2 · San Diego CityBeat · October 25, 2017
@SDCityBeat
UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR
Danger! Danger! High voltage!
L
et me paint readers an analogy real quick: Let’s say there was a company, right? A company that consumers were pretty much obligated to buy a product from because, well, it was a necessity. Over the years, the company made billions and billions in profits for stockholders while continuously raising the price for its product. And let’s say that company, despite making all that money, decided not to invest much of that money back into the standard means of production and delivery of said product despite it being dangerous not to do so. Then, one day, disaster strikes. And it’s bad. Real bad. People die. Lives are ruined. Those who survive are forever scarred, be it physically, emotionally or both. The company has insurance and settles with many of those affected but never has to admit it did anything wrong. In fact, it pretty much just goes with the ol’ Lebowski-ism of that’s just, like, your opinion, man when investigations reveal that it’s their fault. Still, the insurance doesn’t cover everything and the company’s stockholders realize (oh no!) they might have to actually pay some of the money out of their own pockets. Wait… no they won’t! The company just decides that it’ll charge customers more for the product, thus offsetting any costs to the company. In the end, it doesn’t have to pay. The customers have to pay even though they didn’t do anything wrong. Sounds pretty messed up, right? Well, it’s not entirely hypothetical. That’s pretty much the case with SDG&E (and its parent company Sempra Energy), who will hear back on Nov. 9 from the California Public Utilities Commission [CPUC] on whether or not it can, indeed, charge customers $379 million to cover the company’s costs related to the 2007 wildfires. Those fires—specifically, the Witch Creek, Guejito and Rice fires—were determined by CalFire investigators to have been caused by power lines. Later, another report by the CPUC concurred that the cause of the fires was due to damaged power lines that SDG&E, along with Cox Communications, failed to maintain properly. Oh, and it’s worth noting that SDG&E impeded the CPUC investigation by, according to the New York Times, delaying “access to witnesses, sites and other evidence.” So here we are, a little over 10 years later to the day, waiting for a decision from the
CPUC, which has postponed and delayed said decision several times already. Again, it’s worth pointing out that this is the same regulatory agency that investigated SDG&E in the first place and concluded that the company’s power lines were at fault. Now, it’s widely speculated that the same commission will now rule in SDG&E’s favor even when two administrative law judges from the commission rejected SDG&E’s request, saying the company acted irresponsibly. Thanks to some great reporting by San Diego Union-Tribune energy reporter Rob Nikolewski, we know that fellow utility giants Pacific Gas & Electric and Southern California Edison have rallied behind SDG&E. It makes sense. After all, such a decision could set a precedent for them should they ever be in SDG&E’s position, and what better way to scare the commission than show strength in corporate numbers. SDG&E execs are also using scare tactics like claiming that if they don’t get the money from consumers, sacrifices will have to be made elsewhere, such as removing trees around power lines rather than simply trimming them. To be fair, SDG&E has disputed the claims that it was at fault for the wildfires, and it’s likely that the fires were exacerbated by climate change. The company also claims the $379 million would be spread out over six years, and ratepayers would likely only pay a little over $1.50 more a month. So what can consumers do? It’s not exactly like they can switch to another utility company. Candles? Generators? Even if they install solar panels, they’ll still be connected to the Sempra grid, and that $1.50 is still going to be there. What they can do is start showing up to the meetings like the one that was held by the CPUC in Chula Vista a few weeks ago. They can also write and call the commission at their San Francisco headquarters. After all, it says it right there on the commission’s website that its their job to serve “the public interest by protecting consumers and ensuring the provision of safe, reliable utility service and infrastructure at reasonable rates.” When they can’t provide either, they’re not doing their job.
—Seth Combs
This issue of CityBeat knows what it signed up for, but still doesn’t have to like it. Volume 16 • Issue 11 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos ASSOCIATE EDITOR Torrey Bailey STAFF WRITER Jamie Ballard COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, Minda Honey, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza
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OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3
UP FRONT | LETTERS
MAN-SPEAK
ON THE
COVER
A.J. HARRINGTON
WELL, ACTUALLY (AGAIN)…
Thank you for using your platform as editor to speak candidly and accurately to men [“Apologizing is easy. Too easy,” Oct. 18], encouraging them to listen and to acknowledge how they might contribute to a societal problem. Your words are all correct.
I read Michael S. Reilly’s (of Abnormal Heights) letter on September 27 with amused interest. His claim that the “right to secede” is prohibited “in toto and forever” would be laughable if he didn’t really expect us to believe it. No laws are binding upon a free people forever, but are always subject to Margaux Robles modification or repeal. Even the Constitu La Jolla tion can be amended or repealed. To expect future generations to be bound in perpetuity without options is contrary to basic rules of common law and principles of I always make a point of picking up a copy freedom. Texas has been threatening to seof CityBeat on my way out of Vons—it’s cede for years and you don’t hear the federal worth every penny. It’s important to me to government claiming they haven’t the right. keep up with the goings on of the snow- California has residents who also favor seflake lifestyle and how they are spending cession. Again, you don’t see the federal govtheir foodstamps. Edwin [Decker] clearly ernment disputing their right to do so. The fact is that the Southern states were spends all of his on manscaping [“The first day of our new acquaintance,” Oct. 4]. It’s acting within the legal perameters [sic] of one thing to read about snowflakes, but the Constitution and local laws when they getting to watch one melt right there in voted to leave the union. Mr. Reilly’s arguprint was awesome. It was like reading a ment is a classic example of interpreting the Grisham novel and the kicker—he was mar- facts to conform to an agenda. He was, to ried, TO A WOMAN! No freakin’ way! Can’t put it mildly, disingenuous. Your title for his letter: “Well, Actually” wait for the sequel. doesn’t place you on the side of truth. Not an Craig A. Nelson inspiring position for a newsman, but, per Solana Beach haps not surprising in the era of fake news.
MELTING SNOWFLAKES
We’ve long been a fan of local David Russell Talbott and his signature “American Pulpcore” brand of paintings. A mixture of pulp illustration, macabre themes and vintage pop culture, he was one of the first artists to come to mind when it came time to pick a spooky cover for Halloween. Lucky for us, Talbott had been working on a new series of paintings titled Zombies Amongst Us, which explores, as he puts it, “how the digital age has made us disconnect from the people around us, thus losing empathy for other humans.” The painting on the cover, “Assisted Living Services,” makes tongue-in-cheek references to both Norman Rockwell and The Beverly Hillbillies, and was one of the first works Talbott produced for the series. “Graphically, it’s all about our general attitude towards senior citizens in this country and how easy it is for them to be sent away,” Talbot says. “I think the elderly are respected more around the world than they are in America.” Talbott will unveil the rest of the Zombies Amongst Us series at a show at Subterranean Coffee Boutique (3764 30th St., North Park), which opens from 5 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 28. davidrusselltalbott.com
4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spin Cycle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Backwards & In High Heels. . . . . .
3 4 5 6 7
Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . . . 8
FOOD & DRINK World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene . . . 10 Final Draught . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
THINGS TO DO The Short List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
Marshall Mallory North Park
Halloween Head Crammers page 15
WE WANT FEEDBACK Email letters to editor Seth Combs at seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside. Note: All comments left on stories at sdcitybeat.com will also be considered for publication.
OOPS
Correction: Due to an importing error, we incorrectly printed the wrong results of the “Best New Bar” category in last week’s Best Of Readers Poll. The winner was actually The Smoking Gun, and Banzai Bar was the runner-up. We regret the mistake.
ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 FEATURE: Head Crammers. . . . . 15 Thank You For Staring . . . . . . . . . 18 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
MUSIC FEATURE: Rozwell Kid. . . . . . . . . . 22 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . 23 About Last Night. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . 27-29
LAST WORDS Advice Goddess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
@SDCITYBEAT
NEWS | OPINION Ahoy! This is Capt. Colton, who stole the show and our hearts over the weekend at Hornblower’s Bow Wow Brunch Cruise, which benefits the Helen Woodward Animal Center.
By Jamie Ballard and Seth Combs
THE ISSUE: Local immigrant and single mother Silvia Ocampo-Ortiz was deported on Oct. 19, despite having previously been told she could stay in the county so long as she checked in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement regularly. She had pleaded guilty to a felony perjury charge in 2009 related to filling out a driver’s license renewal application, but was reportedly not told what effect this could have on her immigration record. She was scheduled for a hearing on Oct. 27, which could have cleared her record. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:
Coming Down The Pipe
“Today is one of the saddest days I have had as a legislator. 4 years ago, Silvia Ocampo came to me w/ her union president to see if we could help her get in a position to legalize her status. We wrote a bill AB 813, which was signed into law in 2016. She has a court date next week. But this week, ICE detained her & deported her today. She was torn away from her US Citizen children. I’m devastated.”
Previews of the important and idiotic items possibly coming to a ballot near you.
—Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher (Twitter) “Ms. Ocampo-Ortiz was afforded legal process. There was nothing barring her removal to Mexico... All of those in violation of our nation’s immigration laws may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable, he or she will be removed from the United States.” —ICE spokesperson Lauren Mack (San Diego Union-Tribune) “Silvia is a hardworking, taxpaying single mother of three, with a special needs eightyear-old child. Separating her from her family is unjust and cruel.” —City Councilmember Georgette Gomez (press release)
OUR TAKE: It is reprehensible for the government to deport someone like Ocampo-Ortiz, who was indeed following the laws and instructions she had been given. While it’s notable that both local and state lawmakers are paying attention to this case (Councilmembers David Alvarez and Chris Ward also issued statements protesting the deportation), their constituents need to remain vigilant that their representatives remain concerned about this issue.
NEWSY BITS 10/18 BEST DAY EVER!
Local NASL soccer franchise officially named 1904 Football Club with black and white colors. Cool name/ colors, but we’re holding out for MLS Footy McFooty Face.
10/20
Community members including Councilmember Chris Ward and State Assemblymember Lorena GonzalezFletcher rally around Silvia Ocampo-Ortiz, local single mother facing deportation.
SeaWorld cuts 150 jobs in Orlando and San Diego.
Public relations strategist and former Faulconer aide Tony Manolatos went on a trollish tweetstorm over the past week attacking everyone from journalist Mario Koran to politicians such as Gerry Braun and Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher. When a few of them called him out on his behavior, he blocked them. We think the PR guy needs a PR guy.
All the seriousness, silliness and stupidity of the past week
10/19
SDPD officers will get raises of 25 to 30 percent, in an attempt to address the severe staffing shortage.
HAM OF THE WEEK
Local venture capitalist, gubernatorial candidate and Tea Party fave John Cox recently said he’d donate “six figures” to qualify a ballot measure to repeal gas-tax increases passed by the Legislature in April. The proposed initiative would also amend the California Constitution so that any tax increases in the future would require voter approval. Verdict: We can hear Carl DeMaio drooling, but the proposed initiative feels like an overreach. Everyone hates taxes, but they also hate fucked-up roads and changes to the Constitution could scare off potential swing votes. What’s more, Assemblymember Travis Allen has already launched a similar initiative campaign that repeals the tax without the constitutional amendment. Both are bad ideas, but Allen has a much better shot at getting the 584,000 signatures needed to get it on the 2018 ballot.
OcampoOrtiz deported anyway.
10/21
Two separate election forecasts reveal both S.D. Reps. Hunter and Issa in danger of losing their seats in 2018.
Voice of San Diego reports that arrests of homeless San Diegans tripled last month.
10/22
10/23
Two Democratic candidates— Tommy Hough and Fayaz Nawabi—announce intention to run for District 6 city council seat currently occupied by Chris Cate.
Aztecs drop second in a row, losing homecoming game to Fresno State.
22 NFL players protest in some way during Sunday games.
Top four Democrats running for Governor debate in Anaheim. Pretty much agree on everything.
California Senate hires two outside firms to look into culture of sexual harassment in state politics after 140 women sign letter alleging a pervasive culture of mistreatment.
10/24
New parking lot opens for homeless people living in vehicles.
City launches website to answer questions about legal marijuana. Looks meh.
SDUSD students get to go home early from school because it’s so damn hot.
