San Diego CityBeat • Dec 4, 2013

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2 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

U-T nutters are at it again Every once in a while, U-T San Diego, the region’s dominant print news outlet that’s gradually tightening its stranglehold on the market by buying up smaller media companies, produces an editorial that reminds us who we’re dealing with in U-T publisher Doug Manchester and CEO John Lynch.

In September 2012 it was an editorial called “Obama in 2016? A choice for America!,” which among other nutty things, predicted that by the end of the current administration, there would be “an effort to get ‘In God we Trust’ removed from U.S. symbols, including our money.” This past weekend, it was a couple of editorials that demanded a new stadium for the Chargers and longed for California to be split into two states.

Urging for a new stadium isn’t, in itself, completely wacky. Plenty of folks want to settle the issue of the Chargers’ perpetual possible departure by building the team a new arena, and some don’t even mind if taxpayer money is used, although CityBeat isn’t among them. No, it was the way the editorial was written that struck us— particularly one sentence near the beginning: “Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley has merely gotten 14 years older, and the Spanoses’ patience no doubt a little thinner.”

The sentence was referring to the time since Chargers owner Alex Spanos first said he needed a new joint, and the sentiment is that he and his family have likely become fed up with our collective dithering and our refusal to give them exactly what they want: upwards of half a billion dollars in taxpayer money to help erect a new headquarters for their private, for-profit business. Shame on us.

The editorial—which went on to warn readers that they’ll be subjected to weeks’ worth of commentaries on why they should help build the Spanoses a new stadium, and warn the next mayor that the paper will harangue him constantly on the issue—shows how obscenely rich, conservative men stick together when it comes to promoting corporate welfare.

But the pièce de résistance was the U-T’s editorial on blowing up California, titled “Fixing California: The 51st State,” which begins with this calming sentence: “It may not be necessary to destroy California in order to fix it.” However, the relief—as

well as the sanity—is short lived, because the next sentence begins thusly: “But it may be necessary to cut it in two….”

After acknowledging that blowing up California would be a “monstrous political task,” the optimistic U-T concludes that “it could happen.” Sure it could. But, as our friend Jeff Johnson said on Twitter, “There is more of a chance of Miley Cyrus riding the Death Star into the Nat’l Mall than there is of any of that hap’ng.”

The purpose, of course, would be to create a state that, politically, is slightly to the right of Mississippi. All it would take is getting the vast right-wing rural areas away from the liberals of Los Angeles, the Bay Area and the northern coast. Obviously, San Diego County would be part of “New California,” making it the Xanadu-to-be’s most liberal area; surely, Manchester and Co. know that our county is trending leftward.

The new state would be free of unions, income taxes and business regulations, David Rolland a place where all manner of energy-resource extraction would thrive without environmental constraints, vouchers for private-school education would be handed out like candy and standardized testing would— once and for all!—take its place as the supreme barometer of teacher performance.

As another Twitter friend, Andy Kopp, put it, “Shorter U.T.: “Kick-ass idea: Let’s cede the tax revenue of Silicon Valley & San Fran, and make our water flammable!”

“The U-T San Diego ownership thinks secessionist proponents are onto something,” the editorial noted.

U-T editorial / opinion director William Osbourne insisted on Twitter that attributing this crackpottery to Manchester (“ownership”) was simply emphasizing that the idea for the editorial came from the top and that we shouldn’t try to read too much into it. But Osbourne’s a fairly reasonable conservative who we doubt would never choose to waste his time on this sort of silliness, so, we think it’s possible that the editorial writer actively attempted to distance the editorial board from the nutters in the publisher’s and CEO’s offices.

This is your daily newspaper, folks.

What do you think? Write to editor@sdcitybeat.com.

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Our cover art is by Ricardo Islas.

Learn more about him on Page 20.

Volume 12 • Issue 17 Editor David Rolland Associate Editor Kelly Davis Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Kinsee Morlan Staff Writer Joshua Emerson Smith Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Lindsey Voltoline Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

Contributors Ian Cheesman, David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Nina Sachdev Hoffmann, Peter Holslin, Dave Maass, Scott McDonald, Jennifer McEntee, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Mina Riazi, Jim Ruland, Jen Van Tieghem, Quan Vu Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse Production artist Rees Withrow MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia Senior account executives Jason Noble, Nick Nappi Account Executive Beau Odom

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San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2013.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

The slow-moving church In reply to Edwin Decker’s Nov. 13 “Sordid Tales” column, “The wonderfully absurd reasons chicks can’t be priests,” even I found it delightful.

Each church is different. Suprisingly, some older and more conservative religions recognize women as worthy of higher offices of the church. Muslims recognize women as Imams. The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (Mormons) still refuse to recognize women as bishops (priests) and have yet to assign women their higher offices. The Episcopal Church recognizes women as priests, and Mary Glasspool is one of two female Episcopal bishops and is openly gay. Barbara Harris was ordained as a bishop by the Episcopal Church in 1989. Incidentally, Douglas Theuner was ordained to the office of bishop by the Episcopal Church and is openly gay, as well. Judaism recognizes women as clergy, as does the Hindu faith. Buddhism does, as do Protestants, Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Going back centuries, the Egyptians and Ancient Greeks did so, as well.

Most recently and most interestingly is the NSA’s interest in the conclave of the Catholic Church and the appointment of Pope Francis. Conclave is the process through which the College of Catholic Cardinals choose the Pope. Before that, the NSA spied on Pope Benedict. Both Bush / Cheney and Obama / Biden ran surveillance through the NSA, according to the documents released by both Edward Snowden and in the Electronic Frontier Foundation lawsuit. The Bush / Cheney machine ran media blackouts on all of Benedict’s antiwar speeches.

It was not until Benedict achieved popularity and national coverage that he pierced the veil. His posi-

6 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

tion on Syria and Putin’s intervention in that conflict likely saved us from another Afghanistan.

The Catholic Church is one of the few organizations that instills moral fiber in a world that teaches deviance and is filled with negative messages. The church moves slowly, but it does move. Check out the Vatican website. You may find it interesting.

The church has been ridden with scandal in years past. Pope Francis is a breath of fresh air. Let’s give them a break.

James Fatchett, Cortez Hill

Bravo to Dave Maass Your whiney Nov. 13 editorial is the “something [that] stinks,” together with the left-handed Spin Cycle’s use of mangled metaphors and a surfeit of sporting allusions in “Running on fumes.”

Neither piece takes account of Dave Maass’ original reportage, in “No Life Offline,” concerning the truly alarming use of tricky-use, third-party websites in the candidates’ fundraising operations. “In fact,” Maass concludes, “all the mayoral candidates are championing transparency in government, but none are exhibiting transparency with how they use your data.”

Your pieces are too much like Frances Zimmerman’s bizarrely humorous rants, rather than logical, successful statements. Bravo to Dave Maass upon his unearthing real dirt!

Tom Edwards, North Park

Joshua Emerson Smith

Gourmet food trucks serve customers at a Tuesday meet-up at Smitty’s Service, an auto-repair shop in Normal Heights.

Food trucks in flux Industry stews as city debates regulations

by Joshua Emerson Smith On a November evening in Normal Heights, hungry pedestrians wandered off of Adams Avenue into a small parking lot, lured by a regularly scheduled gathering of gourmet food trucks. Potential customers sniffed at the giant vehicles as the nomadic chefs served up coconut curry sausages, pork belly po’ boys, fancy-looking pizzas, even lobster-filled grilled-cheese sandwiches.

A blues band played its fourth or fifth song of the night as a young couple stood among the crowd under lamplight and sampled food for their wedding.

“We contacted Curiosity Catering, and they told us they were going to be here, so we thought it would be fun to come out and do a tasting,” said Jamie Haugen, 28. “I love food trucks. I think they’re fun. There’s a lot of variety in them.”

Having driven 30 minutes south from San Marcos for the event, she and her fiancé, Zack Benson, said they’d never been to a “food truck meet-up.”

“I think you can find some really good food from a truck,” said Benson, 31. “They seem a little bit more innovative, too. I’m not sure why. They’re a little more creative with their food.”

Over recent years, cities such as Portland, Los Angeles and Austin watched as gourmet food trucks became a staple of hip urban culture. However, this new breed of quick and sophisticated mobile chef has created concern in the restaurant community and, in some places, faced resistance from elected officials.

While gourmet-food-truck meet-ups in San Diego have drawn crowds for several years, under recently proposed city rules, the Normal Heights event and others like it would be illegal.

Taking input from mobile food venders and the restaurant industry, the city has submitted for review draft municipal regulations that would govern where and when food trucks can operate. While local leaders will continue to debate and revise those rules over the next four months, a number of provisions in the draft would dramatically limit access to food trucks.

Many in the mobile-food-vendor community have labeled recent actions by the city as “anticompetitive,” blaming pressure from restaurant owners.

“I personally think it’s to limit competition,” said Jacob Bartlett, co-owner of the Mastiff Sausage Company food truck. “I say let the market decide. Let the consumers decide. I think there’s enough businesses out there, and I’m not sure we’re not mutually beneficial.”

Earlier this year, the city nailed several

food-truck operators with $500 to $1,000 fines and sent out a series of threatening letters. At the same time, the city shut down two prominent meet-ups held on private property.

In September, interim Mayor Todd Gloria told food-truck operators that it’s illegal to operate on private property, such as a commercial parking lot or a brewery’s driveway.

However, absent any complaints, he said the city wouldn’t go after mobile food vendors until the new rules are in place.

Gloria declined to comment on accusations of collusion with the restaurant industry but issued this written statement: “We’re continuing to advocate for an ordinance that would change the municipal code and allow food trucks to operate legally on private property, something they currently aren’t allowed to do under the municipal code,” he said. “I’m as big a fan of food trucks as everybody else, and I’m confident we can find a way to solve this issue in a manner that is satisfactory to the food trucks, their customers and the neighborhoods where they operate.”

Outside of Downtown, city zoning laws don’t allow or prohibit the operation of food trucks, a fact that leaves a lot open to legal interpretation. In April, the question almost went to a San Diego Superior Court judge.

After the city’s crackdown, the United Association of Food Trucks of San Diego California filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging the fines were an “arbitrary and abusive exercise of the city’s discretion.”

However, then-mayor Bob Filner reined in the city’s code enforcement officers, and the issue was dropped.

Today, food-truck operators and their representatives express hope that the city’s new regulations can be negotiated in good faith.

“We’ve been working the California Restaurant Association,” said Marco Polo Cortes, a consultant for the food-truck association, which represents traditional mobile food vendors, such as taco trucks.

“We’ve found a happy medium that would allow food trucks to operate in commercial zones and mixed-use zones.”

The California Restaurant Association did not respond to CityBeat’s request for comment. But in October, both the foodtruck and the restaurant associations penned a joint letter to the city, stating, in part: “Our association’s members believe mobile food facilities are the fabric of San Diego’s growing food culture. One of our primary goals as partner industries is to promote and enhance all small business opportunities for local entrepreneurs.”

While the details are far from agreed upon, under guidance from the City Attorney’s office, planning officials drafting the regulations have already signaled a willingness to remove or revise two of the most limiting provisions.

Perhaps the most restrictive rule would prohibit food trucks from operating within 75 feet of the entrance of a street-level eating and drinking establishment without permission from the owners. Another provision would require food-truck operators to get authorization to operate in one of the city’s many business-improvement districts. The truck owners would also have to contribute to improvement-district taxes.

Both of those provisions unfairly limit competition, argues Christian Murcia, owner of Crepes Bonaparte and an active member of the gourmet-food-truck community. “We’re confident that’s unconstitutional,” he says. “We’ve already challenged the city attorney on that.

“I think the draft regulations are not going to look the same way they look now, based on the feedback that we’ve seen,” Murcia added. “Will there be specific restaurants that are upset? Yes. But the entire association? I don’t know how they’re going to react going forward.”

According to California vehicle code, a city or county may regulate food trucks only as it applies to public safety, said Matt Geller, a lawyer with the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association. “A city enacting regulation to restrict competition would fall outside the limits of their authority.”

The city’s not ready to concede that point, but, for now, it seems reluctant to test it in court. However, that doesn’t mean city leaders can’t limit competition in other ways.

In response to concerns from restaurant owners, some smaller cities in Orange and Los Angeles counties have used laws to significantly limit food-truck operations, Geller said. “They’re giving all the power to a group of businesses that clearly doesn’t want to compete.”

There are about 500 food trucks in San Diego, about 50 to 75 of which are considered gourmet. Under the proposed regula-

Trucks CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

The last right-wing conspiracy?

State watchdog and Legislature move to curb Judge Gary Kreep’s dirty tricks

by Dave Maass The law is finally catching up with Judge Gary Kreep.

The far-right zealot and political profiteer—perhaps best known for leading the “Birther” movement’s crusade against President Barack Obama—won a seat on the San Diego County Superior Court bench in the summer of 2012. In a series of stories, CityBeat drew back the skin of Kreep’s political machine, revealing a complex circulatory system of payments that may have run afoul of state campaign laws and the judicial ethics code.

Last month, the state watchdog that investigates politicalethics cases determined that Kreep broke the Political Reform Act twice when he failed to report payments he made to, and received from, a controversial campaign committee already under intense scrutiny from the California Legislature for its deceptive practices. The Fair Political Practices Commission, as U-T San Diego first reported, let Kreep off with a formal warning that the next time he’ll face a penalty of up to $5,000 for each violation. In exchange, Kreep amended his official reports to include the previously hidden transactions.

While the warning may seem like a slap on the wrist, the definitive finding could lend fuel to future investigations.

For decades, Kreep led the United States Justice Foundation, a nonprofit law office and advocacy organization rooted in a far-right interpretation of the Constitution. Under Kreep’s direction, USJF targeted top Democratic officials—

including Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama— with lawsuits alleging fringe conspiracies. Kreep also made a name for himself in the so-called “family values” anti-gay and anti-abortion movements and served as general counsel to one of the most militant factions of the Minutemen.

Also for decades, Kreep’s operated a sophisticated propaganda machine that made him, and his cohorts, wealthy.

Through numerous political committees, Kreep and his allies would send out hate-mongering mass mailings to raise funds to send out even more outrageous mail.

On the federal level, the political-action committees (or PACs) included groups like Justice-PAC, Beat Obama PAC and the Republican Majority Campaign PAC, for which Kreep previously listed himself as chairman. Kreep and his crew took generous cuts of the haul: Randy Goodwin collected payments for accounting services; James Lacy, who runs the political-services firm Landslide Communications, collected payments for mailers and robocalls; and Kreep received payments for legal services, as well as for renting space in his office.

Goodwin also served as treasurer for Kreep’s judge campaign and channeled money from the various federal PACs to Kreep’s war chest. Meanwhile, Lacy’s company operates a number of slate-mail organizations, which send out direct mail promoting numerous candidates, which paid Kreep as a consultant.

Sound confusing? It was enough to befuddle Kreep, too.

Through the California Public Records Act, CityBeat ob-

tained the FPPC’s investigative file on Kreep, which included correspondence from Kreep’s attorney. According to the letter, Kreep couldn’t remember which committees he chaired and had to retract his disclosure that he led the Beat Obama PAC. Further complicating things, his attorney in the matter was Lacy, the same individual engaged in the transactions under investigation, who has a record of breaking campaign laws. The FPPC found Lacy failed to properly disclose $714,000 in payments made by two other PACs during the 2012 election cycle. In April 2013, Lacy settled with the Federal Elections Commission in two cases, seemingly unrelated to Kreep, in which Lacy’s committees committed multiple violations of campaign law.

