San Diego CityBeat • Oct 3, 2018

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Sean Elo for San Diego Community College Board

S

an Diego City College will always be part of my heart. It’s where I first went to school when I moved to San Diego. It was down the street where I had my first legal drink at… oh, geez, what was that place called? The Jewel Box? Yeah, let’s go with that.

I met my first San Diego girlfriend at City College and took my first post-high school journalism class.

Even now, nearly 20 years and a ton of expansion later, the campus is still a place I frequently visit for an art show or perhaps to interview a talented City Times reporter for an internship.

So one would think that when the elections come around for the San Diego City College District (SDCCD) Board of Trustees, I’d be very interested in who’s running and what their policies are for the future of a college I consider to be so invaluable to our city.

Meh, not so much. I think I had a passing interest when City College, with a little help from the city, cited eminent domain and pushed out some of my favorite neighboring businesses and one beloved bar so that the campus could continue to expand (RIP Landlord Jim’s—Gone, but never forgotten). For the most part, however, I’ve voted yes on their bonds for funds and did some research on the candidates for the five-member board of trustees. Past candidates have been run-of-the-mill and incumbents are rarely disagreeable. Even if they were, it’s not often the public ever catches wind of it since, like me, there’s not a ton of attention from the local media.

This is too bad. We all care about education and the fact of the matter is that one of the three community colleges in the SDCCD is where the majority of students in San Diego will start before moving on to a university. The closest thing I can compare the board to when it comes to another governmental agency is, perhaps, the County Board of Supervisors. They’re in charge of a lot of finances and make important decisions and advisements on how to spend that money.

All San Diego County voters, especially voters with kids, should care about these races.

“Most folks don’t know there’s over one hundred thousand students attending school in the community college district, it really is not something folks think about,” says Sean Elo, a nonprofit policy director who is running for the San Diego Community Col-

lege Board. “They don’t realize that it’s California’s second largest community college district so those two things should be a good indicator of just how big something is. But for why it matters… the answer to that usually surprises folks. I explain to them it’s personal for me because I started at community college.

It’s how I got my foot in the door for higher education.

For me, potentially going on to get a law degree. For many others, its breaking boundaries for their families and opening doors of opportunities and people really get that.”

The race and even the candidate himself has certainly received a lot of attention lately and it’s not just because Elo’s knocking on as many doors as he can.

His opponent in the race to replace retiring boardmember Peter Zschiesche is none other than City Councilemember David Alvarez, who ostensibly wants something to do while waiting to run for the Board of Supervisors in 2020.

That’s not to be wholly dismissive of Alvarez’s intentions here. And when it comes to the community college board, I don’t have any doubt that AlSean Elo varez could bring some valuable insight to the board from his experience on the council.

But let me paint a scenario here: If someone ran for city council or mayor and said that they only planned on serving two years (a year and a half, if you don’t count on the campaigning), because they had other, bigger plans already in the works, that would seem a little disingenuous, no? Wouldn’t we want someone who was in it for the long haul and who could focus solely on the job at hand?

That’s why CityBeat is endorsing Sean Elo for the San Diego Community College Board. I spoke with him for over 30 minutes the other day and found him to be hyper-knowledgeable of the issues facing the district, and he even surprised me with his passion for doing something immediately to assist homeless students (something we wrote about last year), making sure professors are compensated fairly and yes, realizing the dream that community college should absolutely be free for all who want to attend. I highly encourage readers to check out the full interview with him on sdcitybeat.com.

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is drinking beer with P.J. and Squee.

Volume 17 • Issue 7 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos STAFF WRITER Andrea Lopez-Villafaña COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker John R. Lamb Rhonda “Ro” Moore Alex Zaragoza

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

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

PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Interested in advertising?

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

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

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

San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2018.

3 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | LETTERS

WHOLE LOTTA FUCKIN LOVE FOR BELFER Aaryn, I read your article in CityBeat’s recent issue, “On behalf of women everywhere...” [Sept. 26] and I LOVED IT! It obviously spoke to me as a woman but it is exactly how I feel and what I want to say not just to all the horrible Republican men in office right now, but to the men in my life, at work, who are such assholes sometimes. Which is one of the reasons I am leaving my job. They are not all jerks, but having a safe space as a woman is so hard these days!

I just wanted to say that I hear you loud and clear. It takes courage to speak up for oneself as a woman and I also wish things were easier for us.

So thanks for writing this and I hope it inspires other women to speak up.

I voice my opinions a lot but have felt so many times marginalized, put down, felt unimportant around men that to this day it affects me and my career. I don’t know what the solution is because unfortunately they don’t get it. But like other women, I have hope that the future will be better. But we also have to start with ourselves and now, today! I am older now way past my 20s but nothing has changed, and as I look back at my childhood as well, I see how sexism has affected me, my mother and of course other women.

Thank you for reading this and again writing that awesome article. Especially with all the F-words. I wish men could just for a second see and feel what it is like to be a woman. But I am tired of wishing for them to change. It’s like I don’t want to be mad all the time about it but

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

ON THE

sometimes that is the only thing you can do when you see all this injustice. Have a nice day.

Ana

North Park

[last name withheld by request]

COVER

Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

***

News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

John Whiteman Mission Hills

***

Dear Ms. Belfer, Your column brought me to tears. Pain, yes, but relief and exultation at seeing our lives as girls and women so perfectly portrayed and so passionately defended. Thank you deeply for speaking for us all!

Peggy Rose Normal Heights

AND THEN THERE’S THIS GUY

41 F-bombs! Really? Did Aaryn let her kids read that article? She “knows” Kavanaugh is guilty because Ford said so, despite even a shred of evidence. Why even have a judicial system?

Maybe we should let whack jobs like Aaryn decide all cases. I wonder how Aaryn would feel if it was her husband and her family being attacked in a similar fashion with excessive malice and zero proof. Blind hatred helps no one.

UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Well, it looks like Aaryn Belfer has the “Column of the Year” award sewed up. Or should I say, abso-fuckin’-lutely sewed up.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Mark Clem Bay Park

There She Goz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Sordid Tales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

FOOD & DRINK Just as we found Jim Ruland’s piece on Ryan Griffith’s strangely surreal art room fascinating (see page 16), it was just as fascinating to learn about the man behind the photo of Griffith on our cover.

Barry Carlton has been a lawyer for most of his life, but was always passionate about photography, which has led him to take pictures of multiple Supreme Court justices. Recently retired from law, Carlton has seen Relics multiple times since 2017. “What fascinated me about the piece was that Ryan had created this whole world, one that, unlike regular theater, becomes the reality for the audience… you walk out into the world questioning reality.” For the picture of Griffith, Carlton says he wanted to accurately illustrate that unreality. “So my idea was to convey that somehow visually. It seemed to me that if I could place Ryan in the environment he had created, but make the character he had created transparent. It would convey the idea that the curator was something that had come from him.”

World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 FEATURE: Relics of the Hypnotist War. . . 17 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19-20

MUSIC FEATURE: Marissa Nadler. . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Notes From The Smoking Patio . . . . . . 22 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

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

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | OPINION

Vivian Moreno for City Council District 8

By Andrea Lopez-Villafaña

T

here is no denying that for years, the communities in District 8 have received the short end of the stick.

The candidates running to represent this district—which includes Barrio Logan, Greater Logan Heights, San Ysidro and Otay Mesa—know the history of the district well and although they have similar opinions on issues, it is their plans to actually tackle those problems that differentiate them.

Vivian Moreno is a resident of the South Bay and currently a community representative for current District 8 Councilmember David Alvarez. In many ways, Moreno represents the institutional choice in this race. She has experience and knows what steps need to be taken to address the issues that impact the district.

Antonio Martinez, a San Ysidro School District school board member and a director at a community clinic, is more the anti-establishment choice and while he has a clear understanding of the issues,

his plans to address them in real life were vague.

We spoke to both candidates on the most pressing topics in District 8 and their plans to address them if either should win the council seat.

On housing, Moreno explained that the city needs to expedite building projects and work together with developers. She added that, in District 8 in particular, there needs to be a push for buying as opposed to renting.

“We definitely need to get more renters to become buyers. So, we need to incentivize, and we can do that through the San Diego Housing Commission. They’re sitting on quarter million dollars. Let’s help get people to buy,” Moreno said.

On homelessness, Moreno echoed her boss’s sentiments that the responsibility does not solely fall on the city, and it is going to take working together with the Board of Supervisors, as well as the state, to find a solution. She added that, “the city of San Diego has a

Vivian Moreno lot of buildings that we could see as potential sites to house the homeless population... let’s get to the bottom of what’s happening (why is an individual homeless) and I think we can’t do that without permanent housing solutions.”

On environmental issues, Moreno explained that the council needs to prioritize capital improvement related infrastructure.

That is, not just roads, but sidewalks and bike lanes.

“The communities in District 8 have been left behind. You have roads that could have potentially been bike lanes, you have sidewalks that are in just horrible, horrible conditions, so why would you want to walk to the trolley, when you’re going to trip and fall... We need to get people out of their cars.”

On bringing more services to

the district she said, “you go to any community, you see parks that are looking good and the streets are looking fantastic and then you go into our district and you see three open lots that have been promised to our district as parks for 35 years... But we need to work with the working waterfront to lobby for these grants to free up the general funds to be able to address our parks and our sidewalks and different things that we need.”

“You know, I really want to bring it to the forefront and I really want to address it comprehensively and hopefully the council can do something especially about helping those kids get out of the transitional living environment.”

On environmental issues, Martinez said he plans to take a proactive approach by seeing how the city can work comprehensively with organizations that are already working to tackle the issues.

“I truly believe the solution to every problem lies with community comprehensive help so if we find a way to work together... and really putting our heads together and seeing how we can tackle some of these issues, including the environmental ones.”

On bringing city services to the district, Martinez explained that the communities need to get their “fair share” and that having a “clean slate” can help him in city council. He said, “I feel that one of my strengths is consensus building so I want to make sure that when

Antonio Martinez While Martinez had similar opinions to issues, his approach seemed to involve meetings with stakeholders and not concrete plans for achieving solutions.

On the issue of housing Martinez said he wants to tackle the issue comprehensively with all stakeholders involved. He added that there needed to be a balance with housing.

“If the person has a piece of land it’s their land and they want to build market rate housing that’s perfect, but if they’re using city subsidies to complete their project then they have to be responsible for in terms of development building some type of affordable housing for people in need.”

On homelessness, he said he wants to put a dent in the solution “whether it’s affordable housing or whether it’s really dealing with the issues of social service programs.”

He also raised the issue of homeless citizens who “you normally don’t see on the street” like transitional homeless.

@SDCITYBEAT

we win this in November going into city hall I want to have a good relationship with most if not all the council members including the mayor there.”

We’ll be honest, we initially leaned toward Martinez because he could eloquently explain his opinion on the problems the district faces, but we are now leaning Moreno because she already knows what steps need to be taken to provide results. When it comes to this district, it’s past the point of holding meetings and sitting down at the table to try to please everyone.

She is the right person for the job and the candidate we’re most confident will make sure that the neighborhoods in District 8 no longer receive the short end of the stick.

We will understand if readers and voters disagree and go for Martinez. We get it. But Moreno is ready and has a firm grasp on the issues. She will hit the ground running. We endorse Vivian Moreno for City Council in District 8.

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | VOICES

THERE SHE

ALEX ZARAGOZA

GOZ

There she goz to the Big City

T

here’s a ferret in a basket where I’m currently keeping all my bras and underwear. It’s burrowing deep into each haphazardly tossed fold of black cotton and lace—sniffing, clawing. I cautiously reach my hands around its furry, noodle-like body and lift its freakish little paws off my undies.

