San Diego CityBeat • Sept 11, 2019

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

@SDCITYBEAT

RYAN BRADFORD

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Volume 18 • Issue 3

Fall Arts Visual Arts: Ellen Salk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Fall Arts Dance: Without Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

EDITOR Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Steven Persitza

Fall Arts Film: San Diego Italian Film Festival. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble

Film: 2019 Fall Movie Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Tiffany Ferren Cirino

COLUMNISTS Ryan Bradford Edwin Decker Alfred Howard John R. Lamb Rhonda “Ro” Moore

PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse

Fall Arts Music: Judah & the Lion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

MUSIC Burn All Books

UP FRONT Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Feature: Volar Records’ 10 Year Anniversary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Black Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Spotlight: KaaBoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Concerts & Clubs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

IN THE BACK

FOOD & DRINK

Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

CannaBitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 OSCAR ARANDA

Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey Torrey Bailey Jackie Bryant David L. Coddon Beth Demmon Julia Dixon Evans Jamie Gadette Michael A. Gardiner Sara Harmatz Glenn Heath Jr. Lizz Huerta Beau Lynott Lara McCaffrey Scott McDonald Jim Ruland Ben Salmon Ian Ward

PRESIDENT Steve Strickbine VICE PRESIDENT Michael Hiatt ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Interested in advertising?

Call 619-281-7526 or e-mail advertising@sdcitybeat.com.

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EDITORIAL INTERN Aviva Waldman

ARTS & CULTURE Theater: Kiss My Aztec!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Fall Arts Theater: Bad Hombres/Good Wives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Fall Arts Literature: Burn All Books. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

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San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Times Media Group, free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2019.

Volar Records’ 10 year Anniversary

This issue of CityBeat is like the last five minutes of Thelma & Louise.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

JOHN R. LAMB

UP FRONT | OPINION

SPIN

CYCLE Davis delirium The American political system is like fast food – mushy, insipid, made out of disgusting parts of things…and everyone wants some.

—P.J. O’Rourke

s if the 2020 San Diego political landscape wasn’t already awash in enough campaign drama, long-time U.S. Rep. Susan Davis declaring last week that she would not seek reelection to Congress seemed to raise the floodwaters of hysteria.

Like positions in journalism, the job of sitting member of Congress – with its lack of term limits – infrequently avails itself these days, particularly in congressional districts that are considered “safe” for either Democrats or Republicans. (Case in point: the Republican-tilting 50th, where alleged campaign-dough free-spender Duncan D. Hunter continues to campaign for re-election despite a 60-count federal indictment hanging over his head.)

The 53rd Congressional Dis-

A

JOHN R. LAMB

trict—which Davis has represented since it was the old 49th District in 2001 (changed through redistricting to the 53rd in 2003)—is considered another safe haven like the 50th, but for Democrats.

Spin makes note of this because the Davis announcement sent speculators into overdrive, even across the political aisle. A San Francisco Chronicle article last week glowingly profiled termed-out San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer as “a rare Republican ray of hope for a party that has no statewide elected officials…and a statewide congressional delegation that can fit into a Honda Odyssey.”

The story suggested that Faulconer “has been mentioned” as a contender for the 53rd.

“There will be plenty of time to think about those things,” the mayor was quoted as saying in the story that ran prior to a speech he was giving at last weekend’s California Republican Party convention in scorching Indian Wells.

But while he’s thinking, Faulconer should probably heed the advice of his long-time campaign

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

guru. “Zero chance of GOP coming within 20 points” of victory, Jason Roe told Spin Monday. “No Republican with any sense is going to run in 53. There is zero scenario in which that is winnable.”

So this one will fall to the Democrats to hash out, it appears. Some party insiders worry about the “domino effect” a congressional race could unleash in a district that spans from eastern Chula Vista to western El Cajon to central San Diego. But local Democratic Party Chairman Will Rodriguez-Kennedy told Spin he’s not concerned.

“It does not really complicate 2020 plans,” he said. “There are over 200 races that are contested in a year. Adding one or two more doesn’t change the overall plan, especially since these are safe Democratic seats.”

He was referring to scenarios bandied about by local pundits where Council President Georgette Gómez, now a political force to be reckoned with on such critical subjects as affordable housing and mass transit, might run the risk of losing all of that power should she abandon her re-election plans for Council District 9 and lose while seeking the congressional seat.

The same goes for state Assembly member Shirley Weber, another rumored potential 53rd candidate widely respected for her focus on criminal-justice and education reforms.

The decision by Rep. Susan Davis not to seek re-election in 2020 has triggered a feeding frenzy of speculation about her eventual successor.

Some insiders lament the possibility of losing such critical voices at the local and state levels into the black hole that is the 435-member U.S. House of Representatives. “I’m not sure what Georgette could do about public transit in Congress, but OK,” one party observer sighed privately.

One certain candidate is Sara Jacobs, granddaughter of Qualcomm billionaire Irwin Jacobs, who certainly won’t have to fret financially about the relatively short campaign-fundraising timeframe created by Davis’s announcement.

She joins two other candidates— former Navy nuclear engineer and self-proclaimed “democratic socialist” Jose Caballero and community organizer Joaquín Vázquez, both who entered the race prior to Davis announcing her decision not to run.

In interviews since her announcement, Davis has not indicated she has a favorite to succeed her. Voice of San Diego reported that she would prefer a woman, which seems sensible since she’s the only one among the five county congressional representatives.

Davis has made one thing clear, however. Her replacement, as she said in a recent Voice of San Diego podcast, should have “the public interest at heart, not personal interest.”

That may have been a message to prospective candidates who think of the job as a stepping-stone to higher office, something Davis herself never seemed to contemplate once she arrived in Washington, D.C. “They’ll be my representative, too,” she noted in the podcast, adding with a laugh, “maybe I’m looking for somebody like me.”

Local heavy hitters who have said no thanks to running in the 53rd include Assembly member

and mayoral candidate Todd Gloria, state Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins and influential Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez. Her husband, freshman county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, meanwhile has remained quiet about his interest.

Spin reached out to Fletcher’s campaign consultant, Dan Rottenstreich (also the consultant for Gómez), but he did not respond when asked about Fletcher’s 2020 plans.

Meanwhile, the local Democratic Party chairman said he wasn’t sweating the fluid situation.

“Individual candidates will make their own calculations,” Rodriguez-Kennedy said, “but the party must keep its focus on the mission: electing good Democrats across the county who will advance our vision of a more sustainable, just, equitable and prosperous future.”

Whoever ultimately decides to join the 53rd fray will likely be asked what one party insider wondered privately: “I still haven’t figured out why anyone who has the ability to make actual policies wants to be in Congress.”

But the prospect of a Weber vs.

Gómez vs. Jacobs battle for a congressional seat also has some Democratic folks cringing. “I wouldn’t even know what to do there,” said one insider. Bunker down, maybe?

“Right, and wait for it to end.”

As one party member noted, “Donors aren’t going to give a shit about this race. We need to flip the White House, flip the Senate, flip the county Board of Supervisors, flip the mayorship and push a ton of ballot measures.”

But cutting a maximum check for a race in a heavily blue district? That might be the ultimate delirium.

Spin Cycle appears every other week.

Write to johnl@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | VOICES

RYAN BRADFORD

WELL THAT WAS

AWKWARD Fandom and entitled nerds have made me slightly upset!

D

ear Readers, I’m not a greedy man. However, I will jump at the opportunity to make a quick buck in most cases as long as it doesn’t involve me eating condiments.

My friend Carrie invites me to a Comic-Con preview of IT: Chapter 2, it’s not making a quick buck that’s on my mind at all. It’s pure, man-child fanaticism. Well, for now. Imagine me—a lifelong horror fan—getting a sneak peek of the most anticipated kidmurdering clown film of 2019.

It’s a full house at the Spreckles Theatre. Sweaty fans pack the rows, greasy elbow to greasy elbow.

Conan O’Brien, tonight’s moderator, emerges to a healthy roar. O’Brien talks about how he—the world’s least scary comedian—is the strangest choice to moderate a horror panel, but honestly, I like the shakeup. Nerds don’t often like it when things veer away from the template, but once the film’s cast takes the stage, O’Brien proves to be a great moderator.

At the end of the night, chipper volunteers hand out free ComicCon exclusive Funko Pop toys to everyone. I’ve seen these figurines before, and I bet if you have two eyes and sense of nostalgia, you have, too. Funko Pop has cornered the market of targeting every popculture icon we love or have loved, rendering it into a cute, big-headed toy. With references so esoteric (there are Pops of the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus for chrissakes)—you impulse-buy them faster than your brain can assert financial caution.

The Pops we get tonight look like a cross between Pennywise the Clown and... Conan O’Brien? I look through the plastic window that encloses the toy and feel a vague sadness for everyone who gets so worked up over these things. I’m not a collector, but I know that those who are go rabid for these little nostalgia-inducing curios.

“You know, you can sell those on eBay for good money,” Carrie says. “I knew someone who once got, like, $200 for one.”

At those words, my eyes dilate and my veins constrict. My body’s going into some primordial hunting mode where I’m certain that the bounty is going to be good. Let me remind you, Dear Readers, I’m not a greedy person!

That night, I rush home and scour the eBay listings for Comic-Con exclusive Conan Pennywise Pops.

There are already listings—some with bids for over $200! I’m furious. How dare these scalpers get the jump on me? I wish death upon all of them.

When staging the toy for the eBay photo shoot, I notice a small tear in the box, which probably oc-

curred when the toy was en route to Comic-Con. It’s so small that it could fit within the area of my fingernail.

The listing goes up. It’s the last thing I check before going to bed at night, and the first thing I check when I wake up during the week that it’s live. I watch the price increase slightly with each successive bid. At the end of the auction, the winning bid is $91—not the Scrooge McDuck-esque fortune I had imagined, but not too shabby.

Almost immediately after the auction ends, I receive a message from the winner, whose screenname is medieval1978, which I have to assume makes him 41 years old—not a judgement, just a fact.

“My bid won the auction :) Could you confirm if the Pop is in great condition. I believe it is as you didn’t mention any damage in the description. If so could you pack the Pop with bubble wraps and double boxed? Do you have a soft protector for extra protection by any chance? I will appreciate that.

Thank you.”

I roll my eyes. The fuck is a soft protector? I do, however, have two boxes. You’re one lucky 41 year old, I think. I pack up the Pop and send it out.

Two weeks go by. I spend the money, which only brings me relative happiness, but again, not too shabby, and I’m floating at that middling height of lukewarm happiness when I receive another message from eBay: medieval1978 wants a refund. He says that the product had “significant damage.”

No way, I think. I make an appeal to eBay, demanding to see evidence of “significant damage,” but it doesn’t take long for them to side with the buyer. When I receive the toy back, it looks the same as when I sent it, so I can only imagine that the tear was the cause of this guy’s dissatisfaction.

I guess this is a long way of saying that I should’ve expected this. When fan culture now entitles people to demand Star Wars rewrites, or sign petitions to bring back killed-off TV characters, or embolden shitheads to wreak havoc in fast food restaurants over a Rick and Morty promotion, of course they’re going to be dissatisfied with a little blemish in their toy box.

I’m keeping the toy now, even though I don’t really want it. Even if the nerds take over the world, it gives me a sick sense of satisfaction to possess something that one of them would truly love, because if I don’t do it, how are nerds going to know that they can’t always get what they want?

I look through the plastic window that encloses the toy and feel a vague sadness for everyone who gets so worked up over these things.

@SDCITYBEAT

Well, That Was Awkward appears every other week.

Write to ryanb@sdcitybeat.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE

They got the name wrong

W

ith a name like Lefty’s Chicago Pizzeria (3448 30th Street, North Park and 4030 Goldfinch, Mission Hills) one could be forgiven for expecting the place to be all about the pizza, specifically, Chicago’s signature deep-dish style. But what Lefty’s should really be known for is another Chicago signature: the Chicago dog.

The classic Chicago hot dog starts with a beef frankfurter and is accompanied by diced onions, fresh tomatoes, Day-Glo green relish, a pickle spear, yellow mustard and pickled chili pepper and a sprinkling of celery salt. It’s a wonderfully composed example of the sausage arts. It’s a series of big flavors that crash in the bun, on your tongue and manage all the while to stay perfectly in balance.

Lefty’s takes a second crack at the theme, swapping out the beef dog in favor of a Polish sausage. It makes sense given Chicago’s substantial Polish population (one of the seven largest outside of Poland). It makes a bit less sense culinarily: the acidity of the kielbasa adversely impacts the balance of the dish. Still, the next polish sausage I don’t like will be the first.

Another feature on Lefty’s menu is the Italian beef sandwich. It’s wet roasted beef that’s cooled, sliced thin then rehydrated in the beef’s own jus, accompanied by hot peppers, sweet peppers and/or giardiniera. I’ve had great Italian beef sandwiches in Chicagoland as well as some less than great.

Lefty’s tilted toward the latter. The beef was underseasoned and bordered on the bland side. The CBGB sandwich featured garlic bread and was better for it.

But the best way to get the sandwiches at Lefty’s was “dipped:” soaked in the beef’s jus. Messy? Sure.

But it definitely took a step toward addressing the seasoning issue.

Then there’s the pizza. The fact is I’m enthusiastic about Chicago deep dish. I’m a fan. Chicago

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

deep dish, however, is not pizza. Call it a casserole.

