Aug 3-9, 2016

Aug 3-9, 2016 / Vol. 30 / No. 30

Tears of Joy: Why San Antonio Still Loves Emo

The more misunderstood genres of music. Take a quick trip to internet slang bible Urban Dictionary, known for savage user-submitted definitions, to understand why “emo,” even to some who still have feels for the genre, usually feels like a modern insult. There are the usual “emo kid” stereotypes: the weepy LiveJournal blog, a comb over of…

Why We Love (and Hate) Hatch Chile Season

As the temperatures of the long days of August start to rise, two things become immutably clear. One, summer is slowly but surely trying to murder each and every one of us in South Texas, and two, Hatch Chile Festival is upon us. Hailing from the Hatch Valley in New Mexico, the unique, unmistakable flavor…

Esperanza Workshop Helps Welcome Trans Kids Back to School

It’s back-to-school time once again, and parents are rushing to gather school supplies, uniforms and/or tuition for the coming school year. Additionally, some parents and guardians are having to take extra precautions this time around to ensure their transgender child is able to navigate school halls and bathrooms safely and affirmingly in light of transphobic…

Savage Love on Vacation

DEAR READERS: I’m on vacation for the next three weeks — but you won’t be reading old columns while I’m away. You’ll be getting a new column every week, all of them written by Dan Savage, none of them written by me. Dan Savage is a sports writer and the assistant director of digital content…

Free Will Astrology (8/10/16-8/16/16)

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Using scissors, snip off a strand of your hair. As you do, sing a beloved song with uplifting lyrics. Seal the hair in an envelope on which you have written the following: “I am attracting divine prods and unpredictable nudges that will enlighten me about a personal puzzle that I am…

Iconic Musical ‘Evita’ Takes the Woodlawn Stage This Friday

The Woodlawn brings Andrew Lloyd Webber’s award-winning musical Evita to its stage under the direction of Christopher Rodriguez and Josh Pepper. Controversially immortalized in a film starring Madonna in the title role, Evita chronicles the life of the charismatic first lady of Argentina, Eva Perón, who rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful voice…

Artist on Artist: Gary Sweeney Interviews Tim Hedgepeth

Tim Hedgepeth is an independent theater artist and a member of the drama faculty at Northwest Vista College. He is one busy person. Along with being the co-founder and artistic director of the Allegro Stage Company, he’s a guest director for an array of local theaters including The Playhouse, the Woodlawn Theatre and The Classic Theatre…

Zika File: Global Warming is Driving ‘Neglected’ Tropical Diseases Our Way

The deadliest creatures on the planet don’t consume their prey outright. They sip them. These stealthy meals are hardly felt at all—until the itch sets in. Then you know: Mosquito. Mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile, chikungunya, and Zika—strange-sounding and remote to most American ears—are given little attention until they rush our shores to puncture…

5 Ways Bahama Bucks Is Saving Us from the Hot, Hot Heat

“I’ve heard that if you have a brain freeze, the pain comes from the blood rushing back into your capillaries so if you just keep eating it, it won’t be as bad.” My partner-in-crime explained this one to me after a much-too-large bite of local Bahama Bucks owner’s, Laura Schwarz, favorite “Birthday Cake Bahama Mama…

Is the Lone Star Rail District Dead…Again?

After more than a decade of planning, efforts by the Lone Star Rail District to build a commuter train between San Antonio and Austin just keep dying. And this week, the chatter is that central Texas rail is dead. Again.  The Capitol Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, a Central Texas transportation planning body, on…

The Overtime Hosts World Premiere of Spooky Gay Comedy ‘Ghostbears’

While it champions Texas-bred productions, the wild and wacky Overtime Theater also stages offbeat works concocted by like-minded playwrights from across the nation. Given his track record fusing Goth culture, Netflix fandom and David Attenborough-inspired nature docs (Among the Squirrels), not to mention setting a Greek myth in a 1950s-era Arizona diner (Iphigenia in Kingman),…

