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BY PAUL H

MIDWIVES UNDER ATTACK

SEXY, NERDY, DRUNK

Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

29 |

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Volume 27, iSSue 16

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29 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 Assistant Editor Anthony Siino Editorial Coordinator Becca Costello Editor-at-large Melinda Welsh Contributors Daniel Barnes, Ngaio Bealum, Alastair Bland, Rob Brezsny, Jim Carnes, Deena Drewis, Joey Garcia, Cosmo Garvin, Blake Gillespie, Lovelle Harris, Jeff Hudson, Jim Lane, Garrett McCord, Kel Munger, Kate Paloy, Patti Roberts, Ann Martin Rolke, Shoka

35 Creative Director Priscilla Garcia Art Director Hayley Doshay Associate Art Director Brian Breneman Ad Design Manager Serene Lusano Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designer Kyle Shine Design Services Manager Anne Lesemann Contributing Photographers Lisa Baetz, Evan Duran, Wes Davis, Luke Fitz, Taras Garcia, Michael Miller, Bobby Mull, Shoka, Darin Smith, Lauran Worthy Chief Marketing Officer Rick Brown Advertising Manager Corey Gerhard Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Olla Swanson, Joy Webber, Kelsi White Advertising Consultants Joseph Barcelon, Meghan Bingen, Teri Gorman, Dusty Hamilton, Dave Nettles, Matt Richter, Lee Roberts, Julie Sherry Sales Assistant Matt Kjar Director of Et Cetera Will Niespodzinski Custom Publications Editor Michelle Carl Custom Publications Managing Editor Shannon Springmeyer Custom Publications Writer/Copy Editor Mike Blount Custom Publications Writer Brittany Wesely

37 Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Director of First Impressions David Lindsay Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Daniel Bowen, Heather Brinkley, Mike Cleary, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, John Cunningham, Lob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Garry Foster, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Craig Hays, Brenda Hundley, Greg Meyers, Kenneth Powell, Gilbert Quilatan, Victoria Prunty, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resources Manager Tanja Poley Business Manager Grant Rosenquist Accounting Specialist Nicole Jackson Accounts Receivable Specialist Kortnee Angel Sweetdeals Coordinator Courtney DeShields Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins

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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 Bay Area News Group. 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. Advertising Policies All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

Sexual harassment and the city Sacramento, home of “world class” sleaze. There’ve been two high-profile sexual-harassment claims against city officials this year. The latest was filed last Friday. In the claim, a former Allen Warren aide alleges that the council member used his position of power to “coerce” sexual favors. It says Warren grabbed her buttocks in public view. It says that she and Warren went on sexual escapades to Jamaica. And it says Warren threatened to fire her if she tried to end the relationship. The relationship began in August 2014, she says, and the accuser was eventually fired on June 23. On one of their trips, a cabin excursion in Oroville, the claim says that the married council member was shooting off a gun and, later, threatened the accuser. She claims that Warren stated he could have “done anything to her without anyone knowing” at the cabin. That’s horrifying. And even more terrifying is that, according to the former employee, the city failed to respond to her complaints about Warren. The city similarly ignored complaints about Kevin Johnson last year, when an accuser said she was sexually harassed repeatedly by the mayor, but that the city wouldn’t do anything about it. That accuser eventually filed a claim with the city as well, in May, but is not pursuing civil litigation against Johnson. So many patterns here: alleged brazen and revolting sexual advances and harassment by the city’s most powerful, compounded by inaction. It’s unacceptable—yet it keeps happening. —Nick Miller

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“Thank you for helping minoriTies and Women.”

asked at Gateway oaks drive and west el CaMino avenue:

What do you want to say to the president?

Mat thew Brown game designer

[Stop] blanket general warrants. A general warrant is how the government has the authority to put people in prison. It targets the American populous instead of just one citizen. Just shut that down. [The government] has to have a specific reason for doing something instead of saying, “He or she could be a potential harm.”

MyChelle vinCent

elisa Mul a sales

lee hudson

student

I would ask him his thoughts on the bill they are trying to pass on mandatory vaccinations. I am not a vaccinator. I have gotten vaccinated. I don’t do it anymore. It is not his bill. It came from California. I don’t think it is right to force people to medicate or take vaccinations.

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Thank you for helping minorities and women. It has been such a fight for a while for womens rights. [Barack Obama helped with] things like birth control being covered by insurance and equal pay. I feel I have been represented. I appreciate his bravery. He was doing things even when it seemed everyone was against him.

He’ll leave this office a heck of a lot better than when he assumed it. I see a whole bunch of people slam him, even from both sides, and the hard facts show our country is in a better position than it was eight years ago. It is nice to see people working and buying homes again.

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He is doing a fantastic job and to keep his chin up. I appreciate him keeping his demeanor in time of stress. I feel he has been able to weather any sort of criticism. I feel America is better because of his presidency.

I would like to see his view on the current situation regarding police brutality. What law can we pass for some of these cops who seem like they are not mentally stable [to] get stable? How can we get them to not be so violent? … I think he should give his take on it. America stands for equal rights.

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Thanks, Cosmo Re “Ain’t no sunshine” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, July 30): I am truly sorry to see you go. Your outstanding investigative reporting will be sorely missed. The Bee should take lessons from you. That being said, have you ever considered being a journalism/English teacher (high school or college)? I think you would be good. Thank you for working to make our community a better one!

carlOS ricO S acr am e nt o

Miss you! Re “Ain’t no sunshine” by Cosmo Garvin (SN&R Bites, July 30): Cosmo Garvin will be missed. As Sacramento’s best journalist, he cut through the spin, noise and the occasional condescension dispensed by politicos and their water carriers. Cosmo reported

the news fearlessly and reported it well by putting public service over access or advertiser dollars. His Bites column was a weekly education in civics. Sadly, this is a tough time for Cosmo to leave SN&R. As we enter an eventful period in our civic life, I hope that all of Sacramento’s journalists follow Cosmo’s example and

give us the unvarnished truth about city government. Jason Orta Sacramento

More legal guns, less blood Re “The new Wild West” by Alastair Bland (SN&R Feature Story, July 30): Wow, part of California is finally lining up with the rest of the country. Urban parts of California are some of the last holdouts prohibiting the law-abiding to legally carry. The rest of the country has been issuing carry permits for years, and every time a new law passed allowing private citizens to apply for a permit, it was followed by shrieking about how “Blood will be running in the streets!” And it has never, ever happened. Tom Aiken Sacramento

More legal guns, less crime Re “The new Wild West” by Alastair Bland (SN&R Feature Story, July 30): The tone of this article doesn’t surprise me given the editorial slant of the newspaper. Keep in mind what Sheriff Scott Jones says prompted his initial direction to give more CCW permits to law-abiding citizens: because of the reduction in Sheriff’s resources. I train citizens to be legally licensed to carry a firearm. In an emergency, when seconds or minutes count, the first responders may never make it in time. Every year, thousands of citizens use their legally owned firearms to thwart the intentions of criminals. Does SN&R believe it is coincidental that the violent crime rate has plummeted in Sacramento? Michael Kennedy Sacramento

ONLINE BUZZ

On Sac cOunty having the higheSt number Of cOncealed-carry weapOn permitS: 5 years on, how many ccw gun deaths have there been in Sacramento? Wild West my ass.

ben laSt No. You should be concerned about people that carry illegally. Nothing wrong with being able to defend yourself should the situation arise.

craig hannOn Great. Now I’m surrounded by idiots with guns. It is bad enough that half of the people that drive don’t know how to do that. Now give them weapons with no purpose but to kill.

cliffOrd hawley

@SacNewsReview

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@SacNewsReview Online Buzz contributions are culled from SN&R’s Facebook page and are not edited for grammar, spelling and clarity.

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A midwife who operates Sacramento’s only independent birth center says state regulators have unfairly put her practice in the cross hairs. ILLUSTRATION BY BEADY EYES

Midwives under attack California nursing board’s actions could force Sacramento’s only nonhospital birth center to close by Brooke Purves

The increasingly popular practice of giving birth outside of hospitals is under fire from state regulators, according to several midwives and nurses who are facing disciplinary charges. This includes Ruth Cummings, a certified nurse-midwife who runs the only free-standing birth center in the Sacramento area—one she may have to close if the state gets its way. While most big hospitals in the area offer birthing centers with medical support in home-like environments, Cummings’ center, named The Birth 8 | SN&R | 08.06.15

Center, is special: It’s not linked to any hospital or medical group. Back in May 2013, the California State Board of Registered Nursing, which oversees licensing issues, formally accused Cummings of gross negligence, incompetence and unprofessional conduct, alleging she was unable to tell that a client was in labor and misdiagnosing a urinary tract infection over the phone. According to the accusation, the client delivered a stillborn several days after last speaking to Cummings. The client later filed a complaint to the BRN.

@brookepurves

The number of out-of-hospital births has been ticking up across the country, from about 0.87 percent to 1.36 percent over roughly a decade ending in 2012, according to the Centers for Disease Control. California sits right around the national numbers. That’s a small portion of births overall, but California midwives struggle to meet the demand. Cummings is just one of several certified nurse-midwives in the state who are in the midst of what many in the community suggest is a systematic and coordinated attack on those who deliver babies in nonhospital settings. At least six of the 30

to 40 certified nurse-midwives conducting home births in the state are currently in legal battles with the BRN over issues of licensing and standardized practices. “The BRN is crazy right now,” says Cummings, who, along with others, claims the board has failed to provide clear standards of care for out-of-hospital births. Cummings has operated her practice out of a home environment tucked away in a Foothill Farms cul-de-sac for more than 14 years now. According to the accusation against her, the client in question called Cummings on two sequential days in late summer of 2010, complaining of intensified irregular contractions, painful urination and an urge to urinate. Although the client was full-term, Cummings says she didn’t “hear” any contractions—any pauses in breathing or strained speech— during the phone conversations. Cummings, who diagnosed a probable urinary tract infection and called in a prescription for an antibiotic, says she was “trying to be more cautious” by assessing the client over the phone instead of

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Arrested, development examining her in the office, then waiting the weekend for labs—and an official diagnosis—to come back. But while the standard in a traditional hospital setting may be to perform fetal and contraction monitoring and a cervical exam, that’s not necessarily part of the “midwifery” model of care, which aims to keep women out of clinical settings. “Midwifery is good at keeping [women] at home until they’re in active labor,” Cummings says. One of those women is Susan Wilhelm, a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Wilhelm has written letters to the board and testified on Cummings’ behalf to the “euphoric” and “seamless” birth experience she enjoyed. She calls the alleged attack on out-of-hospital births “an act of violence against women.” “Birth is important. Birth is sacred, and I had incredible care,” Wilhelm adds. “It seems criminal the BRN is trying to do away with that.” The accusation against Cummings asserts that, three days after the client’s last conversation with Cummings, the woman presented herself at the ER, where the baby was found to have died. The accusation never indicates that the client asked for or was denied an exam, and Cummings says the client never asked to come in. Although tragic, stillbirths are more common in the United States than one might think. To put it into perspective, about one in 160 babies in the country is stillborn, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In this case, Cummings says she was told the cause of death was an umbilical cord accident, which is difficult to detect and generally causes no pain to the mother. If a cord problem is caught before it’s too late, it’s often because the mother reports a baby that isn’t moving. An August 2014 hearing led to three years of probation for Cummings, which was later stayed by the Sacramento Superior Court in May of this year. She will be appealing the ruling sometime next year, and expects her legal fees to exceed $150,000, she says. If she is found guilty, her birth center will close its doors and Sacramento-area women will have lost the only local birthing option of its type. Even if she wins, her practice will be affected. Cummings has already sought therapy to deal with trauma from the death and says she has taken to practicing more defensively. “Nobody will do what I’ve done,” she says. “Nobody has thought about what it’s like on the provider’s side to have that happen.”

practices until a complaint has been filed Nora McNeill also knows what it’s like to and an investigation has begun. do battle with the BRN. “I can pretty much deny on behalf of the A licensed midwife from Redding, BRN that they’re out to get any particular McNeill has delivered more than 1,500 type of nurse,” he says. babies during her four decades of midwifery. Licensed midwives undergo But if the BRN doesn’t have it out for different training than certified nursethese midwives, it also hasn’t fostered a midwives, and are under the jurisdiction professional relationship with them. of the Medical Board—not the Board of According to a March governmental Registered Nursing. But because McNeill is efficiency and effectiveness review hearing, also a registered nurse, the BRN has taken the board has not allowed the Nursean interest in her practice. Midwifery Advisory Committee to convene “The BRN hates me because they don’t since at least 2011, even though nurseknow what to do with me,” she contends. midwives have been asking for guidance So far, the BRN has filed roughly 20 on issues affecting their practices. accusations against McNeill— The review also found that each one spurred by there aren’t enough reps complaints from hospital on the board or on staff, never clients, she “Absolutely, 100 its Nursing Practice says. Many of these Committee who are happened when percent, they are actively engaged in McNeill transferred anti-homebirth.” or familiar with the clients attempting a practice of midwifery. vaginal birth after Yelena Kolodji “Absolutely, 100 previously undergoing midwife, on the State Board percent, they are a cesarean section of Registered Nursing anti-home birth,” says birth, or what’s termed Yelena Kolodji, a Los Gatos a VBAC. Many hospitals midwife. “It’s really scandalwon’t allow VBACs, and ous what the BRN has done to instead require repeat cesarean Ruth [Cummings] and me.” sections. Kolodji is still fighting BRN accusations But because her clients refuse to share that she did not have proper physician medical records, many investigations supervision for perineal repair during a eventually puttered out. 2008 home birth. The yearslong fight has The type of accusation filed against cost Kolodji more than $160,000 in legal Cummings and the other out-of-hospital defense fees, she says. nurse-midwives are rare but effective. The physician-supervision requirement Accused RNs and certified nurse-midwives is a hot-button issue in the midwifery become financially crippled, paying community. Historically, the BRN has thousands in legal fees whether they retain sought to suspend licenses of certified their licenses or lose and are forced to pay for the BRN’s legal and investigative fees as nurse-midwives practicing home birth without physician supervision, even though the well. Meanwhile, the BRN has access to a board itself “is not aware of any research or substantial well of taxpayer funds. evidence that supervision improves patient About 70 percent of the BRN’s annual safety,” according to a 2014 state report. budget—$37 million for the last fiscal Even the American College of Obstetricians year—is spent on licensing enforcement. and Gynecologists asserts that certified More than 7,000 complaints are investinurse-midwives are experts in their fields. gated annually. Kolodji and other midwives maintain Overall, the number of accusations filed that such supervision is nearly impossible to against nurses is very small, and mostly get: It’s prohibited by doctors’ malpractice deal with substance abuse, according to insurance. Russ Heimerich from the Department of But a bill currently navigating the Consumer Affairs, which oversees the Legislature with significant support could BRN. The BRN filed 1,448 accusations for relieve nurse-midwives of that requirement. fiscal year 2013-14, though about 400,000 Assembly Bill 1306 would echo the relief registered nurses are licensed in the state. that licensed midwives received two years That’s less than 1 percent of nurses ago under A.B. 1308. A.B. 1308 formally facing charges, vs. 15 to 20 percent of certieliminated the supervision requirement for fied nurse-midwives working outside of a licensed midwives in 2013, a requirement hospital setting. that the Medical Board hadn’t aggressively Heimerich insists there has been enforced for years prior to that, accordno focus on midwives practicing out of ing to the California Nurse-Midwives hospital, and that most times, the BRN Ω doesn’t know how or where a particular RN Association.

Contrary to the ramblings of redneck uncles everywhere, the browning of California hasn’t resulted in a lawless dystopia. Quite the opposite, actually. A new report from the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice—echoing the latest data from the state’s Attorney General’s Office—has uncovered “an enormous decline in arrests among the youngest Californians” over a three-decade time span that correlates with an increasingly diverse populace. While the report doesn’t name diversity as the reason for declining arrests (the trend was also accompanied by positive developments in graduation rates, college enrollment, violent-death rates and health trends), it points out that neither did it result in the Chicken Little belief that kids have grown more delinquent. In Sacramento County, arrest rates fell 98 percent for children under the age of 10 between 1980 and 2013. Statewide, the CJCJ report shows that the numbers hit every category, from misdemeanors to violent crimes like murder and rape, and applied to both males and females and all races, with Latinos accounting for the biggest improvement. In Sacramento County, probation officials have made it a point in recent years to partner with school districts, social workers and community-based providers to steer children out of juvenile hall and prevent their removal from their homes. That has translated into a 41 percent slide in juvenile felony arrests between 2004 and 2014—from nearly 1,500 to about 600—state data shows. While the CJCJ report says the data “strongly indicates” a reduction in “criminal behavior among the state’s youngest individuals,” it allows that local strategies should be considered in jurisdictions that can “point to proactive policies.” It also warns the juvenile justice system from investing in “unnecessarily large facilities” or implementing other initiatives without further examining the causes, especially since black youth remain much more likely to be arrested than kids of other races. (Raheem F. Hosseini)

Dirty hospitals Sacramento-area hospitals were ranked by Consumer Reports as some of the best—and worst—at preventing the spread of deadly hospital-acquired infections in a report released early Wednesday. The report analyzed how effective more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals were at containing deadly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C. diff.), along with other hospital-acquired infections—many suspected to be aggravated by overenthusiastic antibiotic use and other best-practices deviations. Mercy San Juan in Sacramento County received a rating of up to 100 percent worse than a national baseline—near failing—for avoiding the spread of C. diff. to patients in the facility. The bug, causing inflammation of the colon and claiming 27,000 lives annually, is found in fecal matter, but can be harbored on nearly any surface. Current treatment includes fecal transplant. UC Davis Medical Center didn’t fare much better, sliding in with a similarly low rating for containing MRSA, which kills another 8,000 per year. But not all is lost for sick Sacramentans. Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, scored well in preventing MRSA spreads, and Kaiser Permanente Sacramento Medical Center did a pretty good job at avoiding central line infections, despite being labeled one of the worst hospitals in the area of avoiding hospital-acquired infections overall. (Brooke Purves)

08.06.15

SN&R | 9

School’s back Learning from ‘the smartest kids in the world’

SN&R

by jeff vonkaenel

10 | SN&R | 08.06.15

je ffv @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

It is August and back-to-school season. Parents of kindergarteners are anxious about the first day. High school seniors are in the twilight between now and the future. And the school-policy people are getting ready, too; rhetorically sharpening their knives for combat. They have so many different suggestions on how to improve our schools. Governor Jerry Brown once said that everyone believes that they are an education expert because everyone has attended school. With so many experts, with so many ideas, it is hard to get any understanding of the issues, let alone agreement on a plan. In 2008, after writing a news story on the controversial Washington, D.C., public school Chancellor of Education Michelle Rhee, Time Magazine journalist Amanda Ripley found herself in the “fog of education,” as she called it. She had lots of data, but it did not add up. Some kids were learning, some were struggling. The reasons were not always clear. Ripley decided to look elsewhere for answers. On tests worldwide, Ripley noticed that some countries were doing better than the USA. She focused on three countries: South Korea, Poland, Finland. She utilized the insight of a great source of information: American high school exchange students. This was an excellent choice. Having had an exchange student stay with us while my daughter spent her exchange year in Denmark, I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting dozens of exchange students. They are an incredible group. And Ripley has written an incredible book: The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way. These three countries’ educational systems are quite different. South Korea has a system where the kids study all the time, even attending private after-school tutoring programs. Kids routinely fall asleep in class because they have been up most of night studying. They get results on tests, but with a reduced quality of life. Poland has also seen dramatic improvements. It established testing like in this country, but in Poland, teachers have freedom to chose their textbooks and their teaching styles. And they are provided financial rewards for results. Ripley defines it as accountability and local autonomy. Finland has achieved great results without sacrificing its students. In the 1970s, the country became much more selective about who could become a teacher. Instead of training many teachers, the Finns provided more training for a smaller number of strong candidates. This decreased teacher training costs, while improving the quality of teachers. Ripley points out that, in America, we train more prospective teachers than there are jobs. Rhode Island, for instance, produces five times more teachers than there are jobs. I suggest that your back-to-school reading should include Ripley’s book. It is an education in itself. Ω

Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority owner of the News & Review.

