NBA players reject latest offer, further threatening the 2011 – 2012 season
There has arguably never been a better time to get acquainted with college basketball. On Monday afternoon, the NBA Player’s Association rejected the league’s latest offer (included a 50-50 split of league revenue) and proceeded to take the initial steps toward decertification of the Player’s Association. By serving the league a “disclaimer of interest,” players…
Sustainable Living Roadshow closes tour in San Antonio
The Sustainable Living Roadshow’s Right to Know Tour, concluding its national four-month tour showcasing energy and food strategies to see the planet through the turbulence ahead (read: clean tech, eradication of genetically modified foodstuffs, and reimplementation of hemp in industry), occupied a small lot in San Antonio on Sunday. Veggie-oil-powered buses provided the backdrop…
Fast Foodie: Donnie’s Italian Beef & Hot Dogs
The problem of most dipped sandwiches is the dipping itself. Most sandwich joints will dip the inside of the bread in the sauce, getting just a taste of the meat juices. Bold restaurants will dip the whole roll, but often this makes the bread so soft it disintegrates into a gummy mess. It’s a conundrum…
JoePa’s faux pas and Penn State’s valiant riots for the status quo
I’m with comedian Kelly Morton having a drink and watching ESPN’s 24-hour coverage of Joe Paterno and the Penn State riots. It’s almost last call and we’re pretty inebriated, but not too drunk to realize the complete and total uniqueness of these protests. “There’s not a lot of benefits held for the people that ‘looked…
Director Chris Weitz talks ‘A Better Life,’ immigration issues
Filmmaker Chris Weitz admits his most recent film A Better Life has been a lot harder to let go than any of the other films he’s directed over the last 12 years, which include About a Boy, The Golden Compass, and New Moon. Part of the reason Weitz has held the film so close to…
Pitch for high-level nuke waste site in Hudspeth County bags Bill Jones an earful
Andrew Stuart, Editor hcherald@dellcity.com Hudspeth County officials were approached this week about the possible storage of massive quantities of high-level nuclear waste at a site near Fort Hancock. If the project were to move forward, the Hudspeth County location would become the repository for some 70,000 tons of radioactive waste, including the spent fuel from…
Gondoliers in Vegas by Layla Benitez-James
Raising children, I can imagine, is always a task. But being a child is no better (or worse). Clarence Darrow’s penetrating (and obfuscating) quote wraps it up nicely: “The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents, and the second half by our children.” Of course if that were entirely true, it begs…
Martha Marcy May Marlene is escapism at its most unnerving
Check your pulse if you don’t feel a chill winding between your vertebra during a scene in Martha Marcy May Marlene where Academy Award-nominated actor John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone), playing cult leader Patrick, serenades a commune of vulnerable lost souls with “Marcy’s Song,” by the late folk musician Jackson C. Frank. It’s a hauntingly beautiful…
Sizing up the 20th century with the cross-dressing head of the FBI
It’s no secret these days that J. Edgar Hoover was a real bastard. But back in the day he was a paragon of American idealism and fortitude. As director of the FBI from 1935 to 1972, he built and ran the organization as the nation’s premier protector, champion, and defender of old-fashioned values. He served…
Elizabeth Olsen breaks out in emotionally disturbing Martha Marcy May Marlene
Traveling across the U.S. to promote her new film Martha Marcy May Marlene with first-time feature filmmaker Sean Durkin, actress Elizabeth Olsen said she was always shocked when moviegoers decide to share their personal experiences with her about cults. “We’ve been in nine different cities and in every single one someone has come up to…
Turn your head and cough with Ward Anderson
“Testicular cancer? No – that’s a young man’s game.” These words come from comedian Ward Anderson relating how he feels approaching 40, newly married and dealing with the medical profession. “I’m now at the age where doctors are telling me ‘from now on’,” he confides to me. “From now on you take Metamucil – and…
