San Diego CityBeat • Aug 19, 2015

news

Drought plan: Trading farm water for money

Culture

A theater is born, in their backyard

2 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

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Up Front | From the editor

Caring about bike-sharing

T

he bike-share program initiated by the city of San Diego could eventually reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

That’d be awesome. But DecoBike, the Miami-based company that partnered with the city on this endeavor, has proceeded thus far with the misplaced aplomb and public relations miscues we’ve come to expect from Team Spanos.

The recent fracas over siting DecoBike docking stations in Pacific Beach (following a long-delayed downtown rollout) prompted me to look back at the 2013 contract between the private company and the city. DecoBike is outlaying more than $7 million of its own money to set up and maintain the bike stands. The city pays nothing, and could make money, but does incur lost revenue.

The city stands to make money from a revenue-share agreement on bike rentals, membership fees and advertising on the bikes and the docking stations. After the first year of operation, DecoBike is obligated to a Minimum Guarantee Payment of $25,000 (assuming deployment of 1,800 bikes) to the city. Over the course of an initial 10-year contract that MGP rises to $175,000 per year.

In an email, DecoBike Vice President of Operations David Silverman said current company revenue is proprietary; the city, though, can audit him.

Silverman did reveal that 12 metered spaces (mostly downtown) were removed to make way for bike racks. With tenuous math at play, the city put it in writing that it could lose $1,700-$2,500 per meter/ month (that’s easily more than a quarter of a million dollars annually!). A vastly more conservative estimate—based on 12 meters pulling in a maximum of $12.50 a day, six days a week, puts the total potential lost revenue at (up to) $45,000 per year.

San Diego Corporate Partnerships & Development Director Natasha Collura says funds generated by parking meters can be allocated to promote alternative forms of transportation.

The dustup in Pacific Beach involves putting DecoBike racks on the tourist-laden boardwalk.

Bike rental shop owners say they met publicly with city representatives for more than a year to try and give input on where the DecoBike racks would be placed—so they wouldn’t compete with local businesses, be eyesores or add to congestion.

But some bike shop owners say DecoBike and the city have largely ignored their input. Many in PB are particularly incensed at the bike rack placed on the boardwalk at the foot of the lifeguard tower on Grand Avenue.

Jake Russell, whose family has owned Surf Monkey bike shop for 56 years, recently faced off on NBC-TV’s Politically Speaking with DecoBike’s Silverman, who was making a rare public appearance.

“I asked him to move [the Grand Avenue rack] and he refused,” said Russell.

Russell tells CityBeat he went to several meetings on the topic, but there was no way to voice opposition. He says he was promised by a city official that racks wouldn’t be placed on the boardwalk or near Surf Monkey. ron donoho Silverman said strategic locations are needed all over town for the sharing concept to succeed, and that “we have exceeded what the city requested when it comes to outreach.”

The contract gives the city the right, for safety reasons, to have any bike rack moved one block away within 30 days of notification. It further says if DecoBike does not move the rack the city can do so and force DecoBike to pay back the cost. Another section of the contract says DecoBike and the city must mutually arrive at a decision to move a rack.

DecoBike rack Pacific Beach is under the purview of District 3 City Councilmember Lorie Zapf.

Her director of communications, Alex Bell, said staff is in the process of setting up meetings to discuss moving the DecoBike racks from the boardwalk.

Zapf’s office says it will need more than 30 days to set up meetings and arrive at a new location that would likely be more than one block away from the Grand Avenue site.

DecoBike ought to concede this site, and needs to amp up its overall community outreach. Silverman, or someone, needs to provide more transparency.

The city’s effort to provide short-hop, twowheeled transportation options for city residents is laudable. But the notion—even the whispered perception—that the city has partnered with a private company to compete with mom-and-pop business for a share of the tourist market is unacceptable.

—Ron Donoho Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is crying at its desk like an Amazon employee.

Volume 14 • Issue 2 Editor Ron Donoho Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Kinsee Morlan Staff Writer Joshua Emerson Smith Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Carolyn Ramos Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

Contributors David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Jessica Johnson, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Chad Peace Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Tom Siebert, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse Production artist Rees Withrow MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia

Senior account executive Jason Noble Account Executives Beau Odom, Kimberly Wallace Marketing Intern Drake Rinks Accounting Kacie Cobian, Sharon Huie, Linda Lam Human Resources Andrea Baker

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Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail advertising@sdcitybeat.com. The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue.

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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 2015.

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August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Up Front | Letters

AARYN BELFER WENT VIRAL Thank you for saying what might not otherwise have been heard from a person of color [“A white person’s guide to activism,” July 22]. I am sure a lot of people stopped reading when they figured out where you were headed, but for those who do want to help, it helps! As a person of color, and an educator, it’s often difficult to see what goes on and act like it will all shake itself out somehow. What amazes me is that my college and high school friends cannot accept that I don’t or didn’t have every opportunity they had. Incredible. Yours is one of the columns I read CityBeat for, and I was not disappointed! Thank you for putting it out there, again, and for being honest. Much appreciated!

I hope you get more positive than negative feedback.

Jeffrey Jones, North County San Diego

Aaron De Groot, Mission Hills

MORE DISAGREEMENT

more BELFER I am in accord with [“A white person’s guide to activism,” July 22] and appreciate the clarity [Aaryn Belfer] brings to your community. This issue of me, my people, black and brown people being hunted and killed by the Police State is and should be of great concern to my white sisters and brothers. This systemic annihilation of us and the others is unconscionable and it frays the fabric of a nation supposedly built on fair just equity for all.

I stand in solidarity.

not the ethnic group I happened to be born into by accident of birth.

If we took Belfer’s advice, society would move more toward racial balkanization, than reconciliation. Yes, “Black Lives Matter,” but we have now reached the point in time where Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley can be booed at the “progressive” Netroots convention for saying, “All lives matter.” Shameful and illiberal.

In Belfer’s #11 suggestion for activism, she says “don’t take the mic” at rallies if you are white. So, our skin color should determine when and where we can practice free speech? Have we really reached this point? We all need to take a deep breath and recognize that true racial progress will be made when we all face each other as equal individuals and find the uniqueness in each, and not as members of man-made ethnic categories.

Edali Pollard, Los Angeles

DISAGREES WITH BELFER In response to Aaryn Belfer’s column offering whites a guide to racial activism, I have this: First off, I totally disagree we should “skip the sunshiny lie of colorblindness.”

Really? Why? Because it is wrong, or simply challenging to achieve? Nobody ever said it would be easy. But taking each individual on their own terms without regard to ethnicity is still a goal worth pursuing.

My identity is based on my individuality,

4 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

I think [Aaryn Belfer] is giving people very bad advice. From what I’ve heard Sandra Bland appeared to be an interrupter, an activist, in your words. And she’s dead, in part, because of it. Don’t you think it would have been better if she had just put out the cigarette, respectfully handed the officer her license and registration, accepted the ticket and gone on her way to her new job?

But no, she had to be an interrupter. And now she’s dead. And you’re encouraging others to do the same thing? I hope your advice doesn’t result in someone else behaving like a martyr and dying because of it, all because you want to be perceived as a great moral crusader. That would be tragic. Food for thought, I hope.

Brendan Harkin, Franklin, TN

APPRECIATION A Facebook friend shared [Aaryn Belfer’s] article on my timeline and I just wanted to reach out to you and say I appreciate what she has written. Like that Anne Braden quote, by the way. I have always been a cynic I suppose; especially when it comes to race relations. As an African-American

male I have had to deconstruct and dissect my own issues when it comes to race in America and what it would really take to eradicate it. Sadly, I am not optimistic.

Racism is often seen as just a “black” issue, never about white supremacy or privilege, which creates entitlement. And what incentive do whites have to really deal with their miseducation that feeds this entitlement? I am aware of the inherent contempt America historically has for black people, and when I actually sit down and marinate on this fact, it forces me to acknowledge my pain. Oops...I am ranting here. I digress (smile). It’s always nice to hear a white person who seems to have a clue. I hope more whites have your courage to speak out and address other white folk and stand on principle...understanding that they will pay a price if they do.

Julian P. Pryer,

Philadelphia, PA

A HISTORY OF INTERRUPTING Thanks so much for the great article on being an interrupter. [Aaryn Belfer] listed some relevant books, but left out one that I think is vitally important, which is Douglas Blackmon’s Slavery by Another Name, about how states used post-conviction enslavement as a substitute for slavery. I, like most Americans, was completely unaware that actual enslavement was going on until the 1950s. The significant legal point, which I had also missed, is that the 13th Amendment actually formally authorizes this form of slavery because it only outlaws slavery “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted...”

Richard Roesel,

Alexandria, VA

TEACHABLE MOMENTS I am a community college professor in San Diego. I teach at both Cuyamaca and Mira Costa Colleges. I live with my wife, also a professor, in Southeast San Diego. I just wanted to say thank you for the article in CityBeat. Both the article and [Aaryn Belfer’s] conversation on KPBS were amazing. She and Andrea Branch touched on so many poignant issues so concisely. I was

On the

Cover

This week’s cover photo was taken by photographer Tom Hines. The Mississippi-born photographer specializes in fashion and portrait work, with images having appeared in Marie Claire and Nylon, as well as commercial shoots for designers such as H&M and Candela, and bands such as Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors and Chairlift. His shoot with Savages took place in January in New York when the band lined up nine shows.

Winter Storm Juno temporarily caused the city to shut down its transit lines.

“It was really freezing,” says Savages guitarist Gemma Thompson. “It wasn’t the wisest choice for that.” Despite the weather, all nine shows sold out. Hines lives in New York City with his wife Michelle. See his work at tomhines.com. left amazed and inspired. I am a white man in my late thirties married to a Filipino/ Mexican woman. We have a 5-year-old daughter and conversations about race come up fairly regularly in our household.

There have been times, because of my racial background, that I have felt as though my desire to be understanding of and compassionate toward certain situations was called into question because I was the token guero in the room. I was glad to see a list of things in print that I can do to be involved in my community. Thank you for giving me a place to start.

Joshua Eggleton, Encanto

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August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Up Front | News david Kosling / u.s. department of agriculture

Experimenting with leasing water rights

Cities need water. Farmers have it.

Leasing rights could help solve the problem

By Abraham Lustgarten, ProPublica Crops are watered along Highway 99 in the Lamont farming communities in southeastern Joaquin Valley.

6 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

make water desperately scarce and left governments unprepared for a changing climate. (ProPublica has reported extensively on these failures in its five-part series “Killing the Colorado.”)

But, as experts such as former Arizona Governor and Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt point out, there is, in fact, a great deal of water available in the Colorado River basin. There is just a gross imbalance— institutionalized through law and policy and tradition—in who has access to it.

At the core lies a fundamental tension between agriculture, which uses about 80 percent of Colorado River water, and the watershed’s growing cities, which desperately want to use more of it. Both present convincing claims: Colorado Riverirrigated agriculture—including lands in Southern California—provides about 15 percent of the nation’s food supply; meanwhile, cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and L.A. want to continue to grow in order to remain vibrant and serve their millions of residents, who drive the region’s other economies.

This standoff has long shadowed development. It stirs up divisive politics, a fight generally couched in terms of which water user is more important, more deserving and more responsible in its stewardship of a scarce natural resource—agrarian food growers or the urban pioneers of new economies.

But debating whether farms or cities are “more deserving” ignores a simple fact embedded in the foundation of law governing water: Though most water is technically a public asset, the right to use it was long ago promised to individu-

als and is virtually irreversible, so long as the water is put to good use. Those rights are viewed by many as inviolable private property rights.

Farms—many of which were granted their water rights 100 years ago—believe they earned them, through more than a century of pioneering and risk they shouldered to settle and build the growing regions that now covet their water. And in most cases, the courts and state governments of the Colorado River basin back them up.

Yet very few deny that in a rapidly urbanizing region, shifting more water to the cities is an existential necessity.

The real question is how best to do it.

State leaders could boldly try to redesign—to modernize—the legal architecture that assigned all that water to farmers on a first-come-firstserved basis. But policymakers seem unwilling to take on such a daunting task, in part because it could bring hefty political consequences and would inevitably draw legal challenges. Protecting claims to water, for instance, is written into Colorado’s Constitution. Many view the taking of water rights—or redistributing them—as a form of eminent domain and anathema to the independent streak running through politics.

“

A claim on

water is usually attached to a

specific piece of land and for a

“

L

ast fall, farmers working the flat land along the Colorado River outside Blythe harvested a lucrative crop of oranges, lettuce and alfalfa from fields irrigated with river water. But that wasn’t their only source of income.

They made almost as much per acre from the seemingly dead squares of dry earth abutting those orchards and row crops, fields left barren for the season.

The money crop that the fallowed land produced was one of the region’s most precious commodities: water. Under an experimental trading scheme set up by the Palo Verde Irrigation District in Blythe and the Metropolitan Water District—which supplies municipal water to the Los Angeles area, Orange and San Diego counties, and much of the Inland Empire—the farmers essentially leased millions of gallons of their Colorado River water to California’s coastal cities.

It’s a prototype of a trade that may soon become much more common, and the kind of win-win scenario that could help solve the water crisis.

The Colorado River basin—which provides water to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming—is entering its 16th year of drought.

The nation’s largest reservoir, Lake Mead, is nearly two thirds empty, in large part because even in wet years those seven states take more water from the river than the Colorado, on average over the last century, has provided.

This overuse—coupled with arcane laws discouraging conservation, subsidies encouraging profligate water management and political gamesmanship—has helped

There is an emerging consensus that a solution lies not in taking farmers’ property, but in buying it, establishing markets that would allow water rights to be traded.

These schemes essentially allow capitalism to take a stab at solving the crisis and at establishing a more logical and sustainable water balance. The Western Governors Association has endorsed the idea, as have many environmental groups.

The idea is that the cities—or whoever wants the water—can pay for it. Farmers, often financially struggling, would be compensated for water and therefore for crop losses; they might even turn their water rights into a new path to profit.

