S 2014 08 14

BestOfsac.cOm BestOf Vote now! See page 37

Should Sacto

ban chain stores? see Bites, page 13

the

cheeSieSt chee see Arts&Culture, page 22

Midtown

CoC CoCktAil Week! see 15 Minutes, page 59

Lyft, Uber and taxis want your cab fare. Who has the fastest, cheapest, nicest rides in town?

Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

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Volume 26, iSSue 17

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thurSday, auguSt 14, 2014

Violence against the homeless see News, page 9

LONG LIVE THE ULTRA LIFE EXPLORE MORE at facebook.com/MichelobULTRA 2 | SN&R | 08.14.14

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38

Talk is cheap Kevin Johnson joined more than 30 other U.S. mayors on Monday in New York City to talk about income inequality. They touted a new report that showed how jobs are up since the recession, but actual wages are down. And that there’s not enough affordable housing. And so on. This was odd, because K.J. seldom, if ever, talks about inequality back here in Sacto. But he should.

Maybe start with housing. Lately in the central city, developers submit plans for new lofts and luxury apartments seemingly every week. But will the Sacramentans who’ve lived downtown and in Midtown during the past decades be able to afford “the grid” of the future?

A friend recently got a new Midtown apartment. He owns his own business and works crazy hours right here in the urban core, but still can hardly afford to live on the grid (a decent one bedroom with laundry facilities goes for at least $1,100 these days).

Is that affordable? According to housing experts, you need to make at least $55,000 a year to afford that kind of rent. How many baristas, single moms, painters, deejays, bartenders, hairstylists, servers, designers, underemployed dads, writers, retail workers, recovering addicts or bicycle technicians bring in that kind of money?

I agree that we need to see another 10,000 people living in the urban core over the next decade. That’s our future. But “market-rate housing,” as it’s called, of $1,200-$1,700 a month for a one bedroom won’t work for most of us.

Activists have a protest planned this week for more affordable housing around the Sacramento Kings arena project. City leaders should get on this train; we need our low-income residents—they keep the grid alive.

Let’s see if K.J. is ready to walk the inequality walk right here on his home court.

33

NEWS

STREETALK LETTERS NEWS OPINION + bites FEATuRE STORy ARTS&CuLTuRE NIgHT&DAy DISH ASK JOEy STAgE FILM MuSIC + sound Advice THE 420 15 MINuTES COVER dEsign BY HAYLEY dOsHAY COVER pHOtO BY LisA BAEtZ

34 Jeff Hudson, Jim Lane, Garrett McCord, Kel Munger, Kate Paloy, Jessica Rine, Patti Roberts, Ann Martin Rolke, Steph Rodriguez Creative Director Priscilla Garcia Art Director Hayley Doshay Junior Art Director Brian Breneman Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designers Melissa Bernard, Brad Coates, Kyle Shine Design Intern Geraldine Centinaje Contributing Photographers Lisa Baetz, Steven Chea, Wes Davis, Taras Garcia, Lovelle Harris, Bobby Mull, Shoka, Darin Smith

Our Mission To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Co-editors Rachel Leibrock, Nick Miller Staff Writers Janelle Bitker, Raheem F. Hosseini Copy Editor Shoka Shafiee Entertainment Editor Jonathan Mendick Editorial Coordinator Becca Costello Contributing Editor Cosmo Garvin Editor-at-large Melinda Welsh Editorial Interns Tiffani Dangelico, Alex Hernandez, Rudy Raya Contributors Ngaio Bealum, Daniel Barnes, Rob Brezsny, Jim Carnes, Cody Drabble, Deena Drewis, Joey Garcia, Blake Gillespie, Becky Grunewald,

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—Nick Miller

BEFORE

August 14, 2014 | vol. 26, issue 17

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F E AT U R E

STORY

Chief Marketing Officer Rick Brown Advertising Manager Cory Gerhard Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Joy Webber Advertising Consultants Joseph Barcelon, Meghan Bingen, Lee Craft, Teri Gorman, Dusty Hamilton, Dave Nettles, Matt Richter, Lee Roberts, John Saltnes, Julie Sherry, Kelsi White Senior Inside Sales Consultant Olla Ubay Ad Services Specialist Jovi Radtke Director of Et Cetera Will Niespodzinski

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A RT S & C U LT U R E

Custom Publications Editor Michelle Carl Custom Publications Managing Editor Shannon Springmeyer Custom Publications Writer/Copy Editor Mike Blount Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Directors of First Impressions Courtney DeShields, Matt Kjar Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Daniel Bowen, Russell Brown, Nina Castro, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, John Cunningham, Lob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Aaron Harvey, Wayne Hopkins, Brenda Hundley, Greg Meyers, Kenneth Powell, Wendell Powell, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resources Manager Tanja Poley Business Manager Grant Rosenquist Accounting Specialist Tami Sandoval Accounts Receivable Specialist Nicole Jackson Sweetdeals Coordinator Alicia Brimhall Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Lead Technology Synthesist Jonathan Schultz

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AFTER

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Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Sales Fax (916) 498-7910 Editorial Fax (916) 498-7920 Website www.newsreview.com SN&R is printed by The Paradise Post using recycled newsprint whenever available.

Editorial Policies Opinions expressed in SN&R are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permission to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. SN&R is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel.

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08.14.14

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4 | SN&R | 08.14.14

“The white pizza is just cheese and garlic. That’s all.”

Asked at East Portal Park in East Sacramento:

Who makes the best pizza in Sacramento?

Ernesto Belmonte

Tracy Stahlman

IT consultant

UPS driver

OneSpeed makes great pizza. The go-to order: We always go for the combination pizza, actually with no cheese.

My wife’s lactose intolerant, but it’s really great because you get to really taste the flavor of the sauce and all the great ingredients. The best is the sauce.

BEFORE

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NEWS

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Samantha Duke assistant baker

That would be Roma [II] Pizzeria on Folsom [Boulevard]. My go-to is their white pizza. The white pizza is just cheese and garlic. That’s all that’s there. It’s greasy. It’s garlicky with roasted garlic. Oh, it’s really good. The whole place is that way—it’s a dive of a place.

F E AT U R E

STORY

I’ve grown to like Papa Murphy’s the best [for] their customer service and their friendliness. If you go, “I need it half this way and half that way,” they just say, “OK!” They are friendly if you want something and explain everything. I’m a pepperoni-and-olives chick.

|

Nicole Sichel

Vihil Vigil

mom

Round Table [Pizza]. Our go-to is chicken with bacon or pepperoni and bacon, with the stuffed crust. We order and they bring it to us. We also like Cheezer’s [Gourmet Pizza], but that’s really far to drive for a pizza. ... [At Cheezer’s], the white sauce is the best, with pepperoni and pineapple.

A RT S & C U LT U R E

Ahjamu Umi

administrative officer

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I don’t really like a lot of pizza, but there is one place here in East Sac. It’s OneSpeed. I’m a vegetarian, and they had an awesome vegetarian pizza, and the atmosphere was really cool, and everything was really nice. I liked the greens they put on my pizza. What was it? The arugula!

AFTER

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08.14.14

union organizer

There was a place on Stockton Boulevard.

I don’t know if it’s still there, I think it was Luigi’s [Pizza Parlor]. My go-to was the vegetarian pizza with a thick crust. They used fresh ingredients. It wasn’t processed like the franchise places. It was just fresher, and they put a lot of passion in their pizzas.

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Free Sabrina?

Re “Bag lady” by Nick Miller (SN&R News, August 7): Guilty until proven innocent. I am a fan and viewer of Fox40, and I used to enjoy watching Sabrina Rodriguez. Unfortunately, when a person who works as a public figure is accused of committing a crime, that letter of person is guilty until proven innocent. The thing that the week makes matters worse for Rodriguez is that this crime has made national news. Her chances now of ever getting a job in the media are slim to none, even if she is found not guilty of all charges, or the charges are dropped.

I used to enjoy her segment called “Don’t Be That Guy,” but in the end, maybe it should be “Don’t Be That Reporter.” But I still believe in Rodriguez, since I know she would not be that ignorant in getting caught up with [incriminating] cellphone text messages. She is smarter than that. She was crying for help in her own way. Even during her Emmy Award speech, she talked about her house burning down and people were shocked. I want to believe, but still, this is just one person’s opinion.

Peter Garcia

St o c k t o n

Happy, good Re “The science of being happy”

by Melinda Welsh (SN&R Feature Story, August 7): Great article on the science of being happy! Many people in the United States are turning to cohabitation, or cohousing, a type of intentional, collaborative housing in which residents actively participate in the operation of their neighborhoods, as a means of achieving a stronger sense of community. See more at www.cohousing.org and for those interested, a cohousing community is now forming in Fair Oaks (see more at www.fairoaksecohousing.org).

Ivan Greene Carmichael

Bike safely ...

Re “Human speed bump” by Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R News, July 31): Bicyclist John Bontemps had a bad accident crossing Arden Way against the light. The mixing of cars and bikes is dangerous. I had an accident on my bicycle without auto contact crossing Fair Oaks Boulevard at Howe Avenue, hitting a patch of leaves, causing the rear wheel to fly loose from the ground and send me over the handlebars onto the pavement. When radical groups like San Francisco Critical Mass go out on their bikes in packs to deliberately harass cars, that’s just wrong. Traffic planners are now putting cyclists out in the traffic lanes for left turns.

This different from the days when bicycles had to be walked across the street in the crosswalks.

Motorists did not invent the automobile paradigm, and the USA is not going to become Denmark. So when bicycling, be very careful of cars, but even of payment conditions.

Steve Otis Sacramento BEFORE

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NEWS

… and follow the damn rules Re “Human speed bump” by Raheem F. Hosseini (SN&R News, July 31): As a bicyclist who crosses Arden Way at four different points depending on my commute, I found your story of interest. Having been in a few auto-bike-related traffic accidents years ago, I searched for the root cause in this story. The only thing I can come up with is this: The rider approached the controlled intersection too fast, without any intention of slowing down or stopping. We can also assume he either ran through a red light or did not stop at a stop sign, one of which can be found at every cross street on Arden.

Are we supposed to sympathize with someone who thinks he is above all other road users? Or are we supposed to be outraged by all the pain and suffering and demand improved bike facilities that in no way would have prevented this? It’s very simple people: Follow the rules.

Life does not have to be so scary.

Brian Lambert Sacramento

For more information on our organic growing programs, visit www.sfntc.com

Bottled water is the problem Re “Nestlé and drought” (SN&R Editorial, July 24): Nestlé isn’t the problem. The city of Sacramento isn’t the problem.

Mayor Kevin Johnson isn’t the problem. The folks who want, purchase and consume municipal water in petroleum-based, one-use plastic bottles are the problem. Zero demand equals zero production equals zero profit. Class dismissed.

Walter Miller Fair Oaks

Email your letters to sactoletters@ newsreview.com.

@SacNewsReview

Facebook.com/ SacNewsReview

@SacNewsReview

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F E AT U R E

STORY

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A RT S & C U LT U R E

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AFTER

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08.14.14

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SN&r

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7

8 | SN&R | 08.14.14

Marcos Breton jumps the gun See SCOREKEEPER

See BITES

13

15

Save Midtown’s creative class See EDITORIAL

Photo illustration by sn&r staff

12

Sac’s big-box ban?

Cruel and not so unusual Sacramento teenagers’ attack of homeless couple reflected in national data Amelia Martin and her wife, Kristine Price, were packing up their campsite in a grassy field by along one of north Sacramento’s derelict Raheem commercial sectors when that first rock F. Hosseini punched into their tent.

Startled into the open near the corner ra h e emh@ newsr evie w.c om of Calvados Avenue and Lexington Street, the homeless couple and a nearby friend spied a dozen or so male teenagers, neatly groomed and between the ages of 14 and 17, approaching with sinister purpose.

It was around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, August 3, but still light out enough to glimpse the youths’ soft, boyish faces— and the menace they conveyed.

Martin called out as a siege of rocks bulleted their way. Then, something, probably a fist, sent her reeling. Price ran to her wife’s defense. In return, Martin said, the pack descended and stomped Price into the ground.

“Blood was just gushing,” Martin recalled. “They just wouldn’t stop.”

Martin begged the teens to cease their attack, which carried on in a wordless frenzy of grunts and fleeting grins for nearly two minutes. Her pleas reached the ears of a female security guard, who was ending her shift outside of a nearby business. The guard sprinted toward the melee, sounding an air horn, which scattered the young mob toward the nearby light-rail tracks.

“She saved our lives, really,” Martin said.

Emergency responders transported Price to a hospital, where she was treated for a broken nose and multiple abrasions.

Police are investigating the unprovoked ambush, which they characterized as brazen and unusual. “I haven’t seen anything like that,” said Officer Michele Gigante, a spokeswoman for the Sacramento Police Department. Neither had the new commander of the department’s homelessness and transience detail, she added. “Let’s hope it’s just the one incident.”

But violence against homeless people— particularly by multiple assailants of a young age—are common throughout the country and especially in California, said Michael Stoops, community-organizing director of the National Coalition for the Homeless.

His organization recently distributed a national survey that attempted to quantify the problem. Using first-person accounts, media reports and information from service providers, the coalition tabulated 1,437 B E F O R E | N E W S | F E AT U R E

In 2013, there were 33 reported attacks on the homeless in California, according to the National Coalition for the Homeless.

violent attacks on homeless individuals at the hands of “housed perpetrators” between 1999 and 2013, more than a quarter of which proved fatal.

Perpetrators were “most commonly” teenage boys, the survey states.

The violence resulted in the deaths of 375 homeless people during the 15-year survey period, more than double the 132 homicides that all other hate-crime protected classes suffered during the same period combined, Stoops said. “Which is astounding.”

Angeles repeatedly punched the face of a They’d never before experienced such homeless woman lying on the ground. danger during their years living on the While an investigation into that videostreets, they told SN&R. “I believe it was a taped event is underway, earlier this year, a hate crime,” Martin said. jury acquitted two former Fullerton police The National Coalition for the Homeless officers charged with the 2011 beating death supports hate-crime protection status for of a homeless man. Video surveillance of homeless individuals, but such efforts have the ordeal showed the victim crying out for come up short in this state. “Right now, his father. homelessness is not part of California’s “Homeless people don’t have great hate-crimes statute,” Stoops said. relationships with police departments,” He added that three separate governors Stoops said. have vetoed legislation to change that.

That wasn’t the case here. Martin said “Your current governor did the same damn officers who patrolled the area where she thing,” he said. and her wife camped since June “actually The coalition also supports federal looked out for us.” legislation, originally introduced in 2010, “I believe it was a At the time of the assault, Martin and to require better reporting of crimes against hate crime.”

Price were gathering their belongings so homeless people by law enforcement. As of they could resettle by the shrouded banks now, authorities aren’t required to itemize Amelia Martin of the American River, where some friends such data in the uniform crime reports they on her and her wife’s attack had established a camp with their dogs. The send to the FBI, which is why the coalition women wanted to be closer to Sacramento culled and cross-checked its survey using According to the coalition, the biggest Loaves & Fishes and other social services, other sources. proportion of homeless assaults—roughly but also felt the move would provide addiStoops said the coalition is the only 20 percent—occurred in the Golden State, tional security. “We were really just trying entity keeping track of bias-motivated which also claims the greatest share of the to get away from it all … just trying to get attacks against the homeless. nation’s homeless. to where it’s safer,” Martin said.

Asked what Sacramento’s homeless The organization tallied 33 attacks She initially worried her wife’s injuries community could do to protect themselves, throughout California last year, including were as grave as they appeared. A searing Officer Gigante urged victims to come a September incident in which three young migraine set in after paramedics slid Price forward. “The crime needs to be reported,” men may have set fire to a sleeping homeonto a gurney and loaded her into the ambu- she said. “You’re a victim of a crime less veteran in Los Angeles, and April lance, cuing fears of a concussion or worse. regardless of your economic status or housreports of teens shooting homeless people in “For me, it seemed like she was touch and ing status.”

Fresno with paint guns. go,” Martin said.

Martin signed up for Social Security “I’m glad I’m not homeless in At UC Davis Medical Center, doctors through Guest House Homeless Clinic, California,” Stoops said. ordered a full workup of body and bone which assists homeless people with mentalYouth-driven crime and arrest rates have scans, which came up clean. Discharged health issues. The expedited process should rarely been lower in the state, according to two days later with a subscription for pain whittle the average wait time from two the California Department of Justice. medication and a referral to a cosmetic years to 87 days, she said. “That will help The coalition survey does not include surgeon, Price and her wife were able to us,” she said, sitting beside the wife who last month’s now-viral incident in which a spend the next few days recuperating in a came to her rescue. Ω California Highway Patrol officer in Los motel room, paid for by Price’s son.

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8/8/14 11:06 AM

Range of motion

BEATS

A writer’s dispatch from the grand opening of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s giant new East Coast brewery I’m on a rented bus in North Carolina filled with excited beer fans, looking out the window at the densely forested Blue by Jason Cassidy Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian Mountain range rising in the distance. j ason c @ The destination: Sierra Nevada news review.c om Brewing Co.’s new East Coast headquarters. The trip brings together this country’s iconic mountain ranges, an apt symbol for what awaited us at the end of the road: the final stop of Sierra Nevada’s two-weeklong, seven-city Beer Camp Across America tour. It’s

Even though there is still work to be done, the brewery is already producing many of Sierra Nevada’s products—Pale Ale, Torpedo, Flipside—with shipments starting back in January. The new brewery is now at its maximum-production pace, approximately 350,000 barrels a year, Grossman says. In fact, he points to the row of big silver caps, visible on the roof of the fermentation building where additional tanks can—and likely will soon—be dropped into photo by JaSoN CaSSidy

a celebration of both the rosy state of craft beer in America today and the opening of the Chico-born brew pioneer’s new brewing facility in tiny Mills River, N.C., on the outskirts of the college town of Asheville.

The day’s 80-brewery festival serves as the official grand-opening celebration of the company’s now fully operational second brewery.

It’s also the culmination of Sierra Nevada’s 35-year journey to become the largest independently owned craft brewery in the country.

“It’s been insane,” says Brian Grossman, son of Sierra Nevada owner Ken Grossman and the co-manager (with Stan Cooper, former logistics manager in Chico) of the new North Carolina brewery.

Grossman reflects on the recent two-week adventure while standing in front of the new facility’s copper-accented brick facade. More than 4,000 beer lovers mill about the grounds on a warm summer afternoon, enjoying some fine brews and gawking at Sierra Nevada’s new monument to the craft.

The Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. will soon expand its capacity by 400,000 barrels a year.

Jason Cassidy works for SN&R’s sister paper in Chico, the Chico News & Review.

BEFORE

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NEWS

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existing infrastructure to expand capacity by about 400,000 barrels. Just north of Sacramento in Chico, Sierra Nevada’s flagship brewery can make up to 1 million barrels a year.

Sierra chose to build the new facility to meet demand and reduce the carbon footprint created by shipping beer across the country.

“Chico was originally designed to be 60,000 barrels of capacity. It’s now running at a million,” he explains. The Chico plant was pushed to the limit and no longer had room to grow. Plus, they didn’t have the foresight of how quickly that facility would need to grow in order to meet the demand for craft beer.

Beer-friendly western North Carolina is arguably a center of the rapidly growing craft-beer industry.

In 2013, about 15 miles south of Sierra Nevada’s new location, Oskar Blues Brewery expanded east from Colorado and opened its own second facility in Brevard. And by the end of 2015, craft-beer giant New Belgium Brewing Company, also based out of Colorado, will open a second brewery

F E AT U R E

STORY

in Asheville, just 10 miles north of Sierra Nevada.