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Every week is an odd, head-scratching, groaner of a week for the GOP presidential hopefuls (or hopeless). But this past seven days were also a bit “Say what?” for the Democrats. Everything came to a head with Maureen Dowd’s Sunday column on Joe Biden. The New York Times scribe reported that the vice president is seriously considering entering the presidential fray—even this late in the game, with nearly zilch in the campaign coffers and zero electioneering-team infrastructure. Biden allegedly wants to honor his late son Beau’s wishes by jumping into the race, a noble decision if there ever was one. But let’s not pretend that Hillary Clinton doesn’t have the nomination all but locked in. She’s got establishment support, nearly 70 million bucks in the bank (and counting), and a get-outthe-vote machine humming in primary and swing states. Let’s not forget that, even though there is not a worthy adversary in this cycle’s primary, she’s experienced and sharpened when it comes to electoral-politics maneuvering, too (courtesy her 2008 loss to the president). And, if you’re supporting Biden or urging him to run because he’s more liberal than Clinton, well, that’s not necessarily true, either. Plus, there’s already Bernie Sanders, the Vermont senator, making waves with progressives and the hardcore left-leaning. Yes, The Bern’s candidacy is truly a Kucinich moment; he just might, but likely won’t, move the party platform away from its business-moderate resting point. But it’s not like Biden is some liberal lion, either. (Read this week’s cover story, “Summer of Sanders,” on page 14, for more on Bernie’s campaign). But maybe, as Nate Silver pondered in an essay this week, Democrats need a rip-cord option, in case a stone turned reveals some kind of Clinton Achilles’ heel. Read this week’s The FiveThirtyEight.com elections guru forecasted that cover story on Bernie Clinton has an 80 percent chance of securing the nomiSanders on page 14. nation—but there’s still that 20 percent. Crazy stuff happens. And the Democrats’ other option, Sanders, wouldn’t fare well in a general election. So, perhaps a Biden factor wouldn’t be a bad move for the left after all. He can keep Clinton real. He can fortify the party platform. And, in a worst-case scenario, he can be Joe to the rescue. Ω

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Sanders, Clinton— and Biden

08.06.15 | SN&R | 11

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SN&R/K.J. lawsuit update: Last week, K.J.’s attorneys from Ballard Spahr told us that a vast majority of the emails they sued us to keep private were in fact not private. Now, they only consider 158 of the 475 emails and records flagged by the city of Sacramento as protected under attorneyclient privilege. SN&R is reviewing a list of the emails in question as you read this.

Thursday was High-Speed Chase Day here in Sacramento. The Sacramento Police Department Air1 chopper, dozens of officers, spike strips—law enforcement rolled out the works to catch the driver of stolen minivan near Meadowview Road just after 8 p.m. “Michael sitani, 21, was booked for evading, vehicle theft, and an unrelated burglary warrant,” according to the police report.

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suPer ugh “Fewer than 400 families are responsible for almost half the money raised in the 2016 presidential campaign.” That’s what The New York Times reported on Saturday. Some 388 million bucks from less than 400 people! And of course Jeb Bush is leading the way, with 103 million clams to his super PAC. Thanks a lot, Justice John Roberts.

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Boo on you, vending-machine vendors. The city of Sacramento will waive its 50 percent requirement for healthy and nutritious foods in vending machines this week— because no company would take on the contract with that high a health threshold! Now, the requirement will be 25 percent.

City Council is poised to approve an environmental report and more for the construction of a new whole Foods Market and parking garage in Midtown. Scorekeeper is stoked for some $30-apound line-caught salmon!

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08.06.15

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PHOTO BY GAGE SKIDMORE

Sanders waves to supporters in Phoenix, Ariz. The Vermont independent is popular yet trails Hillary Clinton in the latest polls (55 percent to 21 percent, according to averages on Real Clear Politics).

Bernie doesn’t stand a chance against Hillary, yet he draws the largest presidential-campaign crowds. One writer joins him on the stump to see if the liberal senator can actually move the debate toward the left.

by Paul Heintz

14 | SN&R | 08.06.15

Summer of Sanders

This story first appeared in the Burlington, Vermont-based newsweekly Seven Days, which is chronicling Senator Bernie Sanders’ political career from 1972 to the present at http://BernieBeat.com.

As the summer of 2015 began, Bernie Sanders became impossible to ignore. On July 1, as 10,000 people cheered and chanted his name, the 73-year-old U.S. senator from Vermont summited a stage in a Madison, Wisc., arena and took his place behind a wooden podium. He raised his right arm to wave at a sea of supporters and embraced his wife, Jane, with his left. Then, peering up at the distant nosebleed seats, Sanders did something unusual: He grinned. “Whoa,” he said. Whoa, indeed. In the 43 years since Sanders first ran for office, skeptics have doubted him at every turn. They never believed he could serve as mayor, defeat an incumbent congressman or chair a senate committee. Well before he entered the presidential race in April, Beltway pundits had long since written him off as an also-ran— a latter-day Dennis Kucinich. But by the time Sanders arrived in Madison at the start of a three-state, four-day tour of the Midwest, CNN had declared it the “summer of Sanders.” By the time he departed, new polls and fundraising reports showed him gaining on Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton. And in perhaps the clearest validation, reporters who’d been asking Sanders about Clinton in every last interview started asking Clinton about Sanders. At Wisconsin’s Veterans Memorial Coliseum, the senator let loose a few more “whoas” as he scanned the crowd of mostly white faces holding blue and white “Bernie” signs. “In case you haven’t noticed,” he said, “there are a lot of people here.” He grinned again. But Sanders’ smile quickly faded. As he launched into an hour-long stump speech, any hint of optimism was supplanted by his dour assessment of modern America. The economy, he said, was rigged by greedy billionaires more interested in tax breaks than in feeding hungry children. Republicans held a “warped view of family values” and had “gotten away with murder for too many years.” His opponents would exploit a corrupt political system to defeat him, while a shallow news media treated the democratic process like a popularity contest. “The greed of corporate America and the billionaire class has got to end, and we are going to end it for them!” he shouted. “Ber-nie! Ber-nie! Ber-nie!” the crowd chanted. No matter how Sanders fares in the nation’s never-ending presidential tryouts,

this was the moment his campaign became real. No candidate to date had attracted so many supporters under one roof, as the senator himself triumphantly observed. “It’s clear to us that there’s something going on out there,” said Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver. The mood had changed entirely since his early days on the campaign trail: Democratic activists were no longer pining for U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and a surprising number said they were convinced Sanders could—and should—win. But with success comes scrutiny. A super PAC allied with third-place Democratic rival Martin O’Malley, the former Maryland governor, had already trained its sights on Sanders, airing a negative television ad focused on the Vermonter’s mixed record on gun control. And now that Sanders has gotten Clinton’s attention, he’s sure to face incoming fire from perhaps the most formidable campaign apparatus ever assembled by a nonincumbent presidential candidate. “I think they’re going to recognize that the support for Bernie is real—that in places like Iowa and New Hampshire, he can succeed because he’s got a very powerful message,” Sanders senior strategist Tad Devine said of the Clintons. The true test for Sanders is whether he can withstand the scrutiny, scale up his fledgling organization and keep the energy alive. It’s a long road to the Iowa caucuses next winter and a longer road still to the Democratic National Convention next summer. But Sanders, a former long-distance runner, has been training for this race all his life. His sneakers are laced—and he’s ready to run. Sanders should’ve been pleased the next day when he reached Fort Dodge, Iowa—a 25,000-person town with an economy based on corn and gypsum. This was, after all, one of the most successful weeks of his three-and-a-half decades in office.

After filling the Madison arena the night before, he had lured 600 people to a breakfast speech that morning in Rochester, Minn. Hours earlier, Quinnipiac University had released a new poll showing that he’d more than doubled his support in Iowa in the previous month, from 15 to 33 percent. And his own campaign had announced he’d raised an impressive $15 million in his first two months in the race. Despite the good news, the senator sounded like he had an ax to grind. He repeatedly ripped into the news media that afternoon during an 80-minute town hall meeting in an auditorium at Iowa Central Community College. “The media regards politics as either a baseball game or a soap opera,” he said.

arts institution affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Introducing him that evening was a graduate student named James Johansen, who praised Sanders for daring “to stand up for the LGBT community” decades earlier, when “it was neither safe nor required for him to do. “As a gay man myself who was recently married, I do not take that kind of courage lightly,” he said. Sanders’ Iowan supporters frequently describe him as consistent and authentic—particularly in comparison to Clinton, who they see as opportunistic and scripted. “He seems to be honest and believable,” Steve Harding, a South Dakotan retiree, said outside Morningside College. “He’s a breath of fresh air.”

Sanders, a former long-distance runner, has been training for this race all his life. His sneakers are laced—and he’s ready to run. Yet the most recent coverage of his ascendant campaign—stories about his family notwithstanding—has been fawning and uncritical. The national political media has appeared eager to replace the tired storyline of Clintonian dominance. But Sanders surely understands the cyclical nature of a long presidential nominating contest, and he knows that what goes up must come down. As Sanders has drawn more and more fans to rallies in Minneapolis, Denver and Portland, Maine, skeptics question whether such support exists outside the nation’s liberal metropolises. But in the three days Sanders spent crisscrossing the corn belt of rural, western Iowa, excitement was palpable even in the tiniest burgs. When he drove two hours due west from Fort Dodge to Sioux City, the candidate found more than 400 people waiting to see him at Morningside College, a small, liberal

Inside, Sanders delivered a harsh indictment of conservative social beliefs. “When the Republicans talk about family values, what they say is that a woman in America should not have the right to control her own body. I strongly disagree.” Republicans, he continued, “are saying that women are not mature enough to be able to go out and buy the contraceptives they need” and that “same-sex marriage should not be allowed to happen. “That,” he continued, “is their view of family values.” Sanders said his idea of family values was to guarantee 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. In each of his appearances, that sizzling slice of red meat draws some of the loudest applause. But later in his stump speech, Sanders routinely contradicts himself, arguing that Americans must not let social issues divide them at the expense of economic ones.

“SUMME R OF S ANDERS ” continued on page 17 08.06.15 | SN&R | 15

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Koch brothers and swap in Saudi Arabia, and you get the gist of it. In March, when the Saudis called on the United States to deploy combat troops to oppose ISIS, he issued a blistering statement calling the idea offensive and noting that Saudi Arabia “is controlled by a multibillion-dollar family.” In Sioux City, he remarked, “You may or may not know, Saudi Arabia has the third largest military budget in the world.” To destroy ISIS, he argued, “The Muslim nations themselves must lead that effort. They have got to get their hands dirty.” His general philosophy—the United States ought to avoid unilateral military engagement whenever possible—mirrors that of many Democratic primary voters. And he’s wise to contrast his opposition to the Iraq War with Clinton’s support for it. But when Sanders faces the former secretary of state on a debate stage this fall, he’ll likely face tougher questions than “Is ISIS bad?”—and he’ll have to answer them. As in much of western Iowa, the Latino population has grown significantly in recent years, as immigrants have

found work on farms and in processing plants. In Denison, 50 miles south, more than two-fifths of the population is Hispanic. But when Sanders arrived in Denison later that afternoon to march in its July 3 Independence Day parade, the preponderance of those participating in and observing the festivities were white. Sanders, who appears to abhor unscripted moments with rabid supporters, milled around awkwardly outside the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 440 union hall, gamely posing for selfies and hopping aboard a vintage John Deere tractor. He kept asking field director Phil Fiermonte for direction, but he didn’t receive any. “Will you sign the back of my shirt?” asked Peggy Galletley of Lake City. After assenting to the request, Sanders remarked, “When you’re running for president, you’re asked to do weird things.” As he waited for the parade to begin, the candidate briefly entertained questions from members of the local media. Lorena López, editor of the Spanishlanguage newspaper La Prensa, based in western Iowa, was one of them.

Bernie Sanders hypes up the crowd during an April rally in Washington, D.C.

“This town is 43.8 [percent] Latino, and it’s a small town,” she said. “Latinos trust in President Obama. Latinos talk a lot today about you. What do you have to offer Latinos?” Sanders, who has faced criticism from some Latino leaders for failing to focus on their issues, dove right in. “Well, we are going to fight as hard as we can to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” he said. “The bottom line is we have 11 million undocumented workers in this country, and they deserve a path to citizenship, and I believe that very strongly.” Then he shifted to more comfortable territory: “When we look at economics in America, what we find is that Latinos and African-Americans are often at the bottom of the line in terms of decent paying jobs and other aspects of our economy.” For that reason, he argued, providing free college tuition and raising the minimum wage would help Latinos more than most. After the candidate walked away, López said that her community was paying close attention to Sanders. “We had a meeting, and they asked me, ‘Is he going to talk about immigration? Do you think that he just wants our vote and he’s going to forget about us?’” she said. “People are just wondering.” By the time the parade’s convoy of firetrucks, vintage tractors and a Mustang convertible-riding mayor began chugging down Broadway, only a smattering of residents lined the route. In his traditional parade garb of a button-down shirt, chinos and sneakers, Sanders worked the left side of the road, while his wife worked the right. “Go get ’em, Bernie!” retired archaeologist Larry Abbott shouted as Sanders walked by a Hy-Vee grocery store. “Everything I’ve heard him say is just right,” he explained to a reporter. “I just sent in my donation this morning.” But Abbott’s support might not presage a landslide win. “Since the mid1960s, Obama’s the only one I voted for that got elected,” he confessed. When Sanders announced two-and-ahalf months ago that he was running for president, he had just one person on the campaign payroll. “I think it’s fair to say that we did not anticipate the speed with which these large crowds of people would come to the campaign,” said Weaver, Sanders’ campaign manager. “So it’s been a bit of a challenge, but it’s better than the opposite challenge.” To the untrained eye, Sanders’ Iowa operation, which includes 27 of the campaign’s now 50 staffers, appeared surprisingly organized.

“SU M ME R O F S A ND E R S ” continued on page 19

PHOTO COURTESY OF AmERiCAn FEdERATiOn OF GOvERnmEnT EmPlOYEES

“ S U M M ER O F SA ND ERS” continued from page 15

“In a democracy, people are gonna have different points of view,” he said as he wrapped up his speech at Morningside College. “Yes, we may disagree on abortion. Yes, we may disagree on gay rights. Yes, we may disagree on guns. Yes, we may disagree on this issue or on that issue. But do not get deflected from the most important issues facing you, your kids and your parents.” In his four days of rallies, town meetings, and parades, Sanders addressed foreign policy just twice—and only when audience members raised it themselves. “You haven’t mentioned the Middle East yet,” one woman observed near the end of the question-and-answer period in Sioux City. Before the woman could pose her question, Sanders dove in. “Now we are in a moment where we have this horrific, barbaric group called ISIS, and I don’t have to explain to you what they are,” he said. “ISIS must be defeated. My view is it cannot be the United States alone that defeats ISIS.” Sanders approaches foreign policy much the way he does economic policy. The wealthiest nations, he argues, must pay their fair share. Just swap out the

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campaign launch, the song has warmed up the crowd at most Sanders rallies. By the time it blared across the room, every seat in the Mid-America Center was filled. The crowd skewed younger than at events elsewhere in Iowa, perhaps because it was taking place just across the Missouri River from Omaha, a major college town. Cory Journey, a 20-year-old college student, said he and three friends had traveled 45 minutes from Lincoln, Neb., to hear Sanders speak. He said he’d learned about the event via Facebook. After a self-identified transgender woman introduced Sanders, the senator took the stage and uttered words that have come to sound familiar.

