San Diego CityBeat • Sept 27, 2017

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

What’s so scary ’bout peace, love and citizen review boards?

A

few weeks before Alfred Olango was original reasons that Kaepernick was kneeling shot dead by an El Cajon police of- during the national anthem began to seem ficer, that city’s elected officials had more and more distant. Suddenly, it became an important decision to make. After a San a debate about patriotism and free speech Diego County Grand Jury investigation of rather than a statement about having a longcitizen complaints against officers, the jury delayed, much-needed discussion about race, came back with the recommendation that social justice and police brutality in America.

When Kaepernick first started kneeling in certain cities begin to set up citizen review boards. The predominantly white male El 2016, police were killing nearly two unarmed Cajon City Council voted against setting up Black people per week. That’s five times the such a commission based in a strongly word- rate of unarmed whites. Of those killings, ed opinion that “such a board would have only 12 percent of those cases resulted in an no positive affect [sic] on either improving officer being charged with any kind of crime. police procedures or in furthering the confi- According to a ProPublica analysis, young Black men are still 21(!) times more likely to dence of the public.”

Not even two months after that state- be killed by cops than young white men.

Union-Tribune writer Peter Rowe had a ment was written, Officer Richard Gonsalves, who had recently been demoted great piece over the weekend examining the after several women accused him of sexual fallout of the Olango shooting and where we are a year later. On that latter harassment, shot a clearly dispoint, the sad answer is nowhere traught Olango four times after near where we should be. And the Olango brandished a vape pen. unfortunate fact is that citizen In addition to being shot, Olango review and advisory boards are was also shocked with a Taser. often still a work in progress for El Cajon voters also had an imcities like Los Angeles, which is portant decision to make on Nov. still trying to work out the kinks 7, 2016. Three of the five seats on after voters approved a flawed the City Council were up for grabs Alfred Olango measure that subs out citizen and, because the city doesn’t have a primary system, 10 candidates were run- review boards for a “Board of Rights” panel ning for the three seats. Many of the can- made up of one civilian and two cops.

Law enforcement often claims that such didates, including democrats Vickie Knight Butcher and Stephanie Harper, said that they boards are already biased against police and supported citizen review boards, with Harp- can only undermine their credibility, but as er even telling KPBS that such a board may last year’s racial profiling study by SDSU rehave even prevented the shooting of Olango. searchers already proved, there’s not much credibility to work with.

Both Harper and Butcher lost.

Citizen review boards, if done correctly, The two new council members elected in November include Steve Goble, who was can help restore some of the trust between endorsed by the El Cajon Police Depart- law enforcement and the communities they’re ment (spoiler: they don’t want citizen review meant to serve. First, those who live outside of boards) and Bessmon “Ben” Kalasho, a former El Cajon should talk to their friends and fambeauty pageant owner who is also against citi- ily who live there about the ineffectual state zen review boards. He is currently being sued of their council. Second, Californians should by two former pageant contestants for fraud, write their state senators and encourage them defamation and, in the case of one contestant, to support AB 284, a bill co-authored by local state Sen. Ben Hueso which would require the promising her a victory in exchange for sex.

This editorial will be out on newsstands Department of Justice to set up “Statewide Ofon Sept. 27, the one-year anniversary of the ficer-Involved Shootings Investigation Teams” Olango shooting. Given the events of the to review police shootings. The bill is stalled in past weekend—or hell, the events of the past the State Senate and is opposed by nearly eveight months—it was easy to look past this ery major police organization. It’s time to start anniversary. While Trump and the coterie of asking them why they’re so afraid. white men who own NFL teams attempted

to reframe Colin Kaepernick’s protests, the

—Seth Combs This issue of CityBeat needs more than 280 characters in order to make a proper dedication.

Volume 16 • Issue 7 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

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

HOW TO SECEDE, PART 2 I must applaud John F. Scalon’s recent letter, which you titled “How to Secede Without Really Trying” [Sept. 13].

Mr. Scanlon accurately pointed out that the southern states had a right to secede from the union regardless of the odious cause of slavery. This is why Southern historians often call the resulting conflagration “The War For Southern Independence.” The term “Civil War” is technically inaccurate since the seceding states were attempting to establish a separate nation and not vying for control of the entire country. For example, the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 was fought by two factions striving to gain control of the government of Spain in its entirety.

There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution that forbids any state from seceding. Abraham Lincoln, in fact, was in violation of the document when he forced the war upon the South by invasion. That was why the majority of southerners joined the Confederate Army to defend their home states. That is also why many Southerners today venerate those brave men.

So—why the sudden turmoil about Southern monuments? Ask yourself this question: This time last year, were you terribly concerned about the existence of the monuments? I doubt it. I certainly wasn’t. Americans who are in an uproar over this contrived issue are being played.

Marshall Mallory North Park

WELL, ACTUALLY… Hey Seth, I got a little fist-in-the-air happy when I read your Aug. 23 editorial [“It’s About Hate, Not Heritage”]. I’ll confess I was a bit skeptical when you took the reins of editor-in-chief, but your writing, especially the aforementioned piece, has changed my tune. You’re obviously much more than a snarky music reviewer, and I’m now a converted supporter of your new post.

So, with that said, imagine my annoyance when I read John F. Scanlon’s response in the last issue. I would greatly appreciate a chance to respond.

Mr. Scanlon, I respectfully disagree with your Sept. 13 response to Seth Combs’ editorial [“How

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

to Secede Without Really Trying”]. I had a couple different issues, which I’ll discuss in turn, but primarily, what bothered me most was your unfortunate use of revisionist history. It’s a cliché to say that the victors of war are the ones who write the history, but the American Civil War was an excellent example of how this is simply not always true. After the war, Southern apologists, and Northerners who just wanted the war wounds to heal, pushed for the narrative of the Civil War to shift from slavery to the more exculpating “states’ rights” and/or “the right to secede.” You say this issue isn’t black and white; however, the text of Alexander Stephens’ infamous Cornerstone speech clearly and unambiguously spells out that the reason the Southern states rose up in armed treason against the United States was to defend the institution of slavery, and by association, white supremacy. The speech is there for all to see, in black and white.

And, while we’re discussing history, let’s quickly touch on the “right to secede.” This was, in fact, a hot issue during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. A few states, notably New York, argued that they should be able to pull

out of the federal government whenever they saw fit. The awesome James Madison disagreed, and much debate was had. In the end, every single state, New York included, finally agreed that entering into the new government had to be “in toto and forever.” There was no right to secede. The matter had been settled.

Finally, Mr. Scanlon, you eloquently (and rightfully) deride how wrong it is to deprive “the right of people to self-determination.” Sir, we are in full agreement here. But how far are you willing to take this right? You protest the yoke placed on the American Confederacy’s self-determination, but utterly fail to acknowledge that the point of this Southern selfdetermination was to flat-out and completely deprive the black population of its own self-determination. Either you support self-determination or you don’t.

There’s a word for people who only support the self determination of one race to the exclusion of another, and sadly, that word and the folks it applies to, seem to be on the rise.

Michael S. Reilly Normal Heights

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

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

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

Backwards & In High Heels. . . . .

Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . .

3 4 6 7 8

FOOD & DRINK World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene . . 10 Final Draught . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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

ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 FEATURE: Who’s That Boy? . . . 18 Seen Local. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21

MUSIC FEATURE: Chelsea Wolfe. . . . . . 22 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 About Last Night. . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . 27-29

LAST WORDS Advice Goddess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 COVER PHOTO BY ANA CEBALLOS

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september 27, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

JOHN R. LAMB

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

No looking back By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third, by experience, which is the most bitter.

—Confucius

L

ast week, Mayor Kevin Faulconer let it be known how he feels about people checking rear-view mirrors to critique San Diego’s slow-to-develop approach to tackling the worst Hepatitis A outbreak in modern history.

“It’s all about, we have a situation, we have a crisis. I’m not going to be looking backward,” KPBS quoted the mayor as saying on Friday. “Midday Edition” host Maureen Cavanaugh even asked the mayor to “humor” her with an answer, clearly aware of Faulconer’s rock-ribbed penchant to stick to the day’s messaging and avoid pesky self-reflection.

He would have none of it. “And we are not looking back, Maureen,” Faulconer insisted.

Fortunately, others are and will continue to review how we got into this fecal-spread mess that has garnered international media attention. Emails emerged this week that paint a painfully—and deadly—portrait of government inaction and indecision in the face of a growing human catastrophe striking some of the region’s most vulnerable people.

Stories about those emails between city and county officials in the San Diego Union-Tribune and Voice of San Diego also suggest that we’ve only seen the tip of the finger-pointing iceberg in this sad tale of political priorities gone haywire.

In recent days, Mayor Faulconer himself has attempted to paint a different picture. That picture includes a political leader

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

engaged, a city rapidly addressing a public-health crisis, and a team spirit focused on tackling San Diego’s exploding homeless disaster once and for all.

“And as mayor,” Faulconer told Cavanaugh, “that is my sole focus, 100 percent sole focus right now.”

The mayor’s new chief of staff, Aimee Faucett, would later tell Voice that the mayor is spending “70 percent of his time on efforts to stem the outbreak.” Whichever number is accurate is immaterial while the crisis grows. As this issue went to press, reports indicate it won’t be until the Christmas holiday season that the first of three temporary tent shelters will be up and running in the downtown area. The mayor is also taking heat from residents of perennially maligned and abused Barrio Logan, where one of the tents will be situated despite past municipal promises to the contrary.

Councilmember David Alvarez, whose district includes Barrio Logan, has been a particular thorn in the mayor’s side on this topic.

And for good reason—he told the Union-Tribune last week that he had not been consulted on the tent plans prior to Faulconer’s announcement the week before.

The mayor’s office immediately crapped on that complaint, telling the UT that Alvarez “continues

Mayor Kevin Faulconer finds himself knee-deep in a shit show. to grandstand and make insincere calls for action.” Faulconer is still stinging from the City Council’s rejection of his proposed November special election for a hotel-tax increase, ostensibly to expand the convention center but also to set aside roughly $10 million annually for homeless services. A council majority, including Alvarez, backed pushing that measure to November of next year when more people would vote.

As of this week, the Hepatitis A scourge had killed 17 and sickened 461 people, the youngest of whom is five years old. The disease— spread by poor sanitation—has now reportedly expanded to Los Angeles and Santa Cruz.

Temporary bathrooms, handwashing stations and vaccination clinics are popping up now, which is good news if not late in coming.

Port officials told Spin they too are ramping up preventive measures, including adding hand-washing stations in nine “hot spots” along the bayfront.

A port spokesperson noted that beginning this week, “there will be daily spraying of a bleach solution on surface areas within our 22 public parks that visitors are most likely to come in contact with (benches, tables, trash containers, water fountains and playground equipment).”

The spokesperson added that public restrooms on port property are already sprayed with a bleach solution three times a day.

Activist attorney Cory Briggs, never one to shy away from poking the mayor and other political leaders, has taken to social media in recent days excoriating the delay in action. Although he can’t yet prove it, he’s convinced Faulconer kowtowed earlier to his benefactors in the tourism industry who feared “bad optics” if portable toilets began sprouting up in the East

Village and downtown.

The inaction has also prompted several petitions to appear on change.org, including one asking the state Attorney General to launch a criminal investigation of the mayor “for his willful neglect of the health and safety of homeless San Diegans over the past 1-2 years,” noting similar prosecutorial efforts in Flint, Michigan, over its lead-laced water.

As of Tuesday, 461 people had signed that petition, which was seeking 500 supporters.

Another petition, from Women Occupy San Diego, urges the mayor to use the parking lot of the newly named SDCCU (formerly Qualcomm) Stadium as a “SafePark-Camp” for the homeless. “Qualcomm was used to shelter 20,000 homeless victims of the 2007 wildfires,” the petition states, adding “very relevant to those made homeless by the destruction of 10,000 units of affordable housing in the past 6 years…”

Of the 1,000 signatures sought, that petition had garnered 830 backers as of Tuesday.