“Hey, uh, here’s your ferret,” I say with an awkward chillness and forced smile, pushing myself to ignore the possibility that my panties are now hosts to the plague. I hand the squirmy creature to its owner, my 23-year-old roommate—a musician and craftsman who eats scrambled eggs with burger buns and talks like Mick Jagger doing his best Muddy Waters impersonation.

He along with my other roommate—an emo 22-year-old who sings like an angel, unironically loves Jack Johnson and the Velvet Underground in equal measure but thinks Jarvis Cocker is a yuppie (My heart! No!)—both graciously helped me carry 150 pounds of luggage up a fourfloor Brooklyn walk-up. They assisted in building a plastic clothes rack that broke within a day, brought me cold medicine and every Sunday we have a little family dinner, cooked by me, around a rickety coffee table.

This is the start of my New York City story. Everyone who moves to this city has one, and now I do too. And with this I bittersweetly and with hot, hot tears stinging my eyes announce that I “Goz” no more. For six years I’ve shared my weirdo adventures, heartaches, joys, anger and ever-flowing river of feminist rants in this column, but the time has come for me to end it.

Writing “There She Goz” (a play on my last name, the song “There She Goes” by The La’s and the fact that I tend to go off) hasn’t always been easy, and I haven’t loved every minute of it. In fact, I often hated it. But this small section of paper that was given to me by my former editors, Dave Rolland and Kelly Davis, has meant more to me than most anything on Earth.

I was 28 and declared, “I am not Carrie Bradshaw.”

Now here I am, a writer in the big city wearing nonsensible shoes.

Even so, I felt the weight of responsibility to use this small corner of paper to speak truth to power, especially as a woman of color in an industry where there are few. I promised to unflinchingly share my experiences. My hope was that this column would foster understanding and tolerance, and perhaps give the women who read it a reflection of themselves and send the men who read it into hiding. Just kidding.

Sort of.

In the years I grew up with “Goz,” readers have been incredibly warm and giving with their support.

Every time someone sent a letter or stopped me on the street to say something I wrote made them feel seen or opened their eyes to the world even just a little bit, whether for its beauty or its injustices, I knew this space had purpose and I did too. And every nasty word spit my way to denigrate or debase my existence for wanting to erode privilege, racism and misogyny, well, that fueled my purpose as well. Jokes on you, motherfuckers. You only made this bitch stronger.

About a year ago, I left San Diego for Los Angeles to pursue bigger career opportunities. Like many before me, I began to run into a series of professional walls and had to make a tough decision. I held out my entire life because I want to make my city better for people like me— young, driven creatives who want to do big things and see the immense talent that lives here thrive. As we all know, the onesided rivalry between San Diego and L.A. is very real, so departing for those vast fields of traffic felt like abandonment and betrayal.

People will often remind you of that, too, as though you were the dad that went off for cigarettes one day and never came back.

My ambition won out as I faced the realization that staying in San Diego would mean financial struggle, giving up on some dreams, and becoming complacent because of the warmth and comfort home provides. Even so, I remained invested in my city, coming back every two weeks and sharing our stories on a bigger platform. In my 14 years in journalism, I’ve juggled multiple jobs, moved no less than 12 times, faced illness, divorce, death, job loss, lack of healthcare and, for a while, supported myself on $250 a week, food stamps and a bicycle. I did whatever I had to do, and I always pushed myself to think about the next step, the big goals—to honor the hard work and sacrifices my parents made when they came to this country—and build on them.

And now I live with a ferret.

I couldn’t be more excited and my family couldn’t be any prouder. I wish my dad could’ve seen it.

As of about a month ago, I’m the Senior Culture Editor at VICE, leaving L.A. for New York City. Here I’m building a culture section that stands by the tenets I hold true as a journalist and as a woman of color, one who wants to see this industry become more inclusive, diverse and intentional. I’ve promised myself to live by this vital doctrine and to do the work required for the sake of necessary systemic change. I’m not sure where I’m going after this, where my career will take me, where life will take me or if I’ll actually make an impact, but tonight, as I type these final words in this formidable corner of paper, I’m grateful.

My hope was that this column would foster understanding and tolerance, and perhaps give the women who read it a reflection of themselves and send the men who read it into hiding.

Just kidding.

Sort of.

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

SORDID

TALES

Debunking the perfect human machine theory

A

friend delivered this zinger while arguing for the existence of god recently: “All the proof you need,” he said, “can be found in the perfection of the human machine.” He went on to talk about how the eye can distinguish seven million colors, and the brain can process over a million functions per second and other examples of the admittedly amazing architecture of the human body.

“Are you daft?” I spat back at him. “Even the most rickety, Appalachian suspension bridge held together by shoestring and hillbilly spit lasts longer than our bodies do!”

It’s true. If we forget the obvious human imperfections such as disease, death and male genital retraction syndrome, there are still a near infinite amount of human design flaws that disprove his point about god. Here are a few.

The Serpentine Spine: Our spines were once arched to accommodate four-legged walking.

When we stood up, so did our spines but with a curve at the bottom. And then because god hadn’t quite yet grasped the concept of critical load—he curved the upper spine in the opposite direction, thereby providing financial security for every quack chiropractor on the planet.

Faulty Piping: One thing’s for certain, god ain’t no plumber.

Take our multi-functioning genitals. Was it necessary to make urine come out of the same organs we use for our sexy time fun?

It’s hazardous! Gross!

Noxious Flatulence: Couldn’t Yahweh have picked a better odor than eau de warm dairy farm? It’s not like the evolutionary purpose of farting was to ward off enemies.

Give me roses, or bacon, or new car smell—sheesh even tire-in-a-campfire would be an improvement.

Insufficient Arm Quantity: We should have been made with four arms. That way we could hold our little brother’s down more firmly while punching them; we could masturbate while sexting; we could make rabbit ears over the heads of four people simultaneously in a group photo. The possibilities are endless!

The Pain of Child Girth: If childbirth is a miracle why does it hurt so much? And don’t give me that, “Because Eve ate the forbidden fruit” foolishness. My mother didn’t eat that apple! She didn’t deserve to be in labor for 22 hours pushing out my fat head (true story). Even I, a lowly mortal, can think of two simple changes that would ease the misery of labor: bigger vaginas or smaller babies (I prefer the latter).

The Painfulness of Pain: As we know, the purpose of pain is to alert us to illness or injury. Only problem, pain hurts! Pain is worse than the injury itself. That’s why when we’re laying on the floor howling from a broken arm, we’re not thinking, Will I ever be able to play the flugelhorn again? We are thinking, Ow, ow, ow—kill me in the face please—ow, ow!

Also, why does pain continue to hurt after being alerted to the injury in question? Shouldn’t it only hurt for a few seconds then stop after we are aware?

“Thanks for letting me know my knee is shattered, Elohim. Can you shut down the spikes of flaming torment now please?”

And why do we need pain to notify us about injuries that are obvious? Like, if my arm gets ripped off in a life and death battle against hyenas, I can easily look down and notice there is no limb where a limb used to be. I won’t need pain in order to think, Note to self: go to hospital.

But mostly, why choose pain at all? Especially for an injury so painful it induces shock, the purpose of which is—wait for it—so we don’t feel pain! What the shit kind of sense does that make? Why not a little dashboard indicator instead? This way, rather than clutching my chest in agony during a heart attack, a little “check engine” light will appear on the lower corner of my visual frame like a Head’s Up Display (HUD) in a video game. And now that I think of it, we totally should have been given HUDS—complete with injury and illness indicators, blood pressure gauges, pedometers, heart rate tachometers, and a health bar that can be recharged when we pick up the healing packs that god should have left lying around for us.

Exposed Testes: So let’s get this straight. The best location Yahweh could find for man’s most vulnerable organ—and the well from which all human life springs—was outside the body?

In the most easily kickable location? Back to the drawing board, Vishnu.

Traitorous Tastebuds: If my body is so perfect then why is it always telling me to eat burritos? Why does a Nutty Buddy cone make me feel like I’m licking the Elysian soul of Aphrodite, but cauliflower tastes like unsalted canyon rocks? A perfect designer would have made vegetables taste euphoric, not ice cream.

Useless Organs and Functions: Wisdom teeth, male nipples, tonsils, appendix, outer ear muscles, goosebump muscles? Just think of all the things our bodies could have had accommodated if The Almighty ditched the superfluous parts. We could have had porcupine needles instead of goosebumps for defense.

We could have had a backup liver instead of an appendix for more drinky time. Men could have laser pointers where our nipples are for office presentations (and light shows!)

“Well maybe god didn’t want us to be perfect,” my friend said when I finished my rant.

“OK, fine. But don’t say our perfection is proof that god exists. We aren’t and he doesn’t.”

If childbirth is a miracle why does it hurt so much? And don’t give me that, ‘Because Eve ate the forbidden fruit’ foolishness. My mother didn’t eat that apple!

@SDCITYBEAT

Sordid Tales appears every other week.

Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

Grounding, historical and geographical

O

ne thing we do badly in San Diego is preserve our history, particularly our culinary history. Lubach’s is no more and neither is Piret’s. The old-school stylings (and paintings) at Albie’s Beef Inn left Mission Valley and aren’t coming back. Region’s gone as are Laurel, Blanca and Ropongi. Café Chloe closed recently as did Café Japengo. There’s not even a broad consensus that losing these landmarks is in anyway representative of something important.

And that’s what makes the 20th Anniversary of Terra American Bistro (7091 El Cajon Blvd., terrasd. com) a moment worth savoring. For 13 years, Terra was in Hillcrest before moving east. Chef/owner Jeff Rossman’s roots in the business run even deeper: his family owned the Pam Pam Café at the Day’s Inn in Mission Valley (Rossman now runs Bunz out of that location).

When Rossman first started Terra, it was decidedly New American in style. But San Diego east of 70th Street is neither Hillcrest nor what Hillcrest was perceived to be in the late ’90s. So Rossman outfitted the new Terra with a décor featuring American farm imagery and trinkets. The food followed suit: a Midwest farm country eatery doing mostly well-executed comfort food with a few elevating, cheffie flourishes thrown in.

Fried Brussels sprouts long ago moved from restaurant trend—thank you, Kat Humphus—to nearly ubiquitous comfort food. They’re a great starter at Terra, paired with garlic, shallot, lemon and parmesan cheese. But while the sprouts offered a perfectly toothsome texture on one trip, on another they were too soft and oily, which somehow still added to the deliciousness.

Perhaps Terra’s signature dish is their pot roast braised in Karl Strauss Amber Lager with Yukon potato mash, local vegetables and truffle oil. On one

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

trip it was nearly spoon tender, while on another it was tough and bore all the signs of having been cooked for too long and at too high a temperature.

The flavor profile, however, was deeply comforting, though the truffle oil did seem a bit gratuitous.

The Brandt beef hanger steak with red wine demi glaze, yukon mash and local vegetables corrected all the pot roast’s mistakes. Hanger steak, to begin with, is an incredibly flavorful cut, though it can be difficult to execute. Rossman nailed it on multiple occasions: big, rich flavors—in the sauce as well as the meat—served at a perfect temperature and perfectly tender.

Perhaps the best main, though, is an ItalianAmerican classic with a classic Terra twist. Terra’s rigatoni bolognese uses chicken fennel sausage instead of classic Italian sausage. The result is a lighter and brighter dish that has all the comfort of home.

MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Brandt beef hanger steak At the end of the day, Terra’s not so much a “farm-to-table” restaurant with menu driven by what’s freshest at a given moment. Rather, it’s a restaurant with a menu geared to a particular clientele that sources ingredients (non-exclusively) from Trish Watlington’s Two Forks Farm and from Stehly Farms (as well as Specialty Produce).

