Gayby’s Monday Musings
Just saying, “Top of the World” was still the No. 1 song, thirty-seven years ago, today. Moving on… Picture Me Rollin’ – The San Antonio Spurs dismantled the slumping New Orleans Hornets 109-84, on Sunday night, increasing their record to 17-3. Last night’s win tied the 2007-2008 Spurs for the best start through 20 games,…
Have a Merry Alternative Christmas
There’s no denying we are thick in the throes of the holiday season. But, before you ‘shop til you drop’ for those on your gift list, I’d like to wrap your head around some alternative gift suggestions. Gifts which are useful and unique; gifts that can change a person’s life; gifts that can make a…
Pentagon report: servicemembers want end to ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
I don’t know any gay soldiers personally (as far as I’m aware). I don’t come from a family with a military background (they’re mostly educators). My dad has never regailed me with war stories from Vietnam (he never got drafted). And I do not support war (I’m a pacifist). But despite these facts, despite having no personal connection to…
“Lilith Had to Leave” by Olivia Masters
Introduction This week’s story is about escape. Sometimes we can’t escape ourselves, and we live in a culture of escapism and consumerism as it is. Sometimes, like in “Lilith Had to Leave” by Olivia Masters, it’s enough just to get away from the travesties that life in a particular place has heaped upon us. Perhaps…
Interview: Ted Thomas
In the documentary film Walt & El Grupo, filmmaker Ted Thomas takes audiences back to 1941 when Walt Disney and a small group of animators and artists made a U.S. government-funded trip to South America as goodwill ambassadors. At the time, the U.S. hoped the visit would help foreign relations during WWII. Their trip, which…
Buteyko Method: a natural remedy for asthma?
“You should breathe through your mouth as much as you eat through your nose,” according to Robert Litman, a practitioner in the Buteyko Method, a form of breathing that has been shown to help reduce (and sometimes eliminate) symptoms of asthma. According to this method, which was developed by Russian physician Dr. Konstantin Pavlovich Buteyko, an…
‘Tis the season to buy things … like slapbands
Since it’s the season for demanding presents and everyone else is indiscriminately posting their wish lists in the form of “gift guides,” I figured it was time to follow suit.I sifted through all the “must-haves” and updates, searching for interesting things people would actually want to get. Why? Because I love you guys and don’t…
Don’t buy me these books! (A newsmonger holiday eco reading list)
I’ve been negotiating with myself for months now over how to review first one then another excellent appearing books beginning to line the bookstore shelves this season. But I’ve come up against a hard reality at the close of our Information Age: what tops my reading list day after day isn’t the product of our…
TSA agent accused of being a ‘tease’ by possible nude bomber
Many flights were delayed and JFK Airport was at a standstill after an unidentified man stripped himself nude and proceeded to re-enter the line at Airport Security. Ralph Hardy, a three year veteran of the TSA, was bewildered when the nude man kept pointing towards his crotch, gently nodding his head in approval. “It was…
Gregg and the Gang
Last month the Twig Book Shop hosted the release of Gregg Barrios’ newest book of poetry, La Causa. The collection of work is a powerful testament of the Chicano Movement. Barrios invited local literary and theater luminaries to read selections from La Causa, and his previous collection of poetry, Puro Rollo. In September, Barrios and…
Red Rocket the Vote
Rudy Gayby According to the U.S. Patent Office, December 1, 1885, is recognized as the first day Dr. Pepper was served. The crisp, refreshing beverage once hailed as “America’s Most Misunderstood Soft Drink.” Maybe I am just parched at the moment, but by that descriptive could one make the case that the San Antonio Spurs…
lonely boys cancel on san anto
From White Rabbit via Up All Night: “We regret to inform everyone, but Los Lonely Boys, as of today, have canceled their San Antonio show for Dec 3 @ The White Rabbit. Please get your refunds at the place you purchased them. Keep checking the white rabbit’s official website for future shows!”