“It’s a compliment to the brewers who already existed here for these incredible craft brands to want to set up shop here in North Carolina,” says Margo Knight Metzger, executive director of the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild. “And also I think they’re a complement with an ‘E,’ you know? They are complementing what’s already happening here. They are helping to drive tourism, not only to their own breweries, but to the breweries that have already existed here.”

She says this expansion would lead to North Carolina becoming “an East Coast beer mecca.”

As Metzger suggests, North Carolina, and the Asheville area in particular, was already a great beer destination before the newcomers arrived, with more than 100 craft brewers in the state and Asheville having the distinction of being voted Beer City USA several times in craftbrewing pioneer Charlie Papazian’s annual poll. And like the other expansion breweries, in addition to the draw of natural beauty and clean water, Sierra Nevada chose the region with the intention of joining its burgeoning beer culture.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s flagship brewery can make up to 1 million barrels a year.

“Sierra Nevada has been making a real effort to be a good neighbor, to be a good citizen to the region, to be a good citizen to the state, to be active with the guild,” Metzger says.

In addition to day-to-day brewing operations, there are many building projects to be finished on the 184-acre Mills River site, where construction thus far has taken up approximately 30 acres, according to Sierra Nevada spokesman Ryan Arnold.

In September, to coincide with the opening of the new gift shop, public tours and tastings will begin, and the unfinished taproom and restaurant is scheduled to open in late 2014 or early 2015. Hiking and biking trails on the grounds should also be completed by spring of 2015. Ω

| A R T S & C U L T U R E

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AFTER

Pill-popping doctors About a decade ago, Alana Pack of Danville went for a walk with her two children. A car driven by a woman under the influence of prescription painkillers ran the family over and killed both children.

Around the same time, Tennessee physician Stephen Loyd started abusing prescription drugs he procured through his close connections at the hospital where he worked. Over a short period of time, he was popping as many as a hundred Vicodin and oxycodone pills a day while on the job.

On Monday, Loyd joined Bob Pack, husband of Carmen Pack, at The Citizen Hotel in Sacramento, where the two voiced their support for a statewide ballot measure that would require doctors undergo random drug testing to prevent abuse of prescription drugs if approved by voters this November.

Proposition 46 would also require that doctors check the state’s database on prescription drugs before prescribing drugs to first-time patients.

The goal is to protect people from tragedies like that which befell the Packs, triggered by a woman who acquired an overload of pills by going to multiple doctors at the same hospital—a common tactic by drug abusers called “doctor shopping.” The doctors had not bothered to check on their patient’s medication-use history because they weren’t required to, proponents said.

“Proposition 46 will save lives,” Loyd told attendees at the August 11 meeting, which was hosted by Consumer Watchdog, a consumer and taxpayer advocacy organization.

The group’s president, Jamie Court, told SN&R in an interview that Proposition 46 could also save the state’s taxpayers more than $400 million per year by curbing abuse and overprescription of medications.

But opposition to the measure, which is largely funded by health-care groups, alleges that Proposition 46 has a different priority—increasing the cap on malpractice lawsuits from $250,000, where it stands today, to more than $1 million.

Opponents warn this could result in huge annual costs in courtroom settlements.

Loyd may be an anomaly among doctors, who widely oppose Proposition 46. They and other opponents—like the Sacramento-based group No on Proposition 46—claim the measure is chiefly a maneuver by lawyers to raid their bank accounts.

Representatives from No on Proposition 46 did not return calls or an email seeking comment before print deadline.

(Alastair Bland)

Re-evaluating victims The statewide panel charged with helping California’s crime victims get back on their feet is taking a hard look in the mirror.

During two meetings scheduled this week, including one on Thursday in Sacramento, the California Victim Compensation Program was expected to solicit public input for a project that aims to modernize the agency’s criteria for deciding which victims are worth helping.

In December 2013, the program’s voting board scrapped a 14-year-old policy that prevented victimized sex workers from receiving recovery assistance, even in proven cases of rape.

“It’s time to take this action and eliminate laws that are outdated or simply have not kept pace with changing attitudes or needs,” CalVCP executive officer Julie Nauman said in a release. “Through this modernization project, we will eliminate those laws and statutes that no longer make sense and do not serve the interests of victims of crime in California.”

Currently, the state disqualifies validated gang members and those who are involved in the underlying crime from obtaining assistance, which can help with medical and relocation costs.

A public forum is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday, August 14, at CalVCP’s headquarters at 400 R Street in Sacramento. (Raheem F. Hosseini)

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Sacramento’s winners and losers—with arbitrary points

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SN&R

August 15, 16, 17

by SN&R staff

Cease the cease-fires

Soccer is cheaper

Israel and Hamas are not so good at not killing each other.

The international community, what with its inexorable enthusiasm to engage this latest Holy Land blowout (read: sarcasm), really needs to work a helluva lot harder to save civilian lives and accomplish more than a cease-fire, which obviously doesn’t mean much.

Faster than you can say “DeMarcus Cousins flagrant-2,” Sacramento, apparently, is all about soccer now.

Mayor Kevin Johnson even joined the Sacramento Kings and Republic FC owners in Portland, Oregon, last week to pitch Major League Soccer on a new downtown pitch. Where’s the money gonna come from? “Bah, that’s the easy part!” says everyone: A new stadium will cost less than $150 million and can be paid for privately. Gooooal !

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Humanitarian bombing, Iraq, hmm The United States military began bombing Iraq again last week. This time, it’s bombing the country to save it (wait, that sounds familiar). Haven’t we learned yet that anytime the U.S. military is bombing the shit out of a country, it’s more than likely not a humanitarian intervention?

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Pia later

Christie at bat

The Sacramento Bee announced last week its parting of ways with editorial board member Pia Lopez. Lopez’s husband was running for Congress in Minnesota, and there seems to have been some big-time conflict-ofinterest issues when it came to performing her Bee gig and electioneering for her husband’s race.

Maybe that’s to be expected, however, since Bee editorials are always so cozy with political machines.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was in California this past week touring baseball stadiums with his kids and chowing on Dodger Dogs (not a fat joke, OK!). Scorekeeper likes this—it’s better than Christie running for president.

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+ 100 Advance endorsement In the latest edition of “What the hell is Marcos Breton talking about?!” the Bee scribe endorsed Mayor Kevin Johnson—for the 2016 mayoral race, for which he has yet to even declare candidacy. Guess he cleared that up.

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The chaining of Curtis Park

SIP THIS

Should Sacramento limit the number   of strip-mall chain stores it has?

There’s going to be a lot more beige stucco in and around Curtis Park in the next few years. The 72-acre Curtis Park Village project is a great urban infill opportunity in a great urban neighborhood—putting a bunch of new residents and businesses in the old rail yards next to Sacramento City College. But the Curtis Park Village developer Paul Petrovich of Petrovich Development Co. is planning a n Vi AR G very Petrovich-ian retail landscape there, o

by CoSM a cluster of national chain stores that cosmog@ newsrev iew.c om could have been cloned from any of his other projects or from any new suburban strip mall anywhere.

And other developments have Curtis Park residents fretting about the beigeification of their little corner of the city. The Sacramento Children’s Home, which owns the land at the corner of Franklin Boulevard and Sutterville Road has decided to give beloved Mexican supermarket Mercado Loco the boot in order to bring in a CVS Pharmacy in a city that is already saturated with big corporate drugstores. Last check, about 560 residents had signed a Change.org petition asking the Children’s Home and CVS to leave the local market alone. “We’re worried the overpreponderance of those chains will snuff out the character of the neighborhood,� says Bruce Pierini, a Sacramento City College professor and Curtis Park resident. Pierini is one of several residents pushing the city to adopt limits on chain businesses.

A lot of cities are trying out these “formula business� restrictions. San Francisco’s ordinance started in one neighborhood and has since grown to encompass several neighborhood business districts. Sometimes cities ban formula businesses outright in a certain neighborhood or they cap the number or they make such businesses subject to “conditional use� approval, as in San Francisco.

There are a lot of reasons that developers like Petrovich keeping cloning a certain kind of generic strip mall, and a lot of it has to do with reassuring the national banks that finance their projects. “It’s just easier to build the same thing again and again,� says Stacy Mitchell, with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, which advocates for local business and limits on chains.

This being Sacramento, any kind of formula business restriction would surely be painted as anti-job. Region Builders and the Sacramento Metro Chamber managed to eliminate Sacramento’s rules requiring economicimpact studies for new big-box stores, by arguing (without much evidence offered) that the rules hurt job creation. Mitchell counters that, “There is extensive evidence that local businesses employ more people.� They source locally, and the profits are more likely to be invested locally, too.

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City councilman Jay Schenirer, who represents Curtis Park, has in the past sided with the chamber and the developers on the big-box rules, and he has taken a lot of money from Wal-Mart, the chamber and developer groups.

Still, the Curtis Park folks are hopeful Schenirer will help with formula business restrictions. His chief of staff, Joe Devlin, says, “We are looking into it,� and adds that Schenirer will be meeting with neighbors next month, along with Portland, Ore.-based consultant Michele Reeves.

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Bites wrote a bit about Reeves’ ideas on adaptive reuse and retrofitting suburban retail corridors in a previous column (see “Downtown is important,� SN&R Bites, January 2). She is skeptical of chains, but she’s skeptical of formula business restrictions, too. “You have to be careful about trying to rule things out. Because there can be all sorts of unintended consequences.�

Reeves says the trick is building good relationships between developers and local business and neighbors. “You want to encourage and reward what you do want to see, rather than punishing what you don’t want,� she adds.

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If developers want to benefit from the neighborhood and the public amenities that made it possible, they ought to do better than beige suburban-style strip malls.

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To be sure, the Curtis Park folks say they want to find positive ways to promote local business, and not just to ban things. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Every neighborhood in this town should be thinking about how to distinguish itself,â&#x20AC;? says resident Kathleen Ave. And Ave notes thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no Curtis Park Village without the Curtis Park neighborhood. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Petrovich] called his place Curtis Park Village, because he wanted to benefit from what this neighborhood is all about.â&#x20AC;?

And the way Bites sees it, the neighborhood wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be nearly as desirable without the tremendous public investment that went into it. That includes City College, the lightrail station, and the grand old park itself. If developers want to benefit from the neighborhood and the public amenities that made it possible, they ought to do better than beige suburban-style strip malls. If they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think so, maybe we do need some new rules. Ί

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It was over 100 degrees and I was wearing a suit when I pulled up to SMUD. As I made the small trek from the parking lot of the new, energy-efficient Sacramento Municipal Utility District building to the older, less efficient building where the top brass still reside, I developed an ever-increasing appreciation for the inventor of the air conditioner and for the 2,000 SMUD employees who deliver the electricity that powers those heavenly inventions.

I was there to meet with SMUD’s new CEO, Arlen Orchard, who took over the reins in April after serving 13 years as SMUD’s general counsel (he’s been l

by Jeff VonKaene with the company for a total of 24 years), spending, in his words, “all of my time on the fourth floor,” where j e ffv @n e wsr e v ie w.c o m the top officials have their offices. Wearing a polo shirt this morning, Orchard explains that he was outside at 6 a.m., meeting with utility-line workers. Clearly enjoying his new job, Orchard told me that one of his goals was to meet individually or in small groups with all 2,000 employees.

SMUD employees have told me that Orchard is having an impact, especially by holding senior managers more accountable. And Orchard has a deep appreciation for the SMUD workforce. I worked Will SMUD need to with SMUD staff when SN&R took a 19,000 square foot former generate more energy grocery store on Del Paso because of increased Boulevard and converted it into our green-friendly headquarters. energy-sucking devices? SMUD’s staff is a regional treasure. SMUD is nationally recognized as being one of the country’s most forwardthinking utility companies.

But the future is uncertain. Will SMUD need to generate more energy because of population growth and increased energy-sucking devices such as computers and televisions?

Or will there be less demand because of increased energyefficiency and more consumer energy generation such as solar rooftops? Will smart meters help reduce energy use and lower peak demand, thus reducing the need to build more energy plants? Will there be a major technology breakthrough, dramatically changing the cost of energy creation? Will electric cars catch on more, requiring more electricity? These are all good questions with unknowable answers.

Certain things we do know. New energy sources, like solar and natural gas, are more expensive than old ones like hydro.

Energy conservation, especially on older residential units, Jeff vonKaenel makes more financial sense than creating new energy sources. is the president, SMUD’s rates are around 25 percent less than neighboring CEO and PG&E. SMUD’s excellent staff has the knowledge to run a majority owner of the News & Review communitywide energy-conservation campaign. newspapers in A communitywide energy-conservation and energySacramento, creation campaign could bring a whole new sector of Chico and Reno. conservation-related employment opportunities. While this might cost more in the short term, it could ensure that rates stay low for the long term.

So, the question is: Does it make sense to increase our rates a few percentage points now to fund a communitywide residential and commercial energy-conservation effort? There is a lot of pressure not to increase rates, even for conservation measures that will ensure that rates stay low in the future. But is this shortsighted? Orchard told me that it is a question of balance. That is true.

How do we find the right balance? Ω

This Modern World

by tom tomorrow

Tips to quench an exceptional drought California’s thirst is real. It might be difficult to notice (semi-) serious suggestions to help save the effects of the water shortage when you California before it’s all shriveled up: by live downtown or in a residential area, but Stop watering your lawn. A lawn serves Rudy Raya please believe, California’s heartland is in a no real purpose outside of being a restroom real hurt. for neighborhood pets. If your lawn has Harsh summer conditions coupled with even the smallest patch of green, you are skyrocketing water prices have pinched killing California. Your lawn shouldn’t even the agricultural sector this year for more be yellow; it should be a dry stretch of dead, rudy raya than $2 billion in losses—forcing cuts to cracked dirt. is an sn&r intern. 17,100 seasonal and part-time jobs, accordStop showering every day. In a state of ing to a recent study emergency like this, there’s by the UC Davis no time for hygiene. Get If your lawn has Center for Watershed some Wet-Naps and a can Sciences. of Lysol, and you’re good to even the smallest The U.S. Drought go. If you absolutely must patch of green, Monitor classified shower, do so with a friend. almost 60 percent of Stop drinking water. A you are killing the state as being in an majority of our daily fluid California. “exceptional drought,” intake should consist of with Central and whole milk, high-fructose Northern California the hardest hit. corn-syrup-based beverages and alcohol. No In this case, exceptional is not a good ice, either. All your refreshments should be An online version of this essay can be found at thing. This drought is “exceptional” in the room temperature or warmer. www.newsreview.com/ fact that it’s the third worst ever recorded.

Now, these may seem idiotic—and they sacramento/ are—but what would be even more foolish pageburner/blogs. In response, California has been forced to tap heavily into its dwindling groundwater is to go about your everyday routine during reserves, which doesn’t bode well for a a crisis like this. No more washing your drought that’s predicted to last through next clothes while you brush your teeth as you year, according to the UC Davis study. wait for the shower to heat up.

While Sacramento has been one of the It’s time every Californian makes a better cities at curbing water usage, we conscious effort to reduce daily water usage. Or could always do more. Here are just a few soon enough, we’ll all be in over our heads. Ω BEFORE

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Keep Midtown affordable Sacramento’s creatives—traditional and fringe artists, not to mention musicians, restaurant and bar workers, theater people, and the LGBT community— have made the urban core, and Midtown especially, a destination point.

The reason people in Sacramento’s suburbs and exurbs are willing to come to the grid for entertainment, food, events, arts and just a plain old-fashioned good time is the unique mix of people.

And it should come as no surprise that those are the same people who can’t afford to live in a lot of the proposed new housing, such as those that are being included in development plans for both the new Kings arena and the Whole Foods project.

The very people who make the central city so vibrant make too much money to qualify for government assistance, but not nearly enough to buy loft condos, or pay $1,500 or more a month in rent.

Here’s a clue: In Midtown, $1,500 a month isn’t affordable. It might be in other California cities, but unless developers want to chase all the talent to north Sac—not necessarily a bad idea over the long term, but it will cost the grid in “cool”—keeping rents down in the heart of the city is crucial to keeping the creativity pumping.

We’d really like to see developers acknowledge this reality: Affordable housing is an issue that affects people who you don’t normally think of as poor.

We’re also talking about everyone who isn’t the top 30 percent of wage earners. This includes a fairly large segment of the creative class, the people who come up with the ideas, the art and music.

So, as more and more apartment and housing projects submit plans with the city, we challenge Sacramento’s leaders to keep the central city affordable for those who made it what it is today. Ω

K.J.’s money

Once again, Mayor Kevin Johnson appears to be selling Peter to buy Paul. As reported in a recent Bites column in this paper, the mayor—whose hard work on behalf of the NBA would make most observers think that Sacramento has no big problems—picked up $50,000 from the NBA and another $250,000 from the mother of a Kings arena developer.

Those donations went straight to St. HOPE Academy, Johnson’s charter school and the platform from which he first ran for mayor. And then there’s the recent news that the mayor’s wife, Michelle Rhee, has taken over as the new chairwoman of St. HOPE’s board of directors, which is a nice way to keep control of all that money in the family.

We’ve got to point out, once again, that even the appearance of using the mayor’s office as a cash machine is bad news.

Oh, right: That money went to the mayor’s nonprofits. Which, we know from past experience, are staffed by people who can quickly hit the ground to support his political campaigns, since many of them left the city’s payroll to work for him in the first place.

This sort of political ATM behavior shouldn’t be business as usual in Sacramento’s City Hall. Ω | A R T S & C U L T U R E | A F T E R | 08.14.14 | SN&R

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Taxis, Uber and Lyft battle for your cab fare—but who really has the cheapest, fastest, nicest drivers in town?

tanding on the Capitol lawn on a sunny day in July, Jose Lopez waits with fellow taxi drivers for potential fares. Out of shouting distance, a group of men with luggage head toward L Street. One of Lopez’s colleagues walks over, uncertainly, to offer a ride. No luck.

Business is slow, especially while the state Legislature is on summer recess. But Lopez and other drivers complain that there’s a bigger reason their work has stalled in recent months: Uber and Lyft.

Cabbies are clashing with these rideshare companies, which allow people to turn their personal cars into taxis.

“They’re taking customers from us,” says Lopez, sporting loose-fitting slacks and a balding head of silver hair.

It used to be that a cabbie working in Sac would make around $75 a day, working more than the standard

16 | SN&R | 08.14.14

eight hours. But thanks to the apps’ “disruptive innovation” technology, taxi drivers say they are losing 50-60 percent of their income and waiting twice as long in between customers.

A lot of this is because rideshares undercut cabs on prices. By way of example, cabbies say it costs between $30 and $40 to get from the Capitol building to the airport, where they also pay a cab-entrance fee. A search on the Uber website shows the same ride starting at $27.

Lyft says its fares are 30 percent cheaper than taxis on average. That seems to match Uber prices.

The recent battles pitting taxi drivers against ridesharers represent an age-old conflict of new technologies displacing familiar business models. Taxi drivers are predictably miffed about losing market share to what they see as upstart startups that enjoy less regulation. The city of Sacramento, for instance, recently passed tough new rules for cabs— but ignored rideshares like Uber and Lyft.

The pro-rideshare camp says it is competing on price and convenience in a market that taxi companies have for too long monopolized.

“If you’re leaving the house to go to the grocery store, there’s a chance your neighbor

A new, enlightened cApitAlism Uber and Lyft are just two minnows in the brave new world called the sharing economy.

The term refers to industries in which your average Joe or Jane Citizen can earn a few bucks by sharing something with strangers, usually connecting with them through an app or website.

Feastly users don’t have to be gourmet chefs, but they can cook meals and charge people to come and eat at their homes. Dog lovers can make some scratch by watching people’s pets through DogVacay. And those of us who aren’t cabbies by trade can give people rides, for a fee, with smartphone apps like Sidecar, Lyft and Uber. Sidecar has yet to arrive in Sacramento, but locals have been using Lyft and Uber since 2013.

