Issuu

09 CITY HIDING WATER SECRETS?

11 SLUMLAND ECONOMY 38 SAC’S 2014 MUSIC VENUE CASUALTY COUNT GROWS How many officer-involved shootings happen each year? No one knows. SN&R interviews the reporter who finally started keeping track.

Sacramento’S newS & entertainment weekly

Volume 26, iSSue 34

thurSday, decemBer 11, 2014

SN&R | 12.11.14

December 11, 2014 | vol. 26, issue 34

Bear witness, change the culture On November 24, a St. Louis County grand jury declined to indict Darren Wilson, a white St. Louis police officer, in the August 9 shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-yearold black teen. In the aftermath, activists called for increased use of body cameras on police; on December 1, President Barack Obama announced he would request $75 million in federal funds to cover 50,000 body cameras for law enforcement nationwide. Such technology, Obama said, would improve community policing. On December 3, a Staten Island grand jury declined to indict Officer Daniel Pantaleo in the July 17 death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man. Footage of the encounter between Pantaleo and Garner—filmed by an onlooker with a cell phone camera—showed the officer placing Garner in a chokehold, a move long prohibited by the New York City Police Department. Pantaleo pushed Garner to the ground, where, surrounded by officers, he repeated the words “I can’t breathe” 11 times before dying. This incident was also filmed by a second bystander and a state medical examiner ruled Garner’s death a homicide. And, yet, all the video footage in the world didn’t change the legal outcome. Cameras—whether required to be worn by officers or wielded by others—are not a stand-alone solution. Still, cameras could prove, eventually, to be vital. The more we bear witness to such brutality, the more we’ll protest, particularly against this country’s unequal treatment of people of color. The more we see, the more we’ll not just demand action but, more importantly, realize there’s no better safeguard than a change in the culture that starts at the most basic human level.

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Creative Director Priscilla Garcia Art Director Hayley Doshay Junior Art Director Brian Breneman Production Coordinator Skyler Smith Designers Melissa Bernard, Brad Coates, Kyle Shine Contributing Photographers Lisa Baetz, Steven Chea, Wes Davis, Taras Garcia, Bobby Mull, Shoka, Darin Smith

Our Mission To publish great newspapers that are successful and enduring. To create a quality work environment that encourages employees to grow professionally while respecting personal welfare. To have a positive impact on our communities and make them better places to live.

Chief Marketing Officer Rick Brown Advertising Manager Corey Gerhard Senior Advertising Consultants Rosemarie Messina, Joy Webber Advertising Consultants Joseph Barcelon, Meghan Bingen, Lee Craft, Teri Gorman, Dusty Hamilton, Dave Nettles, Matt Richter, Lee Roberts, John Saltnes, Julie Sherry, Kelsi White Senior Inside Sales Consultant Olla Ubay Ad Services Specialist Jovi Radtke Director of Et Cetera Will Niespodzinski Custom Publications Editor Michelle Carl

Co-editors Rachel Leibrock, Nick Miller Staff Writers Janelle Bitker, Raheem F. Hosseini Assistant Editor Anthony Siino Entertainment Editor Jonathan Mendick Editorial Coordinator Becca Costello Contributing Editor Cosmo Garvin Editor-at-large Melinda Welsh Contributors Ngaio Bealum, Daniel Barnes, Rob Brezsny, Jim Carnes, Cody Drabble, Deena Drewis, Joey Garcia, Blake Gillespie, Becky Grunewald, Lovelle Harris, Jeff Hudson, Jim Lane, Garrett McCord, Kel Munger, Kate Paloy, Jessica

rac hell@ n ews r ev i ew . com

OPINION +letters SCOREKEEPER +bites NEWS FEATuRE STORy ARTS&CuLTuRE SECOND SATuRDAy NIgHT&DAy DISH STAgE FILM MuSIC + sound Advice ASK JOEy THE 420 15 MINuTES COVER dEsign BY HAYLEY dOsHAY COVER iLLUsTRATiOn BY JOnATHAn BUCk

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STREETALK

05 06 08 11 16 22 25 29 31 34 36 38 46 49 59

Custom Publications Managing Editor Shannon Springmeyer Custom Publications Writer/Copy Editor Mike Blount Custom Publications Writer Brittany Wesely Executive Coordinator Jessica Takehara Directors of First Impressions Courtney DeShields, Matt Kjar Distribution Director Greg Erwin Distribution Services Assistant Larry Schubert Distribution Drivers Mansour Aghdam, Daniel Bowen, Russell Brown, Nina Castro, Jack Clifford, Lydia Comer, John Cunningham, Lob Dunnica, Chris Fong, Ron Forsberg, Joanna Gonzalez-Brown, Aaron Harvey, Wayne Hopkins, Brenda Hundley, Greg Meyers, Kenneth Powell, Wendell Powell, Lloyd Rongley, Lolu Sholotan President/CEO Jeff vonKaenel Chief Operations Officer Deborah Redmond Human Resources Manager Tanja Poley Business Manager Grant Rosenquist Accounting Specialist Nicole Jackson Accounts Receivable Specialist Kortnee Angel Sweetdeals Coordinator Alicia Brimhall Nuts & Bolts Ninja Christina Wukmir Lead Technology Synthesist Jonathan Schultz

Senior Support Tech Joe Kakacek Developer John Bisignano System Support Specialist Kalin Jenkins 1124 Del Paso Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815 Phone (916) 498-1234 Sales Fax (916) 498-7910 Editorial Fax (916) 498-7920 Website www.newsreview.com SN&R is printed by The Paradise Post using recycled newsprint whenever available. Editorial Policies Opinions expressed in SN&R are those of the authors and not of Chico Community Publishing, Inc. Contact the editor for permission to reprint articles, cartoons or other portions of the paper. SN&R is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. All letters received become the property of the publisher. We reserve the right to print letters in condensed form and to edit them for libel. Advertising Policies All advertising is subject to the newspaper’s Standards of Acceptance. The advertiser and not the newspaper assumes full responsibility for the truthful content of their advertising message.

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“I do tend to daydream quite a bit.”

Asked at Capitol Avenue and 18th Street:

What do you spend too much time on?

June Evans

Dave Rose

David Heitstuman

retired

government relations

[My family] will all say it is online bridge. It is too easy with the laptop to get sucked into it. I spend time on it everyday, but I am trying to pare it down to 45 minutes a day. It is the thrill of being totally absorbed in mindless activity.

Facebook is the biggest distraction at the time. ... I feel like it’s easier than trying to call people or keep in touch with them via email. I have a little bit of insight into their lives. It is also a good way for you to get out whatever messages you want. It is a good way of marketing.

Diego Hernandez

operations director

I think I spend too much time on work. It is very distracting, taking away from the things that are really important. Family primarily, but also friends are important. I try not to work weekends, mostly Monday through Friday. I can easily put in 50 hours a week.

Laura Evans

Nellie Semchenko

library employee

student

I do tend to daydream quite a bit. Normally, I think about philosophical questions that people don’t think a lot about. Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle implies that physics is tainted by the self, as according to some Buddhist philosophies. I just connect it to all these other things I know from the sciences and ... mythology.

nurse

I spend too much on my phone and Netflix. [On] my phone I mostly Twitter, Instagram, sometimes Facebook. I check [my phone] every hour. I have been late because of it. I have had someone, my friend, pound on my door.

I spend too much time watching TV shows. I get wrapped up in a few. Nashville is one; Scandal is another. I don’t talk about it with anybody. ... I don’t record them because we don’t have cable. I probably have been guilty of having one foot out the door, but I can’t leave until the show is over.

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Moving flow-ward SN&R is encouraged that the city of Sacramento wants to speed up the installation of water meters. As City Manager John Shirey announced late last month, heâ€™s asking city staff to make haste and get all the remaining 60,000-plus meters installed by 2020. This is a good thing; Sacramentoâ€™s waited too long to put in meters, even though having them would help conserve water. Shirey also says he will be re-evaluating the nearly half-billion-dollar water-meter plan. The two costliest aspects of this plan: installing meters in sidewalks, instead of lawns or landscape, and replacing water mains. Rethinking this plan is also good. As investigative reporter Joe Rubin noted in his November 13 SN&R cover story â€œFlushing money,â€? it seems the city is needlessly replacing mains and also spending way too much installing meters in sidewalks. We urge the city to install meters in lawns and landscapes, saving approximately $500 per home, and to also place a moratorium on water-main and pipe replacements until the cityâ€™s infrastructure can be properly studied. Whatâ€™s more, SN&R would also like some answers. Why did the Department of Utilities present this expensive and unnecessary install plan in the first place? Why did the city disregard a 2011 audit questioning the plan? And why did it take SN&Râ€™s cover story to get city leaders to stop and rethink things? Sacramentoâ€™s water-meter install was set to be one of the cityâ€™s costliest works projects ever. Moving forward, however, it doesnâ€™t need to be. ÎŠ

Kids, not criminals Sacramentoâ€™s juvenile hall should be a place for under-18 Sacramentans whoâ€™ve been arrested for a crime. It should not be a destination for young kids with mental illness. In last monthâ€™s SN&R, staff writer Raheem F. Hosseini shared the stories of many young kids, a lot of them just entering their teenage years, who receive mental-health care at a juvenile hall ill-equipped to serve their needs. A lot of these kids come from abusive homes, some already have substance-abuse issues. As Hosseini reported, â€œnearly 43 percent of the average daily juvenile hall population received mental health services this year.â€? Thatâ€™s nearly a 20-percent jump over 2000â€™s numbers. Almost a-third of wards at Sacramento Countyâ€™s juvenile hall were on psychotropic medication last year, too, according to his report. As Hosseini also noted, local law-enforcement officials, who arenâ€™t trained to care for these kids, do their best to deal with their many needs. Theyâ€™re the first to admit that juvenile hall is not the place to treat mental-health issues. There simply must be other options for these young kids. We need a place for them to receive professional help so they can remedy what in many cases are traumatizing, challenging issues. SN&R hopes the board of supervisors takes up this issue immediately in the new year. Juvenile hall is not a doctorâ€™s office. Letâ€™s help these kids, not make them criminals. ÎŠ

More best pizza (Blumenfeld Dr. Store ONLY)

Re “SN&R ranks Sacramento’s 10 best pizzas” by Janelle Bitker and Nick Miller (SN&R Feature Story, December 4): A hidden gem that didn’t make your list is the Austrian bakery on Fifth Street in Davis: Konditorei. Albert and Gloria Kutternig are just as accomplished with pizza dough as they are with the doughs letter of the week of their superb complement of Austrian sweets. Our favorite is Pizza Verdi with artichokes, asparagus, olives, mushrooms, pepperoncini, oregano, parmesan and tomato sauce. However, it is the brightest star in a strong group. Our first trip across the causeway to Masullo’s was on Friday, and in addition to a superb pie, the salad with apples, persimmons and endive was a great way to start the meal.

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Two-way, meh Re “More than one way” by Alastair Bland (SN&R News, November 27): This story discusses that the city is considering converting one-way streets to two-way streets to slow traffic. Alas, the conversion of Freeport Boulevard is a real-life example of this type of conversion. It took just a few weeks before Sacramento drivers were speeding just as they were before the conversion. The city continues to rely on passive approaches to control traffic. Maybe the city should consider actively enforcing traffic laws (speeding, running red lights, cell phones) that are widely ignored. The only passive approaches that seem to work are speed bumps and traffic circles. Gary Miller Sacramento

Sacramento | 1200 Blumenfeld Dr, Ste D | (916) 564-3855 (Arden Way to Blumenfeld Drive – Behind old Wonder Bread Store) Monday-Saturday 9am to 9pm – Sunday 10am to 7pm

online buzz locally and that money fuels the economy

On Sn&R’S liSt Of tOp 10 pizzaS: Looks like you guys forgot every pizza at Pieces lol

Tamie Dramer

via facebook

Adriene Neal

v i a f aceb ook

Yes, because the minimum wage hasn’t kept up with the cost of living in far too long, and now we’re being paid starvation wages.

I will NEVER understand the appeal of Zeldas. Gavin Mercer

Scott Sanders

v i a f aceb ook

via facebook

What? No Luigi’s Special? Do over!

Raising the minimum, which only applies to a small percentage of the workforce, will result in raising all wages. This places an undue burden on employers and will result in raising prices, cutting staff and less full time employees.

Tom Runge

v i a f aceb ook Being from NJ, I can honestly say that you’re high if you don’t think that Giovanni’s is the closest thing to a real NY pie this town has ever had.

Rick Schoenborn

via facebook

John Majesko

v i a f aceb ook

No. If I was making $15/hr in high school I never would have wanted to further my education and move up.

Pretty nice that besides this excellent ten that I can think of at least ten more...

Lyndsay Brown

Jay Spooner

via facebook

v i a f aceb ook

No one with a full time job should have to struggle to feed, house and clothe their families.

On RaiSing minimum wage tO $15 an hOuR: Yes. Because, like many cities, our housing affordability problem is fundamentally an income problem.

Kathy Woods

Let minimum wage go up slowly so it doesn’t hurt the community.

v i a f aceb ook Yes because people at the bottom of the income ladder spend every dime they have every month |

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Online Buzz contributions are not edited for grammar, spelling or clarity.

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SCORE KEEPER Sacramento’s winners and losers—with arbitrary points

Friggin’ beer nerds

New K.J. way

At last week’s release party for “Eclipse,” a barrel-aged stout brewed by Fifty-Fifty Brewing Co. in Truckee, good times were soured by greedy beer snobs. A customer bought 70 bottles (at $45 a pop) of Fifty Fifty’s very rare Masterpiece Eclipse. The problem was there were only 400 total bottles, so when other customers bought more than a couple dozen, Masterpiece sold out in a matter of minutes. Which meant most at the party went home empty-handed. Not cool, you cherry picking, muling, hoarding beer jerks.

The new-look Mayor Kevin Johnson’s latest appeal

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to progressives? Enact a plastic-bag ban in the city limits. Which of course is great news, because single-use plastic bags are wasteful and cause damage to the city’s recycling equipment—and reusable bags just look cooler, bro. Huzzahs to the mayor!

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Big-ups to Berkeley protesters who shut down BART stations, Amtrak lines and even freeways on the heels of last week’s Eric Garner verdict. Scorekeeper loves to see fiery activism on college campuses. Keep it peaceful, and keep it up!

+ 510 No vote on arena, duh Sacramento State students said no to raising fees $438 a year to pay for a new 5,000 seat arena last week. Nearly 80 percent of the student body voted no on the proposed $125 million events center. Scorekeeper saw it coming: This is what happens when you let voters chime in on arena subsidies.

+ 438

We tortured some folks A Senate report on torture was finally released, and it’s as horrifying as expected. Scorekeeper embraces the American Civil Liberties Union’s strategy regarding those who enabled CIA torture at “black sites”: The president should pardon them. Hold on a second. As the ACLU executive director wrote in The New York Times recently, if we pardon Bush and Co., then it’s a tacit acknowledgment of torture’s illegality. Which might make it easier to prosecute offenders in the future.

+ 2,000

Transparency dries up After years of doing so, Sacramento refuses to disclose its top water users Hopefully you have read Joe Rubin’s investigation into the city of Sacramento’s massively expensive water-meter-installation plan, which appeared in SN&R last month (see “Flushing money,” SN&R Feature Story, November 13, 2014). The local government watchdog group Eye on Sacramento is following up on Rubin’s report with a complaint to the Sacramento County grand jury. ARviN EOS has in the past called the by CoSmo G Sacramento Department of Utilities the cosmog@ newsrev iew.c om city’s “reliable scandal generator” because of its history of missing water meters and misuse of public funds. Ouch. Suffice it to say, the DOU has a big public-trust deficit to pay down. It doesn’t help that, for as long as Bites can remember, the agency has always been less than forthcoming. Unfortunately, that’s still true. You see it in the way the city has handled questions about its water-meter program, and in other ways, too. For example: A few weeks back, the DOU refused to give reporters at Capitol Public Radio the city’s list of its 20 biggest water users. It’s not a difficult list to produce; the city has done it plenty of times in the past, for stories published in The Sacramento Bee and SN&R. Cap Radio had requested the information as part of a story they did on the Nestlé water plant, and critics who say the city ought to charge more to bottlers who resell city water at a big markup. Whatever you think about the bottled-water industry or Nestlé, it’s a legitimate story on a real policy issue. It’s impossible to talk about the impact of water bottlers on the city’s water supply without this kind of basic information. But the DOU has decided that the information is now off-limits to the public. When Bites made the same request, it was swiftly rejected, without any explanation beyond “privacy concerns.” Whose privacy? California’s Public Records Act says: “Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require the disclosure of the name, credit history, utility usage data, home address, or telephone number of utility customers of local agencies.” But the law is clearly intended to protect the privacy of residences, not big industrial water users. And that’s exactly the way the city read the law until a few weeks ago. It has always—with some prodding—kept residential water use private, but disclosed data for government and industrial users. This time, the city wouldn’t even disclose water-use data for government agencies that are among its top-20 water users. That’s how much thought the DOU put into complying with Bites’ public-records request. Nothing in the Public Records Act says the city must to keep anyone’s

Read Joe Rubin’s investigation into the city’s water-meter plan at http://tinyurl.com/ NRWaterMeter.

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water-meter-records secret. And, in fact, the PRA says the government “shall” provide the records when “the public interest in disclosure of the information clearly outweighs the public interest in nondisclosure.” After a few weeks of emailing and a phone conversation with DOU Interim Director Bill Busath and Senior Deputy City Attorney Joe Robinson, Bites received an emailed response saying: “We do not see that the public benefit of releasing this data clearly outweighs the public benefit of not doing so.” Clearly they aren’t looking very hard. Because they are getting the Public Records Act completely backward. And because in fact the city’s interpretation, until now, has always been that the public has a right to know about commercial water use. What changed? For one thing, there’s increasing public interest in the sweet deal that for-profit bottlers are getting on city water. And Busath said that, after a 2011 SN&R story looking at the city’s top water users, there was “significant pushback from some of the entities.” Which entities? Busath couldn’t or wouldn’t say. “We just disagree with your interpretation of the law,” he added.

The city relies on an outdated system of water rationing.

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A N A U T H E N T I C K O R E A N S PA E X P E R I E N C E

But why? Busath and Robinson each have taxpayer-funded annual salaries well above $100,000. Why not interpret the law on the side of the public, which pays them so handsomely, instead of on the side of the bottlers, who want to keep their water use secret from the public? (Ironically, the city actually lists the top 10 water users—some government, some commercial—in a recent bond report. Incredibly, DOU says the privacy concerns only start when you get to No. 11 on the topwater-users list.) Of course, the city’s too-expensive, too-slow water-meter-installation project has made it impossible to even begin a discussion of tiered water rates—charging big water users higher prices—which is common in other cities. Instead, the city relies on an outdated system of water rationing. To enforce this, DOU asks residents to keep an eye on their neighbors’ water use and report them to the city for watering their flowers on the wrong day. But Nestlé and other bottlers have a privacy right that shields their water use from public view. You’re just going to have to trust DOU that that’s fair. Ω

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SN&R | 12.11.14

photo by LAurAn FAyne Worthy

Slumland economy Bad room-and-board operators prey on Sacramento County’s most vulnerable Cindy Torres can’t junk the housing fliers fast enough. Every day, the head of Sacramento Loaves & Fishes’ daytime center for homeby Raheem less women and children tosses dozens of F. Hosseini ads purporting to offer her clients cheap rooms for rent. ra h e emh@ newsr evie w.c om This might seem counter-intuitive. That is, until you learn about Sacramento’s underground room-and-board industry. The only supportive housing for mentally ill adults, this industry operates without regulation or oversight—creating a dark economy in which bad operators act with impunity and an easily defrauded population gets no justice, an SN&R investigation reveals. “It is a big problem with people preying on our guests,” Torres said. “We hear horror stories all the time.” These stories often go down a certain way: People in desperate straits are led to believe they’re being taken to a licensed living situation in exchange for hefty cuts of their Social Security income. Fraudsters have posed as pastors, transitional-housing directors and—in Sacramento’s most notorious example—sweet old ladies named Dorothea Puente. Puente was eventually apprehended in 1988 for poisoning her boarders, of course, but she’s the exception that also proves the rule. Most predatory operators are never brought to account. A longer version “Room-and-board operators come and of this story is go,” said Marsha Ballard, an advocate for available at www.newsreview.com/ the Consumers Self Help Office of Patients’ sacramento. Rights. “That’s been a major issue. I think a lot of people want to make a quick buck.” These homes were originally conceived for people with minor mental or physical infirmities, who could administer their own medications and had support from family or social workers. Most operators charge between $650 and $700 a month from people who scrape little more than that from public assistance. In turn, operators are supposed to provide regular meals and safe lodging. They’re prevented from holding or administering meds, and should provide only limited transportation, Ballard explained. But as mental-health resources further evaporated during the recession, the clientele became sicker and less independent. And with no regulatory oversight, the industry grew rife with inconsistencies and abuse. “There are certainly some horrible people out there,” Ballard added. BEFORE

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Danielle Ogilvie (left) and Danette Braley stand outside of a room and board house at 1530 Arcade Boulevard in Del Paso Heights, where they and other former tenants accused their landlord of neglect.