What it is, actually, is a neighborhood restaurant using fresh, local ingredients to offer food that a regular clientele will come back for. Not just today. Not just tomorrow. But maybe for another twenty years.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY BETH DEMMON

FINAL

DRAUGHT Lucky ducks

O

bi-Wan Kenobi doesn’t believe in luck. But after speaking with Suzy Pessutti (owner/ partner) and Lexxi Sullivan (marketing and events coordinator) at Duck Foot Brewing Company’s new East Village location (550 Park Blvd., Suite 2104), I think the Jedi master might be full of shit.

For starters, opening Duck Foot (duckfootbeer. com) wasn’t a romantic daydream that came to fruition after years of toiling over a homebrew system. Instead, it was born from something decidedly unlucky: co-founder and “head quack” Matt DelVecchio’s Celiac disease diagnosis. But rather than give up beer, DelVecchio decided to make his own beer using enzymes that reduce the gluten level to below 20 parts per million. This renders the beers “gluten-reduced,” although it’s considered “gluten-free” at that amount. (Complaints about the technicality can be addressed to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.) In 2015, Duck Foot was the first San Diego brewery to treat all their beers with the enzyme, solidifying themselves at the forefront of a rapidly in-demand beer trend. Sounds like pretty lucky timing to me.

Then there’s the new location in East Village.

“It kind of found us,” Pessutti says. They’d been searching for a spot in North County for a long time, “but it’s so difficult there.” Out of the blue, the owner of the East Village building cold-called them to come take a look at the recently vacated space. According to her, “that was that.” Again, a nice stroke of luck.

And let’s not forget how they landed chef Stevan Novoa, who pioneered the brewery’s self-described “elevated bar food” menu. Before the brewery even opened in East Village, Novoa had approached the Duck Foot crew about doing a food pairing event at the original Miramar brewery. This meant that once they were ready to get into the restaurant business (which Pessutti called a “completely new and quite scary” endeavor), he was already first in their minds. The stars aligned yet again.

But it takes more than luck to survive in San Diego beer. Location is poised to increasingly tilt

@SDCITYBEAT

the scales for businesses as consumers are progressively demanding not just local beers, but hyper-local (think neighborhoods rather than cities). With Forbes estimating the population of downtown San Diego reaching 90,000 by 2035, businesses with solid footing (heh, pun intended) in the area stand to massively benefit.

BETH DEMMON

Duck Foot Brewing Company in East Village It also helps to have like-minded companies in the area to work toward becoming a drinking destination that will rival the likes of North Park or the Hops Highway. Amplified Ale Works’ new spot is a few blocks away, as is Knotty Barrel, Half Door Brewing Co., Mission Brewery, Resident Brewing Co., and Little Miss Brewing will soon be directly across the street. That’s not even counting the numerous existing distilleries and bars.

I’m not implying that Duck Foot isn’t only running on luck—merely that they’ve had a heck of good karma sent their way recently. But it’s not luck that brews a really tasty blonde ale, and it’s not luck that sears a short rib to perfection. It’s talent, and Duck Foot has both feet solidly planted in a heap of it.

Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

LET’S DANCE

Anyone who caught our annual Fall Arts issue probably wasn’t all that surprised to see Trolley Dances featured. It is, after all, the 20th anniversary of a cultural event that is truly unique to San Diego. What’s more, it has garnered a reputation for being both technically innovative and accessibly entertaining.

For those who still haven’t caught it, the San Diego Dance Theatre-produced event features site-specific dance performances in public spaces throughout San Diego and all along the MTS Green and Orange lines. Starting at the Hazard Shopping Center Station (7610 Hazard Center Drive, Mission Valley), viewers are transported to each site by using MTS trolleys. San Diego Dance Theatre founder Jean Isaacs says the idea came to her after attending an interactive arts and culture tour in Switzerland.

“So I remember coming back, and I just thought, I can’t spend all my resources in the theater,” Isaacs says. “They take every last cent, you never have any money left for the dancers. So I just said, ‘oh you know, let’s try this.’ They [MTS] were very receptive.”

With 20 successful years behind them, Isaacs and company thought the time was right for a collection of greatest hits for this year’s Trolley Dances. This meant bringing back some great choreog-

BALBOA PARK

BRIGHT MINDS Science and creativity collide, but ultimately come together every year at the Maker Faire San Diego, which offers a variety of weird and wonderful activities for kids and adults. The event returns to Balboa Park (1549 El Prado) with a variety of makers and exhibits such as robotics demonstrations, sculptural exhibitions and family-friendly workshops on everything from quilting to 3D printing. Other makers include painters, soap makers, model train creators, costume designers, and many others. The dozens of exhibits will be spread out across the park, in various museums and outdoor areas. Definitely do some prep work at the website as the list is long. It all happens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 and Sunday, Oct. 7. Tickets range from $8-$39 and can be found at sandiego.makerfaire.com.

COURTESY OF MAKER FAIRE

COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO DANCE THEATER

HTo Do: A Mending Project at 1805 Gallery, 1805 Columbia St., Little Italy. The opening show and workshop of a series from artists Michelle Montjoy, Anna O’Cain and Siobhán Arnold, that is meant to serve as a series of workshops on how to do practical and artistic things. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4. 1805gallery.com HThe Swift at Martha Pace Swift Gallery, 2820 Roosevelt Road #204, Point Loma.

The 10th anniversary show for this gallery is a group exhibition highlighting the likes of Dan Adams, Anna Zappoli Jenkins, Pamela Underwood and nearly a dozen more local artists. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5. swiftsd.blogspot.com San Diego Watercolor Society’s 39th International Exhibition at San Diego Watercolor Society, 2825 Dewey Road, Liberty Station. Watermedia art collected from around the world will be on display at this opening reception. Artists include Maggie Metcalf, Joe Cibere, Anne Abgott and more. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5. $25. sdws.org

Trolley Dances raphers including Monica Bill Barnes, Bradley Lundberg, Terry Wilson, Kim Epifano, Debi Toth-Ward and more. The new incarnations will still feel new, however, since the sites, trolley lines, environments and even dancers will be new.

“In a lot of ways, once we find something we like as an audience, we want the repetition of it,” says Barnes. “We really fall in love with the form.

Then we want to come back again and again.”

Tickets range from $15 to $40 and performances happen up to five times per day from Friday, Oct. 5 through Sunday, Oct. 7. See sandiegodancetheater. org for full schedule, times and stops.

SAN YSIDRO

WITH LOVE A group made up of faith leaders and community members hope to create an art installation in San Ysidro that will show solidarity with families separated by the administration’s immigration policies. The San Diego Organizing Project, border residents and anyone who wishes to show solidarity, will participate in an interactive art installation event by writing the names of deported loved ones on ribbons and tying them to a fence overlooking the border.

The event will kick off a fundraising campaign that aims to build a 40-foot statue interpretation of the Statue of Liberty, which the community hopes will serve as a welcoming symbol to immigrants and refugees. The Standing with Deported Loved Ones event happens on Friday, Oct. 5 at noon at the Our Lady of Mount Carmel (2020 Alaquinas Drive). See sdop.net and gogetfunding. com/welcomethestranger for more details.

COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO ORGANIZING PROJECT

HNexus: silentArt Auction at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Barrio Logan. A onenight silent auction benefitting the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics and featuring work from over 30 artists.

From 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5. Free. 619851-4083, breadandsaltsandiego.com

BOOKS HHank Green at Shiley Theatre at USD, 5998 Alcala Park, Morena. The co-creator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow will discuss his new novel, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. From 7 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4. $28. 858-4540347, warwicks.com HHumphrey Hawksley at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The BBC foreign correspondent, commentator and broadcaster will discuss and sign his new book, Asian Waters: The Struggle Over the South China Sea and the Strategy of Chinese Expansion. From 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com Jodi Picoult at Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace at USD, 5998 Alcala Park, Linda Vista.

The bestselling author and author of Small Great Things will discuss and sign her new book, A Spark of Light. Price includes copy of book. From 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10. $31.24. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com

COMEDY HHannibal Buress at Spreckels Theatre, 121 Broadway, Downtown. The Chicago comedian is known for a delivery style that is quiet and offbeat and was once picked

by Variety as one of 10 Comics to Watch.

At 8 p.m. Wednesday, December 31. $35-$40. 619-570-1100, ticketmaster.com

DANCE HTrolley Dances at Hazard Shopping Center Station, 7610 Hazard Center Drive, Mission Valley. This annual site-specific dance project features dancers performing original performances along the MTS Green and Orange lines. At various times from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 5 through Sunday, Oct. 7. $15-$40. 619388-1910, sandiegodancetheater.org

FILM HSan Diego Italian Film Festival at various locations. Over a week of contemporary Italian films along with post-screening Q&A sessions. Takes place Wednesday, Oct. 3 through Sunday, Oct. 14. Various times. $12-$100. sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com

Maker Faire San Diego 10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

Standing with Deported Loved Ones

Chew the Scene at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa

H = CityBeat picks

Park. Guests will get a first look at the San Diego Asian Film Festival lineup and have the opportunity to purchase tickets to festival’s film premieres, special events and more. From 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9. $40-$80. chewthescene.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. 10 through Sunday, Oct. 14. See website for schedule and locations. Various times. $16-$600. sdfilmfest.com

FOOD & DRINK HTaste of Mesa Fundraiser at San Diego Mesa College, Mesa Commons, 7250 Mesa College Dr., San Diego. A cookingshow style event featuring internationallyinspired cuisine, tastings, demonstrations and three cook-off competitions. Also includes a silent auction. At 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 4. $25-$75. sdmesa.edu/ tasteofmesa Solo Italiano: Dinner in Rosso at the Piazza della Famiglia, 523 W. Date St., Little Italy. A Tuscan-inspired evening featuring a curated and immersive dining experience that includes performances from opera singer Natalie Moran Chegg and Naples singer Pasquale Esposito. From 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. $200-$2,000. 619757-6551, soloitalianosd.com A Taste of Coronado at various locations. Participants will have the chance to try selections from over 30 restaurants and businesses throughout Coronado. There will be a complimentary trolley service for transport across town. Proceeds benefit the Monarch School and A Walk on Water.

From 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10. $45-$50. atasteofcoronado.com

MUSIC HChes Smith Trio at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. The New York City-based trio will perform selections from The Bell, which features dynamic chamber music compositions written for masterful improvisers. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. $10-$20. 619-987-6214, freshsoundmusic.com HBeethoven Symphony No. 7 at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B. St., Downtown.