Gallo Pizzeria Will Close This Week

Update on Wednesday, August 10 at 6:39 p.m.: Per owner Stephanie McMillan, Gallo Pizzeria will remain open for a few more weeks through early September when they’ll host a farewell party. We’ll keep you posted on a date for the last pizza bash.  Sad news, pizza lovers. Gallo Pizzeria (164 Castroville Road, 210-264-0077) will close…

10 Free Events Happening This Week

Wed 8/10 TED Talks: Education Revolution KLRN hosts a panel discussion and screening of a program featuring talks from educator Sal Khan, who examines the impact of online teaching, Victor Rios, who takes a deep dive into the problems of the school-to-prison pipeline, and Principal Nadia Lopez, whose middle school is in the most dangerous…

UT Joins State In Asking Court to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Campus Carry

The writing may be on the wall for three University of Texas-Austin professors who filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to allow them to ban concealed handguns in their classrooms. UT-Austin joined Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Monday in filing motions asking U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel to toss a lawsuit brought by professors…

Infant Dies from Zika-Related Complications in Texas

Officials in Harris County on Tuesday announced that an infant who died a few weeks ago succumbed to complications from the Zika virus. Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said during a press conference, which was live streamed by Kens5, that test results the county received back from the state last Friday confirmed that the infant is…

Rackspace Sells More Stuff, Avoids Talk of Sale During Investors Call

After a bunch of anonymously-attributed reports heralded Rackpace’s impending sale just before the weekend, all eyes were on the company’s second-quarter earnings call with investors and analysts Monday. The results: not bad, and potentially sign one of San Antonio’s first tech pioneers is staring to successfully shift its business model after rising competition from giants…

5 Rock Goddesses From the 90s

For every mainstream testosterone-fueled rock group in the 1990s, there were girls who rivaled the boys. Nirvana’s counterpart was Hole, Sublime was not unlike No Doubt, the Breeders were a spin on the Pixies and the Backstreet Boys competing with girl power concentrate, aka the Spice Girls. The once male dominated rock ‘n’ roll scene…

Get Political with Trevor Noah at the Tobin Center

The Tobin Center for the Performing Arts announced that it will present Trevor Noah on Friday, October 28, as a part of the stand-up comedian’s Lost in Translation tour. While the South African native is best known for succeeding Jon Stewart upon the Primetime Emmy Award winner’s departure from The Daily Show, a satirical news…

Democratic VP Nominee Tim Kaine to Talk Jobs and Raise Cash in Texas Tuesday

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine will be in Austin Tuesday touting presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s 100-day jobs plan and trying to raise cash for the campaign. The visit comes as the Clinton/Kaine ticket continues to ride a post-Democratic National Convention surge in the polls. Both Clinton and Kaine have been traveling the country since…

Enjoy Frozen Cocktails at these 9 SA Spots

I can think of 100 things I want to do instead of dealing with another 100-degree heat day. Spoiler alert: several of these involve booze. There are a few things more refreshing than frozen beverages. We’ve already dabbled in boozy slushies, and frozen moscato, but what if you’re not into breaking out the blender or…

Frankie Valli Serenades the Majestic Wednesday

At 82-years-old, Four Seasons icon Frankie Valli has certainly entered the autumn of his career. But like fall in San Antonio, the days are still hot. Long after Northern Soul hits like “Grease” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” Valli is still involved in major pop culture movements. With the 2005 Broadway hit Jersey Boys, Valli…

Melanie Martinez to Perform the Aztec Theatre October 26

Even though she’s not a household name yet, underground DIY pop singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez is poised to achieve the impossible: mainstream success. Not without pop culture exposure, Martinez starred (and was voted off) season three of The Voice, and her song “Carousel” was featured in a promo for American Horror Story: Freakshow. Not bad for a 21-year-old…

