Ben Schachter's Occidentia live in Pacific Beach
Boasting an unusual sonic lineup, Occidentia reached for different sounds.
Tenor saxophonist Ben Schachter isn't just an excellent improviser -- he's also quite the conceptualist, a fact very much in evidence throughout his July 5 concert at Dizzy's leading a band he calls Occidentia. Featuring Dave Marr on acoustic bass, …
SD Fringe Festival: Nothing
If you've already seen some Fringe Festival shows, you might have noticed a recurring theme, in the stories and the telling: difference. Many are about "outsiders," people condemned by traditional society to the margin and beyond. And the tales are …
SD Fringe Festival: Oyster Boy and Diapers, Dishes, and Dreams
Oyster Boy, by Haste Theatre. The London-based company's "an international, all-female ensemble of six-passionate theatre-makers." They tell a "dark" tale with a lightness verging on buoyancy. The combination's arresting: a story performed larger than life about a tragedy. The idea …
Baja BeerFest showcases craft brews in Tijuana
Over 40 Baja craft brewers will be on hand along with gourmet food vendors and local musicians.
Head south for a taste of Baja’s bourgeoning craft beer culture on Friday, July 19 and Saturday, July 21 (2 p.m. through 2 a.m.), when Cerveceros Acabc present the sixth installment of the roving Baja BeerFest (Avenida Revolucion in front …
Jazz trifecta weekend
There's something for just about every musical taste happening.
The holiday weekend is looking busy for jazz fans, with excellent shows on the 5th, 6th and 7th. Ben Schachter's Occidentia: July 5 Schachter has been turning heads ever since he arrived last year from Philadelphia with his big tone, …
Ryan Leaf could serve his Texas term in Montana
Is now in Montana prison after being booted from drug treatment program
Former Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf, widely considered one of the biggest draft busts of all time, is working on a plea deal that would permit him to serve a Texas sentence in Montana, according to the Associated Press. He is …
The tortilla ladies: Delivering it fresh and hot on San Diego Avenue
Cafe Coyote's Tourist Central for Fourth July weekend, but the tortillas are still great
Okay, we're in the middle of the day, in the middle of the Fourth of July weekend in the middle of tourist central, Old Town. Cram City. Crowd right here on San Diego Avenue is making a bulge around the …
Stealth attacks in San Diego's sixth district council race already flying
Sworn complaint against independent Mitz Lee by GOP forces dismissed by state's Fair Political Practices Commission
The behind-the-scenes battle for San Diego's sixth city council district is already on the verge of boiling over, far before the time voters head to the polls, or mailboxes, as the case may be. As reported here in April, the …
Cavalleria gives hope and coupons
The Pacific Lyric Association production had a fresh approach and the cookie coupons.
Let’s talk a little bit about the Cavalleria Rusticana I went to on June 30th in Poway. You could feel the love in this production. While the singing was inconsistent from time to time, the dedication was at a hundred …
Still screaming over streaming
This week's column calling for a boycott of streaming screeners brought at least one positive response, but before getting to that, I must thank my buddy John Dacapias for reminding me of the most heinous request of them all. There …
Study: CPUC and Edison collaborated to scam ratepayers
SDG&E consumers got fleeced, too, over San Onofre costs
San Diego attorneys Mike Aguirre and Maria (Mia) Severson filed a report with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) July 3 stating that Southern California Edison and CPUC bureaucrats schemed to double-whammy ratepayers. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) owns …
Jobs leap 195,000; jobless rate stays at 7.6%
Gains in April and May revised upward
The U.S. economy added a better-than-expected 195,000 non-farm jobs in June, and employment gains in May and April were revised upward by a combined 70,000. The unemployment rate stayed at 7.6%. The size of the labor force rose by 177,000. …
Southpaw: Wild life behind the batting cage
Petco Park's newest hang-out has East Villagers going wild!
It’s open, at last. Southpaw Social Club (815 J Street, 619-269-2255) has only been in business a few days, but seems to have struck just the right note among those wild and crazy East Villagers. http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2013/jul/05/48626/ Where El Vitral, which …
Red Sox complete sweep of Padres
The Padres surrendered to the Red Sox on Independence Day, losing their sixth straight game
It was a combination of symptoms for two teams moving in opposite directions, with one club enjoying effective pitching and a prolific offense, while the other displays neither. Such was the case on Thursday as the Boston Red Sox enjoyed …
SD Fringe Festival: Baby Redboots' Revenge
The inaugural San Diego Fringe Festival won't have a "Best of the Fringe" showcase. What this means: Sean Sullivan will only perform his astonishing tour de force two more times. Redboots is a double-homecoming for Sullivan, a former San Diegan, …
Gam3rCon: Space Invaders Landing in San Diego
Bay Area filmmaker documents collectors from the golden-era of arcade games.
Pac-Man. Donkey Kong. Space Invaders. Galaga. Many of us grew up on these names, but what happened to all of the old arcade games from the early ‘80s after they were retired from the Wonderlands and Chuck-E-Cheese’s of America? To …
Escondido police arrested a registered sex offender
Mom reported strange behavior, a week later
A mother visiting the Escondido library the morning of June 22 told police that a strange man followed her around the aisles. The woman said she was at the library that Saturday with her two children, aged four and six, …
While FBI Ferrets, Filner Files Forms
Ex-FBI Special Agent in Charge, now San Diego sheriff, faced disclosure questions regarding behests by corporations and tribes that bankrolled lavish sheriffs' convention here
As first reported here by Dorian Hargrove on June 12, San Diego Democratic Mayor Bob Filner has been fielding a lot of questions lately about his acceptance of $100,000 from local developer Sunroad and his subsequent decision to endorse a …
SD Fringe Festival: Ubu Roi and Mona Rogers in Person
Ubu Roi, by Alfred Jarry. Jarry (1873-1907) loathed all things bourgeois so much he made himself an anti-saint. He dressed and acted like a clown and adopted the role of Pere Ubu, in real life, from a character in a …