San Diego CityBeat • Sept 12, 2018

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

When a loss is really a win

I

generally try to avoid writing about pop culture on this page. I’ve always looked at it like I’d rather bring people’s attention to an important issue that’s not trending on social media and/or being written about ad nauseam by a completely superfluous amount of editorial writers (most of them being white men like me).

And really, what more is there to say about the incident at the US Open with Serena Williams and umpire Carlos Ramos? In fact, even with my wanting to scream in the faces of my supposedly woke male friends on Facebook and Twitter—commenting things like “well, rules are rules” and “she went too far”—I’ve still bitten my tongue.

And then I read the quote from Ramos in USA Today on Tuesday.

“I’m fine, given the circumstances,’’ said Ramos.

“It’s a delicate situation, but ‘a la carte’ arbitration does not exist. Do not worry about me!”

Ramos went on to tell the Portuguese paper Tribuna Expresso that he’s been getting tons of support, and that he is “sure of his performance.”

This was just too much. When I watched Williams’ “fall,” as it was described by The New York Times’ Wesley Morris on Monday, I did not see a “meltdown” or a “temper tantrum,” but rather, as Malcolm X once put it, chickens coming home to roost. I saw a woman standing up to the hypocritical nature of the selective enforcement of the rules based on gender.

What’s more, there’s the added element that Williams has more than earned the benefit of the doubt.

The US Open incident happened mere days after Colin Kaepernick (via Nike) knighted Williams “the greatest athlete ever.” I’m not here to debate that proclamation, but Williams has proven herself to be more than capable of keeping her cool. She knows all too well that she’s under a much larger microscope when compared to tennis players who are men. The way she handles herself on the court has always been much more scrutinized precisely because she’s not only a woman, but an athlete of color as well. She said as much when she told Carlos that “I have never cheated.

I have a daughter and I stand for what’s right for her.”

Still, instead of giving her the benefit of the doubt, Ramos punished her anyway. And while the news networks loved to show clips of Williams yelling and calling Carlos a thief, they rarely showed the earlier clips where she was calmly explaining her side of what he arbitrarily punished her for. They never showed the clips of her initially telling Ramos that she “can understand” how he looked at the situation. They never showed the clips of Ramos interrupting her several times while she did her best to explain herself. Then, clearly still both-

ered by the interaction, Williams smashed her racket like countless male players before her.

And when she dared to let her feelings be known, and instead of taking Williams’ criticisms and complaints with a grain of salt, much like every other umpire has over the years when it comes to male tennis players, Ramos instead decided to give Williams a game penalty for “verbal abuse.” She never once cursed. No f-bombs or the like. The main offense: she called him a thief.

And then it was pretty much over.

For now, Ramos has succeeded in a way where so many men have succeeded before: He gaslighted a woman, got into her head and now he’s successfully gaslighting the world to think that it was Williams’ fault. Talking head sexists like ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith (with a graphic of a scolding Williams in the right corner of the TV screen) will do their best to defend Ramos’ actions, but history will prove this to be one of Williams’ finest moments. The day she lost the US Open, but finally said that she’d had enough of the double standard. For men, we only care about the rules when they don’t apply to us. For the women who watched the clips or the match though, Williams was an avatar; a living embodiment of every time they’d be micro-aggressed or passive-aggressed by a man at work, in the home or out on the street.

This loss, while it doesn’t initially feel like it, will be remembered as a win.

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

WE HAVE A PODCAST! Well, technically, Matt Strabone has a podcast but we’re happy to be a sponsor of it and host it on our website. It’s called Show in Progress and will be released weekly now until the midterm elections.

Strabone is a local attorney, but regular readers may remember him from his run for the county assessor’s office during the primaries. Well, San Diego’s loss is, uh, San Diego’s gain, as Strabone is highly knowledgeable of local and national political issues.

By the time CityBeat readers pick up this issue, there will be two episodes available. The first deals with the issues of money in politics and includes an interview with former Obama press secretary Ben LaBolt. The second episode focuses on the importance of local elections and the interview is with city council candidate Monica Montgomery. Oh, and (bonus?!) there’s a really bad joke at the end of every episode. Show in Progress is available pretty much everywhere apps are available so check it out.

This issue of CityBeat is doing it and doing it and doing it well.

Volume 17 • Issue 4 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos STAFF WRITER Andrea Lopez-Villafaña COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker John R. Lamb Rhonda “Ro” Moore Alex Zaragoza

CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey, Torrey Bailey, Jackie Bryant, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Julia Dixon Evans, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Lizz Huerta, Davey Landeros, Tigist Layne, Jonathan Mandel, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Ian Ward EDITORIAL INTERNS Sara Harmatz PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paulina Porter-Tapia

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES RIchard Diaz CONTROLLER Ora Chart ACCOUNTING Perla Castillo, David Garcia Linda Lam, Yiyang Wang HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden

PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

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4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

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UP FRONT | LETTERS

LOVING LOVE SONGS

S.D. NEEDS THIS VOICE

Yesterday I again listened to “Cover Me Up” (for about the 100th time) and thought a lot about the perfection of it. The passion in that song gives me tears and chills every time. His voice, the guitar break...

So, as life does, today I find Seth Combs’ article [“All Songs Are Love Songs,” Aug. 29] in my inbox about [his] moment with that song. I love moments like this, as well as the article.

I’ve been a loyal CityBeat reader for the 14 years I’ve lived in San Diego. The Sept. 5 editorial [“Being an ally means more than retweeting”] was the best call to action I’ve seen in the paper since the change in leadership in 2015. I know there have been ups and downs at the paper over the years, as can be expected, but know that writing like the Sept. 5 piece will keep me picking up CityBeat for a long time coming. Please don’t stop. San Diego needs this voice.

Nancy Smits College Area

IT TAKES TIME One hundred percent of people will never agree on anything, but it sounds like the residents of Sherman Heights are working hard to both care for their own neighborhood and help this critical project succeed [“Homeless storage concerns remain,” Sept. 5]. And reaching 50-percent capacity (247 out of 500 bins) is pretty good for the first 90 days of any new kind of operation anywhere. This isn’t a new franchise of an existing operation that everyone already knows. Finally, Ms. [Gloria] Flores is correct—it takes a lot of time and work by people who care, including residents. Kudos to all.

Dan Goldzband Kensington

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Colin Santulli Ocean Beach

GOOD VIBES ONLY I totally enjoyed Ryan Bradford’s Well That Was Awkward piece [“My top enemies from the summer”] in the Aug. 29 publication.

Mostly I grab a copy of Cityvibe [sic] to see if there are any events worth checking out that weekend. I’m not a patient reader; like movies, I need to be fully entertained in order to keep my interest. Ryan’s sarcastic humor was raucous and perfect for me from start to finish! Thank you. I didn’t pull a stomach muscle, but it lightened me up. We all need to laugh more… Thanks again.

Occasional Reader,

Claire Coombs Hillcrest [Editor note: Cityvibe tho?]

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.

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

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

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

Backward & In High Heels . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

4 5 6 8 9

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

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-15

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 FEATURE: Fall Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-28 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29-30

MUSIC FEATURE: Nothing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Notes From The Smoking Patio . . . . . . 32 About Last Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35-37

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 CannaBitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

Who will follow Tony Krvaric?

If you ever injected truth into politics, you have no politics.

H

—Will Rogers

ey, it’s early. No need to panic.

That’s the upshot from local Republican stalwarts Spin spoke to this past week. Word on the street is that the search to find a successor to San Diego County’s boss of bombast, local Republican Party Chairman Tony Krvaric, has drawn little interest so far.

A favorite over the years on this page, the self-proclaimed Croatian-born, Swedish-raised, America-choosing Krvaric has spent the past decade cheerleading to a GOP base that now finds itself trailing both Democrats and no-partypreference voters in countywide registration numbers.

“The Republican Party’s been

in decline for years while he’s been at the helm,” local Democratic Party Chairwoman Jessica Hayes told Spin this week. “I’m not really surprised that he’s voluntarily leaving now.”

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves—there’s still the upcoming November general election to help gauge Krvaric’s final legacy, if indeed there will be any finality to it.

Even his staunch supporters admit Krvaric has longed to step down as party boss, a volunteer post, for some time.

“He wanted to leave two years ago,” long-time friend and Central Committee alternate Brian Brady explained. “Tony’s quite serious about retiring. And he should.

He’s done more than his fair share. For not making a dime, it’s a hard, hard sacrifice. As a friend, I’m thrilled for him. As a donor and alternate Central Committee

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

member, his leadership is going to be sorely missed.”

So far, only frequent Republican Party donor J.D. Bols has confirmed his interest in seeking the chairmanship, but as of right now he isn’t eligible for the position because he is not a Central Committee member, which is required by local party bylaws.

Bols, a property manager, said he’s confident that will change before December, when the party will anoint its chairman for a twoyear stint.

“I could either get on as a full member or as an alternative of an elected official,” Bols said via email, without providing any further details about those plans.

The only other name to emerge in talking to a handful of Republican insiders is that of Barrett Tetlow, the former local GOP executive director and current chief of staff to San Diego Councilmember Scott Sherman. Efforts to reach Tetlow to confirm his interest were unsuccessful, but his boss told Spin last week that he’s aware of the rumor.

“I haven’t talked with him about it,” Sherman said following a special City Council meeting last week. “I don’t know if he could do both jobs. I mean, he certainly has the energy to do both, but I’ve got a couple years worth of plans,” a

JOHN R. LAMB

Whoever replaces Tony Krvaric as county GOP chairman—if he indeed retires — will have some Trumpian-sized shoes to fill.

reference to Sherman’s time left on the council.

Asked whether he thinks Krvaric will actually step down, Sherman smiled and said, “He says that every year.”

A search does seem under way.

Arkan Somo of El Cajon is a Central Committee alternate to the indicted Rep. Duncan Hunter. Somo moved here from Iraq 36 years ago and said he was “approached regarding my interest” but declined.

Somo said his focus is on rebuilding the Neighborhood Market Association (NMA), a once-politically influential trade organization of independent, family-owned convenience store owners that fell into disarray after a legal squabble over questionable spending by its former leader, Mark Arabo. A Superior Court judge ruled last year that the trade group needed new leadership.

“Yes, I was asked, and I was just overwhelmed,” Somo said about the party chairmanship post, adding he was also asked two years ago. “But rebuilding the NMA, that’s a full-time job—besides my four kids. And now I have two grandkids.”

If he had agreed to seek the chairmanship, Somo admits he would likely approach the position differently than Krvaric, who is known for regularly preaching his scorn for Democrats on Twitter, as well as for referring to his car as “the Panzer” and his youthful past as a videogame code cracker of which caught the eye of then-U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

“I love Tony, but I think I’d be a different chairman,” Somo said, adding he might be interested in the position at a later date. “I believe I’d bring a completely different take on politics and San Diego, and plant the seeds so we could go back to being civil again.

As a Republican, I don’t believe that Democrats hate America. Not many Republican chairmen would

say that, but I would. But I’m not sure we’re ready for that.”

Krvaric, who did not respond to a request for comment, likes to tell the story that Ronald Reagan drew his interest in coming to the United States, but he is now firmly a Trump devotee, at least judging by his social-media output. To his credit, he is unflinching in his opinions, his ultra-conservative values and his desire to win.

“There’s a great line of his that should go down as his legacy,” Brady said, “and it’s like, ‘If there’s an eighth grade president, if there’s a junior-high-school president out there, I want the Republican to win.’”

Brady noted that it was said half-jokingly, “but the point he makes is there’s not one school board, not one water board, not one community council that he doesn’t want a Republican on…

Yeah, I know Tony’s priniciples are hard-core. He’s hard-core.”

Mayor Kevin Faulconer recently posed for a picture with Krvaric to wish him “bon voyage,” and it made for an odd sight: a mayor who rarely mentions his Republican roots, and who prefers bridges over walls, smiling with the party chairman who parrots Trump’s border-blocking plans.

Still, Brady said the party would do well to find another Krvaric.

“Sometimes we make mistakes, but 92 percent of the time Tony’s right,” Brady said. “He’s a guy who fights for individual liberty in an overly hostile environment in a state that is dominated by people who abhor individual liberty and by media like you who abhor us. He will be hard to replace.”

Frankly, Spin will miss the cranky guy. That is, if he actually leaves.

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

A redress of grievances

I

f readers want to know what fascism looks like, they don’t need to read an anonymously-penned New York Times-approved piece of propaganda from inside the Trump regime (resistor, my ass).

Nah. They just need to pop on the local news. Or better yet, get off the couch and visit a National City Council meeting.

Led by the city’s unscrupulous, semi-literate, barely-interested mayor, Ron Morrison, the National City Council reconvened its twice-monthly meetings last Tuesday after a summer hiatus.

The council was greeted by a large group of concerned San Diegans (myself among them) offering public comment about and demanding transparency from the National City Police Department. Mayor Morrison doesn’t have an appetite for people who want to talk about the injustice for which he’s complicit, but here’s the thing: If we don’t like what our local government is doing, we have the right to petition it for redress of grievances. It’s a 1791 thing. Look it up, Mr. Mayor. Just sound out the big words.

Our grievance? The shroudedin-secrecy brutalization and subsequent death of Earl McNeil, the Black man who sought help from the NCPD on May 26 and instead ended up with a traumatic brain injury and died 16 days later.

Led by spokespeople and advocates for the McNeil family, several hundred people have packed the City Council chambers, lobby and breezeway every other Tuesday since McNeil died, asking repeatedly—and always peacefully—for the NCPD to be forthcoming and transparent about what happened.

What’s disconcerting is the changing stories provided by the NCPD (McNeil caused his own injuries, then later: He had no visible injuries) and outright lies (he was walking around and talking at central booking, then later from the sheriff: McNeil never walked as he was placed on a gurney immediately upon arrival at central booking).

The little bit of disjointed information that has been made available is so troublesome, that even the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial board agreed with protesters and called for the NCPD to release all surveillance and body cam footage.

If anyone doubts Chief Manuel Rodriguez is trying to cover the NCPD’s tracks, visit KPBS’s website and check out Claire Trageser’s outstanding timeline for the day of McNeil’s arrest. With so much missing information, it’s hard to call it a timeline, which is precisely what’s compelling about it.

Despite all this, Ron Morrison and the National City Council continue to act as a shield for those who wear the shield in their city.

The city council chambers now also apparently come with disappearing chairs. Last week, there were approximately 20 fewer seats available to the public than the already-reduced number from the previous

meeting on July 24. On that day, six people known as the National City Six (NC6) staged a die-in and were arrested. (Full disclosure: I am one of the NC6.)

Speaking of the die-in, they’ll have no more of that in the chambers. New on Tuesday was a post-and-rope stanchion (like the one at airport security) blocking off any access to the left, right or front of the podium.

The mayor also revised his long list of rules to be followed during the meeting. He’s a rules guy, that one, and he had all kinds of special caveats he cherry picked depending on who was at the mic. McNeil family spokesperson, Tasha Williamson, had her mic cut off when she ran seconds over her allotted two minutes of speaking time. But folks speaking on other topics were kindly permitted to run on.

