San Diego City Beat - March 2020

THE MUSIC ISSUE

SD’s hottest venues

MARCH 2020 • SDCITYBEAT.COM • FREE

STAND UP! BLUES ARTIST WHITNEY SHAY EMPOWERS WITH HER MUSIC

9AM-9PM COUPON VALID UNTIL : 03/15/2020 VALID IN STORES ONLY. CANNOT BE COMBINED OTHER DISCOUNTS.

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SORRENTO VALLEY lic #: c10-0000323-lic / c10-0000634-lic

10150 SORRENTO VALLEY RD.

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ART DIRECTORS Christy Byerly Nathalie Proulx CONTRIBUTORS Mary Pat Abruzzo Jackie Bryant Alex Distefano Connor Dziawura Sara Harmatz Jordan Houston Laura Latzko Vince Meehan Randy Montgomery Taylor O’Connor Bridgette Redman Melissa Robbins Haley Smilow Michelle Stansbury PHOTOGRAPHERS Geoff Burke Jeff Fasano Papa & Barkley Evan Schell

FEATURE

EDITOR Christina Fuoco-Karasinski

whitney shay

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DINING | BEER

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Whitney Shay photographed by Andy King

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UPFRONT

Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego and the San Diego Brewers Guild.

Pechanga Arena San Diego, 3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway, 619.224.4171, pechangaarenasd.com, 1 to 9 p.m. $50.

8 Bobby Oroza MARCH 21

After years of being a sideman in the Finnish music scene, Bobby Oroza stepped up and lets his voice be heard.

Oroza’s music pushes toward expression for Salinas will perform the sounds of in his soul and rock style with a touch the late queen of Tex-Mex. San Diego DJ of romanticism. He began singing as a duo Twiinz will open the night spinning professional in his teens and then moved reggaeton, Top 40 and Latin music. to Cuba to learn more about rhythmic and Sevilla Nightclub of San Diego, 353 soul music. His dark and intimate debut Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp, 619.245.1138, album, “This Love,” reached soul listeners sandiego.sevillanightclub.com, 10 p.m. across the world. to 2 a.m., $15.

Soma, 3350 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway, 619.226.7662, somasandiego.

OUR PICKS FOR COOL THINGS TO DO THIS MONTH

Taylor O’Connor >> San Diego CityBeat

1 Marc E. Bassy MARCH 17 San Francisco Bay-area R&B artist Marc E. Bassy comes to San Diego for his PMD tour. Short for postmodern depression, “PMD” is Bassy’s sophomore album, which sees him opening up about the difficulties of living in Los Angeles.

Bassy produced this album through his independent label, New Gold Medal Records.

Music Box, 1337 India Street, Little Italy, 619.795.1337, musicboxsd.com, 7:30 p.m., $25.

2 “The Visit” MARCH 18 The Old Globe and University of San Diego Shiley Graduate Theatre Program presents “The Visit,” a story about a wealthy woman returning to her debtriddled hometown. She offers to help the town with an abundance of money—but at a price. The residents continue to demand from her, demonstrating the corruption of everyone in town.

Studio Theatre at the University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, Linda Vista, 619.235.2161, graduateacting.com, 7:30 p.m., $11.

3 International Day of Happiness Virtual Run MARCH 20 Since 2013, the United Nations has celebrated the International Day of Happiness to recognize the emotion. To celebrate and to stress the importance of working out and mental health well-being, this virtual run offers a 1M, 5K, 10K, 13.1 or 26.2 walk or run. Partial proceeds go to All Hands and Heart.

Any location, 855.733.8171, virtualrunevents.com, $22.

4 Selena’s Tribute Live Show MARCH 20 California Selena tribute band Anything 4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

5 Bailamos Fiesta

MARCH 21 New York’s new concept of multicultural parties has made its way to San Diego.

Bailamos Fiesta focuses on bringing songs and artists from North, Central and South America. This fiesta features a live DJ, a premium bar and photo opportunities. Dress code is upscale or cocktail attire; the event is 21 and older.

Venue 808, 808 J Street, East Village, 619.218.4000, bailamosfiesta.com, 9 p.m., $35.

6 TCSD Triathlon at Fiesta Island

MARCH 21 Join Thorn Brewing Company for its third annual Pucks and Pints, a brewing and ice hockey festival supporting local charities.

Guests can root for their favorite brewery as they participate in a charity hockey game. Afterward, everyone can head over to Phil’s BBQ next door and enjoy craft beer and barbecue. At 7 p.m., all guests are admitted to the San Diego Gulls vs. Stockton Heat ice hockey game. All proceeds for the event will go to ResQue Ranch, the Emilio Nares Foundation, the

11 Uncorked: San Diego Wine Festival MARCH 28 Sip and taste over 200 wines and ciders from across the globe at the Uncorked Wine Festival. This grape-filled festival features a bubbly bar, San Diego food trucks and a DJ-led dance floor. The day has two sessions—the VIP admission session ($75) at 1 p.m. with an extra hour of tasting plus special pours from a selection of wineries; and a general admission session ($60) at 2 p.m. All tickets include admission and wine tastings. Food is sold separately.

Embarcadero Marina Park North, 400 Kettner Boulevard, 323.295.7263, uncorkedwinefestivals.com, 2 to 5 p.m., $60.

12 San Diego Boba Festival MARCH 28 com, 7 p.m., $12.

9 Psychic and Healing Arts Fair MARCH 22

New Earth Expo presents a holistic experience at the Psychic and Healing Arts Fair, featuring psychic readings, MARCH 21 tarot, astrology, clairvoyants, gems, The Triathlon Club of San Diego members jewelry, crystals, law of attraction and and nonmembers are welcome to hit the manifestation. The fair will have some of pavement and waters of Fiesta Island. The the area’s most respected practitioners race starts with a 700-meter swim, 20K and exhibitors present. Whether it’s bike and then a 4-mile run. The race is a fresh produce or a tarot reading, there is closed course. Fruit, drinks and snacks something for everyone at the fair. will be provided at the end of the race, but Crowne Plaza San Diego, 2270 participants are asked to bring their own Hotel Circle North, Mission Valley, water and food for the race.

831.239.6835, newearthevents.com/ Fiesta Island Park, 1590 E. Mission Bay sandiego, 10 a.m., free.

Drive, Mission Bay, triclubsandiego. org, 7 a.m., $25.

7 Pucks and Pints III

J Street between Seventh and 10th, East Village, 619.546.5636, eastvillagesandiego.com, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., free.

10 Opening Day Block Party MARCH 26

The East Village Association Inc. will host the 10th annual East Village Opening Day Block Party. This family-friendly party is a San Diego tradition and fan favorite to welcome home the “Boys of Summer” to East Village’s Petco Park. Attendees can rock out to a live band and DJ and test their own skills in the interactive game zone and newly designed kids’ zone.

Drinks are available at the microbrew beer garden featuring local craft beer and baseball-themed cocktails. Local vendors and food trucks will be present, too.

This highly anticipated festival based on the creamy and dreamy Asian beverage finally made its way to California. Boba tea has tapioca pearls filled with flavoring. The festival will also have Asian snacks and food as well as cultural and contemporary art. Each ticket includes a sample card for up to 10 different boba tea drinks with access to entertainment areas. If guests like their sample, they have the opportunity to purchase a full-size serving from the vendor.

Taiwanese American Foundation, 7838 Wilkerson Court, 858.560.8884, sdbobafest.com, noon to 6 p.m., $16.

13 Waterfront Social Run and Yoga MARCH 29 Start the morning exercising with Step By Step Run. The organization is hosting an hour run at 8:30 a.m. followed by an hour waterfront vinyasa flow with LuluLemon Fashion Valley. Guests are asked to bring a mat if they wish to attend yoga. Still not intrigued? Eppig Brewing will offer participants $1 off pints.

Eppig Brewing Waterfront Biergarten, 2817 Dickens Street, Chula Vista, 619.756.6825, eppigbrewing.com, 8:30 a.m., free.

14 Celine Dion MARCH 31 One of the most recognizable performers

See

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from page 4

in pop music, Celine Dion, will stop in San Diego has part of her first U.S. tour in 10 years.

Pechanga Arena San Diego, 3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway, 619.224.4171, pechangaarenasd.com, 7:30 p.m., $130.

15 Best Coast APRIL 1 Comprised of vocalist/guitarist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist Bob Bruno, Best Coast has released three critically acclaimed albums over the last decade while touring the world. Now, they’ve returned with a new song, “For the First Time,” leading to the latest album, “Always Tomorrow,” the latter of which is about Cosentino’s self-discovery through global tours, heartbreak, newfound sobriety, dark thoughts and gratitude.

Observatory North Park, 2891 University Avenue, North Park, 619.239.8836, observatorysd.com, 8 p.m. $25.

16 Coin APRIL 3 Since the arrival of the breakthrough single “Talk Too Much,” Coin has taken a strong presence within the alternative and pop music scenes. Coin’s third fulllength album, “Dreamland,” was released earlier this year after working with Foster the People frontman Mark Foster and keyboardist Isom Innis. The album is an honest exploration of love, anxiety and emotional commitment.

Observatory North Park, 2891 University Avenue, North Park, 619.239.8836, observatorysd.com, 8 p.m. $25.

17 Quartyard 5-Year Birthday Block Party APRIL 4 Join YourCityBlock in celebrating Quartyard’s fifth birthday with live music, art, full bars, interactive photo booths and food. This event is 21 and older, and dogs are welcome as long as they are on a leash.

Quartyard, 1301 Market Street, East Village, 619.432.5303, quartyardsd.com, 3 to 9 p.m., $5.

18 Comedy Night APRIL 8 Chuckle and cry happy tears at Louisiana Purchase’s monthly Comedy Night. The headliner is Jason Cheny, as seen on the hit show “Laughs on Fox,” and who is the @SDCITYBEAT

winner of the World Series of Comedy.

The host is Chuck Meyers. He and Cheny will be joined by three comedians. Drink specials will be available. There’s a twodrink minimum for reserved seating, and RSVP is suggested.

Louisiana Purchase, 2305 University Avenue, North Park, 619.255.8278, louisianapurchasesd.com/events, 9 p.m., free.

Mic night returns for all those wannabe comedians needing an outlet to make everyone laugh. Sign up from 7 to 7:30 p.m. The ACC chooses the performers for the evening. The night includes a $5 happy hour and possible embarrassment for loved ones.

American Comedy Co., 818 Sixth Avenue, Gaslamp, 619.795.3858, americancomedyco.com, 7 p.m., free.

Before 10 p.m., there will be 50-cent wings, $3 “you call its” from 9 to 11 p.m., and $3 White Claws all night. Trivia kicks off the evening and live music and DJs take up the entire night. Beer pong and Ping-Pong tourney winners will receive gift certificates.

American Junkie, 628 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp, 619.255.1981, americanjunkiesd.com, 9 p.m., free.

19 Basic City Nights Social Hour

23 Vegan Playground

25 Rumba X Fridays

APRIL 10 Basic Bar and Pizza is hosting a night for friends to go out and have a good time.

Dance to the beats of the top hip-hop DJs in town or get competitive with pool or Jenga. Taste test favorite beers, wines and spirits with half-price drink specials.

Of course, everyone is welcome to chow down on Basic’s award-winning pizza.

Basic Bar and Pizza, 410 10th Avenue, East Village, 619.531.8869, barbasic. com, 6 to 10 p.m., free admission.

20 Sevilla Festival APRIL 11

APRIL 14 Head over to this night market to appreciate Southern California’s best vegan food, drinks and goods. The playground will host 30 rotating vendors along with music, games and brews.

This is a free-admission, free-parking, family-friendly and dog-friendly event.

32 North Brewing Co., 8655 Production Avenue, Suite A, Miramar, veganplayground.com, 4 p.m., free.

24 $3 You Call Its APRIL 15 Join American Junkie for beer pong and Ping-Pong tourneys with no cover.

APRIL 17 Three parties, two levels, one night club. Rumba is the Latin dance night at Onyx Night Club. It offers bachata, salsa, merengue, Latin hits and reggaeton. The main room upstairs features the best of hip-hop and top hits. Downstairs is a party made for Latinos by Latinos. The first bottom room is reggaeton and Latin hits. The back room will have a mix of tropical, merengue and bachata music.

RSVP required; get in free before 10:30 p.m.

Onyx Nightclub, 852 Fifth Avenue, Downtown, 619.876.8044, onyxroom. com, 9 p.m., free with RSVP or $10.

The Sevilla Festival is a celebration of spring known as La Feria de Abril in this Spanish city. The tribute to this historical celebration will have paella, tapas, flamenco, wine and art. The fair officially begins Monday at midnight and runs for six days, ending the following Sunday.

However, the majority of the activities began on Saturday. Wine, sangria and food are available for additional cost.

California Yacht Marina, J Street, Chula Vista, 619.422.2595, 1 to 11 p.m. $18.

21 Core Four and Restore Yoga APRIL 14 The Core Four and Restore Yoga Workshop is focused on improving core strength, optimal pelvic health, pain-free lower back and a better balance. Aryn Rannazzisi, a registered yoga instructor through the Yoga Alliance, will lead the class ending with restorative poses and essential oils.

Firefly Wellness Day Spa, 4024 Ibis Street, Suite A, Mission Hills, 619.249.4323, fireflywellnessdayspa. com, 6 to 7:30 p.m., $20.

22 Gaslamp Comedy Open Mic APRIL 14 The American Comedy Company Open MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UPFRONT | COVER STORY

Stand Up!

Blues artist Whitney Shay offers an evening of empowering music Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> San Diego CityBeat

S

an Diego native Whitney Shay was walking through cold, windy St. Petersburg, Russia, while on tour when she realized just how lucky she was.

“I count my blessings every day,” Shay says. “I get to make people happy for a living. I don’t know what kind of karma I have.”

Described as a “flame-haired stick of dynamite in a sparkling dress,” Shay is fortunate to have toured the world with her amalgamation of rock, blues and R&B—recently with her 2020 album, “Stand Up!” She’ll celebrate its release with The 44s and The Anthony Cullins Trio on Thursday, March 26, at Belly Up. “I make high-energy, soulful rhythm and blues that makes people dance and feel something deep inside,” she says.

During her first 10 years in music, Shay has seen four wins at the San Diego Music Awards, a nomination at last year’s Blues Music Awards, and the tag of “future blues icon” bestowed by Blues Matters! magazine.

Last year, she signed to the German label Ruf, which has helped her explore the world. For “Stand Up!,” she tracked at Austin’s Wire Recording Studio with producer Kaz Kazanoff.

“One of my favorite memories was recording the duet ‘Far Apart (Still Close)’ with Guy Forsyth,” the singer remembers. “Within an hour we were singing together and cracking each other up.

Laura Chavez’s brilliant guitar solos really shone, and the interplay between her and Derek O’Brien on ‘Equal Ground’ we jokingly referred to as ‘Godzilla versus Mothra,’ because they are both such monster guitarists. Then there’s Red Young, who’s such an artist on organ, and when we would let him rip—like he did on the end of ‘Stand Up!’—he added the perfect amount of soul to every track.”

She penned the album with her writing partner, Adam J. Eros, whom she met while performing at the Gaslamp Speakeasy. He worked across the street at The Shout House.

“I used to see him all the time from that,” she recalls. “I met him years ago.

Over the years, we’ve done lots of collaborations, concerts and I sang a song on his album. For my last album, we started writing together. It was so successful, 6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

we thought we would do this record together as well.

“He’s an amazing composer. He went to University of San Diego with a full ride and earned a master’s from Berklee (College of Music) in composition. He also wrote a country album. To have somebody not necessarily in the genre, and well versed in other styles, was nice.”

Shay’s background is similar. She grew up in San Diego listening to ’90s country music with her mother. Shay spent her formative years in theater and even studied it at San Diego State University.

She got into jazz, blues and soul in the last 10 years.

“I feel so at home in these genres,” she says. “I’ve always liked strong, female voices like Christina Aguilera growing up. Now I listen to the artists she probably listened to—Etta James, Nina Simone, Bonnie Raitt, Billie Holiday. I’m at home in the roots music genre.”

“Stand Up!” has had stellar reviews and airplay from around the world. This marks her first primarily original album so, to her, this collection is like her baby.

“To have it be so well received is incredible,” she says. “It’s scary to be that vulnerable when it’s something so creative. Having this album means I have my own sound finally. It’s cool to know who you are.”

Shay will share that message at Belly Up. “My show in San Diego will be a night of high-energy R&B with two openers— The 44s, this great roots/blues band from LA, and The Anthony Cullins Trio, who is awesome. My set will feature a horn section and organ and a lot of special guests. I’ll play my whole new album and a couple songs from my last album. It’ll be a night of empowering, exuberant, exciting music.”

Whitney Shay “Stand Up!” Album Release Party w/The 44s and The Anthony Cullins Trio 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 26 Belly Up, 143 S. Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach $18-$21 858.481.8140, bellyup.com

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UPFRONT

A Love Letter to San Diego

Chad Butler and Switchfoot ready for awards show performance Taylor O’Connor >> San Diego CityBeat

S

witchfoot toured Europe with Bon Jovi and performed throughout Asia and Japan in the last year. But what humbles Switchfoot drummer Chad Butler is thinking about the band’s hometown roots.

“I was just thinking, we won the San Diego Music Awards’ Best New Artist award in 1997, when we released our first record in ’97,” Butler says of “The Legend of Chin.” “When we got that award, at that moment on stage, I had no idea of what the next two decades of my life would be like playing music. It’s a special thing to look back on.”

More than 10 San Diego Music Awards later, the band will return to the 2020 event to perform on Monday, March 23, at House of Blues San Diego.

The awards start at 7:15 p.m.

Switchfoot is also nominated for Artist of the Year (with As I Lay Dying, Earthless, Rebecca Jade, Slightly Stoopid, The Frights and The Sleepwalkers); Best Song for “The Strength to Let Go” (along with “Blinded” by As I Lay Dying, “Blame It On My Youth” by Blink-182, “She Go” by Hirie, “Love Luck” by Little Hurricane, “Rockin’ with the Beat” by P.O.D. and “Naïve Adolescence” by The Frets) and Album of the Year for “Native Tongue” (against “Nine” by Blink-182, “Death Atlas” by Cattle Decapitation, “Davacas XX” by David Maldonado, “Dreamer” by Hirie, “Gnomes & Badgers” by Karl Denson Tiny Universe” and “Paradise” by Mattson 2).

“We’re thrilled,” Butler says. “It’s an honor to grow up here in such a supportive community, and since the beginning we’ve felt the San Diego music community was always cheering for us, and to be honored like this is really special.”

San Diego music and performers around the world have “constantly” inspired Butler. His first concert was X-Fest from 91X when he persuaded his parents to let him see The Sugarcubes, Public Image Ltd., De La Soul and New Order.

“It was eye opening that all those different genres could perform to the same audience,” Butler recalls.

“Everybody was singing along. To me, at that point as a kid growing up in San Diego, you’re trying to figure out where 8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

you fit in. So many times, the music you listen to defines who your friends are.

“I think it was that festival that opened my eyes to the unlimited possibilities of music. It was all accessible. You could enjoy all these different types of music and fit in with all these different types of people who liked those bands. It was a motivating thing as a musician—the unifying power of music. When we walk out on stage, we see people in the audience from all walks of life singing to the same music.”

Butler, whose band is working on new music, says Soma played a big hand in Switchfoot’s career.

