San Diego CityBeat • Nov 14, 2018

2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR

Good news, bad news

W

e should be worried.

And, yet, here we are, satiated by the fact that Democrats won the House. Don’t get me wrong, many of the best case scenarios played out both locally as well as nationally when it came to legislative races. But, wow, some races really did not play out well. And no, I’m not just talking about Beto.

Look, I’m not trying to be a Debbie Downer here.

Progressives and Dems should be proud of all the hard work they put in to flip seats. Organizations like Indivisible, especially in the North County districts, brought some much-needed attention to entrenched incumbents who needed to get bounced from their seats (Darrell Issa, for example, left his seat back in January knowing full well which way the political winds were blowing).

However, while local pundits and Twitter know-italls are spinning the midterms any number of ways, seems to me that just as there are silver linings in the races Dems lost, there’s an element of uncertainty in the ones that were won. So which do you want first?

The good news or the bad news?

he chooses not to, another Republican with a lot less baggage than Hunter will be elected to replace him.

The bad news?

Duncan Hunter won. Mic drop.

Still, there was a surprise winner next door in the 49th District where…

Mike Levin

Democrat Mike Levin won a House seat that Darrell Issa held for 20 years.

The good news?

As Matt Strabone pointed out on his (shameless plug alert) excellent podcast, Show in Progress, Levin is the most progressive of all five of San Diego’s representatives in the House.

The bad news?

Ammar Campa-Najjar

Duncan Hunter reelected in the 50th congressional district.

The good news?

Really, there is none. Just more bad news. Dems may grasp at straws in that Hunter’s opponent, Ammar Campa-Najjar, only lost by eight points. There are no long straws here. Not only did the 50th elect someone who is likely to be convicted of any number of the 60 federal indictments against him, but there are no rules that state that he can’t serve out his term from prison. No, really, he could actually do that. If

Levin is the most progressive of all five of San Diego’s representatives in the House.

We love it and we love him, but if he’s true to the messages of his campaign, he will be a huge Republican target in 2020. As departing Rep. Issa pointed out a few days before the election—much to the chagrin of his chosen successor Diane Harkey—this seat was all but lost for the Republicans this year. However, this is still a purplish district and the portions that fell within Orange County voted mostly for Harkey.

It’s not inconceivable to think that a stronger GOP candidate, someone like Supervisor Kristin Gaspar (more on her later) could very well give Levin a run for his money in 2020.

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 This issue of CityBeat just grabbed the mic from our intern.

Volume 17 • Issue 13 EDITOR Seth Combs WEB EDITOR Ryan Bradford ART DIRECTOR Carolyn Ramos STAFF WRITER Andrea Lopez-Villafaña COLUMNISTS Aaryn Belfer, Ryan Bradford, Edwin Decker, John R. Lamb, Rhonda “Ro” Moore CONTRIBUTORS Christin Bailey, Torrey Bailey, Jackie Bryant, David L. Coddon, Beth Demmon, Ombretta Di Dio, Julia Dixon Evans

HUMAN RESOURCES Andrea Baker

CONTRIBUTORS (CONT’D) Michael A. Gardiner, Glenn Heath Jr., Lizz Huerta, Tigist Layne, Jonathan Mandel, Lara McCaffrey, Scott McDonald, Jim Ruland, Ben Salmon, Ian Ward

VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS David Comden

EDITORIAL INTERNS Sara Harmatz

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Steven Persitza

PRODUCTION MANAGER Tristan Whitehouse MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Paulina Porter-Tapia SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Jason Noble ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Richard Diaz ACCOUNTING Perla Castillo, Linda Lam, Yiyang Wang

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES Interested in advertising?

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

The advertising deadline is 5 p.m. every Friday for the following week’s issue.

EDITORIAL AND ADVERTISING OFFICE 3047 University Ave. Suite 202 San Diego, CA 92104 Phone: 619-281-7526 Fax: 619-281-5273 sdcitybeat.com

San Diego CityBeat is published and distributed every Wednesday by Southland Publishing Inc., free of charge but limited to one per reader. Reproduction of any material in this or any other issue is prohibited without written permission from the publisher and the author. Contents copyright 2018.

@SDCITYBEAT

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3

UP FRONT | LETTERS

THANKS I wanted to let you know, rather belatedly, how helpful I found your Voter Guides [Oct. 10], both for the primaries and the midterms. Your concise reviews enabled me to focus on the key issues—and major bonus points for managing to find some humor in the analyses!

Thank you.

Jane Moores

PROGRESSIVISM? In response to Sarah’s bit of hate directed at “gentleman’s clubs” [“No Place for Gentlemen,” Letters, Nov. 7], and her statement that she “thought CityBeat was progressive”—the very nature of progressive, liberal thought and philosophy is equal rights for everyone. Freedom and liberty for all. Live and let live. Everyone gets to make their own decisions like big boys and girls. Her brand of progressivism is the same brand that tries to shout down speech she doesn’t agree with, and demands apologies every time a comedian says something that offends her.

If she doesn’t want to attend a strip club she doesn’t have to. But trying to discourage anyone else is her trying to dictate how everyone should live. I applaud CityBeat for knowing better.

Michael Donovan Talmadge

TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 A Side-Eye of Sanity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sordid Tales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

FOOD & DRINK World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

THINGS TO DO The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

ARTS & CULTURE Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Feature: Undocuqueer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Seen Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18-19

MUSIC Feature: Guitar sales. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Notes From The Smoking Patio. . . . 22 The Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-26

IN THE BACK Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . 25 CannaBeat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

WE WANT FEEDBACK Did you read a story in San Diego CityBeat that made your blood boil, or caused you to laugh so hard you pulled a stomach muscle? If something inspires you to send us your two cents we welcome all letters that respond to news stories, opinion pieces or reviews that have run in these pages. We don’t accept unsolicited op-ed letters.

Email letters to editor Seth Combs at seth.combs@sdcitybeat. com, or mail to 3047 University Ave., Suite 202, San Diego, CA 92104. For letters to be considered for publication you must include your first and last name and the part of town where you reside.

Note: All comments left on stories at sdcitybeat.com will also be considered for publication.

4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

ON THE

COVER

ANDREA LOPEZ-VILLAFAÑA

Beto Soto This week’s cover is by Beto Soto who will be holding his first photography exhibition at MOPA opening Nov. 27 through Dec. 3 (see page 16 for more).

Soto is sharing the stories of seven individuals caught between two identities: Undocumented and LGBTQ. This piece shows Maria G. with her parents in the backyard of their San Diego home. The photo is one of the many pieces that highlight the #Undocuqueer movement.

“I feel like I’m bringing that hashtag here in San Diego so people can get involved with it,” Soto says, “to have a safe space. Something to connect to.”

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5

UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 The repeal of the gas tax failed.

The good news?

Even if they have to pay more at the pump, Californians and San Diegans will have to worry less about the suspension in their cars falling out after hitting a massive pothole because there wasn’t enough money to fund muchneeded infrastructure repairs.

Sean Elo squeaks out victory in S.D. Community College District.

The good news?

Name recognition isn’t everything. Despite running against an opponent with a lot more notoriety (Councilmember David Alvarez), Elo won the trustee seat by barely a point.

Nathan Fletcher trounced Bonnie Dumanis to win District 4 seat.

The bad news?

The political dunce behind Proposition 6, Carl DeMaio, says he’s not done. After KUSI called it for the nays, DeMaio was practically foaming at the mouth, blaming the state legislature for changing the title of the initiative (“Gas Tax Repeal” vs. “Eliminates Certain Road Repair and Transportation Funding.”), which is basically like a conspiratorial way of saying that his supporters can’t read well. He went on to say that “we are not going away… we’re not forgiving or forgetting,” before adding that he’ll try again in 2020 while also trying to repeal gas tax-supporting state senators. So, great, we all have that to look forward to.

Board of Supervisors (District 1) in 2020. And while Alvarez would still have a fighting chance in a district that encompasses the entire South Bay, other progressives may see him as vulnerable and challenge him in the primaries. With a Supervisors seat this important, the last thing Dems want is a bunch of infighting. And speaking of important Board of Supervisors seats…

The good news?

Sean Elo The bad news?

While we endorsed Sean Elo in this race, Alzarez’s defeat is a little bittersweet. As Voice of San Diego first pointed out in October, Alvarez couldn’t even secure his own party’s endorsement for the Community College race and this may be a sign that he’s fallen out of favor with the local Democratic party. That’s dispiriting news considering Alvarez has already said he intends to run for the County

The currently all-white, all-Republican Board of Supervisors will finally get a much-needed voice of dissent.

The bad news?

It’s a five-member board and with Republican Jim Desmond predictably winning the District 5 race, Fletcher will have little power to change his fellow Supervisors’ abysmal policies when it comes to funding the County’s mental health, homeless and foster care services. It’s possible he could sway Greg Cox and maybe even Dianne Jacob from time to time, but definitely not Desmond or Trump superfan Kristin Gaspar. The

to issues like legalized cannabis, but is just as NIMBY-ish when it comes to short-term vacation rentals and new housing in the district. So it’s not inconceivable that Campbell may not be as blue as blue voters hope she’ll be.

Speaking of housing…

Nathan Fletcher best we can all hope for is someone worthy steps up to challenge Gaspar in 2020, but as the U-T’s Logan Jenkins deftly pointed out, the board’s “stolid conservative bent could easily survive the 2018 election and well beyond.” That is, unless locals wake up to just how important the board is in their day-to-day lives.

Oh, and the Dumanis loss also pretty much guarantees she’ll try to run for another political office, possibly the city council or even mayor again (she [in]famously ran in 2012). Cool beans. As for the city council…

Californians really don’t want rent control. San Diegans really don’t want it.

The good news?

None really. Rents will continue to rise in San Diego and the homeless crisis will continue to get worse while new downtown units will sit vacant.

The bad news?

Plenty. Californians (by a 61 to 39 percent majority) and especially San Diegans (63 to 36) rejected Proposition 10, a measure that would have done away with an outdated statewide rent control law from 1995 that was signed into law by a Republican governor. If it had been approved, Prop 10 would have let cities and towns decide for themselves what works best for them. Instead, voters bought into the propaganda and deceptive rhetoric from the multi-million dollar campaigns funded by realtor and landlord organizations. What’s more, local relief is not on the agenda for the mayor or the city council so any remedies will likely have to come from Sacramento.

Finally, some good news…

Monica Montgomery

Dr. Jennifer Campbell upset Lorie Zapf in District 2.

The good news?

With Campbell’s win in District 2, Dems now hold a 6-3 “supermajority” on the city council, which means they could overrule a mayoral veto. With sometimes centrist Myrtle Cole out in District 4—and solidly progressive Monica Montgomery in—this veto-proof majority could come in handy.

The bad news?

Defeated Republican councilmember Lorie Zapf was unpopular in her district, but as Voice of San Diego recently pointed out, Campbell isn’t all that different from Zapf on the issues. She may be more progressive when it comes

6 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

That creep Kreep is gone.

The good news?

Despite a decisive win in the primary, the ultra-conservative, Obama-birther, openly sexist Gary Kreep lost his bid for reelection to the Superior Court bench to Matt Brower.

The bad news?

Look, we could point out that Kreep will likely get back to what he does best: spreading conservative conspiracy theories and filing frivolous lawsuits on behalf of anti-immigration clients, but why go out on a sad note. San Diegans proved they could pay attention to an important down-the-ballot race where the two candidates weren’t household names. And that’s good news, indeed.

—Seth Combs

Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | VOICES

RHONDA “RO” MOORE

A SIDE-EYE OF

SANITY

Freethinking isn’t free with an uninformed mind

A

long with millions of others, I recently watched Kanye West rant about how slavery “sound[ed] like a choice” live on TMZ (pretty sure his mama rolled over in her grave). He also advocated to repeal the 13th Amendment (not even dealing with this dumbassery), and publicly aligned himself with the current occupant of the White House. He proclaimed himself a free-thinker while also accusing Black people of being plantation-minded and mentally enslaved if they didn’t support his MAGA propositions (yes, I approach that slogan like it’s a virulent manifesto).