The San Diego’s Symphony opener will be led by guest conductor Edo de Waart with acclaimed pianist Joyce Yang in her first concert of a two-week residency. At 8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 6 and 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7. $20-$100, sandiegosymphony.org HGabriel Kahane at The Loft at UCSD, Lyman Lane, La Jolla. The singer/songwriter will perform songs which draw inspiration from the experiences he gained during a two-week train trip taken the morning after the 2016 presidential election. From 8 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10. $9-$30. artpower.ucsd.edu

PERFORMANCES HRuPaul’s Drag Race at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Finalists from season 10 of the highly popular reality competition will perform with help from celebrity judge Michelle Visage. Performers include Aquaria, Eureka, Bob the Drag Queen, Kim Chi and more. At 8 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 7. $57.50. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HCelebrity Sonnets and A Salute to Jonathan McMurtry at The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park. Celeb-

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 @SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 Woodhouse and more will be on stage reading a Shakespeare sonnet and celebrating local actor Jonathan Woodhouse. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Monday, Oct. 8. $20-$40. 619607-8094, sandiegoshakespearesociety.org

POLITICS & COMMUNITY City Council Candidate Forum on Homelessness at the Observatory North Park, 2891 University Ave., North Park. Moderated by Andre Branch, candidates such as Monica Montgomery, Tommy Hough and Antonio Martinez will have an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, beliefs and opinion about homelessness and affordable housing policies. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 10. Free. facebook.com/events/1908221469271712

SPECIAL EVENTS Good Food Community Fair at WorldBeat Cultural Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. Enjoy culinary demonstrations, familyfriendly activities, expert panel discussions, garden activities and food while bringing attention to biodiversity and regenerative agriculture. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. $7-$10. slowfoodurbansandiego.org HWest Coast Oktoberfest at Little Italy on India Street between Ash St. and A St., Little Italy. This inaugural two-day block party will showcase live music, Bavarian pretzels, bratwursts, themed contest and beer, among other entertainment. From noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7. $15-$50. westcoastoktoberfest.com Pacific Beachfest at PB Boardwalk between Felspar St. and Thomas St., Pacific

Beach. The 21st annual festival offers a 5K race, two volleyball tournaments and a surf contest. Plus there will be a fish taco cook-off, beer garden, arts and craft vendors and three live music stages. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6. Free. pacificbeachfest.org HMaker Faire San Diego at various venues, Balboa Park. This family-friendly event features engineers, hobbyists, artists and inventors showcasing their works, as well as hands-on activities based in science and engineering. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 and Sunday, Oct. 7. $8-$39.

619-239-2001, sandiego.makerfaire.com La Jolla Art & Wine Festival at La Jolla Village, Girard Avenue between Prospect St. and Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. The annual fest includes over 150 handpicked artists up and down the street along with wine, craft beers, food, live music and more. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 6 and Sunday, Oct. 7. Free. 858-454-1699, ljawf.com HPurpleStride San Diego at De Anza Cove, 3000 N Mission Bay Dr., Mission Bay. A 5K and family-friendly walk through De Anza Cove to raise funds, awareness and support for pancreatic cancer. Funds go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. From 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 8. $15-$40. support.pancan.org

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HA Conversation with Aruna D’Souza at San Diego Mesa College Art Gallery, 7250 Mesa College Dr., San Diego. Writer and critic Aruna D’Souza will discuss her newest publication, Whitewalling: Art, Race & Protest in 3 Acts with filmmaker and UC San Diego professor Nicole Miller. At 2:20 p.m., Monday, Oct. 8. Free. sdmesa.edu/art-gallery

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY Inside out

I

recently had my first experience in a sensory deprivation pod. It was a gift from a friend and not something I would ever have sought out for myself.

I didn’t know what to expect. I don’t meditate or practice mindfulness. I rather like the chaos of my brain, especially at the boundaries of sleep when the conscious mind taps into the parts of the brain that are usually off limits.

The pod seemed like a good way to explore that. Still, as I slipped into the water and closed the lid, I wondered if this experience was going to take me out of myself or push me deeper inside.

The same question could be asked of Jenny Xie’s debut poetry collection, Eye Level, published earlier this year by Graywolf Press.

One gets the impression that Xie, who was born in China and raised in New Jersey, travels a lot. Her poems are full of moments between places:peering out the window of a train, waking up in a foreign city, feeling out of place in the world. Example: Here’s to this new country: bald and without center.

To its paper rooftops and dogs pink with mange.

Xie writes as if coming to her senses: her work takes startling turns and does unexpected things with language that resonate with the force of truth.

In her poem, “Invisible Relations,” which takes the shape of prose, Xie explores undercurrents of connectivity. “In the course of a day, your head will point in all the cardinal directions.”

The line illuminates a moment of everyday magic but is also a kind of incantation. Here’s the final sentence in the poem: “Far off, you are being stitched into a storyline in the smooth lobe of another’s mind.”

As one might expect, many of her poems are about seeing. In her poem “Visual Order,” which is broken into 14 sections, she writes: Describe how the interior looks.

Cloak the eyes.

Close them, and seeing continues.

These lines evoked my experience in the sensory deprivation pod, and how my mind roamed as my body reveled in its temporary release from gravity.

While I enjoyed my experience and would do it again, the next time I feel the urge to explore the interior, I think I will return to Jenny Xie’s Eye Level instead.

—Jim Ruland

Floating Library appears every other week.

@SDCITYBEAT

THEATER An education in revolution

DAREN SCOTT

W

hen it comes to Bryna Turner’s Bull in a China Shop, let’s get the obvious metaphor out of the way: The “bull” is the singularly-focused revolutionary activist Mary Woolley, and the “china shop” is the former Holyoke Seminary for Women in the early 20th century.

But from the opening moments of Bull in a China Shop, it’s clear that Woolley’s revolutions—academic, social and personal—are not to be solely grounded in historical context. The recording of a solemn chorale is shattered by contemporary rock, and there is, indeed, a riot grrrl soundscape that recurs throughout this San Diego premiere at Diversionary Theatre.

The anachronistic music is but a small part of Bull in a China Shop’s nod to universal relevancy. Its five female characters speak in anything but hushed Victorian tones, and though they are costumed for the early 1900s, their tight collars and long skirts do not emotionally bind them. Woolley (Jo Ann Glover) was a Wellesley academic who became president of Mount Holyoke College and, for more than 30 years, reshaped it in her intensely feminist mindset. Jeannette Marks (Tamara McMillian) followed her to Mount Holyoke, where she taught English and eventually became department chair. She was also Woolley’s lover.

Written primarily in short, confrontational scenes, the play depicts a Woolley embattled on two fronts: The perpetual fight for the liberation of women both in academia and beyond; and the one to convince her lover that her idealism has not been traded for power or individual recognition.

Still, the true drama in Bull in a China Shop resides not

@SDCITYBEAT

Bull in a China Shop runs through Oct. 14 at Diversionary Theatre in University Heights. $15-$55; diversionary.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Hir: Taylor Mac’s acclaimed comedy about an Afghanistan veteran, who returns home to find his parents, as well as his transgender sibling, at war with each other. Presented by Cygnet Theatre, it opens in previews Oct. 3 at the Old Town Theatre. cygnettheatre.com Deathtrap: Ira Levin’s classic thriller about a struggling writer who tries to finagle a script from a promising young playwright. Presented

by Oceanside Theatre Company, it opens Oct. 5 at the Brookes Theatre in Oceanside. oceansidetheatre.org Macbeth: A young prince murders and schemes his way to the throne of Scotland in Shakespeare’s bloody classic. Part of the 22nd annual Free Classic Play series, it opens Oct. 5 at The Coronado Playhouse. coronadoplayhouse.com

Bull in a China Shop so much in Woolley and Marks’ stalwart commitment, but in their enduring relationship, tenderly conveyed by Glover in the more strident, humorless role. There’s also McMillian as Marks, a character drawn with more complexity. In this staging, directed by Kim Strassburger, the most resonant scenes include one with Woolley on a trip to China, likening her loving connection to Marks to a pair of devoted swans. This is punctuated by a blazingly funny solo turn by Andrea Agosto as a scorned, lovesick student of Marks.

At only 85 minutes, Bull in a China Shop is a sometimes-choppy affair, but it leaves the audience wanting more time with these two remarkable women whose influence is surely felt today.

Persuasion: The California premiere of the musical adaptation of Jane Austen’s tale of a Navy captain trying to persuade a woman he’s worth it even though she rejected him two years before. Directed by Robert Smyth, it opens Oct. 5 at the Lamb’s Players Theatre in Coronado. lambsplayers.org Wait Until Dark: An adapted version of Frederick Knott’s 1966 thriller about a blind woman trying to escape her own apartment after three men break in. Directed by Jacob Hatch, it opens Oct. 5 at the Patio Playhouse in Escondido. patioplayhouse.com Guadalupe in the Guest Room: The West Coast premiere of Tony Meneses’ play about a recently widowed gringo attempting to bond with his Mexican mother-in-law even while both are mourning. Presented by Teatro Pueblo Nuevo, it opens Oct. 6 at the New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. newvillagearts.org

For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

COURTESY OF RYAN GRIFFITH

CULTURE

Relics of the Hypnotist War

“

hat is this?”

That’s the most common reaction Ryan Griffith gets from people who wander into his installation at Space 4 Art during the live/work space’s monthly open studios events.

Griffith is the creator of an immersive, narrative performance piece titled Relics of the Hypnotist War (relicsofthehypnotistwar. com). Its premise is this: Many years ago the hypnotists invaded, causing a sleep epidemic.

As their victims awakened after decades of sleep, they tried to piece together what had happened. They gathered the relics of this terrible time and put them in a museum as a reminder of what happened and a warning to future generations.

When one enters Griffith’s tiny 15 x 18foot studio at Space 4 Art, it feels like entering another world. The walls have been papered with pages from an encyclopedia and are covered with old black-and-white photos.

The lighting is muted, the furniture antique.

The more the viewer looks around, the more they see: a child’s dress, an old magnifying glass, crumbling books. It’s a bit like stepping into a daguerreotype photograph.

The studio, however, also serves as a theater, and patrons are greeted by a curator who welcomes them to the museum before embarking on the sad history of the Hypnotist War. Part counterfactual museum, part narrative installation, part micro-theater, Relics of the Hypnotist War is utterly unique.

The idea began in Russia in 2005 where Griffith was attending a literary conference.

He met a woman and her daughter who claimed they’d been robbed after being hypnotized.

“A stranger approached them asking for directions and the next thing they knew,

they were coming to on the street and their purses were gone,” Ryan recounts. The story stuck with him and became the genesis of the narrative.

The son of antique collectors, Griffith has been collecting unusual objects for a very long time. The things that catch his eye “are almost never beautiful,” he says, but rather, “they’re broken and battered with a nice green patina.”

Griffith’s passion for collecting and the hypnotist narrative came together even more during a trip to Istanbul where he visited Orhan Pamuk’s Museum of Innocence, which is simultaneously a museum and a novel. Griffith was fascinated by the opportunity “to walk into the lives of these fictional characters.” This experience expanded his concept of what a story can be and his own narrative began to unfold.

“As I travel,” Ryan says, “I hear stories that seem fantastic. Maybe it’s the latent Christian in me, but I’m drawn to create a mystical place where those beliefs are possible. Even though it feels beyond the realm of belief, the objects ground it.”

Griffith wrote the monologues in 2016 and gathered his relics together for one of Space 4 Art’s open studios.

“That’s when it occurred to me it’s really a theater,” Griffith says.

He started working with actors to serve as the museum’s curators who greet guests

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

and deliver the monologues. The project quickly rounded into its final shape of narrative, installation and performance. But it’s the relics that are the stars of the show.

“I realized it’s the atmosphere that does most of the work,” Griffith says. “The rest is curiosity.”

As part of the experience, visitors are asked to pick objects and formulate questions about them. “The sensation of holding an object and hearing a story gives the experience verisimilitude,” JIM RULAND Griffith says. “Marrying the imagination to an object gives it a deeper sense of possibility.”

Griffith draws inspiration from Joseph Cornell’s Cabinet of Curiosities and the Museum of Jurassic Technology in Los Angeles, both of which explore the idea of building a narrative out of objects.

“I love the idea of walking into a Joseph Cornell box,” Griffith says. But in Griffith’s world, visitors are enRyan Griffith couraged to engage with the installation by handling objects, leafing through journals and asking questions.

Despite the narrative’s fantastic premise, there’s an ineffable quality to the experience that floats just beyond the limits of consciousness, like something half-remembered from a dream.

For Griffith, the saga of the Hypnotist War “is a very human story about loss. It’s about falling asleep to your own life and los-

ing people you can’t bring back. It’s so easy to fall into a dream state and not be fully conscious. I think for most people that’s the takeaway. Who or what in my life has put me to sleep? Sometimes I feel like being in San Diego is like living in the land of the Lotus Eaters. There’s so much beauty, it’s easy to fall asleep.”