Councilmember Chris Ward, whose district includes the downtown area, sent a memo to the mayor last week that made clear he is not satisfied with the response so far. “The city must go far beyond temporary measures that simply reset the homeless crisis to where we were six months ago,” Ward wrote.

He, too, requested the use of the SDCCU Stadium parking lot, as well as the one at Valley View Casino Center and the city’s Central Operations property at 20th and B. The mayor definitely has his hands full. Perhaps with a little reflection, he’ll come up grasping more than a fistful of shit.

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

Cutting the Amazon cord

I

have a penchant for books. Acquiring and owning them is my thing. Libraries are all fine and well, but I do have a personal rule about no reading materials in the bathroom, and one never ever really knows where a library book has been. Beware the poop fumes.

So, I buy. I pass many titles on and recently joined The Book Fairies, a collective of individuals around the world who “hide” books out and about to be found, read and re-hidden. I also constantly curate, read and keep a special collection of my own.

I love having books stacked on my nightstand; on the floor beneath my nightstand; on the shelves and desk in my small office; on the coffee table in my living room. (My husband may not appreciate the stacks like I do.) I always carry a book in my bag. Acquiring books has long been a personal ritual, and I could spend hours at the right bookstore like some women linger in shoe stores.

Thanks to the Cult of Amazon and the fact that, for some, going to an independent bookstore is not exactly geographically accessible, I’ve both fallen victim to the convenience of online purchasing and become a perpetrator in the death of the indie bookstore. This is a travesty about which my friend and bookseller, Seth Marko, has given me no end of grief. For a time, when I’d see him at my husband’s coffee shop at UCSD each morning (Marko was the general book buyer for three years at the campus bookstore, which is now run by Amazon), he’d roll his eyes and let out an exasperated “Oh. My. God!” when I mentioned I’d bought one of his recommended reads from Amazon (the last book I bought, a week ago, was The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America, by Richard Rothstein).

The purchasing process was a familiar, lonely and regrettably unceremonious adventure. It didn’t involve me browsing shelves. It didn’t involve me running my hands along the spines of other books before selecting this one. It didn’t involve me feeling the texture of the jacket or thumbing through the pages or having another human being, a complete stranger, stop to recommend it and chat about how the book changed her perspective.

Like Starbucks, which stomped around the globe offering bajillions of benjamins to acquire leases and pricing so many of the little guys out of business, Jeff Bezos’ brainchild has devastated independent bookstores (and corporate ones as well in the case of Borders and Barnes & Noble). Most independents simply couldn’t compete with the online ordering of cheap

books and the convenience of doorstep delivery. The fling with e-readers didn’t help bookstores either.

Sure, this is all an introvert’s nirvana, and a Kindle is perfect for fans of the tiny-house movement. But this modern kind of connectivity tears at the fabric of authentic connectivity. The kind of connectivity that requires a conversation, looking into another person’s eyes, and—gasp!—even making physical contact with the person sliding a bookmark between the pages of that new novel and handing you a receipt.

This is something Marko knows a little bit about, and it’s why he and his wife, Jen Powell, are opening a real live bookstore, The Book Catapult, in South Park in early October.

“Indie bookstores have experienced an amazing resurgence over the last few years​​as people seek to reconnect with the act of reading a physical book​and disconnect from staring at a screen,” Powell told me as we talked about the gamble she and Marko are taking.

“We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t truly believe that Greater San Diego wants, needs and can support an independent bookstore.”

I am certainly ready to cut the Amazon cord. To be sure, independent bookstores have historically been centers of discussion, debate and revolution. City Lights Books in San Francisco, the nation’s first all-paperback bookstore, has what it calls a “legacy of anti-authoritarian politics and insurgent thinking.”

Powell’s Books in Portland is “a place that fosters a culture of reading and connects people with the books they’ll love.” And my personal favorite local-ish spot, The Last Bookstore in L.A., is a brilliant labyrinth of new and used books, with vaults, corners and crannies in which to read, browse, think and discuss.

Will The Book Catapult find itself among these giants? That would be my hope.

“The thing about those iconic bookstores is that they became iconic in a completely organic way,” Marko said. “None of their founders set out to become icons of the bookselling world, but they engaged with their communities, provided forums for literary conversation and offered a service where one was lacking.

That’s what we want to do.”

I’m banking that Marko and Powell are right. And I’m looking forward to wandering their stacks, to dragging my fingers along the spines of real books, fanning the pages in front of my face, and talking to avid readers about what reads they recommend.

I could spend hours at the right bookstore like some women linger in shoe stores.

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Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week.

Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

Five Four annoying things that I do at concerts

I

fly out to Chicago to attend Riot Fest, a three-day music festival. Big, outdoor festivals aren’t usually my thing, but Jawbreaker is reuniting and their album 24 Hour Revenge Therapy is one that honestly changed my life. A lot of other bucket-list bands are also playing, including Nine Inch Nails, Cap’n Jazz, New Order, Danzig, Peaches, At the Drive-In and Gwar [obvs]. There’s no way I can’t go. I make plans to stay with my friends Anna—whom I’ve known since first grade—and her husband Ben. After three days of standing in the sun and marinating in jorts-sweat, I feel a higher-consciousness begin to take hold. Maybe it’s the heat, or the raw agony of my chafed inner thighs, but this enlightenment forces me to realize that I do some annoying things at concerts, including: 1. Engage with stage banter. Mike Patton, virtuosic singer of hardcore supergroup Dead Cross, takes the stage and says the word “Bullshit” into the mic.

I laugh: “ha ha!” Later, postpunkers Hot Water Music ask the crowd how we’re doing, and I say “good,” but I don’t shout it and I’m nearly a mile away. Not even Anna, standing next to me, really hears me. During Danzig’s set, he finishes a song and then tells the audience, “You know that song’s about killing people, right?” I give a hearty “wooo!”

Look at me, applauding murder.

Wooo!

2. Look for the deals. I find myself doing math for the first time since high school: If each 12-ounce beer is $7, and each 16-ounce beer is $9, what’s the most bang for my buck? I think.

What if there’s a secret bar somewhere else in the park that has cheaper beer?

My quest for deals devolves into survivalist extremes: What’s more important— getting a solid buzz or having enough money for food later? Who actually needs food? Can’t a human go weeks without food, but only a couple days without liquid?

I commence a one-hour lap around the festival, only to find that, yep, $7 beers are the cheapest, and then I buy two $9 beers because I’m really thirsty from the walk.

3. Try to document things on social media. I take out my phone. My battery’s only at 30 percent, but goddamn if I’m not going to take a video of Peaches and upload it to Instagram. It doesn’t matter that I’m in a strange city and may need to find my own way home if I lose track of my friends. The people have to know! This is journalism. I’m a journalist.

4. Do this little stomping move with my heel:

I do this thing where I stomp my heel to the beat. In my mind, I think this is some sort of dance that shows my appreciation of the band and enthusiasm for their music, but nobody notices it except the people in my immediate surroundings who happen to look down and see my yee-haw heel a-bouncin’.

5. Drugs. A booth at the festival sells lollipops made with CBD oil. I suck one and can’t really feel anything. So I take two more. I watch metal god Danzig with the amount of chill one would normally feel during a Sublime show. Hey man, you sing about killing people? That’s cool. Shaka, brah.

On the second night, Ben and I both take shrooms but just a small amount. A responsible amount of hallucinogens, I think, because we’re adults. The drugs release nostalgia into my bloodstream during the At the DriveIn set because they were a band I listened to in high school. I text an old friend, saying “It may be the shrooms talking, but I’m getting emotional during At the Drive-In.” He doesn’t respond.

I gradually lose interest in the band in favor of focusing on the couple standing in front of me.

Suddenly I know their inner lives and secrets. They’re way better than the band, which has now lost all its nostalgic appeal.

I wander off toward the portapotties, stepping through a sea of crushed, discarded beer cans.

Warzone, I think. A shirtless dad is sitting against a barrier fence, and I know he’s contemplating the value of life. I finally make it to porta-potty land and lock myself in one. In the distance, I can still hear At the Drive-In singing “Dancing on the corpses’ ashes,” but I’m safe in my porta-potty— nay—vestibule? Vestigial? I can’t find the word. Confessional?

I make my way to a stage where Wu-Tang is playing. They’re making literal dog-barking sounds onstage, and everyone around me seems to be drunk and crying. Young people are so emotional! I want these young people to know that I see them. I mean, I really SEE them.

The next day, I stand next to a man during TV on the Radio. He holds out a vape pen and says, “You want a hit?” I stare at it, and he clarifies: “It’s weed.” I shrug and take the stranger’s weed vape. Actually, I’m going to scratch “Drugs” off this list, because it turns out I’m skilled and competent at them AND NOT AT ALL ANNOYING. WOOOOO!! [STOMP, STOMP, STOMP]

I watch metal god Danzig with the amount of chill one would normally feel during a Sublime show.

Hey man, you sing about killing people?

That’s cool.

Shaka, brah.

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

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UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER MICHAEL GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

Who’s your Daddy?

S

pare a thought for the humble hot dog. The hot dog doesn’t pretend to be one bit more than it is. It’s likely the least glorious example of the wonder that is sausage-making and is made from the least wanted parts of the pig (one of the world’s most wanted meats). Its cousins, hamburgers, rule the fast-food world and the Der Wienerschnitzel franchise seems to be a candidate for hospice care. Hot dogs can only look on enviously as high-end chefs upscale burgers.

But, as Daddy’s Hot Dogs (1281 University Avenue) in Hillcrest proves, truly great hot dogs can be excellent things. Daddy’s Chicago Dog proves this point. A beef hot dog accompanied by diced onions, tomatoes, relish, a pickle spear, yellow mustard and pickled chili pepper, it is elevated by the liberal sprinkling of celery salt. It’s not just a good representation of Chicago’s take on the hot dog. It’s pretty much a perfect dish. The dog has snap, the peppers have bite, the relish has sweetness, and the pickle has umami and sourness.

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Daddy’s daddy is William Schroeder, who sports a back-of-the-house restaurant business background, but also has a history as an intelligence spook and an excon. He also happens to be from New York, but I doubt anyone will care about any of this after tasting that Chicago Dog. Most of the dogs at Daddy’s are all-beef (each is also offered with a veggie dog) but the Alexander is an exception, featuring an all-bison frank. It’s lean, lanky and deep with just a bit of beguiling funk that’s perfectly balanced by the jalapeno relish and Russian Chicago Dog dressing. This isn’t everyone’s comfort dog, and it isn’t designed to be. It’s a bit more challenging than that and a bit more rewarding.

Daddy’s Gamecock sports the all-beef frank with onions, mustard, chili and coleslaw. Tasted together they’re a revelation. Actually doing so without the aid of utensils, on the other hand, is a major challenge. And while the place is a tiny kitchen with only two bar stools on the sidewalk, the endless entertainment pageant that is Hillcrest foot traffic will help diners pass the time as they wait for their meal.

Schroeder swears Hillcrest locals chose his veggie dog in a series of taste tests when he was looking for a supplier. Fair enough, I suppose, but they just taste like someone tried to make up for the lack of meat with a surfeit of smoke flavor to evoke that missing meat. My solution? Go with meat. Still, Schroeder clearly cares about his heavily vegetarian, LGBTQ-friendly neighborhood, with that dog—and his somewhat tongue-in-cheek logo—as evidence.

The hot dog may, indeed, be humble. It may have been relegated to the streets (and Daddy’s location offers little more than that). But the flavor profiles emerging from that tiny kitchen show just how much those lowly parts of that noble beast, when framed properly, really have to offer.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | DRINK

ANATOMY OF A

BY IAN WARD

COCKTAIL SCENE #15: Mule variations at Starlite

T

he Moscow mule is arguably one of the most refreshing, approachable and crowdpleasing cocktails of all time. In terms of likeability, it is essentially the Bill Murray of the booze world. It’s in the same stratosphere as the margarita, the mojito and the Aperol spritz. It’s loved by all and internationally famous.

