s-2018-02-01 by News & Review

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The deaTh lobbyisTs news,

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Volume 29, iSSue 42

thurSday, february

1, 2018

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Editor’s notE

fEbruary 1, 2018 | Vol. 29, issuE 42

32 28 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. Editor Eric Johnson News Editor Raheem F. Hosseini Arts & Culture Editor Rebecca Huval Associate Editor Mozes Zarate Staff Reporter Scott Thomas Anderson Calendar Editor Kate Gonzales Contributors Daniel Barnes, Ngaio Bealum, Alastair Bland, Rob Brezsny, Aaron Carnes, Jim Carnes, Willie Clark, John Flynn, Joey Garcia, Jeff Hudson, Matt Kramer, Jim Lane, Michael Mott, Luis Gael Jimenez, Rachel Leibrock, Kate Paloy, Patti Roberts, Steph Rodriguez, Ann Martin Rolke, Shoka, Bev Sykes

35 Design Manager Christopher Terrazas Creative Director Serene Lusano Art Director Margaret Larkin Designers Kyle Shine, Maria Ratinova Marketing/Publications Designer Sarah Hansel Web Design & Strategy Intern Elisabeth Bayard Arthur Contributing Photographers Lucas Fitzgerald, Matt Maxwell, Gavin McIntyre Advertising Manager Michael Gelbman Sales Coordinator Victoria Smedley Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Kelsi White Advertising Consultants Mayra Diaz, Mark Kates , Alyssa Morrisey, Michael Nero, Allen Young Sweetdeals Coordinator Hannah Williams Facilities Coordinator/Sales Assistant David Lindsay Director of First Impressions Skyler Morris Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Assistant Lob Dunnica Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Beatriz Aguirre, Gypsy Andrews, Rosemarie Beseler, Kimberly Bordenkircher, Daniel Bowen, Heather Brinkley, Kathleen Caesar, Mike Cleary, Lydia Comer,

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36 Tom Downing, Marty Fetterley, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Kelly Hopkins, Julian Lang, Lance Medlin, Greg Meyers, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan, Viv Tiqui, Eric Umeda, Zang Yang N&R Publications Editor Michelle Carl N&R Associate Editor Laura Hillen N&R Publications Writer Anne Stokes Marketing & Publications Consultants Steve Caruso, Joseph Engle, Elizabeth Morabito, Traci Hukill President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Director of Nuts & Bolts Deborah Redmond Nuts & Bolts Ninja Leslie Giovanini Executive Coordinator/Publications Media Planner Carlyn Asuncion Director of People & Culture David Stogner Project Coordinator Natasha vonKaenel Director of Dollars & Sense Nicole Jackson Payroll/AP Wizard Miranda Hansen Accounts Receivable Specialist Analie Foland Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins

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1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Fax (916) 498-7910 Website www.newsreview.com Got a News Tip? sactonewstips@newsreview.com Calendar Events www.newsreview.com/calendar Want to Advertise? Fax (916) 498-7910 or snradinfo@newsreview.com Classifieds (916) 498-1234, ext. 5 or classifieds@newsreview.com Job Opportunities jobs@newsreview.com Want to Subscribe to SN&R? sactosubs@newsreview.com Editorial Policies: opinions expressed in sn&r are those of the authors and not of chico community Publishing, inc. contact the editor for permissions to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. sn&r is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or review materials. Email letters to snrletters@newsreview.com. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel. Advertising Policies: All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s standards of Acceptance. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes the responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message. sn&r is printed at Bay Area news Group on recycled newsprint. circulation of sn&r is verified by the circulation Verification council. sn&r is a member of sacramento Metro chamber of commerce, cnPA, AAn and AWn.

Hope and dignity It can be difficult to think about death, to talk about death. Raheem F. Hosseni did a lot of both last year, as he lived through his mother’s death with her, and wrote a powerful piece about it for this newspaper (read “Killing Mom,” Feature, June 15, 2017). The article got Raheem an invitation to testify before a state Senate committee last week; you’ll find that story on page 8. In the piece, Raheem points out that the unnecessary anguish that accompanied his mother through her final months and minutes could have been prevented if the state of California, that is to say, if we had more compassion and courage. It’s a tragic tale with a hopeful ending. Scott Thomas Anderson this week delivers his umpteenth article about the city’s and the county’s insufficient efforts—which is to say our insufficient efforts—to provide shelter for our homeless neighbors. Again there is a hopeful note: Scott found that the triage centers spearheaded by Mayor Darrel Steinberg are providing genuine solace for the folks who are able to access them. And he found support for Steinberg’s proposal to built 1,000 affordable “tiny homes.” And, both neighborhood activists and advocates for the homeless seem to be confronting the difficult issue of trash in our streets and pollution in our creeks and rivers; the solution probably involves a multi-agency task-force, which, yes, is a bureaucracy made up of bureaucracies… But still. That’s a lot better than saying the problem is too big to fix. I spoke briefly with the mayor at the annual Martin Luther King Dinner at Sac State Saturday night. He wanted to be certain I understood his commitment to providing his homeless constituents not just a roof, but dignity. This is a start.

—Eric Johnson e r ic j@ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

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“something like an action star-slash-movie star ...”

aSked aT SacramenTo’S downTown Public library:

What would you rename yourself?

Sharon Takhar analyst

I would rename myself: Maya Reba. Maya is one of my favorite names. I think it is beautiful. Reba is my favorite country singer. She is my favorite singer in general. … Since I was about 7 or 8, she has been my fave. Maya is my great aunt’s name.

STeve norman civil engineer

I would go for Elwood. ... It is not a common name. When I use it, as I am waiting in line at the restaurant or wherever, it stands out. I used to perform as Elwood of the Blues Brothers. My brother was Jake. If people know the Blues Brothers, then they relate with it.

T yrone Gilliam

STePhon dySon

state worker

photographer

I think it would be ancestry-related, if I did find one. It would be an African name. It would be a strong, ethnically connected name bringing me back to my ancestry. I am strong, kind, vibrant and people-oriented. The name would reflect all of that. I am a leader.

I would probably want something like an action starslash-movie star, like a Jason -something ... How about a Jason Michael? ... Usually those names have something about them, like Tom Cruise. They have movement and action attached. They seem to say something strong.

odin coPel and

PaT T y Schul z

cook

nonprofit employee

I chose my middle name over my first … My family comes from Iceland. I was raised there as kid. I go by Odin. ... My last name is known for a lot of bloodshed. I was given the name Odin because of Norse mythology. He (the god Odin) is known as the father of the gods.

I like my name. My mom liked it. Patricia is OK. I don’t usually go by Pat. People call me Patty or Tricia. There isn’t a lot of history or family connections with my name. My husband’s name is Schulz, so I keep it.

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Email lEttErs to sactolEttErs@nEwsrEviEw.com

Nice threads Re “Huston Textile Co. is making rare fabric in Sacramento” by Rebecca Huval (Feature, January 25): LOVED LOVED LOVED the spread on Huston!!! More of this!! How can we amplify regional fiber systems more!!! So cool. andreW BasKin da v i s

Denzel: freedom fighter

Water world war

Re Roman J. Israel, Esq. film review by Daniel Barnes (Film, December 7): This was a civil rights movie! The music (“Keep on Truckin,” “Time Has Come Today,” etc.). When in the new apartment, he said, “This is all we want!” It was so obvious to me, but not to most people. I don’t know why. Bette thatcher

Re “Another leak” by Scott Thomas Anderson (News, January 25): More disturbing than Ms. Nemeth’s ethically questionable marriage, which has been known since it occurred within the “water world” with raised eyebrows, is the fact that Metropolitan Water District has been reimbursing the state of California for her salary in all of her positions and appointments from DWR to

car m i chael via n ewsrev i ew . com

Natural Resources under John Laird. Seems to me that could be construed as questionable at best, grounds for honest services fraud that by definition constitutes bribery and kickbacks at worst. Surely MWD expected her decisions to be in the best interests of MWD and not the legal residents and taxpayers of California. Thank you for investigating and publishing these excellent articles, certainly the first since I became involved with exposing this boondoggle for the fraud it is in 2009. I look forward to your next installment. Karen medders Wa l nu t G ro v e v i a ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Stalled stars Re Winter’s Waltz at California Stage review by Jeff Hudson (Stage, January 25): Congratulations to Loren Taylor, Tory Scroggins and Janice Stevens. The name William Inge immediately brought Picnic to

mind, only one of a series of hit plays and movies written by Inge. (Come Back, Little Sheiba; Bus Stop). Then he lost his ability to write. Broadhurst taking a mid-century-based character and bringing the character into this century gives a look at what happens to someone highly creative and lauded but no longer able to produce. William BurGua s a c r a me nto v i a ne w sr e v ie w.c o m

Shut up and listen Re “Canceling the SAMMIES show” by Steph Rodriguez (News, January 25): Keep kicking yourself. It won’t make a difference with Black Lives Matter and other such groups. Jeff vonKaenel says, “This is exactly the discussion we want to create.” BLM wants no discussion other than what they have to say. That’s the problem. You can’t discuss, debate or express an opposing opinion.

You’ll just have to keep the ice pack on to dull the pain. curt Fry s a c r a me nto v ia ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

read more letters online at www.newsreview .com/sacramento.

Bye, SAMMIES show I understand people who want to push for some change at the SN&R. I don’t understand anyone acting like shutting down something like the SAMMIES is a positive thing for Sacramento. matt czarnoWsKi v ia Fa c e b o o k

@SacNewsReview

Facebook.com/ SacNewsReview

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… and good riddance “Hmm, should we actively reach out to the community or should we just cancel the show? Ahh, let’s just cancel!” Joe mcKinney Via Fa c e b o o k

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Survivors of and advocates for the terminally ill share their experiences with the California End of Life Option Act during a special Assembly hearing on January 24. Photos by Raheem F. hosseini

A day on the death panel a writer accepts the california legislature’s invitation to share his mom’s undying wish by Raheem F. hosseini

Like many of my favorite stories, this one is about death. It takes place in a fourth-floor hearing room in the state Capitol, where the floors beneath the embroidered green carpets creek under the accumulated weight of decades of lurching progress, and the ghosts of those who didn’t live long enough to see it. My mother is one of those ghosts. In October 2016, Elisabeth Hosseini became one of an unknown—and uncounted—number of terminal adults who was denied a pain-free, 8

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drug-induced death under the California End of Life Option Act. Nearly 15 months after her lengthy and sometimes violent passage into the great beyond, the state Assembly has gathered more than a dozen health-care professionals, patient advocates and survivors of the departed to conduct a postmortem on California’s wellintentioned but overly strict law. Because of the story I wrote last summer chronicling my mom’s attempts to battle both her cancer and a statesanctioned health-care bureaucracy (Read “Killing Mom,” Feature, June

r a h e e mh @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

15, 2017), I was invited to be one of the panelists. There’s a saying policy makers sometimes hear as they set about the business of crafting laws that will affect millions of people: Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. The California End of Life Act certainly isn’t perfect. For too many, the promise of a death with dignity and without pain remains out of reach. Worse yet, the people the law fails are not counted by California’s higher authorities. I had come to this musty chamber to remind my elected representatives not to

let false piety and political expediency get in the way of true humanity. I had come to speak to them about a ghost. This hasn’t gotten any easier for Daniel Diaz. His wife Brittany Maynard died on November 1, 2014, a couple weeks shy of her 30th birthday and 11 months after a brain cancer diagnosis sent her on an odyssey that shifted the national dialogue about dying in America. It’s not that death-with-dignity laws didn’t exist before Maynard rose to prominence. (The states of Oregon, Washington and Vermont had adopted versions prior to 2014.) Neither was she the first nor even the most famous spokesperson for the cause. But Maynard was what the movement needed to escape the shadow of Dr. Jack Kevorkian, whose controversial exploits and eventual prison sentence made him a problematic mascot for what used to be called assisted suicide. By being a terminal patient who was seeking a fatal prescription—and not a physician who would be prescribing

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a political Yolo it—Maynard gave the movement the first-person perspective it was lacking. Social media gave her message reach, but also afforded it an unmistakable intimacy: Brittany was speaking to us, and we couldn’t look away. Years later, Diaz’s voice shakes as he recounts his wife’s legacy to the Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review. He’s given some version of this speech in 12 different state houses and at an unspecified number of palliative care conferences, he says, but it still takes a visible toll. Maynard’s home state of California hadn’t yet legalized assisted death when her brain tumor became inoperable, Diaz recalled, so the couple drove 600 miles to Oregon to access its death-withdignity law. “The reason that Brittany spoke up was that she thought it was a huge injustice that we had to leave her home,” Diaz said, his voice catching with emotion. “She spoke up for people she would never meet—terminally ill individuals in her predicament, terminal individuals that maybe wouldn’t have the ability to travel to another state. … I marvel at her determination to make a difference even as she was navigating her own dying process at the time.” Maynard’s story created enough groundswell for California and Colorado to join four other states and Washington, D.C., with aid-in-dying laws, often over the sustained opposition of religious institutions and medical associations fretting over liability. Death-with-dignity as public policy is still a nascent movement, but these laws have helped chip away at a delusional, recoiling culture that treats dying as some sort of fringe medical elective. That’s not how Betsy Davis faced her death. Diagnosed in July 2013 with ALS, the San Diego artist was able to “assert control over the chaos and uncertainty of a terminal illness,” her sister Kelly testified January 24. Lying in a makeshift bed under a canopy on the side of a house in Ojai, Betsy worked down a “toxic sludge” of morphine, Pentobarbital and chloral hydrate, and fell asleep surrounded by family members and loved ones as the sun set, Kelly said. “She turned death into a reason to celebrate.” Dying of late-stage multiple myeloma, Bob Stone emptied 90 capsules of secobarbital into his apple sauce and then climbed into bed, recalled ex-wife Roberta Stone, who snuggled up beside

him. “His last words to me were, ‘I can feel it already. it’s good.’ And then he died peacefully,” she said of the 69-yearold Silver Lake resident. Jackie Minor’s family had a much more trying time obtaining aid-in-dying medication for her father, who endured the violent coughing and gasping fits of pulmonary fibrosis for nearly two years. After finding a willing health-care provider using the nonprofit Compassion & Choices’ website, Minor said, the family yanked her father from his provider and enrolled him in Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, where he was able to finally end his life quietly, on a couch, surrounded by his wife and daughters. I wish I could tell the committee something similar.

myeloma in 1994, Mom would sometimes nudge me to write about her relentless pursuit of a natural cure, which took her from a cultish farm house in Chadron, Neb., to a hyperberic heat chamber in Tijuana, Mexico, and back to her couch, watching her husband and sons grumble as they soaked her socks in raw egg yolk. But I waited too long for that story. And so I am left with this one: Well before California’s end-of-life option, Elisabeth made sure her family and doctors knew of her intent to take agency over the last thing she would ever do in this life. When California implemented its law in June 2016, it was a great relief to her. It meant she didn’t have to consider leaving the adopted home where she met her husband, started her preschool and raised her family. When her oncologist said she had months left to live, Elisabeth’s first question was about obtaining an aid-in-dying prescription. Yet there were obstacles. Initially, Kaiser Permanente and Snowline Hospice couldn’t decide whose responsibility it was to move things to the next phase. Then, it took more than a week to receive a hand-delivered form that could have been downloaded from the state’s website. More weeks passed as our patient coordinator struggled to find a Kaiser doctor willing to conduct the first of two necessary interviews. And more time to schedule a house call, as my mom was now too feeble to leave her bed. By the time a doctor arrived to interview my mom, she could no longer answer his questions to the law’s standard. She didn’t proceed to the next round. A day later, Elisabeth Hosseini, 76, of Sacramento by way of Germany, died convulsing and choking on her own spit. Even to the end, she fought with every ounce.

Even to the end, she fought with every ounce.

a couple days after her terminal diagnosis, Elisabeth was lying on the couch in her living room, convalescing to one of the crappy reality TV shows she loved watching, the kind that nourished my German mom’s attuned sense of Schadenfreude. She was getting sicker; there was no denying it. Nestled at her side, I mentioned that my girlfriend broke down crying on the phone the other day. It was a test balloon, to gauge whether Mom wanted to have that conversation. “I don’t know if that helps or makes it harder when people are, you know, show that they’re upset about you,” I wagered hesitantly. “Does that make you feel better or is it harder?” Mom’s eyes brightened. “No, that’s a good thing,” she said resolutely. “Why should you not know that people love you and care? And that’s all part of life together. We laugh together, you cry together, you mourn together. … That’s all life.” My mom’s life was always the most interesting one to me. As kids, she told my brother and I stories that most adults might consider, what’s the word, traumatizing to a developing mind—of real ghosts and benevolent witches, of serial killers who hid under hotel beds and the country aunt who ate her beloved pet goose. Mom was like that. This was life and life was hard; why pretend otherwise? After she was diagnosed with multiple

neither Kaiser nor the state included Elisabeth among the 258 individuals who began the end-of-life option process during the law’s first seven months. As far as they were concerned, she hadn’t technically made two verbal requests at least 15 days apart. neWs continued on page 10

After another candidate dropped out of the race to unseat Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig, veteran defense attorney Dean Johansson started making calls. He’s now Reisig’s main opponent. Reisig has run unopposed since 2006. Johansson has been a public defender in the same county since 2007. The 56-year-old challenger launched his campaign against Reisig January 25 outside the superior courthouse in Woodland, claiming Yolo has some of the highest rates in California for county incarceration, jury trials and treating juvenile offenders as adults. “Out of 58 counties, Yolo is one of the top six counties for per-capita prison population,” Johansson told reporters. “It is No.1 for jury trials. This is the county of incarceration, and countless children and families pay the price.” Johansson is also a board member of the Davis chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, which has already made him a public voice for police accountability, not to mention a watchdog on whether local prosecutors are “creating crime,” he contended. This week, Johansson told SN&R that he’d been supporting Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Larry Eichele against Reisig—until Eichele pulled out of the race. “I went around and pled, ‘Somebody, please, step up,’” Johansson recalled. “I realized, I can’t ask others to do something I wouldn’t do.” Johansson plans to make overzealous gang validations and the school-to-prison pipeline central themes in his campaign. Johansson acknowledged his campaign will be a “vertical climb.” He entered the race late and is behind on fundraising. But he’s adamant his challenge is real. “It’s not easy, but it’s do or die,” he stressed. “I got to the point where I’m tired of the disparity. It’s too great. I decided, either I become DA or I leave the county.” (Michael Mott)

a bad start The city of Sacramento started 2018 with four homicides during the month of January, three of which remain unsolved. The violence started four days into the new year, when a man suffered what would be a fatal gunshot wound on a street near Rosa Parks Middle School in south Sacramento. The case is still under investigation. The next homicide probe started January 7, after police conducted a welfare check on a home in South Land Park. The officers were looking for 61-year-old susan roberts, who hadn’t been seen in several days. Police arrived at Roberts’ house on Nevin Court around 1 p.m. and quickly ended up in a standoff with her husband, 59-year-old Mark Herbert Long. After Long surrendered, detectives discovered Roberts’ body inside the house. Long is currently being held in jail without bail as he’s prosecuted for murder. Another killing happened later that night in Old North Sacramento. At 8:40 p.m. emergency dispatchers received a call reporting shots fired on Dale Avenue not far from Redwood Park. Police found a man shot on the 2500 block of the avenue. He was eventually pronounced dead. No arrest has yet been made. On January 14, at 8:50 p.m., dispatchers received a call that a man had been shot by 44th Street and 10th Avenue, just north of an area known by some residents as the “Fruitridge finger.” Officers soon found an unconscious man bleeding from a gunshot wound. Paramedics pronounced the victim dead on the scene. According to recently released FBI statistics, the city of Sacramento experienced a spike in homicides during the first half of 2017 compared to the first half of 2016. During the first six months of last year, there were 21 homicides in the city, eight more than during the same period in 2016. (Scott Thomas Anderson)

