San Diego CityBeat • Dec 10, 2014

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2 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Dumanis, Gloria and bad behavior Let’s start this week with a pat on the back for U-T San Diego’s Greg Moran, who didn’t stop reporting on the reelection of San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis after the reelection of Bonnie Dumanis. In two stories, Moran reported that Dumanis has promoted several underlings who supported her campaign and demoted some who opposed her.

The first story revealed that three managementlevel attorneys—Robert Hickey, Teresa Santana and Andrea Freshwater—who either actively supported Dumanis’ opponent, Bob Brewer, or were perceived to have been opposed to Dumanis were transferred out of management positions. The second story shed additional light on those demotions and revealed that Dumanis had promoted three prosecutors— Victor Nuñez, Brian Erickson and Carlos Varela— who, as members of the board of a political action committee (PAC) operated by the Deputy District Attorneys Association, voted to increase the amount of money the PAC would spend on Dumanis’ behalf. Hickey and Freshwater were board members who opposed the expenditure.

Dumanis’ spokesperson said all of these decisions were based on merit. Sure.

Were we surprised by this news? No. Does this kind of thing happen all the time? Yeah. It was just a good reminder from Moran that the folks running the various units in the DA’s office might not always be the best people for the jobs. It was also a reminder of what a political animal Dumanis is, though we hardly needed to be reminded of that.

which passed a transportation plan for the county that environmentalists opposed because it fails to comply with carbon-reduction standards set forth in an executive order signed by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. So far, two courts have agreed with the environmentalists. SANDAG, which is largely run by people who still favor freeway expansion over mass transit, is desperately hoping to find a judge who’ll say that the agency doesn’t have to comply with Schwarzenegger’s order because it was never codified by legislation. Gloria voted with the overwhelming majority of board members last Friday to appeal the latest ruling, which came on a 2-1 vote from the 4th District Court of Appeal, upholding an earlier ruling at the Superior Court.

In a statement provided to CityBeat on Tuesday, a spokesperson said that Gloria “supported the appeal as a means of obtaining clarification of state law regarding greenhouse gas reduction requirements….

This clarification will ensure regional plans here and elsewhere in the state meet or exceed the state’s requirements.”

Folks who demand a more environmentally sustainable future for San Diego County are right to question Gloria’s commitment to reducing the region’s carbon footprint. Two courts now have Bonnie Dumanis ruled that SANDAG’s plan is inadequate. That should be enough clarification. But at least Gloria voted. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer handed off his vote to his alternate, City Councilmember Myrtle Cole, who voted to appeal.

Shame the frat boys

What the hell, Todd?

We’ve been really high on San Diego City Council President Todd Gloria all year. One of the reasons for that was his hiring of environmentalist Nicole Capretz to ressurect and shepherd the city of San Diego’s Climate Action Plan while he was interim mayor.

Well, the same folks who were so happy with Gloria for his commitment to a genuine plan to reduce carbon emissions within the city limits are super-disappointed with him now, thanks to his vote to appeal (again) a court ruling that struck down a regional transportation plan.

Gloria is a member of the board of directors for SANDAG (San Diego Association of Governments),

We stand with the San Diego State University students who were set on Tuesday to protest the abominable behavior of certain fraternity members who, late last month, taunted marchers during Take Back the Night, an event aimed at drawing attention to the problem of rape on campus.

An SDSU spokesperson tells us that the school is still investigating and that the outcome could be discipline for any individuals and/or fraternities found to have violated the university’s code of conduct.

Meaningful consequences and a public shaming would be the only acceptable result.

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

In light of recent news, this issue of CityBeat will tell the CIA whatever it wants to know, even if it’s a lie.

Our cover art is by Virginie Mazureau.

Read about her on Page 20.

Volume 13 • Issue 18

Arts Editor Kinsee Morlan

Contributors Ian Cheesman, David L. Coddon, Seth Combs, Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Peter Holslin, Dave Maass, Scott McDonald, Jenny Montgomery, Susan Myrland, Mina Riazi, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Jen Van Tieghem

Staff Writer Joshua Emerson Smith

Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse

Web Editor Ryan Bradford

Production artist Rees Withrow

Art director Lindsey Voltoline

Intern Narine Petrosyan

Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

Vice President of Operations David Comden

MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia

Publisher Kevin Hellman

Editor David Rolland Associate Editor Kelly Davis Music Editor Jeff Terich

Senior account executive Jason Noble Account Executives Beau Odom, Kimberly Wallace Circulation manager Beau Odom Accounting Alysia Chavez, Linda Lam, Monica MacCree Human Resources Andrea Baker

Advertising inquiries Interested in advertising?

Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail advertising@sdcitybeat.com. The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue.

Editorial and Advertising Office 3047 University Ave., Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92104 Phone: 619-281-7526 Fax: 619-281-5273 www.sdcitybeat.com

Vice President of Finance Michael Nagami

San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2014.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Peters won—let’s move on Regarding your Nov. 12 editorial: I think we’re done with Carl DeMaio and should move on. The people have spoken and re-elected Congressman Scott Peters.

In fairness, I doubt that you know for a fact that Scott Peters was happy to have his opponent dragged through the mud. Since we’re speculating here, I would guess that Peters was not happy to have to deal with allegations of the sort that have dogged DeMaio, nor did Peters enjoy in any way having such a freaky extreme opponent. No need to beat a dead horse.

Peters knows how to run a tough campaign, and he knows how to raise money to support his candidacy. He stakes out a moderate place on the Congressional spectrum, and he provides good constituent service to his politically moderate district.

Peters maintains what U-T San Diego columnist Logan Jenkins accurately called his “wintry charm” and applies his intelligence to resolving problems of the day. We’re all better for it.

Frances O’Neill Zimmerman, La Jolla

The Parties must vet better In regard to your Nov 19 editorial, “The deal with Todd Bosnich”: It would be nice to know if Carl DeMaio really did harass Bosnich, as the Bosnich allegations must have impacted the election results.

In the case of Bob Filner, I was most disappointed with the local Democratic Party, as they must have known about Filner’s behavior prior to the

6 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

election. In the same vein, it would be nice to know if the local Republican Party was aware of any behaviorial problems that DeMaio demonstrated.

In any case, San Diego politics has been atracting some strange people. Could it be that these people are spending too much time in the sun? Could it be that powerful people in San Diego have no scruples?

In other words, they are willing to back anyone who will advance their goals.

I urge both parties to vet their candidates in the future and to promote candidates with meaningful backgrounds and with good intentions.

Ronald I. Harris Scripps Ranch.

Get with the plan I hadn’t heard of the California Master Plan for Higher Education until I read your Nov. 26 editorial. It’s always depressing to hear about people getting screwed over because of their socioeconomic class.

I think you’re absolutely right that California must make all of its schools “accessible to anyone with a desire to work hard and dream big.” I also like how you mentioned that state Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins and Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon have suggestions on how to solve this funding crisis. I will be sure to read more into that!

Thanks for the article.

Jaleesa Johnson, Los Angeles

Lindsey Voltoline

Clean slate, clean streets New program eases pressure on the court and the offenders

by Kelly Davis Things move fast at misdemeanor arraignment, held in Dept. 1 on the first floor of the downtown San Diego courthouse, where it’s not unusual for the judge to hear 100 cases in one day. Case files move through an assembly-line process from prosecutor to defense attorney to clerk to judge and, amid the organized chaos, sometimes back again. With recent court budget cuts, this was a system already in need of a release valve; then came last month’s passage of Prop. 47, the sentencing-reform bill that reduced certain drug and theft crimes from felonies to misdemeanors.

In early November, the San Diego City Attorney’s office launched a new program called Community Court. A pilot project for now, it offers certain misdemeanor offenders the chance to have their cases dismissed if they complete 16 hours of community service within 60 days and pay an administrative fee of $120. Folks who can’t pay can have the fee waived in exchange for additional service hours.

While it’s not unusual to require a misdemeanant to perform community service, it’s the case dismissal that’s key. And, what normally would have required at least two court

appearances—more if someone’s sentenced to probation—now requires only one.

“If you complete everything,” Chief Deputy City Attorney Jamie Ledezma says, “we’ll take it off calendar for you. So, it’s adding some certainty to the process where now it’s a lot of court appearances.”

Since the program started, 52 people have been offered the chance to participate in Community Court; 31 have accepted.

Only low-level offenders—those who commit crimes like petty theft, illegal lodging and vandalism—are eligible. Ineligible offenses include DUI, domestic violence, sexual offenses, child and elder abuse and cases eligible for other diversion programs.

Ledezma says the program has started slowly to avoid overwhelming the two services providers: Alpha Project, which runs the city’s winter homeless shelter and day center, and Urban Corps. Offenders between 18 and 25 will be assigned to the latter while everyone else will work with Alpha Project. As the program grows, the goal is to add additional organizations. But, City Attorney Jan Goldsmith says, the first two providers were selected with a bigpicture goal of intervention in mind.

“The court system isn’t geared towards helping people,” says Goldsmith, who was a judge before being elected City Attorney in 2008. He recalls looking at case files and pinpointing where a defendant’s life had taken a wrong turn.

“We have these great figures, you know—90-percent conviction rate,” he

says. “What happens after the conviction?

And why is it I’ve seen thousands of probation reports before I’m sentencing someone who’s a felon? Why do I always see a misdemeanor stage where nothing happened? And that was 10 years ago. Today it must be a lot worse.”

He envisions Urban Corps providing early intervention for troubled young adults and Alpha Project hooking up homeless offenders with services.

But for Community Court offenders who don’t follow through, consequences are steep. Agree to the program and you have to plead guilty at your first court appearance—meaning you’ve got a conviction on your record until you pays the $120 and complete the service. If you fail to do so within 60 days, the provider can allow for a 30-day extension. If you still fail to complete the 16 hours, you’ll be sentenced to either two days in jail and three years probation or five days with no probation.

“Misdemeanors don’t [usually] go to jail,” Goldsmith says, “but this is an exception. We’re offering you the carrot, but if you don’t do it, you are going to be put in custody…. There are consequences if you do not do what you say you’re going to do.”

At misdemeanor arraignment last Wednesday, nine cases of the more than five-dozen on the calendar were eligible for community court. Of the nine, five defendants accepted the offer. Of the other four, two defendants failed to appear, one pleaded not guilty and one case was con-

tinued to a later date. None of the defendants knew ahead of time that they’d be offered Community Court.

Four of the five who accepted were college freshmen who’d been caught stealing a street sign. For them, getting their records expunged was a pretty big deal. As one put it: “To have a petty theft on your record, it’s a truth issue with employers.”

Mel Epley, who supervises misdemeanor arraignment for the Public Defender’s office, says it’s unlikely the boys would have ended up with a petty theft charge— they’d likely have been fined, assigned to community service and had the charge reduced to disturbing the peace.

“The standard would have still gotten them a misdemeanor conviction,” Epley says. “It wouldn’t have been a theft offense, but it’s still a misdemeanor conviction.

Even though most people don’t get denied work or things like that because of a disturbing-the-peace charge, to have a clean record is something that’s very beneficial.”

Community Court offenders are required to register with their assigned service provider within five days. Sam Lopez, director of operations at Urban Corps, says all four students registered immediately, bringing Urban Corps’ total number of Community Court enrollees up to eight as of Dec. 8. That same day, one of the students had been assigned to sort recyclables from Sunday’s Chargers game. Other assignments might include graffiti removal, Qualcomm Stadium cleanup, brush management or administrative work, Lopez says.

The information Lopez gets from the court is limited. It includes the penal-code violation, but he doesn’t look it up. He leaves it up to the person to decide whether to share that information. He asks Community Court participants to show up at 7 a.m.—half an hour before they receive their assignment—for two reasons: He wants to make sure that the person he registered is the same person who shows up for work, and it gives him some time to see if he’s dealing with someone who might need additional help.

Lopez was once one of those kids. At 18, he moved to San Diego from Imperial Valley and took a job with the California Conservation Corps to keep himself out of trouble.

“If we get those young adults who don’t have a high-school diploma and they’re not a college grad, we’re using this as a recruitment pool so we can say, ‘Hey, look, you’ve done your community service. You can get your high-school diploma here with us.

You can learn a few skills that will help you find better employment.’”

Over at Alpha Project, as of Dec. 8, six people who’d been referred from Community Court have registered, says Chief Operating Officer Amy Gonyeau. None of them has been homeless, she says, “but it just started; we’re just getting our referrals now.”

Gonyeau says enrollees are assigned to the city’s winter shelter, the Neil Good Day Center or to do community cleanup. She says they’ve opted to make the program

Court CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

spin cycle

john r.

lamb Merry monkey business!

“I feel sure that coups d’état would go much better if there were seats, boxes, and stalls so that one could see what was happening and not miss anything.”

—Edmond and Jules De Goncourt It’s a cool Friday night among throngs of meandering strangers in Balboa Park, its iconic buildings awash in a rotating palette of vibrant colors.

Past the You’re-Going-To-Hell sign holders (with their prerecorded exhortations) and the angelic carolers—the latter on a stage wedged between a holiday knick-knack market and a fencedin Nordic hot-spiced-wine dispensary—a first-time visitor to December Nights might confuse it with a hokey county fair after dark. Commercial vendors dominate the landscape.

The business angle also domi-

nated Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s brief remarks prior to the ceremonial lighting of the 40-foot Christmas tree at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion, naming so many sponsors that Spin fell into a deep trance.

Spin found himself floating above the festivities, gazing at a sea of whitened smiles. On stage, more smiles. Even the Three Wise Men—Faulconer, his henchman City Councilmember Scott Sherman and City Council President Todd Gloria—were beaming.

Spin rubbed sleepy eye sockets: Hasn’t this trio for weeks been in a behind-the-scenes battle to determine who gets to be the Rudolph of the City Council reindeers? Gloria, who’d like to keep the gig, was quickest to the faux candy-cane light switch and put the most oomph in flipping it.

What’s been fascinating about the sketchy tales of internal partisan horse-trading to elevate Council President Pro Tem Sher-

8 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

ri Lightner, a Democrat, to the pilot’s chair on Republican shoulders is how silent the key players have remained.

U-T San Diego reported that it had been trying to coax a comment from Lightner for a month (later edited to a less-definitive “several weeks”) on her interest in replacing Gloria, to no avail. A U-T editorial even bemoaned what it typically preaches: the unsightly “partisan gamesmanship” of it all.

Sherman, said to be Faulconer’s point man to drum up the needed votes, was issuing no statements.

Lightner went into deep-bunker radio silence on the matter. Faulconer & Co., the mayoral contingent that still seems in campaign mode, uttered not a peep.

All this tight-lipped tension, coupled with the overwhelming funk of burnt kettle-corn oil, had Spin spinning. As he stumbled into the midway area, the noise rose to deafening—machinegun BBs tearing into paper stars, screams from the gravity-defying-amusement-ride crowd, carnies hawking the chance to win an 8-foot stuffed flamingo.

Just as Spin neared sensory overload, a tap on the shoulder startled him back to earth.

“Been a long time,” a familiar voice accompanied by harp overtones cut through the not-so-fes-

John R. Lamb

“These things must be done delicately, or you hurt the spell!” tive din. “You look like hell.”

“Magic Budget Fairy? I thought you wintered in the Bahamas!” Spin sputtered as the brain cells began to clear. Rumors of Magic B’s tropical retirement after the Bob Filner Debacle instantly became pixie dust.