Adam Vieyra Neither Kreep nor Lacy responded to multiple inquiries about the seeming conflict of interest, or any other question.

Kreep’s involvement in the political groups raises major questions under the California Code of Judicial Ethics, which prohibits judges and judicial candidates from leading partisan political organizations. Kreep has claimed he formally resigned his chairmanships of the committees approximately one week after he began his campaign, and Goodwin filed a declaration that Kreep maintained no leadership role Gary Kreep in the PACs’ operations. However, financial records indicate there’s more to the story.

Since he formally resigned in February 2012, Kreep has collected more than $72,000 from Goodwin’s PACs for “legal services,” “rent,” “meeting expenses” and “consulting services.” The most recent payment from the Republican Majority Campaign to Kreep was for legal services logged in May 2013, long after he had assumed office.

The FPPC found that Kreep had channeled his judicial campaign’s money to a group operated by Lacy called the California Public Safety Voter Guide and then collected a total of $34,000 in consulting fees from that organization.

The transactions were not clearly disclosed until the FPPC launched is investigation.

The California Public Safety Voter Guide and related slate mailers operated by Lacy have been at the center of controversy for pretending to be endorsements from public-safety groups when, in reality, no such relationship existed. Several organizations, such as California Professional Firefighters, the Los Angeles Police Protective League and Common Cause, complained to the Legislature about the mailers. In response, lawmakers passed a law to force new disclosures by slate mailers that use faux public-safety logos—including an actual number of members. Lacy is challenging the law in court, arguing it would be a violation of his First Amendment rights if he had to disclose that his organizations had “0 members.”

San Diego attorney Len Simon led a group of 14 attorneys in filing the initial complaint against Kreep, based in part on CityBeat’s reporting. On Facebook, Lacy downplayed the FPPC’s findings, but Simon feels vindicated.

“We filed the complaint because we thought Judge Kreep’s disclosure statement did not comply with the law,” Simon said in an email. “The FPPC and Judge Kreep appear to have agreed with us, and Judge Kreep filed corrected disclosures. We were a little disappointed that the FPPC did not look more closely as to whether some of the transactions were structured to evade the law. We wish they had pushed a little deeper into that.”

Nevertheless, the FPPC’s conclusion that Kreep broke the law could fuel further investigation by the California Commission on Judicial Performance, which enforces the ethics rules affecting judges, including the one that states: “Judges and candidates for judicial office shall comply with all applicable election, election campaign, and election campaign fundraising laws and regulations.”

Write to davem@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

8 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

Trucks CONTINUED from PAGE 7

Joshua Emerson Smith

tions, it’s this new wave of mobile chefs who have the most to lose, specifically because several key provisions could significantly limit meet-up events, which have become a central part of the gourmet-food-truck scene.

Under the draft regulations, food trucks would not be permitted to operate in commercial parking lots, a frequent and convenient destination for meet-ups, especially in denser parts of the Jorge Padron, 28, enjoys a bratwurst topped with bacon and city where space is scarce. At the caramelized onions from a Mastiff Sausage Company food truck. same time, for each food truck located on private property, at least 1,500 square feet right balance of uses. This will be a bit of a shock to of paved parking would be required. the industry that has been operating without regulaThese regulations could stifle one of the most tions. But the regulations are never cast in stone.” vibrant parts of the gourmet-food-truck movement, Under the proposal, mobile food vendors would said Murcia, who also runs Curbside Bites, a booking be allowed to operate in commercial and industrial service that organizes meet-ups. “It’s a draw to con- zones. Residential areas would be off limits, except sumers that may not agree on the thing they want to for catering events with no individual sales, such as eat, but they can agree that if they go to this location weddings. Hours of operation would be 6 a.m. to 10 where you have multiple brands together, it will be p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. able to satisfy everybody’s wants for food.”

Friday and Saturday.

Last week, the Community Planners Committee The regulations are scheduled to be before the (CPC), which represents all the neighborhood plan- Planning Commission in January, and the City ning groups, unanimously ratified support for the Council is expected to vote on the final regulations plan but recommended removing the prohibition on in March. using parking lots.

“It is a new use and should be regulated,” said CPC Write to joshuas@sdcitybeat.com Chair Joe Lacava. “The city seems to have struck the and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

aaryn

backwards & in high heels

belfer It could happen soon: a common calendar for San Diego Unified If you’re a parent of a child in the San Diego Unified all the school board—wants several hundred Helen School District (SDUSD), it’s possible you’ve heard Lovejoys showing up at board meetings. rumblings about the push for a new common calThe lack of transparency is disconcerting, endar, a supposed modification of traditional and even if it’s nothing more than a function of bumyear-round calendars. It’s more possible that unless bling bureaucracy. Try doing a search on SDUSD’s you’re one of the eight regulars at PTA meetings, website for pretty much anything and you’ll find enduring the psychological abuse of Robert’s Rules pretty much nothing—which is exactly what you of Order—a parliamentary etiquette so tedious Emget if you search for “calendar committee” or “disily Post would want to gouge her eyes out with a trict calendar committee” or “where did I put my melon baller—you’re probably among the masses damned car keys?” who’ve not heard about the pending shift.

Redding says that arguments in favor of the adSDUSD has a longstanding District Calendar ditional August instruction keep changing, but they Committee, whose function is to come up with include allowing more time for SAT / PSAT preparaone calendar for all the schools in the district. Amy tion, high-school seniors being wait-listed at colleges Redding, chair of the District Advisory Council for and a need to end the semester before winter break.

Compensatory Education and the parent represenThe claim of needed test-prep is immediately tative on the committee, says there are two posquestionable since a) tests driving educational decisible “transitional calendars” being considered for sion making = gah!, and b) such tests measure knowlimplementation beginning in the 2014-15 school edge gained over a child’s school career. More effecyear. This can only happen if the district’s governtive support—not cramming—should be the goal. ing Board of Education commits financial support, The wait-list argument turned out to be bogus; data but more on that in a sec. showed the theory to be erroneous, and it’s no longer Logistically, as the second largest school district part of the start-school-in-August blitzkrieg. And endin California, it makes a lot ing the first semester before of sense to have everyone on winter break is a weak reason The lack of transparency is the same schedule. It would for moving 133,000-ish kids serve the roughly 9,000 miliinto August instruction. disconcerting, even if it’s tary kids in the district, who So, where are parents in nothing more than a function sometimes fall behind when all of this? It’s tough to tell. they transfer, and provide Redding is particularly of bumbling bureaucracy. continuity for kids in special concerned about lack of pared. And a common calendar ent inclusion. “What I want would be like Rolaids for families with multiple to know,” she said when referring to her committee children in multiple schools. Imagine the troubles colleagues, “is are we going to do parent outreach of planning that long-saved-for European famor surveys? Are we going to solicit parent input? ily adventure when Timmy and Tammy are out of Will there be a change in our thought process once school for the entire month of April, but Tommy the parents weigh in?” only gets one week for spring break. Then again, So far, she’s gotten no answer. “I question the had Tina and Tony used birth control, they could depth of the conversation,” Redding said, stating that take vacations whenever they wanted. until the school board allocates money to implement Family-planning choices aside, the calendars the calendar, the real work—and there’s a lot of it— being considered are relatively traditional with remains on hold. “I think there is little impetus to long summer breaks, despite research that shows buckle down without a firm budget commitment.” that shorter breaks benefit students of low socioThe school board has estimated that the shift to a economic backgrounds. And then there’s the cencommon calendar will run in the $14-million range. terpiece—centerpiece—around which this common But that’s solely for the cost of teachers. That number doesn’t include support staff, custodians, food calendar is being developed (you late-summer vaworkers or busing. The real cost is unknown. As is cationers may want to be sitting for this next part): the interim budget, another set of magical numbers The committee’s proposing an eventual start date upon which decisions are being made. What’s real of early August, phased in over the course of a couis that something will have to be cut to make this ple of years. calendar thing happen. Really, this budget story is Where this idea originated and who’s pushing for getting stale. it now is unclear. Obviously, they haven’t spent any As the school board has called a special meeting time in an East County classroom without air condifor Dec. 17, now might be a good time for parents to tioning. Also: They hate America. Whatever the case, weigh in. You can drop an email with your thoughts starting school three weeks before Labor Day has got to Redding at DAC.sdusd@gmail.com. Or show up someone at the district all kinds of amped and into the meeting and beg someone to: Please think the-know parents all kinds of apoplectic. about the children!

Opinions on this tend to be strong and visceral, which might partially explain why there hasn’t Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com been any concerted effort by the committee to oband editor@sdcitybeat.com. tain parent input. Let’s be honest: Nobody—least of

10 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

by michael a. gardiner Michael A. Gardiner

A Jewish deli is not about culinary innovation; it’s about evoking a specific cultural milieu. And D.Z. Akin’s (6930 Alvarado Road, dzak insdeli.com) does it well. It looks, feels and tastes New York Jewish.

Of course, that “New York Jewish” is somewhat secular and doesn’t necessarily equal “kosher”—no restaurant serving a true Reuben, including both corned beef and Swiss cheese, possibly could be.

It may be worth compromising the laws of kashrut for D.Z. Akin’s Reuben. With cheese melting into the top layer of rye sitting on uncountable layers of corned beef over sauerkraut, it’s a mealand-a-half even without a single pickle from the jar—and I’ve never been to D.Z. Akin’s and eaten D.Z. Akin’s whitefish platter only one pickle.

But my go-to dish at D.Z. Akin’s is the smokedwhitefish platter. The fish comes with an array of cold and crisp vegetables, a bagel and cream cheese, not unlike the more recognizable bagels and lox. Instead of a flat piece of processed salmon, the whitefish is thick, moist, smoky, savory D.Z. Akin’s is San Diego’s best and utterly luscious. The sensual qualities of the Jewish deli oily fish and tactile element of the participatory eating nearly rise to the level of soft-core porn.

And then there were three. With the closing of HillA somewhat lesser-known Jewish-deli clascrest’s City Delicatessen after 30 years, San Diego sic is the potato knish: baked packages of dough is down to three top New York-style Jewish delis: filled with potato and a bit of onion. The secret to Milton’s in Del Mar, Elijah’s in La Jolla and—the the dough is that old Jewish mother’s pantry trick, best of them all—D.Z. Akin’s in the College Area. schmaltz (rendered chicken fat). The knish comes We all have an image of the classic Jewish deli, to the table looking like a brick but is improbably even if we only know it from television and the light and soars when paired with sour cream. movies. Many of these—including the greatest Yet, the crowning glory at D.Z. Akin’s is the fake-orgasm scene ever (Meg Ryan in When Harmatzo-ball soup, with or without kreplach (beef ry Met Sally)—were filmed at Katz’s in New York. dumpling). This is not some clarified and enTo a significant degree, those images have come riched French consommé. It’s simplicity itself, to define the Jewish deli. A counter with breads with only five easy parts: broth, carrots, noodles, and meats behind it, walls filled with headshots kreplach and a solitary matzo ball. The lightness of celebrities and jars with pickles on the tables of that matzo ball elevates the whole affair. define the look of the prototypical New York deli.

Maybe you’re inspired to think this soup reA casual atmosphere and waitresses who are one ally can cure the common cold. Or, perhaps you part Bubbie and one part New York brusque dewonder if it might provide an alternate explanation for Meg Ryan’s “fake” orgasm. fine the feel of the place. A nearly endless menu arrives, often with a thud, offering overstuffed Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com sandwiches, smoked fish and innumerable other and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Ashkenazi Jewish favorites.

the world

fare

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

Jen Van Tieghem

bottle

Rocket

Diversity for drinkers in Little Italy Most local winemaking operations set up shop on the rural outskirts while tasting rooms spring up in well-trafficked areas. San Diego Cellars (2215 Kettner Blvd.) balances both at a quaint spot in Little Italy where wines are both made and served.

Nestled among office buildings and interior-décor shops, the location is just a block from craft-beer juggernauts Bottlecraft and the newly opened Ballast Point Brewing on India Street. San Diego Cellars fills a void for wine-lovers, offering a casual setting in a vibrant neighborhood where guests sample wines by tasting or glass.

A friend and I opted for a tasting and, for $10 each, selected six wines to try. Not normally a fan of rosé, I let my friend have at the only pink wine on the menu. However, at her coaxing, I took a sip. The rich flavor of Pinot Noir grapes with only a faint

12 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

sweetness made this one easily drinkable.

The standouts, for me, lay on the other side of the menu. I tried multiple Syrahs, a Cabernet Sauvignon and an old vine Zinfandel—all of which I enjoyed. The 2009 and 2010 Syrahs topped my list. The 2009 was smooth and tasted like ripe berries and jam. The 2010 had a sharp acidity but held notes of cocoa and pepper. If you’re a wine drinker with patience, this would be one to hold on to—also, could you lock a botJen Van Tieghem tle away for me?

One interesting concept here is what they call a CRUzer. Similar to a growler purchased at a brewery, this refillable glass container is an ecofriendly bottle option. Another selling point: the CRUzer is filled to 1,000 milliliters (a bit more than standard 750-milliliter bottles.)

While the modest winery celebrated its grand opening only weeks before my visit, it already has a regular clientele; many patrons knew the bartenders by name and enjoyed their tastings for free as members of the wine club—a perk that convinced my friend and me to split a membership.

Write to jenv@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

by Mina Riazi mina riazi

bread—“homemade and fresh”— ties everything together the way that only near-perfect carbs can.

But it’s the wrap’s baba ghanouj spread that nabs the spotlight.

Smoky, garlicky goodness defines the eggplant-and-tahini mixture.

Despite its vegetarian status, the wrap is just as filling—and much more satisfying—than Mama’s kafta and beef shawarma offerings. When my grub buddies and I arrived at the Lebanese eatery, we decided to order several different dishes. Our loot included a spinach-and-cheese pie, two salads and three wraps.

Unfortunately, the beef shawarma and kafta wraps suffered from the same weakness: dry, lacklusMama’s fried-eggplant wrap ter meat. It’s always disappointing when the star ingredient fails to perform. In this case, the too-chewy meat pieces weren’t frightful, just forgettable. Yes, the sajj was fantastic and flaunted just enough stretch, but the yawn-inducing protein couldn’t hide behind it.

Interestingly, the domed griddle that births the flatbread also goes by the name “sajj.” Hot off It’s all about aubergine the grill, the savory pie we ordered featured sautéed spinach and gooey cheese wrapped in sajj.

