San Diego CityBeat • Sept 20, 2017

2 · San Diego CityBeat · September 20, 2017

@SDCityBeat

@SDCityBeat

september 20, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Marketing this “man-made disaster”

W

hile examining the dire state of the ongoing ing to require a sustained effort and everyone in San and seemingly never-ending homelessness Diego County has a role to play.”

Part of the “Vaccination, Sanitation and Educacrisis in our city, it’s important to remember the importance of marketing. Despite the murders of tion” campaign is increased Vaccine Clinics in and three people last year and a back-room deal to install around the neighborhoods most affected by the outjagged rocks under an overpass before the MLB All- break. The first clinic was held the same day at the Star Game, the homelessness crisis has, for the most San Diego Central Library. However, homeless enpart, remained a regional controversy. San Diego re- campment sweeps and even arrests were intensified around the East Village area. Michael McConnell, who mained an easily marketable city. runs the Homeless News San Diego page on Facebook, Those days are now over. tweeted pictures all morning of East Village raids.

“A Deadly Outbreak Stalks San Diego” “The Hepatitis A Outbreak In San Diego Is Now A While there seemed to be some speculation among local politicians that the raids were part of the city’s Public Health Emergency” “Growing Hepatitis A Outbreak in San Diego Forces ongoing efforts to bleach the streets in order to prevent further cases of Hepatitis, McConnell claims that Extreme Measures” From CNN and the Huffington Post, to Buzzfeed some of the sweeps were happening in places that had and the New York Times, San Diego is making all the already been bleached.

A simple Centers for Disease Control search will wrong headlines thanks to a deadly Hepatitis A outbreak that has left 16 people dead and 305 people reiterate the fact that once an outbreak is confirmed, hospitalized. How bad is it? Even Breitbart reported one of the crucial elements of controlling it is containon it. How bad is it? The Huffington Post’s Senior En- ment. That is, if there is a population that is more likely to contract a disease, it would terprise Editor Nick Baumann HOMELESS NEWS SAN DIEGO be wise not to displace those (over 22,000 followers) went on people. That it’s a much more an epic Tweetstorm where he sound policy, for example, not railed against city officials for to send police officers to kick treating “homeless people like them out of their tents and send 4th-class citizens.” them out to wander other parts There has been plenty of ink of the city. devoted to the amount of monIt seems highly unlikely that ey this will cost the county and many of those displaced people how this “man-made disaster,” Homeless camp sweeps on Tuesday made it to the “Vaccination, as the HuffPo article declared it in the headline of its piece, could have been avoided. Sanitation and Education” clinics. And let’s be clear CityBeat alone has been beating the drum on this is- here, Mayor Faulconer is not entirely to blame for this crisis. This was a problem long before he got here and sue for 15 years.

It’s one thing if we say it. It’s another thing when will likely remain an issue for the foreseeable future. departing UT columnist Dan McSwain uses one of his However, the mayor’s policies and inaction has cerlast columns to declare that the city faces “full-blown tainly hastened the problem. And while the situation crises of public safety and public health.” But when is likely to get worse before it gets better, it’s worth national news outlets start picking up stories about reminding our city officials that this is no longer just a Hepatitis scares in P.B. restaurants, well, that’s an- regional story. This has long been a life or death issue and, still, not much has been done. It’s now a public other thing entirely.

So what does a mayor with a marketing background health emergency, and these useless police raids on do in such a scenario? Look busy. On Tuesday morning, homeless people continue.

Now the eyes of the nation, the world, are on our the mayor and County Supervisor Ron Roberts—surrounded by health experts in white labcoats—announced leaders. What will they do? Will they try to spin their a “Vaccination, Sanitation and Education” campaign in way out of this—now the second worst Hepatitis A order to address the issue. While many would look to outbreak in the U.S. since the vaccine was introduced elected leadership to address rampant homelessness in 1995—with some clever marketing and catchy camand a public health crisis, Faulconer seemed keen on paign names? Or will they finally do something? passing the responsibility to citizens as well.

“This is our community and we are working day

—Seth Combs and night to take care of it,” said the mayor. “It is go- Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com This issue of CityBeat is eating a Chunk Stuffer.

Volume 16 • Issue 6 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos ASSOCIATE EDITOR Torrey Bailey STAFF WRITER Jamie Ballard COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker Minda Honey, John R. Lamb Alex Zaragoza

CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Rachel Michelle Fernandes, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Lizz Huerta, Jen Lothspeich, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Kinsee Morlan, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Amy Wallen, Ian Ward PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse DIGITAL ADVERTISING MANAGER Megan Kennedy MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paulina Porter-Tapia

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Richard Diaz, Beau Odom, Mark Schreiber CONTROLLER Kacie Cobian ACCOUNTING Janet Kirk, Alysia Chavez, Linda Lam HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE Kacie Sturek

PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Interested in advertising?

Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail advertising@sdcitybeat.com.

The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue.

EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE 3047 University Ave., Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92104 Phone: 619-281-7526 Fax: 619-281-5273 www.sdcitybeat.com

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden

San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2017.

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | LETTERS

WE CAN COPE Alex Zaragoza’s columns have been favorites of mine and my millennial daughter’s ever since she has written for SD CityBeat. Her latest column, “The audacity of nope” [Sept. 6], however, gave me a sober cause for concern. As a mother of a millennial, it’s worrisome to see such despair and anxiety in this generation with regards to the potential changes in our country— not only in Zaragoza’s mind, but in my daughter’s mind as well.

In the past 9 months, we have witnessed the Trumper’s attempts to dismantle women’s rights, vot-

ing rights, workers’ rights, immigrant rights, education rights, animal rights, environmental rights/ safeguards (with the persistent, stupid climate change denial when we are at the tipping point with regards to even human global survival), healthcare rights… along with other basic human rights to food, shelter, clothing—by Trumper’s group of old white guys who definitely missed the “summer of love” that held out the promise of a more equitable, kind, fair and, yes, “socialistic” society in which everyone had the potential for a secure life along with the pursuit of happiness. These attempted changes to-

day can be frightening, and the best I can offer to millennials is that “this too shall pass” as each of us works to change what is happening with one step at a time, together.

From global to local and personal, positive changes can be seen (if not on the corporate news) in the Food Valley in the Netherlands, in Melinda Gates’ program to develop injectable contraceptives for African women, with the IRC’s work with refugees, local food co-ops, sustainable communal living that shares resources and provides affordable housing and a solution for the rampant individual isolation in our culture—to San Diego’s three

tent cities for the homeless (finally!), with legalization of marijuana in California and the expansion of marijuana’s CBD use for all indications (especially anxiety in millennials)… just living in California is positive. Finally, the SD CityBeat’s Five-Minute Film Festival next week and all the pumpkin products starting to fill the shelves at Trader Joe’s these days give a definite boost to our serotonin levels.

Let’s keep the faith and stick together. It’s not over!

Donna Shanske Bankers Hill

VEGAN HIGH FIVES Ryan, high five to your wife Jessica on her “Veganing” [“Beware the Veganing,” Sept. 13]. You know you can still have lasagna night right? Compete to see who can make the best vegan lasagna.

Make it fun. You’re going to be okay.

Teagen McClain North Park

ON THE

COVER

UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sordid Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

4 5 6 8

At The Intersection. . . . . . . . . . . . 9

FOOD & DRINK World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The Beerdist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

THINGS TO DO The Short List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . 11-13

ARTS & CULTURE Books: The Floating Library. . . . 12 Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FEATURE: Art of the cover-up . 15 Thank You For Staring . . . . . . . . 18 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-21

MUSIC FEATURE: Jay Som. . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Spotlight: U2. . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . 27-29

LAST WORDS Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . 30

Regular readers may already be familiar with the work of Brooklyn based portrait and music photographer Ebru Yildiz. Her portrait of indie-rock singer Mitski graced our cover back in April and we were happy to learn she was also behind the camera for this week’s cover story on Jay Som. Yildiz’s pictures have appeared on sites like Pitchfork, as well as The New York Times and Fader. Check out her impressive work at ebruyildiz.net.

@SDCITYBEAT

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

LUKE JONES / FLICKR

UP FRONT | NEWS

San Onofre power plant

“Not going to go anywhere”

Despite a recent settlement, nuclear waste could be buried on the beach for decades

By Jamie Ballard

E

ach canister contains more radiation than what was released at Chernobyl,” says Charles Langley, the executive director of Public Watchdog, a local non-partisan public interest group. Langley is referring to the dozens of canisters of nuclear waste that are stored in spent-fuel pools at the San Onofre nuclear power plant, which is majority-owned by Southern California Edison.

Local activist group Citizens Oversight recently reached a settlement agreement that requires Edison to attempt to relocate the approximately 3.6 million pounds of nuclear waste stored next to the nowdefunct power plant.

Edison’s initial plan was to bury the canisters of nuclear waste on the San Onofre beach, about 100 feet from the seawall—and leave them there for at least 20 years—thanks to a 2015 permit from the California Coastal Commission giving it permission to do so. Due to the settlement agreement with Citizens Oversight, Edison now has to investigate other locations. In the meantime, however, the waste will be put in canisters on the beach as planned.

Critics say it may never actually be moved.

Langley says the settlement agreement has “loopholes so big you could fly a zeppelin through them,” and he fears that those stainless-steel canisters, only fiveeighths of an inch thick, could still wind up buried on the beach for decades, where they could be subject to damage from sand, salt and sea level rise, with potentially devastating results.

“

He goes on to explain that the settlement agreement doesn’t actually require Edison to move the waste, only that the company must work with a team of experts of their choosing to seek out alternative locations where the waste could be moved. But if it’s determined to be too costly, the company would be under no real obligation to move the waste to the alternative location.

Citizens Oversight founder Ray Lutz says that the settlement is still a significant step forward, even if the waste is stored on the beach for now.

“This is a stepping stone towards a larger solution,” said Lutz. “Putting it in the dry cask storage system for now makes sure that the public is safer right now, but we are putting the wheels in motion to re-locate it.

There are better places to put it.”

Lutz went on to say that if Citizens Oversight had managed to get the 2015 permit revoked through a lawsuit, it’s possible that Edison would have simply made a few changes and then re-applied for the permit, undoing any potential progress.

The current solution, he says, is safer and better for everyone.

Citizens Oversight will continue monitoring Edison’s plans as the company scouts alternative locations, including sites in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, and routinely reports their progress, Lutz says.

But despite these promises, some experts like Rosemarie Alley insist that there is “virtually no way” the spent nuclear fuel will ever actually be relocated.

“The real problem is that, barring a

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

miracle, it’s not going to go anywhere,” said Alley. She and her husband William Alley wrote the book Too Hot to Touch: The Problem of High-Level Nuclear Waste. William Alley is a hydrologist and the director of science and technology for the National Ground Water Association. Previously, he served as chief of the Office of Groundwater for COURTESY OF WILLIAM AND ROSEMARIE ALLEY

William and Rosemarie Alley the U.S. Geological Survey and was also a researcher for the now-shuttered Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

In addition to being spent fuel experts, the Alleys are also familiar with the politics of nuclear waste in the U.S. Rosemarie said there’s never been an instance where a state has agreed to take spent nuclear fuel from a power plant from another state. The only exception has been instances where

the Navy has moved nuclear waste across states. Even if there is a local community willing to take the waste, the states can still refuse to accept it, and historically always have.

“There’s virtually nothing in the history of spent nuclear fuel that indicates that California is going to be an exception,” she said.

She explained that the odds of being able to move the waste to an alternative site in Arizona, New Mexico or Texas are “next to zero.”

“The real problem is to put this stuff on the beach and not be looking up at higher ground at Camp Pendleton, it’s really a very serious mistake. To put it on the beach 100 feet from the water in a seismically active region with major population.... you’d have to look hard and wide to find a worse place to be sticking spent nuclear fuel,” she said.

The big question is what would happen if the nuclear fuel escaped the containers, either through a seismic event or simple wear-and-tear.

“Nobody really knows for sure exactly what would happen, but it would certainly be an environmental disaster,” she says.

“And that close to the I-5, you don’t know if they’d have to close it, or what that might do to San Diego.”

William Alley further elaborated.

“If they start to leak, it’s going to get into the beach and the water. It would be very, very difficult to restore the area, and of course, it would affect people going into the ocean,” he said. “People are very afraid of any level of radiation... it could be a major groundwater contamination that ends up with radioactivity in the oceans.”

