San Diego CityBeat • Aug 29, 2018

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

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AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

A hard look at Hunter… and ourselves

A

t this point, there have been countless news articles and opinionated editorials about Representative Duncan Hunter. For those who may have just ascended from an underground bunker, the local Republican congressman has been indicted, along with his wife Margaret, on 60 counts of using campaign money for personal expenses. If readers would like to know more about the myriad of disturbing and downright ridiculous things the Hunters are alleged to have expensed using campaign funds, they need only read Spin Cycle this week or do a quick search on Google.

But I come not to speak of the disgraced Duncan Hunter Jr. The “Dunc,” as we like to call him around the office, has long made himself an easy target for CityBeat, and we’ve often lampooned his ridiculous behavior and blasé attitude. We even make fun of him more than one-term City Councilmember and failed mayoral and congressional candidate Carl DeMaio. See, I just can’t help myself.

What I really want to talk about is us. You know, we, the people. This interventionist outlook was not a result of Hunter’s indictment, nor was it a result of his defiance and charges that members of the liberal, “deep state” justice department are conspiring to bring him down (even though the interim director of the U.S. Attorney’s office who brought the charges was appointed by Republican Attorney General Jeff Sessions). And no, this need to speak to readers directly wasn’t even a result of a recent Survey USA poll that showed Hunter still in the lead for reelection.

No, rather, it was actually the death of Sen. John McCain that made me think it was time for a heartto-heart. What does one have to do with the other?

Well, nothing on the surface, but with all the heartfelt tributary reflections of McCain, I couldn’t help but think of how the senator contributed to an ongoing trend in politics.

You see, there are many in my profession who might argue that Trump signals some kind of regressive death knell for holding politicians to a higher standard. That our morals and principles are being bombarded and challenged at such an increased rate that what we define as acceptable behavior is becoming increasingly skewed. Liberals and Democrats love to trot out the tired “what if Obama had done what Trump is doing?” line, but the fact is that

political standards (and double standards) were being eroded long before Trump ever heard his political calling.

When it comes to McCain, his selection of Palin as his running mate was just one of many cracks when it comes to the idea of political standards. Love her or hate her, there are many who saw themselves in her.

And while her political career is all but over, she did serve to bring all of us down a notch. She proved, once and for all, that when it comes to what voters deem electable, the line of acceptability continues to rapidly erode.

If Hunter is reelected in November, and he most likely will be, it will be yet another crack in our standards. It is both a blessing and a curse that we no longer hold politicians to such high standards anymore.

On the one hand, it humanizes them and reinforces the idea that they are just as corruptible and viceridden as we are. However, once TERRANCE RODGERS we accept this idea that one type of behavior is acceptable, the more likely we are to accept more bad behavior. Where do we draw the line? What remains unacceptable when that line keeps moving?

Imagine for a moment if, after former Sen. Al Franken was accused of sexual misconduct, he’d stood in front of the Duncan Hunter Capital and pulled a Roy Moore, blaming the victims and claiming that it was a conspiracy hatched by some illuminatus. Or what if former mayor Bob Filner, instead of resigning, had kept fighting the multiple charges of sexual harassment while also claiming it was some right-wing conspiracy hatched by Carl DeMaio and his cabal of Log Cabin Republicans? Sorry, again, couldn’t help myself.

For years, I’ve stridently argued that Democrats and progressives need to fight dirtier. That the reason we keep losing the battle over the hearts and minds of voters is, despite what Michelle Obama might argue, we don’t stoop as low as they do. But do we need to go full wingbat? Do we lower our standards and start stridently defending, right or wrong, the vile actions of members of our own party (see: Eric Massa, Anthony Weiner, etc.)?

Or do we continue to fight for standards even against the highly financed, wholly corruptible Duncan Hunters of the world?

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is at 3/4 mast.

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4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

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UP FRONT | LETTERS

KEEPING ME SANE Hi Seth. Thank you for doing such great work and putting out such high-quality journalism. Please let your writers know how wonderful they are, and how sorry and sad it makes me that they’ve received the ugly messages and threats [“The critical masses,” Aug. 15]. Also thanks Ryan for the brutally honest writing he does and the light he shines on mental health issues. You guys keep me sane.

Suzy Perkins La Mesa

will likely continue to preclude any unified action. Dangerous rhetoric isn’t the only thing the media should curtail; too many shysters are given a forum for theater, lies, phony outrage, baseless contentions, etc.

Though cutting shysters off completely isn’t realistic; at a minimum the media needs to call “bullshit” more often than they do. As for the masse—for God’s sake people, turn on your bullshit detectors.

Dan Jacobs Mira Mesa

THE PURSUIT OF MONEY The editorial [“The critical masses,” Aug. 15] stated “a lot has been made about what the media can do to combat dangerous rhetoric” and “there have also been calls for more acts of unified actions amongst those covering national politics and especially those covering the White House.”

The time to combat dangerous rhetoric was 30-plus years ago when right-wing radio first gained in popularity. The media could/should have nipped the rhetoric in the bud, it was over the line of yelling fire in a crowded theater. But it generated ratings (money).

However, one would think the media would have drawn a line during the 2016 campaign when dangerous rhetoric was directed at themselves. But pursuit of money

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WE MESSED UP

Correction: Due to a miscommunication between our reporter and the County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency, we incorrectly stated in our “Hepatitis A: One Year Later” story last week that the first hepatitis A vaccine dose only protects a person for two to three weeks. The two to three weeks is actually the amount of time that it takes for the dose to be effective. We sincerely regret the error.

TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT

WE WANT FEEDBACK Did you read a story in San Diego CityBeat that made your blood boil, or caused you to laugh so hard you pulled a stomach muscle? If something inspires you to send us your two cents we welcome all letters that respond to news stories, opinion pieces or reviews that have run in these pages. We don’t accept unsolicited op-ed letters.

Email letters to editor Seth Combs at seth.combs@sdcitybeat. com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside.

Note: All comments left on stories at sdcitybeat.com will also be considered for publication.

From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

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

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

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

4 5 6 8 9

FOOD & DRINK World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene. . . . . . . . . . 11

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FEATURE: Zero-Waste Artists. . . . . . . . 15 Seen Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-18

MUSIC FEATURE: Jason Isbell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Notes From The Smoking Patio . . . . . . 20 About Last Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 CannaBeat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

The Indictee Hall of Shame It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you place the blame.

—Oscar Wilde

D

uncan Hunter Jr. has joined a pantheon of former San Diego dignitaries who have found themselves facing that word every politician hopes to avoid: indictment. From ex-mayors such as Frank Curran, Roger Hedgecock and Bob Filner to bribe-thirsty Congress folk like Randy “Duke” Cunningham, they all experienced public ridicule and scorn and handled it their own way.

Spin sought out some of the surviving members of the San Diego Indictee Hall of Shame.

But wouldn’t you know it, no one cared to reminisce publicly about their traumas nor did they want to offer any sage advice to the newest inductee, who, along with his wife, pleaded not guilty last week in

federal court to a 60-count indictment alleging the couple used his campaign war chest as a personal piggy bank.

What Spin did glean from talking to one Hall of Shamer privately, however, is that the well-trodden notion on social media that the East County congressional incumbent, who faces a tightening November runoff against Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar, is not helping his cause by opening his mouth.

This particular Shamer understands Hunter’s initial reaction of anger, a common initial emotion seen in newbie indictees. “You’re in denial,” the Shamer explained, “and you want to blame it on somebody else.”

If Hunter’s getting competent legal advice, the Shamer added, “they’re going to tell him he’s fucked. And when you’re in that position and get through being

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

angry and whatever else you go through, you finally get to a point where you look at yourself and say, ‘Holy shit, I’m going to end up having to go to prison!’ And then suddenly, making a deal with prosecutors starts looking like a really good deal.”

What the Shamer can’t believe Hunter did, however, was try to dump the whole indictment on the shoulders of Margaret, his campaign-manager wife. The first member of Congress to endorse Donald Trump, Hunter at first suggested that—like his presidential idol—he was being tarred and feathered by some “deep state” cabal of liberal apparatchiks and a biased, hell-bent U.S. Justice Department.

But that excuse was soon drowned out by the outcries of “oh no you didn’t” when Hunter, a two-tour Marine, said this about his wife on Fox News last Thursday: “When I went away to Iraq in 2003, the first time, I gave her power of attorney. She handled my finances throughout my entire military career and that continued on when I got into Congress. She was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did, that’ll be looked at too, I’m sure, but I didn’t do it.”

The comment not only sparked consternation but also a bevy of memes and hashtag pokes

JOHN R. LAMB

Apparently, spending campaign funds on personal vacations and household expenses can put a strain on a marriage.

Just ask Duncan and Margaret Hunter. from social media jokesters who blamed everything from midnight popcorn raids to running over paint cans in the driveway on Hunter’s wife. Attempts to reach Margaret Hunter’s attorney for comment were unsuccessful.

As the past Shamer noted, the Trump-like argument that The-Left-is-Out-to-Get-Me would probably play well among Hunter’s rock-ribbed Republican backers in the 50th District, if he had simply stuck with that. In fact, a Survey USA poll dropped Monday seemed to indicate that Hunter was still clinging to a notable lead in the race.

But while taking the Trump tack might make sense, dumping on the wife might not. Even Trump hasn’t tried that yet. Added the Shamer: “When you start calling out your wife, I don’t think that ever goes anywhere, maybe particularly so in that district.

Blaming your wife for making mistakes, like you going with your girlfriend to Lake Tahoe, that’s bad. It’s a window into his soul.”

Now obviously that last jab about a girlfriend is mere speculation at this point, even though everyone under the sun wants to know who “Individual 14” is in the 47-page federal grand jury indictment. Certainly that will come to light at some point if Hunter wants to take this to the mat, which he appears eager to do.

“We’re excited about going to trial with this, frankly,” Hunter told 10News last week before heading out on a fishing trip with his namesake father and a group of veterans. “I’m not worried. I’m looking forward to it.”

That, ladies and gentlemen, is spin in the finest of fashion. Not surprising, mind you, given that he was standing next to the man who spawned him and preceded him

in Congress over a near-three-decade span. Hell, his dad even once pondered a presidential run.

But it’s not every day that fellow Republicans are suggesting that such confidence will likely wither under the judicial spotlight.

“It’s very serious. This isn’t just a technicality,” opined former San Diego city attorney and judge Jan Goldsmith on KUSI last week about the charges the Hunters face.

But when asked who at the end of the day has the fiduciary duty to report campaign expenditures accurately, Goldsmith didn’t hesitate. “It’s the candidate,” he said.

“You sign off.”

Having served admirably in Iraq and Afghanistan after quitting his job and enlisting in the Marines post 9/11, Hunter may view placing blame on his wife as his only opportunity to salvage a rather unremarkable congressional career, punctuated by spurts of militaristic bombast against perceived enemies by day and fratlike partying at night.

It would not be surprising either if his supporters stick with him, knowing at least that his political agenda won’t stray even if his spending habits and vices might.

Sadly, on some Republicanleaning blogs like sdrostra.com, the theme seems to be something along the lines of “Well, let’s get Hunter elected so we can have a special election later to replace him when he resigns and/or heads to the pokie [sic].”

Again, makes total sense if you’re a Republican desperately trying to hang on as the corruption tsunami in D.C. gains strength. But, as the former Shamer concluded, “You can’t blame your wife. Jesus Christ!”

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

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AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

I’ve got the Puppy Strangles blues

W

e got a puppy last month with the goal of getting happy in the midst of the entire Trump fuckery. A not-so-small contingent of friends and colleagues all got puppies this year and their Instagram feeds alone were proof of an endorphin explosion.

There happened to be room in our home since we put our 13-year-old lab down in December and the fambam had been long enough without a four-legged poop love machine. We did our grieving; we lived our freedom. It was time. We were ready.

And our little black labradoodle KEVIN!!! did not disappoint. He was so busy playing, gumming, tumbling, learning and doing all the puppy things that puppies do, that we hardly had any time to read miserable thinkpieces about the myriad ways the Trump regime is sticking it to us.

