Navigating a 24-hour Netflix
horror
marathon using the language of
fear
Starring Ryan Bradford
Death P.5 Gore P.40 Terror P.42
2 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
Our clip-out voter guide Many of the races on the Nov. 4 ballot won’t be close. Other than state superintendent of public instruction and maybe secretary of state, all the statewide offices at the top of the ballot are pretty much foregone conclusions (but don’t let that stop you from voting in them). Likewise, it’s no mystery who’ll win each of the state Assembly and Senate races and four out of the five congressional seats. The Scott Peters / Carl DeMaio grudge match for the 52nd Congressional District is capturing all the attention. DeMaio is a walking controversy magnet who’d bring shame and embarrassment to San Diego. We predicted scandal for Bob Filner even as we endorsed him for mayor in 2012; we’re predicting it again should DeMaio win. This isn’t hyperbole: DeMaio is a textbook sociopath. If you live in the
district, you can stop him. Conversely, Peters is sensible, sane and tailor-made for the 52nd. Two of the more obscure items are two very important ones: Superior Court judge (vote for Brad Weinreb) and San Diego Community College, District A (pick Maria Nieto Senour, please). And then there’s the San Diego City Council, whose soul hangs in the balance in District 6 (which overlaps with the 52nd Congressional District, so folks in that area are tremendously important). Chris Cate recently moved to San Diego just to give the city’s powerful business lobby another Kevin Faulconer sidekick. We strongly urge you to vote for Carol Kim. If you’re still an Election Day voter, clip out this guide and take it with you:
#
Nov. 4 Election endorsements Governor
Jerry Brown
Lieutenant Governor
Gavin Newsom
Assembly, District 76
Rocky Chávez
Assembly, District 77
Ruben Hernandez
Secretary of State
Pete Peterson
Assembly, District 78
Toni Atkins
Controller
Betty Yee
Assembly, District 79
Shirley Weber
Treasurer
John Chiang
Attorney General
Kamala Harris
Insurance Commissioner
Dave Jones
Board of Equalization, District 4 Nader Shahatit Superior Court Judge, Office 25
Brad Weinreb!
Congress, District 49
Dave Peiser
Congress, District 50
Juan Vargas
Congress, District 51
James Kimber
Congress, District 52
SCOTT PETERS!!!
Assembly, District 80
Lorena Gonzalez
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson San Diego Community College, District A Maria Nieto Senour!! San Diego Community College, District E Peter Zchiesche San Diego Unified School, District B
Kevin Beiser
San Diego Unified School, District C Michael McQuary San Diego City Council, District 6
CAROL KIM!
Congress, District 53
Susan Davis
Proposition 1
No
Senate, District 36
Gary Kephart
Proposition 2
Yes
Fotios Tsimboukakis
Proposition 45
Yes
Senate, District 40
Rafael Estrada
Proposition 46
No
Assembly, District 71
Tony Teora
Proposition 47
Yes
Nicholas Shestople
Proposition 48
Yes
Senate, District 38
Assembly, District 75
This issue of CityBeat is going as the butt half of a horse this Halloween.
Volume 13 • Issue 12
Cover photo illustration by Lindsey Voltoline
Arts Editor Kinsee Morlan
Contributors Ian Cheesman, David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Dave Maass, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Mina Riazi, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Jen Van Tieghem
Staff Writer Joshua Emerson Smith
Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse
Web Editor Ryan Bradford
Production artist Rees Withrow
Art director Lindsey Voltoline
Intern Narine Petrosyan
Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza
Vice President of Operations David Comden
MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia
Publisher Kevin Hellman
Editor David Rolland Associate Editor Kelly Davis Music Editor Jeff Terich
Senior account executive Jason Noble Account Executives Beau Odom, Kimberly Wallace Circulation manager Beau Odom Accounting Alysia Chavez, Linda Lam, Monica MacCree Human Resources Andrea Baker
Advertising inquiries Interested in advertising? Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail advertising@sdcitybeat.com. The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue.
Editorial and Advertising Office 3047 University Ave., Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92104 Phone: 619-281-7526 Fax: 619-281-5273 www.sdcitybeat.com
Vice President of Finance Michael Nagami
San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2014.
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 3
Belfer’s blinded by white guilt Regarding the article “My white tribe: You are mine, and I am yours, so let’s deal with it” by Aaryn Belfer [“Backward in High Heels,” Aug. 20]: Poor Aaryn, searching for pity because of alienation by us “white tribe members,” including her so-called friends who avoid her or are questioning their friendship with her. Aaryn, sip your Pinot Grigio and ponder the idea that your self-loathing and guilt-ridden racial conscience may not coincide with their beliefs. Maybe, just maybe, they are sick of your pandering at their expense. I can only speak for myself, but I’m totally disgusted and insulted by your description of the police officer in the Michael Brown shooting as “a man gripping a gun and suited up in centuries of law specifically designed to protect someone wearing white skin.” Where did you ever dig up such nonsense? You truly are delusional. Instead of sipping on your cheap wine and complaining how terrible “we” all are, try attending a police memorial held every year in Washington, D.C. As you disparage our police, look into the tears of a son, daughter, mother, father, husband or wife who have lost a loved one protecting your right to enjoy that cocktail in your safe neighborhood! How about affording the officer the same rights all of us enjoy. In case you’re missing this concept, it’s called “due process.” Before we condemn and convict this officer, shouldn’t we allow a thorough investigation? Does evidence and truth matter to you, or are you so caught up in your white guilt that you cannot be fair, objective or truthful? I see that you cited several incidents of black
men being shot by the police. Later in your article, you describe a white “dude” who waved a gun at the police yet was taken into custody instead of being shot and killed. Your inference is that black men are subjected to deadly force by the police and white dudes are treated differently. Do the circumstances surrounding any of these individual cases matter at all to you? Probably not, because your objectivity is blurred by a veil of self-loathing and creative journalism. How much media attention has been paid to the shooting of Michael Brown? Endless hours on every network. Where was the news coverage in the case of Dillon Taylor, a 20-year-old white man in Salt Lake City, Utah, shot and killed by an officer described as a man of color. Where was the mainstream media, the outrage, the riots, or vandalism and looting? I don’t recall seeing any of that! You know all the supporting facts of the Michael Brown incident don’t you, Aaryn? You were there. You reviewed all of the evidence. You came to a truthful and sound conclusion. No. Because you really don’t care about the truth. You whine and complain about the state of police relations in this country, but you attempt to incite baseless hatred toward the police by your inept reporting. No, your white ex-friends or, for that matter, your black friends aren’t shunning you because you stand for truth and justice. Maybe your “white tribe” is just tired of having to bear the weight of your own personal guilt! Randy Zawis, Spring Valley
Slow the growth Bay Park reader Richard S. Pavelec is right on one count [“Letters,” Sept. 3]: Many San Diego residents are happy that past Planning Director Bill Fulton has gone away, hopefully taking his growth ideas with him. He was really a bad fit here, a fish out of water, a man without a constituency, almost from the moment he was hired. We get enough crazy growth ideas from the local development industry, college real-estate departments, the Urban Land Institute and a raft of hangers-on with financial interests in unlimited population growth. None of them, nor Fulton himself, for that matter, accept that San Diego can have a cleaner, brighter, friendlier, more livable, more walkable future if it does not buckle to the demand for growth without the amenities needed for livability, pitiful but true. Let us do the right thing: appreciate Fulton’s departure and wish him well. As the playwright T.S. Eliot admonished, let us also do that for the right reason—because Fulton didn’t weave well into this city’s tapestry. Jim Varnadore, City Heights
4 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
Daniel Sisson, shown here with his mom, Shaunda Brummett, died in the Vista Detention Facility on June 25, 2011.
A ‘series of choices’ More than 3 years after his death, a jury will decide if jail staff failed Daniel Sisson by Kelly Davis In a San Diego courtroom on Tuesday, attorney Chris Morris pieced together Daniel Sisson’s final hours, arguing that staff at the Vista Detention Facility could have prevented the 21-year-old’s death if only they’d properly monitored him while he was detoxing from heroin. The sandy-haired North County surfer was found dead in his jail cell on June 25, 2011, from an acute asthma attack made worse by drug withdrawal. The San Diego County Medical Examiner estimated in an autopsy report that Sisson had been dead for several hours when a fellow inmate found him. CityBeat wrote about Sisson in April 2013 as part of an ongoing examination of the high rate of deaths in San Diego County jails. A correctional-healthcare expert we talked to for that story pointed out that opiate withdrawal isn’t normally life-threatening, but when an inmate going through withdrawal has an underlying medical condition—like asthma—he should be closely monitored. And, the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare, which sets standards for jail and prison health services, has recommended that inmates experiencing drug or alcohol with-
drawal who have a major medical issue be monitored around the clock or, if that’s not possible, transferred to a hospital. Morris said he plans to call expert witnesses who’ll testify to this. “There’s a procedure put in place for that very reason,” he told CityBeat. “There’s an affirmative duty to monitor.” It’s taken nearly two-and-a-half years for a federal lawsuit, filed by Sisson’s mother and father, Shaunda Brummett and Greg Sisson, to go to trial. Earlier this year, the two sides tried and failed to reach a settlement; opening arguments took place on Tuesday. Morris argued in his opening statement that Sisson should have been placed in a medical-observation unit, but was instead put in with the jail’s general population. Even then, regulations require that deputies conduct hourly safety checks, Morris argued, the purpose of which is to look for inmates exhibiting signs of medical distress, trauma or engaging in criminal behavior. Yet, surveillance footage from the day Sisson died shows deputies walking quickly past cell doors, barely looking in. Sisson wasn’t new to jail. In the yearand-a-half before he died, he’d been booked into the Vista Detention Facility several times, staying for between one and 13 days. In the four jail stays leading up to his arrest on June 23 for a probation violation, records show that he admitted during the medical-intake screening that he was a heroin addict. Documentation shows, too, that he always told jail staff about his asthma. But despite being given an inhaler and
during a scheduled medical visit that he’d lied when he was asked about using street drugs. He said he didn’t want to be prescribed Vistaril, an anti-anxiety medication that’s part of the jail’s heroin-withdrawal medical protocol, because it made him ill. Records show he was given the anti-nausea drug Tigan instead. But the Tigan apparently didn’t help. On June 24, Sisson’s cellmate, Stephen King, wrote in a letter to his wife, “I got a roommate in my cell today. He is really sick. He was doing Heroin when he got arrested. Now he is throwing up all day.” The following morning, Sisson skipped breakfast. At 10 a.m., when a nurse came into the module to dispense medication— jail cells are grouped into modules where inmates get access to a common area for several hours a day—Sisson took a full six minutes to come out of his cell. Surveillance video shows him struggling to walk, with what looks like a blanket pulled around his shoulders. This should have triggered immediate medical attention, Morris argued, but it didn’t. This is the last time Sisson is seen on surveillance video. At 11:34 a.m., Sisson declined a scheduled medical visit, telling deputies via an intercom in his cell, “I’m good.” This was another chance, Morris said, for medical intervention. Because it’s not uncommon for inmates to refuse medical appointments, “the county has a policy in place for this situation,” Morris said. A deputy should have gone into Sisson’s cell and had him sign what’s known as a “Refusal to Accept Medical Care” form. But that didn’t happen. “It was never signed,” Morris said. “No attempt was ever made to bring Mr. Sisson his refusal form.” When dinner was passed out at 4:15 p.m., via a cart wheeled into the module, Sisson didn’t come out of his cell. And, at 5:20 p.m., surveillance video shows a deputy walking quickly past the cell. At that point, Morris said, “he’s either dead or dying.” Morris said King, Sisson’s cellmate, wasn’t in the cell from 1 to 5 p.m. and that King said in a deposition that when he returned, Sisson was covered “from head to toe” in a blanket; King assumed he was sleeping. It wasn’t until 8:12 p.m., when he failed to come out of his cell to get his medication, that a fellow inmate checked on Sisson and found him dead. The autopsy report notes that an inhaler he’d been given was found on Sisson’s bed, though no traces of its active ingredient, Albuterol, were in his system—which raises the question of why someone with lifelong asthma wouldn’t grab for his inhaler. Chronic opiate use effects the part of the brain that should alert a person that he’s not getting enough oxygen, Morris told CityBeat during a break in the trial, and that’s why monitoring is critical. “For someone going through withdrawal,” Morris said, “you don’t know you’re oxygen-deficient. You don’t know you’re slowly turning blue.’
placed on medication to curb the effects of withdrawal, his jail medical records show that in December 2010, Sisson suffered an acute asthma attack. But, on June 23, he answered “No” when asked during intake if he took street drugs. In an early response to the lawsuit, county lawyers argued that Sisson’s death was solely the young man’s responsibility: “Sisson lied about the state of his health when he discussed his medical background with the intake nurse and due to his continual use of heroin (despite having been placed in a drug treatment program), he underwent withdrawal. No one in the jail put him in this position; rather, it was a course of action he alone initiated.” On Tuesday, Senior Deputy County Counsel Kevin Kennedy kept with that argument, telling the jury that Sisson’s death was the result of “a series of choices that Daniel alone made.” But Morris argued that Sisson turned to heroin not for recreational use but for self-medication. At age 10, he’d contracted a bacterial infection while on a surfing trip in Costa Rica. The infection led to Reiter’s Syndrome, a form of inflammatory arthritis that, when it’s severe, can leave a person in constant pain. At age 19, with his family unable to afford the treatment he’d relied on in the past, he was prescribed Vicodin and Oxycontin for pain, and eventually turned to heroin. In the months before his death, he struggled to get clean, telling his doctor that he was “desperate for help.” Though he initially denied being an addict, by 6 a.m. June 24, after withdrawal had kicked in—according to medical records, he’d vomited, his pupils were dilated and Write to kellyd@sdcitybeat.com he was experiencing tremors—he admitted and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 5
John R. Lamb
spin cycle
john r.
lamb Carl DeMaio: the Ebola of political wannabes? “Some people are so sensitive they feel snubbed if an epidemic overlooks them.” —Kin Hubbard When it comes to local Republican elected officials, the bandwagon for 52nd District congressional candidate Carl DeMaio seems quite roomy. Expecting cramped seating quarters? Not here—stretch out those legs! Elbows on both arm rests? Why, by all means! Party streamers? Grab as many as you’d like! We’re not expecting a mob. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer—appearing Monday on the KPBS Midday Edition radio show— got the question that well-choreographed politicos apparently fear second only to “Has Ebola arrived in your fine city yet?” The mayor was reminded that he’d endorsed DeMaio over incumbent Rep. Scott Peters last year, when Faulconer was just another City Council member, not on top of the local political heap like now. “Having worked with Carl on a number of key San Diego reforms, I have no doubt that he is the best candidate to truly change the way Washington, D.C., does business,” Faulconer proclaimed 18 months ago. “Carl’s commitment to reforming government and his tireless work ethic demonstrate that he is [the] right person to effect real change in Washington and deliver real results for our region.” This week? Well, not so ringing. Radio is a tough gauge of relative discomfort, but when the mayor was reminded of his endorsement last year, it seemed like someone had just run fingernails across a chalkboard. “Yes, I endorsed Carl, uh, last year. Endorsing him. Endorsing him,” Faulconer said, like Humphrey Bogart muttering, “Strawberries” in The Caine Mutiny. “And I think voters are going to have that decision to make in the next week.” He was asked if recent allegations by former DeMaio campaign staffer Todd Bosnich of harassment and inappropriate behavior
had influenced his support. Faulconer, ever the diplomat with a side of robot, noted, “a lot of back and forth, certainly, and voters are going to have the opportunity to make that decision in the next week.” In the meantime, Faulconer added, he’s been focused on helping get Chris Cate elected to the City Council in District 6. The mayor, naturally, would like to see the six-member Democratic majority on the council trimmed to five, thus eliminating a powerful veto-override threat. Faulconer called Cate’s election “incredibly important to the city.” By that, the mayor means to him. But DeMaio? Meh, Faulconer seemed to be saying, resigned to his earlier commitment. Best Spin can tell—DeMaio doesn’t list endorsements on his website—that puts Faulconer and Councilmembers Scott Sherman and Lorie Zapf in the openly backing camp. Conversely, two sources confirmed that the Cate campaign said no to a joint last-minute get-out-the-vote effort with DeMaio supporters. Here’s the thing: Spin thinks DeMaio has a fairly good shot at winning this thing. If Democratic voters do their off-year thing and stay home next Tuesday, and if enough Republicans and declineto-staters get pissed about the 11th-hour attack on DeMaio’s alleged gross personal habits, this dude could be waltzing to D.C. Some of you enduring readers may be thinking, “Hey, Spin, I’ve seen your abysmal record when it comes to picking winners in San Diego politics. Maybe you’re just trying to jinx Carl.” No, it’s more complicated. Spin has a sneaking suspicion that beyond the social-media echo chamber, few voters give a crap about, or pay attention to, a politician’s personal—um, quirks. If you can get shit done that Vinnie and Valerie Voter want done, then to hell with the flaws. Just keep your privates private! That worked for former mayor Bob Filner until he went off the rails and apparently told himself, “To hell with decorum. I gotta be me!” We all know how well that
6 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
“I get a thorough scrub-down after this, right?” turned out. Now, voters in the 52nd face a similar dilemma. They know DeMaio is not your average humble human being. If they live outside of a cave, they’ve heard that DeMaio isn’t the easiest person to work for—by some accounts, next to impossible. What these voters should be wondering is, can this guy be trusted to demonstrate the kind of discipline he maintains on message in his personal interactions, as well. A member of Congress is only as good as his or her employees, and DeMaio may have trouble attracting the best and brightest, given his reputation as a, shall we say, non-delegator.
