5 Things You Have to Do This Week
Tue 5/27 PechaKucha vol. 14 In 2011, San Antonio joined the ever-expanding list of cities linked by PechaKucha—an enlightening event format that plays out as a succession of concise PowerPoint presentations delivered by a wide range of creative professionals. Hosted by the Guadalupe and emceed by Emmy-winning news anchor Randy Beamer, volume 14 features presentations…
‘Mad Men’ Recap: Don Draper finally starts to win again in “Waterloo”
Burt Cooper says goodbye in “Waterloo” In this mid-season finale, written by Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner, we experience the denouement of several recently prominent storylines. Throughout a jam-packed episode that’s set over the backdrop of the moon landing, Don Draper seems to be turning over a new leaf as he battles for his job…
Lil B’s Anthem for Western Conferences Finals: “F**k Kevin Durant”
Screenshot from Lil B’s “Fuck Kevin Durant” The driving principle of Lil B’s work is the based life: a philosophy of doing exactly what, how and when you want something done. As the BasedGod, Lil B is the alpha and omega of all things based, hyping the lifestyle on his positive energy Twitter page and releasing songs like “Lil…
Sunday Night Sound Bite: Disclosure x Friend Within: “The Mechanism”
A collaboration between British sibling duo Disclosure (Guy and Howard Lawrence) and rising Liverpool-based producer Friend Within, the single “The Mechanism” was released in the UK on April 15 and has been percolating on music blogs and podcasts ever since. While it’s not as immediately infectious as some of the tracks on Disclosure’s Grammy-nominated 2014…
San Antonio: Home of the T-Shirt Cannon
The Spurs Coyote showing off his toy. Though the block of colors that are OKC fans will receive the fare of t-shirt cannons for games three and four of the Western Conference Finals, the cannon itself was invented here in San Antonio. According to a New York Times article, the pressure-powered toy was fashioned for…
5 Recipes for Foraged Wild Edibles
Urban foraging is the ultimate DIY for foodies, like dumpster diving for naturalists. “Free Food: Foraging in San Antonio” offers a bevy of blooms, fruits and weeds suitable for noshing, and here are five wild finds with recipes that will add a paradox of local, exotic flare to your menu. 1. Nasturtium A nasturtium vinaigrette adds flower…
Jesus Angel and a Public Defender’s Prayer for Relief
Lately, there have been serious rumblings that the Bexar County Public Defenders office is yet again due for a reckoning. The office, which currently handles appeals and some mental health cases (but no trials) for those who can’t afford to hire their own lawyers, has butted heads with its overseers at the County nearly since…
Obama Nominates Mayor Castro as HUD Secretary
Mayor Julián Castro accepting nomination as HUD Secretary (CSPAN) President Obama today officially nominated San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro to be the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, as originally reported by the New York Times on May 17. Calling Castro an “all-star” and a “leader in housing and economic development,” Obama cited the mayor’s…
Shot of the Week: The Sunburn
It’s almost too easy. (Dustin Dooling) It’s summer time in south Texas and not even SPF 1000 can protect you. Whether you’re tubing down the river, carving it up on the lake or just lounging by the pool, there is no way to escape the effects of el sol. This week’s shot is perfect for…
9 Ways to Get Your Drink/Grub on this Week
Friday, May 23: The Boardwalk on Bulverde is back with a new playset, arcade bus and shaded areas and they’re throwing a bash to prove it. The lineup of trucks includes Dirty Dawgs, Gracie’s Kitchen, The Lone Start Food Truck, Duke’s Seafood, Insane Eats, Have a Ball Y’all, Treats on Streets and No Whey…
Vintage Photos Inform Author Emma Donoghue’s Racy Murder Mystery ‘Frog Music’
While fact-checking Current contributor Leigh Baldwin’s review of Frog Music, I happened upon author Emma Donoghue’s blog post for The New Yorker titled Inspiration Information: “Frog Music.” While Donoghue’s description of sifting through newspaper and genealogical databases sheds light on her approach to writing historical fiction, the visual influences she cites—everything from fashion plates and popular songs…
Is Torchy’s Tacos Coming to SA?
