San Diego CityBeat • Dec 7, 2016

2 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

JDLR

I

“

t means ‘just doesn’t look right,’” explained former CityBeat editor David Rolland when I met up with him and former Associate Editor Kelly Davis for drinks recently.

At the time, I hadn’t heard of the acronym JDLR, which is often used in journalistic circles to refer to, well, anything that looks fishy or suspect. The term is also often used in law enforcement parlance. I’ll give you an example: It’s likely that former Charleston police officer Michael Slager thought things “JDLR” when he pulled over Walter Scott in April. The resulting video from that traffic stop, where Slager shot Scott five times in the back as he was fleeing the scene, also JDLR. The recent mistrial in the murder case of officer Slager… Well, it just doesn’t feel right.

GAGE SKIDMORE / FLICKR

There were no press conferences from Mayor Faulconer regarding the SDSU traffic stop study

to handle and release the results of the report. Rather than releasing the report to the press and holding a press conference, the report was released by the mayor’s office the day before Thanksgiving, a time when most journalists, if not everyone, are hoping to get some much-needed R&R. As UnionTribune contact reporter Michael Smolens eloquently put it in his excellent op-ed on Sunday after the initial news broke: “No advance releases, no subsequent releases, no news conference, no mayor.”

Smolens went on to speculate that the timing of the release, in so many words, JDLR. “Putting out bad news at the most inopportune time for public consumption is a time-honored ritual for politicians,” Smolens said in the editorial. “Granted, Christmas morning and the second quarter of the Super Bowl probably would be worse, but late on the day before Thanksgiving ranks up there.”

The mayor’s office maintains that it just wanted to get the study out and that SDSU was late in delivering the final analysis.

“In the letter Deputy Chief Operating Officer Ron Villa sent to researchers, the City requested the final report be delivered by close of business Monday, Nov. 21. SDSU did not provide it to the City until Tuesday evening and the City released it less than 24 hours later,” said Press Secretary & Director of Digital Strategy Jen Lebron in an email to CityBeat.

Lebron goes on to say that while the release of the report on the Wednesday just before Thanksgiving would seem to be a case of JDLR, the mayor’s office was simply trying to get it out as soon as possible.

“I suppose we could have released it after the holiday, which may have been an easier time for the media to cover its release, but there was no way we were going to sit on this important public document for six days.”

The mayor’s office response seems fair if not convenient. However, the study was not released to the press, but was rather promised as an exclusive to the Union-Tribune. Readers shouldn’t get too butt-hurt about this fact. These kinds of quid pro quo-type dealings among politicians and the press happen all the time. However, there are always caveats and conditions that come with such deals. In the case of the SDSU study, an exchange between Smolens and Mayor Faulconer’s Chief of Communications Matt Awbrey, pretty much spells it out.

“We did release it in the AM to the UT for an exclusive,” tweeted Awbrey following a barrage of emails criticizing Smolens’ editorial.

Smolens then revealed the condition of that exclusive: “Didn’t really want to go down this path, but yes, only on condition we not talk to anybody about it until 4 p.m.”

JDLR. Now I get it.

It’s worth pointing this out in light of the recent release of a 140-page study from San Diego State University that concluded that blacks and Latinos were more likely to be searched and questioned by police after a traffic stop. The analysis and results were based on nearly 260,000 traffic stop reports from 2014 and 2015.

“We all agree that it is unacceptable for black and Latino drivers to be pulled over, searched and interviewed at higher rates than whites,” said Norma Chavez-Peterson, Executive Director of the San Diego ACLU in a written statement and a subsequent speech at a Public Safety & Livable Neighborhoods Committee meeting on November 30. “But this study provides tangible evidence that these things indeed occur.”

The results of the independent, but citysanctioned analysis were certainly trou —Seth Combs bling, but perhaps equally troubling was the way in which the mayor’s office decided Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

#SDCityBeat

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

SCIENTIFIC METHOD

As a man of science, I want to tell you how much I enjoy [Amy Alkon’s Advice Goddess] columns. Using published research to back up advice is unique and very enlightening. Seems that it often comes down to the idea that as progressive as we try to be, it’s hard to escape our hard-wired biology. I’m a big proponent of that line of thought! Keep up the great work and I’ll continue to check it out!

Anthony Hawksworth, San Diego

CHARGER BLUES

I liked Ron Donoho’s missive [“Next up after Measure C,” Nov. 9]. You know, someone should tell the Chargers that winning draws way more fans than nice fish tacos and cushioned seats, assuming winning was their primary goal, which it manifestly isn’t.

And the Q isn’t nearly as bad as you paint.

And of course they’ll never leave. That would require them paying a $500,000,000 relocation fee and market rents.

Mike Angello,

Normal Heights

This issue of CityBeat is in the market for a sweeeeeet Festivus pole.

CALL THE BLUFF

Now that San Diego taxpayers said no, Inglewood said no, Carson said no. Rams owner Stan Kroenke will not let these [Chargers] losers into his market, and Nevada has approved funding for a Raiders stadium in Las Vegas and nobody in Oakland wants them but they have no options [“Next up after Measure C,” Nov. 9]. St. Louis has been burned twice and they are not so stupid to even entertain any proposal from Spanos. Watch “Fibbiani” spin and spin and threaten to leave. Time to call this “Four Flushers” bluff… we have already seen his hand!

SANDAWG,

MUSIC EDITOR Jeff Terich WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos ASSOCIATE EDITOR Torrey Bailey COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker Minda Honey John R. Lamb Alex Zaragoza

CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Baldwin, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Sebastian Montes, Jenny Montgomery, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Tom Siebert, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Beau Odom Mark Schreiber Jenny Tormey ACCOUNTING Kacie Cobian, Sharon Huie Linda Lam HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker

EDITORIAL INTERNS Sofia Mejias-Pascoe Jordan Packer

VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE Kacie Sturek

PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden

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PUBLISHER Kevin Hellman

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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 2016.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

Email letters to editor Seth Combs at seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside.

Note: All comments left on stories at sdcitybeat.com will also be considered for publication.

via sdcitybeat.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Volume 15 • Issue 19 EDITOR Seth Combs

WE WANT FEEDBACK

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

Letters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Backwards & In High Heels. . . . . . . . .

Well, That Was Awkward. . . . . . . . . . .

ARTS & CULTURE 3 4 5 6 7

FOOD & DRINK The World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bottle Rocket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12

FEATURE: Mission Hills. . . . . . . . . 16-19 Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Seen Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Films. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21-22

MUSIC FEATURE: Pere Ubu. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Notes from the Smoking Patio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27-29

LAST WORDS Advice Goddess. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

#SDCityBeat

JOHN R. LAMB

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE

JOHN R. LAMB

The weird journey of Measures K and L Worry is today’s mice nibbling on votes otherwise. Some local pundits predicted that the tectonic tomorrow’s cheese. ­ —Larry Eisenberg shift prescribed in the measures would be 2016’s most contentious ack in September, two San issue and possibly the year’s most Diego ballot measures had expensive race. the local politi-wonk world It certainly didn’t turn out that worked up into quite a lather. way.

No, not Measures C and D, the The Lincoln Club of San Diego hotel-tax-hike initiatives that went County and the San Diego Regiondown in flames of animosity, dis- al Chamber of Commerce made trust and confusion. Rather, it was their opposition to Measures K the double-barrel boom-boom of and L eminently clear. What’s Measures K and L that had local more, the political action commitpoliticians, their financiers and tees for each right-leaning organiconsultants wringing their hands zation dropped $100,000 apiece about the great unknown of future to fight the ballot measures. Not election outcomes. exactly chicken feed.

The measures’ passage would But in the end, the committee end outright June primary victo- established to oppose Measure ries by requiring November races K—apparently the more threatenbetween the top-two primary ing of the two measures—spent vote-getters for all city elective almost none of that $200,000 on offices and placing citizen initia- any semblance of a campaign, save tives on general-election ballots for paying the committee accoununless the San Diego City Council tant for her services.

B

#SDCityBeat

So, what happened to the fireworks? What happened to the grand battle over when San Diego voters should make the most important elective decisions and ultimately determine the city’s leadership and direction?

“Yeah, when we looked at Measures K and L, we just don’t think it’s going to have a major impact on future elections,” explained Brian Pepin, executive director of the Lincoln Club.

Say what? Didn’t some suggest this would be the biggest political shakeup since the city shifted to district-only elections in the early ‘90s?

“Yeah, some people have that opinion,” Pepin concurred. “But when we looked at it, we just really don’t think it’s going to have the kind of impact that some think that it will.”

Aimee Faucett, the chamber’s chief operating officer who was among those who signed the ballot argument against Measure K (along with her former boss, Mayor Kevin Faulconer), offered a slightly different explanation. “As Election Day got closer,” she told Spin, “we decided to narrow down our priorities. This does not mean we are walking away from the issue. Discussions still to be had.”

Faucett brought up the argument that most frequently aimed

Opposition to vote-shifting Measures K and L, including from Mayor Kevin Faulconer, didn’t pass the smell test. at the measures, put forth by the non-profit Independent Voter Project, that neither had much vetting before the San Diego City Council, voting in July along party lines, placed the measures on the November ballot.

In essence, the measures were viewed by opponents as a sneaky way to shift the outcome of races—most notably the mayor’s race. Local top-tier Democrats such as Todd Gloria and Toni Atkins dodged running for mayor in part because of the city’s election rules allowing outright June primary wins if a candidate garners more than 50 percent of the vote.

The presumption has been that Democrats fare better in general elections than in primaries.

The supporters’ argument was that it was better to have voters decide issues and leaders when voter turnout is higher. This logic clearly won over voters in November, with both measures winning by sizable margins.

Francine Busby, chairwoman of the local Democratic Party, said the biggest beneficiaries of the election changes are independent voters.

“Special interest groups will no longer be able to finance campaigns that appeal to a small percentage of the electorate to win elections in June because of low turnout,” Busby said in an email.

“Now that there are fewer Republicans than Democrats and independents respectively in the city, November elections will be democratic and competitive.”

Busby also suggested that the No on K committee, Citizens for Fair & Honest Elections, didn’t mount a campaign because “voters understood and supported the notion that holding elections when most people vote is the fair and right thing to do.”

Jeff Marston, Independent Voter Project co-chairman, agreed, adding, “For starters, my understanding is that their own polling mirrored ours—that the measures were winning handily, including Republicans. That may very well be the bottom-line reason.”

Another aim mentioned frequently by supporters was to

bring city elections in line with the state’s “top-two” open primary system. Opponents, however, noted that San Diego would be the first city to do so, as if that was a bad thing.

Whether one party has an advantage in June versus November is also debatable. Marston said that notion was “blown up” by the District 1 council race between eventual Democratic winner Barbara Bry and Republican opponent Ray Ellis, who quit the race after the June primary.

“While IVP didn’t care about that, we feel it was about the voter and getting the most people to participate in the process,” Marston said. “If asked, we said the same thing. Like the state’s top-two, it will just be a matter of strategies changing to reflect the situation.”

So which is it? “A significant impact on future elections in San Diego,” as Busby views it? Or is it a “Meh,” to paraphrase the opposition, which returned nearly all campaign cash back to the Lincoln Club and chamber with a simple shrug?

Back again in September, both supporters and opponents seemed open to pursuing instantrunoff voting (IRV) in 2018, which would essentially allow voters to rank candidates by preference.

“I can’t say at this time if ranked voting will be proposed or not,” Busby says now. The Lincoln Club’s Pepin agreed, but the chamber’s Faucett acknowledged that “IRV will be a part of future discussions.”

For now, Spin remains skeptical. Consultants opposed to more campaigns and the money that flows? Let’s not get carried away here. But greater voter participation? Sure, why not. Who knows?

Maybe it’ll inspire politicians to focus on issues that folks really care about, rather than the narrow interests of a few monied beneficiaries.

It actually sounds kind of freeing. But again, let’s not get carried away here.

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

UP FRONT | OPINION

AARYN BELFER

BACKWARDS & IN

HIGH HEELS

Things look grim, but there’s always dishwashing

N

ow more than ever, this space is extremely precious. As we Americans have taken a collective belly flop from the edge of a very big cliff, I feel a responsibility to say something meaningful, but I also need to be silly and ridiculous as means of relief from a profound existential pain. Which is why, while recently reading about the pending hung jury in the Walter Scott murder trial, I clicked through to an article titled “5 Ways to Make Washing Dishes More Fun.” Think of it as an intellectual detour, like a longtime New Yorker subscriber browsing US Weekly on an airplane.

After reading this diversionary piece, I learned that a) buying soap you “love,” getting a cushy floor mat and cleaning as you go do not make washing dishes more fun; b) someone got paid to write this; and, c) I should get paid to write this.