Among the worst are absentee landowners, who limit their liability by concealing their identities, say officials. “We sort of have these shadow ownerships,” said supervising deputy city attorney Gustavo L. Martinez. “We have a lot of rich landowners who ignore the poor people living at their properties.”

“We have a lot of rich landowners who ignore the poor people living at their properties.” Gustavo l. Martinez City of Sacramento supervising deputy attorney Martinez coordinates Sacramento’s new Justice for Neighbors task force, which investigates nuisance properties. But this multi-agency squad of police, code enforcers and city attorneys was conceived to win justice for neighbors, not tenants who, outside of small claims court, have little recourse. “There may be no relief for them, those who are being victimized,” he acknowledged.

Mutiny in Del Paso Heights Relief has yet to arrive in Del Paso Heights, where tenants and neighbors battled this STORY

year with a room-and-board landlord over food, evictions and safety. The tenants who complained are now gone, scattered to parts unknown. But the investigation into this house and several others connected to Adeola “Dee” Adedayo stumbles on. When SN&R visited an Arcade Boulevard home in September, a half-dozen tenants accused Adedayo of tasking on-site managers with administering prescription medications or assisting in evictions, turning a blind eye to theft and drug use, and collecting money for meals she didn’t deliver. “She wasn’t providing anything,” charged Danette Braley, a former resident and on-site manager of the Arcade home. When the food stopped in July, Braley and her then-boyfriend said they used their own money to buy groceries for the house. In a telephone interview with SN&R, Adedayo asserted that it was her tenants who caused all the trouble. “They are squatters,” she said. “They sell drugs.” The truth could lie somewhere in the middle. On September 13, gunfire erupted at the house and a male took a bullet to the leg, according to the Sacramento Police Department. Braley told SN&R that it happened during a house party in which methamphetamine was present. Arrested was Ward Matthew Sitkin, who has been in and out of jail the past two years on numerous minor burglary and stolenproperty cases, as well as a felony drug possession hit last April. He faces three

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fresh felonies for being a felon in possession of a firearm and a leaded cane or billyjack. The 32-year-old remained incarcerated as of December 9, with a settlement conference scheduled earlier this week. The arrest essentially ended a power struggle between Adedayo and Sitkin, a former house manager who told SN&R he was hoping to take over as landlord. Adedayo was herself recently cited on illegal dumping charges, after a resident witnessed her discarding material onto the street and phoned police, Martinez said. That was a common complaint from tenants who said Adedayo, or those hired by her, would evict people by tossing their possessions outside. Zikia Carter said that happened to her after she complained about a broken window in her room. After her eviction, the young mother didn’t turn to the authorities; she simply left. As for the home’s other residents, including a recovering addict and a couple with cognitive disabilities, it’s unclear what happened to them. The Arcade Boulevard home is one of several in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood with ties to Adedayo and a history of code violations, according to city records. On September 17, the city sent an administrative letter to the Pensco Trust Company, which holds the 1530 Arcade Boulevard home in trust for Jeffrey Ricks, who has been “unresponsive to our efforts,”

“SluMlanD eConoMy” continued on page 13

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building a

HealtHy S a c r a m e n t o

Circle of trust by b e at r i c e M . H o g g

reg King knows that many AfricanAmerican men find it hard to trust. They struggle to open up and need a safe place where healing can occur. For many, the Healing Circle has been that place. “The circle is a sacred place and we treat it as such,” says King, who created the group in December 2013 as part of his nonprofit, Always Knocking, Inc. Each week, 15-25 men come to the circle to find solutions to their problems, get resources and connect in an open environment. Members say they feel comfortable here. It’s even OK to cry. Many participants are ex-offenders on probation or parole who have to attend courtmandated classes. Some of the men stop by the Healing Circle on their way to the mandatory classes and report being more at ease and able to participate in these classes because of the work done during Healing Circle. King hopes that one day, the Healing Circle will be on the list of acceptable court-mandated classes. Men involved in the Healing Circle are making positive changes in their lives and discovering their potential. “Since I’ve been part of the Healing Circle, it’s helped me deal with issues I have such as holding in anger. It helps to know I’m not the only one going through this,” says one member, Earnest Cole. “The circle benefits me, and them as well. I obtain knowledge from them, and they obtain knowledge from me.

They change their attitudes and their actions — volunteering at schools and community events, becoming more proactive with their health concerns, and getting involved in adult education and job training. The California Endowment and the Building Healthy Communities (BHC) initiative have been instrumental in the success of the Healing Circle. BHC has been an active partner with Always Knocking and the Healing Circle, not only providing monetary support but also helping the organization to partner with other community agencies.

“This is one of the greatest things that I have been involved with. The Healing Circle is about moving forward. It’s OK to change. It’s OK to seek help,” King says. “I can’t fully explain the greatness of seeing a man going through the healing process, but I see it all the time. We are saving brothers and sons.” Meetings are held at 10:30 a.m. every Saturday at the Always Knocking office, 2251 Florin Road, Suite #29 in Sacramento, and are free of charge.

“I can’t fully explaIn the greatness of seeIng a man goIng through the healIng process, but I see It all the tIme. We are savIng brothers and sons.”

BuIldIng HEalTHy COmmunITIES In 2010, The California Endowment launched a 10-year, $1 billion plan to improve the health of 14 challenged communities across the state. Over the 10 years, residents, community-based organizations and public institutions will work together to address the socioeconomic and environmental challenges contributing to the poor health of their communities. members of the Healing Circle say it’s a safe place to share their issues and begin to heal. Photo by louise mitchell.

Greg King, Founder, Always Knocking, Inc.

Because of this support, there’s potential for even more “circles.” Men are training to become “circle keepers” of their own circles. King’s wife started a Women’s Empowerment Circle that meets at the office every other Saturday. Healing circles are also being held in high schools, including one at John F. Kennedy High School.

“We build a brotherhood, brothers I didn’t know until this circle.”

your ZiP code shouldn’t predict how long you’ll live – but it does. Staying healthy requires much more than doctors and diets. Every day, our surroundings and activities affect how long – and how well – we’ll live. Health Happens in neighborhoods. Health Happens in Schools. Health Happens with Prevention.

paid with a grant from the california endowment 12

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www.SacBHC.org

photo by Lauran Fayne Worthy

“slumland economy” continued from page 11

Martinez said. Ricks could not be located for comment. State licensers, city police, and building and code enforcers conducted an unannounced inspection on the Arcade Boulevard home, and five others linked to Adedayo, back in August. During the inspection, Ron O’Connor, operations manager of the city’s Community Development Department, visited the home that belonged to Adedayo at 1320 Los Robles Boulevard, also in Del Paso Heights. The residence, he said, “had a lot of issues.” Adedayo had owned the house since November 15, 2012, according to county assessor records reviewed by O’Connor. Eight code-enforcement cases, including one unfounded one, have been investigated since then. One open case concerns unsanitary conditions and non-permitted work, including chicken coops that were crudely turned into bedrooms, filed August 7. The seven violations cover an array of substandard building issues—from water-logged walls and roofs to bad plumbing, absent or inoperative smoke detectors and exposed electrical conductors. The violations are serious enough that the city required Adedayo to obtain a building permit before conducting any repair work and is mandating a site visit to make sure repairs are made. Records show that Adedayo transferred title of the Los Robles home on October 6 to someone living at another nuisance property, Martinez said. “The transfer is suspicious because it did not involve a sale,” he added. Martinez said these arm’s-length title swaps and complicated trust ownerships are common ways for landowners to mitigate their legal exposure. On November 24, the city sent Adedayo an administrative penalty letter that has yet to be answered. Despite all these issues, California Department of Social Services spokesman Michael Weston said none of the residents present during an August 6 inspection required the level of care that would necessitate the homes being regulated by the state. Setting doctor’s appointments, keeping medication logs and coordinating with trained health-care providers to administer meds are some of the services that fall under that category, he said. And because the homes aren’t licensed through the department’s Community Care Licensing Division, Social Services is powerless to investigate resident and neighbor complaints, Weston acknowledged. Adedayo contended that the state licensing inspection cleared her. “I don’t provide any care. I’m not a board and care. I’m a room and board,” she said. “All I have to provide them is shelter [and meals].” As for allegations that she stopped delivering food to tenants around July, Adedayo didn’t deny that. “Why would I provide food to people who called the cops on me and … threatened my life?” she said. That admission would seem to violate the definition of a room and board, but BEFORE

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celebrity jail Get ready to be famous, Sacramento jailbirds. MSNBC’s popular lockup reality series is headed for a cell block near you. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department requested permission to allow a five-member film crew into its two custodial facilities—the main jail downtown and the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove—beginning December 15. Studio City-based production company 44 Blue Productions Inc. is expected to record enough footage over the following 20 weeks—until April 30, 2015—to use in six episodes of the docu-series, which chronicles the day-to-day of inmates and guards. Participants would have to sign a release to appear on the show. County supervisors were expected to approve the request during a December 9 procedural vote. The proposed contract includes a section about not disclosing any information about what’s shot at the jails prior to an episode’s airing, and an agreement that 44 Blue would cough up the hourly sum for any additional security. That includes $81 an hour for sheriff’s deputies and $94 for sergeants. And they say entertainers make all the money. (Raheem F. Hosseini)

Two-shelter solution Ogilvie shows off the condition of the home.

Adedayo is still operating months later. Reached by phone December 3, she said she ran six houses in the city’s north and south, including a few in Del Paso Heights. All were outfitted with cable television and laundry facilities, she said. She was charging $650 a month and promised three square meals a day.

Breeding a watchdog Two years ago, patients’ rights advocate Ballard established the Sacramento Room & Board Coalition to ferret out bad actors. She modeled the self-regulating body after one in San Bernardino. But because of rapid turnover among operators and the financial stakes of those who get paid for referring or placing clients, progress has been slow. “It’s just that everybody wants a piece of the pie,” Ballard said. “I don’t make any money doing this, but other people do.” Placement agents get a cut for every person they put in a home, and some get double-paid for placing clients into homes they own or manage. Payee services that manage people’s public-assistance incomes also have a financial interest. On-site managers, when they exist, get paid or compensated with free rent to maintain order, but rarely have experience dealing with mental illness. It’s from these ranks that Ballard has tried to assemble a watchdog with some teeth. So far, it’s just her and a few others barking. The city’s Justice for Neighbors team recently pressed a “very rich property

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owner who lives in McKinley Park” into paying $90,000 toward the demolition of a dilapidated apartment complex at 5218 Martin Luther King Boulevard, Martinez said, where transients reportedly exposed themselves to nearby schoolchildren. And condemning a Midtown heroin den, operated by two sisters, addicts themselves, probably prevented more in-home overdoses from occurring, Martinez suggested. As for the coalition, it’s just begun rating the approximately 135 room and boards that Sacramento Self-Help Housing lists throughout the county. One of the few perfect reviews belonged to “Blooms Room and Board,” Adedayo’s company. Ballard says Adedayo has cooperated with the coalition from the start. Aside from a substantiated complaint about inadequate food at one of the homes, Ballard said she’s been unable to verify most allegations. But she acknowledges that doesn’t mean they aren’t valid, and she still hears grievances about the Arcade Boulevard home from neighbors. “It is hard to know,” she said. As one of only two coalition members who investigates complaints, she’s often forced to accept the word of operators. “She seems like a compassionate person,” Ballard said of Adedayo. “But she also has too many houses.” Ballard thinks the coalition has chased off some bad operators, but guesses they’ve already set up elsewhere. “I haven’t found them yet,” she said. “But I will eventually.”Ω

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Two local shelter programs with long- and short-term goals are getting their respective houses in order in the face of another approaching winter. Demolition started September on an expansion project at Next Move, one of two homeless shelters in the region that allows entire families—including single fathers and male teens— to stay together. Completion of the project is expected in spring 2015, and would allow next move to shelter up to 85 people at a time—a 50-percent increase from its current capacity—for up to 30 days at a time. New classrooms and a computer lab are also in the works. Meanwhile, Sacramento Steps Forward is about to hit its annual $300,000 fundraising goal for its winter sanctuary program. The Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance has suggested filling whatever gap remains as Steps Forward continues shaking the cup. Supervisors were expected to approve the recommendation during a December 9 procedural vote. Last year, the program provided shelter and hot meals to 520 unique homeless individuals in Sacramento County. Point-in-time counts have estimated the number of homeless people in the county at more than 2,500 on a given night. The program runs from November 24 to March 31. (Brooke Purves)

Whole peek The Sacramento Planning and Design Commission was scheduled to get its first look at Midtown’s Whole Foods project this Thursday. The popular supermarket chain hopes to open on the corner of L and 20th streets in 2017. The project will also include 144 apartment units, a parking garage, and will reach six-stories high in total. The proposal by Pappas Investments also includes a mixed-use parking garage and retail building at Capitol Avenue and 21st Street. The planning commission won’t vote on the project this Thursday; instead, they’ll give feedback and direction. Outside groups, including sacramento area Bicycle advocates and WALKSacramento, submitted comments on the project as well. SABA is asking, for instance, that Whole Foods’ proposed parking-garage entrance be on L or 21st streets, instead of 20th, so as to preserve the latter road’s bike friendliness. (Nick Miller)

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y p p hla s y a e id a

CRISP LIKE AN APPLE. BREWED LIKE AN ALE.

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PA I D A DV E RT I SE M E N T

Warmth for the Winter Local dispensaries collecting donations for homeless persons by Brittany Wesely

Sacramento Loaves & Fishes serves warm meals to more than 600 people every day, and even more people utilize the dozens of programs the charity offers. Joan Burke, director of advocacy at Loaves & Fishes, says of the people served, half of them have shelter, albeit temporarily in a motel or subsidized housing program. The others aren’t so fortunate.

For people like Adams, donations of hats, mittens and socks are necessary to fight the cold. “Just about everything I go on came from [Loaves & Fishes]. They keep me clothed and fed and clean,” Adams says. “It’s just essential.” Photo by Anne Stokes

ost of us don’t think twice about garments like socks and hats. They’re stuffed in the back of our drawers and in the corners of our closets. We snag them as we’re running out the door, in a hurry to get in our cars and drive to our jobs. And upon returning to the comforts of home, we toss them aside. But for a person who is homeless, such items are highly coveted and essential for sustaining a life lived outdoors.

“Half of our guests are actually sleeping outside, maybe along the river or in their vehicle,” Burke says. “Imagine what that’s like to actually spend your entire day outside in the winter.” Carol Adams, 56, has been homeless for three years. She sleeps in a tent on the side of the road. She says layers of clothing are vital for staying warm through the day and night. “It’s been lousy lately because it’s been raining and it’s really hard to put up a tent when everything is wet,” Adams says. Loaves & Fishes currently gives out some clothing items to patrons like Adams, but supplies are limited. Carol Adams, 56, has been homeless for three years. She says donations of hats, mittens and socks are essential for staying warm this winter.

“Imagine what it’s like to actually spend your entire day outside in the winter.”

For many of us the holiday season is a joyous one. But for a person without shelter, baring the winter elements alone, this time of year is grim and cold. Maybe give up that venti peppermint mocha for one day, and get something warm to wear for someone who really needs it.

Joan Burke, director of advocacy at Sacramento Loaves & Fishes

Bring new or gently used hats, mittens and socks to a participating dispensary between Dec. 15, 2014 and Jan. 15, 2015. For a list of locations, visit collective-giving.com or call Kelsi White at 916-498-1234 ext. 1328.

“We depend on the kindness of strangers,” Burke says. “The way we keep our doors open is by many, many small donations.” To help with the charity’s efforts, a group of local medical marijuana dispensaries are hosting a winter garment donations drive. The project, called Collective Giving, brings dispensaries and patients together for a cause. “The dispensaries are really excited for the chance to give back to the communities they serve,” says Kelsi White, senior advertising consultant at Sacramento News & Review, who spearheaded the Collective Giving campaign. “It’s great to give people an example of the positive effects of having dispensaries in their communities.”

COLLECTIVES CARING FOR THE COMMUNITY. For more info: www.Collective-Giving.com

Sponsored by

WELLS FARGO

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Santa Crawl

SATURDAY

DECEMBER

JOIN US

for drinks, Santas, friends & fun!

CRAWL Alley Katz Vallejo’s 3 Fires Lounge Graciano’s

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2019 O St 1100 O St 1121 15th St 1023 Front St

LOCATIONS: R15 KBar Pizza Rock Mayahuel

1431 R St 1000 K St 1020 K St 1200 K St

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Let’s talk about putting $1,000 cameras on cops. How many did they say? It wasn’t that many, right? He said 50,000. Do cameras accomplish anything? What is the good and bad of that? There are 1.2 million, full- and part-time, sworn and un-sworn law-enforcement officers in the United States. I would have to say 50,000 is not a huge effort. Again, it seems a little like lip service to me. It’s a step in the right direction, like my website is a step in the right direction. It’s just a step. We need reform across the board.

photos by Eric marks

In Sacramento, we’ve had these incidents with mentally ill individuals, maybe they had a baseball bat and definitely they were not listening to police orders. Stop, hands up, all that. We’ve had two or three killings in recent years. The trend in Sacramento seems to be either officer-involved shootings that are gang or mental-health related. Is that an officer-training thing? I think that is the big untold story in these officer-involved homicides. We recognize that race is a big component. But it’s not the only component. It may be as high as 30 percent of the people killed by police are mentally ill.

Reno News & Review Editor D. Brian Burghart launched Fatal Encounters in February as a way to compile numbers on police-involved shootings. In the months since, high-profile cases involving police and unarmed black men have turned Burghart into a nationally sought after expert on the subject.

“WHEN COPS KILL” continued from page 17

Let’s talk about that. You started this project almost two years ago? That’s a little bit of a stretch. I kinda had the idea two years ago. That’s when I first realized that there was no national database. I haven’t been researching this for two years, but I was driving home from work one night and … the police had the street blocked off, and I could see that either a cop had died or a cop had killed somebody. It was just obvious from the stance of the people and the looks on their faces. I went home and I was curious. “How often does that happen.” Nevada was what I was really looking at. I couldn’t find the information. ... Then, a few months later, there was another high-profile officer-involved homicide. This kid, Gil Collar at the University of Southern Alabama ... he was naked, on drugs and, in my imagination, I imagine he went to get help and this cop came out and they danced around a little bit. But this kid ended up dead, shot in the chest, when there is no way to imagine that this kid was a threat. A naked, unarmed teen freaking out on drugs. BEFORE

So what does reform look like? I think it looks like better system oversight, better system oversight boards with teeth. I think it means things like cameras. I think it means things like setting parameters for reactions in certain situations. For example, if an officer says, “I feared for my life,” but the evidence shows there was no weapon—there was no reason to be afraid but you had the person outgunned, a gun versus nothing—I think we have to question whether that’s a place where deadly force is reasonable.