Image via Torchy’s Tacos Facebook. Right now, the 8-ball points to yes. According to State Sales Tax permits issued last week, Success Foods Management Group LLC, dba for Torchy’s Tacos applied and was issued a permit for “Torcy’s Tacos” in San Antonio. The location listed is for 999 E Basse, Ste 183, formerly La Posada…
5 Shows You Need to See this Weekend
Jeff Lofton Austin trumpeter Jeff Lofton will kick off this summer’s Artpace Rooftop Jazz Concert Series, a collaboration between the gallery and KRTU. Inspired by the avant-garde of the ’60s, including John Coltrane, Don Cherry and AACM, Lofton and his quartet will take the music to its rawest improvisational forms. On his five albums, Lofton…
10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend
Thu 5/22 Lone Star Live Summer Concert Series The Lone Star Live Summer Concert Series (sponsored in part by the Current) is a free, kid-friendly music series hosted by La Villita’s Arneson River Theater. Thursday’s inaugural outing unites buzz-worthy local bands Crown, Creatura and Lonely Horse. Comprised of vocalist Carlos Zubillaga, bassist Josh Borchardt and…
First Course: Stella $10 pizza holiday, Lüke Creole brunch and barbaco at Boiler House
First Course Fodder brings in exciting food news to you in tiny, digestible bits. Stella Public House (1414 S Alamo) is celebrating Memorial Day with a $10 pizza holiday. All weekend from Saturday, May 24 to Monday, May 26 the margarita and spicy italian sausage pizza are each $10. Founder centennial IPA is also on…
Spurs’ Big 3 Set Playoff Record For Wins as a Trio
The Spurs’ Big 3: Manu Ginobli, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker With San Antonio’s 112-77 routing of OKC in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, the Spurs’ Big 3 of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli have set the record for most wins from a power trio in the playoffs. With 122 wins…
SA Current Slideshows were down; back up now
via Update: May 22, 2014, 3:30 p.m. The slideshow server is back online. We should have all slideshows back up by the end of the day. Our original post continues: Due to some technical difficulties last night (coincidentally during the Spurs beatdown of the Thunder) our slideshows are currently offline. We apologize for any…
Name Change for Golden Gloves Social House
Photo Courtesy David Rangel. What’s in a name, you know? Turns out you just can’t use the moniker of a nationwide amateur boxing league willy-nilly. After the Official Golden Gloves of America organization kindly requested the bar stop using the name, owners Jeret Peña and Chris Erck, of Golden Gloves Social House, acquiesced. The new…
Possible Castro HUD Appointment Would Leave Council Shake Up
Down in speculation city, when news broke that Mayor Julián Castro may be tapped to serve as the next head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), it spread like wildfire and fueled national conjecture over whether the potential role will help him secure a spot as a vice presidential nominee on…
Minnie’s Tavern has Closed
A charcuterie plate at Minnie’s Tavern. (Current Files) Update: Thursday, May 22 at 1:26 p.m. The Pearl has released a statement on the purchase of the property. “Our objectives are to restore the historic building,” Elizabeth Fauerso, chief marketing officer for the Pearl, said, “and also to think about the streetscape and try to improve…
Nerd Con Round-up: 6 Summer Conventions You Can’t Miss
From early June through late September, we have a buffet of nerdy events happening in San Antonio. Whether you’re into science fiction, anime, comics, or monsters, there’s something for everybody. On a budget? No problem. Some of these events are absolutely free. Of course, if you have money burning a whole in your pocket, a…
There is No “I” in Spurs: “A Beautiful Game” Pays Tribute to Team
“The Beautiful Game” was produced by Stronger Team Prepare yourself for the knot in your throat, chills and maybe a tear or two. The disarming voice of Magic Johnson is all it takes some times. Add to it a reel of one phenomenal play after the next, memorable moments, and a litany of inspiring praise…
La Gloria Closed on Wednesday, May 21
(Courtesy) Chef Johnny Hernandez will close La Gloria, El Machito and The Fruteria on Wednesday, May 21. Greg Fernandez, chef at La Gloria, lost his son Gabriel on Friday, May 16, so all Hernandez-owned restaurants will be closed so Fernandez extended family can be with him and his family during this time. Operations should resume…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I believe your persuasive powers will be stronger than usual in the weeks ahead. The words coming out of your mouth will sound especially interesting. I also suspect that your intelligence will get at least a temporary upgrade. The clarity of your thoughts will intensify. You will see truths you have…
The New Ice Age: Chilly cubes and spheres via H&C Ice Co.