“We used to go see shows in the old Soma, the new Soma,” Butler says. “We originally played in the small room and then the big room. Those were incredible memories for us. We put out a live concert DVD back in the day from Soma. Obviously, the Casbah was a

venue where I saw all my heroes—Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu and Pinback. Everyone was supporting one another, even if they were different genres of music. I’m so thankful to be from San Diego and this incredible family of musicians.”

Switchfoot is like a family as well and Butler is grateful—and surprised—the band has been together for 23 years.

“It’s so rare for bands to stay together for decades,” Butler says.

“The average lifespan of a band is, what, two records, most? They dissolve for whatever artistic differences.

“I think part of the magic for us is we were friends before we were in a band together. We were in different bands in San Diego and in high school and college.

We were playing with different musicians until we joined forces as Switchfoot in ’97.

Here we are in 2020—23 years later—and we’re still making music together and surfing together. That’s a big part of it—being friends off stage.

We’re living here in San Diego. We all have families here. We just love making music together.”

To fledgling bands who may be in the audience at the San Diego Music Awards, Butler says to “enjoy the moment.”

“Whether you’re playing at a birthday party in your background or in front of an arena of people, just be present,” he says. “Enjoy that moment. Every day’s a gift. You don’t know what tomorrow brings. That’s something I look back on on the early days as a band. There’s a human tendency to be looking for the next big thing. It’s hard sometimes to resist and enjoy where you’re at.”

This year, Switchfoot is home for the first half of the year, before heading out with Nickelback and fellow San Diegans

Stone Temple Pilots.

For the future of Switchfoot, Butler sees the Bro-Am continuing. In 2005, after traveling the world, Switchfoot dreamed up an idea to give back to their hometown that supported them as surfers and musicians, to rally their great community and to invest in kids who might need a hand up. The BroAm has since grown in impact and size, gathering over 17,000 people to the beach for a “more bro than pro” team surf contest, Rob Machado Bro Junior surf contest, free beach concert and numerous vendor booths. The BroAm Foundation focuses on initiatives in two areas that create a thriving future—physical and community wellbeing along with opportunity and empowerment through music, art, surfing and education.

“We’re so proud of the Switchfoot Bro-Am in Encinitas at Moonlight Beach,” he says. “It raises money and awareness for youth charities. It’s blown up into this big music festival on the beach and has surf contests. It’s all to give back to local kids. I never dreamed that it would become so enjoyable and such an amazing community event.

“I hope that goes on long after the band is done performing.”

Beyond their career achievements and creation of Bro-Am, Switchfoot has also maintained a deep commitment to a variety of humanitarian causes, lending its support to such worthy organizations as CURE International, DATA, the ONE Campaign, Habitat for Humanity, Invisible Children and To Write Love on Her Arms.

Thanks to all the work Switchfoot has done, Butler appreciates one thing.

“Last year, we toured Europe with Bon Jovi, Asia and Japan,” he says. “I love traveling and seeing new places, but there’s no place better than San Diego.

The more I travel, the more I am sure of that statement.”

San Diego Music Awards 7:15 p.m. Monday, April 23 House of Blues San Diego, 1055 Fifth Avenue Tickets start at $36 sandiegomusicawards.com, ticketmaster.com

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UPFRONT

Small Clubs, Big Sound

Live music abound in and around San Diego Melissa Robbins >> San Diego CityBeat

J

ust as San Diego has craft beer, America’s Finest City is rich with music.

To celebrate our music issue and the San Diego Music Awards, here are the best intimate places to see music in San Diego.

710 Beach Club Sports-focused beachside bar that also features live music multiple nights a week.

710 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach, 858.483.7844, 710bc.com

Bar Pink Vintage-themed cocktail lounge that stays true to its name.

3829 30th Street, Suite 3609, North Park, 619.564.7194, barpink.com

Belly Up Tavern Popular music venue known for pairing the intimacy of a small space with the all-out fun of a larger stadium.

143 S Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach, 858.481.8140, bellyup.com

Blarney Stone Pub Irish pub sporting a hometown, familyrun vibe.

502 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, Clairemont Mesa East, 619.233.8519, facebook.com/ BlarneyStoneSDGaslamp

Brick By Brick 21 and older hard-rock venue that boasts a “no-nonsense” reputation.

1130 Buenos Avenue, Morena, 619.276.3990, brickbybrick.com

Cafe Bar Europa Counter service European-style cafe and bar, featuring artist-in-residence performances on Fridays and Saturdays.

873 Turquoise Street, Pacific Beach, 858.488.4200, cafebareuropa.com

Cafe Sevilla of San Diego Multi-location Spain-inspired tapas bar and restaurant with nightly live flamenco-salsa pop music.

353 Fifth Avenue, Downtown, 619.233.5979, cafesevilla.com

Casbah

House of Blues San Diego

Moonshine Beach

Park & Rec

Downtown San Diego nightclub that features the best in music.

2501 Kettner Boulevard, Downtown, 619.232.4355, casbahmusic.com

Southern-inspired rock and blues chain with a gospel brunch every Sunday.

1055 Fifth Avenue, Downtown, 619.299.2583, houseofblues.com/ sandiego

Tex-Mex country bar with a huge wooden dance floor and enough “honky-tonk” to last a lifetime.

1165 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach, 858.999.0158, moonshinebeachsd.com

Cocktail bar known for its funky bites and courtyard games.

4612 Park Boulevard, San Diego, 619.795.9700, parkandrecsd.com

Humphreys Concerts By the Bay

Mr. Peabody’s Bar & Grill Live Music

Larger concert venue attached to a restaurant and hotel bearing the “Humphreys” name.

2241 Shelter Island Drive, Point Loma, 619.224.3411, humphreysconcerts.com

American bar and eatery with nightly entertainment ranging from jazz and other musical performances to open mic nights.

136 Encinitas Boulevard, Encinitas, 760.753.7192, peaboysrocks.com

The Coyote Bar & Grill Modern American cuisine with nightly patio entertainment, a dance floor and weekly karaoke nights.

300 Carlsbad Village Drive, 760.729.4695, coyotecarlsbad.com

Dizzy’s Chilled-out jazz and folk venue attached to musicians’ clubhouse Arias Hall.

1717 Morena Boulevard, San Diego, 858.270.7467, dizzysjazz.com

The Dubliner Irish American sports bar and pub featuring live music on weekends, as well as the occasional weekday.

554 Fourth Ave, Gaslamp, 619.239.5818, dublinersd.com

Kava Lounge Kava bar featuring experimental DJs and house music.

2812 Kettner Boulevard, Downtown, events@ kavalounge.com, kavalounge.com

The Kraken Beachy hometown bar that pays its respects to San Diego’s saltwater surroundings and hosts nightly entertainment.

Belly Up Tavern 2531 S. Coast Highway 101, Cardiff, 760.436.6483, Go Lounge thekrakencardiff.com Cozy pool bar and music venue.

7123 El Cajon Boulevard, La Mesa, Little Italy’s Loading Dock 619.644.2317, thegoloungesd.com Event venue and bar paying homage to San Diego’s Little Italy district’s Goodbar community and history.

A “no-frills” bar dedicated to 2400 Kettner Boulevard, Suite good entertainment and a rotating 110, Little Italy, 619.255.7885, selection of craft beers. liloadingdock.com 1872 Rosecrans Street, Point Loma, 619.642.0900, goodbarsd.com The Loft at UC San Diego UC San Diego student hangout spot Havana 1920 that hosts everything from live music Gaslamp restaurant that boasts to trivia nights to group viewings of “Hemingway’s Cuba”-style cuisine, The Bachelor. drinks and performances.

Lyman Lane, La Jolla, 858.678.0922, 548 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp, theloft.ucsd.edu 619.369.1920, havana1920.com American pub offering a wide variety of food and entertainment bolstered by a comfy atmosphere.

618 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp, 619.238.2389, henryspub.com

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The Merrow

Kitschy rock ‘n’ roll burlesque bar with live performances nightly and karaoke on Sundays.

1271 University Avenue, Hillcrest, 619.299.7372, themerrow.com

Historic red-light district Irish pub boasting nightly live music, known for having a friendly, familial atmosphere.

428 F Street, San Diego, Gaslamp, 619.233.3077, patricksgaslamppub.com

Prohibition Lounge 1920s-themed underground speakeasy with nightly entertainment.

548 Fifth Ave, Gaslamp, 619.501.1919, prohibitionsd.com

Proud Mary’s Southern Bar & Grill Cajun-style bar and grill that calls itself “home to the blues.”

5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa, 858.278.0800, Music Box proudmaryssd.com

Kensington Club Old-school cash-only bar featuring mainly local bands.

4079 Adams Avenue, Kensington, 619.24.2848, facebook.com/ kensingtonclub.sandiego

Henry’s Pub

Patrick’s Gaslamp Pub

Music Box

The Rabbit Hole

Three-story nightclub hosting a wide variety of musical ensembles almost nightly.

2337 India Street, Little Italy, 619.795.1337, musicboxsd.com

Community-oriented, energetic bar serving comfort food while hosting weekly music nights.

3377 Adams Avenue, Normal Heights, 619.255.4653, rabbitholesd.com

Navajo Live

Soda Bar

Live music and karaoke bar located inside the Navajo Shopping Center.

8515 Navajo Road, San Diego, 619.465.1730, navajolive.com

The Observatory North Park

A 21-and-older live music venue and bar hosting a wide variety of artists.

3615 El Cajon Boulevard, City Heights, 619.255.7224, sodabarmusic.com

Historic theater recently given a major facelift with a cathedral hall prepared to host shows with audiences of over 1,000 or more intimate private events.

2891 University Avenue, North Park, 619.239.8836, observatorysd.com

Soma San Diego

Old Venice Restaurant

American sports bar featuring a DJ booth and dance floor.

702 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp, 619.236.1616, whiskeygirl.com

Family-owned Italian bistro that hosts a variety of live music both indoors and outside in its garden patio.

2910 Canon Street, Point Loma, opentable.com

Pal Joey’s Small bar proudly boasting a “clean and friendly” atmosphere, featuring nightly live entertainment.

5147 Waring Road, Allied Gardens, 619.582.6699, paljoeysonline.com

Large punk and alt-rock concert hall near the San Diego Sports Arena.

3350 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway, 619.226.7662, somasandiego.com

Whiskey Girl

Winstons Beach Club Beachside dance club offering nightly comedy shows and live music.

1921 Bacon Street, San Diego, Ocean Beach, 619.222.682, winstonsob.com

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

UPFRONT

Spring Awakening

Former pro surfer Colin Smith brings peace to the public Jordan Houston >> San Diego CityBeat

F

ormer pro surfer Colin Smith was hesitant to embark on a five-day spiritual retreat more than 20 years ago.

But at the urging of his wife, Kerry, the two attended what was then called the Source Seminars, a selfdevelopment meditative experience in San Diego.

Now, the couple is running it.

“We were just living our lives,” Colin says. “We had two young children, but we didn’t really have a higher purpose or evaluate much of our lives.

“I came out of it just incredibly happy and viewing life from a whole different perception.”

Colin and his wife transformed a series of retreats to cultivate the Awakening Trainings, which are offered monthly in Southern California.

The program is designed to spark “your innermost being,” Colin explains, by elevating beliefs in “bold possibilities” and removing the “obstacles within.”

Through guided practices, such as sound baths, meditation and breathwork, participants learn how to break free from “self-sabotaging habits”—ultimately allowing them to pursue more purposeful lives.

“The course kind of shakes you up a little bit in an experiential way,” Colin says. “It’s very light on lecture. It’s about speaking your own truth and looking inside yourself to see what has been limiting you.

“We have these rules we set up inside our own existence—most of it is based on past experiences,” he continues.

“We’re basically looking to the past to create the future.”

The boutique lessons home in on inner changes stemming from a cellular level, the surfer adds, and can benefit anyone who suffers from anxiety, daily negative self-talk, addiction and unhealthy relationships, among other factors.

Colin says he and his wife believe everyone deserves to be happy and that it is a birthright to live a life that cultivates inner happiness.

“The purpose of all of this is to quiet all of the activity in your brain,” he says.

“It’s a deconstruction and slowing down of all the stuff in your brain so that you

can start to realize the world is not so offensive and can navigate what’s in front of you.”

The couple, who have two children, began their journey to inner peace 26 years ago through a chance encounter by

wife knew her mother had changed.

“It seemed weird, like, what does that mean,” he tells San Diego CityBeat. “But Kerry could see that her mom was in a very altered, beautiful state.”

Shortly after, Kerry underwent

Kerry’s mother.

Colin explains that his mother-in-law was forced, for lack of a better word, to participate in the wellness retreat.

“Kerry’s mom took the course first— and she didn’t mean to,” he shares. “She’s the type of person that can’t say no and she had an acquaintance that wanted her to do the course. She kept saying, ‘I’d love to do it,’ but had no intention of doing it.

“Somehow the stars aligned and she got backed into a corner and couldn’t say no,” Colin continues. “She did the course and when we went to her graduation, she turned around and looked into her family’s eyes and said, ‘I’m feeling like I’m seeing you for the first time.’”

From that moment on, Colin says, his

the training herself and had a similar experience From that moment, Colin knew he was along for the ride.

“She had this amazing experience and said, ‘What do you think, would you want to go?’” Colin shares. “I could tell something profound had happened, so I said, ‘Sure,’ and she said, ‘Good, because I already paid for you.’”

Colin says he reached a new level of clarity through the courses by removing the random thoughts and desires that typically clouded his mind on a daily basis.

The most profound lesson, he iterates, was that happiness is an inner experience that can be maintained while the world and people in it are free to unfold and exist as they see fit.

“I felt better than I’d ever felt in my

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life,” Colin says. “I had so much joy and I was so happy—the thing that was really cool is that you’re happy for no good reason.”

“That’s what was amazing,” he continues. “You don’t need a reason to be happy.”

The groundwork for the trainings was developed in the early ’90s by a psychologist, and then later run by multiple spiritual leaders.

In 2018, Colin and Kerry were hand-picked to carry on the torch of transformation.

And thus, the Awakening Trainings was born.

The duo has since professionally trained with spiritual and thought leaders including Robbins-Madanes Training, Brendon Burchard, Roger Love, Judith Kravitz and many more.

The main schtick for the trainings, Colin explains, is teaching sustainability.

“We try to guide from the backseat, so to speak,” Colin says. “We try to help them figure out a plan that’s going to help them sustain their change.”

He adds, “We don’t want them to need us, we want to empower them. The whole course is designed for people to be independent.”

Colin and his wife offer two levels of enlightenment during the wellness retreat.

The first is called “The Journey Training” and is designed to launch attendees into a life filled with greater purpose and meaning, according to the retreat website.

The five-day experiential training allows guests to reconnect with their True Self, while the Transformational Journey is the next step in evolution.

The level two training emphasizes incorporating the spiritual beliefs into everyday life.

Although the descriptions for the two retreats might be considered vague to some, Colin says, that is entirely the point.

“We don’t tell people what’s coming because then your mind is going to start preparing based on past experiences,” Colin says. “It’s something the attendees need to come and see for themselves.”

The Awakening Trainings 619.631.8569, theawakeningtrainings.com

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

UPFRONT

The History of Music

This museum sheds light on the business of making tunes

Vince Meehan >> San Diego CityBeat

S

andwiched between Legoland and the colorful flower beds off the 5 freeway in Carlsbad lies a nondescript office building that looks exactly like the other 10 or so in the complex.

This is the world headquarters of NAMM, the National Association of Music Merchants. It serves as an advocacy group for businesses that sell or manufacture musical instruments and have been around for more than 100 years. Most people are familiar with NAMM because of its annual convention that rivals Comic-Con. But many are unaware that one half of the first floor of the NAMM building is home to the Museum of Making Music (MOMM).

B.J. Morgan is in charge of marketing and events at MOMM and served as a guide for San Diego CityBeat on a recent tour of the attraction. The museum is set as a journey through time, starting in the 1890s and progressing to the 1990s.

Each exhibit represents 20 years and showcases the type of instruments that were popular in that era, any musical innovation that was key to the era, as well as an insight as to how music stores looked and operated in that time period.

The first exhibit showcases a time before radio when local musicians performed in the town gazebo wearing festive military-inspired outfits. Think “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and you get the picture. Morgan paints a picture of a time before recorded music where live music was the only way people could enjoy hearing musical tunes. This was a time when drum corps played bass, snare and cymbals

separately, so it took a team to do it. Brass instruments were popular in that time period and many are on display in this exhibit. As far as in-home entertainment, the piano was the go-to instrument for music lovers who created their very own version of home theater. You could play it solo or accompany it with various instruments. Singing was encouraged to create the original karaoke. Piano manufacturers created smaller, more-convenient models to supply the demand and soon a huge industry was created.

Farther along in the museum, the era progresses to the ’30s and ’40s. The drum corps was replaced with the drum kit.

One player now could now control the bass, snare and cymbals, which revolutionized the band concept. One drummer combined with a bassist and guitarist could complete a band. Add in a singer, piano or horns and you now have a show. Soon after, amplified instruments were invented so guitarists and bassists could be heard over the din of the horn section. The modern age of music had begun.

The museum then moves into the ’50s and ’60s—the age of the pop stars— with Elvis Presley and The Beatles featured in the exhibits. They inspired a whole new wave of people who bought instruments so they could learn to play.

The exhibits ramp up to the ’90s with the advent of synthesizers and modern electric guitars. The tour wraps up with a completely interactive exhibit where visitors can actually play musical instruments hooked up to headphones

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to create their own jams.

Morgan explains how this exhibit has grown exponentially since its inception due to its extreme popularity.

“Our interactive space as it is now was not here 10 years ago,” Morgan says.

“It used to have a very small footprint inside the museum and we realized a lot of people spent a lot of time in there.

And what’s the point of having all these great musical instruments here if you don’t engage people to let them play and spark their own interest? A retrofit produced the entire interactive gallery you see here that people can spend hours in there if they want to, and some do!”

MOMM Executive Director Carolyn Grant has been with the museum for a little over 20 years. The museum operates under the umbrella of NAMM, but is its own entity with its own staff and volunteers. She explained MOMM’s

history.

“The museum was originally intended for the music products industry—who NAMM represents— way back in the ’90s. NAMM is one of the oldest trade associations in the United States, founded in 1901. It’s the trade association that represents the interests of the makers and sellers of musical instruments and products. In 2001 it was NAMM’s centennial, so leading up to the centennial, our CEO wanted to create a museum that would honor 100 years of music and products history. So, this original museum was installed as a centennial celebration.”

The museum was originally open only to NAMM members, but as the word got out, many civic leaders and

See

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MOMM

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educators were interested in visiting, so they lobbied NAMM to allow the public.

“They were very interested in the museum as a cultural and educational resource and so we obtained the necessary permits and opened up to the general public,” Grant adds.

Since then, MOMM has expanded to include a volunteer program which now includes over 70 volunteers. There is now also an exclusive concert series called “Live at MOMM,” which has grown from a very small program to now featuring internationally renowned musicians. It also has membership programs and a band and orchestra program for adults.

Grant is proud of these features and sees this as honoring the civic leaders who lobbied to open the museum to the public.

“We’ve created a tour program for kids and free subsidized tours for Title I schools and a number of other things, so we’ve really grown. But now, after 20 years, we are ready for a major renovation. We’ve done a significant amount of fundraising and we’ve done

a lot of thinking about what we want to do to set the stage for the next 20 years. I think it boils down to three areas.

“First, the technology upgrade, I mean when we first opened it was laser discs. So, we need to upgrade the technology, which we will be doing. We’re also going to increase the interactivity with digital rails, and lastly, we are going to rethink the storyline of the exhibits.”