How it works: You launch the app, which tells you how far away a driver is and the cost of a ride. You both agree, and after they drop you off, the app transfers payment from your bank account to theirs.

When customers pay for an Uber ride, 20 percent of the fare goes to the company and the rest to the driver. Uber, which was founded in 2009 but is not a public company, was estimated to bring in more than $1 billion in rideshare revenues last year. In June, the company raked in $1.2 billion in new venture-capital investment.

Lyft didn’t get into the rideshare game until 2012, but brought in a quarter-billion-dollars in investment this past April.

Uber drivers sometimes have a glowing “U” sticker on their car’s front window. Lyft drivers can be identified by a big pink, fuzzy mustache on the car’s front grill. Lately, however, these logos are less common—possibly because in larger cities like Los Angeles, taxi drivers are known to hassle rideshare drivers that prominently flash their U’s or mustaches. In some cases, taxis have even slashed rideshare cars’ tires In the beginning, startups all across the sharing economy were met with skepticism and worry. Was it safe to let a stranger into your car?

Sleep at your house? Borrow your boat?

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“As a woman, you have to keep that in mind,” Lyft driver Dora Vaudrin, who lives in Citrus Heights, said on a recent Tuesday afternoon. The petite 30-year-old, dressed casually in shorts and dangling earrings, had a plan to duck-and-roll out of her car in case a passenger attacked her. That never happened.

As safety and other concerns have largely subsided, the sharing trend has caught on. It appeals to a young generation’s desire for a certain lifestyle—why buy a car when you can share one?—and to a sort of libertarian interest in cutting the middleman.

Oakland-based writer Susie Cagle blogged at Medium that the peer economy’s vision is “an act of civil disobedience in the service of a righteous return to human society’s true nature of trust and village-building that will save the planet and our souls.”

For the Occupy Wall Street crowd, paying a little less to traditional corporations, which it deems corrupt or bloated, is a plus. Now they can pay strangers directly (with a cut for the startup, of course). More substantially, many users find it cheaper to stay at an Airbnb host’s apartment instead of a hotel, for instance, or to hop in an Uber car instead of a taxi.

Cagle has called it a “higher form of enlightened capitalism.”

pho to by lisa bae tz

needs to go, too,” says Chelsea Wilson, Lyft’s Sacramento-based communications manager.

“This is changing transportation into a community-power movement.”

But the rideshares are attracting disapproval, too, with critics saying they exploit vulnerable workers and diminish the odds that any driver, cabbie or Uber or Lyft, can make a living wage.

Who is right? That’s part of what regulators are trying to decide now. California is at the forefront of attempts to rein in these wild new rideshare companies, most of them founded in San Francisco.

Among the most controversial proposals is a bill at the Capitol that would up the companies’ insurance requirements, effectively drawing a line between when drivers are just private citizens out for a cruise, and when they’re acting as employed contractors.

The outcome of such draft legislation in the coming months will help to shape the ridesharing industry. And that, in turn, is likely to reshape the way we get around, how we deal with money, our interactions with strangers, and maybe even our perspectives on the community of a city.

Lyft driver Laura Vaudrin says there’s enough business out there for taxi and Uber drivers, too.

when cAbs And Apps collide Cabbies say part of the reason these new mobile apps can siphon away their riders is that they deal with far less overhead. Besides worrying about where they’re allowed to park or how often their cars are inspected (sometimes daily), Lopez says cab drivers are paying taxes at all levels of government, plus paying for commercial plates and city permits. These are costs that rideshare companies don’t necessarily incur.

“OK, when they’re paying like us, no problem,” cabbie Lopez says. “But they don’t have as many expenses.”

Rideshare companies do spend on things like auto insurance (more on that later), taxes and criminal background checks. But cabbies say they have to go through more rigorous checks, plus get licensed and display photo ID in their cars, making them a safer option for customers.

Yet ridesharers turn that same criticism around on taxis.

Lyft driver Chris Lenny says rideshares may not be as sharply regulated, but that’s because they come with a personal connection. He can trust the person sitting next to him in the car: Besides a police check, a driver’s photo appears on the

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“RIDER” continued from page 17 app, which also shows that person’s track record based on past users’ reviews.

This connection also makes it easier to find that sweater you left behind in the driver’s car.

“It’s a better service than what’s been in place before,” Lenny says. He added that taxis “have been needing change for a long time.”

His frustration with taxis is not uncommon.

Stories about cabbies overcharging for a ride or taking the long way to drive up the meter add extra appeal to ridesharers. One Sacramento council member, for instance, recounted during a meeting this year how a local cabbie once got lost bringing him downtown from the airport.

Meanwhile, a tourist using Uber can land in São Paulo, Brazil, know nothing about the city, and rest assured the driver won’t rip him off because the price is set ahead of time. And with rideshares, there’s no tipping.

’ THis is CHANGiNG TRANspoRTATioN iNTo A CommuNiTy-powER movEmENT.”

Chelsea Wilson Lyft’s Sacramento-based communications manager

By comparison, taxis seem inefficient. The rides are more expensive, too, and yet drivers make so little. Where does the money go?

Certainly not into new technology. Rideshares brag about the efficiency and advantages, such as smartphone app maps that let drivers see in real time when and how much their services are needed. In the past, for instance, peak hours meant that normal taxis were in short supply (like at 2 a.m. on a Saturday, after bars close in Midtown).

But apps use surge pricing, so that more drivers will come out to earn the higher fare, and more riders will wait until prices drop, in theory.

Advocates say sharing is also more efficient because it cuts congestion and pollution and helps everyday people make use of their underutilized resources.

Lyft’s Wilson would not say how many users Lyft has in Sacramento. Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend said in an email, “We have thousands of rider and driver partners in and around Sacramento.”

There are about 500 cabbies.

A FARE CHALLENGE! Uber showed up in an overheating Ford with faded black paint. Lyft wouldn’t stop complaining about Uber. And the cabbie’s debit-card reader was busted. So went SN&R’s first ever taxi-Uber-Lyft challenge: It was like NASCAR meets Maury Povich meets the grandma who still writes checks at the grocery store.

Just after 5 p.m. last Thursday, Janelle Bitker and Raheem F. Hosseini and I each called up a ride. Raheem drew the taxi straw. Sure, we figured it would be longer to request a taxi than a rideshare on an app, but no head starts. Janelle took Lyft, I got Uber.

This little race began on the corner of I and 21st streets. We chose the location because it can be a confusing Midtown convergence for the novice grid navigator. And also because it’s near where most of us live, and I’m lazy like that.

Our destination was the corner of S and 17th streets, at Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co., because we’re not so remiss to put back a few cocktails after work.

Our goal was to not only find out which ride is the fastest, but also the cheapest, the cleanest, the most polite, the most GPS savvy, and the least awkward or dangerous or life-threatening.

Vehicle for exploitation As these startups mature, however, they attract more opponents who feel companies are looking

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The car looked new and clean.

He was a big guy in a T-shirt and shorts, a little odd, but talkative and friendly. He said he didn’t like Uber because he felt like they weren’t screening drivers, and the service was getting a bad name.

Lyft took 19th Street to Hook, the quickest route. The driver didn’t immediately know where it was, but he knew the general direction and asked in the middle of the ride to make sure. He didn’t use his GPS or mess with the phone during the ride. There were no snacks. A 12-minute journey cost $6, sans tip.

Raheem said he “really had to pee” when he was waiting, but, unfortunately, the cab took the longest. He was caller No. 3, and waiting “was like being stuck behind someone at the drive-thru and wondering how much of the menu they’re ordering,” Raheem said. To be fair, there is a taxi app—but who knew?

The company’s dispatchers will only send a car to a specific address, so this caused a delay.

Finally, an automated voice called Raheem to say his car was there—but he’d already spotted it and jaywalked over to it to make up time.

Raheem said it was a quick, smooth ride. The air conditioner was piping nicely. The driver said the shift was “very, very slow,”

and that he’ll have to work longer than planned to hit his daily goal of $100. He’s been driving for nine years and owns a sharp-looking yellow Toyota Prius.

A final hiccup was the card reader attached to the back of the passenger seat: The driver just installed a new one, but it refused to read Raheem’s debit card. Twice. So he handed him $10 for a $7 fair. To inch him closer to that $100 mark. The ride took 19 minutes.

So, while Uber was the quickest by about three minutes, was it a winner? Did my driver, who clearly was not vetted by the company, even have a license or auto insurance? How would I even know?

Lyft was the cheapest, barely, and wasn’t much slower than Uber. But ditto the above concerns.

All three of us embrace rideshare’s convenience and tech proficiency, but there’s something to be said for a taxi company’s in-case-shit-happens safeguards.

Government may soon crack down on the rideshares, but let’s not compromise the efficiency and affordability.

That’s a challenge worth taking.

—Nick Miller nic k a m@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

CHALLENGE

RESULTS time 19 minutes, 15 seconds $ PRICE $7, plus $3 tip

?

INTANGIBLES

VERDICT

“RIDER” continued on page 21

Uber arrived first. It was 100 degrees outside, but the car’s air conditioning remained off. A couple Febreze bottles were tucked away in the backseat, maybe because of the car’s soft coolant aroma.

The driver didn’t know Hook & Ladder’s location; the fastest route is via 19th Street, but she opted for the stop-and-go way down 20th.

Uber drivers often offer snacks like gum or Corn Nuts, and sometimes even chargers for your phone, but no dice today.

She said she’d only been driving for a couple weeks, and that she doubles as a Lyft driver as well (Uber pays better “by a dollar or two” she said). She’s new to Sacramento and said driving is “a good way to learn the streets”— right before nearly turning the wrong way on S. The door was locked, and I couldn’t exit the car when we arrived at Hook. The ride took about nine minutes and cost $6.21. No tipping with Uber.

Lyft arrived second. Even though the app stated that there was a “driver 3 minutes away,” it took much longer than that, Janelle said. The Hyundai Sonata pulled up on the opposite side of the street, so Janelle had to cross the busy lanes to get to her ride.

The driver immediately apologized for taking so long, saying he took a wrong turn. Excuses!

taxicabs vs. Uber vs. lyft— three Sn&r writers become riders in the race to see who best gets you from a to B

STORY

9 minutes, 1 second

12 minutes, 55 seconds

$6 even

$6.21

Longer wait, payment technology not up to snuff

Crummy car, inexperienced driver, almost went wrong way

Cleanliness, friendly driver

Slower, pricier—but the most professional

Convenient and affordable, but unprofessional

A nicer rideshare experience than Uber

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Lyft fares are considered the most affordable of the rideshares. Some say Lyft and other such services don’t purchase enough insurance to cover their drivers.

of ube r pho to cou rte Sy

“RIDER” continued from page 19

ph ot o co ur te Sy of ly ft oto

caption

Uber lets customers call for a ride and pay for it without talking on the phone or opening a wallet.

Some criticize the company, however, for not adequately vetting drivers.

A cabbie who goes by the name Akhtar waits for a fare on L Street near the Capitol. Some cab drivers say business is down 60 percent, plus there are longer waits in between fares, since Uber and Lyft came to town last year.

photo by liSa baetz

less like an alternative to The Man and more like a vehicle for exploitation.

Critics say the sharing economy takes advantage of the vulnerable, especially in the wake of the Great Recession. Those who turn their cars into cabs are not just students or housewives with flexible schedules and a desire for spending money, they’re also laid-off workers who drive to make ends meet while applying for new jobs.

But new jobs with good pay will be harder to come by as the sharing model spreads to more industries. As with outsourcing, companies save money because there is less regulation, as well as more people willing to work for lower pay and fewer benefits.

“Across the U.S., high costs of living are driving more of the employed toward ‘side hustles,’” Cagle argues. She calls this “unprotected freelance work.”

Freelance drivers work without union protection, without the traditional benefits of health care, workers’ comp, retirement plans and the like. Standards are lowered industrywide, creating a cycle of job uncertainty.

But Lyft says it’s unfair to characterize drivers as unprotected. The company explained that it contributes to community-building by meeting with drivers to answer questions and connecting them with other drivers.

Vaudrin said she and about 40 other Sacramento-area Lyft drivers meet every Tuesday to socialize, welcome new members, and share their experiences to support one another. She now acts as an official mentor, inspecting new drivers’ cars as well as showing them the ropes. Some users develop friendships above and beyond their rideshare connection.

“Once a driver signs up, Lyft does have a lot of infrastructure in place to support the driver,” Lyft spokeswoman Katie Dally said.

There’s also the argument that a cab driver’s loss is a gain for people who might have come to depend on their Lyft or Uber income. Vaudrin BEFORE

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said she uses it to supplement her waitressing pay, though she wouldn’t share how much she makes from driving. Lenny said he has just found a new job, but it requires an extended period of training. Until the job starts, he’s relying on his Lyft earnings. “This is helping me to survive during my unpaid training,” he said.

TesTy drivers The new apps on the block come at an especially inconvenient time for local cab drivers. Earlier this year, the city of Sacramento passed a slew of regulations that drivers fear could push many of them out of work. Chief among their worries is a test that will be mandatory for new drivers or for those who are up for permit renewals.

Dafna Gauthier, the city’s business-permit manager, told SN&R the test would have material that drivers should know, such as geography, “regulations, making sure they can count change back and that kind of thing.” But drivers criticize the measure as essentially an English test that discriminates against immigrants.

And, at least for now, Uber and Lyft drivers are exempt from these rules.

Ed Camillo, a cab driver wearing a black hat over his shoulder-length curls, says he’s been in the business for 30 years. He explains that his Portuguese language skills come in handy when some customers prefer to speak that with him.

“Why, in a place like America, should I have to speak any particular language?” Camillo said in English, before dashing off with a newly arrived fare.

Other drivers said they speak as many as four or five languages, and being tested on one is antithetical in a country that prides itself on its melting-pot diversity.

Kazman Zaidi, president of the Sacramento Taxi Cab Union, estimated that out of the 400 to 500 cabbies in the capital, around 100 would fail the test. He said older drivers shouldn’t have to

F E AT U R E

STORY

’ They’ re Taking cusTomers from us.”

Jose Lopez Sacramento taxicab driver

take the test, as their experience has been test enough.

But Gauthier said Sacramento would not grandfather in any drivers because “the people who ask for this are the ones we have issues with.”

She added that the new rules, which include a professional dress code effective July 1, resulted from complaints.

“Contrary to what people think, it’s drivers who are also asking for this, saying, ‘We’re tired of people making our industry look bad,’” she said.

Again, these rules won’t apply to rideshare drivers. Gauthier says the city wants to wait to see what the state does before it works on regulations of its own.

But for taxi drivers, it did budge, somewhat; the test rollout date was postponed to last week, August 4, giving drivers time to observe Ramadan.

roadblocks and whaT’s nexT It may be cold comfort to taxi drivers, but rideshares, which also go by the bulky term, transportation network companies, or TNC, are brushing up against their own regulatory roadblocks, too.

Assembly Bill 2293, sponsored by Bay Area Democrat Susan Bonilla, would require that rideshare companies be on the hook for commercial

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auto insurance when their drivers turn on their apps, whether they’re ferrying customers or not.

Bonilla proposed the bill after an Uber driver hit and killed 6-year-old Sophia Liu in San Francisco while he was logged on but without a passenger this past January. That led to a bitter battle over who should pay damages to the child’s family: Uber, the driver’s personal insurance provider or someone else.

Bonilla and supporters of her proposal say it would eliminate this gray area, while critics say it offers little benefit except to add to the balance sheets of insurers. The bill is sponsored by the Association of California Insurance Companies and the Personal Insurance Federation of California.

The state Senate likely will vote on the bill, which has passed the Assembly, this fall.

Zaidi helped bring hundreds of cab drivers to the Capitol to back the proposed legislation, which he said would level the playing field by regulating rideshares more similarly to the taxi industry. Drivers on both sides—apps and taxis—say that they’re OK with competing with one another if the playing field is fair.

“I have zero animosity,” Lenny says about cab drivers.

He acknowledged that his involvement with Lyft was hurting the traditional taxi business, but that’s part of what defines disruptive innovation.

“There are pros and cons to progress. There are always going to be difficulties. But I see [rideshares] as a big step forward.”

Vaudrin, on the other hand, doesn’t believe there have to be winners and losers. She said there will always be different customers, some who want to hail a cab and some who want to pull up an app. She sympathized with the taxi drivers—but with optimism: “I understand where they’re coming from, because we are taking some of their business,” she said.

“But I really do think there is enough room for everyone.”

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Andrew Hillman, owner of The Cultured & The Cured, says many shoppers find cheese shopping “intimidating”— that’s why it’s important to turn to a trusted cheesemonger.

With the rise of farm-to-fork and local foodie culture, the sacramento cheese scene ripens to maturity

LIFE on the

W E DG E JA N ELLEB @ NE W SR E VI E W. C OM

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O P H T

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BY J A N E L L E B I T K E R

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arm to Fork grabbed Sacramento’S attention a couple yearS ago.

The craft-beer scene also officially exploded.

Now, artisan cheese has finally arrived. Which means locals are now happily spending $11 for a grilled-cheese sandwich and $40 per pound of the latest exciting, award-winning cheese.

Though the city has long had great cheese selections from local grocers like Corti Brothers and Taylor’s Market, new cheesecentric businesses started opening last year.

And they opened with a focus on domestic, handcrafted cheese and cheesy dining fare.

The country’s cheese industry took notice two weeks ago at the American Cheese Society Conference, an annual five-day event that brings roughly 1,000 cheesemongers, cheesemakers, chefs, distributors and other cheese professionals to a new city each year.

Why Sacramento?

Organizers touted the city’s “Farm-to-fork Capital” distinction, its agricultural bounty and its close proximity to some of California’s

greatest cheesemakers in Sonoma and Marin counties. And each night, conferencegoers were pleasantly surprised at the city’s thriving food culture.

Sara Arbabian said she felt Sacramento was ripe for a cheese renaissance when she opened The Rind (1801 L Street, Suite 40) last spring. The classy but approachable cheese bar specializes in pairing cheese with wine and beer, on top of a rotating cast of more than 30 cheeses cut to order. But Arbabian said the community didn’t really know what to think at first.

“A lot of people thought it was a cool concept but had a hard time understanding how a cheese shop was a bar; how you pair wine and beer and cheese,” said Arbabian. “It was tough, but ultimately, people were like, ‘I like cheese, I like wine, I like beer—it sounds good.’”

In the fall, another cheese business opened: The Cultured & The Cured (3644 J Street), an artisan cheese shop that also serves up cheesecentered bistro fare. A few months after that, Block Butcher Bar (1050 20th Street) opened and completed the Sacramento cheese trifecta. Though chiefly known for its whiskey

27 Cheese and cocktails? Yes!

Guy Fieri-approved

Pretty lady smells

See DISH

See COOLHUNTING

WhIle WIne and

beer matchups were topics of discussion, pairing cheese with cocktails and spirits was not discussed at the recent American Cheese Society Conference in downtown Sac. It’s not exactly a trend yet, but using similar principles of balance, it certainly can be done.

In honor of Midtown Cocktail Week, which takes place August 19-24, Block Butcher Bar chef Michael Tuohy came up with a list of recommendations to try at his restaurant.

1. Just Beet It (Gosling’s Rum Black Seal, fresh beet

juice, balsamic vinegar, citrus, mint, bitters) with North Valley Farms Chèvre’s feta.

2. The Hemingway (Papa’s Pilar blonde rum, grapefruit, lime, Luxardo Maraschino) with Marin French Cheese’s Triple Crème Brie.

3. Mad Hatter (Landy VSOP Cognac, Laphroaig 10 Year Old Scotch whiskey, lemon, honey, Earl Grey tea, blackberry preserves) with Fiscalini Farm’s 18-month Bandage Wrapped Cheddar.

4. Talisker 10-year singlemalt Scotch with Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Colston Basset Stilton.

—J.B.