In addition, now that his war of words with former staffers has garnered national headlines, DeMaio would have to grow thicker skin if he’s to survive the D.C. media bubble. His claim as a “nextgeneration Republican” not obsessed with social matters will garner him the focus of the more hawkish Washington press corps. DeMaio, when pressed by the media, prefers the pushback. If he were to choose that tactic back East, one veteran national media aficionado told Spin privately, “the D.C. media will eat him up and beat the living shit out of him. Live by the sword, die by the sword.” If you are to believe DeMaio’s
endless television ads, here’s a guy who plans to take the nation’s capitol by storm. Shake it up. Revamp it. But if he’s unable to forge alliances—and DeMaio showed scant ability in the art of compromise as a council member—what will San Diego be facing? Consider San Diego’s congressional delegation. Will it be—perhaps outside of Texas—the most joke-ready confluence of hot-airbluster producers this region has seen since the wildfires of ’07? How will a mayor who seems focused on building federal relationships work with the likes of Darrell “Obama is Bad” Issa, Duncan “ISIL is here!” Hunter Jr. and Carl “Build an Ebola Fence” DeMaio? When Filner returned from Washington, most folks had no idea the kind of baggage he was bringing into the Mayor’s office, because no one was talking publicly. Voters this time have fair warning from people who worked for DeMaio. Like Faulconer said, let the voters decide. But, should Camp Carl win and eventually implode, those who lectured about Filner’s boorish behavior will have some explaining to do. Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 7
aaryn
backwards & in high heels
belfer Let’s move this time machine to 2014, shall we? I suffer from election fatigue, thanks to the conI’m not going to get into the possibly coded stant barrage of campaigning, the devious tactics (even if unintended) language about which neighof politicians and signature-gatherers, the endless borhoods are more appropriate for dispensaries; pamphleting, the calls asking for money. (Please, there’s enough to unpack there for it’s own column. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: But were Prop. F to be approved, Encinitas could Quit asking me to help Al Franken. The answer will dictate what a dispensary looks like and how it conalways be no, unless the all-powerful electeds want tributes to, rather than detracts from, a community. to pay for my kid’s college education, which means Which is all to say, I can relate to this position properly funding our public schools so they can far more than I can her Helen Lovejoy attitude. properly educate kids in the first place.) A building with weed inside is, to my friend, a The never-ending election cycle has largely bemetaphorical welcome mat for The Children. Adcome white noise for me, and I’ve mostly quit paying ditionally, the young adults she’s seen buying weed attention. Mostly. I do know about the scoundrel and in the dispensary aren’t buying the medicinal kind palm pilot Carl DeMaio. And I know about Proposiof weed, and she’d prefer her kids don’t have to lay tion F, the medical-marijuana initiative in Encinitas. eyeballs on such stoners. That basically means she’ll No, I don’t live anywhere near Encinitas. But a need to steer clear of North County surfers. lovely, graceful, terrific writer friend of mine does, And to be consistent in her I-don’t-want-my-kidand, last week, she—a cancer survivor and user of meexposed-to-unsightliness stance, she would have to dicinal marijuana herself—drafted a lovely, graceful, also be wary of exposure to the alcohol sold in the terrific letter to some local publications about Prop. aisles of Target. And the grocery store. And gas staF. More specifically, it was about her opposition to it. tions. And that which her kids see adults consuming. And her beautifully presented two-fold arguThe reality is that having legally regulated pot ment? She doesn’t want her children walking past a dispensaries in a community is not going to equate dispensary on their way to school, and dispensaries to little kids suddenly digging into their weekly alare not on her list of “businesses that make for a vilowance to fund the purchase of a dime bag (is there brant community.” even such a thing any more?), just Now, I highly respect, admire as they aren’t purchasing Mike’s and am often in agreement with Hard Lemonade because it’s on A building with weed this friend on many issues. But Jethe shelf in the store. Neither is inside is, to my friend, sus Lord, Mary, Joseph and Great it going to make any of it more Scott. What year is this, 1936? accessible than it already is. a metaphorical welcome That was the year that FDR— The key here is to legally regmat for The Children. campaigning on the popularity ulate weed just like we legally of the New Deal—creamed his regulate alcohol. And then have Republican opponent to win parents do that parenting thing reelection. It was the year Jesse Owens upset Hitcalled parenting and talk (openly and frequently) to ler’s Aryan superiority contest by winning four gold our young’uns about drugs and alcohol, about their medals at the Berlin Olympics. It was the year stress impact and about making good choices. was first recognized as a medical condition. And, My friend doesn’t disagree with me on the latter perhaps not ironically, it was the year Reefer Madpoint, but she really believes that dispensaries near ness was released. her community will somehow change the equation While engaging in a very civil online dialogue with deleterious effects. “The science on this is with my friend and others, and even as she was clear,” she said. “Marijuana affects the developing calm and clear in her own defense, she echoed for brain in potentially serious ways.” me the swirly eyed hysteria portrayed in the film, This may be true, but the science is also clear reminding me of a story my husband once told me: that there’s no benefit to assigning homework in A college friend of his was in an argument with her elementary school and that it is, in fact, harmful to mother, who said, at the height of frustration, “And kids, causing them “stress, physical health probdon’t think I don’t know that you’re upstairs smoklems, a lack of balance and even alienation from ing the bonks!” He and his friend busted up laughing society,” according to a recent Stanford study of because, of course, they’d been smoking the bonks. roughly 4,300 students. “Are you going to write letters to the editors about that?” I asked. My friend reminded me of the bonk mom, and Fortunately, there are many treatments for let me say here that she is no bonk mom. stress and physical health problems and whatnot, Admittedly, I can understand that a dispensary pharmaceuticals being a popular choice; the bonks isn’t adding to her quaint beachside community in should be a legal alternative, and regulated dispenthe way a restaurant or boutique would. I’m not obsaries should be a part of that equation. tuse; I’ve seen what dispensaries are like in my comIf the science is clear, the kids and I are going to munity, and they’re not exactly vying for any orchid need it. awards or neighborhood-improvement shout-outs at this juncture. But my friend tiptoes dangerously close Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com to NIMBY boundaries when she urges that such esand editor@sdcitybeat.com. tablishments be located in more industrial areas.
8 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
by michael a. gardiner Michael A. Gardiner
Waite’s “Korean barbecue” of yellowtail forced me to see the cooked version of hamachi in a new light. It was the accompaniments, though, that took the dish over the top: the bits of bacon that highlighted the rich flavors of the fish, the onions cooked al dente and green beans that were nothing short of spectacular, both in flavor and texture. The vegetables were treated with the same level of respect as the fish. It’s tempting to conceptualize Wrench & Rodent in sushi-bar terms (Waite came to note at Café Japengo in University City), but doing so risks invoking misleading paradigms: either traditional Edomai strictures or off-the-rails “fusion” masquerading as Korean-barbecue yellowtail with green beans and bacon “sushi.” Waite’s sushi is neither. Traditional garnishes for albacore include finely chopped scallions and minced daikon with ponzu. Waite instead opens the modernist-cuisine playbook and pairs albacore nigiri with an agar-based gel flavored with ghost pepper and orange and garnished with micro herbs. While that might seem like a significant departure, it’s The power to astonish less so when considering that agar comes from kelp and sushi chefs have long used pickled kelp as The importance of first impressions is the stuff of a garnish for mackerel. Waite found an innovative advertising slogans and books about business moway to do the same thing with the citrus and chile, tivation and self-improvement. Wrench and Roproviding a flavor profile that recalls the model. dent Seabasstropub is the exception that proves Similarly, a garnish of arugula chimichurri— that rule. “Rodents” hardly sound appetizing and hardly traditional—plays perfectly with the spec“wrenches” play no meaningful role in high-end tacularly fresh local yellowtail, cutting through its cuisine, but Davin Waite’s food at this Oceanside fatty richness without overpowering it. Our first hole-in-the-wall (1815 S. Coast Hwy., seabasstro course, a nigiri of New Zealand salmon, arrived at pub.com) not only pleases; it astonishes. the table with a garnish that looked like minced Take the swordfish-belly pastrami. Ordinarily, daikon but turned out to be a ginger rock paste. pastrami is smoked, brine-cured (corned) beef. The surprising sweetness and slight bite of ginger Waite elevates the idea by substituting luscious, forced us to look at the salmon in a different way. fatty swordfish belly for the more common beef Ultimately, one important clue as to what’s brisket. The result is a slightly smoky, rich, imgoing on at Wrench & Rodent is the soundtrack: possibly moist and ever-so-slightly sweet prodpunk rock. Waite rips apart Japanese-inflected uct that reminds nearly as much of lardo—Italian seafood, breaks it down to its most fundamental cured pork fatback—as pastrami. Waite pairs this parts and puts them back together in a way that extraordinary product with a berry sauce that highlights their essence. Punk rock is on the walls, echoes the fileno al mirtilio (steak with blueberon the soundtrack and, ultimately, on the plate. ry sauce) at Acqua al Due in Florence (and the Perhaps that ought to have been the takeaway from the first impression. Gaslamp), picking up on the sweet notes of the swordfish without veering into overtly sugary. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com It’s a terrific and stunningly beautiful dish that and editor@sdcitybeat.com. maintains perfect balance.
the world
fare
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 9
By Jen Van Tieghem
bottle
Rocket
Hard to pronounce, easy to drink I recently decided to cohabitate with my better half. In addition to blending our hodgepodge furniture, it also meant bringing together my love of dry red wines with his inexplicable desire to drink sweet whites. Let’s just say I’ve been drinking far too much Riesling. In my desire to appease his palate, I recently picked up a nice, cheap bottle of Fetzer Gewürztraminer. For $7, the “Shaly Loam” by the purveyors of boxed-wine is actually drinkable, though sugary. I don’t like sugary wines, but I remembered that there are some great qualities to Gewürztraminer. My search to find the side of “G wine” that I prefer took me to my old stand-by bottle shop, Bine and Vine. The 2012 Claiborne and Churchill Dry Gewürztraminer called my name with the promise of spice and fruit. At $20, it tipped my wine budget for the week, but
10 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
I have to say it was worth it. Despite being 100-percent tank-fermented, the wine was round and supple, with a smooth finish made possible by just the tiniest bit of residual sugar—according to C and C’s spec sheet, .008 percent residual sugar, to be exact. After the wine warmed a bit, the scent of orange blossom was intoxicating, as was the wine, at close to 14-percent alcohol. The flavors of pear and lemon were bright without being sharp. A peppery twinge in the finish smoothed into light apricot essences. The wine is like my favorite fruit tray, with all the melons and citrus I love and no syrupy elements to ruin it. Doing a little research, I found that the brand, based in San Luis Obispo County, specializes in dry wines inspired by those of Alsace, France, and that they’ve produced this varietal for 30 years. Claiborne and Churchill’s website (claibornechurchill.com) has the 2012 vintage sold out, with the 2013 going for $22. But enough numbers—I have to go blow my paycheck on whatever Bine and Vine has left in stock. Write to jenv@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
by Mina Riazi mina riazi
One Lucky
Spoon Out of focus
On a recent Sunday night, awash in the Technicolor glow of hotels and sports bars and big-name retailers, San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter felt like Disneyland’s Main Street. Caught in a touristy web yards away from the Ghirardelli store, I was briefly transported to Mickey Mouse’s stomping grounds. Perhaps the telltale sign of gentrification is that everything begins to look and feel like an amusement park. Restaurateur Alex Thao’s third Gaslamp establishment, Saja Korean Kitchen (417 Fourth Ave., sajakitchen.com), opened in July, joining Rama and Lucky Liu’s. The high-achieving Thao unveiled the Chinese joint Lucky Liu’s earlier this year—and before that, he was busily reimagining Hillcrest’s Celadon, transforming the 20year-old Thai joint into the now-closed French Concession. “Saja” means lion in Korean, and there’s certainly something majestic about the restaurant’s artful décor. Korean movie posters provide ample eye candy for outdoor-patio diners, while white tables and chairs complement the warm wood floors. The cozy space is almost cave-like with its low ceilings and dim lighting. Thao traveled coast to coast researching Saja’s menu, which combines traditional Korean dish-
es with more fashionable items—like Brussels chips and spicy tuna tartar. Depending on your mood, you might feel confused or comforted by the diverse options. Executive Chef Jason Velasquez, formerly with now-shuttered Katsuya, mans the kitchen. A recent U-T San Diego review of Saja states that “while Chinese, Thai and Japanese restaurants thrive, Korean cuisine is still a niche market.” Writer Pam Kragen goes on to say, “That’s a niche Alex Thao hopes to crack wide open with Saja.” I don’t agree that Korean cuisine represents uncharted territory within the American culinary landscape. During the past few years, KoreanAmerican chefs Roy Choi and David Chang have helped steadily guide Korean cuisine into the mainstream. In fact, Saja’s Mexican-Korean fusion bulgogi tacos are reminiscent of the ones doled out by Choi’s fleet of Kogi food trucks. Made with cloudsoft, gently sweet bao buns, Saja’s version is delectable. The marinated-and-grilled beef drips rich, buttery flavor with every bite. A sliver of something green—perhaps a few zingy pickles or a lettuce leaf—would calm down the borderline-toosalty meat, but it’s nevertheless a joy to eat. Still, a plate of lackluster gimbap made me wonder whether Saja, in an effort to “crack” the imagined niche, is trying to be too many things at once. The Korean finger food resembles Japanese sushi rolls, featuring seaweed-wrapped rice and a host of fillings. Surprisingly, the gimbap’s hefty ingredient list of galbi short ribs, spinach, carrots, sweet omelet and pickled radish doesn’t result in a remarkably flavorful dish. The jajangmyeon’s egg noodles are firm and chewy, but the black-bean sauce topping them didn’t resonate with me. Perhaps, being unfamiliar with the classic Korean dish, I can’t accurately judge it. But I can tell you that it was filling yet forgettable—a carby tangle of noodles capped off with an insipid sauce. Saja Korean Kitchen is young and bright-eyed and eager to improve. I can honestly say I hope that it does. Write to minar@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 11
the floating
library
by jim ruland
Downloading the declaration To say that Doctor Benjamin Franklin’s Dream America is an inventive work of fiction is like calling the ocean a tad salty. Damien Lincoln Ober’s debut novel, published by Equus Press, takes the shape of a series of 56 vignettes about every single one of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence, at the moment of his death. That in and of itself would be an impressive level of literary gimmickry for a work of historical fiction. However, the last words of the men who for all intents and purposes invented America is just the beginning. It seems that a swift and terrible plague known as “The Death” is sweeping through the colonies and killing two out of every three people. Though no one knows for certain how the disease is spreading, the doctors racing from signer to signer to stop the devastation suspect the Internet is to blame. Yes, that Internet. “When panicked reports started circulating that The Death was being spread by the Internet, Americans everywhere rushed out of the Cloud never to return.” In Ober’s America, John Morton is the man responsible for uploading the Articles of Confederation, tapping them out on his laptop minutes before The Death gets him, but not before updating his status. This “epigraph” from Thomas Jefferson indicates the tone of the novel: “th@ all r cre8d =; th@ they r endowed by their cre8or with certn inalienable rights; th@ among these r life, librty and the purst of happiness.” The easiest way to pigeonhole Doctor Benjamin Franklin’s Dream America is to call it a work of counterfactual fiction—a story that takes the facts as we know them (the names of the signers) and mixes up a few things (Internet plague). In other words, Ober has written a “What if?” story for the ages. Yes, people still ride on horseback and sail on sailing ships in this version of America, but, like us, they never leave home without their smart phones, and Ober offers all kinds of clever commentary regarding the way we live now. Consider Caesar Rodney’s sister who cannot imagine love without the Internet and is willing to risk The Death for a chance at romance the moment after her brother expires. “And she presses
12 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
the laptop’s power button and waits. Swears, then, that she can feel something unraveling in the air. As if the layers of this and a separate, untapped reality have started to mix. She flexes her fingers over the keys, watches the screen come to life.” Usually, speculative tales of this nature change one of two things (What if Hitler escaped Nazi Germany in a U-boat?) and explore the permutations, but Ober keeps introducing new wrinkles. For instance, when the Internet is abandoned, a new Internet (called “Newnet”) is created. This gives rise to a social-media platform called “Doctor Benjamin Franklin’s Dream America,” which is subsequently shortened to “Franklin’s Dream” and then simply “The Dream.” The Dream becomes so popular that many Americans spend all their time there, altogether abandoning the real. Thanks to online gaming, this is something a portion of the population already does, and as more and more of our lives migrate online (TV, music, work), a not insignificant portion of our lives is spent looking at screens. For all of the technological advances Ober’s given his patriots, they still spend a lot of time waiting for uploads, battling ad bots and being harassed by search drones—a mixture of oldworld inconveniences and the specter of threats to come. Take this “conversation” Thomas Stone has with a search drone: “Stone’s never seen a search drone sneak in the last word. But this one does. ‘Next time you come, I won’t be here anymore. Humans don’t have access to something, does it still exist?’ And then the search drone is gone, dissipated into code. Fucking old Internet.” Ober has much more than snarky search drones up his sleeve. As the last of the signers expire, the doctors expose a global conspiracy that would throw all of human history into the trash heap and should make some readers very nervous about a potential Ebola pandemic. Ober’s mix of heady ideas and gorgeous prose make this a uniquely compelling debut. Doctor Benjamin Franklin’s Dream America is nothing less than an alternate history of the birth of the United States that hints at our coming demise. Write to jimr@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
the
SHORTlist
1
ODD MAN IN
If you’re thinking about dressing up this Halloween as Elsa from Frozen or some clever incarnation of the ice-bucket challenge, the following event is not for you, because it promises to be a mess of carnie crazy. At the Art After Dark: Freakshow Sideshow, from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday Oct. 31, guests will experience human portraits painted on humans, extraordinary contort-
2
THAT ACCURSED UGLINESS
What evil lurks in the shadows of the Paris Opera House? What grotesque visage hides behind the mask? Is the right choice the scorpion or the grasshopper? Would everything have been fine if Christine’s curiosity didn’t get the best of her? Why couldn’t she just keep her hands to herself? Most of your burning questions will be answered when the Spreckels Organ Society presents Halloween Silent Movie Night, a free screening of the classic 1925 silent film Phantom of the Opera, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. The action in the movie, which stars the legendary Lon Chaney as Erik the Phantom, will be set to a live musical score by organist Russ Peck. spreckelsorgan.org
COORDINATED BY KINSEE MORLAN
ing, fortune telling, circus performers, beauty-shop freak-overs and underground dead-thing mashups. So unless you want to look weird, you’d better come dressed up with your inner oddball out. “We encourage our guests to embrace what makes them a freak,” said Dinah Poellnitz, coordinator of Art after Dark. “It’s 1940s-style circus bizarre, but freaks of every generation are welcome, so embrace what makes you different.” Inside, outside and in the depths of the Oceanside Museum of Art (704 Pier View Way), folks can sip libations among the art exhibitions and exhibitionists. See Raymond Lafferty’s one-Native-American-man show exploring the thin boundary between beauty and freakishness. Watch circus contortionist Kat Madyrzak get twisted to performances by Oceanside Theatre Company singers Brooke Benjamin and Kelleigh Jones. Learn your fate from Madame Victorire’s deck of tarot cards. Wander into the basement for Captain Tyler’s informative exhibition on the art of creative taxidermy. “It’s going to be a very entertaining but educational experience at the same time,” Poellnitz said. “The artists that we’ve picked display the idea of what makes them different. Yes, we are all freaks. There’s no such thing as normal.” Including music by DJ Zochi, dancing, appetizers and two drink tickets, the 21-and-older show is $20 for the event only or $35 for the event and an event poster by local artist Scrojo. Get tickets at omaonline.org.