However, for all of its stardom, the mule can be somewhat problematic at times.

Aside from the enraging amount of bar guests stealing the copper mugs the cocktail is served in, it can also be a bit of a domineering ball hog. A real show stealer. A goddamn drama queen. You see, once it’s placed on a cocktail menu—alongside a litany of other, potentially more thoughtful cocktails—it has a tendency to draw all the attention away from its peers. Guests love it. After all, it’s a star. And there is nothing inherently wrong with that. Like I said, it’s one of the all-time great crowd pleasers, and as an individual who has dedicated his life to hospitality, that is all you really want at the end of the day: A room full of happy smiling faces, and the Moscow mule certainly helps to facilitate that.

But, as someone who also has a giant creative ego that constantly needs to be stroked, the Moscow mule can be a huge pain in the ass. Especially when you spend a ton of time and effort to curate a list of beautiful cocktails, and all anyone wants from you is a Moscow mule. It can be somewhat, well, deflating.

In steps the Palomino at Starlite (3175 India St.). It’s a gin, citrus and herbal response to the Moscow mule dilemma. For years, the Moscow Mule has sat pretty on its throne in San Diego, and Starlite is one of the main reasons that’s the case. I remember when it opened about a decade ago, with a Moscow mule on the menu. It was the talk of our little harbor town.

“Have you gone to Starlite and tried the Moscow mule yet?” I remember people constantly asking. And for good reason. It was delicious.

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Eventually, it was kind of cross-pollinated around town, taking top spots on everybody’s cocktail lists. So, it is somewhat fitting that the Palomino comes from the same germinating hand.

The chicken comes home to roost.

The Palomino substitutes gin for vodka, lending subtle but welcome notes of juniper and herbs, giving minute dimensions to its otherwise onenote-playing predecessor. Also joining in the coup d’etat is a house-made Rosemary shrub, which really sets the whole cocktail apart.

IAN WARD For all of its somewhat spicy, refreshing glory, the Palomino makes the original Moscow mule look pretty damn boring. However, the addition of rosemary adds a transportive element, as I often find it does when partnered with gin. It brings me to some sort of Lewis Carroll-esque English countryside with a Cheshire Cat smile to my face.

This result, as I stated earlier, is the essence and goal of hospitality.

The Palomino certainly bridges the tenets of both being crowd-pleasing The Palomino and creative, which is easier said than done. And yes, it does come in a copper mug for all you horribly agitating barroom shoplifters.

Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene appears every other week. Write to ianw@sdcitybeat.com

THE PALOMINO As prepared at Starlite

1.5 oz. Plymouth gin 1/2 oz. Citrus/Rosemary shrub Ginger beer One lemon wedge One rosemary sprig

Combine all ingredients together and serve in a copper mug filled with ice. Garnish with lemon wedge and rosemary sprig.

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UP FRONT | DRINK

FINAL

BY BETH DEMMON

DRAUGHT May the Schwarzbier be with you

with a clean, refreshing finish. It's a great yearround lager that drinks equally well in warm or cold weather.” chwarzbiers to me are what pumpkin spice Just up the street from Eppig, Fall Brewing lattes are to sorority girls (or CityBeat Company (4542 30th Street) offers its punkcolumnist Ryan Bradford): sometimes influenced take on schwarzbiers with Mittens, available off-season, but best enjoyed when the a Misfits-themed 5.3 percent ABV option that’s weather starts to cool. They’re also likely to cause occasionally available smoked. Take advantage of hysterics when spotted on a menu. And while Fall’s $15 1-liter stein (including fill) promotion schwarzbiers are sadly not as pervasive as the that runs through the end of the year: just $9 for #basic girl latte, I literally cannot be more excited refills of select beers, including Mittens. about the start of schwarzbier season.

Lager legend Doug Hasker, Translated from German as BETH DEMMON head brewer at Gordon “black beer,” these low-alcohol Biersch San Diego (5010 lagers generally fall around the Mission Center Road), also 5 percent ABV range, making brews a mean 4.3 percent ABV them surprisingly crushable schwarz that pairs well with despite their deceptively dark the Bavarian pretzel & sausage appearance. They’re in the appetizer. It’s dry (as it should flavorhood of well-known be), crisp, and evokes just seasonal favorites such as a hint of coffee and toasted Märzens and festbiers, but bread—perfect for washing more approachable than down some Märzen cheddar the darker dopplebocks and fondue-coated pretzels. big Baltic porters that tend North County churns out to appear closer to winter its fair share of schwarzbiers months. As lagers continue to as well. Bagby Beer Company rise in popularity, schwarzbiers in Oceanside has Fancy Pants are popping up more and more (4 percent ABV), Mason Ale on craft beer draft boards and Works in San Marcos has Full may very well enter the beer lexicon of even the most casual Mittens Schwarzbier Jason (5 percent ABV, on draft craft fans. (Or so I hope.) at Fall Brewing Company at Urge Gastropub Oceanside) and Pizza Port Carlsbad There are a few places has Short Schwartz (5 percent ABV) available around town embracing this traditional German at its respective locations. Carlsbad-based style. One of the most classic representations can Burgeon Beer Company also collaborated with be found at Eppig Brewing (3052 El Cajon Blvd., downtown’s Monkey Paw Brewing Company Suite C) in North Park. Eppig’s award-winning on Darth Fader, a 6 percent ABV schwarzbier on 4.9 percent ABV schwarzbier is super mellow draft at Monkey Paw (805 16th St.) in the East and quietly complex, falling completely within Village. the Beer Judge Certification Program guidelines So yeah, this autumn, skip the shitty latte, pour without succumbing to cliché. that pumpkin beer down the drain and embrace “We do our best to create a beer that is light the power of the Schwarz. in body—comparable to a pils—but with greater depth of flavor featuring light roast and some Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com, check her out on chocolate notes,” says Nate Stephens, principal Instagram at @thedelightedbite, or via Twitter at brewer at Eppig. “It's important to remember this @delightedbite. is a lager and there should be zero astringency

S

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

NORTH PARK AND NORMAL HEIGHTS

ALL IS FAIR

It’s no secret that San Diego loves a good block party or street festival. It makes sense given our consistently good weather and chill attitude. Hell, we may be the only city that has a beer festival literally every weekend of the year.

And sure, there will be plenty of beer at the Adams Avenue Street Fair this weekend, but that’s not the only reason we’ve been flocking to this event for over 36 years. In a city that’s filled with fair-this and fest-that, this particular party separates itself by having a little something for everyone.

“The size, duration, quality, and the variety of offerings makes for one of the most diverse crowd of attendees assembled in S.D. for a community event,” says Scott Kessler, Executive Director and Coordinator for the Adams Avenue Street Fair.

This variety of offerings includes 300 exhibitors, 52 food vendors, a bunch of carnival rides and four beer gardens stretched over a half mile of Adams

BALBOA PARK

FLY SOCIETY The Natural History Museum (1788 El Prado) has always been one of our favorite Balboa Park destinations, but unlike the San Diego Museum of Art or even the Fleet, The NAT didn’t have many events that were for adults only. The Secret Society of Adultologists aims to change this and will give adult attendees the chance to indulge their inner explorer with live animal encounters, taxidermy art installations and chats with museum scientists about the museum’s 8 million specimens. The event will also feature craft cocktails served on the rooftop lounge (which is rarely open to the public), along with beer from Thorn Street Brewery and signature dishes from The Flying Squirrel. It all happens Friday, Sept. 29 from 7 to 10 p.m.

Tickets are $25 for general admission and $15 for museum members, and both include full access to the museum. More information at sdnhm.org.

Ave. between 30th and 35th streets. What’s particularity enticing is the sheer amount of local bands that readers can check out.

“There is great music in all genres that appeals to people from ages 8 to 80,” says Fair booker Steven Kader.

A few musical standouts from the over 80 performers at the fair include a reunion show from the all-female punk pioneers The Dinettes, as well as other local legends such as Gary Wilson, Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers and Gilbert Castellanos, who will be playing with his charming band of jazz youth, The Young Lions.

Best of all, while there are some craft beer and food tasting tickets that can be purchased starting at $20, the rest The Dinettes of the affair is free to the public. It all goes down from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. For a full list of bands and more info, readers should check out adamsavenuebusiness.com.

POINT LOMA

SPOOKY AND KOOKY Christmas markets are as common in western culture as breweries are in San Diego. But what about a Halloween market?

Curators and Creators Marketplace has taken the lead with Spooktacular, a shopping experience dedicated to the fall season and All Hallow’s Eve. More than 50 vendors will be selling vintage and hand-made crafts, home decorations, jewelry, art and more. There will also be an Elvira impersonator and other entertainment, plus a full bar and food for order. The market runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1 at the Portuguese Hall (2818 Avenida de Portugal). General admission is $5, whereas VIP is $10 and includes early entry, a shopping tote and a signature drink. facebook. com/curatorsandcreators COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

COURTESY OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Murals of La Jolla Walking Tour at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The Athenaeum will host this walking tour led by project curator Lynda Forsha. View murals by Kim MacConnel, Ryan McGinness, Kelsey Brookes and more. At 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27. Free.

858-454-5872, muralsoflajolla.com HVacation at UCSD’s Visual Arts Department, 252 Russell Lane, La Jolla. The closing reception for an exhibition of works made during summer break by 13 of UCSD’s MFA candidates working in various mediums. From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. Free. visarts.ucsd.edu Art San Diego at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The annual contemporary art convention will feature regional, national and international artists and galleries, as well as workshops, art labs and more. See website for full list of participants and schedule. From noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30 and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. $Free-$75. art-sandiego.com HHeartbreak Hotel at Kensington Club, 4073 Adams Ave., Kensington. A group show curated by Briana Tirado that features female, queer and non-binary artists on the topic of broken relationships and journeys of the self. Reception includes music by Big Bloom and The Great Silver Sun. From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Friday, Sept. 29. Free. facebook.com/ events/370118420087969 HPhotography Expanded: Distinct Approaches at California Center for the Arts, 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido. A group exhibition featuring a select group of contemporary Southern California photographers who take the manipulation of light to a new level. Names include Eleanor Antin, Becky Cohen, Ernesto Corte, Sol Hill and more. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29. Free. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org Ghibli 4 at Subterranean Coffee Boutique, 3764 30th St., North Park. A group fan show honoring Japanese filmmaker and anime artist Hayao Miyazaki, best known for Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and more. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30. Free. facebook.com/ events/294904584314594 International Watercolor Society Exhibition at The San Diego Watercolor Society, 2825 Dewey Rd., #105, Point Loma. A annual showcase of the best of all styles of water media art. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30. $25. 619-876-4550, sdws.org Symbiosis at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., Gaslamp. Metal artist Alexandra Hart and collaborator Tea Ninkovic will showcase new pieces that capture the intersection between abstract sculptural ideas, traditional jewelry and the human body.

RSVP required. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30. Free. 619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com Happiness at Linksoul, 530 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside. A pop-up exhibit with works

by Nolan Cooley, a 13-year-old artist with autism. His repetitive pattern art appears on canvases, surfboards, skate decks and more. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. Free. facebook.com/events/1958267494461047 Los Tres Demonios at Visual SD, 3776 30th St., North Park. Three street artists, Sate, EyeGato and Pez—who have been active in New York City, San Francisco and San Diego—will have works on display.

Plus T-shirts, sticker packs and buttons for sale. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

30. Free. 619-501-5585, visualshopsd.com Art in Old Town at Old Town San Diego along San Diego Ave. Over 100 contemporary artists will exhibit paintings, crafts,

The Secret Society of Adultologists 12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Calacas made by func&rec

H = CityBeat picks

quilts, sculptures, ceramics, furniture, and jewelry. There will also be flavors from over a dozen local restaurants and samples of the finest wines and tequilas.