In his prime, my grandfather was a man of many The pie tasted best when paired with a few zingy, talents. An ophthalmologist by day, he spent his crunchy pickles. Grab a chilled bottle of ayran, a evenings lovingly tending his Shiraz garden. My popular yogurt drink, for a refreshing complegrandfather’s knack for making roses, petunias and ment to the hearty food. zinnias grow vibrant and velvety paled in compariMama’s Bakery and Deli combines a closetson, though, to his flair for roasting eggplants. sized ordering hub with a roomy patio space; a My grandfather liked his eggplants purple and few extra tables spill onto the sidewalk. Paper shapely, with smooth, waxy complexions. Using a plates and plastic cutlery add to the eatery’s lowfork, he would puncture holes in the plump vegkey vibe. Somehow, all these less-than-polished etable before wrapping it in aluminum foil and elements make sense for a restaurant that’s been placing it inside a wood fireplace. The finished auaround for 20-plus years. bergine’s charred skin was peeled away to reveal The hangout’s “bakery” component is a glass soft, tender flesh. With its custard-like texture and display case chockfull of Lebanese pastries, or smoky flavor, the eggplant was delicious. baklawa. I found the sticky honey cake overYears later, I’m reminded of my grandfawhelmingly sweet, but the cashew “fingers” were ther’s gift for roasting eggplants while dining at delightfully nutty and crisp. Still, it’s the friedMama’s Bakery and Deli in University Heights eggplant wrap that will inspire my future visits. Its (4237 Alabama St., mamasbakery.net). It’s the slow, smoky flavor made for an altogether luscious fried-eggplant wrap that does it. The same rich, meal—the buttery roasted eggplant rivaled only by my grandfather’s winning version. toasted flavor meets an oily-silky consistency— like foie gras or grilled bone marrow. At Mama’s, Write to minar@sdcitybeat.com the veggie curls up to familiar fixings—tomato, and editor@sdcitybeat.com. lettuce, parsley and pickles. A chewy sajj flat-

One Lucky

Spoon

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

urban

by Nina Sachdev Hoffmann

scout

Where can I find…

Worthy places to donate money?

Full disclosure: I haven’t shopped for anyone in my family yet. So, if it’s gift recommendations you’re looking for in this week’s column, well, you’re outta luck. But this is also the annual Holiday Gift Guide issue (which begins on Page 21), so you’re not totally outta luck.

I’ve given to other people’s families, though.

At least five homeless children now have blankets and stuffed animals and books because of the donations my husband and I made this year.

And dozens of children and adults who’ve suffered from sexual abuse are getting the help they need to heal because of our contributions. Even KPBS made its way into our charitable, newshungry hearts.

Why am I telling you this? Because as beautiful and well-off as San Diego appears, there are thousands of residents in need—and hundreds of local nonprofits that rely on the donations of people like you and me in order to help them.

It doesn’t matter if you feed a child, help someone to learn how to read or provide comfort to a struggling military family. It doesn’t matter what the dollar amount is. What matters is that we find causes that are important to us— issues we feel connected to and have a vested interest in.

Here are some I feel strongly about. Maybe they will resonate with you; maybe they won’t.

Try to find something that does. And give.

EDUCATE Who: San Diego Council on Literacy What: Nearly half a million San Diego adults won’t read this. They can’t. They’d need to be on an eighth-grade reading level to do so. Instead, they range from having zero literacy skills to being on a fourth-grade reading level. And the sad reality, according to José Cruz, CEO of the San Diego Council on Literacy, is that “most adults in the San Diego region who need literacy instruction are, in fact, Englishspeaking.” Of course, the effects of low-literacy are far-reaching. It limits employment opportunities and complicates parenting. It also affects people’s health. According to the nonprofit, people with poor literacy skills are less able to accurately follow the directions on the back of medicine bottles and more likely to make frequent visits to the emergency room. That’s about $73 billion in healthcare costs that could be avoided. But you know what’s cheaper than hospital stays? Teaching people how to read.

How to give: Donate your money or your tutoring skills via literacysandiego.org

14 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

HEAL Who: Palomar Health Child Abuse Program What: If sexual abuse hasn’t affected you or your family, please know how lucky you are: One in four girls and one in six boys are sexually abused in the U.S. before age 18. Bringing perpetrators to justice is just one part of healing from such tremendous trauma. But it’s an important part.

And by Dec. 31, if Palomar Health—which helps survivors get their day in court—doesn’t get the money it needs, it will cease to investigate claims of child sexual abuse.

If that happens, San Diego will lose one of just two accredited centers for forensic interviews.

And if that happens, survivors of sexual abuse and rape will be further silenced by a crime that’s already shrouded in secrecy.

How to give: Please consider donating—immediately—via pphfoundation.org.

FEED Who: Feeding America San Diego What: Of all the problems we face, children going hungry in the U.S. has to be one of the most difficult to stomach. Consider these shameful statistics: Nearly half a million people in San Diego, the country’s eighth-largest city, are food-insecure—meaning they don’t have consistent access to food. Here’s another punch in the gut: More than 60,000 children in this city are not eligible for federal nutrition programs, which means the money needed to feed them comes directly from charitable donations. Feeding America San Diego, established in 2007, has various programs that focus not only on filling bellies, but also ensuring that children have access to fresh, healthy food. Know that every dollar you donate to this nonprofit turns into six complete meals for the people who need them most.

How to give: Donate your money, food or your time via feedingamericasd.org.

Write to ninah@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

the

SHORTlist

1

COORDINATED BY KINSEE MORLAN

INVENTION CONVENTION

San Diego’s first-ever Mini Maker Faire is an interactive showcase of inventors, engineers, brewers, garage tinkerers and other folks who make cool stuff. A handful of local makers, event producers and community activists came together to form Change Hive, the soon-to-beofficial nonprofit that’s behind the event. The new group hopes to one day grow the fair to be as massive as the big-name maker gatherings in the Bay Area, New York and Rome.

“But even though it’s called ‘mini,’ it’s really not going to be small at all,” explained Katie Rast, one of the founders of Change Hive. “We have over 100 makers The Electric Giraffe, a large-scale robotic animal by Lindsay Lawlor exhibiting their inventions.”

If you still have an image in your head of a quaint The Mini Maker Faire will run from 10 a.m. to 6 craft fair filled with vendors trying to sell their goods, p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds erase it. The Mini Maker Faire will feature things like (2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.). There’ll also be a prehandmade drones, electric carts and a two-story-tall view event for the fair and holiday soirée at Makers robotic giraffe. There will be interactive workshops Quarter (735 15th St. in East Village) from 5 to 8 p.m. teaching attendees how to solder and make minia- Friday, Dec. 6. Get $10 tickets for each event at the ture rockets. Plus, a long list of speakers at the event door. sandiegominimakerfaire.org includes Qualcomm’s chief technology officer, Matthew Gro, and the editor-in-chief of Maker magazine. The point of the event isn’t commercial at all, Paul Turounet spent years on the U.S.Rast says; it’s to connect local inventors to the comMexico border building an impressive munity and inspire others to join their ranks. body of work that takes a striking look “We would like to basically encourage people in their craft,” Rast says. “So, whatever you’re into— at the immigrant experience. He’s well-known for if you’re a maker who makes beer or a maker who that imagery, but with Gardens of Paradise, his solo builds custom bicycles—we want to showcase all of show opening from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at jdc Fine Art (2400 Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy), this exciting local invention.” the photographer establishes himself as more of a conceptual artist than a documentarian. Turounet’s large-format photos are the result of his many exploAt UC Berkley, Alice Waters majored in rations of the notorious Las Vegas Strip. He captures French cultural studies, a degree that images of the cards given out by girls-for-hire and, by might be scoffed at today but which put carefully composing the shots around the found obher on a path to worldwide fame. From 11 a.m. to 1 jects and incorporating bits and pieces of the shiny p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, the founder of the acclaimed Vegas façade—flowers and fountains—he asks viewChez Panisse will sign ers to reconsider the tossed-away images’ significopies of her new cance and prevalence. jdcfineart.com book, The Art of Simple Food II, at The Chino Farm (6123 Calzada del Bosque in Rancho Santa Fe) as part of the Good Earth Great Chefs series. Waters will be joined by wine geek Kermit Lynch, who’ll sign copies of his latest, Adventures on the Wine Route: A Wine Buyer’s Tour of France. The event will include live music, eats from Bottaro Woodfired Pizza and tastes of Ballast Point beers and Kermit Lynch-selected wines. Books can “Andrea, $125, Caesar’s Palace” by Paul Turounet be pre-purchased at goodearthgreatchefs.com.

3

2

AN INVESTIGATIVE LENS

FOODIE’S DELIGHT

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

ART HStormy Lights at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. Marc Gariss’ handmade bottle-lamps on display and for sale while DJ Claire spins sea shanties and ‘70s yacht rock. From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5. 619-284-6784, facebook. com/events/240146159478659/ Arroya Mud at Visual Arts Facility Gallery, Russell Lane, UCSD campus, La Jolla.

MFA thesis exhibition from Emily Sevier, whose interest in mud in the network San Diego’s canyons started when she moved into one of these canyons and began to sift through the debris. From 5 to 9 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 5. visarts.ucsd.edu Friday Night Liberty at Liberty Station, Point Loma. Open galleries, artist studios and museums along with holiday shopping. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6.

619-573-9300, ntclibertystation.com Jan Bart Shawl Collection at Kensington Gallery, 4186 Adams Ave., Kensington. See over 150 exotic, finely-crafted shawls from all over the world. From 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. 619 534 8120, kensingtongallery.org HRUIN: Works on Paper by Walter Sutin at Disclosed Unlocation Gallery, 1925 30th St., South Park. A series of multicolored ink drawings made in reaction to a trip to the near east. From 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7. 619-7648619, unlocation.com HThe Painterly Art of Happiness & Other Stuff at Subtext, 2479 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. Artist Matte Stephens will show off his whimsical, narrative and quirky paintings. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. 619-876-0664, subtextgallery.com HHELM: Joe Yorty at A Ship in the Woods, 1660 Lugano Lane, Del Mar. Yorty shows off his recent works in collage, sculpture and paintings. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. shipinthewoods.com HBread & Salt Open House at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. See the emerging art space’s galleries and art studios. There’ll be live music and several new art exhibitions including photos by David Fokos and David Harrison. From 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. facebook.com/ pages/Bread-Salt/131432453678688 The Duck Print & Other Delights at Bay Park Press, 4138 Napier St., Bay Park. Artist books, Lino cuts, etchings and collagraphs by Betty Martinez. Opening from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. bayparkpress.com HPaul Turounet: Gardens of Paradise at jdc Fine Art, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 208, Little Italy. The San Diego-based photographer’s images are taken directly from a section of the Vegas strip known as Paradise, where prostitution is legal.

From 5 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7.

619-985-2322, jdcfineart.com/gardensofparadise HIvana Ford at Rubber Rose, 917 E St., Downtown. The sex-accessory shop restarts their art events with this exhibition of Ford’s photography and her book, Vixen Obscura. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. therubberrose.com Loose Behavior 2 at Linksoul Lab, 530 S. Coast Hwy., Oceanside. Artists and photographers paired up to create pieces on wood panels. Proceeds will be donated to Waves for Water, which helps bring clean water the Philippines. From 6 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 7. linksoul.tumblr.com HWindow Blinds at Helmuth Projects, 1827 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Recent paintings by San Diego/L.A.-based painter Julian Rogers, whose work distorts relatable

16 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

images of domestic life, taken from found Super 8 home movies from the ‘60s and ‘70s. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. 619-265-6842, helmuth-projects.com Studio Opening at Ladybug Art Studio, 4821 Clairemont Dr., Clairemont. The new gallery will feature art from locals including water colors by Shinja Shinedes and manipulated photography by Walt Thomas.

Opening from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. 619-563-0082, visible-concepts.com David Fokos at Bread & Salt, 1955 Julian Ave., Logan Heights. Fokos will discuss “The Book Page Project,” which involves folding and bending book pages to imbue them with a physicality then photographing them. From 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. artpulse.org

BOOKS HLiving Coastal at Sessions Public, 4204 Voltaire St., Ocean Beach. At 5 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 5, enjoy appetizers and happy hour specials while Chef Brandon Brooks signs copies of Living Coastal, an art book, cookbook, and profile of 18 San Diego artists and 18 chefs inspired by the ocean. At 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, see an art show by Living Coastal artist Donna Butnik and meet Chef Tommy Fraioli at Sea Rocket Bistro, 3382 30th St., North Park. chefspress.com/product/living-coastal HAlice Waters and Kermit Lynch at The Chino Farm, 6123 Calzada del Bosque, Rancho Santa Fe. A double book signing and fundraiser for the Edible Schoolyard Project with these two pioneers of the California food revolution. Waters signs The Art of Simple Food II, and Lynch signs Adventures on the Wine Route. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. 619889-2271, goodearthgreatchefs.com HAmy Tan at MCASD La Jolla, 700 Prospect St. The famed author of The Joy Lock Club will read, discuss and sign her newest novel, The Valley of Amazement. $35 ticket price includes a copy of the book.

At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9. 858-4543541, warwicks.indiebound.com Frans Vischer at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The children’s author/illustrator reads and signs, A Very Fuddles Christmas, the newest installment in his book about his cat. At 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com

COMEDY Toys 4 Tots Charity Show at Comedy Store, 916 Pearl St., La Jolla. Bring a new unwrapped toy or $10 donation for the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots foundation and receive free admission. At 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5. 858-454-9176, lajolla.thecomedystore.com

DANCE Shapes & Reflections at Mira Costa College Theatre, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside.

Modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, ballroom and world dance choreographed by students and faculty. At 7:30 p.m. Friday through Sunday, Dec. 6-8. $15. 760-754-9686, miracosta.edu HGet a Kik Out of This at The Dancehouse, 1466 F Street, East Village. A full night of coed burlesque performances

by KiK Burlesque Dance Company. From 8:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. $10$20. 619-322-1015, kik.eventbee.com

FOOD & DRINK Rockin’ Wine Fest at Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Enjoy tastings from Carruth Cellars, Gavilan and

Dierberg Winery and stick around for live music from local pop-rockers, Get Back Loretta. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4. $20. 858-481-8140, bellyup.com Sip, Swirl and Savor at Andaz Hotel, 600 F St., Downtown. A holiday-inspired wine pairing and tasting benefiting Mama’s Kitchen. From 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4. Donations suggested. andaz.hyatt.com HFoodie Friday at La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. A ticket to select Playhouse performances includes access to some of San Diego’s finest food trucks like Pierogitruck, plus a tasting from Stone Brewing. From 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. $5-$20. 858550-1070. lajollaplayhouse.org

HOLIDAY EVENTS HSunbelt Publications Holiday Party at Sunbelt Publications Office & Warehouse, 1256 Fayette St., El Cajon. Browse discounted books, have some chili and drinks, and listen to speakers as they discuss topics such as pet therapy and rock art in the Grand Canyon. RSVP 619-2584911 x114 or sunbeltbook@sunbeltpub. com. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5.

LaPlaya Gallery Christmas Open House at La Playa Gallery, 2226 Avenida de la Playa, La Jolla. The new gallery showcases its collection of artwork and jewelry created by local and international artisans. From 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5. 858-454-6903, laplayagallery.com HHoliday Cheer & Lights at SILO in Makers Quarter, 753 15th St., East Village.

Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra will perform. The event also features hayrides, a petting zoo, ECOR ornament making and assembly, holiday decorations, a Christmas tree lighting, food, cocktails and craft beer, plus a preview of the San Diego Mini Maker Faire. Proceeds benefit the youth orchestra. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. $10. 619.702.5655, makersquarter.com HMeander Works Holiday Trunk Show at Low Gallery, 3778 30th St., North Park. Marilyn Brogan of Meander Works will show off her one-of-a-kind jewelry and metal works. From 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. 619-348-5517, lowgallerysd.com HDecember Nights at Balboa Park. The two-day annual tradition features international foods, musicians and dance performances, carolers, and bands. The park is decorated with festive lights and the museums are open and feature their own holiday events. From 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7. balboapark.org Wings & Snow: Circle of Life at Sophie’s Gallery NTC, 2825 Dewey Road, Gallery 101, Point Loma. The art show features contemporary wreaths for all seasons by artists with developmental disabilities. From 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. 619-593-2205, stmsc.org/sophies-gallery-events An Irish Christmas at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. A celebration of Christmas from Ireland featuring dance, music and cultural performances. At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. $39-$44. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org The Nutcracker at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Dancers from the San Elijo Dance Academy will perform alongside internationally acclaimed guest artists in this production that features spectacular sets and special effects. At 1 and 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 7. $22-$32. 800-9884253, artcenter.org Holiday Tree Lighting at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. The holiday tradition includes

seasonal music and Victorian carolers, art activities, costumed entertainers, a special visit from Santa and a winter wonderland with real snow. From 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. 760-839-4186, artcenter.org A Choral Yuletide at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. A seasonal celebration in song with the Center Chorale and the Center Children’s Chorus. The program includes a reading of Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. $10-$25. Free for children 12 and under. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org Holiday Peace Bazaar at Mid-City Gym, 4302 Landis St., City Heights. This annual community event gives the public a means to support local peace, social justice, and environmental organizations and a change to purchase a variety of locally made, fairtrade and organic gift items. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. 619-263-9301, peacebazaar.prcsd.org/Home.html Handmade Holiday Event at Expressive Arts @ 32nd & Thorn, 3201 Thorn St., North Park. Enjoy shopping for unique handmade holiday gifts and party items made by local artisans. From 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. expressiveartssandiego.com HLuminaria Holiday Walkabout in South Park. From Kalmia to Beech Streets, you’ll find shops open late, entertainment, specials and surprises. Free trolley. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. southparkwalkabout.com North Park Toyland Parade in North Park. The annual parade celebrates its 50th year. Route begins at University and Utah and ends up on Gunn Street near Jefferson Elementary. At 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. toylandparade.com Holiday in the Village along Third Avenue in Chula Vista. The community event features entertainment, free children’s activities and retail, dining and other specials from the unique shops in this business district. From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. thirdavenuevillage.com Surfindian Christmas Party at Surfindian, 4658 Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach.

Browse beach-friendly gear and rock out to the band Ragged Old Glory while also checking out paintings by local artist Brian Bent. From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. 858-412-5334, surfindian. blogspot.com Zjhunky Christmas Sale at Zjhunky Metal Art, 2932 Via Loma Vista, Escondido. The studio opens twice a year to share sculptures and yard art made from reclaimed and repurposed metal. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7-8.

760-745-5956, zjhunkmetalart.com HGarden of Lights at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. The San Diego Botanic Garden transforms into a winter wonderland with over 100,000 lights. From 5 to 9 p.m. December 7-23 and 26-30. $6-$14. 760436-3036, SDBGarden.org HHoliday Hit List at Corky McMillin Event Center, 2875 Dewey Roid, NTC, Point Loma. The San Diego North Park Craft Mafia presents their annual shopping event featuring locally handmade gifts. The first 100 families will receive a free swag bag.

From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8.

619-573-9260, holidayhitlist.com Art of Giving at Mosaic San Diego, 1402 Commercial St., Logan Heights. Enjoy a night of food, gift-making, a goods market, holiday cheer and entertainment with a special performance by Jordan Frye of Urban Rescue. From 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. 619-230-8710, mosaicsd.org/artofgiving/ San Diego Bay Parade of Lights at San Diego Bay. More than 80 boats decorated

THEATER

Plaid Tidings to you and all of your kin When was the last time you heard the immortal names Perry Como and Topo Gigio spoken in a theater? Never?

You will at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad, where nostalgia is served up like peppermint eggnog this holiday season, courtesy of Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings. (In case you’re wondering, Perry Como was a clean-cut crooner famous for his Kraft Musical Hall show, and Topo Gigio was a talking mouse puppet who frequently appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. Consider yourself educated.)

Now, if you don’t know what Forever Plaid is, you’ve undoubtedly been hibernating for the past 23 years.

It’s an off-Broadway revue written by Stuart Ross that features a straight-arrow guy group pranking on stage and singing the likes of “Three Coins in the Fountain” and “Lady of Spain.” A holiday-oriented sequel, Plaid Tidings, was on stage last year at New Village Arts Theatre, and now it’s back, with a bit of tinkering, under the direction of Jason Heil.

Like eggnog, a little Plaid goes a long way, and this show—about the guys (Bryan Banville, Charles Evans, Daniel Filippi and Conor Tibbs) returning from the afterlife to perform a “special” concert—runs about a half-hour longer than it should.

Though its repertoire includes not only familiar carols as well as past Plaid favorites, the good tidings here have more to do with the choreography (by David S. Humphrey) and the comic hijinks between tunes. Tibbs (as Jinx) and Plaid newcomer Filippi (as Smudge) merit most of the laughs. As for the arc of the show, there’s less filler in Act 2, which is when Como and Topo get their due. The bits are amusing, even if you aren’t up on your TV trivia.

It’s that time of year, theater-wise, when more ambitious fare goes on hiatus, for the most part, and frothy shows like this one take center stage. Some are awful while others are just OK, and there’s always that dependable Grinch over in Balboa Park.

At least Plaid Tidings avoids wallowing in overt holaccording to a this year’s “Big Bay Toy Parade” theme will sail from Shelter Island past Harbor Island, the Embarcadero and Seaport Village to the Ferry Landing in Coronado. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. sdparadeoflights.org Lupe DiFranco at Naval Air Station North Island, 200 Alameda Blvd., Coronado. DiFranco as he brings the music of Christmas to Coronado with a concert of songs and carols in English, Spanish and Tagalog. At 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8.

760-529-5118, lupedifranco.com History for the Holidays at William Heath Davis House, 410 Island Ave., Gaslamp. Check out the opening of the new exhibit Buildings of the Gaslamp: 19th Century to Now. From 1 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 8. Event includes refreshments and photos with Santa. 619-2334692, gaslampquarter.org Gaslamp Holiday Pet Parade at Hilton Gaslamp, 401 K St., Downtown. All pet owners and their companions are invited to don their favorite costumes for this jolly promenade and pet expo that starts and ends at Hilton Gaslamp Park. At 3 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 8. $15-$20. 619-231-4040, gaslamp.org/pet-parade Garden of Lights at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. The San Diego Botanic Garden trans-

DAREN SCOTT

From left: Daniel Filippi, Conor Tibbs, Bryan Banville and Charles Evans iday sentimentality, and its collective heart is in the right place. Perry Como must be gazing down from the heavens and smiling. And crooning.

Forever Plaid: Plaid Tidings runs through Dec. 31. $22-$43. newvillagearts.org

—David L. Coddon Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING A Year with Frog and Toad: Yep, this is a family-oriented musical based on the beloved Frog and Toad children’s books. Presented by Oceanside Theatre Company, it opens Dec. 6 at The Brooks Theatre. oceansidetheatre.org The Eight: Reindeer Monologues: An adult-oriented dark comedy in which the reindeer have some things to say about ol’ St. Nick. Presented by Different Stages, it opens Dec. 7 at Swedenborg Hall in University Heights. differentstages.biz Scrooge in Rouge: San Diego’s LGBT theater sends up the Dickens classic with a fast-paced music-and-comedy extravaganza. Opens Dec. 5 at Diversionary Theatre in University Heights. diversionary.org

For full listings, please visit “T heater ” at sdcit ybeat.com

forms into a dazzling winter wonderland with over 100,000 sparkling lights illuminating the Garden for a magical holiday experience. Through Dec. 23 and Dec. 2630. Opens from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. $6-$14. 760-436-3036, SDBGarden.org

lege Performing Arts Theatre, 900 Rancho San Diego Pkwy., El Cajon. Local bands perform original music to raise funds for the San Diego Food Bank and Toys for Tots. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. $5, or canned food item or unwrapped toy. 619-660-4627, winterwonderjam.com

MUSIC

Beethoven & Brews at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Designed for young professionals in their 20s and 30s, this event will feature Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” performed by the San Diego Symphony. After the concert, join others in the upper lobby for appetizers, “brews” provided by Snake Oil Cocktail Co., and a game of “Pin the Beer on the Beethoven.”

From 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. $25.

619-235-0804, facebook.com/encoresds

Wyatt Lowe & The Youngbloods at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Just back from the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, the all-youth blues trio performs soulful blues, rockabilly and roots.

At 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4.

Free. 760-839-4190, artcenter.org Tori Roze and the Hot Mess at ArtLab Studios, 3536 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. The S.D. Music Award-nominated blues, pop and soul group performs.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5. $7.

619-750-3355, artlabca.com Beethoven’s Ninth at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Ken-David Masur leads the San Diego Master Chorale in this performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (aka “Ode to Joy”). At 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. $25-$101.

619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org Winter Wonder Jam at Cuyamaca Col-

The Blind Boys of Alabama Christmas Show at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Rd., Poway.

Foot-stomping, roof-raising gospel music with an emphasis on the holiday season.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. $48-$58.

858-748-0505, powayarts.org HPedrito Martinez Group at Athenaeum’s School of the Arts Studio, 4441 Park Blvd., University Heights. Athenaeum’s jazz program returns for a San Diego debut performance by NYC-based Afro-

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

Cuban percussionist/vocalist Pedrito Martinez and his band. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. $21-$26. 8584545872, ljathenaeum.org/jazz

Spirit Within Me at Malcolm X Branch Library, 5148 Market St., Valencia Park. A reading of Holy Spirit-inspired poetry and musical lyrics. A musical trio will accompany the performance. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4. 619-527-3405, sandiegolibrary.org

HStay Strange Presents: Winter Wonderland at Westfield Plaza Camino Real, 2525 El Camino Real #100, Carlsbad. Experimental and strange artists and bands like Monochromacy and Scott Nielsen performing at the mall?! Sounds good. From 2 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. 760-729-7927, facebook.com/events/586351844765333/

Dime Stories at Barracks 16, Liberty Station, Point Loma. Three-minute stories by members of San Diego’s literary community. At 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. $5 donation. meetup.com/dimestories

Vinyl Junkies Swap: Holiday Edition at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown.

DJs, cocktails and food, plus vendors from all over Southern California. Guest DJs include David J (Bauhaus/Love & Rockets), Mike Halloran (91X). From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. $3. 619-232-HELL, facebook.com/events/226004327562110 Marco Antonio Labastida at California Center for the Arts, 340 North Escondido Blvd., Escondido. Labastida is known as the Tijuana Tenor and hailed as “the pride of Baja California.” At 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. $20-$40. 800-988-4253, artcenter.org MOJO and MiraCosta Jazz Collective at MiraCosta College, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside. MOJO (MiraCosta Oceanside Jazz Orchestra) and MiraCosta Jazz Collective share the stage. At 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. $10. 760-435-3065, miracosta.edu Bach Collegium at St. James by-theSea, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla. The Collegium will perform Handel’s 1742 Dublin version of “Messiah.” At 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9. $25-$40. 858-459-3421, bachcollegiumsd.org MCC Choirs & Symphony Orchestra at MiraCosta College, 1 Barnard Drive, Oceanside. MiraCosta College’s choirs and symphony orchestra present music for the

Long Story Short: Showing Off at Space 4 Art, 325 15th St., East Village. Come share your stories of showing off. Anyone can tell a story, without notes, five minutes or less. From 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. $5 suggested donation . 619-269-7230, sdspace4art.org

SPECIAL EVENTS Matte Stephens’ “The Crafty Fox” will be on view in The Painterly Art of Happiness & Other Stuff, a solo show that opens with a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, at Subtext Gallery (2479 Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy). season. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11. $10. 760-435-3065, miracosta.edu

PERFORMANCE SDSU Showcase Concerts Festival at SDSU, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area. A festival-style program of 30-minute music and dance mini-concerts. See website for details and times. From 1 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. $10-$25. 619-5945200, music.sdsu.edu

Parol Lantern Festival at Jacobs Community Center, 404 Euclid Ave., Valencia Park. A multi-generational event that centers around the Parol star lantern. Experience a Philippine holiday village, cultural performances and more. From 1 to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 7. $10-$12. pasacat.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD The Rhythm and the Rhyme of the

Warehouse Takeover at Union, 2191 Main St,, Barrio Logan. Local streetwear icons 5&A Dime have teamed up with art collective The Travelers Club to curate and throw a warehouse party/art show. From 6 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Dec. 7. $5.

619-755-6355, TheTravelersClubSD.com Pearl Harbor Day Remembrance Ceremony at MIdway Museum, 925 Harbor Blvd., Harborview. Pearl Harbor survivors will hold a public remembrance on the USS Midway Museum’s flight deck. Free admission to the museum for all event attendees.

At 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. midway.org HSan Diego Mini Maker Faire at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. A one-day event that celebrates arts, crafts, engineering, science and technology projects and the Do-ItYourself (DIY) mindset. From 10 a.m. to 6

p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. $5-$10. 858-7551161, sandiegominimakerfaire.org Cabrillo National Monument Centennial Celebration at Cabrillo National Monument, Point Loma Peninsula. The two-day event includes an antique car show, air-raid reenactments, swing dancing and more.

From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 7-8. $5 park entrance fee. nps. gov/cabr/planyourvisit/events.htm

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Joe Tanner at Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center, SDSU campus, College Area.

The former NASA astronaut discusses “The Challenge of ISS Assembly: How the Largest Space Vehicle in History was Built.”

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5.

619-219-9710, newscenter.sdsu.edu Never Cross a Word at New Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Celebrate the 100th anniversary of the crossword puzzle. Richard Lederer, language columnist and founding co-host of KPBS’ “A Way with Words,” will offer a program celebrating the puzzle’s centennial. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9. 619-2365800, sandiegolibrary.org La Convivencia: Muslim Spain and the Reconquista at New Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. San Diego City College Professor Laurel Corona leads this three-part lecture and discussion program on the seven centuries in which Jews, Christians and Muslims lived together in medieval Muslim Spain. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9. 619-2365800, sandiegolibrary.org Anat Hoffman at David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, 4126 Executive Dr., La Jolla.

Hoffman, a founding member of Women of the Wall, will discuss gender segregation in the public sphere and the struggle for Jews to be able to practice Judaism in Israel. At 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9. $15. 858362-1348, sdcjc.org Brice Semmens at Birch Aquarium, 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla. The marine ecologist discusses “Grouper Moon: Saving One of the Last Great Populations of an Endangered Caribbean Reef Fish.”

At 6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 9. $5-$8.

858-534-FISH, aquarium.ucsd.edu HThe Art of Art Criticism at New Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Art critic and historian Robert Pincus will discuss art criticism and the public art at new library. From 2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. 619-236-5800, sandiegolibrary.org Schools for Chiapas with Peter Brown at North University Community Library, 8820 Judicial Drive, La Jolla. The 2013 National Education Association Human & Civil Rights award winner discusses Chiapas, the Zapatista movement and the efforts to support schools in Chiapas. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. 858581-9637, sandiegolibrary.org HJeffrey Tambor at Congregation Beth Am, 5050 Del Mar Heights Rd., Del Mar. Tambor, a longtime actor perhaps best known for his role as George Bluth on Arrested Development presents his oneman show “What’s Keeping You from Performing Your Life?” which seeks to help attendees figure out what’s been holding them back. At 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. $25-$60. 858-481-8454, inspiringmindsspeakers.com

For full listings,

please visit “E vents” at sdcit yb eat.com

18 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

The search for permanence

Courtesy: Space 4 Art

Space 4 Art heads down the challenging path to ownership and lasting affordability • by Kinsee Morlan

S

tanding in the parking lot of Space 4 Art, you can see four giant nearby cranes cutting up through the horizon, ready to help build the next stage of urban infill projects in San Diego’s once-dilapidated, now-booming East Village.