In short, KEVIN!!! was at peak puppy (lo, the fleeting brilliance of puppy breath), healing the world one heart at a time. He also proved a surprising bridge to my teen daughter; a project for the two of us to focus on during the day and for the three of us to focus on together in the evenings.

You’ve never seen such a trio of avowed cat haters working so happily in concert to teach the superior species sit, shake, down, come, off, leave it and doggy door. You’ve never seen the kind of collaborative effort we displayed in cleaning up the errant pee, chanting, “No! No! No! No! No!” in chorus before one of us scooped KEVIN!!! up and out the door, while another made a forward pass of the paper towel roll and another sprayed the Nature’s Miracle 3-in-1 Odor Eater. We were a finely tuned symphony, an ad for PetSmart.

So my friends were right: Cleaning up dog piss is preferable to headlines about the white supremacist’s assault on humanity. KEVIN!!! was the antidote to all that and we were happy.

Then.

Just seven days after he came home, KEVIN!!! started to wince whenever we would take his face in our hands. Just a little bit at first, but by the end of his second week, he would back away if we reached our arms out to him. He didn’t want to play anymore. He became listless and started sleeping. A lot. Our curious pup became a limp mop. He didn’t even bother to stand to drink his water or eat his food.

I’m not going to go into the harrowing part of figuring out what was wrong with lil boi, and instead will cut to the chase of the harrowing diagnosis and the harrowing process of getting him well which has been goddamned harrowing. Yes, I’ve said it three times.

Harrowing is the word of the month because our new puppy has what is called Puppy Strangles.

Sounds bad, right? Well, that’s because it is. And I’m writing about it here to raise awareness, and so

readers feel as sorry for me as I’ve felt for myself. Just wait. We’ll get there.

Puppy Strangles, or juvenile cellulitis, is a very rare autoimmune disorder that occurs in puppies between the ages of three weeks to four months of age. They— the mysterious “they” that knows or doesn’t know things—have no conclusive idea what causes it.

Maybe it’s genetic. Maybe it’s the vaccinations.

Maybe it’s the pressure of high expectations that a puppy can save its humans from the ills of fascists.

Any of these explanations is as reasonable as the next.

Symptoms include fever, fatigue and loss of appetite. The lymph nodes swell, more specifically the salivary lymph nodes, which, if the condition isn’t treated, can cut off the airway, hence the name.

But that ain’t all, folks!

Painful pustules form inside the ears (it’s gonna get worse from here, so if you’re squeamish, maybe read about the Chula Vista police officer who tackled a 16-year-old girl recently; folks seem able to stomach that somehow). Pustules also form on the eyelids, nose and muzzle. Everything swells. KEVIN!!! looks like he’s had botox and filler in his lips and eyelids, and also taken a right hook to the jaw.

And when those pustules burst, they weep pus; pus that goes flying everywhere when KEVIN!!! shakes his head, his wet ears slapping all around like he’s just come from chasing a bird into a lake. But he hasn’t just come from chasing a bird into a lake. The wet dog sound is because his ears are soaked in pus.

Making it worse, the little guy cries and rubs at the ground in pursuit of relief from his miserable existence because his big, beautiful, floppy ears are aflame with a burn and itching 10,000 times worse than a yeast infection suffered by a LuluLemon-yoga-pant addict.

And the smell! There is no God, I know this for certain. The smell is sour. It’s dank. It’s putrid. It’s... moist. So much for all that glorious puppy breath.

KEVIN!!! will be fine eventually. He’s on steroids and antibiotics and pain meds, but the healing process is a dirge. You can practically hear the bagpipes playing when you walk past our house.

I resent the fact that this is my puppy experience, much like I resent Trump’s presence in my mental space. Normally, I wouldn’t wish this plague on my worst enemy, but the puppy inoculation has worn off and I’m feeling mean again. So I’d be 100 percent fine if Babyfingers caught a case of the Puppy Strangles and never got treatment.

Give him all the pustules! Every last one! Too bad it isn’t contagious.

So my friends were right: Cleaning up dog piss is preferable to headlines about the white supremacist’s assault on humanity.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week.

Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

My top enemies from the summer

I

t’s been a long time since I’ve really had an enemy.

Come to think of it, my beefs have always been of the D-grade variety. I was never bullied in high school, which is not meant as a brag—it just further illustrates the innocuousness of my life. Floating pleasantly through life, avoiding conflict: that’s me.

But it’s been a hell of a summer, and it’s charred my once-benign outlook. It’s been too damn hot for too damn long, the president has upped his efforts to discredit my profession, and I never found a decent replacement for last season’s jorts. Suffice it to say, we live in angry times, and I’ve decided to have enemies now.

Here are the the top things/people that rubbed my hide raw over this past summer.

Seth Abramson: Look, I get it: Trump’s a very bad dude. If you melted the devil down to liquid pulp, strained out any redeeming qualities, allowed it to cool, and poured the result into a used sex doll, you may get something half as gross as Trump.

That said, there are a lot of wily hucksters trying to capitalize off people’s hatred of the president, and Seth Abramson is probably the most egregious. There’s nary a day that goes by without some frothymouthed liberal in my Twitter feed retweeting his schlubby face (often accompanied by the laziest form of social media discourse: the ubiquitous “This.”) The trouble, however, is that Abramson’s tweets are largely speculative and he makes huge logistical leaps to conclusions. And the left eats it up, because this administration has primed us to believe even the most lazy armchair reporting if it helps us deal.

Plus it only takes a cursory look at this quote from his book proposal (which is basically just repurposing of his tweets [barf]) to see his interest is not in altruistic victory, but personal gain: “Few if any have leveraged the advantage that books offer in collating, organizing, and amplifying in narrative form an intensely followed Twitter feed.”

Please, people, just follow real news outlets.

Actually, the entire internet: As CityBeat’s web editor, I see a lot of shit online. I don’t experience the level of gross vitriol that the average woman or POC endures online on a daily basis, but having to monitor petty fights and “edgy” humor this summer made me reconsider the virtues of free speech. The only people who should be allowed to post anything are sad-yet-emotionally-intelligent teens. Other than that, shut it down.

Ants/maggots (tie): I just can’t with ants. These little assholes have haunted me in every dwelling in which I’ve lived in San Diego. Two years ago, I decided

to bite the bullet and get my house treated. And lo!

Those were two marvelous ant-free years. But this summer, [movie trailer voice] they came back. With a vengeance. And this time, it was personal. They attacked from everywhere! I couldn’t even identify their trails.

They seemed to have abandoned basic, evolutionary transport formations just to fuck me over. So, I shelled out another couple hundred dollars to get rid of them.

I can still hear their tiny laughter in my head.

And, yes, I found an army of maggots in my trashcan one day during the heat spell. I’m going to blame the unrelenting heat/humidity for creating a perfect environment for maggots, and try not to think of it as a reflection on me or how I live my life.

Dockless scooters: I started this summer loving these—Oh, the novelty! Oh, the whimsy!—but now it’s hard to walk around in North Park without nearly getting run over by one. People ride them on sidewalks, get pissed when you’re in their way, and abandon them without consideration.

Plus, everyone looks so dour when they’re riding, which is both funny and sad. With everybody zipping around with frowns on their faces, it feels like we’re living in a very depressing Jetsons episode.

City of San Diego parking enforcement: There’s nothing remarkable about hating the most hated department of law enforcement, but this summer I ended up paying nearly $300 in fines for briefly stopping in the red zone at Santa Fe train station to pick up a friend. I had pulled up behind a parking enforcement vehicle which was also stopped in the red. The sting was so fast that my friend hadn’t even climbed into my car when I heard an officer tapping on my window. I hadn’t even stopped 30 seconds—a shorter amount of time than if I had been waiting at the red light a few feet in front of me. The hell of it is that the same officer had to move his car in the middle of writing my ticket so a bus could get by. Way to lead by example, a-hole. The moral of this story is that you probably shouldn’t ever leave your house, lest you might fall victim to a two-bit parking sting operation.

The sun: Bro. Chill out. There’s no reason for you to be so hot. You know how many shirts I’ve sweated through this summer? You know how much weird acne I’ve gotten this summer from festering in swampy sweat clothes? Not cool. Next time we need you for, like, growing crops or some shit, we’ll let you know by sacrificing something. For now, just take your two Raisin Bran-makin’ scoops and back the fuck off.

With everybody zipping around with frowns on their faces, it feels like we’re living in a very depressing Jetsons episode.

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Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE The soul of a taco

I

cannot definitively rule out the possibility that somewhere, on some street corner in San Diego, there are tacos as good as the ones Andrew Bent is serving. I also can’t rule out the technical possibility I’ll win the lottery today, but I certainly wouldn’t want to bet on it. At the end of the day, it’s simply a far better bet that there are no tacos in town better than those at Lola 55 (1290 F St., lola55catering.com), which recently opened in the East Village.

The fact that Lola’s is so good, and so soon after opening, it’s tempting to call it an overnight sensation. It isn’t.

It’s the result of a nearly two-year development process between Bent and primary owner, Frank Vizcarra. There was the grueling recipe development and far-flung research, and for Bent, it also involved stints cooking with René Redzepi at the Noma Mexico pop-up in Tulum and at Enrique Olvera’s Criollo in Oaxaca. Bent’s own background includes the legendary Chez Panisse in Berkeley as well as local stints at Carnitas Snack Shack, Puesto and as Executive Chef at Tender Greens. Vizcarra, a restaurant business veteran, has his own Tender Greens connections, having invested substantially in the chain and bringing restaurateur Danny Meyer into the company.

The success of Lola starts with extraordinary corn tortillas because, bottom line, a taco is only as good as its tortilla. Two of the best tacos on the menu are carnivorous delights. The ribeye carne asada taco, at one level, features familiar, comforting flavors. But it’s so much more than that: a luscious, luxurious, perfectly medium rare mesquite grilled steak with crispy leeks, smoky pasilla chile sauce and a blistered jalapeño salsa. The pork belly al pastor taco takes the classic combination of pork, achiote marinade with pineapple and elevates it further with a sexy, sinful slab of pork belly.

Two more of the best tacos at Lola are vegan.

Squash blossoms are stuffed with an almond “cream cheese” on top of a beet soyrizo and fin-

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

ished with a gracefully arcing potato “chicharron” strip. The taco is gorgeous and requires absolutely no compromise for non-vegans to relish. The flavor profile of the baby carrot adobada tacos is reminiscent of the pork belly dish but with the carrots’ sweetness subbed in for the pork.

There are so many more excellent tacos at Lola.

There’s smoked carnitas with shaved tomatillos playing the role of acidic lime but also echoing sliced radish. There’s the spicy smoked fish featuring Carolina Reaper chiles.

MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Baby carrot adobada And it’s not just tacos: There’s the aguachile with a glorious mango habanero chile broth, as well as the mole ice cream which, Bent explained, was inspired by a mole paste at Tijuana’s Mercado Hidalgo. It could very well be my favorite scoop of ice cream ever.

It’s shockingly easy to see the tacos at Lola as composed dishes, fine dining-style, with the tortillas themselves acting as tasty plates. They have that level of refinement, both in presentation and flavor. And yet, the most remarkable thing about Lola’s food is that these incredibly sophisticated dishes all have the soul of a taco. They’re grounded, and there is both a simplicity and directness to them that high-end tacos almost invariably lack. They’re beautiful, yes, but not precious.

And there are, likely, none better in town.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

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UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY IAN WARD

ANATOMY OF A

COCKTAIL SCENE #39: Culture clashes at Catania

mi sandwich is essentially a middle finger to the French by way of the Vietnamese people. A big old he banh mi sandwich is accredited to be- “Hey you, look what we did with your stupid fucking invented at some point in the 1950s in ing baguette. We took it and made it better.”

Saigon at a small bakery named Hoa Either way I love the history of cuisine and Ma. The truth, however, is that its origins cocktails. The intangible bits and pieces that might date back to at bring a certain thing in to existence. Take the least a century preBarrio Italiano cocktail at Catania (7863 Givious or even furrard Ave. #301, cataniasd.com) in La Jolla, ther than that. for instance.

