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From lazy foodies to awkward drivers, a look at Sacramento’s booming food-delivery industry

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Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

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Volume 27, iSSue 49

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EditoR’S NotE

MARCH 24, 2016 | Vol. 27, iSSuE 49

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25 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 Writer Raheem F. Hosseini Arts & Culture Editor Janelle Bitker Assistant Editor Anthony Siino Editorial Coordinator Becca Costello Editor-at-large Melinda Welsh Contributors Daniel Barnes, Ngaio Bealum, Amy Bee, Alastair Bland, Rob Brezsny, Jim Carnes, Willie Clark, Deena Drewis, Joey Garcia, Cosmo Garvin, Blake Gillespie, Lovelle Harris, Jeff Hudson, Jim Lane, Kel Munger, Kate Paloy, Patti Roberts, Ann Martin Rolke, Shoka, Bev Sykes, Graham Womack Editorial Intern Kris Hooks

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Kenneth Powell, Gilbert Quilatan, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Jonathan Taea N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Publications Managing Editor Shannon Springmeyer N&R Publications Writers Kate Gonzales, Anne Stokes Senior N&R Publications Consultant Dave Nettles N&R Publications Consultants Elena Ruiz, Julie Sherry President/CEO Jeff VonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Marketing/Promotions/Facilities Manager Will Niespodzinski Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Business Manager Nicole Jackson Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Dargitz 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 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Fax (916) 498-7910 Website www.newsreview.com

STREETALK LETTERS NEwS + BEATS ESSAY FEATuRE SToRY ARTS&CuLTuRE NighT&dAY diSh + off mEnu STAgE FiLm muSiC + Sound AdvicE ASK JoEY ThE 420 15 miNuTES

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Time to go Sometimes “sorry” isn’t enough.

On Thursday, UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi apologized to students for her latest ethical lapse.

It took protesters occupying Katehi’s office—demanding she resign or be fired—to force her to do so.

In a letter, Katehi apologized for accepting a paid board position with the for-profit DeVry University, as well as for receiving hefty compensation for serving on the board of textbook publisher John Wiley & Sons.

Katehi has since resigned from DeVry and donated some of her textbook stock to a scholarship fund.

Still, her actions show poor judgment for someone entrusted to lead a university.

The same day she apologized, Assembly members Luis Alejo, Jim Cooper and Lorena Gonzalez joined Kevin McCarty and Evan Low in demanding Katehi’s resignation.

UC President Janet Napolitano, however, has defended Katehi’s actions as the result of “good intentions.”

Seriously? Before her 2009 arrival at UC Davis, Katehi drew criticisms at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign, where she served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs. There, she was accused of wielding heavy-handed influence as part of the school’s so-called “clout scandal.” She was cleared but doubts about her judgment surfaced again in 2011 during a UC Davis Occupy movement demonstration that led to the pepper-spraying of several students.

It was Katehi who’d requested students be removed from the school’s quad, but she said police actions exceeded her authority.

Perhaps, but if that’s the case it’s clear Katehi lacks a grasp on how to function in her job, as well as the principle to get it done without scandal.

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“Being a nerd means you can Be unapologetically excited.”

askeD at 18th anD J stReets:

Why are you a nerd?

R achel Dlot t canvasser

Being a nerd means you can be unapologetically excited and happy about something.

I credit this quote to the original author, a young adult novelist named John Green. I love being a nerd. … I nerded out on Harry Potter and that opened a whole new world with Lord of the Rings into Hunger Games into Star Wars.

kent MccoRD facilities director

Computer video games. If a person asked me what I did for the weekend, it often includes killing aliens and zombies. Then I am talking to people about the games.

The other co-workers and I play all the same games, Borderlands 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition. So it’s kind of like our escape to talk about at work.

GinGeR FoDGe

k aRen shaFFeR

anna nichols

loRenzo lope z

environmental consultant

environmental consultant

assistant administrator

My sisters and I quote lines from old movies. Some of the movies are those we had watched with our dad.

Since I am not around my sisters a lot, I am often quoting to my husband and he has no idea what I am talking about. My favorite is White Christmas. I try to watch it every year.

Trains. I love to watch the rolling engine. I love to watch the rolling stock.

I love that I now what a rolling stock is—any vehicles that move on a railway.

I love to watch and ride the passenger trains. I like the sound of them. My favorite train is the old-fashioned Southern Pacific with the daylight color scheme.

I am definitely a nerd. I am a gamer and I like to tinker with circuits. I try to repair my own things. I am really good at explaining things to people about new software.

I break it down, step by step, at work. For the most part, I study up on the latest software.

landscape architect

Plants. When it comes to plants, I love designing public places and parks.

I kind of geek out about the purest of things. Photoshop, AutoCAD and JS is fun.

I think my grandparents would have taken a bit longer to graph the projects and to do my job due to the lack of technology. I have a passion for it.

d April 2n pm 11am-5

03.24.16 | SN&R | 5

building a

HealtHy S a c r a m e n t o

young Voices Making a Difference

by K at e G o n z a l e s

e

very Friday night, a group of teenagers gather in support of a Sacramento ballot measure that most of them will be too young to vote on. But that does not mean they’ll be silent.

Measure Y — the Sacramento Children’s Fund and Marijuana Business Operations Tax — proposes placing a 5 percent tax on medical marijuana sales in the City of Sacramento to invest directly into youth programs. The teens are collecting young peoples’ thoughts on the kinds of programs Sacramento youth need, and if the measure is approved, it could provide funding to fulfill those needs.

The East Bay Asian Youth Center received a grant from The California Endowment to organize young people who wanted to improve the lives of their peers. The center’s Youth Action Team in Sacramento is using this grant funding to better organize and expand its scope.

Last year, the team designed and distributed a survey to get youth opinions on how potential Measure Y funds should be spent. They conducted surveys at middle schools, several high schools and at the Sacramento County Juvenile Hall.

programs, youth centers, and internship and work opportunities. Recognizing the importance of safe spaces and greater opportunities, the Youth Action Team would support the construction of a wellness center, where students can access services.

“If the kIds are the future, then the kIds should be able to plan for the future.”

Christopher Phakeovilay, Youth Action Team member

“I feel like youth need an opportunity,” says Christopher Phakeovilay, an intern and sophomore at Luther Burbank High School who helped develop the survey. “Youth these days don’t have opportunities — they really don’t.”

“Youth who are from under-served communities, impacted by violence or other factors, have barriers to being successful,” says East Bay Asian Youth Center Program Director Leesai Yang. “Yet they often understand the programs they need the most.”

If Measure Y is approved by voters, the team will share information from the survey with the City Council in hopes of influencing how these funds are spent. For now, they are developing a plan for door-to-door campaigning and event outreach throughout Sacramento to raise awareness on the measure.

Respondents said that if the measure passes, money should be spent on afterschool

Only a handful of Youth Action Team members will be old enough to vote for

East Bay Asian Youth Center Youth Action Team interns Tommy Lee and Yia Lee work with a group of teens to plan advocacy and outreach efforts. Photo by Kate Gonzales

Measure Y when it appears on the June ballot.

Dee Khang is one of them.

“I’m excited,” she says. “I’m happy I get to vote now.”

Khang, along with the other interns, will continue to advocate for a brighter outlook for Sacramento’s youth.

“They say the kids are the future,” Phakeovilay says. “If the kids are the future, then the kids should be able to plan for the future.”

your zIP code shouldn’t predict how long you’ll live – but it does. Staying healthy requires much more than doctors and diets. Every day, our surroundings and activities affect how long – and how well – we’ll live.

Health Happens in neighborhoods. Health Happens in Schools.

Health Happens with Prevention.

In 2010, The California Endowment launched a 10-year, $1 billion plan to improve the health of 14 challenged communities across the state. Over the 10 years, residents, community-based organizations and public institutions will work together to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges contributing to the poor health of their communities.

For more information on the ebayC youth action team, contact leesai yang at leesai@ebayc.org

paid with a grant from the california endowment 6 | SN&R | 03.24.16

BuIldIng HEalTHy COmmunITIES

www.SacBHC.org

Email lEttErs tO sactOlEttErs@nEwsrEviEw.cOm.

High rises bad for Midtown Re “A mountain in Midtown” by Graham Womack (SN&R News, March 17): Of course developer Ryan Heater’s 15-story “mountain” would set a precedent—an extremely bad precedent. Heater claims to love Midtown, but his huge project could set off a trend that would love it to death, bringing in more people, more traffic and more high-rises instead of the Victorians that make Midtown a special place.

Steve Lawrence S acr ame nt o

Thanks for the Mozzy coverage Re “The struggle is regular” by Blake Gillespie (SN&R Feature Story, March 17): Thanks, Blake, for taking the time out and interviewing

such a talented young man, and thank you, Mozzy, for allowing him the opportunity to get your story to the world. Good luck on your future projects and keep up the great work!

Theresa Hunter Sacramento

Stay mad about corporate media Re “Trump, Iraq, the media”

by Nick Miller (SN&R Editor’s Note, March 17): Thanks for this note, Nick. It is a good time to note that Ben Bagdikian passed away last week (January 30, 1920-March 11, 2016). He covered this turf. Bagdikian co-wrote one one of the best books on the corporate media monopoly in the United States in 1983, Media Monopoly.

Later, he republished it and enhanced it as The New Media Monopoly. He was “mad as hell and he wasn’t going to take it anymore.” Bagdikian taught and was dean at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for many years. He had a key role in the Pentagon Papers case.

Bill Easton Fiddletown

ONLINE BUZZ

On wHeTHer YaManee, THe prOpOSed HigH-riSe cOndO in MidTOwn, iS TOO Tall: 15 stories is too tall?! Lol wow.15 stories is nothing. If you want midtown to be a thriving city we have to have more housing options for people to actually live there.

craig Hannon

on extending downtown parkingenforcement HourS to 10 p.m.: you want us to come downtown then you penalize us when we do.

maxine miLner krugman and with more people moving into the grid with their cars, it’s gotten terrible trying to beat the congested streets by taking my bike to work.

kendyce mangucHei

City Parking Enforcement has also been very busy outside of Downtown, writing tickets from Natomas to the Pocket areas.

So this new level of enforcement is not just aimed at Downtown. robert gorHam Doesn’t bother me! Anything to encourage more carpooling!

adrian beLLue

on tHe Low turnout for cage tHe eLepHant and otHerS at SLeep train arena and wHetHer tHe city can Support big indie-muSic SHowS: “Big indie rock show” is an oxymoron. Sleep Train wasn’t an appropriate venue for bands like these.

octaviuS cHopra

@SacNewsReview

Facebook.com/ SacNewsReview

@SacNewsReview

Online Buzz contributions are not edited for grammar, spelling or clarity.

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The city needs to generate more parking revenue to pay off Kings arena debt—err, to free up more general-fund monies to pay off Kings arena debt.

ILLUSTRATION BY SERENE LUSANO

kings of parking

i heArd ThiS iS juST phASe one of A bigger plAn?

City proposes more changes to its parking system to help pay for arena debt

by Nick Miller

The latest battlefront in Sacramento’s ongoing parking wars is downtown, where city officials hope that higher rates for metered parking, later-evening enforcement hours, and an app—an app!—will both make parking more efficient and also help pay off $625 million in Kings arena debt.

So goes Sacramento’s ever-evolving parking-modernization game, which kicked off nearly 10 years ago with a Central City Parking Master Plan and, this week, continues with significant changes in advance of the arena opening later this year.

8 | SN&R | 03.24.16

SN&R breaks down these new parking rules, looks at why things are changing—and explores what could happen down the road:

AbouT ThoSe new, lATer pArking-enforcemenT hourS …

These are the most contentious changes.

This past Tuesday, city council was scheduled to approve a plan that would, among other things, implement tiered

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

pricing for metered spots in the central city, and also extend parking-enforcement hours at metered and nonmetered spots.

Enforcement would extend from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. west of 16th Street, from C to W streets—essentially, downtown within walking distance of the Golden 1 Center.

There will also be an increase of operating hours for all metered and nonmetered spots on the east side of 16th to the east side of 19th until 8 p.m. Free parking will go into effect only after these times.

That’s true. There are discussions of continued changes to enforcement hours. And these “modernizations” come on the heels of increases to metered parking this past November (upping rates from $1.25 an hour to $1.75, the first increase since 2008).

whAT The hell iS SpoTZone?

It’s an acronym: Special Parking Over Time. The city calls this tiered pricing, or a “dynamic pricing model,” which lets residents and visitors purchase more parking hours beyond the twohour limit.

They’ll have to pay a premium for this, and the new tiered rates and hours will apply only to downtown for now (not Midtown … at least, not yet), from Front Street to 16th and C to W streets.

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open-dooR pRomise Updating sensors on meters and changing signage for the new tiered rates and hours will cost an estimated $1.3 million.

And you’ll have to use up some of your precious smartphone memory to download an app to pay for parking.

WaiT, i ReallY have To doWnload an app To paRK? Sort of. Let’s say you park near L and 14th streets for dinner with friends, but end up wanting to stay longer than two hours: You’ll have to download the app to pay for additional time, up to four hours total. The city embraces this because it allows for flexibility, just in case you overstay your couple of hours, but they also say it will encourage people to use parking garages instead of street parking, thereby prompting more turnover.

The city says people will also be able to use the app to possibly see how full parking garages are during Kings games, and to potentially reserve spots.

can i sTill use quaRTeRs? Indeed, you can.

This isn’T aBouT modeRnizing ouR paRKing, RighT? This is aBouT paYing FoR The Kings aRena.

That’s the elephant in City Hall: Sacramento will need to make some $625 million in arena-bond and interest payments over the next 35 years, and a major component of that payback plan is increasing parking-enforcement revenue.

Yes, the city says its modernization effort is about things like vehicle turnover, traffic control, air quality, customer convenience, reducing meter-violation tickets and encouraging people to use parking garages instead of the street-side parking. But, really, it’s about the Kings. Modernization will contribute an estimated $4 million in new gross revenue, according to the city.

WhaT aBouT Those old, gReen paRKing ToWeRs WiTh The sTicKeRs? Done. Over. Out. Less than 10 years old, there are some 300 green Parkeon parking towers that the city purchased for $7,500 a pop and installed in 2007. But five years later, in 2012, the city decided to buy some

4,300 “smart” parking meters, and has nearly phased out the old Parkeons. So goes technology …

and other ride-hailing services will likely be experiencing “surge pricing” during Kings games.

is iT TRue ThaT The ciTY WanTed To exTend paRKing-enFoRcemenT houRs unTil 2 a.m.?

WaiT, is upping paRKing RaTes and enFoRcemenT To paY FoR The Kings aRena illegal?

Correct. The city’s original draft plan That’s what individuals such as Craig from July of last year proposed shifting Powell, of local watchdog group Eye on free parking until as late as 2 a.m., but Sacramento, argued last year. But the city local business districts—and even won a big decision in court recently neighborhood groups—fought that allows it to modernize its hard against the idea. The parking and also use it to new 10 p.m. time is a finance arena debt.

The city’s compromise.

State law says that a original plan from city can only use parkhoW much ing revenue for parking this past summer expenses like enforceaRe sacTo’s proposed extending ment and upkeep. But paRKingparking enforcement the city attorneys claim meTeR RaTes that the new parking to sundays. revenue will go to parking compaRed To maintenance and costs, and oTheR ciTies? a judge agreed.

Actually, they’re in line with other major California cities. San Jose meters hoW much Will iT Be To operate at between $1 and $2 an hour. paRK doWnToWn duRing Fresno’s are 75 cents an hour. The regular Kings games? hourly rate in Berkeley is $1.50, but there Still unknown, and city officials and the are premium zones that cost up to $2.75 Kings are mum. an hour. San Francisco has implemented Right now, it costs $12 to park at demand-responsive rates for city-owned Kings games. But that’s cheap, especially garages, which on a recent Tuesday compared to nearby sports games: the morning (a low-demand time) ranged Oakland Raiders ($35 per car), the San from $1.50 to $7 an hour. In Long Beach, Francisco 49ers ($40), the Golden State approximately the same population as the Warriors ($40, or $30 in advance), and city of Sacramento, prices range from 75 AT&T Park in San Francisco ($20 and cents to $2 an hour. upward of $60 at some private lots). is paRKing sTill FRee on Expect the Golden 1 Center event and game prices to align with these rates. sundaYs? Yes—but that could change, too. The city’s original plan from this past summer proposed extending parking enforcement to Sundays.

is This The end oF all The Big paRKing changes?

oK, so mosT people Will jusT paRK in midToWn oR iTs suRRounding neighBoRhoods, Then uBeR To The Kings games?

Doubtful. The city will likely expand later enforcement hours to the rest of Midtown, east of 19th Street, in hopes of capturing more revenue. Net revenues for parking are up in the past 10 years, up to $3.4 million in 2014. And the new modernization efforts will more than double that number. Ω

Perhaps. This is a popular complaint by residents, who argue that visitors already are parking in the Midtown neighborhoods for free after 6 p.m., then taking Uber (at approximately $4.75 a trip) to a downtown destination. However, Uber

The region’s only emergency shelter for homeless adolescents is back open but not out of the woods just yet.

Wind Youth Services temporarily reopened its six-bed shelter on March 10, nearly three weeks after a ballooning deficit forced it to unexpectedly halt operations.

