2 · San Diego CityBeat · november 15, 2017
@SDCityBeat
UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR
Swallow your pride
I
grew up a Redskins fan. Just writing that City, so there’s no historical reason to think makes me wince, because not only do I Montezuma I or II got to the beach much). now hate the team of my youth, but the That’s not honoring a culture, it’s practically mascot name is so repugnant I can hardly satirizing it. As Monge himself put it in an stand to write it. It’s understandable that article from the UT last year, “This is a public many sports writers now refer to the team university… We’re not supposed to perpetuas “the Washington football team” or simply ate ignorance.” 2.) We have mascots that are derived from “Washington.” I also grew up an Atlanta Braves fan and white culture, so why not other cultures? This is one of the more common argulike most of the fans of that team, it never occurred to me until much later just how ments used by the anti-PC police who argue offensive the team name was to the indig- that it’s a slippery slope when it comes to culenous peoples of the U.S. While the Braves tural mascots. That whole where will it all end? moniker seems relatively benign, it is still argument that white people aren’t offended a blatant attempt at cultural capitalization, by names like “Fighting Irish” so why should named in the early 20th century at a time indigenous cultures be upset by names that when indigenous cultures, finally subjugat- supposedly honor their culture? Here’s the main reason: Those ed, were often glamorized as the indigenous cultures had no say in noble loser. the matter. Rich white men named Now, I haven’t been as offendthese teams at a time when indiged by San Diego State University’s enous appropriation was at an allAztec mascot over the years. I have time high (think cigar store Indians always been secretly against it, and artistic representations of lost but it wasn’t always something I battles). More to the point, one is was historically outspoken about. named after a living, breathing culWhich made it all the more eyture. The Irish are still around and eroll-worthy when Twitter blew have their own country, while inup after the SDSU Senate voted for SDSU’s Aztec a resolution to get rid of the Aztecs Warrior digenous people do not. 3.) I have Mexican friends. I’m moniker. The negative response was deafening, and the voices (mostly white, Mexican. We’re not offended by it. No. Stop. Aztecs aren’t Mexican. Read a mostly men) drowned out any voices defending the resolution (which, at the end of the book. Next! 4.) The Aztecs don’t exist anymore, so who day, is non-binding and does nothing). The reasons for keeping these types of cares? Those who argue this point often refermascots usually come down to variations of ence the Vikings as another team that approfour main arguments. 1.) The mascot is about pride. It’s honoring priates a culture, but here’s the difference: Vikings morphed into or were appropriated a culture, not degrading it. That’s fine, but it ignores the history of into other cultures over time. Some of it was why and how these teams got their names. bad and some or it involved wars and famines, Both the Braves and the Redskins weren’t but there was never a great Viking genocide. The same cannot be said for the Aztecs, named to honor those cultures. As Philip Deloria put it in his 1998 book, Playing Indian, who were all but wiped out by the Spanish. appropriating indigenous symbols and people That’s the difference: One is named after was like saying “We, the white people, won— conquerers. The other is named after the and we can do anything with you and your im- conquered. agery and your identity that we choose to do.” My SDSU experience was filled with What’s more, there’s an actual indigenous great memories, but almost none of them person at SDSU (American Indian Studies were dependent on being an “Aztec.” Yes, professor Ozzie Monge) saying that it per- I’m proud of my school and my city, but that petuates cultural stereotypes. The school has pride and experience is not dependent on a a guy running around dressed like the villain mascot, nor has it ever been. And call me PC from Temple of Doom and blowing on a conch or whatever, but my pride is not as imporshell for no apparent reason (the Aztec Em- tant as respect. pire’s capital was near what is now Mexico
—Seth Combs
This issue of CityBeat is short, fat and old. Volume 16 • Issue 14 EDITOR Seth Combs MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos ASSOCIATE EDITOR Torrey Bailey STAFF WRITER Jamie Ballard COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, Minda Honey, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza
CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Rachel Michelle Fernandes, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Lizz Huerta, Jen Lothspeich, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Kinsee Morlan, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Amy Wallen, Ian Ward
ACCOUNTING Perla Castillo, David Garcia, Linda Lam, Yiyang Wang
PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse
HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker
ADVERTISING MANAGER Megan Kennedy
VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden
MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paulina Porter-Tapia
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES RIchard Diaz, Beau Odom CONTROLLER Kacie Cobian
ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Interested in advertising? Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail sdcb@sdcitybeat.com. The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue. EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE 3047 University Ave., Ste 202 San Diego, CA 92104 Ph: 619-281-7526 F: 619-281-5273 www.sdcitybeat.com
PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman
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 ©2017.
@SDCITYBEAT
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3
UP FRONT | LETTERS
POWER AND PRIVILEGE Dear Ms. Zaragoza, This is the third time I’ve felt compelled to address you after reading one of your provoking and cogent, yet somewhat misguided, CityBeat columns. The first time was around this season last year after analyzing your derision of white people’s embrace of our Día De los Muertos festivities [Editor’s note: the article was actually written by Lizz Huerta and not Alex Zaragoza]; the next time was around July upon perusing your opinion on proper straight people comportment while attending Pride events. I had much more to type on those topics but was want of time. Even now, I lack the opportunity to make a trip down Imperial and talk with some folks around there to compose to you a highly informed missive in reaction to “No Gracias” [Nov. 1] replete with detailed examples. However, it is already Monday, and I cannot let the moment slip away this time. First, I must disclose: My knowledge of the culinary subject is scant. I just know I love to eat and will devour almost anything. But I will never set foot in La Gracia. My reasons are of the same spirit as those espoused in your column. However, your points miss the larger issue. Second: I have never lived in the Barrio. But I have spent many years working, drinking, attending events, doing business and conducting community outreach and services in Logan, Sherman, Grant Hill and Golden Hill (when GH was still the Barrio) such that I feel right at home in the 102 or 113. Thus, when I type the “Barrio,” I do so with an endearing personal
connection. And I’ve witnessed with profound sadness the “gentrification” that subsumed Downtown, East Village, North Park, OB and now, the Barrio. And I get it. All of those places I just mentioned were already generally gringo turf (Club?). This time, they’re after us. But your column aims at the wrong target. I checked out Jenny Niezgoda’s presentation on YouTube and read the mitú web article you refer to. I also followed your suggestion and read the Dakota Kim article at Paste, which I did not find compelling. What stood out to me most of all three pieces was the fact that the property where Niezgoda’s proposed café sits was leased to her by Hector Pérez, a man I do not know, but assume is a Latino—and one with money. I imagine Niezgoda disclosed to him the detailed plans of her business, and many covenants and restrictions were included in their lease agreement. I believe it is also safe to surmise that Pérez was aware of how people like us would shun such an encroachment on the history and culture of our Barrio. The part that sucks is that I bet Pérez forgot all about that once Niezgoda cut him his first check. That is the part you seem to miss. It is not the product of white people exploiting MeXicano culture that diminishes the flavor of Nuestra Tierra, but the vendidos that sell us out for the dollar. I never felt anything slipping away when I first heard a bartender other than Gino speak English in The Logan Room or saw frat boys ask what chicharrones were in The Chiquibaby. I was delighted the first time I saw a gabacha painted up in a Death Mask on the 2nd of November. And I felt like we somehow
4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
won the war when I realized the entire restaurant industry of America dedicated a whole day of every week to tacos. All of this may be because I am old enough to remember when our heritage was loathed. Now it is embraced. That should be celebrated, if not as a convivial welcoming, at least as a platform of justification. The “power structure and privilege” you type about in “No Gracias” stems not from Niezgoda’s whiteness. (I’m not even sure if I’d consider her “white,” but that is another story.) Power and privilege is advanced by holders of property and status exploiting it in favor of the flavor of the day in order to make a buck. I am not sufficiently aware of Pérez’s circumstances to directly castigate him. He is not even identified as the owner of the building, only the manager. But the transaction fits the larger scheme. I watched this happen to entire blocks of the East Village—decades of history reduced to rubble making way for a wasteland of luxury condos to be held by faceless east-coast corporations whose execs never had a beer in Landlord Jim’s or bought tires at Los Reyes. Now they’re taking Logan. And they will never have chorizo con huevos at Cuatro Milpas or take their truck to Nando’s Garage for a brake job. Your ire is mine, but I do not blame the appropriators as much as I blame those who allow greed to usurp beauty and soul. The Niezgodas know not what they do. The Pérezes know. And they do not care. Despise not Cortés or Columbus. Despise La Malinche and Motecuhzoma. Salud, Bryan Varela Mission Beach
UP FRONT From the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letters to the Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CityWeek. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 At The Intersection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sordid Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
FOOD & DRINK World Fare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 The Beerdist. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
THINGS TO DO The Short List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12
ARTS & CULTURE Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 FEATURE: Best of San Diego 2017 People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-21 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-23
MUSIC FEATURE: Odonis Odonis. . . . . . . . . 24 Notes from the Smoking Patio . . . . 26 If I Were U. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-29
LAST WORDS Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . 30
@SDCITYBEAT
NEWS | OPINION By Jamie Ballard and Seth Combs
THE ISSUE: San Diego needs more affordable housing, and there are a few potential local ballot measures that aim to make that happen. One idea, proposed by the San Diego Housing Federation, would be a property tax increase to fund 7,500 housing units. In a poll, the Housing Federation found that 71 percent of city voters would support a tax hike costing property owners $19 per $100,000 of assessed home value annually. Another proposal, by councilmember David Alvarez, would mandate that any increases in hotel tax revenue be directed toward permanent supportive housing and homelessness services for the next 20 years. WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING: “To date, every proposal brought forward, from industrial tents to campgrounds have been largely ineffective. It is abundantly clear that the most effective way to address homelessness is to have an ample supply of permanent supportive housing available for families and individuals that are close to or actually experiencing homelessness.” —David Alvarez, in a memo to Council President Myrtle Cole
HAM OF THE WEEK
NIMBY Gary Smith of the San Diego Downtown Residents Group for stating that the new Father Joe’s housing facility would create a “ghetto on the south side of downtown.” Can someone let Gary know we don’t use that word anymore?
“Affordable housing is critical to keeping people from being displaced from their neighborhoods and pushed onto the streets. If we could pass a $900 million bond, which is what we tested in our poll, very successfully, we believe this could produce somewhere between 7,500 and 9,000 homes for folks who are at the edge, including 2,500 permanent supportive housing units for folks living on the street right now.” —Stephen Russell, San Diego Housing Federation’s Executive Director
“With the right resources, like the bills California recently passed, together with ‘yes in my backyard’ support countywide, we can create housing that effectively addresses our closely linked homelessness and housing crises.” —Father Joe’s Villages CEO Jim Vargas, in a commentary piece for the San Diego Union-Tribune
OUR TAKE: In our Oct. 4 Hot Topic, we wrote about California lawmakers who decided to pass a package of affordable housing bills, and said we hoped local leadership was taking note. It seems maybe they have. Tax hikes are a notoriously tough sell, but if there was ever a time to support affordable housing measures, it’s now. Passing either (or even both) of these measures could be an important next step in the long process to create affordable housing in San Diego.
NEWSY BITS 11/8
What’s better than one survivor kitty? Five kitties. Hurricane Harvey rescue Cassidy—who was abandoned in a Houston parking lot just before the hurricane hit—recently surprised the staff of the Helen Woodward Animal Center when she gave birth to Canyon, Cici, Cisco, and Conroe. All four will be available for adoption by mid-December (ahem, someone’s getting a special present this year).
All the seriousness, silliness and stupidity of the past week
11/9
11/10
11/11
11/12
11/13
11/14
Hundreds of people in Los Angeles join #MeToo San Diego Bishop Robert March against sexual abuse, San Diego march McElroy says that gun control scheduled for Nov. 25 at Civic Center Plaza. is a social justice issue of interest to the US Catholic bishops and criticized the San Diego City Council gun lobby in an interview with votes 8-1 to fund the Crux magazine. city’s “Temporary Bridge Ozanimod, a drug Shelter Programs.” invented at Scripps Alvarez dissents, saying Research Institute to “we are missing a combat multiple sclerosis, chance to really solve clears human trials, and UT reports El Stairway this problem.” will soon be available to Cajon spent collapses at the public. local gym thousands of dollars to solve Vault PK, injuring 21 a conflict-ofinterest case children and Legionnaires’ for councilman two adults disease sickens Ben Kalasho, 12 people at who voted on Disneyland, Qualcomm rejects city business confirming there’s Broadcom’s $103 involving a literally nowhere billion bid to acquire the company that you can visit in company, setting up for Beach closures extended paid him to be Southern California some kind of corporate to all of Imperial Beach a member of without risk of slap-fight where jobs will coastline thanks to his for-profit some horrifying be lost and CEOs will get contaminated runoff from chamber of illness. some sweet bonuses. Tijuana River commerce.
Local couple saves military veteran from jumping off the Coronado Bridge, hours after the man was turned away from a downtown homeless shelter.
BEST DAY EVER!
San Diegans reportedly lead the nation in maxed out credit cards, with an average balance of $6,629. Oh, and we’re one of the five most expensive cities for concert tickets. Coooooooool.
Over 300 experts and law enforcement personnel gather at Mission Bay Resort for the California Opioid Policy Summit in order to combat opioid crisis.