Alley said it’s unlikely that there would be a massive Chernobyl-like explosion, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an extremely serious problem that could affect people and the environment alike.

“There is a long history of technical overconfidence on the part of the nuclear industry. You have to worry about that,” he said.

Edison says that it’s unlikely that the canisters would leak. But if they did, it says there would be minimal impact to the public and the surrounding area. Representatives from Edison discussed these concerns and other topics at a community engagement panel on Sept. 14. If there was a leak, they say that there wouldn’t be enough sustained pressure inside the canister to cause an explosion, and they’re working with vendors to develop mitigation techniques.

Edison did not return our requests for comment.

Clearly, there is still uncertainty about the future of the spent waste, where it could go and the danger it poses. But what Lutz, Langley and the Alleys all agree on is that the public needs to keep paying attention.

“The settlement had the public thinking, ‘oh good, the waste is going to be moved, we don’t have to worry about it anymore,’” said Rosemarie Alley. “I think that is the most egregious part of this whole thing. It’s really deflected the concern the public had—and should still have—about this.”

Write to jamieb@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

SORDID

TALES

The “If It Were True, Then What Does That Say About God?” Game

A

fter the recent spate of disastrous hurricanes and earthquakes, there were several pastors, reverends and other religious dumbamentalists who claimed these disasters to be the manifestation of God’s distaste for the LGBTQ community.

There was Pastor Kevin Swanson who said that God whipped up Hurricane Harvey because Houston’s former mayor is lesbian. Pastor Rick Wiles blamed it on the Texas State Legislature’s rejection of an antitranssexual bathroom bill. There was also Kirk “Being-A-Child-Actor-Must-Have-Scrambled-My-BrainA-Lot” Cameron who said that God unleashed Harvey and Irma as a form of “punishment.” Even my main man, Reverend Jim Bakker—the convicted felon who would have a monsoon permanently swirling over his noggin if God was truly in the business of hurricaning sinners—said it was Houston’s tolerance for the gay community that made Jesus weep. And just the other day, an acquaintance of mine pretty much reiterated all the above.

Whenever I encounter people who think they know something about God’s intentions—I like to play a game I call the “If It Were True, Then What Does That Say About God?” Game.

“Well, I can’t prove you wrong,” I will respond. “However, if it it’s true, as you say, that God brings calamities because he doesn’t approve of gay people, then what in the Heaven-on-high does that say about God?” Then I will rattle off the following list: God is a hypocrite: Even if it is a stone cold fact that God doesn’t approve of people doing gay things with each other—a victimless activity if ever there was one—it can’t possibly rank as high as activities that do hurt people. Yet we never see cyclones laying waste to any corporate boardrooms filled with soul-stripping, cigar suckers. All of San Diego still longs for the Earth to open beneath the Chargers front office to swallow Dean Spanos and all his wicked minions.

God has bad aim: It seems like an awful lot of non-LGBTQ people have to suffer because The Lord thy Father can’t shoot straight. I mean, if you decimate the lives of thousands—we’re talking babies, grandmas, priests, nurses, philanthropists, harp players, Girl Scouts (well, OK, that makes sense), soldiers, crossing guards, foster parents, brain surgeons, hot chicks—then either your aim is atrocious or you’re simply a mass-murdering asshole. Since God is all knowing, all-powerful, etc., then it would follow that his aim, like his hair, would be perfect. The fact that an omniscient being could hit any target he wanted with zero collateral damage—and yet chooses not to— makes him in an asshole.

God is bad at marketing: Ever notice that disasters only happen in areas where those types of disasters can happen? When an earthquake pummels a city along the San Andreas Fault, or twisters clobber trailer parks along the Tornado Belt, most normal people

think, Well, yeah, that’s what happens there sometimes.

However, if a tsunami suddenly materialized from Topeka’s Lake Shawnee and wiped out all of Kansas, that would make people notice! I know what I would think if that happened. First I would think, “It’s about time Kansas got what’s coming to them,” but that would be followed by, “Gee, maybe God really is trying to tell us something.” My point being: If The Creator was using force majeure as a warning system, people would be more inclined to listen if he unleashed a sandstorm, not hurricane, onto the swamps of Louisiana.

God has no sense of humor: The fact that God doesn’t drop tsunamis on Kansas or, say, locusts on The Gaslamp, means he does not have an eye for comedic potential because that shit would be hilarious!

God is a petulant child: If it is true that these catastrophes are the work of Yahweh, then he’s little more than a child throwing a tantrum. Wah, wah, wah!

Nobody obeys me. Wah! Now I have to hurt people and break things.

Wah! God has no sense of timing: If Harvey really is about lesbian mayors and/or transsexual bathroom bills, then why didn’t The Almighty drop a deuce on Houston back when either of those things happened? Annise Parker left office in 2016. The bathroom bill died in August. That would have been the time to send a message; not months or years later when folk are left to wonder if Hurricane Harvey was punishment for gay stuff, immigration stuff, tax stuff, or because of a new strip mall going up in Tonganoxie. Because with timing like this, there’s no telling what God is fuming about.

God doesn’t understand the concept of free will: If God doesn’t like it when people do gay things with each other, then why allow it at all? The answer we are expected to believe is that he gave us free will.

Oh, horseshit. If The Lord really wants us to have free will, why does he keep plopping all this mayhem on our domes? That’s not free will. That’s someone’s new boss saying, “There’s no dress code here, but I will fire thine ass and punch thy face if you don’t wear what I say. Now put on the monkey suit, flunky!”

The acquaintance and I went back and forth for a while, though deep inside I suspect he knew I was right.

“What’s your point?” he said, somewhat flustered and tired of arguing with me (I do tend to wear people down).

“My point is, I think it’s crazy to believe that God would behave the way you think he behaves, but if it’s true, well why would you worship Him? We’re talking about a hypocritical, petulant, wanna-be-omniscient, bumbling, child madman? If that’s our God, I’ll take my chances with The Devil.

All of San Diego still longs for the Earth to open beneath the Chargers front office to swallow Dean Spanos and all his wicked minions.

@SDCITYBEAT

Sordid Tales appears every other week.

Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

CULTURE | VOICES

MINDA HONEY

AT THE

INTERSECTION

Insecure makes me feel confident

A

few years ago, one of my grad school professors asked me if I’d like to interview Issa Rae at the Los Angeles Times Book Festival for the Los Angeles Review of Books. This was pre-Cover Girl and before her hit show Insecure, but I’d already been a fan for years. In a weird way, it felt like I’d ripped a hole in the space-time continuum and rigged things so Future Me could meet a Black creative she greatly admired.

Months earlier, I’d pitched this same professor on doing a book review of Rae’s memoir, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, which was named after her web series. My professor, like most white men in his age group, had never heard of her. I sold him on the book review based on her importance to Black women and the fact she was a local writer whose work takes place in L.A. Even back in 2014, Issa Rae had made us everyday Black girls feel seen. Like yeah, we all related to Olivia Pope and her “Work Twice as Hard to Get Half as Far” manifesto, but that was who we were when we suited up to take on the world. Issa Rae’s J character, from her web series, was who we were when we were casually falling apart in our period panties over basic shit in the privacy of our overpriced apartments.

I’m not even going to do that obnoxious hipster thing and tell you I’ve been down with Issa Rae longer than most people have because, honestly, the way that she lit us up inside, any Black woman could’ve told you it was just a matter of time until some gatekeeper somewhere cleared the way for her. That, or she would figure out a way to do it independently like Chance the Rapper. Knowing I was going to be engaging with such greatness had me shook. And it showed.

To this day, the Los Angeles Review of Books has never released video footage of that interview.

Bless them.

What should have been a 15-minute chat with one of my heroes felt like an hour of me jabbering and, in reality, it was only five minutes long. My nervousness had messed up my ability to pace an interview.

We were in those director style chairs outside on the grass under some super large trees. My mind was oscillating between “OHFUCKIMTALKINGTOISSARAE” and “Is my hair doing something weird?” (Curls are so wildly unpredictable and my fro never wants to look full and shapely when I need it to), or “Am I doing that thing where I exaggerate my mouth movements when I know I’m being filmed? Why do I do that? Am I doing it now?”

I don’t even remember most of that interview, but

I do remember this: I asked her if any of the men she’d written about in her book had had an issue with it. She responded with something like, “Nah, none of them are the reading type.” This actually made me feel immensely relieved about the odds of any of the men from my past reading my eternally-in-progress dating memoir, An Anthology of Assholes. I haven’t really been dating the reading type either. So, at least the interview wasn’t a total loss, even if I didn’t succeed in making her my new bestie. I’m sure one day when I finally publish my memoir and become a famous writer, my professor will find that footage in the LARB archives and it will live forever and always on YouTube.

Once there, hating-ass younger writers who haven’t gotten around to finishing their own books will congregate and ask how someone like me ever got a book deal.

Even though I didn’t connect with Rae in person, I’ve been so plugged into Insecure, her series on HBO, which just wrapped its second season. It’s surreal how real her show feels to me especially when I see the show’s characters at the places my friends and I used to bounce around in L.A. during our party years. Places like BLVD3, where I slipped on some marble steps in stilettos and a micro-micro-mini-dress and my friends had to plead with me to get up while I pled with them to leave me there because I’d died of embarrassment. Places like Kiss-n-Grind where I saw DJs such as QuestLove, Jazzy Jeff and Kid Capri spin and La Barca, whose margaritas might be the best priced in L.A. I even knew a guy that was cast in a small role as a pal to Lawrence, Issa’s ex on the show, and thought, “Oh cool, Lawrence hangs out with Tahir too.” Took me a second to remember I was watching actors acting.

I’ve been fictional Issa’s bestie Molly wondering when she was going to get paid what she’s worth.

I’ve been Issa giving time to good-looking dudes who were a bad look for my love life. And, damn, I’ve even been Lawrence, slow to come around to my part in the demise of the most significant relationship in my life.

Watching Insecure is like rooting around in an old wound, but it’s also cathartic. There’s something healing in reliving those old pains that made me feel so alone, but this time it’s on a communal level. Turns out, all my friends and I weren’t messing up in a major way, we were just being human. We weren’t struggling, we were living. And that’s the value of seeing myself in fictional characters; it validates my realness.

What should have been a 15-minute chat with one of my heroes felt like an hour of me jabbering and, in reality, the interview was only five minutes long.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

At The Intersection appears every four weeks. @SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE Oh, Doña

Y

ou never forget the first time—I certainly didn’t—and you always want it to be that way. It rarely is. So it was for me with the real Mexican food I’d been privileged enough to taste as a child. Those flavors, created by middle-aged women rolling out their own tortillas, became the flavors of my childhood. I certainly didn’t expect to taste them at La Cocina de Doña Esthela (Carretera El Tigre a Guadalupe, 22830 Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California), but there they were again.

Seven years ago, Doña Esthela opened her restaurant after a lifetime as a washerwoman (she has the hands to show for it). It didn’t take long for buzz to build after a telenovela cast, who were filming at the next-door winery, discovered her.

Then, in 2015, her Machaca con Huevo was named Foodie Hub’s “Best Breakfast in the World” (thanks to San Diegan Scott Koenig). An already full restaurant became, well, fuller, and Esthela had to add a new dining room and routine halfhour waits ensued.

At its core, machaca con huevo is a simple dish: beef jerky and eggs. Often, it’s more huevos con machaca than the other way around, and the dish can easily become a grease bomb. In Esthela’s hands, however, it’s something special: thinly sliced beef—doused with lime juice, sprinkled with salt and dried in the sun—along with eggs from Esthela’s farm. They are cooked with serrano chiles, bell pepper and garlic, all served with refried beans, homemade flour tortillas and farmer’s cheese. It’s simple morning perfection.

There’s so much more to Doña Esthela’s than that one dish, though. Borrego tatemado—lamb roasted in Esthela’s wood-fired clay oven, then shredded—is another variation on Esthela’s “simple perfection” theme. Served with corn tortillas— soft where store-bought ones in the States are just a small step from having the texture of a Frisbee— and a broth of the lamb’s drippings, it was imbued

@SDCITYBEAT

with the intense essence of lamb. I couldn’t help thinking this was what Mexican food was supposed to taste like; had tasted like.

