San Diego arts roundup: Eclectic singer Cat Power to sing at the Magnolia next week

Though she’s a skillful songwriter, Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, has long been inspired to record and perform the works of other artists she admires. The Atlanta-born Marshall has cut three covers albums and also released a recording of a live concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall performing Bob Dylan songs.
The artists she has chosen to cover over the years are as musically diverse as she is. “The Covers Record” from 2000 featured Marshall’s takes on everyone from the Rolling Stones to the Velvet Underground to Mae West. Not making that last one up: Marshall covered the tune “Troubled Waters,” which the saucy film star West recorded in 1934 with Duke Ellington.
More recently, in 2022, Marshall covered Frank Ocean’s “Bad Religion,” Nick Cave’s “I Had a Dream, Joe,” Iggy Pop’s “Endless Sea” and the Pogues’ “A Pair of Brown Eyes” on her simply named ““Covers” album.
Then there’s “Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert” from 2023 when she reproduced in her own way Dylan’s memorable performance at the Manchester Free Trade Hall, including the onstage transition to electrified guitar that is dramatized in the current film “A Complete Unknown.”
So what songs will Marshall perform next Thursday at The Magnolia in El Cajon? Hers? “Theirs?” I could go searching online for a published set list from another, recent gig, but I’d rather be surprised. If you’re a fan of Cat Power, so would you.
Standup comedy
Jeff Garlin is best known, depending on your television tastes, as either Murray, head of the family on “The Goldbergs,” or as Larry David’s sidekick on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” But long before those shows came around — 40 years ago in fact — Garlin was performing with the notable Second City comedy improv troupe in Chicago. That precipitated a standup career that endures to this day.
Who says there’s nothing to do on Monday nights after the football season is over? Garlin is heading up a comedy show that night at the Belly Up in Solana Beach next Monday. Also on the bill are Dan Levy (that’s not the “Schitt’s Creek” Daniel Levy, FYI), Minnie Eltaeb, John Campanelli, Chaunte Wayans and Mark Serritella.
Spoken word
I’ve been lucky enough to hear the spoken word poetry of Gill Sotu performed live as well as to interview the poet, DJ and playwright. I’ve even enlisted him to visit with a writing class I was teaching because this man, who’s also the official poet in residence for the San Diego Writers Festival, knows how to use words to powerful effect.
On Sunday night at 7, Sycuan Casino will host “Gill Sotu Presents: Black Voices – Spoken Word.” Joining Sotu will be a variety of storytellers in spoken word, comedy and music.
This is a free show, and one really not to miss.
Works by 10 area artists are in the spotlight when the San Diego Public Library opens its 25th-anniversary iteration of “The Drawing Show” on Saturday. A reception featuring a DJ Itza Vilaboy kicks off the opening at 4 p.m. at the downtown Central Library’s Judith Harris Art Gallery.
The artists’ works range from figure renderings to more experimental and complex creations, each the library tells us with a message. This year’s “Drawing Show” artists include Tijuana-born figurative artist Hugo Crosthwaite, muralist Celeste Byers and UCSD graduate and multidisciplinary artist Joshua Moreno.
The exhibition will be on view through May 4.
Awards show season in L.A. (“What wildfires?”) continues on Sunday with the presentation of the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards. The ceremony will stream live on Netflix beginning at 5 p.m. PST.
Coming just a week before the Oscars, the SAGs are considered by some film aficionados a greater predictor of who’ll win an Academy Award than the more popular (at least with TV watchers) Golden Globes.
Nominees aside, this SAG Awards show should be highlighted by the bestowing of the Guild’s Life Achievement Award. The honoree is Jane Fonda, twice an Oscar winner (for “Klute” and “Coming Home”). A point of trivia: Fonda’s very first film role was in the 1960 rom-com “Tall Story” co-starring Anthony Perkins. That also happened to be the first movie appearance of Robert Redford, who would later co-star with Fonda in “Barefoot in the Park” and “The Electric Horseman.”
Redford was honored with SAG’s Life Achievement Award himself back in 1995.
U-T Arts and Entertainment stories you may have missed this week
San Diego Music Awards 2025 nominees include Kimmi Bitter, Thee Sacred Souls and Daring Greatly
28 music festivals coming to Southern California in 2025
La Jolla Playhouse’s ‘3 Summers’ to offer more human look at Lincoln, Douglass
Readers pick their favorite albums of 1975
‘Top Chef’ alum Claudette Zepeda is ready to cook for San Diego again
Review: Scripps Ranch Theatre’s ‘White’ a funny and biting look at ‘wokeness’ in the arts
Diversionary Theatre explores the ties that bind in ‘We Are Continuous’
Review: S.D. Musical Theatre delivers a faithful ‘Hello, Dolly!’
New San Diego dance company plans ‘Hunchback of Notre Dame’ ballet
University of California Television invites you to enjoy this special selection of programs from throughout the University of California. Descriptions courtesy of and text written by UCTV staff:
Darlene Lopez shares her inspiring journey in the business world, offering valuable insights into career growth, mentorship, and navigating the corporate landscape. Drawing from her experiences at Apple and TikTok, she discusses how these roles shaped her leadership style, approach to self-promotion, and the importance of setting boundaries. A central theme in the conversation is Lopez’s deep connection to Latin culture and music, which has profoundly influenced both her personal and professional life. She passionately speaks about the power of Latin artists and the growing influence of the Latinx community, particularly in music, and her mission to empower this community through her work in the arts.
In the early 20th century, Budapest was a thriving center of Jewish cultural life, with artists and intellectuals shaping the city’s cosmopolitan identity. Among them was theater and cinema director Béla Pásztor, whose career was marked by both early success and later persecution. In conversation with UC San Diego history professor Deborah Hertz, Béla’s son, Rafael Pastor, shares his family’s remarkable history before, during, and after the Nazi occupation of Hungary, including his parents’ emigration to Israel. In commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the 1944 deportations and annihilation of Hungarian Jews, the conversation is preceded by a historical overview and survivor testimonies, honoring the resilience of those who lived through this tragic chapter of history.
Martin Kampmann, Ph.D., explores how CRISPR screening and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology are advancing research on neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s. His lab uses CRISPR to identify genes that influence protein aggregation and cellular vulnerability, studying neurons, astrocytes, and microglia derived from human stem cells. Kampmann highlights key cellular processes—including mitochondrial function and autophagy—that contribute to disease progression, shedding light on both protective and damaging mechanisms. See how glial cells, particularly microglia and astrocytes, may play a critical role in neurodegeneration and how these insights could lead to new therapeutic targets for Alzheimer’s and related diseases.
And finally, top weekend events