San Diego CityBeat • Dec 9, 2015

2 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

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December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Up Front | From the editor

A homeless shelter shell game

S

an Diego has traditionally added extra “inclement weather” shelter beds for the homeless during the winter. For decades that’s taken the shape of two massive temporary tents erected in Barrio Logan and Midway District. This year the City Council voted not to erect those tents. And now the mayor and the political establishment are playing a shell game with the available space where homeless folks can sleep during what forecasters say will be an especially wet El Niño winter.

It’s been heralded by Mayor Kevin Faulconer, and widely reported, that “the city’s recently opened year-round indoor permanent housing program is on track to help more homeless individuals than ever before.”

Indeed, creating more—many more— “rapid re-housing” opportunities should be a political priority. The Paul Mirabile Center in East Village had been deemed “transitional housing,” where residents could stay up to a year. Now it’s run by the city and is classified as “interim housing,” meaning residents can stay up to 90 days and are being assisted into more permanent living situations.

When you parse the politi-speak, however, a closer inspection of “winter shelter” for the homeless shows there are fewer beds up for grabs this year over last.

The Paul Mirabile Center—whether deemed transitional last winter, or interim and run by the city this winter—has 350 beds. That’s a wash in my book. It’s the same inventory no matter who is running it.

Mayoral spokesperson Craig Gustafson disagrees. “The apples-to-apples comparison is that the city used to provide 350 beds in two outdoor temporary tents for a few months,” he says. “Now the city provides 350 indoor permanent beds yearround with supportive services and will make room for an additional 250 people when inclement weather strikes.”

With the two winter tents’ 350-plus beds now out of the picture, the structures tabbed for emer-

gency housing during cold or wet weather are the dining hall at Father Joe’s Village—where cots will have to be swapped in and out with dining tables— and the Neil Good Day Center. There’s space for 200 cots at the dining center and 50 at the Neil Good Center.

That’s at least 100 fewer winter shelter beds, in a less-ideal setting, than last year.

Says Gustafson: “The new approach the city is taking toward homelessness is resulting in more overall bed nights, more supportive services and more successful exits.”

To that, kudos. It’s not surprising the city won’t address or confirm a short-term deficit, but it’s mildly encouraging it’s finally talking about a longcity of san diego / youtube term approach.

Remember: Our homeless numbers have spiked by 3 percent countywide and by 26 percent in downtown San Diego. The count from earlier this year found 8,742 homeless people in our region. Of that number, more than 4,000 are unsheltered.

Paul Mirabile Center San Diego lags other cities in the country in eliminating homelessness. We’ve moved up steadily over the last eight years to claim the national rank of number four in homeless populations (behind New York City, Los Angeles and Seattle).

This Navy town is not doing any better at housing veterans. San Diego is one of 75 cities participating in the national initiative Zero: 2016. The goal of that initiative is to functionally eradicate veteran homelessness. Of those 75 cities, just 26 already have hit or will hit that goal at the end of this year. San Diego isn’t one of the 26, and isn’t even on track to meet that goal by the end of 2016.

It’s time to toss the rosy political narrative of “We’re doing enough” out the window. Let’s talk about real success using real numbers and let’s not be afraid to study and learn from our failures.

—Ron Donoho

Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is dedicated to the 30 other Charlie Brown voice actors who’ve managed to avoid jail time.

Volume 14 • Issue 18 Editor Ron Donoho Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Seth Combs Web Editor Ryan Bradford

Contributors David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Andrew Dyer, Tiffany Fox, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Jessica Johnson, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Chad Peace, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Tom Siebert, Jen Van Tieghem, Amy Wallen

Senior account executive Jason Noble Account Executives Beau Odom, Kimberly Wallace, Isaac Aycox Accounting Kacie Cobian, Sharon Huie, Linda Lam Human Resources Andrea Baker

Art director Carolyn Ramos

editorial Interns Torrey Bailey Nancy Kirk

Vice President of Finance Michael Nagami

Columnists Aaryn Belfer Edwin Decker John R. Lamb Alex Zaragoza

Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse

Vice President of Operations David Comden

MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia

Publisher Kevin Hellman

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4 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

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December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Up Front | Letters

MORE DAVID SULLIVANS, PLEASE Nice article by Ron Donoho on the homeless in San Diego [“Homeless stats get worse,” Dec. 2]. I volunteer at a couple of nonprofits that deal directly with the homeless: Uptown Community Service Center (uptowncsc.org) and Dreams for Change (dreamsforchange.org). I am a retired seaman with no college degrees so here goes my take on the situation.

As I see it there is no way anyone can broad stroke the homeless—for 8,742 people there are 8,742 stories. What I see is three groups, more or less: 1) Some that are down on their luck, have had some illness, etc. They will get off the street making use of the various services to get a job and start paying taxes again.

2) These folks need a hand up to get their lives together and get trained for a job, and made aware of the responsibilities of a job and paying rent on time.

3) The third group I really don’t see them able to hold down a job due to mental illness issues, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, etc.

Maybe I’m way off the mark but this is what I see. I work on a food truck that takes EBT and the food is reasonably priced. We park close to the Neil Good Day Center and the people from there come and are very happy to get hot food (burritos, cheeseburgers etc.)

So I am interacting with them on a personal level. I have had many eye-opening

experiences but one thing that really surprised me is the lack of empathy of some of the people I know, those of us with houses to go to and warm beds. Church-going Christian types use the broad stroke to paint all the homeless. Dreams for Change has parking lots for people living in their cars. Some of them are working full time but have not been able to get the money up to start paying for a place to stay.

I don’t cry as much now that I have been so exposed, and I hope I don’t lose my empathy for our less fortunate brothers and sisters.

David Sullivan,

Normal Heights

NO REFUGEES It’s nice to be humanistic, but not wise, to the degree of wanting everyone to enjoy our marvelous civilization [“Playing politics with Syrian refugees,” Nov. 25].

Accepting these refugees is not, to any degree, favorable to us who will pay the costs, never to recover them. It is also not wise to let in crowds at a rate that does not allow us time to vet each of them, or the expense of doing so. Being “socially responsible” in addition to all our other mistakes is what we keep doing to continually increase our national debt to support China with our borrowing.

The concern we rightfully have about spies and saboteurs among the good people tells us that we should screen each one as to what he has to offer this nation.

6 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

We need welfare dependents like we need a cancer.

Your socialistic humanism is misplaced on this subject, I think. Never mind emotion, use your arms-length wisdom. Ship them back to their part of the globe to save our selves, which is, in fact, our prime directive. And keep in mind that our actions in the Middle East caused the creation of ISIS by an inhuman named Bagdadi. Let’s not add another mistake to our inventory of ridiculous acts.

Saul Harmon Gritz,

Hillcrest

On the

Cover

WE WANT

FEEDBACK Did you read a story in San Diego CityBeat that made your blood boil, or caused you to laugh so hard you pulled a muscle in your stomach? If something inspires you to send us your two cents we welcome all letters that respond to news stories, opinion pieces or reviews that have run in these pages. We don’t accept unsolicited op-ed letters.

Email letters to editor Ron Donoho at rond@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.

Our cover this week comes courtesy of local artist Andrew McGranahan (ajmcg.com). The Modesto native and freelance graphic designer worked mostly in collage, both analog and digital, to create a markedly tongue-incheek holiday scene to accompany our seasonal gift guide. “It seemed fitting to create something that would be a bit of a commentary on the insatiable appetite of the modern consumer for new gadgets and things,” says McGranahan, who also serves as the artist member of local psychedelic rockers Wild Wild Wets. Keep an eye out for a solo show of his work at Teros Gallery in January.

Until then, follow him on Instagram at @andrew_mcgranahan.

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Up Front | opinion

spin

cycle

john r. lamb

Fear and mediocrity, and Trump So let us begin anew—remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof.

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—John F. Kennedy

hile recently enjoying the view of shimmering, quilted cloud patterns rolling past lush Mission Valley hillsides as my trolley ride clattered toward downtown, my seatmate was visibly seething.

Dressed in khaki slacks and a vibrant Hawaiian shirt, the gentleman looked like a tourist. But then he tossed a back cushion that bounced off me and landed square in the adjoining seat—tight quarters that we would share for 10 minutes. Experienced rider, was the reassessment.

This was the day following the horrific shootings in San Bernar-

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dino, when social media spewed rhetorical lava from all directions as authorities were still combing through the lives of the mysterious assailants.

It would be an understatement to declare that connectivity has given voice to an entire subculture of armchair detectives, all dead certain in their conclusions and impervious to questioning.

Someone on Twitter doubts your narrative? Hey, just block ‘em.

Dissent quelled!

Unfortunately in the real world, random interactions are just a fact of life. This may be an inconvenience to some who crave certainty and routine, but Spin Cycle looks at these events differently: as nurturing, instructional moments in a world growing less predictable.

If you’re going to spend some time bumping into another trolley passenger, might as well strike up

a conversation. I learned my temporary travel partner lives in East County, served in the military and studied history at San Diego State University.

But upon learning Spin’s occupation, the small talk erupted into political fire and brimstone.

At one point, Obama was a weak leader. The next, he was a monster. And what do you know, Donald Trump would make all bad things go away.

Spin asked about the other Republican hopefuls. “Why would you ask me about those people? I told you I support Trump,” he said, somehow turning in our cramped space to make his point.

The gentleman offered few specifics about why he was sold on Trump. “He said he’d bomb the hell out of Syria,” he offered.

But when asked about what would come next—World War III, perhaps?—he’d clearly had enough chatter. “You’re just flippant,” he said, and the walls began to form.

Even attempts at a return to small talk—“How about those Aztecs!”— elicited nothing.

This chat had run its course.

He was now focused on the young man in the Boot Camp t-shirt carting three garbage bags full of aluminum cans. At the next stop, he grabbed his cushion and departed.

John R. Lamb

Donald Trump to Kevin Faulconer: “Shove your happy talk here, mayor!”

“Everyone’s a little testier than they used to be,” explained Carl Luna, a political-science professor at Mesa College and director of the Institute for Civil Civic Engagement at the University of San Diego. “Whenever the going gets tough, people get grumpy. For a big hunk of the population—even college-educated and above—you haven’t seen the quality of life go up as fast as everybody thought it was going to. The ’90s were the last time it was going good.

“When it’s supposed to be better than it is, your initial gut reaction is you want to blame somebody,” he continued. “And who do we want to blame? Someone else! If you can’t find your car, you think somebody stole it, not that you can’t remember that you parked it on the other side of the parking lot.”

And that is the beauty of Trump, Luna said. “If you’re under 65, you’re probably a guy whose economy has been consistently underperforming,” he said. “That’s what I call relative deprivation, when people really get angry, basically saying ‘I don’t have what I want and somebody must have taken it, and I’ll find them, beat ’em up and I’ll get it back.’ That’s the big wall across the border. That’s gobomb-the-hell-out-of-the-ISIS [thinking]. Do something to punish ‘them’ because I deserve better than I’m getting.

“Who’s to blame? That’s what Donald Trump is about in general politics,” Luna continued. “He is Rush Limbaugh with better hair and more money. He’s a showman and a self-promoter. He’s a Huey Long. But you can’t sell it unless they’re buying it. He has all that nativist, anti-immigrant, protect-thepromised-people sort of rhetoric, playing off our worst interests.”

Luna said he hasn’t seen this sort of “populist, nationalistic rant” on the right since the David Duke era of the 1990s. On the left, he added, a Bernie Sanders “wouldn’t have been allowed at the table 20 years ago” when the Democratic Party shifted to the center. Those dynamics and a “blah economy,” Luna said, makes “everybody nervous, because they look at their kids and they wonder what’s going to happen?”

San Diego, meanwhile, remains a relative “sanguine oasis” compared to other more socially active cities. “We’ve got poverty, but luckily for the people in the nicer areas, they don’t really have to look at it that often,” he said.

“So nobody’s mad enough to challenge the system, and a politician like [Mayor] Kevin Faulconer is smart enough to realize he doesn’t have to risk too much because nobody’s put together the organization to take him on.”

How else to explain the mediocrity that grips this naturally resplendent city? Perhaps this holiday season we can all reflect on what we want San Diego to be when it grows up. Oh, it’s easy to hunker down in your own comfort zone, practicing civility among one’s own perceived enclave while vilifying and/or ignoring “them,” whomever that may be.

It was clear on that trolley ride that people are jumpy. Hell, at one point a transit cop popped through the door, walkie-talkie in hand, in search of a “suspect” dressed “all in black.” That got everyone’s attention. But that moment also passed, and the quilted clouds in the sky once again became mesmerizing.