Perhaps my favorite bite was Esthela’s Chicharrrón en salsa verde. This isn’t your gas station checkout chicharron (a ready substitute for potato chips). It’s pork skin that’s been fried until crisp, cooked in a sauce of tomatillos, serrano chiles, onion, garlic and cilantro until the chicharron are tender with just the slightest bit of resistance remaining at the center. The dish is a textural playground with the acidity of the salsa verde perfectly balancing the richness of the chicharron.

But the most surprising dish was Esthela’s gorditas, disks of masa (cornflour dough for tortillas or tamales) cooked, slit open and stuffed beMICHAEL GARDINER

Machaca con huevos fore being re-fired. The version with spinach and cheese was unbelievably light and deeply savory, playing against the piquant salsa, a squeeze of lime brightening the dish and defining the flavors.

For me, and for many, the image of Mexican cooking is women—mothers and grandmothers—behind a stove, pouring their passion onto the comals and into the olas and cazuelas. That is the image of Doña Esthela’s. And while I was not raised in Mexico, that is the image and the taste of my childhood memory. At Doña Esthela’s, I could taste it once again.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | DRINK

THE

BY ANDREW DYER

BEERDIST Beer nimbys and yimbys

industrial zones. David DeVries, Lemon Grove’s development services director, said the city now has the most progressive ordinance in the county. n early July, Modern Times Beer sent a mass “In order to open a brewery, you do not have to email to its subscribers asking for a little more go through any planning commission, city council support than just coming by the brewery or review board or anything,” he says. “All you need buying beer. The company needed its fans to get is a license.” politically active.

The ordinance goes further than that, he says, The email—subject line: “We need your help adding that outdoor patios and indoor live music in Encinitas”—asked fans to attend a public hearwould also be permitted. As for outdoor live muing of the Encinitas Planning Commission to sic, DeVries said a business owner would need to show support for a planned tasting room on South come talk to him.

Coast Highway. Many did, and ANDREW DYER “I think I could get that Founder/CEO Jacob McKean permitted easily as well,” he credits them with the comsays. mission’s vote going his way.

Lemon Grove is looking to “It made a huge differemulate the brewery growth ence,” McKean says.

Chula Vista has experienced.

Modern Times is not alone Scott Donaghe, Chula Vista’s in fighting local resistance to principal planner, recently further tasting room expantook DeVries on a tour of sions. Little Miss Brewing has Third Avenue and said the apparently reached the end of South Bay city continued to a long licensing process for its planned Ocean Beach tasting Little Miss Brewing’s abandoned court breweries.

“I talk to breweries, about room. A week after an eviction Ocean Beach tasting room one every two weeks,” he says, notice and “For Lease” sign noting two Mexican breweries also had eyes on went up on the Newport Avenue property, Little Chula Vista, although neither has made much Miss co-owner Jade Malkin told CityBeat the projprogress. ect was still in limbo awaiting word from the CaliModern Times’ Encinitas adventure is not yet fornia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. over, as the Planning Commission’s approval was However—days later—WestCoaster reported the appealed. McKean says there is one more hurdle— project was officially dead. a City Council meeting Oct. 11.

Is it unreasonable to think that the explosive “This vote is do-or-die for us,” McKean says, growth of breweries in San Diego just might be “and we’d love to see as many supporters of inover? Voice of San Diego reported that, since July, dependent San Diego craft beer come out as posthe San Diego Police Department has begun prosible.” testing all new liquor license applications in the Whatever happens in Encinitas, there are still city, citing crime rates at a time when the departoptions and untapped markets in the county. Lemment is experiencing a staffing crisis. Whether on Grove still has no breweries to speak of, and disallowing these new businesses will have the deDeVries says he’s available to give personal tours sired results is questionable, but for now, new pubto any brewers interested. licans and brewers might want to look elsewhere.

“We’re very thirsty for a new brewery to come There certainly are alternatives. into town,” he says.

The city of Lemon Grove has taken the complete opposite approach from San Diego and Encinitas, having just changed its municipal code to The Beerdist appears every other week. allow for breweries and pubs in commercial and Write to andrewd@sdcitybeat.com

I

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

@SDCITYBEAT

SHORTlist

EVENTS

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

BALBOA PARK

WEIRD SCIENCE

When we were kids, nothing beat the ing their kids aside to get a better look and want to feeling of seeing a “magic” trick. Whether it was a learn how to do it.” classmate who made a card float at recess or an unNow in its third year, the Impossible Science cle who made a quarter appear behind an ear, there Festival will teach attendees things like how to was a level of wondermake objects invisible COURTESY OF FLEET SCIENCE CENTER ment that came with beor how to walk on waing a kid and believing ter. No, really, it will. that something magical The event itself revolves was, indeed, possible. It around five themes: was only when we grew invisibility, levitation, up, and we began to animation, transformaunderstand the trickery tion and super powbehind magic tricks, ers. For example, when that the wonderment it comes to levitation, dissipated. attendees will learn That kind of wonderabout concepts such as ment is the general idea the Bernoulli principle, behind the Impossible static electricity and Science Festival. Held air pressure. With this at the Fleet Science Impossible Science Festival knowledge, visitors will Center (1875 El Prado), be able to impress oththe annual festival explores the science behind the ers by making objects like ping-pong balls and tinseemingly impossible via hands-on activities and sel appear to levitate. exhibitions that are good for kids and adults alike.

All in all, there will be over 20 interactive dem“People hit me up on social media and ask, ‘Do I onstration stations to choose from. The fest takes have to borrow my friend’s kid so that I can come,’ place in the theatre lobby of the Fleet from 11 and the answer is definitely no,” says illusionist a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, and the Fleet’s Curator of Impossible Science, Ja- Sept. 24. Tickets range from $19.95 to $22.95 at son Latimer. “A lot of times we have parents push- rhfleet.org.

BANKERS HILL

ONES AND TWOS With all the technology and innovation available to us in 2017, it’s pretty easy to make music without a full four-piece band. But then again, all you ever really needed to rock was a guitar and a set of drums. That’s the central idea behind 1/2 Fest, a festival of local one- and two-person musical acts that’s been organized COURTESY OF THE DABBERS as a fundraiser for LGBTQ Youth Services. Among the solo acts and duos performing are Gloomsday, Dream Joints, Island Boy, fivepaw, The Dabbers, Astral Touch and p.j. sparkles. The festival takes place on Saturday, Sept. 23 and The Dabbers Sunday, Sept. 24 at Helmuth Projects (1827 Fifth Ave.), starting at 4 p.m. both days. Presale tickets are $10 per day or $15 for both, and day-of-show tickets are $12. Just look up Helmuth Projects on Facebook to find link to tickets.

LA JOLLA

ON THE DOUBLE Joyce Cutler-Shaw is not a new name in the San Diego art scene. The acclaimed artist, who specializes in drawings and calligraphy, was the first graduate of UC San Diego’s MFA program in 1969. She was also the first and only artist-in-residence of the university’s medical school. Joyce Cutler-Shaw: Library Duet honors her legacy at two locations. The Athenaeum (1008 Wall St.) will present the artist’s books, which are a part of the venue’s permanent collection, with a free opening reception on Friday, Sept. 22 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Cutler-Shaw’s calligraphy project Alphabet of Bones is already on permanent display at UCSD’s Geisel Library (9500 Gilman Drive), but her latest work, Brain Project will be added on Thursday, Oct. 5.

This collection explores her recent diagnosis of corticobasal syndrome, a progressive neurological disorder, with brain scans, tunnel books with movies and more. ljathenaeum.org PHEL STEINMETZ

BOOKS Gretchen Rubin at USD Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, 5998 Alcala Park, Linda Vista. The bestselling self-help author will sign and discuss her latest, The Four Tendencies: The Surprising Truth About the Hidden Personality Types That Drive Everything We Do. At 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 20. $25.86. 858-4540347, warwicks.com

HC. Ree Residency Show at San Diego Art Institute Project Space, 324 Horton Plaza, Downtown. The local artist—who works in photography, architecture, video and sculpture—will present a small show of individual and collaborative works developed during SDAI’s residency program. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 Free. sandiego-art.org

Chris Guillebeau at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The bestselling author of The $100 Startup, The Happiness of Pursuit and The Art of Non-Conformity will sign and discuss his new book, Side Hustle. At 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 21. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com

Angles & Energy at La Playa Gallery, 2226 Avenida de la Playa, La Jolla.

A show featuring the works of threedimensional artists Kaori Fukuyama, Melissa Walter and Monty Montgomery.

Their pieces explore the artistic relationship between geometry and macrocosmic order. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 22. Free. 858-454-6903, laplayagallery.com HJoyce Cutler-Shaw: Library Duet at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. As part of a joint exhibition, the Athenaeum presents books spanning the artist’s career with themes of evolution and human identity. The UCSD Geisel Library will exhibit Cutler-Shaw’s calligraphy and new work that documents her diagnosis of a progressive neurological disease. Opening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22. Free. 858-4545872, ljathenaeum.org HUndocumenta at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. As part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, this group exhibition focuses on the Baja border region and features work from Teresita De La Torre, Omar Pimienta, Ana Teresa Fernandez and more. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. Free-$8. 760435-3720, oma-online.org HThe Dream of the Nineties at San Diego Central Library Gallery, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. A new exhibition featuring the work of nine San Diego photographers at the end of the 20th century, including Eric Blau, Walter Cotten, Steven DePinto, Annette Fournet and more. Opening from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. Free. facebook.com/ events/1673748352697314 Perfect 10 at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. The fifth annual group show will feature more than 150 artists from around the world. Each artist uses a medium of his or her choice to submit a piece that is a 10 by 10 inch square. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. Free. 619-255-7036, labodegagallery.com HAn Artist’s Perspective at The LOT, 7611 Fay Ave., La Jolla. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is hosting this event with artist Rubén Ortiz Torres, whose work centers on issues related to the borderlands of Mexico and the U.S. and uses a variety of mediums including painting, photography, video and sculpture. From 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26. $5-$20. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org Upside Down: A Stranger Things Fan Art Show at Basic Bar, 410 10th Ave., Downtown. In anticipation of the second season of Stranger Things, Thumbprint Gallery is hosting a fan art show. Opening from 7 p.m. to midnight. Tuesday, Sept.

26. Free. 858-354-6294, thumbprintgallery. com

“Namewall” by Joyce Cutler-Shaw @SDCITYBEAT

ART HMatthew Rosenquist at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S El Camino Real, Encinitas. The reception and studio series event for Lux’s latest artist in residence, Rosenquist, who specializes in sculptures made out of rough-hewn wooden blocks. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21. Free-$10. 760-436-6611, luxartinstitute.org

H = CityBeat picks

HAn Evening with Women Writers at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road #206, Point Loma.

Female writers from all over the country will sign and discuss their writing and respective new books. Names include Sheila Fugard, Ally Loprete, Dr. Carol Soloway and more. From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21. $5. womensmuseumca.org HLocal Author Meet & Greet at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave. Ste. 100, Clairemont. Dozens of local authors will be on hand to discuss and sign their respective books. Names include Rusty Williamson, Don Westenhaver, Wanjiru Warama, Judy Ames Stephens, Kirk Raeber and more. At 2 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 23. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Marie Lu at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave. Ste. 100, Clairemont. The New York Times bestselling YA author will be promoting her latest book, Warcross. At 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Adam Dailey at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. As part of Warwick’s ongoing Weekend with Locals program, Dailey will sign and discuss his book, How to Run Away from Home. At noon. Sunday, Sept. 24. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com HNick Riggle at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The USD philosophy professor and former pro-skater will sign and discuss his new book, On Being Awesome: A Unified Theory on How Not to Suck. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks. com Kristin Cashore and Aditi Khorana at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave. Ste. 100, Clairemont. The YA authors will be promoting their latest offerings, Jane, Unlimited (Cashore) and The Library of Fates (Khorana). At 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 26. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Ann Leckie at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave. Ste. 100, Clairemont. The Hugo and Nebula award-winning fantasy author will sign and discuss her latest book, Provenance. At 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 27. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com

COMEDY Bill Maher at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Point Loma. The comedian, political commentator and host of HBO’s Real Time will bring his signature wit to San Diego for one night only. From 8 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24. $110-$634. 800-745-3000, humphreysconcerts.com

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY Dark and lonely

S

erial killer novels have become so commonplace that they could constitute their own sub-genre. Typically, the story is split into multiple points of view so that the reader gets a front-row seat to both the crimes and their resolution. It’s a formula that any fan of Law & Order, or its many spinoffs, will immediately recognize.

