The Wicked Stage takes Manhattan (again) to find a lesser Porgy
Last winter’s planned trip to NYC—and to “Spider-man 1.0”—was deep-sixed by the Great Blizzard of 2010, and I cried salty, salty tears as my flight limped back to San Antonio. This year, however, the theater gods smiled, and I took in four shows during the crowded holiday season. In order: Porgy and Bess. Last fall,…
My top three movies of 2011
1 – The Tree of Life (Dir. Terrence Malick) The best thing that happened in this horrible 2011 was the fact that Terrence Malick still doesn’t give a shit about box office results. Those who need to “understand” everything, who are into action, explosions, and special effects (the type of stuff that works well…
TechTease Top 2K11 highlights in music, media, and technology
(???) If you’re not totally over all of the year-end retrospectives…a few more highlights from 2011. The #SATX hashtag For a moment we almost lost our hometown Twitter category to South Austin, Texas tweets. Thankfully, San Antonio microbloggers out-tweeted the Austin based accounts enough to keep the #SATX hashtag homesliced. When you get a chance,…
Eric by Barry Huff
What a fitting way to usher in the new year: with it’s inevitable demise. Well at least with some hyperbolic social commentary, one of flash fiction’s many strengths. And as it turns out perhaps it does end with a whimper instead of a bang. Help make 2012 another watershed year for excellent stories: keep sending…
Recover from New Years Eve debauchery at the Quarry Farmers Market
One holiday weekend is done, and there’s one more to go. If you’re in town this New Years Eve, you’ll probably be in need of some healthy, wholesome food and drink come January 1. The Quarry Farmers Market is celebrating 2012 with virgin bloody marys, fresh juice, black-eyed pea soup and other nibbles. Now will…
Austin Songwriter Symposium Jan 5-8
The following is a schedule for the 2012 Austin Songwriter Symposium Jan 5 – 8. Registration is now open. Please go to austinsongwritersgroup.com for more info. THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2011 3:00 REGISTRATION OPEN SIGN UP FOR CONFERENCE PICK UP SCHEDULE AND WRIST BANDS SIGN UP FOR THE ONE ON ONE WITH THE PUBLISHER OF YOUR CHOICE…
(Some) People’s Choice: The Best in 2011 Music, Part 2
Chris Maddin (Blowing Trees) phoning in his selection of the best albums of 2011 Chris Maddin (Blowing Trees) 1. Radiohead, The King Of Limbs 2. Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues 3. M83, Hurry up, We’re Dreaming 4. Okkervil River, I Am Very Far 5. Coldplay, Mylo Xyloto 6. Drive, Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (VA) 7.…
Tom Slick, San Antonio’s original monster hunter
Throughout the years, the Alamo City has played host to some colorful and courageous personalities. Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and Theodore Roosevelt instantly come to mind. But perhaps the most flamboyant San Antonio figure was the celebrated millionaire and adventurer Tom Slick. Though he was born in Pennsylvania and raised in Oklahoma, it was while…
Local music makers on their favorite 2011 albums
OK, Current go-to contributor Adam Coronado verdict on the year’s best local albums went up online prior to the inking of this issue, and many of you already made your voices heard in the comments feed at sacurrent.com. But what do they think? What were our music makers listening to in 2011? We asked some…
2011’s best music, from yacht-rock to kick-ass driving tunes
1. Destroyer, Kaputt (Merge) It was agreed by pretty much everybody that 2010 pretty much sucked, and 2011 was going to be the year that things got better. That’s how I chose to see it, anyway. When Destroyer’s Kaputt dropped in January, I was instantly smitten with its polished ’80s soft-rock sensibilities and frontman Dan…
Kai’s more-than-serviceable sushi set to make waves
Fresh fish is the cornerstone of a successful Japanese sushi restaurant. While H-E-B sushi is surely serviceable in a pinch, sushi is best appreciated when it is handmade on the fly by a talented chef with quality ingredients. It is with this basic tenet in mind that I approached Kai Sushi, a new establishment located…
Recall: Our lost Lost Pines
Texas Trees, 385 million years Texas Tree, a member of the Plant kingdom, died aged 385 million after severe drought, high winds, and the largest wildfires in the state’s history swept the landscape. Trees had long served the need for shelter, lumber, and as nice natural areas to stroll meditatively through. Trees in Texas were…
Playing dress up
Jane By Design (8pm Tuesday, ABC Family) This new seriesis a wish-fulfillment fantasy for ordinary teen girls who think they just might wind up in the glamorous fashion industry one day. Jane (Erica Dasher) introduces herself as “a dateless high school zero” who’s taunted by the popular girls and ignored by her longtime crush. Oddly…
Recall: Texas vs EPA
As 2011 dawned, state leaders were openly refusing to abide by new nationwide greenhouse gas emissions standards. While the Environmental Protection Agency took over the process of permitting at new power plants, refineries, and other large industrial facilities, industry reps and many a GOP lawmaker decried the EPA’s so-called "war on Texas." Attorney General Greg…
Recall: Texas vs women