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Up Front | Opinion

Aaryn Belfer

Backwards & in

high heels

Reclaiming the Community circles the wagons

W

hen Dr. Cornel West finally took the mic on Friday night, he didn’t enter from house left where the event team was standing. He evolved to the stage, climbing there from his seat in the front row. In his black suitand-tie-with-French-cuffs uniform, the 62-yearold literally crawled over the lip, pulled himself to standing from down on all fours and then hobbled a bit before striding to hug his co-panelists (more on them in a minute). It was a small and inelegant human struggle, a particularly evocative thing to witness given the reason 700 people had packed the auditorium at Lincoln High School. It seemed to be a visual incarnation of what is taking place in Southeast San Diego.

This event was put together by a non-entity that goes by the name of Reclaiming the Community (RTC). Per the program notes, RTC is “a coalition of individuals, community leaders and organizations that embrace the historic, rich, and diverse culture of Southeast San Diego, and recognize its ability to become a leader in community participation.” In the same vein as Black Lives Matter, this is a leaderless-but-inclusive, community-based, communitydriven group that rejects traditional organization hierarchy. In other words, it is true grass roots aimed at doing the work overt in its name. To underscore this point, organizers were intentional about ensuring many seats were available to residents of the community being served.

And in case anyone thinks such an undefined shape-shifting group is ineffective, they need only have been present at this three-hour-plus event to experience the power individuals can have.

There’s no question Dr. West was the hook here: In his classic oratory style, he took us to church, enumerating injustice after injustice, both contemporary and old as time, while gesticulating like a mad scientist conducting a symphony. He thundered, riffed and free-styled like the jazz music he adores and which he frequently refers to (Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme”) as metaphor for that which is necessary to the survival of humanity.

“Justice is what love looks like in public,” he said, inspiring the community—and those of us outside of it—to take action. “When you love folk, you protect them, you respect them, and you correct them.”

This was a pep rally of epic proportions, which is by no means belittling to the event, but rather calling on pep rallies to do better.

But the evening was less about the marquee (or the inspiring facilitator, Khalid Alexander, or the only invited politician, Rep. Shirley Weber) and more about Brandon “Tiny Doo” Duncan and Aaron Harvey, two black men who exhibited a riveting combination of strength and vulnerability as they shared how their lives were upended when District

Attorney Bonnie Dumanis employed a little-known law Alexander calls “the Lynch Code.”

Voter-approved penal code 182.5 is essentially a guilt-by-association farce with non-farcical ramifications. Individuals are identified as gang members (using extremely vague and broad criteria that would make my article club a gang) and tracked in a database. The Cliffs Notes version is that anyone in the database can then be held responsible for activity of other gang members whether or not they have knowledge about said activity. Dumanis used this obscure law to charge Duncan and Harvey with nine murders based on rap lyrics (the former) and Facebook posts (the latter). Neither had a criminal record. Each spent a significant time in jail and faced life sentences.

A judge dismissed all charges against the two men in March, but their lives are changed forever.

Both are now activists and seem to be emerging as important leaders. Duncan said that he now has “a different purpose.” With respect to his music, he said he wants to “spread a better message but still do me.”

Even as these roses grow from concrete, the impact of the experience has been traumatic. When asked to speak about how their lives were affected, both men were tender and emotional. Duncan spoke of his children who were left without their father for many months. And Harvey said that it wasn’t the tangible losses— job, house, car—that were most painful. “I lost a piece of my sanity,” he said, opening a rare window into the mental anguish of racist policies. “This ballot initiative passed when I was 11 years old almost cost me my life 15 years later.”

This is not new stuff. While many of us (myself included) have turned our gaze to more widely publicized and caught-on-camera injustices perpetrated against black people in other cities, there is a longstanding pattern of systemic injustice taking place not five miles from my front door. For decades, this community has been decimated and their futures stolen through the relentless and targeted—though not filmed or otherwise witnessed—harassment by law enforcement. Penal code 182.5 is but one piece of the cultural genocide widely experienced by Southeast residents, and widely ignored by the rest of us. It deserves our attention, our action, our investment. It is in our mutual interest to care.

Dr. West’s presence was important, saying to Duncan and Harvey and so many others: You are seen. You are not alone. You matter. It’s true, too.

It might sound hyperbolic, but Duncan and Harvey got up from all fours, hobbled a bit and are now hitting stride. They are emblematic of what reclaiming the community is all about.

“

Justice is

what love

looks like in

“

public.

8 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

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

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December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

Up Front | Food

by michael a. gardiner

the world

fare

Is bon good enough for Pan Bon?

I

f you build it, they will come. Build a business, build a restaurant, and if it is good enough the customers will show up. They’ll find their way there. If Field of Dreams offered good restaurant business advice, Pan Bon (1450 Kettner Blvd.) in Little Italy will be fine.

That had to be some of what Veronese brothers Luciano and Giancarlo Anselm had in mind when they opened a Little Italy emporium. The Anselms built out a spectacular space with first-class equipment featuring state-of-the-art show kitchens for Giancarlo’s baked goods and Luciano’s food.

Their concept was to replicate their Verona bakery (of the same name) and add a restaurant with a healthy take on Italian-style gastronomy on-the-go.

Build a great place selling great things and people will find you to buy those things.

They definitely got the first part right. Anything Pan Bon does featuring Giancarlo’s baking is great. The first thing that catches your eye when you come in the door is the case of gorgeous, jewel-like Italianstyle pastries and mignons (mini-desserts). I’m hardly a sweets fanatic but those mini-desserts are show-stoppers—cannoli, tiramisu, panna cotta. But perhaps the best was the quadrato cioccolata e nocciola, a perfect square of chocolate and hazelnut highlighting the magical pairing of the two ingredients.

Everything Giancarlo does shows off his talent with flour, water, butter and/or cream. As good as the pastries are, so are the breads. My pannini was no exception. As good as the bread was, the speck ham—imported from Italy’s northernmost province, Alto Aldige abutting Austria—may have been even better. Think in terms of a more muscular prosciutto.

Pan Bon’s curatorial skills are on full display

10 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

in the tagliare plate—an antipasto starter featuring a selection of imported Italian meats and cheeses as well as house-made giardinera (pickled vegetables). It would be no mistake to lunch on that tagliare plate alone.

Perhaps the surprise of the place is the full-service restaurant in back, helmed by Chef Riccardo Brentegani, who like the Anselms, is also from Verona. The pasta is some of the best in town. From the perfection of spaghetti paired with a simple marinara to the spectacularly eggy carbonara, and a perfect penne al pesto, it was obvious Brentegani had his classics down pat. But when Brentagani went outside those classics he may have been still better, a lamb “lasagna” made with crepes, for example, was comforting, yes, but it managed to be simultaneously rich and light.

Michael A. Gardiner

Speck panini Sadly, Luciano Anselmo has already left Pan Bon, returning to Verona. And on four visits “busy” would not have been an apt descriptor.

Some of the problem may be the name: “Pan Bon” sounds suspiciously like “Au Bon Pain,” a chain with little in common other than the name. Some of it may be the fact the place looks like a fancy bakery or kicked-up to-go lunch place more than a restaurant. Pan Bon, it seems, has yet to decide exactly what it is.

But Giancarlo’s pastries and Chef Brentagani’s food may be the best Italian offerings in Little Italy. Pan Bon has, indeed, “built it.” But will “they” come?

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

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Up Front | Food

by ron donoho

urban

eats Get down with OTB

W

hen I lived in Manhattan there were several OTBs on my midtown walk between home and work. Off-Track Betting sites are places you can legally wager on horse racing. In the Big Apple, these were seedy establishments where unshaven men in cabbie hats and gray trench coats studied betting sheets while standing on floors littered with losing tickets.

These joints were highly avoidable. But the recent opening of a high-end OTB in downtown San Diego—with upscale bars and an impressive menu of food and drinks—drew me in like a moth to a streetlight.

(100 Striders Harbor Drive) is a hybrid eatery/gaming place unlike anything I’ve seen outside a casino. And most casino horse racing parlors aren’t this posh. The primary owner is an international entity based in the United Kingdom called Sportech. The company has a chain of 15 locations in Connecticut—some OTBs and some sports bars. Striders is the first of its kind in California, says the company’s state managing director, Phil Balderamos.

Striders opened its doors on October 29 but a grand opening isn’t planned until mid-January.

The two-story location, at the base of the west tower of The Harbor Club condominiums, is immense. But its predecessors (Galileo 101, Seven) couldn’t show that it’s a spot built for long-term success. What could be different now?

“You need a hook for people to come here and we’ve got that in the horse racing and gambling component,” says Balderamos. “That along with good food and cocktails and space for people to hold special events. Yes, we’re not on Fifth Avenue. We’re not in the hustle and bustle of the

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Gaslamp. But we think that’s helpful to not be in the mix of the twentysomething bachelorette parties over there.”

Executive chef Rodrigo Campos, formerly of Truluck’s in UTC, runs the kitchen at Striders. He’s serving American fare with seasonal California flair. The first thing out of the gate on the appetizer list is crispy risotto rice balls, with creamy fresh mozzarella, black garlic basil and fra diavolo sauce. A near-unanimous staff recommendation is the grilled certified Angus burger, which is prepared with caramelized pork belly, pickled jalapenos and sautéed Maui onions.

I’m not wild about the price points for some entrees (up into $30), but the Happy Hour deals are manageable. Every day from 3 to 6 p.m. craft ron donoho beers on draft are $5; selected appetizers are $6; and special craft cocktail are $7.

Included in the Happy Hour cocktails is the Triple Crown of drinks, named after horse racing’s annual big whoop. There’s a mint julep (the offiStriders cial bourbon-based drink of the Kentucky Derby); a black-eyed Susan (Vodka, St. Germain, The Preakness); and a Belmont Breeze (Knob Creek rye, sherry, the Belmont Stakes).

Betting on the ponies is done on the upstairs floor (downstairs is all-ages; the second floor is 21-and-up). I found the attendant behind the betting desk extremely helpful in showing an intermediate novice how to place bets. There’s even a machine that will print out the Daily Racing Form from the Del Mar track, and from selected tracks around the country. In the evening after U.S. tracks go dark you can still bet on horses racing in Australia. All the racing action can be viewed on any one of the 172 televisions (not a typo) up on the walls.

Striders is a slice of Las Vegas set up in the 92101. The project is ambitious and not for low budgets. It’s not your father’s OTB. Urban Eats appears every other week.

Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com.

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

Up Front | Drink

final

by beth demmon

draught Lager me now

“Any brewer can make a clean ale and smash a buttload of hops in it and make it taste good,” agers are to craft beer like jam bands are to says Brooks. “It takes skill, precision and knowing rock and roll: enthusiastic but not hip, rarely yeast to make a great lager. Lagers are not all just good but weirdly mainstream and often ridi- the light straw and gold beers—they come in all culed by industry elitists. It’s admirable then that colors, flavors and strengths.”

Other local lagers worth checking out include lager producers are so wholeheartedly unconCulture Brewing’s Lager-ita (American Pale Lacerned with the haters.

Lagers tend to inspire intense hatred or com- ger, 4.7 percent ABV), Fall Brewing’s Jinx Replete devotion among craft beer drinkers. Howev- mover (Imperial Black Lager, 8.2 percent ABV), Acoustic Ales’ seasonal er, more and more indeBeth Demmon Rock Out With Your Vipendent brewers are exenna Out (German-style perimenting with lagers Vienna Lager, 6 percent and attempting to shatter ABV), Bagby Beer’s the long-standing reputaKiller Keller (Unfiltered tion of banality.

Lager, 4.9 percent ABV), San Diego is no exModern Times’ Mount ception. Although only a Remarkable (Pale Lahandful of our 115-plus ger, 5.5 percent ABV), breweries are actively Thorn Street Brewing brewing lagers, there are Company’s Golden Hill a few who’ve taken up the Pils (Czech/Bohemian challenge and more than Pilsener, 5.6 percent a few who have opinions ABV), and of course Pizabout them. za Port Solana Beach’s “If more craft drinkseasonal Hot Rocks Lager ers knew what it takes to (European Dark Lager, make some of these beers, 6.5 percent ABV). they might change their The variety in ABV mind [about lagers],” in this list alone demonsays Coronado Brewing strates the often-overCompany brewmaster looked variety lagers ofRyan Brooks. “You can easily take some of these Coronado brewer Wade Hurley takes a break fer to craft beer drinkers.

Märzens are no more boring macro recipes and from brewing to enjoy a Bienvenido lager similar to rauchbiers than up the flavor by not cutting them down with water and get a full-bodied, any other style, yet their cold-tolerant yeast and longer fermentations inextricably link them unfull-flavor, higher-alcohol lager.”