Yet, how irresponsible would that be? Is there a middle ground? I have 850 words to weigh in, offer insight and highlight injustice. This page is a place where I can express, for instance, how inconsolable I am after the election, and maybe connect with those of you who share my grief. Because let’s be real: Things look grim. Take all the grim in the universe and mash it together with the snot of a pre-schooler who shoved a Tic-Tac up his nose and it starts to look very much like Mitch McConnell’s face. It doesn’t help matters that our incoming policy makers represent the lowest common denominator our country has to offer.

We are facing a billionaire Education Secretary, Betsy DuVos, a creationist with zero background in education.

Steven Mnuchin, who is being given the Treasury, made billions by foreclosing on working stiffs. Our next possible Secretary of State, David Petraeus, will seek clearance from his probation officer in order to take the job because the philandering General mishandled classified information.

DOESN’T THAT SOUND JUST A TAD BIT FAMILIAR? ANYONE?!? Bueller?

I have to take sedatives on behalf of myself, and Hillary Clinton, in order to contemplate the depth of this hypocrisy.

And what of new EPA head Amy Oliver Cooke, lover of fracking and self-professed “energy feminist”? She also claims to be “pro-choice in energy sources.” Well, I’m pro-choice in who gets to call themselves a feminist, and I draw the line at Cooke’s appropriation of a term she obviously doesn’t understand.

There is simply too much to dwell on here in this pending misery, so that’s why I composed my own “Make Washing Dishes More Fun” suggestions:

1. If you really want to have a crackin’ time at the homestead post-dinner, have the children do the dishes. The kids can stand on a colorful floormat made by the rubber industry, which also makes the toxic faux-grass rubber field at their school. Quick Tip: Don’t offer them your favorite Williams-Sonoma Fleur de Sel dishwashing liquid. Give them the Dawn and find your peace as you listen, from your place on the couch, to 90 minutes of running water. Try not to let your thoughts wander to the true Americans peacefully protecting the water rights of 18 million people in North Dakota, who are daily being shot in the face with rubber bullets by law enforcement.

Such thoughts are the blue balls of dishwashing nirvana.

2. Blow the roof off the joint by using paper plates and plastic utensils. Again, the kids can toss all detritus into the garbage freeing up precious time to study abstinence, the lord and our 10,000-year-old flat earth (thank you, new Education Secretary). If recycling is your thing, have the babes separate the paper and plastic even though global warming isn’t real and neither are facts. As the energy feminist might say, EPA schmee-pee-aay.

3. Eat out. Kids eat gratis at Ikea on Tuesdays, which will free up extra dollars to have the ER doc remove that Tic-Tac from their nostril. Or maybe buy earthquake insurance so you have the illusion of security when the postfracking earthquakes level your home.

4. Don’t have kids? Not to worry. Invite some of your closest friends over.

Commiserate. Break bread.

Chat about which of you will no longer have health insurance once the Affordable Care Act is decimated.

Drink Ouzo and smash all the dishware violently to the ground like the Greeks do. Appropriate away and make America Great Again. Opa! Afterward, walk barefoot across the glass shards as a symbolic gesture of the future. Go to the ER for stitches while you still can.

5. Do dishes wearing only an apron. Have your partner(s) wear nothing but an apron. Put on “Not Tonight” by Lil’ Kim and turn it up so loud that Jeff Sessions and his racist micro penis can hear it. Get that water hot and steamy, break out the artisanal dishwashing liquid (for external use only), and smack every soft spot with a spatula. Have a postcoital smoke in front of a wood-burning fire. The energy femme isn’t worried about the ozone, and you shouldn’t be either.

It’s all going be just fine. Just wait and see.

Put on “Not Tonight”

by Lil’ Kim and turn it up so loud that Jeff Sessions and his racist micro penis can hear it.

6 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

Backwards & In High Heels appears every other week. Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD

An interview with a “bad boy” alt-right poster child

M

ike Cernovich is a bro who really cares about masculinity, male dominance and old-school chivalry. His blog Danger & Play draws a rabid following of dudes seeking information about topics ranging from calling women “whores” during sex to avoiding masturbation in an effort to blow a bigger load on your girlfriend.

Recently, Cernovich has become a spokes-boy for the alt-right movement, using a lot of bandwidth to discredit most mainstream media outlets as “fake news” and railing against anything to do with Hillary Clinton. His troll-y online presence even earned him a sizeable feature in The New Yorker.

Because of my well-documented lack of masculinity—and in addition to the election fallout—I reached out to Cernovich, and had an email conversation that lasted the course of about four days.

Ryan Bradford: Hi Mike, I’m a writer with San Diego CityBeat, and I was wondering if you’d be open to answering a couple email question about masculinity, the Internet and censorship.

Full disclosure: the paper’s leftist, and I’m a Hillary supporter and probably a cuck by your definition, but I can guarantee that I won’t twist your words.

Mike Cernovich: Hi! Love the honesty. Yes ask away.

RB: With your book and Internet presence, you advocate a sort of hyper-masculinity that, in recent years, has been exploited by ISIS to gain followers. Gamergate also used this technique. Terms like “cuck,” “delicate flowers,” “alpha” are used to radicalize insecure people. Why—as a straight, white male— do you think masculinity in our culture is so important to uphold if it creates so much toxicity?

MC: Lol! ISIS and GamerGate? Come on man this is like a satire of what we make fun of SJWs [social justice warriors] for asking. GamerGate isn’t even a thing anymore. ISIS relies on Islam rather than “masculinity.” Let’s not treat one another as caricatures. I won’t troll you as if you’re an SJW and you won’t troll me by comparing that work I do (which men of all races find useful) with ISIS. Deal?

RB: Okay, so what is the work you do, in your own words? Do you have a mission statement or something?

MC: Men of all races grow up in a world where they are taught that masculinity is toxic. Men need to learn how to focus their natural masculinity in productive ways. My writing is designed to show men there is nothing wrong with being born a man, and that one must never adopt the mindset of collective guilt. Men must also avoid the victim mindset. It’s a balance.

RB: Also, how do the ladies react to your mission statement? Do you get any that are turned off by your ideas, or are you just, like, crushing pussy all the time?

MC: Women respond well to Danger & Play, and 20 percent of my audience is women, most of them are hot. Hot women understand dating dynamics better than everyone else. After all, hot women get to choose. They have all of the power. After hot women comes the alpha males. Non-hot women have more power than average men and beta males, and less power than alpha males and hot women. I’m happily married with a daughter on the way, though, so my female readers will find men they desire from my readership perhaps.

RB: Congrats on the little one! You think having a daughter will affect your brand?

MC: From a personal branding standpoint, a daughter will help. People think in narratives and stories.

RB: You’ve made a documentary on censorship. Who’s censoring you?

MC: Here’s a first look at Silenced, the documentary on free speech I produced. [Cernovich sends a link to his crowd-funded documentary that’s 90 minutes of talking-head interviews].

RB: Hey Mike, thanks for the link, but honestly, if I wanted to listen to a bunch of nobodies echo the same opinion for an hour and a half, I’d just log on to Twitter for that amount of time.

MC: Alan Dershowitz is a nobody? LOL kid. That’s a huge problem with “journalists” today—you haven’t accomplished anything of note, like 99 percent of people in media, and yet you purport to hold court about others.

RB: Mike, I’m just looking for honest answers.

You haven’t really given me anything that’s not generic rhetoric that complies with your brand.

Just talk like a regular human.

MC: Ryan, the issue we are running into, and this is why I don’t do much media, turning down 99 percent of interview requests.

Most people have a caricature of me. When I talk, my views are measured and nuanced—this seems “generic” to you, but it’s more the “real me” than what appears online.

RB: Does the caricature portrayal bother you?

MC: The media caricature doesn’t bother me on an emotional level as I’m used to it. In terms of story telling, there is no more compelling narrative than good vs. evil. There is the cowboy who wears the white hat juxtaposed with the cowboy wearing the black hat. I recognize my role in the game, and in that regard often play up the bad boy persona rather than present a nuanced view of myself.

Hot women understand dating dynamics better than everyone else. After all, hot women get to choose. They have all of the power.

#SDCityBeat

Want more? Read the entire interview at sdcitybeat.com.

Well That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com.

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

UP FRONT | FOOD

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

Comfort food, Japanese style

E

“

dible art” is an idea often attached to Japanese high cuisine like sushi or kaeseki. But the notion that Japanese food is inherently precious and high-end is exaggerated at best.

Hokkaido Ramen Santouka and Musashiya, both inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace (4240 Kearny Mesa Road), a Japanese food emporium in the Convoy District, are good places to find out why. What they offer is nothing more or less than down-home Japanese comfort food.

There is, for example, nothing inherently precious about a bowl of ramen. Delicious? Sure. Precious? Not so much.

No matter how obsessive the Japanese want to get about ramen, all it is at the end of the day is a bowl of noodle soup. Comforting, warming, wonderful noodle soup, but noodle soup nonetheless.

San Diego has no shortage of ramen spots, but few go far beyond the locally ubiquitous, tonkotsu style and its powerhouse broth that is the liquid essence of pork. Santouka offers the opportunity to try some different ramen styles. Perhaps the best is the shio ramen, a style defined by its salt-based tare (flavoring mixture). The result is warming and comforting, yes, but also clean, light and elegant. “Shio” may be the Japanese word for salt, but shio ramen is one of the least salty-tasting ramen styles.

Santouka’s miso ramen is built on a tare of fermented red soybean paste. While the straight miso ramen is good, the spicy miso ramen is extraordinary. It looks spicier than it is, but the hit

8 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

of capsaicin in there balances the sweet and salty flavors of the miso.

Another good option at Santouka is the tokusen toroniku. It’s a partially deconstructed ramen in which the meat and vegetable toppings are served separate from the noodle soup. The participatory eating is good clean fun.

But as Musashiya shows, Japanese comfort food—even noodle-based Japanese comfort food—is more than just ramen. My favorite dish there is the cold soba noodles with shrimp tempura. Light and yet filling, the participatory aspect is dunking the cold buckwheat flour-based and the MICHAEL A. GARDINER noodles crispy shrimp tempura in a soy and mirin (sweet sake wine) based dipping sauce.

Equally good, if not quite as much fun, is Musashiya’s udon noodles. Thick, chewy wheat flour noodles in a broth based on dashi (Japanese bonita flake stock), mirin and soy sauce. The shrimp tempura udon is a completely different from the cold soba version. The broth Shio ramen at Santouka steals the crispness from the tempura and the resulting, doughy coating on the shrimp is something of an acquired taste. The noodles and broth, though, are where it’s at.

Musashiya’s tonkatsu (panko-crusted fried pork fillets), though, was inconsistent. On one trip the outside was beautifully crisp and the inside moist. On the next trip, they got neither interior nor exterior right. Stick to the noodle dishes.

Japanese high cuisine may, indeed, be edible art. And, while noodles don’t generally rise to that level, Japanese noodles offer some of the elegance that brought the cuisine that reputation.

It all comes together at Santouka and Musashiya where the downscale comfort food sacrifices neither elegance nor big, homey flavors.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

UP FRONT | DRINK

BOTTLE

BY JEN VAN TIEGHEM

ROCKET Wine Wednesdays find cozy home

I

#SDCityBeat

JEN VAN TIEGHEM

ascended a candlelit staircase to a loft adorned with wood beams and fairy lights; music from a record player and the sounds of laughter greeted me as smiling guests were served splashes of wine in the kitchen. It appeared to be more like a gathering of friends, but this was the setting of a weekly wine tasting hosted by Quigley Fine Wines above downtown restaurant The Lion’s Share (629 Kettner Blvd.).

The familial spirit is just part of its charm. Husband-and-wife team Brendan and Christina Quigley, along with several of the company’s wine consultants manned the bottles for the event I attended, the first at this location. Each week, they serve up a tasting of five samples for $10 and eight tastes (plus featured wines) for $16. The wines selected by the Quigleys come from Italy, France, Spain and here in the U.S. with a focus on small production and biodynamic/ organic practices.

The lineup for the tastings varies each week and attendees can place an order (a purchase of

three bottles or more comes with the added bonus of a waived tasting fee). Orders can be delivered for free in San Diego County or picked up at the company’s office on Friday afternoons. Note: As importers, the company cannot sell bottles at these tastings.

With most bottles in the $18 to $36 range, the tasting works for bargain shoppers and with the pricier “featured” wine, one can also find something special. At the most recent tasting, I found the 2014 Domaine Vincent Moreau Cotes du Rhone Villages Cairanne had a bright cranberry flavor with an herbal finish that is, especially at the reasonable price of $22, ideal for the holiday.

For a special occasion purchase, I had my eye on the 2010 Elio Filippino Sori Capelli Barberesco—one of the “featured” tastes. This wine had a wonderful rich raspberry essence without a heavy mouthfeel.

Another perk of the location, is the food service provided by The Lion’s Share. After a few wine samples were imbibed, plates of truffle fries and antelope sliders appeared for various patrons. As if the wine wasn’t hunger-inducing enough, the scents wafting up from the dining room downstairs certainly were.

The warmth and intimacy of the tasting’s location makes it a relaxed way to shop for wine. And though patrons can’t take the bottles home right away, these wines are certainly worth the wait.

