Dec 17-23, 2014
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Blue Star Risen: Director Mary Heathcott Demonstrates Depth and Range
The foursome of exhibitions currently on view at Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum is the most cohesive set of shows I’ve seen there in a very long time. This is exciting for many reasons. For one, through this project the museum is heralding San Antonio as part of the greater Latin world in ways large…
10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend
Thu 1/8 Granito: How to Nail a Dictator With the forensic evidence captured in her 1983 documentary When the Mountains Tremble, filmmaker Pamela Yates helped a Spanish court find former general and dictator Efraín Ríos Montt guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity for the deaths of thousands of indigenous people during his reign between…
10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend
Wed 12/31 “Everybody’s Doin’ It” With a title that might recall adolescent peer pressure or (less likely) a 1911 Irving Berlin song about the dance craze of the early 20th century, FL!GHT Gallery’s end-of-year offering “Everybody’s Doin’ It” unites the intriguing trio of Lubbock-based artists/curators Jeff F. Wheeler and Maisie Marie Alford and underground legend/multitalented…
10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend
Thu 12/25 Spurs vs. Thunder Perhaps the second most enjoyable moment of last year’s championship run came in the Conference Finals when the Spurs finally vanquished the relentless Oklahoma City Thunder. After splitting the first four games, it was Cory Joseph’s emphatic dunk on Serge Ibaka in their last loss that sparked the Spurs anew.…
13 Songs to Put on Your Feliz Navidad Playlist
Bust out the buñuelos, tamales y regalos, porque es Navidad y Pancho Claus is on his way. Here’s a caliente playlist to keep things hoppin’ on Christmas. Guster, “¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?” Guster, perhaps best known as college rock favorite from the late 90’s/early 2000’s, play fantastic covers. (Their “Like a Prayer” cover is life-changing.)…
7 Ways to Get Your New Year’s Eve Drink/Grub on in San Antonio
Close out 2014 with a bang, a great dinner or a bitchin’ shindig. Here are a few quick suggestions for welcoming 2015 with open arms. Stella Public House (1414 S Alamo, (210) 277-7047) will host two seatings, slated for 7 and 9 p.m., for their three-course farm-to-table dinner. The $45 per person menu includes a…
FDA To Propose Lifting Lifetime Ban on Blood Donations From Gay Men
The Food and Drug Administration announced today it would lift a decades-old lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. Per the proposed rule change, gay and bisexual men who have not had sex within the previous year will be able to donate blood. In its statement, the FDA said it had “carefully examined and…
Alamo Drafthouse to Screen ‘The Interview’ After All
The Interview will be screened on Christmas after all. Tim League, founder of the Alamo Drafthouse movie chain, announced on Twitter this morning that Sony has authorized a Christmas release of the much-discussed film. The film will show at several independent theater chains, side-stepping the major national chains that initially scrapped their plans to release…
SA Special Elections: Who’s In? And What You Need to Know
As you celebrate the holidays this week with family and friends, don’t forget that we aren’t done with elections, San Antonio. Early voting to replace longtime San Antonio legislators at the Capitol begins Monday, December 29, with election falling on Tuesday, January 6, 2015. Candidates interested in replacing State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte and…
A Q&A with Jad Fair of Half Japanese
Jad Fair, the charming and spirited Austin-based front man of lo-fi alternative rock band Half Japanese, has just released a highly anticipated HJ album Overjoyed. It’s music in its purest form, untainted by pretentiousness with Fair always wearing his heart on his sleeve and singing about the simple joys in life, like monsters and love. Fair’s…
Report Finds Payday Lenders Illegally Criminalizing Borrowers
An investigation by Texas Appleseed, a statewide consumer advocate and legal assistance organization based in Austin, found that payday loan companies illegally filed criminal complaints against borrowers who can’t afford to pay back their loans, a practice banned by state law. According to Texas Appleseed, between January 2012 and May 2014, 13 payday loan businesses—which…
Sylvia Romo Out Of Senate Race To Replace Van de Putte
Less than a week after announcing she’d be running to replace Leticia Van de Putte in the Texas Senate, former Bexar County tax assessor Sylvia Romo told the San Antonio Express-News and Houston Chronicle that she’s out of the race. Two days announcing her candidacy, she admitted she doesn’t live in the Senate district she’d…
5 Free Events Happening This Week
Tuesday, December 23 Vi//ZiNE Relapse Party Launched in 2012, the hyper-local video magazine Vi//ZiNE showcases the music and skate scenes, visual artists and other “things going on in San Anto, Tejas, you may not know about.” In an effort to jump-start its forthcoming seventh edition, the DIY outfit takes over Bottom Bracket Social Club with…