The role artists play in the gentrification of a neighborhood is nothing new. They find seemingly undesirable, affordable space and move in, activate and transform the block, attracting more and more people to the area. Property prices go up, and artists are forced out.

The inevitable predicament is precisely why Space 4 Art signed a lease on its 15th Street property back in 2010, knowing it was the start of a living, breathing experiment rather than a safe place to settle. While there was talk of buying the current space early on, it’s clear now that the location is too close to Petco Park and the surrounding new construction to serve as a lasting enclave for the arts.

Space 4 Art offers affordable central space to artists via live / work units, studios and gallery space. There’s a high demand for what it offers, measured by the extremely low vacancy rate. One of the unforeseen outcomes off the experiment is that the building has become a popular event venue, perhaps filling a void left by Sushi Contemporary Performance and Visual Arts, which closed in 2011.

But the success and popularity of the current location Matt Lewis

A So Say We All event

hasn’t changed Space 4 Art’s long-term vision. Property ownership has always been the goal. It doesn’t want to get stuck in the cycle of perpetually pricing itself out.

“We’ve been working hard for permanence,” says Bob Leathers, cofounder, along with his wife Cheryl Nickel and artist Chris Warr, of Space 4 Art. Leathers says the organization is closer than ever to achieving that goal. An architect by training, he’s even built an impressive model depicting a contemporary, mixed-use building that will serve as the permanent headquarters for Space 4 Art. He says the organization has a purchase offer on a nice chunk of land at 2529 Market St. in Sherman Heights. If all goes well, he says they’ll close on the property by April 2014. Now they just have to figure out how to fund the new building.

“It’s not an easy task,” Leathers says.

By his calculations, an approximately $4-million funding shortfall will need to be filled.

Securing a permanent home for Space 4 Art will become even more pressing in coming months. Bob Sinclair, former owner of the current Space 4 Art property, died in a motorcycle accident in 2011. His heirs will put the property on the market next year. And even though Space 4 Art has a lease for the next four years, if the property sells and the organization’s unable to reach an agreement with the new owners, it could be kicked out with just six months’ notice.

Leathers and Nickels say that even if Space 4 Art loses its home before the new space is ready, they’ll find a way to keep things going.

“We haven’t done all of this to have it end,” Leathers says. “It isn’t going to.”

Space 4 Art’s path to permanency has had some twists and turns this past year. In late January, the owners hired a new executive director, Patric Stillman, who, along with his assistant, Kait Sewell, helped get the organization ready for a major capital campaign to fund the new building. In April, Space 4 Art officially achieved nonprofit status, opening the door to grants and other fundraising. Yet, by as early as June, Leathers says the enthusiasm for the capital campaign was waning. By September, the founders decided to go another direction, which didn’t include the need for an executive director, and Stillman tendered his resignation in September. Sewell left shortly thereafter.

The sudden change of course caused Space 4 Art board member Vernon Franck, a new member of the city of San Diego’s Commission for Arts and Culture, to resign. Franck says he didn’t agree with letting the executive director go.

He felt the board should have been allowed to explore other options, but he says their arms were tied by Leathers, who didn’t want to listen to other recommendations.

“I love everything about Space 4 Art,” Franck says. “It’s important to me, and they can count on my continued support, but as someone who was asked to help further the mission of the space, I was frustrated by the lack of the ability of a governing board to do its governance and the failure of a founder to follow our guidance.”

The sudden departure of two key administrators and a prominent board member didn’t go unnoticed by the artist tenants. Justin Hudnall, executive director of narrative-arts production and education nonprofit So Say We All and a tenant at Space 4 Art (as well as an occasional CityBeat contributor), says he’s concerned about the organization’s direction.

“We are sitting on a property that has all of these studios, this potential to rent, this constant flow of income, and yet we can’t keep one person around to run a capital campaign,” he says. “I see the model for the new building developing, but I haven’t heard any talk about how it’s going to get paid for at all, and I’m beginning to think it’s conjecture, because I don’t see Qualcomm or Irwin Jacobs stepping in at the last minute to help fund things.”

Hudnall believes the organization needs an executive director and a board that’s allowed to provide governance, in part so that it has a better chance at scoring grants. He says it’s time for Leathers to let Space 4 Art operate more like a nonprofit rather than a private enterprise.

Leathers, who recently stepped back in as board president when the former president took a leave of absence due to illness, admits that it’s been hard for him to let go of leadership, but he says he’s ready to give up the reins.

“The three founders are stepping back,” Leathers says.

“It’s been difficult to do, personally, quite frankly, but I have to do it because I need to focus on the architecture of the new building.”

Space 4 Art recently hired a new arts administrator, Alisunn Curtin, and Leathers and Nickel say they’re exploring alternative options to fund the new building, such as tax credits and offering market-rate condominiums on the top floor of the new space to help offset the cost of the affordable units.

“I love what they’re doing,” says David Malmuth, a developer with IDEA Partners who’s been consulting with Space 4 Art on a development strategy. “I hope they can find someone who’s willing to provide some serious money, because that’s what it’s going to take…. But if we get this right and we get people behind this, I think it’s something that can spark other arts-and-culture projects in the area. It will start to build confidence that we can get things like this done.”

Matt Lewis

Kinsee Morlan

Music on the outdoor stage

Founders Cheryl Nickel (left) and Bob Leathers (top right) and new arts administrator Alisunn Curtin stand around the model for a new permanent home.

Write to kinseem@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Courtesy: Oceanside Museum of Art

traffic. The sound from the performances spilled out into the mall, as well, worrying nearby shop owners who complained to mall security. The project was temporarily closed but will open again this weekend with a few rules, including sound checks before every performance, better traffic control and a more polished look.

Tara Smith, deputy director and chief curator at OMA, says mall Armando de la Torre’s “Winter Wonderland” management has been cooperative drew a crowd in Carlsbad. in its attempts to understand the contemporary-art project. Plus, she says, the program is supposed to be about pushing boundaries in the public realm while introducing people to contemporary, interactive, process-based art in unexpected places.

“It’s really exciting because it is about risk-taking, and a lot of grants, they typically want something Artists intervene safe,” Smith says. “This grant is encouraging us to step Hordes of shoppers fighting for $20 toasters weren’t outside of what the museum has proven it can do.” the only strange occurrences happening at malls on De la Torre describes his piece as “a makeshift comBlack Friday. Artist Armando de la Torre kicked off munity-center-slash-art-installation” that will host the Oceanside Museum of Art’s Exploring Engage- gift-making workshops, DIY demonstrations and mument Artist-in-Residence program with his “Winter sic and art performances through the rest of the month.

Wonderland” installation at Carlsbad’s Westfield The San Diego artist says the project is, in part, meant Plaza Camino Real (2525 El Camino Real). to challenge people’s concepts of consumerism. The “Winter Wonderland” is a mural and some other piece is designed to look like a movie set, and shoppers imagery and props set up inside a vacant storefront are invited into the space to take photos and interact (A12) inside the mall. A makeshift stage inside the with the artist. One upcoming event will ask parents to space hosts a lineup of performance-art pieces by sit on Santa’s lap while their kids snap the photos. guest artists. The two-year Exploring Engagement “Armando created a really magical environment program, which will include a series of five of these where all these interesting interactive elements will interactive public-art interventions and installations, take place,” Smith says. mostly in North County, is funded by a $150,000 Visit omaexploringengagement.wordpress.com James Irvine Foundation grant awarded to OMA. for a schedule of upcoming events.

Crowds gathered around the unexpected installa—Kinsee Morlan tion last Friday, creating a bit of a bottleneck in mall

Seen Local

Arts center taking shape

Meet our cover artist

Bread & Salt is shaping up to be an important San Diego arts hub. The large warehouse-like building at 1955 Julian Ave. in Logan Heights is now home to six galleries and art studios and a new inner courtyard area that makes navigating the space much easier.

“For the first time, we’ll have distinct gallery spaces,” says James Brown, the man behind the space and principal of Public Architecture + Planning, which is housed in Bread & Salt. “It’s starting to work more like the building we envisioned.”

From 5 to 10 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 6, Bread & Salt will host an open house to show off the building’s tenants. The event includes Pan Y Sal Gallery featuring photographs by David Harrison, an installation by Alexander “Untitled” by David Harrison Jarman, samplings from the David Richardson Research Initiative, photographer David Fokos’ work in Pulse Gallery, Raymond Beaver in Not an Exit Gallery, music by Jason Lane and Scott Caligure in the Silo Room and more.

There are still vacancies in the building, which Brown says will eventually be filled by a café and artist live / work studios. The development plans for the building also include activating the alleyway behind the space and using it as a pilot project to demonstrate how similar alleys around the city can be used in creative ways.

Ricardo Islas is an institution. The longtime San Diego artist is well-known for his paintings, which often feature icons and imagery from Mexican culture and his gritty sense of humor.

“I’m a closet comedian,” Islas says. “I like to find the funny parts of life.”

The untitled painting on this week’s cover was part of a greeting-card series Islas did a few years ago. The piece pictures a kid using the colorful syrups that flavor raspados, popular Mexican shaved-ice drinks, to color his snowman, which has the recognizable Day of the Dead sugar skull for a head. The snowflakes are in the shape of Aztec symbols.

Islas recently took a break from art-making to spend time with his baby girl. He’s slowly easing himself back into the local art scene and preparing for a surf-andturf-themed show with Franky Agostino at Voz Ricardo Islas Alta Project, an opening date for which hasn’t been set. He also has a painting on view at the new TPG2 gallery (1475 University Ave. in Hillcrest) through Dec. 14.

—Kinsee Morlan

20 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

—Kinsee Morlan Write to kinseem@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Shop local: Where to go & what to buy

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

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22 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

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December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

24 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide

Tote + Able beverage bags

Mason Shaker

It used to be fashionable to carry an Evian bottle. Now, some folks are advocating for a ban on plastic water bottles. Neoprene beverage containers are hip and make for practical gifts, but even cooler are these canvas beverage bags by Tote + Able. Solo (309 South Cedros Ave. in Solana Beach, solocedros.com) carries them in a few different designs, including this Death Valley version, for $24 each.

They’re BPA-free, recyclable and washable.

Mason jars are turning up everywhere: as drinking glasses in restaurants and bars, as repurposed pendant lights.

Progress in South Park (2225 30th St., progresssouthpark. com) is selling the Mason Shaker for $29.99. Displayed alongside is the book Shake: A New Perspective on Cocktails ($25) by Eric Prum and Josh Williams—which is part howto guide, part travelogue with lots of pretty photos. Throw in a nice bottle of booze and you have a complete package.

Ecor art bowls What is Ecor? According to the San Diego-based company’s website (ecorusa.com), it’s “water, plus fiber, plus heat, plus pressure.” It’s a chemical-free, sustainable, durable material that’s used to make everything from signage to protective shelter. It’s also used to make cool, design-minded products like these elegant, minimalist bowls. You can find a selection at the San Diego Museum of Art (sdmart.org) gift shop in Balboa Park, where they range in price from $70 to $150.

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December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

26 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

Holiday Gift Guide

Modernist earrings The new San Diego Public Library’s gift shop (330 Park Blvd., facebook.com/libraryshopsd) is fantastic—everything you might expect in a hip museum shop and more. Among the well-curated jewelry selection are these wishbone earrings by Modernist ($34.95). The work of San Diegan Desi McKinnon, they’re pretty but with an edge. You can find more of McKinnon’s work on her Etsy site (etsy.com/ca/ shop/shopmodernist), but we strongly encourage a trip to the library—could be your one-stop shopping spot.

Museum membership For the person who says she doesn’t want more things for Christmas, what about a membership to one of San Diego’s cultural institutions? Many museum memberships get you more than just admission—like, discounts at local businesses and invites to special events. New this year is the Balboa Park Explorer pass (balboapark.org/explorer), which covers admission to 17 museums and runs from $129 for an adult to $199 for families of up to six.

Wild & Wolf corkscrew There are numerous products that’ll help you get a cork out of a wine bottle, but nothing’s quite as satisfying as doing it with an old-school corkscrew. From Wild & Wolf’s “Gentleman’s Hardware” series, this corkscrew / bottle opener is made of sturdy stainless steel and has a nice, sharp foil knife that too many corkscrews are lacking. Find it at Progress in South Park ($14) or the shop at the new San Diego Public Library in East Village.

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December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Holiday Gift Guide

Cravory Teaser Box Some Cravory cookies recently found their way to the CityBeat office—and were promptly devoured. They have an almost cake-like quality, are moist without being greasy and come in unique flavors like Pancake & Bacon and Rosemary Balsamic. The Teaser Box, at $11 a month, includes a half-dozen of the Cravory’s newest flavors, individually wrapped. A brick-andmortar store (3960 W. Point Loma Blvd.) opens this month, or place an order online: thecravory.com

28 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

Identity Suite For folks who enjoy flipping through magazines like Dwell and Anthology, this new coffee-table book from Victionary shows the extent to which office supplies can become eye candy. The book highlights 97 companies that have taken the art of branding to a new level, creating business cards, stationary and packaging that verge on collectible items (and sometimes are). Find Identity Suite at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego’s La Jolla gift shop (700 Prospect St., mcasd.org).

Utility Canvas throws Utility Canvas (utilitycanvas.com) is a small company started more than two decades ago by a husband and wife. Their products are practical, durable and made from canvas (natch). They’re also a little tough to find. Welcome, then, new North Park store Gym Standard (2903 El Cajon Blvd., gym standard.com), which carries Utility Canvas throws and other smart, stylish goods. They’re a little pricey—a solid throw runs $135—but they’re long-lasting and classic in their minimalism.

Salt Farm gourmet salt Warm bread and butter with a sprinkling of sea salt is a simple treat made better with flavored salt. Local company Salt Farm (salt-farm.com) has taken the infused-salt thing to a whole new level, rolling out varieties like Ghost Pepper, Havana Spice and Pumpkin & Sage. Find Salt Farm gift packs—a perfect hostess gift—at spots like Pigment (3801 30th St. in North Park, shoppigment.com), or visit Salt Farm’s booth at the Little Italy Mercato on Saturdays and the Hillcrest farmers market on Sundays.

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December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Holiday Gift Guide

Support artisans, nonprofits and up-and-coming small businesses at these shopping events Meander Works @ Low Gallery There’s only one seller at this trunk show, but if you’re looking for understated, affordable metalwork jewelry for your giftee, check out what Marilyn Brogan, aka MeanderWorks (meander works.com) is selling. Low Gallery will host a trunk show for Brogan from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6. facebook.com/ events/551431334949014 Cedros Avenue Holiday Open House From 2 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, the shops up and down the hip Solana Beach drag will offer refreshments, deals on purchases, raffles, activities for kids and live entertainment. cedros avenue.com

What you might find at Frock You’s Giant Frocking Sale

Peace Bazaar More than two-dozen community groups and nonprofits will take over the Mid-City Gym (4302 Landis St. in City Heights) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7. Purchases help groups like the Alliance for African Assistance, Heifer International, Seeds at City Urban Farm, San Diego Roots Sustainable Project and artisans participating in the International Rescue Committee’s microenterprise program. peacebazaar.prcsd.org

vintage market, featuring clothing, accessories and other retro wares. It’s also the place to go for an ugly Christmas sweater. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, through Sunday, Dec. 15. facebook.com/ frockyouvintage

Green Flash Grand Holiday Marketplace Green Flash Brewing (655 Mira Mesa Blvd.) is back with its annual shopping event, happening from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. In addition to deals on Green Flash beers, more than two-dozen local artisans will sell goods like gourmet food items, Lumineria Holiday Walkabout jewelry, stuff for craft-beer lovers, upcycled home From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, shops in South accessories and more. Best part: All attendees get a Park, along and around Fern and 30th streets, be- free gift. greenflashbrew.com tween Kalmia and Beech streets, will stay open late and offer special deals. As you wander from shop Holidays on Adams to shop, take in the holiday lights lining the streets. On Saturday, Dec. 14, businesses along Adams Avesouthparkwalkabout.com nue in Normal Heights will offer special deals, goodies and more— Holiday Hit List plus there’ll be a craft fair at AdThe North Park Craft Mafia may ams Park (from 2 to 5 p.m.; bring have moved to Point Loma, but an unwrapped toy for a toy drive). it’s not lost its edge. The ladies The Adams Avenue Trolley will hold their seventh-annual will run from 3 to 11 p.m. adams holiday shopping event from avenuebusiness.com/holiday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8. Three-dozen vendors have East Village Holiday Happening signed up so far, selling jewelry, Vendors selling unique artisan kids items, vintage-inspired acgifts are only part of this event, cessories and more at the Corky happening from 11 a.m. to 11:30 McMillan Event Center @ Libp.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. Also in erty Station, 2875 Dewey Road.