Call it “Bill.” Heck, make up a name for the pie. It deserves one of its own. But why should it be called a pizza? Because someone got it wrong and we all feel bound to repeat the mistake?

If I thought I was going to learn something about deep dish at Lefty’s. I was even more mistaken than that. Name aside, their pies bears relatively little resemblance to Chicago’s. The leading characteristic of true deep dish, as the name would suggest, is its thickness. They’re cooked in round, oiled steel pans up to three inches deep with a thin crust pulled up around the edges to just below the pan top. The pie is then filled with a generous layer of cheese, then toppings before the chunky tomato MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Chicago hot dog sauce is applied on top. Lefty’s seems to skimp at every step along the way. The resulting product is some sort of cross between Chicago style and the San Diego style typified by Fillipi’s. I’m definitely not enthusiastic about that.

But I am a fan of Lefty’s. The décor, the dedication to all-things Chicago and (most of all) the Chicago dogs are more than reason enough to go and go again.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY KAREN BARNETT

WORT MENTIONING The theory of Gravity Heights: Collabs are here to stay

C

Belgian-style ale with a light citrusy hopped background. Arguably one of the most underrated styles of beer, they added fresh ginger and lemon zest to produce Chain Reaction. The table beer stepped up the yeast which was then used to make two more offerings: Gold Chain, a traditional Belgian-style Tripel that hits the tongue with a burst of noble hops

looked by today’s hop-thirsty consumers in search of only the most craft-indie, haziest whales. Master Link, an easy drinking Table Beer, is a low alcohol

Write to wortmentioning@gmail.com or follow Karen Barnett on Instagram at @karensmallbarnett.

ollaborations are as hot as ever, with some San Diego breweries pouring more collaborations than their own original recipes.

It’s makes one wonder if some plan these collabs looking for free, on-the-job training from KAREN BARNETT respected veterans to improve their current offerings or market value. Or, is it actual industry camaraderie? There is definitely no question of genuine friendship when a collaboration from the talented minds of Lee Chase (Blind Lady Ale House/Automatic Brewing, Tiger! Tiger!, Panama66) and Skip Virgilio (Gravity Heights) materialize.

Those hip to the beer scene are aware of Virgilio’s history in San Diego, starting his career at PB Brewhouse before co-founding AleSmith Brewing Company in 1995, and of course bringing San Diego’s first GABF gold medal in 1993 for a Belgian Strong Ale. Although, few may be aware that his early ‘90s timeline includes a curious and underage Lee Chase. As a student at Grossmont College, Chase had early aspiraFrom left: Lee Chase, Skip Virgilio, Tommy Kreamer and tions of furniture design. Anyone who Mike Williams has seen him pedaling his Frankenstein jockey boxes and tandem keg deliveries around and presenting itself with an attractive fruity aroma; town can surely imagine how the furniture indus- and Chain of Events, the same Tripel incorporating try lost a bright star the day Chase decided he liked the bright flavors of ginger and lemon.

Other collaborations on tap include brews with beer more than bureaus. With sights set on a brewing degree from UC Davis, Chase transferred to City Paul Sangster (Rip Current) and Benjamin “ShagCollege to satisfy prerequisites. It was in 1993 that gy” Blaney (My Yard Live). While Sangster is widely he reached out Virgilio, who was running the only known for his heavily hopped and refreshing IPAs, small brewery at the time, seeking an internship to he teamed up with Virgilio for a Four Roses bourbon barrel aged stout. Virgilio’s desire to brew with test the waters of his chosen career path.

Tucked away in the techie-laden hills of Sor- people he likes and respects proved successful, as the rento Valley, Gravity Heights released its Automatic Summer Vibes saison made with Shaggy was also a “chain” series last Friday night. When Virgilio and hit coming in at 5.2% with bright citrus flavors in a Chase discussed styles for their collaboration, Chase refreshingly crisp, dry beer.

All in all, an emphatic nod that the chain of collabwanted to pay homage to that ‘93 GABF win and their orations in town won’t be broken any time soon. love of Belgian beers, a style category often over-

@SDCITYBEAT

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

RYAN BRADFORD

CHULA VISTA

COURTESY OF SOUTH BAY PRIDE ART AND MUSIC FESTIVAL

BAY PRIDE

Although the glitter and glam of Hillcrest’s Pride festivities may have faded, pride never really ends in Southern California. Nor should it! And the celebration continues at The South Bay Pride Art and Music Festival.

“The goal from the very beginning [with South Bay Pride] has been to provide a place of celebration for those of us in the South Bay supporting LGBTQ+ and our allies,” says festival co-founder Dae Elliott. “The organizing of this event is entirely volunteer and is very much part of the process of developing a close community here that extends to our residents, politicians and businesses.” To illustrate this point, festival organizer South Bay Alliance conducts community outreach on both sides of the border focused on fighting HIV/AIDS and offering diversity training to local businesses.

South Bay Pride, now in its 12th year, is a familyfriendly event. This year will include face painting and bouncy castles to entertain children while their parents enjoy live music, as well as offerings from local food and beverage vendors.

Attendees can expect a lineup of musical acts inspired by the sound of the ‘70s, with Journey and Santana tribute bands Open Arms and Santana Soul. Local acts The Social Animal, Ingenue, and more will also take the stage throughout the day.

“Some of our old-timers that have been attend-

ing Pride events have said it reminds them of the Pride celebrations before many of them became hyper-commercial ‘happenings’,” Elliott says. “When we started this, it was in reaction to our local political representatives saying ‘We don’t have LGBTQ+ people here in the South Bay, that is Hillcrest’s issue.’ Obviously, that has changed and people realize that LGBTQ+ people are everywhere in San Diego county, not just Hillcrest. Part of that change was having our own PRIDE event.”

The festival takes place on Saturday at 12 p.m. on September 14 at Bayside Park (999 Bayside Pkwy.) in Chula Vista. The event is free, and more information can be found at southbaypride.org.

CITY HEIGHTS

OLD TOWN

CITY BITES

COURTESY FAIR@44

In the Gallery Artist Talk at The Studio Door, 3867 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Artists will be showcasing and discussing their works in a meet-and-greet with Larry Caveney, Catherine Chambers, Christine Houseman and Viviana Lombrozo. From 3 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. Free. 619255-2867, thestudiodoor.com La Jolla Art Association Exhibition and Open House at La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Celebration of the re-opening of the La Jolla Art Association featuring painted and etched works by artists Dottie Stanley, Peggy Hinaekian and Leah Higgins. From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. Free. ljcommunitycenter.org

South Bay Pride Art and Music Festival.

FOUNDERS KEEPERS

Southern California is not necessarily known for street food. Our culture is too dependent on cars, and there’s simply not enough foot traffic to justify food carts in San Diego. This is a shame because anyone who’s been to a pedestrian-friendly city like New York or Chicago can attest to the communal experience of eating at a food cart. However on Thursday, September 12 at 5 p.m. food vendors at City Heights Street Food Festival will help bridge the gap between eating and community. In a culture so fraught with division, infighting and technological distractions, even sharing a small bite with friends and neighbors can help curb the increasing disconnectivity that harms us all.

Plus, there’s bound to be an excellent variety of food, given City Heights’ staggering diversity.

This festival goes down at Fair@44 (4350 El Cajon Blvd.) and tickets are $10 at the door. facebook.com/fairat44

West Coast Fiber Arts at Escondido Arts Partnership Municipal Gallery, 262 E. Grand Ave., Escondido. Opening reception of fiber art collection featuring the unveiling of the large scale public mural “Escondido, the Hidden Valley” by artist Daniel Hernandez. From 4:30 to 6 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 13. Free. escondidoarts.org

Celebrating white, European colonizers is going out of fashion, and that’s a good thing (anyone who still considers Christopher Columbus a hero should probably reconsider their values). And although this year marks San Diego’s 250th anniversary by Spanish settlers, it’s important to acknowledge the Kumeyaay TipaiIpai people who lived in the area long before that.

Refreshingly, Founder’s Day seeks to incorporate all the people that have shaped our city from prehistory to now—from the indiginous people, to the settlers, to immigrants. The festival will include family-friendly activity booths from many local organizations, including Save our Heritage Organization, Campo Reservation and Kumeyaay College.

There will also be live cultural entertainment and a beer garden. The event takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 14-15 in Old Town (4002 Wallace St.), 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and is free to the public. sandiego250.com

COURTESY OF OLD TOWN SAN DIEGO

Immigration Mural Unveiling: Haciendo Linea at Mint House Project, 928 S. Evans St., Barrio Logan. Unveiling of an immigration-mural created by local artist Yvette Roman, portraying Fronterizos as they wait to cross the border into the United States.

From 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. Free. facebook.com/minthouseproject/

BOOKS Rachel Simmons at Academy of Our Lady of Peace, 4860 Oregon St., University Heights. The author of the New York Times bestsellers Odd Girl Out and The Curse of the Good Girl will speak about inspiring resilience, integrity and health for women and girls. From 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11. Free. 858-453-9600, aolp.org Sean Penn at Warwick’s Bookstore, 7812 Girard Ave., La Jolla. The Academy awardwinning actor from Mystic River and Milk will discuss his new book, Bob Honey Sings Jimmy Crack Corn. From 7:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. Free-$26. warwicks.com J.R. Strayve Jr. at Barnes & Noble, 5500 Grossmont Center Drive, La Mesa. The author of First Spouse of the United States will participate in a panel discussion and book signing. From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 14. Free. facebook.com/ events/425915761589523/

FILM El Tren Fantasma at The Quartyard, 1301 Market St., Downtown. Tijuana-based music heroes Bostich + Fusible will perform a set of electronic music to a screening of a rediscovered 1920’s silent movie classic from Mexico. From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. $10-$30. quartyardsd.com

FOOD & DRINK City Heights Street Food Festival at Fair @44, 4350 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Celebration of international street food culture accompanied by music, live art, beer and wine, and spoken word performances. From 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept.

12. $8. 619-961-1050, cityheightscdc.org Shady Ladies and Hop Heads Historical Pub Crawl and Walking Tour at Gaslamp Museum at the David-Horton House, 410 Island Ave., Downtown. Learn about local historic buildings and characters, and visit three bars from the “Stingaree” era of the Gaslamp for beer tastings. From 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. $10-$20. 619-2334692, gaslampfoundation.org

Fair@44 8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Old Town San Diego

Taste of San Marcos 2019 at 250 North City Drive, San Marcos. Bites from local culinary masters, sips of beer, cider and wine from local and independent wineries

and breweries and live music from Jesse Ray Smith. From 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. $35-$50. 760-744-1270, tasteofsanmarcos2019.bpt.me

MUSIC Curtis Taylor at Westgate Hotel, 1055 Second Ave., Downtown. The Grammy Award-winning trumpeter will perform his signature blend of soulfulness, harmony and rhythm as part of the Sunset Poolside Jazz Series, curated by Gilbert Castellanos. From 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12. $25. 619-238-1818, westgatehotel.com Nicolas Reveles at La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Musical performance of recently composed work by the pianist, composer and opera educator, including his latest opera with librettist Michael Vegas Mussman. From 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18. $20 suggested donation. ljcommunitycenter. org

PERFORMANCE Movement Makers at City Heights Performance Annex, 3795 Fairmount Ave., City Heights. Tanya Lewis directs and curates a showcase of local choreographers and dancers of various styles and backgrounds to evoke expressions of creativity for the audience. At 7 p.m. Friday, Sept.

13 and Saturday Sept. 14. $15-$19. 619758-8112, visionarydancetheatre.org RuPaul’s Drag Race Werq The World Tour at Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Mission leader Asia O’Hara takes attendees on a journey to save the galaxy in the largest drag production on the planet. From 8 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17. $52-$62. werqtheworld.com

SPECIAL EVENTS Fangaea Fan Convention at Scottish Rite Center, 1895 Camino Del Rio South, Mission Valley. Panels, artist talks, interactive experience and more celebrating fan and pop culture interests including anime, cosplay, virtual reality, video games, comic books and more. From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 14 and Sunday, Sept. 15.

Free-$20. fangaea.us Home Runs For Homelessness at InterContinental San Diego, Downtown. Run, play, eat and hangout around the original Padres stadium bases to benefit the Alpha Project and other homeless services. From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. $18$23. intercontinentalsandiego.com Second Saturday Market at San Diego Made Factory, 2031 Commercial St., Sherman Heights. Monthly showcase with popup shops from over 15 local makers, open artist studios, a gallery art show from Caitlin Carny, locally made pastries and more.

From 3 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. Free. sandiegomade.org Sephardic Festival at Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Two-day festival featuring documentary and film screenings, food, games for kids and a performance by the Alhambra Sephardic Music Ensemble.

From 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. $15-$18. 858-362-1101, sdcjc.org

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS Seaport Sessions | Casbah & Vinyl Junkies at Seaport Village, 849 W. Harbor Drive, Downtown. Co-founder of Casbah and the founder of M-Theory Music will lead a Q&A about their work in concert promotion, music retail and running a record label, followed by live music. From 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12. Free. seaportvillage.com

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THEATER ALESSANDRA MELLO/BERKELEY REPERTORY THEATRE

Aztecs rebel in scattered La Jolla musical

Jolla Playhouse’s Mandell Weiss Theatre Theatre, UCSD. $25-$85; lajollaplayhouse.org.