NEWS

Eighteen years old, about 135 pounds. I just couldn’t believe it. And they let that [officer] off. He didn’t try any less-lethal methods. If he called for back up, that’s not part of the narrative as I know it. I just couldn’t believe it. … I’m a kid of the Internet, not really a kid but I’ve been doing it for a long time, and I said “Well shit, somebody’s got to do this and if nobody’s going to do it but everybody is going to complain about it, I’m just going to build it.” I knew it would be hard. It was never supposed to be anything but a hobby, you know? Dozens, maybe more people help you crowdsource data. You’re on The Daily Show. This issue is magnetic. Yet you still aren’t optimistic about meaningful change, because of the power of law enforcement and the unions and the justice system? Sounds cynical, doesn’t it? When you look over at thousands upon thousands of these things, it’s easy to get cynical. It’s easy. President Obama. He wants more police training, maybe on-body cameras, and he wants the Department of Justice to go in and fix things, right? That’s what he says.

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Wow. Yeah, I know. It’s just unbelievable that we don’t talk about it more. But when you think about it, somebody who is mentally ill is the person most likely to act in a way that would put the officer’s life in jeopardy. Which cities or states are models when it comes to reform? It’s too soon to tell that. When I look at what seems to work on the Eastern Seaboard, it seems apparent to me that they are doing things different, but what those things are I can’t tell you. But I do know, it seems, well, it is worse in the West. And I haven’t even gotten a Southern state done yet. So, there you go. I looked at all that stuff in Memphis when all that stuff was happening in Albuquerque, and I think they were killing black men at three times the rate they were killing people in Albuquerque. It was stunning. So, when Obama says, “Eric Holder is coming in, the DOJ is coming in,” is there teeth? When the feds come in and take over a police department and retrain them, it seems to work. In Albuquerque, in Las Vegas, in Oakland— was it Spokane?—it seems to have a positive effect on the numbers. On the outcomes.

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Is this a red state/blue state thing? I have no idea. I haven’t analyzed it from that point of view. It is really weird that this is kind of a liberal issue. That makes no sense to me at all. From my point of view, oversight and good use of spending money is generally a fiscal issue, it’s a conservative issue. But since everything is politicized... There’s just not a lot of sympathy for issues that impact poor people and minorities. You know how you were talking about law enforcement being tone deaf? Republicans, as much as they like to be known as fiscal conservatives, are also law enforcement. They will stand behind law enforcement, right or wrong. That’s the only thing I can figure. You caught lightning in a bottle with Fatal Encounters. This became the issue of the year, and you were there already with actually data and knowledge, something already up and running. I still have hopes that a big, non-governmental agency—a university, a think tank, a nonprofit, something besides the government—will pick this job up and carry it through to the end zone. Do you think there is a high probability of that happening now? Hmm, no. Because we’re doing too good of a job, to be honest. I formed a 501(c)(3) on it. And we’re eligible to apply for grants. It just keeps plugging away. It’s a manageable amount of work; it’s still just a hobby. There’s no profit in it. And I just can’t imagine those big networks or big newspapers, they’ll be on to the next thing as soon as the fire trucks go home. ... I’ve seen this in Fullerton, where they beat [homeless man] Kelly Thomas to death. He was mentally ill. The homeless guy in Albuquerque that got on camera, they killed him over camping. They had riots there, not on the level of Ferguson. Each time, it seems like it goes a little higher, like it’s a little more, the reaction is a little more violent. It worries me. Let’s put it that way: The reactions across the country seem to be increasing, and the only way that those are going to calm down is that real reform happens. So, the cameras go away, this all dies down, you keep plugging away at your project. What’s your timeline? It depends on how much funding we get. We’ve calculated we could get a comprehensive database in two years with two full-time people. We’ve covered a lot of ground here. It feels like we said everything. Honestly, I’m so tired of talking about this. Why? I’m the Editor of the Reno News & Review. This thing is just a hobby, but if I don’t talk, then nobody talks. I didn’t do this because I have any interest in police brutality. I just thought it needs to exist, so if I don’t talk when people want to talk, I feel like I’m avoiding my responsibility, not living up to what I set out to do or something. So I just keep talking. Ω Visit Fatal Encounters at http://fatalencounters.org.

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Selling the

DReAM GeorGeanne Brennan’s new lifestyle weBsite puts the heart in artisanal

NaNcy BraNds Ward

here are probably few who among us who haven’t, at least once, fantasized about chucking it all, moving to the south of France, and enjoying a slow, closeto-the-earth life. That’s just what Georgeanne Brennan—awardwinning memoirist and author of 30-plus gardening and cook books—did in 1970.

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“Everything I do works— it’s genuine,” she told SN&R during a recent interview. For some, Brennan’s philosophy has made a significant impact. When Steve Sardo, who now owns Napa’s Rancho Gordo Specialty Foods, was a young man living in a cinder-block apartment in San Francisco, he had no interest in gardening. Then he read Brennan’s 1992 book, Potager Fresh Garden Cooking in the French Style, and says it changed his life. Brennan, he says, made him see that “gardening wasn’t just about food production, it was all about having a better kitchen.” At a recent dinner in Napa, Sardo honored Brennan’s role in the food revolution. “Georgeanne knows her stuff backwards and forwards,” Sardo says. “She’s the real thing.” That knowledge runs deep. For example, her expertise on seeds—she once developed the seed catalogs for Smith & Hawken, a Williams & Sonoma product line, and her own Le Marché Seeds—shows in her ability to track down the authentic 100-plus-years-old seeds for French chicory and lettuce she offers for the kitchen vegetable garden. Her passion for history is also evident when Brennan, who was educated as a

photo by Mark bennington

The stability of country life countered the destruction of daily life Brennan had felt as a student in Southern California in the midst of the Vietnam War. On a farm she still owns in Provence, she planted and harvested fruits and vegetables, learned from locals the nearly lost art of making creamy smooth cheese from the milk of goats she raised, and scavenged the nearby fields for mushrooms, truffles and herbs. Daily life revolved around food and the earth’s seasons and each week ended with cooking, eating and talking with friends and family. Living that way, Brennan, who now lives in Yolo County, explained to SN&R in 2010, “You were able to act as opposed to being acted upon.” (See “Seasonal,

Fresh, Local” by Nancy Brands Ward, SN&R News, June 24, 2010). Arguably, that Provencal lifestyle set the course for Brennan’s life and her long career at the forefront of the seasonal and slow-food movements. And she’s now brought it full circle with the September launch of La Vie Rustic, a site that creates a framework (and sells the products) to support practicing a sustainable life in the French style. Brennan’s website is organized according to elements that comprise the heart of French living: The kitchen (La Cuisine), the kitchen garden (La Potager), the orchard (Le Verger), the tools for the garden and fields (Les Outils), et al. Every product, every description on La Vie Rustic resonates with the depth of the 71-year-old Brennan’s passion and a lifetime of experience researching, writing and teaching. Her subject? “The pleasure and reward of growing and producing food for myself, and at the same time caring for a small part of the earth and its creatures in a sustainable, healthy and generous way,” Brennan says. She continues to live this way today on her small farm in Winters, and on frequent trips to her home in Provence.

Move over Gywneth and Blake, Georgeanne Brennan’s new lifestyle site draws on the author’s time living in France.

The erotic and the grotesque See SECOND SATURDAY

See NIGHT & DAY

“When you plant those seeds, you are doing the same thing that some farmer did 125 years ago. You bring all that history, and there it is in my garden and on my table.” Georgeanne Brennan founder, La Vie Rustic historian at UC San Diego, talks about the fig trees she’s selling. She and her husband, Jim Schrupp, have cultivated 150 trees from cuttings of the Sultan de Marabout Fig Tree—originally given to the United States by the Agricultural Commissioner of Algeria during the early 20th Century—that’s been flourishing from a cutting for years in her own orchard. To Brennan, the world’s best salt is harvested from the ancient sea marshes in France’s Brittany. She combines it with figs from her orchard and local California apricots in products that deliver different accents for anything from salad dressings and toppings for ice cream to rubs for pork and duck. These are available on La Vie Rustic, together with dozens of tips for how to enjoy them. Or, there are the recipes for Pâté Maison and duck-liver pâté, both of which result from the same creativity and knowledge that fueled cookbooks for which Brennan earned prestigious awards. She won the James Beard Award for 1997’s The Food and Flavors of Haute Provence and a Julia Child/ International Association of Culinary Professionals award for Aperitif, published that same year. Elsewhere on the site, Brennan sells bay leaves harvested from her personal tree; likewise, the Herbs de Provence are a mixture of only the things that could be gathered in Provence. No basil, no mint. “And, boy, when you open that jar, it just takes me back to Provence,” says Brennan. “That’s what I want.” This deep connection with people and the earth Brennan found in the French BEFORE

countryside was the theme of her 2012 memoir, A Pig in Provence. She says she believes that people today yearn for a similarly authentic way to live. “For a couple of generations that have grown up

photo by NicoLe SturzeNberger

without that experience of growing lettuce from a seed, it’s like a miracle to grow it yourself,” she says, noting also the pleasure of surrounding yourself with well-crafted, well-thought out things. La Vie Rustic pulls together elements of an authentic French country life and some products—such as the handmade historic tools, homemade pancetta, and packets of red poppy and white Bishop’s Lace seeds— are unique to the site. Many of the company’s products are made by a small team on Brennan’s farm, together with the help of area artists and craftspeople. For example, packages designed by a Marin artist are printed using copper plates on an old Heidelberg letterpress by Winters Printing. A local craftsman constructs the wooden box Brennan sells

NEWS

“Fa la la la la” overload

F E AT U R E

Goodbye, Witch Room See MUSIC

Open-mic legend See 15 MINUTES

SCENE& HEARD Cue the holiday toddler meltdown with instructions for making French-style prosciutto, and Elliot Landes, a Winters artist who specializes in wooden pens, fashions the black-walnut handles of the sickles to use in the garden. Yolo Forge, which opened in 1857 and is the oldest existing forge in California, makes the blades. The blades are also tempered by local craftsmen. Brennan’s passion is evident as she talks about the site’s future, throwing out ideas for such things as

would love something that I love. There’s a magic in it. When you plant those seeds, you are doing the same thing that some farmer did 125 years ago. You bring all that history, and there it is in my garden and on my table ... and it’s France.” But that doesn’t mean that everyone can or wants to lead this lifestyle fully. So, Brennan has designed products that anyone—backyard and urban gardeners, animal husbandmen and women,

try not to let the number of children outnumber the number of adults.

Many of the items available on La Vie Rustic are made by a small team working on Brennan’s Winters farm.

working with a local potter to recreate her ailing French baking dishes, incorporating French linens in the product line, and creating the elements of a “child’s first garden,” with seeds big enough for a child to handle (fava beans, artichokes). Seed collections for spring, summer and fall are in the near future. Six different olive, quince and Maribel plum trees are a little farther down the line. A book—or a series of books— covering the entire concept may result from this endeavor that began more than 15 years ago and sums up Brennan’s life work. So far, Brennan says, she’s found a market for her goods, with orders coming in daily. “There’s a real thrill in getting to do these things that I personally love and care about,” Brennan says. “It’s exciting that somebody STORY

I still remember my first experience at Burgers and Brew. I was new in Midtown, and we were mid-bar hop. So, the experience itself is actually a little fuzzy, but I recall how impressed I was with the restaurant’s smoked tofu burger, insane list of craft beers and its overall comfortable vibe. My last experience there, however, was not so memorable because we never made it inside. It all started out so innocently. My boyfriend suggested we visit the spot again for lunch so we did what any spontaneous young(ish) couple would do: we loaded up the diaper bag. As we left our neighborhood in Citrus Heights, I laughed that our 18-month-old daughter had fallen asleep. I had no idea how much that would put a damper in our plans. After parking, we tried ever so gently to get her out of the car without waking her, but to no avail. Finally, we decided wake our sleeping baby. Big mistake. By the time we approached the restaurant, she was in full-on meltdown mode. Not wanting to impose our own wrongdoing on innocent strangers, we decided to turn around and face reality—toddlers really do change everything, even dinner plans. If you are a new parent or have not embraced the world of toddler dining, here is a little guide so your experience does not end up with a trip to the drive-thru, like ours did. Those adventurous enough to brave dining out during the holiday season should try to schedule it on off-days or times where the restaurant might not be so crowded. Call ahead to make sure they don’t have many large parties and

home cooks and anyone, anywhere—can pick and choose from as they wish to bring elements of this life she loves into their own. Life in Provence, Brennan explains, involves a lot more “being” than “doing”—being with nature, being with animals, being with friends and family. When she gazes out the window at the persimmon tree in her kitchen orchard or walks out to her 4,000-square-foot vegetable garden each morning in Winters, Brennan says: “I’m just looking; I’m not doing anything. “It’s nice to have things you really enjoy that you can look at,” she says. “Who wouldn’t want to look out a window and see red poppies?” Ω

Pro tip: Don’t overload on toys just because you think your kid wants options.

Of course, your first order of business is to ensure your child has napped and that you are well-prepared with extra food, milk, diapers, wipes, etc. Pro tip: Don’t overload on toys just because you think your kid wants options. Too many toys will just prove overwhelming and he or she will probably start chucking them everywhere. One book and one toy should do the trick. Next, find a family friendly restaurant. You can easily assess the situation by checking for high-chair availability. And I don’t mean that greasy, nasty one that has been stashed in the corner for the last year. If the restaurant welcomes kids, it’ll have those crayons you forgot; pizza places such as Original Pete’s might even offer up some pizza dough for your kid to play with. Even better, check for outdoor seating—especially patios with heating lamps. This will save you the energy of lugging your screaming child outside should there be a mid-meal tantrum. Most of all, don’t forget your life before kids—those times when you could go out to eat and the sound of that screaming baby at the next table would send chills up your spine? Remember this as proof why it’s important to stick with the guide. It’s not fool-proof, obviously, but it will lessen the chances of a meltdown. Do it for your former self. And for everyone around you. —Amanda Branham

Learn more at www.georgeanne brennan.com or www.lavierustic.com.

A RT S & C U LT U R E

AFTER

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SN&R

Dazzle them. Artful gifts for the special people on your holiday list. Museum Store admission is always free. And so is gift wrapping.

&fi @crockerart 216 O Street • Downtown Sacramento • 916.808.7000 • crockerartmuseum.org

SN&R | 12.11.14

December picks by Shoka

A kind of torture Jan Blythe’s mixed-media paintings look like the white noise that’s in one’s head, and some of that white is quite dark. With layers of jagged scratches, blips or clouds of color, it GROUP SHOW looks like a psychologist’s photograph of a patient’s deepest inner workings. But that’s just one interpretation. The work of Blythe, a Bay Area-based artist, along with work by Sandi Escobar and Carol Ladewig, is up for everyone’s interpretation at Axis Gallery during December for its 2014 Invitational Exhibition. Escobar, a Los Angeles native, is an assistant professor at Sierra College, and will be sharing her work that touches the “fine line between the erotic and grotesque, pleasure and pain.” And Ladewig, also from the Bay Area, is exhibiting work from a series where she created a small painting every day “using a complex color that has been made by mixing a simple set of primary pigments and white.” All three artists’ works include rawness, brutality and tedium that reflects a kind of torture. But it also makes it a psychologically fascinating exhibition, which can be the best kind. But that’s just one interpretation.

Where: Axis Gallery, 625 S Street, www.axisgallery.org. Second Saturday reception: December 13, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Through December 28. Hours: Friday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.; and by appointment. “Year In Color: July 2013” by Carol Ladewig, acrylic and gouache, 2013.

A numbers game It’s a numbers game at Viewpoint Photographic Arts Center this month. Let’s break it down. Twelve: Small Wonders is the sixth iteration of the PHOTOGRAPHY gallery’s 12thmonth-of-the-year show. The show’s juror, Daniel Kasser, a University of the Pacific photography professor since 1985, chose 100 photographs from 60 artists out of 500 entries. The style of photography selected includes 19th-century, 20th-century and 21st-century photography technology, like Thomas A. Gibson’s “The Chimney Sweep,” a photo shot with the ambrotype technique, but printed digitally—which happened to be awarded third place. In the spirit of the holidays, the gallery is allowing patrons to take home any prints that are purchased—all of which are 36 inches square or less in this exhibit—rather than waiting until the end of the month, which would be December 31. Because we needed one more number here, people. Oh, that’s two! Now three!

Where: Viewpoint Photographic Art Center, 2015 J Street, Suite 101; (916) 441-2341; www.viewpointgallery.org. Artists’ reception: Friday, December 12; 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Second Saturday reception: December 13, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Through January 3, 2015. Hours: Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 6 p.m.; Friday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m.

“Volcano Cake” by Terry Leness, oil on canvas, 2014.

Sweet spot Relatively new kid on the gallery block En Em Art Space has corralled 40 artists for its last exhibition of 2014, Sugar Rush. Viewers are promised GROUP SHOW references to Candy Land and Candy Crush Saga, and bright, saturated colors. There may be a few cavities and cases of diabetes, too.

Where: En Em Art Space, 1714 Broadway; (916) 905-4368; www.enemspace.com. Second Saturday reception: December 13, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Through January 17, 2015. Hours: Saturday through Sunday, 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and by appointment.

“The Chimney Sweep” by Thomas A. Gibson, ambrotype digital print.

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F E AT U R E

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22ND ST.

18TH ST.

17TH ST.

14TH ST.

13TH ST.

12TH ST.

11TH ST.

23 3

33 27

21 5 24

32 25

18 11

12 16 10 1 1713 22 6

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5 29

26 28 34

50 BROADWAY

FREEPORT BLVD.

12 LITTLE RELICS 908 21st St.,

Santa Crawl

(916) 716-2319, www.littlerelics.com

13 MIDTOWN FRAMING & GALLERY 1005 22nd St., (916) 447-7558, www.midtownframing.com

14 MY STUDIO 2325 J St., (916) 476-4121, www.mystudiosacramento.com

DECEMBER

15 OLD SOUL CO. 1716 L St., (916) 443-7685, www.oldsoulco.com

12:00

SATURDAY

JOIN US

16 RED DOT GALLERY 2231 J St., Ste. 101; www.reddotgalleryonj.com

17 SACRAMENTO ART COMPLEX

Midtown

for drinks, Santas, friends & fun!

1 ALEX BULT GALLERY 1114 21st St., (916) 476-5540, www.alexbultgallery.com

2 ART OF TOYS 1126 18th St., (916) 446-0673, www.artoftoys.com

CRAWL Alley Katz Vallejo’s 3 Fires Lounge Graciano’s R15

LOCATIONS:

2019 O St 1100 O St 1121 15th St 1023 Front St 1431 R St

KBar 1000 K St Pizza Rock 1020 K St Mayahuel 1200 K St ...and more to come!

3 ART STUDIOS 1727 I St., behind Easy on I; (916) 444-2233

4 ARTFOX GALLERY 2213 N St., Ste. B; (916) 835-1718; www.artfox.us

5 B. SAKATA GARO 923 20th St., (916) 447-4276, www.bsakatagaro.com

6 CAPITAL ARTWORKS 1215 21st St., Ste. B; (916) 207-3787; www.capital-artworks.com

7 CUFFS 2523 J St., (916) 443-2881, www.shopcuffs.com

8 ELLIOTT FOUTS GALLERY 1831 P St., (916) 446-1786, www.efgallery.com

9 EN EM ART SPACE 1714 Broadway, (916) 905-4368, www.enemspace.com

10 INTEGRATE SACRAMENTO 2220 J St., (916) 541-4294, http://integrateservices sacramento.blogspot.com

11 KENNEDY GALLERY 1931 L St., (916) 716-7050, www.kennedygallerysac.com

2110 K St., Ste. 4; (916) 476-5500; www.sacramentoartcomplex.com

18 SACRAMENTO GAY & LESBIAN CENTER 1927 L St., (916) 442-0185, http://saccenter.org

19 SHIMO CENTER FOR THE ARTS 2117 28th St., (916) 706-1162, www.shimogallery.com

20 SPARROW GALLERY 2418 K St., (916) 382-4894, www.sparrowgallery. squarespace.com

21 TIM COLLOM GALLERY 915 20th St., (916) 247-8048, www.timcollomgallery.com

22 UNION HALL GALLERY 2126 K St., (916) 448-2452

23 THE URBAN HIVE 1931 H St., (916) 585-4483, www.theurbanhive.com

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21ST ST.