But it wasn’t always like this. The classic examples of the form like Jim Thompson’s The Killer Inside Me or the serial conman in Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley are told exclusively from the point of view of the killer. There are so few examples because it’s difficult to do well. The protagonist must be worthy of the reader’s empathy while driving the story forward one crime at a time.

One overlooked example is Dorothy B. Hughes’s In a Lonely Place, which was re-released last month by New York Review Books. Originally published in 1947, Hughes’ story concerns Dix Steele, a dashing fighter pilot who returns from WWII looking for something “to take the place of flying wild.”

He finds it in postwar Los Angeles where women are enjoying newfound financial security and freedom, making them easy targets for his brutish intentions. “To hell with happiness,” Steele thinks.

“More important was excitement and power and the

hot stir of lust. Those made you forget. They made happiness a pink marshmallow.”

Hughes was a gifted stylist who wrote poetry, novels, four decades of book reviews and a highly regarded biography of Erle Stanley Gardner. She penned over a dozen hardboiled crime novels, many of which were made into movies.

What sets In a Lonely Place apart from its many imitators is the lush and lucid portrait of protagonist’s mental state. During a visit with a friend from the war, he senses that the man’s wife doesn’t like him. He is obsequiously genteel as she eyes him “With the look behind the look.” This fuels Steele’s paranoia and he suspects her of “probing him with her mind.”

Steele’s guilt keeps him from seeing what he has done, only what he must do to stay one step ahead of the dragnet that the LAPD has laid out for him. When the screws begin to tighten, Steele becomes a prisoner of his own mind, and the prose reflects his unraveling state.

In spite of dense characterization, In a Lonely Place is still a fast-paced read, and as Megan Abbott points out in her astute afterword, both Thompson and Highsmith drew from Hughes’s masterpiece. If first place is a lonely place, seems Hughes was the loneliest crime writer of them all.

—Jim Ruland

EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 Stand-up Comedy at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Steven Brody Stevens, who has appeared on Comedy Central’s The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail, will be headlining this show, with Craig Phillip Conant, Dustin Nickerson and Paige Weldon supporting. From 8:30 to 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27.

Free. 619-284-6784, whistlestopbar.com

FILM HCityBeat Five Minute Film Festival at Sunset Temple, 3911 Kansas St., North Park. A showcase of the best submissions to our annual short film contest where all picks had to be five minutes or less. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21. $15$17.50. sdcitybeat.com H40 NORTH Dance Film Festival at various locations. This festival features experimental films about dance and movement, along with several immersive installations, discussions on women in media, and a party at Whistle Stop. Various times. Monday, Sept. 25 through Saturday, Sept.

30. $10-$30. 40northfest.com

FOOD & DRINK Taste of the Port at The Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, 1000 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. A sampling of waterfront restaurants with a focus on sustainable cooking practices and including a cook-off for the title of Green Chef of the Bay. From 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21. $55-$75.

619-686-8027, portofsandiego.org HSan Diego Festival of Beer at The Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, 1000 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. The 23rd annual event

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

serves more than 120 varieties of craft beer, and includes live music and raises funds to help fight cancer. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22. $20-$50. sdbeerfest.org Uncorked at Embarcadero Marina Park North, 400 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A festival that features more than 200 wines and ciders, plus gourmet food trucks and a custom photo booth. There will also be live performances by 40 Oz to Freedom and The Black Crystal Wolf Kids. From 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. $60-$70. uncorkedwinefestivals.com HKarl Strauss Oktoberfest at Karl Strauss Brewing Company, 5985 Santa Fe St., Bay Ho. An annual party for the release of the brewery’s seasonal Oktoberfest beer. There will be more than 20 beers on tap, plus food from Matiff Sausage Company. Lederhosen encouraged. From 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. $10-$15.

858-273-2739, karlstrauss.com Hoppy Beer Hoppy Life at Memorial Park, 373 Park Way, Chula Vista. The fifth annual beer fest includes unlimited samples from over 25 of your favorite true craft breweries, as well as food from over a dozen restaurants. From 1 to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 23. $55-$70. hoppybeerhoppylife.com HParktoberfest at North Park Beer Co., 3038 University Ave., North Park. The inaugural event and Octoberfest kickoff party will feature special steins of limited edition beer as well as German fare, games and pretzels from Mastiff Kitchen. From 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 1. facebook.com/ events/506721266352708 HFood, Wine and Brew Celebration at San Diego Zoo, 2920 Zoo Drive, Bal-

boa Park. A globally inspired event with more than 160 regional vendors, plus live entertainment and dancing at seven stages throughout the zoo. Benefits the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy. From 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. $125-$225. 619-2311515, sandiegozoo.org HSan Diego Restaurant Week at various locations. More than 180 local restaurants will be offering three-course, prix-fixe dinner and two-course, prix-fixe lunch menus. See website for full list of restaurants and offerings. Various times.

Sunday, Sept. 25 through Sunday, Oct. 1. $10-$50. sandiegorestaurantweek.com

MUSIC Al Di Meola at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The acclaimed jazz guitarist stops by on his Elegant Gypsy 40th Anniversary Electric Tour. At 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22. $41. 619-5701100, sandiegotheatres.org HBuilding Bridges of Collaboration: Re-Covering the Music of Carol King at various venues. Experimental choral ensemble SACRA/PROFANA kicks off their new season with a concert of iconic King covers. The Saturday concert takes place at White Box Live Arts (2590 Truxtun Road, Point Loma) and the Sunday performance takes place at the Mingei International Museum (1439 El Prado, Balboa Park). At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24. $10-$35. 619-566-6584, sacraprofana.org

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 @SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 H½ Fest at Helmuth Projects, 1827 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill. A two-night benefit show to fundraise for LGBTQ youth services. More than 18 musicians will perform, including The Dabbers, Fivepaw and more. From 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24. $10-$15. sayingtheleastandsayingitloud. com HArtistas Fronterizas at The FRONT Arte Cultura, 147 W. San Ysidro Blvd., San Ysidro. Two operatic singers from the San Diego/Tijuana area celebrate the end of their tour with a border concert. Through bilingual songs, they promote coexistence and multiculturalism. From 7 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 23. Free. 619-428-1115, casafamiliar.org/thefront HIce Balloons, Sun Foot, Pall Jenkins and Hexa at Helmuth Projects, 1827 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill. A Ship in the Woods is presenting these four musical acts at an all-ages show in an intimate gallery setting. From 7:30 p.m. to midnight. Monday, Sept. 25. $7. 619-535-9253, shipinthewoods.com

PERFORMANCE HCarney Magic at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach. Comedian, actor and sleight of hand virtuoso, John Carney performs his one-man show, which includes storytelling, personal anecdotes and magic. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25 and Tuesday, Sept. 26. $25-$30. 858-481-1055, northcoastrep.org

@SDCITYBEAT

POLITICS & COMMUNITY HDACA/Immigration Organizing for Self Defense at Centro Aztlán Marco Anguiano, 2078 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. In response to the cancellation of DACA, Union del Barrio hosts a community forum with educational speakers, including immigration lawyers. At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.

20. Free. 619-819-2011, facebook.com/ events/1458114014275585

SPECIAL EVENTS HHere Comes a Regular at Small Bar, 4628 Park Blvd., University Heights.

Small Bar is offering patrons complimentary food and discounted drinks as part of their 8th annual celebration to thank their loyal customers. From 10 p.m. to close.

Wednesday, Sept. 20. Free. 619-7957998, smallbarsd.com HCulture & Cocktails: South Pacific at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. SDMA’s end of summer bash will include themed cocktails, Polynesian performances, treats and themed activities in celebration of the new Art of Papua New Guinea exhibition. From 6 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 21. $5-$25. 619-2327931, sdmart.org Los Museos de México: Historia del Castillo de Chapultepec at Centro Cultural Tijuana, Paseo de los Héroes No. 9350, Zona Urbana Río, Tijuana. As part of a rotating conference cycle, the museums of Mexico are presenting the history of the Chapultepec Castle. Director of the Museum of National History Salvador Rueda will be presenting. From 7 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 21. Free. cecut.gob.mx

HWorld Sexual Health Day at San Diego LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre St., Hillcrest. A worldwide awareness day about sexual health, rights and pleasure.

There will be music by Lee Coulter, plus an interactive exhibit, panel discussion and more. From 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept.

22. Free. 619-692-2077, facebook.com/ events/349938455445121 SaltDog Classic at Seaside State Beach, 2526 S Coast Hwy 101, Solana Beach. The festival will feature local bands, beach games, food and an amateur kayak surfing contest. Proceeds benefit Operation Rollin’ From the Heart’s youth mentoring programs. From 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. Free$20 saltdogclassic.com HImpossible Science Festival at Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn how to turn objects invisible, explore levitation, play with the science of mind control, discover impossible figures and other amazing feats of science. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24. $19.95$22.95. 619-238-1233, rhfleet.org San Diego Bonsai Club Fall Exhibition and Sale at Casa Del Prado, Balboa Park, Balboa Park. The annual exhibit and sale features bonsai trees of all sizes and species with technique demonstrations on how to care for them. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24. Free. sandiegobonsaiclub.com Pacific Islander Festival at Ski Beach, 1600 Vacation Road, Mission Bay. A cultural celebration of the Pacific Islands with traditional dance, music, food and more.

From 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

23 and Sunday, Sept. 24. pifasandiego. com

HJulian Apple Days Festival at Menghini Winery, 1150 Julian Orchards Drive, Julian. A two-day festival featuring lots of apple pie, as well as music, dancing and an antique tractor display. Also includes gold-panning demonstrations, a beer and wine garden, games and more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24. Free-$5. 760-7651857, julianappledays.com Moon Festival at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, 2211 Pan American Road E., Balboa Park. A traditional festival celebrating the culture of several Asian regions with food, dance, Korean drumming, music and more. From 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23. Free. facebook.com/ events/1746778538919563 HSouth Bay Sustainability Fair at El Toyon Elementary School, 2000 E Division St., National City. This event will bring together various resources on energy efficiency, water conservation, alternative transportation and healthy living.

There will also be kid-friendly activities, healthy lunch options, bike giveaways and live music. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 23. gogreenbiz.org/ southbaysustainabilityfair HPaddle for Clean Water at Ocean Beach Municipal Pier, 1950 Abbott St., Ocean Beach. The 26th annual surfing event will raise money and awareness about the threats to clean water. It begins with a donation-based yoga class and ends with an after-party at Wonderland Pub. From 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept.

24. 858-622-9661, sandiego.surfrider.org Garb Bazaar at Normal Heights Masonic Center, 3366 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. This vintage clothing pop-up will offer an array of clothing, accessories, shoes, handbags and more, with pieces

from the 1940s up through the 1970s.

From 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24. Free. sdvintagefleamarket.com HPittie Party by the Pint at The Belching Beaver, 4223 30th St., North Park. The Passion for Pitties Rescue Group is hosting this event, which promises unique raffle prizes, fun games and of course beer, all in support of a good cause. From 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24. Free. 619-8844008, passionforpitties.com HTaste of Opera: Pirates, Pizza & A Pint at Mission Brewery, 1441 L St., East Village. A night featuring pizza, beer and music from The Pirates of Penzance. Dr. Nic and Michael Sokol will be performing energetic renditions of the classic songs, as well as other comic offerings. From 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26. 619-232-7636, sdopera.org H10 for Ten: A Cocktails for a Cause Fundraiser at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. Alliance San Diego is celebrating 10 years of working to build a more inclusive democracy, and welcoming (at least) 10 more years of making an impact. Light refreshments will be served. From 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27. $10-$100. 619-269-1823, alliancesd.org

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HBuild Better San Diego at Pillars of the Community, 6431 Imperial Ave., Encanto. A new coalition will discuss how they’re fighting against gentrification by demanding affordable housing in their community. At 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept.

21. Free. 619-752-6859, facebook.com/ events/112968996087769

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

THEATER JIM COX

The ballad of Benny, Joon, Roz and Ray

B

enny & Joon, the 1993 cult film, was quirky and sweet. Benny & Joon, the world-premiere musical at the Old Globe Theatre directed by Jack Cummings III, is also quirky and sweet. So it follows that audiences who enjoyed the movie— the star of which was neither Benny (Aidan Quinn) nor Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson), but Johnny Depp as the quirky Sam—will also like the musical (written by Kirsten Guenther, Nolan Gasser and Mindi Dickstein), which is also heisted by Bryce Pinkham as the quirky Sam. The story of siblings Benny and Joon, and Sam, the stranger who changes their lives, thrives on charm and even cuteness, but both the film and the musical address serious underlying issues including schizophrenia, grief and fear of love, to name the most salient. In addition to Pinkham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder on Broadway), who has a magnetic, Chaplinesque quality ideally suited to the role of Sam, Andrew Samonsky and Hannah Elless are sympathetic and more than up to the demands of the show’s modest but melodic score. The upshot is a musical fairytale with a few dark corners on the road to happily ever after.

