Double-blind double bind
Yogi-level gymnastics from the AG below. The Current is on deadline for this week’s issue, but we have calls in to the DA’s office, which has hinted in the past that it was sitting on the prosecution of local, private non-profit, needle-exchange volunteers until the AG ruled on the Bexar County pilot program. More info…
Double-blind double bind
Yogi-level gymnastics from the AG below. The Current is on deadline for this week’s issue, but we have calls in to the DA’s office, which has hinted in the past that it was sitting on the prosecution of local, private non-profit, needle-exchange volunteers until the AG ruled on the Bexar County pilot program. More info…
Bordeño Protest?
Whenever we hear a protest is going down we’re usually on the scene, so when we received an email Tuesday afternoon about a possible protest at Francisco Delgado’s show Bordeño Chronicles at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México we couldn’t resist. Delgado is a well-known fronterizo artist (border artist) who calls El Paso and Ciudad…
Toxic Water: No End in Sight
South Texas Opposes Pollution (STOP) and the Coastal Bend Sierra Club are sponsoring a teach-in on uranium mining in Kingsville on May 17. The course will be led by Dr. Richard Abitz (resume clip below), who has worked since the ’80s on problems related to hazardous and radioactive waste contamination. The stated course objective is…
On the Street
“High culture, low culture, and no culture all co-existing uneasily in another episode of On the Street. As always read at your own risk.” On the Street Fiesta came and went. And sadly, another week was spent trapped inside behind books. And yet the web-log goes on. As always, to the letters… Letters (to the…
You Give Love a Bad Name
I managed to catch The Wedding Singer at the Majestic this past Wednesday, and while my expectations for this Broadway Across America offering were low–the whole shebang looked like an excuse to make a buck–there were a few bright lights to be had, mostly in the casting. The musical itself–cobbled together from songs from the…
San Antonio Current “Best of 2008”
Documentaries are always fun so I thought I would spend the evening running around with my video camera. You may have seen me at some point throughout the night trying to balance the video camera and my drink and I may have spilled beer on a few people. If you were one of those people,…
Bordeño Protest?
Whenever we hear a protest is going down we’re usually on the scene, so when we received an email Tuesday afternoon about a possible protest at Francisco Delgado’s show Bordeño Chronicles at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México we couldn’t resist. Delgado is a well-known fronterizo artist (border artist) who calls El Paso and…
Toxic Water: No End in Sight
South Texas Opposes Pollution (STOP) and the Coastal Bend Sierra Club are sponsoring a teach-in on uranium mining in Kingsville on May 17. The course will be led by Dr. Richard Abitz (resume clip below), who has worked since the ’80s on problems related to hazardous and radioactive waste contamination. The stated course objective is…
On the Street
“High culture, low culture, and no culture all co-existing uneasily in another episode of On the Street. As always read at your own risk.” On the Street Fiesta came and went. And sadly, another week was spent trapped inside behind books. And yet the web-log goes on. As always, to the letters… Letters (to the…
You Give Love a Bad Name
I managed to catch The Wedding Singer at the Majestic this past Wednesday, and while my expectations for this Broadway Across America offering were low–the whole shebang looked like an excuse to make a buck–there were a few bright lights to be had, mostly in the casting. The musical itself–cobbled together from songs from the…
San Antonio Current “Best of 2008”
Documentaries are always fun so I thought I would spend the evening running around with my video camera. You may have seen me at some point throughout the night trying to balance the video camera and my drink and I may have spilled beer on a few people. If you were one of those people, I…
Lost in the Ozone
Today, you lowly respirators, is the first day of ozone season. Which means if you are an asthmatic, child/elder, or immune-compromised of any age, you have to start paying attention to the dusty skies each morning. Or you can dial in to the Metro Planning Org or multi-agency air quality reporting source, AirNow, for the…