And the storyline of the museum has no choice but to adapt because the music stores that once dominated malls are no longer there. Companies still manufacture the instruments, but how they are sold has changed forever. Large music retailers are vanishing at the same rate as newspapers. E-Commerce has become the new beacon for shoppers and many of those shoppers use their smartphones to make their purchases.

This has given Morgan a new concept for an exhibit he calls “a retailer in every pocket.” He also envisions stepping away from the chronological order of the original centennial theme and focusing on the music business.

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This would allow more freedom in showcasing the impact that music has had on society and where it is going.

Morgan sees this as a peek into the future of the museum.

“By focusing on the making, selling and using those instruments, we can go deep into the history inside of that

theme instead of being stuck within the history as one timeline.”

The Museum of Making Music

5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, museumofmakingmusic.org

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

UPFRONT

Celebrating Diversity Annual festival spotlights Latino cinema Connor Dziawura >> San Diego CityBeat

L

atino cinema is changing. And it has been changing all throughout the years, as the San Diego Latino Film Festival has grown from just hundreds of cinephiles attending the then-Cine Estudiantil student film festival to tens of thousands of film enthusiasts flocking to the area over 11 days every spring.

“It used to be you’d just be able to call a filmmaker up and they would check their closet and they would say, ‘Yes, I got a copy,’” festival founder and Executive Director Ethan van Thillo jokingly explains of the changes he sees, with a laugh.

“Now there’s distributors, there’s sales agents, there’s Netflix, there’s Amazon—a lot of different players in the market—so it’s not as easy to get the content, even if you want a screen a particular film, for example. It’s really, really amazing how it’s changed.”

Media Arts Center San Diego (MACSD), the producer and presenter of the festival, continues to expand festival programming as it spotlights underrepresented communities and shares the diverse views they hold through cinema.

Now 27 years in, this year’s festival kicked off March 12 and runs through Sunday, March 22, at the AMC Fashion Valley 18 and Digital Gym Cinema theaters. It will spotlight a large portfolio of short and feature-length films from throughout the United States, Latin America and Spain. Filmmakers and other celebrities are expected to make appearances, and concerts will be held on the Fashion Valley Mall River Plaza stage throughout the week.

“No. 1, we always look for the best of the best in terms of quality,” van Thillo comments on the selection process, pointing to considerations like audio, cinematography, acting and screenwriting.

“That said, the other thing that we look at is just something that would appeal to our local San Diego-Baja California region. We determined a long time ago we’re not trying to compete with the Cannes Film Festival or these other larger film festivals. It doesn’t have to be a world premiere. For us, it’s like, OK, what’s going to be engaging to the

“Chicuarotes”

community?

“So when you think about the local community, yes, there’s a huge percentage who are Mexican or Mexican Americans, but there’s also people from Argentina, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Spain, and so we’re really celebrating the diversity of the Latino community as well.”

That includes thematic diversity, with festival curators also putting on “showcases”—or country-, genreand subject-oriented categories like Immigration, Mexico Today, Para La Familia, ¡Viva La Raza! Chicano/a retrospective, Somos LGBTQ and numerous others—throughout the week.

Date-specific entries include the second annual Migrant Voices film screening and competition at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, March 17, at AMC Fashion Valley 18. This showcase aims to share migrant stories revolving around the U.S.-Mexico border.

A Q&A with participating filmmakers will follow. The “best professional film” will earn a $5,000 cash prize and the “best student or emerging filmmaker” will receive $1,000, van

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Thillo says.

“Last year was just amazing—the discussion after the film—because, I mean, obviously it was a very—and it still is—hot topic about border issues, migration issues, refugees. Last year it was really about the caravan,” van Thillo recalls.

“It’s interesting to see the films from this year that—I mean, it’s still urgent, but it’s interesting how some of the films are a little lighter, a lot about music, a lot about trying to connect both sides of the border together via art or music.”

And at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 21, AMC Fashion Valley 18 will hold the annual Youth Visions short-film showcase, a collection of “teen-produced videos from around the country, either

by Latino youth or about the Latino experience,” van Thillo explains.

Each entry will receive a certificate of participation, he notes.

“What we found is not only about (engaging youth in) the process of making the movies, but giving teens the opportunity in terms of building confidence,” van Thillo elaborates.

“They get in front of the audience, they introduce their movies, they participate in Q&A, they talk about the issues. And so that, to me, is so wonderful to see them beaming in front of the audience.”

A 21-and-older “closing night” event will take place at the Bread & Salt art gallery in Logan Heights on the festival’s penultimate day, Saturday, March 21. An awards ceremony and dinner will run from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with an afterparty and live concert following until 1:30 a.m. Tickets are available for the full event or just the concert.

According to van Thillo, an awards jury including accomplished filmmakers will be flown in from locales like Mexico City and Los Angeles. Categories will include prizes for the best narrative and documentary features, the best documentary and narrative shorts, and others for students and youth.

“It’s pretty huge,” van Thillo says of the festival’s nearly three-decade journey. “We used to be in one auditorium at local universities; now we have five auditoriums. Just the ability to really show the diversity of Latino cinema/Latino community is huge.”

In fact, the event became so successful in its initial years that it gave birth to the MACSD in the late 1990s to expand to offering year-round programming as well as eventual movie screenings at the Digital Gym Cinema, which it operates.

“We still believe in the power of gathering people in community,” van Thillo shares. “So whether it’s a movie theater or an event or, you know—yes, we can see all this stuff at home, but it is important to get out of the house and talk to people about the issues (and) get together in a space where you can celebrate one’s culture and then also just great film together.”

San Diego Latino Film Festival

“La Llorona”

Various times through Sunday, March 22 AMC Fashion Valley 18, 7037 Friars Road, and Digital Gym Cinema, 2921 El Cajon Boulevard Price varies for tickets, passes and events 619.230.1938, sdlatinofilm.com

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Featured films

Here are some featured films at the San Diego Latino Film Festival and showtimes. Visit sdlatinofilm.com for more.

“Ema,” 6:05 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, at Digital Gym Cinema, and 5:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 22, at AMC Fashion Valley 18

Chile’s most prolific filmmaker, Pablo Larraín (“No,” “El club,” “Neruda,” “Jackie”), sets the world on fire with his latest provocation, “Ema,” starring Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael García Bernal. Di Girolamo plays the titular Ema, a dancer grappling with the aftermath of a difficult choice she and her partner (García Bernal) made regarding their adopted child. As she channels her intense emotional trauma into dance, Ema puts into motion a ruthless series of events in her search of personal liberation and redemption. Part of the Spotlight Showcase.

“Divine Love,” 9:30 p.m.

Wednesday, March 18, and 8:40 p.m. Thursday, March 19, at AMC Fashion Valley 18

Brazil, 2027—A not-so-distant future paints a jarring portrait of Brazil, one consumed by religious extremism. Operating within the system is a deeply devout woman who uses her position in a notary’s office to save couples from divorce.

When she is confronted with her own domestic hardships, her faith is put to the test in this lush, erotic and daring feature from director Gabriel Mascaro (“Neon Bull”). Part of the El Corazón Showcase.

“Our Quinceañera,” 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 19, and noon Saturday, March 21, at AMC Fashion Valley 18

The event started with four girls and now it is a celebration for 80. A high school principal from a small town in Texas hosts an annual quinceañera for students who can’t afford to throw a celebration of their own. The entire border town of San Benito comes together to teach these girls that with the power of community any dream can come true. Directed by Fanny Veliz Grande. Part of the Spotlight Showcase.

“Mano de obra,” 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 21, at AMC Fashion Valley 18

Francisco (Luis Alberti) and his brother are construction workers who build luxury real estate in Mexico City. After a tragic on-site accident claims the life of his brother, Francisco encounters a series of injustices by the home’s owner.

Fed up with a system of labor designed to take advantage of him and other workers, he takes matters into his own hands. However, a loose coalition between him and other construction workers begins to fracture when everyone begins to fall prey to the same system they’re fighting against. Directed by David Zonana. Part of the Mexico Today Showcase.

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“Araña,” 7:10 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at AMC Fashion Valley 18 From Sundance Award-winning director Andrés Wood (“Machuca”) comes “Araña,” a dark political thriller about the ambition of power. Through two different timelines, one set on the eve of the Chilean coup d’etat in 1973 and one in the present day, “Araña” explores the evolution of radical political activism as well as a dangerously charged love triangle.

Part of the Spotlight Showcase.

“Polvo,” 8 p.m. Saturday, March 21, and 2:05 p.m. Sunday, March 22, at AMC Fashion Valley 18

Acclaimed actor José María Yazpik directs and stars in “Polvo,” a comic and socially incisive portrayal of a small town in Mexico turned upside down by the return of a former resident and the mysterious powder that falls from the sky one day.

Featuring a dynamic supporting cast of Mexico’s biggest stars, including Mariana Treviño, Joaquín Cosio, Jesús Ochoa, Adrian Vazquez and Angélica Aragón. Shows with “El otro José” on March 21. Part of the Spotlight Showcase.

“El cuento de las comadrejas,” 4:05 p.m. Sunday, March 22, at AMC Fashion Valley 18

Argentine director Juan José Campanella (winner of the Best Foreign Film Oscar for “The Secret in their Eyes”) makes his longawaited return with “El cuento de las comadrejas,” a wry and sparkling dark comedy about a group of film veterans living in a mansion that becomes the target of young real-estate developers, creating a battle of the generations for the ages. Oscar Martínez and Graciela Borges star. Part of the Spotlight Showcase.

“La odisea de los giles,” 6:45 p.m. Sunday, March 22, at AMC Fashion Valley 18

Ricardo and Chino Darín come together for the first time as a fatherson acting duo in “La odisea de los giles,” a Sebastián Borenszteindirected heist dramedy that plays on the most basic human instinct: getting back what’s yours. After a group of small-town friends and investors learn they are victims of a scam following the collapse of an Argentine bank, they set out with a plan to earn back their money against all odds.

Part of the Spotlight Showcase.

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

UPFRONT

Forming a Community

San Diego Writers Festival brings writers together to connect Laura Latzko >> San Diego CityBeat

T

hrough the written word and oral storytelling, people from different backgrounds can make a deeper connection with others.

The San Diego Writers Festival brings together different types of writers to share their stories and to network with other writers.

In its second year, the festival will take place on Saturday, April 4, at three connected locations: the Coronado Public Library, the John D. Spreckels Center and Coronado High School.

The festival was founded by Anastasia Hipkins, Marni Freedman and Jeniffer Thompson. It is sponsored by the San Diego Memoir Writers Association.

Freedman says the three founders wanted to bring writers into a shared space to meet, collaborate and form a larger community.

“We were on the ground in the San Diego writing scene. We knew all of these people, but they didn’t know each other. We had to get everyone together,” Freedman says.

That last year, participants and attendees alike found the event to be very cathartic, Freedman says.

“I think people are struggling a lot.

There’s a lot of pain right now. They found it really healing to go and listen to stories that are maybe not their stories, but they felt connected,” Freedman says.

“There’s so much fighting. To have a day where people are listening to one another, that is everything to me.”

The festival doesn’t focus on a specific type of writing but instead highlights a variety of writers, including authors, spoken word poets, playwrights and screenwriters.

Around 120 authors, panelists, performers and speakers will take part in the event in different capacities.

For the trio of founders, it was important to showcase writers with different perspectives and backgrounds.

“We’re really trying to empower different stories that have not been told,” Freedman says.

Scott Gimple, chief content officer and executive director for AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” will give the keynote address and talk about his role on the zombie drama during an interview with KPBS reporter Beth Accomando.

Gimple roomed with Freedman’s husband at film school.

“At that time, they were all obsessed with comic books and felt there was this movement that was going to happen. It’s been really cool to watch him do it. He’s really made something amazing,” Freedman says.

Other featured writers will speak on the topic of “sources of inspiration.”

This year, the festival will spotlight screenwriter and film director Jan Eliasberg, author of the espionage novel “Hannah’s War;” journalist Eilene Zimmerman, author of the memoir “Smacked: A Story of White-Collar Ambition, Addiction and Tragedy;” Rabbi Steve Leder, author of “More Beautiful Than Before: How Suffering Transforms Us;” and Joe Ide, author of the “IQ” detective series.

A prefestival lunch on Friday, April 3, at the public library will include a special talk with featured speaker Jan Eliasberg. Attendees will receive a signed copy of her book “Hannah’s War.” During the festival, author and civil rights leader Catherine Grace Pope will speak about “Memories: Break the Silence.”

The Writing for Screen Panel will bring together screenwriters and producers such as Mark Brazill,

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

producer and writer for “That ’70s Show” and “3rd Rock from the Sun,” and Kirk Ellis, writer and producer for the HBO miniseries “John Adams” and the TNT miniseries “Into the West.”

Panels and workshops will offer something for people with different interests. They will be centered around topics such as the healing power of writing, finding one truths despite fears, writing about mental health issues or characters with disabilities, and using the senses as a guide when writing or developing a one-man show for theater.

Some panels and workshops will focus on genres such as horror, historical fiction, children’s literature, mysteries or nonfiction.

One panel on “Writing about War” will feature George Galdorisi,

a local author and naval aviator from Coronado known for the “Tom Clancy’s Op-Center” series.

Panels and workshops will also give insight into different experiences.

One panel, for example, will focus on Latino voices.

For writers, the festival offers workshops and discussions on topics such as building a platform, selfpublishing, designing book covers, producing audio books and developing a query and pitch.

The festival will have a unique opportunity for writers to make pitches to literary agents, for no added cost, from 4 to 6 p.m.

They need to sign up at 10 a.m. for the Pitch Fest session.

Inside vendor booths, writers will sell and talk about their work, and local writing organizations will provide information about

what they do.

Along with panels and workshops, the festival will have musical, spoken word and theatrical performances.

The festival will highlight a range of voices through performances of different art forms, including taiko drumming.

Phil Johnson, a founding partner in Roustabouts Theater Co., will perform his and Freedman’s one-man show “Roosevelt: Charge the Bear,” a piece about Theodore Roosevelt.

The festival will also have a screening of the short film “Isabel,” which will be followed with a talkback with Jonathan Hammond and Cheryl Sonstein.

In the evening, Carrie Danielson will lead a Dime Stories Live open mic See

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WRITERS

from page 20

session, and Steve Montgomery and Judy Reeves will host Poetry Karaoke.

The nighttime lineup will also include a memoir showcase, a performance by Frontera Drum Fusion and the SWC Puente Drum Circle, and an improv comedy event.

The festival is built around experiences, which are meant to provide further engagement for attendees.

For one workshop, therapist and author Julie Brams will offer an immersive nature walk and writing session.

As part of her workshop “A Walk in My Shoes,” Gloria Chance will encourage attendees to see the world from others’ perspectives.

Throughout the day, cookbook authors will talk about their books and have tasting experiences.

The festival is geared toward people of different ages.

Freedman says like with other areas, the founders wanted to highlight a diversity of voices, especially female authors, in the children’s area.

A live storytelling session will feature female children’s authors Kathleen Krull, Virginia Loh-Hagan, Carrie Hasler, Georgeanne Irvine and Susie Ghahremani.

For families with young children, the event will also feature a concert with the Hullabaloo children’s band, puzzles, games, art and literary projects, a magic show and face painting.

This year, the festival will have food booths with items such as pizza, tacos, kettle corn and lemonade.

For teens, the festival offers workshops on creating a podcast, expressing their point-of-view as a social activist through their writing, and crafting a graphic novel.

The event will also offer teen art installations and a drum and poetry workshop.

The festival encourages young people to get involved through the KidsWrite!

Contest, which was themed this year around the topic of “freedom.” More than 200 children and teens took part in the contest.

During the opening ceremony for the festival, the winners will be announced and receive prizes. Freedman says the competition encourages young people to use and believe in their voices.

For authors such as Rabbi Steve Leder, the writing festival offers a chance to reach people with different backgrounds and have deeper discussions about the topics in their @SDCITYBEAT

brought shame to themselves and their families…The beauty of a book is that it allows you to help so many more people than you can see in your office one at a time,” Leder says.

Freedman, an author and writing coach, was personally was impacted by words of inspiration from the rabbi.

When she met him as a teen, he told her that overthinking was part of being a writer.

Her book “Permission to Roar: for Female Thought Leaders Ready to Write their Book” was dedicated to him. books.

Along with publishing three books, Leder is a regular contributor to and guest on “The Today Show” and writes for Time, FoxNews.com, Town and Country, the Los Angeles Times and USA Today.

His sermon on capital punishment appeared on an episode of the TV show “The West Wing.”

Leder, the senior rabbi for Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, has a personal connection to the Coronado area. As a child growing up in Minnesota, he used to visit Coronado during school vacations.

“Some of the fondest memories of my entire childhood took place in Coronado, walking the beach with my dad, riding my bike around the island,” Leder says.

During his return to Coronado, the religious leader, scholar and author will discuss his book, which looks at how it is possible to take something meaningful from one’s pain to become a stronger and more empathetic person.

He looks at suffering from the perspective of the victim and perpetrator and touches on subjects such as the need to reach out to others for help.

For the book, he drew from his own personal experiences as well as ancient wisdom.

Leder says ancient philosophers thought about the human condition in a way that readers can benefit from today.

“The book has revealed to me the power of that thinking in modernity.

They knew a lot. To be able to transmit that in a modern way is a very gratifying and meaningful experience for me,” Leder says.

Leder says experiencing his own grief following the death of his father made him understand suffering in a different way. Opening up about his experience in his book has allowed him to be able to connect to others on a deeper level.

“A lot of people have felt comfortable enough to share their pain with me in ways that I don’t believe they would have before,” Leder says.

Leder’s book has touched the lives of readers going through different types of suffering, especially people dealing with grief and mourning, addiction and recovery and mental health issues.

“I’ve had amazing conversations with people that are extremely vulnerable, people whose children committed suicide, people whose loved ones have died of terrible disease, people who have committed terrible crimes and

The San Diego Writers Festival

9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Saturday, April 4 Coronado Public Library, 640 Orange Avenue; the John D. Spreckels Center, 1019 Seventh Street and Coronado High School, 7501 E. Virginia Avenue, Coronado Free admission sandiegowritersfestival.com

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

NEIGHBORHOODS | GAS LAMP

Let’s Roll!

Rooftop Cinema Club launches season on April 1 Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> San Diego CityBeat

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erry Cottle wants to keep his Rooftop Cinema Club fresh—for himself, locals and visitors.

This year, when the season kicks off on April 1 with “Wedding Crashers,” movie lovers will see a spring program that spans across multiple genres and features new releases, classic films, fan favorites and theme nights.

Rooftop Cinema Club is four floors above ground with unparalleled views of the San Diego skyline at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the films following at 7:30 or 8 p.m.

“One thing with Rooftop Cinema Club is our program is constantly evolving,” says Cottle, a Wimbledon, England, native.

“We’re putting out a longer program and catering more to the tourist market. We’re releasing the schedule three months at a time, so people coming into town can plan in advance and the locals can plan in advance.”

Cottle is serious about film and the quality of what he and his team do.

“We’re a fun company and we like to do things differently,” he says. “We’ll do monthly theme events.”

The first theme event is Thursday, April 16, when Rooftop Cinema Club celebrates the 49th birthday of the late Tejano pop star Selena Quintanilla-Pérez with a special open-caption screening of “Selena,” starring Jennifer Lopez. All guests will

Schedule of films for the Rooftop Cinema Club

All films start at 7:30 p.m., unless otherwise noted.

For more information, visit bit.ly/32PBkQZ.

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

receive complimentary “Selena” keepsake.