L

a Jolla Playhouse’s Kiss My Aztec! begins with a clever musical commentary about imperialism called “White People on Boats.” The thought occurs: This is going to be an intelligent show with all the biting ferocity of its terrific title. But no. What follows with the exception of the closing number are more than two hours of high-energy but overly familiar comedy devices, from characters in hapless disguise (codpiece anyone?) to talking hand puppets to near-slapstick of the shuddering kind.

What makes this all so disappointing is that Kiss My Aztec!, a co-production of the Playhouse and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, was written by Berkeley Rep artistic director Tony Taccone and the multitalented John Leguizamo, whose solo affair “Latin History for Dummies” rocked the Playhouse three years ago. Leguizamo has said that Spamalot was an inspiration for Kiss My Aztec! But this new show, the music for which was written by Benjamin Velez, with Velez, Leguizamo and David Kamp collaborating on the lyrics, is nowhere near as artful as that Monty Python joyride.

The score of Kiss My Aztec! is an amalgam of musical genres, including rap, salsa, and approximations of gospel and R&B. This mash-up is less jarring than the book, which endeavors to tell the story of the

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—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: The Addams Family: The 2010 stage musical based on Charles Addams’ cartoons and more than a little inspired by the TV series of the 1960s finds Gomez and Morticia’s daughter Wednesday old enough to marry, and her intended is a white-bread Ohioan with parents to match. Presented by Welk Resorts Theatre, it runs through Nov. 10. welkresorts.com Amadeus: North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach opens its 38th season with a staging of Peter Shaffer’s searing flashback drama about the envious Antonio Salieri’s attempts to destroy his prodigious young rival, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It runs through Oct. 6. northcoastrep.org

Kiss My Aztec!

Aztec people of 16th century Mesoamerica rising up against bloody conquerors from Spain. The narrative has all the simmering undercurrent of contemporary cultural and racial dynamics but is at least in part dressed up like an historical spoof. The latter overwhelms the former, which is distinctly unsatisfying.

Joel Perez (he of the hand puppets) and Yani Marin (playing a feminist-minded warrior) try hard as the leads up against Al Rodrigo, who all but twirls his mustache as

the villainous Spanish heavy. Desiree Rodriguez stands out as his daughter, Pilar, who attempts to defy her father via deflowering by a man of color – Rodriguez’s “Dark Meat” tune is a keeper.

Clint Ramos is scenic and costume designer for Kiss My Aztec!, and his stellar efforts on both counts are very much in the spirit of a production that means well but largely sacrifices its critical messages in the pursuit of easy laughs.

Kiss My Aztec! runs through Oct. 3 at La

Foxfire: This co-production between Scripps Ranch Theatre and Oceanside Theatre Company revolves around a family and Appalachian culture in the north of Georgia. It runs through Oct. 27 in Oceanside after a run in Scripps Ranch that ends Oct. 6. oceansidetheatre.org Kiss My Aztec!: Actor/playwright John Leguizamo’s collaborators on this world-premiere musical include Tony Taccone, artistic director of Berkeley Repertory Theatre, co-producer with La Jolla Playhouse of this show about Aztec rebels defying their Spanish conquerors. It runs through Oct. 3. lajollaplayhouse.org For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

COURTESY OF SAN DIEGO REPERTORY THEATRE

That’s no surprise given the multi-talented Siguenza’s energy. He’s a playwright, an actor, a director, and even an accomplished painter. Balancing all these creative impulses, he said, “comes naturally. I know deep down when this or that needs attention. That’s how I live my life. I go by my gut instinct.”

Bad Hombres/Good Wives runs Oct. 3 to Oct. 27 on the San Diego Repertory Theatre’s Lyceum Stage, Horton Plaza, downtown. $22-$55; sdrep.org

MORE THEATER Almost Famous: Cameron Crowe’s 2000 autobiographical film has been turned into a stage musical that will have its world premiere in San Diego, his hometown. Crowe, who wrote the book and lyrics for Almost Famous the musical, is collaborating with musician Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, American Idiot) and Englishman Jeremy Herrin, who will direct.

The musical, as with the memorable film, is set in San Diego and centers on 15-year-old aspiring rock critic William Miller. Begins previews at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park on Sept. 13. Tickets $70 and up. Theoldglobe.org

Bad Hombres/Good Wives

Bad Hombres to spoof narco telenovelas

BY DAVID L. CODDON

I

f at first you do succeed, why not try again?

So it goes with San Diego Repertory Theatre Playwright-in-Residence Herbert Siguenza. Three years ago, Siguenza, one of the founding members of the Latino comedy troupe Culture Clash, adapted Moliere’s comedy The Imaginary Invalid into the well-received play Manifest Destinitis. Now, tapping not only Moliere’s School for Wives but also Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest and the narco telenovelas that are all the rage on TV, Siguenza has created Bad Hombres/Good Wives, coming to the Rep’s Lyceum Stage this fall.

“It’s the first narco comedy ever,” said Siguenza, whose collaborators on Bad Hombres/Good Wives include one of his Culture Clash partners, Ric Salinas, who’s among the cast, and Bostich of the Tijuana-born electronica ensemble Nortec Collective, creator of this show’s original score.

Riffing very loosely on the original Moliere play which Siguenza branded as “ridiculous,” Bad Hombres/Good Wives finds Don Ernesto (John Padilla), a drug cartel lord in the Mexico state of Sinaloa, shipping his wife off to a convent to learn the rules of submission. This, of course, will not go as planned. Other characters include Lucha Grande (Roxane Carrasco), whom Siguenza describes as a feminist banda singer, and roles played by Salinas and by Siguenza himself.

Moliere aside, the narco novelas influence was significant for Siguenza, who said the play basically wrote itself.

“Narco novelas are like the No. 1 genre on Spanishspeaking TV,” said Siguenza. “They’re very popular in the culture.”

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Recruiting Culture Clash cohort Salinas was another inspiration. “I had a role for him that I thought he would be perfect for,” Siguenza explained. “I really wanted him to come down (from L.A.). It’s nice to have an old veteran in the cast.”

San Diego Repertory Theatre, meanwhile, is a veteran entity when it comes to staging works by and about Latinos.

“I think they’ve produced over 50 plays written by Latinos or Latino-based works over the 44 years of their existence,” said Siguenza, pointing out that the Rep was the first regional theater to ever produce Culture Clash. “They’re the ones who opened the door for us.”

“I think the Rep realizes that we are just 15 minutes from the border,” said Siguenza. “Regional theaters do not do regional work typically. They do work from New York from other writers. I think Sam (Woodhouse, the Rep’s artistic director and co-founder) and the mission of the Rep has been very directly saying that they want to produce works that reflect the geography they live in.”

It’s Woodhouse who’ll be directing Bad Hombres/Good Wives. “Sam and I have a long relationship,” said Siguenza.

“I really trust him with my work because he collaborates with me.”

Bad Hombres/Good Wives was written, Siguenza said, in “about a week” a year and a half ago when he was in Boston. It since has received two staged readings: one in 2018 at the Rep’s Latinx New Play Festival and another this past spring at Old Town-based Cygnet Theatre. From the get-go, the play’s “been on a fast track.”

WOW (Without Walls) Festival 2019: La Jolla Playhouse’s fourth immersive, off-site festival of theater, music, dance and more (the previous festivals were held on the UCSD campus twice and in and around downtown San Diego) unfolds this time around at Liberty Station. Local, national and international artists will perform during the four-day festival, and three works commissioned by the Playhouse will be part of the diverse lineup of entertainment. Oct. 17-20 in Liberty Station, Point Loma.

Tickets range from free to $20; lajollaplayhouse.org Handbagged: The complicated relationship between Queen Elizabeth II and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is explored in this 2013 play by Brit Moira Buffini, whose 1997 work Gabriel was a highlight earlier this year at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. Handbagged will be produced at Moxie Theatre, with Kim Strassburger directing.

The play takes a look at how the Queen and Thatcher, the two most powerful women in the U.K., co-existed during the years 1979-1990. Begins previews Oct. 19 at Moxie Theatre, Rolando District. Tickets $20-$45; moxietheatre.com Cambodian Rock Band: Yes, there was a rock music scene in Cambodia in the 1960s, at least until the brutal Khmer Rouge regime took hold. This play with music by UCSD graduate Lauren Yee (The Hatmaker’s Wife, Hookman, The Great Leap) follows a young Cambodian American woman on her journey to her roots 30 years after her father fled the Southeast Asian nation. The musical backdrop includes songs by the Cambodian and American band Dengue Fever.

Previews begin Nov. 12 at La Jolla Playhouse. Tickets $20 and up; lajollaplayhouse.org COURTESY OF LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

RYAN BRADFORD

Sarah Kay and comedian Mohanad Elshieky.

This show goes down on Sept. 23 at 7:30 p.m. at The Observatory.

Buzzworthy: Hilary Kearney’s work generates a lot of buzz. Literally. Since 2012, the entrepreneur/beekeeper has been educating people about bees, teaching beekeeping classes, and selling honey through her company, Girl Next Door Honey. She’s also the author of the popular bee blog (beelog?) Beekeeping Like a Girl. Suffice it to say, Kearney is as busy as a... well, you know, and this year Kearney has put out two books that showcase her expertise: QueenSpotting chronicles the fascinating life of a queen bee, and The Little Book of Bees is an illustrated compendium on these industrious insects. On Thursday, Sept. 26 at 7:30 p.m., Kearney will be at The Book Catapult to read from and sign both books. Bee there or bee square.

Amanda Bernal and Nick Bernal

Burn All Books is burning down gatekeepers

BY RYAN BRADFORD

G

odspeed to anyone who ventures into the world of book publishing, for it is fraught with hard decisions. Paper stock, fonts, reproduction, printing methods—this is the kind of stuff that can keep even the most passionate up at night. Granted, if you decide to dive into the world book publishing in 2019, you have to be passionate.

That makes Burn All Books so awe-inspiring. The small press has been running for only a few years, but the impact they’ve had on the San Diego zine, poetry and fiction communities has already been profound, and this success has allowed them to open a storefront in the back of Verbatim Books (3793 30th St., verbatim-books.com) as part of the bookstore’s recent expansion.

If any of this growth is stressful for Burn All Books founders Amanda and Nick Bernal, then they’re good at hiding it. On a Thursday afternoon, Amanda sits behind the counter of the well-ventilated Burn All storefront, and offers a can of Yerba Mate while nonchalantly remarking on the mosquitoes that have also taken up residence in the store. “I’m going to be their leader,” she says nonchalantly.

This disarming amount of chill and humbleness is not common among artists, and it’s refreshing.

“Nick and I are fair-to-middling artists

at best.” Amanda says. “But we love creating art. It’s a lot more fulfilling to us to help other people create their art. We felt like there wasn’t really a space for everyone in the community to create art in a way that had parity with other cities.”

Passion for art is one thing, but their results are what set Burn All Books apart.

Their books are confidently unique in terms of both style and substance. Readers who flip through any of their publications will initially notice the vibrant colors and smudgy textures—a result that stems from Burn All’s niche method of printing their books on a risograph (think of it like a cross between a screen printer and a copy machine). Suffice it to say, their zines look and feel like nothing else in San Diego.

Burn All Books’ most recent endeavor is their quarterly zine “Sundays Quarterly,” which allows contributors the hands-on opportunity to design and print their own pages (using the risograph) via a workshop taught by Nick and Amanda, who want this project to ultimately be a platform for everyone, especially underrepresented authors.

“We felt like there wasn’t really a space for everyone in the community to create art in a way that had parity with other cities,” Amanda says. “The art community here felt narrow at times—just more open to, I don’t know, a lot of white kids and white men. The

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DIY scene is very [‘90s] punk and misogynous in a lot of ways. So I want this to be a place where people who maybe don’t always have the opportunity to make work—or feel like they don’t have a voice box for their work—to learn how to [create zines], and build a stronger community here.”

Sign up for Burn All Books’ newsletter for more information on how to submit to “Sundays Quarterly,” and don’t miss Left on Read, a Burn All-hosted reading, which goes down on Oct. 5, 7 p.m., at Verbatim Books.

MORE LITERATURE Popping off: LIterary readings aren’t often associated with a lot of razzle dazzle, but Pop-Up Magazine has become renowned for their exciting shows, which are described as “a concert, play, film and comedy show all wrapped in one.” For each show, a handful of carefully-selected journalists, comedians, actors and authors read unpublished pieces to a live audience. The kick? Each story is accompanied by illustration, animation, photography, video and an original score provided by a live band (!). This will be the first time Pop Up Magazine has done a show in San Diego, and the line-up is especially tasty, including Jordan Carlos (writer for HBO’s Divorce), poet

Cog Day Afternoon: We truly are living in a golden age of novels for young readers.

Elitist literati have a tendency to dismiss young adult and middle grade fiction, but these genres are often chock-full of complex emotions, adventure and quality storytelling. San Diego author Greg van Eekhout is a rare talent that writes for both children and adults, and his latest middle grade book Cog sounds incredibly bonkers: Cog, a robot that looks like a 12-year-old boy, wakes up one day to find that his handler, Gina, is gone.

Not only that, but an evil corporation has taken him apart. Middle grade body horror?

Sign us up. Eekhout will sign copies of Cog on Sept. 30, 6 p.m., at Mysterious Galaxy.

Warwick’s picks: La Jolla’s Warwick’s—San Diego’s oldest and most prestigious independent bookstore—always kills it with their fall reading series, and this year is no different. First up, Colson Whitehead, whose book The Underground Railroad won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2017, will be reading and signing his new, devastating book The Nickel Boys on Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. Then, Candace Bushnell, the author behind the insanely popular Sex and the City books, will read from her new book Is There Still Sex in the City? on Oct. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Perhaps she’ll be able to help determine whom among your group is the Samantha, Miranda, Charlotte and Carrie, respectively.