Whole Lotta Latkes
As far as this writer is concerned, latkes, by whatever name, are welcome any time of year. But in the Jewish tradition, these designed-to-be-delectable potato pancakes are especially welcome during Hanukkah, December 1-9. You can of course make them yourself (we’ll talk about that later), but with two restaurant sources, Bohanan’s and Roaring Fork, vying…
Trinity’s KRTU 91.7 FM & The Carver present Anat Cohen
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2010-12-01 Since first picking up a clarinet at age 12, Tel Aviv-born Anat Cohen has emerged as a modern champion of the instrument. But as a student at Berklee College of Music, it was Cohen’s ease with the tenor sax that landed her in an eclectic array of bands: klezmer, Brazilian,…
9 To 5: The Musical
Release Date: 2010-12-01 Dolly Parton makes her debut as composer and lyricist with 9 to 5: The Musical — based on the 1980 film 9 to 5, which marked Parton’s debut as an actress. Gender stereotypes, office politics, and unforgettable dialogue (who can forget the “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” played by Dabney Coleman?) give…
Glamarama Lounge: The Legends Drag On
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2010-12-01 Not Rhode Island’s Senate Dean, John F. McBurney III. And not John McBurney, the lusty soldier “imprisoned” in a Confederate girls’ boarding school (played by Clint Eastwood in the 1971 film The Beguiled). But SA’s infinitely more fabulous incarnation ? costume designer, makeup artist, and drag performer John McBurney presents…
Handel’s Messiah
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2010-12-01 Divided into three parts (think Christmas, followed by resurrection/ascension, and finally the dreaded Book of Revelation) George Frideric Handel’s Messiah is considered one of the most popular works in Western choral literature. As legend has it, Handel, broke and depressed, wrote Messiah in 24 days while visiting the summer home…
Canine & Feline Christmas at North Star
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2010-12-01 What could be cuter than tricking your pet out in a designer outfit and dragging it to the mall to be photographed with Santa? As you may know, Santa has a lot on his plate right now, and we’re not talking about slice-and-bake cookies (he hates those, by the way).…
mr. Gnome
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2010-12-01 While “gnome” might now invoke cutesy images of Amelie and Travelocity commercials, trust that this drums-and-guitar duo has more in common with Mr. Bungle than David the Gnome. Describing Ohio-based mr. Gnome’s eclectic sound, singer Nicole Barille told our sister paper, the Cleveland Scene, “Someone said it was like I…
Art opening: James Castle BOOKS
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2010-12-01 Although deaf artist James Castle (1899-1977) was never able to demonstrate a “fully cogent understanding of written or spoken language,” he created drawings, books, collaged objects, and constructions using materials found in his family’s Garden Valley, Idaho, home, which doubled as the local post office and dry goods store. Castle…
Matthew Van Hellen
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2010-12-01 Transit, a brand-new cooperative art space and former mattress factory, provides aspiring contemporary artists with the shot at a fellowship and the resources to complete a month-long project. First up to bat is artist Matthew Van Hellen, who’ll show “non-objective pen drawings” at Transit. While not immediately obvious, a close…
9 To 5: The Musical
Release Date: 2010-12-01 Dolly Parton makes her debut as composer and lyricist with 9 to 5: The Musical — based on the 1980 film 9 to 5, which marked Parton’s debut as an actress. Gender stereotypes, office politics, and unforgettable dialogue (who can forget the “sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot” played by Dabney Coleman?) give…
New Orleans cuisine in the Texas Hill Country
Release Date: 2010-12-01 Mike’s in the Village, a mere mile off 281 on Farm-to-market Road 1863 (aka Bulverde Road), is far too good to remain a local secret. Mike Romano, a Louisiana native trained in culinary arts in New Orleans, relocated with his wife and four children to Bulverde and converted a one-time bowling alley into…
First Four EPs
First Four EPs Release Date: 2010-12-01 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording OFF! just might be your father’s punk band, newly formed in 2010. Original Black Flag and Circle Jerks lead singer Keith Morris heads this amalgamation of 1980s California punk rock, joined by guitarist Dimitri Coats of Burning Brides, bassist Steven McDonald of Red Kross and…
Senior
Senior Release Date: 2010-12-01 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording Compared to Junior, Röyksopp’s Senior reflects a walk in the woods — filled with murky layers and distorted dwellings that leave the listener deep in thought. According to Röyksopp’s website, the album builds on every track, each “equally important as its predecessor and successor.” The first track…