“Nope. Took a gig with Faulconer,” Fairy said. “He said, ‘I’m gonna open up the checkbook, and I want you there by my side.’

Plus, the pay was good. How could I say no in this economy?”

Just then, Spin caught a whiff of spiced wine emanating from Magic Budget Fairy. “You been drinking?” Spin asked, recalling that the last time Fairy hit the sauce, the pension scandal smacked former Mayor Dick Murphy square in the chestnuts.

“Yeah, I fell off the wagon when Frozen came out,” Magic growled. “Fuckin’ Disney copped my story. Except for the cold part.

I hate ice. Sticks to my wings. I’m more the Wizard of Oz type.”

Spin deflected back to the council-presidency battle. “Oh that shit,” Magic sighed. “Well, you know, follow the yellow brick road to 2016 and all.”

“Wait, this isn’t about sharing the leadership reins as the political wizards intended?” Spin asked, bewildered.

Fairy laughed until a harp string broke. “What the hell have you been smokin’, pal?” Magic B snapped. “This is about ripping the soapbox out from under the feet of that ambitious SOB Gloria.”

“What’s your beef with Todd?”

“Are you kidding?! Mr. RaiseUpSanDiego? Do you know how many businesses have called me, panicked that they won’t find the money to pay higher wages? Like I can pull dough out of my—.”

“But I thought that’s what you’re good at.”

“Yeah, sure, Faulconer’s got me sparking on all cylinders, scraping up every penny under the seat cushions,” Fairy said. “But it’s tiring

work. Plus, his whole team wears rosy glasses when it comes to this economy. Like I said, he’s suddenly a spending machine. Go figure!”

When Spin mentioned he’d noticed an uptick lately in smiling photo-op joint appearances

by Faulconer and Gloria, Fairy snorted out glitter.

“Ha, yeah. The mayor wants no fingerprints on this coup, so he’s acting all chummy,” Fairy said. “He’s got Sherman on the case to deliver that big lump of coal to Gloria’s ambitions. The pressure’s on.”

But why Lightner? Spin asked.

“Come on, think,” Fairy implored. “Two years left in a colorless council career. She was hooked when she subbed for Gloria while he played iMayor. And she’s a sucker for managed competition. Oh, and she’s no threat to Faulconer’s lofty ambitions.

How does Governor / Senator Faulconer in 2018 sound to you?”

Spin felt a dizziness return but managed to maintain composure.

“You think this will shut down TGlo? Methinks you underestimate his ambition, oh winged one.”

“Well, he better hope Susan Davis finally follows through on retirement plans, so he can jump on the Congress gravy train, ’cause here comes Toni the Tiger!” Fairy shouted, the hot wine taking hold.

“Shhhhhh!” Spin whispered.

“You talking about termed-out state Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins? She wants to be mayor?”

“Hello! She was very good to the Democratic Party this last election cycle. You don’t think that came without strings, do you?”

“The whole subterfuge reeks like burnt kettle-corn oil.”

Magic Budget Fairy waved a wand commanding silence. “Just repeat to yourself: There’s no place like 2016. There’s no place like 2016.”

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

Court CONTINUED from PAGE 7 flexible: a couple of hours here, a couple of hours there.

Should someone in need of homelessness services show up, “of course we’d engage with them,” she says.

While Epley says there’s a lot to like about Community Court, he’s not sure it’s going to be the safety net that Goldsmith envisions.

“The ones who aren’t going to succeed are the ones who don’t succeed in our system already,” he says. “They don’t have the capacity to. Either they don’t care enough to get the volunteer work done or they just can’t do it because they have no stability.”

With the consequence of jail time, it could be setting some folks up for failure.

For that reason, Epley has told his attorneys to do a quick assessment, and if they feel the person’s not going to follow through with the program requirements, at least use the Community Court offer to secure a sentence that’s aligned with the program’s philosophy. The same could apply to someone who’s not offered Community Court but who would benefit from a similar deal.

“The whole premise that we’re trying to give back to the community and help people get on with their lives instead of setting them up for being perpetual repeat offenders in our court system,” he says.

Lopez says that of the eight people he’s registered, he’s concerned that two might

not complete their 16 hours. One, who was arrested for stealing cheese from Vons and trying to resell it at the border, registered but hasn’t shown up to work. Another showed up, gave the supervisor a hard time and hasn’t been back.

“But I’m willing to work with him,” Lopez says. “We’re not going to boot him out just yet.”

The guy’s mom called Lopez to say the young man was going to come in this week.

“When he comes in, he’s going to work with me. I’m going to have him close by….

He’s got some issues.”

And what’s Lopez going to do if the cheese thief doesn’t show up? The young man was remorseful but concerned about being able to pay the $120 fee. Lopez told him not to worry—they’d work it out.

“I’ve tracked every note, every call I’ve made to his house, the times I’ve spoken to him, the times I’ve left him messages.

“I’m not going to drive down there and pick him up,” he says. It’s ultimately about accepting responsibility.

“We want them to have a good experience while they’re here, as well, not just, Oh man, I’m being punished. I don’t want them to feel that way when they come in and register. I try to let them know, ‘Hey, it’s not OK what you did, but what you’re going to do is going to be OK. You’re going to learn from your mistakes.”

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

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

aaryn

backwards & in high heels

belfer Ebony and ivory and harmony, oh my!

“America is a serial brutalizer of black and brown people. Brutalizing them is what it does. It does other things, too, yes, but brutalizing black and brown people is what it has done the most, and with the most zeal, and for the longest.”

—Albert Burneko, “The Concourse”

COMPLETE ABSOLUTE fuck up” when it comes to sharing our children’s stories. Their stories are theirs to tell, if and when they choose to tell them.

It is nobody’s business if your child was born addicted to drugs. It’s nobody’s business if your child was left at a “baby hatch” in China. It is nobody’s business if your child was sexually abused in an orIn the days between two grotesque and revealing phanage in Ethiopia. It is nobody’s business if your grand-jury decisions not to indict the killers of two child was born addicted to crack or was taken from unarmed black men, a photo of a white policeman his mother by the state or was the product of rape. embracing a weeping black boy kept popping up in Adopted kids of color are not mascots; they are my Facebook feed. Posted and reposted and liked human beings who had no choice in their circumand re-liked by not a small number of my friends, stances. And while I have little doubt that Jennifer the image was like an oxygen mask for certain sufand Sarah Hart love all their children like I love focating masses. And I get it: I can’t breathe, either. mine, they over-shared about Devonte to a breathAs legend goes, a black boy the same age as Tamir taking degree and propagandized their son.

Rice—shot dead by a policeman in Cleveland three Not only have they betrayed his privacy; they’ve days earlier because he was holding a toy gun— also implied—whether they intended to or not—that stood at a rally holding a sign. “Free hugs,” it read. they saved this child from his first mother specificalAs legend goes, a white cop asked if he could have ly (perfectly feeding into white America’s stereotype one of Devonte Hart’s free hugs. As legend goes, beof black women) and from the perceived ills of being fore they embraced, the white cop offered an apolraised in a black family and community in general. ogy. And doves flew down from the sky and peace The image and story combine to reinforce the Amerruled the land and we all lived happily ever after. ican white-savior complex and our white-supremSome people who witnessed acist social structure. In a society the hug event believe the photo that routinely goes out of its way to The image and story was staged. Despite this possibilassassinate the characters of black ity, people need a salve even if it’s people dead or alive (he had pot in combine to reinforce a lie, because reality, as we’ve been his system, she was drunk, his test the American whiteexperiencing, is too painful. Withscores were low), Devonte’s parout the fairytale white people savior complex and ents have ensured that even a prochoose to live, how can we get out spective employer can do this. our white-supremacist of bed each day?

Moreover, they forget—and, social structure.

According to a gushing article widely, audiences fail to underaccompanying the photo on instand—that, very soon, this lovequisitr.com, the image became able kid in a jaunty hat will be per“something of a symbol of hope in the midst of ceived as a grown man, likely well before he is one, the anger surrounding the Mike Brown shooting.” as often happens to black male youth. And when The Oregonian (and, later, CNN) called it “the hug Devonte goes into the world looking like an adult, shared around the world.” Bustle.com said the imneither his adorableness nor his mothers’ white age was “crushing and heartwarming and hopeful, privilege will go with him there. Cops won’t hug all at the same time. And it really says it all.” him; Internet viewers won’t fawn.

I’m confident that Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Except it really doesn’t say it all. Devonte’s story John Crawford III, Jordan Davis, Renisha McBride, does that.

Trayvon Martin, Rekia Boyd and Amadou Diallou People the globe over now know details they were all huggable black children once. But then shouldn’t about their new favorite black person they grew and their humanity was stripped from (move over, Lupita). For millions, Devonte’s a safe them, like it will be with Devonte. black person because he’s being raised by white The future is coming for Devonte and black people—who generously let us all know that he kids like him—like my daughter—and the straightwas born drug-addicted in the projects. His moms up depressing fucking fact is that it won’t matter if shared with the world that by the age of 4, he had they’re star students or college professors, if their experienced a whole list of traumas that I simply parents are black or white, if they stroll in the street don’t feel comfortable repeating here. or run in the rain, if they remain silent or talk back, Who needs a black Annie when we have Devonte? if they wear hipster hats or hoodies.

I know this Lifetime television backstory makes a The terrifying future will look a lot like right great many people feel somehow better about the vile now. And right now is solar systems away from a racist society we cultivate, perpetuate and continue simplistic, viral, fairytale image of a white cop and a to tolerate. So, forgive me when I ruin the moment: black kid embracing.

To quote activist and writer Awesomely Luvvie from her must-read piece “The Stages of What Happens Write to aaryn@sdcitybeat.com When There’s Injustice Against Black People,” adopand editor@sdcitybeat.com. tive parents everywhere need to “shut the ENTIRE

10 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

by michael a. gardiner Michael A. Gardiner

sion was not only the best potstickers I’ve had in San Diego, on three separate trips they were the best potstickers I’ve had anywhere. The caramelization on the bottom was perfect, and the meat profoundly juicy.

While Dumpling Inn’s xio long bao might not quite reach the heights of the potstickers, they are easily the best soup dumplings I’ve tried in San Diego. Where xio long bao wrappers are so often hard, these were supple with a hint Potstickers don’t get any better than these. of elasticity. Where they are so often cracked, allowing the precious “soup” resulting from the melted gelatin in the filling to be lost, these dumplings were gloriously whole. The filling was meaty and moist, with the moisture coming largely from gelatin rather than fat.

There are a number of other dumplings on ofDumpling Inn excels again fer: boiled, steamed and deep fried. The pork / chive and shrimp / chive boiled dumplings were There are only so many ways a review can go. particularly good. These are not the elegant, There’s the long, slow, sloppy, wet kiss; the brutal pleated affairs of the dim sum parlors of China’s takedown piece; the analytical, death-by-manysouth; rather, they’re hearty fare from the colder cuts; and the ever-popular “I’m an amazing writnorth. They’re Asian cousins to Eastern Europeer, aren’t I?” There are more, but not many—this an pierogis or piroshkies. review is one of those others: the reconsideration Dumpling Inn offers more than just dumpafter they let the air out of the balloon. lings, though the cold sides are unremarkable.

Once upon a time, Dumpling Inn was a cult Pickled cucumbers were barely pickled, and the Chinese spot hiding in a troubled strip mall (4619 sliced, stewed pork tongue was dry and nearly flaConvoy St.) around the corner from Jasmine Resvorless. The cold-appetizer bar at any of the local taurant, one of San Diego’s great dim sum palSichuan restaurants offers better. The kung pao aces. Its hip hole-in-the-wall cachet, Northern chicken was better, with a vibrant hint of plum Chinese menu and perfect execution made it a in the sauce. The sea bass with black-bean sauce hot Convoy favorite about a decade ago. By 2011, was perfect; the sauce complemented, rather though, the chef / owner had opened a new East than dominated, the dish, just clinging to the pilVillage spot, and it seemed that much of his atlowy fish and little wedges of stir-fried onion and tention was lavished on this new baby. Dumpling green pepper.

Inn suffered.

But it’s the dumplings that call my name. The With the East Village place gone and the folong lines that used to be Dumpling Inn’s greetcus back on Dumpling Inn, I returned. First to ing—a consequence of the restaurant’s pillbox arrive at my table were the potstickers, the gatedimensions (though a move into larger quarters way drug to Chinese dumplings. Potstickers ofnext door is in the works)—are back. Thankfully, so, too, are the perfect dumplings. ten disappoint, with dried morsels of pork inside a too-thick, desperately dry wrapper. The hard Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com sear that gives the dish its name has more ways and editor@sdcitybeat.com. to go wrong than right. But Dumpling Inn’s ver-

the world

fare

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

By Jen Van Tieghem

bottle

Rocket A wine bar after my own heart

I don’t find myself in Point Loma often, but I’ve found a reason to change that. The Wine Pub is a welcoming place for a drink—and a nibble— tucked between a bank and a Thai restaurant in a busy corner of the neighborhood (2907 Shelter Island Drive, thewinepubsd.com). After missing a wine pairing dinner there, I was invited to eat, drink and visit with owner Sandy Hanshaw.

Hanshaw and I talked personal tastes in wine and bonded over a shared love of cheese, and I got to see—and taste—what I’d been missing at her wine bar for five years.

The pub features indoor and outdoor (dog-friendly) seating, specializes in domestic and new-world wines and emphasizes artisan dishes.

With Hanshaw’s guidance, I got to tasting.

The Bele Casel Prosecco was a tantalizing start.

The crisp, sparkling wine was drinkable on its own, but a subtle nuttiness matched well with walnuts from the cheese-and-charcuterie board.

12 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

Next I experimented with two dry reds and other items on the board. The spicy Niner Cabernet Franc blend stood up to hearty prosciutto and salami. Hanshaw noted that this one is a favorite among both patrons and staff. I found my favorite cheese (Sage Derby) paired with my preferred wine (Aviary Cab Sauv), each with herbal notes that enhanced the other.

Another tasty yet simple standout was a cup of butternut squash soup. Though it’s a lessobvious choice among shrimp cakes, seared ahi and Angus sliders, I indulged my Jen Van Tieghem craving and was heartily satisfied.

The Wine Pub’s atmosphere is just as important as the good food and drink. The patio, currently decorated for the holidays, is an ideal spot for a date or a small group.

Twinkly lights and a cozy fire pit set a romantic mood, especially when accompanied by live music.

In short, The Wine Pub seems like the type of bar that I’d open—a relaxed environment with a menu that’s familiar yet carefully crafted, accessible wines that pair well with food and, I’d be remiss not to mention, a retail section so you can take something tasty with you.

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

by jenny montgomery Jenny montgomery

your hungry, gaping maw?

The focus should be on the quality of the product that’s reaching one’s mouth. And that quality is front and center when you visit Yoshino, an easily missed little storefront in the heart of Carlsbad Village (2913 State St.).

Normally I grumble and grouse at businesses that remain steadfastly cash-only, but, somehow, Yoshino’s has turned this bit of inconvenience into an element of its quirky charm. There isn’t much to this tiny joint: A small fridge is packed with freshly made rolls, bowls and salads, and another holds bottled drinks. Grab what This place is itty-bitty. you want, pay at the counter and don’t show up too late, because once they run out, the crew closes up shop and you’re out of luck for the day.

