Obama-mania
Have you jumped on the political bandwagon yet? If so, and if Obama’s your candidate, go check out Thursday’s silk screening party down at Ruta Maya, info below: COME to a fun and funky gathering of artists in support of Barack Obama where you can: CHANGE YOUR SHIRT! Bring a T-shirt and the amazing Cruz…
The Snook Book
The Grade Book, post #2: Dress down dos I used to have a friend who would ask me for the recipes for desserts she’d tried at my house. “That coconut cake was fantastic,” she’d say. “Can you tell me how to make it?” I’d give her the step-by-step instructions, a detailed ingredient list, and helpful…
Obama-mania
Have you jumped on the political bandwagon yet? If so, and if Obama’s your candidate, go check out Thursday’s silk screening party down at Ruta Maya, info below: COME to a fun and funky gathering of artists in support of Barack Obama where you can: CHANGE YOUR SHIRT! Bring a T-shirt and the amazing Cruz…
The Snook Book
The Grade Book, post #2: Dress down dos I used to have a friend who would ask me for the recipes for desserts she’d tried at my house. “That coconut cake was fantastic,” she’d say. “Can you tell me how to make it?” I’d give her the step-by-step instructions, a detailed ingredient list, and helpful…
Real retail therapy
I’d been meaning to stop in Florame, the aromatherapy and skincare shop on Broadway, for months, but it’s so easy to zip by the turn-in for that little strip center just north of Hildebrand. It’s well-worth the turnaround, though. During my lost years in Austin, I worked on and off at an aromatherapy shop called…
Real retail therapy
I’d been meaning to stop in Florame, the aromatherapy and skincare shop on Broadway, for months, but it’s so easy to zip by the turn-in for that little strip center just north of Hildebrand. It’s well-worth the turnaround, though. During my lost years in Austin, I worked on and off at an aromatherapy shop called…
On the Street
Letters (Sent to the OTS Penthouse Suite) With success comes a price. For all the “awards” we’ve won with On the Street, it makes sense that sooner or later it would get back to Africa. And the Isle of Wales. Here is the first letter that came in this week… Exhibit A – The Case…
Put on a happy face
The City of San Antonio says it plans to rewrite the portions of the City Parade Ordinance Judge Xavier Rodriguez labeled unconstitutional yesterday as early as the first part of March. Council passed the new ordinance in late November, and the San Antonio Free Speech Coalition immediately filed a lawsuit objecting to several provisions, including…
On the Street
Letters (Sent to the OTS Penthouse Suite) With success comes a price. For all the “awards” we’ve won with On the Street, it makes sense that sooner or later it would get back to Africa. And the Isle of Wales. Here is the first letter that came in this week… Exhibit A – The Case…
Put on a happy face
The City of San Antonio says it plans to rewrite the portions of the City Parade Ordinance Judge Xavier Rodriguez labeled unconstitutional yesterday as early as the first part of March. Council passed the new ordinance in late November, and the San Antonio Free Speech Coalition immediately filed a lawsuit objecting to several provisions, including…
There Will Be Heckling
1) Come one, come all, to SAMA on Sunday, March 2 at 1 and 3 p.m., for performances of The Complete Fragments of Menander, an edu-tainment play written and directed by the Current’s very own theater critic, Willy Razavi. And if you think that’s shameless self-promotion, get a load of this: I’m also going to…
Big Tex testing underway
It’s a winter afternoon in San Antonio (which is to say it’s 82 degrees and blindlingly sunny). The light glints off the windowpanes of the restored King William mansions across the river, and makes it difficult to look square on at the EPA contractors in their white suits and yellow booties. Eric Delgado, EPA on-scene coordinator…
Round one to the public