The thwarting of democracy doesn’t stop with Mayor Morrison and the NCPD. The San Diego District Attorney, Summer Stephan, seems to be in on it, too. This is not surprising to anyone who followed her campaign. We now know McNeil was a paid informant for the DA’s office under Bonnie Dumanis. Again, Claire Trageser has written a well-researched article about the implications of this, which are still unclear. What is clear, however, is that Stephan’s office seems to have no problem lying about the DA’s office having paid McNeil even as this is a matter of public record.

And then last week, Stephan’s office brought charges against three peaceful protestors who were arrested at the July 17 National City Council meeting. (As of this writing, no charges have been brought for the civil disobedience by the NC6 but the DA has up to one year to file any charges she thinks fit.

That is the power of the DA, folks.)

Think about that for a second: Summer Stephan is using county resources—untold thousands of dollars for each case— to charge three people for exercising their First Amendment right to petition their government for redress of grievances. This reeks of a calculated political move.

The establishment wants all of this to go away quietly. They don’t want the attention protestors are bringing to the NCPD. They don’t want to show the McNeil family or the public what the still-unnamed NCPD officers did to Earl McNeil because it is vile.

We know it. They know it. And so they have thrown down their fasces and are doing everything they can to squash public discourse. They are intimidating those showing up to demand transparency, and dissuade any other San Diegans from joining the call for justice for Earl McNeil.

So join the call for justice. The next meeting of the National City Council is on Tuesday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m.

Ron Morrison and the National City Council continue to act as a shield for those who wear the shield in their city.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 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

‘Twas a dark and spooky night

I

have a theory that a place is defined by its horror stories. What is a house without a ghost? What is a structure that isn’t inhabited by death, ghosts and the things that we fear? It’s just that: a structure without history. A big empty.

And the horror stories of Mattress Firm Amphitheatre precede itself.

“It sometimes takes two hours to get out of that parking lot,” says one friend.

“I’ve heard six,” another says.

I weigh my options. Is going to the Marilyn Manson/Rob Zombie concert worth it?

But the parking terror takes backseat in my mind to the funhouse horror of the spooky headliners. A week prior, I had previewed the Rob Zombie/Marilyn Manson concert in these pages, adorned with the caveat that I grew up terrified of Manson’s music. As a young Mormon boy, there was nothing more frightening than the damnation that his music promised.

As an adult, however, I’m oddly obsessed with his music, as I am with anything the evokes fear in me. Perhaps my desire to finally see him live is some subconscious urge to strip his boogeyman powers in my imagination.

It’s like exposure therapy or something like it.

Plus, Rob Zombie is a peddler of the type of hellbilly, grindhouse horror that I appreciate in an ironic, monocle-wearing way—in both his films and music. And you can’t really fuck with White Zombie’s classic, “Thunder Kiss ‘65.”

My friend Julia comes to the concert with me. She’s not familiar with with the music of Mr. Manson or Mr. Zombie, and I’m about as interested in seeing her reaction to the show as I am to experience it. Before the show, she tweets: “what does a 39-year-old mother of two wear to her first ever metal show?” It’s a good joke, but only if you know that it’s illegal to wear anything besides black to a metal show. We bring sweaters, just in case it gets chilly at the outdoor amphitheatre. We’re so metal.

We pull into Mattress Firm’s dirt parking lot.

Around us, shadowy dudes lean on cars, drinking and talking shit. Passing headlights swing through clouds of dust that have risen from the ground. The scene gives flashbacks of going to spook houses in the industrial outskirts of Salt Lake City, which are magnets for hicks and horror-hounds alike.

As we get closer to the theater, the attire of the crowd becomes increasingly costumed—a style that I can only describe as a mix of Hot Topic-style BDSM, Halloween and prison.

Our seats are good, close enough to see that time has not been kind to Manson. It doesn’t help that he’s turning in a half-assed performance. Honestly, he’s kind of a shitshow: visibly drunk, unintention-

ally dropping the mic, missing cues. It’s almost as if a spout opens within myself and the damning power of his music begins to drain out.

That’s not to say it’s not entertaining. It’s a gothy delight to see him adorned in some feathery cape while playing shit like “The Dope Show” and cover “Cry Little Sister.” He also lights a bible on fire while singing behind his spooky stage pulpit, and it’s stupid how much I enjoy that.

“Would this fly in your household?” I ask Julia during a song that repeats lyrics You say God, and I Satan!

She nods, because it’s all just kind of silly. Not scary at all.

The guy sitting on my other side is young, early 20s and wearing a button-up. He’s not into the music and spends most of the time on his fancy phone. He seems to be there only because his girlfriend is a fan.

At one point, he tries to engage me in conversation during the concert.

“So are you a big metal fan?” he yells. I shrug. He then asks, “How did you get seats like this?”

It’s doubly insulting because it implicates me in his just there as a lark attitude, and insinuates that I shouldn’t be able to afford the seats.

Hey buddy, I’m trying to purge some deep-seeded shit here, I think. Leave me alone.

Between the acts, I go to the bathroom, and the line is full of sordid dudes that sound and smell like they’ve been power drinking not only throughout Manson’s set, but their entire lives. There are also two women in the men’s room, and once the drunk dudes realize that, they go from zero to gross in no time.

“Prove that you’re not a man!” they say. They request sexual favors. The women can hold their own, clapping back with playful emasculation, but the situation still cripples me. Do I step in? These guys could pulverize me. Is it some patriarchal savior complex that I’m feeling? Do the women even need my help?

How come these mid ’90s nu-metal fans aren’t woke enough to leave the women alone?

I sit back down. I think about the situation in the bathroom and how I did nothing, and feel a shame that still resonates.

We watch Rob Zombie, and he rules. I’m surprised by how on-point his show is compared to Manson’s, but it’s hard to fully enjoy it after witnessing the monsters in the bathroom.

We leave after he plays “Thunder Kiss ’65.” We’ll miss “Dragula,” but I want to beat the crowd. No way I’m going to wait six hours to leave the parking lot.

I’m finished with the horrors at Mattress Firm.

We bring sweaters, just in case it gets chilly at the outdoor amphitheatre.

We’re so metal.

@SDCITYBEAT

Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE Guys and halls

I

t’s been one of my low-key career goals to be a judge on Chopped. For those who haven’t seen the show, contestants have to prepare restaurant-quality dishes with ingredients that sometimes make no sense. This results in an inherent tension of seemingly conflicting goals that has always held a special allure for me.

Never, though, did I expect to have the opportunity to practice for my debut on Chopped the way I can at the Little Italy Food Hall (550 West Date St., littleitalyfoodhall.com).

Food halls have become something of a craze, if not a trend, in San Diego.

Perhaps it’s because many of the local powers that be refused to get behind food trucks for no particularly good reason. Perhaps it’s because the real estate industry overlords (errrr, donors) can make some money off the whole thing this way. Regardless, it is and probably isn’t changing anytime soon. The most recent of these food halls is in Little Italy running along the Date Street corridor between India and State Streets.

The undisputed headliner of the Food Hall is Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zein’s Not Not Tacos (notnottacos.com). The media impresario’s first restaurant essentially asks the question “What are tacos?” So what are they not? His Korean short rib tacos prove that putting non-traditional ingredients in tacos can work. But L.A.’s Kogi BBQ truck showed us that long before Sam, as did Tabe locally. Sam’s pastrami dish made some sense, though the horseradish was more than a little heavy-handed.

So why’s it in a taco? What did that add? The answer to that question wasn’t evident in the one place it mattered: the plate. And let’s not even talk about the meatloaf or egg salad tacos.

Sam’s a master of the Chopped game compared to his direct neighbor, Mein Street Asian Kitchen (meinstreetkitchen.com). Its pork belly crisps made absolutely no sense. Pork belly, cheese, salsa,

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

spicy mayo and Chinese BBQ sauce all done up in a nacho sort-of-way is just stupid bad. It’s like fat five ways with those fats fighting each other as they move down the gullet. It’s the culinary equivalent of demolition derby, only without the ironic charm or sense of humor. And, unlike on Chopped, no one told them they had to use all that stuff, much less all together.

Maybe the best dishes at the Food Hall were from one place that declined to play the Chopped game: Single Fin Kitchen (singlefin.kitchen). The donburi bowls made all the sense in the world, incorporating some of the same elements that have MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Donburi bowl made Peruvian Nikkei cuisine a worldwide culinary overnight sensation that took a century to happen. Even in the one place where they did play the Chopped game—a black sesame ice cream—it still made sense. It was like eating like a Halvah candy bar done in ice cream form.

There’s more at the Food Hall, but not necessarily more that’s great. Like any food hall (or food truck roundup) it’s a mixed bag: The whole had better be greater than the sum of the parts. But the same is true of any good episode of Chopped, isn’t it?

And maybe after they read this review, I’ll finally get that call from Food Network, right?

Right?

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

ANATOMY OF A

BY IAN WARD

FINAL

COCKTAIL SCENE #40: Feeling gullible at El Comal

umn, people have continuously felt the need to tell me their favorite cocktails in the city. Some sort of, Hey you should go to efore I get going on some bi-month- blah blah blah, because they have the best ly rant, regular readers of this col- such and such. But, since I finally starting umn should know that I am a highly coming to terms with exactly how gullible I am (in my thirties, I’m a slow learner as gullible human being.

If I had been alive back during that well), I have become weary.

Someone very dear to me, and whom I whole Orson Welles’ War of the Worlds ratrust without question, has always dio fiasco, it’s likely someone would have told me that El Comal (3946 Ilfound my ass curled up under linois St., elcomalsd.com) has the stairs in a basement with the best michelada in town. a couple of cans of beans and For any analytical person, this a shotgun. statement would instantly send Why do I mention this? The up warning flags. How can anyanswer is simple: When it comes one say that? After all, the midown to it, I tend to believe whatchelada varies in so many ways, ever people tell me without quesand is reflective of millions of diftion. ferent people’s preferences.

For example, when I first moved Some people swear by just lime, here people kept telling me that salt and cerveza, while others go Phil’s BBQ was the best barbecue Michelada with lime and Worcestershire sauce that they had ever had. Having lived in Georgia for a few years, I should have (Salsa Inglesa, to be exact) only. Even as questioned this comment immediately, far as the tomato-based micheladas go, but I am a gullible fool. So, I pulled up to some people gravitate toward Clamato, Phil’s, noticed the lack of smoke in the whereas others are repulsed by it.

But, being the gullible sap that I am, parking lot, and still went in. Guess what, Phil’s BBQ did not end up being the best I went to El Comal for the “best” michelada in San Diego. Well, I gotta say, it was barbecue I’d ever had.

Ever since I started writing this col- pretty fucking good. I wrote an article a few months back about how I hate bloody marys, and this aversion generally transfers over to my michelada preferences.

MICHELADA I am much more inclined to order the as prepared at El Comal Worcestershire sauce, minimal lime and salt-only variety of michelada, but the 1/2 oz. lime juice Clamato juice version at El Comal is Clamato-based.

1 oz. Worcestershire Tabasco sauce sauce Still, it was surprisingly refreshing and for Cucumber Salt whatever reason, it did not throw off as Lime wedge Black Pepper much acid as I would have thought conBeer Tajín sidering not only the tomato juice but the lime juice as well. It was spicy and coolStart with a pint glass rimmed with Tajín. Fill ing at the same time, which is half of the glass about a third of the way with ice. Add a point of a michelada for most people. half-ounce of lime juice, four dashes of salt and black pepper, three dashes of Tabasco and one Is it the best michelada in San Diego? ounce of Worcestershire sauce, then fill about half I’m not truly certain, but I am gullible the glass with Clamato. Add slices of cucumber enough to believe it. to the glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Open

B

BY BETH DEMMON

DRAUGHT Third year for Second Chance

man pilsners typically come in at around 5 percent ABV) and nearly twice as many ndy Warhol and Jean-Michel average IBUs (International Bittering Basquiat. David Bowie and Mick Units), but I’m unsurprised by the heavy Jagger. And who could forget hop-handedness. After all, San Diego is Jack White and the Insane Clown Posse? still the land of IPAs. Collaborations are ubiquitous in art and The beer has an unmistakable tropibusiness—although it seems not so much cal twist from the jasmine, lending it a in politics nowadays—and craft beer is no smooth, almost tea-like herbal flavor. exception. The benefits of these types of This results in a deceptively easy to drink partnerships include camaraderie with beer despite the high-ish alcohol conindustry peers, increased market reach tent. And yet it remains BETH DEMMON and an easy way to swap a definitive San Diego ideas between fellow artake (i.e. hoppy) on an intisans. The cons? I can’t creasingly popular style. really think of any, except All in all, for a style with maybe accidentally develan additive that neither oping a taste for Faygo… brewery had used before, or making a sham out of it drinks pretty damn well. democratic elections. I Available in cans and digress. on draft, the limited reFaygo aside, I find it aplease collab was officially ropos that Second Chance tapped at both Second Beer Company (locations Chance locations in anin Carmel Mountain and ticipation of wider reNorth Park) decided to gional release following its collaborate with Hawaii’s Second Chance/Maui “Taste of the Islands” beer largest independent craft Brewing Imperial brunch/annual pig roast brewery, Maui Brewing Pilsner collaboration anniversary weekend over Company, to celebrate its Labor Day. Officially, the third year in business. Maui Brewing Com- beer was meant to be paired with a Hawaipany is no stranger to San Diego beer; its ian musubi-inspired dessert, but personalfounder Garrett Marrero is a local native ly, when faced with the choice of dessert or with ohana (Hawaiian for “family”) ties a plate of pig, I dine on swine every time. to the area. Maui Brewing have been pro- No regrets. lific collaborators with local breweries, inRight now, the country is experiencing cluding past partnerships with Coronado some dark times. And while the potential Brewing Company, Stone Brewing and repercussions of disagreements over beer Pizza Port under its belt. tend to be less severe than arguing over But rather than focus on stereotypical- politics, beer has its own share of squably Hawaiian ingredients like macadamia bling leading to dissent within the ranks. nuts or coffee, the Second Chance/Maui That’s why it’s so refreshing to see two Brewing Imperial Pilsner uses jasmine competing businesses choosing coopflowers as the sole infusion. I’ll admit it’s eration over conflict. Now if only our mostill pretty Hawaiian, even though I swear ronic leaders would do the same.

I saw some local jasmine at a nearby florist the other day. The brew is a bit of a Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check paradox at 7.7 percent ABV (classic Ger- her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

A

Mexican beer of choice and pour into the glass.

@SDCITYBEAT

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

ART IT UP

For us, the second week in September signifies the beginning of fall much more accurately than Labor Day. Why? There’s always a new crop of visual art openings to indicate the seasonal change.