Tejano gothic and monster prints
This season, Texas monster prints pressed by steamrollers are being made by crews in SA, Austin, and Houston. Sang-Mi Yoo’s installation, “The Anomalous Traces,” isn’t that stuff, but rows of tall lithographs and laser-cut felt. They’re huge, the size of plywood sheets. The allusion to construction materials is on spot, given that the work’s…
Canada-to-Texas tarsands pipeline stalled til 2013; IEA economist gives planet til 2016
We have five years to make a rapid and sweeping transition from fossil-fuels-based infrastructure before the world’s climate passes the point of no return. That’s not the ideologically motivated prognosticatin’ of some socialist tree-spikers, mind you, but the International Energy Administration talking. Writes the Guardian: The world is likely to build so many fossil-fueled power…
Partisan stunt thwarted, the open internet lives on
Just moments ago the Senate voted down resolution S. J. Res. 6. The partisan “resolution of disapproval” was a sneak attack on Internet freedoms sponsored by Sen. Kay Hutchison [R-TX], and spearheaded by industry-funded members of Congress. The resolution would’ve given Internet providers unrestricted power, and the ability to strip online privacy protections. It was also…
Review: Spring Awakening in Austin
So I happened to see one of those ubiquitous sliding internet ads for The Book of Mormon, which eventually morphed into Ben Brantley’s claim that Mormon is “The Best Musical of This Century!” Now, I realize we live in age of both instant superlatives and instant forgetfulness, but really, I don’t think that assertion can…
John Howard Griffin’s ‘Black Like Me’ turns 50 — and you can join the discussion
Have questions about John Howard Griffin’s devilishly daring journalistic approach? Now is the time to ask. Join Gemini Ink and Trinity University for a panel discussion honoring the 50th anniversary celebration of the publication of Griffin’s Black Like Me. Born in Mansfield, Griffin was known for writing about racial inequality. With funding from Sepia magazine,…
Quick notes from Fun Fun Fun Fest
By Erica Monzon erica@ledaswan.net OK, this is actually from last year’s fest, but don’t tell anyone. The other photos are from last weekend. (Courtesy FFFF) M83 Dreamy dance vibes with male vocals sharing harmonies with a sweet female soprano. Their sound was layered with synchronized synths and piano, and I often wondered what the purpose…
O&G psy-ops coming to the Eagle Ford shale play in South Texas?
At last week’s oil industry conference in Houston, North Texas fracking opponent Sharon Wilson, director of the Oil & Gas Accountability Project for the nonprofit environmental group Earthworks, received some startling insights into how some in the oil and gas industry view — and respond to — grassroots resistance to their work. A recommendation made…
Turner Classic Movies Presents West Side Story 50th Anniversary Event
Three familiar piercing whistles and an abstract skyline herald the beginning of this modern Romeo and Juliet masterpiece. After the rather lengthy instrumental prologue (or so I thought as a child), the camera veers into New York City delivering aerial views of a concrete jungle of tenements and ultimately honing in on a group of…
The Beach Boys: The Smile Sessions
The Beach Boys’ Smile long loomed as pop’s greatest unfinished masterwork, before the weight of its ambitions took both Smile and the Beach Boys down with it. Until 2004, that is, when band mastermind Brian Wilson managed to pull the album (and himself) together, producing a newly recorded, fully intact Smile as a solo project.…
Taste this: no. 5 veggie panino at sip, $7.25
The veggie panino at Sip is tasty enough to reform the most inveterate carnivore. Melted mozzarella, fresh basil, and roma tomatoes sparked by tangy olive tepenade was just right on one of the first cool days of the year. It paired perfectly with the goat cheese and roasted peppers, a lighter treat smoothed out with…
Fast Foodie: Barriba Cantina
Barriba is one of those names I wish I had thought of. It’s also the best thing about this upstairs sibling of the County Line on the River Walk. The cantina occupies the space vacated by Starbucks (now representing the empire on North St. Mary’s across from Sip), and said space has been redone in…
¡ASK A MEXICAN!