Pairing off Pa I r I n g c h e e s e with various condiments and beverages was a big topic at the recent American Cheese Society Conference held in Sacramento.

Kirstin Jackson, author of It’s Not You, It’s Brie and a former Sacramento cook, says you can think about pairings like you would think about cooking. Let’s say you have a cheese with an earthy, mushroomy taste.

How do you best enhance mushrooms? Butter, of course. Then pair the cheese with a creamy, buttery wine.

Ultimately, it’s all about balance. You don’t want the cheese nor the accompaniment to overwhelm the other. Here are a few basic suggestions to get you going.

1. Light, citrusy goat cheeses enjoy unoaked wines—like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc—with similar citrus notes. A light pilsner or wheat beer would work, too.

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2. Meaty, mold-ripened cheeses such as Brie or Camembert prefer a more buttery, oaked white wine.

Whatever you do, know that Brie and tannic red wines don’t get along.

3. Salty, nutty cheeses like caramel and chocolate flavors. Pair your next aged Gouda with a porter or brown ale.

4. Blue cheeses are salty, piquant and intense. A porter would work well, but a sweet wine might work even better.

Try sauternes or riesling.

5. Pair by region—yes, the classic wine term terroir can also refer to how soil and weather affects cheese and beer. There’s a reason why tart, sharp manchego tastes so lovely with a glass of Rioja.

Most importantly, experiment! Every palate is different, and as Jackson says, “There’s hardly any research in cheese pairings—people are just saying things.”

NEWS

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Virgin territory See ASK JOEY

program and house-made charcuterie, Block also features a small shop at its entrance selling cut-to-order cheese.

Suddenly, Sacramento is a cheese town. Arbabian said it’s another step in the Slow Food movement.

“I think we’re all trending back toward procuring food and preparing food with care and high-quality ingredients,” she said. “People are becoming more educated about what they eat.”

But business owners agree that customers generally find artisan cheese selections intimidating—at first, anyway.

The Cultured & The Cured, for example, serves 100 cheeses.

“People will walk up, look at the case and say, ‘Oh my God. I don’t know what to do,’” said owner Andrew Hillman.

Hence the importance of the cheesemonger: the specialist that can help guide customers to a cheese of their liking, even if they know absolutely nothing about cheese.

With all specialty cheese shops, balance is crucial.

Cheesemongers seek a healthy mix of cheeses from different milks— cow, sheep, goat, buffalo—and different styles. There are fresh cheeses, like ricotta; soft-ripened, bloomy rind cheeses, like Brie; washed rind, stinky cheeses; cheddar; blue; smoked; flavored; and all sorts of international styles, like manchego or Gouda.

Hillman tries to stay domestic with his cheese, though. Out of 100 cheeses, he’ll typically carry about five from Europe. Part of it is certainly the farm-to-fork mentality, but no chef would buy mediocre cheese simply because it’s closer, either. Hillman buys most of his from California because the state’s artisan cheese is fantastic.

The innovation of American cheesemakers was a major focus at the American Cheese Society Conference. During the keynote speech in front of nearly 1,000 cheese professionals, local tastemaker Darrell Corti and Bay Area food and wine pioneer Narsai David discussed California’s artisanal-cheese movement as one akin to its wine and culinary renaissance in the 1980s.

“We are doing things now that are the envy of the entire world,” David said.

According to census data, the country’s fastest growing cheesemanufacturing sector is the small, artisan cheesemaker—the business with fewer than 20 employees. And American cheesemakers are not limited by history. In Europe, cheesemakers have been using the STORY

31

same recipes and methods for hundreds and hundreds of years.

“Here, it’s a new frontier,” Arbabian said. “It’s exciting because you can go rogue—you can do whatever you want. If it tastes good, give it a name and push it forward.”

The American Cheese Society sees this innovation firsthand every year. In 1985, it held its first judging and competition— now commonly known as the “Oscars of cheese”—with 30 cheesemakers entering 89 cheeses in seven categories. This year, 248 companies entered 1,685 products in 85 categories. Talk about growth.

“It’s a new frontier.

It’s exciting because you can go rogue— you can do whatever you want.

If it tastes good, give it a name and push it forward.”

Sara Arbabian owner, The Rind Tom Kooiman, chair of the society’s judging committee, tasted cheeses for a full week and noted a few trends: washed rind cheeses, aged alpine-style cheeses and burrata all saw a high number of entries. But more than that, he said he was impressed with the number and quality of “American originals.” The category

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Cocktails to go See 15 MINUTES

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includes national mainstays like Monterey Jack and Colby, but also the cheeses that are so unique in recipe, they can’t really be placed in a category. An example: Bleating Heart Cheese’s Fat Bottom Girl, which won a first place ribbon as well as the top prize at this year’s California State Fair.

Still, there’s a huge disconnect nationally between cheese-focused businesses and businesses that happen to serve cheese. Conference attendees expressed dismay in their experiences trying to get chefs to utilize artisanal cheese as an ingredient, and they pointed to the lack of cheese education in most culinary schools as a leading culprit.

Those such as Hillman and Michael Tuohy, executive chef at LowBrau and Block Butcher Bar, people who love cheese and decide to pursue it to a new level—are more rare.

Hillman said restaurants might be resistant to using a product that’s so expensive and tricky to keep fresh. Tuohy noted that when he first entered LowBrau’s kitchen, the cooks were serving canned cheese sauce to top the sausages. Now, Tuohy buys 180 pounds of cheese each week from Petaluma Creamery to make 24 quarts of sauce every other day.

Plus, cheese isn’t exactly easy to just throw onto a preconceived menu.

For Tuohy, cheese comes first, and the dish comes second. “The cheese tells us what to do with it,” Tuohy said.

Now Sacramento’s cheesiest businesses are ready for more. Both The Rind and The Cultured & The Cured are adding patio seating. Arbabian hopes to start offering brunch in the fall—quiches, croque-monsieurs, savory pastries and other simple dishes that can highlight different cheeses. And The Cultured & The Cured’s liquor license is due any day—Hillman plans to offer cider and a couple beers on draft, along with bottles of beer and wine.

The trend seems to be here to stay.

Or perhaps it’s not a trend at all. Hillman argues the rise of artisanal cheese is just another result of Sacramento’s growing food culture.

“People are getting a lot more knowledgeable—they want to experiment, eat more and expand,” he said. “They’re finally realizing there’s a lot out there, and that’s the nature of what cheese has become.”

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Bad Poetry and Purple Prose Tour Saturday, augu St 16 Sacramentans have been keeping it janky for a number of years now—whatever that means. If it means attending kitschy history events featuring intentionally bad poetry at the local POETRY cemetery, we’re doing better than ever. Free, 10 a.m. at the Old City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway; (916) 448-0811; www.oldcitycemetery.com.

—Jonathan Mendick

Hands on History: 175th Anniversary Celebration Saturday, augu St 16 Celebrate the 175th anniversary of John Sutter establishing Sutter’s Fort with old-timey cosHISTORY tumes, artifacts (including a boot allegedly worn by Sutter himself!), descendants of the Sutter family and a “periodappropriate laundry station.” $5-$7, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, 2701 L Street; (916) 445-4422; www.suttersfort.org.

—Deena Drewis

Polympics Saturday, augu St 16 Pole dancing may not have made it to the Olympic games yet (it’s sill trying), but until then, Sacramento Pole Dance Studio is hosting its own Polympics. Watch these gymnasts and dancPOLE DANCING ers spin, climb and show off their best tricks as they compete for gold, while raising money for the Wounded Warrior Project. $5, 7 p.m. at Sacramento Pole Dance Studio, 2057 Arena Boulevard, Suite 130; (916) 419-6464; www.sacramentopoledancestudio.com.

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Time Travelers Bazaar Saturday, augu St 16 Sacramento is celebrating its second annual Time Travelers Bazaar this Saturday, which brings together various fantasy genres (cosplay, pirates, fairies, etc.). There will be vendors, BAZAAR performers, fan clubs and everything a costume-wearing fantasy lover could ever want. Free, noon to 6 p.m. at Great Escape Games, 1250 Howe Avenue, Suite 3A; www.facebook.com/ timetravelersbazaarsacramento.

S

—Aaron Carnes

actown’s beer scene has grown a lot in the past decade.

Craft breweries, beer shops and beer gardens that no one could have ever imagined 10 years ago are now part of the city’s recent beer renaissance—all coinciding with a national trend toward greater fine-brew appreciation.

Two cities neighboring Sacramento are stepping up, too. This week, Folsom and Davis will both host events celebrating the sudsy alcoholic beverage—one brand-new, one in its second year.

The second annual Davis Beer Week (www.davisbeerweek.com) is already underway. The citywide event began on August 11, and it continues through Sunday, August 17, with beer specials at restaurants, beer tastings, the Bike and Brew Fest and the Beer Train.

The Bike and Brew Fest is the week’s signature event on Saturday, August 16, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (www.bikebrewfest.com). It’s a communitywide party in Central Park (401 C Street), with music

by Arden Park Roots, local eats and pourings from 60 breweries.

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F E AT U R E

Tickets vary in price from $10-$60. Proceeds from the Bike and Brew Fest benefit the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in Davis.

Folsom debuts its new craft-beer festival, Tap Folsom (www.tapfolsom.com), at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 15. It’ll feature samples from more than 20 breweries, including Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Mendocino Brewing Company and Mraz Brewing Company, plus live music by Humble Wolf, Midnight Players and Thunder Cover. Food vendors include Krush Burger, Folsom Tap House and Jimboy’s Tacos. It’s $25 for general admission and $50 for the “VIP experience,” which gets ticket holders into the festival at 5 p.m. and includes a barbecue dinner. There’s also a $10 ticket option for nondrinkers. Tap Folsom happens at Lake Natoma Inn (702 Gold Lake Drive in Folsom). After the event, Scarlet’s Saloon, Hampton’s on Sutter, PowerHouse Pub and Folsom Lake Bowl will host after-parties, and pour more craft beer.

STORY

War Comes Home: Understanding PTSD Sunday, augu St 17 It’s a trite saying, but still holds a universal truth: War doesn’t end on the battlefield. This panel disDISCUSSION cussion about post-traumatic stress disorder will include an author, clinical psychologist, professor and Vietnam War veteran with PTSD. Free, 2 p.m. at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 828 I Street; (916) 264-2920; www.saclibrary.org.

—Jonathan Mendick

—Jonathan Mendick

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Take a family vacay to Flavortown Dad’s Kitchen 8928 Sunset Avenue in Fair Oaks, (916) 241-9365, www.ilovedadskitchen.com Almost everything one needs to know about Dad’s Kitchen can be gleaned from its name and the signed poster of Guy Fieri right next to the front by Jonathan Mendick entrance. In other words, it’s a dining establishment that serves what you might eat at home if j o nathan m@ Fieri was your dad—but with more traditional newsreview.c om American fare, and less random cultural mash-ups and catchy hyperbolic names (such as Guy-talian Nachos and Awesome Pretzel Chicken Tenders). rating: During brunch on a recent weekend, for HHHH example, one middle-aged couple took their seats, looked over the menu, and then left dinner for one: because they couldn’t find a salad (note: There $10 - $20 are salads to be found on the lunch and dinner menus). Even so, the restaurant’s personality is almost the opposite of Fieri’s: It’s located on one end of a low-key strip mall in Fair Oaks and features a friendly, laid-back staff and a comfortable patio.

The offshoot of Dad’s Sandwich Shop, Dad Kitchen’s opened this location, its second, in December 2013. SN&R reviewed the original Freeport Boulevard location several years ago (see “Father dearest” by H Kate Washington; SN&R Dish; June 26, FlAwed 2008), but the eatery has since become HH famous for being featured on Fieri’s Diners, hAS mOmentS Drive-Ins and Dives show (a.k.a. “Triple D” HHH to fans) in 2011. Here at its new location, AppeAling Dad’s boasts a slightly retooled menu, highHHHH lighting dishes featured on the show with a AuthOritAtive Food Network logo next to several items.

HHHHH On our first visit, my dining companion and epic I tried the Dad’s Burger (lettuce, red onion, tomato, Aleppo chili aioli, and a beef patty encrusted with blue cheese and bacon) that Fieri famously chomped in a Triple D episode.

It was one of the best burgers I’ve eaten in Sacramento. The bun was firm and chewy, the burger tasted sweet (from the bacon) and salty (from the blue cheese), and the sauce gave it Still hungry? a little kick. For those looking for a one-way Search Sn&r’s ticket to Flavortown, a side of Dad’s Specialty “dining directory” Fries with more blue cheese and habanero to find local restaurants by name sauce adds extra richness and punch.

Next, we tried another item featured on or by type of food.

Sushi, mexican, indian, Triple D: the Hot Blonde. It’s like a subtle, italian—discover it healthier version of a club sandwich, with all in the “dining” section at organic chicken, avocado, spinach, cucumber, www.news roasted onion and Swiss cheese—all set review.com. between sourdough bread and grilled on a panini press. It boasts a crunchy texture from all the veggies, a light boost of piquant flavor from a “pepper plant sauce,” and won’t leave you feeling overly stuffed after eating it.

Brunch at Dad’s might be a pretty good hangover cure. We tasted both the Hacienda Hottie breakfast sandwich (fried eggs, bacon, cheese, jalapeño on sourdough), and the

chicken-fried steak and eggs plate. Despite its name, the Hottie wasn’t too hot. In fact, it needed extra salt and a little bit more hot sauce for my palate. It came with something called a “breakfast tater,” which can best be described as a mashedpotato croquette. It was texturally marvelous, a huge step up from standard hash browns.

Brunch at Dad’s Kitchen might be a pretty good hangover cure.

During later visits, we ate our way through a few dinner options: a pork chop plate, a steak and a taco salad. All were solid, but the pork chop plate was probably the best of the three.

The highlight was the balance between the salty pork and the apple chutney. If there was a place to nitpick, it’d probably be that the chop was a little bit on the dry side, but that’s hard to get right—especially with such a big portion of meat.

I’d also definitely recommend the salad: nicely layered and textured with carnitas, black beans, bell peppers, onion, tomato, romaine lettuce and chipotle-ranch dressing.

The cooking here is consistent and at times technically terrific. There are plenty of brews on tap for beer nerds to quaff. It’s a comfortable place to get comfortable with American food plus a good beer or two. Ω

Edible flower crown

Going to the farmers market to get produce is great, but going to the farm itself is better. And it’s a beautiful farm, at that. Kingbird Farms in Galt is run by former Sierra Club and Nature Conservancy worker Mike Eaton and his wife, retired lawyer Charity Kenyon. They have cultivated gorgeous non-monoculture fruits and vegetables that can be ordered online year-round at www.kingbirdfarms.com. It’s the farmers market of the future past, because while customers can buy it via technology, they’ve got to go the farm to pick it up. I can’t wait to order the heirloom melons—like the Collective Farm Woman and crane—purslane (succulent leaves high in calcium and omega-3 fatty acids!), and a bunch of edible flowers to make into an annoyingly trendy flower crown and let my goat friends eat it off my head.

—Shoka

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Downtown Blackbird Kitchen & Beer Gallery Blackbird is back with chefowner Carina Lampkin again at the helm. It’s located in its original space with a similar aesthetic, though with more focus on beer and bar food to better complement the seafood-inspired dinner menu.

A burger served with house pickles, seven-day house-cured bacon, cheddar and sweet ’n’ chivey “awesome sauce” make for one of the city’s best burgers, no question. Chowder fries, however, are nifty in theory— fries covered in bay shrimp, bacon and parsley, then doused with chowder. It’s a play on poutine, but a lack of acid and serious sogginess issues mar it from being a landmark dish.

Better yet? Fish tacos featuring fried pollock served with pickled cabbage and chipotle crema. These and a beer will remedy any bad day you’re having. American. 1015 Ninth St., (916) 498-9224. Dinner for one: $10-$30. HHH1/2 G.M.

Where to eat?

Here are a few recent reviews and regional recommendations by Janelle Bitker, Ann Martin Rolke, Garrett McCord, Jonathan Mendick and Shoka updated regularly.

Check out www.newsreview.com for more dining advice.

Midtown Block Butcher Bar This place serves the holy trinity of European cuisine: meat, cheese and alcoholic beverages. Most of its boards and plates are balanced using three basic tastes: salty (meats and cheeses), sweet (honey and jam) and sour (pickles and vinegar). The charcuterie boards impress visually and on the tongue. A recent selection included shaved almonds, neat piles of meat,

mustard, pickled cauliflower and beets, served with small slices of bread. The ’njuda sandwich is startlingly spicy and salty, with rich melted cheese and ground meat spread between pressed slices of bread. Or try the pressed serrano ham, manchego cheese, arugula and salsa sandwich—it’s like a cross between a cubano, a breakfast panini and a torta. Elsewhere on the menu there are fine cocktails, an intimidating whiskey list, and a small but diverse selection of beer and wine, both regional and international.

European. 1050 20th St., (916) 476-6306. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHHH J.M.

and welcome, pairing well with numerous dishes. French.

1226 20th St., (916) 447-3300.

Dinner for one: $25-$30.

HHHH G.M.

Der Biergarten This spot is a slightly quirky, low-key place with only nine food items on the menu: four appetizerstyle options, four sandwichtype offerings and a sausage platter, plus about 30 cold ones on tap. Patrons order from a building that was built from a couple of cargo containers and dine outdoors on communal benches, traditional German biergarten style. The Derfinater Dog is a gussied-up hot dog, and despite its seemingly excessive number of toppings, everything served a tasteful purpose. The mayo and garlic sauce helped moisten a somewhat dry roll, and the bacon added saltiness, which balanced the sweetness of cream cheese and barbecue sauce.

The pretzel disappointed by being a bit on the flaky and brittle side. The sausage platter was the best item on the menu: a pork sausage, chicken sausage, and a veal-and-pork sausage—much more plump, juicy and flavorful than the frankfurters—served alongside piles of sauerkraut and German potato salad. German.

2332 K St., (916) 346-4572.

Dinner for one: $5-$10.

HHH J.M.

Cafe Plan B This Midtown iteration of the popular Plan B Restaurant in Arden Arcade brings to mind old-school French dining. This should not be read as an insult. The menu runs with salads, sandwiches, mains and appetizers—however, the highlight is the generous array of mussels served in both modern and classic fashion.

The épicé mussels are served in a thick tomato sauce with a rumbling chili-garlic heat.

Coconut-broth mussels are sweet and tangy and worth a visit. A white-anchovy tartelette with shredded fennel and leek dazzles—it’s the sort of light food welcomed in tripledigit heat. The puff pastry it sits on is a means to an end.

Branzino cooked en papillote is also a thing of beauty: light, flaky and served with wisps of lemon and fennel. The wine selection is limited, however, the house white is affordable

Strings Urban Kitchen This more upscale version of the Gold River-based Strings Italian Cafe chain lands in

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the Il Fornaio camp, but with a lower price point.

Recommended options include the Bruschetta Rustico, with chunky toasts layered with seasoned cheese, grape tomatoes, basil and balsamic vinegar. Pizzas are offered at 7 or 16 inches, with lots of optional additions. A small Pomodoro Mozzarella, with sliced tomatoes and marinara, was serviceable with medium-thick crust and plentiful toppings. A signature frutti di mare pie with shrimp, scallops, mussels and seafood sauce is a more unique take on the category. There are also quite a few vegetarian choices, including Vegetale de las Casa. Eggplant, peppers, zucchini and other veg are sautéed in oil and tossed with Parmesan and Gorgonzola. For dessert, try the tiramisu. If you’re feeling generous, order the caffè sospeso (“pending coffee”), in which you pay for a cup for the next guest.