State treasurer John Chiang says if Republican tax reform bill passes, California will produce 300,000 fewer affordable housing units over the next decade than initially projected. FML
@SDCITYBEAT
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5
UP FRONT | NEWS JAMIE BALLARD
Breaking the ban As San Diego expands resources for homeless, El Cajon cracks down By Jamie Ballard
A
s the city of San Diego has scrambled to find solutions to the ongoing homelessness and Hepatitis A crises, El Cajon has quietly passed a series of ordinances that some say are unfairly targeting the city’s homeless population: No panhandling. No encampments. No sleeping on the sidewalk. And most recently, no feeding the homeless in public areas. The El Cajon City Council recently voted 5-0 in favor of a resolution to temporarily ban giving food to the homeless in parks and other public places, in hopes of stopping the spread of Hepatitis A. According to the county’s Health and Human Services department, there have been 30 confirmed cases of Hepatitis A in El Cajon as of last week, the third highest in the region. El Cajon director of recreation Frank Carson presented the ordinance to the city council and recommended that they pass it. “This urgency ordinance is necessary. This is a temporary ordinance and during this time that it is in place, staff will conduct research on best practices around the region,” he said. Councilmember Gary Kendrick spoke in favor of the ordinance, saying, “I could see where fecal matter could be passed from a homeless person onto a wrapper, or table or food and then spread out through the community.” Several local churches and other organizations had regularly offered potlucks or food distribution events in public areas like Wells Park where El Cajon’s homeless population often congregates. Under the ordinance, they can no longer do so. “Hepatitis A is not spread by organizations coming out and feeding the homeless,” says local activist and attorney Mark Lane. “Their ultimate goal is to try to run homeless people out of El Cajon,” he added, referring to the City Council. Lane is one of the organizers for a Nov. 19 event called “Break the Ban: Feeding the Homeless in El Cajon,” which will take place in Wells Park. The following weekend, a separate organization called Food Not Bombs is hosting a similar event to feed the homeless, called “El Cajon Food Solidarity.” Though the two events aren’t officially connected, organizers say they are excited to find ways to work together. “It’s great that there’s more than one
Two homeless people in Wells Park group doing something about this, and that there’s so many people hoping to donate and looking for opportunities to help,” said Food Not Bombs activist Melanie Redden. Both Lane and Redden made it a point to acknowledge that by breaking the ban, there’s a chance that El Cajon police could arrest people at these events. “I think that the most likely scenario would be that police would instruct us to stop,” said Redden. “At that point, people would have the option to comply and leave, and that would be totally fine with us.” El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells said he thinks that ideas about potential arrests are being blown out of proportion. “It seems like people are saying, ‘Oh, if you give a sandwich to a homeless person then the city will arrest you’ which couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said. “We don’t have a vendetta against anyone, we’re just trying to not spread the transmission of a disease.” When asked what officers would do if there were a public feeding event, he said that the officers would likely go up and ask them to stop. Wells said those who didn’t stop would be handled “on a case-by-case basis.” He said he was surprised to see that there was a protest scheduled for the 19th. “The rhetoric in that protest was basically saying that we are Nazis trying to destroy the lives of people. It just seems really over-the-top to me. I think this ordinance is a pretty reasonable approach to a serious, communicable disease,” he said. The sole Democrat on the El Cajon City Council, Ben Kalasho agreed, but said he had his own personal reasons for voting in favor of the ordinance. “When you ask the normal person why they haven’t visited some of the bigger parks that we have, I think the answer you’re going to get is because it’s being overtaken by homeless and transient communities,” he says.
6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
He suggested that churches and other organizations host feedings on their own property, or distribute gift cards to the homeless so they can buy food, rather than bringing it to them at Wells Park. “As a city official, you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. A lot of times elected officials just go with whatever their staff recommends, because they’re idiots and they don’t read. I voted the way I did because I went out there and actually spent a whole day there,” he said. Despite what the mayor and other city officials say, others still feel as if the ban is
cruel and ineffective. According to a 2014 report from the National Coalition for the Homeless, there are at least 71 cities in America that have tried to ban or severely restrict food-sharing events intended to feed the homeless. Some, like Fort Lauderdale, later reversed their bans after much outcry from the public and the ban being challenged in court. “It’s a particularly cruel time of year to be doing this,” Redden pointed out, in reference to the upcoming holiday season. “Going hungry won’t help anyone and it won’t help them solve whatever other problems they may have like drug addiction or mental illness.” Lane says that he plans to try and overturn the ban in court, though, as Wells pointed out, it’s already intended to be temporary. The ban will be lifted once the county declares the Hepatitis A state of emergency to be over, but there is no clear end date. In the meantime, there’s the question of where homeless people can go for food, and some fear they may have to put themselves at risk by digging through trash. Public health consultant Carla Eskow said in a 2013 Canadian Medical Association Journal article that digging through dumpsters can put someone in contact with fecal matter—which is one of the most common ways Hepatitis A is spread. “You’re effectively forcing these people to look elsewhere,” said Lane. “So what are they gonna do? Are they going to be digging through the trash cans? You know what’s in the trash cans? Human waste. You are literally forcing them into a situation where they’re going to be more susceptible to Hepatitis A.” Write to jamieb@sdcitybeat.com
@SDCITYBEAT
CULTURE | VOICES
MINDA HONEY
AT THE
INTERSECTION
It’s the strange that makes us human “
W
hen did this happen?” asked the hairdresser, her hands deep in my
hair. I raised my eyebrows at her reflection in the mirror, “When did what happen?” For exactly a year, my sister had been trying to get me to go to her hairdresser who specializes in natural hair. So there I was, finally in her hairdresser’s chair after a year of haircuts by expensive stylists that left me feeling meh about my hair and like something was wrong. “There’s a bald patch here,” said the hairdresser. The salon was lit with rays from the morning sun, but I suddenly felt like I’d been swiftly transported to a dark, cold cave. I am not nonchalant about my hair. I cycle through expensive hair products. Every morning, I style it just so, having mastered in high school the perfect flick of a wrist, flat iron in hand, to get soft wavy, shiny curls. When I wear it curly, I regularly employ lightning fast hand motions to keep white women’s hands off it. I’m not the woman who’d ever utter, “It’s just hair, it’ll grow back!” So, I was for sure having a moment. Not only had my hair fallen out, but I hadn’t even noticed it’d fallen out. The hairdresser seemed skeptical of my ignorance. I understood why when she held up a handheld mirror so I could see the bare patch on the back on the left side of my head. It was about the size of the side of my fist or like the suggested portion size for a piece of red meat. How had I not noticed it? I felt like I was looking at something perverse and raw. Something not meant to be seen. It was like someone had uncovered a Fabergé egg embedded in the side of my head. Seeing that white, white skin in a nest of my dark brown hair made me feel nauseous. “It’s okay. It’s probably just stress,” said the hairdresser. She predicted the hair had fallen out about a month ago and said that there were already baby fine hairs growing in, but she definitely recommended I see a dermatologist. Let me tell you, when I sprained my ankle over
@SDCITYBEAT
the summer, I just limped along for a several weeks too stubborn to see a doctor. Hairdresser tells me my hair is falling out? I called around and made an appointment that same day. Of course, it takes forever to get into see a dermatologist, so I had to wait almost a month to get in with a doctor. In the meantime, I got busy feeling sorry for myself and Googling worst case scenarios. That day I got home from the hairdresser to a package from a new haircare line aimed at natural and curly hair. The products made the 98 percent of hair left on my head look better than any other products I’ve ever tried. I was wearing my hair curly, getting crazy amounts of volume and wherever I went, everyone was complimenting me on how great my hair looked. The irony. When I finally saw the doctor, she agreed with Google: I have alopecia areata. The derm breezed into the room with a needle in her hand and barely had the diagnosis out of her mouth before she was giving me several steroid shots in my bald patch. She prescribed a steroid cream for me to apply twice a day and advised I come back in a month for another round of shots. The steroid cream meant that, twice a day, I had to flip over the hair I’d strategically let fall over my bald patch and rub cream into that alien skin. It meant that at least twice a day, I had to think
about how my body had turned against me and attacked my own hair follicles. I had to fret about whether the patch was getting bigger, whether my hair was really growing back in and, finally, whether there’d be more hair loss. At first, I didn’t want to talk about it beyond a few close friends. That changed last week. I was catching up on the episodes of This is Us that I’d missed while out of the country. In one episode, there’s a plotline where a family adopts a Black girl who doesn’t want them doing her hair. Come to find out, she’s dealing with alopecia areata and had no idea what it was. The mom on the show tells the daughter it’s actually pretty common among Black women. It was like that TV mom had touched my alien skin and made it human again. I immediately felt better and less like it was something I needed to hide. And maybe, if seeing a Black girl going through it on TV can make me feel better, reading about a Black girl going through it can make someone else feel better. So, just know if you’re going through it, we’re going through it together. These days, applying the steroid cream and coming in contact with what’s strange about me serves as a reminder that even the strange things, the out-of-the-ordinary things, make us human too. Maybe even more so.
At The Intersection appears every four weeks.
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7
UP FRONT | OPINION
EDWIN DECKER
SORDID
TALES
Time to own our shit
A
s odious as the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal has been, there is reason to rejoice yet. It is my belief we are witnessing a massive, cultural, if not global, tipping point. Not only by the sheer number of women finally identifying the predatory donkey-fuckers that torment them, but also because the public is responding in kind. Whereas before it seemed people didn’t want to hear about institutional gender repression, now not only are they hearing, they are showing overwhelming support for the victims. This, in turn, makes it safer for more women to come out, which garners more support, and so on. What’s more, all these pussy-grabbing, ass-slapping, slut-shaming, couch-casting, dick-sposing donkey-fuckers are toppling over like confederate monuments. This is how I see Harvey Weinstein and his ilk. They are monuments of disgrace and now those monuments are coming down. And one of the ways they are coming down is via the #MeToo movement. For those who
don’t know, MeToo is a social media hashtag for (mostly) women to share their sexual harassment and/or assault stories. The point of which, according to Alyssa Milano (the actress who sparked the campaign), is to “give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” Now I have to say, this #MeToo campaign—as well as similar, public outings of powerful men as predatory mastur-beraters (et tu Louis C.K.?)—has been a long time coming. However I think it’s time we acknowledge that everyone was already pretty much aware of “the magnitude of the problem.” We just didn’t do anything about it. Certainly women have been all too excruciatingly aware, but the uncomfortable truth is so have men. Long before the New York Times published allegations by Ashley Judd and Rose McGowan, long before Gwyneth and Angelina Jolie, long before Cosby and Kobe, long before Anita Hill and Paula Jones and long before Packwood, Tailhook, Mitsubishi and Koko the Gorilla, we males have
8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
always known this crap was going on and had a pretty good idea about its “magnitude” too. I mean, not only has every man—who doesn’t live under a rock, buried beneath a barn, which fell into a crevasse, that leads to the bottom of the ocean—heard or read some of the more appalling rape/harassment statistics, but we all have women in our lives who have been assaulted or harassed. The main reason we are aware of our gender’s misogyny epidemic is the fact that, well, we are men. We may not typically be the target of sexual improprieties, but we are privy to it. As men, we hang with men. We golf with men, we lift with men, we barhop with men, we towel off in locker rooms with men and at parties, we convene in darkish man-caves and guffaw in baritones at each other’s filthy wisecracks. But you know how it goes. There always that guy (or those guys) in the group who take it too far—like Donald Trump bragging about grabbing non-consenting pussies, or some other doinker of donkeys non-ironically sharing a joke about, but really meaning it! Men have been hearing men talk like this for ages because the donkey-copulaters think, as guys, they’re among like-minded brethren. They think they’re in a safe zone and thus reveal their true colors. So no, none of this is news to us. The existence and magnitude of this country’s—nay, this world’s— misogyny problem has been known to males all along. And that makes us complicit. Which brings me to the point of this column. I was thinking that perhaps we men can make good use of #MeToo too. We can use it to
point fingers at any predatory poultry porkers of which we are aware. Even more importantly, #MeToo can be a place for us to confess our enablement of the problem; to own our compliance and our complaisance. For instance... During my years as a bartender, there would be the occasional donkey who would approach the bar, order two cocktails then—in a hushed tone—say, “Make one of them a double. It’s for my date so [wink-wink] keep them coming.” Again, see, that’s the thing about these guys. They think, because we both have penises, that we must be—wink-wink—on the same page. I never did pour those doubles. Instead, I poured singles and charged them double. However, what I should have done was repeat his order back to him, loudly, so that everyone in the vicinity could hear. “WHAT’S THAT? YOU WANT ME TO SECRETLY SLIP MORE ALCOHOL IN YOUR DATE’S DRINK SO YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF HER LATER YOU PIECE OF SHIT?” Or even better, I should have just walked right up to their table, sat down and explained to the women—in front of him—that her date is a bona fide buggerer. I sure wish I had the nads to do that back then but I didn’t, and I am sorry for that. Anyway, the point has been made: We knew, we did nothing and we suck. And that needs to change. So get out there men and start MeTooing! Let’s own our shit. Apologize if necessary. Show a sister some support. History is happening before our eyes. Best to be on the right side of it.