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

UP FRONT | DRINK

FINAL

BY BETH DEMMON

DRAUGHT Merry Craft-smas (and Happy New Beer)

E

10 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

PHOTOS COURTESY KARL STRAUSS BREWING COMPANY AND SOCIETE BREWING COMPANY

ven if readers didn’t participate in Small Business Saturday, there are still plenty of ways to support the local craft beer industry this holiday season. From special releases to brewery-sponsored charity drives, here are a few of my personal favorites to seek out.

Beer Releases: Pure Project and The Lost Abbey are both releasing their first can runs this week, but it’s the local holiday bottles that make me feel holly jolly.

Karl Strauss’ seventh annual “Twelve Days” bottle release is a 9 percent ABV imperial smoked porter dubbed “Seven Sharks A-Circling” that promises a smoky, yet sweetly smooth finish suitable for a post-feast tipple.

Monkey Paw Brewing’s annual holiday ale, a 10.5 percent ABV s’mores version of Santa’s Pet Monkey, will be one of brewer Cosimo Sorrentino’s last hurrahs before he leaves San Diego. Finally, Societe Brewing has upped the ante with what it even describes as an “ultra-rare, incredibly expensive” blended and barrel-aged 5.8 percent ABV cranberry sour ale called The Urchin.

At $50 a pop, these ridiculously priced bottles are actually part of an annual fundraising effort to support The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and can be purchased with cash or 50 pounds of donated food (plus $5) during Societe’s holiday food drive ending Dec. 31. (You can also donate to the food bank by bringing prepackaged, non-perishable food donations to AleSmith’s tasting room through Dec. 26.)

Special Events: December 10 is going to be an epic shopping day for craft and craft beer lovers. From noon to 8 p.m. at its North Park biergarten, ChuckAlek is hosting a Weihnachtsmarkt (holiday market) with local vendors, kid-friendly crafts and even a visit from Santa. Council Brewing’s third annual Christmas party (11 a.m. to 10 p.m.) promises special casks and kegs all day long. Not to be outdone, Green Flash is also hosting its fifth annual holiday marketplace and Ugly Sweater Contest in tandem with its latest Barrelmaster’s Reserve bottle release from noon to 4 p.m. at Cellar 3. With over 25 vendors and a first-come, firstserved two bottle limit on its 10.8 percent ABV gin barrel-aged tripel “Divine Enebro,” it’s likely going to be a pretty crowded affair.

Wrap up your Saturday with a trip to Societe for the Sore Eye Sudsmas from 5 to 9 p.m., where you can get another chance to support Societe’s food drive with canned food donations. Plus, if 2,000 pounds or more of food is donated during the event, Societe will release the only keg of The Urchin in the world.

If those aren’t enough, head to Blind Lady Ale House on December 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., for the annual Craft & Draft local shopping extravaganza (and maybe a pint or two as you peruse plenty of handmade local goods). And if you want to wrap things up with a visit to the North Pole, Benchmark Brewing is hosting Ol’ Saint Nick himself at its tasting room starting at 10 a.m.

Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com, check her out on Instagram at @thedelightedbite, or via Twitter at @ iheartcontent.

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SHORTlist

EVENTS

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

BALBOA PARK

1

BUILDING BRIDGES

It should come as no surprise to readers that U.S. relations with Mexico are about to get, well, a bit more tense. However, one of the best things about living in San Diego, aside from the fact that we can head down to Baja at a moment’s notice, is that we get to see some of the best emerging artists from Mexico long before they make a national name for themselves.

That’s the whole idea behind the 2016 Southern California/Baja Biennial, an exhibition at the San Diego Art Institute (1439 El Prado) that showcases up-andcoming talent from both sides of the border. SDAI Executive Director Ginger Shulick Porcella tapped the Museum of Contemporary Art’s assistant curator Anthony Graham to jury this year’s showcase, which has been happening for over four decades. It also marks the first time that SDAI has teamed up with MCASD, however informally, for an exhibition like this.

“It makes sense, because they’re a very grownup version of us, but our aesthetics and missions are complementary,” says Porcella.

Some of the artists were invited to participate and some were chosen, and there are even a few commissioned pieces such as the interactive video installation from Boston/San Diego technologists Sosolimited. Other highlights include local Adam Manley, who will COURTESY OF THE ARTIST debut a conceptual installation piece involving the destruction of sawhorses.

Some of CityBeat’s faves (and ones we’ve written about in the past) are Beliz Iristay, Ash Eliza Smith and Marina Grize.

“It’s a really great overview of what’s happening in this “Pillow Talk” by Ivy Guild specific place in time,” says Porcella.

“And the work that’s being produced in Mexico is different than the work made in San Diego and L.A., but there are things happening in all these places. For me, it’s a great way to expose artists and introduce them to the community.”

The 2016 Biennial will open on Saturday, Dec. 10 from 6 to 8 p.m. and the exhibition itself will be up through Jan. 29. The opening will also include live music and beer from Duck Foot Brewing. sandiego-art.org.

LA JOLLA

DOWNTOWN

2

MAKERS MARK

For three years, the Makers Arcade Holiday Fair has been the place for quirky San Diego artists and makers to showcase their work. It’s also a great way to support the local economy with your holiday gift money.

Taking place at the Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier (1000 N. Harbor Drive), the fair highlights dozens of local artisans in a fair setting where guests can buy local gifts and interact with artists. On Saturday, Dec. 10 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., check out some of the featured makers such as Craft Beerd, Case Ceramics, Camera Camper and Get to Work Book. There will also be live music, photo booths and a DIY crafting booth, as well as food and beverage merchants such as Communal Coffee, Salt and Lime and Mallow Mallow just in case patrons get parched. Tickets are $5. makersarcade.com.

LET’S FROLIC TOGETHER

3

SIX IN THE CHAMBER

While we might occasionally enjoy the incessant caroling and tacky Christmas music that the month of December promises, the performance by Neue Vocalsolisten offers a nice respite from the typical sounds of the holiday season. From high sopranos to baritones, the six-piece group’s experimentation in contemporary sounds and vocal techniques provide a unique experience in chamber music.

Their latest production, “tempi agitati,” pays tribute to Renaissance composers Adrian Willaert and his pupil Cipriano de Rore, and focuses on the specialization of sound and takes inspiration from the centuries-old concepts of sound and space. As if that wasn’t enough reason to attend, concert admission is free. The ensemble will be featured at the Conrad Prebys Music Center Experimental Theater (9500 Gilman Drive) on Thursday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m as part of UC San Diego’s concert season. musicweb.ucsd.edu.

MARTIN SIGMUND

Beatles Cartoon Pop Art Show at Michael J. Wolf Fine Arts, 363 5th Ave., Downtown. Ron Campbell, animator of the Beatles film Yellow Submarine, will showcase his original Beatles cartoon paintings and create new Beatles pop art paintings at the exhibit. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. Free. 619-702-5388, mjwfinearts.com H2016 Southern California/Baja Biennial at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Juried by MCASD’s Anthony Graham, this every-two-years exhibition features juried and invitational work by dozens of artists living and working between Los Angeles and Tijuana.

Notable local names include Beliz Iristay, Aren Skalman, Ash Eliza Smith and more.

Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. $5. sandiego-art.org HOf Gals & Monsters at ArtHatch, 317 E. Grande Ave., Escondido. A solo exhibit by painter Mike Bell that depicts Frankenstein and his bride in a series of humorous modern day situations, as well as pinups like Marilyn Monroe and Bettie Page juxtaposed in equally peculiar settings. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Saturday, Dec. 10. Free. 760-781-5779, arthatch.org/ HPrint Culture at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Opening reception for an exhibit of local artists’ graphic design works from the 1950s and ‘60s, including designs created for the Navy and defense contractors, as well as personal pieces. Opening from noon to 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10. Free. 619-236-5800, sandiego.gov/public-library/news-events/ visualarts Summation 2016 at Escondido Arts Partnership Municipal Gallery, 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. The annual yearend exhibition features some of the finest works of art produced by local and regional artists. Poet’s INC will also have its annual Summation publication that archives poetry inspired by the works of art.

Opening from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Free. escondidoarts.org HThe Principles of Nature at Madison Gallery, 1055 Wall St., La Jolla. Noted South Korean artist Jaehyo Lee will present his second solo exhibition, where he attempts to create a direct narrative with nature via large-scale sculptures. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Free. madisongalleries.com/ Hellion Rebellion: a Star Wars Fan Art Show at Basic, 410 10th Ave., Downtown.

A one-night-only Star Wars fan art show featuring over 50 artists. Opening from 7 p.m. to midnight. Tuesday, Dec. 13. Free.

619-531-8869, thumbprintgallerysd.com

BOOKS HJane Klonsky at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The photographer will discuss and sign her new book of portraits, Unconditional: Older Dogs, Deeper Love. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8.

Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks.com HStephen White at Record City, 3757 6th Avenue, Hillcrest. The local author will be signing copies of The Go-Go’s: A YinPop Guide, a book on the iconic new wave band. The event will include ‘80s CD and vinyl giveaways, a Go-Go’s trivia quiz, music and refreshments. From 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Free.

619-291-5313, recordcityonline.com HAleta George at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, Point Loma. The author will be discussing Ina Coolbrith: The Bittersweet Song of California’s First Poet Laureate, a biography about a pioneer poet. Part of the Second Sunday Author

Maker’s Arcade

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Neue Vocalsolisten

H = CityBeat picks

Series Women’s Voices. At 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 11. 619-233-7963, womensmuseumca.org

DANCE The Nutcracker at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road, Poway. The Southern California Ballet’s 25th annual production of the Tchaikovsky classic features internationally acclaimed dancers and local talent as well. At 1 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and 1 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 11. $20-$38. 858-7480505, southerncaliforniaballet.org

FOOD & DRINK HTaste ’N’ Tinis at various location in Hillcrest. A night of martini sipping, boutique shopping and gourmet food sampling on a self guided walking tour of Hillcrest. Participants include Gossip Grill, Uptown Tavern, Local Habit and more.

From 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8. $24$30. fabuloushillcrest.ticketleap.com HNomad Donuts’ Open House at Nomad Donuts Bakery Cafe, 3102 University Ave., North Park. Two dollar donuts, local beer and live music will be offered at the first public viewing of Nomad Donuts’ new North Park location. Benefits the David Harp Foundation, a nonprofit focused on homeless youth. From 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13. Free. nomaddonuts.com

HOLIDAY EVENTS HMingei Holiday Market at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Shop handmade goods by local artisans, including ceramics, jewelry, textiles and more. Enjoy featured cocktails from Nostrum and festive treats. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8. Free. 619-2390003, mingei.org HNorth Park After Dark: Holiday Art Market at The Studio Door, 3750 30th St., North Park. The gallery turns into a marketplace for local artists to bring their small, affordable works of art. Patrons can take home artwork immediately after purchase. From 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8. Free. thestudiodoor.com The Night Owls: Christmas Kitsch at the Athenaeum at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. Make ornaments and pose for a Polaroid photo booth while enjoying an exhibition of art kitsch, alt-western blues by The Midnight Pine, and goodies including Stone Brewing Co. beer, cocktails and festive treats.

From 7:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8. Free-$10. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum. org/the-night-owls HKey of She at White Box Theater, 2690 Truxtun Road, Point Loma. The fully female, 14-member ensemble performs jazzy versions of traditional holiday tunes, as well as singing a few surprises. The concert is followed by a reception. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. Free. 619225-1803, keyofshe.org HChuckAlek Weihnachtsmarkt at ChuckAlek Biergarten, 3139 University Ave., North Park. A holiday market offering locally designed and handmade wares, visits with Santa and craft beer.

Also, activities for kids including seasonal story telling and art classes. From noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Free. facebook.com/SDMixtapeSociety Dashing Through The Snow at Encinitas Community Center, 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive, Encinitas. The North Coast Symphony Orchestra’s performs a holiday program including “Tintinnabulations,” “A Christmas Festival,” “The Bells of Christmas” and more. Tables available for pic-

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

EVENTS COURTESY RICHARD ALLEN MORRIS

EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 nicking. At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. $8-$25. northcoastsymphony.com HGreen Flash Grand Holiday Marketplace at Green Flash Cellar 3, 12260 Crosthwaite Circle, Poway. For the fifth year, Green Flash Brewery’s outdoor area will be transformed into a bazaar with more than 20 local vendors featuring handmade jewelry, wearable goods and more. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Free.

858-622-0085, greenflashbrew.com Liberty Station’s Holiday Block Party at NTC at Liberty Station, 2640 Historic Decatur Road, Point Loma. For the second year, Liberty Station will host this event to showcase artist studios and restaurants in the neighborhood. From 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Free.

