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Locust: "The punk rock garage band of the Seattle dance scene."
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Here in San Diego, the fall season promises lots of goodies on area stages. From my little perch, one of the most exciting seasons is always served up by Sushi. This is the 28th season for Sushi Performance and Visual Art , a life-span that has had its ups and downs, including being homeless for the last three of years. Refusing to die, the innovative bunch came up with the Sushi Take Out series and have kept their program alive by partnering with other organizations and venues.
This fall, Sushi continues the take-out operation, though a permanent home is in the works. The ground floor of the Icon complex on 11th and J in the East Village is being renovated for the organization's permanent home and a move-in is scheduled for next fall.
Beside the great line-up (keep reading), here's the other big news about Sushi's 2007-08 season: it will cost you only what you can afford. That's right, they've eliminated set ticket prices and are offering what's essentially sliding scale admittance to their events.
Sushi Artistic Director Jeremy Gaucher says "we wanted to make everything we're doing completely accessible to everyone." He's hoping this will not only increase attendance, but also diversify it, especially by age -- they're gunning for more 18-35 year olds. Gaucher also emphasizes that they are the first organization in the country to do this on this scale.
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The Tiger Lillies, Misery Guts Tour
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Making the Pay-What-You-Can season possible is a seed grant from the San Diego Foundation . But Gaucher also insists that they're not giving up earned income: "People will pay. We've tried this on single nights and you get more people, maybe less money per person, but more people and a more diverse audience."
Here are some highlights from the upcoming season:
The Seattle-based group Locust (their address is locustsucka.com!) will be here in mid-October to perform Mocumentary , which includes dance, video, and music along with zombies, sweaty dancing, BMX bikes and hip-hop video. You know, your typical night out at the theater. C'mon! The zombies sweaty dancing has got to hook you.
There's a special Halloween concert -- Gaucher calls it an "underground party" -- at The Warehouse in Barrio Logan featuring the infamous Tiger Lillies . They're an avant-garde trio out of London who perform in what is described as "a deranged anarchic gypsy style." They also sing about bestiality. But in a really funny way. Funny bestiality.
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Spoken word poet and musician Carl Hancock Rux
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Then there's spoken word artist and musician Carl Hancock Rux , who will read from his latest works of poetry and fiction. Apparently, in 1994, the New York Times Magazine selected Rux as "One of the Thirty Artists Under the Age of Thirty Most Likely to Influence Culture Over The Next Thirty Years." By my calculation, he's only got about 17 years to go. That's not to say Rux hasn't been making an impact - his bio makes me wonder what the hell I do with all my time. (Gaucher just told me Rux is now heading up the creative writing department at CalArts . I'd say he's poised for maximum impact.)
In March, Sara Wookey will be at MCASD downtown to perform Walking LA/(Sur)facing the City , a project based on two and a half years of research trying to connect with people in Los Angeles. If you've ever spent a weekend in LA, you know the dramatic turns a project like this could take. It sounds like the kind of performance that will remind you what can be seen when you mindfully observe your environment.
There are also some ongoing events. The 4x4 Performance Series at the Bluefoot Bar and Lounge takes place every second Tuesday of the month. I've been to this a number of times and it's great for a school night out. You can have a beer in a breezy, neighborhood bar surrounded by imaginative dance that really enlivens the space.
Sushi's also added a promising new series called Cinema Lounge. It's presented in conjunction with one of my favorite stores in town, Citizen Video . Cinema Lounge takes place the last Thursday of every month at the Rubber Rose in North Park. With that triple threat of a partnership you can probably guess the types of films they'll screen: conceptual, arty/edgy fare for the open-minded. San Diego already has a ton of film festivals, some good and some bad, so I'm encouraged by the monthly film series option. This one includes documentaries, shorts (yay!) and films from San Francisco's Hi/Lo Film Festival .
Now if that's not a line-up to... um... whet your appetite then... oh, forget it...[insert clever food metaphor using the term Sushi here]. I got nothing. It's the end of the day and I need a nap before I head to Sushi's 4x4 Performance at Bluefoot tonight.