First, there’s The Librarians exhibition at the Spring Valley Library (836 Kempton St., sdcl.org) that centers around, naturally, librarians and the curatorial mark they leave on all of us. There will be a special collection of art, texts, programs and performances throughout the month, but definitely try to make it to the opening on Wednesday, Sept. 12 from 5 to 8 p.m.

On Thursday, Sept. 13 from 6 to 9 p.m., local painter Jessica Newman will showcase works at the inaugural show from Sepehri Gallery (4410 Park Blvd.) in University Heights. There will also be live music from local band Sulcus. More info at facebook.com/sepehrigallery.

There are several great options on Saturday, Sept. 15. Start the day at the Central Library (330 Park Blvd., East Village) where Ninety Years of Classic San Diego Tiki: 1928-2018 opens from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. This show was curated by The Culinary Historians of San Diego and includes stories, photos, menus and memorabilia from our city’s multi-decade fascination with tiki culture.

More info at classicsandiego.com.

Next, head up to Escondido for Fata Morgona, the latest art experience from A Ship in the Woods.

In addition to a bunch of live music throughout

NORTH PARK

SUBVERTING THE NORM

COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

“The Sad Song of Columbine” by Eleanor Antin at Beyond the Age of Reason the day (see the “If I Were U” column on page 34 for more info), there will be art installations from a bunch of artists including CityBeat faves Melissa Walter, Corey Dunlap and David Peña. It happens noon to 7 p.m. at Felicita County Park (742 Clarence Lane). shipinthewoods.com End the day at the San Diego Art Institute (1439 El Prado) for the opening of Beyond the Age of Reason from 6 to 8 p.m. The group show curated by Debby and Larry Kline features over a dozen regional artists presenting work centered on the theme of how “faith meshes with contemporary life.” Artists include Adam Belt, the de la Torre Brothers, Beliz Iristay and more. Admission is $5 and more info is at sandiego-art.org.

LA JOLLA

QUEEN BETTYE

For those unfamiliar with the medium, the idea of a poetry reading may invoke images of a stereotypical open mic night: snapping fingers, Rage Against the Machine delivery or—worse—the dreaded poet voice. But the Non-Standard Lit reading series always subverts the stereotype by showcasing cutting-edge writers who aren’t afraid to experiment within the genre. This time around, the series will feature readings by Jos Charles— a trans poet, translator, editor and author of Feeld, a winner of the 2017 National Poetry Series, as well as Ana Carrete, the author of the heartbreaking Baby Babe. The reading will take place at Gym Standard (2903 El Cajon Blvd.) on Friday, Sept. 14 at 8 p.m. facebook.com/ nonstandardlit

It’s not often that a musical artist can cover a Bob Dylan song and turn it into something even more beautiful than the original.

But legendary soul singer Bettye LaVette has managed to do just that with her new album of Dylan covers, Things Have Changed. In her capable hands, a song like “It Ain’t Me Babe” becomes a regal dismissal while the title track sounds less like a grizzled dirge and more like a celebratory rebirth. LaVette, who has been active since the ‘60s on labels as iconic as Motown and Atlantic, will play these songs and more at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre at UC San Diego (4126 Executive Drive) on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m.

Tickets range from $33 to $52 at lfjcc.org.

Ana Carrete and Jos Charles

Bettye LaVette

MARK SELIGER

WENDY LUNA • CYBELE KNOWLES

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS ART HThe Librarians at Spring Valley Library, 836 Kempton St., Spring Valley. A new exhibition that centers on librarians and the curatorial mark they leave on all of us.

There will be a special collection of art, texts programs and performances. Opening from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.

12. Free. sdcl.org HJessica Newman at Sepehri Gallery, 4410 Park Blvd., University Heights. The inaugural show at the new gallery will feature recent artwork by the local painter, as well as live music from local band Sulcus.

Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept.

13. Free. facebook.com/sepehrigallery Bad MuthafHHker: A Quentin Tarantino Art Expedition at Pacific Shores Cocktail Lounge, 4927 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach. Group exhibition featuring Quentin Tarantino-inspired works from over 10 artists. Artists include Paul Vargas, Elvin Armando, Giselle Estolano and more. From 7 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13. Free. facebook.com/events/258607621434673 Alley Cat Art Walk at Main St. between Magnolia Ave. and Sulzfeld Way, El Cajon.

Family-friendly art fair bringing together galleries and vendors from around the neighborhood, with food, drinks and live music on three parallel blocks. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Sep. 14. Free. 619-593-2205, stmsc.org HNinety Years of Classic San Diego Tiki: 1928-2018 at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Celebration of the local history of Polynesian pop culture, tiki restaurants, bars and cuisine with a presentation of stories, photos, menus and memorabilia from San Diego and Tijuana.

Opening from 10:30 to 12:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. Free. classicsandiego.com

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HRex Yuasa: Resplendent at R.B. Stevenson Gallery, 7661 Girard Ave., La Jolla.

An exhibition of the San Diego-based artist’s recent paintings, which explore the interplay of color, texture and dimension. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. Free. rbstevensongallery.com, 858-459-3917 Victoria Huckins at Klassik Design, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Suite #102, Little Italy. New works on display by an artist who was born in the Philippines and takes inspiration from her multicultural upbringing and rural home surroundings. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

15. Free. 858-412-4150, facebook.com/ events/2135185513221838 World in Porcelain at San Diego Chinese Historical Museum, 328 J St., Downtown. A new exhibit made up of more than 100 exclusive personally owned Chinese porcelain pieces spanning from three centuries (mid1500s to early-1800s). From 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. $5. sdchm.org HFata Morgona at Felicita County Park, 742 Clarence Lane, Escondido. The latest art experience from A Ship in the Woods includes live music throughout the day and art installations from Melissa Walter, Corey Dunlap, David Peña and more.

From noon to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. shipinthewoods.com HBeyond the Age of Reason at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. The group show curated by Debby and Larry Kline features over a dozen regional artists presenting work centered on the theme of how “faith meshes with contemporary life.” Artists include Adam Belt, the de la Torre Brothers, Beliz Iristay and more. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. Free-$5. sandiego-art.org

H = CityBeat picks

BOOKS HPeter Blauner at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling novelist and TV writer will sign and discuss his latest Lourdes Robles crime novel, Sunrise Highway. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HMiriam Pawel at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and a Pulitzer Prizewinning editor and reporter will discuss and sign her new book, The Browns of California. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept 12. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com Gary Morgan at La Playa Books, 1026 Rosecrans St., Point Loma. Photographer Gary Morgan will be showcasing his black-and-white photos that were taken at live concerts from the ‘60s and ‘70s, as well as promoting his new book, Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen. At 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13. Free. laplayabooks.com HLisa Brackman at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling local novelist will sign and discuss her latest political thriller, Black Swan RIsing. At 3 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 15. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Shaking the Tree Book Launch at Shelter Island Pier, 1776 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Several writing organizations will host the inaugural San Diego Memoir Showcase Anthology to present Shaking the Tree. brazen. short. memoir and other books by local authors. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. Free. 858-877-0781, facebook.com/sandiegomemoirshowcase

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 15

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

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EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 HLocal Author Meet and Greet at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. More than a dozen writers will gather to sign and discuss their respective titles. Authors include Patricia Bossano, Jennifer Greenhall, Jeffrey Hancock and more. At noon. Sunday, Sept.

16. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Patricia Watts at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekends with Locals series, Watts will discuss and sign her new book, The Frayer. At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HCaz Frear at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The writer will sign and discuss her debut mystery novel, Sweet Little Lies. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17. Free. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Nathan Turner at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. This designer and editor at C Magazine and Architectural Digest will discuss and sign his new book, I Love California, with Emmy-Award winning producer Wendy Walker. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept 18. Free. warwicks.com HJennifer G. Spencer at The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park.

Local artist and photographer will sign and discuss her new book, The Artist Portrait Project: A Photographic Memoir of Portrait Sessions with San Diego Artists, which consists of portraits of 50 San Diego artists. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com

FOOD & DRINK HTaste of Downtown at Downtown.

Self-guided tour, which takes participants through Downtown neighborhoods to enjoy sample-sized bites from over 40 different restaurants including Café Sevilla, Dobson’s, Urban India. Proceeds benefit the Downtown Partnership. From 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13. $35-$40. 619233-5008, downtownsandiego.org HMargaritas y Más Festival at Chula Vista Bayfront Park, 980 Marina Way, Chula Vista. An afternoon of tacos, jumbo lawn games, live music and, of course, unlimited tastings of margaritas, tequila and mescal. Benefits Bike San Diego. From 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sep. 15. $40-$60. 855207-8415, margaritasymasfestival.com Taste of South Park at South Park.

Sample bites from a mix of restaurants, bars and pubs, coffee houses and more while visiting boutiques and shops along the way. Price of ticket includes samplings from participating restaurants. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. $35-$40.

804-502-2666, southparksd.com Fiestas Beer Fest at Bayside Park, 999 Bayside Parkway, Chula Vista. As part of the larger Fiestas Patrias festival, enjoy DJ sets, mariachi bands and unlimited craft beer tastings from around the region as well as the rest of the country. From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sep. 16. $20-$25. 619884-8833, fiestasbeerfest.eventbrite.com

MUSIC HClay Walker at Poway OnStage, Espola and Titan Way, Poway. The multi-platinum country artist will perform hits and new songs at this intimate venue. Poway native Anna Vaus will open. At 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14. $55-$85. powaycenter.com HLenny’s Centennial at Athenaeum Music and Arts Library, 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla. A special concert by violinist Victoria Martino and pianist James Lent celebrating the centennial of Leonard Bernstein’s birth. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14. $30-

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$35. ljathenaeum.org HKAABOO Music Festival at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The three-day music fest features dozens of national acts including Katy Perry, Foo Fighters, Robert Plant and more.

From noon to 1:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 14, noon to 2:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 15, and noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 16. $149. 858-755-1161, kaaboodelmar.com HBettye LaVette at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre at UC San Diego, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. The legendary soul singer will perform songs from her new album of Dylan covers, Things Have Changed, as well favorites from her lengthy career. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

15. $33-$52. lfjcc.org HKonk Pack at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. The trio of European musicians will improvise live, creating an explosive mix of sound with a variety of instruments. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. $10-$20. 619-987-6214, freshsoundmusic.com Santee Bluegrass Festival at Town Center Community Park East, 550 Park Center Drive, Santee. Unlimited samples of food, beer and wine from local vendors, in addition to live bluegrass music from the Vulcan Mt Boys and MohaviSoul. From 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sep. 15. $37$57. cityofsanteeca.gov Lift Me Up! Community Benefit Concert at The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Local musicians, artists, vendors and volunteers will come together to fundraise for two featured artists of color, Jackye “Chump” Gutierrez and Dairrick Khalil Hodges. From 7 p.m. to midnight.

Saturday, Sept. 15. $7. themerrow.com HHaydn Voyages: Music at the Maritime at Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. The quarterly concert series aboard the 1898 steam ferryboat Berkeley features a performance from The Hausmann Quartet.

At 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept.16. $10-$60.

619-234-9153, sdmaritime.org

POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD HNon-Standard Lit: Jos Charles and Ana Carrete at Gym Standard, 2903 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. The semi-regular reading series will feature appearances from Jos Charles—a trans poet, translator, editor, and author of Feeld—as well as Ana Carrete, the author of the heartbreaking Baby Babe. At 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14.

Free. facebook.com/nonstandardlit 3rd Wednesday Storytelling at Twisted Horn: A Night of Skáldsip at Twisted Horn Mead and Cider, 1042 La Mirada Ct., Vista. Share and exchange stories related to Scandinavian and Norse heritage accompanied by live music from a Danish Viking-Folk band. From 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 19. $5 suggested donation.

760-583-9578, storytellersofsandiego.org

POLITICS & COMMUNITY HInternational Coastal Cleanup Day at various locations. San Diego’s largest beach cleanup, hosted by I Love A Clean San Diego and the Surfrider Foundation. Volunteers will clean more than 100 beaches, canyons and neighborhoods.

Participants are asked to bring their own bucket, work gloves or a reusable water bottle to cut down on waste. From 9 a.m. to noon. Saturday, Sept. 15. Free. 619291-0103, cleanupday.org

SPECIAL EVENTS

Swoop Freestyle FAI World Championships at Embarcadero Marina Park South, 2000 Marina Park Way, Downtown. Eighteen of the world’s best canopy pilots will fly their parachutes around the bay. There will also be a variety of air, land and water demonstrations. From 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. Free. swoopfreestyle.com San Diego Artisan Bazaar at The Metta Space, 3190 Adams Ave., Normal Heights.

A marketplace of local artisans and vendors, selling everything from handcrafted skincare products to fine art. From 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sep. 15. Free. 619-3631065, themettaspace.com Block Party at IDEA1, 899 Park Blvd., East Village. A party with spoken word and live music. Tickets include two tacos from LOLA 55, one beer from Young Hickory and one dessert from Good Stuff Cookie Co. From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sep. 15. $15. 619-304-3955, ideadistrictsd.com HArt & Craft Show Old Town at Old Town San Diego along San Diego Ave. Over 100 contemporary artists will exhibit paintings, crafts, quilts, sculptures, ceramics, furniture, and jewelry. There will also be flavors from over a dozen local restaurants and samples of the finest wines and tequilas. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15 and Sunday, Sept. 16.

Free. oldtownartfestival.org Just Dance Invitational’s Tacos & Beer Event at Bottlecraft Sorrento Valley, 11055 Roselle St., Sorrento Valley. Dance performances, live music, raffles, pop-shops, patio games, food and drinks will be featured to raise money for a dance competition. Ages 21 and up. From 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. $15. justdanceinvitational.com Lights! Camera! Autism! Film and Art Festival at Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall, 5775 Morehouse Drive, Sorrento Valley. Celebration of the talents of autistic and developmentally disabled adults who have skills in the art, music and film industry. From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 15. $20-$30. 858715-0678, autismsocietysandiego.org Bridal Bazaar at the San Diego Convention Center, 111 W. Harbor Drive, Downtown. San Diego’s biggest bridal expo returns with a fashion show, 200 wedding exhibits and the top wedding vendors and professionals from the region. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sep. 16. Free.

858-576-0078, bridalbazaar.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HDiscussing Restorative Justice Practices at The Dojo Cafe, 4350 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. The Mid-City Community Advocacy Network’s Peace Promotion Team will host a conversation about how restorative justice is, can and should be implemented in San Diego.

From 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Sep. 17. Free.

619-272-7582, midcitycan.org HTom Loeser at SDSU Student Services West Room 150, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area. As a prelude to the woodworking artist’s upcoming solo exhibition at the SDSU Downtown Gallery, Loeser will discuss his career and his approach to craft. From 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sep. 18. Free. 619-501-6370, art.sdsu.edu

WORKSHOPS HArt Unites Workshops at Vivid Space SD, 2420 India St., Little Italy. A series of back-to-back workshops, including “Drawing for Beginners,” “Poetic Theory and Performance,” “Business Strategies for Music and Visual Artists,” and more.

From 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept.