Chef Off! Fundraiser Tonight for Late Culinary Industry Member Brandon Baynard
The culinary community is banding together this evening to raise funds for the family of Brandon Baynard, 36, a longtime member of the food scene. Baynard, a sales level II associate with Ace Mart Restaurant Supply who handled accounts for eateries on the Riverwalk, Blue Star Art Complex and Pearl Complex area, passed away this…
SXSW Lawsuit Recalls 2003 Santa Monica Farmer’s Market Tragedy
Last week, attorneys filed a lawsuit against SXSW festival organizers on behalf of Lizzy, the widow Steven Craenmehr who was killed at SXSW last March by accused errant and drunk driver Rashad Owens. Owens was fleeing police when he allegedly killed Craenmehr, Jamie West, Sandy Thuy Le and DeAndre Tatum, all of whom died from…
5 Things You Have to Do This Week
Monday, December 22 – Wednesday December 24 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical It just wouldn’t be Christmas without that animated special about a certain red-nosed reindeer. This season, forget the TV set as Rudolph’s coming to life onstage for his 50th anniversary. Cozy on up on the Island of Misfit Toys as the beloved…
IceJJFish’s Terrible Christmas Music Video Is a True Gift
I don’t know who was assigned to put a stop to the madness that is IceJJFish, but whoever they are, they are not doing their job. The terrible R&B rapper has released another terrible music video, this time for an ear-piercing Christmas song. It’s called “This Christmas,” and, no, it is not a cover of…
5 Ways to Get Your Drink/Grub On This Week
Friday, December 19: Branchline Brewing Co. takes over the taps at GS1221. Stop in, hear about their upcoming second anniversary party and mingle with other beer lovers for a chance to win passes to one of the party’s three sessions. Prices vary, 4:30-7pm, 1221 Broadway, (210) 251-3184, facebook.com/BranchlineBrewing. Saturday, December 20: Bonjour Biqui fashion takes over the…
Alamo Drafthouse Scraps Plans to Screen ‘Team America’ Instead of ‘The Interview’
The year draws to a truly bizarre close as the leaders of North Korea’s self-described “socialist state” continue to retaliate against Sony Pictures Entertainment for its production of The Interview, a political action-comedy starring James Franco and Seth Rogen that depicts Kim Jong-un’s assassination to the tune of Katy Perry’s “Firework.” November witnessed a series…
‘San Antonio Current’ Names Hernán Rozemberg as New Editor-in-Chief
Euclid Media Group, the parent company of the Current, has announced the appointment of veteran journalist Hernán Rozemberg as the new editor-in-chief for the San Antonio alt-weekly. Rozemberg will assume the helm of the Current’s editorial team beginning January 13, 2015. “Hernán is a beast,” said Current Publisher Michael Wagner. “We are fired up to start…
6 Shows to See This Weekend
Friday, December 19 Winter Fest ’Tis the season! And as we’re all a-bustle, anticipating the main event can leave us looking for opportunities to party off that seasonal anxiety. Friday’s Winter Fest can help with that. Plus, it’s a damn fine way to show returning Saytown ex-pats what badass music they’re missing out on the…
SA Rape Crisis Center Experiencing Long Wait Lists
For the first time since opening its doors nearly 40 years ago, San Antonio’s Rape Crisis Center has a wait list of almost 40 rape and sexual assault victims seeking counseling. And it’s not getting any shorter. Miriam Elizondo, one of the executive directors of the center, said her 19 counselors are seeing up to…
Texas Legislature Will Take up Police Body-camera Bill
Texas legislators will take up a bill next year that would provide grant funding to help Lone Star State police departments purchase body cameras. Under the proposal, to be eligible for the funds, police departments must have policy for the cameras that includes guidelines for activation, discontinuation of recording and guidelines for certain privacy situations…
The Plans for Hemisfair’s Civic Park Have Been Finalized
This Tuesday, December 16, HPARC released its finalized plans for Hemisfair’s upcoming Civic Park. HPARC’S placemaking plans to create an urban oasis in downtown San Antonio include a series of parks: Yanaguana Garden, Tower Park, and Hemisfair’s largest park, the currently nameless Civic Park which is set to open in 2018 after the demolition of…
10 Eggnog Recipes to Try This Christmas
Ah, eggnog. Nothing is quite as festive as this creamy, frothy classic made from milk, sugar, eggs, and a fair amount of booze if you’re looking to party. Here in America, we’re all about our eggnog. You could say eggnog is as American as George Washington. In fact, you could say old George invented the…
Rock ‘n’ Roll Lifer Phil Luna Transitions Styles with The Please Help
For the past couple decades, Phil Luna’s sandpaper voice and salt-and-pepper ‘do has been a staple of SA music, tearing up dives and music halls with various cuts of rowdy rock ‘n’ roll. With his new project, The Please Help, Luna looks to change that rude attitude, opting for an image of positivity. “All my…
Gregory Porter Brings ‘Liquid Spirit’ to the Carver