619-573-9300, libertystation.com HMakers Arcade Holiday Fair at Port Pavilion on Broadway Pier, 1000 North Harbor Drive, Downtown. Dozens of local artists and crafters gather to show off handcrafted goods. Includes a photo booth, DIY craft booths, live music, local food trucks, craft beer and cocktail lounges. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. Free-$5. makersarcade.com Pacific Beach Holiday Parade at Grand Ave. and Mission Blvd., Pacific Beach. The annual holiday celebration features the San Diego Santa Run, Pacific Beach Holiday Parade and Christmas on Crystal Pier, all adding up to an entire day of festive activities. From 1 to 3 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 10. Free. 858-273-3303, pacificbeach.org Toast of Downtown at Gaslamp Quarter. A holiday walkabout through the Gaslamp Quarter and East Village with cocktail samples, bites from local restaurants and discounts at more than 20

shops. Holiday attire encouraged. From 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. $25-$30. ticketsauce.com/e/toast-of-gaslamp

around the bay. From 5 to 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 11 and Sunday, Dec. 18.

Free. sdparadeoflights.org

HToys For Tots Festravaganza at The Che Cafe, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla.

A benefit concert with performances

by Inspired and the Sleep, Fake Tides, Cameron Royce and more. Free entry with donation of toy valued at $10.

All proceeds go to Toys For Tots. From 4 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. $10-$12. 858-534-2311, facebook.com/ events/1005215519601727

HTurista Libre Posada Holiday Party at Turista Libre Meeting Spot, 727 E. San Ysidro Blvd., Tijuana. Celebrate on the eve of the annual Mexican feast day, Our Lady of Guadalupe, with a meal of traditional antojitos mexicanos, followed by a lap of the Guadalupe murals scattered around downtown Tijuana. From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. $55. 858754-9406, turistalibre.com

HBlind Lady Ale House Craft & Draft at Blind Lady Ale House, 3416 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. The entire Hamm’s Room will turn into a crafters’ holiday wish list for the afternoon.

Enjoy holiday beers, food and handmade treasures from local artists. From 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11.

Free. 619-255-2491, facebook.com/ events/155693948231399/ Gaslamp Holiday Pet Parade at Hilton Gaslamp Park, 401 K Street, Downtown.

Pet owners and their companions are invited to don their favorite costumes and put their best paw forward for this promenade and pet expo. From 1 to 5 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 11. $15-$20. holidaypetparade.com HPets on Parade at Carlsbad Village Faire, 300 Carlsbad Village Drive, Pets can get their photo taken with Santa before walking in a holiday parade around the city block. Holiday attire encouraged, and all proceeds benefit Wagging Dog Rescue. From 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. Free. carlsbad-village.com HSan Diego Bay Parade of Lights at San Diego Bay, Downtown. The 45th annual event held on San Diego Bay features boats of all types and sizes decorated in Christmas themes and parading

12 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

MUSIC HNeue Vocalsolisten at Conrad Prebys Music Center, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. An ensemble established in 1984 specializing in the interpretation of contemporary vocal music will present a special evening of chamber vocal music.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8. Free. 858534-3448, musicweb.ucsd.edu Beethoven’s Ninth at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. Edo de Waart conducts soprano Erin Wall, mezzo-soprano Renee Tatum, tenor Barry Banks, bassist Nathan Berg and the San Diego Master Chorale through pieces by Ives and Beethoven. At 8 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 9 and Saturday, Dec. 10, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. $23-$75.

619-235-0804, sandiegosymphony.org HTakács Quartet at MCASD Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect Ave., La Jolla.

The world-renown string quartet opens La Jolla Music Society’s Revelle Chamber Music Series with an all-Beethoven program that demonstrates quartet styles of three decades. At 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. $30-$80. ljms.org HVinyl Junkies Record Swap: Holiday Edition at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. A special holi-

day edition of the every-other-month record event featuring vendors selling thousands of collectible and vintage records in all genres, plus DJs spinning throughout the day. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. $3. facebook. com/VinylJunkiesRecordSwap HDr. Jeeyoon Kim Album Release Concert at Auditorium at The Scripps Research Institute, 10620 John J Hopkins Drive, La Jolla. The classical pianist will perform selected pieces from her new album Ten More Minutes. Jeeyoon will be providing musical commentary for each selection that she performs. From 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. $30. 408398-5940, jyk.ticketleap.com HBrian Stokes Mitchell at La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla. The Tony Award-winning star of stage and screen returns home to San Diego for an exclusive one-night concert of jazz, opera, pops, country and musical theatre.

At 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 12. $75-$250.

858-550-1010, lajollaplayhouse.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD HBlack Candies: Gross and Unlikeable Release Party + Reading at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. The release show for a women-only anthology of literary horror and dark fiction. Come hear some of the stories read by the writers and feast your eyes upon the deliciously dark art. From 8 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8. $5 suggested donation. 619-284-6784, sosayweallonline.com

SPECIAL EVENTS HProtect the Sacred Benefit at Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mis-

An exhibition poster for Richard Allen Morris: Recent Paintings at Grossmont College will be on view at Print Culture, a group exhibition opening from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Central Library Art Gallery (330 Park Blvd.) in the East Village. sion Hills. A benefit concert and art show with proceeds benefitting Standing Rock. Bands include Natula, Fake Tides, Big Bloom and three others, as well as art work from Aaron Glasson, Erin Bowman, Terri Lee Harrell and dozens more. From 6 to 11 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. $15. 619-295-8743, facebook. com/Blondebarsd HSan Diego Tweed Ride at Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Bicyclists are invited to dress in tweed and Victorian era attire for a fun ride at this 8th annual event. Meet back at Panama 66 post-race for food and drinks. At 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. Free. 619-239-0512, facebook.com/ events/1763601067222300

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December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

14 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

#SDCityBeat

THEATER Scorching sunspots

ADRIANA ZUNIGA-WILLIAMS PHOTOGRAPHY

T

here are spots on the sun and hysteria in the air at InnerMission Productions’ tiny space above Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. Martin Zimmerman’s Seven Spots on the Sun is a boiling cauldron of human suffering, complete with tearful breakdowns and anguished cries from circling actors portraying “The Town.” During a mere 90 minutes we are immersed in a savage war, its roiling aftermath and a child-killing plague.

The only relief from the torment is the presence of a hobbled town doctor (Jorge Rodriguez) who, in the tradition of magical realism storytelling, seems to have the power to heal the children. But he, too, is a broken man, and it will take more than a “Please” for him to assist the infected baby of a merciless soldier (Bernardo Mazon) responsible for the murder of the doctor’s wife. Under Carla Nell’s direction, Seven Spots on the Sun is unrelenting in its tension and ominousness, which is not necessarily an issue. The histrionics of some in the cast—not including Rodriguez or Mazon—are.

Seven Spots on the Sun runs through Dec. 10 at Diversionary Theatre’s Black Box space in University Heights. $20-$25. innermissionproductions.org *** ou’re invited to a Jewish wedding reception at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, but don’t be deceived by appearances. The Rep’s Lyceum Space may be gaily furnished and decorated for the occasion, but Todd Salovey’s one-act The Dybbuk for Hannah and Sam’s Wedding is more dybbuk than wedding. (A dybbuk is a malignant spirit of someone dead and hellbent on possession.) This lively but somewhat tiring one-man-

Y

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the end. Salovey’s script is smartly conceived, but you may be more charmed by the three klezmer musicians (led by Yale Strom, composer of this music for the show) who support Campbell on stage.

The Dybbuk for Hannah and Sam’s Wedding runs through Dec. 18 at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, downtown. $35-$62. sdrep.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: The DNA New Works Series: See stripped-down performances of four new plays from up-and-coming writers at this annual showcase of new talent. It happens Dec. 9 through Dec. 11 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org The Santaland Diaries: A staged reading of David Sedaris’ one-man comedy about an unemployed actor who takes a job as a department store elf. Presented by Intrepid Theatre, it happens a Dec. 12 at the Encinitas Library Community Room. intrepidtheatre.org The Wedding Cake: A staged reading of Judge H. Lee Sarokin’s drama about two couples whose trivial argument quickly escalates into a consequential quarrel. Directed by Jay Mower, it happens Dec. 13 at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

Jorge Rodriguez (left) and Bernardo Mazon in Seven Spots on the Sun show stars Ron Campbell as the titular groom Sam’s Uncle Jerry. In short shrift, Unk goes from teetering toastmaster to recounter of a harrowing tale: essentially S. Ansky’s play The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds.

Campbell portrays all characters of the play-withina-play, and why Uncle Jerry is doing this crystallizes by

The Wholehearted: A one-woman show about a female boxer that studies the complications and implications that women athletes often have to go through. Written and directed by Deborah Stein, it opens for six performances Dec. 14 at the La Jolla Playhouse. lajollaplayhouse.org

For full theater listings, visit “Theater”at sdcitybeat.com

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

TORREY BAILEY

MISSION MISSION HILLS HILLS Tucked up above the San Diego International Airport, to the east of Old Town and on Hillcrest’s west, Mission Hills is an ivory tower overlooking its peripheral neighborhoods. This stretch of top tier land has shied away from the look-at-me personalities of the surrounding communities, but over the last half decade, Mission Hills has quietly and consistently crept up the food chain. It’s shed an elder population and is emerging as a well-to-do, baby-making mecca. Novice families have cemented a reputation for valuing locally-sourced organics over greaseridden convenience, single story complexes over monstrous high rises, and American-made products over Chinese manufacturing. A grab bag of architectural styles from Craftsman to Spanish colonial to

modern homes line the canyons and squeaky clean streets. Random pavements sport a shade of pink, as requested by pioneering horticulturist Kate Sessions, who nearly single-handledly planted Balboa Park. She also opened Mission Hills Nursery, the oldest business of its kind in San Diego, after arriving on a steamship sailed by Mission Hills’ first landowner.

Sessions heavily invested in the area too, lobbying for street cars to raise her land value and subsequently laying the foundation for the neighborhood’s current price(y) point. These days, San Diegans visit for a farm-to-table meal, an Instagram shot of Harper’s topiary garden, nightly karaoke or ghost stories at Pioneer Park, but overall it’s a serene retreat. Except when the afternoon school bell rings.

THE CORNER Gangs of stroller-pushing moms roam the area encompassing the Washington and Goldfinch Streets’ merger. Pre-wrinkle parents guide their children past eateries, florists and bars where, one day, those same kids will learn to shop organic, pick Mother’s Day bouquets, and test their fake IDs.

16 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

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CANDICE ELEY

4. Jeb - Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So”: My wife put it best “Say it ain’t so, indeed.”

3. Betsy - White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”: Betsy partially redeems herself with a livelier song, and she even sings the hook. Still, it feels like she could have done more with it.

2. Warren - Tenacious D’s “Tribute”: I’m the last person you’d expect to praise Bush-era goof rock, but Warren, in spite of his handlebar mustache, gave a spirited rendition.

Points for enthusiasm.

1. Ann - Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee”: This karaoke performance had it all—hootin’, hollerin’, even some improvised dancing. Congratulations Ann, you win karaoke.

The author hears a sour note.

KARAOKE GETS LIT The Lamplighter (817 W. Washington St.) is one of the only bars in San Diego that hosts karaoke every night of the week, which probably means the bartenders have a pretty high tolerance for off-key hams. I dropped in on a Sunday night to catch the show, choosing not to participate but rather see how the talent stacks up on a rainy, low-key evening. Here’s my ranking of the singers I heard, from worst to best. Names changed to protect the innocent.

6. Betsy - Coldplay’s “The Scientist”: Starting off a night of karaoke with a slow ballad that keeps going well after the lyrics are done? Way to bum everyone out, Betsy.

5. Ann - “Out Tonight” (from Rent): I hate showtunes, but if you’re going to do one, sell the fuck out of it. Own it.

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—Jeff Terich

GRAVE EXPECTATIONS Of course it’s right next to a school.

That’s my first thought when I look upon the tombstones in Mission Hills’ Pioneer Park, with a Ouija board tucked under my arm. It’s my first time here and immediately know it’s the perfect destination for San Diego goths who need a place to makeout, practice amateur witchcraft or taunt the resting spirits buried underneath the soil, as I have planned to do.

The park served as a Catholic cemetery until the 1970s, when all markers—save for the few that remain at the park’s edge as memorials—were moved to Mt. Hope Cemetery. However, the bodies remained, so on any given day, a bunch of Mission Hills kids are playing on top of the bodies of dozens of dead Catholics.

Cool.

I set the board in front of a grave belonging to Luke Kelly, who died in 1882. The distant laughter of children sends a slight chill down my spine. I make CityBeat associate editor Torrey Bailey place her fingers on the planchette—I’m not going to be the only one risking possession in the name of journalism.

“Are there any spirits present?” I ask.

Nothing.

“Any at all?” I pause. “Luke? It’s Ryan, from CityBeat.” My credentials don’t impress the spirits. The planchette remains still.

The dismissal bell rings. Parents swarm the school to pick up their kids, all giving side-eyes to the grown-ass adults playing Ouija. I realize the spirits aren’t the creepiest things in this park—we are.

TORREY BAILEY

—Ryan Bradford

Bradford conjures the spirits.