16. Free-$70. 619-540-0310, facebook. com/events/2588318244725609

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

THEATER A love story with spirit

AARON RUMLEY

N

oel Coward was a wordsmith of unparalleled wit and flamboyance. It’s his deliciously cutting language that distinguishes Blithe Spirit, the perpetually produced farcical comedy about a man engaged in what some would call “astral bigamy.”

Charles Condomine (what a name) is curious about the occult. The hapless spiritualist he engages to satisfy that curiosity with a seance unwittingly resurrects his dead wife, Elvira, albeit in ghostly form. This proves most intolerable to Charles’ present wife, Ruth, though Mr. Condomine eventually comes to fancy the idea of having two wives.

This veddy English trifle (though it’s a two-hour, 40-minute trifle) opens North Coast Repertory Theatre’s 37th season. Theirs is a game cast directed by Rosina Reynolds, with J. Todd Adams as a quick and sputtering George, Joanna Strapp as a simmering and exasperated Ruth, and an utterly charming Teagan Rose as the ghostly Elvira. As elegantly written as it is, however, the threeact Blithe Spirit does tend to ramble on and on. Its scenes with spiritualist Madame Arcati (Susan Denaker) are excessive, and the Charles vs. Ruth confrontations are repetitive. Happily, Coward’s intended spirit of playfulness never recedes.

Blithe Spirit runs through Sept. 30 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. $42-$53; northcoastrep.org

D

•••

oor “No. 3” is the one to keep an eye on in Scripps Ranch Theatre’s production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Communicating Doors. Though its presence in the story is infuriatingly never explained, this door is a

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

performed, never definitively establishes what it wants to be.

Communicating Doors runs through Oct. 7 at Scripps Ranch Theatre. $34-$37; scrippsranchtheatre.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Chicago: Bob Fosse’s iconic musical about a nightclub singer who murders her husband and the lawyer who turns her trial into a media circus. Presented by Moonlight Stage Productions, it opens Sept. 12 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. moonlightstage.com Bull in a China Shop: The San Diego premiere of Bryna Turner’s comical story of two important women (Mary Woolley and Jeannette Marks), who electrified the suffrage movement in the early 20th century. Direceted by Kim Strassburger, it opens in previews Sept. 15 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. diversionary.org

Blithe Spirit portal back and forth in time through which three women travel: a dominatrix (Kate Rose Reynolds) and the wives (Wendy Waddell and Sibongile Ngako) of an unscrupulous businessman (Charles Peters).

If this all sounds quite confusing, imagine how the characters feel transporting from one era to another. Confused though they may be, they’re also sharp enough to figure out a couple of murder plots (which, if allowed to play out, would prove fatal to them).

Unfortunately, Communicating Doors doesn’t stop there. Besides being a genuinely creepy suspense tale, it also tries to be a comedy, sometimes of the sheer slapstick variety. In so doing, the play, though gamely

Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.: Alice Birch’s vignettes of political satire tells the stories of modern women in the 21st century and deals in themes of feminism and intersectionality. Preseneted by Innermission Productions, it opens in previews Sept. 15 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. innermissionproductions.org Jane Austen Unscripted: Impro Theatre’s off-the-cuff take on the novels of the famous English writer. It opens for a one-night performance on Sept. 17 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org Real Women Have Curves: A staged reading of Josefina López’s coming-of-age drama about a young Latina girl attempting to defy societal and cultural expectations. Presented by the Roustabouts Theatre Co. and Amigos del REP, it happens Sept. 17 at the San Diego Repertory Theatre in the Gaslamp. theroustabouts.org

For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

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Peace of their mind Rebecca Johannsen gives women soldiers their due in Women at War

BY DAVID L. CODDON

W

ar is hell, regardless of side or gender. But as theater artist Rebecca Johannsen learned when interviewing four members of the Army’s Female Engagement Team Unit, who were deployed to Afghanistan, these women played an important part in deescalating tensions, fears and violence.

In researching what would eventually become a one-woman show titled Women at War (womenatwartheplay.com), Johannsen, the former artistic director of San Diego’s Stone Soup Theatre Company, spoke with the four woman soldiers who’d served in Afghanistan between 2012 and 2013.

“My goal,” Johannsen recalls, “was to just share the story that they wanted to share.”

That story was that of their non-combat responsibility: “to go into the most intense parts of the country,” Johannsen says, “to villages where men weren’t able to go, and speak with the women in the village. Their job was to maintain peace rather than exacerbate an already tense situation.

“The moment they were recognized as women, it dropped defenses in the community. They had really intense bonds with the people of Afghanistan.”

Johannsen’s one-hour solo piece was developed in London as part of the Old Vic Theatre’s Freshworks Programme, and then staged twice in the UK at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and then in London at the Women and War: EXODUS festival. There was also a staged reading of Women at War last year at the now-closed ion theatre in Hillcrest.

With the idea of broadening the play and its stories, Johannsen has reconceived

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Women at War as a four-character piece that also incorporates visual art and movement.

It will premiere Wednesday, Nov. 7 through Saturday, Nov. 10 at Cal State San Marcos, EDEN ORFANOS

person,” explains Johannsen. “The multicharacter version brings in just how much point of view impacts their experience. They (the four women interviewed) have very different backgrounds and difference experiences within the military.”

In addition to portraying the female soldiers’ interactions with the people of Afghan villages, Women at War dramatizes their relationships with male military personnel.

“One of the things that it really tries to do,” says Johannsen, “is talk about the misogyny they experienced within their own military just training for the mission; this perception that women don’t belong there, that women have to prove themselves. It is critical of some men in the military and their perception, but it also works to undercut those expectations. It shows examples of men who aren’t like that.”

Besides a goal of eventually mounting a touring professional production of Women at War, Johannsen wants to stimulate dialogue.

That is, to “open up a conversation between people who serve in the military and people who don’t about what it’s like to serve. And also to talk about the importance of the role women can play in perhaps engaging in a new kind of conflict resolution in the world.”

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Women at War in collaboration with associate professor of theater Judy Bauerlein. The cast features students from both CSUSM and nearby Palomar College and will include talkbacks following each performance.

“In the solo version, I couldn’t get across the different points of view these women had of the exact same event or of the same

Days go by: The autobiographical musical love story, Hundred Days, is performed by husband and wife team Shaun and Abigail Bengson, who wrote the music and lyrics.

The “hundred days” signifies the life of a relationship, and how, as evoked by the Bengsons, one should make every moment count.

The 90-minute show’s book was written with playwright Sarah Gancher. Anne Kauffman will direct and movement direction is provided by Sonya Tayeh (with the Bengsons and Jo Lampert, a founder of the Real Make Collective). It opens at the La Jolla Playhouse (lajollaplayhouse.org) on Saturday, Sept. 22 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 21.

Wonder women: Western Massachusetts at the turn of the 20th century is the setting for Bull in a China Shop, Bryna Turner’s real-life story about two courageous women, Mary Woolley and Jeannette Marks, who made feminist history while also championing women’s suffrage and their own sexuality. Woolley went on to become the first female to attend the Ivy League’s Brown University in Providence. Diversionary Theatre’s cast will include Andrea Agosto, Jo Ann Glover, Maybelle Covington and Milena (Sellers) Phillips. Kim Strassburger will direct. It opens at the Diversionary Theatre (diversionary.org) in University Heights on Saturday, Sept. 22 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 14.

Culture warriors: Chicago playwright Tanya Saracho’s Fade, which premiered last year at Primary Stages Off Broadway, examines issues of culture and class through the relationship between an ambitious Latina writer for a TV crime show (apparently hired to fulfill a diversity requirement) and a MexicanAmerican custodian and former Marine who works at the office. Maria Patrice Amon will direct Moxie Theatre’s production (moxietheatre.com), which co-stars Sofia Sassone and Javier Guerrero. Opens at Rolando’s Moxie Theatre on Saturday, Oct. 20 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 11.

Welcome back: A Doll’s House, Part 2 is the Tony Award-winning play by Lucas Hnath that imagines what would have happened had Nora, the heroine of Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 classic, A Doll’s House, returned 15 years after walking out on her unhappy life. Sam Woodhouse, artistic director of the San Diego Repertory Theatre (sdrep. org), will direct the San Diego premiere of this critically acclaimed work, which had its world premiere just up the road last year at the South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa. It opens at the Lyceum Stage Theatre at Horton Plaza Wednesday, Nov. 28 and runs through Sunday, Dec. 16.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

Right side of the tracks

JULIA DIXON EVANS

Trolley Dances celebrates 20 years of performing outside the box

BY JULIA DIXON EVANS

D

ancers don’t last this long,” John Diaz says. “I’m an anomaly.”

Diaz turns 52 this October as he takes the stage—or rather, the absence of a stage—for the 20th anniversary of Trolley Dances. “That first year,” he remembers, “I literally danced on the trolley.

I think MTS would kill me now. You’re not supposed to do that.”

Trolley Dances, founded by Jean Isaacs’ San Diego Dance Theater (sandiegodancetheater.org) in 1999, takes audiences on a scenic route for site-specific dances peppered along select San Diego trolley stops and lines. This year’s performances, beginning at the Hazard Center Trolley Station, feature two-hour guided tours of dance performances in unexpected places. The performances begin Friday, Oct. 5 and run through Sunday, Oct. 7, and are choreo-

graphed by Monica Bill Barnes, Bradley Lundberg, Terry Wilson, Kim Epifano, Debi Toth-Ward and Jean Isaacs.

The original idea hit Isaacs while travelling in Switzerland. She was inspired and empowered by a stage-free, transit-based performance.

“I can’t spend all my resources in the theater,” Isaacs says she thought as she returned home. “I started it in 1999, and it was a guerrilla thing. Whoever was at MTS said ‘Sure, yes, fine. Just make sure nobody gets hurt.’”

For 20 years, the artists have juggled their own creative drive to push boundaries with the scientific facts of massive, electrically-live trolley cars.

“I remember the first year they were here,” says MTS’s Fred Kroner, who was a training supervisor at the time. He adds,

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Trolley Dances

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laughing, “They were trying to get on the roof. We said, ‘No no no, you can’t do that.’”

In addition to permitting and mindful coordination with MTS, dancers and choreographers also face challenges beyond bureaucracy when creating site-specific works. Diaz says that dancers must learn the “vernacular” of the site.

“The space has its own language,” says Diaz. “And, it changes, vastly, from rehearsal to rehearsal, or performance to performance.”

Choreographer Monica Bill Barnes, an audience favorite, agrees, referring to the festival as “the opportunity to work with an enormous set piece.” Barnes says that at the heart of the project is “really making sitespecific work, creating something that you could only create given the place.”

While selections this year are ostensibly a collection of greatest hits, the incarnations will still feel new or even unrecognizable due to changes in sites, trolley lines, environments, dancers and audiences over the years.

“Some sites have disappeared,” Diaz says. “One that has been transplanted from the original site into another site that’s still equally joyous is Bradley Lundberg’s. His dancers are going to work with water.”

When asked whether she thinks Trolley Dances can last another 20 years, Barnes doesn’t hesitate, insisting that it will never lack choreographers and dancers seeking

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CARLO ARANA

Beyond Babel something out of the box. The same goes for audiences.

“The environment just allows for people who might not come and see something in the theater,” Barnes says, and that even among theatergoers, it’s akin to seeing The Nutcracker each year. “In a lot of ways, once we find something we like as an audience, we want the repetition of it… We really fall in love with the form. Then we want to come back again and again.”

MORE DANCE Beyond borders: Celebrity dancers (and San Diegans) Keone and Mari Madrid and production company Hideaway Circus will present Beyond Babel, an immersive take on Romeo

and Juliet (borders, division and governmentmandated walls), but in the style of West Coast urban dance. Beyond Babel (beyondbabelshow.com) premieres on Saturday, Sept.

29 in a new immersive theater space near downtown (2625 Imperial Ave.), and performances run through Sunday, Nov. 18. Some audience seating moves throughout the performance, and the production team includes notable crochet street artist London Kaye.

Dance-ability: This year, Wheelchair Dancers (wheelchairdancers.org) celebrates their 10th anniversary with DanceAbility. At the Balboa Park Club, wheelchair dancers will perform (alongside some ablebodied partners for some routines) cha cha, salsa, modern dance, and more, with drawings, raffles and gourmet food, all to support the organization’s free dance classes. It happens Saturday, Sept. 29.

25 years shocked: Culture Shock Dance Troupe (cultureshockdance.org) celebrates 25 years of bringing hip-hop and modern dance to San Diego. To commemorate, the troupe will host the annual International Choreographers Showcase. Performances include Culture Shock’s adult pro teams and related troupes from across the globe, as well as San Diego local favorites. Don’t miss Sunday’s youth showcase, which features traveling teams as well as San Diego’s Mini-,

Future-, and Mighty Shock youth troupes. It happens Saturday, Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido (artcenter.org).

Biography in motion: In a brand new work, David Roussève/REALITY takes on social issues via the legacy of openly gay AfricanAmerican jazz composer Bill Strayhorn, a longtime Duke Ellington collaborator and contemporary. Halfway to Dawn features immersive, projected text and video of Strayhorn’s life in the ’40s through the ’60s in Harlem alongside jazz, modern and post-modern choreography. It’s all set to Strayhorn’s compositions. The evening-length performance hits Art Power at UCSD (artpower.ucsd.edu) on Friday, Nov. 9, and is followed by a conversation with the performers.

Hot ballet: Choreographer Septime Webre’s Cuban mother and aunt inspired the main characters in Juanita y Alicia, a modern ballet based on Webre’s upbringing in the Bahamas and his mother’s vivid stories of Havana. The score is inspired by Cuban folk music. The Webre original will be presented alongside Bizet’s Carmen and a new interpretation of Bolero by Jared Nelson at The California Ballet’s Noche Latina, a night of latin dance performances. It happens Friday, Nov. 9 and Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Balboa Theatre. californiaballet.org

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

Moments in time

Randall Christopher brings the intense animated The Driver is Red home to San Diego

BY GLENN HEATH JR.

A

nyone who’s dabbled in the unglamorous field of short filmmaking knows that it can be a rigorous and soul-sucking process. Getting a project completed in the first place is hard enough, but ensuring that it finds an audience can be even more difficult. Despite the advent of streaming services such as Hulu and Vimeo, which specialize in short format exhibition, film festivals remain the most rewarding way to achieve this goal.

Local artist Randall Christopher chose to go the festival route with his mesmerizing historical animation The Driver is Red, which recounts the true story of the thrilling 1960 capture of Nazi mastermind Adolf Eichmann in Argentina by a squad of daring Mossad agents. The squad is led by the German-born Zvi Aharoni and early on in the filmmaking process, Christopher decided to tell the story as a thriller unfolding from Aharoni’s stressed perspective.

“My biggest challenge was finding an ac-

tor who could pull off the incredibly complex role,” says Christopher.

Fate (and a recommendation from San Diego Repertory Theatre playwright Herbert Siguenza) connected him with actor Mark Pinter, whose gravelly and precise voice perfectly parallels Christopher’s minimalist sketch style.