What is undis“This drink is a riff on the Dartputed when it comes mouth Highball, itself a play on the to the banh mi is that if Pimm’s Cup, which was served at it weren’t for the French an establishment in Boston where I colonization of the region, worked and learned about all things the banh mi sandwich would not cocktails,” says Barrio Italiano creexist. Whether or not we attribute ator Chris Balchum. “The bar was the beginning of the banh mi to earEastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks, ly French catholic missionaries or to and the cocktail was named after anthe French occupation of Saigon folother Massachusetts city. It was a lowing the French-China second opifun go-to for someone who wanted um war in 1860—in which the French something refreshing on those humid, sent some 70 ships with soldiers, along summer days in New England, but also with baguettes and pâté chaud—either had a refreshing bitterness in the backway, the sandwich is the direct result ground. The drink featured Plymouth Gin of a culture clash. And when the French with Pimms No. 1, lemon, sugar, mint and inevitably retreated from Vietnam, the ginger beer. The Barrio Italiano brings in locals took all the hoity-toity French that Southern California connection by shit and made it their own. The banh Barrio Italiano extending across the border to Mexico, pairing sweet and bitter Averna with the smoke of Mezcal, locally grown strawberries and mint and basil, a staple in any Italian kitchen.”

BARRIO ITALIANO I do love a good Pimm’s cup. It is one of the as prepared at Catania more satisfying libations in the whole cocktail rolodex, and the Barrio Italiano does not fall too 1 ½ oz. El Silencio mezcal far from its proverbial tree. The mezcal gives the 1 oz. lemon juice drink smoke but also depth, and the mint, ginger beer and strawberry syrup offer a playful fruitiness ¾ oz. strawberry basil syrup to complement the bitter amaro notes.

3/4 oz. Amaro Averna Truly thought provoking cocktails are hard to Pinch of mint find. More importantly, I hope cocktail enthusiasts Splash of ginger beer realize that the history of the world can often be Mint bouquet found in a glass just as much as it can be found on a plate.

T

Add all ingredients except ginger beer to shaker tin, add ice, shake, double strain into a Collins glass with new ice and garnish with mint.

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Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene appears every other week.

Write to ianw@sdcitybeat.com.

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

FRUITS OF THE LABOR

San Diego over Labor Day weekend is often an exercise in masochism. Ever try to find a parking spot at the beach on a holiday weekend? We’d have a better chance winning the lottery.

Still, there are events that happen over the Labor Day weekend that we look forward to every year. First, there’s the annual U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge and Dimensional Art Exposition, where 300 tons of sand is poured out onto the Broadway Pier and Landing (1000 N Harbor Drive, Downtown) where master sand sculptors will then craft larger-than-life art pieces. The public can view the results on Friday, Aug. 31 and every day through Monday, Sept. 3 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10-$15 at ussandsculpting.com.

Also on Friday, the San Diego Symphony will wrap up its Bayside Summer Nights season of concerts with the annual 1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular. Even for classical music novices, this is a pretty epic show, with music from Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Borodin, as well as a fireworks show and accompaniment from the San Diego Master Chorale and Voices of Our City Choir. There’s another performance on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Embarcadero Marina Park South (200 Marina Park Way) and tickets are $27-$95 at sandiegosymphony.org.

The Del Mar Racetrack (2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., dmtc.com) is also wrapping up its summer

LA JOLLA AND EAST VILLAGE

KEYS DAYS

COURTESY OF THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY

HThat’s What She Said at Palomar College Boehm Gallery, 1140 W. Mission Road, San Marcos. Artists Raheleh Filsoofi, Michelle Montjoy, Helen Redman and the Sien Collective unveil a multimedia exhibition exploring womanhood, its myths and power structures. Opening from 1 to 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. Free.

760-744-1150, palomar.edu/boehmgallery HOur Collective Truth: Examining Civil Liberties in America at The FRONT Arte Cultura, 147 W. San Ysidro Blvd., San Ysidro. The AjA Project, a local youth art nonprofit, presents a photography exhibition of four artists grappling with the legacy of Japanese internment during World War II. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 30. Free. facebook.com/ events/475770772892489

1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular concert series with an entire weekend of free shows (with regular track admission of $6-$10). Our pick is on Friday with a post-race performance from Café Tacvba at 7 p.m. Even for those unfamiliar with the Mexico City band, these guys are rock en español pioneers and are known for their spirited live show.

Finally for those itching to get out of town, there’s the 22nd annual Julian Grape Stomp Festa on Saturday, where readers can squish some wine grapes with their feet. There will also be 10 local wineries offering samples, as well as food, Italian music and a bocce ball court. It happens from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Menghini Winery (1150 Julian Orchards Drive) and tickets are $5-$15 at juliangrapestomp.com.

SOUTH PARK

TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE

San Diego has a variety of unique festivals that, on the surface, might seem like they could only appeal to a certain fringe community. The Toy Piano Festival is one such event. What started as a tribute to composer John Cage has become an annual showcase of not only the instruments themselves, but includes concerts that showcase the versatility of the tiny music makers. The 17th annual fest kicks off at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 5 with a concert at the UC San Diego Geisel Library (9500 Gilman Drive) in the Seuss Room. The free fest will then move to the San Diego Central Library (330 Park Blvd.) for another performance at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 10, as well as a curated display of the pianos. More info at libraries.ucsd.edu.

HMyths & Origins at Apotheosis Art, 3033 India St., Little Italy. A dual exhibition featuring the work of abstract landscape painter Leah Pantéa and portrait photographer Alanna Airitam. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. Free. apotheosisart.com

Eagerly awaiting Robert Mueller’s final report has been fun and all, but we might as well use this time productively, right?

After all, how much do we really know about our twit-in-chief’s decades of dealings in Russia? If you’re local investigative reporter Seth Hettena, then the answer is, well, a lot. Hettena’s latest book, Trump/Russia: A Definitive History, draws upon a wealth of thorough research to reveal the “shady people, convoluted dealings and strange events that suggest how indebted to Russia our 45th president might be.” On Thursday, Aug. 30, Hettena will enlighten the rest of us by discussing his book with Pulitzer-nominated journalist Richard Marosi at The Book Catapult (3010-B Juniper St.). The event is free, and goes from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. thebookcatapult.com

The Depth of a Daydream at La Playa Gallery, 2226 Avenida de la Playa, La Jolla. Solo exhibition of artist Tiffany Bociek’s recent work, featuring surrealistic encaustic paintings inspired by child-like states of wonder.

Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31.

Free. 858-454-6903, laplayagallery.com HBeyond the Age of Reason at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. A group exhibition examining religious symbols and iconography and how it shapes our culture. Artists include Adam Belt, Einar de la Torre, Beliz Iristay, and over a dozen more. From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1. Free-$5. 619236-0011, sandiego-art.org Living in the Stream of Living Things at Sophie’s Kensington Gallery, 4186 Adams Ave., Kensington. An exhibition of painting and collage work by local artist Philip Petrie, thematically focused on images of Mary Magdalene and abstracted landscapes. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1. Free. 619-654-3679 California Rules at Gallery 23, 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park. The Southwestern Artists’ Association will present an art exhibit featuring San Diego artists Deanne Tiffany and Susanne Flowers. From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday Sept. 1. Free.

619-232-3522, swartists.com Maestro Jahja Ling Exhibition at Bonita Museum and Cultural Center, 4355 Bonita Road, Bonita. Opening day for an exhibition that will showcase the life and career of the orchestra conductor laureate and Bonita resident. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 1. Free. 619-267-5141, bonitahistoricalsociety.org HMoments from the Seen at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Seven local photographers present their images of the San Diego music scene, from the ’90s to the present. Plus DJs, raffles and a Q&A with the photographers. At 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2. $5. 619-232-4355, casbahmusic.com

BOOKS HSeth Hettena at The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park. The local investigative reporte will discuss his new book, Trump/Russia: A Definitive History, with Pulitzer-nominated journalist Richard Marosi. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30.

Free. thebookcatapult.com HJim Kempton at Ocean Beach Surf & Skate, 4940 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach.

The president of the California Surf Museum and former editor and publisher for Surfer magazine will be signing and discussing his new cookbook, First We Surf

Toy Piano Festival 12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

Seth Hettena

H = CityBeat picks

Then We Eat. At noon. Saturday, Sept. 1.

Free. 619-225-0674, obsurfandskate.com HRichard Andreoli at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The local author will join illustrators/artists Michele and Frank Svengsouk to sign and discuss the new novel, Battle at the Comic Expo. At 2 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 1. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Suzy Fincham-Gray at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., Downtown. The author will discuss her memoir, My Patients and Other Animals, about a life spent in the company of animals and the ways they change our lives. From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5. Free. sandiego.librarymarket.com

COMEDY Stand-Up Comedy at Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Riff City Comedy will be hosting the event, which is headlined

by Jak Knight and features Omid Singh, Story Poker, Trevor Smith and several others. From 8 to 11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29. $5. facebook.com/Riff-City-Comedy HNorm MacDonald and Colin Quinn at Harrah’s Resort SoCal Events Center, 777 Harrah’s Rincon Way, Funner. The two veteran funnymen and SNL alumni are known for their dry wit and clever observations. At 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31. $38-$68.

760-751-3100, harrahssocal.com

FOOD & DRINK Mission Avenue Bar and Grill Fourth Anniversary at Mission Avenue Bar and Grill, 711 Mission Ave., Oceanside. The neighborhood bar and restaurant will celebrate four years with a portion of proceeds from cocktails on tap, a special menu and a special beer, being donated to The Semper Fi Fund. At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29. missionavebarandgrill.com Sixth Anniversary & Collaboration with ChuckAlek Release at Home Brewing Co., 2911 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Enjoy the release of a German Pilsner blended with starfruit and El Dorado hops accompanied by a food pairing and movie screening. From 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 31. Free. facebook.com/ events/217338552303800/

MUSIC Kalí Rodríguez-Peña Quintet at Queen Bee’s Art & Cultural Center, 3925 Ohio St., North Park. The Latin jazz maestro and his band will be joined by Rodríguez-Peña’s fiancé, vocalist Gina d’Soto. Dinner and wine will be available for purchase. From 7 to 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29. $20$100. 619-255-5147, queenbeessd.com HGili Yalo at David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla.

A San Diego debut for this artist whose music blends contemporary soul, funk, psychedelic rock and traditional Ethiopian music and draws inspiration from his experience as an Ethiopian Jew who fled Sudan and re-settled in Israel. From 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29. $25-$30.

858-362-1351, lfjcc.org H1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. San Diego Symphony’s Bayside Summer Nights concert series comes to a close by celebrating Russian Romantic composers, culminating in Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture with cannons and fireworks over the bay. From 7:30 to 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31 and Saturday, Sept. 1. $27-$95. 619235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org HCafé Tacvba at the Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The Mexico City alternative rockers behind hits

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 @SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 like “Eres” stop by as part of the Del Mar Summer Concert Series. Racetrack admission includes concert. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31. $6-$30. 858-7551141, dmtc.com Slightly Stoopid at the Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The Ocean Beach surf rock outfit will be the penultimate performers in this year’s Del Mar Summer Concert Series. Racetrack admission includes concert. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1. $6-$30.

858-755-1141, dmtc.com HRocking Balboa at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park.

The International Summer Organ Festival concludes with a tribute to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin by San Diego civic organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 3. Free. 619-7028138, spreckelsorgan.org Felix y Los Gatos at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The First Wednesdays concert series returns with the Latin-influenced zydeco band from New Mexico. From 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5. Free-$12. 760-839-4138, artcenter.org HToy Piano Festival Concert at UC San Diego Geisel Library, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Hear new works for toy piano at this 17th annual concert and festival. At noon Wednesday, Sept. 5 Free. library.ucsd.edu

POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD Fleassy Malay & Tyler Korso at Trilogy Sanctuary, 7650 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The

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two National Poetry Slam competitors will explore human emotion without inhibition through their poetry. From 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 30. $10-$20. 858-6333893, trilogysanctuary.com HVAMP: Burned at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. So Say We All’s monthly storytelling showcase will feature tales about those times where we felt heated up, on fire and maybe not literally. Readers include Chris Onderdonk, Eber Lambert, Invictus Animus and more.