One common hurdle is the legal problems that the outright sale of water rights runs into. A claim on water is usually attached to a specific piece of land and for a specific purpose. If the rights are separated from those lands or the uses violate the terms of the deal, the rights can die out or the transfers—which are already allowed to a limited degree in places—can be challenged by other water users.

Another is the concern that selling rights and moving the water away can permanently dry up land, ensuring it can never again be farmed, a scenario that harms rural communities and could in the long term lessen the nation’s ability to produce food.

Once again, the technical difficulties and the political realities of such maneuvering may overwhelm efforts to establish a water market.

This is where Palo Verde farms and MWD may have found an ideal compromise. By basically leasing their right to water instead of selling it, the farmers aren’t permanently divorcing their water from the land. Over the last decade they have been testing a transaction allowed by Colorado River water law where they leave a portion of their water unused—and MWD can take it. Rules limit how much water can be transferred and for how long. It has been shown to keep the majority of the water on the land, keep farms in business, encourage water’s efficient use and also turn water into a cash crop that cities want to pay for.

MWD, of course, would prefer to own the water it delivers to users.

Indeed, MWD showed its willingness to throw cash at the problem in July by buying some 12,000 acres of Blythe farmland, in order to control its water rights.

But by trading water for money in a much more limited and temporary way, farmers and agriculture can survive and cities can win access to additional water when they need it most. It requires stringent rules and limits to work, but such deals may be a regulated, structured yet market-inspired solution for the future.

specific purpose.

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Up Front | opinion

John R. Lamb

Spin

Cycle There is no gambling like politics.

—Benjamin Disraeli

T

he dark-suited Boys of Summer had gathered again, this time at a vacant lot perched above Mission Valley next to a pair of thick binders that appeared to be sprouting from the weedy soil. Words like “momentum” and “on track” peppered the boys’ pitches, with a dash of zing! thrown in for good measure.

“The release of this draft environmental impact report proves that at least one San Diego team can deliver on its promises,” boasted San Diego County Supervisor Ron Roberts, a stinging reference to the city’s reluctant dance partner, the Los Angelesobsessed San Diego Chargers football team.

Roberts and the rest of the Three Unrequited Amigos— Mayor Kevin Faulconer and City Attorney Jan Goldsmith—con-

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tinued their quest last week for any sign from the long-time local NFL team that their efforts were anything but in vain, but team spokesperson Mark Fabiani wasn’t biting.

“We have been through the document in great detail, and we haven’t seen anything to change our position that the quickie EIR, if certified by the City Council, will be tied up in the courts for a great length of time,” Fabiani told Spin Cycle in an email Tuesday.

Asked for specific concerns, Fabiani said he was too busy that day but would respond later.

Spin Cycle decided to take a deep dive into the massive document, touted by the Amigos on numerous occasions as 6,000 pages long but actually clocking in at 5,928 pages, 5,082 of which are dedicated to 16 appendices.

Those appendices run from a few pages (a paleontological records

search runs eight pages) to many (the traffic impact analysis tips the scales at 1,460 pages).

Spin focused on the 846-page main body of the draft environmental report, which was enough to send brain cells into frequent bouts of distraction. A mayor’s spokesman figured that more than two years’ worth of work had been compressed into just three weeks because of the 100 or so experts thrown at the assignment, and Spin can’t knock the effort.

Whether that means this EIR, like so many similar megareports, won’t be challenged in court seems unlikely. San Diego simply doesn’t roll that way. But Cory Briggs, the local activist attorney usually at the head of the EIR-challenge line, has been uncharacteristically low-key on the subject to date.

The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Briggs, who said he spoke

off the record, as saying, “I’d be shocked if there aren’t multiple lawsuits over this EIR,” noting that he might not be the one suing. He questioned the study’s approach to handling runoff into the San Diego River on the stadium site’s southern border and whether alternatives to the proposed new stadium were vetted adequately.

What jumped out to Spin, though, was the study’s rather calm assessment of the plans for the old stadium and the proximity of the new stadium to the infamous Kinder Morgan petroleum tank farm adjacent to the site to the north.

“Once the new stadium is constructed and ready for use, demolition would then begin on the existing Qualcomm Stadium,” the report explained, adding that the process would take roughly a year. “Demolition of Qualcomm Stadium would be initiated by implosion using explosives in one coordinated event.”

Yes, you read correctly. The plan is to blow up Qualcomm after this bright, shiny new stadium is built just a stone’s throw away to the northeast. (No mention whether they plan to shrink-wrap the new facility to protect it from lord-knows-what would come billowing forth from the ol’ concrete-and-steel girl.)

The report does note that a “blasting execution plan shall be developed and approved prior to any implosion event. This blasting execution plan shall evaluate the feasibility of staged implosion to minimize dust generation and exposure.” The report also notes that any asbestos, leadbased paints and other hazardous materials would be removed from the old stadium prior to demolition.

But the report appears to paint a rather rosy scenario for the dust particles, which it anticipates “would dissipate and return to ambient background levels in a period of 1 to 2 hours.”

The neighboring petroleum tank farm is yet another matter.

As proposed, the new stadium would be built to the northeast of Qualcomm, some 900 feet closer

to the 24 tanks operating as the Kinder Morgan Energy Partners Mission Valley Terminal.

While the report suggests that the chance of any cataclysmic event involving the fuel tanks would be low, pushing the stadium closer to the tank farm “represents a greater degree of vulnerability to the stadium structure and users.”

As with many other issues— from the old stadium’s historical significance to the anticipated increase in air pollution, noise and traffic to possible bird-strike deaths with the gleaming new stadium—the tank-farm matter is labeled by the report as “significant and unavoidable.”

The report also notes that the city will seek an environmentally friendly LEED Gold rating for the proposed stadium, which is an important necessity if the city plans to seek exemption from California Environmental Quality Act requirements, as the report suggests.

Among the other interesting tidbits from the report: • “Operation of the project would not add any new odor sources, and any odors generated would be similar to existing odors associated with land uses in the area.”

• Biologists spent one day in the field studying resources in the area, sometimes relegated to road overpasses when “vegetation was too thick to survey a given habitat.”

• The stadium proposal would add five acres of solar panels in the northwest parking lot or on the stadium roof.

• The new stadium, designed

by Kansas City-based Populous, would be larger than Qualcomm (possibly twice as tall, up to 250 feet) but seat fewer people. It would also use more natural gas (up 26 percent) and electricity (up 10 percent).

As of last week, the public had 45 days to comment on the draft EIR. Expect some dust clouds and kabooms.

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Up Front | Opinion

Aaryn Belfer

Backwards & in

high heels

Driven by bigotry in her first Uber ride

M

y husband and I were still giddy about the convenience of Uber during what was our first Uber ride two weeks ago. We were headed to the airport when, thanks to the Black Lives Matter sign staked into the brown grass of our front yard, the driver felt compelled to Go There.

Our host had apparently put on his Sherlock cap and anticipated us to be black folks before we’d so much as walked out the door with our luggage, which speaks to both the rarity of white people joining the struggle, and this guy’s lack of investigative prowess.

I’m better at putting two and two together and I’d Cumberbatched this guy by the time I’d buckled my seatbelt. Using all available clues—the Tommy Bahama Costco shirt among them—I’d surmised that he was not a team player. My husband had done the same thing and we side-eyed knowing we were in trouble before our chauffeur laughed and said, “I didn’t expect you guys to be white!”

In moments, we were cruising westward on Interstate 8 and I was calmly, respectfully explaining to him that you don’t have to be black to stand in solidarity with the black community; to take an overt stance against the violence being committed against black people.

And then the needle dragged across the record.

“This is just my opinion, but…” And here it comes: “…if black people would just quit committing crimes, then they wouldn’t get killed by police.”

Now, I’m gonna back up for a moment right here. Five years ago—or maybe even two if I’m being completely honest—these words would have led to me being seven different kinds of hair-on-fire vitriolic before demanding that he pull the car over and let me the hell out.

And sometimes, you know, I still get pushed there because the inhumanity is enraging. And I’m not talking just about the ignorance of people like this, or the repugnant violence being perpetrated against black people (nearly 60 years to the day after the murder of Emmett Till and shit is still the same). I’m talking about our larger system of oppression, the tentacles of which reach into every facet of American life and poison us all. I’m talking about our rebranded Jim Crow, our re-packaged slavery that every day terrorizes black Americans.

The Fusion documentary Ferguson: A Report From Occupied Territory, shines a dim light on the many municipalities in St. Louis County colluding to make a profit off of, and at the same time destroy, black lives in a highly functional economic parasitism.

Two black men in the film detailed having been stopped and ticketed for jaywalking across a street with no sidewalks or crosswalks. True story. An-

other resident described the anxiety caused by his drive to and from work every day; he sighs with relief when he gets to his destination without incident.

Mother Jones recently ran a scathing piece about this exact kind of economic warfare called “Police Shootings Won’t Stop Unless We Stop Shaking Down Black People.” (Interestingly, it includes a breakdown in dollars of a sinister ticketing policy in our sparkling San Diego.) In this exposé, Walter Scott serves as the example of what is happening to so many black people.

Writer Jack Hitt says, Scott was “[a] man of modest means trapped in an exhausting hamster wheel: He would get a low-paying job, make some child support payments, fall behind on them, get fined, miss a payment, get jailed for a few weeks, lose that job due to absence, and then start over at a lower-paying job. From all apparent evidence, he was a decent schlub trying to make things work in a system engineered to make his life miserable and recast his best efforts as criminal behavior.”

A decent schlub made to appear criminal. How about them apples?

All of this is nothing short of sustained terrorism that we white people do not ever experience. Meanwhile, over in here in this Other America, a large percentage of us are, at this very second, stoned as all get out and changing lanes without indicating.

So, yeah, I’m pretty damn pissed off about it all and my natural inclination is to hurl a few stingers at Mister Uber Driver, who is ruining my vacation that hasn’t started yet. But I’ve decided that is the height of irresponsibility and privilege. So instead, my personal work is to stay in the discomfort and the conversation. Even with the Unreachables.

“If black people would just quit committing crimes…” he said.

“Do you mean crimes like not indicating a lane change like you just did?” I asked. “Like you’re doing again right now? Or what about the many who weren’t committing crimes? Like Rekia Boyd and Yvette Smith and Tamir Rice and Samuel DuBose and the Jonathans: Ferrell and Sanders and Crawford…” until he cut me off because we both knew I could keep going.

The remaining 15 minutes included a primer from both Sam and me on red-lining, generational wealth and educational access. At the airport he asked us not to give him a negative rating; in exchange, we asked him to reconsider things we’d said.

And then we walked away, without giving him a tip.

“

I didn’t

expect you guys to

“

be white!

8 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week.

Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com.

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Up Front | Food

by michael a. gardiner Michael A. Gardiner

the world

fare A master of the fryolated arts

T

he best fish and chips in town come from a Korean fine-dining-trained chef at a former fast food joint in the part of Lemon Grove where you’re more likely to get a used car than a meal. Perhaps it’s not the most classic fish and chips in town. For that, Shakespeare’s Pub & Grille is probably your best bet. But there is no greater manifestation of the fryolated arts than at Chef John’s Fish & Chips (8047 Broadway).

The walls of Chef John’s are adorned with seafood tchotchkes and photographs of a younger Jong Eum Bae (aka Chef John) in his chef ’s whites (which he regularly wears) and toque (which he doesn’t) from his days as a fine dining chef with the Westin Hotel chain in South Korea.

The architecture and décor of the place say it was a fast-food joint. The color of the chairs suggests Long John Silver’s.

But, while at first blush the menu at Chef John’s seems not entirely unlike its predecessor, the resulting food is definitely not ordinary fast-food fare. Take, for example, the signature fish and chips. Classic British fish and chips are seasoned cod or haddock in a flour and beer batter, deep fried to golden perfection. When done right, they are clean and brilliantly crisp on the outside, moist and nearly sweet on the inside.

Choice of frying fat can significantly impact the ultimate flavor but the biggest variable is the batter.

And that is where Chef John excels, where he does something different. Instead of the classic beer batter, Chef John takes the whole thing east and uses a tempura-style batter. The result is a much lighter affair that is still clean, still crisp and marvelously moist and sweet on the inside.

It’s different than any fish and chips I’d had in

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Fish and oysters combination England (or here) but I’ve tasted none better. A few pricks with the tines of a fork, a sprinkle of malt vinegar and a dip in tartar sauce and you can’t decide whether you’ve gone to England or Japan.

Fish and chips are not the only thing on Chef John’s menu. The shrimp—done in the same tempura batter—are equally good and read as more Asian (despite the absence of Asian condiments).

Fried oysters are good as well, though distinctly heavier, more what you might expect on the inside of a Cajun-Creole oyster po’ boy.

Not quite as good were the fried clams, a specialty of New England, not old. Fried clams are to New England what barbeque is to the South with as many debates about the details. Chef John’s choices—necks and a heavy batter—yielded something more like the “crispies” at the Long John Silver’s this place once was than anything you’d find in Ipswich.

But Chef John’s is not about the fried clams: It’s about the fish and chips. It’s about the innovative choice of a fine-dining-trained chef gone down market to apply a technique and taste of his heritage to a dish for which it is non-traditional but perfectly adapted.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

Up Front | Food

by ron donoho ron donoho

urban

eats I am…Kettner Boulevard

I

t used to be that if you blinked while driving along downtown’s India Street you missed Little Italy’s short restaurant row. Of late, the eating experience has expanded one street west, to Kettner Boulevard.

Kettner has long, long, long been home to The Waterfront’s Texas burgers. And Underbelly has put in its time on the boulevard as a noodle house. New Kettner addresses belong to highenders like Juniper & Ivy, Kettner Exchange and Bracero, and mid-level spots like The Cheese Store and Pan Bon. The restaurant I stumbled upon is the newest location for Café Gratitude (1980 Kettner Blvd.). When the gleaming-toothed, smiling gals at the hostess desk said the restaurant served all organic menu items, I immediately phoned my 18-year-old daughter. She’s a recovering vegetarian but still very much a healthy diner.