FML
@SDCITYBEAT
OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5
UP FRONT | OPINION
SPIN
CYCLE
JOHN R. LAMB
Ducking responsibility He who excuses himself, accuses himself. —Gabriel Meurier
W
hat a difference a recusal makes. Last week, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan issued a reasonless statement that she had passed the criminal investigation into Councilmember Chris Cate’s leak of a confidential city memo to the state Attorney General. In response, Team Cate began sounding more like Team Trump. Gone were Cate’s compliments toward City Attorney Mara Elliott who had sent along the investigation to the D.A. for review. Seems all of Cate’s “respect”—a word he invoked earlier this month when he ended a lengthy silence about the leak to SoccerCity supporters—had evaporated. Instead it was replaced with suggestions that Elliott, a
Democrat, plans to run for mayor in 2020 and sought to kneecap a potential GOP rival for that post. Can’t say Spin saw that one coming. But there it was, courtesy of Raoul Lowery Contreras, a selfdescribed “political consultant” and author. In an opinion piece last weekend for Times of San Diego, Contreras argued that Elliott should be investigated herself by the California State Bar for “revealing private conversations with her client, Councilmember Chris Cate. He did nothing wrong. He was doing his job. He voted for a public vote.” His reasoning for Elliott’s alleged malfeasance? “She is a Democrat who I expect to run for Mayor in 2020 and he is a Republican,” he wrote, without mentioning that Cate—prior to this memo drama— has been talked up as the GOP’s next mayoral hopeful. It seems more credible that El-
6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
liott will seek reelection as City Attorney in 2020, suggesting that Team Cate has now decided to fight tooth and nail for his political career with anything in the crisismanagement toolbox. “Mara Elliott is doing a great job as City Attorney, but this is really about Chris Cate trying to distract us from the investigation into his secret handover of confidential city documents to a downtown lobbyist,” Elliott’s campaign consultant Dan Rottenstreich told Spin. “As the Attorney General closes in on Cate, each desperate attempt to change the subject is more absurd than the last.” Added Rottenstreich in one more jab, “The only city where Chris Cate has a political future is SoccerCity. I doubt the Republican Party is dumb enough to make Cate their candidate for mayor. But if they are, it really won’t matter who the Democrats nominate—we’ll have a Democratic mayor.” So why the turn to the “absurd”? Some legal minds suggest the investigation could broaden in the hands of state Attorney General Xavier Becerra, potentially into felony conspiracy territory. Stephan, after all, is seeking to be formally elected as district attorney in 2018, a position to which she was appointed. While she might have been more flexible in going easy on
JOHN R. LAMB
Chris Cate might feel the shaking after D.A. Summer Stephan passed the memo-leak probe to state Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra. Is Jeff Sessions next? Cate, the thinking goes, that might not be the case with Becerra, a former Los Angeles congressmember who may not abide by the unwritten San Diego “play nice” rule. How else to explain this shift in tactic from Cate was doing his job to this is all a Republican vs. Democrat thing? On top of that, one Cate supporter suggested that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions should be hauled into the mess. Sure, if Stephan can push it to the state level, heck, why not head off to the federal level and Trumpville, too?! Craziness. In her statement, Stephan said, “The District Attorney is the people’s prosecutor, focused on pursuing justice and fairness in an equal manner for all, with no regard for politics or political parties. To ensure public trust in the impartiality of the review in this case, we have referred this matter to the Attorney General’s Office, which has concurrent jurisdiction.” She concluded with, “There will be no further statements on this issue.” It was reported, however, that Cate’s name had been removed from her list of endorsements on Stephan’s campaign website. No explanation has been forthcoming. Spin asked Cate’s crisis manager, spinmeister Tony Manolatos of the PR firm Manolatos Nelson Murphy, if the councilmember had hired counsel yet. On that, he did not respond. On Twitter, Manolatos was busy stirring up the Cate-the-victim conspiracy angle, suggesting oddly that a photograph posted by Assemblymember Lorena GonzalezFletcher showing her with Becerra had mysteriously disappeared and echoing the Elliott-is-the-culprit spin. A nasty back-and-forth led to Manolatos blocking the assemblymember on Twitter. For a time, Gonzalez-Fletcher made the photo with Becerra her Twitter avatar.
KPBS also reported that Cate sent the confidential memo to SoccerCity lobbyist Craig Benedetto via a personal email account, raising questions about Cate’s initial defense that he was simply seeking more information from project proponents for the public’s benefit. If so, why use a personal email address? What is becoming clear, however, is that few if any Republicans are coming to Cate’s defense. As far as Spin’s seen, there has been no atta-boys from his three Republican City Council colleagues, no show of solidarity from local GOP leaders and no retraction from Mayor Kevin Faulconer. Oh, and it was the Mayor who said, before he found out Cate was the leaker, that if any of his staff had leaked the memo, they’d be fired. In fact, Cate joined the mayor for a couple photo ops last week, including announcements about future police pay raises. But with the mayor facing his own troubles—most notably a continuing Hepatitis A outbreak—it’s anybody’s guess if the tactic is working in either one’s favor. As this investigation rolls along, Cate might well find himself regretting that he didn’t simply fall on the sword sooner, and with more remorse. Saying something along the lines of sorry, I fucked up, won’t do it again, please forgive me, etc. would have taken less than a minute and might have been recorded as a simple error in youthful judgment. If this investigation does expand into conspiracy territory, then who knows what Cate might be facing? Certainly much more than simply posing under a desk to demonstrate earthquake safety, as he did last week. It’s like he was asking Spin to be photoshopped. Spin Cycle appears every other week. Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.
@SDCITYBEAT
UP FRONT | OPINION
AARYN BELFER
BACKWARDS & IN
HIGH HEELS
The most treacherous lie
U
ntil I watched Donald Trump openly stalk Hillary Clinton during the second presidential debate last fall, I had locked away nearly all of my experiences with assault, sexual or otherwise. I put details far, far away from my consciousness, neatly compartmentalizing everything so as to make it sensible and survivable. But while the mind can very efficiently block trauma, the body never does. My trauma had been incubating in my cells, my blood and my bones until this one moment. Watching television that night, I felt a profound and disturbing familiarity. It was a radical recognition that manifested as a swell of terror that began in my stomach and reverberated outward with the electricity of a thousand-point star to every inch of my skin. Little did I know, every day after would bring with it a low-grade, unnamable hum of angst; a teeth-gritting daily assault on my psyche. Why am I so upended, I wondered. What’s wrong with me? Nothing’s wrong with me, it turns out. The accusations leveled at the predator Harvey Weinstein revived my dormant trauma—and gave me the courage to name it publicly. But Donald Trump is ground zero for my awful journey of remembering. For he, I finally understand, is my father and every man who has ever abused me. Ever. Today, I join the ranks of the millions of inspiring #MeToo-ers who have made me think about the times I endured a man’s unwanted hands on my body. Like the time my father cornered me near the pantry of my family’s honey-yellow kitchen with the stained floral carpet, and showed my brother how to throw a punch. From behind, my father wrapped his powerful lawyer arms around his first-born son, his man-hands holding my brother’s boy wrists. My brother’s little fingers balled into little fists, my father then jabbed, jabbed, jabbed at my body with my brother as his puppet. I cowered. They laughed. I was eight. Or the time my neighbor’s teenage brother, Tyson, took off all his clothes when a group of us were playing in his attic one afternoon and made me touch his penis. It was the first one I ever touched. I was eight. Or the time my parents left my brothers and me with their friend Clark for a weekend. Clark took us camping, and while stopped in some small ghost town to get lunch, he touched my body over my clothes. I scrambled away from him and out of his motorhome where a three-legged dog stood looking at me from the sidewalk. I was nine. Or the time my aunt’s then-husband Danny tickled me. And another time my “uncle” Bill tickled me. Wholly separate incidents, each took place on my bed and each man refused to stop even when I begged and
even when I became angry and tried to fight back. Each man thought it was funny. To this day, I will become violent if I’m tickled. I was not yet 10. Or the time my high school Driver’s Ed instructor put his hand on my knee and squeezed it as he guided my foot to the brake pedal, to the gas pedal, to the brake pedal. My knee, his hand, every day of instruction. I was 15. Or the time my high school boyfriend, Miles, threw me up against a retaining wall outside my best friend’s house at the corner of 300 South, 1100 East. A man passing in a car stopped to make sure I was okay. My knees were bleeding. I said I didn’t need help. I was 17. Or the time Mike, a football-playing friend took me to his fraternity formal my freshman year in college. We stayed in a hotel and despite making it clear ahead of time that we were just friends, I woke up in the morning with the heavy mass of him thrusting on top of me. I was 18. Or the time I capitulated to a date with Dan, a birdfaced waiter I worked with at a restaurant during my sophomore year in college. He’d been relentless in his pursuit and despite making it clear we were just friends, he held me down that night and stuck his long, skinny, disgusting penis inside me. I was 19. Or the time a stranger in a black Camaro, a bottle of Jim Beam between his legs, picked up my friend Larry. We had been hitchhiking home from a work party after our ride left without us. This dark-haired man dropped Larry at home before taking me to a park where he held me down and raped me until the automatic sprinklers interrupted him. After, I had him drop me off at my boyfriend’s house where I showered and cried. I was 20. Or the time Jim, the head chef at the high-end restaurant I worked at after college, used my employee dinner as ransom so he could stick his fat fingers in my underwear. I let him because I was broke, I had to eat and this, as everyone knew, was “restaurant culture.” I was 24. What is wrong with me? This has been the refrain as I re-calibrate life under Trump. And it has been the deafening sound of my self-blame for decades. I anticipate the emails on this column: the chorus of so many you-shouldn’t-have-worn-that (false) equivalencies. But I’m not going to hear that from anyone. Not today. Not anymore. I’ve spent a lifetime shaming and blaming myself, which is the most treacherous lie of all. That lie is over. There is nothing wrong with me. There is everything wrong with men who assault and rape.
The accusations leveled at the predator Harvey Weinstein revived my dormant trauma— and gave me the courage to name it publicly.
@SDCITYBEAT
Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. Write to aarynb@sdcitybeat.com.
OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7
UP FRONT | OPINION VOICES
RYAN BRADFORD
WELL THAT WAS
AWKWARD
Streaming Bloody Murder 2017
I
t’s Halloween night. You’re too old for trick-ortreating. Your friends are out partying. Your greatest fright tonight is FOMO. But don’t fret—you’ve got a solid internet connection and an entire night to yourself. Grab a six-pack (or, honestly, a 30-pack), pop some popcorn and allow yourself, just as I did, to succumb to 24 hours of streaming horror. Without further adieu, here’s my annual guide (now in its fourth year!) to scary films you can stream from into your darkened living room, crypt, grave or wherever else you find comfort. 4 to 6 p.m.: The Blackcoat’s Daughter (2015, Amazon Prime) Two girls are are left alone at a boarding school over winter break, and one of them has murderous, Satanic tendencies. I guess I wasn’t the only one who thought that Don Draper’s daughter Sally (played by Kiernan Shipka) became increasingly creepier with each season of Mad Men, because Shipka is absolutely chilling in The Blackcoat’s Daughter. This movie is a slow-burning nightmare and one of my recent favorites. 6 to 8 p.m.: Green Room (2015, Amazon Prime) This intense gorefest follows a punk band who mistakenly find themselves trapped in a backwoods Neo-Nazi bar. Did I mention it was intense? I haven’t clenched my butthole during a movie as hard as when I watched Green Room. And in light of Charlottesville—a reminder that white supremacy surges ever closer to the surface of society—this movie is even scarier now than when it was released. 8 to 10 p.m.: Under the Shadow (2016, Netflix) Under the Shadow is a movie set during the ‘80s in post-war, patriarchal Iran. A single mother begins to believe that her apartment is haunted, but cannot risk leaving due to the strict consequences put on unaccompanied women during the era. Like The Babadook, Under the Shadow creates a terrifying portrait of motherhood, but ups the ante with smart, political undercurrents (which are usually dumb when added to horror movies [cough The Purge cough]) 10 p.m. to midnight: Eyes of My Mother (2016, Netflix) A drifter pays a visit to a family on remote farm, and proceeds to murder the mother. The father subdues the drifter and—together with his daughter—keeps him chained up in the family barn. The daughter then treats this new “friend” as her own personal medical guinea pig throughout the years, and she grows up to be a nice, well-adjusted member of society. Just kidding. This is a nasty, beautifully-photographed flick. Midnight to 2 a.m.: Neon Demon (2016, Amazon Prime) Since making the masterful Drive, it seems that Nicolas Winding Refn has made a deliberate attempt
to alienate and upset his audiences. And let me just say: I’m all for it. Neon Demon is a cold movie about the perils of seeking fame in L.A., full of glossy menace, necrophilia and eyeball regurgitation. 2 to 4 a.m.: Starry Eyes (2014, Netflix) Starry Eyes is kind of a companion piece to Neon Demon, but, like, makes sense. How many body horror movies do we need about young people going to L.A. seeking fame to know that moving to L.A. is not a good idea? 4 to 6 a.m.: Darling (2015, Netflix) Darling is a deranged little arthouse film about a young house-sitter whose past traumas rage to the surface after being possessed by the house. The throbbing soundtrack and frantic editing make this the perfect movie for the halfway point in your marathon, aka the last moment of sanity. But don’t look back—let this movie push you over the edge. 6 to 9 a.m.: Zodiac (2006, Netflix) Zodiac is David Fincher’s best movie. It’s three hours of perfection. Don’t even come at me, bro, because all other opinions are wrong. 8 to 11 a.m.: Curtains (1983, Amazon Prime) A great, forgotten slasher that tried to appeal to adults (as opposed to teens). A film director, known for his extreme methods, commits an actress into asylum for research and leaves her there (whoops!). He then invites six replacement actresses to audition for the part, and they get killed one by one by someone in an old hag mask. This movie is way more emotionally charged and complex than most slashers, and has a showstopping ice-skating murder scene. 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: The Mutilator (1985, Amazon Prime) Another lost slasher from the VHS era, which actually subverts a lot of the genre touchstones of its time. For example, the identity of the killer is revealed within the first couple minutes, and it almost becomes a thesis on his loneliness. It was originally called Fall Break, and still has the goofy but catchy-as-hell theme song that coincides with that title. 1 to 3 p.m.: Chopping Mall (1986, Amazon Prime) Way-too-old adults playing teens + killer robots + one of the best head explosions from the ‘80s = cinematic gold. 3 to 5 p.m.: Neon Maniacs (1986, Amazon Prime) Neon Maniacs is a creature feature about mutants who terrorize San Francisco and... you know, you don’t need me to explain this movie. Just make sure to thank me after you watch it.
Zodiac is David Fincher’s best movie. It’s three hours of perfection. Don’t even come at me, bro, because all other opinions are wrong.