3 “Boris Karloff as the Mummy” sculpture by Captain Tyler Legere
ART
RAD RETAIL ROW
In last week’s Best of San Diego issue, we highlighted Lone Flag, a hip, well-curated clothing and accessories shop that’s part of Row Collective, a grouping of cool, independent retail stores—including M-Theory Music, Studio Penny Lane, Boutonne, A Ship in the Woods and half a dozen more—located in the Flower Hill Promenade (2720 Via de la Valle). Check out what Lone Flag and its neighbors have to offer from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, when the Row Collective shops host their second Maker’s Market. The event features in-store specials and, in the courtyard / patio area outside the shops, more than 20 local artisans selling their wares, plus a chance for you to try your hand at some DIY projects and get a jump on holiday shopping. flowerhill.com
Reunifying Hideyoshi: A Photographic Essay at Japanese Friendship Garden, Balboa Park. Local photographer Felix Bonomo shares his narrative photos of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s 14th Century Osaka and Fushimi Castles. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. $5-$6. niwa.org HNeil Shigley: Invisible People at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way. Shigley’s large-scale block prints and graphite-on-paper works focus on San Diego’s homeless. Opening Saturday, Nov. 1, and on view through Feb. 15. 760-435-3721, oma-online.org My Sister’s Voice at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way. Conceptualized by Alexis Dixon and photographed by Pablo Mason, these 40 large-scale photographs are intense portraits of a culturally diverse group of local women. Opening Saturday, Nov. 1, and on view through Feb. 8. 760-435-3721, oma-online.org HObject! Object!: A Selection of Smaller Works at Helmuth Projects, 1827 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Small-scale works by 71 artists including big names like Adam Belt, Christopher Puzio, Heather Gwen Martin and more. All works will not exceed 10 inches in any direction and will be priced between $100-$300. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619-265-6842, sayingtheleastandsayingitloud.com HFaces + Figures at Quint Contemporary Art, 7547 Girard Ave., La Jolla. Surgeon and artist Dr. Steven R. Cohen showcases his original paintings. Proceeds from the event benefit Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, a local nonprofit that provides free-of-cost reconstructive surgeries and related healthcare services. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619487-0363, freshstart.org HDia De Los Muertos Barrio Art Crawl at Barrio Logan Arts District, 1878 Main St., Barrio Logan. A free, self-guided tour of public murals, open studios, galleries and businesses throughout Barrio Logan.. From 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619366-9006, BarrioArtCrawl.com HManRabbit and MH Art & Design at Glashaus, 1815-B Main St., Barrio Logan. The artistic duo ManRabbit (Carla Naden and Lee Selman) will unveil new large-format, mixed-media pieces, while Monica Hui Hekman (MH Art & Design) offers a variety of materials in both two and three dimensions. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. theglashaus.com HFlying Panther Dia De Los Muertos Group Art Show at El Pantera Tattoo, 950 S. 26th St., Barrio Logan. The annual group art show will be held this year at Flying Panther’s new location. There’ll be an altar and ceremony by Anahuac, plus new art by Susan Kidder, Micah Caudle, Chris Smith and over a dozen others. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619238-5713, flyingpanthertattoo.com Illuminations at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road, Poway. Presented by the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild, this exhibition explores the meaning and effect of light. Opening from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619-356-8091, sdmaag.org
BOOKS Harry Katz at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The author and former curator at the Library of Congress will present his latest historical work, Mark Twain’s America: A Celebration in Words and Images. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. 858-454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com
Lone Flag
Raymond M. Wong at Encinitas Library,
540 Cornish Drive, Encinitas. The local author will share his new memoir, I’m Not Chinese: The Journey from Resentment to Reverence. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. 760-753-7376, raymondmwong.com HChristine McKinley at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The host of The History Channel’s Brad Meltzer’s Decoded will present her novel Physics for Rock Stars: Making the Laws of the Universe Work for You. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. warwicks.indiebound.com Felix Tuyay at Rancho San Diego Library, 11555 Via Rancho San Diego, El Cajon. The Southwestern College professor will discuss the book he co-authored, Filipinos in San Diego. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619-660-5370, sdcl.org HDay of the Dead Celebration at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. The bookstore staff will be cooking up recipes from The Art of Eating Through a Zombie Apocalypse and a fine group of horror authors will be on-hand including Maria Alexander, Leslie Klinger and more. At 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. mystgalaxy.com HDavid Kaplan at Polite Provisions, 4696 30th Ave, North Park. The famed NYC bar owner discusses his new book, Death & Co: Modern Classic Cocktails. Ticket includes copy of the book, cocktails and appetizers from Soda & Swine. From 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. $55. 619-677-3784. politeprovisions.com Teresa Rhyne at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The New York Times bestselling author will be promoting her latest book, The Dogs Were Rescued (and So Was I). At 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. 858-454-0347, warwicks.indiebound.com Susan Vreeland at Carlsbad City Library, 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad. Vreeland stops by to discuss her newest novel, Lisette’s List, about a woman’s awakening in the south of Vichy, France through the power of art and the beauty of provincial life. At 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. 760-6022049, adventuresbythebook.com Eben Alexander at La Jolla Library, 7555 Draper Ave., La Jolla. The bestselling author of Proof of Heaven will talk about his new book, Map of Heaven. Reserved seating is available when you purchase a copy of the book through Warwicks. At 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3. sandiegolibrary.org
COMEDY HHalloween at FCI at Finest City Improv, 4250 Louisiana St., North Park. A night of interactive performances including improvised musicals, horror scenes, costumed improv and more. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. $10. finestcityimprov.com HHalloween Comedy Spooktacular at National Comedy Theatre, 3717 India St., Little Italy. A variation on NCT’s regular improv comedy show, with Halloweenthemed subjects and spooky games described as a combination of Friday the 13th meets Whose Line is it Anyway? At 7:30 and 9:45 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, and Saturday, Nov. 1. $12-$17. nationalcomedy.com
DANCE HSHADOWS at White Box Theater, NTC, 2690 Truxtun Road, Point Loma. Choreographers Blythe Barton, Khamla Somphanh and Zaquia Mahler Salinas pay homage to the essence of the fall season with dances that shed light on the spiritual nature of the body. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, and Sunday, Nov. 2. $12-$15. blythebartondance.com
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October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 13
FOOD & DRINK HBaja Culinary Fest Featuring dinners, tastings, cooking classes, competitions and more, this culinary expo will highlight the region’s distinctive gourmet fare in Tijuana, Valle de Guadalupe and Ensenada. See website for details. Various times Wednesday, Oct. 29 through Sunday, Nov. 2. $37-$110. bcculinaryfest.com/es/ Barons Backroom Beer Tasting at Baron’s Market Point Loma, 4001 W. Point Loma Blvd., San Diego, Point Loma. Wear your Halloween costume and sample four Modern Times brews and Chuao Chocolatier bars pairings with all proceeds benefitting the San Diego Food Bank. From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. $10. 619-223-4397, baronsmarket.com HRamona Art&Wine Festival at Mt. Woodson Castle, 16302 N. Woodson Dr., Ramona. Help support Ramona’s H.E.A.R.T. Mural Project while enjoying 12 local wineries, five chefs, and numerous
art and artists, along with the wine-barrel art auction. Saturday, Nov. 1. $65-$150. 858-638-0672, ramonaartandwinefest.net Movember Stache Bash at Helm’s Brewing Company, 5640 Kearny Mesa Rd. Ste. C/N. Helm’s Brewing Company’s third annual charitable event featuring beers, barbecue and a silent auction. Benefits the Movember Foundation’s support of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer and mental health programs. From noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. $1.25-$20. helmsbrewingco.com HWhiskey Fest at Hiatus Lounge, 7955 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla. The poolside lounge will be stocked with premium and small-batch brands of the brown spirit, as well as a grill menu from Chef Lockhart. From 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. $10. 858-551-3620, WhiskeyFest.bpt.me Pints For Prostates at Societe Brewing Company, 8262 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., Clairemont. Societe Brewing Company will be hosting this Movember night each
Tuesday in November. A free brewery tour is available at 5 p.m. followed by men’s health information for prostate cancer awareness. From 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4. 858-598-5409
HALLOWEEN
The Zombie Ball at San Diego Museum of Man, Balboa Park. A benefit gala featuring live performances, costume contests, plus a zombie-themed dessert buffet. All proceeds go to Mo`olelo Performing Arts Company. From 7 p.m. to midnight Friday, Oct. 31. $65-$100. 619-231-4137, partyforapurposesd.com
HMonster Bash at Gaslamp Quarter, Downtown. The Gaslamp and East Village converts into a huge block party with three massive clubs built into the eight-block festival area with DJs, costume contests, haunted areas and more. From 6 p.m. to midnight Friday, Oct. 31. $35-$85. 619233-5008, SanDiegoMonsterBash.com
Haunted Harrah’s at Harrah’s Resort Southern California, 777 Harrah’s Resort Southern California Way, Valley Center. A resort takeover that includes casino gaming, multiple stages of DJs and hip-hop talent, plus Halloween decor throughout. From 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $40$65. 844-428-6863, harrahshalloween.com
HSan Diego Zombie Crawl at A.D., 905 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. More than 20 bars and nightclubs will be throwing Halloween parties. Your ticket gets you in and gets you complimentary drinks. The opening party and meet-up will take place at A.D. From 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $75. 619-780-3606, sandiegozombiecrawl.com
Trick-or-Treat on India Street Little Italy businesses open their doors to make Halloween a safe night for neighborhood children. Start at Piazza Basilone on India and West Fir Street for a list of the participating businesses. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. littleitalysd.com
THEATER
Clean & Sober Halloween Dance at COURTESY: NEW FORTUNE THEATRE
New theater company debuts with Henry V To celebrate the inaugural opening night of its existence, New Fortune Theatre Company recruited bagpipe players in full Scottish regalia to play outside Ion Theatre’s BLKBOX space in Hillcrest, which, at least for now, will serve as the fledgling company’s home. The bagpipers were also celebrating St. Crispin’s Day, which is not only Oct. 25 (New Fortune’s opening night), but also directly connected to Henry V, the evening’s Shakespearean production. (Henry’s St. Crispin’s Day speech is one of the most famous in all the Bard’s history plays.) New Fortune’s Henry V is co-directed (with Matthew Henerson) by Richard Baird, who also stars in the titular role. The accomplished, baritone-voiced actor is the new company’s artistic director. Henry V is a rambling historical vehicle rife with battlefield bloodshed and righteous orations from the English king who lusts to add France to his realm. That Baird and Henerson are able to stage a play with a cast of 14 in Ion’s compact space and do so with minimalist set pieces is quite an achievement. Somehow, the combat scenes, aided by booming sound effects, are plausible, and Henry’s army, which includes New Fortune Associate Artistic Director Matt Thompson, scatter back and forth with startling precision.