Coronado’s Bienvenido International Pale La- der the lager banner.

December 10 is National Lager Day, and while ger (3.7 percent ABV) certainly doesn’t resemble the watery macro lagers we all know so well. With there’s no shortage of macro lagers on store just the tiniest hint of hops and light-as-a-feather shelves, it’s time for craft beer drinkers to embrace body, this subtle lager is hazardously crushable. In local, independent lagers and give them their due a time when most breweries’ approaches to beer by separating them from the crap and bestowing is “bigger means better,” having a session-able the well-earned title of craft. option that’s balanced without being boring is a Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or follow her strangely refreshing change of pace. on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

L

12 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

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Up Front | books

The floating

by jim ruland

library TFL #66

W

hen I was in the Navy, I learned that if I were to get a sunburn so severe that it interfered with my ability to do my job, I could be prosecuted under the terms of the Uniform Code of Military Justice with “destruction of government property.”

That was something of an eye opener. As a lowly seaman apprentice, I suffered no illusions about my place in the chain of command that linked me with the President of the United States. But the realization that, in the eyes of the government to which my allegiance was sworn and my ass contracted, I was just a piece of property made me grateful to be serving during a time of peace.

Then war broke out in the Persian Gulf and my shipmates and I started shitting bricks. I imagine this is akin to what hundreds of thousands of people in the vicinity of Chernobyl felt when the nuclear reactor exploded on April 26, 1986, releasing unknown quantities of radioactive particles all over Russia, Europe and beyond. It was the biggest disaster of its kind until a tsunami hit Japan in 2011 causing a nuclear event at Fukushima. The Soviet propaganda machine clamped down and didn’t let up until the USSR dissolved in 1991.

Svetlana Alexievich took that opportunity to go to Chernobyl and spent three years interviewing the survivors: those who left, those who stayed behind and those who answered the call to clean up the disaster and paid a terrible price.

The result was Voices from Chernobyl, a timeless collection of stories about the aftermath of the explosion. Alexievich took herself out of the interviews so that these haunting stories read like doomed monologues, testimonies from a broken world.

“Yesterday my editor cut the story about the mother of one of the firemen who went to the station the night of the nuclear fire. He died of acute radiation poisoning. After burying their son in Moscow, the parents returned to their village, which was soon evacuated. In the fall they secretly made their way through the forest back to their garden and collected a bag of tomatoes and cucumbers. The mother is satisfied: ‘we filled twenty cans.’ Faith in the land, in their ancient peasant experience—even the death of their son

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can’t overturn the order of things.”

Reading this book is like plunging into a world that gets more and more unfamiliar. First there is the Soviet mindset that informed how the residents responded from ignorant acceptance to bitter cynicism. In the translator’s preface Keith Gessen writes, “Alexievich collected these interviews in the early to mid-1990s—at a time when anti-Communism still had some currency as a political idea in the post-Soviet space.” That was certainly true in “the Zone”: the region encompassing all of the villages and forests that had to be evacuated where confusion and misinformation ruled.

One of the journalists that Alexievich interviewed stated, “The most popular fable in the Zone is that Stolichnaya Vodka is the best protection against strontium and cesium.”

Most of the peasant farmers in the Zone had no idea of the dangers of strontium and cesium, nor did they have any concept of radiation. For those of us in the West who grew up during the Cold War, the perils of radioactivity could be found in comic books, cartoons and movies. Though one can’t see or smell radiation, it existed fully formed in my imagination as a terrible threat. Not so the farmers who didn’t understand why they had to leave their land in the middle of planting season. The notion that poisoned particles could pollute the air, the earth and even the rain was completely alien to them.

The first ones to fully comprehend Chernobyl’s lethal legacy were young mothers. As one midwife put it, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a happy pregnant woman.”

Finally, there’s the dark pull of the Zone, the radioactive frontier that compels evacuees to return and new arrivals to stay in spite of the danger. The descriptions of quiet forests carpeted with dead birds and villages inhabited by dogs sound like fables from an apocalyptic world.

It’s an astonishing book that, depending on your word view, can be taken as a sneak peek at the impending cataclysm or a template for surviving it. Either way, it’s easy to see why earlier this year Alexievich was awarded literature’s highest honor: the Nobel prize.

Write to jimr@sdcitybeat.com.

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

LINDA VISTA

1

COMES AROUND

Local playwright and actor Mike Sears premieres in workshops at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. likes to tell people that When It Comes 11, at the Studio Theatre at University of San Diego is based on events from his life. Then you read the (5998 Alcalá Park)—arguably Sears’ most personal synopsis of the play: A folktale with music about work to date. With help from a Creative Catalyst Buck and Erma, a young, optimistic, Grant from the Old Globe TheCOURTESY OF THE OLD GLOBE blue-collar couple who build a house atre, Sears recruited a who’s-who only to discover they need the moon list of local actors for the play, as to make it complete. They begin a well as musician Clinton Davis journey to retrieve the moon, one to compose an original score and that will test the very fabric of their local puppeteer group Animal love.

Cracker Conspiracy to add fanSo we asked Sears straight up: tastical shadow puppets.

How much experience does he ac“It’s very much a combination tually have in retrieving the moon? of music, images and dialogue,” “I chose the folktale format besays Sears. “Part of the grant was cause a folktale deals in universal that we had to do some kind of themes,” says Sears. “The dramatic public presentation, but the hope question that I wanted to explore is that people will see the heart of was how does a person navigate the the piece on a smaller scale and end of a dream that they had for that will lead to continued develthemselves.” opment.”

For Sears, that dream was the In addition to the perforMike Sears one of becoming a parent with his mance on the 11th, there will also wife, Lisa Berger, who serves as co-director of be a performance on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 8 p.m.

When It Comes. They first tried to conceive the and Sunday, Dec. 13, at 2 and 7 p.m. The perforold-fashioned way, then tried to adopt, but ulti- mances are free, but reservations are recommendmately came to the decision that it was just not ed by calling the Old Globe box office at 619-234meant to be. This makes When It Comes—which 5623. theoldglobe.org.

BALBOA PARK

2 MARKET PRICE

Now that Black Friday is over, it’s time for holiday shoppers to regain their dignity. Piggybacking off of its current exhibit, Made in America, the Mingei International Museum (1439 El Prado) is hosting Mingei Holiday Market with items made only under spacious skies and purple mountain majesties. From 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 10, peruse and purchase jewelry from the likes of Jack Boyd Studio, textiles from Lookout & Wonderland, ceramics from Studio Kotokoto, homegoods from Nostrum and many more. Nature and houseware mashup Tend Living will also be there giving a demonstration on terrarium building. To top off the patriotism, Made in America-themed cocktails and food samples by Café Mingei Manager Jeff Venier will be available. Entry is free, and Mingei Museum members get 10 percent off one item. mingei.org COURTESY OF BLACK PHOEBE

NATIONAL CITY

3 PERFECT HARMONY

Anyone who’s seen the 2012 Oscarwinning documentary Inocente may already be familiar with the fantastic work of ARTS (A Reason to Survive). The National Citybased organization has provided music, art and writing programs for young people for well over a decade, and the Young Artists in Harmony concert and art show on Saturday, Dec. 12, is a particularly great way to see the inspiring results of these efforts. Held at 2 p.m. at the ARTS facility in National City (200 East 12th St.), the afternoon includes original paintings and poetry from ARTS students. The concert is particularly notable, as it will feature musicians from local chamber music organization Art of Élan performing originally composed pieces from ARTS students. Entry is free, but feel free to donate while you’re there. artofelan.org WILLIAM ZAUSCHER

H10x10: Small Works at Sparks Gallery, 530 6th Ave., Gaslamp. Over a dozen artists display a new 10x10 inch piece in their signature style. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 11. Free. 619-696-1416, sparksgallery.com HSinking, Sinking, Sinking at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. SDAI’s Winter Exhibition is a multimedia show organized by Los Angelesbased artist and curator Max Presneill and is composed of work from more than 50 artists working primarily in Southern California and Baja. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 11. sandiego-art.org 6x6 at Subtext, 2479 Kettner Blvd., Little Italy. Jason Bickford and six other photographers showcase new work shot under the premise of “one take, in camera, no retouching, one roll of 120 film, print all 12 images from the film roll, come what may.”

Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 619-876-0664, subtextstore.com HAtmospheric Abstraction at Quint Contemporary Art, 7547 Girard Ave., La Jolla. A group exhibition of paintings, mixed media works and sculptures by four artists from Los Angeles, featuring new work by Larry Bell, Gisela Colón, Mara De Luca and Heather Gwen Martin.

Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 858-454-3409, quintgallery.com Barrio Art Crawl at Barrio Logan Arts District, 1878 Main St., Barrio Logan. A self-guided tour consisting of the open studios, galleries and local businesses of the Barrio Logan Arts District. Spaces include include Bread & Salt, The Glashaus, Chicano Art Gallery and over a dozen more. From 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 619-366-9006, facebook. com/barrioartcrawl

14 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

ARTS performers

Ray at Night Art Walk at North Park.

North Park’s monthly art walk features open art galleries, food trucks, and live music performances by local bands.

Takes place in the heart of North Park along 30th St., University Ave., Ray St., and more. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. rayatnight.com Small Images and More at Off Track Gallery, 687 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas. The annual show features artwork that measures 12 inches or less, and includes paintings, photography, drawings and computer arts. Opening from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 760-9423636, sandieguitoartguild.com Star Wars: The Art Show at James Coffee Co. Little Italy, 2355 India St., Little Italy. Star Wars-themed art from locals and a silent auction with proceeds benefiting Rady Children’s Hospital. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 619756-7770, thefreeartfoundation.org The Alchemist and his Junks at HB Punto Experimental, 2151 Logan Ave. Section B, Barrio Logan. The Christmas party and closing reception offers the last viewing of the installation by Larry and Debby Kline, as well as Spanish paella and sangria. From 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 909-706-1036, hbpuntoexperimental.com HNew Yorkers In Exile at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. San Diego Art Institute’s year-end fundraising gala is a “New York-style” party and features a hot dog eating contest, live music and hosted by local drag artist Noah Michaels (Siren). Art by Dave Ghilarducci and Omar Pimienta. From 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15. $25-$30. sandiego-art.org

HCohort CULT-Lective at Disconnected Salon, 3830 30th St., North Park. Disconnected Salon celebrates its ninth anniversary with an art show, music, drinks and 20 percent off salon merch when you bring in a toy donation for Toys for Tots.

Artists include EXIST1981, Christopher Konecki, Carly Ealey, and other Cohort Collective members. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 619298-3830, disconnectedsalon.com

Steve Gibson and Augusto Sandroni at Basic, 410 10th Ave., Downtown. American painter Steve Gibson and Brazilian painter Augusto Sandroni will showcase their artwork as guests enjoy food and drinks. Opening from 7 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15. Free. 619-531-8869, facebook.com/events/459983587521729/

HDate Night at Horton Plaza, 324 Horton Plaza, Downtown. A pop-up art fair that features alternative gallery spaces as well as artists, poets, and musicians.

Participants include Friend’s Collective, Helmuth Project, A Ship in the Woods, SPF15 and more. Takes place at the SDAI Project Space at Horton Plaza. From 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12 and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. Free. 619-2398180, datenightatthemall.com

Grandmother’s Tea: Helen Foster James at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The special edition of Warwick’s ongoing Toddler Storytime series will feature James reading and signing her new children’s book, Grandma’s Christmas Wish. At 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9. Free. 858-454-0347, warwicks. com

HFree Souls at Distinction Gallery and Artist Studios, 317 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. New pop-surrealist paintings from Carlsbad-based artist Virginie Mazureau, who specializes in “animals in weird situations as well as cheeky kids.” Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12.

Free. 760-781-5779, distinctionart.com/ HInformation Retrieval at Heritage Park, Escondido. A public sculpture piece

by Matthew Hebert will be exhibited at Heritage Park on the corner of Juniper St. and Grand Ave. The piece is based on stories shared through a series of public workshops about landscape and technology. From 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. escondidoarts.org HIt Takes An Artist at Gallery D, 1878 Main St., Barrio Logan. The gallery’s debut show features works focused on the theme of mentorship. Features work from Dia Bassett, Beliz Iristay, and more. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec.

Tumblers from Black Phoebe Ceramics

12. Free. https://facebook.com/galleryd. sandiego/

H = CityBeat picks

BOOKS

HTerri Hughes-Oelrich at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., North Park.