West then not-so-quickly sought to distance himself—without withdrawing his statements—from politics after getting swept up in an (anti-) Black conservative movement. West turned to Twitter claiming he felt like he was being used to spread messages he doesn’t believe in.

No, this column isn’t about the West’s espoused politics. It’s about what he relies on to defend his position: free thought.

But before I dive into that, a quick side note: “Blexit” is not a thing in the Black community. We have every intention of staying in the land our ancestors bled and died for. People should expect us to continue to demand respect, equal justice and an end to institutions and practices that perpetuate white supremacy. Conservative commentator and Blexit-pusher Candace Owens is a bigoted shyster running for head-overseer of the plantation state that far too many white people want to restart.

Sorry, it had to be said. OK, so let’s discuss freethinking.

Free thought is the philosophical viewpoint that positions related to truth are based on logic, reason, and empirical evidence rather than blind adherence to authority, tradition, dogma or ideological revelations. At least, that’s what free thought used to mean. Now it’s less a guiding philosophy and more a catchphrase thrown out to cover up for being uninformed and/or full of shit.

Generally, those who fancy themselves freethinkers simply mean that they form opinions and make judgments based solely on their personal perception of the world or their store of knowledge. They form these opinions and judgments no matter how skewed the logic by rejecting outside influence—particularly from those with any authority on the matter. Most pride themselves on being nonconformist and thrive on the fallout that accompanies voicing a controversial opinion. It’s not that they can’t hear contradictory facts; it’s that they don’t care about them. These freethinkers live in an echo chamber of one.

I grew up in a household where it was commonplace to hear “look it up,” when I questioned a reference or asked what something meant. My parents should’ve just engraved “you don’t have to be in class to read a book” over the doors of our home. If I bitched about my job as a nanny or in the drive-thru of a fast

food restaurant, I heard, “go to college so you can get a different kind of job” every time. If I couldn’t explain my reasoning behind any opinion, then I couldn’t hold it up as a rational truth. Objective facts could be discussed, but weren’t up for debate. I was free to think what I pleased, but I damn well better be able to back it up in fact-based, deductive and declarative sentences. Citations were expected, as my mama don’t play.

Currently, 28.7 million people follow Kanye West on Twitter. He gained most of those (one can assume) through his music, lyrical content, and/or previous unapologetic willingness to call out the powerful for the gross neglect of Black people at large. But his recent behavior makes it clear that “college drop-out” refers to more than the title of his breakout debut album.

The version of freethinking West subscribes to is rooted in willful ignorance and a disdain toward the educated. Despite speaking eloquently about police brutality and lack of opportunity for Black people in his lyrics, West deliberately takes a hypocritical political position and blindly defends it to prove he’s different from most Black people without investigating why they believe as they do. That’s not freethinking. That’s being arbitrary and capricious.

West is also enamored with achieved power regardless of the cost. For him, winning the White House when people said it was impossible is reason enough to embrace the winner regardless of how he did it or what he intends to do once in power. So, yes, it’s dangerous that West acts as though endorsing a man leaning into hate speech and anti-Black rhetoric is inconsequential simply because he says so. It’s even more of a concern that West has little interest in reasoning his way to understanding.

West proudly exhibits a serious lack of knowledge about historically significant events or even objective facts. He often struggles to articulate a rational basis for his opinions. He blatantly rejects information that fails to support the conclusion he wants to draw. On more than one occasion, he has disparaged friends offering neutral (non-political) information sources to him. He becomes belligerent when he’s asked to become informed before speaking out.

Sound like anyone else we know?

I’m not just bashing someone with an unpopular opinion or disdain for a minority (in the Black community) point of view. Kanye West can’t critically think his way out of a paper bag, but that’s only a problem because he’s just a high-profile example of this mindset. In the end, I’m really confused why so many people proudly stay ill-informed? When did educating oneself become some kind of liberal trap?

Ignorance is not bliss if it means we get hoodwinked.

In the end, I’m really confused why so many people proudly stay ill-informed?

When did educating oneself become some kind of liberal trap?

@SDCITYBEAT

A Side-Eye of Sanity appears every two weeks.

Follow Ro Moore on Twitter at @BookBlerd.

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7

UP FRONT | OPINION

EDWIN DECKER

SORDID

TALES

Dribble up and shoot off at the mouth

I

finally got a chance to watch the first episode of LeBron James’ new Showtime docuseries, Shut up and Dribble, and it was everything I hoped it would be.

The title, as some may already know, is a verbatim reference to what Fox News’ Laura Ingraham told LeBron in response to some negative remarks he made about President Trump. Her comment, which many deemed racist, disgusted me at the time. This idea that celebrities should “shut up” about political and cultural issues has reached new heights and Ingraham’s diatribe was among the worst I’ve heard.

However, I will say that I don’t believe her remarks were racist, as Ingraham had apparently used the, “Shut up and ______” line for white celebrities as well.

She told Robert De Niro to “shut up and act” after DeNiro said “fuck Trump” at the Tonys. She advised Jimmy Kimmel to “shut up and make us laugh” after knocking the president on his show. So probably not racist, but definitely ignorant, hypocritical and self-unaware.

“It’s always unwise,” she said, “to seek political advice from someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball.”

First, he makes $33 million.

Second, he wasn’t giving advice, but rather simply expressing an opinion. Third, LeBron doesn’t get paid said millions to bounce a basketball. He is paid to bounce it, pass it, block it, fly with it, protect it, dunk it and shoot it better than nearly everyone that has ever existed. LeBron James’ skills manufacture wins which manifest into hundreds of millions of dollars spreading across the pocketbooks of everyone around him including the hot dog vendor. A feat, by the way, that can only be accomplished by committing endless hours of training. To diminish this contribution as child-like ball-bouncing, is as ignorant as it is insulting.

“Oh, LeBron and Kevin,” she continued, “you’re great players but no one voted for you… so shut up and dribble.”

Well nobody voted for Laura Ingraham, either, so maybe she should shut up and wiggle and be blonde, which, as we all know, is what Fox mostly cares about when it comes to the women anchors it hires.

And what does voting have to do with anything? Is she telling only celebrities to shut up? Or is she telling anyone who is not elected—regular citizens and such—to keep their political opinions to themselves?

Like, if dad starts popping off about health care at Thanksgiving, are we supposed to say, “Shut up and carve the turkey, Pops”?

Either way, it doesn’t matter. Celebrities are regular citizens. The only difference between dad and LeBron is the size of their audiences. My god, people! This is what makes democracies superior! Everyone gets a voice. By way of ballot and by way of tongue! The more people that engage, and the more opinions that

are expressed and heard, the better off we all are.

Of course, it’s not just Ingraham. There are many examples of celebrities being told to shut up about politics, mostly by conservatives, and often on Fox News. The hypocrisy is glaring. Because there is no shortage of outspoken conservative celebs to which Ingraham and/or Fox News have given platforms: Jon Voight, Curt Schilling, Scott Baio, Suzanne Somers, Clint Eastwood. And yet, none of those Fox anchors ever tell that buffalo-buggerer Ted Nugent to “shut up and shred!” Nobody told Chuck Norris to “muzzle it and roundhouse!” Nobody told Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson to “be quiet and quack!”

Even more hypocritical is when celebrities tell other celebrities to gag their guacamole holes. For instance, Mark Wahlberg told Us Weekly that Hollywood stars shouldn’t discuss politics because most of them “live in a bubble.” This is true, yes, but bubblers are people too! More importantly, Mark, commenting on who should or shouldn’t talk about politics is talking about politics!

That said, I have nothing against celebs who choose to keep their opinions to themselves. Maybe they want to play it safe; maybe they don’t have strong political views; or maybe they just feel like it’s something their fans wouldn’t appreciate.

As Reba McEntire told Joy Behar of The View, people don’t “pay their hard earned money” to hear her political opinions on stage. That’s fine. I respect that approach. Christ knows I lost count with the amount of times I was at a concert where the singer started waxing political and I thought, “Oh gawd, just start the damn song!”

But that is different than what LeBron does. It’s not like he is miced up on the court and making antiTrump statements after every dunk.

None of those Fox anchors ever tell that buffalo-buggerer Ted Nugent to ‘shut up and shred!’ Nobody tells Chuck Norris to ‘muzzle it and roundhouse!’

Nobody tells Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson to ‘be quiet and quack!’

8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

That one is for separating families at the border!

And that one is for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement!

And that one is for taking Kanye from us!

No, LeBron was simply responding to interview questions off the court. And Colin Kaepernick silently kneeled on the sidelines before the game started. Jimmy Kimmel’s job description includes political humor. And Robert De Niro never broke a movie’s fourth wall to look into the camera and say, “Fuck Trump.” For the life of me, I will never understand why anyone would discourage anyone—celebrity or otherwise—from speaking their mind. Of course, Ingraham can say, “shut up and dribble” all she wants. But I say, dribble up and shoot.

As in shoot off that mouth! It’s the American way.

Sordid Tales appears every other week.

Write to edwin@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER

THE WORLD

FARE I

Ramen that goes to 11

n a classic line from perhaps the greatest mocumentary ever made, Nigel Tufnel explains to Rob Reiner that Spinal Tap’s amps “go to 11.” Reiner seems dubious. “If we need that extra push over the cliff,” Tufnel expounded, “you know what we do?

11! Exactly!”

What Tufnel was doing with Spinal Tap’s sound, BeShock Ramen & Sake Bar (1288 Market St., be-shock.com) in the East Village appears to have achieved with the flavors of their soup.

Before opening BeShock, owners Masaki Yamauchi and Ayaka Ito spent three years traveling Japan and America. The goal was to build bowls of ramen true to the spirit of something that’s unquestionably a Japanese obsession (virtually a National religion), but to also do so with a California spin and an American attitude.

The results are clearly on display with their spicy miso ramen. Many ramen shops in town really ought to put the word “spicy” in quotes. They are, quite frankly, barely a reference to spicy. The heat is real at BeShock and while it won’t bowl diners over, it’s not exactly well balanced either. It’s a bowl that lives up to the “spicy miso ramen” name and is definitely amped to 11.

The menu describes their signature BeShock Ramen as featuring a tonkotsu broth. I was expecting a powerhouse that was made using classical methods. That is, by boiling pork bones down repeatedly for days until the last vestiges of marrow and collagen yield a milky, white broth with deeply savory flavors and umami warmth. BeShock, though, serves a very California take on the original: light on the pork and heavy on the vegetables.

While it wasn’t exactly “tonkotsu” it was definitely tasty.

The black ramen is, essentially, the same dish with the addition of black garlic. That addition gives the dish much of the depth it was missing, as well as a slightly funky hint of sweetness. On one visit it was, perhaps, the best version of black garlic

10 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

ramen I’d ever tasted. The lightness was still there, but the pumped-up element was there as well. This was definitely ramen cranked up to 11. On another trip, though, bitter notes crashed the party resulting in a nearly inedible bowl of soup.

My favorite ramen at BeShock was the chicken koji ramen. Koji is rice inoculated with aspergillus oryzae mold that’s traditionally used in the making of miso, sake and soy sauce but is now the darling of high-end chefs everywhere. BeShock uses it to season their chicken koji broth and it’s like cheating. It’s that good—subtle but with so much umami that its depth and flavor are nearly steroidal.

MICHAEL A. GARDINER

Tonkotsu black ramen There are many items besides ramen on BeShock’s menu, some expected and some less so. The sushi rolls may be the best bet. The yellowtail rolls, especially as part of BeShock’s lunch special, are a particularly good choice.

Going to BeShock for classic, “authentic,” “Japanese” ramen (as if such a singular creature ever actually existed) is probably a bad idea. The ramen at BeShock is filtered through a Californian and American lens. It’s a little lighter. It’s bigger.