The next day, Clinton was pilloried in the press when two campaign staffers pulled out a rope at a Gorham parade and literally dragged along reporters who came too close to the candidate. Though the incident was surely overblown, it neatly illustrated the frustration national reporters feel about a candidate who has largely avoided the press. Often the biggest hit at parades in Vermont, Sanders attracted more than a few raised eyebrows from Union County residents who lined the streets of Creston. “Hey! Socialism doesn’t work, buddy!” one man yelled as the senator marched by. “Give it up!”

PHOTO BY ERIC TADSEN

“ S U M M ER O F SA ND ERS” continued from page 17

Volunteers and paid staffers swarmed every event, signing in audience members, handing out envelopes for donations, and marching beside Sanders in parades. Even after he reached the end of the Denison route, many Sanders volunteers kept working the crowd. Clayton Christiansen, a Nebraska City property manager and newly minted volunteer, walked 16th Street, attempting to engage with residents. “Are you familiar with Bernie Sanders?” he asked an older couple and a younger woman sitting together on a porch. The older man looked annoyed by the intrusion but offered, “We hope he beats Hillary.” “We do, too!” Christiansen replied with a smile. That night, more than 80 Sanders volunteers stalked the entrances to Council Bluffs’ Mid-America Center, 65 miles southeast, as some 2,600 people streamed in. The volunteers would not let audience members pass without extracting their contact information. “Signing people in is the key,” explained Pete D’Alessandro, a veteran of the Iowa caucuses and Sanders’ state coordinator. “You’ve gotta grab the names, because 2,600 people in a venue is exciting and it’s energizing and it helps, but you need to grab the actual names of the people who are going to volunteer, who are going to caucus.” Clinton supporters have suggested that Sanders’ venuebusting hordes won’t necessarily translate to votes. “Bernie’s huge crowds recall Howard Dean’s in ’04 when he rallied ‘Democratic wing of the Democratic Party,’” former Obama consigliere David Axelrod wrote on Twitter the morning after the Madison rally. “Dean was impactful, but Kerry won.” Devine, Sanders’ consultant, disagrees. “No. 1, by getting these people in-house, by having them attend your events, you can ID them, get contact info and become part of their social networks,” said Devine, himself a veteran of John Kerry’s and Al Gore’s campaigns. “No. 2, I think momentum is something that builds in a campaign, and by demonstrating to people that there’s real momentum in a place like Madison, Wisconsin, I think it generates excitement in Iowa.” Since Sanders supporter Neil Young called out Donald Trump for playing “Rockin’ in the Free World” at his

So far, no candidate draws bigger crowds than Sanders.

“This is by far the largest meeting we have done in the state of Iowa,” he said to a roaring crowd. “Let me begin by telling you something I think other candidates will not do: that is basically the truth.” And he was off. Hours before Sanders packed the Mid-America Center, 850 people turned out to see Clinton in Hanover, N.H., a liberal hub key to any Democratic candidate. The former secretary of state seemed to have Sanders in mind when she proclaimed in an outdoor speech at Dartmouth College, “I take a backseat to no one when you look at my record in standing up and fighting for progressive values.” Asked specifically about Sanders later that day at the Dairy Twirl in Lebanon, N.H., Clinton said she “always knew this was going to be competitive.”

Sanders looked straight at him, then looked away, his tight smile unchanged. Most Crestonians appeared more bemused than offended by Sanders’ presence in the parade—and some seemed downright appreciative that he’d taken the time to visit this small town, population 7,887. As Sanders passed a parking lot in which two Confederate flag-adorned pickup trucks were parked, Creston High School band director Mike Peters jogged up to Sanders to ask for a selfie. The senator complied. “Ever since I’ve seen this gentleman on Bill Maher … I’ve started identifying with the things that he likes to do,” Peters said. “He has a vision for what this country needs at this point.” Later that day, the senator marched in one final parade—in the Des Moines suburb of Waukee. Thanks to Waukee’s

close proximity to the state capital, the Sanders campaign managed to turn out an astounding 130 people to walk with him. David Leonard was not one of them. The retired high school counselor, decked out in a purple Dallas County Democrats T-shirt, said that he “loves Bernie Sanders.” But he doesn’t plan to vote for him. “I agree with everything he stands for, but I’ll probably end up caucusing for Hillary Clinton, because it’s high time we had a woman president. For another thing, she’s highly qualified—perhaps the most qualified. And I think she will beat any Republican they put up against her,” Leonard said. “Whereas with Bernie, they’re going to throw the socialist label at him,” he said. “And there will be closet talk of his being a Jew. I don’t think he could be elected.” Sanders’ fired-up fan club clearly felt otherwise. As he marched past the town green and a skyscraper of a grain elevator, they hoisted signs reading “Iowa Bern Stormers” and “End the Corporate Oligarchy.” Several young men wore signs on their backs that said “Bern Unit.” A young boy in a purple shirt led the pack of Sanders supporters and every few minutes yelled, “When I say ‘president,’ you say ‘Bern!’” “President!” “Bern!” Sanders, who argues vociferously in his stump speech against the deification of politicians, mostly ignored the mob at his heels. He focused instead on greeting and shaking hands with those who appeared receptive. “Hi. Hello,” he said. “Hi. Hello. Bernie Sanders. Hi. Hello.” This was a friendlier crowd than in Creston. “That’s actually him,” one woman whispered. “Thanks for coming to Waukee,” another shouted. By the time he reached Waukee High School, a mile-and-a-half later under a hot sun, the former runner was definitely feeling the burn. “Oh my God!” a red-faced and sweaty Sanders exclaimed to his wife. Whether he was referring to the unending parade route or the number of supporters willing to follow him wasn’t quite clear. But for the first time since he addressed the crowd in Madison, he displayed visible signs of happiness. “That was fantastic,” he said. Ω

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PHOTO BY LISA BAETZ

Be warned: Deep is the existential crisis that could arise from staring into the claw-game void at Coin-Op Game Room.

Games, trivia and booze: Why the after-hours nerd scene is on like Donkey Kong

S BY W

20 | SN&R | 08.06.15

ILLI

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ARK

top me if this sounds familiar: Going out, drinking and attempting that crazy adult concept known as “being social,” sounds great, but in reality there are just too many video games to play. Well, who ever said those two things can’t actually go hand in Power-Gloved hand? The decision to leave the house might be hard, but the “where to go?” question always seems stuck on intense difficulty. Sports bars, after all, are typically filled with people talking about points and winning and passing balls—and not of the Quaffle variety. But, bully for you, Sacramento boasts a growing number of late-night options perfect for gaming and leveling up those nondigital nightlife skill trees. If tossing endless quarters into an arcade machine sounds like a perfect night, then Coin-Op Game Room is right up your (pinball) alley.

Part arcade, part bar, Coin-Op brings together a favorite pastime of youth with the preferred pastime of the 21-and-over crowd. Owners Roy Ledo and Hassan Mahmood say they noticed that other barcades across the country tended to be beer-centric, and wanted to combine the idea with a menu that focused more on cocktails. They picked Sacramento for its potential. “The craft cocktail scene was kind of blowing up in Sacramento, and then once the NBA arena deal went through, we were on a plane literally the next week to do some research,” Ledo said. “We just fell in love with the city.” Hey, maybe it is easier to take down Bowser after a few Old Fashioneds. The pair, who also opened a Coin-Op in San Diego, teamed up with Sacramentan and then-bar manager, now part-owner Evan Louis to bring a location to town. The spot opened in May and currently features 36 arcade titles

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FoR the love oF JoAn DiDion See niGht&DAy

you bAD, bRo? See StAGe

and 10 pinball machines, including classics like Donkey beer to the team that comes in second-to-last place. Even Kong, Gauntlet and Pac-Man. in geek social culture there’s a participation ribbon. Aside from monthly Sunday free play nights, all of the Don’t save and quit just yet if you just want to game machines are still on their original pay settings, so get without showing off. Soon there will be at least one the quarters ready. The setting is just like the more spot on the geeky horizon to coax gamers arcades of old, except this time there’s no out into the wild of the real world. Enter need to smuggle in the alcohol. Save Point Gaming Tavern. It’s that old-school arcade experiSave Point started as a solution to ence that keeps patrons coming back. an old problem: feeding your party. “When you walk in you get that It isn’t like you can go to any old nostalgic feeling of your youth,” restaurant, pull out your dice and Ledo said. start landing crits with your D20s. “The energy and lights and “I’m sorry, our cleric needs sounds of all these games just more breadsticks,” wouldn’t Anthony barajas brings you back.” exactly fly at Olive Garden. Save Point Tavern Gaming co-owner Bar patron Karen Trinh calls the Save Point owners Dariush bar a nice alternative to the typical Gheyssarieh and Anthony Barajas bar scene. aim to address this problem with a “Coin-Op provided the perfect tavern that will house table-top gaming, experience for my friends and I who didn’t video games, and food and drink all under want to just drink,” she said. Likewise, she one roof. added, its game selection made for “a great hit of After a successful Kickstarter campaign—the nostalgia.” pair raised $27,911—Gheyssarieh and Barajas are still For those whose idea of geekdom is less about arcade deep in the planning and permitting phase. They are now machines and more about arguing with friends that a eying an early October opening date. Wookie wouldn’t stand a Plans for the tavern chance against a Tusken include a futuristic Raider, there’s an approthemed video-gaming priately nerdy option. room based on the interior And don’t worry. of a Star Wars ship or There’s still drinking a Star Trek bridge, a involved. It’s literally modern bar and dining titular. area filled with geek Geeks Who Drink is memorabilia and commisa pub quiz that originated sioned art, board games in Denver in 2006, and piled on Tetris block now takes place in more shelves and two private than 600 bars across gaming rooms: one medi35 states—including eval themed, the other four nights a week in post-apocalyptic. There the Sacramento area: are also plans for trivia Tuesdays and Thursdays at nights, cosplay events and Alley Katz, Wednesdays various tournaments. at Capitol Garage and Yup, at Save Point, Mondays at Davis’ G Ned Stark and Fallout are Street Wunderbar. only a door away. Apparently getting And, ultimately, it’s geeks together to drink just makes for another Geek Quizmaster Taylor Winn asks the questions at Alley Katz’ and debate facts is a chance to take what is twice-weekly Geeks Who Drink pub quiz. popular concept. It’s like often thought of as an lunch in the band hall all inside (read: basement) over again, except this activity and enjoy it IRL. time there’s booze and “The nerds are cash prizes for the top teams. winning, that’s what it is,” Barajas said. “As e-sports and The questions are diverse in topic, says Taylor Winn, other similar interests are being brought into the mainGeek Quizmaster at Alley Katz. stream culture, people are starting to realize that you can “We’re called Geeks Who Drink, but you can geek out enjoy these things and still be socially outstanding and a about pretty much any topic,” Winn said. “I mean yeah, professionally successful person.” Ω we have questions about Star Wars but we also have questions about political science.” In other words, this is a free-for-all of nondiscriminaLearn more about Co-Op Game Room, 908 K Street, at http://coinop tory nerdy knowledge. Knowing Shakespeare is just as sac.com. For more information on times, dates and locations for Geeks Who Drink, visit www.geekswhodrink.com. Learn more about Save Point Gaming important as knowing Fifty Shades of Grey. Don’t lie, Tavern at www.savepointtavern.com. you read it. But, for those who can’t quite tell their Klingons from their Targaryens, Wynn also awards a free pity pitcher of PHOTO BY LISA BAETZ

“The nerds are winning.”

inSAnely beAutiFul

See SounD ADviCe

Jam on, jam off Even as a vengeful God casts his wrath upon Sacramento during the summer in the form of triple-digit temperatures (probably because of gay marriage), the season still brings an endless bounty of strawberries, plums and peaches just begging to be made into jam. I’ve been jamming since I caught Alton Brown’s 30-minute dedication to the preservation process on the Food Network in high school, and I honestly don’t know why I still do it. After all, my sensibilities are far flung from Little House on the Prairie. Nothing in this world makes me feel as safe and warm as vast amounts of concrete and neon lights blaring the words “fresh doughnuts.” But like clockwork, in mid-July through September I boil mason jars and stock up on pectin. Don’t believe the hype. Homemade jam is good, but it’s not worth half the trouble that goes into it. Making it requires patience, precision and the discipline to stand over a hot stove at a time you would much rather be relaxing in front of a fan with a tall glass of sweet tea. Did I mention that

the process and results are temperamental? The uncertainty with jam is always there,

ready to break your heart. It’s like watching

Like situps and not eating Hot Cheetos at 3 a.m., I jam not to have a sweet spread for months to come but to gain discipline.

a beautiful newborn baby grow into a mouthy teenager who hates you. There’s no telling if the peach-strawberry jam you put up to keep will actually remain edible by the time you crack it open in mid-November. Maybe the jar lids didn’t stay on as tight as they should have. Maybe the sugar wasn’t measured as precisely as you thought. There are a million ways for jamming to go wrong, and to find your summer investment looking and smelling like the Exxon Valdez in your pantry. But, like situps and not eating Hot Cheetos at 3 a.m., I jam not to have a sweet spread for months to come but to gain discipline. Parks and Recreation’s most beloved character is probably Ron Swanson, because he reminds us of just how awesome a man can be when he works with his hands. My dad can fix cars. I can barely drive my Honda. His dad built the house my dad grew up in. I don’t know my way around a hammer unless I’m playing Super Smash Bros. My skill may not be as manly or useful, but I can make jam, and boatloads of it. Jam making is also my insurance if society collapses into a Mad Max situation. I want to have real applicable skills to lend to the new and less-kind world of the future, so I don’t get settled with the job of “gang jester” or “bullet shield.” Wasteland warlords won’t care that I can use all Adobe applications or that I know who the Prime Minister of Japan is. But even the most cruel of warlords can’t resist a fresh jar of pluot.

—Jaime Carrillo

08.06.15 | SN&R | 21

SUMMER by the SEA

DAVID LIGARE California Classicist JUNE 7 – SEPT 20

ARMIN HANSEN The Artful Voyage JUNE 28 – OCT 11

Enjoy a summer ﬁlled with art, music, and ﬁlm. The Crocker brings you special exhibitions and programs inspired by the beauty and power of the sea. Left: David Ligare, Penelope (detail), 1980. Oil on canvas, 40 x 48 inches. Crocker Art Museum, Promised gift of David Ligare and Gary Smith. Right: Armin Hansen, Salmon Trawlers (detail), 1918. Oil on canvas, 47 x 53 in. Monterey Museum of Art. Gift of Jane and Justin Dart.

SN&R | 08.06.15

216 O Street • Downtown Sacramento 916.808.7000 • crockerartmuseum.org

auguSt pickS by Shoka

Gilded age Rolling hills, crooked oak trees and massive boulders. Alice Shaw photographed natural landscapes in Northern and Southern California and Nevada and gilded parts of these lilies with MIxeD MeDIa actual gold. Like religious paintings of the Middle Ages that contained gold leaf to display the images’ holiness, Shaw selects a hillside or redwood trunk or lake to be gold on her black-andwhite photograph, showing that these vistas, this earth is sacred to all of us.

Where: B. Sakata Garo,

923 20th Street; (916) 447-4276; www.bsakatagaro.com.

Second Saturday reception: August 8, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Through August 29.

“Mountains (Southwest Nevada Desert)” by Alice Shaw, digital pigment print with 22-karat gold leaf, 2014.

Do me, baby

Innocent little bunnies

If You Do Me, I’ll Do You. It’s like the Secret Santa gift exchange of fine art within a group of artists, where each individual randomly Group SHoW selects another artist and creates a portrait of him or her—and everybody gets to see the gift. This is WAL Public Market’s second exhibition, and 23 artists participated, including some residents of the Warehouse Artist Lofts, a.k.a. WAL. So, who did Gale Hart do a portrait of? Did she give Doug Biggert Mickey Mouse ears? Did Jose Di Gregorio make a cosmos-inspired linear portrait of Gioia Fonda’s face? The show opens on August 6, if you can’t wait to see the results.

Susan Silvester’s résumé includes sculpting animation models for Pee-wee’s Playhouse and Teddy Grahams commercials paIntInGS and working on computer games and prototypes for toys. So it’s not surprising that her personal “Bunny Ears” by Susan Silvester, print, 2015. artwork also contains young subjects, mysterious story-time forest-like settings and animals. Particularly bunnies, which Silvester says symbolize innocence. Sometimes the children are dressed like bunnies, too. But the moments Silvester illustrates are quiet pauses of contemplation or melancholy, as if they are the moments of transition between being a carefree child and becoming a self-aware young person, losing that innocence of youth. With bunnies.

Where: WAL Public Market,

1104 R Street; www.rstreetwal.com.

Where: Artspace1616, 1616 Del Paso Boulevard; (916) 849-1127;

Second Saturday reception:

www.facebook.com/artspace1616.

August 8, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Second Saturday reception: August 8, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Hours: Wednesday, noon to 6 p.m.; Thursday through Saturday, noon to 8 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment.

Hours: Monday through Saturday, “Benjamin Olmsted” by Nathan Cordero, spray paint on paper, 2015.

11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Through September 10.

08.06.15

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3rd annual 31

22ND ST.

18TH ST.

17TH ST.

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17 1 11 15 18 23

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5 30

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OctOber 8-17, 2015

27 35 2934

50 BROADWAY

FREEPORT BLVD.

5 CAPITAL ARTWORKS 1215 21st St., Ste. B; (916) 207-3787; www.capital-artworks.com

6 CUFFS 2523 J St., (916) 443-2881, www.shopcuffs.com

7 ELLIOTT FOUTS GALLERY 1831 P St., (916) 446-1786, www.efgallery.com

8 EN EM ART SPACE 1714 Broadway, (916) 905-4368, www.enemspace.com

9 FLOPPY’S DIGITAL COPIES AND PRINTING 2031 J St., (916) 446-3475, www.floppysdigital.com

10 HARMONY ROGUE INTERIORS 2317 J St.,

Midtown 1 ART OF TOYS 1126 18th St., (916) 446-0673, www.artoftoys.com

2 ART STUDIOS 1727 I St., behind Easy on I; (916) 444-2233

3 ARTFOX GALLERY 2213 N St., Ste. B; (916) 835-1718; www.artfox.us

4 B. SAKATA GARO 923 20th St., (916) 447-4276, www.bsakatagaro.com

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21ST ST.