Then, one of the U.K.’s premier fashion designers Zandra Rhodes will sign copies of her new book Zandra Rhodes: 50 Fabulous Years in Fashion on Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Since the ‘60s, Rhodes has been pioneering loud and provocative fashion, including the safety-pin punk look of the late ‘70s. Oi! ALEX WALSH

Pop-Up Magazine @SDCITYBEAT

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

Ellen Salk’s Next Era

COURTESY OF LA JOLLA ATHENAUEUM

BY JULIA DIXON EVANS

L

ongtime local artist Ellen Salk is in a period of change. Salk’s work in recent years has involved pieces that showcase her penchant—and talent—for a complex surface in her paintings.

Texture, dimension, peeks of color or the appearance of etched sketches in otherwise monochromatic or limited palette works and the focus on a central orientation have been the hallmarks of her recent exhibitions, and many of them have been paired with immersive music. A 2013 project at Oceanside Museum of Art featured her art paired with a composition by experimental sound artist Christopher Adler, and another project at Bread and Salt paired Salk’s paintings with vocalist Elizabeth Schwartz and sound engineer Rachel Le Vine.

While Salk thrived in that arena, she was ready to try something new. And while she hasn’t quite landed yet, the work that she has been doing in-studio to develop her next iteration of style was deemed worthy of a profound, transitory exhibition of its own. Her forthcoming “Studio Practice” exhibition at the La Jolla Athenaeum (1008 Wall St, ljathenaeum.org) is not so much a work in progress as it is a celebration of change in progress, and the way in which the transitional, ephemeral work that artists experiment with can, in fact, stand alone.

TOM ZASADZINSKI

Ellen Salk “I started feeling like I was really backing myself into a corner where I began to think, ‘Do I always have to have this central orientation? What about introducing some more color?’ Color is so powerful and I wasn’t exactly sure how to do that,” Salk said.

Transitioning between projects or eras for artists can be challenging, emotionally or on a productivity level, but not for Salk, who embraced the chance to re-evaluate.

“I’ve been working for a long time, and it’s very tedious needing to follow the external demands of the career. There’s a point where you are afraid that people will forget you, but I just sort of gave myself permission to step back and figure out where I wanted to go,” Salk said.

Salk, in this stepping back from her prior style of looping, radial designs and significant surface texture, made a series of about 60 or 70 collages with layered paper. The collages, originally meant as a transitional practice as she progressed into what her next painting style might be, will be exhibited this fall at La Jolla Athenaeum.

The collages will show in combination with several larger painted works that show how Salk’s work has moved, including a large piece displayed at the entrance to the gallery.

Salk’s work has often been described as holding an essence of Japanese artists from the Udo period, though she didn’t set out to emulate or study the period as inspiration.

She points to the juxtaposition or complexity and reduction in both her work and in the Japanese 17th and 18th century works of printmakers and artists like Kitagawa Utamaro and Ando Hiroshige. Citing the line and the elegance of the work from that era, Salk said, “There’s a lot to sink your teeth into, but the shape of a head, they barely give it to you. But you absolutely know. That reduction fascinates me.”

Familiar with the extended, lengthy building process of working with oil paints, Salk appreciated the speed with which she could create a paper collage, but approached them the same way: building, taking away, building more, and so on. In that way, this transitional period, and the works displayed, are a glimpse into a storied artist’s process and mind.

Running September 21 through November 2 at the La Jolla Anthenaeum’s Rotunda Gallery, Salk’s work, “Studio Practice” evokes movement, continuation and progression all while encapsulating collage projects that stand alone as unique works of art. The exhibition runs alongside Nikko Mueller’s exhibition, “I’m OK, You’re OK,” in the main gallery, with an opening reception on Friday September 20.

MORE VISUAL ART Human + Machine: Now open at San Ysidro’s FRONT Arte Cultura gallery (147 W San Ysidro Blvd, thefront.casafamilar.org), “Meta Affection” is a group electronic art show packed with some of our favorite San Diego and Tijuana artists as well as contributors from Mexico City. Featuring Margaret Noble, Chris Warren, Roberto Romero Molina, Anni Garza Lau, Gustavo Mayoral and more, the exhibition focuses on the ways humanity intersects with technology and the ways that intersection is embodied in social justice, history, medicine and more,

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

From the “Revisiting Utamaro” series by Ellen Salk using sound, video, visual art, photography and more. Runs through October 25.

All that Glitters: John Brinton Hogan is known for his American landscape photographs that feature a silhouetted removal of a human figure, often offset in bright paint, glitter, metallic texture and other remarkable finishes. His solo show, Brightest Beacons, Blindest Eyes, will show at the Mesa College Gallery (7250 Mesa College Drive, sdmesa. edu) from September 24 through October 17, with a public reception on Thursday, September 26 in the early evening.

A Century’s Lens: The Stories They Tell: A Hundred Years of Photography is an ambitious retrospective by MOPA (1649 El Prado, mopa.org). The Balboa Park institution (I love their pay-what-you-want philosophy) has a pretty astonishing collection of over 9000 works and photographs from over 850 photographers throughout the entire history of photography. The exhibition includes works by Ruth Bernhard, Robert ParkeHarrison, Manuel Álvarez Bravo and more, chronicling the profoundly changed (and changing) medium of photography since the early 1920s. The exhibition opens on October 12 and runs through February.

Bite Me: Oceanside Museum of Art (704 Pier View Way, oma-online.org) presents

Tiny Canvases: The Art of Nails, an unusual nail art exhibition in partnership with a nail resin developer (Creative Nail DesignTM) started by an Oceanside chemist 40 years ago. The next-level nail art in the exhibition showcases the complicated resin enhancements and elaborate adornments CND and others have developed in the past 40 years.

Nail design as a museum-worthy genre of art validates the type of creativity, skill and science behind what’s traditionally dismissed as a feminine, frivolous indulgence and I’m here for it. The exhibition runs from October 5 through early February.

COURTESY OF THE MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHIC ARTS

“Untitled (Dune [detail], Baja California)”

by Brett Weston in The Stories They Tell: A Hundred Years of Photography @SDCITYBEAT

MANUEL ROTENBERG

Senior Prom

La Jolla Playhouse set to ‘WOW’ this season

BY LARA McCAFFREY

T

he La Jolla Playhouseproduced Without Walls (WOW) Festival encourages performers to think outside of a theater’s four walls.

Happening Thursday, Oct. 17, to Sunday, Oct. 20, at Arts District Liberty Station, San Diego’s dance organizations take WOW’s mission to heart with site-specific and intergenerational performances.

Occurring every other year since 2013, WOW typically features performance and interactive art. Festival producer Teresa Sapien says there’s a mix of mediums and discipline blending performances in the more than 20 pieces within WOW’s 2019 iteration.

“Three or four of those pieces come from a traditional theater background,” Sapien says. “A ton of them come from the movement and dance world. Others come from the circus world. Others come from the clowning world and there are a couple installation artists that are creating pieces to be interacted with by the public.”

Liberty Station was chosen this year partly because it’s centrally located and its managers were excited to work with WOW, Sapien says.

Interestingly, it is the headquarters for dance companies San Diego Ballet (SDB), Malashock Dance, and San Diego Dance Theater (SDDT).

SDB’s artistic director, Javier Velasco, yearned to create a site-specific piece in a

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garden viewable from his company’s offices.

Thus, Midsummer Night’s Dream was chosen to perform at WOW. “The process for me is in my familiarity with the space,” Velasco says. “It’s just getting in there and thinking what is going to serve best as the backdrop for what part of the ballet.”

Midsummer audiences will be seated in the center, Velasco says, while the dancers perform around them. The dancers can take advantage of natural lighting for a while, until the sun sets and stage lighting will be utilized.

Malashock Dance’s site-specific contribution (and first WOW piece) is the circusthemed Without a Net. In the Dorothea Laub Dance Place’s second floor, a large studio turns into a “big top,” a small studio is the “Sideshow Stage” and “House of Fun,” and a hallway transforms into a midway complete with fortune teller, juggler, concessions and more.

Without a Net’s inception is due in part to dancer Courtney Giannone, says executive director Molly Glynn Puryear.

“She is really well connected in the cirque world,” says Glynn Puryear. “She’s incredibly well versed and has won national and international competitions on the Cyr wheel apparatus… So, we knew that we had this cool access to the cirque world and that was really inspiring.”

No stranger to dancing in weird places

(see Trolley Dances), SDDT will perform Senior Prom in Building 177 for WOW Fest.

The performance is a part of SDDT’s Aging Creatively senior dance program (hence the COURTESY OF MALASHOCK DANCE

but we’re making a big joke about the prom king and queen and the whole hierarchy of the ‘most popular one’—and it’s got a lot of laughs.”

Senior Prom was originally part of a fest SDDT organized in its own theater in April.

Isaacs cut the performance length and cast to fit into WOW. She also added a duet between a 70-year-old and a 25-year-old dancer.

“It had been done [with] two company dancers early on,” Isaacs says. “I just wanted people to see it because it’s a love duet. It’s so touching. You don’t even see the age difference.”

Finally, San Diego-based theater company People of Interest (POI) perform PDA as the sun sets on Liberty Station’s South Promenade. PDA is a dance documentary theater piece with real-life performer couples investigating their relationships’ history through movement.

Publicly spilling the beans on your relationship is best left to the professionals, so why not just take your sweetie to WOW instead? Tickets to many WOW performances are either free or $20 each.

MORE DANCE I need S p a c e: From dance group Disco Riot, S p a c e Alliance Residences connects three San Diego-based dancers with studio spaces at Art Produce, Cori-ography, and The Little Yoga Studio. S p a c e is intended to provide makers an experience for creative inquiry, artistic development, networking, creative and cultural exchange, and a platform to share work. The residencies culminate in several final performances Thursday, Nov. 7, to Saturday, Nov. 9, at Queen Bee’s Arts and Cultural Center (3925 Ohio Street). Performances start at 7 p.m.

Nov. 7 and Nov. 8, and 1 p.m. Nov. 9.

Welcome to the jungle: Besides Midsummer Night’s Dream, the San Diego Ballet will present an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book this fall. Instead of traditional ballet choreography, dancers will perform a fusion of modern, jazz, and ballet staged by artistic director Javier Velasco. Classical ballet performers share the stage with hip-hop artists and giant puppets to tell the story of human boy Mowgli and his animal friends. Performances are Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, at the Lyceum Theater (79 Horton Plaza).

Without a Net name Senior Prom—get it?), although artistic director Jean Isaacs says there’s intergenerational casting.

In Senior Prom, Isaacs and company poke fun at the whole prom concept, though she notes the nature of the traditional high school event has changed for the better.

“Now anybody can go to the prom,” Isaacs says. “It’s no longer this exclusive thing,

All aboard!: SDDT has collaborated with the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) for all 21 years of Trolley Dances, making use of trolley to bring viewers to different performance locations throughout San Diego. This year, audience members will board the green and orange trolley lines to various site-specific dances. It isn’t unusual for dancers to travel across the U.S.-Mexico border for SDDT performances, but having three cross-border performers for Trolley Dances this year is rare and special, says artistic director Jean Isaacs. Trolley Dances happens over two weekends—Saturday, Sept. 28, and Sunday, Sept. 29, and then Saturday, Oct. 5, and Sunday, Oct. 6.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

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COURTESY JUDAH & THE LION

Judah & the Lion roars

Judah & the Lion

BY L. KENT WOLGAMOTT

F

or Judah & the Lion’s Nate Zuercher, Pep Talks, the band’s new album, has done exactly what the title promises, lifting him up and helping him to find hope in a time of pain.

The record is filled with songs about singer Judah Akers battling anxiety and depression while dealing with his mother’s alcoholism and his parents’ divorce—songs that rang true for banjoist Zuercher.

“I had a failed engagement,” Zuercher said. “It was all happening when we were recording the record. I had all these hopes and dreams and plans that fell apart. I didn’t know how to process that. That led to depression and stuff I’m still dealing with.

“It (Pep Talks) has become a beacon of hope for me. It’s been so helpful to have my brother and bandmate feel the same things as me and ask him about it and find there’s still hope. It’s sort of weird to get about your own record like that. We believe in the message (of hope and optimism), but I don’t always feel that every day. I believe in the hope, so to listen to the record and sing those songs is really important to me. At the core, we needed this record.”

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While the lyrics of songs like “Pictures,” the divorce track, and “Why Did You Run?” (about Akers getting a phone call from his mother in jail) are downbeat, “Pep Talks” maintains the band’s upbeat feel—through the music itself.

“I’m not a lyrics guys so much,” Zuercher said. “I’m mostly about how a song can make you feel. With the subject matter being deeper this time around, we had to make sure that the music would keep the optimism, the hope. That was important that, this is a sad story, but you don’t have to be sad the whole time.”

Judah & the Lion have done a handful of shows in which they’ve played a few of the new songs and were rehearsing a new set at the time of the interview – ahead of a U.S. tour in the fall.

“We’re super pumped to work out the rest,” Zuercher said. “We’re going to be playing most of the record in the fall. We did the record with that in mind, how we can fit these new songs in with Judah’s older songs.

We want to be able to tell the story live, almost the same as it is on the record. That’s been pretty well thought out.”