Italian. 1500 Seventh St., (916) 444-6500. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHHH AMR

Tidbit Catering & Gelateria Chef Eric Lee has crafted an eclectic, bargain-friendly menu. Fried calamari are lightly seasoned with a crispy exterior and served with a marinara-ish bland sauce.

A carrot-and-ginger soup possesses a slow burn, and a chicken-lettuce wrap is sophisticated: a modest portion of food of moderate size that’s highlighted with slivers of cucumber and a shaking of vinegar. The frozen bits,

kitchen open new menu

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however are the real winners. Gelato and sorbet are both available in astounding off-the-cuff flavors that mostly draw inspiration from Asian cuisines. A vanillaand-adzuki-bean gelato tastes sweet and earthy, with a flavor reminiscent to Chinese moon cakes. A nutty soy-based black-sesameseed gelato is as rustic and charming as your favorite Instagram filter. American.

1907 Capitol Ave., (916) 442-7369. Dinner for one: $5-$10. HHH1/2 G.M.

East Sacramento Fahrenheit 250 BBQ This barbecue joint ups the ante with attentive table service and highend ingredients. Chef Jacob Carriker serves Southern staples such as pulled pork, brisket and ribs, plus the very California addition of smoked tri-tip. There’s also chicken and trout—all smoked in a 7-foot hand-forged steel behemoth. The pulled-pork sandwich is moist, smoky and falling apart with tenderness. The half-chicken is a bit dry, but benefits from a shot of sauce. The tri-tip is well-smoked, but not as good as the brisket, although it still makes for a very nice addition to the Market salad, with baby greens, grilled zucchini and onions, and cornbread croutons. Barbecue. 7042 Folsom Blvd., (916) 476-4508. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH AMR

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Land Park/ Curtis Park Pangaea Bier Cafe Just as European wines are made to be enjoyed with food rather than sipped alone, the current tsunami of European-style microbreweries feature drinks often best quaffed alongside a well-crafted meal.

Pangaea Bier Cafe recently stepped up its food game to satisfy that need with a revamped menu that includes an ever-changing rotation of seasonal, slightly upscale pub food. Try the Buffalo wings: They’re deeply flavorful fried morsels with a thick glaze.

The mac ’n’ cheese is creamy, with a bit of beer in the sauce and a crunchy topping of herb-flecked breadcrumbs.

The sliders are gorgeous little mouthfuls with Tillamook cheddar and house-made pickles. The main-course cheeseburger, one of the best we’ve had in ages, is made from a custom blend of brisket and chuck. This is a juicy patty that holds together, yet bursts with flavor. The locally made brioche bun bears up well, and the house pickles and cheddar simply gild the lily.

American. 2743 Franklin Blvd., (916) 454-4942. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHH1/2 AMR

South Sac Bodhi Bowl This Vietnamese eatery’s menu is all vegetarian and mostly vegan, with plenty of high notes. The Heavenly Noodle is a can’t-go-wrong

Kansai Ramen & Sushi House This place serves its own take on ramen and sushi, with varying degrees of success. The kakuni ramen, which features three thick slices of braised pork belly in lieu of the house ramen’s thin slices of chashu, boasts a nice, sweet marinade; tender consistency; and copious flavor. Be sure to order noodles al dente, and it’ll make for a good option, even with its run-of-the-mill broth. Or amp it up with the spicy tan tan men, which uses a beefy and seafood-tinted soup base that teems with

flavor. The sushi rolls here are Western style—a.k.a. loaded with toppings. Try the Mufasa roll. With crab and avocado on the inside and salmon and sauce outside, it’s particularly tasty, seasoned in sesame oil and baked—a somewhat unusual technique for sushi.

Japanese. 2992 65th St., Ste. 288; (916) 455-0288. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH J.M.

own flavorful broth alongside expertly cooked plain rice.

Mexican. 2386 Fruitridge Rd., (916) 393-9090. Dinner for one: $5-$10. HHH AMR

Arden/ Carmichael Field House American Sports Pub Launched by the same team that raised Shady Lady Saloon, this spot brings a bit more culinary hope to an often forgotten part of Sacramento. The whiskey burger is a mighty sammich of perfection with smoked Gouda cheese and bacon that serve as excellent counterpoints to the achingly sweet maplebourbon glazed red onions.

Fries-slash-chips arrived pencil-thin and fiercely crispy.

If you visit for brunch, don’t miss the signature bloody mary: a 32-ounce bloody mary that doesn’t skimp on the horseradish. It’s served with skewers of beet-pickled egg, sausage and bacon, tiger prawn, pickled veggies, and the most amazing slider.

American. 1310 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-1045. Dinner for one: $15-$25. HHHH G.M.

Zazon Guadalajara Grill This place offers a fun experience for learning more about food native to the state of Jalisco, where the city of Guadalajara resides, with an extensive and eclectic menu.

The tacos here are outstanding.

The cabeza (beef cheeks) and barbacoa are the best fillings— both so tender they practically melted. The chicken tasted rich with dark meat and subtle spice, while the carnitas are flavorful but tend toward dryness. There are also fried fish tacos here.

The Guadalajaran influence also shows in several shrimp dishes.

We tried the grilled and garlic preparations, both served with buttery rice studded with corn, peas, carrots, and plenty of sautéed peppers and onions. We loved the slightly charred flavor of the grilled shrimp, while the garlic ones were marred by an off-flavor that indicated they were past their prime. The beans that accompany many of the entrees are Jalisco-style peruanos. These little yellowish beans were perfectly al dente and served in their

The Kitchen Diners here don’t receive a menu: They receive a program, divided into seven acts, and, yes, there’s an intermission. Guests all eat together, like a reservationsonly giant dinner party, dining on seasonal dishes such as chilled, minty pea soup, served with creamy pea pudding, cured scallops and

IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

salad comprising snow-white vermicelli noodles with cooling mint, cucumber slices, houseroasted peanuts and jagged pieces of faux beef. The “beef” actually is slightly sweet, plenty umami and pleasantly inoffensive, as far as fake meat goes. Nearly everything here has a faux-meat product or tofu element. So, sorry diners with soy allergies—it can’t even be escaped in the papaya salad. Not an issue?

Soldier on with the Hot & Sour soup, a not-too spicy sunsetorange broth that teems with a tomatoey and citrus flavor, chunks of pineapple, semicircles of trumpet mushrooms, cubes of fried tofu and slices of faux crab. Or, try the stir-fried Eight Fold Path. It features al dente celery, red bell pepper and triangles of the most savory, salty, dense tofu perhaps ever. Vietnamese.

6511 Savings Place, Ste. 100; (916) 428-4160. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH S.

Sterling Caviar. The offerings, which include the likes of lamb, steak and pasta, change monthly, but the highlights are the chefs’ tasters—small bites scattered throughout the dining area. A recent visit included oyster, faux lasagna bites, citrusy duck, and “kettle corn” cones of puffed wild rice, amaranth and corn with black-truffle caramel, which tasted sweet, salty and positively deadly. American.

2225 Hurley Way, Ste. 101; (916) 568-7171. Dinner for one: $100-$300. HHHH J.B.

Shige Sushi The food here tends to edge more classic than modern. Cooked chicken hearts, skewered and dusted with a bit of chili powder and lashed with lemon juice, make for a juicy and flavorful take on the classic street food.

Fried smelt are crispy and oily in the right way: by way of the smelt themselves and not the cooking oil. It’s a treat that should not be passed up.

A classic Philadelphia roll is packed with crab, avocado and cream cheese—Americanstyle sushi at its finest—and the Ziggy roll, wrapped in a canary-colored soy wrap, is a mix of masago, avocado and crispy soft-shell crab that offers a blend of textures and a creamy-piquant flavor that’s terribly addicting.

Sushi. 5938 Madison Ave. in Carmichael, (916) 331-7300.

Dinner for one: $20-$40.

HHHH G.M.

Grub ’n’ go

Sacramento County announced two bits of news regarding on-the-go eats last week. First: On August 1, Sacramento International Airport launched a $3 million renovation of the Terminal A food court, which will include a handful of new eateries upon completion. These include two national chains (Freshii and Urban Crave) and three local chains (Paesanos, The Squeeze Inn and a yet-to-be-announced—but definitely local—business).

It’s expected to be finished by spring 2015. During construction, “interim” food and beverage concessions will be available, according to a press release. Second: A Shell gas station located at 5500 Florin Road in south Sacramento is set to partner with the county and several other outside agencies to create a healthy convenience store. Soon, it’ll stock fruits and vegetables, plus “healthy meats such as fish.” Though many people may not quite be ready to buy fish at a gas-station convenience store, it’s still a step toward providing the south Sacramento neighborhood access to better food choices.

—Jonathan Mendick

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FIND OF THE WEEK

Big idea, tiny reads

Fresh feminism

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bad Feminist Second-wave, third-wave, post—whatever. Essayist Roxane Gay ditches such categorizations in her new BOOK collection, Bad Feminist (Harper Perennial, $15.99). In a political and pop-culture minefield built on, among other topics, the battle for reproductive rights and Robin Thicke’s smarminess, modern “[f]eminism is flawed, but it offers, at its best, a way to navigate this shifting climate,” Gay writes.

Part commentary, part memoir, her essays tackle topics such as Lena Dunham’s lack of diversity on Girls, ladies who love Chris Brown and, the problematic but persistent image of the baby mama on the BET network. Throughout, she addresses race (Gay is black), class (she grew up middle class), education (she’s an English professor at Purdue University), and privilege (“Nearly everyone, particularly in the developed world, has something someone else doesn’t”). Sound like a labored read? It’s not. Above all, Gay disabuses the stereotype of a humorless feminist, writing in a voice that’s fresh, funny and always accessible.

—Rachel Leibrock

So squirrelly t he squirre Ls oF u C davis These days, it seems like at least half the Internet is dedicated to disseminating cute animal photos.

That’s the entire purpose of The Squirrels of UC Davis Facebook page, anyway. Self-described as a community, the page was founded in 2011 and regularly posts photos of squirrels in various poses.

WEBSITE Captions include: “How’s this for a cheeky grin?!” and “Hold on to the things that matter, folks!” ZOMG! www.facebook.com/UCDSquirrels.

—Jonathan Mendick

Breathe deep Poo-Pourri Everybody poops, but why should anyone have to know about it? The creators of Poo-Pourri, an odor- eliminating spray marketed toward women, have made HOME it their business to “make it smell like your business never even happened.” Just spray this mix of essential oils into the toilet to create a barrier that not only traps foul odors below the water, but also releases one of the company’s signature scents such as Déjà Poo, Royal Flush and Trap-A-Crap into the air. Who knows? People may just really think you don’t poop at all. Bottles start at $9.95. www.poopourri.com.

—Alex Hernandez

The name is simple and straightforward: Little Free Library. That is what it is and so much more. It all started in 2009 when Todd Bol of Hudson, Wis., created a model of an old schoolhouse and filled cULTURE it with books in honor of his late mother. He placed the tiny outlet in his front yard, where it soon became popular with Hudson locals and gained the attention of Rick Brooks, a former professor.

Brooks urged Bol to expand upon his idea. And so the Little Free Library network was born, and as of January, they now number 15,000 worldwide—with 30 registered around the Sacramento area. And “little” is no misnomer. Most of these guys measure less than 2-feet wide by 2-feet tall.

Interested in starting your own? Purchase a kit from the nonprofit’s website—prices start at $174.99 and top out at about $800.

Don’t fret if you aren’t flush with cash: Many “little” librarians rally community support via donations, or even build their own.

Either way, just remember to make the structure waterproof and sturdy enough to hold the weight of all those great books.

No matter the look or origin, any little library can be registered and made part of the official network for a one-time fee of $34.95. For a directory of maps or to learn more, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.

—Tiffani DAngelico

The 23-year-old virgin I’m 23 years old, and I’ve never had a boyfriend. I lie to my friends and to my parents so that they won’t know. I am so ashamed that everyone else seems to have this part of life figured out and I don’t.

My female friends assure me that I am attractive, but I feel awkward and cry all of the time. Please help.

Stop assuming that having a

by Joey ga boyfriend is an indicator of rcia normality or attractiveness. a skj oey @ ne wsreview.c om And stop assuming that having a boyfriend will jump-start your life. Yes, Joey being in an intimate, committed is reordering relationship with another person her priorities. can be wonderful, exhilarating and nourishing. But it can also be frustrating, heartbreaking and exhausting (sometimes all within the same day). One person’s romantic interest in another person is not a validation of value or beauty, just as an absence of interest is not an invalidation of worth or beauty.

Start by having a conversation with your wife about how she wants you to touch her.

So don’t lie to family and friends.

Instead, see yourself as a pioneer.

Be in love with life without needing to attach that love to any one person. When you stop obsessing about what you believe is wrong, you will be able to embrace everything good and right about yourself and your life right now.

I have a colleague who considers herself a healthy eater, certainly healthier than me. When we go to a restaurant, she gives the waiter the third degree about everything, from what kind of oil was used to whether the vegetables are organic.

She’s not in the best physical shape but acts like she is, and it’s annoying. I’m sure you’ll say don’t dine with her, but that’s the only time I have for socializing. She works in the same industry that I do and is a valuable source of information for me. Any suggestions about how to deal with her food issues in a constructive way?

The next time you’re at lunch together and your colleague is ordering, smile. As you do, be

Got a problem?

Write, email or leave a message for Joey at the News & Review.

Give your name, telephone number (for verification purposes only) and question—all correspondence will be kept strictly confidential.

Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email askjoey@ newsreview.com.

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fully grateful that you allow a low-maintenance activity (ordering food) to remain low-maintenance.

On the occasion that you are not in the mood to listen to her dissect the menu, be the first to order when the server arrives. Then, before your colleague begins her investigation, excuse yourself and go to the bathroom, or to the restaurant’s waiting area. When you suspect that the order is complete, return to your seat and enjoy the rest of the visit. In other words, let your colleague be her complicated self while you enjoy a different way of living.

My wife of 20 years doesn’t even want me to touch her. I don’t always expect sex, but if I reach out to hold her or kiss her, she pulls away as if she thinks it has to lead to sex. I understand what she wants, but how can I get her to believe what I want: just to be close to her?

Regain her confidence. Your wife does not trust that you only want to be affectionate. You don’t trust your wife’s boundary regarding affection. At some point, one or both of you began to be dishonest about what you really enjoy about physical touch and sexual intimacy. Clear up the deceit, and you’ll be back to hugging, kissing and more in no time.

Start by having a conversation with your wife about how she wants you to touch her. Then, give her what she wants, but pull away before you would like to. Understand? Your desire for affection might feel natural and free of expectations to you, but she definitely senses something else. So shorten each warm and loving touch.

Abbreviate every hug and kiss.

Ignite your wife’s desire so that she is longing for more of you. Ω

Meditation of the Week “It’s not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather, our concern must be to live while we’re alive—to release our inner selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are,” wrote Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.

Are you free of convention?

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The caged bird sings The Conference of the Birds

“An INVENTIVE WHODUNIT With a PITCH-BLACK HEART.” Rodrigo Perez, INDIEWIRE

“One Of The Year’s Most Powerful Films.

BRENDAN GLEESON Is MAGNIFICENT.” Kyle Smith, NEW YORK POST

As director Buck Busfield explained to the audience before the opening of his newest show The Conference of the Birds, B Street Theatre’s by Patti Roberts smaller theater space known as the B2 stage is used to stage more intimate, thoughtprovoking theater productions. It’s a change from the lighter fare that it generally delivers in the main theater, he says, and gives B Street room to experiment.

And that’s exactly what B Street does with The Conference of the Birds. It takes a 4,500line 12th-century philosophically profound poem by Persian poet Farid ud-Din Attar and adapts it into an hour-long stage production with mixed results. Bravo to Busfield for taking on such an ambitious task of trying to capture this mythical, mystical Persian narration, with a cast who portrays the birds of the world, philosophies that include the core concepts of Sufism, and original Farsilanguage songs and music by local composer Noah Argus.

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as the heron, Nikki Massoud as the dove, Meher Mistry as the exotic bird, Carly Wielstein as the sparrow and Nikhil Shukla as the falcon.

The cast is cohesive, though it needs a few more performances under its belt to help the group and the story to coalesce a bit more. Ω

4 It’s Only a Play

PhOTO COurTeSy OF B STreeT TheATre

Terrence McNally’s comedy about a group of “theater people”—and one critic— waiting for the reviews on opening night still has more than a few good laughs, especially in this well-cast production by the Closet Door Theatre Company.

In the sumptuous Manhattan home of inexperienced producer Julia Budder (Kellie Yvonne Raines), stage-turned-TV actor James Wicker (Sean O’Neal)—who passed on the lead in The Golden Egg—waits with the director (Bert Andersson), the female lead (Eliza Webb), a wannabe star waiter (Daryl Clark), the playwright (Wade Lucas) and a cabbie (Ruby Sketchley).

And, oh, yes, a critic (Jon Jackson).

And, oh, do the critics ever take some hits in this one.

Fortunately, the jokes are both funny—and just a little bit true.

But the real winners here are the chemistry between the actors (especially Andersson, O’Neal and the always luminous Raines, who turns the use of profanity into a theatrical event); the willingness of all hands to go full bore into physical comedy—including a Homer Simpson-like throttling, delivered with red-faced pleasure by Lucas; and a run-in with a vicious dog and some lasagna that Jackson takes with aplomb.

It’s Only a Play is also the community debut of director Andrea Slay, a recent theater graduate from American River College, who—assisted by O’Neal, a veteran—does a wonderful job.

In fact, if the jokes were a bit less ’80s-inspired, this show might even reflect a company waiting for the review from SN&R.

Take these broken wings and learn to fly.

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The Conference of the Birds, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday; $23-$35. B Street Theatre, B2 stage, 2711 B Street; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreet theatre.org.

Through September 6.

While the six-member cast is enthusiastic and full of energy and good intentions, they’re burdened by a condensed adaptation that doesn’t quite do the esoteric and existential poem justice—and perhaps tries to cram too much into a short time span.

The main story consists of the wisest bird, the hoopoe (Elisabeth Nunziato), gathering various birds for an epic journey across the world to confer with the wisest bird of all, the mythical Persian Simorgh. Along the way, we visit parables, short stories and paths to personal truths about the self and about the divine.

However, there are many delightful moments in this short production, which not only delves into deep thought, but also is peppered with nice comedic moments.

It’s a timely reminder that conflicts seems constant, as does the hope for peace. In addition to Nunziato, there’s Ryan Adame

—Kel Munger

It’s Only a Play, 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; $12-$20. Closet Door Theatre Company at the Geery Theatre, 2130 L Street; www.closetdoortheatre.org. Through August 16.

Now playiNg

4

As You Like It

This Shakespeare comedy moves from the stressful, politicized city (in director Edward Morgan’s take, America’s gritty industrial age, circa 1900) to an idealized vision of bucolic rural life (an Adirondack campout, replete with venison, campfire sing-alongs and romance). Morgan works in touches of vaudeville (Touchstone tries tap dancing), the costumes and sets are lovely, the cast is almost entirely professional, and the lakeside venue is beautiful. It’s a stylish, confidently staged show. Tu, W, Th, F, Sa, Su 7:30pm. Through 8/24. $15-$85. Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand Harbor State Park, 2005 Hwy. 28 in Incline Village, Nev.; (800) 741-4697; www.laketahoeshakespeare.com. J.H.

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The Golden State

This irreverent comedy “reinvents” Molière’s 1668 classic The Miser in crazy, contemporary SoCal terms, spicing the bawdiness with gay and straight relationships, references to cocaine, immigration, deportation and blazing summer wildfires

threatening expensive homes. It’s a well-executed, rowdy romp, with a slightly sharp edge. F, Sa 8pm.

Through 9/6. $12-$17.50. Kennedy Mine Amphitheatre, 1127 N. Main St. in Jackson; (209) 295-4499; www.mstw.org. J.H.