8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week. Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com
@SDCITYBEAT
UP FRONT | FOOD
BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER MICHAEL GARDINER
THE WORLD
FARE
A blast from the past
I
was working in the Helmsley Building, a 35-story Beaux-Arts building towering over Grand Central Station. Every morning I’d get off the subway, head straight to the bagel shop for a cinnamonraisin bagel (with butter) and eat it at my desk with a cup of bad coffee. So, when I stopped at PL Bagels (3704 Voltaire St. #107, Point Loma) and grabbed a cinnamon-raisin bagel with butter on my way to work, it was, essentially, recreating old times. It wasn’t the best bagel I’ve ever had, but it was the best I’ve had in San Diego. There are two great bagel cities in North America and San Diego isn’t one of them. The two are New York and Montreal. New Yorkstyle bagels tend to be fluffy, chewy and doughy. Montreal-style bagels are thinner, denser and somewhat sweeter. Both are boiled before they are baked to create the thick, shiny, chewy exterior. But where Montreal bagels are boiled in honey water, New York bagels are not. While Montreal’s bagels are baked in a wood-fired oven, that doesn’t happen in the Big Apple. The bake, in both cities, is at a high temperature resulting in a slightly blistered exterior that gives them a bit of a crunch. PL’s bagels are of the New York style. My cinnamon-raisin bagel, like the ones I’d get in Grand Central Station, were toasted and slathered in butter. While a really superb bagel should not need to be toasted—doing so elevates the deficient ones but destroys the character of the best—the heat from the toasting melts the butter into the tiny nooks and crannies of the bagel. It may be the best way to enjoy a cinnamon-raisin bagel. I’ve never been so happy in front of my computer at work. The best dish at PL is its East Coast Special: bagel of choice, cream cheese, tomato, red onions and Nova Scotia lox with capers on the side. There is nothing particularly creative about this combination; bagels and lox have been cohabitating
@SDCITYBEAT
East coast special since before 1950 according to most experts. It’s a classic combination for a reason and PL’s version represents well. PL has several other “sandwiches” among which the roast beef and turkey breast are good options, and the salami-based Italian may be the best bet. The greatest glories at PL are the schmears (whipped cream cheese flavored with other ingredients). The chive version is very good, offering both herbal freshness and an oniony depth. The must-try, however, is the salmon spread. Schmear that on a bagel and you pretty much have bagels and lox. All that’s left is to choose a bagel and PL offers a variety (and bialys on the weekend). The egg bagel is (typically) rich, and the everything variety (again typically) is over-the-top. But my favorite bagel at PL has to be the onion. All of them feature an ever-so-slight toothy crunch on the outside and a resilient, slightly spongy interior that isn’t exactly soft but definitely isn’t dense. That’s what makes them the best bagels San Diego has to offer. And it’s what made my “on the way into work” cinnamon-raisin bagel such a welcome blast from my past. The World Fare appears weekly. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.
OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9
UP FRONT | DRINK
ANATOMY OF A COCKTAIL SCENE
PHOTO BY IAN WARD
H
oly moly, I’ve been writing this column for a while now, and I’m at a loss as to how I haven’t yet written about the Sneaky Tiki at the Turf Supper Club (1116 25th St., Golden Hill). The Sneaky Tiki is one of those things that is quintessentially San Diegan. It gets thrust upon locals in the same way that a burger from Hodad’s or a fish taco from South Beach does. If someone happens to mention to a friend or co-worker that they have never tried one, they will likely respond with complete and utter disbelief. Of its kind in San Diego, the Sneaky Tiki’s cult following is only rivaled by a few other iconic cocktails; the Mai Tai at the Bali Hai or the Bionic Beaver from Guava Beach, for instance. And for those who have tried any of the above, I’m fairly certain that I know how that night ended. What I mean is that the iconic cocktails listed above—while all being served in different parts of our city and in bars with different ambiances and philosophies—do have one thing in common: they all contain an unholy amount of booze. The bartenders that serve them, and those friends and co-workers mentioned previously, all start their description of these tippling titans by boasting of how much alcohol
THE SMOKEY TURKEY As prepared at Turf Supper Club
Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a goblet with ice that has been sprayed with a mist of Laphroaig from an atomizer. Garnish with festive umbrella, orange and cherry.
they contain. It is essentially what their entire allure is based around. It’s rare that people discussing these cocktails mention things like taste and substance, and there’s a good reason for that. Generally, by the time someone is finished drinking one (or more), they can’t remember what they tasted like, or perhaps, where they live, or how to do the math on the credit card receipt to leave a tip. I am not sure how many times that I have had a Sneaky Tiki. If someone had asked me what it tasted like, I would have no idea. However, walking back through the Turf Club’s door, I intended to find out. “It’s everyone’s favorite birthday drink. Actually, when I first turned 21, It was the first drink that I had” says Chloe, the bartender at Turf Club, before placing a different version of the Sneaky Tiki, the Smokey Turkey, upon the bar. It seems the Sneaky Tiki is so popular that it has inspired several spin-offs. The one before me, the Smokey Turkey, is a whiskey-forward version of the original, containing both Wild Turkey 101 and Laphroiag scotch. It still contains the requisite Malibu, amaretto, pineapple, orange juice, and sour that the Sneaky Tiki has, but with welcome whiskey additions. So, keeping the memory loss in mind, I decided to write the initial impression before its unholy effects took hold. Right off the bat, there are all the medicinal and smoke qualities expected to be lent from Laphroaig, before the rush of sour acidity and sweeter notes from the Malibu and amaretto take over. The Turkey eventually lends itself to uneasy sipping, never really letting go of what it is: the hybrid of both an amaretto sour and a whiskey sour with tropical and smoky notes. And much like Turf Supper Club itself, it’s a welcome re-envisioning of another time.
10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene appears every other week. Write to ianw@ sdcitybeat.com
BY BETH DEMMON
FINAL DRAUGHT A need for mead
the works. Compared to craft beer, that’s a microscopic number. But according to ollaborations are one of my favorite the American Mead Makers Association, things about craft industries. meaderies in the United States have Coffee roasters often supply beans gone from 30 in 2003 to approximately to breweries for coffee beers. Distilleries 300 and still rising at last count in early like 619 Vodka use local produce for 2016. It’s one of the fastest—if not the infusions. Karl Strauss is hosting a fastest—growing segments of alcohol in 30-brewery-strong “Collabapalooza: indie the country. beer collaboration celebration” during By choosing a location flanked by this year’s upcoming Beer Week. Now, a numerous other craft beverage businesses, new partnership bridges cider, food and Beltz hopes to draw some die-hard mead in the heart of Miramar’s Miralani hopheads to the sweet side. Breweries Makers District. such as Thunderhawk Alements, Protector On Thursday, Nov. 2, Lost Cause Brewery, 2Kids Brewing Company and Meadery, Serpentine Cider and Good Setting Sun Sake as well as multiple Seed Food Company will host a soft wineries are all clustered nearby. opening for their collective at 8665 Even for those familiar with mead, Miralani Drive, Suite 100. The Lost Cause’s approach is unique. shared space includes a It favors local buckwheat communal tasting room and honey, which Beltz describes outdoor patio. as “rich and intense…with I’ve written about cider notes of caramel, toffee and before, but personally find bourbon.” mead to be a bit of a mystery. “We think our meads are Suzanna Beltz, co-founder of the best expression of what Lost Cause with her husband a mead can be: really Billy, was enthusiastic to Lost Cause’s first mead complex and packed with made with local honey enlighten me. layers of flavor and aroma, “The first thing to understand is that yet at the same time sparkling and light mead is probably the most versatile enough to be enjoyed by everyone here in alcoholic beverage there is,” Beltz San Diego,” Beltz says. explains. “It can range from rich and As longtime members of the Quality super-sweet to refreshing and bone-dry.” Ale and Fermentation Fraternity, both Often referred to as “the drink of Beltzes plan to incorporate education the gods,” mead is an ancient alcoholic into their offerings, teaching guests how beverage created in a process similar to to enjoy mead as well as how to make it winemaking. However, the base sugar at home. To those who’ve tried mead and that gets fermented in mead is honey found it disagreeable, Beltz invites them rather than fruit. Mead also tends to have to give it another shot at Lost Cause. a higher alcohol content than most wines “If you’ve had it previously and didn’t (8 to 20 percent), and its versatility makes like it, you’re not alone,” says Beltz. “We it ideal to pair with food. always encourage people to know how There are a handful of meaderies much mead quality can vary and to keep operating in San Diego already: trying.” Oceanside’s Golden Coast Mead, Vista’s Twisted Horn Mead & Cider, Escondido’s Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com, check her Meadiocrity Mead and Ramona’s out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite, or Mysterious Mead. Several more are in via Twitter at @delightedbite.
C
PHOTO COURTESY LOST CAUSE MEADERY
#17: Unholy smoke at Turf Supper Club
BY IAN WARD
@SDCITYBEAT
SHORTlist
EVENTS
ART
the
THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE
COORDINATED BY
SETH COMBS
SAN DIEGO
CREEPY AND KOOKY
Not too long ago, Halloween used to annual party includes five stages of music, costume be a pseudo-holiday only celebrated by children. contests and haunted house areas. Tickets range Now, it’s a full-fledged event that is not only from $55 to $115 at sandiegomonsterbash.com. For those looking for something a little more embraced by adults, but also often used as an excuse to dress up in ridiculous and extravagant costumes. cultural, the Lafayette is also hosting The Poetry Not that we’re complaining, but the fact that Brothel on Halloween night from 8 p.m. to midnight. Halloween this year falls on a Tuesday night does A masquerade party hosted by the Poetry Society of New York, the event features make it a bit more difficult COURTESY OF THE POETRY BROTHEL performers, live music and to fully embrace going out. poets performing one-onHowever, there are still plenty one readings of their original of events throughout the work in private, candlelit week and weekend that will back rooms. Tickets are appeal to just about anyone. $40 at thepoetrybrothel. For those looking to com. On Saturday, local show off their costumes, music weirdos Stay Strange there are plenty of nightlife (staystrange.com) will host options. One of the cooler, the free Something Strange more affordable events is the This Way Comes!, a live Explore the Upside Down party at the Lafayette Hotel The Poetry Brothel reading of horror stories that will be scored by local (2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park) on Saturday, Oct. 28 from 7 to 10 p.m. The noise musicians. It happens at 8 p.m. at Sew Loka Stranger Things-themed party includes fortune- (1821 Fifth Ave.) in Bankers Hill. Finally, on Monday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m., the tellers, photobooths, ouija boards and DJs spinning darkwave music throughout the evening. Tickets San Diego Central Library (330 Park Blvd., East are $13 at lafayettehotelsd.com. Then there’s the Village) is hosting The Poe Show, which features mother of all Halloween parties, Monster Bash, performers from the New Fortune Theatre Company which happens Saturday from 6 p.m. to midnight reading stories from everyone’s favorite depressive. in the Gaslamp Quarter. The multi-block, 17th More info at newfortunetheatre.com.