“On May 21, we’re doing ‘Hustlers,’” Cottle says. “We’ll have a singalong to JLo and Cardi B on the screen. We’re doing a ‘Wooftop’ dog-friendly screening on April 11 with ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.’”

On May 1, Rooftop Cinema Club honors Kobe Bryant with “Love & Basketball” and makes a

donation to the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.

A special prom-themed celebration is the following night, May 2, featuring “21 Jump Street.” Prom attire is not required, but highly encouraged.

“We want people to let loose and have a bit more fun,” he says.

“Those theme nights are big for us. We’re doing this to make it more fun.

Wednesday, April 1: “Wedding Crashers” Thursday, April 2: “When Harry Met Sally...”

Friday, April 3: “Runaway Bride” Saturday, April 4: “Date Night” Sunday, April 5: “The Princess Bride” Wednesday, April 8: “The Greatest Showman: Sing-Along” Thursday, April 9: “Dazed and Confused” Friday, April 10: “Romeo + Juliet” Saturday, April 11: “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” Sunday, April 12: “The Notebook” Wednesday, April 15: “Grease: Sing-Along” Thursday, April 16: “Selena” Friday, April 17: “There’s Something About Mary” Saturday, April 18: “10 Things I Hate About You” Sunday, April 19: “Risky Business” Wednesday, April 22: “Anchorman” Thursday, April 23: “Fight Club” Friday, April 24: “Dirty Dancing” Saturday, April 25: “50 First Dates” Sunday, April 26: “Point Break” Wednesday, April 29: “The Hunger Games” Thursday, April 30: “Pretty Woman” Friday, May 1: “Love and Basketball”

“We’re more than just a movie.

Don’t get me wrong. We give a proper movie experience. The projection is top quality. At the same time, we give our audience something extra. On the rooftop, the views are amazing. The food is lovely and the cocktails are great. We play films that are close to people’s hearts and we want to protect that.”

Rooftop Cinema Club is open to adults 18 and older. Tickets start at $17 for a single lounge seat and $20 for a single lounge seat with bottomless popcorn.

For couples, Rooftop Cinema Club offers a special doublewide loveseat with bottomless popcorn for two; those tickets are $24. Discounts are available for military personnel with ID. For more information, visit bit. ly/32PBkQZ

Saturday, May 2: “21 Jump Street” Sunday, May 3: “Pulp Fiction” Wednesday, May 6: “The Dark Knight,” 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 7: “La La Land,” 8 p.m.

Friday, May 8: “Kick-Ass,” 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 9: “Mean Girls,” 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 10: “13 Going on 30,” 8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 13: “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 14: “Pretty in Pink,” 8 p.m.

Friday, May 15: “Bridesmaids,” 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 16: “Grease,” 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 17: “Moulin Rouge,” 8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20: “10 Things I Hate About You,” 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 21: “Hustlers,” 8 p.m.

Friday, May 22: “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 23: “Superbad,” 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 24: “Jurassic Park,” 8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 27: “Pulp Fiction,” 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 28: “Rebel Without a Cause,” 8 p.m.

Friday, May 29: “The Big Lebowski,” 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 30: “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion,” 8 p.m.

Sunday, May 31: “The Princess Bride,” 8 p.m.”

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

NEIGHBORHOODS | EAST VILLAGE

Awaken Creativity with Tired Eyes Tired Eyes Coffee Roasters is more than a java shop Mary Pat Abruzzo >> San Diego CityBeat

S

andwiched between the glass and brick storefronts lining F Street, the cartoon coffee mug logo pasted onto the Tired Eyes window catches the eye of the common java addict.

Its grumpy, scrunched eyelids resemble that of a face before a daily cup of joe. The customers who sit outside its doors, sipping oat milk cappuccinos and cold brews, have an opposite expression.

Tired Eyes Coffee Roasters is new to the East Village, opening in August. But head coffee roaster and owner Tyler Herrera explains Tired Eyes has existed beyond its seven months.

It started as a small home

roaster in his parents’ backyard.

Herrera soon began selling his coffee to other shops and online.

He also organized Tired Eyes pop-ups, serving pour-overs at art galleries. But Herrera wasn’t in a rush to open up shop, as he wanted to build his brand and identity.

“If you walk into the store you can see that the brand is very important to us,” Herrera explains.

The walls inside are decorated with merch, including T-shirts and mugs with the Tired Eyes mascot.

As a small roaster, his standards of quality and taste are extremely high, but Tired Eyes pushes past great coffee. Herrera strives to create an experience that customers can’t find elsewhere. Tired Eyes is fearless.

“There are a million shops out

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

there. We shouldn’t be afraid to be us,” Herrera explains.

Herrera stresses the importance of developing strong relationships with his customers.

He wants his hope to attract creatives.

“People who are doing their own hustle can feel comfortable because they see we are hustling just as hard,” Herrera says.

Herrera’s goal is for Tired Eyes to inspire entrepreneurs and creative minds.

It’s always been about more than just coffee for Herrera. After working as a barista in high school at The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, he quickly noticed that coffee does more than jumpstart one’s day—coffee is a fuel for individuals to pursue their passion.

This is what sparked his ideas for Tired Eyes.

“This is the fuel to bring all these creative people together.

I feel honored to have a place where we can do that,” Herrera says with a smile. Tired Eyes was built off of this appreciation for

all that is creative.

Today, Herrera puts most of his creative energy into Tired Eyes, but in his free time he expresses creativity through BMX riding.

“To me the best way to tap into your creativity is to find connection to something you love and freedom within that,” Herrera explains.

Herrera’s BMX background heavily influenced his concept of Tired Eyes.

“I don’t want it to be coffee inspired by coffee. I looked outside of coffee for influences like BMX and skating,” he says.

With this exterior inspiration, Tired Eyes was able to be unique by simply being themselves.

With the growth of Tired Eyes, Herrera will continue to strive to provide unique and memorable experiences that will inspire creativity.

Tired Eyes Coffee

803 F Street, East Village 619.915.6097 tiredeyescoffee.com

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

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@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27

NEIGHBORHOODS | HILLCREST

Buon Appetito!

Rusticucina starts new traditions on Park Boulevard Michelle Stansbury >> San Diego CityBeat

M

arco Provino, Nino Cusimano and Mario Liga all grew up in the small Sicilian town of Bagheria. Even though the fishing village is only 11 square miles, the three didn’t meet until all had moved to San Diego and ended up working at the same restaurant, Panevino.

The influence of their hometown brought the three together and inspired them to create Rusticucina, which opened in February in Hillcrest.

Liga reflects back on his Sicilian upbringing.

“The town we are all from is very, very small,” he says. “It’s on the coast. It’s a fishing town, so we grew up eating a lot of fish—yellowfin tuna being the most popular. We also grew everything at home.

Everyone has a yard with a garden. We ate from the land.”

The sea, as well, was a big influence on

both the town and Liga.

“There is a huge market where people come in the middle of the night to buy dish. I would go to work at 2 a.m., selling fresh fish from the boats. I sold a lot of it.”

28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

Now, he’s still selling a lot of fish, but from their Hillcrest restaurant where Executive Chef Marco Provino turns fresh catch from South Bay Fishery into seared salmon with a chardonnay honey mustard cream sauce or cioppino, a flavorful seafood stew.

Provino seeks to recreate his grandmother’s dishes to build a neighborhood restaurant that feels a little like home. One such example is a comforting Bucatini topped with a ragu that is made with veal, pork, beef and one special ingredient— peas.

His nonna put peas in her ragu, so Provino does as well, adding a pop of sweetness to the savory sauce. The gnocchi he makes is as cathartic as it is delicious.

“I really enjoy making the dough,” Provino says. “The process is calming and I love how satisfied people are when they eat it. It’s pure comfort. When I was 6 or 7, I used to love watching my nonna and mom make pasta from scratch. It’s why I love making pasta from scratch—the process. It’s therapeutic. And the smell. I love the smell of fresh pasta.”

He dresses the gnocchi simply, with a cacio e pepe preparation, just pecorino cheese and black pepper. Or, for a theatrical touch, he’ll finish it tableside in a parmesan cheese wheel, aged 36 months and softened with a blowtorch before tossing in the gnocchi, cream sauce and truffle oil and coating the pasta with cheese.

Cheese lovers will also adore the crispy burrata, the creamy mozzarella coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried, served with their signature tomato sauce and crusty bread. That tomato sauce also accompa-

nies the dry-aged meatball, another twist on a classic dish. The beef is dry aged for 36 months before being house ground and seasoned, the dry aging process adding a fuller, nutty flavor to the meat.

Provino describes the perfect simplicity of the tomato sauce that is the foundation of so many of his dishes.

“Homemade tomato sauce is something I love to create. The smell and flavor profile is just so wonderful. I also love shopping for ingredients—what chef doesn’t? I love shopping for food.”

He makes 150 gallons of that sauce every week, cooking fresh tomatoes with onion and extra virgin olive oil for two and a half hours until it thickens.

Cooking gallons of tomato sauce might be second nature to Provino, but restaurant design was a new feat for the chef.

“For me, the biggest challenge was for my partners to like the design. I designed the space, so it was important to me that they really liked it.” The partners loved it, and so does the rest of the neighborhood. The restaurant’s focal point is a 32-foot chandelier with cascading greenery, a dramatic centerpiece to the exposed brick walls and marble countertops.

The restaurant is noisy, bustling with friends getting apertivo and couples in animated discussion. On the patio, pets eat from their own special menu or sneak bites under the table. Provino dusts pasta flour off his hands and comes to greet tables with a “buon appetito.” It feels just a little like a big Sicilian family.

Rusticucina

3797 Park Boulevard, Hillcrest 619.310.5291, rusticucina.com @SDCITYBEAT

NEIGHBORHOODS | BALBOA PARK

Art Alive!

San Diego museum’s signature event blooms with color Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> San Diego CityBeat

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he San Diego Museum of Art is hosting its 39th annual Art Alive weekend from Friday, April 24, to Sunday, April 26, a collaborative and creative “tour de force” that blooms in size and popularity each year.

Art Alive attracts more than 12,000 guests to the exhibition, which fills the galleries with a multi-sensory experience of color and scent that complements each unique piece of artwork.

Through the event, the museum supports essential public programs, education, community outreach and special exhibitions to cultivate creativity and increase access to art in the community.

This is Sarah Grossman’s 12th Art Alive with special and corporate events at the San Diego Museum of Art. She has seen it grown immensely.

“It definitely takes a village to get these things done,” she adds. “The popularity and buzz around it just

makes it bigger and bigger. I really love doing this event.”

For Art Alive, nearly 100 floral designers will interpret famous works of art from the museum. At the helm of the rotunda design is Beth O’Reilly, an internationally recognized floral artist.

Using fresh and dried flowers, hearty foliage, air plants and other materials, O’Reilly will transform the museum’s rotunda into a “Garden Revival.”

Inspired by impressionism and post-impressionism featur-

@SDCITYBEAT

ing the Bloomberg Collection, which will be open during Art Alive weekend, lush garden compositions along with hanging installations will descend from the three-story rotunda. O’Reilly is a certified Texas master florist and an accredited member of The American Institute of Floral Designers. Through her installations, O’Reilly encourages others to connect to nature, the planet and each other.

“It’s going to have more than 8,000 stems of flowers and foliage,” O’Reilly says. “It’s a ‘Garden Revival.’ It’s very lush and we’re taking a modern painterly twist on it.

“If you’ve been following the trends, there’s a lot of tinted flowers. We’re going to take a lot of preserved roses as well as regular fresh roses and use those.

We’re going to have magic, wonderful flowers dripping everywhere all over the rotunda.”

O’Reilly’s medium is 3-D art. This event presented the opportunity to create

“something massive.”

“You’re going to feel something when you walk in that rotunda,” she says.

Support for Art Alive has been provided by Art Alive 2020 Signature Sponsor the Dr. Seuss Foundation. The Art Alive 2020 Premiere Dinner chairwomen are Toni Bloomberg, Tatiana Dotson, Arlene Esgate, Micki Olin and Demi Rogozienski. Bloom Bash chairs are Gita Khadiri, Mitch Mitchell, Micki Olin and Robin Wilson Carrier.

See

ART ALIVE on page 30

Art Alive

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, April 24, to Sunday, April 26 The San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park Free for members; $25 nonmembers; $5 youth ages 7 to 17; free for children 6 and younger 619.232.7931, sdmart.org

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29

NEIGHBORHOODS | BALBOA PARK

Art Alive Events

T

he party starts Thursday, April 23, with the Art Alive 2020 Premiere Dinner from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m.

The intimate, black-tie event is set within the museum’s galleries.

Members get a sneak preview from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 24. The Bloom Bash is set for later that night, from 7 p.m. to midnight, at a charge of $200 for members and $250 for nonmembers.

The Bloom Bash opening celebration is the official Art Alive kickoff party.

The celebration will feature custom art installations by Rachel B. Hayes and Davis McCarty. Los Angeles-based art-

ist Rachel Hayes is known for her work with textiles that use light to transform space. Her work will be featured in the Plaza de Panama court. Her forthcoming solo exhibition, “Land Lines,” will be on view at Lowell Ryan Projects in Los Angeles, April 18 to May 30. McCarty, also a Los Angeles-based artist, is known for his work with functionally integrated architecture sculptures. His work will be featured in the museum’s Sculpture Garden.

The Bloom Bash also features culinary creations from San Diego’s top restaurants and chefs, floral-infused cocktails, live music and dancing, interactive entertainment and an exclusive after-hours viewing of this year’s floral exhibition.

“The Bloom Bash was created about seven years ago,” says Sarah Grossman with the museum. “It was born out

30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

of the popularity of the event. We permit the plaza in front of the museum and we have about 1,700 attendees and between 40 and 50 restaurants. Last year was the first year we expanded to the plaza space.

We’re going to have the Ferris wheel again this year.”

Patrons can learn a thing or two about flowers with a floral workshop from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25. It’s $75 for members and $100 for nonmembers. The San Diego Museum of Art is partnering with Native Poppy, a San Diego-based floral design company and boutique, to

offer an impressionist-inspired wreath making workshop.

Families can enjoy the Garden of Activities from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, and Sunday, April 26. The Garden of Activities features a museumwide flower hunt, a children’s reading area complete with nature-inspired stories and a variety of floral-themed art projects designed for children and families to enjoy together, music, dance, film, food and so much more. At the San Diego Museum of Art, exhibition text is always in English and Spanish.

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 31

NEIGHBORHOODS | BARRIO LOGAN

Chicano Artist Erik Herrera tells story of today’s Chicano culture through new project “Mirame” Laura Latzko >> San Diego CityBeat

Erik Herrera

T

hrough Chicano art, creatives are able to share different stories of the lives and experiences of Mexican American people.

With his new project, “Mirame,” San Diego artist Erik Herrera will highlight how the people and environments in San Diego—including Barrio Logan—have contributed to keeping Chicano culture alive.

He is still early in the process with his project, but he is already planning to share these stories through photographs, sculptures and a documentary.

A first-generation Mexican American, Herrera grew up in San Diego in a diverse neighborhood with people of different races, religions and nationalities.

He says, for him, as a Chicano artist, it is important that his culture doesn’t get erased. He has noticed this happening in a number of places, including Barrio Logan.

In these neighborhoods, local businesses have had to close their doors because of factors such as rising rent costs.

La Bodega Gallery, one of the spaces central to the Barrio Logan art scene, recently had to move out of its longtime location.

“It’s easy to get caught up with the glitz and the glamour,” Herrera says. “It distracts you from what is happening beneath that. I’ve seen some of the older businesses that have been there since I was a kid shut down because of how popular the area is.”

Barrio Logan has become trendier, he says, and Chicano culture become more

popular. This has led “Chicano” being used to signify culture rather than identity. For Herrera, it is tied to being a child of Mexican parents.

Identity can be complicated for people who are Chicano because they live in two worlds. Herrera has had his Mexican identity called into question, especially when he has visited Mexico.

“When I go to Mexico, even Tijuana, people down there don’t consider me Mexican. Once I make it known I was born in San Diego, they’ll either call you ‘American,’ or sometimes they call you ‘gringo,’” Herrera says.

He says for him and other Chicanos, it is important to maintain a link to Mexican culture.

“We have pride in the

roots. We try to display that and celebrate it and share it with the world,” Herrera says.

With “Mirame,” he hopes to bring a present-day view of Chicano culture in the San Diego area by including different spaces and people in his work. He also wants to share its history.

Showcasing different fashions within the Chicano community is a part of this. Viewers can expect to see a variety of looks, from Pendletons to today’s fashions.

“There’s just a diversity in what people look like now, in terms of what they wear,” Herrera says. “While that is part of life down there now, everyone is still connected to the Chicano culture, which is Mexicans who are born in America.”

Herrera has photographed and inter32 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

viewed people of different ages and backgrounds, including those with different political viewpoints as himself. He says it is important to capture the diversity of Chicano people and culture.

Some of his photos show Chicano people who are pro-Trump. These images have brought out feelings of discomfort and confusion in some viewers, but he feels he needs to include them.

“I think it is important for this to be shared as well because that person is also a Chicano. That person has the same roots as I do. I thought it was important to just show who we all—emphasis on the ‘all’—are today,” Herrera says.

Through his work, Herrera hopes to educate others on the history of spaces such as Chicano Park. Part of doing this is sharing stories from people of older generations.

“I’m just trying to consider everyone in my Chicano community,” he says.

“That area is possible because of the people who fought. Like with the park, for example. That park is there because people fought for that to be there. Some of the people are still around. It is important to keep them involved.”

With “Mirame,” Herrera is trying to expand into new art forms, as he is new to documentary filmmaking and sculpting.

Herrera has documented Chicano culture over a career of 10 years as a professional photographer.

Growing up, he was a musician, playing instruments such as the guitar and the drums. Now, his passion lies in the visual arts.

From his early days as a photographer, he has focused on everyday moments that color the human experience.

“I think that’s what a lot of people enjoy about my style and aesthetic, is that it brings out more of a nostalgic feeling for them, a simpler moment in life that they can reflect on and is a good memory for them,” Herrera says.

See

ARTIST on page 33 @SDCITYBEAT

NEIGHBORHOODS | BARRIO LOGAN

ARTIST

from page 32 His work has taken him to different types of events, including car shows, club nights and political rallies.

He conceived the project while photographing the La Vuelta Car Cruise, a summerwide event where car enthusiasts cruise their Lowriders down Logan Avenue.

He says getting out to events such as La Vuelta really has helped him to feel more a part of the Chicano community.

“That’s one thing I love about this project. It’s helping me to get out there and know who my people are, engage with that community and be a better human,” Herrera says.

The project has not come without some obstacles. He had one business owner back out of an interview, and another business, which he planned to fea@SDCITYBEAT

ture in the project, recently closed down.

This project comes at an important time in Herrera’s career.

The emerging artist has started to gained traction in his career over the last seven months. He was one of five artists awarded a Medium Photo Focus Scholarship, which came with the opportunity to show his work on the Open Portfolio Walk.

Herrera self-published his third zine, which is also entitled “Mirame.” The publication, which is inspired by his project, also features images of San Diego’s Chicano culture.

In October, he will have his first solo show at Balboa Park’s Centro Cultural de La Raza. He hopes to show different parts of his “Mirame” project within this exhibition.

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 33

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@SDCITYBEAT

ARTS

Art Events Calendar

P.T. Barnum and John Ringling, Vargas ran away with the circus. This production keeps patrons in awe for two unforgettable hours with acrobats, daredevils and flying trapeze. Arrive 30 minutes early for an entertaining, interactive preshow celebration.