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Brittany Maynard, on the cover of People magazine, is credited with elevating the aid-in-dying conversation.

news continued from page 9

At last week’s hearing, I wasn’t the only one who took an issue with this selective math. “We’re not hearing about requests for the aid-in-dying act,” UCLA’s Dr. Neil Wenger told the committee. “All we know about are the prescriptions.” That means the state is only tracking what’s working with the law, not what isn’t. This rosecolored data bias obscures unsuccessful patient stories to policy makers who should be asking where the gaps are. Along with requesting truer data, panelists also recommended doubling an eligible terminal diagnosis to 12 months instead of six, so that dying patients, especially those with degenerative neurological or cellular diseases, don’t become trapped in their bodies before they can qualify. The price-gouging of pharmaceutical companies, obstructionist policies of some medical systems and hospice providers, a lack of training for doctors, and a lack of information for patients were also raised as issues of wide concern. As it stands now, California’s end-of-life option works best for the “model” terminal patient, who has time, resources and luck on their side. Maybe that’s why the limited data shows that mostly white, college-educated patients with private insurance are taking advantage of it. I asked the staffs of Assemblywoman Susan Talamantes Eggman and Sen. Bill Monning about the flaws in the act, and the recommendations to fix them. The Democratic lawmakers were instrumental in getting the act passed and view aid-in-dying as a human right that everyone should have equal access to. But their legislative accomplishment couldn’t happen without concessions to the California Hospital Association and the state’s Catholic healthcare network. As written, the act sunsets in 2026—unless the legislature can reauthorize it. This has made elected representatives reluctant

to propose changes to a law that could still be wiped from existence. With Republicans threatening Washington, D.C.’s death-with-dignity law, such tampering isn’t beyond possibility. Monning’s people wouldn’t commit to anything specific. In a phone interview on Monday, Eggman acknowledged that any specific legislative changes were years away, as she and her colleagues focus on making the law permanent before they work to make it more perfect. “One of the issues we want to be careful of is not doing more legislation that would open the act up for lawsuits and being held up in court,” she said. “We want to be sensitive to that.” Eggman, in particular, has shown an aptitude for sensitivity. At last week’s committee hearing, the former hospice professional never wavered from her place behind the horseshoe dais as she absorbed the raw testimony of a heartbroken widow and widower, a sister, of a daughter and son. What was billed as a sober accounting turned into a necessary mass. Her eyes misty and her voice gentle and low, Eggman commiserated and thanked. She ministered and, when appropriate, she governed. As Diaz rose to lend me his seat at the table, I reflected on the compromises we make in the hopes of purchasing justice a pace or two down the road. Setting down my notes, I spoke from what was left of my heart. And before I left, I said one more thing: “I think the last thing I’ll say about my mom is, before I was around, she grew up in Germany, [in] postwar poverty. She was an immigrant. She was a single working mom back when that was taboo. She was a pro-choice advocate before Roe v. Wade,” I said. “And when the world let her down, it was because it wasn’t as compassionate or forward-thinking or brave as she was.” That’s still true today. But maybe, someday, it won’t be. Ω

while planning its future strategy. Also dogging the mission, even for some shelter supporters, is the failure of city and county leaders to do something practical about camping-related pollution in Sacramento’s creeks and rivers.

Some camping persists along Steelhead Creek. Photo by Scott thomaS anderSon

Shelter ahead? Sacramento doesn’t know what it will do when its temporary shelter closes in April

by Scott thomaS anderSon

On a bleak afternoon, a group of men and women stand at the gates of the city’s new winter triage center, a gray, cavernous warehouse anchored almost directly under the levee that many were just camping on. Beyond its fence, a few soiled tents still straddle the bike path up on the earthen wall, where a mammoth encampment was once visible from a bridge on Arden Way. While the line of canvas dwellings is mostly gone, the wind moves over another sight across the water—long piles of garbage strewn throughout the brush and trees. A few campers still hold out here, surrounded by mounds of plastic bags, rusted gear, aluminum clutter, empty syringes and stray propane tanks. As the gale grows colder, Ramona Jasper huddles near the gate to the triage shelter. She and her husband Anthony Moss are relieved to be out of the frigid temperatures. Last spring, the couple was rousted numerous times while camping

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along Steelhead Creek. They were hopeful about Councilman Allen Warren’s proposed tent city. When Mayor Darrel Steinberg tabled the idea, the threat of another winter darkened. But the temporary triage center Steinberg championed does offer some of the promises of Warren’s concept, including safety, hot meals, toilets, sinks, showers and a place for pets. “I’m very grateful,” Jasper said. “I have no complaints.” Other people staying inside the shelter were equally positive about its services. However, the temporary shelter is just that—temporary. City officials acknowledge that their next move when the center closes March 31 is an open question mark. Now, the negative publicity the shelter garnered during its launch, and its rough opening weeks of operation, have some advocates worried about the political minefield the city will have to traverse

Critics and homeless advocates alike noticed that it took a week longer than Steinberg promised to open the shelter in December. Even now, the shelter isn’t accepting as many guests as advertised. The city’s strategy for admitting people through its police impact team and outreach navigators also hurt the endeavor’s image, as the process left dozens still camping—almost right in front of the facility—for several weeks after it opened. Making matters worse, rumors swirled that homeless individuals could only get in if they had contact with police officers. A history of losing camping supplies to the department made some reluctant to seek access. Nikki Jones, a single mother currently experiencing homelessness, tried to inquire about getting into the shelter. Jones says she called Sacramento Steps Forward for information, but was told the agency’s system wasn’t updated, and was then advised to call 211 for details on the center. “I called 211 for a referral, but they knew nothing about it,” Jones recalled. One person monitoring the shelter confusion was Eye On Sacramento member Nancy Kitz. While Kitz agrees with taking lifesaving action during winter, she thinks the triage center has been mismanaged. “It lacked public participation,” Kitz said. “There was never an effort to engage the community in the beginning, and that’s really continuing to haunt this project.” But officials stress the center has now brought 244 people out of the cold since opening. The city’s homeless services coordinator, Emily Halcon, said people staying in the center have access to health services and outreach workers trying to find them housing options. When the shelter closes, Halcon added, the city will look to leverage its Whole Person Care grant for homeless relief. “We’re actively looking for other sites for another shelter,” Halcon said. “Adding additional shelter capacity is on the wish list, but we have to do it in consultation with the community.” Referencing criticisms that the city put too much emphasis on mustering

shelter resources in north Sacramento, Halcon acknowledged, “We’re open to all different ways. There’s a need everywhere in the city.” Steinberg announced last week during his state of the city address that he plans to bring 1,000 “tiny home” living units to Sacramento in the next two years. Yet, as the city looks for community buy-in on new shelter sites and the tiny homes push, it’s also running into anger from residents who think it, along with county leaders, are ignoring an environmental emergency tied to the scope of homelessness. Jane Macaulay, a member of the Woodlake Creating Transparency Neighborhood Association, has produced videos and slide shows on the extent of camp-related garbage strewn across and into north Sacramento’s waterways. Members of the American River Parkway Preservation Society are also voicing concern, demanding more clean-up and sanitary action. “Allen Warren should not give one bloody dime to anymore nonprofits, he should spend it on dumpsters, so there’s a place to put the trash,” Macaulay said. The Board of Supervisors increased its budget this year for parkway cleanup, though the money was earmarked for the razing of camps rather than adding dumpsters for homeless people to use. District 6 Councilman Eric Guerra said an expanded dumpster program will probably only happen if there is greater cooperation between the city, county, local businesses, sanitation districts and the American River Parkway joint-powers authority. “There are all these agencies trying to tackle the problem from different directions, but we haven’t come up with a countywide strategy,” Guerra told SN&R. “If we had a more thoughtful approach on how to pool our resources, we could free up money for something like commercial dumpsters. … Right now we’re playing whack-a-mole.” Kitz believes the city could get more state and federal resources for both shelters and environmental cleanup if Steinberg and the council would drop their concerns about Sacramento’s image and declare an official homeless emergency. She also thinks that would bring more communitywide focus on concrete goals. “You have to prioritize in an emergency,” Kitz said. Ω

02.01.18

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Innovating on homelessness by jeff vonkaenel

S AC RA M EN TO MU S IC AWARD S

Who are the best musicians in Sac?

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Before I comment on the innovative, desperately needed “efficient housing” proposal that Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg presented at the annual State of Downtown breakfast last Tuesday, I would first like to note how much the farm-to-fork movement has improved the quality of breakfasts over the last 20 years. In years past, the breakfasts, while having the caloric content needed for an Olympic swimmer, were usually tasteless and boring. Now, they’re delicious and interesting. Thank you, farm-to-fork! To start off the breakfast, longtime Downtown Sacramento Partnership Executive Director Michael Ault had plenty of happy numbers and a video. He spoke of new businesses opening downtown, increased commercial space, expanded economic activity and more. Downtown is booming. Ault portrayed Sacramento as an exciting place to live and play, like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. And then Steinberg addressed the elephant in the room. Homelessness. All of these West Coast cities are seeing an ever-increasing number of people who cannot find affordable housing and are now living on the street. The problem is obvious to anyone walking past people sleeping on the sidewalk, or driving under a freeway overpass and seeing people camped out under their Caltrans-provided roof. But it’s not obvious how to solve this problem. Steinberg pointed out that, “The usual approach is build apartments or large supportive living facilities. [But] conventional housing is expensive, and it takes years to build. We don’t have years to wait to house people.” Facing this emergency, Steinberg proposed fast-tracking 1,000 lessexpensive “efficient housing units.” These units would be 300 to 400 square feet each and meet the following minimum requirements: “A secure roof, door, plumbing, electricity—and

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

dignity.” Steinberg suggests we could start by building them on the 100-plus vacant parcels owned by the city and city agencies. In addition, Steinberg suggested creating a “common sense” housing fund that could lend or grant up to $1,000 in rental assistance for 1,800 families who are housed but at risk of ending up on the street because of “an unanticipated medical emergency, a broken-down car, a lost job.” Chicago implemented a similar plan and “increased lengths of tenancies by up to two additional years.” Steinberg also wants to triple our 200-bed triage shelter capacity and provide additional support for landlords who experience damages or difficulty with a tenant using a Housing Choice Voucher. In his State of Downtown address, Steinberg proposed using government funds and private sector money as well as working with existing nonprofit solutions. It will be a challenge to make this happen. But California now has $1.8 billion going to mental health services as a result of the Steinberg-authored Proposition 63 Mental Health Services Act, passed by voters in 2004. The mayor has a well-deserved reputation for pulling off innovative solutions to challenging problems. In the past year, he has united formerly-warring city council members into a productive, functioning team. To solve the housing crisis, we will need a united communitywide effort that utilizes government, business, labor and citizen groups. We all need to contribute. Increased taxes and donations will be necessary. What is at stake is not just housing, but a bigger question of who we are. A vibrant city should have people living in homes, not on sidewalks. Ω Jeff vonKaenel is the president, CEO and majority owner of the News & Review.

photo illuStration by Serene luSano

’S mento SacraerS and winn S—with loSer ry pointS ra arbit

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A sweet dAy Out! Make a day of it with 50% off admission to the California Museum and discount gift certificates to Kupros Craft House!

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The Sacramento Kings had not won in Miami since 2001 and that pattern looked to be holding on January 25, until a furious comeback against the Heat culminated with an electrifying, game-winning, put-back dunk by rookie De’aaron fox. Arguably, the Kings have been the worst team in the NBA this season. But the young players have steadily improved, the team is in position for a high draft pick and this exorcism of a ghost from the team’s hapless past provided a much-needed morale boost. We suck, but maybe, just maybe, we won’t in two or three years.

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suBPoenas for sancTuaries Recurring villain Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatened on January 24 to subpoena and withdraw federal funding from 23 “sanctuary” jurisdictions, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Sacramento, if they fail to provide documents regarding their compliance with federal immigration authorities. So be it. It’d be far worse to aid these cynical and cruel deportations of undocumented immigrants who obey all other laws, contribute to society and raise the next generation of Americans.

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Doin’ GooD for 65 Years Congresswoman Doris Matsui helped celebrate the 65th anniversary of Wellspace Health on January 25, recognizing the health and social services these centers provide in our region, particularly to low-income populations. With over a dozen nearby locations, these health centers bring a rare compassion to the american healthcare system. Nobody asked to be born, but everybody should be given a chance to live a healthy life.

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Seasonal rains prime the ground for the growth of wild mushrooms, but the California Department of Public Health urges you to check with a “mushroom expert” before you chow down on your foraged fungi. From November 2016 to January 2018, the department recorded 1,038 cases of poisonous mushroom ingestion. Of those, 433 were children 6 years or younger. As spell-binding as the omelette scene is in Phantom Thread, please ensure that Daniel Day Lewis is the only person you watch eat poison this year.

Following his State of Downtown speech on January 23, Mayor Darrell Steinberg has several ideas for Sacramento. Two of Scorekeeper’s favorites: spending $21 million to subsidize construction of 1,000 tiny homes for those experiencing homelessness, and dropping another $20 million to renovate old sacramento into a better place for locals and tourists to visit. If Sacramento wants to be a national city, taking care of folks and making cool stuff needs to go hand-in-hand.

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Longtime members of Sac’s beloved theatre company look back as they prepare to open the magnificent Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for the Arts on Capitol Avenue. By eRic Johnson e ri c j @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

Making Fantasy a Reality

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tiM BusField: When I was in high school, I was 14, it was freshman or sophomore year, and as a project we adapted A Charlie Brown Christmas. And we did it for the teachers and I remember the teachers sort of had tears in their eyes. And the head of the theater department at East Lansing High School was there and he said we should do this for the school kids. And so they brought in all the K-3 kids in East Lansing, and I fell in love with that audience right away. And then when I was at East Tennessee State, a friend of mine wanted to start a children’s theater. So I went with him, and Buck was working as a paralegal in a law library, and we incorporated. And then we went out into Appalachia—and the kids, you realized how much they needed it. We went under after about 50 performances because we just didn’t have the business end. And it really bothered me because I saw the value and the importance of what we did. So I was hell-bent to start another children’s theater, and this time I wasn’t going to let it fail. And then I got sort of sidetracked, with the television, but I never lost sight of it. Then, I was sitting in my trailer on Trapper John, M.D.—I had gotten Trapper John in 1984—when I turned to my wife and said, “I can start that theater now.” Because I knew I could get past school secretaries. We started Fantasy Theatre with the philosophy of: Feed the guppies, and then give them a place to come when they’re older, and you can help save the American theater. I gave an actor 50 bucks in December of 1985, and said I needed him to research Sacramento, Calif. and Columbia, South Carolina. Because I need to be an hour away from New York or an hour away from Los Angeles—I can’t afford understudies—and I want to be in a state capital, so I can be close to the arts councils and commissions. And I then incorporated a nonprofit and started writing letters to superintendents of schools and telling them I was going to move to Sacramento and start an Equity theater company there, and

try to bring professional theater to the schools so kids would grow up with theater as part of their curriculum.

Buck BusField: The initial Fantasy Theatre was all Tim. The touring theater for kids that he’d started with some friends in college had failed, and Tim decided he was going to make one that was successful. His career took him to regional theater and Broadway, and then Hollywood, and he finally had a little bit of money. And he said, “I’m going to do it again, and do it right.” And he called me to come help him. And he spent a lot of his money and put a lot of sweat into it. He arrived in Sacramento in July ’86. I came out in August and John Hardy, his other partner, was here with him in July, and I went to start banging on doors. So it was just this kind of shoe-leather, white-knuckle operation. And it was a fully professional company, all Equity actors, and we started booking 12 shows a week in schools, still in ’86. It was one of the only Actors’ Equity Association school tours in the country.

gReg alexandeR: My connection to the core group of B Street Theatre goes all the way back to 1980. I was an apprentice actor at the Actors Theatre of Louisville where I met Timothy Busfield, who at the time was in his first year of being a company member there and had been an apprentice the year before. And he and I did a show that was a hit at the New Play Festival, called the Asshole Murder Case. It was like a 10-minute play about two college roommates, and it was hilarious. It was this big hit, kind of a phenomenon, and we struck up a friendship. And I remember him talking about wanting to start a children’s theater then. His plan was to start it in Virginia, and then his career took off in Hollywood and so it was going to be in California.

Dave Pierini: I had gone to school to be a writer; I went to Loyola Marymount University but I wasn’t really mature enough for higher education. So I came back to Sacramento, where I’m from, and was tooling around and doing a lot of community theater, and having fun. And then I met Elizabeth Nunziato, and she had started to work for the Busfields, and she said, “Listen, if you’re serious about this and you want to do this for a living, you need to do a couple of things. Go take Ed Claudio’s workshop.” He was teaching the original actors’ workshop back in the day. And then I auditioned for these Busfield guys. And got hired. I started with the company when I was 20 years old, when we were just the Fantasy Theatre school tour. We had an office in an old Victorian and a van. We would rent rehearsal space and we would put together the shows in two weeks. And then they’d send us out on the road. We would all meet at the office at 6 in the morning, climb into the van and drive off to wherever we could get to and back in a day. So a lot of shows in Stockton, in the foothills and all over Northern California. Twelve shows a week. And it was the best gig in town at the time, especially for a 20-year-old. You unload a set that was stored in a box on top of the van with four other actors and set up in a sour-milk-smelling multipurpose room or gymnasium. And you’d perform in this 45-minute show—and the kids would be rooted—just glued to what you were doing. It was amazing to have that kind of impact on a young audience. Young audiences are tough and they tend to get a little squirmy, but these shows were written in such a way that we could keep their attention glued for 45 minutes.

Tim BusfielD: I remember one of our very first plays, it was one of Buck’s—The Tortoise and the Hare. And the narrator comes out and says, “This is the story of the tortoise and the hare” and the kids went, “Groan.” And then the narrator says, “Harry Harrington had narcolepsy,” and the teachers immediately looked up. “And the tortoise was an industrial paperweight at a local construction company.” And the teachers folded up their books and got big smiles on their faces.

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Buck BusfielD: In December of ’89, Tim resigned as the artistic director of Fantasy Theatre because he had to go to Hollywood to do thirtysomething, or something, I don’t remember. I went to India to visit my wife’s family, and I came back and on my desk was a note from Tim that said, basically, “It’s yours, if you want it.” Before that I had been writing the pieces and composing music for them, and doing administration. So I said, “OK.” So I took over, and he was fairly absent for a few years, and then I think thirtysomething got canceled and

he came back. He had more time on his hands and by that time I’d moved the Fantasy Theatre to the current B Street Theatre location, as just an office. And then Tim, in his inimitable, energetic, dangerous, creative genius way, said “Hey, let’s start that adult theater we’ve been talking about.” So that’s when we started.

Tim BusfielD: I remember one Wednesday matinee with Aaron Sorkin, and the air conditioner was out and it was July. And Sorkin came in and said, “Bus, there’s 14 people at the matinee,” and I said, “Yep.” And he said, “Well, let’s just cancel.” And I said, “No, we can’t cancel the show.” And he said, “I will write a check for the 14 people, give them their money back.” I said, “No, we don’t cancel the show.” (Laughs.) And he said, “OK.” That building, with no air conditioning, was just hot. But, you know, that was a new play by Aaron Sorkin, and he was in it. … Edie McClurg was up there, and we were doing Frankie and Johnny with nudity. We weren’t afraid of R-rated plays—and we were really, really trying to push the envelope. We did not want a community theater or classic regional theater. We wanted to push the envelope.

elisaBeTh nunziaTo: I always felt very connected to the audience at the B Street in a way that I have never felt anywhere else. And I don’t think the audiences often realize what a big part of the experience they are for us. I think sometimes they may feel that they’re passive participants, but they’re a very important, vibrant element for me. If the show goes well in an evening, it’s all of us together.