Benny and Joon runs through Oct. 22 at

complicated by a terrible blood-contamination crisis brought on by the AIDS epidemic. This intense and thoughtful play, directed by Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, starts off very slowly, but gains emotional momentum as its circumstances, based on true events, tragically unfolds.

Roz & Ray runs through Oct. 1 at the Lyceum Space in Horton Plaza, downtown. $38-$65; sdrep.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Father Comes Home from the Wars, Parts 1, 2 & 3: Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer finalist play that uses music, poetry and modern slang to tell the story of a slave trying to earn his freedom by fighting for the Confederacy in the Civil War. Presented by Intrepid Theatre Company, it opens Sept. 21 at the Horton Grand Theatre in Downtown.

Hannah Elless and Bryce Pinkham in Benny & Joon the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. $36 and up; theoldglobe.org ••• aren Hartman’s Roz & Ray is a sensitive love story, albeit a love story buried beneath medical jargon and the repeated flogging of the system that forces doctors into untenable positions and feeds a greedy pharmaceuticals community.

K

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Roz (Carla Harting) is a committed doctor specializing in treating hemophiliac children, while Ray (Steven Lone) is the divorced father of two such children. In a story that stretches from 1978 to the early ‘90s, they are initially brought together in Hartman’s play via their doctor/patient relationship, but then another, more intimate relationship begins to form between Roz and Ray. The whole thing is further

Billy Elliot: Based on the charming film, this Elton John-scored musical is about a British boy who drops boxing to pursue his dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Presented by San Diego Musical Theatre, it opens Sept. 22 at the Spreckels Theatre in Downtown. sdmt.org

For full listings, visit “Theater” under Culture at sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | ART

“Graffiti removal has become one of the more intriguing and important art movements of the early 21st Century.

With roots in abstract expressionism, Minimalism and Russian constructivism, graffiti removal is both a progressive continuation of these movements and an important step in the future of modern art. What makes graffiti removal particularly intriguing though, is that the artists creating it are unconscious of their artistic achievements.”

—The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal (2002) an Diego has always had a tentative relationship with graffiti. While there is a sense of acceptance when it comes to the importance of street art and murals, the line between what makes something graffiti and what makes something art remains blurry and subjective.

In Matt McCormick’s 2002 documentary short, The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal, the filmmaker makes the argument that graffiti removal and those who are tasked to do it are worth looking at as an art form unto itself. However flippant McCormick was trying to be at the time of the film’s cre-

@SDCITYBEAT

ation, there is something to be said about clashing splotches of color that mark our urban landscape, as well as for the people who have made them. Is graffiti removal an art form unto itself? Are the people tasked to “remove” the graffiti somehow channeling repressed creativity with each rectangular blotch of paint?

Recently, pioneering graffiti website Bombing Science (bombingscience.com) came to town to take pictures of San Diego’s scene. Fred, who has been photographing for the Montreal-based site since its beginning in the late ‘90s, says there really is more to graffiti removal than meets the eye.

“It’s art made by people who aren’t aware that they are making art,” says Fred. “They think they are removing something when, in reality, they are adding something to the urban landscape. It’s one more layer of complexity and beauty over grey walls. The whole process is unintentional, and that’s why we are calling it subconscious art.”

For more pictures from the shoot, check out sdcitybeat.com and look for part two of the Bombing Science feature next month.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

16 · San Diego CityBeat · September 20, 2017

@SDCityBeat

@SDCityBeat

september 20, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

CULTURE | VOICES

RACHEL MICHELLE FERNANDES

THANK YOU FOR

Go fund yourself

M

STARING

ost everyone is familiar with the clichéd image of the “starving artist.” The poet sleeping on a bare mattress, hands stained with ink.

The misunderstood, disheveled genius with wild eyes, scouring the street for garbage to turn into art. The aspiring thespian slinging grub at a greasy spoon in order to fund their dreams of becoming a star of the stage.

The reality of becoming a viable artist/performer, however, is often not that sexy or cinematic. And the game is about a lot more than just talent and hard work. It’s also about resources and rigorous criteria.

When it comes to the visual arts, being successful often still comes down to resumes or curriculum vitaes (CVs). Gatekeepers need us to know the password.

Where have we shown before? Where were we educated? Where have we performed previously? We might have pluck and vision, but can we write a grant proposal or appeal to established nonprofits for support?

Many of the gatekeeping measures are in place for good reason. One must earn their success, right? But what about when the playing field is not level, which we all know it is not. Then what?

Funding for the arts is probably one of the most complex subjects I’ve ever tried to even begin to tackle. But recently I decided that having this column might be a good way to explore how cultural funds are appropriated in California and how emerging visionary artists/leaders can sustain themselves in San Diego.

I’m going to use this first attempt, in what I hope will be an ongoing series of columns, to demystify funding processes. For this first column, I found myself wanting to explore the city’s role vis-à-vis the San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, and how we as a community can try to advocate for one another, especially the under-served.

The Commission for Arts and Culture has the job of advising the mayor’s office on how to spend the (limited) city funds that are allocated for the arts. These funds come from the TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax), aka the hotel tax. It makes sense then that the Commission would put the majority of energy and funding into some of the bigger, more established nonprofits that choose to program exhibitions and events that will likely be attractive to tourists, as well as large scale public arts projects that will decorate the city.

To be fair, the Commission does play a vital role in distributing funds to some of the smaller groups and the Civic Art Collection that includes a variety of local artists. What’s more, some of the larger organizations do have a decent amount of support education and programs for emerging artists.

However, most of these opportunities are extremely limiting to an artist’s creative expression. Conceptually challenging and provocative art pieces are not exactly welcomed in this city, and safer, touristfriendly work is often favored.

There is also the question of accessibility, especial-

ly to individual artists and emerging nonprofits with little startup money. Unlike San Francisco or L.A., there are currently no grants for individual artists in San Diego and emerging nonprofits have to jump through a lot of hoops in order to get funding in the first two years of operation, the time when these orgs need it the most.

“It’s a catch-22,” says RJ Brooks of Escondidobased arts organization A SHIP IN THE WOODS. “You can have a clear vision, but you’re more likely to get funding if you’ve been doing it for a while. You need to establish credibility.”

“We know there is a gap in our service. That awareness exists,” says Dana Springs, Executive Director of the Commission for Arts and Culture. “Finding ways to fairly and equitably service individual artists and emerging nonprofits is definitely on the table.”

Meanwhile, Perette Godwin, Senior Public Information Officer for the city, pointed out to me that the panel that ranks nonprofit funding proposals is composed of volunteers from the community. So it’s actually our job to get involved to try to shape, on some level, where the Commission’s funding will go.

So when does this panel start soliciting volunteers for the Fiscal Year 2019 (which begins in Oct. 2018)?

“Sometime in October or November,” says Springs. The information will soon be up on the Commission’s website and Facebook page. What’s more, Commission meetings are monthly and open to the public.

I don’t envy the Commission for having to play the dual role of advocating for the local art community while negotiating with a conservative mayor. As CityBeat covered back in May, the Mayor tried to cut $4.7 million from the arts, eventually settling on half of that.

But inequity is apparent in the distribution of the funds the Commission managed to keep. Institutions that place more value on the classics and famous artists (most of them dead, male and white) often receive a huge bulk of this funding. For instance, an organization such as the La Jolla Music Society received $340,000-plus this year even though the organization raised over $18 million dollars on its own in 2015.

To be fair, these organizations often give back to the community via arts education programs. Still, Commission funding seems primarily focused on institutions that emphasize established “masterpieces” over homegrown, contemporary work. When this happens, the impact for local, aspiring artists can be diminished and work as a dissuasion to produce locally.

It’s our job to show up and advocate for the little guys and stay abreast of groups that support independent artists and artist-run spaces. And as unsexy as it might be, we need to play the game.

Conceptually challenging and provocative art pieces are not exactly welcomed in this city and safer, tourist-friendly work is often favored.

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

Thank You For Staring appears every other week.

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM

Simply told

Stronger

Biopic centering on Boston Marathon bombing survivor lacks intimacy and nuance

by Glenn Heath Jr.

O

nce upon a time, David Gordon Green was the vincing context, and lack the necessary intimacy that future of independent filmmaking. His one- would make Jeff’s later struggles convincingly moving.

Unlike Peter Berg’s misguided Patriots Day, Green two punch of 2000’s George Washington and 2003’s All the Real Girls announced the Arkansas-born doesn’t capitalize on building suspense leading up to auteur as a major new talent. The former is an ach- the bombing. Instead, it occurs from Erin’s vantage ingly lyrical exploration of childhood trauma, while point as she approaches Jeff’s location. The frenzied the latter remains one of the decade’s great weepies. carnage is kept off-screen and viewed briefly through Both are tender coming-of-age films that have their television footage (only to later return through grueown distinct style and sensibility regarding the cycli- some flashbacks).

More important are the details of recovery and the cal disappointments of young adulthood, urgent and alive in ways that would draw stylistic comparisons to aftermath of a life nearly lost. Scenes inside trauma units and hospital waiting rooms are infused with Terrence Malick.

In the years since, Green’s career has taken on mul- anger and panic, before they slowly transition to a tiple identities and many deviations in tone, with the numbing sense of reality. In the film’s most stunning shot, Erin and Jeff (now a double director embracing genres both amputee) embrace in the foremainstream and eclectic. There ground as nurses unwrap the are stoner romps (Pineapple Exbandages from his wounds in press, Your Highness, The Sitter), STRONGER shallow focus. sweaty southern gothics (UnderDirected by David Gordon Green Throughout Jeff’s long and tow, Joe, Manglehorn) and topical tumultuous recovery process, satires (Our Brand is Crisis), but Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Stronger tries its best to stay few have felt as free as his early Tatiana Maslany personal instead of political. In work, possibly because the later and Miranda Richardson the following weeks, Jeff grows films were often snakebit by the Rated R increasingly uncomfortable emconstrictions of conventional bodying the “Boston Strong” Hollywood storytelling. symbolism with which his strugWith Stronger, a middling gle has become synonymous. biopic that examines the emotional and psychological trauma of the Boston Mara- Erin’s guilt causes her to make life changes that cause thon bombing through the experiences of survivor an even deeper rift in their relationship.

Stronger, which opens Friday, Sept. 22, gives Jeff and Jeff Bauman (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), Green finally seems at peace with his newfound identity as a non- Erin the space to navigate this prickly emotional terdescript studio journeyman. Visually, the film is inert rain. But the same can’t be said for members of his famand indistinguishable from any other preachy movie- ily, most notably matriarch Patty (Miranda Richardson) of-the-week. Even more troubling, the story has a who never transcends the moniker of walking drunken strong nationalist streak that refuses to complicate cliché. The other Baumans are depicted as distractions the ways in which extreme ideology can breed both and comedy relief. They construct what equates to a universe of blue-collar stereotypes that further isolates terrorist acts and reactionary fearmongering.

The seemingly low stakes of Jeff’s run-of-the-mill the central couple from attaining depth. They also life are established in the film’s opening moments. come to evoke the right-wing rage of anti-Muslim senCostco worker by day, he spends off hours drinking timent seen in the film’s emotional Red Sox game cliheavily with his cartoonish family members at a local max where a distraught young man praises Jeff’s courbar. There he runs into ex-girlfriend Erin Hurley (Ta- age through a jingoistic rallying cry. It is here that the tiana Maslany), who just happens to be raising money film reveals its troubling true self, and Green succumbs the day before running in the Boston Marathon. In an to the worst impulses of an opportunist embracing the attempt to win her back, Jeff shows up the next day at lowest common denominator. the finish line with sign in tow immediately before the explosions take place. Short and stunted, these early Film reviews run weekly. character-building scenes fail to build enough con- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

20 · San Diego CityBeat · September 20, 2017

@SDCityBeat

CULTURE | FILM

Marjorie Prime

Remember to forget

A

re those shimmering waves or glistening pixels? Is this person a family member or merely a carbon copy? Was this memory fabricated or actually recalled? These open-ended questions end up metastasizing within the intricate web of intimate conversations that make up Michael Almereyda’s Marjorie Prime, a luminescent film based on the awardwinning play by Jordan Harrison.