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

TORREY BAILEY

FOODIE FIGURES

CAROLYN RAMOS

Artful interpretations of some of our favorite sustainable dishes.

Violet Crumble As one of my favorite travel writers once pointed out, Britain is “a Babel of palates and lexicon of digestions.” That is, Brits eat some funny stuff.

This is very evident at Shakespeare’s Corner Shoppe and Afternoon Tea (3719 India St.), where there are rows of bizarre foods and drinks.

Here are a few of my faves: Violet Crumble: I could eat these candy bars every day and happily spend the $3 to do so. The perfect combo of milk chocolate and some kind of crunchy, strangely delectable honeycomb concoction.

Jaffa Cakes: Brits love to argue about whether this is a biscuit or a cake. Also, a biscuit to them is a cookie to us. Who cares? It’s spongy, sugary, it’s got chocolate on top, and there’s some kind of donut-esque jelly oozing out. Please sir, I want some more.

Prawn Cocktail Walkers Crisps: This may sound disgusting (I mean, really, it is), but these potato chips actually reminded me of eating crab-flavored chips in southern Maryland. An Old Bay flavor, with a touch of artificial sea-sweetness. I’m not sure why this is a thing, but screw it, I’ll eat it.

—Seth Combs

18 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

Patio on Goldfinch

Cinnamon Roll

Brooklyn Girl

Williams Burger

Farmer’s Bottega

Crab Benedict

#SDCityBeat

PHOTOS BY TORREY BAILEY

Doug Yeagley

Victoria McGeath

David Simaan

Owner of Tops Salon and Cinema Under the Stars “Everybody tries to say I’m this movie buff who has always wanted his own theatre,” says Doug Yeagley, owner of Cinema Under the Stars and Tops Salon (4040 Goldfinch St.). “I tell them that’s a great story, but it’s not mine.” The outside patio space next to his salon started as an arena for exchanging ideas, which was inspired by a concept introduced by Yeagley’s mentor, the internationally-renowned hairstylist Paul Mitchell. “He created a vehicle for people to come in and exchange ideas, and he was able to take those ideas and manifest them into the physical world.” Yeagley never imagined the space would become a cinema, but 30 years later, the idea has stuck. By offering reserved seating, he says he’s encouraging moviegoers to explore the neighboring restaurants and bars before the film, instead of waiting in the theater. “At some point, we gotta get back to supporting the neighborhoods, supporting our country and all that kind of stuff, without getting political, but just to take care of each other in our communities.” He partially attributes his success to the proximity of his home to his salon/cinema. To be exact, his house is 92 duck feet away, a measurement he drunkenly created one night by walking with one foot directly before the other. Even on his nights off, you might find him there watching a game or movie. “It’s like the giant man cave of Mission Hills.”

Owner of Brooklyn Girl Victoria and Michael McGeath’s food industry investments started with Fio’s in downtown, long before the location was advisable. Esteemed food critic Eleanor Widmer’s review was accompanied by a picture of a hooker and a drug dealer looking out the restaurant’s window. The McGeaths disproved the times and later opened Trattoria Acqua in La Jolla, but no neighborhood gave them quite what they were looking for until Mission Hills. “It was a very old-fashioned, Norman Rockwell kind of neighborhood much like the boroughs of New York, and I would pass by [our building] when I was going to the hairdresser, and I just thought that it had that lofty Brooklyn feeling,” said McGeath, who was born in the New York City borough. One year later, the lease was theirs, marking the birth of Brooklyn Girl (4033 Goldfinch St.). Five years later, the restaurant still serves up organic, farm-totable dishes while managing to maintain its communal vibe. Customers have met and married there, brought their babies in, and even celebrated recoveries in the restaurant. McGeath also collaborates with her alma mater, San Diego State University, to bring interns to the table and teach them the unexpected realities of the industry.

Meanwhile, one of the restaurant’s main attractions is a rather unexpected one. “People come in specifically to see our Barbie wall... All the Barbies are diverse, showing the diversity of people.”

Owner of Ibis Market After being in business for more than 30 years, David Simaan has no questions as to why Ibis Market (1112 Fort Stockton Drive) has been able to withstand the test of time. “First, the service,” he says. “And second, the Mediterranean specialties.”

Initially, the long-standing, family-run store sold meats and other common grocery goods, but the advent of supermarket chains prompted a shift toward specializing in Mediterranean delicacies such as tabouli, hummus and baba ghanoush. “You can’t find it in the supermarket,” he says.

“You’ll find it, but it’s brought from somewhere else, and it’s not authentic.” Simaan first moved to Mission Hills from Iraq in 1982 and was attracted to the solitude and friendliness of the neighborhood. Now, he fondly looks back on the generations of families that he has seen pass through his store. In a neighborhood full of $15 salads, his affordable options keep policemen, construction workers and other locals coming back. “At a different supermarket, you’re a number. Over here, you walk in, and most of the time we know your name.”

His Mediterranean dishes are getting an upgrade soon though. Simaan is in the works of adding a restaurant to the back of the market, creating the Ibis Cafe. The 50-person space will have counter service, seating and a bar, but the prices will remain affordable. “I’m very happy, that’s why I’m staying around.”

#SDCityBeat

—Torrey Bailey

—Torrey Bailey

—Sofia Mejias

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

CULTURE | ART

SEEN LOCAL TO SEE OR NOT TO SEE: CODEX OAXACA 2.0

I

the importance of family and language within the immigrant experience.

“One of the museum visitors pointed it out to our gallery docent and our gallery attendant, ‘Did you see what somebody wrote out there?’” NAM Executive Director Linda Cabalero-Sotelo told me a few days after the incident. “So it happened in broad daylight and in the morning. Honestly, we’re referring to it as a hate crime now and not just vandalism.”

A custodian at Liberty Station quickly removed the graffiti, but not before museum staff snapped pictures of the defiled signs. Rather than simply report the incident to the police (which they did), the staff decided to collectively embrace the incident. Well, perhaps embrace isn’t the right word.

Rather, they now have enlarged pictures of the graffiti prominently displayed in the museum as a means to underscore the incident. While many museums might not want to draw any more unwanted attention to the incident—lest there be a repeat incident— the NAM isn’t backing down, but is instead standing

have a confession to make: I hadn’t been planning on reviewing this show. I do my best to keep the art reviews in this column as varied as possible and I had already reviewed an exhibition at the New Americans Museum (2825 Dewey Road #102) in December of 2015 (San Diego Art Prize winner Shinpei Takeda’s brilliant and affecting Inscription: A Monumental Installation). I often recommend to anyone visiting the now bustling Liberty Station complex to stop by the museum. It is, in every sense, a gem among the arts and culture institutions there, but I don’t want to come across as if I’m ever playing favorites when it comes to the SETH COMBS reviews I write here.

Then the presidential election happened, and suddenly the need for a place like the New Americans Museum seemed so much more profound. The museum’s mission statement on its website says it all: to serve “as a catalyst to celebrate America’s past and promise.” It does this with exhibitions focusing not only on the immigrant experience, but with programs that foster tolerance and acceptance within young people in the local community.

I’ve seen with my own eyes these types of programs in action, however incidentally. When I stopped by to view Installation, a group of high-school-age students were in the quaint museum A patron writes on the wall of the New Americans Museum. helping to set-up an accompanying part of the installation. The students varied in up the anonymous, pen-wielding trolls of the world. age, gender and ethnicity, but there was no sense of It was hard to look at the blown-up pictures at racial, class or social ostracism among them. They a special NMA opening during the monthly Friday were there to do a job, and I got the sense that they Night Liberty event. Alongside the pictures were felt that job was important. They were working large pieces of paper inviting guests to write their together and with a determined sense of human- thoughts on immigration. ism that seemed to bind and bond them together.

“I think this is the right way to deal with it,” said Looking back, it was honestly one of those moments NAM Board of Directors member Michael Hager where I felt truly optimistic about the future. as he watched the crowd write personal messages Then, well, here we are now and I’m not feel- on the paper. “It’s important to show that these ing so optimistic about the future, much less the thoughts are not shared by everybody.” level of tolerance-based respect in this country.

Perhaps it was a benefit that NAM decided to I’ll spare you the bloviating, as there are certainly handle things this way. Who’s to say how many more enough columns in this paper opining on the many people have seen Codex Oaxaca 2.0 as a result of the political fallout(s) of 2016. Art and culture-based incident? What’s more, how many more people have museum programming will almost certainly play a discovered the museum entirely and likely never large part in dealing and even combatting the con- knew it even existed? sequences of 2016, be it Brexit or our own presiHowever, I cannot emphasize enough how dential election, but as recent events have proven, important it is to view Codex Oaxaca 2.0 (which even a safe space like the New Americans Museum is up through Jan. 15) on its own merit. To clear (NAM) will not be spared from the festering in- one’s mind of the hateful incidents and the world crease in hate-based crimes. outside in order to truly examine Marietta BernOn the morning of Saturday, Nov. 26 someone storff ’s dutifully and lovingly curated collection came to the NAM and wrote anti-immigrant mes- of artifacts and writings. Within it, that sense of sages on signs near the entrance of the museum. optimism about the future returns. That if the “Too much immigration! Go back to your country. brave people represented within the exhibition This one is ours!” read one message, written in black can make it in their new country while holding ink. “Over population & crowding by immigration!” onto the best parts of their own culture, perhaps read another. The messages were written on signs we can all hold onto the best parts of ours as well. promoting NMA’s new exhibition Codex Oaxaca newamericansmuseum.org 2.0: Cultural Memory & Immigration, a multimedia showcase of cultural art and artifacts that examines

—Seth Combs

20 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

#SDCityBeat

CULTURE | FILM

Mind over matters

Things To Come

Mia Hansen-Løve and Isabelle Huppert cherish a reawakening of ideas

by Glenn Heath Jr.

I

t has been an unusually great year for French points and pacing to embrace this idea. No grand viccinema. Elle’s subversive nastiness and amorality tories or defeats are present, just the ebbs and flows pack a punch; Disorder’s tense muscularity and of life that can sometimes fail to leave an impression audible resonance makes for a great sensory thriller; if you aren’t paying attention. This passionately sugBeing 17’s tenderness works as a lovely anecdote to gests that most moments are worth a second glance. a brutal year of divisiveness; My Golden Days’ nosNathalie continues to inspire her philosophy stutalgic, breezy intellectualism reaches a profound un- dents by day, reading them Rousseau and disputing derstanding of fallible memory. With this week’s lot their modern understanding of civil disobedience. of new releases, we can add one film more to this list. She battles passive-aggressive marketing rubes deThings to Come unfolds through the eyes of Na- termined to phase out her cornerstone textbook thalie Chazeaux (Isabelle Huppert), a middle-aged penned years before. One misguided crack at dating Parisian teacher whose seemingly routine path in life only leads to unwanted groping during a screening suddenly shifts when her professor husband Heinz of Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified Copy, proving the (André Marcon) finally admits to an act of infidelity. value she places on intellectual stimulation.

Instead of producing some late-stage sexual awakIf there were a central driving force in the loose ening or spiritual resurgence, narrative it would be Nathalie’s the saddening circumstances reconnection with her former fortify Nathalie’s intellectual THINGS TO COME student and protégé, Fabien curiosity and challenge her to (Roman Kolinka). Early on, Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve embrace the foreign feeling of Heinz labels the young man Starring Isabelle Huppert, total independence. a bum for dressing down and André Marcon and Directed by the great young avoiding professional responsiRoman Kolinka filmmaker Mia Hansen-Løve, bility. But it’s this very reckless Things to Come is unusually atabandon that inspires Nathalie Not Rated tuned to the sights and sounds late in the film when she visits of daily life. In the opening seFabien at a commune deep in quence Nathalie and her family traverses the blus- the French countryside. Surrounded by mountains tery beaches of Brittany. Two children dart in and and streams, expectations would suggest the two out of frame, while Heinz lingers, curiously studying might begin a romantic interlude. But in fact the opa religious sculpture facing the sea. Even while shar- posite occurs; sharing time together only deepens ing time together on vacation, each of these charac- their intellectual respect and allows for difference ters is pulled by the currents of individual need. of opinions to flourish.

Without calling attention to it, the film perfectly Things to Come, which opens on Friday, Dec. 9 at expresses the subtle compromises one makes when the Ken Cinema, embraces the possibility of mental part of a family unit. After Heinz finally tells Nathalie satisfaction over all other desires. Whether it’s hearabout his affair and moves out, she is faced with the ing a Woody Guthrie song for the first time or having inverse process of reawakening to the possibilities a philosophical discussion with total strangers, the of unattached adulthood. Hansen-Løve doesn’t por- process of continuous learning keeps the mind and tray one or the other as preferable situations; multi- body vigorous. Hansen-Løve doesn’t ignore sexual ple times post-breakup the camera catches Nathalie desire so much as diminishes its usual stranglehold weeping inconsolably at the betrayal she has expe- over the dispossessed. For Nathalie, new ideas and rienced. But there’s a difference between wallowing possibilities rise to the forefront, effectively making and grieving. the teacher a student again.