From 8:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. $5 suggested donation. 619-2846784, sosayweallonline.com

SPECIAL EVENTS HMixtape: The Night Owls’ Members Choice at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Mingle with 51 local artists and vote on your favorite artwork as part of the Athenaeum’s annual juried exhibition. Plus music, drinks and bites from Whisknladle in La Jolla. From 7:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. Free$15. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org How Did We Get Here? Community Mixer at Mid-City Community Advocacy Network, 4305 University Ave., City Heights. City Heights community members and organizations are invited to discuss the titular question, as the AjA Project prepares to develop a comic book of City Heights residents’ stories. From 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. Free. facebook. com/events/980514392136338 HLGBTQ Skate Night at Skateworld San Diego, 6907 Linda Vista Road, Linda Vista.

An all-ages evening of pride and rollerskating. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the San Diego LGBT Community Center.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 30. $15.

858-560-9349, skateworldsandiego.com

HU.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge and Dimensional Art Exposition at Broadway Pier and Landing, 1000 North Harbor Drive, Downtown. Come watch some of the world’s top sand artists create sculptural masterpieces out of 300 tons of sand.

Proceeds benefit local charities. From 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31 through Monday, Sept. 3. $10-$15. 415-3184094, ussandsculpting.com HBarona Powwow at Barona Indian Reservation, 1000 Wildcat Canyon Road, Lakeside. More than 300 Native Americans from across the country will showcase traditional tribal dancing and spectators will also be able to enjoy Hand Drum contests, singing, music, authentic Native American cuisine and handcrafted jewelry. At 6 p.m.

Friday, Aug. 1 and 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 2. Free. 619443-6612, barona-nsn.gov HJulian Grape Stomp Festa at Menghini Winery, 1150 Julian Orchards Drive, Julian. An 22nd annual harvest festival with a real, old-world-style grape stomp.

There’ll also be Italian music, wine tastings, dancing, arts and crafts and more.

From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1. $5-$15. 760-765-2072, juliangrapestomp.com HYoungBlack&’NBusiness Festival at 4350 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. Meet over 75 entrepreneurs of color, locally owned businesses, and organizations that serve the San Diego community. There will also be kid-friendly activities, as well as food and drinks to purchase. From noon to 5 p.m. $10. Saturday, Sept. 1. youngblackandinbusiness.com HSunset Cliffs Music & Art Street Fair at 4800 Point Loma Ave., Point Loma. Local street fair featuring live music and over 100 vendors from around San Diego.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

1. Free. sunsetcliffsma.com Candied Jams at Tiger!Tiger!, 3025 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Monthly series featuring “hypnotic funk, outsider electronic, and cerebral soul” spun on vinyl by Scotty Jay all night at the North Park craft beer tavern. From 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 1. Free. 619-487-0401, tigertigertavern.com HSan Diego Vintage Flea Market at The Observatory North Park, 2891 University Ave, North Park. A hundred vendors will be selling vintage pieces, true to the era of turn of the century to mid-century modern. Vintage wares, clothing furniture, pin-up/rockabilly style accessories and more will be available for purchase. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2. Free. sdvintagefleamarket.com ¡Que Viva Cine Latino! at Las Americas Premium Outlets, 4211 Camino De La Plaza, San Ysidro. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own blankets and grab a snack at one of the food vendors available onsite to enjoy live entertainment, art exhibits and movie screenings. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 5. Free. sdlatinofilm.com

SPORTS Little Italy Labor Day Stickball Tournament at Little Italy. Players from all over will indulge in some olde-timey fun and compete to see who will be crowned “King of the Block.” Games will be held on India Street from W. Ash to W. A Streets and Columbia Street from W. Beach and W. Cedar Streets, From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 2. Free. littleitalysd.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Craft & Conversation: Hiring Practices at Négociant Winery, 2419 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. A conversation about hiring and self-advocacy within the museum field. Recommended readings for the discussion can be found on San Diego Emerging Museum Professionals’ website. From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29. $10 suggested donation. sandiegoemp.org Kate Porter at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., Downtown. The author will lead a discussion titled “How a Tattered, Old Book Changed My Life.” Kate Porter writes poetry, historical novels and sells antiquarian books. From 1 to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 1. Free. 619-236-5800, sdfocl.org

WORKSHOPS Publishing 101 with Valorie K. Ruiz at San Diego Writers, Ink, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, #202, Point Loma. Participants will discuss the world of publishing in regards to literary journals and will complete this course with a handful of tools to help them stay organized, set and achieve goals, increase their chances of publication and more. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sunday, Sept. 2. $45-$54. 619-696-0363, sandiegowriters.org The Writers Coffeehouse at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, ������������������������������� Clairemont.�������������������� Author Jonathan ��� Maberry hosts this informal group to discuss all things writing over coffee. No previous publishing experience necessary. From noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2. Free.

858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

THEATER JIM COX

King of the streets

A

t one point in Seize the King, playwright Will Power’s reimagined take on Shakespeare’s Richard III, the title character makes a pointed distinction between “not the truth” and a “lie.” Richard also rails against immigrants and insists on the loyalty of those in his sphere. If that characterization bears resemblance to someone currently occupying a position of great power, it’s certainly intentional. But Power’s new play, which recently made its world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse, also honors The Bard’s 16th-century treatise on the struggle between goodness and evil. And in the end, it is an adaptation of Richard III that is bold, exciting and propulsive.

Power, who is a pioneer of hip-hop theater, has turned Shakespeare’s secondlengthiest work (after Hamlet) into an urgent, 95-minute play that ingeniously mixes the formal language of Richard III with a contemporary, streetwise vernacular replete with fast-flying metaphors and profanities.

The end result is a sharp, lyrical script that blurs the line between the past and the present, while positing that ambition and depravity are not the province of merely one king, one country or one moment in time.

Seize the King marks the last directing stint for Jaime Castaneda, the Playhouse’s outgoing associate artistic director, who’s

La Jolla Playhouse’s Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre, UCSD. $41 and up; lajollaplayhouse.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Deathtrap: Ira Levin’s classic thriller about a struggling writer who tries to finagle a script from a promising young playwright. Directed by Brent Stringfield, it opens Aug. 31 at PowPAC Community Theatre in Poway. powpac.org Follies: Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman’s musical where a reunion at a crumbling theatre turns into a night of remembrances and confessions. Direceted by Vanessa Dinning, it happens Aug. 31 through Sept. 2 at the Coronado Playhouse. coronadoplayhouse.com

Seize the King headed to L.A. It’s a grand finale for him, with a tight five-person cast fronted by Jesse J. Perez. His Richard is not the odious, deformed king of classical interpretations, but a conniving, devious figure who levelly addresses the audience, and whose basest passions simmer beneath the surface.

Power’s play omits a great deal of Shakespeare’s text and interweaving points, as well as many of Richard III’s characters (all but Perez play multiple parts in Seize the King). This is a Richard III for the 21st century served up with more humor, but

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

with the same cautionary themes and no less ferocity. Much of that ferocity comes from drummer Richard Sellers, whose percussion from above the stage provides transitions between Seize the King’s short scenes and fills the Playhouse’s Potiker Theatre with pulsating dramatic tension.

The theater-in-the-round setting, enhanced by the magic of lighting designer Tyler Micoleau, further ensures that Seize the King is a stirring, immersive show, and one that should not be missed.

Seize the King runs through Sept. 16 at

The Savoyard Murders: A one-night production of Omri Schein’s new piece about famous Brits who are murdered in the style of Gilbert and Sullivan characters. Presented by Backyard Renaissance Theatre Company, it happens Sept. 4 at the Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre at UC San Diego in La Jolla. backyardrenaissance.com Blithe Spirit: Noel Coward’s comedy deals with a writer having to deal with two wives when the first one returns from the after-life to haunt him. Directed by Rosina Reynolds, it opens Sept. 5 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

COURTESY OF SAKURA BLOOM

CULTURE | ART

Rachel Ehlin-Smith weaves scrap silk into rag rugs and new textiles omething that I have been thinking about a lot as an artist is this dichotomy of making art that will live forever,” says San Diego artist Vanessa Eagerton. “But also caring about the earth and future generations that will be inhabiting it.”

Eagerton is part of a growing group of artists and artisans who have a goal of “zero-waste.” They reuse scraps and waste, and create their own waste- or plant-based dyes, pigments and papers.

According to the city of San Diego, San Diegans send 910,000 tons of trash to the Miramar landfill annually. At this rate, our only municipal landfill will be full and shutdown by 2030.

Eagerton (@veagerton on Instagram) explains the origins of her zero-waste artistic process: “Something felt wrong about painting landscapes and trees on a substrate that will outlive both of those things in real life.”

“Artists in the past made their own materials,” Eagerton continues. “Their own paint and canvases using animal hides, things found in nature... I don’t think that being an artist or wanting your art to live on and caring about the environment have to be mutually exclusive. It might take more work and I’m still experimenting with it, but I think the gains outweigh the cost.”

Textiles form a significant portion of global waste, with a “fast fashion”-driven garment and fiber arts industry trashing materials at increasing rates. And it’s not just excess scraps and cuttings, but entire discarded items as well. San Diego-based baby sling maker Sakura Bloom (sakurabloom. com) is looking to challenge that. While using natural fibers and dyes helps reduce the company’s impact on the environment, Sakura Bloom also pairs with local fiber artists to fulfill zero-waste goals in meaningful ways. The company’s Compassion Project initiative has artists create new textiles, quilts and rugs out of the sling maker’s stash of manufacturing scraps, which are then raffled off to followers to raise funds for nonprofits like Circle of Health International.

Rachel Ehlin-Smith, a San Diego weaver, dye-maker and educator, has worked with Sakura Bloom on several zerowaste projects. Ehlin-Smith—whose work is displayed at the Mingei International Museum (mingei.org), local galleries

“

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and Sakura Bloom’s Encinitas showroom—weaves the com- lenge for the zero-waste arts movement, and many artists pany’s silk scraps into rag rugs, wall hangings and even new are increasingly sourcing these elements from natural and waste products. This eliminates the amount of toxins and woven fabric for special-edition baby carriers.

“Think back in time,” Ehlin-Smith says. “That’s why rag chemicals that enter the waterways and soil as the fibers rugs and quilts were being made, because women had fabric eventually decompose, in addition to avoiding environmenwaste, or maybe they didn’t have access to a lot of fabric, and tal byproducts from commercially manufacturing the dyes so they used what they had. Or maybe something got dam- in the first place.

“People don’t think about chemical dye runoff that seeps aged. You can cut it up and you can give it a new life.”

That new life is something local arts and education into water sources,” says Ehlin-Smith. “Cotton or any kind of natural, plant-based fiber treated nonprofit, Art FORM (artformsandiego.

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST with an insecticide, that holds on in org), aims to achieve, via art educalike a molecular level forever. That’s tion and environmental stewardship always in the fiber, so when you throw through creative reuse. Their school that away, then that starts seeping into workshops are often free to underthe ground,” she says. served schools. Recycled materials are Ehlin-Smith turned to food- and also available at no- or low-cost at Art medicinal-waste dyes several years FORM’s Saturday Store in their Normal ago: onion skins, avocado pits, pomeHeights location (3316 Adams Ave.). granate seeds, even bougainvillea petFounder Erin Pennell says they directly als she finds fallen on the sidewalks of prevent clean and reusable materials her Little Italy neighborhood. from heading to the landfill: “We di“Every time I threw a dye bath out,” verted five tons last year and so far in she says of the chemical dyes, “I felt 2018 we have diverted seven tons from guilty.”

San Diego’s landfill,” Pennell explains.