NORTH PARK
DOWNTOWN
CLICK WORTHY
RETURN OF THE MAC
The annual Medium Festival of Photography certainly has a lot of appeal for professional and fine arts photographers, but it also has a lot to offer the amateur or social media shutterbugs out there. Now in its sixth year, the four-day fest includes free events like the open portfolio walks and the FLASH! Pop-up shops, as well as the Size Matters photography show (think very small pictures) at Helmuth Projects (1827 Fifth Ave.) in Bankers Hill. The rest of the fest ranges from anywhere between $15-$40 to attend the lectures and keynote speaker address to $100-$275 for all-access passes to the entire event. It kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 9 a.m. and concludes on Sunday, Oct. 29. See mediumsandiego.org for full schedule and prices. STACY KECK
Once a cheap American comfort food, macaroni and cheese underwent a gourmet rebirth several years ago. Bacon, lobster and truffle oil are just a few ingredients keeping foodies loyal to the dish and the Mac n’ Cheese Fest. Now in its third year, this outdoor festival takes place at Waterfront Park (1600 Pacific Highway) and includes unlimited mac and cheese tastings from 17 local restaurants, such as Stacked and Eddie V’s. Tickets also include 10 tastings from 16 breweries, cideries and wineries. An expert panel will judge which restaurant wins the title of “Best Gourmet Mac n’ Cheese in San Diego” while attendees will vote for “People’s Choice.” All this cheesy goodness goes down Saturday, Oct. 28 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. General admission tickets are $35 and VIP is $65, which includes early entry and a private VIP area. sandiegomacncheese.com COURTESY OF MAC N’ CHEESE FEST
HMedium Festival of Photography at Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. The sixth annual, four-day photography event includes portfolio reviews, artist lectures, book signings, speakers and much more. See website for full list of events and times. From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, and 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. $15-$275. 619-2962101, mediumsandiego.org HeXit pARTy : Tropicália at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 1100 Kettner Blvd, Downtown. Inspired by the Memories of Underdevelopment exhibition, this event will feature hands-on activities, performance art, cocktails and live music by two Tropicalia music artists. From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. Free-$25. 858-454-3541. mcasd.org HAndrew Alcasid at ICE Gallery, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. The up-and-coming, Mira Mesa-raised artist unveils a new geometric mural. Opening from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Free. icegallerysd.com Dia De Los Muertos Skull Art Show at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. A display of 50 sugar skulls, each designed by a different artist in honor of the Mexican holiday, Dia De Los Muertos. There will also be a community altar and face painting. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Free. 619-2557036, labodegagallery.com HZombies Amongst Us at Subterranean Coffee Boutique, 3764 30th St., North Park. Artist David Russell Talbott, who’s known for mixing fantasy, horror and crime fiction, presents his American Pulpcore series which examines the relationship between society and the media during the ‘40s and ‘50s. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Free. facebook.com/events/735131220007134 HKantha: Recycled and Embroidered Textiles of Bengal at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. A new exhibition of traditional Indian quilting that are often the works of two or more generations of women. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Free-$10. 619239-0003, mingei.org Dia De Los Muertos Art Exhibition at Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2004 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. A Day of the Dead celebration with two art exhibits, theater by Historias Tenebrosas, traditional altars, music and more. Traditional Catrina and Catrin attire encouraged. Opening from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. Free. 619-2356135, centroculturaldelaraza.com
BOOKS HBruce Campbell at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The iconic actor, best known for his role as Ash in the Evil Dead series, will sign his new memoir, Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B-Movie Actor. At 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. Free. 858-2684747, mystgalaxy.com HMel Freilicher at Verbatim Books, 3793 30th St., North Park. San Diego City Works Press is presenting their newest book, American Cream by Mel Freilicher. The book explores American history through the lens of pop culture, politics and radical activists of all sorts. From 8 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. Free. cityworkspress.org HNnedi Okorafor at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The award-winning novelist who specializes in African-based science fiction will sign and discuss her new novel, Akata Warrior. At 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com
Medium Festival of Photography @SDCITYBEAT
Mac n’ Cheese Fest
H = CityBeat picks
HAlexandra Neumeister, Chad Stroup, James Jensen and Lori R. Lopez at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The local writers will be promoting their new anthology collection, California Screamin,’ a compilation of horror stories set in the titular state. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. Free. 858-4540347, warwicks.com HAaron James and Nick Riggle at Warren Auditorium, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcalá Park, Linda Vista. The two philosophy professors will discuss their respective new books, On Being Awesome: A Unified Theory of How Not to Suck (Riggle) and Surfing with Science: An Aquatic Inquiry into a Life of Meaning (James). At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1. Free. sandiego.edu
DANCE HSwan Lake at San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., Downtown. The California Ballet performs this Tchaikovsky classic in its full four acts. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 and 1 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. $25. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org
FILM HArt & Astronomy at The Fleet Science Center, 1875 El Prado, Balboa Park. The premiere of A New Stellar Order, a film about NASA science illustrator and fine artist Melissa Walter. Plus a Q&A with the artist, the filmmakers and a Fleet astronomer. From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. $5-$10. 619-238-1233, rhfleet.org Tony: The Movie at Observatory North Park, 2891 University Ave., North Park. A screening of a film focusing on homelessness in San Diego and what can be done about it. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the subject and director of the film, as well as local homeless advocates. From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Free. 619-239-8836, observatorysd.com
FOOD & DRINK HMac n’ Cheese Fest at Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway, Downtown. In its third year, this outdoor festival includes unlimited mac and cheese samples from 17 local restaurants and 10 tastings from 16 breweries, cideries and wineries. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. $35$65. sandiegomacncheese.com HBow Wow Beer Bash at Mission Brewery, 1441 L St., East Village. A dog-friendly event featuring doggie costume contests, a photobooth, VIP lounges, trick-or-treat vendors, a raffle and a silent auction. Proceeds benefit Cammies & Canines, a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing homeless dogs and healing homeless veterans. From 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. $15$50. cammiesandcanines.com
HALLOWEEN HTrick-or-Treat on India Street at Little Italy. Businesses along historic India Street open their doors to pass out Halloween treats for little ones dressed in their favorite Halloween costumes. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. Free. littleitalysd.com HalGLOWeen at San Diego Zoo, 2920 Zoo Drive, Balboa Park. A three-day, family-friendly event where the zoo will glow under black lights and feature a dance party, creepy crawly show, acrobats and more. Halloween costumes encouraged. At 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, Saturday, Oct. 28 and Sunday, Oct. 29. $42-$179. 619-231-1515, zoo.sandiegozoo.org/halgloween
EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11
EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 HThe Boulevard BOO! Parade at College Area Business District, College Area. The free, family event is San Diego’s only Halloween Parade and includes floats, zombies, music and more surprises. Held on El Cajon Blvd. between Rolando Blvd. and 60th St. From 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Free. 619-582-1093, booparade.com HMonster Bash at Gaslamp Quarter, Downtown. The Gaslamp converts into a huge block party with five stages spread out over the eight-block festival area with DJs, costume contests, haunted areas and more. Ages 21-and-up. From 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Oct. 28. $55-$115. 619-2335227, sandiegomonsterbash.com HExplore the Upside Down at the Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. The Stranger Things-themed party includes fortunetellers, photobooths, ouija boards and DJs spinning darkwave music throughout the evening. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 $13. lafayettehotelsd.com. HHaunted Tales at Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 N. Harbor Drive, Downtown. A Halloween event with lantern-led tours on the Star of India, featuring ghostly tales of crewmembers past. The museum will also be open until 8 p.m. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. $9-$18. 619-2349153, sdmaritime.org Halloween Family Day at Balboa Park Conservancy, 1549 El Prado, Balboa Park. More than two dozen museums, cultural attractions and community partners will set up shop in Balboa Park for a day of crafts, costume contests and other surprises. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. $5-$18. 619-331-1920, balboaparkconservancy.org
Scare Away Hunger at Feeding San Diego, 9455 Waples St., Suite 135, Sorrento Valley. A volunteer shift of sorting, bagging and boxing food for those in need in the community. There will be a costume contest and donations of healthy, non-perishable food are encouraged. From 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Free. 858-4523663, feedingsandiego.org HThe Haunted Trail Of Balboa Park at Balboa Drive and Juniper St., Balboa Park. A mile-long trail featuring a haunted old plantation, creepy clowns, live scenes of horror and more. From 7 to 11 p.m. through Tuesday, Oct. 31. $25-$37. hauntedtrail.net HThe Scream Zone at Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. One of San Diego’s largest Halloween attractions featuring a huge House of Horror with rooms filled with scares, as well as a Haunted Hayride. From 7 p.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays and from 7 to 11 p.m. all other nights through Tuesday, Oct. 31.$10-$33. 858-755-1141, thescreamzone.com HThe Haunted Hotel at Haunted Hotel, 424 Market St., Downtown. Voted one of “America’s Best Haunted Houses,” make your way through a Hellevator, a Hillbilly Swamp, a Clown Subway and more. From 7 to 11 p.m. on Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday and 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday through Tuesday, Oct. 31. $19-$29. 619-231-0131, hauntedhotel.com
MUSIC HNate Smith + Kinfolk at The Loft @ UCSD, 9500 Gillman Drive, Price Center East, La Jolla. The acclaimed jazz drummer will perform music from his debut solo album, Kinfolk: Postcards from Everywhere. From 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. $9-$35. artpower.ucsd.edu
12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
PERFORMANCE HHaunted Palace at Tango del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St., Pacific Beach. Professional wrestling troupe Super Awesome Showdown presents a Halloween-themed night of matches. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. $5-$35. superawesomeshowdown.com
POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HVAMP: Teeth at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. So Say We All’s monthly storytelling showcase will feature tales about the handy little mouth bones. Readers include Julia Dixon Evans, Kevin Manly, Louise Julig and more. From 8:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. $5 suggested donation. 619-284-6784, sosayweallonline.com HSomething Strange This Way Comes! at Sew Loka, 1821 Fifth Ave., Bankers Hill. Presented by local music/art weirdos Stay Strange, this show features live readings of horror stories that will be scored by local noise musicians. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Free. staystrange. com HPoe Show at San Diego Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Local actors will be reading from Edgar Allan Poe’s notoriously dark works such as The Raven, Annabelle Lee and more. At 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30. Free. 602-380-3706, newfortunetheatre.com HThe Poetry Brothel at The Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., North Park. A unique, immersive event that brings together elements of burlesque and poetry. Guest poet Jerome Rothenberg, burlesque artists Eva Mae Garnet and Lilly Holiday, and house band Gypsy Groove
will all be in attendance. From 8 p.m. to midnight. Tuesday, Oct 31. $44-$80. thepoetrybrothel.com
SPECIAL EVENTS HOrchids & Onions Awards Ceremony at US Grant Hotel, 326 Broadway, Downtown. The San Diego Architectural Foundation presents this year’s crop of design awards acknowledging the best and the “could be better” of San Diego’s built environment. From 6 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. $20-$120. 619-2359500, orchidsandonions.org HStrangers In A Fire Masquerade at Park & Rec, 4612 Park Blvd., University Heights. A visual display of color scapes accompanied by music by DJ Brandy Bell, Mitch Wilson, White Guilt and Mannequin. Masquerade masks are optional and will be available at the event, or guests can wear their own. At 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. Free. 619-795-9700, parkandrecsd. com HAcross the Border at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, 1100 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. As part of Deep Time University: Intersession, border arts scholars Adriana Trujillo and Sara Solaimani lead an educational trolley tour from downtown to San Ysidro with the purpose of aesthetically deconstructing the border. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. Free. 858-454-3541, deeptimeu.com HCity Heights Dia de Los Muertos Celebration at City Heights Community Park, 3700 Fairmont Ave., City Heights. There will be dancing, singing, music and community altars to celebrate Day of the Dead. Includes face painting, mask making and a contest for the best Catrina and Catrin. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday,
Oct. 28. Free. 619-283-9624 x 357, cityheightsba.org H5K for Food Not Bombs at Morley Field, corner of 28th and Upas St., North Park. Local nonprofit Food Not Bombs is raising money to buy a new stove for Rebel House, which provides meals to the homeless. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. facebook.com/ events/116720092322648 HCicloSDias Downtown at various locations downtown. The neighborhoods of Little Italy, Gaslamp, East Village and Barrio Logan will open up the streets for walkers, bikers and skaters to explore the area on foot—no cars allowed. There will be costume contests, games, music, shopping and more. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. Free. ciclosdiassd.com HDia de los Muertos Festival at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The 22nd annual fest will feature live entertainment and traditional Mexican fare. Guests can decorate their own sugar skull and explore the Center’s museum exhibitions. From 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 1. Free. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org
TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HTaste Of Opera: Transgender Visibility in the Arts at Diversionary Theatre, 4545 Park Blvd., University Heights. A community panel discussion with opera director David Bennett, artistic director Matt M. Morrow and Trans Chorus Los Angeles founder Lindsey Deaton. They will be discussing trans visibility in the performing arts. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26. $25. 619-232-7636, sdopera.org
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October 25, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 13
THEATER AARON RUMLEY
Jacob Sidney (left) and Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper in Of Mice and Men
Of Mice, Men and Mercy
T
he stage adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men may be just the next best thing to reading the 1937 novella, but it contains a dramatic potency all its own. Steinbeck’s words seamlessly transfer from one medium to the other, as does the lyricism of his statements about loneliness and about the hardest of life’s tragic inevitabilities. As demonstrated by North Coast Repertory Theatre’s at-once brutal and understated production of the play (which also debuted in 1937, in San Francisco), the live action can heighten the anxieties of the storytelling and the truths inherent in Steinbeck’s discourse on humanity. The tension inside the theater at North Coast Rep, for example, is excruciating in the weighty moments precipitating the “mercy killing” of an old dog, and later, when the childlike goliath Lennie (Nicholas MongiardoCooper) is alone with the flirtatious wife of a hothead ranch hand played by Sierra Jolene. Director Richard Baird has conceived an adaptation that is startling in its sequences of violence, yet wistful and even tender in its depiction of two unlikely, Depression-era friends reaching for a shared dream: a little farm where the protective George (Jacob Sidney) and manchild Lennie can live off “the fat of the land.” This is a lengthy production (three acts, with an intermission) but a wellpaced one that is true to the narrative’s ever-present apprehensions. While Sidney and especially Mongiardo-Cooper are outstanding, they are not alone in vividly inhabiting Steinbeck’s Salinas Valley ranch characters. John Greenleaf is affecting as the desperately hopeful Candy, who longs to join George and Lennie in a better life somewhere. There’s also J. Stephen Brantley, who exudes all the goodness that is inside the laconic, jerkline skinner Slim. Lawrence Brown plays Crooks, the one Black man on the ranch, and he richly embodies a figure who is, like Lennie, an outsider and who most expresses the story’s undercurrent of loneliness.
