San Diego CityBeat • Aug 8, 2018 by San Diego CityBeat

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

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AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Measuring up

honestly can’t remember a time where I felt as frustrated with local officials more than I did this past week. It all started last week when the city council met to vote on whether or not to send certain measures to the ballot in November. Of the eight measures considered, seven were approved including one on councilmember raises. They also gave the green light to the stadium plan measures (SDSU West and SoccerCity), despite the fact that, at the time, both were still in legal limbo. And as I pointed out last week, the council rejected the measure that would have overhauled the Community Review Board on Police Practices. And despite the fact that Council President Myrtle Cole voted to send that particular measure to the ballot, she may have been the one who ultimately dropped the ball when it came to doing the necessary procedural requirements to ensure it was OK to send to the ballot. At a time when police oversight is needed and discriminatory practices are well documented, now was the time for action, not thumb-twiddling. And then came the news that the San Diego Housing Federation was giving up (at least for now) on a $900 million housing bond that would have raised property taxes and provided some much-needed relief to those who regularly struggle to make their rent or find housing at all for that matter. The reasoning for the Federation’s abandonment of the bond was logical, if not disheartening: The affordable housing advocacy organization feared that the bond would fail because of a crowded ballot filled with potential tax raises and repeals. It’s not unfair to speculate that many voters will come out to approve the gas tax repeal, and there’s also the matter of the mayor’s “Yes! For a Better San Diego” measure (a tourism tax raise for a convention center expansion, road repairs and homeless programs). Murmurings that the Federation was being pressured by the city to back off their bill, in fear that both measures would fail, were on the hush-hush, but the Federation denied they buckled under the pressure. To make matters worse, the city council on Monday voted 5-2 to kill Councilmember David Alvarez’s hotel tax measure (an increase of 1 percent) where the money would have gone directly to homeless programs. The measure was seen as a longshot to make the ballot since the mayor’s convention center bill had already been approved for the ballot, but it stings nonetheless. “I appreciated the straightforward measure that Councilmember Alvarez moved forward,” homeless

David Alvarez advocate Michael McConnell told CityBeat. “In my opinion, based on polling, it would have had the best chance of receiving voter approval on the November ballot than the other likely measure containing homelessness funding. It is unfortunate that some members of the city council cannot see past their own political futures in order to make the best decision for San Diegans.” The toothpick in the shit sandwich came on Tuesday. Just when this issue was about to got to press, KPBS published a story on the results of a report from Focus Strategies, an independent consulting firm hired by the city to study the results of the bridge shelter homeless programs. The bridge program emphasized permanent housing solutions and set a goal of 65 percent of people housed by the end of May. The program housed 12 percent instead. One of the main causes according to the story? Officials thought “that there was more permanent housing available than there was.” Hmmmm… if only there were bond initiatives and measures that could help with something like this! Look, I’m still a relative novice when it comes to the deal-making and inner workings of local politics, but really, Tuesday’s approval of the lease for a Chicano Park Museum was the only thing that kept me from screaming at my computer this week. Actually, to be fair, I already do that way too much. I think I’m scaring my new staff writer, and it’s only her first week. We’re going to be focusing a lot more on the midterm races over the next few weeks, but November’s ballot will be sadly incomplete. Yes, I understand that politics is a matter of picking one’s battles and the decisions made are often very difficult, but I simply can’t help but feel city officials’ priorities are not where they should be. We all need to keep this in mind as we head toward November, where many of them will be up for reelection.

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is an idiot sandwich.

Volume 16 • Issue 51 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos STAFF WRITER Andrea Lopez-Villafaña 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

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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES RIchard Diaz, Beau Odom CONTROLLER Kacie Cobian

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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 8, 2018

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UP FRONT | LETTERS

INSPIRING DANGEROUS MEN

Coming from a columnist who just last year encouraged men to “confess our enablement of the problem; to own our compliance and our complaisance” in a piece dedicated to the #MeToo movement, last week’s Sordid Tales [“When it comes to dating, it’s harder for men,” July 25] was, to say the least, problematic. Starting with a self-congratulatory, “I have always believed that things are equally hard, in different ways, for the two sexes,” Edwin Decker immediately invalidates everything he writes after by obliviously outing himself as, at best, an obtuse relic and, at worst, an outright misogynist who is incapable or unwilling to allow demonstrably true facts to sway his beliefs. The fact is that women still earn less than men across all sectors and occupations, with women working full-time earning between 70 percent and 90 percent of equivalent male salaries, according to the U.N. Fewer than four percent of CEOs leading the world’s 500 major corporations are women. Unpaid care work by women is estimated to be worth $10 trillion according to UNICEF. Worldwide, only around a fifth of parliamentary seats are held by women. 10 percent of all women and girls globally under 20 years old have been subjected to forced sexual intercourse or other forced sexual acts. Two thirds of illiterate adults are women, a percentage mostly unchanged for two decades.

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Now that we know women clearly have it harder than men overall, let’s talk about dating. Decker, gazing out wistfully from his Rapunzel-esque tower of White Male Privilege, imagines that “few scenarios are more terrifying than approaching an unknown woman.” Hate to taint your romantic fairy tale, but acc�� ording to the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 1 in 5 women in the United States has been raped in their lifetime (it’s 1 in 71 men, for all you incels rushing to your keyboards to #MenToo at me), and almost half of those were raped by an acquaintance. An acquaintance like, say, a person you go on a date with. As one woman valiantly pointed out on Decker’s Facebook page, “While I’m sure the deathly embarrassment of having to ‘walk across the valley of the shadow of verbal rejection’...is just terrible for men, women do have a slightly more serious concern when going on a date with a man: walking across the actual Valley of the Shadow of Death.” While Decker is worried about being “a ringmaster parading your assets,” we women are trying to assess whether or not you’re going to roofie our drink if we go to the bathroom. I haven’t even gotten into unrealistic beauty standards and social expectations or having to deal with the fact that men perceive women to be dominating the conversation if we speak just 30 percent of the time. Dating is harder for women. Here’s the thing though, I’m not upset that Decker is dead wrong. I’m upset that in

a discussion about the difficulties of dating he conveyed in the article, he then outright said on Facebook that, “Rape just never factored into this equation because I wasn’t thinking on those terms,” and you fail to recognize that blind privilege as a problem. It may not have been his intention, but he is actively inspiring men he doesn’t know to become more dangerous to women. By legitimizing their grievances, he is adding coals to the fires of rage and entitlement that fuel the ilk of Elliot Rodger. The more entitled and put upon men feel the more dangerous they become. He is emboldening San Diego misogynists that I then have to deal with out in the real world in ways he never will. He is contributing to the danger that I and other women are already constantly in by reaffirming the belief that it’s harder for men and that’s not fair (“All women have to do is not be foaming at the mouth” anyone?). It is more than offensive. It is irresponsible. Ed, consider the real life consequences of what you write and how it actually affects other people and how your lack of perspective and dismissiveness of issues that you don’t deal with might be making women’s lives not just more difficult, but less safe. Who you inspire is more important than your intent. In the future I hope you’ll “show a sister some support and embrace the revolution.”

Katie Reams Logan Heights

TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . There She Goz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sordid Tales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 5 6 8 9

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

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-15

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 FEATURE: The Food Issue . . . . . . . . 17-29 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30-31

MUSIC FEATURE: Uniform. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Notes From The Smoking Patio . . . . . . 33 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35-38

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 CannaBeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

MIDTERMS BINGO There’s a lot of time between now and November. What? Stranger things have happened.

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

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AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | VOICES

THERE SHE

Lines crossed

ALEX ZARAGOZA

GOZ

s a border city, San Diego has been frontand-center for many of the issues around our country’s shoddy immigration policies. Having grown up on the border, literally peeking out the kitchen window to check how long the border wait would be, I’ve seen its transformation and traumas firsthand for most of my life. Children have lost their parents, and parents have no idea where their children are. All I know is if I were to order that same Zara jacket that Melania Trump wore to a detention center in Texas (the one that had “I Don’t Care. Do You?” scrawled on the back), I’d get a tracking code within a day telling me exactly when the jacket would arrive at my door. These parents don’t even get a handwritten note letting them know where their children are and when or if they’ll ever see them again. The disaster of this is too big, too overwhelming and too horrible to fathom. I can’t even begin to imagine the fear, desperation and blinding rage the parents must feel not knowing what is happening to their children. Then, when they are reunited, they’ll likely find the kids to be shells of who they once were, shaken to their core by the traumas they’ve endured. Report after report has surfaced of abuse, neglect, illness, molestation, and having children who are barely able to communicate signing away their rights or defending themselves in court. It’s all too much to take in. Deadlines for the government to reunite families have come and gone. The government is now trying to shift the responsibility of reunification onto the ACLU instead of doing its fucking job and cleaning up its disastrous mess. Millions are being made by private contractors in industries that include but aren’t limited to tech, travel and prisons off the exploitation of poor, frightened and despaired Black and Brown people. And here’s the thing: most people don’t care. Having to explain basic compassion, laws and the rules of morality sickens me. On June 18, Pastor Sergio De La Mora of Cornerstone Church of San Diego tweeted out “Don’t blame Trump for upholding the law. Blame bad parenting for not preparing a back up plan.” He took it down and issued a problematic apology, which he also deleted. Then again, this is a guy who ran into issues with the IRS for falsifying documents. Maybe morality is only sometimes his thing. Many pointed out that De La Mora—being that he is a Latinx man from National City who leads a Christian church—should know better. But I can tell you that Latinx people aren’t excused or impenetrable to white supremacy. It’s rampant within my Mexican community. I had a late night conversation with a family member recently who firmly stated that people should immigrate “the right way,” and that these people came to the border illegally and therefore can’t be

surprised that they’re going to be deported, detained or be separated from their families. It exhausts me to even have to get into it again, but at least now I’ll be paid for my labor. Coming to the border seeking refuge is not illegal! It is very much within their rights to do so. Aside from that, when people from Central America and Mexico do cross the border without documentation, they are far more likely to be coming here to work and eventually gain citizenship. They’re also far more likely to be exploited for their labor. When people insist that those families being ripped apart at the border—detained in inhumane conditions, abused by agents and terrified for their lives and the lives of their children—shouldn’t have broken the law (again, for those in the back, seeking asylum is not against the law), I don’t think they fully understand the other options. They come here escaping murder, rape, domestic violence and poverty. They come here risking their lives because what other choice do they have? I have been immensely fortunate to never have been in a position where my life and the life of my family was in grave danger, but I know if I ever am I would do anything—anything—to save them and myself. Are some people who come here bad? Yes. Does that mean we should torture everyone who comes to the border or crosses it? Absolutely not, and if you think that type of policy is warranted, you’re evil. People don’t know the immense privilege that is required if one wants to cross the border freely. For those who are privileged enough, even that privilege comes with its own set of traumas. I crossed every day, witnessing the deportations and despair of those struggling to survive, often far away from their families. It had profound effects on my life. But I could cross. I could do it at any time I wanted, and the weight of that is heavy on me and other trans-border folk. My experience, along with what I’ve read and seen on the news lately, only proves a longstanding and institutionalized pattern of disrespect and disregard for the lives of the Black and Brown people that come to the border with not much more than their hope. That border and the actions ordered by Donald Trump seek to remind Latinx people, wherever we may come from, that we are less than second-class citizens. To the president, we are vermin. He aims to punish us in the most brutal of ways and exterminate us from existence. Remember that when you downplay the horrors these people are confronting. And any Latinxs cosigning this administration’s policies in any way, well, I’m not sure there’s any hope for you.

They come here escaping murder, rape, domestic violence and poverty. They come here risking their lives because what other choice do they have?

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

There She Goz appears every third week. Write to alexz@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

SORDID

TALES

A stye is a terrible thing on your face

s I write this, a boulder sits on my right eyelid. It is crimson, black and crusty, like the caldera of a volcano that is finally cooling down from its last eruption. The entity had begun to develop under my eyelid last Thursday, the day before I was set to catch a plane for a posh weekend at Waikiki Beach with my good friend and partner in crime, Donna. It started as a mysterious lump on the lower part of my upper eyelid, accompanied by some pain and swelling. So I located an article on the Medical News Today website called, “Twelve causes and treatments for a swollen eyelid.” First on the list of possible causes was the stye, the symptoms of which matched mine except there was no swelling in the accompanying picture, so I ruled stye as a maybe. There was also a chalazion, which was said not to be painful, so I ruled that out. Pink eye was quickly ruled out. Other possible causes on the list were allergies (no), cosmetics (nope), exhaustion (nah), and so on until I came upon a thing called ocular herpes. Oh God, I thought, I don’t know what ocular herpes is but please don’t let it be that! However the symptoms were similar enough that I could not rule it out. By the time we boarded the plane, the entity—which I was still hoping was not an STD I picked up accidentally rubbing my eye on a toilet seat—was nearly full blown. The furuncle, which is like a pimple in the eyelid, was bad enough. However the swelling had bloated the entire top right quadrant of my face, nearly cementing my right eye shut. By this point, I was fairly confident it was a stye, which, from what I always understood, is no big deal. Much like getting bullied by Shia LaBeouf, I’ve always thought of styes as one of those insignificant, non-threatening things that happen to people. Boy was I ever wrong. A stye is nothing like Shia LaBeouf. A stye is more like Ving Rhames, huge, bald and angry—like a Dawn of the Dead Ving Rhames or a Piranha 3D Ving Rhames—swinging around an outboard boat propeller, slicing up everything in sight. The medical term for a stye is hordeolum, which is from the Latin meaning, “To shove hot needles into the pupil repeatedly until you collapse in a fetal position.” The inflammation is caused by a bacterial infection at the base of an eyelash. According to HealthLine.com, it takes about three days “for a stye to break open and drain” and up to two weeks for it to completely heal. “Styes are rarely a serious medical issue,” says the website, “but they can be pretty irritating,” which is true, except the “pretty irritating” part. “Pretty irritating” is a crying baby on a plane. “Pretty irritating” is a lead singer who explains the

inspiration behind every song he’s about to sing. “Pretty irritating” is a pimple in a normal place, like a chin or cheek. But a pimple on your fricking eyelid? It’s straight up torture. Because unlike a chin or a cheek, the eye is a diva. The eye can’t handle a speck of dust let alone an infectious assault. By the time we landed in Waikiki I was in full Frankenstein mode. Altitude, as it turns out, causes hordeolums to worsen, and mine was now throbbing and oozing as if a red and black beanbag chair had sprouted on my face and started to leak. Passengers turned away in horror as they deboarded the plane. The Uber driver stared at his feet as he received my tip. And the startled hotel clerk damn near called a HAZMAT team until I convinced him it was probably not ocular herpes. At the infinity pool, chatting with an attractive woman in a brown bikini, I made the mistake of momentarily removing my sunglasses. “Well it was nice talking to you,” she said, and slowly began backstroking away from the Quasimodo on my eye, fearing it might kidnap and drag her up a bell tower. That night, bar hopping with Donna, was no different. Every bartender, every patron—every person I encountered—lurched back in fear of my poor, disfigured Quas-eye-modo. Clearly the only option was to drink heavily. But drinking, as HealthLine warned, only makes it worse, and it did get worse. Honestly, I was amazed at how much havoc can be wreaked by a microscopic staphylococcus. That the tiniest of tiny little organisms could have its way with my weekend in much the same manner that mountain lions have their way with hikers. It wasn’t until we returned from Oahu that the infection finally broke and the pus drained, confirming it was not ocular herpes. I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was premature. Even though the swelling quickly subsided, the entity remained. And it was scabbing. And a scab on an eyeball is like razor fencing on an escaping prisoner’s thighs. What’s worse, because it’s on the eye, it can’t be protected with a Band-Aid. So I kept accidentally scratching it, knocking the scab off prematurely and starting the healing process all over again. I doubt readers will believe this, but during the course of writing this column, when all I was thinking about was eye scabs, I scratched my eye and knocked off the goddamn scab—twice. Yep, that’s my world now. Scab on, scab off. Wash, rinse, repeat. Go back, Jack, do it again, wheels turnin.’ Shoot me now.