19TH ST.

16TH ST.

15TH ST.

10TH ST.

NINTH ST.

(916) 432-0443, www.harmonyrogue interiors.com

11 INTEGRATE SACRAMENTO 2220 J St., (916) 541-4294, http://integrateservices sacramento.blogspot.com

12 THE IRON MONKEY TATTOO STUDIO AND FINE ART GALLERY 1723 I St., (916) 476-5701, www.facebook.com/ theironmonkeytattooandartgallery

13 KENNEDY GALLERY 1931 L St., (916) 716-7050, www.kennedygallerysac.com

14 LITTLE RELICS 908 21st St., (916) 716-2319, www.littlerelics.com

15 MIDTOWN FRAMING & GALLERY 1005 22nd St., (916) 447-7558, www.midtownframing.com

16 MY STUDIO 2325 J St., (916) 476-4121, www.mystudiosacramento.com

17 RED DOT GALLERY 2231 J St., Ste. 101; www.reddotgalleryonj.com

18 SACRAMENTO ART COMPLEX 2110 K St., Ste. 4; (916) 476-5500; www.sacramentoartcomplex.com

19 SACRAMENTO GAY & LESBIAN CENTER 1927 L St., (916) 442-0185, http://saccenter.org

20 SHIMO CENTER FOR THE ARTS 2117 28th St., (916) 706-1162, www.shimogallery.com

21 SPARROW GALLERY 2418 K St., (916) 382-4894, www.sparrowgallery. squarespace.com

22 TIM COLLOM GALLERY 915 20th St., (916) 247-8048, www.timcollomgallery.com

23 UNION HALL GALLERY 2126 K St., (916) 448-2452

24 THE URBAN HIVE 1931 H St., (916) 585-4483, www.theurbanhive.com

DON’t miss

H ST.

17 10 16 11 15 18 23 21

I ST. J ST.

ALHAMBRA BLVD.

19 13

23RD ST.

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24 22 14 4 25 9

E ST.

K ST. L ST. CAPITOL AVE.

N ST.

STO C

R ST.

FOLSOM BLVD. Buy 1 plant, get

40% off

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S ST. 21ST ST.

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Some exclusions apply. Expires 8/31/15

BUS

Downtown/olD Sac 27 ARTHOUSE ON R 1021 R St., second floor; (916) 455-4988; www.arthouseonr.com

28 ARTISTS’ COLLABORATIVE GALLERY 129 K St., (916) 444-7125, www.artcollab.com

29 AXIS GALLERY 625 S St., (916) 443-9900, www.axisgallery.org

30 CROCKER ART MUSEUM 216 O St., (916) 808-7000, www.crockerartmuseum.org

31 E STREET GALLERY AND STUDIOS 1115 E St., (916) 505-7264

32 LATINO CENTER OF ART AND CULTURE 2700 Front St., (916) 446-5133, www.lrpg.org (916) 446-4444; www.smithgallery.com

34 VERGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS 625 S St., (916) 448-2985, www.vergeart.com

. BLVD

(916) 955-6986; www.weskosimages.com

KLIN

26 WKI 2 STUDIO GALLERY 1614 K St., Ste. 2;

to you!

OA DW AY

FRAN

FREEPORT BLVD.

2015 J St., (916) 441-2341, www.viewpointgallery.org

˨ˠ˥ʳ˨ˡˡʳˣ˦˥˨ ˠ˧ˢˢ ËŸɠs ɚsʰ Ǣ Oǋ ŎsŘǼŸ ɠɠɠʳsɮŸǼÞOƼĶ ŘǼǣĶǼ_ʳOŸŎ

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25 VIEWPOINT PHOTOGRAPHIC ART CENTER

33 SMITH GALLERY 1020 11th St., Ste. 100;

Looking for a great selection? l i Come see us!

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35 WAL PUBLIC MARKET 1108 R Street, (916) 498-9033, www.rstreetwal.com

EaSt Sac 36 ARCHIVAL FRAMING 3223 Folsom Blvd., (916) 923-6204, www.archivalframe.com

37 CAPITOL FOLK GALLERY 887 57th St., Ste. 1; (916) 996-8411

38 CAPITAL PUBLIC RADIO 7055 Folsom Blvd., (916) 278-8900, www.capradio.org

39 FE GALLERY & IRON ART STUDIO 1100 65th St., (916) 456-4455, www.fegallery.com

40 GALLERY 14 3960 60th St., (916) 456-1058, www.gallery14.net

41 JAYJAY 5520 Elvas Ave., (916) 453-2999, www.jayjayart.com

42 WHITE BUFFALO GALLERY 3671 J St., (916) 752-3014, www.white-buffalo-gallery.com

II BLUE LINE GALLERY 405 Vernon St., Ste. 100 in Roseville; (916) 783-4117; www.bluelinearts.org

III BON VIDA ART GALLERY 4429 Franklin Blvd., (916) 400-3008

IV THE BRICKHOUSE ART GALLERY 2837 36th St., (916) 457-1240, www.thebrickhouseartgallery.com

V CG GALLERY 2900 Franklin Blvd., (916) 912-5058, www.facebook.com/CgGallery

VI DEL PASO WORKS BUILDING GALLERIES 1001 Del Paso Blvd.

VII DELTA WORKSHOP 2598 21st St., (916) 455-1125, www.deltaworkshopsac.com

VIII GALLERY 625 625 Court St. in Woodland, (530) 406-4844, www.yoloarts.org

IX GALLERY 1855 820 Pole Line Rd. in Davis, (530) 756-7807, www.daviscemetery.org

X GALLERY 2110 1023 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 476-5500, www.gallery2110.com

off map

XI PATRIS STUDIO AND ART GALLERY

I ARTSPACE1616 1616 Del Paso Blvd.,(916)

XII SACRAMENTO FINE ARTS CENTER

849-1127, www.facebook.com/artspace1616

3460 Second Ave., (916) 397-8958, http://artist-patris.com 5330 Gibbons Blvd., Ste. B, in Carmichael; (916) 971-3713; www.sacfinearts.org

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Because they might not be able to care for you someday… You may think your family will be able to care for you when you need it. However, rarely can families provide care that is required 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. CalPERS Long-Term Care can give you peace of mind in knowing you will have care when you need it.

WhyLongTermCare.org (800) 205-2020

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The League’s

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Comedy August 21 DOORS AT 7PM • SHOW AT 8PM $ 20 Each • $35 Couple

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SN&R | 08.06.15

For the Week oF August 6

tintype Portrait Pop-up saTurday, augusT 8 What is it about getting an old-timey family portrait that seems so appealing? Here’s a chance to take a tintype pic with your kids, spouse or whoever. The format was common back in the late 1800s and while it might seem like just WorkshoP another bygone relic, in reality it’s still a cool and durable form of black-and-white photography. $60-$100, 11 a.m., Delta Workshop, 2598 21st Street, www.deltaworkshopsac.com.

—aaron Carnes

FolsomFest saTurday, augusT 8 Music spanning all manner of genres will be playing into the night at FolsomFest: R&B, Americana and Rock Music Festival. Outfits such as electric blues band Rick Estrin & the Nightcats and the unofficial “Kings of ’90s Sound” the Spin Doctors will MusiC perform. $45, $10 for ages 7-12; 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Rodeo Park, 200 Stafford Street in Folsom, www.folsomfest.com.

—Jaime Carrillo

Buzzed for bees sunday, augusT 9 Honeybees pollinate so many crops, and, according to The New York Times, their services are estimated to be worth $10 billion to $15 billion annually—and all that work is done by only female bees. Thank you, ladies. Get details on the complex social NAture structure of these important pollinators from expert Robbin Thorp, UC Davis professor emeritus of entomology. Free, 11:30 a.m. at the Davis Cemetery District & Arboretum, 820 Pole Line Road in Davis, www.daviscemetery.org.

—shoka

Creed Bratton Tuesday, augusT 11

hose of us inclined to observe National Book Lovers’ Day on Sunday, August 9, are likely the type whose idea of a celebration is curling up on the couch with a book, interacting with our favorite type of people: fictional ones. But this, of course, can also be done on any of the other 364 days of the year, so why not take this opportunity to change out of your reading sweats and celebrate your love for all things printed and bound? It’s the perfect opportunity to indulge in a new book or even a rare title stocked at time tested Books (1114 21st Street), like the signed firstedition of Stranger Music: Selected Poems by Leonard Cohen ($500), or A Thousand Acres signed by Jane Smiley ($75). If neither of those fit your holiday budget, last month saw the release of one of the most highly anticipated and hotly debated novels in recent memory: Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee ($28.99).

For the roving reader, consider a day trip to the Angels Camp Museum (753 South Main Street in Angels Camp), which features a Mark twain exhibit dedicated to his formative writing years and the short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” Finish up your day by following the routine of Joan Didion, pride of Sacramento book nerds, which she revealed in a Paris Review interview in 1978: “I need an hour alone before dinner, with a drink, to go over what I’ve done that day.” Post solitary imbibing, you could stroll by her gorgeous former home (2000 22nd Street). Then again, maybe all this celebratory effort is superfluous; on the topic of why she enjoyed coming home, Didion had this to say: “In Sacramento nobody cares if I appear or not. I can just get up and start typing.” If that’s true for Didion, it’s true for you too, so in the end, there’s no shame if you want to just get up and start reading.

—deena drewis

Creed Bratton is perhaps best known as that creepy old dude from The Office, but for years Barton has acted in movies such as Mask, and also fronted the rock band the Grass Roots. Bratton CoMeDy recently bounced back into the music scene but he’s also an experienced stand-up comedian. Expect a mix of tunes and jokes at this upcoming show. $15-$18, 7:30 p.m. at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 2708 J Street, www.harlows.com.

—Jaime Carrillo

Art Mix: Drag Thursday, augusT 13 This month’s Art Mix combines va va voom with some va va vroom: Many a drag king and queen will be in attendance, plus there will be electric RC car Art racing, a deejay, live music from The Trouble Makers and drag queen bingo. Happy hour goes from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., and there will be $5 drink specials all night. $10, 5 p.m at the Crocker Art Museum, 216 O Street, https://crockerartmuseum.org.

—deena drewis

08.06.15 | SN&R | 27

Crispy Catfish Early Bird Special:

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SN&R | 08.06.15

IllustratIons by JonatHan buCk

Bowled over a-gaMe aCai BOwl, granOla girl FOOd truCk The A-Game Acai bowl ($12) sold by the folks inside the Granola Girl Food Truck is almost twice as expensive as the kind you’d buy at a corporate smoothie place but it’s also twice as good. Icy acai sorbet is layered with crunchy homemade pumpkin seed flax granola that boasts a subtle cinnamon bite. There’s also plenty of banana slices, shredded coconut and chewy hemp hearts, which means that spendy price will likely keep you full for hours. So, really, it’s a bargain. www.granolagirlfoodtruck.com.

—raCHel leiBrOCk

World-class hops HOuse iPa, Berryessa Brewing CO.

IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

Chef flight By Janelle Bitker

Change, change, change: In the past month, a few local hotspots have undergone a little chef shake-up action. The Kitchen, the Selland family’s performance-dining experience, saw the departure of Executive Chef David Chavez and the introduction of Kelly McCown. McCown was already in the Selland’s nexus for his work at Ella Dining Room & Bar, and he was on tap to lead the family’s upcoming Italian venture, OBO’. It’s the third executive chef change in less than three years for the prized restaurant, which will soon experience even more change when it moves from the Arden area to Broadway. Over at Pangaea Bier Cafe, chef Robb “Rossi” Venditti quietly

jan el l e b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

departed to launch a new catering company with chef Aimal Formoli of Formoli’s Bistro. Venditti stepped up Pangaea’s food game in a serious way when he joined last year. Pangaea earned a glowing three-and-a-half stars review from both this paper and the Sacramento Bee. His burger is often called one of the best in Sacramento. Brett Stockdale, previously the restaurant’s sous chef, is now leading the kitchen. Luckily for burger fans, Stockdale said he doesn’t think diners should notice any major differences in the restaurant’s fare. “I’m keeping things steady,” he said. “A lot of stuff will be very similar.” One new addition to the menu: a huge bratwurst that weighs 8 ounces

and measures 7 inches in length. It’s something he and Pangaea’s owner Rob Archie had wanted for a while, Stockdale said. He’s also planning to add more special, one-off beer dinners with breweries. Then, at Mother, Anthony Scuderi took the reins from Michael Thiemann and Matt Masera, who are busy with the eventual Empress Tavern launch. According to Sactown Magazine, Scuderi held stints at a bunch of Spanish restaurants, so we may see that influence seep into Mother’s menu. Best news: His arrival brings back the Chef’s 10. A couple can enjoy eight savory dishes and two desserts for $65. Another Magpie: With its big move to 16 Powerhouse, Magpie Cafe has been in SN&R a lot lately. Well, here we go again: Magpie’s former location on R Street reopened late July as Magpie Nido, a casual cafe serving breakfast, lunch, coffee, beer and wine. In addition to pastries— similar selection to Magpie’s Yellowbill Cafe—it will serve soup, pizza, empanadas, granola and breakfast sandwiches. Ω

The hoppy brew and IPA craze blowback is real. And I get it: There are so damn many of them—everywhere!—and often overly bitter, too malty or syrupy. But this is not the case at Berryessa Brewing Co., where you will find some of the finest hopped beers in the country. (I can make that claim because I’ve tasted a ton, from PseudoSue to Julius, Sip of Sunshine to Abner.) Anyway, head brewer Chris Miller has been tweaking his recipes lately, and the result is a house IPA that’s juicy, dry and so damn good it has me saying crazy shit like, “I’m moving to Winters!” Pro tip: Berryessa now sells “crowlers”—chunky 32-ounce cans—at the brewery only, and just 300 each weekend. Go fishin’! 27260 Highway 128 in Winters, www.berryessabrewingco.com.

—niCk Miller

Green slime Okra Looking like little green witches’ fingers, okra pods are abundant at farmers markets right now. Native to Africa, they are called gumbo in many countries, which begets the name of the Creole stew they often inhabit. Many people fear their slime factor, but the thickener they secrete is just what makes them useful in soups and stews. Make sure to buy smaller pods, as the larger ones get fibrous and tough. If you’re squeamish about the goo, cook them whole. You can bread and fry them, grill them with a marinade or pickle them as a nice addition to a Southern Bloody Mary.

—ann Martin rOlke

08.06.15

SN&R

t a e r T n Froze acramento! Best

in S

Visit newsreView.com/sacramento/dining/more to search sn&r’s dining directory to find local restaurants by name or by type of food.

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vampire penguin

907 k street (saC)

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Orchard Thai

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1 coupon per table. cannot be combined with any other offer. expires 08/20/15

SACRAMENTO

China Buffet

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DRINK. MUSIC. FUN.

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Summer Showcase

4 artists each night will compete for your vote to win cash prizes and recording time. Winner will be announced at the end of the series. Get the inside scoop on the showcase #KUPROSSSSS

Aug 13

Aug 27

Sept 10

Hannah Jane Kile Xochitl Mathew Higgins Shawn Peter

Amy Scott Mason Rex Michael Ray Wesley Samms

Cole Thompson Noah Byrd Howard Hall Kevin Senser

8:30 -10:30 SUNDAYS 7:30 • TRIVIA WITH TIVIOLOGY

live music every Fri & Sat Tuesdays: Open-Mic

8/07 Honey B & The Cultivation 8/21 Jane Thompson 8/08 Sacramento Playboys

8/22 Andre, Sam & Jack Trio

8/14 Sea Legs

8/28 Ross Hammond & Alex Jenkins

8/15 Xochitl

8/29 Harley White Jr. Trio

Wednesdays: Ross Hammond Solo Guitar

916.440.0401 • 1217 21ST ST SACRAMENTO, CA www.kuproscrafthouse.com

30 | SN&R | 08.06.15

If you plan to open a restaurant across the street from Fremont Park in a space whose annual rent is likely equal to the gross domestic product of New Guinea, then you better be bringing your A-game. You need to serve swanky cocktails with quirky names, food that’s bangin’ and consistent, and stay open late. Lucky for Orchid Thai, they’re pretty much doing just that. The outdoor patio overlooking the park is glorious and possibly one of my new favorite people-watching venues. Service is also friendly and knowledgeable, being able to give good recommendations. The crispy calamari salad, however, tasted terribly bland due to the pittance of lime juice and coconut tossed upon it. On the plus side, the calamari is well-fried. Coconut shrimp tends to be one of those dishes that’s either ethereally crispy, aglow with the flavor of coconut; or a rubbery, too-sweet Outback Steakhouse reject. Here, it’s the former: succulent, crispy and rich with the flavor of coconut. Sadly, it’s served with a plum sauce whose sweetness annihilates the delicate flavor of the coconut. The Bangkok wings are the appetizer you crave for midblackout, beer in hand. Wings tossed with a sauce crafted from pineapple, fried garlic, peanuts and ginger.