The author and illustrator will be promoting her new children’s book, Kalea & Her Sweet Tooth. There will also be gingerbread people decorating and a puppet theater. From 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10. Free. 619-584-4448, artproduce.org HAdam Korenman at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The local author and United States Army officer holds a book release party for When the Stars Fade, the first volume in The Gray Wars series. At 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 11. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com Bill Swank at D.G. Wills Books, 7461 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The local writer and baseball and historian will sign and discuss his new book, Christmas in San Diego, which explores the historical and cultural significance of the holiday in the region. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12.

Free. 858-456-1800, dgwillsbooks.com Gini Koch at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The sci-fi writer will sign and dis-

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EVENTS cuss the 12th entry in her Kitty Katt-Martini Alien series, Alien in Chief. At 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HLocal Author Meet & Greet at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. Over a dozen local authors will be selling and signing their books including Dennis Greenhill, Cindy C. Murray, William Anthony and more. At noon. Sunday, Dec. 13. Free.

858-268-4747, mystgalaxy.com HCaitlin Rother at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, Point Loma. The National Organization for Women meeting features Pulitzer-nominated investigative journalist and New York Times-best selling author Caitlin Rother, who will discuss her crime novel, Then No One Can Have Her. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. $5. 619-2337963, womensmuseumca.org James Rollins at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. The adventure-thriller author will sign and discuss the latest Sigma Force novel, The Bone Labyrinth. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 16. Free. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com

FOOD & DRINK

Holiday Market at UNION-Barrio Logan, 2191 Main Street, Barrio Logan. The cultural market features handmade artwork and crafts, local food trucks, a DIY floral crown tent, holiday-inspired cocktails and more. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. $1. sandiegomade.org Love Thy Neighbor Toy Drive at Outlets at the Border, 4463 Camino de la Plaza, San Ysidro. The sixth annual event features local bands and artisan and craft vendors while attendees provide donations of toys and clothes for in-need children. Santa Claus will also be on site.

From 1 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12.

Free. lovethyneighbormovement.com Winterscape at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., Hillcrest. The concert of the Hillcrest Wind Ensemble features music from holiday movies such as Frozen and Nightmare Before Christmas. From 7 to 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. $15-$20. 619-298-9978, hillcrestwindensemble.com

Merry Songs at Coronado Playhouse, 1835 Strand Way, Coronado. The holiday cabaret features a mix of holiday favorites from classic musicals and films, as well as a raffle. From 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. $20. coronadoplayhouse.com

HSpirits & Shop Under the Stars at North Park along 30th St. and University Ave., North Park. Enjoy a variety of local craft cocktails and bites from 10 North Park eateries while you shop. Participants include Lucha Libre, West Coast Tavern, The Safehouse and more. From 5 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 12. $20. northparkspirits. bpt.me

HBrahms Double and Berlioz Te Deum at Jacobs Music Center, 750 B St, The final concert of the San Diego Symphony Jacobs Masterworks Series features conductor Jahja Ling, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, violinist Jeff Thayer and the San Diego Master Chorale. At 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. $20-$96.

619 235 0804, sandiegosymphony.com

HOLIDAY EVENTS

HVinyl Junkies Record Swap at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown.

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. 12. $3.

619-232-HELL, casbahmusic.com

HMingei Holiday Market at Mingei International Museum, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. The annual market features items made in the U.S. Vendors include Jack Boyd Studio, Lookout & Wonderland, Studio Kotokoto, Nostrum and many more. There will also be a terrarium building demonstration and Made in America-themed cocktails. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10. Free. 619-2390003, mingei.org HQuartyard Holiday Market at Quartyard, 1102 G. St., East Village. The two-day artisan market featuring over a dozen local crafters will also feature live music, a tree-lighting ceremony and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.

From 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10 and Saturday, Dec. 11. Thursday, Dec. 10.

Free.

714-392-8565, facebook.com/ events/1649074865370734 Deck the Holidays at Waterfront Park, 1600 Pacific Highway, Little Italy. The Downtown San Diego Partnership and The Home Depot offer tips on how to make DIY wooden decorations for the holidays. From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 12. Free.

858-694-3030, eventbrite.com

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POETRY & SPOKEN WORD Red Poets Society at Kafe Sobaka Restoran Pomegranate, 2469 Broadway, Golden Hill. The twice-monthly poetry, prose and spoken word open mic co-hosted by Tazha Williams and David Proulx includes Sunny Rey as the night’s featured poet. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9. $5 suggested donation. 619-2974007, facebook.com/sdredpoets

SPECIAL EVENTS HParol Philippine Lantern Festival at Jacobs Community Center, 404 Euclid Ave., Valencia Park. The 18th annual, inter-generational event will feature tastes of a Philippine merienda of pansit (noodle dish) and performances from the Philippine Performing Arts Company, The Filharmonic and others. From 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. $15-$18. pasacat.org HSan Diego Tweed Ride at Plaza de Panama, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Gather at Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama for a leisurely paced bicycle ride past some of San Diego’s historic structures and markers. Participants are encour-

aged to dress in classic tweed or any smart looking outfit. From 1 to 6 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13. Free. 619-239-0512, facebook.com/events/838241236292062

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS The Laws of Prostitution at Women’s Museum of California, 2730 Historic Decatur Road, Barracks 16, Point Loma. The Human Rights Day meeting will discuss the criminalization of prostitution and its implications. Held by the International Museum of Human Rights, Amnesty International, and the Board of State and Community Corrections. From 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 10. Free. 619-233-7963, womensmuseumca.org/

HGaslamp Holiday Pet Parade at Hilton Gaslamp, 401 K St., Downtown. All pet owners and their furry, feathered and scaled companions are invited to this jolly promenade and pet expo, which starts and ends at Hilton Gaslamp Park. From 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. $15-$20. 619231-4040, gaslamp.org/pet-parade

HHillcrest Taste ‘n’ Tinis at Hillcrest. A night of martini sipping, boutique shopping and gourmet food sampling on a self guided walking tour of Hillcrest. Start at the corner of 5th Ave. and Robinson Ave. Participants include Gossip Grill, Uptown Tavern, Local Habit and more. From 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10. $25-$30. fabuloushillcrest.com

HCustom Wooden Ornaments at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Stamp, paint, bedazzle and bejewel your own set of three wooden ornaments to adorn your holiday tree, gifts or just to spruce up your home. Part of Lux’s Handmade Holidays series of workshops. From 9 a.m. to noon. Wednesday, Dec. 9. $35$50. 760-436-6611, luxartinstitute.org

nual holiday performance features the best of local burlesque talent with headliner Mr. Gorgeous, who won King of Burlesque in 2014. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. $20.

6192555147, thebawdyshow.com

MUSIC

HYoung Artists in Harmony at ARTS A Reason to Survive, 200 East 12 St., National City. The concert and art show includes original paintings and poetry from ARTS (A Reason to Survive) students. The concert will feature musicians from local chamber music organization Art of Élan.

At 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 12. Free. 619297-2787, artofelan.org San Diego Mixtape Society at Bolt Brewery Little Italy, 1971 India Street, Little Italy. The second annual “Don’t Call Me White Elephant” invites participants to bring a music-related gift that costs no more than $25, in addition to a mixtapes of holiday songs to exchange. From 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. Free.

PERFORMANCE HWhen It Comes at USD, 5998 Alcala Park, Linda Vista. Local playwright Mike Sears’ latest piece combines live theater, puppetry and music to tell the story of a blue-collar couple who build a house only to discover they need the moon to make it complete. At 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12, and 2 and 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13. Free. 619-260-4681, theoldglobe.org The Bawdy Show at Queen Bee’s Arts & Cultural Center, 3825 Ohio Street, The an-

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

That green guy is at it, again

JIM COX

THEATER

T

here’s a new Grinch in town. Stentorian-voiced J. Bernard Calloway, who some may remember from La Jolla Playhouse’s world-premiere staging of Memphis a few years ago, takes over as the Mean Green I Hate Christmas Machine. His antics, like all the Grinches before him in this Old Globe holiday perennial (now in its 18th reincarnation) are the best—and most satisfying for adults—part of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

On opening night, 8-year-old Mikee Castillo co-starred as Cindy-Lou Who, and she’s also a bright little star in the one-act, family-friendly production. Sure, this show can be cloying and heavy on Whoville sweetness: Some of the sugary songs are cavity-inducing. But there’s a reason it’s been around this long. It’s dependable and sincerely delivered yuletide entertainment.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! runs through Dec. 26 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. $24-$37. oldglobe.org H H H The other “grinch” in town is Ebenezer Scrooge, played once again by the stellar Tom Stephenson in Cygnet Theatre’s annual production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is not colored green, but he’s just as mean as the Grinch—at least until Jacob Marley (David McBean, owning the stage) and three other ghostly visits precipitate Eb’s reclamation.

16 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

in part about honoring traditions, and that’s why San Diego audiences turn out time and again to jeer and then cheer the Grinch or Scrooge. (Theatergoers tip: Arrive early to hear the actors’ pre-curtain caroling.)

A Christmas Carol runs through Dec. 27 at the Old Town Theatre. $37-$55. cygnettheatre.com

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Mikee Castillo (left) and J. Bernard Calloway in Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

There’s no need to recount the story. You’ve read it or seen it, onstage, on TV or on the big screen many times before. But know that Cygnet’s production, directed by Sean Murray, offers a few little surprises that renew what is a tired tale: alternately charming and spooky puppetry (design by Michael McKeon, Lynne Jennings and Rachel Hengsy); a versatile musical score by Billy Thompson; and sound effects from the wings provided

by Stephenson’s and McBean’s fellow cast members. If the show feels 15 minutes too long, that’s probably because you spent half an hour trying to park in Old Town or because you’ve simply had your Christmas fill of Dickens. But remember: the holidays are

A Civil War Christmas: The San Diego premiere of the musical pageant set toward the end of the American Civil War. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel, it opens Dec. 10 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. diversionary.org MOMologues: The equal parts funny and serious play about the trials and tribulations of motherhood. Presented by Different Stages, it opens Dec. 12 at Swedenborg Hall in Hillcrest. differentstages.biz Shrek the Musical: The singing-and-dancing Broadway musical based on the movie about an ogre in love.

Presented by STAR Repertory Theatre, it opens for two performances Dec. 12 at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. artcenter.org Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold: A comedic and interactive mystery featuring a wisecracking Catholic nun. It opens for three performances Dec. 13 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org

For full theater listings, please visit “T heater ” at sdcitybeat.com

#SDCityBeat

lleviate a o t s a e d i 12 expert prese nt-pu rchas ing pa nic

B

ig-box store shopping got you down?

Mall crowds got you pulling out your hair? We got you. We went to the experts at 12 local and decidedly noncorporate boutiques to give readers the scoop on some of the hottest and most unique items to give this holiday season. From beard oils and coloring books to naked pots and hipster frogs, we’d like to think our 2015 gift guide, beginning on page 20, has something for everyone on your list.

CONTRIBUTORS: Torrey Bailey, Aaryn Belfer, Ryan Bradford, Seth Combs, Ron Donoho, Nancy Kirk, Carolyn Ramos, Jeff Terich, Alex Zaragoza

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artwork by andrew mcgranahan

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

18 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

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#SDCityBeat

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Fold Leather Co. Apron Having just celebrated its one-year anniversary, Geographie Shop (2879 University Ave. in North Park, geographieshop.com) offers another holiday season of unique, original gifts. Owner Cindy Matherly is a transplant from Eugene, Oregon, and the Pacific Northwest influence is reflected in her carefully curated inventory. The full-length denim and leather apron from San Diego-based Fold Leather Co. ($128) is “perfect for the barista or chef in your life,” says Cindy, pointing out the brass clasps for a towel and tools.

Not only is it rugged and utilitarian, it’s pretty damn sexy, too. There’s also the Eugene Half Apron ($105), which was designed especially for Matherly’s shop and even named after the place she used to call home.

20 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

Wary Meyers Moisturizing Glycerine Soaps and Beard Oil

by Balm & Co. For those with friends, family, co-workers or germ phobic lovers to buy gifts for, maven (2946 Adams Ave. in University Heights, mavensd.com) has Wary Meyers’ Moisturizing Glycerine Soaps ($14). These adorable, handmade soaps are brightly striped and come in unique scents like tomato leaf, cucumber cilatro and mango red currant. “When people are stumped on a gift idea, it’s the effortless gift you can give someone,” says maven owner Alex Hall. If cutesy soaps won’t cut it for the lumbersexual in your life, there’s Balm & Co.’s Beard Oil ($18). The handmade oil is made with jojoba and kukui nut oils as well as softening essential oils that promote healthy hair growth and adds shine.