The shelter is the only one of its kind in the five-county Sacramento region, serving unaccompanied homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 18. It typically has a waiting list, its operators say.

The shelter has hosted approximately 200 youth over the past two years, but shut its doors February 19 due to an annual deficit in the $80,000 range.

Three weeks later, the adolescent shelter underwent a “soft reopening” with a skeleton staff, thanks to a $10,000 seed donation from Goodwill Sacramento Valley & Northern Nevada and an additional $5,500 from individual donors, said Wind Executive Director Suzi Dotson.

But it will cost $100,000 more to keep the doors open until the end of the year, she added.

Efforts are underway to raise that money.

The county Department of Human Assistance has requested approval to make a onetime payment of $50,000—and possibly as much as $75,000—to keep the shelter open “and provide more capacity to service homeless youth,” a DHA staff report states.

(Raheem F. Hosseini)

Full-BloWn healTh cRisis put down the soda: Forty-six percent of Sacramento County residents are prediabetic or diabetic without knowing it, according to a new UCLA study that puts California on notice for an expansive health epidemic.

Prediabetes indicates abnormally high blood glucose levels and predicts Type 2 diabetes in up to 70 percent of lifetime cases.

The county rate is equal to the state’s, both of which far outstrip the percentage of confirmed Type 2 diagnoses, which stands at 9 percent of the California population.

“This is the clearest indication to date that the diabetes epidemic is out of control and getting worse,” Dr. Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, said in a release.

The CCPHA commissioned the study, which was conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. (RFH)

shRa paY Employees of the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency will see their salaries increase 7.5 percent by 2020, according to a collective bargaining agreement slated for approval on Tuesday.

It’s estimated that the five-year agreement will cost the city and county of Sacramento an additional $1.8 million. The Sacramento City Council and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors were both scheduled to approve the agreement on March 22.

The SHRA is charged with addressing affordable housing and community revitalization needs in low income communities and older commercial corridors located in the city and unincorporated county of Sacramento. (RFH)

03.24.16 | SN&R | 9

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End of the line More than ever, we need a complete overhaul of Regional Transit

by Cosmo Garvin

city—or at least as a not-half-assed city—demands For all of the 20 years that I’ve lived in a much better transit system than the one we Sacramento, I’ve heard people complain about have now. light rail: dirty trains, homeless people, blah, Some are pinning their hopes on a possible blah, blah. And yet, for the most part, ridership half-cent sales tax measure, being considered on Regional Transit grew until 2009. That’s when by the Sacramento Transportation Authority, to something changed, and ridership started falling. fund a variety of road and transportation projects, It wasn’t the social scene that changed. It possibly including some funding for RT. wasn’t that people suddenly found out the trains How likely is it that RT will get even onewere unclean, or that the seats were stained and quarter of a cent more from an STA sales tax? threadbare. RT lost 9 million riders since 2009-10 Sure, transit supporters will be inclined to vote because it got too expensive, trips take way too for any crumb of additional funding, because it’s long and the system doesn’t go where people need better than nothing. But we can do better. it to go.

Sacramento mayoral candidate Russell Now, there seems to be a lot of confidence among RT board members and staff that “cleaning Rawlings—who knows better than any of the other candidates what it’s like to depend up” the system will bring back riders. on the transit system—says RT This is the nut of RT’s “choice needs a complete overhaul. “I riders” strategy. (That and believe we need to replace RT streetcars, the arena and free with something that works Wi-Fi.) for the people.”

Cleaning up RT is nice Our sense of self as a I’m intrigued by and fine, good for everyOrganize Sacramento body—as long it doesn’t world-class city—or at organizer Michelle mean discriminating least as a not-half-assed Pariset’s proposal for against poor people. (A city—demands a much a special city transit real possibility, unfortufunding district. Rather nately.) But cleaning up better transit system. than relying on voters out RT is not going to bring in suburban Sacramento back 9 million riders. It is County to agree on a funding not even going to replace the package, Pariset suggests asking 1 million or so riders RT will Sacramento city voters for help to lose with this summer’s fare hike. support a combination of bike and pedesThat’s right: Last week, the RT board voted to go ahead with a 10 percent increase trian improvements, along with better RT service.

It could be funded by a local half-cent sales tax, in fares in order to make up for an unexpected or maybe a small property-tax assessment, as we budget shortfall. RT is likely to cut several bus do with schools. Or a ticket surcharge on arena lines to save money as well. events, or some combination thereof.

RT has the highest base fares of any public My guess is that the powers-that-be won’t like transit system in California. RT also eliminated Pariset’s idea, because it would compete with transfers a few years ago. At the same time, RT STA’s proposal. also severed many of the connections between its Oh, well. Maybe, as Rawlings suggests, a total bus and light-rail networks.

The new fare hikes are supposed to address the reset of RT is in order. We certainly need some new ideas to be heard. immediate shortfall. And RT leaders believe the The old ideas are not getting us where we current effort to “clean up” and a crackdown on need to go. Ω fare evasion will help to stabilize the system.

Maybe or maybe not. Even if it does, merely stopping the bleeding isn’t nearly good enough.

Our environment and economy, the health of our Read a longer version of this essay at www.newsreview.com. neighborhoods, our sense of self as a world-class

‘She is rolling in money’ UC Davis student protest of Chancellor Linda Katehi enters third week

by Kris HooKs

k r i s h@ n e w s re v i e w . c o m

It’s been more than two weeks since dozens of UC Davis student-protesters first occupied Chancellor Linda Katehi’s office on the fifth floor of Mrak Hall. And, with each passing day, more food donations arrive, more wall space is covered with “Fire Katehi” signs—and it seems more likely that the two sides won’t come to an agreement.

Students are demanding Katehi be fired for accepting seats on the boards of DeVry Education Group, a for-profit company, and John Wiley & Sons, a textbook publishing company where she earned $420,000 from 2012 to 2014.

However, Katehi has the backing from University of California President Janet Napolitano, who, despite noting Katehi’s questionable decisions, stated she continues “to believe in the value of her contributions to the University.”

But the protesters say they intend to stay until Katehi is gone.

“We want to make it clear to administration, and to anybody else who may be watching, this is serious business to us, and we are not backing down,” Ben Briskin, a protestor and junior entomology major at the university, told SN&R. Katehi stepped down from the DeVry seat on February 29, just one week after accepting the $70,000-a-year position. Soon after, she sent out an apology to students and university faculty for accepting the seat, stating that it didn’t “comply with UC policy” and was “my mistake.”

But Katehi, who makes $424,000 a year as chancellor of UC Davis, also noted that she would continue to accept board appointments. In her 2015 chancellor’s report, she listed 19 board memberships, 13 of which she still holds.

In an attempt to make amends for her recent actions, she vowed to establish a $200,000 scholarship for undergraduate students—money that she says will come from her Wiley stock.

The student protesters, however, say that’s not enough. Briskin said that Katehi’s recent controversy casts a negative light on the university.“As things get harder and harder for [the students], we see that she is rolling in money,” Briskin said. “And that’s apparently not enough for her.”

Sacramento Assemblyman Kevin McCarty and three other lawmakers agree with the protesters’ demand for Katehi to resign.

In a statement, McCarty called Katehi’s decisions “unseemly.”

He also called for a legislative oversight hearing to look into the university system’s policy on moonlighting.

Although the Mrak Hall occupiers are focused on getting Ketahi fired, they hope it ultimately leads to a discussion of the larger systematic issues at the university level.

“We hope that this can be a stepping stone into a larger conversation about the urgency of breaking down these structures within higher education all over the country,” Briskin said. Ω

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

allowed to vote. I could not believe The Republicans are coming.

Most years, the California presiden- that adults would do this to kids. I was angry that this could happen in the tial primaries mean very little, because country I loved and believed in.

by June the candidates have already Now, 42 years later, I, too, am been chosen. This year is different. sorry. Recently, I have been working Our state primary could determine if with Muslim organizations around Donald Trump obtains a majority of the country on a nationwide Habitat delegates before the convention. for Humanity project. The head of Between now and June 7, the Council on American-Islamic Republicans will hear many campaign Relations in California told me messages. There are some secondary that, right now, things are worse for issues in the Republican campaign: Muslims than after September 11. A Does climate change actually exist? few years ago, a CAIR study found Should more Americans have assault that 50 percent of California’s Muslim rifles? But the big issue is race.

Ted Cruz and Trump are competing youth reported social or verbal bullying at school. for the racist vote. Trump calls Linda Sarsour, execuundocumented immigrants tive director of the from Mexico “rapists.”

Arab American And Cruz has Association of praised Trump for New York, told these remarks.

It was important to me that her But they stand up against racist Jim teenage children have both are totally Crow policies, and it is now outdone themfixated on the selves in their important to take a stand Republican hatred toward against the hate speech of primaries and Muslims. debates because Trump and Cruz.

Cruz has they want to tried to equate find out “what is all Muslims with going to happen to ISIS. He says it is them.” Understandably, “lunacy” to allow Syrian American Muslims are afraid.

Muslim refugees into the As are Latinos, both citizens and United States. Trump says we need undocumenteds. to get tough against Muslims, citing We should not accept this hate the unsubstantiated story that Gen. speech in America. Just as it was John J. Pershing shot 49 Philippine important to stand up against racist Muslim prisoners with bullets soaked Jim Crow policies, it is now important in pigs’ blood. to take a stand against the hate speech I am generally a pretty cynical of Trump and Cruz. We must reject guy. But I am shocked, saddened and their racist rhetoric in such overashamed by this hate speech. whelming numbers that no one can I am reminded of being 12 years Ω old in the spring of 1963, and watching ever think that they represent us. on TV the Birmingham, Ala., police using attack dogs, and then highpowered fire hoses, blowing peaceful black protesters down the street. I was Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority horrified. These kids were demonstratowner of the News & Review. ing because their parents were not

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Scorekeeper and the sacramento Bee editorial board agree, amazingly, on the search for City Manager John Shirey’s successor: It doesn’t make sense to hire a permanent head before the next mayor takes office, despite efforts for increased transparency in the recruitment process. Promote an interim head, and let Steinberg—err, the next mayor—be part of the process.

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Katehi must go

Defensive ass

State legislators sen. Richard Pan and Rep. Jim Cooper have got UC Davis Chancellor Linda Katehi’s back, according to recent press releases, which goes against the tough talk of Rep. Kevin McCarty. Scorekeeper’s disappointed in Pan and Cooper; Katehi may bring in the money for the UC system, but she’s bad for public education and needs to go.

Props to former-Sacramento-King-turnedCSN-Bay-Area-TV-analyst Doug Christie for swearing on-air, criticizing defense with a good ol’ “Can you double-team his ass?”

Damn adept halftime analysis, Doug. (Also, Christie is still constipated … an inside joke for CSN insiders.)

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How Sacramento’s booming s food-delivery industry make us lazier—and also angers some restaurant owners

BY BECKY GRUNEWALD • ILLUSTRATION BY HAWK KRALL • PHOTO BY EVAN DURAN

14 | SN&R | 03.24.16

Food delivery has always seemed like a big city thing. More hustleand-bustle East Coast than leisurely-lunch-on-a-sun-dappled West Coast patio. I can thank TV for that perception. For years, plotlines about takeout have figured prominently on shows such as Seinfeld and Sex in the City, reinforcing the cliché of delivery being the refuge of the harried professional in the seventh-floor Manhattan walk-up.

But recently that cliché has proven true in Sacramento with the downtown and Midtown areas (and somewhat beyond) witnessing an explosion of delivery options.

Sacramento has long had business behemoth GrubHub to turn to—its service is offered in nearly 1,000 cities nationwide. Now, within just the last eight months, the San Francisco-based Postmates and Caviar have also joined the 916 fray, while local upstart FoodJets promises to get diners food in 10 minutes or less.

There’s also the lesser-known, nonmobilefriendly Food To You, as well as the quirky, locally based indie delivery service Edible Pedal.

So many choices—all of which lead to why I, a person who generally walks or bikes to restaurants several times a week and never gets delivery, am now sitting in a Midtown apartment with an ex-New Yorker, waiting for some FoodJets entrees to arrive.

My friend Alison Dolan lived in Manhattan for more than nine years, and during that time got meals delivered, either to her home or office, at least two or three times a week. Dolan points out that there, with the city’s inclement weather, lack of cars and just generally exhausting pace, it made sense to get delivery.

Here in Sacramento, Dolan works from home and can’t really take lengthy breaks from the phone and computer, so she still frequently gets food brought to her house. Caviar is her favorite service, thanks to the artfully photographed food featured on its app, but she’s also excited to try FoodJets.

The company’s snappily branded, befinned orange-and-blue cars have been hard to miss since the Sacramento-based business took flight last October. The company was launched by Darren McAdams, who also runs Food To You. FoodJet’s association between meals and airlines is perhaps not the most appetizing one, calling to mind flavorless pucks of protein drowning in a red or brown sauce. The food itself did not dispel this impression. It’s delivered hot, and there’s a lot of it, but as we eat, our thoughts lead to comments such as “It’s not horrible” and “Well, it’s edible.”

The chalky enchiladas suizas were accompanied by refried beans that evoked half-dried concrete, the chicken Florentine was inferior to a Lean Cuisine and the kung pao chicken was salty and rubbery. The app lists entrees on a menu that rotates daily, and its FAQ section claims the food is made “by some of the best local restaurants.”

If so, such restaurants would be wise to disavow an association.

‘AS IF ThE dInEr’S CouCh IS In ThE rESTAurAnT’ Upscale Caviar, with its Instagram-worthy natural-light photos, really does offer a curated list of well-regarded local restaurants, such as LowBrau, Hot Italian and Federalist Public House. Caviar was founded in 2012 by four UC Berkeley alumni who met in a frat and had some hefty initial financial backing, including from Cameron and Norton Winklevoss, the twin venture capitalists perhaps best known for their legal tanglings with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. In 2014, Caviar was purchased by the online-payment company Square for $90 million.

A testimonial video aimed at restaurateurs on Caviar’s website makes it clear that it wants to be known as the delivery app for foodies with chef James Syhabout of Oakland’s Hawker Fare praising Caviar’s freshness.

“The lettuce isn’t getting wilted, the food’s … still aromatic,” Syhabout says in the video. “[It’s] as if the diner’s couch is in the restaurant.”

Likewise, celebrity ramen guru Ivan Orkin says that on some days up to 20 percent of the business at his New York namesake Ivan Ramen comes from Caviar orders.

He’ll need that volume because the Caviar business model works by taking a cut from the restaurateur. The service currently only delivers to 16 cities, most of them food meccas; Hot Italian co-owner Andrea Lepore, who worked with Caviar for more than a year at Hot Italian’s Emeryville location, urged the company to come to Sacramento.

“They are a very professional company, well-funded, and have a lot of drivers. The food is delivered to our high standards, on time and hot,” Lepore said.

My order of a prosciutto-and-arugula-topped Fiori pizza from Hot Italian arrived in less than 30 minutes, with the crust retaining the key textural interplay between crispy and chewy. The old-school chopped romaine Belinelli salad was delivered unwilted with red wine dressing on the side. A quick toss with two wooden spoons in a salad bowl made me glad to be enjoying this restaurant-quality meal at home, with a bottle of red wine from my cellar.

We ordered another meal on Caviar, this time from a place that didn’t fit as well in the upscale selection. A delivery from Broadway institution Los Jarritos yielded a typically greasy, cheesy chicken taco platter. This is a good thing.

When I asked my Caviar driver about tips, he informed me that about 20 to 30 percent of

his customers tip, and then rang the doorbell five minutes later to correct himself. The amount of people who tip, he told me, is actually just 10 to 15 percent. He then offered my tip back in apology for “lying.”

Uh, no dude, that’s OK. Chicken tacos with a side of awkward.

If hipster Caviar is like the Instagram of food apps, GrubHub is more like Myspace. The app is visually chaotic, with tiny logos representing numerous local restaurants. Inexplicably, on a Tuesday evening the fastest advertised delivery time offered was 45 minutes—even for a restaurant located mere blocks from my house. The longest projected wait was 130 minutes.

Starving post-spin class, I ended up ordering from Bombay Bar and Grill, crossing my fingers that it would arrive more quickly than the estimated hour. A status update on the app reassured me that my meal was “in the works,” but then I panicked as it didn’t update for 25 minutes.

“There’s something inevitable about the explosion in food delivery. I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.”

Ed Roehr owner, Magpie, Nido and Yellowbill

In the end, the food arrived within 35 minutes. The creamy, hearty, saucy style of Indian food that Bombay traffics in lends itself particularly well to delivery and our chana sag and Bombay masala arrived steaming hot.

Bombay co-owner Harman Bhandal said that up to 25 percent and possibly more of their business comes from delivery and that “it’s an easy way for people to find us … these services work really well.”

GrubHub is workmanlike but uninspiring; in contrast, upstart company Postmates is inspiring vitriol in some local chefs.

Mother and Empress Tavern chef Mike Thiemann has been particularly fired up about the service, decrying it as “market capitalism at its weakest. Like many services, Postmates makes its money by tacking on service and delivery fees.

“It’s like a business built a door in front of my business with a different set of rules and standards,” Thiemann said. “[It] makes money every time someone goes through that door to get to ours.”