Round one in the fight between Esperanza and the City over the new Parade Ordinance goes to Esperanza and the San Antonio Free Speech Coalition. The groups claim that the ordinance, passed in late November by council, is unconstitutional because, among other offenses, it allows the chief of police to discriminate against groups based on…
There Will Be Heckling
1) Come one, come all, to SAMA on Sunday, March 2 at 1 and 3 p.m., for performances of The Complete Fragments of Menander, an edu-tainment play written and directed by the Current’s very own theater critic, Willy Razavi. And if you think that’s shameless self-promotion, get a load of this: I’m also going to…
Big Tex testing underway
It’s a winter afternoon in San Antonio (which is to say it’s 82 degrees and blindlingly sunny). The light glints off the windowpanes of the restored King William mansions across the river, and makes it difficult to look square on at the EPA contractors in their white suits and yellow booties. Eric Delgado, EPA on-scene…
Round one to the public
Round one in the fight between Esperanza and the City over the new Parade Ordinance goes to Esperanza and the San Antonio Free Speech Coalition. The groups claim that the ordinance, passed in late November by council, is unconstitutional because, among other offenses, it allows the chief of police to discriminate against groups based on…
It’s always better to look good
Caramel (Sukkar banat) Director: Nadine Labaki Screenwriter: Nadine Labaki Cast: Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Elmasri, Joanna Moukarzel, Gisele Aouad, Adel Karam Release Date: 2008-02-20 Music Score: Mreyte Ya Mreyte Rated: PG Genre: Romantic Comedy If you get your legs waxed in Lebanon, the salon attendant will coat your skin in caramel — molten sugar heated to…
Ernesto’s Bday Bash feat. Local 782 Showcase: Pop Pistol, Kick It!, Ledaswan, & Dance Like Robots
Release Date: 2008-02-20 Rock out at a concert fronted by women for women, benefitting the Battered Women and Children’s Center of Bexar County. On the bill are local bands Ledaswan, playing their dreamy blend of folk and pop, Kick It!, a punk/dance rock band known for their infectious dance grooves and high-energy shows, Elevision, sporting…
Texas/Americana Night w.The Jackson Taylor Band & special guest The Devil’s Hollow Trio
Release Date: 2008-02-20 Jackson’s lyrics paint pictures of passion and joy as much as sorrow and disappointment; he sings of heaven and hell, beauty and grit all rolled into one. Taylor continues to break the rules of traditional country with straightforward lyrics, his take it or leave it approach, intense live performances, and the determination…
Her Name is Sabine (France)
Release Date: 2008-02-20 Through personal footage filmed over a period of 25 years, this documentary explores the endearing personality of Sabine, a 38-year-old autistic woman, filmed by her sister, the famous French actress Sandrine Bonnaire. After a tragic five-year stay in a psychiatric hospital, Sabine finds a new lease on life in a home with…
Chris “Kid” Reid
Release Date: 2008-02-20 Comedy and party are rolled into one when Christopher “Kid” Reid — of Kid ’n Play, House Party, and Class Act fame — delivers his unique brand of humor for one night only. Once a month, Comedy Pachanga showcases large name acts in an intimate setting on the Luna stage. Rounding out…
Davie Allan & The Arrows w. guests 3 Balls of Fire
Release Date: 2008-02-20 A pioneer of the contemporary rock instrumental world, Davie Allan has been touted as the bridge between Link Wray’s late-50s rumblin’ rockabilly powerchords and Jimi Hendrix’s technical psychedelic sounds. Labeled the King of Fuzz, Allen has recorded some of the defining soundtracks of the 60’s biker and hot rod film era including…
Emery, Mayday Parade, As Cities Burn, Pierce the Veil, & Cry the Afflicted