From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept.

30 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1.

Free. oldtownartfestival.org On the Edge Art and Garden Popup Party at 6378 Lake Athabaska Place, La Mesa. A local art collective hosting neighborhood meetups in garden settings. There will be food, music and art for sale. From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. Free. 619-733-4786, facebook.com/ events/508975192779631

BOOKS Mark Bowden at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The reporter and bestselling author of Black Hawk Down will sign and discuss his new book about the Vietnam War, Hué 1968. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com HBrad Abraham at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The screenwriter, journalist and comic book creator will be promoting his debut novel, Magicians Impossible. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. Free. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Peter Clines at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The So-Cal-based writer will sign and discuss his new noir mystery, Paradox Bound. At 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1.

Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HDavid Clary at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The UT editor will sign and discuss his new book, Gangsters to Governors: The New Bosses of Gambling in America. At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HPatrick Rothfuss at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The bestselling author will sign the 10th Anniversary special edition of his acclaimed fantasy book, The Name of the Wind. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 4. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

DANCE HTrolley Dances at Bayfront/E Street Trolley Station, 750 E St., Chula Vista. This annual site-specific dance project features dancers performing original performances along the MTS Blue Line starting in Chula Vista and winding through the heart of San Diego. At various times from 10 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 through Sunday, Oct. 8. $15-$40. 619-388-1910, sandiegodancetheater.org

FASHION Fall Showcase at Y-3, 7852 Girard Ave, La Jolla. Local couture brand Dixon Rand presents its Fall pieces alongside new collections from Y-3, Stella McCartney for Adidas, Complex Geometries and Rochambeau.

From 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. Free. facebook.com/events/1882501252077925

FILM 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.

Through Saturday, Sept. 30. $10-$30.

40northfest.com Tijuana Film & Food Festival at Centro Cultural Tijuana, Paseo de los Héroes No. 9350, Zona Urbano Río, Tijuana, Baja California. The inaugural festival highlights emerging talent in the film industry, specifically short films. There will also be conferences and food. At various times. Thurs-

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EVENTS day, Sept. 28 through Saturday, Sept.

30. Free-$90. tjfilmandfood.com HLiving On Soul at Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern St., South Park. A screening of the music documentary about Daptone Records and artists including Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and Charles Bradley. This event is a fundraiser for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. From 8 to 10 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 4. $5 suggested donation. 619-284-6784, whistlestopbar.com HSan Diego International Film Festival at various locations. The five-day event will feature more than 100 independent films, studio premieres, panels with celebrities, red carpet events, parties, all-star tributes and an awards ceremony. Happens Wednesday, Oct. 4 through Sunday, Oct. 8. See website for schedule and locations.

Various times. $16-$600. sdfilmfest.com

p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. $40. facebook. com/events/116700005719046 HRock Goddess Benefit Night at Brick

by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Linda Vista.

A night to celebrate female rock legends including Patti Smith, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin and more. Music by Roni Lee, Meliesa McDonell and more. Proceeds go toward fighting domestic violence. At 8 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 30. $15. 619-276-3990, brickbybrick.com HQue Viva Mexico at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. A night of live music and art to benefit disaster relief efforts in Mexico.

Performers include Cumbia Machin, Bad Vibes and Summer Knowledge, and there will be a raffle for a variety of items. At 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 1. $5 suggested donation. facebook.com/events/117647748916574

HCubana Be Cubana Bop at San Diego City College Saville Theatre, 14th St. & C St., East Village. Gilbert Castellanos and his Afro-Cuban Big Band will be celebrating the music of Dizzy Gillespie and Chano Pozo as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.

From 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3. Free, but tickets should be reserved in advance.

619-388-3301, jazz88.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HVAMP: Roommates at Whistle Stop Bar, 2236 Fern St., Burlingame. The literary and performing arts non-profit organization, So Say We All, hosts an evening of readings where writers will share stories of the people, places and things that we live with. At

8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. Suggested donation. sosayweallonline.com

POLITICS & COMMUNITY Dismantling White Supremacy Teach-In at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego, 4190 Front St., Hillcrest. A conversation, led by Rev. Kathleen Owens, will cover how people can work toward racial justice and fight the institutions supporting white supremacy. From 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. Free. 619-298-9978, firstuusandiego.org HCan Friendship Secure the Border? at San Diego First United Methodist Church, 2111 Camino del Rio S., Mission Valley. A discussion about border security, with a focus on promoting friendship and

trust between communities. The event is hosted by Friends of Friendship Park and led by John Fanestil and Jim Brown. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2. Free. friendshippark.org

SPECIAL EVENTS 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

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

FOOD & DRINK HSan Diego Veg Festival at San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., Downtown. Following the Plant Powered Run, the fourth annual fest will feature live entertainment, healthy food options, comedy, yoga and a series of speakers. From noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. $8-$48. sandiegovegfest.com

HALLOWEEN HThe Haunted Trail Of Balboa Park at Balboa Drive and Juniper St., Balboa Park.

A mile-long trail featuring a haunted old plantation, creepy clowns, live scenes of horror and more. From 7 to 11 p.m. starting Friday, Sept. 29 through Tuesday, Oct. 31. $25-$37. hauntedtrail.net HThe Scream Zone at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. One of San Diego’s largest Halloween attractions featuring a huge House of Horror with rooms filled with scares, as well as a Haunted Hayride. From 7 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays and from 7 to 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, starting Friday, Sept. 29 through Tuesday, Oct. 31. $10$33. 858-755-1141, thescreamzone.com HThe Haunted Hotel at Haunted Hotel, 424 Market St., Downtown. Voted one of “America’s Best Haunted Houses,” this haunted house features scares like a Hellevator, a Hillbilly Swamp, a Clown Subway and more. From 7 to 11 p.m. on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday and 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Begins Saturday, Sept. 29 through Tuesday, Oct. 31. $19-$29. 619-231-0131, hauntedhotel.com

MUSIC H An Electronic Gift for Mexico City at The Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

A benefit event to raise money for food, water and essentials for the residents of Mexico City. Performers include Nortec Collective, Ese’ & Zain and Viejo Lowbo.

At 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29. $20-$100.

619-795-1337, musicboxsd.com Apocalyptica Plays Metallica By Four Cellos at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B. St., Downtown. The Finnish quartet will take on some of Metallica’s songs with their trademark instrumental sound.

At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29. $39.95. sandiegosymphony.org CRSSD at Waterfront Park, 1 Park Blvd., Downtown. The two-day, twice-yearly underground electronic music festival returns for its fall edition. Headliners include Rufus Du Sol, Hot Since 82, Dixon and more. From noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 and Sunday, Oct. 1. $115-$155. crssdfest.com Ableton Live Intro Course at private location. Art Unites hosts an Ableton introduction class led by a producer and DJ who will teach how to create beats, bass lines and melodies with MIDI instruments.

Address disclosed upon RSVP. From 2 to 4

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

Sept. 30, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. Free. lamesaoktoberfest.org

HRemember Me Thursday at Balboa Park, 6th Ave. and El Prado, Balboa Park.

Light a candle while others do the same across the world to honor the millions of pets who lost their lives without the benefit of a loving home and shine a light on the millions of healthy pets who are still awaiting adoption. At sunset. Thursday, Sept.

28. animalcenter.org

HAdams Avenue Street Fair at Adams Avenue between 30th and 35th streets in Normal Heights. The 36th annual street fair will feature over performing artists on seven stages along Adams Avenue. Also includes beer gardens, carnival rides and more than 300 exhibitors. From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. Free. 619-7083543, adamsavenuestreetfair.com

Inauguración at Centro Cultural Tijuana - CECUT, Paseo Paseo de los Héroes No. 9350, Zona Urbana Río, Tijuana. A red carpet opening ceremony for the feature film Veronica, featuring regional food and drink along with live music from NoPals. From 6 to 11:50 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. $40$90. tjfilmandfood.com HPechaKucha Night V.29 at Thompson Building Materials Materials San Diego, 6618 Federal Blvd., Broadway Heights. The San Diego Architectural Foundation is kicking off the Archtoberfest celebration with this event, featuring wood-fired pizza and an open bar. From 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. $20. sdaf.wildapricot.org HThe Secret Society of Adultologists at the San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. An adults-only after-hours event, featuring music, craft cocktails, food, access to a rooftop bar and an exclusive look at some of the museum’s exhibits. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept.

29. $15-$25. 619-232-3821, sdnhm.org HLa Mesa Oktoberfest at La Mesa Downtown Village, La Mesa Blvd. and Palm Ave., La Mesa. Dubbed the largest Oktoberfest Celebration West of the Mississippi with hundreds of exhibitors spread out over six blocks for German food, dancing, games and beer. From 4 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29, 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday,

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Cabrillo Festival at Naval Base Point Loma, 140 Sylvester Road, Point Loma. A celebration of of Cabrillo’s landing on the shores of San Diego Bay. There will be educational activities, cultural demonstrations, folkloric performances and vendors showcasing goods. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. Free. cabrillofestival.org HAIDS Walk & Run at Hillcrest, Fifth and University Avenues. Commemorate the 27th anniversary of AIDS Walk & Run San Diego and honor the community’s commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS and standing up for those impacted by the disease.

From 7 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 30.

Donation suggested. aidswalk.org H2017 feStivale Launch Party at The Gallery, 1970 Columbia St., Suite A, Little Italy.

To kick off the San Diego Italian Film Festival, this party will feature live music from The Great Silver Sun, art from Lamia Khorshid, a sneak peek at selected films, and food and wine from local Italian eateries. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30. $35. sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com HSpooktacular at United Portuguese SES Inc, 2818 Avenida de Portugal, Point Loma. More than 50 vendors selling antiques, artisan crafts, jewelry and more will be at this inaugural Halloween and Fallthemed marketplace. Includes a full bar,

food and entertainment. From 11 a.m. to 5 pm. Sunday, Oct. 1. $5-$10. facebook. com/events/812359522259726 HSan Diego Plant Powered Run at Embarcadero Marina Park, 200 Marina Park Way, Downtown. A 5K to support Farm Sanctuary, a nonprofit that advocates for compassionate treatment of farm animals.

There will also be a walk option for participants who want to show their support but don’t want to run. From 6:45 a.m. to noon. Sunday, Oct. 1. Free-$35. action. farmsanctuary.org HTarot Reading Workshop at Little Dame Shop, 2942 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. An intro to reading Tarot course taught through a group reading and discussion. Class comes with a pocket-sized Tarot deck. From 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 1. $111. littledameshop.com The Global March for Elephants and Rhinos at the corner of Park Blvd. and Presidents Way, Balboa Park. A demonstration to protest the hunting of elephants and rhinos around the world.

The event will also offer raffle prizes, African drummers, and elephant coloring pages for kids. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 1. Free. facebook.com/ events/128926647699043

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HAn Evening With the Joelsons: From Photography to Filmmaking at Riverdale Studios, 6314 Riverdale St., Grantville.

American Photographic Artists San Diego presents a discussion with the acclaimed local photographers who will discuss their collaborative process. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28. $10-$25. apasd.org

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THEATER COURTESY WELK RESORTS THEATER

Jeffrey Scott Parsons (left) and Richard Bermudez in Kiss of the Spider Woman

A web of song

A

rgentinian novelist Manuel Puig probably had no idea what would spring from the 1976 publication of his largely streamof-consciousness novel El Beso de la Mujer Araña. Seven years later, Kiss of the Spider Woman would become a stage play, and two years after that, a critically acclaimed film starring William Hurt and Raul Julia.

But that wouldn’t be all.

In 1993, Kiss of the Spider Woman was adapted into a Broadway musical, with a book by Terrence McNally and songs and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the duo that gave the theater world Cabaret and, later, Chicago. The visceral and frank story of two men in a Latin American prison who are drawn to each other despite the torture and misery is now onstage at the Welk Resort Theatre, of all places, which is reminding its audiences that the material is “PG-17.” Having presented Cabaret at its darkest (which is how it was meant to be presented) a couple of years ago, staging Kiss of the Spider Woman is not as dramatic a leap for the Welk as one might think. Producer Joshua Carr deserves credit for the choice, as does Ray Limon for directing a production that is a little bloated but highly emotional and gripping.