The play is overlong (exceeding three hours, with intermission), and the subplots anchored by comic characters Pistol (John Tessmer) and Mistress Quickly (Dana Hooley) just slow everything down. But Baird is commanding as the oft-inspirational king, particularly in Act 2, when we’re treated to the moving St. Crispin’s Day “band of brothers” speech. Amanda Schaar (New Fortune’s managing director) shines in a hilarious lost-in-translation scene with Hooley (in a different role), and as the play’s recurring narrator, Jessica John is charming and, if you know John’s work around town, as charismatic as ever. Even with its long-windedness, Henry V is a diverting picture of 15th-century imperialism and royal ambition, and the production is a showcase for Baird, for whom the mission of the new theater company is “world class productions of original classics.” You can’t get any more ambitious than “worldclass.” Here’s hoping New Fortune finds its place in the local theater landscape. Henry V runs through Nov. 9. $30-$35. newfortunetheatre.com
—David L. Coddon Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
Richard Baird
OPENING Grove: Ion Theatre presents a workshop production—meaning, it will evolve throughout the run—of a new play by Ion Producing Artistic Director Glenn Paris, about two estranged brothers who return home to visit a sick sibling and confront old secrets. Opens Oct. 30 at BLKBOX Theatre in Hillcrest. iontheatre.com Off the Coffin: An Improvaganza: A Halloween version of Patio Playhouse’s “Off the Cuff” night of improvisational comedy theater. It happens on Oct. 31 at Patio Playhouse in Escondido. patioplayhouse.com Upon the Fragile Shore: A staged reading of a new play focused on global human rights and environmental issues. It happens on Nov. 3 at BLKBOX Theatre in Hillcrest. iontheatre.com Water by the Spoonful: San Diego State University presents this Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about an Iraq War veteran who struggles upon his return home to Philadelphia. Opens Oct. 31 at SDSU’s Experimental Theatre. ttf.sdsu.edu
For full listings,
please visit “T heater ” at sdcit ybeat.com
Live and Let Live Alano Club, 1730 Monroe Ave., University Heights. DJ Mateo will perform at this dry event. There’ll be prizes in five categories of best costume and best carved pumpkin. From 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $10. 619-298-8008, lllac.org Carnevil Halloween Bash at Mission Brewery, 1441 L St., East Village. Mission Brewery’s annual Halloween party inside the historic and haunted Wonder Bread includes costume contests, photobooths, live bands and DJs and craft beer. From 7 p.m. to midnight Friday, Oct. 31. $10. 619544-0555, missioncarnevil.eventbrite.com HBreastacular! Breastacular! at The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Dark cabaret and circus-inspired burlesque performers from San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas and beyond. Lineup includes names like Bombshell Betty, Kitschy Koo, Kiki Delco and more. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $10-$20. 619-299-7372, themerrow.com Steampunk Spooktacular at Mueller College, 4601 Park Blvd., University Heights. A day of music, costume contests, vendors, food trucks, games and raffles. For the little steampunks, they will have candy, games, face painting and balloons. From noon to 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. 619-291-9811, mueller.edu HHearthstones to Gravestones: Mount Hope Cemetery Strolls at Mount Hope Cemetery, 3751 Market St., Lincoln Park. Discover the graves of our city’s founding fathers, mothers and innovative leaders on this tour coordinated by the San Diego History Center. At 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $15. 619-5273400, sandiegohistory.org House of Blues Halloween Block Party at House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Three parties under one roof with over 30,000 square feet of hauntings by the infamous Technomania Circus, costume contests and three stages of music. From 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $30. 619-299-BLUE, hobblockparty.com HArt After Dark: Freakshow Sideshow at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Inspired by circus sideshow culture of the ‘30s and ‘40s, this event will feature music, art exhibitions, performances, food sampling, wine and beer tasting and more. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $20. 760-4353720, oma-online.org EVOL at The Prado at The Prado Restaurant, Balboa Park. A zombie-themed EDM dance party featuring three dance floors and DJs. From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $50-$75. 619-557-9441 Trick-or-Treat Old Town at Old Town Historic Park, 2454 Heritage Park Row, Old Town. Trick-or-treaters are invited to collect candy and goodies from participating shops and museums. From 4 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. 619-491-0099, oldtownsandiegoguide.com HTower of Terror at Fire Station #34, 343 E. 16th St., National City. National City off-duty firefighters take you on a trip through torture chambers, deadly caves and all sorts of Halloween mayhem. From 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. 619-3364566, ci.national-city.ca.us
MUSIC HJake Shimabukuro at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Declared by Rolling Stone as a “musical hero,” the ukulele sensation has earned comparisons to Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. $17-$35. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org A French Fete at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., Hillcrest.
14 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
The 40-member New City Sinfonia, led by Daniel Ratelle, presents a concert of 19th Century French music. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. newcitysinfonia.com Charmaine Clamor at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. The critically acclaimed Filipina jazz singer makes a rare San Diego appearance. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. sandiegolibrary.org Noche Cubana at World Beat Cultural Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. A celebration of Cuban music, dance and culture featuring live performances, authentic cuisine, free salsa lessons and a dance party. From 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. $15. omoachecubanculture.org A Nightmare on B Street at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown.
Principal pops conductor Bill Conti and the San Diego Symphony present a night of spooky Broadway, classical and film music by Stephen Schwartz, Alan Menken, Danny Elfman, John Williams and more. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. $30-$85. 619235-0804, sandiegosymphony.com Dependent Origination at Taoist Sanctuary of San Diego, 4229 Park Blvd., University Heights. The local jazz quintet of Alex Cline (percussion), Peter Kuhn (sax and clarinets), Dave Sewelson (baritone sax), Scott Walton (bass) and Dan Clucas (cornet) plays spirited improvised music. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. $10. 619-692-1155 HPatty Griffin at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The Grammy Award-winning songwriter and musician is known for her stripped-down songwrit-
ing style centered around the folk music genre. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. $45. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org HEldar Trio and Terry Sejnowski at Salk Institute, 10010 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla. The first concert in the Salk Science and Music Series, which brings together music and science. Jazz pianist Eldar Djanirov and his trio will perform and Salk professor Terrence J. Sejnowski will discuss his work in computational neuroscience. At 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. $45. 858-453-9600, music.salk.edu HTim Hodgkinson and Ramon Amezcua at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Part of the Fresh Sounds Concerts series, Hodgkinson plays clarinet and lap steel guitar while Amezcua (a.k.a. Bostich from Nortec)
specializes in electronics. The musicians will each perform a solo set with a duo improvised set. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5. $10-$15. freshsoundmusic.com
PERFORMANCE Mexico Vive Su Folklor at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. As part of the Center’s 19th Annual Dia de los Muertos Festival, this show features music, dance, and traditional costumes highlighting the history of Mexico on stage. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. $15$20. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org HDrop Dead Dames Calendar Release Show at The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. The Drop Dead Dames team up with Vixen Photography
to present 12 months of dames. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. $8-$10. dropdeaddamesburlesque.com HSuor Angelica at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church, 6628 Santa Isabel St., Carlsbad. Stefano Vignati conducts members of the San Diego Symphony and an all-women cast featuring members of San Diego Opera chorus. Proceeds benefit the San Diego Opera. At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. $25-$50. suorangelica.net HMariachi Champana Nevin’s Dia de Muertos at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Experience a unique concert blending mariachi, opera and the symphony. Features performances from Monica Abrego, the Orquesta Sinfonica
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October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 15
de las Californias, Mariachi Garibaldi from Southwestern College and ballet folklorico dancers. At 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. $27$77. 619-570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org
POETRY & SPOKEN WORD Love, Always: Exploring Identity through Spoken Word at Student Union Ballroom, Cal State San Marcos, 333 S. Twin Oaks Valley Road. Imani Cezanne performs original spoken word that digs deep into race, gender, sexuality and privilege. At 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. $15. 760-750-4000, imanicezanne.tumblr.com/ HPoetry Ruckus at Ducky Waddle’s Emporium, 414 N. Coast Hwy. 101, Encinitas.
The fifth anniversary of this poetry night will feature a tribute to Robert Nanninga with special guest Keith Shillington reading from the recently published, The Poetry Unabridged. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29. 760-632-0488, duckywaddles.com HVAMP: Scared ShHtless! at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. Stories of thrill-seeking, mortal danger, adrenaline rushes, terror, pranks, and other varied and open interpretations of the theme by some of San Diego’s best writers. At 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. $5 suggested donation. 619-284-6784, sosayweallonline.com HRae Armantrout and Malachi Black at Gym Standard, 2903 El Cajon Blvd. #2, North Park. The second fall reading in the Non-Standard Lit Reading Series features Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Rae Arman-
trout, author of Just Saying and Versed, and 2009 Ruth Lilly and Michener Fellow Malachi Black, author of Storm Toward Morning. From 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. 619-501-4996, gymstandard.com Straw into Gold Storytelling at Rebecca’s Coffee House, 3015 Juniper St, South Park. Stories of transformation as told by members of Storytellers of San Diego. Appropriate for ages 12 and up. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5. 619-284-3663, storytellersofsandiego.org
SPECIAL EVENTS Scare Away Hunger at Feeding America, 9455 Waples Street Ste. 135, Sorrento Valley. Join Feeding America for a special volunteer shift and help sort, bag and box
food, celebrate the meals raised, and honor top fundraisers. From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. 858-452-3663, feedingamericasd.org HOld Town Dia de los Muertos at Old Town San Diego, 2474 San Diego Ave. A tour of more than 30 altars, a candlelight procession and live music. This two-day annual activity will also feature workshops, performances, lectures and more. From noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 1-2. sddayofthedead.org HDia de los Muertos Fiesta at Casa Artelexia, 2419 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. This fifth annual fiesta features a community altar, face painting, live music, sugar-skull making, drinks, snacks, paletas, raffles and more. From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619-544-1011, artelexia.com HDia de los Muertos Festival at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The 19th annual fest will feature Mariachi Los Caballeros de San Diego and traditional Mexican fare. Guests can decorate their own sugar skull and explore the exhibition, Colores de la Muerte. From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org University Heights Urban Harvest Festival at Birney Elementary, 4345 Campus Ave., University Heights. This second annual event celebrates the fall harvest and urban gardening. Bring a picnic, enjoy Birney garden tours, a live band, fresh fruit and vegetable, cooking demos, arts and crafts and more. From 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619-940-7090, facebook. com/UrbanHarvestFestival HDia de los Muertos Festival at Market Creek Plaza Amphitheater, 310 Euclid Ave., Lincoln Park. An all-day fest featuring the band Quetzal, traditional dances, altars, a lowrider car show, traditional food, a performance by Teatro Izcalli and more. From noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. 619-527-6161, jacobspresents.com HDia de los Muertos at Liberty Station, Roosevelt & Cushing, Point Loma. This event features open artist studios, galleries, shopping and entertainment throughout the NTC Arts & Culture District. There’ll be live music, sugar skulls, face painting and more. From 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. libertystation.com HSherman Heights Day of the Dead Festival at Sherman Heights Community Center, 2258 Island Ave. The day begins with an official blessing of community altars, followed by live performances, food, shopping, altar tours and themed workshops. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. facebook.com/DDLMSanDiego HDay of the Dead Candlelight Procession at Sherman Heights Community Center, 2258 Island Ave., Sherman Heights. Guests are encouraged to bring a candle and/or pictures of departed loved ones as they walk in their memory. Dia de los Muertos face painting and/or costumes highly encouraged. At 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. historicbarriodistrict.org Dia de los Muertos at Bazaar del Mundo, 4133 Taylor St., Old Town. Bazaar del Mundo will transform its shops into a walkable trail of altars, complete with traditional sugar skulls and Day of the Deadinspired clothing and crafts. From 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. 619-296-3161, bazaardelmundo.com South Bay Dia de los Muertos at Greenwood Memorial Park, 4300 Imperial Ave., Lincoln Park. This free event features tamales and hot chocolate, mariachi music, a car show and a ballet folkloric performance. Attendees are encouraged to bring photos and small memorabilia for altars. From 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. 619-264-3131, greenwoodmemorial.com
16 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
Hector Villegas’ sculpture is on view at La Bodega (2196 Logan Ave.), one of the galleries participating in the Dia de los Muertos Barrio Art Crawl, happening from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. HHoliday Makers Market at Flower Hill Promenade, 2720 Via De La Valle, Del Mar. Flower Hill’s unique ROW Collective shops will be joined by other local vendors. Take advantage of to special instore promotions, DIY crafts, handmade holiday gifts and more. From noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. flowerhill.com HMeet Your Maker Outdoor Marketplace at Make Good, 2207 Fern St., South Park. In honor of Dia de los Muertos, this outdoor event will feature local artisans, music, desserts and Day of the Deadinspired handcrafted goods. From 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2. themakegood.com
TALKS & DISCUSSIONS A Collapse of Distance at UCSD Visual Arts Facility Gallery, Russell Drive and Lyman Ave., La Jolla. A lecture and reading by visiting artist Kate Durbin, whose work deals with popular culture, gender and digital media. Includes live performances and video work. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. visarts.ucsd.edu HPlacemaking: Public Art’s Role In Creating Community at Room G102, Mesa College, 7250 Mesa College Drive, Kearny Mesa. Moderated by Robert Pincus, a panel will discuss how public art can express civic values, transform the landscape and more. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. sdccd.edu HFEDTalks at Scripps Research Institute Auditorium, 10640 John Jay Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. Modeled after the TEDTalks, FEDTalk speakers will highlight innovative individuals who are leading San Diego’s scientific and hi-tech sectors. See website for list of speakers. At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30. $18. jewishinsandiego.org New Painting: From the Canvas to the Floor at MCASD La Jolla, 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. Part two of MCASD’s Sessions in Contemporary Art seminars looks at major movements that have defined art. From 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4. $20. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org
For full listings,
please visit “E vents” at sdcit yb eat.com
PRESENTED BY
OFFICIAL FESTIVAL PROGRAM VIP Brewer Takeover Friday, November 7th • Guild Festival Saturday, November 8th Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier
SAN DIEGO BEER WEEK
Celebrating craft beer in San Diego November 7–16 2014 www.sdbw.org Program produced by San Diego CityBeat Advertising Department
2014 San Diego Beer Week
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www.sdbw.org
2014 San Diego Beer Week
2014 San Diego Beer Week
www.sdbw.org
Dear San Diego Beer Week Enthusiasts, On behalf of the San Diego Brewers Guild and in celebration of San Diego being America’s Capital of Craft Beer, welcome to San Diego Beer Week 2014! Our ten-day celebration is the craft beer capital’s premiere annual event, boasting an impressive 500 plus happenings hosted throughout the San Diego County brew scene. With over 80 local breweries now and more on the horizon, San Diego County has gained an international reputation as the hub for creative and innovative craft beer, recently winning numerous awards at the Great American Beer Festival in Colorado. San Diego’s brew culture continues to inspire the community to truly embrace all that is related to craft beer, as reflected through beer-centric menus and extensive tap selections in local restaurants, a host of beer festivals throughout the county, and new breweries constantly emerging on the burgeoning scene. San Diego Beer Week 2014 starts with “Beer on the Pier” for the signature San Diego Brewers Guild VIP Brewer Takeover on Friday, November 7th and the Guild Festival on Saturday, November 8th. These Official Kickoff events will attract thousands of beer enthusiasts to experience upwards of 100 of the finest award-winning beer offerings, an extraordinary food pairing line up, music and craft beer related activities. SDBW will feature many great events including beer pairing dinners, brewing classes and special meet the brewer experiences. SDBW will culminate with a finale event on Sunday, November 16th at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, where guests will enjoy specialty beer and gourmet food pairings by some of San Diego’s top culinary artists and brew masters. Whether you are a San Diego local or our guests traveling to participate with us, thank you so much for joining in the celebration and we hope you enjoy yourself at any and all events you attend. Cheers!
Brian Scott President San Diego Brewers Guild
www.sdbw.org
2014 San Diego Beer Week
2014 San Diego Beer Week
www.sdbw.org
Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier
1000 North Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101 Purchase tickets at www.sdbw.org
VIP Brewer Takeover Friday, November 7th • 6-9pm See page 10 for the beer line up!
Rub elbows with some of San Diego’s award-winning brewers and see why San Diego beer is taking over palates everywhere. This exclusive event will showcase San Diego’s finest, rare, and specialty beers from local breweries, including offerings brewed just for this event. All-inclusive ticket includes unlimited beer samples offered throughout the evening coupled with unlimited food samples from local craft-beer friendly restaurants. Advance Tickets: $75, Day of: $100, DD: $50
Music - Port Pavillion Forecourt 6:00pm–9:00pm Modern Day Moonshine
www.sdbw.org
2014 San Diego Beer Week
Guild Festival Saturday November 8th See page 12 for the beer line up!
Join us for the 12th Annual San Diego Brewers Guild Festival presented by Harrah’s Resort Southern California at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier in downtown San Diego. This two day event is the official kickoff of San Diego Beer Week. Enjoy samples from more than 50 San Diego County breweries! Premier Access Tickets: 1-5pm • Advance $55, no at the door sales General Admission Tickets: 2-5pm • Advance $40, Day of $50, DD $25
Music - Port Pavillion Forecourt 12:45pm–1:45pm Todo Mundo 2:30pm–3:30pm Skelpin 4:15pm–5:15pm Dead Feather Moon
Public Figures 2:10pm SDBG President Brian Scott 2:15pm–2:30pm SD Mayor Faulconer taps the ceremonial SDBW cask!
Beer College - Broadway View Room 2:45pm–3:15pm Craft Beer & Artisanal Doughnuts – “Dr.” Bill Sysak SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY’S COLLEGE OF EXTENDED STUDIES BUSINESS OF CRAFT BEER PROGRAM 3:30pm–4:00pm A Better Way to Drink a Beer: What You May Have Been Missing – Dr. James Crute 4:10pm–4:40pm Building Blocks of Beer – Aaron Justus, Brewing Manager UC SAN DIEGO EXTENSION BREWERY CERTIFICATE PROGRAM
2014 San Diego Beer Week
www.sdbw.org
Join us for the ultimate craft beer festival showcasing San Diego County’s many fine breweries. It’s the best way to kickoff San Diego Beer Week, try award-winning local beer and meet your favorite brewers.