On a Sunday afternoon the spot, which had been open less than a week, was packed. The inside area was open, airy and painted white, and the chocolate-brown and moss-green retro floor tiles were striking. A brick-walled bakery counter was set up in the back.

After a 10-minute wait, we were seated along the outside patio. Our waitress asked if we’d ever been to a Café Gratitude before. Nope and nope.

She (half-sheepishly) indicated that most of the items on the menu were affirmations of your personality. Hey, what now?

A longer look at the food list showed this to be true. The cooked soup of the day is called Thriving. If you want the raw soup of the day you ask for Adventurous. Not that I would order yam cauliflower samosa chaat, but that’d mean asking for Dynamic.

But that’s not all. Our waitress let us know that the etiquette for ordering included first saying the words “I am…” before the dish name.

For example: “I am…Glorious,” gets you the Caesar salad tempeh wrap. “I am…Magical,” would mean you want the veggie burger.

10 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

Fabulous (foreground) and Liberated After explaining this, our server left us to figure out how we were feeling. My daughter told me she was having no part of this. I, on the other hand, started looking for the most unusual thing I might be able to say to a waitress. Yes, “I am…

Awesome,” would have been a hoot. But I wasn’t feeling like the eggplant Parmesan panini.

My daughter asked for the Liberated (pesto kelp noodles—with heirloom cherry tomatoes, local black and green olives, wild arugula, basil, hempseed pesto, cashew ricotta and Brazil nut Parmesan).

Of course I went for it. “I am…Fabulous,” I nearly yelled. That summoned the raw lasagna—with squash blossoms, spinach, cilantro pumpkin seed pesto, fresh corn and summer squash noodles.

When the fresh, colorful dishes showed up, my daughter smiled at me with a “You-thought-youordered-traditional-lasagna-didn’t-you?” look.

No comment. Except: “I am…Still Hungry.”

Urban Eats appears every other week.

Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com.

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#SDCityBeat

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

Up Front | Drink

the

by andrew dyer

beerdist Does Green Flash live up to the hype?

cloudier than either sample from Alpine. Alpine’s had the signature haziness, but was slightly brighter in color than the deep yellow-orange Green Flash variant. This was noted by all. ate last year Green Flash Brewing Nose. Opinions here diverged. Two found announced the purchase of another local Alpine more fragrant, one picked Green Flash, favorite, Alpine Beer Company. Alpine, and half noticed no difference. a much smaller operation, had acquired Mouthfeel. Here we had more consensus somewhat of a cult status since its high-quality as all but one found Alpine’s samples to be a bit beer was almost impossible more carbonated than Green sally crosthwaite / flickr to find outside the small Flash’s. This could be atmountain burb. With the tributed to leakage from the acquisition by Green Flash, growler, but considering it Alpine’s beer would finally came straight from the brewbe mass-produced and ery to my kitchen, I’m hesidistributed nationwide, and tant to attribute it as such. its employees would gain the Taste. Upon tasting evtype of benefits associated eryone struggled to differenwith larger companies. tiate between the beers. As This was a tough pill for the samples warmed, subtle some local hop-heads. Since differences presented themthen, many have taken to soselves, mainly attributable to cial media and beer forums the disparity in carbonation. lamenting the new “Gelson,” Fresh pours of chilled beer a derogatory nickname for erased these discrepancies, the Green Flash-brewed verand by the time our samples sion of Alpine’s widely acwere depleted the fact there claimed Nelson IPA. It was was any controversy at all all wrong, many claimed. It was washed away from the didn’t look, smell or taste Green Flash brewery conversation. right. Could this be true? Was I’m not a cicerone, and I a legendary local beer being watered-down and don’t possess a particularly refined palate. But sacrificed on the altar of capitalism? Or, was neither do 99.9 percent of those across the couna strong selection bias at work in the already try thirsty for Alpine beer. I understand. It used made-up minds of local aficionados? I decided to be our special thing, a feather in the hat of to find out. elitist beer geeks taunting our friends back east I invited a handful of friends over for a blind and up the coast. Exclusivity has a value of its taste-test. We had both growlered and bottled own and in the minds of some, perhaps, Alpine’s Nelson from Alpine, as well as another growler reputation is tarnished; our special thing is no from Green Flash. Each participant was asked to longer as special. I found the discrepancies negrate each sample on color, smell, mouthfeel and ligible and the persistent online backlash much overall taste. The sample size was small, with ado about nothing. Alpine’s slogan is “Drink Alonly six tasters, but they represented a decent pine ale or go to bed,” which is exactly where I cross-section of the market, from the casual to consider this non-troversy: put to bed. the serious craft beer fan. Would they be able to tell the difference?

The Beerdist appears every other week.

Color. Green Flash’s version was noticeably Write to andrewd@sdcitybeat.com.

L

12 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

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Up Front | places

by tom siebert

all things

tech

Wrapify pays you to drive your car

T

here’s a great TED talk from the serial entrepreneur Bill Gross, in which he explains why some tech startups make it and some don’t. After looking through tons of different businesses that flew, floundered or failed, Gross came to the conclusion that there was one factor more important than any other.

It probably wasn’t what you’d think. It wasn’t the power of the idea, though that was important.

It wasn’t leadership, though that was important too. It wasn’t money or connections or location or team members, either.

It was timing. It was all about being in the right place at the right time with the right idea that resonated with its target market or the masses exactly when it needed to. Capturing the zeitgeist and riding it like a tiger. Sometimes, it’s vision. But often it’s vision combined with a little luck.

I’ve seen it up close, from the wrong side of the calendar.

I remember back in my days in Washington, D.C., when a good friend of mine worked in the still-nascent cable television industry for the first all-sports news network. It was called, not so creatively, Sports News Network, and sprang to life as a bullet-point sports news supplement that would complement ESPN—no live games, but lots of scores, highlights, trade info, gossip: A Headline-News-for-sports type of thing.

SNN lasted a little more than a year before getting sacked. But as ESPN-2 or Fox Sports might tell you, it was simply an idea ahead of its time. Timing was more important than the idea, the on-air talent, or the content.

That’s why the most interesting and exciting startup I’ve seen in the San Diego area is Wrapify, a tech company with an advertising angle that accentuates individual empowerment.

Wrapify’s timing feels right on time, in the right place with the right idea at the right time. It literally rolled out its product less than a month ago in San Diego and San Francisco, has nearly 10 brands on board and nearly 2,000 people interested in working with the company.

What we’re talking here, basically, is an Uber for advertisers. Wrapify connects brands with drivers, then empowers the latter by allowing them to monetize one of their primary material assets: Their car.

Wrapify takes an idea that’s already in the marketplace—wrapping cars with company logos and marketing messages—and drives it into the

#SDCityBeat

21st century by incorporating macro-economic and technology trends like crowd-sourcing, the sharing economy and the sovereign individual.

Drivers download Wrapify’s proprietary mobile application, which can only be engaged in their personal vehicle. GPS technology tracks their mileage as they go. Advertisers and drivers share access to tracking, analytics and reporting, which chronicle campaigns, push notifications, gather insights, offer scalability and promote and accept bonus offers.

CEO James Heller says Wrapify is the perfect example of an idea that never would have gained traction a couple years ago but is perfectly poised for right now.

“For one thing, the technology we leveraged to be able to track, manage and scale these campaigns on a nationwide basis didn’t really exist a few years ago,” Heller says. courtesy of wrapify But there’s something even more critical than that, he adds.

“The biggest part of this, the thing that sets Wrapify apart, is the crowd-sourcing community, using contract labor for a specific activity,” Heller says. “A few years ago, for example, the idea of summoning someone through an app A wrapify-ed car and then jumping in a stranger’s car wasn’t an accepted idea.”

Today, however, it’s become fairly common to monetize personal assets—Uber and AirBnB have already breathed fear into the taxi and hotel business, while newer examples like Instacar may turn the car dealership business on its head—so it feels completely in-tune to consider turning what might be your most important asset into an organic way to make money.

The average driver will make about $450 a month for doing nothing he or she wouldn’t be doing anyway, while the cost to an advertiser to have five wrapped cars on the road for three months would run about $20,000—significantly less than the cost of a billboard in a heavily trafficked urban area, while providing more views for the dollar.

Brands already using Wrapify—you may have seen them around town—include Petco, Coldcock Whisky, HomeHero, Captiv8.io and Unreel.io. The company’s quick, early success has led to accelerated plans to roll out Wrapify vehicles in Los Angeles, Orange County and Atlanta by the fall.

“What we’re offering here is a chance for the everyday American to get a piece of the action,” Heller says.

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

ART

EVENTS

SHORTlist

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

KINSEE MORLAN

DOWNTOWN

COSPLAY DREAMS 3D

1 SUPERHEROES IN STEREO

Ogling cosplayers during Comic-Con is usually the extent of contact most folks have with the eccentric costume-wearing hobbyists. Filmmaker Gulliver Parascandolo didn’t know much about the captivating costumed sect either, until he decided to turn his fancy two-lens 3D camera their way.

“The cosplayers themselves are essentially 3D works of art,” says Gulliver who, with his wife, film producer Christine Parascandolo, recently released Cosplayer Dreams 3D, a documentary that follows a handful of people who either cosplay as a hobby or have found dynamic ways to turn their hobby into full-time careers. “We thought this film would be an amazing way to show people what these costumes are capable of.”

Gulliver, who directed the film, followed wellknown cosplayers like Yaya Han, Traci Hines and Fanboy Brandon and used his independent production company’s 3D technology to turn the traditional documentary into something a little different.

“We call it a pop-doc,” he says. “Our film is a documentary, but when most people think of the genre they think they have to break out their pen and paper and take notes or they’re going to be a vegetarian by the end of the movie. We definitely were inspired by the positive culture of cosplayers and this film is

CHULA VISTA

When San Diego gets as hot as it has been in the last couple months, nothing sounds better than going outside, heading to the coast, drinking a few cold ones and having a few tacos to soak them up. But while a beer festival is not always a family-friendly option, Harborfest most certainly is. An all-day festival that combines food, music, drinks and even some BMX stunts, Harborfest pretty much has all the entertainment bases covered. Hear music by Los Hollywoods and AOK while tasting offerings by chefs competing in the Taco Chef Showdown and washing them down with craft beer and spirits.

Harborfest takes place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at Bayside Park in Chula Vista.

Admission is free and the festival is open to all ages. cvharborfest.com STEVE WOOD

Gregory Crewdson: Dream House at San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park.

A collected exhibition from the American photographer best known for his images of deceptively serene suburban life that he calls “frozen moments.” On view through Nov. 10. Free-$12. 619-2327931, sdmart.org HCultural Fusion Sculpture Unveiling at La Maestra Community Health Centers, 4060 Fairmount Ave., City Heights. The unveiling of a new public artwork by Jim Bliesner titled “Cultural Fusion.” Includes a live performance by the Generettes youth singers and guest speakers. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. 619-280-4213

Hanna Mae (left) and Yaya Han not only reflective of that, but you feel like you’re having fun, it’s an exciting experience.”

The fact that it’s all in 3D gives already surrealistic and colorful scenes an added punch. When the cameras enter The Labyrinth of Jareth masquerade ball, for instance, Gulliver says people have been floored by the three-dimensional imagery they captured.

“It’s just something you have to see,” he says.

“There are thousands of people there and they’re all required to wear costumes.”

Cosplayer Dreams 3D screens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at Gaslamp Reading Cinema (701 Fifth Ave.) downtown. Show up at 6 p.m. for the red-carpet event and pop-culture art show. Attendees are encouraged to wear costumes. Tickets are $16. cosplaydreams3d.com

BALBOA PARK

2 FAMILY FOOD

HChula Vistan at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., North Park. Anna Stump explores her relationship to her hometown and the Mexico/U.S. border region. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 619-584-4448, artproduce.org

IMPOSSIBLE 3 MISSION: SCIENCE

REUBEN H. FLEET SCIENCE CENTER

Would-be superheroes have to start somewhere.

The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s Impossible Science Festival promises to teach you how to make objects invisible, walk on water and explores levitation. It’s a hands-on, interactive event headed by Fleet curator of impossible science Jason Water suspension Latimer, who says seemingly impossible activities can be made possible through science. You don’t have to be Superman to use the refractive properties of Pyrex to make objects disappear in corn oil. And any Wonder Woman wannabe can create energy from pennies or walk on liquid Oobleck. The Balboa Park festival takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22 and 23. Admission is free for Fleet members, otherwise it’s $21.95 for adults, $19.95 for seniors and $18.95 for juniors. rhfleet.org

H41 Flavors at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Night Owls club members and guests vote on their favorite works in this year’s Athenaeum Annual Juried Exhibition. The exhibition features 81 paintings, sculptures, photographs and mixed media from 41 San Diego artists. Includes Stone Brewing Co. beer, cocktails, and bites from Whisknladle. Opening from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. Free-$10.

858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org HIn the Abstract: Midcentury San Diego Painting and Sculpture at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way. A retrospective exhibition of prominent San Diego abstract artists who came to regional prominence during the late 1950s.

Artists include Jack Boyd, Don Dudley, Karen Kozlow, Richard Allen Morris and nearly a dozen more. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. Free-$8. 760435-3720, oma-online.org Bubbah’s Takeover at Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream, 3077 University Ave., North Park. The first-ever solo exhibition by local artist Marcel Esteban, who specializes in pop-art-inspired logos and illustrations. Opening from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 619-220-0231, thumbprintgallerysd.com Summer Group Show at Madison Gallery, 1020 Prospect St., La Jolla. New works by Natalia Wrobel, Boaz Vaadia and Philip Buller, all who explore the interconnectedness of the natural and spiritual world. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. madisongalleries.com The Joy of the Journey and Elemental Narratives: Nature’s Story Told Through Glass at Encinitas Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive. New oil paintings from Connie Boulton-McCoy and mixed-media glass, wood and metal works from Daniel McStocker. Opening from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. ci.encinitas.ca.us HVita Spiritus at Monarch Gallery, 1205 Prospect St., La Jolla. Sculptor Ron Jermyn unveils his first solo exhibition of abstract works in a variety of mediums, centering on primal organic elements of life.

Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 858-454-1231, monarchfineart.com HBaby Tattoo: Carnival of Astounding Art at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way. A spinoff of the Baby Tattoo independent book publishing company, this exhibition features works from lowbrow and alternative art pioneers such as Audrey Kawasaki, Coop, Rolly Crump, Thomas Kuntz and dozens more. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22.

Free-$8. 760-435-3720, oma-online.org HMurals of La Jolla Walking Tour at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. View murals by Kim MacConnel, Ryan McGinness, Kelsey Brookes, Mel Bochner, and more at this

H = CityBeat picks

14 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

walking tour led by project curator Lynda Forsha. At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. 8584545872, ljathenaeum.org

BOOKS HMeg Waite Clayton at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The bestselling author will sign and discuss her new novel, The Race for Paris, the story of two female war correspondents racing to cover the liberation of Paris during WWII. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. 858-454-0347, warwicks.indiebound. com Ellen Byron, Diane Vallere, Daryl Wood Gerber, and Nancy Cole Silverman at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont.

The four female mystery writers will be promoting and signing their latest novels.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com Louise Harrison at Barnes & Noble Encinitas, 1040 N. El Camino Real Drive, Encinitas. The sister of Beatle George Harrison will discuss and sign copies of her new nonfiction book, My Kid Brother’s Band. a.k.a.

The Beatles. At 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22.

760-943-6400, barnesandnoble.com Alan Mindell at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekend with Locals Program, the local writer and racehorse enthusiast will sign and discuss The B Team: A Horse Racing Saga. At noon Sunday, Aug. 23. 858-454-0347, warwicks. indiebound.com HVictoria Patterson at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The acclaimed novelist will present her new novel, The Little Brother, about a young boy struggling to decide whether to turn his own brother in for a disturbing crime.

At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25. 858-4540347, warwicks.indiebound.com HWendy L. Patrick at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The San Diego Deputy District Attorney will sign and discuss her new nonfiction book, Red Flags: How to Spot Frenemies, Underminers and Toxic People in Your Life. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. 858-4540347, warwicks.indiebound.com

COMEDY Improv Show at Twiggs University Heights, 4590 Park Blvd., University Heights. A completely improvised comedy show based on audience suggestions with special guest from San Diego’s Fox 5 News Brad Willis, aka Captain Awesome.

From 8 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. $5.

619-948-7115, roartheatre.com President Hillary at Finest City Improv, 4250 Louisiana St., North Park.

An improv-style, one-act play written by Second City alumni Marc Warzecha and Andy Cobb that pokes fun at Hillary Clinton’s first day in the oval office. Runs on Saturdays through Sept. 20. At 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22. $10. 6193066047, finestcityimprov.com

FASHION HClothing Swap at Lazy Hummingbird, 4876 Santa Monica Ave., Ocean Beach. Spend the evening shopping for new clothes while interacting with locals and sipping on coffee or tea. Bring a few articles of clothing or an entire bag and be prepared to shop. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. 619-2005016, lazyhummingbird.com Fashion Week San Diego Style Soiree at Grossmont Center, 5500 Grossmont Center Dr., La Mesa. A runway show featuring looks from participating Grossmont Center boutiques and San Diego fashion bloggers Vanessa Bali, Maria Von Losh and Jenna Pliant. From

#SDCityBeat

EVENTS 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 858-2709466, fashionweeksd.com

concerts Through Friday, Aug. 28. See website for full list of concerts and times.

Free-$75. 858-454-3541, ljms.org

FOOD AND DRINK

HBack to The Garden and Ryan Corn at Birch Aquarium, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. The two local acts perform a concert at Birch’s outdoor Tide-Pool Plaza as part of the aquarium’s Green Flash concerts series. Ticket includes aquarium admission. From 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. $29.95-$38.95. 858-534FISH, aquarium.ucsd.edu

HTaco Mania Over 30 restaurants and bars from all over the county will offer up $2 tacos and specials. See website for full list of participants and specials. Through Sunday, Aug. 23. 619-534-5034, sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/tacomania Café Au Lait Milk Stout Release at Kilowatt Brewing, 7576 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Kearny Mesa. Kilowatt Brewing teams with Beer To The Rescue for the release of the Cafe Au Lait Milk Stout. LouZiana Food Truck will be on-site from 5 to 9 p.m. A portion of proceeds benefits the Lupus Foundation of Southern California.

From noon to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. 858-715-3998 HMira Mesa Festival of Beers at Mira Mesa Community Park, 8575 New Salem St. The fourth annual beer fest will have over 50 craft brews to sample as well as live music from The Routine and Y3K. Proceeds benefit the Mira Mesa Chamber of Commerce. From 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. $35-$50. 858-538-8122, miramesabeerfest.com HUncasked at UTC at Westfield UTC, 4545 La Jolla Village Drive, University City.

An outdoor beer fest featuring local craft breweries, food, games and live entertainment. Tickets includes 10 four-ounce tasters and proceeds benefit the San Diego Brewers Guild. From 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. $20. (858-546-8858, westfield. com/utc/ HSan Diego Spirits Festival at Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, 1000 North Harbor Dr., Downtown. Now in its seventh year, the showcase for San Diego’s talented cocktail and culinary community features tastings, demos, product showcases, competitions and more. See website for full details and schedule. From 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. $90-$150. sandiegospiritsfestival.com Del Mar Tequila Classic at Del Mar Plaza, 1555 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. This inaugural tasting event devoted to agave spirits includes top shelf tequila tastings, cocktails, Mexican cuisine, live music and more. From 7 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22. $85. 858-523-0835, finehomesandliving.com HFestival of Danknes at Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway, Little Italy. Modern Times Brewing’s inaugural beer fest devoted to hoppy beers from all over the world.

Ticket includes unlimited two-ounce tastings and proceeds benefit BikeSD. From 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. $45-$75.

858-694-3030, moderntimesbeer.com HSan Diego Ceviche Showdown and Tasting at 57 Degrees Wine Bar, 1735 Hancock St., Midtown. Vote for your favorite ceviche at this casual walk-around tasting and competition. Over eight local San Diego restaurants will compete to see who has the best ceviche in town. From 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. $24-$35. 619-2345757, fiftysevendegrees.com Whiskey Business at Broadstone Corsair, 8583 Aero Dr., Kearny Mesa. Get whiskey tutorials from experts Jesse Fanning of Henebery Whiskey and Ryan Andrews of Golden State Spirits while enjoying complimentary cocktails. Guests do need to RSVP to BroadstoneCorsair@ allresco.com. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 26. 619-308-6896

MUSIC HSummerFest at Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St, La Jolla. The nationally-recognized chamber music festival celebrates its 15th year with a series of

#SDCityBeat

HOpus Orange at San Diego Museum of Art, Balboa Park. The Santa Monicabased six-piece plays an outdoor concert as part of the The Art of Music concert series. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20.

6192327931, sdmart.org HEsperanza Spalding at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 206 Marina Park Way, Downtown. The Grammy winner will bring her new Emily’s D Evolution tour to San Diego for this live performance. Part of the San Diego Symphony’s Summer Pops series.

At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. $20-$79.

619-686-6200, sandiegosymphony.org

fit into the theme of “earth, wind and fire” and exchange it with someone else. From 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. 619-6109038, facebook.com/sdmixtapesociety

PERFORMANCE HPoetry & Art Series at San Diego Art Institute, Balboa Park. This quarterly performance series will feature hip hop, breakdance and text-based visual art on exhibit. People’s Choice Poem Awards follow the performances. At 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. $5. sandiego-art.org The Family Jewels Revue at The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. This unique drag and burlesque show features performances from dancers with names like Erica Foxx, Grotesqva Black, Kevi Kev and more.

At 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. $10-$50. 619299-7372, familyjewelsrevue8.bpt.me Sparkle! at Queen Bee’s, 3925 Ohio St., North Park. Local burlesque performers like Lola Demure, Coco L’Amour, Donna DeMuerte, and nearly a dozen more will perform to benefit Glitter Tribe Studios, San Diego’s first studio dedicated to the art of burlesque.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. $20-$25.

HCelebrate Fern Street Circus at Park & Rec, 4612 Park Blvd., University Heights. The local circus troupe celebrates their 25th anniversary at this fundraising event where 10 percent of food and drink proceeds go to the circus. Includes acrobats, clowns, buskers, stilt walkers and live music from Gary Hankins. From 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. 619-795-9700

POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD HWhen the Purple Arrives. Again! at Grassroots Oasis, 3130 Moore St., Old Town. An evening of provocative poetry from Jeeni Criscenzo with guest performances by local women poets with something to say. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. $15 suggested donation. 619-822-2782 HVermin on the Mount at 3rdSpace, 4610 Park Blvd., University Heights.

The local writing showcase celebrates 11 years with readings from Sean H. Doyle, Shanna Mahin, J Ryan Stradal, and host, Jim Ruland. Includes art from Mike Maxwell. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. Suggested donation. 619-2553609, verminonthemount.com

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

HGirl Singers of the Hit Parade at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. A musical revue of some of the most beloved songs and female singers of all-time. Includes hits from Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Peggy Lee and more. From Thursday, Aug. 20, through Sunday, Aug. 30. See website for times. $38. 858-4811055, northcoastrep.org Baja Blues Fest at Rosarito Beach Hotel, Boulevard Benito Juarez #31, Rosarito.

The fourth annual music festival features an exciting lineup of artists, including Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Deanna Bogart, Missy Andersen, Backwater Blues Bands and more. From 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. $10-$35.

866-767-2748, bajabluesfest.org Jazz Jam Sessions at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Herb Martin and Friends and the Society Boys will each play an hourlong set of jazz, after which community musicians will be invited to join them onstage. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21.

Free-$10. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org Leann Rimes at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 206 Marina Park Way, Downtown.

The country and pop singer makes her long-awaited return to the Summer Pops Series performing hits like “Blue,” “How Do I Live” and more. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, and Saturday, Aug. 22. $25-$82.

6196153944, sandiegosymphony.org HStay Strange: XNOR at Low Gallery, 1878 Main St., Barrio Logan. An evening of a static mind-warp music and electronic deviations from Tourian, Atarii and Xavier Ramirez. At 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. $5 suggested donation. 619-348-5517, staystrange.com HGilbert Castellanos & The New Latin Jazz Quartet at Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. The San Diego Music Award-winning trumpeter performs with an all-star band at this all-ages, open-air show. At 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 619239-0512, panama66.com HNatalie Cole at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 206 Marina Park Way, Downtown. The nine-time Grammy-winner and daughter of Nat King Cole stops by in support of her latest endeavor, Natalie Cole en Español, featuring the most romantic songs of the great Spanish language composers.

At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. $20-$79.

619-615-3944, sandiegosymphony.org San Diego Mixtape Society at South Park Brewing Co., 1517 30th St., South Park. Join fellow music lovers as they swap music at this semi-regular event.

Bring a CD or flash drive of the songs that

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

EVENTS

Photographer Gregory Crewdson’s “Dream House” is showing in the eponymous Gregory Crewdson: Dream House exhibition at The San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park through Nov. 10. (Courtesy Gagosian Gallery)

EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

SPECIAL EVENTS San Diego Antique & Collectible Show at Ronald Reagan Community Center, 195 E. Douglas Ave., El Cajon.

See a wide selection of antiques from jewelry to art. From noon to 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 19. cityofelcajon.us HNorth Park After Dark Over 25 businesses in the heart of North Park, from galleries to boutiques, will remain open until 9 p.m. and offer specials, refreshments and entertainment. From 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. 619-233-5979, northparkmainstreet.com HThe BLVD Market at El Cajon Blvd and Utah Street. The monthly street food event highlights the enclave of shops, services and eateries on El Cajon Boulevard between Utah and 28th streets. Participating businesses include Media Arts Center, Thrift Trader, The Homebrewer and more.

From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. 619283-3608, theboulevard.org Julian Film Festival at Julian Union High School, 1656 Hwy. 78, Julian. The fourth annual nature-focused, environmental film festival benefitting the Volcan Mountain Foundation features screenings, panels, parties and more. See website for schedule and event locations. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, and 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. $10-$35.

760-765-0606, julianfilmfestival.com HChula Vista HarborFest at Bayside Park, Plover Way, Chula Vista. The annual family-friendly celebration will feature a SeafoodFest, as well as live music, a craft beer garden and the chance to view some of San Diego’s most historic vessels, unique boats and exotic automobiles.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 619-233-5008, cvharborfest.com Doggie Street Festival at NTC Park at Liberty Station, 2455 Cushing Road, Point Loma. This dog and cat adopt-athon and fun celebration of pets presents fantastic pet products and services, food, vet tips, speakers, music, kids area, auction prizes and much more.

Friendly family dogs welcome. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 323445-5087, doggiestreetfestival.org

16 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

HImpossible Science Festival at Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Balboa Park.

Curator Jason Latimer hosts this first-ever fest where visitors will have the opportunity to learn how to turn objects invisible, explore levitation, play with the science of mind control, learn how to walk on water and more. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, and Sunday, Aug. 23. $18.95-$21.95. 6192381233, rhfleet.org HNerd Con 2015 at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The annual convention features over 75 vendors, exhibitors and artists, as well as cosplay contests, game competitions, art galleries, panels, demonstrations, workshops and more. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. $12-$50.

760-839-4190, nerd-con.com West on the Move at Old Town Historic Park, 2454 Heritage Park Row. Part of Old Town’s annual Stagecoach Days celebration, learn how the California Gold Rush brought thousands of people to San Diego through living history activities, demonstrations, stories, songs and more. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22. 619-491-0099, parks.ca.gov/ oldtownsandiego Sisters’ Poolside Baptism at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park.