“GUESS WHO’S COMING WITH DINNER?” continued on page 16

03.24.16 | SN&R | 15

“GUESS WHO’S COMING WITH DINNER?” continued from page 15

ON DELIVERY One writer holes up at home and nervously goes for broke

BY RACHEL LEIBROCK • RACHELL@NEWSREVIEW.COM

It’s

just past noon on a stormy Saturday and I’m starving—nearing hangry status, actually.

I could cook, but nothing in the fridge sounds good. I could leave the house, but I’m still in yoga pants and a hoodie. Also: hello, stormy Saturday.

There’s another reason to stay put, too: With the recent deluge of food delivery services, I’ve challenged myself to a weekend at home, surviving like a pioneer who, instead of hunting the plains for dinner, must instead forage the Internet for provisions.

Initially, it seemed fun—a weekend spent holed up at home, cozy and well-fed by a steady procession of delivery drivers.

Being a shut-in, however, isn’t as easy—or fun— as it might seem. It’s anxiety-inducing, actually.

This is what I’m realizing as I flip through various apps, scouring lunch options. GrubHub will bring Jimboy’s, which sort of sounds awesome but ordering fast food makes me feel as though I’ve given up on life.

FoodJets, which works with local restaurants to build its daily menu, isn’t offering any vegetarian entrees on this particular day, so unless I want a lunch that consists solely of pita chips and hummus, I need to move on.

My husband suggests pizza. Postmates has a “free slice and soda” promo but the app doesn’t say where it’s from.

“I have a feeling it’s just going to be some guy picking up the stuff that they sell outside at Costco,” he says.

Pass.

Luckily, there are other options, so we decide to order a few slices from Uncle Vito’s. Easy enough, right?

Eh, not so much.

“Why is this order almost $45?” I yell after the app spits out a total. That’s a lot for two pesto slices and one cheese. My husband glances over at the screen and patiently points out my mistake. I’ve selected “whole pie” instead of slice for two of the options.

Oh. Order amended, it’s still pricey, thanks to a $1.17 service fee (9 percent of the total order) and the $9.75 delivery fee that’s been discounted, for no particular reason, down to $7.73.

Then there’s the business of the tip: The app suggests 20 percent but I change it to 10 percent and then spend the next half hour fretting about how miserly I am even as I pay nearly $25 for three slices of pizza.

See? Anxiety-inducing.

It’s raining hard by the time the delivery guy shows up toting three small boxes, a mountain of red pepper packets—and napkins from Chipotle? The pizza is lukewarm, which makes me feel better about the cheapskate tip.

16 | SN&R | 03.24.16

My brain cells fed once again, I’m antsy despite the rain. I usually run errands on Saturdays, and sitting around at home, still in the yoga pants and hoodie, I’m starting to feel disgusted with myself. A shower, a change of clothes and the increasingly loud bluster of the wind, however, settles my mind and I realize I’m hungry again.

By this point GrubHub, Postmates and Caviar are in full delivery mode and there are tons of choices, to the point that it’s overwhelming. I wonder if it would help to take a Xanax.

For a hot second, I think about checking out the smaller, well-curated Edible Pedal options but then remember that would require me to call the restaurant and place the order myself. That seems to defeat the purpose, so, after a lengthy discussion, we settle on Orchid Thai, once again via Postmates. Despite the ever-worsening storm, our order—curry, sauteed vegetables with tofu, an order of caramelized tofu skewers and enough brown rice to feed an army— arrives so quickly that my guilt kicks in full-force and I up the tip from 10 percent to 25 percent.

Being a shut-in with deeply rooted guilt issues just might break my bank account.

Come Sunday, it’s grocery time. I’d try Google Express, which offers deliveries from the likes of Whole Foods, Target and Costco, but the soonest I can get an order is the next day. I move on to PrimeNow, Amazon’s two-hour service and as I browse through page after page of options, the stress creeps up again.

I’m the type of person who’s had to circle back to a store three times to check off the items for a recipe—that’s not going to work with PrimeNow’s $20 order minimum. I need to think about this very carefully.

“Do we need almond milk? What about cat litter?

How about Kashi GoLean? A new iPhone cable?”

“Don’t get sucked in to buying everything just because they have it,” my husband says.

I settle on almond milk, cereal, cat litter and a phone cable as well as fresh blueberries, tomatoes and avocados and select a late-afternoon delivery window. As soon I hit “place order,” however, the familiar sense of dread settles in. I know I forgot something. Can I cancel and reorder? It’s raining really hard, I hope the driver will be OK. By the time we order dinner for the night—pizza (again!) from Federalist Public House via Caviar—I’m kind of a mess. The delivery is perfect—our Fromaggio and Margherita pies are brought to the door quickly despite the ever-raging wind and rain—but I forget to tip because I mistakenly think the gratuity is tacked on to the order as with the other services.

I’m going to need that Xanax after all. Now I just need to find someone who’ll deliver it. Ω

Many local chefs, including Thiemann, also don’t like Postmates because of the lack of control they have over how and when the food is delivered.

Billy Ngo says he doesn’t mind people using it for his fast-casual poke spot Fish Face, but it’s not a good fit for his upscale sushi restaurant Kru—although he won’t go as far as refusing Postmate’s orders, as Thiemann and some other chefs have.

“First priority goes to our dine-in guests, but if they are willing to wait an hour for to-go [from Kru], I’ll take it,” Ngo said.

Thiemann complains that Postmates grabs images from his restaurant’s social media accounts without permission, and he’s not alone with that concern. He’s even gone as far as to threaten legal action to get the images of Mother’s food taken down.

When contacted for comment, Postmates’ Director of Communications April Conyers seemed bewildered as to why the chef was still angry about the delivery service months after its launch. “[It’s] kind of weird to me,” she said. The company made some missteps when it first entered the market, Conyers says, but now they are “definitely much quicker to remove restaurants when they just don’t want to be a part of it.”

She acknowledges that some chefs bemoan the lack of control, but adds that those chefs have an opportunity to partner with Postmates, and in exchange for a cut of their profits (between 15 and 20 percent, similar to other apps) are granted total control, including the ability to pause orders if they get behind, and to integrate the Postmates order into their point of sale software.

“There’s no exchange of money, the Postmate literally walks in and grabs the bag and walks out,” she said.

Postmates’ current default policy is to add restaurants

to its app—and then remove them upon request.

And those Uber-like Postmate star ratings solicited after delivery?

“We take a look at every low rating and either go back to the merchant … or we work with the Postmate. … Quality to us is everything,” Conyers said. “From our perspective if we deliver food that’s not in good shape, you’re not going to order again, so that’s not good for anyone.”

My first Postmates meal from Orchid Thai arrived—in good shape—and within 35 minutes. The bland lettucestuffed spring rolls came sans the promised sauce but Sriracha doctored them up.

I purposely introduced a wrinkle for a more complicated order from 58 Degrees and Holding Co.: Some of the menus available through Postmates nonpartners are not up-to-date, so I chose a trio of bruschetta I knew was not on the current menu to see how my Postmate would handle it; I also added a custom request for a $20 bottle of wine.

The bruschetta order turned out to be no big deal.

Within three minutes of placing the order, I received a phone call from my Postmate, Vanessa, who wanted to make sure the available seasonal bruschetta substitution would be OK. Vanessa also picked out a decent pinot noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands in the Monterey area. It’s a bit of a cult wine that came at a good price, although at $25 it was $5 higher than the price limit I’d requested.

Unlike GrubHub and other services, Postmates can, theoretically, deliver almost anything. For example, one night I had two six-packs of beer—Lagunitas IPA and Pacifico—dispatched to a punk show. Instant hero!

Technically, the company is supposed to ask for ID but I guess I looked old enough for my driver to skip the procedure.

Local bike service Edible Pedal doesn’t deliver for very

John Boyer’s Edible Pedal bike service was ahead of the food delivery curve.

Food, at your Fingertips So many food delivery options, so little time (and stomach space). Mobile friendly? Tips? Delivery and service fees? Check out this guide so you don’t go hangry trying to decide which service to hit up.

GrubHub App: Yes Tip solicited: Yes Minimum order required: Yes, average $15-$20 Delivery fee: Yes, usually, ranges from $2 to $6 Service fee: No Fun fact: The more you use the app, the more

effectively it supposedly customizes its options and recommendations to your tastes.

Website: www.grubhub.com

Caviar App: Yes Tip solicited: No Minimum order required: No Delivery fee: Yes, ranges from $2 to $5 Service fee: Yes, small percentage of the bill Fun fact: The service offers an option to order ahead

from restaurants that haven’t opened yet.

Website: www.trycaviar.com

FoodJets Postmates can, theoretically, deliver almost anything. One night I had two six-packs of beer dispatched to a punk show.

Instant hero!

many businesses, but it has inspired intense loyalty in those who partner with it. Ed Roehr, who owns Magpie, Nido and Yellowbill, has worked with Edible Pedal for more than four years and says he prefers it to any other such service.

“I like the bicycle aspect and we trust them to make sure the food gets there in one piece. … We recommend that people use them rather than putting another car on the road.”

Owner John Boyer said that he’s “obviously not too happy” about the explosion of other delivery apps after working for five years to build his delivery service, which is accessed through calling participating restaurants and asking that the food be delivered via Edible Pedal. “[The apps] don’t train people to love the food they’re delivering. I train my people to be an extension of the restaurants,” he says. “I drill them about the quality and what’s at stake, i.e. how much is organic, how much is local, so that they’re invested.”

The company also uses what it claims are higher-quality insulated, zippered bags so that the food stays as warm or cold as possible before its delivery.

When I tried it out, an Enchanted Forest juice from Sun & Soil Juice Co. took more than an hour to arrive and rang in at the decadent price of $14 (Edible Pedal’s standard flat $5 delivery fee on top of the $9 juice), but it was still cold and refreshingly minty.

A turkey sandwich from Magpie would have arrived within the promised window of time, but was a scant few minutes late because the driver had forgotten the bottle of Zeal Kombucha and had to double back.

Although Roehr prefers Edible Pedal, he has no specific quibble with any of the other services.

“There’s something inevitable about the explosion in food delivery. I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.”

Now that I’ve opened the Pandora’s box of delivery in researching this piece it’s harder for me to venture out on that rainy evening, or at the end of the workday after I’ve already taken off my bra and put on the comfortable yoga pants.

After all of that eating, what have I learned? From a bit of trial and error, I’ve stumbled on the revolutionary idea that the quintessential delivery food is … pizza. Preferably from Hot Italian. Delivered by bike. Ω

App: Yes Tip solicited: No Minimum order required: No Delivery fee: No Service fee: No Fun fact: In addition to choosing meals from a chang-

ing daily menu, the service also delivers Starbucks, bottled water and various energy drinks.

Website: www.foodjets.com

edible Pedal App: None Tip solicited: No Minimum order required: No Delivery fee: Yes, $5 Service fee: No Fun fact: Unlike other services, the company requires

customers to place an order from its list of participating restaurants and request that Edible Pedal pick up.

Website: www.ediblepedal.com

Postmates App: Yes Tip solicited: Yes Minimum order required: No Delivery fee: Yes, starts at $3.99 Service fee: Yes, 9 percent of order Fun fact: Want booze? Postmates delivers beer and

wine (ID required), as well as candy, beef jerky and other worthy snacks.

Website: http://postmates.com

—Becky Grunewald

03.24.16 | SN&R | 17

Art’s utility plAyer Gioia Fonda’s upcoming “Give a Fork” installation aims to start a conversation on food deserts, hunger and solutions

BY STEPH RODRIGUEZ

Polish your grandma’s treasured silverware; straighten—or don’t—the contorted cutlery caught in the garbage disposal; whatever your approach, artist Gioia Fonda wants Sacramento to give a fork. Ten thousand forks, to be exact.

Fonda, an artist and art professor at Sacramento City College, works primarily in mediums such as painting, drawing, sewing and photography. Some of her pieces exist on a grand scale—for example, she recently altered a kitchen in the historic Jade Apartments for February’s sold out, temporary art exhibit, Art Hotel, by transforming her assigned room into a bright and colorful retro-style space with light pink walls decorated with dozens of forks.

Now she’s thinking big by picking up the small utensils again. Last summer, Fonda became one of three local artists awarded a $10,000 grant by the Crocker Art Museum’s Block by Block initiative.

The grants are aimed at engaging communities typically underrepresented by the Crocker by creating provocative art experiences that represent city council Districts 2, 5 and 8. Fonda will use her funds to create “Give a Fork,” an interactive

art project that will address food deserts, nutrition, urban gardening, food insecurity and food culture.

Block by Block’s other grant winners are Anthony Padilla, an artist known for scaling 10-foot ladders with cans of spray paint, and the hip-hop collective, ZFG (Zero Forbidden Goals). Padilla’s “Solar Poppy” installation will bloom in North Sacramento as a way to spark a discussion about solar power. Meanwhile, the members of ZFG are busy creating a mobile stage with audio and projection systems that will help the group host its pop-up spoken-word series #TheMostOpenMicInTheCity.

Artist Gioia Fonda launched a GoFundMe campaign to collect materials for her Block by Block installation.

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Hey, ladies … see NiGHT&day

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Primal eaTs see HomeGrowN

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sac’s BesT mexicaN Food? see disH

Fonda says the grant’s mission to fund social practice Fonda’s count currently adds up to about 1,000 pieces. art appealed to her.

Sure, it would be easier for Fonda to buy 10,000 four“Social practice artwork can be so many different pronged utensils to construct her vision, but then the social things,” Fonda says. “The concept behind it is that you’re engagement factor would be lost. getting art out into the public in a way that is not having Instead, she’s asked her community for help. Volunteer people go to a gallery or a museum. It’s supposed to be groups go door to door to collect forks for the cause, former more accessible in terms of just people running into it.” students raised money at Super Bowl parties to donate Social practice artwork often includes community to the GoFundMe page and community centers like the involvement, she adds. “Give a Fork” doesn’t just represent Colonial Heights Library and the Oak Park Community a clever play on words, it also aims to raise awareness Center are two active drop-off locations. about hunger and food culture in District 5, which includes Every fork, in Fonda’s eyes, is a unique component of neighborhoods in south Land Park, Lawrence Park, her “Give a Fork” puzzle, with each telling a story about Colonial Heights and others. the donor’s relationship with food; Fonda is quick to draw a The Crocker Art Museum’s Dea Montelongo, art corps likeness from the variety of forks she receives to the diverse fellow for the Block by Block initiative, says Fonda’s drive scope of people who donate them. and passion were just two factors that caught the panel’s “These forks are like humans. I’m getting the weirdest attention. variety of forks,” she says. “I’m getting weird, little pickle “We had about 27 submissions, but her project stood forks, fondue forks. I think people are giving me strange out because of the level of community engagement and forks because they want to be able to identify their fork in involvement,” Montelongo says. the sculpture, and that’s OK.” “With the lack of access to quality One former art student of food and the food desert in that area, Fonda’s, Debra Mendes, has we thought this would be a great collected the most forks so far, project for District 5.” hitting the pavement in south Land In District 5, places to purchase Park with a group of eight volunfresh groceries are few and far teers. Think door-to-door gospel, between in some areas. but instead of someone knocking Fonda’s finished structure, set to speak about God, this group just for completion by July 31, will be wants to talk about Fonda’s project constructed entirely of donated forks and social practice art. and hang on a steel gate-like form “We collected 170 forks on that with each silver utensil twinkling. day [and] altogether, I have probably Its location has yet to be determined collected about 330 forks on my but Fonda says she has her eye on a own from family members and variparticular brick wall in Oak Park. ous people,” Mendes says.

With the installation’s location For Fonda, such canvassing still in the works, Fonda is focused and conversations are key. As a on collecting forks. nine-year resident of Lawrence “I want people to think big,” Park, a neighborhood nestled Gioia Fonda she says. “I’ll take forks from between Stockton Boulevard and artist, “Give a Fork” anywhere.”

28th Avenue, she says the dearth In December, Fonda launched a of grocery stores stands in stark GoFundMe campaign through which contrast to the area’s abundance of she’s soliciting funds (to offset the liquor and convenience shops. costs not covered by the grant) and Still, Fonda believes, “If we forks. Now, she says, donated utensils are showing up pracask for better, we can get it.” To that end, she hopes the tically everywhere. Whether it’s bundles left anonymously completed installation will spark a dialogue. on her porch, forks passed to her in the hallways of City “I think that we’re all foodies. We all love to eat and College or the utensils she finds randomly during her daily there’s really great secret treasures in all neighborhoods, we bicycle commute, the pieces are steadily trickling in. just need to recast that,” she says. “Being interested in food And, she adds, she can’t resist a shiny fork that catches isn’t just for hipsters—everyone should be interested in her eye from the gutter. food because we have to think about it several times a day.”

“I pick up everything in the road,” she says. In fact, The “Give a Fork” installation will hang strong for whatever that “everything” might be—coat hangers, for three years. After that, chunks will be sold to restaurants example—often travels around with her in a tote bag. and other businesses, while the remaining pieces will be But why, exactly, forks? donated to community gardens and schools.

“A fork is a really personal item. It’s been in people’s Fonda’s GoFundMe campaign will continue through mouths. It’s been with them through family occasions and April and when it’s done she’ll turn to the painstaking work dinners,” Fonda says. of drilling tiny holes into each fork in May. The scope of the sculpture will depend on how many of “Once they’re all moving and you see how many are all these utilitarian mementos she receives. together, it makes a big statement,” she says of the sculp“The more forks I get, the bigger the sculpture will be. ture. “Imagine that whole wall covered in them. I think it I keep throwing out the number 10,000 just because I think will look really cool.” Ω that conveys to people that I need a lot.”