The edges are sharper. And yes, it’s ramen with the amps turned up to 11.

The World Fare appears weekly.

Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.

@SDCITYBEAT

UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK

BY BETH DEMMON

FINAL

DRAUGHT Brews on the bayou

brew that originated along the French/Belgian border with the primary goal of being drinkable. (Goal: ithin an hour of landing in New Orleans, achieved.) Brieux Carré’s beer quality varied from I found myself perched on a cracked vinyl fair to fantastic, but all embodied the emblematic barstool in Erin Rose (erinrosebar.com), eccentricities that all of New Orleans’ artistic ena bar in the heart of the French Quarter. I placidly deavors are known for. sipped on a frozen Irish coffee topped with a shot of However, a handful of taps isn’t enough to keep Rumple Minze (because I’m trash), relishing in the me stationary for long, and I’d heard that The Avpromise of kid-free debauchery for the next few days. enue Pub (theavenuepub.com) in the Lower Garden Between the raucous screams from nearby Bour- District is the best beer bar in the city. I ducked out bon Street to my unofficial baptism of a gin & tonic of the late October humidity (one point to San Dispilled directly on my shoes, I steeled myself for the ego for having none) and into the dimly lit tavern second-biggest party in the Big Easy: Halloween. with the promise of 40-plus taps and a menu designed by an award-winning local chef.

BETH DEMMON Fans of South Park watering hole Hamilton’s Tavern will find themselves at home here, as the no-frills vibe, gratuitously decadent pub fare and long lists of local draft beer emulated a familiar atmosphere. But they’ve got one thing that San Diego doesn’t: a license to operate 24/7. I don’t know how anyone who lives within a ten-block radius of this place has any liver function whatsoever.

I barely did after one afternoon.

Of course, being in New Orleans, it would be unthinkable to limit myself to beer. Hot Tin (hottinbar.com) operates out of the former penthouse space atop Beer flight at Brieux Carré the Pontchartrain Hotel and dished up a My goal for the trip was simple—drink Sazeracs, signature bourbon cocktail called “Hibbity Dibbity” eat oysters and po’ boys, find some ghosts and, just as that made me swoon. Beachbum Berry’s Latitude importantly, check out some local breweries. The first 29 (latitude29nola.com), a Tiki oasis in the French part was easy; New Orleans is mostly a cocktail town Quarter, had an Espresso Bongo cocktail that someand its nascent beer scene pales in comparison to its how managed to revive me (thanks to the coffee spirits (I mean both in terms of drinks and the dead). syrup) after… well, drinking for three straight days.

But even 1,800 miles away, with only a tiny fraction (Did I mention that I started with Rumple Minze?) In of the amount of breweries compared to here, I some- the end, double-fisting locally brewed Paradise Park how managed to find plenty of local craft beer that lagers from Urban South Brewery (urbansouthrivaled San Diego in quality (if not quantity). brewery.com) during a ghost and vampire tour on Brieux Carré Brewing Company (brieuxcarre. Halloween night was (weirdly) the chillest drinking com) in the Faubourg Marigny district has been experience of the entire week. Sounds about right open for over a year, and its 13 house beers (along for Halloween in New Orleans. with four guest taps) were hugely diverse, ranging from a chocolate milk stout to a bière de garde. Write to bethd@sdcitybeat.com or check her out on They even brewed a grisette, an uncommon historic Instagram at @thedelightedbite.

W

@SDCITYBEAT

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11

EVENTS

SHORTlist

ART

the

THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE

COORDINATED BY

HI Love to Ride My Bicycle at SDSU Downtown Gallery, 725 West Broadway, Downtown. Exhibition featuring contemporary bicycle-based and themed artworks in a variety of media and formats in recognition of the historic human-powered vehicles. Opening from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. Free. 619-501-6370, art.sdsu.edu

COURTESY OF ENCINITAS 101

HDesde Más Acá (From Further Over Here) at City Gallery at San Diego City College, 1508 C. St. AH 314, East Village.

This bi-national art exhibition features works from 18 artists exploring life along, across and against the U.S./Mexico border. Opening from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. Free. sdcity.edu/citygallery

SETH COMBS

SAN DIEGO

SHOP ‘TIL YOU POP Black Friday is trash. Think about it: the gifts that have meant the most to you over the years—were they some discounted piece of electronics from WalMart or were they something that someone gave you that was personal, unique and that you still own to this day?

We certainly hope it’s the latter and there are a ton of holiday shopping events this weekend where readers will be able to find something that will mean so much more. If we had to recommend just one, it’s the annual San Diego Made Holiday Market at Liberty Station (2875 Dewey Road, Point Loma) on Sunday, Nov. 18 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. This one has both quality and quantity, with over 75 local vendors selling their goods. Admission is $5 and full list of vendors is at sandiegomade.org.

Also on Sunday, there’s the Encinitas Holiday Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. all along Highway 101 (between D and J streets, to be exact). The annual event includes live music and dozens of craft, art and antique booths to peruse. More info at encinitas101.com.

Speaking of antiques, shop for all those who love vintage at the Del Mar Antique Show. The annual event at the Del Mar Fairgrounds (2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd.) features thousands of square feet of antique dealers, as well as appraisals by antique experts for $5. Admission is free at calendarshows. com, and the weekend-long show is open from 11

LA JOLLA

ON THE WALL Photographer Lisa Kanemoto found peace in exploring her most painful moments and transforming them into images in her book Dark Mirror. From surviving a childhood in Germany during WWII, to learning of her son’s diagnosis of schizophrenia, Kanemoto’s life is exposed in the selected images that will be on exhibition from Nov. 17 through Dec. 29.

Lisa Kanemoto: Dark Mirror will be held at The Athenaeum Music and Arts Library in the Rotunda Gallery (1008 Wall St., ljathenaeum.org).

The images also include COURTESY OF THE ARTIST her experiences with depression, alcohol dependency, breast cancer and learning how to examine her life through selfportraits. Kanemoto is known for documenting topics like homelessness, mental illness and the LGBTQ community. An opening reception will be held Friday, Nov. 16, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and is free to the “Neurosis” public.

by Lisa Kanemoto

12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

HLauren Siry at SmithGroup, 225 W. Broadway, Ste. 1320, Downtown. This exhibit features gouache and ink works on paper from the Portrait of an Artist series which explores themes of chaos and control. Opening from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. Free with registration at 1805gallery.com

Encinitas Holiday Fair a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 through Sunday.

One of our favorite local boutiques Little Dame Shop (2942 Adams Ave., littledameshop.com) in Normal Heights will have its Three Year Anniversary Party this weekend. In addition to an awesome selection of goods, Little Dame will also have treats by Snopel Bakery and a curated goodie bag for the first 20 guests. It happens Saturday, Nov. 17 from 4 to 10 p.m.

Finally, there’s the Hood Market at Quartyard (1301 Market St., ourhoodmarket.com) in the East Village. Despite the silly name, the dog-friendly pop-up event includes local vendors and handmade art, as well as craft beers, cocktails and bites. It happens Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

LA JOLLA

GOBBLE GOBBLE Thanksgiving is a time when families come together to give thanks and stuff their mouths with traditional holiday food, including, naturally, the American turkey. But how much do we know about this special bird? At the annual Turkey Calling Show, sound effects wizard Scott Paulson puts on a performance presented as an old-time radio show. In it, he indulges the audience with music, sound effects and stories about the American turkey’s surprising presence in European art. He’ll also teach turkey-calling techniques and explores worldwide Thanksgiving traditions. The Turkey Calling Show happens from noon to 1 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 21 in the Seuss Room at the UC San Diego Geisel Library (9500 Gilman Drive). The event is free and more info can be found at libraries. ucsd.edu/blogs/events/2018-turkey-calling-show.

HLael Corbin: Camber at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The San Diego based artist will showcase works consisting of sculpture, photography and site-specific installation, which explore the forces at work in flight.

From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16.

858-454-5872, ljathenaeum.org HLisa Kanemoto: Dark Mirror at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, 1008 Wall St., La Jolla. The photographer presents 42 duo tone photographic images surveying crucial episodes in her life from childhood to adulthood. From 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16. 858-454-5872, ljathenaeum. org HSelections from the Artist’s Estate at Quint Gallery, 5171 Santa Fe St., La Jolla.

This new exhibition from the late Encinitas painter and writer Manny Farber coincides with the exhibition One Day at a Time: Manny Farber and Termite Art on view at MOCA Los Angeles. Opening from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 17. Free. quintgallery.com Doggone Art Show 2018 at Gallery 21, 1770 Village Place, Balboa Park. Artwork for sale from local artists featuring man’s best friend. Portion of sales benefit Woodward Animal Center. From 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. Free. 858-229-4571, junerubin. com HEva Struble & Scott Polach / A Duo Show at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Selection of featured works by artists Scott Polach and Eva Struble, former Space 4 Art residents, as part of their the Convergence exhibition. Opening from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. Free. 619696-1416, sparksgallery.com

BOOKS HLiane Moriarty at Shiley Theater at USD Campus, 5998 Alcala Park, Linda Vista. The bestselling author of Big Little Lies will sign and discuss her new book, Nine Perfect Strangers. At 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16. $31.24. warwicks.com Joanna Charnas at La Playa Books, 1026 Rosecrans St., Point Loma. The social worker and licensed mental health provider will discuss her new book, Managing Chronic Illness. From 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18. Free. laplayabooks.com

FILM HSeany Movie Night at UltraStar Mission Valley at Hazard Center, 7510 Hazard Center Drive, Mission Valley. An evening of costumes, popcorn and an early screening of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,

Turkey Calling Show

H = CityBeat picks

all to raise funds for life-changing programs for kids and their families dealing with cancer. From 5:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15. $40-$65. theseanyfoundation.org Link in Bio: A Collection of Short Films at Teros Gallery, 3888 Swift Ave., North Park. Mix of 17 DIY narratives, animations and experimental short films including Oh, What a World, Goth Girls, Migraine and more. From 7 to 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18. $5 suggested donation. facebook. com/events/291476461470160

HOLIDAY EVENTS HHood Market at Quartyard at Quartyard, 1301 Market St., East Village. Enjoy pop-up, dog-friendly shopping featuring local vendors with original, handmade art as well as craft beers on tap, cocktails and bites. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. Free. ourhoodmarket.com HEncinitas Holiday Street Fair at Highway 101, Encinitas. Browse through over 450 booths as well as local retailers while enjoying a beer garden, craft brews and live music. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18. Free. encinitas101.com HSan Diego Made Holiday Market at Liberty Station, 2875 Dewey Road, Point Loma. This fifth annual event will feature handmade goods from over 75 local makers, treats by Mad Munch, draft beer and more. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18. Free-$5. sandiegomade.org

MUSIC HBernstein and his World at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. The San Diego Symphony celebrates Leonard Bernstein with works inspired by him and written by close colleagues such as Aaron Copland. From 8 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16. $26-$100. sandiegosymphony.org HQuatuor Modigliani at UCSD Conrad Prebys Concert Hall, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. The Paris-based quartet will bring a distinctively French style and technical finesse to string quartet masterpieces by Mozart, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. At 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16. $9-$59. artpower. ucsd.edu HPortraits in Jazz: The Music of Thelonious Monk at The James S. Copley Auditorium at San Diego Museum of Art, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. This concert delves into the improvisational genius of jazz icon Thelonious Monk curated by award-winning trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. $10-$25. 619-232-7931, sdmart.org HDaniel Kahn & the Painted Bird at San Diego Center for Jewish Culture, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla. Hear music from this German-based band’s latest record, The Butcher’s Share, which explores themes of struggle, hope and intensity.

From 8 to 11 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19. $35$30. danielkahn.rockpaperscissors.biz

PERFORMANCE HFlight at SDSU Smith Recital Hall, 5500 Campanile Drive, College Area. Premiere of an opera inspired by the true story of an Iranian refugee who lived at the Charles de Gaulle airport for several years. Various times. Friday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Nov. 18. $10-$20. music.sdsu.edu HHer Highness’ High Court: MC Flow at The Backdrop, 2611 Congress St., Old Town.