A MeanderWorks ring the lineup: a real-snow sledding holidayhitlist.com hill, food, music, a beer garden and—because there’s always someone who wants Taste ’N’ Tinis a puppy or kitty—a pet-adoption area. Bring a new The annual Hillcrest event includes bites from local toy or clothing item to be donated to the Monarch restaurants and, at more than a dozen retail stores, School. makersquarter.com specialty martinis that you can sip while shopping.

Tickets are $20 presale, $25 day-of. From 5 to 9 p.m. Holiday Bar-Zar Thursday, Dec. 12. fabuloushillcrest.com Shopping with a drink in hand? Why not? Bar Pink’s (3829 30th St., North Park) annual event sees its Huge Frocking Sale booths packed full of vendors and drink specials at Frock You Vintage (4121 Park Blvd. in University the bar from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14. facebook.

Heights) will hold the holiday edition of its outdoor com/BarPinkSD

30 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

Walking dead Christian Bale realizes the hills are alive with violence

by Glenn Heath Jr. Bodies and carcasses: One can hardly tell them apart in Scott Cooper’s Out of the Furnace. Every male character in this brooding mountain noir is a human slab of meat, waiting to get punctured by a bullet or pummeled by a fist. Some are more at peace with this fate than others. Take Woody Harrelson’s Appalachian drug kingpin Harlan DeGroat, for example, who, in the opening sequence, beats a man to pulp while taking in a rural drive-in screening of Clive Barker’s Midnight Meat Train. Some Talented brooder Christian Bale men are just born devils.

The film’s emphasis on wounds and injury isn’t Russell becomes obsessed with finding out the truth, just limited to the physical kind, either. Factory often at the cost of logic or common sense. This proworker Russell Baze (Christian Bale) and his Army- gression often feels stilted because Out of the Furnace vet brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) carry around is poorly paced, full of plodding montages that take enough repressed emotional hurt to fill a few Sirkian eons to make simple symbolic connections. Cooper is melodramas. After killing a family in a drunken- still finding his way as a storyteller. driving accident, Russell’s sent to prison and left to Sluggish transitional scenes also hinder a story fester in his own regret. Rodney must deal with his in dire need of momentum. As a result, many of the own demons while caring for their father, who is intriguing supporting characters, including Forrest slowly withering away from cancer.

Whitaker’s dutiful local cop, Zoe Saldana’s kind These unfortunate sons are but a microcosm of teacher and Sam Shepard’s grizzled elder statesan America of wounded but functioning souls living man, are largely left on the sidelines, watching Rusin the blue-collar community of North Braddock, sell endlessly brood and push toward a foregone Penn., a ragged place where commerce and identity conclusion that once again involves the piercing of are slowly eroding. The Obama adskin by hot metal. ministration is in its early days, and Yet, Out of the Furnace—which Out of the there is a deep sense of uncertainly opens Friday, Dec. 6—remains a Furnace filling the air. Maybe that’s why strange bird worthy of our attenOut of the Furnace is so enamored tion. The more compromised asDirected by Scott Cooper of blunt physical tests, displays of pects only slightly dilute its overall Starring Christian Bale, male prowess that end in violence. themes of bloodlust and physical Casey Affleck, Woody In such a deteriorating landscape, erosion, something brilliantly exHarrelson and Zoe Saldana the last will and testament is fear; pressed in the performances. After Rated R backing down from a fight is akin to his work with Jeff Bridges in Crazy rolling over for all eternity.

Heart and now here with Bale, AfBut living by the power of your fists is a futile fleck and Harrelson, Cooper has solidified himself as code, one that can only end in tragedy. When Rod- a performer’s director who focuses on frayed men ney participates in an illegal boxing match up in the who may unravel at any time. closed-off hills where DeGroat is king, we know this Through their eyes, Out of the Furnace paints a will ultimately turn sideways. The “one last fight” very grim picture for American masculinity movretort is something of a bad omen in any genre, and ing forward in the 21st century. While not as cynical Out of the Furnace does nothing to prove this ad- as Andrew Dominik’s striking Killing Them Softly, age wrong. Rodney may know this already, but he’s Cooper’s anti-gangster film is incredibly messy and willing to risk life and limb in order to prove to his perpetually haunted, essentially an ethnographic brother that he’s more than just a beaten-down study of killers in their natural habitat. Its argument is simple: We are all walking dead. piece of meat.

From here, Rodney’s disappearance sets in motion a conventional revenge narrative that seems to inter- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com rupt the more interesting thematic elements at play. and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Gangsta’s paradise

Narco Cultura

32 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

Late in Narco Cultura, yet another documentary about the various ways cartel trafficking impacts Mexican life, journalist Sandra Rodriguez makes a profound statement. “It’s a symptom of how defeated we are as a society,” she says, speaking on the subject of corridos, popular songs celebrating narco violence and impunity.

Up to this point, I’ve yet to encounter a more scathing and concise indictment of Mexico’s current identity crisis; it’s a nation seemingly caught between the distant fantasy of celebrating violence and the harsh, close reality of its consequences. Through its varied subjects, Narco Cultura seeks to understand this oftenhorrifying ideological crossroads.

Edgar Quintero speaks about

his profession of corrido singing with the type of passion one might hear from a dedicated educator or clergyman. This makes his artistic process all the more disturbing, since lyrics are stripped right from the headlines of Mexico’s ongoing drug war between cartels. Decapitations, shootings and torture are therefore given melodic credence and collective power without any moral resistance.

On the flip side is Richi Soto, a quiet but determined crime-scene investigator working the bloodstained streets of Ciudad Juárez.

He stands over dead bodies and compiles evidence but is resigned to the fact that 97 percent of these murders won’t be solved. Still, he conducts business as usual despite the constant threat of assassination and accusations of corruption.

Narco Cultura—which opens Friday, Dec. 6, at Reading Gaslamp Cinemas—purposefully juxtaposes these two very different men in order to show how impotent Mexico has become under the vice of cartel influence. Yet there’s a suggestion that the people caught in the middle might be wiser than either group found on the extreme.

In the final scene, one innocent bystander stands across the street from a crime scene and confesses, “We can’t deny reality.”

—Glenn Heath Jr.

Opening August. Eighth: Reality and fantasy clash in this war film about a single mother trying to find her son during the South Ossetia conflict between Russia and Georgia.

Screens at Reading Gaslamp Cinemas.

Bettie Page Reveals All!: Sit down with the world’s greatest pinup model in this documentary containing found footage and interviews. Screens through Dec. 12 at the Ken Cinema.

Geography Club: In this comedy based on the best-selling book, an after-school meet-up group is formed so that students of varying sexual orientation can discretely share their feelings, concerns and plans for the future. Screens through Dec. 12 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Narco Cultura: The rise of corridos, folk songs that celebrate narco culture and violence, is juxtaposed with the real-world consequences of the bloody drug war in Mexico. Screens at Reading Gaslamp Cinemas. See our review on Page 32.

Out of the Furnace: The hills of Appalachia are alive with the sound of violence in this mountain noir starring Christian Bale as a blue-collar worker attempting to find his kidnapped brother (Casey Affleck), who’s being held by a local gangster (Woody Harrelson). See our review on Page 32.

The Punk Singer: This music documentary about punk-rock icon and activist Kathleen Hanna, who formed the band Bikini Kill and pioneered the “riot grrrl” movement in the 1990s, contains archival footage and rare interviews. Screens through Dec. 12 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

August. Eighth

One Time Only Sugar: An independent drama about a young girl coping with the effects of PTSD on the streets of Venice, Calif. Screens at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at Reading Gaslamp Cinemas.

Die Hard: The best Christmas film ever made. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 4, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians: Join the Rifftrax gang as they skewer this 1964 sci-fi comedy about aliens who steal jolly old St. Nick for their own children.

Screens at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5, at various theaters. Visit fathomevents.com for details.

It’s a Wonderful Life: Every holiday season, George Bailey’s (James Stewart) mid-life crisis inspires more people to never, ever give up on the human spirit.

Screens at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6 and 7, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Space Jam: Michael Jordan teams up with Looney Tunes legends Bugs Bunny and friends for one classic intergalactic basketball game. Screens at midnight on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Ken Cinema.

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Tim Burton’s classic stop-motion-animation film returns to the big screen, once again allowing Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, the opportunity to experience a little Christmas cheer. Screens at 5 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 8, at Arclight La Jolla.

The Company You Keep: Robert Redford plays a lawyer hiding a dirty past that’s outed by a young journalist (Shia LaBeouf) looking to reveal the truth behind an ecoterrorist attack in the 1960s. Screens at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, at Hervey Branch Library in Point Loma.

American Animal: Two young couples converge in a posh Los Angeles loft where they play mind games, drink and flirt with violent tendencies. Screens at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 9, at the San Diego Public Library in East Village.

Prince Avalanche: Two men (Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch) escape the hustle and bustle of city living for a summer in rural Texas repaving roads in the wake of a devastating wildfire. Screens at 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 11, at the Mission Valley Library.

Elf: Everybody’s favorite elf, Buddy (Will Ferrell), gets a rude awakening when he flees to New York City and realizes not everyone loves Christmas in quite the same way. Screens at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

and inspiration.

The Book Thief: A young girl faced with the horrors of Nazi Germany steals books as an act of defiance and begins sharing them with Jewish refugees. Markus Zusak’s best-selling novel comes to the big screen in this adaptation starring Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson.

Go for Sisters: In John Sayles’ latest character piece, a Los Angeles parole officer leans on an estranged convict friend to help find her kidnapped son south of the border. Ends Dec. 5 at the Ken Cinema.

Homefront: Jason Statham plays a former DEA agent who retires to a backwoods town only to find more trouble in the form of a country gangster (James Franco!) looking to protect his drug operations.

JFK: The American Betrayal: Another documentary about the JFK assassination, claiming the president was taking part in peace talks with Russia and Cuba before his death. Conspiracy theorists rejoice. Screens through Dec. 4 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Nebraska: Aged retiree Woody (Bruce Dern) is determined to collect his winnings after receiving a phony sweepstakes letter, eventually dragging his reluctant son (Will Forte) on a road trip that’ll change both of their lives. Alexander Payne’s latest is a melancholic ode to family and the Midwest.

Oldboy: Spike Lee’s remake of the brutal Korean revenge saga stars Josh Brolin as a man imprisoned for 20 years by an unknown captor, only to be suddenly released without explanation and taunted by a madman.

Philomena: Comedian Steve Coogan takes on a more serious role as a cynical journalist who ends up helping an elderly woman (Judi Dench) search for her long lost son. Oscar nominations are a certainty.

Tlateloco, Verano del 68: Two teenagers from the opposite sides of the track find romance during student protests in Mexico City in 1968. Screens through Dec. 5 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Broken Circle Breakdown: A Belgian couple is torn apart by loss and connected by passion for bluegrass music.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) finds herself once again fighting to survive the titular death match that has become a necessary evil in the dystopic future.

Delivery Man: Vince Vaughn’s man-child finds out he has fathered 533 children after donating to a sperm bank for decades.

Hollywood at its finest.

Now Playing

For a complete listing

Black Nativity: Angela Basset and Forest Whitaker lead this ensemble dramedy, directed by Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou), about a young man who visits his estranged relatives for the holidays, only to discover a newfound sense of family

“F ilm S creenings” at

of movies, please see sdcit yb eat.com under the “E vents” tab.

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

Philadelphia’s Swearin’ keep it DIY

by Jeff Terich he greatest lesson to be learned from punk is that your band doesn’t need a major-label budget in order to thrive. All you need is some instruments, a van with gas in the tank and a willingness to put in a little elbow grease. Sure, a label advance, a licensing deal and a network of people to outsource the dirty work is a nice luxury, but it’s not necessary.

Since forming in 2011, Philadelphia indie-rock quartet Swearin’ have put this self-reliant work ethic into practice full-time. They design their own artwork, book their own shows and make their own merch. And going back to their debut EP, What a Dump, all of the band’s releases have been self-funded and self-recorded. Yet while there’s a certain raw, scruffy charm about their Pavement- and Pixies-inspired sound, there’s nothing undercooked or amateurish about their approach. They may be young, and they may work on a shoestring budget, but Swearin’ have their shit together.

Part of that work ethic is making the most of the resources available to them. With the band split up between Philadelphia and Brooklyn, Swearin’ recorded their selftitled debut piecemeal, each member individually taking advantage of studio time when they could. But for their new album, Surfing Strange, they made Philly their central hub, giving all four musicians the luxury of piling into Hazel House studio together this past July and August. The result, guitarist Kyle Gilbride tells CityBeat, was a much more positive and engaging process.

“On this one, the writing and the recording happened all simultaneously,” Gilbride says. “Innately, it becomes more of a collaborative effort. We’re not putting any decisions aside until the very end—the decisions are just being made when they’re being made, and when we’re done, we’re done.”

The music on Surfing Strange reveals Swearin’ as a tight unit, with Gilbride, guitarist Allison Crutchfield, bassist Keith Spencer and drummer Jeff Bolt showing off the kind of energetic, melodic fun that a guitar-based band can still create in the studio. There’s a hard-rocking urgency to a song like “Young,” while “Watered Down” has a lazier, yet warmly fuzzy feel about it, with Gilbride’s young, alone and stoned narration coming across like a more youthful Doug Martsch of Built to Spill.

Swearin’—who’ll play The Che Café on Saturday, Dec. 7—have a taut, streamlined dynamic. But they’re also not

34 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

From Left: Allison Crutchfield, Keith Spencer, Kyle Gilbride and Jeff Bolt perfectionists. If a mistake or two happen to make their way into one of their songs, the band’s not likely to spend too much time on second or third takes.

“We’re not super-picky, and, with recording, it doesn’t take us very long,” Gilbride says. “We don’t do a lot of takes. There’s still a certain amount of DIY [attitude], like, ‘Yup, that’s good. Let’s do it.’ We don’t try to make horrendous errors and leave them there.” But, he adds, if there’s “a small technical error” or “someone played a G instead of a C” and it works well enough, why not just leave it in?

Though Swearin’ have a classic indie sound, there’s no Robert Pollard or Mark E. Smith that dominates the group.