@SDCITYBEAT
UP FRONT | FOOD
BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER
THE WORLD
W
@SDCITYBEAT
BEERDIST No sign? No name? No problem
The masterful Patrick Ponsaty hen news broke that Patrick Ponsaty was out at his namesake Rancho Santa Fe restaurant, it was a shock to just about everyone including, it seems, Ponsaty. While the ouster surely didn’t sit well with him, it didn’t take Ponsaty long to land on his feet at the Hotel Del Coronado’s signature restaurant, 1500 Ocean (1500 Ocean Ave., Coronado). And what a landing it’s been. Following a lengthy run at the Grand Restaurant Group’s [GRG] previous flagship in Escondido, it seemed all was going well at Ponsaty’s. Then it wasn’t. Jessica Gillon of GRG said via email that “unfortunately, GRG and Patrick could not see eye-to-eye on a business level, so it was best for everyone to part ways” and wishes “him well in his new venture.” News he’d been sacked, however, reached Ponsaty before an actual termination notice. From a culinary perspective, though, it seems he hasn’t missed a beat. As one of only two French Master Chefs (Maitres Cuisiniers de France) in San Diego, Ponsaty’s food is French, albeit of a startlingly contemporary variety. Take, for example, the day-boat Scallop with parsnip-truffle purée, braised baby turnip, salsify and a truffle caviar sauce. The dish is built around a pristine scallop, perfectly seared to fully enhance its natural sweetness, sliced horizontally and sandwiched around some rather sexy truffle slices. Those truffles appear again in the parsnip puree. The salsify vaguely echoes the flavor of the scallop, but its appearance directly echoes the look of the black truffle-scallop sandwich. It’s a tour de force of composition and a dish as beautiful to look at as it is to taste. As decidedly French as Ponsaty’s food is, the flavors of Spain appear regu-
THE
MICHAEL GARDINER
FARE
BY ANDREW DYER
Charred wild Spanish octopus larly on his plates. This might be the result of his time working at Restaurante Martín Berasategui in San Sebastian, which has three Michelin stars and is one of the best restaurants in the world. Those influences show in Ponsaty’s dish of charred wild Spanish octopus with piquillo pepper-tomato compote, green olives and chorizo vinaigrette. Ponsaty’s happy place seems to be working with seafood. The dish that best shows the lightness of his contemporary French style is a tartare of albacore and ginger-garlic confit, which is served over deep seawater-cucumber-dill aspic with a sesame-orange tuile and topped with a lime zest whipped cream. It’s a different take on tuna tartare. There’s no shortage of meaty richness to the tartare, but the citrus flavors keep the dish from feeling remotely heavy. The showstopper, however, is a new dish in Ponsaty’s arsenal: a veal sweetbread sphere wrapped in a mousseline. It’s held together by caul fat, breaded, deepfried and then served over mushroom compote. The veal sphere has also been pierced by a vial of veal demi glace reduction. It’s a dish about form and textures, the crunch of the sphere’s crust playing against the tender, creamy sweetbread interior and the texture of the mushrooms echoing that of the sweetbreads. As one local food writer who’s followed Ponsaty for years said, it’s almost as if he’s “cooking angry” at 1500 Ocean. In this case at least, anger seems to be a good thing. If his sacking surprised Ponsaty, the more important thing now is that his food is surprising us. The World Fare appears weekly. Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.
B
ar Sin Nombre (253 Third Ave., barsinnombre.com) is the latest beer business to open in a revitalized downtown Chula Vista. Ordinarily, the opening of a beer bar isn’t newsworthy, but Bar Sin Nombre is anything but ordinary. The bar is the result of two years worth of work from owner and Chula Vista native Tony Raso. He got his start running the beer program at La Bella Pizza Garden, which his family has owned since 1955. He and his wife moved to Hawaii in 2008 following the economic downturn, where he worked as a beer distributor. In 2013, with a newborn son, they moved back to Chula Vista to be closer to family. It was around this time that Raso began planning his own bar and spent twoand-a-half years pouring beer at Fall Brewing Co. in North Park while getting things in order. The first thing setting the bar apart from similar businesses is the complete lack of exterior signage. In a move so meta it hurts, Bar Sin Nombre—Spanish for “no name”—literally has no identifying name on the building. “We went back and forth on that. At this moment, there’s no way to tell where you’re at if you don’t know,” Raso says, all but admitting the decision is risky. He says he was inspired by Tijuana’s taco stands, many of which don’t have signs. “To me, a brand doesn’t matter so much as long as it’s done well,” he says. “If you do everything else right, do you need to have the right name?” One look at Raso’s opening weekend
draft list suggests he is doing at least one thing right. When I visited, the board was stocked with local and imported beers that are rarely on tap in San Diego. Sours from legendary Belgian brewery Cantillon and Oregon’s De Garde graced one end of the board, while hazy IPAs from Monkish and Modern Times were on the other. Raso was also pouring a Barleywine—listed as “life”—among several other traditional European styles. Raso cites the industry connections he made from his days as a distributor for Bar Sin Nombre’s impressive inventory. Mostly though, he’s just carrying what he likes to drink. “I created a well-rounded list of world-class beer that I want to drink with friends,” he says, adding that he doesn’t think it’s any better than any of San Diego’s more well-known spots—Hamilton’s, Tiger!Tiger! or ToANDREW DYER ronado—just different. “There’s a lot of beer at those places that I can’t get,” he says. “I don’t think any bar in the world can expect to have Cantillon all the time. There’s just not enough of it to go Tony Raso around. If I get it twice a year, I’ll be stoked.” The exterior of the bar is surrounded on two sides by roll-up windows, and inside, two Nintendo Classic Edition stations are mounted right under the draft list. It remains to be seen just how many beer-centric businesses downtown Chula Vista can support, with two taprooms, two breweries and another tasting room on the way. However, if San Diego’s 30th Street is any indication, Bar Sin Nombre—sign or no—will be just fine. The Beerdist appears every other week. Write to andrewd@sdcitybeat.com
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9
Shop Local • Dine Local • Play Local | SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL, INDEPENDENT MERCHANT
TO ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE, CONTACT A SALES REPRESENTATIVE AT: 619.281.7526
SHORTlist
EVENTS
the
THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE
COORDINATED BY
SETH COMBS
SAN DIEGO
SHOP RIGHT
With online shopping increasingly be- anywhere near the mall on a Saturday, the SoCal coming the norm, finding Black Friday deals is cer- Etsy Guild Market is mall adjacent and will be tainly not as treacherous as it once was. Still, holi- filled with over a dozen local artisans. It happens day shopping remains a masochistic chore and as from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Horton Plaza Park (900 Fourth Ave.) in the Gaslamp. much as we love the idea beCOURTESY OF SAN DIEGO MADE HOLIDAY MARKET More info can be found at sohind events like Small Busicaletsyguild.com. The San Diness Saturday, it still seems ego Made Holiday Market disingenuous considering it’s will also be happening on Satan event that was made up by urday, Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. to a credit card company. 4 p.m. at the McMillin Event Our suggestion? Get the Center inside Liberty Station holiday shopping done early (2875 Dewey Road). This one while still supporting brickhas both quality and quantity, and-mortar businesses and with over 70 vendors selling local artisans. This week is their wares including CityBeat jammed with cool shopping faves Grammatique and Kassi events. Grunder Jewelry. Admission is First up is Dame Fest on $5 and full list of vendors is at Thursday, Nov. 16 at Sunsandiegomade.org. set Temple (3911 Kansas St., Finally on Sunday, Nov. 19, North Park). The second anthere’s the Encinitas Holiday nual music and shopping San Diego Made Holiday Market Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. all event put on by Little Dame along Highway 101 (between D Shop features local arts and crafts vendors, as well as art installations and music and J streets, to be exact). Formerly known as the from bands such as The Bad Vibes and Sahara Grim. Fall Festival, this annual event includes live music, It happens from 5 to 11 p.m. and admission is $10 food and drink samples, and, of course, dozens of craft, art and antique booths to shop. More info at at littledameshop.com. While we’d never usually recommend going encinitas101.com.
NORTH PARK
POWAY
BODY OF WORK
PLEASE MR. POSTMAN
Bhavna Mehta is leaving a paper trail for North Park residents. Recently, the Art Produce (3139 University Ave.) artist-inresidence held workshops where she encouraged community members to share their stories and to bring personal belongings with sentimental value. She’s since taken the inspiration from those community workshops to fashion ornate and intricate hats, scarves and other fashionable pieces from paper. They will be on display in her exhibit Once Upon a Body at Art Produce (3139 University Ave.). On Saturday, Nov. 18, there will be a live performance of the works at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to swap their own stories, try on one of the pieces and more. Admission is free. artproduce.org ALANNA AIRITAM
Roughly two years after singer-songwriter Alex Woodard first released For The Sender: Love Letters from Vietnam as an album and book, the show is getting a one-nightonly stage adaptation in Poway. For The Sender… is based on a true story about Vietnam veteran Sgt. John K. Fuller and the letters he wrote home from the war. Decades later, his daughter Jennifer discovers and answers the letters. Singersongwriter Molly Jenson and Broadway performer Harley Jay, along with Woodard, will lead the show. The performance takes place at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18 at the Poway Center for the Performing Arts (15498 Espola Road). Tickets are $15-$50 and proceeds benefit Team Red, White and Blue, a surf camp for veterans. More information available at powayonstage.org.
ART
BOOKS
H3 Installations at La Plaza, 7863 Girard Ave., La Jolla. A group exhibition curated by Thomas Lamprecht and featuring works by UCSD MFA graduate students Michael Ano, Heejung Shin and Audrey Hope. Opening from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. Free. adgyart.com
HAdam Braver at The Book Catapult, 3010-B Juniper St., South Park. The author discusses his new book, The Disappeared, which follows two survivors in the aftermath of politicized acts of violence. This is the new bookstore’s inaugural event. From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. Free. 619-795-3780, thebookcatapult.com
HOtro Mundo Nos Espera (Another World Awaits Us) at MCASD - Downtown, 1100 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. A collaborative exhibit by Cog•nate Collective and SDSU’s Chicana/Chicano Studies program that explores how cultural production influences political dialogue. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. Free. 858-454-3541, mcasd.org HSpaces From Yesterday at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 West Broadway, Downtown. Artist reception for a new exhibit featuring three projects developed by Amy M. Ho in collaboration with inmates from San Quentin State Prison. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. Free. 619-5016370, art.sdsu.edu/sdsu-downtown-gallery Tell me something I don’t know at Visual SD, 3776 30th St., North Park. A solo exhibition by Stardust Coyote, featuring new collage and mixed media works on paper. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. Free. 619-501-5585, facebook. com/events/2031204740488148 HOrigins Art Show at The Brown Building, 4133 Poplar St., City Heights. A collection of works from local indigenous artists will be on display at this event, which also offers food, an open mic, drinks, a fire pit and a raffle. Opening from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. Free. 858-609-0983. HMark Licari: Awaken to Zero at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. A set of 26 drawings, where each drawing represents a letter of the alphabet with a corresponding descriptive word. Opening from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. Free. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org HSketchparty San Diego Art Show at La Bodega Studios and Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. The second annual show will feature over 500 works of art created at the Sketchparty SD events held at the Whistle Stop. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Free. facebook. com/events/143073236337992 HUnshelved: Cool Stuff from Storage at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. A new exhibition featuring more than 250 of the Museum’s most beautiful and bizarre specimens from its research collection and hidden storage areas. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Free-$19. 619-232-3821, sdnhm.org HOnce Upon a Body at Art Produce, 3139 University Ave., North Park. The reception features a live performance of artist-in-residence Bhavna Mehta’s wearable paper cut-outs, which are based on community stories. From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Free. 619-584-4448, artproduce.org HBorders of the Echo at The FRONT Arte Cultura, 147 W San Ysidro Blvd., San Ysidro. A group show exploring the limits between sound art and other media. Features American and Mexican artists, including Aren Skalman and Griselda Rosas. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Free. 619-428-1115, facebook. com/events/189821944896217 Solo Show: Seven San Diego Artists at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. A new group exhibition featuring works from Anthony Enyedy, Denise Strahm, Kenda Francis and more. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. $5. sandiego-art.org
Molly Jenson and Alex Woodard @SDCITYBEAT
H = CityBeat picks
Krysten Ritter at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The actress best known for playing Jessica Jones on the hit Netflix series will sign her debut novel, Bonfire. Ticket price includes copy of the book. At 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. $28. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HMatt Coyle at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The San Diego Book Award-winner will sign and discuss his latest Rick Cahill crime novel, Blood Truth. At 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HRadvocate 15 Launch Party at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. A celebration of the release of the literary magazine’s latest issue, featuring readings by 15 contributors such as Elaine Gingery, Alex Bosworth and more. From 8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21. $5 suggested donation. sosayweallonline.com
FOOD & DRINK HMeals of Migrants Tijuana Food Tour starting at San Ysidro Transit Center, 499 Virginia Ave., San Ysidro. Turista Libre’s latest offering gives people a chance to sample food from some of the diverse migrant groups who have settled in Baja over time. The first stop on the tour is Tijuana’s oldest Chinese restaurant, Palacio Royal. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. $59. turistalibre.com
MUSIC Mozart’s Requiem at San Diego Symphony, 750 B. St., Downtown. Markus Stenz returns to conduct Mozart’s final piece, his Requiem. Jessica Rivera, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Colin Balzer and Adam Lau will be performing. At 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. $20-$72. 619-2350800, sandiegosymphony.org HFor the Sender: Love Letters from Vietnam at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road, Poway. Author and singer-songwriter Alex Woodard presents this multimedia experience of stories and songs based on the true correspondence of a soldier stationed in Vietnam in 1968 and his daughter. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. $15-$50. powayonstage.org Vicky Chow at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Barrio Logan. The Fresh Sound season finale will showcase Canadian pianist Vicky Chow, who will be performing piano and electronic works from her newly released album A O R T A. From 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20. $10-$20. 619987-6214, freshsoundmusic.com
POLITICS & COMMUNITY HSan Diego Transgender Day of Remembrance at San Diego LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre St., Hillcrest. A vigil and march to remember those we lost due to anti-transgender hate and violence. At 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 20. thecentersd.org
SPECIAL EVENTS HDame Fest at Sunset Temple, 3911 Kansas St., North Park. Indie boutique Little Dame’s second anniversary event will
EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11
EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 have more than a dozen unique vendors showing off their wares, as well as food, beer and live music. From 5 to 11 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. $10. 619-795-3630, littledameshop.com Rady Children’s Ice Rink at Arts District Liberty Station, 2640 Historic Decatur Road, Point Loma. The first day of the seasonal ice rink, featuring discounted tickets. All proceeds will benefit Rady Children’s Hospital’s Peckham Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders. From 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. $10-$50. libertystation.com HSoCal Etsy Guild Market at Horton Plaza Park, 900 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. A one-day, outdoor event featuring Southern California artisan vendors, food, live art and more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. Free. socaletsyguild.com HSan Diego Made Holiday Market at McMillin Event Center, Liberty Station, 2875 Dewey Road, Point Loma. Over 70 craft and food vendors will be selling their wares at this annual, holiday-themed marketplace. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18. $5. sandiegomade.org. HEncinitas Holiday Fair at Downtown Encinitas, South Coast Hwy 101 and Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. The 27th annual event features dozens of vendor booths, as well as live music and other entertainment on three stages. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. Free. encinitas101.com HCity Farmers’ 45th Anniversary at Nate’s Garden Grill, 3120 Euclid Ave., City Heights. The nursery, known for bringing a little country to the city, celebrates a milestone anniversary with stories shared by Farmer Bill, live music and more. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. Free.
BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY
619-546-7700, cityfarmersnursery.com
TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HVanishing Art Space and Venues in San Diego at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Panelists from SDSU, Bread & Salt, Arts District Liberty Station, Glashaus and more will discuss the decreasing availability of local art spaces. At 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15. Free. facebook.com/events/128293531225959 HPolitics + Examining the Border at Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado Ste 14, Balboa Park. The first in a series of community conversations related to the exhibition, Point/Counterpoint: Contemporary Mexican Photography. This discussion will focus on perspective and issues of the border. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16. Free-$10. 619-2387559, mopa.org HArt Against Gentrification & Cultural Appropriation at The Hill Street Country Club, 530 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside. Artists, arts educators, community organizers, curators and business leaders from Oceanside will discuss the topic of cultural appropriation and how fostering diverse leadership and inclusive representation in the arts is a direct and effective response. At 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19. Free. thehillstreetcountryclub.org HYo Diseño en Tijuana: Binationalism & Contemporary Tijuana Design at Tiger!Tiger!, 3025 El Cajon Blvd, North Park. Tijuanense design mavericks Seth and Alexis Sullivan discuss design and making beautiful things out of junk on the Cura Caos podcast. From 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 21. Free. facebook.com/ events/394262394325740
12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
Plants and their people
F
ew things give me more pleasure than exploring Southern California and Northern Baja. As much as I love walking on the beaches in Coronado, driving through Cuyamaca Rancho State Park or visiting Valle de Guadalupe between Tecate and Ensenada, I know very little about the plants that make these diverse ecosystems unique. While I know the difference between white sage and an oak tree (duh), my knowledge of native plant life is abysmal. But Michael Wilken-Robertson’s Kumeyaay Ethnobotany: Shared Heritage of the Californias is changing that. Kumeyaay Ethnobotany, published last month here in San Diego by Sunbelt Publications, combines scientific rigor with oral history to provide a comprehensive catalog of 47 native plants and their uses. Each entry is listed under its scientific name as well as its more common name in English, Spanish and Kumeyaay. For example, the listing for Opuntia spp. (Cactaceae) includes its name in Spanish (nopal bronco), Kumeyaay (jpaa jentil) and English (prickly pear). The guide is lavishly illustrated with beautiful photographs, the bulk of which were taken by Deborah Small, to show these plants in their native habitat as well as the many uses to which they are put, from food to clothing to tools and appliances.
But Wilken-Robertson’s study is more than just a catalog. While it is not the story of the Kumeyaay, it includes many stories to help readers understand the interdependence between the region’s plants and peoples before the Spaniards came. The Kumeyaay’s ancestral land stretches from the Pacific Ocean to the desert west of the Colorado River, and extends from the Salton Sea to well below Ensenada. Today it is divided by the border between the United States and Mexico, but the founding of the Missions changed the Kumeyaay way of life and altered the course of their people’s history. For instance, engagement with the Missions—sometimes voluntarily, more often not—had drastic consequences that shaped the land and the way it was used. While Kumeyaay Ethnobotany isn’t intended to be used as a survival guide, nor does it encourage the harvesting of flowers and plants, it is an indispensible tool for understanding the world around us. Michael Wilken-Robertson will be giving talks about Kumeyaay Ethnobotany at San Diego State University on Saturday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m.
—Jim Ruland
@SDCITYBEAT
THEATER
DAREN SCOTT
Romeo, Juliet and the Jackson 5
I
t’s a daunting if not futile undertaking to attempt to freshen William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. So universally familiar is the play’s premise and much of its quotable verse. It’s also The Bard of Avon’s one work that perhaps even Shakespeare-phobes have seen at least once (or else they’ve seen the definitive 20th Century reinterpretation that is West Side Story). The Old Globe Theatre’s annual collaboration with the University of San Diego’s Shiley Graduate Theatre Program this year is Romeo and Juliet, and while this production doesn’t exactly freshen the tragedy about two mixed-up teenagers from Verona, it does have both the impetuosity and runaway hormones of timeless adolescence. To begin with, the production has Delicia Turner Sonnenberg as its director, who earlier this year made her Old Globe directorial debut with the stirring drama Skeleton Crew. In addition to giving Romeo and Juliet’s young actors the latitude to set free their emotions and immerse themselves in the story, Turner Sonnenberg’s contemporary sensibility for the muchproduced play is reflected in this production’s choice of music (which includes the Jackson 5), its tenor (rapier-witty until it turns requisitely tragic) and a pace as swift as the lengthy play will allow.
@SDCITYBEAT
OPENING: Topdog/Underdog: Suzan Lori-Parks’ provocative comedy about two brothers (Lincoln and Booth) trying to get along despite a troubled past. Presented by USD Theatre, it opens for five performances Nov. 16 at the Sacred Heart Hall Studio Theatre in Linda Vista. sandiego.edu A Christmas Carol: Ebenezer Scrooge learns the meaning of Christmas in this musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ holiday classic. Featuring music from Alan Menken, it opens Nov. 17 at the Welk Resorts Theater in Escondido. welkresorts. com The Green Cockatoo: Arthur Schnitzler’s classic play about an improv troupe who is tapped to perform for the aristocracy at the height of the French Revolution. Directed by Marco Barricelli, it opens at the Mandell Weiss Forum at UC San Diego in La Jolla. theatre.ucsd.edu
Jose Martinez and Larica Schnell in Romeo and Juliet Jose Martinez is a strident Romeo and Larica Schnell a highly-strung Juliet, with each lover portrayed as a captive of first, passionate love and feeling absolutely entitled to it. That entitlement does not make their well-known suicides any less grievous. Samantha Sutliff as Juliet’s brassy nurse and Eric Weiman as Romeo’s hotheaded crony Mercutio milk every moment they have on the little Shiley stage. Renardo Charles Pringle Jr. balances sputtering and gravitas as poor Friar Lawrence, who tries in vain to facilitate Romeo and Juliet’s happiness.
Bottom line: If this production of Romeo and Juliet gets college students or younger audience members into the theater this fall, then its jillionth return to the stage will have been well worth it. By the way, tickets are only $19. Romeo and Juliet runs through Nov. 19 at the Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Balboa Park. $19; oldglobe.org
—David L. Coddon
Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
Greetings!: Comedic hijinks ensue when Andy brings his Jewish atheist girlfriend to meet his Catholic family on Christmas Eve. Written by Tom Dudzick, it opens Nov. 17 at the Patio Playhouse Theatre in Escondido. patioplayhouse.com Black Pearl Sings: A Library of Congress musicologist and a Black female prisoner develop an unlikely friendship in Frank Higgins’ inspiring musical. Presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre, it opens Nov. 22 at the Lyceum Theatre in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org
For full listings, visit “Theater” under Culture at sdcitybeat.com
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13
“30 under 30” “Sexiest People”
SKYLER MCCURINE
“Top Innovators” “Movers and Shakers” Seems like everywhere we look these days, there’s some kind of arbitrary list of people we’re all supposed to be paying attention to. Profiles of people who are doing exciting, unique and potentially innovative things in their respective fields. Or they’re just supposedly good-looking. Screw that. Rather, screw the idea of doing a typical, thematic list of the “best” people. What’s wrong with just taking the time to point out 20 of the coolest people in town, regardless of age, gender or looks?
AMY BJORNSON
So yeah, that’s what we did here. After an exhaustive curatorial process and a few inter-office arguments, we came up with a list of exciting people who are as diverse as San Diego itself. Some of them had big years and some are set to have an even bigger 2018, and while we’re still tentative on labeling them the “best,” they certainly make San Diego better.
Jean Guerrero
Fayaz Nawabi
BORDER VOICE
PROGRESSIVE PUSHER COURTESY OF JEAN GUERRERO
Who is she? A writer and the Fronteras reporter covering immigration and the border for KPBS radio, TV and online.
COURTESY OF FAYAZ NAWABI
Who is he? Nawabi is an assembly District Delegate for the Democratic Party, member of the trustee advisory council for the San Diego Community College District and candidate for the District 6 City Council seat.
Why did we pick her? In the age of Trump, Guerrero is often the balanced voice of reason—both on radio and on TV—when it comes to everything from the border wall to Tijuana drug tunnels. This year, she was promoted to the investigations desk where she’s been focusing on more in-depth pieces. “I decided to pursue a career in journalism instead of creative writing,” says Guerrero, who grew up reading fantasy and young adult novels. “I have since become addicted to the adrenaline of the deadlines and daily rhythms of a newsroom.”
Why did we pick him? He’s been prominently involved in various community efforts. He helped start the Muslim Democratic Club and led the movement to censure Otay Water Board District Director Hector Gastelum for his Islamophobic comments. He also created a program that lets high school students attend community college classes for free.
In her own words: “My favorite part of my job is finding offbeat characters, outcasts and other minorities or marginalized people—the kind of “not reliable” people that Gay Talese famously said female journalists aren’t interested in—and telling their stories.”
In his own words: “One of the biggest things I’m really passionate about is holding people accountable that are in positions of power. I graduated in 2016 from SDSU and I believed at the time—though I’ve completely changed my views now—that politics are dirty, and that my voice didn’t matter. But then I was able to realize through my work in the community that we can continue this momentum of pushing progressive policies forward.”
What’s next? America’s Wall, a KPBS and inewsource������������������������������� -������������������������������ produced series of special reports is on now. Her book about her father, Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir, won a PEN/FUSION Emerging Writers award last year and will be published by One World (an imprint of Penguin-Random House) in 2018. “He is the ultimate migrant,” says Guerrero, referring to her father. “Crossing borders between madness and sanity, between countries, between the legal and the illegal.”
What’s next? The Mira Mesa resident recently announced his campaign for the District 6 City Council seat currently occupied by Chris Cate. At the top of his priority list are issues around affordable housing and community choice energy. “I’m a huge proponent of community choice energy,” he says. “We could save a lot of money for the city, and that could help us solve some of the issues like homelessness, by being able to re-invest in our crumbling infrastructure and provide services.”
14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
—Seth Combs
—Jamie Ballard
@SDCITYBEAT
Stephen Kurpinsky
Andrea Chung
SPIRIT WORLD
CARIBBEAN QUEEN
JIM SULLIVAN
Who is he? Kurpinsky is the head bartender and spirits director at George’s at the Cove and Level2 in La Jolla (1250 Prospect St., georgesatthecove.com). Why did we pick him? He was recently named president of the San Diego Bartenders Guild (SDBG) and consulted on the cocktail menu for the Nortico speakeasy in Tijuana. Still, the Bay Area native says Level2 is one of his proudest accomplishments. After a few years of begging the owner, Kurpinsky opened the ocean view, craft-centric cocktail bar in 2016, which has provided La Jolla with a much-needed late-night option. “I think they saw I had the necessary chops on both sides,” Kurpinsky says. “I was a great bartender, but that I was also a businessman and knew what it took to make it successful.” In his own words: “What we’re doing in La Jolla is trying to spread that goodwill of cocktails where it doesn’t have to be in a dingy bar, but it can also be nice and where you don’t have to know someone to get in.” What’s next? Kurpinsky wants to offer more cocktail making classes from the SDBG. The ultimate goal is to open his own bar, but for now, he’s rolling out a new cocktail menu at Level2 in December that will include the recipes in a cookbook. havejiggerswilltravel.com
—Seth Combs
Joshua White
In her own words: “It was a defining moment,” Chung says. “Being Caribbean and having a museum show, there are few that have been able to do that.” What’s next? Chung has four back-to-back shows before March, and is curating her first-ever exhibit at Mesa College. Then she’s headed to Wisconsin for a residency with the prestigious John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
—Torrey Bailey
Who is she? Croft (@CCroftPoetry on all social media) is a writer and poet lighting up the local slam poetry scene with her fierce live performances.
LISA CROFT
Why did we pick her? Last August, her team San Diego PoetrySLAM (which also includes teammates Viet Mai, Natasha Hooper, Javon Johnson and Rudy Francisco) took home first place at the National Poetry Slam in Denver. “For me, it was a humbling experience because I was the only member who hadn’t been to a national competition before,” she says. She recently released her first chapbook, Safe, and in addition to having what she calls “a throat armed with fire,” we’re very impressed by Croft’s advocacy for social issues—specifically, mental health— in her poetry.
In his own words: “I had been studying European classical music, but I began to feel that it wasn’t reflective of who I was. At 17 or 18, I began to seek out the contributions of African-Americans in music, and I discovered that improvisational aspect—music commonly known as jazz… With ((Codes)), we play many types of things... there’s poetry and spoken-word performances with more of a political approach, reflecting the plight of Black folks, injustice, socioeconomic situations and police brutality.”
In her own words: “I’ve always been drawn to the idea of ‘discomforting the comfortable’ and ‘comforting the discomforted.’ I want my work to connect with people in a way that encourages them to push their thoughts and feelings into a new understanding.”
