San Diego CityBeat • Dec 22, 2015

2 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

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December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 3

Up Front | From the editor

What doesn’t kill you...

I

was reacquainted with the agony and the ecstasy of print publishing when I became editor of San Diego CityBeat nearly nine months ago. Now as my first calendar year here winds up I’ll take a moment to reflect.

CityBeat isn’t my first rodeo. I’ve helmed more than my share of publications and websites around town. There’s an affecting thing about being a free agent who moves from one set of pages to the next.

It’s been my experience that you almost instantaneously begin to see the world framed through the fan base of your current employer.

Yeah, you drink the Kool-Aid. Ever worked on two sides of competitive markets? One day you’re an editor at glossy San Diego Everywhere Magazine. you go people mention how much they love your content and how you’ve got the greatest collection of printed material outside of Vanity Fair. Kiss, kiss. Years later you’re the editor of San Diego Home/ Garden Lifestyles. Now you’re circulating (literally and figuratively) in slightly different circles.

And a new set of people are drooling over your content and comparing you to a regional Architectural Digest (though those people are usually slurring their words and holding cocktails).

The point is that every publication has its niche and usually is connected with a diehard readership. The same goes for CityBeat. The difference being CityBeat devotees speak with unflinching, unfiltered fervor. Yes, we get love letters from readers. But we’re just as likely to get hate screeds. If your skin isn’t thick just the roar of this crowd will melt you.

My hiring was the first-ever editorship change at this nearly 15-year-old alt-weekly. Would I wreck things? Pulses raced. For me, it was like being on an old-time steam train, opening an unknown door and discovering the boiler room. Nine months later, my eyebrows have grown back.

Of course there’s been some change. Some staff

has moved on and some new voices are in the paper.

Our covers look different. We’ll continue to evolve in our aesthetics as well as content. But we won’t move from being a progressive voice of social justice, and we’ll continue to provide the most extensive coverage of local music, arts and food. Period.

There is a talented, creative and passionate editorial team working here. Yes, Ed Decker is still telling his Sordid Tales. Aaryn Belfer continues to do it Backward And In High Heels. And you should make a point of reading Ryan Bradford’s columns because Well, That Was Awkward is going to become a catchphrase.

I love telling the story of how art director Carolyn Ramos cold called at our North Park office and dropped off her resume. ron donoho That resume was a brilliant, eight-page reproduction of our paper—with a cool cover and her own illustrations designed around her cover letter and job history. This outof-the-box application was handed to me and I asked if the designer was still here. She’d just left. I ran out the front door and down University Avenue to catch her. She was, indeed, a great catch.

There’s not enough room to thank every one of our writers—staff and freelance—with a personal message. They’ve all offered their support to the cause of continuing the great tradition built when CityBeat was born.

This little-alt-weekly-that-could is a rare and eclectic bastion of journalism and opinion. We work blue, and that’s something I had to get used to. We do call bullshit. But, truly, I appreciate everyone who has sent words of encouragement.

And seriously, thanks for the doubt and the reservation. It didn’t kill me, so I guess it made me a little stronger.

Happy holidays.

—Ron Donoho

Write to rond@sdcitybeat.com

This issue of CityBeat is dedicated to contestants on future episodes of Family Feud who have to trust Steve Harvey.

Volume 14 • Issue 20 Editor Ron Donoho Music Editor Jeff Terich Arts Editor Seth Combs Web Editor Ryan Bradford Art director Carolyn Ramos editorial assistant Torrey Bailey Columnists Aaryn Belfer, Edwin Decker John R. Lamb, Alex Zaragoza

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

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

editorial Intern Nancy Kirk

Vice President of Finance Michael Nagami

Production Manager Tristan Whitehouse

Vice President of Operations David Comden

MultiMedia Advertising Director Paulina Porter-Tapia

Publisher Kevin Hellman

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

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 2015.

4 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

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December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 5

Up Front | Letters

HIDDEN HOMELESS Regarding “A homeless shelter shell game” from the Dec. 9 issue, we do have less than half the shelter beds of any of the past five years, 250 beds instead of 350 + 250 = 600.

As far as the total number of homeless, though, the “official count” does not consider how good at hiding the San Diego homeless are. In eight years, I was found twice, cited once and counted only once, total. The fake “official count” has certain political, budgetary and operating procedures that make it a joke. Homelessness in San Diego has more than doubled the past three years, but resources to handle it have not. The count uses no experienced homeless to find anyone. It is a fake, manipulated, public relations tool used to assign federal grant money to the nonprofits, based upon only the most-visible homeless, and not taking into account their percentage of the population.

The count fails to find at least 20,000 well-hidden homeless, plus at least 10,000 in sex-housing and similar, plus it is the percentage of population, and not any “total” numbers that make San Diego “America’s Homeless City.” Look at homeless as a percentage of population, plus look at all of the different types of homeless, not just those un-housed and in the middle of the sidewalk.

Technology causes homelessness by having work done by machines, and it cre-

ates far fewer jobs than it eliminates. Plus, most new jobs do not pay enough to pay rent in San Diego, either. You either make enough cash to pay rent, or you are homeless. Is that a difficult concept? Making all this about drugs, alcohol, mental illness, criminal records and all that nonsense is ridiculous.

Good story, though, as the media rarely touches on problems that the city creates.

Jim Varnadore, City Heights

On the

Cover

Dr. John Kitchin, San Diego Homeless News

WHITHER LEFTIST PROGRESS? As we read the analysis in the Oct. 21 issue [“Lefties remain optimistic, for now”], and we re-read the cover story of the May 30, 2012, issue and note the several emails I’ve sent you, it’s clear that not much has improved among progressives in San Diego from then to now. The gripes then are the gripes now; the cures then are the cures now. Despite a healthy registration advantage the left [had trouble finding] a candidate to run against the mayor and might even lose its majority on the city council. Politics on the left in San Diego looks a lot like the politics on the right nationally—unable to agree on the time of day even while looking at the same clock.

Your 2012 article predicted improvement in leftist politics as wave after wave of young progressives were trained on the

6 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

ins and outs of local politics, elections and governance. Your recent article details 40 months of failure.

we want

feedback

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

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

Letters to Santa (starting on page 16) is an annual satirical tradition here. With features that repeat from year to year you want to add a little style differentiation. For this holiday cover, art director Carolyn Ramos enlisted the help of artisan Ethos One (his real name is Herschel Arcelao, see story, page 20).

That’s his lettering on the brick wall behind Ramos’ smoke-breaking Santa. “I think every good designer is in love with typography, whether they’re making their own type out of tangible material or illustrations, or learning calligraphy,” says Ramos. “Then there are artists who develop their own handstyles, and Ethos One is one of those people.” We’re happy to deliver the letters.

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Up Front | news

Who likes the GOP on Facebook?

Local Republican Party’s follower numbers are unusually high

by Ken Stone

P

resident Eisenhower came and went too soon.

His 1950s campaign slogan would have been perfect for Facebook: “I Like Ike.” But who knows what the Supreme Allied commander would have made of today’s San Diego County Republican Party? First its chairman gets Twitter-tossed for creating fake Democratic accounts. Now flags are being raised about his party’s Facebook page.

Like, are those likes for real?

Some suspect thousands were bought—and are bogus.

On Nov. 13, the county GOP page boasted 24,410 likes—with the leading country of followers being the Philippines. On Dec. 15, it was 24,420. By comparison, the Orange County GOP Facebook page has 4,355 likes, Riverside 1,150 and Los Angeles County

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The San Diego County GOP page on Facebook outpaces the state’s page.

1,359. The San Diego GOP also kicks butt on Kansas GOP (15,764) and Nevada (2,233).

More telling is the “People Talking About This” metric—a seven-day count of page comments, items shared or tagged and other interactions. In midDecember, it was 78—about threetenths of 1 percent of followers.

Not good.

Asked how his page got 24,000 followers, San Diego County GOP executive director T.J. Zane said, “With a lot of diligence.”

Does that include buying likes from a commercial service?

“Negative,” he said in a phone interview. San Diego’s vast superiority over other local sites is because “we’re a lot better than them.”

Zane said Sage Naumann, the local GOP’s digital manager, wasn’t the only one who deserves

credit since “it’s a cumulative effect of a number of people over the years.”

Naumann, the young social media manager for county Republicans, has a checkered past on Facebook. In 2014, on the eve of the November elections, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported how Carlsbad school board candidate Naumann, then 19, posted images five years earlier on Facebook showing him, at Halloween time, wearing a German military uniform and commenting: “Sad Natsi [sic] mourns the loss of ze Fuhrer” and “Angry German waiting for candy.” Even The Daily Mail in London had the story. Naumann said he regretted the youthful indiscretion.

That aside, experts aren’t so sure about the validity of the GOP’s likes.

“Yes, the evidence…does show they are very likely buying likes,” said Holly Berkley, an Internet marketing consultant and author who once taught at San Diego State University. “First off, whoever is buying the likes for them has it open to way too large of an audience (top likes are from the Philippines?)”

Buying Facebook likes can be a great way to gain exposure, she says, but it has to be done the right way.

“You have to select targeted groups (for example, people who live in San Diego and may already be connected to another Republican group or cause),” Berkley says. “When people buy likes and open it up to everyone on Facebook, that is when the fake likes roll in and really hurt your page credibility and engagement.”

Facebook’s algorithm, which distributes posts to news feeds, punishes low-engagement pages.

San Diego State University lecturer Kevin Popovic, who this year was named the No. 14 “digital strategist” nationally by the Online Marketing Institute, says basic Facebook strategy is to promote a fan page. He’s fine with buying followers.

“Organic takes a long time; paid decreases the time for adoption,” he said. “Investing in promoting your page to an audience that may have self-determined interests, like adding ‘Republican’ to their Facebook profile, is just good communication strategy. Offer them what they want.”

But the use of fake followers rankles the likes of Kris Eitland, recent president of the San Diego Press Club.

“Of course it’s unethical to buy likes,” Eitland said via Facebook chat. “But people are sheep. We respond to ads and buzz. In addition, buying likes is par with buying positive restaurant and [business] reviews. Right? Rotten, but it works and it’s cheap.”

Even with the burning odor, demonstrating that the county GOP is cooking the books is tough.

“It sounds like there’s some smoke there, but proving the fire will be difficult,” said Martin

Beck, social media reporter for Search Engine Land.

“I’m not aware of any way to pin down whether a page has bought likes. The fact that not many people are engaging with the page isn’t enough to make that conclusion. Plenty of pages with a high number of real likes have bad engagement for various reasons, including posting stuff that’s not very interesting to people.”

Officially, Facebook frowns on like farms, even shutting down fake Facebook accounts created for the “liking” business. But Mark Zuckerberg’s behemoth can’t keep up.

The sky-high like count also raised the eyebrows of Mary Moran, a former Republican and spokesperson for the religious right and other causes.

“This alleged purchasing of FB likes by the SD GOP does not surprise me one bit,” she said via email.

“These figures indicate a strong [aversion] to what the R Party represents—or no longer represents, conservatism. Personally, I left the party in 2013 after many years of activism with them. Why did I leave? Because essentially they left me, my conservative values, when they became moderate.”

She says thousands of “true conservatives” have left the Republican Party. Perhaps they forgot to unfollow on Facebook?

Francine Busby, the county Democratic Party chairwoman, says she’s been leery of the GOP likes: “We monitor the engagement of pages similar to ours, and there have been red flags in the past.”

She calls the likelihood of fake likes a sign that GOP management is “either disengaged in its outreach to San Diegans, or has greenlighted a form of fraud—or both.”

Busby says local Dems don’t buy likes—although “we do occasionally pay to promote posts or our page, but that’s a social media management norm.”

Facebook-gate, this is not.

Still, Busby says, “It seems silly, but the real question is: If they are willing to lie about something so trivial, what else are they lying about?”

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 7

Up Front | opinion

John R. Lamb

spin

john r. lamb

cycle What’s the holiday season without contorted Christmas carols?

T

he premise is simple. As you read the following contorted Christmas carols, hum the originals. Do it internally, or belt it out loud. Sing these to your fellow transit travelers or regale your lunch companion. Just sing. Sing these songs…

El Niño (sung to “Let It Snow”) Well, the weather folks sure are frightful Forecasts truth, or merely trifle?

Flip a coin, San Diego Will you show or just blow, El Niño?

Shit doesn’t show signs of stopping Well-coiffed heads stop short of popping Skirts are rarely hemmed down too low Ratings show it’s boffo, El Niño

When the “cats and dogs” finally come, How they’ll hate going out in the storm Day-Glo raingear looks really dumb If the forecasts underperform!

Ponds and lakes are slowly drying, “Climate change!” so many crying, But Republicans still say no, Let cash flow, oh Koch bro, El Niño!

Little Bummer Boy (sung to “Little Drummer Boy”) “Run, dey told me,” Trump coos on the stump “Dis racist SOB?” Trump struts a thumb pump Red baseball cap in ring? Trump hair takes a jump “I REALLY AM DA KING!” Trump media bump Trump lips go plump Trump just won’t slump Doctor pal says he’s trim, no toxic-waste dump “Stay out if you’re Muslim!” Trump proves he’s a chump Mentally he’s unhinged, Trump talks like a grump Lady Liberty cringed, Trump just being Trump Trump kiss my rump Trump wins I’ll jump To a new Trumpless land, Trump fans will not clump Me and no Trump Silver Bolts (sung to “Silver Bells”) City sidewalks, busted sidewalks

But the mayor meanwhile Fixes glare squarely right at Dean Spanos Foes are laughing, Bolts are passing, Greeting smile after smile, And on each cracked street corner you’ll hear Silver Bolts (Oakland jolts), silly dolts It’s ransom time in the city Bring the bling (ring a ling) Or we’ll fling (a sure thing?)