Workers putting the final touches on ‘The Sofia,’ which opens ths week. Photo courtesy of by matthew maxwell

kurT Johnson: It’s kind of like acting for film, where you get to act basically like a film actor, but you’re doing it in front of a live audience. I did one season at Music Circus doing non-singing parts because I can’t sing a lick, and there’s a real difference when you have to make your intentions and emotions understood by someone that far away, in the back row. Compared to where I can basically talk in this voice on B Street’s stage most of the time. And that’s a real privilege. It’s just really great to be able to do. Like I just did The Christians, and that was one of my favorite dramatic roles ever. It’s about a preacher who’s going through a moral dilemma about his church. And a lot of the play, he’s actually talking to the congregation. So there’s no facade. There is no willing suspension of disbelief, because I’m actually talking to you, so I can actually react to how you’re reacting as an audience member. And that was a really great high point of being “truthful on stage for a purpose,” which is an old acting saying. Another of my most favorite experiences here: we did a play called Escanaba in Da Moonlight, about deer hunters in Michigan, and there’s a one-minute fart scene, where everybody gets blown across the stage in slow motion, and I’m rolling rolling over tables and stuff like that. People were

sT. TheaTre’s new home Continued on page 16

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Doing the

or Lauren Adams, it sort of feels like her parents are selling her childhood home. More than a decade after interning with B Street fresh out of college, she remembers what made the theater so special—the way the closeness of the performance space helped shape her acting, and how she first learned there was no need for a “Plan B.” “Being at B Street was the time when I thought … I’m not going to teach or do something else. I’m going to be an actor,” Adams says. Adams says she developed skills at B Street she continues to use in work on stage and in her biggest credit to date, as cult escapee Gretchen Chalker in the Netflix series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. “I really learned about intimate, almost on-camera acting in the B Street Theatre,” she says. “You couldn’t overact, you had to build really small, intimate moments.” For 25 years, the B Street Theatre intern program has immersed recent college grads into the world of professional theater. Interns specialize in acting, directing, development, administration or tech to gain first-hand experience of running a theater. They receive a housing allowance, a weekly stipend and their Actors Equity union cards, which come with benefits including health care. Adams says it also gives recent college grads a sense of security. “When you’re graduating college, it’s really nice to know you can land somewhere for 12 months and work.” After auditioning at the Southeastern Theatre Conference, Adams was offered a B Street internship with a focus on acting. She followed the internship with a year on staff as artistic associate, one of many interns who become employees. She first tried improv at B Street with teacher Kurt Johnson. Now she’s in a weekly improv show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, and says she has her time in Sacramento to thank for her love of improv. “I feel really privileged to have known Lauren and a number of other people,” says Johnson. “I easily learned as much from teaching as I did from doing.” In 1993, Johnson was one in the first group of B Street interns. “It’s an amazing program, with hours and hours and hours of practical experience,” he says. Depending on the intern’s focus, that practical experience varies. Emmett Jaeger is experiencing the life of a production manager, discovering the details that go into a production. “I’m doing a lot of learning all the time,” he says. “Watching the head of the department … what he has to go through each day to make sure we can keep going and keep moving forward to the next show.” Anastasia Tammen, whose focus is on education and outreach, teaches a playwriting class in the morning then does administration work like coordinating visits to schools in the afternoon. There’s some overlap in intern duties, which in the old theater included janitorial work and pouring drinks for patrons. “We were jack-of-all-trades,” says Johnson. “We did a bit of everything, which they still do.” But there may be less cleaning and pouring in interns’ future, because with the larger theater comes a janitorial staff and professional bartenders. “I’m so jealous that they get a brand new gorgeous space,” Adams says. “But I’m also really sad I won’t get to go to the old B Street again.” Jaeger, Tammen and acting intern Olivia Schaperjohn are some of the few interns to work in both theaters and help with the move. They’ve gotten used to the longer days and juggling many roles while moving and preparing for opening night at Sofia. “It’s all for the theater, ultimately,” Schaperjohn says. Ω

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By kAte GonzAles | k a te g@ ne ws r e v ie w.c o m

Intern Act

literally falling out of their chairs— an ex-girlfriend of mine literally laughed so hard that she fell down into the island between the seats during that scene. And to have those two experiences at the same theater working with the same people. I think it’s just amazing that I am able to work this one job and still have such a wide variety of experiences.

GreG AlexAnder: I did a show in 1996. It was a phenomenal hit called Escanaba in Da Moonlight, and people came and they saw it again and again, and it was just crazy. And so, in maybe 2014 I was walking across the parking lot and there was a couple and they’re probably in their early 40s, and they stopped me and said, “Hey, you’re the guy that played this part in Enscanaba. You know, my wife and I, that was our first date.” And then they introduced us to their two kids who were there to see a Family Series show that I was in. I just thought, man, that is just amazing that we’ve been here that long enough that people can actually come and see a show and meet for the first time. And I guess they had a good enough time that they got married and had a family and now they’re bringing their kids to see our shows.

By the trAcks

Lauren Adams tells how two years with Sac’s beloved company helped her on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

elisABeth nunziAto: One of the most romantic things that ever happened with the trains was that, very early on, I think it was within the first year or so, we did a show called Voice of the Prairie. Much of that show was about these two young folks on the run, riding trains. And so it was so romantic because we were on trains, jumping from trains—I actually busted my knee in that show but I got back up as soon as I could because it was a beautiful show. That was the first time that I worked opposite Kurt Johnson—and we just did Virginia Woolf together so many years later; that was a great bookend—and he was just incredible. It was his first show at the theater. So the trains for me, they were so romantic. Even in Rabbit Hole, which was about a married couple processing the loss of a young child, and so of course there were these very poignant moments— even in that, if a train would pass through in a moment like that I would feel like the audience and the actors were unified in that moment by that experience. I always thought it was like this wonderful kind of unifying element because we were all aware of it together, and it felt more like the tide going in and out.

A FAmily oF Artists

dAve Pierini: The actors in our company are all actors that I’ve worked with for 20 years now, so just for instance, there’s a scene in Moving Day with Kurt Johnson and Jamie Jones. I know those guys so well. It was the easiest thing for me to write, because I knew exactly what was going to get laughs. I can play to their strengths. I hear their voices when I write, anyways. I did an adaptation of The Snow Queen, and I was able to write parts for Stephanie [Altholz] that I knew she was going to kill, and she did. I knew exactly how to wring the most laughs out of what she can do. Having that ensemble, having that company of actors, it’s pretty rare. It’s like, it’s like those great jazz quartets when they get into this sort of improv.

kurt Johnson: I don’t know that there are any other places in the country or the world, even, where there’s this core family of actors that get to keep coming back here and continuing. It wasn’t really formalized as a company for a good decade after I arrived. I mean it was after 2000, I think, when we actually sat down and I actually said this is the company and they put our pictures on the wall and stuff. I came in ’93, and a couple years into it I felt like “I have a place here.” But as far as, this will be where I will stay for 25 years? I don’t know if I’ve ever made that decision. I just kind of stayed because—why would I leave?

ElisabEth NuNziato: Dave and Kurt and myself, Buck snatched us up really young, but he threw us into adult roles immediately. Which was really interesting. So we played, we worked with a lot of great material and we worked within that material as adult characters in adult relationships at a much younger age than most actors get an opportunity to do that. So people are always like, “How old are you guys?” But that’s because they’ve been watching us play grownups for so many years. Basically we eventually grew up and became the age of the characters that we were playing. And at the end of the day he cast the essence of the character first and the type later, and that’s really been the magic.

DavE PiEriNi: When Kurt Johnson was a young man, he was really handsome. Well, he is still handsome, but he was a leading man. So he got cast in those leading man roles all the time. And eventually it was like, oh, maybe we’ve already seen him be the leading man. Thankfully, he got a middle-aged and fat and became a character actor. Like I’ve always been. I’ve always looked middle-aged and fat, so I always got away with being the character actor and could change the way I looked and stuff. So I was able to slide in and out without people getting too tired of me. So that’s the only drawback though, is that sometimes you know, you just have to be careful about how, how often we see them. But then Buck kept producing theater—opened our Family Series and the B3. So all of a sudden there were three stages to throw this company onto, where you could keep them working and not have the audience fatigue of any particular actors.

Kurt JohNsoN: A credit to Buck Busfield—I remember back when the theater closed down and went bankrupt, and they reorganized and they came back, and that first year when I came back, Buck Busfield had a rotation every Tuesday, he was the janitor that day. And he would go into the bathrooms with a toilet brush, and scrub out the whole theater. And to have it grow from there to here! And to look at what we’ve accomplished! I remember back in those first five years (and I hope he’s OK with me saying this; I don’t know why he wouldn’t be), I remember days when he was literally pacing back and forth in the lobby, doing yoga, waiting for the phone to ring, because if we didn’t get a thousand dollars in sales that day, we didn’t know if we were going to be able to open next week. And he’s managed to hang on and keep his nerves from shredding and eventually accomplish this. I just think that’s crazy. There is no way that this theater would still be open if I would’ve been in charge of this place. I don’t know how we did that.

Far left: B Street co-founder Timothy Busfield with the winner of the 1988 Fantasy Festival clildren’s playwriting contest. Left: Kurt Johnson runied his hair for the 2001 production of “Earshot.” Below: Buck Busfield (center) at the ’88 Fantasy Fest. Photos courtesy of B street theatre

GrEG alExaNDEr: There’s a gentleman who’s doing music for this show, Noah Agruss. His dad Mitch Agruss was an extremely accomplished actor on the East Coast—he did a lot of regional theater back in the 1940s; he did live television. And then he relocated to Sacramento in the 1960s, and he hosted a cartoon program—he was known as Cap’n Mitch, and he would host like Popeye cartoons and that’s kind of how he made a name for himself here. But then when B Street Theatre opened up, it afforded him the opportunity to act, to kind of rediscover his roots. So we did shows together all the time. He was just an amazing, big-hearted guy. And he was so moved by the process of watching this theater grow, and being a part of it. And I guess it’s been just over a year and a half or two years that he passed away. So I feel really sorry and sad that he couldn’t be here for this. But there’s legacy here because Noah’s here.

thE sEat of thEir PaNts

JErry MoNtoya: The way Buck and I have generally worked is I’m where he isn’t. So he was directing Beggar’s Strike [in 2005] and I was teching a show on the main stage, and I got a message to come over. And I walked into a very tense room. The technical director at that point had delivered the news to Buck that they needed two or three weeks and probably about $3,000 to build the trees that were the main pieces of the set. The show was opening that night. And I just went, “Hey, this is a stupid idea: Let’s go cut down some trees.” Because we had two “volunteers,” you know, basically weedtrees, in our courtyard. And everybody said, “Well, that’ll work.” So we got saws and we chopped them down, dragged them onstage, put them up. We all still laugh about it because I open every idea with, “Hey, maybe this is a stupid idea...” and just throw things at the wall. And that’s the personality of this company is we think outside the box. And I think that’s why Buck and I have thrived together for so long. We need creative solutions that cost very little money; that’s what we’re after.

st. thEatrE’s NEw hoME Continued on page 16

02.01.18 | SN&R | 17

st. thEatrE’s NEw homE Continued from page 17

ElisabEth NuNziato: We have two weeks of rehearsal at B Street—two weeks on our feet and then we’re in tech. That’s it. And often we’re doing new plays so we’re hitting a script for the first time. That just makes the group so cohesive and spontaneous, and there’s, there’s a real kind of crackling energy, which I think that short rehearsal process feeds. Because we’re always kind of flying by the seat of our pants. Over the years, I think that is a large part of the energy that people feel when they come to B Street, you know, we have to be on our toes all the time and paying attention. There’s not enough time in the process to phone it in.

DavE PiEriNi: I was doing one of the holiday shows and I had a very small part, so I was a little bored. So Buck says, “Hey, can you read some plays for me? Read this play. It sounds good, but I just can’t crack the nut. I can’t get into it.” It was Around the World in 80 Days by Mark Brown. When I read it, I [heard] it and [saw] it and knew exactly what Buck could do with it, what we would do with it. It reminded me of one of our old schooltour pieces—lots of different characters, quick changes—and I saw it [all] and I came back to him and I said, “What are you talking about?! We have to do this play, and here’s how I would cast it, and here’s how I think you should hear it. And then he got it. And then it turned into the biggest thing we’ve ever done. It ran its initial six-week run, we added an extension of another six weeks. We’ve revived it for two more runs. We took it to India, performed it in three different cities in India. So that turned out well.

star iNtErNs

tara sissom: As an actor, to have anything full-time, whether or not it’s related to your degree, is kind of amazing. And now I’m able to work fulltime—in the outreach and education department; I’m a core company acting member; I’ve written a play; I teach in the conservatory. So right now I don’t have a day off until March 5. But it’s great because it’s such a home, and I know many, many people who I’ve worked with who would love to have the resources, the opportunity to have a home theater company. I can’t tell you how many of my friends that could sing and dance and act circles around me that have left the business because they’ve just been tired out from pounding the pavement every day. And I’m in beautiful Sacramento and working full-time.

18 | SN&R | 02.01.18

stEPhaNiE altholz: I went to a tiny little acting conservatory in New York called the New Actors Workshop that was run by Mike Nichols, Paul Sills and George Morrison. Yeah, Mike Nichols would like come and teach our scene-study class every Wednesday, for the 15 of us in the school, when he wasn’t at the Oscars. Ridiculous. He’s brilliant. But after that I was in New York and I just wasn’t acting—I was working in restaurants. My parents had moved to Sacramento when I was 16, so I spent two years here before I moved to New York. I knew about B Street—my parents were subscribers—and I knew that B Street did an internship. So I thought well, I’ll go back to Sacramento, I’ll get a degree and then I’ll do this internship, and I’ll get my Equity card. And then I’ll come back to New York and take New York by storm. I had always kind of resented Sacramento—it’s hard when you’re in high school and you have to uproot everything, and I decided I would just hate Sacramento forever. But when I got back here I realized it’s actually an incredible town, artistically, food-wise, people-wise. I like everything about it. I love living in Midtown. And B Street felt like the island of misfit toys. And I felt like I was a misfit toy.

thE big movE

JErry moNtoya: Buck and I talked about what kind of theater we wanted—for some reason I understand what Buck is after and at times can translate it better to people when it’s technical. Buck is an artist. He’s a great storyteller and his, his principles as a director and a writer are just spot on. My strength is to take artistic and translate it into something technical. So I knew what we wanted and what we were after, and I was able to speak with the architects. And it was really fun to see them being inspired by what we were after. And the theater designs have never changed from that original design. The outside, the offices, the facade and everything else has changed and been drastically improved. One of the great things about what has happened in my opinion, is that this was supposed to be a $45 million project. And then the recession hit and the different plans of how to monetize it changed and we had to be paused. And I think that was the greatest blessing to us because if we’d have built that theater and then the recession hit, we would no longer be a functioning company. Now what we have is a building that was scaled back, that’s still the jewel that we wanted it to be. So serendipitously, for a nonprofit arts organization, the recession hit perfectly for us.

ElisabEth NuNziato: Virginia Woolf wasn’t on my list, which I know sounds really crazy. That Martha role—as you know it’s on everybody’s bucket list, and I had never thought about it. Basically they told me, “You have to do this; you’re going to do this.” My big concern was that—I wanted to be funny. I just didn’t want to do a three-hour play about vitriol and pain and loss and then send everybody home sleepy. I feel this great responsibility to that audience because I’ve been in that two-way relationship for so long. I feel a personal responsibility for the experience that the audience is going to have over the course of that run, and so that was my only concern with that piece. But Buck was also concerned about it. So when I raised it with him, he was on it. We just immediately started dissecting what it is that makes that thing a ride instead of a lecture or a recitation. And that’s what it is; that’s the way it’s written. It’s not that I didn’t think it was in the script. At the end of the day it was the right team. It was really the right team, top to bottom, to deliver the heart and the soul and the humor that’s in there. And Buck definitely infused it with what people have come to know as his sensibility. I know I’m not crazy because a lot of people who caught the show came to me afterward and they said the time had flown by. People left really high. They were moved and they’d had a full evening, but nobody left sleepy.

DavE PiEriNi: My favorite play, and one that I asked Buck to do for over a decade, was Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. And then we finally did it, and thank God we waited, because we had the actors who had grown into those roles, and it was just such a great production. And then we realized, oh, we still have to do one more play before we move. And it’s been such a tradition for Buck to write a holiday show that I couldn’t see how we could say goodbye to that old space and not have Buck write a holiday show. But he was also incredibly busy with the move. So, because we’ve written together so often over the years, said, “OK, you gotta help me rewrite it.” And so together we sat down and came up with the idea, and all we knew is we want it to pay a homage to the fact that we were moving, to get a chance to say goodbye to that space. So we sort of came up with the title, Moving Day, first, and then started trading stories—he had a friend who had some experiences when he was a kid; I had some stories, and together we sort of came up with the basic outline of the show. And then the way we’ve written together all these years is, you know, I’ll write a draft that he gives me notes; I’ll do a rewrite … then he takes a pass at it and writes some new stuff and I give him notes … and we sort of collaborate that way as opposed to sitting in the room.

GreG AlexAnder: This new space affords us the opportunity to do bigger productions and put more people on stage. So this is the second largest cast I’ve been in at B Street Theatre. So it’s really great to be in a big cast, and it’s all company members. So when I look around, every single actor in this production has been the lead in show here. That’s Amy who did our show Treatment and there’s, Stephanie who did Treatment with her, and there’s Elizabeth who’s done, you know, Becky’s New Car and there’s Dave Pierini who’s done Big Bang and so many shows. And I was in Big Bang and Kurt Johnson just did Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf. And there’s John Lamb has done so many roles with the family series and some great work on the main stage. And we’re all in the same show at the same time. So it’s really exciting. And then the other thing is the shows we’ve done at B Street that have been really big hits, that the people in the community seem to really appreciate are the broad physical comedies. And that’s what this is. This is a big, broad, funny show and it’s very much in the vein of Around the World in 80 Days, which was a big hit for us. The Big Bang was a big hit. The Explorer’s Club, which we did a couple of summers ago.

TArA SiSSom: I’ll tell you my like private pipe dream for the theater. Most regional theater operates on like 70 percent grants and 30 percent ticket sales. And for the majority of our life we’ve been about 80 percent ticket sales and 20 percent underwriting. So that means we’re a people’s theater. And I think we’re ripe, within the next 10 years, to win a Regional Tony. Because now we’ve got the venue that makes us competitive with other theaters. Now that we’re in this space, that kind of puts us on the map. That’s my hope is that the theater world takes notice of what we’ve accomplished, because I think it’s extraordinary. We started in a van and built the Sofia in a matter of 30 years, when a lot of theater companies were folding. So that model of being a people’s theater means that if you do the work they like, the people will stick around and help you succeed. We have an amazing relationship with our subscribers and our patrons. The community loves us, and we owe so much of our success to that. I think we’re doing something right, and I think we should be known for it. I want it in the most humble way possible because I want the people that have worked so hard to be noticed, on a professional scale, by peers. Yeah, I think we’re due for a Tony.

dAve Pierini: I would say that I can speak for myself and most of the company that we’re so fortunate that Buck Busfield’s kept us employed. Even when I wasn’t on staff, he would still be able to get me work 40 weeks out of the year. When you’re an actor, especially when you’re a young actor, if you’re working 40 weeks a year, those three months that you’re not working you can collect

Left: Buck Busfield (second from left) at the 1988 Fantasy Festival. Below: Mollie Michie-Lepp and Timothy Busfield in a 2008 production of Encanaba in Da Moonlight. Photos courtesy of B street theatre

unemployment or you can scrape together some voice-over gigs or some industrial films. Now listen, I look at the guys that I went to high school with, and most of them live in much nicer houses. There were some trade-offs with this life. But I get applause at the end of my work day, and I get to come to work with my most favorite people in the world, and laugh and have a great time every day. So for me, the trade-off is a no-brainer.