What’s next? White just released his new album 13 Short Stories, which—true to its title—features 13 original compositions performed with his band, featuring saxophonist Josh Jackson, bassist Dean Hulett and drummer Jonathan Pinson. On Nov. 24, White will play a record release show for the album at Dizzy’s. joshuawhitemusic.com
@SDCITYBEAT
Why did we pick her? Chung works with a multitude of unconventional yet everyday mediums, such as sugar, shipping pallets and more. This past May, she had her first solo institutional exhibition, You Broke the Ocean in Half to Be Here, at the Museum of Contemporary Arts San Diego. Shockingly, Chung was the first Black woman MCASD has commissioned for a solo exhibit. “A lot of institutions that are now being run by women are sort of tired of seeing white men and their work,” she says. You Broke the Ocean… journeyed her family’s background as Chinese-Caribbean immigrants. The works included 11-foot-tall cyanotypes of lionfish, and tourism brochures from which she removed the pictured laborers in an effort to “give them a day off.”
VOICE AFFECTS
VITO DISTEFANO
Why did we pick him? He’s an accomplished fixture in San Diego’s jazz music scene—having worked with locals such as Gilbert Castellanos and Charles McPherson as well as Christian McBride and Anthony Wilson—and in recent years launched the (((Codes))) series of concerts, intertwining jazz music with spoken word performances and poetry incorporating the experiences of Black Americans.
TORREY BAILEY
Chrissy Croft
A LL TH AT JA Z Z
Who is he? White is a jazz pianist, political artist and composer, not to mention one of the hardest working musicians in San Diego.
Who is she? She’s a local artist whose work deals in themes of immigration, labor and social justice issues.
—Jeff Terich
What’s next? Despite working toward a graduate degree in social work, Croft will continue to write new poetry in hopes of earning a place on next year’s PoetrySLAM team. She also plans to help out with Slam Diego—a new slam night founded by her teammate Natasha Hooper.
—Ryan Bradford
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15
Jaime Fritsch
Holly Haines
Who is he? He’s an award-winning food photographer, food activist and self-proclaimed “anarchist farmer.”
Who is she? Holly is a local chef, YouTube personality and the Season 2 winner of NBC’s Food Fighters.
Why did we pick him? Fritsch (jaimefritsch.com) has had his photos published in Zagat and eater.com, but it’s his brazen work within the food industry that has made him an interesting and controversial figure in the scene. His Death for Food project started as a photographic study of where the meat we eat comes from, but has since morphed into an advocacy and educational program. With help from big-name chefs like Javier Plascencia, Fritsch holds tasting events where live animals are often, delicate sensibilities be damned, butchered right in front of people. “I quickly realized I wanted to put the camera down and get involved myself,” Fritsch says. “I started to raise and slaughter my own food and teach others how to do so themselves.”
Why did we pick her? Competing as an amateur cook on Food Fighters, she ended up beating five professional chefs including Eric Greenspan. Even with her time in the spotlight and the flash of celebrity chefs in San Diego, Haines just wants to reach people who think they can’t cook or hate the process. In August, she launched a YouTube channel (youtube.com/itshollytv)—a collection of comfort food—and posts recipes on Instagram (instagram.com/itsholly). With recipes ranging from peach and butter rum cakes to shrimp lumpia, she tries to make cooking as accessible as possible for viewers.
FR E E D OM FA RME R
FOOD FIGHTER
MIKEE CATACUTAN
In his own words: “Once I got involved putting my own food on the table, it was pretty obvious to me how broken our food system was… After a while you just want to know the truth, no matter how much work it takes and no matter how badly it will hurt.” What’s next? After the success of the sold-out Animalón pop-up event, Fritsch says he’s planning a whole pig, Acoponeta-style taco event for 2018.
—Seth Combs
Skyler McCurine
In her own words: “I don’t want to work in a restaurant. I don’t want to make the same thing every day,” Haines says. “Life is too short to eat bad food. So don’t. I’ll show you how.” What’s next? “This time last year I said I would never do video, and here I am today with a YouTube channel.” For now, Haines is focused on building that though doesn’t discount the idea of another TV show and hints at the idea of a cookbook. Her philosophy? “Opportunities always present themselves as long as you’re doing what you love.”
Jamie Hampton
STORY TELLER WITH A PURPOSE
MIXING IT UP
HALE PRODUCTIONS
AMY BJORNSON
Who is she?: Skyler McCurine is a writer, storyteller, stylist and entrepreneur. Why did we pick her? Over the past year, we’ve witnessed McCurine repeatedly wow audiences at So Say We All’s VAMP readings with her hilarious, powerful and raw storytelling— a skill that she’s been honing since childhood. “I was 10 years old,” she says, “[And] I wrote a sonnet to James Van Der Beek comparing his hair to fields of wheat.” But wordsmithing is just part of her talent: McCurine is also the founder of Le Red Balloon (leredballoon.com), a stylist company that strives to break boundaries in the workplace by changing the look of leadership away from the “pale, male and stale.” In her own words: “My work is to help my wonderful butterfly queens and butterfly kings reclaim their power in voice, body, presence and person so they can boldly walk into any room they choose to own and lead.”
—Carolyn Ramos
Who is she? Hampton is a retired rugby player, triathlete, bicycle advocate and former high school coach. She also happens to run Mixte, a very successful communications and marketing firm. Why did we pick her? Hampton says “being an athlete defined my life,” and that her time as a pro rugby player taught her to be “strong, different and not let people beat me down.” There’s proof of her love of sports and the outdoors in her Mixte client list, which includes nonprofits such as San Diego Coastkeeper, Surfrider Foundation and the North American Bikeshare Association. “My first set of clients worked on water quality, air quality, transportation and getting people moving,” Hampton says. “All of those were core principles in what I believed in as an athlete.”
In her own words: “When I first got into the business 15 years ago, I worked for PR companies where I had to represent clients What’s next? Among the many projects McCurine has on the horizon, she’s developing that I didn’t support or believe in. I wanted to follow my heart and work for causes that I a podcast for Voice of San Diego called Melanin’ in the City. Additionally, she’s producing So also loved.” Say We All’s forthcoming Southeast Stories project. What’s next? Hampton plans to expand a pilot program she started this year that helps train “untraditional” individuals in community-based PR. She also recently joined the vol —Ryan Bradford unteer board Business for Good San Diego, a nonprofit that develops small business voices for social causes. “It’s all about advocating for policies that are going to lift our community as a whole.” —Seth Combs
16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
@SDCITYBEAT
Brent Beltrán
Tomi Adeyemi FA NTA S Y LI FE
B A R R I O S TA R TORREY BAILEY
Who is he? He’s the vice chair of the Barrio Logan Community Planning Group and sits on the Environmental Health Coalition board of directors. Oh, and he’s on the editorial board of the San Diego Free Press as well.
ELENA SEIBERT
Who is she? A writing coach and writer living in San Diego. Why did we pick her? At 23, Adeyemi (tomiadeyemi.com) sold her first fantasy/ young adult novel, Children of Blood and Bone, to industry giant Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group. Then Fox 2000 made a preemptive acquisition of the film rights. Each deal rocked the status quo and is reportedly in the seven-figure range. The West African-inspired novel, the first in a trilogy, deals in themes of power and race and features inspiring characters of color. “I’ve [made] two amazing best friends in San Diego through writing, and the young adult author community is very active,” Adeyemi says. “It helps to have a wonderful local independent bookstore like Mysterious Galaxy because they create an even bigger community.”
Why did we pick him? Earlier this year, Beltrán was instrumental in protests against labor leader Mickey Kasparian, who is accused of sexual harassment, among other misconduct. “Did I, as just some guy from Barrio Logan, realistically think that I would be able to take down one of the most powerful labor leaders in San Diego? No, not really. But I knew I could be that thorn in his side like he was a thorn in the side of the people in my community.” The uprising got Kasparian kicked off the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council. “We’re a tight-knit community and we need to help each other out as much as we can.”
In her own words: “I used to tell peoIn his own words: “Just because they say they’re liberal, just because they say they’re ple I was a teacher because I taught writing progressive, doesn’t mean they act that way,” he says of Kasparian and other politicians. through my blog and that was easier than “We have to keep our own people in check just as much as the opposition.” explaining I was a writer whose work they couldn’t access until I got a publishing deal. Now, What’s next? Beltrán will continue working with his wife, four kids and the community I can easily say, and explain, that I’m an author.”
to fight for affordable rents in and around Barrio Logan, as well as trying to slow the neighWhat’s next? Children of Blood and Bone will be out March 6 with a book tour to follow. borhood’s gentrification. After, she’ll get to writing the next installment in her trilogy.
@SDCITYBEAT
—Torrey Bailey
—Rhonda “Ro” Moore
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17
Jenavee Peres
Nick Lesley MAKING NOISE
STRIKE FORCE DERRICK TUSKAN / SDSU MEDIA RELATIONS
Who is she? The catcher for SDSU’s softball team. Why did we pick her? She was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and a Second-Team All-American, the first in the school’s history. The team received an NCAA plaque for having the highest batting average for 2017. It was a pretty incredible comeback for someone who sat out most of the previous year due to injuries. “Having to sit out on the side was sort of a blessing in disguise. I just got to see the whole other aspect of the game and give my input to my teammates.”
What’s next? Peres says the team has high aspirations for the upcoming season. “The past two years, we haven’t made it to Regionals, so this year we’re working really hard to get back into that tournament, into the postseason and trying to get further than we have before. We want to go to Super Regionals, and then hopefully, the World Series.”
18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
CARLITOS GALVAN
Why did we pick him? With SPACE TIME—the art collective he started with his wife, Alexis Negron—Lesley helps to bridge the separate worlds of experimental music and visual art with immersive live performances that feature various disciplines and mediums. He’s also been known to make some righteous noise in his own bands.
In her own words: “I’m really grateful that I was able to come through for my teammates, and even when I didn’t, I knew that they would really come around and pick me up for the times I needed it.”
Who is he? Lesley is the executive director of SPACE TIME (spacetimeart.org), production manager at San Diego Art Institute, and performer with experimental bands Necking and Die Mißbildungen Des Menschen.
—Jamie Ballard
In his own words: “When we started SPACE TIME, there was a lot happening in the experimental music scene, but we didn’t see a lot of multimedia art happening connected to that. So the idea was to combine music, visual arts and performance art. We wanted to show the kind of events here that you might see in New York. No matter where we ended up, we would have done this.” What’s next? Along with Negron, Lissa Corona and Marina Grize, Lesley also recently co-founded the art collective Nah Nah. Together, they recently presented a two-week exhibition of work by artist Sondra Perry at Helmuth Projects, the opening reception of which featured musical performances by Paul Metzger, John Saint Pelvyn and Scott Nielsen, Lesley’s bandmate in DMDM. —Jeff Terich
@SDCITYBEAT
Dinah Poellnitz
Monica Mendoza
N O R TH S TA R
Who is she? Poellnitz is a community organizer and curator who runs Hill Street Country Club (thehillstreetcountryclub. org), an art space in Oceanside that operates out of a golf apparel headquarters on Coast Highway.
GRRRL POWER
COURTESY OF DINAH POELLNITZ
Why did we pick her? A matriarch of the Oceanside and Vista arts communities, Poellnitz serves on the Oceanside Master Plan for the Arts Steering Committee and the Vista Art Foundation, as well as the Backfence Society, a collective that serves to bring opportunities to underrepresented artists. Poellnitz’s new passion project is a partnership with Alofa Gould to provide mentoring for women artists and leaders working with young girls. “Artists have this ability to communicate and teach without saying a word. They offer a constant reminder that we all have these communal connections that start from personal experience.”
Why did we pick her? Grrrl Independent Ladies books and documents shows with female musicians all over Southern California and Tijuana. Mendoza’s goal is to empower women musicians on both sides of the border and promote their bands in a male-dominated music industry. Mendoza’s schedule is hectic with Grrrl events and band practice, but her passion for helping other musical women keeps her going. In her own words: “I do it because I want to to make a difference in the community. I want to have a platform for women because I didn’t have that platform.”
In her own words: “Hearing artists who reflect my image tell me how much I inspire them to create more art and make spaces for art is what propels me forward.” What’s next? In addition to a group photo show on Dec. 2, Poellnitz is hosting a panel discussion on Nov. 19 at Hill Street Country Club on how to preserve and continue to build an authentic art community in San Diego while fighting gentrification.
@SDCITYBEAT
DOMINIQUE CHANELLE
Who is she? Mendoza is the woman behind the bicultural music project, Grrrl Independent Ladies (@grrrlindependentladies). She is also a musician in bands such as Le Ra, Strange Phases and the Mexican ska group, Tijuana No.
—Rachel Michelle Fernandes
What’s next? Mendoza is attempting to increase Grrrl Independent Ladies’ presence throughout Southern California. She’s been booking more shows in Los Angeles with L.A.based promoters such as A Diamond Productions and Play Like A Girl. She’s also continuing her Blonde Bar residency, Red Balloons, which features female DJs spinning records on the third Sunday of every month. She’ll use Grrrl’s’ influence to promote Le Ra’s new album and might try this with other bands as well. “I don’t think that I would turn [Grrrl] into a record label, but I will support any band who would like to release a record.”
—Lara McCaffrey
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19
Bonnie Wright S TAY I N G P O W E R
Who is she? Wright is the sole curator and booker of Fresh Sound, an annual series of concerts that just celebrated its 20th year. Why did we pick her? While music bookers and promoters come and go from the local scene, Wright’s commitment to bringing experimental artists to San Diego is admirable. “What’s fun to see is how so many musicians who performed here when they were just getting started, and have gone on to big careers in music,” Wright says. The last concert of the current series wraps on Nov. 20 with a concert from pianist Vicky Chow.