Do yourself a favor: Grab a poke bowl, head down to the beach and give thanks to the ocean for providing the buttery chunks of ahi tuna in your bowl. If there’s anything to complain about, Tiny and mighty it’s that there aren’t more quivering, magenta gems to scoop up. Every bite is fresh and bright I have a shameful confession. For too long, I’ve and wonderful alone or with salty bits of seaacted like I know what I’m doing when it comes weed salad or sticky rice. Cold, creamy cubes of to one particular food norm, but I can’t hide any avocado match the smoothness of the fish while a longer. How do I handle chopsticks? I just—I just scoop of spicy crab adds texture. For around sevcan’t do it. Perhaps I never developed the fine moen bucks, this modest-looking bowl of food was a tor skills as a child (thanks a lot, Mom and Dad), satisfying and healthy belly filler and a pleasant but I’ve never figured out how to wield a delicate balance to the previous week’s menu of gravypair of sticks in between my fingers, gently pickcoated offerings. ing up an elegant bite of clean, Japanese flavors.

Familiar rolls (as well as variations on the poke Give me a fork to clutch in my meaty paws so I bowl) round out the refrigerator, from spicy tuna can stab at my food with the blind gusto that I’m and salmon to eel and veggie. Because the deli is pretty sure I’m entitled to in the Constitution. tiny, it’s easy to watch the staff crank out their I’m finally coming clean with my ineptitude aftasty wares, but the advantage of this intimacy is ter a visit to Yoshino Japanese Deli in Carlsbad, that you can often request a bit of customization where the fishy delights are so good, I can’t be to your food. Just remember to get there early expected to eat as slowly as I’d have to with chopwhile the selection is plentiful. sticks in hand. Plus, the kind man at the counter And, please, try not to mock those of us who gave me a fork “for the little one,” pointing at my are using forks.

3-year-old, not knowing that she’d use her fingers Write to jennym@sdcitybeat.com once I bogarted the utensil for myself. and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Does it really matter how the sushi gets into

north

fork

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

the floating

library

by jim ruland

Eye of the beholder With her short-story collections, Daddy’s and Don’t Kiss Me, Lindsay Hunter established a reputation as a master of short, sharp portraits of the American underclass.

While it’s tempting to cast her stories as examinations of modern-day misfits and outcasts— think Flannery O’Conner meets The People of Walmart—Hunter’s creations would bristle at this characterization. Either way, you’re not likely to stumble across scenes like this one in the pages of The New Yorker: “They drove over to the Walmart to do donuts in the employee parking lot. Baby Girl had once filled out an application to work there. They’d gone in to check on the status later that week and Baby Girl told the greeter to suck her dick.”

In Hunter’s sensational debut novel, Ugly Girls, Baby Girl and Perry are high schoolers from Hell. Perry is the pretty one. Baby Girl seeks a different kind of attention. She shaves her head and wears her brother’s clothes “just to show the world how little she gave a fuck.” They spend their days conspiring to cut class and their nights “thugging”—Baby Girl’s euphemism for sneaking out, stealing cars and causing what passes for mayhem in their small, shit-kicked town.

“They ditched the Mazda on the side of the highway, near the exit headed back to where they’d left Baby Girl’s car on a quiet street. Cars rushed by them as they walked along the shoulder, some honked, people on their way to work or home from work, probably none of them on the way back from an all-night bender like they had been on.”

They’re no Thelma and Louise, that’s for sure.

What makes the theft astonishing is the sheer purposelessness of the crime. They have no place to go and nowhere to be, so they drive to Denny’s—a place they could get to a whole lot faster and easier in Baby Girl’s car—to eat french fries and harass the wait staff. It might the most joyless joyride ever, but for Perry and Baby Girl, it’s better than being at home.

“The trailer was quiet and still; it felt to Perry like the preserved remains of a family long gone.”

Perry’s mother is a relapsing alcoholic who can’t stay sober; Baby Girl’s brother is recovering from a car accident that’s left him a shadow of his former self. They require more care than the girls are equipped to give.

Perry’s stepfather, Jim, works at a correctional facility. He tries not to bring his work home with him, so to speak, but isn’t always successful. The prisoners “loved to find ways to fuck with a person. It’s about control, triumph. This was something Jim understood. A man wearing a jumpsuit and shuffling around in plastic shoes and getting bent over if he ain’t watching close needs to find a way to stay a man. It was a truth that rang clear as a bell across the countryside.”

In the novel’s opening pages, Jim strikes an in-

14 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

mate who asks him if he has a daughter, because “from time to time that bell rung true for him, too.” Although his authority inside the prison is absolute, at home he’s just another member of the working poor trying to support an alcoholic wife and a stepdaughter who can’t stay out of trouble.

At the heart of Ugly Girls is a strange love triangle initiated by an online admirer who reaches out to Perry and Baby Girl. Driven by boredom, desperation and loneliness, the girls engage with the mysterious stranger, who calls himself “Jamey.” When Perry and Baby Girl find out that Jamey has been flirting with them both, they compete for his attention, and it drives a wedge between the two girls. As Jamey’s true identity is revealed, the story takes a darker turn.

Written with electric prose that practically pulses on the page, Hunter never stops raising the stakes, propelling the story to its riveting conclusion. Ultimately, Ugly Girls is about class.

While rich girls get into the same kind of trouble as poor girls, there isn’t a safety net for Perry and Baby Girl. There isn’t even a bottom to hit. Once they start falling, they’re lost.

Hunter’s subject is nothing less than the control of bodies: girl bodies, boy bodies, bodies stuck somewhere in between. There are bodies locked up in prisons and bodies that are prisons. Bodies spilling over with desire. Bodies that don’t know what’s good for them. Bodies that betray their owners again and again and again.

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

the

SHORTlist

1

COORDINATED BY KINSEE MORLAN

TINSEL AND TERROR

“Instead of warming your heart, we just want to tear it out.” So say the folks behind Old Main, A Holiday Horror, a livestaged radio play about a man in a red suit who doesn’t sound terribly jolly and probably isn’t interested in your milk and cookies. The play, about four college girls, their dorm leader and a yuletide ax murderer, and featuring veteran San Diego actors such as Carla Nell, Katherine Harroff and Patrick Mayuyu, promises to be frightfully campy and fun. Performances will start at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12 and 13, at Finest City Improv (4250 Louisiana St. in University Heights). Food and a full bar will be available. You have to be at least 18 to get in. finestcityimprov.com

Pup Art at Hairy and Merry, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Suite 105, Little Italy. A pet-friendly art show featuring works from Dan Adams, Marilyn Rose Ortega, Jorge Gutierrez and over a dozen more. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10. face book.com/events/1501871343432909 An Artist’s Story at Solana Beach City Hall, 635 S. Coast Hwy. 101, Solana Beach. New paintings and drawings by Ed Roxburgh. Opening from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. sdcl.org

GOOD AND WEIRD

Artist Joe Sloan is filled with energy and excitement, qualities often missing from the San Diego art scene, which lacks opportunities for artists who make edgy work that’s not necessarily meant to sell. Rather than settle for things as they are, Sloan’s recently been organizing pop-up exhibitions at cool, alternative spaces, staging installation-driven shows that highlight experimental art.

“This show is not what most people do,” Sloan says of Full Disclosure, the exhibition going up inside the recently redeveloped North Park Post Office building (3077 North Park Way) from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. “It’s pretty abnormal. We do a lot of weird stuff when we do these shows.”

Sloan has collaborated with Low Gallery curator Meegan Nolan in assembling a team of artists who’ll use the spacious warehouse-like building to show the kind of sculpture and installation work they’ve always wanted to show but haven’t had the chance. Sloan himself will exhibit a piece, alongside work by Heidi Boening, Lucas Riley, Emily Baker, Omar Lopex, Kenny King, Harrison Cuzick, Rob Piper, Adam Murillo and Lauren Turton.

Sloan and Nolan pushed the artists to venture as far outside of the box as they wanted. Riley, for example, will bring a fiberglass mannequin sculpture that stands about 6 feet tall, is hooked up to a fog machine and shoots mist out of its face. Baker will show projection pieces and do an interactive performance piece.

“It’s art for art’s sake,” Sloan says.

Another element involves displaying participat-

2

ART

HSDAI Winter Benefit at San Diego Art Institute-Museum of the Living Artist, Balboa Park. An evening of music, dance and spoken-word to support SDAI’s exhibition and education programs. Includes visual art from Bhavna Mehta, Margaret Noble, Dave Ghilarducci and more. At 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. $75. sandiego-art.org Evgeny Yorobe at Queen Bee’s, 3925 Ohio St., North Park. The landscape photographer shows his latest work. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. 619295-1948, sandiego-landscapes.com HWings & Snow: Flyaway at Sophie’s Gallery El Cajon, 109 Rea St., El Cajon.

A collection of mosaic birdhouses, clay angels, fused glass ornaments and more created by St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center’s students. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 12. stmsc.org HThe Thought of Thinking at jdc Fine Art, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Suite 208, Little Italy. Photographic portraits and video work from Bear Kirkpatrick. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. jdcfineart.com

“Decompression Sickness”

by Lucas Riley ing artists’ personal art journals and sketchbooks.

Nolan and Sloan want to give attendees an intimate look at the process.

“We want to help give visitors a look at not only how the artists created their art, but how they think,” he says. lowgallerysd.com

3

KRAMPUS ON A STICK

Coal for naughty kids? Try being eaten alive. It’s not a war on Christmas; there’s plenty of room for ol’ Saint Nick. But those who misbehave, young and old, should be cautious this holiday season. As most Eastern Europeans have known for hundreds of years, Krampus lays in wait during December, looking to season his meals with the flesh of evil-doers—kind of like a militant Batman. Need more details? Check out A Very Krampus Kristmas Puppet and Storytelling Event. From 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, at Artbeat in Vista (330 Main St.), Twisted Heart Puppetworks will perform adult puppetry and tell stories dedicated to the dark Yule Lord. Tickets are $15 at the door or $13 online at artbeatonmainstreet.com.

DAMON WILSON-HART

HA Long-Term Memory for Light at A Ship in the Woods, 1660 Lugano Lane, Del Mar. The site-specific exhibition features artists Anjali Sundaram, Phoebe Tooke, Wayne Grim and more exploring the theme of what captured light can tell us about our past. Live music by Ritual Howls. Opening from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. shipinthewoods.com Hothouse at UCSD Visual Arts Facility Gallery, Russell Drive and Lyman Avenue, La Jolla. MFA candidate Matt Savitsky presents his thesis exhibition, which highlights the current evolution of “The ManShed,” an ongoing solo project that takes the form of a multi-screen video installation and accompanying film set. Opening from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. visarts.ucsd.edu HChristmas in Catharsis at City Gallery, 1313 Park Blvd., Downtown. A pop-up exhibit with a seasonal theme from Yvette Dibos, who specializes in surreal paintings and photographic work. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. 619-388-3400, face book.com/citygallerySDCC HWhat Music Means to Me at Museum of Making Music, 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad. Inspired by author, photographer and musician Richard Rejino, the exhibition combines Rejino’s photographs with personal testimonials documenting the profound impact of music. Opening from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. $15. 760438-5996, museumofmakingmusic.org HEzRock at 5&A Dime, 701 8th Ave., Downtown. New works from the local pop surrealist with a “Cops & Robbers” theme.

Come dressed up as either. Opening from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. 619-2360364, 5andadime.com Summation 2014 at Escondido Municipal Gallery, 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. An exhibition from artists like Cecilia Hercules, Haley Weisenburger and more. Viewers are invited to write poetry in response to the artwork. Opening from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13. escondidoarts.org

Krampus in puppet form by Tania Yager

Ray at Night Art Walk Visit North Park’s

eclectic arts and culture neighborhood on Ray Street and beyond. Artists display their work among 15 galleries and business venues, and there’ll be live street performances and food vendors. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. rayatnight.com HRender at Art Produce Gallery, 3139 University Ave., North Park. Paintings, drawings and cut paper compositions from Marianela de la Hoz, Bhavna Mehta and Lynn Susholtz. Closing reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. 619584-4448, noel-bazafineart.com HWonderbirds at Distinction Gallery and Artist Studios, 317 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. New works from Heather McKey, who specializes in highly detailed paintings of fantastical birds. Opening from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. 760-7815779, distinctionart.com HDeath Blossom at Thumbprint Gallery, 920 Kline St., Ste. 104, La Jolla. Featuring new work with no restrictions on medium or subject matter. Includes work from Andrew McNamara, Gloria Muriel, Ricardo Ales and more. Opening from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. ThumbprintGallerySD.com Emerging Light at Art Tradition Gallery, 321 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. Paintings centered around the theme of magic with local artists like Ron Jaco, Rosan Kellner and Silvia Vega. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13. arttraditiongallery.net HToo Cute at Chicano Art Gallery, 2117 Logan Ave. #1, Logan Heights. An art show dedicated to all things cute and kawaii.

There will be original art, toys, sculptures, prints and clothing from artists like Carrie Anne Hudson, Junk & Po and dozens more. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. facebook.com/ChcanoArtGallery HFull Disclosure at North Park Post Office Space, 3077 North Park Way, North Park. Pop up gallery featuring sculptures and the individual sketch books of 10 local artists including Lucas Riley, Joe Sloan and more. From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. hbpuntoexperimental.com Enlightened Lens at Escondido Municipal Gallery, 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. An exhibition juried by Palomar College photography faculty and featuring works by students who range from beginning to advanced. Opening from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. 760-4804101, escondidoarts.org HJuried Biennial Exhibition at William D. Cannon Art Gallery, 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad. The annual exhibition will feature 66 works of art in all media by artists who live, work or maintain a studio in San Diego County. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13. carlsbadca.gov/arts Drift at Basic, 410 10th Ave., Downtown.

Portraiture-style pop surrealism from artists like Amanda Steines, Matt Land, Pako Pablos and more. From 7 to midnight. Tuesday, Dec. 16. 619-531-8869, ThumbprintGallerySD.com

BOOKS Kennedy Bleu at Del Mar Library, 1309 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. Bleu will sign and read from her latest children’s book, Cotter Otter in Treasure Water. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10. sdcl.org Sheila E. at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The Grammy Awardnominated singer, drummer, and percussionist will sign and briefly discuss her memoir, The Beat of My Own Drum. Ticket price admits two and includes a copy of the book. At 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. $28.08. warwicks.indiebound.com

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

Do you prefer your holidays naughty or nice?

Every year, a few theater companies around town claim they’re doing something “Different!” on stage for the holidays. Others, not even caring to try, just go dark. The truth is, the yuletide is the season for same old same old. But wait! The community-theater group Circle Circle dot dot really is doing something different. Its holiday-show characters include a high-heeled dominatrix in leather, a drugged-out rock star in rehab and a spirit speaking from the Great Beyond via pay phone. They’re all part of “Naughty,” a collection of five mini-plays that comprise one half of Circle Circle dot dot’s Naughty

THEATER

or Nice, on stage through Dec. 20 at the 10th Avenue Arts Center, Downtown.

Here’s how it works: The evening begins with “Nice,” a (relatively speaking) family-friendly trio of short plays directed by Patrick Kelly, each with a holiday theme. After a 90-minute (too long?) intermission, the same seven troupe members return for the “Naughty” portion of the night, directed by Soroya Rowley. You can catch just one of the two, or come for both. At least on opening night, the audience for the “late-night” “Naughty” was nearly double that of the earlier “Nice.”