Release Date: 2008-02-20 Having built a solid fan base in the underground Southern California music scene that birthed Blink-182 and Pinback, Pierce the Veil has been making waves in mainstream arenas with their unique brand of vicious rock. The Equal Vision artists support a bill headlined by Seattle’s Emery, known for screamo rock that’s worth…
Joe Buck Yourself
Release Date: 2008-02-20 This renowned guitarist of The Legendary Shack Shakers wants you to Joe Buck Yourself. Known as Hank III’s villainous sideman in the hellbilly world, Joe Buck is infamous for his snarling upright-bass playing, crazy stage antics, and I-don’t-give-a-shit attitude. The one-man band has earned a bona-fide evil reputation — the unique blend…
Devil’s Hollow Trio
Release Date: 2008-02-20 Jackson’s lyrics paint pictures of passion and joy as much as sorrow and disappointment; he sings of heaven and hell, beauty and grit all rolled into one. Taylor continues to break the rules of traditional country with straightforward lyrics, his take it or leave it approach, intense live performances, and the determination…
Blowing Trees, Noise Revival Orchestra, & Marcus Rubio
Release Date: 2008-02-20 Rock out at a concert fronted by women for women, benefitting the Battered Women and Children’s Center of Bexar County. On the bill are local bands Ledaswan, playing their dreamy blend of folk and pop, Kick It!, a punk/dance rock band known for their infectious dance grooves and high-energy shows, Elevision, sporting…
Haus Cooking
Magnolia’s fare is copious, homey, and satisfying
Posh nights
Release Date: 2008-02-20 Upon inspection of Posh Ultra Lounge’s MySpace page, I felt unprepared. Mini-skirt clad girls with martinis in hand? I didn’t seem to fit the clientele. However, when a friend and I decided to drop in for Tuesday Jazz night, we were in for a surprise — no minis in sight. In fact,…
Of analogies and Alpha Dogs
Charlie Bartlett Director: John Poll Screenwriter: John Poll Cast: Anton Yelchin, Robert Downey Jr., Hope Davis, Kat Dennings, Tyler Hilton Release Date: 2008-02-20 Studio: Empire Movies Rated: R Genre: Comedy Last I saw Anton Yelchin — the wiry, bright-eyed, compulsively likable youngster tasked with carrying John Poll’s feature debut Charlie Bartlett — he was serving…
Amuse-BOUCHE
Readers, we feel the pain of your inner critic: so many great taco joints to recommend, too few well-trained waiters, the San Antonio “sorry, we’re out of something really basic” disease spreading like this winter’s flu. Channel the joy and frustration of eating out into our all-new readers’ comments and ratings, which we just added…
Coal plants may fuel autism
In 2005, Texas coal plants, refineries, and cement companies released 43,000 pounds of toxic mercury and mercury compounds into the air, land, and waters of our state — a 10,700-pound increase over 2000 levels. During this period, scientific evidence linking mercury exposure with neurological problems in fetal development was increasing even more dramatically. This month,…
Let them eat cupcake
“I think my grandpa would like chocolate,” proclaims 4-year-old Rita Seringer as she and her little sister press their faces against the bakery’s display case in search of the perfect cupcake for their pappy’s birthday party. Kate-Frost Feild, owner of Kate’s Frosting, a cupcake-exclusive store north of downtown, smiles at her young customers as their…
Montford: Itching for career no. 9
Does John T. Montford have ADD? Former State Senator John T. Montford has been restless for many years. “John T. Montford has had eight careers,” reads his bio. “A Marine officer, practicing attorney, small-business owner, elected District Attorney, member of the Texas Senate for 14 years, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, President Pro Tem…
Posh nights
Upon inspection of Posh Ultra Lounge’s MySpace page, I felt unprepared. Mini-skirt clad girls with martinis in hand? I didn’t seem to fit the clientele. However, when a friend and I decided to drop in for Tuesday Jazz night, we were in for a surprise — no minis in sight. In fact, we happened to…
Hillary: Up close and impersonal?