Delicacies
Delicacies Release Date: 2010-12-01 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording One must have an extensive palate in order to have an appetite for the Delicacies Simian Mobile Disco serves up. The techno-based album is filled with exotic landscapes and unusual patterns compared to their last release, Temporary Pleasure. The gelatinous beats and firm bass of “Aspic” set…
Art opening: We Are Not the Only Ones
Critic’s Pick Release Date: 2010-12-01 Works by Angel Axioma and Bora Lee artfully collide in We Are Not the Only Ones. While Axioma’s creative use of lighting, color, and hanging fixtures somehow relates to self-healing and introspection, Lee relies on stark lines ? frequently created by expanses of yarn ? to comment on femininity. Will…
Pearl’s first-ever tamale fest
The first-ever Tamales at Pearl celebration and competition takes place Saturday, December 11, noon to 7 p.m. Tamales! Musica! Dancers! Cerveza! Anticuchos! Empanadas! All on parade. And, guys and girls, admission is free! OK, enough exclamation points. (Did we mention the $1,000 cash purse?) The celebration promises to be exciting, in a family-friendly kinda way.…
New Orleans cuisine in the Texas Hill Country
Mike’s in the Village, a mere mile off 281 on Farm-to-market Road 1863 (aka Bulverde Road), is far too good to remain a local secret. Mike Romano, a Louisiana native trained in culinary arts in New Orleans, relocated with his wife and four children to Bulverde and converted a one-time bowling alley into an attractive, low-key…
Spuriosity
What do the San Antonio Spurs, New Jersey Nets, Sacramento Kings, and Toronto Raptors all have in common? Excluding the fact that Tony Massenburg (look him up) played on each of ’em, they’re four of the nine teams receiving an NBA-low three All-Star nominations for February’s 2011 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles. The NBA…
¡Ask A Mexican!
Dear Mexican, This güero downloaded the Arizona S.B. 1070 bill, did a search on the document for “Mexicans,” and did not come up with a single hit. What’s up with that? So, since you are such an acknowledged expert at pointing out Mexican-hating here in the American Southwest (your words, not mine), I thought that…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Physicist Stephen Hawking believes it would be dangerous to get in touch with extraterrestrial creatures. “If aliens visit us,” he says, “the outcome would be much as when Columbus landed in America, which didn’t turn out well for the Native Americans.” Those who’ve studied the teeming evidence for UFOs would say…
Ride this tornado
Before writing this piece, when the words “Los Lonely Boys” came up, I thought only of a bluesy pop trio of Richie Valenses doing Stevie Ray Vaughan impressions in music videos that look like they were shot in the ’90s. The Mexican-American trio’s songs are comprised of melody sugar and harmony codeine. Their playing is…
Mack Lindsay
Anytime a comic comes across as dark, heavy, or political they’re always accused of trying to be a “Bill Hicks.” Sometimes it’s accurate. Some comics are visibly copping Bill Hicks’ mannerisms, aggressively cultivating an air of danger to seem edgy (go to any open mic and look for the guy in the leather jacket). Then…
The Sound & The Fury
December isn’t traditionally known for its awesome music jams, but the month is off to a surprisingly robust start. By robust we mean Ghostland Observatory, Willie Nelson, Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys … We’re sorry, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but we’d rather direct our $27-$68 to any one or combination of these artists before shelling it out…
Bottle & Tap
Make it a double On Black Friday two years ago, bankers and North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce members cut a ribbon, ate pizza, and drank iced tea at Freetail Brewing Co. Iced-tea-sipping suits would seem an inauspicious start for such a venture, but this wasn’t the crowd Scott Metzger opened the place for. Only…
Sing me a story
For a two-man electro-funk outfit from Austin, Ghostland Observatory can be pretty galvanizing. Their simple approach tends to either set listeners to gnashing their teeth over its derivative nature or into a frenzy on the dance floor. Simple beats, cheesy synth hooks, and Aaron Behrens’ Prince-meets-Freddie Mercury voice are not built for serious consideration but…
Gettin’ Jiggy wit it
The Bar Tab has been meaning to investigate Jiggers for quite a while. Throughout 2010, appearances by Dick Wiggler and the Cattle Guards, ConvOi!, the In and Outlaws, and Spies Like Us were missed by, well, us. But finally, on October 30, we couldn’t take it any longer and hired a town car to take…
Live & local