Once completed, The Driver is Red was submitted to a diverse crop of festivals. But the road to an actual premiere was harder than expected.

“The first six festivals I submitted to rejected the film,” Christopher confesses. Despite these setbacks, the former UC San Diego grad persevered, finally finding a home at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival in October of 2017. Then came a screening at the prestigious DOC NYC, which was followed up by a call from the Sundance Film Festival. Christopher is proud of the accolades his scrappy 15-minute film has garnered.

“Eight months later it has been accepted

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The Driver is Red at over 90 festivals worldwide and has won 25 awards.”

And the praise is warranted. The Driver is Red deftly balances the imposing weight of historical trauma with the immediacy of procedural tension. Christopher’s sublimely economic renderings take shape mid-scene, adding an extra level of pressure to an already strained series of events. Pinter’s rendering of Aharoni provides the only stabilizing force in a daring mission that could go sideways at any moment.

Visually, the film pays close attention to

directionality and space, which is crucial to the success of any worthy chase film. When asked about the aesthetic approach, Christopher’s response suggests a keen interest in cohesive action.

“I knew the loose, sketchy look would work very well for this project. It would convey emotion without distracting the viewer from clearly following the story,” says Christopher, who is also the coordinator of the twice-monthly Sketch Party at the Whistle

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portrait of Chicano activist Dolores Huerta, and concludes with the mesmerizing and moving Pixar entry Coco (Sept. 26).

Stop bar in South Park.

San Diego audiences will have not one but three opportunities to see The Driver is Red on the big screen. Its San Diego premiere will be Sunday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center as part of the 2018 Jewish Short Film Festival. San Diego International Film Festival will then showcase it on Friday, Oct. 12 at 2:30 p.m. at Regal Theater UA Horton Plaza. Finally, there will be a screening at the Coronado Island Film Festival in November. The trio of screenings will represent a fitting homecoming for Christopher, who ran the film festival gauntlet and lived to tell about it.

Let’s dance: Flying somewhat under the radar, 40 NORTH Dance Film Festival (40northfest.com) returns on Friday, Sept.

21 with an opening night at the Museum of Photographic Arts before spilling out into venues in North Park and South Park. Audiences can expect an abundance of films that, to quote the organization’s mission statement, “utilize a breadth of filmic and dance styles or techniques to display movement using the screen or frame as a stage.” The event is scheduled to end on Saturday, Oct. 6.

MORE FILM Under the stars: Not to be outdone, the fine folks over at the San Diego Latino Film Festival and Media Arts Center (sdlatinofilm.com) will present a special outdoor film series entitled “Que Viva Cine Latino” every Wednesday in September at the Las Americas Mall in San Diego. The series continues with the crowdpleasing family film El Jeremias (Sept. 12) followed by Dolores (Sept. 19), a superb doc

Tis’ the festival season: Who needs the madness of Oscar season when so many local film festivals will premiere engaging new content in such a short amount of time? First up, the G.I. Film Festival San Diego (gifilmfestivalsd.org) runs from Tuesday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Sept. 30 featuring content that focuses on military experiences and sacrifice. Primed to present another massive lineup, the San Diego Italian Film Festival (sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com) commences on Wednesday, Oct. 3 and will stretch all the way until Sunday, Oct. 14, overlapping slightly with another SDiFF (San Diego International Film Festival) playing

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The Hate U Give screens at the San Diego International Film Festival Wednesday, Oct. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 14 (sdfilmfest.com). Finally, Pacific Arts Movement will present the 19th annual San Diego Asian Film Festival (sdaff.org), which will feature over 150 films Thursday, Nov. 8 through Saturday, Nov. 17.

Suspense artist: Repertory screenings are hard to come by in this town, but don’t worry, Angelika Carmel Mountain (angelikafilmcenter.com) has you covered. Every Thursday in October will feature a classic film by Alfred Hitchcock, the master of sus-

pense whose taut thrillers became a genre unto itself. Grace Kelly and Jimmy Stewart flirt their way into a murder plot in Rear Window (Oct. 4). Beware Joseph Cotten’s Uncle Charlie in Shadow of a Doubt (Oct. 11). The insanely warped murder swap saga Strangers on a Train (Oct. 18) features one of the great evil performances by Robert Walker. 39 Steps (Oct. 25) is a fleet-footed thriller from the director’s pre-WWII British days. And really the only way to ring in Halloween is a trip to the Bates Motel in Psycho (Oct. 31). Every screening begins at 7 p.m.

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More fun in the new world Matthew Binder imagines a dark future with a dose of humor

BY JIM RULAND • LISTINGS BY RYAN BR ADFORD

S

ince leaving San Diego, Matthew Binder has lived in Albuquerque, Budapest and New York City, where he currently resides. But he’ll be back in his old stomping grounds later this fall.

However, the former frontman of Hotel St. George isn’t performing with his old band, and his new recording project, Bang Bang Jet Away, doesn’t play live shows. Instead, Binder will be taking the stage, so to speak, at Verbatim Books on Saturday, Dec. 8 to read from his new novel, The Absolved, which is available for pre-order from Black Spot Press.

Binder wrote the first draft of the novel while he was in Budapest in just six months. He was inspired by a conversation he had with an oncologist about artificial intelligence and how automation would replace much of the work force. The oncologist seemed to believe that while most jobs would be disposed of, his would be safe.

“In the future,” Binder recalls the doctor saying, “people will have to work harder to make themselves indispensible.”

Out of this warped bootstrap view of the world, The Absolved was born. Binder’s main character is Henri, a philandering physician at odds with the technological advances of the world around him. The novel opens when his self-driving car crashes into a streetlight.

“These days, ever since self-driving cars became the law, this sort of thing is rare,” the narrator recounts in The Absolved. “I almost can’t remember the last time I got stuck in traffic due to a wreck.”

The accident is a metaphor for a culture on auto-pilot that has, for all intents and purposes, handed over the reins to technological overlords.

Binder set his novel in 2036 for a couple of reasons. He wanted to explore what an anti-technology agenda would look like in the future. But it’s no accident that the novel is set in an election year. Binder wrote The Absolved during the Trump campaign and the novel became a place where he could work out his thoughts—and fears— about the election.

While many of his friends stateside believed that Trump had no chance of win-

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ning, Binder was living in a country that had elected a populist strongman named Victor Orbán. When Orbán became prime minister, he seized power and shut down dissent in a series of moves that were right out of the totalitarian playbook.

So when Trump won, Binder felt that Orbán had provided a glimpse of America’s future.

“We expect this to happen in Eastern Europe,” Binder says, “but we never thought it could occur in the United States.”

In The Absolved, Binder’s fictional presidential hopeful is a “fringe populist candidate running on a Luddite agenda whose platform is anti-technology at the expense of humanity.”

If that sounds like an episode from next season’s Black Mirror, it’s not far off. Binder balances dystopian horrors with a dose of dark humor.

“All of my efforts today have been as futile as loving a stripper,” says Henri in the book. “My return-on-investment is zilch.”

Binder experimented with gallows humor in his previous novel, High in the Streets, and continues with it in The Absolved.

“This is a different subject matter, but stylistically similar,” Binder says. “It’s a voice that’s working for me right now.”

Matthew Binder seemingly endless readership. However, that would ignore the tactile intimacy to which both zine creators and readers aspire, and it’s that type of connection that that cannot be replicated online. Celebrating its fifth year, the San Diego Zine Fest will go down on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30 at Bread & Salt and feature over 100 exhibitors showcasing their creations.

Plus, there will be panel discussions about DIY ethos and all things zine-y. Get out from behind that screen. Touch some paper.

Make a connection. sandiegozinefest.com

MORE LITERATURE Monster poetry: Between 2014 and 2016, San Diego’s Ayahuasca Publishing published three volumes of States of Terror, an ambitious horror anthology that featured 50 writers penning stories about the famous monsters that inhabit every U.S. state (e.g. New Jersey’s Jersey Devil). Considering this background, it makes sense that local poet Hanna Tawater’s book Reptilia would be Ayahuasca’s first standalone release.

Tawater infuses her poetry with science, sexuality and slithery things like a laureate Dr. Frankenstein, and the result is both bonkers and beautiful. Celebrate Tawater’s release at the Reptilia Book Launch on Saturday, Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m. at Verbatim Books. The night will also include readings from Kiik A.K., Jenny Minnity-Shippey and Keith McCleary. verbatim-books.com Zine fiends: It’s easy to wonder why anyone would create a zine in 2018, when the internet provides unlimited reach and a

A bangin’ reading: Lester Bangs—who grew up in El Cajon—is remembered as one of the greatest music journalists who ever lived. His criticism was so wild, free and uninhibited that he became a rockstar by covering rockstars. Every year, Grossmont College pays tribute to the seminal journalist (and former student) via their annual Lester Bangs Memorial Reading.

This year’s readings on Tuesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m., showcase readers who embody Bangs’ wild ideals. This includes “super-groupie” and memoirist Pamela Des Barres, whose books I’m With the Band: Confessions of a Groupie and Let’s Spend the Night Together: Backstage Secrets of Rock Muses and Supergroupies don’t shy away from divulging the spicy details of her relationships with some of history’s famous rockstars. Hell yeah. grossmont.edu This means Warwick’s: Warwick’s always brings in some top literary talent to San Diego, and this fall is no different. On Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m., Susan Orlean will read from and sign her new book, The Library Book. The event takes place, naturally, at the La Jolla Riford Library. Most people may remember Orlean’s masterful novel, The Orchid Thief, which Charlie Kaufman made into a batshit-crazy film, Adaptation.

Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m., Warwick’s welcomes activist Arjun Singh, the editor of American Hate, which documents stories by marginalized people who have been victims of nationalist hate. The book unflinchingly reveals the cruelty of Trump’s America through stories from people of color, LGBTQ persons, people with disabilities and anyone who doesn’t fit into the MAGA agenda. It’s imperative reading for our times, and yet another reason why we resist. warwicks.com

Hanna Tawater SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

Ghost story

COURTESY OF LIGIA BOUTON

Inheritance examines gun violence through a multimedia opera production

BY JEFF TERICH

O

pera is an art form steeped in tragedy. Suicide. Infidelity. Tuberculosis. Murderous, cuckolded clowns. Yet it’s not often that those narratives stretch beyond the stage and into the long-term socio-political implications of those tragedies.

Inheritance—a multimedia chamber opera being staged Oct. 24, 26 and 27 at UC San Diego’s Prebys Experimental Theater— is a work whose composers seek to change that approach. With music composed by Lei Liang and libretto (text) by Matt Donovan— led by music director Steven Schick and featuring soprano Susan Narucki—Inheritance spotlights America’s epidemic of gun violence via the story of Sarah Winchester. The widow of William Wirt Winchester, whose namesake was one of the earliest massproduced repeating rifles, Sarah Winchester became famous for construction of the Winchester Mystery House, a curious estate built to confuse the spirits that haunted her.

“In the opening scene, Sarah Winchester is already old, sitting in her house where she’s trying to trap the ghosts that haunt her,” Liang says of the production. “The music begins very dramatically. And these are sounds that only Sarah can hear. She’s haunted by the deaths caused by her late husband’s rifle.”

This isn’t the first opera to address contemporary social issues from Liang and Narucki. The two artists previously worked together on Cuatro Corridos, an opera dealing with human trafficking that was nominated for a Latin Grammy award. Both of them have a similar outlook on opera, in that it should be able to transcend entertainment.

“We all share the idea that new music shouldn’t be separate from social issues,” Liang says. “It can serve the purpose of giving the voiceless a voice. “These issues are so urgent. We wanted to respond to them in a humane, sophisticated way.”

Narucki adds, however, that the key to a successful modern opera is thinking outside

Para la Raza

Matt Donovan, Ligia Bouton, Susan Narucki and Lei Liang of the expected norms. A performance that’s meant to be staged in a smaller venue, as Inheritance is, can open up more possibilities and thus more people hearing its message.

“Over the past five years, more and more people are figuring out how to create stories relevant to social issues that connect past and present,” Narucki says. “Opera’s been around for 500 years, and operas that are successful on a smaller scale are more fluid. Making every production to be heard in a 3,000-seat

ANDREA LOPEZ-VILLAFAÑA

New volunteers hope to breathe new life into Balboa Park’s Centro Cultural de la Raza

BY ANDREA LOPEZ-VILLAFAÑA

W

hen the Centro Cultural de la Raza first opened in the early ’70s, it became a successful art space by bringing hundreds of artists and community members together for exhibitions and cultural events. Over the years, however, volunteers have struggled to keep the doors open and organize programming.

Now a new group of volunteers with the Arts Advisory Committee of the Centro aim to revitalize the space and organize exhibits, programs and events that will both honor the past and better reflect the future potential of the Centro.

The Arts Advisory Committee’s first official event, the Limpia del Corazon (Cleansing of the Heart) will be held on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. where the public can volunteer to clean the Centro by moving furniture, painting and gardening.

Committee member Maria Rios-Mathioudakis says the committee wants to

physically clean the space in order to host more programs in the future. She adds that the committee welcomes anyone interested in volunteering the day of the Limpia del Corazon as well as to join the committee.

“This is a totally volunteer-ran space and we need more people here,” Rios-Mathioudakis says. “This Centro will represent our community if we have people from our community here.”

Committee member Ymoat Luna says that traditionally, aside from events hosted every year, there are months that go by without exhibits or programs at the Centro. In the past, the Arts Advisory Committee heard proposals for events or exhibits from community groups or artists, but it is not the committee who actually creates the programs, she says.

This is something which they hope to change.

“I think this space is really a jewel,” Luna says. “We have such a huge space here, and I don’t think it’s really appreciated. I think it’s taken for granted.”

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Liz Huatoma, Ymoat Luna, Maria RiosMathioudakis and Rafa Rios-Mathioudakis The Centro Cultural de la Raza opened in 1971 after the City awarded artists and community members the space, which was an abandoned water tank. Well-known and respected artists among the Chicano community like Victor Ochoa, Salvador Barajas and Guillermo “Yermo” Aranda were among the few who helped establish the Centro.

Luna says that it was a successful space originally, but that the Centro depends on the work of volunteers. When volunteers moved on, it made it difficult to organize programming. The Arts Advisory Committee is not a new committee, but over the past couple of years involvement has almost disappeared to the point that only one person was a member.

Evan Apodaca, a committee member, says their greatest challenge will be to organize

auditorium is not always financially viable.”

Even though Inheritance isn’t being housed in a large auditorium, it’s still intended to leave an impact, not just because of its underlying message but because of its production. In addition to Narucki, the production features music performed by clarinetist Anthony Burr, bassist Mark Dresser, guitarist Pablo Gomez, harpsichordist Takae Onishi, and trumpeter Stephanie Richards, and art design by Ligia Bouton, including a backdrop of the famed Winchester Mystery House itself.