“A fork is a really personal item. It’s been in people’s mouths. It’s been with them through family occasions and dinners.”

Learn more about the “Give a Fork” art installation and how to donate at www.giveafork.net.

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THe sake sommelier see 15 miNUTes

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a fine funk It stinks.

I’m in a dark, cold room with more than 500 wheels of cheddar weighing 60 pounds each. They’re aging, emitting an intense perfume and sprouting green mold in the process.

I follow the crowd into another dark, cold room. There’s even more cheese. The same kind of cheese, actually. But it’s older, stinkier. Wheels look as if they’re caked with brown dust. Only it’s not dust. it’s a herd of mites.

Gross. I decide cheese is totally gross.

And delicious, obviously. One of my favorite things ever. california’s artisan cheese Festival took place last weekend, and for the first time, it included some activities outside the usual cheese bubble of Marin and Sonoma counties. Specifically, two different “Capitol area” farm tours took place north and south of Sacramento.

I ventured south to Modesto, specifically to gawk at Fiscalini Cheese Co.’s bandagewrapped cheddar. This is the stinky stuff.

This is also the cheddar deemed the World’s Best Cheddar at the World Cheese Awards in London. Not just once, but three times. It’s the only American cheddar to ever win, in fact. Aged 14 months, it’s nutty, earthy, crumbly and wonderful.

Sliding on the sanitized floor, wearing a hairnet, surrounded by men in hairnets and beardnets, I felt like I got very close to Fiscalini’s cheese. I smelled its sweat and I still couldn’t wait to eat it.

I also met a room full of Fiscalini’s famous original San Joaquin Gold, and some of the 1,500 cows that help make it.

Why does good cheese taste so good? Brian Fiscalini, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, said there are a lot of different factors, but the main thing is the milk. Clean milk with a super-low white blood cell count leads to great cheese.

And in the case of the Fiscalini family, the cows also provide the farm—and some of Modesto—with electricity. “everything you just saw is powered by poop,” Fiscalini said.

With that, our tour bus took off for Nicolau Farms, a selfsustaining farmstead in Modesto. Surrounded by almond orchards, Nicolau looked shockingly pristine, with a manicured lawn, idyllic backyard and palm trees. It’s also on 30 acres, with 200 goats inadvertently contributing to creamy chevre and a variety of flavored cheeses.

Walter Nicolau, another fourth-generation dairy farmer, started the family’s cheesemaking enterprise. None of his stories, however, got visitors as excited as when he uttered the words “baby goat.”

Nicolau jumped into the spacious goat pen and pulled out an adorable white goat, born just that morning. The blue-eyed, pink-nosed baby got passed around, always with an audible gasp at its remarkable lightness. A photo shoot ensued.

When the goat got to me, I was overcome with cuteness, but also, with cheese thoughts. This goat was going to make such awesome cheese one day soon. cheese is life.

I got very close to Fiscalini’s cheese.

I smelled its sweat and I still couldn’t wait to eat it.

—Janelle Bitker ja ne lle b @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

03.24.16 | SN&R | 19

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20 | SN&R | 03.24.16

FoR ThE wEEk oF MARCh 24

Purple Rain FRIDAY, MARCH 25 The Purple One is one of the great kings of weird, and in 1984 he put out Purple Rain. Equal parts cheesy, rockin’, sexy and ridiculous, the narrative FILM follows an eccentric up-and-coming musician from Minneapolis. There’s also a costume contest, so start steaming that purple-velvet whatever. $8-$10; 7:30 p.m. at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street; (916) 476-3356; www.crestsacramento.com.

—DeenA DRewIs

Dog Day of Fun sATURDAY, MARCH 26 Denio’s Farmer’s Market and Swap Meet plays host to “National Something on a Stick Day” (yes, that’s a thing) by bringing together corn dog lovers and their canine companions. If you can eat more corn dogs than anyone else in four minutes, you’ll win PETS $200. No? You can still cheer on your favorite four-legged friend in the wiener dog and small dog races. The SPCA will be on hand with adoptable pets. Free; 11 a.m. at Denio’s Farmers Market, 1551 Vineyard Road in Roseville; (916) 782-2704; http://deniosmarket.com/dog-day-of-fun-2016.

—LoRY GIL

NanoDays sATURDAY, MARCH 26

writer-actor-comedian Michael Showalter, depicts the story of a spunky 60-something woman who falls in love with a much younger man played by Max Greenfield, a.k.a. Schmidt from The New Girl. This narrative trope of older-woman-meets-younger-man is pretty much always passed over for its inverse, so catch it while you can. Visit www.readingcinemasus.com or call (916) 442-0985 for tickets.

On Sunday, March 27, pop over to Underground Books (2814 35th Street) for the women’s history Month Discussions to examine issues in contemporary literature and society at large at one of the city’s most diverse bookstores; discussions take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Visit www.under ground-books.com or call (916) 737-3333 for more details. Then on Wednesday, March 30, the Mondavi Center (1 Shields Avenue in Davis) hosts three badass musical artists in Use your Voice 2016: Patty Griffin (an artist in her own right as well as a noted songwriter for the Dixie Chicks and Bette Midler, among others); Sara watkins (founding member of Nickel Creek); and folk singer Anaïs Mitchell. Find out more at http://mondaviarts.org or by calling (530) 7540-2787.

—DeenA DRewIs

—AARon CARnes

Afrosol: The Classic Man Edition sUnDAY, MARCH 27 Dust off your party shoes—and party pants, vest, jacket and bow tie—because the best dressed will win the “Afrosoul classic man of the year” award plus a cash prize. Put together by the brains behind AfroFreak Fashion Week, this night of art, libations, food and music curated by DJ Rock Bottom PARTy promises a strong continuation of the Afrosol Lounge event series. $15-$50; 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Sol Collective, 2574 21st Street; (916) 476-3628; http://whnc-official-events.ticketleap.com.

—DeenA DRewIs

The End of the Road THURsDAY, MARCH 31 IlllustratIon by PrIscIlla GarcIa

That Women’s History Month immediately follows Black History Month means there’s a solid eight weeks during which those #NotAllMen and #AllLivesMatter yahoos feel entitled to complain even more than usual. And yet despite their protestations, another year passes without resolution to the great injustice of not having a special month dedicated to the criminally undercelebrated history of white dudes. Who knows if this injustice will ever get sorted out, but in the meantime, enjoy the rest of ladies’ month with the following local happenings: On Saturday, March 26, the Ms. Senior Sacramento Preliminary Pageant takes place at the Jean Runyon Little Theatre (1515 J Street) at 1:30 p.m. Local ladies over the age of 60 duke it out in an interview and “philosophy of life” segment, formal attire and a talent portion in order to determine who will go on to represent the region in the Ms. Senior California pageant (don’t worry, Steve Harvey wasn’t invited).

Tickets are $15; find out more at www.mssr california.com or by calling (619) 261-4451.

Speaking of combating society’s weird hang-ups with perceiving women as desirable after the age of 27: Sally Field’s latest, hello, My Name is Doris, opened at the Tower Theatre ( 2 5 0 8 L a n d P a r k D r i v e ) l a s t w e e k . T h e c r i t i c a l l y acclaimed film, directed by

Nanotechnology’s importance can’t be understated.

It’s manipulation of matter at a molecular and supramolecular level, but there’s so much more to it than that. The Discovery Museum aims SCIENCE to educate families on the subject with hands-on displays, and explain its impact on the future. $4-$6; 12:30 p.m. at Discovery Museum, 3615 Auburn Boulevard; (916) 808-3942; www.thediscovery.org.

Camping in Style at the California Automobile Museum, which runs through April 10, is a fun, kitschy display of vintage camping trailers from the 1930s through the 1960s. The End of the Road event offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the exhibit by CARS taking down its ropes and letting folks get close-up. $15-$25; 5:30 p.m. at 2200 Front Street; (916) 442-6802; www.calautomuseum.org.

—AARon CARnes

03.24.16 | SN&R | 21

IllustratIons by serene lusano

Baklava delivery PersonAl PAstry Box, Figs & FetA Insight Coffee Roasters’ new baker Alexandra Salidas Roll also sells tasty treats via her Greek food blog Figs & Feta. Most options are for large orders, but don’t miss the personal pastry box ($12, including delivery), which comes with four goodies of your choosing. The best are her renditions of baklava. There’s the traditional version, with sticky layers of buttery filo dough sandwiching honey-sweetened walnuts.

Then, there’s baklava drizzled with dark chocolate and caramel—flakes of sea salt keep it from feeling too sweet. Remember to order at least 24 hours in advance. http://figsandfeta.com.

—JAnelle Bitker

Malty deception Molly, new helvetiA Brewing co.

IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

Craving Chinese?

By Janelle Bitker

Choose your region: When I was a kid, my mom would bring me to these dingy Chinese bakeries for coconut buns, egg tarts, sponge cake spirals and those little pastries stuffed with hot dogs. Yum. Now, there’s a bakery with all those treats—plus some cool extras—in an attractive, clean and pink space. Pegasus Bakery & Cafe (6825 Stockton Boulevard, Suite 265) opened last month and actually functions like a Mexican bakery: You grab a tray and tongs and help yourself to various $1-$2 treats. But there’s also Chinese layered cakes topped with fresh fruit—if you were like me, this was a birthday standard—and Hong Kong egg puffs. Soon, they’ll add 22

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boba tea and a line of Japanese-style crepes in sweet and savory flavors.

Actually, there’s a lot of new Chinese food in the area. In Davis, Chengdu Style (737 Russell Boulevard) just opened, specializing in Sichuan cuisine. It’s owned by the same family behind Chengdu Style in Berkeley, which the local alt-weekly there adores. The menu is clumsily translated, but features sure-to-be fiery and numbing dishes like “Szechuan Jelly Noodle In Chili Sauce” and “Dry Sauteed Pig’s Intestine With Mexican Chili,” plus a few standard Americanized Chinese dishes.

Down in south Sacramento, Happy Family (6175 Stockton Boulevard)

03.24.16

also opened this month. People who get overwhelmed by lengthy menus will appreciate this relatively focused, Cantonese-leaning restaurant.

Old Sacramento got a new Chinese spot, too: Cellar Bistro (1115 Front Street), which is, indeed, located down a flight of stairs.

Unlike Happy Family, the menu is enormous, with huge combo plates—main dish plus crab wonton, pork fried rice and chow mein—for as little as $8. One unusual offering: Hong Kong Western-style baked dishes, featuring a protein over pasta or rice, covered in tomato or cream sauce.

Coffee shrine: The new Temple Coffee at K and 22nd streets is slated to open Saturday, March 26, and it’s supposed to be the biggest, most tricked-out location yet.

That means we can likely expect everything the Davis location has—cascara tea on nitro, Kyotostyle iced coffee—and more. Prime example: Instead of tiles, the floor is covered in more than 500,000 pennies. Enough said. Ω

New Helvetia’s take on the American red ale is pretty much how they describe it: deceptively complex. Molly, the copper-colored brew made with Delta-grown wheat, has a much softer touch than some other red ales, but maintains a subtle fizziness. The brewery’s “hefty amount” of crystal malt helps contribute to the beer’s fruity, yet toasty flavor. Grab a $7 bomber from your favorite local bottle shop. Or better yet, stop by the brewery’s tasting room and use it as a chaser for the day’s chosen food truck fare. 1730 Broadway, http://newhelvetiabrew.com.

—kris hooks

Neanderthal style Artichokes If you’ve ever been to Monterey County, you’ve seen the acres of spiky artichoke thistles grown there. These are primarily the green globe variety, now in markets after a winter break. Most people drown these primitive-looking flowers in butter and gnaw off the flesh with their teeth. If you aren’t feeling the Neanderthal vibe, look for baby artichokes or smaller varieties that can be cooked and eaten whole.

Beautiful wine-colored flowerlets are stunning tossed with pasta and garlic, or try roasting them dressed in oil, lemon and chili flakes until crisp-tender.

—Ann MArtin rolke

Flavor tripping

Easter eats

By JanEllE BitkER

El Bramido Mexican Restaurant & Bar

HHHH 2394 Northgate Boulevard, (916) 565-1552 Dinner for one: $6 - $15 Good for: changing your mind about Mexican food in Sacramento

Notable dishes: aguachiles, tostada mixta, crispy tacos

No one else is speaking English, and that’s how I like it.

Inside El Bramido Mexican Restaurant & Bar on a recent Saturday night, every barstool is taken. Men are drinking Modelos, laughing and breaking out into song. Tables are full of families, sharing whole fried fish and seafood platters. A pair of graying gentlemen graze on raw jicama dusted with chili, their eyes fixated on the televised Mexican soccer game. Follow the orange, yellow and green walls to the bathroom and take a whiff.

Intensely floral and distinct, it smells like the just-cleaned bathrooms of Mexico.

No matter what I order at El Bramido, I am elated. It stems from years of disappointment in Sacramento’s Mexican restaurants and taquerias, after growing up with Mission-style burritos in San Francisco and taco trucks in Oakland and living with nonstop excellent Mexican food in Los Angeles.

My first El Bramido super burrito ($7.99) felt like a revelation—the first burrito in Sacramento that left me 100 percent satisfied. Too often, Sacramento burritos are either dry or overly reliant on sour cream. Not so at El Bramido. This is a truly superior burrito—9 inches tall, slender and sturdy—with an even distribution of ingredients.

The foil-wrapped package demonstrates teamwork, with every element doing its part for the greater good flavor.

I felt no need to hit the salsa bar over the course of that burrito, though the salsas are top-notch as well. I particularly loved employing the burnt red, deeply smoky chipotle on my street-style tacos ($1.95). Which meats are best?

Your usual choice will probably be your favorite here, because they’re all at least done well, if not exceptionally so. For me, the most memorable were the richly flavored, crispy tripe; super-juicy cabeza; meaty carnitas with charred edges; and plump, perfectly cooked shrimp.

If you’re a Jimboy’s Tacos fan, order at least one crispy taco ($2.95-$3.25). These deep-fried, parmesan-dusted shells overflow with meat, melty cheese and romaine. My favorite filling here is the shrimp, which lends a nice lightness. But also, shrimp here are just stellar in every preparation—seafood is clearly a specialty. The tostada mixta ($4.29) shows off impressive construction: a freshly fried tortilla gets topped with a thin smear of mayonnaise and fresh cilantro; cucumber and tomato cubes follow; shrimp form a spiral, met with an onslaught of limey, tender octopus ceviche; and finally, fanned slices of avocado form a crown.

Though aguachiles ($16.49) is one of the most expensive items on the menu, it’s still generously priced. The classic, lesser-known dish hails from Sinaloa, Mexico and consists of a lime-and-chile dressing poured over a tangle of lightly salt-cured, butterflied shrimp. At El Bramido, chile-dusted orange slices, cucumber, tomato, shredded lettuce and raw red onion provide textural contrasts. But most of all, the silky, I-can’tbelieve-it’s-not-raw shrimp need to be quality for the dish to work, and the dish absolutely works—and leaves your mouth tingling.

Honestly, I can gush about this place for hours. The sope ($3.50) offered a masa base that was soft, crunchy and chewy at the same time. The chilaquiles ($8.99) portion was enormous—the saucy, fried tortillas plus three eggs, rice and beans—and actually prepared properly, which is rare in Sacramento. The horchata ($1.75) tasted nutty, and not too sweet. Even the chile relleno ($3.50), often mushy and drowning in sauce, showed finesse.

Tortillas aside—they’re totally fine, but not a highlight here—I challenge you to find me a better all-around Mexican restaurant in Sacramento. Until then, you’ll find me chowing down in that yellow, orange and green room, with my stomach teleported to Oakland, Los Angeles and Mexico. Ω

I never really celebrate Easter, but I can get down with hunting for plastic eggs full of chocolate and a really decadent, fancy brunch. For the latter, hit up the Firehouse (1112 Second Street) or, if you really feel like going crazy, or, if you really feel like going crazy, the Hyatt Regency (1209 L Street) on Sunday, Sunday, March 27. At the Firehouse, find a $45.95 fourfourcourse menu, featuring pastries, charcutecharcuterie, two desserts and a selection of main main courses, including shrimp Benedict and pork belly and sweet potato hash. Bring the kids, who get a fruit parfait, s’mores s’mores or and standard breakfast, French toast or breakfast burrito for $19.95. The Hyatt, $32.95 meanwhile, is offering a $64.95—or $32.95 for kids—all-you-can-eat buffet. Think eggs, oysters, crab legs, smoked fish, deviled eggs, waffles, lamb shoulder, prime rib, biscuits, waffles, so, so made-to-order omelets, desserts and so, so much more. It’s a little absurd, honestly. And if you’re assembling a gourmet basket for yourself, visit Ginger Elizabeth (1801 L Street) through Saturday for various egg- and bunny-shaped confections.

—Janelle Bitker

Honestly, I can gush about this place for hours.

