2 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
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UP FRONT | FROM THE EDITOR
Navigating a road to nowhere
G
one are the days where I could unflinchingly criticize Mayor Faulconer for his lack of leadership when it came to San Diego’s seemingly unending homelessness crisis. Sure, it only took a public health crisis and the resulting 20 deaths from that crisis to really get the ball rolling, but over a year later, the mayor seems to be, at the least, determined to leave some kind of legacy when it comes to homelessness. The task now, it seems, is whether or not he’s making the right moves and whether that legacy will be one of success or one that citizens look back on as too-little, too-late. And as new city councilmembers are sworn in on Dec. 10, and begin a session in which one in which Democrats will have a 6-3, vetoproof supermajority, many have speculated that Faulconer will be a lame duck for his remaining two years in office. That is, it will be much more difficult to get anything he wants moving forward. Luckily for the mayor, he did receive one more gift this past Tuesday from some of the outgoing members of the council. On a 5-4 vote, the council approved the mayor’s proposed homeless navigation center, which will be housed inside a former indoor skydiving facility in the East Village. The council voted to hire Family Health Services of San Diego [FHCSD] to run the facility. This, despite the objections of Downtown and East Village resident groups, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties. “We’ve seen the largest expansion of homeless services in city history over the past year with new bridge shelters, safe parking opportunities and a new storage facility,” said the mayor in a released statement. “Every individual has a unique situation and we must provide a variety of approaches to truly help people. The Housing Navigation Center will play a key role in coordinating those services under one roof and help folks find the support they need.” The key word here though is “housing.” As with many divided votes in the council this past year, this one came down to the vote of outgoing Council President Myrtle Cole, who lost her reelection bid to Monica Montgomery earlier this month. And while it could
be easy to speculate that this was Cole’s last gift to the mayor, who endorsed her campaign, the fight over the facility is not over. FHCSD is being given $1.5 million for the first year of operations in the new facility, which is set to open early next year. However, come November 2019, a very different city council will get to decide whether to renew FHCSD’s contract. The four nay votes on the council came from Barbara Bry, Chris Ward, David Alvarez and Georgette Gomez. Ward, in particular, was pointed in his criticisms. “The departure from the original concept of this Navigation Center compared to what has been narrowly approved today is extremely disappointing,” said Ward in a statement after the vote. “This no longer aspires to be a one-stop, low–barrier shelter model with access to multiple providers and on-site services, targeting the chronically homeless and those living in encampments. Instead, this proposal will provide zero additional shelter beds, zero additional housing units and zero additional services for our vulnerable population.” Ward, who also served on his last meeting as Chair of the Select Kevin Faulconer Committee on Homelessness this past week, continued his criticisms. “Experience has proven that our biggest need is identifying and producing housing into which we can successfully navigate homeless clients. Until we address the amount of housing available to all San Diegans, this concept—from inception to conclusion— will continue to be a navigation center to nowhere.” And yes, without more housing, it really is somewhat disingenuous to open a “housing navigation center.” And while there has been progress on permanent supportive housing—including the announcement on Monday of a planned 21-unit homeless veteran housing facility in Barrio Logan made from shipping containers—I’m not sure what purpose a navigation center will serve other than to, perhaps, help navigate out homeless citizens to physical and behavioral health centers. But without a place to call home, such a center will only serve to navigate them back out onto the street.
—Seth Combs
Write to seth.combs@sdcitybeat.com
This issue of CityBeat is pleased to announce its candidacy for mayor of Pleasure, California.
Volume 17 • Issue 14 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
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NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 3
UP FRONT | LETTERS
TALKING ‘BOUT MY GENERATION
Hey Seth Combs. My name is Ryan. I read your article in the paper. The one about voting (or not voting rather) [“So, you didn’t vote,” Nov. 7]. You write about how you feel it’s your generation’s fault for why younger generations feel a sense of hopelessness when it comes to voting. I had read the article while at work getting to know one of my co-workers. The article was a great read, especially while I passed time getting to know one of my co-workers. Keep up the good work. Ryan Martinez Otay Ranch
NO PLACE FOR GENTLEMEN, PART 2
I appreciated Mr. Donovan’s Nov. 14 response “Progressivism?” to my letter, “No Place for Gentlemen” on Nov. 7. I am in complete agreement re: his views on equal rights for all, and I felt he expressed his views very well. He is perhaps a clearer writer than I am. In my letter, my intention wasn’t to take issue with anyone’s rights, including the right of Gentleman’s clubs to exist. What I (thought I) communicated in my letter was that I felt perplexed with CityBeat’s choice to actively promote such clubs. Gun shops have a right to exist, too, but thankfully I haven’t noticed CityBeats’s choosing to actively promote them. Candidates with racist views have a right to exist, but CityBeat doesn’t promote those people, either. I presume these choices have to do with what CityBeat’s sensibilities are and its desire to represent itself accurately and consistently, in terms of its views. As I see it, our active, daily choices as to what we purchase and support are one of the ways we can powerfully communicate to companies and organizations what we’d like to see/not see more of in our local and global societies. I have never tried—and would never try—to shut down anyone’s speech, much less disrespect anyone’s other rights. I simply felt that CityBeat’s active promotion of strip clubs seemed to contradict the
4 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
beautifully written views that several CityBeat writers, including its editor, had expressed earlier this year regarding the statement of— and opportunities for—women. Peace. Sarah Hillcrest
WE WANT FEEDBACK 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.
WE MESSED UP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
In last week’s feature “Fading Away,” about declining guitar sales, we attributed the quote, “Even when you see a guitar on stage, that’s a rhythmic one, mainly for flow” to School of Rock music director Tyler Ward, when it was actually luthier Brandon Madrid who said it. We regret the error.
TABLE OF CONTENTS UP FRONT
From the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spin Cycle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Backwards & In High Heels . . . . . . . . . . . Well, That Was Awkward . . . . . . . . . . . .
3 4 5 6 7
FOOD & DRINK
World Fare. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Anatomy of a Cocktail Scene. . . . . . . . . . 9 Final Draught. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
THINGS TO DO
The Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Calendar of Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
ARTS & CULTURE
Theater. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Feature: People of the Year. . . . . . . 15-21 Film. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-24
MUSIC
Feature: Cat Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Notes From The Smoking Patio . . . . . . 26 About Last Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 If I Were U . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Concerts & Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28-30
IN THE BACK
Astrologically Unsound . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 CannaBitch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
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JOHN R. LAMB
UP FRONT | OPINION
SPIN
CYCLE
JOHN R. LAMB
Dial L for late
J
ust days after the ballot measure he proposed roared to a landslide victory, Bob Ottilie was driving down Mission Boulevard when his phone rang. On the other end of the line was Jeff McDonald, the rock-star investigative reporter for the San Diego UnionTribune. The passage of Measure L—the culmination of years of work to boost pay for elected officials in the city of San Diego—surprised many, especially since it was backed by a whopping 78-percent of voters. Not Ottilie, of course, a sometimesbrash local attorney who once pondered a political career of his own. Compared to other initiatives and political battles on the Nov. 6 ballot, Measure L received relatively scant media coverage, most notably from the mainstream UnionTribune. The paper published a story in late July when the City
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Council voted 7-1 to put the measure on the ballot, then an op-ed in support by Ottilie in mid-October that ran alongside the paper’s official editorial opposing Measure L. So when his phone rang, Ottilie figured the U-T wanted to know how he’d managed to pull this off. “I thought to myself, ‘Well, it passed with such an overwhelming majority that they’re going to do a story on this 21-year process,’” he told Spin last week. “I thought I should go home and put my suit on for the picture that was sure to come.” Instead, Ottilie said McDonald was calling for another reason. “He says my editor wants me to write a story that Measure L was misleading because you, as the presumed author, didn’t tell people exactly what the salaries were,” he recalled. “And I said, ‘who’s your editor, Matt Hall?’ Because that’s
exactly what he wrote in [the] oped piece.” Ottilie said Hall, the paper’s editorial and opinion director, wanted him to change his October op-ed to include the current salaries of the affected city electeds (the mayor, councilmembers, city attorney, etc.), as well as that of Superior Court judges, to which under Measure L those future pay increases would be tied. He said he included only percentages of judicial pay and no dollar figures because that’s “exactly what the legislation calls for. The legislation doesn’t have numbers.” “I wrote my piece the way I wanted to,” Ottilie said when asked if he was trying to downplay the actual figures. In his op-ed, he noted that, if Measure L passed, council pay would be benchmarked at 60 percent of judicial pay beginning in 2020, climbing to a cap of 75 percent in 2022. Ottilie said he finally agreed to add the figures, but under one condition: That he would get to read the U-T’s editorial before it went to print and offer changes to it. The paper, naturally, declined, he said. The editorial, in essence, continued a tradition of three consecutive editorial directors who, while not bemoaning the actual pay increases themselves, insist that the City Council should vote on its own pay boost if it wants one. As
Measure L’s chief promoter thought his moment had come. But Bob Ottilie said Union-Tribune Watchdog editor Ricky Young (pictured) had other ideas. the editorial headline screamed, “Make San Diego’s elected leaders justify pay raises.” But that’s exactly the opposite of what a San Diego County Grand Jury called for in a 2015 report, Ottilie noted, calling such a proposal “fundamentally flawed” and “an inherent conflict of interest” and suggesting instead that those salaries be linked to an “external benchmark.” That detail was left out of the U-T editorial, to which Ottilie scoffed, “Talk about misleading.” A voracious reader of op-eds as a child, Ottilie said he was surprised to find the editor’s note slipped into the middle of his piece that pointed out the current salaries of Superior Court judges (“just over $200,000 per year”), councilmembers (“about $75,000”), the mayor (“about $100,000”) and city attorney (“about $193,000”). An additional note at the end added, “Ottilie, the chief proponent of Measure L, is the former chairman of the San Diego Salary Setting Commission. He declined the U-T’s request to include the pertinent salary figures in his piece, so we added the editor’s note above.” “I’d never seen that before,” Ottilie said. “And after that, the U-T doesn’t do a single story. They didn’t cover [Measure] L at all.” Never mind that the measure garnered the support of a spectrum of diverse organizations rarely seen on the political landscape— both major local political parties, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters, and even the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. “Anybody can go down and file an opposition for the ballot pamphlet,” Ottilie said, “but nobody did. That’s when I knew we could get more than 70-percent support for this measure from voters.”
It did, but then there was that post-election phone call. Ottilie said McDonald told him he had been assigned by his editor, Ricky Young, to dig into the question of misleading voters. Ottilie wondered if his measure had prompted a protest at City Hall or some outside challenge, but when he read the story that finally emerged last week, the headline said it all: “Ballot language for Measure L didn’t mention its most eye-popping outcome—doubling the pay of San Diego mayor, council.” It included only one quote from former Republican councilmember and failed mayoral candidate Carl DeMaio. DeMaio has been busy with his own ballot-language temper tantrum over Proposition 6, his gas-tax repeal initiative that went down to defeat. The right-wing radio yapper was quoted as saying, “I actually nicknamed Measure L the most deceptive local measure on the ballot. It was a massive pay hike doubling their salaries they don’t deserve.” Ottilie said he sent DeMaio a thank-you card—not for that comment, but for having him on his radio show to talk about the measure’s other ethics-reform features. Those include banning city-funded mailings from incumbents in the last 75 days of a campaign, to expanding the lobbying ban on former electeds from one to two years after leaving office. It also includes prohibitions on speaking fees, skybox use at city venues and an end to a $10,000-ayear annual car allowance. But maybe things are looking up. Another U-T reporter was assigned to look into Ottilie’s contention that higher pay will prompt a more qualified pool of future political contenders. That story ran Monday with the headline, “Support for council raises.”