The oldest Judah & the Lion songs date

back to 2011, when the group was formed at Nashville’s Belmont University.

“Brian (Macdonald, mandolinist) and I came to Belmont University in 2010-2011 as guitar majors,” Zuercher said. “No one was playing banjo at our school. We picked up on that and thought we’d do something different and maybe use that to get more guitar shows or whatever. I had been given a banjo as a graduation gift and Brian got a mandolin for Christmas. Judah heard of us playing a little bit around town.”

Akers, who also attended Belmont, had written a bunch of songs and wanted to add the mandolin and banjo. But Zuercher and Macdonald didn’t stick with the bluegrassrooted traditional sounds of their instruments—in part because they hadn’t grown up playing them.

“It was all very new and helped me to try things outside of expectations of what you want from the banjo,” Zuercher said. “That’s a huge part of what has made Judah & the Lion.”

Belmont is a Christian school and Judah & the Lion started out as a Christian band, taking its name from a passage in the book of Revelations and winning campus music contests. But they moved away from Christian music, seeking a wider audience for their distinctive blend of music that blends hip-hop, ’60s rock and punk on acoustic instruments.

“We’ll write different styles of songs and then say, ‘We have to make this a Judah & the Lion song,’” Zuercher said. “On Folk Hop ‘n’ Roll (the band’s 2016 second album) we might have gone too far with that. We’d keep the banjo on the song, but it would be distorted or buried so you couldn’t hear it. On this one, we were going to make it sound like a banjo, but if it doesn’t need to be on there, it won’t be on there.”

What is on the record and will be on stage at their shows is the optimism and uplift the band has brought to their music from day one.

“It’s very important to show the message of hope we bring, and positivity and unity,” Zuercher said. “It’s important for us and for the people who love our music, hear our music.”

MORE MUSIC Side eye this: Pinkeye, like the medical affliction of the same name, feel a bit gritty.

The local band, fronted by Anna Zinova, are somewhere between firecrackers, laid back, a little sad and a little angry all without the hassle of antibiotics. Highly recommend listening to their self-titled EP with the windows down, your heart freshly scorned and the air conditioning broken. And GRRL Independent Ladies, helmed by Mónica Mendoza (one of our Best People of 2017) never fails to put on an incredible women-centric showcase pairing regional heroes with visiting talent. Catch their next showcase featuring San Diego bands like Pinkeye, Belladon and Heather Nation with LA’s Honey Child at the Casbah (2501 Kettner Blvd.) on Sept. 29. casbahmusic.com

Dancing in the dark: Rejoice, creatures of the night! After a brief hiatus, San Diego’s premier goth/deathrock night Hemlock is back in all its leatery, spiky glory. The dark music scene is killing it in San Diego right now, but Hemlock is killing it dead. For this extra-spooky iteration, famous horror-punks Screaming Dead will make their first ever appearance in San Diego, which, for fans of The Damned and Misfits, is a dream (or nightmare) come true. Founder Javi Nunez will also be spinning some deep cuts (bloody cuts? Because horror?), and as always, there will be commemorative shirts and screen printed posters for those that show up first. So even though it’s against your nature, goths, maybe arrive early tonight. Hemlock goes down on Friday, Oct. 18, 9 p.m., at The Merrow (1271 University Ave). facebook.com/clubhemlock OSCAR ARANDA

Club Hemlock Cock-block me, Amadeus: Everyone knows The Marriage of Figaro, which is perhaps the most recognizable opera of all time—and with good cause. Mozart’s masterpiece has endured for not just the beautiful and masterful compositions, but because the story is timeless (and not to mention punk af). Figaro, a lowly merchant barber, is all set to marry his love, Susanna, but it turns out that Figaro’s master—the dreaded Count Almaviva—also wants Susanna. The result is a comedy-drama that follows Figaro and the rest of the servant class as they thwart Almaviva’s lechery, thereby espousing the most valuable and universally acceptable lesson we can learn from this story: it’s cool when rich people can’t get what they want. This opera plays at San Diego Civic Center (1100 Third Ave.), Oct. 20 - 28. sdopera.org William tell me somethin Else lol pls help: In the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus’ 65th Season Opener, they mix up the very familiar—Rossini’s “Overture to William Tell,” basically a household tune—with the very unfamiliar in Florence Price’s “Violin Concerto No. 1.” Since her death in the early 1950s, Price, one of the first African American women composers, had faded to a relative obscurity. However, a recent discovery of stacks of her compositions has brought her work back to the forefront. The performance rounds out with Bartók’s moody and complicated “Concerto for Orchestra,” on Nov. 2 and 3 at UCSD’s Mandeville Auditorium (9500 Gilman Dr.) lajollasymphony.com

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

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VICKY TORRES

Diana Agostini

San Diego Italian Film Festival ushers in new era

BY GLENN HEATH JR.

E

very major film festival eventually faces the challenges associated with leadership change. In some cases that transition can be handled sloppily or unethically, compromising the event’s vision while permanently damaging staff morale and community support.

There are no such concerns regarding Diana Agostini’s recent appointment as the new executive director of San Diego Italian Film Festival.

“I joined the organization as a volunteer back in 2014,” Agostini fondly remembers.

“It’s such a great honor to take on the role of the executive director following the lead of our founder Victor Laruccia, who has been a mentor and source of inspiration to me since the beginning of my journey with the organization.”

Agostini’s keen understanding of SDIFF’s mission and love for film make her the ideal candidate to ensure the 13-year old institution continues to thrive.

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When asked why the festival remains an essential cinematic platform, she answers, “We bring our Italian perspective to spark meaningful dialogue through cultural sharing. Our vision for this next chapter is to keep moving forward on this path, to further develop and increase programming not only related to cinema but also to other arts, and to strengthen our presence well as community affairs.”

Artistic Director Antonio Ianotta agrees, and is equally excited about the future programming to be unveiled at this year’s SDIFF, which will run from Oct. 15 to Oct. 27 at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. “For several years we wanted to have a competition of shorts within our festival and this was finally the year we are doing it!”

“Italy Exported” will be an inaugural short film competition featuring stories from the Italian Diaspora, and the winners will receive the newly anointed Ristretto Award. “This new initiative is dedicated to short film narratives either by Italians

or about Italian culture, Italian-American identity, or more broadly appealing to the Italian community,” Ianotta says.

The idea for this program, which will be judged by a selection of industry professionals and community leaders, stemmed from Laruccia’s interest in answering a crucial question: “How do we redefine emigration and immigration in terms that make sense to us now? The best way is to gather those stories,” Laruccia adds.

“Over time we can begin to see ourselves as having not just ancestral connections with other places but narrative connections in the present as well. The idea for our shorts competition is to explore current issues through the lens of migrating people.”

In addition to Italy Exported, SDIFF will launch a special bi-national screening partnership with the Humano Film Festival at Tijuana’s Cultural Center (CECUT), transcending borders in the process.

Agostini feels especially proud shepherding the festival into this exciting next stage of its existence. “With everything that is going on in the world people look to the arts not just for pleasure but to find mutual understanding. We have an incredibly talented team of professionals who are passionate about our mission and ready to help support these important discussions around film and society.”

MORE FILM GI Film Festival: The 5th annual event will showcase 30+ films for, by and about military service members and veterans from around the world. Themes from this year’s program are diverse in scope and include stories about survivor’s guilt, healing through visual and performing arts, military trauma, and the LGBTQIA+ community. The six-day festival will take place Tuesday, Sept. 24 through Sunday, Sept. 29 with films primarily screened at two locations, including the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) in Balboa Park and UltraStar Cinemas at Hazard Center. For more information visit gifilmfestival.org.

San Diego International Film Festival: Come for the Hollywood-level glitz and glam, stay for the premieres of major awards

contenders like A Hidden Life and Jojo Rabbit.

With screenings, parties and events planned at venues all around San Diego country, San Diego International Film Festival continues to expand its operations and influence. Honorees at the annual festival gala will include actors Laurence Fishburne, Jared Harris, and Jillian Bell. This year’s festival will screen from Oct. 15 – Oct. 20. For more information visit sdfilmfest.com.

Tongues Untied: This special one-nightonly screening will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Marlon Riggs’ groundbreaking film originally released in 1989. The controversial film combines poetry, performance, and music into a bold statement on the experiences and persecution of black gay men during the AIDS epidemic. This event is part of the San Diego Public Library’s programming for this year’s One Book, One San Diego, which focuses on “The Great Believers”, a historical novel about the terrors and tragedies of the AIDS epidemic in 1980s Chicago and contemporary Paris. Screens at 7 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 18, at the San Diego Public Library.

San Diego Asian Film Festival: Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the San Diego Asian Film Festival will span 10 action-packed days of film screenings, parties, and panels at various local venues including the Ultrastar Cinemas, Museum of Photographic Arts, and Natural History museum. The annual Awards Gala will feature special guests and filmmakers who’ve helped make the festival so impactful over the past two decades.

Screens from Nov. 7 through Nov. 16. For more information visit sdaff.org beginning Oct. 10.

Coronado Island Film Festival: San Diego’s beachside island community will play host to this annual event that features a full line-up of studio films, features, documentaries, shorts, student films, culinary cinema plus parties, industry panels and live entertainment. As in year’s past, film critic Leonard Maltin will attend the festival and host a celebrity tribute to one of Hollywood’s beloved stars. Screenings run from Friday, Nov. 8 through Monday, Nov. 11 at multiple venues on Coronado Island. For more information visit coronadoislandfilmfestival.com.

Tongues Untied SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

CULTURE | FILM

A Hidden Life

2019 Fall Movie Preview Things get serious during this season at the movies

by Glenn Heath Jr.

A

fter suffering through a summer blockbuster season dominated by sequels nobody wanted (Men in Black: International, Shaft) and Disney reboots most everyone hated (Aladdin, The Lion King), it looks like the fall awards season will be no less taxing, showcasing another onslaught of “serious” middlebrow fare and pandering adult content.

Then there’s Joker. Ideological battle lines are already being drawn over Todd Phillip’s controversial DC universe origin story (set for release in San Diego Oct. 4), which stars Joaquin Phoenix as the cackling, contorting criminal clown.

Get ready for all of the hot takes. But one movie does not a release schedule make. There are some worthy titles to look out for, so here goes.

Tigers Are Not Afraid (Sept. 13): Issa Lopez’s gripping Narco fairy tale has been lauded by critics and horror icons alike (Guillermo del Toro and Stephen King are fans). It follows a group of orphaned Mexican children who find themselves caught between cartel henchman and restless ghosts.

Pick your poison kiddos. Opens at the Digital Gym Cinema.

Ad Astra (Sept. 20): Very rarely does a filmmaker of James Gray’s esteem receive a Michael Bay-level budget, but that’s exactly what happened with this epic sci-fi project. Brad Pitt stars as a conflicted astronaut whose intergalactic mission turns out to be a lot more personal than he expected. The NYC-born director has a storied history with character-driven gems (The Immigrant, We Own the Night), so it will be fascinating to see how he melds that intimate style of filmmaking with classically operatic space imagery.

Judy (Sept. 27): There was a moment in time during the late 1990s and early 2000s when Renee Zellweger ruled Hollywood. Two decades later, the Oscar-winning actor will seek to recapture some of that clout by starring as another icon trying to rejuvenate their career—Judy Garland. Set three decades after the success of The Wizard of Oz, Rupert Goold’s breezy biopic traces a difficult time in Garland’s life as she wrestles with parental responsibilities, financial uncertainty and professional failure.

Pain and Glory (Oct. 11): Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar’s films are always personal, but none may be more so than his latest about a melancholic film director (played

by Antonio Banderas) who begins reflecting on his past.

Sure to be infused with the filmmaker’s lush pastel colors

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

and heightened melodrama, this looks like another deeply yearning story about how art and life continuously converge in times of emotional distress.

Gemini Man (Oct. 11): Ever the genre hopper, Ang Lee makes his first true foray into the action film with this highoctane, high-concept thriller that pits super government assassin Will Smith against…his younger self (hello technology!). Shot at a higher frame rate (like Lee’s previous film Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk) and featuring audacious combat sequences, the film promises to be a singular big screen experience.

Parasite (Oct. 25): In this biting and entertaining satire, two Korean families from different economic backgrounds engage in a destructive symbiotic relationship. Winner of this year’s coveted Palme d’Or award from the Cannes Film Festival, Bong Joon-ho’s latest is already one of the most revered films of the year.

The Irishman (Nov. 1/Netflix Nov. 27): Martin Scorsese has assembled the gangster film version of Avengers with this massive 210-minute saga about the mysterious events and relationships that informed Jimmy Hoffa’s still unsolved disappearance. Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino will surely drop loads of f-bombs as mouthy thug trio at the film’s center.

Knives Out (Nov. 27): Before he was making Star Wars movies, Rian Johnson made wrote and directed snappy genre subversions like Brick and Looper. His latest, a whip smart detective yarn/murder mystery set on a lavish estate, looks to a welcome throwback in that vein. The film features an all-star cast that includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Lakeith Stanfield, Toni Collette and Michael Shannon.

Marriage Story (Nov. 6/Netflix Dec. 6): The slow-motion tragedy of modern divorce, as told through the competing perspectives of its adult participants. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson play the warring couple and have already garnered significant buzz for their intense performances in director Noah Baunbach’s aching tragedy, which premiered at the Venice and Telluride Film Festival’s last week.