VIP Brewer Takeover Friday November 7th Guild Festival Saturday November 8th Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier
1000 North Harbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92101 Purchase tickets at www.sdbw.org
Participating Member Breweries Offbeat Brewing Company Green Flash Brewing Co. 32 North Brewing Co. Acoustic Ales Brewing Experiment Groundswell Brewing Company Oggi’s Sports Brewhouse Pizza Helm’s Brewing Company AleSmith Brewing Company Pacific Beach AleHouse Hillcrest Brewing Company Amplified Ale Works Pizza Port Brewing Co. Indian Joe Brewing Arcana Brewing Company Prodigy Brewing Company Intergalactic Brewing Company Rip Current Brewing Company Aztec Brewing Company Iron Fist Brewing Bagby Beer Company Rock Bottom Brewery Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits Karl Strauss Brewing Company Rough Draft Brewing Co. La Jolla Brewing Company Barrel Harbor Brewing San Diego Brewing Co. Legacy Brewing Belching Beaver Brewery San Marcos Brewing Company Lightning Brewery Benchmark Brewing Company Saint Archer Brewing Co. The Lost Abbey Breakwater Brewing Co. Societe Brewing Company Mike Hess Brewing Co. Callahan’s Pub & Brewery Stone Brewing Co. Mission Brewery Thorn Street Brewery ChuckAlek Independent Brewers LLC Modern Times Beer Toolbox Brewing Company Coronado Brewing Company Monkey Paw Brewing Culture Brewing Co Twisted Manzanita Ales and Spirits Mother Earth Brew Co. Dos Desperados Brewery Urbn St. Brewing Co. New English Brewing Fallbrook Brewing Company Valley Center Brewery Oceanside Ale Works Gordon Biersch White Labs
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2014 San Diego Beer Week
Guild Festival Event Expo SanDiegoVille SD County Water Authority Shirts on Tap TapHunter TapThat Uber U-T San Diego VI Resorts Welk
Holiday Wine Cellar Kaleo Mktg Kings of Craft Lavine Lofgren Morris & Engelberg, LLP Pints for Prostates Port of San Diego Premier Stainless PubQuest San Diego Magazine
Brew Insure Craft Beer Hound Craft Beerd Craft Co Diamond Doggie Beer Bones Draft Magazine eLiveLife Five Star Tours Freedom Boat Club
Guild Festival Food Line Up Friday VIP Brewer Takeover Bros Provisions Curry Wurst Truck Downtown Johnny Brown’s Draft Islands
Saturday Guild Festival Bros Provisions Cali Comfort BBQ Curry Wurst Truck
The Joint Luigi’s At The Beach Nate’s Garden Grill Newport Pizza & Ale House Pacific Pizza The Patio SD
Pearl Hotel Ritual Tavern SD Tap Room Swine Bar
(Slater’s new concept restaurant)
Downtown Johnny Brown’s Pacific Pizza SD Sliced (Pizza) Slaters 50/50
Swieners Taco Bar Tacos Perla
Charity Organizations SURFRIDER FOUNDATION
2014 San Diego Beer Week
FIGHT ALD
www.sdbw.org
Guild Festival November 7th • 6–9pm VIP Brewer Takeover Beer Line Up
32 North Brewing Co.: Toasted Coconut Mild Acoustic Ales Brewing Experiment: TBA AleSmith Brewing Company: Evil Dead Red Ale, Barrel Aged Vietnamese Speedway Stout Arcana Brewing Co.: Chardonnay Barrel Aged Apple Ale Aztec Brewing Company: TBA Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits: TBA Barrel Harbor Brewing: Rungnir Belgian Dark Strong Ale, Hopportunity Imperial IPA Belching Beaver Brewery: Barrel Aged Horchata Imperial Milk Stout Benchmark Brewing Company: Here’s Your Damn Stout, Imperial Stout Breakwater Brewing Co.: Barrel Five Sour, Gose ChuckAlek Independent Brewers LLC: Archives 1850 Keeping Stout Coronado Brewing Company: Punk’In Drublic Culture Brewing Co: TBA Dos Desperados Brewery: Habeerneros IPA Fallbrook Brewing Company, Inc.: “Merica” Gordon Biersch: Festbier Green Flash Brewing Co.: Jibe Session IPA, Soul Style IPA, Hamiltons 8th Anni Crazy 8 Honey Wheat Wine, 12th Anni American Sour Pale Groundswell Brewing Company: Groundswell IIPA, Groundswell Pumpkin Rye Helm’s Brewing Company: Samuin Harvest Hillcrest Brewing Company: Long & Stout Indian Joe Brewing, Inc.: Mango Sour Intergalactic Brewing Company: That’s No Moon Triple IPA Karl Strauss Brewing Company: Peanut Butter Cup Porter, Queen of Tarts, Five Wee Heavy Bells, Big Barrel IPA Legacy Brewing: TBA Lightning Brewery: Barrel Aged Black Lightning Porter, Barrel Aged Electrostatic Ale Mike Hess Brewing Co.: Umbrix Mission Brewery: Plunder! Modern Times Beer: Monsters’ Park Monkey Paw Brewing: TBA Mother Earth Brew Co.: Four Seasons of Mother Earth - Autumn, Boo Koo IPA New English Brewing: Bourbon Barrel Aged Brown le, Zumbar Chocolate Coffee Imperial Stout Offbeat Brewing Company: Offbeat Collaboration Pacific Beach AleHouse: Mexican Milk Chocolate Stout Pizza Port Brewing Co.: Coup d’etat Prodigy Brewing Company: Cock Strut Saison, Calibration IPA Rip Current Brewing Company: Drowning in Hops Quadruple IPA Rock Bottom Brewery: TBA Saint Archer: TBA San Diego Brewing Co.: Black Orchid Stout San Marcos Brewing Company: Pompous Ass Societe Brewing Company: The Harlot Stone Brewing Co.: Stone Bourbon Barrel Aged Arrogant Bastard Ale, Chris Banker / Stone / Insurgente Xocoveza Mocha Stout The Lost Abbey: Bourbon Angel’s Share Thorn Street Brewery: Bourbon Barrel Aged Dark Tsar Russian Imperial Stout, Relay IPA, Foreplay Belgian Blonde Ale Toolbox Brewing Company: American Farmhouse Tart X Twisted Manzanita Ales and Spirits: Serenity Urbn St. Brewing Co.: Urbn St. Jumbo Valley Center Brewery: Big Grizzly RIPA White Labs: Frankenstout
www.sdbw.org
2014 San Diego Beer Week
2014 San Diego Beer Week
www.sdbw.org
Guild Festival November 8th • 1–5pm Brewers Guild Festival Beer Line Up
32 North Brewing Co.: Landfall, Nautical Mile, Pennant Acoustic Ales Brewing Experiment: TBA AleSmith Brewing Company: Oktoberfest, IPA Amplified Ale Works: Electrocution, Leggy Blonde Arcana Brewing Co.: Arcana Brown Ale, Bella’s Berry Ale Aztec Brewing Company: TBA Bagby Brewing Company: TBA Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits: TBA Belching Beaver Brewery: Peanut Butter Milk Stout, Damned IIPA Benchmark Brewing Company: Table Beer, Oatmeal Stout Breakwater Brewing Co.: Reincarnation, Alpha Bravo Pale Ale Callahan’s Pub & Brewery: Callahan’s Red, Callahan’s Blueberry Wheat Coronado Brewing Company: Islander IPA, Stupid Stout, Orange Avenue Wit Culture Brewing Co: TBA Dos Desperados Brewery: Habeerneros IPA, Fugitive Farmhouse Ale Fallbrook Brewing Company, Inc.: Falltucky, So Saison Gordon Biersch: West Coast Red Ale, Festbier, Hefeweizen Green Flash Brewing Co.: Hamiltons 8th Anni Crazy 8 Honey Wheat Wine, Jibe Session IPA, 12th Anni American Sour Pale, Soul Style IPA Groundswell Brewing Company: Groundswell Tropical Hefewiezen, Groundswell White IPA Helm’s Brewing Company: Beeruccino, Hop the RIPA Hillcrest Brewing Company: Hop Sucker, BeerHead Blonde Indian Joe Brewing, Inc.: TBA Intergalactic Brewing Company: Space Oasis Coconut Porter, Red Planet Rye, Brown Coat Ale Iron Fist Brewing: Roots of Wrath, Renegade Blonde, Counter Strike Karl Strauss Brewing Company: PB Porter, Big Barrel IPA La Jolla Brewing Company: TBA Legacy Brewing: TBA Lightning Brewery: Thunderweizen Ale, Elemental Pilsner, Fair Weather Pale Ale, Double Strike India Pale Ale Mike Hess Brewing Co.: Claritas, Habitus Mission Brewery: Cortez Gold, Shipwrecked Modern Times Beer: Lomaland, Aurora Monkey Paw Brewing: TBA Mother Earth Brew Co.: Boo Koo IPA, Cali Creamin’ New English Brewing: Troopers Tipple IPA, Pure & Simple IPA, Barley Wine Oceanside Ale Works: Oxymoron, American Strong Ale Offbeat Brewing Company: Caticorn IPA, Caticorn IPA w/ Sage Oggi’s Sports Brewhouse Pizza: Oggi’s Double Up Double IPA, Oggi’s IPL Pacific Beach AleHouse: Promiscuous IPA, Mango Wheat Pizza Port Brewing Co.: Bacon and Eggs, CitraRama, Fish IPA Prodigy Brewing Company: Calibration IPA, “Sour & Smoked” Barrel’d Brown Ale Rip Current Brewing Company: Lupulin Lust IPA, Palomar Porter Rock Bottom Brewery: TBA Rough Draft Brewing Co.: Stout Stout Baby Vanilla Stout, Southern Triangle IPA Saint Archer: TBA San Diego Brewing Co.: SDXP, San Diego Old Town Nut Brown San Marcos Brewing Company: Pompous Ass Societe Brewing Company: The Harlot, A beer from our “Out West” series Stone Brewing Co.: Stone World Bistro & Gardens Liberty Station, Witty Moron Dark Wheat Ale, Stone Go To IPA w/Lemon Peel & Vanilla Bean, Stone Enjoy By 12.05.14 IPA, Stone Passion Project - Reason Be Damned The Lost Abbey: Avant Gourde, Devotion Thorn Street Brewery: Red Headed Hop Child, Golden Hills Pils Toolbox Brewing Company: The Crevice IPA, Udder Mudder Milk Stout Twisted Manzanita Ales and Spirits: Chaotic IIPA, Witch’s Hair Pumpkin Ale Urbn St. Brewing Co.: Urbn St. IPA, Urbn St. Brown, Urbn St. Saison Valley Center Brewery: Cougar Pass RIPA, Cumbres Rusty Pail Ale, Cool Valley Ale White Labs: TBA
www.sdbw.org
2014 San Diego Beer Week
2014 San Diego Beer Week
www.sdbw.org
This is the official closing event of San Diego Beer Week. The event brings to gether the best of San Diego craft beer with food from amazing local chefs. Each admission includes unlimited tasters of beer and food. With 24 breweries and 12 chefs, Beer Garden is truly a unique and delicious beer and food pairing event.
2014 SDBW Beer Garden’s Chef & Brewery Pairings
www.sdbw.org
Greg Frey, The Golden Door • w/ Mother Earth Brew Co. and Belching Beaver Lance Repp, Tom Ham’s Lighthouse • w/ Monkey Paw and New English Brewing Tim Kolenko, LeRoy’s Kitchen and Lounge • w/ Pizza Port and Green Flash Colin Maclaggan, Ballast Point • w/ Ballast Point Brewing and San Diego Brew Co. Amanda Baumgarten, Waypoint Public • w/ Societe Brewing Co. and ChuckAlek Independent Brewers Kyle Bergman, Tidal at Paradise Point • w/ Stone Brewing Co. and Lightning Brewery Jason Gethin, Table #10 • w/ Stumblefoot and Iron Fist Gunther Emathinger, Karl Strauss • w/ Rip Current Brewing and Mission Brewery Brad Davis, Bagby Beer Co. • w/ Bagby Beer Co. and Culture Brewing Andy Halvorsen, Blue Ocean Robata & Sushi Bar • w/ BNS Brewing and Groundswell Jeff Dibble, The Lodge at Torrey Pines • w/ Karl Strauss Brewing Co. and Hillcrest Brewing Co. Hanis Cavin, Carnitas Snack Shack • w/ Aztec Brewing Co. and Rock Bottom Brewery Bread, Cheese, Salumi Table by Sadie Rose, Aniata Cheese and Angel’s Salumi & Truffles
2014 San Diego Beer Week
2014 San Diego Beer Week
www.sdbw.org
Special Thanks to Our 2014 Sponsors Title Sponsor
Presenting Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Event & Media Partners
Glassware Sponsors
Music Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Festival Sponsors
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2014 San Diego Beer Week
2014 San Diego Beer Week
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www.sdbw.org
2014 San Diego Beer Week
2014 San Diego Beer Week
www.sdbw.org
www.sdbw.org
2014 San Diego Beer Week
Photo Illustration: Lindsey Voltoline
Navigating a 24-hour Netflix horror marathon using the language of fear by
E
Ryan B radford
very year around Halloween, The AV Club invites famous horror directors and aficionados to recommend their favorite movies for a theoretical all-day marathon, “24 Hours of Horror” (Hostel director Eli Roth and Shaun of the Dead director Edgar Wright have both participated). But who has the time or motivation to seek out those rare, esoteric or obscure picks? As a product of Internet culture, if a movie’s not readily available with a click of a button (or a nesting in the trusty Redbox a block away), chances are I’m not going to go looking for it. In the spirit of the season, I’ve created my own 24-hour-marathon list with picks that—
B l o c k I: T h e H o r r o r Michel describes the difference between “horror” and “terror” this way: “Terror is the feeling of dread and apprehension at the possibility of something frightening, while horror is the shock and repulsion of seeing the frightening thing.” I’m of the opinion that horror is the most fun type of fear; viewers can shut their eyes to avoid a shocking scene. The movies in this first block will cater to the casual horror fan. The Frighteners (1996), 8 to 10 p.m.: If there ever was a crowd-pleaser with which to start a marathon, it’s The Frighteners. Michael J. Fox plays a conman ghost-hunter who’s actually friends with the ghosts he claims to bust. The humor that director Peter Jackson perfected in his splatterfest Dead Alive holds this movie together, especially with the neurotic, Satanist FBI agent played by Jeffrey Combs—a casting nod to horror fans; we’ll get to Combs later. The ending gets surprisingly dark, partly due to Jake Busey’s (son of world-class nutjob Gary Busey) bat-shit performance and terrifyingly big teeth. You’re Next (2011), 10 p.m. to midnight: There’s a wonderful movement in horror that LA Weekly has deemed “mumblegore” (a riff on mumblecore, the film genre that prominently features white people talking). Mumblegore excels in strong characterization, subversive genre elements and smart dialogue—all of which have never been strong facets in horror. Directed by mumblegore pioneer Adam Wingard, You’re Next is a smart take on the home-invasion film with a twist in the middle that doesn’t ruin things even if you already know it. If you time this right, you’ll be mixing margaritas
at the time of writing—are streaming on Netflix. I’ve waded through a bunch of sludge and viscera to find some lesser-known gems, and I’ve tried to stay away from the obvious choices. I’ve also categorized them into four blocks, each representing a different type of fear, as delineated by Lincoln Michel in his fantastic essay “The Vocabulary of Fear”: horror, terror, uncanny and revulsion. So let’s get on with it, boils and ghouls! Run times are approximate—some movies could be longer or shorter than allotted time slots—but if you factor in meals, bathroom breaks and insanity-induced, ritualistic mutilation, this should take you a full day.
B l o c k II: T h e U n c a n n y Since this is about the time in the marathon that you’re going to lose the interest of the casual horror fans, we’re going to skip “terror” and go right into “the uncanny.” The uncanny, a term popularized by Sigmund Freud, is the resulting unease that comes from something once familiar becoming strange. Movies in this block aren’t necessarily horror, per se, but they contain horrific elements that disorient the viewer and impart an unnamable, unexpected sense of dread. Weirdoes only for this block. Only God Forgives (2013), 2 to 4 a.m.: I’m certain that every Nicolas Winding Refn film is horror in disguise. Take his breakout Drive, for example: With all the head-crushing and masked-marauding, it’s pretty much a slasher told You’re Next from a serial-killing sociopath’s point of view. In Only God Forgives, Ryan Gosling’s brother is killed affor your guests during the best scene involving a blender ter he rapes and murders an underage prostitute in Thailand, and their domineering, ambiguously incestuous mother I’ve ever seen in a movie. sends the reluctant Gosling on a quest for revenge. Refn films Day of the Dead (1985), midnight to 2 a.m.: This is the the carnage in operatic yellows, reds and blues—hues remifinal installment of George Romero’s original Dead trilogy niscent of Suspiria director Dario Argento, the only other diand probably my favorite. Night of the Living Dead is classic, rector who can make such unpleasantness look pretty. Hey and Dawn of the Dead is epic, but it’s Day that sticks with girl, let me stick my hands into your sliced-open abdomen. me. Romero—who’s always shown more sympathy toward his zombies—portrays humans at their ugliest by pitting sci- Antichrist (2009), 4 to 6 a.m.: Remember how, last year, entists against the military in an underground bunker. The Ylvis’ “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” went viral, and tension between the two camps is as claustrophobic as the everyone was saying “wa-pow ahee” or some shit like that? setting, and the gore is beyond impressive. In fact, my single- Those who’d seen Lars Von Trier’s hellish foray into grief most traumatizing moment watching a horror movie comes and corrupted nature knew that the fox actually says “Chafrom this film: a zombie pulls off a head, and you can hear CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 the guy’s vocal cords stretching as he screams. Shudder.