Every bartender, every patron —every person I encountered— lurched back in fear of my poor, disfigured Quas-eye-modo.

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Sordid Tales appears every other week. Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY BETH DEMMON

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

World Fare’s “Best Sandwich on the Planet” made better

t’s a formula employed by ambitious chefs and street food vendors alike: Start with the best ingredients available and don’t screw them up. Four years ago, I bestowed on “the bánh mì [sandwich], my first nomination for the coveted title of ‘CityBeat World Fare Best Sandwich on the Planet.’” What could improve on that? Great ingredients, of course. Enter Bánh Mì Hội An (3145 Rosecrans St., Suite A, banhmihoiansd.com) in Point Loma. The bánh mì sandwich is a great example of “fusion” cuisine. The classic dac biet (the “special” on the menu) is, at its core, Vietnamese versions of European-style cold cuts, and a baguette with a tangysweet pickle of julienned carrot and daikon radish. It’s a European sandwich seen through Vietnamese eyes. San Diego, perhaps surprisingly, sports the fifth-largest Vietnamese population in the country, behind only three other Southern California cities and Houston. There’s no shortage of bánh mìs to be found in town including some good hidden gems. But what most of these places lack is superb cold cuts. The pâté that’s an essential ingredient in the classic bánh mì dac biet is often store-bought or even from a can. The ham is rarely extraordinary, and the headcheese often omitted entirely. What separates Hội An from the rest is it prepares and cures its meats in-house. The pâté is from a family recipe and the headcheese, ham and cha lua (pork loaf) are prepared in the back of the kitchen. A baker in El Cajon makes the bread for the restaurant, which is somewhat broader and lighter than most bánh mì sandwiches in town. The dac biet at Hội An features pâté, cha lua, ham, headcheese and braised pork

and is basically a bánh mì version of your neighborhood pizza joint’s “The Works” pie, except, in this case, it makes culinary sense. The acidity of the pickles and heat of the jalapeño balances the richness of the cold-cuts, each providing a different slice of savory. The cold cut ham sandwich is a somewhat lighter version of the dac biet, but leaves out the braised pork. The exclusion actually serves to sharpen the sandwich’s message. The best bánh mì at Hội An features two sunny-side up eggs and that terrific savory, salty and slightly pungent pâté. It’s good from the first bite. But the real joy comes when the runny yolk squirts out of the side and onto the plate to play the role of a dipping sauce. MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Summer rolls

There are other good options at Hội An (the chicken wings, for example), but one dish that should not be missed is the summer rolls. Think spring rolls, but with grilled and seasoned ground pork sausage and a nuac chom (sauce) featuring lime juice, fish sauce and sugar. What makes the dish is the inclusion of fried eggroll wrapper in the rolls. It doesn’t provide much flavor but rather texture and, in doing so, adds another dimension to the dish. Adding that fried eggroll wrapper to the summer rolls is a simple step. So many of the things that Hội An does are simple at one level, but elegant and eloquent at another. The result is a bánh mì spot that does it better than anyone else in town. The World Fare appears weekly. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

FINAL DRAUGHT BETH DEMMON

Bitter in Bay Ho

’ll admit that being a beer writer is a pretty sweet gig. Sure, I have to deal with sexist nonsense on occasion, and it can be a little weird to drag my kid to countless tasting rooms for “work,” but overall, my biggest issue tends to be just finding the time to visit as many breweries as I’d like. With 150-plus brewhouses and nearly 30 additional taprooms across San Diego (according to West Coaster’s count), it’s no small feat to give each one a fair shake. Every time I spy the end of the list, a few more spring up. And despite my best intentions, there still are a few that I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t yet visited. Until recently, Bitter Brothers Brewery (4170 Morena Blvd.) was one of them. To me, Bitter Brothers seemed to be one of those places that chugged along by being merely good in an area relatively free from competition. Its branding isn’t flashy, and it doesn’t churn out overhyped styles in order to keep up with what’s trendy. But after a frustrating afternoon of house hunting (how do people afford homes here?), I found myself cruising down Morena with an hour to spare. “What the hell,” I thought. “Time to give the Brothers a shot.” The Bay Ho tasting room buzzed with customers, but the large open garage doors kept things from getting stuffy. Service was brisk and somehow even the cliché, reclaimed-wood-and-metal motif felt fresh. Of the 13 beers available, six were a tart/sour variant—a pleasant surprise in an era of IPA dominance. Sure, there was the requisite hazy IPA, but I’ll let it slide. Flights of five 5 oz. pours are $9 and a full 12 oz. pour of anything—including barrelaged offerings—is $5. The simplicity was as refreshing as it was unexpected. “Flesh & Blood is really sour—it’s the most sour beer we have,” promised the bartender. He wasn’t wrong; the barrelaged golden sour was extraordinarily

Beer flight at Bitter Brothers Brewery packed with mouth-puckering raspberry and cherry flavors. My only qualm was it tasted a little young, but I hope there are some secret barrels stashed somewhere that are aging a little longer. Conversely, the Bitter Bill’s Pils, a Czech-style pilsner, was crystal clear, clean and well attenuated. For those seeking to switch from macro lagers, this is a great first step. The Little Sister Russian imperial stout with tart cherries and cocoa nibs went down dangerously easily at 11 percent ABV. The tartness from the cherries took a backseat to the chocolate smoothness, but remained balanced. Clouded Judgement, Bitter Brothers’ hazy IPA, was hazy in name only (it bordered on brilliant clarity), but oozed craftsmanship Finally, I can now admit that my prejudice against hefeweizens was completely misguided. There’s a reason Golden Child is the first beer listed on Bitter Brothers’ board. At 5.2 percent ABV it’s absolutely crushable, with an aroma full of banana and light spice. My embarrassment for taking two-and-a-half years to finally visit hit me after trying this classic German wheat beer. Needless to say, it won’t take me that long before I enjoy another. Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

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AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

LOGAN HEIGHTS

RUN, CLAW OR HOP

Back in 2016, we were so touched when enaeum Art Center in the Bread & Salt building we learned that local street artist Dave “PERSUE” (1955 Julian Ave.). Entitled The Origins of BunRoss was working on a children’s book featur- nyKitty: The Book Paintings, the exhibition feaALLI BAUTISTA tures the original paintings that ing his signature character. That ended up making it in the book, character, BunnyKitty (bunnykitthe plot of which centers on the ty.com), can be seen on murals all adventures of a post-apocalyptic over San Diego from Barrio Logan cat named Daisy who wears a to North Park. What’s even more bunny suit that her mother gives touching is that Ross began work her. Although the show opened on the book—titled The Origins of in July, Ross will be doing an artBunnyKitty: A Tale for All Ages— ist talk at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. with help from his mother just 11 where he plans on discussbefore she was diagnosed with ing all aspects of the BunnyKitty Alzheimer’s Disease. She evenjourney. tually passed away just after she “I will share the story of the helped her son make the final edconception of BunnyKitty and her its on the book. expanding universe. I will also “My mom would tell me people discuss the strategies and sacriare going to love this story,” Ross fices that have been made in the told CityBeat back in 2016. “At making of BunnyKitty as a family some point I will organize viewDave “PERSUE” Ross brand,” says Ross. “And part of my ings of all the paintings. I plan to do one of the viewings in San Diego so stay tuned.” personal journey as a working artist that started in And he kept his promise. Not only was the San Diego 30 years ago.” The exhibition and talk is free, open to the pubbook published, but Ross recently returned from his current home in New York City to showcase lic and family friendly. More info at ljathenaeum. paintings from the BunnyKitty book at the Ath- org.

HILLCREST

LA JOLLA

FEST WISHES

RIDING FOR LIFE

San Diego certainly doesn’t lack beer, art and music festivals. Honestly, it seems like a new one pops up every week, but it’s not often we can get a nice dose of all three from just one stop. That’s why we’re always attracted to Hillcrest’s annual summer art and music festival, CityFest. The free event, which celebrates the community and history of Hillcrest, includes musical appearances by Souleil, DJ Taj and more, as well as street performances, a beer garden and shopping opportunities. Now in its 35th year, CityFest attracts more than 150,000 visitors, and returns Sunday, Aug. 12 from noon to 11 p.m. This year, the festival will also use funds raised from the sale of VIP tickets ($35) and donations to bring rainbow crosswalks to the community. For more information, tickets, details and maps visit hillcrestcityfest.com. COURTESY OF CITYFEST

CityFest 12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

When celebrities ride motorcycles for charity, that ride usually ends in a VIPonly soiree that the likes of us could never attend. But Kiehl’s annual LifeRide for amfAR party is one of our favorites, because it’s open to the public and the charity motorcycle ride raises funds and awareness for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research. This year’s celebrity riders include actor Gilles Marini, celebrity tattoo artist Luke Wessman, renowned photographer Travis Shinn and more. Enjoy a celebrity meet-and-greet, complimentary skin-care treatments and free food from 1 to 2 p.m. on Friday, August 10. There will also be a check presentation of a $150,000 donation to support the HIV/AIDS research of Dr. Gabriel Ozorowski, a scientist at the Scripps Research Institute. The free event takes place at the Kiehl’s at Westfield UTC (4545 La Jolla Village Drive). amfar.org/liferide

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AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

EVENTS ART

BOOKS

HDrop Ins and Outlets at Border X Brewing, 2181 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. Art Unites presents an afternoon of visual art by San Diego’s extreme sport athletes including TG, Kara Hallett, B3RD and Autumn Love. Includes music, Mexican cuisine and beer. From 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. 619-501-0503, facebook. com/events/428422340997190

Flynn Berry at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The suspense novelist will sign and discuss her new novel, A Double Life. At 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com

Sinawali at Thumbprint Gallery, 920 Kline St, #104, La Jolla. A solo exhibition featuring new surrealist paintings by local artist Nonie Cruzado. Cruzado’s work uses primarily oil, acrylic and ink and inspired by his observations of human conditions and life experiences. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. 858-3546294, thumbprintgallery.com HHaunted: Carrie Anne Hudson at Basile IE Gallery, 2070 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. A solo art show that digs deep into deceased loved ones, failed relationships, recurring nightmares and everything that truly haunts a person. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. 858-3619052, basile-ie.com HBright Beyond at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. A two-person exhibition featuring sculptural work from Sasha Koozel Jonestein and John Oliver Lewis, who create surrealist amalgamations and landscapes using a broad range of materials and processes. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. sashakr.com

Susanna Kearsley at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The writer will sign and discuss her new romantic suspense novel, Bellewether. At 1 p.m. Saturday Aug. 11. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HJulia Dixon Evans at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, #206, Liberty Station. The local writer will read from her new book, How to Set Yourself on Fire and discuss her projects, writing inspirations and processes, and the challenges of being a woman writer. At 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. $5. womensmuseumca.org HRenée Carlino at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The local author will sign and discuss her new novel, Blind Kiss. At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HT. Greenwood at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The local author will sign and discuss her new novel, Rust & Stardust. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com

COMEDY

Made in Las Californias at C.M. Curatorial, 2070 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. This celebration of a tradition of magical history of the Baja California region will feature an artist’s upcycled work of Bajabrijes and a sneak peek of the film Chicana Stardust, as well as a live performance by a bi-national hip hop group. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. 858-692-3073

Ellen DeGeneres at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The comedian and television icon is returning to the stand-up comedy stage for her first tour in 15 years. Don’t miss a chance to see the comedic legend live. At 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10, Saturday, Aug. 11 through Sunday, Aug. 12. $75-$700. 800-8542196, sandiegotheatres.org

HAl-Sahra at Linksoul Lab, 530 S. Coast Hwy., Oceanside. The opening reception for new works by Mike Upton, which reflect upon a middle ground between fine art and home decor. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. 760-6398378, thehillstreetcountryclub.org

Charles Phoenix at Crowne Plaza, 2270 Hotel Circle N., Mission Valley. As part of Tiki Oasis, the “Ambassador of Americana” will perform his living room slideshow routine, which finds humor in trite regional culture. From 11 a.m. to noon Sunday, Aug. 12. $25. tikioasis.com

Zodiac: An Astrology Art Show at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. An exhibition highlighting the depth and complexities of the 12 different Zodiac signs. The event will also include henna art and tarot readings. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. 619-255-7036, facebook.com/ events/224223578307076 HArtWalk @ Liberty Station, Liberty Station Art’s District, 2825 Dewey Road, Point Loma. The 13th annual arts festival will host over 200 international, national and local artists who will display their works of glass sculptures, fine jewelry, photography and all other creative mediums. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11 and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. Free. artwalksandiego.org/libertystation Art in the Village Celebrates at Carlsbad Village, Carlsbad. This 20th anniversary event will bring 110 local and regional fine artists for a one day, open-air art show where attendees can browse dynamic exhibits and meet the artists. Live sculpting and painting demos will also take place. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. Free. carlsbad-village.com SCAPES: Landscapes, Urbanscapes, Mindscapes at Gallery 21 Art, 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park. Artwork by awardwinning local artists Jeffrey R. Brosbe (photography) and Julianne B. Ricksecker (painting and printmaking). Brosbe’s work will be exhibited on odd-numbered days; Ricksecker’s on even-numbered days. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. 619-354-9620, gallery21art.org

FILM HWest Side Story at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. Celebrate the 57th anniversary of the iconic winner of ten Oscars woth Leonard Bernstein’s score performed live by the symphony with the re-mastered film shown in hi-definition with original vocals and dialog intact. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10. $88. sandiegosymphony.org

FOOD & DRINK HChefs and Shakers Mash-Up at Lot 8, 1201 Hotel Circle South, Mission Valley. Eight chefs and drink mixers will couple up and compete to create the best food and drink mash-ups using flowers as inspiration. Guests will vote for their favorites and awards will be presented at the end of the night. From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9. $20-$25. 858-246-6129, sdcitybeat.com HGourmet Food Truck Festival at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Rd., Del Mar. Taste some of the most popular food on wheels at this event where more than 30 food trucks are expected and food is server up at affordable prices. From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. delmarracing.com HSan Diego Beer & Wine Fest at Embarcadero Marina Park North, 400 Kettner Blvd., Marina. The event will feature dozens of local and national craft beers, more than 100 curated wines, live music, a DJ, lawn games and a variety of food trucks.