Lost in the Ozone
Today, you lowly respirators, is the first day of ozone season. Which means if you are an asthmatic, child/elder, or immune-compromised of any age, you have to start paying attention to the dusty skies each morning. Or you can dial in to the Metro Planning Org or multi-agency air quality reporting source, AirNow, for the…
Blowing Trees
Blowing Trees Composer: Blowing Trees Conductor: Blowing Trees Label: Glassnote Records Release Date: 2008-04-30 Rated: NONE Media: CD Length: LP Format: Album Genre: Indie Rock San Antonio quartet Blowing Trees aim for that sweet spot between the arena-rock grandiosity of U2 and the insular intensity (and harmonic complexity) of Radiohead. While that might conjure Coldplay…
It’s A Shame About Ray
It’s A Shame About Ray Composer: Lemonheads Conductor: Lemonheads Label: Rhino-Atlantic Release Date: 2008-04-30 Rated: NONE Media: CD Length: LP Format: Album Genre: Power pop Why It’s a Shame About Ray is receiving an expanded collector’s edition now is anyone’s guess. The album was originally released in 1992, so we’re celebrating its 16th anniversary. In…
The Life Before Her Eyes
The Life Before Her Eyes Director: Vadim Perelman Screenwriter: Vadim Perelman Cast: Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood, Eva Amurri Release Date: 2008-04-30 Website: http://www.lifebeforehereyes.com/ Rated: PG-13 Genre: Drama If you concentrate very hard on the title of this film, you’ll be one step ahead of where Ukrainian director Vadim Perelman wants you. I didn’t. The…
Ian McFeron Band
Release Date: 2008-04-30 From soulful ballads to feet-movin’ grooves, Ian McFeron rocks the guitar and piano in addition to his vocals, joined in live performances by the Texas fiddle of Alisa Milner, the backbeat rhythms of Jon Markel, and Mark Bateman on the skins. The Seattle-based foursome effortlessly blends roots and Americana styles with acoustic…
Kid Koala w. DJ Jester
Release Date: 2008-04-30 Known as one of the fastest crab scratchers (breaking up a song to make that stuttering sound), Kid Koala earned his reputation opening for such acts as the Beastie Boys, Björk, and Radiohead. He’s released two full-length CDs that have defied expectations, using the turntable to tell forlorn love stories, parody silent…
Diana Chaloux FAME South Texas Championship & Fitness Expo
Release Date: 2008-04-30 Hosted by fitness professional Diana Chaloux, the day includes pro wrestling matches, fit mom and dad competitions, swimsuit and bodybuilding competitions, and a full-on power-team gym showcase. Natural health is the expo’s focus — featuring rock-climbing, obstacle courses, dance competitions, YMCA children’s activities, and more. Expo 9am-5pm, $10 general, Championship @ 7pm:…
2nd Annual Super Bad James Brown Birthday Fest w. Suzy Bravo & the Soul Revue, & JJ Lopez
Release Date: 2008-04-30 James Brown would have been 75 on May 3rd, and what better way to celebrate then with a super swingin’ soul bash? Supergroup Suzy Bravo & the Soul Revue will play homage to the late, great master of raw energy and pure funk by playing some of his hits, while KRTU’s Super…
Solar Fest
Release Date: 2008-04-30 San Antonio’s annual showcase of solar power and other renewable-energy technologies gives the community some bright ideas about sustainable living and green building. Solar vendors will be on hand with products and activities for the kids, while live music from Los #3 Dinners, Peacefield, and The Krayolas will rock a solar-powered stage.…
Blast From The Past Bicycle Fest
Release Date: 2008-04-30 They say don’t drink and drive, but who ever said don’t drink and bike? Kick off National Bicycle Month the right way by joining other cycling enthusiasts for great Blue Star brews. Don’t miss the all-ages bicycle rodeo, rides through the historic King William District and to Mission Concepción and San Jose,…
Deadbeat Darling, Johnny Goudie & the Little Champions, Alpha rev, & The Green
Release Date: 2008-04-30 Joseph King was a fixture on the Austin music scene for seven years with the band Canvas, but when he wanted to explore new rhythmic possibilities, he went to New York to do it. Deadbeat Darling, King’s current, Brooklyn-based band, excels at jagged, stutter-step, reggae-inflected material, such as “Brother Brother” and “Johnny,”…