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 5
UP FRONT | OPINION
AARYN BELFER
BACKWARDS & IN
HIGH HEELS Two-Faced
F
acebook employed a Republican opposition-research firm to discredit activist protesters, in part by linking them to the liberal financier George Soros. It also tapped its business relationships, lobbying a Jewish civil rights group to cast some criticism of the company as anti-Semitic.” —The New York Times, Nov. 14, 2018 We all know when a relationship goes sour. We might lie to ourselves for a while and rationalize staying. But there comes a breaking point when the deep-down knowledge bubbles up to the surface. And friends, we’re at a boiling point with Facebook. It’s time for us to say goodbye. It feels like forever ago since Mark Zuckerberg—along with his practiced-in-themirror responses to the coming interrogation—zombied his way up the Hill to testify before Congress. Once there, Zuck faced down 44 senators whose average age was 62. The median age (I hope readers know their maths) of the ranking members and committee chairs was 80. Seriously: The horseand-buggy crowd is in charge of nearly every aspect of our lives. And boy howdy was that reflected in their line of questioning. One sample: Sen. Orrin Hatch: “So, how do you sustain a business model in which users don’t pay for your service?” Mark Zuckerberg: “Senator, we run ads.” Lo, the ads! We have the Trump regime thanks to those “ads.” The senators who led the first part of the so-called investigation have tech support on speed dial because how would they know they should try rebooting before calling for backup? Their overall grasp of the how the internet “pipes” work is about as strong as Strom Thurmond’s gnarled, arthritic hands on the night he passed from this world. Blessed be the fruit: I would happily dance on his grave, Martha Graham style, with lots of contractions and loud exhales. Not enough of the bad ones die, if you ask me. Anyway, the House members were a little less circle-jerky when it was their turn. And yet, what came of that process was not unlike every other congressional hearing of late, in which smoke and mirrors are deployed and the Big Show keeps the Facebook timeline newsfeed a-rollin’. Then they strike the set and move on, everyone goes home to their district to run their re-election campaigns. Nothing to see here. Except there is a whole lot to see here. Frontline’s recent two-part documentary, “The Facebook Dilemma” is devastating. I’ve only been able to stomach Part One and I feel guilty and dirty about participating in the book of faces. And then last week, a small coterie of
“
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journalists at The New York Times (which has played no small part in spreading Trumpism and hate, but that’s a story for another time) followed up with “Delay, Deny and Deflect: How Facebook’s Leaders Fought Through Crisis.” It’s plain for all to see that billions of dollars in the pockets of the young and the powerful is more important than democracy or individual humans. Zuckerberg is imminently hateable but so, too, is Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. All that lean in bullshit that made certain un-leaners (ahem!) feel bad about themselves landed Sandberg a bestseller. She was hailed as a revolutionary feminist. That Sheryl Sandberg! She’s so kind! So humane! And poor kind, humane Sheryl! It’s so sad her kind and humane husband died unexpectedly! We loved Sheryl Sandberg so. Meanwhile, pay no attention to the woman behind the curtain! She was back there at the controls, actively participating in the proliferation of fake news, allowing Facebook’s 2.2 billion users to be data mined, weaponizing antisemitism (the self-loathing runs deep with this one), and then actively covering up Russian activity on the platform. All of this, to make herself, Zuck and Facebook shareholders rich beyond imagination. Lean in, my ass. As my 13-year-old might say, she needs to lean way out over a tall cliff. So today, I find myself in the same place I was many years ago but for a different reason. Sometime in the early-2000s—I can’t remember the exact year—I broke up with Facebook. I didn’t waver, I just ended it. And for two years, I was free of the toxic relationship. It was the best of times. But I went back so I could be connected with the people in my adoption circles, people who have my heart and my back; who have my kid’s heart and my kid’s back. Of course, I use Facebook for all kinds of things now and isn’t that the rub? Not only do I have the social connections that I wouldn’t necessarily have without Facebook (I’ve actually loved connecting with people with whom I went to high school, and who could ever have predicted that?), but I find work through Facebook and I’m wrapped into a variety of activist communities. But I’ve also wasted much time there. Activism doesn’t happen online and even in hard conversations, there is no changing hearts and minds there. Fruitless arguments abound and it’s easy to spark a small flame that immolates friendships. This, even with the most carefully chosen words. Watching relationships between people I love and respect fall apart has been excruciating. As I hover my cursor over the deactivate button, as I inch toward shutting down my personal account and figure out how I can still do my paid work there, I feel trapped. But the time has run out on this relationship and I know deep down it’s over. It’s time to untrap myself. I hope others will do the same.
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UP FRONT | VOICES
RYAN BRADFORD
WELL THAT WAS
AWKWARD
Share food, not misery
B
ring a dish to share. These are the words that will cause my death. Death by potluck. The end of me will be heralded by smiling faces eager to give me exquisitely prepared food. I will die with a plate speckled with remnants of each respective dish. With my luck, my obituary will inform mourners to bring a dish to share to my wake. If it’s not obvious, I don’t like potlucks. I’m also aware that this is an irrational fear—sharing food is one of the few remaining occasions that keep us human. What do all people share apart from the desire to fill their fleshy middles with sustenance? But before I’m disinvited from all future Friendsgivings or future potlucks, allow me to clarify: This is definitely an it’s-not-youit’s-me situation. It’s totally me, baby, and this time, I mean it. To someone like me who occasionally falls down the ol’ downward spiral of selfconsciousness, potlucks can feel like a flex zone where foodie friends can assert their culinary dominance and rub their talents
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in my face. Before potlucks became popular among my peers, nobody gave a fuck if I could or couldn’t braise a carrot, simmer a reduction or bacon-wrap a something. But now that everybody’s cultured about everything, it feels harder to hide my own lack of experience. I don’t know when everybody suddenly became a food expert, but I missed that boat. Tell me to microwave a plate of dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and there’s still a 35-percent chance that I’ll fuck it up. But more powerful than the shame is the disappointment. Is this the future that young Ryan imagined? Am I at the age where this is what I look forward to? I remember late nights spent dreaming of the freedoms that came with adulthood, when I could throw caution to the wind, stay out all night, get wasted out of my mind and experience life’s rich pageant. I don’t know at what age people stop bringing dirty thirties (that’s a 30-pack of shitty beer for all you elitists out there) to a party and start bringing dishes to share instead, but it happens gradually. Suddenly you wake up with gray in your sideburns, an unabashed love of hip indie bands, and you’re holding a seran-wrapped plate of
homemade goodies. I know: spoken like a true midlife crisis. You see what I mean, potluck lovers? It’s not potlucks that are the problem, it’s definitely me. Inside every soapbox lies a bunch of deep-seated issues, and my anti-potluck soapbox is brimming with them. But I’m sure I’m not the only monster out there. There must be other people who who feel the same irrational dread toward potlucks, so here are a couple of tips I’ve learned in order to survive these happy, joyfilled occasions. Just be cool: I always remind myself that no one knows the thoughts going through my head. That hellfire of shame raging through my skull? All mine, baby. Nobody knows about the downward spiral, or suspicions about how my friends are trying to assert dominance over me. Nor do I focus on the week of free groceries we’re all providing the host. Just be chill, bro. I tell myself. Smile! Taste everything. Compliment the food. Have a good time. This is a normal thing that humans do. Don’t fake it: Definitely don’t try to pass off a Costco pumpkin pie as homemade. People will know immediately and the rest of the evening will be weird. Don’t be a jerk. Just bring something: No matter how negative our feelings are toward potlucks, the social contract dictates that we must bring something. Hey, I don’t make the rules. In recent years, I’ve found that bringing funny food is a good way to satisfy the rules, as well as disarm high ex-
pectations from hoity-toity foodies. For example, I once brought KFC dinner (chicken, biscuits, mashed potatoes—the whole shebang) to a holiday party and it worked like gangbusters. Everybody seemed stoked to indulge in the trashy food when it was presented ironically. However, I then made the mistake of bringing some Little Caesar’s pizzas to another party, and I became known as “the guy who brings weird food.” Don’t vocalize a desire to ditch the potluck in an effort to rediscover youthful ideals: This one is pretty self-explanatory. I would also advise asking permission before shotgunning, beer-bonging or indulging in any act of novelty drinking at a friend’s potluck. Sneaky flasks are our friends: If the pressure of having to satisfy rational or irrational expectations becomes too much, there’s always good old booze for dulling those problematic feelings. Don’t drink too much though, since it might lead to loose tongues and rage-fueled outbursts directed at the fascist practices of potlucks. Share food, not misery. Finally, when in doubt, bring a cheese and cracker plate: On one hand, nothing says I panicked at the grocery store because this whole get-together is throwing me into an existential crisis so here’s this crappy cheese and cracker plate more than a cheese and cracker plate. On the other hand, cheese and cracker plates are delicious. Bonus points if it comes with grapes. Who’s the most cultured one at the party, now?
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 7
UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK
BY MICHAEL A. GARDINER
THE WORLD
FARE The perfect bite
I
cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mayo on a brioche bun. It’s a perfectly executed burger and while the terrific beef is the star of the show, the pickles shine in their supporting role. DiBiase’s attention to detail was particularly apparent with the speckled romaine lettuce which was both beautiful and sturdy enough not to wilt in the burger. The steamed black mussels and fries with fennel, overnight tomato, salsa verde and smoked chile aioli were another standout, and another twist on a classic. The hint of spice added a lot to the dish with the sweetness of fennel, plump mussels and perfectly-executed fries completing the picture.
t was after the first bite of the first dish at Vistal (901 Bayfront Court inside the downtown Intercontinental Hotel, ihg.com) that I turned to my wife and said, “Oh, the chef’s going to have a hard time beating that!” In fact, Chef Amy DiBiase never quite did do so. But she came really close. But that bite—that one bite may have MICHAEL A. GARDINER been the best that ever passed my lips. The equation of hotel restaurant plus drop-dead gorgeous view doesn’t inevitably yield culinary excellence. In fact, it rarely does. But as DiBiase and Vistal show, sometimes it gets there. Vistal bills itself as featuring “mindfully curated coastal cuisine,” whatever that means. Fortunately, the flavors made more sense than that particular word salad. Take, for example, Vistal’s Pickled black cod with Persian cucumber, fennel, preserved plum, sheep’s milk ricotta gnudi horseradish crema and malted toast with Baja stone crab, yuzu, capers and macho squash blossoms. Gnudi are gnocBut what about that first dish? That would be chi’s more pillowy, less starchy cousins. DiBiase’s the pickled black cod with Persian cucumber, fendish brings in the sweetness of the stone crab, but nel, preserved plum, horseradish crema and malted balances it with the acidity of the yuzu and brini- toast. Oh, that first bite. There was the richness ness of the capers. It’s a gorgeous and deliciously of the black cod, the acidity of the pickle, a bit of constructed dish that might have been the meal’s sweetness in the plum, a creaminess and slight heat highlight if it had not been for that first dish. in the crema and an earthiness in the malted toast. The caramelized cauliflower mezzalune (think DiBiase said the dish was the model for what she half-moon ravioli) was another hit. While foams wanted to accomplish throughout the Vistal menu. and espumas may seem so last decade, when they’re In the end, it’s food that is neither a triumph of used to deliver aroma—as the curried brown butter luxury ingredients nor fancy techniques. Instead, froth is here—they’re both timely and a pleasure. A the focus seems to be on thoughtful and creative cilantro pine nut gremolata added acidity, texture combinations of ingredients that are prepared with and a hint of earthiness. It’s a dish that has hints solid techniques. Not every dish at Vistal manages of Italian all over it but with seemingly disparate to rise to the level that pickled black cod did, but influences all seamlessly integrated. nearly every plate I tried came very close. Vistal also has a number of stellar lunch offerings. None is better than the Snake River wagyu The World Fare appears weekly. cheeseburger with bread and butter pickles, aged Write to michaelg@sdcitybeat.com.
8 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
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UP FRONT | FOOD & DRINK
ANATOMY OF A
BY IAN WARD
FINAL
COCKTAIL SCENE #45: Apples facts and applejack at Bivouac Ciderworks
for making hard cider and applejack (the liquor, not the cereal). According to famed activist and journalist, Michael Pollen, “up ey there, here’s a fun fact about until Prohibition, an apple grown in Amerapples for you to consider: Did you ica was far less likely to be eaten than to know that apples are actually part wind up in a barrel of cider. In rural areas cider took the place of not only wine and beer of the Rosaceae or rose family? That’s right! Roses and hawthorns are but of coffee and tea, juice, and even water.” Some Historians say that by 1770 in the same family as apples, pears, colonists consumed alcohol with cherries, peaches and almonds. every meal and that each indiEconomically speaking, this vidual, including children, were pretty much makes the rose drinking about three and a half family arguably one of the six gallons per year. That doesn’t most important crop families. seem like a lot but that figure Here’s another fact: Unlike refers to pure ethanol, not a sinBabe the big blue ox and Paul Bugular spirit or wine or beer. There nyan, the classic American folklore are numerous theories for this but of Johnny Appleseed is based on the most common one is that, at a real person. His name was John Chapman and he was born during Apples and the time, it was considered safer Oranges to drink alcohol rather than water, the Revolutionary War in Massadue to fears of bacterial contamichusetts where his father served as a minuteman. It’s true that Chapman grew up to nation in the latter. Seeing as how it’s Thanksgiving, the planting apple orchards throughout much of the early states (Ohio, Pennsylvania and only real time of year I gravitate toward Illinois, for example), but what might not be ciders (both alcoholic and not), as well as commonly known is that the apples Chap- apple pie and streusel, I figured it would be man planted weren’t necessarily for eating. thoughtful to share these tidbits of apples Chapman favored planting apples known and Americana. Now, on to the cocktail! To quench my seasonally dictated as “spitters,” which apparently were named that because people spit them out rather thirst, I went to Bivouac Ciderworks than eat them. “Spitters” were small and (3986 30th St., bivouaccider.com) in North tart, but more importantly, they were ideal Park. Actually, the bar at Bivouac contains a lot of the things I gravitate toward this time of year, mainly both pear and apple APPLES AND brandy. I settled into their Apples and Oranges cocktail, an appropriate blend of ORANGES apple brandy, dry cider and baking spices, as prepared at Bivouac Ciderworks namely allspice and vanilla. 1 oz. Copper and 2 orange slices I am a simple man to please this type Kings unaged apple 2 oz. hard cider of year, all I need is a little nostalgia. This brandy 2 dashes allspicecocktail certainly did the trick. All the ½ oz. lemon juice infused Fee Old beauty of Quaker Oats apple cinnamon½ oz. vanilla honey Fashioned flavored oatmeal, but with a pronounced bitters yeast-forward quality and crazy floral aromatics. Dry yet big, bold and autumnal. Gently muddle (one press) the orange Familiar, but nuanced. It’s what being a slices. Add the following ingredients and shake with ice. Strain over ice in a rocks grownup in fall is all about.