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 37
in recent years. A remake of a 2010 Mexican film, the story follows a family whose matriarch dies, leaving two girls to care for their increasingly delusional, violent father. Oh and they’re all cannibals. To make matters worse, a pummeling rainstorm floods the region, unearthing the bones of their victims and sending them down the river to arouse the suspicions of the townsfolk. It’s a cinematic achievement that the external tension arising from the town’s discovery of the family’s secret matches the internal tension of a family falling apart. Now, who’s making brunch?
C.H.U.D. (1984), 4 to 6 p.m.: C.H.U.D. stands for “Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers,” and I have nothing but respect for movies that will give you the entire synopsis in the title. You watch C.H.U.D. so you can make C.H.U.D. jokes later (bonus: an early John Goodman cameo), but considering that 50 percent of my jokes are C.H.U.D.-related, I can’t recommend this enough. Oh, you should start drinking again during this movie.
Antichrist os reigns!” They’d also know the lengths this movie goes to make viewers squirm, including a close-up of a clitoris mutilation and bloody orgasm. Wa-pow ahee! Escape from Tomorrow (2013), 6 to 8 a.m.: I’ve only been to Disneyland once in my life—when I was 3—but I screamed through the entire Pirates of the Caribbean ride. After seeing Escape from Tomorrow, I know I wasn’t the only one who saw through the shiny Disney veneer to something horrifying underneath. Escape from Tomorrow was filmed guerilla-style in various Disney parks without any permission from the company. The plot concerns a father taking his family on a vacation at Walt Disney World even though he’s just lost his job. But the familial and financial strains are no match for the nightmarish hallucinations he begins to experience. The story spirals out of control, but I doubt anyone will forget the scene where children from It’s a Small World turn into black-eyed ghouls.
B l o c k II I: T h e T e r r o r Your friends are just waking up; you’re the only one who’s stayed awake through the night. Time to punish them for abandoning you. Time for terror. Funny Games (1997), 8 to 10 a.m.: This is probably the most disturbing film on this list and an absolute joy to watch others squirm through for the first time. It’s not that Austrian director Michael Haneke’s movie about two kids terrorizing a family via increasingly extreme challenges, or “games,” is particularly violent, but it’s manipulative in a way that can only be described as cruel. I once watched this with a friend, and there’s a scene with a remote control (if you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about) that made my friend scream, “Fuck you!” at the TV before leaving the room. We Are What We Are (2013), 10 a.m. to noon: We Are What We Are is one of the most inventive horror movies I’ve seen
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mantling the body or turning it against the self—and this was the film that started it all. Set in a state-of-the-art apartment complex (well, by mid-1970s standards), the residents succumb to an infestation of bloody slug parasites, which are the result of a scientist’s notion to suppress the logical mind and make humans more uninhibited. Or, an aphrodisiac that infects like a venereal disease and turns the residents into sexcrazed zombies. But this is no romp: Rape, sexual assault and pedophilia make this a pretty grotesque film.
The Sacrament The Sacrament (2013), noon to 2 p.m.: A Vice film crew travels to a remote region to save a crew member’s sisters from a religious cult. Many people had problems with this film because of its thinly-veiled retelling of the Jonestown massacre, which, in fairness, was the “largest single loss of American civilian life in a deliberate act until the events of September 11, 2001,” according to Wikipedia. But if you’re looking for terror, you can’t do better than director Ti West, who’s earned a reputation for delayed scares and suspense that would make even Hitchcock jelly. Plus, there’s the dig at Vice’s penchant for throwing inexperienced journalists into dangerous parts of the world; that the media company allowed West to use their brand seems subversive on the filmmaker’s part.
Block IV: The Revulsion By now, your viewers have been desensitized to fear, so you need to gross them out. It won’t be your proudest moment, but if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably got popcorn stuck in your beard and a couple Lit’l Smokies clinging to your yellowed shirt. ’Tis not a time to be proud. Shivers (1975), 2 to 4 p.m.: It’s widely understood that David Cronenberg is the godfather of the body-horror genre—movies where the source of fear comes from dis-
Re-Animator Re-Animator (1985), 6 to 8 p.m.: You’re almost there, so reward yourself with a strong finish. Re-Animator wrote the book on comedy-horror. An insane med student— played with hilarious intensity by Jeffry Combs (remember him from The Frighteners? Full circle!)—has developed a serum that brings the dead back to life. Gore ensues. Dead cats ensue. Cunnilingus from a John Kerry-looking severed head ensues. Re-Animator is engrained in me. It’s a movie that reminds you why you like horror, and one that my friends and I, sequestered in basements and hopped up on caffeine, watched many times during high school. Exploding eyeballs cast purple shadows on the wall. It didn’t matter that we didn’t have dates or weren’t invited to parties: This is what we were going to be doing the next weekend. Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
Tre Packard
A Sea Walls mural by Celeste Byers in Mexico
Seen Local
& Salt and Moniker Warehouse. While some building owners and tenants were happy to offer space for the project, many property and business owners passed on the opportunity. “It’s definitely been more of a challenge to get people on board than in any other city we’ve painted Inland Sea Walls in,” Packard says. “San Diego doesn’t really seem to By Nov. 8, a bunch of new, ocean-themed murals will have a street-art scene.” pop up in and around East Village. Hawaii-based Konecki says patience and persistence is paying conservation nonprofit PangeaSeed has partnered off, and he hopes to secure spots for about 16 murals, with artist Christopher Konecki to bring its inter- most within walking or biking distance of one annational Sea Walls: Murals for the Oceans street- other, before the official unveiling party, happening art project to San Diego. from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8, at Makers Quarter “It’s difficult for people to relate to scientific (753 15th St.). For Konecki, the project is more about data and jargon,” explains PangeaSeed founder and beautifying the neighborhood than hitting people director Tre Packard. “But if we tackle our issues over the head with a message about protecting the through visual art, it tends to go a long way…. We like ocean and its inhabitants. to utilize methods a younger generation can identify “I mean, obviously the message is great,” Konecki with, in hopes it will inspire and educate and bring says. “But I don’t do what a sign tells me to; no one about change.” does. One cool thing about this project, though, is that Participating artists—most of whom will be work- people may see it happening. They’ll see someone creing on outdoor pieces from Nov. 1 through 9—include ating art in front of them, and they’ll be able to interlocal and international muralists DALeast, NoseGo, act with the artist. At that point, the artist may inspire Meggs, Celeste Byers, Caia Koopman, Persue, people to go find out more about PangeaSeed. Maybe Brian Hebets and EXIST1981. So far, Konecki, they’ll be excited to find out more through the art.” who’s also painting a mural, has secured more than a —Kinsee Morlan dozen locations, including Makers Quarter, Bread
New Americans Museum is back
The museum will digitize its oral-histories arWhen the New Americans Museum opened in Lib- chive and enable online access. It’ll also bring in erty Station in 2008, it offered San Diegans a place to guest curators to piece together original exhibitions explore the politically charged topic of immigration. and continue to explore the topics of identity, disThe museum spearheaded an oral-histories project— placement, diversity and myriad contributions of immigrant stories captured in an in-house recording post-World War II immigrants. studio—and hosted touring exhibitions, immigrant “One of the things that compelled me about workessay contests, events, forums and more. ing for the New Americans Museum was the opporFounded in 2001 by philanthropist Deborah tunity to be in a space and work on a project that Szekely, the nonprofit operated out of a cramped actually does what it says it’s going to do,” Caballero Leticia Gomez Franco Downtown office before movSotelo says. “We celebrate immiing to its Point Loma exhibition grant stories as part of the fabric space. The economic downturn of our nation and part of what of 2008, however, made the move makes our country great.” a challenge. In the face of waning The museum (newamericansfoundation and grant support, the museum.org) won’t officially kick museum closed a year-and-a-half things off until January, but folks after opening. This week, howcan get a sneak peak at the facilever, the museum announced that ity (2825 Dewey Road) during it’s ready to reopen. the NTC Arts & Culture District’s “It’s a fresh new start,” says Dia de los Muertos Festival Linda Caballero Sotelo, the muLinda Caballero Sotelo from Saturday, Nov. 1, through seum’s new executive director. Friday, Nov. 7. The museum will “We want to continue a lot of the programming, but also host a pop-up exhibition, Altar Installation in the most fundamental change is a focus on bringing Homage to Rita Hayworth, and there’ll be an open original, commissioned exhibitions to the museum and house from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5. also reactivating our educational programming, but —Kinsee Morlan with technology…. The museum spent the downtime regrouping and rethinking. We really want to activate Write to kinseem@sdcitybeat.com community participation and bring technology in.” and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 39
Moral sleaze Jake Gyllenhaal worms his way into a bloody spectator sport by Glenn Heath Jr. Both predator and prey cruise the asphalt corridors of Los Angeles during the wee morning hours. A collision between the two is inevitable, and it’s always been this way. Nightcrawler opens with a drowsy tour of their eerie playground; neon signs, dimly lit parks, freeway construction zones and vacant boulevards all feel lived in yet surreal, thanks to great cinematographer Robert Elswit’s textured visuals. An empty billboard overlooks the city, symbolizing not only a shift in media outreach but also the Jake Gyllenhaal, skinny and creepy deserted sense of morality to follow. Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal) thrives in the Eventually, Louis and his dim-witted associate shadows. He’s a low-level thief posing as a big- Rick (Riz Ahmed) begin blurring the lines between deal entrepreneur, a pint-sized sociopath aching documenter and participant. Here, Nightcrawler for the chance to pull himself up by his bootstraps. establishes a discourse about the manipulation of At the beginning of director Dan Gilroy’s striking images and the aesthetic construction of “reality.” debut film, Louis has yet to find a true calling in In this era of LiveLeak and instant access, such a life, despite negotiating his way into multiple lines conversation examines what it means to get closer of work. We see him alone on a stretch of railway and closer to videotaped trauma, its raw meaning detrack, stealing copper wiring and chain-link fencing. formed for profit. Louis, a willfully brazen scavenger, When approached by a security guard, he proves his has no qualms about mastering this process for his serpent-like ability to strike when least expected, a own gain. fact that continues to linger throughout the film’s As the film careens toward insanity, Gyllenhaal’s seedy proceedings. performance grows increasingly reptilian and audaOne innocuous evening, Louis happens upon the cious. The glee he experiences at witnessing atrociscene of a fiery car crash and ties and then tampering with witnesses the drama being docthe evidence is sickening but umented by a “nightcrawler” completely expected from a Nightcrawler named Joe Loder (Bill Paxton). man whose bug eyes see every Directed by Dan Gilroy The film’s title refers to the angle. Double talk spews out of Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene scabby video freelancers who his mouth at a rapid clip, while Russo, Bill Paxton and Riz Ahmed scour the city in hopes of docuhis gangly frame fits nicely into Rated R menting accidents and crime corners of dark spaces to avoid scenes in order to sell the saladetection. Even though Louis cious material to blood-hungry is forthright about his moral news stations. Louis is instantly hooked; he dedicates sleaze, you’ll never truly understand the depths of all of his time to learning the trade and the technol- his depravity until it’s too late. ogy, then ventures back out into the night, hoping to Nightcrawler—which, fittingly, opens on Friday, capture some carnage on camera. Oct. 31—is a story about the horrors of information Nightcrawler intricately details Louis’ descent overload. The public’s voraciousness for aesthetics, into the regional media profession, a compromised images and sound drives Louis and his ilk to create and scaly trade desperately seeking the kind of bogus self-fulfilling prophecies about their role as shocking material that will ensure its relevance for capitalistic warriors. What Gilroy gets right is that one more 24-hour cycle. He develops a relationship the news has become so fast that it becomes entanwith Nina (Rene Russo), the news director of a local gled with the events being documented. There’s no affiliate who’s willing to pay top dollar for the most other way to explain Louis, a new breed of vampire invasive and heinous imagery. Gilroy expedites Lou- who lives and feeds by night but can also withstand is’ rise up the food chain through a gripping montage the sun. of opportunistic actions and inhuman deviancy. It’s like watching a vulture find a carcass never devoid Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com. of rotting meat.
Disappearing act
White Bird in a Blizzard
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Gender roles in White Bird in a Blizzard are easily definable and damnable. Women cook and clean and grow tired, bored and resentful, then rebel against the expectations placed upon them by weak men who lash out when such conventions are challenged. These tired archetypes are brought to life by the cloying
characters in director Gregg Araki’s pastel melodrama, which include a couple of miserable sobs (Christopher Meloni and Eva Green) who make their pubescent daughter Kat (Shailene Woodley) uncomfortable at every turn. Set during the “fall / winter” of 1988 in small-town America, White Bird in a Blizzard kicks into gear when Kat’s disoriented mother suddenly disappears.
Most of the film is told from the teenager’s perspective, immediately revealed to be a skewed representation of family and emotional connection since Kat is such jaded narrator. Herein lies Araki’s point: The film bluntly looks at the way children shield themselves from recognizing their parents’ personal lives, instead focusing on their own hothouse scandals to pass the time. As the circumstances surrounding her mother’s disappearance strangely fade into the background, Kat relishes the freedom that the circumstances have afforded her social life. She has an affair with one of the investigating policemen (Thomas Jane) simply because she can and grows
increasingly tired of her pot-head boyfriend (Shiloh Fernandez), but her angst remains in the form of blurry dream sequences that feature bleached-out images of snowy locales drowning out all sense of life. What’s so infuriating about White Bird in a Blizzard—which opens Friday, Oct. 31, at the Ken Cinema—is its fabricated treatment of the teenage experience, which is conveyed as a wildly adventurous and conflicted odyssey disrupted by the goings on of those pesky adults. Nothing in this film rings true, except for Woodley’s bold attempt to break out of the Young Adult genre by baring her breasts and cursing like a sailor.
Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.
Now Playing Birdman: A burnt-out superhero actor (Michael Keaton) tries to mount a play on Broadway in order to prove his worth. It co-stars Naomi Watts, Emma Stone and Andrea Riseborough. The Blue Room: In this sensual French thriller from director Mathieu Amalric, lust turns to murder when a suburban husband is suspected of killing his lover. Ends Oct. 30 at La Jolla Village Cinemas. The Conformist: Mussolini’s Italy becomes a stage for betrayal, desire and sexuality in Bernardo Bertolucci’s master-
piece. Ends Oct. 30 at the Ken Cinema. Dear White People: Four black students must deal with the ramifications of an illconceived theme party that turns their Ivy League campus into a hotbed for racial controversy. Hiroshima Mon Amor: Alain Resnais’ first film follows a French actor who’s filming an anti-war film in Hiroshima and falls in love with a Japanese architect. Ends Oct. 30 at the Ken Cinema. John Wick: After his dog is killed in a random break-in, a former hit man (Keanu Reeves) goes on the warpath looking for vengeance. Ouija: Board game meet cinema. Somos Mari Pepa: Young Mexican punk
rockers try to make it big despite their changing interests as a group. Ends Oct. 30 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. St. Vincent: A misanthropic senior citizen (Bill Murray) befriends a young boy going through familial trouble, inevitably leading to redemption for all involved. Fury: A surly tank commander (Brad Pitt) and his small crew fend off Nazis during the waning days of World War II. For a complete listing of movies, please see “F ilm S creenings” at sdcit yb eat.com under the “E vents” tab.
—Glenn Heath Jr.
Opening Before I Go to Sleep: Nicole Kidman stars as woman suffering from extreme amnesia who must start every day by piecing together her memory. Mark Strong and Colin Firth battle for her affection in this thriller by Rowan Joffe. Citizenfour: Laura Poitras’ documentary about NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden explores the abuses of national security in post-9/11 America. Screens through Nov. 6 at the Ken Cinema. Laggies: Lynn Shelton’s new romantic comedy stars Keira Knightley as an overeducated and underemployed 20-something searching for meaning in a world where adulthood is relative. The Mystery of Happiness: Argentine director Daniel Burman’s new dramedy follows two lifelong business partners who come to a crossroads in their relationship. Screens through Nov. 6 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.
Citizenfour who wander upon the wrong house one dark and stormy night. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma and at midnight on Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Ken Cinema. Dial M For Murder 3-D: Ray Milland really doesn’t like his wife in this thriller by Alfred Hitchcock, presented in three dimensions. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, at Reading Town Square Cinemas in Clairemont.