One of the remarkable things about Relics of the Hypnotist War is its creator. Griffith isn’t an art world wunderkind of independent means, but a local English teacher at Grossmont College who takes advantage of his teaching schedule to travel a few weeks each summer. His latest addition to the installation is a chandelier he bought for 50 euros in Milan last June.

Although some version of Relics of the Hypnotist War has been running since 2016, fewer than 50 people have experienced it.

Part of that is due to the limitations of the space. Performances are limited to just six people. Although it sometimes seems that Griffith is allergic to exposure, if not profoundly indifferent to it, he insists that neither is true.

“I wanted to bring in people who would appreciate it. I didn’t want to sell tickets.

I wanted to find like-minded people and share it. I’m a little hesitant about sharing my secret, but I’m sure there are a lot of cool people out there who’d love to experience something like this.”

Griffith has no intention of taking down the installation anytime soon. He sees his “little room” as part of the nexus of homelessness and gentrification in San Diego’s East Village. Griffith believes “there’s no mystery or resonance to the way these buildings are rising up. I like that this room is a bit of a mystery, even if it’s something most of the people around here wouldn’t care to see.”

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | ART JULIA DIXON EVANS

SEEN LOCAL HERE BE MONSTERS

E

“

ver since I was a kid, I was totally into monsters,” says Sam Lopez. “Everything in my room was just all monsters. It was something I was really drawn to.”

The office is a contradiction with tidy stacks of seemingly grown-up papers and a work phone ringing periodically. But also, the walls are adorned with monsters—posters of monsters, monster toys and kid art depicting monsters. Some things never change.

Lopez founded the music and arts collective Stay Strange in 2012, producing a variety of noise and art performances. Every few years, he joins forces with children across San Diego to put on a kids-only art show centered around, naturally, monsters. I Eat People III kicks off Saturday, October 27 at 3 p.m. at the Mission Valley Library (2123 Fenton Pkwy.), with crafts and a costume party. The art will remain on display through the end of December.

The idea for I Eat People began in 2006, while Lopez was drawing with his nephew. With the boy’s monster drawings spread before him, Lopez promised him that one day, they’d make an exhibit with all of his monsters.

“It sat around for a while, because back then I didn’t really have the means and the knowledge that I have now of putting on shows,” Lopez says, referring to the dozens of noise performances he’s staged.

Years later, with Stay Strange thriving and a son of his own drawing a new set of monsters, the idea for I Eat People reared its ghoulish head again.

“In 2013, my son was starting to draw,” he says.

Sam Lopez With this statement, Lopez rubs his palms together, pantomiming evil. “Ah yes, I’m putting my plan together.”

Lopez mentions his determination several times while discussing his artistic pursuits. If an idea occurs to him, he will make it happen.

“So then I kind of revived it,” he says. “Like a corpse.” And in 2013, the first I Eat People show was held at Space 4 Art. Children aged three to 14 are welcome to submit monster art of any kind—paintings, drawings, music, 3D projects—for I Eat People III. “I’d like for them to be ready to hang” is the extent of his guidelines, which can be found at staystrange.com.

Lopez makes a case for providing media-bombarded kids the opportunity to explore their own imagination, both as expression and as a way of cutting through the noise and discovering—even creating— what scares them.

“In this age, there’s so much content. A million miles an hour of stuff,” Lopez says. “I don’t know if [my son] has a particular favorite monster, other than the stuff that he’s associated with doing artwork.”

—Julia Dixon Evans

ONE STITCH AT A TIME

I

“

’m worried for my daughters. I’m worried about the den, they’d say, ‘Wait, yeah I do, I know how to make planet,” says Michelle Montjoy, one of the artists homemade pasta,’ or ‘I know how to fix a bike tire.”

Siry reiterates that the development of teachers behind To Do: A Mending Project. It’s a monthlong residency involving dozens of free workshops is a meaningful layer of the project, beyond the skills and community “mending” times, from Oct. 5 through passed on to students.

“The workshop leaders realizing that they have Nov. 6 at 1805 Gallery (1805 Columbia St., 1805galsomething valuable to teach others,” she points out, lery.com) in Little Italy.

“There’s so much power in making as opposed to “that interaction is really important.”

While many of the 30-plus just buying or just consuming.

COURTESY OF 1805 GALLERY AND ARTISTS workshops embody traditional If we can fix it, repair it, mend forms of fixing or making things— it, it’s really a beautiful way to such as knitting dish cloths, makkind of disrupt a lot of things,” ing homemade sports drinks, Montjoy says. making postcards, gluing (and, Montjoy, along with Anna yes fixing) those bike tires—some O’Cain and Siobhán Arnold, workshops evoke less tangible joined forces with 1805 Gallery approaches to “mending.” These founder Lauren Siry. Frustramight include ways to apologize, tion with politics and a desire sound meditation, daily artistic to mend communities permeate Michelle Montjoy practice, “Political Activism 101” the entire project. and plant healing. Each class is “There I was as a visual artist in my studio, doing my thing,” Arnold says. “But it free, though due to the space restrictions, advance regfelt so meaningless, so… what’s the point of doing this istration is recommended (todomendingproject.org).

The residency kicks off with an artist reception on when the world is falling apart?”

O’Cain experienced a similar drive rooted in being Thursday, Oct. 4 from 6 to 8 p.m. In addition, weekly “mending” sessions allow visitors to mend together, overwhelmed with the world around her.

“You can’t fix an entire big hole right away, you or drop off items for the artists to mend, all without just have to do one stitch at a time. It just brings you exchanging money.

“I’d love to think we’re completely disrupting back to a more simplified moment.”

The group gathered local artists, teachers and capitalism, but probably not,” Montjoy says. “Maybe friends to lead workshops on skills that others might a little bit.” find useful. When people at first insisted they didn’t

—Julia Dixon Evans know how to do anything, Montjoy says, “All of a sud-

@SDCITYBEAT

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM

The awful truth

Bisbee ’17

Robert Greene’s incredible new film excavates historical trauma in an old Arizona mining town

by Glenn Heath Jr.

H

istorical representations in film provide audi- wages and anti-discrimination laws. It remains a diviences an opportunity to safely engage with the sive subject for even the current residents of Bisbee, a past. Any cinematic depiction of true events town etched into Mule Mountains and one that owes exists comfortably at a distance no matter how vis- its very existence to raging capitalism.

Densely packed with competing aesthetic styles, ceral or accurate the portrayal. This is why so many people point to the genre of documentary as some the film engages past and present simultaneously by last vestige of “truthful” representation. What most orchestrating a grand reimaging of the Bisbee Deporwon’t admit is that non-fiction films are generally just tation using the residents themselves as cast members.

“I’m interested in the way people try to underas guilty of manipulation and sensationalism as their stand who they are through performance,” Greene narrative fiction counterparts.

Instead of resisting or admonishing these contra- says. “I love people playing dress up, and you see the dictions, director Robert Greene embraces them fully tension between the real person and this character by blurring the lines between documentary and nar- they are playing.”

Some subjects, like Sue Ray and her two grown rative storytelling.

“When you put acting in a documentary, it produc- sons, Mel and Steve, are direct descendants of families es all kinds of chemical reactions,” Greene says dur- who were separated by the Bisbee Deportation. Their involvement adds an extra level of ing a phone interview. Both of his urgency to an already tense hotbed previous films—2014’s Actress and of competing viewpoints. Others, 2016’s Kate Plays Christine—do just like Fernando Serrano, begin Bisbee that to confront the diverging roles BISBEE ’17 ’17 apolitical and questioning of women play in professional and Directed by Robert Greene Greene’s approach. But the young personal spaces, and the glaring Starring Fernando Serrano, Mexican American man experiexperiential gaps that come with Sue Ray and Dick Graham ences an emotional and ideological onscreen reenactment.

Not Rated awakening while playing the role of Bisbee ’17, a singular excavation Striking Miner, a composite characof collective and individual trauter, but one who has strong paralma, finds Greene expanding his lels to Serrano’s own past traumas. approach to explore the competing Collectively, the town of Bisbee experiences its ideologies and memories of an Arizona company town wrestling with its own history. During an initial visit own reckoning with history during Greene’s elaborate to Bisbee in 2003, Greene was instantly captivated by staging of the deportation itself, which is as chaotic and disturbing as any war sequence. the place itself.

“We felt like we had touched a raw nerve, some“My first impression was that it felt surreal,” says Greene. “It felt like a place out of time with a lot of thing beyond anything we could have expected. It took on a life of its own,” Greene says. drama in the air.”

Bisbee ’17 (opening Friday, Oct. 5, at the Digital And there’s ample reason why: On July 12, 1917, Cochise County Sherriff Harry C. Wheeler deputized 2,000 Gym Cinema) doesn’t conclude so much as it drifts gun-toting men to round up and detain 1,300 striking away into the ether. Greene tries to explain why.

“By the end I hope the viewer is asking some hard miners on the town’s baseball field before loading them onto boxcars bound for the desert. Many of the men questions about what it means to learn your own hisforcibly exiled that day were European and Mexican im- tory.” That tension is on display in the haunting final migrants, which has led to historians arguing that the sequence. Still dressed in character, Fernando wanders mining company’s efforts were overtly racist in nature. onto the very field where the Deportation took place. As The Bisbee Deportation, as it’s now known, oc- high school baseball players go about their daily praccurred amidst swirling rumors of violence and ram- tice, he stands amidst them watching, a symbol of the pant paranoia surrounding the response to the Indus- past looking for space to coexist with the present. trial Workers of the World organizers’ vigilant fight against the Phelps Dodge Mining Company. These Film reviews run weekly. protests were for improved working conditions, fairer Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

CULTURE | FILM

The Sister Brothers

Battle scars

R

evisionist westerns were born out of an angry political climate in the 1960s and ’70s, and therefore avoid the romantic tropes of their classic forefathers to complicate themes of heroism and justice. In doing so, they depict a much dirtier version of tumbleweed America, illuminating deep social inequalities riding sidesaddle to the mythology of manifest destiny.

But even this analysis falls short of properly describing The Sisters Brothers, Jacques Audiard’s uncompromising blood and vomit oater that mish-mashes competing tones and energies to oftenbrilliant effect.

Eli (John C. Reilly) and Charlie Sisters (Joaquin Phoenix) are pouty guns for hire working pre-

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

dominantly for The Commodore (Rutger Hauer), a powerful businessman with influence over every burgeoning industry. Loud voices and booming muzzle flashes cut through the cover of darkness in the opening shootout, but this nasty piece of work is more interested in close contact violence, disfigured faces and poisonous wounds.

Ordered by their boss to hunt down an ingenious gold miner named Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed) and his partner John Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal), the two brothers set out into the Oregon wilderness in hot pursuit. The nimble script takes them into precarious situations among the primal rage of an untamed locale that is desperately fending off the advances of unchained capitalism.

Two different partnerships— one fortified by blood and the other friendship—explore the fundamental western motif of trust through unique prisms.

Audiard’s previous work, including the truly dreadful Dheepan, has an unshakeable leaden quality. The Sisters Brothers (opening in wide release Friday, Oct. 5), the French director’s English language debut, is quite the opposite, freely pouncing between brutal quick draws and earnest confessionals.

Enigmatic and daring performances by Ahmed, Reilly and Phoenix make this juxtaposition even more indelible.

Such extreme levels of brutality and tenderness rarely live this closely side-by-side, but they make for fitting thematic bedfellows here. Everyone including the horses have the scars to prove it.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING A Star is Born: Bradley Cooper directs and stars as an alcoholic musician who comes across a new talent in Lady Gaga’s dive bar performer. Opens in wide release Friday, Oct. 5.