The charitable San Diego Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence host a party welcoming their newest members. Party admission includes cake, snacks, and “Hell Fire” and “Holy Water” cocktails. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. $15. 619296-2101, sdsisters.org San Diego Craft Beer Job Fair at SILO in Makers Quarter, 753 15th St., East Village. This event will host beer employers looking to hire candidates for full-time, part-time and internship positions. From 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25. 619-702-5655, sdcraftbeerjobfair. eventbrite.com Bike In Cinema: UnReal at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park.

This New Belgium Tour de Fat warm-up event includes an urban bike ride followed by a showing of the new film by Anthill Films and Teton Gravity Research.

At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26. 619-2962101, tetongravity.com

TALKS AND DISCUSSIONS Learning From the Animal Masters of Regeneration at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Dr. Callen Hyland will discuss how many animals can regenerate missing body parts and how some can even reconstruct their whole bodies from small fragments. From 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. 619-236-5800, sandiegolibrary.org Myths and Realities of the DIY Bio Movement at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. In 2008 two MIT molecular biologists brainstormed on how to make the tools of synthetic biology available to the general public. Cameron Clarke discusses this movement, which spawned both fear and optimism in the general public. At 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. sandiegolibrary.org HTwo Scientists Walk into a Bar Fifty scientists will appear at 25 bars across San Diego County to drink beer and answer any science-related questions patrons might have. From 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. 619-865-5904, rhfleet.org Meet the Artist: Carol Lindemulder at Noel Baza Fine Art pop-up gallery inside the San Diego History Center in Balboa Park. The Borrego Springs artist will discuss her creative process. She is best known for her paintings of the morning and evening skies of San Diego’s backcountry, as well as desert and mountain vistas. From 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20. 619-876-4160, noel-bazafineart.com Turn Your Book Into A Business at San Diego Writers Ink, 710 13th St., Downtown. The Nonfiction Authors Association’s San Diego chapter’s August meeting features Andrea Susan Glass, who’ll help attendees with any issues they may be facing on their publishing journey.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21. $15-$20. 619-696-0363 Harbor Seals of La Jolla at National City Public Library, 1401 National City Blvd. Learn all about the biology, behavior, habitat and adaptations of a 250-member colony of harbor seals located at Casa Beach, aka Children’s Pool in La Jolla.

From 3 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26.

619-470-5800, nationalcitylibrary.org

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August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

EVENTS

THEATER

KEN JACQUES

box musical All Shook Up and the very sweet The Music Man) may be geared toward children, but Shrek’s the most satisfying so far for adults.

Kiddies may wonder what’s so funny after some of the one-liners, but you won’t be. And everyone should enjoy the first-rate sets and costumes, and winning performances from T.J. Dawson as the big green T.J. Dawson stars in Shrek: The Musical. guy, Cornelius Jones, Jr. doing Donkey duty, Marc Ginsburg as Lord FarMoonlight’s Shrek quaad and Michelle London as the grownup Fiona. With little ones in mind, this not just for kids show could have been a couple of numuring this steaming summer that bers shorter (sorry, fairytale characters), only an ogre could love, Moonlight but it’s hard to quibble with a hit, and you Stage Productions’ Shrek: The Mu- never argue with an ogre.

Shrek: the Musical runs through Aug. 29 sical is the next best thing to air conditionat the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. ing. You can relax under the stars in Vista and thoroughly enjoy the song-studded $24-$52. moonlightstage.com antics of Shrek, Princess Fiona and that *** wise-ass ass merely named Donkey. You nd now for something completely don’t have to be a kid, either. different. If you ever played blind Ironically, the third show in Moonman’s buff as a child, you rememlight’s summer season (after the juke- ber it as a kind of tag with a blindfold. In-

D

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18 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

nocent stuff. Not in Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party, the second act of which features a harrowing game of blind man’s buff played by anything-but-innocent adults. Nothing is as it seems in this three-act conundrum, Pinter’s second play, onstage at Moxie Theatre courtesy of the fledgling New Fortune Theatre company.

The Birthday Party, directed by Richard Baird, is just New Fortune’s second full-length production since last October.

While less bold than the Henry V it staged in little ion theatre, New Fortune’s The Birthday Party is a tense affair that, like much of Pinter, raises more questions than it answers. Baird and Henerson play inscrutable hitman types who descend upon what may or may not be a boarding house run by Marcus Overton and the marvelous Dana Hooley. Amanda Schaar and Max Macke (playing the most miserable “birthday” boy you’ll ever see) round out this cast. The Birthday Party is obscure but absorbing.

The Birthday Party runs through Aug. 30 at Moxie Theatre in Rolando. $21-$26. newfortunetheatre.com

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Violet: Jeanine Tesori’s acclaimed musical about a disfigured young woman making a cross-country trip in hopes that a televangelist can heal her. Presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre, it opens Aug. 20 at the Lyceum Theatre in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org And Then There Were None: Ten strangers trapped on a remote island start dropping like flies in Agatha Christie’s classic murder mystery. Presented by the Pickwick Players, it opens Aug. 21 at Off Broadway Live in Santee. pickwickplayers.net Unnecessary Farce: Paul Slade Smith’s whimsical comedy about a police sting that goes hilariously wrong. It opens Aug. 21 at the OnStage Playhouse in Chula Vista. onstageplayhouse.info Our Lady of 121st Street: A staged reading of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ dark comedy about a funeral parlor that loses the body of a beloved nun. Presented

by Intrepid Theatre Company, it happens Aug. 24 at the Encinitas Library. intrepidtheatre.org Pippin: Winner of the 2013 Tony for “Best Musical Revival,” this Broadway production of the Stephen Schwartz musical features Fosse-inspired choreography and high-flying acrobatics. Presented by Broadway San Diego, it opens Aug. 25 at the Civic Theatre in Downtown. broadwaysd.com Repulsing the Monkey: A new play about two siblings wrestling with whether or not to sell the Pittsburgh bar they just inherited. Presented by MustBePaid Theatre, it opens for six performances Aug. 25 at the Kensington Club. mustbepaid.com

For full listings, please visit “T heater ” at sdcitybeat.com

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Bayani DeCastro / studio b productions

Culture | theater

A theater is born, backyard style

Married theater duo envision ‘Art from the gut’ with a new stage company

By David L. Coddon

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usband-and-wife stage duo Francis Gercke and Jessica John are rehearsing, but not in a theater—in their garage. Gercke, on his feet, clutching a script and reciting intensely, is in his socks. John, sitting on the edge of a couch, poised to respond, is barefoot. Just a few feet away sits their director, Lisa Berger, leaning forward and listening with her dog in her lap. It’s only three weeks from opening night when Gercke and John’s new nonprofit theater company, Backyard Renaissance, will debut with a production of Jez Butterworth’s bittersweet Parlour Song.

Gercke, Backyard Renaissance’s artistic director, and John, its executive director, are familiar figures in the San Diego theater scene. Most recently seen in Lamb’s Players Theatre’s production of Freud’s Last Session, Gercke has performed everywhere from ion theatre (in whose Hillcrest space Backyard Renaissance will present Parlour Song) to Cygnet Theatre in Old Town to the North Coast Rep in Solana Beach. The latter is where John last appeared, in the madcap comedy Unnecessary Farce. Her acting resume, too, includes memorable performances on stages including New Village Arts in Carlsbad, ion and Diversionary theaters in Hillcrest, and Old Town’s Cygnet, with which she is a company member.

So with all this steady work, why would Gercke and John start a stage company of their own, a chancy proposition even in a region with as many gifted theater professionals as San Diego County? And starting one from the ground up is no simple undertaking. It means filing a federal application for nonprofit status, identifying and negotiating the rights to a first play to produce, finding a performance space, forming a board of directors and an advisory board, spreading the word to the community and much more.

“I’m probably the engine behind it,” said John, who’s blazed this trail before. For seven years, she and fellow actor Lauren Zimmerman ran a company called Backyard Productions, which produced about a dozen plays until its finale, Laura Cahill’s Hysterical Blindness in 2008. But Gercke has start-up experience of his own. With Kristi-

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Director Lisa Berger, center, listens to Parlour Song co-stars Jessica John and Francis Gercke rehearse a scene. anne Kurner, he co-founded New Village Arts Theatre in The choice to launch Backyard Renaissance with the 2001. These two are boldly going forward, but not some- Tony Award-winning drama Parlour Song was in aline where they haven’t been before. with the couple’s desire to showcase “gutsy, interesting “A lot of the conversation I had with Fran was, ‘Let’s playwrights,” as John called them, in this case the Lontry to create something that gives us joy,’” said John, who don-born Butterworth. But there was more behind this also works as the public relations manager for the Helen first important artistic decision.

Woodward Animal Center. “We want to find things we can “We’re both going through a change in our ages,” said work on together, and add John, who like her husband Bayani DeCastro / studio b productions is in her early 40s. “So many to the community.”

The name Backyard Repeople in town have allowed naissance is not only homus to play such beautiful age to John’s prior company parts that we are now agbut to the bygone local Reing out of. Parlour Song is naissance Theatre Comcompletely focused on three pany, which was headed by people who are at that point Gercke’s late friend, George in their lives.” (The third Flint. In the plays they character will be played by choose to produce and in Mike Sears, who San Diego how they’re staged, Gercke audiences may have seen in and John hope to create an this summer’s Kiss Me, Kate at the Old Globe.) honest, emotional experiParlour Song’s characence for audiences.

“The phrase that came ters are ones with imperup a lot as we were trying fections and vulnerabilito figure out what our style Jessica John and Francis Gercke rehearse in their garage. ties, and Gercke, who also might be was ‘Art from the teaches theater arts at Palogut,’” recalled Gercke, seated beside his wife at a bakery mar College, said these human frailties will be staples of café a week before rehearsals.

Backyard Renaissance’s shows.

“It’s about connection,” added John.

“We’re not putting heroes on stage,” he said. “We’re “Where else,” asked Gercke, “can you sit in the dark putting people in circumstances on stage.” with a bunch of strangers and feel something? There’s a There will be 16 performances of Parlour Song, includwonderful anonymity.” ing an Industry Night when Gercke and John will make Both speak with enthusiasm, too, about “honoring” the discount tickets available to their fellow San Diego theater audience with Backyard Renaissance’s productions. artists. Next up, in April 2016, will be a North County co“So much of theater is the audience,” said John. “If that production with Oceanside Theatre Company of The Elaudience is with you, it makes you better. It lifts you up.” ephant Man. After that?

“I would love the idea of people walking into a Back“We have a three-year ‘gypsy theater’ goal,” said John. yard Renaissance production and feeling like they’re “Right now the main goal is to get as many people to come walking into Cheers,” said Gercke. “Where what is being see us as we can.” celebrated is not just the playwright, but the audience.”

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Culture | Art Lionel Delevingne

Seen Local art on fairmount avenue

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colorful new sculpture stands tall on Fairmount Avenue in City Heights. Titled “Cultural Fusion” by artist Jim Bliesner, the large-scale piece itself is striking, but it represents the beginning of something much bigger.

“This is just the start of efforts by all the arts groups on the street,” says Bliesner, with a copy of the 26-page Fairmount Corridor Arts Concept proposal in his hand. “This is an individual piece of art, but the conceptual piece is the street itself.”

Standing in the shade of the towering La Maestra Clinic in City Heights, Bliesner is joined by Avital Aboody, economic development manager at City Heights Community Development Corporation; Melinda Chiment, executive director of The Aja Project, which offers photography-based programming to underserved youth and communities; and Christopher Ewald, director of La Maestra Foundation’s Generations program that provides art therapy to traumatized community members.

They’re the core team behind the Fairmount Corridor Arts Concept, a City Heights CDC- and California Endowment-funded study published in 2014 that lays the groundwork for turning Fairmount Avenue between University Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard into a more walkable arts corridor.

“One of the policy recommendations in the report is that the one-percent-for-art allocation for new development, that we be able to capture that and use it for art on this street,” Bliesner says. “Most of this street is either owned by La Maestra or Price Charities and slated for major development...so if we can capture the one percent for art we can begin to turn the street into a canvas.”

The team made sure to include the cost of the

Jim Bliesner in front of “Cultural Fusion” sculpture in the grant proposal. The physical artwork, says Bliesner, is an important signal to the community that they’re serious about getting things off the ground.

“We can produce studies—words—stacks of studies larger than this building all day long,” Bliesner says.

“But we decided that we needed to do an actual piece.”

“Cultural Fusion,” an abstract, painted-steel sculpture that incorporates various cultural symbols and patterns, will be unveiled in a community celebration happening from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at La Maestra (4060 Fairmount Ave.) in City Heights. At the event, Bliesner and the others will be actively recruiting artists and interested community members to join them in their efforts to fill Fairmount with art.

“The idea of the unveiling is that we have this one piece we’ve installed and it will be a kickoff to the conversation about what other things people would want to see here,” Aboody says.

—Kinsee Morlan

signed and programmed the games, in a video the arts collective made about the project for their Kickurning Man kicks off Aug. 30 in a desert in starter campaign.

The arcade also includes a large, handmade pipe northern Nevada, but a group of local festivalgoers has been prepping for the famed annual organ open to anyone who wants to play and other custom games inspired by Simon, Battleship, Operaevent since April. tion and more. And the strucSol Diego is an arts colkinsee morlan ture itself plays with perspeclaborative that brings totive in interesting ways. gether San Diego artists and “The Wonderlust Arcade so-called “Burners” through is an arcade within an optical making large-scale, immerillusion,” Timms says in the sive art. Since 2011, its memvideo. “Forced perspective— bers have created impressive it’s that point on the horizon interactive art pieces that that everything converges travel to Burning Man. upon. What we’re doing is “What we’ve really exwe’re warping that to create celled at in the past is building the illusion of a longer hallan environment for people to way...As you enter the room, interact,” says David Timms, you will appear taller.” one of Sol Diego’s foundTimms says they won’t be Andrew Koorey (left) and David Timms ers. “The first year, we did a inside The Wonderlust Arcade setting the arcade on fire this climbable sun structure. Then year. Instead, the piece will there was a nautically-themed carousel with ride-able animals. The third year was travel to YOUtopia, San Diego’s regional Burning a rocket ship and a fish. All three were burnable art Man event, in October. He says he hopes the piece will help inspire other artists to join their collective. pieces, so we eventually lit all of those on fire.”