SPECIAL MUJER EDITION Dear Mexican: I am an Anglo intruder in New Mexico. When I moved to Albuquerque from Virginia, I fell in love with Mexican culture. I was impressed at what I called "Southwestern hospitality." I have had so many second dinners when I go to people’s homes that I gained a few pounds…
Florence + The Machine: Ceremonials
With her stunning 2009 debut, Lungs, Florence Welch proved she had the pipes, the songs, and enough musicians around her to give you explosions and silences. Her follow up, however, is Florence all out to become the world’s greatest pop diva — epic choruses, lots of keyboards, booming drums, and, as always, damn great song…
Bryan Hamilton’s trials with modernity
Producer Bryan Hamilton sleeps on the floor. He has no job and only a few months left in his unemployment benefits. But he’s optimistic. “Money’s really not that big of a deal to me,” he said in a recent phone interview. “It comes when I need it to come.” Hamilton’s personality is on some other…
Music-astute Northside club aspires to be more than just another strip venue
You’ve probably heard about Endless Music’s recent format change. In September, the club (formerly Scout Bar at Hwy 281 and Redland) was acquired by Sugar’s/Perfect 10 Clubs. Since becoming a “gentlemen’s” club (this writer uses the term loosely), the venue has been attacked by some locals for masquerading as something other than a strip venue.…
Thanksgasm at Ranger Creek
Texas Girls’ Pint Out (self-described as “Gals into grolsch. Ladies into lagers. Princesses into pilsners. Angels of ale,” etc.) and Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling Co. have teamed up for a second year to give thanks for beer and food … and food made with beer. Thanksgasm 2 (7pm Sat, Nov 19) is being held…
Corporate pumpkin pie shakes can’t compete with seasonal, regional eats
As the season turns, so have fast-food menus. Food conglomerates are rushing out their uniquely seasonal offerings to cater to our desire for the tastes of fall: pumpkin, cinnamon, spice, peppermint, cream, salted caramel, and apple; drinks, shakes, coffee beverages, parfaits, cookies, cakes, and pies. Yes, the seasons have been co-opted and customers are loving…
Life lessons from SA designer Adrienne Yunger
You need to be precise," says Adrienne Yunger, the featured designer of San Antonio Fashion Week and winner of this year’s Fashion Group International Rising Star Award for her men’s ready-to-wear clothing. "You’ve got to make sure you measure twice and cut once. It’s all about starting right." Yunger started as a pattern cutter for…
U2: Achtung Baby (20th Anniversary Edition)
Achtung Baby, described by Bono as "the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree," was U2’s first great reinvention, and their message to the ’90s: "We’re not going anywhere." Their heaviest record to date was armed with great songs, thick guitars, disturbing intensity, and none of the well-crafted, radio-friendly pop of its earlier…
How arts viewing strategies help make sense of the NBA lockout
One of the first things an art educator tells a first-time viewer of modern art is to relax and embrace the vulnerability of the experience. Don’t let that feeling of uncomfortableness or absence of resolution dissuade you from interacting with the work. It’s a fine tactic to use in most facets of life because it’s…
Tower Heist gives Eddie Murphy a comedy vehicle that doesn’t crash and burn
Can anyone remember the last time comedian Eddie Murphy was actually funny? No, voicing an animated donkey with a hankering for waffles doesn’t count. I’m talking about Murphy debating boxing greats in Coming to America or hustling his way into a swanky suite in Beverly Hills Cop. Hell, I’d even take him parodying Mr. Roger’s…
Jenn Alva (Girl In A Coma) on The Smiths box set
"You’ve Got Everything Now." You would if a complete box set of every Smiths album is your ultimate ambition. Rhino Records recently released The Smiths Complete Box Set with all four studio albums, the sole live album, and three compilations remastered by Johnny Marr and engineered by Frank Arkwright. Let’s face it: these songs have…
Slow Food: South Texas style
Sunday offered a coming out "harvest gala" for new food nonprofit Slow Food South Texas, dedicated to the "pleasure of food with a commitment to community and the environment." In other words, slow food should be fair and ethical, healthy, and equally tasty and artisanal. This year’s gala at the San Antonio Botanical Garden (…
‘Frasier’ gets creepy
Chuck (7pm Fri, NBC) Despite its awesomeness, the comic spy series Chuck has been under threat of cancellation ever since it premiered in 2007, and NBC has finally decided to pull the plug after the current season. But until then, we can enjoy the adventures of Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi), the lowly retail clerk who…