Pad Prik Khing—a dish of stir-fried green beans was light and crispy. I recommend you order it with fried tofu, which brazenly soaks up the flavor of chile and kaffir lime to a most glorious effect. Our pad se ew arrived as washed out as 1980s BBC programming. The vegetables were limp and the chicken jerky-esque while the black soy sauce somehow vanished in the mix failing to bring out the flavor in the other ingredients. It was the only big miss of the night. The curried red snapper, however, was served light with a tangy sauce. If ever there’s a perfect dish to enjoy on a patio on a warm Sacramento summer night, then this is it. I prefer my curries punchy, but do appreciate the occasional art of subtlety as Orchid’s massaman curry exhibits. The warm spices of cinnamon and cardamom dawdle on the tongue while the tamarind practices the art of being a wallflower; along with the chile and peanuts, the disparate ingredients come together to make one harmonious dish. Cocktails here are Thai-inspired riffs of old classics. (Think an Old Fashioned with a swirl of tamarind.) However, they all lean to being so sweet that I half expected one of my dining companions—all professional actors—to break out into a Wilford Brimley impression and warn me about the dangers of diabetes. A final note, whiteperson heat is practiced at Orchid. So white, it’s gone full albino. Ask for your food’s spice level to be hot, as the human tongue can barely perceive Orchid’s idea of medium; and, if you need to further enflame your food, a number of chile-laden options can be provided. All and all, Orchid Thai is a welcome addition to what can be a town sometimes too, too crowded with Thai restaurants. Late hours and good food make it an exceptional coda to any evening. Ω

Order the Pad Prik Khing with fried tofu, which brazenly soaks up the flavor of chile and kaffir lime to a most glorious effect.

Ice Cream Festival fare aplenty Elton John. Kendrick Lamar. St. Vincent. There are plenty of reasons to be stoked for Outside Lands, taking place Friday, August 7, through Sunday, August 9, in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, but the edible spread just might take the lead. Once again, more than 75 Bay Area restaurants, food trucks and culinary purveyors will stud the festival grounds with delicious, decently priced and diverse offerings. Favorite hubs Cheese Lands and Choco Lands return, along with staples like 4505 Meats’ cheeseburgers, Nombe’s ramenburgers and Señor Sisig’s Filipino-Mexican fusion fare. Outside Lands regulars can look forward to 11 new options, including pretzel knots from the Monk’s Kettle, individually prepared drinks from Sightglass Coffee and desserts from the Creme Brulee Cart. And your dose of celebrity chefdom: Michael Mina’s Tailgate, the chef’s concept at the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium, will make its Outside Lands debut. Tickets are sold out, but there’s always Craigslist. More at www.sfoutsidelands.com.

—Janelle Bitker

DONUT SANDWICH 5880 Florin Road Sacramento, CA 95825 916-392-8466

sn&R ReADeRs sAve on event ticKets upcoming events creed Bratton @ Harlow’s (08/11): $15 for $7.50 epic Rap Battles of History @ Harlow’s (08/17): $25 for $12.50 grandeza mexico - un tributo A mexico@ crest theatre (09/05): $20 for $10 Rewind Fest 2015 @ thunder valley casino Resort (09/05): $48.20 for $24.10 sound of music sing-A-Long @ crest theatre (09/06): $20 for $10

One nation under plants

Block party 2015 @ thunder valley casino Resort (09/12): $52.65 for $26.32 Dry Diggings Festival @ el Dorado county Fair grounds (9/25): $119.12 for 59.56 By Shoka

What would happen if someone on the SAD—standard American diet—ate only plant-based food for 10 days? In that short of a time period, would there be measurable health benefits without one bite of gooey cheese or greasy bacon? The new documentary PlantPure Nation puts some people from a small town in North Carolina in that position. The director, Nelson Campbell, is the son of T. Colin Campbell, author of the 2004 book The China Study, where in his research he found that a plant-based diet

can reduce and even reverse chronic health issues and diseases, like obesity and diabetes. The film is written and produced by the same folks behind Forks Over Knives, so it is in the same vein of encouraging Americans to stop eating ourselves to death. A plant-based diet can taste great, as long as no one boils Brussels sprouts to mush. That’s just nasty. If you want to see the film in a theater, you’ve got only one chance: 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 13, at Tower Theatre (2508 Land Park Drive). Tickets are $7-$10.

Aftershock 2015 @ gibson Ranch (10/24): $114.50 for $97.32

AnD moRe... We have more great deals on concert tickets at Ace of spades, goldfield trading post, and Harlow’s on our website, be sure to check them out.

NO SERVICE FEES!

w w w. n e w s r e v i e w.c o m 08.06.15 | SN&R | 31

One stop best new restaurant r a B e Juic Best Juice 916.797.0220 390 N. Sunrise Ave | Roseville | asrrestaurantlounge.com

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see the complete lIst of nomInees at www.Bestofsac.com 32

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AB Indian Sweets & Catering Bombay Bar & Grill Chaat Cafe Curry Club East West Junction Kathmandu Kitchen Kaveri Madras Cuisine Mehfil Indian Restaurant Pooja Indian Grill Shalimar Restaurant Raja’s Tandoor Ruchi Indian Cuisine Samosa Garden Taj Bar & Grill Tandoori Nights

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SN&R | 33

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Fighting a Hidden Battle

After struggling with substance abuse since age 13, Kurt von Geldern has been sober for 27 years and is now the executive director at River City Recovery Center. PHOTO BY LOUISE MITCHELL

LIFE UNRAVELS FOR HIGH-FUNCTIONING ALCOHOLIC

or people who battle substance dependency, admitting the problem and asking for help isn’t easy. That struggle proves even more difficult when the addiction isn’t very obvious. “We tend to have a stereotype of what an alcoholic looks like,” says Kurt von Geldern. “I told myself if I could hold down a job, I must not be an alcoholic. I was wrong.” Having held a steady job since adolescence and helped raise his younger sister, von Geldern was professional and financially responsible, despite his drinking habits. He managed to work hard and pay his bills, but over time his alcohol dependency became more apparent.

“Every Sunday morning I would wake up and tell myself, ‘I am not going to go to happy hour tonight. I’m going to stay home and plan my week.’ Inevitably I’d find myself at happy hour thinking, ‘How did I get here? I wasn’t going to come here,’” von Geldern says. It wasn’t until years later that

“I told myself if I could hold down a job, I must not be an alcoholic. I was wrong.” Kurt von Geldern Executive director at River City Recovery Center

he had his first moment of clarity, after an afternoon spent drinking at a friend’s home. “I got into my car and I just said, ‘I don’t like the way I feel. I’m going to stop drinking.’ And I did. That was it,” von Geldern says. Since that day, von Geldern hasn’t had a drink. But he says his recovery didn’t really happen until later when he started attending Alcoholics Anonymous. It was then that he started to unmask the feelings and fears that ultimately caused his drinking. “It’s great to not drink, but there’s so much more to why we drink. Recovery is when we can start looking inward,” von Geldern says.

Today, von Geldern is the executive director of River City Recovery Center. This past April he celebrated 27 years of sobriety. As a recovered alcoholic and provider of substance abuse treatment services, von Geldern says overcoming any addiction first requires letting go. “Just be willing to look at your drinking and drug use and don’t be afraid to ask for help,” von Geldern says. “Willingness and surrender are the keys. Then you can celebrate, one day at a time.” Lexi Brister contributed reporting to this

piece. BY BRITTANY WESELY

Sacramento News & Review and California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP) have partnered to tell sponsored stories that share the joys of recovery, break down the barriers of stigma, and employ individuals, families and the community to form a united front against the disease of addiction. To find more about recovery and resources offered in the community, visit www. newsreview.com/sacramento/ ccapp.

CCAPP’s Our Mission: To Return the Men & Women Treatment Programs:

back to society

River City Offers: • Men & Women’s Residential Social Model 12 step program •Transitional Living

Payment Options:

Kaiser cdrp, Veterans V.A. Sacramento County, and private pay

Directory Some of Sacramento’s Drug & Alcohol Programs, Organizations, Recovery Centers, and Transitional Homes: MAAP Inc.

4241 Florin Road Sacramento, CA 95823 (916) 394-3489 www.maap.org

NCADD Sacramento

Transitions Clinic

Strategies for Change

Gateway House

4343 Williamsbourgh Dr. Sacramento, CA 95823 (916) 395-3552 4441 Auburn Blvd Ste E Sacramento, CA 95841 (916) 473-5764 www.strategies4change.org

500 22nd Street Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 442-3979 www.rivercityrecovery.org |

SN&R | 08.06.15

8938 Madison Ave Fair Oaks, CA 95628 (916) 961-8934 www.clean-and-sober-living.com

1446 Ethan Way Sacramento, CA 95825 (916) 922-5121 www.ncaddsac.org

River City Recovery Center Inc.

Clean & Sober Transitional Living Inc

3647 40th Street Sacramento, CA 95817 (916) 469-9027 4049 Miller Way Sacramento, CA 95817 (916) 451-9312 www.gffw.org

Sacramento Recovery House

Med Aid

3100 Stockton Blvd Sacramento, CA 95817 (916) 736-3188

Harm Reduction Services 2800 Stockton Blvd Sacramento, CA 95817 (916) 456-4849 www.harmreduction.org

Sacramento County Dept of Health & Human Services Alcohol & Drug Services 3321 Power Inn Rd Ste120 Sacramento, CA 95826 (916) 874-9754 www.DHHS.saccounty.net

1914 22nd Street Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 455-6258 www.sacramentorecoveryhouse.org

For more information about these companies please look on our website: www.newsreview.com/sacramento/CCAPP.us

FIND OF THE WEEK /folsomfest

a celebration of the roots of contemporary music!

Saturday, August 8 Rodeo Park, Folsom 3–9:45pm � Spin Doctors

� Mingo Fishtrap

� Rick Estrin & the Nightcats

Rhythm & Blues, Americana Rock & Funk Come to Folsom! � Dance into the night with

5 nationally-known bands

� Plus regional artwork, most musically� Honey Island Swamp Band

Weird is as weird does DaviD Liebe Hart Part of what made Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! so surreal was its inclusion of outsider artist David Liebe Hart. His weird song segments, accompanied by oddball puppets, were the perfect Comedy depiction of an odd, late night public access show. Except for Hart, it never seemed like an act on songs such as “I’m in Love With an Insect Woman.” Hart’s writing electronica songs now which just makes it weirder. Hart’s new live show features tunes old and new, puppets, video and comedy. 8 p.m. Thursday, August 6, $8. Starlite Lounge, 1517 21st Street; http://artbyliebehart.com.

—aaron CarneS

too cool for (art) school Dr. SketCHy’S anti-art SCHooL Free yourself from the commodification of art via the Sacramento branch of Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School, a night of drawing and “boozy conviviality.” Founded in 2005 by Brooklyn artists, the local chapter is run by Jay Siren, cabaret aficionado and director of art Sizzlehouse Productions. Expect sultry live models and performances, games and prize giveaways. Dr. Sketchy’s is open to artists at all levels. 5 p.m., Sunday, August 9, $8-$10. Sacramento Comedy Spot, 1050 20th Street; www.facebook.com/events/742061845917144.

—Deena DrewiS

Fun with misanthropy DiffiCuLt PeoPLe Funny jerks Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner have personalities that even their fans would admit are abrasive at best. Klausner and television Eichner play up their misanthropy via fictionalized versions of themselves in Difficult People, a Hulu comedy produced by Amy Poehler. The only downside? No binge watching. New episodes will drop every Wednesday following its August 5 premiere. www.hulu.com.

—Jaime CarriLLo

Janie’s got a mic See Jane Sing It certainly comes as no surprise to Glee fans that comedian and actress Jane Lynch can also belt one out. But for those of us who adore Lynch more for Cabaret her quirky roles in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries Best in Show and A Mighty Wind, and the criminally underrated TV series Party Down, this may come as something of a surprise. Known primarily for her portrayal of the track-suit-wearing, cheerleadercoaching bully Sue Sylvester on Glee and presently as the host of Hollywood Game Night, Lynch’s run as Miss Hannigan in Annie on Broadway in 2013 inspired a return to musical theater via a comedic cabaret show See Jane Sing. The hourlong program features originals, reworked songs from famous musicals and, of course, jokes. Just don’t expect cohesion; to put it in Lynch’s own words from the opening of the show, she’ll take you through “a world of songs that have very little to do with one another.” Joining her onstage is longtime friend Kate Flannery, who played Meredith on The Office, and Tim Davis, the maestro behind the musical arrangements on Glee. The vocalists are accompanied by the Tony Guerrero Quintet. This show was originally planned for April 9 but was rescheduled due to a scheduling conflict. Tickets from the April 9 show will be honored. 8 p.m., Saturday, August 8, $25-$58. 1 Shields Avenue in Davis, www.janelynchofficial.com.

themed, in the Man in Black Village

� Food & � Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs!

Refreshments

� Shade &

Misting!

Order Your Tickets Now & Save! Advance $35 until July 27, then $45 online & at event Kids 7–12 only $10, 6 & younger free

S U P P O R T T H E S P O N S O R S W H O S U P P O R T G R E AT E V E N T S I N O U R C O M M U N I T Y

—Deena DrewiS

08.06.15

SN&R

SN&R | 08.06.15

ReviewS

Now playiNg

The Fantasticks

But what about the dog? by Patti RobeRts

Photo courtesy of B street theatre

actors also briefly portray the mom’s dog through doggie dialogue—though the dog has an invisible cameo and very small part, not a heavy presence as portrayed by the play’s description or marketing materials. The other part of the problem is the production. On opening night, the actors seemed to struggle with both their portrayals and their lines, making it feel more like a dress rehearsal than a finished product. That may be one of the reasons that the storyline and dialogue didn’t seem to gel or resonate. The stiltedness of the play may smooth out as the actors, both new to B Street, and production goes through the run—however, the two actors are still stuck with a strangely unfunny play billed as a hilarious and heartfelt comedy. Ω

4 My Children! My Africa! “Mom always liked you best.”

The Best Brothers

the Best Brothers; 8 p.m. thursday and friday; 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. saturday, 2 p.m. sunday; 6:30 p.m. tuesday; 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday; $23-$35. B street theatre, 2711 B street; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreettheatre.org. through september 13.

B Street Theatre’s The Best Brothers is a mystery. Though billed as a comedy, the mystery is why B Street picked this contrived, poorly written story of two brothers, their recently deceased mother, and her surviving dog which supposedly brings them all together. At the end, the only one you really care about is the dog. Part of the problem is the play itself. In The Best Brothers, the age-old story of sibling rivalry is supposedly played for laughs, though most the situations, humor and dialogue feels forced. You have the two adult brothers Kyle (Will Springhorn Jr.) and Hamilton (Christian Martin) who come together after a tragic, and as strangely portrayed, humorous death of their mother at a gay rights parade. One brother is flaky, the other more responsible. One was mom’s favorite, the other not so much. In addition to portraying the brothers during obit writing and eulogy delivery, both actors depict their mother at different times as she addresses the audience to give her backstory. The intent is to give us a glimpse of this eccentric woman, though mostly it’s just a litany of her lovers. Oh, and the two

Usually when you say a play’s all talk and no action, it’s a bad thing. But when the talk comes from the pen of South African playwright Athol Fugard, it’s brilliant and beautiful and inspiring. In his play My Children! My Africa!, now on stage at Celebration Arts, Fugard debates the emotional and intellectual struggle of those hoping to change the evil system of apartheid that rules their lives. It is appropriate that the play begins with an actual debate, one staged by a teacher, Mr. M (impeccably played by Maszaba Carter), between Thami (a strong and secure Tory Scroggins), a black male student from a poor township school and Isabel, a white female from a posh school in the city (played a little too actorly by Liz Frederick). Their subject is the question of equality between the sexes, but it is clear that the real topic is much broader. Mr. M is old school. He works for change through education, a gradual shaping of the mind of younger generations. Mr. M’s protégé Thami is a bright student who gradually comes to believe that violence is required, a position that inevitably ends their relationship and leads to a devastating conclusion. Isabel, as many whites sympathetic to the anti-apartheid cause did, stands by helplessly, not sure how—or if—she can help. The play consists mainly of dialogues and long monologues, occasionally becoming uncharacteristically teachy-preachy, but the play strongly advances Fugard’s belief in the power of hope and the potential of youth. —Jim Carnes My children! My africa!, 8 p.m. thursday through saturday, 2 p.m. sunday; $8-$15. celebration arts theatre; 4469 D street, www.celebrationarts.net. through august 29.

The Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival’s take on this 1960 musical revue about young lovers boasts chemistry between its lead actors, giddy dialogue and zippy production. There’s lots of Shakespeare spoofing (by the superannuated character Henry, an old actor spouting a mishmash of famous lines by the Bard, played with overripe grandeur by M.A. Taylor) but, alas, this show’s better suited to a cozy cabaret than a 1,100seat amphitheater. And while the show scores some points about life and love, its message is undercut (at least for today’s audiences) by the fact that adult life is represented entirely by men—the only female with lines is a dizzy teenage girl (nicely rendered by Clare Howes Eisentrout). A few ethnic generalities that didn’t raise eyebrows in 1960 seem dated now. Th,

F, S 7:30 p.m. Through 8/22.

Theatre B3 Stage, 2711 B Street; www.bstreet theatre.org. B.S.

Warren Edward Trepp Stage, Sand Harbor in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, 2005 Hwy 28 in Incline Village, Nev.; http://laketahoe shakespeare.com. J.H.

Next to Normal

Grounded

Alicia Hunt, as The Pilot, exudes confidence and pride that she is an Air Force top gun in a profession which does not welcome women easily. Grounded, by George Brant, tells The Pilot’s struggle to fit in as one of the guys in the air and below. This gripping onewoman tour de force, directed by Lyndsay Burch, explores in intricate detail the effects on the bomber of our modern war. Hunt is masterful as a woman who slowly succumbs to the mental pressures. She gives a performance that will long be remembered.

The subject of mental health, particularly grief and depression, gets a thoughtful—and more entertaining than you might expect—examination in this production. It’s a rock musical with a message and the talented cast, led by Andrea Thorpe as the troubled mother and Michael Roivas as the son she can’t let go of, is excellent. F, Sa 8 pm; Su 2pm. Through 8/16. $18-$25. Runaway Stage Productions at the West Sacramento Community Center Black Box Theatre, 1075 West Capitol Ave. in West Sacramento; (916) 207-1226; www.runaway stage.com. J.C.

short reviews by Jim carnes, Jeff hudson and Bev sykes.

