Hairspray and Molière in Austin
This past week, I grabbed a twofer in Austin: Molière’s Imaginary Invalid at the City Theatre and Hairspray at the Zach Scott. (Commentators on my blog and reviews occasionally complain that my point of comparison for San Antonio theatre is New York theatre; that’s nonsense. I’ve also got Austin, Dallas, and Houston on my theatrical…
Live & Local: Chayito Champion y Los Flamencos de San Antonio live at Luna Fine Music Club
Before I even start, let’s just get something out of the way — this is San Antonio, not Seville, and I know no one in Andalusia is checking out our local flamenco scene to see who’s hot and who’s not. But the great thing about flamenco is that just being able to be in the…
Visit Institute of Texan Cultures for the history, find food along the way
You won’t want to visit the Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC) for the food history and politics themselves. Dispersed throughout the 182,000-square-foot complex, are but brief mentions of food heritage; the immigrant struggle and the subsequent assimilation in the United States is what really takes center stage here. Nonetheless, the sparse displays, interactive instruction, recreations,…
An interview with Another Earth’s Brit Marling
If given the opportunity to meet an exact replica of herself, actress/co-writer/co-producer Brit Marling wouldn’t think twice. “I would absolutely want to,” Marling told me during an exclusive interview about her new sci-fi drama Another Earth. “I would be too curious. I think it would lead you to some insight, to some deeper understanding of…
“Emma’s House Revisited” by Nicolas Gonzales
When I was growing up houses became sentimental, but only passingly, as we moved frequently. I still remember them fondly but I wonder if perhaps my ghost in them is that much more ethereal. I could not hope to see myself in them any longer. But that’s not true for most people whose memories are…
Haven for Hope & parking meter donation stations for San Antonio’s homeless
This week, I saw one of those new coin-operated “donation stations” ostensibly designed to help the homeless in San Antonio. Our City Council approved some 25 decommissioned parking meters to serve as donation repositories to benefit programs at Haven for Hope. Haven for Hope, which just celebrated its somewhat rocky first year, is the 37-acre…
Charles Harrison Pompa at Centro Cultural Aztlan
Charles Harrison Pompa’s solo show at Centro Cultural Aztlan opened last week in a circus of revelry, color, and dazzling patterns. Here are a few pics of his massive display–a veritable army of artworks. Free, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Centro Cultural Aztlan, 1800 Fredericksburg Rd, Ste. 103,(210) 432-1896. Through August 31
MoveOn to Lamar Smith: San Antonio wants jobs, not cuts
Dozens of protestors from San Antonio and New Braunfels descended on U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith’s SA office to demand a jobs-creation plan from Smith and Congress. “We think that America’s lost its focus,” said Stephen Baird. “Back in the November 2010 elections people were voting against certain people because they didn’t have jobs.…
Text your 9-1-1 emergency, FCC launches NG911
To FCC is working on enabling 911 emergency services to receive texts, photos, and videos. At the 2011 APCO Conference in Philadelphia August 10 , FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced his five step action plan to chart the transition to Next Generation 9-1-1 services (NG911). According to the FCC’s August 10th press release: NG911 supports…
‘From Dust’ allows you to play God, but limits your power over nature, free will
After a short, yet relaxing vacation in the far off land of Houston, I finally managed to borrow a friend’s 360 long enough to play through a new XBLA title I’ve been hearing more and more about. From Dust, an independent endeavor by one of Ubisoft’s smaller studios, is one of those fairly uncommon ‘God’…
Beats, Rhymes & Life doc plumbs the tortured creativity of A Tribe Called Quest
Haters, brace yourselves. The biggest star of Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest may not be the dandy MC Q-Tip or his pauper foil Phife Dawg. It may not be the mystic, on-and-off member Jarobi White, or straight-talking producer/DJ Ali Shaheed Muhammad. The starman here is first-time director, long-time actor…
Joe Arroyo: La Leyenda — 40 Hits
For years, Colombia’s Joe Arroyo was Latin music’s most underrated salsa star. True, mostly music experts and Colombian fans knew of his greatness, but years of drug abuse slowed him down several times during his career, just when he seemed ready to explode internationally. But he was much more than a great salsa singer —…
Festival fodder
With high-definition video cameras now democratizing the filmmaking process, expect a parade of low-budget films clogging the internet. Lost in the crowd, here are two films with recognizable stars that never gained attention. The first is The Winning Season, starring Sam Rockwell as an alcoholic dishwasher who gets a second chance to coach a girls’…
Justice as a journey
The biggest question anyone in any difficult situation can ever ask themselves is, “Do I persevere against all odds, or do I cut my losses while I still have something to lose?” This question becomes magnified when it pertains to the death of a loved one, especially a child. Losing someone close to you is…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Dr. Larry Dossey thinks we shouldn’t just automatically dismiss the voices that speak to us in the privacy of our own heads. Some of them may actually have wise counsel, or at least interesting evidence about the state of our inner world. Besides, says Dossey, "it is vital for our mental…
Grüner Veltliner a perfect complement to triple digits
Grüner Veltliner (hereinafter referred to as GV) is the signature white wine grape of Austria. For a brief period of time not long ago, it enjoyed its 15 minutes of fame — to the point that some sommeliers (probably the less Teutonic among them) baptized it GruVee. You will not hear that term from us.…
How Sologen’s plan to turn abandoned oil and gas wells into geothermal power producers could replace coal power in Texas.