The Tanline Pot What do you get your artistic friends when the boutique craft stores have become overwhelmingly twee and precious? Edwin Negado, owner of Gym Standard—the upscale sneaker/art/book store (2903 El Cajon Blvd. in North Park, gymstandard.com)—recommends the Tanline Pot ($65). Designed by Brooklyn artist Issac Nichols, these pots are a little bit surrealist, a little bit grotesque, and a lotta bit unforgettable. Shaped like the disembodied torso of a naked woman, these pots instantly bring to mind the work of Dali, but the tan lines make it intriguing and distinctly Southern Californian. According to Negado, “These vessels are made with light tan clay and hand painted with colorfast matte glazes. Great for plants, keys, pencils, change and other small, everyday items.”

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Galeria Acrylic Easel Set

Color Therapy Coloring Book

Shibori Dyed Wool Scarves

At Artist & Craftsman Supply (3804 Fourth Ave. in Hillcrest, artistcraftsman.com) manager Chantal Wnuk is a fan of the Galeria Acrylic Easel Set ($45). It comes with 10 tubes of acrylic paint, a palette knife and palette, two brushes, one large canvas board and a sturdy A2-sized easel (approximately 16.5x23 inches). “I really like that it’s designed like a drafting table,” Wnuk says. Unlike most easels that teepee into a canvas-holding structure, this one is an adjustable solid plank of wood that can also be used for drawing. What’s more, everything is already packed up neatly in a gift wrap-friendly rectangular box. It’s a pretty kit for a beginner or for someone who wants to rekindle artistic passion.

For the playful friend who’s consumed by holiday woes, consider Color Therapy: An Anti-Stress Coloring Book for adults. Available at Pangea Outpost (909 Garnet Ave. in Pacific Beach, pangeaoutpost.com), the activity book allows drawers to release creativity while they indulge in nostalgia. Store manager Susan Burland says these books are becoming an increasingly popular recreational activity because of their intriguing simplicity. “It brings back memories from when you were a younger kid sitting in front of the fireplace or the dining room table and you were drawing in a coloring book,” Burland says. “Adults don’t generally color, but these imaginative coloring books can help relieve anxiety.” The book itself is $13 and coloring utensils are sold separately.

If you want a homemade gift without actually getting your hands dirty, Sarah Larson’s got your back. She makes Shibori-dyed wool scarfs ($48) in her own sink. The traditional Japanese cloth-dying technique lends each scarf a oneof-a-kind look in shades of teal, sapphire and gunmetal. Its lightweight, 100-percent natural wool composition will harbor warmth without drowning you in sheep shearings.

“They have more form to them so they stay cozy without looking like a sweatshirt around your neck,” Larson says.

The scarves don’t wrinkle easily either, so they’re an easy heat hack you can keep stashed in your bag. Larson’s scarfs can be found at Often Wander at Noon (4993 Niagara Ave. #105 in Ocean Beach, oftenwander.com).

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December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

S’well Water Bottle To save your friends from thousands of plastic-shaming glares this holiday, Pigment (3801 30th St. in North Park, shoppigment.com) co-founder Amy Paul says S’well’s insulated water bottle ($25-$35) is a must-have. “Everyone in the shop uses them for water, but it’ll keep things cold for 24 hours and hot things warm for 12 hours,” Paul says. Built with stainless steel, cold water won’t bead on the outside, and it won’t leave a metallic taste in your mouth like a lot of aluminum bottles. They also come in a range of sizes and colors, including Sand Python, Monaco Blue and Titanium.

And, S’well will plant a tree with American Forests for every bottle bought from its Wood Collection.

22 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

Reed Wilson Design West Coasters and A Heirloom CA Cutting Board

Luigi the Frog BlaBla Doll

Luigi the Frog’s handlebar mustache and suspenders sugWith hundreds of books, home wares and vintage design gest he might listen to obscure music and be a part-time items to choose from, SoLo (309 South Cedros Ave. in So- mixologist, which certainly makes him one of the hippest lana Beach, solocedros.com) has long been one of our go-to, of childhood companions. Made in Peru, Luigi is also a one-stop North County shopping destinations. Owner Car- world traveler, though he and other BlaBla dolls can be ole Carden recommends the Reed Wilson West Coasters purchased at Hi Sweetheart (7920 Ivanhoe Ave. in La Jol($35 for set of four) and the AHeirloom California Cutting la, hi-sweets.com). Storeowner Molly Rossettie says Luigi Board ($75 for the large, $45 for the small) as a complimen- the Frog is ideal for the trendy parents in search of a welltary set. “They’re both made by small design companies,” crafted, vintage-inspired doll for their child: “He’s a unique says Carden, pointing out that the cutting board has a brass go-to buddy for kids and the dolls last through all kinds of heart where San Diego is located. “I like the earthiness and dragging them around.” Luigi’s quirky friends include Conthe fact that they’re handmade. They’re both serviceable, fetti the Unicorn, TuTu the Dog, Mozart the Monkey, and environmentally friendly and perfect for just about anyone Melody the Mermaid. The BlaBla dolls are all 100 percent cotton, washable and retail for $48. who lives here.”

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#SDCityBeat

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

Kriss Kringle Bowtie Bowties are conversation starters—especially funky ones that come in patterns you can’t get away with on traditional neckties. At The ZB Savoy Bowtie Co. (1028 Broadway in East Village, zbsavoy.com), the hot holiday pattered bowtie is called The Kriss Kringle ($44). There’s nothing subtle about this two-tone cotton neckwear. One side is a red, white and green argyle pattern, and the other side is a red, white and green striped pattern. One of the first bowties Zach Savoy made when he started the company in 2012, it’s now one of his signature items. “Bowties are perfect gifts for men who like accessories,” says Savoy. A complementary pocket square is $30, but you can buy both as a combo for $60. Bonus: One dollar from every purchase goes to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

24 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators Any musician will tell you that musical gear or instruments are always a welcome sight under the Christmas tree.

However, there’s only so many instruments that’ll fit inside a stocking or, fewer still, your own pocket. So for musicians on the go, there’s a travel-friendly option: Teenage Engineering’s PO-12, 14 and 16 Pocket Operators, available at Ajax Shope (2355 India St. in Little Italy, ajaxshoppe.com) for $59. Each model has different functions, including synthesizers, drum programming and sampling, at the size of a calculator. “You get a real synth engine, punch-in effects, built-in speaker and even an alarm clock—super rad,” says Ajax owner Steve Sanders. “Even Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails bought all three in our shop.”

Seasoned USA x Lone Flag Wool SD Hat Given the choice between a Padres hat or a soon-to-be L.A. Chargers shirt, showing your local pride can sometimes be an unfashionable exercise. Not so with the Lone Flag wool “SD” Hat ($59) which is made exclusively for Lone Flag (2690 Via de la Valle in Del Mar, loneflag.co). Handmade in an old warehouse space by Seasoned USA in Pomona and fashioned to look like an old-school baseball cap, the small batch wool with bone applique lettering has made the navy blue cap popular with just about everyone, says Lone Flag owner Sam Larson. “It’s been super fun watching these launch a year ago and now going to games or about the city in all areas and seeing people proudly wearing them,” he says.

#SDCityBeat

Culture | Art

Seen LocaL ON THE MAP Leading up to the holidays, we’ll use this space to profile local crafters whose wares we think would make excellent gifts.

T

hese days, artist Brandon Hubbard could beat just about anyone in a geography quiz. He knows off the top of his head, for example, that Texas has 254 counties and Delaware only has three. He knows states like Louisiana and Alaska don’t have counties, but do have parishes and boroughs, respectively. When you’ve drawn out each county, borough and parish by hand, as Hubbard has done for a series of drawings featuring all 50 states, it’s hard to forget such facts.

“I had always planned on doing every single state,” says Hubbard, adding that California was the first he tackled. “I figured I’d start out west and work my way back east, but people started seeing them and started commissioning me to do their state next.”

Hubbard has been able to finish all 50 states in one year and sells prints and t-shirts of the finished product on his website (inkredibledesign.com). Perhaps due to his background as a furniture designer and architect, the maps are both highly detailed and

aesthetically pleasing. Some of the states, such as Wyoming and New Mexico, incorporate the state’s flag. Others, like Washington and Illinois, simply have that state’s counties colorfully written out oneby-one to form the shape of that county and, when combined and pieced together, form the shape of the whole state.

“All of them are really popular with locals, because San Diego is such a hodgepodge of people from all over,” says, Hubbard, who will be showcasing all of them (that is, the entire U.S.) at a special show at Mike Hess Brewing in seth combs North Park on Dec. 12 from 7 to 10 p.m.

The project grew out of a neighborhood street sign project Hubbard was working on when he was the resident artist at the now closed Cirello Gallery in North Park. Now that he’s finished with the U.S., he plans to tackle pieces for the rest of the world and is already working on maps of Britain, New Zealand and Puerto Rico, as well as a detailed map of Sicily’s regions.

His prints and other INKredible Designs are available in a few stores around town, including Simply Local in North Park, Westgrove Collective in South Brandon Hubbard Park and even a small gift shop in rural Texas, but Hubbard says he has big plans to get his work into more places.

“I want to take my son on a road trip of some of the more interesting counties I’ve discovered in doing this project,” he says. “If I find some places along the way to sell my maps, that’d be great too.”

—Seth Combs

d sharp

“It’s such a great space in that you can add to it almost whatever you want or need,” says Dia Bassett, ike many buildings and warehouses in Bar- who will serve as Gallery D’s primary show curator.

Bassett has worked as a part-time curator for Planrio Logan, 1878 Main St., Unit D, is cavernous et Rooth Design Haus and has teamed up with orgaand awe-inspiring. The type of place you walk nizations like A Ship in the Woods in the past. She’s into and think to yourself, “Oh, the things I could always been fascinated with the dynamic between do here.”

Vijay Hingorani had that feeling. When I visit him art students and their teachers, especially since the teachers are often artists themselves. She decided to at the space, he’s making a sign for explore this theme in what will be his new Gallery D using a giant 3D Gallery D’s inaugural show, It Takes printer in the glass-encased office an Artist: A Show About Mentorin the back. He points out that for ship, which opens Dec. 12 from 6 to years the space was being used for 10 p.m. during the monthly Barrio landscaping equipment storage.

Art Crawl. The show includes work Before that it was a gallery, so there from artists like Bhavna Mehta, Lee wasn’t much he had to change with Puffer, Beliz Iristay and more. the overall design. Now that he has “All of the artists are going to it, he hopes to use it not only as a show pieces of their own as well studio for his own sculptural art, as pieces from the student they but to showcase local and emergteach,” Bassett says. “But it’s not ing artists as well. like a typical faculty and student “I’ve always had this bug in me show, because everyone is in differto want to start a gallery,” says Hinent places with their art. It’s a nice gorani, who works a day job as a biomix of all ages and styles.” tech consultant. “I wasn’t necessarHingorani also makes it clear ily looking for a space when I found Vijay Hingorani and Dia Bassett that he won’t be using the space to this one and had to jump on it.” promote his own work.

Despite a rather drab exterior (Hingorani is quick “I’m not ready to show my own stuff yet,” he says. to point out that the aforementioned 3D printed sign “Maybe some day, but I’d like to focus on others first. will help with that), the space is quite lovely on the inside. Like many places in Barrio Logan, it has the A lot of people advised me not to open my own galfeel of a once-proud warehouse space where the de- lery, but against my better judgment I just couldn’t pass on the opportunity.” sign still holds up after decades.

L

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—Seth Combs

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Culture | Voices

ryan bradford

well that was

awkward

The human anatomy of melancholy and hope

I

lost my grandma the day before Thanksgiving.

She was the second grandma I lost this year. She was 82 years old. For the last few months of her life, she was so afflicted with osteoporosis that she couldn’t stand straight, but it was kidney failure and congestive heart failure that ultimately did her in.

Considering those factors, death was an end to her pain, but that makes it no less heartbreaking.

The funeral is in Manti, Utah, which is about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Salt Lake City.

I drive with my two brothers. My older brother is studying for his Doctorate in Nurse Practice and our conversation turns, as it often does, to the insane things he’s experienced working as a nurse.

He begins telling us about his clinical studies at the medical examiner’s office. *** A week before my grandma’s death, I talked to Sharon Ross, director of public relations & development for Lifesharing—a federally designated nonprofit committed to organ and tissue donation services in San Diego and Imperial Counties.

“I’m curious. What’s your fascination with tissue donation?” she asked.

Over the phone, Ross had a gentle and inviting voice. As this warmth is an asset, it’s also a little disarming. In my attempts to gain access to San Diego’s eye banks, morgues or body donation programs, I’m often met with side-eyed skepticism and coldness.

When you have no angle, just an amateur curiosity about how the human body can be deconstructed, people tend to think you’re morbid.