Jerry monToyA: It’s hard to describe what the experience of storytelling is going to be like in here. Sound-wise, it’s going to be all around you. Lighting-wise, we’re practically unlimited. The sets are going to let us do things that we could never do. And in the larger space: I think when people start seeing a concert there and there’s only 350 people, and it’s like you’re on stage with them. It’s going to be such a unique experience, right here in our town. And it’s going to be something that people can just head down here. You can run into somebody and say, let’s go do something that you can just come down here at 5, have dinner at one of the local places and pick one of the three or four things that are going on. You want to see something experimental? We have it in this space. You want to see a concert? We have it in this space. And there’s a great comedy or drama or romance happening in the B Street proper. Come on down. You know, bring a friend.

STePhAnie AlTholz: I think the fact that we built this thing, I mean, we didn’t just pick a place to build a theater. This is for Sacramento. Once we get full service, and we’re doing the upstairs space, and doing stand-up comedy, sketch comedy, improv and our children’s theater and our main stage theater, plus the invited comedians and artists and dancers—I mean like there will always be something to do. That’s an incredible organization for any city that have. And I’m so lucky I get to be a part of the one for Sacramento. Ω

02.01.18 | SN&R | 19

heroes From

First they saved a European train from a terrorist attack. Then they became movie stars. Then they became movie stars.

actors

To o

Spencer Stone, left, and Alek Skarlatos reenact their heroic train ride in The 15:17 to Paris.

by JAmeS rAiA

A few months into the making of the movie The 15:17 To Paris, Anthony Sadler Jr., Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone traveled to meet with director Clint Eastwood again. The trips had become routine, but this occasion was different, and they sensed it. Eastwood’s film tells the story of the three nearly lifelong friends and tourists from Sacramento who stopped a terrorist in August 2015 and saved hundreds of lives on an afternoon train headed to Paris from Amsterdam via Brussels. The 87-year-old director and co-producer of the movie had something to ask the trio in his trademark low-key manner. “We figured maybe this time it was a trip to meet the actors who were going to play us,” recalled Sadler during a recent interview in Sacramento. “But [Eastwood] said, ‘How do you guys feel about acting things out on camera?’” “And we were like, ‘For the actors, so they could get it right? Sure.’ And then he said it again. And we all 20 | SN&R | 02.01.18

kind of looked at each other with the thought, ‘Is he saying what we think he’s saying?’ I forgot which one of us finally said it, but someone said to him, ‘Let’s put it all out on the table. Are you asking us to be in the film?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, why not?’ We were mind-blown.” The result is Eastwood’s 36th film as a director dating to the 1971 thriller Play Misty For Me. He directed his then partner, Sondra Locke, in his debut. The actors and subject matter in his quickly approaching 50 years behind the camera have been as diverse as any filmmaker. Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, Sean Penn and Hilary Swank are among hundreds of actors Eastwood has directed, including himself. And this summer, he’s among the producers of a remake of the 1937 film A Star is Born starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. But the casting of Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone last July as main characters who were previously non-actors is unique. The movie is adapted by

Dorothy Blyskal from the 2016 book The 15:17 to Paris: The True Story of a Terrorist, a Train, and Three American Heroes written by the trio and Jeffrey E. Stern. It will debut nationwide February 9. The 94-minute film also details the friends’ respective childhoods in Sacramento. Parts of the movie were filmed in town, including the opening scene, in addition to Arras, France. The saga builds up to the thwarted attack and its aftermath in Paris. The three friends were nearing the end of their vacation and napping as the train zipped along to the City of Lights. Back then, Stone was a martial arts enthusiast and airman first class in the U.S. Air Force, Skarlatos was a member of the Oregon National Guard and Sadler was a student at Sacramento State University. A lone terrorist, Ayoub El-Khazzani, boarded the train in Brussels with an AK-47, a pistol, a box cutter and a robust supply of ammunition. El-Khazzani armed himself in a bathroom and began his attack. A train employee ran through the

aisle, awakening the trio, and they charged and overpowered the gunman. The film centers on their split-second decision-making and passengers’ assistance that apprehended the terrorist. Though the three men ably filled the role of heroes in real life, they weren’t actors. “None of us had ever acted, not in school plays, nothing,” said Sadler. “But [Eastwood] was like, ‘They’ve got cool faces,’ and he saw our friendship, and he said, ‘You can’t really fake that.’” Since their heroes’ journey, the trio have been repeatedly honored. They’ve visited with politicians, received medals and attended parades as guests of honor. They’ve appeared on many television programs, from The 700 Club—the religion-based show hosted by Pat Robertson—to Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. Before leaving on a recent promotional tour, they were honored at Shiloh Baptist Church in Oak Park. The pastor, who also happens to be Sadler’s father, Anthony R. Sadler, gave a

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Stranger artworks

“Look at the baby soda, Spencer!” says Skarlatos in this moment during the movie trailer.

Anthony Sadler actor, The 15:17 To Paris

“He saw our friendship, and he said, ‘You can’t really fake that.’” sermon that emphasized faith and friendship. Intertwined among spirited hymnals, live musical accompaniment and vivacious prayer, Sadler blessed and embraced the trio in front of the altar and facing the parrish. He spoke emotionally of his convictions. “God put them on that train, and they ran through the fire,” Sadler said. “God was the only one who knew [the terrorist] would be on that train. They should have listed God in the credits.” The night before the service, the movie’s lead characters, as well as family and friends, attended a private screening at Century 14 in Sacramento. “I thought the movie told their story, and it told it accurately,” the elder Sadler said. “As a father, I was unprepared. I read the book. I heard their stories. But I was unprepared for the emotional strain it was going to put on me seeing the train scenes. It made it so vivid to me how close they came to dying on the train.

GET YOUR MUSEUM ON—FOR FREE

I was a wreck for a few minutes emotionally. I had to collect myself.” Eastwood’s recollection of casting the trio is similar to the actors’ versions. It also defines the icon’s understated persona. In a behind-the-scenes YouTube video about the film, Eastwood says, “I looked at a lot of actors, good actors. But I kept looking at the guys. I kept looking at their faces, and finally one day, I said, ‘Do you guys think you can play yourselves?’ The more they thought about it, the more they got with it.” Sadler, Skarlatos and Stone were apparently quick at learning how to play themselves. They followed Eastwood’s well-documented brevity in directorship. “In the beginning, it was an intimidating thought; leading up to it and when we first started,” said Stone. “But once we got going and got a few scenes under our belts, it became a lot of fun. It was a chill environment. Clint Eastwood is a star. He’s got a big name, but he can

get down to anyone’s level and make you feel calm. It was really a lot of time with him asking us, ‘Hey, how did it happen? Well, just do it that way.’ That was it.” Added Skarlatos: “It was a lot of fun. It was just a good experience because we know he had our backs. We knew he was going to portray us in the best light and portray the story accurately. That was a very comforting thing, knowing we had that trust.” Sadler, 25, graduated from Sacramento State last May with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology. Skarlatos and Stone, both also 25, have completed their military careers. They’re are all now pursuing acting. Their ordeal, military service and faith instill an overt calm in their demeanors. “It’s a combination of things,” said Stone. “We have each other to do it with. We are not alone. It puts us at ease. This story is positive, so I feel content telling it. It’s basically our duty now to share it with people.” Ω

Four people crowd around a 3-foot Demogorgon puppet. They take turns playing with its levers, opening its scary plantlike mouth and moving its neck. Whenever someone takes a turn with the Demogorgon, wonder covers their face. What’s a Demogorgon, you ask? You must have failed to catch Netflix’s show Stranger Things, one of the first shows in the streaming era to become a cultural phenomenon. The Stranger Things II Art Show (curated by arts collectives Menagerie and Retrograde Collective) celebrated the series at the Outlet Coworking space on K Street Saturday night. The Demogorgon puppet was unique in its interactivity. Everything else was strictly of the “do not touch” variety, mostly paintings and drawings hanging on the wall. Even a miniature Dig Dug arcade game blasting ’70s power-pop was for looking only. One kid told their dad that they “really wanted to play it,” and the responsible parent promptly denied the request. One playful piece by JP Novark reimagined the four child protagonists as the official Ghostbusters II film poster. It’s a cross-cultural ’80s piece of photo collage, but also a reference to a specific moment in Stranger Things II when the kids dress up as the Ghostbusters for Halloween. Some of the more interesting works of art took creative leaps, including mildly erotic black-and-white renderings of the Demogorgon by Julia Garcia and Dungeons & Dragons depictions of the Stranger Things’ kids by Nate Flamm. There were also missing cat flyers for “Mews” up in the museum, referencing one character’s cat who was eaten by a Demogorgon. The museum and patio were overflowing with people of all ages. Conversations of the show and other elements of pop culture filled the air like fog. One overheard conversation: “As much as I love cats, I prefer Alf.” Some 50 artists participated in the exhibit, many of whom lurked around the museum, eager to strike up a conversation about their works. One drew a lot of attention for his shirt “The Matrix was a documentary,” with multiple people coming up to him to say, “Hey man, I really like your shirt.” Attendees were granted only 30 minutes inside, but you could spend the entire evening in the patio area and grab Burly Beverages cocktails and listen to DJ Lady Grey spin ’80s synth-pop. Later in the evening, DJ Lady Grey held a costume contest. Only three people participated. There were two kids dressed as the hero character Eleven—short hair Eleven, and punk rock Eleven—and the third was a frazzled, Christmas-lights holding Joyce Byers (the anxious mother played by Winona Ryder). The winner by round of applause was punk rock Eleven, who was awarded a crown. Then, someone found a second crown, and it was awarded to Joyce. Hopefully later, someone found a third crown.

The museum and patio were overflowing with people of all ages.

—AAron CArnes

02.01.18 | SN&R | 21

Submerged in stories for a decade

What was the impetus for starting Submerge?

The small but mighty publication that’s covered Sac’s music and arts scenes by Rachel leibRock

Melissa Dubs: The whole concept wasn’t so much about the void of local coverage, but more so just being young and passionate about music, art and print. Why two covers for every issue?

When Jonathan Carabba and Melissa Dubs co-founded their arts and culture magazine back in 2008, they weren’t sure it’d last a few years, much less a decade. With Submerge, they thought they’d have fun, cover some music and art and then move on. Soon, though, it became much more. Officially, Dubs was editorin-chief and art director while Carabba handled advertising and 22

SN&R

02.01.18

marketing. In reality, they found themselves doing it all: writing and reporting, photography, design and layout and even distribution. The dedication has paid off. Since its launch, Submerge has reliably chronicled the city’s everchanging arts community. And, although slim in size, the biweekly maximizes space with not one but two covers and an edgy stuffedto-the-brim aesthetic. Be it music,

visual art, comedy, film, sports or, honestly, whatever, Submerge doesn’t skimp on the details. Now closing in on 260 issues, Dubs and Carabba will commemorate their publication’s 10-year milestone February 3 with an all-ages show at Holy Diver. The married couple recently took a moment to reflect via email about the last decade, their favorite shows and Sacramento’s ever-changing scene.

Dubs: We didn’t have a lot of advertisements when we started, so we thought it would be a cool way of utilizing the back page. Then we kept rolling with double covers because after seeing publications lying back side up at coffee shops or wherever, it was less about selling the space, and more about doubling the chance for people to hopefully notice the awesome coverage and just pick us up.

discO

ver en g e m s, frOm the grid tO th e fOOt hills

hidd Biggest changes in the scene over the last decade? Carabba: These days there is more overall focus on it, and I think that’s both a good thing and a bad thing. I definitely miss the old days when Second Saturdays were actually about the galleries and artists, but Sacramento currently has some really exciting things going for it when it comes to music, art and culture. How has social media had an impact on what you do?

Recently featured on Submerge’s cover, Screature will also perform at the anniversary party. PHoto By lucAS FitzgerAlD

How has Submerge’s role in the community changed? Jonathan Carabba: Submerge has become more ingrained in the local music and art communities. People see Submerge everywhere, and they see Melissa and I out at events setting up our own banners, physically doing magazine distribution all over the area every two weeks; they see our passion. Did you ever imagine you’d be here in 10 years? Dubs: It started with little goals, really. Like, “Let’s see if we can get to two years,” then it became a personal challenge after hearing most businesses fail after the first five years. We had to make it to at least five. After that, it was really like, “We’re doing this!”

been cool, but yet it was so cool to experience. Carabba: Despite the festival eventually folding, TBD Fest’s lineups in both 2014 and 2015 were pretty amazing. Best local trend in the last decade? Dubs: Resurgence of artisan culture. I love all the local makers and marketplaces. Carabba: I’ve loved seeing more public art pop up, and that free community-based events like R Street Block Party, THIS Is Midtown and Concerts in the Park are really thriving.

Dubs: Clearly, with the shift people are less dependent on publications, like Worst local trend? they use to be … I Dubs: Not so feel like people “It became a much local are maybe too personal challenge (sorry), dependent on but more social media, after hearing most of a trend and because businesses fail after the everywhere: there’s so first five years.” Cellphones much informaat concerts. tion at your Melissa Dubs Especially filmfingertips, it’s Publisher, Submerge magazine ing videos. It’s almost too much. going to be shaky, It makes it easy to it’s going to sound miss things. I see it all like shit. It ruins the the time, where people are experience for the people who complaining online like, “How did are behind you who have to stare at I miss that so-and-so was playing in your shitty phone. Take a picture, town?” When I see that, I obviously sure, but move, put it away and think people should be picking up enjoy the show after a few clicks. things like Submerge, or SN&R. Live in the now! Perhaps it’s the shorter attention Carabba: Luigi’s Fungarden and spans that come with social media Witch Room closing. I still miss dependency, which is the ultimate those venues. curse. But at the same time, social media is a great tool because it’s a Best thing about still working way to reach a ton of people, since together? they’re all on the same platform. Favorite cover? Carabba: I would say my favorite cover was our 200th issue when we collaborated with local artist Shaun Burner, who created a piece of art for the cover. We still have the original painting hanging up in our office. Best show you’ve seen in the last 10 years? Dubs: !!! (Chk Chk Chk) at the Townhouse in 2010? It was hot, sweaty, everyone was dancing. It felt like the floor was going to collapse, which wouldn’t have

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Dubs: That we still somehow make magic happen each issue when we complement each other by pulling together each of our strengths, and our differences. Carabba: We get to constantly put our heads together to make sure we’re creating the best product possible. We thrive when we are working together. Ω

Submerge Magazine’s 10-year Anniversary Party with Destroy Boys, Screature and Horseneck, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, February 3 at Holy Diver, 1517 21st Street. No cover, but $10 donation accepted at the door for cancer research.

O n s ta n d s

02.15.18 02.01.18 | SN&R | 23

24 | SN&R | 02.01.18

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Com tam combination No. 4 with BBQ chicken slathered with sweet sauce.

Much like its sister restaurant Magpie, Yellowbill Cafe’s baked goodies attract pastry lovers from miles around. With a selection that changes from season to season, those who work in the area always have something new to try. Right now the PopTart-like apple cinnamon hand pie ($8.50) is wooing everyone stopping in for a cup of coffee, with its tender crust, light glaze and chunky, not-toosweet filling. Almost a meal in itself, these pies are happy to be shared. But get there early. Yellowbill’s pies are notorious for selling out well before lunchtime.1425 14th Street, www.yellowbill.com.

—StephAnie StiAvetti

phoTo by ChRisTy RogeRs

Broken rice success

Drinkable muffin Golden milk, bAckbone cAfe

Com Tam Dat Thanh 5035 Fruitridge Road, (916) 758-5775 Good for: Trying banh hoi, if it’s new to you Notable dishes: Com tam combos

$$$

West African, East Sacramento

Vietnamese, south sacramento

Common sense dictates that if a restaurant names itself after a particular dish, you sample that dish to see what they’re all about. I was feeling a brunch pho craving the first time I visited Com Tam Dat Thanh, so I foolishly bypassed all 32 of their variations on com tam (commonly called “broken rice” because it’s made up of fractured rice grains) and went straight for the tiny soup section of the menu to order the pho tai ($8.45, thinly sliced steak). Despite the artful pile of ruby red steak atop the broth, it was the blandest pho I’ve ever tasted. My husband and I were sharing two dishes, and when I surrendered the pho, I watched with astonishment as he salted it, something he said he’d never done before. The bun bo hue ($9.95) broth was pleasant—light and lemony—but not deeply savory and I didn’t finish it. I roused myself from my brunch stupor and looked around at the other tables, most of which had ordered rice plates. The bright dining room is further illuminated by a chest-high LED strip that runs horizontally around the room and decorated with large photos of various dishes. A new one to me was the banh hoi, or “tiny rice vermicelli.” I quickly texted my go-to friend on all Vietnamese menu matters, and he responded that it is a thin noodle dish (he likened it to angel hair pasta) served with barbecued meats, and one is meant to wrap the noodles and meat in lettuce. I left, unsatisfied with my first visit but full of big plans for my next.

bY BeCky GrunewalD

But which com tam dish to order? The list of 32 is front-loaded with the large “special combinations” (all $13.45). Warned away from the No. 1 by the server because “Americans” don’t like the springy meatballs (I decided to acquiesce rather than argue), I instead chose the combo with shredded pork skin, egg cake, shrimp cake, BBQ chicken and shrimp. Beautifully composed and colorful, it was served on a large square plate. A pop of orange color, the cha trung translates as “egg cake” but is really more of a pork meatloaf brushed with egg yolk and annatto seed oil. The powdery pork skin (made so by roasted rice powder) tasted mostly of scallion, and the shrimp cake (a shrimp paste wrapped in tofu skin and deep fried) was a crunchy delight. All of the meats—chicken, shrimp and beef—were brushed with the same sweet sauce I normally associate with beef dishes, and the taste became cloying after a few bites. This was true for the beef that came with my banh hoi dish ($9.95), but I enjoyed packing the lettuce wraps with thin vermicelli, cilantro and mint, and dipping them in a self-serve dish of nuoc mam (fish sauce) from a carafe on the table. One more quibble: The fish sauce was one-note sweet and light. I craved at least a little funk, especially on my last visit, when I got the bun, or vermicelli bowl ($9.95), this time with pork in that same sweet glaze. It made me long for the glory days of the succulent BBQ pork bun at Huong Lan, before it went downhill. The battered-anddeep-fried eggrolls looked craggy and unusual, but didn’t have a ton of flavor besides “fried.” I came right back to com tam, the dish embedded in the name of the restaurant. My friend’s loose translation of Com Tam Dat Thanh? “Broken rice success.” Ω

Sure, hippie cafes smell of hemp curry and make you say ridiculous dish titles like “I am humble.” Luckily, the new Backbone Cafe spares you from the latter and owns up to the former: Here it’s called Hippie Hemp Curry. And it never hurts to get your vitamins in a tasty package. The Golden Milk ($6.50) blends anti-inflammatory tumeric with fresh ginger, cardamom, pepper (but not too much), honey, nutmeg and cinnamon for a warm beverage that tastes like a drinkable baked dessert that’s actually somewhat good for you. Coconut oil and nut milk make it all go down like a creamy chai. 729 J Street, www.backbonecafe.com.