Circus Vargas, 272 E. Via Rancho Parkway, Escondido, 1.877.468.3861, circusvargas.com, times vary, $17-$72.

Randy Montgomery >> San Diego CityBeat Illusions Theatre & Bar

FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYS

Illusions Theatre & Bar provides an amazing journey with a magical entry, escape room, strolling magicians, ambiance, a specially prepared three-course meal including a decadent dessert followed by a spectacular parlor magic performance on stage. Guests are encouraged to stay after the main show to see additional strolling magic at their tables. The entire experience lasts between two and a half and three and a half hours depending on guests’ arrival time.

Illusions Theatre & Bar, 827 Fourth Avenue, Gaslamp, 619.738.8350, illusionstheatre.com, times vary, $119-$150.

The Art of Flamenco & Spanish Cuisine

SATURDAYS

Spend an evening at Café Sevilla, where guests will be treated to a Spanish and gypsy flamenco dance performance and a three-course meal amidst an atmosphere of European elegance and Mediterranean spirit. Marvel at the passion, beauty and athleticism of the traditional art form as guests enjoy an included three-course dinner featuring an award-winning paella valnciana. A tapas menu, full bar, wine list and other menu upgrades are also available for à la carte purchase. Arrive 30 minutes prior to showtime.

Café Sevilla, 353 Fifth Avenue, Gaslamp, 619.233.5979, cafesevilla.com, 7 p.m., tickets start at $65.

“House of Joy”

TO MARCH 29

Allison Adam Tucker’s 10th annual “Women in Jazz”

MARCH 31 Sutton Foster

This production looks at this with a new perspective. The story follows a baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King’s Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give milk. When the baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a witch’s curse, the two set off on a journey to break it.

Ocean Beach Playhouse and Theatre Company, 4944 Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach, 619.795.9305, obtheatrecompany.com, times vary, $32-$49.

An Evening with Sutton Foster

MARCH 21

Two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster’s triumphant sold-out run at New York’s famed Cafe Carlyle comes to San Diego.

The award-winning actor, singer and dancer has performed in almost a dozen Broadway shows and originated roles in other productions. Her rich and joyous vocals will be on display in this cabaret performance featuring Broadway and pop music favorites. The San Diego Symphony Orchestra does not appear as part of this performance. Presented by San Diego Symphony.

“Into the Woods: Sondheim’s Fairytale Musical”

TO APRIL 5

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“Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical”

MARCH 26 TO APRIL 12

The animated Disney features comes to life with an unforgettable theatrical experience filled with sensational special effects and powerhouse performances.

It’s a timeless tale of a family pulled apart by a mysterious secret. While one sister struggles to find her voice and harness her powers within, the other embarks on an epic journey to bring her family together through the redemptive power of love.

San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue, Downtown, 619.570.1100, broadwaysd.com, times vary, tickets start at $30.50.

“Mr. V’s Big Top Dream”

MARCH 27 TO APRIL 6

Circus Vargas’ 2020 production is a tribute to the man himself, the late Clifford E. Vargas. Following in the footsteps of

“The Office! A Musical Parody”

APRIL 8 AND APRIL 9

It’s a typical morning at Scranton’s third-largest paper company until, for no logical reason, a documentary crew begins filming the lives of the employees of Dunder Mifflin. Laugh along with the unauthorized parody of the hit TV show “The Office.” This hilarious new musical lovingly pokes fun at everyone’s favorite coworkers. Your favorite moments from all nine seasons will be mashed up into one “typical” day. Presented by Broadway San Diego.

Balboa Theatre, 868 Fourth Avenue, Gaslamp, 619.570.1100, broadwaysd. com, 7:30 p.m., tickets start at $35.50.

“Bollywood Boulevard”

APRIL 15

Set in the 17th century, “House of Joy” introduces patrons to Hamida, one of the elite female bodyguards in the emperor’s imperial harem. Inspired by the epic legends of Indian history, this swashbuckling action-adventure romance centers around strong women who battle each other as well as a world threatening to enter their sacred space. Presented by San Diego Rep. Lyceum Space, 79 Horton Plaza, Gaslamp, 619.544.1000, sdrep.org, times vary, tickets start at $22.

Popular storybook characters are brought together for a timeless-yet-relevant piece.

Jacobs Music Center’s Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B Street, Downtown, 619.235.0804, sandiegosymphony.org, 8 p.m., $20-$79.

International recording artist and multilingual vocalist Allison Adams Tucker’s 10th annual show celebrates the feminine side of jazz. Tucker brings together a swinging band of talented jazz women featuring trombonist April West, pianist Melonie Grinnell, bassist Jodie Hill, drummer Carmen Murray and percussionist Monette Marino.

Martinis Above 4th Table and Stage, 3940 Fourth Avenue, Hillcrest, 619.400.4500, ma4sd.com, 8 p.m., reserved seating is $25, plus $20 minimum food and beverage purchase.

«Bollywood Boulevard»

Get ready for an exuberant stage show keeping Bollywood alive. The vibrancy, emotion and heart-pounding beat of Hindi cinema comes to the stage with dance, live music, storytelling and stunning visuals, while creating a nonstop journey through more than 100 years of Bollywood. Moving from the era of black-and-white films to today, the music, costumes, choreography and artwork reflect the essence of each time period.

California Center for the Arts, Concert Hall, 340 N. Escondido Boulevard, Escondido, 1.800.988.4253, artcenter. org, 7:30 p.m., $25-$65.

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ARTS

Shooting for the Stars Jazzman Alexander Anderson wants what’s best for his fans Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> San Diego CityBeat

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lexander Anderson has a simple goal with his music: Follow your dreams.

The Oceanside native is doing just that.

On March 3, Anderson released his seventh album, appropriately dubbed “Oceanside.” It’s the Berklee College of Music alumni’s seventh as a band leader.

“I want listeners to maximize their potential,” Anderson says. “I want them to look within, look inside themselves and see what they’re searching for. That’s the idea behind the album. It’s a concept album. It’s all tied in together from first song to last song.”

“Oceanside” is Anderson’s continued effort to bring together his jazz/classical and hip-hop/R&B influences.

“I really want to share with the audience this music,” he says. “I’m not working with a team of writers and engineers. This

is really something that comes from the heart.”

Anderson was born in Oceanside but raised in San Diego.

He started playing the clarinet when he was in the third grade and followed that with the piano. He learned to read music and was schooled on theory but didn’t realize all of that could be bundled into an occupation.

“When I was in high school, I was recording my own songs, writing lyrics, and recording music with guitar, bass and drums, pianos/ keyboards on a small two-track recorder and mixing it all.

He moved to Los Angeles in 2017 after studying jazz composition at Berklee.

“I’m still a student, in terms of my mindset,” Anderson says. “I still study jazz. I didn’t consciously decide to pursue being a musician until I was 16. I’m 26 now and a professional musician. I feel like I’m at the beginning. I think this album represents that exact thing.

“I’ve been very fortunate to play and make money. I teach music. I also tune pianos. I juggle so many occupations in the music industry. It’s where I want to be.

I meet such incredible people there—so many of my idols. I have great people who keep me convinced that I’m on the right path.”

The heroes he’s met include Quincy Jones and Rakim.

“Running into Quincy Jones was amazing,” he says. “He attracts so many amazing people around him. Rakim is a superhero. He’s your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. I talk to him about jazz and how you integrate jazz with hip-hop.

“He played the saxophone. He told me to be fearless in knowing that they’re not two different things. I really look up to those who break free of the boxes.”

He’s also inspired by the late rapper Nipsey Hussle, whom, he says, left such a legacy in Los Angeles, and deceased basketball star Kobe Bryant.

“In my music and the jazz community and the black community, these people

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paved the way. Beyond the topic, they changed humanity,” Anderson says.

“I can only dream of having that type of impact with my music. These are the people I really look up to and aspire to be like.

I soak in everything I can. I know a quite a number of Miles Davis’ sidemen. If you’re really into music, you have to be a historian. You have to know who was playing with who, where the genres come from, who was pioneering those things. Those are the people who really inspire me.”

Anderson is also a third of the way through a screenplay based on “Oceanside.”

“If anyone out there is into doing videography/filmmaking, I would love for them to reach out to me,” he says.

“I need the right team to produce the movie. It’s really an album for the people.

It’s an album I made for myself, my friends and my family.

The plan is to perform in Europe as soon as he can and then return to the States to play.

“I want the audience or the viewer to come up with their own interpretation of my music,” he says. “It’s hard for me to say what I want them to get out of ‘Oceanside’ other than follow your dreams and shoot for the stars.”

Alexander Anderson

alexanderandersonmusic.com. @SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 37

ARTS

Challenging Assumptions Joey Travolta film leads the way in showcasing abilities Bridgette Redman >> San Diego CityBeat

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ifferences can enrich a project, especially when it involves creative storytelling and the technical aspects of bringing it to life.

Joey Travolta has made a career out of bringing opportunities to people who are classified as neurodiverse, whether as a special education teacher or a filmmaker and director.

The founder of Inclusion Films, he recently directed “Carol of the Bells,” a groundbreaking featurelength film where 70% of the cast and crew had neuro-diversities.

The film, which tells the story of a young father whose search for his biological mother brings him to a woman in a group home who has Down syndrome, won an Audience Favorite Feature award at the San Diego International Film Festival last October and was released for sale March 3. It is just the latest door that Travolta has helped to open for those who have often been shut out of the creative process because of the stigma that can surround those who have intellectual or developmental disabilities.

The movie features RJ Mitte from “Breaking Bad” as the young father and Andrea F. Friedman as his mother, Carol.

Friedman has Down syndrome and has appeared in such shows as “Family Guy” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

It also features Geri Jewell, the first actress with cerebral palsy to have a part in a television series, “The Facts of Life.”

Mitte also has cerebral palsy.

The phrase neuro-diverse is used to encompass those who have intellectual and developmental challenges that deviate from the norm. It is intended as a more accurate representation of individuals whose differences do not have to be disabilities if barriers are removed and they are given opportunities to participate in ways that their differences are accommodated.

“Carol of the Bells” was made in partnership with six Inclusion Film studios

across California and in association with Futures Explored Inc. and Options for All. It is a project that had been a long time in the making.

Travolta, who will turn 70 during next year’s San Diego Film Festival, started his career as a special education teacher and went on to be a singer, an actor and a film director, joining six siblings who are in the entertainment business.

“My mother was a drama teacher,” says Travolta, the brother of John Travolta.

“I was always around music and theater and eventually film and television. That’s where that passion came from. Then I started directing movies in 1991.”

He found inspiration for working with neuro-diverse individuals from his father, Salvatore Travolta, a semi-professional football player.

“I learned from an early age that everyone was treated equally and everyone should be treated with respect,” Travolta says. “I credit him for my passion.”

As a director, Travolta began holding camps for neuro-typical students to teach them about filmmaking. Every time he directed a film, he would hold a workshop with 10 to 15 students who would learn from day one about how to break down a script, budget, schedule and work in all different departments. He called it the Entertainment Experience.

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When his daughter Rachel was starting a film festival and asked for his help, he offered to give away some spots in the camp and do some publicity for her.

He wrote a newspaper article that mentioned he was a former special education teacher.

Two parents who had children with autism asked to meet with him, saying they wanted to open the doors to the filmmaking experience to kids with special needs because they were excluded.

Travolta agreed.

Then, in 2003, one of the mothers said her son wanted to submit a film about what it was like to be autistic from an autistic kid’s point of view. Travolta told her to send him the film, but the mother replied there was no film because he didn’t know how to make it. Travolta met with the boy and told him he’d help him make it happen.

“He was this tall, 6-foot-5 young man with crazy, blond, curly hair,” Travolta says. “He was not into what was going on. He was very high functioning, and after talking with him I said I’m going to give you a camera man and an editor and I’ll mentor you. All of a sudden, the thought of him getting to make a film, his whole demeanor changed that this was becoming a reality.”

They made a 10-minute film with the

young man creating all the content for the documentary called “Normal People Scare Me.” They screened it at the film festival and alerted the daily newspaper in Los Angeles, which did a feature story on them.

They expected to have around 50 people show up to the screening. Instead, there were 500. There were people from all around the world and ABC covered it.

“He got a special award,” Travolta says. “You would have thought he was making an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards.”

From there, Travolta began to hold camps for youth and adults with autism in which the making of a 10-minute film was the lesson plan for the two-week course. Everyone is given a theme and they work in groups to create short documentary films around that theme. This year, the themes will be chosen to support the themes of the 2020 San Diego Film Festival—themes such as social justice and the power of perspective. There will be camps leading up to the festival, and Travolta is working with organizers to have an inclusion element to the event.

After several years of running camps, Travolta decided the time was ripe to make a full-length feature film with all his partners. He was on a panel with Gail Williamson, an agent who represents people with disabilities, at the Bentonville Film Festival and told her he was looking for a script that would be easy to make and preferably a story about disabilities.

She sent him “Carol of the Bells” by J.C. Peterson.

“I cried like a baby,” Travolta says. “I called Options for All and said I want to do this show. Here is the plan. Each studio will send two students and a pro. You pay your people. I’ll pay my people. We’ll put some cast together and we’re going to make a film where 70% of the crew has developmental disabilities, which is groundbreaking.”

It was an experience that was transforSee

TRAVOLTA on page 39 @SDCITYBEAT

ARTS

TRAVOLTA

from page 38

mational for many of the participants. In the documentary “The Making of Carol of the Bells,” one woman talked about how much it meant to her to be a part of a project where there were others like her doing the work that she loved.

“On the first day, I was kind of excited, but I was nervous,” she says. “But I was real excited because I got to work with a lot of participants who were kind of like me.”

It was echoed by another woman with Down syndrome who was one of the actors in the show, playing a safety guard and one of the home’s residents.

She was especially thrilled to get to meet Friedman, who had made a career in the industry.

“When I first met Andrea I thought it was so cool, because with me having Down syndrome I love meeting other people who are into acting and also have the same disability,” she says. “So, I remember when I first told her I have Down syndrome, too, and I’m so happy to see you, she lit up, and it’s great seeing someone else light up and saying I have

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this, too, and getting to act with them.”

The film was first screened at the San Diego Film Festival and then had limited release in theaters in California and Florida in December. As of March 3, it will be available for sale for everyone.

The film shows a commitment to casting neuro-diverse actors in all roles, not just in ones that might be stereotypically available to them. While neuro-diverse actors are cast in roles for the members of the group home and the bell choir, they are also cast in other roles playing people who are not neuro-diverse. After all, just as neuro-typical actors can play neuro-diverse characters, this film demonstrates that neuro-diverse actors can play neuro-typical characters.

But beyond showing the participants that there are others like them who are pursuing careers in the entertainment industry, “Carol of the Bells” is designed to encourage other production companies to hire neuro-diverse actors and crew. It is an answer to those who say it can’t be done or that it is too expensive or too much work.

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 39

ARTS

‘In Here, Out There’

Jonny Alexander and Salami Rose Joe Louis come together for event Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> San Diego CityBeat

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orth Park artist Jonny Alexander is dashing between murals for five-story buildings and paintings for his Saturday, March 21, solo show. Slowing down to take a breath, Alexander is able to focus on the exhibition that will meld Salami Rose Joe Louis’ music and the painter’s artwork.

Teaming with Fivespace, Good Faith Gallery will host the event, “In Here, Out There,” which starts at 6 p.m., with Louis hitting the stage at 9 p.m. The show marks Alexander’s first solo exhibition in seven years.

The idea to bring the two together came from Alexander’s friend, Good Faith Gallery co-owner Tony Becker.

“He does a lot of art shows but has music events as well,” Alexander says. “He’s had people come through and play shows and some of those shows are coupled with visual art exhibitions.

“One of his concepts is to pair artists with musicians.”

Becker saw Alexander’s social media post about his love of Louis’ music and the event was born.

“Tony texted me and said he didn’t know I liked Salami Rose Joe Louis,” Alexander recalls.

“He said she was booked to play at the gallery. From that, we started brainstorming and thinking. I met Lindsay Olsen (Louis’ real name) at a small music festival called DIO. I fell in love with her music and we talked about doing a collaboration, with me doing a T-shirt or poster for a tour or something in some capacity to put my art with her music.

Once this opportunity presented itself, it just worked out perfectly.”

Art is a longtime love for Alexander, but it wasn’t always apparent it was going to be a career. When he was 11 in North Park, he became preoccupied with art in the form of graffiti.

“That taught me to have a black book, or a sketchbook,” Alexander says. “I was carrying those around. When I was really young, I thought I would make a living designing skateboards.”

At the same time,

40 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

he was exploring California’s deserts, mountains and coastlines and shed light on the natural environment patterns and the varying forms it takes. His work walks a thin line between existentialism and surrealism.

He left the North Park/Normal Heights area for a number of years for college—he earned a BFA in traditional printmaking— and then moved to Detroit, where he was the head screen printer for an art publisher named 1XRun. In Michigan, he worked with artists from varying countries and disciplines to create hand-pulled screen print editions.

Returning to San Diego two years ago, Alexander has created murals for organizations like North Park Main Street Association, El Cajon Boulevard Business Improvement Association, Luce Bar and

Grill, Home & Away Restaurant, Urban Street Angels, The Jackson North Park and Juneshine.

Although “In Here, Out There” is his first exhibition in seven years, he has shown pieces in San Francisco, Detroit, Los Angeles and Miami.

“I’m painting on wood panels,” Alexander says about the work for the show. “A month ago, I just started cranking paintings, which isn’t really common for me. I usually work much slower.”

As for Louis, she just signed to Brainfeeder Records, which is run

by Flying Lotus. Alexander is creating a new body of work for “In Here, Out There.”

“The plan is to make an immersive art installation that the musician will use as a ‘stage’ for the performance with the rest of the paintings occupying the other walls in the gallery. The whole show is the same color palette,” he says. “It’s going to be great.”

“In Here, Out There” w/Jonny Alexander and Salami Rose Joe Louis 6 p.m. Saturday, March 21 Good Faith Gallery, 566 19th Street $10 donation suggested at the door good-faith.co, jonnyalexander.com

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 41

ARTS

Bringing ‘Dancing’ to the People TV show’s tour offers an up-close look at its pros and celebrities Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> San Diego CityBeat

“D

ancing with the Stars Live” is hitting stages across the nation again, and this time Mirrorball Champion Alan Bersten says it’s his

favorite run.

“This show is definitely our best show yet, with the cohesiveness of the dancers,” says Bersten, who won the trophy with celebrity partner Hannah Brown from “The Bachelorette.” “The show is so well put together. It’s one giant celebration.”

During the two-hour show, based on the ABC-TV competition program, the dancers surprise in the aisle, get sweaty to Top 40 hits and show off their talents.

At the Thursday, March 26, show at Sycuan Casino Resort, the special guests are actor/comedian Kel Mitchell of “Kenan & Kel” and “Motorcity,” as well as Kate Flannery of “The Office.”

Bersten will hit the stage with fellow pros Val Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Lindsay Arnold, Witney Carson, Sasha

Farber, Emma Slater, Gleb Savchenko, Brandon Armstrong, Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach.

The new production will feature every type of ballroom dance, including the cha-cha, foxtrot, salsa and tango. Performing at the live shows and on television is an “honor” for Bersten.

“I think the show evolves every single year,” says Bersten, who adds that the dancers play a lot of ping pong on tour.

“We grow individually each year, just like the show. I think last year was a great experience for everyone. We learned a lot and the fans really appreciate what happened last season.

“We just want to keep making America happy. When we’re on tour, we see three and four generations of families and they love it. They tell us at the meet and greets that every Monday night, they sit down and watch it together. It’s nice to produce wholesome TV for everyone to watch. It’s really inspiring.”