Which is more distinctive—Gregory Porter’s impeccable style or the rich, polished tone of his voice? In classic suits with vibrant handkerchief accents and a signature Kangol Spitfire hat over a stocking cap, Porter is a jovial and unmistakable sight. When he opens his mouth, a suave baritone hops up and down over the melody. Like…
Value Vino: The other big C’s
Here’s some good news: Champagne may actually increase brainpower. A recent study reveals that lab rats fed the equivalent of a glass per day “showed an improvement in spatial working memory, thanks to improved cell-cycle regulation in the cortex and hippocampus…” In humans, daily ingestion for six weeks “led to an improvement in memory.” If…
Cocktail Know-how: Brandy Alexander
Long before AMC’s hit drama Mad Men had people going crazy for it, the Brandy Alexander had cemented itself in American cocktail history. In fact, the Alexander has had quite a shelf life in our pop culture. In 1962’s Days of Wine and Roses, Jack Lemon’s love affair with booze is, in no small part,…
OPEN Pop-ups Inspire a Night Out on the Town
The holidays might mean buying loads of presents for loved ones, boozy mixers and twinkly lights, but we’re fans of multitasking. This December, locals and visitors alike can enjoy Downtown’s River Walk lights, get their holiday shopping done, take in a drink or two and support small businesses in one fell swoop. [Related: 20 Photos…
Cocktail Contest Deadline Extended and Holiday Events
Hold onto your flutes, coupes and such. This is a cocktail-driven Flavor File. To start us off, area bartenders, amateur and professional alike, have until midnight on Sunday, December 21 to turn in their original cocktail recipe for next year’s San Antonio Cocktail Conference cocktail competition, which wraps up the festivities on Sunday, January 18…
New Philanthropic Supper Club Kicks Off Sunday
Try not to judge Robbie Nowlin too harshly when you first meet him. We could call the six-foot four-inch chef (whose kitchen lineage includes The Lodge, The French Laundry, La Canarias and currently Citrus at Hotel Valencia, as head chef no less) with the ridiculous dimples a stud, but he knows that. He also knows…
Kung Fu Noodle’s Barebones Charm
It’s hard to get enthused by the looks of Kung Fu Noodle, but the aromas making their way from adjacent tables tell another story. I have to stress how, shall we say, efficient, the space is. Five wooden tables are lined up on either side of the narrow dining room, totaling 10. And these aren’t…
Mayoral Horse Race
Providing the homeless with adequate services and care has been a city priority for years, but as San Antonio continues to grow, government must strike a balance between promoting public safety while also working to decriminalize homelessness. After a recent ride-along with the San Antonio Police Department, mayoral candidate Mike Villarreal said relying on the…
Cityscrapes: Lands of the lost
Housing and neighborhood issues are never far from the headlines in San Antonio, and they are among the most important challenges that a new mayor and council will face after the May 2015 election. There are issues of development and land-use changes, like the closing of Main Avenue for the new near-downtown H-E-B store. There are…
Reaching Homeless Addicts Caught in the Criminal Justice System
Representatives from the San Antonio Police Department, San Antonio Municipal Court, Bexar County Probate Court, the Center for Health Care Services and Haven for Hope have been meeting for months to find a more civil, treatment-oriented solution for San Antonio’s persistently homeless and chemically dependent population. In an October investigation, the Current found that the…
SAPD Chief McManus Pitches Body Cameras to Council
City Council will decide early next year whether to provide the San Antonio Police Department downtown bike patrol and park police with 210 body cameras. According to outgoing SAPD Chief William McManus, they are the only two units with no video recorded oversight. After a six-month pilot program, in which the department tested 25 different…
Free Will Astrology, Week of December 15
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Too much happiness can make you unhappy,” reported journalist Marta Zaraska in The Washington Post. Citing research by psychologists, she concluded that being super-extra cheerful can make you selfish, gullible, and more prone to stereotyped thinking. On the other hand, she said, maintaining merely moderate levels of happiness is pretty damn…
Savage Love: At the Neptune
We just did a live taping of the Savage Lovecast at Seattle’s Neptune Theatre. Audience members submitted more questions—anonymously, on index cards—than we could possibly answer during the Q&A segment of the show. So I’m answering some of the questions we didn’t get to in this week’s column. Here we go: My partner really wants…
Steve Carell Is Flawlessly Creepy in ‘Foxcatcher’
Let’s get this in ink: Foxcatcher is not a sports movie. Yes, it follows the careers of brothers and Olympic wrestlers Mark and David Schultz (Channing Tatum and the quietly brilliant Mark Ruffalo) as they interact with billionaire creep John Eleuthère Du Pont (Steve Carell). And yes, Channing Tatum dons a strongman leotard for about…