Members of the dancy, psychedelic hardcore Reader downplayed the idea that they were playing a “reunion” show. (“It’s a ‘why the hell don’t we do it again because she `singer Miranda Mireles` is in town show,” said keyboardist/guitarist Joseph Caceres.) The band officially called it quits in 2007, partly because Mireles was struck by wanderlust…
Escalation in DREAM fight leads to 16 arrests
Dr. Joseph A. Huerta checks the vital signs of the two hunger-striking students settled in the hallway outside U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s office Monday night at Port San Antonio. After the blood-pressure cuff comes off, he has each stand on a scale. After 20 days of not eating, the students are shedding pounds fast.…
Music my mom does yoga to
Every time I go home to visit, I do yoga with my mom, a devoted practitioner of the Anusara style. She’s always playing crazy pop music while we practice, and it always works! She’ll be sharing her playlists with other yoga posers every other week. The next two columns cover soul music. This week is…
Through a latex lens
It’s always interesting to see what public servants will do when they’re on their way out. On October 3, District Court Judge Michael Peden, who retires from the bench at the end of the year, signed two injunctions aimed directly at how strip clubs conduct business. The judge’s injunction sought to ensure the clubs were…
Food fight
Rolando Briseño paints swirling depictions of traditional Aztec foods upon found napkins and urbane gingham tablecloths. Patterns of yellow mustard and hot dogs are lost beneath the superimposition of multicolored hands sharing a meal. Tabasco drips like blood from the canvas, telling a story of war profiteering and the shameless appropriation of a culture now…
SayTown Lowdown
With a steady flow of unlimited photons from above, solar energy is gradually merging into the CPS Energy generation portfolio in San Antonio. Barriers that have cropped up along the way have dissolved as information has spread and public commitment has grown. Initially, CPS Energy’s skepticism about solar energy limited the utility’s commitment. A few…
Sly game
Before Sucker Punch made its mark with the PS3 sandbox smash Infamous, it cut its teeth on the Sly Cooper trilogy featuring a George Clooney-cum-Robin Hood raccoon hero, plentiful dialogue and cinema, and slick cel-shaded graphics. Electronic Gaming Monthly, among other gaming pubs, consistently gave Sly high scores even though the series was lost in…
Cine File
Cinefile is a random reference guide to help explore the vast catalog of films available on Netflix instant viewing, with special emphasis on the interesting, the unusual, and the ones that got left behind. Here are two film noirs — Union Station (1950) and Brick (2005) — that couldn’t differ more from each other, yet…
Hardy har-har!
Tamara Drewe was her Dorset village’s ugly duckling when she left to make her mark in London. “There was always something desperate about Tamara Drewe,” says Nicholas Hardiment (Allam), a best-selling author of crime novels and the illustrious proprietor of Stonefield, a writers’ retreat adjoining Drewe’s mother’s property. Glen McCreavy (Camp), an American academic writing…
Last Train Home
If you think your holiday travel is tough, ponder what husband and wife Zhang Changhua and Chen Suqin endure to get home for Chinese New Year. Director Lixin Fan’s cameras capture teeming thousands jammed against barricades outside a train station, floods of people carrying suitcases streaming through corridors, and hundreds cramming themselves and their bags…
Fast Foodie
I wasn’t headed here, you have to believe me. My goal was to check out the progress of Urban Taco and Max’s Wine Dive in the Quarry Market, but neither was yet open (both should be by the time you read this), and, well, a guy gets hungry. So there was Five Guys, no more…
I’m Gonna Block Your Netflix!
The economy: it sucks right now. I have many friends who have canceled their cable and phone services so they could at least keep their Internet service on. The logic? With their high-speed Internet they can still access their news and video content and stay connected without the extra costs. This works. For now. Imagine,…
Hunger Strike, Day 20: 15 DREAM Act arrests at Senator Hutchison’s SA office
Hutchison refuses to pick up phone, landing hunger strikers in jail. Dr. Joseph A. Huerta checks the vital signs of the two hunger-striking students settled in the hallway outside U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s office Monday night at Port San Antonio. After the blood-pressure cuff comes off, he has each stand on a scale. After…
Mission Accomplished – Operation Homecooking
Ferg_e – A Mom On A Mission A few weeks ago I wrote about the 35th year of Operation Homecooking – allowing San Antonio area families the opportunity to share their Thanksgiving Day with basic trainees and servicemembers stationed at LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFNS). My family participated this year and it was AMAZING!…