With good reason. “Naughty” is a lot more RICH SOUBLET fun, and it’s, well, naughty.

Of the five “Naughty” offerings, the two most entertaining are Rowley’s The Naughty Farce, which includes the aforementioned dominatrix and takes the concept of wild party to another level, and Neil McDevitt’s Re-Gifting Mother, a more conventional but equally hilarious take on family dysfunction. Amid the five pieces is a choreographed performance of a musical number written by Kevane La’Marr Coleman (left) and Tony Houck Tony Houck (a standout in both

16 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

“Nice” and “Naughty”) sung to the tune of “Silver Bells.” It’s called “Silver Balls.” You can take it from there.

The rest of the hard-working cast merits mention: Beth Gallagher, Kristin McReddie, Alexandra Slade, Kevane La’Marr Coleman, Rhys Green and Taylor M. Wycoff.

Most of the mini-plays feel like stillin-progress workshop pieces in search of endings, and some drag on a bit, but Naughty or Nice is designed mostly to be outlandish. Mission accomplished.

The 10th Avenue Theatre is located at 930 10th Ave. in East Village. $5-$10 circle 2dot2.com

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

OPENING 6: Written and directed by Ion Theatre’s Claudio Raygoza, this play focuses on a documentary filmmaker who searches for her son, a climatologist, as a huge hurricane charges toward the Texas coast.

Opens Dec. 11 at BLKBOX Theatre in Hillcrest. ion theatre.com Mistletoe, Music & Mayhem: A musical sketchcomedy show that has some fun with the holiday season. Opens Dec. 11 at Coronado Playhouse.

coronadoplayhouse.com The MOMologues: Four women talk about the overwhelming, exhausting and often hilarious trials and tribulations of early motherhood. Presented by Different Stages, it runs Dec. 12 through 20 at Swedenborg Hall in University Heights. differentstages.biz Orpheus & Eurydice: The Trip, an experimental theater group, is telling the Greek myth of the musician and poet Orpheus and his wife Eurydice through a mix of online content (happening already at thetriptheater.net) and live performance, which runs Dec. 17 through 21 in Arthur Wagner Dance Studio 3 at UCSD. thetriptheater.net Peace Pilgrim: Another performance of this play about the real-life Mildred Norman, who walked across the country numerous times to deliver a message of world peace. Presented by Plan the Plan Productions, it happens on Dec. 11 at Twiggs Coffee House in University Heights. Search for “Plan the Plan Productions” on Facebook.

This Wonderful Life: James Leaming plays nearly three-dozen characters from Bedford Falls in this one-man show based on It’s a Wonderful Life.

Opens Dec. 10 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org White Christmas: San Diego Musical Theatre presents its annual stage adaptation of the classic 1954 film about a couple of Army buddies who become a music duo and fall for a pair of sisters. Opens Dec. 11 at the North Park Theatre. sdmt.org

For full listings,

please visit “T heater ” at sdcit ybeat.com

DANCE The Nutcracker at Casa Del Prado, Balboa Park. The holiday classic about Clara and the Nutcracker Prince as performed by the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet. Various times through Sunday, Dec. 21. $10-$18. sdcyb.org HReally Fall at Theodore and Adele Shank Theater, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. UCSD Choreographers Yolande Snaith and Liam Clancy explore the variety of ways a body can fall. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, Dec. 11-13. $10-$20. 858-534-4574, theatre.ucsd.edu HThe Nutcracker at Spreckels Theater, 121 Broadway, Downtown. The perennial holiday favorite performed by The City Ballet, the Pacific Coast Chorus and the City Ballet Orchestra under the direction of John Nettles. Friday, Dec. 12 through Wednesday, Dec. 24. $29-$79.

858-272-8663, cityballet.org

FASHION HJaxKelly Trunk Show at Pigment, 3827 30th St., North Park. The earrings and accessories designer shows off wares in time for gifting. From 1 to 9 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 17. shoppigment.com

FOOD & DRINK Hillcrest Taste ‘n’ Tinis A night of martini-sipping, shopping and food sampling on a self-guided walking tour of Hillcrest.

Start at the corner of Fifth and Robinson avenues. From 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. $20-$25. 619-299-3330, Fab ulousHillcrest.com HEast End Loop Holiday Wine Trail Starting at Ramona Family Naturals winery, this tasting tour of Ramona’s emerging boutique winery scene will feature Hatfield Creek Winery, Turtle Rock Ridge Winery, Pamo Valley Winery and more.

From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14. $55-$65. 619-255-8778, lafinquitawinerycalendar.com

HOLIDAY EVENTS Holiday Wonderland at Petco Park, Park & Imperial, Downtown. This inaugural event will feature light displays, Polar Express trains, a Candyland area, live reindeer, real snow and photo opportunities with Santa near a 40’-tall Christmas tree. Through Wednesday, Dec. 24. $10-$15. sandiego.padres.mlb.com HBicycle Coalition’s Holiday Joy Ride at Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. The annual ride encourages festive costumes and features a lightyour-bike ride, where bicycles strung with Christmas lights and wrapped like presents parade through town. At 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 11. $15-$30. sdcbc.org Holiday Bazaar at El Cajon Farmer’s Market, 201 East Main St., El Cajon. The market will be featuring extra craft vendors so you can support your local economy this holiday season. From 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. 619-6417510x277, ElCajonFarmersMarket.org National City Tree Lighting Ceremony on Brick Row, between A Avenue and Ninth Street. This annual celebration features a children’s craft area, Christmas carolers, performances, a classic car show, an appearance from Santa and more. From 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. nationalcityca.gov HChristmas in the Village in Downtown La Mesa. Throughout the entire

holiday season, La Mesa Village is beautifully lit and decorated, but on these two nights there will be a parade, kids activities and shopping galore. From 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13.

619-277-5363, lmvma.com HGrinch Holiday Event at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. The Grinch himself stops by for a reading of How the Grinch Stole Christmas followed by a holiday music program from The Raggle Taggle Holiday Band. From 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 13. 619236-5802, supportmylibrary.org Stocking Stuffer Pop-Up Shop at Flower Hill Promenade, 2720 Via De La Valle, Del Mar. Stop by the outdoor courtyard in The ROW Collective to shop for local goodies while enjoying sweet treats, raffle prizes and family photo opportunities. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. 858-481-2904, flowerhill.com

Christmas at the Timken at Timken Museum of Art, Balboa Park. Enjoy hot apple cider, gingerbread cookies, candy canes, Christmas music and elves to help bring in the holiday season in Timken style. From 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. timkenmuseum.org HHoliday Craft BAR-ZAAR at Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Enjoy festive spirits and support local artists. Includes handmade jewelry, pottery, purses, baby blankets, elves, ornaments, clothing and more. From noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. 619-564-7194 Las Posadas at Old Town Historic Park, 2454 Heritage Park Row, Old Town. For the 63rd consecutive year, a reenactment of the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. From 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday,

Dec. 14. oldtownsandiegoguide.com

MUSIC The Holiday Cafe at Torrey Pines Christian Church, 8320 La Jolla Scenic Drive, La Jolla. The San Diego Chorus of Sweet Adelines International presents their annual holiday concert with seasonal classics sung in the Barbershop style. From 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10. Free$20. sandiegochorus.Yapsody.com HInternational Contemporary Ensemble at Conrad Prebys Music Center, UCSD campus, La Jolla. The classical music ensemble performs the “Coalescence Cycle,” six works for instruments and electronics by Rand Steiger, developed during his residency at Calit2. At 7

p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. Free-$15.50.

858-534-6503, music.ucsd.edu/concerts We’ll Meet Again: The Songs of Kate Smith at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Opera star Stephanie Blythe and pianist Craig Terry celebrate songs Smith made popular during the Great Depression and WWII, like “We’ll Meet Again” and “When You Wish Upon a Star.” At 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. $20$170. 619-570-1100, sdopera.com Mistletoe Magic at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Rd., Poway. The RB Chorale’s 40th Annual Holiday Show will feature Christmas music with a dash of Hanukkah, a splash of Broadway and a patriotic tribute. At 7 p.m. Friday

CONTINUED ON PAGE 18

HHandmade Holiday Marketplace at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. The marketplace will feature over 30 local artists and designers selling art, fashion, accessories and gifts. Includes live music curated by Rarefied Recording.

From 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. sandiegolibrary.org Grand Holiday Marketplace at Green Flash Brewing Co., 6550 Mira Mesa Blvd., Mira Mesa. A festive marketplace with over 20 local artisans including She Likes Beer, Cali Sunshine Soapery, Hardwood Art Creations, Bobo’s Cold Brew and more. At noon Saturday, Dec. 13. 858-622-0085 HHoliday in the Park at Old Town Historic Park, 2454 Heritage Park Row, Old Town. Enjoy special holiday treats, activities and extended shopping hours, along with strolling carolers and do some holiday shopping at the same time. From noon to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. 619491-0099, oldtownsandiegoguide.com Love Thy Neighbor Toy Drive at Centro Cultural de la Raza, 2125 Park Blvd., Balboa Park. Bring new unwrapped toys or clothing to benefit the children of the YWCA as well as families of The Training Center in Spring Valley. There will also be an art show and music throughout the day. From noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. lovethyneighbormovement.com Craft & Draft at Blind Lady Ale House, 3416 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. The entire Hamm’s Room at Blind Lady will turn into a holiday market. Sip on holiday beers and check out the 2014 BLAH Holiday Sweater Ts. From 11:30 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 14. 619-255-2491 History Center Holidays at San Diego History Center, Balboa Park. The History Center and the American Society of Interior Designers bring you designer holiday vignettes in the galleries, inspired by the exhibitions. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. $4-$8. sandiegohistory.org San Diego Bay Parade of Lights at San Diego Bay, Downtown. The 43rd annual event features boats decorated in Christmas themes and parading around the bay. From 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, and Sunday, Dec. 21. 619-2242240. sdparadeoflights.org Gaslamp 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. From 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. $15-$20. 619231-4040, gaslamp.org/pet-parade Holiday on Adams Avenue at Kensington Park, 4121 Adams Ave., Kensington.

Enjoy holiday carolers and dancers, kids crafts, tons of snow and a visit from Santa Claus. From 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. adamsavenuebusiness.com

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

and Saturday, Dec. 12-13, and 1 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 14. $7-$32. rbchorale.org La Jolla Symphony & Chorus at Mandeville Auditorium, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Steven Schick leads chorus, orchestra and soloists in three performances of Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9.” At 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. $36. 858-534TIXS, lajollasymphony.com HSan Diego Gay Men’s Chorus Holiday Spectacular at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. A local holiday favorite, the SDGMC will present special arrangements of holiday hits. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. $28-$70. 619-570-1100, sdgmc.org Hillcrest Wind Ensemble Holiday Concert at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., Hillcrest. Music for Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years from the symphonic ensemble. At 7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13. $10-$20. 619-2989978, hillcrestwindensemble.com The Tony Suraci Christmas Show at Carlsbad Village Theatre, 2822 State St., Carlsbad. The singer brings his 10-piece Outlaw band to the stage for a night of country and holiday classics from the likes of Willie, Waylon, Johnny and more.

At 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. $35. 760720-2460, carlsbadvillagetheatre.com Andrew Brownell at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. A program by the pianist that will include George Crumb’s “A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979” with video projections of the Giotto frescoes that inspired the work. At 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 14. sandiegolibrary.org A European Christmas at First United Methodist Church, 2311 Camino del Rio S., Mission Valley. The San Diego Children’s Choir presents their annual holiday concert with carols, hymns and other selections from across Europe. At 4:30 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 14. $7-$14. sdcchoir.org Christmas by Candlelight at First Presbyterian Church, 320 Date St., Downtown.

The Westminster Choir, soloists, organ and members of the S.D. Symphony perform Giovanni Pergolesi’s “Magnificat” and Kirke Mechem’s “Seven Joys of Christmas,” followed by traditional and contemporary Christmas favorites. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. 619-232-7513, FPCsd.org Christmas in Italy at Sherwood Auditorium, 700 Prospect St, La Jolla. Christina Fontanelli performs a program of Italy’s best-loved songs, arias, Neapolitan and Christmas classics. At 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. $42-$48. christmasinitaly.brown papertickets.com La Jolla Renaissance Singers at Scripps Miramar Ranch Library, 10301 Scripps Lake Drive, Scripps Ranch. A festive holiday concert of music ranging from Renaissance madrigals to modern composers incorporating medieval chants, as well as traditional carols of the season. At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. srfol.org HNavy Band Southwest at Spreckels Organ Pavilion, Balboa Park. Twilight in the Park Concerts will host this special holiday concert to honor returning wounded warriors, Navy hospital staff and military families who support them. At 6:15 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 17, twilightconcerts.net

PERFORMANCE Canyon Screening and Live Performance at UCSD SME Building, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The final installment of the Parking Lot Park: Seven Stories of San Clemente Canyon series. There’ll be a drive-in-style screening plus a Q&A and a live performance by Kate Clark and Samuel Ekkehardt. At 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12.

HHanukkah Hannah’s Holiday Bur-

18 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

“Ashley” by Bear Kirkpatrick is on view in a solo exhibition opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, at jdc Fine Art (2400 Kettner Blvd. in Little Italy). lesque Extravaganza at Queen Bee’s, 3925 Ohio St., North Park. Hanukkah Hannah (AKA Lady Borgia) hosts this holiday burlesque showcase featuring San Diego burlesque talent, the comic musical stylings of Pony Death Ride and special guests. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. $20$40. 619-363-5026, thebawdyshow.com An Angel’s Gift at Mid-City Gym, 4302 Landis St., City Heights. The Sofia Isadora Academy of Circus Arts’ annual holiday circus show. Acrobats, contortionists and clowns, including members of the Circus Collective of San Diego, will deliver a performance about an angel who’s adopted by a circus troupe. At 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14.

Free. 619-516-3082, sdcircus.com For The Sender Holiday Show at Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Alex Woodard presents this multimedia experience of stories and songs featuring the voices of Jordan Pundik (New Found Glory), Jon Foreman (Switchfoot) and more. Proceeds benefit the Bro-Am Foundation. At 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14. $18-$20. bellyup.com Messiah Sing-Along at Spreckels Theater, 121 Broadway, Downtown. The City Ballet of San Diego Orchestra and the Pacific Coast Choral team up for this exclusive performance of Handel’s “Messiah.”

At 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16. $25. 619235-9500, cityballet.org

POETRY & SPOKEN WORD Tabled at Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. A new series showcasing some of San Diego’s best comics performing screenplays to bring your favorite action movie scripts to life. This month: Die Hard. At 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11.