Dark Waters (Nov. 22): Very little is known about Todd Haynes’ latest film outside of the plot. Mark Ruffalo plays a defense attorney who uncovers disturbing evidence that connects a series of deaths to the actions of an American chemical company. While this sounds outside the realm of Haynes’ usual purview, the artist behind Safe, Carol and Wonderstruck, to name a few, deserves our attention no matter the genre or focus.

A Hidden Life (Dec. 13): If you read these pages regularly you know that a new Terrence Malick movie is a religious event for this writer. Here, the elusive American filmmaker fixates his prismatic gaze on the real-life story of Austrian farmer Franz Jägerstätter (August Diehl), whose faith in country and humanity are tested after the Nazis invade his country. Refusing to pledge allegiance to fascism Defying, he becomes a tragic symbol for resistance. Bring your tissue.

Little Women (Dec. 25): Following up the success and critical acclaim of Ladybird, Greta Gerwig brings her particular brand of playful whimsy to the classic novel by Louis May Alcott. Featuring Florence Pugh, Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan and Eliza Scanlan as the different March sisters, the film will most assuredly explore how these iconic characters challenge the gender and class distinctions place upon them by society.

Film reviews run weekly.

Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

OPENING Hustlers: An enterprising group of exotic dancers decide to turn the table on their wealthy customers with an elaborate con. Stars Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu. Opens Friday, Sept. 13, in wide release.

Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of my Voice: A documentary about the life and career of musician Linda Ronstadt, who became the queen of “country rock” in the 1970s and 80s. Opens Friday, Sept. 13, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas and Angelika Film Centers – Carmel Mountain.

Official Secrets: Keira Knightley stars as a British whistleblower that leaked sensitive information about NSA operations to the press with the hopes of forcing the UN Security Council to sanction the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Opens Friday, Sept. 13, Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas and Angelika Film Centers – Carmel Mountain.

The Goldfinch: Based on the acclaimed novel by Donna Tartt, this drama is about a young boy who is taken in by a wealthy NYC family after his mother is killed during a bombing attack. Opens Friday, Sept. 13, in wide release.

Parasite Harriet (Nov. 1): On paper, this looks like another famous person biopic (about American abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman) catered to middle-class Oscar voters.

But with director Kasi Lemmons at the helm and the dynamic Cynthia Erivo in the lead, it promises to be something so much more. In a fair and just world, Lemmons would be a household name by now, but this will only be her fourth feature since debuting with the masterful Eve’s Bayou in 1997.

Tigers Are Not Afraid: A spooky fairy tale about a group of orphaned children fighting for survival amidst cartel violence and menacing ghost forces. Opens Friday, Sept. 13, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

This is Not Berlin: 1980s Mexico City provides the backdrop to this coming-of-age tale about a teenager who becomes increasingly interested in the local music scene. Opens Friday, Sept. 13, at the Landmark Ken Cinema.

For complete movie listings,

visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.

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CAT SCAN AND SUSAN BY ABBY BANKS, THERAPY BY OSCAR ARANDA

MUSIC

Clockwise from left: Cat Scan, Therapy and Susan n 2012, I mostly knew Craig Oliver as the guy who served me drinks at the Whistle Stop—the bar where he worked (and still works). But that year, he invited me along on a roadtrip to the South by Southwest Festival in Austin. He was headed out there to promote his record label, Volar. At the time, I was unemployed and spent most of my days scouring job postings, so I was more than ready for a weird adventure.

For anyone who hasn’t done it, the drive from San Diego to Austin is 22 hours. That’s a lot of time to spend in a car with someone you only sort of know. I wanted weird, and I got weird.

It wasn’t long before I was immersed in the strange realm where Oliver thrives. He had no interest in rubbing elbows with music bigwigs, seeing buzz bands or attending hyped showcases. Instead, our SXSW consisted of a seemingly never-ending supply of Lone Star beers, an all-day music showcase in a pool hall tucked into the corner of a dying stripmall and post-apocalyptic warehouse shows in the outskirts of town.

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The trip also served as a crash course education on Volar. The label launched when Oliver wanted to put out a split 7-inch of his band, Spirit Photography, and the Canadian band Sharp Ends. The local support that he received in putting that together (including a hand from DREAM Record’s Mario Orduño), inspired Oliver to do more, and Volar took off.

Ostensibly a punk label, Volar’s catalog ranges from synthgoth like Soft Riot to last year’s blistering self-titled Therapy record, the label’s first hardcore record. The growing catalog reflects Oliver’s penchant for abrasion and darkness. In contrast to the happy, psychedelic, stoner-y garage rock of, say, Burger Records (which Oliver has partnered with for multiple releases), Volar records are darker and fiercer and, at times, probably off-putting to normies. Just listen to Beaters Fishage—one of Volar’s early releases—and try not to feel like you’ve just been pummeled with a sack of cold sea urchins.

Now, 10 years into running the label, Oliver has a better grasp on what he’s doing.

“I feel like I’ve sorted through a lot of the mess,” Oliver says on a Sunday afternoon at Dark Horse Coffee.

“I definitely went through periods where I kind of just picked up whatever—stuff I really liked, but you know, bands that didn’t exist in a real way,” Oliver says. Now, he only signs bands that are active and playing live shows regularly. “A few times I’ve taken on that band that just wants to make it, and they just died,” he adds. “Now, it’s like, ‘You all seem to get along, and the band’s not on the brink of breaking up anytime soon, and the music’s great?’ That’s it. That’s all I need.”

When asked about some of the challenges he’s faced over the years, Oliver admits that—perhaps ironically—the lateera popularity of vinyl has caused a few nightmares.

“I had a few years where I had a pretty streamlined process, and then the major label industry slowed everything down when they decided to re-press all of their old records,” Oliver says. He remembers turnaround time creeping from six weeks to sometimes six months within a two year period. “I’d be like ‘Where are my 300 punk records?’ and the guy that cuts my lacquer would tell me that they’re cutting Beyoncé, and that takes a month because they’re pressing 60,000 a year. It’s like, ‘Yeah, we’re turning down Smashing Pumpkins.’”

Certainly, a decade of putting out records is bound to have ups and downs (especially having to do battle with Beyonce), but the one constant is Oliver’s passion for DIY culture, punk communities and creating a platform for strange, weirdo artists—and even after a decade in the biz, he’s hopeful for the future of San Diego’s music scene.

“There are some younger folks who are taking the reins of booking and things like that—willing to do more DIY shows for the sake of doing them without really getting paid. They’re doing some really cool things, really collective things. They don’t see it as a competition.”

But no one is immune to developing scene-related petpeeves, no matter how altruistic their intentions, and I ask Oliver about what his least favorite things bands do to get his attention.

“They can hound you when you don’t pay attention to them and it’s clear you don’t have any interest. Especially when it’s people you know—you have to have a very awkward conversation.” He pauses briefly and laughs. “I just don’t love your band.”

Ale Mania - A, Who Sings That Beat?

Born from the ashes of San Diego’s legendary The Sess, Ale Mania pretty much defined the Volar sound that continues to this day. “Rampage,” the record’s opening track, begins with a lone military-style snare drum that slowly builds into wailing haunted, tropicalia pandemonium. It’s simultaneously thrilling and scary.

Under the Covers Vol. 2: A Tribute to Paul Collins, Peter Case, and Jack Lee (of the Nerves) Tribute albums usually make me wish I were listening to the originals, but this album is so laced with reverence to the iconic powerpop pioneers that it plays in a league all of its own.

Teenage Burritos - Something to Cry About Teenage Burritos are loud, snotty, and abrasively punk, but there’s a dark, romantic heart underneath all their grit. A good soundtrack for falling in love with a weirdo.

Therapy - S/T This is Volar’s first hardcore record and...damn. Make sure to have a bowl handy to catch your teeth when you give this a spin.

Susan - As I Was Lo-fi, retro desert punk, but with way more focus and immediacy than others in the genre. This is the best music for Sunday-morning-dancing-in-your-underwear sessions.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

BY RYAN BRADFORD

MUSIC

THE

the only morning that ever made me loosely contemplate a ALFRED HOWARD it’s brief foray into very specific serial murder. I could be called the Col-

lector Collector, taking out other record collectors through the bait of a Craigslist post advertising five-cent Beatles’ “Butcher” covers.

I’ve clearly been watching too much Mindhunter on Netflix.

I wondered where everyone was. Was there an epic estate sale that I was oblivious to? Did everyone simultaneously choose this day to sleep in? Was there finally a mass shooting at a record show? (The “finally” does not imply that I’m longing for a mass shooting to take out my collector competition, but more of a feeling of dread regarding the inevitability of mass shootings creeping into all our moments of attempted leisure). Whatever the reason behind the emptiness, it was nice to leisurely dig through the records without any need to rush, sprint, trample or display the piranha instinct within us.

So there I was, searching through a giant stack of 45s. For “My name it is nothing, my age it means less.”

—Bob Dylan a moment I thought I was clairvoyant because with each 45 I flipped through, I could sense the record coming next. It took EE!” The booming voice rang out from the adjacent aisle at Ko- a few boxes before I realized that I had read through all these bey’s Swap Meet. The sound was “Lee” spelled with 32 “E”s, records at the Vinyl Junkies $1 Sidewalk Sale.

In a moment like this, I contemplated a record’s history. sustained as if played through Hugh Masekela’s Trumpet. I knew How many homes does it live in before takthe voice was addressing me even though my ing up its brief residence in my own? These name hasn’t been Lee in this lifetime, or any 45s went from the Vinyl Junkies sidewalk sale other that I’m aware of. to a Goodwill, and then to a different GoodIt started about 3 years ago: An African will, where they were auctioned off to a man seller at the swap meet would always say “Lee” named Valentine who thinks my name is Lee when I approached and we’d embrace like and sets up at Kobey’s on Friday morning at long lost brothers. There’s a certain unspo6:35 a.m. I didn’t feel like looking through ken camaraderie that black folks have while these 45s a second time. The chances of findexisting in a Caucasian sea. It’s the subtle ing something worthwhile after hundreds of acknowledgement that we’re both black and eyes had carefully looked through them were if the race war shit suddenly goes down—no slim to none, but on this morning I had the matter how divergent our poles of blackness luxury of time and the rare symptom of paare—we’ve got each other’s back. I promise if tience.

Steve Urkel and Lebron James were in the shit The summer heat had already melted in rural Alabama, Steve would have Lebron’s “Talk About Love” by Pic & Bill some of these 45s into abstract pieces of halback whether Lebron needed it or not. And lucinogenic art. But through the warped refuse, scratched Four he’d know via something as simple as a nod. But I digress.

Initially I had assumed that “Lee” translated to something Tops records and privately pressed local bands from the early deep and meaningful in his native tongue. He always said it with 2000s with terrible names and Myspace links, there was a center an inflection that invoked a foreign exuberance, the single syl- label I hadn’t seen before: Pic and Bill’s Talk About Love on Chalable seemed to celebrate out of his mouth like a confetti sneeze. ray records out of Fort Worth Texas.

The song was classic soul in the vein of Otis Redding. It starts However, after two years and never witnessing him greet anyone else this way, I realized that he just thought my name was with a tight horn arrangement matching the drum fills. They Lee, and it was far too late in the charade to correct him. At this launch right into the chorus, simple and to the point. The vocals point, it would’ve been easier to legally change my name to Lee soar high and compliment each other.

This was one of those lessons in digging because it’s easy to since that’s how non-confrontational I am (the 40-year-old in me wanted to say “Leegally” because those are the kind of awful get discouraged by a collection that’s been sorted through by hand after hand. But in the flurried rush at 6 a.m., things get jokes I’m prone to making at this age).

Anyway, I’ve learned to answer to Lee and that’s totally fine overlooked, everyone has different expertise. And as the ancient African proverb says: “As the sky above, music is infinite.” Pretty because he had some records for Lee. I went over to look through copious boxes of 45s. This was a sure that was a Lee quote. strange morning at the swap meet. Usually Kobey’s swap meet is saturated with record guys. If you threw a rock you’d be more likely Black Gold appears every other week. Alfred Howard is to hit a record collector than a record. But this morning it was just always looking for vinyl and stories, and can be contacted at my friend and me, and we could stalk the aisles with leisure. In fact, blackgoldsandiego@gmail.com.

SPOTLIGHT

BLACK

STEPHANIE PISTEL

GOLD

You can call me Al. Or Lee. Whatever.

L

“

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

A

Duran Duran

friend recently told me that he no longer feels any desire to go to Coachella.

“I just feel like I aged out of it,” he said.

I then asked if he’s now in the KAABOO age bracket. “Oh no, not that old.”

Sardonic-yet-incredibly-accurate observations aside, the fifth annual KAABOO music festival is going down this weekend, and there’s no comment snarky enough to stop it.

To be fair, the lineups have gotten increasingly better over the past few years, but it still raises the question: Who is this festival for?

With headliners Kings of Leon, Dave Matthews Band and Mumford & Sons, it seems geared for people who have lost interest in discovering new music over the past 10 years. No shame intended—it’ll happen to all of us. The festival also boasts Fyre-levels of luxury, but they actually deliver on their promises, and there’s definitely something appealing about not having to choke on dust while attending a music festival.

So if you’re going, here are the acts that you shouldn’t miss: Duran Duran: Hell yes! “Hungry Like the Wolf” still rules, and when they headlined Coachella a few years ago, they outclassed many of the other bands there.