George P. Bush Swallows Bitter Pill, Endorses Donald Trump

A member of the Bush dynasty has finally endorsed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, but it’s far from a glowing endorsement. Texas General Land Office Commissioner George P. Bush said Saturday that Trump is a bitter pill for the Bush family to swallow, but urged Lone Star State Republicans to get behind the candidate, the…

Nina Diaz Rocks Limelight Tonight

Nina Diaz’s bandmates in Girl in a Coma just dropped a bad motherfucker of a Chicana punk record, but don’t think that the GiaC front woman has been slacking — she’s sitting pretty on some solo material recorded at the audiophile’s heaven of Sonic Ranch and her live band, which performs at Limelight tonight, is…

Ethics Review Board to Hear Complaint Against Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales

The City’s ethics review board will consider a complaint Thursday that accuses Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales of using her official Facebook page to promote Hillary Clinton and a candidate in a local judicial race. On June 3, Will McCleod filed the sworn complaint against Gonzales with the City Clerk’s office. “Shirley Gonzalez [sic] engaged in partisan…

Elvis Depressedly and the Dark Side of Summer Lovin’

You take side streets home from the sketchiest gas station in your area code with a pack of Zig-Zags crumpled in your fist. A red neon light falls on the back of your denim jacket as you walk. Your plastic earbuds vibrate in harmony with the strange loops of a droning chorus: “Always real, always…

Does ‘Annie Hall’ Defy Its Creepy Creator?

“Alvy, you’re incapable of enjoying life, you know that?” asks a waifish Diane Keaton behind the tortoiseshell frames of her sunglasses. “I mean, you’re like New York City. You’re just this person. You’re like this island unto yourself.” Taken aback, Alvy shuffles through verbiage, stifled by his “chronic Los Angeles nausea” upon revisiting his ex-lover…

Getting to Know Richard Aste, the McNay’s New Director

As previously reported, the McNay Art Museum has concluded its year-long effort to replace retiring director (of 25 years) William J. Chiego. In selecting Richard Aste — who comes to us with 15 years of curating experience from the Brooklyn Museum and the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Puerto Rico — the McNay has…

City Targets Two Troubled East Side Properties

The City of San Antonio this week took legal action to shut down two properties on the near East Side that authorities say are hot spots for drug use. News broke Friday that the Handy Stop, at 627 N. New Braunfels, will be forced to close its doors in October, the San Antonio Express-News reports.…

Tesla Might Finally Get a San Antonio Showroom

For the past couple years, Tesla Motors and San Antonio have been like two shy kids at a high school dance. There have been some attempts to foster a relationship, like when Tesla courted city officials in 2014 over a proposal to build an electric-battery factory here (Reno, Nevada, ended up getting it). The company has…

Get to Nectar Wine Bar on Tuesday for Wine-O Bingo

Nectar Wine Bar and Ale House is hosting a Bingo night with a wine theme that is only fitting for the adorable storefront that opened last year off of Broadway. The game night takes place Tuesdays at 7 p.m., and it involves a twist on your regular bingo card: fun prizes and tons of great…

Who Doesn’t Like Breweries, Honestly?

With the Lonestar Neighborhood Association and the city’s Zoning Commission behind them, San Antonio City Council today unanimously approved San Antonio Brewing Co. to proceed with the renovation of their 1,800-square-foot space. San Antonio Brewing Co., headed by local owner Vera Deckard, is scheduled to open the brewpub in November at 264 E. Lachapelle. Until…

Spurs Showdown Opens Olympic Hoops

Too fast for you @Patty_Mills! Don't even try! 😉Great to see out there bro! 🇦🇷🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/Y1tHHgMobX — Manu Ginobili (@manuginobili) July 27, 2016 Olympic basketball tips off this weekend in Rio, when Tony Parker’s French national team locks horns with Patty Mills and Australia’s Boomers. Joining their fellow Spurs in South America are Spaniard Pau Gasol, along with…

Aural Pleasure: DJ Khaled’s ‘Major Key’

