Cover Story
The Staying Power Of Contemporary Art Month
Hard to believe something that’s been around for 30 years is still called “contemporary.” But Contemporary Art Month endures, turning March into an event-filled celebration of art being made in San Antonio with an emphasis on the innovative, experimental and edgy. “Not only is it amazing CAM is still around, it’s surprising it’s still so…
10 Things You Have To Do This Weekend
Thu 3/12 “One Way Trail” For this year’s incarnation of the annual Art in the Garden series, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum and the San Antonio Botanical Garden have enlisted celebrated multi-disciplinary artist, urban re-imaginer and Carnegie Mellon art professor Kim Beck. In her work Beck brings the stamp of the natural organism to synthetic…
10 Free Events Happening This Week
Wednesday, March 11 – Thursday, March 12 McNay’s Spring Break Family Days: Unwrapped Celebrate 60 years of modern art in San Antonio this Spring Break with three days of free art making activities along with a yoga tour, an Andy Warhol photo boothand a classic children’s performance by Ballet San Antonio. View the gifts given…
Food & Nightlife AMA On Wednesday, March 11
Food- and booze-lovers, I’ll be answering questions related to my job on Wednesday, March 11 at 11:45 a.m. on subreddit San Antonio food or reddit.com/r/sanantoniofood. Moderated by user StabAntonio, the AMA (or ask me anything) sesh will run 30 minutes to an hour depending on user response. This will be your chance to ask me…
Maverick Music Festival Announces Final Main Stage Lineup
Maverick Music Festival announced the final main stage lineup for their two-day gig on April 10-11. Surf rock heavyweights Wavves, indie R&B’s Son Lux, Austin pop-rockers Quiet Company, SA garage freaks The Bolos and SA indie-pop outfit Last Nighters will grace the big stage at La Villita. Already announced headliners include Cypress Hill, Cake, The Toadies,…
Congressman Joaquin Castro To Speak At Latino Town Hall About Same-Sex Marriage
Texas’ first same-sex marriage was last month. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Alabama’s gay marriage ban was unconstitutional and now plaintiffs in a Texas same-sex marriage case are urging an Louisiana-based federal appeals court to look east. In a panel Wednesday, Congressman Joaguin Castro will join Ernest Herrera, of the Mexican American Legal Defense and…
Lubbock Politician Wants Texas Police To Ask About Immigration Status
A Texas Senator from Lubbock wants to ban city ordinances that prevent police from asking people who are lawfully detained about their immigration status. State Sen. Charles Perry filed the “Show Me Your Papers Legislation” in January and it was scheduled for a hearing Monday, but there wasn’t enough notice given to the public so…
Palate Cleanser: SA Chefs Head to ATX, New Hours For Monty
We’ve got a few bites for you this afternoon: To start off, four San Anto chefs will make the drive to Austin and participate in this year’s “Live Fire!” event on Thursday, April 9 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at The Salt Lick Pavilion in Driftwood. Jason Dady (Jason Dady Restaurant Group), Diego Galicia and…
Deepak Chopra Comes To The Tobin On April 8
Deepak Chopra is a distinguished endocrinologist, writer, lecturer, alternative medicine advocate, new age spiritualist and friend of Oprah. He’s written more than 80 fiction and non-fiction books with titles like Quantum Healing, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, The Way of the Wizard and The Third Jesus. He’s hailed by some as a postmodern visionary,…
Big Hops Growler Stations Newest Location Now Open
This gross weather calls for a beer. Lucky for craft drinkers throughout the city, Big Hops Growler Station has opened its newest joint, “The Bridge” at 306 Austin St., Suite 100, inside the former home of Boneshakers. Much like its sister locations on Broadway, Huebner and Bulverde, The Bridge will operate from 3 p.m. to…
Matt Bonner’s Rock On Night Returns With Arrested Development
In addition to his career as a versatile off-the-bench big man, Spurs forward Matt Bonner holds a deep passion for indie rock. Each year, he puts on a charity hoops game with Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and last year, to celebrate his second ring, he threw a free concert in his home state of New Hampshire.…