19TH ST.

16TH ST.

15TH ST.

10TH ST.

NINTH ST.

Don’t miss E ST. 23RD ST.

22ND ST.

H ST.

18 11

I ST. J ST.

12 16 14 10 1 1713 22 6

ALHAMBRA BLVD.

21 5 24

K ST. 20

L ST. CAPITOL AVE.

N ST. O ST. P ST.

– through December 24th –

STO C

KTO

Q ST. R ST.

H O L I D A Y S A L E

FOLSOM BLVD.

BLV

If it’s holiday... it’s here!

S ST. 21ST ST.

19TH ST.

BUS

80 19

OA DW AY

FRAN

FREEPORT BLVD.

BR KLIN . BLVD

24 VIEWPOINT PHOTOGRAPHIC ART CENTER 2015 J St., (916) 441-2341, www.viewpointgallery.org

25 WKI 2 STUDIO GALLERY 1614 K St., Ste. 2; (916) 955-6986; www.weskosimages.com

VII

34 VERGE CENTER FOR THE ARTS 625 S St.,

II BLUE MOON GALLERY 2353 Albatross Way,

(916) 448-2985, www.vergeart.com

(916) 920-2444, www.bluemoongallery sacto.com

EaSt Sac

II BON VIDA ART GALLERY 4429 Franklin Blvd.,

35 ARCHIVAL FRAMING 3223 Folsom Blvd.,

Downtown/olD Sac 26 ARTHOUSE ON R 1021 R St., second floor; (916) 455-4988; www.arthouseonr.com

27 ARTISTS’ COLLABORATIVE GALLERY 129 K St., (916) 444-7125, www.artcollab.com

28 AXIS GALLERY 625 S St., (916) 443-9900, www.axisgallery.org

29 CROCKER ART MUSEUM 216 O St., (916) 808-7000, www.crockerartmuseum.org

30 E STREET GALLERY AND STUDIOS 1115 E St., (916) 505-7264 2700 Front St., (916) 446-5133, www.larazagaleriaposada.org

32 SMITH GALLERY 1020 11th St.,

Ste. 1; (916) 996-8411

37 CAPITAL PUBLIC RADIO 7055 Folsom Blvd., (916) 278-8900, www.capradio.org

38 FE GALLERY & IRON ART STUDIO 1100 65th St., (916) 456-4455, www.fegallery.com

39 GALLERY 14 3960 60th St.,

33 TEMPLE COFFEE 1010 Ninth St., (916) 443-4960, www.templecoffee.com

nEWs

(916) 456-1058, www.gallery14.net

IV DEL PASO WORKS BUILDING GALLERIES

Framed Prints, Unique Gifts,

1001 Del Paso Blvd.

Ready-Made Frames,

V DELTA WORKSHOP 2598 21st St., (916)

Calendars, Cards, Toys,

455-1125, www.deltaworkshopsac.com

Journals, Sketchbooks

VI EVOLVE THE GALLERY 3428 Third Ave.,

Photo Frames

Canvas, Brushes, Oils, Watercolors, Pastels, and much, much more... Create Your Holiday at UArt!

(530) 406-4844, www.yoloarts.org

(916) 600-4428, http://inkoff.me

VIII GALLERY 1855 820 Pole Line Rd. in Davis, (530) 756-7807, www.daviscemetery.org

41 JAYJAY 5520 Elvas Ave.,

42 WHITE BUFFALO GALLERY 3671 J St., (916) 752-3014, www.white-buffalo-gallery.com

University Art

IX KNOWLTON GALLERY 115 S. School St., Ste. 14 in Lodi; (209) 368-5123; www.knowltongallery.com

X PATRIS STUDIO AND ART GALLERY

UArt Sacramento 2601 J Street 916-443-5721

3460 Second Ave., (916) 397-8958, http://artist-patris.com

Also in Redwood City and San Jose

XI RECLAMARE GALLERY & CUSTOM TATTOO

I BLUE LINE GALLERY 405 Vernon St., Ste. 100 in Roseville; (916) 783-4117; www.bluelinearts.org

F E At U R E

2837 36th St., (916) 457-1240, www.thebrickhousegalleryoakpark.com

VII GALLERY 625 625 Court St. in Woodland,

40 INKOFF.ME 5534 Elvas Ave.,

III THE BRICKHOUSE ART GALLERY

(916) 572-5123, www.evolvethegallery.com

off map

Ste. 100; (916) 446-4444; www.smithgallery.com

36 CAPITOL FOLK GALLERY 887 57th St.,

(916) 453-2999, www.jayjayart.com

31 LA RAZA GALERíA POSADA

BEFoRE

(916) 923-6204, www.archivalframe.com

(916) 400-3008, www.facebook.com/ lebonvida

UniversityArt.com

2737 Riverside Blvd., (916) 760-7461, www.reclamareart.com

stoRY

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AFtER

12.11.14

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GIFT CARDS MAKE GREAT GIFTS

SN&R READERS SAVE UP TO 50% OFF GIFT CERTIFICATES TO LOCAL MERCHANTS

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Folsom Historic Holiday Home Tour Friday, december 12, through Saturday, december 13 Take a much-needed, mid-month break to tour nine historic sites with architectural styles from ARCHITECTURE the 1850s through the Roaring 1920s. Sites include a church, the Folsom History Museum and Murer House, home to a boutique featuring finely crafted items. Music, entertainment and costumed greeters will be on hand throughout both days. $20, 10 a.m. daily at the Folsom History Museum, 823 Sutter Street; www.folsomhistorymuseum.org.

—Trina L. Drotar

Nubian Crafters of Sacramento Holiday Gift Expo Saturday, december 13 You need not be of Nubian heritage to attend this gift expo in Oak Park. Although the hallowed Brickhouse Gallery has hosted many artists HOLIDAY and events, this one is extremely timely and special. Shop for both Christmas and Kwanzaa gifts ranging from ornate jewelry to special accessories to adorn your house and more. Free, 10 a.m. at the Brickhouse Gallery, 2837 36th Street.

—Eddie Jorgensen

Pictures with Santa Saturday, december 13

The Yule Logs bring a mix of rocking—and funny—original holiday music to the Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink ($8, 6 p.m. on Friday, December 12, hristmas at St. Rose of Lima Park, 701 K music: It Street; http://downtownsac.org/ can conjure events/ice-rink). Jazz vocalist a host of Vivian Lee and her quartet put different their own take on holiday Proustian involuntary memories. songs in an intimate setting For example, it reminds my wife ($15, 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, of Black Friday hell—because December 14, at Fire Rock Grill, one year she worked a holiday 11275 Folsom Boulevard in Rancho shift at a department store and Cordova; www.facebook.com/ had to listen to the stuff nonfew weeks, whether we like it or not. Christmas music: It can conjure a different venues over the weekend, VivianLeeQuartet). stop. For me, it’s sort of a mix Here’s a quick rundown of a few highhost of different Proustian involblending choral music with world The Vocal Art Ensemblemusic. And, of emotions. There are the good lights—in case you want to hear some untary memories. For example, it Close to You: A Live Tribute (www.vae.trug.com) performs memories I have of performing holiday tunes that aren’t completely reminds my wife of Black Friday hell— to the Carpenters performs holiday three shows at different venues Christmas tunes as a kid learning lame. because one year she worked a holitunes in a nightclub in the style of the over the weekend, blending to play the saxophone. There’s day shift at a department store and famous pop group ($15-$18, 7 p.m. at The Yule Logs bring a mix of rocking— choral music with world music. also the constant memory of had to listen to the stuff non-stop. Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 2708 and funny—original holiday tunes to And, Close to You: A Live Tribute to feeling like “the other”—having For me, it’s sort of a mix of emotions. J Street; www.carpenterstributethe Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink the Carpenters performs holiday been raised Jewish in a predomiThere are the good memories I have group.com). Want more? Other good ($8, 6 p.m. on Friday, December 12 at tunes in a nightclub in the style of nantly Christian society. of performing Christmas tunes as a holiday musical events abound at the St. Rose of Lima Park, 701 K Street; the famous pop group ($15-$18, But in the end, it’s just music. kid learning to play the saxophone. Crocker Art Museum, Harris Center http://downtownsac.org/events/ice7 p.m. at Harlow’s Restaurant And we all have to face the fact There’s also the constant memory of for the Arts and the Mondavi Center. rink). Jazz vocalist Vivian Lee and her & Nightclub, 2708 J Street; that Christmas music (and feeling like “the other”—having been Be sure to look them up—and listen. quartet put their own take on holiday www.carpenterstribute maybe even those one or two raised Jewish in a predominantly tunes in an intimate setting ($15, 4:30 group.com). Want more? Other Hanukkah songs out there) will Christian society. p.m. on Sunday, December 14, at Fire good holiday musical events be everywhere these next few But in the end, it’s just music. And Rock Grill, 11275 Folsom Boulevard in abound at the Crocker Art weeks, whether we like it or not. we all have to face the fact that Rancho Cordova; www.facebook.com/ Here’s a quick rundown of a few Christmas music (and maybe even VivianLeeQuartet). Museum, Harris Center for the highlights—in case you want to those one or two Hanukkah songs out The Vocal Art EnsembleArts and the Mondavi Center. Be (www.vae. sure to look them up—and listen. hear some holiday tunes that there) will be everywhere these next trug.com) performs three shows at aren’t completely lame. —Jonathan Mendick

Santa seems to be everywhere (the mall, flea market, etc.) waiting for people to sit on his lap and take pictures. The best option is Harley-Davidson of Sacramento. Why? Because Harley-Davidson! We’re not saying that the Harley-Davidson Santa is a cooler, tougher Santa, but we’re HOLIDAY not not saying that either. Free, noon at Harley-Davidson of Sacramento, 1000 Arden Way, www.hdsac.com.

—Aaron Carnes

Victorian Holiday Ball Saturday, december 13 Yearning to head back to the days where men and women alike donned fabulous clothes? For a brief couple of hours, Old Sacramento will be transformed HOLIDAY back to the Victorian times and children will be able to experience the magic of the Pony Express. If you have some bills to mail or some letters to friends and family, bring ’em with you as mail will be collected the old fashioned way (by horse and carriage). Free, 1 p.m. in Old Sacramento; www.historicoldsac.org.

—Eddie Jorgensen

Christmas Jug Band WedneSday, december 17 This group’s comedic take on the Holidays always makes for a raucous evening—as evident on such fan favorites as “Santa Lost A Ho,” “Rudolph the MUSIC/COMEDY Bald-Headed Reindeer,” and “Somebody Stole My Santa Claus Suit.” CJB’s latest compilation, Jugology: Greatest Near Misses (Best Of … ) is a great listen. $20, 7:30 p.m. at the Palms Playhouse, 13 Main Street in Winters; www.christmasjugband.com.

—Eddie Jorgensen BEFORE

NEWS

F E AT U R E

STORY

| A R T S & C U L T U R E

AFTER

| 12.11.14

SN&R

s t r e s s e D HoliDaY For over 65 years Sacramento has been preparing for all occasions with this handmade delight. So scoot on over for the delicious flavors of the season. Made-to-order sandwiches, ice-cream cakes and pies are always available at Burr’s and Vic’s.

2ND SATURDAY | DECEMBER 13TH | 2PM-8PM JOHN S. HUERTA

featuring:

RON GUTIERREZ

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Good Eats 5820 South Land Park Drive, (916) 422-3287 You know how there are pickles and artisan hand-cured baby dills? Or beer and locally sourced, custom-hopped microbrews? Well, “Bar-B-Q” by Ann and barbecue are two different things, and Martin Rolke Good Eats is Bar-B-Q. Bar-B-Q is deeply Southern, with a long history of African-American cooks making the most of tough cuts of meat and long-cooked vegetables. Barbecue, on the other hand, is a newer concept. It draws from Southern foodways, but adds in high-end ingredients and cooking Rating: methods to make a more picturesque product. HH 1/2 Fahrenheit 250 was highly praised in this space (see “Barbecue euphoria,” by Ann Martin Dinner for one: Rolke, SN&R Dish, July 10, 2014), and rightly $10 - $15 so. They’re elevating barbecue to almost fine dining status. But Southerners will tell you that Bar-B-Q is traditionally more like fast food and family dining. Good Eats is authentically that. Chef Eric McFadden has been heading the kitchen at the Zebra Club for 11 years, serving breakfast and bar food. He also runs hot dog carts downtown and caters large and small H events. Add to that now his Good Eats restaufLaweD rant hidden in a corner of Vic’s IGA Market in HH South Land Park. haS MoMeNtS Don’t expect ambiance, because Good Eats HHH is all about the food. There are tables with aPPeaLINg silverware, and a big-screen TV, but it’s dark HHHH and almost literally a hole in the wall. Ten authoRItatIve months ago, McFadden carved out a dimly lit HHHHH space behind a hastily erected wall, just off a ePIc big commissary kitchen. Open seven days a week, McFadden offers a huge menu of choices. There are at least 13 sandwiches, including a shrimp po’ boy and a giant smoked-meat burrito. The po’ boy comes on a hoagie (heartier Still hungry? than you’d find in New Orleans), with six big Search SN&R’s fried shrimp, lettuce, tomatoes and remoulade. “Dining Directory” A squeeze of lemon adds the perfect zing. The to find local creamy potato salad with pickle chunks is a restaurants by name or by type of food. classic old-school version. All the fried items are cooked to order Sushi, Mexican, Indian, Italian—discover it and show off McFadden’s skill. The fried all in the “Dining” chicken dinner arrives with three big pieces section at www.news that are thickly battered and darkly fried. review.com. The meat bursts with juice under the slightly peppery crust. McFadden parks his smoker outside the store and uses a mix of mesquite and white oak plus a dry rub on the meats. A 3-Way Combo offers a choice of pork ribs, pork slices, tri-tip, chicken quarter or hot link. The ribs are crosscut and somewhat fatty, but not too heavily smoked. Thick slices of pork are a bit dry but come with lots of vinegar-based sauce. The hot link is a good choice, with lots of flavor under the gentle smoking. The homemade meatloaf, which is also smoked, is an unusual dish. Two huge slabs of vegetable-studded meat are served with a rich BEFORE

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brown gravy. There’s no sweet sauce on this loaf; it’s pure savory comfort food. All the dinners come with a choice of two sides. The old favorites are included, like slightly spicy red beans and rice, creamy macaroni and cheese, long-cooked green beans and stewed greens. They’re not ready for Instagram, but they’re freshly made. As McFadden says, “They are no frozen ingredients, just hard work.”

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The po’ boy comes on a hoagie (heartier than you’d find in New Orleans), with six big fried shrimp, lettuce, tomatoes and remoulade. A squeeze of lemon adds the perfect zing.

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On two occasions, they were out of cornbread, and didn’t offer any other bread sides, which is unheard of for Southern food. Homemade desserts are also unreliably available. On another occasion, they were out of all the chicken menu items. This is where such a big menu can cause problems. It might be better to have fewer things to prep so they’re consistently on hand. McFadden will really have to streamline his menu come January, when he intends to open for breakfast on the weekends. Expect French toast, eggs, and chicken and waffles. Given his skill with fried chicken, we’ll be eager to try his breakfast version. Ω

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Versatile bastards

Beans are pretty versatile bastards, but I never thought of frying them into a crunchy snack that puts potato chips to shame. But many other more clever people in various Asian countries have, fortunately, and it’s time the rest of us catch up and get acquainted with fried broad beans. I found several brands of the garlic- and chili-seasoned beans—also called fava, field and horse beans—at 99 Ranch Market (4220 Florin Road). I bought nearly a dozen bags of the snacks to determine which brand and flavor I favor, because, as I needlessly—and sheepishly—explained to the check-out clerk, “I like beans.” So far, the brand Nice Choice has been the nicest choice. Find them in a boat-shaped package next to the very unvegan fried tiny crabs. Bastards.

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Downtown Blackbird Kitchen & Beer Gallery Blackbird is back with chefowner Carina Lampkin again at the helm. Itâ€™s located in its original space with a similar aesthetic, though with more focus on beer and bar food to better complement the seafoodinspired dinner menu. A burger served with house pickles, seven-day house-cured bacon, cheddar and sweet â€™nâ€™ chivey â€œawesome sauceâ€? make for one of the cityâ€™s best burgers, no question. Chowder fries, however, are nifty in theoryâ€”fries covered in bay shrimp, bacon and parsley, then doused with chowder. Itâ€™s a play on poutine, but a lack of acid and serious sogginess issues mar it from being a landmark dish. Better yet? Fish tacos featuring fried pollock served with pickled cabbage and chipotle crema. These and a beer will remedy any bad day youâ€™re having. American. 1015 Ninth St., (916) 498-9224. Dinner for one: $10-$30. HHH1/2 G.M.

Where to eat?

Here are a few recent reviews and regional recommendations by Janelle Bitker, Ann Martin Rolke, Garrett McCord, Jonathan Mendick and Shoka updated regularly. Check out www.newsreview.com for more dining advice.

Goldfield Trading Post This new

mustard, pickled cauliflower and beets, served with small slices of bread. The â€™nduja sandwich is startlingly spicy and salty, with rich melted cheese and ground meat spread between pressed slices of bread. Or try the pressed serrano ham, manchego cheese, arugula and salsa sandwichâ€”itâ€™s like a cross between a cubano, a breakfast panini and a torta. Elsewhere on the menu there are fine cocktails, an intimidating whiskey list, and a small but diverse selection of beer and wine. European. 1050 20th St., (916) 476-6306. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHHH J.M.

eatery rustles up much nicer chow than your usual cowboy fare with a menu that features dishes with names like Grandmaâ€™s Meat Loaf. Grandma knows how to make some meat loaf, thatâ€™s for sure: slabs of beef ground with bacon are glazed with a sweet sauce, served atop the cheesiest mashed potatoes this side of Wisconsin. The Gold Pannerâ€™s Pork Chop was flat-out fantastic, oozing juicy flavor from its fire-kissed crust. House-made cinnamon applesauce for dunking was a perfect accompaniment. Any good country bar worth its salt pork has chili on the menu, and Goldfield is no exception. Itâ€™s made with chunks of tender chicken rather than ground beef, with plenty of nuggets of gold corn and black beans to boot. American. 1630 J St., (916) 476-5076. Dinner for one: $5-$10. HHH1/2 AMR

Capital Dime Restaurant With a new chef and menu, this Midtown eatery has transformed into a farm-to-forkthemed place for smart bar bites and appealing sandwiches and salads. Try the bacon lollipops, perhaps the tastiest little creations ever put on a stick. Here, salty rib bacon is slathered with melted brown sugar and whispers of cayenne and cinnamon more hushed than the juiciest of rumors. Sweetpotato pierogis are tasty, puffy packets of potato drizzled with sour cream and shredded-duck confit. A duck burger with fig jam and plenty of crispy onions makes for a gamy change of pace, but the rib bacon whiskey burgerâ€”with crunchy lumps of house-made pickle, cheddar and a landslide of crispy fried onionsâ€”just might be the best burger in town. American. 1801 L St., Suite 50; (916) 443-1010. Dinner for one: $15-$25. HHHH G.M.

Midtown Block Butcher Bar This place serves the holy trinity of European cuisine: meat, cheese and alcoholic beverages. Most of its boards and plates are balanced using three basic tastes: salty (meats and cheeses), sweet (honey and jam) and sour (pickles and vinegar). The charcuterie boards impress visually and on the tongue. A recent selection included shaved almonds, neat piles of meat,

Harryâ€™s Cafe It can be difficult to decide what to order hereâ€” thereâ€™s one menu for breakfast, and another with general Chinese and Vietnamese meals. Oh, and the breakfast menu has a subcategory for â€œAsian Breakfast,â€? featuring Hawaiian favorites such as Spam and loco moco (rice topped with hamburger patties, eggs and gravy). Whatever the option, portions here are huge, especially the heaping plateful of fried rice, which has a playful texture.