14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
Of Mice and Men—the novella and the play—is 80 years old now, but it’s hard to imagine a time when its view of the world, a world both merciless and merciful, won’t matter. Of Mice and Men runs through Nov. 12 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. $45$56; northcoastrep.org
—David L. Coddon
Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
OPENING: Tuck Everlasting: Based on the children’s novel by Natalie Babbitt, this musical tells the tale of a young woman who discovers her new boyfriend’s family is immortal. Presented by San Diego Junior Theatre, it opens Oct. 27 at the Casa del Prado Theatre in Balboa Park. juniortheatre.com
NOW PLAYING: The Gun Show and Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll: Claudio Raygoza performs solo in two plays in repertory that deal in issues of gun control, addiction and mental illness. Presented by ion Theatre, it runs through Oct. 27 at BLKBOX Theatre in Hillcrest. iontheatre.com The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey: This oneman play written and performed by stage veteran Leonard Pelkey tells the story of a New Jersey detective who must find a missing teenage boy. It runs through Oct. 29 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org Evil Dead—The Musical: A spirited musical based on Sam Raimi’s cult film about demonic zombies and one badass dude with a chainsaw. Presented as part of Terror at the Tenth series, it runs through Oct. 29 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in Downtown. tenthavenuearts.com
For full listings, visit “Theater” under Culture at sdcitybeat.com
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CULTURE
Regular CityBeat readers may recognize the name of local artist Peter Halasz. We’ve been in love with his dark (literally and figuratively) brand of paintings for a while now. It seems the nighttime seascapes weren’t enough of a creative outlet for Halasz’s goth angst so now there’s also Floodflower, a post-punk quintet channeling the best parts of bands such as Bauhaus, Love and Rockets and Sisters of Mercy. Their new album El Greco Skies is all doom and gloom, comEl Greco Skies plete with spooky dirges like “Desert Song” and the instrumental, horn-infused funeral march that is “Séance Reprise.” The best track, however, is “Cliff Song,” which builds from a rather foreboding bass line into an uneasy jam session with Halasz showing off some impressive guitar chops. Halasz’s voice isn’t made for the high notes, but fans of Peter Murphy and even the darker material of Bryan Ferry will find Halasz’s voice to their liking. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s even a song called “Bring Out the Dead.” Light some candles, bust out the Ouija board and blast El Greco Skies at the next Halloween party. floodflower.bandcamp.com
Ambiguity is key to the scariest stories. Think Henry James’ Turn of the Screw: Was the house really haunted, or were the ghosts just symbolic manifestations of the governess’ Victorian repression (thanks English degree!)? Jac Jemc’s new book The Grip of It—which FSG ORIGINALS oozes with uncertainty, dread and ambiguity—is one of the creepiest things I’ve read in a long time. The plot follows a couple who hastily purchases a home in a small town after the husband’s gambling problems force them to leave the big city, and it doesn’t take long for spooky shit to happen. But are they ghosts, or are the couple’s domestic conflicts finally bubbling to the surface? Jemc’s prose is ethereal, The Grip Of It dreamlike and never gives the reader the convenience of solid footing (definitely a great thing for a horror novel). Plus, the chapters alternate between the man and woman’s point of view, which furthers the unreliability. I had a lot of nightmares while reading this book. jacjemc.com
—Seth Combs
—Ryan Bradford
Becoming a notorious serial killer requires more than just bloodlust these days. If you want to really leave a mark, a la Zodiac Killer or Night Stalker, you’ve got to figure out how to brand yourself. So goes the idea behind Tragedy Girls, a horror-satire film starring Brianna Hildebrand and Alexandra Shipp as two high school girls obsessed with death and, more imporCOURTESY OF NEW ARTIST PICTURES tantly, fame. The titular tragedy girls, Sadie and McKayla are amateur bloggers trying to track down a serial killer and boost their online traffic. They manage to find and kidnap Tragedy Girls the serial killer and, soon enough, they blossom into catty, social-media-hungry killers in their own right as they realize the best way to gain notoriety isn’t solving murders, but committing them. The delightfully unhinged, gory murder scenes are surprisingly fun, while watching the girls’ sheer giddiness at their overnight fame feels almost unsettling. Tragedy Girls is a frenzied, funny take on classic teen slasher films, updated for the social media age. tragedygirlsmovie.com
Brian K. Vaughan has tackled distant alien worlds and dystopian futures with Saga and Y: The Last Man, but Paper Girls is a bank of nostalgia. The story begins on Halloween night in 1988 when 12-year-old Erin takes off on her bike for her 4 a.m. paper route. When she is harassed by a group of teenage boys (probably a Blaine, a Chad and a Gary), three other girls on their COURTESY OF IMAGE COMICS routes come to her rescue and get the creeps to step off. That’s when things get weird. This chance meeting launches them into an adventure involving wormholes, Paper Girls characters meeting their past/future selves and nods to rad things gone by—like an omniscient being who wears a Public Enemy t-shirt. Illustrated by Cliff Chiang, he sets up the excitement of middle-school girl freedom and mystery with loose chisel lines, flipping between dusky and bright palettes. It reminds me of Stand By Me, LOST, Stranger Things and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy but with a badass, all-girl crew. I promise it’ll be hard not to crush on this one. imagecomics.com
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—Jamie Ballard
—Carolyn Ramos
Belief in the supernatural is often a device used to make sense of things that otherwise defy rational explanation to reasonable people. For instance: Vlad the Impaler was a cruel, remorseless killer, AMAZON STUDIOS / PROPAGATE CONTENT but when transformed into Dracula through centuries of myth, he’s become a creature who survives on human blood. The legend, oddly, is more palatLore able than the grotesque truth. For a few years now, Aaron Mahnke has been tracing the line between horror and supernatural legends and their origins on his podcast, Lore, which has been adapted into a streaming TV series with some assistance from producers of The X-Files. The tales range from the spooky (a house occupied by unfriendly spirits) to the creepily campy (Robert the doll) to the mundanely horrific (the popularization of the lobotomy). Each episode focuses on one central story, peppered with brief segues highlighting similarly thematic tales, with a balance of scripted dramatizations and innovative animation sequences. It’s visually stunning and frequently haunting, particularly because the truth itself is sometimes much more baffling than the legend it spawns. Stream it now via Amazon Prime. —Jeff Terich
Finding a Halloween costume can be frustrating as hell. But more makeup artists are taking on #31DaysOfHalloween, in which they create and post full-faced costume makeup looks to Instagram each day in October, and the inspiration is endless. Here are three COURTESY OF THE ARTIST So-Cal makeup artists so skilled it’s scary. Lisa Murphy’s (@lisamarie_ murphy) ability to illude negative space is downright creepy. This Coronado-based makeup artist can seemingly erase half her face or even transform into the headless horseLisa Murphy man. When her face is visible, it’s either painted in a way that’s nauseatingly gory or detailed AF. Emily Anderson (@likecharity) combines color with terror and often pulls inspiration from ghoulish visual art pieces. She also replicates movie characters like Gizmo from Gremlins or Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy. Lacey Noel (@missmissyphoto) has embodied nearly every iconic villain. From American Horror Story characters and Mufasa to a femme Chucky, she nails them all. Next time someone tries to claim that makeup isn’t art, have these IG pages at the ready. —Torrey Bailey
OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15
16 · San Diego CityBeat · October 25, 2017
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October 25, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 17
CULTURE | VOICES
RACHEL MICHELLE FERNANDES
THANK YOU FOR
STARING
Go fund yourself, part 3: Home is where the art is
I
n 2005 a man named Jimmy McMillan started his own political party in New York called “The Rent is Too Damn High” party. McMillan, who looks like a cross between a Black Santa Claus and a dapper walrus, ran for mayor of New York City that year, again in 2009, and subsequently for Governor in 2010, steadily working his way from 4,000 to 40,000 votes in the process. Many might recognize him from comedian Kenan Thompson’s caricature portrayal on Saturday Night Live. I used to see McMillan walking around my old neighborhood, Manhattan’s East Village, before he became a meme. Why do I bring him up now? Well, because the rent is too damn high everywhere, not just in New York, and I want to know what the arts community and the city of San Diego are going to do about it, especially since most of the artists I know are broke AF. However, when it comes to the arts, the rent issue is twofold. Not only do artists need affordable housing, they need affordable exhibition and work spaces. There is also the fear/assumption that artists are forerunners of gentrification, which is not entirely off base. Recently, KCRW has been running a series called “There Goes the Neighborhood” about gentrification and housing issues in Los Angeles. Its latest installment covers the role of artists in the gentrification cycle, specifically in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights and the Arts District Downtown. For the uninitiated, the controversy in Boyle Heights surrounds the onslaught of art galleries taking advantage of cheap rents in the neighborhood and how their lack of inclusion of the local community is problematic. The podcast also examines how residents/antigentrification activists protesting the galleries are not anti-art by any means, as art has been a part of the community for generations. What they are troubled and angered by is outsiders peddling expensive, “high” art that is only affordable to patrons who do not represent nor care about the health and stability of Boyle Heights residents. When they seek fancy beers and coffees before and after gallery visits, they generate more business for wealthy outsiders and drive up rents. This is the cycle of gentrification: The displacement of whole, multi-generational communities by individuals who are following trends and marketing ploys. We’ve seen the process play out in neighborhoods like North Park in the past and, currently, in Barrio Logan. In the process, desirable cultural aspects of the community are pushed out. “Gentrification often follows artists, because artists see the potential and beauty in people, places, and things before others do,” says Jennifer de Poyen, director of Space 4 Art (340 16th St., sdspace4art.org) in San Diego’s East Village. Space 4 Art is a provider of cost effective, live-work spaces here. It also used to have two gallery spaces that had to be closed after the inevitable
sale of its property yielded higher rent. “Should we blame artists for seeking out affordable places to live and work, improving those neighborhoods, and then being chased out by people who want to live and work in spaces that have been improved and made attractive by artists?” asks de Poyen. The answer, in my opinion, is no, but, to paraphrase Pee-wee Herman inside the dinosaur while on his big adventure, everyone I know has a big but. If artists have the power to transform neighborhoods they should also have the obligation to protect them. Of course, the burden should not fall only on them but... “Governments should be in the business of preserving the presence of artists in their communities,” adds de Poyen, who also advises the readers to spend time with the incredible report by Nick Rabkin called Hearts and Minds: The Arts and Civic Engagement. Sponsored by the James Irvine Foundation, the report provides evidence of the immense benefits of having artists be an integral part of political dialogue and community policy. This brings me back to the affordable housing conversation and how the present time is the perfect time to piggyback talking about affordable art spaces. If not now, when? Why wait until another Boyle Heights scenario plays out in San Diego? I approached the Commission for Arts and Culture several times and could not get a response about what is being done to integrate arts initiatives for affordable spaces within the several housing initiatives being proposed for the coming election year. In all fairness, I’ve been contacting their office a lot lately and they are probably getting sick of my abrasive nature. Nevertheless, I can say here with confidence that it’s our job to show up to their meetings, as well as City Council meetings, to urge for this conversation to be included in proposed policy and legislation. Meanwhile, there is a panel discussion at Bread and Salt (1955 Julian Ave.) in Logan Heights about “Vanishing Art Spaces” on Sunday, Nov. 19, as well as a discussion about art, gentrification and cultural appropriation at the Hill Street Country Club (530 S Coast Hwy.) in Oceanside on the following Sunday. De Poyen also informed me that Space 4 Art has recently purchased land to build a permanent home, a 45,000 square-foot arts center with two galleries, an amphitheater, three classrooms, an event space, and affordable live-work and work-only spaces for 35 to 40 artists. “As I see it, San Diego is at a tipping point,” says de Poyen. “Will civic leaders embrace the new economy, which embraces the creativity of our artistic, scientific and research community? I certainly hope so. Our future as a growing, dynamic, livable metropolis depends on it.”
If artists have the power to transform neighborhoods they should also have the obligation to protect them.
18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
Thank You For Staring appears every other week.
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October 25, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 19
CULTURE | FILM
Portrait party
Faces Places
Agnès Varda and JR turn the French countryside into a pop-up photo gallery by Glenn Heath Jr.