50-plus years down the drain!

Carson beckons, Faulconer reckons That it’s all a big bluff As the mayor jumps In with bond treasures Hear the toes crunch Nixing Kev’s hunch NFL hearts will swoon And above all this hustle you’ll hear Silver Bolts (miming Colts), fan revolts It’s moving time in the city Here’s the thing (ding a ling) It won’t swing (here’s the zing) Fans in to see a shit show. (Bolts blow!)

Silent Knight (sung to “Silent Night”) Silent knight, Zimmerman’s plight All’s not calm, video fight Shelley’s instance of media fail Has her running with legs hiding tail Prosecution yells, “Noise!”

Judge wags a finger, “Boys, boys…”

Media cite, their perfect right To the balm, ratings might Pressurized pols tweet their crisp white flags But an appeal could pose endless snags Jesus, what is it worth?

Are you afraid of scorched earth?

In foresight, perhaps a light Should come on, cams at night Inform the public who pay your way So we know who, how and why you slay Heaven knows your job’s not easy But darkness just makes us queasy.

Mayor, It’s Cold Outside (sung to “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”) I really can’t stay (Mayor, it’s cold outside) It’s a photo-op day (Mayor, don’t you backslide) The homeless have been (Hoping that you’d drop in)

8 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

“Lumps of coal for all of you!”—Mayor/Santa Kevin Faulconer So very nice (Your entourage was cold as ice) My handlers will start to worry (Is that a snowflake flurry?)

And frankly this is starting to bore (Nothing like yachting bayshore!)

No really, there’s a street to slurry (Meaning favors to curry) Well, maybe just one pose more (On a campaign mailer this’ll score!)

The neighbors might think (Mayor, it’s Dems out there) My refusal to link (Republicans don’t care) And to somehow kowtow (Kevin dear, why start right now?)

Ick, what’s that smell? (Can’t be that rosemary hair gel) I always say no, no, no sir (Re-election season moving closer) To sharing stages it hurts my pride (Yeah, that’ll work if you go statewide) I really can’t say (Oh Kevin, you’re such a Boy Scout) Mayor, it’s cold outside!

O Little Climate Action Plan (sung to “O Little Town of Bethlehem”) O little Climate Action Plan, on shelves we see thee lie Pols checked you off their To Do lists, and now you’ll surely die Yet in the small print shineth the mandates that give might To hopes that breathing clean air some day won’t stir up a fight.

O media trumpets blaring, the plan rises above, While others sleep, the city reaps, and gives the world a shove.

The mayor brought together the folks who shared his mirth, “My landmark legislation just saved good Mother Earth!”

But silently, how silently, some others aren’t convinced, That San Diego can avoid a plan that won’t get minced.

Dark forces may be coming, to chuck it in the bin But will brave souls stand up for it or take it on the chin?

O holy Climate Action Plan, we hope that you will stay

And suspects usually armed for bear will fear to shout, “Doomsday!”

But should deniers surface, then lawyers ring a bell, “Don’t make a fuss, we won’t discuss, you all can go to hell!”

NRA is Gunning You Down (sung to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”) You better head out You better just buy Bullets no doubt An eye for an eye NRA is gunning you down He’s got a checklist Of political mice He can roll out For a cheap asking price NRA is gunning you down He claims it’s all peace keeping, Like handing out fruitcake Just separate the bad from good And arm the good for goodness sake!

Ohh! You better not spout A passive reply He’ll simply break out One lie after lie NRA is gunning you down Don’t you question this packin’ clown NRA means Nuts’ Rights Abound!

Putin the Red-Nosed Reign Dear (sung to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”) Putin the red-nosed reign dear Had a very wanted nose And if John Kasich saw it A fist to it’s what he’d propose All of John’s rival statesmen Simply laughed at John’s polling They wouldn’t let poor Putin Endure such weak trolling “I’d shoot down their frickin’ MiGs!” Christie came to say Rand Paul jumped and took a bite, “Starting World War III tonight?”

Then all the entrants shoved him And they shouted out with glee, “Putin the red-nosed reign dear, Aren’t we all so gutsy!”

Spin Cycle appears every week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

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Up Front | Opinion

Aaryn Belfer

Backwards & in

high heels

A love letter to my husband, on our anniversary

O

n the morning after I stayed at my thenboyfriend-now-husband’s house for the first time, he made me breakfast. Dexter Gordon’s “I’m a Fool to Want You” was playing. I sipped freshly squeezed orange juice at a kitchen table overlooking the home’s tropical backyard.

Sam boiled water, sliced fruit and toasted whole grain bread made by a likeable, couch-surfing, wanderlusting friend named Keith, but whom everyone called Dude. Sam moved expertly and deliberately doing several things at once, and made me the best cup of coffee I’d ever had using a French press.

That was in 1997. My whole coffee-drinking life to that point had included Yuban stored in the refrigerator and automated coffee makers with timers to be set before going to bed.

The French press required a different, immediate kind of effort. I watched the steam rise as Sam poured the boiling water over the beans he’d just ground.

He pushed the plunger down halfway at first, then all the way after a few minutes of letting it steep. He added cream and a little turbinado sugar to mine and served it to me at the table. The whole thing was cinematic, and though it would be another year before I said it out loud, I fell in love that morning, watching from my spot in the sunlight.

This is the moment I thought of 18 years later after our fifth grader realized at 9 p.m. last Wednesday night that she’d lost her pencil case at school. That pencil case had a thumb drive in it, and that thumb drive had a two-month project on it, a project she was due to present the following day. I hardly need to say what happened next—the furrowed brow, the trying to hold back tears, the rush to the computer only to realize the most recent version saved there was half-completed. Despair doesn’t begin to describe the situation.

Lo, the unadorned grief of a heartbroken child.

My small person cried an ocean that evening and no amount of consoling could stop it.

Still, I tried. I hugged her and stroked her, whispering that all would be okay, that she wasn’t alone, that I would help her reconstruct the project. Meanwhile, my husband—who is too frequently my business partner in the corporation known as Parenting Inc.—trudged down to the school (huge bonus to living one block away) to see if any of the custodians might still be on campus. It should be noted that I’d immediately declared that idea ridiculous.

Did you know that school custodians keep very late hours? Parents: See them. Know their names.

Say thank you.

So there I was, holding the entire weight of our knee-buckled child in my arms, my silk shirt reduced to an oversized tissue for her tears and snot, when my phone ding-dinged. “I got it!” read the text, followed by several party-hat-and-confetti emojis. Upon seeing that, our child flung herself to the ground in relief.

“Dad of the Year!” I typed back. “Your daddy is a hero, Ruby,” I said to her.

In this, a most mundane and domesticated moment of our partnership—and there are lots of those, believe me—I experienced an unexpected and breathtaking surge of love for this man I’ve known for almost two decades. The feeling was not unlike the falling-in-love days of our love, the kind we started out with but which, as hard as we try and with every passing day, isn’t as accessible as I would like it to be.

For longtime love is twisty and turny in ways you can never anticipate. There are missteps and choices and injuries and sleights that for some are beyond repair. Old love can include hate at times; or at least a very discernable dislike. Then there are placeholders of apathy and boredom, which can drone on if you let them. And for those of us with kids, it is deceptively easy to put all the focus and energy into them only to turn around and wonder: Is this all there is?

Sam and I have had our share of all of this to some degree over the years. We’ve loved and loathed and fought and laughed and wept and fallen apart and— miraculously—come back together again. There has been a lot of forgiveness and letting go and evolution; of freedom, understanding and support. And for me, growing in love has necessitated a letting-go when at a certain age I understood very clearly that so many firsts were behind me. Even as there are others to still be had, the nostalgia for what once was threatened to overshadow future possibilities.

Witnessing my husband be an outstanding father during the Thumb Drive Incident brought me to a deeper place in my marriage. It was remarkable. Just like in the beginning with the French press coffee, it seems those little things are the biggest, bearing out the most lasting impact. And while we’re not exactly breaking any records with our 14-year marriage, I feel like we have accomplished something. I’m so grateful for all of it.

“

For longtime

love is twisty and turny in

ways you can never

“

anticipate.

#SDCityBeat

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

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 9

Up Front | Food

by michael a. gardiner

the world

Michael A. Gardiner

fare

Make Taco makes great tacos

E

very culture has its street food. From Middle Eastern shawarma and kabobs to Jamaican jerk chicken and even American fast food, tasty calories with consistent menus and consistent quality are the roadside rule, not the exception. How they get there varies. That they get there rarely does.

In Baja, two of the most common forms of street food are fish taco joints and mariscos stands. Their menus rarely surprise. That is where Make Taco (Mar del Norte 552, 22710 Rosarito, Baja California) stands out. It’s not exactly a mariscos stand, although mariscos are here. It’s not exactly a taco shop, though most of the offerings are tacos. Make Taco bends the rules, the expectations and—at times—the seafood taco genre.

What you don’t get at Make Taco is the stereotypical deep-fried fish taco that Rubios does as well as many in Baja. What you can get at Make Taco is a brilliant machaca de marlin taco. Smoked marlin, shredded machaca style, some chopped onion and chiles fill a corn tortilla with little adornment and powerhouse flavor. It is a smoky, savory bomb of huge proportions. Simple, yes, but it doesn’t taste that way.

The pulpo estofado taco was completely different and equally delicious. The octopus is unbelievably tender and meaty, with chunks of octopus tentacles stewed in a brew of guajillo chile, olives, onions, sweet peppers and corn and served in a soft white corn tortilla. It has the feeling of an old family recipe or the stuff fisherman do when they save the best of the catch for themselves.

It wasn’t the use of manta ray that was the real surprise, but rather the ingredients the ray was cooked with: tomatillo, jalapeno, onion and pota-

10 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

Make Taco to. The bright acidity of the tomatillo contrasted with the earthiness of the potato, and the texture of that potato contrasted nicely with the ray. The dish’s composition was both sophisticated and unexpected.

Ceviche de camaron (shrimp ceviche) may not be Make Taco’s most creative dish but it is one of its most delicious. While shrimp ceviche tends to be made with poached Michael A. Gardiner shrimp, at least on this side of the border, Make Taco’s starts raw. The only “cooking” the shrimp receive is from the lime juice. The result is a fresher, lighter ceviche. It is a point framed nicely by the classic accompaniments: cucumber, tomato, red onion and slices of avocado.

While some of these dishes seem to be fixtures Ceviche de camaron on the Make Taco menu, that menu changes daily.

You can count on machaca de marlin and ceviche, but don’t come looking for white menudo on a weekday, and don’t bet heavily on finding manta ray on any particular day. The menu is guided by freshness and availability of ingredients and Eduardo Garcia’s imagination.

And that is what makes Make Taco so unusual. It’s not a matter of rolling out the Baja taco top 10, tasty and dependable as that may be. It’s a matter of the genuine warmth that is the promise of street food done up as a high-wire street food act without a net.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | Food

by jenny montgomery jenny montgomery

north

fork Taste of the islands

I

n my house, one of our annual Christmas traditions is watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. And as I’m writing this, Clark Griswold is looking out the window, fantasizing about the swimming pool he hopes to build with his Christmas bonus. As he imagines seeing his family frolic in the pool, as well as the sexy shop girl stripping out of her bathing suit, Don Ho croons “Mele Kalikimaka.”

Some people don’t think it’s Christmas without a snow-covered, Currier & Ives landscape, but I love the blue-sky charm those of us in warmer climates get to enjoy, and that scene always reminds me of how much I love winter in SoCal. And it also makes me crave Hawaiian food.

Head to the beach in Leucadia now, while the weather is crisp, and enjoy minimal tourist traffic, sparkling water and a brand new place to eat. The Lanai (1114 N. Coast Hwy 101) brings the flavors of Hawaii to a little patio on the highway.

Poisson Cru The Lanai, which has been open for just about a month, is a small place with big flavors. Sandwiches, rice bowls and classic Hawaiian plate lunches are served from Tuesday through Saturday. But my favorite treats to dig into are the poke bowls. The House bowl is pretty basic, with soy sauce, sweet onion, togarashi and Hawaiian sea salt. I really loved the Poisson Cru, a pile of

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Mango cheesecake quivering pink cubes of ahi soaked in coconut milk and lime juice and tossed with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. Fun bits of crunch come in the form of some funky little veggie chips, puffy white disks of salty yumminess.

The traditional plate lunch does not disappoint. It’s hard to resist a healthy serving of kalua pork, but you can also go for a burger patty, teriyaki chicken, chicken katsu or the fresh catch of the day. I love the simplicity of kalua pork, tender as tissue and melting in your mouth after being cooked for hours in its happy, green ti leaf wrapping. Douse the pork in sweet, warm teriyaki sauce or try it with a creamy miso dressing that has a nutty and unexpected warmth. The miso sauce is also terrific with the fresh fish. If you’re not feeling like pork, go for the catch of the day.