The local rapper holds court for an evening of music, comedy and cannabis-inspired fun.

Features comedians We Are Thomasse and Malie Mason. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. $10-$15. thebackdropsd.com

EVENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 @SDCITYBEAT

EVENTS EVENTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 HTurkey Calling Show at UC San Diego Library, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. Learn turkey-calling techniques and participate in an old school radio broadcast filled with music, stories and guest performances.

From noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21. Free. 858-822-5758, libraries.ucsd.edu

POLITICS AND COMMUNITY HSan Diego Transgender Day of Remembrance at San Diego LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre St., Hillcrest. A vigil and march to remember those we lost due to anti-transgender hate and violence. At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20. thecentersd.org

SPECIAL EVENTS HThe Secret Society of Adultologists: Shiny Pretty Things at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. A night filled with activities, including a hands-on fossil prep in the Paleontology Lab, a birthstone matching game, live music, a performance by San Diego’s crankiest drag queen, Miss Mariam T., and many other activities. From 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16. $15-$25. sdnhm.org HDel Mar Antique Show and Sale at Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. The annual event features thousands of square feet of antique dealers, as well as appraisals by antique experts for $5. From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 through Sunday, Nov. 18.

Free. calendarshows.com HDoggie Street Festival at NTC Park, 2455 Cushing Road, Point Loma. Bring

@SDCITYBEAT

your dog to enjoy a variety of pet activities including products and services, treats, vet tips, speakers, music, kids area, auction prizes and more. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. Free. doggiestreetfestival.org HPadres Pedal the Cause at Petco Park, 100 Park Blvd., Downtown. Join others at this family-friendly annual bicycle ride, which raises funds for cancer research in San Diego and has a variety of post-event activities. From 4:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. Various registration fees. gopedal.org HLittle Dame Shop: Three Year Anniversary Party at Little Dame Shop, 2942 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. A celebration including stick ‘n’ poke tattoos, treats by Snopel Bakery, balloons, and more. First 20 guests will receive a curated goodie bag. From 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17.

Free. 925-457-1020, littledameshop.com

TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HFight Night: State of the Resistance at City Heights Center, 4305 University Ave., City Heights. A night to learn the landscape of issues that the community cares most about featuring panelists and organizations in the front lines of immigration advocacy, women’s rights, electoral politics and gun violence prevention. From 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 15. Free. midcitycan.org HHarlem Renaissance @ 100 at Central Library, 330 Park Blvd., East Village. Narrative non-fiction author Kevin Brown will discuss one of the most influential creative arts movements in 20th century U.S. history. At 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 19. Free.

619-236-5000, sandiego.librarymarket.com

BOOKS: THE FLOATING LIBRARY

The blood-spattered code

I

’m not interested in heroes,” writes Tadao Tsuge in his essay, “Always a Tough Guy at Heart,” which appears at the end of Slum Wolf, a new collection of stories edited and translated by Ryan Holmberg and published earlier this year by New York Review Comics.

When Tsuge was growing up in the slums of Tokyo after World War II, heroes were in short supply. When Westerners think of post-war Japan, if they think of it at all, they imagine the boom years that transformed Japan into an economic powerhouse. Tsuge’s work serves as a stark reminder that not all of Japan’s cities were lifted up and many were left behind to fend for themselves.

Tsuge’s escape was the movies and he was captivated by Japanese samurai films and the American westerns that borrowed from them. When he started making comics, he inserted his version of the antihero into the world he knew: blood banks, sordid bars and red light districts where thugs prowled for easy pickings.

Reading Tsuge for the first time is an unsettling experience. The brushwork is loose, equally elegant and grotesque. Imagine the self-taught lines of Raymond Pettibon’s early zines combined with tough guy prose lifted from the pulp novels of Dashiell Hammett.

The stories don’t really cohere around a narra-

“

tive. The characters are laconic, terse and shrouded in mystery. Tsuge is drawn to people who let their fists do the talking for them. The violence that inevitably comes feels preordained and there are no winners.

In one story, “Legend of the Wolf,” a stranger comes to town and takes shelter from the rain in a bus stop. The rain falls and falls. It takes five panels for the stranger to finally say, “Bullshit, man.” Another five pages pass before the “Wolf” finally appears and something like a story is set in motion.

There’s a series of stories set in the “Vagabond Plain,” a cluster of shacks “clinging to the earth inconspicuously, but with the tenacity of a nasty scab.” It’s a lawless zone inhabited by those living their lives at the margins, which is a romantic way of saying a homeless encampment populated by deranged war veterans, opium addicts and people with nowhere else to go.

There are no happy endings in the slums and shacks of Tsuge’s post-war Japan. The violence never stops. Slum Wolf serves as a reminder that no matter where our wars are fought their casualties are always with us.

—Jim Ruland

The Floating Library appears every other week.

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 13

THEATER JIM CARMODY

It’s a sad, sad, sad, sad world

T

here are those who find extremely sad people to be a turn-on, whether it’s out of a desire to nurture or out of just plain desire. That’s what bank teller Tilly (Hannah Logan) has going for her in Sarah Ruhl’s invitingly peculiar Melancholy Play, being staged by InnerMission Productions. Tilly’s sheer morosity charms plenty of people, inclusing her neurotic shrink Lorenzo (Scott Striegel), a tailor named Frank (Patrick Mayuyu), her hairdresser Frances (Cristyn Chandler) and Frances’ lover Joan (Vanessa Dinning). Ruhl’s characters are all on stage at the same time either interacting or silently standing behind window frames.

They speak in benumbed profundities on the subject of sadness, both as a condition and as an attraction.

Then Melancholy Play turns sharply askew, becoming, as the play is described in the addendum to its title, a contemporary farce. When Tilly turns happy (a birthday scene, complete with sing-along, is the show’s manic moment), those around her turn melancholy. Frances becomes sad to such a degree that she also turns into an almond. An almond, the program notes explain, is the shape of the “gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere involved with the experiencing of emotions.”

In spite of the determined weight and

Melancholy absurdity of Melancholy Play, the production (directed by InnerMission’s Carla Nell) is a balm for the anxiety of life at its most hectic. The nearly slow-motion action of the players is hypnotic, chiefly Logan’s Tilly, who wrings every ounce of emotion from her haunted character, whether it’s by succumbing to sobs or earnestly addressing an almond in her hands.

Melancholy Play runs through Nov. 24 at Diversionary Theatre’s Black Box in University Heights. $15-$20; innermissionproductions.org

T

14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

•••

he Grinch is now 21 years old, at least in Old Globe years. For the 21st consecutive holiday season, The Balboa

Park theater is presenting its audiencepleasing Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Edward Watt, who made his grinchy debut last year, is back in the title role and he’s still the most entertaining part of the 80-minute show. Brace for his ad-libs and clever audience interactions. As for the people of Whoville, they’re still as sweet as peppermint.

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas runs through Dec. 29 at the Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. $19-$29; theoldglobe.org

—David L. Coddon

Theater reviews run weekly.

Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.

OPENING: Dog Act: A traveling vaudevillian and her sidekick navigate a post-apocalyptic U.S. in Liz Duffy Adams’ comedic play. Directed by Calie Johnson, it opens for five performances Nov. 15 at the Studio Theatre in Sacred Heart Hall at University of San Diego in Linda Vista. usdtheatre.eventbrite.com Every Christmas Story Ever Told (And Then Some!): Instead of performing A Christmas Carol, three actors decide to perform every clichéd holiday classic. Directed by David Guthrie, it opens Nov. 16 at the Patio Playhouse in Escondido. patioplayhouse.com Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: In the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on a biblical tale, a dude who has an “amazing” garment becomes a slave, but triumphs in Egypt

regardless. It opens Nov. 16 at the Coronado Playhouse. coronadoplayhouse.com Miss Bennett: The San Diego premiere of this sequel to Pride and Prejudice is set during Christmas and sees bookish middle sister Mary serving as the protagonist. Written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, it opens in previews Nov. 16 at the New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. newvillagearts.org Mother Courage and Her Children: In Bertolt Brecht’s classic, a German bar owner attempts to make ends meet during the Thirty Years War while also caring for her three children. It opens Nov. 16 at the Mandell Weiss Forum Theatre at UC San Diego in La Jolla. theatre.ucsd.edu This Beautiful City: The San Diego premiere of Michael Friedman’s musical about the Colorado Springs Evangelical movement’s fight against gay rights. Based on actual citizen interviews, it opens Nov. 17 at the Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. diversionary.org A Doll’s House: A staged reading of Henrik Ibsen’s classic about a Norwegian woman who wakes up to the limited power women have in the late 1800s. Presented by Amigos del Rep, it happens Nov. 19 at the Lyceum Stage Theatre in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org A Doll’s House, Part 2: The local premiere of Lucas Hnath’s Tony-winning sequel to Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 classic, which sees the protagonist living a new life free from the bonds of marriage and motherhood. Presented by San Diego Repertory Theatre, it opens in previews Nov. 21 at the Lyceum Stage Theatre in the Gaslamp. sdrep.org

For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15

BETO SOTO

CULTURE | ART

Beto Soto and one of his Undocuqueer participants ocal photographer Beto Soto sits at a coffee house in Hillcrest wearing an all-black outfit with the exception of an embroidered jean jacket. He says hello while closing his laptop and quickly confesses he’s still editing some pictures for his upcoming exhibition at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park (1649 El Prado, mopa.org).

“It’s like literally tomorrow,” Soto says jokingly about his approaching deadline.

Soto is the mind behind Undocuqueer: Stories from Bordertown Pop-Up, an exhibition that will feature documentary-style photographs of seven undocumented immigrants who are also members of the LGBTQ community.

The pop-up exhibition will open Nov. 27 and run through Dec. 3 at MOPA and will provide the opportunity for members of the public to learn the stories of individuals who are living within two marginalized communities. Two communities, which, it’s worth pointing out, are not always accepting of one another. Be it cultural reasons or the rhetoric on immigration, Soto says there are moments of disconnect between the two communities because there is a lack of dialogue and education on the subject.

“There is still hate out there even in the gay community, this weekend somebody screamed at me, ‘You’re going to get deported,’” Soto says.

Soto identifies as queer and is a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He’s quick to share the details of his project and how his own story played a major role in choosing to showcase the sometimes-conflicting identities.

The 24-year-old photographer interviewed seven individuals for his Undocuqueer

project and photographed them at home with their families. He also photographed them alone doing everyday activities in an effort to “humanize” the intersection of immigration and sexuality.

Still, while some could see the topic as political in nature, he says his intention was not to create political discourse, but rather to create a safe space for those who identify as Undocuqueer and for educational value. Along with the pop-up exhibition, Soto also created a website (undocuqueer. org). The website will be live on Nov. 27, where people can share their Undocuqueer stories anonymously.

Undocuqueer, he explains, is a movement that has allowed the voices of undocumented immigrants who are LGBTQ to be heard.

And while the movement itself has been around for some time now, Soto wants to bring those stories to San Diego due to its proximity to the border. He also wants to show people who identify as undocuqueer that they are not alone because, well, he knows what it is like to feel that way.

“The hardest thing to do [was] to go through two closets,” Soto says.

Born in Nayarit, Mexico, Soto moved to the United States around the age of six. He became aware of his undocumented status early in life when his father told him he would not go to college because he was not a citizen. That reality was especially difficult to face at school college fairs, he recalls.

“Accepting that I couldn’t do anything really took a toll on my growth professionally and academically,” Soto says. He pauses and tells me it’s hard to talk about it. He also adds that he feels it “wasn’t malicious” for his parents to let him know that, but that it was just the “reality.”

16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Beto became a DACA recipient in late 2016, but it did not make his journey any easier.

“Having DACA is not a golden ticket—it’s still a struggle to find jobs especially when you don’t have a college degree and you don’t have a lot of support,” Soto says.