Ben & Jerry’s goes vegan

By Shoka Ben & Jerry’s dairy-free ice cream exists! The iconic Schweddy Balls ice cream maker is keeping up with the times with a certified vegan, almond-milk-based quartet: Chunky Monkey, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Coffee Caramel Fudge and P.B. & Cookies. Never having tasted B&J’s before, the V Word can’t compare it to the brand’s dairy version, but compared to other almond-milk desserts, it’s pretty similar. The Chunky Monkey—banana-flavored

ice cream with chocolate chips and walnuts—did not float my boat, as most banana-flavored things are Titanic, personally. The Fudge Brownie was more pleasant, not-overlysweet chocolate with brownie chunks—but it lacked a decadent richness. The V Word still finds So Delicious’ cashew milk pints to be the richest in vegan ice cream. Anyway, B&J’s nondairy line is available at select Target stores. Check www.benjerry.com for locations.

03.24.16 | SN&R | 23

Joi n for $25 Membership includes personal training!

Expires 3/31/16

916.442.3927 | www.capitalac.com | Conveniently located at the corner of 8th & P 24 | SN&R | 03.24.16

FIND OF THE WEEK

Seasonal laughs

extreme pop No oNe deserves happiNess If you’re a fan of bleakness, you’ve probably heard the Body, a band of two dudes based in Portland that uses a guitar, drums and electronics to pump out sparse, fuzzy and inscrutably nihilistic drones.

On this album, the group set out to create mUSIC “the grossest pop album of all time,” and while it’s hard to call something pop when it’s so much closer to noise, the addition of clean vocals, horns and beats unmistakably pulled from an 808 prove that inaccessible accessibility is the new hotness in extreme music. Plus, this is the first album from the Body with (some) discernible lyrics. Check out the single “Shelter is Illusory” to see if the blend of despair, shrill hisses and ’80s dance can work for you. http://thebody.bandcamp.com.

—aNthoNy siiNo

messy and real sCary old sex “No one over 40 should be allowed to make love in the daytime,” thinks one of Arlene Heyman’s characters in Scary Old Sex: Stories (Bloomsbury USA, $26), the debut collection from this New York City psychiatrist. Her profession may be the source of the insights that thrum through these Book stories, which are populated by characters past midlife who insist on continuing to live. Or perhaps it’s simply that one must grow older to appreciate that life stays messy, complicated and— most of all—full of joy. And that’s even taking into account some of the messes that Heyman’s stories cover, like 9/11, genocide, lube and cancer. This is life—and yes, death—as it really happens, and even the younger characters get a close-up look at how messy it can be to exist.

—kel muNger

Nevada City Film Festival WiNter Comedy shoWs Technically, the Nevada City Film Festival Winter Comedy Shows take place during spring but we won’t trifle with such details.

The two-night event features headliners Andy Kindler and Maria Bamford (pictured). Kindler, who will perform Friday night, is perhaps best known for stints on The Daily Show and Bob’s Burgers. He’s also somewhat infamous for Comedy his willingness to take comedic shots at his peers during his stand-up sets. Awkward, much?

Anyway, Ian Abramson will also perform and the night starts with a performance from Talkies, a sketch comedy show comprising a group of stand-up comedians using multimedia and props.

Bamford headlines the Saturday bill. The performer, praised by Judd Apatow as “the most unique, bizarre, imaginative comedian out there,” has appeared on Arrested Development and Louie. In May she launches a new Netflix series, Lady Dynamite, a mockumentary based on her life. That show promises to be fun in a tense sort of way, as much of Bamford’s comedy is rooted in her experiences with anxiety and depression.

Festival circuit veterans Kate Berlant and John Early kick off Saturday’s bill. $10-$35; 7 p.m.

Friday, March 25, and Saturday, March 26, at Nevada Theatre, 401 Broad Street in Nevada City; (530) 362-8601; www.nevadacity filmfestival.com.

—raChel leibroCk

03.24.16 | SN&R | 25

ReviewS

The unraveling

By Patti RobeRts

Photo courtesy of caPital stage

MAKE UP TO

mental capacity. She grabs props that trigger emotions or remembrances, and projects her life as “a proactive care manager” who is learning how to “engage vs. control” her mother.

Blackberry Winter is basically a one-woman 90-minute show—though the flow is broken up by an animated fable narrated by two actors, Jacob Garcia and Sara Lynn Wagner. While the animation is a beautifully drawn animal myth that tries to explain dementia, it doesn’t move the story along.

Blackberry Winter is still a work-in-progress, with Sacramento one of seven cities involved in the play’s so-called “rolling world premiere”—a concept courtesy of the National New Play Network that workshops plays in different cities. As such, small bumps may be smoothed out along the way.Ω

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“oh, mama.”

Blackberry Winter

4

Blackberry Winter; 8 p.m. thursday and friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. saturday, 2 p.m. sunday, 7 p.m. Wednesday; $23-$35. capital stage, 2215 J street; (916) 995-5464; http://capstage.org. through april 17.

It can be a heartbreaking privilege to help a parent along the last part of his or her life journey.

The experience contains the blessing and burden of push-and-pull emotions, daily life and impending death decisions, fractures in family structures and the unsettling role reversals. And when a parent is slipsliding away into dementia, the caregiver’s luggage gets even heavier, as the main character in Capital Stage’s lovely and powerful Blackberry Winter slowly discovers.

Actress Amy Resnick gives a tour de force performance as the always-in-control daughter who’s trying to keep sane as her mom’s sanity is fading. Resnick is helped by the show’s beautiful, tragic and humorous dialogue, courtesy of playwright Steve Yockey, and under the thoughtful direction of Capital Stage co-founder Jonathan Williams.

Though the subject matter sounds dour, there is enough humor and sly self-deprecation in both the performance and the play to fully engage the audience. Resnick is Vivienne Avery, a woman who addresses the audience in short stories or reactions to her carefully structured life that’s now been interrupted and unraveled by her mother’s diminishing

[Title of Show], directed by Mariana Seda, is a musical about two guys writing a musical about two guys writing a musical. This delightful Green Valley Theatre Company production showcases four talented actors: Brian Bohlender as Jeff, Nephi Speer as Hunter, Eimi Taormina as Susan and Lauren Ettensohn as Heidi, with David Taylor as Larry, the accompanist.

Jeff and Hunter are musical writing partners who have hit a dry patch. When they hear of a new musical theater festival, they decide to enter something but only have only three weeks to come up with a show. As they brainstorm ideas (book plots, poems, etc.), the partners decide that the actual brainstorming session set to music might be an interesting concept.

With the help of Susan and Heidi, they develop their musical, which is successful at the festival, finds an off-Broadway home and then is slated to move to Broadway. The changing relationships among the four friends as their fame grows teaches them what is ultimately important in life.

Musical theater buffs will love this show for its in-jokes and obscure references. Others will enjoy the tuneful songs, inventive choreography and the camaraderie among the actors. A word of warning: Adult language and themes make this inappropriate for young children.

—Bev SykeS

[title of show]; 8 p.m., friday and saturday, 7 p.m. sunday; $18. green Valley theatre company, 3825 V street; (916) 736-2664; http://greenvalleytheatre.com. through april 10.

Now playiNg

3

7 Homeless Mammoths Wander New England

Anâ&#x20AC;&#x192;administratorâ&#x20AC;&#x192;atâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192; Northeasternâ&#x20AC;&#x192;collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x192; grapplesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;withâ&#x20AC;&#x192;oppositionâ&#x20AC;&#x192;toâ&#x20AC;&#x192; theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;imminentâ&#x20AC;&#x192;closingâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192; neglectedâ&#x20AC;&#x192;naturalâ&#x20AC;&#x192;historyâ&#x20AC;&#x192; museumâ&#x20AC;&#x192;whileâ&#x20AC;&#x192;dealingâ&#x20AC;&#x192;withâ&#x20AC;&#x192; aâ&#x20AC;&#x192;dyingâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ex-loverâ&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;anâ&#x20AC;&#x192; enthusiasticâ&#x20AC;&#x192;currentâ&#x20AC;&#x192;one.â&#x20AC;&#x192; Anâ&#x20AC;&#x192;early-manâ&#x20AC;&#x192;dioramaâ&#x20AC;&#x192; offersâ&#x20AC;&#x192;comicâ&#x20AC;&#x192;philosophicalâ&#x20AC;&#x192;commentaryâ&#x20AC;&#x192;inâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192;showâ&#x20AC;&#x192; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x192;betterâ&#x20AC;&#x192;inâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;comedyâ&#x20AC;&#x192; partâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;dramedy.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Th, F, Sa 8pm. Through 4/2.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Bigâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Ideaâ&#x20AC;&#x192; Theatre,â&#x20AC;&#x192;1616â&#x20AC;&#x192;Delâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Pasoâ&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192; Boulevard;â&#x20AC;&#x192;(916)â&#x20AC;&#x192;960-3036;â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192; www.bigideatheatre.org.â&#x20AC;&#x192;J.C.

3

Legally Blonde

Thisâ&#x20AC;&#x192;isâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;musicalâ&#x20AC;&#x192; versionâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;2001â&#x20AC;&#x192; movieâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aboutâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192;sororityâ&#x20AC;&#x192;queenâ&#x20AC;&#x192;decidingâ&#x20AC;&#x192;toâ&#x20AC;&#x192;goâ&#x20AC;&#x192;toâ&#x20AC;&#x192; Harvardâ&#x20AC;&#x192;lawâ&#x20AC;&#x192;school,â&#x20AC;&#x192;chasingâ&#x20AC;&#x192; herâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ex-boyfriend.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Theâ&#x20AC;&#x192; songsâ&#x20AC;&#x192;addâ&#x20AC;&#x192;littleâ&#x20AC;&#x192;toâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;plot,â&#x20AC;&#x192; thoughâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;productionâ&#x20AC;&#x192;isâ&#x20AC;&#x192; energeticâ&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;fun.â&#x20AC;&#x192;F, Sa 8pm; Su 2pm. Through 4/3.â&#x20AC;&#x192;$21-$28.â&#x20AC;&#x192; Runawayâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Stageâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Productions,â&#x20AC;&#x192; 24thâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Streetâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Theatre,â&#x20AC;&#x192;2701â&#x20AC;&#x192; 24thâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Street;â&#x20AC;&#x192;(916)â&#x20AC;&#x192;207-1226;â&#x20AC;&#x192; www.runawaystage.com.â&#x20AC;&#x192;B.S.

4

Love and Baseball

Atâ&#x20AC;&#x192;itsâ&#x20AC;&#x192;core,â&#x20AC;&#x192;thisâ&#x20AC;&#x192;showâ&#x20AC;&#x192; isâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aboutâ&#x20AC;&#x192;itsâ&#x20AC;&#x192;twoâ&#x20AC;&#x192;titleâ&#x20AC;&#x192; subjects,â&#x20AC;&#x192;withâ&#x20AC;&#x192;sportsâ&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192; relationshipâ&#x20AC;&#x192;analogiesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;toâ&#x20AC;&#x192; captureâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;complexitiesâ&#x20AC;&#x192; ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;both.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;storyâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192; roller-coasterâ&#x20AC;&#x192;relationshipâ&#x20AC;&#x192;betweenâ&#x20AC;&#x192;communityâ&#x20AC;&#x192; collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x192;philosophyâ&#x20AC;&#x192;instructorâ&#x20AC;&#x192; Micheleâ&#x20AC;&#x192;(Brittniâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Barger)â&#x20AC;&#x192; andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;baseballâ&#x20AC;&#x192;fanaticâ&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192; documentaryâ&#x20AC;&#x192;filmmakerâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Willâ&#x20AC;&#x192; (Brianâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Rife).â&#x20AC;&#x192;Theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;productionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x192; strengthsâ&#x20AC;&#x192;areâ&#x20AC;&#x192;itsâ&#x20AC;&#x192;snappyâ&#x20AC;&#x192; reparteeâ&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;funâ&#x20AC;&#x192;baseballâ&#x20AC;&#x192; moments.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Itsâ&#x20AC;&#x192;weaknessâ&#x20AC;&#x192;isâ&#x20AC;&#x192; rootedâ&#x20AC;&#x192;inâ&#x20AC;&#x192;itsâ&#x20AC;&#x192;scenariosâ&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192; plotlinesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;convenience.â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192;

Th, F 7pm; Sa 8pm; Su 1pm.

Through 3/27.â&#x20AC;&#x192;$28-$35.â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192; Bâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Streetâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Theatre,â&#x20AC;&#x192;2711â&#x20AC;&#x192;Bâ&#x20AC;&#x192; Street;â&#x20AC;&#x192;(916)â&#x20AC;&#x192;443-5300;â&#x20AC;&#x192; http://bstreetâ&#x20AC;&#x192; theatre.org.â&#x20AC;&#x192;P.R.

5

A Masterpiece of Comic â&#x20AC;Ś Timing

Howâ&#x20AC;&#x192;doâ&#x20AC;&#x192;youâ&#x20AC;&#x192;writeâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192; comicâ&#x20AC;&#x192;masterpieceâ&#x20AC;&#x192;whenâ&#x20AC;&#x192; yourâ&#x20AC;&#x192;writerâ&#x20AC;&#x192;isâ&#x20AC;&#x192;chronicallyâ&#x20AC;&#x192;depressed?â&#x20AC;&#x192;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192; subjectâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;thisâ&#x20AC;&#x192;veryâ&#x20AC;&#x192;funnyâ&#x20AC;&#x192; comedyâ&#x20AC;&#x192;starringâ&#x20AC;&#x192;someâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192; Sacramentoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x192;funniestâ&#x20AC;&#x192; actors.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Question:â&#x20AC;&#x192;Ifâ&#x20AC;&#x192;youâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ductâ&#x20AC;&#x192; tapeâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192;writerâ&#x20AC;&#x192;toâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192;wheelchairâ&#x20AC;&#x192; withâ&#x20AC;&#x192;hisâ&#x20AC;&#x192;typewriter,â&#x20AC;&#x192;canâ&#x20AC;&#x192;youâ&#x20AC;&#x192; forceâ&#x20AC;&#x192;himâ&#x20AC;&#x192;toâ&#x20AC;&#x192;beâ&#x20AC;&#x192;funny?â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192;

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4

The Shadow Box

Thisâ&#x20AC;&#x192;productionâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192; Michaelâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Cristoferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sâ&#x20AC;&#x192; Pulitzer-â&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Tony-winningâ&#x20AC;&#x192; playâ&#x20AC;&#x192;isâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192;many-tissueâ&#x20AC;&#x192; journeyâ&#x20AC;&#x192;throughâ&#x20AC;&#x192;life,â&#x20AC;&#x192;griefâ&#x20AC;&#x192; andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;impendingâ&#x20AC;&#x192;death.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x192; takesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;placeâ&#x20AC;&#x192;inâ&#x20AC;&#x192;threeâ&#x20AC;&#x192;cottagesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;onâ&#x20AC;&#x192;hospitalâ&#x20AC;&#x192;grounds,â&#x20AC;&#x192; eachâ&#x20AC;&#x192;oneâ&#x20AC;&#x192;housingâ&#x20AC;&#x192;aâ&#x20AC;&#x192;terminalâ&#x20AC;&#x192; patient.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Here,â&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;importantâ&#x20AC;&#x192; peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x192;inâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theirâ&#x20AC;&#x192;livesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;haveâ&#x20AC;&#x192; gatheredâ&#x20AC;&#x192;forâ&#x20AC;&#x192;goodbyesâ&#x20AC;&#x192; andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;playâ&#x20AC;&#x192;exploresâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192; painâ&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;privilegesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;asâ&#x20AC;&#x192;wellâ&#x20AC;&#x192; asâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;confrontationsâ&#x20AC;&#x192; andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;avoidancesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;sayingâ&#x20AC;&#x192; goodbye.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;playâ&#x20AC;&#x192;isâ&#x20AC;&#x192;heady,â&#x20AC;&#x192; andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;emotional,â&#x20AC;&#x192;unveilingâ&#x20AC;&#x192; threeâ&#x20AC;&#x192;differentâ&#x20AC;&#x192;storiesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;thatâ&#x20AC;&#x192; haveâ&#x20AC;&#x192;achesâ&#x20AC;&#x192;ofâ&#x20AC;&#x192;recognitionâ&#x20AC;&#x192; forâ&#x20AC;&#x192;thoseâ&#x20AC;&#x192;whoâ&#x20AC;&#x192;haveâ&#x20AC;&#x192;dealtâ&#x20AC;&#x192; withâ&#x20AC;&#x192;theâ&#x20AC;&#x192;challenges,â&#x20AC;&#x192;anger,â&#x20AC;&#x192; anguishâ&#x20AC;&#x192;andâ&#x20AC;&#x192;sometimesâ&#x20AC;&#x192; peaceâ&#x20AC;&#x192;thatâ&#x20AC;&#x192;deathâ&#x20AC;&#x192;canâ&#x20AC;&#x192;bring.â&#x20AC;&#x192; F, Sa 8pm. Through 4/2.â&#x20AC;&#x192;$15$20.â&#x20AC;&#x192;Resurrectionâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Theatreâ&#x20AC;&#x192; atâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Wilkersonâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Theatre,â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192; 1723â&#x20AC;&#x192;25thâ&#x20AC;&#x192;Street;â&#x20AC;&#x192;(916)â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192; 491-0940;â&#x20AC;&#x192;www.resurrectionâ&#x20AC;&#x192; theatre.com.â&#x20AC;&#x192;P.R.