Bersten has been dancing since the age of 7—before he

heard of “Dancing with the Stars.”

“I love dancing so much,” he says.

“When I started dancing, I couldn’t be-

lieve there were people like me. I can’t be any more grateful.

“It’s a dream come true to be part of ‘Dancing.’ I was a pro at 25. Now that I’ve won, it’s been the best experience of my life. Hannah was so hard working and dedicated that we were able to achieve the best outcome possible. We worked together to achieve this goal.”

“Dancing with the Stars—Live Tour 2020” 8 p.m. Thursday, March 26 Sycuan Casino Resort’s Heritage Event Center, 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon $79-$109 619.445.6002, sycuan.com

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DINING

Dining Calendar Randy Montgomery >> San Diego CityBeat

St. Patrick’s Day MARCH 17

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with tasty corned beef and cabbage, shepherd’s pie, Guinness stew or Irish bangers and mash at Stout Public House. The neighborhood Irish pub features all of the favorites and a wide selection of libations to celebrate the holiday.

Stout Public House, 1125 Sixth Avenue, Gaslamp Quarter, 619.702.7933, stoutsd.com, times vary, prices vary.

Butterfly Jungle Preview Dinner MARCH 20 Herringbone Brunch All Week DAILY

Who says Brunch should only be reserved for the weekends? Herringbone’s “Brunch All Week” features a variety of selections including lobster frittata with roasted squash, caramelized onions, crème fraîche, chives and breakfast potatoes. Or, try the Herringbone Benedict with hot smoked salmon, sautéed spinach and bearnaise sauce. Add endless rose to your meal for $25.

Herringbone La Jolla, 7837 Herschel Avenue, La Jolla, 858.459.0221, herringboneeats.com, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., prices vary.

Get a special preview of the Butterfly Jungle before it opens to the public, followed by a delectable four-course, spring-inspired dinner and a presentation by a Safari Park wildlife care specialist. Each spring, Safari Park’s Hidden Jungle is filled with thousands of colorful butterflies. Inside this rainforest greenhouse, guests will see many varieties of butterflies. Watch as they sip nectar from flowers and feeders.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park, 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, 619.718.3000, sdzsafaripark.org, 5 to 7:30 p.m., $69.95.

Lobster Roll & Rose WEDNESDAYS

Herringbone features “fish-meetsfield” California coastal cuisine with an emphasis on line-caught seafood, high-quality meats and locally sourced produce. The cuisine uses marketdriven ingredients and a curated wine selection that allows guests to set sail on a unique dining experience. On Wednesdays, treat yourself to a lobster roll and a glass of rose for only $25.

Herringbone La Jolla, 7837 Herschel Avenue, La Jolla, 858.459.0221, herringboneeats.com, 4 p.m. to close, $25.

Sheerwater Breakfast Buffet SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS

Experience the warm ocean breeze at the Hotel del Coronado’s delightful beachfront restaurant. On weekends enjoy an expansive breakfast buffet.

Sections include a variety of egg dishes, meats, waffles and south of the border favorites. Sheerwater, Hotel del Coronado, 1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado, 619.522.8100, hoteldel.com, 7 to 11 a.m., prices vary. @SDCITYBEAT

“Fly!” Cast Meet and Greet Brunch MARCH 22

The Lodge at Torrey Pines and La Jolla Playhouse are partnering to host a special culinary and musical event celebrating the West Coast premiere of “Fly!” The musical looks at J.M. Barrie’s novel “Peter and Wendy.” Cast members will perform several numbers from the production, while guests enjoy an intimate brunch.

The Lodge at Torrey Pines, 11480 N. Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, 858.453.4420, lodgeattorreypines.com, 10 a.m. to noon, $120.

with a family photo with the Easter Bunny. The Easter brunch will feature regionally inspired dishes, international cuisine and carving stations, a chilled seafood bar, made-to-order mimosas and bloody marys, a colorful Easter dessert bar, and live musical entertainment.

Crown Room, Hotel del Coronado, 1500 Orange Avenue, Coronado, 619.522.8100, hoteldel.com, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., $65-$145.

Easter Brunch APRIL 12

Albert’s Spring Winemakers Dinner MARCH 21

Albert’s Chef Grant Toraason and Executive Chef Carissa Giacalone have created a special four-course gourmet meal to accompany exceptional selections from Hall & Walt Wines. The event begins with a reception with animal ambassadors in the Treetops Banquet Room. Dinner will be served after at Albert’s Restaurant. Must be 21 or older to attend.

Treetops Banquet Room and Albert’s Restaurant, San Diego Zoo, 2920 Zoo Drive, Balboa Park, 619.718.3000, sandiegozoo.org, 6 to 10 p.m., $82.

Grab your friends and family for a delicious and bountiful springtime brunch buffet at the Hunte Nairobi Pavilion.

After guests’ meal, they will explore the 1,800-acre Safari Park, which is home to more than 2,600 animals representing more than 300 species. The park showcases herd-style animals from the plains and savannas of Africa and Asia that normally roam together in the wild. Admission not included.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park, 15500 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, 619.718.3000, sdzsafaripark.org, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., $20.95-$52.95.

Easter Champagne Brunch APRIL 12

Savor the bounty of spring at the champagne Easter brunch in the Crown Room or Ballroom. Then, head out into the spring sunshine for a colorful egg hunt. Capture these moments forever

Gospel Brunch APRIL 12

Celebrate Easter at the House of Blues’ gospel brunch. The experience includes local talent performing traditional and contemporary gospel songs. The buffet features breakfast favorites, carving stations, southern specialties and desserts. Save room for the signature chicken and waffles.

House of Blues San Diego, 1055 Fifth Avenue, Downtown, 619.299.2583, houseofblues.com, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., $49.

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DINING

Simply Sustainable

The Fish Market fetes more than 30 years on San Diego Embarcadero industry turned to capturing swordfish with mile-long nets for efficiency, the bycatch increased substantially. The drop buoy method reduces bycatch while also improving the end quality, since each swordfish can be put on ice within minutes of being caught.

While new dishes and concepts keep the menu dynamic, the core of the concept remains that dedicated fishermen are serving up seafood they feel a connection to.

“We live for the entire experience,” Colton says. “Our founders’ roots are as fishermen and we still have fishermen who work in the restaurant, whether that be a service team member who gets out there with line and reel for fun, or market managers have worked on boats themselves. We ask these questions when we hire, and for great applicants that don’t already have seafood in their blood, we train it. Our training can be six weeks to three months long, depending on the position.

“Our servers learn where our seafood comes from, what makes ours the best and even how to cook it properly. It’s not enough for them to put it on the table. They have to know what the team behind the grill does to make it perfect. Every staff member attends classes where they taste different species and learn to recognize the differences—including hosts and dishwashers. We are a place you can come to get your questions about seafood answered, not just a place that sells seafood.”

Michelle Stansbury >> San Diego CityBeat

I

n November 1989, the first phase of the San Diego Convention Center was completed, and Navy Pier was bustling. The next month, The Fish Market opened its doors nearby on the Embarcadero, starting a 30-year legacy.

The Fish Market’s vice president of operations, Dwight Colton, reflects on those first days.

“When we opened in 1989, San Diego and the Embarcadero were very different than they are today,” Colton says.

“The Navy Pier was still active with supply and refueling ships stationed there. The skyline had only a handful of high-rise buildings and there were no condo towers to be seen.”

Fred Duckett, along with co-founder Bob Wilson, started the restaurant as a hobby, an outlet for Duckett’s love of harpooning California swordfish. They brought on Dean Betts, a fish cook who still prefers not to be called “chef,” and former boat captain John Freis to help manage the operation.

Another original Fish Market employee still with the restaurant is fishmonger Darren Gorski, who cultivates relationships with the fishermen to get the best catch for the restaurant.

“Darren is the heart and soul of our retail seafood operation,” Colton says. “He has had a lifelong connection with fishing, growing up on the Jersey Shore and working charter boats before relocating to San Diego to do more of the same. I like to say that Darren has forgotten more about seafood than I will ever know.”

The Fish Market culinary signature is fresh, sustainable seafood prepared simply. Its original mesquite grilled fish is what made them famous, charcoal burning hot to sear in the flavor and moisture. Shawn Bell, who joined The Fish Market as food and beverage director just over a year ago, is adding new dishes to the beloved classics, introducing menu items such as a yellowfin tuna poke bowl, a panang curry and a scallop succotash entrée.

Upstairs at Top of the Market, Executive Chef Jeremy Loomis elevates the fresh seafood with innovative flavors.

“The pillars of the modern experience Executive Chef Loomis provides are the use of unique, seasonal produce, a scratch approach to preparation and a willingness to utilize a variety of cultural styles,” Colton describes. “For example, he sourced lobster mushrooms for a play on our seafood-forward cuisine with a nonseafood item. He orders the steaks we serve as whole cuts and breaks them down in-house, just like our seafood, to ensure he gets the exact specifications he’s seeking.”

At Top of the Market, try the Wild Skull Island tiger prawns, which he serves with a full-flavored kimchi fried rice, Chinese sausage and a poached egg. Don’t miss the raw bar, showcasing

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their fresh catch like raw oysters and crudos. The tuna crudo combines tender ahi with chili-lime vinaigrette to amplify the flavor and crispy quinoa to add crunch.

The local drop buoy caught swordfish stands out on the entrée menu; the steak of meaty, mild white fish served with fregola pasta. The drop buoy method of catching swordfish is just one example of some of the sustainable practices that The Fish Market likes to encourage. Traditionally, swordfish were individually harpooned, just like Duckett grew up with. But as the

The Fish Market

750 N. Harbor Drive 619.232.3474, thefishmarket.com @SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 47

DINING

Keeping with Tradition The Smoking Goat turns 10 Michelle Stansbury >> San Diego CityBeat

W

hen Fred Piehl purchased the restaurant that he would turn into The Smoking Goat off of Craigslist 10 years ago, the sleepy corner of 30th and Upas was not yet a culinary destination. Now, the French bistro sits across from trendy Underbelly, Influx and the Modern Times Flavordome at the mouth of the 30th Street dining thoroughfare.

While the neighborhood has been transformed, The Smoking Goat has held steadfast in its vision.

“I’m still involved in basically every aspect of the restaurant,” Piehl says.

“Earlier on, I thought I needed to update the menu with every available ingredient at all times, and I was changing the menu weekly. But over time I found guests really wanted to return to something they had eaten before. So, as

I developed as a chef, I have learned to strive for excellence with each dish in the form of consistency.”

While so many San Diego restaurants struggle to stand the test of time, The Smoking Goat has endured because of this persistent approach.

“There have been countless new restaurants that have opened since we did 10 years ago, and we never felt the urge to change what we do to stay relevant in a trendy way,” Piehl says. “We knew that if we focused on what we do well and what people kept ordering again and again, we would solidify our place in the San Diego dining community.”

Sitting in The Goat, as it’s affectionately called, the timeless appeal is pronounced, feeling rustic and elegant.

Around the restaurant, diners are deep in conversation, their hands clutching forks or glasses of wine instead of cellphones. The Goat isn’t just a place you go for an occasion, it’s the restaurant you turn to when you want to make an

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average night a little less mundane. Even the chef ’s counter is an unpretentious, accessible affair. There is no special prixfixe menu at the chef ’s counter, just a glimpse into the kitchen and an opportunity to chat with Piehl, Sous Chef Max Willis and even the line cooks and food runners.

Four specialties from 2010 continue on The Smoking Goat menu. First, there’s a traditionally prepared escargots à la bourguignonne, prepared with a generous scoop of herb butter and served with toasted sourdough. Piehl worked diligently to find the perfect ratio of herbs to butter for the sauce, to create an aromatic accent to the burgundy snails. Their 14-ounce bone-in New York strip is amplified with a red wine bordelaise sauce. As a side, the famous duck fat truffle fries require a multiday process to perfect before being sprinkled with pecorino romano and served with mustard aioli. Finally, on the dessert menu, the namesake goat cheese cheese-

cake brings the tartness of goat cheese to the creamy dessert, topped with a seasonal selection of poached fruit. All four classic dishes have become neighborhood favorites because of their dedication to technique, not novelty.

While the community is raising a glass to the bistro, Piehl will be in the kitchen cooking with the consistency that has helped them succeed this past decade.

Piehl shares, “I have received advice over the years to cater to what I think are fleeting trends, but that never felt right to me. Maybe I am an old soul at heart, but there is beauty in simplicity and familiarity.”

The Smoking Goat

3408 30th Street, North Park 619.955.5295, thesmokinggoatrestaurant.com

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 49

BEER AND WINE

Beer Calendar Randy Montgomery >> San Diego CityBeat

Seven Seas Craft Beer and Food Festival TO MAY 7

Sip and sample your way around the world of international street food traditions, craft beers and wines, and enjoy live musical performances along the way. Waves of flavor will tantalize the taste buds with gourmet offerings created by SeaWorld’s culinary team. Craft beer and wine tasting enthusiasts will love the array of selections available at the festival.

SeaWorld San Diego, 500 SeaWorld Drive, Mission Bay, 619.222.4732, seaworld.com/sandiego, times vary, prices vary.

Hoppy Hour DAILY

Hillcrest Brewing’s Hoppy Hour features its craft beers produced with the finest malts from Rahr Malting Co. Specials include $2 off San Diego HBC craft beer. Also enjoy special pricing on slices of pizza, wings and breadsticks. Drink specials are also available.

“Hoppy Hour” is available seven days a week.

Hillcrest Brewing Company, 1458 University Avenue, Hillcrest, 619.269.4323, hillcrestbrewingcompany.com, 3 to 6 p.m., prices vary.

Societe Brewing, 8262 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Kearny Mesa, 858.598.5409, societebrewing.com, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., free.

Beer & Fondue MARCH 21

Learn the ins and outs of creating award-winning beers, ciders and hard seltzers at The Melting Pot. During this class, guests will learn how to pair world-class craft beers with cheese fondue and assorted charcuterie. The class is held on the third Saturday of every month. The guest brewery for March is Mikkeller. Must be 21 and older to attend.

The Melting Pot, 8980 University Center Lane, La Jolla, 858.638.1700, themeltingpot.com, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., $35.

Industry Mondays MONDAYS

After a long hard weekend working the bar, restaurant and in the brewing industry, fellow brothers and sisters in the industry can enjoy a night off for a drink. Thorn Brewing offers $3.25 pints during Industry Mondays. Bring proof you’re in the industry with a pay stub.

Thorn Brewing Barrio Logan, 1745 National Avenue, Barrio Logan, 619.255.9679, thorn.beer, 4 to 10 p.m., prices vary.

Societe Brewing Public Tours SATURDAYS

Societe Brewing Company is a production brewery named as an homage to beer as the planet’s greatest social uniter. Beer brings people together for centuries. Free public brewery tours are available on Saturday afternoons.

Check in with a bartender, grab a beer and a ticket and enjoy.

and survivors.

Embarcadero Marina Park North, 400 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego Marina, bestcoastbeerfest.com, noon to 4 p.m., prices vary.

Pucks & Pints III MARCH 21

The third annual Pucks & Pints brings together the San Diego Gulls, Stockton Heat, Phil’s BBQ and craft beer. This ice hockey event supports local charities.

Pechanga Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway, 619.255.9679, thorn.beer, 12:30 to 10 p.m., $50.

Hoppy Yoga MARCH 22

Yoga and beer—two ancient traditions with proven health benefits. This alllevels yoga class doesn’t take itself too seriously, but the yoga class will get your blood pumping. Class fee includes your choice of a pint or a flight. BYOMat, no previous yoga or beer experience required. Reserve your spot in advance.

Green Flash Brewing Co., 6550 Mira Mesa Boulevard, Sorrento Valley, 858.622.0085, greenflashbrew.com, 10:30 to 11:45 a.m., $25.

91X Presents the North Park Festival of Beers APRIL 4

Get ready for an afternoon of unlimited beer sampling from more than 40 local craft breweries. The festival is located on El Cajon Boulevard, in front of the historic Lafayette Hotel. This year’s expanded footprint offers live music, arts and crafts, and food. VIP tickets holders get in at noon.

The Lafayette Hotel, Swim Club & Bungalows, 2223 El Cajon Boulevard, North Park, 91x.com, 1 to 4 p.m., $40-$50.

The Brewery Comedy Tour APRIL 14

Find out which Green Flash beer pairs best with hysterical laughter. More than a dozen New York and Los Angeles stand-ups are on the road, sampling the local fare and brews and providing the finest and funniest in comedy entertainment. This stop is set to feature a lineup whose credits include top festivals, TV and major club appearances.

Green Flash Brewing Co., 6550 Mira Mesa Blvd, Sorrento Valley, 858.622.0085, greenflashbrew.com, 7 to 8:30 p.m., $14.

Best Coast Beer Fest MARCH 21

San Diego’s favorite cancer-hating, beer-loving festival brings together more than 100 breweries from across the Best Coast. Nearly 5,000 beer lovers will sip on more than 200 selections.

The beers will be perfectly paired with unbeatable views of San Diego Bay and the downtown skyline. Every ticket sold helps young adult cancer patients

50 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

@SDCITYBEAT

BEER AND WINE

Tip a Few

Bankers Hill celebrates beer and art at its annual festival Vince Meehan >> San Diego CityBeat

T

he Bankers Hill Business Group will host its annual Bankers Hill Art & Craft Beer Festival from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 27.

Jake Sutton, the group’s leading member, is excited about the event.

“The annual Bankers Hill Art & Craft Beer Festival will be held at the historic Abbey in Bankers Hill, which is also the home of Hornblower Cruises and Events, and they’ve been a great partner with a beautiful venue,” Sutton says.

“It will be co-sponsored with the San Diego Brewers Guild, the Metro San Diego Community Development Corp. and the Bankers Hill Business Group to promote and advocate for our Bankers Hill businesses and district.”

The event will serve as a fundraiser for the group and will feature local craft breweries such as Green Flash, Alesmith, Mike Hess, Booze Brothers, Alpine and Pizza Port.

Pizza Port is known as the birthplace of many of San Diego’s premiere brewers who cut their teeth brewing for Pizza Port in their youth. Many have gone on to start their own award-winning breweries.

The event will also feature Bankers Hill eateries such as Cucina Urbana, Barrio Star, Parc Bistro, WetStone Wine Bar, Jimmy Carter’s and The Corner Drafthouse.

The Corner Drafthouse serves as Banker Hill’s unofficial social hub at Fifth and Laurel.

Sutton is gearing up for the fest and has been actively tying together loose ends in the event’s final preparations. He says local artists will be on hand performing live art exhibitions.

“The Urban Art Shop is one of our sponsors,” he says. “They used to be lo@SDCITYBEAT

cated in Bankers Hill and now they’re in City Heights, but they still support us and have a whole line-up of artists who will be there.

“Pilar (Montano), our local artist, is also going to be at the event.”

Bankers Hill is one of the oldest neighborhoods in San Diego, but the business strip along Fifth Avenue has enjoyed a renaissance of new building in the last few years creating a new and vibrant look.

Many multistory residence buildings have sprouted up and feature commercial spaces on the street level in accordance to the community plan.

This is designed to avoid any “dead spaces” in the community and keep the neighborhood pedestrian friendly. Sutton’s group seeks to promote the neighborhood to both potential businesses as well as shoppers. Their mission is to promote and advocate for area businesses and increase awareness of Bankers Hill as a destination neighborhood.

“In 2011 we were founded. We do get a grant from the city of San Diego’s microbusiness improvement district program and that helps us fund our outreach and our website,” Sutton adds.