H
CARO
LY N R A MOS
glass. Garnish with orange slices.
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BY BETH DEMMON
DRAUGHT It’s sweet to be Sourworx
BETH DEMMON
L
a Mesa has always had more bird noise than bar noise, but over the past couple of years a few forward-thinking business owners realized two things: 1.) Real estate is a hell of a lot cheaper outside of the big city, and; 2.) turns out even East County residents like to drink this crazy new thing called “craft beer” (wink, wink). There are only three breweries currently within La Mesa city limits, but one of them has already expanded with an ambitious enterprise. Sourworx by Helix Brewing Company (8101 Commercial St., drinkhelix.com) focuses entirely on barrelfermented sour beers (as opposed to kettle sours, which go from tank to tap much faster, but at the expense of the complexity that barrel fermentation can produce). Getting to the tasting room is kind of a pain. It’s a weird, twisty one-way loop off Interstate-8 and through an industrial park/construction site. But cresting just beyond the final curve of the narrow street is a surprisingly quaint pair of brick buildings, coupled by strings of incandescent string lighting and ample patio seating tucked inside a private courtyard. Helix Brewing Co. has been open since 2015, but Sourworx only launched last month in the adjacent 3,000 square foot space. Twelve taps are available (six golden sours, three red sours and three dark sours) and prices are simple: $4 for 5 oz., $7 for 10 oz. and $24 for available 32 oz. growler fills. There are no flights or tasters at Sourworx, so don’t bother asking. But in the spirit of experimentation while trying to avoid inebriation, I did ask why that’s their policy. The beertender explained that the intricacies of individual sour beers get lost in a flight. To honor the time and skill already invested in making these beers, they’re best enjoyed at a minimum of five ounces. To the uninitiated palate, a lot of sour beers taste the same. And to be honest,
Sourworx after drinking a couple of any variety of sours, even master-level judges can have trouble differentiating the nuances. But Sourworx has done a thorough job of offering a wide variety of flavors from different microbes and yeast strains. Without getting too heady about the differences between Brettanomyces and Lactobacillus—there are entire books dedicated to the subject—I’ll just say that I’d wager beer fans of all persuasions could find at least one Sourworx beer they enjoy. The golden Leslie sour is easily one of their most mild beers; its 3.5-percent ABV and moderately low sourness showcases floral notes with fresh hay and vanilla. Thee Past & Present Tense variety, a 6-percent ABV red sour with Brettanomyces bruxellensis has a strong green apple nose and finish, but eventually becomes smoother with more dark fruit notes as it warms. The dark sour, Betting on Stars, is a showstopper. Spontaneously fermented in a single port barrel, it’s undoubtedly one of the most complex options. Even with a pretty approachable 5-percent ABV, it features more alcohol on the aroma than many of the other beers, but, like a port, finishes velvety and seems meant for sipping. La Mesa may not be the next North Park when it comes to beer, but with a sour program like Sourworx up and running, it may become a destination for sour supporters willing to make the drive.
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 9
EVENTS
SHORTlist
the
THREE YOU HAVE TO SEE
COORDINATED BY
SETH COMBS
SAN DIEGO
ALL OF OUR BUSINESS Last week, we suggested readers hit up a bunch of indie fairs and events where local and regional makers would be selling their goods. We’re a little tentative about doing another roundup of shopping events, but it’d be hard to work around Small Business Saturday. Sure, the annual alternative to Black Friday was made up by a credit card company, but we still find the spirit of it to be honorable. As long as you do it right. Black Friday is also Record Store Day, the all day event that emphasizes supporting local music stores. Music lovers can find a truly unique gift or just binge for themselves, as there are dozens of limited edition, one-day-only vinyl releases to choose from. Participants include Record City, Red Brontosaurus and Vinyl Junkies Record Shack (more on them on page 27). Check out full list of stores and releases at recordstoreday.com. Shop Small North Park is an all-day event on Saturday, Nov. 24 that includes nearly every small business in the neighborhood. There will be a booth on the corner of Ray Street and University Avenue where shoppers can pick up a free gift and sign up to receive prizes for spending certain amounts at participating retailers. Check out explorenorthpark.com for full list of stores and deals. Also on Saturday is the Adams Avenue Spirit Stroll, a more adult-friendly shopping event that
BALBOA PARK AND DOWNTOWN
RUN ZONE Here’s what we can all do while we wait for the turkey to cook: The 17th annual Thanksgiving Day 5K, aka the Turkey Trot, which happens throughout Balboa Park and raises money for Father Joe’s Villages’ homelessness programs and facilities. There’s also post-race live entertainment, a beer garden, and more. It takes place from 6:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22 at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion at Balboa Park (1549 El Prado). Registration is $35 at thanksgivingrun.org. That same day, there’s also the San Diego Run for the Hungry, an annual 5 and 10K through Downtown starting at 7 a.m. (10K) and 8:15 a.m. (5K) at Broadway Circle in front of Horton Plaza. Thanksgiving-themed costumes are encouraged and proceeds from this race benefit the San Diego Food Bank’s hunger-relief programs. Registration is $35-$65 ($12 for dogs) at sdrunforthehungry.org.
COURTESY OF THE ADAMS AVENUE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
ART
MUSIC
On Deck at The Brokers Building Gallery, 402 Market St., Downtown. View art created by people with a passion for skateboarding and surfing. Artists include Shuriken Shannon, Alejandro Morales Riveron and more. Opening from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23 and Saturday, Nov. 24. Free. facebook.com/ events/1960360994270050
Millennia Consort at James by-the Sea Episcopal Church, 743 Prospect St., La Jolla. As part of the St. James Music Series, the San Diego-based premiere organ-plusensemble celebrates its 20th anniversary with a concert. At 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25. Free- $30. 858-459-3421, sjbts.org
HBarrio Art Jam VI at La Bodega Gallery, 2196 Logan Ave., Barrio Logan. The sixth annual art jam hosted by San Diego Latin jazz artist, Bill Caballero, features various bands and artists. From 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24. $5-$10. 619-2557036, labodegagallery.com HRising Tide at San Diego Art Institute, 1439 El Prado, Balboa Park. Multi-media show with works which create immersive environments and space for contemplation. Artists include Francisco Eme, Jacob Sundstrom and Jana Brike. From noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 5. $5. 619-564-7644, sandiego-art.org
Adams Avenue Spirit Stroll will showcase over 30 local businesses. Adult participants can mosey into one of seven pop-up shop locations between 2 and 5 p.m. to sample a cocktail in between stops. The list of boutiques and bars is a good one and can be found at adamsavenuebusiness.com. Tickets for the cocktail portions of the event are $20. Saturday could be overwhelming for some so we recommend checking out Uncommon San Diego (uncommonsandiego.com), a shopping game of sorts where participants get a unique code with each participating store they visit. That code will enter them into a raffle for really cool prizes from really cool local shops. Best of all, it happens throughout the entire Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 23-25).
CORONADO
ON THE RINK San Diego isn’t a city rife with winter traditions, but if there’s one that’s both fun for locals and the relatives that insist on visiting around the holidays, it’s almost certainly the annual Skating by the Sea at the Hotel del Coronado (1500 Orange Ave.). It’s actually pretty amazing when we think about it: Ice-skating on the beach in Southern California, plus a portion of the proceeds are donated to Make-A-Wish San Diego. This year, there’s also a lounge area called Frostbite, where guests can sit by a fire and enjoy food and drink service. It kicks off at 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and runs through Jan. 1 (prices vary). There’s also the Coronado Holiday Festival on Wednesday, Nov. 28 from 4 to 7 p.m. There will be professional ice-skaters, fireworks and a holiday village with games and prizes. hoteldel.com
HUndocuqueer: Stories from Bordertown at Museum of Photographic Arts, 1649 El Prado, Balboa Park. Local photographer Beto Soto captures the experience of San Diego’s LGBTQ and DACA recipients in this pop-up exhibition. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27 through Monday, Dec. 3. Free. 619-238-7559, mopa.org
BOOKS HIndies First Day at Mysterious Galaxy Book Store, 5943 Balboa Ave., Ste. 100, Clairemont. As part of Small Business Saturday, the all-day event will feature author appearances, signings and readings from notable regional authors such as T. Greenwood, Henry Herz and more. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24. Free. 858268-4747, mystgalaxy.com
DANCE The Nutcracker at Poway Center for the Performing Arts, 15498 Espola Road, Poway. New West Ballet presents their performance of the classic ballet featuring family friendly dancing with both professional and student performers. At 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23, 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25. $30-$45. 858-748-0505, powaycenter.com
HOLIDAY EVENTS HFather Joe’s Villages Thanksgiving Day 5K Run & Walk at Sixth Ave. and Laurel St., Balboa Park. The 17th annual 5K is the biggest Thanksgiving run/walk in San Diego, with proceeds going to help your homeless neighbors in need. Includes a post-race festival featuring live music, a beer garden and award ceremonies. From 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22. $35. 619-239-2001, my.neighbor.org HSan Diego Run for the Hungry at Broadway Circle, 324 Horton Plaza, Downtown. The annual 10K and 5K benefits people who face hunger in the community. All profits from the race are donated to the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and hunger-relief programs. From 7 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 22. $35-$65. 619239-8180, sdrunforthehungry.org HSkating by the Sea at Hotel Del Coronado, 1500 Orange Ave., Coronado. Now in its 13th year, the outdoor ice rink on the Windsor Lawn features views of Coronado beach. Skating sessions will be offered daily and a portion of the proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Price includes skate rental. From 3:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 22 through Tuesday, January 1. Prices vary. 800-468-3533, hoteldel.com
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Skating by the Sea
H = CityBeat picks
HAn Evening with Kelli O’Hara & Matthew Morrison at Copley Symphony Hall, 750 B St., Downtown. The two Broadway stars will come together to perform classic American songs with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra. At 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27. $40-$115. sandiegosymphony.org
SPECIAL EVENTS HRecord Store Day: Black Friday at various locations. Stop by your local record store on Black Friday for exclusive vinyl deals, sidewalk sales, live performances, and much more. Then stop by again to support them all year round. See website for participating stores. Various times. Friday, Nov. 23. Free. recordstoreday.com HBAM: Black Friday Mercado at Iron Fist Brewing, 1985 National Ave., #1132, Barrio Logan. This family-friendly art festival honors Mexico’s most colorful decorative crafts and includes artists and vendors whose work is inspired by papel picado. From 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 23. Free. 619-255-5818, ironfistbrewing.com HShop Small North Park at various locations. Shoppers can peruse specials at dozens of retail locations and sign up to receive prizes. Various times. Saturday, Nov. 24. Free. explorenorthpark.com HAdams Avenue Spirit Stroll at various locations along Adams Avenue. Shoppers can sample holiday-themed cocktails from local bars/restaurants served in Adams Avenue retail locations, as part of Small Business Saturday. From 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24. $20. 619-282-7329, adamsavenuebusiness.com HSmall Business Saturday at various locations. The yearly event encourages consumers to shop and support local businesses as opposed to the big chain stores. See website for details. Various times. Saturday, Nov. 24. americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small HSmells Like Zine Spirit: The UCSD Student Zine Fest at UC San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla. A celebration of student art and writing at UCSD including an open mic, zine-making stations, and more. From 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 26. Free. facebook.com/events/1930224767272136 H#GivingTuesday Now in its seventh year, a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration that encourages patrons big and small to give to their preferred organizations. All day. See website for full details. Tuesday, Nov. 27. givingtuesday.org
TALKS & DISCUSSIONS HPerseverance Panel at Sparks Gallery, 530 Sixth Ave., Gallery owner and curator Sonya Sparks will host and participate in the panel to discuss the subject of perseverance in San Diego’s arts and culture community. From 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27. Free with registration. 619-6961416, sparksgallery.com HSpecial Nat Talk: The Fantastic Worlds of William Stout at San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, Balboa Park. World-renowned muralist, illustrator, comic book artist and poster designer William Stout will speak about his 40-year career, followed by a book signing. At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 27. $9-$12. sdnhm.org
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THEATER SIMPATIKA
When holy rollers ruled
16 at Diversionary Theatre in University Heights. $15-$55; diversionary.org
T
he setting for the forthright musical This Beautiful City is Colorado Springs in 2006, around the time of that year’s midterm elections. There, a Rocky Mountain high prevails: Evangelicals galore are getting high on Jesus. That’s bad news for non-believers. It’s even worse news for anyone with an alternative lifestyle. The faithful, with their frozen, imbued smiles, are fighting a ballot measure that would acknowledge same-sex domestic partnerships. The bringers of the fire and brimstone in this case are the New Life Church, founded by Ted Haggard. Into this pit of intolerance ventured The Civilians, an investigative theater company from New York City. Its interviews with principals on both sides of the holy war resulted in This Beautiful City, written by the group’s Steven Cosson and Jim Lewis, with music and lyrics by Michael Friedman (who passed away last year from complications related to HIV/AIDS). Though it debuted 10 years ago, This Beautiful City is only now receiving its San Diego premiere at Diversionary Theatre under the direction of Matt Morrow. The production is spirited and wonderfully performed. It boasts an ardent, versatile ensemble of actors, all portraying multiple persons in the Colorado Springs maelstrom. The standouts are Michael Cusimano and Tony Houck, who,
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—David L. Coddon
Theater reviews run weekly. Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
OPENING: 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 The Last Days of Judas Iscariot: Set in a purgatorial place, this dark comedy examines the life of the Bible’s most infamous betrayer. Presented by Trinity Theatre Company, it opens Nov. 23 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in the East Village. trinityttc.org
This Beautiful City in addition to acting, play guitar and keyboards respectively. The tone of the show wavers between parodying the nearly cultish (almost too cultish to parody) evangelicals, and striking serious chords about the hate masquerading as love that beset the picturesque Colorado community. When the scandal surrounding Haggard (which led to his downfall) arrives, This Beautiful City goes from simmer to boil. Much of the time, the humor is more persuasive than the show’s quieter mo-
ments, which can come across as being even more sanctimonious than the sanctimony being assailed. However, Friedman’s musical numbers reverberate with emotion in the small but acoustically sound Diversionary space. This Beautiful City’s presence on the local theater scene now—when holiday fluff will soon take over almost completely—guarantees that a thoughtful alternative is available. It asks its audiences to ponder the true meaning of love and good will. This Beautiful City runs through Dec.