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S

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5

by JIm LanE

The situation for the military becomes complicated and frustrating as layers of bureaucrats weigh in on both the legal and political implications. The matter It’s hard to imagine a more perfectly crafted movie is “referred up,” first to the State Department in coming down the pike this year than Eye in the Sky. Washington, then the British foreign minister on a It’s the kind of white-knuckle thriller that the makers of diplomatic junket in Singapore and the American dreck like London has Fallen can only dream of. At secretary of state on a similar trip in Beijing. the same time, it uses a simple situation that escalates Then another complication: A little girl (Aisha almost—but never quite—out of control as a means Takow) sets up a stand selling bread in the street just to examine the morality of drone warfare and the cold outside the target house but inside the destructive calculations of collateral damage. radius of the proposed strike, and the question of Helen Mirren stars as no-nonsense Col. Katherine abort-or-proceed becomes even more urgent.

Powell, in charge of Operation Egret, the planned Does this sort of debate really go on with capture of a British woman who has become every proposed drone strike? Is surveila radicalized Muslim and joined the lance equipment even this good?

Al-Shabaab militants in Nairobi.

Maybe nobody without security From from her command post near clearance really knows, but it Eye in the Sky is London, Powell coordinates a hardly matters. The premise a hybrid of Alfred special-ops team on the ground in is enough to dramatize the Hitchcock suspense and Nairobi and a surveillance drone debate, and writer Guy Hibbert operated from Nevada by two develops it in all its layers; George Bernard Shaw U.S. Army specialists (Aaron Paul every side of the question gets polemic where everybody and Phoebe Fox). Meanwhile, her articulate expression. Director gets their say. superior, Lt. Gen. Frank Benson Gavin Hood juggles the globe(the late Alan Rickman, reminding us spanning conversation expertly, how much we’ll miss him), is among without so much as a wasted a group gathered in the office of Britain’s frame. (It’s remarkable how few of defense minister (Jeremy Northam) to watch the characters actually speak to each other the capture in real time. in the same room.)

Just as the operation is about to launch, the target Eye in the Sky is a riveting piece of work, a sort woman and her associates leave their original meeting of hybrid of Alfred Hitchcock suspense and George place. The American drone, 20,000 feet overhead, traces Bernard Shaw polemic where everybody gets their them to another house in an Al-Shabaab neighborhood say. It’s a movie for grownups that teenagers might where an attempted capture would spark a massive fireeven like—and vice versa—and that gives them both fight. Before aborting, Powell wants a look inside this something to talk about afterward. Ω new location. An agent on the ground (Barkhad Abdi) sends another drone, disguised as a flying beetle, into the rafters of the house, where the occupants are seen preparing suicide vests. Clearly, a major terrorist strike is intended, and Powell’s objective changes from capture Poor Fair Good Very excellent to kill, but hundreds of innocent lives may be at stake.

Good

1 2 3 4 5

fiLm CLiPS

3

Allegiant

The dauntless heroine of Divergent and Insurgent (Shailene Woodley) continues her fight against whatever she was fighting against in the first two movies (and the trilogy of novels by Veronica Roth). Fans of the books will probably find this chapter satisfactory (though it follows the annoying practice of covering only about half of Roth’s final book in the series; the rest, renamed Ascendant, is due out next year). For nonfans, it’s like a set of illustrations for a book they haven’t read and don’t care about; characters are too paperthin for even major talents like Jeff Daniels, Naomi Watts, Miles Teller and Octavia Spencer to breathe life into, and Roth’s insanely complicated plot fails to hold the attention of a disinterested observer. The cheesy visual effects look state-of-the-art for 1968. J.L.

4

The Bronze

A once-promising gymnast (Melissa Rauch), whose career stalled 12 years ago after a bronze medal and a career-ending injury, is now a foul-mouthed has-been lording it over her doting father (Gary Cole) and other citizens of her small Ohio town. Her local status is threatened when she is forced to coach a new kid (Haley Lu Richardson) who just might win the gold. The script by Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch is profane, raunchy and dirty-funny, not for kids nor easily offended adults. But it’s also sweet and warm (under its surface crust), and the actress, aided by first-time director Bryan Buckley, manages against all odds to make this horrid person human—even likeable. J.L.

3

The Brothers Grimsby

The Brothers Grimsby will almost undoubtedly end up as the best film of 2016 in which the heroes are attacked by giant penises while hiding in an elephant’s vagina, although Terrence Malick still has a couple more movies due out this year. Directed by Louis Leterrier but guided by the nothing-sacred body humor of star and co-screenwriter Sacha Baron Cohen, The Brothers Grimsby is too infantile and mean to recommend, but too embarrassingly funny to dismiss. Cohen stars as a sculpted-by-Liam-Gallagher-and-Guinness soccer hooligan who reconnects with his long-lost brother (Mark Strong), a deep-cover superspy in the middle of a dangerous mission.

There are the expected fish-out-of-water beats and over-the-top gross-out gags, and the peripheral characters in this world feel like thinly sketched afterthoughts, but the film works when it focuses on Cohen and Strong.

They do more with elephant semen than most actors do with Shakespeare. D.B.

2

ENTER SN&R’S

10 Cloverfield Lane

A young woman (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) awakens after an auto accident to find herself chained in an underground shelter presided over by a paranoid survivalist (John Goodman) who claims to have rescued her from a worldwide cataclysm. Written by Josh Campbell, Matthew Steucken and Damien Chazelle and directed by Dan Trachtenberg, this is a horror movie with a difference: It’s genuinely horrifying, not just “scary.” In fact, cheap scares are few, replaced by a mounting sense of dread and foreboding that gnaws at the pit of the stomach. Acting is excellent, including John Gallagher Jr. as Winstead’s fellow inmate. Depending on your perspective, the resolution is either a brilliant twist or a monumental howler; suffice it to say that just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. J.L.

2

BY DANIEL BARNES & JIM LANE

London has Fallen

Secret Service agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is with the president (Aaron Eckhart) when a trip to London for the prime minister’s funeral erupts in a massive terrorist strike; several world leaders get their tickets elaborately punched, but it’ll take more than a few hundred terrorists to get past Banning. The inevitable sequel to 2013’s guilty pleasure Olympus has Fallen doubles down on

“You really, really like me.”

3

Hello, My Name is Doris

Sally Field outclasses some pretty waxy and unfocused material in Hello, My Name is Doris, playing a shy office slave who develops an overwhelming crush on her much younger co-worker. Following the death of her fellow hoarder mother, Fields’ meek Doris Miller comes under pressure to evacuate the family home and part with her stacks of junk. Instead, she focuses all of her attention on new employee John Fremont (Max Greenfield), creating a fake Facebook account to stalk him, and using the information she finds to insinuate herself into his life. Adapting a short film from co-screenwriter Laura Terruso, writer-director Michael Showalter turns potentially dark and thorny material into something polite and blandly therapeutic. We’re expected to simultaneously root for Doris to reject and seek help, all the while chuckling at moth-worn Williamsburg hipster stereotypes. Only a meekly towering performance from Field keeps the film centered during its many digressions. D.B.

the guilt while losing the pleasure in sadistic monotony and narrative confusion. The new director, Babak Najafi, fails to replicate the gritty style with which Antoine Fuqua infused the original. Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Radha Mitchell and Robert Forster also return from before, all overqualified and underused. J.L.

3

Miracles from Heaven

Texas mother Christy Beam (Jennifer Garner) is first distraught at the lifethreatening illness of her daughter (Kylie Rogers), then amazed at her miraculous recovery after falling from a tree—especially when the girl says she visited heaven while unconscious.

This adaptation of Beam’s memoir has strong performances, particularly by Garner and Rogers, to compensate for what might have been a slew of fatal drawbacks: a too-chipper atmosphere of sun-splashed wholesomeness, a leaden pace from director Patricia Riggen that takes forever to get around to showing things we’ve already seen in the trailer, an irrelevant time-wasting cameo by Queen Latifah and a kitschy-koo Candy Land vision of heaven. J.L.

3

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2

In real life it’s only been 14 years since writer and star Nia Vardalos’ surprise hit had her and John Corbett tying the knot, but in this sequel they have a 17-year-old daughter (Elena Kampouris). Yet that’s not who’s getting married now—it’s the grandparents (Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine), who learn that thanks to a clerical error 50 years ago in Greece, they were never legally married. Once again Vardalos recycles the kind of cornball family gags that have been a staple of such movies. But under Kirk Jones’ laissez faire direction, the reunited cast shows such gusto that as before, resistance is futile. Besides, there’s the manifest pleasure of everyone getting together again after all these years. J.L.

2

The Perfect Match

A commitment-averse playboy (Terrence Jenkins) begins a casual affair with a mysterious young woman (Cassie Ventura); they agree there are to be no strings and no questions—but before long he finds himself

breaking his own rule, falling in love and wanting more from her than he ever has from any woman. There’s enough talent in front of the camera to make this romantic dramedy work: Jenkins, Ventura, Donald Faison, Paula Patton, Joe Pantoliano, a few others. But others in the cast are downright amateurish, and the talent behind the camera doesn’t serve anybody well—the script (by Brandon Broussard, Gary Hardwick and Dana Verde) is trite and stilted, Bille Woodruff’s direction awkward and ill-framed, and Tommy Maddox-Upshaw’s garish cinematography fails to impart the intended romantic glow. J.L.

5

The Witch

3

Zootopia

Writer-director Robert Eggers makes a shockingly self-assured feature debut with the terrifying “New England Folk Tale” of The Witch. A soul-withering, vaguely sexual slow creep in the vein of Under the Skin, only with all of the dialogue spoken in spot-on Old English, The Witch feels authentic both as Pilgrim anthropology and as a waking nightmare. In a tenuously settled American territory in the 17th century, a family of fundamentalists gets exiled from the commonwealth, forced to the edge of the forest for taking the popular religious doctrine too far.

The father refuses to compromise his extreme beliefs about sin, taking his gospel to the freedom of the wilderness, but it’s not long before hunger, isolation, paranoia and supernatural terror tear the family apart. D.B.

College Essay CONTEST THE PRIZES: First place

will receive a $2,000 award, plus $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place.

THE RULES: High-school seniors graduating in 2016 are eligible. Only one entry allowed per student, and you must live in the Sacramento region to apply. No SN&R employees or their relatives may enter.

THE DETAILS: Essays must be no longer than 650 words. Email essays as a Word document or PDF attachment to collegeessay@newsreview.com, with the subject line “College Essay Contest.” Deadline is Friday, April 22, at 5 p.m.

Aside from a couple of over-the-moon box office smashes in recent years, Disney Animation has become a runner-up within its own studio. Disney churns out the occasional please-all-masters hit like Frozen or Wreck-It Ralph, but Pixar turns out classics. Pixar has set a high bar for films about anthropomorphized critters, inanimate objects, artificial intelligences and abstract concepts, too high for a harmless but only marginally clever time-filler like Zootopia to fully hurdle. Creaky animal puns aren’t going to cut it. Zootopia is like the baseline version of a Disney effort—crisp animation, an intriguing lead character and a wafer-thin story, all in service of a presumably ennobling message of acceptance. D.B.

03.24.16 | SN&R | 29

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The final countdown With its latest album, Genre Peak contemplates its end

by Janelle Bitker

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Still, a couple of songs on Your Sleekest Engine demonstrate a pop sensibility—more so than much of Genre Peak’s other, more ambient work—along with forays into jazz, funk and industrial sounds.

Over the course of two years, Birke brought on Jansen, Jon Hassell (Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel), Richard Barbieri (Japan), Matt Malley (Counting Crows), Lesley Braden (Fast Arrow), Mick Karn (Japan) and others to form Your Sleekest Engine. The toughest Sorry if you have that europe song stuck in your head now. part? Surprisingly, not convincing so many big names to join the effort, rather, the mixing, since everyone recorded in different studios at different sample rates.

When Martin Birke blindly sent off a demo to Birke thinks this might be Genre Peak’s greatest Steve Jansen, a founding member of the English new work, and perhaps, its finale. It’d be tough to top, and wave band Japan, he couldn’t believe it when Jansen Birke’s interested in diving further into film scores to actually responded. Not only that, Jansen replied with pay the bills. But first, the record-release show takes his own version of the track. place on Saturday, March 26, at Shine. It’s the first Birke kept up the momentum, emailing demos live band Birke has assembled for Genre Peak that to more of his musical heroes and, again and again, actually sounds like Genre Peak. But because of the receiving positive feedback from just about everyone. challenge—and the fact that bandmates are in their “I’m always surprised when someone I grew up 40s or 50s with kids—March 26 might also mark the listening to wants to work with me,” Birke says. “Not group’s one and only show. that I don’t have any confidence in myself. It’s “It’s not like a guitar band or a just such an oversaturated market, such an garage band,” Birke says. “It’s a lot oversaturated industry.” harder to do this stuff live and The result of all that digital retain some semblance of the communication is Your Sleekest original recording.”

“I overintellectualize Engine, Birke’s fourth fullIf this is all sounding length album with his recording music. I don’t listen to a little pretentious, be project Genre Peak, which he radio. I have very extreme assured that Birke is no modeled after Massive Attack. egomaniac. Collaborating taste in music that isn’t That means lots of collaborawith people and seeing tors and guest musicians— popular in the U.S. at all.” how the music changes about 20 people have directly beyond his control is the Martin Birke worked on a Genre Peak record whole point of Genre Peak. musician, Genre Peak since its inception 10 years “The fun part is not ago—as well as an often dark, knowing what the other person experimental electronica style. Birke, is gonna bring,” he says. “If I did electronic percussionist, composer and everything myself and produced everysometimes singer, and producer Christopher thing myself, every song would pretty much Scott Cooper are the only constants. sound the same.”

Birke’s approach to songwriting is somewhat And there’s definitely no fun in that. Ω iconoclastic. And European.

“I overintellectualize music,” Birke says. “I don’t listen to radio. I have very extreme taste in music that isn’t popular in the U.S. at all.”

His tastes—and his music’s success—are much Catch Genre Peak at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at Shine, 1400 E Street. more rooted in the United Kingdom, specifically.

Cover is $7. More at www.genrepeak.net.

SouNd advice

Sammies season Hello, nominees: The Sammies awards show takes place Thursday, March 24, at Ace of Spades, but music fans have been catching Sammie-nominated artists at a series of free showcases all week.

Over at SN&R, we wanted to build excitement and celebrate the scene in a much bigger way than what’s normally possible in just one night.

It all started on Saturday night with a block party on R Street, headlined by James Cavern, who will soon get inducted into the Sammies Hall of Fame.

“There’s a lot of talent in Sacramento that people have no idea is just lurking around,” Cavern said in the middle of his tight, polished set. He was preparing to bring on special guest vocalist Shane Q, who sure enough, I had never heard of.

But Cavern’s sentiment seemed to be the theme of the whole night.

The audience itself was like a who’s who of the local music scene—Century Got Bars, Sunmonks, Rebecca Peters and many others—all there to support their own. And opening band Cold Eskimo was likely new to a lot of people. The fabulous indie group hasn’t performed live in Sacramento for more than a year—so, ages ago—and certainly reminded me why I insisted on arriving early: Rachelle Martin’s captivating voice and the friggin’ flute. Can we get some

new music, and more shows, please?

Anyway, Cold Eskimo segued into Soosh*e!, who now, yes, insists on the exclamation point. The evening marked Soosh*e!’s release of his EP Ganbatte!—yep, another exclamation point. The dude is excited.

Soosh*e! has nabbed emcee Sammie nominations a few years in a row now, and they’re all well-earned.

As the only solo artist of the night, he commanded the huge stage with spirit.

All the while, the crowd grew and grew. Though, there was also that annoying Ace of Spades effect, with the booze fans forced to stand in the back—in this case, on the Bottle & Barlow and Warehouse Artist Lofts patios—creating a huge gap in front of the stage.

But by the time Cavern began his set, that wasn’t an issue. Apartment

FREE

windows were open, with parties of folks enjoying the show from above.

Cavern pulled out all the stops for this show, his release party for his EP Lost & Found, which he’s been quietly working on for more than a year.

Joe Kye played violin on one song, while two saxophonists came out for much of the set. Along with Cavern’s usual lineup, the whole band was on point all night. And then, there was that aforementioned special guest, Shane Quidachay.

Quidachay’s delicate, beautiful voice played off Cavern’s deep rasp for a cover of Miguel’s “Sure Thing.”

Shane Q. Look this guy up.

Oops: All right, so the Sammies showcases didn’t cover everything.

The most glaring omission was a night dedicated to metal and punk.

Or multiple nights.

Kudos to some punk nominees for calling us out and organizing their own unofficial Sammies showcase, taking place April 16 at Cafe Colonial. For $3, catch the Bar Fly Effect, Rebel Radio, the Enlows, SWIM and the Moans “congratulate each other and thumb [their] snotty noses to competition in the music scene.”

Twist and shout: For fans of indie pop and electronica, Le Twist Tuesdays at LowBrau have been a reliable haven of cool live music and deejay events. Organized by Sam I Jam, Roger Carpio and Adam J, they’ve held a special spot in the weekly music calendar. Always something different, yet distinctly Le Twist.

But the team hosted its last Le Twist Tuesday earlier this week, and it’s changing its moniker to Le Twist Events. After 205 evenings with 160 featured artists, Le Twist will be a once-in-a-while thing, sometimes at LowBrau and sometimes elsewhere.