A giant piece of mahi-mahi is a great anchor for your side of mac salad. And speaking of macaroni, this creamy side dish has a bit of a spicy kick; a nice twist on the usual sweet and gloppy mess.

I’m already planning on going back to check out the Loco Moco. This sandwich is made up of a burger patty, two fried eggs and onion gravy.

Because after the holidays, everyone needs more gravy.

The rice bowls change daily, as do the desserts. If the mango cheesecake is there, grab a slice, although the accompanying scoops of coconut pineapple ice cream are the real sweet showstoppers.

Bon appétit and Mele Kelikimaka!

North Fork appears every other week.

Write to jennym@sdcitybeat.com

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 11

Up Front | Drink

final

by beth demmon

draught A San Diego brewery tour under one roof

I

like to wait a few weeks before visiting newly pecting much, solely based on its graffiti-styled opened beer spots. That way, they at least have branding, but the creamy 6.2 percent sweet stout a sporting chance to get everything sorted out offered a hefty explosion of robust chocolate and before I cast judgment upon them, with little- coffee with the perfect amount of luscious mouthto-no hope of me ever changing my mind. In the feel. I’ve never been so happy to be wrong, and it case of Hillcrest’s The Brew Project (3683 Fifth just goes to show that you really can’t judge a beer Ave.) it was about a month after Opening Day by its label. when I took the “San Diego brewery tour under Unfortunately, when followed by Colemans one roof.”

Stout on nitro (4.8 percent ABV) from Half Door Offering an extensive Beth Demmon Brewing Company (903 overview of the San DiIsland Ave.), the selfego beer scene is a lofty proclaimed “light body” goal, but my inaugural Irish stout was practicalvisit started off right ly nonexistent. Nice color with one of the sharpest for a stout, but its thin flahostesses I’ve ever come vor left me wanting much across. She was followed more. by a server so on top If you’ve been jonesof her game that when ing for that great new beer she overheard me menrelease from a brewery tion that I had yet to try across the county, chancStone Brewing Comes are The Brew Project pany’s 24 Carrot Golden has it—and probably 10 Ale, a taster of it arrived more than you don’t even in front of me within a know about yet. Once you minute. arrive, you’ll have your The Brew Project’s pick of an outdoor parobust draft list ensures tio, second-story lounge there are always plenty (available for private parof local beers to choose ties) or bar area in which from. Owner and resito settle back and knock dent beer expert Beau back a few.

Schmitt makes sure that With almost 30 taps Stone’s 24 Carrot Golden Ale and at least two lines are aland 100 percent local 2Kids Brewing’s Winning Chocolate Stout ways dedicated to nitro, beer, it’s hard to believe and the list is even kept up to date in real time via no one has pulled off this exclusively local-centric its Facebook Live Beer List. concept before. If you’re looking for a decently When visiting The Brew Project, your best priced, extensive local beer selection with good bet is to focus on breweries you haven’t tried yet. food, comfortable indoor/outdoor seating, big Considering the rate of new breweries opening by screen TVs tuned on sports, an online bottle shop the day, even seasoned beer drinkers are sure to and a revolving list of taps curated by a craft beer find a few new to their palate. expert, The Brew Project fits the bill.

For me, that was Winning Chocolate Stout by 2Kids Brewing Company (8680 Miralani Drive, Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or follow her #123). If I’m being totally honest, I wasn’t ex- on Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

12 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

#SDCityBeat

Up Front | technology

by tom siebert

all things

tech

Collateral damage in the Uber/Lyft war

W

hen I need a ride-share service, I’ve been loath to use Uber since November of last year, when one of its senior executives arrogantly told a few journalists the company was considering hiring opposition researches to dig up dirt on its media critics.

The guy seemed like quite the piece of work, so even though I had no reason beyond common curiosity, I started digging into Uber Senior Vice President Emil Michael, who not only made the general threat to all reporters, but singled out PandoDaily’s Sarah Lacey as a specific target for spreading presumably embarrassing details of her personal life.

But Emil Michael, it turned out, isn’t just a vindictive guy in Uber’s executive suite, he’s an advisor to the Pentagon’s Defense Business Board.

Prior to that, he was a special assistant to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, under the (first?) Clinton Administration.

You can make of that what you will, but what I made of it was that Uber is not a company I want to support if I can help it.

So I started using Lyft, the Pepsi to Uber’s Coke, the Avis to its Hertz. And my experience had been perfect…until last week. And while I don’t have all the answers to what went down, it was suspicious enough that I just want to toss a bunch of facts your way and—like what you might make of Mr. Michael—you can decide for yourself.

Last Thursday, I needed a ride to the airport for a flight to New York City. I summoned Lyft.

Be there in six minutes. In five minutes, I’m alerted the driver, Tyler, is parked in front of my house. He’s not.

So I call Tyler through the Lyft app. He assures me he’s in front of my place, though he clearly isn’t. Then he tells me he’s on 33rd Street, a block east of me. I have no idea how this is possible. My app clearly displays I live on Bancroft, which runs parallel. The app also clearly displays he’s a block away on 33rd.

Tyler says he’ll be right there and starts driving…but the wrong way. He keeps going the wrong way as we’re on the phone. I say to him, “Dude, what, you don’t have GPS? I am going to be pissed if I miss my flight because of this!”

Tyler hangs up on me. I call back three times.

Nobody picks up. At that point I call Uber but they can’t get there in time.

Ultimately, I’m forced to drive to the airport, where I park in short-term parking, costing me $180. On my drive to the airport, I get a text that Tyler has cancelled. I made my flight, but it was close.

On my flight, fuming, I was left to wonder: How could Tyler possibly have ended up on 33rd Street instead of Bancroft Street? GPS made it pretty clear exactly where I was.

Is it possible Uber (or other services) has moles in Lyft to undermine its customer experience? There has been much reporting about

#SDCityBeat

Uber’s subterfuge to sabotage its competitors, Lyft particularly.

When I got back to San Diego, I called a couple GPS experts around town to see if Tyler’s problem that became my problem was an honest mistake, or signs of something much bigger.

“We’ve evaluated various off-brand thirdparty navigation and mapping apps in the past, and many of them were inaccurate in finding addresses as well as navigation,” says Yukon Palmer, chief service promoter at FieldLogix, San Diego’s Green GPS Fleet Management Solution.

“It could be the map used to display your address for the driver was inaccurate, or didn’t contain your exact address,” Palmer says. “Perhaps it used a ‘best guess’ method to determine your location.”

According to a Lyft representative, drivers have three options to choose from for their default navigation app: Google maps, Waze or Apple maps. The rep wrote that “in some cases, when an address is entered by a passenger, Google maps will sometimes place the pin directly on top of the property, rather than at the front entrance.

This can cause the GPS to navigate to the wrong side of the property.”

The wrong side of my property is an unnamed back alley, while Tyler told me he was on 33rd street. Moreover, nobody from Lyft had ever had that problem before, and my Lyft app showed everything exactly in the right place. But Palmer was gracious and diplomatic, not to mention further up the food chain, so I then sought out somebody else.

“I think it’s not a tech thing, I think it’s a competence thing,” says Roman Leon, who works in tech support at GPS International Technologies.

“If you can see where you are on your phone, then they should be able to see it.”

So are we talking about a dumb driver or an intentionally incompetent one? I know for a fact that practically every Lyft driver who’s picked me up also drives for Uber. Every single one of them has told me Lyft treats its drivers better.

We also know from earlier reporting in The Verge, and elsewhere, that Uber has worked hard to make Lyft look bad by calling and canceling rides, and even developing a strategic campaign called Operation SLOG to destroy Lyft’s reputation with customers.

The American military and intelligence, meanwhile, has long history, from Operation Mockingbird to Operation Gladio and many other clandestine operations both known and surely still unknown, to infiltrate opponents and take them down from the inside.

Could a guy like Emil Michael strategize such things, with his military background and consulting gig with the Pentagon? Not for me to say, but if so, the guy owes me 180 bucks.

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 13

EVENTS

SHORTlist

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

SETH COMBS

MIDDLETOWN

1 OUT OF EXILE

In a way, the holiday spirit has always America), Patrick Dennis (Wirepony, Truckee been behind Exile on Kettner Blvd., Brothers), Gary Shuffler (Ziggy Shuffledust) and The Casbah’s (2501 Kettner Blvd.) yearly holiday singer-songwriter Steve Poltz. As always, there show featuring a host of notable local musicians will be surprise guests and old friends dragged covering Rolling Stones songs. Started more than 20 up on stage to sit in on a Stones jam. It’s also years ago, El Monte Slim guitarist Joe Camacho says worth showing up early to see local fuzz-rockers ROSEMARY BYSTRAK burn through a set of Exile was started for reacovers of soul and R&B sons commensurate with classics. the spirit of the season.

“It’s funny, one day “The great thing I was sitting in an HR about this show is that office at this new job,” there are people who Camacho says, “and this only come to The Caswoman who had just bah once a year and it’s been hired the same day Christmas Eve just to see as me looked at me and this show,” says Camasaid, ‘I know you from cho, who has been insomewhere. You do that volved since the night’s Rolling Stones cover beginning and took the night every Christmas.’ reins in organizing the musicians and set lists Romy Kaye and Mario Escovedo I said yes and she said, ‘Wow, that’s so cool. I met this year. “You have friends that grew up here who moved away and my husband at that show.’ I thought that was cool they’ll come back to see their families, but they’ll and just shows how it’s an institution. It’s nice to always make it out to this show and that’s the only work on something that’s so much fun for people.”

This year’s Exile on Kettner Blvd. happens time of year you get to see them.”

This year’s performers include Andrew Thursday, Dec. 24, at 9 p.m. and the cover at the McKeag (The Presidents of the United States of door is $5. casbahmusic.com

GASLAMP QUARTER

2 DOUG IT UP

With the holiday movie apocalypse upon us and award season just around the corner, movie-goers might be scouring the ’net looking up reviews and asking friends for their opinions on what to see. Luckily, the weekly Doug Loves Movies podcast has been keeping it real with listeners for nearly a decade. Hosted by comedian Doug Benson and featuring notable stand-ups, the podcast is recorded in front of a live audience and includes the comics participating in bits like “How Much Did That Shit Make?,” “Whose Tagline is it Anyway,” and “F, Marry, Kill: Movies.” The smack talk goes down at American Comedy Co. (818 B 6th Ave.) on Sunday, Dec. 27 at 4:20 p.m.

Tickets are $18 and as if it wasn’t obvious by the start time, Benson also really likes weed. americancomedyco.com

14 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

DOWNTOWN

3 NUTS ABOUT CHRISTMAS

Is it Christmas if sugar plum fairies aren’t pointing and flexing their twinkle toes across a stage? Catch The San Diego Ballet’s Nutcracker to ensure all sickly sweet Christmas traditions are accounted for this year. At 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 26, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 27, more than 100 performers from China, Japan, Russia, South Africa and Mexico will put on Tchaikovsky’s classic, which the ballet has performed for 26 years. Some ballerinas-in-training from the San Diego School of Ballet will also be prancing across the stage. To persuade the grinch of the group, be sure to mention Jacobs Music Center at Copley Symphony Hall (705 B St.) carries a full bar to soften the blow of its full-sized organ. Tickets range from $20 to $100. sandiegoballetdancecompany.org

COURTESY OF AMERICAN COMEDY CO.

MANUEL ROTENBURG

Doug Loves Movies

San Diego Ballet’s Nutcracker

#SDCityBeat

A

sking Santa Claus for gifts and presents for Christmas is a timehonored, commercial tradition. As one presidential candidate would note, “It’s huge!” Around the holidays, however, the U.S. Postal Service gets overwhelmed and sometimes Santa’s mail gets delivered to our office. To make sure word gets to the North Pole in time we’re skipping postage costs and printing these letters originally intended for St. Nick’s mailbox.

you’ll find it a little more difficult to get into this country. I heard you don’t have a birth certificate? Oh, that’s too bad. Neither does Obama, but I think that come January 2017, you’ll find that it’ll be a little harder to get a visa once you hit the Canadian border. And don’t think you’ll be able to sneak in through Mexico. I’m gonna have a wall there so big you’ll be able to see it from the North Pole. You can just stay there with the rapists and murderers.

So here’s the deal, Claus: Back off and I’ll let you keep coming in to leave fresh wigs and bankruptcy lawyers under my tree. If not, well, I’LL BOMB THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!!!

Also, you look like Rosie O’Donnell with a beard.

Politicians Hey Santa:

DEAR SANTA:

First off, thanks again for the satellite TV upgrade for the KEV (Kevin Entertainment Vehicle) last year. Yeah, I know I credited the police chief for that little perk.

My bad, but we polled telling the truth and, yadda yadda, thumbs down on the Christmas Miracle pitch. That’s politics!

So what’s this about you raising the North Pole elves’ pay to 15 bucks an hour?

Are you chestnuts? How do you keep your ice hoteliers, sled-club pals and sports teams jolly with behavior like that? Look, you’re my mentor: the constant smiling, the positive messaging, the shopping-mall appearances…I even play you once a year at my sister’s school, for Kringle’s sake! So why do the Grinches still call me bland, a credit hog, a seeker of political cover?

Regarding this year’s gift, I remain undecided. My Task Force on Mayoral Gift Priorities continues to deliberate. Expect a decision no later than June.