As the title would suggest, many fresh adventures reside on the horizon for those willing and open to Film reviews run weekly. them. Things to Come willfully disavows normal plot Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

December 7, 2016 • San Diego CityBeat · 21

CULTURE | FILM

Miss Sloane

Tradecraft

W

ith every newly filled Cabinet position, President-elect Trump further proves he has no intention of fulfilling his promise of “draining the D.C swamp.” Big surprise. For those disgruntled voters on both sides of the aisle already sharpening their pitchforks in anger, the new political thriller Miss Sloane might feel like a therapeutic respite of rage. It’s a brazenly pulpy and vengeful look at K Street combat that lobs a grenade directly under the rotten foundation of status quo governance.

Jessica Chastain stars as the all-knowing power broker who leaves her cushy job at a right wing firm to help pass a formi-

22 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

dable lefty gun-control bill in the Senate that would require universal background checks on firearm purchases. Her Sloane dominates every scene with razor-edged soliloquies and an even sharper stare, taking on a host of weak politicians and corrupt lobbyists looking to discredit her reputation.

Written by first-time scribe Jonathan Perera, the film’s drama hinges on shady wordplay between characters. Chastain has a grand old time barking orders, orchestrating reveals and buttering up her competition for a grand finale. Sloane’s warpath feels entirely necessary considering the cynicism and manipulation that defines D.C.’s skewed perspective bubble.

Director John Madden (Shakespeare in Love) smartly stays out of Chastain’s way, fixing the camera on her character’s shark-like movements. Great actors such as Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mark Strong, Michael Stuhlbarg and John Lithgow do their best from the sidelines, but this isn’t their picture to steal.

Miss Sloane, opening Friday, Dec. 9 in wide release, specializes in a form of tradecraft that subversively challenges the whitemale dominated bully pulpit, detonating the cronyism of old with a sick smile. One can only hope that such pure revenge fantasy will one day become the harsh reality for those fear mongers who think the American people will continue to do nothing in the face of gross misconduct.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING Camino A La Paz: An unemployed twenty-something who’s just started a car service drives an elderly man across the country and the journey changes his life forever. Opens Friday, Dec. 9, and screens through Friday, Dec. 16, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Christine: Antonio Campos’ oddly compelling biopic of infamous Florida reporter Christine Chubbuck gets a rere-

lease. Opens Friday, Dec. 9, and screens through Thursday, Dec. 15, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Coming Through the Rye: A young man attending boarding school attempts to adapt his favorite novel – J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye – into a play.

But an unsettling incident drives him to seek out the author himself for guidance. Opens Friday, Dec. 9, and screens through Thursday, Dec. 15, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Miss Sloane: Jessica Chastain stars as a powerful Washington D.C. lobbyist who decides to leave a right wing firm to lead the efforts for a gun control bill that faces steep opposition from all sides. Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love).

Office Christmas Party: Things go terribly (and hilariously) awry during a holiday soirée at a corporate office. Stars T.J. Miller, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, and Kate McKinnon.

The Eyes of My Mother: In this horror film from Spain, a young girl’s fascination with death becomes even deeper after trauma rips her idyllic family apart. Opens Friday, Dec. 9, and screens through Thursday, Dec. 15, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Things to Come: Thoughtful and wise, this drama stars Isabelle Huppert as a longtime teacher whose husband of decades suddenly leaves her for a younger woman.

Opens Friday, Dec. 9, at the Ken Cinema.

For a complete listing of movies, visit “F ilm” on sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

KATHY THOMPSON

MUSIC

“The songs are always fun to play,” he says. “Most bands don’t last as long as we do and don’t have as many songs as we have. I loved the songs when we wrote them. I loved them when we recorded them. I love playing them. There’s nothing that I disown. There’s nothing I’m embarrassed by. There’s just some that I can’t do anymore.

“We made various decisions knowing this is going to purge some of our audience,” he continues. “As our motto goes, ars longa spectatore fugaces. Art is forever but the audience comes and goes. The audience can stand there like zombies and it won’t make a lick of difference to us.

We’re playing. We’re in the moment. That’s the sort of men and women we are. Culture doesn’t come from groups of people cooperating together, it comes from loners working in their basement. It’s a bunch of people who made things and do things because they have no choice.”

That compulsive dedication to the art—above profit, above popularity, even above personnel—is likely what’s contributed to the continuity of Pere Ubu for so long.

Thomas says that Pere Ubu isn’t so much a band as it is an idea, and that idea is one of storytelling through constantly changing musical motifs. And the band has done just that, having released 16 studio albums and various singles and EPs over the years, with Thomas himself being one of the only commonalities between them. He decided early on that the band would live beyond scenes or trends.

“I was telling people back in the ‘80s, my big inspiration was (Nikita) Khrushchev banging on the table at the UN in the ‘60s saying ‘we will bury you.’ Everybody From left: Steve Mehlman, Robert Wheeler, Gary Siperko, David Thomas and Michele Temple thought, ‘oh they’re going to attack.’” he says. “What he ANDS LIKE PERE UBU aren’t supposed to last for 40 easy songs, because when you’re learning a new album to meant was—which is an eastern philosophy—we’ll outyears. They’re too weird. Too volatile. Too non-com- go on the road, you spend all your time on that. Most of this last you. Of course it didn’t quite turn out that way. But mercial. Since forming in 1975, the Cleveland group we had to learn from scratch, basically. There aren’t really I’ve always banged my shoe on the table and said we’ll bury you.” has been on a continuous mission to bend punk into bi- too many of what we’d call the easy ones in the set.”

No matter who hears them, and no matter how exzarre, experimental, and sometimes unrecognizable shapes.

The material that Pere Ubu is revisiting during the perimental or strange a form that performative shoeIn the process, they’ve released their fair share of classic al- Coed Jail! Tour (named after a companion compilabanging takes, Thomas insists that Pere Ubu will bums. They’ve outlasted The Clash, The Ramones, Talking tion released between the box sets), which just continue on well after his time in the band has Heads and Television. And though many of the band’s mem- wrapped up in Europe and is now making its passed. The band has had 18 different members have come and gone over the past four decades, they’re way to the west coast, comprises most of bers since their founding in the 1970s, and still standing and still making a curious art-punk ruckus. the band’s best known material, whether there’s a good possibility more will come Last year officially marked the 40th anniversary of the it’s the loud power chord bashes of “30 and go in the meantime. With its narraband’s formation, and to coincide with the anniversary, they Seconds Over Tokyo,” the slinky grooves tive structure and improvisational apreleased the box sets Elitism for the People and Architecture of “The Modern Dance” or the cacophoproach to composition, Thomas says the of Language. The two box sets compile their complete re- nous jangle of “Navvy.” That being said, idea of Pere Ubu should continue for decorded work—albums and singles—from 1975 to 1982 This the band’s never really had many hits, so cades. includes their iconic first and second full-lengths, The to speak and they’re perfectly fine with “There’s no reason why Pere Ubu won’t Modern Dance and Dub Housing, along with the more ex- that. In fact, making popular music has go on forever,” he says. “I’ve been training my perimental and eerie New Picnic Time. And though the band never actually been one of their goals. replacement for about four or five years. The didn’t initially plan on touring behind the reissues, they ultiThroughout the four decades of the once Cleveland orchestra doesn’t go out of existence when mately decided on some dates in the U.S. and Europe with a self-described “avant-garage” band’s existence, one of setlist of songs from 35 years ago or more. the only constants has been change. So while Thomas dis- George Szell retires. There’s no reason why Pere Ubu There is a hitch with a plan like that, however. Play- cusses Pere Ubu’s music in terms of a continuous body of won’t just keep going. Pere Ubu’s an idea.

“The idea’s the same. The people don’t matter,” he coning songs that old often means having to learn how to play work, few of their records actually sound alike. The years them all over again. since their debut have found the group embracing more tinues. “I don’t matter. Pere Ubu doesn’t need me.”

“We’ve always done, for 40 years now, material from experimental approaches or stylistic variations. So while the past,” says Pere Ubu vocalist David Thomas in a Skype Thomas says he enjoys playing their early canon, little of Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com and follow him on Twitter at call from a London tour stop. “And we always choose the what they do is a conscious effort to appease the audience. @1000TimesJeff

#SDCityBeat

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

MUSIC

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY

M

ission Hills venue Blonde Bar (1808 W. price and sales of art at the show will be donated to Washington St.) is hosting a benefit show aid Standing Rock. In addition to the art and music, for the protesters and protectors of the however, there will also be a handful of speakers, inwater supply of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe in cluding John Nelson, a military veteran and medic North Dakota. The show who has participated in the AARON GLASSON is titled “Protect the Saprotests in North Dakota. cred,” and it’s being held Part of the goal is to help on Sunday, December 11. educate the public on what’s It’ll feature performances happening there.

by Natula, Fake Tides, Los “To a lot of extent, people Shadows and Big Bloom. are not really aware of what’s There will also be visual going on,” says Frank. “We art from Spenser Little, just really want people to be Eye Gato and Carley Ealey, aware.” among many others.

Over the weekend, there Artists Aaron Glasson was a positive development and Ty Velaquez helped to in North Dakota, as the organize the event along Army Corps of Engineers with ListenSD’s Rachel has denied easement of the Frank, and in a conference pipeline through the Sioux call expressed a feeling of land. However, the situaurgency about doing sometion could still change afthing to aid the Standing ter Trump is inaugurated, Rock Sioux, who are trying and it’s far from over. In the to protect the water supmeantime, the benefit is a ply on their land from the way to offer assistance from threat of the Dakota Access “Protect the Sacred” poster our own corner of the counoil pipeline. try.

“I’ve been having a meltdown about it. Trump “I feel like a lot of people do want to help, but got elected, and it just feels like the world is fall- can’t make the trip up to Standing Rock,” Glasson ing apart,” Velasquez says. “I think we were all just says. “So this will be a way for people to be able to thinking, ‘how can we help?’ We’re all artists and help right here.” creators. So we got a lot of artists to help out.”

—Jeff Terich One hundred percent of proceeds from the door

A SAN DIEGO HOLIDAY PLAYLIST

I

’m not the biggest listener of holiday music, but I’ll make some exceptions for holiday jams from bands in our own backyard. Here’s a sampling of some of the best holiday tunes from San Diego artists.

bum Horny Holidays! has its share of bawdy belters for spinning after a few too many spiked eggnogs.

This one’s full of double entendres that’ll have the naughty elves giggling.

El Vez - “Brown Christmas”: Chula Vista-born El Vez has made a career of putting a LatinAmerican spin on classic songs, and this is his Southern California-fied version of “White Christmas,” with a little touch of the rockabilly swing of “Blue Christmas,” complete with a name drop of our fair city. It’s an essential addition to any San Diego Christmas playlist.

Rocket from the Crypt - “Cancel Christmas”: There’s a good chance that if you need a song for a special occasion, Rocket from the Crypt has what you’re looking for. Here’s a splendid anti-Christmas ballad they released back in the ‘90s, in which Speedo bitterly sings, “Fuck the North Pole!” Yeah, you tell ‘em!

Pony Death Ride - “Hobby Lobby Christmas”: On the note of Christmas parody tracks, comedy music duo Pony Death Ride have their share of silly holiday tracks, including this goof on “Holly Jolly Christmas,” with a pointed criticism of right-wing anti-birth-control policies.

It’s probably the only Christmas song you’ll hear that prominently uses the world “vagina.”

Creedle - “Wake Up Baby Jesus”: Yeah, this one’s pretty strange. Originally released on a 91X Loudspeaker Christmas compilation back in the early ‘90s, it features some terrifying pitch-shifted vocals and off-kilter melodies. It’ll make sense if you were there at the time.

Tom Waits - “Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis”: It always feels El Vez like cheating to include Tom Waits among San Diego artists, but this is too good of a song to leave out. One of my personal favorites for the holiMojo Nixon - “Trim Yo’ Tree”: If you’re looking day season, it’s as melancholy as they come. Don’t for a particularly raunchy holiday tune, you can’t listen to it while drinking alone. do much better than Mojo Nixon, whose 1992 al —Jeff Terich

24 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

MUSIC

JEFF TERICH

IF I WERE U A music insider’s weekly agenda WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7

PLAN A: Muuy Biien, Los Shadows, Of Ennui @ Soda Bar. Athens, Georgia’s Muuy Biien sounds like the kind of band that’s been monitoring my Last.fm account to see what’ll resonate most with me. Minimalist grooves a la Suicide? Intensely dark postpunk in the vein of The Birthday Party?

Yes please! PLAN B: CRX, Dead Heavens, Streets of Laredo @ The Casbah. CRX are a Strokes side project, and they’re perfectly OK. But Dead Heavens, featuring Quicksand’s Walter Schreifels, plays the kind of beefy rock ‘n’ roll that I can’t get enough of.

BACKUP PLAN: Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Subtropics @ Whistle Stop.