HThe Giving Season: An Irish Christmas at Old Town Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town. Write Out Loud’s annual holiday show features holiday-themed stories read by writers such as Winifred Hoy, Walter Ritter, Patrick McBride and more, plus music accompaniment from The Celtic Echoes. At 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15. $17-$20. WriteOutLoudsd.com

SPECIAL EVENTS HMixture’s Last Shindig at Mixture, 2210 Kettner Blvd., Downtown. The boutique is closing its doors. Shop for furniture, accessories, jewelry, art, books and gifts, with everything in the store up to 80 percent off. RSVP required. From 6 to 9

p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. 619-239-4788, mixturesaysgoodbye.com/events.html Barrio Logan Gateway Sign Unveiling and Street Fair Head to Cesar Chavez Parkway and Main Street for the official sign unveiling followed by a street fair with entertainment, food, art and more. From noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. bar rioartassociation.com HParol Philippine Lantern Festival at Jacobs Community Center, 404 Euclid Ave., Valencia Park. The 17th annual event will feature tastes of a Philippine merienda of pansit (noodle dish) and traditional dance performances. From 1 to 5 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13. $15-$18. pasacat.org

SPORTS Ninja Night Race and Expo at Morley Field, North Park. Part of USA Cycling’s first sanctioned night mountain bike race series (this will be the last race this year), there’ll be route options for all abilities, free tamales, a live band and a fun expo.

At 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11. Free-$45.

619-354-3277, ninjanightrace.com HWinter Wonderslam Wrestling Show at Chula Vista Masonic Center, 732 Third Ave., Chula Vista. At least six matches, live commentary and an appearance by Saint Nick himself. Bring an unwrapped toy for the charity toy drive benefitting the YWCA. From 6 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. $5-$15. 619-427-5335. FansUnit edWrestling.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HNaked: An Informal Discussion on the Nude at Oceanside Museum of Art, 704 Pier View Way, Oceanside. Curator Tara Smith and collectors Bram and Sandra Dijkstra discuss the motivations and traditions in collecting figurative artwork featuring the nude. From 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 11. $10. oma-online.org HArtist talk: Jenessa Goodman at Lux Art Institute, 1550 S. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Join the Lux artist for an insightful talk about her work, which employs textures and geometry from nature. From 6 to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. luxartinstitute.org

For full listings,

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

N gga

San Diego couple continue their modest war against the rise of the n-word

by Kinsee Morlan

T

he staff at Jones Brothers BBQ in Encanto go about their business serving up ample helpings of pork ribs, beef brisket and other smoked meats and sides.

Mulemvo Nianda is hanging up a handmade poster board with the word “NIGGER” written boldly above a blown-up, black-and-white photo of a lynching of a black man, with other blatantly racist imagery peppered below.

The poster keeps slipping off the barbecue joint’s sweaty walls, though, so Nianda settles for placing it on a table.

A crowd of about a dozen finish their meals and look toward the slightly nervous young man at the front of the room.

“I’m a spoken-word artist and a documentary filmmaker,” Nianda says. “I’m here to present to you today a project, but before we get to the documentary, I just want to give you a quick spoken-word piece, which is what I do—it’s my specialty.”

Nianda, who goes by Inside Nianda Speaks when it comes to his creative work, clasps his hands and takes a deep breath, launching into a piece that includes lofty lines like, “One nation, one anthem, one people, one color; we’re all equal” and “I have to learn to be a man and stand for one thing; live for something.”

After the piece, he switches on his documentary, The Nigga Project Experience—a rudimentary video he shot with his smart phone—and folks begin shifting uncomfortably in their seats. The film features man-on-the-street interviews asking people what they think about the word “nigga,” spliced with shocking, historical photos of lynchKinsee Morlan

Mulemvo Nianda performs at Jones Brothers BBQ.

ings and other civil-rights-movement imagery, plus a few clips from mainstream hip-hop videos, like rapper YG’s 2013 hit, “My Nigga.”

After it’s over, he gives people a survey, asking for their thoughts on the n-word. Then he opens things up for discussion.

“I don’t really get offended by that word,” says a young black woman in the audience. “I just feel like, as long as we understand that the people who are using it are ignorant; honestly, it mostly just makes me feel embarrassed for the people using it.”

An older gentleman speaks up.

“Well, I’m from a different generation than a lot of you young folks here today, and the word is highly offensive to me,” he says. “The word has become so white-washed now; we use it so much. Nobody is offended by it—it’s just another word to young folks, but it’s still an offensive word to a generation that endured a whole lot more than this generation has.”

Eventually, an uncomfortable disagreement breaks out between a white woman and a black man, and the charged, racist feelings forever linked to the word “nigga” are unleashed.

Y

eah, I definitely remember that moment,” says Nianda of the argument that broke out at the summer screening he hosted at Jones Brothers.

He’s sitting in a study room at the Malcolm X Library in Emerald Hills with his girlfriend and collaborator, Juanita Boyer. “That was intense.”

Nianda and Boyer have been screening The Nigga Project Experience and hosting community discussions at barbecue restaurants, hair salons, libraries and community centers throughout southeastern San Diego since the beginning of 2014. They try to incorporate spoken-word, music and art into the events, and they always conduct surveys so they can continue collecting and analyzing people’s thoughts and feelings about the word.

This year in particular has been monumental in exposing the nation’s festering racial tensions. Earlier in 2014, Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy’s and former Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s racist comments made the rounds.

More recently, the killings of unarmed black men by white police officers in Missouri and New York made the issue of race in America impossible to ignore. Nianda and Boyer have used the momentum and renewed focus on race relations to help engage the local black community in their discussions about the n-word. They want people to think about why it’s become so pervasive, especially among the younger generation, which uses “nigga” almost as a replacement for “brother”—a term of endearment.

The project “started with a spoken-word piece and just carried on from there,” says Nianda, a former Marine who’s studying sociology at San Diego City College, where he regularly does flash-poetry performances by standing on top of tables or chairs to deliver his original compositions to crowds of unsuspecting passersby. “I asked some-

Kinsee Morlan

Mulemvo Nianda and Juanita Boyer one from class how he felt about the word one day and just decided to make a documentary and interview him. Then I started asking different people, walking up to them and asking, ‘How do you feel about the n-word?’”

The Nigga Project Experience is broken into three short parts. Nianda and Boyer are currently wrapping up Part 3, which focuses on interviews with young black men. The project has inspired Boyer to create another DIY documentary, My Community, which tells her story of growing up in a Los Angeles ghetto and attempts to show a different, more dynamic side of southeastern San Diego. She believes that negative portrayals of the black community dominate in mainstream media, and she wants to offer an alternative.

The couple will debut that documentary at an event at the Malcolm X Library at 2:30 p.m. Jan. 25 (follow facebook. com/thenggaproject for updates on future screenings).

All of the couples’ videos are scrappy. The sound and video quality is bad in parts, and the two are completely self-taught with limited resources.

“But we work with what we have,” Nianda says. “We would love to have the better equipment, but, at the end of the day, it’s not going to stop us from the goal we want to accomplish.”

The goal, Boyer and Nianda say, isn’t to eradicate the n-word; they think it’s too ingrained in black culture. Instead, they want to make their peers more aware of its original intent by making graphic visual connections to the word’s hateful history and opening up a dialogue. Ultimately, they’d like to see more people use more discretion when unleashing “nigga.”

“We might think we’re taking the power away by reclaiming it but, at the same time, it’s still perpetuating the same cycle of racism and portraying a negative image and we don’t really seem to see that,” Nianda says. “We don’t see that it’s a huge detriment to our culture.”

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

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Kinsee Morlan

Seen Local Reopening a public treasure Volunteer docent Paul Seeley waits patiently outside the locked gates of “Queen Califia’s Magical Circle” by international artist Niki de Saint Phalle. The iconic large-scale sculpture garden in Escondido’s Kit Carson Park was once open to the public from sunrise to sundown every day except Monday and during heavy rains. But a decade of vandalism and wear and tear caused the city to close the garden in May 2013 while repair work was done.

“See, you can see some of the damage here,” Seeley says, pointing to a cracked mirror and missing tiles as he leads a small group of people on a private tour through the garden.

Since September, the city has been cautiously reopening “Queen Califia” to supervised public access—first through appointment-only docent tours (appointments can still be made at 760-839-4519) and more recently by opening the sculpture garden every second Saturday of each month for visits supervised by city volunteers. This month, the garden will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13.

“The first thing I would say about the maintenance issues in the garden is that Niki was an artist, not an engineer,” Seeley says, responding to a question about why the garden has cracked and deteriorated so noticeably. As for vandalism, he says the city built a fence and installed security cameras, but even local birds are partly to blame for continued destruction. “The vandals and culprits on that part up there are the crows; they like shiny things, and that’s all Mother of Pearl.”

A small crew of workers, including Lech Juretko—de Saint Phalle’s right-hand man, who led the original construction of the piece—is busy with re-

Lead renovation artist Lech Juretko pairs, and the sound of drills often drowns out Seeley’s tour talk. Escondido planner Jay Petrek says there’s value in having the public see the renovation in progress during the garden’s openings: It could help discourage future vandals. Once renovations are done, he says, the city will follow Juretko’s recommendations for proper upkeep.

Escondido’s past maintenance of the sculpture garden has been widely criticized, especially in the wake of a report released last year by an independent art consultant hired by the Niki Charitable Art Foundation, which will pay for half of the repairs.

The report detailed several issues, including use of recycled sewer water to clean the sculptures (distilled water was preferred) and broken security cameras.

“Without proper maintenance, nothing can last,” Juretko says, taking a break from his repairs. “I just hate to redo stuff that is vandalized. I get really upset…. See over there, you can see someone tried to get that lizard’s eye out with a hammer, and it’s damaged. I already changed that eye five years ago. It’s frustrating. I mean, come on. Who does that?”

—Kinsee Morlan Kinsee Morlan

Meet our cover artist “This is a little bit of a mess. Sorry,” says artist Virginie Mazureau as she enters her home studio in Carlsbad. The room is less a mess than a medley of interesting objects—comic books, French magazines, colorful art supplies, little treasure chests and other things she picks up at antique shops.

Her studio, in a way, is like her paintings, which are fantastical scenes often depicting children surrounded by peculiar animals and an assortment of other unexpected and whimsical things. Like most of her work, “Serenity,” the piece on CityBeat’s cover this week, is an acrylic painting with a few elements of vintage collage (the boy on the horse, the hot-air balloons and the elephant, for example, are from old advertisements she collects).

“I try to find the spirit of children in my work,” Mazureau says, pointing to her most recent piece, which looks like a missing scene from Alice in Wonderland, and explaining that her own daughter has been her biggest inspiration. “I think they are very free. I love the innocence. I love the colorfulness and playfulness of children; it’s very interesting to me. I think I never grew up.”

Sometimes, Mazureau even incorporates children’s drawings in her work, either leaving the kids’ creations almost completely intact or using the imagery as inspiration for conjuring up her own madeup creatures.

20 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

Virginie Mazureau The artist came to Carlsbad by way of Paris and, most recently, Montreal. She’s been in San Diego County for only a few months, but she’s already found her way to Distinction Gallery (317 E. Grand Ave.) in Escondido, which is currently showing some of her work. She’s also preparing for her first solo show at Distinction in December 2015.

“In a short time, a lot of good things have happened to me,” Mazureau says. “I must be in the right place.”

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

Holiday

Gift

Guide 10 ideas to alleviate

presentbuying

panic

P. 2 3 December 10, 2014 ¡ San Diego CityBeat ¡ 21

22 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

Holiday Gift Guide

Boutonne tote

Pantone percolator

Katie Boyles jewelry

Boutonne’s Erin Pechtel handcrafts totes, messenger bags, dopp kits and wallets that are both durable (materials include denim and leather) and classic in design—something your giftee will have for years. The Mills Tote ($164), made with heavyweight indigo denim, oiled leather and lined with striped chambray, is a signature piece for Boutonne, which recently opened its first brick-and-mortar location at The Row Collective—a great gift-buying destination in general with all of its indie shops—at the Flower Hill Promenade (2690 Via de la Valle, shopboutonne.com).

It’s a big debate: drip coffee vs. percolated. For the person who prefers the latter, or who just digs cool design, Pantone (the folks who’ve cataloged all those colors) have designed a series of retro-inspired coffee percolators in striking colors (prices start at $29). Find them at Progress (2225 30th St. in South Park, progresssouthpark.com) in “Green Shoots” (three cup), “Strong Red” (six cup) and “Midnight Blue” (nine cup). And if your giftee is looking for a whole new coffee experience, Progress also carries Chemex’s attractive pour-over brewers.

Geographie Shop (2879 University Ave. in North Park, geographieshop.com) seems unlike anything else in San Diego— and that’s because owner Cynthia Matherly recently moved her mercantile-style curiosity shop here from Eugene, Oregon. She brought along a nice selection of necklaces and earrings by Eugene-based jewelry designer Katie Boyles (bones andthings.com), who uses organic materials to create pieces (prices range from $42 to $58) that are hauntingly lovely.

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December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

24 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Holiday Gift Guide

Folklore tumblers British design company Wild & Wolf (usa.wildandwolf. com) brings clever design to practical items, like notebooks, dishware—even telephones. Its Nordic-inspired “Folklore” collection—all enamelware—includes this set of four tumblers, each representing a season. And the box they come in is equally charming. You can find them at Solo (309 South Cedros Ave. in Solana Beach, solocedros. com), a warehouse-like space that could easily be your one-stop-shop for gifts.

26 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

Eco Design journals

Brass owl lamp

There’s something that’s both elegant and relaxed about Eco Design Studio’s leather-bound journals. Filled with recycled paper and cleverly secured with a brass key or leather cord, the journals come in several sizes—including tiny books on chains that you can wear around your neck.

They’re available at Simply Local’s (simplylocal.com) two locations: Headquarters at Seaport Village (789 West Harbor Drive, Suite 146) and a new shop in North Park (3013 University Ave.), where, as the name suggests, you can find goods by dozens of San Diego artisans.

Tap this little guy on the head and the light turns on. Tap again and it gets brighter, and so on. Fun and functional!

L.A.-based designer Luke Hobbs (lukehobbsdesign.com) repurposed vintage brass owls for a sophisticated piece of lighting that manages to be retro and modern at the same time. Eclectic Hillcrest shop Establish (1029 University Ave., establishsd.com) has both the owl piece ($225) and another with a butterfly ($215). Check Hobbs’ website for additional fixtures, like a World War II bomber or a sleeping fox.

Gardening almanac

Smartphone projector

San Diego Roots (sandiegoroots.org) strives to help urban communities grow their own food and eat healthier. Four years ago, San Diego Roots opened Wild Willow Farm and Education Center in the Tijuana River Valley, where workshops on everything from composting to bee keeping are offered. Tap into that knowledge, and help out the nonprofit, by gifting the 2015 San Diego Garden-to-Table Almanac ($15). It includes a range of gardening tips and extras like recipes. Find it at spots like Mission Hills Nursery and City Farmers Nursery and online at sandi egoseedcompany.com.

The Smartphone Projector—available at the Library Shop at the Central Library (330 Park Blvd., Downtown, facebook.com/libraryshopsd)—is what it is: a $30 projector. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a fun toy for aspiring young filmmakers or adults with a fondness for gadgets. There’s some assembly required: You’ll need to glue the thing together, and Super Glue’s recommended, so include a tube when you wrap this up. It works with all smartphones up to 5.5-by-3 inches and requires an app to flip the picture and brighten it up.

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December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Holiday Gift Guide

Mixology candles Not much smells better than a well-made cocktail.

Paddywax—makers of those lovely relish-jar candles—has created a line of “mixology” candles that you can find in Negroni, French Gimlet and Mint Julep for $16 each at Pigment (3801 30th St. in North Park, shoppigment.com). The candles come in a pretty, retro-inspired glass with golden-yellow details that your recipient can reuse after the candle’s done. And, the packaging includes the recipe for a perfect cocktail on the back. Provide those ingredients for a perfect gift pack.