5 Shows To See This Week
Monday, March 9 Waller Creek Vipers This week at Sam’s swing night, the Waller Creek Vipers play a soundtrack of classic ’40s juke box dance music, with Sarah Ulloa singing in a lovely, tinny voice on top. $10, 7pm, Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson, 223-2830 Tuesday, March 10 The Green Hawaiian reggae band The Green…
5 Things You Have To Do This Week
Monday, March 9 – Friday, March 13 Texas Frontier Week The Institute of Texan Cultures opens up its Back 40 outdoor learning area and invites guests to “spring into pioneer agriculture” with ranching and roping activities on “Maverick Monday” and gardening around an adobe house on “Tejano Tuesday.” $5-$8, 10am-3pm, through March 13, Institute of…
My Somewhat Satisfactory ‘Seven Minutes In Heaven’
It was dark out when I pulled up to the Fox Motel to check out the “Seven Minutes in Heaven” exhibit. I had to park in the mud and trudge my way over to the rooms in the sprinkling rain. Perfect, I thought. This weather is really setting the mood for the dirty, grimy stuff…
Three San Antonio Writers Elected To The Texas Institute Of Letters
The Texas Institute of Letters (TIL), a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Texas literature and recognizing literary achievement, elected three San Antonio writers for membership to the prestigious organization this week. Nan Cuba, Gregg Barrios and Bill Sibley join a distinguished group of Texas authors — including Cormac McCarthy, Dagoberto Gilb, Jan Jarboe Russell and Rick Riordan…
Exclusive: Ivy Taylor Proposes Office Of Diversity And Inclusion
After San Antonio amended its non-discrimination ordinance to include protections for gender identity and sexual orientation, the Alamo City was criticized for not having a concrete process to handle the disputes. To help centralize NDO complaints, Mayor Ivy Taylor announced a proposed Office of Diversity and Inclusion to handle complaints and work toward reaching resolutions…
‘The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel’ Builds On Successful Predecessor
John Madden’s sequel to the acclaimed The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, aptly named The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, doesn’t use its predecessor as a crutch. Armed with an abundance of renowned actors, strong direction and a talented screenwriter, Second Best stands on its own. Set in Jaipur, India, Second Best follows up with the…
Celebrate Alamo Beer Brewery Grand Opening All Weekend Long
This weekend is an exciting one for Alamo Beer. They are going to be having their Legendary Grand Opening Weekend celebration. You can go hang out, enjoy some great beer and enjoy food from food trucks that will be there all weekend long. [Slideshow: 20 Photos Of Friday’s Festivities At The Alamo Beer Grand Opening Weekend]…
Broaden Your Horizons And Visit A Mosque
In the age of social media, people are bombarded with assumptions and stereotypes about race, religion and sex through a never-ending stream of tweets, blogs, news stories and Facebook posts. But if people would just spend some time talking to their neighbors, those presumptions would shatter. The Muslim Children Education and Civic Center will provide…
Contemporary Art Month Brings A Downtown Piñata Takeover
Joy is coming to San Antonio in the form of papier-mâché and brightly colored tissue paper, courtesy of Shannon Gowen and Gabriela Santiago. These two local artists are the creators of Piñata Presence, an on-going public art project set to take place during Contemporary Art Month (CAM). Today, Gowen and Santiago will set-up the first of…
Reminder: 25th Annual International Woman’s Day March Is Saturday
Accordion queen Eva Ybarra will play at Travis Park following the 25th annual San Antonio International Woman’s Day March & Rally. The march’s theme is “Women Telling Our Stories,” and it begins at Plaza del Zacate at 10 in the morning. The first International Women’s Day happened in 1911 and was proposed by German activist…
Minorities Disproportionately Targeted By Texas Truancy Laws
An advocacy group that examined the Lone Star State’s truancy practices found that African-American and Hispanic students, economically disadvantaged children and students with disabilities were disproportionately harmed by Texas’ policies. According to Texas Appleseed, an Austin-based organization, more than twice the number of truancy cases — compared to all other states combined — were filed…