Mystery of the Nile: Traverse the glorious history and legacy of the ancient Egyptians in this IMAX adventure that takes you beyond the Pyramids and the Sphinx. Screens at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park.
Young Frankenstein: The grandson of Dr. Frankenstein inherits the family castle and tries to make a name for himself by experimenting on dead bodies. Screens at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, through Saturday, Nov. 1, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.
Nightcrawler: This scathing and unsettling portrait of modern news television stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a vulture scouring the Los Angeles streets for gory events. See our review on Page 40.
Phantom of the Opera: In the 1925 version of the classic story, disfigured Lon Chaney woos a young opera singer. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park.
The Tale of Princess Kaguya: Master Studio Ghibli animator Isao Takahata adapts the famous Japanese folk tale about a young sprite who’s born in a stalk of bamboo and grows up to confront the power dynamics of the emperor.
Psycho: Mother knows best, Norman. Screens at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.
White Bird in a Blizzard: Shailene Woodley stars as a teenage girl whose life is thrown into a tailspin when her mother (Eva Green) disappears one day out of the blue. See our review on Page 40.
One Time Only Comic Warriors: Veterans from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars work with comedy veterans to work through their traumatic experiences. Screens at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, at the David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre at the Jewish Community Center on the Jacobs Family Campus. The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Experience the crazed imaginings of this insane camp classic about a couple
Purgatorio: Rodrigo Reyes’ provocative documentary repositions the conversation on immigration and border relations, using compelling characters and evocative images. Screens at 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. 2001: A Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick’s pivotal sci-fi film must be seen on the big screen to be fully appreciated. Screens at 8 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, at Arclight La Jolla. Elsa & Fred: In this remake of a 2005 comedy, two seniors (Shirley MacLaine and Christopher Plummer) find love and happiness late in life. Screens at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Zoolander: In this ridiculous comedy, Ben Stiller’s clueless fashion designer is brainwashed to become an assassin.
October 29 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 41
Peter Gabriel
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Phantom playlist 10 songs to terrify your guests on Halloween • by Jeff Terich
H
alloween is never as scary as it should be. In spite of its reputation for being a night for all the ghouls and goblins to come out, it too often serves as another excuse for people to drink too much and find a way to turn pop-culture memes into costume LOLs. Your house might get egged, you might go to a “haunted house,” but chances are you won’t be all that scared. One way to rectify that is through a truly chilling Halloween playlist. If you “Intruder” by Peter Gabriel: Sometimes the creepiest sounds come from the least likely sources. I doubt most would consider Peter Gabriel all that scary, but here’s a pretty major exception. It’s loaded with strange effects, eerie screeches and a beat that lurches like the nightstalker in Gabriel’s narrative. If someone stands in front of your house with a boombox blaring this tune, I’d get the hell out of there ASAP. “From Her to Eternity” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: I can probably count on one hand the number of performers who can evoke a sense of sheer terror like Nick Cave. His 1985 song “From Her to Eternity” starts with an ominous, pounding piano and the introduction “I wanna tell you about a girl.” The song goes from intense to nightmarish
go to a Halloween party this year, you’ll almost certainly hear some combination of “Thriller,” “Monster Mash” and, at the cooler parties, “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” That’s all fine and good, but in order to tap into the menacing potential of All Hallow’s Eve, why not take a scary music playlist to its illogically traumatizing extreme? Queue up these 10 songs on Halloween, and see what comes crawling out from under the floorboards. pretty quickly, increasingly more menacing and claustrophobic with each moment of Cave’s obsession with the girl upstairs. And as he concludes with the cryptic line, “Then that little girl would just have to go,” there’s a loud, percussive thump. Yikes!
“Hamburger Lady” by Throbbing Gristle: One of the few songs I’m hesitant to listen to alone at night, simply because of the psychological terror it wreaks, “Hamburger Lady” is easily one of the most horrifying things put to tape. It doesn’t erupt or explode; rather, it moans and rumbles at a low frequency while Genesis P-Orridge gives a distorted recitation about a burn victim. The twisted electronic cries, the “what the hell is that?” drone—it’s a masterpiece of horror. “The Backwards Music Station” by The Conet Project: This isn’t really a song; it’s a shortwave frequency captured on tape. Most likely a military broadcast. “The Backwards Music Station” is thought to be used for coded transmissions, but whatever the purpose, it just plain sounds wrong— loops of feedback coupled with radio static approximating a vortex into Hell. Brought to you (probably) by the U.S. government!
“Shook Ones Pt. II” by Mobb Deep: Gangsta rap isn’t really scary—much like outlaw country isn’t scary. But there are exceptions, like Mobb Deep’s best-known single, famed for its icy synth samples and crackly, ghost-sighting piano loop. And a “Facing the Wind” by Nico: Onetime threat to “stab you in your brain with your Velvet Underground singer Nico sounded nose bone.” Good god. pretty eerie to begin with—her deep German vocals have a lot to do with that—but “Crawling on Bruised Knees” by Pharsurround her with an erratic, fucked-up makon: There’s industrial music, and then arrangement that sounds like Vlad Tepes’ there’s industrial music. I like Nine Inch house band, and she’ll turn your blood cold. Nails just fine, but Brooklyn artist Mar“Facing the Wind” is all wheezing accor- garet Chardiet, aka Pharmakon, better dion, arrhythmic drum thumps, haunted- captures sonic dystopia through her own house piano and plenty of strange fade-ins unsettling electronic means. “Crawling on and -outs. It’s enough to make you wonder Bruised Knees” feels like the tail end of the if you can actually hear ghosts. endtimes, with buzzing synths that sound
42 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
Pharmakon
like helicopters and booms that approximate collapsing structures. Her own voice sounds like a pre-recorded loudspeaker message, there to remind you of society before it went up in flames. “Clara” by Scott Walker: Pretty much any song from Scott Walker’s The Drift, except the oddly serene “A Lover Loves,” is perfect nightmare fodder. This one’s extra-special though, its 12-minute duration essentially a terrifying sound-film in miniature. Walker’s arrangement combines massive, atonal orchestration with percussive sounds that supposedly were made from Walker punching a side of beef. There are melodic, triumphant moments, too, but they’re few and far between—false security before the beast shows its face again. “Beautiful Child” by Swans: OK, so it begins with gunshots—probably not the best thing for putting one at ease. After that, there’s an intense rush that comes to a complete halt and abruptly transforms into a militant stomp behind Jarboe’s operatic backing vocals and Michael Gira’s unhinged screams of “I am not a dangerous man! / I love a child!” That child becomes a ritual sacrifice, naturally. I’d say this is not for the faint of heart, but I’m not sure that quite covers it. “Frankie Teardrop” by Suicide: Why not close out your Halloween playlist with a classic? That is, a 10-minute classic of drum-machine drones, a grisly murder-suicide and the most blood-curdling screams of the punk era. Or any era, really. Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.
notes from the smoking patio mo suggested that “if we get to Turkey Day, we’ll take a break.” Shone also says listeners can expect a Tristan Shone, aka Author & Punisher, is getting more direct and intense album this time around. ready to record a new album with producer Phil “It’s heavy,” he says. “A lot of the stuff is really Anselmo, frontman for The Illegals and former vo- fast. I’m not going to say it’s grindcore, but it’s not calist for legendary groove-metal band Pantera. as doomy. Shone toured with Anselmo, who also “There’s nothing soft on this one,” he conruns Housecore Records and Nostinues. “Everything’s live. There’s feratu’s Lair studio in New Orleans, some looping, but I’ll do it live. I get shortly before the release of Author frustrated when I can’t reproduce & Punisher’s third album, Women something live—it really kills the and Children. When Shone was vibe. It’s not that I don’t like those working out the terms of the tour, songs; I just hate not being able to he got an interesting offer from play them.” Housecore. There’s one other thing that “They said, ‘You have to do a Shone says the album won’t be: long. release with Housecore,’ just kind “I’ve got about eight or nine new of jokingly,” Shone says in a phone songs,” he says. “I didn’t want the interview between tour stops. “And album to be longer than 40 minutes. I was, like, ‘Oh, maybe.’ But after I want it to fit nicely on vinyl.” meeting them and hanging out with For the time being, the album them, it was a no-brainer.” doesn’t have an release date or Shone is recording the title, but Shone says he’ll do a new album in New Orleans West Coast tour from Dec. starting this week, and 3 through 13, which will though there’s no speinclude a show in San cific amount of time Diego. carved out, he —Jeff Terich Author & Punisher says that Ansel-
Locals Only
covers, head to Soda Bar, where five local bands will assume the identities of other bands, including Wild Wild Wets playing selections by The Zombies and Roxy Jones doing Snoop Dogg. In North Park, Seven Grand will host a free show headlined by The Dabbers and featuring feline cosplay all-stars Lion Cut while The Whistle Stop in South Park takes a trip back to the ’80s with a set from Smiths tribute band Still Ill. Mariachi metalheads Metalachi will play at Brick by Brick in Bay Park, with an opening set from geriatric Weezer cover band Geezer. And if it’s a music marathon you’re looking for, Metalachi will play a Halloween show at Brick by Brick. set up camp at Til-Two Club in City Heights for Noche de Brujas, with sets from Northern Tigers, Batwings and GloomsA live-music guide to Halloween day among many others, in addition to a costume conFriday night is Halloween, and there’s a good chance test and giveaways from Bujwah and Cholo Punks. But perhaps you just want to dance, in which you already have your costume planned and your case you can hit up the House of Blues Halloween decorative plastic jack-o-lantern stuffed with Bit-OBlock Party Downtown, featuring 10 DJs on three Honeys. All you need now is a place to go. If you’re throwing your own party, you can consult this week’s stages. Or maybe you want a smaller-scale dance music feature about essential nightmare playlist fod- party, which you’ll find at Bar Pink in North Park, der on Page 42. If you’re going out, however, there which also includes a costume contest. And if it’s something a little funkier you seek, head north to are a lot of solid live-music options. I’m always up for a festive live show on Hal- the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach to get down to loween, and there are several seasonal treats taking the grooving sounds of The Earful. The options are wide open, so have fun and rock place throughout the city. The Casbah will host a out with all the goblins. special show headlined by the masked The Creepy Creeps, whose surf-rock shows are always a great time. Make sure to show up a little bit early to catch Cramped, a local Cramps cover band. For more
—Jeff Terich
Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com or editor@sdcitybeat.com.
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 43
if i were u Wednesday, Oct. 29 PLAN A: Sonic Avenues, Young Wants, Scuffs @ Til-Two Club. Montreal’s Sonic Avenues are a pretty nifty little band. They’re heavily influenced by power pop and old-school punk sounds, which, on paper, may not necessarily seem like much to get excited about. But they write songs that are so much better than most other ’70s fetishists that I can’t help but be impressed. BACKUP PLAN: Gunner Gunner, Processor, Daddy Issues @ The Casbah.
Thursday, Oct. 30
BY Jeff Terich Williams @ The Casbah. I’m a big fan of Frankie Rose, a New York singer / songwriter with an aesthetic that leans heavily on ’80s goth and dream pop. Have a listen to her 2011 album Interstellar for a taste and then revel in her catchy post-punk melodies. BACKUP PLAN: The Darlings, Jason Cruz and the Howl, Brian Wahlstrom, Noel Jordan @ Soda Bar.
Sunday, Nov. 2 PLAN A: O’Death, All Them Witches, Lonesome Leash @ Soda Bar. There are plenty of bands stomping their feet and strumming acoustic guitars and banjos these days, but none of them hold a candle to the gothic Americana of O’Death. Like Bonnie “Prince” Billy combined with the Louvin Brothers, they do old-timey folk that’s beautifully dark. PLAN B: Chicano Batman, Viento Callejero, Buyepongo, La Diabla, DJ Bob Green, DJ V-Rock @ The Casbah. Just a couple days after its big Halloween show, The Casbah’s throwing an awesome Dia de los Muertos show, headlined by trippy Los Angeles garage rockers Chicano Batman. So, who’s bringing the pan dulce? BACKUP PLAN: Carla Morrison, Haunted Summer, Jandro@ North Park Theater.
PLAN A: The Rural Alberta Advantage, July Talk @ Soda Bar. The Rural Alberta Advantage have released a handful of albums on Saddle Creek Records, but they’re not actually from Omaha. They’re not from Alberta, either—they’re from Toronto. Not that it matters. What does matter is that they play uncommonly good indie pop with a charming bit of folk influence. And their drummer, surprisingly, kicks ass. It’s kind of refreshing. PLAN B: Hellion, Unicorn Death, Ultimate Sin, Chamber Sixx @ Brick by Brick. During Halloween week you’re more or less obligated to see a band with “Hell” in its name, right? Well, here’s a good one: Los Angeles’ Hellion, a classic heavy-metal band that started in the ’80s. They’re a dramatic bunch, supposedly discovered by Ronnie James Dio. For Monday, Nov. 3 metalheads, that should be evidence enough PLAN A: Iceage, Helm @ The Casbah. Iceage did a fair amount of of their chops, I’d think. damage (metaphorically speaking) the last time they Friday, Oct. 31 visited San Diego. But in just PLAN A: Roxy Jones, Wild one short year, the CopenWild Wets, Ape Machine, hagen post-punk outfit has Sleeping Ghost, Satanic evolved into an even more Puppeteer Orchestra @ compelling group. They’ve Soda Bar. I’ve compiled a clearly spent a lot of time more comprehensive Halwith the Nick Cave and the loween live-music roundup Bad Seeds catalog, and that’s in this week’s “Notes from the a good thing—their new alSmoking Patio” (Page 43), but bum, Plowing into the Field Charlie Megira of Love, is eerie punk-blues Soda Bar is where I’ll most likely be. A whole bunch of great local bands done right. PLAN B: Alejandro Escovedo are performing cover sets as a sort of audible and Peter Buck @ Belly Up Tavern. Why costume. So, if you want to hear new takes commit to just one legend onstage when on songs by The Zombies, Huey Lewis or you can have two? Austin singer / songwritSnoop Dogg, here’s the place to be. PLAN er Alejandro Escovedo and R.E.M. guitarist B: The Creepy Creeps, The Burning of Peter Buck are combining forces for a speRome, Cramped, Schitzophonics @ The cial series of shows, and with a pretty stelCasbah. Here’s another great option, with lar backup band at that. annual Halloween favorites The Creepy Creeps and Cramped, a Cramps covers band. We all need a good spooky surf-rock and Tuesday, Nov. 4 rockabilly fix sometimes. BACKUP PLAN: PLAN A: Charlie Megira, Kids in Heat Ojos (Shiva Trash), The Blood Hounds, @ Tower Bar. Charlie Megira is originally Baja Bugs, Batwings, Electric Healing from Israel and currently resides in Berlin. But his music is vintage ’50s and ’60s Sound, many others @ Til-Two Club. American rockabilly, in the tradition of Link Wray or Santo and Johnny. It’s great, often Saturday, Nov. 1 haunting stuff; they just don’t make ’em like PLAN A: Frankie Rose, Cold Beat, Devon this anymore.
44 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
HOT! NEW! FRESH! Lauryn Hill (North Park Theatre, 11/20), Anuhea (BUT, 1/1), Flesh Eaters (Casbah, 1/11), Big Head Todd and the Monsters (1/23-24), Patti Smith (Balboa Theatre, 1/31), August Burns Red (HOB, 2/21), Umphrey’s McGee (HOB, 3/5), Jonny Lang (BUT, 3/29), Ed Kowalczyk (BUT, 4/1), One Direction (Qualcomm Stadium, 7/9).
GET YER TICKETS Eyehategod, Today is the Day (Soda Bar, 11/7), Hot Water Music (Irenic, 11/12), Death From Above 1979 (HOB, 11/12), Blonde Redhead (HOB, 11/15), Tegan and Sara (North Park Theater, 11/15), The Misfits (HOB, 11/16), The White Buffalo (BUT, 11/21), Love Revisited (Casbah, 11/22),The Ready Set, Metro Station (HOB, 11/22), Chris Robinson Brotherhood (BUT, 11/2526), Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Viejas Arena, 11/28), Cake (BUT, 11/30), OFF! (Epicentre, 11/30), John Waters (North Park Theatre, 12/1), Jonathan Richman (Casbah, 12/2), Chris Isaak (BUT, 12/3), Pallbearer (Soda Bar, 12/6), X (Casbah, 12/11), Ryan Adams (Copley Symphony Hall, 12/15), Dick Dale (BUT, 12/21), The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (HOB, 12/21), Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven (BUT, 12/30), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/31), Pato Banton (BUT, 1/2), Tower of Power (BUT, 1/17), Guster (HOB, 1/21), The Wailers (BUT, 1/27), Kenny Wayne Shepherd (BUT, 2/5), Cursive (Casbah, 2/22), Buddy Guy (Balboa Theatre, 4/11).