“So, since 2011, we’ve been promoting and advocating Bankers Hill as a place for businesses to locate. And we’ve had tons of new businesses relocate to Bankers Hill. It’s great to see all the new businesses gravitate here.”

Bankers Hill Art & Craft Beer Festival

6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 27 2825 Fifth Avenue, Bankers Hill $35 bankershillbusinessgroup.com MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 51

BEER AND WINE

Hops N Mosh

Thr3e Punk Ales’ formula blends beer, soccer and music Vince Meehan >> San Diego CityBeat

S

teve Garcia, John Marshall and Kevin Lewis of Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing Co. still possess the free fun-loving spirit they had in their youth in Chula Vista. They love punk rock, soccer and the Mexican lagers they drank. And now they have successfully channeled that love into a brewery that has infused itself into the exclusive Downtown Chula Vista entertainment scene.

They are the three punks. But Garcia says that the punk moniker does not mean they are giving the middle finger to anybody. It’s more of a DIY attitude they possess in creating their signature beers.

“Lately, I feel that you’re forced to try to brew a specific style of beer that everyone else is doing. You know, ‘Oh… try this hazy IPA,’” Garcia says.

“So, if anything, if we’re going to be considered punk in any way, it’s just like, ‘Nah, we’re cool. We’re not going to brew that. We don’t feel like we should brew that.’”

He shies away from brewing the hip and trendy beers found in most breweries.

This is his way of “keeping it real” by sticking to the things he knew and loved growing up in the South Bay. “We brew lagers. We brew a lot of lagers because that’s pretty much what our demographic is going to migrate to,” Garcia says.

“In the South Bay, we grew up drinking Pacifico, Tecates, Coronas. That was our beer. So, opening up here, we knew the demographic would be more in tune with

The “three punks,” from left, are Steve Garcia, John Marshall and Kevin Lewis.

drinking those styles of beer.”

And his patrons love the Mexican lagers. They order it more than any IPA or sour beer. And that’s the way Garcia likes it.

“You know what? That was always our plan: to have a legit Mexican lager. That was around the time that the ‘wave’ hit and everybody’s making a Mexican lager.

It’s a cornerstone of the brewery for us. It’s our core beer. It outsells everything, hands down. So, it moves. It’s one of those beers that we just keep brewing.”

The moniker is a nod to Marshall and Garcia’s stints in local punk bands as students at Bonita High School.

“Yeah, it’s so punk, we went to Bonita High School—you know, the east side of Chula Vista,” Garcia quips.

Their downstairs office now houses a few of their old Fender amps and microphones and booms. So, does this

52 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

mean they are getting the band back together?

“We grew up playing punk music together and you never know, once we clean them off, we might start playing again,” Marshall says.

Thr3e Punk Ales features live punk bands on the weekends, which has attracted well-known names along the way.

“John’s favorite band is Unwritten Law, and his favorite musician is Scott Russo, so we tracked him down and had him come in and play,” Garcia says.

“He did an acoustic show with a drummer and that was cool. We still keep in touch with him. He’s a fan of the brewery.

We’re obviously fans of his. We grew up listening to him. And the idea of Thr3e Punks Ale was that. It was about the punk music that we grew up listening to. Our mural on the wall is an homage to the bands that we grew up listening to and what we still enjoy listening to today. It’s a nice mix of Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Pennywise and Strung Out. So, it’s old school, with more of that whiny bro style of punk that was around when we were playing.”

Garcia says they’re successful because they’re locals and therefore come off as genuine. He adds that a lot of people want to “fake the funk” by coming from elsewhere and opening a business in Chula Vista. But he says Chula Vistans are savvy as well as loyal and can smell a rat from a mile away. They can also tell if people are genuine or if they’re just here to make a quick buck.

“We’re from here. Our patrons know we’re from here, so in turn they’re loyal

to us. And there’s no need to be loyal to a brewery. You know if you can get a beer here, you can get a beer anywhere. So, I feel like what people are loyal to is that fact that we are from here and we’re genuine,” Garcia adds.

Being genuine also means having your finger on the pulse of the community and knowing what their passions are. Sundays are a popular day downtown and Garcia sees people hitting up the shops, eateries and breweries. He features a Sunday event that has proven popular with the local crowd.

“Sundays with Glasses!” Garcia blurts out. “Chris Glasses is one of our lead beertenders at the brewery, and he has Micheladas and he offers our sour beer with Chamoy and Tajín rims. People love it. They come down specifically for that.”

Garcia loves the local neighborhood vibe of the Third Street District and has sensed a resurgent pride among the locals here.

“Down here, I feel like the patrons gravitate toward that,” he says.

“Especially on the weekends, on Sundays, when we’re here. We just see the people ping-ponging back and forth up and down the block. This is their area. People take pride in being from Chula Vista.

“You know what else is cool? It’s kind of weird, but everybody is starting to get the Chula Vista tattoo, (Chula Vista city seal) so you’ll start seeing a lot of people come in and they have their Chula Vista tattoo.

We have a lot of Chula Vista natives come in and show us their ink.”

That neighborhood pride feeds Garcia’s passion for doing what he loves.

“The brewery is almost like a neighborhood living room where people come to enjoy the beer and music, plus gather for the big soccer games,” he says.

The goal was to essentially put beer, punk music and soccer in a blender and spew a brewery and tasting room, Garcia adds. It didn’t take long for patrons to realize Thr3e Punk Ales is killer. The room shows “football” matches and incredible music.

“Those three components dictate our path,” he adds.

Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing Co.

259 Third Avenue, Downtown Chula Vista 619.271.4853, 3punkales.com @SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 53

SPORTS

Sports Calendar Haley Smilow >> San Diego CityBeat

San Diego Sockers vs. Ontario Fury MARCH 22

In the final game of the season, the San Diego Sockers will take off against the Ontario Fury at home. Besides watching the match, it will also be fan appreciation night, so be sure to arrive at the arena early. Fans will receive free T-shirts. The last three times they faced each other, the Sockers had the upper hand over the Fury. If the Fury wants to stop San Diego, the team will have to stop lead goal scorer Kraig Chiles and make sure to finish clinically when in front of the net.

Pechanga Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway, 760.795.0017, sdsockers.com, 5:05 p.m., tickets start at $15.

San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies MARCH 26

It’s that time again! Baseball returns to

San Diego with the Colorado Rockies visiting the Padres on Opening Day. Guests will receive a baseball hat presented by Sycuan Casino Resort.

Petco Park, 100 Park Boulevard, San Diego, mlb.com/padres, 1:10 p.m., visit website for ticket information.

San Diego Gulls vs. Bakersfield Condors MARCH 27

For the final home game of March, the San Diego Gulls face off against the Bakersfield Condors. The Gulls are sitting points above the Condors in the table, so it should be an easy game for the Gulls to win. For the Condors, this game will be a chance at redemption, but to win they are going have to stop lead goal scorer and assister for the Gulls, center Sam Carrick.

Pechanga Arena, 3500 Sports Arena Boulevard, Midway, sandiegogulls.com, 7 p.m., tickets start at $18.

San Diego Aztecs Baseball vs. Fresno State MARCH 29

The San Diego Aztecs and Fresno State

will face off for a nonconference game.

The first 250 fans who enter the stadium will be given a clear SDSU Tote Bag. The game will be a good preview for later in the season when Fresno and the Aztecs face each other in conference play. Outfielder Jaden Fein should be the standout player for the Aztecs, as he has been hitting well.

Tony Gwynn Stadium, Plaza Deportes, 619. 283.SDSU, goaztecs.com/sports/ baseball, 2 p.m., tickets start at $6.

San Diego Aztecs Water Polo vs. Cal Baptist APRIL 1

In a late Golden Coast Conference matchup, the San Diego Aztecs take on Cal Baptist in the pool that could determine who makes it to the Golden Coast Championship. The Aztecs have looked strong in the Golden Coast Conference, but they are at just about .500 when it comes to the overall season. Karli Canale, the team’s big goal scorer, will look to have a standout game to lead her team to victory.

Aztec Aquaplex, 5375 Remington Road, 619.283.SDSU, goaztecs.com/sports/ womens-water-polo.com, 4 p.m., free admission.

Tour De Cure Walk / Run APRIL 4

An opportunity to fight against diabetes once again returns to San Diego on April 4. Bring the whole family for a day of inspiring and powerful stories and to raise money going toward finding a cure for diabetes. The American Diabetes Association has made sure the event is accessible to everyone.

De Anza Cove, 3000 N. Mission Bay Drive, San Diego, 619.234.9897, diabetes.org, 5 a.m., main activities start at 11 a.m., races start times depend on the race, registration $30.

San Diego Legion vs. Houston SaberCats APRIL 5

For the first game in April, the San Diego Legion takes on the Houston SaberCats at home. The match is the first time the two teams will duke it out this season. It will be a chance for the Legion to see the SaberCats’ new talent like Jake Christmann (Scrum-Half), Nicolas Solveyra (Prop) and Diego Fortuny (Hooker). Last season, San Diego defeated the SaberCats 17-13 at home.

Torero Stadium, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, 619.260.7550, sdlegion.com, 2 p.m., tickets start at $22.

54 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

Women’s Softball San Diego State Aztecs vs. Boise State APRIL 11

A late-season dual sees the San Diego State Aztecs take on the Boise State Broncos for a game that can determine the outcome of the Mountain West Conference.

The series is the only time the Aztecs take on the Broncos this season, so this game will be a chance for the Aztecs to see the Broncos’ 2020 draft class.

SDSU Softball Stadium, Plaza Deportes, San Diego, 619.283.7378, goaztecs.com/sports/softball, noon, visit website for ticket information.

San Diego Padres vs. Colorado Rockies APRIL 15

The Rockies return to Petco on Jackie Robinson Day. As the two teams are divisional rivals, this game could shape part of the NL West. This series should be a fun one to watch as the teams will have each other’s numbers by this time. Guests will receive Padres-themed African American Heritage Night hats in honor of Jackie Robinson and all the players will wear No. 42.

Petco Park, 100 Park Boulevard, 619.795.5555, mlb.com/padres, 7:10 p.m., tickets start at $16. @SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 55

56 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

CONCERTS Sara Harmatz >> San Diego CityBeat MARCH 17 St. Patrick’s Day Brewers Ball Belly Up Tavern, 7:30 p.m., $10-$18 The Downs Family The Casbah, 9 p.m., $8-$10 Berthold City Ché Café Collective, 7 p.m., $10 Marc E. Bassy Music Box, 7:30 p.m., $25 Negativland Soda Bar, 9 p.m., $20 MARCH 18 Iron Sage Wood Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $20-$75 John Corabi Brick by Brick, 8 p.m., $14-$18 Le Chateau The Casbah, 8:30 p.m., $5 Sepultura House of Blues, 6:30 p.m., $25-$65 The Great Love Debate Music Box, 8 p.m., $22 Grace Potter Observatory North Park, 8 p.m., $40-$43.50 André Rieu & His Strauss Orchestra Pechanga Arena, 8 p.m., $74-$144 Jehlad Akin Soda Bar, 9 p.m., $10 MARCH 19 Paul Thorn Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $20-$35 The Mattson 2 The Casbah, 9 p.m., $20-$22 Louis XIV Music Box, 8 p.m., $15 Austin Lucas, Adam Faucett Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $10 AJJ Soma, 8 p.m., $22.50-$27.50 Today is the Day Space, 9 p.m., $20-$22 MARCH 20 Pine Mountain Logs Belly Up Tavern, 9 p.m., $22-$39 Marco Mendoza Brick by Brick, 8 p.m., $15-$20 Joe Wood The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $10 Elohim House of Blues, 8 p.m., $20-$60 Alice Insane Music Box, 8 p.m., $10 Off With Their Heads Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $16-$18 MARCH 21 Tommy Castro and the Painkillers Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $24-$42 Scilence Brick by Brick, 7:30 p.m., $12-$15 Algiers The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $12 Shock Therapy Ché Café Collective, 7 p.m., $6-$8 La Pobreska House of Blues, 7:30 p.m., $10 RJD2 Music Box, 9:30 p.m. $25-$45 @SDCITYBEAT

Ten Bulls Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $10 Bobby Oroza Soma, 7 p.m., $12 MARCH 22 Bella Lux Dance Crew Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $20$140 Presto Ballet Brick by Brick, 8 p.m., $10-$15 Shane Hall The Casbah, 9 p.m., $6 Allie X House of Blues, 8 p.m., $25 The PettyBreakers Music Box, 8 p.m., $19-$39 Mayhem Observatory North Park, 7 p.m., $28.50 MARCH 23 YOB Brick by Brick, 8:15 p.m., $18-$22 Shing02 & the Chee-Hoos The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $22-$25 The Sickstring Outlaws House of Blues, 7 p.m., free MARCH 24 Galactic Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $35-$62 Jade Novah House of Blues - Voodoo Room, 8 p.m., $20-$75 Horse Jumper of Love Soda Bar, 9 p.m., $12 MARCH 25 The Samples Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $22-$39 The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Brick by Brick, 8 p.m., $18-$22 TOMM¥ €A$H The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $15-$18 Luh Kel House of Blues, 8 p.m., $15 Flipturn Soda Bar, 9 p.m., $12 MARCH 26 Whitney Shay Belly Up Tavern, 7:30 p.m., $18-$32 Jon Snodgrass, Stacey Dee & Jennie Cotterill The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $10-$12 Dan Luke & the Raid House of Blues, 8 p.m., $12 Hex Cougar Music Box, 9 p.m., $22 Adam Green Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $15-$17 The Art Is Murder Soma, 6:30 p.m., $22.50-$24.50 MARCH 27 Mustache Harbor Belly Up Tavern, 9 p.m., $17-$30 Charger Brick by Brick, 8 p.m., $12-$16 Jesse Barnett House of Blues - Voodoo Room, 8 p.m., $12-$14 Sofia Niño de Rivera The Magnolia, 8 p.m., $45-$165

JEFF The Brotherhood Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $15

Squirrel Nut Zippers Music Box, 9 p.m., $35-$55 Bear Hands Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $18-$20 MARCH 28 Common Sense Belly Up Tavern, 8:30 p.m., $25-$30 The Iron Maidens Brick by Brick, 7:30 p.m., $22-$25 Beach Slang The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $15-$18 Juice House of Blues - Voodoo Room, 8 p.m., $17-$20 Amy Grant The Magnolia, 8 p.m., $30-$225 Mark Farina Music Box, 9:30 p.m., $22 The Warning Soda Bar, 9 p.m., $15 MARCH 29 Point Break Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $22-$39 Nap Eyes The Casbah, 9 p.m., $12-$14 The Sickstring Outlaws House of Blues, 7 p.m., free The Highwayman Music Box, 7 p.m., $24-$56 Corb Lund Soda Bar, 9 p.m., $12 MARCH 30 The Three Tremors Brick by Brick, 7:30 p.m., $20 The Lover The Liar The Casbah, 9 p.m., $6 Peter Kim Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $10 MARCH 31 Porches Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $20-$35 Céline Dion Pechanga Arena, 7:30 p.m., $69.50$250 Missy Alcazar Soda Bar, 8:30 p.m., $20 APRIL 1 White Denim Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $18-$32 Michale Graves Brick by Brick, 6:30 p.m., $14-$18 Face to Face Brick by Brick, 9 p.m., $30 The Talbott Brothers The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $12-$14 Tyler Farr House of Blues, 8 p.m., $30-$75 Best Coast Observatory North Park, 8 p.m., $25

APRIL 2 Yonder Mountain String Band Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $33-$58 Insomnium Brick by Brick, 8:30 p.m., $24-$60 Deep Sea Thunder Beast The Casbah, 9 p.m., $7 Flangr Ché Café Collective, 5:30 p.m., $6-8 Built to Spill Music Box, 8 p.m., $32 Sage Francis Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $18-$20 APRIL 3 Spafford Belly Up Tavern, 9 p.m., $20-$79 Origin Brick by Brick, 7:30 p.m., $20-$25 Post Animal The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $16-$18 Boyscott Ché Café Collective, 7 p.m., $7-$10 Vundabar House of Blues - Voodoo Room, 8 p.m., $16-$18 Pears Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $12-$15 The Districts Music Box, 9 p.m., $20-$40 Coin Observatory North Park, 8 p.m., $25-$75 APRIL 4 Beatles vs. Stones Belly Up Tavern, 9 p.m., $21-$37 Baby Bushka The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $15-$20 Ripe House of Blues, 8 p.m., $18 The B-Side Players Music Box, 8 p.m., $18-$50 Fleshgod Apocalypse Observatory North Park, 8 p.m., $25 The Mauskovic Dance Band Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $13 Hockey Dad Soma, 8 p.m., $19.50-$22.50 APRIL 5 Tennis Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $20-$35 Baby Bushka The Casbah, 8:30 p.m., $15-$20 Ratboys Ché Café Collective, 7:30 p.m., $12 Torres House of Blues - Voodoo Room, 8 p.m., $15-$18 Ally Brooke House of Blues, 8 p.m., $29.50-$90 Dread Mar 1 Music Box, 8 p.m., $46 Allen Stone Observatory North Park, 7 p.m., $125 Satsang

Soda Bar, 8 p.m., $15 Aventura Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, 8 p.m., $59.50-$500 The Underground Youth Whistle Stop, 9:30 p.m., $13-$15 APRIL 6 HAPA Belly Up Tavern, 7:30 p.m., $25-$44 The Third Mind The Casbah, 8:30 p.m., $25 Delta Sleep Soda Bar, 7:30 p.m., $15 APRIL 7 Hot Country Knights House of Blues, 7 p.m., $19.99$104.99 APRIL 8 Kut U Up Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $20-$35 Neighbors Helping Neighbors Benefit Show Music Box, 8 p.m., $20 Crywank, Chastity Soda Bar, 9 p.m., $15 APRIL 9 Seun Kuti & Egypt 80 Belly Up Tavern, 8 p.m., $25-$44 Dan Rodriguez The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $15 Bacilos House of Blues, 8 p.m., $42.50-$80 Boostive Music Box, 7 p.m., $10 Cofresi Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $12 Cody Lovaas, Black Pool Soma, 7:30 p.m., $17.50-$20.50 APRIL 10 The Reverend Horton Heat Belly Up Tavern, 9 p.m., $25-$44 Pro-Pain Brick by Brick, 8:30 p.m., $18-$22 The Adolescents The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $20 Eric D’alessandro House of Blues, 7:30 p.m., $25 Queen Nation Music Box, 9 p.m., $22-$42 Yeek Soma, 8 p.m., $22.50 APRIL 11 The Mother Hips w/Marc Ford Belly Up Tavern, 9 p.m., $20-$35 Atrophy Brick by Brick, 8 p.m., $15-$20 The Blaster The Casbah, 8:30 p.m., $22-$25 Tech N9ne House of Blues, 8 p.m., $35-$65 OLLIE House of Blues - Voodoo Room, 8

See

CONCERTS on page 60

MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 57

MUSIC

Looking Back on Her Career

Joan Osborne gives a taste of eclectic music in Escondido Laura Latzko >> San Diego CityBeat

T

hroughout her career, Joan Osborne has built a devoted and diverse base of fans by delving into different genres with her music. She has performed Motown, blues, soul, country, rock and pop music on stages around the world.

During her Friday, April 3, show at the California Center for the Arts, Osborne will give audiences a taste of music from throughout her career.

The Weepies, an indie pop-folk duo made up of wife-and-husband team Deb Talan and Steve Tannen, will also perform at the show.

Best known for the song “One of Us,” Osborne has been touring and performing for more than 20 years. She says playing different genres makes music-making interesting for her.