Recommended from the Chinese food menu: Stir-fried green beans, hot and sour soup, beef chow fun in black bean sauce and ginger beef thatâ€™s piping hot, tangy, spicy and slightly salty. A nice way to heat up the belly on a cold night. Or, try ginger beef over rice. Asian. 2026 16th St., (916) 448-0088. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHH1/2 J.M.

Izakaya Daikoku Izakayas are to Japan what pubs are to England: a place to grab a cheap drink and some easy grub. The purveyors behind I.D. hope to bring this Eastern swagger to Sacramento with a menu thatâ€™s rich in options. Agedashi tofu is the big hit here: deep-fried cubes of delicately soft tofu served with a soy dashi broth form squishy pillows of flavor. The hamachi collar is also recommended. Served with lemon and ponzu, itâ€™s a boastful dish that exemplifies simplicity. The okonomiyaki is the biggest pullâ€” itâ€™s a traditional Japanese pizza made of cabbage and savory pancake batter. Each is buried under mayo, katsu sauce, and bonito flakes resulting in a rich, greasy mess that leaves you feeling heavy but guarantees youâ€™ll sober up quickly. Japanese. 1900 S St.; (916) 662-7337. Dinner for one: $15-$20. HHH G.M.

East Sacramento Fahrenheit 250 BBQ This barbecue joint ups the ante with attentive table service and high-end ingredients. Chef

Jacob Carriker serves Southern staples such as pulled pork, brisket and ribs, plus the very California addition of smoked tri-tip. Thereâ€™s also chicken and troutâ€”all smoked in a 7-foot hand-forged steel behemoth. The pulled-pork sandwich is moist, smoky and falling apart with tenderness. The halfchicken is a bit dry, but benefits from a shot of sauce. The tri-tip is well-smoked, but not as good as the brisket, although it still makes for a very nice addition to the Market salad, with baby greens, grilled zucchini and onions, and cornbread croutons. Barbecue. 7042 Folsom Blvd., (916) 476-4508. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH AMR

5131 Freeport Blvd., (916) 455-1687. Dinner for one: $5-$15. HHHH J.M

Pangaea Bier Cafe Just as

Land Park/ Curtis Park Boba Cafe For starters, try the scallion pancake; itâ€™s salty, crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. Or, order the pan-fried beef bun, which with its doughy, crunchy wrapping strangely resembled the texture of a Taco Bell Crunchwrap, only smaller, with a much richer flavor. Also worth sampling: pork dumplings served as a firm dough wrapping filled with a rich pork broth and a small ball of meat. The â€œTaiwan Style Stewed Pork Over Rice,â€? a red-braised pork, is a tender, deep-red colored pork marinated in earthy aromatic spices and copious amounts of soy sauce. Paired with an egg and a heaping pile of rice, itâ€™s one of the most comforting rice plates in Sacramento. Chinese.

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European wines are made to be enjoyed with food rather than sipped alone, the current tsunami of European-style microbreweries feature drinks often best quaffed alongside a well-crafted meal. Pangaea Bier Cafe recently stepped up its food game to satisfy that need with a revamped menu that includes an ever-changing rotation of seasonal, slightly upscale pub food. Try the Buffalo wings: Theyâ€™re deeply flavorful fried morsels with a thick glaze. The mac â€™nâ€™ cheese is creamy, with a bit of beer in the sauce and a crunchy topping of herb-flecked breadcrumbs. The sliders are gorgeous little mouthfuls with Tillamook cheddar and housemade pickles. The main-course cheeseburger, one of the best weâ€™ve had in ages, is made from a custom blend of brisket and chuck. This is a juicy patty that holds together, yet bursts with flavor. The locally made brioche bun bears up well, and the house pickles and cheddar simply gild the lily. American. 2743 Franklin Blvd., (916) 454-4942. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHH1/2 AMR

South Sac Bodhi Bowl This Vietnamese eateryâ€™s menu is all vegetarian and mostly vegan, with plenty of high notes. The Heavenly Noodle is a canâ€™t-go-wrong salad comprising snow-white

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Kansai Ramen & Sushi House This place serves its own take on ramen and sushi, with varying degrees of success. The kakuni ramen, which features three thick slices of braised pork belly in lieu of the house ramen’s thin slices of chashu, boasts a nice, sweet marinade; tender consistency; and copious flavor. The sushi rolls here are Western style—aka loaded with toppings. Try the Mufasa roll. With crab and avocado on the inside and salmon and sauce outside, it’s particularly tasty, seasoned in sesame oil and baked— a somewhat unusual technique for sushi. Japanese. 2992 65th St., Ste. 288; (916) 455-0288. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH J.M.

Natomas

the veggies, a light boost of piquant flavor from a “pepper plant sauce,” and won’t leave you feeling overly stuffed after eating it. American. 8928 Sunset Ave. in Fair Oaks, (916) 241-9365. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHHH J.M.

The Waffle Experience Hold your forks—these aren’t your mom’s buttermilk beauties full of syrup. They’re traditional Belgian liège waffles, which are closer to bread than pastry. Open for breakfast and lunch, the menu offers choices that include breakfast creations and dishes labeled “Two Hands Required”—i.e., waffle sandwiches. All are packed with flavor. The “Eggcellent” consists of applewood bacon, fontina, egg, arugula, and sun-dried tomato aioli sandwiched between fennel seed waffles. It’s messy, but worth the extra napkins. American. 4391 Gateway Park Blvd., Suite 650 in Natomas; (916) 285-0562. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHH AMR

Dad’s Kitchen The cooking at this Guy Fieri-approved joint is consistent and at times technically terrific. Try the Dad’s Burger (lettuce, red onion, tomato, Aleppo chili aioli, and a beef patty encrusted with blue cheese and bacon). With a firm and chewy bun and a sauce with kick, it’s one of Sac’s best burgers. Or get the Hot Blonde. It’s like a subtle, healthier version of a club sandwich, with organic chicken, avocado, spinach, cucumber, roasted onion and Swiss cheese—all set between sourdough bread and grilled on a panini press. It boasts a crunchy texture from all

egg, sausage and bacon, tiger prawn, pickled veggies, and the most amazing slider. American. 1310 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-1045. Dinner for one: $15-$25. HHHH G.M.

Elk Grove

Danielle’s Crêperie This eatery, which specializes in French and American, serves a ton of breakfast and lunch options (pancakes, waffles, omelets, quiches, crepes, sandwiches) and diners can order them at any time of day. A chocolate crepe is huge and could make for an entire (sugary) meal itself. A Nutella filling option would also be nice. Savory crepes are a good option; try the Crab and Spinach Crêpe. With crab meat, spinach, garlic and a cheesy French Mornay sauce, this is rich haute cuisine at a bargain price. French and American. 3535 Fair Oaks Blvd., (916) 972-1911. Dinner for one: $10-$20. HHH1⁄2. J.M.

Arden/ Carmichael

IllustratIon by Mark stIvers

vermicelli noodles with cooling mint, cucumber slices, house-roasted peanuts and jagged pieces of faux beef. The “beef” actually is slightly sweet, plenty umami and pleasantly inoffensive, as far as fake meat goes. Nearly everything here has a faux-meat product or tofu element. So, sorry diners with soy allergies—it can’t even be escaped in the papaya salad. Not an issue? Soldier on with the Hot & Sour soup, a not-too spicy sunset-orange broth that teems with a tomatoey and citrus flavor, chunks of pineapple, semicircles of trumpet mushrooms, cubes of fried tofu and slices of faux crab. Or, try the stir-fried Eight Fold Path. It features al dente celery, red bell pepper and triangles of the most savory, salty, dense tofu perhaps ever. Vietnamese. 6511 Savings Place, Ste. 100; (916) 428-4160. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHHH S.

Lola’s Lounge The dishes here bring together Latin American favorites with modern presentations. There are Spanish tapas, for example, including bacalao, a buttery mash of potatoes and salt cod served in a mortar with toast and Spanish olive oil. Argentinean-styled empanadas are exquisitely flaky and crisp, encasing juicy shredded beef and chopped hard-boiled egg. A garnish of cilantro puree adds the perfect balance of fresh herb. Lola’s Plato de Quesos makes for one of the most interesting cheese plates in the area. It includes Catalan mató, a fresh cheese similar to ricotta, served with honey and a crisp cracker. Blue cabrales and aged castellano sheep’s cheese garnished with spicy mustard, green olives and sweet apple complete the line-up. Elsewhere on the menu, a generous portion of cubed raw tuna is gorgeously presented with fried rice crackers dusted with chile and Szechuan pepper. Eaten with a smear of aioli and a sprinkle of “caviar” from finger limes, it’s a menu standout. Latin American. 9085 Elk Grove Blvd. in Elk Grove; (916) 685-5652. Dinner for one: $10-$15. HHH1⁄2 AMR

Field House American Sports Pub Launched by the same team that raised Shady Lady Saloon, this spot brings a bit more culinary hope to an often forgotten part of Sacramento. The whiskey burger is a mighty sammich of perfection with smoked Gouda cheese and bacon that serve as excellent counterpoints to the achingly sweet maple-bourbon glazed red onions. Fries-slashchips arrived pencil-thin and fiercely crispy. If you visit for brunch, don’t miss the signature bloody mary: a 32-ounce bloody mary that doesn’t skimp on the horseradish. It’s served with skewers of beet-pickled

Cup them beans

Sacramento coffee is hot—and not just temperature-wise. It’s the de facto, official warm winter drink for hipsters and foodies, plus it’s consumed at all hours by early-morning commuters and late-night caffeine addicts alike. At the time of writing, it’s a stormy and dark afternoon, and a hot cup of joe seems like heaven. But here’s the problem: After buying a good artisanal bean from one of many great local coffee companies, what’s the best way to brew it? Can’t decide! Solution: The free Insight Home Brewing Class teaches people four different ways to brew—none of that Keurig K-Cup machine or Folgers instant coffee nonsense here. It’s a two-hour class, happening at noon on Saturday, December 13, at Insight Coffee Roasters, 1901 Eighth Street. A bonus idea: After class, go out and buy a coffee brewing device or two as a holiday present for your fixieriding, skinny-jean wearing, artisanal coffee-drinking loved ones. Head to www.insightcoffee.com for more information on the class. —Jonathan Mendick

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December 6 - December 21

2014 Season

Celebration Arts Theatre Presents

The sweet scent of nostalgia Itâ€™sâ€ƒaâ€ƒWonderfulâ€ƒLifeâ€ƒ an original drama with music

Members of a small church choir rebel against a music director who insists on performing the same Christmas music they have been doing for years. Two young strangers enter the mix and provide conflict that leads to a joyous review of new songs for Christmas.

Celebration Arts Theatre

4469 D Street, East Sacramento 95819 www.celebrationarts.net 916/455-2787 Thurs, Fri & Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2pm Gen $15 Students, Seniors & SARTA $13 Thurs $8

In Frank Capraâ€™s 1946 holiday classic movie Itâ€™s a Wonderful Life, angel-wannabe Clarence saves by the day. In Sacramento Theatre Companyâ€™s Patti Roberts current musical staging of this dark tale of a desperate man, itâ€™s the very talented Jerry Leeâ€™s portrayal of George Bailey that saves the day, and this production. This little-known 1998 musical adaptation of the well-known and much-embraced movie isnâ€™t produced too often, mostly because itâ€™s not a particularly strong showâ€”too many songs, and not enough memorable ones. But with a good staging and a charismatic lead with an exceptional voice, itâ€™s a nice addition to the local holiday shows being staged this year.

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Itâ€™s a Wonderful Life, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday; $20-$40. Sacramento Theatre Company Main Stage, 1419 H Street; (916) 443-6722; www.sactheatre.org. Through December 28.

Itâ€™s the second year in a row that STC is offering up this musical adaption of Itâ€™s a Wonderful Life, and director Michael Laun is wise enough to bring back the two winning performances of Lee as Bailey and Gary S. Martinez as the heart-of-stone Mr. Potter, as well as adding a personable Tyler Wipfli as Mary Bailey and a number of strong back-up performers. The story is basically the same as the film: Local small town boy with big plans is diverted from following his dreams by fate, love, loyalty and a strong sense of commitment and community responsibility. Though George is much admired and appreciated by the Bedford Falls townfolk who are thankful for his acts of kindness and refusal to kowtow to the greedy banker Potter, George thinks heâ€™s a failure for not living up to his own selfimposed larger-than-life dreams. So God sends down Clarence, an angel who is in the midst of his own self-doubts, to show a suicidal George how heâ€™s impacted peoples lives with both small and large gestures.

Not only is the story one that warms the heart, the moral issues that are brought forth have a current ring to them: struggling small towns, monolithic banking systems, and social and monetary disparities. This adaptation has a strong faith-based emphasis, though itâ€™s still enjoyable as a simple gratitude-based story as well. The sets and costumes accurately depict life in a simple, small 1940s town, conjuring up the sweet scent of nostalgia and romance so many desperately crave this time of year. ÎŠ

4Aâ€ƒNewâ€ƒSongâ€ƒforâ€ƒâ€ƒ Christmas With A New Song for Christmas, James Wheatley and Celebration Arts take a new approach to telling the Christmas story. Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus are there, but only as they relate to a church Christmas concert. Wheatley has crafted an interesting story in which choir members of a small church in the Central Valley mutiny when music director Sister Michaels (Elaine Douglas, a wonderfully adept comedian) informs them that this yearâ€™s Christmas concert will be â€œtraditional,â€? just like last yearâ€™s and the year before, andâ€”well, every other one she has led. Two young strangers, a recently returned Iraq war vet named Arman (Angel Perez) and his wife Aisha (Jenabah Koroma) arrive in need of assistance and wind up helping spur the choirâ€”and even Sister Michaelsâ€”into trying something new. Earnest as can be, the uneven production is a bit of a disappointment. Itâ€™s not really bad, but with the talented Wheatley as writer, director, choreographer and performer in a small role, it had the possibility to soar. Wheatleyâ€™s â€œnewâ€? songs are not that different than the â€œoldâ€? Christmas songs the choir in the story is rebelling against. They are sung with conviction, but with the exception of a couple of songs (â€œBrand New Dayâ€? and one that could be titled either â€œDifferent Worldâ€? or â€œWhere There Is Loveâ€?â€”no song titles are listed in the program), they donâ€™t explore new themes or tempos. Wheatley uses the new folksâ€™ arrival to comment on small-town mistrust of strangers, law enforcementâ€™s actions against perceived illegal immigrants and the role of the church today as a refuge of human kindness. In the end, you have to applaud the productionâ€™s joyful Christmas spirit, and its suggestion that a celebratory attitude is a good approach to each and every day. â€”Jim Carnes

A New Song for Christmas, 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. December 13, 14 and 21; $8-$15. Celebration Arts Theatre, 4469 D Street; (916) 455-2787; www.celebrationarts.net. Through December 21.

A Christmas Carol

Santaland Diaries

Capital Stage puts the comedy first in this production of David Sedaris’ NPR essay about his time as an elf in a Macy’s Santaland, adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello. As “Crumpet,” Aaron Wilkin is hilarious, even when deadpanning, and director Peter Mohrmann keeps things moving at a manic pace. With a gasp-inducing set designed by Jonathan Williams, this holiday show goes for more spice and less sugar than most. W 7pm;

Th, F, 8pm; Sa 2pm & 8pm; Su 2pm. Through 12/27. $30-$40. Capital

Stage, 2215 J St.; (916) 476-3116; www.capstage.org. K.M.

fairy tale of Snow White and her sister Rose Red and throws back the curtain to reveal sisterly spats and sibling rivalries. Actually, he doesn’t throw back the curtain. Rather, he opens up a traveling theater troupe’s gypsy wagon in this adaptation that is a story-within-a-story, capturing the familial fights of a theater family putting on a production of Snow White and Rose Red. So it’s battling sisters portraying battling sisters—realistic pettiness and meanness splattered between tragic, dramatic and, thankfully, lots of comedic moments. Sa, Su 1pm & 4pm. Through 12/28. $15-20. B Street Theatre’s Family Series Stage, 2711 B St.; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreettheatre.org. P.R.

Spinning Into Light

While it’s not the best of B Street’s original holiday productions, this musical tale of four people in a Southern mill town in the 1950s features Americana- and bluegrass- inflected music from Noah Agruss and book and lyrics by director Buck Busfield. Greg Alexander is outstanding as the millhand quietly in love with a local divorcee. Also starring Jason Kuykendall, Melinda Parrett and Tara Sissom. Tu 6:30pm; W 2pm &

, no Cats & large dogs welcome

2 FAIR

3 GOOD

4 WELL-DONE

5 SUBLIME–DON’T MISS

6:30pm; Th, F 8pm; Sa 2pm & 9pm; Su 2pm. Through 1/4. $23-$35. B Street Theatre, 2711 B St.; (916) 443-5300; www.bstreet theatre.org. K.M.

Short review by Jeff Hudson, Kel Munger and Patti Roberts.

Snow White and Rose Red

today! Call & schedule a tourbre ed restrictions!

FOUL

Playwright Dave Pierni takes the lesser known Grimm

PHOTO By DAN DION

THINK FREE.

There are multiple versions of A Christmas Carol on the boards this month. So what makes this production different? First, it’s a different script. Second, this Woodland version features veteran Rodger MacDonald as Scrooge. Third, the Woodland Opera House itself—a lovingly restored 1890s venue—functions as a time machine. Fourth, director Robert Cooner, conductor Dan Pool, choreographer Tim Stewart and costumer Denise Miles all made good choices. F, Sa 8pm; Su, 12/13 2pm. Through 12/21. $7-$25. Woodland Opera House, 340 Second St. in Woodland; (530) 666-9617; www.woodland operahouse.org. J.H.

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This may be the most serious pose Will Durst has ever struck.

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Cinema and stand-up

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Those who like a lot of bang for their buck can certainly find that in an upcoming film and stand-up comedy event in Auburn. It’ll combine the screening of an indie documentary called 3 Still Standing with a “live standup multi-media event” featuring comedians Will Durst, Johnny Steele and Larry “Bubbles” Brown—the San Francisco comics who are the subject of the aforementioned documentary. 3 Still Standing tells the story of how these three comedians rose to fame in the San Fran comedy scene in the ’80s, but didn’t really get big breaks in TV or movies. It also features interviews with comedians from the S.F. scene who did make it big: Dana Carvey, Rob Schneider and the late Robin Williams—to whom the film is dedicated. 3 Still Standing Film and Stand-up Comedy Event, 8 p.m. Saturday, December 13; $25; State Theatre, 985 Lincoln Way in Auburn; www.3stillstanding.com.

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—Jonathan Mendick

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A RT S & C U LT U R E

AFTER

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A desert bomb The Pyramid It seems almost cruel to beat up on a sorry little hunk of ineptitude like The Pyramid. Even its studio, 20th Century Fox, appears not to have very high by Jim Lane hopes for it, releasing it in only 589 theaters when at least 600 is considered the minimum for a “national” release. No doubt Fox is counting on cable and video to recoup the picture’s modest production costs. As it happens, the studio’s lack of faith in The Pyramid is wholly justified. Even by the less-than-lofty standards of don’t-go-in-that-darkroom-you-idiot horror movies, it’s a stinker.