I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THAT YOU CAN DELIVER PRESENTS ONLY ONE DAY OUT OF THE YEAR. UNACCEPTABLE! WHEN I’M ELECTED PRESIDENT, WE WILL GET A CHRISTMAS EVERY MONTH. BUT IT WILL BE A SENSIBLE CHRISTMAS, AND WE WILL CALL IT BERNMAS TO MAKE IT INCLUSIVE TO ALL BELIEFS AND RELIGIONS. I DON’T WANT TO TELL YOU HOW TO DO YOUR JOB, BUT PERHAPS YOU COULD GIVE ALL THE KIDS AND BERNIE A PAIR OF SOCKS AND SOME CARGO SHORTS FOR BERNMAS. THE CARGO SHORTS JUST MAKE SENSE. I’M ALWAYS RUNNING OUT OF POCKETS.

THANK YOU,

BERNIE SANDERS

Ambiguously yours, Mayor Kevin Faulconer

Hey again, Santa: When I wrote you eight years ago there was just one gift request on my list: the keys to the White House. You delivered those to somebody else, and I’ve been a good soldier since. Now it’s my turn, big guy. I’ve softened the image and done my turns on Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show.

As you can see, I’m not sending you this note from the private server at home.

Wait. Is a letter to Santa classified material? I don’t think a sane individual would think so. But nobody ever accused the House of Representatives of sanity.

Deliver me access to the Oval Office.

Because, as my good friend Sen. Al Franken has led me to believe, I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and doggone it, people like me!

Hahaha,

Hillary Clinton

Dear Santa: I hope I’m doing this right (this is my first time sending a letter to the North Pole!). Anyhow, as you probably know, I suspended my campaign for President of the United States. I think we could all see it coming from a gigameter away. But I could still use your assistance in another way: To help bring the metric system to the U.S. I can feel it in every cubic milliliter of my being that this is the path forward for our country. I know you’re with me on this. You’ve been lugging kilograms of toys to children in Europe for a long time, and I think you’d agree it’s time we go the extra kilometer on this one.

I’m Lincoln Chafee and I appro…whoops, still getting used to not doing that,

Lincoln Chafee

Hey Loser: You’re taking a lot of the attention away from me right now and I need you to back off. I need all eyes on me right now.

I know every other President has given you a free pass in the past but you can bet your ass that when I’m in the Oval Office,

16 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

Sincerely, President Trump (Get used to saying it now, Fatboy!)

Dear Santa: I’m going to need you to invoke Santa confidentiality on this letter. If this gets out I’m toast. So here goes…when the 2016 elections are over I need to check into a sanitarium. Because that’s where I seem to have gotten all my GOP presidential candidates. And I’m losing my mind smiling and pretending these fruit loops spew anything close to coherent thought.

Look, I was named chairman of the Republican National Committee in 2011.

Like I could have predicted the star of The Celebrity Apprentice would be leading the polls right now? Where’d we get a neurosurgeon who seems to be sleepwalking? Did Chris Christie eat Bobby Jindal? Doesn’t anybody else notice Carly Fiorina’s hair is made of serpents? Did Ted Cruz say he would carpet bomb Syria, but only rain hell on terrorists and not civilians? Forget smart bombs—do we have genius bombs now?

Santa, this was supposed to be another Bush election cycle. Jeb! We were just going to roll him out onto the stage and watch the Koch brothers’ money do its magic. This was not the script. Does Southwest Airlines still do those Gotta Get Away fares? Does Timbuktu have nice funny farms? My mind is blown, baby. I’ve come to terms with my weird name, but I can’t handle this jinky primary race.

in light of the way the Spanos family shit all over me and my diehard bros. However, if the team bolts to Carson, can I have a cherry red Ferrari California T? I could whip up to Carson in those spiffy wheels. And that kinda car would really get the Spanos sons to notice me…

Super-charged,

Boltman Dear Santa!

I’m beyond thrilled! I feel like you already brought me my present when I got picked ahead of a bunch of older guys to be manager of the San Diego Padres. I’m sorry that Mr. Black and Mr. Murphy left the job this year. But it’s so cool to work for Mr. Dee and Mr. Preller. I know—I’m nearly the same age as Mr. Preller, but he’s the boss man. I am younger than just about every other manager in the major leagues.

I’m definitely younger than Mr. Roberts— and shorter too, ha—and I wish him bad luck when he’s managing the Dodgers when we play them here in Petco Park.

So, Santa, for Christmas I’d like the usual: a pony, a PlayStation, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, a new Spalding baseball glove and a complete set of Upper Deck 2015 MLB baseball cards. Oh, and a National League West pennant. But don’t forget the pony.

Dear Santa: From the moment I retired from basketball And started writing poetry I knew one thing was real: I rule at it.

It’s like regular writing But with more returns In basketball we call those turnovers In poetry, things can mean other things So Santa, this year All I want is a new pen and Moleskine To practice my poetry And maybe a couple words that rhyme with MVP

Aaaah, Reince Priebus

Sportsters Santa!

What’s an unofficial mascot to do when his team threatens to leave the city? I’ve reached out to the Simpsons creators to see if I can stand in on a couple episodes for DuffMan. But I know that’s not something you can make happen.

This may sound odd, but with the team’s future up in the air all I want for Christmas are two things. The first is a Costco-sized allotment of toilet paper. If the team somehow stays in San Diego, I’ll need lots of TP,

Your pal, Andy Green

I’ll always be the kid with mad game But now I’m learning what’s at stake In a world With no Kobetry (that’s Kobe + poetry)

Woefully, Kobe Bryant

Business Types Hey Big Guy, It’s been a bit of a tough year, being the new CEO of America’s most hated theme park and all. I’ve been putting on the nice

DEAR SANTA CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 #SDCityBeat

EVENTS ART

HOLIDAY EVENTS

HSignificant Others at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. An exhibition of eight San Diego artists making up four artist couples. Curated by Kara West, featured artists include Jean Lowe and Kim MacConnel; Jessica McCambly and John Oliver Lewis; Debby and Larry Kline; and Anna O’Cain and Richard Keely. From noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23. Free. 619-2365800, facebook.com/OnViewSDPL

Skating by the Sea at Hotel Del Coronado, 1500 Orange Ave., Coronado. Now in its 10th year, the outdoor ice rink on the Windsor Lawn features views of Coronado beach. Skating sessions will be offered and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Price includes skate rental. From 3:30 to 10 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 23 through January 3, 2015. $25. 800-468-3533, hoteldel.com

DITTO at Basic, 410 10th Ave., Downtown. An exhibition of fine art prints at affordable prices that includes digital, photography, block prints, woodcut and a variety of other mediums. From 7 p.m. to midnight. Tuesday, Dec. 29. Free. 619531-8869, thumbprintgallerysd.com

Dignity/SD’s LGBTQ-Friendly Christmas Eve Mass & Hot Cocoa Social at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St., Hillcrest. Dignity USA welcomes all to a LGBTQ-friendlyChristmas Eve mass. Includes a hot cocoa social after the mass. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24. Free. 619-298-9978, dignitysd.org

COMEDY

HGarden of Lights at San Diego Botanic Garden, 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. The San Diego Botanic Garden will be a winter wonderland with over 100,000 sparkling lights illuminating the Garden for a magical holiday experience. From 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 26 through Wednesday, Dec. 30. $6-$14. 760-4363036, SDBGarden.org

HDoug Loves Movies at The American Comedy Co., 818 6th Ave., Ste. #B, downtown. Join a live recording of Doug Benson’s weekly comedy podcast, where the comic discusses new and old films (and often makes fun of them) with help from celebrity guests. From 4:20 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 27. $18. 619-795-3858, americancomedyco.com Lights Out 35 at Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. A monthly stand-up and sketch comedy variety show featuring local and Hollywood comedians.

Performers include Jeffrey Berner, John Jorif and headliner Stuart Swanson. From 9 to 11 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28. Free. 619284-2848, https://facebook.com/LightsOut-Comedy-512741202121361/

DANCE The Nutcracker at Spreckels Theater, 121 Broadway, Downtown. City Ballet of San Diego’s award winning production of Tchaikovsky’s classic accompanied by the City Ballet Orchestra and Chorus.

At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23. $29$79. 619-235-9500, cityballet.org HFree Day of Dance at Dance Place San Diego, 2650 Truxtun Road, Point Loma.

Dance lovers of all ages and abilities are invited to tour the state-of-the-art dance facility, meet the instructors and to take sample classes during this annual event. From 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 26. Free.

619-225-1803, sandiegodancetheater.org HThe Nutcracker at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. The San Diego Ballet’s performance of this classic ballet features over 100 costumed dancers from China, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Mexico and the United States. At 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 26 and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 27. $20-$100. 619-235-0804, sandiegoballetdancecompany.org

#SDCityBeat

Kwanzaa Celebration at WorldBeat Center, 2100 Park Blvd., Balboa Park.

Four days of films, theater, music, dance, poetry and more in celebration of the African American holiday based around the “first fruits” harvest ceremonies in Africa.

From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 26 through Wednesday, Dec. 30. Free. 619230-1190, worldbeatcenter.org

MUSIC HThe Dave Koz and Friends Christmas at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. The Grammy nominated sax man and special guests perform jazzy takes on holiday classics, along with some of their own most popular songs. At 8 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 23. $32.50-$105. 619570-1100, sandiegotheatres.org

PERFORMANCE An American Christmas at U.S. Grant Hotel, 326 Broadway, Downtown. Lamb’s Players Theatre’s annual holiday production features music, dance, story and song, all woven throughout a four-course holiday meal. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23 and Saturday, Dec. 26. $112$168. 619-232-3121, lambsplayers.org

SPECIAL EVENTS San Diego Holiday Half Marathon at DoubleTree by Hilton Golf Resort, 14455 Penasquitos Dr., Rancho Penasquitos. A fast 13.1-mile course that starts in Rancho Penasquitos and finishes at Torrey

COURTESY OF DIVERSIONARY THEATER

Tanika Baptiste (left) and Cashae Monya in A Civil War Christmas

A not so merry Christmas revisited

C

hristmas Eve in 1864 is the setting for Paula Vogel’s A Civil War Christmas, onstage at Diversionary Theatre in University Heights through Jan. 3. When stacked up against most of the holiday-oriented fluff in San Diego theaters this month, this talky musical that originally premiered in 2008 is intellectually rigorous. But with the cast of nine on a bare stage, seated much of the time with open books containing the script in their possession, A Civil War Christmas for all its gravitas is in essence a twohour staged reading, with music.

Now there’s something to be said for that music, with not only the cast members but also

Pines State Beach. From 5 a.m. to noon.

Sunday, Dec. 27. $109. 858-672-9100, ww.sandiegoholidayhalf.com Bumble Bee Seafoods 5K Run/Walk at Harbor Drive and Ash Street, Downtown.

Athletes will run past 100,000 spectators just before the Big Bay Balloon Parade.

There’s also post-race party near Tuna Harbor Park with live music and lots of extra munchies including muffins, bagels, juice, fresh fruit and much more. At 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30. $30-$40. holidaybowl.com HPort of San Diego Holiday Bowl Parade at Downtown San Diego, North Harbor Drive, downtown. In conjunction with the Holiday Bowl, “America’s Largest Balloon Parade” is presented annually in the bayside streets of downtown San Diego. The parade features marching bands, floats, drill teams and balloons. At 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30. Free-$20. sandiegobowlgames.com

THEATER the sonorous Encore Vocal Ensemble behind the stage and a pianist and fiddler handling live accompaniment. The expected Christmas carols notwithstanding, the songs from the Civil War era that evoke the horrors of the war, the plight of the freed slaves and the desperate mood of the nation divided are rendered with spirit and solemnity.

When the music stops to tell the various intertwining stories of this night before Christmas the production flags. There are too many characters and subplots, for one thing, and for another some in the cast rely too heavily upon the script they’re holding. Others, it should be said, seem completely at ease. Taylor Henderson, as one of the freed slaves, sings beautifully and brings gentleness to the wartime atmosphere. Cashae Monya succeeds in multiple roles, including that of a child lost in Washington, D.C. Skyler Syllivan has the stature and projects the dignity of President Lincoln.

A Civil War Christmas would benefit from more animation on stage than merely actors sitting down, standing up and then sitting down again. What’s more, Wienerschnitzel Wiener Nationals at Harbor Drive and Ash Street, Downtown.

San Diego’s most skilled and talented dachshunds will compete in races, runway costume contests and other creative competitions at this annual event. At 9:30 a.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 30. holidaybowl.com

SPORTS HSan Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley. The Northern Illinois Huskies will play the Boise State Broncos in the 11th annual bowl game. At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23. $20-$80. poinsettiabowl.com National Funding Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium, 9449 Friars Road, Mission Valley. The USC Trojans take on the University of Wisconsin Badgers at the 38th annual college football bowl game. At 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 30. $45-$145. sandiegobowlgames.com

revisiting this important time in American history requires a youare-there sensation that goes beyond the songs of the time and the period clothing. Limited as the Diversionary space is, screen projections could have amped up the drama. Or something as simple as a map of the territory along either side of the Potomac River, a symbolic and very real dividing line, might have more vividly taken us back to a critical time in our history.