The creators of Inheritance promise a multimedia experience that steps outside of what can be expected of an operatic production. But Narucki has her own specific hopes for what kind of impression the work leaves on the audience.

“If one person sees this and is moved to rethink possibilities of how we experience and interact with the world, then I think we’ve succeeded.”

MORE MUSIC Spiders from Mars: San Diego’s seen its fair share of tributes to David Bowie in the aftermath of the Thin White Duke’s passing, but most of them don’t actually feature the musicians that have toured and recorded

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programming, exhibitions and performances aside from the groups that regularly use the space for workshops or meetings. But, he is looking forward to creating events that engage visitors both politically and critically.

Luna adds they hope to bring in fresh minds to re-envision what the Arts Advisory Committee was in the beginning.

“I think for all of us who are here, we are very invested in this space and we want to be able to see the Arts Advisory Committee transform into a collective of artists and be able to bring so much programming,” Luna says.

MORE VISUAL ARTS Here and there: Being Here with You/ Estando aquí contigo is proof that art lovers can have both quality and quantity. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego showcase—which opens Thursday, Sept.

20 at the downtown location (1100 Kettner Blvd., mcasd.org)—features over 40 of the best and brightest artists living and working in San Diego and Tijuana. The exhibition is a sequel of sorts, albeit one that has been a longtime coming. Back in 1995, MCASD opened A San Diego Exhibition: Forty-Two

FALL VISUALS CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 @SDCITYBEAT

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27

FALL MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 with the rock legend. A Bowie Celebration, however, is a proper tribute to Bowie from musicians who shared the stage and studio with the man, including Mike Garson, Earl Slick, Carmine Rojas and Mark Plati, as well as vocalists Bernard Fowler, Gaby Moreno and Joe Sumner. Actress Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) is even set to make an appearance. The show happens Friday, Sept. 28 at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay. Tickets start at $52. humphreysconcerts.com Down beat: One of the most consistently interesting programs for jazz, experimental and improvisational music is Fresh Sound, a concert series that Bonnie Wright has been curating for 21 years. This season comes to a close with the Ches Smith Trio, a jazz combo led by percussionist Ches Smith, who plays drums as well as vibraphone. He and his bandmates, pianist Craig Taborn and violinist Mat Maneri, create haunting, spacious compositions with changing rhythmic motifs and a mesmerizing melodic sensibility.

They’ll perform on Saturday, Oct. 6 at Bread and Salt in Barrio Logan. Tickets are $20 and $10 for students. freshsoundmusic.com Five to Tango: Traditional music—folk, classical or otherwise—is often ripe for rein-

terpretation, and San Diego chamber group Camarada’s REMIXX Series is founded on the idea of shining a new light on older forms of music whose history merits new exploration. The Four Seasons of Tango finds the five-piece ensemble diving into the sounds of tango, with works from Astor Piazzolla as well as Raul Jaurena, who will be performing with the group on bandoneon, a type of concertina traditional to tango. Dance group Tango Alma will also add a choreographic element. The performance takes place on Saturday, Oct. 20 at Bread and Salt in Barrio Logan. Tickets start at $15. camarada.org Circuit city: Jazz musicians Ron Miles, Brian Blade and Bill Frisell have decades of combined experience among the three of them, not to mention dozens of recordings.

Yet their collaborative efforts as The Circuit Rider Trio find them exploring more conceptual threads together. Though they play jazz music, it’s a style that’s heavily informed by gospel music and American folk tradition, and reaches back into the roots of uniquely American music to create a new interpretation of it. The trio will perform together on Wednesday, Oct. 24 as part of the Athenaeum Jazz at TSRI series at The Auditorium at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla. Tickets are $32 for members and $37 for non-members. ljathenaeum.org

28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

FALL VISUALS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 Emerging Artists and Being Here is a continuation of that focus. There will be work in a variety of mediums, and we encourage readers to specifically seek out artists such as Beliz Iristay, Andrea Chung, Omar Pimienta and Kate Clark. The exhibition will be up through Sunday, Feb. 3.

King James: When it comes to local icons, James Hubbell is about as big as it gets. The artist is best known for his sculptures and buildings throughout the state. Some of his pieces—ranging from paintings, stained glass windows and maquettes—appear on places of worship, cleverly balancing reverence for the divine and Hubbell’s love of nature. This theme is at the core of James Hubbell: Seeking Balance, which opens Saturday, Sept. 22 at the Oceanside Museum of Art (704 Pier View Way, oma-online.org).

The exhibition includes sculptures, paintings, windows and more, most of which have appeared in varying houses of worship.

There will also be photographic elements to help provide viewers context as to how the pieces came about. The exhibition will be up through Sunday, Feb. 3.

Shooketh: If the success of Wonderspaces is any indication, San Diego seems to have an insatiable appetite for immersive, IG-friendly

art installations. Singing plants and virtual reality dinners are one thing, but Tim Shaw: Beyond Reason—which opens Saturday, Oct. 20 at the San Diego Museum of Art (1450 El Prado, sdmart.org)—is a bit more nuanced.

The Belfast-based sculptor is much more interested in unsettling viewers, and many of his “charged environments” deal in themes of terrorism, artificial intelligence and the human condition. There will be three such installations at SDMA and viewers should come prepared to leave both unsettled and inspired.

The exhibition will be up through Sunday, Feb. 24.

In the air: We’ve long been a fan of Lael Corbin’s larger-than-life, site-specific installation work at places like Bread & Salt and the Museum of Contemporary Art. To hear him tell it, much of his work deals in the “forces that push forward, hold down, pull back and lift up,” more specifically the act of flight (patrons might remember the large plane installation at Bread & Salt). At Lael Corbin: Camber, the local artist will present some of the research conducted for his more recent installations as well as new work that expands on his fascination with “forces, inertia and their effect.” Camber opens Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library (1008 Wall St., ljathenaeum.org) and runs through Saturday, Dec. 29.

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CULTURE | FILM

Suspiria

Fall Movie Preview Cutting through the hype regarding this season’s latest releases

by Glenn Heath Jr.

T

hose in desperate need of a cinema fix this fall won’t be disappointed. Aside from the bevvy of local film festivals set to premiere, the season’s end-of-year release schedule promises to be as densely packed as ever, with awards season juggernauts competing with upstart foreign and indie films hoping to break out. As usual, our annual look at fall movie releases seeks to cut through the hype train and recommend only those films worthy of our attention.

A Simple Favor (Sept. 14): Paul Feig knows comedy. After directing iconic television shows such as Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development and The Office (his “Dinner Party” episode is a classic), he transitioned to feature filmmaking with the smash hit Bridesmaids and the slyly brilliant Bond spoof Spy. Feig takes a major tonal detour with A Simple Favor, a seedy-looking noir starring Blake Lively as the elusive gone girl to Anna Kendrick’s conspicuous and jealous best friend. It will be exciting to see if the filmmaker can pull off such a highwire balancing act.

I Am Not a Witch (Sept. 28): A standout of the international festival circuit in 2017, Rungano Nyoni’s blistering critique of repressive ideologies centers on the life of a young Zambian girl unjustly accused of witchcraft by her fellow townsfolk. Balancing elements of tragedy, comedy and magical realism, it offers brutal insight into parochial government mechanisms constructed to erase innocence and humanity through fear mongering.

The Sisters Brothers (Oct. 5): Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly and Jake Gyllenhaal headline this playfully acidic revisionist western from French director Jacques Audiard (Dheepan), who makes his English language debut with this film. Early word from the Venice Film Festival is almost entirely positive, with critics paying special note to the swirling mixture of competing genres. It will be nice to see the king of solemn Franco cinema mix it up a little with some bloody tumbleweed hijinks.

Bisbee ’17 (Oct. 5): Documentarian Robert Greene has challenged the formal boundaries of nonfiction cinema throughout each of his previous five features.

His topics have ranged from mining the doldrums of independent pro wrestling (Fake It So Real) to deconstructing the infamous on-air suicide of a Florida television anchor (Kate Plays Christine). Greene’s latest film confronts the traumatic legacy of an old mining

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town on the Arizona-Mexico border whose residents expelled 1,200 immigrants exactly a century ago. Using modern residents to star in sobering recreations, this promises to be one the most striking films released in the coming months.

First Man (Oct. 12): Pay no attention to the ridiculous brouhaha surrounding Damien Chazelle’s Neil Armstrong biopic conjured up by right-wing pundits and politicians like Marco Rubio. If these same grandstanders got just as worked up over the latest mass shooting or health care crisis as they have over Chazelle’s film about the iconic moon landing, policies might actually change for the better. I’m not a fan of the Whiplash and La La Land director, but his latest looks at least like an audacious departure into the realm of historical character study, deserving of consideration separate from the likes of ideological hysteria.

Can You Ever Forgive Me (Oct. 19): Melissa McCarthy has been quietly assembling an impressive resume of performances since speckling a sink with diarrhea in the aforementioned Bridesmaids. This jazzy adaption of Lee Israel’s memoir offers the talented actor her most enigmatic role to date as the real life author who hatched an epic forgery campaign doctoring personal letters by famous writers. This will be director Marielle Heller’s sophomore film after her emotionally probing debut The Diary of a Teenage Girl.

Suspiria (Nov. 2): Riding high after last year’s sublime Oscar-winning Call Me By Your Name, Luca Guadagnino has pulled a daring 180 by remaking Dario Argento’s classic Giallo. Sporting a mostly female cast that includes Dakota Johnson, Mia Goth, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Tilda Swinton in multiple roles, one should expect a completely bonkers and divisive horror reimagining. Set expectations accordingly.

Burning (Nov. 9): The Walking Dead fans who only associate him with the beloved and loyal Glenn will surely be surprised by the complexity of Steven Yeun’s creepy performance in Lee Chang-dong’s devastating melodrama. Garnering stellar reviews after premiering at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the film looks like an epic character study with deep moral implications that falls in line with the rest of Lee’s previous work (Secret Sunshine, Poetry).

FILM CONTINUED ON PAGE 30 SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29

CULTURE | FILM

The Sister Brothers

FILM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 Widows (Nov. 16): How does one follow up an Oscar-winning historical epic like 12 Years a Slave? Steve McQueen decided to buck expectations and co-write a slick thriller with Gone Girl scribe Gillian Flynn.

Viola Davis, Elizabeth Debicki and Michelle Rodriguez play a gang of women who decide to pull off an elaborate bank heist after police kill their thieving husbands.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (Nov. 16): Six interlocking yarns set in the Old West make up the latest opus by Joel and Ethan Coen, who have a long history of tweaking and poking classic genres in great films such as Fargo, Inside Llewyn Davis and Miller’s Crossing. Tim Blake Nelson, James Franco, Liam Neeson, Brendan Gleeson and Tom Waits are just some of the gifted actors who will be roaming this particular cinematic desert.

If Beale Street Could Talk (Nov. 30): Barry Jenkins follows up his Oscar-winning stunner Moonlight with a hypnotic adaption of James Baldwin’s Harlem-set novel. The story takes place in the 1960s and revolves around a young woman (Kiki Layne) who tirelessly tries to prove her fiancé (Stephan James) innocent of a crime he’s been accused of committing. Surely to touch on themes of racial inequality and social injustice, this one looks absolutely essential.

Film reviews run weekly.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

OPENING A Simple Favor: A blogger (Anna Kendrick) seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend’s disappearance. Blake Lively stars as the elusive gone girl. Directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids). Opens in wide release Friday, Sept. 14.

American Chaos: Six months before the 2016 presidential election, filmmaker James D. Stern travels across the country to ask potential voters about their feelings for candidate Donald Trump and eerily foreshadows the madness to come. Opens Friday, Sept.

14, at Digital Gym Cinema.

Pick of the Litter: This moving documentary follows a litter of puppies from birth and all the way through training to become guide dogs for the blind. Opens Friday, Sept. 14, at Ken Cinema.

The Apparition: Vincent Lindon stars as a skeptical journalist sent by the Vatican to investigate claims by a young girl claiming the Virgin Mary has visited her. Opens Friday, Sept. 14, at Angelika Carmel Mountain Cinemas.

The Predator: Director Shane Black (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) attempts to revamp the Scifi franchise made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger with a bloody new origin story sure to have its fair share of acerbic wit. Opens in wide release Friday, Sept. 14.

White Boy Rick: In this wilder-than-fiction true story, Matthew McConaughey stars as a father who faces jail time for gun running during the crack-fueled days of the 1980s.

In order to keep his father out of prison, teenage son Ricky (Richie Merritt) decides to become an FBI informant. Opens in wide release Friday, Sept. 14.

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

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

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BEN RAYNER

MUSIC

Clockwise from top left: Brandon Setta, Aaron Heard, Kyle Kimball and Domenic Palermo hen Nothing began the process of recording their third album, Dance On the Blacktop, they took themselves out of their element. The New York City-based band (founded in Philadelphia) temporarily relocated to Dreamland Studios in Woodstock, New York, a converted church surrounded by woods.

During the process, the band stayed in a nearby cabin that, as the folklore goes, is haunted.

The mere idea of ghosts provided plenty of good fodder for pranks between band members—jumping out from behind trees late at night and the like—but singer/guitarist Domenic Palermo says that he had more practical concerns than spirits coming out of the woodwork.

“It was definitely a little nerve-wracking being in the woods for me. I’m a city boy, so I don’t get down to the woods very often,” he says. “I’m more worried about bugs, snakes, bears, whatever they have. I’m not very worried about ghosts. That’s probably at the bottom of the list. But there’s a quite a lot of stories about the haunted things that happen up there.”

If Palermo doesn’t worry himself about visitations from the beyond, it’s because he’s had much more intense real-life experiences. He spent 19 months in prison in the early ‘00s on an aggravated assault charge, and in 2015 he was attacked by a group of muggers who beat him so badly that it fractured his skull. In the aftermath of the incident, he began to show symptoms of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), the same condition that affects many professional athletes.

“My bag is filled with pharmaceuticals,” he says of his ongoing treatments. “I’ll give anything a try once, but a lot of it ends up going in the trash.”

Still, for everything Palermo’s faced, Nothing has been an outlet for him to turn that darkness into something more beautiful. They are a shoegaze band that employs heavy doses of effects through dreamy, yet often extremely loud songs. They fit in somewhere between the weightless dirges of Slowdive and the alt-rock crunch of Smashing Pumpkins.

On Dance On the Blacktop, Palermo, guitarist Brandon Setta, bassist Aaron Heard (also vocalist of hardcore band Jesus Piece) and drummer Kyle Kimball create alternately graceful and grungy songs that span from the catchy, hard rocking “Zero Day” to the ethereal “Plastic Headache” and the Britpop-leaning “Hail On Palace Pier.”

By and large, Dance On the Blacktop is a melancholy record, but it’s something that the band balances out with moments of hope and beauty. It’s their way of counteracting the harshness underlying the songs’ themes.