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The Language Archive

Poor George (Eason Donner), the linguistics professor who struggles to speak what’s in his heart. Julia Cho’s play tells the story of his struggle to record a vanishing language spoken by battling spouses (Shaleen Schmutzer-Smith and Scott Divine) who prefer to fight in English, the language of “hatred,” while his wife (Jessa Berkey) leaves him, and his assistant (Elizabeth Holzman) pines away for his love. It’s a fascinating look at the power of language and human emotion, directed by Benjamin T. Ismail, with a fantastic set by Brian Watson. Th, F, Sa 8pm. Through 8/23. $10-$20. Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso Blvd.; (916) 960-3036; www.bigideatheatre.com. K.M.

Short reviews by Jeff Hudson and Kel Munger.

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GOOD

4 WELL-DONE

5 SUBLIME–DON’T MISS

PHOTO cOURTESy OF ARIES SPEARS

2708 J Street Sacramento, CA 916.441.4693 www.harlows.com - August 14 -

BUILT TO SPILL

CLOSE TO YOU: A CARPENTER’S TRIBUTE

SLAM DUNK, THE WARM HAIR 7PM $25 ADV

Maybe this press photo is a Floyd Mayweather Jr. impression?

Master of impersonations

5:30PM • $15 ADV

- August 15 -

- August 18 -

THE BELL BOYS

FUTURE ISLANDS OPERATORS

THE BENNYS, ZYAH BELLE (ALL AGES)

7PM

SOLD OUT

5:30PM • $8

- August 16 -

Aries Spears is a masterful impersonator, but he does far more than just recite movie quotes. He takes a microscope to all of the people he imitates and studies their every idiosyncrasy. Spears doesn’t only try to sound like these people, he becomes these characters by perfecting accents, vocabulary, voice inflections and the speed at which they talk. He’s best known for the eight years he spent as a cast member of the sketch-comedy show MadTV. But he’s also had roles in huge feature films such as Jerry Maguire, as well as a part in quite possibly the most underrated movie of all time, The Pest. Catch Spears at one of the six shows he’ll be performing this weekend. Aries Spears, $22.50-$27.50; 8 p.m. on Thursday, August 14; 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Friday, August 15, and Saturday, August 16; and 7 p.m. on Sunday, August 17; Punch Line Comedy Club, 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225; (916) 925-5500; www.punchlinesac.com.

- August 22 -

THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF

THE PRESSURE LOUNGE

PURPLE RAIN FEAT.

THE PURPLE ONES

JOSEPH IN THE WELL, ODAME SUCKS

A 10 PEICE TRIBUTE TO PRINCE

6PM • $8 ADV

9:30PM • $12 ADV

- August 23 -

STEELIN’ DAN 5:30PM • $15 ADV

—Rudy Raya

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COMING SOON

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8/23 8/26 8/29 8/30 9/06 9/11 9/13 9/14 9/18 9/19 9/20 9/21 9/23 9/26 9/27 9/30 10/1 10/2 10/7 10/08

Mahtie Bush Eric Lindell Solsa Allan Holdsworth Tainted Love Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars Midnight Players LoCash Cowboys Afrolicious Irishpalooza Zoo Station Majickat Sean Hayes Jack Gallagher Petty Theft The Lone Bellow Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds Dave Alvin and Phil Alvin Storm Large Blitzen Trapper

10/10 David Bazan + Passenger String Quartet 10/11 Emily Kollars 10/11 Lovefool

10/12 10/15 10/19 10/22

08.14.14

Tom Rush The Earls of Leicester Wayne Hancock Perfume Genius |

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The soul-saver’s sin Calvary Writer-director John Michael McDonagh’s Calvary is a deadpan comedy that still manages to sneak in some pretty heady and challenging questions by Daniel Barnes about the nature of sin and redemption. Are the priests who ignored sexual abusers in their own church just as guilty of their crimes? When Jesus died for the world’s sins, was it tantamount to suicide? If we’re just actors in a play that has already been written, do concepts of sin and virtue even exist? Can the world survive human nature if no one believes in something greater than themselves? “Do you know what felching is?”

3

You and a guest are invited to an advanced screening of

Visit www.SonyScreenings. com/Redeem and enter the code SACFOOTBALL for your chance to win passes for two to attend an advanced screening on Wednesday, August 20 in Sacramento.

THIS FILM IS RATED PG. Passes received through this promotion do not guarantee admission. Seating is fi rst come, fi rst served and early arrival is strongly encouraged. No one will be admitted without a ticket or after the screening begins. Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sacramento News & Review, Allied-THA, and their affi liates accept no responsibility or liability in connection with any loss or accident incurred in connection with use of prize. Tickets cannot be exchanged, transferred, or redeemed for cash, in whole or in part. We are not responsible if, for any reason, winner is unable to use his/her ticket in whole or in part. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary. NO PHONE CALLS!

IN THEATERS AUGUST 22!

WhenTheGameStandsTall.com Facebook.com/WhenTheGameStandsTall #StandTall

34 | SN&R | 08.14.14

SACRAMENTO NEWS & REVIEW

Obviously, this rack of meat is a metaphor for something.

1 Poor

2 Fair

3 Good

4 Very Good

5 excellent

That last question, asked with an innocent sort of disgust by an unworldly young priest (“I had to look it up”), is a perfect example of the way that McDonagh balances expansive philosophical ideas against Kevin Smithstyle, naughty-boy shock humor. Much like McDonagh’s 2011 directorial debut The Guard, Calvary traffics in that borderline surreal dichotomy between the existential and the vulgar. It is a tough trick to pull off, and too often the results feel frosty and smug, with a bigness more suited to the proscenium arch than the letterbox.

However, there is also a lot to like in McDonagh’s jaundiced but oddly humane vision, most especially the performance of Brendan Gleeson, who also starred in and was the best thing about The Guard. He plays Father James, a decent but slightly surly man contentedly living the simple life of the priesthood. It’s a profession that he turned to after the untimely death of his wife, a retreat from the material world of emotional complications that forced him to abandon his still-resentful daughter (Kelly Reilly from Flight).

When an unseen man enters the church confessional booth in the opening scene, Father James is absorbed in a book, and we get the impression that he is neither accustomed to nor particularly interested in people seeking his counsel. As it turns out, the unseen man has not come to confess his sins, but rather to announce

his intentions to murder Father James. This would-be murderer’s motive is revenge for a scarring childhood of sexual abuse by priests, and although Father James never committed such crimes, he is considered the ideal symbolic victim. “I’m going to kill you because you’re innocent.”

McDonagh establishes cheeky self-consciousness as the prevailing attitude right from this opening scene. The first line of the film is, “I first tasted semen when I was 7 years old,” to which Father James returns, “That certainly is a startling opening line.” This sort of winking selfawareness is returned to repeatedly (a cynical doctor labels himself “a clichéd part to play”), and it comes off as an adolescent and ill-advised stab at ironic detachment. In the future, McDonagh should save that sort of stuff for the likes of One Night at McCool’s and concentrate on creating a coherent cinematic universe instead.

When McDonagh keeps the film on track, though, Calvary is close to profound, with an elegantly reserved visual style that matches the script’s moral ambivalence. Father James has been stationed in a small but diverse town that butts up against a lush but desolate stretch of the Irish coastline, and it’s the perfect environmental complement to the waves of moral ambivalence that splash throughout the film—it appears both heavenly and God-forsaken at the same time.

Calvary traffics in that borderline surreal dichotomy between the existential and the vulgar.

There is very little connective tissue holding the narrative together besides Gleeson’s rumpled dignity and barely tethered anxious rage. That opening confessional scene starts the story’s ticking clock, but although Father James spends the rest of the film querying his troubled and cynical parishioners (the strong supporting cast includes familiar faces like Chris O’Dowd, Aidan Gillen, M. Emmet Walsh and Isaach De Bankolé), Calvary is no dunderheaded whodunit, and Father James is no Father Dowling.

Father James claims to know the identity of the aspiring murderer right from the opening scene, yet refuses to share his identity with the authorities. The film is more concerned with a heretofore oblivious priest walking amongst his people, taking stock of a Catholic church that has allowed atrocities to take root, assessing his own complicity of inaction, and weighing the professional obligations of a soul-saver toward a seemingly irredeemable world. Ω

by daniel barnes & JiM lane

5

A seemingly limitless stream of pure empathy runs through Richard Linklater’s transcendental movie event/social experiment/life-affirming headtrip Boyhood.

At the end of the film’s first seamlessly interwoven vignette, 6-year-old Mason (Ellar Coltrane, literally growing up on camera) and his family are moving away from their sleepy Texas town. As the car drives off, Mason’s playmate speeds up on his bike for one last glimpse, barely visible through the tall grasses of fading memory. This is the first of many forgettable friends who will flit in and out of Mason’s young life. Late in the film, when Mason is a college-bound teenager, an adult offers that post-adolescence is “where you find your people,” and Mason can barely refrain from rolling his eyes. The miracle of Boyhood is that we empathize with everyone in this scenario, even with the nameless and forgotten playmate starring in his own alternate-universe movie life. D.B.

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Get on Up

The life of James Brown, from his dirt-poor childhood in Georgia to his reign as the “Godfather of Soul,” provides grist for a standard Hollywood musical biopic. The best reason to see it is Chadwick Boseman’s powerhouse performance as Brown; he goes as deep into the character as the shallow script (by Steven Baigelman and Jez and John-Henry Butterworth) and direction (by Tate Taylor) will allow.

The movie jumps around in time, perhaps to make the cameo roles of Viola Davis (as Brown’s mother) and Octavia Spencer (as his “aunt,” a bordello-keeper) seem bigger than they are. Boseman gets stronger support from Nelsan Ellis as sideman Bobby Byrd and Dan Aykroyd as manager Ben Bart. Aside form that, there’s Brown’s music, which is faithfully reproduced and gives a good sense of Brown’s charisma in concert. J.L.

3

The Grand Seduction

A withering Canadian fishing village hopes to land a new factory to revitalize the local economy, but they must have a local doctor, so the town’s mayor (Brendan Gleeson) schemes to waylay a just-passingthrough plastic surgeon (Taylor Kitsch) and convince him that this is just the place to put down roots. Written by Michael Dowse and Ken Scott and directed by Don McKellar, the movie is another specimen of that British whimsy that stretches from 1949’s Kind Hearts and Coronets to The Full Monty and beyond—which is a little odd, since it’s an English-language remake of a French-Canadian movie of 2003. The villagers’ chicanery is sometimes more exasperating than amusing, but the two stars, along with a supporting cast of eccentric actors largely unknown outside Canada, keep the charm level high enough to entertain. J.L.

2

Guardians of the Galaxy

In last year’s hollow and dutiful Thor: The Dark World, the climax took place in a red cloud. In James Gunn’s busy and dispiriting Marvel comic-book adaptation Guardians of the Galaxy, it takes place in a purple cloud. Progress! With an ensemble cast that includes a talking raccoon and a sentient tree, Guardians of the Galaxy is more ostensibly a comedy than other Marvel properties like Thor and Captain America, but it offers roughly the same amount of jokey and juvenile bickering as those other films. Far from upending the Marvel formula, this is just another entry in its spreadsheet, The Avengers minus the monstrous egos.

Gunn juggles several different MacGuffins, but the only point is to create a through line to the next movie: Just like everything else in the Marvel cinematic universe, Guardians of the Galaxy exists solely to advertise its own as-yet-unmade sequels. D.B.

2

"But what are the Yelp reviews?"

Boyhood

Into the Storm

A crew of storm chasers cruising Tornado Alley and a small-town school administrator and his teenage sons preparing for their high-school’s graduation all get more than they bargained for when a platoon of tornadoes converge, joining up to form the biggest funnel cloud in the history of computer-generated imagery. It’s 1996’s Twister on steroids, without even the limited wit or second-rank stars of that schlock classic. Here the actors are all earnest no-names with vaguely familiar faces, while

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2508 LAND PARK DRIVE LAND PARK & BROADWAY FREE PARKING ADJACENT TO THEATRE “WICKEDLY FUNNY.” - Cath Clarke, TIME OUT

“BREEZY & FUNNY.” - Chris Nashawaty, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

Magic In The Moonlight

CALVARY

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FRI-TUES: 11:00AM, 1:05, 3:20, 5:30, 7:45, 9:55PM NO SAT, SUN, TUES 11:00AM

“EXTRAORDINARY.” - Richard Corliss, TIME MAGAZINE

“STEADILY ABSORBING.” - Justin Chang, VARIETY

STARTS FRI., 8/15

STARTS FRI., 8/15

A MOST WANTED MAN ENDS THUR., 8/14

WED/THUR: 11:10AM, 12:10, 2:35, 3:35, 6:00, 7:00, 9:25, 10:20PM FRI-TUES: 11:10AM, 2:35, 6:00, 9:20PM

WED: 11:20AM, 1:50, 4:30, 7:15, 9:45PM THUR: 11:20AM, 7:15, 9:45PM

GKIDS SUMMER FILM SERIES: ELEANOR’S SECRET 8/14 @ 3:30PM • MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO 8/16 & 8/19 @ 11AM FOR ADVANCE TICKETS PLEASE VISIT FANDANGO.COM

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Eileen Colin Marcia Hamish Simon Emma Jacki Atkins Firth Gay Harden Linklater McBurney Stone Weaver

The Hundred-Foot Journey

A family of immigrants from Mumbai (led by the marvelous Om Puri) moves into a small French village and establishes an Indian restaurant right across the road from the town’s one Michelin-class dining establishment (operated by the equally marvelous Helen Mirren). A small war ensues, with Puri’s son (Manish Dayal) and Mirren’s sous-chef (Charlotte Le Bon) caught in the middle, Romeo-and-Juliet style. Adapted from Richard C. Morais’ novel

by Steven Knight and directed by Lasse Hallström, the movie could stand 10 or 15 minutes’ worth of trimming, while less-muted cinematography from Linus Sandgren might have made the culinary atmosphere a lot more mouthwatering. Still, there’s charm enough to more than offset those cavils, with a nifty balance between old pros Puri and Mirren, and new faces Dayal and Le Bon. J.L.

“The summer’s mosT beguiling romanTic comedy.”

-Peter Travers, rolling sTone

Magic In The Moonlight Written and Directed by

Woody Allen

sTarTs Friday, augusT 15

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VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.MAGICINTHEMOONLIGHTMOVIE.COM the script, by one John Swetnam, resorts to that already mossy cliché, the “found video” pseudo-documentary. The money director Steven Quale saved by hiring hungry unknowns and not insisting on rewrites all went into the CGI, and the storm scenes deliver everything promised by the preview trailer, and more. J.L.

4

Lucy

This enchantingly nutso crossbreeding of La Femme Nikita, D.O.A. and Altered States is the most tangible proof that director Luc Besson gives a rat’s ass since the 1990s. Scarlett Johansson, adding another brilliant movement to her recent suite of performances that explore female identity and alienation (Her, Under the Skin), plays the title role, a student in Taiwan forced to be a mule for a crime syndicate’s new smart drug. When the surgically implanted package ruptures in her stomach, Lucy’s brain begins to unlock previously untapped potential, causing her to rapidly evolve beyond pain, pity, and the laws of time and space. The heavily advertised central concept that most humans use only 10 percent of their brain is completely wrong, of course, but Lucy has a lot of self-aware fun with its pseudoscience, culminating in one of the most peculiar endings of the year. D.B.

3

Magic in the Moonlight

Woody Allen continues his Western European tour of pretty sunsets with Magic in the Moonlight, yet another in his now two-decade-long series of mediocre gimmick comedies. After dabbling in hypnotism (Curse of the Jade Scorpion), hysterical blindness (Hollywood Ending), ghosts (Scoop), fortune-telling (You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger) and time travel (Midnight in Paris), Allen’s latest concerns a snobbish magician (Colin Firth) attempting to expose a button-nosed American mystic (Emma Stone). The problem is not that such supernatural gimmickry is beneath Allen—classics like Sleeper and The Purple Rose of Cairo are as high-concept as they come—but that it’s just window dressing for another of Allen’s wafer-thin, low-pulse drawing-room comedies. At least Allen’s script serves his stars well—Stone is so faithful to the page that she rarely indulges in her usual cutesy, eye-crinkling mannerisms, while Firth gets to show a rarely seen testy cynicism. D.B.

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A Most Wanted Man

A German anti-terrorism agent (Philip Seymour Hoffman) trails a Chechen who illegally enters Hamburg, and through a local lawyer (Rachel McAdams), petitions

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a banker (Willem Dafoe) for the fortune deposited years ago by his Russian father.

Meanwhile, German police and an American agent (Robin Wright) meddle with Hoffman’s efforts to determine whether the Chechen is a refugee or a terrorist. Adapted from John le Carré’s novel, the movie is his usual sour litany of scheming and betrayal among people whose moral compasses point in Artist: (circle one:) different directions—when they exist at all, Heather Staci which is seldom. This one is well-acted but bleaker than usual, thanks to an uninvolving Emmett Steve story, a shortage of sympathetic characters, leaden pacing by director Anton Corbijn, Confirmation #: and washed-out, dreary cinematography by Benoît Delhomme. J.L.

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was produced by Michael Bay, so it’s no surprise that it is choppy, witless, overbearing and casually cruel. However, it was directed not by Bay, but by a faceless hack named Jonathan Liebesman, so the film doesn’t even offer the saving grace of Bay’s insane logistics, fascinating egotism and occasional use of practical effects. It’s just an entry-level Bay knockoff for the Saturdaymorning cartoon crowd, and only the spectacle of CGI creatures acting rings around their human co-stars passes for entertainment. Megan Fox plays April O’Neil, a plucky TV reporter (the embalmed Fox does not do “plucky” well), who unearths a malevolent figure named Shredder while researching a story. Shredder has a nefarious plan that ends with him lording over a corpse-strewn quarantine zone that will make him rich and powerful somehow, which makes as much sense as anything else here. D.B.

3

Wish I Was Here

A struggling actor (Zach Braff) tries home-schooling his kids when his ailing father (Mandy Patinkin) can no longer pay for their private school. Director, star and co-writer (with his brother Adam J. Braff) Braff’s movie is a labor of love on all levels, sweetly disarming in its desire to please and uplift. The script is more than a little scattershot and unfocused, but that’s not a bug, it’s a feature: The hero’s life is similarly unfocused, and undertaking a free-form education for his son (Pierce Gagnon) and daughter (Joey King) helps bring clarity to his own life, and to his relationship with his dad, his emotionally stunted brother (Josh Gad) and his supportive wife (Kate Hudson).

The movie piles episode on episode like a game of Tetris, each interlocking with the others in a quirky and satisfying way. J.L.

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Sacramento’s Broken Voice Club really doesn’t care if you like it—but you probably will, anyway Cory Barringer wants to make something clear.

“Full disclosure: Broken Voice Club [is] only a band, technically,” Barringer blurts by Aaron Carnes out—completely unprompted—at the beginning of the interview.

“Really, it’s a club comprised of best friends,” he says.

He’s not kidding, at least in the sense that Broken Voice Club isn’t a band in any traditional sense. Of the nine-plus people involved with the project, typically only four or five of them will play at any particular gig.

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Well, we got six out of nine members of Broken Voice Club in one picture. Not bad.

Join Broken Voice Club on Thursday, August 21, at Fremont Park, located at 16th and Q streets at 11:30 a.m.; there is no cover.

Or catch them later that night at Blue Lamp, on 1400 Alhambra Boulevard at 8 p.m.

It’ll cost $5. Go to www.facebook.com/ brokenvoiceclub for more info.

And on its album, the whole who-plays-whaton-which-song makes for a total jumble. The band members each played different instruments on every song—no one player performed on every song.