Eagerton, who also experiments Erin Dollar—a designer, printmaker, with materials she knows will more and educator for Cotton & Flax—also readily break down, has transformed strives for artistic sustainability and her entire studio, including cleanup. makes it seem easy. She designs and “Rice paper, parchment, linen, cotcreates housewares, and hosts fiber arts ton. I use spike lavender oil and citrus workshops in her new San Diego studio oils as studio cleanup instead of dan(cottonandflax.com, 3180 Adams Ave.).

Striving toward a goal of zero waste is a Vanessa Eagerton gerous combustible solvents. I use an no-brainer for Dollar. olive oil bar soap to clean my brushes,” “One of the biggest things I’ve done to reduce waste is she says. “You can burn branches and vines to get charcoal, getting smart about the manufacturing process, and design- or use dirt from the desert to create your own ochre colors.” ing products that won’t create a lot of extra scraps in the And that zero-waste magic is at the crux of special projfirst place,” Dollar says. “It just makes sense.” ects such as Sakura Bloom’s work. Their scrap partnership Dollar also repurposes any remaining scraps to make projects not only produce striking works of fiber arts, but also patchwork pillows and cloth napkins, which are items that raised thousands of dollars to give back to the community. reduce waste in consumers’ homes, too.

“In a world of convenience,” Eagerton says, “I think we’ve Still, pigments, paints and dyes pose a particular chal- forgotten that nature gives us everything we need.”

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

CULTURE | ART

SEEN LOCAL

that the work didn’t have to be limited to that. But for this show, I felt like it needed to go in a different direction, one that really did have to get women very specifically through their work talking about those issues.”

Along with Redman and Montjoy, the exhibition—titled That’s What She Said—will also feature the works of multimedia artist Raheleh Filsoofi and ne of the more uplifting results of our current the Sien Collective (Meagan Shein and Siobhan Artimes has undoubtedly been the Nasty Women nold). The work in the exhibition—which opens with art exhibitions that began popping up around an informal gallery talk with the the country. One of the organizCOURTESY OF THE ARTIST artists at 1 p.m. Aug. 30 at the ers of the January 2017 San Diego Boehm Gallery in the Palomar show, artist Sasha Koozel Reibstein, College campus in San Marcos—is began working with Nasty Women still stylistically varied even if the founder Roxanne Jackson in hopes theme is much more solidified. of continuing the movement.

Redman is well known for her col“We’ve had ongoing work that orful painting exploring motherwe’ve been doing together outside hood and nature, while Montjoy of San Diego, so it’s something works in intricate embroidery that hasn’t left my consciousness pieces. Filsoofi will have ceramic and has left something that I, with pieces that incorporate sound and my teaching, want to continue to are shaped like speakers, while be active in,” says Reibstein.

Sien Collective will showcase Around the same time as Reibtheir environmentally-conscious stein was working with Jackson on cyanotype pieces. a national level, she was also in “We have an unusual and wontouch with local artists Helen Redderful space. The gallery is broken man and Michelle Montjoy. Soon, down into two separate spaces, an exhibition exploring varying and for shows like this I create two aspects of feminism and womantwo-person shows, and the diahood began to take shape.

“Gestating” by Helen Redman logue between those artists,” says “I felt like it had to be not Reibstein, who will display Montjust women artists, it had to be women artists that joy and Sien Collective in one room, with Redman and were talking about feminism and being a woman,” Filsoofi in the other. says Reibstein. “For the Nasty Women show, we acFor those who miss the Aug. 30 gallery talk, there tually felt it was quite important to not make that a will also an artist reception on Sept. 8 from 2 to 4 p.m. restriction—that it is, just because you’re a woman, the act of making work is kind of a feminist act, and

—Seth Combs

STILL NASTY

O

SWORDS AND STONES

R

“People are ready and willing to spend their monodney Anderson Jr. had a moment of realizaey on genre content [other than superheroes] that’s tion watching Game of Thrones.

“All I’ve seen us as is pirates and slaves.” He Black-focused and not just Black readers,” he says.

As a member of the local collective The Accidental wondered, “why isn’t there a great house of people Aliens, Anderson’s no stranger to what it takes to pull with a more ethnic point of origin?”

Despite being a diehard fantasy fan, he admits, “it off a Kickstarter campaign.

“A lot of late nights, tons of coffee and hustle,” he affected how much I could geek out on the show.”

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST recalls when asked about the process Exasperated by the reminder of of planning and funding Accidenthe lack of images depicting main tal Aliens content. “I wouldn’t even characters, heroes, with darker skin have dreamt of doing it and couldn’t in fantasy, Anderson began develophave put together this solo campaign ing a fantasy story revolving around without previously having done two a young Black warrior. in a group setting.”

“I wanted a classic fantasy with He’s also quick to point to his characters who looked closer to how colorist Adam Harris’ work fpr I look. I saw no reason it couldn’t be bringing the ’90s-inspired, primary that way or why I couldn’t interject color-driven visuals to life in Sword specific African roots and roots from Saga. There’s also photographer Biother cultures into a fantasy story,” anca Barreto’s vision for the video he says. and photos, which were vital to the The result is Sword Saga: Dragons crowdfunding campaign’s success.

Fall, the first of what Anderson hopes With enough funds secured for a is a ten-issue comic book mini-series.

1,000-copy print-run and only 207 It’s the story of Tal Granji from Dracopies claimed by backers, there’s still go Village, raised in the ways of the Rodney Anderson Jr. a chance to add Sword Saga to local warrior, who sets off on a journey to learn more about himself and the jewel embedded in geek’s collections. Indie comic fans should also keep an eye on online retailers and local comic shops this his chest by his mother.

Anderson notes the mega-success of Marvel’s fall, because Anderson’s work delivers exactly what he Black Panther has been eye-opening for many pop- promises: “an epic, action-adventure full of fierce batculture consumers, and he believes Sword Saga speaks tles, discovery and (of course) dragons.” to another missed opportunity.

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

—Rhonda “Ro” Moore @SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM

Screen saver

Searching

New desktop thriller with John Cho dives down an online rabbit hole

by Glenn Heath Jr.

T

eenagers have been lying to their parents ternate existence has the stirring momentum of an since the dawn of time. Keeping secrets, test- extended action set piece. Even his attempt to change ing boundaries and rebelling against authority her email password becomes a nerve-frying plunge makes them feel alive as their bodies are ravaged by down the rabbit hole. At this point it seems very likely puberty. But in the internet age even the smallest de- that he may spend the rest of his life chasing ghosts, ceptions can carry grave consequences. For the most one login at a time.

Having worked for Google, Chaganty has a great part, Hollywood has avoided addressing this danger head on, and paid even less attention to the ways in understanding of online platforms and frameworks. which online advocacy can translate thematically to Sequences depicting rigorous online usage, something most viewers experience in their everyday lives, could genre filmmaking.

Aneesh Chaganty’s thriller Searching does both of be dry as a bone in theory. But here they come across those things by embracing the very technology that as surgical, taut and intuitive. After David reaches one allows predators to hide beyond anonymity. Tak- dead end he must back track and find another back ing place entirely inside social media platforms and door to the truth. It’s parenting as desperate troublesearch engines, the film rigorously charts one father’s shooting with no guarantee of a happy ending.

Eventually, Margot’s disappearance sparks a poattempt to locate his missing daughter by investigating her digital footprint. In doing so, it deftly posi- lice investigation and national media frenzy. David’s tions pro-active parents as the last line of defense pursuit of the truth spills out into the open, and news footage, press conferences against the infinite dangers of and surveillance video become online activity. the primary conveyers of inDavid Kim (John Cho) and his formation. When Chaganty exdaughter Margot (Michelle La) SEARCHING pands beyond the tense frames have had a tough time communiDirected by Aneesh Chaganty of David’s desktop and iPhone cating lately. The family’s matriStarring John Cho, Sara Sohn screen, Searching becomes dearch (Sara Sohn) has passed away and Debra Messing cidedly less interesting and from cancer, and the magnitude transitions into a standard isof the loss comes across during Rated PG-13 sue “ripped from the headlines” opening credits compiled mostly cautionary tale with unnecesof archival home video footage, sarily convoluted plot twists calendar invites and doctor’s appointments. In response to such overwhelming sad- and multiple endings. All that narrative and stylistic ness, David has become less concerned with providing jazz does the film’s central concept a disservice.

Still, Searching (opening in wide theatrical reMargot parental oversight, while she has discovered a lease Friday, Aug. 31) ambitiously updates the worst newfound sense of identity in the digital void.

Chaganty suggests that even the slightest discon- nightmare scenario for parents in intriguing ways. It nect in communication between parent and child can conjures up plenty of suspense within limited visual produce potential tragedy. After studying at a friend’s frames and seemingly innocuous video feeds, a teshouse one night, Margot fails to return home. It takes tament to Chaganty’s natural instincts as a director.

David an entire day to realize his daughter is missing, David’s rollercoaster ride of a journey has an imporwhich becomes a commentary on the assumption that tant social angle as well, showing just how far the goal technology better connects us. Interviewing her Face- posts of parenting have changed in the social media book friends and scouring Instagram posts hoping to age. It’s not just about awareness or support, but befind clues, David spends the early part of Searching ing a tenacious advocate for your child’s physical and desperately attempting to piece together a potential digital well-being when no one else will. crime scene through coded breadcrumbs.

Searching remains potent during these early seg- Film reviews run weekly. ments, David’s desperate deep dive into Margot’s al- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

CULTURE | FILM

Tourist trap

C

Cuban Food Stories

uban Food Stories begins with an introductory voiceover so obvious it’s like listening to a lazy high school student spell out their argument in a bad term paper. During his opening summation of intent, filmmaker Asori Soto knowingly confronts some glaring political and social contradictions about his native country but ultimately falls prey to a tourist’s version of simplistic nostalgia.

Having grown up during Cuba’s “Special Period” in the 1990s—a time of great economic and cultural hardship that forced people to use whatever ingredients were available— Soto’s memories of food remain admittedly vague. After spending years studying in America, he decides to return home so he can better understand the culinary traditions of his native land.

The resulting documentary is an uneven and frustrating riff on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations template. Soto travels the countryside interviewing farmers and fishermen from different regions all while trying to

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

connect personal experiences with grander historical anecdotes. Each subject conveys a unique relationship with food that exists outside the traditional restaurant space. The segments vary in length and style. Some rely heavily on talking head segments, while others feature heavy doses of aggravating slow motion shots and an insufferable score.

Of the nine chapters, only the one set in the Sierra Maestra Mountains stands out. Here, Soto sits down with a coffee farmer named Gerardo Flores who trains his young son to follow in the family business. For this brief moment, the film slows down enough to really engage with the life being profiled.

Otherwise, Cuban Food Stories (opening Friday, Aug. 31, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park) is about as ambitious as a film with such a banal title would suggest. Soto caps it all off by making a half-assed attempt at creating dialogue between the descendants of Castro’s revolution and those who fled the Communist regime for the United States.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING 40 Years in the Making: The Magic Music Movie: TV writer Lee Aronsohn tries to figure out what happened to Magic Music, the ‘70s band that disappeared from the public eye. Opens Friday, Aug. 31, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Cuban Food Stories: Asori Soto returns to his homeland of Cuba to search for the missing flavors of his childhood and discover culinary traditions long thought lost. Opens Friday, Aug. 31, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection: This unique documentary revisits the rich bounty of 16mmshot footage of tennis star John McEnroe as he competes in the French Open in 1984. Opens Friday, Aug. 31, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Kin: Carrie Coon and James Franco star in this action film set in the future that follows a pair of brothers on the run from the feds and a gang of super soldiers. Opens in wide theatrical release Friday, Aug. 31.

Love, Cecil: An intricate look at the life of Academy Award-winning costume designer Cecil Beaton, who worked on films like My Fair Lady and Gigi. Opens Friday, Aug. 31, at the Landmark Ken Cinemas.

Searching: This desktop thriller stars John Cho as a distraught father trying to track down his missing daughter by investigating her digital footprint.

The Bookshop: Isabel Coixet directs this drama about a woman (Emily Mortimer) who decides to open a bookshop in her town despite much protest. Opens Friday, Aug. 31, at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

The Little Stranger: A manor house in decline offers Domhnall Gleeson’s visiting doctor a supernatural trip down memory lane in this creepy period piece.