Two weeks ago, San Antonio resident Frank Smith signed a letter of intent to purchase an abandoned oil well in Brazoria County. But it’s not the oil he’s interested in; it’s the super-heated water at the bottom of the pipe that he hopes to run through a turbine on the surface, turning it into a…
The Apoca-List
AKA The “We’re Fucked” Index
Andrea Büttner at Artpace
Considering the evidence, first pass. Two mounds of pinkish-grey clay are fountains in the middle of the room, water barely burbling from the hole at the top of each rounded cone. A photograph of an ATM is on one wall, smeared with something deep brown. Paint? Not putty colored, like the fountain. Not quite baby-shit…
Indie-rock group takes arts advocacy on tour
Let’s play which one of these ones isn’t like the other ones: (A) struggling indie-rock band, (B) Super Bowl ad jingle writer, (C) fanatical arts education advocate, (D) Rabbit! All answers are correct except (D) Rabbit!, the fledgling pop-infused quartet that will make a stop at the Limelight this Thursday on their national tour Rabbit’s…
Ximena Sariñana: Ximena Sariñana
Unlike Mediocre (2008), her critically acclaimed jazzier and edgier Spanish-language debut, Mexican actress and singer-songwriter Ximena Sariñana’s all-English second album opts for a decidedly more electro-pop sound. But fans of the first album shouldn’t worry — she ain’t pulling a Liz Phair on us. The album was mostly produced by the Bird and the Bee’s…
Live & Local: Tangible Green at Jack’s Bar
Tangible Green, a folk-noise trio comprised of two brothers from Louisiana and one trip-hop-inspired drummer from Uvalde, take the stage at Jack’s Bar with the intention to, according to bassist Dan Huval, “make music that doesn’t suck.” Within the parameters of a strip mall rock den, what they do instead is seduce and sting with…
Robert Millican ditches Westin to build up Drew’s at former Watermark location
Most of us sitting on this side of the bar don’t think much about how what’s in your glass is influenced by the bar’s location, its physical layout, its relationship to a kitchen or a hotel, if there is one … cocktail karma? Just bring me a gin and tonic. Robert Millican thinks about all…
Maria Bamford prepares for business at Laugh Out Loud
If Maria Bamford isn’t one of the most original voices in the history of comedy then I suck at hyperbole. There’s just no one you can compare her to. Where most comedians do set-ups and punch lines, she creates odd little stories and surreal realities, with depression and self-deprecation fueling her outlook. She incorporates impersonations…
Dispatches from the front lines of Perry’s political revival
Buried in his 13-minute speech/prayer/scripture-reading delivered Saturday before a throng of 30,000 faithful, Texas Governor Rick Perry delivered two lines with the slightest of smiles beneath the bright lights of Houston’s Reliant Stadium. He said the Almighty’s agenda is “not a political agenda, his agenda is a salvation agenda,” and that “He is a wise,…
¡ASK A MEXICAN!