Jessica Matthews WE LLNE SS WARRIO R
BETH ROSS BUCKLEY
COURTESY OF POINT LOMA NAZARENE UNIVERSITY
Who is she? Matthews is a wellness entrepreneur, speaker, author and writer for various fitness and wellness magazines and websites. She’s also a yoga instructor and college professor teaching graduate level kinesiology and integrative wellness courses at Point Loma Nazarene University and MiraCosta College. Why did we pick her? She’s been everywhere! A regular contributor to CNN, The Washington Post and NPR, Matthews (jessica-matthews.com) was recently named the 2017 IDEA Fitness Instructor of the Year. She’s the author of three wellness books and is the founder of her own fitness company, Integrative Wellness Education Inc. She even has an OWN TV web-based series called #OWNSHOW. “Through all of these roles, ultimately my mission is to transform the lives of others, not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally and spiritually.”
In her own words: “I’ve loved music since I was a kid,” says the Point Loma native, who saw concerts from legends like Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck and Nat King Cole. “My original goal was to bring the music I heard at UCSD into the community. A few years later, I went to New York for three years and when I returned my goal changed: to In her own words: “My passion for fitness and wellness stems from what I witnessed in bring music to San Diego from around the world that audiences wouldn’t otherwise get to my own family,” says Matthews, who saw her loved ones suffer from a variety of unhealthy hear. This continues.” ailments. “I wanted to better understand how lifestyle medicine in the form of physical What’s next? Wright says the 20th anniversary season has been “quite amazing,” but activity and nutrition could help to better manage and also prevent these diseases. I wanted already has dates set for the Winter 2018 series of shows, which includes concerts from to enable myself, my family and countless other people live happier and healthier lives.” pianist David Friend and baritone vocalist Thomas Buckner.
20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
What’s next? Completing her doctorate in behavioral health, authoring two new books —Seth Combs and continuing to teach her weekly, donation-based yoga classes at The Inn at Sunset Cliffs. —Seth Combs
@SDCITYBEAT
Austin Ortega HEART AND GOAL
COURTESY OF THE SAN DIEGO GULLS
Who is he? The 23-year-old Escondido native is the newest addition to the San Diego Gulls (sandiegogulls.com). Why did we pick him? San Diego isn’t known for hockey, much less producing it. Yet, the right-handed forward grew up loving the sport and eventually left to play in college. Now, he’s back for a professional career and has become a homegrown fan favorite in the process. “Biggest breakthrough moment would be scoring my first professional goal,” he says of a successful shot he took in April against Stockton. This season, he’s been putting the puck in the back of the net at away games, as well as at home at the Valley View Casino Center. In his own words: “It’s special to me because I am playing in my hometown in front of friends and family every night,” he says. “Really nice to be playing back at home. I am most proud of just making it to this level and being a professional athlete. I hope to continue to get better and make it to the NHL.” What’s next? Aside from expanding his skills on the ice, he wants to involve himself more philanthropically moving forward. “I’d like to help as much as I can with the homeless, as well as growing the sport in the San Diego area.”
—Torrey Bailey
Will Gustwiller SWEET STUFF
Who is he? The chef and founder at Eclipse Chocolate Bar and Bistro in South Park (eclipsechocolate.com). Why did we pick him? Gustwiller competed on an episode of Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games, a show where contestants take on culinary challenges relying on ingredients from a grocery store. He won the competition, and came back with $16,000. “The competition sort of unfolded in just the right way to match what I was able to do,” he said. “The show is wacky, and it’s fun and stressful. It’s a bigger deal than I thought it was.” In his own words: “I went to SDSU for my masters in art. I never thought it would become anything like this... then I realized that this hobby is so much like making artwork. But it’s more approachable. Art can be alienating in a sense, but everyone can have an opinion on food.” What’s next? Gustwiller is excited about Eclipse’s upcoming charitable efforts, a fundraiser/giveaway event for Mama’s Kitchen. Patrons who help raise money will have the chance to enter a giveaway with lots of sweet prizes. “I think it’s a pretty good, all-inclusive charity that is really intimate for this area of San Diego,” he said. “So hopefully that’ll be a good finale for our year.”
@SDCITYBEAT
—Jamie Ballard
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21
CULTURE | FILM
Hearts and minds
BPM (Beats Per Minute)
Robin Campillo’s activist drama is a beautiful ode to collective and personal courage by Glenn Heath Jr.
B
PM (Beats Per Minute)’s title refers to the mea- egy of the ACT UP meetings. Nathan chooses to step surable speed of a pumping heart, but this is in and become his primary caregiver, and throughout no Oscar-bait medical tragedy or unfeeling the film’s second hour, Campillo masterfully juxtasocial justice exposé. Many times throughout Robin poses the push and pull between his desire to remain Campillo’s moving French drama, the emotional pace an activist and Sean’s dwindling hope that any of quickens and slows depending on whatever ideologies their efforts will make a difference. Equal parts heartor treatment options are being discussed. These oscil- breaking and revelatory, the film bravely taps into the lations come to define the characters themselves, who emotional connections made as people face down the are members of ACT UP’s Paris branch. In the film, the epidemic individually and collectively. Most movies treat illness and loss through simcharacters are fighting for AIDS awareness, corporate transparency and victims’ rights in the 1990s even as plistic, grief-stricken narratives that prolong suffering for maximum Oscar-winning impact. Campillo many in their ranks succumb to the epidemic. An astutely pragmatic and moving endeavor, BPM understands how false this approach can be. BPM surveys the political and personal lives of impassioned completely upends mainstream conventions by focuspeople experiencing the dual nature of responsibility. ing on how one’s political activism bleeds into their In the film’s rousing first half, Campillo introduces interior lives. Instead of hiding behind the specter of death, the film becomes ACT UP’s weekly meeting a call to arms for resistance structure, which is chockand hope, almost organic in full of rules and guidelines BPM its construction. created to ensure individu(BEATS PER MINUTE) There’s one particular als can participate in open Directed by Robin Campillo scene that solidifies this eldiscourse. Topics range from emental nature. During a rivthe strategy behind protests Starring Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, eting early sequence in which targeting pharmaceutical Arnaud Valois and Adèle Haenel Nathan, Sean and fellow ACT companies to the merits of Not Rated UP members gyrate to house new scientific studies aimed music inside a nightclub, at improving treatment opCampillo slowly tracks focus tions. In this volatile space of ideas the newly recruited Nathan (Arnaud Valois) from the hypnotic strobe lights to millions of dust meets fearless founding member Sean (Nahuel Pérez particles swirling in the air, as if the molecules themBiscayart), which strikes up a friendship that eventu- selves were having their own dance party simultaneously. Moments later, the camera takes us inside the ally develops into romance. Both men participate in acts of civil disobedience human body in what equates to an elemental connecthat sometimes grow more violent. One of the great tion between yearning hearts and enraged minds. Such experimental jumps are uncommon in moral arguments that arise involves the group’s style of dissent. That is, whether they are making a differ- BPM, which opens Friday, Nov. 17, but they do reveal ence keeping it peaceful or whether they should lobby Campillo’s extreme ambition when it comes to hufor increasingly aggressive tactics (there’s an amaz- manizing a vast topic so often politicized for personal ing parallel analogy made between their efforts and gain. The film’s quietly powerful ending denies any the Corpse Parade of 1848). Members approach this easy outcome, choosing instead to equate commuconversation from different angles depending on nity with family. Inside the home of a fallen comrade, their health and perspective. Campillo’s camera cov- members of ACT UP do what they do best: support ers their expansive debates with the delicate intricacy each other in a shared space, creating a roadmap for of a surgeon, never favoring one opinion over another, assuaging grief and promoting hope. yet always respecting the urgency of those voices that Be still, my beating heart. don’t have much time left. Once Sean’s health begins to falter, BPM transi- Film reviews run weekly. tions away from the intricacies of debate and strat- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com
22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
@SDCITYBEAT
CULTURE | FILM ble film has the courage to evolve with them. “Let’s just sit with what we heard.” Marion’s words arrive after finishing John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath on audiotape, but they may as well be Gerwig’s wise thesis statement. Hopeful and true, Lady Bird, which opens Friday, Nov. 17, remains comfortable in its own skin even as it confronts the seemingly endless anxieties of young people in transition.
Ladybird
—Glenn Heath Jr.
OPENING Bill Nye: Science Guy: The former star of the popular kids show and current CEO of The Planetary Society launches a solar propelled spacecraft into the cosmos and advocates for the importance of science, research and discovery in public life. Opens Friday, Nov. 17, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. BPM (Beats Per Minute): Robin Campillo’s moving drama follows members of the ACT UP movement in Paris during the 1990s as they try to enact policy changes through protest and grapple with the hard realities of living HIV positive. Opens Friday, Nov. 17, at the Ken Cinema. Dealt: An unforgettable documentary profile of Richard Turner, the famous card ma-
gician, who stuns audiences on a global scale despite the fact he is completely blind. Opens Friday, Nov. 17, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Frank Serpico: An in-depth look at the life of Frank Serpico, the whistleblower who exposed a culture of bribery and corruption within the NYPD. Opens Friday, Nov. 17, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Justice League: Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) recruit other superheroes like Aquaman and The Flash in the DC Comic universe to fight off a dangerous enemy. Lady Bird: Greta Gerwig writes and directs this thorny coming-of-age film about a high school senior (Saoirse Ronan) who
can’t wait to leave her hometown of Sacramento for college. The Star: In this animated film, a small but brave donkey and his animal friends become the unsung heroes of the first Christmas. Wonder: Julia Roberts and Jacob Tremblay star in this family drama about a young boy with facial birth defects who decides to attend elementary school for the first time.
For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.
Crash into me
W
hile Greta Gerwig never appears in Lady Bird, a fiercely funny and moving coming-of-age film set in 2002, the writer/director’s spirited pragmatism and relentless energy can be felt throughout. Her omniscient presence bleeds through the film’s snappy dialogue, excited outbursts and melancholy sulking, echoing the actor’s roles in Damsels in Distress and Frances Ha. For confused characters stumbling down a path toward self-realization, the style produces some much-needed levity. High school senior Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson (Saoirse Ronan) resents the Podunk qualities of her native Sacramento but doesn’t have the grades to make an East Coast Ivy League escape. She often quarrels with her tough loving mother Marion (Laurie Metcalf) over this issue and many others. Theirs is a relationship defined by stubbornness but rooted in love. Over a year’s time, Lady Bird faithfully depicts a flurry of potent life experiences involving friendship, family and sex, creating something akin to a heightened pubescent momentum. Lady Bird’s actions and emotions run the gamut as she experiments with different versions of herself, both in social situations and in private. Betrayals and disappointments are the natural byproduct of such a knotty process. The score is often made up of strategically placed Dave Matthews Band songs, which only add ironic insult to Lady’s Bird’s emotional injuries. Instead of suffocating each subplot with precious style, Gerwig paces scenes based on the character’s demeanor. When Lady Bird begins hanging out with a nihilistic musician, the entire film grinds to a halt, regaining vitality after she finally realizes he’s a pretentious asshole. Life can change on a dime when dealing with volatile teenagers, and Gerwig’s nim-
@SDCITYBEAT
NOVEMBER 15, 2017· SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23
CAM TOMSETT
MUSIC
Odonis Odonis
t’s hard to discuss the music of Odonis Odonis without using the word “dystopian.” The Toronto-based group’s aesthetic is dark and ominous, characterized by heavy synthesizers and mechanized beats. Their music is futuristic, but it’s not a future that sounds terribly welcoming. It’s one of malfunctioning machines and a polluted atmosphere. It’s club music for replicants. It wasn’t always this way, however. Odonis Odonis, early on in their career, played music that leaned more heavily toward garage and noise rock sounds. They used guitars more prominently and didn’t sound nearly as menacing. With last year’s Post Plague, however, the band embraced synthesizers and programmed beats, and essentially cast aside the idea of being a straightforward indie rock band. Instead, they took inspiration from proto-industrial bands like Suicide and synth-pop groups like Depeche Mode. For all intents and purposes, they were an entirely different band. The band’s new album, No Pop, is even more abrasive than its predecessor, but vocalist Dean Tzenos says that this darkness was
always part of their sound, even if it wasn’t quite as explicit or deliberate as it is now. “I feel like we’re inherently kind of a dark band,” he says. “It definitely feels like what came out of us was one of our darker albums, even if it isn’t completely lyrically. But it does have a bit of a hopeless vibe to it.” No Pop, released in October via felte, is Odonis Odonis’ most harrowing listen. The first phrase that Tzenos sings on No Pop is “we need to talk,” and though the meaning is ambiguous, it comes across as deeply unsettling. On “Eraser,” meanwhile, a buzzing bassline escalates slowly, like the sound of a car gradually accelerating. And the delay effects that Tzenos layers on his voice on “Fluke” makes him sound downright terrifying. While these songs sound streamlined and impeccably produced, everything feels just a little bit off. While the album itself isn’t intended to be a political statement, Tzenos admits that some of the “hopeless vibe” that he refers to is informed by being exposed to a constant stream of horrific news in 2017. “Based on the current climate of the world
24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
right now, if you read everything that’s going around the internet, it kind of feels like a sinking ship. You can’t escape it anymore if you’re on any kind of social media,” he says. “You’re being bombarded by brutal news on a daily basis. You just wonder if everything’s always been this bad, or if the world’s just under a microscope. So I wouldn’t say it was overly conscious, but it’s kind of unavoidable.” The title of the album, No Pop, references a manifesto written by Torontobased blogger Lonely Vagabond in 2014. The general idea behind it was that there are two kinds of music: Commercial and non-commercial, and that the best way to create music that’s interesting or innovative is to approach it without the intent of being made as a product. That doesn’t mean it can’t be accessible or even popular, just that any potential commercial success plays no role in influencing the creation of it.