The Welk production of Kiss of the Spider Woman benefits ������������������������������������ the most from its potent performances from the three leads. Jeffrey Scott Parsons is heart-rending as the gay prisoner Molina, who the guards love to humiliate. As the political prisoner Valentin, who becomes Molina’s roommate and more, Richard Bermudez shares with audiences a powerfully beautiful singing voice. As Aurora, the film star of Molina’s fantasies and also the titular Spider Woman, Natalie Nucci does what she does best: dazzle with her dancing.

Some of those charged dance numbers feel right out of the Copacabana, clashing with the grim tone of McNally’s story, and Nucci makes the show’s title tune sounds like a Bond-film theme song. But the agonized and often tender ballads in the score, which represent the softest moments of this occasionally brutal narrative, provide avenues for really caring about the fate of not only Molina and Valentin, but of anyone persecuted for their beliefs or for who they are.

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Kiss of the Spider Woman runs through Oct. 22 at Welk Resorts Theatre in Escondido. $51-$72. welkresorts.com

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Waiting for Lefty: Miracosta College opens its new season with Clifford Odets’ Depression-era play about a group of cab driver friends planning a labor strike. Directed by Eric Bishop, it opens Sept. 28 at the Miracosta College Theatre. miracosta. edu/instruction/dramaticarts Anon(ymous): Acclaimed playwright Naomi Iizuka’s play, which is based on Homer’s Odyssey, tells the story of a young refugee trying to make it in America. Directed by Randy Reinholz, it opens Sept. 28 at the SDSU Experimental Theatre in the College Area. anonymoussdsu.wordpress.com

NOW PLAYING: In the Heights: A fun and funny musical set in the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights. Written by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton), it runs through Sept. 30 at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista. moonlightstage.com Roz & Ray: Set in San Diego, this new play tells the tale of a single father who falls in love with a doctor who is seemingly offering a miracle cure for the man’s sick sons. Written by Karen Hartman, it runs through Oct. 1 at the Lyceum Theatre in Downtown. sdrep.org Wild Goose Dreams: A world premiere musical about a South Korean immigrant who falls into an unexpected online romance while supporting his family back home. Written by Hansol Jung, it runs through Oct. 1 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org Billy Elliot: Based on the charming film, this Elton Johnscored 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 runs through Oct. 8 at the Spreckels Theatre in Downtown. sdmt.org Last of the Red Hot Lovers: In Neil Simon’s classic play, a boring middle-aged man tries to join the sexual revolution of the late ‘60s. Directed by Christopher Williams, it runs through Oct. 8 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org For full listings, visit “Theater” under Culture at sdcitybeat.com

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

16 · San Diego CityBeat · September 27, 2017

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september 27, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

ANA CEBALLOS

CULTURE | ART

Kikito and Llizy Higareda hen one-year-old Kikito learned to crawl, curiosity led him to peek out doors and windows. He would watch his three dogs run on the patio and birds fly above the border fence that divides his house in Tecate, Mexico from California.

“He is always wandering around the house and looking over that fence,” his mother, Lizy Higareda, said.

Now, a massive portrait of Kikito has been lifted above that familiar barrier. It shows him smiling and peering onto American territory, where the art installation by French visual artist JR can be fully viewed.

From California, the cut-out of the boy appears to grip the railing of the fence, appearing as if he is intrigued by the people and things he sees below.

“I let JR borrow my son’s face for inspiration,” Higareda said. “People say it’s his masterpiece; I think people come together when they see innocence.”

Higareda said she made no money from the piece because she signed off the rights of her son’s photograph to JR who, months ago, decided the visual of Kikito looking over his crib merited a large-scale rendition.

The portrait has become a magnet for debate—both in terms of immigration policy and humanity. In the days following the artwork’s reveal on Sept. 6, people flocked to see the piece, and its viral popularity ended up giving it more attention than Kikito’s family ever expected.

“I don’t even think JR thought it would become this popular,” Higareda said.

Since then it has prompted a medley of interpretations around the world, most of them circling back to what the boy is thinking.

“People have told me that it looks like he is trying to jump the fence,” Higareda said with a smirk on her face. “Why would I let my kid jump the fence? All there is for us [in the U.S.] is suffering. They don’t want us. In Mexico, we may suffer, but at least we are with our people and they are not going to kick us out.”

JR was the first to engage the political connection. When he unveiled his “work in progress,” he posted a photograph of two uniformed Border Patrol officers look-

ing up at Kikito to his Instagram account with a million followers. It quickly sparked a downpour of anti-fence comment. But perhaps the most popular take on the art is that the boy is simply dreaming about the future.

“I see him hoping for the American Dream despite facing a pretty tough border,” Lourdes Martinez, a Tecate resident, said.

The American Dream, though, is not an ethos Higareda believes in or wants her son to partake in.

her light yellow tutu dress atop the huge scaffolding and posed for photos with the towering portrait of Kikito. The image has also brought nostalgia to those in Mexico based on immigrants’ stories they know all too well.

“It makes me think about the children who are separated from their parents and all the time they have to spend apart,” Sara Lopez, a Tecate resident, said.

With an increase in traffic in the rural neighborhood, Higareda hopes a local offiANA CEBALLOS

The Kikito piece through the border fence “I believe opportunity needs to be sought where our roots are,” she said. “I want my son to thrive in Mexico and make a difference here. If my son inspires others to pursue the American Dream, that’s OK, but not every Mexican wants it.”

As she said this, a handful of people and families crowded just a couple blocks from her house and paid a visit to what one of them called the “famous baby at the border.”

“The baby has brought hope to Tecate—it has put our city on the map,” Miguel Ruedas said.

Ruedas brought his six-year-old granddaughter, Renata, with him. She twirled in

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

cial will keep certain promises to the community, even if the artwork goes away, as is scheduled to happen on Oct. 2.

“They said they would improve roadway access,” she said. “If that comes true, the artwork was definitely worth it.”

While several residents in Tecate romanticize the piece and view it as an asset in their community, the cultural impact on the U.S. side of the border is more politicized.

Those who have made the trek to see the image of Kikito along the border wall tend to be first-time visitors to the area. And the location, about an hour southeast of San Diego, is not exactly a tourist destination. In fact,

it’s mostly frequented by Border Patrol officers who say they’re on the hunt for “bandits and smugglers.”

“They are smuggling right now—they’re watching us,” a border patrol officer told me when I asked for directions, about a mile away from the art piece.

“When you drive over there, don’t open the door to anyone, these people will have their way with someone like you,” he added.

Some people made it to the site after traveling for hours to visit Kikito. People like Los Angeles high school teacher Eddie Lopez, who said the artwork forces him to think about his students—the ones protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. Lopez estimates that about a dozen students in his classroom are currently shielded from deportation, but worries President Donald Trump may threaten their future.

“There’s definitely anxiety with this new president,” Lopez said. “The U.S. is all these kids have ever known; they are nervous about losing that.”

While interpretations vary, one thing remains constant: Kikito has attracted spectators and has allowed strangers divided by immigration policy to connect. At the site, people in Mexico can be seen passing cell phones through the railings, asking those on Californian soil to take a shot of the image as it is meant to be seen.

That’s exactly what JR wanted. He noted in an interview with The New Yorker that he wanted Kikito to pull people there, so they could talk to border patrol officers and strike a conversation with “people on the other side who they can see through the fence.”

“That experience is intimate to each person who will see the piece,” he said in the interview. “I won’t ever hear about it.”

When the installation eventually comes down, Kikito’s family said that it will be sad to see it go. For days now, they have seen the portrait every time they leave the house.

“The only meaning I can give the work is that it’s my motivation on a massive scale,” said Higareda, looking down at Kikito in her lap. “But that’s OK, because I have him here always, reminding me why I fight.”

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CULTURE | ART

SEEN LOCAL BORDER PARKING

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nother San Diego architecture firm has entered the ring with hopes to alter the U.S.Mexico border. However, its idea is to build a bi-national park, not a wall. Last week, the local coalition Friends of Friendship Park announced that it’s teaming with Public Architecture and Planning to propose turning Friendship Park into a real park accessible to both nations.

“The venue was created with this in mind—that the people of the United States and Mexico should be able to meet in friendship and solidarity,” says Friends of Friendship Park member John Fanestil.

Friendship Park is a heavily regulated area that allows friends and family to communicate across the San DiegoTijuana border only through a dense, metal mesh fence and only at certain times designated by U.S. Border Patrol. The coalition’s proposal would peel back these barriers to create a grassy, multi-acre park with points of entry from both countries. Ideally, the park would include a pier that lines the border and reaches into the Pacific Ocean, says James Brown of Public Architecture and Planning.

“It could be a very beautiful place, a fantastic message, especially at this time,” he says.

At one point, there wasn’t a barrier at Friendship Park. But over time, the Department of Homeland Security drastically increased security measures to the point where there are now two fences, separated by a zone permissible only to U.S. Border Patrol.

“The last couple of decades have been a process of tightening, closing and militarizing this section of the border, but we do feel there’s a turning point now and an opportunity to open that back up and return to the park’s original purTORREY BAILEY pose,” Fanestil says.

The coalition is launching a series of community forums on both sides of the border. The first one will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 2 at First United Methodist Church in Mission Valley.

Friends of Friendship Park also started a Change.org petition that’s addressed to both James Brown Donald Trump and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Such bi-national parks already exist at the U.S.Canada border, so the coalition says the idea isn’t as fantastical as some may initially believe.

“We know it’s a change of the public mind that we’re after,” says Fanestil, “A change of the public imagination.”

—Torrey Bailey

NOT A ONE-HIT WONDER

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fter nearly a month-long extension, Wonder- tual reality, as well as large-scale installations that spaces will finally head out of San Diego next encouraged attendees to directly interact with the month. The pop-up, interactive art exhibit pieces. CityBeat Editor in Chief Seth Combs described that appeared in Mission Valley for a limited time this the inaugural Wonderspaces as “a neat experience past summer is on its way to Austin, Texas for its first and a clever marketing experiment, but it’s really just a carnival fun house disguised as culture.” tour stop.

Throughout summer, Wonderspaces had set up a However, this isn’t the last San Diego will see of Wonderspaces. Co-founders Jason Shin and Patrick large white tent across the street from Mission Valley’s brand new Civita Park.

Charles say they will open a EMMANUEL ACUA PHOTOGRAPHY Whether the unoccupied lot new exhibit here this winter, will again host Wonderspaces and possibly several more is undecided, although Shin after that. says they’re open to the idea. “[San Diego] is a place Otherwise, the winter Wonthat we would love to be derspaces will be held at a loaround for a longer time,” cation with similar qualities, says Shin. “Our goal now is meaning a large space that alto create relationships in lows for outside installations.

San Diego that are for the As of now, Shin’s focus is long term.” staffing. Since Wonderspaces While the group is still settling details, the winter Wonderspaces was only meant to be a oneoff event in each city, they’re exhibit will feature all-new art likely designed by different artists than those who searching for more permanent employees.

“We got really lucky with the team that we put participated in the first show. Shin says that the common theme connecting each of the installations will together,” says Shin. “In recognition of our good fortune this summer, and the importance that we put again be “extraordinary” experiences.

“I don’t mean extraordinary in its sort of casual into the team that runs the show, we want to be very positive connotation,” he says. “I don’t mean it as a intentional about finding really great people and insynonym for good. I mean it as something that is actu- vesting in training and creating a work environment ally out of the ordinary. We want to create an overall that is not limited to one summer’s run.” experience… that takes them out of the day-to-day.”