Whatever a flagging campaign looks like, it surely bears no resemblance to the wave of adulation Hillary Clinton stirred in San Antonio last week. It’s always dangerous to read too much into election-year crowds, but Clinton’s February 13 appearance at St. Mary’s University’s Bill Greehey Arena seemed to contradict several tenets of current conventional wisdom:…
To Sir, with Love: Your Land Commissioner, locked and e-loaded
Download PDF version here
Border wall ballads: installment no. 1
Current staff writer Greg Harman checks in from the border this week, where he is working on a series about the proposed border wall and the communities, individuals, and ecosystems it will impact. Keep track of his blog posts here and at murodelodio.wordpress.com, and watch for next week’s cover story in the Current. And while you’re…
Diffident diva
Joan Carroll has been singing professionally for 30 years, but she’s still not sure why she does it. Shy and self-effacing by nature, Carroll demonstrates none of the exhibitionist impulses that compel performers to jump on stage. Even after countless gigs and plaudits from the likes of legendary bandleader Terry Gibbs (father of former San…
You say toe-may-toe, I say toe-mah-toe
After our press deadline yesterday, the Current got its mits on actual numbers from a poll conducted, we’re told, for folks in the rental-car industry who were contemplating a media campaign opposing the visitor-tax extension that will appear on this May’s ballot in the guise of four major projects: • $110 million to remake the…
THE SOUND & THE FURY
Local favorite Ernest Gonzales wears many hats: educator, creative DJ, innovative electronic-music producer, record-label entrepreneur (Exponential Records), and unabashed, crush-a-lot blogger. On Saturday, February 23, he’ll add pajama-party host to this formidable list. Gonzales has organized a Pajama Party gig at Ruta Maya (107 E. Martin) in which attendees will pay a $5 cover, but…
LOVE & indepenDANCE reigns
I wasn’t sure what to expect this past Sunday when I entered Candlelight Coffeehouse for the annual LOVE & indepenDANCE brunch. But I knew I was in for a treat — if Gene Elder’s energetic email correspondence was any indication, this afternoon was going to be unlike any other. Co-founder Kitty Williams filled me in…
‘Popular’ science
Nada Surf, New York’s indie-rock pearls, released their newest album, Lucky, earlier this month on Barsuk Records. A testament to endurance and hope, Lucky is a conversation with a close friend when catching up feels the best. Twelve years after the song “Popular” briefly gave them MTV popularity, the veteran trio is reaching a smaller,…
ARTIFACTS
Last Monday, the poetry community lost one of their own — raúlrsalinas. raúlrsalinas was San Antonio-born, but drifted across the U.S., Austin was his final resting place. He lived a rough life. Being jailed in California for 15 years set the stage for his life of dedication to social issues. He took up writing while…
CDs Nuts
The Bedlam in Goliath The Mars Volta (UMVD) Not only have the guys created the missing link between Yes and Donna Summer with their fourth album, they’ve somehow thought up a concept even more ridiculous than usual, one guaranteed to ruin your pants. If the vague idea of a cursed Ouija board doesn’t scare you…
Children of the opera
If you could get inside the head of the average school kid, what would you find about opera? Fat-lady clichés topped with horns and singing at the top of their lungs for hours? Or would you find a little opera buff pining for a heroine, cheering for a hero, laughing at the jokes, and enjoying…
Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings) If Paul Simon’s Graceland met The Strokes’ Is This It at a Columbia University music-appreciation class, fell in love, and had a baby — and that baby’s godparents were Ladysmith Black Mambazo and David Byrne — the little tyke would probably grow up to be Vampire Weekend’s much-blogged-about, self-titled…
Overtime Theater doesn’t ‘Choke’
Overtime Theater, a San Antonio haven for new drama, adapts America’s indigenous genre for the stage in a romp called Sob! Choke! … Love! By adapt, I mean it performs 1960s and ’70s romance comics word for word, from the first sexual innuendo to the last un-PC punch line. Sob! Choke! … Love! is a…
Spice Girls Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits Spice Girls (Virgin) Q: Which Spice Girl is currently nicknamed “Old Spice”? A: Which one isn’t? Haw! No, seriously. I’ll tell you what you want, what you really, really want. To go beyond partisan pop prejudices and give these soccer moms their due! Forget that they provided Simon Fuller a power base to…
Happily never after
Art is like coffee in that once you get a taste of a blend you like, it’s hard to go back to the freeze-dried, generic canned stuff our parents used to stock. I try not to play favorites on the local art scene, but I’ll admit that Unit B tends to brew shows to my…
MyToons, our toons