In the near future, “Prime” software technology allows people to bring back dead loved ones in the form of an intelligent computer system. Beginning with a blank slate, these 3-D holograms spend months listening and learning as much as possible about themselves in order to provide comfort and companion-

@SDCITYBEAT

ship for the aggrieved.

Renowned violinist Marjorie (Lois Smith) suffers from dementia, but recalls enough memories to have a conversation with the Prime of her deceased husband Walter (Jon Hamm). Marjorie’s daughter Tess (Geena Davis) is skeptical that it will help while son-in-law Jon (Tim Robbins) seems more optimistic.

Initially, Marjorie Prime confronts the fragility of memory from an academic perspective. Dialogue sequences are long and heady, spinning together a collection of details and events that make up one family’s dense roadmap. But the film grows more absorbing and cinematic as it progresses; tight framing on characters faces during hypnotic montages blurs the lines between newly minted memories and those that are

misremembered or dissolving.

Layers of experience fold onto one another, and the source of any emotion becomes unclear. But the momentary feelings grow increasingly profound and visceral. This is the Catch-22 that Almereyda’s film and Harrison’s play find so provocative.

As a result, Marjorie Prime, which opens Friday, Sept. 22, grapples with death, guilt, trust, trauma, creation and communication by listening carefully to confessions of the spirit. Misogynist extraordinaire Darren Aronofsky, maker and destroyer of ritualistic next-level drivel known as mother!, could learn a lot from Almereyda’s unassuming tenderness.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Dolores: Portrait documentary about activist Dolores Huerta, who helped establish a farmer’s union that eventually developed into a platform for feminism and gender equality. Dolores Huerta will be present at the Ken Cinema for a Q&A on Friday, Sept.

22 following the 4:45 p.m. screening.

Friend Request: When a popular college student accepts a friend request from a lonely outcast, she finds herself fighting a demonic presence that wants to kill all of her friends.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle: The dapper English spies from the original Kingsman film join forces with their American counterparts to save the world.

Last Rampage: In the summer of 1978, convicted murderer Gary Tison (Robert Patrick) and his cellmate Randy Greenawalt (Chris Browning) staged a daring escape from an Arizona state prison. Opens Friday, Sept. 22, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Marjorie Prime: Michael Almereyda’s adaption of Jordan Harrison’s play takes place in a near future where people can use a highly advanced computer program to speak with deceased relatives. Opens Friday, Sept. 22, at Angelika Film Center— Carmel Mountain.

Stronger: This biopic about Boston Marathon survivor Jeff Bauman looks at both personal cycles of grief and trauma and national symbolism in times of tragedy.

The Last Dalai Lama?: A portrait of the 14th Dalai Lama, featuring interviews with his family and the people he has inspired since his exile from Tibet in 1959. Opens Friday, Sept. 22, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The LEGO Ninjago Movie: Six young ninjas are tasked with protecting their island home from a gathering force of evil.

Woodpeckers: In the first Dominican film ever to premiere at Sundance, an inmate uses sign language to communicate with his imprisoned girlfriend at an adjacent institution. Opens Friday, Sept. 22, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

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

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

EBRU YILDIZ

MUSIC

Jay Som elina Duterte never assumed her music career would get as far it has today. Known more commonly by the name of her musical project, Jay Som, she never even saw the point of making it big. She still doesn’t.

Describing the moment she released her first EP online as the “best drunken choice ever made,” Duterte has taken a much more relaxed approach to her career than most musicians. She was releasing songs once a month on Bandcamp, starting as far back as 2012, until her friends suggested that she release an actual EP. She drunkenly chose nine songs out of 20, called it Untitled and released it online (she later renamed the EP Turn Into).

At the time, Duterte was living in Oakland, working part-time food-service jobs and living paycheck to paycheck. One year later, she’s signed to Polyvinyl Records and is on a headlining U.S. tour. And while she put in a lot of work playing shows and making music, she says she owes much of her success to pure luck.

“It was spreading through word of mouth and I was just fine with that honestly,” Duterte says of Turn Into. “All of a sudden it just blew up, and it keeps getting more and more coverage even internationally. It has been really insane and overwhelming to this day. I’m still consistently surprised of all the opportunities that come my way.”

Everybody Works, Jay Som’s new album, was recorded in three highly caffeinated weeks in her home in Oakland. The album was written about her own experience as a young adult, working hard to pay rent while feeling lost and unsure about the future.

Her hope is that everyone who listens to her album realizes that these exact feelings are normal and acceptable—as highlighted in the title of the album itself.

“You know everybody’s working on their own set of problems, and everyone’s trying their best,” Duterte says. “I really want that to come through in my music.”

Everybody Works’ lo-fi sound is dreamlike and slow, yet profoundly moving. It evokes a sense of feeling high without actually having to take any drugs, reflecting her own description of her music as “music for

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

stoners who don’t smoke.” A blend of jazz and pop sounds in the album are a product of her nine years playing jazz trumpet and also listening to Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion on repeat while recording the album.

Despite her background in music, the idea that a career as a musician was a viable option for her didn’t settle in until the beginning of this year while she was prepping for her album release at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas.

“That was sort of the moment before I realized ‘oh this is like an actual career, this is something I have to do and can do,’” she says.

Duterte went on her first national tour with Mitski and Japanese Breakfast last year making it a fully Asian-American femaleled lineup. She wasn’t supposed to be on the tour originally, but when the opener dropped out, Duterte was tapped as the re-

placement and quickly realized she was part of something much bigger.

“At that time, I was thinking this just wasn’t about the music,” she says. “This was about the kids seeing someone who looked like them on stage singing and talking about certain topics that are taboo, kind of like normalizing the fact that it’s okay to be sad. It’s mind blowing to me.”

As a Filipino-American woman, Duterte has come to realize how her background defines how people view her music career.

She’s rarely automatically recognized as the lead artist. On multiple occasions, promoters at venues have approached one of her male band members first, speaking to them the entire time without ever realizing that Duterte is the leader of the band. She’s also been mistaken as a band member’s girlfriend or the person the group hired to sell merch.

After hearing comments such as “she’s good for a girl” or “I bet she doesn’t even make her own music,” Duterte realized people assume her success is part of an agenda to put Asian women or women of color at the forefront of music.

“I feel like white men in indie rock have had their time to shine,” Duterte says.

“They will always have their time to shine in all aspects like entertainment. So why not let this small percentage of people have the limelight?”

Duterte didn’t have a musician to relate to growing up, so she understands the importance of women of color in this industry. With indie artists such as Mitski and Japanese Breakfast, as well as her own rise in the indie rock world, Duterte acknowledges that their existence within a white male-dominated industry has paved a path and inspired young girls of color to also become musicians.

“We’re kind of building this community together and really acknowledging that it is important to kind of be aware of your background,” Duterte says. “And not letting it define you, but also accepting it is a big part of you who are as a person. Getting to see that and be inspired by someone that is successful is very important.”

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

september 20, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY

J

on Blaj has announced a new cassette-based label called Sensitive. The DJ at Whistle Stop nights Kiss & Make Up and Death by Dancing, as well as the in-house designer for music venue Space, says the label was born out of a cassette pop-up shop that he had been hosting over the past year at San Diego marketplaces. After the success of those events (also called Sensitive), Blaj came to the conclusion that he wanted to start releasing cassettes through a label of his own.

“A couple months ago, I decided, ‘OK, this has to happen,’” he says. “There are a lot of people making great music in a similar genre here, and I just wanted to kind of create this conglomeration of artists communicating together.”

The first release on Sensitive is Awaken the Quietus, the second album by local shoegaze band Quali.

It will be released at a special label launch show on Sept. 29 at Whistle Stop, which also will feature performances by Witness 9 and Runs Deep. And while Blaj says that no specific releases are ready to be an-

nounced just yet, he has some artists in mind that he’d like to bring into the Sensitive fold in the future.

“I’ve known Glenn [Romett, from Quali] for a long time, and I’m just totally JON BLAJ blown away by what they do,” he says. “I love the idea of creating this insane lineup of really incredible artists.”

Blaj cites a number of labels as influences on what he’d like to do with Sensitive, including post-punkera labels Factory and 4AD as well as more recent independent labels such as Sacred Bones and Captured Tracks. As much as he’d like Sensitive to establish itself musically, he also envisions it as having a unique aesthetic and community feel.

“Hopefully it’ll be more Quali than just a label,” he says. “I do graphic design and photography, and I hope to bring this all together. I’m inspired by certain labels that have sort of shaped who I am. As someone who doesn’t make music, this is one way I can help contribute to the community.”

—Jeff Terich

TAG IT AND BAG IT If you search for albums tagged “San Diego” on Bandcamp, you’ll find some interesting stuff. In this semiregular report, we sift through recent postings and relay the findings.

Foreign Entity, Foulplay: The name Foulplay looks a little too close to “Fourplay,” and for that matter could easily be mistaken for a schlocky classic rock band. But that’s not what this is. Foulplay makes uneasy, dark, unsettling electronic music that combines hip-hop beats with the ambient sounds of apocalypse—terrifying sirens, distorted bass and an overall feeling of menace. Perfect for the ghoulish season ahead.

Foulplaybeats.bandcamp.com

out any of the lyrics, but some of the tags are “queer,” “radical” and “trans,” so it’s safe to say that LGBTQ issues are at the heart of this gnarbones three-track EP. I can’t tell what they’re saying, but they’ve got my attention. Tayarikufa.bandcamp.com Dropping Koala Bombs, Dropping Koala Bombs: The name of this band, and their very literal album artwork, are simply ridiculous.

Koala bombs? Koala bombs. The music itself is fairly rote emo/ pop-punk with teenage histrionics and the like. Stylistically, I find it super grating, but they’re obviously talented musicians.

That’s not necessarily an oxymoron. Droppingkoalabombs. bandcamp.com

Who Am I?, Cori & the Cranberry cradle, foxberry: Music: I can’t give Cori & The The Bandcamp page for this alMusic any points for originality bum states, “I don’t know how with regard to their name (was to make music and I don’t know The Band already taken?). I can, jack about music theory.” Aphowever, give them a lot of credparently this project is an outlet Nava Street, Tayari Kufa it for the funky, soulful grooves for the artist’s anxiety, and as it they create. This is actually a turns out, it’s pretty soothing at times. It’s definitely not the most emotionally engag- really impressively arranged record, with Stax-style ing thing on Bandcamp, but there’s interesting atmo- horns and big, old-school R&B hooks. Sure, there are plenty of bands that do this sort of thing, but this is sphere. Foxberry.bandcamp.com particularly strong. Coriandthemusic.bandcamp.com Nava Street, Tayari Kufa: This is an intense punk rock record with some furious-as-fuck vocal barks

—Jeff Terich and Discharge-style hardcore power. It’s hard to make

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20

PLAN A: Venom Inc., Goatwhore, Toxic Holocaust, The Convalescence, Autumn’s End, Mythraeum @ Brick by Brick. Venom Inc. is the offshoot band of legendary UK metal group Venom. The downside here is that they no longer play with talkative frontman Cronos, but their riffs definitely still rage. BACKUP PLAN: Twin Ritual, Subtropics, Bad Vibes @ The Casbah.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 21

PLAN A: Zola Jesus, John Wiese @ The Casbah. In case you missed it, go back and read Seth Combs’ feature on Zola Jesus, who has returned to her dark, ominous sound on her excellent new album Okovi. The next day is the beginning of fall, and I can think of no better way to mark the occasion. PLAN B: INVSN, Warsaw @ Soda Bar. For more goth options, check out INVSN, the new synth-pop project of Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzen. It’s more Cold Cave than Refused, so be prepared to dance rather than mosh. BACKUP PLAN: Andrew Belle, Praytell @ SPACE.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 22

SUNDAY, SEPT. 24

PLAN A: 1/2 Fest w/ Dream Joints, The Vaginals, The Blank Tapes @ Helmuth Projects. Day two of this festival is definitely worth your time, with more great solo artists and duos, and more money going toward a good cause. PLAN B: Rakim, Mic Crenshaw @ House of Blues. It’s the 30th anniversary of Eric B and Rakim’s iconic album Paid in Full, so expect the legendary emcee to drop some of that vintage science. His 1997 album The 18th Letter is also an underrated classic, so fingers crossed he dips into that one too. BACKUP PLAN: WAND, Dream Burglar, Darto @ The Casbah.