In the last show, such experiences included vir —Torrey Bailey

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SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

CULTURE | FILM

Service industry

Ex Libris - The New York Public Library

Two great new films showcase thriving humanity within community institutions

by Glenn Heath Jr.

T

he collective strength of any community can tion. Captive audiences listen to lively interviews with be traced back to the successes and failures of Elvis Costello, Patti Smith and Ta-Nehisi Coates that its social institutions. Oftentimes, these insti- touch on subjects ranging from philosophy and artistic tutions are seen as monolithic entities and depicted inspiration to black disenfranchisement and historical as inefficient bureaucracies rather than hallmarks of revisionism. While these larger events take place at the public service. Combatting this impression are the famed Schwarzman Building in Midtown Manhattan, impassioned civil servants working (and subverting) musical recitals, job expos, student learning groups from within the system. Collectively, they exhibit the and early child development sing-a-longs unfold at courage to push an agenda where the welfare of peo- smaller branches in Queens, the Bronx and Harlem.

In Wiseman’s mind, glitzy soirees and grassroots orple precedes all other priorities.

Two new films by master directors, both opening at ganizing events are equal parts of the same organism.

Wiseman’s patient, curious camera pays the same the Digital Gym Cinema on Friday, Sept. 29, examine the tireless work of such relentless individuals, albeit respect to its subjects as they do to each other. People listen attentively without interruption or applaud as through very different lenses.

Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris: The New York Public ideas are presented, an almost alien construct nowLibrary doesn’t center on one particular person but a adays. The loud, hectic world may still exist, but Ex Libris refuses to accept that single ideology shared by a cynicism or dismissiveness collective of professionals: should be the status quo. that education is a right, not EX LIBRIS At its core, this is a hopea privilege. Like most of the THE NEW YORK ful film concerned with the director’s work, it is an epic equal proliferation and acdocumentary that feels conPUBLIC LIBRARY cess of information, or as sistently intimate. Clocking Directed by Frederick Wiseman one library director says, in at over three hours but Not Rated “quality content,” a term passing by in a flash, the that has infinite definitions. film seamlessly drifts from And while there may be one intimate conversation THE UNKNOWN many strategies and pathto another, tirelessly scanGIRL ways toward achieving this ning the rhythmic intrigoal, human compassion cacies of multiple library Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes and empathy remain the branches with different fiStarring Adèle Haenel, Olivier Bonnaud, constant of which all worthy nancial needs and commuJérémie Renier and Olivier Gourmet partnerships, collaborations nity stakeholders.

Not Rated and presentations are built.

Similar to Wiseman’s If Ex Libris surveys instiNational Gallery and At tutional machinations from Berkeley, Ex Libris confronts the challenges and policy changes inherent to run- an objective perch, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s ning a mega-non-profit in the digital age. Lengthy The Unknown Girl does so subjectively through the staff meetings about budget allocations, digital equal- perspective of one conflicted young woman. Dr. Jenny ity and marketing reveal what has become a delicate Davin (Adèle Haenel) is just beginning her career in balancing act of sustaining programs while develop- the medical field, covering low-income patients at her ing new initiatives to target underserved audiences. mentor’s community clinic before moving her talents The push-pull between private sponsorship and pub- to an upscale practice. During one particularly gruellic needs also becomes a recurring theme, bridging ing day of appointments, Jenny hears the front door challenges of identity and purpose with the library’s buzzer nearly an hour after closing time. Jenny orders historical origins dating back to billionaire Andrew her assistant Julien (Olivier Bonnaud) not to answer the door, a decision with consequences that will reverCarnegie.

Not surprisingly, the film’s most stirring moments berate throughout the film. occur while watching various library programs in ac-

FILM CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

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CULTURE | FILM

The Unknown Girl

FILM CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20 The next day police come calling about a dead body found near Jenny’s office and, sure enough, security footage reveals that it was the same person looking for refuge the night before. Wracked with guilt, Jenny begins her own investigation into the incident with the hopes of identifying the Jane Doe. This pursuit inevitably alters her priorities and she’s drawn closer to a community in need and further away from a career defined by ambition and politics.

On the surface, The Unknown Girl might not seem as political or stylistically immediate as some of the Dardenne brothers’ most critically acclaimed work. But to dismiss it as merely conventional would be wrongheaded; it’s a deeply felt and

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nuanced drama fueled by subtle acts of empathy. As Jenny makes a number of house calls to sickly community members, she embodies the ideal patient advocate that stands up against the impersonal greed of for-profit medical practices.

Central to this idea is the act of listening. Similarly to Wiseman’s fly-on-the-wall approach, the Dardennes value duration as it relates to diagnosis. Jenny doesn’t just assess her patients; she actually spends time getting to know them, stepping in when necessary to make their lives better. Pity has nothing to do with her motives, as she is driven more by the spirit of community, much like the groundlevel librarians and program managers of Ex Libris.

The Unknown Girl has a thing for phone calls, intercoms and voice-

mails, as if to recognize that in the digital age all forms of communication must be strong in order to serve the public. But nothing can replace the power of face-to-face communication. The absence of one such interaction provides the film with its fateful inciting incident, giving Jenny’s determined activism a haunted quality. Every other conversation has an element of subdued urgency founded in human concern.

The graceful final moments of The Unknown Girl evoke the parting words of author Edmund de Waal, who quotes Jewish chemist and writer Primo Levi at the end of Ex Libris: “ The manner of what we make defines us.” Both films agree that institutional service should not be separate from the humanity it takes to do the job well. One will not thrive without the other.

Film reviews run weekly.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

OPENING American Made: Based on a true story, Doug Liman’s action comedy features Tom Cruise as an airplane pilot who is recruited by the C.I.A. to smuggle drugs into the U.S. Battle of the Sexes: Depicts the famed 1973 tennis match between feminist Billie

Jean King (Emma Stone) and chauvinist Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell).

Brad’s Status: In this comedy from writer/ director Mike White, Ben Stiller plays a father who develops an inferiority complex while touring colleges with his teenage son.

Ex Libris: The New York Public Library: Frederick Wiseman’s latest epic documentary explores the various branches, programs, and patrons of the New York Public Library. Opens Friday, Sept. 29, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Flatliners: Five death-obsessed medical students embark on a daring experiment in this remake of the 1990 thriller.

The King’s Choice: As the German war machine advances on Oslo in April 1940, the Norwegian King must make a choice that will change his country forever. Opens Friday, Sept. 29, at the Ken Cinema.

The Unknown Girl: A social justice drama about a young community doctor who tries to discover the identity of a woman who died mysteriously near her clinic.

Opens Friday, Sept. 29, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Victoria & Abdul: In Stephen Frears’ drama, Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk (Ali Fazal).

Year by the Sea: Karen Allen stars in this comedy romance about an empty nester retreating to Cape Cod with the hopes of freeing herself from all life’s worries.

Opens Friday, Sept. 29, at Angelika Film Centers—Carmel Mountain.

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

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

NICK FANCHER

MUSIC

Chelsea Wolfe helsea Wolfe has taken her music into a lot of strange, interesting and sometimes contradictory places throughout her career. Early on, she made lo-fi dark folk on a shoestring budget with 2010’s The Grime and The Glow, building up the pervasive gothic eeriness that would become a signature aesthetic for her.

She’s since delved into synth-laden darkwave, doom metal and intense, thudding industrial styles, all of which came together on her ambitious 2015 album Abyss.

For all of the different experimental and stylistic routes that Wolfe has taken over the years, the music has maintained a continuous trajectory. Every time she releases new music, it somehow ends up sounding heavier and louder than anything before it.

This holds true for her newly released sixth album, Hiss Spun. It’s heavy alright, with crunchy guitars and booming drums pushing it that much closer to being a proper metal album. Almost all of its 12 tracks seem ready to be fitted with their own denim vest and pentagram patch. It’s no wonder, then, that Wolfe has increasingly been performing at metal-centric festivals such as Roadburn and Psycho Las Vegas.

Given the direction she’s taken, it’s been a long time since Wolfe last stripped away the overdrive and strummed an acoustic guitar. Yet she suggests those days aren’t entirely behind her.

“I have two sides,” she says, “one quiet and hermitic, one aggressive and confrontational. I oscillate between the two and sometimes combine them. In 2014 I thought maybe I’d write another acoustic album, but then I did an acoustic tour and found that I was uncomfortable up there, and wasn’t enjoying holding back. I wanted to fill the space with sound and create big atmospheres. I’m sure I’ll return to folk music at some point, but for now I’m just following this heaviness I need to get out.”

Heaviness abounds on Hiss Spun, released last week via Sargent House. Kurt Ballou, guitarist for Massachusetts hardcore band Converge, produced the album, and while it’s probably the most accessible, popfriendly album with his name in the credits, it’s still a beast. A lot of that has to do with the personnel involved, including Queens of the Stone Age guitarist Troy Van Leeuwen and Sumac vocalist Aaron Turner (formerly of metal band Isis), who lends his guttural bark to the post-punk-doom standout “Vex.”

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

There are only a handful of moments on the album that aren’t cranked to 11, and those that do offer listeners a breather, like “Static Hum,” are often building up to something furious and grandiose.

Hiss Spun is heavy in another way, however. While Wolfe sometimes indulges in escapism, this album finds her addressing some more personal traumas, albeit in a somewhat cryptic way. On the ominous industrial pulse of “The Culling,” she alludes to darkness within her family (“I’ll never tell the secrets of my family/ Bled out/ A cult of anonymity”), and elsewhere she touches upon feelings of depression and loved ones being overcome by addiction. It’s dark stuff, but it comes from a more intimate place than before.

Wolfe has often been hesitant to speak openly about such intensely personal issues, but a recent move brought her closer to her family and people she grew up with.

This meant she was also closer to some of the people and places that haunt her, so it was inevitable that it would come out in her music.

“I moved back to Northern California last year, not too far from where I grew up, so I was spending more time with old friends and family,” she says. “That dug up a lot of memories and unfinished business, so I ended up channeling a lot of that into this album.

“I don’t think about [my music] being cathartic, but for this album, I was definitely going into some personal territory and I wrote about my own struggles with anxiety, addiction and ill health,” she adds. “Writing about it became a catalyst to move on from some of it and try to approach things in a healthier way. I want to be stronger than the song.”

Perhaps because of the intense feelings that went into many of the songs on the album, Wolfe counteracted some of the anxiety and devastation by including songs that sound a lot more fun than her earlier darkwave reputation might have suggested. So while tracks such as “16 Psyche” and “Spun” are loud, furious rock songs, they’re also catchy, hard-hitting songs that sound like they were written for the purpose of putting on a badass rock show. That’s the funny thing about playing loud, heavy music: It’s a really good time. And Wolfe agrees.

“I wanted to make a rock ‘n’ roll album, and I wanted to write some escapist songs,” she says. “While I was in-between houses last year, I was staying with family and didn’t have much personal space. I set up a little bedroom studio and was writing a lot in headphones, reminding me of that feeling of being a teenager and using music to escape your surroundings.”

Having made the journey from goth-folk singer/songwriter to doom-metal priestess, Chelsea Wolfe has ended up in a much different place than where she began, though she could just as easily trade those heavy guitars for a different sound entirely on the next album.

She’s been embraced by both goth crowds and metal audiences, though that never factors into her own artistic choices. If she’s ready to commit to an idea, then she will.

“I decided not to put myself in a box a long time ago,” she says. “At this point, I’m just going for it regardless.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and follow him on Twitter at @1000TimesJeff

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september 27, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY

A

group of parents and volunteers associated private donations and concessions at School of Rock with School of Rock San Diego have just concerts, and the next show will be a concert of Jimi launched a new nonprofit, Rock Out Schol- Hendrix songs at The Irenic on Friday, Nov. 3. For now, it’s still getting off the arship Fund. It’s a 501(c)3 pubCOURTESY OF SCHOOL OF ROCK ground, but Coady hopes to see lic charity that helps provide its funding streams grow in the funding for children 17-andfuture. under to attend music classes “We have a limited process at School of Rock San Diego and at this point,” she says. “It’s School of Rock Encinitas. Funda volunteer-driven thing, but ing is awarded based on need hopefully soon we’ll be able to and applicants are asked to explore more avenues to help send a letter to the organization drive funding.” explaining why they should be Coady is a parent herself, considered for a scholarship, as with children who have attendwell as a letter from the parent ed School of Rock classes. But on why they’d like their child to beyond working with School of attend School of Rock classes.