Waitress: Featuring songs from Sara Bareilles, this Tony-winning musical centers on a smalltown waitress and master pie maker who dreams of a better life. Presented by Broadway San Diego, it opens Nov. 27 at the San Diego Civic Theatre in the Gaslamp. broadwaysd.com A Christmas Carol: The mean and miserly Ebenezer Scrooge gets visited by three ghosts and, well, you probably know the rest. Adapted to be a musical by Sean Murray for Cygnet Theatre, it opens in previews Nov. 28 at the Old Town Theatre. cygnettheatre.com
For complete theater listings, visit sdcitybeat.com
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 11
12 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
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14 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
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S
ometimes you just have to keep it simple. When we were trying to come up with a new name for our annual issue showcasing some of the best and brightest names in the city, some rather silly names were suggested. We used to call this feature “Best of San Diego:
People” in hopes that it would stand out among similar features in other publications. But when it comes to people, the word “best” just doesn’t quite fit. Sure, the people featured on the next five pages are some of the brightest in their respective fields, but we’re not about to call this issue “Bright San Diegans” or the like. So let’s just call it what it is: Our “People of the Year.” Whether it’s a former refugee-turned-activist or a craft beer attorney, these people deserve some special recognition and that is what this issue is all about. Oh, and yes, it just so happens they’re all women. Deal with it. By Aaryn Belfer, Ryan Bradford, Jackie Bryant, David Coddon, Seth Combs, Beth Demmon, Julia Dixon Evans, Ombretta Di Dio, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña and Lara McCaffrey
COURTESY OF VIVIAN MORENO
KRISTY WALKER
EARNIE GRAFTON
Vivian Moreno
Shelbi Bennett
Candace L. Moon
VIVIAN MORENO
SHELBI BENNETT
CANDACE L. MOON
Who is she?
Who is she?
Who is she?
Vivian Moreno is the newly-elected San Diego City Councilmember representing District 8, which includes Barrio Logan, Greater Logan Heights, San Ysidro and Otay Mesa.
Shelbi Bennett is truly one of the hardest working women in show business. She plays and sings in multiple bands, performs at countless shows and is also a music teacher.
Why did we pick her?
Why did we pick her?
We had the opportunity to speak with Moreno back in October and it was clear then that her experience and knowledge made her the better candidate to represent District 8. She not only understood the issues that the city and the communities in her district are facing, but she also had ideas for possible solutions. Moving forward, Moreno plans to use the skills she learned as a community representative for former Councilmember David Alvarez to effectively represent her constituents. “I think it’s a relationship that I want to build with District 8,” says Moreno. “You need to build a relationship with the residents.” Moreno will be the first woman to represent District 8 in over 30 years.
In addition to being involved in three bands (she’s the frontwoman for The Midnight Pine and The Havnauts, as well as a singer in the Kate Bush tribute act, Baby Bushka), she has one of the most amazing voices in the city, and also teaches San Diego youth how to sing at the San Diego School of Rock. “Working at the school has been my favorite job to date,” says Bennett. “It is extremely fulfilling to encourage and inspire young and old humans to be confident in their voices.” This past Labor Day, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of performing Pink Floyd’s “The Great Gig in the Sky” at the Spreckels Organ Pavillion.
In her own words:
“I love to sing and try to do whatever I can to keep doing that.”
“From a very young age, I realized that the government is where you enact change,” says Moreno. “I want to make sure we enact positive change within our community.”
What’s next?
New councilmembers will be inaugurated Dec. 10 and Moreno’s top priorities include increasing infrastructure and addressing the housing crisis.
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In her own words:
What’s next?
Bennett is set to debut yet another musical project, Take Me to Your Mother, which she describes as a “prog-rock alien-themed band” that will have an album out in 2019. “The peak of my abilities as a singer so far is on that album.”
Known as “The Craft Beer Attorney,” Candace Moon is on the Board of Directors for the San Diego Brewers Guild, as well as an advisory board member and instructor for the SDSU Business of Craft Beer Certificate program. She’s also an instructor at UCSD Extension, co-founder of the nonprofit Craft Beer Attorney Coalition and co-author of Brew Law 101: California Edition.
Why did we pick her?
Last year, Moon became a partner at Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, enabling her to expand her work with craft breweries outside of California. Earlier this year, she was named a California Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2018 and she continues to be an active member of the Pink Boots Society, an educational group supporting the efforts of women beer professionals.
In her own words:
“I help craft breweries understand the laws and regulations they need to know to open and operate compliantly– so I’m equal parts fun police and den mother, basically. A local client told me yesterday that I was the Wendy of the Beer Neverland.”
What’s next?
Moon plans to continue to grow her brewery practice, as well as offer legal services to other craft beverage businesses like spirits, cider, kombucha, sake and more.
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 15
STEFFANIE STRATHDEE Who is she?
COURTESY OF UCSD HEALTH
Steffanie Strathdee is the associate dean of global health sciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine. An epidemiologist, Dr. Strathdee is also UCSD’s co-director of the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics, “the first center of its kind in North America,” she points out.
Why did we pick her?
Dr. Strathdee was named one of TIME magazine’s “50 Most Influential People in Health Care” for 2018 thanks to her research on phage therapy. In 2017, her husband, Tom Patterson, got sick with a multidrug-resistant bacterial infection. In a last-ditch effort to help him recover, Strathdee, along with a team of doctors, treated him with bacteriophages: viruses that target specific strains of bacteria. Strathdee’s efforts brought new light to a therapy that had been discarded in the 20th century with the advent of antibiotics.
Steffanie Strathdee
In her own words:
“While I was in graduate school, my best friend and my Ph.D. advisor died of AIDS within a year. It was then that I pledged my career to trying to stop the spread of infectious diseases, which are largely preventable.”
What’s next?
Dr. Strathdee plans to keep raising awareness about the superbug crisis and how phage therapy can help fight it. She and her husband wrote a book, The Perfect Predator: A Scientist’s Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug, that will be published by Hachette next spring.
NICHOLE MACDONALD
KAREN FARMER
Who is she?
Nichole MacDonald is an entrepreneur, and founder and CEO of Sash.
Why did we pick her?
After experiencing a frustrating handbag situation at Legoland, MacDonald—a skilled sewer—set out to create a hands-free bag that wasn’t a fanny pack. The result was Sash, a bag worn over the shoulder like— well—a sash. After just a couple years, MacDonald has cultivated a base of extremely loyal customers who pushed the company’s most recent Kickstarter campaign over one million dollars (their goal was $29,000)—making it one of the most funded products on Kickstarter in 2018. Sash’s success also caught the eyes of San Diego Business Journal and Forbes.
In her own words:
“I can’t imagine having my business in any city other than San Diego. We have Nichole MacDonald such a diverse, collaborative, and creative entrepreneur community here. The support I receive from the community makes everything possible. There’s a sense of abundance and collaboration that you don’t find in many other communities.”
What’s next?
MacDonald will continue to oversee Sash’s growth for the next year, and then plans on stepping away in order to run for public office in 2020.
16 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
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NADIA GUEVARA Who is she?
CODY HOWELL / DEAR SURVIVOR
An actress and director, Nadia Guevara is associate artistic director of New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad, and a producer for NVA’s bilingual, bicultural program, Teatro Pueblo Nuevo.
TAMMY GREENWOOD COURTESY OF TAMMY GRERENWOOD
Who is she?
Tammy Greenwood is a novelist and educator.
Why did we pick her?
Why did we pick her?
She’s a theater fixture around San Diego County, whether it’s directing (NVA’s Guadalupe in the Guest Room), performing (Cygnet Theatre’s The Wind and the Breeze) or being closely involved with NVA’s VERBITAS high school residency program. There she helps students create original theater pieces about critical social issues based on interviews conducted within the community.
In her own words:
“My passion is to make sure that I’m doing work that’s relevant and creates opportunities for voices that maybe haven’t been heard. I want to make space for this kind of Nadia Guevara narrative. It took me many years to be cast in a role as a Latina, because there’s this idea that a Latina has to look a certain way. I was glad I was able to show people that yes, I speak perfect Spanish, and that I’m actually Latina.”
What’s next?
She’ll star in New Village Arts’ production of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon’s Miss Bennet: Christmas at Penderley, opening Nov. 24.
This year, Greenwood published her twelfth (!) novel, Rust & Stardust, a fictional retelling of the true-crime kidnapping of a child named Sally Horner (which Vladimir Nabokov used as inspiration for his novel Lolita). “I am a huge fan of true-crime podcasts, and so when I read about Sally’s story, I was immediately obsessed.” The dark subject matter is definitely a bold shift for Greenwood—whose previous novels mainly focused on character-driven family drama—but after listening to her read an excerpt at a recent literary event, we’re enthralled.
In her own words:
“One of my objectives with Rust & Stardust was to give the story back to Tammy Greenwood the victim. That’s the aim of the entire #metoo movement, to empower the powerless. My fiction has no overt political agenda per se, but is inevitably and unavoidably political.”
What’s next?
Greenwood’s next novel, Keeping Lucy, is scheduled to come out in August of next year.
CLAUDETTE ZEPEDA-WILKINS MARIAH BROWNWOOD Who is she?
SERGEY KOLIVAYKO
Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins is currently the executive chef and partner of El Jardín, an upscale Mexican restaurant focusing on the variety of regional Mexican cuisines that opened this year in Liberty Station.
Mariah Brownwood is part owner of Royale!, a Point Loma burger and cocktail joint, as well as a farmer.
Why did we pick her?
Los Angeles-native Brownwood went to college in San Diego but moved around to San Francisco and Austin before returning with her now-husband, Austin. They bought a Valley Center farm, now called Nopalito Farm, which grows hops, citrus, a variety of vegetables and avocados. Since then, they have expanded their burger-centric Austin food cart, Royale With Cheese, to a fullservice brick-and-mortar restaurant. This, after popping up in University Heights’ Park & Rec for a short while. At Royale!, Brownwood is responsible for social media and marketing while sometimes waiting on tables. Brownwood and her husband also welcomed their daughter, Winnie, to the world in 2017.
Why did we pick her?
Zepeda-Wilkins—a “border girl” who grew up back-and-forth between San Diego and Tijuana and now calls Bonita home—has had a colorful career between serving as chef de cuisine of now-shuttered Bracero and competing on Top Chef and Top Chef Mexico. She joined the Rise & Shine restaurant group in 2017 and is now behind the helm of El Jardín, the first restaurant under her direction.
In her own words:
“What I do is ‘compass tuning.’ Every day is a chance to keep paving the way north for my daughter, and other girls, with dreams as big as their hearts. The more I do what I love, the further in love I become with the vision of our future.”
What’s next?
In her own words:
Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins
Zepeda-Wilkins wants to take over the world, literally and figuratively. Future plans include opening something small in her family’s ancestral home of Guadalajara, and opening a panadería specializing in baked pan de pulque in Barrio Logan.
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JIM SULLIVAN
Who is she?
Mariah Brownwood
“I’m known as ‘Burger Mama’ but I’m also a real mama and a lady farm‘her.’ I wear a lot of different hats these days.”
What’s next?
With a long standing career in hospitality, Brownwood has always had a love for events and hopes to expand her family’s farm space so she can host more full-scale events.
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 17
LILLIAN FADERMAN Who is she?