“What these projects do is they’re large enough For the last few months, Sol Diego has been working on this year’s entry: “The Wonderlust Arcade,” a and they require a certain level of collaboration in whimsical, artful and somewhat trippy handcrafted order to do them well,” he says. “It’s a good excuse to bring artists together to work on things that are much video-game arcade.

“We’ve got Pong, Space Invaders and Frogger, all bigger than what they would normally tackle.” sort of Burner-fied,” says Andrew Koorey, who de —Kinsee Morlan

the art of burning man

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20 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

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August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

Culture | Film

Born again Nina Hoss and Christian Petzold team up again in shifty thriller

by Glenn Heath Jr.

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erman director Christian Petzold has long been fascinated by the way characters hide past indiscretions to avoid future punishPhoenix ments. It’s what defines the conflict in his sharp neonoir Jerichow and informs the social implications When Nelly does find Johnny working at a sleazy of the 1980s-set melodrama Barbara. Both of those cabaret bar filled with prostitutes and soldiers, he no films star Nina Hoss, whose dynamic presence lends longer recognizes her. She returns time and again the lifeblood to Petzold’s rigorous formal style and hoping for a different result, until they eventually somber pacing. share a fateful conversation that complicates matThe two team up again with Phoenix, a striking ters even more, sending Petzold’s film into demented and shifty mistaken-identity thriller that delves emotional territory a la Hitchcock’s. Vertigo. even deeper into Germany’s traumatic past to adPhoenix brims with elaborate situational comdress themes of comeuppance and revenge. World plexities that affect both its politics and characterWar II has just ended and American forces police izations. Watching Nelly try to reinvent herself while both the desolate countryside and bombed-out ur- hiding her true self from Johnny is like watching a ban areas. Jewish survivors of the concentration high-wire act with no net. Hoss’ turn oscillates becamps are returning home, sometimes having to tween multiple tones and facial expressions, as if she face the same people who implicated them to the were trying to rediscover herself through perforNazis years before. mance. It’s a strange attempt at Singer Nelly Lens (Hoss) forgiveness that has a perverse leaves Auschwitz with her face undercurrent, something Lene almost completely disfigured can’t bear to watch unfold. phoenix by a bullet wound, bloody banSo the cycle of trauma beDirected by Christian Petzold dages acting as temporary skin. gins again, affects those who Friend and protector Lene WinStarring Nina Hoss, thought they had escaped the ter (Nina Kunzendorf ) drives worst horrors humanity has to Ronald Zehrfeld, Nina Kunzendorf, her to a hospital for facial reoffer. Who will shape the narand Imogen Kogge construction, or “re-creation.” rative this time around? Petzold Rated PG-13 Jazzy musical notes waft in the plays with our expectations to air as the two travel through the avoid an easy answer. The fates eerily quiet countryside under of Nelly, Johnny and Lene are cover of night. elementally connected to their Upon arrival, Nelly confronts the reality of her pasts. Here, the film specifically addresses how indisituation; post-surgery she will emerge a stranger in viduals represent the flipsides of historical rememappearance yet still harbor all of the pain and aguish brance. It’s entirely dependent on perspective and of her past self. A great deal of this turmoil revolves denial. around her husband Johnny (Ronald Zehrfeld), who Phoenix, which opens Friday, Aug. 21 at the Readmay or may not have cowered under the pressure of ing Gaslamp, concludes with one of the most damnNazi interrogation and turned in his own wife. ing mic-drop endings of all time. Artistic expression The question of Johnny’s disloyalty drives Nelly doubles down as enraged political statement, and to seek him out in rubble-strewn Berlin. While most the bravery of Hoss’ performance in this sequence Holocaust films grapple with the unfinished busi- (and the film in its entirety) matches Petzold’s huness of regret and anger, Phoenix takes a somewhat manist resolve to ponder unavoidable questions. It different stand. Nelly pursues the mysteries of her is here, like Nelly herself, where the film reveals its past because she wants to quell the doubt over her true self, a warped portrait of determination and rehusband’s potential guilt, and eventually recapture silience standing up to the charming smile of false the essence of their previous relationship. But was reconciliation and greed. it even good in the first place? The answer to this question is left purposefully ambiguous for most of Film reviews run weekly. the film.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

Railing away

J The Iron Ministry

22 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

.P. Sniadecki spent three years filming his latest documentary The Iron Ministry on China’s railways, and what he found was a rampaging microcosm of the country’s rapidly changing economy and identity.

This immersive film experience embeds the viewer in cramped corridors and temporary living quarters hoping to convey an

experiential view of a dynamic country constantly evolving.

The camera often lingers low to the ground, scouring and searching for artifacts while the train barrels forward. Trash litters the floorboards and human bodies are crammed into every corner. Some people try to adjust their placement, as if they were ambitious sardines trying to find that extra inch inside a small can.

But this is not a grotesque scene; it’s one of transition. Travel-

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Culture | Film ers speak about politics, economics and future plans in cordial fashion, hoping to pass time between stops.

These conversations are indicative of the passion and anger living underneath the façade of what could be construed as a stuffy or repressed environment.

A student of Harvard University’s Sensory Ethnography Lab, Sniadecki (Yumen) has been making avant-garde documentaries in China for years now, exploring the complexities of everyday life through a strikingly Spartan lens.

His latest effort is an exercise in proximity, how people share space and why it matters. The doldrums of a long train ride offer much in the way of discourse and debate, but also simply the opportunity to rest free of the usual frantic thoughts that fill the mind.

The Iron Ministry, which opens Friday, Aug. 21, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park, is a deft meditation on the passage of time in a country that has very little of it to spare. The film sees China’s new reality as a web of interlocking narratives left unspoken, each story colliding off of each other in silence because, at this point, there’s just too many competing for air.

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—Glenn Heath Jr.

Opening

Screens through Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Ken Cinema.

American Ultra: Jesse Eisenberg plays a stoner/convenience store clerk who is so high he can’t remember being trained as a government agent. That is until his fellow spies turn up to exterminate him.

Co-starring Kristen Stewart.

Phoenix: A disfigured woman (Nina Hoss) returning home from the concentration camps at the end of WWII has reconstructive surgery before trying to reconnect with her possibly disloyal husband.

Being Evel: Director Daniel Junge’s documentary tells the real story behind the myth of American daredevil Robert “Evel” Knievel. Screens through Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Digital Gym Cinema.

Best of Enemies: Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley argue about the flipsides of politics and culture in this documentary about the famous televised debates.

Hitman: Agent 47: Rupert Friend takes the reins from Timothy Olyphant as the next bald super killer out to expose the mysteries of his ancestry.

4th Annual Julian Film Festival: The environmental film festival will showcase 20 documentary films ranging in length, to highlight nature, wildlife, adventure with a purpose, land preservation and focuses on important themes of water and connectivity. Screens on Friday, Aug. 21 and Saturday, Aug. 22, at an outdoor screen near Julian Station.

Muerte en Buenos Aires: This crime thriller about a hard-working cop trying to solve a mysterious murder in Buenos Aires circa the 1980s stars Demian Bichir.

Screens through Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Ken Cinema.

Meru: In the high stakes game of Himalyan big wall climbing, Mount Meru is one of the most coveted prizes. This documentary looks at the climbers who try to balance the physical and emotional pressures of this profession.

The Iron Ministry: J.P. Sniadecki’s roaming documentary is an immersive look at China’s expansive railways.

Screens through Thursday, Aug. 27, at the Digital Gym Cinema.

One Time Only Shadow of a Doubt: Joseph Cotten’s Uncle Charlie might not be the man he seems to be in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller co-starring Teresa Wright. Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, at Scripps Ranch Public Library.

Point Break: Kathryn Bigelow’s masterful crime film is about a young FBI agent (Keanu Reeves) who infiltrates a Los Angeles gang of robbers known as the “ExPresidents.” Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Jaws: Too bad nobody listens to Chief Brody (Roy Scheider) and scientist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) about that big shark roaming the waters on July 4 weekend. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, at Althenaeum Music and Arts Library in La Jolla.

Pretty in Pink: Molly Ringwald’s brooding teenager has the impossible task of choosing between a guy named Duckie (Jon Cryer) and a rich, sensitive playboy named Blane (Andrew McCarthy).

Screens at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Aug. 20 and 21, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Splash: Human being Tom Hanks and mermaid Daryl Hannah try to work out their physical differences in Ron Howard’s quirky romantic comedy. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, at Postwood Pier Plaza in Ocean Beach.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: “We named the dog Indiana:” Classic Sean Connery shade. Screens at 11:55 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Ken Cinema.

Pretty Woman: Julia Roberts takes the old adage “prostitute with a heart of gold” to a new level in Garry Marshall’s iconic romantic comedy co-starring Richard Gere. Screens at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22 and 23, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Heart of the Beholder: The true story of a couple who opened the first VHS rental store in St. Louis and was caught up in a battle with the Citizens for Decency after offering Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ to customers. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, at San Diego Public Library in East Village.

West Side Story: It’s hard out there for a gal named Maria (Natalie Wood) who’s looking for love in all the wrong places.

Screens at 8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 24, at The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park.

Danny Collins: Al Pacino plays an aging rock star that discovers a letter written to him by John Lennon 40 years before.

Screens at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, at the Point Loma / Hervey Branch Library.

Touch of Evil: Orson Welles tortures For a complete Charlton Heston (playing listing a Mexican!) of nasty movies, see noir. in this south please of the border Screens 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 26, at “Fatilm Screenings” the Mission Valley Public Library.

at sdcitybeat.com

Vessel: This Diana under thedocumentary “E vents”bytab.

Whitten focuses on Women on Waves, a

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

tom hines

Music

SAVAGES COME ALIVE London post-punks invite their audience into creative process

BY JEFF TERICH From left: Jehnny Beth, Ayse Hassan, Fay Milton and Gemma Thompson

T

here’s a video of Savages on YouTube, captured doing it, or there wasn’t this energy and aggression in a during their January residency in New York City, way, it probably wouldn’t work.” performing a new song called “No” at the Mercury “No,” the song from the Mercury Lounge video, will Lounge. It’s one of the first times the London group ever be featured on the band’s second album, which doesn’t played the song, and while the video and sound quality yet have a title or a release date. Thompson says they’re aren’t high by any means, it gives a pretty strong indica- aiming for early 2016. By all accounts, it’s likely to be even tion of the kind of force of nature the band becomes when more intense than their 2013 debut album Silence Yourself; they step onstage. Bassist Ayse Hassan locks into a groove, in a Rolling Stone interview published earlier this year, as if in a trance, while drummer Fay Milton is a highly con- Beth described the new album as a “beast.” Yet, to some trolled tempest, bashing her cymbals with extent, so was their debut, which presentmetronomic precision. Guitarist Gemma ed the group’s sinister, visceral post-punk Thompson maintains a stoic visage, despite sound in a concise, direct-yet-mysterious wrenching some incredible sounds from her package. Its 11 tracks showcased a blend of guitar. Singer Jehnny Beth is the most anisleek, accessible darkness in the vein of Joy AugUST 23 mated of the bunch, clad in a leather jacket Division or early records by The Cure. But and slinking from one end of the stage to there’s also a muscle to songs like “No Face,” The Casbah the other, her gaze seemingly never averting “I Am Here” or the anthemic single “Shut savagesband.com from the small crowd of faces before her.

Up” that brings to mind the hook-laden Onstage is where Savages belong—it’s thunder of a band like Queens of the Stone where the group truly comes alive. You can Age. For as much style as Savages bring to find countless other videos online of Savages perform- their intriguingly shadowy tunes, they back it up with an ing, many of them professionally captured and beautifully unstoppable fury. edited, but one thing is never lost in the translation: the Documenting the band as a taut, four-person unit was sheer, raw power that the band harnesses. A dynamic like the primary goal for Silence Yourself. When it came time theirs is nigh-impossible to contain. to begin work on the second album, Savages took it upon Live performance is the essence of who Savages are and themselves to leave the material a bit loose. As such, they what they do. In a phone call from a hotel room in Italy be- created a testing ground in the songs’ early stages by playtween festival performances, Thompson explains that, for ing several weeks of shows in New York, across the Atlana while, it was the only thing that mattered to them. tic from their own backyard, in order to get a better feel “The live shows are important, the performance is so for the material and where it needed to go (they’ll most important—it’s kind of why we do it, in a way,” she says. likely play much of the new material when they’re in San “When we first came together we only thought about the Diego on Aug. 23). And in the process, they brought their performance. It probably sounds kind of stupid, but we audience into the creative process, giving a window into didn’t think about recording anything when we started. how their music takes shape, and removing some of that We’ve always thought, how are we going to make this a mystery. great show, or where are we going to play, or what are “The first record we made and the performances we going to play. It’s always been about that, really. If we around it, the idea was that if the music is strong, we can didn’t have the kind of fear about going on the stage, and have a force field around us,” Thompson says. “We can re-

SAVAGES

24 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

ally protect ourselves with the music. And the music is an armor to us. Now I feel like this record is more open. It’s more open to people. It’s written with more people there.

In that same way it invites the audience to be more open as well—inviting them in and being a bit closer and warmer.”

Thompson admits that turning the live show into a laboratory experiment was more than a little intimidating. But challenging themselves in an unconventional way ultimately allowed the group to find the direction they needed. Similarly to how the four women are able to use the adrenaline of being onstage as a catalyst for creating something powerful, they use a similar kind of energy in writing. As listeners, we hear what comes out of the end of the process—the sound of a confident and empowered band, with a ferocious live presence. But it all begins with a kernel of fear or doubt just within arm’s reach.