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In this case, however, there’s a slight variation. It’s not a single dark room that the characters stupidly go into. It’s an endless array of dark rooms, all of them in a buried pyramid discovered in the Egyptian desert 200 miles south of Cairo in the summer of 2013. The discoverers are the Egyptologist Holden (Denis O’Hare) and his daughter Nora (Ashley Hinshaw). As the movie opens, the two have unearthed only the apex of the pyramid (helpfully explaining, for those who have forgotten their ninth-grade geometry, that “apex” means “top”), but from that they have been able to calculate that the full structure is some 600 feet high, dwarfing the Great Pyramid at Giza. Documenting the Holdens’ dig is a reporter named Sunni (Christa Nicola) and her cameraman Fitzie (James Buckley). This, naturally, allows for that most irritating and overused of horror movie clichés, the fiction of found video (“The following details the results of their discovery”). In The Pyramid this premise is carried to new depths of lameness by writers Daniel Meersand and Nick Simon. They frequently write themselves into corners where there’s no way Fitzie’s camera could catch the action; when that happens, they (and director Grégory Levasseur) simply abandon the premise in favor of conventional filmmaking—placing the camera in a dark tunnel looking back at the first person to enter it, things like that. This only adds to the growing pile of evidence that the

pseudo-documentary, found-video premise is merely an excuse for sloppy camerawork—and indeed, The Pyramid has no cinematographer credit. (I wouldn’t want it on my résumé either.) In The Pyramid it’s an excuse for sloppy writing as well. Simon and Meersand load their actors—especially poor Hinshaw—with some pretty clumsy dialogue. This can range from the over-obvious (explaining the meaning of “apex”) to great indigestible chunks of exposition (“The ancient Egyptians believed …”). And the movie ends in a way that calls into question exactly who found all this video, and how. But I’m getting ahead of the story. As riots in Cairo over the 2013 military coup threaten the stability of the government, Egyptian authorities pull the plug on the Holdens’ dig and order everybody back (though you’d think they’d be safer and less under foot if they stayed where they are). Meanwhile, however, the archaeological team has sent a NASA rover into the pyramid to look around. When the video feed appears to show the darting presence of some sort of wild animal, then abruptly goes dead, the Holdens inexplicably decide that they’d rather face whatever’s in the pyramid than the anger of NASA over the loss of their borrowed rover. So into the hole they go, led by their technician (and Nora’s lover) Zahir (Amir K) and followed by Sunni, Fitzie and their cameras.

The Pyramid has no real suspense—unless you count the suspense of impatiently waiting for it all to be over. I don’t want to arouse the anger of the Spoiler Police, so I think I’ll just leave it there. I will mention, though, that if you absolutely insist on seeing this thing, you might want to Google the god Anubis and his function in ancient Egyptian mythology—because the explanation we get from Simon and Meersand sounds a little convoluted in the heat of the moment. Otherwise, The Pyramid devolves into something suspiciously reminiscent of As Above, So Below from earlier this year. This time, of course, we’re stuck in a maze under the Sahara rather than the streets of Paris. But the results are quite similar. Like As Above, So Below, The Pyramid has no real suspense— unless you count the suspense of impatiently waiting for it all to be over —and even the cheap scares are few and far between. As then, so now. Ω

by daniel barnes & JiM lane

Big Hero 6

•

2508 LAND PARK DRIVE LAND PARK & BROADWAY FREE PARKING ADJACENT TO THEATRE

A Marvel comic book reconfigured to look and sound like an animated McDonald’s commercial, Big Hero 6 is still the most tolerable film to be released under the Marvel banner in years, even if the superhero origin story stuff is the least interesting piece. The film takes place in the futuristic, East-West hybrid city of San Fransokyo, and the story follows a 13 year-old computer prodigy named Hiro Hamada, who forms a bond with an inflatable robot after his brother’s death. Despite a chaotic narrative that bloats the running time to nearly two hours, Big Hero 6 is colorful and fast-paced entertainment, easily watchable and easily forgotten, like a shiny new toy that isn’t much fun to play with. It is preceded by the 6-minute Feast, an enchanting Disney short that offers all of the warmth and soul that Big Hero 6 lacks. D.B.

Citizenfour

In early 2013, documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras (The Oath) began receiving encrypted emails from a hacker named “CITIZENFOUR” who promised proof of illegal information-gathering programs run by the American government in concert with foreign intelligence agencies. Of course, that person turned out to be Edward Snowden, and at his request, Poitras brought her cameras to his Hong Kong hotel room to capture him and Guardian journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill as they prepared to break the largest civil-rights scandal in world history (Poitras also contributed articles). Most of Citizenfour unfolds against the antiseptic whiteness of that hotel room, and the terse visual palette recalls European arthouse cinema more than the Maysles. Instead of wallowing in “Go Team!” polemics or bowing to the cult of personality, Poitras crafts a stark and chilling portrait of a world where connection is the new terror. D.B.

Horrible Bosses 2

Those three dim-bulb heroes (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day) are back. This time the bane of their lives isn’t their bosses, but an unscrupulous business partner and his son (Christoph Waltz, Chris Pine), who have just aced the trio out of a multimilliondollar invention. Our boys plot revenge with their customary Murphy’s Law ineptitude. Written by John Morris and director Sean Anders, the movie has the usual sequel pitfall—what was fresh in 2011 has gone a little stale, especially the stars’ three-way motormouth banter—and it huffs and puffs a bit in finding ways to include the original co-stars (Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston, Jamie Foxx). Still, it’s pretty funny (albeit less surprising), and Anders keeps the action prancing along smartly. Pine and Waltz show a nice flair for comedy. J.L.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), rescued from the aborted Quarter Quell Games, winds up in the rebellious District 13, where leader Alma Coin (Julianne Moore) and Plutarch Heavensbee (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) lobby her to become the face of the revolt. Supposedly based on the first half of the last volume of Suzanne Collins’ wildly popular trilogy, the movie is sluggish, with very little happening. In fact it’s a cheat, a shameless ploy to squeeze another $600 million dollars out of moviegoers. The fans probably won’t complain because, after all, it does have Lawrence and her strong supporting cast (most of them reduced to cameos); still, the smarter ones (if they haven’t already taken the bait) will put

BEFORE

NEWS

“A TRIUMPH.” - Peter Debruge, VARIETY

WED/THUR: 1:35, 4:15, 7:00, 9:40PM FRI-TUES: 11:20AM, 1:55, 4:30, 7:10, 9:45PM NO MON/TUES 11:20AM

WED/THUR: 11:35AM, 2:10, 4:45, 7:25, 9:50PM FRI-TUES: 11:30AM, 2:00, 4:35, 7:15, 9:40PM NO SAT, MON 11:30AM NO TUES 11:30AM, 4:35, 7:15PM

“A GRIPPING DRAMA.” - Joe McGovern, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

“FASCINATING AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING.”

THE

“Get ready for some ugly truths.”

I Am Eleven

The Michael Apted Up films, a long-running series of documentaries that check in with a group of ordinary British children from various backgrounds every seven years, have always positioned themselves as grand social experiments, taking their cue from the Ignatius Loyola quote, “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will give you the man.” There is no such pretense of experimentation or profundity from Genevieve Bailey’s thoroughly ingratiating I Am Eleven, and no intention of glorifying “ordinary” 11-year-old behavior. Bailey interviews 11-year-old children from around the globe about their worldviews, seeing the age as the last rest stop between the innocent wonder of childhood and the hormonal catastrophe of adolescence. She finds some amazing kids, including volunteers at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand, and their personalities were enough to make me hope for future Up-esque check-ins down the line. D.B.

Interstellar

Christopher Nolan has earned enough trust and respect to make the dark, thematically ambitious and potentially difficult films that studios usually avoid like the plague, and on the scale of his choice. Based as much on the success of his rabbit-hole actioner Inception as his money-in-the-bank Batman movies, he even got Paramount to back his moony and assaultive three-hour space epic Interstellar. Rather than liberating Nolan, however, the ability to make big-budget movies that aim to do more than sell souvenir soda cups has weighed on him like a divine task, and each film has become more dreadfully self-important than the last. Interstellar is a nonstop barrage of teachable moments, simultaneously bloated and rushed, and crammed with more topical detritus than a Lee Daniels film. There is no shortage of visual spectacle here, but Interstellar flirts with big ideas and weighty themes only to avoid probing beneath their surfaces. D.B.

Penguins of Madagascar

Although the Madagascar series has been a mid- to low-tier animated franchise from its very inception, the appearance of the penguins always provided a memorable highlight. The penguins are a self-anointed group of international superspies consisting of the delusional and devil-may-care Skipper, his overly literalminded second-in-command Kowalski, wild-eyed demolition expert Rico and the pampered

ENDS THUR., 12/11

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The Homesman

this one in their Netflix queues and wait till next year, when the story actually gets rolling. J.L.

- Todd McCarthy, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

WED/THUR: 11:30AM, 2:00, 4:35, 7:10, 9:45PM FRI-TUES: 11:25AM, 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:35PM NO MON/TUES 11:25AM

When we think of the “revisionist Western” genre, the implication is usually one of Peckinpah-esque ultraviolence or Dead Man artiness. Tommy Lee Jones’ unexpectedly devastating The Homesman, while hardly lacking for flashes of brutal violence or moments of equally brutal introspection, takes a slightly different approach. It is a film about the western landscape as a psychological nightmare, and in its deepest and darkest moments, The Homesman questions how insanity should be defined in a world as savage and lonely as the one it depicts. However, this is also a full entertainment, filled with rich and moving performances, bawdy humor, powerful visuals and a genuine empathy for the forgotten heroes of history. Jones, who adapted the Glendon Swarthout novel along with screenwriters Kieran Fitzgerald and Wesley A. Oliver and also gives a great performance here, only leads the viewer down comforting alleys in order to ambush them with ugly truths. D.B.

CITIZENFOUR

THEORY EVERYTHING the

Birdman

A washed-up movie star (Michael Keaton), hoping to scramble out from the shadow of the Birdman superhero blockbusters he made 20 years ago, tries to mount his own Broadway adaptation of a story by Raymond Carver, but everything seems to go wrong—starting with the fact that Birdman has infected his own unstable personality. Director and co-writer Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu’s movie invites comparison with the ultimate has-been-nut-cast-movie-star picture, Billy Wilder’s Sunset Blvd.—and amazingly, it holds up under the comparison, thanks to Iñárritu’s brilliantly surrealistic technique, the can’t-look-away messy state of the protagonist’s head, Keaton’s tautly pugnacious performance, and an equally strong supporting cast (Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Stone, Amy Ryan, etc.). J.L.

HOMESMAN BiRDMAN “ABSORBING.” - Todd McCarthy, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

F E AT U R E

STORY

Need Assistance with Applying for or Appealing Veterans Disability Benefits & Compensation? Contact: (916) 480-9200 Law Office of Steven H. Berniker, APC Veteran Advisor – Sgt Major (Ret) Daniel J. Morales Location: 2424 Arden Way, Suite 360 Sacramento, CA 95825

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orphan Private. In the Madagascar films, the penguins were relegated to monotony-breaking cameos, so it is not surprising that after a fun first half, their star vehicle hits the wall. At a certain point, the plot is forced to take over, and the time-filling and talent-wasting nonsense that was cooked up by the film’s half-dozen credited writers should have never made it past first draft. It involves an octopus named Dave who impersonates a human scientist so that he can make penguins less cute. Even for a babysitting tool, that’s weak. D.B.

P R A H S look

The Theory of Everything

Jake Kasdan’s 2007 genre parody Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story so effectively skewered the hoary tropes of movie biopics, any film employing them with a straight face risks looking ridiculous. Cliches are not mandatory for the genre—films as diverse as Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There and Mike Leigh’s upcoming Mr. Turner have tossed aside biopic crutches while still landing emotional and intellectual impacts. But James Marsh’s straight-faced biopic The Theory of Everything is engineered for maximum awards season appeal, and so it crams in as many those conventions as it possibly can. The film might be unwatchable if not for the excellent performances from Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne as Jane and Stephen Hawking. Redmayne especially does bravura work—he becomes Stephen Hawking, body and soul—but The Theory of Everything doesn’t have the imagination or ambition to be anything more than his showpiece. D.B.

“On the batterfield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a Nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no Veteran behind.” – Dan Lipinski

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Whiplash

In the propulsive and persistent Whiplash, writer-director Damien Chazelle takes a trope familiar to sports movies and boot camp films—the imperious coach/drill sergeant who horsewhips a raw but promising athlete/soldier into shape—and drops it into an East Coast music conservatory. Miles Teller gives another strong performance as Andrew, a hyperdriven jazz drummer languishing in second chair. Andrew catches the eye of Fletcher, the martinet conductor of the school’s most prestigious band, a black-clad, fire-breathing demon played by J.K. Simmons. Fletcher torments his student musicians with a level of vile emasculation unseen since R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket (“weepy willow shitstack” is one of Fletcher’s least offensive invectives), and Andrew endures the abuse in order to pursue greatness. Teller and Simmons don’t cut corners, even when the script does, and while Chazelle frequently seems to be fetishizing sadism, the lightning-fast tempo forgives a few off-key notes. D.B.

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ALLE Y K AT Z PRESENTS

No money, more venue problems Citing a lack of revenue, Sacramento’s Witch Room owners are set to shutter the live-music spot at the end of the month It’s been a rough year for live-music lovers in Sacramento. Bows & Arrows went first in January. Longtime all-ages venue Luigi’s Fun Garden by Janelle Bitker shuttered next. After 16 years in some form, Marilyn’s on K was sold in October. Then at the j a ne l l e b @ end of November, Assembly Music Hall closed ne w s re v i e w . c o m its doors when its managers left. Now, Witch Room will cease to exist at the end of December. “The simple fact is that we were not able to sustain enough revenue to cover our expenses and provide compensation to the founders that was sufficient to justify our efforts,” said proprietor Olivia Coelho in a press release.

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Witch Room co-founders (from left to right) Liz Liles, Olivia Coelho and Liz Mahoney will close Witch Room at the end of the month.

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Anton Barbeau and Bellygunner perform at 8 p.m. on Friday, December 12, at Witch Room, located at 1815 19th Street. Tickets are $5. For a complete list of Witch Room’s final events visit www.witchroom sac.com.

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showed interest in buying Witch Room in October. They had been managing Assembly Music Hall but decided to leave, searching for their own new small venue to complement Ace of Spades. The deal didn’t happen. Now, the Witch Room team is busy trying to make its last month as fun and celebratory as possible. The calendar is currently pretty barren. Local singer-songwriter Anton Barbeau and rock band Bellygunner play on Friday, December 12. The Midtown Moxies burlesque troupe performs Friday, December 19. Drew Walker, who designed, installed and operated Witch Room’s sound system, is also gathering musicians, artists, videographers, photographers, comedians and other performers for a two-day, last-minute minifestival on December 27 and 28. It’ll be called Sac Go Home Fest and 12 local bands have already signed up. “I’m trying to give people one last chance to play the venue,” he said. With that in mind, Walker also launched a last-minute, weekly open-mic series for December. The first edition saw about 50 people and a full list of local comedians and musicians with just 20 hours advance notice. The next open-mic takes place Tuesday, December 16. Sign-ups start at 7:30 p.m., the show starts at 8 p.m. There’s a one drink minimum and Walker welcomes any type of performer.

Witch Room opened in March, with Coelho and co-founders Liz Liles and Liz Mahoney immediately booking wildly diverse acts—indie rock, rap, noise, death metal, bluegrass, deejays, comedy, burlesque. Touring and local artists alike had a home. “Fostering creativity was what we wanted most,” Coelho said. “We knew it was a risky proposition but decided to give it our best shot for 10 months and see what happened.” Some referred to Witch Room as “Bows & Arrows 2.0.” They both occupied 1815 19th Street, and Coelho was part of both efforts. But Witch Room and Bows & Arrows held clear, distinct identities and separate brands. Bows & Arrows was an art gallery, boutique and cafe with live music. Witch Room is a full-blown entertainment venue, with a new sound system, stage, booth seating and dim lighting. The entrance itself was moved off to the side. The only thing that really stayed was the leafy outdoor patio. And Witch Room saw some rad shows in its short lifetime—Tera Melos, Two Sheds, King Tuff, Shannon and the Clams and many more came through. But it also wasn’t completely unusual to be one of a mere dozen people there on a Thursday night. Eric Rushing and Bret Bair, the owners of Ace of Spades and Goldfield Trading Post,

“ Fostering creativity was what we wanted most.” Olivia Coelho co-founder, Witch Room

“That’s what makes a night memorable— when someone does something outrageous, or at least different,” he said. Live recordings from the open-mic series and parts of the festival will be used to create a commemorative Witch Room compilation, which Walker expects to complete in January. And then? “We all expect to maintain our intense interest in the cultural life of this city that we love, and hope to contribute to it in the future,” Coelho said. Ω

Bay Area soul: Apparently California Honeydrops fans didn’t realize it was a Sunday night. They came out to Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub in full force, buzzing like it was Friday and dancing late into the BEFORE | NEWS

evening. Someone even brought an LED-lit hula hoop.

True to their influences—New Orleans second-line, Delta blues, Southern soul and Bay Area R&B— the Oakland band told feel-good stories over the course of two swingin’ sets. There was call-and-response of epic proportions, janky washboard, covers of silly soul songs like Marvin Sease’s “Sit Down on It” and a multitude of food words used as sexual innuendos: pumpkin pie, pork and beans. The silliest of them all was the real-life tale of keyboardist Lorenzo Loera being kicked out of his girlfriend’s house and moving in with his grandma. It’s called “Grandma Song,” and the grandmas at Harlow’s loved it. But the Honeydrops avoided overwhelming cheesiness. Probably because of the tight musicianship, nonstop energy and unbelievably rich, creamy vocals of frontman Lech Wierzynski. Jam sessions with all hands on deck—sax, drums, bass, keys, trumpet—were the most rowdy, like on single “Like You Mean It.” And you gotta adore any band who unpretentiously calls its most successful song a “locally-grown, sustainable hit.”

RECYCLE THIS PAPER.

Jazz but casual: Brad Mehldau’s trio walked out onto the Mondavi Center stage wearing sneakers, coolcasual button-downs and jeans. Well, Mehldau wore brown pants. Drummer Jeff Ballard wore plaid. Bassist Larry Grenadier’s hair was doing this swooping thing. That is all to say that Brad Mehldau, one of the biggest names in modern jazz, and his trio are unusually accessible. Too often jazz is thought of as elite, a genre that requires study to appreciate. Last Thursday night, there were no suits or ties. There was no pretension. Just two hours of fantastic, engrossing jazz to an impressively mixed audience. The room was maybe two-thirds full. Perhaps a surprisingly low turnout for someone the New York Times deemed “the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years,” but the wealth of 20- and 30-somethings importantly signaled to Mehldau’s ushering of a new kind of contemporary jazz. He was probably the first post-bop artist to play mainstream pop and rock songs with legitimate, widespread success. His Radiohead covers? Incredible. Sadly, Mehldau skipped Radiohead in Davis. But he did play a glorious version of “And I Loved Her” by the Beatles. I was also thoroughly moved by “Since I Fell for You,” that old, sad torch song popularized by Lenny Welch in 1963. It was an emotional, deft transformation. Mehldau opened and closed with original compositions. “Spiral” was a heady starting choice—a three-part tug-of-war that intricately darted between frenetic slaps and light touches. His encore was decidedly simpler, a grooving, still nameless tune. In the middle we were treated to an original waltz, “Seymour Reads the Constitution,” inspired by a dream wherein Philip Seymour Hoffman read Mehldau the U.S. Constitution. Obviously Mehldau’s piano prowess was gorgeous. Normally I find myself fixated on bassists in jazz trios. But drummer Ballard arguably stole the show. His solos were insane, methodical, tempo-defying epics boasting expert manipulation of unusual time signatures. And I don’t think I’m saying that just because I recently saw Whiplash.