Th 2pm & 8pm, F 2pm; Sa & Su 1pm; T 2pm. Through 8/8.$15-$35. B Street

fouL

faIr

GooD

WeLL-DoNe

suBLIMe– DoN’t MIss

“Just climb the ladder already.” Photo courtesy of MusIc cIrcus

Still the best It’s hard to believe that West Side Story —with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim (in his Broadway debut) and choreography by Jerome Robbins—lost the 1957 Tony Award for Best Musical to The Music Man. I’ll give you “Till There Was You,” but, no offense to Meredith Willson, “Shipoopi” is no “Somewhere” or “Maria” or “Tonight.” This updated version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet involving rival street gangs in an ethnic New York neighborhood is theatrical genius. 7:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday; $40-$83. Music Circus, 1419 H Street; www.californiamusicaltheatre.com. Through August 9.

—Jim Carnes

08.06.15 | SN&R | 37

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“But it looked so good on The Donald!”

Shaun the Sheep movie

by Jim Lane

one of the miracles of Shaun the Sheep Movie that writer-directors Mark Burton and Richard Starzak have been able to turn their half-hour series into Silent-screen comedy makes a triumphant return in an 85-minute feature without the results looking Shaun the Sheep Movie. Surprising as it may seem, or sounding padded out. When you consider that what this droll, sweetly hilarious movie resembles a depressing number of modern animated features more than anything else—more than any of Aardman seem to have been wrung out of mediocre ideas Animation Studios’ previous features (Chicken Run, for cartoon shorts (the Rio and Ice Age franchises The Pirates! Band of Misfits, etc.), more even than the spring drearily to mind), the word “miracle” hardly Wallace and Gromit short A Close Shave, from which seems to cover what Burton and Starzak manage to the Shaun the Sheep cartoons spun off—is a Buster do here. Keaton movie. Shaun’s original plan here is to give himself Keaton was famous as the Great Stone Face of silent and the other sheep a day off by making the farmer pictures. But as a critic aptly noted, what distinbelieve he’s still asleep and dreaming— guished Keaton wasn’t expressionlessness, entailing a complicated Rube Goldberg it was “an extreme economy of expresriff on the concept of “counting sion,” where the tiniest movement of sheep” that’s a little masterpiece of The word an eyebrow or cheek muscle could hilarity all by itself. convey volumes of unspoken meanThings backfire when a crack “miracle” hardly ing. That same economy distinon the noggin and a runaway seems to cover what guishes the stop-motion figures RV strand the farmer in the Burton and Starzak here, and the more immobile the Big City (i.e., London) with a face, it seems, the more subtle the case of amnesia. Along with manage message it conveys. his memory, his farm skills have to do here. The basic premise of the TV deserted him. All but one, that is: version of Shaun the Sheep is familiar sheep-shearing. This ability soon to audiences of children the world over. helps this mysterious visitor to the city The cartoons take place in the north of build a career as a barber to the stars. England on Mossy Bottom Farm, presided over by a Meanwhile, Shaun and Bitzer lead the flock off balding, redheaded farmer and his loyal, longsuffering in search of the lost farmer, hoping to restore order dog Bitzer. Among the livestock is a small flock of and wrest control of the farm from the greedy pigs sheep and their de facto leader, Shaun. who have taken over in the farmer’s absence. The animals’ adventures spring from their efforts Throughout its modest length, Shaun the Sheep to inject some fun into their lives; complications arise Movie never loses its ingenuity and visual focus. when things inevitably get out of hand and Shaun There’s a purity to its comedy of a kind that we’ve (usually with the connivance of his frenemy Bitzer) seen but rarely since movies learned to talk. Ω schemes to return things to normal without arousing the farmer’s suspicion. The cartoons eschew dialogue, the only vocals we hear being chuckles, grunts, sighs, mutters and other such vocal sound effects. The framework is also ideally suited to the standard Poor Fair Good Very excellent Good eight-minute format of classic cartoon shorts. And it’s

1 2 3 4 5

38 | SN&R | 08.06.15

fiLm CLiPS

by daniel barnes & Jim lane

JAMIE BLACKLEY

Infinitely Polar Bear

A sweet, sensitive and affectionate memoir about two girls growing up in a mixed-race household with a manic-depressive father, Infinitely Polar Bear certainly gives off a palpable sense of warmth and sincerity, but I wish that Forbes wanted to give her audience something a little more substantial than a case of the warm fuzzies. When frustrated Maggie (Zoe Saldana) gets accepted into an MBA program in New York City, she reluctantly leaves the girls with her estranged “free spirit” husband Cameron (Mark Ruffalo, excellent) while she earns her degree, even though she doesn’t trust him to provide the girls with the stability and structure that they crave. To its infinite credit, the film never judges the mentally ill Cameron too harshly, even when he curses out the girls, replaces his lithium treatment with “small, steady sips of beer” or skips out at night to go carousing in a bar. D.B.

Inside Out

Irrational Man

A college philosophy professor (Joaquin Phoenix) considers life not worth living—he can’t even get it up for sex—until he finds a perfect stranger who deserves to die; this suddenly gives purpose to his life. Oh dear, Woody Allen is getting all serious again. Or maybe not. This may just be a deadpan satire on the narcissistic pretensions of academic sociopaths. Still, Allen’s never before had trouble letting us know when he was kidding; if this really is one of those times, the joke isn’t funny, it’s pompous and banal. All the Allen trademarks—bright dialogue, quirky characters, vintage music, big-name casts—are missing here. In the cast, only Phoenix, Emma Stone and Parker Posey have names; otherwise it’s a parade of forgettable nobodies, and Allen gives them all not one interesting word to say. J.L.

-David Rooney, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

IRRATIONAL MAN WOODY ALLEN Written and Directed by

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Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation

With the possible exception of the Alien series, the Mission: Impossible movies might be the most auteur-driven multidirector film franchise going. So what Christopher McQuarrie-esque qualities does new writer-director Christopher McQuarrie bring to the latest installment, Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation? Other than a Jack Reacher-y high-gloss grit and a cat-and-mouse design to the central plot, hardly any. Rogue Nation is practically a greatest-hits collection—fake latex faces are ripped off for dramatic effect, an impenetrable fortress is penetrated and the globe is trotted to dazzling effect. It’s familiar and fun and expertly packaged, and it settles into an eminently watchable formula that’s reminiscent of a Roger Moore-era Bond movie. Leading the way is star Tom Cruise, still ageless and graceful and yet increasingly hard and terse. Cruise has always been a remarkable physical actor, and the Mission: Impossible franchise continues to offer an ideal showcase for his talents. D.B.

Magic Mike XXL

Steven Soderbergh’s male stripper movie Magic Mike became a left-field hit in 2012, but the film’s runaway success was largely due to a shrewd marketing campaign that played up the girl’s-nightout sexiness, while Trojan horsing a smart, spare, deceptively stylish, distinctly Soderbergh-ian drama about workplace dehumanization. Gregory Jacobs’ cash-in sequel Magic Mike XXL, on the other hand, is the pandering, eager-to-please sex fantasy that most ticket buyers probably thought they were getting the first time around. Magic Mike is a film about stripping; Magic Mike XXL is a stripper. All in all, Magic Mike XXL is still pretty fun for an unambitious cash-in sequel, more of a rollicking road comedy and omnibus performance movie this time, closer to an R-rated Step Up sequel than anything remotely Soderbergh-ian. The film coasts a long way on star Channing Tatum’s effortless charm; luckily, he has more than enough to spare. D.B.

Paper Towns

A quiet teenager (Nat Wolff) leads his friends (Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair) on a cross-country quest to find his runaway, free-spirited neighbor (Cara Delevingne). Adapted by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber from John Green’s book, and directed by Jake Schreier with studied limpness, this is the kind of movie that makes you long for a time machine so you can go back and stop J.D. Salinger from writing The Catcher in the Rye, bulging with fatuous teen-angst questions like “Who am I?” and “Who am I gonna take to the prom?” Wolff and Delevingne are monotonal and charismachallenged, with no screen chemistry, and that doesn’t help. In the whole cast, only Halston Sage (as Delevigne’s former best friend) makes much of an impression; this kid may actually be going places. J.L.

Trainwreck

It’s a sad commentary on the current state of the cinema that funny women do their edgiest work on television, but have their edges sanded off whenever they stray into movies (Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are prime examples). If anyone could buck the trend, it would be the hilarious Amy Schumer, the rare comedian with the talent to be simultaneously self-deprecating, empowering and raunchy as shit. But even though Schumer wrote the screenplay for Trainwreck, giving herself an in-the-wheelhouse lead role as a sexually active men’s magazine writer whose anti-monogamy worldview gets challenged when she falls for Bill Hader’s sweet sports doctor, this uneven comedy is guided more by director/buzzkill Judd Apatow’s bourgeois moral compass than by Schumer’s anarchic satire. In a film filled with cameos by comedy legends and SNL cast members, LeBron James and Jon Cena get by far the biggest laughs, which is maybe a problem. D.B.

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BACK ALLEY

Vacation

Gags about pedophilia, gags about incest, gags about animal cannibalism, more gags about pedophilia and incest, and finally, some gags about pedophilia and incest … consider my gag reflexes duly tested. This lame attempt to revive the moribund Vacation franchise is simultaneously a sequel, a remake, a reboot, a makeboot and a bootquel, but above all it’s a mean-spirited and depressing waste of time and money. Now grown up with a beautiful blonde wife and two bickering kids of his own, the luckless Rusty Griswold (Ed Helms) decides to take his family on a nostalgic car trip to Walley World, with predictably gross results. Helms and Christina Applegate are professional enough to milk a few cheap laughs out of this mutilated cow, but writer-directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein seem determined to keep any form of wit off the screen. The cinematic legacy of Chevy Chase deserves better, which is crazy. D.B.

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bar

Inside an 11-year-old girl’s head, conflicting yet complementary emotions of Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Anger (Lewis Black), Fear (Bill Hader) and Disgust (Mindy Kaling) vie for control of “headquarters” when the girl’s family moves from Minnesota to San Francisco. The crisis and the conflict threaten to unravel the delicate balance of the girl’s personality, and how the emotions learn to adapt and work together form the core of the script by Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, and co-directors Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen. The result is joyously funny, as good as anything Pixar Studios has ever done. It explores subtle psychological concepts, playing with the limits of what children can absorb and, in the process, giving them—and adults—an insight into what makes them tick. J.L.

EMMA STONE

“INTOXICATING.”

Dark Places

Adapted from a novel by Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn, writer-director Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s fitfully compelling murder mystery Dark Places stars Charlize Theron as Libby Day, the lone survivor of a family massacre. Only a child when the murders occurred, Libby’s testimony was instrumental in convicting her devil-worshipping older brother, and she’s been able to coast off the resulting notoriety for most of her adult life. When the sympathy money finally starts to run dry, though, she accepts an offer from a group of true-crime fanatics who want to exonerate her brother, forcing Libby to reexamine the events of that night for the first time in decades. Dark Places certainly has the feel of a page-turner, so densely packed with red herrings and coincidences that it’s absurd (this story probably would have worked better as a True Detective-style short-form series), but the white-hot Theron grounds her withdrawn character in something recognizable and relatable. D.B.

PARKER POSEY

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2019 O ST | 916.442.2682 08.06.15 | SN&R | 39

S ACR A M E NT O ASI AN SP ORT S F OUN D ATIO N

p re se n ts an even in g w ith

hiroshima

Everyone’s a winner MerryGold takes the prize with its eclectic sound by AAron CArnes

photo courtesy of merrygold

By 2011, they decided to expand the band and start playing bigger clubs and festivals, with a focus on originals. That was no easy endeavor. Fortunately, a band found them, as accordion player Steve Schultz approached them at one of those wine bar gigs, and offered to sit in. Once in, he brought Paul Siese and Perry Stauffer with him and the band evolved into MerryGold. This helped the band develop a more eclectic sound. Hangtown represents a big step forward as it next up: The Voice? captures the group’s cross between folk, bluegrass, western swing and the styling of alt-country singer-songwriters like Gillian Welch and Alison Krauss. Throughout, Alex Stephens, the mandolin-guitar playing, co-lead MerryGold keeps one foot in the old-timey whiskey singer of Placerville Americana six piece MerryGold, bar country aesthetic, but executes with modern lush doesn’t really like to plug his band. harmonies and eclectic chord progressions, carrying “We’re really bad at self promotion. At this point, only a hint of twang. it has to be fun to keep doing it,” he says. Related trivia: Secor is related to the king of Still, he does like to enter contests—and he’s been country swing, Bob Wills, but she grew up in a strict successful with them. Since the band’s inception Mormon household, unaware of her great grandfive years ago—it started as a duo with guitaristmother’s cousin’s music. Rather, she mostly sang vocalist Jillian Secor— it’s won two online contests, church hymns until college, where she discovered including a monthlong tour of Germany courtesy of Americana and felt an instant connection to the dark Reverbnation. There was also the time they storytelling of artists such as Gillian Welch. won the chance to record and film some In turn, it was Secor’s song “Sweet music at Bob Weir’s home studio, TRI Lily,” a macabre murder ballad, that MerryGold Studios. won the band that Race to TRI keeps one foot in The contest obsession doesn’t Studios contest. even end with the band. Secor in the old-timey whiskey Meanwhile, Stephens grew particular seeks them out. She up listening to ’60s and ’70s bar country aesthetic, made it as far as Hollywood rock like the Doors, Grateful but executes with Week on American Idol in 2011, Dead and Bob Dylan. Later, and managed to get on Family modern lush harmonies he moved on to punk, finding a Feud in 2013. connection to that genre’s rebeland eclectic chord Her biggest win, however, lious spirit. progressions. was local. It all makes for an offbeat, albeit “I’m the beer-chugger champion passionate take on Americana. of Placerville for three years,” she says Now, if they could just a little better with a laugh. “I like challenging myself in with that self-promotion thing. those ways.” Don’t count on it, Secor says. The Race to TRI entry netted the band a couple “I like to compare bands to dining establishments,” of professionally recorded, multicamera live perforshe says. “I feel like MerryGold is a creepy bed-andmances of its songs. Those in turn generated Internet breakfast in Wyoming that’s only open on Tuesdays traffic as well as a connection to Weir’s studio: The and Thursdays, and we’re always on vacation, so no engineer ended up giving them a good rate for finishone can eat there.” Ω ing the band’s latest EP, 2014’s Hangtown. The band originated in 2009 with Stephens and Secor playing under the name Trout and Parrot, catch merrygold at 7 p.m., saturday, August 8, at the sacramento performing at a wine bar in Placerville with a more Bike Kitchen, 1915 I street. the show is free. learn more at country-folk sound. www.reverbnation.com/merrygoldband.

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amed to the 2014 Top 20 CD char ts by Smooth Jazz.com. Hiroshima continues to be a force in the industr y and continues to top the charts. With a musical career spanning 3 decades, gold records and 4 million in sales worldwide, Hiroshima continues to make their unique mix of East meets West - their signature sound. Hiroshima Website: www.hiroshimamusic.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/hiroshimamusic

FOR MOR E IN F O , V I S I T S AS F Q U E ST. OR G 40 | SN&R | 08.06.15

Music’s color wheel

rapper Soosh*e created soulful, dynamic breaks from the norm. More, please.

—Janelle Bitker jan el l e b @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

inclusion of “Comin’ Down” from Meat Puppets’ iconic 1994 release Too High To Die. And although Curt hinted that he had some tempo issues with Sahm on a couple of numbers, the band settled in and ultimately delivered an awesome set replete with fan favorites including “The Monkey And The Snake,” and a cover of “Cathy’s Clown” by the Everly Brothers. Of course, no Meat Puppets show these days is complete without the band’s hit song, “Backwater,” or the wonderful “Lake of Fire” and “Plateau.” For the uninitiated, Curt and Cris were invited by Nirvana to play the latter two songs for the band’s breakthrough MTV Unplugged sessions. During the night’s performance of both, countless people within earshot whispered “Hey, here’s that Nirvana song,” while serious Meat Puppets fans just smiled. If they only knew. —eddie Jorgensen

SN&R

stretch out a traditionally five-minute song. Also worthy of note was the

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Meaty set, not-so-meaty crowd: Weekday shows tend to suffer, and unfortunately, the July 28 Meat Puppets stop at Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub followed the trend. Even with a billing that would most likely fill up a venue of the same size in any other market— Soul Asylum was also on the bill— Sacramento numbers were just enough to keep manager Jim Cornett happy. In other words, Harlow’s just broke even. Meat Puppets founding members Curt and Cris Kirkwood along with drummer Shandon Sahm and touring guitarist Elmo Sherwood (who is Curt’s son) opened with a wonderful instrumental called “Seal Whales” and slowly coerced everyone from the back and front patios to venture inside. Singer-guitarist Curt led the band through spirited renditions of the Meat Puppets catalog (with songs dating back to the band’s inception in 1980), including a lengthy version of “Up on the Sun” that showcased the group’s dynamics and ability to

w w w. n e w s r e v i e w. c o m

Shades of sweetness: Terra Lopez says she usually closes her eyes when she sings—the colors she sees due to her synesthesia are too overwhelming. But also insanely beautiful. At Sister Crayon’s show at Harlow’s last week, though, Lopez’s eyes were wide open almost the entire time. She didn’t make eye contact with the superfans in the crowd. She was staring at her own personal show of fireworks. Once in an intervew, Lopez had noted seeing lots of green when she performs, and I tried to imagine Harlow’s—bathed in red and blue lights—with a greenish glow instead. Regardless, the place was insanely beautiful, bursting with love and hometown pride. “This is one of the most fun shows I’ve played in a long time,” Lopez said on stage at the tail end of Sister Crayon’s powerful, raw set—the duo’s dutiful M.O. Lopez and beats-master Dani Fernandez, along with a live drummer, blasted through much of Sister Crayon’s new album, Devoted. Although the record’s only been out since June, many in the audience already knew all the words. Sister Crayon opened with a gorgeous, goose bump-inducing and slowed-down version of “Armor,” setting the tone for an emotional evening, then coolly segueing into the album version of that frantic, dancey track. For the next hour, Lopez owned the building, channeling the heartbreak and desperation that wrote Devoted. Earlier, locals Stevie Nader and DLRN split an opening set, backed by DJ Druskee and drummer Omar Gonzalez-Barajas. DLRN’s Sean Lamarr, impressed by the sizeable crowd of folks rocking out early, issued a thanks: “I bet you guys didn’t come here for hip-hop.” That wasn’t entirely accurate, though, given the rich hip-hop influences on Sister Crayon’s Devoted. And truly, I can’t think of a better local opener for 2015’s Sister Crayon than Nader and DLRN. Even though Nader and DLRN collaborate all the time, it’s never less special. It’s just a combo that works so well—Nader’s backup vocals on DLRN’s “Fear & Loathing” and Lamarr’s guest slot on Nader’s “Make You” along with

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SouNd advice

08.06.15 | SN&R | 41

FRI

SAT

10 MON

La Misa Negra

Kevin Costner & Modern West

Nocturnal Blood

Kera and the Lesbians

Sol ColleCtive, 8:30 p.m., $10

HarriS Center for tHe artS, 8 p.m., $55-$95

La Misa Negra promises a spirited, high-energy dance party with a vintage flair. The Oakland nine-piece plays a mix of 1950s and ’60s cumbia, porro, gaita and other Afro-Colombian dance music, with a pulsing rhythm section, a horn section and an WORLD accordion player unafraid to take the lead. La Misa Negra’s live shows have earned the band opportunities that transcend typical genre barriers, opening for the likes of Arcade Fire, Thievery Corporation and SZA. The group’s name translates to “Black Ritual” or “Black Mass,” a signal to its musical roots and the greater ritual of dance. In other words, get ready to dance. 2574 21st Street, www.lamisanegra.com.