October Wednesday, Oct. 29 Rachael Yamagata at House of Blues. Grizfolk at The Loft at UCSD.
Thursday, Oct. 30 Bernhoft at Belly Up Tavern. The Rural Alberta Advantage at Soda Bar. New Politics at House of Blues. Rick Elliot and the Secondhand Smoke Band at Belly Up Tavern.
Friday, Oct. 31 Cut Copy at North Park Theater (sold out).
November Saturday, Nov. 1 Chicano Batman at The Casbah. Ziggy Marley at North Park Theater. Chase Rice at House of Blues. Delta Spirit at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Switchfoot at Open Air Theater.
Sunday, Nov. 2 O’Death at Soda Bar. Carla Morrison at North Park Theatre. Yelle at Belly Up Tavern.
Monday, Nov. 3 Alejandro Escovedo and Peter Buck at Belly Up Tavern. Iceage at The Casbah.
Tuesday, Nov. 4 Ballet School at The Casbah.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 46
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 45
Wednesday, Nov. 5 Shovels & Rope at Belly Up Tavern.
Thursday, Nov. 6 Rhye at North Park Theatre. Lagwagon at House of Blues.
Friday, Nov. 7 Yelawolf at Porter’s Pub. Moe. at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Eyehategod, Today is the Day at Soda Bar.
Saturday, Nov. 8 Toad the Wet Sprocket at Belly Up Tavern. Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers at SOMA. Trumans Water at The Casbah. We Were Promised Jetpacks at The Irenic. Andre Nickatina at
Porter’s Pub.
Sunday, Nov. 9 Bear’s Den at The Casbah. Digitalism at Belly Up Tavern. Shakey Graves at The Irenic. The Black Keys at Viejas Arena.
Monday, Nov. 10 Dropkick Murphys at House of Blues. Rob Machado Foundation benefit w/ The All-American Rejects, P.O.D., Goo Goo Dolls at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. 710bc.com. Wed: Open mic,
open jam. Thu: Live band karaoke. Fri: Kova (5 p.m.); Broken Stems, The Verigolds, Sister Speak (9 p.m.). 98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy. 98bottlessd.com. Thu: Tiffany Jane and the Kicks, Rebecca Jade. Fri: ‘Nerdy Halloween’ w/ DJ Ricardo Carlos. Sat: The Saxations. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio. Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St, Normal Heights. airconditionedbar.com. Wed: DJ Ele Nogales. Thu: ‘Dive’ w/ DJ Paul Najera. Fri: ‘Halloween Party’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Church’ w/ DJs John Reynolds, Karma, Tripsy. American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. americancomedyco. com. Wed: Jon Dore. Thu: Dan St Ger-
main. Thu-Sun: Dan St. Germain. Tue: Open mic. Bang Bang, 526 Market St, Downtown. facebook.com/BangBangSanDiego. Fri: Sweater Beats. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. barpink.com. Thu: DJ Hevrock. Fri: ‘Thriller Halloween Party’. Bassmnt, 919 Fourth Ave, Downtown. bassmntsd.com. Thu: BRKLYN. Fri: Whiiite. Sat: Cash Cash. Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla. brocktonvilla.com/beaumonts.html. Thu: Simeon Flick Duo. Fri: December’s Children. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. bellyup.com. Wed: Shawn Mullins, Max Gomez. Thu: Dawn
Mitschele and Lee Coulter, The Tarr Steps, Rick Elliot and the Secondhand Smoke Band. Fri: ‘Halloween Heat’ w/ The Earful, 80s Heat. Sat: Delta Spirit, Sacco (sold out). Sun: Yelle, Lemonade. Mon: Alejandro Escovedo and Peter Buck. Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave, Carlsbad. boarcrossn.net. Thu: The Oceanside Sound System, Isolated Victims. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Sat: Kingsland. Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave, Hillcrest. thebrassrailsd.com. Thu: ‘Muscle’. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz Halloween Bash’. Sat: DJs XP, KA. Sun: ‘Noche Romantica’ w/ Daisy Salinas, DJ Sebastian La Madrid. Mon: DJs Junior the Disco Punk, XP. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave, Bay Park. brickbybrick.com. Thu: Hellion, Unicorn Death, Ultimate Sin, Chamber Sixx. Fri: Metalachi, Geezer, Chica Diabla. Sat: Dangerfield, Punchcard, Broken Lips, Just In Case. Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave, Downtown. cafesevilla.com. Thu & Sat: Malamana. Fri: Joeff and Co. Sun: Oscar Aragon and Bruno Serrano. Tue: Noche Bohemia. Croce’s Park West, 2760 Fifth Ave., #100, Bankers Hill. crocesparkwest.com. Wed: Julian Davis. Thu: Besos de Coco. Fri: Sue Palmer. Sat: Gilbert Castellanos and the Park West Ensemble. Sun: Zzymzzy Quartet. Mon: Nina Francis. Tue: Ruby Duo. Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. dirksniteclub.com. Fri: FX5. Sat: DJ Dizzy D. Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Mission Bay. dizzyssandiego.com. Wed: Abdon Alcaraz. Thu: Rhythm Future Quartet. Sat: Road Work Ahead. Epicentre, 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd, Mira Mesa. epicentreconcerts.org. Sat: Bandidos Acousticos, Turtle Turnip, The Indys are Coming. Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd. com. Thu: Treo. Fri: ‘Fetish Halloween’ w/ Travis Porter. Sat: ‘Fetish’ w/ DJ Ikon. Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach. 619-222-5303. Thu: KNG MKR, No Kings. Fri: ‘Halloween Party’ w/ Sunny Rude, DJ R2. Hard Rock Hotel, 207 Fifth Ave, Downtown. hardrockhotelsd.com. Fri: ‘Halloween Carnival’. Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave, Downtown. henryspub.com. Wed: Johnny Tarr, DJ Christopher London. Thu: Mark Fisher, DJ Yodah. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: DJs E, Yodah. Mon: ‘Kinetic Soul’. Tue: Big City Dawgs. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave, Downtown. houseofblues.com/sandiego. Wed: Rachael Yamagata, Hemming. Thu: New Politics, Bad Suns, Somekindawonderful. Fri: House of Blues Halloween Block Party. Fri: ‘Halloween Block Party’. Sat: Chase Rice, Old Dominion. Mon: Emblem3, Spencer Sutherland. Tue: Tech N9ne. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. kavalounge.com. Thu: ‘SUBDVSN’. Sat: ‘Ascension’. Mon: ‘Roots Reggae Jah Jah’. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’. Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave, Kensington. 619-284-2848. Sat: Saint Shameless, Fokke Wolves, Bloodflowers. Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave, Coronado. mcpspub.com. Wed: 3 Guys Will Move U. Thu: Sophisticats. Moonshine Flats, 344 7th Ave, Gaslamp. moonshineflats.com. Fri: Haunted Saloon Halloween. Onyx Room / Thin, 852 Fifth Ave, Downtown. onyxroom.com. Fri: ‘Diablo’s Halloween Ball’. Sat: ‘Play Saturday’. Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St, Downtown.
46 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
patricksii.com. Wed: Tiffany and the Kicks. Thu: The Bill Magee Blues Band. Fri: Trey Unplugged, The Groove Squad.
somasandiego.com. Sat: Being As An Ocean, Gideon, Wolves At The Gate, Silent Planet, Shawshank Redeemed.
Porter’s Pub, 9500 Gilman Dr., UCSD campus, La Jolla. porterspub.net. Wed: ‘Pumpkin Pike’ w/ DJs Sauer D, Habibi.
Somewhere Loud, 3489 Noell St, Midtown. somewhereloud.com. Fri: ‘Somewhere Loud Halloween’.
Queen Bee’s, 3925 Ohio St, North Park. queenbeessd.com. Thu: Steve Grand, Danielle LoPresti and The Masses, Peach. Fri: ‘Halloween Dance Party’. Tue: Open mic.
Spin, 2028 Hancock St, Midtown. spinnightclub.com. Thu: Infected Mushroom. Fri: ‘Crypt’. Sat: ‘Night of the Dead’. Sun: ‘Reggae Sunday’.
Rich’s, 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest. richssandiego.com. Wed: DJ John Joseph. Thu: DJ K-Swift. Fri: DJs John Joseph, dirty KURTY, K-Swift. Sat: ‘Day of the Dead’. Sun: ‘Stripper Circus’. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave, La Mesa. rivierasupperclub.com. Thu: Velvet Cafe. Fri: Lady Star. Sat: Baja Bugs. Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave, North Park. sevengrandbars.com/sd. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos jazz jam. Fri: The Dabbers, Lion Cut, Normandie Wilson. Side Bar, 536 Market St, Downtown. sidebarsd.com. Thu: DJ XP. Fri: ‘Side Bar in Wonderland’. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. sodabarmusic.com. Wed: Zak Waters, French Horn Rebellion, Mackintosh Braun. Thu: The Rural Alberta Advantage, July Talk. Fri: Roxy Jones, Wild Wild Wets, Ape Machine, Sleeping Ghost, Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra. Sat: The Darlings, Jason Cruz and Howl, Brian Wahsltrom, Noel Jordan. Sun: O’Death, All Them Witches, Lonesome Leash. Mon: Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors, Penny and Sparrow. Tue: The Bros Landreth, Katie Leigh and the Infantry. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway.
Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego, Normal Heights. sycamoreden. com. Fri: Citrus, Mockingbird, Holling Vincoeur. Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St, Mission Bay. tangodelrey.com. Fri: Halloween Scorcher Party. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd, Spring Valley. 619-469-2337. Wed: Karaoke. Thu: 20 lb Sledge, The Way, Last Day Rising. Fri: Tequilla Mockingbyrd, Through The Mill, Cory Wilkins. Sun: English Dogs, Mass Terror, Systematic Abuse, Soto St. Mon: UglyHead, Cryptic Languages, Serial Hawk. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Gunner Gunner, Processor, Daddy Issues. Thu: MC Chris, MC Lars, Spose. Fri: The Creepy Creeps, Burning of Rome, Cramped, Schitzophonics. Sat: Frankie Rose, Cold Beat, Devon Williams. Sun: Chicano Batman, Viento Callejero, Buyepongo, La Diabla, DJ Bob Green, DJ V-Rock. Mon: Iceage, Helm. The Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. thechecafe.blogspot.com. Sat: In Viridian, Safety Net. Tue: Bigger Than Mountains, Julio X, Sledding With Tigers, Thief’s Lineage. The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd, City
Heights. thehideoutsd.com. Fri: SteveFits, The Fucking Ramones, Slutterween, Nothing Will Hold. Sat: Drop Dead Dames Calendar Release Show. Sat: Drop Dead Dames Burlesque. The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. theloft.ucsd.edu. Wed: Grizfolk, We the Folk, BORNS. Thu: Moon Hooch. Fri: ‘Freak Or Treat’. Sat: Joywave, Leisure Cruise. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave, Hillcrest. theMerrow.com. Wed: Mountain Standard Time, Hilltop Ramblers. Fri: Breastacular! Breastacular!. Sat: Dark Measure, Raise the Guns, Calamitous Intent, KLTR. Tue: Space Heat. The Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. officebarinc.com. Wed: ‘Dub Dynamite’ w/ DJs Rashi, Eddie Turbo. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: Dead Feather Moon, Ed Ghost Tucker, Zombie Surf Camp. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ DJs Tribe of Kings. Tue: ‘Trapped in the Office’ w/ DJ Ramsey. The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, Gaslamp. tinroofbars.com/Home/SanDiego. Wed: Rock Out Karaoke. Thu: Clint Westwood, Colt Ford. Fri: The Bootleggers. Sat: Random Radio, Chris James. Mon: The Kracker Jax. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. tiltwoclub.com. Wed: Sonic Avenues, Young Wants. Fri: ‘Noche de Brujas’ w/ Ojos, Bloodhounds, Baja Bugs, Batwings, Electric Healing Sound, Gloomsday. Tin Can Ale House, 1863 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill. thetincan1.wordpress.com. Thu: Open mic. Fri: Gary Hankins Summer Knowledge, Champ. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St, Bay Park.
tioleos.com. Thu: JW Jones. Fri: Full Strength Funk Band. Sat: 24 Seven. Tue: Michele Lundeen Zydeco. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City Heights. thetowerbar.com. Wed: DJs Mikey Ratt, Tiki Thomas. Thu: DJs Diana Death, Heather Hardcore, Francis Marie. Fri: ‘Ghoul Stompin’ w/ Mochilero All Stars, Lexicons. Sat: Take Offense, Dictator, Space Wax, DJ Little Fists. Sun: Idols Plague, Space Waster, Hocus, Badabing. Tue: Charlie Megira, Kids in Heat. Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St, Pacific Beach. theturquoise.com/wordpress. Wed: Tomcat Courtney (7 p.m.). Thu: The Jade Visions Jazz Trio (7 p.m.). Fri: Goma (7 p.m.). Sat: Vera Cruz Blues (4 p.m.); Tomcat Courtney (7 p.m.); Salsa Veracruzana (9 p.m.). Sun: Sounds Like Four (4 p.m.); Bviolin Mystic Groove (8 p.m.). Mon: Zinchiladas (7 p.m.). Tue: Grupo Global (7 p.m.). Ux31, 3112 University Ave, North Park. u31bar.com. Wed: Lady Dottie and the Diamonds, Ape Machine, Ghetto Blaster. Thu: DJ Man Cat. Fri: DJ Kid Wonder. Sat: ‘Dia De Los Muertos’ w/ DJ Lee Churchill. Tue: Karaoke. West Coast Tavern, 2895 University Ave, North Park. westcoatstavern.com. Wed: DJ Este. Thu: DJ Coltron. Fri: Halloween at West Coast Tavern. Fri: Mr Dee Jay. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. whistlestopbar.com. Wed: ‘Kiss and Make Up’. Fri: Still Ill. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. winstonsob.com. Wed: Psydecar, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: HoneyHoney, The Walcotts. Fri: ‘Ocean Boogie’. Sat: Perro Bravo, C Money and the Players Inc., DJ Product. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: The Bastard Sons.
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 47
Brendan Emmett Quigley
Wedding announcements Across 1. “Gone Girl” actress Ratajkowski 6. “Will you ___ me?” 11. Zooey’s role on “New Girl” 15. Nepal neighbor 16. Open-mouthed 17. Small bra size 18. ___ beer (microbrewer’s creation) 19. “Boardwalk Empire” subject 20. Kind of tomato 21. “May I introduce the lovely couple: actress Melissa Joan and singer Bonnie!” 23. Makes a pass at 25. Phrase said while nodding 26. Sorta crunk 27. Roman god with two faces 30. Long lunches? 31. Aroma lift facial location 34. Emblem carved on an Indian pole 35. “... actress Olivia and writer Joyce Carol!” 38. Vegas headliner Paul 39. Big ox 40. “Tusk” actor Johnny 41. “... actress Ling and comic Amy!” 43. They have no spine 44. ID that can never begin 000 or 666 45. Resort in New Mexico 46. Spring bloomer 47. Richard’s #2 49. Motorcade VIP 51. Digitally saved 53. “... actresses Ashley and Susan!” 58. “Star Wars” character who kills Jabba 59. China setting? Oct. 15’s answers
48 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
61. Small egg, to a biologist 62. It may be taken out on a house 63. Glowed 64. Type of sausage 65. Clef that sort of looks like a capital B 66. American Indian, perhaps 67. Big name in pest control
Down 1. Make a permanent mark 2. Look!,” in Lima 3. Letter-shaped construction piece 4. Got out of town 5. Silvery metallic rare earth element 6. First lady between Bess and Jackie 7. Quartz marble 8. Inflatable boat 9. Engineering sch. in Troy, NY 10. Sarcastic agreement 11. Banned lawn game that involved throwing pointed missiles 12. Living quarters? 13. It’s big in Japan 14. Wing measurement 22. Chooch 24. ___ facto 26. Architectural style named after a royal family 27. “Jealous” singer Nick 28. Paleo rival 29. Kind of tide 30. ___ gin rickey 32. Full of life 33. Nile menaces 34. Chrome pages 35. Enthusiastic shout 36. Societal problems 37. Server’s edge 39. Bicycle chain holder 42. Spunkmeyer of cookies 43. Didn’t work properly 46. Whiz 48. One grand? 49. Kind of yoga 50. Return to square one 51. Stewpot 52. Astrophysicist deGrasse Tyson 53. Unappealing lunch counter serving 54. “___ feel like you’ve been had?” 55. Posterizing activity 56. The Time Traveler’s hosts 57. Have a little lamb? 60. Short grateful reply
October 29, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 49
50 · San Diego CityBeat · October 29, 2014
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