
February 1, 2017 Issue

Nightclub consultant advises against guns
After shootings scathed Orlando’s Pulse in June, Istanbul’s Reina on New Year’s Eve and Playa Del Carmen’s Blue Parrot earlier this month, discussions about armed security have been stirring in the nightlife industry. Read more
Letters: To-do list
Thank you for putting women’s issues front and center, literally [“The Women’s March,” Jan. 25]. I am not one to normally write letters to the editor, but considering we have a pedophile running the country, we are living in extraordinary times. Read more
Requiem for a Russian at the San Diego Rep
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s life in all its triumph and all its torture exemplifies the longstanding notion that an artist must suffer. Read more
Neighborhood Watch: El Cajon
Fifteen miles inland, El Cajon isn’t one of those up-and-coming hotspots that remains undiscovered. Its appeal lies in its gritty suburbia feel that relies more on hole-in-the-wall restaurants and corporate chains, with a little in between. Read more
The unsustainable “martini glass”
Now that barware has entered the lexicon of San Diego’s long-festering housing-affordability crisis, can a solution be far behind? Read more
Time for Mickey Kasparian to go
For those unfamiliar with the ongoing saga, Kasparian is legally accused of quid pro quo sexual harassment, gender discrimination, physical disability discrimination and wrongful termination of a former employee. Read more
Radical changes at the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum
When Tiffany Wai-Ying Beres stepped in as executive director of the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum in August, one of her first orders of business was to find out what people really wanted from the 21-year-old institution. Read more
What’s new on Bandcamp?
If you search for albums tagged “San Diego” on Bandcamp, you’ll find some interesting stuff. In this semi-regular report, we sift through recent postings and relay the findings. Read more
Get off my yawn!
So, you just want the security of marriage with all the excitement of dating somebody new—which is kind of like wanting a latex hood and ball gag that are also a comfy old pair of slippers. Read more
‘Fire at Sea’ gives new meaning to island time
Freshly nominated for the “Best Documentary” Oscar, Fire at Sea tackles hot button community issues through a restrained, almost maudlin approach. Read more
‘The Red Turtle’ finds transformation on a secluded island
Gorgeously rendered in sharp primary colors, The Red Turtle doesn’t overcomplicate its simple setup. Read more
Merryl Goldberg thinks ART=OPPORTUNITY
There are plenty of studies that say teaching kids art—and teaching other subjects using art—can have a measurable and lasting impact that follows kids their entire lives. Read more
Lilys, Birdy Bardot and more San Diego concerts
I once saw Lilys at a far-too-empty Casbah in the early ‘00s, so San Diego, make me proud and don’t let that happen again. Read more
AMT Festival, Human Rights Watch Film Festival and Rise Up Get Down
Any event that attempts to incorporate cutting-edge technology and music could seem, on the surface, to be a little too fringe for your average culture vulture. But that’s certainly not the case with the inaugural AMT Festival. Read more
The unlikely ascent of Spooky Cigarette
It’s a weird thing for a young band to discover fans they didn’t even know they had. Or, weirder yet, to have no idea how they even found their music. That very thing happened for San Diego quintet Spooky Cigarette just weeks ago. Read more
An evening out with the El Cajon space cult
Since Unarius is not a religion (well, sort of), it’s not really accurate to call it a cult. As noted in this column before, I was raised in the Mormon Church, so I know about cults. Diet cult might be a better description for Unarius. Read more
Let’s be real about who gets to protest peacefully
Let’s be real about who gets to protest peacefully. To all m’ladies of the Caucasian persuasion: Can we talk for just a sec about peaceful protests like we didn’t invent them? Because we did not. Read more
Hops on the Harbor lacks craft appeal
At $64.50 a pop, it sounds like an upscale way to spend an evening, but beneath the brass trappings and white tablecloths, it’s mostly couples huddled in various corners scrolling through Facebook to avoid any potential social interactions with stran Read more
Revolt Wine Co. served in surprising settings
This unique dual focus of Revolt means its wines pop up in unexpected settings. It has participated in 91X’s Ye Scallywag festival, poured at Warped Tour Ventura and Hard Rock Las Vegas. Read more