H
earing Agnès Varda laugh is surely one of life’s es Varda to her 33-year-old counterpart. Fittingly, great pleasures. The spritely 88-year-old au- many of the segments unfold almost purely through teur cracks up throughout Faces Places, her happenstance and shared delight. But that’s not to nimble and joyous documentary co-directed with say the co-directors avoid structuring devices enprolific street artist JR. Lacking an identifiable con- tirely; Faces Places remains committed to connecting cept beyond a shared love for people’s stories, the film past histories with present day experiences through takes deviations in direction and style that are liber- the words and images of real people. Miners, farmers, ating. This is immediately evident during animated waiters, truck drivers and factory workers all agree to opening credits that eventually give way to live action participate in Varda and JR’s pop-up exhibits, providsequences perforated by jump cuts, breaks in time and ing a deeply layered rural panorama. With its freewheeling spirit and disdain for conplayful voiceover narration. After poking fun at their “meet cute” with a won- formity, Faces Places embodies the spontaneity of the derful he said/she said exchange, the duo set off French New Wave, a radical and influential 1960s film movement Varda helped launch across France interviewing ruwith works such as Cléo from 5 to ral townsfolk and pasting mas7 and Le Bonheur. Despite their sive black-and-white portraits FACES PLACES age difference, JR reveres Varda on façades of all kinds. Each vilike a close friend, never treatgnette centers on how personal Directed by Agnès Varda and JR ing her like an old icon waiting identity comes to be representNot Rated to be put out to pasture. Varda ed through art. More specificalis equally affectionate toward ly, buildings such as barns and JR, whose dynamic work ethic water towers are transformed keeps her spirit vital. She does, into creative spaces for largescale expressions. Everyone in this extended com- however, make time to poke fun at his pervasive need munity feeds off the energy generated by artistic col- to hide behind dark sunglasses, a wonderful running joke that eventually involves the great spectacled one laboration. Take for instance the segment set in Le Havre, a himself, Jean-Luc Godard. With Varda contemplating her own mortality and city that plays host to one of the world’s busiest ports. Instead of paying attention to the men who help load JR facing a lifetime of new possibilities, Faces Places— endless rows of shipping containers, Varda and JR de- which opens Friday at Angelika Film Centers-Carmel cide to focus on their wives. The art installation that Mountain—recognizes the sublime reality that nothis born (aptly titled “Totem Women”) is an inspiring ing lasts forever, not even great friendships. Such a bittersweet sentiment does not diminish the effortmonument to the powerful act of standing tall. Still, not all of the subjects in Faces Places feel at less glee of artists who perpetually exist in the moease with the end result of their photographs. A res- ment, refusing to waste time and energy on anything taurant server from Bonnieux squirms when she sees negative. In one of the final segments, JR pastes pictures of her likeness adorning a wall in the village square. Varda and JR embrace such diverse reactions. They Varda’s wrinkled feet and hands on railway cars that are genuinely curious about the process of getting to eventually depart into the distance for some unknown know someone, either through art, conversation or a destination. It’s his way of both saying thank you and combination of the two. In this sense, Faces Places is honoring Varda’s incomparable soul, no matter what always an open-ended experience, a film of relentless happens next. non-stop creation, starts and stops, and evolutions in Film reviews run weekly. tone and mood. “Chance has always been my best assistant,” mus- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com
20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
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CULTURE | FILM
Human Flow
Empathy for all
P
eople who are lucky enough to be free of political and religious persecution might find it hard to appreciate the experiences of refugees from violent hotspots such as Syria and Myanmar. It’s an issue that often feels too intricate for the general public to fully process despite newspapers and cable news networks providing stats and information on migration trends. Making matters worse is the growing antagonism toward this humanitarian crisis by nationalist fear-mongers in Europe and the United States. With his new feature documentary Human Flow, renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei bucks this trend by focusing on the elemental experiences of refugees at the ground level. His intent is not to just inform the viewer, but to create an emotional connection with the many global citizens who find
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themselves displaced because of war, famine, climate change and genocide. It is an immersive and often straightforward travelogue, one that lingers on faces and bodies in motion, not particularly academic but always engrossing. Ai visits massive refugee camps in Iraq, Jordan, Gaza, Bangladesh, France, Italy and Kenya, interviewing a diverse cross-section of people who are trapped within a maze of state bureaucracy. Their conversations are short and direct, with some subjects facing away from the camera as to ensure anonymity. Intimate moments like these are complemented by drone shots scanning massive enclaves where thousands of people are forced to live in close proximity. Human Flow, which opens Friday, Oct. 27, at Angelika Film Centers-Carmel Mountain, is an introductory salvo to an endlessly complex topic. Ai’s film isn’t stylistically dense like Gianfranco Rosi’s Fire at Sea, but it has an emotional rhythm all its own. “The world is shrinking,” says Dr. Kemal Kirişci, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Ai speeds up the recognition of this fact that directly relates to globalization, forcing the comfortable isolationist viewer to empathize with a crisis of human-
ity that deserves their utmost attention right now.
—Glenn Heath Jr.
OPENING 78/52: This documentary takes an unprecedented look at the classic shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Opens Friday, Oct. 27, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. All I See is You: Blake Lively stars as a blind woman whose relationship with her husband (Jason Clarke) changes after she regains her sight. Breathe: Andy Serkis directs this romantic drama about a couple (Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy) that refuse to let the disease of Polio limit their adventures in life. Faces Places: Filmmaker Agnès Varda and artist JR roam around France pasting giant photographs on buildings and interviewing local townsfolk about a range of topics. Opens Friday, Oct. 27, at Angelika Film Centers–Carmel Mountain. Jigsaw: Yet another Saw spinoff that brings the infamous villain from the original films back to life. Human Flow: Renowned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei directs this feature documentary that examines the global refugee crisis from multiple angles. Opens Friday, Oct. 27, at Angelika Film Centers–Carmel Mountain. Nobody’s Watching: An Argentine soap opera star moves to New York City to pursue his dreams but soon finds that the challenges of being an immigrant are
more than he expected. Opens Friday, Oct. 27, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Suburbicon: George Clooney directs this disturbing 1950s-set black comedy about a quiet family town that goes to hell after a home invasion sets off a series of violent events. Stars Matt Damon and Julianne Moore. Thank You for Your Service: Miles Teller plays a soldier returning home from Iraq who then struggles to integrate back into society. The Departure: This unforgettable documentary follows Ittetsu Nemoto, a former punk-turned-Buddhist-priest in Japan, as he helps individuals contemplating suicide and questions his own mortality. Opens Friday, Oct. 27, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Tom of Finland: This biopic is about one of the most influential gay figures of the 20th century, Finnish artist Touko Valio Laaksonen, who is known best by his pseudonym “Tom of Finland.” Opens Friday, Oct. 27, at the Ken Cinema. San Diego Arab Film Festival: Presenting feature films from Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, USA and France, this multiple weekend cultural event seeks to celebrate Arab culture through the power of cinema. The festival concludes Oct. 28 and 29, at AMC Mission Valley Cinemas. For more information visit sandiegoaff.org.
For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.
OCTOBER 25, 2017· SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21
EMILY DUBIN
MUSIC
ostalgia can be a trap. It’s easy, given enough distance, for anyone to look back at a time in their life with fondness and wish to return to those days while overlooking the less glamorous parts. There are countless movies and TV shows that idealize high school years, for instance, but it’s hard to imagine anyone would want to actually return to those years of unchecked hormones and inappropriate emotional responses. Jordan Hudkins, frontman and guitarist for the West Virginia power-pop group Rozwell Kid, understands the bittersweet concepts that come with nostalgia. The songs on his band’s new album, Precious Art, are almost all concerned with memories of better days. But while he readily admits to being a nostalgic person, he says he’s just as likely to take a sober view of the past as he is to romanticize it. “I often pine for the past, but who doesn’t though, right?” he says. “I do feel pretty realistic about [how I view the past]. I like to say a lot of the time, a lot of my songs are like a child relaying what they’re seeing, but they have a 30year-old’s brain in their tiny kid skull.” Precious Art, released in June via SideOneDummy, packages alternately tender and hilarious anecdotes with nostalgic overtones into 12 tracks that recall the likes of Cheap Trick, Big Star and Thin Lizzy. Hudkins, guitarist Adam Meisterhans, bassist Devin Donnelly and drummer Sean Hallock provide punchy, heavily hook-laden rock ‘n’ roll backings for those youthful, naive narratives, whether they’re in the form of a three-chord punk track like “Wendy’s Trash Can” or they feature dramatic, dual harmonized guitar leads like in “Futon.” Through many of the songs on Precious Art, pop culture references become symbolic of particular life lessons or coming-of-age stories. “Michael Keaton,” for instance, was inspired by the time when Hudkins was a kid and looked up Michael Keaton in the phonebook so he could thank him for being in Tim Burton’s Batman. Other song titles include “UHF on DVD” and “Mad TV,” though Hudkins says the abundance of cultural references wasn’t an intentional move. “I didn’t even really notice really how many pop culture references were on the album until I saw the final tracklist,” he says. “And I was like ‘how come half the song titles
22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
From left: Jordan Hudkins, Adam Meisterhans, Devin Donnelly and Sean Hallock are proper nouns?’ That was weird. I guess it just kind of seeped into the mindset and became a theme during the writing. ‘Michael Keaton’ is essentially a fictional story song based on one real incident that happened, but the nostalgia wrapped up in that song, it definitely comes from a moment in my life and a time in my life, and reminds me of that. That’s definitely where a lot of the inspiration came from.” Some of the songs on Precious Art are reflective of Rozwell Kid’s own experiences as a band. The 57-second ballad “South By,” referencing the annual South by Southwest music festival in Austin, is a comically melodramatic track with only one line: “Where, oh where, will I park the van?” The track was accompanied by a Shutterstock-stamped video clip that depicted a car moving slowly in a giant, full parking lot, as well as an article by music news satire website The Hard Times with the headline, “Rozwell Kid still looking for parking space for 2015 SXSW showcase.” Rozwell Kid have been touring pretty heavily for the past three years (presumably spending much of that time looking for parking), and they’re at a point where they can laugh about the absurdity of some of the pitfalls of being in a touring band. But they’re also a lot better at ensuring each night goes smoothly than when they started out playing D.I.Y. shows. There aren’t any guarantees on the road, but Hudkins says they’ve been at it long enough to minimize
the amount of things that can go wrong. “We’re definitely a better touring band than when we started. We’ve learned a lot in that time,” he says. “Just small things, little shortcuts and tweaks that make everything move a lot smoother. I think probably the biggest lesson is something I feel like we’ve carried since day one... show up and do your job. Show up on time, do your job, don’t be a dick and have fun. If you do that, then nothing can go wrong. Unless you’re a terrible band, you can’t play your instruments and nobody likes you, then it can go wrong. But I feel like we’re moderately talented enough to do a good enough job, and maybe one person will like it.” If Rozwell Kid leans heavily on guitar theatrics or nods to ‘80s and ‘90s entertainment, it’s because these elements serve a specific purpose: They feel good and, ultimately, that’s all that Hudkins can expect when someone listens to his band. And if he also feels good about making the music in the process, then everybody wins. “I don’t expect to change anyone’s life or reverse the rotation of the earth with a Rozwell Kid record, but I want people to have a good time,” he says. “I want people to finish listening to a song or record or walking away from a live show feeling just a little bit better than they did.” Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and follow him on Twitter at @1000TimesJeff
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MUSIC
AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT
NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO
On the move
LOCALS ONLY
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“We’re heading into elder-statesmen-of-punk age in embers of Age of Collapse have started up a new band called Therapy. Blaine and Sean Slinger- our lives,” he says. “We’ve all struggled with anxiety or deland, who play bass and guitar in Age of Collapse, pression. And it doesn’t go away as you get older. So we started the band along with drummer Matt Donnert and just thought the name kind of applied to us and a lot of DANIEL RODRIGUEZ people in the punk scene.” vocalist Chris McQueen, who recently moved So far, the band has only written enough to San Diego from Hawaii and Canada, resongs for a short live set and while they spectively. Whereas the Slingerlands’ other haven’t yet released any recorded music, band is more of a progressive hardcore band, Blaine says that they’re planning a cassette Blaine says that the new project is influenced release in the near future. What’s more, more by classic d-beat and crust punk sounds if listeners want more information about from the ‘80s. the band, they will have to keep their eyes “We’ve all been playing in bands for a long peeled for calendar listings and flyers, as time and just wanted to get back to the roots,” Therapy doesn’t have a social media preshe says. “It’s a little more old school, more Therapy ence. It’s likely to stay that way. raw. It feels good, though. Really high energy.” “I don’t really want to have a Facebook page, to be honTherapy’s inaugural performance took place in August at SPACE, and they’ll be performing their second show on est,” Blaine says. “There are so many event invitations beOct. 29 at the Whistle Stop. As far as the name of their ing sent out all the time that people tend to just ignore band goes, Blaine explains that it’s meant to be taken lit- them. At this point it can almost be a detriment to bands.” erally and has a lot to do with confronting issues of mental —Jeff Terich health.
SCARY SOUNDS
S
an Diego’s always had a dark streak, at least when it and “Projectile Ovulation.” It’s intense, harrowing and gross. Deadbolt’s Zulu Death Mask (1998): Deadbolt’s claim comes to the music scene. So it seemed only natural to put together a list of essential San Diego listen- to fame was being the “world’s scariest band,” which is ing for Halloween season. These seven albums are noisy, most certainly an exaggeration. But the band’s macabre lyrics, sleazy psychobilly sound and penintense, dark and creepy. chant for ghoulish camp definitely sets the Author & Punisher’s Women & Chilright mood for ghostly mischief. This won’t dren (2013): Author & Punisher’s mechaterrify, but it’ll sound perfect for a Hallownized industrial metal is pretty dark as it een party. is, but this album features some of Tristan Monochromacy’s Cement Cathedrals Shone’s most nuanced tracks, which some(2013): Dark, ambient drone music is alhow end up being more eerie than his most ways deeply unsettling. There are rarely aggressive material. It’s also Shone’s best any jump scares, but everything will defialbum, which means it’s ripe for revisiting nitely feel a little off while the music’s playafter Halloween’s over. Black Heart Procession’s Amore del Monolith of Inhumanity ing. Monochromacy’s debut album is just the kind of haunting recording to make any Tropico (2002): Any Black Heart Procession album would sound just right around Halloween season, Halloween party seem literally haunted. Tenshun’s Sound Memories (2017): San Diego’s noisiwhat with their fascination with all things dark and gloomy. Amore del Tropico adds a narrative about a murder that est hip-hop producer is also one of the city’s most prolific, so choosing one of his experimental releases to highlight lends a certain noir mystique to an already goth sound. Cattle Decapitation’s Monolith of Inhumanity (2012): is a tricky task. This set of ominous drones, industrial Nothing like deathgrind to scare the trick-or-treaters. On top beats and spacey ambient tracks is both hallucinatory and of that, this album features some goth-dirge sounds and track endlessly creepy. titles such as “A Living Breathing Piece of Defecating Meat”
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—Jeff Terich
B
ankers Hill, of all neighborhoods, is home to one of San Diego’s most legendary and beloved LGBTQ bars: SRO Lounge (1807 Fifth Ave.). SRO, which is short for Standing Room Only, has resided on the 5th Avenue hillside for 35 years. But as of July, SRO and the rest of the block’s properties, spanning from 1801 to 1871 Fifth Ave., have been sold. “We’re not going to have much choice,” says SRO Owner Bryan Galvin. “It’s either move or close.” The lot, which the San Diego County Recorder’s office gives an assessment value of $4 million, was purchased by Uptown Investments LLC. TORREY BAILEY Galvin says the company plans to demolish the buildings, but he’s unaware of what’s to replace them. Uptown Investments LLC could not be reached for comment. Galvin was told by the new owners that he could SRO Lounge have anywhere from a few months to two years before needing to move out. He’s certain he will reopen the bar but is not sure where. Bankers Hill remains an option, but Galvin is also eyeing Mission Hills, Hillcrest and North Park. Ideally, Galvin is seeking out a larger venue with a smoking patio. But the current lavish decor, consisting of red walls, SRO-etched mirrors and chandeliers, will be reimagined in the new location’s look. The stiff drinks and Girl’s Night Out, SRO’s transgender-friendly Saturday nights, will also remain. Although Galvin says the trans crowd is always welcome, these Saturdays are sometimes themed so people can enjoy dressing up. Until then, Galvin says SRO is sitting tight. “I’ve got a very loyal customer base, and I want to keep them happy,” he says. “I’m going to be picky. I’ve got time.” Other affected businesses on the block include art gallery Helmuth Projects, City Liquor House, The Balboa Bar & Grill and more. The Balboa’s Tom Logsdon says they aren’t making moves yet either. “It’s one of those things where word gets around and rumors fly,” Logsdon says. “Nobody, even the folks that own the building, don’t have any real definitive timeline.” Logsdon says he’s focused on The Balboa’s new Chula Vista location, which is slotted to open in early 2018, but he wants to continue serving Downtown. “Our Bankers Hill spot is very much rockin’ until the wheels fall off,” he says. “We’ll be here until they kick us out.”
