THE COOLEST MONTH
Gabriel Garcia exhibits new work at R. Tatum’s Art Lounge during CAM Contemporary Art Month is an extended block party for the hipoisie July is, according to a 1984 presidential proclamation, National Ice Cream Month. According to a 1985 mayoral proclamation, it is Contemporary Art Month here as well. The seventh month of the…
IT’S YOUR PATRIOTIC DUTY
Wille, contemplating the paradox of Independance Day. It’s easy to take things for granted – even things you love dearly. So a big Willie Nelson show might not make your ears perk up. If you love the red-and-gray-headed stranger, you have probably caught him in the act more than once. Plus, this is his…
HEAD TO HEAD: CRUZ ORTIZ AND ED SAAVEDRA
Artists Cruz Ortiz and Ed Saavedra face off. Photo by Mark Greenberg Two local artists take on desperate artistic acts, 85 cent acrylic, and the relevance of the tostada box in contemporary art Painter, printmaker, performance artist, and videographer Cruz Ortiz recently bumped heads with painter and illustrator Ed Saavedra to talk contemporary art…
THEY GOT DEFUNCT
Jackie On Acid: (l to r) John Cortez, Tracy Carrasco, Eddie Hernandez, Jenny Jimenez, Tony Jimenez Don’t call ’em comeback kids. The members of the now defunct rock band Jackie on Acid may reunite to make enough noise to raise the dead, but they don’t intend to linger long after the show. “This last…
ON THE MUDDY BANKS
Norma Ramirez’ new work is featured at this year’s annual Art in the ‘Hood. The annual Southtown fundraiser and CAM event, Art in the ‘Hood, takes a pitstop in a warehouse down by the river On the wrong side of the river, thirsty mosquitos fill the air outside a corrugated metal warehouse. Rusty trains…
SOUND AND THE FURY
a week on the scene INDEPENDENCIA DAY How to differentiate a 100-degree day of beer, barbeque, and belching from any other: Check out Indepencia 2003 on Friday, July 4 at Café Revolución (527 El Paso Street, 723-1623). The charity event is an attempt to raise awareness of the recent tragedy involving undocumented incidents discovered near…
MAD PEEPS
Detail from one of the mad Mister Geisler’s previous installations Jack and Bill went down a hill to fetch a pint of Johnny Walker Black. Jack fell down (because he was bloody drunk) and Bill stole his wallet and drove to Vegas. The homily-filled world of Mister Danny Geisler is a wondrously surreal place…
ARTIFACTS
Coyoterina, from Cruz Ortiz’ new series, “Devils and Coyotes,” currently on exhibit at Jai news and notes from the san antonio art scene When it comes to art shows this month, sheer quantity should not be considered a qualitative factor. In other words, just because there are 50 million shows a night, that doesn’t…
ALL EARS
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST (OR NOT) Okay now, a fresh reissue from Elvis Presley isn’t necessarily news – BMG has done such a fine and thorough job of exploiting the King’s back catalog and the tapes in their vault, one imagines that there will still be new releases hitting the streets when the man’s…
CAN THEY GET A WITNESS?
NAACP racial profiling statistics reflect reality If the NAACP National Voter Fund had released its new study of racial disparity in the Texas criminal justice system a year ago, the results might have been easier to dismiss as mere statistics serving a political agenda. But the recent focus on the Tulia drug sting scandal -…
COAL GETS THE GO-AHEAD
In front of City Public Servic last week, a woman rolled by in her wheelchair, her mouth and nose covered with a beige face mask. A photographer put poised his camera, but then thought better of it. The woman wasn’t protesting CPS’ proposed new coal plant, but she could have been the opposition’s poster child:…
PULP CINEMA + CHROME = CHEAP THRILLS
Ladies and gentlemen…may we present the next governor of the great state of California… Whether the filmmakers wanted a generically bloated summer blockbuster or not, ‘T3’ is the year’s most expensive B-movie Around about 30 seconds into T3, the first blatant product placement shot appeared. (A bottle of Budweiser, for those keeping score at…
NEW REVIEWS
Bob Newhart plays endearing doorman to Reese Witherspoon’s ambitious blonde bimbo in Legally Blonde 2. Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde The first Legally Blonde was a lot like its lead character. It looked so overwhelmingly stupid, the viewer expected little but eye candy; when the film turned out to have more going…
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
A vintage poster for the classic To Catch a Thief. To Catch a Thief Dir. Alfred Hitchcock: writ. David Dodge (novel), John Michael Hayes; feat. Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis, John Williams, Charles Vanel (NR) The good movie lovers over at Texas Public Radio knew they wanted to give you a dose…
STILL PLAYING
Alex & Emma Dir. Rob Reiner; writ. Jeremy Leven; feat. Luke Wilson, Kate Hudson, Rob Reiner, David Paymer, Sophie Marceau, Chino XL (PG) Blandly likable but lacking any kind of real charm, Alex & Emma invites us to snicker at a novelist’s unimaginative and uncompelling story but comes off like the pot calling the kettle…
SCENE NOT HEARD
One of San Antonio’s few high-profile rock clubs, White Rabbit, recently scaled back its music calendar, eliminating hardcore touring shows and reducing its local-band gigs. Photo by Mark Greenberg Contemporary Art Month is a reminder that San Antonio is a visual arts – not a music – city There is a famous old joke…
ISLAM AND HIP-HOP IN SAN ANTONIO
(L to r) Tasz1, Ibrahim, 7ish, Orion Box, #9 of Assasyn Dynasty. Photo by Kate Dalton. Assasyn Dynasty embraces the Five Percent solution Perhaps one of the most overlooked sub-genres of hip-hop is represented by the work of early ’90s New York rap acts dedicated to the Five Percent Nation. Inspired by Nation of…