—rebeccA huvAl

Beefed up celery cArdoonS If you see something that looks like overgrown celery at the market, it could be a cardoon. This vaguely Scottishsounding vegetable is actually related to thistles, and common to the Mediterranean. Because we have a similar climate, cardoons have gone native and grow like weeds. If you’re brave enough to tackle them, beware the spiky bits along the stems and leaves. They need peeling and soaking in lemon water to prevent browning. Then cut across the fibers to get edible pieces. If you’re still hungry after that, braise, saute or broil the slices until tender.

—Ann mArtin rolke

02.01.18

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Techie wine by Rebecca Huval

Newfangled vino: While hundreds of

winos queued up for pinot and zinfandel tastings, four falcons observed from their perches and chirped with concern—most of all the smallest fowl named Bebe. “She’s not happy today,” said Audrey Kerster of Kerster’s Falconry about her favorite falcon. “You can tell, she’s fluffed up, and she got really upset when I tried to pick her up.” Kerster was one of the exhibitors last week at the nation’s largest wine conference at the Sacramento Convention Center, the 24th Unified Wine & Grape Symposium. An estimated 14,000 attendees congregated over three days to glean insights on the future of vino and scout out new technologies and trends. The falcons are by no means cutting-edge winemaking tools: The business has been around for decades in Sacramento. The birds are pest control, chasing out the starlings that often nibble through grapes. Across from the falcons, Mission Clay Products had recently pivoted its

68-year-old business into a neglected application: winemaking. Clay terracotta pots were used to make some of the world’s oldest wine dating back 8,000 years. But for today’s winemakers, oak barrels equal tradition. “This is never going to replace oak,” admitted owner Bryan Vansell. Clay softens the edges of acidic wines to make them taste more like French wines. Plus, the terracotta is sustainable because it lasts longer than oak barrels. “It’s such a competitive field, so winemakers are always looking for a little bit of a niche,” he said. Even artificial intelligence and machine-learning have trickled into the slow-to-change industry. Jason Curtis, director of product development at Santa Rosa’s Orion Wine Software, said his company recently added AI to its offerings. Their software collects and learns from data on customers’ habits as well as the inputs and results of each harvest. It can tell which customers would likely pounce on a sale of, let’s say, rosé. “For the winemakers, maybe they want to predict the SO2

r e b e c c a h @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

[sulphites] they want to add to wines,” Curtis said. But change isn’t easy when many of these brands rely on looking oldschool and elite. Nearby, Flexcube USA peddled a next-generation, sustainable wine barrel: a monolithic black polymer box. Salesperson Cameron Black is optimistic that the future of wine will include innovations that make wine more accessible. “Breaking tradition is something difficult in the wine industry,” Black said. “The future really is having better wines at a lower cost and so that people can appreciate them more.” Amaro donezo: Following a string of changes on the R Street corridor— including the closure of Nido, Metro Kitchen + Drinkery and Dos Coyotes Border Cafe—the well-liked Amaro Bistro & Bar served its last dinner this past Saturday. It shuttered because of a lack of revenue, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. Ω

REAL

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Grills & Greens is trying to do things right. The fast-casual Middle Eastern-slash-Persian eatery marks all vegan and gluten-free items on its menu; states that it’s “established on fundamental principles that economic prosperity must go hand in hand with social responsibility”; uses eco-friendly disposable products; emphasizes they make everything inhouse (including the fresh-squeezed lemonade); and posts humanitarian and health-edutainment content on its Facebook page. Grills & Greens

offers seven vegan dishes, which mostly revolve around falafel, eggplant and hummus in sandwich form, rice-plate form and a combinationof-the-former-two form. Located at 3040 Sunrise Boulevard in Rancho Cordova, it closes soon after the work whistle blows. Hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on most days, so get there early if you want to ask if those are really name-brand Craisins in the vegetarian (not vegan) Kale & Quinoa Salad or regular dried cranberries.

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A de facto national holiday, millions of Americans set aside Super Bowl Sunday to watch costumed warplay and cram our pieholes with toxically delicious foods. If you’re into the former, but not the latter, there’s the sixth annual Vegan Super Bowl Party at El Papagayo Restaurant (5804 Marconi Avenue) in Carmichael on February 4 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. In lieu of wings, layered dips and pastry-wrapped weenies, a vegan buffet ($23 for access) will be stocked with quinoa, flax and chia balls covered in mole; red and green enchiladas stuffed with mushrooms, tofu or soyrizo; and tamales, one filled with chile verde veggies and another with pineapple, topped with fresh fruit and a creamy coconut sauce. To drink, there’s vegan horchata and the restaurant’s full bar. Buy tickets online because, according to owner Rosalinda Aceves, this event sold out last year, bringing in roughly 150 mindfully eating football fans.

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now playing

Reviews

Becky Shaw

The title character doesn’t even make her appearance until halfway through this dark comedy of family, death, marriage and dating. And when she finally does, she’s not quite the heroic figure who will be diving in to fix things—instead Becky is just one more swimmer in a pool of emotional messes. This is a fascinating, though sometimes frustrating, look into murky human dynamics. Surprising twists are tossed in on a regular basis, with most adding to the ongoing intrigue, though sometimes less would be more. Thu 8pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun

#GiselleToo Sac Ballet and Harris Center stage the epic tale of a woman wronged PHOTO COURTESy OF JAy MATHER PHOTOGRAPHy; PHOTO COURTESy OF THE HARRIS CENTER

2pm performance on 2/11. Through 2/17; $12$22; Big Idea Theatre, 1616 Del Paso

by JeFF HudSon

In purple, we are “In a Relationship.” (Pictured: Sacramento Ballet.)

In blue, “It’s complicated.” (Moscow Festival Ballet.)

Giselle The Sacramento Ballet production of Giselle will be performed Friday, February 17 at 7:30pm, Saturday at 2pm & 7:30pm, and Sunday at 2pm; Tickets are $25-$74; Sacramento Community Center Theatre, 1301 L Street; (916) 552-5810; www.sacballet.org. The touring Moscow Festival Ballet production of Giselle will be performed Thursday, February 8 at 7:30pm; tickets are $38$68; Harris Center for the Arts, Folsom Lake College, 10 College Parkway in Folsom; (916) 608-6888; www.harriscenter.net.

When Ron Cunningham and Carinne Binda— the husband-and-wife team who’ve served as co-artistic directors of the Sacramento Ballet for decades—were choosing works for their 30th (and final) season as the company’s leaders, they decided to go out with several big classics, including Giselle, which Cunningham describes as “the ultimate Romantic ballet.” The Sacramento Ballet’s production will be performed February 16 to 18. Giselle—with its lush score (by Adolphe Adam) and landmark stagecraft and choreography (with dancers

Boulevard; (916) 960-3036; www.bigidea theatre.org. P.R.

j e ffh @ne w s re v i e w . c o m

seemingly “floating in the mist” onstage)— premiered in Paris in 1841. The ballet’s theatricality, joined to an irresistible tale of doomed romance and the transformative power of a tragic lover’s forgiveness, was a sensation. The story is set in the Middle Ages, during a festive grape harvest. Albrecht, a young nobleman disguised as a peasant boy, becomes attracted to a shy peasant girl (Giselle) and pursues romance, even though he is betrothed to another nobleman’s daughter. Giselle falls hard for the beautiful stranger but is heartbroken when she realizes she’s been deceived. Giselle collapses while dancing and dies in Albrecht’s arms. The two-timing Albrecht is then pursued by the supernatural Wilis—ghostly maidens who haunt the forest, taking revenge on unfaithful men (who are forced to dance until they die, exhausted). The

spirit of Giselle intervenes and saves Albrecht— her love and forgiveness proving more powerful than the Wilis’ fateful retribution. (Some maintain that the modern phrase “this gives me the willies” traces back to Giselle.) The ballet’s story has parallels to the life of a major Paris composer of that era. In the 1830s, Hector Berlioz watched Irish actress Harriet Smithson playing the jilted Ophelia in a production of Hamlet; he was so taken with her portrayal that he impulsively wooed and wed her. (Never mind that she didn’t speak French, nor he English.) Their union didn’t last long and ended tragically for her. Cunningham describes the role of Giselle as the equivalent of “Hamlet for the female dancer, with a wide swing of emotional content that the ballerina has to portray.” “And it couldn’t be more timely” in our present #MeToo era, Cunningham added. “An aristocratic gentleman comes to a peasant village, has a dalliance with a local girl, and she dies from the encounter—that’s abuse of power.” Sac Ballet’s production is being largely supervised by Binda, who studied the ballet decades ago under the tutelage of French ballerina Violette Verdy (1933-2016) who was affiliated with the Paris Opera Ballet and later the Boston Ballet (where Cunningham and Binda came up as young dancers). Cunningham was in the Boston production, playing a nobleman. “I came onstage with two borzois, and the audience would applaud,” Cunningham recalled. “But I knew the applause was for the hunting dogs, not me,” he added modestly. “Because Giselle is a slice of our personal history, and a slice of ballet history, we wanted to bring it back to the stage in our final season,” Cunningham said. “I think the last time Sac Ballet did it was 2004.” As fate would have it, there is another production of Giselle in the area this month as well, with the Moscow Festival Ballet giving a single performance at the Harris Center in Folsom on February 8. (They will also perform Swan Lake twice on February 7.) The Moscow Festival Ballet is a relatively new group, founded in 1989 during the breakup of the Soviet Union, when several Russian artists launched new ventures, anxious to tour abroad after the long Cold War. (The Russian National Orchestra was likewise organized in 1990.) Ω

The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!

The play about a theatre company in distress is a loving, sometimes satirical, tribute to great Broadway musical composers. It’s a little snarky with Andrew Lloyd Webber (“I’ve Heard This Song Before”) but whip-smart in its tribute to Stephen Sondheim (“A Little Complex”). A spunky cast of five sings and dances its heart out.

Thu 7pm, Fri 8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm & 7pm, Wed 7pm. Through 2/11; $38; Sacramento

Theatre Company, Pollock Stage, 1419 H St.; (916) 443-6722; www.sactheatre.org. J.C.

The Nether

The Nether is home to an adults-only website where pedophiles can act out their fantasies with android children. Playwright Jennifer Haley raises many questions about what is morally right and what can be acceptable if it doesn’t hurt anyone. This is a provocative, disturbing play, beautifully performed. Wed 7pm, Thu 7pm, Fri

8pm, Sat 2pm & 8pm, Sun 2pm. Through 2/25; $28-$45; Capital Stage, 2215 J St.; (916) 9955464; www.capstage.org. B.S.

Winter’s Waltz

Sacramento playwright Richard Broadhurst reportedly kept this play in a drawer for 15 years, but this belated premiere at California Stage is both welcome and long overdue. The play presents Ingram Wychoff, a one-time literary celebrity living alone in Manhattan, gazing out a picture window at the twin towers of the (new) World Trade Center. Wychoff welcomes Jamal, a small-time hustler who was briefly involved with the Black Panthers, currently peddling marijuana on the street. Broadhurst explores the vast discrepancy in their ages and backgrounds (white rural Kansas to gritty New York City). Janis Stevens directs resourceful veteran Loren Taylor and the much younger Tory Scroggins—their tag-team exchange turns Broadhurst’s witty lines into lively comic banter onstage, without diminishing the script’s dramatic mission. Fri 8pm, Sat 8pm, Sun 2pm, Through 2/18, $12-$20; California Stage, 1725 25th St. (the R25 Arts Complex), (916) 451-5822, www. calstage.org. J.H.

Short reviews by Patti Roberts, Jim Carnes, Bev Sykes and Jeff Hudson.

1 2 3 FOUL

FAIR

GOOD

4 5 WELL-DONE

02.01.18

SUBLIME– DON’T MISS

sn&R

The abominable nominees An SN&R film critic awards shade to these Oscar contenders by Daniel Barnes

Molly’s Game, Best Original Screenplay: A total legacy pick, as Aaron Sorkin’s forgettable directorial debut feels like it was written on auto-Sorkin. No one seems to care about this movie, so why nominate it for anything?

I, Tonya, Best Editing: “Hand over the tiny golden man.”

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The 2018 Academy Award nominees were announced last week, capping off the awards season with the usual mixed bag of overhyped mediocrities, bloated atrocities and genuinely profound works of art. Many of the nominations were satisfying: Sacramento’s own Greta Gerwig picked up multiple nods; Phantom Thread and Get Out had strong showings; Willem Dafoe prevented The Florida Project’s shutout; Mudbound cinematographer Rachel Morrison became the first woman ever nominated in her category; and Agnes Varda and JR’s delightful Faces Places scored a Best Documentary nomination. However, there were just as many utterly annoying nominations, enough to make up their own category. Once again, the Academy limited Best Picture to nine movies for no good reason, other than to trigger my obsessive-compulsive disorder. Therefore, for no good reason, I present my list of the nine most annoying Oscar nominations of 2018:

I sort of understand the nominations for Margot Robbie and Allison Janney, even though they are both quite poor in a bad film, but I, Tonya beating Get Out and Phantom Thread for a Best Editing nomination is baffling. Best Editing, just because there was a lot of it?

The Big Sick, Best Original Screenplay: Aggressive schmoozing is the secret sauce of awards season, and no one has been better at pandering to voters than Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, who managed to elevate an extremely average film to awards status by almost literally begging people not to dislike it.

The Disaster Artist, Best Adapted Screenplay: Minus James Franco’s sublime performance as Tommy Wiseau and the loving visual recreation of his disaster-piece The Room, this movie is a total dud, and the script is largely to blame.

Anyone and anything associated with Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri: Best Visual Effects: Martin McDonagh’s morally repugnant morallity tale grabbed seven nominations, including Best Picture, as well as acting nods for Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and Sam Rockwell. I love the actors, and I enjoyed McDonagh’s previous two films, but this is easily the I-Didn’t-Get-It movie of 2017. Others see complexity and grace. I only see lazy shock tactics and vapid condescension.

Gary Oldman, Best Actor, Darkest Hour: The acting nominations were largely inoffensive this year, with the obvious exception of Oldman’s hammy, blubbering, prosthetic-slathered turn as Winston Churchill.

Only because the visual effects look terrible.

Beauty and the Beast, Best Production Design: Only because the entire movie looks terrible.

Darkest Hour, Best Cinematography: While Phantom Thread fared surprisingly well, it was inevitable that Paul Thomas Anderson would get snubbed for bypassing the unions and serving as his own cinematographer. Of the five films that made the cut instead, Bruno Delbonnel’s monotone work on Darkest Hour is the least laudable. Ω

fiLm CLiPS

BY DANIEL BARNES & JIM LANE

12 Strong

In the days following September 11, 2001, U.S. Army Special Forces under Capt. Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) deploys to Afghanistan, riding horseback into battle with the Taliban. Doug Stanton’s nonfiction book The Horse Soldiers, adapted by Ted Tally and Peter Craig and directed by Nicolai Fuglsig, makes an enjoyable old-fashioned war movie, spruced up with the kind of graphic combat action that couldn’t be done back in the day. Hemsworth, who grows in stature with every movie, makes a real-life action hero even more stalwart than his comic-book Thor, ably supported by Michael Shannon, Michael Peña and (as their Afghan ally) a scene-stealing Navid Negahban. The movie avoids ruminating on America’s Afghan policy, and ends before things get complicated, making it an upbeat movie about a downbeat war. J.L.

HIrING!

Call Me by Your Name

Director Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash) dials down some of his stylistic excesses for this sun-kissed coming-of-age drama set in the Italian countryside. James Ivory adapted the André Aciman book, and the combination of chilly repression and warming desire in Call Me by Your Name make it feel like an heir to Ivory’s A Room with a View. Timothée Chalamet gives a potentially star-making lead performance as Elio, an intellectually precocious but sexually inexperienced 17-year-old nursing a crush on his father’s new research assistant, an enigmatic hunk in white crew socks and shorts named Oliver (Armie Hammer). While Elio fumbles through an awkward relationship with a female peer, his encounters with Oliver grow increasingly flirtatious, finally becoming sexual as the summer speeds toward an end. Michael Stuhlbarg gives a strong supporting performance as Elio’s compassionate father and Hammer is very well-cast, but Chalamet owns the film with his passionate ambiguity. D.B.

The Commuter

Darkest Hour

A middle-aged insurance agent (Liam Neeson) is accosted on his train home by a mysterious woman (Vera Farmiga) who coerces him into finding someone on the train, threatening his family if he doesn’t set the stranger up to be murdered. The script by Byron Willinger, Philip de Blasi and Ryan Engle is preposterous, far-fetched and insanely complicated, and it leaps madly over the top in the last act—but what the hell, it’s just suspenseful enough to keep us wondering how it’ll all turn out. Jaume ColletSerra’s direction is unsubtle but effective, and Neeson (having evidently given up on ever winning an Oscar) provides the conviction the movie needs (and doesn’t deserve). Patrick Wilson as his best friend has a couple of good scenes, while Sam Neill and Elizabeth McGovern are wasted in cameos. J.L.

Gary Oldman blubbers and bellows from under wads of makeup as Winston Churchill in this lifeless biopic by director Joe Wright (Atonement), portraying the embattled British prime minister during the tumultuous weeks between his 1940 appointment and the rescue mission at Dunkirk. Despite his abrasive nature and alcoholsoaked diet, Churchill was a compromise choice intended to unite Britain’s rival political parties against the Nazi threat, although his saber-rattling rhetoric quickly proved divisive. While Oldman chomps on the scenery in a sweat-stained awards grab, much of the action is filtered through his secretary (Lily James), whom Churchill treats with a borderline Weinstein-ian overfamiliarity (bad year to heroize handsy bosses in bathrobes). After Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk and Their Finest, this is the third 2017 release to touch on the Dunkirk evacuation, although Darkest Hour stops short at Churchill’s “we shall fight on the beaches” speech, as if to underline its own pointlessness. D.B.

we’re

Point and shoot.

Proud Mary

An assassin for a Boston crime family (Taraji P. Henson) takes a guilty interest in an adolescent boy (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) orphaned when she killed his bookie father—and her concern leads to an all-out gang war between her boss (Danny Glover) and a rival Russian mobster (Rade Serbedzija). John Stewart Newman, Christian Swegal and Steve Antin’s script is bare-bones predictable and never speaks when shooting will do. What keeps the movie afloat is Henson’s remarkable star power—she has the ability to be tender-hearted and steely-eyed almost in the same breath. Young Winston’s performance is similarly textured, by turns truculent and vulnerable; he may be one to watch. Director Babak Najafi gives a reasonable facsimile of the gritty atmosphere of the so-called “blaxploitation” pictures of the 1970s. J.L.

Forever My Girl

A popular but unhappy country music superstar (Alex Roe) returns to his small hometown and the girlfriend he abandoned at the altar (Jessica Rothe)—and a daughter he never knew he had (Abby Ryder Fortson). Director Bethany Ashton Wolf’s story (from Heidi McLaughlin’s novel) is lifted (no doubt unintentionally) from the forgotten 1956 classic Come Next Spring, but the movie staggers under its own clumsiness (also unintentional). Roe tries for tortured angst, but his character comes off as an unlikeable lump, while young Fortson is saddled with college-age dialogue and the kind of twee precocity that moviemakers seem to think is so cute. And the music isn’t all that hot either. If you’re in the mood for this kind of love-lost-and-found story, stay home and watch Come Next Spring on Amazon Instant Video. J.L.