Art At Our Doorstep Publication Party
Release Date: 2008-04-30 A San Antonio labor of love, Art at our Doorstep: San Antonio Writers + Artists, is a new book that celebrates its title’s subjects with works from luminaries such as the late Linda Pace, known for her mixed-media pieces (“Green Peace,” a collection of Astroturf and all things verde including high-heeled shoes…
The Woodzie
Release Date: 2008-04-30 Grab a tent, firewood, instruments, and some friends for the annual folk festival and campout party in New Braunfels. A flatbed trailer serves as a stage for headliner Jason Wilbur, while drum circles, campfires, and homemade food add to the festivities. Come for a day or the entire weekend — best of…
Go West for a full bar …and great food
Release Date: 2008-04-30 West Avenue Kitchen continues to be a surprise for three reasons, the first being food. For those who enjoy casual dining with excellent quality in the tradition of Liberty Bar and La Frite, West Avenue Kitchen must be added to that short list. In fact, based on my last two meals there,…
‘Baby’ shakes conventions
Baby Mama Director: Michael McCullers Screenwriter: Michael McCullers Cast: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Steve Martin, Greg Kinnear, Sigourney Weaver Release Date: 2008-04-30 Website: http://www.babymamamovie.net/ Rated: PG-13 Genre: Comedy Holy rusted metal, Steve Martin is funny again! I was starting to lose faith in humanity and the universe and 50-is-the-new-40 and all that other stuff you’re…
Comic-book blockbusters
The big comics-movie synergy of the moment is, of course, Iron Man — which boasts a pretty ass-kicking trailer, a star with bottomless charisma, and a director whose track record winds everywhere from storybook whimsy (Elf and Zathura) to Vegas sleaze (Swingers, which he wrote). So let’s hold our breath on that one, trust that…
Death and the chaplain
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 7-2 ruling, upheld the use of lethal injections and lifted a seven-month de-facto moratorium on the death-penalty procedure. The case was prompted by two death-row inmates in Kentucky, Ralph Baze and Clyde Bowling Jr., who charge that when the three-drug cocktail used in lethal injections is not…
Dear Uncle Mat
Here’s a story for you: I was at my friend’s birthday celebration a few weeks ago and we were out at a restaurant. Immediately, my friends spotted the only hot waiter and ogled him for a bit. They then decided that he was gay and had no further interest in him. So here’s where I…
Building character
First of all, congratulations, because it’s a wonderful movie, and it’s a wonderful role … As soon as I saw that you were `the lead`, it was like, “That’s great,” you know, “That’s awesome. I love that guy.” “They finally gave that guy something to do.” `Laughs.` Well, it’s true! It’s absolutely true, yes. But…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Your power symbol for the week is an ant carrying a potato chip. It means you’ll possess so much strength that you’ll be able to hold aloft burdens that are much bigger than you. More than that, Aries. You’ll look graceful doing it. And here’s the kicker. That giant load you…
CRITICAL Darling
Critical Darling didn’t want your “Finest Local Columnist” votes anyway. Tch, like I want to jump the shark. (Yeah, that was an Adrian Tomine “Tch,” and if you don’t know, well then you’re exactly where I was two months ago.) (It’s esoteric bullshit talk like that that keeps me decidedly trailing the finned beast, isn’t…
Rise of the pachinko machines
If Bill and Shirley Connolly ever invite you over to their home for an evening of wholesome family fun, don’t worry about brushing up on your vocabulary, pop-culture references, or hand-eye coordination. Chances are you won’t be playing Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit, or Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock while you’re there. Instead, the Connollys want…
Presidential debase
The intro was schmaltzy. The orchestral score, Survivor-esque. The graphics looked tacky and Charlie Gibson tried (unsuccessfully) to manage both folksiness and gravitas as ABC News treated its Pennsylvania debate like an old-fashioned prize-fight. By now it’s been widely reported that everyone except David Brooks — pundits, columnists, the average American TV watcher — considers…