Here is my problem: I was raised in a typical gabacho family. My siblings and I all enjoyed a typical gabacho relationship. We are close as cats. I phoned my brother year before last, and was gratified to learn that he was still alive. That call went so well, I may phone him again next…
Alternative Ink making several shows possible
Did you ever wonder where really big photographs come from? If you are looking at fine art photography in one of San Antonio’s museums or high-end galleries, chances are the work was printed locally at Alternative Ink Digital Fine Art Studio, located on Lone Star Boulevard in Southtown. The studio is run by Chuck Maurer,…
The Horrors: Skying
The Horrors’ jump between their debut and Primary Colours was truly one of the incredible reinventions of the past decade. How was it that a bunch of horror-punks in comically skinny black jeans managed to turn into respectable musicians seemingly overnight? If Skying, their third release and second for XL, lacks that previous shock value,…
Everything is impressive at Sawasdee … but the meats
Whenever four saffron-robed monks follow you into a place, something unusual is about to happen. This is a general rule. At Sawasdee Thai Cuisine on Blanco Road, I took their presence to mean that the restaurant has earned its bona fides, and to put my wallet in my front pocket. Add to that a giant…
Top Chef returns to Alamo City
Top Chef came to San Antonio earlier this summer, but evidently didn’t get enough Big Red and barbacoa, because they were back last week. Observant foodies spotted them at the Culinary Institute of America at the Pearl Brewery holding competitive challenges. In a bizarre twist, Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman, was a part of an…
6” german chocolate cake from central market, $16.99
A bite of what we’re eating here at the Current
Open the Taps
The 83rd Texas Legislature in 2013 can look forward to thirsty thousands clamoring to be heard above the voice of big-money lobbying groups. A grassroots organization recently launched in Houston is spreading to the rest of Texas to tackle antiquated Texas beer laws that tend to favor the few and not the consumer. Open the…
Critic’s Pick: Another Earth
Rhoda Williams was never enthralled with outer space. Never, until she saw Jupiter’s clouds in motion, swirling, like just-poured cream in a cup of coffee. “I felt like anything was possible,” she says in voiceover, “and it was.” The night Earth 2 appeared in the sky, somewhere between our earth and the moon, 17-year-old Rhoda…
Myopic ‘Help’ strains on difficult topic of race
Not since the late Isabel Sanford put a shirtless Sidney Poitier in his place in the 1967 Academy Award-winning film Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner has a maid had so much to say than the domesticated ladies of The Help, a moving and somewhat frustrating dramedy set in the midst of the simmering ’60s Civil…
The Art of the Press Release
Rabbit! plays at the Limelight on Thursday, August 11, but besides the show being an imaginative way to address endangered funding for the arts, there is another reason to attend: the presence of New Orleans’ psychedelic folk-country combo Vox and the Hound, which has just released Hermosa, its debut EP. You can stream or buy…
Noxious Foxes: Légs
Some sub-styles of rock are just limited by their own conventions (like any music with a "-core" tacked on). Enter Brooklyn-based Noxious Foxes and their sophomore effort Légs. It revels in the limitations of math rock, particularly because it does the work of four to five players with only two. Any rock duo has to…
Fast Foodie: Jerusalem Grill
On the drive to the far Northwest side of town to find the Jerusalem Grill, my mind wandered to memories of favorite Middle Eastern restaurants I have frequented over the years: several family diners in Boston, like almost all food purveyors there, no matter what ethnicity the cuisine, were run by Greeks; long-gone Tarzan’s, a…
The QueQue: 2012 Budget, Euthanasia rising at ACS, Private prisons rake in profits
2012 Budget San Antonio’s City Manager Sheryl Sculley will roll out her department’s proposed city budget for 2012 at this Thursday’s Council meeting. Then the hard work starts: more than a month of meetings to undo what’s already locked into the system. Given that the city is expecting to have to cut between $8.5 and…
Angelina Mata Atelier headed to New York City Fashion Week
Story by Desiree Prieto When I walked into Angelina Mata’s River North abode, I was immediately transported onto a set like The Devil Wears Prada; if say, the film was strictly about a talented artist preparing for fashion week in New York City next month. My eyes were quickly drawn to white strings of leftover…