TASHA WILLIAMSON COURTESY OF LILLIAN FADERMAN
Lillian Faderman is a prominent historian on LGBTQ communities and the immigrant experience. She’s published many books, most recently a biography on the late LGBTQ activist and politician Harvey Milk. Currently the historian in residence at Lambda Archives, San Diego's LGBTQ history repository, Faderman made her curatorial debut this summer with the San Diego History Center exhibit, LGBTQ+ San Diego: Stories of Struggles and Triumphs.
Why did we pick her?
Faderman is widely regarded as a pioneer in the field of LGBTQ history. She says that when she started writing in the 1970s, there were virtually no books about lesbian women. Faderman went on to teach at CSU Fresno and UCLA, as well as win numerous accolades and praise for her research and Lillian Faderman books on LGBTQ history. She says her passion for her work comes from seeing a lack of information about LGBTQ history growing up as a lesbian woman in the 1950s. Providing those resources for others has meant more to Faderman than all her awards.
In her own words:
“The things that have hit me the deepest is when people, even a couple of local women politicians, have said that they read my books in the 1980s and that really influenced them to go on to do their work,” says Faderman. “That has meant so much to me.”
What’s next?
Faderman’s book tours and the History Center exhibition have kept her busy. However, she’s preparing to begin a new book. She wouldn’t disclose many details to San Diego CityBeat, but says the book will explore “the changing concept of women.”
18 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
Who is she?
Tasha Williamson is the co-founder of The Compassion Project, a small group of community activists who support families when they lose a loved one to violence. She’s often first to meet family members at a crime scene or hospital where she offers grief support and connects families with appropriate resources.
Why did we pick her?
A leader in Southeast San Diego and beyond, Williamson has been in the spotlight a lot lately. As the spokesperson for the family of Earl McNeil, a Black man killed by National City Police Department (NCPD), Williamson spent the summer protesting at the National City Council and was herself violently arrested twice by the NCPD for this advocacy. While she’ll deny being the leader, her expertise, deep knowledge and endless compassion created the Justice for Earl McNeil campaign.
Tasha Williamson
In her own words:
“If it wasn’t for someone believing in me, lifting me up, standing with me in my weakest times, I would never have the strength I have. So, I pass it forward [to] create a better space for response to trauma, surviving loss and learning how to live with all that comes from loss. It is not just me but a committed group of people that stand in the midst as human angels to support the least among us.”
What’s next?
Williamson is launching another nonprofit, Building Justice, which will support people navigating criminal, education and social service systems.
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ANDREW MARTTILA
DANIELLA MARIE BENITEZ
for permanent supportive housing. She has been with Wakeland Apartments for seven years and she oversees a property with 60 senior residents who were formerly homeless or at risk of homelessness. “Being homeless, I was totally hopeless and once I reached out for help I was able to receive it,” says Steeves. She was recently nominated for a 2018 Ruby Award for her work with residents of Wakeland Apartments.
Who is she?
Daniella Benitez works with Build a Miracle, a nonprofit that builds homes for families in Mexico. She is also a board member of Kidbox’s Kids Board of Directors, a subscription clothing box company.
In her own words:
Why did we pick her?
The teen always wanted to help those in need, so she decided to raise $16,000 on her own to build a home for a family in Tijuana. She founded the Build a Miracle (BAM) club at her school in an effort to encourage other students to become involved in philanthropic work. At the last build, Benitez also handed out $10,000 worth of clothes donated by Kidbox to children in Tijuana. “When they start crying and are so happy and excited for the new chapter in their lives, I know my work is done,” says Benitez. KIMBERLY MUFFERI
Hannah Shaw work, and has become a go-to resource for kitten care. Kittens are one of the most euthanized populations in U.S., Shaw says, because shelters often lack specialized resources for their care. Through workshops, her viral social media following, consulting services and more, Shaw teaches animal lovers how to save tiny felines. She’s been awarded the 2017 Advocate of the Year award by CatCon Worldwide, featured on Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell and profiled in publications like Cosmopolitan, The Dodo and People.
“If you want to change your situation there are places to go where you can receive the help you need,” says Steeves. “I know it’s not easy but it’s worth it. No matter how many mistakes you make along the way, it’s OK because you have tools and you can just dust yourself up and pick yourself back up.”
In her own words:
“This entire journey has had a positive ripple effect with so many kids I’ve met and I’m so glad I’ve been able to inspire so many kids to help.”
MEGAN POGUE
HANNAH SHAW Who is she?
Hannah Shaw is a kitten rescuer and humane educator focused on saving neonatal and orphan kittens. A newcomer to San Diego, Shaw educates cat lovers on kitten rescue nationwide as the Kitten Lady and rescues kittens with her new, local nonprofit, Orphan Kitten Club.
Why did we pick her?
Shaw is highly regarded for her humane
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Who is she?
Dilkhwaz Ahmed
DILKHWAZ AHMED Dilkhwaz Ahmed is the executive director and co-founder of License to Freedom, an El Cajon-based nonprofit that assists refugee and immigrant survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.
Benitez plans to raise another $16,000 for another house in Tijuana but she also hopes that one day she can build a house for those in need in the U.S.
Why did we pick her?
Jill Steeves
JILL STEEVES Who is she?
Jill Steeves is a former homeless citizen and community director with Wakeland Apartments.
Why did we pick her?
After being homeless for 10 years and struggling with alcoholism, Steeves was able to get back on her feet with the help of Father Joe’s Villages and has since dedicated herself to working in property management
COURTESY OF THE TIMKEN MUSUEM
Megan Pogue
Who is she?
What’s next?
Ahmed wants to step up License to Freedom’s “education and prevention” programming by working with schools to teach children about healthy relationships. She also wants to start something called “Man Talk,” a therapeutic, preventative program for men whose culture and religion may be more accepting of domestic violence.
She hopes to continue being a part of supportive housing as it grows in San Diego.
Shaw’s favorite things to do are her educational workshops. “I really feel very grateful to have an audience online that will not just double click tap photos because they like them, but will actually come out when I visit a local shelter,” says Shaw. “I’m able to help turn cat lovers into cat advocates.”
Daniela Marie Benitez
What’s next?
What’s next?
In her own words:
COURTESY OF JILL STEEVES
me personally. It made me look at the world differently and be able to say, ‘I can do it.’”
Ahmed and License to Freedom have helped hundreds of women to overcome fears about their domestic partner or spouse, and also assisted them with custody and deportation concerns. This past year, she was inducted into the San Diego County Women’s Hall of Fame and awarded “Humanitarian of the Year” by the Casa Cornelia Law Center. The latter was a very special honor for Ahmed since Casa Cornelia helped her with her own political asylum case and gave her a job when she moved here fifteen years ago. “I felt like I won an Oscar award,” Ahmed says. “I was a client, but my relationship with them was beyond a client.”
In her own words:
“This work doesn’t just change the lives of the women I work with, but it’s changed
Megan Pogue is the executive director of the Timken Museum in Balboa Park. Before that, she worked for the San Diego Symphony for over a decade.
Why did we pick her?
Since 2015, Pogue has stressed accessibility to a fine and historic art museum that was probably better known for being an important midcentury modern building. Since she started, she’s overseen a redesign of the front entrance to make the museum more welcoming. She and the staff have also breathed new life into the exhibitions with special programming such as concerts and artist residencies with local contemporary artists. The museum’s latest exhibition, Rococo Rivals and Revivals, features masterpieces of the 17th century art movement next to contemporary pieces inspired by the Baroque period. Oh, and she’s done all of this without raising the price of admission (hint hint, it’s free).
In her own words:
“I enjoy seeing visitors experience the Timken for the very first time. Residents and tourists alike are delighted to see such a fascinating and important collection of art in San Diego, thereby evoking a wonderful sense of discovery in all that the Timken has to offer.”
What’s next?
December’s Jewels of the Season and Music & Masters will feature discussions and salon-style recitals. Pogue wants to continue modernizing the 53-year-old Timken “gallery-by-gallery and developing gateway exhibitions and events.”
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 19
ALLISON JUSTICE Who is she?
KATE CLARK COURTESY OF OUTCO
Who is she?
Allison Justice is the vice president of Cultivation at El Cajon-based OutCo, the first licensed medical cannabis dispensary in the county that today includes indoor growing and research capabilities.
Kate Clark is the director of Immigration Services for Jewish Family Service (JFS), and works with the San Diego Rapid Response Network (SDRRN), supporting families in San Diego impacted by increased immigration enforcement.
Why did we pick her?
Why did we pick her?
Considering recreational cannabis became legal in California on Jan.1, 2018, the need for high quality research in the industry has never been more important. A graduate of Clemson University, where she received a Ph.D. in Plant and Environmental Science, Justice oversees OutCo’s cultivation, research and newly launched Full Spectrum Allison Justice CBD project in her native South Carolina. In recognition of her expertise, she was recently appointed to the California Industrial Hemp Advisory Board through May 2020.
Clark’s strong leadership role on immigration issues, DACA support, and the fallout from increased immigration enforcement is inspiring. She has helped grow the Jewish Family Service immigration program into a robust department, and was instrumental in the development of San Diego Rapid Response Network, a hotline and multi-agency initiative to support individKate Clark uals in crisis due to immigration enforcement. Clark also serves on the SDRRN Steering Committee. We admire how she is driven to be involved in very concrete ways to create very real change in individual lives.
In her own words:
In her own words:
“I love having the chance to care for plants—it’s been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember.”
What’s next?
Working in the cannabis industries in both California and South Carolina, Justice is developing a variety of cannabis research projects. These include the optimization of drying and curing, the influence of light levels on yield, pathogen mitigation, and decreasing water usage by the alteration of growing medium. She is also leading the charge to legalize industrial hemp production in California.
20 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
“My work with the San Diego Rapid Response Network gives me an outlet to fight for a better tomorrow on behalf of my immigrant friends and community members. Each day I have one goal… hold the line.”
What’s next?
When asked about her next steps, she doesn’t list a to-do list of specific projects and accomplishments, but instead paints a picture of holistic hopes. She looks forward to “deepening relationships, partnerships and collaborations. Continuing the fight. Elevating advocacy.”
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PHILOMENA MARINO Who is she?
ALYSHA STEHLY ANN LANDSTROM
Philomena Marina is a Barrio Logan resident, community environmental justice activist and a member of the Barrio Logan Planning Group.
Alysha Stehly is a fourth generation farmer who is one half of the brains and bodies of Vesper Vineyards, as well as the winemaker for Stehelon Vineyards.
Why did we pick her?
Why did we pick her?
Marino got involved in her community because she wanted to advocate for the health and safety of senior citizens on her block. She became a member of the Environmental Health Coalition (environmentalhealth.org) and volunteered to track the number of semitrailers that use the residential street as a shortcut or to idle. In April, she was elected to the Barrio Logan Planning Group and has since brought awareness to the impact that semitrailer traffic has on the older residents of Barrio Logan. “The prize ahead is helping that one senior citizen enjoy their own front yard or enjoy their own backyard,” says Marino.
In her own words:
“It started with [caring for] my parents and now it has extended to my little neighbors, primarily my seniors,” says Marino. “They are, I would say, the forgotten ones.”
What’s next?
Agriculture is a tough business in San Diego but Stehly and her husband, Chris Broomell, who are also parents to a one-year-old son, are doing it right. Together, they are at the helm of 10-year-old Vesper Vineyards, which makes low-intervention wines from San Diego County grapes. She is also the winemaker at Stehelon Vineyards, a venture owned by members of her own family. Along with Jack Simon Vineyards, the three wineries recently opened Sans V, an Escondido tasting room. Stehly also teaches viticulture and enology at Mira Costa College.
Philomena Marino
Marino plans to continue advocating for a city-designated truck route to decrease truck traffic and a Barrio Logan community plan update. She is also working with Caltrans and other organizations to create a linear park along the freeway.
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COURTESY OF VESPER VINEYARDS
Who is she?
In her own words:
Alysha Stehly “There are great vineyard and winery projects happening in San Diego. I am excited to see them grow and push the boundaries of what San Diego vineyards and winemaking can do, while having fun raising our son and showing him the world.” Whats next?
Stehly has one goal for her various businesses: to keep pushing San Diego vineyards and winemaking.
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 21
22 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
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CULTURE | FILM
Country living
Monrovia, Indiana
Frederick Wiseman turns his gaze to the rural Midwest in new doc by Glenn Heath Jr.