And maybe they’re right. A fraction of my interest is motivated by some deep-seated desire to test my thresholds. It’s a tad embarrassing to admit, but a small part of me wants to squirm. I want to see blood and Styrofoam containers in the hopes of obtaining a better understanding of myself.

I told Ross that I was just curious, that I had no angle in mind. Without thinking, I said, “If anything, it might just be a slice-of-life story.” I stuttered, realizing my wording. “I mean…”

“It’s all right,” Ross said. “Believe it or not, I have a sense of humor, too.” *** “We saw a couple suicides,” my brother says, describing his study at the medical examiner’s office.

“But the worst was this guy who put his head on the tracks in front of an oncoming train.”

He says the chin had remained intact—a relatively clean cut. Then he says the medical examiner held up a yellow biohazard bag. “The rest of him.” *** In person, Sharon Ross was as warm as her voice.

I know that it’s part of her job to sell me on the benefits organ donation, but she’s the type of maternal figure to whom I’d gladly hand over all my organs, regardless of occupation.

On our way back to her office, we stopped at the photo quilts that decorate Lifesharing’s hallway, meant to honor the donors whose deaths have extended the lives of others.

Ross pointed to picture of a young woman. “This is Maria…She died very young of cancer. Many people who die of breast cancer assume they couldn’t be a donor because of the cancer, but she was able to give sight to two people.” She pointed to another picture of a young man who died while showing off for his sister by hot-dogging on an ATV. “I still play his aunt on Words With Friends,” she said. “And she always beats me.”

Asked why some people opt out of organ donation, Ross said most people disqualify themselves based on illness, sexual orientation, lifestyle habits, etc.—none of which are valid.

“People also don’t want to say no to miracles,” she said. *** “It was like one of those rubber stress dolls,” my brother says, describing the remains in the yellow bag.

“Like when you squeeze it and the eyes bulge out.”

Rubber stress dolls. It’s something I never want to see. *** Ross peppered facts about donation throughout the tour: There are 12 million on the donor registry in California, but the state also has the longest wait list. Eighty-five percent of us can be tissue donors, but only 1 percent can donate organs due to the specific conditions one must die under (in the hospital, under ventilator support, not have injury to the area where organs are). The pancreas is the most fragile organ, but a new one will cure you of diabetes. Corneas don’t age.

But even if I wasn’t a donor, Ross’ stories would’ve convinced me. She’s a natural storyteller, and she often achieves poetic poignancy without even realizing it. My initial hope for Styrofoam containers felt childish, for our two-hour conversation stirred my soul more than any sight of gore. “[The] first time I had a donor family that wanted to listen to their son’s heart beat,” she said.

“Oh my God…Their son had gone into a routine surgery—there’s no such thing as routine—and he passed away…

“The mom was struggling but so wanted to meet the life her son had saved: A gentleman, aged forty, whose parents had both died of heart disease and who had two small kids.

“His nurse had come with him and said to the [donor] family, ‘would you like to hear your son’s heart?’

And dad grins and says yes. Mom recoils and says no.

I realized the dad was holding the mom’s hand, and Ryan, he was squeezing it to the heartbeat.”

“

I’m curious.

What’s your fascination with tissue donation?

“

26 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

Well That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

Culture | Film

Building blocks

In Jackson Heights

Frederick Wiseman’s new documentary patiently observes a dynamic NYC neighborhood

by Glenn Heath Jr.

F

rederick Wiseman’s documentaries are beauti- ing worker’s rights. Rent hikes and economic malfeafully patient creations. While lengthy, one could sance threaten to turn the community into a haven never call them slow. Each listens carefully to for corporations. the patterns of communication and the sounds of an Transgender activists strategize and protest inenvironment in motion, usually focusing on a city in- tolerance from a local restaurant, the latest example stitution or municipal organism. The narrative may of a seemingly ongoing battle for LGBT rights dating seem tied to social machinations, but it’s the human back to the murder of Julio Rivera in 1990. experiences and confessions within that add up to Somewhat less exciting but equally important is a prosomething collectively profound. tracted scene with local politicians discussing the “brain With so much vitriol and hatred raging around the drain” that has occurred due to redistricting. Here we get world, pundits often point to community building as to see the domino effect of decision making and how its the best way to combat terrorism and racism. Well, if consequences can cascade from oldest to youngest. that’s the case, the director’s latest In Jackson Heights Like all of Wiseman’s work, the film builds upon is the most important American film of the year. moments big and small to get at something greater.

Wiseman examines the radically diverse commu- By the end, it’s clear that In Jackson Heights is not a nity in Queens, New York, with the patient eye of a travelogue, but a mosaic of interpersonal communisurveyor. The camera documents cation concerned with the reconmultiple instances of community struction of community values. building at the micro-level, with Surprisingly, technology has very in jackson these personal conversations, delittle presence in the film, and its heights bates and desperate calls for acabsence is welcome. tion alluding to the greater social Despite a growing concern Directed by Frederick Wiseman concerns consistently simplified that Jackson Heights might be Not rated on the daily news cycle. on the verge of losing its idenEarly in the film, Daniel tity thanks to corrupt real estate Dromm, Councilmember for the moguls, the residents themselves 25th district, extols Jackson Heights’ diversity dur- show very little fear of their uncertain future. Nor ing a speech at the local Jewish center by naming does Wiseman, whose mastery of editing can be seen how many languages are spoken in the community. in the poetic and sublime ways he mixes tones and It’s a solid anchoring point, but thankfully Wiseman perspectives. doesn’t structure his entire film around a sound bite.

Even more importantly, In Jackson Heights proSure, In Jackson Heights wants to celebrate the many claims that tolerance, respect and understanding ethnicities and perspectives at work, but it does so are achieved through the proliferation of shared innot through statistics but by listening intently to the formation. Nearly every scene hinges on this idea. residents themselves.

Near the end Wiseman films a class of prospective Stories seem to resonate from every image, even taxi drivers studying for the city exam. Their teacher the ones passing by in an instant. Curbside vendors provides a handy anecdote about directions, trying sell street food, grocers display fruits and vegetables in his own way to bridge the gap between cultures and pop-up musical performances mix in with the and perspectives through humor. sounds of an approaching elevated train or police Places of worship are also part of In Jackson siren. At night, the film drifts into neon-hued night- Heights, which opens Friday, Dec. 11, at the Digital clubs and back out onto the streets. Things are never Gym in North Park, but usually double as meeting really quiet, but often serene, in harmony. places for citizens of other faiths, sexual identities The core of In Jackson Heights comes from com- and political affiliations. While most films would prehensive sequences of discourse. Latino small highlight this overlap as a contradiction, Wiseman business owners attempt to circumvent the ebbs and patiently showcases it as the new normal. flows of mass gentrification by strategizing with emFilm reviews run weekly. ployees of a nonprofit organization bent on protect- Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

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December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Culture | Film

The Danish Girl

Eddie Redmayne shows off

W

e live in a world where Eddie Redmayne has won an Academy Award. Let that sink in for a second. It’s not fair, right? Well, Hollywood doesn’t play fair. Given the choice between obnoxious method acting and subtlety they’ll choose the former every time.

The scenery-chewing specialist who’s hammed it up in everything from The Theory of Everything to My Week With Marylyn is shooting for another gold statuette and I’ve taken on the challenge of stopping him.

This review of The Danish Girl will achieve that goal. It will make a difference. Believe me. Please.

Redmayne stars as Lili Elbe, the Dutch painter who would become a transgender pioneer in 1920s Copenhagen. Instead of turning in a compassionate and progressive performance, Redmayne’s is expectedly showy and grating. He uses each dramatic moment to physically convey the simplistic unease, distress and sadness of Lili’s journey. At times he’s so exaggerated I was convinced that Eddie Redmayne was doing a parody of Eddie Redmayne. Now that would be something.

The talented young actress

28 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

Alicia Vikander stars opposite as Lili’s wife Gerda, who first sees his infatuation with femininity as a curious trifle but quickly grows more isolated and confused.

Their romance, as directed by Tom Hooper, feels scattershot and forced—a portrait of sacrifice, support and devotion put through the melodramatic ringer.

Making matters worse, The Danish Girl, which opens Friday, Dec. 11, looks as flat as a board. It has zero interest in composition, or any elements that might suggest film is a visual language.

Hooper’s never really liked lenses, except the fish eye, or color, except for gray.

However, the film’s selfserving faux-progressiveness is a worse offense. Thanks to Redmayne’s look-at-me selfimportance, Lili is reduced to a simplistic martyr, her struggle relegated to a trite series of easily decipherable causes and effects.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

Opening Bikes vs. Cars: A new award-winning documentary that makes the case of bicycle use in the face of mass climate change. Screens through Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Hitchcock/Truffaut: Director and film critic Kent Jones weaves together foot-

age from the famous interview sessions between Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut in this lovely documentary about cinematic style and film history. Screens through Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Ken Cinema.

In Jackson Heights: Frederick Wiseman’s sprawling portrait of the Queens neighborhood examines everything from local politics, cultural and religious practices, and the impending presence of gentrification. Screens through Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

In the Heart of the Sea: In the 1820s, a sperm whale attacks a whaling ship, leaving over 90 sailors adrift at sea, including hunk Chris Hemsworth. This is not a prequel to Blackhat.

Life: A photographer from LIFE magazine gets a behind the scenes look at stardom when he’s asked to do a photo shoot with James Dean. Screens through Thursday, Dec. 17, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Macbeth: Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard star in this bloody revisionist adaptation of the famous Shakespearean tragedy.

The Danish Girl: Danish painter and transgender pioneer Lili Elbe attempts to grapple with the emotional, social and psychological ramifications of her journey in 1920s Copenhagen.

For a complete

listing of movies, please see

“Film Screenings” at sdcitybeat.com under “E vents.”

#SDCityBeat

Music

hostface Killah is the Wu-Tang Clan’s most prolific emcee. The Staten Island microphone killer (killah?) has released 14 studio albums since debuting with Ironman in 1996. He’s co-starred as Raekwon’s partner in crime on both of his Wu-Tang teammate’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx albums and contributed countless verses on albums and guest appearances on various Clan-affiliate albums. In just the last 12 months, he’s released three full-length records: 36 Seasons, the BadBadNotGood collaboration Sour Soul and Twelve Reasons to Die II, his second album with producer and composer Adrian Younge.

More importantly, however, Ghostface Killah (or Tony Starks or Pretty Toney or Wally Champ, if you prefer) is the most consistent of the Wu-Tang family, having sustained a mostly outstanding output for two solid decades, including the bona fide classics Supreme Clientele and Fishscale.

He’s a dexterous wordsmith and a lyrical surrealist, often stringing together seemingly unrelated phrases into strangely perfect Dadaist poetry. He revisits various themes throughout his work, from Marvel Comics to food, Islamic teachings and gritty crime narratives. The man could easily warrant his own Cliff’s Notes volumes, and given how much annotation there is on his Genius. com pages, he kind of already does.

Sometimes it takes a bit of digging, but there are nuggets of wisdom to be found in his peculiar, albeit unforgettable verses. Listen to any song from throughout his career and you’re likely to glean some important life lesson, pieces of sage advice or food for thought. Ghostface Killah is a post-modern philosopher. He may not always make literal sense, but such is the burden of a visionary. Here are some of the important life lessons we can take away from Ghostface Killah’s lyrics: “I seen rubies, diamonds, smothered under octopus/ jellyfish, sharks soar, aquaproof pocketbook” - “Underwater,” 2006 In the context of “Underwater,” Ghostface finds himself in a surreal underwater scene in which SpongeBob SquarePants drives a Bentley Coupe and listens to the Isley Brothers. But there are treasures galore in this aquatic scene, both literally and figuratively. He encounters mermaids and finds what sounds very much like pirate booty in the briny deep.

And he might have forgotten it all, had

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he not brought that trusty “aquaproof pocketbook” to document the scene before him.

Conclusion: Always be prepared.

“People saying that my chains look truck on me/ But what about the Wonder Woman bracelet?/ Two-oh point three diamond cut engraved rubies kid, I laced it! ” - “Ice Water,” 1995 Listeners of hip-hop since Slick Rick’s day will know something about truck jewelry: Big, flashy chains, rings or bracelets, usually gold. But it hasn’t been so prevalent in hip-hop fashion since the ’80s and early ’90s.

This isn’t of consequence to Ghostface, who marches to the beat of his own 808, and is often photographed with his large Wonder Woman-style bracelet, complete with golden eagle perched on it. Ghostface owns his unique, unconventional style.

Conclusion: Be yourself.