“It’s always been the band’s philosophy. We kind of pull from all the dirty parts of the world, the ugly things, and try to derive some beauty from them,” Palermo says. “We’re just getting better at making it our thing. It’s cool to see that coming to life. Brandon constantly references it when we’re

writing: ‘the hopeful sad part’ a lot of our songs have, this hopeful major to minor chord thing. It makes you feel for a second that this whole thing could have a hopeful ending, and then we just like to rip it out.”

Most of the lyrics on Dance On the Blacktop are pulled directly from Palermo’s own experiences, and in some cases that translates into a more creative interpretation. In the past, he says he’s written songs featuring characters based on people he knew growing up in Philadelphia, and “Hail On Palace Pier” is a continuation of that trend. The song pulls from his childhood, with imagery such as “vapor angels climb from sewer holes” and “singing songs and marching off to war.” It’s a rare moment of innocence on an album that more frequently shines a light on heavier themes.

“Through the course of Nothing’s history, there’s been several songs I’ve written about friends I’ve grown up with.

My youth in Philadelphia, I still pull from that for inspiration all the time,” Palermo says. “There was quite the cast of characters, some with us still, some have passed. But on this record, on ‘Hail On Palace Pier,’ I always noticed these similarities between the group of friends I had in Philadelphia and the character cast in Brighton Rock, the Graham Greene novel. When I wrote that song I realized it would be perfect for that, because the music had such a Manchester, Stone Roses vibe to it. It made perfect sense to me to write it about some of these kids and these wars we would have when we were kids, running through these neighborhoods.”

In October, Nothing will be playing a benefit in Philadelphia for the Pennsylvania Prison Society (PPS), a prisoner and former prisoner advocacy group, and an organization that deals with situations Palermo knows all too well. The band has also raised money for organizations such as AIDS Law Project and New Alternatives, an LGBTQ homeless youth charity. So while Nothing’s ethos is based heavily on turning negative ideas into something prettier or more positive, they make a point of funneling those efforts into things outside the band as well.

“Criminal reform in Philadelphia is something I’ve always kept an eye on,” Palermo says. “I have a lot of family and friends that have been victims of the justice system. It’s always something I wanted to get myself into when the time was right. The PPS, they oversee prison conditions, visitations for people on hospice, organize taxi rides for people who have family members away in jail that they can’t get to, they do a lot of work like that. It’s such an important part of rehabilitation. If you’re not treating a person like a human, it’s hard to expect them to change anything they’re doing when they come home.

“We try to use the band to inform people but also raise money,” he adds. “There’s so many people talking these days. Talk, talk, talk, and there’s not much doing of anything. I try to do less talking and a lot more doing.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com.

Follow him on Twitter @1000TimesJeff

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 31

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY

someone to take on that task.”

The project led Nee to start asking friends and acargarat Nee was introduced to punk rock when quaintances about their own archives full of miscellashe was just a kid, when her brother bought her neous San Diego punk items, and on Oct. 9 she’ll be givfather, an orchestra conductor, a copy of The Sex ing a talk called “When Punk Hit San Diego” at the San Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks as a gag gift. She ended up Diego History Center in Balboa Park. keeping it for herself and later began MARGARET NEE The idea is partially to get more to regularly pick up new punk records people educated on what she does, in shops and, once she was a little but also to invite more people to older, started regularly going to punk get involved in the project as well. shows in San Diego in the late ’70s and “Last year was when it really early ’80s. started,” Nee says. “I put out a call Forty years later, it’s that formato people to share their objects tive education in punk that led Nee to and stories. I can’t tell you how begin collecting artifacts from the San many people have stuff just lying Diego punk underground as part of the in their garage or out back behind San Diego Punk Archive. Nee’s been their house.” collecting various photos, flyers, zines San Diego Punk Archive A lot of Nee’s work is simply and other items for the sake of keeptracking things down, scanning them and getting them ing those stories alive through her website (margaratnee. archived on the internet. But the way she sees it, it’s more com/sandiegopunk) and through Flickr galleries. about the stories behind the objects.

“I had my fair share of stuff,” she says. “Binders full of “It’s not just a pile of stuff,” she says. “I want to give it flyers and zines. But I kept in touch with a lot of people, a little more context.” and a lot of people from that crowd have shared their stories. I think this stuff needs to get saved, but you need

—Jeff Terich

M

THE MONTH IN HIP-HOP

this is an old ‘94 break, sit back and eat a steak.” In other words, To Pimp A Butterfly this ain’t, but it’s DIY goofball ast month I started a new regular feature highlight- fun with some cool beats and lots of LOLs. ing San Diego music in specific genres. This month, More serious and blissed out is Occipital Flowz’ EnI’m focusing on the latest in local rap, from a cross- titled to Nothing. The production is more like a rich and border group, a goofball duo, a blissful cloud rapper and jazzy downtempo record than rap, while the actual rapping a strange satire. is melodic and big on hooks, and characterized One of the most notable rap records out by a more sing-songy flow. Occipital Flowz has of San Diego lately (and Tijuana) comes from a unique sound, one that makes the most sense Tulengua, who I wrote about here a few on a late-night KCRW show like Chocolate City, weeks ago. Their bilingual hip-hop sound is but with a strong enough songwriting prowess both fun and socially conscious, and their to have some staying power. production lives up to the album’s title, Baja There’s also something new out by someFunk. It’s indeed funky, each track loaded one who calls himself Lil Elon Musk. With a with groove and positivity. Tulengua has an name like that, I probably don’t have to exinnovative fusion approach that makes their Occipital Flows’ plain that his cheekily titled Pet Sounds EP is sound one worth revisiting.

Entitled to Nothing incredibly and intentionally stupid. The songs I couldn’t help myself when I noticed EP all have titles such as “Stairway to Heaven” that there was a hip-hop duo called KrayMr and “Highway to Hell,” the beats don’t main& K.O.$tanza. It’s not the first time Seinfeld has played tain a consistent time signature, and the lyrics are spoken a major role in a hip-hop mixtape (anyone remember word goofs on the titular startup king. It’s not exactly a Wale’s The Mixtape About Nothing?), but this duo is a good record, but as satire, it’s amazing. lot more lo-fi and a lot sillier. The old-school boom-bap

—Jeff Terich track “94 Break,” for instance, opens with the line, “‘cause

L

32 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT

From scratch

A

s an appreciator of music, I kind of want to know how much of this is being made from scratch, and how much of it is pre-sequenced?” says Jesse Karras, when asked about seeing live DJ performances.

In the electronic music scene, these types of questions are commonly asked. What’s improvised and what’s preplanned? Who’s mixing in vinyl versus simply pressing play?

Several years ago, Karras co-founded Open Oscillator, an open mic for DJs who were interested in experimenting with button pushing and beat programming, which takes place semi-regularly at Whistle Stop in South Park.

“A lot of electronic musicians perform their sets by using pre-set sequences and patterns that they play back during their performance,” he says. “And this is what some of the performers, not all but many, at Open Oscillators do. And while JESSE KARRAS there are live elements involved, it can be akin to kind of DJing parts of your own music that you’ve already written it in the past.”

So, Karras was inspired to take it a step further, creating Scratch Scratch, a DJ night where the only regulation is true improvisation, and no use of preset sequences and patterns (facebook.com/scratch619).

Scratch first launched in June with the second edition taking place Sunday, Sept. 23 from 9 to 2 a.m. at Kava Lounge (2812 Kettner Blvd.). There will be six 30-40 minute sets by local musicians including FORWARD, MEGAHERCZ, Set Fire to a Luxury Car, Delta-Sine, Groovesquatch and J.Noble/Samadhi.

“It’s an opportunity to encourage the artists, because it’s difficult up there,” says Karras. “It’s a lot easier when you can get up there and you know where you’re going to go, it’s preset and you’re comfortable with it and maybe you’ve even rehearsed it... We’ve gotten into this mindset that you can throw in so many amazing loops that are already done and finished and really embellished. It really takes a lot of work to make an amazing sound from a clean slate.”

The musicians will bring their own equipment, ranging from drum machines to modular synthesizers to create a new and inspiring experience for themselves and the audience.

“We sometimes get into that linear mindset that the song’s going to sound this way, and oftentimes exploration and experimentation and improvisation opens you to different styles of music and different ways of thinking about it… What the musicians saw with the invitation to play was the opportunity to push themselves, and I think that’s why everyone’s so excited about it. Otherwise it would be just another show.”

“

—Torrey Bailey

About Last Night appears every other week.

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SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 33

MUSIC

MIGUEL PHOTO BY TIMOTHY SACCENTI

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U

Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Paul Cherry @ The Casbah.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 15

PLAN A: Peaking Lights, Ingonoir & Snapghost, Ethics, Ditches, Shindigs @ A Ship in the Woods. A Ship in the Woods has been known to put on some great shows, and this one looks like it won’t be an exception.

Peaking Lights are a trippy indie duo that incorporates elements of dub most likely good times all around. This isn’t a and electronic music, and the effect is typical rock show, so I’d make a point of try- strange but very cool. PLAN B: Dani ing to get inside before the bar fills up. PLAN Bell and the Tarantist, The B: Radio Moscow, Featherstone, Duuns @ Midnight Pine, Sights and The Casbah. Psych rock outfit Radio Mos- Sages, Low Volts @ The Cascow currently call San Diego home, despite bah. Dani Bell and the Tarantist being founded in Iowa. And we’re lucky to recently wrapped up work on a have them—their sound is heavy, bluesy and new album, so there’s a good badass. BACKUP PLAN: Summer Canni- chance they’ll be playing new bals, Bosswitch, Runs Deep @ Soda Bar. material. Plus sets from The Midnight Pine and Sights and Sages only sweeten the deal. BACKUP PLAN: Youth Brigade, John Cougar ConcentraPLAN A: Yob, Acid King, CHRCH @ Brick tion Camp, Dead on the Wire @ Soda Bar.

by Brick. One of my favorite records this year is Yob’s Our Raw Heart, a doom metal album that’s not just heavy but deeply afPLAN A: Foxing, Kississippi @ The Casfecting. They’re pretty amazing live, as bah. Last week I wrote about Foxing, whose well, with a perfect blend of the thunderous new album Nearer My God puts apocalypand psychedelic. PLAN B: Broken Baby, tic themes into an arty indie rock context.

Harms, DJ Miss Lady D @ Bar Pink. L.A.’s They’re an ambitious group, and this should Broken Baby are a duo that blend new wave prove to be a great show. PLAN B: Ghostmelodies with dance-punk rhythms and big face Killah, Raekwon @ Observatory pop hooks. They’re sassy, danceable and too North Park. It’s hard to pick a favorite emcatchy not to love. BACKUP PLAN: Black

A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 12

PLAN A: Unwed Sailor, Early Day Miners @ Soda Bar. Post-rock outfit Unwed Sailor have been around for 20 years, but they haven’t released that much music in the second half of that span. However, last year’s brief Take A Minute EP is proof they still have a lot of climactic, richly arranged and pretty ideas left to share. PLAN B: Lost Dog Street Band, Sam Hell @ The Casbah. Lost Dog Street Band are a Tennessee duo that play folk and bluegrass that’s earnest, sad and stark. I hesitate to call it alt-bluegrass, because that sounds horrible, but there’s a darkness and spaciousness to it that’s haunting. BACKUP PLAN: Todd Snider, Reed Foehl @ Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 13

PLAN A: Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire @ Whistle Stop. Tommy Stinson of The Replacements and Chip Roberts are performing shows on tour that involve some stripped-down songs, some storytelling and

FRIDAY, SEPT. 14

34 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

SUNDAY, SEPT. 16

cee from the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, but Ghostface and Raekwon are certainly in the running. They’re also an excellent duo, as evident on 1995’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, plus their hardcore narratives hold up well over more than two decades.

MONDAY, SEPT. 17

PLAN A: Miguel, DVSN @ Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre.

L.A. R&B artist Miguel has made an impressive arc from early, Prince-like jams to eventually having his music appear in the Pixar movie Coco. His songs are pretty much all good and he’s increasingly added a bit more social consciousness to his otherwise sexy jams.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 18

Miguel PLAN A: Bryan John Ap-

pleby, Tomten @ Soda Bar. Singer/songwriter Bryan John Appleby’s Fire on the Vine is both an underrated record, and an utterly gorgeous one. It’s not a stretch to compare Appleby to Sufjan Stevens or Elliott Smith at their most stripped-down. It’s music that’s as warm as it is heartbreaking. PLAN B: Hoarder, Therapy, Violencia, The Gay Agenda @ Tower Bar. Olympia-based Hoarder is a hardcore band that does not fuck around.

They play some of the most intense d-beat style crust I’ve heard in a while, with a vocalist whose voice is menacing and raw.

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MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Roast of Ronnie Radke (Irenic, 10/20), Thievery Corporation (BUT, 10/23), Goldfish (BUT, 10/25), The Creepy Creeps (Casbah, 10/27), Agent Orange (Observatory, 10/28), Lea Michele, Darren Criss (Humphreys, 11/1), Little Dragon (Observatory, 11/8), Mike Pinto (BUT, 11/21), Skating Polly (SPACE, 12/9), Middle Kids (Soda Bar, 12/13), Hippie Sabotage (Observatory, 12/20), Leo Kottke (BUT, 1/6), NAO (Observatory, 1/19).

GET YER TICKETS 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), 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), Prayers (Observatory, 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), U.S. Girls (Soda Bar, 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),

@SDCITYBEAT

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), Lucero (Observatory, 11/7), Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin (Irenic, 11/7), Milo (SPACE, 11/8), 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), Godflesh (Brick by Brick, 12/1), 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), Amine (Observatory, 12/11), Ministry (HOB, 12/18), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/28-29), Jefferson Starship (BUT, 1/9-10), Bananarama (Observatory, 1/27).

SEPTEMBER 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. Brian Karscig at Broadstone North Park.

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.

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

Shane Hall at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 19 The Shift at Belly Up Tavern. The Neighbourhood at Observatory North Park (sold out). Randy Jackson at Brick by Brick. Justin Linn and the Rotation at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 20

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 26

Thrice at House of Blues. The Spill Canvas at Soda Bar. Yungblud at The Casbah.

Dean Ween Group at Belly Up Tavern.

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. Honne at Observatory North Park (sold out).

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22

Houndmouth at Observatory North Park.

Boxer Rebellion at The Casbah. Deep Purple, Judas Priest at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Fat Nick at The Irenic.

Mustasch at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 27 Loudon Wainwright III at Belly Up Tavern. The Real McKenzies at Soda Bar. Miss New Buddha at The Casbah. Jedi Mind Tricks at Music Box.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 28

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.

The Wombats at House of Blues. Devotchka at Observatory North Park. Revocation at Brick by Brick. Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel at The Casbah.

The Early November at The Irenic. Terror at SOMA Sidestage. Assuming We Survive at House of Blues Voodoo Room.

Alice Insane at Music Box. No Duh at Belly Up Tavern.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 29 Orgy at Brick by Brick. Little Hurricane at The Casbah. Ignite at Soda Bar. Oddisee and Evidence at Observatory North Park. Creepxotica at Broadstone North Park. Marc Broussard at Belly Up Tavern.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 30 Natalie Prass at The Casbah. Lost In Society at Soda Bar. Guttermouth at Observatory North Park. Infinite Floyd at Belly Up Tavern.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 35

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35

OCTOBER MONDAY, OCT. 1 Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band at Observatory North Park.