That idea resonated with Odonis Odonis, who admittedly aren’t a band whose music would be mistaken for mainstream pop anyhow. Yet the group was inspired by the kind of freedom that a “no pop” approach would allow them. “In general it seems a lot of musicians these days are focused on trying to make it or become some kind of pop sensation,” he says. “Like they think if they do X-Y-Z that they’re going to blow up. But a lot of the music I grew up liking or bands I was influenced by, they didn’t run that way. The ‘90s...fostered an independent music scene that was about making music not with the idea of it being a product. Now [the music industry is] in kind of a hopeless situation, but at least we can create freely within that. So we just kind of thought ‘we don’t care about that stuff, let’s just create.’” As eerie as No Pop can sound at times, and as much as the band embraced a noncommercial ideal, it’s also the most dancefloor-friendly album they’ve released to date. It’s music that not only feels physical in its chest-thumping beats, but seems to be made to get its audience moving in some way or another. This vibe, in a way, is exactly what Odonis Odonis set out to do. Tzenos says that while they were working on songs in their studio space, their number-one objective was to make music that provoked some kind of physical reaction. Whether that reaction is goosebumps or dancing like it’s the end of the world, is entirely up to the listener. If the band felt as if a song didn’t do that, they simply moved on. “The one thing we wanted was that you could feel the music,” he says. “If the music didn’t move you in some way in the room, then the idea was tossed out. It kind of worked in a different function than when we were working before. In this case it was ‘do you feel those tingles on the back of your neck?’ I’m sure you’ve seen a show before and you were just blown away by a band and you were just really moved in the room, and it was like ‘how the hell do they do that?’ We just wanted to create more music based around that. That’s a really hard thing to do.” Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and follow him on Twitter at @1000TimesJeff.
@SDCITYBEAT
@SDCityBeat
november 15, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 25
MUSIC
NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO DANIELLA D’ACQUISTO
LOCALS ONLY
M
embers of Weatherbox, Meraki and Big Bad Buffalo have started a new band. Miss New Buddha will play their first show on Thursday, Nov. 16 with Tera Melos and Speedy Ortiz. The group is fronted by vocalist Brian Warren, and features guitarists Shane Moylan and Jordan Krimston, bassist Sarah Linton and drummer Trevor Levieux. To date they’ve only released one song, but Warren and Krimston built up a backlog of material to work with well before they ever booked a show. “It started with me and Jordan just writing some songs and doing a little recording,” Warren says. “We started it up last year, but we didn’t really work on it for a while. Now we’re playing our first show, and we’re super stoked on it.” Last week, Miss New Buddha posted the song “Creeper in the Wings” on Bandcamp, and it’s a bit more abrasive and off-kilter than the music Warren made with Weatherbox. There were a handful of local inspirations that they kept in mind when writing the first few songs, but after a while their sound started to take shape. “The first song we wrote kind of sounds like Drive Like Jehu or Hot Snakes. Maybe a little At the DriveIn,” he says. “That’s sort of the direction that we wanted to go in, but it’s kind of turned into its own sound now.” Miss New Buddha have been getting ready to make their live debut, though they’ve been making record-
Miss New Buddha ings as they’ve written songs, and Warren says they’re a few tracks away from having enough for a fulllength. As of right now, there’s no specific timeframe for release planned, though they’re talking about shopping it to some labels in order to give it a wider release. “We always got pretty lucky with Weatherbox and worked with some labels,” he says. “We’ll see about this one. It’s darker, less accessible music. But nowadays people are more open to strange music than they used to be. We’ll see how it goes.”
—Jeff Terich
ALBUM REVIEW Howard Hello Election Year (Temporary Residence)
H
oward Hello hasn’t been around much in the past decade. Started by Kenseth Thibideau back in 2001 after his band Tarantel went on hiatus and before the launch of Sleeping People, Howard Hello became a collaborative outlet between himself and Marty Anderson. It also became an outlet for ideas that fell outside of the aesthetic or spirit of Thibideau’s other bands, and as such Howard Hello is an idiosyncratic, unusual sort of project. Though it often featured rhythmically complex post-rock instrumental interplay, Howard Hello also delved into other experimental terrain, which made it both unpredictable and, at times, pretty weird. Election Year, the first new album from Howard Hello in 10 years follows the 2016 lone track release “Last Chance.” The album feels like a complete reinvention and, as its title suggests, there’s an element of politics that runs through the album. Tracks such as “The Split” and “Vote” allude to certain uncomfortable realities of 2017, namely our culture of division and corporate control of our democracy, respectively. However, it’s less the message than the delivery system that’s most striking here. Election Year is an ambitious and gorgeous album. It’s also highly peculiar.
26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
Driven by Thibideau and Anderson, Election Year features a number of notable guests including Marie Haddad, No Knife/Montalban Quintet’s Chris Prescott and prolific drummer/percussionist Nathan Hubbard. As such there’s a level of talent here that shows the kind of musical heights of which San Diego is capable. But Howard Hello doesn’t necessarily make it easy for the listener. As beautiful as many of these arrangements are, Anderson’s vocals are frequently clouded in vocoders or Auto-Tune, making the juxtaposition of gorgeous arrangements and robot vocals a jarring one. Yet it’s not entirely unprecedented; Lambchop, Sufjan Stevens and Flaming Lips have all done similar things in their own catalogs. Election Year nonetheless features some spectacular songs, like the synth-driven art pop of “Sunny,” the almost Radiohead-like sprawl of “Greenhouse” and the space-age ballad “Witness.” For a project that’s been dormant for a long time, Howard Hello feels invigorated on this release, getting back to being weird and subverting expectations after years of not having any at all.
—Jeff Terich @SDCITYBEAT
MUSIC
JEFF TERICH
IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda
COURTESY OF SARGENT HOUSE
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15
PLAN A: Gary Numan, Me Not You @ Observatory North Park. Gary Numan solidified his spot in new wave history with his 1979 hit “Cars,” though the man has a lot of great songs, such as “Down in the Park” and “Are ‘Friends’ Electric?” He’s kind of gone industrial since then, but the hits still hold up. PLAN B: Iron Chic, Off With Their Heads, Toys That Kill, Spells @ Soda Bar. I love a great sing-along punk song and that’s pretty much all Iron Chic writes. They’re super catchy and super fun. BACKUP PLAN: Exhumed, Arkaik, Condemned, Beekeeper @ Brick by Brick.
THURSDAY, NOV. 16
PLAN A: Tera Melos, Speedy Ortiz, Miss New Buddha @ The Casbah. Tera Melos is an intense, mathematically complex post-rock band, while Speedy Ortiz makes some of the best, fuzzy indie rock since the ‘90s. Combined, they make for a super fun show. It’s also the first how for Miss New Buddha; see Notes from the Smoking Patio for more. PLAN B: Bit Maps, Dream Joints, O/X, DJs Camilla Robina, Andrew McGranahan @ SPACE. Bit Maps is one of the strongest bands in San Diego simply because they write great melodies. Though it’s hard not to be captivated by their apocalyptic narratives either. BACKUP PLAN: Chad VanGaalen, NE-HI, QTY @ Soda Bar.
FRIDAY, NOV. 17
PLAN A: Boris, Torche, Endon @ The Casbah. Tokyo trio Boris have been making amazing, heavy music for 25 years, and with each new release they seem to evolve into a stronger band. They’re amazing live and super loud, so be prepared to have some bones rattled. PLAN B: Diarrhea Planet, Mt. Pleasant, Slay Dean @ Soda Bar. Diarrhea Planet is a kickass live band so I don’t feel right making them a Plan B, but it’s hard to compete with Boris. Regardless, DP shred. BACKUP PLAN: Mayhem, Immolation, Black Anvil @ Observatory North Park.
@SDCITYBEAT
Boris
SATURDAY, NOV. 18
PLAN A: Brujeria, Pinata Protest, Powerflo @ House of Blues. Deathgrind band Brujeria is infamous for gross album covers and intense blasts of metal fury. The band recently declared musical war on the president with “Viva Presidente Trump,” which is always welcome in my book. BACKUP PLAN: Michl, Mack @ SPACE.
SUNDAY, NOV. 19
PLAN A: Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties, Steady Hands, Chase Huglin, Shortly @ The Irenic. Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties is an Americana/ folk band with a little bit of an emo streak. So, they’re a little like Dashboard Confessional with some
twang, which I liked better than I thought I would.
MONDAY, NOV. 20
PLAN A: Mogwai, Xander Harris @ Observatory North Park. It took me a while to warm up to Mogwai’s music, but they’re really good at slow-burn instrumentals. The band’s soundscapes are epic and sprawling, so get comfortable and be ready to be moved.
TUESDAY, NOV. 21
PLAN A: GWAR, Ghoul, He Is Legend, U.S. Bastards @ House of Blues. Of course GWAR is Plan A! They’re gross, over the top and they’re metal as fuck. BACKUP PLAN: Kishi Bashi, Tall Tall Trees @ Music Box.
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27
MUSIC
CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!
Molotov (Observatory, 11/27), Jhene Aiko (Observatory, 12/18), Chicano Batman (Observatory, 12/30), The Creepy Creeps (Soda Bar, 12/31), Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe (BUT, 1/12), Jo Koy (Copley Symphony Hall, 1/21), Lettuce (Observatory, 2/14), EDEN (HOB, 3/7), Walter Trout (BUT, 3/18), Art Garfunkel (Balboa Theatre, 4/27), Cigarettes After Sex (Observatory, 4/30), Baths (BUT, 5/3), Keb’ Mo’ (BUT, 5/6-7), Madeleine Peyroux (BUT, 5/28), Insomnium (Brick by Brick, 6/7), Flotsam and Jetsam (Brick by Brick, 6/26).
GET YER TICKETS Syd (Observatory, 12/2), Dag Nasty (Soda Bar, 12/4), Prophets of Rage (Observatory, 12/7), Pere Ubu (Soda Bar, 12/8), Pig Destroyer (Brick by Brick, 12/8), Jamila Woods (Soda Bar, 12/9), The Slackers (Casbah, 12/12), Chris Isaak (BUT, 12/12-13), METZ (Casbah, 12/13), The Album Leaf (Casbah, 12/15), Julien Baker (Irenic, 12/15), Cake (Observatory, 12/16), Jay-Z (Viejas Arena, 12/19), X (Observatory, 12/22), Ozomatli (Music Box, 12/22-23), The English Beat (BUT, 12/22-23), Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven (BUT, 12/27), Cherry Glazerr (Observatory, 12/27), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/28), Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue (BUT, 12/29-30), Third Eye Blind (Observatory, 1/1), T.S.O.L. (Casbah, 1/4), DJ Quik, Warren G (Observatory, 1/5), Willie Nelson (Harrah’s Resort, 1/6), Milky Chance (HOB, 1/8), K. Flay (Observatory, 1/13), Luna (Casbah, 1/14), Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (HOB, 1/15), Kris Kristofferson (BUT, 1/15), Josh Ritter (BUT, 1/16), Beat Farmers Hootenanny (BUT, 1/20), Wolf Parade (Observatory, 1/23), Converge (Brick by Brick, 1/27), St. Vincent (Observatory, 1/27), DVSN (Observatory, 1/29), Killswitch Engage, Anthrax (HOB, 2/13), Miranda Lambert (Viejas Arena, 2/15), Mary Timony plays Helium (Casbah, 2/15), Dan Auerbach (Observatory, 2/19), Superchunk (Casbah, 2/21), Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled (Viejas Arena, 2/26), Margo Price (BUT, 3/3), 311 (HOB, 3/5), Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (HOB, 3/31), Los Lonely Boys (BUT, 4/22), Weird Al Yankovic (Humphreys, 5/12), Franz Ferdinand (Observatory, 5/13), Weezer, The Pixies (Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, 8/11).
NOVEMBER WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 Exhumed at Brick by Brick. Iron Chic at Soda Bar. Fall Out Boy at Viejas Arena. Gary Numan at Observatory North Park. San Pedro El Cortez at The Casbah.
THURSDAY, NOV. 16 Ariel Pink at Belly Up Tavern. Tera Melos, Speedy Ortiz at The Casbah. Chad VanGaalen at Soda Bar.
FRIDAY, NOV. 17 Mayhem at Observatory North Park. Mild High Club at The Irenic. Brian Regan at Balboa Theatre. Boris, Torche at The Casbah. Diarrhea Planet at Soda Bar.
SATURDAY, NOV. 18 Guttermouth at Brick by Brick. Brujeria at House of Blues. Trevor Hall at Music Box. Gin Blossoms at Belly Up Tavern
28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
(sold out). Michl at SPACE. Blank Banshee at The Casbah. Hibou at Soda Bar.
SUNDAY, NOV. 19 Blues Traveler at House of Blues. Korey Dane at Soda Bar. Black Pistol Fire at The Casbah. Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties at The Irenic. Gin Blossoms at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).
MONDAY, NOV. 20 Mogwai at Observatory North Park. Jenny and the Mexicats at The Casbah. AJ Froman at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, NOV. 21 GWAR at House of Blues. Kishi Bashi at Music Box. The Myrrors at Soda Bar.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 22 Tribal Theory at Belly Up Tavern. The APX at Soda Bar. Deorro at Observatory North Park.
FRIDAY, NOV. 24 Tennis at Music Box. Barb Wire Dolls at SPACE. Big Sandy and His Flyrite Boys at The Casbah. The Creation Factory at Soda Bar. Fortunate Youth at Observatory North Park.
SATURDAY, NOV. 25 New Found Glory at House of Blues. The Young Wild at The Casbah. Snow tha Product at Music Box. Wayward Sons at Belly Up Tavern.
SUNDAY, NOV. 26 ‘The Last Waltz’ w/ Mrs. Henry at Belly Up Tavern. Ninet Tayeb at Soda Bar. New Found Glory at House of Blues. Gayle Skidmore at The Casbah.