“The kid with the most knowledge will obtain and touch top dollars” - “Ghost Deini,” 2000 Throughout his career, from his co-starring role on Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx to his standout 2006 album Fishscale, Ghostface has used criminal narratives—usually selling coke, sometimes armed robbery—as both a storytelling device and a metaphor for his own ascent in the rap game. Those stories are often fabular in nature, and the stream-of-consciousness “Ghost Deini” puts simply the important lesson that it takes smarts to succeed.

Conclusion: Knowledge is power.

“Why is the sky blue? Why is water wet? Why did Judas rat to Romans while Jesus slept?” - “4th Chamber,” 1995 Ghostface doesn’t always supply those nuggets of wisdom without requiring his pupils to do a little bit of the mental work to reach the conclusion on their own.

Here, Ghost asks a series of both answerable and unanswerable questions, as if offering a series of Zen koans. (“What’s the sound of one hand clapping?” didn’t make the cut, I guess?) Now, there’s actually a well-established reason for why the sky is blue, but that’s beside the point. His philosophical ponderings simply demand that the listener think deeper and be more inquisitive.

Conclusion: Question everything.

“Ayo this rap is like ziti, facing me real TV, Crash at high speeds, strawberry kiwi” - “Apollo Kids,” 2000 So, what Ghost is saying here is… nope, I have no idea. But it sounds great when he says it. On his 2000 album Supreme Clientele, Ghostface often disappears into a Dadaist wormhole of wordplay that ends up a euphonious string of non-sequiturs. His flows come fast and disorienting, to the extent that you might not even notice that it doesn’t really make sense.

Conclusion: Something about food, I guess? No that’s not right. Oh! Art can exist for its own sake. (Right?)

“This is architect music, verbal street opera” - “The Champ,” 2006 Admittedly, Ghost is mixing his metaphors here a little, but no matter. His message is clear: He holds his craft to the standard of both a highly skilled trade and an elite art form.

Conclusion: Ghostface Killah is a master of his craft.

Write to jefft@sdcitybeat.com or follow him on Twitter at @1000TimesJeff

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Music

notes from the smoking patio locals only

T

he Bassics are getting ready to release their debut single on vinyl. The mod/garage rock group, which won Best New Artist at this year’s San Diego Music Awards, are set to release the “Everyday Life”/‘Roll On” single at their upcoming release show on Dec. 12 at Pitbull Audio in National City.

The single is being released via Angel City Records, and in a conversation at Clair de Lune in North Park, the band says that the single is a strong representation of their sound.

“It’s really raw,” says guitarist and vocalist Sam Martinez. “If you were to see us live, this is what we sound like.”

The release show is being called “Join the Reactionary Youth,” which is what the band calls its fan club. The Reactionary Youth is also something The Bassics hope will become a bigger movement, which they say is both a way to brand themselves and a call to action for listeners to be more socially aware and more involved in the community, be it in politics or in music. “‘Reactionary’ has a more conservative meaning, but that’s not how we use it,” says bassist Vino Martinez. “It’s all encompassing.”

“It’s just kind of a way to identify ourselves,” drummer Juan Carlos Mendez adds. “We just want to inspire a movement. We want to bring back the youth.”

The Bassics After the band release their new single, they’ll be working on getting their debut full-length album released. It’s already been recorded, but they’re still working on the details of getting it out into the world.

“We want to shop it out to some labels,” says Mendez. “Everything’s been self-funded so far, and it’s really difficult to release a record on your own.

But I don’t see it taking longer than sometime next year.”

Correction: In my December 2 cover story on Birdy Bardot, I identified Daniel Cervantes as being a member of her live band. While Cervantes did contribute to her debut album, and co-wrote many of the songs on it, he’s not actually in her live band.

—Jeff Terich

SINGER VS. SONG This is a recurring feature in which we ask local musicians to name a song they never want to hear again.

Erik Visnyak, Le Chateau: “The Space Between” by Dave Matthews Band. “Yes, we all have our guilty pleasures, but growing up in the Midwest where puka shell necklaces, Abercrombie & Fitch carpenter jeans and Dave Matthews Band were at every turn, I grew quite a distaste for DMB. Especially this track. When he says the line ‘the space between,’ I just grind my teeth.”

ing it on the way home from work, or awkwardly bobbing my head to it when it comes on at parties. I just want it to fade out of my life until, years from now, I’ve completely forgotten it existed in the first place.”

Kristoffer Reynolds, Beira: “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton. “I think I hate it from hearing it too much at work. The live acoustic version is even more torturous.”

Tyler French, Botanica Chango: “The Dave Matthews Star-Spangled Banner”

By Francis Scott Key. “He was a pretty good writer and all, it has just been a long time since we started Shelbi Bennett, The Midnight Pine: “Any song by rocking that one. With a new baseball season around the fucking Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’ve never really the corner, might be a good time to switch ‘er out.” been into [Anthony Kiedis’] singing style, and the scatty stuff just turns me right off.”

Aldo Bustos, Northern Tigers/The Sess: “More Than a Feeling” by Boston. “It’s so overplayed and Jakob McWhinney, The Soaks: “Hotline Bling” by can’t help but associate drunk frat guys whenever I Drake. “No matter how hard I try to resist its insidi- hear it.” ous catchiness, I continue to find myself guiltily play- —Jeff Terich

30 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

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December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

Music

Jeff Terich Friday, December 11

If I were u A music insider’s weekly agenda

PLAN A: Mike Krol, Rupert Angeleyes, Schitzophonics, Low Points @ Soda Bar. Mike Krol’s Turkey is a great, if slept-on album from earlier this year. Lo-fi fuzz rock with elements of power pop and punk. Nofrills, catchy songs with energy to spare.

BACKUP PLAN: The Widows, Barreracudas, Personal and the Pizzas @ Whistle Stop.

Wednesday, December 9

Thursday, December 10

Saturday, December 12

PLAN A: Nick Lowe’s Quality Holiday Revue with Los Straitjackets @ Belly Up Tavern. Nick Lowe is a songwriting legend.

He’s had his share of new wave hits (and one song made famous by Elvis Costello), and he’s bringing a special holiday-themed show complete with backing from surf-rock favorites Los Straitjackets. Sounds like a winner.

PLAN B: Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, Hedersleben, Tar Halos, Die Mißbildungen Die Menschen @ Til-Two Club. Hawkwind is one of the most important space rock/heavy psych bands of all time, having helped pioneer a trippy and massive sound.

Original member Nik Turner is still touring with an updated version of Hawkwind, which will be pretty intense in such a small space. BACKUP PLAN: Taurus Authority @ Bar Pink.

PLAN A: Three Mile Pilot, Systems Officer, Pall Jenkins @ The Casbah. Longtime local favorites Three Mile Pilot are back after a period of quiet, and members Pall Jenkins and Zach Smith are each performing in a different capacity—Jenkins as a solo artist and Smith with Systems Officer. Think of it as a Night With Pall and Zach. PLAN B: Kim and the Created, Kera and the Lesbians, Shady Francos @ Soda Bar. Kim and the Created is a good psychedelic rock band, but the biggest reason to watch is Kim, herself. She’s a dynamic, charismatic and kooky frontwoman known for colorful outfits and zany antics. You will absolutely be entertained. BACKUP PLAN: Dani Bell and the Tarantist, Dillon Casey @ Sycamore Den. Nick Lowe

PLAN A: The Dears, Dear Boy @ The Casbah. Canada’s The Dears have been around a pretty long time, but their intricate indie rock is fairly underrated, if you ask me. Their 2004 album No Cities Left was one of my favorite albums of that year, and still holds up. PLAN B: Montalban Quintet @ Panama 66. Montalban Quintet is an instrumental outfit featuring various members of other noteworthy San Diego bands, such as No Knife and Sleeping People. They’re a little bit jazz, a little bit like a noir film score, and very cool all around.

BACKUP PLAN: Ditches, Color, Kids in Heat @ The Hideout.

32 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

Sunday, December 13 PLAN A: Lump of Coal w/ Foals, Run the Jewels, Pvris, Will and the People, Wombats @ Valley View Casino Center. Big

radio-station holiday shows often try to be all things to all people, but if nothing else, this should be at the top of your list for hiphop duo Run the Jewels. They absolutely wrecked the stage at FYF Fest this year, and if you have the opportunity to go see them, definitely go see them. PLAN B: Reverend Horton Heat, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, The Bellrays, Lords of Altamont @ Observatory North Park. It’s fairly common for the good Reverend to swing by our city around this time of year, and there are worse ways to spend the holiday than with a psychobilly freakout. BACKUP PLAN: Lord Howler, Cochinas Locas @ Whistle Stop.

Monday, December 14 PLAN A: Headphone, Los Angelics, Mayfield @ The Casbah. Need to catch up on some local music this holiday season?

Go see Headphone, who blend electronics with an art-rock sensibility to create something not too far off from Radiohead, or prog-rock without the bloat.

Tuesday, December 15 PLAN A: Tesla Boy, Rose Quartz, Dr. Seahorse @ Soda Bar. Tesla Boy is a contemporary Russian synth-pop band, but if you close your eyes (and don’t see their hipster haircuts) you’d swear this was a British group from the early ’80s. Fun new wave sounds with catchy melodies.

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Music

Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!

The Blasters (Casbah, 12/26), OFF! (Casbah, 12/28), Andy Rourke (DJ set) (The Hideout, 1/16), Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek (Observatory North Park, 1/22), The Hood Internet (Casbah, 1/29), Pato Banton (BUT, 1/30), Thee Oh Sees (BUT, 2/12), STRFKR (Observatory North Park, 2/12), The Toasters (Casbah, 2/18), Steve Poltz (BUT, 2/20), Diane Coffee (The Hideout, 2/27), Protomartyr (Soda Bar, 3/2), Hunter Valentine (The Hideout, 3/4), 311 (HOB, 3/6), Basement (Lamppost Warehouse, 4/6), Elvis Costello (Balboa Theatre, 4/7), Steve Miller Band (Humphreys, 4/14).

GET YER TICKETS Ghostface Killah (Observatory, 12/17), Crocodiles (The Hideout, 12/17), Bone Thugs N Harmony (Observatory, 12/18), Vince Staples (Observatory, 12/19), Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven (BUT, 12/27), Ozomatli (BUT, 12/28), Chet Faker (Observatory, 12/29), Luna (Casbah, 12/29), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/2930), The Academy Is… (Observatory, 12/30), Los Lobos (BUT, 12/31), Tim Heidecker (Casbah, 1/7), Ty Segall (But, 1/13), Christian Death (Soda Bar, 1/17), Devotchka (BUT, 1/17), Josh Ritter (Observatory, 1/18), Ladysmith Black Mambazo (BUT, 1/19), Steel

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Panther (HOB, 1/23), Shigeto (Soda Bar, 1/23), Killing Joke, The Soft Moon (BUT, 1/26), Julia Holter (The Irenic, 1/28), Richard Cheese (HOB, 1/29), G. Love and Special Sauce (BUT, 1/29), Childbirth (Soda Bar, 2/1), The English Beat (BUT, 2/5-6), Aaron Neville (Balboa Theatre, 2/11), Logic (SOMA, 2/14), Cradle of Filth (HOB, 2/18), At the Gates (HOB, 2/19), Dr. Dog (Observatory, 2/20), Anti-Flag (Observatory, 2/25), Ani DiFranco (BUT, 2/25), Rihanna (Viejas Arena, 2/26), Joe Satriani (Balboa Theatre, 3/1), Lewis Black (Balboa Theatre, 3/3), Galactic (BUT, 3/3), Eleanor Friedberger (Hideout, 3/11), Junior Boys (Casbah, 3/18), Wolfmother (HOB, 3/23), High on Fire, Skeletonwitch, Tribulation (Observatory, 3/26), Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place (Casbah, 3/27), Alex G (Che Café, 4/1), Prong (Brick by Brick, 4/22), Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (BUT, 4/28), Modern English (The Hideout, 5/17), Twentyonepilots (Viejas Arena, 7/24), Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/14), Journey, The Doobie Brothers (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/30), 5 Seconds of Summer (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/9).

December Wednesday, Dec. 9 Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox at House of Blues. Nik Turner’s Hawkwind at Til-Two Club.

Thursday, Dec. 10 Zappa Plays Zappa at Belly Up Tavern.

The Dustbowl Revival at Music Box. The White Buffalo at House of Blues.

Friday, Dec. 11 Mike Krol at Soda Bar. The Highwayman at Music Box. Finch at The Irenic.

Sunday, Dec. 20 Littler at Soda Bar. Slow Magic at Observatory North Park.

January Thursday, Jan. 7 Tim Heidecker at The Casbah.

Saturday, Dec. 12 Agnostic Front at Til-Two Club. The Maine at The Irenic. The Dears at The Casbah. Common Sense at Belly Up Tavern.