TUESDAY, OCT. 2 Ghostland Observatory at Music Box. Adult. at Soda Bar. Vonda Shepard at Belly Up Tavern.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3 Courtney Barnett, Waxahatchee at Observatory North Park (sold out). The Coronas at The Casbah. Ulrika Spacek at Soda Bar. Chelsea Wolfe, Russian Circles at Music Box. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, OCT. 4 Flatliners at Brick by Brick. Rebel Souljahz at Observatory North Park. Warsaw at The Casbah. Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets at Belly Up Tavern. Future Generations at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, OCT. 5 Roky Erickson at The Casbah. Satan at Brick by Brick. America at Humphreys by the Bay. Yoke Lore at Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, OCT. 6 The B-52’s at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). Keller Williams at Belly Up Tavern. Shonen Knife at The Casbah.

Graham Bonnet Band at Brick by Brick.

Bullets and Octane at SPACE.

SUNDAY, OCT. 7 Tennis at Belly Up Tavern. Grieves at The Casbah. Bells Atlas at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, OCT. 8 Jupiter and Okwess at Soda Bar. Armed For Apocalypse, The Lion’s Daughter at SPACE.

TUESDAY, OCT. 9 Mew at Observatory North Park. Brant Bjork at SPACE. Langhorne Slim at Belly Up Tavern. Ozzy Osbourne at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Lawrence at The Casbah.

rCLUBSr

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

Fri: Kbong, Dubbest, Kash’d Out. Sat: Indie Goes ‘80s Pop. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Sensamotion, Ital Vibes, Seedheads. Tue: Dethsurf, Alvino and the Dwells.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Elbow Room’ w/ DJs Root, KILLcRey, Knew Balance. Thu: ‘Cool Like Dat’ w/ DJs Joe G., Shaye Boogie, D23W, CY. Fri: ‘House Friday’ w/ DJ Matthew Brian. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Kate Quigley. Fri: The Hodgetwins. Sat: The Hodgetwins.

Sun: Clownvis Presley.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: Little Heroine, Foghorns Music, Fingerprints, Deep Yogurt. Fri: Idiot Bombs, Tankerays, Punchcard, Roman Watchdogs. Sat: The

36 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Happys, The Rock and Rollies, Ringo Kid, Peace and Painkillers.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Le Youth. Sat: Medasin.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Kocktails With Katrina. Thu: DJs Dunekat, RT. Fri: Broken Baby, Harms, Miss Lady D. Sat: ‘Neon Beat’. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’.

Mon: Dirty Pennies, Clean Girl and the Dirty Dishes, Luna Bee. Tue: Alvino and the Dwells.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Fri: Dave Booda and the Leftovers.

Sat: Aquile Band.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Todd Snider, Reed Foehl. Thu: Rostam, Buzzy Lee. Fri: Rayland Baxter, Trouble In The Wind. Sat: Tainted Love, Metal Street Boyz. Sun: Whitney Shay, The Routine, The Sleepwalkers. Tue: Jon Cleary, Ryan Hiller.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Uptown Rhythm Makers.

Fri: Russian Tremors, Crooked Rulers, Contact. Sat: Chloe Lou and the Liddells, Songs for People.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: Rock En Espanol live. Fri: ‘Dance Punk!’. Sun: ‘Spectrum’. 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: Unleash the Archers, Striker, Helion Prime, Malison. Thu: The Dead Daisies, Hookers & BLOW, Murder of Five.

Fri: Yob, CHRCH, Acid King. Sat: September Mourning, Kaleido, Charcoal Tongue, AndEver. Sun: Alex Skolnick Trio.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middle-

town. Wed: Lost Dog Street Band, Matt Heckler, Sam Hell. Thu: Radio Moscow, Featherstone, Petyr. Fri: Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Paul Cherry. Sat: Dani Bell and the Tarantist, The Midnight Pine, Sights and Sages, Low Volts. Sun: Foxing, Kississippi. Mon: Gringo Star, The Lucy Ring, Mt. Pleasant. Tue: Shane Hall, Jesse Nova and the Second Line.

Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. Thu: Yarrow, Mortar, Hong Kong Fuck You, Axis Evil.

Dizzy’s, 1717 Morena Blvd., Bay Park.

Sat: Art Farmer Tribute w/ Derek Cannon & Reka Parker. Sun: The Depicted Vibration.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Fri: DJ Wellman. Sat: DJ Bar1ne.

Fluxx, 500 4th Ave., Downtown. Fri: Beatnick. Sat: Bamboozle.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Jack Russell’s Great White, Bulletboys, Enuff Znuff, Eddie Trunk. Thu: Robert Allen Shepherd. Fri: Emo Night Brooklyn. Sat: One Drop Redemption.

Sun: Chad and Rosie. Tue: Betos Cuevas.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Len Rainey. Thu: The Groove Squad. Fri: Wildside, Mercedes Moore. Sat: Gruvmatic, Reflectors. Sun: Luv A Lot, Jason Brown. Mon: Fuzzy Rankins. Tue: Billy Watson.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Thu: Dreamers, Weather, morgxn.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Thu: DEEVA San Diego. Fri: ‘Digital Cocoon’. Sat: ‘Techno Sabbath’.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Sat: Fishing For Chips, The Rough, Hardly Human, The Dangerfield.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: The Rinds, Whole Milk, Street Surfers. Fri: t.w.i.g., Nathan Collins Band. Sat: Samer Bakri, Joel Sullivan, Ben Roberson, Chase Fickett.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Harmony Road. Thu: JG Duo. Fri: Stilettos. Sat: Never 2L8. Sun: Ron’s Garage. Tue: Steve Brewer.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Jan Dailey. Thu: ‘Battle of the Bitches’. Fri: Janice and Nathan. Sat: Joanne Baduria and Soul Fire.

Sun: Keep It On the DL. Mon: Andy and Nathan. Tue: Jaleesa Johnson.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: The Autonomics, Surface Club, The Colour Monday. Fri: The Steadians, Bishops, Unsteady. Sat: ‘Lift Me Up’.

Tue: Spiritual Motels, Howl at the Moon.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: James Allen. Fri: The Jackstones. Sat: Snake Oile Gypsies. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: Azealia Banks, Riston Diggs. Fri: Desert Dwellers, Bluetech, Just Emma, Maggie Moontribe. Sat: Brasstracks, FATHERDUDE. The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park.

Wed: ‘Instant Crush’ w/ DJs Nastea, Vanessa Chap. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Adam Salter, Ayla Simone. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Edroc, Kanye Asada. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’. Mon: Tue: ‘Trapped’.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Borgeous.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): If

it’s birds, it’s a flock. If it’s ants, it’s an army. If it’s some elephants, they call it a herd. If it’s more than one Aries, that’s just called trouble.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): I don’t want to say you’re going to have a bad Tuesday. I mean, it’s not going to be great, but who expects anything good on a Tuesday?

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): It’s always nice to feel like we accomplished something, but it just seems like a really bad idea to start smoking cigarettes just to feel good about quitting them.

SCORPIO (October 23 -

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): It

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): You know those times when you’re pretty sure you killed the spider by your bed, but then you look around and don’t see its body anywhere?

That’s what your entire week will feel like.

is as important to learn how to say “no thanks” as it is to say “OK.” Just say them at random. Things turn out basically the same either way.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Stop asking people if they’re mad at you. Use that energy to develop an app that requires your contacts to rate how mad they are at you on a daily basis.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): You have everything it takes to succeed in this dog-eat-dog world. That is, you have a look about you that suggests to others that you are poisonous or, at the least, taste very bad.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): I don’t know what to write for this horoscope because I’m not sure what cuss words I’m allowed to publish here. And after writing 50 of these columns, I’m afraid to ask.

November 21): When someone says you’re “mysterious,” just remember that what they’re really saying is, “I’m betting that making an appeal to your ego will be effective.”

CAPRICORN (December 22 January 19): As a wise man once said, “that’s correct.” He said that when I explained with perfect clarity the meaning of life. It’s too long to repeat all that here though.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February

18): With summer ending, you’re no longer in danger of being humiliated at county fairs because you foolishly believe you aren’t susceptible to hypnotism.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): What goes up, must come down, and go up again and come down again, and then stay hovering in the middle.

Look, you want to win this yo-yo tricks competition, right?.

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

MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 Thu: The Upshots. Fri: Besos Trio. Sat: Erika Davies.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Tony Martinez. Sat: Justin Credible.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Lafayette. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Billy Watson. Sat: Robin Henkel with horns.

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: ‘LEZ’ w/ DJ K-Swift. Fri: ‘Electropop’ w/ DJs dirty KURTY, Myxzliplix, Hektik. Sat: ‘Fuel’ w/ DJs Hektik, Luke Allen.

Sun: ‘Stripper Circus’ w/ DJ Hektik.

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

Fri: Kick-Stomp Ensemble. Sat: Rosa’s Cantina.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Reverie Noise, Wicked Echoes. Sat: Thump Juice. Mon: Monday night jazz jam. Tue: Chloe Lou and Davies.

@SDCITYBEAT

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Unwed Sailor, Early Day Miners. Thu: Summer Cannibals, Bosswitch, Runs Deep. Fri: Miniature Tigers, Jasper Bones. Sat: Youth Brigade, Jon Cougar Concentration Camp, Dead on the Wire. Sun: Oxbow, Blood Ponies.

Mon: Blacks Beach Boys, Boychick, Heavenly Bother, Dum Cumpsters. Tue: Bryan John Appleby, Tomten.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Sat: Shoreline Mafia.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘Make Yourself at Home’.

Thu: ‘Slappers Only’. Fri: Incite, Lody Kong, Defy The Tyrants. Sat: ‘Tunnel Vision’. Sun: ‘We Like 2 Party’. Mon: Rubella Ballet, Shrouds, Karbönite. Tue: Karaoke.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Mikey Lion, Lee Reynolds, Marbs, Porky.

Sat: Techniche + Overdrive.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Michael James, Shane J. Hall. Sun: Lex & The Jewel.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Thu: ‘Original Stylin’. Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: The Corner. Thu: Levi Dean and the Americats. Fri: Keep Your Soul, Lauren

Leigh. Sat: Keep Your Soul, Chad and Rosie. Sun: Shoeless Joe. Mon: Lucky Devils Band. Tue: Keep Your Soul.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park.

Wed: Tripp Sprague and Danny Green.

Thu: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Fri: Big Daddy Orchestra. Sat: Santanaways.

Tue: The Tourmaliners.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: Throw, Se Vende, Static on the Stereo. Fri: Amiensus, Ashbringer, Kanuk. Sat: Krang, Punch Card, This is a Train Wreck. Tue: Hoarder, Therapy, Violencia U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park.

Wed: ‘Feel Good Wednesday’ w/ DJ Mo Lyon. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: DJ Freeman. Mon: ’31 Flavors’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Thu: Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire. Fri: Splavender, Havnauts, Slay Dean. Sat: ‘80s vs 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul Q. Sun: ‘The Rent Party’ w/ DJs Scotty J, Uncle Bud. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: Marauk, Raggabond. Thu: ‘OB Hip-Hop Social’ w/ Locness. Fri: Louisiana Love Act, Sarah Rogo Band. Sat: Electric Mud, Casual Yak. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Carbon Leaf.

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 37

BY JACKIE BRYANT

IN THE BACK

CANNABITCH Magic beans In this new bi-weekly column, writer Jackie Bryant will review new cannabis and cannabis-related products.

A

nyone who suffered through the Four Loko craze of a decade ago knows the deal: combining uppers and downers is one of the most sought-after drug experiences of all time. Sure, it can be dangerous, but it also depends on the mix.

Accessing the relaxation, euphoria and fur blanket-like comfort that depressants offer while also being able to actually stay awake will never not be on the minds of people trying to have a good time.

Enter Kiva Confections’ Terra Espresso beans ($18, kivaconfections.com), which are micro-roasted beans that are covered in dark chocolate that was weighed and melted down before being combined with THC oil. Each bean houses about 5-8 milligrams of caffeine, a relatively small amount that’s equivalent to a large sip of coffee. The resulting high from one bean is pleasant and nothing like Four Loko. That is, it’s not overwhelming and comes with a kick of initial energy that, for me, settles

into the eventual lethargy and fuzziness edibles always produce. The high quality chocolate and Tanzanian coffee ensure that they taste good, too.

The downside? After sampling these beans from many a tin over the years, there never seems to be a predictable buzz, despite assurances from Kiva Confections that its dosing is meticulous.

“Our products are tested by a third party pharmaceutical lab that is over 100 years old. They ensure that every batch of products is safe, consistent and dosed properly,” Kiva Confections Marketing Communications Manager Christie Strong says over email, noting that the company’s testing requirements predated recreational legalization.

Each container holds 24 beans containing a total 120 milligrams of THC—about five milligrams per bean. Befitting a natural product, the bean size tends to be irregular, which I’d assume means that dosing should vary, too, which made my irregular experi-

38 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

ences with the product make more sense.

Once, on a transatlantic flight, I took two and felt so little of a high that I forgotten I had ever taken them in the first place.

Later in the flight, I popped an Ambien to sleep and only remembered that I doubled up once I was drooling at passport control in Madrid the following morning. In the end, I was just groggy and never got high.

Another time, after taking two beans from another Kiva Confections package, a friend reenacted sexually inviting yoga poses in the middle of The Grass Skirt in Pacific Beach Terra and, eventually, ended up inespresso venting his own. This included beans him dragging his ass across the floor while nerds decked out in aloha shirts incredulously watched on.

I just sat there and giggled uncontrollably for about three hours, unable to speak, until my eyelids drooped past the point of no return and I had to go to sleep. So yeah, for me, higher dosing is a no-go.

Still, after years of sporadic use, the beans are still a tool I like to keep in my arsenal, particularly for watching movies,

having sex, going to the beach or attending a concert where I know I’ll be able to sit since I get lazy on edibles.

But after reviewing my conversation with Strong, who told me that, “the uplifting, expansive and relaxing effects of cannabis and the energizing, focusing effects of caffeine make a leading-edge productivity tool,” I wondered if I had been eating the beans all wrong. She said she knows coders in Silicon Valley who use them to, “maintain focus and stay in flow state while working.” She also mentioned that both caffeine and cannabis are biphasic.

This means that low doses bring enjoyable effects that are uncomfortably magnified at higher concentrations. This means that microdoses like, say, a five milligram THClaced espresso bean are the ideal vector.

With that in mind, I popped the remaining bean rattling around in my tin a couple of hours before penning this, my first column for CityBeat. Overall, I felt good and while I didn’t exactly enter what I call a “flow state,” both the article and the high were exactly what I needed them to be. And then I took a nap.

CannaBitch appears every other week.

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 39