E
xactly 1,063 people live in Monrovia, Indiana, the eulogy for one deceased woman praised strictly in according to the 2010 census, and 97-percent of terms of loyalty and sacrifice to her husband, her identhem identify as Caucasian. Many of those faces tity tied to subservience instead of individuality. Still, pigeonholing Monrovia as an unthinking populate Frederick Wiseman’s latest observational documentary, which imbeds itself in the rituals and hotbed of right-leaning views would be reductive, and rhythms of a faith-based community resisting change Wiseman doesn’t limit his focus to traditional “family with every fiber of its being. City officials speak nega- values” associations. He spends time in barbershops, tively about housing expansion plans while church liquor stores and even a veterinary clinic with regular sermons are dominated by self-inflicted religious guilt. people going about their daily lives. In the film’s most Beginning with countless wide-angle shots of farm- gory scene, the classic surgical procedure performed land and rolling plains, Monrovia, Indiana transitions on a Boxer’s tail evokes the ongoing persistence of arto the cramped spaces of rural society. Pigs are rounded chaic customs. Wiseman’s collage of small businesses in action, up and sprayed with red paint, then loaded onto a massive truck bound for the slaughterhouse. Local students community meetings, and policy discussions lacks the roam the hallways of their school, passing by trophy immediacy of his previous work (National Gallery, Titicut Follies and, most recently, Ex Libres: The New York cases littered with relics of past glories. One passionate teacher tries to impart the impor- Public Library). Like any documentarian, he’s beholden tance of Monrovia’s college basketball history, as many to the subjects themselves, and there’s nothing particularly gripping about the town local gymnasiums are named itself. The citizens of Monrovia, after legendary player, coach Indiana seem to like it that way. and Monrovia native Branch MONROVIA, What’s more, as a viewing exMcCracken. As Wiseman’s camperience Monrovia, Indiana is deera scans the room, most of the INDIANA cidedly flat. Beyond noticing the teenagers look completely lost, Directed by Frederick Wiseman confrontational tonal similarities unsure of why any of this inforNot Rated between prickly politicians and mation is relevant to their lives. religious leaders who use fear to Ironically, most of the adults dictate rhetoric, it’s hard to see in this film define their entire lives based on strict tradition. There’s the elaborate this depiction of rural Americana as something necesFreemasons ceremony for one member who’s cele- sary or singular. Hasn’t the conflict between societal brating his 50th anniversary, which features multiple stasis and change been surveyed ad nauseam by the speeches with painfully awkward stumbles. Lion’s likes of Errol Morris and even Wiseman himself? Thinking about the modern GOP’s current assault Club members strategically discuss where to place their latest park bench. That bench is a symbol for on basic civil rights, and their demonization tactics restfulness in a town that barely seems to be crawling against people of color makes watching Monrovia, Indiana, an even more problematic experience. Wiseforward. County municipality meetings offer something man’s apolitical style has never seemed more in need closer to tense discourse. Council members spar over of some propulsive activism. Admittedly, though, Monrovia, Indiana (opening rules and regulations pertaining to the aforementioned community development project that has al- Friday, Nov. 23 at Digital Gym Cinema) is not about adlowed the town’s population to spike. What’s at stake vocacy, inclusion or anything resembling the progresseems to be the very identity of Monrovia which, up to sive course of modern America. The citizens of Monthis point, has been bubble wrapped by conservative rovia might as well be on another planet. By contrast, it’s striking to remember the pure diversity and energy ideology and isolationism. In keeping with his patented fly-on-the-wall style, that fueled Wiseman’s previous film. One thing is for Wiseman refuses to pass judgment on any of the insti- sure, we’re not In Jackson Heights anymore, Toto. tutions he documents even when many of them represent hierarchies and gender divisions synonymous Film reviews run weekly. with classic patriarchy. This is most notable during Write to glennh@sdcitybeat.com
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NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 23
CULTURE | FILM
Green Book
Don’t stop believin’
I
n this day and age, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to believe that racist people can ultimately learn to be tolerant. Which makes the jagged optimism of the 1960s-set Green Book still feel like a fantasy despite being based on actual events. In telling the story of an unlikely friendship between two very stubborn men, director Peter Farrelly’s tender and charming film considers how time spent and experience can ultimately erase hatred. That is, if the participants are willing to change. Green Book is very aware of the ideological divide it hopes to bridge. Italian bouncer Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) grows immediately uncomfortable upon seeing two Black maintenance workers in his home. He even goes so far as to throw away the water glasses they touched, much to the chagrin of his more progressive wife, Dolores (Linda Cardellini). If Tony’s intolerance is dormant, simmering beneath the surface, Dr. Don Shirley’s (Mahershala Ali) fortitude resonates outward with every perfectly enunciated word and musical note played. The legendary concert pianist exudes poise but that, too, is just a façade to cover up insecurities of confused masculinity and sexuality. The two men are thrust together when Tony takes a job driving Dr. Shirley to various stops on a three-month concert tour through the Deep South. Along the way, they must navigate the local policies of segregation, unwelcome wagons and the occasional bigot. Farrelly has long been a master of the comedic road trip (see Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, and There’s Something About Mary), but Green Book expands human interactions beyond the bizarre and grotesque. Both Mortensen and Ali commit wholeheartedly to the prickly discomfort of being trapped in a car with someone who threatens your worldview. The fact that Green Book turns this setup into one of the more
24 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
hopeful and humanist cinematic efforts of recent years is a miracle. It’s one that, despite the film’s themes, seems impossible to imagine happening in real life.
—Glenn Heath Jr.
OPENING At Eternity’s Gate: Willem Dafoe plays Vincent van Gogh in Julian Schnabel’s moving biopic that covers the later period of the tormented painter’s life. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 21, at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas. Creed II: With the help of trainer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone), young boxer Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) faces off against the son of an infamous Russian fighter in this sequel to the 2015 drama. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 21 in wide release. Green Book: An Italian bouncer (Viggo Mortensen) takes a driving job chauffeuring for a Black concert pianist (Mahershala Ali) on tour in the 1960s Deep South. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 21 in wide release. Maria By Callas: This intimate documentary tells the story of the famous GreekAmerican through her own interviews, photos and home video recordings. Opens Friday, Nov. 23, at Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas. Monrovia, Indiana: Iconic Filmmaker Frederick Wiseman documents the dayto-day experiences of those living and working in the farming community of Monrovia, Indiana. Opens Friday, Nov. 23, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Possum: A disgraced children’s puppeteer must confront his sinister stepfather and a hideous puppet in order to escape the dark horrors of his past. Opens Friday, Nov. 23, at Digital Gym Cinema in North Park. Ralph Breaks the Internet: In this sequel to Wreck-It Ralph, the titular video game character discovers a Wi-Fi router in his video game arcade and gets transported to a whole new adventure. Opens Wednesday, Nov. 21 in wide release. Robin Hood: Taron Egerton plays the iconic young crusader who leads a revolt against the British crown with the help of Little John (Jamie Foxx). Opens Wednesday, Nov. 21 in wide release.
For complete movie listings, visit Film at sdcitybeat.com.
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JULIEN BOURGEOIS
MUSIC
Cat Power eeply immersed in motherhood, aware of her selfworth and grateful for the women around her. This is the Chan Marshall behind Wanderer, her 10th full-length album as Cat Power. “I have to be quiet because my son is taking a nap,” she gently whispers upon answering the phone for an interview that soon starts resembling a chat between friends. She has been on tour promoting Wanderer for about two months, and her three-year-old child—pictured beside her on the album cover—has never left her side. Marshall has been wandering, both metaphorically and literally, for six years. It’s been that long since she released Sun, her previous studio effort. With Wanderer, she manages to connect the dots of her vast musical experiences. Sure, the hallmarks of the Cat Power sound are still there: her bluesy piano, her folk-tinted guitar and her raspy, yet heartfelt vocals. But she also feels completely different. That’s because, this time, she has a new, deeper understanding of reality. And it all begins with the album title. “The reason why I decided to call it that… it’s because it’s less about being a hobo and more about a state of mind, a private solitude,” she says. “[It’s about] our stepping forward, for whatever reason we need to move forward. It’s like a state of mind, the choice of being aware, the choice
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of wandering… I think that we’re always wandering around in our thinking, in our measuring, asking, ‘Do I believe in what’s going on around me?’” Marshall is 46 years old, and although she may not always trust what’s around her, she has finally started to realize who she is. Only now? Only now. Now, she knows how much her genuine presence means in the grand scheme of musical things—within that kind of indie rock crowded with acoustic guitars and soft, haunting voices. Her sincere lyrics tell it all: “Taking the charge (taking the charge)/I took the lead (I took the lead)/I need you to believe/I’m a woman of my word, now haven’t you heard/ My word’s the only thing I’ve ever needed,” she sings in “Woman,” the first single of the album and her first collaboration with Lana Del Rey. When she was done with that song—catchy, emblematic and marvelously empathetic—she suddenly found herself alone. Her old label, Matador, had rejected the record, leaving her self-conscious and defeated. When she eventually signed with Domino Records, “Woman” still risked not making the tracklist. At that point, she
was feeling too vulnerable to let her whole truth out. “‘Woman’ was a song I began recording when my son was three months old. It’s the last song that I finished recording the night before I had to hand in the master version of the album to Domino Records,” she says. “‘Woman’ was never heard by my ex-record label or Domino. It was never part of my album. I withheld it. I didn’t want them to hear it. I didn’t want anybody to hear it. I didn’t believe I was ready to release it. I felt alone. I felt that people would judge me, singing from my perspective of being a female.” But then, Lana Del Rey came into the picture, she says, tying everything together, and giving Marshall a new reason to believe in herself, as well as backing up her voice like nobody else could. “Lana Del Rey reached out to me, and I became friendly with her. And then she asked me to go on tour with her. She told me that I was very important to music history, and I needed to understand that right now,” she says. “And I thought, if another woman sang that song with me, I wouldn’t be alone. Other women listening to that song wouldn’t feel alone either because it wouldn’t be me just singing to them. It would be this very strong, powerful, unapologetically feminine lady and myself, both explaining that we have similar stories as other women.” The stories that Cat Power has always shared are made of love lost and found, of leaving and staying, of cultural roots, of pain and strength. And these are exactly the tales that Wanderer keeps telling. Chan Marshall goes back to her Native American heritage in “Horizon,” offering the vivid image of a little, browneyed sister, whose “face on the horizon, I cannot see.” She has always sought her heritage, she says, but she has often felt invisible for not having Anglo-Saxon roots. For many, those roots generally carry blue eyes and blond hair; hers don’t. In “Me Voy,” with its soft and intimate, slowed-down Spanish guitar, a lovestruck Marshall stays anchored to a lover who won’t be there for long. “I wish you could stay tomorrow/Wish you would stay/Don’t go tomorrow/Don’t go anywhere,” she sings, while ironically repeating to herself that soon, she will be gone too. As a whole, Wanderer reminds its listeners that life is made of inevitable changes and that those changes can be good. Resolution is not always possible, and that, too, is part of existence. Marshall is certain of that because in the unexpected changes that life threw at her—motherhood, happiness, rejection, loneliness—she ended up finding pieces of herself she never knew were there. “In life, we have many openings and closings,” Marshall says. “Many fails and many dark boxes, and strange shapes. Things we don’t understand and things that we are forced to understand… We have to acknowledge those experiences in time. There’s always the coming and going of love and loss. So, there will always be that human conflict in life.”
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 25
MUSIC
AFTER HOURS: ABOUT LAST NIGHT
NOTES FROM THE SMOKING PATIO LOCALS ONLY
T
he best we can hope for at the end of our lives is that we touched enough people to be remembered. And perhaps, that we will die peacefully in our sleep. Lou Curtiss did both. San Diego’s “king of vinyl” and music archivist passed away back in July, but hundreds of well-wishers, friends and admirers showed up at the Royal Palace Banquet Hall in El Cajon this past Sunday to pay their respects. Most of those respects came in the form that Curtiss would have surely appreciated: music. “And if you know any part of this, it’ll be a miracle,” said Robert Dixon before performing a rendition of Harry Smith’s “Fishing Blues.” In many ways, that quote was well in line with all that Curtiss lived for. While Curtiss was probably best known for being the owner of Folk Arts Rare Records for over 47 years, he was so much more. He was also a writer, researcher, archivist and musicologist who devoted his life to preserving and documenting music that may have otherwise been lost to history. Institutions such as the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress may get the credit for the preservation of vintage American music, but behind those institutions are people like Curtiss. With help from his wife Virginia and a dedicated group of volunteers, Curtiss made sure these important historical recordings would be organized and ar-
SHOULDA BEEN THERE: BILLIE EILISH AT SOMA A new, semi-regular column with reviews of notable live shows.
P
arents lined the perimeter of SOMA, checking their phones and occasionally glancing up, as their teenagers pushed through a mob of fans to get to the front of the stage. And this was just for the opening acts. Five minutes till newly popular singer Billie Eilish took the stage, the audience began chanting chanting, “Billie, Billie, Billie.” Instead, Eilish’s brother, singer/songwriter Finneas, returned to the stage after playing a small opening set and began playing back up and instrumental intros to his sister’s songs. Finally, Eilish appeared singing “My Boy.” Anyone snapping the show (and there were a lot) likely didn’t catch much of Eilish’s enthused, yet angelic voice on their phone, as it was hard to hear much of anything with the crowd screaming each lyric. Eilish has had a meteoric rise to say the least and while her breakout single, “Ocean Eyes,” has over 100 million
26 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
Flying high again
SETH COMBS
chived so that future generations could hear them. His impact on local musicians cannot be overstated, having been a mentor to the likes of Tom Waits, Jack Tempchin and Gregory Page. [For everyone reading this, I highly recommend also reading George Varga’s amazing obituary on the Union-Tribune website]. While many of the hundreds Lou Curtiss of attendees on Sunday perused Remembrance the tables of photos and memoraattendees peruse bilia, most were content to sit and photos and memobilia listen to tributes coming from the stage. Early on there was a rather touching sing-along of the folk standard “Keep on the Sunny Side” by Lara Hardin, which set the mood for the rest of the evening. Later, Steve Thorn, a writer for the San Diego Troubadour, summed up the spirit of the night with Curtiss’ own words. “Somebody needs to,” Thorn said. “That was one of Lou’s favorite things to say, ‘somebody needs to.’” We still need it. And with help from those who loved and admired him the most, Curtiss’ important work will continue well into the future.