“We want every show to feel special and to do that, along with other local tastemakers, we don’t think the weekly format is ideal for us anymore,” Le Twist posted on Facebook. Follow along at the same URL, www.facebook.com/ LeTwistTuesdays.

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

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3 Alverda Dr., Oroville • www.featherfallscasino.com • (530) 533-3885 03.24.16 | SN&R | 31

25 FRI

26 SAT

26 SAT

30 W ED

Lyle Lovett & Robert Earl Keen

Sacramento Halloween Show

Bryan McPherson

Geographer

verge Center for the arts, 4 p.M., $7

Mondavi Center, 8 p.M., $28.50-$72 This wonderful union of two of America’s great songsmiths is bound to make for an awe-inspiring Friday night. Both artists have been quite prolific, SINGER-SONGWRITER with Keen releasing a steady stream of original material and Lovett enjoying several different vocations, including acting, scoring and performing live theater. For those uninitiated, begin with Lovett’s Step Inside This House (1998) and Keen’s Gravitational Forces (2001). If those don’t pull you one step closer to God, perhaps your faith in music can’t be restored.

1 Shields Avenue in Davis, www.lylelovett.com.

—eddie Jorgensen

earth tone studios, 8 p.M., $5-$10

Wanna see Lou Reed? Smashing Pumpkins?

I hear Le Tigre, Kate Bush and Arctic Monkeys are all sharing a bill. Oh, Josie & the Pussycats (pictured) and the family band from the Partridge Family, too. Yeah, they’re still alive, lookin’ swole and EcLEcTIc definitely not fictional. OK, not really. But to call this a tribute show would grossly undercut the magic of it all. Local musicians make 28 famous bands—under a plant and animal theme, playing 12-minute sets—come alive in a very cool, very fun way. Yes, it does really start at 4 p.m., and you’ll want to stay through midnight.

625 S Street, http://sachalloweenshow 2016.blogspot.com.

Brian McPherson managed to encapsulate everything that is good and right about folk music on his 2015 album Wedgewood: terse yet poetic lyrics that speak to both the person and to the state of the world, and emotive guitar that demands action FOLK from the listener. These qualities together are potent, like a shot of energy aimed at the dormant parts of us that aren’t cynical or ironic, sparking the fuse to want more, to want change, to want to believe we are a reflection of the world and the world is a song written by us.

411 18th Street, http://bryanmcpherson.com.

—aMy Bee

SAMMIES MADI SIPES & THE PAINTED BLUE – IDEATEAM - SEA OF BEES – DLRN – SAGES - ZYAH BELLE DROP DEAD RED - APPLE Z - MERRYGOLD

FRIDAY, MARCH 25

—deena drewis

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

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THE ENGLISH BEAT BASTARD SONS

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GEOGRAPHER & THE CROOKES LIFE IN 24 FRAMES

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San Francisco’s Geographer are all over the literal map as of late, playing a bunch of super buzzy showcases at South by Southwest and Treefort Music Fest as part of a national tour all the way to New York and back. The band’s take on electro indie rock is refreshingly sincere, largely owing to frontman Mike Deni’s vocals, which I’d describe as “angelic” if ELEcTRO INDIE we were talking about an angel who’s a little broody yet prone to fits of euphoria. British pop rockers the Crookes are along for the ride and Sacto’s own Life in 24 Frames opens up. 1417 R Street, www.geographermusic.com.

—Janelle Bitker

ACE OF SPADES THURSDAY, MARCH 24

aCe of spades, 6:30 p.M., $15

COMING

SOON

04/15 04/16 04/17 04/18 04/21 04/22 04/23 05/01 05/06 05/07 05/08 05/12 05/18 05/20 05/27 05/28 05/30 06/03 07/23 08/22 12/16

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30 W ED

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31 T HU

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Unearth

Zakir Hussain

The Lique

Sonny Landreth

The Blue lamp, 7 p.m., $16

haRRiS CenTeR foR The aRTS, 7:30 p.m., $12-$55

Metalcore druids Unearth unleashed the Fury Tour this year and have been packing shows with extreme metal and hardcore bands including Ringworm, Fit For An Autopsy, Lionheart and Great American Ghost. Plus, the stop at METALCORE Blue Lamp also features Sacramento’s Awaiting the Apocalypse, the Odious Construct and Youth In Eyes.

Will the venue be able to find room for all that long hair and the endless rows of amps? Yeah, they’re pros. What’s more, Unearth’s Facebook updates say fans will hear songs off its latest album, Watchers of Rule. 1400 Alhambra Boulevard, www.facebook.com/unearthofficial.

Percussionists and drummers alike can rejoice knowing Zakir Hussain’s tour includes a special stop in Folsom. For those who’ve yet to see a live show, expect a diverse, trance-inducing performance.

Hussain will be joined by renowned musicians Anantha Krishnan, Sabir Khan, Navin Sharma and Mannargudi Vasudevan.

Hussain, well-known for his work with Ravi Shankar, the late George Harrison, Pharoah Sanders, Charles Lloyd and Mickey Hart (to name but a few), is a master WORLD of the tabla and recognized in all parts of the globe for kickstarting the world-music genre. 10 College Parkway in Folsom, www.zakirhussain.com.

—STeph RodRiguez

—eddie JoRgenSen

diSTRiCT 30, 7 p.m., no CoveR

haRlow’S ReSTauRanT & nighTCluB, 7 p.m., $25

Rapper Rasar amazed Sacramento last year when he played a killer set at Harlow’s, opening for Joe Kye. A lot has happened to him since he moved to Las Vegas a couple of years ago, Hip-HOp the biggest thing being his new band, the Lique, which has been killing it. It even made the cover of Las Vegas Weekly.

As frontman, he delivers quick-witted, rapid-fire verses over funky, jazzy grooves that are sure to get the stiffest of wallflowers shaking their hips. The Lique makes its Sacramento debut Thursday, March 31.

Don’t miss a chance to see this hometown hero make good. 1022 K Street, www.the lique.com.

—aaRon CaRneS

Sonny Landreth’s live shows of late have highlighted a return to the historic core of blues, featuring tunes by influential heroes Elmore James, Son House and Skip James.

A highly underrated slide guitarist and celebrated journeyman with Clifton Chenier, John Hiatt, John Mayall and Jimmy Buffet, Landreth has been recording and performing since his 1981 debut. His remarkBLUES able slide technique, which involves playing notes and chords behind his finger slide, has drawn raves from Eric Clapton and other noteworthy players. A Louisiana native, Landreth provided the soundtrack for the documentary After the Spill.

2708 J Street, www.sonnylandreth.com.

—maRk hanzlik

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THURSDAY 3/24

FRIDAY 3/25

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#TBT and 5 Card Stud, 8pm, call for cover

Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Spectacular Saturdays, 10pm, call for cover

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RIOTMAKER, PEAK ARRIVAL, THEY WENT GHOST; 8pm, $10

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A STATIC LULLABY, A FOREIGN AFFAIR, FACE THE HORIZON; 6:30pm, $14-$16

SHOW BANGA, LIL YASE; 7pm, $20-$25

THE CONTORTIONIST, MONUMENTS, ENTHEOS; 6:30pm, $14-$16

MICHAEL GRAVES, INFIRMITES, HELION PRIME, FALLOUT KINGS; 6:30pm Tu, $15

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

JIM GREENINGER, 8pm, $25-$32

GOLDEN SHOULDERS, X LOVERS, DAVIA; 8pm, $12

Sunday Mass with heated pool, drag show, 2pm, no cover

EDM and karaoke, 9pm M, no cover; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5

BADLANDS

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

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.

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

BLUE LAMP

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400 9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247 314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384

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

VAGABOND BROTHERS BAND, 8pm, no cover

GOOD OL’ BOYZ, 9pm, no cover

DISTRICT 30

Sunnery James, Ryan Marciano, Michael Brun; 10pm, call for cover

Miles Medina, 10pm, call for cover

FACES

Everything Happens dancing and karaoke, 9pm, call for cover

Absolut Fridays dance party, 9pm, $5-$10

Party Time dance party with Sequin Saturdays drag show at 9:30pm, $5-$12

FOX & GOOSE

THE MIKE JUSTIS BAND, 8pm, no cover

THE STONEBERRIES, STILLWOOD SAGES; 9pm, $5

THE BRANGS, SCHWAMIGOS, BOB EASTON WALLER; 9pm, $5

Open-mic, 7:30pm M; Pub quiz, 7pm Tu; All Vinyl Wednesdays, 6pm W, no cover

GOLDFIELD TRADING POST

Line dancing lessons, call for time and cover

DAVE RUSSELL, 9pm, no cover

Country DJ dancing, 9pm, no cover

Open-mic night, M, call for time and cover

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL

Karaoke happy hour, 7pm, no cover

LEFT OF CENTRE, 9pm, $5

ROGUE, 9pm, $5

Trivia night, 7pm Tu; Bingo, 1pm W

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THE SWORD, ROYAL THUNDER; 8pm, $20

TAINTED LOVE, 10pm, $15-$18

TAINTED LOVE, 10pm, $15-$18

THE HIDEAWAY BAR & GRILL

Punk and glam night with DJ Annimal, 9pm, no cover

LUNA’S CAFE & JUICE BAR

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

MIDTOWN BARFLY

Stilldreamin’ with Mr. Bill + KJ Sawa, Resonant Language; 9pm, $10

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CONNOR HORMELL, NIKKI NELSON, GRANT CHESIN; 8:30pm, $5

4007 Taylor Rd., Loomis; (916) 652-4007 1016 K St., (916) 737-5770

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

Hey local bands!

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 3/28-3/30 Big Mondays happy hour all night, M; Karaoke, Tu; Trapicana, W

COUNTRY CLUB SALOON

2000 K St., (916) 448-7798

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.

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SUNDAY 3/27 Sunday Tea Dance and Beer Bust, 4pm, call for cover

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KAHULANUI, 6pm, $25 Cactus Pete’s 78 RPM Record Roundup, 8pm Tu; Twisted Trivia, W

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COMING SOON 4/1 7:30PM $20ADV

3/24 8:00PM $20ADV

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ALL AGES

4/2 10:00PM $15ADV

PETTY THEFT: TRIBUTE TO TOM PETTY

3/25-26 8PM $15ADV

TAINTED LOVE

3/27 6PM $25ADV

4/3 8PM $12ADV

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04/08 04/09 04/10 04/12 04/13 04/14 04/16 04/16 04/17 04/18 04/19 04/20 04/21

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3/31 7PM $25ADV

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SONNY LANDRETH 34

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SN&R

THE EVERYLY BROTHERS |

03.24.16

ERIC FORBES (LAS VEGAS)

4/9

DJ SERAFIN (LOS ANGELES)

Chuck Prophet & the Mission Express Garland Jeffreys

04/22 04/28 04/29 04/30

3/26

Chronixx Crystal Bowersox Micky and The Motorcars The Dustbowl Revival

4/23

CHRIS DUANO HOUSTON

THURSDAY 3/24

FRIDAY 3/25

SATURDAY 3/26

OLD IRONSIDES

THE ATOM AGE, CELESTIONS, WOULD BE TRAIN ROBBERS; 8pm, $6

RICH CORPORATION, RADIO ORANGEVALE, JEM AND SCOUT; 9pm, $6

One Hit Wonders Show with SWAHILI PASSION, PHANTOM JETS; 8pm, $8

HEATH WILLIAMSON AND FRIENDS, 5:30pm M; Karaoke, Tu; Open-mic, W

ON THE Y

Open-mic stand-up comedy and karaoke, 8pm, no cover

RIVER CITY RADIO, 9pm, $5

Karaoke, 9pm, no cover

Pool tournament, 7:30pm M; Karaoke, 9pm; Dart and movie night, 7pm W

PISTOL PETE’S

WHISKEY ALLEY, 9pm, call for cover

THE SJ SYNDICATE, CALIFORNI RIOT ACT, ONOFF; 9:30pm, call for cover

POUR HOUSE

Record Club Friday: The Cure vs.

Siouxsie, 9pm, no cover

1901 10th St., (916) 442-3504 670 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-3731

SUNDAY 3/27

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 3/28-3/30

THE PALMS PLAYHOUSE

13 Main St., Winters; (530) 795-1825 140 Harrison Ave., Auburn; (530) 885-5093 1910 Q St., (916) 706-2465

POWERHOUSE PUB

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

HIRE GUNS, call for time and cover

THE PRESS CLUB

2030 P St., (916) 444-7914

SHADY LADY SALOON 1409 R St., (916) 231-9121

HOT CITY, 9pm, no cover

STARLITE LOUNGE

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

Sunday Night Takeover with Crude Studs, 9pm, no cover

FOUR BARRELL, call for time and cover

PETTY THEFT, call for time and cover

Live band karaoke, 8pm Tu, call for cover; 98 Rock Local Licks, 8pm W

Press Club Fridays with DJ Rue, call for time and cover

Pop 40 dance party, 9pm, $5

Sunday Night Dance Part with DJ Larry, 9pm, call for cover

ARLYN ANDERSON, 9pm, no cover

THE GOLDEN CADILLACS, 9pm, no cover

PETER PETTY, 9pm, no cover

JULIET COMPANY, VINNIE GUIDERA, PRESSURE LOUNGE; 8pm, $7

EHECATL, CHRONAEXUS, XENOTAPH, GLORIAM DRACONIS; 8pm, $6

CASH CARTELL, ONE EYED REILLY; 8pm, $7

UN, HISSING, BATTLE HAG; 8pm M, $7

ORION, 4pm, no cover; Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 8pm, $5

GOOD OL’ BOYZ, 7pm, $5-$10

Country DJ dancing, 8:30pm W, $5-$10

STONEY’S ROCKIN RODEO

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 9pm, no cover

Country DJ dancing and karaoke, 8pm, $5

TORCH CLUB

Acoustic open-mic X-TRIO, 5pm, no cover; LANCE CANALES, 9pm, $6

MIDTOWN CREEPERS, 5:30pm, no cover; Jimmy Cadillac Reed Appreciation Show, Blues Jam, 4pm, no cover; Front the STEVEN ROTH BAND, 9pm, $8 3pm, no cover; MERCY ME, 9pm, $8 Band karaoke, 8pm, no cover

1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797

Loveless dreampop night, 9pm M, call for cover

Dread Zion, 9pm M, no cover

Juliet Company with Vinnie Guidera and the Dead Birds and the Pressure Lounge Friday, 8pm, $7.

Starlite Lounge Alternative

MICHAEL RAY, 8pm Tu, no cover; MIKE BROWN, MONDO DECO; 9pm W, $5

All ages, all the time ACE OF SPADES

1417 R St., (916) 448-3300

Sammies Award Show, 7pm, $10

BABY BASH, RAYVEN JUSTICE, RAY DOGG, BAEZA; 7pm, $20-$50

BIG SMO, DJ CJ; 7pm, $16-$18

CAFE COLONIAL

GEOGRAPHER, THE CROOKES, LIFE IN 24 FRAMES; 6:30pm W, $15 Consolcade retro console gaming, 6pm Tu, no cover

3520 Stockton Blvd., (916) 736-3520

THE COLONY

Brave Season with Shoot the Mariner and Josiah Gathing Friday, 8:30pm, $5.

Naked Lounge Downtown Indie rock

3512 Stockton Blvd., (916) 718-7055

SHINE

1400 E St., (916) 551-1400

Sac’s Coolest Jazz Jam, 8pm, no cover

SPANGLER, SHORING, ORANGE MORNING; 8pm, $6

GENRE PEAK, CIAO CINECITTA; 8pm, $7

03.24.16

|

SN&R

|

35

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by JOEY GARCIA

@AskJoeyGarcia

The elephant in the room By mutual agreement, my wife and I are getting a divorce—the issue is timing.

Our youngest child will graduate from high school this year and heads to college out-of-state in August. My wife wants to file for divorce after our daughter goes away and is preoccupied with her new life. I want to end the charade we’ve been living in for the last three years and tell our daughter about the divorce sooner rather than later. My preference is to tell her right after her graduation festivities are complete. What do you think?

what she has known. She will view this with a willingness to live in the present while leaning into a future she cannot quite see but welcomes nonetheless. And your honesty about the divorce, with an age-appropriate, drama-free explanation of why the marriage fell apart, will give her hope that her romantic choices need not mimic yours.

One last thing: I’m grateful that you didn’t insist that you and your wife have remained together for your daughter’s sake.

The martyr marriage, popularized in the 20th century, is rarely a wise choice today.

You’ve made peace with the death of your marriage, but you’re wondering I’m sick of my wife’s pessimism. I avoid about your daughter’s mourning process? her by working a lot and playing If she’s like most teens, she can golf. It feels like I’m protecting see that the thinning thread myself from a virus. I’ve of an old love is all that tried talking to her but it holds you and your The martyr doesn’t help. She wants wife together. The to have kids but I don’t marriage, right moment for the until she changes. Any conversation depends popularized in the 20th suggestions? on your daughter’s century, is rarely maturity. If she is Depression, burnout, a wise primarily selfish, all perfectionism—these she will care about choice today. are a few of the spiritual is how the dissolution crossroads that inspire affects her. If she has been symptoms like a pessimistic raised to take care of either attitude.

