heART on Center
"Egg Raid on Mofo" by Teddy Pancake
Art
Freak show: Usually, seeing a clown, a toy soldier and some poodles in a piece of artwork would be kind of freaky. But in San Francisco artist Michael Brennan’s hands, the latter is not only freaky; it’s also a weirdly captivating display of magical realism. Brennan makes good use of shadows, wild colors and strange objects in his paintings, which he says are meant to “appeal to a commonality without relying on typical pictorial etiquette.” San Diego’s Robert Treloar also gets experimental, toying with abstraction in the form of layers and layers of paint. The two will show their new works at Susan Street Fine Art Gallery (415 South Cedros Ave. in Solana Beach) through May 30. Stop by the reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 1, to see the weirdness in person. www.susanstreetfineart.com.
Pancake house: We love hitting up the Chee Chee Club (929 Broadway), one of the last dive bars standing Downtown, for cheap drinks and no pretense, but, more importantly, it’s one of the few bars that holds pretty cool art shows every now and then. At 8 p.m. Saturday, April 3, the Chee Chee will host local artist Teddy Pancake’s new show, Sight for Sore Eyes, a collection of paintings, drawings and prints from the last three years. And after viewing Pancake’s work, a fantastic mix of low-brow and Juxtapoz-style abstraction, we’re thinking you might see his work on the cover of CityBeat sometime soon. www.teddypancake.com.
Sayonara: The promo posters for Liquidation Sale! are themselves works of art, created by locals Quality Letterpress (check ’em out at Setanddrift.org). As for what’s being sold: From 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 3, head over to The Bakery (1701 National Ave. in Barrio Logan) to check out new works by Keikichi Honna and Wes Bruce, two guys who’ve impressed us mightily with their work (you might have caught Honna in New Contemporaries at Noel-Baza Fine Art, where he was one of 13 emerging San Diego artists selected to exhibit work—not to mention his piece on the cover of this very issue). Saturday’s event, hosted by Set + Drift, is a send-off for Honna, who’s returning to his native Japan. The evening includes “art, artifacts and installations” and a live performance by Vision of a Dying World.
Activism
Recovery efforts: CNN may have pulled its crews from Haiti and Chile, but the recovery is still far from complete. With homelands on their minds, Haitian artist and musician Jean Paul and Chilean artist Guillermo Bert are displaying their works—along with almost a dozen local artists—at Edgeware Gallery’s Haiti / Chile Relief Art Show. Paul’s a painter of colorful and musical figures, while Bert combines the symbols of his heritage with contemporary commercial iconography. The gallery is also opening up its “Beatles Room,” a collection of Fab Four artifacts, to help raise money. The show’s opening reception, which includes live music from Paul, is from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 2, at 4186 Adams Ave. in Kensington. www.edgewaregallery.com.
Music
Exene marks the happy spot: Exene Cervenka, co-lead singer of the legendary band X and undisputed queen of the Los Angeles punk scene of the early ’80s, is in the midst of a self-financed tour of West Coast independent record stores, and her San Diego appearance will be at M-Theory Music (915 W. Washington St. in Mission Hills) at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 7. Cervenka, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last summer, says she had several criteria for the tour: free of charge, all-ages, early start time and “in a place we love to be,” and she encourages fans to bring their X records for her to autograph. So, if you have some extra cash, pay her back by buying a copy of her 2009 release, Somewhere Gone, or something else from her merch table. www.exenecervenka.com, www.mtheorymusic.com.
Books
Choose your own comic: Sometimes we CityBeatniks wish we were kids again. Most of the time, it’s because we’re sick of the burdens of adulthood, but on this occasion in particular, it’s because we really, really would like to study how to “create your own comic” at Jason Shiga’s upcoming children’s-only workshop. The Asian-American comic-book artist has a degree in pure mathematics and contributes to McSweeney’s—the ultimate in hipster-genius cred. Shiga’s latest book, Meanwhile, brings the “Choose Your Own Adventure” style into the 21st century with tabs readers can follow along 3,856 possible plotlines. The free event, which includes a book signing, starts at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, at Warwick’s, 7812 Girard Ave. in La Jolla. www.warwicks.com.
Film
Lonesome journey: Imagine being a child and alone, without your parents, trying to make your way north through Mexico to get the United States. Seem unimaginable? Unfortunately, it’s common. Director Rebecca Cammisa’s Oscar-nominated documentary Which Way Home follows several children who’ve been left solo on a journey that presents them with situations that children should never have to face. See a screening of the film at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 1, at The Loft at UCSD (in the Price Center). There’ll be a “Pre-Flix Mix” at 7 p.m. with snacks and music by DJ Skullcrusher. $8.
Special Events
Friends of Faust: Five years ago, San Diego musician and artist Jacob Faust was shot and killed by a San Diego police officer after Faust’s van was pulled over Downtown. The details and circumstances of his death remain contentious (the officer was cleared of wrongdoing, but the city gave Faust’s family $325,000 to settle a wrongful-death suit), yet for anyone who new Faust, his life is still worth celebrating. That’s why at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, April 4, many of the musicians and performers whom Faust touched during his 25 years will congregate at The Casbah (2501 Kettner Blvd., Middletown) for Faust Fest. More a celebration than somber remembrance, the evening will feature local bands like The Dabbers, Mission:Valley and MYTH, as well as puppet shows (Faust was a puppeteer) and music from DJ Nightrocker. $6. www.casbahmusic.com.