Starlite lounge, 8 p.m., $8

When I think of Kevin Costner, I think of that scene in Dances With Wolves when he bares his ass, and how my mom howled at the screen. I also think of Draft Day, a flick so aggrandizing of the NFL that it rivals Birth of a Nation for shittiest Hollywood propaganda vehicle of all time. Ah, yes, the point of this blurb: Costner’s band. I listened to about 50 seconds on Spotify. Excessively polished country rock, his voice like Tom Petty’s COUNTRY would sound if Petty swallowed a luffa and chased it with Dom Perignon. I’m saying he sounds decent. I bet the dude puts on a fun show. He’s Kevin “I beat Goodfellas” Costner. 10 College Parkway in Folsom, http://kevincostnermodernwest.com.

—Janelle Bitker

tHird SpaCe ColleCtive, 7 p.m., $5

Wretched Earth Productions, otherwise known as Matt Jensen and Rena Smith, are at it again bringing the finest local, regional, national and international BLACK METAL underground metal. Ghastly Apparition is the mastermind of Inland Empire’s Nocturnal Blood, who also plays all the instruments himself on Devastated Graves—The Morbid Celebration (2010), his only full-length to date. If you’re into oldschool black metal like Beherit, Demoncy or Hellhammer, songs like “Death Calls” and “Chaos Wrath” are quality pieces of furious songwriting. Kiss the bloody goat. 1527 21st Street, www.facebook.com/ events/1600495096867038.

—niCk miller

—eddie JorgenSen

This band rocks its eclectic sound, but it’s really all about Kera. She’s an amazing frontwoman. Sure, the band expertly mixes elements of desert rock, soul, surf and blues—done with mystique and bombastic energy—but Kera, who sings and plays FOLK guitar, can hold an entire crowd’s attention completely on her own. She has the manic energy and vivid, spastic facial expressions of Fishbone’s Angelo Moore. And her range as a singer is incredible. She holds down mellow sections with her smooth, controlled soulful voice, but gets completely unhinged when she belts out the high notes as the band is going full tilt. 946 Olive Drive in Davis, https://keraandthelesbians.bandcamp.com.

—aaron CarneS

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10 MON

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Khemmis

Holy Grail

Mad Judy

Esperanza Spalding

Cafe Colonial, 8 p.m., $8

Starlite lounge, 8 p.m., $8

In case you couldn’t tell by the old wizard, the skeletons and the warrior on the cover of its album Absolution, Khemmis is a doom band with a lot of interest in preserving the olden ways paved by Sabbath before them. Of course, that comparison neglects the complexity of the band’s full sound, which calls to mind more recent doom lords such as Pallbearer, particularly with its primarily clean vocals and dual-guitar riffs. DOOM Prepare for low, slow and heavy, as local post-metal band Decade of Statues opens to heap on even more drone and fuzz. 3520 Stockton Boulevard, http://khemmis.bandcamp.com.

—anthony Siino

Cafe Colonial, 8 p.m., $7

If you’re craving some straight-up heavy metal without having to see yet another NWOBHM cover band, we’ve got some good news for you: Holy Grail works from a classic backbone of fantasy vocals and driving riffs while adding touches of HEAVY METAL modern influence. The band sounds a hell of a lot like City of Evil-era Avenged Sevenfold, but with more emphasis on death metal shredding and slamming breakdowns. Plus, unlike listening to Avenged Sevenfold, you don’t immediately get the urge to hunt down and punch every band member in the face. Cryptic Ruins and local bands Helion Prime and Discordia open. 1517 21st Street, http://holygrailofficial.com.

This band will rock a funeral. Mad Judy’s latest EP, Powertrash, is eclectic punk. The song “Foghorn at Your Funeral,” and its music video, showcases the band’s simple, loud and manic pop-punk style. The video shows lead guitarist Joe Friday choke on a chocolate pastry and fall to the floor. What happens next is a punk-rock version of the movie PUNK Weekend at Bernie’s. A fellow roommate finds the lifeless body, throws a house show, and Friday is tied to a chair, hoisted into the air, punched in the face and decorated with funny hats. Is he dead? Watch the video on the band’s Facebook page to see. Sactos’ Mob Rule will also perform. 3520 Stockton Boulevard, www.facebook.com/madjudy.

—anthony Siino

ATTILA

WITH WOLVES - ARTISANS LONELY AVENUE

FRIDAY, AUGUST 7

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9

WHITEY MORGAN MATT GAGE

Esperanza Spalding made history by being the first jazz artist to win a Grammy for Best New Artist in 2011 at the ripe age of 26; four years later, it’s clear that JAZZ she’s not at all precious about the aesthetic that brought her that success. Emily’s D+Evolution, Spalding’s new show, is an amalgamation of music, poetry and performance art. Granted, it’s still jazz, but brought to you by Spalding’s whimsical, hip persona, Emily, who has an impressive collection of Skittles-colored spectacles and wants everyone to just “feel what you want to feel.” 10 College Parkway in Folsom, www.facebook.com/EsperanzaSpalding.

1417 R Street, Sacramento, 95814 www.aceofspadessac.com

ALL AGES WELCOME!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19

AARON WATSON CAM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21

BERNER

DEMRICK – J-HORNAY - ANONYMOUS THAT DUDE

SUNDAY, AUGUST 23

SAXON THURSDAY, AUGUST 27

WATSKY

A-1 & MIKOS DA GAWD FRIDAY, AUGUST 28

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12

THE WAILERS

—deena drewiS

—Steph rodriguez

ACE OF SPADES THURSDAY, AUGUST 6

harriS Center for the artS, 7:30 p.m., $36-$56

MOONSHINE BANDITS JELLY ROLL - PRUNO - OM3N THE GOOD SAMARITANS

COMING

SOON

08/13 08/31 09/06 09/10 09/19 09/21 09/23 09/25 10/15 10/17 10/18 10/19 10/21 10/24 10/31 11/01 11/02 11/10 11/15 11/17 11/18 11/20 11/22 12/09

Pre-Trees: City of Trees pre-party Bayside Get Up Kids Funk Volume 2015 Tour Atreya Snarky Puppy Against Me! Cinderella’s Tom Keifer Gang Of Four The Airborne Toxic Event Mastodon Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls Common Kings Creative Collab Tour Feat. Matthew Espinosa Parkway Drive Dave Davies of the Kinks Machine Head The AP Tour Featuring Mayday Parade Mayhem/Watian Yellowcard & New Found Glory The Charlatans Blind Guardian Misfits Reverend Horton Heat

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT ALL DIMPLE RECORDS LOCATIONS AND ARMADILLO RECORDS

08.06.15 | SN&R | 43

BADLANDS

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

THURSDAY 8/6

FRIDAY 8/7

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

Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

BAR 101 List your event!

Post your free online listing (up to 15 months early), and our editors will consider your submission for the printed calendar as well. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations. Online, you can include a full description of your event, a photo, and a link to your website. Go to www.newsreview.com/calendar and start posting events. Deadline for print listings is 10 days prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.

Hey local bands!

BLUE LAMP

D-CENT, LA NOCHE OSKURA; 8pm, call for cover

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

DRAZTIC MUSIC, YUKMOUTH; 8pm, $12-$20

THE BOARDWALK

9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

LISTENER, AS CITIES BURN, EMERY; 7pm, $20

I PREVAIL, FIT FOR RIVALS, DAYSEEKER, FOR ALL I AM; 6:30pm, $13

DISTRICT 30

NORA EN PURE, REDONDO; 10pm, $5

Luxe with DJ Oasis and Joseph One, 10pm, call for cover

2nd Saturdays with Billy Lane, 10pm, call for cover

EDX, 10pm, call for cover

FACES

2000 K St., (916) 448-7798

Kamikaze Karaoke, 9pm-2am, no cover

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

Dragalicious, 9pm, $5

FOX & GOOSE

STEVE MCLANE, 8pm, no cover

NANCY BLUE AND CLAYDOGS, 9pm, $5

KEVIN SECONDS, 9pm, $5

Live country band karaoke, no cover

CASEY DONAHEW BAND, ANNIE BOSKO, MICHAEL BECK; 9pm, $5

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

GOLDFIELD TRADING POST 1603 J St., (916) 476-5076

5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366 THE MOTHER HIPS, 8pm, $20-$25

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693

THE HIDEAWAY BAR & GRILL

Trash Rock Thursdays, 9pm, no cover

LUNA’S CAFE & JUICE BAR

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

ROCK OF AGES, 9pm, no cover

TAINTED LOVE, 10pm, $15-$18

PHORA, 6pm, $17-$23; MIDNIGHT PLAYERS, 10pm, $12-$15

8/7 9PM $15ADV

TAINTED LOVE

8/11 6:30PM $15ADV COMEDY OF

CREED BRATTON NGAIO BEALUM

8/12 5:30PM $20

8/8 5:30PM $17ADV

PHORA 8/8 9:30PM $12ADV

MIDNIGHT PLAYERS

08.06.15

VAUD AND THE VILLAINS

8/13 6PM $15ADV

JOELL ORTIZ (ALL AGES)

Open-mic, 7:30pm M, no cover; Pub Quiz, 7pm Tu, no cover

Paint Nite; food, drink and art materials provided, 7pm M, $25 GOOD OL BOYZ, 10pm, $15

8/10 8/14 8/15 8/16 8/17 8/20 8/21 8/21 8/22 8/23 8/23 8/24 8/25 8/26 8/27 8/28 8/28 8/29 8/30 9/03

Broadway Beat w/ Roger Carpio, Tim Matranga, 9pm M, no cover

MUNECHILD, BANJO BONES, OLIVIA AWBREY; 8pm, $5

DAKOTA SID & TRAVERS CLIFFORD, JULIET G & HOMER WILLS; 8:30pm, $5

Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M, $5-$20; Open-mic comedy, 8pm Tu, no cover

That Thing on Friday, EDM, 10pm-2am, $5

The Drop, house and ’90s hip-hop, 9pm, $3-$5

The Midtown Moxies Burlesque: Hot Summer Nights!, 8pm M, $10-$15

COMING SOON

GOOD OL’ BOYZ

Kamikaze Karaoke, 9pm-2am M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5

Sunday Sinema, 8pm, no cover

8/6 7PM $20ADV 8/9 9PM $15

DIRK LANG BAND, 4pm, no cover

Open mic, M, no cover

MACH 5, 9pm, $5

2708 J Street Sacramento, CA 916.441.4693 www.harlows.com

THE MOTHER HIPS WASKO

4 SHADES OF GRAY, 9pm, no cover RGB “Stinky” Jon and Dr. Doctor DJ dance party, 8pm, $6

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL HARLOW’S

Acoustic open mic, 8pm M, no cover; Hip-Hop House Party, 8pm Tu

SKATALITES, MONKEY; 8pm W, $20-$24

Open-mic, 7:30pm, no cover

594 Main St., Placerville; (530) 642-8481

1119 21st St., (916) 549-2779

SCARUB, A-PLUS; 8pm, call for cover

THE COZMIC CAFE

BOB WOODS, 5pm, no cover

MIDTOWN BARFLY

SN&R

THE PHENOMENAUTS, THE MOANS, SHOVE IT, RAT STOMP; 8pm, $7

’80s music, 9pm, no cover

1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931

Trivia Night, 6:30pm M, no cover; Open-mic night, 7:30pm W, no cover

COUNTRY CLUB SALOON

4007 Taylor Rd., Loomis; (916) 652-4007

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 8/10-8/12 Mad Mondays, 9pm M, call for cover

DUSTBOWL REVIVAL, 8pm, $17-$20

314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384

2565 Franklin Blvd., (916) 455-1331

SUNDAY 8/9 Sin Sunday, 8pm, call for cover

ANDREW CASTRO, 9:30pm, no cover

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

1016 K St., (916) 737-5770

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.

SATURDAY 8/8 Saturday Boom, 9pm, call for cover

The Three Way Jello Biafra and GSM Jesse Royal / Daniel Bambaata Marley Mac Sabbath Epic Rap Battles of History Vieux Farka Toure Richie Furay Band Alex Vincent Band Milo Greene Harvester Scott Pemberton Casey Abrams Nick Waterhouse BJ The Chicago Kid Led Kaapana Saint Ashbury SambaDa The Skins & Friends OverDoz. Devon Allman

LIVE MUSIC. DRINKS. ART.

fti #crockerartmix crockerartmuseum.org

THURSDAY 8/6

FRIDAY 8/7

NAKED LOUNGE DOWNTOWN

SGT. YORK, SIMPL3JACK, SEALEGS; 8:30pm, $5

JOE KYE, SISTER GIRLFRIEND, FONTAINE CEDRIC JOHNSON, ROBIN REYES, CLASSIC; 8:30pm, $5 COBI MIKE; 8:30pm, $5

Jazz session, 8pm M; RED LANTERNS, PILGRIM, DEATH ROGEN, 8:30pm W, $5

OLD IRONSIDES

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

THE VERGE, SURVIVING THE ERA, SPAN- FEVA IN DA FUNKHOUSE, BAP NOTES, GLER, 9pm, $5 MISS MARIANNA, 9pm, $15

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, no cover ; Open-mic, 9pm W, no cover

ON THE Y

RetroCrush 2016 GOP Debate Hecklefest, 6pm, no cover

PISTOL PETE’S

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

1111 H St., (916) 443-1927

1901 10th St., (916) 442-3504 670 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-3731 140 Harrison Ave., Auburn; (530) 885-5093

SATURDAY 8/8

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

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

THE PRESS CLUB

2030 P St., (916) 444-7914

KERI CARR BAND, 10pm, call for cover

SOPHIA’S THAI KITCHEN

BELL GARDENS, SNOWBLIND TRAVELER; 9pm, $5

STARLITE LOUNGE

DAVID LIEBE HART, Krista Fatka, Johnny Taylor; 8pm, call for cover

SWABBIES

5871 Garden Hwy, (916) 920-8088

TORCH CLUB

904 15th St., (916) 443-2797

Open Mic with Klare, 8pm M, no cover

SPAZMATICS, 10pm, call for cover

RANELL CARPENTER, 3pm, call for cover

Live band karaoke, 8pm Tu, call for cover

HAPPYNESS, GOLDEN DRUGS, VASAS, DAD?; 9pm, call for cover

Sunday Night Soul Party, 9pm, $5

YOUNG AUNDEE, US LIGHTS; 8pm Tu LORIN WALKER MADSEN, 8pm W

The Mother Hips 8pm Thursday, $20-$25. Harlow’s Rock

LA MISA NEGRA, 8:30pm, $10

2574 21st St., (916) 832-0916

1517 21st St., (916) 704-0711

WHISKEY DAWN, 10pm, call for cover

Bottom 40 dance party, 9pm, no cover

SOL COLLECTIVE

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

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, W, no cover IDEATEAM, 8pm, $5