Clothes-minded
Sunglasses have been associated with movie stars since the beginning of the film industry (although not as much for disguise as to rest the eyes after days working under the powerful arc lights needed on set). What better way to charge some glamour into your summer wardrobe? Protection from UV rays doesn’t hurt, either. Fred…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Readers: The paperback version of my book is out in stores now, cheap enough so that even a Guatemalan can afford it. Buy, por favor! Now, on to the preguntas … Dear Mexican: Consider the similarities between my people, the Celtic Scots, and yours, the Hispanic Mexicans. Both our people trace roots back to…
Wild pitch
Smart people recognize quickly when innovation — a word that’s loaded with marketing-speak the same way that Forgetting Sarah Marshall is loaded with penis jokes — leads to disaster. Coca-Cola shoved New Coke to the back burner within weeks of its tastebud-scarring release. Just last year, the NBA debuted a slick new basketball, then canned…
Aussie Shiraz
Here’s what we expected: big, gutsy, meaty, peppery wines that were almost meals in themselves. Here’s what we got: restrained aromas, modest fruit, more cherry than blackberry. The Omniboire panel had anticipated emerging from this tasting of Australian Shiraz — the “Rock of Gibraltar” of the Down Under wine industry — not only with purple…
Free Laptop- No Joke
The San Antonio Current is proud to announce it’s Spring Job Fair. Join the Current on May 16th at the Omni Colonnade (9821 Colonnade Blvd, SA, TX 78230) 10a-3pm. One lucky attendee will win a FREE LAPTOP! Come dressed to impress and meet with employers such as AFNI, Fiesta Texas, UPS, Demo’s Greek Food, Nurses…
Amuse-BOUCHE
New local food celeb: It may be time to add another royal head to the official Fiesta roster — a representative that shows we’re not only more culturally inclusive, but more species sensitive than this cow town gets credit for. This proposed queen even comes with her own sash: SA high-schooler Kelly Anderson, profiled last…
Last Words
When my dad turned to me one day to tell me that everything I saw would one day belong to me, I believed him. He told me this soon after I graduated high school. We were standing on the observation deck of the Tower of Americas, looking out over all of Texas, it seemed. I…
Madge vs. Mimi
Back in the mid-’90s, Madonna suggested to an interviewer that if she had to sing easy-listening ballads like Mariah Carey, she’d probably put a gun to her head. The statement, while basically just a bit of off-the-cuff, competitive snarkiness, reveals much about the two most successful female pop singers of all time. For one thing,…
THE SOUND & THE FURY
Saturday, May 3, offers at least three outstanding live-music options and enterprising souls could probably make it to at least two of them without too much strain: The Accidental Trio celebrates the release of their self-titled debut CD with a bash at Carmen’s de la Calle Cafe (720 E. Mistletoe Ave.). This virtuosic jazz group…
SHO time
During the early stages of Rubén Blades’ revolutionary and influential solo work (starting with Buscando América in 1984, the first of three unprecedented trombone-less salsa albums), pianist Oscar Hernández played a pivotal role. As pianist and musical director of Seis del Solar, the band Blades assembled, inspired by the notable Joe Cuba Sextet (or “Sextette”)…
ART CAPADES
The following is a recipe for a perfect art outing: • 10 panels (needed to create some trippy acrylic masterpieces) • Enough wood, metal, and paint to fill a decent-sized wall • A never-ending supply of storage boxes • 5 rolls of drywall tape • 1 mud pan (Additional ingredient: a soundtrack consisting of Justin…
CDs Nuts
Do It! Clinic (Domino) If only prescription behavioral drugs hadn’t replaced LSD as teenagers’ pharmaceutical of choice, Clinic might be bigger than Jesus. Fortunately for Clinic, their psychedellic fourth album seems less concerned with defining the sound of a generation than working through some kind of crazy instruments checklist. Everything from their signature harmonica to…
ARTIFACTS