Uber Is Out: Company To Leave San Antonio Despite Revised Regulations
Update: Thursday, March 4, 2015, 3:30 p.m. Uber has issued a statement to the San Antonio Current: In one vote, the city has destroyed thousands of jobs and eliminated a safe transportation option. The city’s decision to ignore the will of 13,000 constituents who repeatedly urged the city to keep Uber in San Antonio is…
Pearl Adds Sunday Farmers Market Starting March 22
In case you can’t make it to the Pearl Farmers Market on Saturdays to pick up a few bags of produce, sniff a bar of homemade soap, show off you new puppy or entertain the kiddos on Cured’s front lawn, you’re in luck. After six years of operation, the Pearl Farmers Market is adding Sundays…
Paper Tiger (Former White Rabbit) Announces Free Opening Weekend
Paper Tiger just announced the venue name and debut weekend show for the March 20-22 opening of the building at 2410 N. St. Mary’s. Formerly known as the White Rabbit, the venue has been in transition for the past few months, returning with a stellar three-day gig of indie rock, punk and otherwise heavy music.…
4 More CAM Events To Attend This Weekend
Thursday, March 5 1st Annual CAM Dance at the Brick The first-ever CAM Dance will be held at Brick, directly following the CAM kick-off party at Blue Star. You may be thinking, “Cool, but what does a dance have to do with contemporary art?” Well, curators Chris Sauter and Mark Menjivar have managed to transform…
San Antonio Artist Bill FitzGibbons Launches Lone Star Art Alliance
Local art fans will likely connect the name Bill FitzGibbons with Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum (where he served as executive director from 2002 to 2013) and Light Channels (a computer-controlled LED installation that turns I-37 underpasses at Commerce and Houston streets into Technicolor experiences). Those who keep close tabs on the accomplished sculptor/public artist/curator…
CD-R Connoisseur: SA’s Bill Shute And His Experimental Label Kendra Steiner Editions
Maintain a low overhead. It’s a cardinal truth of small business that tops the text of most listicles on the subject. Keep a tight purse and growth can remain steady, hemostatic, whether the project is a coffee shop, car garage … or experimental music micro label. Since 2006, Bill Shute has run Kendra Steiner Editions…
Micro Missile Attack Is The Most Prolific SA Band You’ve Never Heard
Back in December, SA trio Micro Missile Attack dropped a musical cluster bomb, releasing three albums of highway-wandering rock ‘n’ roll in a day. Where most bands carefully promote, announce and release their music to ensure max exposure, Micro Missile Attack released its catalogue like a rapper casually unloading a mixtape. “We were just tired…
Renowned Author Goes Off Script In SA Book Tour Stop
Professional writing has come full circle for renowned poet and novelist Luis Alberto Urrea. Born to an American mother and a Mexican father, Urrea developed a deep understanding of border culture, having spent his formative years in Tijuana and San Diego. He has been prolific in putting pen to paper to portray that border culture…
After Coming Out as Transgender, Saakred Releases Powerful ‘Make Believe’
A bellwether of creativity and queer art in San Antonio, Saakred has stepped into new territory with Make Believe, a vision of taut and emotional rock ‘n’ roll. On previous releases like 2013’s Fli Hy and 2014’s Ballroom Sessions, Saakred dabbled in electronic treatises and one-on-one songwriter sessions. On Make Believe, backed by bassist Andy…
Flavor File: Bookish Bites, Kudos For Tobin Culinary Team And More Juice
The Last Word (229 E. Houston St., #10, 314-1285), has added high-end nibbles to its literary bar concept. The bites will be offered daily, from 4 to 10 p.m. and range from $2.25 for seasoned mixed nuts to $22 for a charcuterie board made using cured meats, cheeses, house-made pickles, a honeycomb, marinated olives and…
5 Shows To See During CAM’s First Weekend