MONDAY, NOV. 27 Dhani Harrison at Belly Up Tavern.
TUESDAY, NOV. 28 Giraffage at Observatory North Park. Matthew Logan Vasquez at Soda Bar. Morgan Saint at The Casbah. Tori Amos at Balboa Theatre. Guns ‘n’ Roses at Valley View Casino Center.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 29 The Pack A.D. at The Casbah. Trophy Eyes at The Irenic. Chasms at Soda Bar. Tim Minchin at Balboa Theatre. Wish and the Well at Belly Up Tavern.
THURSDAY, NOV. 30 True Widow at Soda Bar. Collie Buddz at Observatory North Park.
DECEMBER FRIDAY, DEC. 1 Fallujah at Brick by Brick. The Heavy Guilt at Soda Bar. XXYYXX at Observatory North Park.
SATURDAY, DEC. 2 Sports at Soda Bar. Syd at Observatory North Park. Darkest Hour at Brick by Brick. Blitzen Trapper at The Casbah.
SUNDAY, DEC. 3 L.A.M.F. at Belly Up Tavern.
MONDAY, DEC. 4 Wheeler Walker Jr. at Observatory North Park. Dag Nasty at Soda Bar.
TUESDAY, DEC. 5 Murs at The Casbah. Nicole Atkins at Soda Bar. Angus and Julia Stone at
Observatory North Park. ‘Rob Machado Foundation Benefit’ w/ Nahko, Jon Foreman, Lukas Nelson at Belly Up Tavern.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 Jonny Lang at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Dance Gavin Dance at Observatory North Park. Dru Hill at House of Blues.
THURSDAY, DEC. 7 Tim Barry at The Casbah. Prophets of Rage at Observatory North Park. AJJ at The Irenic. Whitechapel at Brick by Brick.
FRIDAY, DEC. 8 Pig Destroyer at Brick by Brick. Pere Ubu at Soda Bar. Slow Magic at Observatory North Park. Chris Robinson Brotherhood at House of Blues.
SATURDAY, DEC. 9 Phoenix at Observatory North Park (sold out). Adolescents at The Casbah. Slothrust at SPACE. Jamila Woods at Soda Bar. Cut Chemist at Music Box.
SUNDAY, DEC. 10 Death Eyes at The Casbah. Agnostic Front at Soda Bar. Hollywood Undead at House of Blues. The Grouch, Del the Funky Homosapien at Observatory North Park.
MONDAY, DEC. 11 Pat Travers Band at Belly Up Tavern.
TUESDAY, DEC. 12 The Slackers at The Casbah. The Wrecks at House of Blues. Chris Isaak at Belly Up Tavern.
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Fri: Shocks of Mighty, The Night Doctors. Sat: Indubious, Ital Vibes, Zahira. Tue: The Tones. Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop House’ w/ MC Kahlee. Thu: ‘Upload’ w/ DJ Gordon Davis. Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJs Karma, Alice. American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: ‘Juicy Scoop’ w/ Heather McDonald and Kelly Dodd. Fri: Heather McDonald. Sat: Heather McDonald. Sun: Dustin Nickerson. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Fri: No Knock Raid, The Yucks, Inciting Riots. Sat: Spice Pistols, Schizophonics, Pink Eye, Captain Viejo, Pony Death Ride. Sun: ‘Blues Jam’ w/ Bob and friends. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Powerballs. Thu: DJ Ikah Love. Fri: Class Project DJs. Sat: Ypsitucky, Santa Ana Knights. Sun: Dirty Pennies, Fresh Brunettes. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’. Tue: Alvino and the Dwells. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown. Sat: Sinden. Sun: Jackmaster. Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Scratch Duo. Fri: It’s Never 2L8. Sat: Rolling Heartbreakers. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Tal Wilkenfeld, Fahim Anwar, Ryan Hiller. Thu: Ariel Pink, Gary Wilson and the Blind Dates. Fri: The Expendables, Seedless, Amplified. Sat: Gin Blossoms (sold out). Sun: Gin Blossoms (sold out). Tue: Davis, The Tommy Mitchell Show, The-O.
@SDCITYBEAT
MUSIC Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Thu: ‘Bands in the Nude’ w/ Bill Driskill, Ariel Levine, Andrew McKeag. Fri: Super Buffet, Mess of Fun. Sat: No Sympathy, Bella Novella. Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ Mitch Dodge. Thu: Draemings, Mini Bear, Le Ra, Hexorcismos. Fri: Paul T, Alex Villalobos. Sat: ‘Lady Lush’. Mon: ‘Prince vs. Michael Jackson Dance Party’. Tue: Candace, Ever-so-Android, Mannequin. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Wed: Exhumed Arkaik, Condemned, Beekeeper. Thu: Psychostick, Arsonists Get All the Girls, Kissing Candice, Raven Black, Sight Unscene. Fri: Dance With the Dead, Gost, FacexHugger. Sat: Guttermouth, Koffin Kats, The Atom Age, Gallows Bound. The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: San Pedro El Cortez, Bad Kids, Fake Tides. Thu: Tera Melos, Speedy Ortiz, Miss New Buddha. Fri: Boris, Torche, Endon. Sat: Blank Banshee. Sun: Black Pistol Fire, Cobi. Mon: Jenny and the Mexicats, Marujah. Tue: DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot. Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Fri: FX5. Sat: Wild Rumour. Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Downtown. Wed: Ari Hoenig. Thu: Ellington Jazz Ensemble. Fri: Nathan Hubbard Trio. The Field Irish Pub, 544 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Fiore. Thu: Shoeless. Fri: The Chrome Domes. Sat: The Fooks. Sun: Wes Maharas. Mon: Todd Goodnough. Tue: Chris del Priore. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Fri: DJ Brees. Sat: DJ Vision.
@SDCITYBEAT
Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: DJ Amen. Sat: DJ Drama.
Warranty Void, MaxBetta. Fri: ‘Minimal Sessions’. Sat: ‘Techno Sabbath 005’.
Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Ride the Mule. Thu: DJ Yodah. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: ‘Rock Star Saturday’. Tue: Taco-Billy.
Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: T Chronic. Sat: Home, Tony P. Sun: Seacats, Mo Troper, Meraki, Sights & Sages.
The Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach. Wed: Imagery Machine, Modern History, Murder Pony. Thu: Imagery Machine, Modern History, Murder Pony. Fri: The Luniz, DJ OMZ, Nick Gray. Sat: The Shakes, Electric Elm, DJ Man Cat. Sun: SemiSweet, The Stilettos, Ghost Dad. Tue: Eddie Blunt & Hookwise, Tape Heads.
Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’. Sat: ‘Stand Up UCSD’.
Hooley’s, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa. Fri: King Taylor Project. Sat: The Heart Band. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: DJ Mike White. Thu: Lostboycrow, Prelow, DYSN. Fri: Allison Chains, The Jagerbombs. Sat: Brujeria, Pinata Protest, Powerflo. Sun: Blues Traveler, Los Colognes. Tue: GWAR, Ghoul, He Is Legend. Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Bayou Bros. Thu: Ray Bell and the Feelgood Band. Fri: Full Strength Funk Band, Fabulous Ultratones. Sat: Viva Santana, Blue Largo. Sun: R Tyme, Mercedes Moore. Mon: Fuzzy Rankin. Tue: Mercedes Moore. The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park. Wed: Slaughter Beach Dog, Walter Etc, Shannen Moser. Thu: Fri: Mild High Club, Jerry Paper (sold out). Sun: Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties, Steady Hands, Chase Huglin, Shortly. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Middletown. Wed: ‘Reaching Out for the Hand of Love III’. Thu: ‘Acid Varsity’ w/ Duckman,
The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: The Shifty-Eyed Dogs, Hungry Skinny, Blind Mountain Holler. Thu: Jesse LaMonaca, Shane Hall, Jesse Lee. Fri: Fishing For Chips, Corre Diablo, World War, Color Til Monday. Sat: Brand X, Pet Shark. Sun: ‘The Playground’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore. Tue: Slum Summer, Pocket Hole, Stray Monroe. Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Fri: Electric Mud. Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: California Rangers. Fri: Ashley Mullins Lane. Sat: Adrienne Nims, Electric Waste Band. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Wed: Ile, Todo Mundo. Thu: ‘Friendsgiving’. Fri: Daley, Tiffany Gouche, Mimi Zulu. Sat: Trevor Hall, East Forest. Sun: Israel Vibration, Psydecar, DJ Carlos Culture. Tue: Kishi Bashi, Tall Tall Trees. The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘1,2,3’ w/ DJ EdRoc. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Ikah Love. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs EdRoc, Kanye Asada. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ Tribe of Kings. Mon: Veronica May, Julia Sage and the Bad Hombres. OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Kap Slap. Fri: Cash Cash. Sat: Eric Dlux.
Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Thu: Robert Dove. Fri: Sue Palmer. Sun: Lex and the Jewels.
Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Thu: ‘Blazing Beats’ w/ DJ Johnny 420. Fri: Lee Curtiss, Staybad. Sat: Hector Fonseca.
Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: Scene. Sat: Karma.
Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Bird Bath. Sun: King Taylor Project.
Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: DJs Kiki, Kinky Loops. Thu: DJ Moody Rudy. Fri: DJs Drew G, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs Hektik, Luke Allen. Sun: DJs Hektik, Casey Alva. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Chloe Lou and Davies. Fri: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Sat: Clint Westwood. Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: The Devil’s Due. Sat: Modern Day Moonshine. Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., San Diego. Wed: Forkroot. Thu: Jimmy Ruelas. Fri: Sister Speak. Sat: Sophia Alone. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Tue: The Gabriel Sundy Jazz Trio. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Iron Chic, Off With Their Heads, Toys That Kill, Spells. Thu: Chad VanGaalen, NE-HI, QTY. Fri: Diarrhea Planet, Mt Pleasant, Slay Dean. Sat: Hibou, Sloucher, Shindigs. Sun: Korey Dane, Gold Star. Mon: AJ Froman, Hot Mustard, Z etc. Tue: The Myrrors. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Thu: I Prevail, We Came As Romans, The Word Alive, Escape the Fate. Sat: Mainsail, Rosedale, Stick Blitz, Wanted Noise, Going Postal, The Model Youth. SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘Make Yourself at Home’. Thu: Bit Maps, Dream Joints, O/X. Fri: ‘The Stomp’. Sat: Michl, Mack. Sun: ‘November Spawned a Monster’.
Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Greenbeard, Amplified Heat, Zachary Oakley. Thu: The Gonads, Rat City Riot, Matamoska, Shiragirl. Fri: The Zeros, Mr. Airplane Man, Los Sweepers. Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Kenny and Deez. Thu: Keep Your Soul. Fri: Keep Your Soul, Chad & Rosie. Sat: Keep Your Soul. Sun: Jen Hecht Duo. Tue: Kenny and Deez. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Wed: Casey Hensley. Thu: Mercedes Moore. Fri: Funk’s Most Wanted. Sat: The Red Elvises. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: R3X. Fri: Lord Howler, War Cloud, Gorm. Sat: Approaching Fiction, Latex Grenade, Mortar. U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park. Wed: DJ Freeman. Thu: ‘Boom Boxx Thursday’. Fri: Kid Wonder. Sat: DJ Qenoe. Sun: Vibes Up Strong. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘Open Oscillator’. Fri: ‘F-ing in the Bushes’. Sat: ‘80s vs. 90s’ w/ DJs Gabe Vega, Saul Q. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’. Tue: ‘Videodrome’. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: Sol Tribe, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Making Movies. Fri: Grant Farm, Finnegan Blue. Sat: Electric Waste Band. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: The CHI Club.
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29
LAST WORDS
CHRISTIN BAILEY
ASTROLOGICALLY
UNSOUND
Semi-weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): You will receive some startling news regarding an inheritance. If you don’t, then it was probably sent to your spam folder. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): I will concede that you are “technically” following the “rules of the road.” Still, my point of contention is that bumper cars are not under the jurisdiction of the Highway Patrol. GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Listening to the same song on repeat until it becomes white noise is a great way
to concentrate and also to drive everyone around you absolutely crazy. Two birds! CANCER (June 21 - July 22): It is important to set aside some time this week to learn something new and consider perspectives other than your own. For example, this week I learned my dog’s favorite song is “King of the Road.” LEO (July 23 - August 22): Do you ever get the prickling sensation that there are unseen eyes on you? Well you’re right, there are. Wave hello. The NSA didn’t hack your webcam for you to be rude to them!
30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 15, 2017
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): I promise you there really are 15 differences in the “Can You Find The 15 Differences?” illustrations, but it is not worth spending nine enraged hours trying to find the last one. LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): In a way, the term “hypnotic” evokes feelings of peace and serenity. But in a more practical way, you are clucking like a chicken in front of a live studio audience. SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Literally, like OK, the sun is so sketchy right now. Like, so the planets are going to transit into like a, you know, whatever, and it’s going to be like so random. It’s seriously crazy. SAGITTARIUS (November 22 - December 21): You find yourself musing on the difficult questions of life, like “how would I get away with
cannibalizing you if I ‘had’ to?” Wait, what? Why did you air quote “had” like that? CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): In the great expanse of the universe, one can only imagine the worlds that exist on undiscovered planets… just don’t bother considering it’s likely only dust, ugly or boring rocks, etc. AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): This week, your lucky color is unfortunately at a wavelength that is only visible to dogs. Thus, the only Aquarians that will have good luck this week are canines. PISCES (February 19 - March 20): A picture of you, zooming in to reveal it’s a picture of you holding a picture of yourself, then recursively zooming in forever, plunging deeper into an abyss of only photographs of your Horoscope self. It’ll happen sooner than you think. Astrologically Unsound appears every other week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.
@SDCITYBEAT
@SDCityBeat
november 15, 2017 · San Diego CityBeat · 31