The Cult: “She Sells Sanctuary” is one of the best songs of the ‘90s. Don’t @ me.

REO Speedwagon: Imagine hearing the first piano notes to “Keep on Loving You”— one of the best ballads of all time—in a festival crowd. Shiver-inducing!

The Bangles: The all-women group were pioneers of ‘80s new wave, and they’re essential viewing amid the bro-heavy lineup.

Sublime with Rome: Ha ha, just kidding.

KAABOO Del Mar 2019 goes down Friday, Sept. 13, to Sunday, Sept. 15 at Del Mar Race Track.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

BY RYAN BRADFORD

IF I WERE U Our picks for the week’s top shows

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 11

PLAN A: DAISY, The Havnauts and Natalie Green @ Soda Bar. Los Angeles band DAISY veer between lively punk and sweet, chill R&B, often within a single song. As oxymoronic as that description sounds, the end result is fucking sweet. Anyone who’s ever wanted to start a gentle mosh pit at a piano bar should not miss this. BACKUP PLAN: The Dave Gleason Trio @ The Casbah.

THURSDAY, SEPT. 12

PLAN A: Hexa, MIRSY @ Whistle Stop.

This is the release party for Hexa’s new album Sigil Sine, and there really aren’t enough good things to say about the record.

It’s at once a victory lap and monument of ambition for San Diego’s purveyors of psychedelic goth. Frontwoman Carrie Gillespie Feller—one of this city’s hardest working musicians—will also be celebrating her birthday, and I can’t think of a better gift to her than all of us buying Hexa’s new album.

PLAN B: Jay Som @ Che Café Collective.

Anak Ko, the second album by Jay Som, is one of this year’s best albums. It’s the perfect mix of dreamy/sad pop for those wishing the Cure would put out more songs like “Plainsong.” BACKUP PLAN: The Jacks, The Frets and MDRN HSTRY @ The Casbah.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 13

PLAN A: OhCult, Doc Hammer, Forest Grove, Modern Love and Missing Limbs @ Tower Bar. There are a lot of fantastic, hard-rocking bands on this bill, namely Forest Grove. I just can’t get enough of their goth-tinged thrash/punk.

I’d say that a band like Forest Grove only comes around once in a lifetime, so you should probably see them before they blow up (Caveat: I play drums in Forest Grove). PLAN A2: Secret Fun Club, Blood Ponies, D.Wrex and Helixhand @ Soda Bar. Oh boy, this is Awkward™: Blood Ponies is former CityBeat music editor Jeff Terich’s band, and they’re prepping to release their fantastic new album, yet this puts you at odds tonight as to which music writer you love more. PLAN A3: Volar Records 10YR party: Cat Scan, Susan and Therapy @ Whistle Stop.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 14

PLAN A: Air Supply @ Pechanga Resort & Casino. I got really excited when I saw this listing because I briefly got Air Supply confused with Sophia Coppola’s favorite band Air. Once I realized my error, I felt deep shame, because Air Supply rules. Break out

@SDCITYBEAT

the sailor hat and boat shoes for this one.

BACKUP PLAN: KAABOO Festival 2019 @ Del Mar Fairgrounds.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 15

PLAN A: Ex Hex and Seth Bogart (of Hunx and His Punx) @ The Casbah. Ex Hex put out their phenomenal second album, It’s Real, this year—a record that finds singer/guitarist Mary Timony refining her ‘70s-style garage rock that made their first album such a standout. This is the kind of music that would sound right at home on the Dazed and Confused soundtrack. PLAN B: Gutter Demons, The Strikers and Busted Coffins @ Soda Bar. I just have to look at Gutter Demons’ pompadours to know they play psychobilly. Is their standup bass also shaped like a coffin? Who knows! Who cares?! This show will be fun regardless. BACKUP PLAN: KAABOO Festival 2019 @ Del Mar Fairgrounds.

MONDAY, SEPT. 16

PLAN A: Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio and Johnny Tarr Quartet @ The Casbah. I’m stoked about all the soul jazz that’s making waves right now. Devlon Lammarr’s music is somehow both manic and smooth—sort of like if Khruangbin made music that didn’t make you fall asleep. (jk Khruangbin, I still love you). BACKUP PLAN: Totenwald @ Whistle Stop.

CHRISTINA LIU / @THELONELYEYELID

Forest Grove

TUESDAY, SEPT. 17

PLAN A: The Mountain Goats and Lydia Loveless @ House of Blues. To be honest, I’ve never really gotten into The Mountain Goats, but only because they have such a large catalog that it’s almost overwhelming for newbies. That said, I have a lot respect frontman John Darnielle’s uncompromising devotion to literate nerdiness (Mountain Goats’ new album is loosely based on Dungeons and Dragons, for instance). It’s as if Darnielle heard someone say The Decemberists are the nerdiest band and said “hold my beer.” BACKUP PLAN: Doobie Brothers @ Humphreys Concerts By the Bay.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!

Jesse Palter (Soda Bar, 9/25), Sully (Music Box, 10/2), SOURCE (Soda Bar, 10/7), 1Take Jay (Music Box, 10/7), The Schizophonics (Casbah, 10/11), Contortion (Brick by Brick, 10/11), Death Cab for Karaoke (Soda Bar, 10/12), Wurve (Soda Bar, 10/14), Battle of the Bands (Music Box, 10/16), Danny Brown (Music Box, 10/23), Our Second Home (Brick

by Brick, 10/26), ‘80s Heat (BUT, 10/31), Electric Guest (Irenic, 11/3), Making Movies (Soda Bar, 11/4), Craig Finn & the Uptown Controllers (Soda Bar, 11/5), Mellow Fellow (Ché Café Collective, 11/5), Lyrics Born (Soda Bar, 11/8), Sammy Johnson (Music Box, 11/9), Liturgy (Soda Bar, 11/9), Charley Crockett (BUT, 11/11), Jonathan Bree (Soda Bar, 11/14), Shred for Dime Tribute (Brick

by Brick, 11/23), The Get Up Kids (Soda Bar, 11/23), Wild (Soda Bar, 11/24), Fortunate Youth (BUT, 11/27), Exhumed (Brick

by Brick, 12/6), Kim Petras (Observatory, 12/8), The Venice (BUT, 12/18), The Grouch (Music Box, 12/21), John Mayall (BUT, 1/28), William Duvall (Soda Bar, 2/22), JD Souther (BUT, 2/27).

ALL SOLD OUT Hayden James (Music Box, 9/12), The Marshall Tucker Band (BUT, 9/12), Millencolin (Brick by Brick, 9/13), Small Town Murder (Observatory, 9/13), Oliver Tree (Observatory, 9/18), Durand Jones & the Indications (BUT, 9/18), Elder Island (Casbah, 9/21), Girl in Red (House Of Blues, 9/27), The Movement

(BUT, 9/27), Madeleine Peyroux (BUT, 9/29), Still Woozy (Music Box, 9/30), MXMTOON (HOB, 10/2), Obituary (Brick

by Brick, 10/3), Marc Broussard (BUT, 10/5), Cigarettes After Sex (Observatory, 10/5), Jonas Brothers (Pechanga Arena, 10/7), Morcheeba (BUT, 10/13), Tyler Childers (Observatory, 10/15), Caamp (BUT, 10/19), DEAN (Brick by Brick, 10/20), Black Pumas (Soda Bar, 10/25), Two Door Cinema Club (Observatory, 11/8), Built To Spill (Casbah, 11/14), Adam Carolla (BUT, 12/1), Stick Figure (BUT, 12/27-28).

CANCELLED Tony Bennett (San Diego Civic Theatre, 9/14), Dick Dale’s Misirlou (BUT, 12/19), Goblin (Brick by Brick, 11/14).

GET YER TICKETS Chance the Rapper (Pechanga Arena, 9/18), Yungblud (Observatory, 9/19), Cigarettes After Sex (Observatory, 10/5), Lana Del Rey (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 10/11), The Japanese House (Observatory, 10/11), The Who (Viejas Arena, 10/16), Judah & The Lion (Observatory, 10/17), Senses Fail (HOB, 10/19), Hozier (Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, 10/26), Helmet (BUT, 11/7), The Maine (Observatory, 11/19), Aly & AJ (BUT, 12/8), King Princess (Observatory, 1/28).

SEPTEMBER WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 Greg Laswell at Belly Up Tavern. The Tim Bluhm Band at The Casbah. DAISY at Soda Bar.

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 12

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25

That 1 Guy at Soda Bar. Jay Som at The Irenic. Mr. Kitty at Brick by Brick. The Jacks at The Casbah.

The Selecter at The Casbah. ViVii at Soda Bar. Flying Lotus in 3D at House Of Blues. Zac Brown Band at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre. The Regrettes at Music Box. Yungblud at Observatory North Park. Luis Fonsi at Humphrey’s. The Brother Brothers at SPACE.

Wax Tailor at Music Box. Barns Courtney at House Of Blues. Steve Bradley, Richard Lloyd at The Casbah. Jesse Palter at Soda Bar, 9/25),

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 Secret Fun Club at Soda Bar. Rebecca Jade & the Cold Fact at The Casbah.

Phora at House of Blues.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 Peter Bradley Adams at Soda Bar. DSB at Belly Up Tavern. Kataklysm at Brick

by Brick. Tony Bennett at San Diego Civic Theatre. Surefire Soul Ensemble at The Casbah. Junior Brown at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 Ex Hex at The Casbah. Gutter Demons at Soda Bar.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 Clubz & Girl Ultra at The Casbah. Delvon Lamarr at Soda Bar. Fiesta del Sol Battle of the Bands at Belly Up Tavern.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 The Mountain Goats at House of Blues.

Methyl Ethel at The Casbah. Whitney Shay at Belly Up Tavern. Jesse Marchant at Soda Bar.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 The Selecter at The Casbah. Benjamin Francis Leftwich at The Irenic. Brothertiger at Soda Bar. Bob Wier & Wolf Bros at Humphrey’s. Chance the Rapper at Pechanga Arena.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 Lenny Kravitz at San Diego Civic Theatre.

Hatchie at Soda Bar. Florida Georgia Line at North County Credit Union Amphitheatre. Daring Greatly at California Center for the Arts. Emo Nite at The Casbah.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 Tijuana Panthers at Observatory North Park. The Iron Maidens at Brick by Brick.

Phum Viphurit at The Irenic. Daddy Long Legs at The Casbah. Guida at The Casbah. Guttermouth at Soda Bar. The Mattson 2 at Adams Avenue Street Fair.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 Casting Crowns at San Diego Civic Theatre. Herb Alpert at Humphrey’s. Daddy Long Legs at The Casbah. I AM at Brick

by Brick. Night Moves at Soda Bar. Jake Peavy at Belly Up Tavern. Bobby & the Pins at Adams Avenue Street Fair.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 Kendra Morris at Soda Bar. The Paper Kites at House Of Blues. Guida at The Casbah.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 Blackalicious at The Casbah. The Strawberry Moons at Belly Up Tavern.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 UB50 at Petco Park. Hocico at Brick by Brick. !!! at Belly Up Tavern. Flatfoot 56 at The Casbah. Sweet Tooth at Soda Bar.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 Titus Andronicus at Soda Bar. Bombay Bicycle Club at Observatory North Park.

Don Broco at The Irenic. Lewis Capaldi at House Of Blues. Half Moon Run at The Casbah. Pink Sweat$ at Music Box.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 Yoke Lore at The Irenic. Soulfly at Brick

by Brick. Elektric Voodoo at Soda Bar. Drug Hunt at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 Revocation at Brick by Brick. Sean James Murphy at Soda Bar. Pink Eye at The Casbah.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 TWRP at The Casbah. Kayo Dot at SPACE.

OCTOBER TUESDAY, OCTOBER 1 Reignwolf at The Casbah. Mercury Rev & Beth Orton at Belly Up Tavern. Tank & the Bangas at Music Box.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

@SDCITYBEAT

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2 Stiff Little Fingers at House Of Blues.

Ziggy Alberts at Belly Up Tavern. Avatar at Observatory North Park. Grieves at Soda Bar. Psyclon Nine at Brick by Brick.

Sully at Music Box.

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Russel Ramo, La Boogie Buena. Fri: Anesthesia, Rage Again. Sat: No Kings, Nothing Special, 2Tone Lizard Kings. Tue: The Midnight Snacks, Shepherd Canyon.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘#HipHopWeds.’

Thu: ‘CoolLikeDat.’ Fri: ‘House Music Fridays.’ Sat: ‘Juicy.’ Sun: ‘The Shadow People.’ Mon: ‘Organized Grime.’ Tue: ‘Deep & Progressive.’

American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Leonard Ouzts. Fri: Leonard Ouzts. Sat: Leonard Ouzts. Tue: Open Mic. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: Little Evil, Blush, Laugh Track. Sat: ‘Glamourbomb.’

Sun: ‘Hartyga.’ Mon: Trivia. Tue: Karaoke.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Worakls.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: Pinkeye, Drughunt. Thu: Jonny Tarr, My Mynd. Fri: DJ Ratty. Sat: DJ Mike Delgado. Sun: DJ Ratty. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday.’

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Greg Laswell. Thu:

@SDCITYBEAT

The Marshall Tucker Band (sold out).

Fri: Millencolin, Mest (sold out). Sat: DSB, ‘80s Underground. Sun: Daring Greatly, The Routine. Mon: ‘Fiesta del Sol Battle of the Bands.’ Tue: Whitney Shay, Rosa’s Cantina, Chloe Lou & the Liddells.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique.’Thu: ‘Disco Goth Nite.’ Fri: ‘We Are Yr Nightmare.’