Rock firsthand, she emphasizes Meridith Coady, spokesperthe importance of music educason and co-founder of the Rock tion and the impact it might poOut Scholarship Fund, says that tentially have on kids. the idea to start up a nonprofit “I think we all want to bring happened a few years ago, when music education to as many kids a student almost dropped out as we can, regardless of their because of a financial hardship. ability to pay,” she says. “I work “About three years ago we with foster kids, and sometimes had a family that was going through tough times and had School of Rock when a kid just finds that one thing that really speaks to them, to withdraw,” she says. “Informally, a group of parents chipped in to help out so he that they want to pursue... to have that opportunity, it can change their life.” wouldn’t have to give up School of Rock.”

The scholarships will be primarily funded through

—Jeff Terich

ALBUM REVIEW Big Bloom Decomposure (Self-released)

B

ig Bloom is an easy band to root for. Their music is overflowing with energy, they never half-ass their hard-rocking live shows, and they have a pretty serious work ethic in general. The one thing that seemed to be missing was that one really excellent recording. Decomposure is the band’s most substantial release to date, even though it clocks in well under half an hour. But this is upbeat, manic rock ‘n’ roll we’re talking about here—no need to go overboard.

Decomposure is also the best set of songs that Big Bloom have released, and part of that is because it gives the listener the illusion of sitting in on a group of musicians tearing it up in the same room, making some wonderful noise in real time. “Gun to Your Head,” for instance, wastes no time in exploding into a big, fuzzy punk rock song loaded with attitude and fire. “Lunch Maker” is similarly blown-out and psychedelic, with fuzz and weirdo effects dialed up to the extreme while vocalist Katie Howard lets loose with an admirably ballsy performance. Even when the band lets off the accelerator

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

a bit, as they do on “Why,” nothing is ever too polished or softened. Big Bloom is a band whose mission is rocking the fuck out, and that’s what they do best here.

The closing track on Decomposure is a bluesy take on Neil Young’s “Don’t Let It Bring You Down” (changed to “Don’t Let It Bring Me Down,” for some reason) and they do a pretty good job with it.

But it’s nowhere near as memorable as when they lean into the sleaze, as best showcased on the one-two punch of “Thirst for Blood” and “Sex in the Bathroom.”

San Diego certainly has way too many garage- and surf-rock bands as it is, and Big Bloom’s take isn’t a radical reinvention by any means. But by sheer virtue of the speed, volume and fury they put behind it, it’s a lot of fun to listen to and they set the bar a bit higher as a result. Big Bloom plays rock ‘n’ roll with both conviction and irreverence, and Decomposure captures that in 25 blistering minutes.

—Jeff Terich @SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27

PLAN A: Zombie Barbie, Ultima Circo, Darks of Heaven @ The Merrow. We’re getting closer to Halloween, so why not get the week started with some kitchy, horrorthemed machine punk? ‘Tis the season.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 28

PLAN A: Perfume Genius, Kristin Kontrol @ House of Blues. Perfume Genius’ No Shape is a lovely album of art pop that’s reminiscent of Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel. Big shoes to fill, I realize, but Genius’ Mike Hadreas is holding his own. PLAN B: Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Petyr, Los Shadows, DJs Mike Turi and Andrew McGranahan @ Soda Bar. Here’s a stacked night of psychedelic and garage bands, including the disorientingly fuzzy Frankie and the Witch Fingers and local heavyweights Petyr, each of whom will bring lots of loud, disorienting vibes.

INEZ & VINOODH

out Nicole Sazegar’s cover story on Jay Som from last week. Her new album Everybody Works is a dreamy, upbeat indie pop gem that I can’t stop playing. PLAN B: Adams Avenue Street Fair w/ The Creepy Creeps, Gary Wilson and the Blind Dates, Le Chateau @ Adams Ave. The long-running festival returns with lots of great local bands, and it’s still free. It’s one of the best reasons to look forward to fall each year. PLAN C: The Pains of Being Pure At Heart, The Courtneys, The Prids @ The Loft at UCSD. The elusive Plan C! I couldn’t leave out this band, who, despite their ridiculous name, won me over long ago with their fuzzy, tuneful songs. BACKUP PLAN: Exasperation, Sixes, Polish @ Bar Pink.

SUNDAY, OCT. 1

PLAN A: Algiers, Blood Ponies @ Soda Bar. Nepotism alert! Yes, my band is playing this show and ordinarily I wouldn’t be this shameless. But Algiers released one of the best albums of the year, and their politically charged post-punk is not to be missed.

PLAN B: Adams Avenue Street Fair w/ The Donkeys, The Midnight Pine, Oh Spirit @ Adams Ave. Earlier in the day, make sure to catch day two of this great, free, all-ages festival. BACKUP PLAN: The Shins, Spoon, Day Wave @ Open Air Theatre.

MONDAY, OCT. 2

Perfume Genius

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29

PLAN A: Quali, Witness 9, Runs Deep, DJ Jon Blaj @ Whistle Stop. Quali is one of the best shoegaze/noise pop groups in town, and they’re releasing a new album. This also happens to be the launch of new label Sensitive, so this’ll be the start of something cool in San Diego. PLAN B: Benjamin Booker, She Keeps Bees @ Belly Up Tavern. Benjamin Booker’s music is a cool blend of soul, blues, rock, folk and gospel, and though it involves no reinvention of the wheel, he’s an excellent songwriter and a great live performer. BACKUP PLAN: Widowspeak, Clearance, Soft Lions @ SPACE.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30

PLAN A: Jay Som, Madeline Kenney @ Soda Bar. In case readers missed it, check

@SDCITYBEAT

PLAN A: Chelsea Wolfe, Youth Code @ Belly Up Tavern. Read my feature this week on doomy darkwave queen Chelsea Wolfe, whose new album Hiss Spun kicks major ass.

PLAN B: Sheer Mag, Tenement, Santa Ana Knights @ Soda Bar. Sheer Mag are a DIY success story. The band’s self-released rock ‘n’ roll protest records are as much fun as one can have while sticking it to the man.

BACKUP PLAN: Middle Kids, Andrew St. James @ The Casbah.

TUESDAY, OCT. 3

PLAN A: Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nas @ Open Air Theatre. I’m recommending this show with slight reservation, only because Lauryn Hill has had some shows get weird and frustrating in recent years. Regardless, with her and Nas on the same stage, audiences will still see two of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. PLAN B: The Blow, Astral Touch @ Soda Bar. Portland-based lap-pop band The Blow aren’t the most prolific group, but whenever they release a new set of bleepy tunes, they’re always great. BACKUP PLAN: Low Volts, Little Dove, Stephen El Rey @ The Casbah.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017· SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC

AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT COURTESY OF GABE VEGA

Lonely Boy at Shelter

Alive and well

A

bout five years ago, the nightlife scene in North County underwent a notable renaissance. Local DJ and promoter Gabe Vega was an influential player, throwing parties at The Saloon in Encinitas. He also reflects on weeknight parties being thrown up and down the North County coast at places such as Zenbu, 1st Street Bar and Yogi’s.

Yogi’s is now closed and elsewhere, DJs are mostly reserved for weekends.

“It started dying out because everyone was kind of doing DJs,” says Vega. “When we first started it, it was just us. People started throwing tons of parties, and there were DJs everywhere pretty much throughout the week.”

Vega says Alive, his Thursday party at Shelter (540 S. Coast Hwy. 101), is the only branded and promoted house music event left on weekdays, and it caters to the local house community that grew out of the 2012 revival. Specifically, he credits a night at Yogi’s called Jungle for inspiring a new crop of local DJs. Jungle was hosted by the now successfully touring Desert Hearts crew, of which several members are from North County.

“A lot of the kids back then were looking up to these guys, and they finally kind of learned how to DJ and do their own thing,” Vega says. “They’ve grown up to be probably 23 or 22, and they’re all DJing.

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

They’re a big part of the house scene in San Diego and quite a bit of the guys are in North County.”

Vega says he’s crafted Alive to be a spot where these aspiring DJs can book their first gigs. But it gained the attention of San Diegans after Vega’s former Alive partner Derek Coulter suggested filling in some nights with big-name, international headliners. Since then, Lonely Boy, Tara Brooks and Dennis Cruz have graced the Thursday night slot.

This Thursday, Sept. 28 the Spanish-born, L.A.based DJ TÂCHES is up, further piquing the interest of house music lovers in San Diego.

“When we do bigger acts, people get more curious about the night, but it is a long drive,” Vega says. “So if they’re going to make that drive, they’re going to make it when it’s a bigger name.”

But he says making the drive is worthwhile for those looking for a more personal setting. The DJs will hang out in the booths and chat with the people who came to see them. Sometimes, they even walk to Filiberto’s with them for food.

“At the end of the night at Shelter, they’re right there,” says Vega. “They get off the little stage that we have, and everyone is hanging out and talking to figure out if there’s somewhere to go play more music.”

—Torrey Bailey

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

The Creepy Creeps (Casbah, 10/28), Zombie Surf Camp (Casbah, 10/30), Truckfighters (Soda Bar, 11/5), The Sounds (Observatory, 11/14), True Widow (Soda Bar, 11/30), Nicole Atkins (Soda Bar, 12/5), Yung Lean (Observatory, 1/17), Jessica Lea Mayfield (Casbah, 1/24), tobyMAC (Viejas Arena, 2/8), Walk the Moon (HOB, 2/8), Willie Watson (Casbah, 2/22), Celebrating David Bowie (Balboa Theatre, 3/6).

RESCHEDULED Black Star (Observatory, 10/31).

GET YER TICKETS 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

@SDCITYBEAT

(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), George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (Observatory, 10/23), 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), Black Heart Procession (Casbah, 11/4), ‘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), Diarrhea Planet (Soda Bar, 11/17), Guttermouth (Brick by Brick, 11/18), Mogwai (Observatory, 11/20), New Found Glory (HOB, 11/25), Syd (Observatory, 12/2), Pere Ubu (Soda Bar, 12/8), Jamila Woods (Soda Bar, 12/9), 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, 12/22-23), Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven (BUT, 12/27), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/28), Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (BUT, 12/29-30), Milky Chance (HOB, 1/8), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (HOB, 1/15), Josh Ritter (BUT, 1/16), Wolf Parade (Observatory, 1/23), Margo

Price (BUT, 3/3), Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark (HOB, 3/31), Steven Wilson (HOB, 5/13).

SEPTEMBER WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27 Bleachers at Observatory North Park.

Draco Rosa at Music Box. Pine Mountain Logs at Birch Aquarium. Zombie Barbie at The Merrow.

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. 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.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017· SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

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.

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.

28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

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, 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.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18 Café Tacuba at Observatory North Park.

Arcade Fire at Viejas Arena. Little Steven and the Disciples at Humphreys by the Bay. Eddie Izzard at Balboa Theatre.

Allah-Las at Music Box. The Strypes at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, OCT. 19 City of Caterpillar, Thou at Soda Bar. The Bronx at The Casbah. Gojira at Observatory North Park. Mastodon at House of Blues. Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie at Humphreys by the Bay.

FRIDAY, OCT. 20 Tegan and Sara at Balboa Theatre.

KMFDM at House of Blues. Penny & Sparrow at Music Box. The Kooks at Observatory North Park. Michael Nau at Soda Bar. JR JR at The Irenic.

SATURDAY, OCT. 21 Nick Murphy at Observatory North Park.

Echosmith at Music Box. Jimmy Buffett at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre.