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

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 8/10-8/12

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, no cover

RACE TO THE BOTTOM, BROKENOTE UNDERTONE, CJ DAVIS; 8pm

PJ’S ROADHOUSE

POWERHOUSE PUB

SUNDAY 8/9

X TRIO, 5pm, no cover; RANELL CARPENTER, 9pm, $5

THE BUMPTET, NACHO AND THE DOLLAR MENU; 9:30pm, $5

Trivia Night, 9:30pm Tu, call for cover; Open-mic, 8pm W, call for cover

WILLIAM MYLAR, 5:30pm; SCOTT CHARLES, THE DIVA KINGS; 9pm, $8

NOCTURNAL BLOOD, DEFECRATOR, BLACK HORNS; 8pm, call for cover

CHRYSALIS, SHORELINES, PATH OF TOTALITY, TELL THE WOLVES; 8pm

POA, 6pm, $13

FOO FIGHTERS UNAUTHORIZED, call for time and cover

SAVANNAH BLUE, 3pm, $5

PAILER AND FRATIS, 5:30pm; JITTERBUG RIOT, THE NICKEL SLOTS, 9pm, $10

WOODEN SKY, ANGELICA ROCKNE, RANDEE LACE; 8pm M, call for cover

Blues jam, 4pm, no cover ; Front the Band karaoke, 8pm, no cover

WILLIAM MYLAR, 5:30-7:30pm Tu; MICHAEL RAY, ERIC HISAW, 8pm Tu

WHITEY MORGAN, MATT GAGE; 7pm, $20-$75

THE WAILERS, 7pm W, $24

All ages, all the time ACE OF SPADES

1417 R St., (916) 448-3300

ATTILA, WOLVES, ARTISANS; 6:30pm, $20

THE COLONY

3512 Stockton Blvd., (916) 718-7055

SHINE

1400 E St., (916) 551-1400

Jazz jam with Jason Galbraith, 6pm, no cover

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE, 7pm, $25

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, 7pm, $32

MR. P CHILL, LUMIS, JUST A KONSEPT; 7pm, call for cover

IMPERIAL OMEN, DEVIANCE, BAD ANGLE, ETERNAL DISEASE; 7pm, $6

JESSICA MALONE, UP IS THE DOWN IS THE; 8pm, $6

REDLEAF, SIMPL3JACK, CROW CANYON; 7pm, $6

Poetry with Bill Gainer, 7pm W, call for cover

Young Aundee with Us Lights and Dust Covered Carpet 8pm Tuesday. Call for cover. The Press Club Electronic pop

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Print ads start at $6/wk. www.newsreview.com or (916) 498-1234 ext. 5 Phone hours: M-F 9am-5pm. All ads post online same day. Deadlines for print: Line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Adult line ad deadline: Monday 4pm Display ad deadline: Friday 2pm

Online ads are

STILL

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*Nominal fee for adult entertainment. All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. Further, the News & Review specifically reserves the right to edit, decline or properly classify any ad. Errors will be rectified by re-publication upon notification. The N&R is not responsible for error after the first publication. The N&R assumes no financial liability for errors or omission of copy. In any event, liability shall not exceed the cost of the space occupied by such an error or omission. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

AIRLINE CAREERS start here - if you’re a hands on learner, you can become FAA Certified to fix jets. Job placement, financial aid if qualified. Call AIM 800-481-8389 ENGINEERING Eyefinity, Inc. has openings for Software Engineers in Rancho Cordova, CA. Develop/create/ modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs. To apply, go to http://www.teameyefinity.com/ job.php?id=91

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SN&R | 08.06.15

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My dad suffers from depression but won’t get any help. The older he gets, the more often he just stays in bed and refuses to do anything. Most of the time I go stay at my mom’s house but I can’t stop worrying about my dad and that gets on my mom’s nerves. Then we fight and I go back to my dad’s. I’m going to junior college. I’m also working and saving for a car, but I feel overwhelmed and hopeless. I can’t afford to live on my own and I don’t feel like I can keep living with either one of my parents. Please help.

but don’t trust them. Trust your ability to manage your life by finding the information you need to prove difficult feelings wrong. Remember, not every emotion or thought is accurate, but each one offers data you can use to understand yourself better and to create the life you desire. What do you do when you want deeper intimacy in a relationship but your partner just isn’t up for that? I love my boyfriend but he limits his connection to me. I wonder if he is doing it on purpose, or if he just is not able to give me what I need. We’ve been together for six months and I don’t know if I should keep going. It’s been hard for me to meet men I am attracted to.

A safe, comfortable living space encourages the mind, body and spirit to relax completely. You’ve been unable to sink into that kind of surrender, Excessive and are feeling the heightworrying is It doesn’t matter whether ened tension that results. your boyfriend is intentionwasted energy. Give yourself a break. ally limiting his connection Spend more time in nature: with you. It doesn’t matter local parks, the American or whether he is capable of deeper Sacramento rivers or the Sierras. intimacy. Refocus: You are dissatBeing surrounded by the natural isfied. What can you do to experience world is soothing and restorative. more freedom? One possibility is to notice Once you recalibrate inner peace, it’s whether you fully accept the intimacy he easier to deal with other aspects of your does offer. If not, go deeper into gratitude situation, like the tendency to worry. for what you have together. You should Fretting about the people we love is also investigate your expectations. Do you understandable, but don’t permit worry to believe your man is responsible for all consume your mind. Excessive worrying of your intimacy needs? Once you have is wasted energy. Instead of engaging in explored these questions, you will know creative problem-solving, the mind plays how to proceed in love. Ω duck, duck, goose around the same circle of fears. Redirect your thoughts toward actions that benefit your goal of moving into your own place. MedITaTIon of The Week Your mom may not be available to listen to your concerns because she’s heard it all “It is an unfortunate human before—in her own head. Yes, your words failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly likely echo things she told herself when than an empty stomach,” said she was married to your dad. She divorced President Franklin D. Roosevelt. him, and probably expected to leave those Are you ready to be a voice for worries behind. Your conversations reacthose who need you most? tivate her old fears. Try setting boundaries with her: “I need to talk about Dad. Can you listen for a while? Let me know when you need to stop listening.” It also helps to have Write, email or leave a message for a signal she can use to let you know she’s Joey at the News & Review. Give full and can no longer listen. Of course, it’s your name, telephone number possible that she’s not skilled at listening. If (for verification purposes only) and question—all that’s the issue, find another family member correspondence will be kept strictly confidential. to talk with or see a counselor on campus. Let’s talk about your dad’s depression. Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email Children should evolve beyond their askjoey@newsreview.com. parents. So you can help your dad by living differently than he does. When you feel stuck or hopeless notice those feelings,

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Cannabis, by the gallon About your recent column: Does it really take six gallons of water per day to grow a cannabis plant? —Dro Savoire Right? I also feel like that number is a little high, so I did some more research. Here is what I found: According to these folks (www.theganjier.com/2015/07/02/how-much-water-does-onemarijuana-plant-need-to-grow), a cannabis plant needs one gallon of water per day per useable pound of cannabis created. So a plant that yields 6 pounds would in fact need six gallons per day, while a plant that yields 2 pounds would only need two gallons per day. Most indoor plants yield way less than 6 pounds after harvest (if you can get more than 6 ounces from a decent sized indoor plant, you are a pretty good gardener), and outdoor noncommercial gardens will usually give you two to four pounds per plant. So while the “six gallons of water per day” may be accurate if everyone is growing monster plants, it doesn’t tell the whole story. Also consider that a bottle of wine may run you 400 gallons of water, while an eighth of an ounce of quality cannabis will cost about 1.9 gallons of water. Which one looks like a better deal for a drought-conscious state? Maybe we should start some sort of “Save water, grow weed instead of wine” campaign? The Oregonian just reported that more than half of 150 concentrates tested for pesticides came back positive. However, there is nothing restricting pesticide-laden concentrate from entering the retail market. Many pesticides that were found are known carcinogens. The full story is here: www.oregonlive.com/marijuanalegalization/pesticides. Can you respond to this in a column? Are you aware of any similar Maybe we study done with products sold in California dispensaries? Is there any person or group should start advocating for stricter regulation of pessome sort of “Save ticides in cannabis cultivation? Thank you.

water, grow weed instead of wine” campaign?

—M. Gibb Good question. No one wants to inhale a bunch of pesticides along with their delicious marijuana. Way back in April 2015, the California State Water Board released a brochure containing some guidelines for responsible pesticide use around cannabis plants (http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2015/04/08/marijuanapesticide-guidelines-issued-by-state-of-california). The thing is, there hasn’t been a ton of research about which pesticides are best for cannabis growers. The best practice would be for growers to use OMRI certified organic and natural pesticides, but not everyone does that. Testing facilities generally look for pesticide levels that are above generally accepted tolerances, and most clubs these days won’t accept cannabis that hasn’t been tested. I would say that most of the cannabis found in the California clubs is as clean as possible, but your best bet may be to find a grower or a club that specializes in organically grown medicine. I hope that helps. Ω

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FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 6, 2015 ARIES (March 21-April 19): Charles de Lint is a

novelist whose stories are influenced by folklore, myths and science fiction. In his book Yarrow, a wizardly character named Toby is skilled at conjuring. He can make small objects appear and disappear, for example. But Toby yearns for more. “I want to be magic,” he says. “I want to be a friend of elves and live in a tree. I want to marry a moonbeam and hear the stars sing. I don’t want to pretend at magic anymore. I want to be magic.” If you have ever wished for a comparable upgrade, Aries, now is an unusually favorable time to work on it.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): An imaginative

Welsh man named Liam Bennett has developed a “dausage,” which is a blend of a doughnut and sausage. One of his most requested treats is pork meat stuffed with strawberry jelly. Even if this novel blend doesn’t appeal to your taste buds, it serves as a good prompt for my advice: The coming weeks will be a favorable time to expand your notion of what types of nourishment are fun and healthy for you. I mean that in the metaphorical as well as the literal sense. Experiment with new recipes, both with the food you provide your body and the sustenance you feed your soul.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the woods, living

matter isn’t segregated from the decaying stuff. Rotting tree trunks are host to teeming colonies of moss. Withered stems of ferns mingle with cheerful saplings. Audacious mushrooms sprout up among scraps of fallen leaves. The birds and beetles and lizards and butterflies don’t act as if this mix is weird. They seem to be at peace with it. I suspect they thrive on it, even exult in it. That’s the spirit I suggest you adopt as you enjoy the paradoxical mélange of your life in the coming weeks, Gemini. Celebrate the mysterious magic that emerges as you simultaneously fade and flourish, decline and increase, wind down and rise up.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Here are some

tips on being the best Cancerian you can be: (1) cultivate your sensitivity as a strength. Regard your emotional vulnerability as a superpower, (2) nurture yourself at least as much as you nurture others, (3) learn to know the difference between your golden hunches and the glimmering delusions that your demons stir up, (4) be kind, but don’t be exorbitantly nice, (5) remember that others’ unhappiness is rarely your fault or responsibility, and (6) keep reinventing the way you love yourself.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “What are the best things

and the worst things in your life, and when are you going to get around to whispering or shouting them?” This question was posed by Leo author Ray Bradbury in his book Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity. Even if you’re not a writer yourself, you will benefit from responding to his exhortation. It’s one of the best things you could possibly do to activate your dormant creativity and intensify your lust for life. This is one of those times when working with your extremes is not only safe and healthy, but also fun and inspirational. So do it, Leo! Get excited and expressive about the best and worst things in your life.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): It’s time to leave

behind the golden oldies. You’d be wise to tiptoe away from tradition, and give the ghosts of the past one last kiss goodbye and wean yourself from nostalgia for the good old days. Frankly, my dear, you’ve got numerous appointments with the future, and it would be a shame to miss them because you’re mucking around with memories. In the coming weeks—for that matter, in the coming months—you’re most likely to thrive if you become an agent of change. And the most important thing to change is your relationship to the person you used to be.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): In Indonesia, the term

gotong-royong is defined as the “joint bearing of burdens.” In practice it means that you and I and our allies get together voluntarily to help each other achieve a shared goal. It may also be an agreement to provide mutual aid: I help you do what you need to have done, and you help me with my task. Gotong-royong also implies that we enjoy working together. The emotional

tone that we cultivate is affection and care. By sharing a burden, we lighten the load that each of us has to bear. I bring this to your attention, Libra, because it’s the gotong-royong season for you and yours. Be the ringleader who initiates and sustains it.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In one of his poems, Jack Gilbert mentions “the incurably sane,” who are “uncrippled by beauty” and “unbutchered by love.” When I read those lines, I felt a surge of protest. Is there a single person on the earth who fits that description? No! I was miffed by such starry-eyed idealism. Later, though, as I studied the astrological omens for you Scorpios, my attitude softened. I realized that the coming weeks may be a time when many of you will at least temporarily be incurably sane, uncrippled by beauty and unbutchered by love. If you’re one of these lucky ones, please use your blessed grace to spread an abundance of blessed grace everywhere you go.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): If you’re not

skirting the edges of the forbidden zone, you’re playing it too safe. If you’re not serving as a benevolent mischief-maker for someone you care about, you’re shirking your duty. Your allegiance should be with x-factors and wild cards. You will thrive to the degree that you cultivate alliances with mavericks and instigators. Are you shrewd enough to mess with time-tested formulas? Are you restless enough to rebel against habits that stifle your curiosity?

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): How to be a

Capricorn, according to my Capricorn reader Sadie Kennedy: When you are younger, take yourself too seriously. Look and act older than you actually are as you serve what’s most practical. Sacrifice fun and frivolity, working doggedly to achieve the goals you yearn for, until you reach some level of accomplishment. Then realize, as if struck by a thunderbolt, that fun and frivolity have practical value. Begin to age backwards like Benjamin Button as you balance work with play and discipline with leisure. Enjoy the fruits of your intense efforts as everyone tells you how relaxed and supple and resilient you are becoming.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Cracking open

the shell of a soft-boiled egg is a tricky task. You must be firm enough to break the shell, but sufficiently gentle to avoid making a mess. If you live in Germany, you have access to a metal instrument that provides just the right measure of soft force. It’s called an Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher, translated as “soft-boiled egg shell cracker.” Your assignment in the coming weeks is to cultivate a talent that is metaphorically similar to an Eierschalensollbruchstellenverursacher. I believe you will need that blend of sensitivity and power on numerous occasions.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Americans often

regard Cuba as impoverished and backwards. There is an element of truth in their prejudice, primarily because the United States has imposed a stifling embargo on the Caribbean nation for over 50 years. That’s why, for example, many Cubans drive cars that were manufactured in the 1950s. But I wonder how my fellow citizens would respond if they knew that in some ways Cuba’s health-care system is better than America’s. The World Health Organization recently congratulated Cuba for being the first country on earth to eradicate the transmission of syphilis and HIV from mothers to babies. Can you identify a metaphorically similar situation in your personal life, Pisces? Are there people you regard as inferior or undeveloped who could teach you an important lesson or motivate you to grow? Now is a perfect time to benefit from their influence.

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.

Figuratively speaking Action figures may be made with children in mind, but we all know that adults love to get some toys of their own. And as people recognize that there’s more to figurines than youthful playtime, bootleg resin toy makers have come to make some art of their own. Robert Rodriguez, who works under the name Scraped Resin, is a local figurine maker who breaks down old toys and reconfigures them with his own parts to craft Mexican wrestlers, retro video game characters and just about whatever else he feels like creating. We asked him about what drove him to join the resin toy scene, the inspiration in lowbrow art and why he decided to make Mayor Kevin Johnson into a toy.

Why figurines over any other medium? I definitely collected and played with action figures later than most people. I’ve always just been completely fascinated with them. Even in my early 20s, when KB Toys was going out of business, we’d buy all of their 99-cent Marvel and wrestling toys and smoke a blunt and stand them all up. When I could see that I could make my own, just something as simple as making a G.I. Joe figure that was clear, I had to try it. Once I did try it, I wished I would have found it years ago.

How much original sculpting goes into your toys? Generally, they are almost all repurposed toy parts, but I’ve started to incorporate sculpted elements in my latest projects. The godfather of the resin movement, a New York artist who goes by the name The Sucklord, started by making bootleg hip-hop Star Wars figures, and one of my favorite aspects of his work was how good he was at mixing parts from different toy lines together into something that was both familiar, but completely new. He used toy parts as a language, which resonated with a lot of people, especially those of us who grew up in the ’80s. Inspired by him, I put a ridiculous amount of thought into kitbashing [repurposing commercial figures] and troll eBay regularly looking to uncover an old toy line or figure that works for something I’m trying to do, and that hasn’t been used yet. That said, I’m trying to teach myself to sculpt, which is tough, but I’ve started experimenting with a new sculpting wax that I’ll be incorporating on my next project. 3-D printing has also become a recent obsession.

PHOTO by Lauran fayne wOrTHy

Did The Sucklord popularize the kinda janky look of many figurines?

And is that what your Kevin Johnson figurine is about?

When he first started, there was no one else doing it. He had to teach himself, and his first toys really were bad. They were extremely shoddy, and when he put them out, he put them out with this sort of pride, saying, “These are really crappy, I’m The Sucklord because my toys suck.” I’d say a lot of people, including myself, were really inspired by him.

He’s one of the few local figures that actually had a plastic version of them made in the ’80s. [Johnson was featured as a figure while playing for the Phoenix Suns.] I started with figures that I thought would look cool, like Mexican wrestlers wearing suits and that sort of thing, but as I’m progressing, I want to put a lot more thought into what I’m doing and at least attempt to make art. I thought about the fact that Kevin Johnson is our mayor—I’m definitely not very political, but the fact that Sacramento elected him, it seemed a little bit like that movie Idiocracy. … I wanted to make this figure that captures that idea of, “Is he really the best guy to be leading our city?” I don’t know. I look at his Wikipedia page and there’s a lot of crazy stuff in there. Obviously, he was really cool in the ’90s. I remember my dad watching him the playoffs, and he’s in NBA Jam ! That’s supercool. But I just don’t know if that necessarily translates to being the best leader for the city that I live in. And maybe he is, I don’t know. I called the piece “Keeping Score,” because we definitely need to make sure that we’re thinking about this. Ω

So there’s some jank in your own stuff, then? You know those types of toys you run across at flea markets? You see, like, a four-pack with Batman and Spider-Man, and whatnot? I love those, I always have loved those. The parts are wrong, the paint’s weird, Superman’s eyes are all bugged out—I think a lot of that goes into the resin scene.

It seems like an elevation of all things lowbrow. Part of the resin scene, the fact that it’s lowbrow, it’s this pride—we all consider it art. When you go to most art galleries, if you see a piece that you like, it’s gonna cost hundreds of dollars. Most people just don’t have money for that, can’t afford to have art in their living room. These toys are generally put out for under $100 and we try to make as much as possible, 10 or 12, and the idea is that this is art, and that this is affordable.

Learn more about Scraped resin and order “Keeping Score” at www.scrapedresin.com.

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