The Wife: Glenn Close stars as an unhappy woman who questions whether she should join her husband (Jonathan Pryce) on a trip to Stockholm. Opens Friday, Aug. 31, at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

ONE TIME ONLY Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: Will Ferrell stars as the salty San Diego news anchor whose inflated ego gets him into major trouble with a colleague.

Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 29, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

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

@SDCITYBEAT

ERIKA GOLDRING

MUSIC

F

or as long as I’ve been alive and breathing, there’s been nothing more satisfying to me than a sad love song.

It was 2013 and I was living my own sad love song. I was sitting in a pickup truck just outside of Santa Cruz. There was a woman patiently waiting for me in San Diego, but I’d been driving for days and had just enough money to get a hotel room or find a bar. I chose the latter.

I found a beach parking lot later that night where I tried to get some sleep. Just when I was descending into that dozy delirium where all your stresses and mistakes seem to hit you all at once, a song came on the radio.

“A heart on the run keeps a hand on the gun/You can’t trust anyone/I was so sure what I needed was more/Tried to shoot out the sun.”

The narrator, singer/songwriter Jason Isbell, was already familiar to me. I knew his work from the Alabama-based band he’d previously played in (Drive-By Truckers), as well as some of his solo material after he’d left the band in 2007. The song on the radio that night in 2013, “Cover Me Up,” was the single off of his then-new album, Southeastern, his fourth overall and first since getting sober and finding the love of his life.

Just as with the people we end up falling in love with, some

Jason Isbell songs and some albums find their way into our lives at the exact right moment. Such was the case with “Cover Me Up” and Southeastern, which became the soundtrack to the early days of the relationship that would eventually unfold once I rolled back into San Diego. To this day, hearing songs like “Stockholm” (a duet with Isbell’s wife, singer/songwriter Amanda Shires) and the redemptive “Relatively Easy” still make me think of that time.

“Well, you know, there’s really only one story,” Isbell told me on the phone recently. “In fiction classes in college, they’ll tell you there’s two or three, but there’s really just one story: ‘Will you listen to me?’ is really the only story that we have to tell. So all songs are sort of love songs, in a way.”

All songs are love songs.

In this particular instance, Isbell is referring to “If We Were Vampires,” an unquestionably romantic love song and one of the many standout tracks from his most recent LP, The Nashville Sound. In it, Isbell—along with his band, the 400 Unit—takes a rather morbid, existential look at a relationship.

“If we were vampires and death was a joke/We’d go out on the sidewalk and smoke/And laugh at all the lovers and their plans/I wouldn’t feel the need to hold your hand.”

“It’s funny, when you think about it—a love song about vampires,” says Isbell, who recounts that producer Dave Cobb was reluctant to record the song at first, perhaps fearing that it was a song about literal vampires. When they finished recording it, Isbell says Cobb had tears in his eyes. “I started that song by looking at other love songs and thinking, ‘Where are they missing the point?’ And then by the time I got to the chorus, I realized they’re missing the fact that if we didn’t have this finite amount of life, then none of this would be worth attempting, you know? You would never really have the motivation to reach out to somebody or to make any real connection.”

But not all of Isbell’s love songs are of a romantic nature. While there are certainly a fair share of songs dealing in unrequited feelings from his early days playing in DriveBy Truckers (“Goddamn Lonely Love” is a standout), most of his songs dealt in the love of family and his southern roots (“Outfit,” “Decoration Day” and “Never Gonna Change”).

This trend continued on three solo albums after leaving the Truckers, but it wasn’t until Isbell got sober just before Southeastern that his music became starkly more vulnerable and nuanced.

“That was the first time in my career when I’d had the time and the focus to really work. To spend hours on each song, and not feel that desire to go out and start drinking again,” says Isbell. “People like to root for you, and I feel like I was able to get a lot of my values into that album—things that I cared about, believed in, went down on paper for that album.”

In many ways, last year’s The Nashville Sound is one of the more rocking albums Isbell has done since his time in the Truckers. One of the repeated accolades, as well as criticisms, about the LP is that it’s more of a political album. There’s the Spingsteen-esque workingman rocker “Cumberland Gap” and the racially-charged “White Man’s World” where Isbell owns his privilege and attempts to point out the racial ugliness that still haunts small-town America. He wrote the song shortly after the 2016 election.

“There’s a lot of mistakes that you can make when you’re writing a song like that, but I took my time with it. I wanted to make sure that I was coming from my own personal experience,” says Isbell. “I think the reason that song was ‘woke’ is because rather than saying, ‘You should do this,’ or, ‘You should feel this,’ that song says, ‘This is what happened to me… If you’re throwing platitudes at people, yeah, you’re going to make a lot of mistakes.’”

So yes, whether it’s a romantic ode about his wife or a woke statement about white privilege, in a way, all of Jason Isbell’s songs are love songs.

“At the end of the day, it really just comes down to how good the songs are,” said Isbell. “Because, like I say, if it’s painted in the right light, everybody’s got a comedy and a tragedy and a drama inside of them.”

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

MUSIC

AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO

And they Slay y first time was at a club in Fort Lauderdale called “ The Coliseum,” says MO’s Universe Marketing Di-

LOCALS ONLY

the photographers that have been shooting for decades.

There are also some younger photographers like Cari lineup of notable music photographers are showVeach, but Niles says what they all have in common is an casing their work from throughout the San Diego individually unique approach to their art. scene’s history at a special exhibition next week“A lot of these photographers, their heyday was takend. On Sunday, Sept. 2 at 3 p.m., The Casbah will host ing photos in maybe the late ’80s, definitely the early and Moments From the Seen, a photography show featuring mid ’90s,” he says. “The whole scene of Heavy Vegetable, work from Eric Rife, Sean McMullen, Miki Vuckovich, Ted Three Mile Pilot, on up to No Knife. And some of them Drake, Greg Jacobs, Mark Waters and MARK WATERS / SKATEPUNK.COM were skate photographers as well. They Cari Veach. Lou Niles, of 91X and Love all have some pretty cool styles, and I’d Machine Films, organized the show, never seen some of this type of phonoting that while he often puts on live tography before.” shows, he wanted to highlight a lessThere will be Q&As with artists as appreciated part of the scene. well as slideshow presentations for “I wanted to have an event that those who’d like to hear stories behighlighted people in the music scene hind the photos. But even the art itself that sometimes get overlooked,” Niles should provide a history lesson about says. “Maybe we remember certain San Diego music.

Drive Like Jehu iconic moments in music, but we don’t “There are some interesting phoalways highlight the people that capture those iconic tos, like there’s a show where Heavy Vegetable played at moments. And maybe you’ve seen their photo on somea pizza parlor,” he says. “That was a hot venue for three one’s album artwork, but there are more photos that you months before it got shut down. It’s interesting to go back haven’t seen.” and remember all of it.”

Much of the show will feature shots from San Diego’s

—Jeff Terich indie and punk heyday in the early ’90s, and some of

A

FIRST ALBUMS

W

e asked San Diego musicians to tell the stories behind the first albums they ever bought. The answers were interesting and definitely not what we expected.

in elementary school with the lyrics ‘if you want it to be good, girl/get yourself a bad boy’ running on repeat in my brain. Pure fire.”

Sutton Papanikolas: Beetlejuice soundtrack. “My brothers had been telling me to stop stealing their records, and I was pretty confident they were not going rush out and buy this one. Harry Belafonte’s sound changed my world, specifically ‘Jump in the Line (Shake, Señora).’ I remember dancing around, rocking out and rushing over to move the needle back when the song was over to play it again and again. I was nine years old.”

Brian Strauss, Of Ennui: AC/DC, Back In Black. “When I was 12 years old, I took my two weeks of allowance and I had my mom drive me to the local Target where I splurged the $20 for a CD copy of AC/DC’s Back in Black. I remember putting that disc into the CD player clock/radio I had above my bed and playing it every night before going to sleep. It was a revelation that ignited my passion for music; every word, every guitar, snare hit, I knew and learned to play. The album is an absolute powPlease Hammer erhouse that, aside from the frequent phallic Don’t Hurt Em metaphors, has truly stood the test of time.”

Sean Burdeaux, Paper Forest: Backstreet Boys, S/T. “In 1998 I asked my mom to buy me the self-titled Backstreet Boys CD from Record Trader, an old shop that used to be in Coronado. Nobody in my fifth grade class thought I was cool except for me, and that was enough. I started skipping steps on the staircase

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

Kenneth Erwin aka K-Rock Tha Fantom, Far From Ya Average: MC Hammer, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt Em. “Who can deny the phenomenon that was MC Hammer in 1990? I was 11 and obsessed with MTV… notably Headbangers Ball and Yo! MTV Raps. Outside of those two glorious hours lived the Top 40 and a constant dose of this pop/rap star with 50 dancers behind him and the biggest pants you’d ever seen.”

—Jeff Terich

M

rector Lukas Volk of his first gay nightclub experience. “I was 19 years old and nervous out of my mind. I had no idea what to expect. I was probably wearing orange cargo shorts and a really tight T-shirt because that’s what was popular at the time, and I just tried to fit in.”

Volk remembers walking through the doors and being welcomed by booming electronic dance music. The experience was simultaneously overwhelming and intriguing, he says.

“It was like culture shock,” Volk says. “Like, wow, I want to be a part of this, and I’m glad I can finally be with people who are like me because it’s not always like that.

Now, he’s generating that experience for a younger crowd. Last month, MO’s Bar & Grill (308 University Ave., WENDY CUTLER / FLICKR urbanmos.com) started an 18-and-over gay night called The Slay Party. Part of the marketing strategy was to use the #MyFirstGayBar hashtag.

Volk says the idea just took off and people responded from all over the country.

“One of the main things MO’s Bar & Grill that everyone felt was that they could finally be themselves,” Volk says of the responses to the hashtag. “They were finally in a spot where they felt safe, and they could be themselves without fear of being judged or being afraid to really be their true selves... It’s like a little piece of LGBT history because everyone talks about it and remembers what their first time was like. It’s kind of nostalgic.”

Volk says he and the rest of the MO’s Bar & Grill team are hoping to recreate that feeling through the Slay night.

“That’s what the owner, Chris Shaw has always preached, and that is something he stands by: MO’s Universe is always first and foremost supposed to be a place where you can come and be yourself in a safe environment and have a good time without judgment.”

The second edition, Slay the Summer 2.0, takes place on Friday, Aug. 31 from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. There will be music by the MO’s Universe resident DJs and a drag show, as well as an alcohol-free bar for those under 21 and a regular bar for those of age. Slay will continue to take place every last Friday of the month, if not more often due to high demand.

“We get calls daily with people under 21 asking whether tonight is the night, so it’s definitely on people’s radar.”

And for those who haven’t yet had their #MyFirstGayBar experience, Volk has some advice: “Sometimes things can be nerve racking, and I get it. I’ve been there. But I think as soon as they get on the dance floor, they’re going to love it.”

—Torrey Bailey

About Last Night appears every other week.

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, AUG. 29

PLAN A: Lucy & La Mer, Tulengua, Los Hollywood, DJ Laura Se Fue @ The Casbah. Every Grrrl Independent Ladies showcase is well worth your time, and this one features indie folk-pop singer Lucy & La Mer, along with local bilingual hip-hop group Tulengua, who are donating money from sales of their debut to Border Angels. PLAN B: Moon Ensemble, Twin Ritual, Downers @ Soda Bar. Moon Ensemble is a synth-heavy, newwavey disco outfit, so it only makes sense that they’re joined by locals Twin Ritual, who also have a fun disco-synth thing going on.

Be prepared to dance. BACKUP PLAN: The Exploited, U.S. Bombs, D.I., Total Chaos @ Observatory North Park.

THURSDAY, AUG. 30

PLAN A: Mrs. Henry, Sacri Monti, Volcano, Professor Colombo, Stranger Liquids Light Show @ The Casbah. Sometimes there’s nothing better than a rock ‘n’ roll show. And this lineup of locals features a surprising amount of diversity, from the bluesy rock of locals Mrs. Henry to the heavy psych of Sacri Monti and Afrobeat-inspired grooves of Volcano.