THURSDAY, DEC. 8

PLAN A: Anthony Raneri, Tiny Stills, Jared Stinson @ Soda Bar. I’ll confess that I’ve never really listened to Bayside, but frontman Anthony Raneri writes solo alt-country tunes that I can get into.

Breezy, rootsy good stuff.

FRIDAY, DEC. 9

PLAN A: The Album Leaf, Rituals of Mine @ The Irenic. The Album Leaf have been making gorgeous, atmospheric postrock records since before anyone knew what post-rock was. And though they’re technically not a San Diego band anymore, it’ll feel like a reunion to have them playing in our fair city again. PLAN B: Warsaw, DJs Robin Roth, Alexia @ Blonde. Warsaw features members of Ilya and KATA playing dark, synth-heavy goth rock that nods more than a little to Joy Division, if the whole “Warsaw” thing didn’t give it away. BACKUP PLAN: Elektric Voodoo, Mimi Zulu, Subtropics, DJ Blackbelt Jones @ The Casbah.

SATURDAY, DEC. 10

PLAN A: Pere Ubu, obnox @ The Casbah. Read my feature this week on Pere Ubu, who have been making punk extra weird for 40 years. They’re playing songs from early in their career, so if you want to

26 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

CHAD KAMENSHINE

hear some of the classics, this is the time to do so. PLAN B: Pylon Reenactment Society, Red Pony Clock, Smokescreens @ The Hideout. Pylon Reenactment Society is technically a cover band, though Pylon vocalist Vanessa Briscoe Hay is actually in the band. It’s almost like actually seeing the Athens, Georgia dance-punk veterans.

Pretty damn close, anyway.

SUNDAY, DEC. 11

PLAN A: ‘Protect the Sacred Benefit’ w/ Natula, Fake Tides, Los Shadows @ Blonde. A number of bands, visual artists and speakers are coming together for this special show to benefit the Standing Rock water protectors in North Dakota. For more on the show, check out this week’s Notes from the Smoking Patio. PLAN B: Chasms, Nylon Apartments, DJ Jon Blaj @ The Hideout. San Francisco’s Chasms play shoegaze with an industrial pulse, creating an unlikely combination of dreamy and heavy. BACKUP PLAN: Sorority Noise, Souvenirs, Never Young @ Che Cafe.

MONDAY, DEC. 12

PLAN A: Jonathan Richman @ Belly Up Tavern. Jonathan Richman is both songwriter and storyteller, and he’s been writing clever, tuneful songs since the 1970s, when he was frontman for proto-punk band The Modern Lovers. It’ll be just him and drummer Tommy Larkins, so grab a drink and get comfortable for the intimate

The Album Leaf affair. PLAN B: Exasperation, Buddy Banter, Hours @ The Casbah. Well, this is just splendid--two of my favorite new local bands, Hours and Exasperation, on one bill. If you like loud guitars and dark moods, don’t miss out. BACKUP PLAN: Veers, Black Oak Hymnal @ Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, DEC. 13

PLAN A: Sara Watkins, River Whyless @ Belly Up Tavern. Tuesday nights are often best served by more laid back sounds. Sara Watkins, formerly of Nickel Creek, makes the kind of pretty, emotionally captivating folk music that reminds you why you dug Americana in the first place. BACKUP PLAN: The Shelters, The Verigolds, Mrs. Henry @ The Casbah.

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

The White Buffalo (BUT, 1/1), MxPx (Observatory, 1/13), Tig Notaro (Observatory, 1/14), Robby Krieger of The Doors (Music Box, 1/22), Jeff Bridges and the Abiders (BUT, 1/23), Cold War Kids (Observatory, 1/27), Falling In Reverse (HOB, 2/12), AFI (Observatory, 2/20-21), Pinback (BUT, 2/23), Moose Blood (Irenic, 2/24), Jojo (HOB, 2/24), Vince Staples (Observatory, 2/24), Pinback (Irenic, 2/25), Wood Brothers (Observatory, 3/2), Stevie Nicks (Viejas Arena, 3/2), Six Organs of Admittance (Soda Bar, 3/8), Julieta Venegas (HOB, 3/17), Jay And Silent Bob Get Old (HOB, 3/17), Common (Observatory, 3/24), Polyphia (Irenic, 3/24), Nashville Pussy (Brick by Brick, 3/31), The Old 97s (BUT, 3/31), The Orwells (Irenic, 3/31), Testament (HOB, 5/16), Rodriguez (Humphreys, 5/23).

GET YER TICKETS X (Casbah, 12/17-18), Gucci Mane (Observatory, 12/23), Henry Rollins (Observatory, 12/27), Citizen Cope (Observatory, 12/28), Mannheim Steamroller (Civic Theatre, 12/28), OFF! (Casbah, 12/28), Donovon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/28-29), Kaytranada (Observatory, 12/29), Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven (Music Box, 12/29), Brian Setzer Orchestra (BUT, 12/31), The Donkeys (Soda Bar, 12/31), The Devil Makes Three (Observatory, 1/4-5), Warren G (Music Box, 1/6), Pepe Aguilar (Civic Theatre, 1/6), Beat Farmers Hootenanny (BUT, 1/7), Dawes (BUT, 1/10), Ozomatli (Music Box, 1/13), Sublime With Rome (HOB, 1/13-14), Marching Church (The Hideout, 1/20), Pepper, Less Than Jake (Observatory, 1/25), Rick Astley (HOB, 1/26), Lemuria (Hideout, 1/26), Lydia Loveless (Soda Bar, 1/27), Hamilton Leithauser (Casbah, 1/28), Devendra Banhart (Observatory, 1/28), Blind Boys of Alabama (BUT, 1/29), Mike Doughty (BUT, 2/1), Lilys (Soda Bar, 2/6), Alcest (Brick

by Brick, 2/8), Austra, The Range (Casbah, 2/8), Juicy J (HOB, 2/8), D.R.A.M. (Music Box, 2/9), You Blew It! (Che Cafe, 2/9), David Duchovny (Music Box, 2/12), ‘Welcome to Night Vale’ (Observatory, 2/13), Billy Crystal (Copley Symphony Hall, 2/16), Reel Big Fish, Anti Flag (HOB, 2/17), Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (Soda Bar, 2/17), ‘You Are Going to Hate This Fest’ w/ The Frights, The Garden, Antwon (SOMA, 2/18), Adam Ant (Observatory, 2/18), Circa Survive (HOB, 2/21-2/22), Priests (Che Café, 2/22), Tennis (The Irenic, 2/22), Moon Duo (Casbah, 2/25), Steve Poltz (BUT, 2/24-25), Senses Fail (Observatory, 3/3), Isaiah Rashad (Observatory, 3/5), Bon Jovi (Viejas Arena, 3/5), Shiner (Casbah, 3/5), Red Hot Chili Peppers (Valley View Casino Center, 3/5), Sinkane (Soda Bar, 3/5), Japandroids (Music Box, 3/11), Menzingers (Irenic, 3/12), James Chance and the Contortions (Hideout, 3/18), Passenger (HOB, 4/2), The Damned (HOB, 4/7), Green Day (Valley View Casino Center, 4/8), Aaron Neville Duo (BUT, 4/9), Reverend Horton Heat (BUT, 4/20), The Wedding Present (Casbah, 4/30), Robin Trower (HOB, 5/19), Brian Wilson (Civic Theatre, 5/24), The Primitives (Hideout, 6/6), Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Civic Theatre, 6/26), Coldplay (Qualcomm Stadium, 10/8).

#SDCityBeat

DECEMBER WEDNESDAY, DEC. 7 Muuy Biien at Soda Bar. CRX at The Casbah. The Cherries Jubilee at California Center for the Arts. Kevin Fowler at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, DEC. 8 Anthony Raneri at Soda Bar. Creature and the Woods at The Casbah. Ocelot at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, DEC. 9 The Album Leaf at The Irenic. Jackie Greene at Belly Up Tavern. Tijuana Panthers at Soda Bar. Barrington Levy at Observatory North Park. Elektric Voodoo at The Casbah.

SATURDAY, DEC. 10 Benjamin Francis Leftwich at Soda Bar. Jonny Lang at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Pylon Reenactment Society at The Hideout. Pere Ubu at The Casbah.

Mr. Carmack at Observatory North Park.

‘91X Wrex the Halls’ w/ Beck, Band of Horses, Local Natives at Valley View Casino Center.

SUNDAY, DEC. 11 SIMS at The Casbah. Chasms at The Hideout. Sorority Noise at Che Café.

Jonny Lang at Belly Up Tavern. ‘91X Wrex the Halls’ w/ Blink 182, Pierce the Veil, Jimmy Eat World at Valley View Casino Center.

MONDAY, DEC. 12 Jonathan Richman at Belly Up Tavern.

Exasperation at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, DEC. 13 The Shelters at The Casbah. Sara Watkins at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, DEC. 15 Royal Teeth at Soda Bar. Sego at The Hideout. X at The Casbah. Dandy Warhols at Belly Up Tavern. Incantation at Brick by Brick.

FRIDAY, DEC. 16 X at The Casbah (sold out). Eukaryst at Soda Bar. Chris Robinson Brotherhood at Observatory North Park. Red Not Chili Peppers at Belly Up Tavern.

SATURDAY, DEC. 17 X at The Casbah. The Strikers at Soda Bar.

SUNDAY, DEC. 18 X at The Casbah. ‘For the Sender’ Holiday Show at Belly Up Tavern. Dave Koz at Balboa Theatre. Unwritten Law at House of Blues. Svelte at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, DEC. 19 Anuhea at Belly Up Tavern. The Lulls, Gary Wilson at The Casbah. The Gorgeous Boyscouts at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, DEC. 20 Atomic Groove at Belly Up Tavern. Dirty Pennies at Soda Bar. Retox at The Casbah.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 21 Brawley at Belly Up Tavern. Chugboat at Soda Bar. Manual Scan at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, DEC. 22 Barb Wire Dolls at Soda Bar. Fishbone, The Aggrolites at Belly Up Tavern. Zig-

gy Shuffledust and the Spiders From Mars at The Casbah.

FRIDAY, DEC. 23 Hideout at Soda Bar. Gucci Mane at Observatory North Park. El Vez Merry Mexmas at The Casbah.

MONDAY, DEC. 26 Amigo at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, DEC. 27 Henry Rollins at Observatory North Park.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28 Citizen Cope at Observatory North Park.

Mannheim Steamroller at Civic Theatre. Donovon Frankenreiter at Belly Up Tavern. OFF! at The Casbah. Dreams Made Flesh at Soda Bar.

THURSDAY, DEC. 29 Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven at Music Box. Kaytranada at Observatory North Park. Donovon Frankenreiter at Belly Up Tavern. The Downs Family at Soda Bar. Tribal Theory at House of Blues. Melvins, Redd Kross at The Casbah.

FRIDAY, DEC. 30 Jim Brickman at Balboa Theatre. Brian Setzer’s Rockabilly Riot at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Big Sandy and His Flyrite Boys at The Casbah. Cherry Glazerr at The Irenic. Mrs. Magician at Soda Bar. Tribal Theory at House of Blues.

SATURDAY, DEC. 31 Cash’d Out at The Casbah. The Donkeys at Soda Bar. Rebelution at Observatory North Park. Brian Setzer Orchestra at Belly Up Tavern. Justin Martin at Music Box.

JANUARY SUNDAY, JAN. 1 The White Buffalo at Belly Up Tavern.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 4 Kathryn Cloward at Belly Up Tavern.

Caught a Ghost at Soda Bar. The Devil Makes Three at Observatory North Park. Behind the Wagon at The Casbah.

THURSDAY, JAN. 5 The Devil Makes Three at Observatory North Park. The Number 12 Looks Like You at Soda Bar. Buck-O-Nine, Voodoo Glow Skulls at The Casbah.

FRIDAY, JAN. 6 Pepe Aguilar at Civic Theatre. TV Girl at Soda Bar. Warren G at Music Box. Damage Inc. at House of Blues.

SATURDAY, JAN. 7 Beat Farmers Hootenanny at Belly Up Tavern. 6ONE9 at House of Blues. Grizzly Business at Soda Bar. Fu Manchu at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, JAN. 8 Hannah Yuen at Soda Bar. Bowiephonics at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, JAN. 10 Dawes at Belly Up Tavern.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 28 December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Fri: Tiffany Jane & The Kicks, The Meadows. Sat: Bulevar Descarga. Tue: Vinyl Moods.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Sun: ‘The Joy of Christmas Concert’ w/ Daneen Wilburn.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: Jon Rudnitsky. Fri: Jon Rudnitsky. Sat: Jon Rudnitsky.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Wed: Homunculus Acoustic Experience.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Lane 8. Sat: Romare.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., San Diego.

North Park. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: KOVA. Fri: Jimmy Lewis Band.