Perhaps a more apt description of the group, which performs two sets on Thursday, August 21, would define it as a cross between a collective and a local supergroup. The members include everyone from Barringer’s group, the Kelps, as well as the entirety of Honyock and Silver Spoons (though, truth be told, everyone in Silver Spoons is also in either the Kelps or Honyock).

Musically, Broken Voice Club plays a similar mix of those other bands’ sounds: roots, alt-rock and musical theater.

The real difference is philosophical.

“We really want to make Broken Voice Club a fun thing. We don’t want the feeling of ‘got to get it done,’” Barringer says. “With the Kelps or Honyock, we love making that work. With BVC, we want to keep it broken.”

The whole thing started in 2012 when the members of Honyock and the Kelps got together to casually record an acoustic EP. They quickly

abandoned the ‘acoustic’ and ‘casual’ part, however, and dove in pretty deep, recording a bunch of tunes over several lengthy sessions.

Different members were present on different days, and everybody played and did pretty much whatever they wanted. The result was Being Part One, a collection comprising everyone’s weirder songs—ones they thought wouldn’t fit with their “proper” bands.

“When you record something in the Broken Voice Club, it’s like, ‘I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, but I’m not sure if I’d fall on my ass completely. So I’m going to fall on my ass in Broken Voice Club first,’” says band member Spencer Hoffman.

So far, Broken Voice Club has only played a handful of shows—all last-minute gigs, subbing in on slots originally intended for one of their other bands.

Unlike with their other bands, which the members rehearse and prepare for meticulously, BVC plays with an anything-goes attitude.

“A Broken Voice Club show is so selfish.

It doesn’t matter if the audience doesn’t like it. If they do, it’s completely incidental,” Barringer says.

A BVC show is nothing if not different. For example, there was the show for which Barringer decided to sit in the corner doing nothing for the length of a song—just because. When he finally returned, he just started beating on the drums like a maniac.

Before recording that first BVC album, the members of the Kelps and Honyock enjoyed playing on the same shows, but didn’t know one another very well. Part of the motivation to record the EP was an excuse to become better friends. Now, the two bands are inseparable, and, its members say, Broken Voice Club has become this umbrella that all of them use for their different projects.

Most importantly, Broken Voice Club has also become a record label by the same name. In February it released its first record, a split EP with Honyock and the Kelps. Since then, it has also released EPs by Honyock and Silver Spoons.

“ A Broken Voice Club show is so selfish.”

Cory Barringer Broken Voice Club Next up, everyone’s pushing to eventually make another album—and to push musical boundaries. More immediately, however, are this week’s shows—the first ones booked specifically for the band.

Barringer concedes it might be time to shift the band’s philosophy on this one—at least a little.

“I think we may want to rehearse for this show,” he says. “It would be nice if we were a little tighter, a little more professional.” Ω

BEFORE

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NEWS

and good heat. Outside Lands: A cool food and drink festival with really expensive background music?

—Nick Miller

n i ck m @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Days of ducks and rainbows: Outside Lands never felt so Outside Lands as it did during the Duck Sauce Soirée. Said soiree was part of the festival’s new GastroMagic stage, which was absolute magic. San Francisco chef Brandon Jew quietly cooked onstage, smirking in a way that I interpreted to mean, “What the hell am I doing here?”

Meanwhile, Duck Sauce, the duo comprising Armand Van Helden and A-Trak was at the turntable, spinning disco to a crowd of rowdy dancers.

Only the dancers were still engaged with Jew. Once Jew started pouring some stock from one pot into a bowl, everyone oohed and ahhed. And when Jew brought out the immersion blender—oh my goodness—mayhem ensued. Duck fritters were haphazardly thrown into the audience. Four people in ridiculous, bright-yellow duck costumes grooved across the stage.

The silliness, the energy, the tunes, the food—this is what Outside Lands does best. I was stoked on Sunday to see more chef tricks, but Christopher Kostow, chef at a Michelin threestarred restaurant in Napa, canceled in the morning, and my mood was soured. Then Chvrches canceled, too—flight issues from Canada, apparently.

Sacramento expat Tycho, however, put on an entrancing, ambient set and another Sacramento expat who probably blew thousands of people away?

Mark Liberman, the chef behind now-shuttered Black Sheep Butchery.

His “highbrow spaghetti sloppy joe’s” were genius: spaghetti stuffed into a warm, chewy roll, with basil, Sriracha sauce and Parmesan cheese. As he put it: “Super stoner food. Not gluten-free at all. Carb on top of carb on top of dairy.”

The festival was not going to get any better after that sandwich. But then the Flaming Lips played and proved me wrong, with endless glittery streamers and smiley-face stickers.

There were giant mushrooms, suns, butterflies and aliens. Singer Wayne Coyne rolled out onto the audience in a giant hamster ball and later re-emerged stroking a baby doll. I have no more words to describe it, but if I close my eyes, I’m pretty sure I can still see rainbows.

—Janelle Bitker

YOU’RE WELCOME, NATURE.

Yeezy, revisited: Remember when Kanye West played Arco Arena in 2008 and hollered “What’s up, Seattle!”?

That was long before the Emerald City tried to jack the Sacramento Kings, but it was still a dumbass move. That gig was also the same day Kanye’s bodyguard threatened to beat me up: I was waiting for His Westness outside downtown’s former Hangar recording studio, where he was laboring over vocal tracks for the 808s & Heartbreak album. A black Cadillac Escalade (would Kanye ever roll in one of those today?) pulled up, a guy hopped out, and he told me, “No photo ops.”

“I don’t need a photo op. I just need a photograph,” I replied.

“That’s not going to happen, because you won’t even get that lens cap off,” he threatened (I already had my lens cap off).

The reason to revisit this is because Kanye played almost his entire headlining set this past Friday night at Outside Lands in San Francisco wearing a mask over his face. Apparently, he’s finally given up on trying to control his image, and now just paper-bags his mug.

Derrida would have a field day with that. But this is a music column, so let’s discuss the good and bad of ’Ye’s set. He opened with “Black Skinhead,” a bruising, perhaps even Death Grips-inspired track that made its way into the homes of white America via a Motorola commercial. Nevertheless, a killer tune. Too bad the rest of his nearly 90-minute set couldn’t keep up. “Blood on the Leaves,” an experimental ballad off the Yeezus album, was abandoned when ’Ye wasn’t feeling it. “Good Life” was uninspired. And so on. He was predictably indulgent and too hitand-miss with the artsy-fartsy noodling.

The crowd, however, remained transfixed—or perhaps they were just jonesing for a Kim Kardashian sighting (she was there, in the pit, watching his first few songs).

So, yeah, letdowns abound at Outside Lands’ opening day. El-P and Killer Mike’s side project, Run the Jewels, felt one-note. Warpaint was like a 2010-era Sister Crayon on Quaaludes.

But the festival was no downer.

Another Planet Entertainment, who puts on Outside Lands, transformed Golden Gate Park into a food, music and drink haven. I’d never been so happy to pay for a $13 Manhattan at the craft-cocktail lounge. Even the pork banh mi, $8, delivered with crisp, salty pig; crunchy pickled veggies;

RECYCLE THIS PAPER.

Kanye and other Outside Lands adventures

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14THURS

15FRI

16SAT

17SUN

Dave Weckl

Red Tape

7Seconds

Roberta Flack

Center for the Arts, 8 p.m., $23-$28 The first time I heard Dave Weckl was his cover of “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” on the 1994 album Burning for Buddy: A Tribute to the Music of Buddy Rich. Even though he was playing with the Buddy Rich Big Band, filling in for one of the most intense drummers ever, Weckl brought a calm, cool charisma to a slowed-down cover of the song. His ability to be groovy and (drummer slang alert) “stay in the pocket” has propelled his 30-year career as drummer for acts such as Paul Simon and Chick Corea, and JAZZ his own groups. Thursday, he’ll be performing with the Dave Weckl Acoustic Band. 314 W. Main Street in Grass Valley, www.daveweckl.com.

—Jonathan Mendick

Midtown BarFly, 7 p.m., $10 Though it formed in the late ’90s, local punk group Red Tape is most known for its second album, 2004’s Radioactivist. The PUNK quartet celebrates the album’s 10th anniversary this Friday at Midtown BarFly. It’s an abrasive, passionate and political record, with all the rage and aesthetics of ’80s hardcore and old-school punk rock, but with higher production value; catchier choruses; and a meatier, almost metal-influenced guitar-riff approach. It’s like Rage Against the Machine meets Suicidal Tendencies meets Refused—great stuff, though not reinventing the punk-rock wheel.

It has enough vibrant urgency to make this a great addition to any old-school punk-rock lover’s record collection. 1119 21st Street, www.facebook.com/r3dtap3.

Midtown BarFly, 7 p.m., $15 It’s hard to believe that it’s been more than 30 years since Kevin Seconds (Kevin Marvelli) and his brother Steve Youth (Steve Marvelli) started 7Seconds, one of punk rock’s most influential bands, in the town of Reno, Nev. While many of its hardcore fans first heard the band through tape-recorded demos and the band’s numerous 7-inch singles or records, others found out about the band through the multiple compilations it was featured on. Listening to the legendary Cleanse the Bacteria album from 1985 or Not So PUNK Quiet on the Western Front from 1982, listeners often only needed to hear one song to become immediate fans. It’s a must-see show. 1119 21st Street, www.7seconds.com.

Red Lion Hotel Woodlake Conference Center Sacramento, 7:30 p.m., $30-$75 Roberta Flack’s version of “Killing Me Softly With His Song” won a Grammy Award in 1974, and more than two decades later, the song was still slaying. The Fugees’ cover of it won a Grammy in 1996, forging bonds between parR&B ents and their teenage kids everywhere over that pretty much inescapable feeling of crushing hard on a musician.

Flack, now 77 years old, has gone on to have a long and storied career, most recently covering tunes by the Beatles on her 2012 album Let It Be Roberta: Roberta Flack Sings the Beatles, which came from a lifelong love of their music (she also used to live across the hall from John Lennon and Yoko Ono). 500 Leisure Lane, www.robertaflack.com.

—Eddie Jorgensen

—Deena Drewis

—Aaron Carnes

1000 K Street, Sacramento, CA 95814

FOR TICKETS TO ALL SHOWS VISIT AssemblyMusicHall.com For Rentals or Private Parties please contact AssemblyMusicHall@gmail.com

Upcoming ShowS thu aug 14 @ 7pm

sat aug 16 @ 8pm

sun aug 17 @ 4pm becky g & heffron drive

40 | SN&R |

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tues aug 19 @ 6pm

fri aug 22 @ 7pm

sat aug 23 @ 6pm

Aug 28

broods

Aug 30

mac hersch

Aug 31

mini mansions

sep 6

Problem

sep 09

mother falcon

sep 12

dirt nasty

sep 13

justin furstenfeld of blue october

sep 15

the real mckenzies

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the siren show

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amity affliction

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traPt

sep 27

aaron carter

oct 3

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oct 04

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oct 15

melvins

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the siren show

oct 23

catfish & the bottlemen

oct 26

bam magera and f&ck face unstoPPable

nov 09

relient k

nov 15

the siren show

nov 20

fortunate youth

17SUN

20WED

21THURS

21THURS

Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys

Bell Witch

Marcus Shelby

Sparkle Pony

The Press Club, 9 p.m., $10

Center for the Arts, 8 p.m., $20-$22 Jeffery Broussard’s most recent record, 2011’s Return of the Creole, showcases all of the factors that make him such a dynamic performer. “Allons a Lafayette,” in addition to being a lively zydeco dance number, features Broussard singing in French, and he puts down a nice solo with his accordion on “I Love Big Fat Women,” as he does on a number of other songs. He can slow it down for the lovers out there with instrumental tracks like “Pinky’s Heavenly Waltz,” or turn it up again with a ska-tinged number like “Tante Nana.” Broussard knows how ZYDECO to keep you on your toes in more ways than one. 314 W. Main Street in Grass Valley, www.jefferybroussard.com.

—Brian Palmer

Crocker Art Museum, 6 p.m., $6-$12

Doom-metal bands seem to be popping up in droves in the Sacramento Valley thanks to some big fans and promoters of the largely DOOM METAL unknown metal subgenre. Seattle’s Bell Witch proves there is something in the water in the Pacific Northwest that makes its bands excel at the slow-handed approach to song structure. And while the band has not been as prolific as its fans would like— Longing, released in 2012 on Profound Lore Records is its only official full-length thus far—the quality of the band’s songcraft makes up for everything. Portland, Oregon’s Ephemeros along with Sacramento’s own Cura Cochino and Church are also on the bill. 2030 P Street, http://bellwitchdoom. blogspot.com.

Shine, 8 p.m., $5

Marcus Shelby is probably one of the best jazz musicians you’ve never heard of—not that jazz musicians are the type of people to seek fame. During the past 24 years, the bassist has released 12 albums under his name, as a trio, and with the Marcus Shelby Orchestra; scored for theater, film and dance; and taught at various schools and camps throughout the Bay Area. His latest album (with the orchestra), 2011’s Soul of the Movement, is a 12-song JAZZ reflection on Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement.

Fittingly, this show is a musical accompaniment to the Crocker Art Museum’s exhibition African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond. 216 O Street, www.marcusshelby.com.

—Jonathan Mendick SNR_08114.pdf

—Eddie Jorgensen

1

Alicyn Yaffee, guitarist and vocalist for Cave Women, has launched a new musical venture called Sparkle Pony, a jazz ensemble featuring herself on guitar, accompanied by other musicians on bass, drums and sax. Yaffee JAZZ (pictured) composed many of the instrumentals after returning from the prestigious Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music in Canada. The compositions reflect her studies with Nir Felder and are influenced by the sounds of Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ambrose Akimusire and Wayne Shorter. This is jazz you want to listen to in an intimate setting. Joining Sparkle Pony for this all-ages show and evening of newmusic debuts is Livermore-based indie-jazz genre-bender Karate Mountain. 1400 E Street, www.alicynyaffee.com.

8/11/14

10:42 PM

—Trina L. Drotar

LIVE EntErtaInmEnt EVErY FrI & Sat 9Pm

live MuSic aug 15

THIS FRIDAY!

aUGUSt 15

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the bumptet (trio)

THIS FRIDAY!

current and past hits with a modern kick / $5

aug 16 aug 17

aug 22

hucklebucks

mEtaLSHOP

jake “crazyfingers” from 2-5pm

bay area’s ultimate rockin’ party band hits from the 80’s / $5

aUGUSt 22

nUnCHUCK taYLOr premier party and dance band / $5

todd morgan & the emblems

aug 29

braden scott band

aug 31

adrian bellue unplugged 2-5pm

aUGUSt 23

rEBEL YELL the ultimate party band 80’s and more / $5

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STORY

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8.30 - TAJ MAHAL W/THE ROWAN BROTHERS 9.11 - EDDIE MONEY W/THE BAD JONES 9.13 - AN EVENING WITH MUMBO GUMBO 9.26 - DAVE MASON’S TRAFFIC JAM 10.4 - BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO ON SALE FRIDAY! 10.5 - MARKS WILLS W/ BUCK FORD 10.17 - ELVIN BISHOP 10.19 - PASQUALE ESPOSITO - “II TEMPO” CONCERT 11.26 - AN EVENING WITH WONDERBREAD 5

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 22

AN EVENING WITH THE WORLD FAMOUS

GLENN MILLER ORCHESTRA W/ MARK PITTA

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trivia mondays @ 6:30pm taco tuesdays $1 tacos, $2 coronas open mic wednesdays sign-ups @ 7:30pm karaoke thursdays @ 7:30pm

BEFORE

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NIGHTBEAT ASSEMBLY MUSIC HALL 1000 K St., (916) 341-0176

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THURSDAY 8/14

FRIDAY 8/15

INSPECTOR, 7pm, $15

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 8/18-8/20

BECKY G, HEFFRON DRIVE; 4pm, $12

CHIMAIRA, THE PLOT IN YOU, UPON THIS DAWNING, ALLEGAEON; 6pm Tu, $15

Tipsy Thursdays, Top 40 deejay dancing, 9pm, call for cover

Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

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Sin Sunday, 8pm, call for cover

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Karaoke Night, 7:30pm, no cover

BUMPTET, 9:30pm, no cover

HUCKLEBUCKS, 9:30pm, no cover

CRAZYFINGERS, 2-5pm, no cover

Trivia Night, 6:30pm M, no cover

BLUE LAMP

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

Funktion w/ DJs Step Rock and B. Vega, 9pm, $3

MAXX, FUDI, GHOST TOWN REBELLION, PEACE KILLERS; 8pm, $7

JP THA HUSTLER, NEKRO G, SPEK ONE, TWOCEES; 8pm, call for cover

ONE-EYED REILLY, ANDO EHLERS, SS WEB; 6pm, $5

Open mic, M; WHITEBULBS, LA FIN ABSOLUTE DU MONDE; 8pm Tu; Trivia, 8pm W

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TAJ HE SPITZ, BOSS BIZ, TEAM ACTIVE, SKY SCHOLARS; 8pm, call for cover

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

DAVE WECKL, 8pm, $23-$28

WANDA JACKSON, 8pm, $30-$35

JEFFERY BROUSSARD & THE CREOLE COWBOYS, 8pm, $20-$22

COMMUNITY MUSIC JAM, 6pm Tu, no cover

THE COZMIC CAFÉ

Open-mic, 7:30pm, no cover

CALIFORNIA CHILD, 8pm, $7

DIVE BAR

Dueling Pianos, 9pm, no cover

THE ROYAL JELLY, 9pm, no cover

HOT CITY, EMILY KOLLARS; 9pm Tu; JAMES CAVERN & THE COUNCIL, 9pm W

Dragalicious, 9pm, $5

Queer Idol, 9pm M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5; DJ Alazzawi, 9pm W, $3

101 Main St., Roseville; (916) 774-0505

9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247 TUS, DRIZZA; 8pm, call for cover 314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384 594 Main St., Placerville; (530) 642-8481

FACES

2000 K St., (916) 448-7798

Hey local bands!

SATURDAY 8/16

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

1022 K St., (916) 737-5999

Want to be a hot show?

Mail photos to Calendar Editor, SN&R, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 or email it to sactocalendar@ newsreview.com. Be sure to include date, time, location and cost of upcoming shows.