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NYE, TBD: In case you haven’t heard, TBD Fest is bringing Sacramento a totally unprecedented New Year’s Eve party. Organizers Mike Hargis and Clay Nutting describe it as “TBD Fest meets THIS Midtown.” In other words, an indie electronic dance music-fueled block party on 20th Street between J and K Streets. It’ll go down rain or shine, with tents, heaters and pop-up bars serving craft cocktails, wine and beer. And sorry kids, the event’s 21 and up. More importantly, the TBD Fest team says tickets are going quickly. A-Trak is the big-deal headliner, but Gigamesh and Oliver are heavy-hitters too. Nick Catchdubs, co-founder of Brooklyn’s iconic label Fool’s Gold along with A-Trak, and former Sacramento homegirls Sister Crayon are also on the bill. Recently added is CHLLNGR, the Denmark-by-way-of-Sacramento producer specializing in strippeddown, R&B-influenced dubstep. And more artists are TBD. Tickets cost $45 for general, $99 for open bar and $149 for VIP. Groups of five or more can save 20 percent when buying en masse. Learn more at www.tbdnye.com. —Janelle Bitker

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- December 18 -

- December 12 -

CLOSE TO YOU: A CARPENTERS TRIBUTE WITH HOLIDAY SONGS

HOT BUTTERED RUM FRONT COUNTRY 9PM • $15

6PM • $15 ADV

- December 13 -

DILATED PEOPLES

C-PLUS AND N-PIRE DA GREAT, SABEL LANAI 10PM • $25 ADV

| A R T S & C U L T U R E

- December 18 -

DIEGO’S UMBRELLA 10PM • $15

AFTER

COMING SOON 12/19 Haas Kowert Tice 12/20 Solsa 12/21 Rat Pack Christmas 12/25 Arden Park Roots 12/26 The Funky Sixteens 12/27 Brodi Nicholas 12/28 Anuhea 12/31 NYE w/ Lovefool 1/09 Midge Ure 1/09 KRS-One 1/15 Al Kooper 1/17 Whitey Morgan 1/22 Portland Cello Project 1/23 Apple Z 1/24 The Ting Tings 1/28 The New Mastersounds 1/29 Sage Francis 1/30 Will Kimbrough 1/30 Duran Duran Duran

| 12.11.14

SN&R

12FRI

13SAT

Will Haven

Dilated Peoples

Joyce Manor

Yankee Brutal

Blue Lamp, 8 p.m., $8-$10

Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 10:30 p.m., $25-$30

By the early 2000s, local metal outfit Will Haven, formed in 1995, had reached its critical and commercial peak. After its METAL 2001 record Carpe Diem was released, the group was touring all over the planet. Heavy music in general was getting more popular at that time, but Will Haven brought a particularly intense sound to the genre—guttural screams mixed with deep, heavy riffs and noisy soundscapes. The group broke up shortly thereafter, but reformed in 2005, and have been rebuilding that momentum ever since. It released two great metal albums recently—The Hierophant and Voir Dire—and is still as brutal as ever. 1400 Alhambra Boulevard, www.facebook.com/willhavenband.

—Aaron Carnes

If you’ve never attended a Harlow’s hip-hop show, here’s how it usually goes (and will probably go down Saturday): It starts pretty late, so get there after dinner, have a drink or two and grab a seat. Then, get out of your seats for local emcees opening (N-Pire Da Great, C-Plus and Sabel Lanai in this case). Usually around midnight, the headliner performs. Saturday, it’s Dilated Peoples— probably one of your favorite underground rapper’s favorite underground acts. The Los Angeles-based trio formed in ’92, but HIP-HOP never earned any mainstream success until the 2004 hit “This Way,” featuring DP’s signature blend of catchy beats and conscious raps—plus guest emcee Kanye West. 2708 J Street, www.dilatedpeoples.com.

Midtown Barfly, 7 p.m., $12-$15 Join Epitaph Records’ Joyce Manor, San Pedro, Calif. punks Toys That Kill, and Sacto’s Bastards of Young and the Croissants for an evening of gritty punk-rock music. Headliner Joyce Manor released its latest and third album Never Hungover Again in PUNK July on Epitaph, a label located in Hollywood and owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. Joyce Manor vocalist Barry Johnson, along with the rest of the group recently made headlines for taking a “controversial” stance against stage diving at live shows. Apparently Johnson and the rest of the band just don’t want grown men crushing teenage female fans—what gentlemen! 1119 21st Street, www.facebook.com/joycemanorband.

—Steph Rodriguez

The Boardwalk, 7 p.m., $12-$15 It’s getting harder for bands to get noticed in the age of short attention spans and smart phones. Orangevale’s Yankee Brutal, however, is slowly making a name for itself through word-of-mouth and a fantastic debut album released in 2012 on Los Angelesbased Dying Scene Records. If the more recent three-song No Hope EP released in 2013 made you yearn for more anthemic, well-executed punk rock, you may be in luck. Word is YB will drop a new record due in early Spring 2015. Also on this heavy-hitting all-ages show are Lionheart, Havenside (its last show), Lifeforms, With Wolves (celebrating a CD release), and These PUNK Streets. Arrive early, of course. 9426 Greenback Lane in Orangevale, www.facebook.com/yankeebrutal.

—Jonathan Mendick

—Eddie Jorgensen

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12.11.14

THURSDAY 12/11 - SATURDAY 12/13

FROM LAST COMIC STANDING AND EXCUSED!

ON STAGE AT THE

STATE THEATRE

ILIZA SHLESINGER SAL CALANNI, JOHNNY TAYLOR

SUNDAY 12/14

SAMMY OBEID & FRIENDS WEDNESDAY 12/17

BRANDED FUNNY COMEDY PRESENTS: SHAUN LATHAM Friday, December 12 • 8 pm • $20

Keith Greeninger, Larry Diehl & Friends

Saturday, December 13 • 8 pm • $25

3 Still Standing: Film+Live Comedy Event featuring Will Durst, Johnny Steele and Larry “Bubbles” Brown

THURSDAY 12/18 - SUNDAY 12/21 FROM CHELSEA LATELY AND TRUTV’S BARMAGEDDON!

MO MANDEL SANDY STEC, ROBERT BERRY

FRIDAY 12/26 - SUNDAY 12/28 FROM THE OFFICE AND LOGOTV’S THE STRAIGHT OUT REPORT!

MIKE E. WINFIELD JASON RESLER, CARLOS RODRIGUEZ

TUESDAY 12/30

Saturday, January 17 • 7:30 pm • $20

Singer Songwriters: Steve Seskin, Don Henry, Craig Carothers

Saturday, January 31 • 8 pm • $20

The Ford Blues Band Featuring Patrick Ford, Mark Ford, Volker Strickland & Dewayne Pate

LIVE PODCAST TAPING!

DOUG LOVES MOVIES

DOUG BENSON & SPECIAL GUESTS WEDNESDAY 12/31

NEW YEAR’S EVE! 2014’S LAST LAUGHS FEATURING AN ALLSTAR LINEUP OF SACRAMENTO’S FAVORITE LOCAL COMICS INCLUDING NGAIO BEALUM, KEITH LOWELL JENSON, JOHNNY TAYLOR, CHERYL ANDERSON AND MANY MORE!

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CALL CLUB FOR SHOWTIMES: (916) 925-5500

985 Lincoln Way, Auburn • 530-885-0156 www. livefromauburn.com

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TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE CLUB BOX OFFICE WITH NO SERVICE CHARGE.

14SUN

17TUES

18THURS

21SUN

JustKristofer

Charlie Hunter, Scott Amendola

The Grouch & Eligh

Riders in the Sky

Blue Lamp, 8 p.m., $8

Harlow’s Restaurant & Nightclub, 8 p.m., $18-$20

It’s notable that in JustKristofer’s biographical information online, he always calls himself a writer first. Writer, then rapper, then singer, then producer. Chronologically, he actually began as a drummer for his family’s church. Then he followed the beat to become a wellknown turf dancer, winning tournaments around the state. Now, remarkably quickly, and at the young age of 22 years old, he’s grown a solid local following that appreciates his honest take on the mic. It’s heartfelt and serious, conscious rap, but still danceable. A HIP-HOP big crew joins him on Sunday, including Fairfield’s D. Cannons and Sacramento’s Luke Tailor and Mr. P Chill. 1400 Alhambra Boulevard, www.facebook.com/ JustPlayJK.

—Janelle Bitker

About 20 years ago, I saw gifted musicians Charlie Hunter (guitar) and Scott Amendola (drums) at Old Ironsides in a band called JAZZ T.J. Kirk. That unconventional, acidjazz quartet merged the music of Thelonious Monk, James Brown and Rashaan Roland Kirk into an ear-pleasing mind-meld. Since then, both have taken separate paths and become renowned for their prodigious instrumental skills. A couple of years back, the pair combined forces again, as a duo, and began touring in a Prius. The results have been amazing. Their latest album reimagines songs by the Cars, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter and Hank Williams. Hunter’s wistful playing on “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” will tug at your heartstrings. 2708 J Street, http://charliehunter.com.

Ace of Spades, 6:30pm, $22

Harris Center for the Arts, 8 p.m., $36-$46

Emcee the Grouch and producer Eligh met in the Bay Area hip-hop collective Living Legends during the mid-’90s and have worked together periodically ever since. Grouch’s heady but straightforward style blends the earnest consciousness of rap’s golden age Native Tongues crew with looser, vibe-heavy confessionals and the occasional club-ready jam such as “Say Eligh! Say Grouch!” off February’s triple album, Tortoise and the Crow (instrumental HIP-HOP and a cappella album versions accompany the normal 14-track release). The album ranges from the catchy, near-college rock “Run,” to the psychedelic, left-field minimalism of “Hella Fresh,” and slow-riding reggae-hop “People of the Sun” featuring Slightly Stoopid. 1417 R Street, www.thegrouchandeligh.com.

—Paul Piazza

Gene Autry may be the best-known singing cowboy, but don’t forget about Roy Rogers, Tex Ritter, Sons of the Pioneers and Riders in the Sky. Featuring Ranger Doug (guitar), Too Slim (bass), Woody Paul (fiddle) and Joey the COWBOY Cowpolka King (accordion)— and with nearly 40 years of writing songs, playing music, yodeling, joking and roping audiences in every state—this quartet continues the cowboy tradition of music, humor and wit. Their list of awards, long as a dusty trail from nowhere to somewhere, includes two Grammys, and proves these guys know how to corral western classics (“Rawhide,” “Happy Trails,” “Ghost Riders in the Sky”). 10 College Parkway in Folsom, www.ridersinthesky.com.

—Trina L. Drotar

—Chris Parker

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F E AT U R E

STORY

| A R T S & C U L T U R E

AFTER

| 12.11.14

SN&R

NIGHTBEAT

THURSDAY 12/11

FRIDAY 12/12

2003 K St., (916) 448-8790

Tipsy Thursdays, Top 40 deejay dancing, 9pm, call for cover

Fabulous and Gay Fridays, 9pm, call for cover

Saturday Boom, 9pm, call for cover

BAR 101

Karaoke, 7:30pm, no cover

SIMPLE CREATION, 9:30pm, no cover

TIJUANA WEEKEND, 9:30pm, no cover

BLUE LAMP

1400 Alhambra, (916) 455-3400

CLOCKWORK HERO, DEVON GALLEY, SUMPIN DIFFRNT; 8pm, $5

WILL HAVEN, BURRO, HAPPY FANGS; 8pm, $8-$10

SORTA LIKE HEAVEN, 9pm-1am, $8

JUSTKRISTOFER, D. CANNONS, LUKE TAILOR, MR. P CHILL; 8pm, $8

Open-mic, M; BE BRAVE BOLD ROBOT, Tu, $5; GHOST TOWN REBELLION, W, $7

THE BOARDWALK

FROM FIRST TO LAST, DAYSHELL,

BURNING RAIN, ASTRAL CULT, FORCE MULTIPLIED, RESTRAYNED; 8pm

LIONHEART, HAVENSIDE, LIFEFORMS, WITH WOLVES; 8pm, call for cover

SPONGE, CALIFORNIA CHILD, CALIFORNIA RIOT ACT; 8pm, $15-$20

JOHNNY RICHTER, LIQUID ASSASSIN; 6pm W, call for cover

Comedy w/ Steve Hytner and Katie Rubin, 8pm, $20-$25

NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE; 8pm, call for cover

BADLANDS List your event!

Post your free online listing (up to 15 months early), and our editors will consider your submission for the printed calendar as well. Print listings are also free, but subject to space limitations. Online, you can include a full description of your event, a photo, and a link to your website. Go to www.newsreview.com/calendar and start posting events. Deadline for print listings is 10 days prior to the issue in which you wish the listing to appear.

101 Main St., Roseville; (916) 774-0505

9426 Greenback Ln., Orangevale; (916) 988-9247 OUR ENDLESS OBSESSION; 7:15pm

CENTER FOR THE ARTS

314 W. Main St., Grass Valley; (530) 274-8384

SATURDAY 12/13

COUNTRY CLUB SALOON THE COZMIC CAFÉ

Open-mic, 7:30pm, no cover

DIVE BAR

Deuling Pianos, 9pm, no cover

1022 K St., (916) 737-5999

Hey local bands!

FACES

Kamikaze Karaoke, 9pm-2am, no cover

Hip-hop and Top 40 Deejay dancing, 9pm, $5-$10

FOX & GOOSE

THE MIKE JUSTIS BAND, 8pm, no cover

MISS MOUTHPEACE, ZYAH BELLE AND THE FUNKSHUN; 9pm, $5

MILLION DOLLAR GIVEAWAY, GILLIAN UNDERWOOD, HAIR OF THE DAWG; 9pm

1001 R St., (916) 443-8825

G STREET WUNDERBAR 2326 K St., (916) 441-2252

GOLDFIELD TRADING POST 1603 J St., (916) 476-5076

Open-mic, 7-11pm Tu, call for cover

PATRICK WALSH, 9pm, no cover

HOT CITY JAZZ, EMILY KOLLARS; 9pm Tu; HANS & THE HOT MESS, 9pm W

Dragalicious, 9pm, $5

Kamikaze Karaoke, 9pm M; Latin night, 9pm Tu, $5; DJ Alazzawi, 9pm W, $3 Open-mic, 7:30pm M; Pub Quiz, 7pm Tu; Northern Soul and Cornhole, 8pm W

THE LIVEWIRES, CASH FOR GOLD, TAXES; 8pm, call for cover

228 G St., Davis; (530) 756-9227

THE GOLDEN BEAR

Trivia Night, 6:30pm M, no cover; Open-mic night, 7:30pm W, no cover

MERCY ME, 9:30pm, $10

3443 Laguna Blvd., Ste. 150, Elk Grove; (916) 226-2900

Want to be a hot show? Mail photos to Calendar Editor, SN&R, 1124 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95815 or email it to sactocalendar@ newsreview.com. Be sure to include date, time, location and cost of upcoming shows.

Mad Mondays, 9pm M, call for cover

SCOTT PEMBERTON, 8pm, call for cover

DOUBLE NICKEL SMOKEHOUSE 2000 K St., (916) 448-7798

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 12/15-12/17

THE BONEDRIVERS, 9pm-1am, call for cover

4007 Taylor Rd., Loomis; (916) 652-4007 594 Main St., Placerville; (530) 642-8481

SUNDAY 12/14 Sin Sunday, 8pm, call for cover

DJ Shaun Slaughter, 10pm, call for cover

DJ Crook One, 10pm, call for cover

DJ Whores, 10pm, no cover

MADDIE & TAE, TYLER RICH; 8pm, $20-$40

TWO STEPS DOWN, 9pm, no cover

THE EASY LEAVES, 9pm, no cover

HALFTIME BAR & GRILL

5681 Lonetree Blvd., Rocklin; (916) 626-6366

Industry Night, 9pm, call for cover

Trivia night, W, call for cover

ESSEX, 9pm-midnight, $5

Trivia night, 7:30-9pm Tu, no cover

HARLOW’S

JIM “KIMO” WEST & KEN EMERSON, 6:30pm, $20; BLACK UHURU, 10pm, $25

HOT BUTTERED RUM, FRONT COUNTRY; DILATED PEOPLES, C-PLUS, N-PIRE, 8pm, $15 SABEL LANAI; 10:30pm, $25-$30

CHARLIE HUNTER, SCOTT AMENDOLA; Tu, $20; BIG STICKY MESS, 7pm W, $7

LUNA’S CAFÉ & JUICE BAR

Joe Montoya’s Poetry Unplugged, 8pm, $2

JAMES ISRAEL, THE SIGNIFIERS, STEVE ESTABROOK; 8pm, $5

Nebraska Mondays, 7:30pm M; Openmic comedy, Tu; Comedy night, 8pm W

MIDTOWN BARFLY

Panik: deejay dancing w/ Angels of Kaos, Dance music, 10pm-2am, $5-15 9pm-2am, $5

2708 J St., (916) 441-4693 1414 16th St., (916) 441-3931

House and ’90s hip-hop w/ DJ Jonathan, Funktion, Phreed, Mr. Bremson, 9pm $5

RECYCLE THIS PAPER.

1119 21st St., (916) 549-2779

BAD OUTLETS, SALT WIZARD, BUTTONS, AUSTIN AND CODY EXPERIENCE; 8pm, $5 Goth, darkwave, industrial, electronic deejay dancing, 9pm-3am, call for cover

Swing dancing $6, 7:30pm Tu; Salsa lessons w/ Nicole Lazo, 7:30pm W, $5

shop local and save Gift certificates to local merchants for up to 50% off

SN&R

w w w. n e w s r e v i e w.c o m

YOU’RE WELCOME, NATURE.

Sat Dec 20

SN&R

12.11.14

Starlight Lounge 1517 21st Street Sacramento 8PM

• $5

with Mindflowers, Drive-Thru Mystics, Silver Spoons & A Liquid Light Show with Mad Alchemy

THURSDAY 12/11 NAKED LOUNGE DOWNTOWN

FRIDAY 12/12

SATURDAY 12/13

SUNDAY 12/14

1111 H St., (916) 443-1927

AUSTIN AND CODY, CATHERINE DAYTON, RACHEL HANNA, SHELBY MURRAY, TIM LILY QUINTERO, PARIE WOOD, CASEY GROAT; 8:30pm, $5 LITHUIM, SAID THE SHOTGUN; 8:30pm, $5 CONNOR HORMELL; 8:30pm, $5

OLD IRONSIDES

10th Street Sessions, 8:30pm, no cover

1901 10th St., (916) 442-3504

ON THE Y

670 Fulton Ave., (916) 487-3731

THE PALMS PLAYHOUSE

RUBY JAYE FRADKIN, GIANNA BIAGI, BEAT SLAVES; 9pm, $5

Threat Con Magazine Presents, 9pm, $5

S.W.I.M., CRAZYDOG, THE O’MULLIGANS, OUTLINED; 9pm, call for cover

SWEET LEAF, AWAITING THE APOCALYPSE; 8pm, $8

THE PARK ULTRA LOUNGE 1116 15th St., (916) 442-7222

PARLARE EURO LOUNGE

Top 40, 9pm, no cover

1009 10th St., (916) 448-8960

PJ’S ROADHOUSE

5461 Mother Lode, Placerville; (530) 626-0336

Open-mic comedy, 9pm, no cover

DJ Spider, 9pm-2am, $15

DJ Peeti V, 9pm, call for cover

Top 40, Mashups, 9pm, no cover

DJ Club mixes, 10pm, no cover

DJ Old Griff, 9pm, no cover

RANELL CARPENTER BAND, 8pm, $5

CROSSMAN CONNECTION, 10pm, call for cover

CHRIS GARDNER, 10pm, call for cover

SPAZMATICS, 10pm, call for cover

THE PRESS CLUB

2030 P St., (916) 444-7914

DEAD VOLTS, 50 WATT HEAVY, TURKEY BUZZARDS, SLATTERN FIVE; 8pm, $5

Top 40 w/ DJ Rue, 9pm, $5

Top 40 w/ DJ Larry Rodriguez, 9pm, $5

SHADY LADY SALOON

TYSON GRAF TRIO, 9pm, no cover

CITY OF TREES, 9pm, no cover

GOLDEN CADILLACS, 9pm, no cover

1409 R St., (916) 231-9121

SOL COLLECTIVE

Karaoke, 9pm Tu, no cover CHRISTMAS JUG BAND, 7:30pm W, $20

POWERHOUSE PUB

614 Sutter St., Folsom; (916) 355-8586

HEATH WILLIAMSON, 5pm M; Karaoke, 9pm Tu; Open-mic, 9pm W, no cover

SOURDOUGH SLIM & THE SADDLE PALS, FAUX RENWAH; 7:30pm, $20

CANDYE KANE, 8pm, $20

13 Main St., Winters; (530) 795-1825

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 12/15-12/17 Jazz, 8pm M; SMALL SOULS, SHOESHINE BLUE, COLIN CURTIN; 8:30pm W, $5