Uniting San Antonio’s creative community since 1986, Contemporary Art Month kicks off another jam-packed March with a celebration at its birthplace in the Blue Star Arts Complex (free, 6-9 p.m. Thu, 1420 S. Alamo St.). Bookended by the crowning of Miss CAM Antonio (the top honor in a virtual pageant that plays out on CAM’s…
‘Leviathan’ Offers Scathing Critique Of Russian Corruption
“Everything is everyone’s fault.” Of the five foreign language films nominated for an Oscar this year, Leviathan is a rarity, a movie fueled by angry condemnation and sardonic contempt rather than poetic uplift or mournful reminiscence. You want to root for its success simply because it’s a cinematic voice of rebellion, daring its host country, and the…
Savage Love: Brief of Hearts
wife issues. lack of intimacy. cuckold, etc. need help While I typically encourage people to keep their questions brief, it is possible to be too brief, NH. But I’ve gotten so many questions from wannabe cuckolds with wife issues over the years that I’m going to hazard a series of guesses and take a shot…
Free Will Astrology, Week of March 2
ARIES (March 21-April 19): To depict what lay beyond the limits of the known world, medieval mapmakers sometimes drew pictures of dragons and sea serpents. Their images conveyed the sense that these territories were uncharted and perhaps risky to explore. There were no actual beasties out there, of course. I think it’s possible you’re facing…
Hotel Junkie: Do Big Boom Projects Help Average People In SA?
$41 million. $85 million. $518. The first figure is cost the city council recently approved for an array of improvements to the 21-year-old Alamodome. The second, as reported in the Express-News in November, is the projected “economic impact” from our hosting of the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament in 2018. The third? We’ll get to…
Los Cabriteros Adds Legitimacy To SA’s Cabrito Offerings
So, I didn’t order the cabecita. “You’d have to tie me down and force feed me,” claimed one particularly reluctant companion — usually quite game when it comes to these outings. The other guest, a State Department veteran with several postings in Mexico under her belt, was trying to be diplomatic regarding the goat’s head…
Groceries Meet Playful Plates At Tienda Centro America
After two years of living less than a mile away from Tienda Centro America, constantly driving by wondering why the place was stacked with more than a dozen cars on a daily basis, I finally decided to stop in. What secret were these folks in on? I had to find out what I had been…
Sancho’s Cantina & Cocina Is Well-Kept Secret – For Now
Good things come to those who wait and hang out while drinking a margarita. That’s the general vibe two weeks in at Sancho’s Cantina & Cocina, which is slowly rolling out its services, and that’s totally fine by me. Opened by Sam and Lisa Asvestas, the same entrepreneurial folks who brought us fish tacos, lamb…
Smoggy Outlook: Proposed EPA Air Quality Standards Could Spell Trouble For SA
San Antonio is in violation of the Clean Air Act and new standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency may cause the Alamo City to lose its current seal of approval. Confused? You’re not alone. “We’re in attainment and this is confusing,” said Brenda Williams, natural resources director for the Alamo Area Council of Governments.…
Thriving for Hope: SA’s LGBT Homeless Youth Find Shelter
Seven years ago, Lauryn Farris was part of a community group that met with Haven for Hope — before the 37-acre homeless campus opened — to advocate for inclusion of a LGBT youth shelter. After years of disappointment, those plans finally came to fruition last week when Thrive Youth Center finally obtained its own space,…
Portable, Potable Brews For Spring Break
Next week marks spring break for most public schools and universities in Texas. And with South Padre to the south, the many miles of the Guadalupe River available to the north and SXSW about to kick off, it’s an ideal time for carefree undergrads and beleaguered teachers alike to grip some brews. Safety first, of…
7 Ways To Get Your Drink/Grub On This Week
Wednesday, March 4: The Jason Dady Restaurant Group is bringing out the big guns as 10 of its female chefs team up for a Ladies Night Out multi-course dinner inside Tre Trattoria Alamo Heights. The evening kicks off with a reception and hors d’oeuvres, followed by five courses designed collectively by Catarina Paxton, Margeaux Alcorta,…