Avoiding your wife or both of her parent’s emotional won’t solve the problem. The old lives, she will mother either or both. If adage “What you resist, persists” can be she has been permitted to become her true for individuals as well as for those own person, taught to speak respectfully committed by vows. Encourage your but honestly to adults and raised to wife to seek spiritual direction or to see a understand that relationships are richly competent health practitioner to explore complex, living entities, she will experithe obstacles to her true happiness. Ω ence a mixture of grief, relief, curiosity and hope.

Your daughter’s grief will be the natural response to a loss. Her relief will be a healthy response to the end of MedItAtIOn Of the Week the game of pretend. Here’s why: An “Make a difference about unhappy marriage in which parents have something other than already secretly opted for divorce evokes yourselves,” said Toni the proverbial elephant in the room, and Morrison. What is your life’s the mutual denial of that elephant. When purpose? Why are you here? you clue her in to the divorce, she will be free of pretending that romantic love is alive between you and your wife. She will have permission to see and live the reality Write, email or leave a message for that relationships change as we do. Your Joey at the News & Review. Give daughter’s curiosity about what comes your name, telephone number (for verification purposes only) and question—all next—for herself, for each of you—will correspondence will be kept strictly confidential. be the sign that deep healing is underway.

She will understand that she is stepping Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA into a new experience of family that will 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 3206; or email look and feel substantially different than askjoey@newsreview.com.

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The interstate weed game I saw the headline of a Yahoo News story that groups or gangs (Mexican? Criminal?) were accumulating marijuana in bulk amounts in Colorado and shipping the bulk amounts to “dry” states for a big profit. Do you know anything about this?

—EK Dude. Calm down. Maybe you are unaware of how the weed game works. You seem to have the “accumulating marijuana in bulk and shipping the bulk amounts to ‘dry’ states for a big profit” part, but maybe you don’t understand that this is done by people from all walks of life, not just “Mexican criminal” groups.

California grows great weed. People in Atlanta (or Miami or New York City or anywhere) want great weed. Of course, some enterprising soul will figure out a way to get great weed from Cali (or Oregon or Colorado and even Kentucky) to the good people of Atlanta. A pound of good kush will cost about $3,000 or $4,000 in California.

You can get five or six grand for a pound of that good-good Cali tree in A-Town. (California weed has market cachet in the cannabis industry. Never forget.) Boom. Get in the van. Of course people are going to smuggle weed. Welcome to America.

I am trying to let the weird racist portion of your question go, in the hopes that perhaps you were attempting a joke, but let me inform you that, according to recent reports, the Mexican gangs are getting out of the weed game. Why? Because marijuana has become cheap and plentiful, thanks to current legalization efforts. Think about it. If you are running a criminal gang (whether or not you are Mexican—as if white people aren’t into crime), why would you want to smuggle weed, which is bulky, stinky and hard to store, if you could make more money with coke or meth or whatever easy-to-conceal, high-profit drug you can get your greedy little hands on? The point is: Prohibition causes crime. It’s very simple. Humans have been doing drugs for thousands and thousands of years. It is far better (and easier and cheaper) to work toward harm reduction. Last month, cannabis activist Sam Clauder (white dude, if it matters) was arrested in Texas and charged with felony possession of 174 pounds of cannabis.

Never smuggle drugs through Texas. West Texas cops are hella aggressive. Ask Willie Nelson. And Snoop.

Authorities claim he was headed to Florida, but couldn’t say whether or not he was planning to sell his stash or give it away.

Knowing Sam, he was probably gonna give most of it away. But it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that instead of growing their own weed, the good people of the Sunshine State have to rely on a 64-year-old man driving a van across the country through a gauntlet of agencies that make money if they deprive him of freedom. Marijuana prohibition is one of the dumbest policies ever. It’s time we change these laws. Ω

Never smuggle drugs through Texas.

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Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert.

Email him questions at ask420@newsreview.com.

www.420MD.org 03.24.16 | SN&R | 41

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Quick Hits

How to talk to your budtender

M

aybe it’s your first time at a medical cannabis dispensary.

Maybe not. Either way, here are a few tips on etiquette for interacting with your budtender:

Remember to use the proper terms.

You aren’t at a “weed club,” you are at a medical cannabis dispensary.

Referring to cannabis as anything other than “cannabis” or maybe “marijuana” will get you a few sideways glances. So no “weed,” “grass,” “fire,” “dope” or any slang terms. Be professional.

44 | SN&R | 03.24.16

Tell the budtender why you use cannabis.

If you use it for insomnia or anxiety or pain relief, let them know, and they will point you to a strain or two that fit your needs. If you can tell them about a strain you’ve used and enjoyed before, even better.

Don’t show up at the dispensary too high.

Sometimes people come in too high to interact with the budtender — there are patients in line behind them, and they are obviously too high to make timely decisions. Try to keep it together.

And that’s about it. Follow these simple rules and your medical cannabis buying should be easy as pie.

03.24.16 | SN&R | 45

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O

ne trend in the marijuana world is the production of cannabis extracts, and the consumption of extract oils in the form of wax is certainly one of the more popular choices. The term “wax” encompasses a variety of consistencies — everything from glass-like “shatter” to earwax-like “goo” to the more crumbly “budder” — but they’re all extremely concentrated, highly potent forms of cannabis.

Their potency only took two minutes to hit me like an 18-wheeler.

Most extraction occurs through the use of butane, a dangerous process that is illegal in the state of California. But the popularity of wax among younger smokers looking for a more powerful

high forced the black market’s hand, and illegal production of butane hash oil literally and figuratively exploded. As The Sacramento Bee reported in June 2015, butane hash oil accidents account for up to 10 percent of the burn cases coming through UCD Medical Center and Shriner’s Hospital.

Extracting with nonflammable carbon dioxide, on the other hand, is less dangerous and more environmentally friendly, and Co2 Made has turned that process into the cornerstone of their identity. Along with a line of candies and vape cartridges created through “Subcritical/Supercritical Co2 oil extraction,” Co2 Made makes a wide variety of waxes.

The two versions that I sampled, both of the “earwax” variety, had the highest THC levels of any of Co2’s strains. (Score!) Pineapple Thai weighed in at 72.5 percent THC, and Hollands Hope followed close behind at 69.7 percent. Each one retails for around $35 at local dispensaries. Waxes aren’t known for their pleasant flavors, but I thought they both tasted pretty good, and their potency only took two minutes to hit me like an 18-wheeler.

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April 16, 2016 Field of Dreams Ranch, Oroville General Admission Tickets & Parking Vouchers Available Live Performance By: Pepper • The Green • J Boog • Zion I Through The Roots • Thrive • Arden Park Roots J Ras w/Iriefuse • Synrgy • Darenots • & More... never pay service fees!

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- Mon-Sat 10am-6pm Sun 11am-5pm NOTICE TO CONSUMERS: The Compassionate Use Act of 1996 ensures that seriously ill Californians have the right to obtain and use cannabis for medical purposes where medical use is deemed appropriate and has been recommended by a physician who has determined that the person’s health would benefit from the use of medical cannabis. Recommendations must come from an attending physician as defined in Section 11362.7 of the Health and Safety Code. Cannabis is a Schedule I drug ’14 according to the federal Controlled Substances Act. Activity related to cannabis use is subject to federal prosecution, regardless of the protections provided by state law.

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58 | SN&R | 03.24.16

FRee will aStRology

by Janelle Bitker

by rOB Brezsny

FOR THE WEEk OF MARCH 24, 2016 ARIES (March 21-April 19): When Orville and

Wilbur Wright were kids, their father gave them a toy helicopter powered by a rubber band. The year was 1878. Twenty-five years later, the brothers became the first humans to sail above the earth in a flying machine. They testified that the toy helicopter had been a key inspiration as they worked to develop their pioneering invention.

In the spirit of the Wright Brothers’ magic seed, Aries, I invite you to revive your connection to a seminal influence from your past. The coming weeks will be a favorable time to feed a dream that was foreshadowed in you a long time ago.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “The task of a writer

is not to solve the problem but to state the problem correctly,” said Russian writer Anton Chekhov. Whether or not you’re a writer, Taurus, that is also your special task in the coming weeks. The riddle that has begun to captivate your imagination is not yet ripe enough for you to work on in earnest. It has not been defined with sufficient clarity. Luckily, you have the resources you need to research all the contingencies, and you have the acuity to come up with a set of empowering questions.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The good news is that

if you eat enormous amounts of chocolate, you will boost your memory. Science has proved it.

The bad news is that in order to get the full effect of the memory enhancement, you would have to consume so much chocolate that you would get sick. I propose that we consider this scenario as a metaphor for what may be going on in your life. Is it possible you’re doing things that are healthy for you in one way but that diminish you in another? Or are you perhaps getting or doing too much of a good thing—going to unbalanced extremes as you pursue a worthy goal? Now is a favorable time to figure out if you’re engaged in such behavior, and to change it if you are.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When the young

director Richard Lester got his big break, he took full advantage. It happened in 1964, when the early Beatles asked him to do their first movie, A Hard Day’s Night. Lester’s innovative approach to the project propelled his career to a higher level that brought him many further opportunities. Writing of Lester’s readiness, critic Alexander Walker said, “No filmmaker … appeared more punctually when his hour struck.”

That’s what I hope you will soon be doing in your own chosen field, Cancerian. Do you understand how important it will be to have impeccable timing? No procrastination or hemming and hawing, please. Be crisply proactive.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): As a young man, the poet

Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) left his home in France and settled in Abyssinia, which these days is known as Ethiopia. “I sought voyages,” he wrote, “to disperse the enchantments that had colonized my mind.” You might want to consider a similar strategy in the coming weeks, Leo. From an astrological perspective, it’s going to be an excellent time both to wander free of your usual haunts and to disperse the enchantments that have colonized your mind. Why not find ways to synergize these two opportunities?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): At one point in his life, author C. S. Lewis had a rude awakening as he took stock of the progress he thought he had been making. “I am appalled to see how much of the change I thought I had undergone lately was only imaginary,” he wrote. I want to make sure that something similar doesn’t happen to you, Virgo. You’re in the midst of what should be a Golden Age of Self-Transformation. Make sure you’re actually doing the work that you imagine you’re doing—and not just talking about it and thinking about it.

and smart enough, and in just the right ways, to deal constructively with the answers. I’m not saying you’ll be pleased with everything you find out. But you will ultimately be glad you finally made the inquiries.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): If you are enmeshed in a jumble that makes you squirm or if you are caught in a tangle that stifles your self-love, you have three choices. Here’s how Eckhart Tolle defines them: (1) Get out of the situation. (2) Transform the situation. (3) Completely accept the situation. Does that sound reasonable, Scorpio? I hope so, because the time has come to act. Don’t wait to make your decision. Do it soon. After that, there will be no whining allowed.

You can no longer indulge in excuses. You must accept the consequences. On the bright side, imagine the new freedom and power you will have at your disposal.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Here’s a

proposed experiment. Sidle up to a creature you’d love to be closer to, and softly sing the following lyrics: “Come with me, go with me. Burn with me, glow with me. Sleep with me, wake with me.” At this point, run three circles around the creature as you flap your arms like a birds’ wings. Then continue your singing: “Rise with me, fall with me.

Work with me, play with me. Pray with me, sin with me.” At this point, leap up into the air three times, unleashing a burst of laughter each time you hit the ground. Continue singing: “Let me get high with you.

Laugh with you, cry with you. Make me your partner in crime.” At this point blow three kisses toward the creature, then run away. (P.S. The lyrics I’m quoting here were composed by songwriter Fran Landesman.)

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In getting energy

from food, we humans have at our disposal over 50,000 edible plants. And yet we choose to concentrate on just a few. Wheat, corn, rice and potatoes make up two-thirds of our diet, and 11 other staples comprise most of the rest. Let’s use this as a metaphor for the kind of behavior you should avoid in the coming weeks. I think it will be crucial for you to draw physical, emotional and spiritual sustenance from a relatively wide variety of sources. There’s nothing wrong with your usual providers, but for now you need to expand your approach to getting the nurturing you need.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “We teach each

other how to live.” Poet Anne Michaels said that, and now I’m passing it on to you—just in time for the phase of your cycle when acting like a curious student is your sacred duty and your best gift to yourself. I don’t necessarily mean that you should take a workshop or enroll in a school. Your task is to presume that everyone you meet and every encounter you have may bring you rich learning experiences. If you’re willing to go as far as I hope you will, even your dreams at night will be opportunities to get further educated. Even your vigils in front of the TV. Even your trips to the convenience store to buy ice cream.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In her poem “Time,”

Piscean poet Lia Purpura wonders about “not picking up a penny because it’s only a little luck.”

Presumably she is referring to a moment when you’re walking down a street and you spy an almost-but-not-quite-worthless coin lying on the concrete. She theorizes that you may just leave it there. It adds next to nothing to your wealth, right? Which suggests that it also doesn’t have much value as a symbol of good fortune. But I urge you to reject this line of thought in the coming weeks, Pisces. In my astrological opinion, you’ll be wise to capitalize on the smallest opportunities. There will be plenty of them, and they will add up.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “There are questions

that you don’t ask because you’re afraid of the answers,” wrote Agatha Christie. I would add that there are also questions you don’t ask because you mistakenly think you already know the answers. And then there are questions you don’t ask because their answers would burst your beloved illusions, which you’d rather preserve.

I’m here to urge you to risk posing all these types of questions, Libra. I think you’re strong enough

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.

The sake dude Out of nowhere, Les Pung pulls out two small glasses and a bottle of chilled sake. Think of Pung as a sake sommelier. He wanders into Japanese restaurants and convinces the owners that they should carry premium sake—none of that lowquality hot stuff. In essence, he’s the middle-man between the restaurants and the distributors. The curator. He also teaches classes, creates pairing menus, hosts parties and will offer his expertise to random people in the sake aisle of Oto’s Marketplace. Why? He loves sake and wants everyone to drink it. Me included. He pours the fruity, clear-colored rice wine and we clink glasses. Kanpai!

So, what are we drinking?

Tears of Dawn, a daiginjo. A great, easy-to-drink, starter sake. It pairs very well with sashimi, nigiri, light fare to start out the evening. Daiginjo means 50 percent of the rice is milled away. The higher the percent, the more flavorful and the more delicate. … Daiginjo is like the single vineyard reserve equivalent of wine.

It’s the best sake one can offer.

With wine, there are special glasses, swirling, smelling and all that. Is there a way you’re supposed to taste sake?

You can have a rocks glass, a wine glass or a ceramic ochoko, those white ones.

It doesn’t really matter. The wine glass, however, is my preferred drinking vessel for beginners. You’re so used to swirling wine to get the bouquet going. It’s the same for sake.

What’s the deal with those little wooden boxes?

Like this? (Pulls out a box.) These are called masu boxes. Traditionally, they’re a drinking vessel. Back in the day in Japan, when you had to barter and there was no cash, the farmer who grew rice would take his crop into the market to barter for something else. He’d say, “OK, 10 scoops of rice” for however many pieces of corn.

As time went on, the foot soldiers always had one of these as part of their standard issue military gear. Whether they were the victors or the vanquished, they had to drink with the emperor. The whole battalion would toast.

Um. Why do you have that with you?

(Laughs.) I don’t know.

PHOTO BY LUKE FITZ

What do you have with you at all times?

I have the wood box, I have [a tasting paddle], I have glasses, I have sake. That’s pretty much it.

First sake encounter?

At Benihana. I was drinking Coors Light—I was totally happy with my Coors Light—but I saw the table next to me drinking sake. So I said, “Bring me the sake.” I’m pouring this hot sake and I’m like, “This is really hot. Whoa.” Instinctively, I’m reaching for my Coors Light, washing it down. I was doing a sake bomb without even knowing what it was. … Later, I told my friend, “I can’t do sake.”

Things sure do change. Do you have an official title?

I’ve been given titles. (Laughs.) I guess, Certified Sake Professional. CSP. That is my business card. I’ve been called a sake ambassador, a sake missionary, a sake evangelist. Everything. Anything. A sake sommelier. The sake dude. The sake guy—that’s much easier.

Does it bother you when people pronounce it “sockee”?

It hurts my ears. Would you pronounce m-e-r-l-o-t as “merlaht”? It hurts my ears just as bad as “sockee.” … It’s pronounced “sah-kay,” like you’d pronounce Sunday.

Do you think sake pairs best with Japanese food?

Sake has reached a point where it can go really well with food other than Japanese

cuisine. Would you do French wines with just French food? Or Italian wines with just Italian food? No, it’s come out of that mold.

I’ve grilled tri-tip in the backyard drinking sake. … Some Thai restaurants carry cloudy sake because it’s sweet, which complements spicy food.

How many types of sake have you tried?

Is that a trick question?

No. Um. Close to about 700.

Is that everything on the market?

Far from it. There’s about 1,500 active brewers in Japan today for both domestic and export. Of those, we’d be lucky to get 50 that do export. Some sakes that I’ve tasted, friends just carry back. That’s why I want to go to Japan. The minute the plane hits the tarmac, I’ll go to the duty free store and check the prices. Then I’ll go to grocery stories, or as they call them over there, department stores. The hard part is how to carry all my sake back, legally.

Future goals?

I want to start a little bottle shop with a tasting room on the side. It can be 500 square feet of space. I’ll have all the bottles that people should be drinking. They can buy the bottles, pay the corkage and be happy because they’ll know it’s kickass sake. Ω Les Pung doesn’t have a website, but you can usually find him drinking sake at the counter of Lou’s Sushi at 2801 P Street.

03.24.16 | SN&R | 59