Listen up barflies: There’s a new ice age in America, and, along with infusions, foams and house-made bitters, custom ice has conquered the shaker set. Here, the price of admission is, at the very least, a Kold-Draft ice-making machine. But more and more, cocktail bars are turning to hand-crafted sources, and for this locally we…
Free Food: Foraging in San Antonio
In my neighborhood, dogs and possums have cornered the market on urban foraging. From the orange tree next door, peeled, mutilated rinds littered my backyard, left behind by the family of possums living under my house. In the evenings, three scrappy dogs across the street work their muzzles along the curb as if it were…
Free Things to Do: Nightlife and Parties
Will you have to pay for the drinks or a bite to eat at most of these places? Yes, but the ambience and entertainment is free. So, before you spend another evening zoning out in front of your pricey cable TV, check out some of these hot spots for a thrifty good time. Bottom Bracket…
Full Field In Commissioners Court Primary Runoff Election
The seat vacated by County Commissioner Tommy Adkisson, wide open after the longtime public servant exited to (unsuccessfully) oust incumbent challenger Judge Nelson Wolff, is crowded with competition, even after the first round of elections. While the March primaries whittled down the choices for a new Precinct 4 commissioner, no one candidate garnered enough votes…
Bluesman B.B. King and Soul Stylist Booker T. Jones Visit the Majestic
It’s the winter of 1949 down in Twist, Ark., and B.B. King is playing a cold, wooden shanty of a nightclub, when the kerosene-filled garbage can heating the juke spills over in a bar fight, lapping the place in flames. Spooked, the venue patrons spew out its door, safe but cold in the biting Ozark…
Foodie Finds: New Orleans
Every experience I’ve had with New Orleans has been an undeniably positive one. The people, the music, the food—the Big Easy never ceases to warm my heart and delight my taste buds. With that in mind, I give you NOLA Foodie Finds, with food trends I’d like to see more of in SA. Whiskey-Centric Dining:…
‘Room’ Author Emma Donoghue Returns with Steamy Novel ‘Frog Music’
In 1870s San Francisco, in the midst of a debilitating smallpox epidemic and a rancid heat wave, a cross-dressing, frog-hunting, bicycling itinerant singer named Jenny Bonnet is murdered. In Emma Donoghue’s latest novel, Frog Music, Jenny’s new friend Blanche Beunon, a French burlesque dancer, works to find her killer and bring him to justice. Along…
Lunchtime Snob: Where Persian meets Tex-Mex
Despite his country-of-origin creds, the guy behind the counter has seemingly given up: He pronounces “gyro” as many of us would: jeye-ro, not the year-o that’s technically accurate. The pole sign outside this former Arby’s also reflects some nods to local culture, announcing an anomalous “Philly chz wrap.” Then there’s the creamy chipotle sauce that…
Savage Love: A hole new world
I am a genetic male with recurrent questions about my gender identity. Straddling desires to maintain my stature in the professional world, keep my wife at my side and become who I feel like I am, I have experimented with crossdressing, chastity, antiandrogens and, prior to all that, steroids. While the matrimonial veto has been…
Flavor File: Latest Resto to debut at Pearl, Aldaco’s at the Dominion and Rivertini in June
Culinaria’s Festival Week and San Antonio Beer Week have come and gone, but the food fun won’t be stopping any time soon. Jeff Balfour (formerly with Citrus at Hotel Valencia) has announced the name for his upcoming solo venture at the Pearl Brewery. Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery (136 E Grayson, Ste 102) will open…
Free Things to Do: Outdoor
Don’t worry, most of these activities actually happen in the morning or evening, so you can enjoy them even throughout our brutal summer months. Downtown Walking Tour Love Downtown? Love to walk? Then this activity is right up your alley. Sponsored by the Paseo del Rio Association, this daily tour offers participants a unique look…
The Rich Hands Release Sophomore LP ‘Out of My Head’
Speaking to drummer Nick Ivarra of the Rich Hands on his band’s latest musings, I was surprised for a moment when he said, “We really don’t practice much in general.” Then I remembered a live recording I helped produce last year in which Ivarra, guitarist and singer Cody Mauser and bassist Matt Gonzalez loaded in…
March Against Monsanto to Shout “Hell No to GMOs” for Second Year
In 2013, Tami Monroe Canal founded March Against Monsanto because she believed it would protect her daughters’ health. Monsanto is an agricultural company that produces seed brands and herbicides (most famously, Roundup), some of which have been scientifically proven to cause health risks, such as birth defects, cancer, organ damage and auto-immune conditions. Monsanto is…
Live and Local: Filthy at The Mix and Local Music Week 2014
I like loud music. Not just the sonic stuff turned up to an enveloping, earsplitting level, but music that needs to be tremendously loud in order to function at all. Like a singer with a dominant command of the upper octaves, there’s a dexterity in pushing amps to their breaking point. It’s also pretty cool…
Butt Rock City: River City Rockfest Returns for its Second Act