PLAN B: Los Blenders, Minor Gems, Los Shadows, Pout House @ Soda Bar. Mexico City’s Los Blenders play a fun, high-energy style of post-punk that’s super catchy. It’s not particularly dark, though, so anyone who’d prefer their goth with a wider color palette should check them out.

Aimee Mann @ Copley Symphony Hall.

Read our editor Seth Combs’ feature this week on Jason Isbell, whose songwriting is beautiful and deeply affecting, not to mention pretty badass with his band The 400 Unit. PLAN B: Smashing Pumpkins @ Viejas Arena. Last week I worked through my feelings about being a Smashing Pumpkins fan in spite of Billy Corgan’s offstage behavior. Still though, hearing that intro to “Cherub Rock” is enough for me to put this here. PLAN C: Escorted Trips Festival w/ Foliage, Ingonoir & Snapghost, Ethics, Retra, Sights & Sages, Miss New Buddha @ Che Cafe. But start the partying early with this all-day festival featuring a long list of great local bands and visual artists.

BACKUP PLAN: Slothrust @ The Casbah.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 2

PLAN A: Ice Cube @ Del Mar Racetrack.

While hit family comedies like Are We There Yet? might have smoothed over some of the rough edges, Ice Cube’s still one of the greatest emcees in hardcore hip-hop. The themes in 1990’s AmerKKKa’s Most Wanted are as relevant as ever, plus the album slaps.

BOURGOL / FLICKR COMMONS

FRIDAY, AUG. 31

PLAN A: SHIT, HEAT, Therapy, Bayonet @ Red Brontosaurus. As much as I appreciate the novelty of recommending a band called SHIT, this all-ages show of hardcore bands is going to rip no matter what, with three out of four being some of the best local bruisers. PLAN B: A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, Bow Wow Wow, Missing Persons, Gene Loves Jezebel @ Humphreys by the Bay. Not long ago I got into a debate with someone over whether Wang Chung or Men Without Hats is a better band. The answer is Wang Chung, and I honestly can’t believe this is even a debate. BACKUP PLAN: Cafe Tacvba @ Del Mar Racetrack.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 1

PLAN A: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit,

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

Ice Cube

MONDAY, SEPT. 3

PLAN A: BBQ, Beer, A Nap @ Your House.

It’s Labor Day, which means nobody’s playing any shows. Everyone gets the day off, so best spend it at home with the barbecue playlist you made on Spotify.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 4

PLAN A: Teyana Taylor, Dani Leigh @ Observatory North Park. Teyana Taylor’s new album K.T.S.E. came out of the same Wyoming sessions that produced Pusha T’s amazing DAYTONA and Kanye West’s lessthan-amazing ye. This is far closer to amazing, however, with Taylor delivering a warm, neo-soul sound with lots of crackly, vintage samples.

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Prayers (Observatory, 10/13), Tribal Seeds (Observatory, 10/26), Tech N9ne (HOB, 10/29), In Flames (HOB, 10/31), Three Dog Night (BUT, 11/8), J Mascis (Soda Bar, 11/15), The Helio Sequence (Casbah, 11/17), Doe Paoro (Soda Bar, 11/24), Ghostemane (Irenic, 11/25), Wheeler Walker Jr. (Observatory, 11/30), Godflesh (Brick by Brick, 12/1), Skating Polly (Casbah, 12/9), Amine (Observatory, 12/11), Atreyu (HOB, 12/12), Robert Cray Band (BUT, 12/13), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/28-29).

GET YER TICKETS Leon Bridges (Open Air Theatre, 9/5), The Original Wailers (BUT, 9/6), Lee Fields and the Expressions (BUT, 9/8), Ms. Lauryn Hill (Open Air Theatre, 9/9), Murder by Death (BUT, 9/11), YOB (Brick by Brick, 9/14), Nothing (Soda Bar, 9/22), Grizzly Bear (Observatory, 9/24), First Aid Kit (Observatory, 9/25), Deep Purple, Judas Priest (Mattress Firm, 9/26), Little Hurricane (Casbah, 9/29), Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band (Observatory, 10/1), Courtney Barnett, Waxahatchee (Observatory, 10/3), Chelsea Wolfe, Russian Circles (Music Box, 10/3), Roky Erickson (Casbah, 10/5), Ozzy Osbourne (Mattress Firm, 10/9), Patterson Hood (Music Box, 10/12), Ozomatli (BUT, 10/13), Graham Nash (Humphreys, 10/13),

Alkaline Trio (HOB, 10/15), Sting and Shaggy (Harrahs SoCal, 10/16), The Joy Formidable (Casbah, 10/17), St. Lucia (Observatory, 10/17), The Lemon Twigs (Music Box, 10/19), D.R.I. (Brick

by Brick, 10/20), Jay Rock (SOMA, 10/25), Dawes (Observatory, 10/29), Jim James (BUT, 11/1), Cloud Nothings (Casbah, 11/1), Wolfmother (Observatory, 11/1), Maxwell (Humphreys, 11/2), Dia de los Deftones w/ Deftones, Future, Rocket from the Crypt (Petco Park, 11/3), Mac Miller (Open Air Theatre, 11/3), Lucero (Observatory, 11/7), Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin (Irenic, 11/7), Ghost (Spreckels Theatre, 11/12), Blitzen Trapper (BUT, 11/12), J Mascis (Soda Bar, 11/15), Billie Eilish (SOMA, 11/17), Joywave, Sir Sly (Observatory, 11/18), Every Time I Die (Observatory, 11/20), Cat Power (Observatory, 11/24), Municipal Waste (Brick by Brick, 11/25), How to Dress Well (Casbah, 11/27), Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus (Observatory, 11/29), Fucked Up (Soda Bar, 12/5), Squirrel Nut Zippers (BUT, 12/6), Pale Waves (Irenic, 12/7), Neko Case, Destroyer (Observatory, 12/8), Fleetwood Mac (Viejas Arena, 12/8), Kurt Vile (Observatory, 12/9), Ministry (HOB, 12/18), Jefferson Starship (BUT, 1/9-10), Bananarama (Observatory, 1/27).

AUGUST WEDNESDAY, AUG. 29 The Exploited at Observatory North Park.

Peter Frampton at Harrahs SoCal. Rodrigo y Gabriela at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Moon Ensemble at Soda Bar. A Killer’s Confession at Brick by Brick. Tyrone Wells at Music Box. Lucy & La Mer at The Casbah.

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

THURSDAY, AUG. 30 Inspector at Observatory North Park. The Expendables at Belly Up Tavern. Parkway Drive at SOMA. Mrs. Henry at The Casbah.

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

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

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

B-Side Players at Music Box. Midge Ure, Paul Young at Belly Up Tavern. Smashing Pumpkins at Viejas Arena. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit at Copley Symphony Hall. Slightly Stoopid at Del Mar Racetrack. Slothrust at The Casbah.

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

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

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5 Leon Bridges at Open Air Theatre. Justin Hayward at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

Samantha Fish at The Casbah (sold out).

Oscar Key Sung at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 6 Pinback at The Casbah. The Original Wailers at Belly Up Tavern. Ecstatic Union at Soda Bar. Clozee at Music Box.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 7 Aussie Pink Floyd Show at Humphreys by the Bay. JJ Grey & Mofro at Belly Up Tavern. Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys at The Casbah. Sports at Soda Bar. The Red Pears at House of Blues Voodoo Room. Dread Mar I at Music Box.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 8 Rebelution at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Jade Bird at The Casbah. Lee Fields and the Expressions at Belly Up Tavern. 3 Doors Down, Collective Soul at Harrah’s SoCal. Jake Shimabukuro at Humphreys by the Bay. Mom Jeans. At The Irenic. We Are One at SOMA. Protoje at Music Box.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 9 E-40 at House of Blues. Ms. Lauryn Hill at Open Air Theatre. Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Kate Bush Dance Party w/ Baby Bushka at The Casbah. Peter Case at Bar Pink. Ceramic Animal at Soda Bar. Tim Spann Memorial w/ Dead Rock West at The Casbah.

MONDAY, SEPT. 10 Kenny Wayne Shepherd at Belly Up Tavern. The Frets at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 11 Kommunity FK at Soda Bar. Murder by Death at Belly Up Tavern. Bad Gyal at Music Box. Lyle Lovett at Humphreys by the Bay. The Score at House of Blues. The Naked I at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12 Big Head Todd and the Monsters at Humphreys by the Bay. Azealia Banks at Music Box. Lost Dog Street Band at The Casbah. Todd Snider at Belly Up Tavern.

Unwed Sailor at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 13 Rostam at Belly Up Tavern. Dreamers at The Irenic. Radio Moscow at The Casbah.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 14 Incite at SPACE. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears at The Casbah. YOB at Brick by Brick. Miniature Tigers at Soda Bar. Rascal Flatts at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Rayland Baxter at Belly Up Tavern. Desert Dwellers at Music Box. The Pharcyde at Observatory North Park.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 15 Shoreline Mafia at SOMA. Tainted Love at Belly Up Tavern. Youth Brigade at Soda Bar. Dani Bell and the Tarantist at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 16 Ghostface Killah, Raekwon at Observatory North Park. Foxing at The Casbah.

Whitney Shay at Belly Up Tavern. Oxbow at Soda Bar. Alex Skolnick Trio at Brick

by Brick.

MONDAY, SEPT. 17 Miguel at Open Air Theater. Gringo Star at The Casbah.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 TUESDAY, SEPT. 18 Bryan John Appleby at Soda Bar. The Distillers at Observatory North Park (sold out). John Cleary at Belly Up Tavern.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19 The Shift at Belly Up Tavern. The Neighbourhood at Observatory North Park (sold out). Randy Jackson at Brick by Brick.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 20 Thrice at House of Blues. The Spill Canvas at Soda Bar. Yungblud at The Casbah. Dean Ween Group at Belly Up Tavern.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla.

Thu: Hummingbird Hotel. Sat: Chicken Wire. Sun: Sam Bybee.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Rodrigo y Gabriela, Marc Scibilia (sold out). Thu: The Expendables, Nattali Rize, Bikini Trill, Amplified.

Fri: Black Uhuru, The Originators. Sat: Midge Ure, Paul Young. Sun: One Drop, Tunnel Vision. Tue: The Marcus King Band, Bishop Gunn (sold out).

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: DevvLov, DJ Milky Wayne.

Fri: Meadow, Belladon, AJ Froman.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Thu: Wyatt Blair, The Slashes, Ariel Levine. Fri: ‘Dance Punk!’. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’. Tue: ‘T is 4 Techno’.

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

Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Wed: A Killer’s Confession, Tallah, New Fiction, Pigweed. Thu: Divad, Blunites, Blameless, Casual Yak, Servants of Sound, Thread the Lariat, Suburban Park.

Sat: Within the Hero, Contortion, Godhammered, Nightshadow.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Lucy & La Mer, Tulengua, Los Hollywood, DJ Laura Se Fue. Thu: Mrs. Henry, Sacri Monti, Volcano, Professor Colombo. Fri: ‘Black Friday’ w/ Quali, DJs Vaughn Avakian, Mario Orduno, Camila Robina, Bidi Cobra, Jon Blaj. Sat: Slothrust. Sun: ‘Booty Bassment’.

Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. Thu:

Remo Drive, Field Medic, Beach Bunny (sold out). Fri: The Loons, The Heartaches, Teazed. Sat: ‘Escorted Trips’ w/ Fashion Jackson, Foliage, Ingonoir & Snapghost, Ethics, Retra, Miss New Buddha. Sun: Jenna and the Pups, Spirited Away, Charlie Kay.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: January Berry. Thu: Kimberly Jackson. Fri: Betamaxx. Sat: Funk’s Most Wanted, Fabulous Ultratones. Sun: Major Interval, Mercedes Moore. Mon: Whitney Shay. Tue: Michele Lundeen.