—Seth Combs
streams on Spotify, she still seems like the type of artist who could be friends with anyone. Dressed in baggy clothes with blue hair, the 16-year-old singer from L.A., at one point, asked her fans in the front if she could borrow a headband or hair tie. Naturally, many of the screaming girls in the crowd jumped at the opportunity to lend her one. So what do these young fans see in EilSARA HARMATZ ish? For one, the singer is close to their age and has been open about her struggles with depression. At one point in the night, she took a moment to thank her fans saying, “you’re the reason I’m here and you’re the reason I’m OK.” Before playing one of her slower songs, “Six Feet Under,” she sat down on the stage, Billie Eilish telling everyone to take a big step back and take a big deep breath in. But just as the show was starting to feel more intimate, the moment was over and Eilish asked the crowd, “You ready to turn the fuck up?” before launching into “you should see me in a crown.” Cue the screams. Everyone went wild, including the moms with their kids, the ground shaking as they jumped up and down together.
I
n June, CityBeat broke news that the beloved Aero Club (3365 India St.) was closing, after discovering the property was listed for sale on LoopNet and speaking with then-Aero Club owner Bill Lutzius. At the time, the future of the iconic airport-adjacent dive bar was ambiguous; now, Aero Club is staying, albeit in the hands of new owners. “[Lutzius] threw out a number and we didn’t negotiate with him at all,” says Chad COURTESY OF CHAD CLINE Cline, who bought Aero Club along with his cousin, Jason “Rocky” Nichols, in September. “Bill has put a lot of work into that spot. He’s done a lot of nice things to it. I wanted him to be able to leave things happy and pass the torch, not be pushed around.” Since Cline and Nichols first heard Aero Club may be Chad Cline and on the market, they were im- Jason “Rocky” Nichols mediately interested. Cline says they consider Aero Club a “very high-level San Diego dive bar.” The pair is known around the city for buying out institutional dive bars such as this one, and their portfolio includes The Waterfront Bar & Grill in Little Italy, Club Marina and Harbor Town Pub in Point Loma, Banzai in the Midway, and more. Operating small-time watering holes is a passion that runs in the family, Cline says. “Jason and I, we were both raised, to an extent, inside Waterfront,” says Cline, whose grandparents owned Waterfront. “Probably one of my earliest memories is being inside that bar, so I think there’s an emotional attachment to what [dive bars] are that not everybody has… Dive bars capture why people go out to bars in the first place. You go out and you have a great time and have a new conversation with someone else. They’re important for the community. They’re special things to have.” When Cline and Nichols took on Club Marina, they made changes to the bar that were ill-received by some, as CityBeat writer Ian Ward pointed out in a recent cocktail column. However, Cline says they do not plan to alter Aero Club other than maintenance repairs. They’re also keeping longstanding staff members who were working there before the switch to keep the vibe as seamless as possible. “We were so happy to be able to save and keep [Aero Club],” Cline says. “I don’t think we’ve ever been so excited about a project before… it will hopefully be around for generations.”
—Torrey Bailey
About Last Night appears every other week.
—Sara Harmatz
@SDCITYBEAT
MUSIC
IF I WERE U
BY CITYBEAT STAFF
Our picks for the week’s top shows
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 21
PLAN A: Booty Basement @ The Casbah. Want to watch your out-of-town cousin turn into a total hoochie? Just head to this special edition of the bi-weekly hip-hop party (which usually happens at Whistle Stop) where all the music is bangers, bops and old-school jams perfect for shaking your ass, watching yourself and showing ‘em what you’re working with. PLAN B: Too $hort @ FLUXX. We once ran a music feature by our now-editor called, “Everything I Learned About Love, I Learned from Too $hort.” Yeah, um, he’s come a long way.
THURSDAY, NOV. 22
PLAN A: Eat a bunch of food. Argue with your conservative relatives. Get high in the garage. Eat more food. Pass out. Repeat. BACKUP PLAN: A bar.
FRIDAY, NOV. 23
PLAN A, Part 1: ‘Vinyl Junkies Record Shack 1 Year Anniversary Pt. 1’ w/ The Creepy Creeps, Parker Meridien @ Vinyl Junkies Record Shack. It’s Black Friday and you should absolutely not be spending it at a corporate big-box store. Instead, head to this South Park record store for deals on vinyl, as well as live music all day. Plus, it’s during the daytime, which means there’s time for a nap before heading to… PLAN A, Part 2: The Schizophonics, The Loons, The Widows, Salt Lick @ The Casbah. Some of the best and most lively garage-rock bands in the city all in one night. Expect to be sore after this one. PLAN B: Delta Sleep @ Che Café. The structural intricacies and complex rhythms of math-rock aren’t for everyone, but this British band filter their influences down to something that’s downright beautiful. The singing is anthemic, emotastic and perfect for singing along to while pretending not to cry. BACKUP PLAN: Beekeeper, Tembland, Monarch @ Soda Bar.
SATURDAY, NOV. 24
Plan A, Part 1: ‘Vinyl Junkies Record Shack 1 Year Anniversary Pt. 2’ w/ Planet B, Bit Maps @ Vinyl Junkies Record Shack. If you missed the first party, there’s no excuse to miss this one because it’s Small Business Saturday and Record Store Day. There will be some cool limited edition releases in addition to the cool bands. Save some energy for… PLAN A, Part 2: Cat Power @ The Observatory North Park. Check out Ombretta Di Dio’s amazing feature on Chan Marshall this week. What a woman! PLAN B: Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra @ Lestat’s West. Regular CityBeat readers hopefully caught our feature on this band, which consists of a professor and a rather cool robot serving as the singer. This
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is a release show for their new grocery storethemed EP. Yeah, we’re weird.
SUNDAY, NOV. 25
PLAN A: Pockethole, shindigs @ Soda Bar. Local band Pockethole has made one of the more enjoyable indie-rock releases in recent memory with their new EP, Marine Layer. They sound like a beachy version of Nada Surf and just try to not to get the title track stuck in your head. BACKUP PLAN: Ghostemane, Zubin, Wavy Jones @ The Irenic.
MONDAY, NOV. 26
PLAN A: Rey Pila, Part Time @ Blonde. Fans of Bauhaus and Public Image Ltd. should definitely check out this Mexico City band’s blend of synth-rock and mopey lyrics. Their newest EP is called Wall of Goth and they recently opened up for Depeche Mode. You get the idea. PLAN B: ‘DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot’ @ The Casbah. Support local hip-hop. No, really, just do it. BACKUP PLAN: The Natives, Good Time Girl, Asmodeus, Jinx @ Soda Bar. ZACKERY MICHAEL
How To Dress Well
TUESDAY, NOV. 27
How to Dress Well @ The Casbah. 2013 was quite the year for “alternative R&B,” a silly genre name used to describe a number of musical projects that included smooth beats and even smoother vocals, but whose singers didn’t exactly fit the mold of the average R&B singer. Of all those groups, Tom Krell (aka How to Dress Well) was always the most unique and his new record, The Anteroom, sees him getting back to his more experimental roots. PLAN B: Los Románticos de Zacatecas, Oak Palace, The Naked I @ Soda Bar. Speaking of Mexico City bands, Los Románticos de Zacatecas specialize in some seriously catchy garage-rock that will appeal to anyone even if they’re not bilingual. Check out the incredibly ear-pleasing ballad “Belleza Natural” on YouTube. BACKUP PLAN: Javier Escovedo, Division Men @ The Merrow.
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 27
MUSIC
CONCERTS HOT! NEW! FRESH!
Fell Runner (Soda Bar, 12/3), Thundercat (Music Box, 12/23), T.S.O.L. (Casbah, 1/6), Man Man (Casbah, 1/7), Via Satellite (Casbah, 1/22), Larry And His Flask (Soda Bar, 1/25), The English Beat (BUT, 1/25-26), DaniLeigh (Casbah, 2/5), Red Dragon Cartel (Brick By Brick, 2/26), Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel (Observatory, 2/20), Waxahatchee (Soda Bar, 3/3), The Coathangers (Soda Bar, 3/9), Sid Sririam (Soda Bar, 3/10), Damage, Inc. (Brick By Brick, 3/23), The Dandy Warhols (Observatory, 5/17), Riot (Brick By Brick, 7/13).
GET YER TICKETS 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), Hoobastank (Observatory, 12/4), 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), Sublime with Rome (HOB, 12/29-30), Hot Snakes (Casbah, 1/4), Jefferson Starship (BUT, 1/9-10), Adolescents (Casbah, 1/19), Parquet Courts, Snail Mail (Casbah, 1/21), Bananarama (Observatory, 1/27). MØ (Observatory, 2/5), Sharon Van Etten (Observatory, 2/28), Queensrÿche (Casbah, 3/27). Fu Manchu at The Casbah. Queen Naija at SOMA.
NOVEMBER 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
28 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
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. The White Buffalo at Observatory.
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. Green Jellÿ at Brick By Brick.
SUNDAY, DEC. 16 Earthless at Belly Up Tavern.
MONDAY, DEC. 17 Thom Yorke at Observatory North Park (sold out). The Soft Moon at Belly Up Tavern.
TUESDAY, DEC. 18 Ministry at House of Blues. Vera Sola at Soda Bar.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 19 Fishbone at Music Box. Aviator Stash at The Casbah.
THURSDAY, DEC. 20 Hippie Sabotage at Observatory North Park. Lumerians, JJUUJJUU at The Casbah. Dick Dale at Belly Up Tavern.
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 29
@SDCITYBEAT
BY CHRISTIN BAILEY
MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 FRIDAY, DEC. 21 Banes World at Observatory North Park.
SATURDAY, DEC. 22 Missing Persons at Viejas Casino. Pulley at Soda Bar. Slushii at Parq.
SUNDAY, DEC. 23 Thundercat at Music Box. El Vez at Casbah.
MONDAY, DEC. 24 The Claypool Lennon Delirium at Observatory North Park.
rCLUBSr
710 Beach Club, 710 Garnet Ave., Pacific Beach. Wed: Stay Sweet. Fri: The Amalgamated, Lexicons. Sat: Anesthesia, The Black Crowes Revival. Sun: Karaoke. Tue: The Tones, Ghos7 Wav3.
Why, Gutter Villain. Sat: Phobia, Holokaust, ARTOWAR, Hong Kong Fuck You. Mon: Nofu, Pictographs. Tue: Karaoke. Bang Bang, 526 Market St., Downtown. Wed: Nora En Pure. Fri: Dateless, VNSSA. Sat: 1788-L. Bar Pink, 3829 30th St., North Park. Wed: DJ Ratty. Thu: ‘Thanksgiving at Bar Pink’. Fri: Mezzoa & Amigo. Sat: The Colour Monday, Levenbirds. Sun: ‘Rat Sabbath’. Mon: DJ Nastea. Tue: ‘Tiki Tuesday’. Beaumont’s, 5665 La Jolla Blvd., La Jolla. Fri: Part Time Model. Belly Up Tavern, 143 S. Cedros Ave., Solana Beach. Wed: Mike Pinto, Tunnel Vision, New Leaf. Fri: Wayward Sons, Lies N Roses. Sat: Circles Around the Sun, Mapache. Sun: Steven Page Trio. Tue: Pat Travers Band. Blonde, 1808 W. Washington St., Mission Hills. Wed: ‘Dance Klassique’. Fri: ‘We Are Your Friends’. Sat: ‘Emo Night Thanksgiving’. Sun: ‘Interpol Night Live Tribute’. Mon: Rey Pila & Part Time, Minor Gems, Club Disco Death. Tue: ‘Techno Tuesday’.
Air Conditioned Lounge, 4673 30th St., Normal Heights. Wed: ‘Hip Hop House SD’. Fri: ‘House Music Fridays’. Sat: DJ Fingaz. Sun: Marko Darko. Mon: ‘Organized Grime’.
Brick by Brick, 1130 Buenos Ave., Bay Park. Fri: Thread the Lariat, Hail Hail, City of Crooks, Rain on Fridays, DiVad, Jaws, One I Red, Gomanngo, Rollickin’. Sat: Up the Irons, Anthem, One Night In The City, Sin After Sin. Sun: Municipal Waste, Off!, Toxic Holocaust, Haunt.
American Comedy Co., 818 B Sixth Ave., Downtown. Fri: Jeremy Piven. Sat: Jeremy Piven. Sun: Jeremy Piven. Tue: Open Mic.