John Developer

Hostiles

This gaseous, pompous, clumsily well-intentioned revisionist Western from writer-director Scott Cooper (Black Mass) offers all the hollow ponderousness of The Revenant without any of the technical exuberance. Christian Bale stars as Capt. Joseph J. Blocker, an accomplished Indian killer nearing the end of his service who gets ordered to escort an old foe (Wes Studi) and his family to their homeland. Making their way through the blood-soaked moral wasteland that is Blocker’s legacy, the pair slowly reach an understanding while fighting off violent threats from all sides. Cooper made a decent, low-key debut with the Jeff Bridges vehicle Crazy Heart, but ever since then, he has wallowed in pointless violence and thunderously empty drama, and with Hostiles he has hopefully found his nadir. Bale plays hard-bitten terseness in the hammiest manner possible, but as a deranged survivor who joins the caravan, Rosamund Pike delivers the most embarrassing performance of the year. D.B.

Paddington 2

Phantom Thread

Kate Calendar Editor

That marmalade-loving bear from Peru (voiced by Ben Whishaw), happily ensconced in London with the Brown family (dad Hugh Bonneville, mom Sally Hawkins, teenagers Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin), is falsely convicted of stealing a rare pop-up book, framed by a has-been actor (Hugh Grant, chewing on his villainy with hilarious relish). Director and co-writer (with Simon Farnaby) Paul King scores again with a sequel every bit as delightful and charming as the 2014 original. King and Farnaby expand the fragile whimsy of Michael Bond’s children’s books to feature length without leaving any awkward or unsightly stretch marks. The result is the kind of irresistible family-friendly fantasy that could wind up giving “sweetness and light” a good name. Brendan Gleeson as a snarling prison cook adds to the fun. J.L.

Fractured masculinity and daddy obsessions have served as thematic pillars of the cinema of Paul Thomas Anderson ever since he debuted with Hard Eight in 1996. But before the formula grew untenable and stale, the control freak Anderson veered off track with his cosmically shaggy detective story Inherent Vice in 2014. Anderson serves as his own director of photography on the impeccably groomed yet quietly unsettling fashion world romance Phantom Thread, and he also created his first true female protagonist (there’s even a mommy obsession in the mix). As the demanding 1950s fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock, the excellent Daniel DayLewis may get top billing, but the film belongs to Vicky Krieps as Alma, a beach town waitress who enters Reynolds’ orbit. Phantom Thread often plays like a reverse Taming of the Shrew, with Alma determined to preserve her position in the House of Woodcock by cutting Reynolds down to size. D.B.

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02.01.18

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Too loud to be indie Fonty brings a lot of sound and energy for two mellow dudes by Caroline Minasian

getting it once a week.

Photo by hannah Foster

of a laundry room band,” Boatwright says. And yes, they’re polite musicians who have soundproofed it—a bit—for the neighbors’ sakes. “We would be in the indie rock genre but we’re not mellow enough,” Grover says. “We are loud.” Their newest track “See Thru” highlights the high-energy vocals and instrumentals. Once the drums join at 15 seconds into the track, the tempo picks up as Grover sings “I’m fried down not quite purple haze... more like cotton-candy haze. to my bones / Am I bringin’ ya down?” The bleak lyrics juxtapose with an uplifting beat to create a catchy, yet thoughtful, song. Fonty’s name is “gibberish,” and their garage-rock And the music isn’t tooth-jarring. The vocals are music is loud. At least, that’s how lead singer akin to White Stripes lead singer Jack White—think and guitarist Jesse Grover and drummer Colten The Strokes with a sprinkle of The Kooks. Boatwright describe their band. “People are always walking up to us after a “We’re kind of on the edge of being known by show to tell us they can’t believe so much noise anyone here,” Grover smirks. comes from two people… and they tell us we’re Grover, a Sacramento native, dabbled with being sexy,” Boatwright says. an EMT and was pursuing an acoustic solo career So, how does this newly formed, sexy duo do it? when he met Boatwright in 2017. They practice four to five times a week, playing and “It is so much more fun playing in a band,” drinking. They claim the booze leads to chemistry. Grover explains. And their practice has paid off: They’ve played “…or my drumming blew him out of the water,” shows at Blue Lamp, High House and Ace of interrupts Boatwright. Spades. Next up is a show at the Lounge on “—I settled for this,” Grover joshes. February 2, a rare, stripped-down acoustic Grover, until recently, worked at version of their soon-to-be-released EP. Silver Sake sushi bar. Boatwright Fonty says that you can still expect “They can’t is a production officer at their high energy to shine through. Sacramento Suburban Water believe so much The bonus? Attendees will get a District. From the looks on noise comes from free download code for the debut EP. their faces, it’s apparent that If you’re curious what two people.” their jobs are there to pay the Boatwright and Grover will be bills but their band is what they Colten Boatwright doing before their set, it involves a live for. drummer, Fonty couple of beers to take the edge off. The twosome (sometimes Also, Grover will be pacing back and threesome, when part-time bassist forth: “I’ll admit right off the bat I have Reese Auble is in town from Chico) has terrible stage fright, but I love the stage and once only been together for about nine months, but it is I’m there I’m good,” Grover says. apparent that they have chemistry. Fonty doesn’t know what the future holds, but “I find something I like and play it over and over they’re in it for the long run. “We could get to a again, and Colten comes over and tells me to stop point where we are doing this for a living and I dicking around and to actually write something,” could die happy the next day,” Boatwright says. Ω Grover says. “I give it structure, and it just works,” Boatwright adds. Check out Fonty at the Lounge 7 p.m. Friday, February 2. tickets are $8, To clarify, “garage” status does not mean and all guests must rsVP at loungersvp.com before the show. they practice in a garage. “We’re actually more

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02.01.18

SN&R

for the week of february 1

by KATE GONZALES

POst eVeNts ONLINe FOR FRee at

www.newsreview.com/sacramento

saCRaMeNtO aFRICaN MaRKetPLaCe: Every first

Robbie Kwock on trumpet, keyboardist Andre Fylling, Alex Reiff and drummer John Armato. 7:30pm, Luna’s Cafe & Juice Bar, 1414 16th St.

and third Saturday of the month, shop for affordable natural soaps, perfume oils and other skincare items, African-American memorabilia, books, jewelry, music and more. Noon, no cover. Sojourner Truth Museum: 2251 Florin Road.

G. PeRICO: West Coast rapper. 7pm, $15-$20. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

sat

PHOTO COURTESY OF AEROSPACE MUSEUM OF CALIFORNIA

One day, lots of culture Various museums, 10 a.m., no coVer Sacramento has a space for nearly every interest. Whether you enjoy time spent with family outdoors, MuseuMs learning about the history of flight and train travel or exploring indigenous art and cultures, our region’s museums have you covered. On Saturday, more than two dozen museums will celebrate the 20th Annual Museum Day with special events and activities. Check

out the largest haiku collection outside of Japan in the California State Library, craft beaded bracelets and grind acorns at the Maidu Museum & Historical Site in Roseville or pan for gold at the Sacramento History Museum. Nearly every participating museum will open their doors Saturday free of charge, so make a day of exploring as many of these local gems as possible. www. sacmuseums.org.

MaX WeINBeRG’s JuKeBOX: E Street Band member performs rock ’n’ roll classics at audience members’ requests with his four-piece group. 7:30pm, $35-$85 Harris Center, 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

WEDNESDAY, 2/7 MINO YaNCI: Sacramento band performs at Sac State’s Wednesday Nooner free concert series. Noon, no cover. The University Union Redwood Room, 6000 J St.

Pete ROCK: With Bru Lei. 8pm, $20-$25. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

FESTIVALS THURSDAY, 2/1 POWeR ON eaRtH: A high-energy performance that dramatizes key moments and events in the lives of prominent African-Americans of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Muddy Waters and Marcus Garvey. 7:30pm, no cover. University Union, Sacramento State, 6000 J St.

saCReD aRts OF tIBet tOuR: The Tibetan monks of Gaden Shartse Monastery in India will visit the Auburn area through 2/11. They’ll create a sand mandala, offer healing, public talks and hands-on artistic workshops for kids and families. 7pm, no cover. General Gomez Art & Event Center, 808 Lincoln Way in Auburn.

FRIDAY, 2/2 GeM FaIRe: More than 40 exhibitors offer

THURSDAY, 2/1

tHROuGH tHe ROOts: With White Glove Service, One Sharp Mind. 7pm, $13-$15. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

tHe IGORs: With Lucky/You, the Car Crash Hearts, Brianna Carmel, Bailey Zindel of Hi Mom. 7pm, $5-$10. Cafe Colonial, 3520 Stockton Blvd.

FRIDAY, 2/2 25 YeaRs OF INstaGON: Instagon, with 2018 SAMMIES nominee Pierce and the Gals, What Rough Beast, Sir Corduroy. 8pm, $8-$10. Cafe Colonial, 3520 Stockton Blvd.

SATURDAY, 2/3 aLeX aIONO: Pop singer and YouTube star

performs. 6:30pm, $20. Ace Of Spades, 1417 R St.

Fat LIZZY: With A Waking Memory, Body Blow. 6pm, $5. The Silver Orange, 922 57th St.

NeW KINGstON: With the Late Ones. 10pm, $20$25. Harlow’s, 2708 J St.

CaseY DONaHeW: With Mark Mackay. 7:30pm, $16-$20. Goldfield Trading Post, 1630 J St.

JessICa LYNN: With Locked-N-Loaded, Gasoline & Matches. 8pm, $10. Stoney’s Rockin Rodeo, 1320 Del Paso Blvd.

suBMeRGe MaGaZINe 10-YeaR aNNIVeRsaRY PaRtY: Performances by Screature (album release show), Horseneck and Destroy Boys (all SAMMIES nominees). Read more on page 22. 7pm, $10 donation. Holy Diver, 1517 21st St.

MaRBIN: Jazz rock from Chicago. 8pm, $12. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd.

tHe MOaNs: With the Lillingtons, Western Addiction, Grim Deeds. 8pm, $15. Old Ironsides, 1901 10th St.

SN&r

SUNDAY, 2/4 asHLeY BatHGate sOLO CeLLO CONCeRt: New

02.01.18

York-based cellist performs works by living composers. 7pm, $12-$20. Unitarian

Universalist Church of Davis, 27074 Patwin Road in Davis.

KILL tHe PReCeDeNt: The performances by Crimson Eye (pre-game) and Kill the Precedent (half-time). Free food for people who bring a dish. 3pm, no cover. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd.

sIMON estes IN CONCeRt: Featuring Sacramento’s own Omari Tau and Sacramento State Opera Theatre. 1pm, $20-$70. Capistrano Music Hall, Sacramento State University, 6000 J St.

WaR CLOuD: With The Hazytones, American

Killers. 8pm, $10. Blue Lamp, 1400 Alhambra Blvd.

MONDAY, 2/5 LYLe LOVett: An acoustic evening With Lyle

Lovett and Robert Earl Keen. 7:30pm, $69-

$89. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

MIKe MCMuLLeN: CD release concert by the

jazz quintet. 7pm, $25. Antiquite Midtown, 2114 P St.

Online listings will be considered for print. Print listings are edited for space and accuracy. Deadline for print listings is 5 p.m. Wednesday. Deadline for NightLife listings is midnight Sunday. Send photos and reference materials to Calendar Editor Kate Gonzales at snrcalendar@newsreview.com.

sOL JaZZ: With saxophonist Darius Babazadeh,

TUESDAY, 2/6

The Aerospace Museum of California.

snr c a le nd a r @ ne wsr e v ie w.c o m

fine jewelry, gemstones, beads, crystals, silver, rocks, minerals and much more at manufacturers’ prices. Noon, no cover. At the Grounds, 800 All America City Blvd. in Roseville.

saCReD aRts OF tIBet tOuR: See event listing

on 2/1. 7pm, no cover. General Gomez Art & Event Center, 808 Lincoln Way in Auburn.

SATURDAY, 2/3 20tH aNNuaL saCRaMeNtO MuseuM DaY: See

event highlight on page 36. 10am, no cover. California Automobile Museum, 2200 Front St.

asIaN NeW YeaR CeLeBRatION: A celebration for Chinese and Japanese new years, with the lion dancers, martial arts and calligraphy demonstrations, Japanese folk dancing, and a Year of the Dog parade. 11am, no cover. Historic Isleton, 23 Main St. in Isleton.

GeM FaIRe: See event listing on 2/2. Noon, no

cover. At the Grounds, 800 All America City Blvd. in Roseville.

saCReD aRts OF tIBet tOuR: See event listing

on 2/1. 7pm, no cover. General Gomez Art & Event Center, 808 Lincoln Way in Auburn.

SUNDAY, 2/4 GeM FaIRe: See event listing on 2/2. Noon, no

cover. At the Grounds, 800 All America City Blvd. in Roseville.

saCReD aRts OF tIBet tOuR: See event listing

on 2/1. 7pm, no cover. General Gomez Art & Event Center, 808 Lincoln Way in Auburn.

FOOD & DRINK TUESDAY, 2/6 BaCON Fest KICKOFF: See event highlight on page 38. 11am, various prices. Various locations.

WEDNESDAY, 2/7 saCRaMeNtO BaCON Fest COCKtaIL COMPetItION: Taste bacon-inspired cocktails from Sacramento’s top bartenders. 11am, $5. Bottle & Barlow, 1120 R St.

WateR JustICe LeaDeRsHIP aWaRDs: A celebration honoring the 2018 Water Justice Leadership Awardees, with food and drinks from Mayahuel. 5:30pm, $25-$250. Mayahuel, 1200 K St.

FILM THURSDAY, 2/1 ROMeO Is BLeeDING: The Crocker’s California Fresh Film Series presents a documentary on a young poet growing up in Richmond, Calif., who works to start a dialogue about violence in the city. 6pm, $6-$12. Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St.

tHe VIetNaM WaR: Part of a series of onehour screenings of the 18-hour Ken Burns documentary. A half-hour discussion will follow. 4pm, no cover. Sacramento Public Library (Rancho Cordova), 9845 Folsom Blvd.

SATURDAY, 2/3 tHe aFRICaN aMeRICaNs: MaNY RIVeRs tO CROss: Part of a six-hour series by Henry Louis Gates Jr. that covers centuries of African-American history. Includes interviews with people on the front lines of school integration, former Black Panther members and politicians. RSVP required. 5pm, no cover. SF Johnson Foundation, 6720 Fair Oaks Blvd., Suite 103 in Carmichael.

SUNDAY, 2/4 sPaCe JaM: Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters team up for this 1996 movie. 7pm, $8-$10. Crest Theatre, 1013 K St.

THURSDAY, 2/1

Comedian Tommy Davidson Tommy T’s Comedy Club, 7:30 p.m., $20$35

Tommy Davidson has been bringing us laughs for years. After he launched his comedy career in the 1980s, he landed a spot playing different COMEDY characters in the ’90s sketch comedy show In Living Color, alongside creators Keenen and Damon Wayans, Jim Carrey and David Alan Grier. He also played Cream Corn in the 2009 film Black Dynamite, which he voiced in the cartoon reboot, and appeared in the 2016 documentary about comedy, Dying Laughing. If you love his previous work, don’t miss the chance to check out this longtime entertainer, with shows through 2/3. 12401 Folsom Boulevard in Rancho Cordova, www.tommytsrancho.com.

KENNEDY ART GALLERY: The Guilded Era: J.

SUSTAINABLE: An investigation of the crisis facing American agriculture, with a look at community leaders striving to make lasting change to how we eat and farm. 7pm, $11. The Urban Hive, 1601 Alhambra Blvd., Suite 100.

ON STAGE B STREET THEATRE: One Man, Two Guvnors. A 2011 award-winning adaptation of Servant of Two Masters. Opening weekend at B Street’s new theater. Through 3/4. $27$46. 2700 Capitol Ave.

BIG IDEA THEATRE: Becky Shaw. A newlywed

COMEDY BLACKTOP COMEDY: Your F#$&! Up Relationship. Improv inspired by real relationship stories from members of the audience. 8pm Friday, 2/2. $10. Lit Up: Script-ish Comedy. A collaboration between comics and local authors. A blend of comedy and literature. The Lit Up cast reads the first page of local authors’ work and improvises the rest. A scripted live reading onstage, followed by a wild improvised story. 8pm Saturday, 2/3. $10. Open-Mic Mix. New comics perform open-mic sets between 10-minute sets by top comedians. 7pm Sunday, 2/4. $5. 3101 Sunset Blvd., Suite 6A in Rocklin.

LAUGHS UNLIMITED COMEDY CLUB: The Love Jones Best Love Poem Competition. A night of romantic poetry for singles and couples. 8pm Thursday, 2/1. $10. Don Barnhart Comedy & Hypnosis. The awardwinning comedian performs. Through 2/3. $20. Carlos Rodriguez and Friends. Sacramento comedian performs. 8pm Wednesday, 2/7. $15. 1207 Front St.

LUNA’S CAFE & JUICE BAR: STAB! Live Comedy Podcast. Writers, stand ups and others partake in a darkly intelligent live comedy panel show. 8pm Wednesday, 2/7. $5. 1414 16th St.

PUNCH LINE: Mike E. Winfield and Friends. Comedian and actor performs. 8pm Thursday, 2/1. $16. Heather McDonald.

Comedian, actress, writer and producer who has worked on Chelsea Lately. Through 2/3. $25-$50. Sacramento Comedy Showcase. Top area comedians and upand-coming pros showcase their best material. 8pm Wednesday, 2/7. $10. 2100 Arden Way, Suite 225.

SACRAMENTO COMEDY SPOT: Squad Patrol. A

live, fast-paced sketch comedy show. 8pm Friday, 2/2. $8-$15. Riot + Super Cosmonaut. Two improv teams perform the first Saturday of each month. 8pm Saturday, 2/3. $8-$15. 1050 20th St, Ste 130.

TOMMY T’S COMEDY CLUB: Tommy Davidson.

See event highlight above. Through 2/3. $20$35. 12401 Folsom Blvd. In Rancho Cordova.

couple fixes up two romantically challenged friends in this dark comedy. Through 2/17. $12-$22. 1616 Del Paso Blvd.

CAPITAL STAGE: The Nether. When a young detective uncovers a disturbing brand of entertainment in a virtual wonderland, she triggers an interrogation into the darkest corners of the imagination. Through 2/25. $22-$45. 2215 J St.

GUILD THEATER: The Absent Father, the Wayward Son. A one-man show about how a teenager copes with discoveries about the father he’s never met. Through 2/25. $30. 2828 35th St.

HARRIS CENTER: Moscow Festival Ballet. Performances of Swan Lake and Giselle. Read more on page 31. Through 2/8. $38$68. 10 College Parkway in Folsom.

MONDAVI CENTER: Janet Mock. Transgender rights activist, TV host and bestselling author discusses her life and career in the keystone event of the Campus Community Book Project. 8pm Monday, 2/5. $12.50-$45. 1 Shields Ave. in Davis.

NEVADA THEATRE: Marat/Sade. This play within a play set a decade after the French Revolution shows asylum inmates reenacting the assassination of journalist Jean Paul Marat. Through 2/10. $20-$35. 401 Broad St. in Nevada City.

SACRAMENTO COMMUNITY CENTER THEATER: Jersey Boys. The award-winning musical about rock ’n’ roll band The Four Seasons. Through 2/4. $33-$107 1301 L St.