H = CityBeat picks 14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

From 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. $55$70. 619-686-6200, sandiegobeerandwinefest.com HSan Diego Fresh Fest at Quartyard, 1301 Market St., East Village. Enjoy vegan food along with vegan beer and Boochcraft from a variety of local vendors. The festival will also feature live music by Maiz, KUSH, the Fuzzy Ustins and DJs Reefah & Unite. From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. $10-$20. 619-432-5303, quartyardsd.com HNorth PB Sip ‘n’ Stroll at Pacific Beach. The sixth annual fair promoting the residents, businesses and community organizations of Pacific Beach. Benefits local charities. See website for details and list of participants. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. Free. 858-581-9934, sipnstrollpb.com

MUSIC Emerging Composers Concert at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Regional nonprofit San Diego New Music’s annual concert presents impressive compositions and performances by local music students and San Diego natives, followed by a complimentary reception. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 8. $15. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org H“Bird” on the Bay: A Charlie Parker Tribute at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. Part of the Bayside Summer Nights Jazz Concert series, sax player Charles McPherson and special guests will pay tribute to the legendart jazz master. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9. $21-$69. sandiegosymphony.org HHerb Alpert and Lani Hall at Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. The Grammy-winning Latin music stars will perform a benefit concert to support educational programming at the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad. From 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10. $100-$195. 760-438-5996, museumofmakingmusic.org HAloe Blacc at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The soul, funk and hip-hop artist will take the Seaside Stage as part of the summer concert series. Also enjoy Friday happy hour featuring half-off all of Del Mar’s signature drinks. From 2 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10. Free. 858-755-1141, dmtc.com HKAABOO Discovery Tour at Quartyard, 1301 Market St., East Village. Emerging local artists including Sweet Tooth, Sophia Dion, Desert Rhythm Project and Nick Crook will perform to win the votes of participating fans in hopes of performing at the KAABOO music festival. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug.10. $10. 855-7985995, kaaboodelmar.com Hooray for Hollywood! A Symphonic Night at the Movies at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. This annual tribute to film music, conducted this year by Richard Kaufman, features a set of expertly edited clips from award-winning films. Part of the A Bayside Summer Nights Concert series. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. $37$102. sandiegosymphony.org HBay Sessions: The Redwoods Revue at Loews Coronado Bay Resort, 4000 Coronado Bay Rd., Coronado. The annual outdoor concert returns with performances from a collection of San Diego bands including Dani Bell & The Tarantist, Rebecca Jade & The Cold Fact, Jake Najor & The Moment of Truth and Cardinal Moon. From 7 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. Free. 619-424-4000, facebook.com/ events/2091129624433589 Chris Hillman and Herb Pedersen at Bernardo Winery, 13330 Paseo Del Verano, Rancho Bernardo. Hillman, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Southern California native, will team up with his

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 @SDCITYBEAT

BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY The science and the fury

hen Megan Abbott isn’t setting the literary world on fire with a new book, her Twitter feed is full of photos celebrating the birthdays of film stars and scribblers from the 1920s through the ’40s, an era when the black and white films matched the sensibilities of their heroes. One gets the sense that these are Abbott’s patron saints: smart, sharply dressed, always ready with a savage quip, and if someone crosses them, well, best watch out. Although Abbott’s writing is feverishly lush and the subjects of her recent books were more contemporary, Abbot herself is something of a throwback. There’s a hardboiled edge to her writing, and the trouble her characters get into inevitably leads to desperate decisions and gruesome violence. Before it’s all over, it feels like the whole world is out to get them. Give Me Your Hand—recently published by Little, Brown & Company—is set in the world of corporate science. Kit Owens is on the break of landing a coveted position at a laboratory run by Dr. Severin, a hard-charging scientist who has dedicated her life to studying an extreme form of PMS known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), whose symptoms include anxiety, depression and boundless rage. As the only woman on Dr. Severin’s team, Kit’s ambition is disrupted by the arrival of another female scientist at the lab. Tall, gaunt and strikingly

beautiful, Diane Fleming would be a formidable competitor for anyone, but especially so for Kit who was friends with Diane during their senior year of high school. Kit, however, has one advantage: She knows a terrifying secret about Diane’s past that could ruin her career. The novel begins with alternating chapters titled “THEN” and “NOW,” which explore Kit and Diane’s relationship while pushing the story’s themes along. “There’s a funny feeling in my chest, an odd exhilaration, like the time I finally sat down for my AP Chem exam or when I spent the hour before my oral exams eating a maple glazed at the Donut Hut instead of reviewing my notes. The sense that the dread is about to come to an end and no matter what happens, at least the dread will be past,” Kit recounts in one passage. About halfway through the novel, the action moves into high gear. The result is a book that combines the best elements of crime, mystery and suspense without committing to any particular genre. Abbott’s focus is on the women at the heart of her unforgettable story. Abbott’s fans grow with each new book but with a number of film and television projects in the works (she was a writer on the HBO show The Deuce), she seems destined to join her pantheon of hardboiled heroes.

—Jim Ruland

Floating Library appears every other week.

EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14 longtime musical partner for a concert at the region’s oldest winery, with food and drink available for purchase. From 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. $45-$240. 858668-4798, powaycenter.com HRoger Daltrey at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. The Bayside Summer Nights concert will feature the lead singer of The Who performing classic hits as well as songs from Daltrey’s recent solo album. From 7:30 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 15. $45-72. 619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org

PERFORMANCE Pimpinela at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The origin and story of acclaimed Hispanic-American duo, Lucia and Joaquin. The show will feature five musicians, dancers and choirs telling the story of their journey from childhood to stardom. At 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9. $50-$95. 800-854-2196, sandiegotheatres.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HBlack Xpression at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. A weekly open mic event featuring poetry and spoken word primarily highlighting the Black experience. The event also showcases art and jewelry for sale. At 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10. $5. facebook.com/IWillXpress

SPECIAL EVENTS 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

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HCelebrating 30 Years in East Village: A Showcase of San Diego & NewSchool History at NewSchool of Architecture & Design, 1249 F St., Downtown. The school will celebrate the projects, leaders, students and staff that have helped to shape San Diego in the past three decades. From 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9. Free. newschoolarch. edu/events HReturn of the Gods at World Beat Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. This three-day celebration features live hiphop shows, motivational speakers, African dancers, martial arts demonstrations, yoga, fashion shows, beatboxing, break dancing and more. From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10 through Sunday, Aug. 12. $20-$50. events.worldbeatcenter.org HKiehl’s Liferide for amfAR at Kiehl’s at UTC, 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. The celebrity motorcycle ride supporting HIV/AIDS research, both locally and nationally, will conclude with meet and greets, food, drinks and prizes from Kiehl’s and CycleBar. From 1 to 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10. Free. 858-455-9720, kiehls.com/hiv-aids-research Automobile Heritage Day Festival and Car Show at Kimball Park, 12th St. and D Ave., National City. The 27th annual fest will feature a huge display of cars from early models to the latest super cars now being produced. Includes a wide variety of live music performers and vendors. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. 619-3364290, automobileheritageday.com HCityFest at the corner of University Ave. and 5th Ave., Hillcrest. San Diego’s largest single-day street fair, with plenty of arts, crafts, food, beer, cocktails and shopping. There will also be live music and DJs all day and into the night. From noon to 11 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12. Free$35. 619-299-3330, hillcrestcityfest.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Artist Talk: Craftwork Artists at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Artists Valerie Hebert and Brennan Hubell will discuss their current Craftwork exhibition and the techniques and materials that influence their work. From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9. Free. 619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com Open Show San Diego #9 at Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. An evening of live presentations and conversations featuring local photographers, filmmakers and multimedia producers including Larry Caveney, Adrau Jessup, Oriana Poindexter and more. From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9. Free$10. 619-238-7559, mopa.org HBeyond the Gutter at the Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Complimentary happy hour, followed by a panel of comic publishers, storeowners and executives, who will discuss their practices and the growing influence of comics. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 10. Free-$5. 619-239-0003, mingei.org HArtist Talk: David “PERSUE” Ross at Athenaeum Art Center, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. A candid conversation with local street artist about his new exhibition. Signed copies of his book The Origins of BunnyKitty will be available for purchase. From 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 11. Free. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org HChicano San Diego: A Neglected Heritage at San Diego History Center, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. SDSU Professor Emeritus Richard Griswold del Castillo will present a survey of the major themes and contributions to San Diego’s history by the Spanish-speaking people as part of the center’s free Tuesday lecture series. From 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14. Free. 619-232-6203, sandiegohistory.org

AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

THEATER JIM COX

Barefoot in the Park

Love is just a walk in the park

ere newlyweds ever as cute as they are in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park? Beginning a new life together in an impossibly impractical apartment in New York and subsisting on hugs and kisses is pretty much the entire premise of Simon’s 1963 comedy. By today’s standards when relationships, much less marriage, are as complicated as Pythagorean identities, Barefoot in the Park feels sugar-sweet and even naïve. The trick is to forget about reality and just enjoy the sweetness and naiveté. The Old Globe’s new production of Barefoot in the Park makes it easy. Start with a uniformly talented cast. Kerry Bishe plays Corie Bratter and conveys all of the over-the-top giddiness about life and love. After all, the new bride believes everything is so wonderful that even sleeping in a closet-turned-bedroom is no inconvenience. Better still is Chris Lowell as Corie’s understandably beleaguered (and a little overwhelmed) new husband, Paul. As disarming as Bishe and Lowell are in the first act of the play, when the conflict is mostly about the haplessness of the tiny brownstone apartment, they’re twice as much fun in the argument scenes that come later. There’s never any doubt that the Bratters will work things out, but until they do their back-and-forth barbs can be enjoyed guilt-free. Simon’s wittiest writing is heard in Corie’s and Paul’s quips and benign sarcasm. The playwright also conceived meaty supporting roles for this snappy comedy. As Corie’s timid but lovable mother, Mia Dillon gently plays off the exuberance of Bishe as well as that of Jere Burns, who plays neighbor Victor Velasco, aka “the Bluebeard of 48th Street.” His is the most broadly drawn character in the play, but he mostly reins in what could have been a cartoon part. Director Jessica Stone was intuitive enough to craft a Barefoot in the Park that skips along, without trying be weighty or relevant. Her ensemble’s comic timing is

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

tight, and the otherwise breezy rhythm of the show is hindered only by the apparent necessity of two intermissions. The retro music sprinkled into the action and the animated unveiling of the Bratters’ furniture when it first appears only adds to the enchantment of the goings-on. If only love in real life were as magically achieved. Barefoot in the Park runs through Sept. 2 at the Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park. $30 and up; oldglobe.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: An Ideal Husband: A staged reading of Oscar Wilde’s comedic romp about a government minister whose life is turned upside down when evidence of a past misdeed resurfaces. Presented by The Oscar Wilde Society, it happens Aug. 12 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org Much Ado About Nothing: Friends try to convince Benedick and Beatrice that they’re meant to be together, but things get complicated in Shakespeare’s classic romance. Directed by Tony-winner Kathleen Marshall, it opens Aug. 12 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org Voyeurs de Venus: A Chicago writer is offered a book deal to tell the story of a famous 19th century model (the Hottentot Venus), but is soon haunted by the woman in question. Written by Lydia Diamond, it opens in previews Aug. 12 at the MOXIE Theatre in Rolando. moxietheatre.com Mrs. Farnsworth: A staged reading of A.R. Gurney’s play about a writing instructor who is helping a rich housewife write a tell-all about her troubled college days with the current president. Presented by the Carlsbad Playreaders, it happens Aug. 13 at the Schulman Auditorium at the Carlsbad City Library. carlsbadplayreaders.org The Hunchback of Notre Dame: The Disney musical version of Victor Hugo’s tale of a disfigured belltower worker who makes friends with a nomad woman. It opens Aug. 15 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. moonlightstage.com For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

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CAROLYN RAMOS

an Diego is arguably one of the healthiest cities in the U.S., if not the world. In fact, we were ranked the fourth fittest city in the U.S., according to a recent WalletHub study. We’ve always found these kinds of studies to be incredibly hard to believe. Sure, the weather here lends itself to plenty of outdoor activities, but we sure do eat a lot of tacos and drink a lot of beer to be so healthy. But one thing that’s also stood out is how incredibly varied our diets are these days. Every day, it seems like a new diet is popping up. Some make more sense than others (farm-to-table, for a number of reasons), while others just sound like they were concocted in a dorm room (eh, pizza diet?).

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The CityBeat staff and writers kept this in mind when it came time to do our annual Food Issue. Some of us wanted to try new ways of eating, be it for health or other reasons. Others were already well situated within a diet and wanted to try out new places and dishes that they’d heard would be pliant with their lifestyle. Either way, all of us craved a food adventure rather than producing a listicle of the best this or our favorite that. Either way, we hope readers will find something within these pages that works for their lifestyle or, perhaps, it will inspire them to try something new themselves.