Three of the band’s members—Gilbride, Crutchfield and Spencer—trade off vocal duties, and their songwriting is fully collaborative. On Surfing Strange, each vocalist wrote his or her lyrics, but Gilbride says they’re comfortable enough with each other to let go of some of that control and trust each other to build or improve on an idea.

“It’s cool when you’re in a band situation where your ego is not running rampant for self-preservation,” Gilbride says. “I think we’d collapse inwardly if we didn’t share all the fun parts of being a band. We can trust each other with each other’s music and to do the best job with each other’s songs, and that’s just us getting to know each other better and better.”

After building up some momentum and garnering attention from blogs and zines for their debut, Swearin’ have gotten a little more comfortable with the idea of handing over the responsibility for a few duties they previously handled themselves. They have a publicist, for one. And they also now have a booking agent, though the band still books many of their own shows. “If it was 100 percent of us doing things on our own before,” Gilbride explains, “maybe now it’s, like, 80 percent.”

Even with a few extra hands to speed up the process, Swearin’ are still firmly committed to their DIY ethos. The band has never put too much stock in having to rely on others to make music or plan tours. And while it’s not hard to imagine a bigger label getting interested, it’s unlikely they’ll entertain offers anytime soon. For Swearin’, staying independent is part of the character of the band.

“You don’t need anybody to do it, if you want it,” Gilbride says. “I think there’s a lot of bands that get started and say, ‘We want to tour, but we don’t have a booking agent.’ Or, ‘We want to make records, but we don’t have a record deal.’ And that’s never been a problem for any of us.

“And it never will be.”

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

notes from the smoking patio Nicole Espina

Locals Only On Friday the 13th, the freaks will take over.

The inaugural San Diego Freak Out is happening at The Casbah on Friday, Dec. 13, the first in a series of events aimed at showcasing a diverse range of local and touring artists who share a similarly dark, psychedelic vibe.

Wild Wild Wets will headline the first Freak Out, and Wets frontman Mike Turi, who organized the first event, says he has plans to build it into something bigger over time.

“We’re trying to make small get-togethers, and we’ll see what happens,” Turi tells CityBeat.

“Ideally, in a year, I’d like to do an all-day festival.”

While the first Freak Out is happening at The Casbah, the overall idea isn’t tied to a specific venue. Turi says he’d like to move it around to different types of spaces, including warehouses, theaters, the desert and “in space.”

Other bands playing the first event include Amerikan Bear, Shiva Trash and Marqay. And while there’s no defining style, “there’s definitely a dark side” to the bands Turi envisions playing the series.

“There’s a lot of bands that could end up fitting into the vision we’re seeing,” he says, citing local bands like Tropical Popsicle, JOY and Barbarian.

For now, San Diego Freak Out is focused on lo-

Music review Soft Lions No Peace (self-released) Whenever established musicians form a new band, there’s an expectation that it will sound like their old bands. But that doesn’t always end up happening. When The New Pornographers released their debut album, Mass Romantic, in 2000, for instance, it featured little to no trace of Destroyer’s David Bowieesque art-pop or Neko Case’s alt-country ballads.

Similarly, the three members of Soft Lions carry the name recognition of a handful of notable San Diego bands—Boy King, The New Kinetics and Wild Wild Wets, to name a few. And yet, save for the instantly recognizable vocals of Megan Liscomb, there aren’t many easy threads that trace back to any of their other past or present projects. That’s a good thing. When you’ve already done one sound, why do it again?

Soft Lions, a self-described “moody psychedelic post-riot-grrrl noise” band, is a fresh new start for the trio, and as such, the songs that come beaming out of their debut EP, No Peace, sound fresh, as well. While

Wild Wild Wets cal bands in local venues, but Turi says he wants to involve touring bands in future installments and is open to holding it in other Southern California cities.

Tentatively, the next event will be an outdoor show in Ocotillo in early 2014.

Whatever the venue or lineup, Turi says he wants San Diego Freak Out to be something more engaging than a typical rock show.

“A lot of shows that get booked, you’ll have three bands that sound the same,” Turi says. “That’s not really fun. It’s cool to offer something a little different.

“I just want this to be a little more exciting.”

—Jeff Terich the description they coined doesn’t really give the full picture, it at least offers a glimpse into their eclectic approach. In fact, each song on No Peace sounds remarkably different from the last, suggesting that Soft Lions may still be working out exactly what kind of band they are. The good news is that the four tracks they’ve recorded here present some great ideas in progress.

The first track, “Horses,” is the best of the bunch, a five-minute dirge with an intoxicating blend of Rhodes piano, a booming tomtom rhythm, hypnotic vocal harmonies and a fair amount of reverb. It moves slowly but feels grand, gradually building into a dense bridge that fleshes out the intriguing sound with which it begins.

This transitions into sparse, zither-driven indie pop on “I Slept in this Dress”; SleaterKinney-style punk on the title track; and a dreamy, ’50s-influenced ballad with “This Life.”

Indeed, No Peace hops all over the place without remaining in one spot for too long, but it’s fun listening to Soft Lions piece together their identity—one song at a time.

—Jeff Terich Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com or editor@sdcitybeat.com.

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 35

if i were u

BY Jeff Terich

ence—to make this show worthwhile, even if it hasn’t been his best year. Besides, it’s PLAN A: Gavin Turek, Bulletproof Ti- not like I’m going to tell you to not go see ger, Tiger Milk Imports @ The Casbah. Jay Z. BACKUP PLAN: The Intelligence, L.A.’s Gavin Turek is a triple threat: singer, Cold Beat, The Frights @ The Void. dancer, actor. Music is the basket she’s putting most of her eggs into, though, and it’s a good thing. Her recent EP, The Break-Up Sunday, Dec. 8 Tape, does electronic pop in the vein of PLAN A: X, The Blasters @ Belly Up TavRobyn: smart, melodic and danceable. Be ern. After the great Black Flag vs. FLAG rival-tour fiasco of 2013, the best way to preready to shake your ass at this one. serve your SoCal punk memories is to see X, one of the finest bands to ever come out of Thursday, Dec. 5 L.A. Head to the Belly Up and remind yourPLAN A: My Jerusalem, Champ, Allo- self of how “Los Angeles” blew your mind. phone @ Soda Bar. My Jerusalem’s per- PLAN B: Hayden, The Palace Ballroom, sonnel have a collective résumé that in- Nothingful @ Soda Bar. For two decades, cludes time in bands like Polyphonic Spree, Canadian singer-songwriter Hayden has Bishop Allen and The Twilight Singers, but quietly amassed a great discography of lowin this band, what they do is considerably key, affecting songs that range from gentle darker. With more than a slight Nick Cave indie folk to lush, chamber-pop arrangeinfluence, they bring a splendidly gothic ments. And he’s not stopping anytime soon. chill to their indie-rock tunes.

Let his gentle baritone soothe you in person.

BACKUP PLAN: Escondido, Sam Outlaw, Darren Friday, Dec. 6 Raser @ The Casbah.

PLAN A: Soft Lions, Spaceships, Idyll Wild @ Monday, Dec. 9 Soda Bar. The members PLAN A: Sundrop Elecof Soft Lions have honed tric, Love and the Skull, their chops in bands like Young Wants @ The CasBoy King, Wild Wild Wets bah. A name like Sundrop and The New Kinetics, and Electric tells you almost the music they’re making everything you need to now finds them coming know about this local quintogether like a miniature, tet. Their focus is on loud, indie-pop Voltron, balancalbeit dreamy, soundscapes ing low-key noir ballads Jay Z that are influenced by psywith fiery rockers. This is their debut performance—swing by so you chedelic rock and shoegaze. And though it’s can say you saw them before anyone else. trippy and massive, there are plenty of great PLAN B: Black Joe Lewis, Radkey @ melodies to go around. PLAN B: Dinosaur House of Blues. Austin’s Black Joe Lewis Bones, The Lazulis, Grizzly Business @ play rock ’n’ roll the way it’s meant to be Soda Bar. Sometimes a good indie-rock played: raw, loud and soulful. Songs like band doesn’t need much to be good—such “Skulldiggin” come across like Black Sab- is the case for Dinosaur Bones, whose gorbath mixed with James Brown, whereas a geous melodies render the need for exceslive staple like “Gunpowder” is Stax funk sive instrumentation unnecessary. cranked up to 11. If you’re not having fun at this show, something is seriously wrong.

Wednesday, Dec. 4

Tuesday, Dec. 10

Saturday, Dec. 7 PLAN A: Waxahatchee, Swearin’, Upset @ The Che Café. Check Page 34 for our feature on Philadelphia’s Swearin’, whose Allison Crutchfield is the sister of Waxahatchee singer and songwriter Katie Crutchfield. If you go to only one family reunion this December, I recommend this one. PLAN B: Jay Z @ Valley View Casino Center. OK, sure, Magna Carta Holy Grail isn’t very good. And Jay Z’s been under scrutiny lately for being a little too cozy with 1-percenters to keep his cred. But the hip-hop legend’s got a back catalog solid enough—not to mention the stage pres-

36 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

PLAN A: Exhumed, Iron Reagan @ The Casbah. Looking to shed a few pounds before slicing up that Christmas goose? Sweat it out in the pit when goregrind bruisers Exhumed unleash their arsenal of 30-second explosions. PLAN B: Shy Girls, Body Parts, Inspired and the Sleep @ Soda Bar. Portland’s Shy Girls is not a band of girls; nor is it even one girl. It’s the alter ego of singer-songwriter Dan Vidmar, who creates low-key, late-night electro R&B in the vein of The Weeknd or How to Dress Well.

Wear something nice, because it’s about to get sexy in here. BACKUP PLAN: The Schitzophonics, Saint Diego, West Beast @ The Griffin.

HOT! NEW! FRESH! Califone (Soda Bar, 1/5), Crooks on Tape (Soda Bar, 1/16), Sound Tribe Sector 9 (HOB, 1/23), Mayer Hawthorne (HOB, 1/30), The Blasters (Soda Bar, 1/30), Rocket From the Crypt (Casbah, 1/31), Delorean (Casbah, 2/6), yMusic (The Loft at UCSD, 2/13), Com Truise (Casbah, 3/1), Xiu Xiu (Soda Bar, 3/25), Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks (Casbah, 3/29), Super Diamond (BUT, 4/11-12).

GET YER TICKETS IconaPop (HOB, 12/15), Andrew WK (Epicentre, 12/20), Bone Thugs-N-Harmony (HOB, 12/22), Matthew Sweet (BUT, 1/2), Three Mile Pilot (Casbah, 1/7), No Knife (Casbah, 1/8), Janelle Monae (HOB, 1/13), Pinback (Casbah, 1/14), The Penetrators (Casbah, 1/17), Buck O Nine (Casbah, 1/18), Skinny Puppy (HOB, 1/25), OFF! (Casbah, 1/29), The Menzingers (Che Café, 1/30), MXPX (The Irenic, 1/31), Yuck (The Casbah, 2/2), Oneohtrix Point Never (The Irenic, 2/8), Young The Giant (SOMA, 2/9), White Denim (The Casbah, 2/9), Brandon Boyd and Sons of the Sea (HOB, 2/11), New Politics (HOB, 2/17), Marissa Nadler (Soda Bar, 2/23), The Wailers (BUT, 3/2), Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings (HOB, 3/22), Stephen Marley (BUT, 5/14), Journey, Steve Miller Band (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/15).

December Wednesday, Dec. 4 Tedeschi Trucks Band at Balboa Theatre. Gavin Turek at The Casbah. Howie Day at The Griffin.

Thursday, Dec. 5 Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at Valley View Casino Center. Margaret Cho at Balboa Theatre. Black Uhuru at Belly Up Tavern.

Friday, Dec. 6 Black Joe Lewis at House of Blues. Cadillac Tramps at The Casbah. Fitz and the Tantrums, Chvrches, The Airborne Toxic Event at Valley View Casino Center.

Saturday, Dec. 7 JAY Z at Valley View Casino Center. Waxahatchee, Swearin’ at Che Café. Soft Lions at Soda Bar. Fu Manchu at The Casbah. MS MR at Soda Bar.

Sunday, Dec. 8 X at Belly Up Tavern. Fates Warning at Brick by Brick. Hayden at Soda Bar. Queens of the Stone Age, Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant, Alt-J at Valley View Casino Center.

Monday, Dec. 9 Dinosaur Bones at Soda Bar.

Tuesday, Dec. 10 Third Eye Blind at House of Blues. Exhumed at The Casbah.

Wednesday, Dec. 11 The Black Crowes at Balboa Theatre.

Thursday, Dec. 12

The Mowgli’s at The Griffin.

Friday, Dec. 13 Transfer at Belly Up Tavern. Slightly Stoopid at SOMA.

Saturday, Dec. 14 Lee Ranaldo and the Dust at The Casbah. Cherie Currie at Brick by Brick.

Sunday, Dec. 15 IconaPop at House of Blues. Kitten at The Casbah.

Monday, Dec. 16 Tristan Prettyman at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, Dec. 18 Orgy at Brick by Brick. Polica at Belly Up Tavern.

Thursday, Dec. 19 NOFX at House of Blues. Pere Ubu at The Casbah. Perfect Pussy at Soda Bar.

Friday, Dec. 20 Andrew WK at The Epicentre. Holograms at Soda Bar.

Saturday, Dec. 21 U.S. Bombs at Soda Bar. The Greyboy Allstars at Belly Up Tavern.

Sunday, Dec. 22 Dick Dale at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, Dec. 23 Kut U UP at Belly Up Tavern.

Thursday, Dec. 26 The Growlers at Belly Up Tavern.

Friday, Dec. 27 John Oliver at Spreckels Theatre. Cash’d Out at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, Dec. 28 Get Back Loretta at The Casbah. Donavon Frankenreiter at Belly Up Tavern.

Sunday, Dec. 29 Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven at Belly Up Tavern.

Monday, Dec. 30 Donavon Frankenreiter at Belly Up Tavern.

Tuesday, Dec. 31 Candye Kane at Belly Up Tavern. Scarlet Symphony at Soda Bar.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. 710bc.com. Wed: Open mic, open jam. Thu: ‘Rock Out Karaoke’. Fri: Patrick Lanzetta (5 p.m.); Jam Kwest, Eddie Blunt and High Tide, Roots of Mine (9:30 p.m.).

Sat: Fayuca, Brewfish, Cage9. Tue: ‘710 Bass Club’.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, Little Italy. 98bottlessd.com. Sat: Gilbert Castellanos.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St, Normal Heights. airconditionedbar. com. Wed: ‘Breezy Bliss’ w/ DJ Paul.

Thu: DJs Bala, Ledher 10, Less Than None. Fri: ‘Unwind’ w/ DJs Zachary Noah, Jaby Bames (6 p.m.); DJ Junior The DiscoPunk (9 p.m.). Sat: ‘Juicy’ w/

Mike Czech.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. americancomedyco.com.

Wed: Nick Youssef and Kevin Christy.

Thu: ‘Your Mom’s House Podcast’. FriSun: Aries Spears. Tue: Open mic.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St, Downtown. facebook.com/BangBangSanDiego. Fri: Surkin Canblaster. Sat: Anna Lunoe.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. barpink.com. Wed: DJ Grandmasta Rats.

Thu: Black Carl, Yellow Minute, Queen Caveat, DJ Mikey Face. Fri: NosuckerDJs. Sat: Wha?, The Dark Watchers, Deep Sea Thunder Beast. Sun: ‘Enchantment Under the Sea Holiday Promenade’.

