From the Euphoria Brass Band to Tower After Hours

From The Bird Series Project at Re-Gallery

Art

Make it rad: There’s a new art collective in town, and the crew behind it isn’t planning to politely insert themselves into the local scene. CityBeat’s own Enrique Limón, and the two cats behind the band Lion Cut—Zoltron and Kittytron—are calling themselves Art Fist Collective and are on a mission to make art shows rad. They’re getting things going with B-side, an exhibition of works by local musicians. “It’s a ragtag cast of rock ’n’ rollers,” Limón says. “Some are established artists, but some will be exhibiting their work for the first time.” The show includes art by music makers in bands like The Silent Comedy, The Locust, Smile Now Cry Later and more. It opens at 7 p.m. Friday, July 1, at Jett Gallery, 989 W. Kalmia St. in Little Italy. artfistcollective.tumblr.com

Small change: When you see Marianela de la Hoz’s art in person, the first thing you’ll want to do is get closer. Her work is extremely small, detailed and narrative, which means you’ll have to lean in (we’ve been to a Hoz exhibition where magnifying glasses were provided). For Hoz’s Metamorphores exhibition, opening Saturday, July 2, in the Parker Gallery at the Oceanside Museum of Art (704 Pier View Way), she’ll be showing several transition-themed wall pieces plus a few assemblages and a mannequin sculpture she made just for the exhibition. Hoz will be at the museum for a “Meet the Artist” talk at 2 p.m. Saturday, July 30, and Metamorphores will be on view through Oct. 9. oma-online.org

Put a bird on it: Paint Night Group, a collective of artists who’ve met weekly for the last 11 years, has been working on The Bird Series Project since 2004. In the series, each piece of artwork starts with an image of a bird. That image is then passed on to other artists in the group. Each artist tweaks the image in some way, adding or subtracting or making minor or major changes. It’s only when the group decides the piece is finished that the collaboration stops. From 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, July 2, stop by Re-Gallery (348 S. Cedros Ave., Suite H, in Solana Beach) to see the latest pieces. You’ll find that the same image takes different forms, from a bird in business attire to an abstract creature. regallery.org

Dixieland of the free: Constitutional scholars and Revolutionary War historians agree: The Founding Fathers never intended Americans to celebrate our nation’s independence on a Monday. So, lover of liberty, feel safe in your patriotism if you decide to wave the flag on Sunday, July 3, at Dizzy’s at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center (200 Harbor Drive, Downtown). George Washington crossed the Potomac to guarantee your right to drink, eat and dance to a marching band. In this case, it’s barbecue, beer, wine and the eight-piece, New Orleans-style Euphoria Brass Band (featuring Drew Miller from KSDS 88.3- FM’s Second Line Parade on bass drum) from 3 to 6 p.m. Cost is $5 for the show and $5 for a plate of red beans and rice with sausage or chicken. dizzysjazz.com

Balboa Park social club: Cuban music, dance and food reflect a melting pot of influences—Spanish, Creole, African. Then there’s that added something-you-can’tquite-put-your-finger-on that stems from the country’s strange realities: Its government champions education and cultural development, yet human-rights abuses are widespread. But, if you go to the Tower After Hours: Cuba event from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, June 30, at the San Diego Museum of Man, you should focus on the positives. The evening includes Cuban cuisine, music by Dan Reagan and the Latin Jazz Quartet and dance from the Omo Aché Afro-Cuban folkloric dance company. Tickets are $20 and include access to the museum’s exhibitions, including the just-opened ModeDay Mummy: The Art and Science of Mummification. museumofman.org

Film

Bacon, beer and Britain: We’ll bet you can’t recall how Jason Statham became a movie action hero. It was his role as Bacon in Guy Ritchie’s 1998 rollicking British crime film Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels that did it. (Statham was working as a model when Ritchie found him.) If you go to Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens (1999 Citracado Pkwy. in Escondido) at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 6, you can find out how Bacon and his mates plan to raise £100,000 and avoid losing their fingers to nasty crime boss Harry “The Hatchet” Lonsdale, whose fixed card game is what gets the protagonists in their pickle. It’s a supremely fun movie, particularly when washed down with a couple of pints, which is why you gotta be 21 or older to get in. stonebrew.com

Theater

The love of a good woman: Peer Gynt’s reputation preceded him by the time he met Solveig, his main squeeze. Henrik Ibsen’s dramatic poem paints him as a braggart, a thief, a con artist and the baddest practical joker in Norway— and on top of it, he never even helped his mom. His disaster-laden journey back to Solveig (including a scrum with some really smelly trolls who scare him straight) is so vast that it takes five actors to play him—but La Jolla Playhouse thinks it’s up to the task. Judge for yourself at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6, when the Playhouse, in association with the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, takes a very modern turn at Peer Gynt at the Potiker Theatre, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive. Or you can go now, as the show is in previews. $35-$69. lajollaplayhouse.org

Photography

Photo finish: There are two reasons art lovers should visit Mosaic Wine Bar (3422 30th St. in North park) this week, and neither has to do with mosaics. First, a little self promotion: From 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, we’ll celebrate twodozen local photographers who made it to the later rounds in CityBeat’s 9th Annual Photo Contest. Then, from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday, July 2, Mosaic will host the opening reception for Fresh Faces, an exhibition of works by recent SDSU graduates Seren Moran, an artist who draws inspiration from her impulsiveness, and painter Ayad Almissouri, an Iraqi Kurd whose refugee portraits have earned him a place at the Chicago Art Institute. Photographer Erin O’Leary will also have photos on display.