THE FOOD ISSUE CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

TH E FOO D I SSU E

EAT SHIT AND DIET Changing a lifetime of unhealthy eating… But only after one more gorge By Seth Combs I met someone magical recently. Someone who made me reevaluate a lot of unhealthy habits. The smoking. The drinking. The lack of exercise. The eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. I’ve adjusted my behavior over the years. I hardly drink anymore, but I still smoke. For me though, it’s the diet that really needed to be addressed. Years of unhealthiness are beginning to take their toll on me as I slowly approach my 40th year. To paraphrase one of my heroes, I’m beginning to ache in the places where I used to play. And as I started to reevaluate my diet, I found that veganism or pescetarianism wouldn’t be that difficult of an adjustment. However, there were, indeed, comfort foods that I’d be hard-pressed to give up. For me, it came down to three guilty pleasures: chicken wings (essentially hot SETH COMBS

Wings at Bub’s at the Beach

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

wings), hot dogs and burgers. Yeah, I get it, I’m basic AF. May as well listen to Sublime and high-five my broseph on the Fourth of July while I’m at it. That being said, in my nearly 20 years in San Diego, there are places that have been reliable stand-bys when it comes to the three foods I listed above. Places that I’ll likely be recommending to meat-eating out-of-town guests while I munch on a sack full of flax seeds or some such shit. Still, realizing my basic AF-ness when it comes to food hit me really hard. Am I really that simple? So I decided that just as one might get really drunk and hit rock bottom before deciding to get sober, I was going to gorge myself on my guilty pleasures in the most basic place I knew of: Pacific Beach. I’m not claiming the places on this food gorge (a tour de fat, if you will) are the best in the city, although all of them were very good. The overall concept was more that I needed to exorcise my food demons in a place where I coulda do so openly and without judgment. To expunge my excesses in a place where excess is not only accepted, but welcomed. And I was going to do it all in one night. Pray for me. For round one, I stopped at Bub’s at the Beach (1030 Garnet Ave., bubspb.com) for wings. Normally, I avoid sports bars but I’d had heard good things about the selection at Bub’s and boy, did I find just what I was looking for when I spotted something on the menu called “Garbage Wings.” Nice, I thought, garbage wings for my garbage diet. The “garbage” in question was actually pretty great: a mixture of all the wing sauces on the menu and then tossed with bacon, almonds, red onions and sesame seeds. The wings were juicy and the sauce combo—while a little too sweet and barbecue-heavy for my taste—certainly didn’t taste like any wing I’d had before. But it was the order of Carolina Habanero wings I ordered that had me questioning my decision to ever give up chicken. Inspired by the mustard-based style of Carolina barbecue, the tangy heat in the sauce was perfect. The wings were burned in just the right spots, adding even more smokiness to the taste. I happily washed it down with one of the happy hour drink specials: A mystery beer and shot for $6. The beer was a coldish tallboy of Hamm’s and the shot was peanut butter whiskey according to the server. It was actually butterscotch, and I gagged and almost died. Next, I had the idea to go grab a hot dog at, well, anywhere that had a hot dog. But I had a basic B moment and

wanted to watch the sunset. So I went to the iconic, beachside drunk spot, PB Shore Club (4343 Ocean Blvd., pbshoreclub.com), which still has goldfish races on Wednesdays. As I enjoyed one of those OMG-IG-worthy sunsets, I found out there was a corndog entrée on the menu. And by entrée, I mean they serve a plate that has two corn dogs on it, some standard fries and garnished with some shredded iceberg lettuce. Look, these were about as basic as corndogs come, but I was here for this view and the people watching. Oh, and that giant Red Bull Slushie I ordered, which is served in a gigantic plastic glass. Drunk off the slushie and two shots of tequila, I stumbled next-door to Pacific Beach Alehouse (721 Grand Ave., pbalehouse.com) in order to try a dish I’d heard good things about: the Beer Cheese Burger. At this point, my heart was racing (is it the Red Bull slushie? Am I dying?) and my stomach was basically pleading with me to stop. Nonetheless, he persisted. The burger was, indeed, amazing. A perfect medium-rare brisket and ribeye blend

Beer Cheese Burger at Pacific Beach Alehouse topped with fried string onions, bacon and a housemade beer cheese. I savored what I could (eight bites in all) and quickly noted that the buttery brioche bun was likely one of the best I’d ever tried. I washed it down with a La Margarita Fuego (a spicy take on margarita with basil and a chile liqueur) and, for extra basicness, two Washington Apple shots. Honestly, I have no idea what compelled me to order those shots. When in Rome? I asked if I could get the rest of the burger in a to-go box. Ands so it went that, the next day, when I was supposed to start my healthier life, I was eating a soggy leftover burger from the night before. Magic or not, old habits die hard.

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TH E FOO D I SSU E

GO FISH An omnivore goes pescatarian By Jeff Terich “Eat more fish.” I can’t accurately say how many times I’ve been told this by someone hawking healthy lifestyles on TV or people on the internet extolling the virtues of a diet high in Omega-3 fatty acids. I’ve often brushed it off, but it’s practically internalized by now. Whenever I’m on the business end of a cheeseburger coma, I can’t help but think, “I should eat more fish.” Surely my arteries would appreciate it. Pescatarianism, or vegetarianism with fish being the one allowable meat, is arguably a healthier and more environCANDICE ELEY

Ceviche at Fishmonger’s Market

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mentally conscious alternative to being a carnivore, as it usually comprises foods low in fat but high in good cholesterol (HDL). It also leaves a lower carbon footprint. That’s hard not to think about when San Diego summers start to feel like Florida, and the doomsday alarm seems like it’s about to go off at any moment. But if I feel healthier making my way through San Diego’s best seafood offerings too, then that’s a plus. The first stop on my pescatarian tour was Beerfish in Normal Heights (2933 Adams Ave., beerfish.com) for a crispy fish sandwich. Admittedly, frying fish will likely undo its health benefits, but I like to tell myself my cholesterol is in perfect balance. The sandwich is damn tasty, though, its crispy batter light rather than overwhelming, and with a side of fries it’s a more-than-satisfying substitute for a burger. Next up was Fishmonger’s Market in Mission Hills (1735 Hancock St., fishmongersmarkets.com), which specializes more in fresh seafood offerings, as displayed in its refrigerated cases. The cucumber Alaskan crab crudo is a refreshing start to the meal, with radish, chili and honey subtly highlighting the tender, flaky crab. The ceviche, meanwhile, is a deconstructed version of the dish, with shrimp, mango, citrus and cucumber artfully arranged and presented simply, with no excess flavors to overwhelm it. And the lobster mac ‘n’ cheese is a little heartier—actually, a lot heavier—but too good to pass up. I feel healthier already. It occurs to me that a lot of what I’m eating is actually shellfish, not that there are any hard and fast rules about this, so I headed to Ironside in Little Italy (1654 India St., ironsidefishandoyster.com) for a whole roasted spotted bass. Eating this particular dish requires a little bit of elbow grease, as the fins and head are still attached, but getting the meat off the bones isn’t so tricky when it’s this tender and flaky. It’s wonderfully smoky, but a touch of lemon brightens it up. And for that matter, it’s filling. That’s one benefit of

CANDICE ELEY

Miso black cod at Himitsu adding fish to a vegetarian diet—it takes a lot of vegetables for me to feel like I’m full. Naturally, no pescatarian diet is complete without sushi, and the recently opened Himitsu (1030-G Torrey Pines Road, himitsusd.com) in La Jolla is a must-visit spot. The sushi itself is presented simply and elegantly, with the fresh, almost creamy flavors of the fish itself, such as the bluefin tuna or sake salmon, coming through the strongest. The rolls are also worth trying, particularly the Tasha roll, which adds jalapeno and spicy aioli to give it a subtle and sustained burn. Still, nothing was quite as delicious as the miso black cod. Its miso marinade added a complex umami flavor to the fish and while it’s not technically sushi, it’s still fish. And it’s outstanding. After a week of cutting out all meat except fish, I already feel better about my dietary choices and myself. Except for the deep-fried part... if only it weren’t so delicious.

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NUTS AND BERRIES

dish delivers. Golden and red beets, roasted and still warm, sit atop a bed of local baby kale, with sliced oranges and grapefruit. A mellow lemon vinaigrette dressing is a nice contrast to the tartness of the fruit, and it doesn’t overwhelm the soft beets. It’s surprisingly filling for a salad without a traditional animal substitute. Panama 66 (1450 El Prado, panama66.com) inside BalLocally sourced veganism boa Park has specials crafted from current market finds isn’t as tough as it once was (like an indulgent vegan Sage Mountain Farms donut peach sorbet with coconut cream and fresh berries). Dessert isn’t By Julia Dixon Evans lunch, so I opt for the Smokey Tempeh Sandwich from Panama’s standard menu. Grilled local summer squash is In my early 20s, I turned to veganism as a sustainable alternative to America’s animal-based diet—which, on average, layered over thick-sliced, crispy tempeh (made by San Direquires more natural resources than a plant-based diet—but ego Soy Dairy), with a bed of dressed mixed greens and pea vegan convenience foods can be far from sustainable. Fake sprouts, all served on a soft, golden Bread & Cie focaccia. meats made of “super-crops,” shipped from all over? Probably The creamy sunflower herb spread is the sandwich’s shining star, and this dish feels like neither a consolation prize nor not what my young environmentalist heart had in mind. And, despite farms being, y’know, full of vegetables, lo- a vegan approximation of a meat sandwich. I top it off with the not-too-sweet peach sorbet, all while cally sourced cuisine sometimes only inJULIA DIXON EVANS overlooking SDMA’s pretty sculpture cludes a small side of “local greens” like garden. If this is going to be my carbon a vegan afterthought. Substantial local footprint, it’s a lovely place to tread. vegan dishes are hard to find, but I am up The vegan nachos at Red Door (741 for the challenge. W. Washington St., thereddoorsd.com) Anthem Vegan (2611 El Cajon Blvd., in Mission Hilla are only available at anthemvegan.com) in North Park is an lunch, brunch and happy hour, but if impressive first stop. It unceremoniouslife has to revolve around these naly sources almost all its produce locally. The tortillas are locally made, and the Vegan nachos at Red Door chos, then dinner is overrated anyway. A heaping bowl of fresh, paprika-dusted soy products are fermented right here at San Diego Soy Dairy. Even the potatoes, according to owner tortilla chips is drizzled with cashew sauce (the “cheese”), whole black beans, and a local, seasonal pico de gallo made Patrick Murray, hail from California’s central valley. “At least it isn’t Idaho,” he says. He suggests the Citrus with produce from Fallbrook Farms. The sauce is rich, with Beet Salad, which is 100 percent locally-sourced and one of a prominent smoked chipotle edge to it. Much of the food his favorites. I generally skip over salads, as they are his- at Red Door is relatively meat-heavy, but these nachos feel torically the only (mediocre) options for vegans, but this whole and unprocessed even with a cashew “cheese.” De-

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JULIA DIXON EVANS

Smokey tempeh sandwich at Panama 66 spite its simplicity (not even a guac!), the dish is satisfying. Tempeh has graced vegan menus for decades, but it’s no wonder: It’s versatile, fermented, and not super processed. In City Heights, Nate’s Garden Grill (3120 Euclid Ave., natesgardengrill.com), the “TLTA” sandwich has sliced, plaingrilled organic tempeh, as well as buttery lettuce, stacks of sliced tomato and avocado, and Vegenaise nestled between the absolute best slices of grilled sourdough (from Bread & Cie) I’ve ever tasted. It’s perhaps a bit too simple, and maybe I don’t eat enough sandwiches because I fall in love anyway. I appreciate how it doesn’t feel like a fake BLT, even though it’s trying to be one. If it’s a busy Tuesday night at Nate’s, there will be live music drifting in from the patio. When I was there, I felt like I was in a bad Portlandia episode, interrupting dinner service to ask exactly where all the ingredients came from, but I’m rewarded: Much of Nate’s produce currently comes from Second Chance Youth Garden, a City Heights-based nonprofit. Sandwich such goodness in some of that bread, and I’m happy.

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AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

TH E FOO D I SSU E AARYN BELFER

Yum Yum Donuts

IF AND NOT ONLY IF Diets with intermittent fasting can be complicated, but worth it By Aaryn Belfer With the exception of my sex-drugs-androck-n-roll twenties, I’ve spent my adult life managing my health with lots of exercise, water and enough shop-the-perimeter foods that when I eventually binged on chips and Tostitos Salsa Con Queso, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Life was good back then: I had a metabolism and a president who used sentences with subject-and-verb agreement. But then menopause hit and Chief Babyfingers happened and lo! Lordy! What in the absolute fuck? In an effort to get my gut clean and maybe shrink the waistline a smidge, I joined a fitness program that combines particular kinds of exercise with Intermittent Fasting (IF) and the counting of macronutrients (macros), the energy-giving components of food. It sounds complicated and I’m not going to lie, there is definitely a learning curve here. But since you don’t eat until noon each day, you only have to deal with macro-counting between the hours of noon and 8 p.m. Before the feeding window is thrown open, however, I need my caffeine. For this, I like Communal Coffee (2335 University Ave., communalcoffee.com) in North Park. If I have to be in a place that serves delicious food without enjoying any of that delicious food, the environment at least better be pleasant and the music good. There, I can settle in to sip a black coffee—and later, a lavender grey tea or three—and pretend I’m not simmering in jealousy at the young’uns around me devouring their avocado toast. Yes, it’s still a thing. As the clock strikes noon, it’s off to the trough. The number of allowable macros

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varies by day and it’s harder than you might think to hit your target goal on regular days. The Kebab Shop (1570 Camino de la Reina, thekebabshop.com) in Mission Valley has lots of options, though, as this is a paint-bynumbers sorta spot. On a low macro day, I can pick a protein and two sides that don’t involve too many carbs. I like the lamb, tabouli and Greek salad (I skip the dressing and opt for lemon and olive oil instead). On a regular macro day, I might go for a chicken kebab, cucumber dill and pita with hummus, as well as one of its craft sauces. I do love a little strange in my life and that is where Jyoti-Bihanga (3351 Adams Ave., jyotibihanga.com) in Normal Heights comes in. This cultish spot features non-Indian women swirling about in beautiful saris as sinewy zombie men with a combined average resting heart rate of seven take your order. There is much to unpack here in this place, but it offers some of the best affordable vegetarian and vegan food in the city. I am singularly devoted to the Infinite Blue salad with added avocado. Finally, with all the rules and regulations of the IF+macro feeding regimen (I refuse to call it a diet) comes the Holy Grail of days: Treat Day. Every Saturday, I get to eat some decadent morsel without guilt or shame, and boy do I know how to live. My choice is often a maple bar or an oldfashioned donut from Yum Yum Donuts (7550 El Cajon Blvd, College Area). I know it’s on trend to pay $4 for a gourmet donut, but that is ridiculous. REE. DICK. U. LUS. Yum Yum’s prices can’t be beat and you’re just stupid if you pay caviar prices for deep fried dreams.