DJ Khaled is hip-hop’s estranged uncle—no one is sure just what he does, but he comes back year after year with new friends and more money. On the new Major Key, his first record since achieving Snapchat meme status, the Miami “producer” only produced 5 of 14 tracks. He raps on exactly none, but yells…

How We Created a Downtown Hotel Mess

It’s a great time to be in the hotel business. In April, Smith Travel Research, the country’s leading hotel research firm, could report “74 months of continued growth” in national hotel demand, with business easily surpassing pre-recession levels. Major city markets have been setting records in terms of hotel occupancy and average rate. But not…

Reports: Rackspace Could Be Sold by End of Week

Multiple news reports Thursday afternoon made a Rackspace sale look imminent and temporarily halted trading of the San Antonio-based tech company.  Citing anonymous sources familiar with the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Rackspace is in “advanced talks with one or more private-equity firms” for a sale, perhaps as soon as by the…

Texas Regulators Fail Federal Dirty Bomb Investigation

All it took for federal investigators to obtain a license to acquire radioactive materials that can be used to build a dirty bomb was an unfurnished office in Dallas and a shell company.  The Center for Public Integrity on Thursday morning published a story detailing a secretive initiative undertaken by the Government Accountability Office to…

10 Shows to See This Weekend

Culture Club Thursday, August 4 “It’s a Miracle” that a band calling themselves Culture Club and meaning it — a band fronted by Boy George and featuring a lineup that looks almost as diverse as a genre gumbo like “Karma Chameleon” sounds — even made it to American airwaves in the uptight ’80s (hell, it’d…

First Thursday & Friday Preview: 7 Shows Not to Miss

Thu 8/4 – Fri 8/5 “Cordova’s Cabinet of Curiosities” As an independent curator, Ruben C. Cordova made a memorable statement in 2015 by staging a four-venue retrospective compiling nearly all 150 large-scale paintings in late Chicano artist Mel Casas’ epic Humanscapes series. Host to the earliest portion (dubbed “Sex and Cinema with Mel Casas, 1965-1968”),…

10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend

Thu 8/4 Culture Club “It’s a Miracle” that a band calling themselves Culture Club and meaning it — a band fronted by Boy George and featuring a lineup that looks almost as diverse as a genre gumbo like “Karma Chameleon” sounds — even made it to American airwaves in the uptight ’80s (hell, it’d be…

5 Brotherly Duos With a Passion for Old Fashioneds

“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother…” Thus spoke Henry V, in Shakespeare’s play of the same name, on the eve of the Battle of Agincourt; the “band of brothers” term has been appropriated multiple times since — so we’ll…

Is Woody Allen’s ‘Café Society’ worth the $10?

Writer/director Woody Allen takes us back to the 1930s in Café Society, and just as he did in Midnight In Paris, he remembers those bygone times with sun-soaked idyllic opulence and grandeur. There’s nary a word about the Great Depression or the upcoming world war, save for an offhand comment about Hitler. This is okay…

Power Ranger Says Texas Comicon Promoter Cheated Him Out of $1,300

The San Antonio man who starred as the Red Ranger in the 1990s sitcom Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is mad as hell at Texas Comicon promoter Kris Kidd. Steve Cardenas, who grew up in San Antonio, took to his social media accounts Tuesday, blasting Kidd for allegedly cheating him out of $1,300. “He cheated me…

Texas Elects First Independent in More Than Half a Century

The last time voters sent an independent to the Texas Legislature was more than half a century ago. This means that yesterday’s special election to temporarily fill the House District 120 seat, which was vacated when longtime local lawmaker Ruth Jones McClendon retired earlier this year, was an historic election with what appears to be remarkably…

Where to Eat Right Now: 12 Restaurants We Love

Botika 303 Pearl Pkwy., Suite 111, (210) 670-7684 botikapearl.com A little more than a year ago, San Antonio lost one of its first Pearl complex eateries, and the vacant space once occupied by Arcade Midtown Kitchen had its fair share of speculation swirling around it. Though even Geronimo Lopez had heard whispers of Tyson Cole’s…


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