A Civil War Christmas runs through Jan. 3 at Diversionary Theatre in University Heights. $29-$51. diversionary.org

—David L. Coddon Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Rent: Based on Puccini’s La Bohème, this musical about young adults struggling to get by in New York City’s Lower East Side was a huge success on Broadway. Presented by California Youth Conservatory Theatre, it opens Dec. 26 at the Lyceum Theatre in the Gaslamp. cyctheatre.com For full theater listings, please visit “T heater ” at sdcitybeat.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Religions at Panera Bread, 2445 Truxton Rd., Point Loma. The Civilized Conversation Club discusses religion and the way it differs from cults. From 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 28. Free. civilizedconversation. wordpress.com

WORKSHOPS Katie Stevinson-Nollet Master Class Series at White Box Live Arts, 2590 Truxtun Road, Studio 205, Point Loma. Keep yourself moving during the holidays with this class taught by Stevinson-Nollet, who will share her some of her choreography moves with patrons. From 10 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 27. $20. 619-2251803, sandiegodancetheater.org

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 15

#SDCityBeat

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 17

DEAR SANTA CONTINUED FROM PAGE16 guy façade, but the California Coastal Commission really has it out for me. Isn’t an enclosure expansion enough!? The killer whales are fiiiine. Yes, their containers are relatively bathtub-sized now, but soon they’ll be the size of an orca JACUZZI. They’re living the good life! Anyways, I have to ask, how do you do it? I mean with the well-behaved reindeers and all. Xanax?

Meditation? You have to share your secret with me. Feel free to stop by SeaWorld while you’re in town. Maybe your reindeer can teach my orcas a few things about being cooperatively enslaved animals.

While I have your attention, I was wondering if you could get your hands on some top-secret info as my Christmas present: details on how the Virgin Mary conceived Jesus. Now that’s a trick I need to teach these animals if we’re going to stay in business. The CCC can’t outlaw miracles!

I know it’s a tall order, but we’re buddies right? And if you can’t get it done, no worries. I’ll just sic the killer whales on you… kidding!

Stay cool,

Joel Manby Dear Santa: Looking forward to our continuing negotiations over the North Pole acquisition.

As I’ve said previously, the Claus Conglomerate has nothing to worry about, long or short-term. Operations will continue as they always have. Rest assured, despite defamatory rumors, there are no current plans for development of the 1,200-acre Divine Flying Reindeer pasture into a strip mall anchored by a PetSmart and dog food factory.

Still, prior to acquisition and destruc— pardon me, ahem, acquisition—I’d be grateful if you’d consider bringing this good (old) boy the following: 1. Cheap looking orange wig worthy of the poor man’s Donald Trump.

2. Obama dartboard.

3. New strings for my Kevin Faulconer puppet.

4. Year’s supply of Turtle Wax, to keep my plastic face shiny.

5. Year’s supply of Viagra, to keep...you know.

6. Five bridesmaids.

7. A bigger hammer.

The way I see it: Father Christmas and Papa Doug, together at last!

Yours in Christ and to hell with everyone

else,

Papa Doug Manchester

and deserved of the lowly righteousness you’ve bestowed. ‘Tis better to reign in Hell than serve in the North Pole.

Eternally, Starbucks red cup

Actors/Artists Dear Santa:

Listen, Ol’ Sport, I’ve been patient.

You’ve wiggled down my immaculate Please bring my grandchildren, Colt chimney (using my hearth to actually burn and Kimber, two Bullet Blocker NIJ IIIA a fire would only contribute to climate backpacks this Christmas. The versatile change) many times before, and it would packs come in stylish colors and the ballis- be mad to assume you have yet to notice tic material adds only 20 ounces! my empty mantle, where a shiny gold Their safety in school is my top concern statue deserves to sit. Are you deliberately at the NRA. No child should be deprived of refusing me the one thing I have yet to the opportunity to grow up and carry a gun achieve in life? Surely, the whole world is in our polite society. The thought that they aware of the Academy’s humiliating ignomay never be able to exercise their freedoms rance of my talent. I’ve emailed you nearly due to the unavoidable actions of a misunevery day using my own energy-generating derstood lone wolf keeps me up at night. bicycle, hoping you will threaten the AcadIt would be a tragedy for them to be emy with coal (and burning it, therefore deprived of ever knowing the satisfaction contributing to the atmospheric disinteof open carrying inside their neighborhood gration) next year if they refuse to vote coffee shop or grocery store. for me. How do these imbeciles fail to Until the socio-communists of the comprehend the quantity of energy saved Democrat party allow our children to carry by filming The Revenant in all natural lighting? Not to mention that I endured guns themselves, they will continue in sexual assault by a grizzly in order to their schools as mere targets. up my chances for an Oscar. What more Please, Santa, help this old man sleep at night and the kiddos survive the school year. could these people want! With all due re spect, Mr. Claus, you would be floating on

Yours in arms, patches of ice up there if it were not for my Wayne LaPierre noble strides in environmental protection,

and it’s not too late for me to make that happen. I digress. All I want for Christmas Dear Santa: is one of those golden figurines to call my own, and, naturally, a world run on 100 Lo! We meet again, old friend. Do not percent renewable energy. look so surprised; it’s that hubris which

Cordially, will ultimately spell your end, and it will

Leo (This message is sponsored by the Leonarend soon. How long have we been at it? do Dicaprio Foundation, making it illegal Centuries? Eons? The never-ending flight of future days. Rest assured, the battlefield to be printed on anything besides recycled materials.) has changed, as well as my façade, but darkness will prevail. The human soul, Santa: where joy forever dwells: Hail, horrors!

The blood of the innocent will quench Hello. my thirst. I will decorate my vile kingdom It’s me. with the skin of newborns. So all I can ask I was wondering how it feels now that of thee, Santa, is that your death is slow Dear Santa:

18 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

no one sings songs about snow and sleet Or going over naughty lists They say time’s supposed to heal ya But I bet you’re pretty pissed.

Hello.

Can you hear me?

I’m pretty sure you can since my songs are everywhere At the mall. At the fairs.

And to think that Santa songs were all we used to bear There’s such a difference between us And a million miles Hello from the other side I must have written a thousand times To tell you I’m sorry that I’m the new Christmas soundtrack But when I write you, you never seem to talk back.

Love,

Adele Santa, my man: It may seem like I should be on the Naughty List this year, but we really have more in common than ya might think.

You’re up in the North Pole with Mrs. Claus and, see, I was just over in Sin City hoping some dimes would slide down my south pole, ya feel me? And next thing, I wind up in this hospital. People were always telling me I should shoot more, and I took it to heart, or to vein, I guess.

But, you know why else we’re alike, man?

We both love snow. Tis the season for hot chocolate, and oooh Santa I’m in love with the cocoa. So, anyways, I’ve come up with a game plan, and I need an assist.

Prance your reindeers over here, box out a few of these nurses and dunk a little dose of fresh powder into my breathing tube. Since the docs say they found every drug known to man in my system anyways, it can’t hurt right? Going cold turkey isn’t my style, brotha, and what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Also, if you could hand-wrap some new brain cells for me too that would be trill. Good pow wow, man. Alright, break!

Blessins,

Lamar Odom

#SDCityBeat

Mr. Claus: I’m not one to dwell on grievances of the past, but I feel personally wronged by what transpired on the left after the halftime entertainment ceremony at Super Bowl XLIX. That woefully unprepared sinister half of our whimsical dyad left the stage to glory and acclaim, and for what? A poor excuse for choreographed performance? I’m not one to speak ill of my contemporaries, but if you’ll indulge my frustration, that was a travesty. I didn’t go to Juilliard and fastidiously rehearse day in and day out only to be upstaged by an amateur. It is unbecoming of one who devotes himself to the performing arts. As a fine patron of the theater, I would like to humbly request you find a place for me onstage when Chris Martin and his band of merrymakers perform at the athletic institution’s semi-centennial.

Thank you good sir, and my best to Mrs. Claus and those elvish rapscallions, Right Shark

Etc. Yo Santa: Head’s up, Fatboy, ’cause you’re on notice. You’ve been a thorn in the side of the

#SDCityBeat

Vatican since your Father Christmas days.

You don’t think that I know that was you?

We got a phat library in Vatican City so don’t think any amount of name changing is gonna protect you. There’s only room for one person for parents to tell their gullible little brats about on Christmas. Oh, you think I’m talking about Jesus? Hell no, player! I’m talkin’ ’bout me! While my predecessors gave you a pass, most of them were too busy diddling little boys to take care of the “Santa Problem.” Not me. You into listing stuff, right? Well, here’s my list you red-nosed trick: 1.) Love and welcome everyone.

2.) Feed the hungry and heal the sick.

3.) Get Dan Brown to stop writing those stupid-ass books.

4.) Fuck Santa’s shit up.

So, yeah, Dan Brown can wait. ’Tis the season and all that dumb shit. I’m a rapper now, haven’t you heard? I know people.

I could fly Fetty Wap’s homies up to the North Pole on Pope Force One and your reindeer wouldn’t be able get you out in time. These are some rough dudes and they into dwarves so who knows what they’d do to your little bitch crew of elves.

So consider yourself warned, white boy! You best go silent night or I’m gonna get medieval on yo ass. And you know what the Catholic Church did in medieval times? Eatin’ beaver tails and torturing people, that’s what! That’s how we roll.

Ride or die, son!

Your brother in Christ,

Pope Francis

Dear Santa: Here’s what I’d like this year: 1. More plastic surgery gift certificates.

2. For Kim to keep her big ass out of the spotlight for half a second.

3. Lamar’s speedy recovery (someone has to help me deal with Khloé’s trifling ass).

4. Fresh new ways to stay in the spot light (I’m running out of ideas over here and Satan won’t return my calls anymore).

5. A new family. (Mine sucks. Seriously, do any of the Duggars have a spare kid or two I could adopt?)

6.) A new selfie stick.

Sincerely, Olympic Champion and Glamour Woman of the Year, Bruce Caitlyn Jenner

Mr. Claus: It has come to our beady-eyed attention that you may have plans to provide—as egregious as this may sound—bicycles to some of our residents and those in surrounding jurisdictions this holiday season.

We cannot stress enough to you how vehemently opposed we are to this abominable scheme.

In this age of terrorism, can you imag-

ine the horror that would rain down on our delicate denizens of driving dependence should your vile efforts succeed?

You’ve likely seen press coverage of our opposition to bike lanes on our pristine streets. Again, imagine! Paint! On our… streets!

This will be your only warning. Retired admirals live here, and they will shoot you from the sky if they hear even the slightest “ding” from a bike bell.

Have a nice day.

Sincerely crazy,

City of Coronado Department of Scrooges & Fussbudgets Dear Santa: So a rat likes a piece of pizza, big whoop. You know what I like better than pizza? This city. Best, goddamn city in the world, amiright?

Nah, don’t get me wrong: I love this freakin’ pizza, too. Better than that Chicago crap. What is it? Like, cake? Ahhh, get it out my face.

So, Santa, maybe throw me a couple toppings for this slice. I may be a rodent but I’m no fuckin’ mouse. Alls they want is cheese. Give me a break. ’Ey, you know who else loves plain cheese pizza? Staten Islanders. HEY! WATCH YOUR STEP, I’M EATIN’ HERE! Go Knicks!

From,

Pizza Rat

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 19

Culture | Art

Seen LocaL isn’t she lovely The last in our series of profiles covering local crafters whose wares we think would make excellent holiday gifts.

M

ore than five years ago, Debee Ruiz was working as a freelance graphic designer but was having a hard time finding work.

She’d always had a longing to make tangible things with her hands and had a passion for crafting activities such as scrapbooking and printmaking. She even had a scrapbooking store at one point.

“Even though it was just a hobby, it sort of started this outlet to be more creative and even make a little more money,” Ruiz says. “I wanted to do something that was more than just s c ra p b o o k i n g and about other paper products like prints and packaging.”

Ruiz started Inspire Lovely, crafting handmade paper products and accessories in the hope that cusDebee Ruiz tomers would channel their own, well, craftiness. The holiday season is always a good time of year for her, as a lot of people want to make their own custom wrapping paper, create unique greeting cards or just be more creative in the new year.

“I’m like an old lady trapped in a middle-aged woman’s body, but there really is still a market for these types of products,” she says. “It’s very deeprooted, but it’s still there.”

She started selling paper doilies when she launched her Etsy store in 2010 (etsy.com/shop/InspireLovely) and things were going pretty well until courtesy of inspire lovely earlier this year when a routine doctor visit for abdominal pain took a very scary turn.

“I’m proud to say I’m an ovarian cancer survivor,” says Ruiz, who opted to get a double hysterectomy rather than go through Inspire Lovely Print chemotherapy.

“I started documenting my experience on Instagram and it helped to connect with people who had gone through similar things or are going through it right now. I’m a pretty positive person anyway so I think that was pretty motivating for me.”

The health scare hasn’t dissuaded Ruiz from following her dreams. In fact, she says it’s inspired her to be even more focused on getting some of her products in retail stores and to continue to be positive with the messaging on items such as the rubber stamps and prints, which have been some of her best sellers. It helps that the prints—which feature messages ranging from “Follow Your Arrow” to more playful sentiments like “Don’t Stop. Get It. Get It.”— also feature her fluid and unique lettering style.

“It’s hard because my real handwriting is like chicken scratch,” laughs Ruiz. “My husband says I have the handwriting of a serial killer, but I like it.”