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TH E FOO D I SSU E MICHAEL A. GARDINER

SUSHI STOP Raw fish, done right, all the time By Michael A. Gardiner You’ve heard of the pescatarian diet (covered elsewhere in this issue), as well as the raw food diet (vegan, with no foodstuffs raised over 118 degrees Fahrenheit). Me? I thought a cross between those was a far better approach. The best of both worlds: I call it the All-Sushi Diet. There is no better place to eat raw fish in our region than Wrench and Rodent Seabasstropub (1815 South Coast Hwy., seabasstropub.com) in Oceanside. While Davin Waite’s sushi is deeply respectful of tradition, it definitely isn’t strictly Edo-mai style. It is, in fact, sui generis, a thing unto itself: the best ingredients put together in ways that make intuitive sense and

Iwashi sardine at Sushi Dokoro Shirahama many that don’t right up until you taste them. It’s outrageously creative excellence. At the other end of the spectrum are two sushi bars that adhere to the pristine perfection of the classic style: Sushi Dokoro Shirahama (4212 Convoy Street, Kearny Mesa) and Sushi Tadokoro (2244 San Diego Ave., sushitadokoro.com) in Old Town. MICHAEL A. GARDINER

New Zealand salmon at Wrench & Rodent

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At Shirahama, Koji Kotani’s strict interpretations of sushi will teach diners something they did not know. Tadokoro’s omakase is an edible dance performance, progressing from white fish to shiny, playing with offal and unusual ingredients such as baby conger eel, before finishing with anago (OK, broiled and sauced salt water eel isn’t raw but it is sushi). Himitsu (1030-G Torrey Pines Road, himitsusd.com) in La Jolla was mentioned in the pescatarian piece, and for good reason: Chef Mitsu Aihara goes back to the origins of sushi. His cures—a technique originally intended to lengthen fish shelf life at a time refrigeration wasn’t possible— yield flavor profiles far better than merely “fresh” fish. Try the zuke sushi—tuna marinated for a few hours in soy—or the kohada (gizzard shad). Say “sushi” and most think nigiri (or California rolls). For a different take, however, hit up j/ wata Temaki Bar (4646 Convoy St. #103, j-wata.com) in the Convoy District for its unusually crafted temaki: tubular rather than conical (think hand-rolls). Freshly toasted nori wrappers

yield a crisp exterior that counterbalances the warm rice and (usually) cold fillings. The ikura roll is simple perfection: salmon eggs, a shiso leaf, sushi rice and nori. The saltiness of the salmon eggs pairs brilliantly with the slightly grassy, cinnamon and spearmint flavor of the shiso. There’s no such thing as good cheap sushi: Take that to the bank. The closest in San Diego is Kura Revolving Sushi Bar (4609 Convoy St., Suite F). Instead of a su-

shi chef making the sushi behind a bar and handing it directly to the customer, Kura’s chefs are in the back and the sushi is delivered by an elaborate conveyor belt system. Grab whichever dish appeals. It’s efficient, mechanized, fast and creates a sense of silly fun. But for an almost literally unbelievable sushi experience head south of the border to Toshi-Toshi (Av. Colima 2292, Col. Madero) in Tijuana. Helmed by the longtime sushi sous to the legendary Yukito Ota of Sushi Ota, Toshi-Toshi offers nothing less than high-end omakase. While most of the offerings are Edo-mai style, the grand finale is a tour de force of luxury: uni, truffle, quail egg, fresh wasabi and more. It shouldn’t work, but oh boy, it does! In my view the best way to cook fish is not to cook it at all. Sometimes serving an ingredient entirely raw, with no more manipulation than curing or marination highlights its natural flavors, textures and subtleties. There’s nothing to hide behind. That’s what sushi is all about. And if I had to eat one thing for the rest of my days (or at least the week), it had to be sushi.

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CAVEMAN CRAVINGS

RYAN BRADFORD

afflictions like celiac disease and lactose intolerance. “That’s why [paleo] is called the anti-inflammatory diet. It’s cleansing. Nutritionally dense. Not eating just to eat.” Selman sums it up as this: lots of veggies, a little bit of meat, and absolutely no sugar. I sample all of Paleo Treats’ er... treats, and opt for the customer favorite, The Bandito, which is a heavy-duty almond butter cup. About the size of a hockey puck and dense without being too rich, I’m astounded that there’s no sugar in this baby—it’s that tasty. Selman tells me that I can dine out pretty much anywhere on paleo—I just need to know what to subtract. But that can be an annoying ordeal for both the customer and the server, so it’s nice when a restaurant allows patrons to build their own plate. With that in mind, I headed over to Tender Greens (2400 Historic Decatur Road #104, tendergreens.com) in Point Loma, which I like to think of as “adult Subway” in that you can watch the servers build your meal in front of you. I ordered the steak, and choose a house salad and mixed veggies (eggplant, corn and zucchini) as my sides. Even though it’s a chain, they know how to cook a good steak. I could already feel my inner caveman rejoicing. Uggh! Me like! Finally, I dragged my knuckles over to Ceviche House (2415 San Diego Ave., cevichehousesd.com) in Old Town.

It was my first time there, and it’s a little surprising to find such a hip, North Park-esque place in the middle of touristville (complete with a mural by one of CityBeat’s favorite street artists, PANCA). I ordered the Acapulco, which is seasonal white catch (it’s rock fish during my visit), cucumber, olive oil and pico. Beauty in simplicity. I scarf the entire thing down, and afterwards, feel refreshed and full without the heavy feeling that comes from eating a plate of carbs. At the end of day, Ryan still love carbs, but caveman diet not bad!

The lack of any real standards for applying the term provoked harsh censure from critics and food muggles (myself included) can’t help but continue to see farm-to-table as “Farm-to-table” claims are dubious, simple in concept and even simpler in potential benefits. That is, to eat locally sourced food when possible, because it so it’s worth seeking out the real deal tends to be grown and raised more ethically while also supBy Jonathan Mandel porting the regional community. Frankly, it also tastes better most of the time. Though we may live in a post-farm-to-table Perhaps due to profligate overuse, the term “farm-to- world, there are still plenty of restaurants trying to push our table” no longer annexes any specific meaning. In 2015, fad food consumption tendencies in the right direction. In 2014, comedian John Oliver made famous “the saubecame fraud when it was discovered that lots of restaurants were marketing themselves as “farm-to-table” without actu- sage principle”: If you love something, never find out how it was made. But at Supannee House of Thai (2907 Shelally purchasing much of their food from local farms. ter Island Drive, sdthai.com) JONATHAN MANDEL in Point Loma, the staff won’t just tell you about how its sausages are made—one can find pictures of every step of the process on its social media accounts from hand-picking the herbs to serving up delicious nam kao tod, a crispy rice dish with bits of sausage mixed into it. Since opening in 2011, the restaurant has grown as many of its own ingredients as possible at its own half-acre farm in El Cajon and garden in Point Loma. Though one might expect this to limit the menu, the restaurant still boasts a robust offering of traditional Thai dishes. The spicy local fish sauté— sea bass, the day I visited—is cooked perfectly and served in Whole fried fish at Garden Kitchen a rich, sour red broth. But the

highlight of the dish is the vegetables: Thai eggplants, pea eggplants and green peppercorns explode with flavor, a fresh, earthy complement to the rest of the dish. When Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub (1815 S. Coast Hwy. seabasstropub.com) co-owner Jessica Waite looks at one of her Oceanside restaurant’s dishes, she can tell you the first names of the farmers who grew every vegetable on the plate. For Waite and her husband, farm-to-table means building relationships within one’s community. They opened Wrench & Rodent as a sushi restaurant in 2013 and The Whet Noodle as a ramen bar next door in 2016 to support farmers and encourage healthy food consumption among North County residents. Most striking of the dishes I sampled was halibut sashimi in a citrus glaze, served with plums and Fresno chilies, and garnished with basil and fennel. A barrage of different flavors, sure, but not overwhelming: The sweetness of the plums pairs perfectly with the tangy spice of the citrus glaze, and the cool, mild fish brings an exciting texture to the table. Regardless of whether or not one subscribes to the farmto-table philosophy, it is an impressive logistical feat that up to 98 percent of what Garden Kitchen (4204 Rolando Blvd., gardenkitchensd.com) serves comes from local farms. Even more impressive is the fact that the Rolando restaurant’s menu changes daily, based on what local farmers and fishermen have available. I was lucky enough to try owner and chef Coral Fodor Strong’s favorite dish: whole fried fish (gold spotted bass from Baja on that particular night) with coconut cream spicy curry sauce, beefsteak tomatoes and sautéed veggies. I’ve never tasted better fried fish in my life; it was like ordering less salty, less lemony fish and chips, minus the chips, and I could honestly chug the savory golden curry sauce. As an added plus, Garden Kitchen’s drink menu consists entirely of local wines, house sangria and, of course, craft beer.

Getting prehistoric on the paleo diet By Ryan Bradford Why the hell would anyone want to eat like a caveman? I think this before embarking on a weeklong trial of the paleo diet. As I understand it, the diet allows you to only eat what a caveman would eat. This means: meat, fruits, nuts and veggies. You know, hunting and gathering. Granted, this is also the extent of my knowledge—which is superficial at best, based on the fact that I had overheard this explanation years ago while attending a group workout class. But it seems that evolution has freed us from the stress of hunting/gathering, and even those that fetishize primal dieting seem to be doing it to adhere to modern standards of beauty and health. And where does one eat paleo today, given that so many of our foods are mass-produced? My quest for these answers takes me to the obvious first stop: Paleo Treats (4662 30th St., paleotreats.com) in North Park. If there’s one thing that’ll lure me into a diet, it’s the allowed sweets, and this bright and welcoming bakery has a fine selection. While there, I chat with co-founder Lee Selman, who gives me an incredibly helpful crash course in paleo. “In the context of evolution, the past 10,000 years of evolution is just a blip on the radar,” Selman says. She further explains that this is the reason there are so many digestive

GOTTA BE FRESH

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Steak at Tender Greens

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TH E FOO D I SSU E

TUTTI FRUITY Fruitarianism was good enough for Steve Jobs… why not me? By Lara McCaffrey I found an overwhelming amount of medical articles cautioning against fruitarianism, a diet famously revered by Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. My research made me skeptical of the diet’s benefits, as fruitarians eat a minimal diet of fruit, seeds and nuts, but I was still willing to try some fruity dishes. However, I found that locating fruitarian-friendly dishes was incredibly difficult, so I played it safe and hit up a fruteria first. To answer disgraced former La Gracia owner Jenny GREG CERWONKA

Zucchini lasagna at O.B. Garden Café

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Niezgoda’s question (“What’s a fruteria you ask?”), a fruteria is a Mexican juice bar and deli. Fruteria Disfrutalas (3647 University Ave., disfrutalas.com) was recommended to me by a friend who lives in City Heights. He said this spot is well loved unlike La Gracia, which only got as far as a Kickstarter after San Diegans slammed it for being a whitewashed version of the real thing. I got a chamango—a drink with icy mango puree and swirls of chamoy topped with tamarind candy and mango slices. This was perfect for dessert haters because the spiciness of the chamoy and tamarind masked most of the mango’s sweetness. I do recommend mixing up this chamango before eating because slurping up pure chamoy can be a little intense. O.B. Garden Café (4741 Voltaire St., obgardencafe. coop) seemed like the perfect place for a fruitarian because of its vegan offerings. Opened just last year, the cafe is an expansion project of Ocean Beach People’s Organic Food Market. I settled on the zucchini lasagna, a carb-free take on pasta with zucchini noodles topped with house made cashew ricotta and marinara sauce. Before readers say, “hey that’s not fruit,” I’ll have you know zucchinis and tomatoes are botanically fruit even if they’re culinarily regarded as vegetables. *smug face* Cooked zucchini runs the risk of being watery but O.B. Garden Café did a good job pressing out moisture from their zoodles. I also loved the flavorful, chunky tomato. With spaghetti or penne I might have wanted a runnier sauce but this one worked nicely on a lasagna. I always expect to be hungry after eating only vegetables but I was pleasantly full by the end of my meal. The guava paleta from Tocumbo Ice Cream (tocumboicecream.com) was super refreshing for a hot San Diego day. I visited the Barrio Logan store (1900 Main St.) but Tocumbo also has locations in Chula Vista and Chollas View. This pal-

LARA MCCAFFREY

Pitaya bowl at Swami’s Cafe eta was made from the entire guava—I tasted chunks of guava skin, meat and seeds. Its natural fruit sweetness was much better than most overly sweet popsicles. The only downside was the large, round seeds, as they hurt to bite into. I’ve always loved sandwich shop Swami’s Cafe (swamiscafe.com) and am glad it’s expanding rapidly. I ordered a pitaya smoothie bowl from the North Park location (2920 University Ave.). The restaurant says it’s one of the first to introduce San Diego to pitaya and açaí bowls. The pitaya bowl was pretty and colorful as well as tasty. In a bowl as big as my face, vibrant magenta pitaya purée was topped with mango, strawberries, bananas, coconut shreds and granola. The fruit toppings were fresh and sweet and the pitaya was icy—perfect for surviving San Diego heatwaves. I was a bad pretend fruitarian and only noticed it had bee pollen when I was halfway done. Uggh, this diet is impossible to get right—how did Steve Jobs do it?

