fri: ‘Nite Moves’ w/ DJs Beatnick, Ayla Simone. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJs Ramsey, AmbroseOM. OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Slander. Sat: Two Friends.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Thu: Steph Johnson. Fri: Cardinal Moon. Sun: The Heavy Guilt.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Trendsetter Sense. Sat: Crooked.

Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Motorbabe, Monarch, Supra Summus. Sat:

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 1, 2018

Inspired and the Sleep, Arms Akimbo, Gone Blonde. Sun: Nathan James and the Rhythm Scratchers. Tue: DJ Lexicon Devil.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: ‘Blazing Beats’ w/ Joao Brasil. Sat: ‘All Things DEEP’ w/ Modd, Atish, Marques Wyatt.

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

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: The Corner. Thu: Evan Diamond and the Library. Fri: Keep Your Soul, Jenny O’Henny. Sat: Cassie B Project. Sun: Jenny and the Tramps, Chad and Rosie.

Tue: Keep Your Soul.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: DJs Hektik, Kinky Loops. Thu: ‘LEZ’ w/ DJ Kinky Loops. Fri: ‘Electro-Pop’ w/ DJs Kiki, Moody Rudy. Sat: ‘Voltage’ w/ DJs K-Swift, Taj. Sun: ‘Stripper Circus’ w/ DJ Hektik.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Swing Thing. Fri: Chloe Lou and Davies. Sat: Baja Bugs.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Givers, Naughty Palace.

Thu: Wimps, Keepers. Fri: Buyepongo, La Diabla. Sat: Levitation Room, Lucille Furs, The Kabbs, DJs Mike Turi, Andrew McGranahan. Sun: Whiskerman, AJ Froman, Ugly Boogie. Tue: Them Evils, Desert Suns.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: The Model Youth, Every Other Year, Creature Culture, Air Go, Suburban Park, Lineup Rookie.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Wed: Dentist, The Slashes, Mostly Sunny.

Fri: The Wheal, Deaf Dance, DJ Javi Nunez. Sat: ‘lowercase everything’ w/ Space Wizard, Strangeland, Fivepaw, r beny. Sun: ‘Pocari Sweat’. Mon: ‘Altars of Madness’. Tue: Karaoke.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Thu: Tommy Price and the Stilettos. Fri: Big Daddy Orchestra. Sun: The Hurricanes.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: Arms Aloft, Guerrilla Poubelle, The Dodges. Thu: Mercy Music, Poor Me, Parade of Horribles. Fri: Jason Lee and the R.I.P.tides, Surfer Joe, Black Flamingos. Sat: The Wheal, Terminal A, Solv, DJs Israel, Deadmatter. Sun: Awakeners, Red Wizard, High Priestess, Great Electric Quest, Salem’s Bend, Ride The Sun. U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park.

Wed: ‘Urban Wednesday’. Thu: ‘Solace’.

Fri: Kid Wonder. Sat: DJ Freeman. Mon: ’31 Flavors’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: Swearin’, Mike Krol, The Havnauts.

Fri: Bad Vibes, Taken By Canadians, Belladon. Sat: ‘80s vs 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul Q. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’.

Tue: ‘Videodrome’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: 2 Peace, Marujah, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Freddie McGregor. Fri: Psydecar, Loosen the Noose. Sat: Cubensis. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Rudy’s Foodies.

@SDCITYBEAT

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat Charges dropped against San Diego cannabis attorney

Eugene G. Iredale represents McElfresh and was thrilled to hear of the news.

“Jessica is a good and idealistic perAccording to an agreement signed by the son. The law regarding marijuana is rapSan Diego district attorney’s office on idly changing not only in California but July 23, felony charges are expected to be throughout the nation,” he told the Assodropped against Jessica McElfresh, an at- ciated Press. “Because of changing legal torney focused on the cannabis industry. standards, it becomes very difficult for lawProsecutors agreed to dismiss 13 seri- yers to advise their clients with absolute ous charges against McElfresh, which will certainty as to what the law will be even keep her out of jail and allow her to the next day.” potentially clear her name. StemPer the agreement, McElfresh ming from an incident in 2015, must pay a $250 fine, take a state McElfresh was accused of helpethics exam and complete 80 ing one of her clients hide evihours of service with a non-candence of James Slatic’s cannabis nabis organization. She also, of operation, Med-West Distribucourse, must not break any laws tion. Slatic pleaded guilty to two over the next 12 months. misdemeanors last year.

The National Cannabis Bar AsJessica From there, things went from sociation and other organizations bad to worse. In May 2017, McEl- McElfresh banded together to file an amicus fresh, her mother and boyfriend were all brief in support of McElfresh, claiming that placed in handcuffs while regional law en- law enforcement denied her the confidenforcement combed through her personal tiality of attorney-client relationships. In belongings and computer. the event that McElfresh doesn’t abide by According to the deferred prosecution all of the terms of the agreement, the feloagreement, McElfresh agreed to plead guilty ny charge will still stand. to violating San Diego’s municipal code,

—Benjamin M. Adams which is only an infraction and carries no

jail time.

@SDCITYBEAT

VA to launch two cannabis studies Even though nearly one million veterans may use cannabis medically, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) still cites federal law for its reason to not recommend or study cannabis for its healing abilities.

However, two upcoming studies that have the potential for turning the department’s opinions show that the VA is listening to veterans regarding cannabis consumption.

Almost one in 10 veterans consume cannabis, and 40 percent of them use it medically where available. However, VA doctors claim to have little research to educate themselves, and are at a loss in supporting veterans who wish to pursue cannabis treatment.

“We have a disconnect in care,” said Marcel Bonn-Miller, a former psychologist at a veteran’s hospital in Palo Alto, California.

“The VA has funded lots of marijuana studies, but not of therapeutic potential. All the work has been related to problems of use.”

Earlier this year, the VA’s funding came with a provision that allowed veterans to seek cannabis treatment from their government doctors. The Senate approved the amendment, but it has not been passed in the house or approved by President Trump. Another bill that has been introduced would order the VA to study cannabis’ effects and benefits. However, the VA is already taking small steps into the research with two new studies.

In San Diego, one study will begin in October that will research if cannabidiol helps patients during Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder treatment therapy. The study will partner cannabis with prolonged exposure therapy, a technique that has patients engage with memories of the trauma instead of avoiding them. The study has not yet selected participants and is planned to continue until 2023.

Another study still in the works is a South Carolina-based project researching the palliative effects of cannabis in hospice patients. The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization doesn’t have an official position on cannabis use, but a paper published in The Gerontologist stated that “cannabis may be an effective substitute for prescription opioids and other misused medications; on the other hand, cannabis has emerged as an alternative for the undertreatment of pain at the end of life.”

Hospice care options are of interest to the VA. The department is seeing an increase in veterans enrolling in hospice care, and that number will continue to grow along with the amount of people over 65 in the U.S. in 2011, 44 percent of inpatient deaths in VA hospitals were in hospice beds.

—John McLain

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

AUGUST 1, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27