28 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

San Diego coasters A few years ago, if you wanted to show San Diego pride, your only option, really, was a sports jersey.

Now, plenty of shops offer everything from San Diego tote bags to neighborhood-specific T-shirts. At Graffiti Beach (2220 Fern St. in South Park, ��������� shopgraffitibeach.com), we spotted these coasters ($34 for a set of four) by Neighborwoods. So, maybe Talmadge is spelled wrong and Coronado’s not in San Diego, but they’re classy-looking, made of fragrant cedar and would make a cool gift for a party host.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 30

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Holiday Gift Guide

Ready, set,

buy

Get your gifts at these local shopping events Taste N Tinis @ Downtown Hillcrest At the annual Hillcrest event—happening from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11—more than a dozen shops—like Village Hat Shop, Buffalo Exchange, Establish and Green Fresh Florals—will serve specialty martinis (Scroogedriver, anyone?) that you can enjoy while you shop. Tickets are $20 presale, $25 day-of, and include small plates from several restaurants. fabuloushillcrest.com

Huge Frocking Sale @ Frock You Frock You Vintage (4121 Park Blvd. in University Heights) holds the holiday edition of its outdoor vintage market, featuring clothing, accessories, retro goods and, of course, plenty of ugly Christmas sweaters.

The sale happens from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12, through Sunday, Dec. 14, and guest vendors include Amanita Vintage, Flea Market Eclectic and Dutchess of York. face book.com/frockyouvintage

BoyGirlParty necklace

Stocking Stuffer Pop-Up Shop @ Flower Hill Promenade From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, in The Row Collective’s courtyard at the Flower Hill Promenade (2690 Via de la Valle), more than 20 vendors will sell their stuff, including Seamaid Market (ocean-inspired jewelry), Hip E Chick (eco-friendly candles, soaps and lotions) and the Yarn Crate (knitted items).

The event includes a wreath-making workshop, raffles and holiday treats. theprintedpalette.com

Grand Holiday Marketplace @ Green Flash Brewing Co. Starting at noon on Saturday, Dec. 13, the brewery turns into a holiday market, with more than 20 vendors—including Pine Tree Road Soap Shop, ���������������������� Bottles & Wood�������� (repurposed glassware), Vinyl Junkies Record Swap and Design Within Jewelry—selling their goods. Fans of Green Flash (6550 Mira Mesa Blvd. in Mira Mesa) can hit up the Best-Ever Bottle Sale������������� and take advantage of markdowns on Green Flash gear. Search for the event on Facebook for details.

Handmade Holiday @ San Diego Central Library More than 30 local artisans, like Craft and Draft BoyGirlParty (notebooks, T-shirts, art prints), MI Workshop (wood MI Workshop clock @ Blind Lady Ale House sculpture), Two Hermanas (papel BLAH (3416 Adams Ave. in Normal picado cards), Succulents in the City, San Diego Heights) brings back its annual holiday shopping Bath and Body Company and Johan Fritz ( jewelry) event, happening in the brewery / restaurant’s will be at the San Diego Central Library (330 Park side room, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. Blvd. in East Village) from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat- 14. Enjoy holiday beers while you shop among venurday, Dec. 13. There’ll be free craft workshop for dors like Bungalow Boo (engraved cutting boards), kids, live music curated by Rarefied Recordings, Soap to Please, Loa Designs ( jewelry) and Grey story time with the Grinch and a bake sale and raffle Theory Mill (notebooks, T-shirts, jewelry). Search to benefit the library. sdfocl.org for Craft and Draft 2014 on Facebook for a full list of vendors.

Holiday Craft Bar-zaar @ Bar Pink From noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, the charming dive bar’s booths will be filled with crafters selling everything from jewelry and ornaments to clothing and baby blankets. There’ll be happy-hour prices on cocktails—and some special holiday drinks— all day (and, for that reason, please leave anyone younger than 21 at home). Bar Pink’s at 3829 30th St. in North Park. barpink.com Soap to Please

30 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

Around the bend Reese Witherspoon goes into the woods

by Glenn Heath Jr. If you’ve spent any prolonged time outdoors, sequestered from the incessant buzzing of man-made noise, Jean-Marc Vallée’s Wild offers a lovely reminder of nature’s remedying effect. Based on the novel by Cheryl Strayed, a forlorn and embattled young woman who took to hiking the 1,000-mile Pacific Crest Trail in 1994 with hopes of leaving her demons of addiction behind, the film seeks to reclaim a sense of peacefulness that has become Reese Witherspoon, on a quest nearly extinct these days. Momentarily disrupting this process are the men Cheryl meets along dedicated to life off the grid. the way; some help, others ominously stare and casuWild wonderfully suggests that finding yourself ally threaten and all interrupt the journey at hand. is not a series of grand realizations or epic turning But Wild doesn’t consider itself a feminist version points but an appreciation for the hypnotic silence of Walden; instead Vallée’s portrait examines what it of any give moment, be it deep in the woods or looklooks like to be lost in a number of different ways. Cher- ing out a window onto a bustling city street. We tend yl functions as a vehicle for actor Reese Witherspoon to fill every single waking second with something to grapple with the character’s failures free of societal task-related, but Witherspoon’s performance frees pressures. During the early portions of the film, word- us from that obligation. The film’s theme of “finding less flashbacks fire in succession like synapses, provid- your best self” is not a dramatic crescendo but a proing images of conflict that fill in the gaps of Cheryl’s tracted series of reflections that feel daringly breezy, past. Serial infidelity led to heroin use and down a dark incomplete and personal. rabbit hole of self-doubt, which has become amplified Vallée’s tendency to simplify complex psychologby the death her mother (Laura Dern). ical experiences has made his last two films (2011’s Starting with little to no survivor training and far Café de Flore and 2013’s Dallas Buyer’s Club) nearly too much gear near the Mexican unbearable to watch. Thankfully, border, Cheryl slowly but surely he gives Witherspoon the space Wild makes her way north. She experinecessary to inhabit Cheryl reDirected by Jean-Marc Vallée ences isolation and extreme dismoved from the pandering OscarStarring Reese Witherspoon, comfort while moving through friendly resolutions that normally Laura Dern, Gabby Hoffmann the Mojave Desert, highlighted infect this type of biopic fare. by sporadic internal monologues Hers is an exposed, vulnerable and Thomas Sadoski that transcend the familiarity usuturn that grows with power as the Rated R ally associated with voice-over film traverses northward into the narration. To hear Cheryl chastise California mountain ranges and herself and then experience something exhilarat- Oregon forests. The accumulation of experiences, ingly personal feels unabashedly true to the volatili- both for the character and the viewer, add up to ty of the experience. Screenwriter Nick Hornby uses something profound, something shared. these moments to flesh out the character’s sense of It’s interesting to think that Wild’s greatest theme humor, literary prowess and desperate spirit. revolves around the idea of being self-sufficient, not During Cheryl’s time on the trail, minor victories just physically but mentally, as well. With so many get amplified to reflect their importance removed elements of everyday life distracting us from genuine from the comforts of society. Major climaxes include internal contemplation, how can it even be possible? eating hot mush for the first time, securing a pair Wild, which opens Friday, Dec. 12, audaciously frames of hiking boots that fit and erecting a tent without this question as an intimate and thorny unspoken disstruggle. Yet all of these transitions mark a beginning course between a complex character and the audience to a specific moment and not the end. Even if sur- that’s watching her every move. Happy trails. prise and danger waits around every bend, Cheryl’s mastery of the trail itself becomes quietly maudlin in Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com a way that can only occur for someone who’s fully and editor@sdcitybeat.com.

Biblical proportions

Exodus: Gods and Kings

32 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

Lumbering and garish, Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings amps up the eye shadow and tones down the subtly to super-size the story of Moses and his efforts to liberate the Hebrew people from more than 400 years of slavery.

Countless bird’s-eye shots (most of them CGI) create an epic sense of time and place, confirming

that this is indeed an important picture and one with an equally hefty budget to spare on images of sweeping scale. These plastic pictures may provide one with enough depth to fill a few wide screens, but the same can’t be said of the performances.

Christian Bale plays the exiled Egyptian general with an earnest desire to rediscover the character’s internal torment caused by

his religious rebirth. In typical Bale fashion, his acting method is the madness; from the beginning, Moses suffers from an identity crisis. After trading verbal barbs with his longtime friend Rhamses (Joel Edgerton), son of the Pharaoh Seti (John Turturro) and next in line to lead the Egyptian people, Moses sets in for a few decades of brooding brought upon by an ideological awakening and insurrection.

Rebellion, plague, locusts, rivers of blood and frenzied alligators, fire, brimstone and a few other disasters follow in succession, a series of events brought on by the wrath of a child God who inspires Moses to free the Hebrew slaves.

While Exodus: Gods and Kings, which opens Friday, Dec. 12, sluggishly contemplates moral and religious matters of faith on both sides of the Nile, Scott throws in a few action scenes to make sure the proper marketing demographics have been satisfied.

Once the Red Sea finally comes crashing down during the hollow showdown between Rhamses and Moses, the only thing it doesn’t wash away is the massive headache brought on by Scott’s biblically mishandled theatrics.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

Top 5: Set to marry a reality star and have their wedding taped for public consumption, a popular comedian (Chris Rock) returns home to his old neighborhood, hoping to gain some clarity.

Wild: Based on the best-selling novel, this drama tells the story of Cheryl Strayed, who trekked more than 1,000 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail to reassess her troubled life. See our review on Page 32.

One Time Only Top 5

Opening Antarctica: A Year on the Ice: The incredible true story of the scientists, researchers, chefs, technicians and other professionals who make up the population of people who live year-round in Antarctica. Screens through Dec. 18 at the Ken Cinema.

Exodus: Gods and Kings: The story of Moses (Christian Bale), Rhamses (Joel Edgerton) and the Ten Commandments gets super-sized. See our review on Page 32.

I Am Eleven: Filmmaker Genevieve Bailey spoke with 11-year-olds from around the world to construct this insightful and funny documentary portrait of childhood.

Screens through Dec. 17 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Palo Malo: When a 9-year-old asks his mother to have his curly hair straightened for a yearbook picture, the request causes a rift between the two that becomes difficult to fix. Screens through Dec. 18 at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Days and Clouds: A sophisticated Italian couple face adversity when the breadwinner loses his job. Screens at 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the La Jolla Community Center.

What If: A young man (Daniel Radcliffe) burnt out from a string of bad relationships meets a charming new girl and has his faith in love restored. Screens at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Mission Valley Library.

Mona Lisa is Missing: The life of Vincenzo Peruggia, the man who stole the “Mona Lisa” from the Louvre in 1911, is the subject of this award-winning documentary presented by the San Diego Italian Film Festival. Screens at 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, at UltraStar Mission Valley Cinemas.

Elf: Ever want to see Will Ferrell run around like a child while wearing tights?

This is your chance. Screens at 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 10, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

Soul of the Banquet: Director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club) explores the life and cuisine of Cecilia Chiang, the woman who introduced America to au-

thentic Chinese food. Screens at 5:30 and 7:15 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at Ultrastar Mission Valley Cinemas.

adopted daughter. Screens at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 15, at the Central Library in East Village.

Guardians of the Galaxy: A ragtag group of criminal misfits tries to save the galaxy from a world-destroying force.

Screens at 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, through Saturday, Dec. 13, at Cinema Under the Stars in Mission Hills.

Wish I Was Here: Zach Braff plays an unfulfilled father who goes through a midlife crisis when his own dad becomes deathly ill. Screens at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Point Loma / Hervey Branch Library.

Lethal Weapon: Two cops (Mel Gibson and Danny Glover) used to working alone are partnered together to investigate a drug-smuggling ring. Screens at 10 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 13, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

The Room: Come witness the worst film ever made with a rowdy crowd who’ll appreciate all the awfulness. Screens at midnight on Saturday, Dec. 13, at the Ken Cinema.

The Hundred-Foot Journey: Helen Mirren’s stuffy restaurateur must get used to a new Indian eatery that opens across her street in Paris. Screens at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at the Point Loma / Hervey Branch Library.

White Christmas: Join Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye as they serenade you with classic carols and try to save a failing Vermont inn. Screens at 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, and 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15, at various theaters. Check fathom events.com for details.

The Santa Clause: Tim Allen gets suckered into being Santa after he signs a document handing him the job. Screens at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at Arclight La Jolla.

The Official Story: Set immediately after Argentina’s Dirty War, a young teacher sets out to find the mother of her

Mataharis: A private detective infiltrates a multinational corporation to investigate a web of corruption. Screens at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 16, at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park.

A Christmas Story: Don’t lick the frozen pole. Just don’t. Screens at 7:35 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Arclight La Jolla and 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 17, at The Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.

The Closet: To avoid being fired, a man spreads a rumor of his own homosexuality. Starring Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu. Screens at 1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the La Jolla Community Center.

2 Autumns, 3 Winters: Happenstance and fate collide when a man and a woman literally run into each other on a jogging path in Paris. Screens at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the Scripps Ranch Library.

Tootsie: Dustin Hoffman in drag? Who could ask for more. Screens at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 17, at Hillcrest Cinemas.

For a complete listing of movies, please see “F ilm S creenings” at sdcit yb eat.com under the “E vents” tab.

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

The Marr,

the merrier

Jon Shard

Legendary Smiths guitarist takes center stage

by Scott McDonald

J

ohnny Marr has new goals. You’d think the guitarist for The Smiths would be content more than 30 years into his storied career. He’s not.

After the last quarter-century of lending his talents to bands like The Pretenders, Electronic, The Healers, Cribs, The The, Modest Mouse and others, Marr is finally performing exclusively under his own moniker.

Playland, his second solo release in as many years, came out in October and has Marr making ambitious new plans.

“It occurred to me,” he told CityBeat by phone from the Vic Theatre in Chicago, “that being the best live band around is something to shoot for. And it may seem trite, but to have an ambition when you’ve been doing this for such a long time is pretty good. I wasn’t expecting it, but I take what I do seriously.”

Playland and 2013’s The Messenger have done more than return the gifted guitarist and songwriter to the spotlight. Although recording with Pet Shop Boys, Talking Heads and Billy Bragg, and scoring the Christopher Nolan film Inception with Hans Zimmer, were all great experiences for the Manchester-born musician, they didn’t allow him to be creative at his own pace.

“I don’t want to punch anyone else’s time clock right now,” Marr said. “I had ideas for my own outlook and the kind of group I wanted to be in. And as a creative person, if the good ideas are coming, you really need to act on them. I’m not about to go trekking around the Himalayas to find my inner child just yet. And, anyway, my inner child would probably be saying, ‘Write some songs, you lazy bastard.’”

From his numerous collaborations, production work, film scoring and playing lead guitar in international touring acts, Marr seems like anything but lazy. In fact,

he hasn’t really slowed down since The Smiths broke up in 1987.

And while the possibility of a Smiths reunion is highly unlikely, the success of these new solo albums has allowed Marr to reconcile some of the past and his constant association with the massively influential band.

“I’m super-proud of the legacy of The Smiths,” he said, “and, frankly, quite blown away by how popular they still are. I’m more than happy to own those Smiths songs I wrote.