“If you have a show where every song sounds the same, it gets boring to play that.

It’s nice to have this variety of things to draw from,” Osborne says. “I’ve been so lucky to be welcomed into these different musical worlds, from the Motown world to the country music world to rock and blues.”

She started out her career doing blues music at open mic nights, singing covers of songs by artists such as Etta James, B.B. King, Tina Turner or Otis Redding.

“They were my idols, and they still are because of that expressive singing and that way of looking at the world, of acknowledging a struggle and transforming it by turning it into music,” Osborne says.

Osborne has gone on tour with the Motown group the Funk Brothers and the country band the Dixie Chicks and has collaborated with the Holmes Brothers, Phil Lesh and Friends, Vivian Campbell, The Waybacks and Cheap Trick.

For her most recent album, “Songs of Bob Dylan,” she reworked Bob Dylan pieces to fit her style and voice. She still plays some of these songs in her sets.

“They’re really great songs, and I feel like especially in this moment, they’re speaking to a lot of what’s going on in the world,” Osborne says.

She is working on a new album, which she plans to release later this year but is previewing during her live shows.

Osborne says the new album hearkens back to the 1970s, with rock and soul sounds reminiscent of the Spinners and roots rock sounds similar to the Rolling

overwhelmed by that,” she says. “One of the things that music can do is give you your energy back and give you this sense of possibility and optimism and just keep you connected to that joy of being alive.”

Osborne plays her live shows with two musicians she has been working with for a number of years, guitar player Jack Petruzzelli and keyboardist Keith Cotton.

With her recent work on Bob Dylan songs, Osborne noticed an evolution within herself, especially with her Joan Osborne plays music from throughguitar playing. out her career during live shows.

“I am playing a (Photo by Jeff Fasano) little bit more guitar on stage. I think Stones. The guitar melodies are inspired by it definitely helps me in the songwriting process, to just have the guitar in my hands groups such as the Allman Brothers. more often. Feeling more comfortable with For the new album, Osborne that enabled me to write more. The songs experimented with synthesizer and that are on this new record, I’ve pretty much keyboard sounds in a way she hasn’t with written them all with guitar, and that’s been past albums. really freeing,” Osborne says.

One of the new songs, entitled “Hands She says reworking and performing Bob Off,” looks at corruption by powerful Dylan songs also helped her to grow as a people. She has been dedicating it to songwriter.

Harvey Weinstein. Throughout her career, “I think you can’t help but learn Osborne has been interested in issues such something about songwriting if you are as women’s rights, something that she has living and breathing these Bob Dylan songs explored in her music. Although politics every day,” Osborne says. “I’m never going aren’t the focus of her music, Osborne does to sound like Bob Dylan. I’m never going to perform songs about the topic. She says be Bob Dylan, but in that process of trying for her as an artist, it is important to delve to emulate what’s great about his songs, I’m into these bigger societal issues through her finding my own way to bring that quality to music. my own writing.”

“It’s been a really challenging few years, Osborne often revisits music from earlier just in the world and in our country. I’ve in her career, from albums such as “Relish,” really needed my music as a place to express “Bring It on Home” and “Pretty Little the things that I’m thinking and feeling, Stranger.” She and her band have kept these put my voice out there and add to the songs fresh by rearranging them to fit with conversation as an artist,” Osborne says. the group’s sound.

Although she delves into heavier “We’re doing this trio format, so it’s a topics, she wants her new songs to uplift more intimate format. In a way, that gives her listeners. This includes “Whole Wide the song a lot more space to breathe, just World,” which encourages listeners to have a the bones of the song. We can’t do the positive attitude even during hard times. arrangement exactly like it was on the “It can feel like we’re living in a very record, so that gives us an opportunity to chaotic time. I think it’s easy to feel

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reinvent the song,” Osborne says.

Throughout her career, Osborne has built an audience of different ages and backgrounds, including mothers sharing her music with their daughters and young people discovering her songs online.

After shows, she often meets with and signs autographs for fans. She hears stories about how songs such as “One of Us” have changed fans’ outlooks in life.

“There are people who come in who grew up in very strict fundamentalist religious households. They come and tell me that hearing the song ‘One of Us’ opened up an idea of how to be faithful and how to be a spiritual person that was different than the more restrictive (environment) they were brought up in,” Osborne says.

Her music has been part of fans’ lives in different ways. One man listened to her song “One of Us” while on the top of Mount Everest. Another family played her music through their mother’s cancer treatments.

“It’s been wonderful to get a face-toface conversation with people who this music has meant something in their lives.

For an artist, that’s a great feeling, to know something that you’ve been involved in doing has meant something to somebody,” Osborne says.

Touring throughout her career has meant that Osborne has had to be away from her family. This has been the hardest part of her work, especially when she has missed moments in her daughter’s life.

Her daughter is in her teens now.

Osborne says moments with her are even more precious.

“That makes it even harder to be away because you know that you have this limited time left to be with her and to have her at home. I want to be around for that, so it makes it harder to go away and be on tour,” Osborne says.

She plans to continue to tour because she still enjoys performing for others, especially with her current trio.

“We really do love it,” Osborne says.

“We don’t get tired of hanging out together, strangely enough.”

Joan Osborne and The Weepies

7:30 p.m. Friday April 3 California Center for the Arts, 240 N. Escondido Boulevard, Escondido $25-$55 760.839.4138, artcenter.org @SDCITYBEAT

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 59

MUSIC

Going Solo Marc Ford is happy doing his own thing Christina Fuoco-Karasinski >> San Diego CityBeat

A

fter a decade as The Black Crowes’ lead guitarist, Marc Ford is happy to be on his own.

He’s teamed with Eric Lindell for West Coast Reunion, a new project that blends California country, blues and soul. He has a new publishing deal and he’s producing Red Shahan’s record “Fuzz Machine.”

On Saturday, April 11, he’ll open for The Mother Hips at Belly Up. “This is very exciting,” Ford says. “It’s wide open. There’s a lot of possibilities. It feels good after putting so much effort into one area. It’s nice to have these other venues—producing, gigging and writing. It keeps things interesting.”

Ford became interested in guitars in elementary school in Cerritos, when he saw his teacher playing during recess.

“I hung around, watching him and I kind of dug it,” Ford says. “My grandmother then got me a guitar at a swap meet. From then on, I loved it.

This is all I wanted to do.”

Ford began his career in Los Angeles in the 1980s with his group Burning Tree, which showed off his guitar virtuosity and songwriting. In 1991, he joined The Black Crowes, for whom he recorded and toured on “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion,” “Amorica” and “Three Snakes and One Charm.” He rejoined The Black Crowes in 2005 for two-album set “The Lost Crowes.”

His solo career has been just as fruitful. Ford has a handful of albums under his belt as well as an NAACP

CONCERTS

award for his work on the Ben Harper and Blind Boys of Alabama album “There Will Be a Light.”

A prolific producer, Ford has also performed and recorded with Izzy Stradlin, Gov’t Mule, The Jayhawks, The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, Federale, Widespread Panic, Blue Floyd, Booker T. Jones, Ivan

Neville and Heartbreaker Mike Campbell.

Ford says he never goes out looking for bands to play with or to produce. They find him.

“I tend to just come across them through mutual contacts, or I happen to hear or see somebody,” he says. “I have to understand what the artist is trying to do. If I get a sense or what they want and the feel of the thing and I feel I can add something, I get involved.”

Ford is excited about his project with Americana singer-songwriter Lindell.

“I thought we’d give it a try and do some shows together and that’s looking promising,” he says. “We hadn’t seen each other in quite a few years. We started moving forward, without any plans or any knowledge of what it’s going to sound like. We spent the last weekend together and everything went

really well.

“We did one song Saturday morning, just to see what would happen. It’s a cool, mellower vibe that we came up with.”

Ford doesn’t find it easy to write, especially on the road. So he needs sessions like these.

“I find that most of my real writing—because it’s a chore for me to concentrate on something and settle down—has to be a crisis situation,” he says.

“Sometimes it has to bubble up so much that I need to sort it out or get it out. I have to be pressured to concentrate, I guess.”

Although he’s doing the solo thing right now, Ford admits being a sideman isn’t all that bad.

“I dig being a sideman, too,” he says.

“I get to where I need to do the other thing to keep things fresh. It becomes too rote. Then I don’t do anybody any service, just standing there playing, and I don’t want to be there.

“I’m excited to play behind other folks. I like to play with anybody I can learn from, really. That’s the whole thing about being a musician. It’s never-ending. I love finding new people who have something fresh to share.

Those things move me.”

The Mother Hips w/Marc Ford

9 p.m. Saturday, April 11 Belly Up, 143 S. Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach $20-$23 858.481.8140, bellyup.com

from page 57

p.m., $12-$14 The Monkees The Magnolia, 8 p.m., $50.75$325.75 Gondwana Music Box, 9 p.m., $32-$52 Slow Crush Soda Bar, 6 p.m., $12 Jungle Fire Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $14 APRIL 12 The Cybertronic Spree Brick by Brick, 8 p.m., $18-$22

Monophonics The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $20-$22 Hex Ché Café Collective, 7 p.m., $5 meth.

Soda Bar, 8:30 p.m., $10 APRIL 13 Pup The Casbah, 9 p.m., $25 Heart Bones Soda Bar, 9 p.m., $15 Pearl Jam Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl, 7:30

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p.m., $1,5000 APRIL 14 Oso Oso House of Blues, 7 p.m., $18 TESLA The Magnolia, 8 p.m., $55-$195 APRIL 15 Sleaford Mods The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $20-$22 (Sandy) Alex G Soma, 8 p.m., $18-$22

APRIL 16 Arlo Guthrie Belly Up Tavern, 7:30 p.m., $67$118 Carnifex Brick by Brick, 6:30 p.m., $26-$30 Fontaines D.C. The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $20 Amor Prohibido House of Blues, 8 p.m., Citizen House of Blues - Voodoo Room, 8 p.m., $21 Little Brother

Music Box, 8:30 p.m., $25 APRIL 17 Super Diamond Belly Up Tavern, 9 p.m., $23-$41 Doro Brick by Brick, 7:30 p.m., $22-$26 Soft Kill The Casbah, 9:30 p.m., $13-$15 Paul Oakenfold Music Box, 10 p.m., $29-$52 The Lagoons Soda Bar, 9:30 p.m., $12

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 61

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@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

Postmodern Depression Marc E. Bassy talks personal struggles in L.A. Taylor O’Connor >> San Diego CityBeat

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or R&B artist Marc E. Bassy, things seem to be falling into place. Thanks to the release of his latest album “PMD,” shows on his first headlining tour are selling out.

“I am really excited to perform,” Bassy says. “This is my first headline tour with a solid production, in terms of lights, stage design and merch.”

The jaunt comes to Music Box on Tuesday, March 17. Tickets are still available.

“I want my fans to feel inspired and have fun,” Bassy says.

Otherwise known as Marc Griffin, Bassy was born and raised in San Francisco and worked his way up through the industry by working with artists like Kehlani, YG, Ty Dolla $ign, Charlie Puth and Hailee Steinfeld.

Bassy caught people’s attention with his platinum single with G-Eazy, “You & Me,” which garnered more than 300 million streams on Spotify. Through his two albums—“Gossip Columns” in 2017 and “PMD” in 2019—the artist found his sound and continues to explore it within his own record label: New Gold Medal.

Success wasn’t handed to him, though. “PMD”—short for postmodern depression—covers the struggle and pressure of fame and hustle in Los Angeles.

“I’ve been living in L.A. since I was 18, that’s 10-plus years,” he says. “There’s a lot of depression in L.A.—really everywhere, But in L.A. there’s a lot of pressure on people— pressure to be connected, to be social, to be popular, almost like middle school or high school.

“As an adult that constrains you and holds you back from being who you actually are, and not being authentic to yourself can make anyone depressed.”

He adds it’s easy to get sucked into the rut of trying to please people, especially in an industry that banks on being noticed.

Bassy isn’t depressed any longer. He focuses more on personal growth in music than pleasing others.

“I just realized I have a good life, my friends and I just make music,” he says. “I’m trying to be balanced.”

It’s still easy for him to get down on himself. @SDCITYBEAT

“I get upset because we work really hard, and I’m in L.A. struggling and comparing myself to others,” Bassy says. “I forget this tour is selling out mostly. My last headline tour we did 200 people. Despite ourselves, we continue to grow and our fans keep sticking with us.”

That says something. Bassy has explored genres and fans have remained loyal.

“We take them in all sorts of directions musically. We put out ‘Till I Get Found’ as a single, a straight Eurodance song, and we put out a reggae single in the beginning. If I were a fan of myself, I’d be like, ‘I love Bassy, but I don’t know what this guy is doing.’ They still stick with me so I’m grateful for that.”

This time around, Bassy leans toward rap and hip-hop, but there’s still evidence of the funky R&B his fans are used to.

Now, he considers himself a stronger, more wellrounded artist.

“You could play this back to back with Drake, Kendrick (Lamar) and Taylor Swift,” Bassy says.

“My music is loud and it slaps now. My songwriting has always been good, but my old stuff I never paid attention to mixing or mastering.”

To further explore, Bassy released a deluxe version of “PMD” on January 31, featuring four bonus tracks.

“I had other ideas for songs we hadn’t finished,” he explains. “My label and I wanted to give the fans a chance to go back and relisten to the album. Those songs were made with ‘PMD,’ but are almost like B-sides.”

His standout songs from the album are “Nascar,” “Aquemini,” “Same As” and “Where We’re From.”

“They’re really personal,” Bassy says.

“There’s no filler lyrics in any of those songs.

You couldn’t hear those stories anywhere else. I’m telling my personal, true-life stories.

It’s not about what anyone else thinks.”

Down the road, “I want to do this tour, I want to get better at singing and I want to maintain a positive lifestyle on the road, which is difficult. Then when I come back, I want to make an album that’s worthy of a Grammy.”

Marc E. Bassy

7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 Music Box, 1337 India Street, Little Italy, $25 619.795.1337, musicboxsd.com MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 63

MUSIC

A Sense of Community

Tzimani is carrying the torch of classic rock Alex Distefano >> San Diego CityBeat

T

he heavy metal act Tzimani loves being from San Diego.

Drummer Sebastian Vazquez and his brother, guitarist/ vocalist Eddie, enjoy the camaraderie—no matter the genre.

“There’s a pretty big music scene here,” Sebastian says. “There’s a lot to go around.

There are a lot of live bands downtown who play covers or corporate rock or electronic.

“The metal scene is also diverse.

You can find all sorts of metal—lots of thrash, black metal, death metal. A lot of it is good. It’s united in the sense of community.”

Returning home to play the Merrow on Thursday, March 26, the Vazquez brothers bring back a traditional heavy metal/hard rock sound of the early ’80s, with a modern flair and heightened sense of energy. Think a continuation of Judas

Priest, Dio and Mötley Crüe.

“We grew up listening to old school

64 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

forms of heavy metal,” Sebastian says. “Dio is something we spun a lot when we were kids. It was a more mainstream form of heavy metal.

“We were introduced to metal through stuff like Iron Maiden, Megadeth and Metallica. Then we also listened to what was on the radio, like System of a Down.

When we were kids, we’d all go to the one computer at our friend’s house and look up ‘heavy metal bands 1980.’ We fell through the rabbit hole that way.”

Tzimani honed its skills young, at the age of 9 or 10.

“We started at the Boys and Girls Club,” Sebastian says about the Greater San Diego/National City branch. “By the time we were 16 or 17, we were covering Iron Maiden for fun. But we didn’t start an actual band until our early 20s. It was then that we decided to work on making our own music with Tzimani.”

Despite being a duo, with no bass player, the live setup sounds thick and powerful.

“When we play, it’s just the two of us on stage, so the dynamic is different,” Sebastian says. “We run bass tracks live, and if we’re not super tight you can hear it.”

Sebastian says they’re open to finding a bass player, but so far the journey has been tough.

“We’re looking for the right guy,” he says. “It’s somewhat difficult to find a steady person. But we’re not going to sit around and wait for someone. We’re just

going to go with the two-man approach.”

Tzimani is promoting a 2018 self-titled EP that is being reissued. Fans can find a new digital format of the album through Bonita Steel Records, and a vinyl release on Diabolic Might Records in Europe.

“The head of Diabolic Might Records heard our EP we put out two years ago and liked it,” Sebastian says. “The owner wanted to put it out for distribution, but the EP only had five songs. They wanted us to produce extras to round it out to a full length.”

The songs include covers of “Night People” by Dio and “Doctor Rockter” by W.A.S.P., as well as Tzimani’s 2017 demo.

Tzimani will play those songs on tour when it starts at the Merrow and ends on April 27 at Pasadena’s Olde Town Pub. “We are going across North America this time, and getting some East Coast spots crossing into Canada,” Sebastian says. “We’re playing the Hyperspace Festival in Vancouver, Canada, and Blades of Steel Festival in Wisconsin. It should be so much fun. We can’t wait to get on the road.”

Tzimani

8 p.m. Thursday, March 26 The Merrow, 1271 University Avenue, Hillcrest Call for ticket information 619.299.7372, themerrow.com @SDCITYBEAT

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 65

CANNABIS

CannaBeat Cannabinoids can help with everyday ailments Jackie Bryant >> San Diego CityBeat

O

ne undeniable benefit of cannabis legalization— whether recreational, medical or both—is the chance to discover additional cannabinoids beyond THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).

A cannabinoid is a chemical compound secreted by the cannabis flower. The science is still murky, thanks to a lack of medical research as a result of prohibition, but there are at least 100 different cannabinoids in the cannabis plant—and possibly even more. Once ingested,

these chemicals interact with receptors in the body to alter neurotransmitter release in the brain. Cannabinoids regulate communication between cells, which provides mental and physical effects like pain reduction, intoxication and nausea and anxiety relief, to mention just a few. They also bind to receptors, producing different effects depending on the ingestion method and where on the body they bind.

The two most well-known are THC, which is responsible for making people feel high, and CBD, which is said to be used for anxiety and pain management, among many other things.

66 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · MARCH 2020

Here are a handful of other cannabinoids, many of which are appearing in products in the mainstream cannabis market, and what they may be useful for.

CBG: A personal favorite of mine because I suffer from gastrointestinal health problems, CBG, or cannabigerol, has shown promise in studies with mice for treating irritable bowel disease, Huntington’s disease and colorectal cancer, among other things. It also has antibacterial properties, particularly against MRSA. I like to use Extract Labs’ Full Spectrum 1.

Delta-8: Different from its chemical near-neighbor THC by just a few chemical bonds,

Delta-8-THC can also produce a serious body high, though with less intensity than regular old THC. I keep a package of Delta-8 Protab on hand.

THC-A: Another near cousin to THC but with no intoxicating effects, THC-A is the compound found in the raw cannabis plant, before decarboxylation (the heating process that converts THC-A to THC, among other things). It is said to be useful for combating nausea and appetite loss, anti-inflammatory applications and pain relief, and also acts as a neuro-protective agent. I am a huge fan of Papa & Barkley’s THC-A Living Tincture, which is a solventless,

whole-plant concentrate made with the highest safety standards and best quality bud.

CBN: CBN, or cannabinol, is also non-intoxicating. It’s created when THC, which forms in the plant as a result of the decarboxylation process, ages.

It is said to stimulate appetite, which can be good for people with health conditions that may hinder eating, like cancer.

It is also said to be a neuroprotectant, is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory and may be able to alleviate symptoms of glaucoma. It can also make one sleepy—Atlas makes a nice nighttime tea infused with CBN and CBD.

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MARCH 2020 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 67

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