Photography became an outlet for Soto.

He became involved with the City Heights nonprofit AJA Project, as well as other community organizations that focus on providing photography programs for San Diego youth. He also volunteered for MOPA when he was 18, which he says makes the upcoming exhibition even more exciting.

ANDREA LOPEZ-VILLAFAÑA

Beto Soto Artists and filmmakers nationwide have explored the undocuqueer movement and identity. However, according to Director of Innovation at MOPA Joaquin Ortiz, this is the first time the museum has hosted an exhibition that explores both identities. Ortiz says the issues are relevant to the time and in line with the museum’s values of encouraging dialogue and discussions. The youthful leadership at the museum has also help facilitate programing that reflects the di-

verse communities in San Diego.

“We hope this inspires people to hear more about these stories and it offers an opportunity to think about it more and discuss it amongst their peers,” Ortiz says.

Undocuqueer: Stories from Bordertown Pop-up has been an 18-month long project in collaboration with Open Society Foundations and AJA Project. Soto is currently an Open Places Initiative fellow of the Open Society Foundations.

According to Ortiz, MOPA has been collaborating with the AJA Project for more than 10 years through internships and classes. This is the second time the museum is hosting a pop-up exhibition that highlights the work of AJA Project students.

For Ortiz, Soto’s showcase is an example of MOPA and the AJA Project’s investment in young people.

“I’m going to be an actual artist in the community [with an] exhibition there,” Soto says, “so it’s exciting to be in this moment right now.”

When asked how he hopes the public receives the exhibition, since it is one so personal to him, Soto jokes about how he is like the girl from Mean Girls who wants everyone to get along and bake a cake out of rainbows and be happy. He remembers that before starting this project, his voice would become shaky when talking about the subject and sharing his identity. Now he shares it proudly. The Undocuqueer project has allowed him to look for people who are just like him. Getting to know people with experiences like his has made him more confident and he hopes it does the same for others.

Says Soto, “It gave me confidence to look for my community within my community.

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | ART COURTESY OF MO’S UNIVERSE

SEEN LOCAL A NATURAL FIT

W

“

hat’s more glamorous than a queen?”

If longstanding Balboa Park institutions were to ask themselves that question, it’s still unlikely the answers would result in an afterhours drag show at the museum.

For the San Diego Natural History Museum (sdnhm.org), however, that’s exactly the question museum staff collectively asked themselves when discussing the Secret Society of Adultologists.

Launched in the fall of 2017, the barely one-year-old event is one of a handful of similar approaches The Nat is taking to increase not just member and visitor engagement, but their presence in the community as well. Other new programs include escape rooms, artist residencies, public nature smartphone documentary challenges and summertime’s Nat at Night on Fridays (food, drinks and trivia on the rooftop).

COURTESY OF THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM

Secret Society of Adultologists “These changes are no coincidence,” says Emma Bloom, the museum’s Public Programs Manager.

“They’re strategic shifts in the way we’re doing business.” Bloom described the museum’s new approach as “an increased focus on science and conservation and more visitor engagement. We’re fulfilling our mission in a way that’s approachable, fun and educational.”

The Secret Society of Adultologists is another new endeavor aimed at recapturing the thrill of that first trip to a museum. It can also bring back memories of a childhood summer camp or of youthful fascination and scientific curiosity. Of course, there’s a grown-up edge to these types of events with the museum—fossils and all—serving as the backdrop to drinks, live music and other after-hours programming. It almost feels sneaky.

@SDCITYBEAT

Miss Mariam T “Shiny, Pretty Things,” is the fourth Adultologists event, happening Friday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. in conjunction with the museum’s newest exhibition, Hidden Gems. While the evening centers on the new gem exhibit, guests will have access to the entire museum.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) will be on hand, hosting a birthstone matching game, and food, beer and craft cocktails will be available for purchase.

But where do drag queens come into this?

“We’re very interested in reflecting the gemological theme of the party in a more human way. We were looking for bright and vibrant programming, and to be honest, a drag performance was the first idea that came to mind,” says Bloom. “We’re proud that the museum is a gathering space for all members of the community and want to emphasize that with our programming.”

Miss Mariam T, described by the museum as “San Diego’s crankiest drag queen,” is no stranger to the museum. A stand-up comic and drag performer, Miss Mariam T’s alter-ego, Remington, is on the museum’s bar staff.

“I’m so excited to be performing at the Natural History Museum,” says Miss Mariam, “to share my fabulosity with the patrons of Balboa Park and to give them a glimpse into the lifestyle and art form of drag.”

Miss Mariam T is also affiliated with the LGBTQ comedy podcast Who Invited Her? (whoinvitedher. net), which will be recording live at the event.

A glittering drag queen is a big statement for the oldest scientific institution in the southwestern United States. Founded in 1874 by (obviously) a bunch of white men, the museum coexists in Balboa Park with dozens of other institutions fervently attempting to provide culture, history, education and an interest in conservation in a relevant way to a diverse and demanding city.

“We’d like the audience at these events to represent the population of San Diego as a whole,” says Bloom.

“We want everyone to feel welcome at museum events and programs, and hope that by explicitly inviting different communities, like the drag community, we ensure that all people know that this is a space for them.”

—Julia Dixon Evans

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17

CULTURE | FILM

Ride or die

Widows

Steve McQueen teams up with Gillian Flynn for a sneakily moving crime film

by Glenn Heath Jr.

S

teve McQueen’s first three feature films are stark clearly divides its male characters by race. Brian Tyree portraits of individual punishment standing in Henry and Daniel Kaluuya’s kingpin brothers square for collective aguish. Despite taking place in dif- off against Colin Farrell’s corrupt community alderferent time periods and settings, each story links the man. By contrast, Veronica, Alice, and Linda make up deterioration of body, mind and spirit with greater so- an incredibly diverse crew.

In many ways, Widows pays homage to the archecial injustices and stigmas.

In Hunger and Shame, Michael Fassbender’s Greek types and conventions associated with classic ganggod of a body suffers mightily for our societal sins, ster films. There’s Kaluuya’s sadistic enforcer, Robert both as real-life striking prisoner Bobby Sands and as Duvall’s racist elder statesman and Liam Neeson as a fictional doomed yuppie sex addict respectively. 12 a sneering career criminal. Not surprisingly, these Years a Slave turns the Antebellum South into a cas- characters are all men; the women of McQueen and cade of horrific traumas perpetrated upon Solomon Flynn’s film are much more complex, driven by desNorthup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man abducted peration and loyalty. They live in a different reality where economic hardships, parenand thrust into slavery. tal responsibilities and striking Possibly sensing his own selfloneliness are facts of life. serious track record, the British WIDOWS Both sides violently clash, addauteur goes into full sleaze mode ing to the film’s messiness but also with Widows, a trashy and slick Directed by Steve McQueen deepening certain oddities that collaboration with Gone Girl scribe Starring Viola Davis, linger. On the one hand, blatantly Gillian Flynn. The synergy between Elizabeth Debicki, obvious twists come across as purMcQueen’s rigorous formalism and Michelle Rodriguez posefully silly. Yet underneath the the writer’s salacious overtones and Colin Farrell dime store novel theatrics is a fasfeel strained at times, but the reRated R cinating consideration of women sult is never boring. The result is a under extreme duress. Amazingly, Frankenstein’s monster of competunique friendships are born from ing tones and genres.

Instead of fate dictating things, an unfettered this enduring stress.

While Widows doesn’t fit neatly with the rest of sense of helplessness courses through the narrative.

Single mother Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), one of the McQueen’s filmography, the issue of tension related three women left holding the proverbial bag when to time indeed applies. Hunger and Shame are staged their husbands are killed during a daring robbery, ref- like personal countdowns toward demise, while 12 erences this theme in the most casual of ways. After Years a Slave functions as an iron-will endurance test agreeing to partake in a daring scheme that will hope- promising eventual salvation.

Time plays a very different role in Widows (opening fully free them from all underworld debts, she cavaFriday, Nov. 16). The characters are not motivated by lierly says, “Might as well see where this goes.”

It’s the literary equivalent of a shrug, and not the political protest, addiction or institutional evil, but the line of dialogue one would expect from a woman who’s destruction of their normal lives. They simply want to facing imminent doom. But it speaks to the way Wid- return to the way things were, which admittedly exows views life and death decisions for women under isted only due to a great deal of ignorance or naiveté. pressure. Through flippant exchanges and ludicrous By going through the dramatic transformation plot turns, Flynn and McQueen’s wildly stylized script from housewives to gun toting aggressors, Veronica’s consistently challenges our expectations by subvert- crew reestablishes their identities by turning crime ing the dynamics of masculine power. film patriarchy against itself. An awakening of this The dangerously improvisational actions of each magnitude can only be appreciated after some reflecwidow, including stubborn ringleader Veronica (Viola tion, which McQueen and Flynn tenderly note in the Davis) and blond firebrand Alice (Elizabeth Debicki), stirring final shot of a woman’s glowing smile. provides further tension within the film’s simmering version of Chicago. Set in an urban district that’s part Film reviews run weekly. gangster’s paradise, part political quagmire, the film Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com

18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

@SDCITYBEAT

CULTURE | FILM joys. Maria by Callas tries to look at every reason why this might be the case, framing its subject in the warm glow of understanding. Don’t call it a comeback for Callas, but rather a long awaited vindication.

—Glenn Heath Jr.

OPENING

Maria by Callas

A Private War: Rosamund Pike stars as real-life war correspondent Marie Colvin in this hard-hitting docudrama from filmmaker Matthew Heineman. Opens in wide release Friday, Nov. 16.

Alanis: An unsentimental film about a young Buenos Aires mother who finds employment as a sex worker. Opens Friday, Nov. 16, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: Eddie Redmayne reprises his role as magizoologist Newt Scamander in the second installment of J.K. Rowling’s series of prequels to the Harry Potter series. Opens in wide release Friday, Nov. 16.

Instant Family: Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne play a couple that decides to adopt three children in this comedy/ drama from Sean Anders. Opens in wide release Friday, Nov. 16.

Studio 54: This documentary looks back at the cultural and historical significance

of the infamous New York City club that came to define an era of hedonism and disco. Opens Friday, Nov. 16, at the Ken Cinema.

Widows: Director Steve McQueen and screenwriter Gillian Flynn deliver a brutal and trashy crime epic about three women forced to hatch an elaborate heist to payback their deceased husbands’ debts. Opens in wide release Friday, Nov. 16.

For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.

High notes

L

abeled “difficult” early in her career, Greek-American opera singer Maria Callas faced immense scrutiny from media outlets and artistic institutions mostly led by men. Tom Volf’s documentary, Maria by Callas, seeks to revise this unfair perception by using the performer’s interviews, photos and home videos to piece together a more intimate historical record.

Devoid of academic talking heads, the film is told almost entirely through Callas’ own voice (fellow opera singer Joyce DiDonato does lend her own to read Callas’ personal letters). Driven by her demanding mother, Callas didn’t have much of a childhood, the source of her adult melancholy.

Stardom came quickly during Callas’ initial tour through the opera houses of Europe, but canceled performances and a decade-long love affair with Aristotle Onassis were quite scandalous at the time. News headlines unflinchingly depicted her as a diva, but Callas seems genuinely perplexed by the demonization. It didn’t help that she was afflicted by incessant exhaustion.

During news interviews, she defiantly fought back against her critics.

Volf navigates the tricky emotional terrain of Callas’ rollercoaster career with a simple aesthetic flourish. Every piece of archival footage is displayed onscreen using its true aspect ratio. The shifting scale of each medium helps represent the immense scope of Callas’ world coverage, and the person at the center of it all.

While engrossing at times, Maria by Callas (opening Friday, Nov. 23 at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas and Angelika Carmel Mountain Film Center) might be a bit inside baseball for those unfamiliar with her work. Volf seeks to remedy that by letting some of Callas’ most iconic performances play out in full.