Bisbee ’17: One hundred years after the infamous Bisbee Deportation, citizens from the Arizona mining town participate in a stunning reenactment that conjures up ghosts and traumas alike. Opens Friday, Oct. 5 at the Digital Gym Cinema.

Colette: In this period piece, Keira Knightley plays a young French woman who pens a semi-autobiographical novel that becomes a cultural sensation, jettisoning her into the Parisian spotlight. Opens Friday, Oct. 5 at Angelika Carmel Mountain Cinemas and Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

Free Solo: Renowned rock climber Alex Honnold ascends one of the world’s most dangerous peaks without any safety equipment. This documentary opens Friday, Oct. 5 at the Arclight La Jolla Cine-

mas, the Angelika Carmel Mountain Cinemas, and AMC Mission Valley Cinemas.

Hal: Amy Scott’s biographical portrait of director Hal Ashby, who made such masterpieces as Harold and Maude, The Last Detail, and Coming Home, focuses on his work during the 1970s that helped reimagine what American cinema could be. Opens Friday, Oct. 5 at the Landmark Ken Cinema.

Monsters and Men: The police shooting of a black man is seen through the eyes of three different participants in this rippedfrom-the-headlines drama. Opens Friday, Oct. 5 at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas.

San Diego Italian Film Festival: Now in it’s 11th year, this film festival specializes in showcasing the latest Italian cinema, including the Oscar-winning Call Me By Your Name. Opens Wednesday, Oct. 3 and screens through Sunday, Oct. 14 at the Museum of Photographic Arts and the La Paloma Theatre. For more information visit sandiegoitalianfilmfestival.com.

The Last Suit: An aged Holocaust survivor living in Argentina decides to plot a secret one-way trip to Poland to find the man who saved him from the Nazis so many decades before. Opens Friday, Oct. 5 at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Sisters Brothers: French director Jacques Audiard makes his English-language debut with this bloody and enigmatic revision western about two assassin brothers (played by John C. Reilly and Joaquin Phoenix) who have their loyalties tested while in pursuit of their next target.

Opens in wide release Friday, Oct. 5.

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

@SDCITYBEAT

EBRU YILDIZ

MUSIC

usic and memories are sometimes inseparable. Certain notes or certain lyrics can transport us back to a specific time in our lives. That sensory connection can be a deeply vivid thing, so powerful one might remember exactly where they were and who they were with while listening to that song.

Sometimes, however, that can be a painful experience.

Marissa Nadler illustrates the anguish certain sense-memories can bring about on “I Can’t Listen to Gene Clark Anymore,” a song from her newly released album For My Crimes. The brief, stark indie-folk track finds Nadler addressing a former lover through lines such as, “It’s getting harder to save you from afar.” By the chorus, she finds that pain beginning to seep into the music she loves, but only because it’s something special that she shares with someone else: “I can’t listen to Gene Clark without you anymore.”

Nadler says in an interview that mentioning Clark—the singer/songwriter and former member of The Byrds—is specific to her own real-life experiences, and that hearing his music does bring about vivid memories. She hasn’t stopped listening to his music, however, but it does bring her back to a particular place and time.

“It’s really specific,” she says. “The rest of the sentence is ‘I can’t listen to Gene Clark without you anymore’ so it’s kind of a trick.

I really love Gene Clark and The Byrds, and they have a really strong association with specific memories for me. I have other musicians I can’t listen to, because I think most

Marissa Nadler people are triggered by specific songs or a specific musician or a specific place. Memory is so sensory that I don’t need to remember names or details, but I can remember exactly what song is playing.”

For My Crimes released last week via Sacred Bones, is Marissa Nadler at her most stripped-down. The Massachusetts singer/songwriter’s previous album, Strangers, found her shaping her songs into bigger arrangements and material composed for a full band.

Crimes, however, is mostly Nadler and her guitar that we’re hearing on each track—as well as occasional backing vocals from fellow singer/ songwriters Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen and Kristin Kontrol. As such, it’s often a gloomy and ghostly listen, the kind of record best played by candlelight during a rainstorm.

The intimacy of the record is certainly matched by the narratives in Nadler’s lyrics.

A great deal of For My Crimes deals with grief, separation and heartbreak, as evident in “I Can’t Listen to Gene Clark Anymore” or “Are You Really Gonna Move to the South?” Yet some of the songs came about through personal challenges as a means of shaking off writer’s block. The title track started as a song about an inmate on death row offering a plea before he departs this world. But over time, it transformed into a more universal reflection, its chorus featuring the haunting refrain, “Please don’t remember me for my crimes.”

In fact, much of the album sounds like it could be written from the perspective of different people, though Nadler says that they all connect back to her own life in some way.

“They’re written from personal experience, but I think it’s a good thing if people think they feel they’re more like character sketches,” she says. “I really believe in the power of people to connect with music like that. I was very much writing a personal album—pretty confessional songwriting for me, I guess. I don’t put people’s names in songs, though. It gets pretty tricky when art and life collide. It’s a very hard record for me to talk about because the songs are so personal, and I want to make sure not to cause any fires that I can’t put out.”

The less-is-more approach—with the exception of the louder, heavier “Blue Vapor”—isn’t a first for Nadler. Yet as she’s done many different types of albums over the years, she’s become more confident about what makes a record she’s happy with, and what makes one she’s more likely to keep playing.

“There was a pretty big break for me in between my early records and my current records,” she says. “On July, Strangers and this record... I feel like a different person almost.

I can’t make the early stuff disappear—I love some of it, but I learned from my mistakes.

As an artist, putting something out into the world, it’s a great risk because you can’t make it disappear. It lives on the internet forever. I think I’ve become a much more natural vocalist and some of that only comes with age. When you’re young, you don’t have a lot of life experience and you emulate the things you listen to.”

Nadler recognizes the darkness in her music and, in some ways, it’s become just like those Gene Clark songs she sings about: When she performs these songs, she’s likely to be reminded of the heartbreak that went into them. But her goal isn’t to bum anyone out—including herself. She wants her shows to be fun for everyone who’s there, regardless of any twinge of sadness that might arise.

“With this record, these songs, I haven’t toured them yet. So I don’t know how it’s going to be playing a song like ‘Are You Really Gonna Move to the South?’ over and over again every night for the next two years,” she says. “In general that’s why, if I put too many specific details like people’s names and stuff, it’s torturous. But I think the live set’s going to be tight. I’ll probably throw in some surprise covers and a rocker or two so it’s not just so dismal. I want to make it fun for myself too.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com.

Follow him on Twitter @1000TimesJeff

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

MUSIC

BY RYAN BRADFORD

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO

THE

SPOTLIGHT

LOCALS ONLY

K

COURTESY OF KENSETH THIBIDEAU

enseth Thibideau, who is probably best known for playing in bands such as Sleeping People and Howard Hello, has launched a new project called Welcome to San Diego. Though Thibideau has mostly played in indie and post-rock groups, the new project is an entirely solo electronic project that came about when he bought a handful of new synthesizers.

Kenseth Thibideau And once he taught himself how to use them, he began to create some songs in the spare time he had between other projects.

“It’s pretty new for me—I’m not too used to it yet,” Thibideau says. “It’s kind of about getting outside of my comfort zone and experimenting with it. Whatever comes to mind.”

So far, Thibideau has released a handful of tracks from what will be an upcoming album (some can be heard at

ALBUM REVIEW Author & Punisher Beastland (Relapse)

B

ack when Tristan Shone released his first album as Author & Punisher, 2010’s Drone Machines, he seemed destined to ascend to something greater. The industrial-metal creates all of his music on his own self-built and engineered pieces of machinery, which look as imposing and intense as they sound, and though that might seem on paper like an interesting gimmick, it’s proven to be a lot more than that through each record he’s released since. With each new album, Shone has expanded his approach and built on that noisy, harrowing foundation, not to mention his increasingly diverse approach to songwriting.

Beastland is proof of that inevitable ascent. His first release for long-running metal powerhouse label Relapse, Shone’s fifth album is everything that’s made Author & Punisher a compelling listen over the past decade, but this time, it’s amplified and multiplied. As odd as it might seem for A&P’s

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

kenseththibideau.bandcamp.com), including a video for the track “The Walk.” The video looks like an old home movie, and features outdoor scenes from San Diego, which tie into the themes of the songs. It’s not necessarily a concept album about San Diego, just one that’s subliminally inspired by it.

“It’s more of an existential take on what San Diego is,” he says. “It’s a tourist destination, but it has this other interesting culture. So I just thought about how walking through Balboa Park could be a song. Or driving on 8-West could be a song. It’s always sunny and clear, which can be annoying sometimes. So some of it is also me venting.”

Welcome to San Diego’s debut album will be self-released either later this year or early 2019, depending on when Thibideau has all of the tracks mixed and mastered. And so far he’s done a couple of live performances, though ultimately he sees the project becoming something bigger than it is right now.

“At this point it’s just me playing all the parts,” he says.

“Eventually I’d like it to become a full band. Right now I’m just kind of jumping on any opportunity to do it that comes up.”

—Jeff Terich

music to sound any bigger than it already has, Beastland most assuredly does sound bigger. And nastier. And in the most rewarding surprise of all, it’s even more melodic.

Just as anyone who makes heavy music can attest, there’s only so far one can go into extremes before there’s little terrain left to uncover. Shone never relents on the heaviness, here, but from what I can tell, that’s no longer the primary driver of his musical direction. The first single “Nihil Strength” is as crushing as anything he’s ever released, which should allay any concerns about that aspect of his music. But Author & Punisher’s palette is all the more broadened, showcasing an eerie industrial waltz on “Ode to Bedlam,” a supremely distorted take on darkwave on tracks such as “Nazarene” and “Pharmacide,” and a synth-heavy industrial dirge with cleaner, more melodic vocals on “Night Terror.”

As much as Author & Punisher’s music is built on specific limitations, Shone’s efforts toward continually removing those limitations are paying off. The eight songs on Beastland certainly sound like they could have only been recorded by Author & Punisher, but now more than ever, they also seem to encompass an impressively broad range of sound.

—Jeff Terich

Interpol

I

t’s hard not to listen to a lot of the rock that came out of the 2000s and wonder what made it so special. Perhaps we were so fed up with boy bands, nü metal and Britney Spears that we grasped onto anything that offered an alternative. That’s not to say bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes, and The Hives, weren’t good—they just don’t seem worthy of all the superlatives thrown onto them.

But I still love and defend Interpol. In my mind, they are the first truly post-9/11 group who epitomizes an era of confusion, dread and sad romance. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t consider Turn on the Bright Lights a classic. It’s an album that doesn’t peddle hope. Instead, it’s filled with anxiety, but also end-times style sexiness that’s impossible to reproduce. That album was the perfect soundtrack to being scared and uncertain, but still had a sexy swagger. And if that’s not today’s society in a nutshell, I don’t know what is.

Many Interpol fans dropped off after the similarly great Antics, which is too bad (“Rest My Chemistry” off Our Love to Admire is my favorite Interpol song). This year’s release, Marauder, offers some solid jams and the LP’s single “The Rover” shows the band’s talent for being pervysinister despite a bouncy hook. I mean, I get that a lot of it sounds the same, but for me, it’s still the sound of a band who taught us how to hug ourselves in the dark.

Interpol plays Friday, Oct. 5 at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, OCT. 3

PLAN A: Chelsea Wolfe, Russian Circles @ Music Box. Chelsea Wolfe is one of my favorite contemporary artists and she seems to get better with each album. Her most recent, last year’s Hiss Spun, is her best yet, not to mention her heaviest set of gothic doom.