SUNDAY, OCT. 22 A$AP Mob at Observatory North Park (sold out). Carla Morrison at Humphreys by the Bay. Have Mercy at The Irenic.

MONDAY, OCT. 23 Red Fang at The Casbah. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic at Observatory North Park.

TUESDAY, OCT. 24 Hanson at House of Blues. Alice Glass at Observatory North Park. Real Estate at Music Box. M. Ward at Belly Up Tavern.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’. Fri: Joey Harkum, Oak Palace, Casey Turner. Sat: Chugboat, Fanny and the Atta Boys. Tue: Krooktone Classics.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: DJ Chris Freeman. Thu: ‘Libertine’ w/ DJ Jon Wesley. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech.

Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Karma, Alice.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Sam Wiles. Fri: Lavell Crawford. Sat: Lavell Crawford.

Sun: Lavell Crawford.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Sat: Hanz Crypt, Steeltoe, Force of Wrath.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Lee Burridge. Sat: Breakbot. Sun: Enter.Sake, Richie Hawtin, Hito & Lee K. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park.

Wed: Rock Lotto. Thu: Phantoms, DJ L. Sat: Exasperation, Sixes, Polish.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: BPeace. Fri: Amy & the Unknown. Sat: Emotional Rescue.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Judith Hill, Na-

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC talya. Thu: Moon Taxi, Too Many Zooz.

Fri: Benjamin Booker, She Keeps Bees.

Sat: J. Roddy Walston and the Business, Mrs. Henry. Sun: Citizen Cope.

Mon: Chelsea Wolfe, Youth Code. Tue: Gavin DeGraw (sold out).

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: William Driskill, Noel Jordan, Patrick Dennis. Fri: Joey Harris and the Mentals, Killer Hz. Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ DJ Ideal.

Thu: ‘Sabor’. Fri: ‘Through Being Cool’.

Sat: ‘Lovelife Anniversary Afterparty’.

Sun: Gerd Janson, Prins Thomas. Tue: Badabing, Parade of Horribles, Sculpins.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Thu: Shocks of Mighty. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Wed: Motograter, 3000PSI, Warpath, Dead Serial Killers. Thu: Superjoint, Devildriver, King Parrot, Cane Hill, Child Bite, Contortion. Fri: Superjoint, Devildriver, King Parrot, Cane Hill, Child Bite, Convent. Sat: ‘Rock Goddess Tribute Night’. Mon: ‘Metal Monday’. Tue: Dark Tranquility, Warbringer, Striker, Helsott, DVT. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: DJ Artistic’s Hip-Hop Battle Bot. Thu: Lauren Ruth Ward, Vista Kicks, Veronica Bianqui. Fri: Black Kids, Le Vice. Sat: Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, DJ Al Howard. Sun: The Night Howls, Half Car Garage, Hurricane Kate. Mon: Middle Kids, Andrew St. James. Tue: Low Volts, Little Dove, Stephen El Rey. Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: Wild Rumour. Sat: TNT.

@SDCITYBEAT

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Downtown. Fri: John Reynolds Septet.

The Courtneys, Prids. Mon: ‘Blabbermouth’. Tue: Salsa y Salsa.

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

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

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Sophisticats. Fri: Ron’s Garage. Sat: Ron’s Garage.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: DJs John Joseph, Kinky Loops.

Thu: DJ K-Swift. Fri: DJs Drew G, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs K-Swift, Taj. Sun: DJ Hektik.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Miles Medina. Sat: DJ Amen.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Thu: DJ Yodah. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: ‘Rock Star Saturday’. Tue: The Stilettos.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: I Don’t Know How but They Found Me, Super Whatever. Thu: Perfume Genius, Kristin Kontrol. Fri: Josh Abbott Band, Charlie Worsham.

Sat: Boyce Avenue, Madilyn Bailey, Megan Davies. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Trade Winds. Thu: Marie Haddad. Fri: Detroit Underground. Sat: Beta Maxx, The Reflectors. Sun: Luv A lot. Mon: Mercedes Moore. Tue: Michele Lundeen.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Thu: Tennyson, Photay. Fri: Hellogoodbye, Chris Farren, Family of Geniuses.

Mon: Four Year Strong, Seaway, Like Pacific, Grayscale.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: ‘Midnight (In a Perfect World)’. Thu: ‘Scales’. Fri: ‘Purps and Turqs’. Sat: Kaminanda, Kompozart.

Sun: Mon: Tue: Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: We Are One, Marian Mulock.

Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. Thu: ‘Dark Nights Bright Lights’.

Sat: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart,

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Zombie Barbie, Ultima Circo, Darks of Heaven. Fri: Eken is Dead, Skipjack, Critical Me, A Hero Within, No Skill Required. Sat: RDG, The Whiskey Circle, The Oxen, The Gift Machine.

Sun: ‘The Playground’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore. Tue: The Rogue Pilots, The Surf Farmers.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Ghost Riders. Fri: Black Cherry Lightnin’. Sat: Tower 7. Sun: Tony Ortega Jazz Jam. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: Draco Rosa. Thu: Foxygen, Midnight Sister. Fri: ‘An Electronic Gift for Mexico City’. Sat: Mura Masa. Sun: Cut Copy (DJ set), Chris Lake, Cooper Saver. Tue: Robert Earl Keen, Sara Petite.

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

Wed: ‘One Two Three’ w/ DJ EdRoc. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: Sat: Sun: Mon: Tue: OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Bonnie x Clyde. Fri: Matoma. Sat: Mak J. Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Fri: The Midnight Pine, Rebecca Jade and the Cold Fact. Sun: Robert Dove.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Crespo. Sat: IKON. Plaza Bar at Westgate Hotel, 1055 2nd Ave., Downtown. Fri: Gilbert Castel-

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Alvino and the Dwells.

Fri: Chickenbone Slim. Sat: TikiTronic.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Acoustic Revolt.

Sat: Clint Westwood.

Seven Grand, 3054 University San Diego. Wed: The Diamonds.

Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: Sol Orchid.

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

Ave., Thu: Sat: Mon-

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: The Accidentals, Liquorsmiths, Jake Allen. Thu: Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Petyr, Los Shadows, DJs Mike Turi, Andrew McGranahan.

Fri: Y La Bamba, Monogem, Stephanie Brown and the Surrealistics. Sat: Jay Som, Madeline, Kenney. Sun: Algiers, Blood Ponies. Mon: Sheer Mag, Tenement, Santa Ana Knights. Tue: The Blow, Astral Touch.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Fri: Slaves, SECRETS, Out Come The Wolves, Picturesque, ASCENSIONS. Sat: Ice Nine Kills, Capsize, Lorna Shore, Legions, Amaya Lights.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Widowspeak, Clearance, Soft Lions. Sat: ‘The Stomp’ w/ Funk Freaks.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri:

Xtra, DJ Rap, Dela Moontribe. Sat: Patrick Topping, KiNK. Sun: Solardo, Latmun + Detlef.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Burlesque Boogie Nights. Sun: ‘Too Sad to Be Mad’.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Thu: BAT, Blade Killer, Execution, Invocation War. Sat: Hot Rod De Mink, DJs Betty Bangs, Wicho, Fast Eddie. Sun: Pants Karaoke.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Noah Rickertsen. Thu: Cairo Knifefight.

Fri: Keep Your Soul, Chad & Rosie. Sat: Keep Your Soul. Sun: Kenny and Deez.

Tue: Evan Diamond Goldberg.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park.

Thu: Bill Magee Blues Band. Fri: Big Time Operator. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: The Devils of Loudun, Morphesia. Fri: Loz Feliz, Nowhereland.

Sat: Dethsurf, Goldettes, Shantyannes.

Sun: The Decline, Caskitt, Surface Report, Ash Williams.

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

Wed: ‘Yes Lawd!’. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: DJ XP. Sat: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Tue: ’31 Flavors’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: Riff City Comedy. Thu: ‘Vamp’. Fri: Quali, Witness 9, Runs Deep, DJ Jon Blaj. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: Psydecar, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Tropidelic. Fri: Electric Waste Band. Sat: Crystal Garden, Organ Freeman.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017· SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29

LAST WORDS | ADVICE

AMY ALKON

ADVICE

Loathe Story

GODDESS

My boyfriend who dumped me says he wants to be friends (talk to me, see me sometimes), but I’m not ready for that because I’m still in love with him. A female co-worker said that if he can be friends, he was never in love with me to begin with—that if he’d really loved me, he’d hate me now. Is this true?

—Feeling Worse

According to your office Socrates, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways” should be answered with “I slashed your tires. I sprinkled a strong laxative in your latte. And I’m looking forward to chasing you down the street while waving highly realistic replicas of scary medieval weapons…”

Romantic love actually comes in two flavors—“passionate” and “companionate”— explains social psychologist Elaine Hatfield.

Passionate love is the initial “wildly emotional,” lusty kind that wanes over time.

Companionate love, on the other hand, in-

volves “friendly affection and deep attachment”—deep appreciation for who somebody is and what they do and believe in—and tends to have more staying power.

The difference between the two is best illustrated in relation to what we’ll call “car trouble.” Passionate love is what leads to the physics problem of how to have sex in a Porsche in your driveway (because going inside and doing it in the foyer instead would take too long). Companionate love likewise gets two people working out a physics problem in a car; however, it’s trying to collectively muster the NASA-level intelligence required to install an infant car seat.

Companionate love does sometimes lead to “I hate you! I hate you”-style loathing, but typically just when there’s been a betrayal.

But sometimes what people call love is really an unhealthy dependency with sparkly hearts painted on it—one person using the other as a sort of human grout, to fill the empty spaces in themselves so they can take a shortcut to feeling whole. In this situation, “I’m nothing without you!” really does feel

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

like the case, and who doesn’t hate a person who makes them feel like nothing?

However, real love doesn’t suddenly curdle into hate. If the respect and the “wow, you’re an amazeballs person” and all the rest was there, that remains as a base—even when the relationship tanks. Even so, this doesn’t necessarily mean you should convert your ex into your BFF. What you should do with respect to your ex—now and in the future—is whatever works for you, when it works for you. This may mean never seeing or speaking to your ex again—despite any “love becomes hate!” urging from your coworker that you owe him a scolding phone call: “If you’d ever really loved me, you’d want the best for me now—the best undetectable poison money can buy!”

Pi In The Face

Not to brag, but I’m a very intelligent woman with probably too many degrees.

I’m always thrilled when a guy says he’s seeking “a smart woman.” However, a guy who initially said that just stopped dating me because he finds my intelligence “emasculating.” Do all men feel this way?

Am I supposed to dumb it down to find a partner?

—Smarts Men don’t mind being corrected by a woman if it’s “Oooh, yes…a little more to the right”—not “I think you meant ‘whom,’ but hey, no judgments.”

The reality is, intellectually average women tend to have an easier time finding a partner. In research by social psychologist Lora E. Park, men imagining their hypothetical ideal partner expressed interest in a woman of high intelligence—even higher than their own. However, when they were in the same room with a woman and they were told she scored far better on a math test (getting 90 percent correct versus their 60 percent), the men were less interested in exchanging contact info or planning a date with her.

Park and her colleagues speculate—per research by evolutionary psychologists reflecting women’s preference for male partners who are higher-achieving than they are—that being intellectually “outperformed” by women leads men to experience “diminished feelings of masculinity.”

(Understandable—as nothing quite ignites romance like needing to coax your date out from under the couch: “Why are you hiding?

I promised not to hurt you with my mind!”)

The answer for you, as a very smart woman, isn’t dumbing down; it’s being selective about the men you date (while recognizing that there are brainiacs working as, say, cabinetmakers). Assuming you aren’t chasing guys away by lording over them—“Well, hello…intellectual earthworm!”—it’s probably best to narrow your search parameters to the highly intelligent: men who won’t feel like their IQ test results, in comparison with yours, would read something like “Water every other day, and place in indirect sunlight.”

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september 27, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 31