Sunday, Dec. 13 That 1 Guy at Soda Bar. Reverend Horton Heat at Observatory North Park.

Lights at House of Blues.

Tuesday, Dec. 15 Cheap Trick at Belly Up Tavern. (sold out) The 1975 at Observatory North Park (sold out).

Wednesday, Dec. 16 Poison Idea at Soda Bar.

Thursday, Dec. 17 Ghostface Killah at Observatory North Park. Macy Gray at Belly Up Tavern (sold out). Flotsam and Jetsam at Brick by Brick. Crocodiles at The Hideout.

Friday, Dec. 18 Wayne Hancock at Soda Bar. Rick Springfield at House of Blues. Bone Thugs N Harmony at Observatory North Park. El Vez at The Casbah.

Saturday, Dec. 19 Strung Out at Brick by Brick. Vince Staples at Observatory North Park.

Monday, Dec. 21 Anuhea at Belly Up Tavern. Creepers at Soda Bar.

Wednesday, Dec. 23 ‘Country Christmas’ w/ Nancarrow at Belly Up Tavern. Dave Koz at Balboa Theatre.

Saturday, Dec. 26

Saturday, Jan. 9 Tommy Castro and the Painkillers at Belly Up Tavern. Tool, Primus at Viejas Arena (sold out).

Sunday, Jan. 10 Tool, Primus at Viejas Arena (sold out).

Wednesday, Jan. 13

Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects at Soda Bar. The Blasters at The Casbah.

Sunday, Dec. 27

Ty Segall at Belly Up Tavern. Dave Mason at Music Box.

Thursday, Jan. 14

Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven at Belly Up Tavern.

Paula Cole at Belly Up Tavern.

Friday, Jan. 15

Monday, Dec. 28 Ozomatli at Belly Up Tavern. Duke Dumont at Observatory North Park. OFF! at The Casbah.

Tuesday, Dec. 29 Chet Faker at Observatory North Park.

Donavon Frankenreiter at Belly Up Tavern. Luna at The Casbah. Crazy Town at Soda Bar.

Jerry Seinfeld at Civic Theatre (sold out).

Saturday, Jan. 16 Tower of Power at Belly Up Tavern.

Andy Rourke (DJ set) at The Hideout.

Sunday, Jan. 17 Devotchka at Belly Up Tavern. Christian Death at Soda Bar.

Monday, Jan. 18

Wednesday, Dec. 30 The Academy Is… at Observatory North Park. Donavon Frankenreiter at Belly Up Tavern.

Josh Ritter at Observatory North Park.

Tuesday, Jan. 19 Martin Courtney at The Casbah. Ladysmith Black Mambazo at Belly Up Tavern.

Thursday, Dec. 31 The Sess at Soda Bar. Los Lobos at Belly Up Tavern. Ziggy Shuffledust and the Spiders from Mars at The Casbah.

music CONTINUED ON page 34

December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

Music music CONTINUED from PAGE 33

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: We Are the Stars. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Cold Craft, The Traumatics. Sat: Sunny Rude, The Euphonics, Tape Heads. Sun: Karaoke.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., San Diego. Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Electric Martini’ w/ DJs Jeneration Y, Dirty Honey, Lestat. Thu: ‘My 80s Vice’ w/ DJ Girth.

Sat: ‘JUICY’ w/ DJ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Chvrch’ w/ DJ Karma.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Gabriel Iglesias. Thu: Broken Lizard, Gabriel Iglesias. Fri: Broken Lizard. Sat: Broken Lizard. Sun: Broken Lizard.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Thu: Branchez. Fri: Brazzabelle. Sat: Dr. Fresch.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., San Diego. North Park. Wed: Taurus Authority. Thu: The Husky Boy All Stars. Fri: Jo Livi, DJ Saul Quintero. Sat: The Milkcrates DJs. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: ‘Wreckord Mania’.

Tue: ‘Tiki Twos Day’ w/ Mr. Adrian Demain.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Simeon Flick Duo. Fri: The Jimmy Lewis Band. Sat: Jewel City. Sun: Mike Myrdal.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Solana Beach. Wed: Nick Lowe’s Quality Holiday Revue with Los Straitjackets. Thu: Zappa Plays Zappa.

Sat: Common Sense, Brewfish. Sun: John Browns Body, The Expanders. Tue: Cheap Trick (sold out).

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad. Thu: Monolith, Great Electric Quest, Loom. Fri: ‘Club Musae’.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’. Sat: ‘Sabado en Fuego’ w/ DJs XP, KA. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJs Junior the Disco Punk, XP. Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., San Diego. Bay Park. Wed: 36 Crazyfists, All Hail The Yeti, Aghori, Redmond.

Sat: ‘Shred for Dime’ w/ Unset, Conflict Of Interest, Raise the Guns. Sun: Lord of War, Inanimate Existence, WRVTH, Gravespell.

Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: Aro Di Santi. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Joef & Co. Sat: Malamana.

Sun: Aire. Mon: Bruno. Tue: Gio Trio.

Croce’s Park West, 2760 Fifth Ave., #100, San Diego. Bankers Hill. Wed: Stacy Antonel Duo. Thu: Louis Valenzuela Duo. Fri: Allison Adams Tucker. Sat: Sue Palmer. Sun: Todo Mundo. Mon: Astra Kelly.

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. Lemon Grove. Fri: Santana Soul. Sat: DJ Alex.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. Mission Bay. Thu: Transient.

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

Fri: DJ Rico. Sat: DJ Mark Da Spot.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: Travi$ Scott. Sat: Chachi.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave., San Diego. Ocean Beach. Thu: Ragga Bond.

Fri: Noise Makerz. Sat: DJ Chelu. Mon: ‘Mic Check Monday’.

34 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: AOK Musik. Thu: Johnny Tarr. Fri: ‘Good Times’. Sat: DJs E, Yodah. Mon: DJ Antonio Aguilera. Tue: Big City Dawgs.

zophonics, Low Points. Sat: David Wax Museum, Martin O’Reilly, John Meeks.

Sun: That 1 Guy. Mon: Sea of Bees, Sunmonks, The Gift Machine. Tue: Tesla Boy, Slow Quartz, Dr. Seahorse.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox. Thu: The White Buffalo, Rose’s Pawn Shop. Fri: Eli Young Band. Sun: Lights, The Mowgli’s.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Thu: Dani Bell and the Tarantist, Dillon Casey. Sun: The Big Decisions.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Thu: Cumbia Machin, DJ Viejo Lowbo. Fri: ‘Purps and Turqs’. Sat: ‘Progress’. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’.

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Thu: The Dustbowl Revival, The Dustbowl Revival, The Wild Reeds, The Moves. Fri: The Highwayman Show, The Highwayman Show, The Stephen Rey Sextet. Sun: Rockademy.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Wet’. Fri: ‘Uncut’. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’. Tue: Karaoke Latino.

Onyx Room / Thin, 852 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Fri: ‘Rumba Lounge’.

Sat: ‘Onyx Saturday’. Tue: ‘Neo Soul’.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: The Upshots.

Thu: The Bill Magee Blues Band. Fri: The Counterfeits. Sat: RedWave. Sun: The Counterfeits. Mon: The Groove Squad.

Tue: Paddys Chicken Jam. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Thu: Andy Lund.

Fri: Flophouse Playboys. Sat: Rio Peligroso. Tue: Karaoke.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Bluetech, Lusine, Beat Panther. Thu: Kim and the Created, Kera and the Lesbians, Shady Francos.

Fri: Mike Krol, Rupert Angeleyes, Schit-

The Balboa, 1863 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Bankers Hill. Fri: The Colour Monday, Mormonia. Sat: Subtropics, The Bad Vibes.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd., Spring Valley. Spring Valley. Thu: Bleak. Fri: Bish, Same as Yesterday, No Skill Required. Sun: Abhomine, Ritual Combat.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Papa, The Gloomies.

Thu: Three Mile Pilot, Systems Officer, Pall Jenkins. Fri: Moving Units, Billy Changer, Glass Spells, Bakkuda. Sat: The Dears, Dear Boy. Sun: Trackstar the DJ, DJ Artistic. Mon: Headphone, Los Angelics, Mayfield. Tue: Showcash, Cloudside, The Wind Playing Tricks.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Thu: Melvus, Eddie G and the Impossibles Club, Rever. Sat: Ditches, Color, Kids in Heat.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., San Diego.

North Park. Fri: Finch, Souvenirs, Casey Bolles. Sat: The Maine, The Technicolors.

The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. La Jolla. Fri: The Mark Dresser Septet.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Thu: Amigo, Hot Mustard, Badabing. Fri: The Amalgamated, Manganista, The Lexicons. Sun: Death In June, Joy Of Life, Spiritual Front. Tue:

The Sudden Passion, Jesse LaMonaca, Ben Powell.

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

North Park. Wed: ‘Wild Planet’ w/ DJ Jon Blaj. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King, ‘Tea Party Thursday’. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Adam Salter, Kid Wonder. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

The T Lounge, 1475 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Thu: Stanza The Tin Roof, 401 G Street, San Diego.

Gaslamp. Wed: Carter Winter, Dannie Marie. Thu: Who Is BC?. Fri: Who Is BC?, Chad Lada Duo. Sat: Who Is BC?, Corey Gray, Jake Coco & Tay Watts, Trace Loptien. Sun: The Gringos. Mon: Rosewood & Rye, Lucky Devils. Tue: The Paper Aces.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, Hedersleben, Tar Halos, Die Missbildungen Die Menschen. Sat: Agnostic Front, Fury, Death March, Revolut-chix.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., San Diego.

Bay Park. Wed: Rayford Brothers. Thu: Mercedes Moore. Fri: Clapton Hook. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Wed: Sundrop Electric. Thu: ‘Recommended Dosage’ w/ DJs Mark Garcia, Mike Turi. Fri: The Widows, Barreracudas, Personal and the Pizzas. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’. Sun: Lord Howler, Cochinas Locas.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: Maiz. Thu: Lit-One, Ill Vibe, Kool Beef Prod, Teal. Fri: Psydecar, Rubblish. Sat: Dead Winter Carpenters, The Homesick Hitchers. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Ginger Roots & The Protectors, Charles Fullwood, Jesus Gonazalez, Adder.

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Last Words

Brendan Emmett Quigley

Noel Across 1. Applies sloppily 6. Deep kneading maneuver 10. Prevention workers, for short 13. Pronoun used to emphasize a particular thing 15. 58-Down holder 16. Agcy. that developed the hepatitis vaccine 17. Guinea-___ 18. Fellow 19. Source of anxiety for a coll. senior 20. First part of an ode in a Greek tragedy 22. Coors Field pro 24. Weed purchase 26. ... don’t stop now 28. “Move along, lil’ doggie” 31. Crier’s cry 33. Software for testing 34. Like thousands of emails in my inbox, sadly 36. Flash drive alternative 37. Picked out resources?

38. Facebook co-founder Saverin 40. ... keep it coming 42. Edible fat 43. Throw into the mix 45. Conquistador Hernando 46. Video game raccoon Cooper and rocker Stone 47. ... almost there 49. Fellow rasta 50. ... a little bit more 52. Thermometer liquid: Abbr.

53. The whole works 55. Aladdin’s love Last week’s answers

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61. It looks good on paper 62. Pop singer Perry 64. F1, F2, F3, etc. on a computer keyboard 65. Cy Young candidate, often 66. “Don’t ___ change” 67. “Seinfeld” character with the catchphrase “get out” 68. Maiden name preceder in columns 69. Noblemen 70. Places to get off your high camel

Down 1. “It’s mine!”

2. Currently fighting 3. Its flag had a hammer and sickle 4. Spanish smooch 5. Many a blocked shot in basketball 6. You can usually find one under a couch 7. “No!” 8. TV host who has a YouTube channel dedicated to cars 9. “No!” 10. Shipping center?

11. Pointed in the direction of 12. Any aunt 14. “No!” 21. It’s full of periods 23. Meals on sticks 25. Lobbed throw’s path 27. Lenient with 28. “No!” 29. Dark chocolate, to some 30. Mariano Rivera or Derek Jeter, colloquially, in the eyes of fans 31. Sarcastic laugh 32. Wipe out 35. Gets humiliated big time 39. Dash component 41. Small dick?

44. Deserving recognition 48. Dunking legend 51. Sneaks on a track 54. Shankar who is Norah Jones’ father 56. Time to show of your chops 57. Ratings issuer 58. Colorful part of the eye 59. Zippo 60. Shorn females 61. TV actor McShane 63. Soph. and jr., e.g.

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36 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

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December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 37

38 · San Diego CityBeat · December 9, 2015

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December 9, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 39