—Torrey Bailey
OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23
BIKE. WALK. SKATE. STROLL. Sunday, October 29th 10:00am - 3:00pm San Diego’s Only FREE Open-Street Event for all non-motorized transportation types.
Little Italy Association Cedar St & Columbia St AIDS Life Cycle French Bike Racks with Italian Flags
Downtown San Diego Partnership/Civic SD Front St & B St Pop-up Separated Bikeway Pop-up Greenway Music, games & pop-up dog park & Dog Costume Contest Curbside Bites food truck event Giant community coloring books Horton Plaza Park programming
Gaslamp Quarter Association Fifth Ave & G St
Explore Downtown • Little Italy • The Gaslamp Quarter East Village • Barrio Logan
Two live musical acts: 11:00-12:30pm & 1:00-2:30pm “Rabbitville” public art exhibition
LIVE MUSIC. SHOPPING. FOOD. KIDS ACTIVITIES. FUN FOR ALL AGES! Costume Contest @ Noon - 14th & L St.
East Village Association J St (near Petco Park)
www.CiclosDiasSD.com /ciclosdias #CiclosSDiasDT #CarFreeDT #OpenStreetsRockSD
BMX demonstration Derby Dolls roller derby DJ - Brian Rose Pad Squad
San Diego County Bicycle Coalition J St (near Petco Park) Bike education and workshops Baja Bugs Band 11am - 2pm
Circulate San Diego National Ave & Cesar E. Chavez Pkwy Mercado del Barrio 1199 Cesar E. Chavez Pkwy Barrio Logan Association Logan Ave & Sampson St Live music at Logan and Sampson Chicano Park mural tours
* Activities Subject to Change
MUSIC
JEFF TERICH
IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda
KRISTIN COFER
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25
PLAN A: Paul Weller @ House of Blues. Paul Weller fronted The Jam and The Style Council, and has since released his share of excellent solo records. The man’s written more great songs than I can count, so this one seems like an easy choice. BACKUP PLAN: Delicate Steve, The Blank Tapes, Calcutta Kid @ Soda Bar.
THURSDAY, OCT. 26
PLAN A: Paul Cauthen, Texas Gentlemen @ The Casbah. Paul Cauthen’s a country/ folk musician whose style nods to the elaborate countrypolitan sounds of the ‘60s and ‘70s. His songs are haunting and soulful, but often with gorgeous, lush arrangements. PLAN B: Broken Dead, Reality Lost, Tar Pit, Endless//Nameless @ SPACE. For something more intense and aggressive, check out this lineup of hardcore bands that’ll have no trouble getting a gnarly circle pit started.
FRIDAY, OCT. 27
PLAN A: Roky Erickson, Death Valley Girls, San Diego Freak Out DJs, DJ Ian Utero @ The Casbah. As a member of 13th Floor Elevators, Roky Erickson was one of the most influential psychedelic musicians of all time, and he’s been making great weird music for decades. PLAN B: Turnover, Elvis Depressedly, Emma Ruth Rundle @ The Irenic. Turnover’s a solid indie rock band, but this gets my endorsement for Emma Ruth Rundle, whose doom-inspired, dark rock is both devastating and unforgettable. PLAN C: Bit Maps, Forest Grove, Low Points @ Whistle Stop. Oh yes, there’s a Plan C tonight. Bit Maps is one of this town’s best bands, and Forest Grove—featuring The Dabbers and CityBeat’s own Ryan Bradford— are making their debut. BACKUP PLAN: Flying Lotus in 3-D, Gifted and Blessed @ Observatory North Park.
SATURDAY, OCT. 28
PLAN A: The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, Rozwell Kid, Mylets @ The Irenic. Read my feature on Rozwell Kid this week, whose power pop gems are ultra catchy and steeped in nostalgic yarns. They’re super fun and they rip live. PLAN B: The Creepy Creeps, Schizophonics, Mission Creeps, Beehive and the Barracudas @ The Casbah. Get the Halloween party started early with this lineup of local rippers, plus Tucson’s Mission Creeps. It’ll be some rowdy rock ‘n’ roll fun. BACKUP PLAN: Loom, Desert Suns, Nebula Drag @ Til-Two Club.
26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
Emma Ruth Rundle
SUNDAY, OCT. 29
PLAN A: ‘Not Dead Yet’ w/ Therapy, Karbonite, DJs Andres, Boogieman, Josexx, Cisco @ Whistle Stop. It’s a good week for new bands at the Whistle Stop. Therapy is a new band featuring members of Age of Collapse, and this is their second show. Read more in this week’s Notes from the Smoking Patio. BACKUP PLAN: Musiq Soulchild, STS x Khari Mateen @ Music Box.
MONDAY, OCT. 30
PLAN A: Zombie Surf Camp, The Touchies, Parade of Horribles @ The Casbah. Zombie Surf Camp are exactly the kind of band to seek out the night before Halloween. They’re campy, fun and ghoulish in all the right ways.
TUESDAY, OCT. 31
PLAN A: San Diego bands cover Rage Against the Machine, Nico/Echo & the Bunnymen, Girls, DJs Andrew McGranahan, Camilla Robina @ Soda Bar. The two best options for Halloween rocking are cover shows, with this one offering the most curious mixture of source material. The Nico/Echo & the Bunnymen mashup set is bound to be an interesting one. PLAN B: Adicts, Blitz, Nirvana, Andrew W.K. cover sets @ SPACE. For a more punk rock set of covers, this show featuring another batch of local musicians is a good bet, particularly because it means “Party Hard” will be part of the set. BACKUP PLAN: Dreadnought, Ineaona, Old Man Wizard, Fadrait @ The Merrow.
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MUSIC
CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!
Dag Nasty (Soda Bar, 12/4), Adolescents (Casbah, 12/9), Natalia Jimenez (HOB, 12/13), DJ Earl (SPACE, 12/14), Cake (Observatory, 12/16), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (Observatory, 12/21), DJ Quik, Warren G (Observatory, 1/5), The Toasters (Soda Bar, 1/23), Eric Johnson (HOB, 1/27), John Maus (BUT, 1/29), Lewis Black (Balboa Theatre, 2/3), Seaway (Irenic, 2/14), Tune-Yards (Observatory, 2/20), Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Casbah, 2/20), Superchunk (Casbah, 2/21), ZZ Ward (HOB, 3/10), Super Diamond (BUT, 4/20-21).
GET YER TICKETS The Drums (Observatory, 11/1), ‘Live Wire 25th Anniversary’ w/ Rocket from the Crypt (Observatory, 11/4), Cults (Irenic, 11/5), Hamilton Leithauser (BUT, 11/9), Fall Out Boy (Viejas Arena, 11/15), Gary Numan (Observatory, 11/15), Tera Melos, Speedy Ortiz (Casbah, 11/16), Mayhem (Observatory, 11/17), Boris, Torche (Casbah, 11/17), Diarrhea Planet (Soda Bar, 11/17), Guttermouth (Brick by Brick, 11/18), Mogwai (Observatory, 11/20), New Found Glory (HOB, 11/25), Syd (Observatory, 12/2), Pere Ubu (Soda Bar, 12/8), Pig Destroyer (Brick by Brick, 12/8), Jamila Woods (Soda Bar, 12/9), The Slackers (Casbah, 12/12), Chris Isaak (BUT, 12/12-13), METZ
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(Casbah, 12/13), The Album Leaf (Casbah, 12/15), Julien Baker (Irenic, 12/15), Jay-Z (Viejas Arena, 12/19), X (Observatory, 12/22), Ozomatli (Music Box, 12/22-23), The English Beat (BUT, 12/22-23), Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven (BUT, 12/27), Cherry Glazerr (Observatory, 12/27), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/28), Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (BUT, 12/2930), Third Eye Blind (Observatory, 1/1), T.S.O.L. (Casbah, 1/4), Willie Nelson (Harrah’s Resort, 1/6), Milky Chance (HOB, 1/8), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (HOB, 1/15), Kris Kristofferson (BUT, 1/15), Josh Ritter (BUT, 1/16), Wolf Parade (Observatory, 1/23), Converge (Brick by Brick, 1/27), St. Vincent (Observatory, 1/27), Killswitch Engage, Anthrax (HOB, 2/13), Mary Timony plays Helium (Casbah, 2/15), Margo Price (BUT, 3/3), Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (HOB, 3/31), Los Lonely Boys (BUT, 4/22), Weird Al Yankovic (Humphreys, 5/12), Steven Wilson (HOB, 5/13), Celtic Woman (Civic Theatre, 5/18).
OCTOBER WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25 Delicate Steve at Soda Bar. A Tribe Called Red at Music Box. Messer Chups at The Casbah. Crystal Castles at Observatory North Park. Haley Reinhart at Belly Up Tavern.
THURSDAY, OCT. 26 Thievery Corporation at Belly Up Tavern. A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie at Observatory North Park. Elettrodomestico at Soda Bar. Paul Cauthen at The Casbah.
FRIDAY, OCT. 27 Luke Bryan at Mattress Firm Amphitheatre. Bloody Beetroots at Music Box. Flying Lotus in 3-D at Observatory North Park. Roky Erickson at The Casbah. Turnover at The Irenic. Consider the Source at Soda Bar.
SATURDAY, OCT. 28 Iron and Wine at Balboa Theatre. The World Is A Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die at The Irenic. The Creepy Creeps at The Casbah. The Darlings at Soda Bar. WYO and Band of Gringos at Belly Up Tavern.
SUNDAY, OCT. 29 Joan Osborne sings Bob Dylan at Belly Up Tavern. Keali’i Reichel at Humphreys by the Bay. Parachute at The Irenic. Musiq Soulchild at Music Box.
MONDAY, OCT. 30 Steel Pulse at Belly Up Tavern. Zombie Surf Camp at The Casbah. Denim Robot at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, OCT. 31 Black Star at Observatory North Park, 10/31 (sold out).
NOVEMBER WEDNESDAY, NOV. 1 Bret Michaels at Belly Up Tavern. Nekromantix at Brick by Brick. The Drums at Observatory North Park. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at The Casbah. Feels at Soda Bar.
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27
MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 THURSDAY, NOV. 2 The B-52s at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Yelawolf at Observatory North Park. A Giant Dog at Soda Bar. Gondwana at Music Box. Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton at The Casbah.
FRIDAY, NOV. 3 Greyboy Allstars at Music Box. Azealia Banks at House of Blues. The B-52s at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). The Black Heart Procession at The Casbah. The Devil Makes Three at Observatory North Park. Whiskey Shivers at Soda Bar.
SATURDAY, NOV. 4 Black Heart Procession at The Casbah. Son Little at Soda Bar. ‘Live Wire 25th Anniversary’ w/ Rocket from the Crypt at Observatory North Park. Ekali at Music Box. Max Frost at The Irenic. Vale of Pnath at Brick by Brick.
SUNDAY, NOV. 5 Truckfighters at Soda Bar. Halsey at Viejas Arena. Cults at The Irenic. Poncho Sanchez at Music Box. My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult at The Casbah. Caifanes at Observatory North Park.
MONDAY, NOV. 6 Noname at Observatory North Park. Kacy Hill at The Casbah. Naked Giants at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, NOV. 7 Lizzo at Music Box. Yelle at The Casbah. Red Wizard at Soda Bar.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8 Will Hoge at Belly Up Tavern. Foxtrax at The Casbah. Hovvdy at Soda Bar.
THURSDAY, NOV. 9 Cloakroom at Soda Bar. Hamilton Leithauser at Belly Up Tavern. Tedeschi Trucks Band at Civic Theatre. David Ramirez at The Casbah. Dope, hed (p.e.) at Brick by Brick.