—Seth Combs

spelling it out

I

nside his Mira Mesa studio, Herschel Arcelao, but I never really based my style on anyone,” he says. who goes by the name Ethos One (instagram. “I never just picked one person to look up to. I wantcom/ethosone), is quick to point out he isn’t ed my own style.” quite sure he’s an artist.

Watching him do it, he has the zealot incognito / @zealotincognito “I wouldn’t say I’m the best process down to a science and artist,” Ethos says. “I can write my his hand glides across the page ass off, but can I draw figurines as if the lettering was his first and things like that? No, I haven’t language. He’s become a bit of a got to that yet. I just write a lot.” fixture at Thumbprint Gallery’s As evidenced by his contribupop-up shows at places such as tion to this week’s cover, Ethos Basic and Urbn. He’s even being is certainly more than just a guy hired for hip-hop shows where who writes. The Mira Mesa nahe’ll sit at a booth and create custive says he got into custom lettom letter pieces for patrons. He tering when he was in elementamostly works for tips, but says he ry school and became fascinated makes pretty good money. with cursive writing. By the time “A lot of times people will get he reached middle school, he too drunk and end up leaving the got into the local graffiti culture piece I created at the bar,” Ethos and was out tagging regularly. In laughs. “But some people are rehigh school, he was the go-to guy ally appreciative and tell me they in school for girls who wanted a love it. They’ll roll it up real nice custom look for their binders. But and take it to their car so it doesn’t it wasn’t until he was out of high get messed up.”

Ethos One school that Ethos says he began Some people, he says, are more studying calligraphy and Old English lettering. Soon appreciative than others. enough, he was even studying things like the Thai al“Some folks will buy me shots or throw some phabet and ancient Hebrew to create what he calls a weed into the tip jar,” he says. “I find some crazy stuff “cool hybrid.” in that tip jar, man, I’m telling you.”

“Everybody has their favorite artists and taggers,

—Seth Combs

20 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

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#SDCityBeat

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 21

Culture | Voices

ryan bradford

well that was

awkward

Eight awkward moments of 2015

O

ne of the fundamental aspects of a healthy mentality is the ability to let things go. I’m sure most therapists will tell you that dwelling on past misgivings will only lead to a downward spiral of further shame, anxiety and despair.

So, through an act of therapeutic purging, here’s a list of all the tiny awkward moments I’ve been dwelling on for the past year.

1. The KFC incident: First off, let me say that I’ve grown to dread potlucks. It stems from my inability to cook and a simultaneous need to be liked.

(I also have a paranoid theory about foodie friends using potlucks to assert their dominance over you, but I’d need a manifesto-style word count to get really into it).

I was invited to a friend’s birthday, which also happened to be a potluck. I thought it’d be cool and crowd-pleasing to bring a bucket of KFC. The trouble was, when I got to the drive-up speaker, I realized I had never ordered a bucket of KFC in my life. I stared at the wall of options. Did I want crispy?

Original recipe? How many b-b-bbreasts did I want?

I fumbled my way through the order, and when the employee asked if I wanted honey sauce, I was so flustered, I looked to my wife. “Do. You. Like. Honey?” my wife said, repeating the employee’s question, obviously frustrated. I nodded. “Then tell it to her!”

People at the potluck dug the chicken, though. Ryan’s popularity: 1; Ryan’s pride/ sense of adulthood/ability to handle normal human interaction: 0.

2. Tattoo guy inside Trader Joe’s: My wife and I share a least favorite chore—grocery shopping.

I’m sure if we gave in to our much baser instincts, we’d gladly eat chocolate chips and flour than amass sustaining, nutritious food. Our mutual distaste for shopping gives all our trips to the grocery store a cute little edge.

We woke up early for the specific purpose to be in and out of the Mission Valley Trader Joe’s before it got crazy. Right when we entered, this dude noticed the bee/honeycomb tattoo on the inside of my bicep.

“Oh my God, dude, that’s like the coolest tattoo I’ve ever seen.” Of course I was flattered, but his admiration quickly intensified. “I have to take a picture of it… Gotta show my homeboys…” I posed, but could feel my wife’s despair. This short trip was quickly becoming a prolonged ego-stroke.

Actually, this was a pretty dope moment for me, and more awkward for my wife, who rightly predicted that I would bring it up all the time.

3. The Bear vs. Shark conversation: I was with a group a friends, and someone brought up their hatred of panda bears. She wondered how anyone could like a panda when better animals like sharks

exist. This spiraled into a running gag of a panda battling a shark, a theoretical scenario that everyone loved, which became more intricately embellished throughout the night. Right as everyone’s enthusiasm was about to hit fever pitch, I righteously stated, “Bear vs. Shark was actually a really great post-punk band from the early 2000s.” Killed the party dead.

4. The Mission food congratulator: I’m a fast eater. It’s not something I’m super proud of, and I’m sure it’s hell on my metabolism, but for some reason I go into a ravenous fugue state when food is put in front of me, and I don’t regain full consciousness until it’s all gone.

One of the bussers at The Mission in North Park noticed how fast and efficiently I cleaned my plate.

“Good job, buddy!” he said and gave me a thumbs-up. Oh, by the way: I’m 31 years old.

5. Trying to get a ride-along with the San Diego Police Department: “Oh, are you planning on writing about this? I’m going to have to call you back.”

They never called me back.

6. Trying to navigate the ArcLight Cinema: It Follows was my favorite movie that came out this year, and I was so excited to see it that I figured why not see it in style? I bought tickets to ArcLight in La Jolla based on everyone’s love of the hoity-toity movie chain.

We sat down. Shortly afterward, this rich, old white couple came up to us and said, “I think you’re in our seats.” I double-checked: we were sitting in the right seats. Me, my wife and the old couple went to the lobby to settle it. Turned out I had bought tickets for the next day. You should’ve seen the looks on those old folks’ faces when they found out they were right. It was like the world finally got off their lawn. Our friends (who were sitting in the theater) told us that the couple told their friends they “had won” when they returned to their seats.

It cost $10 extra to change the tickets, so the total for two people to see a movie came out to something like $50. Boy, did that stick in my craw.

7. Brian/Ryan: This isn’t so much a singular moment as it is a thousand tiny nightmares throughout the year that kept me from enjoying places where I had to give my name to order. Yes, I get that I’m not the most articulate speaker—years of noncommittal responses have rendered my speaking voice akin to the din of a moderately populated room—but I take offense that “Brian” is the obvious go-to for misheard names that rhyme.

8. Minute Rice fiasco: Yeah, I fucked up Minute rice. It was weird.

“

I’ve grown to dread

“

potlucks.

22 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

Well That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

Culture | Film

The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight makes a liar’s promise Quentin Tarantino paints the snow red with bruising new Western

by Glenn Heath Jr.

T

ime and again, Quentin Tarantino’s The Hate- Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), both of whom are ful Eight contemplates the definition of sur- stranded in the cold. render and the humiliation of defeat. It does Continuing his obsession with close contact asso within a tightly wrapped black comedy/Western/ saults (both verbal and physical), Tarantino forces thriller that feels like the genre equivalent of a Rus- these characters together in a moving pine box. We sian nesting doll. immediately get a sense of The Hateful Eight’s seethIn every scene, details of wordplay and gesture ing energy through their exchange. One cannot tell build upon each other to form a strong foundation of the difference between a threat and a promise. This suspense. Even the shortest conversation becomes a is the slowest form of suffocation. standoff posing questions about ideology and idenThe four surly passengers eventually arrive at tity that simmer under the surface before bursting Minnie’s Haberdashery ahead of a massive blizzard, through like a shotgun blast perforating wood floor- forcing them to hole up with the other residents ing. It’s horrific, uncomfortable, funny and diaboli- already sequestered. Immediately things feel off. cal, a singular examination of Tarantino’s merciless script what happens when ugliness builds relentless tension out poses as reconciliation. of inconsistencies, leaving the the hateful Taking place some years afaudience under an oppressive eight ter the Civil War has ended, cloud of doubt. To say any more Directed by Quentin Tarantino The Hateful Eight still bares the about plot would threaten to Starring Samuel L. Jackson, battle scars of a nation ripped spoil a film that works best for Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh apart by racism and profound a viewer going in blind. sacrifice. Faces and bodies are While Tarantino’s writing and Walton Goggins continually defiled in stunning is expectedly sharp, his stylisRated R fashion, a theme made more tic choices stand out, too. Wide unsettling after hearing Ennio mountain range vistas and skyMorricone’s foreboding score that echoes through lines provide an epic counterpoint to the dangerous the big sky country. These musical notes might as interiors of the haberdashery. A slow motion rampagwell be rolling thunder. ing carriage offers a lesson in warped depth percepTarantino, the controversial director behind such tion. Most impressive are twin crane shots bookendbrutal classics as Pulp Fiction, Inglorious Basterds, ing the film, images that carry near-biblical thematic Reservoir Dogs and Kill Bill, has flirted with human weight in their small, calculated movement. desecration before. But here the exaggerated carnage The Hateful Eight, which starts shedding blood on feels different. Gore isn’t meant to shock or glamor- Friday, Dec. 25, wouldn’t be itself without the nervy ize or entertain, but to confront and contextualize performances of its diverse cast. Some are long-time America’s desperate need to wipe away past traumas Tarantino regulars (Tim Roth, Michael Madsen) and through cyclical violence. others fresh meat (Demian Bichir, Goggins). But all Unfolding primarily in a cramped general store are up to the task of deconstructing the archetypes high atop a snowy Wyoming mountain range, the they’ve been tasked to play by grappling with perforfilm is shot in the rare Ultra Panavision 70mm format mance as a nefarious occupational hazard. For them, and features a cast of roughneck devils as ruthless as trickery is a science. they are unredeemable and deceiving. The image is Yet no matter how hard these characters try to just as stretched as the characters’ scruples. separate themselves as individuals with opposing beSeasoned bounty hunter John “The Hangman” liefs or motivations, everyone stays organically conRuth (Kurt Russell) escorts his prisoner Daisy nected through a history of good ol’ fashion AmeriDomergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), a venomous ci- can violence. This is the winter of their discontent, pher whose crimes are withheld from the audience. and you can bury all those illusions of democracy While the pair travel by stagecoach through a frozen and progress six feet under the snow. purgatory, they happen upon another mercenary, Union Army Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jack- Film reviews run weekly. son) and the recently elected sheriff of Red Rock, Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com.

#SDCityBeat

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 23

Culture | Film brings a fierce sense of determination to the role that feels earned and true. She refuses to make the character a feminist martyr but dutifully respects her sacrifices nevertheless.

Funny, sometimes inert, but always heartfelt, Joy, which opens Friday, Dec. 25, balances tones without tumbling into sentimental waters. It’s the rare biopic that doesn’t feel grandiose or self-important, exploring bigger American themes through both the fantastic and mundane parts of a strong, well-fought life.

Joy

Entrepreneurial spirit

I

nspired by true stories of daring women, told by a woman.”

The opening salvo of David O. Russell’s Joy is important for its phrasing and confirmation of perspective. Just as Miracle Mop creator Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence) was fiercely protective of her inventions and family, so too is the film of its female characters.

Narrated by Joy’s grandmother Mimi (Diane Ladd), the story unfolds at a deliriously breakneck pace from the start. Living with

her bed-ridden mother (Virginia Madsen), basement dwelling exhusband (Edgar Ramirez) and young daughter in a small home, Joy snappily moves between gender roles, taking care of everyone but herself.

We get a glimpse of the film’s playfulness during an early flashback inspired by Mimi’s words: “Time moves forward, time moves backward, time stands still.” Considering his recent track record, O. Russell surprisingly doesn’t infuse such a tender scene with overwrought seriousness.

24 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

Despite being about the stresses of engaging capitalism head on, Joy remains a film at ease. Its multi-talented heroine sees extraordinary opportunity in the frustrations of everyday life, developing the Miracle Mop to fulfill a glaring gap in the home goods market and her own economic necessity.

Joy clashes with various male figures, including her disapproving father (Robert De Niro) and a QVC home shopping executive (Bradley Cooper). Despite continually butting her head up against the glass ceiling, Joy refuses to stop moving forward. Lawrence

—Glenn Heath Jr.

Opening Campo de jogo: This stunning sports documentary focuses on a soccer tournament featuring teams from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Screens through Thursday, Dec. 31, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Carol: In 1950s New York City, a young department store clerk (Rooney Mara) begins an affair with a divorcee (Cate Blanchett) that challenges societal convention. Directed by Todd Haynes (Far From Heaven) and adapted from the novel The Price of Salt.

Concussion: In this biopic from director Peter Landesman, accomplished Pittsburgh pathologist Dr. Bennett Omalu (Will Smith) discovers the truth about brain injuries stemming from playing football.

Daddy’s Home: Will Farrell and Mark Walhberg battle over who can be the dad to… oh, who cares.

Hitchcock/Truffaut: Director and film critic Kent Jones weaves together footage from the famous interview sessions between Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut in this lovely documentary about cinematic style and film history. Screens through Thursday, Dec. 31, at the Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Joy: A biopic about Miracle Mop inventor Joy Mangano (played by Jennifer Lawrence) tracing her ascent from poor single mother to mega-millionaire.

Point Break: A completely unnecessary remake of a great 1990s action film about a cop who infiltrates a gang of bank robbers.

Get angry Gary Busey on the phone.