In other words: 100 percent my brand. PLAN B: MC50, Starcrawler @ House of Blues.

Guitarist Wayne Kramer is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his legendary band MC5, with special guests like Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil and Fugazi’s Brendan Canty. It’s a proto-punk legend performing some great songs with musicians his band influenced, so it’s likely to be a blast. BACKUP PLAN: Ulrika Spacek, Witness 9, Mint Field @ Soda Bar. BILL CRISAFI

spent enough time with the new Interpol album, but I do know that their first two albums, Turn on the Bright Lights and Antics, have stood the test of time. I’d say the band is still well worth checking out. BACKUP PLAN: Satan, Nukem, Call of the Wild, Manic @ Brick by Brick.

SATURDAY, OCT. 6

PLAN A: Shonen Knife, The Touchies, Creepseed @ The Casbah. It’s kind of amazing that Shonen Knife are still going strong. After all, the Japanese punk/ power pop trio has been making music for decades and it’s still super fun. Opening bands The Touchies and Creepseed should be no exception.

SUNDAY, OCT. 7

PLAN A: The Color Forty Nine, Joykill @ Whistle Stop. The Color Forty Nine is a local band featuring some serious ringers, including current and former members of Systems Officer, The Album Leaf and the John Meeks Band. Their sound is dark and haunting with lots of cool atmosphere. PLAN B: Tennis, Matt Costa @ Belly Up Tavern. Tennis is a husband-and-wife duo that play sweet indie pop music. It’s sometimes too adorable (not that I have any problem with musical couples, of course) but damn, those are some catchy songs. BACKUP PLAN: Bells Atlas, Tori Roze and the Hot Mess @ Soda Bar.

MONDAY, OCT. 8 Chelsea Wolfe

THURSDAY, OCT. 4

PLAN A: Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets, PI Power Trio @ Belly Up Tavern. A few years ago, new wave singer/songwriter Nick Lowe teamed up with surf-rock outfit Los Straitjackets, and the results were surprisingly great. Two great sounds you wouldn’t think sound great together but somehow do.

PLAN B: Warsaw, Systems Officer, Scary Pierre @ The Casbah. Warsaw are preparing to release their third EP, and the local darkwave outfit will be playing songs from it at this headlining show. Embrace the darkness.

FRIDAY, OCT. 5

PLAN A: Roky Erickson, Death Valley Girls @ The Casbah. Roky Erickson was a founding member of Austin psych-rock pioneers The 13th Floor Elevators, and has since released a number of solo albums. He helped to change the face of psychedelic music, so prepare for some weirdness. PLAN B: Interpol, The Kills, Sunflower Bean @ SDSU Open Air Theatre. I’m not sure I’ve

@SDCITYBEAT

PLAN A: Jupiter & Okwess, The Jack Moves @ Soda Bar. Jupiter & Okwess are a Congolese band that combine the pop music of their home country with funk and rock music. They’ve collaborated with members of Gorillaz and The Bad Seeds, so yeah, it pretty much slays. PLAN B: Armed for Apocalypse, The Lion’s Daughter, Vedic, Mortar @ SPACE. One of the great, underrated metal albums of the year is The Lion’s Daughter’s Future Cult. It’s a blend of sludge and synthwave that essentially sounds like the best horror movie soundtrack of 2018.

TUESDAY, OCT. 9

PLAN A: Ozzy Osbourne, Stone Sour @ Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Maybe it’s just because I saw Judas Priest last week and they were amazing, but I have no choice but to give it up for Ozzy. As a member of Black Sabbath, he pretty much helped invent metal, and that’s one hell of a gift to this planet.

PLAN B: Mew @ Observatory North Park.

Danish band Mew are a peculiar group, having made a series of albums that straddle the line between indie rock and prog, with the ethereality of Sigur Rós. It’s weird-but-pretty stuff. BACKUP PLAN: Brant Bjork, Mezzoa, Razor Nights @ SPACE.

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Nowhereland (Casbah, 10/21), Kottonmouth Kings (Brick by Brick, 11/30), PULLEY (Soda Bar, 12/22), X, Los Lobos (Obersvatory North Park, 12/29-30), Hot Snakes (Casbah, 1/4), Parquet Courts, Snail Mail (Casbah, 1/21), The Farmers (BUT 1/5), Saves the Day (Observatory North Park, 3/2).

GET YER TICKETS Ozzy Osbourne (Mattress Firm, 10/9), Patterson Hood (Music Box, 10/12), Ozomatli (BUT, 10/13), Graham Nash (Humphreys, 10/13), Prayers (Observatory, 10/13), Alkaline Trio (HOB, 10/15), Sting and Shaggy (Harrahs SoCal, 10/16), The Joy Formidable (Casbah, 10/17), St. Lucia (Observatory, 10/17), U.S. Girls (Soda Bar, 10/17), The Lemon Twigs (Music Box, 10/19), D.R.I. (Brick by Brick, 10/20), Thievery Corporation (BUT, 10/23), Jay Rock (SOMA, 10/25), Dawes (Observatory, 10/29), Jim James (BUT, 11/1), Cloud Nothings (Casbah, 11/1), Wolfmother (Observatory, 11/1), Maxwell (Humphreys, 11/2), Dia de los Deftones w/ Deftones, Future, Rocket from the Crypt (Petco Park, 11/3), Lucero (Observatory, 11/7), Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin (Irenic, 11/7), Milo (SPACE, 11/8), Little Dragon (Observatory, 11/8), Morrissey (Copley Symphony Hall, 11/10), Ghost (Spreckels Theatre, 11/12), Blitzen Trapper (BUT, 11/12),

J Mascis (Soda Bar, 11/15), Billie Eilish (SOMA, 11/17), Joywave, Sir Sly (Observatory, 11/18), Every Time I Die (Observatory, 11/20), Eyehategod (Brick by Brick, 11/20), Cat Power (Observatory, 11/24), Municipal Waste (Brick by Brick, 11/25), How to Dress Well (Casbah, 11/27), Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus (Observatory, 11/29), Godflesh (Brick

by Brick, 12/1), Old 97s (BUT, 12/2), Fucked Up (Soda Bar, 12/5), Squirrel Nut Zippers (BUT, 12/6), Pale Waves (Irenic, 12/7), Neko Case, Destroyer (Observatory, 12/8), Fleetwood Mac (Viejas Arena, 12/8), Kurt Vile (Observatory, 12/9), Amine (Observatory, 12/11), Middle Kids (Soda Bar, 12/13), Thou (Che Café, 12/13),The Soft Moon (BUT, 12/17), Ministry (HOB, 12/18), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/2829), Jefferson Starship (BUT, 1/9-10), Bananarama (Observatory, 1/27).

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

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

FRIDAY, OCT. 5 Roky Erickson at The Casbah. Satan

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

at Brick by Brick. America at Humphreys by the Bay. Yoke Lore at Soda Bar.

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

Graham Bonnet Band at Brick by Brick.

Bullets and Octane at SPACE.

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

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

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

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10 Shannon and the Clams at Belly Up Tavern. Polyphia at Music Box. Mothers at Soda Bar. Basement at Che Café (sold out). The Twilight Sad at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, OCT. 11 Hinds at The Irenic. Ex-Cult at SPACE. True Widow at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, OCT. 12 Patterson Hood at Music Box. The Jackets at Soda Bar. Hobo Johnson at House of Blues. Decrepit Birth, Arsis at

Brick by Brick. The Highwayman Show at Belly Up Tavern.

SATURDAY, OCT. 13 Screaming Females at The Casbah.

Ozomatli at Belly Up Tavern. Mat Kearney at House of Blues. The Sheepdogs at Soda Bar. Graham Nash at Humphreys by the Bay. Prayers at Observatory North Park. Jeremy Zucker at The Irenic (sold out).

SUNDAY, OCT. 14 Clutch at Observatory North Park. Marissa Nadler at The Casbah. John Paul White at The Irenic. Gregory Alan Izakov at Music Box (sold out). Mayday Parade at House of Blues. ToomanyZooz at Belly Up Tavern.

MONDAY, OCT. 15 The Dodos at The Casbah. King Khan and the Shrines at Belly Up Tavern.

Hozier at Observatory North Park. We Came As Romans at The Irenic. Alkaline Trio at House of Blues.

TUESDAY, OCT. 16 Monster Magnet at Brick by Brick.

Sting and Shaggy at Harrahs SoCal. SYML at The Casbah. Cut Worms at Soda Bar. Mason Jennings at Belly Up Tavern.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17 St. Lucia at Observatory North Park.

Thievery Corporation at Belly Up Tavern. U.S. Girls at Soda Bar. The Joy Formidable at The Casbah. Growlers at SOMA.

THURSDAY, OCT. 18 FIDLAR at Observatory North Park. Bret Bollinger and the Bad Habits at Belly Up Tavern. Genitorturers at Brick by Brick. Le Butcherettes at The Casbah.

Chase Atlantic at The Irenic. StayLoose at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, OCT. 19 (hed) p.e. at Brick by Brick. Metalachi at Belly Up Tavern. The Lemon Twigs at Music Box. Maggie Rogers at Observatory North Park (sold out). The Silent Comedy at The Casbah (sold out). Abolishment of Flesh at SPACE. Devon Welsh at Soda Bar. Slow Hollows at Che Café.

SATURDAY, OCT. 20 Allen Stone at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). Michael Nau and the Mighty Thread at Soda Bar. Roast of Ronnie Radke at The Irenic. D.R.I. at Brick by Brick. Alex Clare at Music Box. Tom Misch at Observatory North Park.

Welshly Arms at Belly Up Tavern. Orgone at Music Box. Motopony at Soda Bar. Vinyl Theatre at House of Blues Voodoo Room.

SUNDAY, OCT. 21 Whethan at Observatory North Park. KT Tunstall at Belly Up Tavern. Tamia at Music Box. Michaele Graves at Brick

by Brick. Madeline Kenney at Che Café.

H2O at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, OCT. 22 ZHU at Observatory North Park. Matthew

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 Sweet at Belly Up Tavern. Simple Minds at Humphreys by the Bay (sold out). The Magic Numbers at The Casbah. Ingested at Brick by Brick. AJ Froman at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, OCT. 23 Basia at Humphreys by the Bay. Thievery Corporation at Belly Up Tavern. Jesse and Joy at Music Box. Insane Clown Posse at Brick by Brick. Deap Vally at The Casbah. Billy Strings at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 24 Alina Baraz at Observatory North Park.

Exploded View at Whistle Stop.

Fri: ‘Rock & Roll Avalanche’. Sat: Keller Williams. Sun: Tennis. Mon: Songs for S.O.N.G.S. Tue: Langhorne Slim and The Lost At Last Band.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Paul MCP, Uglyhead.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: ‘Blonde 54 Disco & Decadence’. Fri: ‘We Are Your Friends’. Sat: ‘Tron Themed ’80s New Wave Dance Party’. Sun: Temblad, Deche-Charge, Orphic Eye. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’. Tue: ‘Techno Tuesdays’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: The Flatliners, Decent Criminal, Western Settings. Fri: Satan, Nukem, Call Of The Wild. Sat: Graham Bonnet Band, 222, Battlefront, Killing Tyranny.

Sun: Scatter-Brain, Turtle Click, The Abstracts, Sociocide.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: The Coronas. Thu: Warsaw, Systems Officer, Scary Pierre. Fri: Roky Erickson, Death Valley Girl.s Sat: Shonen Knife, The Touchies, Creepseed. Sun: Grieves, Greater Than, Reason The Citizen. Mon: American Planning Association Party – Plan It Rock. Tue: Lawrence, Joe Hertler and the Rainbow Seekers, The Brummies.

Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. Fri: Botanist, Exhausted Prayer, Birth Water, Nyctophile. Sat: Teachers with Guns, Revolutionary Guard, Endless Nameless, The Gay Agenda.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay

Park. Sat: San Diego Alto Sax Summit II. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Sat: ‘Hip Hop & Paint’.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: MC50, Starcrawler. Thu: Strung Out, Half The Animal. Fri: Reel Big Fish. Sat: Los Tucanes de Tijuana. Sun: ‘Gospel Brunch’.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Tradewinds. Thu: Mercedes Moore. Fri: R: Tyme. Sat: Rising Star. Sun: Major Interval. Mon: Sue Palmer. Tue: Michele Lundeen.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Sat: Ghost Dance, Midnight Track, Agent 86, Delma.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams

Ave., Normal Heights. Sat: Trains Across the Sea, Al Howard, Lizabeth Yandel, Rigby Sayer. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Comedy Night.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Goodall Boys. Thu: JG Trio. Fri: Mystique. Sat: Ron’s Garage.

Sun: Shades of Sound. Tue: Glen Smith.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘From Broadway to Italy’. Thu: ‘The Classics: Motown, R&B & Jazz Favorites’.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Sleep Signals, Avenue Army, Tzimani, Mind Divided. Thu: ‘Hip Hop Showcase’. Fri: Sisster, Tesuque Revolt,

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

THURSDAY, OCT. 25 Alina Baraz at Observatory North Park.

Mad Caddies at Brick by Brick. Goldfish at Belly Up Tavern. Mouse on the Keys at Irenic. Jay Rock at SOMA.

FRIDAY, OCT. 26 Tribal Seeds at Observatory North Park.

SATURDAY, OCT. 27 Tab Benoit at Belly Up Tavern. The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band at Soda Bar. The Creepy Creeps at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, OCT. 28 Agent Orange at Observatory North Park. Jesse Colin Young at Belly Up Tavern. Michigan Rattlers at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, OCT. 29 Real Friends at The Irenic. Joshua Hedley at Soda Bar. Y La Bamba at SPACE. Dawes at Observatory North Park. Tech N9ne at House of Blues.

TUESDAY, OCT. 30 Still Corners at The Casbah.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Schwaggers, Karaoke. Fri: Van Goat, The Soulside Players. Sat: Jordan T. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: The Utility Players.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop Wednesdays’. Thu: Funky Lil Beat. Fri: ‘House Music Fridays’. Sat: DJ Mike Czech. Sun: Church. Mon: Organized Grime. Tue: Jonathan Lestat.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Jay Mohr. Fri: Jay Mohr. Sat: Jay Mohr. Tue: Open Mic. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: They Are Them. Fri: The Hughes Bros. Sat: Roman Watchdogs. Sun: Blues Kitchen. Mon: Trivia. Tue: Karaoke.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Matroda, Dillon Nathaniel. Sat: CID. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: VJ Grimm. Thu: DJ L. Fri: ‘First Friday Hip Hop’. Sat: Joe Jack Talcum. Sun: Rat Sabbath w DJ Ratty. Mon: DJ Victor Penalosa. Tue: Tiki Tuesday.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Sutton Papabikolas. Fri: Slower.

Sat: Moonage Daydreamer. Tue: Kenny Eng. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Pigeons Playing Ping Pong. Thu: Nick Lowe’s Quality Rock & Roll Revue Starring Los Straitjackets.

@SDCITYBEAT

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): The main difference between traveling the explored route and the unbeaten path is the amount of brambles. Everything else is about the same.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): They often say, “Comparison is the thief of happiness,” but the good news is that you can rob a thief back and they can’t call the authorities on you without implicating themselves as well.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Like breaking in a brand new pair of jeans, this week will be both physically and psychologically unbearable and its only reward will be finally getting out of it.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): It is a truth universally acknowledged: that moving your arms really quickly while maintaining the same slow pace while walking across the street is the polite thing to do.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): You thrive in situations of upheaval, which is probably why you were born now during one of the greatest ongoing extinction level events in the history of planet Earth.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): If you think you can do it all without help from anyone or anything then just try to blow up a white water raft unaided by man or machine and get back to me.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): If your hair spikes up on edge, be careful: it means you are about to be struck by lightning or you’re a VJ on MTV Spring Break 2002.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): Humbly supplicating yourself at its feet will not be enough this time—the desktop printer requires a greater sacrifice.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): I would say something good is going to happen to you this week, but you’ll think it’s less special because it might be happening to the other Leos too.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): A new stage of your life begins this week when you see paint swatches for a variety of white wall paints and intuitively understand the difference.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): This week, you’ll finally prepare what snide retort that you plan to reply with whenever people ask what you’re being for Halloween?

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): When the weather starts to change you might feel inclined to do something stupid like try to start a book club while we all beg you to just stop.

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

MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

Kearny Mesa. Thu: Tomcat Courtney.

Sat: Casey Hensley Band.

Buo, Semisweet. Sat: ‘San Diego Golden Girls’, ‘Bear Night San Diego’. Sun: ‘Showstoppers Talent Contest’. Tue: Pleasures, Free Paintings.

The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Sat: ‘Sabados en Fuego’.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: The Sickstring Outlaws. Fri: The Chrome Domes. Sat: John January and Linda Berry. Sun: Anthony Ortega Jazz Quartet. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ with Jason Hanna & Friends. Thu: ‘Swing Thing’.

Fri: Matt Dibiase Quartet. Sat: Baja Bugs.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Wed: Chelsea Wolf, Russian Circles. Sat: ‘West Coast Oktoberfest’. Sun: ‘West Coast Oktoberfest’.

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

Wed: Thu: ‘No Limits with DJ Myson King’. Fri: ‘All-Vinyl Happy Hour w/ Monsieur Turbeau’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business w/DJs Edroc & Kanye Asada’. Tue: ‘Trapped with DJ Ramsey’.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Lil Jon. Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Young Lions, ‘Wednesday Jam Session’. Fri: Lorraine Castellanos. Sun: The Garners.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Dante. Sat: Karma.

Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Rock & Rollies, Kitty Plague, Hocus. Sat: Corporate Citizen.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road,

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 3, 2018

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: ‘Mischief Wendesdays’.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Puente. Sat: Bonneville 7.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Wed: The Matt Hall Group.

Fri: Jenny and the Tramps. Sat: The Charlie Arbelaez Group. Tue: Second Cousins.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Ulrika Spacek, Mint Field, Witness 9. Thu: Future Generations, Zuli.

Fri: York Lore, Bay Ledges. Sat: ‘Blinkfest’. Sun: Bells Atlas, Tori Roze and The Hot Mess. Mon: Jupiter & Okwess, The Jack Moves. Tue: The Rightovers, Young Wants, Aquarium, Surface Club.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: Counterparts, Being As An Ocean, Have Mercy, Varials, Upon The Water. Sat: Saving the State, Emerald Bay, We Are One, Suburban Park, E.V.E., Ending Left.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Goddamn Gallows, The Strikers, Gutter Demons, Systematic Abuse. Thu: ‘HTTP:Memories Electro Funk’. Fri: ‘Rituals Monthly Darkwave

Night’. Sat: Bullets and Octane, The Focke Wolves, Dusty Mitchell: Sun: ‘Pocari Sweat!’. Mon: Armed for Apocalypse, The Lion’s Daughter, Vedic Tue: Brant Bjork, Messoa, Razor Nights.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Sat: Binary Finary.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Thu: Original Stylin. Sat: Cloven Hoof, Void Vator, Call Of The Wild. Sun: ‘Pants Karaoke’. Mon: Tue: Roadrash, Soul Grinder, Meltdown.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Fri: Manic Fanatic.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park.

Wed: ‘Jazz at Tio’s’. Thu: Tommy Prince and The Stilettos. Fri: Bump City Brass.

Sat: Alan Iglesias & Crossfire. Mon: ‘Sexy Salsa and Sensual Bachata’. Tue: Big Time Operator Orchestra Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: ‘Hip Hop vs. Punk Rock’.

Sat: Hey Chels, GPB, Coyote Bred. Sun: The Greenriver Thrillers, Nebula Drag.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: Thu: Fri: Sat: ‘’80s vs. ’90s Dance Party’. Sun: The Color Forty Nine, Joykill.

Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’. Tue: ‘Sketch Party’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: ‘Club Kingston’. Thu: Cherry Road, Lost Monarchs, Dulaney and Company. Fri: Front Country, MohaviSoul. Sat: Afrolicious, Sure Fire Soul Ensamble. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

@SDCITYBEAT

BY LARA MCCAFFREY

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat Cannabis professionals PAC it up

W

ith the Nov. 6 general election just around the corner, some in San Diego’s cannabis industry are highly invested in the County Supervisor’s race. On Thursday, Oct. 4, the Association of Cannabis Professionals Political Action Committee (ACP PAC) and dispensary/cultivator Outliers Collective (OutCo) will sponsor a fundraiser for two supervisor candidates in hopes that, if elected, they’ll support them in return.

Held at 619 Spirits Distillery and Tasting Room (3015 Lincoln Ave.) in North Park, the fundraiser supports candidates Nathan Fletcher in Distroct 4 and Michelle Gomez for District 5.

“Both of their seats—if they’re both elected—would be a huge change in the makeup of the County Board of Supervisors and then we’d have two solid votes for cannabis regulations,” says ACP executive director Dallin Young, referring to the current makeup of the board, which has been mostly unfriendly towarrd the

@SDCITYBEAT

industry. “They would be joining Greg Cox, who is a pro vote for us.”

OutCo is paying particular attention to the supervisors’ race not just for their business’ sake, but for their customers’ sake as well. They hope getting Gomez and Fletcher elected will help to reverse the board’s 2017 decision to ban cannabis businesses in the unincorporated parts of San Diego County.

Five licenses (including OutCo’s) were doled out before the ban and grandfathered in with the understanding they’d have to recoup their investment, then close by 2020.

OutCo has other locations but they claim that losing its medicinal dispensary and cultivation facility at 8157 Wing St. would be detrimental to it and county residents that don’t live in the city.

“We are working very hard to change the cannabis stance of the supervisors in order to ensure access to cannabis for all county residents,” says Virginia Falces, OutCo communications director. “Someone who lives in Alpine or even further east, let’s say Borrego Springs, would have to travel to Mission Valley to find a licensed source of cannabis.”

The supervisor candidates, as well as co-hosts Dr. Jen Campbell (District 2

COURTESY OF OUTLIERS COLLECTIVE

From left: Nathan Fletcher, Michelle Gomez and Lincoln Fish City Council candidate), Chuck Lowery (Oceanside’s deputy mayor) and Dave Myers (La Mesa City Council candidate), all plan to give speeches about their support of cannabis. Reps from ACP are also due to

speak on the work that needs to be done to help the cannabis industry flourish across the county.

The event is contribution based with varying levels of donations available from $50 to $1500. All the funds will go to the ACP PAC, which in turn will go toward procannabis candidates like Fletcher and Gomez. The PAC, formed by members of ACP in early 2018, has raised about $17,000 at the time this issue went to press.

Still, OutCo had been invested in the supervisors’ race long before the June 5 primary, when it previously held a fundraiser for Fletcher. The company originally supported Republican candidate Jerry Kern in District 5, but he didn’t advance to the general election. Gomez became the PAC’s goto candidate, especially after realizing that Gomez’s opponent was to be San Marcos mayor Jim Desmond, who worked to have all cannabis-related commercial activity banned in the North County town.

“We met with [Gomez] numerous times since [June 5] and she has a very considered and forward thinking stance on cannabis,” says Falces. “She has our full support going into the general.”

OCTOBER 3, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27