Jeffrey Hons, president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Trust of South Texas, says he refuses to turn the page on 2011 in anger, frustration, or disappointment. But it’s hard to see how that’s an option. In a concentrated wave of of anti-abortion sentiment, women’s health care and family planning in Texas took one in…
The Pinker Tones: Singles 2001-2011 + Amigos & Friends
Greatest hits/singles albums are rapidly losing worth in our iTunes world. By the time the Rihannas and Pitbulls release one, listeners have already built their own — .99 click by .99 click. Led by Mister Furia and Professor Manso, Barcelona’s alternative pop band The Pinker Tones’ plainly titled Singles 2001-2011 + Amigos & Friends is…
Spurs (promotions) comes busting out of the gate
It worked like clockwork last season. As the San Antonio Spurs came out of a fourth-quarter timeout, 2 Unlimited’s ubiquitous "Twilight Zone" would pound throughout the AT&T Center as a scoreboard barometer "measured" fans’ applause. On Monday night, the Spurs production team didn’t wait: the "Twilight Zone" beats started way early. After a stunning first…
Rock ’n’ roll ceiling tiles and pickle juice shots at Martini Ranch
My first exposure to Martini Ranch was a rowdy one. On Saturday, December 10, the West Avenue bar hosted a fundraising event for the Bexar County Roller Girls, which came complete with a live punk-rock soundtrack. A rambunctious crowd threw back pints of Lone Star like like it was their job. On special, these oversized…
Recall: (Maybe) discovered: the ‘God particle’
Judging by enthusiasm alone, the best movie of 2011 was the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises (12.5 million views in 24 hours, not too shabby). So it’s either reassuring or more troubling still to know that the biggest event in science, too, was a preview. In a scientific year characterized by glowing cats and…
Ray Charles: Singular Genius: The Complete ABC Singles
Even though his most influential and celebrated work was recorded for Atlantic a decade earlier, Ray Charles’ tenure with ABC Records in the 1960s and early ’70s yielded some terrific material, including the classic Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. This five-disc box gathers all 53 singles, both A- and B-sides, from his dozen…
Bunbury: Licenciado Cantinas
The seventh solo album by Spain’s Enrique Bunbury (former leader of Héroes del Silencio, a metal-Celtic band that sold millions throughout Europe and Latin America in the ’90s) continues Bunbury’s effort to turn himself into a "serious" singer-songwriter. This is his strongest album yet, but it is far from a masterpiece. The journey begins with…
Recall: Punishing drought just getting started in Texas
Natural weather cycles delivered the worst one-year drought in the historic record to Texas in 2011. Scientists examining tree rings had to go back as far as 1789 to find a worse one. It was global climate change, however, that supplied the added heat that further reduced precipitation and exacerbated an already ugly dryness into…
Recall: On the hateful rhetoric of 2011’s immigration debate
Civil unrest here and abroad, epic natural disasters, political entrenchment, the re-emergence of the McRib: 2011 yielded much at which we can reflect on with consternation. But for me — a first-generation Mexican-American — the anxiety-inducing development that resonated the most was the ever-cresting tide of anti-immigrant sentiment. There was Arizona’s SB 1465 barring state…
New Years resolution: Dont take fashion — or yourself — too seriously.
Photographs and fashion styling by Bryan Rindfuss. Hair and makeup by Angie Riojas with assistance from Ann Parsell Models: Erica Chiviló, Kaylee Gillaspie, and Lakeisha Zander, all from Lari Nelson Fashion and Talent Agency Shot on location at the Magic Time Machine A native of Colombia, Erica Chiviló, was raised in Italy and relocated to…
Even in a slow year for memorable cinema, there were some standouts in 2011
While it hasn’t necessarily been a stellar year in film (watching Adam Sandler, Martin Lawrence, and Tyler Perry in drag was enough to sideline the most intrepid moviegoer), there have been some diamonds in the rough. Enough, at least, to make slogging through 185 movies feel worth it. From a fuzzy red Muppet to the…
Radiohead: The Daily Mail/Staircase
Whether or not you were on board with The King of Limbs’ obtuse, electro-organic sound, there’s one thing pretty much any Radiohead fan can agree on: At just eight tracks that clock in under 38 minutes, it’s too damn short. Thankfully, Thom Yorke and co. have steadily been releasing b-sides, live versions and remixes of…
Best of Flash Fiction, December 2011
Life in chunks. Not the way we all see it all the time, but if you consider the structure of this piece with Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in mind, you may. Though the overall theme may seem bleak, there is a peacefulness to it. A mango-colored calm. Have a lovely winter break and thanks to everyone for…
Recall: Bright economy, dark places
We’re all grown up now that the Milken Institute named San Antonio "Best Performing City." We were among five in Texas that made the 2011 Top 10 list. Military base realignment, Eagle Ford shale production, and a robust health care sector were significant factors in San Antonio’s recovery from the Great Recession — and our…