The Big Short: This satirical and detailed look at the corrupt tactics and procedures leading up to the American housing crisis in the 2000s stars Christian Bale, Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling as Wall Street insiders who foresee the economic disaster.

Opens Wednesday, Dec. 23.

The Hateful Eight: Quentin Tarantino’s darkly comedic western follows a pair of bounty hunters (Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell) who find nothing but pain while trapped in a mountain haberdashery.

For a complete

listing of movies, please see

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

#SDCityBeat

Music Stefano Giovannini

their musical tendencies, Wareham admits it may have come at a cost.

“Sometimes it’s a struggle to make a living but looking back, I don’t know—the kind of music we were doing, and the lyrics—were these songs really going to get played on the radio, on the commercial radio? I don’t think so.”

Despite Wareham’s deferential outlook on Luna’s catalogue, the band’s songs did resonate with a lot of people.

Listening to them now, one could describe them as being reminiscent of The Velvet Underground stuck in a ’90s time warp with Television-inspired guitar textures and hypnotic, half-spoken vocals. Rolling Stone magazine once called them “the best band you’ve never heard of.” Wareham’s point though remains apparent: Their freedom and creative control didn’t always equate to job security.

“I’m sure it would have been nice for everyone if we had a hit, I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t want more money in the bank account,” Wareham says. “Luckily, we were able to do what we wanted to do most of the time.”

Even before Luna, Wareham had a respectable history of doing what he wanted. Prior to the band’s formation in 1991, he played guitar in the now-beloved dream-pop trio Galaxie 500. After the band parted ways, he honed his vocal skills in Luna, leaving behind the louder, high-pitched voice he sometimes used in Galaxie 500, and opted for a Luna: The coolest band you’ve never heard of, contemplative, wry singing style.

Luna released four albums with Elektra Records, and even after 25 years and now a reunion tour three albums thereafter via Jetset Records. But as the Luna’s sound expanded, their dynamic devolved, leading to

by Nancy Kirk their 2004 break up. Wareham and Phillips soldiered on as indie-rock duo Dean & Britta, but Wareham says he still remembers the initial sting of Luna coming to an end.

Lee Wall, Britta Phillips, Dean Wareham and Sean Eden “I don’t know, it seems like bands are supposed to break up,” he says. “It becomes complicated to organize your una play the type of dreamy, albeit catchy er to make them an offer of a two-week series of concerts. whole life around a band. At the time it was like our lives songs that music snobs pride themselves on having When offers for American dates followed, Luna was offi- were ending or something, but you realize life goes on.” discovered before anyone else did. So it’s a wonder cially resurrected. Although Wareham maintains that the Wareham says drummer Lee Wall now calls the rethat the New York indie-rockers—more than two de- reunion is casual, he also says it’s something the united band a “kinder, gentler Luna” with macades since their formation—are still a band whose name members may have been planning subcontured members who have consciously elimievokes hipster cred. They never quite rode a wave of com- sciously. nated grudges. As they prepare for their mercial success, instead landing somewhere in between “Britta says she started the rumor,” return to The Casbah, Wareham reflects underground nonconformists and influential innovators. Wareham laughs, referring to bassist on the past 30 years as a musician, noting Britta Phillips, who is also his wife.

But in a way, that’s all part of the charm. that he played with Galaxie 500 at The As the band embarks on the last dates of their reunion “But I think maybe it was in the back Casbah circa 1990 and again with Luna December 29 tour, Luna founder and frontman Dean Wareham says of our minds. It was the ten-year mark in 2004. they’re more cohesive than they’ve ever been. Perhaps and it’s this round number that makes As Wareham reflects on these memThe Casbah that’s because there is no pressure to promote an album, you think.” ories of tours past, his mood elicits the and also because they’ve matured as individuals since While the band, which also includes lunamusic.com lyrics from the Luna song “20 Minutes in guitarist Sean Eden and drummer Lee breaking up in 2004.

Brussels,” in which he ponders, “Tell me, “I can’t think of any date on tour that wasn’t fun,” says Wall, doesn’t have any plans for a new aldo you miss me?” Based on how the tour has Wareham, who adds that he anticipates eating some fish bum, the U.S. tour has helped reignite Luna’s gone so far, that would appear to be a resoundtacos when the band stops in San Diego for the first time chemistry and enthusiasm. ing yes. since 2004. “We just go to places we feel like we’re going to During their heyday, Luna never quite rose to a level of “It’s nice to walk out of say, The Fillmore, and there’s do well. In San Diego, we had a lot of people asking when fame fans think they could or should have. Wareham at- 1,200 people who are just super excited to see the band we were going to come.” tributes their lack of commercial success to their musical and hear the songs,” Wareham says. “Especially if they Luna’s reunion was sparked by rumors that circulated style, which embraced neither mainstream ’90s genres, thought they wouldn’t get to see you live again.” throughout Spain late last year, causing a Spanish promot- nor an overt pop sensibility. So while they stayed true to

To the moon and back

L

Luna

#SDCityBeat

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 25

Music

notes from the smoking patio O

akland-based band Disappearing People is making a move down to San Diego.

The duo, which formed in 2011, shares members with another band, Lorelle Meets the Obsolete, which is based in Guadalajara, Mexico. In a phone interview, guitarist Scott Johnston said that the best way to keep both bands going in their current capacity is to make the move to be closer to the border, where they’re also going to be playing more shows.

“That’ll bring us a little closer to [Lorelle Meets the Obsolete],” Johnston says. “I’ve been making a lot of Mexico connections. Being in San Diego will be a good crossover. San Diego’s kind of been calling my name.”

Disappearing People aren’t necessarily cutting ties with their Oakland connections. In early 2016 they’re going to be doing some recording back in the town where they formed. But coming to Southern California affords them the opportunity to build something in a new place.

“It’s been amazing,” Johnston says of Oakland.

“It’s where we established our sound, and learned to play live, pretty much. It’s an interesting place to network. We’ve put on some pretty big shows even though we’ve operated on such a small scale.

Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place

2016 new release preview

T

Disappearing People “On West Coast tours, it’s kind of like a passed-up city,” he adds, shifting back to San Diego. “A lot of people go to Los Angeles, but don’t always go down there. So I think it’ll be cool to be a part of it.”

Disappearing People’s first 2016 show in San Diego is at Doña Pancha Fest, which takes place Jan. 8 at The Hideout. It’s the second time the festival will take place in San Diego, after being launched in Mexico, and also features Soledad, Les Temps Barbares and Silent. It’s also been known to include a guy in a yeti suit. Don’t worry—you can’t miss him.

“The yeti will be there,” Johnston says.

Experimental krautrock outfit Die Mißbildungen Des Menschen will release their debut album via Dream Records in 2016, while Mystery Cave will follow up a productive 2015 with both a new LP and EP, as well as a mysterious new project the details of which haven’t yet been revealed. Wild Wild Wets are likely to release a follow-up to this year’s 14th Floor, and frontman Mike Turi is also releasing new music with his Gooon project. Tropical Popsicle is releasing a new EP in spring, and Rafter Roberts says that he has three new Rafter albums planned.

Prolific percussionist Nathan Hubbard has three releases planned, including a Nathan Hubbard Skeleton Key Orchestra recording planned to coincide with his 40th birthday. Fellow MVP drummer Jake Najor also plans to release a solo album in 2016. And Bit Maps are following up this year’s On Demand Living with an 8-bit version of the same songs, called 8-Bit Living, as well as with an entirely new set of songs.

Other artists who plan to release new music in 2016 include Sledding With Tigers (possibly as a full band), Mrs. Magician, Hexa, Ash Williams, Mimi Zulu, Western Settings, The Hand of Gavrilo, Preacher vs. Choir, Chica Diabla, Le Ra, Lindsay Lee (Lindsay Matheson of Flaggs’ solo project), KATA, ANA, Big Bad Buffalo, Steve Flato, Sleeping Ghost, Octagrape, Spooky Cigarette, Le Chateau, Grampadrew, Stalins of Sound, Tape Heads, Arms Away, Quor, Kids, PRGRM, AJ Froman, Monochromacy and Age of Collapse.

he year’s just about over, and even if there’s about a week left, it’s not like there’s much happening before the ball drops. Now seems like the perfect time to survey San Diego’s new release landscape in 2016. There’s a lot of new music headed our way, and here’s a quick and dirty guide for what to expect next year.

After taking a brief hiatus from music altogether, Pinback’s Rob Crow will return with his new band, Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place. Their debut album You’re Doomed. Be Nice. will be released on March 4 via Temporary Residence. Psychedelic pop favorites The Donkeys also have a new release lined up.

On Feb. 12, they’ll release their new album Midnight Palms, via Easy Sound.

26 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

—Jeff Terich

—Jeff Terich #SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 27

Music

Jeff Terich

If I were u

sive run for any band, but they’re more fun than most bands with three decades under their belt buckle.

SUNDay, December 27

PLAN A: Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven @ Belly Up Tavern. David Lowery fronts both of these bands, who earned some level of alt-rock fame in the A music insider’s weekly agenda ’90s and ’80s, respectively. I’m more of a Camper Van Beethoven fan, personally (Key Lime Pie is an underrated album), but WEDNESday, December 23 FRIday, December 25 either way you’ll get some good, witty rock PLAN A: Manual Scan, The Bassics @ PLAN A: Roast Beast, Eggnog, Off-Key ‘n’ roll.

The Casbah. Who’s up for some Mod jams Caroling @ Your House. You shouldn’t be on a Wednesday night? Two generations of going out on Christmas. You should spend monday, December 28 stylish and just-slightly nostalgic San Diit by the fire, with loved ones, or at least ego garage-rock bands will be playing some PLAN A: OFF!, some classic holiday episodes of TV sitcatchy tunes. Just follow everyone who has Cruz Radical, coms. You’ve earned a break after 350-odd a Royal Air Force roundel sewn to their The Side Eyes nights of live music. jacket. PLAN B: Gilbert Castellanos jazz @ The Casbah. jam @ Panama 66. Or for a mellower eveOFF! isn’t techning, catch up with Gilbert Castellanos and saturday, December 26 nically a local his weekly jazz jam. Grab a meal and some PLAN A: Mr. Tube and the Flying Ob- band, though jects, The Bassics, Lumps @ Soda Bar. their drummer laid-back blues motifs before the holidays.

Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects is, more or Mario Ruballess, a local supergroup, and though it took caba is from thursday, December 24 them nearly a decade to release a second San Diego. They PLAN A: Exile on Kettner Blvd., Schizoalbum, it proved to be well worth the wait. are, however, phonics Stone Soul Christmas Show @ They have a complicated mythology, but all one of the few The Casbah. There generally aren’t that you need to know is that they have grooves. bands keeping many live shows happening on Christmas PLAN B: The Blasters, Deke Dickerson the sound of Southern California hardEve, but you can always count on this Casand the Ecco-Fonics @ The Casbah. Cal- core alive. I’m pretty sure they don’t have bah tradition, in which local musicians play ifornia rockabilly kings The Blasters have a song longer than 90 seconds, but that’s covers of Rolling Stones songs. It’s a rockin’ been letting the rock ‘n’ roll licks fly for all they need to leave their mark. PLAN good time, and it’s only $5. more than 35 years. That’s a pretty impres- B: Future Age, Sights and Sages, Fake

28 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

Tides @ Soda Bar. I can’t help but think Future Age have listened to Failure’s catalog at least a couple thousand times. That’s probably why I’m immediately won over by their dense, distorted alt-rock sound.

Future Age rocks in a big way.

Tuesday, December 29 PLAN A: Luna, Papercuts @ The Casbah. Read Nancy Kirk’s feature this week on reunited dream-pop outfit Luna. The band built up a loyal following of jangle devotees in the ’90s, and it should be adequately warm and fuzzy to hear them play gems from Penthouse and Lunapark once again. PLAN B: dan monick Chet Faker @ Observatory North Park.

Chet Faker’s thing is chill, easy-going soulful sounds with modern electronic production values. It’s the sort of thing that probably Off! sounds best in the wee hours at a coffeehouse, but instead you get to hear those jams in a big, historic theater. Not a bad compromise. (Sold out, but tickets are available on StubHub.)

#SDCityBeat

Music

Concerts HOT! NEW! FRESH!

The Game (Observatory, 1/10), Nobunny (Soda Bar, 1/10), Earthless (Casbah, 1/14-15), Supersuckers (Casbah, 2/10), Tiger Army (Observatory, 2/11), Built to Spill (Casbah, 2/14-15), Liza Anne (Casbah, 3/3), Glassjaw (Observatory, 3/24), Quantic (Music Box, 3/30), Jim Bruer (Observatory, 5/6), Leon Russell (BUT, 5/31).