Universal themes of loneliness and isolation define this portrait of a tormented artist who became so obsessed with work that she missed out on many of life’s simple

@SDCITYBEAT

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19

MUSIC

t’s an old refrain. People have been saying it since the ’60s, but apparently now it’s real: Rock ‘n’ roll is dead.

And electric guitars aren’t feeling too well either. Or at least, that’s what data and pessimistic news articles are suggesting. Numbers from a Music Trades magazine study indicate sales of electric guitars have plummeted by nearly 23 percent in the past decade, with almost one-and-a-half million units sold in 2008 compared to slightly more than a million in 2017.

Gibson filed for bankruptcy in the spring, and Fender is recovering from lingering debt.

Teenagers are simply snubbing the instrument, The Washington Post reported last year, and guitar-heroes are a thing of the past.

Talk to San Diego guitar aficionados, however, and they will tell you a different story.

Some will say the market is merely shifting, while others will swear there’s nothing to worry about. These things happen, they say.

It’s just an inevitable cycle.

“The guitar industry isn’t going anywhere,” says Ian Owen, a music teacher at Moze Guitars in La Mesa.

“The industry will always be around in some fashion,” he continues. “And there will always be guitar players.”

Moze Guitars has been around for more than 40 years, and Owen, now 32, has been a faithful employee there for the last 14. Entering the store, which he describes as a “momand-pop one-stop shop,” there are used

Fender Stratocasters, Gibson ESs and Les Pauls lining the walls waiting to be played.

Owen insists that although it’s one of the few small stores left in town (another shop, Guitar Trades, closed its doors in 2014), Moze is still doing well. Lessons are booming, he says, and young folks come to him because, ultimately, they are interested in learning the instrument. He believes that big data doesn’t consider factors like boutique shops and independent guitar-makers, which have been absorbing a large chunk of professional players. They love to get customized instruments, he says, as does he.

Brandon Madrid agrees. From his workshop near Allied Gardens, the professional luthier has built guitars for musicians like James Mercer (The Shins) and John Reis (Rocket from The Crypt). He started 20 years ago and says he’s busier than ever.

“I’m having a hard time controlling my workload,” Madrid says. “But I think it has to do with the experience I have. I am the generation that’s filling a void.”

Still, Madrid explains that most of his clients are Baby Boomers or Gen Xers who just keep coming back for repairs and new purchases. There’s no saying what’s going to happen once those older generations die off.

Of course, teens not requesting his services may also have to do with how expensive customized instruments can run. Madrid says most of his guitars range between $3,000 and $4,000, an expense that a novice guitar player could hardly afford. Incidentally, prices for stock guitars are also on the

20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

rise, according to Music Trades. The average price for an electric guitar has risen from $390 in 2008 to $525 in 2017.

Which is why, according to Tyler Ward, music director of San Diego School of Rock, teenagers may be gravitating toward used instruments. This negatively impacts sales of new guitars. Still, Ward confirms what Ian Owen says: His students are still into guitars. But, he adds, where they get them and how long they are going to stick with the same instrument are fundamental details.

COURTESY OF MOZE GUITARS

Moze Guitars

“Students tend to buy one new guitar that will last many years. They’ll buy something and use it for a decade,” he says. “So, if Fender and Gibson assume they’re going to sell a guitar to every player every year, that’s insane.

When someone buys an instrument and they love it, they will spend a lot of time with it.”

Recently, however, Ward says he has noticed more and more synthesizers and fewer analog instruments on stage during con-

certs. There’s also the continuing popularity of hip-hop and EDM. Another reason why not as many people are buying guitars, he says.

“Even when you see a guitar on stage, that’s a rhythmic one, mainly for flow,” he adds.

This doesn’t concern surf punk band The Frights because, as singer and guitarist Mikey Carnevale put it during a phone interview, “I am not technically proficient at using programs that new musicians use. The only way I know how to write a song is by using a guitar.”

Carnevale, 24, says his passion for guitarbased music was born early and then progressively bloomed until, at age 17, he decided to form his band. Necessity on one end, and love for guitar-centered music on the other, led The Frights on their current path.

But Carnevale says his story is not the norm in today’s music scene, packed with digital sounds and effect-pedals.

“I think people are seeing how easy it is to use a program to make a song,” he says.

“It becomes a perfect song, and it took you a half-hour. It’s a lot easier to sit down, put your headphones on, and press a button that will sound better than whatever you can do. So, there’s no point for guitars for some people.”

Sociologically, electric guitars may represent one more piece of humanity that some young musicians have left behind, says 39-year-old singer and songwriter Drew Andrews. Andrews is involved in San Diegobased projects that make large use of synthesizers: Bit Maps now, and before that, The Album Leaf. But he hasn’t forgotten his teenage days, spent writing and playing songs that he thought Kurt Cobain would like.

“Playing guitar is challenging. It takes too much time, and our brains are hardwired to avoid activities that do not have an immediate gratification to them,” he says. “But the time it takes to process, learn and create is what makes us humans. So, maybe we are turning less and less human, and guitar is one way back to that.”

Back in his Allied Gardens workshop, Madrid points to the bright white skeleton of an electric guitar that he’s building, hanging from the ceiling. It generally takes him two years to complete an instrument.

“I don’t believe guitar is dying. I think we’re in a hiccup,” he says. “Although… it does seem like it’s stickier and heavier than I have ever seen in my career.”

@SDCITYBEAT

@SDCITYBEAT

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21

MUSIC

BY RYAN BRADFORD

NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO

THE

SPOTLIGHT

LOCALS ONLY

J

ohn Brady remembers his first journey across the border working for went bankrupt, he says he had the desire to move and into Tijuana to see a punk show. It was the day before back to San Diego. Once here, he began attending punk shows his 15th birthday and while he’d been to punk shows in in Tijuana, starting with a Christian Death show in 2014. And San Diego, that show (a performance from legendary singer although he’s “taken thousands of photos while attending Siouxsie Sioux), as well as the ones he has attended since, have dozens of shows over the last few years,” Brady says he’s remade him appreciate the Tijuana punk scene that much more. luctant to speak with any authority on how the Tijuana punk “I was, and continue to be, fascinated by how different San scene has changed since he left.

“The biggest change that I’ve seen at shows, is that it’s Diego and Tijuana are from one another, given that they’re right next to each other,” says Brady, who admits that he was initially mostly local promoters putting on shows for local people, as attracted to the Tijuana scene because there were more all- opposed to trying to draw people across the border,” Brady says. “Tijuana shows are better ages shows, plus the fact that COURTESY OF THE ARTIST attended, with a more enthusihe could drink. “But obviously, astic crowd. In the early ’90s, it they are separated by cultural wasn’t unusual for more than and political differences.” half the crowd to be from San Since that show in 1990, Diego. The scene seems to be a Brady has seen hundreds of lot bigger now than it was then, shows in Tijuana venues, most but it’s fractured in to a lot of of which have since been shut different subgenres.” down. At the age of 19, he beBrady guesses he’s taken gan playing in Tijuana venues photos at about half the shows himself with his band Swing he’s attended since moving Kids, a post-hardcore band that back, but that he’s sometimes a was not only highly influenlittle cautious. He cites a show tial, but one that also featured by hardcore band Infest as one members that went on to even shoot that could have been dimore well-known projects such sastrous. as The Locust (Justin Pearson) “I didn’t capture nearly as and The Album Leaf (Jimmy “Ivan from Perdición” by John Brady many images as I normally LaValle). Brady, however, took a different path and it was around this time that he also began would because there were bodies and bottles flying around getting into photography. Despite the dangers of bringing his everywhere. I was afraid I was either going to be hit, or my 35mm Nikon SLR to shows, Brady began shooting photos at camera was going to be drowned in a Tecate beer bath.”

One of the pictures he did capture at that show, as well as local punk venues including some in Tijuana.

“I fiddled around with it for several months, really having dozens of others taken at various shows throughout the city, no idea how functions like shutter speed and aperture worked will be on display at Tijuana Punk Through the Lens, 2014to capture an image, before I decided to take some introduc- 2018, a new exhibition opening Friday, Nov. 16 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Lycanthro Pub (La Plaza Del Zapato, 22010 tory photography classes at City College,” recalls Brady.

But then Brady moved to Chicago to be closer to his family, Tijuana). Brady has been attending shows there since the bar as well as to be part of the emerging indie scene of the late ’90s opened its doors earlier this year. He will also be donating a and early ’00s. And while he says his knowledge of photogra- portion of the proceeds from sold works to the San Diego Refphy was “rudimentary at the time,” he managed to get a job at ugee Tutoring program, a City Heights service that provides tutoring to refugee students. While he’s excited to showcase a local photographic shop.

“I was shocked because I didn’t even think I’d get an inter- his work, Brady also sees the exhibition as a means to nurture view,” Brady says. “I stuck with photographic sales either part- the scene and perhaps help bring attention to the venue.

“So many small venues have come and gone in just the last time or full-time for the next 16 years, learning everything that I could along the way about every aspect of photography.” few years,” says Brady. “I would hate to see Lycanthro suffer In addition to his day job, Brady was occasionally shooting the same fate.” weddings and other gatherings, but when the company he was

—Seth Combs

22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

E

Paul Anka

very once in awhile, I get on a kick where I think I’m cool enough, smooth enough, and classy enough to enjoy Rat Pack-style jazz singing. It’s not often, considering that my musical tastes run more in line with Sid Vicious than Sinatra, but even a jaded, disheveled punk past his prime can’t deny the vocal power of Paul Anka.

Anka is one of those guys whose voice has been so er... instrumental in music, that even if you don’t know him, you know him. The Canadian-born singer has a career that spans over five decades (he wrote his first hit when he was 14), with hits that reflect the music styles of each respective decade. For example, his early ’60s hits like “Put Your Head on my Shoulder” sounds like the type of music that you’d hear in Pleasantville (or a David Lynch film), whereas “(You’re) Having My Baby,” his ’70s duet with Odia Coates, is pure adult-contemporary gold that belongs in the same ranks as anything The Carpenters wrote.

But let’s not forget his collaborative work: The dude wrote the lyrics to Sinatra’s signature song “My Way,” as well as Tom Jones’ “She’s a Lady.” Plus, he sang a jingle in The Simpson’s Treehouse of Horror VI that killed the monsters destroying Springfield.

So yeah, the dude’s a legend. Put on some fancy shoes, wear a shirt with buttons and, hey, maybe even shave. Class it up tonight for Anka, who—as he famously once told his band while berating them—“slices like a hammer.”

Paul Anka plays Sunday, Nov. 18 at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula.

@SDCITYBEAT

MUSIC

IF I WERE U

BY CITYBEAT STAFF

Our picks for the week’s top shows

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 14

PLAN A: Mutual Benefit, GABI @ Soda Bar. Known for his soothing voice and acoustic ballads that incorporate symphonic and electronic textures, Jordan Lee has been playing music as Mutual Benefit for nearly a decade. The new album, Thunder Follows the Light, keeps with the formula, while also dealing in serious topics. This will be a good, albeit heavy show. BACKUP PLAN: Maria de Barros @ The Loft at UCSD.

THURSDAY, NOV. 15

PLAN A: Shane Hall, Well Well Well, Boychick @ The Casbah. Hall specializes in that soulful blend of R&B and blues that’s perfect for lovemaking or grooving around the house solo. This is the type of show you’ll want to being a date to. BACKUP PLAN: Graeme James, Joshua Hyslop @ Museum of Making Music.

KELSEY HART

FRIDAY, NOV. 16

Ian Sweet

PLAN A: Tokyo Police Club, Fleece @ The Casbah. A Lesson in Crime, TPC’s 2006 breakthrough, was a brazen, post-punk kick to the shins. The recently released TPC is a bit more nuanced and a bit more grown-up, but songs such as “DLTFWYH” and “Can’t Stay Here” prove they can still rock while also aging gracefully. PLAN B: Nebula Drag, Doc Hammer @ Soda Bar. This is a dual release show for Nebula Drag’s new album and a wet-hop beer collaboration with Nickel Beer Co. called Nebula Red IPA, which will only be available on this night. So drink up and enjoy the band’s self-described “psycho-delic space-rock.” BACKUP PLAN: Fister, SIXES, Ilsa @ SPACE.