“But it’s also good to know that it’s not just all about that. I play all of the older stuff, particularly the Smiths stuff, as a celebration now. If I was in a place where I felt those songs were propping up my career or my show, I’d just go back to doing the movies or I’d call it a day.”

Luckily, that’s not the case, but by playing a few of them in the set each night, Marr helps to paint a complete picture of his illustrious and eclectic career—one that finds the musician happier than ever before.

Perhaps that’s because he can dictate the pace of his current creative output, but at least some of the contentedness is coming from not having to justify every one of his professional moves.

“It’s been 25 years of explaining myself,” Marr said. “But it seems with the passing of time, I’m beginning to be understood. And it’s really nice to be understood.

It’s nice not to have to explain myself for a change. How your records are received is a bit of a crapshoot—like everyone, you think what you’re doing is great. But that’s just validated by the people that follow you. I’m very philosophical about it all, but it’s good days at the moment.”

While it seemed on this side of the Atlantic like nothing more than an impressive collaboration, Marr recalls a three-year stretch when the British press routinely

34 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

asked why he was with “those bearded nobodies from Washington.”

However, it was his tenure with Isaac Brock and Modest Mouse that may have been the thing that allowed him to fully realize his solo career.

“It was just so intensive as a guitar player,” Marr said. “With Modest Mouse, I got to play the role of an eccentric facilitator and ringer. Taking that around the world a few times and playing so many shows— tour after tour after tour—it was so full-on and intense that it became a road I no longer needed to explore. It was so satisfying, and I had such a great time, I feel that part of my life is complete in a way.

“Ironically, though,” he continued, “if I ever was going to go back and join one band, it would be Modest Mouse. I think I’ll always be able to do something with them.”

Fans of both can only hope it happens again. But it’s hard to deny the ease and joy with which Marr is playing these days.

And for an artist who’s never walked a traditional path, peace of mind can only bode well for the future.

“From the time I was 14 or 15,” Marr said, “the choices I’ve made have always been about following my musical instincts and curiosity. And now I’m in the kind of band I would want to go and see.

“I just want to keep my mind on the next load of ideas and explore where they take me.”

Johnny Marr was scheduled to play the Belly Up Tavern on Dec. 18, but his West Coast tour was canceled on Monday due to an illness in the family. Write to editor@ sdcitybeat.com.

notes from the smoking patio Locals Only Hideout, the duo of Gabriel Rodriguez and Cory Stier, will make their live debut on Dec. 27 at Soda Bar, nearly two months after the release of their first album, Rookie.

The project, a jangly and lightly psychedelic rock act, has actually been a long time coming. Stier and Rodriguez began writing the songs for their new album long ago, but they were able to work on it only intermittently.

“We were supposed to do our first show about a year-and-a-half, two years ago,” Stier says. “We really spent so much time with it. We never thought it would see the light of day.”

Stier and Rodriguez both also play in New York-based indie-rock group Cults.

Because of the two musicians’ other commitments, not to mention geographic distance (Rodriguez lives in San Diego), it took a while for the band to fully materialize.

“Mostly, it’s been the Cults stuff” that’s required the greatest time commitment, Stier says. “We’re gone for two months on tour, and then you have maybe a week off. So, we didn’t have time to finish the damn thing.”

Hideout’s live band will feature two additional musicians: guitarist Tommy Garcia of Mrs. Magician and keyboardist Conor Meads, who previously performed with Stier as a member of Pistolita. Stier says it was necessary to expand the lineup live, simply because of how many layers are on the record.

Tag It and Bag It If you search for albums tagged “San Diego” on Bandcamp, you’ll find some interesting stuff. In this semi-regular column, we sift through recent Bandcamp postings and report on our findings.

Hand Drawn Tree, The Emerald Tree: The guitar that opens this EP feels just slightly out of tune and, coupled with the reverb and effects that follow, makes for some disorienting sounds. That said, Hand Drawn Tree’s folky pop music is fairly conventional indie fare.

It’s pleasant enough, but they’re just not there yet.

All My Wishes Were Thrown Down a Well and Will Die There, In Hopes of a New Tomorrow: Talk about a mouthful! The band’s name is almost longer than this record, which mostly comprises raw screamo hardcore. It’s lo-fi, but the passion and intensity win me over, and all proceeds go to support the Eric Garner Family Support Fund. Bravo, AMWWTDAWAWDT. L-Tec, P A X_M U N D A N A: Every time I do this, I seem to find a new local beatmaker doing some cool things, and L-Tec is another one worth paying attention to. This release is a heady mix of crackly jazz

Gabe Rodriguez (left) and Cory Stier “It’d be impossible” to play these songs as a duo, Stier says. “There’s at least seven tracks in each song. We had a lot of vocal tracks. That record was a process.”

After the Soda Bar show, the band will most likely do a West Coast tour. Stier says that after spending so much time with the music, he’s ready to get on stage.

“I know these songs like the back of my hand,” he says. “We haven’t had a chance to play them live, but it feels natural when we practice. It’s fast, and it’s easy.”

—Jeff Terich

loops, psychedelic effects and hard-hitting boombap—with an occasional Busta Rhymes sample (at least I think that’s Busta). Only about half of this is available to stream for free, which should be incentive enough to drop a few dollars once the rest goes up.

Humanzee, Mincing to the Gore: Grindcore isn’t a genre that gets by on hooks or melody—generally anything that isn’t straight-up brutality. There are exceptions (Nasum, Pig Destroyer), but Humanzee isn’t one of them. Only two tracks on this release are more than a minute long, and none of them seems to have any lyrics beyond guttural, unintelligible grunts. It’s nothing but primal aggression, which is probably cathartic, but I can’t see ever wanting to listen to this.

Heather Exner, In Between EP: This is a fairly straightforward EP comprising covers of songs by Fleetwood Mac and Rihanna, just to name two. And it’s not bad for what sounds like a home-recorded set of acoustic tunes, though it’s not remarkable. Exner’s take on “We Found Love” isn’t half bad.

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

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 35

if i were u Wednesday, Dec. 10 PLAN A: Creepers, Shmu, Witness 9 @ The Hideout. Creepers feature members of San Francisco black-metal band Deafheaven, but there’s nothing metal about them at all. In fact, their style is fuzzy and swirling psychedelic rock, as is evident in their heavy use of effects and the Bandcamp tag “drugs.” It’s perfectly good sober, too, just so you know. PLAN B: Black Cobra, Wolvhammer @ Brick by Brick. It’s not easy to make brutally massive sludge metal with just two people, but Black Cobra somehow manage to pull it off. It helps that they play the hell out of their instruments, but with guitar that sounds this gnarly, there’s no need for anything else. BACKUP PLAN: Rubberneck Lions, Vinyl Mill, Boychick @ Soda Bar.

Thursday, Dec. 11

BY Jeff Terich pipes. PLAN B: Cosmonauts, Burnt Ones, Amerikan Bear @ The Hideout. It never ceases to amaze me how deep the Burger Records bench is. Sure, most of it comprises stoned California garage rock. And yet, most of it is pretty damn good. Cosmonauts, for instance, make some splendid, slightly trippy punk that should make for a fun live show.

Sunday, Dec. 14 PLAN A: College, Nicky Venus @ The Casbah. College is one of those band names that you can’t really Google all that successfully, so let me help you out: They’re a French synth-pop group with elements of coldwave and giallo film soundtracks. If you like surreal, dreamy pop that’s just slightly unsettling, then this is the show for you.

PLAN A: Too Short, Blowfly, Rap Sab- Monday, Dec. 15 bath, DJ Unite, Mr. Henshaw @ Til-Two PLAN A: Scuffs, Causers, Ash Williams @ Club. It’s not often you get to see a hip-hop Soda Bar. There’s a lot of bands in Califorlegend play a club as intimate as Til-Two, nia that you can call “garage” or “punk,” and Bernd Preimi a lot of them are totally but Bay Area icon Too boring and interchangeShort is headlining this able. But Scuffs stand out, fundraiser for dirty-soul partially because of their funk freak Blowfly, who’s tendency to incorporate raising money to save his elements of shoegaze, and house. Get freaky and songs that are better than sweaty for a good cause! your average four-chord rave-up. PLAN B: Weight Friday, Dec. 12 of the Sun, Mursic, FuPLAN A: The Icarus ture Age @ The Casbah.

Line, Zig Zags, Zodiac Weight of the Sun sound Death Valley @ Soda Bar. pretty much exactly like Los Angeles’ The Icarus Jupiter-era Cave In. And Line have been playing when I say that, I mean meaty, raucous noise rock it as an absolute compliMy Brightest Diamond ment. Not many bands since the late ’90s, and last year’s Slave Vows proved they haven’t lost combine pop hooks with metal’s heaviness, their edge. They’ll rattle your bones in the so it’s nice to see that there’s one that does best way. PLAN B: Shake Before Us, The right in our own backyard.

Lumps, Kids in Heat @ Tower Bar. A good garage-rock band and a lousy garage-rock band have more in common than you might Tuesday, Dec. 16 think, but Shake Before Us boast more soul PLAN A: Mystic Braves, Muscle Beech, and swagger than the average bear. Fiery Swift Beats @ The Casbah. A band called organ licks, infectious melodies and a rich, Mystic Braves could pretty much only be a danceable sound are just a few things to ex- psychedelic rock band, and this Los Angeles outfit’s sound goes way back to psychepect when these badasses are onstage. delia’s early days in the mid 1960s. There’s lots of surfy Rickenbacker riffs, Farfisa orSaturday, Dec. 13 gan buzz and more reverb than most bands PLAN A: My Brightest Diamond, Is- know what to do with. Groovy. PLAN B: land Boy, DJ Heather Hardcore @ The R.A. Rosenborg, Big Bloom, Astral Touch Casbah. Shara Worden has one of the best @ Soda Bar. You’ll usually find R.A. Rosenvoices in indie rock—or pop, or any other borg playing guitar in Ed Ghost Tucker, one genre she touches. As My Brightest Dia- of the better new-ish bands in San Diego. mond, she’s covered a lot of ground, from But he has some songs of his own, and you’ll her haunting Kate Bush-style early material get to hear what he’s got cooking outside to her more electronics-driven new songs. of his other band. I hear that last time he No matter what’s on the set list, I guaran- played, there were flutes and saxophones, tee you’ll be enchanted by her superhuman so that sounds like a plus to me.

36 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

HOT! NEW! FRESH! The Growlers (BUT, 12/22-23), Mrs. Magician (Soda Bar, 12/31), Cattle Decapitation (Casbah, 1/3), Olivelawn (Casbah, 1/10), Cody Lovaas (Carlsbad Village Theatre, 1/10), Six String Society (BUT, 1/18), Cult of Youth (Soda Bar, 1/27), Body of Light, Some Ember (The Hideout, 2/7), People on Vacation (Porter’s Pub, 2/7), Lily and Madeleine (The Loft, 2/11), Pharmakon (The Hideout, 2/12), LOGIC (North Park Theatre, 2/14), Steve Poltz (BUT, 2/21), Agent Orange (Casbah, 3/7), Hurray for the Riff Raff (BUT, 3/11), The Velvet Teen (Soda Bar, 3/13), Wand (Soda Bar, 3/14), Dent May (Soda Bar, 3/15), This Will Destroy You, Cymbals Eat Guitars (Casbah, 3/19), Andrew Jackson Jihad (The Irenic, 4/10), Dead Milkmen (BUT, 4/24), Herb Alpert and Lani Hall (BUT, 5/7).

GET YER TICKETS Pato Banton (BUT, 1/2), Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue (BUT, 1/6), Little Hurricane (North Park Theatre, 1/17), Tower of Power (BUT, 1/17), Eric Church (Valley View Casino Center, 1/18), G. Love and Special Sauce (HOB, 1/18), Guster (HOB, 1/21), Big Head Todd and the Monsters (1/23-24), The Coup (Casbah, 1/25), Russian Circles (Soda Bar, 1/25),The Wailers (BUT, 1/27), Wale (North Park Theatre, 1/31), Patti Smith (Balboa Theatre, 1/31), Kenny Wayne Shepherd (BUT, 2/5), Juan Gabriel (Viejas Arena, 2/6), Motion City Soundtrack (HOB, 2/11), Hundred Waters (Casbah, 2/11), The Dodos (Casbah, 2/14), Ozomatli (BUT, 2/14-15), Alan Jackson (Valley View

Casino Center, 2/20), Cursive (Casbah, 2/22), Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band (Viejas Arena, 2/25), Cold War Kids (North Park Theatre, 2/25), Taking Back Sunday (HOB, 2/26), The Church (Casbah, 2/28), Swervedriver (Casbah, 3/4), Viet Cong (Soda Bar, 3/7), Walk the Moon (HOB, 3/10), A Place to Bury Strangers (Casbah, 3/11), Twin Shadow (BUT, 3/13), Ani DiFranco (HOB, 3/16), George Benson (Balboa Theatre, 3/26), Buddy Guy (Balboa Theatre, 4/11), OK Go (HOB, 5/1), Lana Del Rey (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 5/16), Nickelback (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 6/27), One Direction (Qualcomm Stadium, 7/9), Foo Fighters (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/24).

December Wednesday, Dec. 10 Celtic Woman at Civic Theatre. Black Cobra at Brick by Brick. Tears for Fears at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

Thursday, Dec. 11 X at The Casbah. The Soft White Sixties at The Loft. Frankie Ballard at House of Blues. Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas at Soda Bar. Too Short at Til-Two Club.

Friday, Dec. 12 ‘Wrex The Halls’ w/ Cage The Elephant, alt-J, Interpol, Spoon, Billy Idol, Banks at Valley View Casino Center. The Icarus Line at Soda Bar. Pepper at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

Saturday, Dec. 13 Strung Out at Brick by Brick. My Brightest Diamond at The Casbah. Fenix TX

at Soda Bar. H2O at Brick by Brick.

Sunday, Dec. 14 College at The Casbah. Sean and Sara Watkins at Belly Up Tavern. Yung Lean at Porter’s Pub.

Monday, Dec. 15 Ryan Adams at Copley Symphony Hall.

Tuesday, Dec. 16 Mystic Braves at The Casbah. Brian Setzer Orchestra at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

Thursday, Dec. 18 Corrections House at Soda Bar. Johnny Marr at Belly Up Tavern (sold out).

H.I.M. at House of Blues.

Saturday, Dec. 20 Big Sandy and the Flyrite Boys at The Casbah.

Sunday, Dec. 21 Dick Dale at Belly Up Tavern. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at House of Blues. Youth Code at Soda Bar. The Burning of Rome at Maker’s Quarter.

Monday, Dec. 22 The Growlers at Belly Up Tavern.

stars at Belly Up Tavern.

Sunday, Dec. 28 The Aggrolites at Belly Up Tavern. Mannheim Steamroller at Civic Theatre.

Monday, Dec. 29 Jonah Matranga at The Hideout.

Tuesday, Dec. 30 Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, Dec. 31 Donavon Frankenreiter at Belly Up Tavern. Nicki Bluhm and the Gramblers at The North Park Theater. Mrs. Magician at Soda Bar.

January Thursday, Jan. 1 Anuhea at Belly Up Tavern.

Friday, Jan. 2 Pato Banton at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, Jan. 3 The Beat Farmers Hootenanny at Belly Up Tavern. Cattle Decapitation at The Casbah.