Now that Fiesta has ended, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief and enter downtown without being met with blocked streets and $20 turkey legs. During the 10-day extravaganza, I managed to steer clear of high-fat food, stumbling drunks, and cascarones, but I was ambushed by something else. I first encountered it at the…
It’s for the birds …
Avenue A is a literary stretch of cracked asphalt, soaring cathedral greenery, and meditative river that ends in a majestic live oak towering over a keyhole cul-de-sac. I’ll go so far as to say that this unadorned quarter-mile, hiding in plain sight in the middle of San Antonio, is Faulkneresque. It’s worthy of a Southern…
CASA casts a Tosca lure
Whether you’re a chamber-ensemble groupie or a rock snob, this Sunday’s concert, “Bows and Arrows,” at Trinity University, featuring performances by the Tosca String Quartet, presents a juicy meeting ground for both. Composer S. Beth May hopes the performance of new works by members of the Composers Alliance of San Antonio will “bring a new…
Vader’s helmet appears in clouds of Amphigory and tears
Revitalization riddum New rhymes for we who will never meet a coral snake but still get snookered by the sharks in the SA developmental games? Green or yellow, you lucky fellow Red-on-black, you’re in for it, Jack The color-coded redevelopment charts created by the Downtown Alliance on display at Cavender Cadillac’s Broadway dealership showroom recently…
One in McMillian
Rodney McMillian’s installation, Untitled, currently on view at Artpace, is an invitation to a dialogue on time, institutions, and personal historical perspectives. Five graphically strong paintings stretch from floor to ceiling in intervals on the surrounding walls, with columns of old framed photos filling the spaces between. In the center of the room, a dilapidated…
Sound of the wrecking ball
It’s being called a “ground assault” in conservation circles. Historic properties around San Antonio are being lost in so-called “emergency” demolitions at a rate not seen in more than a decade — despite the creation of numerous historic and conservation districts meant to protect them. One of the most egregious examples of this regressive revival…
Bag ladies and gents
Whole Foods Market chose Earth Day 2008 to eliminate the plastic bag — that paragon of cradle-to-grave pollution — from its ledger. You can still take your groceries home in paper, but a better solution is to wait for the arrival of a new shipment of WF’s colorful recycled-bottle bags. At 99 cents they’re a…
Our Diets Killing Haitians
Until now, I had always thought vegetarianism was simply a health fad, or a strange attachment to cows. In light of the Haiti food riots, I’m starting to see things differently. Four impending crises are casting an ominous shadow on the globe today: world hunger, the depletion of fresh water resources, global warming, and disappearing…
Pentagon’s Message Multipliers
Another week, another outrage. Seventy-five former military officers “inserted” into mainstream media to be used as “message multipliers.” No wonder the world is an absolute mess. You didn’t get off your beer-stained sofa to throw a plutocracy-wrenching riot when the news broke. The New York Times made headway in its penance for reporting us into…
Bag ladies and gents
Whole Foods Market chose Earth Day 2008 to eliminate the plastic bag — that paragon of cradle-to-grave pollution — from its ledger. You can still take your groceries home in paper, but a better solution is to wait for the arrival of a new shipment of WF’s colorful recycled-bottle bags. At 99 cents they’re a…
Our Diets Killing Haitians
Until now, I had always thought vegetarianism was simply a health fad, or a strange attachment to cows. In light of the Haiti food riots, I’m starting to see things differently. Four impending crises are casting an ominous shadow on the globe today: world hunger, the depletion of fresh water resources, global warming, and disappearing…
Pentagon’s Message Multipliers
Another week, another outrage. Seventy-five former military officers “inserted” into mainstream media to be used as “message multipliers.” No wonder the world is an absolute mess. You didn’t get off your beer-stained sofa to throw a plutocracy-wrenching riot when the news broke. The New York Times made headway in its penance for reporting us into…