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RAW DEAL

and certainly much healthier substitute for a bowl of oiledup carbs. Trilogy Sanctuary (7650 Girard Ave., Suite 400, trilogysanctuary.com) in La Jolla follows the same model, meaning Veggie-based diets don’t get it specializes in vegan plates with some raw options. Yet, any realer than the raw kind Trilogy goes above and beyond by being not only vegan, but also gluten-free, soy-free and pesticide-free in all that it By Torrey Bailey does. “I think people are becoming a lot more open to tryRaw veganism consists of eating mostly or completely ing this kind of lifestyle and things like social media help raw, organic, unprocessed foods. That means raw foodists to make this popular and more well known,” says Trilogy don’t cook at temperatures higher than roughly 115 degrees Sanctuary founder Leila Dora. “I think people who didn’t Fahrenheit, if at all, because they believe high heat causes know about it, or considered it in the past, may realize that foods to lose their enzymes. This leaves, essentially, fresh raw vegan food is actually quite tasty and nourishing.” and dried fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, seaweed, raw eggs, At Trilogy, I ordered the Green Goddess salad. A comraw meat and raw fish on the table. bination of spring greens, spinach, kale, chopped cucumStill, rather than being a fad diet that pushes rapid loss ber, grated beets and carrots, topped with avocado and of weight, raw veganism focuses on inCOURTESY OF CAFE GRATITUDE eggplant bacon bits and tossed with creasing energy and improving digessmoky tomato dressing. It was essention as well as overall health, according tially the average salad and while the to food blog The Spruce Eats. eggplant bacon bits didn’t resemble In San Diego, vegan restaurants bacon, they were the main attraction have become increasingly more comnonetheless. mon, and each typically houses a few One thing that raw foodists do amazraw vegan options. Such is the case ingly well is dessert. At Trilogy, it was with Cafe Gratitude (1980 Kettner Majestic, a raw carrot cake with hints Blvd., cafegratitude.com) in Little Italy, of cinnamon, spices and nuts plus a vaa higher-end, gourmet vegan choice. nilla and lemon zest icing. At Peace Pies There, I ordered the Fabulous (aka raw (4230 Voltaire St., peacepies.com) in Liberated at Cafe Gratitude Mexican lasagna). Made with squash Ocean Beach, it was a raw vegan choconoodles, cilantro pumpkin seed pesto, cashew queso fres- late and coconut cheesecake. Despite being made of fruits, co and cacao mole, this was not the comfort food from my nuts and cacao, it was creamy, full in flavor and doesn’t have childhood. However, the Liberated dish (aka raw pesto kelp the overbearing cheesiness of regular cheesecake. Being ponoodles) was delicious. With basil hempseed pesto, olives, tentially the only completely raw vegan restaurant in San Dicashew ricotta and brazil nut parmesan, it was a welcome ego, Peace Pies excels in its entire menu, from the Magical

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COURTESY OF TRILOGY SANCTUARY

Majestic Carrot Cake at Trilogy Sanctuary Mango Curry Wrap to crave-worthy kale chips. And they’re actually hearty enough to feel full afterward. “The way the body works, you’re going to eat until your body says you’re full,” says Peace Pies owner PJ Alfred. “So if you’re getting the vitamins and nutrients and minerals you need quicker, your body and brain is going to switch and say ‘Hey, I’m full.’ There’s a reason you can eat a pound of pasta and that’s because it’s nutritionally void, you can just keep going and going and going until your stomach is literally full and then you’ve got the food coma and the nap that follows.” But the most emphasized commonality between each of these restaurants is eating to healthily satisfy the body’s needs, not adhering to strict dietary limitations. “I really believe that balance is key and eating to that point where you feel good,” says Alfred. “If you’re having a hard time digesting raw broccoli or whatever it is, then don’t do it for you. Do what makes you feel good. Don’t feel like you’re on this 100 percent raw food thing, and you can’t deviate at all. I feel like that’s where a lot of people fail with trying to do or live the raw food diet.”

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WIKI COMMONS

CULTURE | FOOD

H EL P N EEDED Anthony Bourdain’s impact on the region will be felt forever, but larger industry questions still linger BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Anthony Bourdain

He meant even more to Latino chefs, out his over 300 episodes of four different chefs at “those fancy schmancy kitchens o look for meaning in the face that are insanely clean and attract only of tragedy is a quintessentially shining a light on the fact that the cooks in shows (five more episodes, at various states the very driven and serious, even they have human response. Faced with a the back-of-the-house tended to be Mexi- of completion before his death, are set to air this fall)—he would definitely not be the some of the same tendencies as those [in death, it feels like it ought to can. He brought them out of the shadows. “Nobody talked about that, it’s a big loss,” first high profile chef to go that route. The kitchens with] coke-heads and pre-breaded mean something. Whether it’s the stuff of philosophy—ancient or mod- says Plascencia. “Talk to every cook—Mexi- most striking example was Bernard Loiseau. chicken tenders.” The atmosphere is intensely competiern—or more personal, it feels there must can or Latino—they know who Bourdain was. The chef/owner of La Côte d’Or, at the time be something more to it than just a crossing He talked kitchen language. He was the real of his death, was the single most recogniz- tive, and its denizens are unwilling to fail at able Chef in France. More recently, Benoît thing. He wasn’t faking it.” all costs. Showing weakness is often a fate over. Violie—the Chef of Switzerland’s Res- worse than death. There is nothing healthy Urban Solace Chef Matt Gordon obSuch was the case in the days following taurant de l’Hôtel de Ville— took about kitchen life. The hours all but prohibAnthony Bourdain’s death. It certainly was serves that “Bourdain got out” of his own life. it a normal non-work life. for me. I’d begun writing about food and the industry. As Mission Avenue Bar & “He was the first to say he Asked why he would put in those sorts culture (with doses of history and politics Grill’s William Eick pointed of hours when he didn’t have to, Eick retossed in) before I knew of Bourdain and wasn’t a chef. He was a baout, “many other success- sponds: “because that’s what we do.” The before Kitchen Confidential. But it took Tony dass... basically, what every ful chefs have killed them- hours, the lifestyle: It changes you. guy wishes he could be,” Bourdain to really show me the way. selves, but almost none as Still, there’s talk of changes; talk of supSan Diego food blogger Scott Koenig says Gordon. “From a chef’s publicized as Bourdain.” In- port and finding ways to decrease the pres(agringoinmexico.com) speaks for many perspective, we didn’t lose a dustry depression can often sure, and maybe even the hours and upping Bourdain fans when he says, “Bourdain’s No chef. He stopped being that be attributed to the nature of the pay (in an industry famed for its low marReservations motto of ‘I write, I travel, I eat… before we ‘knew him.’” the job. Eick observes “the hours… gins, it’s certainly another cause of pressure). Chef Kat Humphus says the and I’m hungry for more’ struck a chord.” Kat are less than ideal in terms of mental But how? At a time when it’s increasingly Bourdain showed fans larger and hidden “chance to ‘get out’ of that rugged Humphus and grungy part of the restaurant difficult for restaurants to find qualified, urparts of the world and, for many, they health.” industry” is exactly what Bourdain gently needed back-of-the-house staff, such often didn’t know what they were Davin Waite, chef/owner of Wrench & represented to those still work- Rodent Seabasstropub, thinks that in order changes would be difficult. missing. Bourdain’s Baja epiing within it. In the end, opinions of Bourdain and his sode of No Reservations meant “to understand the mental health issues The first question asked chefs face, you first have to begin to undeath largely depended on the viewer. a lot to the region. Javier by many—industry and non- derstand the types of individuals For the fans, they lost the guy Plascencia says, “He didn’t industry—upon hearing of that thrive in the kitchen enviwho was living their dream and put Tijuana on the map but Bourdain’s death was “why?” ronment.” It’s a love, a passion showed them the world. For helped get a lot of people’s Why did the guy who was and a career he says, but also Latino cooks, they lost the guy attention to come and see... A seemingly living the dream, a compulsion. who made them visible. For lot of people came for the first the ex-chef who “got out,” hang chefs, they lost one of their time, especially younger people, “We were born to do it himself? Others dismissed the because personally we are own or the guy who “got out.” and they wanted to go the places Javier question itself as an invitation to miserable doing anything But still, what does it mean? he went.” If there’s to be meaning in The change had already hap- Plascencia speculate on the unknowable. else,” Waite says. Cesar Vallin, managing partner of Cloak Bourdain’s passing—on top of pened, but Bourdain recognized it and told Chef Matt Gordon goes on Loiseau and Violier before him—it the world about it. But perhaps the group & Petal, says he doesn’t “believe it’s fair to describe that starting in the Matt might be a movement toward real to whom Bourdain meant the most was the for anyone to speculate.” But most, even industry is a terrifying, dangerous, Gordon some of those who thought it was unfair locker room environment. Afterchange in an industry that is charregion’s chefs. acterized by hospitality, but comes with “He was an idol, people looked up to to hazard a guess, see the answer as clear: shift drinks and drugs is the norm, not the crushing pressure. Perhaps there could be him—I looked up to him,” Plascencia says. depression. If, as seems likely, depression exception. Humphus takes it further. movement to provide the one thing every“He was just a true idol because of how he was the root cause of Bourdain’s suicide— “Many kitchens were originally a place he left many clues to that effect through- of refuge for people,” Humphus says. Even one agrees is needed: help. lived his life, what he wrote.”

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AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29

CULTURE | FILM

Black and proud

BlackKklansman

Spike Lee rewrites history with thunder by Glenn Heath Jr.

pike Lee has spent his career confronting the might mistake it for the land of Trump. Racist vitriol harsh social and economic realities of being threatens to go mainstream, police officers harass Black in America. While they often vary in set- and beat Black people, and demagogues whip up hate ting and tone, each Lee “joint” (as he’s always called through mass communication platforms. It seems the his films) paints an eerily similar picture of how insti- more America changes, the more it stays the same. Lee audaciously mixes elements of comedy, satire, tutionalized racism and social injustice become rooted in complacent mainstream culture. No other film in police procedural and thriller, experimenting with jarLee’s filmography deconstructs this premise quite like ring tonal shifts to create a personal history of black BlackKklansman, a mesmerizing biopic about the wild, activism that runs parallel to the more storied narratrue story of a black Colorado Springs police officer tives of the civil rights movement and radical militancy. As a shape shifting biopic, BlackKklansman utilizes who successfully infiltrates the town’s local Ku Klux various forms of archival media (some real, some fabKlan chapter. As the lone Black officer in his department, Ron ricated) to invoke the gross manipulation of historical Stallworth (John David Washington) operates with- record by white authors. It begins with a sequence from in a rigged system. During his initial job interview, Gone With the Wind, and then cuts to filmed outtakes high-ranking law enforcement officials tell Ron that, featuring the fictional racist Dr. Kennebrew Beauregard if hired, he will be the department’s Jackie Robinson. (Alec Baldwin) spouting intolerance and hate. Memories and stories But their version of breakrecounted by those who ing the color barrier inlived through the Jim Crow volves burying him in the BLACKKKLANSMAN era function as counterrecords department where Directed by Spike Lee points. Aged Civil Rights opportunistic trolls take activist Jerome Turner, pot shots. Quickly fed up Starring John David Washington, played by the great Harry with their antics, Ron adAdam Driver and Topher Grace Belafonte, delivers a sobervocates for a transfer to Rated R ing monologue detailing undercover. the lynching of a family Asked to infiltrate a friend in the early 1920s, Black power rally headlined by radical activist Kwame Ture aka Stokely Car- noting that Birth of a Nation undoubtedly inspired michael (Corey Hawkins), Ron jumps at the chance the mob’s brutal actions. Lee crosscuts the horror of for fieldwork. The former Black Panther’s passionate his recollection with the Klan members hooting and speech reveals Lee’s thesis: redefining blackness be- hollering during a screening of the racist film, which gins at the personal level. Take notice of how the faces sounds, unsurprisingly, similar to a Trump rally. Jerome reminds his captive audience of Black stufrom the crowd appear in dreamy trios, helping contextualize the scene as a collective awakening Ron has dents that President Woodrow Wilson was also a fan of D.W. Griffith’s film, describing it as “history writto resist while on the job. For much of the film, Ron occupies spaces in ten with lighting.” In BlackKklansman, Lee beautifully both white and Black circles. Lee turns this notion re-writes history with thunder, and with Ron’s story on its head after Ron decides to do a little trolling subverting and destroying the mechanisms of white of his own, investigating Klan members by posing supremacy from the inside out. But his is only a minor as a potential recruit over the phone. A white detec- victory in a war of ideology that still rages today. Lee tive named Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) doubles puts an exclamation point on this very truth by endas Ron in person, completing the second part of an ing the film with a collection of footage from the 2017 elaborate sting operation. Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. While set in the 1970s, many of the social injustices depicted remain relevant today. If the characters Film reviews run weekly. weren’t dressed in bell-bottoms or donning Afros one Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

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CULTURE | FILM

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda

Nature’s sonic pulse

nspired by the audible density of nature, Japanese composer and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto blends ambient sounds with his own avantgarde orchestrations. His deeply entrancing music has added sonic layers to art films and genre pieces alike, from Brian De Palma’s Femme Fatale to Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, for which Sakamoto won an Academy Award. In the lovely new documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda, director Stephen Nomura Schible juxtaposes Sakamoto’s dynamically experimental music with the quiet grace of his process, which often involves recording an archive of organic sounds in various remote locations.

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In the opening scene, Sakamoto examines a working piano that survived the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, trying to rediscover what he refers to as its “pulse.” Coda remains determined to listen and watch as he conducts similar tests on various instruments. Rarely does an artist profile so thoroughly embrace the style of the artist it’s profiling. Schible’s approach displays a welcome tenderness, but never turns sentimental. The striking tonal balance can best be seen in the interviews where Sakamoto discusses his sudden throat cancer diagnosis in 2014, around the time he agreed to score Alejandro González Iñárritu’s The Revenant.

Formally, Coda doesn’t resemble other documentaries of its ilk. There are carefully planned zoom shots that help immerse the viewer in Sakamoto’s hypnotic recording exercises. Maybe these wonderful bursts of style are in some ways an ode to Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky, who Sakamoto admits influenced his work greatly. Archival footage, both from Sakamoto’s early performances and curated film clips, reveal him to be an artist who embraces the world’s soundtrack on its own terms. Coda (opening Friday, Aug. 10 at Angelika Carmel Mountain and the Digital Gym Cinema) illuminates the nuances of his career-defining perspective in subtle ways. Like Sakamoto himself, it seems fascinated by the idea of “perpetual sound,” and perpetual creativity.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING A Midsummer’s Night Dream: Rachel Leigh Cook headlines this fizzy modern update of William Shakespeare’s classic comedy. Opens Friday, Aug. 10, at the Landmark Ken Cinema. BlackKklansman: Spike Lee’s latest “joint” tells the wild true story of a 1970s Colorado Springs police officer (John Da-

vid Washington) that goes undercover to take down the local Ku Klux Klan chapter. Co-starring Adam Driver. El Callejón de los Milagros: Heated tempers, frustrated desires and dashed hopes plague a diverse group of individuals whose lives cross paths in Mexico City in Jorge Fons’ iconic Mexican film. Opens Friday, Aug. 10, at the Digital Gym Cinema. Dog Days: In what looks like the canine version of Paul Haggis’ Crash, a group of Los Angelenos become connected because of their dogs. Opens wide Wednesday, Aug. 8. McQueen: This documentary looks at the life and career of fashion designer Alexander McQueen, including exclusive interviews with collaborators and friends. Opens Friday, Aug. 10, at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas. Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda: A documentary about the Japanese composer, who has spent decades experimenting with merging natural sounds and avant-garde compositions. Opens Friday, Aug. 10, at Angelika Carmel Mountain Cinemas and the Digital Gym Cinema. Slender Man: Countless children have disappeared thanks to a faceless monster figure that wreaks havoc in this new horror film. Opens wide, Friday, Aug. 3. The Meg: Jason Statham battles a massive pre-historic shark off the coast of China in what is surely to be this summer’s finest masterpiece. Opens wide on Friday, Aug. 10.