Dizzy’s, 1717 Morena Blvd., Bay Park. Fri: Christopher Hollyday.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Thu: ‘Airplane Mode’ w/ Gaslamp Killer, Drumetrics, Tenshun, Psychopop.

Fri: ‘Labor of Love’. Sat: ‘Ascension’ w/ DJs Robin Roth, Ladynoir, Kaerie.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Fri: DJ Birdy Bird. Sat: DJ Vision.

Fluxx, 500 4th Ave., Downtown. Fri: Bar1ne.

Sat: DJ Drama. Sun: Young Dolph.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Chad & Rosie. Thu: Robert Allen Shepherd. Fri: Goldfinger, Buck-ONine, The Suicide Machines, Suburban Legends. Sat: The Who Generation.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Fri: Fang, Authentic Sellout, Billy Club, Revolt-Chix, Filner Headlock.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

FRIDAY, SEPT. 21 Needtobreathe at Open Air Theatre.

Kyng at Brick by Brick. Thrice at House of Blues. Dodie at The Irenic (sold out).

Island at The Casbah. Hazel English at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22 Patrick Sweany at SPACE. The Eagles at Petco Park. Nothing at Soda Bar. Schizophonics Soul Revue at The Casbah.

Common Sense at Belly Up Tavern. Macy Gray at Music Box. Captured by Robots at Brick by Brick.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 23 J. Roddy Walston and the Business at Belly Up Tavern. Eleanor Friedberger at The Casbah. Greta Van Fleet at Observatory North Park (sold out). Madeleine Peyroux at Music Box. The New Division at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, SEPT. 24 Woe at SPACE. Yuno at The Casbah.

Grizzly Bear at Observatory North Park.

No Fun At All at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 25 Amorphis at Brick by Brick. Boy George and Culture Club at Open Air Theatre.

First Aid Kit at Observatory North Park.

U-God at Soda Bar. Lincoln Durham at The Casbah. Inspired and the Sleep at Belly Up Tavern.

rCLUBSr

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

Fri: The Debonaires, Mochilero All Stars, DJ Non Profit. Sat: Bulevar Descarga.

Sun: Stay Sweet. Tue: Soundwave, Black Leather Couch.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘De La Flow’ w/ Beto Perez, Karlo. Thu: ‘Retrobox’ w/ DJ 1979. Fri: ‘House Friday’ w/ DJ Matthew Brian. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Kelsey Cook. Fri: Kelsey Cook. Sat: Kelsey Cook.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Alejandro Hilton. Fri: Smomid, Poor. Sat: Mean Friends, A Dozen Letters. Tue: Karaoke.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Hotel Garuda. Sat: Mat Zo. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Chloe Lou and the Liddells, Normandie Wilson. Fri: Low and Be Told, Shoot the Glass. Sat: Rockford, Blacks Beach Boys, The Colour Monday.

@SDCITYBEAT

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Can you even imagine all the things that had to happen for you to be here today? It’s so beautiful… Well the part where millions of dinosaurs were obliterated is sorta sad.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Few things in life are set in stone, but you will find that having your fingers set in superglue is just as limiting if you continue to act so recklessly.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): This week will be just like Theseus trapped in the labyrinth with the Minotaur: a really boring lesson in school that you’re not paying attention to at all.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): According to my research, you guys like to scuttle sideways on rocks? Sounds pretty weird… but if it’s what you’re into, I hope you get to do it today.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): You might find yourself in a really awkward situation if you jump to any conclusions about that alien in your room because you are the leader someone took them to see.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): You can’t win if you don’t play except in the case of greyhound racing, where the real winners are the people who don’t participate in that sort of enterprise.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): This week will be spent laying down

in an uncomfortable position to use your plugged in phone even though it’s at 100 percent. It’s just really important that it stays fully charged.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): You are at a very difficult impasse; on one hand you could just hit “unsubscribe” but on the other hand, what if that’s just alerting them you’re there?

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 -

December 21): It’s not nice to eavesdrop on other people, but just so you know, we’re all going to keep doing it to you so long as you keep talking so loudly.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): Setting your alarm an hour early to snooze six times feels like stealing time, sure, but sleeping an hour more straight through probably feels better.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February

18): When someone is disarming a bomb in a movie there’s always a part where they almost cut the wrong wire. In real life sometimes you really do.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): You can wish on a star for your dreams to come true or you can set yourself adrift in an open ocean. They’re not at all similar. I’m just listing possibilities.

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

MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Nelly. Sat: Markus Schulz, Irie.

Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: ‘True Stories’.

Sat: Daniel Champagne. Sun: Lisa De Novo, Sky Noblezada, Dave Dersham.

Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open mic. Thu: Hard Fall Hearts, The Zipheads. Fri: The Oxen, Red Wizard. Sat: Don Cardenas’ punk show. Sun: The Night Howls. Tue: DJ Lexicon Devil.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Harmony Road. Thu: Goodall Boys.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Ria and Kevin. Thu: Ty Herndon. Fri: Janice and Nathan. Sat: Joanne Baduria and Soul Fire. Sun: Keep It On the DL. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Turtle Click, Hug, Color Coated. Thu: Mammoth Indigo. Fri: ‘Trick on the DL’. Sat: ‘Ginger Bear Night’. Sun: ‘The Playground’.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Nitro Express. Fri: Custard Pie. Sat: Celeste Barbier. Sun: Anthony Ortega Jazz Quartet.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: Tyrone Wells, Michael Tiernan. Thu: HA-ASH. Fri: Collie Buddz, New Leaf.

Sat: B-Side Players, The Routine, Puscie Jones Revue. Sun: The Steely Damned 2.

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

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: DJs John Joseph, Kinky Loops.

Thu: DJs K-Swift, Kayden. Fri: DJs John Joseph, Will Z. Sat: DJs Casey Alva, Taj, K-Swift. Sun: DJ Cros.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Rosa’s Cantina. Fri: Johnny Deadly. Sat: Baja Bugs.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: The Aaron Mahn Trio.

Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei.

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

Wed: ‘Instant Crush’ w/ DJs Nastea, Anna Zeltins. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘Cool Party Bro’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: ‘Trapped’.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Moon Ensemble, Twin Ritual, Downers. Thu: Los Blenders, Minor Gems, Los Shadows, Pout House. Fri: Koffin Kats, Systematic Abuse, The Cat Chasers. Sat: The Widows, Gross Polluter, Slaughter Boys, Geese.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Sun: Robin Schulz.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Thu: Parkway Drive, August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, Polaris. Fri: Fishing For Chips, Midnight Block, Neurotic Mirage, Smarter Than Robots, Ready Set Survive, Lineup Rookie. Sat: The Rinds, Material Boys, The Shed, Sideyard, Mdrn Hstry.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Thu: Shuffle and Bang. Fri: Ypsitucky. Sat: Jake Najor’s Moment of Truth. Sun: Matthew Smith Music.

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · AUGUST 29, 2018

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Benji Davis.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Post Elvis, Minor Gems, Parque de Cometas. Thu: ‘Cemetery Lipstick’ w/ New Skeletal Faces, Dominator.

Tue: Karaoke.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Fisher. Sat: ‘Spin Fighter II’.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Paul Gregg. Thu: Burlesque Boogie Nights.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: The Corner. Thu: Scott Porter. Fri: Josh Rosenblum Band, Scott Porter, Chad & Rosie. Sat: Coriander, Scott Porter. Sun: Scott Porter. Mon: Scott Porter. Tue: Tehila Duo. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Thu: Liz Grace and the Swing Things. Fri: Ass Pocket Whiskey Fellas, The Bayou Brothers.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Old City, Se Vende, Missing Limbs. Fri: Skull Drug, Terminally Ill, Surface Report, Sculpins. Sat: The Rocketz, Screamin’ Rebel Angels, Hard Fall Hearts, The Zipheads, Dead At Midnight. Sun: ‘An Aural History of Femme Punk’. Mon: The Vibrators, Kids In Heat, Heavy Cessna.

U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park.

Wed: DJ Freeman. Thu: ‘Solace’. Fri: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Sat: DJ Qenoe.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: Jak Knight. Thu: ‘Vamp’. Sun: ‘80s vs. 90s’. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach.

Wed: Ital Vibes, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Scarub. Fri: Modern Day Moonshine, Fresh Veggie Brass, Jefferson Jay. Sat: Psydecar, Eldorado Slim and the Commodore Hotel Orchestra. Sun: Karaoke.

@SDCITYBEAT

BY CULTURE STAFF

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat Oceanside delivers on cannabis delivery

be no customer traffic within that facility.

It would simply be used as a distribution point for medical cannabis deliveries.”

SHUTTERSTOCK

@SDCITYBEAT

—John McLain

The kids are all right

A

O

ceanside, California’s city council members voted 3-2 on Aug. 8 to allow two medical cannabis delivery services in the city. Oceanside had previously allowed cannabis delivery from other cities, many of which came from Santa Ana, California.

In April, the city approved an ordinance to allow the cultivation, manufacturing, testing and distribution of medical cannabis within city limits, but had yet to approve dispensaries. The city council has since been revising the ordinance. Many other northern San Diego cities had passed ordinances prohibiting commercial cultivation or the sales of cannabis and cannabis products.

The two council members that voted against the ordinance change, Esther Sanchez and Jack Feller, have consistently voted against cannabis measures. Sanchez expressed concern over there not being a tax set up for the cannabis industry in Oceanside.

“My concern has been that there are going to be impacts,” said Sanchez, mentioning costs like additional police officers or other additional costs not yet explored by

Oceanside the city council. “There ought to be a mechanism set up for paying for those impacts.”

“I’m very concerned that as we continue to ignore the fact that our residents have voted twice in statewide elections, in Oceanside we have approved what we are bickering about. It’s time to move forward… there are revenue streams from this item,” countered Deputy Mayor Chuck Lowery at the meeting. “We need to move forward with regulations.”

The two delivery services are the first, and even though cannabis will not be distributed directly at the storefront, city officials have declared it a dispensary. If the ordinance is approved in a few weeks, the city could be accepting applications starting October 1.

“It’s a brick-and-mortar storefront,” Community Development Director Jonathan Borrego said. “However, there would

ccording to figures from the California Healthy Kids Survey, teen cannabis consumption is rapidly declining despite statewide legalization. We’ve all heard the argument that legalization sends the wrong message to kids, but the data just doesn’t add up to support that theory.

Teen students in seventh, ninth and 11th grades were surveyed on current cannabis consumption (within the last 30 days) and whether they’d ever tried cannabis.

According to the results, 4.2 percent of seventh graders reported ever trying cannabis between 2015-2017, reflecting a 47-percent drop compared to data released earlier, when 7.9 percent of seventh graders reported ever trying cannabis between 2013-2015.

Additionally, 17.4 percent of ninth graders reported ever trying cannabis during 20152017, reflecting a 16-percent drop compared to the data collected in 2013-2015, when 37.9 percent of ninth graders consumed cannabis during 2013-2015. The number of teens who reported consuming cannabis multiple times over the last 30 days also dropped among all age groups.

“These initial reports confirm that legalizing and regulating cannabis doesn’t

increase youth marijuana use, but rather it has the opposite effect,” stated Ellen Komp, deputy director of California NORML. “The fact that the biggest drop in reported use came from younger age groups is a particularly encouraging indicator of the success of regulation.”

The figures fly in the face of media efforts to warn Californians about the dangers that legalization poses on the state’s youth. “It’s time to stop trying to ‘send a message’ to young people about drugs and instead implement sound, science-based policies that best protect our children and public safety, along with our privacy and human rights,” concluded Komp.

Just this week, falsehoods about cannabis and youth continue to be spread. “Edibles are often so concentrated that they can be fatal in kids,” tweeted Dr. Merrilee Brown in a now-deleted tweet and account.

Overall, cannabis consumption has dropped since the mid-1990s and continued to decline through the 2000s and 2010s. The latest data from the California Healthy Kids Survey confirms that legalization isn’t causing a surge in teen cannabis consumption— it’s rather the opposite.

—Benjamin M. Adams

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

AUGUST 29, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27