“There has to be a slight risk to everything,” she says.

“The first week of being in New York and performing new songs, I wasn’t sure if we were doing the right thing. I was questioning myself—is this the right thing to do? It is a brave thing to do to put your new material straight out to people, and you know it’s not finished?

“But if you don’t take those risks you’re not going to get further in what you’re doing, or learn about yourself as quickly as you do when you have a bit of fear behind it,” she continues. “It’s about taking that and turning it into a good, positive…creative energy. Fear or risk can make you do something very quickly. It can also fail as well. Anything you do, you have to be aware that you can fail. And failure is as much as an experience as succeeding in a way.

You can learn a lot from that.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com or follow him on Twitter at @1000TimesJeff To hear a track, go to sdcitybeat.com and search for “Savages”

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Music

notes from the smoking patio Locals Only

S

oft Lions have undergone a lineup change. Keyboardist Alexandra Pratt announced earlier this month via Facebook that she had decided to leave the band. Not long thereafter, at the band’s Aug. 8 show at The Casbah, Soft Lions introduced their new keyboardist Ana Ramundo.

In a phone interview with CityBeat, singer and guitarist Megan Liscomb says that everyone in the band is still friends with Pratt, but it was important to keep up the momentum they had built up before she made her departure.

“We just wanted to keep going,” she says. “We had stuff booked through September or October, so it’s good to keep moving.”

The band met Ramundo through mutual friends, and she’s since performed a handful of shows with them, the most recent at Echo Park Rising in Los Angeles. Liscomb says that she adapted quickly to the band, and that she’s a natural fit.

“She’s been playing piano since third grade,” Liscomb says. “I think we had three or four practices and she picked up everything really smoothly.”

Soft Lions recently released their Spellbreaker EP, and were just nominated for a San Diego Music Award for Best Alternative Album. But while Soft Lions have had a busy 2015 so far, Liscomb is eager to do even more.

Alexandra Pratt (right) announced her departure from Soft Lions this month “I feel like it’s time to write more,” she says.

Soft Lions play Thursday, Aug. 20 at Soda Bar. *** he list of nominees for the 2015 San Diego Music Awards has been announced. One of the favorites this year is Cholo-goth duo Prayers, who are nominated for five awards, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Music Video and Best Alternative. Slightly Stoopid is nominated for four awards, and Little Hurricane is nominated for three. The San Diego Music Awards takes place on Oct. 5 at Humphreys By the Bay. Read the full list of nominees at sandiegomusicawards.com. (Full disclosure: I’m on the voting and nominating panel for the San Diego Music Awards.)

T

—Jeff Terich

ALBUM REVIEW Ypsitucky New Old Lady (Self-released)

S

an Diego isn’t a typical country town. It’s about 2,000 miles from the Grand Ole Opry, and while quite a few residents don their best cowboy duds to make an annual pilgrimage to the Lakeside Rodeo, countryand-western culture is generally found further east, in the more rural parts of San Diego county.

And certainly, plenty of San Diegans keep their radio dial on KSON, but mainstream country in 2015 has a tendency to sound more like Jimmy Buffett or Bon Jovi than Hank Williams or Loretta Lynn.

It’s all the more interesting then, that San Diego has produced quite a few excellent artists with a rootsy streak, from NPR MVPs Nickel Creek to the rowdy and rollicking El Monte Slim.

That band’s leader, Ian Trumbull, launched a new band last year, Ypsitucky, whose name actually nods to his Midwestern roots. Yet, the band calls San Diego home, and with new EP New Old Lady, the quartet carves another noteworthy notch in the belt for locally based roots music.

Like the best country or bluegrass music, Yp-

26 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

situcky keep their songs concise. Not a single song here surpasses four minutes, and none of them need to. It takes a certain kind of band to make a seven- or eight-minute song justify its length, but it can be just as impressive to hear a band that can take a three-minute song and stuff it with enough ideas that not one single second feels wasted. Ypsitucky are only partially bluegrass, however, and there’s a lot of rock ‘n’ roll powering their honky tonk engine, such as in the Old 97’s-style shuffle of “No Reserves,” the rugged and lick-heavy “What A Mess,” and the distorted yet moody strut of “Bruiser.”

Even more remarkable than the band’s dirty guitars is Heather Vorwerck’s fiddle, which can add a much-welcome touch of twang to the more punk-influenced numbers, or a streak of melancholy to the closing ballad “Pull Me Out.” It’s that juxtaposition of scuffed-up rock attitude and heartfelt country soul that makes New Old Lady such a strong set of tunes. As country goes, this isn’t pure, but it sure is good. Ypsitucky.bandcamp.come.

—Jeff Terich #SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Music

Jeff Terich

If I were u A music insider’s weekly agenda

day seems like the quietest day this week for live music, but that doesn’t mean there’s Wednesday, Aug. 19 no rocking to be had. Get your fiery, dancePLAN A: Metz, Retox, Hot Nerds @ able garage rock fix at The Casbah with The Casbah. As FYF Fest draws closer, three solid rock ‘n’ roll bands from our fair more bands playing it are descending upon city. BACKUP PLAN: Whiskey Shivers, our city, and Metz is a band you have to Lexington Field, Ypsitucky @ Soda Bar. catch. They play short, intense bursts of post-hardcore that hit with an impressive Sunday, Aug. 23 impact. Their new album II is one of my favorites this year, but they’re even better PLAN A: Savages @ The Casbah. Read my live. PLAN B: George Clinton and Parlia- cover story this week on London post-punk ment Funkadelic @ House of Blues. Funk group Savages. They’re releasing a new allegend George Clinton has fronted two bum next year, and there’s a good chance classic bands and they’re combined into you’ll hear a good chunk of it at this show. one hits-laden showcase. Free your mind, But singles like “Shut Up” and “She Will” and your ass will follow. BACKUP PLAN: are all the reason you need to go check Matias Aguayo, Echo Park Social Club, them out.

DJ Viejo Lowbo @ Soda Bar.

Thursday, Aug. 20 PLAN A: Saxon, Armored Saint, Symbolic @ Brick by Brick. Saxon are heavy metal icons, having been one of the pioneering bands of the 1980s, with albums like Strong Arm of the Law. Strap on your bullet belt and hoist those horns. PLAN B: Soft Lions, Globelamp, Garden Echo @ Soda Bar. Soft Lions just underwent a little bit of a lineup change (see page XX) but the garage rock trio hasn’t slowed down at all, especially after just releasing a new EP. They’re an awfully fun live band, and if you haven’t had the chance yet, this is as good a time as any to do so.

Friday, Aug. 21 PLAN A: Vieux Farka Toure, Steph Johnson @ The Casbah. Mali musician Vieux Farka Toure is the son of desert blues legend Ali Farka Toure, and he’s got a soulful, powerful sound of his own. Get to know one of the great guitarists of our time, and an icon of African music. PLAN B: Tropical Popsicle, Lowlands, Vowws, Angels Dust, DJs Craig Oliver, Richie Lauridsen @ Soda Bar. Tropical Popsicle has been a little quiet of late, but they’ve got a busy fall ahead of them. They’re one of this town’s best bands, so get ready to get weird and have some fun.

BACKUP PLAN: Juice Box, Little Dove @ The Balboa.

Monday, Aug. 24 PLAN A: Trancers, Groms, Bad Kids @ Soda Bar. Trancers’ neon-colored Bandcamp page will most likely make you temporarily blind, but the Detroit group’s melodic post-punk sound goes down much easier. It’s catchy, jangly and just a little bit abrasive, with a touch of Devo’s endearing weirdness. Hard not to love that.

Tuesday, Aug. 25 PLAN A: Nails, Death Eyes, Crime Desire @ The Casbah. Oxnard group Nails play a hyper-aggressive, super-concise style of hardcore known as “powerviolence.” That might not mean all that much when you’re getting thrown around in the pit, but it’s sure fun to say. And their music is brutal in the best way. PLAN B: Painted Palms, Barbarian, The Gloomies @ The Merrow. Painted Palms is a synthpop band with a flamboyant streak, not unlike a more new wave version of Of Montreal. They make fun tunes that compel you to dance, so don’t even bother fighting the urge. BACKUP PLAN: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Mild High Club, Amerikan Bear @ Soda Bar.

Saturday, Aug. 22 PLAN A: The Loons, The Bassics, Gloomsday @ The Casbah. It’s interesting that SaturVieux Farka Toure

28 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Music

Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!

The Dickies (Brick by Brick, 9/5), Julieta Venegas (Music Box, 9/18-19), Oh Land (HOB, 9/24), Gaslamp Killer (Observatory, 10/3), DJ Krush (BUT, 10/4), Other Lives (BUT, 10/13), D.R.I. (Brick by Brick, 10/22), The Sword (BUT, 10/22), Skylar Spence (Soda Bar, 10/23), The Vibrators (Soda Bar, 10/26), Knuckle Puck (Moniker Warehouse, 10/30), Kris Kristofferson, John Prine (Civic Theatre, 10/31), The Internet (The Loft at UCSD, 11/5), Modern Baseball, Pup (Quartyard, 11/14), The Cult, Primal Scream (HOB, 11/19), Ryan Bingham (BUT, 11/19-20), Skinny Puppy (Observatory, 11/20), Author and Punisher (Hideout, 11/21), New Found Glory, Yellowcard (HOB, 11/22), Chance the Rapper (SOMA, 11/23), TesseracT (HOB, 11/23), The White Buffalo (HOB, 12/10), Disturbed (HOB, 3/20).

RESCHEDULED Lucy’s Fur Coat (Casbah, 9/19-20).

GET YER TICKETS Miguel (Observatory, 9/1), Dam-Funk (Casbah, 9/4), Cat Power (BUT, 9/6), The Psychedelic Furs, The Church (Observatory, 9/9), The Get Up Kids (Observatory, 9/10), Kamasi Washington (Soda Bar, 9/13), Wavves (Observatory, 9/15), Hum, Mineral (BUT, 9/16), Mobb Deep (Observatory, 9/16), Future Islands (Observatory, 9/22), Shamir (Irenic, 9/22),

Titus Andronicus (The Irenic, 9/24), The Lemonheads (BUT, 9/24), Death Cab for Cutie (Open Air Theatre, 9/25), Duran Duran (Open Air Theatre, 9/27), Thievery Corporation (BUT, 10/3), Beirut (Open Air Theater, 10/6), Garbage (Humphreys, 10/6), Xavier Rudd and the United Nations (Observatory, 10/8), ‘CRSSD Festival’ w/ Flaming Lips, TV on the Radio, Giorgio Moroder, Jamie xx (Waterfront Park, 10/10-11), alt-j (Open Air Theatre, 10/13), Twin Shadow (BUT, 10/14), Young Thug (HOB, 10/14), Florence and the Machine (Viejas Arena, 10/14), Deafheaven, Tribulation (Casbah, 10/15), Janet Jackson (Viejas Arena, 10/17), The Black Lips, Ariel Pink (Observatory, 10/18), My Morning Jacket (Open Air Theatre, 10/19), YOB (Brick by Brick, 11/19), Ought (The Hideout, 10/20), Red Fang (Casbah, 10/23), Mudhoney (Casbah, 10/24), Natalie Prass (Soda Bar, 10/24), Shakey Graves (Observatory, 10/28), Madonna (Valley View Casino Center, 10/29), Ghost (Observatory, 10/30), The King Khan and BBQ Show (Soda Bar, 10/30), No Knife (Casbah, 10/31), ‘Night of the Shred’ w/ Rwake, Torche, Windhand (Quartyard, 10/31), The Menzingers, meWithoutYou (Observatory, 11/10), The Fall of Troy, Kylesa (Irenic, 11/10), Yo La Tengo (Observatory, 11/12), Mayhem, Watain (Observatory, 11/13), Youth Lagoon (BUT, 11/14), Minus the Bear (Observatory, 11/21), Sturgill Simpson (Observatory, 11/22), Rise Against (Soma, 11/22), Reverend Horton Heat (Observatory, 12/13).

August Wednesday, Aug. 19 George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic at House of Blues. Metz at The Casbah.

Thursday, Aug. 20 Rocky Votolato at The Casbah. The Drums at The Irenic. Morrissey at Observatory North Park (sold out). Holychild at The Loft.

Friday, Aug. 21 Arch Enemy at House of Blues. Pepper at Del Mar Racetrack. Morrissey at Observatory North Park (sold out). Tropical Popsicle at Soda Bar.

Saturday, Aug. 22 Snow tha Product at Observatory North Park. POD, Hoobastank at House of Blues.

Sunday, Aug. 23 Savages at The Casbah.

Monday, Aug. 24 Leon Russell at Belly Up Tavern. Diana Krall at Humphreys by the Bay.

Tuesday, Aug. 25 Jill Scott at Humphreys by the Bay. Nails at The Casbah.

Wednesday, Aug. 26 Joe Bonamassa at Humphreys by the Bay. Black Cobra at The Hideout.

Thursday, Aug. 27 Los Lonely Boys at Belly Up Tavern.

Melvins at The Casbah.

Friday, Aug. 28 Insomnium at Brick by Brick. Weird Al Yankovic at Del Mar Racetrack.

Sunday, Aug. 30 Deftones, Incubus at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

September Tuesday, Sept. 1 Miguel at Observatory North Park. Lee “Scratch” Perry at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, Sept. 2 Millencolin at Observatory North Park.

Thursday, Sept. 3 Pink Martini at Humphreys by the Bay. Marshall Tucker Band at Belly Up Tavern.

Friday, Sept. 4 Dam-Funk at The Casbah. ‘Awesome Fest’ at Soda Bar. Paul Oakenfold at Del Mar Racetrack.

Saturday, Sept. 5 The Australian Pink Floyd Show at Open Air Theatre. ‘Awesome Fest’ at Soda Bar. The Dickies at Brick by Brick.

Sunday, Sept. 6 Man Man at The Casbah. Ducktails at The Casbah. ‘Awesome Fest’ at Soda Bar. Weezer at Del Mar Racetrack. Cat Power at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, Sept. 7 Craft Spells at The Hideout.