SATURDAY, NOV. 17

PLAN A: This Will Destroy You, Clarice Jensen @ Brick by Brick. Those who missed This Will Destroy You’s 2006 instrumental masterpiece, Young Mountain, should seek it out immediately. The group’s two new albums (New Others Part One and Part Two)

@SDCITYBEAT

prove they haven’t strayed too far from the epic, atmospheric post-rock formula that made them buzz-worthy in the first place.

PLAN B: The Helio Sequence, Strawberry Mountain @ The Casbah. Beaverton, Oregon duo, The Helio Sequence, have been crafting pleasant indie rock for nearly 20 years. Their 2008 masterpiece, Keep Your Eyes Ahead, still sounds as fresh as ever (“Lately” and “Shed Your Love” are the the break-up anthems you need in your life right now). The band celebrated this with a 10th anniversary reissue so expect a set heavy with Eyes Ahead songs. BACKUP PLAN: Blockhead, Yppah, Arms and Sleepers @ Soda Bar.

SUNDAY, NOV. 18

PLAN A: Yndi Halda, Staghorn @ Soda Bar. In so many ways, Yndi Halda’s cinematic post-rock is the perfect Sunday night soundtrack. The (mostly) instrumental band from Canterbury, England specialize in glacially-paced build-ups that eventually result in cathartic explosions of sound. Even the band’s name is Norse for “enjoy eternal bliss” so that should be an indicator right there. PLAN B: Sontag Shogun, Booker Stardrum, Rose World, Peymaar @ TBA. Speaking of atmospheric music, the NYC/ Montral trio Sontag Shogun lean more on the eerie, droning side of things, but it’s still centered on Ian Temple’s stark piano playing. Smoke something good and get lost in it.

Oh, but if you want to go to this show, you’ll have to RSVP on Facebook or the website to get location. Cool kids only. No narcs. BACKUP PLAN: Southern Culture on the Skids, Thee Allyrgic Reaction @ The Casbah.

MONDAY, NOV. 19

PLAN A: Steady Holiday, Tomemitsu @ The Casbah. L.A.-based Andrea Babinski (aka Steady Holiday) makes music perfect for steamy thriller movies or, at the least, a murder mystery dinner party. Her understated vocals and noir-like instrumentation sets a mood. What kind of mood that is really depends on who you are as a person.

PLAN B: Battery Point, KAN-KAN, dnll, Cold Juice @ Soda Bar. Battery Point are that rare breed of local band that channel their Brit-pop influences into something both catchy and original.

TUESDAY, NOV. 20

PLAN A: Ian Sweet, Young Jesus @ Soda Bar. Ian Sweet’s Crush Crusher is likely to be one of our favorite albums of the year. Filled with bombastic, guitar-heavy ballads and frontwoman Jilian Medford’s anxiety-ridden (but nonetheless powerful) vocals, this is the type of music that’s made for rock clubs, but don’t be surprised if she’s playing larger venues this time next year. BACKUP PLAN: Fairplay, The Powerballs, Wicked Echoes @ The Casbah.

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23

MUSIC

CONCERTS

LERA PENTELUTE

HOT! NEW! FRESH!

The White Buffalo (Observatory, 12/5), Weatherbox (Soda Bar, 12/31), Kaleena Zanders and FriendZ (Music Box, 1/12), 88 Fingers Louie (Soda Bar, 1/20), Pinback (Casbah, 1/2324), Corrosion of Conformity (Brick

By Brick, 1/26), Sergio Mendes (BUT, 1/29), Hawthorne Heights (HOB, 1/30), Drama (Casbah, 2/2), The Soul Rebels (Music Box, 2/15), Coco Montoya, Tinsley Ellis (BUT, 2/27), Lettuce (Observatory, 3/1), Mudhoney, Claw Hammer (Casbah, 3/8), Empress Of (Soda Bar, 3/10), Acid Mothers Temple (Casbah, 3/25), Galactic ft. Erica Falls (BUT, 3/28), Dilly Dally (Casbah, 4/2), Girlpool (Soda Bar, 4/5), Lady Lamb (Soda Bar, 5/9).

Point at Soda Bar. Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow at Brick By Brick.

GET YER TICKETS

Ian Sweet at Soda Bar. Every Time I Die at Observatory North Park. Eyehategod at Brick by Brick.

Every Time I Die (Observatory, 11/20), Eyehategod (Brick by Brick, 11/20), Cat Power (Observatory, 11/24), Municipal Waste (Brick by Brick, 11/25), How to Dress Well (Casbah, 11/27), Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus (Observatory, 11/29), Godflesh (Brick by Brick, 12/1), Old 97s (BUT, 12/2), Fucked Up (Soda Bar, 12/5), Squirrel Nut Zippers (BUT, 12/6), Pale Waves (Irenic, 12/7), Neko Case, Destroyer (Observatory, 12/8), Fleetwood Mac (Viejas Arena, 12/8), Kurt Vile (Observatory, 12/9), AFI (Observatory, 12/10), Amine (Observatory, 12/11), Middle Kids (Soda Bar, 12/13), Thou (Che Café, 12/13), Earthless (BUT, 12/16), The Soft Moon (BUT, 12/17), Ministry (HOB, 12/18), No Knife (Casbah, 1/27), Donavon Frankenreiter (BUT, 12/28-29), Jefferson Starship (BUT, 1/9-10), Adolescents (Casbah, 1/19), Bananarama (Observatory, 1/27). MØ (Observatory, 2/5), Sharon Van Etten (Observatory, 2/28), Queensrÿche (Casbah, 3/27).

NOVEMBER WEDNESDAY, NOV. 14 Todd Rundgren at Belly Up Tavern. Mutual Benefit at Soda Bar. The Selecter at the Casbah.

THURSDAY, NOV. 15 Billy Gibbons at Belly Up Tavern. J Mascis at Soda Bar (sold out).

FRIDAY, NOV. 16 Tokyo Police Club at Casbah. Lil Xan at House of Blues. Bongzilla at Brick by Brick. English Beat at Belly Up Tavern.

SATURDAY, NOV. 17 English Beat at Belly Up Tavern. Gallant at Observatory. Billie Eilish at SOMA (sold out). The Helio Sequence at The Casbah. This Will Destroy You at Brick

by Brick. P.O.D. at Music Box.

SUNDAY, NOV. 18 98 Degrees at Balboa Theatre. Joywave, Sir Sly at Observatory North Park.

Yndi Halda at Soda Bar. Southern Culture on the Skids at The Casbah.

MONDAY, NOV. 19 Steady Holiday at The Casbah. Battery

24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus play The Observatory North Park on Nov. 29

TUESDAY, NOV. 20

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21 Mike Pinto at Belly Up Tavern. Machine Head at House of Blues.

FRIDAY, NOV. 23 Biz Markie at House of Blues. Beekeeper at Soda Bar. Schitzophonics at The Casbah.

SATURDAY, NOV. 24 Cat Power at Observatory North Park.

Doe Paoro at Soda Bar. Hirie at Music Box. Shabazz at FLUXX.

SUNDAY, NOV. 25 Ghostemane at the Irenic. Municipal Waste at Brick by Brick. Steven Page Trio at Belly Up Tavern.

MONDAY, NOV. 26 The Natives at Soda Bar.

TUESDAY, NOV. 27 How to Dress Well at The Casbah. The Skatalites at Winston’s Beach Club.

THURSDAY, NOV. 29 Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus at Observatory North Park. Andre Nickatina at House of Blues. Bret Michaels at Belly Up Tavern.

FRIDAY, NOV. 30 Mark Farina at Music Box. Wheeler Walker Jr. at Observatory North Park (sold out). Kottonmouth Kings at Brick

by Brick. Lemaitre at The Irenic.

DECEMBER SATURDAY, DEC. 1 Godflesh at Brick by Brick. Tribal Seeds at Observatory North Park.

SUNDAY, DEC. 2 Old 97s at Belly Up Tavern. Justin Courtney Pierre at The Casbah. The Black Dahlia Murder at Brick by Brick.

TUESDAY, DEC. 4 Hoobastank at Observatory North Park.

Mac DeMarco at Music Box. The Charlie Daniels Band at the California Center for the Arts.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 5 Big Business at Whistle Stop. Fucked Up at Soda Bar. The Devon Allman Project at Music Box. Aaron Lewis at House of Blues.

THURSDAY, DEC. 6 Squirrel Nut Zippers at Belly Up Tavern.

The Buttertones at The Irenic.

FRIDAY, DEC. 7 Beach Fossils, Wavves at House Of Blues. Har Mar Superstar, Sabrina Ellis at The Casbah. Pale Waves at The Irenic. Chris Robinson Brotherhood at Observatory North Park.

SATURDAY, DEC. 8 Neko Case, Destroyer at Observatory North Park. Fleetwood Mac at Viejas Arena. Author & Punisher at The Casbah.

SUNDAY, DEC. 9 Kurt Vile & The Violators, Jessica Pratt at Observatory North Park. Skating Polly at The Casbah. Suuns at Soda Bar. AFI at Observatory North Park.

MONDAY, DEC. 10 Doyle at Brick by Brick.

TUESDAY, DEC. 11 Amine at Observatory North Park.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 12 Bernhoft and the Fashion Bruises at The Casbah. Valley Maker at Soda Bar. KSHMR at Observatory North Park.

Atreyu at House Of Blues.

THURSDAY, DEC. 13 Robert Cray Band at Belly Up Tavern, Thou at Che Café. Barry Manilow at Viejas Arena. Middle Kids at Soda Bar. Mariachi Sol De Mexico at Balboa Theatre.

FRIDAY, DEC. 14 Death Valley Girls at Soda Bar. Fu Manchu at The Casbah. Third Eye Blind, Lord Huron at Valley View Casino Center.

SATURDAY, DEC. 15 Fu Manchu at The Casbah. Queen Naija at SOMA.

SUNDAY, DEC. 16 Earthless at Belly Up Tavern.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 25 @SDCITYBEAT

BY CHRISTIN BAILEY

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24

rCLUBSr

710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Open Mic. Thu: Karaoke. Fri: Jet West, Brewfish, Sonny Boy Jones. Sat: Cassie B Project. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: Blue Jean Simmons, The Band Sweeney.

Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘#HipHopWednesday’. Thu: ‘Funky Lil Beat’. Fri: ‘House Music Friday’. Sat: DJ Mike Czech. Sun: ‘Church’. Mon: ‘Organized Grime’. Tue: Jonathan Lestat.

American Comedy Co., 818 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Thu: Todd Glass. Fri: Todd Glass. Sat: Todd Glass. Sun: Jen Kirkman. Tue: Open Mic. The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Sat: Detroit Diesel Power. Sun: Acceptable Losses.

Tue: Karaoke.

Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown.

Fri: Bad Boy Bill, Richard Vission. Sat: Zimmer.

Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park.

Wed: ‘Shock!’. Thu: DJ Victor Penalosa.

Fri: ‘Club Hemlock’. Sat: Neon Beat.

Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: DJ Shuffledust. Tue: Alvino and The Dwells, Doc Hammer.

Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Thu: Mike Myrdal. Fri: Slower. Sat: Hall Pass.

@SDCITYBEAT

Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Todd Rundgren.

Thu: Billy F Gibbons. Fri: The English Beat. Sat: Sully. Sun: Charlie Rae. Tue: WYO, Ottopilot, Primaveras.

Black Cat Bar, 4246 University Ave., City Heights. Sat: Obligerant.

Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Thu: ‘Chocolate’. Fri: ‘We Are Your Friends’.

Sat: ‘Bump’. Mon: ‘Blue Monday’. Tue: ‘Techno Tuesdays’.

Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Thu: Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, Child Bite, Cave Bastard, Godhammered. Fri: Bongzilla, Deep Sea Thunder Beast, Owain, Space Wax. Sat: This Will Destroy You, Clarice Jensen. Sun: Devildriver, Jinjer, Raven Black, End Thy Species. Mon: Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow. Tue: Eyehategod, Christ Killer, Absence of Mine, Stand.

The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: The Selecter, Mochilero Allstars. Thu: Shane Hall, Well Well Well, Boychick. Fri: Tokyo Police Club, Fleece.

Sat: The Helio Sequence, Strawberry Mountain. Sun: Southern Culture on the Skids, Thee Allyrgic Reaction. Mon: Steady Holiday, Tomemitsu. Tue: Fairplay, The Powerballs, Wicked Echoes.

Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. Wed: Dirty Wombs, Geiger Counter, Drogenszene, Mangled. Thu: Shana Falana, Ashes, Le Saboteur, Jack Geary. Fri: Rinse & Repeat, Jinx, Kan Kan, Oatmeal. Sat: Vietnam Hardcore, Tidal Transcendence, The Shellshocks, Sidewalk Chumps, Mobius. Sun: The Shed, The Living Strange, The Rinds, CANTO, The Galactics.

MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): It doesn’t make one ounce of difference if everything goes according to plan if your plan is bad to begin with.

TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): We all have to decide for ourselves what justice looks like. This is how you, as well as the seagull who stole your sandwich, can both be moral victors.

GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): Most problems can be solved with the same strategy used for detangling a knotted up necklace: find either the beginning or the end and go from there.

CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Sometimes the best course of action is inaction. For example, the fantasy that people are going to be impressed that you solved a Rubik’s Cube is way more fulfilling than the reality.

LEO (July 23 - August 22): Challenge yourself this week. Begin each morning by staring yourself in the eyes in the mirror and saying positive affirmations for 10 minutes instead of your usual 90.

VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): You cannot wrest your destiny from the hands of fate any more than you can understand why Arby’s is still open.

Honestly, have you ever met anyone who goes there?

LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): Anything is possible this month. In fact, if we’re going by the Libra pimp who died a month prior to the midterms and was still elected to the Nevada state assembly, it seems too much is possible.

SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Narcissus looked into the world and didn’t see himself reflected; which is sorta the opposite of you wondering how migratory animals travel long distances unaided by GPS devices.

SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): It was only over centuries that classical sculptures came to lose their paint and become “Classical Sculptures.”

But way before then, people were just like, “Hey, is that that guy, Militiades?”

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): It is important to strategize and plan, but ideally you should be doing most of this before the starting line gun is fired and all the greyhounds are running after you.

AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): Everything comes to an end, but the end, much like the expiration date on a Bed Bath & Beyond coupon, is less of a rule and more of a strategy to get you to buy stuff quicker.

PISCES (February 19 - March 20): Even if you accidentally put the leftovers in the lid portion of the Styrofoam takeout container, the day will continue exactly as it would have if you did it the right way.

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

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25

MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25

Loft @ UCSD, Price Center East, La Jolla. Thu: Jungle Fire.

Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Wed: The Mesa College Jazz Big Band. Fri: The Benedetti Ensemble.

Sat: The Joshua White Trio.

Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: ‘The Divine Miss Bette’.

F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Thu: ‘TakeOver Thursday’. Fri: DJ Birdie Bird. Sat: DJ Moe. Sun: ‘Reggae Sunday’.

Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Romeo Reyes. Sat: Bamboozle.

House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Cherub. Thu: Kodaline. Fri: Kissed Alive. Sat: Korpiklaani & Arkona. Sun: King Lil G & Rittz. Tue: Robin Henkel.

Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Len Rainey. Thu: Rosy Dawn. Fri: Detroit Underground. Sat: Rising Star. Sun: Cerissa McQueen. Mon: Whitney Shay.

Tue: Fuzzy Rankins.

The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park.

Thu: La Dispute, Queen of Jeans.

Kava Lounge, 2812 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Thu: Perpetrator, WWIV, MaxBeta, Filoso. Fri: Franklyn Watts, Kevin Anderson, Matt Egbert, Fraud. Sat: Fat Kisses. Sun: Ethixx.

Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Fri: Critical Me, Sideshow, Late For Life. Sat: Los Apaches, The Sparktones, Jesse & The Rock ‘n’ Roll Three.

Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: Open Mic. Fri: Lee Coulter and Dixie Maxwell. Sat: Gregory Page. Sun: Subspecies. Mon: Open Mic.

The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: 5NSLIME, Stone Throw from Mexico, Luke Fallon. Sat: The Inciters, Los Hooligans, The Nightengayles.

Tue: Love Angeles, Machine Politik.

Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Thu: Steelhorse Country.

Fri: FreeMartin. Sat: Snake Oil Gypsies. Sun: Anthony Ortega Jazz Quartet. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke.

Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy.

Thu: G Jones. Fri: SuicideGirls. Sat: P.O.D., Nonpoint, Islander, Bossfight.

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

Thu: ‘No Limits’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’. Mon: ‘Motown on Monday’.

OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Morgan Page.

Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Wed: Young Lions, The Wednesday Jam Session. Thu: Crew D’Etat Brass. Fri: Birdy Bardot & The Midnight Pine. Sat: Erika Davies.

Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Wed: Thu: Fri: Karma. Sat: Direct.

Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Wed: Open Mic. Sat: Whit Aadland. Sun: The Night Howls. Tue: DJ Lexicon.

Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: The Derringers. Thu: Tomcat Courtney. Fri: Fred Heath. Sat: Black Market III. The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Sat: ‘Sabados En Fuego!’.

26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 14, 2018

KOHEI KAWASHIMA

Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest.

Wed: ‘Mischief Wednesdays’. Thu: ‘#LEZ’. Fri: ‘Dirty Pop’. Sat: ‘Fuel’.

Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: ‘Boss Jazz’. Thu: Rebekkah Darling and Paul Tillery. Sat: KRZ. Tue: ‘Everything and Anything Jam’.

Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Thu: DJ Doug, HOUSE PARTY. Fri: Scratch Acoustic Soul Trio.

Sat: Joey Harris & the Mentals. Tue: Chloe Lou & Davies.

Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Mutual Benefit, GABI, The Bellflowers. Thu: J Mascis, James Elkington (sold out). Fri: Nebula Drag, Doc Hammer, Desert Suns. Sat: Blockhead, Yppah, Arms And Sleepers. Sun: Yindi Halda, Staghorn. Mon: Battery Point, KAN-KAN, dnll, Cold Juice. Tue: Ian Sweet, Young Jesus.

SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Sat: Billie Eilish (sold out).

SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘Make Yourself at Home’.

Fri: Fister. Sat: ‘Tunnel Vision’. Mon: ‘Altars of Madnesssss!’. Tue: Karaoke.

Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Sat: ‘Overdrive’s 5th Anniversary Celebration’ with Joe Gauthreaux.

Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Paul Gregg.

Thu: The Liquorsmiths, Davy Rocket.

Sun: Clinton Davis, Brother Maybelle.

Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: Alberta. Thu: ‘Original Stylin’. Fri: ‘PANTS Karaoke’. Sun: VIQueen, The Living, Color Til Monday, Delma.

Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed:

Beach Fossils play House of Blues on Dec. 7 ‘The Corner’.Thu: Keep Your Soul. Fri: Coriander. Sat: Coriander. Sun: Tony P. Mon: ‘Industry Monday’. Tue: Keep Your Soul.

Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park.

Wed: ‘Jazz’ with Leonard Patton, Iris Mone, Eliane Amhero. Thu: Mercedes Moore. Fri: Funks Most Wanted. Sat: Los Fabulocos, The Sleepwalkers. Tue: The Tourmaliners.

Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: Butt Candy, The Tubulars, ‘80s TV Time. Sat: Some Kind of Nightmare, Social Spit, Batlords, Midnight Track. Sun: Failing Up, Ash Williams, War Fever, No Skill Required.

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

Wed: DJ Mo Lyon. Thu: ‘Boombox Thursdays’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: DJ

Qenoe. Sun: Irie G., Burning Up. Mon: ‘#31 Flavors’. Tue: ‘Beer Pong Tournament’.

Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: Jonny Tarr Quintet, My Mynd. Thu: ‘Love Affair!’ Fri: ‘F#$%ING in the Bushes’. Sat: ‘‘80s vs. ‘90s Dance Party’. Sun: Therapy, Karbonite, All Beat Up, Missing Limbs. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’. Tue: ‘Videodrome’.

Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: ‘Club Kingston’. Thu: Joe Kaplow Band, Trouble in the Wind and Homesick Hitchers. Fri: Headphone, Future Human, Jara, Oak Palace. Sat: The Routine, Boostive. Sun: ‘Jose Sinatra hosts O.B.-o.ke’. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: The Dreadnotz, the Jefferson Jay Band.

@SDCITYBEAT

BY LARA MCCAFFREY

IN THE BACK

CannaBeat

ABCs of CBD

COURTESY OF THERAPY TONICS & PROVISIONS

C

annabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive cannabis chemical, has skyrocketed in popularity due to its supposed medicinal qualities. It’s also easier to get now with many products showing up at local grocery stores or pharmacies. But those CBD products might be illegal, according to some San Diego legal experts.

“According to the Drug Enforcement Administration [DEA], it’s not legal,” says Jessica McElfresh, a San Diego attorney specializing in cannabis law. “According to the California Department of Public Health [CDPH], these products, even if they’re derived from imported industrial hemp, cannot be sold in California if the product is intended for human consumption.”

The DEA considers CBD a Schedule I drug along with heroin and LSD. However, the CDPH’s July 2018 FAQ on allowable industrial hemp and CBD products has more nuanced rulings. Products with hemp seed oil can be sold by all kinds of retailers. However, CBD procured from industrial hemp or cannabis should only be sold by licensed dispensaries.

The FAQ also designates seeds derived from industrial hemp, industrial hemp seed oil and hemp seed oil as allowable food additives. However, food infused with CBD from industrial hemp or cannabis cannot be sold by unlicensed retailers.

Despite this, CBD continues to pop up in supermarkets and drug stores. There are even stores that sell nothing but

@SDCITYBEAT

Cannabis infused beverages from Therapy Tonics & Provisions

CBD products.

“The disconnect between what you see and what the law says you should see is quite striking,” says McElfresh.

Edward Wicker, another local lawyer specializing in cannabis law, says there’s widespread confusion about the status of CBD. “I think [this is] in part from an unclear policy from the federal government,” says Wicker, adding that unclear federal laws commonly plague the cannabis industry as a whole.

Consumers might not even know which products are legal. Wicker says labeling on CBD products doesn’t always give sufficient information about manufacturing;

there’s usually no way to know if a product is derived from hemp seed oil versus industrial hemp or cannabis.

To complicate things futher, the state isn’t doing much CBD-related enforcement. Christopher Coggan, CEO of local cannabis manufacturer Therapy Tonics & Provisions, thinks CDPH’s position hints at future regulation because the state currently doesn’t have the means for enforcement.

“With hundreds of CBD storefronts in California, as well as some of the largest manufacturers in the CBD space based here, the notion that they will somehow shut down a billion dollar California industry with zero enforcement budget—well, it is highly unlikely,” say Coggan.

Coggan says his own CBD company, Therapy Pure Essentials, ran into some roadblocks after the CDPH released its position on hemp-derived CBD. Yet, it was the federal government, not the state, that intervened. The CBD company is pending a relaunch.

“Our credit card processor was given a cease and desist by the DEA, or so we were told,” says Coggan.

“Consequently, direct to consumer sales are challenging at this time because of that.”

Wicker says that CBD products should be made available as the chemical shows medical promise.

“It's most unfortunate that federal prohibition continues to confuse the market with unclear regulations,” says Wicker. “It's important that there be the political solutions to this problem.”

CannaBeat appears every other week.

NOVEMBER 14, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27