MONDAY, SEPT. 25

PLAN A: Ice Balloons, Sunfoot, Pall Jenkins, Hexa @ Helmuth Projects. Ice Balloons is a weird, noisy indie rock band that features members of TV on the Radio and Samiam, and they’re pretty bonkers. They’re headlining a Ship in the Woods-curated show with lots of good bands, so show up early. BACKUP PLAN: AJ Froman, Strawberry Moons, Imagery Machine @ The Casbah.

PLAN A: Swervedriver, DJ Ian Utero @ The Casbah. Swervedriver’s first two records, Raise and Mezcal Head, are two of the best shoegaze albums of all time. Bully for San Diegans, then, that Swervedriver is playing both of those records at this show, which should be loud and psychedelic in all the best ways. PLAN B: Tycho, Two Feet @ Observatory North Park. Tycho makes some lushly layered, beautifully arranged electronic music that’s more fit for a chillout session than a dance party. If readers are looking for a laid-back, amazing-sounding Friday night show, this is it. BACKUP PLAN: Sloppy Seconds, John Cougar Concentration Camp, Sidekick, Tiltwheel @ Soda Bar.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 23

PLAN A: Hundred Waters, Banoffee @ The Casbah. I often forget that Hundred Waters are on Skrillex’s label, OWSLA, because they sound nothing like the EDM superstar. They’re much subtler, with gorgeous electronic soundscapes and dreamy pop songs that feel blissful. PLAN B: 1/2 Fest w/ The Dabbers, Gloomsday, fivepaw @ Helmuth Projects. Field Trips is putting on a two-day festival of one- and two-person bands to raise money for LGBTQ youth charities. For more info check out this week’s Short List. BACKUP PLAN: Frankie Rose, Suburban Living @ Soda Bar.

@SDCITYBEAT

JACQUELINE VERDUGO

Hundred Waters

TUESDAY, SEPT. 26

PLAN A: Love Theme, Sun Pack @ SPACE. Love Theme is the new project of Dirty Beaches’ Alex Zhang Hungtai, somewhat similar to his other project Trouble, which premiered on Twin Peaks: The Return. It’s weird ambient noir jazz that, come to think of it, sounds like it came from the Black Lodge. PLAN B: Public Service Broadcasting, Trip Advisor @ Soda Bar. Public Service Broadcasting are an interesting band, combining post-rock instrumentals with sampled sounds of space-mission broadcasts and NASA recordings. It’s an unusual substitute for vocals, but it works.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC

THE

BY RYAN BRADFORD

SPOTLIGHT ANTON CORBIJN

U2

I

t’s easy to hate on U2. First off, they’re like a living PR machine that sometimes makes records—even Arcade Fire doesn’t come close to their commercialized pretension. What other band would have the audacity to sneak an album onto everybody’s iTunes, as U2 did in 2014 with their album Songs of Innocence? And what’s the deal with The Edge [said in extreme Jerry Seinfeld voice]? Not even a real name. Don’t even get me started on Bono, a man who bathes in a pool of his own cult of personality.

But. U2 also made The Joshua Tree, a rock album that reaches for sublime, shimmering and daunting heights and

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

touches them. It practically defined my childhood, and it remains a rare album that me and my dad can bond over. You can’t fuck with The Joshua Tree, and given that this year marks its 30th anniversary, U2 are performing its entirety. And yes, U2 did great stuff before The Joshua Tree, and have done some pretty rad stuff since, but that album is a high-water mark in all music history. So, despite the many, many lemons of U2’s career (remember when Bono literally stepped out of a giant lemon and even wrote a song called “Lemon”?), we’ll always have The Joshua Tree.

U2 plays Saturday, September 22 at Qualcomm Stadium.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (Observatory, 10/23), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (Observatory, 10/26), Bret Michaels (BUT, 11/1), Greyboy Allstars (Music Box, 11/3), Azealia Banks (HOB, 11/3), Cloakroom (Soda Bar, 11/9), Bernard Collins and the Abyssinians (BUT, 11/14), Diarrhea Planet (Soda Bar, 11/17), Guttermouth (Brick

by Brick, 11/18), Trevor Hall (Music Box, 11/18), Gin Blossoms (BUT, 11/18), Kishi Bashi (Music Box, 11/21), Tribal Theory (BUT, 11/22), Darkest Hour (Brick by Brick, 12/2), Slothrust (SPACE, 12/9), Jamila Woods (Soda Bar, 12/9), Supersuckers (Casbah, 12/21), Green Jelly (Brick by Brick, 12/22), Little Hurricane (Music Box, 12/31), Milky Chance (HOB, 1/8), G3: Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Phil Collen (Balboa Theatre, 1/20), Hammerfall (Brick by Brick, 1/26), STRFKR (Observatory, 2/2), Beth Hart (Balboa Theatre, 2/18), Margo Price (BUT, 3/3), Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark (HOB, 3/31), Steven Wilson (HOB, 5/13).

CANCELED Moses Sumney (Irenic, 9/22).

GET YER TICKETS Perfume Genius (HOB, 9/28), Black Star (Observatory, 9/28), The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (Loft, 9/30), The

@SDCITYBEAT

Shins, Spoon (Open Air Theatre, 10/1), Algiers (Soda Bar, 10/1), Chelsea Wolfe (BUT, 10/2), Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas (OAT, 10/3), Irma Thomas, Blind Boys of Alabama (BUT, 10/5), Depeche Mode (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 10/6), Pinegrove (Irenic, 10/6), Coldplay (Qualcomm Stadium, 10/8), Obituary, Exodus (Observatory, 10/8), Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile (HOB, 10/11), The National (Open Air Theatre, 10/12), Bob Dylan (Harrah’s Resort, 10/13), Jason Mraz (Spreckels Theatre, 10/14), Torres (Casbah, 10/17), Mason Jennings (BUT, 10/17), Café Tacuba (Observatory, 10/17-18), Arcade Fire (Viejas Arena, 10/18), Eddie Izzard (Balboa Theatre, 10/18), The Bronx (Casbah, 10/19), Gojira (Observatory, 10/19), Mastodon (HOB, 10/19), City of Caterpillar, Thou (Soda Bar, 10/19), Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie (Humphreys, 10/19), KMFDM (HOB, 10/20), Tegan and Sara (Balboa Theatre, 10/20), Carla Morrison (Humphreys, 10/22), Red Fang (Casbah, 10/23), M. Ward (BUT, 10/24), Real Estate (Music Box, 10/24), Thievery Corporation (BUT, 10/26), Turnover (Irenic, 10/27), Flying Lotus in 3-D (Observatory, 10/27), Roky Erickson (Casbah, 10/27), Iron and Wine (Balboa Theatre, 10/28), The Drums (Observatory, 11/1), Black Heart Procession (Casbah, 11/3-4), ‘Live Wire 25th Anniversary’ w/ Rocket from the Crypt (Observatory, 11/4), Cults (Irenic, 11/5), Hamilton Leithauser (BUT, 11/9), Fall Out Boy (Viejas Arena, 11/15), Gary Numan (Observatory, 11/15), Tera Melos, Speedy Ortiz (Casbah, 11/16), Mayhem (Observatory, 11/17), Boris, Torche (Casbah, 11/17), Mogwai (Observatory, 11/20), New Found Glory (HOB, 11/25), Syd (Observatory, 12/2), Pere Ubu (Soda Bar, 12/8), The Slackers

(Casbah, 12/12), METZ (Casbah, 12/13), Julien Baker (Irenic, 12/15), Jay-Z (Viejas Arena, 12/19), Ozomatli (Music Box, 12/22-23), The English Beat (BUT, 12/2223), Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven (BUT, 12/27), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/28), Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (BUT, 12/29-30), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (HOB, 1/15), Josh Ritter (BUT, 1/16), Wolf Parade (Observatory, 1/23).

SEPTEMBER WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20 Z Etc. at Belly Up Tavern. My Foolish Idealism at Soda Bar. Easy Wind at Music Box. Venom Inc. at Brick by Brick.

Twin Ritual at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 21 Zola Jesus at The Casbah. Fleet Foxes at Observatory North Park (sold out). The Wailers at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Andrew Belle at SPACE. INVSN at Soda Bar. RAC at Music Box.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 22 Tycho at Observatory North Park. Atlas Genius at House of Blues. Swervedriver at The Casbah. Los Amigos Invisibles at Music Box. U2 at Qualcomm Stadium.

Sloppy Seconds at Soda Bar. Al DiMeola at Balboa Theatre.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 Hundred Waters at The Casbah. The xx at Observatory North Park (sold out).

Frankie Rose at Soda Bar. The Toadies, Local H at Belly Up Tavern. The Beach Boys at Humphreys by the Bay. Ben Folds at House of Blues. Natalia Lafour-

cade at SOMA.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 24 Rakim at House of Blues. Bonobo at Observatory North Park. Bill Maher at Humphreys by the Bay. WAND at Soda Bar. Dan Croll at The Irenic. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at SOMA.

MONDAY, SEPT. 25 Cameron Esposito, Rhea Butcher at Observatory North Park. Gov’t Mule at Humphreys by the Bay. Moon Honey at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, SEPT. 26 Public Service Broadcasting at Soda Bar. Love Theme at SPACE. Sublime With Rome, The Offspring at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Alison Moyet at Music Box. Morgan Heritage at Belly Up Tavern.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27 Bleachers at Observatory North Park.

Draco Rosa at Music Box.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 28 Lauren Ruth Ward at The Casbah. Perfume Genius at House of Blues. Imagine Dragons at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre.

Moon Taxi at Belly Up Tavern. Foxygen at Music Box. Superjoint at Brick by Brick. Black Star at Observatory North Park. Tennyson at The Irenic.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 Josh Abbott Band at House of Blues.

Hellogoodbye at The Irenic. Tower of Power, Average White Band at Humphreys by the Bay. Benjamin Booker at

Belly Up Tavern. Superjoint at Brick by Brick. Black Kids at The Casbah. Slaves at SOMA. Apocalyptica at Copley Symphony Hall.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart at The Loft @ UCSD. J Roddy Walston and the Business at Belly Up Tavern.

Corey Henry and the Funk Apostles at The Casbah. Kali Uchis at Observatory North Park (sold out). Jay Som at Soda Bar. ‘Adams Avenue Street Fair’ w/ The Creepy Creeps, Dead Feather Moon at Adams Ave.

OCTOBER SUNDAY, OCT. 1 Citizen Cope at Belly Up Tavern. Algiers at Soda Bar. The Shins, Spoon at Open Air Theatre. ‘Adams Avenue Street Fair’ w/ The Donkeys, The Routine at Adams Ave.

MONDAY, OCT. 2 Chelsea Wolfe at Belly Up Tavern. Sheer Mag at Soda Bar. Middle Kids at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, OCT. 3 Dark Tranquility at Brick by Brick. The Blow at Soda Bar. Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas at Open Air Theatre. Gavin DeGraw at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Trinidad Cardona at House of Blues. Gillian Welch at Balboa Theatre. Robert Earl Keen at Music Box. Low Volts at The Casbah.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017· SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4 Archons at The Casbah. Jonwayne at Soda Bar. Post Malone at Observatory, North Park.

THURSDAY, OCT. 5 Elliott Brood at The Casbah. Father John Misty at Observatory North Park.

Arkells at SPACE. Irma Thomas, Blind Boys of Alabama at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, OCT. 6 Rosetta at Soda Bar. Pinegrove at The Irenic. Depeche Mode at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Father John Misty at Observatory North Park (sold out). Insane Clown Posse at House of Blues.

SATURDAY, OCT. 7 Jason Aldean at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. 6Lack at Observatory North Park (sold out). The Woggles at The Casbah.

Patrick Sweany at Soda Bar. Janet Jackson at Valley View Casino Center.

SUNDAY, OCT. 8 Coldplay at Qualcomm Stadium. Shooter Jennings at Belly Up Tavern. Obituary, Exodus at Observatory North Park.

The Garden at The Irenic. Ratboys at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, OCT. 9 Cauldron at Soda Bar. Between the Buried and Me at SOMA. Lil Peep at House of Blues. Kalapana and Makana at Belly Up Tavern.