Tuesday, Sept. 8 Diet Cig at The Hideout.

Wednesday, Sept. 9 The Psychedelic Furs, The Church at Observatory North Park. Ariana Grande at Sleep Train Amphitheatre.

Thursday, Sept. 10 Johnette Napolitano at The Casbah.

The Get Up Kids at The Observatory.

Friday, Sept. 11 Dead Feather Moon at Belly Up Tavern.

Sunday, Sept. 13 Chayanne at Viejas Arena. ZZ Top at Humphreys by the Bay. Kamasi Washington at Soda Bar. King Parrot at Brick

by Brick.

Monday, Sept. 14 The Who at Valley View Casino Center.

30 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

#SDCityBeat

Music

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. 710bc.com. Wed: Open mic.

Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Way Cool Jr. Sat: The Routine, Lucky and Lana. Sun: Karaoke.

Mon: DJ Royale.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy. 98bottlessd.com. Thu: ‘La Esencia Flamenca’. Fri: Jamie Shadowlight, Monette Marino and Nacho Arimany. Sat: Steve Anthony and Whitney Shay.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St, Normal Heights. airconditionedbar.com.

Wed: ‘Culture’ w/ DJ Ele. Thu: ‘Discordia’ w/ DJs Eve Falcon, Holliday, Pro-K, Karma. Fri: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Church’ w/ DJs Bass Exotic, Karma, Vinnassi.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. americancomedyco. com. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Greg Fitzsimmons. Fri: Greg Fitzsimmons. Sat: Greg Fitzsimmons. Sun: Adam Newman.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St, Downtown. facebook.com/BangBangSanDiego. Fri: Yolanda Be Cool. Sat: Oliver Dollar.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach. 619-222-5303. Wed: Ciarrai. Thu: So Cal Vibes. Fri: Legends of Metal. Sat: Wild Side. Mon: ‘Mic Check Monday’.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave, Downtown. henryspub.com. Wed: AOK Musik. Thu: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: DJs E, Yodah. Mon: DJ Antonio Aguilera. Tue: Big City Dawgs.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave, Downtown. houseofblues.com/sandiego. Wed: George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.

Fri: Arch Enemy, Born of Osiris. Sat: P.O.D., Hoobastank, Media Lab. Sun: Phora.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. kavalounge.com. Wed: ‘This n That’. Thu: ‘Acid Varsity’. Sat: ‘Purps n Turqs’. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave, Kensington. 619-284-2848. Fri: AJ Froman, Butler, The Wind Playing Tricks.

Tue: ‘Repulsing the Monkey’.

LOUNGEsix, 616 J St, Downtown. jsixsandiego.com. Fri: Friday Night Live.

Sat: Solarium Saturdays.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave, Coronado. mcpspub.com. Wed: Tone Cooking. Thu: Ron’s Trio. Fri: Ron’s Garage. Sat: Pat Ellis and Blue Frog Band.

Sun: Ron’s Garage. Mon: Kova.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. barpink.com. Thu: ‘Morrisey Piano Bar’ w/ Kevin Cavannaugh. Fri: ‘Turn It Loose’.

Sat: Gingger Shankar, DJ Mike Delgado.

Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: ‘Soultry Monday’ w/ Tori Roze and the Hot Mess.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd, Hillcrest. numberssd.com/. Thu: ‘Wet’. Fri: ‘Vogue Decadence’. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’. Tue: Karaoke Latino.

Bassmnt, 919 Fourth Ave, Downtown. bassmntsd.com. Fri: Lookas. Sat: Jason Ross.

Onyx Room / Thin, 852 Fifth Ave, Downtown. onyxroom.com. Thu: ‘Tea Party Thursday’. Fri: ‘Rumba Lounge’.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla. brocktonvilla.com/beaumonts.html.

Thu: Daryl Johnson. Fri: John Stanley King. Sat: Jewel City Rock Club. Sun: Daryl Johnson.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St, Downtown. patricksii.com. Wed: The Upshots. Thu: Rosy Dawn. Fri: Ruby and the Dawgs. Sat: Mystique Element of Soul. Sun: The Fuzzy Rankins Band.

Mon: The Groove Squad. Tue: Paddys Chicken Jam.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. bellyup.com. Wed: Leon Russell, Venice’s Mark and Michael Lennon.

Thu: The Palms, The Midnight Pine, Justin Froese. Fri: Big Mountain, The Devastators, DJ Carlos Culture. Sat: Livin’ On a Prayer, Thunder Road. Sun: Vaud and the Villains. Tue: KI, Prem, Christine Parker.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave, Carlsbad. boarcrossn.net. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave, Hillcrest. thebrassrailsd.com. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’.

Sat: ‘Sabado en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA. Sun: ‘Soiree’. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJs Junior the Disco Punk, XP. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave, Bay Park. brickbybrick.com. Wed: Fear Control, A Hero Within, Malison, Steeltoe.

Thu: Saxon, Armored Saint, Symbolic.

Fri: Sean Danielsen, Permacrush. Sat: American Wrecking Company, Machinage, Radiodrone, Fused By Defiance.

Sun: Firestarter, Survay Says, DON, Kitty Plague.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave, Downtown. cafesevilla.com. Wed: Aro di Santi. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Joef and Co. Sat: Malamana. Sun: Aire. Mon: Perla Negra. Tue: Gio Trio.

Croce’s Park West, 2760 Fifth Ave., #100, Bankers Hill. crocesparkwest.com.

Wed: Liz Grace Duo. Thu: Gilbert Castellanos and the Park West Ensemble. Fri: Teagan Taylor. Sat: Patrick Berrogain.

Sun: Besos de Coco. Mon: Liz Grace Duo. Tue: John Reno.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. dirksniteclub.com. Fri: Granite Hill. Sat: DJ Kool T. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown, Downtown. f6ixsd.com. Fri: DJ Dynamiq. Sat: DJ DRock. Sun: DJ Beatnick.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd. com. Thu: Jae Murphy. Fri: ‘Marrakesh’ w/ E-Man. Sat: ‘Marrakesh’ w/ Tay James.

#SDCityBeat

Queen Bee’s, 3925 Ohio St, North Park. queenbeessd.com. Fri: Sparkle!.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest. richssandiego.com. Wed: DJ John Joseph. Thu: DJ Von Kiss. Fri: DJs Dirty Kurty, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs Roland Belmares, Taj, K-Swift. Sun: DJ Hektik.

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

Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Second Cousins. Fri: G Burns Jug Band.

Sat: Rip Carson. Tue: Karaoke.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave, North Park. sevengrandbars.com/sd. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos’ Latin jam. Thu: Tones.

Fri: The Professors. Sat: The Liquorsmiths, The Wild Reeds. Sun: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Side Bar, 536 Market St, Downtown. sidebarsd.com. Wed: DJ Scooter. Thu: Vince Delano. Fri: Deejay Al. Sat: DJ Kaos. Sun: ‘Five/Ten’.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. sodabarmusic.com. Wed: Matias Aguayo, Echo Park Social Club, DJ Viejo Lowbo. Thu: Soft Lions, Globelamp, Garden Echo. Fri: Tropical Popsicle, Lowlands, Vowws, Angels Dust, DJs Craig Oliver, Richie Lauridsen. Sat: Whiskey Shivers, Lexington Field, Ypsitucky. Sun: Patrick Sweany, Little Helen Rose. Mon: Trancers, Groms, Bad Kids. Tue: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Mild High Club, Amerikan Bear.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway. somasandiego.com. Fri: Shai Hulud, Lions Lions, Mandala. Sat: So This Is Suffering, Triumph Over Shipwreck, Lifelink, Samsara, On Broken Knees.

Somewhere Loud, 3489 Noell St, Midtown. somewhereloud.com. Sat: James Egbert, Sam F. South Park Brewing Co., 1517 30th St,

South Park. southparkbrewing.com. Sun: San Diego Mixtape Society.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave, Normal Heights. sycamoreden.com. Thu: Landis, Fusebox. Sun: Grampadrew, Matthew Strachota, Gregory Michael Theilmann.

Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St, Mission Bay. tangodelrey.com. Sun: The Hep Spot.

The Balboa, 1863 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill.

619-955-8525. Fri: Juice Box, Little Dove.

Sat: Adeumazel, Obtuse Goose.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd, Spring Valley. 619-469-2337. Wed: Karaoke.

Thu: ‘Club 80s’. Fri: Fearless Leader, Minor Plains.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Metz, Retox, Hot Nerds. Thu: Rocky Votolato, Dave Hause, Chris Farren. Fri: Vieux Farka Toure, Steph Johnson. Sat: The Loons, The Bassics, Gloomsday. Sun: Savages. Mon: Lord Howler, Ape Machine, Black Pussy. Tue: Nails, Death Eyes, Crime Desire.

The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. theloft.ucsd.edu. Thu: Holychild, Nothing Special.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave, Hillcrest. theMerrow.com. Wed: Ilya Shatov, Noble War, Gideon’s Army. Thu: Punchcard, Just In Case, Somatic, Arson Academy. Fri: The Family Jewels Revue. Fri: Pink Boombox Burlesque. Sat: Cody Canada and The Departed, The Shifty Eyed Dogs, The High Rolling Loners.

Mon: Matt McAndrew, Josh Damigo, Family Thief. Tue: Painted Palms, Barbarian, The Gloomies.

The Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. officebarinc.com. Wed: Boychick, The Wild Fires, DJs Jeremiah BZ, Mike Delgado.

Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Ramsey. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings. Mon: Splavender, Balms, Quali, The Bassics, DJ Mike Delgado. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

The T Lounge, 1475 University Ave, Hillcrest. tloungesd.com. Thu: Hillcrest Night Bazaar. Thu: Stanza.

The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, Gaslamp. tinroofbars.com/Home/SanDiego. Wed: Blue Honey. Thu: John Hull Band. Fri: Cassie B Project. Sat: Kemeline. Sun: ‘Jazz Brunch’ w/ Tori Roze and Johnny Alexander. Mon: Mohavisun. Tue: Rosewood and Rye. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. tiltwoclub.com. Sat: ‘Sleepwalking’. Sun: Open Mic Comedy.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St, Bay Park. tioleos.com. Wed: Billy Bacon. Thu: Rockin’ Aces. Fri: Reflectors, New Dogs and Old Tricks. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City Heights. thetowerbar.com. Thu: Ragana, Nasty Dilemma, Age of Collapse, Victis.

Fri: DJ Little Fists. Sat: Black Majik Acid, Loom, Flying Hair, Great Electric Quest.

Sun: The Reverberations, Schizophonics, Kids in Heat, Los Seafinks. Tue: Masked Intruder, The Maxies, The Blackjackits, Cruz Radical.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave, North Park. u31bar.com. Wed: DJ Mo Lyon. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’. Fri: Lee Churchill.

Sat: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Mon: DJ Kid Wonder.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. whistlestopbar.com. Wed: ‘Astro Jump’ w/ Kill Quanti DJs. Fri: ‘F-ing in the Bushes’ w/ DJs Daniel Sant, Rob Moran. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. winstonsob.com. Wed: Ease Up, DJ Carlos Culture. Fri: ‘Subdvsn’ w/ Ana Sia. Sat: ‘Elev8’. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Meeting of the Meyends.

August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

Last Words

Brendan Emmett Quigley

If I say so myself Across 1. Filly catcher 6. Clay-like soil 10. Kind of party with strippers 14. “Thanks ___!”

15. “They have everything for young men to enjoy / You can hang out with all the boys” in song 16. Time out 17. Make money while apprising?

20. Infinitely bad 21. Oklahoma native 22. Keyboard finger exercise 23. Repeat the same story 25. Big name in cosmetics 26. Streaming royalty, perhaps?

33. Anime’s home 36. Square stuff 37. Lenore’s creator 38. Made a touchdown 39. “Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” director Morgen 40. Chinese dynasty that ended in 1644 41. Bumped into 42. Sketchy download “attachment” 43. Parliament stuff 44. Canonize Coleridge and Cummings?

47. Munchkin relative 48. Radio station format that plays not terribly challenging rock 52. Coral island 55. Internet connectivity problems 58. Instrument Julia Roberts played in high school 59. Appease Homer’s neighbor Ned? 62. Bear known to attack picnic baskets Last week’s answers

32 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

63. “___ The Groove” 64. Thesaurus entries 65. WORP, e.g.

66. Proctored event, or proctologist’s event 67. Ready to move onto the next thing

Down 1. Friendless one 2. Up in the air 3. Didn’t participate, with “out” 4. Greets with a grin 5. Slob 6. Uber competitor 7. Melville novel whose title means “rover” 8. It might be a lot to build on 9. It can show you around town 10. Highland Bramble ingredient 11. Seitan alternative 12. In the thick of 13. Swinging barrier 18. “Fuck it, here goes nothing” attitude, briefly 19. Big name in toothbrushes 24. Assisted Living Unit pro, for short 25. Video game that involved searching for blue and red pages 27. Filmmaker Gilliam 28. Freeze over 29. Borgnine’s “From Here to Eternity” role 30. Friggin’ huge 31. Die (out) 32. Frat party essentials 33. Spot for a pull-up bar 34. On the safe side 35. Bread with baba ghanouj 39. George McFly tormentor 40. “Once More ‘Round the Sun” metal band 42. Hairlike projections in the intestinal wall 43. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon’s ESPN show, for short 45. “Fess up!”

46. Anna’s sister in “Frozen” 49. Subject of the documentary “Life Itself” 50. Fiestas and Fusions 51. Like some divorces 52. Big name in organic frozen food 53. Trumpet sound 54. Actress Kurylenko 55. Canadian wildcat 56. Mennen skin conditioner 57. Latch (onto) 60. “Tsk, tsk,” old-style 61. “Straight Outta Compton: The Story of ___”

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August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

34 · San Diego CityBeat · August 19, 2015

#SDCityBeat

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August 19, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 35