Bassmnt, 919 Fourth Ave, Downtown. bassmntsd.com. Fri: Cedric Gervais.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla. brocktonvilla.com/beaumonts.html. Wed: Trent Hancock. Thu: Shoeless. Fri: Dave Booda Band. Sat: Jewel City Rock Club.

Sun: Trent Hancock.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. bellyup.com. Wed: ‘Rockin’ Wine Fest’ w/ Get Back Loretta.

Thu: Black Uhuru, Mike Pinto. Fri: The Fabulous Pelicans (5:30 p.m.); Queen Nation, The Police Experience (9 p.m.).

Sat: ‘Turtleneck and Sweater Party’ w/ The Young Guns, DJ Hugh Janus. Sun: X, The Blasters. Tue: Ed Kowalczyk, Callahan.

Bourbon Street, 4612 Park Blvd, University Heights. bourbonstreetsd.com. Wed: ‘Awe Snap! I Love the ‘90s’ w/ VJ K-Swift.

Thu: ‘W.E.T’. Fri: ‘Go-Go Fridays’ w/ VJ K-Swift. Sat: ‘Dinner With the Dreamgirls’.

Sun: ‘Soiree’. Tue: Open mic.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave, Bay Park. brickbybrick.com. Wed: Shyla Day, Mason James, Astra Kelly, Suzanne Harper, Ever J, Jaimie Goodwick. Fri: Fred Barchetta, The Great White Zeppelin, Back 2 Black. Sat: Godhammered, Aghori, One Theory, Despite the Wolves, Getcha Pull, Calamitous Intent, Groove of Death, I Will Destroy. Sun: Fates Warning, Artizan, Symbolic, On Decent.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave, Downtown. cafesevilla.com. Wed: Aro Di Santi. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Joeff and Co. Sat-Sun: Aragon y Royal.

Croce’s, 802 Fifth Ave, Downtown. croces.com. Thu: Gilbert Castellanos and The New Latin Jazz Quintet.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Mission Bay. dizzyssandiego.com. Thu: Jim Romeo and The Mesa College Jazz Ensemble. Fri: Jacques Lesure. Sat: Aga Zaryan.

El Dorado Bar, 1030 Broadway, Downtown. eldoradobar.com. Wed: ‘The Tighten-Up’. Thu: ‘Happy Little Trees’. Fri: ‘Hickeys and Dryhumps’.

Epicentre, 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd, Mira Mesa. epicentreconcerts.org. Fri: Growing Up Stupid, The Hallowed, Fight The Future, Impale Thy Neighbor, The Shallow End, Diminish The Opressor. Sat: Cunning Stunts, Katie Salmons, Shayna Zeingen, Vinegar, Tom Kahil.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd.com. Thu: Kill The Noise. Fri: DJ Ikon.

Sat: Timbaland after-party.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach. 619-222-5303. Wed: Brothers Gow, Shane Hall and Diabolics, Restoration One. Thu: Revival, Rebel Dub, DJ Reefah, TRC Soundsystem. Fri: Funk’s Most Wanted. Sat: The Fooks, DJ Chelu.

Hard Rock Hotel, 207 Fifth Ave, Downtown. hardrockhotelsd.com. Sat: DJs

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38 December 4 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 37

Homicide, Lavelle. Sun: Sid Vicious, DJ Kurch.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave, Downtown. henryspub.com. Wed: Johnny Tarr, DJ Christopher London. Thu: Mark Fisher, DJ Yodah. Fri: DJs Rev, Yodah. Sat: DJs E, Yodah. Mon: DJs Yodah, Joey Jimenez.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave, Downtown. houseofblues.com/sandiego.

Wed: Daughtry, Gavin DeGraw, Michael Franti and Spearhead, ZZ Ward (sold out). Thu: Night Riots, The Gallery, Curt Owen. Fri: Black Joe Lewis, Radkey.

Sun: Hundred Caliber, Given the Day, Made of Dishonor, Within Ourselves.

Tue: Third Eye Blind, TEAM. Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. kavalounge.com. Thu: Chris Halle.

Fri: ‘S.H.A.F.T.’. Sat: ‘Ascension’.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave, Kensington. 619-284-2848. Fri: Bile, Rabid Whole, Squirrelly Arts, They Feed At Night.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave, Normal Heights. lestats.com. Wed: Anonymous, The Norton-Irelan Duo. Thu: Kris Angelis, Aaron Bowen, Cara. Fri: 22 Kings, Cleopatra Degher, Mike James.

Sat: Jessica Bell, Mike Annuzzi, Royal Oui. Sun: A Mayfield Affair, Jamestown Revival. Mon: Open mic.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave, Coronado. mcpspub.com. Wed: 2 Guys Will Move U. Thu: The Sophisticats. Fri: The Upshots. Sat: Manic Bros. Tue: Jason.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St, Downtown. patricksii.com. Wed: Myron and The Kyniptionz. Thu: Bill Magee Blues Band. Fri: Len Rainey’s Midnight Players. Sat: Mystique Element of Soul. Sun:

Trey Tosh and the TNT Band. Mon: WG and the G-Men. Tue: Walter’s Chicken Jam. Porter’s Pub, 9500 Gilman Dr., UCSD campus, La Jolla. porterspub.net. Thu: BlackHorse, Gatzzee, DJ Rusty.

Quality Social, 789 Sixth Ave, Downtown. qualitysocial.com. Thu: DJ Saul Q. Fri: ‘90s Dance’.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest. richssandiego.com. Wed: DJ John Joseph. Thu: Von Kiss. Fri: DJs Dirty Kurty, Will Z. Sat: DJ Taj. Sun: DJs Kiki, Hektik.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave, La Mesa. rivierasupperclub.com.

Wed: Kice Simko. Thu: Man From Tuesday. Fri: The Glenn Thomas Band. Sat: The Baja Bugs. Tue: Karaoke.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave, North Park. sevengrandbars.com/sd. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos jazz jam.

Shakedown Bar, 3048 Midway Drive, Point Loma. theshakedownsd.com. Thu: Non-Issue. Fri: Pharmacy, Hocus, Social Spit, Courage You Bastards.

Side Bar, 536 Market St, Downtown. sidebarsd.com. Wed: Epic Twelve. Sat: Chris Cutz.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. sodabarmusic.com. Wed: Beware of Darkness, The Cold and Lovely, Queen Caveat. Thu: My Jerusalem, Champ, Allophone. Fri: Soft Lions, Spaceships, Idyll Wild. Sat: MS MR, Island Boy. Sun: Hayden, The Palace Ballroom, Nothingful. Mon: Dinosaur Bones, The Lazulis, Grizzly Business.

Tue: Shy Girls, Body Parts, Inspired and the Sleep.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway. somasandiego.com. Fri: Blood On The

38 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

Dancefloor, Farewell My Love, The Relapse Symphony, Haley Rose, Lionfight.

Sat: Frequency, Pullman Standard, Lightning Starts Fire, The Justice Fire, Half Moon Portrait, Story Mode.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St, Midtown. spinnightclub.com. Thu: Rolls Royce Rizzy.

Fri: ‘Fab Fridays - Red and White Ball’.

Sat: J Phlip, Justin Jay. Stage Bar & Grill, 762 Fifth Ave, Downtown. stagesaloon.com. Wed: Mark Fisher and Gaslamp Guitars (7 p.m.); ‘90s Dance (10 p.m.). Thu: Van Roth.

Fri: Bakkuda (7 p.m.); Trackdown (8 p.m.); Disco Pimps (10:30 p.m.). Sat: Rogue Stereo (7 p.m.); Takers Leavers (8 p.m.); Hott Mess (9:30 p.m.); DJ Miss Dust (10:30 p.m.). Sun: ‘Funhouse/Seismic’. Mon: 6 String Samurai (7:30 p.m.); ‘Fettish Monday’ (10 p.m.).

The Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave, Hillcrest. thebrassrailsd.com. Thu: ‘Boy’z Club’ w/ DJs Marcel, John Joseph, Will Z, Taj. Fri: ‘Deeply Rooted’ w/ DJs Henry Diaz, Ernesto Cisneros, David Devine. Sat: DJ Sweat. Sun: ‘Noche Romantica’ w/ Daisy Salinas. Mon: DJs XP, Junior the DiscoPunk.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Gavin Turek, Bulletproof Tiger, Tiger Milk Imports. Thu: The Olms, Simon Petty. Fri: Cadillac Tramps, The Creepy Creeps, Hard Fall Hearts, The Nformals. Sat: Fu Manchu, Moab, Lord Howler. Sun: Escondido, Sam Outlaw, Darren Raser.

Mon: Sundrop Electric, Love and The Skull, Young Wants. Tue: Exhumed, Iron Reagan.

The Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. thechecafe.blogspot.com. Fri: Every Time I Die, Letlive, Code Orange Kids (sold out). Sat: Waxahatchee, Swearin’,

Upset.

The Griffin, 1310 Morena Blvd, Bay Park. thegriffinsd.com. Wed: Howie Day, Tyler Hilton, Anna Rose. Thu: Will Hoge, Red Wanting Blue. Fri: The Palace Ballroom, State to State, Manuok, The Gods of Science. Sat: Dead Winter Carpenters, Jesse LaMonaca and The Dime Novels.

Sun: Gaby Moreno with David Garza, Irene Diaz. Mon: Tommy and The High Pilots, St. Cloud Sleepers, Me and The City. Tue: Schitzophonics, Saint Diego, West Beast.

The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. theloft.ucsd.edu. Thu: Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola, Dusty Borough, Miles Shrewsbury. Fri: The New Division. Sat: The Mike Keneally Band.

Tue: American Authors.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave, Hillcrest. rubyroomsd.com. Fri: The Suicide Chords, Supersonic Dragon Wagon, Blood Dancer, Caskitt. Sat: The Dread Crew of Oddwood, Unicorn Death, The Elizabeth Kill.

The Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. officebarinc.com. Wed: ‘The Blunt Club’.

Thu: ‘El Tropicoso’ w/ Cumbia Machin, Orthodox Mykol, Mawkus, Eddie Turbo, Poppi Gringo.

The Void, 3519 El Cajon Blvd, North Park. thevoidsd.com. Sat: The Intelligence, Cold Beat, The Frights.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. tiltwoclub.com. Wed: ‘A Brief History of Rhyme’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore. Thu: Gunner Gunner, Calibrate Me, Decompression, The Shallow End. Fri: Cumbia Machin, La Mala Vibra, La Secursal De La Cumbia. Sat: Badabing, Llamadores, Hello Penelope, Late Night Racket.

Tin Can Ale House, 1863 Fifth Ave, Bankers Hill. thetincan1.wordpress. com. Wed: Ashley Pond, Ashley Fenner, Cleopatra Degher. Thu: East of Sweden, Love Ethic, Diving For Earth. Fri: Chiefs, Amigo, The Night Crawlers. Sat: Grampadrew, Robert Jon and The Wreck, Scott Mathiason and The Shifty Eyes. Mon: ‘Tin Can Country Club’ w/ Gregory Mike Thielmann.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St, Bay Park. tioleos.com. Wed: Kandu Karaoke. Thu: Rockin’ Aces. Fri: Old School Karaoke.

Sat: Serious Guise.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City Heights. thetowerbar.com. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Vs. Punk Rock’ w/ Parker and the Numberman, Black Hondo, Artowar, Daygo Produce. Sat: Jason and The R.I.P. Tides, Zombie Surf Camp, Dinosaur Ghost.

Turquoise, 873 Turquoise St, Pacific Beach. theturquoise.com/wordpress.

Wed: Tomcat Courtney (6 p.m.). Thu: The Jade Visions Jazz Trio (7 p.m.). Fri: Tomcat Courtney (5 p.m.); Afro Jazziacs (9 p.m.). Sat: Tomcat Courtney (5 p.m.); Tony LaVoz and Cold Duck Trio (9 p.m.).

Sun: Sounds Like Four (4 p.m.); Blue 44 (7 p.m.). Mon: Thee Antagonist (4 p.m.); Stefanie Schmitz and Amanda Portela (9 p.m.). Tue: Stefanie Schmitz (5 p.m.); Grupo Globo (7 p.m.).

U-31, 3112 University Ave, North Park. u31bar.com. Wed: Voyeurism in the Park.

Thu: P.O.R. Fri: Kid Wonder. Sat: Ground Floor.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. winstonsob.com. Wed: Marauk, Raggabond. Thu: Mike Dillon Band. Fri: Simpkin Project, Piracy Conspiracy, Maitland Roots. Sat: ‘Ocean Boogie’. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: SUBDVSN.

Proud sponsor: Pacific Nature Tours

Ink Well Xwords by Ben Tausig

Across

53. Volunteer for Wikipedia, say

1. Staple vodka on campus

56. Use the Net

6. New jack swing girl group of the ‘90s

59. Some Cadillac lowriders

9. Justin Timberlake’s “Cry ___ River”

61. Corporally punished, in a way

12. Ancient Middle Eastern queen

62. Top of the card

13. Spoils seekers

63. “Amtrak Joe”

16. Onomatopoetic sound in KRS-One’s “Sound

64. Bro’s counterpart

54. More cunning

65. According to

of da Police” 17. Reach for balls rather than the ball, say

66. “For realz”

18. Do-gooder shoe company

Down

19. Reprove 20. Fox musical comedy 21. First word of many a letter 23. Superlatively Urkelian 25. Asiana crash airport: Abbr.

27. Mojito need 29. Egyptian mother goddess 30. Sardine container 31. Event that often provides occasion for Kanye West to make a fool of himself: Abbr.

32. Pluses 36. USSR plane, in some theories 37. Put on the court, say 39. Former military fort in New Jersey 40. Streisand born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn (before it was cool)

1. “I’m not supposed to talk about this, but ...”

2. State with a five-sided flag 3. Person offering their wavy hair to someone

in need?

4. Like some people with elevated BMI 5. Undercover surveillance vehicle, perhaps 6. Fantasy sports proposal 7. Stylist in charge of dealing with complicated cuts?

8. Seconds, of a sort, for a ruminant 9. “Mama Tried” musician Haggard 10. Some Art Deco works 11. To date 13. Speeder’s stat 14. Answer to a problem with bobs?

15. Pinkies, e.g.

42. Rich soil

19. “Get $5 off on your haircut by getting

43. Chevys, e.g.

tight waves”?

44. Stimpy’s pal 45. Org. concerned with handicap issues 46. “That is nasty” 47. Soviet contraband literature 51. “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is ___”

Last week’s answers

22. Big name in classical guitars 24. Rubbish collector, to a 41-Down 25. It gets ripped off at concerts 26. Sports governing body with HQ in Z¸rich 28. Plan, with “out” 33. Money earmarked for neatening up one’s hairline with a razor?

34. Assess, as a runner 35. Austin, TX festival 38. iPad platform 41. “Mate,” usually 47. Is judged to be 48. Two-time presidential loser to Dwight 49. Modest skirts 50. Fender guitar wood, notably 52. Carrier renamed in 1997 55. “C’___ la vie!”

57. Wind on a line 58. “The Bravest,” briefly, in the Big Apple 60. Agent, briefly 61. “The Big Bang Theory” channel

A pair of tickets for a 4.5 or 8 hour Pacific Nature Tour will be awarded weekly. Email a picture of your answers to crossword@sdcitybeat.com or fax it to 619-325-1393. Limit one win per person per 30 days.

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 39

40 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 41

42 · San Diego CityBeat · December 4, 2013

December 4, 2013 · San Diego CityBeat · 43