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Fri: Nothing Special, Half Past Two. Sat: Superunloader. Tue: Ghost Party. Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: MC Kahlee. Thu: ‘Upload’ w/ DJs Rider, Paradax. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Karma, Alice. American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Joe Machi. Fri: Joe Machi. Sat: Joe Machi. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Fri: Bradley Riot, Bradley Palermo, Derik Envy, Classic Mistake. Sat: Carnage the Executioner. Tue: Color Til Monday, Brain Ghost, Good Time Girl. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown. Tue: Monolink. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Rock Lotto. Thu: Native Fauna, DJ L. Mon: ‘Soul Train Halloween Party’. Tue: ‘Halloween’ w/ DJ Ratty. Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Brent Hollingworth. Fri: Ron and the Reapers. Sat: Emotional Rescue.
28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Haley Reinhart, Savannah Outen, Sophia Alone. Thu: Thievery Corporation. Fri: Dead Man’s Party. Sat: WYO, Band of Gringos, Shane Hall. Sun: Joan Osborne sings Bob Dylan. Mon: Steel Pulse. Tue: ‘Halloween Heat’ w/ 80s Heat, Bella Lux Dancers. Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Gone Baby Gone, Cochinas Locas. Sat: Cramp’d. Tue: Black Cat Sabbath, DJ Milky Wayne. Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: Sego, Well Well Well, Lightning Cola. Fri: James Supercave. Sat: ‘Lady Lush’ w/ DJ Colette. Sun: ExSage, Dream Joints, Matcha. Mon: Matt Lamkin, Los Shadows, Kan-Kan. Tue: Alkaline Trio tribute. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: Huntress, Joanovarc, Malison, Meltdown. Fri: Time Machine, R.I.P., Hardwired. Sat: Powerman 5000, Knee High Fox, Rachel Lorin, Portrait of a Nightmare. Mon: Narcotic Wasteland, Dreaming Dead. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: Messer Chups, Boss Martians, Secret Samurai. Thu: Paul Cauthen, The Texas Gentlemen. Fri: Roky Erickson, Death Valley Girls, San Diego Freak Out DJs, DJ Ian Utero. Sat: The Creepy Creeps, The Schizophonics, The Mission Creeps, Beehive and the Barracudas. Mon: Zombie Surf Camp, The Touchies, Parade of Horribles. Tue: ‘Michael Jackson vs. Prince Halloween Party’. Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: Emergency Exit. Sat: FX5.
Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Downtown. Fri: Dick McGuaine Quintet. The Field Irish Pub, 544 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: BJ Jezbera. Thu: Erik & Gary. Fri: Ass Pocket Whisky Fellas. Sat: Chrome Domes. Sun: Wes Maharas. Mon: Todd Goodnough. Tue: Gary Flick. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Fri: DJ Barone. Sat: ‘House of Voodoo Halloween Party’. Mon: AD. Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Rob $tone. Sat: Juicy J. Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Thu: DJ Yodah. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: ‘Rock Star Saturday’. The Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach. Wed: Velour, 5NSLIME, Kasey Coe & The Cohorts. Thu: Nick Gray & DJ OMZ, Atlantis Rizing, Loud ‘N Killer. Fri: Blink 18True, Puncture, Louder Now, OREN. Sat: QUEL BORDEL!, Ofier. Sun: Kick the Princess, Dirty Pennies, The Borrowed Time Band, Misc. Ailments, Lads Holiday, Electric Mud. Tue: ‘Halloween Party’ w/ DJ Mancat, Ofier. Hooley’s, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa. Fri: Evans and Rainey. Sat: The Heart Band. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Paul Weller. Thu: Issues, Too Close to Touch, Sylar. Fri: ‘Boo Ball’ w/ Way Cool Jr. Sat: The Como La Flor Band. Sun: The Interrupters, SWMRS, Sharp Shock. Tue: Robin Henkel. Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Tradewinds. Thu: Kim Jackson. Fri: Detroit Underground. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band. Sun: Arnessa Rickets. Mon: Taryn Donath Trio. Tue: Michele Lundeen.
The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park. Fri: Turnover, Elvis Depressedly, Emma Ruth Rundle. Sat: The World Is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, Rozwell Kid, Mylets. Sun: Parachute, Austin Plaine. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: ‘Midnight in a Perfect World’. Thu: ‘Needle Damage’. Fri: ‘Purps and Turqs’. Sat: ‘Archetype Halloween’. Sun: Craow, Lower Tar, Adios Mundo, Cruel Other, DJ Umenos. Tue: ‘Hollowave’. Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Daniel Champagne, Hussy Hicks, Christy Lenee. Sat: Jerad Finck, Andrew Victor, Matt Adey, Ray Goren. Sun: Chelsea Williams, Jordan Tyler. Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. Thu: Nate Smith, Kinfolk. Mon: Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber. Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Steve Brewer. Thu: Jackson and Billy. Fri: In Midlife Crisis. Sat: Pat Ellis & Blue Frog Band. Sun: Gonzology. Tue: Sophisticats. Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Matt Yee’s Outrageous Sing-Along. Thu: New West Guitar Group. Fri: Janice & Nathan. Sat: Janet Hammer. Sun: Ria Carey and Don L. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Heir Gloom, Slow Kiss, NOMAMS. Thu: The Brain Ghosts, Sweetie Darling, Color til Monday, Good Time Girl. Fri: Nurvana, 10,000 Dudes, Mala Vida. Sat: The Anodynes, The Whiskey Circle, Imagery Machine. Sun: ‘The Playground’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore. Mon: Crunk Witch, Girlboy. Tue: Dreadnought, InAeona, Old Man Wizard, Fadrait.
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MUSIC Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Wed: Paint and Glow Class. Thu: Wild Heart. Fri: Custard Pie. Sat: Upfunk, Celeste Barbier. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Wed: A Tribe Called Red, Odessa Kane, Real J Wallace, DJ Artistic. Thu: Save Ferris, Stacked Like Pancakes, The Amalgamated. Fri: The Bloody Beetroots, Rituals of Mine. Sat: The Expanders, Passafire, Pacific Dub, Iya Terra, For Peace Band. Sun: Musiq Soulchild, STS x Khari Mateen. The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘One Two Three’ by DJ EdRoc. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Adam Salter, Kid Wonder. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’. Mon: Tom Petty: Under Cover. Tue: ‘Trapped’. OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Ghastly. Fri: Party Favor. Sat: Vice. Tue: Jauz. Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Thu: Lorraine Castellanos with Dean Hulett. Fri: Sofia Talvik. Sat: ‘Spooky Jazz’ w/ Gilbert Castellanos. Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Sid Vicious. Sun: Laidback Luke. Tue: ‘Halloween’ w/ Chuckie. Plaza Bar at Westgate Hotel, 1055 2nd Ave., Downtown. Fri: Gilbert Castellanos. Sat: Allison Adams Tucker. Mon: Julio de la Huerta. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: DJs John Joseph, Kinky Loops. Thu: DJ Kinky Loops. Fri: DJs Dirty Kurty, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs Hektik, Taj, Myxzliplix, K-Swift. Sun: DJs Cros,
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Casey Alva. Mon: DJs Ideal, Brandobeatz. Tue: DJs K-Swift, Moody Rudy. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Alvino and the Dwells. Fri: The Hotshot Drifters. Sat: The Goldettes. Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Sat: Three Chord Justice. Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., San Diego. Wed: Ed Kornhauser Organ Trio. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: Cedrice and the Addictions. Sat: Jimmy Ruelas. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Tue: Quel Bordel. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Delicate Steve, The Blank Tapes. Thu: Elettrodomestico. Fri: Consider the Source, Fistfights With Wolves. Sat: The Darlings, Versus the World, Authentic Sellout, The Mandoshanks. Sun: The Bones of JR Jones, Jim and Sam, Oak Palace. Mon: Denim Robot, DLA, prettyhowtown, GSE. Tue: ‘Halloween Spooktacular’ w/ Rage Against the Machine, Nico & The Bunnymen, Girls cover sets. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Fri: Brooklyn & Bailey, Ashlund. Sat: The Devil Wears Prada, Veil of Maya, Silent Planet, Thousand Below. SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Boychick, Little Heroine, Matize. Thu: Broken Dead, Reality Lost, Tar Pit, Endless//Nameless. Fri: ‘Disco Goth’ w/ Nite Lapse, Twin Ritual, Watch for Horses, Of Ennui. Sat: ‘Cemetery Lipstick’. Tue: ‘Halloween Rager’ w/ Adicts, Blitz, Nirvana, Andrew W.K. cover sets.
Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: ‘Behind the Mirror’. Sat: Guy Gerber. Sun: Kolsch. Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: ‘Burlesque Boogie Nights’. Sun: The Big Decisions. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Paul Collins, My Revenge, Birdbath, Rude Boy Beto. Sat: Loom, Desert Suns, Nebula Drag. Sun: Pants Karaoke. Tue: Temblad, Cave Bastard, Nerve Grind. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Thu: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Fri: Dennis Jones. Sat: Detroit Underground. Tue: Sue Palmer. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: Matamoska, Joystick, The Brass Cats. Fri: Batlords, Ghost Town Gamblers, The A-Bortz. Sat: Doc Hammer, Lord Howler, Bosswitch. Tue: ‘Hard Girls Halloween Party’. U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park. Wed: ‘Yes Lawd’. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Tue: ’31 Flavors’. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Riff City Comedy’ w/ Brent Weinbach. Thu: ‘Vamp’. Fri: Bit Maps, Forest Grove, Low Points. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Sun: Therapy, Karbonite, DJs Andres, Boogieman, Josexxx, Cisco. Tue: ‘Halloween Party’ w/ Old Order. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: MAIZ, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Eldorado Slim and the Commodore Hotel Orchestra. Fri: Pink Froyd. Sat: Cubensis. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: New Mastersounds, Kung Fu.
OCTOBER 25, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29
LAST WORDS | ADVICE
AMY ALKON
ADVICE
GODDESS
Wipe That Green Off Your Face
I’m a very envious person, though I don’t act on it (meaning I don’t try to mess things up for people who are doing well). Where does envy stem from? How can I get rid of it? —Begrudging Woman You see a friend achieving some success and you say, “So happy for you. Well-deserved!”—which is a more polite way of saying, “I hope you are stricken with a rare, deadly form of full-body adult acne.” We think of envy as an ugly, counterproductive emotion, but it’s really just a tool, like a jackhammer or a blender. To understand this, it helps to understand that even emotions that make us feel crappy have a job to do—motivating us to act in ways that will help us survive and make a bunch of little buggers who’ll totter off through the generations, passing on our genes. In other words, envy is adaptive. Envy is
a form of social comparison that probably evolved to help us keep tabs on how well we’re doing relative to our rivals. As evolutionary social psychologist Abraham (“Bram”) Buunk and his colleagues explain, envy pushes us to dial up our game so we can “narrow the gap” between ourselves and “the superior other” (aka that annoying co-worker who likes to start sentences with “Well, when I was at Harvard…”). So envy is basically a social alarm clock: “Yoo-hoo…get cracking, girl! That witch is about to get that promotion, and you’ll be lucky to end up executive vice-scullery maid.” Buunk and his team explain that there are actually two kinds of envy: malicious envy and benign envy. Each kind motivates people to try to shrink that “status gap” between themselves and others. The difference is in how. Benign envy pushes people to work harder in hopes of matching or beating the competition. Malicious envy is the nasty kind—the kind that motivates a person to loosen the ladder rungs, hoping to cause their golden-girl co-worker to topple to her (professional) death.
30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · OCTOBER 25, 2017
The upshot? Envy isn’t something to be ashamed of. You should just see that you use it in a positive way—as a tool for self-motivation instead of co-worker sabotage. However, getting ahead isn’t just a solo act; it’s often a cooperative endeavor. To decide when to cooperate and when to compete, consider the level of “scarcity.” When resources are scarce—like when there’s just one job available—go after it with everything you’ve got (within ethical boundaries, of course). But when the rewards aren’t limited, it’s good to be the sort of person who brings along other people. This tends to make others more likely to do nice things for you in return—even helping you get ahead… and without your hiring a hacker to reprogram Miss Fabulous’ computer so her screen saver is a pic of the boss with a Hitler mustache.
Unprivate Ryan My girlfriend’s wonderful. Unfortunately, whenever we have a disagreement, she shares it on social media. She feels she has a right to do that because it’s part of her life. Am I not entitled to a private life while I’m with her? —News Object Some favor the social media approach to the “examined life,” Instagramming their medical records and crowdsourcing their flatulence problem. Others take a more guarded tack—encrypting everything…including their cat videos. The longing for privacy—keeping certain
info about yourself from public consumption—is a very human thing, a desire that probably evolved out of our need to protect our reputation. In ancestral times, having a bad reputation could lead to a person being booted from their band and made to go it alone—back when “fast food” would’ve been all the zippy small animals they couldn’t catch while they were starving to death. Contrary to your girlfriend’s notion that “relationship” is just another way of saying “two-person surveillance state,” you have a right to privacy. This is a fundamental human right, explained Louis Brandeis and Samuel Warren in the Harvard Law Review in 1890, and it comes out of our right to be left alone. So, yes, you are entitled to pick the “privacy settings” on your own life, because the information about your thoughts, emotions and romantic interactions belongs to you. Nobody gets to dispense that info publicly without your permission—even if this means they have to keep part of their life (the part with you) under wraps. To stop your girlfriend from turning your relationship into a giant data breach, trigger her sympathy—explaining how awful it feels to become infotainment for a bunch of strangers (and, worse, people you know). Better yet, help her feel it: “Honey…just imagine going on Twitter and finding your therapist’s new account: ‘Heard In Session.’” (c)2017, Amy Alkon, all rights reserved. E-mail AdviceAmy@aol.com (advicegoddess. com).
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October 25, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 31