Wine with words
Time Warner struck again the other day. I’ve been having problems, but this was a neighborhood-wide outage, taking with it the land line (no biggie), the computer (much more of an issue) and, of course, the TV. Which meant no CSI, no Law and Order SVU, no Criminal Minds, Zombieland, or Warehouse 13. What’s a…
Lobo ready to howl
Lobo ready to howl Pedernales Brewing Co., a Fredericksburg microbrewery five years in the making, opened its doors December 17 with a party and tanks full of their Lobo-branded beers. Specializing in German styles, the brewery expects to start making deliveries to area stores by the middle of January. Their very first delivery in the…
Recall: How sports-rich San Antonio could capitalize on fields of battle in 2012
During the Sweet Sixteen this past March, hordes of blue-shirted University of Kansas fans strutted along the River Walk like Midwestern Huns, having conquered the city for the second time in three years. In 2008 KU won the NCAA Championship here, and so San Antonio was becoming a common pilgrimage site. Then there was women’s…
Recall: Arts centers, museums have big construction projects on tap
Dozens of museums have closed across the country in the last four years. Many more have slashed staff, and new blockbuster shows have become a rarity as cultural institutions cling to their scarce resources in our down economy. This year the state Lege cut the budget of the Texas Commission on the Arts in half,…
Recall: Public schools waiting for Superman
This year the Texas Lege made massive cuts to public education. What are the effects here in San Antonio? According to Pascual Gonzalez, public information officer at Northside ISD, it’s the same everywhere you look. "Statewide what you find is less teachers, less resources, more students. Everyone’s class load increased because we aren’t hiring." NISD,…
Recall: How Steve Jobs even changed Mexicans with Guns
As is the case whenever someone dies, all Steve Jobs’ personal shortcomings were forgotten on October 5. The day that Apple’s co-founder and top brain succumbed to cancer at age 56 all most of us could remember was how Jobs revolutionized every single arena he entered. Apple II and Macintosh made computers accessible to all;…
Auden’s forever happy hour
Auden’s Kitchen’s generous all-day every-day happy-hour hours lean on well liquors that aren’t necessarily the ones you’d get at regular pricing, but the results are admirable regardless. Among the $5 trio of cocktails, you can disregard the blueberry mojito, but the cucumber martini (shaken with gin and muddled cuke) is light but good. The “España”…
Recall: Decade of Downtown, Year One
To be sure, downtown needs some love. The most recent U.S. Census data shows residents fled the city center in droves over the past decade. Housing’s scarce, storefronts sit empty, and a glut of downtown office space sits dejectedly on the market. To turn the urban core around, Mayor Julián Castro made the "Decade of…
The Current’s music editor picks his favorite sounds of 2011
Songwriting, execution, production, lyrics… It all counts when choosing the “best” anything on anyone’s list. But ultimately it all comes down to vibes. The following list is as flawed, incomplete, and subjective as anybody’s, but hey, what can I do? These are the albums, EPs, and artists that moved me. When I think of 2011,…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In North America, a farmer who grows wheat gets only five percent of the money earned by selling a loaf of bread made from his crop. When my band recorded an album for MCA, our contract called for us to receive just seven percent of the net profits. I encourage you…
The Adventures of Tintin
Fair warning: You’re reading the opinion of a die-hard, lifelong fan. Growing up, Tintin was my Indiana Jones. That said… Before Temple of Doom, Ninja Turtles, and Calvin and Hobbes, there were Hergé’s tenacious, cow-licked, ever-so-mildly-androgynous Belgian boy reporter and his intrepid white fox terrier. The classic comic series — first published in a Catholic…
¡ASK A MEXICAN!
Special best-of edición
Charlize Theron stands steadfast in uncomfortable dark comedy Young Adult
It’s taken screenwriter Diablo Cody (Showtime’s United States of Tara) a few years to get the memo, but in her latest film, Young Adult, it looks as if she’s started paying attention to some of the constructive criticism aimed straight at her hipster heart. Besides cutting back a bit on the forced pop-culture references, Cody…
2012 Predictions: Mayans, Trump, Bigfoot, Occupy, and beyond…
Jobs, the economy, doomsday… We need answers about the future and we need them now. What do the stars and spirits have to say about the coming year? Nothing! Stars are mostly gas, and ghosts are f’n dead. Either way they have more important shit to worry about then our trivial goin’s-on. I however have…
(Some) People’s Choice: Local players pick their favorite music of the year
Marcus Rubio’s intimidating new look for 2012. We asked some local key players (and that includes a couple of Current contributors) to send us their favorite albums of the year (local, national, international, full-lengths, EPs, or a mix of ’em all). Some sent one, some chose five, some chose 10, a few went national, while…