SUTTER STREET THEATRE: Straight Camp. A high school basketball star is sent to a camp for sexually confused teens. Through 2/18. $15$23. 717 Sutter St. in Folsom.

THEATRE IN THE HEIGHTS: A Shot In the Dark. In this three-act comedy set in 1960s Paris, a woman who is accused of murdering her lover gets help from a man who is enchanted with her. Through 2/16. $15. 8215 Auburn Boulevard, Suite G in Citrus Heights.

ART

CALIFORNIA AUTOMOBILE MUSEUM: Shasta

Michael Killey Retrospective. Through 2/6. No cover. 1931 L St.

PENCE GALLERY: The Consilience of Art and Science. A bi-annual juried exhibit that explores the intersection between art and science. Through 3/2. No cover. Corporeal Paintings by Mark Gleason. Works that show a world of dramatic tension by Mark Gleason. Through 2/25. No cover. 212 D St. in Davis. PHOTO COURTESY OF DOMiNiC PETRUZZi

WEDNESDAY, 2/7

MUSEUMS

this exhibit of artistic quilts will be held at 6pm Friday, 1/26. Through 3/9. No cover. 48 Natoma St. in Folsom.

this weekend. 6pm Friday, 2/2. No cover. 1810 12th St.

BEATNIK STUDIOS: Jaya King Art Show Opening Reception. With works by Jaya King, alongside Frank Brooks. Through 3/22. 723 S St.

CALIFORNIA MUSEUM: And Still We Rise: Race, Culture and Visual Conversations. More than 60 story quilts handcrafted by artists from the Women of Color Quilter’s Network chronicle 400 years of significant events for African-Americans. Through 5/27. $9. 1020 O St.

CROCKER ART MUSEUM: Artists’ Rights and Creative License Discussion. Crocker Art Museum and California Lawyers for the Arts present an informative evening focusing on artists’ rights. 6pm Thursday, 2/1. E. Charlton Fortune The Colorful Spirit. An exhibition of work by one of California’s most progressive female artists. Through 4/22. $5-$10. 216 O St.

ELK GROVE FINE ARTS CENTER: February

SAC STATE ELSE GALLERY: All Exaltations: Meditations in Sculpture. Andrew Connelly uses acrylic, aluminum, brass, wood and leather to create sculptures and explore collective consciousness, shared idealism, dogma and symbolism. A gallery talk and reception will be held at 4pm Thursday, 2/1. Through 2/9. No cover. 6000 J St.

VERGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS: SPACE AND PLACE by Black Salt Collective. An exhibit of multimedia works, including video, sound, collage, performance and painting, that highlights the culture and work of black, brown and indigenous women. Through 3/18. No cover. 625 S St.

Minis. On display as part of the Car Club Cavalcade. Through 2/4. 2200 Front St.

CALIFORNIA MUSEUM: Kokoro: The Story of Sacramento’s Lost Japantown. Rare family photos document the once-thriving downtown community devastated first by forced removal during WWII and again by redevelopment in the 1950s. Through 3/11. $9. 1020 O St.

CALIFORNIA STATE RAILROAD MUSEUM: Off The Clock. An exhibit focused on the sports, clubs, teams and competitions that Southern Pacific participated in to pass the time. Through 6/1. $10-$15. 111 I St.

CROCKER ART MUSEUM: Lunch and Learn. Join an in-depth examination of “Woman with Two Parrots” by Betye Saar. Noon Tuesday, 2/6. No cover-$10. 216 O St.

UC DAVIS DESIGN MUSEUM, CRUESS HALL: It’s Bugged: Insects’ Role in Design. An exploration of the creative relationship between people and insects through this vibrant art and design installation. Through 4/20. No cover. 1 Shields Ave. in Davis.

WAL: First Friday Resident Gallery. The residents of the Warehouse Artist Lofts are showcased in the WAL Community Room. 6pm Friday, Through 2/2. No cover. 1108 R St.

WEST SACRAMENTO COMMUNITY CENTER: People Being Paintings. An exhibit that puts the human figure in focus, with works by the students of Manuel Fernando Rios of West Sacramento. An artist reception will be held Tuesday, 2/6 at 4pm. Through 2/28. No cover. 1075 West Capitol Ave. in West Sacramento.

Exhibit. The artwork of local artist Viktor Verhovod will be on display. Through 2/21, no cover. 9080 Elk Grove Blvd. in Elk Grove.

ALL AGES THURSDAY, 2/1 ANIME CLUB CHOCOLATE: Teens ages 13 to 19 can explore anime, manga, Japanese pop culture and talk about Valentine’s Day/White Day in Japan. Make and enjoy chocolate treats. 4pm, no cover. Sylvan Oaks Library, 6700 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights.

ART SPOTS WINGDING: A three-dimensional art experience designed for young children and their caregivers and/or families 10am, no cover. Crocker Art Museum, 216 O St.

GALLERY AT 48 NATOMA: Local Color SAQA Fiber Art Exhibit. A free opening reception for

CALENDAR LISTINGS CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

SATURDAY, 2/3

Tough Love Live Pro Wrestling The Colonial TheaTre, 7 p.m., $10-$15

Love hurts—you know it, I know it. Toughen up, swallow that pain and head to the historic Colonial Theatre for a night of professional wrestling. Hosted by Virgil Flynn III Productions, this show will deliver action, drama and comedy fit for the whole famSPORTS AND OUTDOORS ily. Watch as personalities like Mechawolf450, Handsome Devil Anthony Rivera, Boogie Man Joe DeSoul and Virgil Flynn III do what they do best in high-energy matches. 3522 Stockton Boulevard, www.facebook. com/virgilflynnIIIproductions.

1810 GALLERY: Deep Web: The Collected Paintings of John Horton. Opening reception

PHOTO BY GAviN MCiNTYRE

02.01.18

SN&R

See more eventS and SuBmit your own at neWsrevieW.com/sacramento/calendar

CaLendar LiStinGS Continued From PaGe 37

CodinG GameS For kidS: A beginner-friendly game coding program recommended for kids ages 8 to 14. 3:30pm, no cover. McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd.

CuLturaL ConneCtionS: A weekly class

exploring the world’s cultures. 10:30am, $6-$8.50. Sacramento Children’s Museum, 2701 Prospect Park Drive, Suite 120.

SenSory Storytime: Join us for a story time for kids with autism and/or sensory disorders featuring books, music, fidget toys, crafts and more. 10:30am, no cover. Sacramento Public Library—Sylvan Oaks Branch, 6700 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights.

Friday, 2/2 teenS-onLy niGHt tHe uPSide down: For kids who love the Netflix series Stranger Things, activities include a Barb and Will scavenger hunt, shooting practice, Upside Down escape room, Eggos and other snacks from the 1980s. 6pm, no cover. Arden-Dimick Library, 891 Watt Ave.

vaLentine’S CardS, CraFtS, and CookieS: Make cards, crafts and decorate a Valentine’s Day cookie. 3:30pm, no cover. McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd.

satUrday, 2/3 HeaLtHy FamiLy day: Family-friendly activities, nutrition and fitness demonstrations, free health screenings, legal services and more. 10am, no cover. Prairie Elementary, 5251 Valley Hi Drive.

tUesday, 2/6 read to a doG: Children can bring their own books or borrow from the library to read to a trained therapy dog. 3:30pm, no cover. McKinley Library, 601 Alhambra Blvd.

sPorts & oUtdoors Friday, 2/2 oak Park PeaCe waLk: The Greater Sacramento Urban League and Oak Park—Black Child Legacy Campaign RAACD organize a walk for peace. 5pm, no cover. City Church Sacramento, 3860 4th Ave.

satUrday, 2/3 Bird waLk: Spot a variety of resident birds along with winter and migrant birds in this walk that’s ideal for beginner to intermediate birdwatchers. 8am, $8. Soil Born Farms American River Ranch, 2140 Chase Drive in Rancho Cordova.

Ground SQuirreL day: Stroll through the Nature Preserve to learn about ground squirrels. 10:30am, no cover. Effie Yeaw Nature Center, 2850 San Lorenzo Way in Carmichael.

virGiL FLynn iii ProduCtionS touGH Love: See

event highlight on page 37. 6:30pm, $10-$15. Colonial Theartre, 3522 Stockton Blvd.

sUnday, 2/4 CaLiFornia FamiLy FitneSS Fun run: A run for the whole family, with races in 5K and 10K distances and shorter runs for kids. 8am, no cover-$49. Sacramento State, 6000 J St.

monday, 2/5 SaCramento roLLer derBy women’S reC LeaGue SeSSion: A fun, safe, eight-week session for beginners to learn more about roller derby. Learn the basics of roller derby, like safety, stops, skating form, rules and endurance. 6pm, $10 per week. Sacramento City Roller Derby, 1501 N. C St.

lGBtQ tHUrsday, 2/1 draG Queen BinGo: Play eight rounds of

SAC RA M E N TO M US I C AWARDS

bingo with drag queens in support of the

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02.01.18

Wednesday, 2/7

Sacramento Bacon Fest 7 Bottle & Barlow, 6 p.m., $5

Technically Sacramento Bacon Fest, a six-day celebration of the salt-cured pork, kicks off on Tuesday. But with bacon’s popularity, it’s no surprise that the event is sold out. Don’t fret— you can still join the fun during the Bacon Fest Cocktail Competition, where top bartenders craft bacon-inspired drinks Food and drink at Bottle & Barlow. Try a bacon boozy milkshake at LowBrau or take part in the Bacon Fest Skee Ball Tournament at Two Rivers Cider (both on 2/8). The highlight of the week may be the Kevin Bacon Soundtrack Tribute Show at Torch Club (2/9), and the event closes with the Bacon Fest Chefs Competition at, where else, Mulvaney’s B&L. Treat yourself to all this bacon bliss. 1120 R Street, www.facebook.com/ sacramentobaconfest.

PHoto coUrtesy oF sacramento Bacon Fest

Monday, 2/5

Janet Mock Mondavi Center, 8 P.M., $12.50-$45

Since 2002, UC Davis has hosted the Campus Community Book Project, which encourages students, staff and others to connect On stage over a shared book. This year, participants read the New York Times bestseller Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, by transgender rights activist Janet Mock. She’s made a name for herself in media, working for People, Marie Claire, MSNBC and more. Mock spent part of her childhood in Oakland, and will return to Northern California to discuss her life, activism and career. 1 Shields Avenue in Davis, www.mondaviarts.org.

CLaSSES

Sacramento LGBT Community Center. 7pm,

$15. Mango’s Sacramento, 1930 K St.

SaTURday, 2/3 saCRaMentO gaY Men’s CHORUs CRaBaRet: Enjoy a full crab dinner with the Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus serenading you. 6pm, $60-$480. Official Park Terrace Swim and Tennis Club, 5500 Parkfield Court.

TaKE aCTIon THURSday, 2/1 YOga anD seLF DeFense: Part of the Decolonization Project, this yoga and self-defense class is inclusive to all bodies and abilities. 6pm, art donation requested. The Washington Neighborhood Center, 400 16th St.

FRIday, 2/2 BeeR & ROses: Enjoy beers and snacks with

fellow leftists and labor activists. 7pm, no cover. Streets Pub and Grub, 1804 J St.

PUBLIC FORUM tHe FUtURe OF HIgHeR eDUCatIOn In CaLIFORnIa: Students, researchers and the public are invited to join this forum aimed at solving the problems facing California’s higher education systems. 1pm, no cover. UC Davis, Art Annex Room 112, Hutchison Drive in Davis.

Monday, 2/5 ROsa PaRKs DaY In CaLIFORnIa: Continue to honor Rosa Parks as the catalyst of effective collective work and responsibility that challenged sexism and racism in a systemic way. 11am, no cover. California State Capitol, 1315 10th St.

TUESday, 2/6 PRaYeR Bag WORKsHOP: Prayer bags are a method of setting intentions with yourself and the universe. Join others to fill up prayer bags with herbs, shells and intentions, and have conversations about how are narratives are interwoven with our environment. 6pm, no cover. The Washington Neighborhood Center, 400 16th St.

PHoTo CoURTESy oF MondaVI CEnTER

THURSday, 2/1 JOB COaCH: Meet one-on-one with a trained job coach who will help you spruce up your resume, build better job searching techniques, learn how to ace the interview and more. Reservation required. 4pm, no cover. Sacramento Public Library, 6700 Auburn Blvd. in Citrus Heights.

FRIday, 2/2 CaLIFORnIa MUsICaL tHeatRe’s DanCe WORKsHOP: Learn original choreography from Jersey Boys in a workshop taught by Ben Bogen. The class will end with a Q & A with Ben. 4pm, $25-$35. Sierra 2 Center, 2791 24th St.

seasOnaL LanDsCaPe In aCRYLIC PaInt: Dive into a seasonal landscape with this stepby-step day of painting. 10:30am, $125-$325. Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S St.

SaTURday, 2/3 BLOCK PRIntIng WORKsHOP: Learn this printmaking technique to create your own greeting cards, postcards and more. Includes an introduction to the history and cultural origins of printmaking. 11am, $20. Sol Collective, 2574 21st St.

sUCCULents & CaCtI aCRYLIC WORKsHOP: Gain confidence in painting beautiful botanicals. Open to all levels of experience. 10am, $95. University Art, 2601 J St.

WHat’s YOUR CHeMIstRY DOIn’ tO Ya?: Learn how food, cosmetics, cleaners, waste products and other everyday items affect your body. 10am, $5-$10. American River Conservancy, 348 State Highway 49 in Coloma.

WEdnESday, 2/7 CBD anD tHC 101 FOR senIORs: A review of the plant’s natural compounds, how cannabis works naturally with the body and an overview of delivery methods. Seminar will include a Q&A session and an opportunity to register for a Prop 215 medical card. 10am, no cover. Sun City Lincoln Hills, 965 Orchard Creek Lane in Lincoln.

02.01.18

SN&R

THURSDAY 2/1

FRIDAY 2/2

SATURDAY 2/3

SUNDAY 2/4

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 2/5-2/7

The acousTic den cafe

Songwriters in the Round, 7pm, no cover

Nina Gerber, Chris Webster, 7pm, $20

The Time Warps, 7pm, no cover

Ukulele Jam and Singalong, 11am, no cover

Open-Mic Wednesdays, 6:30pm, W, no cover

Badlands

PopRockz, 9pm, no cover

Fierce Fridays, 7pm, call for cover

Spectacular Saturday, 8pm, call for cover

Sunday Tea Dance & Beer Bust, 4pm, no cover

Half-Off Mondays, 8pm, M, no cover; Trapacana, 10pm, W, no cover

BaR 101

Stephen Yerkey, 9:30pm, no cover

Gravity’s Gone & Smoke, 9:30pm, no cover

Super Bowl screening, noon, no cover

Trivia Night, 6:30pm, M, no cover; OpenMic Night, 7:30pm, W, no cover

Blue lamp

Marbin and more, 8pm, $12

Erasure-esque (Erasure Tribute), Just Like Heaven (Cure Tribute), 9pm, $10-$12

8th Annual Super Bowl Party w/Kill the Precedent, 3pm, no cover (bring a dish)

The BoaRdwalk

Dru Down, 8pm, $15

J.I.D., Earthgang, Chaz French, Lute, 8pm, $17

capiTol GaRaGe

Capitol Fridays, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm

Dinner and a Drag Show, 7:30pm, $5-$25

The cenTeR foR The aRTs

An Evening with Leo Kottke, 8pm, (sold out)

10271 FAIRWAY DRIVE, ROSEVIllE, (916) 412-8739 2003 k ST., (916) 448-8790 101 MAIN ST., ROSEVIllE, (916) 774-0505 1400 AlHAMbRA blVD., (916) 455-3400 9426 GREENbAck lN., ORANGEVAlE, (916) 358-9116 1500 k ST., (916) 444-3633 314 W. MAIN ST., GRASS VAllEY, (530) 274-8384 PHOTO bY NEDDA AFSARI

Screature with Destroy Boys 7:30pm Saturday, $10 requested donation Holy Diver

faces

RuPaul’s Drag Race Viewing Party, 5pm, call for cover

Absolut Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Decades, 7pm, call for cover

faTheR paddY’s iRish puBlic house

Andrew Little, 6pm, no cover

High Card Drivers, 7pm, no cover

Backyard Swing, 7pm, no cover

Irish Jam Session with Stepping Stone, 8pm, no cover

Kevin and Allyson Seconds, Noah Nelson, KC Shane, Dolores 5000, Temple K. Kirk Matt Woodcheke, 9pm, $5 and more, 9pm, $5

All-Vinyl Wednesdays with DJ AAKnuff, 8pm, W, no cover

Golden 1 cenTeR

Warriors vs. Kings (Celebrating Black History Month), 7:30pm, $100-$503

Mavericks vs. Kings, 7pm, $18-$198

Bulls vs. Kings, 7pm, M, $18-$198

Goldfield TRadinG posT

Hellbound Glory, 8pm, $5-$10

Casey Donahew, Mark Mackay, 7:30pm, $16-$20

halfTime BaR & GRill

College Night, 9pm, no cover

Funk Shui, 9pm, $5

Agent, 9pm, $7

Let’s Get Quizzical Trivia Game Show, 7pm, T, no cover

haRlow’s

Dave East, 6:30pm, $22-$25

New Kingston, The Late Ones, 9pm, $20-$25

La Cuneta Son Machin, 7pm, M, $15-$18; Pete Rock, Bru Lei, 8pm, W, $20-$25

hiGhwaTeR

On the Low, 9pm, no cover

Hall of Fame (HOF), 8pm, call for cover

The Trivia Factory, 7pm, M, no cover; Geeks Who Drink, 7pm, T, no cover

fox & Goose

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Total Recall (’90s cover band), 10pm, $5

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Local Showcase with Enso Anima and more, 6:30pm, $5

Through the Roots, White Glove Service, One Sharp Mind, 7pm, $13-$15

Submerge Magazine’s 10-Year Anniversary Party, 7:30pm, $10 donation

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Live Music, 9:30pm, no cover

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PETER MAYER AND BRENDAN MAYER

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Noche Latina, 9pm, T, no cover; Purgatory, 9pm, W, no cover

Karaoke, 8pm, M, no cover; Cactus Pete, 8pm, T, no cover; Trivia, 8pm, W, no cover

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Sunday Funday, 3pm, call for cover

Sweethearts & Pals Dance with Chantilly Lace Vincent and more, 8pm, $7

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An Evening with Bruce Cockburn, 7:30pm, M, $45-$50

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Geeks Who Drink, 8:30pm, W, no cover

Distinguisher, 6:30pm, M, $10-$12; G. Perico, 7pm, T, $15-$20 Kupros Quiz, 7:30pm, no cover

Open-Mic Tuesdays, 7pm, T, no cover

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submIt your calendar lIstIngs for free at newsrevIew.com/sacramento/calendar THURSDaY 2/1 Luna’s Cafe & JuiCe Bar 1414 16TH ST., (916) 737-5770

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mOnDaY-WEDnESDaY 2/5-2/7 Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm, M, $10; Open-Mic Comedy, 7:30pm, T, no cover

Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

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Animals in the Attic, Spooky Mansion, 8pm, no cover

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Lipstick Dance Party, 9pm, $5

The Moans, Western Addiction and more, Lipstick Dance Party, 9pm, $5 8pm, $15

on tHe Y

Open-Mic Comedy, 8pm, no cover

Final Drive, Void Vator and more, 9pm, $10

Superbowl, 3:30pm, no cover

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Jazz Gitan, 8pm, no cover

Super Bowl Sunday, noon, no cover

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Back in the Day Old-School Dance Party, 10pm, $5-$10

Frank Hannon, 10pm, $12

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VVomen, Anxious Arms, Cassette Idols, 8pm, call for cover

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Tasty Thursdays, 9pm, no cover

Flow on Fridays with Anthony Pisano, 10pm, call for cover

’80s at 8, 8pm, no cover

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Poor Man Band, 9pm, no cover

Crescent Katz, 9pm, no cover

Zorelli Music, 9pm, no cover

Kings vs. Warriors After Party with DJ JB, 10pm, no cover before 11pm

Birthday Bash for DJ Ikon, 10pm, no cover before 10:30pm, $5 after

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Rusty Zinn, 5:30pm, W, $8 Heath Williamson & Friends, 5:30pm, M, no cover; Karaoke, 9pm, T, no cover Open 9-Ball Tournament, 6:30pm, M, $5; Karaoke Night, 9pm, T, no cover

James Armstrong, 3pm, $10 DJ Larry’s Sunday Night Dance Party, 9pm, no cover

Monday Vibes, 9pm, M, no cover; Reggae Night, 9pm, T, no cover PHOTO COURTESY OF laURa maRiE anTHOnY

Instagon 25th Anniversary Show 8pm Friday, $8-$10 Cafe Colonial Experimental

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Country Thunder Thursdays, 8pm, no cover for 21+, $5 for 18-21

Jessica Lynn, 7pm, $10

Josh Ward, 7pm, $10

Stoney’s Super Bowl Party & Potluck, 2pm, no cover

College Wednesdays, 9pm, W, call for cover

tHe torCH CLuB

Joe Hein, 9pm, $5

Twilight Drifters, 9pm, $10

Kyle Rowland Blues Band, 9pm, $10

You Front the Band Karaoke, 8pm, no cover

Andrew Little and the Enablers, 8pm, T, no cover

The KMC Band, 6pm, no cover

The Outcome, 7pm, no cover

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YoLo Brewing Co.