Big Sticky Mess with the Old Screen Door and Mac Russ 7pm Wednesday, $7. Harlow’s Funk

JERAMY NORRIS, 3pm, call for cover Work Your Soul dance night, 9pm M; WOLFHOUSE, SHOI, 9pm W, $5 EMILY KOLLARS, 9pm, no cover

DJ Ezra, 9pm Tu, no cover; HARLEY WHITE, JR., 9pm W, no cover

AMPONE, EL INDIO, BINE, WISECHILD, CLEVERTRIBE; 8pm, call for cover

2574 21st St., (916) 832-0916

STARLITE LOUNGE

This Green City w/ DJ Dire DeLoren and DJ Chat, 8pm, call for cover

BILL MYLAR, 5:30pm, no cover; ALEX MOYLE, 10pm, call for cover

BRIGHT FACES, THE PIKEYS, LAS PESADILLAS; 8pm, $5

STONEY INN/ROCKIN’ RODEO

BUCK FORD PURE COUNTRY BAND, 9pm, $5-$7

Country dancing, 7:30pm, no cover; $5 after 8pm

Country dance party, 8pm, no cover

TORCH CLUB

X TRIO, 5pm, no cover; RED’S BLUES, JOHNNY BURGIN BAND; 9pm, $6

PAILER & FRATIS, 5:30pm; BLACK STAR SAFARI, BLACK MARKET III; 9pm, $8

MIND X, 9pm, $8

Blues jam, 4pm, no cover; You Front The DOWN NORTH, 8pm Tu, $5; Open-mic, Band Live Karaoke, 8pm, no cover 5:30pm W; KERI CARR, 9pm W, $5

1517 21st St., (916) 706-0052 1320 Del Paso Blvd., (916) 927-6023 904 15th St., (916) 443-2797

WITCH ROOM

DENVER J, E. PIGEON, MEGHAN BONE; 8pm W, call for cover

ANTON BARBEAU, BELLYGUNNER; 8pm, $5

1815 19th St., www.witchroomsac.com

Comedy open-mic, 8pm M; Bluebird Lounge open-mic, 5pm Tu, no cover

Open-mic, 8pm Tu, no cover

All ages, all the time ACE OF SPADES

ROYAL BLOOD, LIFE IN 24 FRAMES, STAND OUT STATE; 7pm, $15

SHINE

THE CRY, SIMPL3JACK, THE BADDEST BEAMS; 8pm, $5

1417 R St., (916) 448-3300 1400 E St., (916) 551-1400

FMLYBND, THE WILD WILD; 7pm, $10 TIM SNIDER, GRANT CHESIN; 8pm, $5

EASTON CORBIN, TYLER RICH; 7pm, $30

THE POLYMERS, LEAH CAPELLE, ERIK PAUL; 8pm, $5

BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR, WHITNEY PEYTON, INTERNET FRIENDS; 6pm Tu, $15 Jazz jam, 8pm Tu,; Open-mic poetry and acoustic performance, 7:30pm W

ACE OF SPADES THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11

ROYAL BLOOD LIFE IN 24 FRAMES - STAND OUT STATE D

E EL

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12

JOHNNY MARR

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13

FMLYBND & THE WILD WILD SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14 PRESENTS

EASTON CORBIN

TYLER RICH

1417 R Street, Sacramento, 95814 www.aceofspadessac.com

ALL AGES WELCOME!

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18 HOW THE GROUCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

THE GROUCH & ELIGH

CUNNINLYNGUISTS - DJ ABILITIES - DJ FRESH

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 20

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 2

THE ENGLISH BEAT

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16

BLOOD ON THE DANCE FLOOR

WHITNEY PEYTON - SWEET ASCENT - INTERNET FRIENDS - LONELY AVENUE

Miss Mouthpeace with Zyah Belle and the Funkshun 9pm Friday, $5. Fox & Goose R&B and soul

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3

SAGE THE GEMINI DJ EDDIE Z

COMING

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I understand that opening your life to another person can feel daunting. But if you are a person who is now driven to live and love fully, you must be willing to share who you are. One of the blessings of a long-term committed relationship is the gradual revelation of a powerful reality: You are loved and loveable. Yes, that means you are loved as your best self, and you are loved while stumbling through the darkness of your worst fears about yourself. You are also loved during your least loving actions toward others. In those dark times when you fail to behave kindly toward yourself or others, it is God who loves you. But that experience should be instructive, guiding you to heal and open your heart to others. A marriage that lacks affection or sex is like a two-legged chair: wobbly. Your husband may not have confided in you about why he behaves as he does, but you both

deserve to know the answer. It’s also important to dig deep and talk honestly with him about why you continue to betray him. Secretly 498-1234 seeking sexual satisfaction outside of your marriage allows you to avoid dealing with the problems in your marriage and yourself. So please go to therapy. A skilled psychologist can help you to uncover why you are cheating yourself out of intimacy by cheating on your husband. The path to healing will also inspire you to make clear decisions about your marriage and your future. That’s vital, especially if your husband leaves after hearing about your sexual secrets. My biological clock is ticking! I’m recently divorced, childless and interested in meeting a man who wants a family as much as I do. The problem is that most of my friends are already married with children. I have one friend who is single. About 80 percent of the time when I make plans with her to go to a club, bar or some other event where there might be eligible men, she bails. I expect that you will say I should stop asking her to go places but I really don’t know anyone else. Advice? Yes. Have you considered going out just to have fun? I do understand that your goal is to meet a man who would be a wonderful husband and father. But your intensity of focus might be a turnoff, both for your gal pal and for a man. Try being open to meeting Mr. Right in locations other than bars and clubs. After all, he could be anywhere, even across the room as you’re reading this column (Ha! Made you look!). In the meantime, remember, you’re not are a slave to your biology, unless you choose to be. Give yourself the gift of freedom to believe in a future you can’t yet see. Ω

Meditation of the Week “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire,” wrote St. Catherine of Siena. Do you live by fear or by faith?

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Fresno’s a no-go for those who grow Hey, I hear Fresno is going to repeal their growing ban. What have you heard? —Ray Zin Hey yourself. The Fresno County Board of supervisors had a meeting last week to discuss changing their ridiculous and overbearing ban on outdoor cultivation. The way the law stands now, no one can grow any cannabis at all and those that do are subject to a fine of $1,000 per plant, plus interest. If growers M LU A E B by NGAIO would like to appeal the fines, they have to appear in front of the Board of Supervisors. As it turns out, dang near everyone would like to appeal their fines, especially landlords from out of town, seeing as there is no a s k420 @ ne wsreview.c om grace period allowed for removing plants, and the BoS is having a hard time keeping up. So they had a meeting, and surprise surprise, nothing changed. It is still illegal to grow medical cannabis, indoors or outdoors, in Fresno County. This sort of Fresno County is flying zero-tolerance policy toward medical marijuana seems to in the face of state law be contagious. Some superviwith this ban. sors in El Dorado County are looking to repeal their current growing ordinance and replace it with a total ban on cannabis growing. Last week, they decided to form a committee to look into the best way to change the law. All of these actions are ridiculous. The Compassionate Use Act approved by voters way back in 1996 allows for cannabis patients to grow up to 12 plants for personal use. Fresno County is flying in the face of state law with this ban. Michael “Bud” Green, Fresno-based activist and journalist, told me: “This should wake people up about the severe limitations of SB 420 and the need to pass comprehensive state regulations, both for medical and adult-use. This fantasy of local regulation must be exposed for the pipe dream that it is.” He is right. As of now, we have a dysfunctional hodgepodge of local regulations that vary from city to city. This method also places an undue burden on cities and counties that have reasonable regulations. Why should people in Fresno have go to Sacramento to get medical cannabis? Why can’t patients grow 12 plants? Why can’t the Fresno County Board of Supervisors get its shit together? I wish I had an answer for you. Yo. Any events that I should know about this winter? —Joe Snowbird Yo Joe! Let’s see … the Emerald Cup outdoor cannabis competition is this weekend at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. This event is always a great time with good people, good medicine and great music. Get more details at http://theemeraldcup.com. This February, The International Cannabis Business Conference will be in San Francisco. PBS travel superstar and cannabis advocate Rick Steves will be there. Addiction specialist Dr. Carl Hart will also be there, along with many other cannabis industry insiders, politicians, scientists and activists. This conference is perfect for the, um, budding ganjapreneur. Learn more at www.internationalcbc.com. Ω

Ngaio Bealum

is a Sacramento comedian, activist and marijuana expert. Email him questions at ask420@ newsreview.com.

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Back to Your Roots

ince cannabis is a natural medicine, it shouldn’t be too surprising that its historical roots trace back to ancient times. Here are some of the earliest references on record.

2900 BC China

Emperor Fu Hsi (credited with establishing Chinese civilization) refers to ma — the Chinese word for cannabis — as a popular medicine. Herbalist Shen Nung is widely credited with discovering marijuana’s medicinal properties, along with those of ginseng and ephedra.

1700 BC Egypt

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Ancient Egyptian medical texts, the Ramesseum Papyri, formulate an eyewash made of hemp oil, parsley juice and water. A later text suggests combining hemp oil and honey for a vaginal suppository to treat menstrual cramps (attempt at your own risk).

1000 BC India

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treatment. A popular remedy is bhang: a cannabis drink, typically blended with milk, used as an anesthetic or to reduce phlegm.

700 BC Persia

An ancient Persian religious text, the Venidad, not only mentions bhang but also deems cannabis the most important of 10,000 medicinal plants.

200 BC Greece

Ancient Greeks utilize cannabis for earaches, inflammation and edema (swelling due to fluid retention).

70 AD Rome

The definitive medical text De Materia Medica refers to cannabis as a plant producing a juice used to treat earaches and suppress sexual desire. In 79 AD, Pliny the Elder writes in Naturalis Historia that cannabis roots boiled in water ease cramped joints, gout and violent pain.

by AAROn CARnes

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Lord Byron

(1788-1824) was an English poet who loved animals. In the course of his life, he not only had dogs and cats as pets, but also monkeys, horses, peacocks, geese, a crocodile, a falcon, a crane and a parrot. When he enrolled in Trinity College at age 17, he was upset that the school’s rules forbade students from having pet dogs, which meant he couldn’t bring his adored Newfoundland dog Boatswain. There was no regulation, however, against having a tame bear as a pet. So Byron got one and named it Bruin. I think it’s time for you to find a workaround like that, Aries. Be cunning. Try a gambit or two. Find a loophole.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Whenever

I lost one of my baby teeth as a kid, I put it under my pillow before I went to sleep. During the night, the tooth fairy sneaked into my room to snatch the tooth, and in its place left me 25 cents. The same crazy thing happened to every kid I knew, although for unknown reasons my friend John always got $5 for each of his teeth— far more than the rest of us. I see a metaphorically comparable development in your life, Taurus. It probably won’t involve teeth or a visit from the tooth fairy. Rather, you will finally be compensated for a loss or deprivation or disappearance that you experienced in the past. I expect the restitution will be generous, too— more like John’s than mine.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Through

the scientific magic of grafting, a single tree can be altered to grow several different kinds of fruit at the same time. One type of “fruit salad tree” produces apricots, nectarines, plums and peaches, while another bears grapefruits, lemons, oranges, limes and tangelos. I’m thinking this might be an apt and inspiring symbol for you in the coming months, Gemini. What multiple blooms will you create on your own metaphorical version of a fruit salad tree?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): No other

structure on the planet is longer than the Great Wall of China. It’s not actually one unbroken span, though. Some sections aren’t connected, and there are redundant branches that are roughly parallel to the main structure. It reminds me of your own personal Great Wall, which is monumental yet permeable, strong in some ways but weak in others, daunting to the casual observer but less so to those who take the time to study it. Now is an excellent time to take inventory of that wall of yours. Is it serving you well? Is it keeping out the influences you don’t want but allowing in the influences you do want? Could it use some renovation? Are you willing to re-imagine what its purpose is and how you want it to work for you in the future?

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The Arctic

Monkeys are British rockers who have produced five studio albums, which together have sold almost five million copies. Rolling Stone magazine called their first album, released in 2006, the 30th greatest debut of all time. Yet when they first formed in 2002, none of them could play a musical instrument. I see the current era of your life, Leo, as having a similar potential. How might you start from scratch to create something great?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Alan Turing

(1912-1954) was a British mathematician and pioneering computer scientist. After World War II broke out, he got worried that the German army might invade and occupy England, as it had done to France. To protect his financial assets, he converted everything he owned into bars of silver, then buried them underground in the countryside north of London. When the war ended, he decided it was safe to dig up his fortune. Unfortunately, he couldn’t recall where he had put it, and never did find it. Let’s draw a lesson from his experience, Virgo. It’s fine if you want to stash a treasure or protect a secret or safeguard a resource. That’s probably a sensible thing to do right now. But make sure you remember every detail about why and how you’re doing it.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Even if you

are not formally enrolled in a course of study or a training program, you are nevertheless being schooled. Maybe

BEFORE

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by ROb

For the week of December 11, 2014

bRezsny

you’re not fully conscious of what you have been learning. Maybe your teachers are disguised or unwitting. But I assure you that the universe has been dropping some intense, new knowledge on you. The coming week will be an excellent time to become more conscious of the lessons you have been absorbing. If you have intuitions about where this educational drama should go next, be proactive about making that happen.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You now

have a special ability to detect transformations that are happening below the threshold of everyone else’s awareness. Anything that has been hidden or unknown will reveal itself to your gentle probes. You will also be skilled at communicating your discoveries to people who are important to you. Take full advantage of these superpowers. Don’t underestimate how pivotal a role you can play as a teacher, guide and catalyst. The future success of your collaborative efforts depends on your next moves.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

Harper Lee was born and raised in Alabama. At the age of 23, she relocated to New York City with hopes of becoming a writer. It was a struggle. To support herself, she worked as a ticket agent for airline companies. Finding the time to develop her craft was difficult. Seven years went by. Then one Christmas, two friends gave her a remarkable gift: enough money to quit her job and work on her writing for a year. During that grace period, Lee created the basics for a book that won her a Pulitzer Prize: To Kill a Mockingbird. I don’t foresee anything quite as dramatic for you in the coming months, Sagittarius. But I do suspect you will receive unexpected help that provides you with the slack and spaciousness you need to lay the foundations for a future creation.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In

the ancient Greek epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus’s wife Penelope describes two kinds of dreams. “Those that pass through the gate of ivory,” she says, are deceptive. But dreams that “come forth through the gate of polished horn” tell the truth. Another ancient text echoes these ideas. In his poem The Aeneid, Virgil says that “true visions” arrive here from the land of dreams through the gate of horn, whereas “deluding lies” cross over through the gate of ivory. Judging from the current astrological omens, Capricorn, I expect you will have interesting and intense dreams flowing through both the gate of ivory and the gate of horn. Will you be able to tell the difference? Trust love.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Your

chances of going viral are better than usual. It’s a perfect moment to upload a Youtube video of yourself wearing a crown of black roses and a V for Vendetta mask as you ride a unicycle inside a church and sing an uptempo parody version of “O Come All Ye Faithful.” It’s also a favorable time for you to create a buzz for you and your pet causes through less spectacular measures. Promote yourself imaginatively.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): At age 80,

author Joan Didion has published five novels, 10 works of non-fiction, and five screenplays. When she was 27, she wrote, “I have already lost touch with a couple of people I used to be.” That wasn’t a good thing, she added: “We are well-advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not. Otherwise they turn up unannounced and surprise us, come hammering on the mind’s door and demand to know who deserted them, who betrayed them, who is going to make amends.” I recommend her counsel to you in the coming months, Pisces. Get reacquainted with the old selves you have outgrown and abandoned.

You can call Rob Brezsny for your Expanded Weekly Horoscope: (900) 950-7700. $1.99 per minute. Must be 18+. Touchtone phone required. Customer service (612) 373-9785. And don’t forget to check out Rob’s website at www.realastrology.com. |

F E AT U R E

STORY

Deep and down John Malcolm Cuthbertson, a fixture on the local music scene for decades, still hits the open-mic circuit pretty hard—Old Ironsides or the Torch Club on Wednesdays, Capitol Garage or Goldfield Trading Post on Mondays, Luna’s Cafe on Thursdays, etc. These days the musician jokingly describes himself as a “legend” but it’s maybe not that far from the truth. In the ’60s and early ’70s Cuthbertson played in the folk-rock band Pariah, which he describes as a cross between the Doors and Sha Na Na. The multiinstrumentalist and singer-songwriter also hung out with with the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Neil Young. It’s his lyrics, however, that set him apart. Cuthbertson’s songs boast a fluid, psychedelic quality and are full of abstract imagery and clever wordplay. In 2011, he self-published a collection of work called Letters 2 Aquamaine Song Lyrics 1960-2010. Cuthbertson, whose open mic sets are high energy, chatted with SN&R about why it’s OK to be shallow.

What happens to you up on stage? It seems purely spontaneous. It’s super addictive. For all the times it comes to nothing, there’s times when you get a real connection. Most of my stuff is pre-written, but I’m improvising somewhat because I can’t stay with the lyrics if I see it a different way. I’ve been trying to write new stuff. There’s a limited number of words and I get too damn verbose. I edit something and it ends up being twice as long.

On the back cover of your book, it says that you still write letters |

A RT S & C U LT U R E

to Aquamaine. Who is Aquamaine? It’s an imaginary friend I had as a kid. I lived in various places and I would type these letters about what was going on, whether it was imaginary things I thought was going on, and just kind of creating a scenario. We didn’t have a TV. I was making up stuff, a family life that I wasn’t having: successful, rich, whatever.

Favorite lyrics that you’ve written? “Deep down I’m really quite shallow.” I like that one ’cause it’s truly ridiculous and it’s true. It’s like, the more you think about stuff, the more you realize you need to stop thinking. I can be funny when I’m not trying to be. Early on I realized I was different than most people, so I got a double degree in English and [psychology] cause I knew I was nuts and I knew I couldn’t communicate. I thought that by doing that I would have a leg up on it and be on the right side of the line. It doesn’t work out that way, necessarily.

You’ve been playing a long time. Any good stories? I was friends with Robin Williams back in the ’80s. I’d be playing music in the park in Sonoma. He stopped to listen one time. We [would] just drink our malts and shoot the shit for a while, just politics and science, everything but comedy or music. I’d see him about a couple times a week. He liked getting together with somebody that didn’t ask him questions or want his autograph.

What was the scene like back in the ’60s and ’70s? I was in San Francisco most of the time [then]. They didn’t know who I was there |

AFTER

either, but I had backstage passes all the time. I could hang around with musicians, not from any talent of my own. My pen pal from the early days would mail me cocaine from Honduras. We started out as stamp collecting pen pals, pretty soon we were exchanging acid for coke. I didn’t really care for cocaine. I traded it for things I liked better. I got to meet pretty much everybody I wanted to when they came to the West Coast: Hendrix, [Jim] Morrison, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell. I was at the [The Band’s] Last Waltz concert backstage, too blitzed on Quaaludes to know what was going on. I didn’t know why Joni was mad. She was in a really good mood up to her performance. When I saw the movie I realized she had broken a string, first song. She had a thin fuse. She didn’t really like the spotlight much, but genius though.

What instruments do you play? I always used to work stuff out on piano, but I don’t play piano much anymore. I play guitar, harmonica, drums. Hand percussion is my favorite.

Ever attempt to make music for a living? I made a half-ass attempt. When I got signed to a label and went on the road, I felt really alienated the whole time. If I was with a group it would have been different. It was in 1970-something. I did some cuts, they held on to it. They didn’t release it. Harry Chapin had a line, that music was his life, not his livelihood. That was kind of my story. Ω

Listen to John Malcolm Cuthbertson at http://www.reverbnation.com/johnmalcolm cuthbertson.

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