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

AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 31

EBRU YILDIZ

MUSIC

From left: Greg Fox, Ben Greenberg and Michael Berdan n episode five of last year’s Twin Peaks: The Return, there’s a sequence of scenes involving a group of car thieves who roll through a Las Vegas housing tract. When they first appear, they’re blasting some aggressive, noisy music just before screaming “fuck off” at a kid who sees them. When they come back, there’s a similarly intense-sounding machine-punk song in the background as three of them break into Dougie Jones’ car, which then explodes. The songs in both scenes are provided by Uniform, the New York industrial group formed by Michael Berdan and Ben Greenberg. In the context of the show, their loud, pummeling music is an exception rather than the rule. Well, there’s a Nine Inch Nails song, but the rest of the soundtrack comprises eerie ambience or the surreal psychedelia of performers at the Bang Bang Bar. Yet with more than a million viewers for the series, Twin Peaks: The Return provided the biggest audience Uniform’s had to date. “It’s amazing. Ben’s a longtime fan of the show, I have deep respect for David Lynch and watching that happen in real time was

nuts, and opened up to a whole different type of audience. People who are fanatical about Twin Peaks and the works of David Lynch aren’t necessarily the same people who are listening to garbage industrial music,” Berdan says from the phone, complete with laughs from other members of the band inside their tour van. “Fortunately enough those people have given us a chance, and that’s pretty lovely.” Berdan jokes, but there’s some truth to the point he makes: Uniform’s music harbors the kind of abrasion and menace that can come as a bit of a shock to first-time listeners. Their second album The Long Walk, due out this month via Sacred Bones Records, only pushes further into heavier and more physical sounds thanks to an important addition: a live drummer. After the drum-machine-driven thump of 2017’s Wake In Fright, they’ve brought in Greg Fox, also of Liturgy and Zs, to add some more muscle behind their noisy tracks. Unsurpris-

32 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

ingly, it’s the heaviest thing the band’s ever released. On the leadoff track “The Walk,” there’s a brief introduction of haunting synth before a sharp jolt of static ushers in Greenberg’s distorted-to-oblivion guitars and Fox’s heavy rhythms. “Headless Eyes” retains some of the atmospheric terror of the group’s earlier tracks, but is bolstered by a punchier beat. Uniform sound more like a proper group of musicians playing live, which required a change of approach while recording. “Over time it became clear to me that it was something that would sound better with a drummer,” Berdan says. “We just wanted to make a record that was more midtempo than the last and incorporate this live acoustic element along with the triggered, sampled elements that we had. But where the last record was entirely made on a computer, this was made entirely live.” As with past records, Berdan barks his lyr-

ics in a stream of consciousness manner, and more often than not they serve to intensify the music more than tell a story. But on this record, the themes in his lyrics are pulled from things as wide-ranging as Stephen King (the album is named after King’s first book, The Long Walk), capitalism and religion. Spirituality is a thread that carries through the entire record. One song is called “Transubstantiation,” nodding to Berdan growing up Catholic, and the album’s cover depicts a kid with a shirt that reads “Kingdom of God” in front of a locked gate that says “No admittance.” It’s representative of how Berdan feels as an adult. That is, seeking the peace of a spiritual practice but horrified by the oppression that a religion can cause. “I grew up in a very devout, active Catholic family... and pretty early on I felt put off from that,” Berdan says. “I felt that my family and the people around me did what they did and said what they said because of a fear of theological heaven and hell and wanting to keep up appearances. But a little further on, I found that the church’s stance on contraception, reproductive rights, LGBTQ-plus issues is abhorrent, and any institution that I feel is oppressive or does more harm than good is something I don’t want to hang my hat on. So I got away from that, but I’ve gotten back into this idea of praying and meditating and sitting with certain readings to kind of gain this idea of a universal peace and universal acceptance.” As Berdan continues on his spiritual journey, there’s something that always recenters him: music. While Uniform is loud and chaotic—the kind of music that makes sense soundtracking an exploding car—it’s just the kind of release that he needs. “I still feel that the prime purpose it serves is when we’re doing this, we tend to black out and lose focus on everything else,” he says. “I’m not consumed with Donald Trump’s Twitter when I’m playing music. I’m just playing and expressing my frustrations and fears, and hitting my release valve helps me to feel better overall. The difference between playing regularly and not having played for a couple of months is pretty palpable. If I don’t play for a couple of months, I start to feel crazy and start to get consumed. When I start to play regularly, I come to a place of peace that’s sort of unknown to me. It acts as an anti-anxiety and anti-depressant, and I’m very grateful to have it.” Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com. Follow him on Twitter @1000TimesJeff

MUSIC

BY RYAN BRADFORD

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY

il-Two Club has a new owner. Last week, local chef and property manager Alex Carballo along with partner Julie Darling, took over the City Heights bar located at 4746 El Cajon Blvd. The bar and music venue had previously been owned by Mick Rossler, owner of Tower Bar. For Carballo, whose properties have included URBN and Moto Deli, the opportunity to run a music venue is the fulfillment of a longtime dream. “I told my broker that if something with a potential music venue comes up to let me know,” says Carballo, who doesn’t plan on changing the name of the venue. “I used to play here when I was younger. I’ve always wanted to do this. Hasn’t everyone had this dream at some point? I also live in Del Cerro, so I’m not far from there. It’s right in my own backyard.” Despite the fact that Carballo’s background is in restaurants and food, he doesn’t intend to add a kitchen or incorpo-

THE MONTH IN BEATS

THE

rate a menu into the club’s operations. In fact, getting away from the workload of running a restaurant is one of the reasons he was attracted to the bar in the first place. “I’ll probably pickle some things, and do some cool things with drinks,” he says. “But one of the JEFF TERICH reasons that this attracted me is that it’s more low-maintenance than a restaurant. To have something that doesn’t require as much personal labor.” Til-Two Club, which was once the Beauty Bar prior to 2010, underwent some structural changes in 2016, including moving the formerly outdoor stage, removing the dropped ceiling and some other improvements. So for Til-Two Club Carballo, there’s not much need for a massive overhaul, just the usual upgrades that come with time and wear. “It mostly just needs some TLC,” he says. “I intend to just give it a little love. Just some basic, minor issues here and there. It’s not broken, so does it really need fixing?”

—Jeff Terich

picture, however, as Soundshift leaps from one approach to the next across this EP, frequently incorporating weird sounds but occasionally revealing an unexpected accessibility. ’ve long thought that San Diego’s electronic music scene On the more experimental end of the spectrum, the prolifis underrated. While EDM acts still manage to pack crowds at the more posh Downtown clubs, it’s often off the beaten ic, iconoclastic Tenshun has released Methods of the Unknown (10shun.bandcamp.com), which features a series path where some of the more interesting beats can of lengthy, peculiar compositions that merge IDM be heard. And with recent events like Glyph, Astro rhythms with noise. “Chambers of The Inner Brain” Jump and lowercase everything showcasing some is something like Aphex Twin at his most hyperacof the more interesting underground beatmakers, tive and run through a series of distortion pedals, the time seemed right to launch a new periodic while “Mr. Toad Eats The Mushroom” is every bit rundown of the most interesting new local electhe head trip its title suggests. Similarly, OAA’s tronic releases (this space will also see a rotation Tear 015 (useroaa.bandcamp.com) pairs house and of other genres in the coming weeks). techno rhythms with the grimy aesthetics of indusAYP’s Separation (aypsounds.bandcamp.com) trial, creating dance music that feels apocalyptic is a promising if short set of dark techno and synMethods of the without losing its sense of fun. It’s menacing stuff, thwave that maintains a compelling pulse amid a Unknown but still accessible. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear crackly layer of static. It’s not all strictly dancefloor something like this on an episode of Mr. Robot. fare and while “adult” is conducive to movement, “a Finally, TitoValentino’s ...What Love Sounds Like (titovalenknot under my skin” is more haunting and atmospheric. All in tino.bandcamp.com) offers a much lighter, more summery style all, it’s a strong start. Soundshift’s Pull Me From the Bottom (soundshift.band- of instrumental electro-funk and drum-machine slow jams. It’s camp.com) is more rooted in hip-hop beats, though they’re the a laid-back counterpoint to some of the darker beats bubbling sort that showcase more of a connection to the warped psy- up in the city right now, and it’s easy to get into its grooves. chedelic sounds of Flying Lotus’ Brainfeeder label than more —Jeff Terich traditional rap production. Even that doesn’t reveal the full

SPOTLIGHT

Weezer

hat more can be said about Weezer that hasn’t been said? Yes, I count myself among the large school of petulant hipsters who felt personally attacked when Rivers Cuomo ditched his vulnerable, intriguingly unlikeable songwriting in favor of stupid rip-offs (“Beverly Hills” is a nadir of 2000s-play radio, in my opinion). I can still put on Pinkerton and love the hell out of it, and constantly wonder what happened? But all those complaints are drops in an ocean of music opinions. And let’s not forget that not everything postPinkerton has been absolute dreck. Their green album had some bonafied gems. And 2016’s white album nearly felt like a return to the poppy longing and insecurity of their first album. However, I draw the line at their recent cover of Toto’s “Africa.” Supposedly, the song was prompted by a fan’s social media campaign to get the band to cover the iconic, sonically-perfect ’80s hit. The campaign became so popular that Weezer did it, and now it’s their biggest hit in years. Now, I don’t hate fun, but it annoys me when artists cave in to fandom. We see it all the time in pop culture: Marvel and Star Wars films are so attuned to audience desires that when the films stray from expectations (e.g. portraying Luke Skywalker as a dick or focusing on women characters), people boycott, sign petitions and generally shit their diapers. Fans shouldn’t be entitled to the work of artists—it just sets a dumb and stupid precedent. But I digress. Anyway, Weezer will undoubtedly play “Africa,” which sucks, but they’ll probably also play a lot of their good stuff, too. Weezer plays with Pixies on Saturday, Aug. 11 at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre

AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 33

MUSIC

PHOTO BY CHANTAL ANDERSON

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, AUG. 8

PLAN A: Jesse Marchant, Howard Ivans @ Soda Bar. I don’t know that much about Jesse Marchant, but after hearing his atmospheric indie pop, I’m sold. He blends tender balladry with spacious production. It’s the kind of music that immediately transports the listener somewhere else.

THURSDAY, AUG. 9

PLAN A: Forest Grove, Hours, Gloomsday, Low and Be Told @ The Casbah. Nepotism alert! CityBeat web editor Ryan Bradford plays drums in Forest Grove, who play a unique blend of thrash metal and punk with a bit of theatricality thrown in. Plus they stacked this lineup full of other amazing local bands, so that’s four great reasons to show up. PLAN B: KRS-One @ Observatory North Park. Even if KRS-One had done absolutely nothing for the past couple decades, he’d still be one of the most influential rappers alive. Whether as a solo emcee or as a member of Boogie Down Productions, he’s made more than his share

of great hip-hop records. BACKUP PLAN: SOB x RBE @ SOMA.

FRIDAY, AUG. 10

BACKUP PLAN: Winter, Vinyl Williams @ Blonde.

SATURDAY, AUG. 11

PLAN A: Weezer, Pixies @ Open Air Theater. Forgive me: I don’t like Weezer. “The World Has Turned And Left Me Here” is a great pop song, I suppose, but the real reason this is here is for The Pixies. They influenced pretty much every guitar-based band under the sun and released five amazing records in five years. That’s a streak few other bands can compete with. PLAN B: Lemuria, Katie Ellen, DUSK @ The Casbah. This trio has a catchy indie rock sound that’s subtly complex, injecting interesting chord structures and intricate layers in otherwise immediately accessible fuzz-pop songs. BACKUP PLAN: Cave Bastard, Ruin, Pornohelmut @ Tower Bar.

PLAN A: Tenshun, Azuresands, W0RK, Giveaway @ Soda Bar. Tenshun’s one of San Diego’s busiest beatmakers, whether it’s working with emcee Stuntdouble or as half of noise duo Skrapez. His solo material is some of his weirdest and most avant-garde, however, and PLAN A: The Redwoods it’s impressive to hear him Revue w/ Rebecca Jade and get such nasty sounds out the Cold Fact, Dani Bell and of a pair of turntables. PLAN B: Ben Nichols, Oliver Peck @ Jess Williamson the Tarantist, Cardinal Moon @ Loews Coronado Bay Resort. The Casbah. Ben Nichols is best known as the vocalist for alt-country band There aren’t many guarantees in life, but one Lucero, and his solo material isn’t really all that I stand by is that every time The Redthat different, just a little quieter. Anyone woods Revue puts on a show, it’s going to be with a soft spot for earnest American music a lot of fun. This time around, a handful of will appreciate his heartbreaking ballads. the local label/collective’s artists are playing

34 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

SUNDAY, AUG. 12

by the beach in Coronado, which adds a bit of scenery to the grooves. PLAN B: Pyrrhon, Succumb, Korbukow @ SPACE. New York City’s Pyrron is an experimental metal band that still destroys, but in a cerebral way. They employ odd time signatures, complex dynamics and a tendency not to lean on cliché tropes. It’s weird stuff, but it’s amazing. PLAN C: Sundrop Electric, Hail Hail, Runs Deep @ The Casbah. Local psych-rock outfit Sundrop Electric have a sound that ranges from jangly pop to a dense shoegaze sound, and it pretty much all works. BACKUP PLAN: Giraffes? Giraffes!, Mylets, Fistfights With Wolves @ Soda Bar.

MONDAY, AUG. 13

PLAN A: Jess Williamson @ Soda Bar. Los Angeles singer/songwriter Jess Williamson’s music is quiet and gorgeous. Sometimes it’s in the form of folk (think someone like Marissa Nadler), and sometimes it takes the form of a more richly arranged torch song. Either way, it’s always haunting.

TUESDAY, AUG. 14

PLAN A: Wanted Noise, Corporate Citizen, Sending Signals @ The Merrow. Guitar-slinging locals Wanted Noise are ostensibly a punk band, though more often than not they remind me of vintage grunge. Nostalgia for the ’90s is pretty prevalent now, but I’m a sucker for this kind of catchy, angsty sound.