Memory of a Melody: Things That Make You Scream
San Antonio has never had a dearth of talent, but few bands have possessed the potential to break into national or international consciousness the way Memory of a Melody does. Scream, their debut full-length, is a demonstration of how a band that is obviously influenced by mainstream happenings in rock music can take a cue…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): The title of this week’s movie is "Uproar of Love," starring the Fantasy Kid and The Most Feeling Machine In The World. It blends romance and science fiction, with overtones of espionage and undertones of revolution for the hell of it. Comic touches will slip in at unexpected moments. When you’re…
Richard Lewis: Patron saint of neurotic cannibals
Most comedians are neurotic alcoholics (recovering or enabling) who must manage a host of insecurities while devouring their own egos for material while sinking periodically into the oblivion of depression as they try to keep hold of the dream of popular recognition. Of these comedians, Richard Lewis is the patron saint. He flings his anxieties…
Bashing the unabashed contradiction that is Morrissey
Stephen Patrick Morrissey has been frustrating fans of over-warm New Wave smarm since his earliest work with The Cult’s Billy Duffy in that bloodless post-punk band called The Nosebleeds. He probably likes it that way. The former singer of the Smiths, a guy who seems to be against all kinds of labels, be they record-…
Damned if you don’t
Not too long ago, someone asked me, “What do you think of Local 782? Don’t you think it only benefits a few bands, like … .” And they went to name one band that plays often on the local circuit, implying Local 782 (a group that advocates for a good chunk of our local bands)…
Former Wildfish chef opens Two Step on 1604
More restaurants are looking to the abundant land all around 1604 to open second restaurants and new ventures. Two Step Restaurant and Cantina (9840 W Loop 1604 N) is the newest to debut, at 1604 and Braun. Two Step is the brainchild of Steve Warner and his wife. Steve came to San Antonio originally to…
The QueQue: State centers for the disabled: ‘still deplorable’, Bank Transfer Day a boon for RBCU
State centers for the disabled: ‘still deplorable’ A settlement between the state of Texas and the U.S. Department of Justice in 2009 should have at least started showing signs of improvement at 13 State Supported Living Centers, home to hundreds of residents with severe developmental disabilities. But according to the state’s federally designated watchdog agency…
Pushing Haven option, Council mulls more restrictions on homeless
Kenneth Smith and I sit at a table in the center of Prospects Courtyard, the front doorstep to downtown’s sprawling Haven for Hope homeless services campus, as the late-afternoon sun starts to fall and the cold sets in. With the faint smell of alcohol on his breath, he ruminates quietly of the coming nightfall –…
Paranoid visions of the apocalypse
Fresh rain oozing with yellow oil, dead birds plummeting from the sky, and the sudden apparition of a tornado funnel on a sunshiny day — Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) is haunted by visions that point either to imminent disaster or else to incipient mental illness. "Is anyone seeing this?" Curtis asks. If no one else,…
In memory of the Alameda’s local-artist shows?
Well, I owe myself five dollars. I had bet against Museo Alameda opening another show. But last Wednesday we received a newsletter announcing the new exhibition, “Día de los Muertos: Mexican Tradition,” on view November 2 through December 3. The notice promised papel picado works by local artist Kathleen Trenchard, and four commemorative altares: one…
The Apoca-List
AKA The “We’re Fucked” Index
Live & Local: Alejandro Escovedo at Hotel Havana’s Ocho Lounge
Have you been to the music events at Hotel Havana’s Ocho Lounge? Located at the bar/restaurant’s outdoor patio, they may very well be one of San Antonio’s best-kept (free!) musical secrets. And when you add a name like San Antonio-born Alejandro Escovedo to the mix, you must either live in a jar or have a…
Notes from Local 782 monthly meeting (October 2011)
The next meeting is 7pm Wednesday, November 9, at the Local 782 office at 1414 E Commerce. The following are the minutes from the last meeting. I did minor punctuation changes for clarity purposes (Enrique Lopetegui) What is Local Music Week 2012? A week-long campaign focused on reaching out to local venues and musicians. The…