The elephant is eating and shitting at an alarming rate. Not to be crass, but there isn’t a whole lot more than that going on here, and there are few ways to say it. It’s impressive, actually — and more than a little hypnotic. The westernmost end of the animal describes an undulating grey proboscis,…
A little ink goes a long way
In Douglas Billian’s world there are two kinds of tattoo artists: the rock stars and the non-rock stars. You can find Billian in the latter category, but this is a good thing. He doesn’t have a huge ego; he respects his lady; he’s super humble … and he’s only been in the tattoo business for…
CRITICAL Darling
Ugh — New York Times writer David Carr asserted in a February 12 article that TV viewers, “the real victims of the `writers’` strike,” actually didn’t care so much about the unceremonious midseason deaths of their favorite TV shows. Losers. I can’t speak for everyone here, but I was definitely not “work`ing` on my Guitar…
Border wall ballads: installment no. 1
Current staff writer Greg Harman checks in from the border this week, where he is working on a series about the proposed border wall and the communities, individuals, and ecosystems it will impact. Keep track of his blog posts here and at murodelodio.wordpress.com, and watch for next week’s cover story in the Current. And while…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: Why do you suppose Mexico has such a hard time getting its act together? It has vast natural resources, good climate, natural ports, super-generous and good-looking neighbors, and plenty of laborers whom seem to be willing to do all sorts of crappy jobs. But instead of having a thriving economy and an embarrassment…
Let us cast the first ‘Stone’
Eli Stone (ABC, Thursdays, 10 pm) Eli Stone’s a good lawyer and a good guy. He’s a winner, one of his massive firm’s rising stars, content to be handed high-profile cases and then win them — looking damn fly while doing so. Then, one day, Eli finds pop star George Michael in his apartment singing…
You say toe-may-toe, I say toe-mah-toe
After our press deadline yesterday, the Current got its mits on actual numbers from a poll conducted, we’re told, for folks in the rental-car industry who were contemplating a media campaign opposing the visitor-tax extension that will appear on this May’s ballot in the guise of four major projects: • $110 million to remake the…
Clothes-minded
So, New York’s fall 2008 fashion week is over, and new trends, shapes, colors, and influences are hitting magazines and blogs. But who can think that far ahead? Most of us haven’t even started planning for temperature’s inevitable rise. But March is blowing in, Fiesta’s right around the corner, and before you know it, you’ll…
You cannot afford Mars
Mars used to teem with life, but now it’s a dead world. I’m not referring to actual Martian history, which we still know very little about. I’m talking about the way humans used to think of Mars and how they think about it now. As recently as the 1950s, Mars was packed with scary, incomprehensible…
Dear Uncle Mat
So: I’m painting the town lavender when I meet an attractive guy at a swanky gay bar on the East Coast. He’s also traveling for work and kind of looks like a surfer in a business suit (how hot is that?); better yet, he’s flirting up a storm: buying me drinks, checking to make sure…
AT&T is in da House
The uproar over the white-hot Democratic presidential race isn’t the only political game in town as a congressman and a Fortune 500 company from San Antonio brace for a potential donnybrook. After Democrats in the House of Representatives failed to pass a temporary extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act last week, they adjourned without…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I’m 99 percent positive that in the coming week you will not wind up in a hand-to-hand battle on top of a speeding truck with a rogue agent of the secret government. It’s also highly unlikely that the next time you open your closet door you will be forced to engage…
Your lover’s lover’s alibi
Bluff or fold? When is an opinion not an opinion? When it’s advice. And when it’s advice, it’s none of your business. So said the Texas Attorney General’s office following a week of dogged phone tag on the part of your devoted Queque. What set us off on this hunt is an inexplicable hankering for…
The Queque: Republican attactic dogs special edition
RED TIDE “It’s not whether you get knocked down,” said the great patron coach of the football field. “It’s whether you get back up.” The Queque notes approvingly that U.S. Senate candidate and Texas State Rep Rick Noriega is animated with Lombardi’s fighting spirit as he anticipates a Swift Boat attack in the Grand…
The Queque: Republican attactic dogs special edition
RED TIDE “It’s not whether you get knocked down,” said the great patron coach of the football field. “It’s whether you get back up.” The Queque notes approvingly that U.S. Senate candidate and Texas State Rep Rick Noriega is animated with Lombardi’s fighting spirit as he anticipates a Swift Boat attack in the Grand Orifice…