As much as this town’s faux-aesthete hipster set wants to complain and make a case for how much we deserve to book whatever hype-o-sphere conquering indie band of the moment, River City Rockfest knows how to keep SA real. For its second year, the festival has booked an impressive array of (contemporary?) hard rock acts…
The Manufactured Charm of SA’s First Little Woodrow’s
“Someone’s opening a Little Woodrow’s.” “In San Antonio?” “Yes.” “That’s awesome, I love the ones back home.” That wasn’t the only conversation I’ve had recently with buds and admitted fans of the Houston-based chain of bars. For years, an old roommate’s been going on about “turtle races” and hangouts inside Austin and Houston locales. My…
Free Things to Do: Kid-friendly
It’s almost summer, which means that your government-subsidized free daycare (aka public school) goes on hiatus thanks to an archaic allegiance to a rural agriculture economic system that hasn’t been in play for decades. What to do with the wee ones whining “I’m booooored” all the live-long day? We have a few ideas. Family Flicks…
SA/ATX Unconventional Punk Act Vetter Kids Celebrate Debut EP
For San Antonio/Austin band Vetter Kids, punk is not a specific genre or sound. Rather, it is an aesthetic, a rallying cry, an individualized connection to (and expression of) a certain universal notion of how to live, love and fuckin’ rock. On Saturday, as the trio celebrates the release of its debut EP III at…
The Playhouse’s ‘Dead Man’s Cell Phone’ Multitasks Like a Smartphone
Technology has been enhancing theater at least since the days of deus ex machina (a god from the machine), when the Greeks used a crane to hoist a dummy deity onto the stage. More recent accessories have included artificial lighting and amplified sound. But playwrights have also incorporated technological advances into the very fabric of…
Free Things to Do: Volunteer
While sometimes philanthropy can seem out of grasp for many of the 99 percent, volunteering is typically free. Here, Current staffers share some of their favorite causes, none of which require any kind of financial fee to give back. San Antonio Pets Alive! If making SA a no-kill-ville is your jam, volunteering at San Antonio…
‘Belle’ Combines Genteel Period Drama with Sexual and Racial Politics
Belle, director Amma Asante’s and screenwriter Misan Sagay’s fictionalized account of the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle, a biracial women in 18th century England at a time when slavery still existed in the British Empire, is a captivating and moving film. It comes just this close to being a little too pat and easy—it’s highly predictable—but Asante’s light touch…
151 Saloon: Boot Scootin’, Boozin’ and Bar Snacks
Originally a Barn Door restaurant, 151 Saloon exudes a country vibe thanks to live country music, a large dance floor and, well, a barn-like feel (albeit it’s a nice, air-conditioned barn). But can 151 Saloon avoid the fate that other establishments (RIP Stockyards, Chunky’s, Martha’s Mexican Restaurant, El Chris) have endured on that snake-bitten corner…
Set in San Antonio, NBC’s ‘The Night Shift’ is D.O.A.
I imagine the NBC boardroom meeting that green lit The Night Shift going something like this: A room of pasty executives throw darts at program genres they’re currently lacking. The richest exec nails Medical Drama, and they move on to untapped settings, tossing interns at a giant, Velcro map of America. The hottest intern lands…
Free Things to Do: Culture
Too hot to play outside but too early to hit up no-cover night at the club? Try any of these cultural excursions to boost your brain on the cheap. Gruene Hall Free Shows Head up to Gruene for some Hill Country scenery and live music. Upcoming free shows will feature Americana tunes from Poor J.…
Booze News: Craft beer tasting, Shiner supper club and ‘Game of Thrones’ Quiz
Booze News slings up the latest gulp downs around town every Tuesday. Line ’em up (Courtesy) Zoko Restaurant Bar and Grill (700 E Sonterra) will host Clink for the Cure on Wednesday, May 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. benefitting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The event includes European cuisine, fine wines, tequila tastings, belly…
Preservation Texas Names San Antonio Site to 2014 Endangered List
Bene Medina and owner Gilbert Garcia outside of Lerma’s Nite Club (Photo by Steven Gilmore) Today, Preservation Texas, Inc. named Lerma’s Night Club to their 2014 list of Texas’ Most Endangered Places. First opened in 1951, Lerma’s hosted SA’s vibrant Tejano Conjunto music scene until the summer of 2010. City code inspectors visited the strip center in…
Fun Fun Fun Fest Announces 2014 Lineup
Fun Fun Fun Fest announced the lineup for its 2014 festival and as in years past, it’s unmatched in its eclecticism, heaviness and net levels of fun. From November 7-9 at Austin’s Auditorium Shores, Fun Fun Fun 2014 features Judas Priest, Nas, Neutral Milk Hotel, Girl Talk and 2 Chainz among an incredibly deep supporting…
Megaplex Helps Prevent Spurs Playoff Babies With Free Condoms
Update: May 20, 2014, 10:15 a.m. Spurs Sports and Entertainment issued a cease and desist order to Adult Video Megaplex to end its unauthorized promotion of the Spurs Win Giveaway. The promotion is no longer available. Update: May 20, 2014, 12:20 p.m. Adult Video Megaplex says it will continue with its free condom promotion without…