Sat: ‘Blonde 54.’ Sun: ‘Spectrum.’ Mon: Goth Nite.’ Tue: Michael Be, Sudonim.

Boar Cross’n, 390 Grand Ave., Carlsbad.

Sat: Big Dude.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Wed: Jinger, With the Browning, Sumo Cyco, Know the Ending (sold out).

Thu: Mr. Kitty, Pastel Ghost, Wire Spine.

Sat: Kataklysm, Exhorder, Krisiun, Hatchet. Tue: Sea of Treachery, Aethere, Decayer, Alpha Apex, Hollow Stage.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown.

Wed: The Tim Bluhm Band, Dave Gleason Trio. Thu: The Jacks, The Frets, MDRN HSTRY. Fri: Rebecca Jade & the Cold Fact, Jake Najor & the Moment of Truth, Euphoria Brass Band. Sat: Surefire Soul Ensemble, Montalban Quintet, Moans. Sun: Ex Hex, Seth Bogart. Mon: Clubz, Girl Ultra, Loyal Lobos. Tue: Methyl Ethel.

Che Cafe, 1000 Scholars Drive S, La Jolla. Wed: Dadweed, 2:01am, Andres W., HEX. Thu: Jay Som, Boy Scouts, Affectionately. Sat: Chafa, Blood Stained Concrete, BobxRoss, Tourist, Madrugado.

Sun: ‘Border Angels Benefit Show.’

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: ‘Take Over Thursdays.’ Fri: Talespin, Akrite. Sat: Craig Smoove.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): You have to practice going easy on yourself, as you are your own harshest critic. Wait, sorry.

You your own critic? This doesn’t sound right, this has to be for a different sign.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): Everything in life is temporary except your memories of every humiliating thing you’ve ever done and single-use plastics, which cumulatively last so long it may as well be forever.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Nobody but me will tell you this, but they’ll let you count cards at the casino so long as you don’t embarrass them by taking too much money.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): You are like the hummingbird—pound for pound one of the most aggressive animals so long as the other creature you’re threatening is also a shrimpy little hummingbird.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): This is a truism that will surely protect you this week: Whenever someone brings up their cousin out of nowhere, they are really talking about themselves.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): It could turn out that the permanent record your vice principal warned you about is real and that this week you’ll be arrested for cutting across the decorative lawn in 1999.

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): When you start a new project you never begin at the beginning, the beginning already happened while you weren’t paying attention. You’re in the middle now. Look sharp!

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): When someone is particular about where you stand in their chambers, it is because they’re positioning you above a trap door. Oh, sorry, the stars are stuck in the year 1650 again.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): If you were to fall into a volcano you would not die instantly but be caught in an air pocket above the surface and agonizingly melt so this week do take care to avoid doing so.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): A great idea reveals itself to you at a terrible time, like remembering what you went to the store to pick up right after you get back home from the store.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): You will survive this week only by feigning enthusiasm like you are pretending to answer a fake phone that a baby just handed to you.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): Usually when service workers are curt it’s because they are having a hard time with things entirely unrelated to you but sometimes, like today, it is because you deserve it.

Astrologically Unsound appears every week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: DJ Brees. Sat: Wellman.

The Holding Company, 5046 Newport Ave. Wed: Wonderdogs. Thu: Diego’s Umbrella, Zamman. Fri: The Great Pumpkin, A Nightmare on ‘80s Street. Sat: Quel Bordel. Sun: Ofier. Mon: Karaoke. Tue: ‘Reggae Tuesdaze.’

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: D Savage. Fri: Phora. Sat: ‘A Magical Celebration of The Beatles.’

Sun: Daniela Mercury. Tue: The Mountain Goats.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Come Together. Thu: Sick String Outlaws. Fri: Funk’s Most Wanted. Sat: Rising Star.

Sun: DJ John Pillips. Mon: Manzanita Blues. Tue: Michele Lundeen.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Sat: ‘Umbrella Nights.’

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Sat: The Industry, Saving the State, Splendid Noises. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Comedy Night.

Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Jackson & Billy. Thu: Northstar. Fri: Stilettos. Sat: Ron’s Garage. Sun: Gonzology. Tue: Glenn Smith.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: Janet Hammer, Nathan Fry. Thu: Adam Pascal. Fri: Cedrice, Mojo Sessions. Sat: Sherry Vine. Sun: Keep It on the DL. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘Night Bloomers: Nerdlesque.’

Thu: Future Scars, Sprain, DR3AmBr05.

Fri: The Yucks, J. Andrew, Lia Marie John-

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

son, Black Hesher, Big M.I.C., Freakshow.

Sat: ‘Club Sabbat.’ Sun: ‘In Concert Variety Show.’ Mon: ‘’80s Night.’ Tue: The Visiters.

Mother’s Saloon, 2228 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Tue: Trivia.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: James Allen Band. Fri: SoundVault. Sat: Too Rude for Sunday.

Sun: ‘Jazz Jam.’ Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Thu: Hayden James (sold out). Fri: Adrian Belew, Saul Zonana. Sat: Quantic, Mimi Zulu.

The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park.

Wed: ‘Ramones Live Tribute.’ Thu: ‘Dig Deeper.’ Fri: ‘Factory.’ Sat: ‘Strictly Business.’ Tue: ‘Night Shift.’

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Sat: Devin Lucien.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park.

Wed: ‘The Wednesday Jam Session.’

Thu: Two Scientists Walk in to a Bar. Fri: The Walter Brothers. Sat: Clinton Davis Trio. Sun: Chloe Lou & the Liddells.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Fri: DJ Kaos. Sat: Karma.

Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Doc Hammer. Sun: Shane Hall. Mon: Trivia.

Tue: DJ Lexicon Devil.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Igor Prado. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Flipside Burners. Sat: Nathan James & the Rhythm Scratchers.

The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Thu: ‘Country Dance.’ Sat: ‘Sabados en Fuego.’ Sun: ‘Noche Romantica.’

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: ‘Mischief.’ Thu: ‘#LEZ.’ Fri: ‘DirtyPop.’ Sat: ‘Voltage Red.’ Sun: ‘Stripper Circus.’

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz.’ Thu: Israel Maldonado. Fri: Ian Patrick Cler Trio.

Sat: Tiki Tronis. Tue: ‘The Works Jam.’ Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hammond Organ Party.’ Thu: The Brothers Burns, DJ Redlite.

Fri: Fusebox. Sat: Thump Juice. Mon: ‘Jazz Jam.’ Tue: ‘Adams Gone Funky.’

Seven Grand, 3054 University Ave., North Park. Sat: Cobby Brzeski.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: DAISY, The Havnauts, Natalie Green. Thu: That 1 Guy. Fri: Secret Fun Club, Blood Ponies, D.Wrex, Helixhand. Sat: Peter Bradley Adams.

Sun: Gutter Demons, The Strikers, Busted Coffins. Mon: Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio, Johnny Tarr Quartet. Tue: Jesse Marchant, Wyndham Garnett.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway.

Fri: Atomic 99, Strawberry Army, Rend, Regrets of August, Ten til Dawn, The Fazes. Sat: Hardini, Sethii Shmactt, Jody, YHG Pnut. Tue: Hail the Sun, Strawberry Girls, Royal Coda, VIS, Suburban Park.

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights.

Wed: Kaelan Mikla, Void Lust, Love and the Void. Thu: ‘Up all Night Thursdaze.’

Fri: ‘BrokenBeat SD.’ Sat: Pink Turns Blue, Pop Will Eat Itself, New Skeletal Faces, The Passengers.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Fri: Ron like Hell, Matrixxman. Sat: Christian Martin, Lenny Kiser.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Paul Gregg. Sun: Clinton Davis. Tue: Trivia.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘Rubber Bisquit.’ Thu: The Strawberry Moons, Golden Howl. Fri: DAIKAIJU, Dethsurf, Space Force. Sat: Hippe Death Cult, Mezzoa, Psylow, Strange Mistress. Sun: ‘Pants Karaoke.’ Mon: ‘Rock, Shimmy & Shake Burlesque.’

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Chad & Rosie. Thu: Hull & Deez. Fri: L.A. Party Band. Sat: Erick Tyler & the Vibe.

Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Erick Tyler.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park.

Wed: Jazz Pocket Swing. Thu: Gino and the Lone Gunmen. Fri: The Siers brothers. Sat: Bump City Brass. Sun: In Deed, The Armoires, Mess of Fun. Mon: ‘Sexy Salsa & Sensual Bachata.’ Tue: Rage N Cajun.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Wed: The Lightheads, Something on the Wing, Mad Cow Disease.

Fri: OhCult, Doc Hammer, Forest Grove, Modern Love, Missing Limbs. Sat: Ealdor Bealu, Nebula Drag, Mortar, Vedic. Tue: Heirloom, The Ghost Dance, The Fountain of Youth, Subspecies.

U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park.

Wed: DJ Mo Lyon. Thu: ‘BoomBox Thursdays.’ Sun: ‘Live Reggae.’ Mon: ‘#31 Flavors.’

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park.

Wed: ‘Sketch Party.’ Thu: ‘Hexa Rocrd Release Party,’ Mirsy. Fri: Cat Scan, Susan, Therapy. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment.’

Sun: ‘The Rent Party.’ Mon: ‘Still Not Dead.’ Tue: ‘Videodrome.’

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach.

Wed: ‘Club Kingston.’ Thu: Open Jam. Fri: Hot Buttered Rum, Ryan Bloom. Sat: The Higgs w/ Katie & Andrea. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: Robert Jon & The Wreck.

@SDCITYBEAT

BY JACKIE BRYANT

IN THE BACK

CANNABITCH Having an open mind

U

p until, well, just a couple of days ago, I’ll admit to being one of the many people who didn’t think cannabis had much of a place in beverages that traditionally contain alcohol. While I made some personal exceptions for things I thought made sense to me, like cannabisinfused vermouth, I generally preferred to keep my highs with cannabis flower and oil and my buzzes to alcoholic beverages.

I had good reason to think these substances deserved to stay where I thought they belonged. Cannabis-infused wine, for example, is usually trash. But dealcoholized cannabis-infused beer was a category that I had been more open-minded toward--there are many similar organoleptic properties between the cannabis and hops plants, so I thought the taste would more closely mimic the real thing. I kept my ears open for the right one to try.

Two Roots, a cannabis beer company that recently opened its first San Diego tasting room in Ocean Beach, immediately caught my eye, thanks to a slew of press releases their public relations team sent to me. Combined with glowing word-of-mouth endorsements from several friends of mine in the cannabis industry, it was enough to

@SDCITYBEAT

ing agent is as waste as is done in during a convince me I needed to try their beer.

I met head brewer Kevin Barnes, for- traditional distilling process, does the opmerly of Green Flash Brewing, and Maikel posite.

Van de Mortel brought up another chalvan de Mortel, who is the head of marketing at Cannabiniers, the brand manage- lenge in marketing cannabis beer: the isment company that owns Two Roots. We sue of satisfying both cannabis purists, who communed over Two Roots beers, both inherently are going to side-eye cannabis JACKIE BRYANT beer as lame and not highalcoholic and non, at the enough octane, and canOB taproom they acquired nabis-curious customers, when Cannabiniers quietwho may not have any idea ly bought Helm’s Brewing about dosing. To combat Co. in 2017. this, Two Roots employs I had to know right out nanoemulsion technology of the gate: is cannabis during the brewing process. beer a gimmick?

It involves breaking down “I believe as you do that THC and CBD into smaller beer should taste like beer,” particles that are more Barnes told me. “Otherreadily absorbed by the wise, what’s the point in body, resulting in a faster doing this? We don’t go to onset and a quicker comemarket until we are happy down. This means drinkers with how it tastes.”

Barnes continued to Two Roots beer can check in with themselves and decide whether explain that the company bought state-of-the-art dealcoholization or not they need another beer, rather than technology from a company in Germany- wait for the weed to kick in as they would -the first of its kind in the United States- have to do with other ingestibles.

It all sounded good to me, so they load-to preserve the integrity of the remaining product after such a process. Basically, it’s ed me up with several samples and sent me a still that, instead of extracting the best on my way. I immediately brought the beer alcohol and leaving whatever the ferment- to a party, saving the two 10-milligram

Straight Drank Terpene Pale Ales (or TPA, a decidedly new style of beer) for me and another fellow enthusiast I knew would be in attendance.

Thanks to the cannabis infusion, which in this particular beer was done with local concentrates company Jetty Extracts, the TPA tasted hoppier than it normally would have. It tasted like a classic West Coast-style IPA, with a flavor strong enough to make the drinker forget there’s no booze in it. The high quickly sets in, as promised, and is a mellow mental high akin to smoking sativa flower--that is, it’s very uplifting and social.

“It’s really strange for me,” said my friend, who probably smokes more weed than any person I’ve ever met. “It was an isolated head high that was a bit dizzying, with almost no body high. Edibles are the opposite that in most cases,” he explained.

I asked him whether or not he would drink it again. I had already decided that I absolutely would.

“Yeah! I’d ‘ice’ someone with it,” he said, referring to the joking tradition of surprising someone with a Smirnoff Ice they then must chug on the spot. “And then I’d challenge them to beer pong.”

CannaBitch appears every week.

Follow Jackie Bryant on Twitter at @jacqbryant.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27