SUNDAY 8/17

The Siren Show presents Sizzling Summer, 8pm, $15-$25

Hip-hop and Top 40 Deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10

Hip-hop and Top 40 Deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10

FOX & GOOSE

STEVE MCLANE, 8pm, no cover

MIGHTY ODD GENTS, TELL RIVER; 9pm, $5

BLACK KNIGHT SATELLITE, 9pm, $5

THE GOLDEN BEAR

DJ Shaun Slaughter, 10pm, call for cover

DJ Crook One, 10pm, call for cover

DJ Whores, 10pm, no cover

POSTERCHILD, 9pm-midnight, $5

METALSHOP, 9pm-midnight, $5

THE BELL BOYS, THE BENNYS, ZYAH BELLE; 6pm, $8

THE PURPLE ONES, 10:30pm, $12-$15

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825 2326 K St., (916) 441-2252

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL

5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366

HARLOW’S

BUILT TO SPILL, SLAM DUNK, THE WARM HAIR; 8pm, $25-$30

LUNA’S CAFÉ & JUICE BAR

Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

MARILYN’S ON K

ANNI PIPER, THE OTHER BRITTANY, CHRISTIAN DEWILD; 8pm, $5

MIDTOWN BARFLY

NAKED LOUNGE DOWNTOWN

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693 1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931 908 K St., (916) 446-4361 1119 21st St., (916) 549-2779 1111 H St., (916) 443-1927

OLD IRONSIDES

1901 10th St., (916) 442-3504

Open-mic, 7:30pm M, no cover; Pub Quiz, 7pm Tu, no cover Industry Night, 9pm, call for cover

Trivia night, W, call for cover Trivia night, 7:30-9pm Tu, no cover

CLOSE TO YOU: A CARPENTERS TRIBUTE, 7pm, $15-$18

FUTURE ISLANDS, 8pm M, $15-$18 Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M, $5-$20; Comedy night, 8pm W, $6

BILLY BUCKMAN, 7:30pm, $7 You Front the Band Live Karaoke, 9pm, $10

Marilyn’s Talent Showcase, 6pm, no cover

Karaoke, 9pm M, no cover; Greatest Stories Ever Told, 8pm Tu, no cover

Panik: deejay dancing w/ Angels of Kaos, RED TAPE, CITY OF VAIN, 9pm-2am, $5 SETTING SONS; 7pm, $10

7SECONDS, BASTARDS OF YOUNG, GREAT APES; 7pm, $5

Goth, darkwave, industrial, electronic deejay dancing, 9pm-3am, call for cover

Swing dancing lessons 7:30pm Tu, $6; Salsa lessons w/ Nicole Lazo, 7:30pm W

COBRA LIGHT, FAILURE MACHINE, FONTAINE CLASSIC; 8:30pm, $3

JION JUGO, DANI JOY, THE GENTLEMEN; 8:30pm, $5

ALICYN YAFFEE TRIO, BRYAN MCALLISTER QUINTET; 8:30pm, $5

Jazz, 8pm M; LARA ETZIN, ADELYNN GRACE, JACK JULES; 8:30pm W, $5

MAJOR POWERS & THE LO-FI SYMPHONY, BLACK CAT GRAVE; 9pm, $7

Fascination: ’80s new-wave dancing, 9:30pm, $5

Karaoke w/ Sac City Entertainment, 9pm Tu, no cover; Open-mic, 9pm W, no cover

CELEBRATION DAY, 9pm, $10

Thu 08/14 // 8PM // $5

anni PiPer chrisTian de wild band The oTher briTTany blues fri 08/15 // 9PM

fronT The band you live karaoke saT 08/16 // 9PM // $10

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showcase sunday, oPen Mic coMedy 6-8PM band audiTions 8-12aM // free Mon 08/18 // 8PM // $5

jooManji arielle deeM band Tha dirT feelin soul // r&b Tues 08/19 // 8PM // $5

STONEY’S GRAND REMODEL

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with FLAT BUSTED & TERRY SHEETS Sunday, 8/17 - 2pm-7pm

cycloPs & The owl The funicellos woP // hiP hoP surf rock // doo weds 08/20 // 8PM // $5

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THURSDAY 8/14

FRIDAY 8/15

SATURDAY 8/16

SUNDAY 8/17

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 8/18-8/20

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

STIGNOB, KRYPTIC MEMORIES, LOSING KIND, BALLISTIC BURNOUT; 8pm, $5

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

Open-mic comedy, 9pm, no cover

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, no cover

THE COMMANDER CODY BAND, 8pm, $20

THE PARK ULTRA LOUNGE 1116 15th St., (916) 442-7222

PARLARE EURO LOUNGE 1009 10th St., (916) 448-8960

Top 40, 9pm, no cover

IT’S A BEAUTIFUL DAY, 8pm, $20 DJ Eddie Edul, DJ Shift, 9pm-2am, $15

DJ Spider, DJ Oasis, 9pm-2am, $15

Top 40, Mashups, 9pm, no cover

DJ Club mixes, 10pm, no cover

PINS N STRIKES

COLOR ME BADD, SOLSA; 6:30pm, $15-$20

3443 Laguna Blvd., Elk Grove; (916) 226-2625

PJ’S ROADHOUSE

SIMMS BAND, 9pm, $5

5461 Mother Lode, Placerville; (530) 626-0336

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Asylum Downtown: Gothic, industrial, EBM dancing, 9pm, call for cover

FLAT BUSTED, 10pm, call for cover

TAKE OUT, 10pm, call for cover

DISCO REVOLUTION, 10pm, call for cover

THE ORIGINAL WAILERS, 7pm, call for cover

DREAM IN RED, BLOOD PARTY, AXIOM; 8pm W, $5

THE PRESS CLUB

2030 P St., (916) 444-7914

HEARTSOUNDS, CIVIL WAR RUST, THE SHELL CORPORATION; 8pm, $8

Top 40 w/ DJ Rue, 9pm, $5

Top 40 Night w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9pm, $5

Sunday Night Soul Party, 9pm, $5

Work Your Soul, 9pm M, call for cover

SHADY LADY SALOON

TYSON GRAF TRIO, 9pm, no cover

CRESCENT KATZ, 9pm, no cover

ELEMENT BRASS BAND, 9pm, no cover

ALEX JENKINS, 9pm, no cover

DJ Ezra, 9pm Tu, no cover; HARLEY WHITE JR., 9pm W, no cover

SOPHIA’S THAI KITCHEN

CON BRIO, 9:30pm, $5

614 Sutter St., Folsom; (916) 355-8586

1409 R St., (916) 231-9121

129 E St., Davis; (530) 758-4333

STARLITE LOUNGE

STONEY INN/ROCKIN’ RODEO 1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023

THE TERRY SHEETS BAND, 8:30pm, $5-$7

SWABBIES

5871 Garden Hwy, (916) 920-8088

TORCH CLUB

X TRIO, 5pm, no cover; GROOVE SESSION, 9pm, $6

WITCH ROOM

DANIEL THE LION, BROWN SHOE; 6:30pm, $5

904 15th St., (916) 443-2797 1815 19th St., www.witchroomsac.com

SOMETIMES WARREN, 9:30pm, $5 Betting On The Muse: A Tribute To Charles Bukowski, 8pm, call for cover

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Becky G with Heffron Drive 4pm Sunday, $12.

Assembly Music Hall Hip-hop

Open-mic, 8pm M, call for cover

Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover; $5 after 8pm

Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover; $5 after 8pm

Country dance party, 8pm, no cover

SIMPLE CREATION, 6pm, $5

CHILL, 5pm, $5

RACHEL STEELE AND ROAD 88, FLAT BUSTED, TERRY SHEETS BAND; 2pm

PAILER AND FRATIS, 5:30-7:30pm, no cover; BESO NEGRO, 9pm, $7

MIND X, 9pm, $8

Blues jam, 4pm, no cover; DOWN NORTH, 8pm, $5

MONDO DECO, MOUNT WHATEVEREST, THE ROYAL JELLY; 8pm, $5

Comedy open-mic, 8pm M; Bluebird Lounge open-mic, 5pm Tu, no cover

SCOTT PEMBERTON, 8pm Tu, $5 ; Openmic, 5:30pm W; PETER PETTY, 9pm W, $5

Con Brio 9:30 pm Thursday, $5.

Sophia’s Thai Kitchen Soul and R&B

HELIO SEQUENCE, LIAM FINN; 8pm M, $14; MAN MAN, LAND LAD; 8pm Tu, $15

All ages, all the time ACE OF SPADES

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AGAINST ME!, 7pm, $18

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VIBROCOUNTS, LAVA PUPS; 8pm, $5

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Open-mic, 7:30pm W; Open jazz jam w/ Jason Galbraith & Friends, 8pm Tu

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Can you explain why people are so upset about the bill that would create top-down regulations for California’s medicalmarijuana industry?

—Dude Seriously, Dude, I’m not sure. It’s not great, but people are losing their minds. Let’s take a look.

Senate Bill 1262 would create a comprehensive statewide set of regulations for the growing and BEALUM dispensing of medical marijuana. This bill has gone

by NGAIO through multiple changes and was recently amended last week.

As it currently stands, S.B. 1262 would create a “Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation” under the a sk420@ ne wsreview.c om aegis of the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bureau would then be in charge of regulating all the growers and sellers in California. Prospective growers or ’13 dispensary owners would pay up to $8,000 for a license and be subject to inspection. The bill allows for medical patients to grow small amounts, but the days of the huge home grow or the giant collective garden would be over.

This bill also protects (and further regulates) people transporting large amounts of cannabis from grower to seller, and from dispensary to dispensary. S.B. 1262 also leaves enforcement of regulations up to individual cities and counties. There are some other things in there about doctor’s responsibilities, yada yada, but you get the gist.

Americans for Safe Access in on board with this bill so far. It has worked hard to lobby for many changes (the The days of the original bill was too strict on doctors) and feels that this is huge home grow or the best deal we can get in right now. the giant collective California The Drug Policy Alliance garden would be over. opposes the bill, mostly because it still allows individual cities and counties to ban medical-cannabis dispensaries.

California NORML also opposes the bill. The majority of patients and advocates and dispensary operators I have talked to really, really don’t like this bill. I can see their point. S.B. 1262 doesn’t really do anything but set up another bureaucracy with no enforcement teeth. It doesn’t allow for dispensaries statewide, meaning that patients all over California, but especially in the Central Valley, would have to travel very long distances for their medicine.

Ngaio Bealum My biggest gripe is that it really doesn’t do anything is a Sacramento to help any of the outdoor growers in the Emerald comedian, activist Triangle. To me, those folks are a gigantic part of why and marijuana expert. we have some of the best marijuana in the country, and Email him questions any legislation that doesn’t take the growers into account at ask420@ newsreview.com. is doomed to be unworkable. First of all, those folks are already scofflaws, so good luck getting them to sign up for inspections. Secondly, if you take a longer view toward legalization in 2016, you would be preemptively shutting down one of our biggest assets.

I can see why everyone is upset. I am also a little upset. I just ask that we keep the discussion civil. That being said, while I disagree with Americans for Safe Access about S.B. 1262, as it is currently written, I will still be appearing at the Occasional Cannabis Comedy Fest on Monday, September 15, at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub in Midtown. It’s a benefit for ASA. See you there. Ω

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SN&R

by Rudy Raya

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Researchers

in Peru have recently tracked down many previously unknown varieties of wild cacao plants. What that means is that there are exotic kinds of chocolate that you and I have never dreamed of, and they will be commercially available within a few years.

As delicious as your Chocolove Extra Strong Dark Chocolate bar may taste to you now, you will eventually journey further into a new frontier of ecstatic delectability. I propose that we use this theme as a metaphor for the work you have ahead of you right now. It is time for you to make good things even better—to take fun diversions and transform them into experiences that engender transcendent bliss. Turn “yes” into “yesss!!!!”

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): At your

next meal, imagine that the food you are eating is filled with special nutrients that enhance your courage. During the meal after that, fantasize that you are ingesting ingredients that will boost your perceptiveness. The next time you snack, visualize your food as being infused with elements that will augment the amount of trust you have in yourself. Then you will be ready to carry out your assignment for the coming weeks: Use your imagination to pump up your courage and perceptiveness as you carry out smart adventures that you haven’t trusted yourself enough to try before now.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The leaves

and berries of the deadly nightshade plant are highly poisonous. If ingested, they cause delirium and death. On the other hand, a drug obtained from the same plant is on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines. It’s helpful in treating many illnesses, such as gastrointestinal and heart problems and Parkinson’s disease. Is there a metaphorical equivalent in your life, Gemini? An influence that can either be sickening or healing, depending on various factors? I suspect that now is one of those times when you should be very focused on ensuring that the healing effect predominates.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): A New

York doctor offers a service he calls Pokertox. Jack Berdy injects Botox into poker players’ faces so as to make their expressions hard to read. With their facial muscles paralyzed, they are in no danger of betraying subtle emotional signals that might help their opponents guess their strategy. I understand there might sometimes be value in adopting a poker face when you are in the midst of trying to win at poker or other games. But for the foreseeable future, Cancerian, I recommend the opposite approach. You’re most likely to be successful if you reveal everything you’re feeling. Let your face and eyes be as eloquent as they can be.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When we are

launching any big project, our minds hide from us the full truth about how difficult it will be. If we knew beforehand all of the tests we would eventually face, we might never attempt it. Economist Albert O. Hirschman called this the principle of the “hiding hand.” It frees us to dive innocently into challenging work that will probably take longer than we thought and compel us to access new resources and creativity. To be clear: What’s hidden from us are not only the obstacles but also the unexpected assistance we will get along the way.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The literal

meaning of the Swedish word smultronställe is “wild strawberry patch.”

Metaphorically, it refers to a special place that feels like your private sanctuary.

It may be hard to find or unappreciated by others, but for you, it’s a spot that inspires you to relax deeply. You might have had a life-changing epiphany there.

When you’re in this refuge, you have a taste of what it’s like to feel at home in the world. Do you have a smultronställe, Virgo? If not, it’s time to find one. If you already do, spend extra time there in the coming week.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If I’m reading

the astrological omens correctly, the bells are about to ring for you. The festive lights will flash. The celebratory anthems will throb. It’s like you’re going to win a

BEFORE

|

NEWS

bRezsny

fortune on a TV quiz show; like you will get an A+ on your final exam; like you’ll be picked as homecoming king or queen. But it’s possible I’m a bit off in my projections, and your success will be subtler than I anticipate. Maybe, in fact, you are about to accomplish the healing of the year, or discover the secret of the decade or enjoy the most meaningful orgasm of the century.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): A teenage

Pakistani boy decided he wanted to help his country’s government clean up the local Internet. Ghazi Muhammad Abdullah gathered a list of more than 780,000 porn sites and sent it to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. Big job! Hard work!

I would love to see you summon similar levels of passion and diligence as you work in behalf of your favorite cause, Scorpio.

The coming weeks will be prime time for you to get very excited about the changes you would like to help create in the world.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Working as a journalist for the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Simon Eroro wanted to interview a group of indigenous rebels in a remote jungle. He decided he was willing to do whatever was necessary to get the big scoop. After making a difficult journey through rough terrain to reach them, he was told he would be given the information that he sought on one condition: that he be circumcised with bamboo sticks as part of a cleansing ritual. Eroro agreed to the procedure, got the story, and ultimately won a prize for his report.

I don’t recommend that you go quite that far in pursuit of your current goal, Sagittarius. On the other hand, it might be wise for you to consider making a sacrifice.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):

Kintsukuroi is a Japanese word that literally means “golden repair.” It refers to the practice of fixing cracked pottery with lacquer that’s blended with actual gold or silver. Metaphorically, it suggests that something may become more beautiful and valuable after being broken. The wounds and the healing of the wounds are integral parts of the story, not shameful distortions to be disguised or hidden. Does any of that resonate with you about your current experience, Capricorn? I’m guessing it does. Let’s call this the kintsukuroi phase of your cycle.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Near

the end of his career, the painter Henri Matisse created a paper-cut composition he called “Le Bateau,” or “The Boat.” It is an abstract piece that does not depict a literal boat. That’s why the Museum of Modern Art in New York should perhaps be forgiven for mistakenly hanging it upside-down back in 1961, upon first acquiring the piece. Fortunately, after a month and a half, a knowledgeable person noticed, and the position of “Le Bateau” was corrected. I’m wondering if there’s a comparable phenomenon going on with you right now, Aquarius? Is it possible that a part of your life got inverted or transposed? If so, will you be sharp enough to see the goof and brave enough to fix it? I hope you won’t allow this error to persist.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): “I owe my

success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice,” said British author G.K. Chesterton, “and then going away and doing the exact opposite.” I’m going to endorse that approach for you, Pisces. In my astrological opinion, I don’t think anyone can possibly give you accurate counsel in the coming weeks. Your circumstances are too unique and your dilemmas are too idiosyncratic for even the experts to understand, let alone the people who care for you and think they own a piece of you.

I do suspect it might be useful for you to hear what everyone has to say about your situation, though. Seeing their mistaken or uninformed perspectives should help you get clarity about what’s right.

You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785.

And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at www.realastrology.com.

|

F E AT U R E

PHoTo BY LAuRAn FAYnE WoRTHY

by ROb

For the week of August 14, 2014

STORY

Potent, portable potables Andrew Calisterio has a dream: bottled cocktails that aren’t just crafted to every whim, and made with the freshest ingredients, but also available for purchase at a local grocer. Sounds fantastic, right? Too bad it’s also illegal. Sure, drinkers can get their hands on one of Calisterio’s creations if they happen to catch him behind the bar at Hook & Ladder Manufacturing Co., The Golden Bear or any of the other festivals, pop-ups or private events he works, like the upcoming Midtown Cocktail Week (August 19-24) —but they have to be consumed on the premises, because California alcoholic-beverage laws don’t allow manufacturers to sell their products directly to the consumer without a distributor (the law was established after Prohibition was repealed in 1934). Calisterio is no booze-peddling moonshiner, however. He’s an experienced, certified bartender with entrepreneurial drive. With his new venture, Pop!, Calisterio hopes to revolutionize the world of ready-to-drink cocktails and show why bottling his drinks shouldn’t be a crime. Carbonated ketchup? That’s another story.

How do you get around the legal problem of bottling and preparing cocktails?

The cocktails have to be made at the location [where] they’re going to be served and consumed. If I make them at the Hook & Ladder, they have to be consumed at Hook & Ladder. If I make them at Golden Bear, they have to be consumed there.

It’s just like making a regular cocktail; you can’t build a cocktail and put it in a to-go cup or take it and sell it at another place.

Hopefully, with attention to what I’m doing with Pop!, more people will realize it’s silly that we can’t do this. You can walk into Safeway and buy a plastic jug of whiskey and get shit-faced in the street, but I’m going to make a craft cocktail in a small glass bottle, that’s created around more of a flavor—and actually has less alcohol— and I can’t sell that?

Is your target market the amateur or experienced cocktail enthusiast?

Definitely across the board, anybody and everybody. I try to make my cocktails balanced. There’s always the person that says, “I don’t like gin. I don’t care for it.”

I want to show you that what we’re doing with gin is pairing flavors that are going to support what we want to bring out. It’s not just taking a slug of warm gin from your

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mom’s cabinet. It’s a lot more refined and focused. I want everybody to jump out and try something new. Experience something different.

What are some of the advantages of bottled cocktails?

Say, if you go camping, you don’t have to crush a bunch of Bud Lights all weekend long. You can have a couple cocktails out by the fire. You can take your favorite drink anywhere. My mom really likes White Linens. I can bottle a White Linen for her to enjoy while she’s out on the boat. She doesn’t have to fumble around and try to measure everything or make sure she has everything on some big checklist.

What’s your goal for Pop!?

I definitely would like to bring attention and focus to the law and getting some of that cleared up. Continue to bring this cocktail culture to more people and show that it’s not just about getting wasted. It’s also about a culinary experience and enjoying what these craft distillers are making and what these amazing bartenders are able to do with these flavors. I want to share my brand of cocktails and my style of bartending with as much of Sacramento as possible, more cities around the county and, eventually, the world.

How do you think other bartenders will respond to this concept?

The last thing I’d want to see is when you walk into a bar and what’s replaced the

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bartender is a refrigerator full of bottles.

There’s nothing that will replace the experience of sitting in front of a bartender and having a conversation with somebody that has seen and heard some crazy stuff … [and] deals with the most random, diverse group of people. ... I would hate to see bottled cocktails replace bartenders, but I would love to see it incorporated into the culture.

Any plans for Midtown Cocktail Week?

I’m actually doing a class on bottled cocktails and carbonation. I’m hugely honored to be one of the speakers this year, because when I was coming up in my bartending career, these are the things I would do: I would go to these events, learn from these people and take notes. Now, I’m the guy that’s telling people how to do it. It’s kind of weird, but I’m excited.

Worst beverage you’ve created?

Normally, I make everything beforehand as a cocktail. I don’t blindly start creating things, pouring them into bottles, capping them and going, “Well that sucked!” When I first built my carbonating setup, I was trying a bunch of different things, and I carbonated ketchup to see what happens.

It was basically a light, fluffy whipped ketchup with little effervescent bubbles in it. It sucked. Carbonated ketchup was the worst. It didn’t work out too well. Ω To learn more about Andrew Calisterio and Pop!, follow him on Instagram @boozehoundcc.

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