Sat: Jones Revival.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Kevin Fowler, Morgan Leigh Band. Thu: Ocelot, Gene Evaro Jr., Tolan Shaw. Fri: Jackie Greene, Cordovas. Sat: Jonny Lang, Reeve Carney (sold out). Sun: Jonny Lang, Reeve Carney. Mon: Jonathan Richman. Tue: Sara Watkins, River Whyless.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Uptown Rhythm Makers. Fri: The Focke Wolves, Motor Gun City, The Phantoms. Sat: Fanny and the Atta Boys, Downs Family,

28 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

Clinton Davis, The Little Miss.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington Street, San Diego. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’ w/ Demarkus Lewis. Thu: ‘Ceremony Night’.

Fri: Warsaw, DJs Robin Roth, Alexia.

Sun: ‘Protect the Sacred Benefit’ w/ Natula, Fake Tides, Los Shadows, Big Bloom.

Tue: ‘Elliott Smith Night’.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Thu: Lucky Keith. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Sat: ‘Sabado en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA, K-Swift. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJ Junior the Disco Punk.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Fri: Symbolic, Squirrelly Arts, Rammoth, Nightshadow. Sat: Pulley, A Vulture Wake, Strike Twelve.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Sat: Flamenco Dinner Show.

Sun: Buena Vista Sundays.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: CRX, Dead Heavens, Streets of Laredo. Thu: Creature and the Woods, Taken by Canadians, Heather Nation. Fri: Elektric Voodoo, Mimi Zulu, Subtropics, DJ Blackbelt Jonez. Sat: Pere Ubu, obnox. Sun: SIMS, Air Credits. Mon: Exasperation, Buddy Banter, Hours. Tue: The Shelters, The Verigolds, Mrs. Henry.

The Che Cafe, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Wed: World View, Locked Up, Natural Enemies, CTS. Sat: Toys For Tots Festravaganza, ‘Toys for Tots Festravaganza’. Sun: Sorority Noise, Souvenirs, Never Young. Tue: Cesar Ruiz, DxZx, First Move.

Chico Club, 7366 El Cajon Blvd., La Mesa. Sat: TaKillya.

SPOTLIGHT It’s almost a given that any concert put on by a radio station will be a shit-show of mismatched bands, but San Diego’s 91X annual holiday show Wrex the Halls is surprisingly cohesive this year.

It spans two nights, but put a gun to our heads and we’d pick the pop-punk themed second night featuring Blink 182, Jimmy Eat World and Pierce the Veil (the first night features Beck, which is cool, but also Local Natives and Bishop Briggs, which… zzzz).

Haters gon’ hate on Blink 182, but give them props for cutting out the annoying self-importance with this year’s album, California.

Wrex the Halls goes down on Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11 at Valley View Casino Center.

—Ryan Bradford

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Di-

#SDCityBeat

MUSIC ego. Mission Bay. Fri: JazzKatz Orchestra.

F6ix, 526 F St., San Diego. Downtown.

Thu: ‘Trill Thursday’.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Fri: Deejay Al. Sat: Loczi.

Sun: Snoop Dogg.

Green Flash Cellar 3, 12260 Crosthwaite Circle, Poway. Sat: Green Flash Grand Holiday Marketplace.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Ride the Mule.

Thu: Night Skool. Fri: ‘Good Times’.

Sat: ‘Rock Star Saturday’. Tue: ‘50s/60s Dance Party.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: ‘80s Night’ w/ Latin Lovers. Sat: Pylon Reenactment Society, Red Pony Clock, Smokescreens.

Sun: Chasms, Nylon Apartments, DJ Jon Blaj. Mon: Hearts Like Lions, Rare Futures, RUMRS. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Lostboycrow, Flor, Little By Little. Sun: The Sounds, Zipper Club, My Jerusalem.

Humphrey’s Backstage Live, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego. Point Loma. Wed: Kimberly Jackson. Thu: Bayou Brothers, Bayou Brothers. Fri: Detroit Underground, Y3K. Sat: Beta Maxx, The Cadillac Wreckers. Sun: Reggie Smith, Jason Brown. Tue: Missy Andersen.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Thu: Toh Kay. Fri: The Album Leaf, Rituals of Mine.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: ‘Ten Den Cies’ w/ P Nutz, Jon Wesley, Delos, Perfect Strangers. Thu: Oddyssy, DJ Ideal,

#SDCityBeat

Chuey Fresno, Xaviour. Fri: ‘Midnight Wave’. Sat: Liquid Jungle. Sun: ‘Standing Rock Benefit’. Tue: ‘Midnight In a Perfect World’ w/ DJ Heather Hardcore.

Lestat’s West, 3341 Adams Ave., Normal Heights, San Diego. Normal Heights.

Wed: Headchange, Never Let This Go, Nothing Sacred. Thu: Rachael Sage. Fri: Deez and Eng, John Hull, Allegra Duchaine. Sat: Little Heroine, Rosedale, King Bloom. Sun: Girls and Boys, Kevin Garner, Steve Baxter.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Goodall Boys. Fri: Flipside Burners. Sat: Street Heart. Sun: Ron’s Garage. Tue: Steve Brewer.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Wed: Big Bloom, Spero, Inspired and the Sleep, Creature Canyon. Thu: Grim Slippers, Imagery Machine, Surly Bonds, Small Culture. Fri: No Small Children, Rip Carson, Dime

By Dime, Privileged. Sat: Ninja Kitty Bang Bang!. Sun: Burlesque Sunday Tease, Burlesque Sunday Tease. Tue: The Gorgeous Boyscouts, No Sympathy, Mindray.

Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., San Diego. Fri: The Riverside, Feathers & Lead. Sat: The Devil’s Due. Mr. Peabody’s Encinitas, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Jim Allen Band.

Fri: Santanaways. Sat: Cold Craft, Coyote Blues Redemption. Sun: Tony Ortega jazz jam.

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Thu: Random Rab, Stoik, Liefhaus, Southern Comforts. Sat: Tom Browne. Sun: Rockademy.

Nate’s Garden Grill, 3120 Euclid Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Sun: Robin Henkel.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Fri: ‘Harness’. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’. Tue: Karaoke Latino.

The Office, 3936 30th St., San Diego.

North Park. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Kid Wonder, Saul Q. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ DJ Triple Crown.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 6th Ave, San Diego. Thu: Borgeous. Fri: Rain Man. Sat: Savi.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: Gilbert Castellanos. Fri: The Mighty 388s. Sat: Mochilero Allstars. Sun: 8th Annual San Diego Tweed Ride. Mon: Gilbert Castellanos.

Proud Mary’s @ The Ramada Hotel, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, San Diego. Kearny Mesa. Fri: Phil Diorio. Sat: Tomcat Courtney. Sun: The Derringers. Mon: Fred Heath.

Rebecca’s Coffee House, 3015 Juniper St., San Diego. South Park. Wed: ‘Storytelling’.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Wed: DJ Kiki. Thu: DJ K-Swift.

Fri: DJs John Joseph, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs Hektik, Taj, Nikno. Sun: DJ Cros.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Muuy Biien, Los Shadows, Of Ennui. Thu: Anthony Raneri, Tiny Stills, Jared Stinson. Fri: Tijuana Panthers, Sixes, Polish. Sat: Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Brolly. Sun: Valley Queen, Bad and the Ugly. Mon: Veers, Black Oak Hymnal, Velour.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego. Midway. Fri: VOIDLINES, Amaya Lights, Redeem Revive, Turn it around, Shawshank Redeemed, SLNCR, Lords &

Wolves, Mandala, Petrichor. Sat: Dee-1.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Bucket of Fish, Behind Deadlines, Watashi Wa Dance Party. Fri: Raw Dawg, Anchors Overboard, Activist, Refuse. Sat: Zeroh, Curta, Preacher vs. Choir, TLL DRK, Translation Has Failed, Gabonaro.

The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, San Diego.

Gaslamp. Wed: Kenny and Deez. Thu: Keep Your Soul. Fri: Allegra Duchaine.

Sat: Keep Your Soul. Sun: Kenny and Deez. Tue: Tay Watts.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., San Diego.

Bay Park. Thu: The Fremonts. Fri: Mighty Mojo Prophets. Sat: Native Alien.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: Beevil, Wang Dang Daddies, R3X. Sat: Void Omnia, Reality Lost, Skalv, Birthwaters. Sun: The Hammerbombs, False Positives, Ash Williams, Watashi Wa Dance Party.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Wed: DJ Schoeny. Thu: ‘Thursdaze’. Fri: DJ Junior the Disco Punk. Sat: DJ Bacon. Sun: Johnny Love, Cumbia Machin, Riccashay.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Wed: Frankie and the Witch Fingers, Subtropics. Thu: Black Candies: Gross and Unlikeable Release Party + Reading, ‘Girls Girls Girls’ w/ DJ Lazer Lizeth. Fri: The Spits, Keepers, Teach Me. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: MAIZ, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: The Vegabonds, Laxi. Fri: ‘Ocean Beach Comedy’. Sat: Kung Fu, Particle. Sun: Kim Wilson and His All Star Blues Band, HIPS. Mon: Electric Waste Band.

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

LAST WORDS | ADVICE

AMY ALKON

ADVICE

GODDESS Do No Harem I’ve been happily married to the same wonderful guy for 20 years. However, the longer we’re together the harder it is to remain faithful—surely for both of us. Sex and skin are everywhere these days, and men are especially impacted by the barrage of provocative images. How does a woman realistically balance this with the desire to have a relationship that’s monogamous in body and mind?

—Troubled

A man can love you to pieces and count his blessings every day you two are together— and it won’t stop him from wanting to see your sister bend over.

Sure, it can sometimes happen that a man “only has eyes for you”—like if you and he are kidnapped and held hostage in a small, windowless room. Otherwise, because male sexuality is visually driven, his eyes are likely to scamper up any yummy mummy or bigbooty Judy passing by. But there’s good news

from neuroscience: Contrary to what most women believe, this—in and of itself—is not a sign of bad character (though a kind, considerate man will do what he can to appear fascinated by that big crow instead of those big cahuengas).

Though you can have a monogamous relationship, our minds are anything but monogamous and, in fact, pretty much have minds of their own. As neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga explains, about 98 percent of our brain’s activity happens beyond our conscious awareness—including some of the “reasoning” behind our choices and where our attention runs off to.

Key players in who and what we’re drawn to are our brain’s “reward circuitry” and the neurotransmitter dopamine, pushing us to pay attention to and go after stuff that will help us survive and pass on our genes.

Dopamine is ever on the lookout for this stuff—including hotties, or, as neuroscientist Wolfram Schultz puts it, “reward-predicting visual stimuli.” In other words, dopaminesecreting neurons are the crass buddy in a

30 · San Diego CityBeat · December 7, 2016

man’s brain, going, “Woo-wee, wouldja look at the Pointer Sisters on that broad!”

Understanding the neuroscience behind attraction is helpful—revealing that attraction is a physiological reaction, like being tired or hungry. If your husband wants a sandwich, you don’t take that personally.

And no, I’m not saying “gettin’ some” outside your marriage is the same as gettin’ some lunch (so, ladies, please put down those flaming pitchforks).

The problem is that it’s been seen as a shameful personal failing (instead of the biological predisposition it is) to merely feel an attraction to someone other than your spouse. This means that the “forsaking all others” business in the wedding vows is often the first and last time the subject gets discussed. However, the late infidelity researcher Peggy Vaughan explained that a couple is more likely to remain faithful if they admit that “attractions to others are likely (indeed inevitable) no matter how much they love each other.” This allows them to engage in “ongoing honest communication about … how to avoid the consequences of acting on those temptations.”

In other words, it’s by admitting that we have a problem that we can get cracking on how to solve it. So, no—sadly—monogamy isn’t “natural.” However, on a hopeful note, neither are $300 Nikes, zero-gravity toilets, or messages that come by smartphone instead of by waving a loincloth over a fire.

Censor And Sensibility My boyfriend is very smart, but he curses.

A lot. Even in front of my family. He says I shouldn’t try to curtail his free expression and mentioned some news report that said smarter people curse more. Am I being a tight-xxx? Or is he full of xxxx?

—Upset When you ask your boyfriend to talk dirty to you, you shouldn’t need to specify, “Except at my grandma’s wake.”

And no, there’s no evidence that smarter people curse more—though that’s what popped up in headlines across Clickbaitville.

The actual finding—by swearing researchers Kristin and Timothy Jay—is that people who can rattle off a lot of words (those who have “verbal fluency”) can also rattle off a lot of swearwords. Quelle #&*@$ surprise.

I’m no priss about profanity. However, as I explain in (heh) Good Manners for Nice People Who Sometimes Say F*ck, “at the root of manners is empathy”—caring about the impact your behavior has on other people.

Your parents are likely to see your boyfriend’s bratty insistence on talking however he effin’ pleases, no matter who’s in earshot, as a sign of disrespect. It suggests an aggressive, narcissistic lack of interest in others’ feelings—including yours. That’s not exactly a selling point in a partner, plus it could lead you to dread being around your family: “You havin’ a psychotic break, son, or you just anglin’ for more pie?”

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

December 7, 2016 · San Diego CityBeat · 31