GET YER TICKETS Tim Heidecker (Casbah, 1/7), Ty Segall (But, 1/13), Christian Death (Soda Bar, 1/17), Devotchka (BUT, 1/17), Josh Ritter (Observatory, 1/18), Ladysmith Black Mambazo (BUT, 1/19), Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek (Observatory North Park, 1/22), Steel Panther (HOB, 1/23), Shigeto (Soda Bar, 1/23), Killing Joke, The Soft Moon (BUT, 1/26), David Cross (Observatory, 1/26), Julia Holter (The Irenic, 1/28), Wanda Jackson (Casbah, 1/28), Richard Cheese (HOB, 1/29), The Hood Internet (Casbah, 1/29), G. Love and Special Sauce (BUT, 1/29), Childbirth (Soda Bar, 2/1), Steel Pulse (BUT, 2/2), The English Beat (BUT, 2/5-6), Aaron Neville (Balboa Theatre, 2/11), STRFKR (Observatory North Park, 2/12), Thee Oh Sees (BUT, 2/12), Meat Wave (Soda Bar, 2/13), Logic (SOMA, 2/14), The Growlers, Jonathan Richman (Observatory, 2/16-17), Cradle of Filth (HOB, 2/18),

#SDCityBeat

At the Gates (HOB, 2/19), Dr. Dog (Observatory, 2/20), Steve Poltz (BUT, 2/20), Lee Ann Womack (BUT, 2/22), Anti-Flag (Observatory, 2/25), Ani DiFranco (BUT, 2/25), Rihanna (Viejas Arena, 2/26), Julien Baker (The Irenic, 2/27), Fetty Wap (HOB, 2/29), Joe Satriani (Balboa Theatre, 3/1), Protomartyr (Soda Bar, 3/2), Lewis Black (Balboa Theatre, 3/3), Galactic (BUT, 3/3), Wavves, Best Coast (Observatory, 3/4), Eleanor Friedberger (Hideout, 3/11), Junior Boys (Casbah, 3/18), Dwarves, Queers (Soda Bar, 3/20), Wolfmother (HOB, 3/23), High on Fire, Skeletonwitch, Tribulation (Observatory, 3/26), Rob Crow’s Gloomy Place (Casbah, 3/27), Alex G (Che Café, 4/1), Elvis Costello (Balboa Theatre, 4/7), Steve Miller Band (Humphreys, 4/14), Prong (Brick by Brick, 4/22), Thao & the Get Down Stay Down (BUT, 4/28), Modern English (The Hideout, 5/17), Twentyonepilots (Viejas Arena, 7/24), Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/14), Journey, The Doobie Brothers (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 8/30), 5 Seconds of Summer (Sleep Train Amphitheatre, 9/9).

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

Saturday, Dec. 26 Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects at Soda Bar. The Blasters at The Casbah.

Sunday, Dec. 27 Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven at Belly Up Tavern.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Game at Observatory North Park.

Nobunny at Soda Bar.

Wednesday, Jan. 13 Ty Segall at Belly Up Tavern. Dave Mason at Music Box.

Thursday, Jan. 14 Paula Cole at Belly Up Tavern. Earthless at The Casbah.

Friday, Jan. 15 Jerry Seinfeld at Civic Theatre (sold out). Earthless at The Casbah.

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

Andy Rourke (DJ set) at The Hideout.

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

Monday, Jan. 18

January Saturday, Jan. 2 Big Sandy and His Flyrite Boys at The Casbah.

Thursday, Jan. 7 Tim Heidecker at The Casbah.

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

Josh Ritter at Observatory North Park.

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

Thursday, Jan. 21 Big Head Todd and the Monsters at Belly Up Tavern.

music CONTINUED ON page 30

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 29

Music music CONTINUED from PAGE 29

February Monday, Feb. 1

Friday, Jan. 22 Never Shout Never at House of Blues.

Big Head Todd and the Monsters at Belly Up Tavern. Talib Kweli and Hi-Tek at Observatory North Park. Kottonmouth Kings at SOMA.

Saturday, Jan. 23 Shigeto at Soda Bar. All Them Witches at The Casbah. JD McPherson at Belly Up Tavern. Steel Panther at House of Blues.

Sunday, Jan. 24 Europe at Music Box.

Tuesday, Jan. 26 Killing Joke, The Soft Moon at Belly Up Tavern. David Cross at Observatory North Park.

Thursday, Jan. 28 Wanda Jackson at The Casbah. Julia Holter at The Irenic.

Friday, Jan. 29 Richard Cheese at House of Blues. G. Love and Special Sauce at Belly Up Tavern. The Hood Internet at The Casbah.

Saturday, Jan. 30 Pato Banton at Belly Up Tavern. The Silent Comedy at The Casbah. Mike Gordon at Observatory North Park.

30 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

Childbirth at Soda Bar.

Tuesday, Feb. 2 Steel Pulse at Belly Up Tavern. Bullet for My Valentine at House of Blues.

Thursday, Feb. 4 Enforcer, Warbringer at Brick by Brick.

Friday, Feb. 5 The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, Feb. 6 The English Beat at Belly Up Tavern.

Wednesday, Feb. 10 Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra at Belly Up Tavern. Supersuckers at The Casbah.

Thursday, Feb. 11 Tiger Army at Observatory North Park.

The Donkeys at Soda Bar. Aaron Neville at Balboa Theatre.

Friday, Feb. 12 STRFKR at Observatory North Park. Thee Oh Sees at Belly Up Tavern.

Saturday, Feb. 13 Meat Wave at Soda Bar.

Sunday, Feb. 14 Beats Antique at Observatory North Park.

Built to Spill at The Casbah.

Monday, Feb. 15 Built to Spill at The Casbah.

Tuesday, Feb. 16 The Growlers, Jonathan Richman at Observatory North Park.

Wednesday, Feb. 17 The Growlers, Jonathan Richman at Observatory North Park.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., San Diego. Pacific Beach. Wed: Lauren Leigh. Thu: Karaoke. Sat: Karaoke.

Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Let’s Face It, Cost of Kings.

98 Bottles, 2400 Kettner Blvd. Ste. 110, San Diego. Little Italy. Sat: ‘Tribute to Billie Holiday’ w/ Gilbert Castellanos.

Sun: The Matt Smith Neu Jazz Trio.

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Sat: Julian McCullough. Sun: Doug Benson.

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

North Park. Wed: DJ L. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: Tori Roze and the Hot Mess.

cious Minds. Sun: Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven. Mon: Ozomatli. Tue: Donavon Frankenreiter, Tom Curren.

Brass Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: ‘Hip Hop Fridayz’. Mon: ‘Manic Monday’ w/ DJs Junior the Disco Punk, XP. Cafe Sevilla, 353 Fifth Ave., San Diego.

Downtown. Wed: Aro Di Santi. Thu: Malamana. Fri: Oscar Aragon. Sat: Malamana. Sun: Aire. Mon: Perla Negra. Tue: Gio Trio.

Croce’s Park West, 2760 Fifth Ave., #100, San Diego. Bankers Hill. Wed: Charlie Imes.. Thu: 45 Revolutions. Sat: Eve Selis. Sun: Danny Green Trio. Mon: Hank Easton. Tue: Charlie Imes.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, San Diego. Mission Bay. Sat: The Brett Sanders Jazz/Soul Ensemble. Sun: Paul Keeling & Rob Thorsen.

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

Downtown. Sat: DJ Dynamiq.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Sat: DJ Brett Bodley.

Gallagher’s, 5040 Newport Ave., San Diego. Ocean Beach. Thu: Pali Roots. Sat: DJ Omz. Mon: ‘Hip Hop Monday’.

Basic, 410 10th Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Tue: Ditto.

Henry’s Pub, 618 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: AOK Musik. Sat: DJ Antonio Aguilera. Sun: Karaoke.

Mon: DJ Antonio Aguilera. Tue: Big City Dawgs.

Beaumont’s, 5662 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla Sat: Jewel City. Sun: Daryl Johnson.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Sat: Strangelove, The Cured, Planet Earth, Idolized.

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: ‘Country Christmas’ w/ Nancarrow, Brawley, Rosie Flores.

Sat: Cash’d Out, Sara Petite, Suspi-

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Sat: ‘Good Vibes Family Christmas’. Tue: ‘High Tech Tuesday’.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave.,

#SDCityBeat

Music San Diego. Kensington. Mon: Lights Out 35.

Diego. Mission Bay. Sat: Dornob Collective at Tango.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Coronado. Wed: Harmony Road. Thu: The Upshots. Sun: Gonzology.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., San Diego. Midtown. Wed: Manual Scan, The Bassics. Sat: The Blasters, Deke Dickerson and the Ecco-Fonics. Mon: OFF!, Cruz Radical, The Side Eyes. Tue: Luna, Papercuts.

Music Box, 1337 India St., San Diego.

Little Italy. Wed: Berkley Hart.

Numbers, 3811 Park Blvd., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Wet’. Sat: ‘Club Sabbat’.

Tue: Karaoke Latino.

Onyx Room / Thin, 852 Fifth Ave., San Diego. Downtown. Thu: ‘Tea Party Thursday’. Tue: ‘Neo Soul’.

Patricks Gaslamp, 428 F St., San Diego. Downtown. Wed: The Upshots. Fri: Mystique. Sat: RedWave. Sun: The Fuzzy Rankins Band. Mon: The Groove Squad.

Tue: Paddy’s Chicken Jam. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., San Diego.

Hillcrest. Wed: DJ Kiki. Fri: DJs John Joseph, Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs K-Swift, dirty KURTY. Sun: DJ Cros.

The Hideout, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Fri: ‘Xmas Chill’ w/ DJ TEC. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Tue: Digital Lizards of Doom, Geneva Bedlam, Setback City.

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

North Park. Wed: ‘Ceremony Night’.

Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’. Mon: ‘Weezer Under Cover’. Tue: ‘Trapped’ w/ DJ Ramsey.

The T Lounge, 1475 University Ave., San Diego. Hillcrest. Thu: Stanza.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Sat: ‘Sleepwalking’.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’ w/ Jason Hanna. Sat: Little Kings. Tue: Karaoke.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., San Diego.

Bay Park. Wed: Gino & The Lone Gunmen.

Side Bar, 536 Market St., San Diego.

Downtown. Sat: DJ Decon.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., San Diego. City Heights. Tue: Alive and Well.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. City Heights. Wed: Louise Le Hir, Lucky Keith, Roger!. Sat: Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects, The Bassics, Lumps.

Sun: Gone Baby Gone, The End, Surly Bonds. Mon: Future Age, Sights and Sages, Fake Tides. Tue: Crazy Town, Entertainment Law, DJ Man Cat. Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., San Diego. Normal Heights. Sun: Tim Mudd, Podunk Nowhere.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St, San Diego.

South Park. Thu: ‘Cozy Xmas Party’ w/ DJ Shoeshine. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’ w/ DJs Dimitri, Rob. Sun: ‘Pearls Before Swine Time’ w/ DJ Sasha.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., San Diego.

Ocean Beach. Wed: Roots Covenant, DJ Carlos Culture. Sat: B-Side Players. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: CalPhonics.

sPOTLiGHT California rapper RJ has been releasing music for about five years, most recently his O.M.M.I.O. 2 mixtape. He’s frequently collaborated with DJ Mustard, whose name is on just about every hip-hop record these days, and appeared on the critically acclaimed 2014 album My Krazy Life, by YG. Suffice it to say the dude’s been putting in work, and if you don’t know his name yet, you will soon enough. He’ll be performing on Saturday, December 26 at Observatory North Park.

—Jeff Terich

Tango Del Rey, 3567 Del Rey St., San

#SDCityBeat

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 31

32 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

#SDCityBeat

Last Words

Brendan Emmett Quigley

Worst Noels Across 1. Sexual companion 4. Loosens up 9. Not quite closed 13. Praiseful poem 14. Purple hue 15. Offer, as a riddle 16. Tea drinker’s carol?

19. Golden State Warriors coach Steve 20. Critter in a farm 21. Like uncomfortable silences 22. Arctic explorer Shackleton 24. Act quickly 25. Easy-to-answer question 26. Super Bowl impossibility 28. Got ready to drive 29. Begins enthusiastically 32. Beezus, to Ramona 33. Cannibal’s carol?

36. “Hadn’t thought of that one” 37. Boring movie 38. Metropolitan areas, for short 40. “Feliz Navidad / Prospero ___ y felicidad” 41. MMA fight locales 45. Mason’s tool 47. Deeply religious 48. “Hells yes” 49. Telemark, e.g.

51. Coin with Mozart on it 52. Thrill seeker’s carol?

Last week’s answers

#SDCityBeat

55. Google alternative to Evernote 56. Becomes blunt 57. Barely make (out) 58. Fudges up big time 59. Follows to the letter 60. Stereotypically hard-to-shop-for member of the family

Down 1. Pretty subdued 2. Follow closely 3. Aches (for) 4. “Cake Boss” channel 5. Part of a drum kit that has a clutch 6. “The History Boys” playwright Bennett 7. “Hold it!”

8. Bot. or bio.

9. Exam that might get you college credit 10. Composer of the NBA on NBC theme 11. “In my opinion ...”

12. Forwards, as an email 17. Au courant 18. ___-Flo (liquid starch brand) 23. Ruins, as a reputation 24. Big name in ketchup 26. Mortise mate 27. Infantile comeback 30. Easily bribed 31. Flower girl, often 33. Grieving figure 34. Pooh’s “pooh” 35. Like images of false gods 36. Blu-ray extra 39. Wins all the games 42. Overcharged like crazy 43. “Now I’ve got it!”

44. Put in the cloud 46. Coeur d’Alene-to-Helena dir.

47. How nightclubs are lit 49. Leave off the nominations 50. Leafy vegetable high in Vitamin K 53. Words said before a reception 54. Manger animal

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 33

34 · San Diego CityBeat · December 22, 2015

#SDCityBeat

#SDCityBeat

December 22, 2015 · San Diego CityBeat · 35