TUESDAY, OCT. 10 Fat Tony, FLACO at The Casbah. Sound of Ceres at SPACE. Demerit at Soda Bar. Walter TV at Blonde. Shawn Colvin at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11 Marujah at The Casbah. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile at House of Blues.

Lawrence Rothman at SPACE. Cattle Decapitation at Brick by Brick. JD McPherson and Nikki Lane at Belly Up Tavern. Alison Wonderland at Observatory North Park. Holy Wave at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, OCT. 12 John Maus at Soda Bar (sold out).

Mutemath at House of Blues. Griz at Observatory North Park. The Afghan Whigs at Belly Up Tavern. Trevor Sensor at SPACE. The National at Open Air Theatre. Rising Appalachia at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, OCT. 13 Bob Dylan at Harrah’s Resort. Rising Appalachia at Belly Up Tavern. Rainer Maria at The Casbah. Nothing But Thieves at The Irenic. Red City Radio at The Casbah.

SATURDAY, OCT. 14 The Aquabats at House of Blues. Dalek, Cult Leader at Soda Bar. Some Ember at SPACE. Jason Mraz at Spreckels Theatre. Dirty Sweet at The Casbah. Emarosa at The Irenic.

SUNDAY, OCT. 15 Oh Wonder at SOMA. The Aggrolites,

28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

The Skatalites at Belly Up Tavern. Dayglo Abortions at The Casbah. Cuco at The Irenic (sold out). Vanna at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, OCT. 16 Bell Tower Bats at The Casbah. LAYNE at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, OCT. 17 Torres at The Casbah. The Black Angels at House of Blues. Mason Jennings at Belly Up Tavern. Café Tacuba at Observatory North Park. Spaceface at Soda Bar.

rCLUBS r

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Fri: Sure Fire Soul Ensemble, Charlie Rae. Sat: Electric Mud, Max Fite, Electric Church. Tue: Ocean Natives.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop House’.

Thu: ‘Centerpiece’ w/ DJ Eliasar Gordillo.

Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Karma, Alice.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Greg Fitzsimmons.

Fri: Greg Fitzsimmons. Sat: Greg Fitzsimmons.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Thu: Acid Teeth, Yucks, Bastardsect. Fri: Bob Fossil, Flight 42. Sat: Fools Brew.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Hey Ho! Let’s Go! Ramones tribute. Thu: DJ Ikah Love. Fri: Glory Bound Productions. Sat: The Husky Boy All Stars, DJ L. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: Tori Roze and

the Hot Mess. Tue: DJ Marshall Islands.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Cazzette. Sat: Patlok.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Rand & Friends. Fri: Fish & the Seaweeds. Sat: Rolling Heartbreakers.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Z Etc., Modern Me, Triptides. Thu: The Wailers, The Devastators (sold out). Fri: Queen Nation, Livin’ on a Prayer. Sat: Toadies, Local H. Tue: Morgan Heritage, EN Young.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Andrew McKeag Band, Bread & Butter, Crimson Cavalry. Sat: Hot Shot Drifters, Steel City Jug Slammers.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ DJ Dan. Thu: ‘The Life of David Bowie’ live tribute. Fri: Dicky Trisco. Mon: Winter, Minor Gems, White Guilt, DJ Andrew McGranahan. Tue: Interpol live tribute.

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

Thu: Mellow Apocalypse. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Wed: Venom Inc., Goatwhore, Toxic Holocaust, The Convalescence, Autumn’s End, Mythraeum. Sat: Ritual Potion, Coast Red, DiVad, Nights Like Thieves, Roman Watchdogs, The Ocean Natives, Beyond My Afterlife, Smarter Than Robots, Hardly Human.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Twin Ritual, Subtropics, Bad Vibes. Thu: Zola Jesus, John Wiese. Fri: Swervedriver, DJ Ian Utero. Sat: Hundred Waters, Banoffee. Sun: Wand, Dream Burglar, Darto. Mon: AJ Froman, Strawberry Moons, Imagery Machine. Tue: ‘Emo Nite’.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: Nemesis. Sat: Teaser.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Downtown. Thu: Peter Sprague & Rob Schneiderman’s Math Jam. Fri: Mackenzie Leighton plays Mingus. Sat: The Benedetti Trio. Sun: Gene Bertoncini.

The Field Irish Pub, 544 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Fiore. Thu: Modern Public.

Fri: The Upshots. Sat: Lifelike Band. Sun: Gary Flick. Mon: Clint Westwood. Tue: Eric French.

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

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: DJ Bad. Sat: Brett Bodley.

Hoffer’s Cigar Bar, 8282 La Mesa Blvd., La Mesa. Sat: Len Rainey.

The Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach. Wed: Sempra Sol, Sweet Myths, Lost Monarchs, Cherry Road. Thu: Lady Dottie and the Diamonds. Fri: No Duh!, DJ Ofier. Sat: Nirvanish, DJ OMZ. Sun: Straightjacket, Same As Yesterday, Behind The Sun. Tue: Dred Notz, SoCal Vibes.

Hooley’s, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa. Fri: Pete Johnson Show Band.

Sat: King Taylor Band.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Jerry ‘Hot Rod’ DeMink. Fri: Atlas Genius, Flor. Sat: Ben Folds, Tall Heights. Sun: Rakim, Mic Crenshaw. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Bayou Bros. Thu: Kim Jackson. Fri: Rising Star. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band. Sun: Groove Squad, Mercedes Moore. Mon: Missy Andersen. Tue: Taryn Donath.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC ASHLEY CONNOR

Jewels. Fri: The Midnight Pine, Birdy Bardot. Sun: ‘Sunday in the Park’ w/ Tim Felten.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Krill Was Here. Sat: Crooked. Sun: Showtek.

Plaza Bar at Westgate Hotel, 1055 2nd Ave., Downtown. Fri: Gilbert Castellanos.

Sat: Allison Adams Tucker. Mon: Julio de la Huerta.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Sun: Dan Croll, The Dig.

Bad & the Ugly. Sat: Dead Sea Horse, Alvino and the Dwells.

Java Joe’s, 2611 Congress St., Old Town. Wed: Veronica May. Fri: ‘Songwriter Showcase’ w/ Jeff Berkley, Gregory Page, Robin Henkel. Sat: Lisa Sanders.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: JG Trio. Thu: Fish & JG. Sat: Never 2L8. Tue: JG Duo.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Monochromacy, Hidhawk, Flowers, Hexpressionist, Xavier Ramirez.

Thu: God Module, Blakk Glass, Finite Automata, Visions in Black. Fri: Royalty, Technomancer, Tripsy. Sat: ‘Dragon Lounge’.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Stephen Kellogg, Emily Hearn. Thu: New Alchemy Poetry Series. Fri: Bellsaint, Lizzie Waters,

@SDCITYBEAT

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: The High Rolling Loners, Jesse Lee, The Anomaly, Annette Conlan.

Thu: Mezzanine, Karina Frost & Banduvloons, Alexis Lillian Lefranc. Fri: 20cms, Punchcard, Roman Watchdogs, Secondhand. Sat: ‘Sabbat’. Sun: ‘The Playground’. Tue: Sometimes Julie, Velour, Innocent Bystanders.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Wed: Easy Wind, El Dorado Slim and the Commo-

dore Hotel Orchestra. Thu: RAC, NVDES. Fri: Los Amigos Invisibles, Slares. Sat: Red Not Chili Peppers, Slaves Against the Machines, Pearl Jammed. Tue: Alison Moyet.

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

Wed: ‘One Two Three’ w/ DJ EdRoc. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings. Mon: Guns ‘n’ Roses Under Cover.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Wearetreo. Fri: Dash Berlin.

Sat: Jayceeoh.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Thu: Lex and the

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Pillowtalk. Sat: Eden, Deep Jesus.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Devvlov. Sun: Lex & the Jewel.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: DJs Kiki, Kinky Loops. Thu: DJ Moody Rudy. Fri: DJs Kiki, Moody Rudy.

Sat: DJs K-Swift, Taj, Nikno. Sun: DJs Hektik, Casey Alva.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Thu: At Both Ends, All Beat Up, Sector 7G, Privileged The Band. Fri: ‘Disco Not Disco’. Sat: ‘Women of Reggae’.

Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Coastal Eddies. Fri: Flipside Burners. Sat: Podunk Nowhere.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Noah Rickertson. Thu: Ben Bostick. Fri: Coriander, Chad & Rosie. Sat: Chad & Rosie, Cassie B Band. Mon: Lauren Leigh and Sam. Tue: Kenny and Deez.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Three Chord Justice.

Sat: Quel Bordel. Mon: Luis V.

Torres plays at The Casbah on Oct. 17

Meaning of Love – ‘80s Dance Party’.

Sun: ‘Make Yourself At Home’. Tue: Love Theme, Sun Pack.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., San Diego. Wed: Shane Hall. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: Ed Kornhauser Organ Trio. Sat: K Emeline. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Tue: The Waylon Hicks Project.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: A Si. Thu: INVSN, Warsaw.

Fri: Sloppy Seconds, John Cougar Concentration Camp, Sidekick, Tiltwheel. Sat: Frankie Rose, Suburban Living. Sun: Rococode, Lean, L1ght Ra1l. Mon: Juiceboxxx, The Parker Meridien, Infinite Wisemen. Tue: Public Service Broadcasting, Trip Advisor.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: Effe Emme, The Grins, The Abstracts, The Hynas, Endo Sol. Sat: Natalia Lafourcade. Sun: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Buck-O-Nine, Almalafa.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Thu: Andrew Belle, Praytell. Fri: Jonah Spence, Skylar Baseball. Sat: ‘The

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Glen Meadmore and the Kuntry Band, Dum Cumpsters, New Swears.

Sat: Rebel Rebel, Squirrelly Arts, Hyperactive Slackers, Horsefly. Sun: Lungs and Limbs, Survival Guide. Tue: Dirty Few, Big Bloom, Of Ennui, Cochinas Locas.

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

Wed: DJ Junior. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Sun: African Postman. Tue: ’31 Flavors’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Open Oscillator’. Fri: ‘Volar Records 8th Anniversary’. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’. Sun: ‘Creme Tangerine’. Mon: ‘40 North Dance Film Festival Kickoff’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach.

Wed: Somos Ono, DJ Carlos Culture.

Thu: Boostive, Abstract. Fri: Demrick, Van Brando, 1 Ton & IFL. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Jefferson Jay Band, The Shakedown String Band.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2017· SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29

LAST WORDS

CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY

UNSOUND

Semi-weekly forecasts from the so-called universe

ARIES (March 21 - April 19): Why do I even try with you people? I tell you to be careful, and you go right ahead and ignore me. You’re on your own this week, and you only have yourself to blame.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Sometimes dissecting it will lead you to a greater understanding, but a lot of times you will just end up with its corrosive blood eating holes through your gloves.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): While it is nice to know your opponent doesn’t have any of the high value letters in Scrabble, it doesn’t

do you much good either when you have to make a word out of ZJQXKVF. CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Throughout history, humans have experimented with many kinds of intoxicants, the most alluring of which will cause you to cancel all your plans at the very last minute.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): There’s only one constant in this life and it’s that, at any available opportunity, you will try to impress people by carrying too many folding chairs at once only to end up hurting yourself. Again.

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): The Jaws crew called the shark “Bruce” in the great tradition of naming scary things to soften them. It helps that Bruce was animatronic; there’s nothing you can call a real Great White that will soothe you much.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Take a lesson from the Cambrian explosion and its nonsensical organisms, and remember that sometimes you have to endure a period of complete chaos where everything is dumb as hell.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Sorry, I don’t mean to cross any lines, but did you mean to post that? I mean… I guess you’re technically allowed to. I don’t know… it just seems like you might want to delete it.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21): Memory is a fallible and faltering thing. Be that as it may, if you do not remember

the last time you bought a toothbrush, that probably means it is time to buy a new toothbrush.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): Some goats are altered with spider DNA so the compounds for creating silk fibers are found in its milk.

Go and get a head start on Googling what to do if you accidentally drink a gallon of it.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Please, can you just stop? If the rest of us wanted to know about all of the things you heard about in podcasts we would listen to the podcasts ourselves.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): This week you’re going to be sending mixed messages.

Less like a mockingbird and more like a push-to-open door that has a handle on it for some inexplicable reason.

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

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCityBeat

september 20, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 31