The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Blvd., Midtown. Wed: ‘Booty Bassment’. Fri: The Schizophonics, The Loons, The Widows, Salt Lick. Sat: Mrs. Henry, The
The Bancroft, 9143 Campo Road, Spring Valley. Wed: Karaoke. Fri: Gen
MUSIC CONTINUED ON PAGE 30
@SDCITYBEAT
ASTROLOGICALLY UNSOUND Weekly forecasts from the so-called universe ARIES (March 21 - April 19): This week, try telling people in conversation that you remember being born. Then grow angry when they contest this claim even though it’s totally a lie we made up together right now. TAURUS (April 20 - May 20): The sand dunes are not the same as yesterday. In a way, small changes in that dune mean that, with each moment, every dune is reborn. Don’t see what that has to do with you though.
LIBRA (September 23 - October 22): All it takes to transform a yarn strand into a blanket is a crochet hook—oh, and also centuries of collective knowledge about the practice of crocheting. SCORPIO (October 23 - November 21): Most rules are not created as part of a conspiracy to prohibit you from expressing yourself; some really do just mean that you probably shouldn’t eat the silica gel packets.
GEMINI (May 21 - June 20): No part of the chicken is the nugget, but it is equally true that every part of the chicken is the nugget. You’re going to have to figure out how to hold truths like these simultaneously.
SAGITTARIUS (November 22 December 21): It’s time to start that business! You know, the one with no overhead and funded by cash investments from a friend network. Oh no! You invented a pyramid scheme. And now you’re under arrest.
CANCER (June 21 - July 22): Lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice if it obliterates it the first time. Why would lightning change it’s mind about what it likes the second time around?
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 19): You may discover the hard way that a mudflow is a fluid stream of mud, while also discovering, in an even harder way, that a mudslide is up to 35-percent alcohol.
LEO (July 23 - August 22): Why burn bridges when you can paint the side of a mountain range with a road that leads into a fake tunnel?
AQUARIUS (January 20 - February 18): As they say, today is the first day of the rest of your life. That must be somehow related to the reason they replaced all of your things with exact replicas as well.
VIRGO (August 23 - September 22): Projection is a powerful process that enables you to believe that everything wrong can be solved by fiddling with the lumbar support levers on your chair for another five minutes.
PISCES (February 19 - March 20): The difficulty with the escape is that you need to have laid the string leading you out on the way in. But this is way easier said than done. I mean, you didn’t even realize you were walking into a labyrinth.
Astrologically Unsound appears every week. Follow Christin Bailey on Twitter at @hexprax.
NOVEMBER 21, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 29
MUSIC MUSIC CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25
Fluxx, 500 Fourth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Too Short. Fri: Beatnick. Sat: Shabazz.
Anodynes, Sights and Sages, Pink Eye. Mon: DJ Artistic’s Hip Hop Battle Bot. Tue: How To Dress Well, Jara.
House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Machine Head. Fri: Biz Markie. Sat: Christina Pazsitzky. Tue: Robin Henkel.
Che Cafe, UCSD campus, La Jolla. Wed: Black Magnet, Post Elvis, Glamor. Fri: Delta Sleep, Standards, Jack Geary, We Are One. Sun: Dead Heat, Break Away, Red Vision, The Verdict and Wise. Tue: Get a Grip, Crossfire, Drug Control, Frontside. Dizzy’s, 4275 Mission Bay Drive, Bay Park. Sun: The Mellotones. Mon: Renato Diz, Maria Quintanilla. F6ix, 526 F St., Downtown. Wed: The Hump. Thu: ‘TakeOverThursday’. Fri: ‘Black Friday’. Sat: ‘ShowOut Saturday’. Sun: ‘Reggae Sunday’.
Humphreys Backstage, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, Shelter Island. Wed: Bayou Bros. Fri: Hitmen of San Diego. Sat: Funk’s Most Wanted. Sun: Jason Brown. Mon: Sue Palmer. Tue: Mercedes Moore. The Irenic, 3090 Polk Ave., North Park. Sun: Ghostemane, Zubin, Wavy Jones. Kensington Club, 4079 Adams Ave., Kensington. Tue: Diablo Dimes, Stephen El Rey.
Lestat’s Coffee House, 3343 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Julian Jaime, Marian Mulock, Jesus Quezada Sanchez, Aaron Bowen, Asmaham el-Noor. Sat: Fashion Jackson, Samer Bakri, Leon Canoe. Sun: The Clean Cut Hippies, Isaac Cheong, Rachel Koekkoek. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Mc P’s Irish Pub, 1107 Orange Ave., Coronado. Wed: Never 2L8. Fri: Bat. Sat: Ron’s Garage. Sun: Ron’s Garage. Tue: Glenn Smith. Martinis Above Fourth, 3940 Fourth Ave., Hillcrest. Tue: ‘Happy Birthday Mr. President’. The Merrow, 1271 University Ave., Hillcrest. Fri: Approaching Fiction, Strike the Tide, Fused. Sat: Platypus Egg, Bone-
henge, Sluka, Kitty Plague. Tue: Javier Escovedo, The Division Men. Mr. Peabody’s, 136 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas. Fri: Jessica Lerner. Sat: Celeste Barbier. Sun: Anthony Ortega Jazz Quartet. Mon: Open Mic. Tue: Karaoke. Music Box, 1337 India St., Little Italy. Wed: Flabba Holt, Cultural Roots, Winston Hussey. Fri: The Greyboy Allstars. Sat: Hirie. Sun: Daneen Wilburn.
Panama 66, 1450 El Prado, Balboa Park. Wed: Young Lions, The Wednesday Jam Session. Sat: The Upshots. Sun: ‘Funk Jam’. Parq, 615 Broadway, Downtown. Wed: Troyboi. Sat: Scene. Pour House, 1903 S. Coast Highway, Oceanside. Fri: Trouble in the Wind. Sat: Whit Aadland, Coyote Blues Redemption, Phantom Twins, Aviator Stash, Belladon. Sun: The Night Howls. Mon: DJ Lexicon Murder.
The Office, 3936 30th St., North Park. Wed: ‘Pajama Party’. Fri: ‘After Hours’. Sat: ‘Strictly Business’. Sun: ‘Uptown Top Ranking’. Mon: ‘Motown on Mondays’.
Proud Mary’s, 5550 Kearny Mesa Road, Kearny Mesa. Wed: Jimmy Woodard. Fri: Taco Deluxe. Sat: Len Rainey.
OMNIA Nightclub, 454 Sixth Ave., Downtown. Wed: Tory Lanez. Fri: Sam Blacky. Sat: Elephante.
The Rail, 3796 Fifth Ave., Hillcrest. Sat: ‘Sabados En FUEGO!’ Sun: Noche Romantica. Rich’s, 1051 University Ave., Hillcrest. Wed: DJs John Joseph & Kinky Loops. Fri: DJs Kiki & Moody Rudy. Sat: DJs KSwift & Ramiro V. Sun: DJ Casey Alva. Riviera Supper Club, 7777 University Ave., La Mesa. Wed: Boss Jazz. Sat: Bedbreakers. Sun: ‘Acoustic’. Tue: ‘Everything and Anything Jam’. Rosie O’Gradys, 3402 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Fri: Bonneville 7. Sat: ‘Acoustic Revolt’. Tue: The Fuzzy Ustins. Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Fri: Beekeeper, Temblad, Monarch, CorpseMaker. Sat: Doe Paoro, Dani Bell & The Tarantist. Sun: Pocket Hole, Shindigs, Beverage. Mon: The Natives, Good Time Girl, Asmodeus, JINX. Tue: Los Romanticos De Zacatecas, Oak Palace, The Naked I. SOMA, 3350 Sports Arena Blvd., Midway. Wed: Smoke Me Out, Legado 7, Arsenal Efectivo, El De La Guitarra, Los Hijos De Garcia y Fuerza Regida. Sat: The Shed, Ok Shore, Drive at Dawn, Suburban Park, K Money, Iridescent. SPACE, 3519 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘We Like to Party!’ Fri: ‘’80s Dance Party’. Sat: ‘TRANSMISSION’. Spin, 2028 Hancock St., Midtown. Wed: Walker & Royce, Will Clarke (sold out). Sycamore Den, 3391 Adams Ave., Normal Heights. Wed: Paul Gregg. Sun: Wild Heart. Til-Two Club, 4746 El Cajon Blvd., City Heights. Wed: ‘Original Stylin’. Sat: Devotional, Thieves Like Us. Sun: Karaoke! Tin Roof, 401 G St., Downtown. Wed: Responders. Thu: Jenny and the Tramps. Fri: Jaw. Sat: Jenny and the Tramps. Sun: Tehila Duo. Tue: ‘Keep Your Soul’. Tio Leo’s, 5302 Napa St., Bay Park. Wed: ‘Jazz’ with Leonard Patton, Iris Mone & Eliane Amherd. Fri: ‘Tio Leos Black Friday Dance’. Sat: Gozadera Bachata & Salsa. Mon: ‘Sexy Salsa and Sensual Bachata’. Tue: The Jazz Pockets. Tower Bar, 4757 University Ave., City Heights. Fri: SMD, C.O.D., B.A.T.H., BOBXROSS, W.G.A.F, Hell March. Sat: The Rocketz, Jesse Ray and the Carolina Catfish, The Cat Chasers. U-31, 3112 University Ave., North Park. Wed: ‘Turkey Turn Up’. Thu: ‘Boombox Thursdays’. Fri: DJ Freeman. Sat: Junior the Discopunk. Sun: Prime Livity, Ocean Natives, Lion Sound. Mon: ‘#31 Flavors’. Whistle Stop, 2236 Fern St., South Park. Wed: ‘’90s R&B Dance Party’. Fri: ‘Gothic, Dark ‘80s & Post Punk Dance Party’. Sat: ‘Booty Bassment’. Mon: ‘Electric Relaxation’. Winstons, 1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach. Wed: ‘Club Kingston’. Fri: Johnny Wagon & The Tennessee Sons, Buzz Campbell, Jake Najor, the Moment of Truth. Sat: Louisiana Love Act. Sun: Karaoke. Mon: Electric Waste Band. Tue: The Skatalites.
30 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · NOVEMBER 21, 2018
@SDCITYBEAT
BY JACKIE BRYANT
IN THE BACK
CANNABITCH Happy Holidaze: A CannaBitch Guide to the Season
Y
es, it’s time to break bread with racist uncles, overbearing parents, annoying siblings, crying children and distant cousins. And yes, there will inevitably be fights about a variety of subjects including, but not limited to, politics, bitcoin and climate change. Holidays can be stressful. Weed helps, but only if done right. That’s where I come in. Choosing the correct medium is the first step, because discretion is at a premium when using cannabis around non-users. The smaller and less detectable, the better. I fly to New York for holidays, so flower is out of the question for me. Locals who prefer flower and have access to a secluded outdoor spot during the festivities should invest in a small, glass one-hitter. A quality pipe shouldn’t run over $20 and cheaper ones are sometimes available at gas stations. Please, for the love of god, try to avoid smoking out of anyone else’s window. Weed is exceptionally stinky, especially the good stuff. Joints and blunts should be kept in airtight containers and reserved for only the most cannabis-friendly crowds. Vaping has an obvious leg up when it comes to discrete consumption, including indoor smoking. Though I will never directly suggest that someone take a cannabis vape oil cartridge on a plane, let’s just say it can be done, espe-
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RAMILLE SOARES
cially if transported detached from the battery in an unlabeled container. For even less assembly, the white Dosist pens, which can be found at just about every dispensary in town, emit very little odor and look more like O.B. tampons than smoking devices. Edibles and tinctures are easily transported as long as they are in a sealed container of some sort. They also eliminate the hazards of smoking. But whatever the medium of choice, easy access means less time and attention spent and, therefore, less risk of detection. Goodies should be kept in one small stash bag like the ones sold by companies like Erbanna. Now that the goods have been selected and transported—whether it’s across the country or to grandma’s house in Chula Vista—it’s time to talk consumption. Nothing is more annoying than being around someone who is too stoned, so monitoring intake is strongly suggested. On Thanksgiving Day, select a buzzy Sativa for before and during dinner so that you can keep it together. Watch the munchies during appetizers and don’t spoil the meal. Switch to the liquid-like body high of an Indica for the post-dinner nap and dessert binge. If smoking indoors is a must, high school rules apply. Light some candles, open the window and towel any vents or door cracks. Wet a towel and exhale into it. Or, if there are dryer sheets on hand, take an empty toilet paper roll, fasten a sheet to the end of it and exhale through that for a makeshift spoof. Truly dedicated smokers can invest in a Smoke Buddy personal air filter along with a small can of air sanitizer such as Ozium.
Concerning sound, it would be a shame to be caught for something as stupid as flicking a lighter or coughing. Put some music on, run a faucet or flush the toilet. To that point, bedrooms and bathrooms are the best for indoor smoking—nobody will think twice about an extended absence spent in one of those rooms. Finally, if all else fails and an angsty relative decides to harsh the mellow, just blame it on the booze! Cannabitch appears every other week. Follow Jackie Bryant on Twitter at @jacqbryant.
NOVEMBER 7, 2018 · SAN DIEGO CITYBEAT · 31