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach. 710bc.com. Wed: Open mic, open jam. Thu: Live band karaoke. Fri: Way Cool Jr., The Big Lewinsky. Sat: Kimie, AOK. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: ‘EDM Tuesday’.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave, Downtown. americancomedyco. com. Wed: Mike Ula. Thu-Sun: Bill Bellamy. Tue: Open mic.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St, Downtown. facebook.com/BangBangSanDiego. Thu: Marc Kinchen, Lee K. Fri: Ryan Hemsworth. Sat: Patrick Topping, Endo.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St, North Park. barpink.com. Wed: The Village Squares.

Thu: Doug C and the Blacklisted, Action Andy and the Hi-Tones, Johnny Deadly.

Fri: Behind the Wagon. Sat: The Milkcrates DJs. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’ w/ DJs Adrian Demain, Susannah Kerner.

Bassmnt, 919 Fourth Ave, Downtown. bassmntsd.com. Thu: Michael Woods.

Fri: Loudpvck. Sat: EDX. Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd, La Jolla. brocktonvilla.com/beaumonts.html.

Thu: Simeon Flick Duo. Fri: Dave Gleason Trio. Sat: Jones Revival. Sun: Joe Cardillo.

From Facebook

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave, Solana Beach. bellyup.com. Wed: Tears for Fears (sold out). Thu: The Venice Christmas Show, Paul Cannon. Fri: Pepper, The Movement, New Beat Fund (sold out).

Sun: For The Sender Holiday Show. Sun: Sean and Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek, Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory, Jack

Cattle Decapitation

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Tuesday, Dec. 23 Dave Koz at Balboa Theatre. The Growlers at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, Dec. 27 Hideout at Soda Bar. The Greyboy All-

rCLUBSr

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 37

Tempchin, Alex Woodard, Graham Nancarrow, Nena And. Tue: The Brian Setzer Orchestra (sold out).

Dirk’s Nightclub, 7662 Broadway, Lemon Grove. dirksniteclub.com. Fri: Relax Max. Sat: DJ Grim.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave, Carlsbad. boarcrossn.net. Thu: Red Hand. Fri: ‘Club Musae’. Sat: Twisted Relatives.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Mission Bay. dizzyssandiego.com. Fri: Mark Dresser. Sat: Charles Owens.

Bourbon Street, 4612 Park Blvd, University Heights. bourbonstreetsd.com. Wed: ‘TRW’ w/ VJ K-Swift. Thu: ‘Wet’. Sun: ‘Toy Drive’ w/ DJs Matthew Brian, Uriah West, Ivan Gregory, Chad Fortin, Cris Herrera.

Tue: Karaoke.

Epicentre, 8450 Mira Mesa Blvd, Mira Mesa. epicentreconcerts.org. Sat: From First to Last, Dayshell.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave, Hillcrest. thebrassrailsd.com. Thu: ‘Muscle’. 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, Bay Park. brickbybrick.com. Wed: Black Cobra, Wolvhammer. Thu: Moonshine Bandits, Big B, Demun Jones. Fri: ‘A Time For Dime’ w/ Contortion, Beheading the King, A Hero Within, Groove of Death.

Sat: Strung Out, H2O, Skipjack, Somatic.

Mon: ‘Metal Monday’.

Comedy Palace, 8878 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Clairemont. thecomedypalace.com.

Sat: Ian Harris: Critical & Thinking Tour.

Comedy Store, 916 Pearl St, La Jolla. lajolla.thecomedystore.com. Wed-Thu: Best of San Diego Comedy. Fri: Bret Ernst.

Croce’s Park West, 2760 Fifth Ave., #100, Bankers Hill. crocesparkwest.com.

Wed: Kyle Myers. Thu: Rob Thorsen Trio.

Fri: Teagan Taylor Trio. Sat: John Reynolds Quartet. Sun: Choro Sotaque. Mon: Nina Francis. Tue: 45 Revolutions.

Desi ‘N’ Friends, 2734 Lytton St, Point Loma. 619-224-6409. Thu-Fri: Black Kat’s Year In Review.

38 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown, Downtown. f6ixsd.com. Fri: DJ XP. Sat: DJ Bad. Sun: ‘Magnum Sunday’.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave, Downtown. fluxxsd.com. Sat: Kid Ink. Sun: ‘Crystal Kingdom’ w/ All Gold, Mister Brown.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave, Ocean Beach. 619-222-5303. Thu: Three Finger Lid, Ismael and the Peacemakers, DJ Reefah, TRC Soundsystem. Fri: Twisted Relatives, DJ RM. Sat: KL Noise Makerz, DJ Chelu. Mon: ‘Hip Hop Monday’.

Hard Rock Hotel, 207 Fifth Ave, Downtown. hardrockhotelsd.com. Thu: Gunner Gunner, Desert Suns. Sat: DJ KAOS. Sun: Sharam.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave, Downtown. henryspub.com. Wed: The Fooks. Thu: DJ Antonio Aguilera. Fri: ‘Good Times’.

Sat: DJs E, Yodah. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Mark Fisher. Tue: Big City Dawgs.

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

Wed: Lindsey Stirling, Mat Kearney. Thu: Frankie Ballard, A Thousand Horses.

Sun: In This Moment, Twelve Foot Ninja, Starset, 3 Pill Morning.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. kavalounge.com. Wed: DJs Jason, Uncut. Thu: Soul Ablaze, The One and Onlys, Viva Apollo. Fri: ‘Junglist Friday’.

Sat: Optiv, Deacon, Needle Damage,

BOH Curly. Sun: ‘Connectivity’. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave, Kensington. 619-284-2848. Sat: Midnight Track, Bat Lords, A-Bortz, Royal Shits.

Sun: The Cumbia Cosmonauts, La Diabla, Cumbia Machin.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave, Coronado. mcpspub.com. Wed: Goodal Boys. Thu: Ron’s Trio. Fri: Manic Brothers. Sat: Four-Way Street. Tue: Tone Cookin’.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd, Hillcrest. numberssd.com/. Thu: ‘Throwback Thursday’.

Fri: ‘Harness’. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’. Sun: ‘Joe’s Gamenite’. Tue: Karaoke Latino.

Onyx Room / Thin, 852 Fifth Ave, Downtown. onyxroom.com. Fri: ‘Rumba Lounge’. Sat: ‘Onyx Saturday’.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St, Downtown. patricksii.com. Wed: The Rayford Brothers. Thu: Len Rainey’s Midnight Players.

Fri: Myron and the Kyniptionz. Sat: WG and the G-Men. Sun: The Fuzzy Rankins Band. Mon: The Groove Squad. Tue: Walter’s Chicken Jam. Porter’s Pub, 9500 Gilman Dr., UCSD campus, La Jolla. porterspub.net. Thu: Kool John. Fri: J Stalin, Philthy Rich. Sat: Nick Thomas, My Body Sings Electric.

Sun: Yung Lean and Sad Boys.

Queen Bee’s, 3925 Ohio St, North Park. queenbeessd.com. Sat: ‘Hannukah Hannah’s Holiday Burlesque Extravaganza’.

Tue: Open mic.

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest. richssandiego.com. Wed: DJ John Joseph. Thu: DJ Moniq. Fri: DJs Dirty Kurty, Will Z. Sat: DJs Taj, John Joseph, Vaughn Avakian, Nikno. Sun: DJ Hektik.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University

Ave, La Mesa. rivierasupperclub.com.

Wed: Westside Inflection. Thu: Man From Tuesday. Fri: Liz Grace Swing Thing. Sat: Three Chord Justice. Tue: Karaoke.

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave, North Park. sevengrandbars.com/sd. Wed: Gilbert Castellanos jazz jam. Thu: Will Rice, 22 Kings, Triumph of the Wild, Radios Silent, Dave Gleason Trio. Fri: Bondurant.

Sat: Still Ill. Sun: ‘Beer and Hymns’. Mon: ‘Makossa Monday’ w/ DJ Tah Rei. Side Bar, 536 Market St, Downtown. sidebarsd.com. Thu: Vince Delano. Fri: ‘S-Bar’ w/ DJ Kurch.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. sodabarmusic.com. Wed: Rubberneck Lions, Vinyl Mill, Boychick. Thu: Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas, Kera and the Lesbians, Social Club. Fri: The Icarus Line, Zig Zags, Zodiac Death Valley. Sat: Fenix TX, Reason to Rebel, Future Crooks, At the Premier. Sun: Caskitt, Western Settings, Rebels and Traitors.

Mon: Scuffs, Causers, Ash Williams. Tue: R.A. Rosenborg, Big Bloom, Astral Touch.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd, Midway. somasandiego.com. Fri: Leave The Universe, Broken Lips, Digital Lizards Of Doom, Johns Last Ghost, Cramer Creative.

Sat: The Shallow End, The Romeo Complex, Daddy Issues, The One and Onlys.

Somewhere Loud, 3489 Noell St, Midtown. somewhereloud.com. Sat: Terravita.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St, Midtown. spinnightclub.com. Sat: DJ Brett Henrichsen.

Stage Bar & Grill, 762 Fifth Ave, Downtown. stagesaloon.com. Thu: Superbad.

Fri: Disco Pimps, DJ Slynkee. Sat: Hott Mess, DJ Miss Dust. Mon: Karaoke.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego, Normal Heights. sycamoreden.

com. Thu: Fanny and the Attaboys, Allright. Sun: The Big Decisions.

The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Rd, Spring Valley. 619-469-2337. Wed: Karaoke.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd, Midtown. casbahmusic.com. Wed: Lexington Field, Quel Bordel, The Whiskey Avengers. Thu: X, The Blasters, Otis (sold out). Fri: AllahLas, Tashaki Miyaki, DJ Brian Clinebell (sold out). Sat: My Brightest Diamond, Island Boy, DJ Heather Hardcore. Sun: College, Nicky Venus. Mon: Weight of the Sun, Mursic, Future Age. Tue: Mystic Braves, Muscle Beech, Swift Beats.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. thehideoutsd.com. Wed: Creepers, Shmu, Witness 9. Sat: Cosmonauts, Burnt Ones, Amerikan Bear.

The Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. theloft.ucsd.edu. Thu: The Soft White Sixties, The Verigolds, Emilio Cazares. Sat: Allison Adams Tucker, Tritones.

Tue: The Village Squares.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave, Hillcrest. theMerrow.com. Wed: Boxcar Chief, My First Circus, Deadbrokedown.

Thu: Privatized Air, Hocus, Focke Wolves, Broken Lips. Fri: The Debonaires, The Amalgamated, Xiantoni Ari, Jackie Mendez. Sat: Dead Feather Moon, The Whiskey Circle, Taken By Canadians.

The Office, 3936 30th St, North Park. officebarinc.com. Wed: ‘Dub Dynamite’ w/ DJs Rashi, Eddie Turbo. Thu: ‘No Limits’ w/ DJ Myson King. Fri: ‘After Hours’ w/ DJs Kid Wonder, Saul Q. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’ w/ DJs Kanye Asada, Gabe Vega. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ w/ DJs Tribe of Kings. Tue: ‘Trapped in the Office’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

The Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown.

tinroofbars.com. Wed: Pat Hilton. Thu: Coolio, DJ Man Cat. Fri: Dane Drewis Band. Sat: Random Radio, Trace Loptien.

Tue: King Schascha, Irusalem.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd, City Heights. tiltwoclub.com. Thu: Too Short, Blowfly, Wrap Sabbath, DJs Unite, Mr. Henshaw. Fri: Brian Ellis’ Reflection, XL Middleton and Moniquea, Zackey Force Funk, Turquoise Summers. Sat: The Mochilero All Stars, DJs King Dutty, Erny Earthquake.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St, Bay Park. tioleos.com. Thu: Blue Largo. Fri: Blue Rhino. Sat: Full Strength Funk Band. Tue: Theo and Zydeco Patrol.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave, City Heights. thetowerbar.com. Wed: ‘The Ratt’s Revenge’ w/ DJs Mikey Ratt, Tiki Thomas. Fri: Shake Before Us, The Lumps, Kids in Heat. Sat: The Seks, The Touchies, Too Fast for the Devil, Zombie Barbie, Pharmacy, DJ Diana Death.

Ux31, 3112 University Ave, North Park. u31bar.com. Wed: DJ V Rock. Thu: DJ Fishfonics. Sat: Saul Q. Sun: TRC Soundsystem. Mon: Lee Churchill.

West Coast Tavern, 2895 University Ave, North Park. westcoatstavern.com. Thu: DJ JLouis. Fri & Tue: Billy the Kid. Sat: DJ Pound. Sun: DJ Alo. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, South Park. whistlestopbar.com. Wed: ‘Wu Tang Wednesday’. Thu: Tabled. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach. winstonsob.com. Wed: Ras Ijah, Judgment Band, DJ Carlos Culture. Thu: Psydecar. Fri: The California Honeydrops.

Sat: Dead Winter Carpenters, Frances Bloom Band. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: ‘Meeting of the Meyends’.

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 39

Brendan Emmett Quigley

Across

(What goes around)

1. “Are you aware that ...?”

5. Sings in an a cappella group, perhaps 10. Tim’s partner in comedy 14. Lowland 15. “Four Quartets” poet 16. Sneaker named after a feline 17. *Refer to those with similar ideas (“The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter” actress Locke) 20. Billionaire philanthropist Broad 21. Sm. change?

22. Good taste 23. *His 43 was retired by the Oakland A’s (Kind of jar used in physics experiments) 29. Renaissance Faire beverage 30. “Survivor” contestants 31. U-Boot hazard 32. Spot for concealer 34. Soccer player’s kit 35. “I’m game” 36. First aid kit tool (Permed) 41. *Chants during the El Classico 42. Actress Gretchen of “Boardwalk Empire” 43. Beats Audio co-founder, briefly 44. Thanksgiving offering 45. Some greens 47. Shakespearean character who says “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve” 50. *Like really-big news (Ready to drive) 54. Ft. or mi.

55. + molecule, e.g.

56. “Now that you mention it” 57. *Customs requests (Able to receive a soccer pass legally) Last week’s answers

40 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

62. Tidied up 63. Swindles, in slang 64. Paper airplane feature 65. Wedding invitation recipients 66. Military display 67. Track and field prop

Down 1. Engaged in a summer’s activity 2. ___ shake (dance) 3. Newman had a crush on her 4. Persian word?

5. Ascetic groups 6. Room for a broom 7. Shoot (for) 8. Tube ___ (chest covering) 9. Nene of Hawaii, e.g.

10. “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” for two 11. Prepare on short notice, as a meal 12. Online editorial clarification 13. Food drive donation 18. Astringent 19. Hamburger order 24. “Inglorious Basterds” extras 25. First name of the animated character who lives in Hell Hall 26. Neighborly 27. Cork’s location 28. North Sea tributary 33. x in algebra?

35. Cliched prop for a female opera singer 36. Act emo 37. Lamb’s alter-ego 38. Gamy stew ingredient 39. 2014 Biblical movie starring Russell Crowe 40. China setting 45. Word said while pointing 46. Drummer’s handful 48. Ladykiller 49. Low-scoring soccer game 51. Temple allotment 52. Greasy spoon starch 53. Beau ___ (noble action) 57. Cuttlefish secretion 58. Of God, in Latin 59. Word with head or lip 60. Chemical conclusion 61. Web-connection co.

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 41

42 · San Diego CityBeat · December 10, 2014

December 10, 2014 · San Diego CityBeat · 43