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MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Humphreys, 9/12), Radio Moscow (Casbah, 9/13), Oxbow (Soda Bar, 9/16), Grieves (Casbah, 10/7), Jupiter and Okwess (Soda Bar, 10/8), Langhorne Slim (BUT, 10/9), Patterson Hood (Music Box, 10/12), Ozomatli (BUT, 10/13), Graham Nash (Humphreys, 10/13), Mayday Parade (HOB, 10/14), The Dodos (Casbah, 10/15), Basia (Humphreys, 10/23), Michigan Rattlers (Soda Bar, 10/28), The Meteors (Brick by Brick, 11/1), Suuns (Soda Bar, 12/9), Jefferson Starship (BUT, 1/910), Bananarama (Observatory, 1/27).

GET YER TICKETS Boris (Casbah, 8/15), 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

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Purple, Judas Priest (Mattress Firm, 9/26), Little Hurricane (Casbah, 9/29), 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), Wolfmother (Observatory, 11/1), 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. 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

at The Casbah. Mystic Bowie’s Talking Dreads at Belly Up Tavern.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 22

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.

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

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 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

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. L.A. Witch at The Casbah.

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 Antebellum, 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. Warren G, DJ Quik at Del Mar Racetrack.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 35

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35 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. Mrs. Henry at The Casbah.

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. Café Tacvba at Del Mar Racetrack. Black Friday w/ Quali at The Casbah.

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. Slightly Stoopid at Del Mar Racetrack. Slothrust at The Casbah.

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

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5 Leon Bridges at Open Air Theatre. Justin Hayward at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Samantha Fish at The Casbah. Oscar Key Sung at Soda Bar.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Anesthesia, Township Rebellion. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Something Like Seduction, Hunter Green. Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Far Out’ w/ DJ Tramlife. Thu: ‘Retrobox’ w/ DJ Chris

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

36 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Cold, cold, cold… Colder. Even colder. Oh my god, ice cold! You’re subzero. Is ice cold colder than subzero? Let’s not worry about that too much. You’re getting warmer now. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): You could test every blank page under black lights to see if it has an invisible ink message, or you can just assume it doesn’t because it never has. Really, just get on with your day.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): You can find everything you ever want

to know from a phone, but if you never look up you’ll never see a child laughing. He’s looking at a video on his own phone.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Just because you feel a spectral presence doesn’t mean you should assume it’s a Victorian-era child, and if it is then they’re probably just on vacation. Mind your business! SAGITTARIUS (November 22 -

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20):

It’s not critically important to consider issues from both sides. Anyone who tells you that is just hoping that you’ll accept the compromise and not find the hidden third side.

December 21): Sometimes when you ask for a sign, the universe gives you one in the form of a pole tagged with the word “mouse,” which you’ll then interpret as having some kind of meaning because you’re desperate.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): If you’re reading an article and it suggests “make your bed everyday” as a solution to anything, you can feel better knowing that person needs more help than you.

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 19): The world is not only made of things that can be rendered in blueprints, it’s also made out of the imagination it takes to dress up as a janitor and steal those blueprints.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): It’s possible that you are going to be on vacation this week and therefore out of my jurisdiction. Please consult a different astrologer at your destination.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February

VIRGO (August 23 September 22): Pursuit of

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): This week, your emotions move like the tides; endlessly and monotonously beating everything in their path into submission.

perfection is a fool’s errand! But if there’s anything you love more than being a fool, it’s doing errands.

18): Be wary of any inspiration that is predicated on purchasing whatever is on a television-shopping channel. After all, you haven’t slept in 20 hours.

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

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AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 37

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 Lopez. Fri: ‘House Friday’ w/ DJ Matthew Brian. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Kpop’ w/ DJ Brandon Fabio. Mon: ‘Organized Grime’. American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Gene Pompa. Fri: Deray Davis. Sat: Deray Davis. Sun: Deray Davis. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Static on the Stereo, Wartoad, Smiling Faces, Sundrop Electric. Fri: Sluka, Ganjawitch, Bad Applez. Sat: Secret Fun Club, Year of the Dead Bird. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown. Fri: Little Boots (DJ set). Sat: I_O. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘Shock’ w/ Old Man Johnson. Thu: Blood and Gold, The Natives. Fri: The Dinettes, Dirty Pennies, DJ Jeff. Sat: ‘Rocket Pop’ w/ DJ Rocket Rio. Sun: Meadow, Strawberry Moons. Mon: DJs Dunekat, RT. Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Wed: Dave Gleason. Thu: Adam Block Duo. Fri: Dave Booda and the Leftovers. Sat: Sofa King Bueno. Sun: Kenny Eng. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Shooter Jennings, Hellbound Glory. Thu: Ace Frehley, The Blitz Brothers. Fri: Pato Banton, Hazmatt. Sat: Super Diamond, CalPhonics. Sun: Shawn Colvin, Rett Madison. Tue: Mimi Zulu, Miki Vale, XIV. Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Uptown Rhythm Makers. Fri: The Hawt Jazz Injection, The Downs Family, The Tobasco Katz. Sat: Satellite Citi, Polux, The Slashes.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: ‘The Low End’. Fri: Winter, Vinyl Williams. Sat: ‘The Warriors Dance Party’. Sun: ‘Future Proof’. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Fri: Children of the Korn, Rage Again, BYOB. Sat: Time Machine, R.I.P., Side Hustle. Sun: Wink & Whistle Burlesque Showcase. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Zac Clark, Bob Oxblood. Thu: Forest Grove, Gloomsday, Hours, Low and Be Told. Fri: Ben Nichols, Oliver Peck. Sat: Lemuria, Katie Ellen, DUSK. Sun: Sundrop Electric, Hail Hail, Runs Deep. Tue: Downers, Pale Hush, Gypsy Wolf. Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. Wed: Hungry Cloud Darkening, Flower Animals, PJ Sparkles. Fri: Frontside, Spinebuster, Misdirection, Refuse, Gut Punch. Sat: Cameron Royce & the Lizards, Bearcall, Patrick Weil, The 131ers. Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Downtown. Fri: Irving Flores Trio. Sat: Jennifer Lee and Peter Sprague. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: ‘Beach Party’. Fri: DJ Wellman Sat: Bootleg Kev. Fluxx, 500 4 Ave., Downtown. Fri: DJ Bad. Sat: DJ Bamboozle. th

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Chad and Rosie. Thu: Robert Allen Shepherd. Fri: Chad and Rosie. Sat: Wild Child. Sun: Lil Baby. Tue: Ohgr. Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Becca Jay Band. Thu: Rosy Dawn. Fri: Funk’s Most Wanted. Sat: Gruvmatic, The Re-

flectors. Sun: Irieality, Stellita. Mon: Sue Palmer. Tue: Fuzzy Rankins. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Fri: ‘Mollywomp’. Sat: ‘Tech Support’. Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Alicia Previn, Jeremy Morris, Bart Mendoza & David Fleminger. Sat: Raena Jade. Sun: Gateway 95, The Clean Cut Hippies, Sabyrtooth. Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: JG Trio. Thu: Ron’s Trio. Fri: Wild Heart. Sat: Ron’s Garage. Sun: Joey Harris. Mon: Bob Wade. Tue: Sophisticats. Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Ben Vereen. Thu: Bruce Vilanch. Fri: Janice and Nathan. Sat: Sophia Alone. Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. Mon: Libbie Higgins. Tue: Andy and Nathan. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Tue: Wanted Noise, Corporate Citizen, Wicked Echoes. Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: James Allen. Fri: Snake Oil Gypsies. Sat: Shinebox. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Wed: Taken by Canadians, Scary Pierre. Thu: Quinto Sol, SM Familia, MISS LULÚ. Fri: Herb Alpert and Lani Hall. Sat: Electric Mud, Rhythm & The Method, Broken Stems. The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘Instant Crush’ w/ DJs Nastea, La Bucky. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Adam Salter, Ayla Simone. Sun: ‘Disaster Fest’ w/ Well Well Well, Bruin, Trip Advisor,

Lucy Ring, Shindigs. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJs Ramsey, AmbroseOM. OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Party Favor TV. Sat: Matoma. Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Thu: Zzymzzy Quartet. Fri: Dani Bell and the Tarantist. Sun: Alexis Joi. Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Fetty Wap. Sat: Ikon. Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Len Rainey. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Tacos Deluxe. Sat: Charles Burton. The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’. Sat: ‘Sabado En Fuego’. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: DJs John Joseph, Kinky Loops. Thu: DJs K-Swift, DVRKSLDE, Oblivion, G Skot, Casa Nuova. Fri: DJs Kiki, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs K-Swift, Taj. Sun: DJs Cros, Casey Alva. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Chloe Lou and Davies. Fri: Chickenbone Slim. Sat: Blue Largo. Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Karaoke. Sat: Acoustic Revolt. Tue: Rosa’s Cantina. Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: The Waylon Hicks Project. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: The Addictions. Sat: The Heavy Guilt. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Tue: Second Cousins. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City

Heights. Wed: Jesse Marchant, Howard Ivans Thu: Matthew Logan Vasquez, Dustin Lovelis, Taken by Canadians. Fri: Tenshun, Azuresands, W0RK, Giveaway. Sat: Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas, KERA. Sun: Giraffes? Giraffes!, Mylets, Fistfights With Wolves. Mon: Jess Williamson. Tue: Imagery Machine, The Mondegreens, The Lazulis. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Thu: SOB x RBE, Quando Rondo, Rucci, KT Foreign. Fri: Rubenstein Drive-By, Ignant Benches, The Rinds, Tommy Ragen, Street Surfers, Sun Honey Trinity. Sat: BluNites, The Abstracts, Material Boys, ShameFace, Wizard, Rain On Fridays. Mon: Between the Buried and Me, Born of Osiris, Veil of Maya, Erra, The Agony Scene, Allegaeon, Terror Universal, Soreption, Entheos. SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘Make Yourself At Home’. Thu: The Ataris, The Rough, Fallen Monuments. Sun: Pyrrhon, Succumb, Korbukow. Tue: Karaoke. Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Russ Yallop. Sat: JESUSDAPNK, Mad Waves. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: The Shell Corporation, MC&TB, Lightweight, Punchcard. Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: The Corner. Thu: Southbound. Fri: Coriander, Keep Your Soul. Sat: Kenny and Deez, Coriander. Sun: Stoney B Blues. Mon: Lucky Devils Band. Tue: Keep Your Soul. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Thu: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Fri: The Siers Brothers. Sat: Detroit Underground. Tue: Big Time Operator. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Los Pinche Pinches, Blacks Beach Boys, Daytrip. Fri: Altar De Fey, Bell Tower Bats. Sat: Cave Bastard, Ruin, Pornohelmut. Sun: Half Eaten, My Revenge, Good Time Girl. Mon: The Floor Is Lava, Half Eaten. U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park. Wed: DJ Mo Lyon. Thu: ‘Solace’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: DJ Qenoe. Sun: Synrgy, After the Smoke, Lion Sounds. Mon: ’31 Flavors’. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Jam On It’. Thu: ‘Love Affair - A Queer Dance Party’. Fri: ‘Death by Dancing’ w/ DJ Jon Blaj. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Sun: ‘Optimal Drive’. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: Jam Kwest, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Rebirth Brass Band, Henry. Fri: Ocean Beach Comedy. Sat: Chugboat, McBride and Friends. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Atala, Beira, Mortar, Solar Haze.

38 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 8, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

BY LARA MCCAFFREY

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat Edible arrangement

LARA MCCAFFREY

t seems a little ironic that I report for a cannabis column but have a very low tolerance when it comes to THC. Still, I do like dabbling in micro-dosing and trying out new CBD products. In the spirit of CityBeat’s Food Issue, I tried a few edible products that a budtender from Urbn Leaf (1028 Buenos Ave., urbnleaf.com) guaranteed would satisfy my sweet tooth but not make me fly that high. My cannabis adventure started out with PLUS pineapple coconut gummies (plusproducts.com). Each of the orange and white square-shaped candies is packed with 5mg of 99.9 percent pure cannabidiol (CBD) isolate. CBD is the non-psychoactive chemical found in the plant that provides relaxing effects. A CBD isolate is CBD in its purest form, stripped from other plant components. After a day filled with petty work drama at my miserable day job, I gobbled two gummies—one pineapple and one coconut—in hopes that it would calm my nerves. I did feel myself mellowing out but couldn’t tell if it was just a placebo effect. CBD doesn’t have an obvious and immediate calming effect for me. I did enjoy those gummy flavors though. They weren’t overly sweet and really did taste like tropical fruit. Big Pete’s Treats’ cannabis-infused chocolate chip cookies (bigpetestreats.com) probably had the most intense high out of all the goodies I procured. Big Pete’s has been in the medical cannabis industry for five years,

@SDCITYBEAT

PLUS pineapple coconut CBD gummies, KIVA Confections vanilla chai milk chocolate and Big Pete’s Treats cannabis-infused chocolate chip mini cookies but recreational users like me can now use its products. I tried just half of a 10mg tetrahydrocannabinol (aka THC, aka the psychoactive chemical in cannabis) sativa infused mini cookie. A little over an hour later, I felt its effects. The sativa made me feel jittery, which I didn’t like,

but I was still able to focus during conversations and tasks. Cannabis strains that fit under the sativa category are invigorating while indica strains are more sedative (a good way to remember the difference is that indica sounds like “in the couch”). I wasn’t into the high but thought the cookie itself was delicious. It was small but packed with lots of chocolate and a had a slight cannabis taste. If these weren’t laced with weed I’d have eaten a handful. Finally, I tried vanilla chai milk chocolate from KIVA Confections (kivaconfections.com). This psychoactive chocolate bar has 5mg of THC per piece—100mg of THC in the bar total. I, being a bit of a lightweight, only took one 5mg piece. The vanilla chai mixed well with the milk chocolate, creating a warm, comforting flavor. A pleasant high kicked in roughly two hours later just like the label said it would. KIVA’s blend of indica and sativa made me feel neither too jumpy nor sleepy. I enjoyed this more than the pure sativa cookie from Big Pete’s. When exploring the many edible products on the market, it’s important to remember that cannabis affects everyone differently. Just because I don’t like sativa or venturing further than micro-dosing doesn’t mean all users need to do the same. As anyone who has tried an edible before, it’s important to remember to be be a smart user. That is, wait an hour after taking an edible before taking another one, lest you become incredibly high and really feel like you’re falling into the couch.

AUGUST 8, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 39