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Public Trash, Get Out, Slutzville, the Keel, 8pm, $5

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Dandelion Massacre, John Underwood and more, 8pm, call for cover

Instagon 25th Anniversary, 8pm, $8-$10

3520 STOCKTOn BlvD., (916) 718-7055

Shotgun Sawyer, Sparks Across Darkness, Manresa, 8pm, $8

Plague Phalanx and more, 8pm, $8

Tiny Teeth, Side Effects and more, 7pm, T, $5-$10

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Class bully I’m a high school junior. All was well in calculus until my teacher began picking on me for no reason whatsoever, in a cold, condescending manner. I don’t know why he started doing this to me or how I should go about this tricky situation. He doesn’t do this to any other students, so I don’t think he should be doing this to me. Help!

Like this: “I felt uncomfortable in class on Tuesday and I want to explain why. During the lecture on derivatives, I heard you say (for example) I didn’t have a clue and should pay attention. It was my experience that I was paying attention and doing the best I could. I did not appreciate being addressed that way in class and want to discuss what we can do so that I feel comfortable in your class again.” When conflicts arise with teachers, high If your teacher does not apologize school students often avoid confronting and change his attitude toward you in the problem directly. Some teens seem to class, take your concern to his department hope the problem will disappear. Others chair and then to the principal. Learning ask their parents to intervene and meet to resolve conflict is empowering. The with the teacher. I call those scenarios: path I’ve suggested also provides a check “opportunities lost.” So be proud of for teachers who may not realize that yourself for taking charge. they have crossed a boundary Let’s start with the big and caused a student picture: High school is discomfort. a laboratory in which One last thing: If your teacher we experiment with Don’t take your does not apologize ways to best manage teacher’s behavior relationships. The and change his attitude personally. Yes, you result should be felt singled out. On toward you in class, take measurable growth a different day or your concern to his in self-confidence, week, would you resilience, honesty, department chair and have dismissed his kindness, integrity, behavior? If so, you then to the principal. compassion and need self-care. That trustworthiness. could be a better night’s Unfortunately, teens don’t sleep, healthier meals, more receive enough support to time with friends, or a daily achieve the personal development walk in nature. The more devoted we are they’re capable of integrating. A lot to caring for ourselves, the easier it is to of their energy goes toward defending tackle daily difficulties and annoyances. Ω themselves or friends against gossip, bullying, pettiness and chaos. It becomes so overwhelming, many teens can’t wait to graduate. When they do, they’re MedItAtIon of tHe Week often surprised to discover that college campuses and workplaces contain the “Emotional intelligence is same kinds of interpersonal problems they knowing how to transform faced in high school. negative energy into a positive It’s likely that your teacher has no manifestation,” writes idea how awful his behavior feels to you. spiritual guru Gordana Biernat. Do you transmute your anger, Here’s a trick for combating condescenhurt and fear? Or wear it until sion: Remember that you are equal and it wears your body out? behave accordingly. We cannot control other people’s attitudes and behavior, but we are masters of our own. Begin here: write down the date, time and exact words your teacher says to you that you Write, email or leave a message for dislike. After you have a couple of these Joey at the News & Review. Give your name, telephone number instances documented, email a meeting (for verification purposes only) and question—all request to your teacher. If you meet in his correspondence will be kept strictly confidential. classroom, invite him to sit in a student desk. Position another student desk so you Write Joey, 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA sit facing him. Keep your comments brief 95815; call (916) 498-1234, ext. 1360; or email and non-accusatory. Use “I” statements. askjoey@newsreview.com.

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What’s the deal with the “childproof” bags at the clubs now? Some are reusable, some are disposable—all easily cut open with safety scissors, but also likely difficult otherwise for elderlyslash-infirm.

Hi Ngaio, I have fibromyalgia and take Norco as prescribed by my doctor. I have discovered that also using medical cannabis greatly relieves my discomfort. However, my doctor says he will not prescribe the Norco as long as I am using cannabis, and he insists on a urine test before he will represcribe Norco. Is there a solution to this dilemma? Thanks. NEED BOTH.

I read your column every week, and I have a question for you: Back in my day (1960s), pot was pot, but now I find I know nothing about it. I want to become more informed, specifically about something I can take to make me feel calm but not stoned. I can’t smoke but hoped there might be an edible or tincture that could be taken in small amounts. And, which dispensary would you recommend for a beginner, where I can learn more? —Elizabeth Thank YOU! And welcome back! You are correct. There are plenty of edibles and tinctures that could probably smooth you out. Look for a low THC (5 milligrams or so) high CBD edible or tincture. Leafly.com and Weedmaps.com are excellent sources of information. Most clubs and dispensaries these days are very reputable and knowledgeable, so find one close to you and go for a visit! Have fun, stay groovy. Ω Ngaio Bealum is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert. Email him questions at ask420@newsreview.com.

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—Bud Wiser I am not a medical professional, but I would say: Get a new doctor. A doctor that would prefer you use opiates instead of cannabis is most likely not the doctor for you. Cannabis has fewer side effects than opiates, and there is less chance of becoming addicted. States with legal marijuana have lower rates of opiate overdose A doctor that and death. If finding a new doctor isn’t would prefer you an option, you may be able to change use opiates instead their mind. I would recommend you point your doctor to some studies that of cannabis is most show cannabis to be effective in treating likely not the fibromyalgia. Good luck.

—AG I know, right? So annoying. My budtender showed me how to open it, but by the time I got home, I had forgotten the instructions, and it took me like two minutes to figure it out. It’s a small annoyance, but not a big deal. I remember when all the clubs would put all your weed, er, medicine in a paper bag and staple the bag shut. This is just a variation. State law says clubs have to do this, so I suppose this is one of those “what about the children!?!?” deals, as if parents haven’t been hiding their cannabis from their kids for decades. I wouldn’t get too worked up about it. Just think of it as more proof that cannabis creates jobs not just for growers and sellers, but for all sorts of ancillary businesses. You can always put your dank in your stash box (or your pocket) when you get home.

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Photo by Ken Magri

Jose Agacio livestreams on Instagram to promote his pop-up cannabis show.

The PoP-uP AlTernATive ‘Farm-to-meds’ markets offer big savings for medical patients by Ken Magri

ith G-Eazy lyrics blasting from his car radio, Jose Agacio is livestreaming on Instagram about his next pop-up cannabis show. “You must have your recommendation and ID, remember that!” he shouts. “We’re strict about scripts.” Agacio is the man behind WeedAllStar LLC, and its nomadic Orbit cannabis show. He calls it a free-admission “farm-to-meds” marketplace for medical cannabis. On a Friday or Saturday night, among the endless warehouses of Sacramento’s industrial neighborhoods, patients who can find Agacio’s pop-up “private event” will see discounts at 30 percent to 70 percent off dispensary prices. Flowers, concentrates, edibles and topicals are all available. You might see a well-known brand like Dab Face or California Extracts, but most vendors are smaller businesses you’ve never heard of, like No-Name Extracts, Honney Bunz, and Calvin and Globs. Glass pipe makers, clothing booths and food concessions add to the flavor, making the atmosphere feel like a tiny Cannabis Cup event. More than 40 vendors offer deals like $5 edibles and $10 concentrates. “All of my vendors have city permits and pay their taxes,” said Agacio. While operating in a legal grey zone between old Prop. 215 laws and new Prop. 64 emergency regulations, he says the show is “215 and SB-420 compliant.”

To find an Orbit show, customers must connect with his Weedallstarllc page on Instagram, then wait for details. Once at the show, metal detectors and private security personnel keep everyone safe inside.

“We’re about helping the medical patients and local businesses.” Jose Agacio, the Orbit show organizer

“Smell this!” said an exuberant vendor, holding out a jar of Orange Tangie. “Twentydollar quarters, and look at how tight those buds are, man!” Salesmen act like salesmen wherever you go, but the Orbit show’s vibe is more party-like, and the crowd is young. “It’s pretty chill, really friendly,” said one new visitor, as DJ music and dab smoke filled the air around her. Agacio said his Orbit show doesn’t directly compete with dispensaries because it operates for just a few hours on weekends. He is proud to give patients the chance to save money while supporting smaller entrepreneurs at the same time. “We’re about helping the medical patients and local businesses,” he says. Produced by N&R Publications, a division of News & Review.

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Free will astrology

by James Raia

by ROb bRezsny

FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 1, 2018 ARIES (March 21-April 19): In all of history,

humans have mined about 182,000 tons of gold. Best estimates suggest there are still 35 billion tons of gold buried in the earth, but the remaining riches will be more difficult to find and collect than what we’ve already gotten. We need better technology. If I had to say who would be the entrepreneurs and inventors best qualified to lead the quest, my choice would be members of the Aries tribe. For the foreseeable future, you people will have extra skill at excavating hidden treasure and gathering resources that are hard to access.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Stories have the

power to either dampen or mobilize your life energy. I hope that in the coming weeks, you will make heroic efforts to seek out the latter and avoid the former. Now is a crucial time to treat yourself to stories that will jolt you out of your habitual responses and inspire you to take longpostponed actions and awaken the sleeping parts of your soul. And that’s just half of your assignment, dear Taurus. Here’s the rest: Tell stories that help you remember the totality of who you are, and that inspire your listeners to remember the totality of who they are.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Author Anaïs Nin

said, “There are two ways to reach me: by way of kisses or by way of the imagination. But there is a hierarchy: the kisses alone don’t work.” For two reasons, Anaïs’s formulation is especially apropos for you right now. First, you should not allow yourself to be seduced, tempted or won over by sweet gestures alone. You must insist on sweet gestures that are synergized by a sense of wonder and an appreciation of your unique beauty. Second, you should adopt the same approach for those you want to seduce, tempt, or win over: sweet gestures seasoned with wonder and an appreciation of their unique beauty.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Are you more inclined right now to favor temporary involvements and short-term promises? Or would you consider making brave commitments that lead you deeper into the Great Mystery? Given the upcoming astrological omens, I vote for the latter. Here’s another pair of questions for you, Cancerian. Are you inclined to meander from commotion to commotion without any game plan? Or might you invoke the magic necessary to get involved with high-quality collaborations? I’m hoping you’ll opt for the latter. (P.S. The near future will be prime time for you to swear a sacred oath or two.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In March 1996, a man burst

into the studio of radio station Star FM in Wanganui, New Zealand. He took the manager hostage and issued a single demand: that the DJ play a recording of the Muppet song, “The Rainbow Connection,” as sung by the puppet Kermit the Frog. Fortunately, police intervened quickly, no one was hurt, and the kidnapper was jailed. In bringing this to your attention, Leo, I am certainly not suggesting that you imitate the kidnapper. Please don’t break the law or threaten anyone with harm. On the other hand, I do urge you to take dramatic, innovative action to fulfill one of your very specific desires.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Many varieties of the

nettle plant will sting you if you touch the leaves and stems. Their hairs are like hypodermic needles that inject your skin with a blend of irritant chemicals. And yet nettle is also an herb with numerous medicinal properties. It can provide relief for allergies, arthritis, joint pain and urinary problems. That’s why Shakespeare invoked the nettle as a metaphor in his play Henry IV, Part 1: “Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety,” says the character named Hotspur. In accordance with the astrological omens, Virgo, I choose the nettle as your power metaphor for the first three weeks of February.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In his “Crazy Lake

Experiment” documented on YouTube, Harvard physicist Greg Kestin takes a raft out on a lake. He drops a tablespoon of olive oil into the water, and a few minutes later, the half-acre around his boat is still and smooth. All the small waves have disappeared. He proceeds to explain the science behind the calming effect produced by a tiny amount of oil. I suspect that you will have a metaphorically comparable power in the next two weeks, Scorpio. What’s your version of the olive oil? Your poise? Your graciousness? Your tolerance? Your insight into human nature?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1989, a

man spent $4 on a painting at a flea market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. He didn’t care much for the actual image, which was a boring country scene, but he thought he could use the frame. Upon returning home, he found a document concealed behind the painting. It turned out to be a rare old copy of America’s Declaration of Independence, originally created in 1776. He eventually sold it for $2.42 million. I doubt that you will experience anything quite as spectacular in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. But I do suspect you will find something valuable where you don’t expect it, or develop a connection with something that’s better than you imagined it would be.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the 1740s, a

teenage Capricorn girl named Eliza Lucas almost single-handedly introduced a new crop into American agriculture: indigo, a plant used as a dye for textiles. In South Carolina, where she managed her father’s farm, indigo ultimately became the second-most-important cash crop over the next 30 years. I have astrological reasons to believe that you are now in a phase when you could likewise make innovations that will have long-range economic repercussions. Be alert for good intuitions and promising opportunities to increase your wealth.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When I was in my

early 20s, I smoked marijuana now and then. I liked it. It made me feel good, inspired my creativity and roused spiritual visions. But I reconsidered my use after encountering pagan magician Isaac Bonewits. He didn’t have a moral objection to cannabis use, but believed it withered one’s willpower and diminished one’s determination to transform one’s life for the better. For a year, I meditated on and experimented with his hypothesis. I found it to be true, at least for me. I haven’t smoked since. My purpose in bringing this up is not to advise you about your relationship to drugs, but rather to urge you to question whether there are influences in your life that wither your willpower and diminish your determination to transform your life for the better. Now is an excellent time to examine this issue.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Would you like to

shed unwieldy baggage before moving on to your next big challenge? I hope so. It will purge your soul of karmic sludge. It will prime you for a fresh start. One way to accomplish this bravery is to confess your sins and ask for forgiveness in front of a mirror. Here are data to consider. Is there anyone you know who would not give you a good character reference? Have you ever committed a seriously unethical act? Have you revealed information that was told to you in confidence? While under the influence of intoxicants or bad ideas, have you done things you’re ashamed of? I’m not saying you’re more guilty of these things than the rest of us; it’s just that now is your special time to seek redemption.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Knullrufs is a Swedish

word that refers to what your hair looks like after sex: tousled, rumpled, disordered. If I’m reading the astrological omens correctly, you should experience more knullrufs than usual in the coming weeks. You’re in a phase when you need and deserve extra pleasure, especially the kind that rearranges your attitudes as well as your coiffure. You have license to exceed your normal quotas of ravenousness and rowdiness.

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 last DJ In the not-too-distant future, Dennis Newhall will reach a 50-year career milestone. It began at KERS, the campus radio station at Sacramento State University. And it has endured through the tribulations of the radio, an industry in which change sometimes occurs faster than the duration of a top-40 single. Newhall, 66, has worked for several

radio stations in Sacramento and San Jose, most notably his current long tenure at Capital Public Radio. He worked at K-ZAP, 98.5 FM, Sacramento’s iconic rock station from 1968 to 1992. He’s also DJed at KROY and KSFM in Sacramento and KSJO in San Jose. He’s been back at the relaunched K-ZAP, FM 93.3 for three years. The low-powered station received a substantial boost on January 20 when its programming began a weekly one-hour slot beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday on CapRadio, the Sacramento NPR affiliate. Newhall is the host.

When and how did the idea for the K-ZAP relaunch happen? About five years ago, word got around about K-ZAP on KDVS. They turned over 48 hours of programming for any ex K-ZAP jocks who wanted to do a shift. It turned into all kinds of things. A bunch of us said, “That will be fun.” So we all did it. We got a lot of comments. Two weeks later, I got word the [Federal Communications Commission] was going to open up a window for low-powered FM stations. So, I called up [former K-ZAP DJ] Tom Cale and asked what it would be like. We applied and eventually got the license.

So why did you bring it back? One of the main reasons we wanted to bring K-ZAP back is that we felt after the corporatization of radio, especially in the ’80 and ’90s, it was no wonder Spotify was doing well—because radio sucked. It had long, long spot breaks. What’s being broadcast on the radio is not very interesting.

You’ve also been working at Capital Public Radio for a long time. It’s good radio, right? I admire everything we are doing at CapRadio, because they’re putting energy and resources into making programming better instead of figuring out ways to save money and cut it down

PHOTO BY JAMES RAIA

is Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. It’s not loud, heavy rock or metal. It’s just American rock ’n’ roll.

to where it’s just good enough to keep people listening. And it’s paid off.

Is radio today unlike radio from 40 years ago? Completely. AM radio was its own thing. FM radio came along as a throwaway, an afterthought, a toy for the kids. K-ZAP was one of the early second-tier cities that had an underground freeform station. When it started, it was playwhat-you-want, and the less familiar the better. Then it became a little more formatted. Freeform is really for college stations because no one really has to make money or have ratings. The reason we could have K-ZAP is that the owner was a millionaire.

How do you decide what you are going to play, and can you still find something different? Not everything we play is different. A lot of it is from very well-known artists. There are artists we avoid who you can hear all day long on classic rock stations. But there are classic rock songs we do play, and it’s all based on “gut.” We don’t have focus groups. It’s just a matter of taste and knowledge by a bunch of folks who think we know what we are doing. I always say the best model for the sound we are looking for

That’s an interesting choice. Can you elaborate? I would defend that in history, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is the best rock ’n’ roll band. I say that above the Rolling Stones. Their records have been more consistent. I say it because, although the Beatles made great records, they never got to tour like a modern tour.

You’ve been in business a long time. Are there people you admire in the industry? When I have time, I’m either in silence or listening to my own CDs. I’ve always had this hunger for what’s next. I was never one of those people who would take a record and play it over and over. I hate that. One of the people I admired was Johnny Hyde. He died last year. He got stuff sent in from England nobody else had. He inspired me because as a kid, I’d listen every night and ask myself, “What is he going to play next?” Ω

Dennis Newhall can be heard on the low-powered station K-ZAP, 93.3 FM, in and around the city of Sacramento, and beyond those borders on Capital Public Radio, KHJZ, 89.3, Saturdays at 7 p.m.

01.25.18

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