Test story
test subhead
The Bronx: 'IV'
After a two-album departure with Mariachi El Bronx, their mariachi-fusion side project, The Bronx return to form with their fourth hardcore installment. There’s something characteristically West Coast about The Bronx’s form of hardcore. It could be the crisp production of their albums or the outfit’s calculated aggression. Either way, the new record is clean. Gone…
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: 'Push the Sky Away'
After a static and fuzz-swept two-album run with Grinderman, Nick Cave returns to introspective and somber musings of romance and memory with his Bad Seeds outfit. Push the Sky Away marks the first new Bad Seeds album in five years and sees the departure of Cave’s longtime collaborator and equal, Mick Harvey. The album feels…
STAPLE! Indie Media Expo
If you want to get in on the ground floor of the underground comics scene as an artist or a fan, this weekend is your chance. Just up road in Austin, it’s comics central with STAPLE!, the 9th annual Independent Media Expo, happening March 2-3 at the Marchesa Hall and Theater. 2013 panel moderators will…
‘Chasing Ice’ presents visually stunning proof of climate change
Climate change skepticism stubbornly persists in certain quarters, despite mountains of rapidly growing scientific data, largely because holdouts refuse to see the world as it is — rather than as they wish to understand it, in order to fit their political agendas. This alarm bell polemic of a documentary presents visual proof compelling enough to…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: Sweeeet 16 at SAY Sí
Make SAY Sí a stop on your First Friday jaunt this week for the preview of the “Sweeeet 16” edition of their annual fundraiser auction, Small Scale Work For a Larger Cause. The event began in 1997 by 26 artists who each contributed a small work for auction as a way to help fund SAY…
Outside by Eli Tarin
O.K., I’m a sucker for zombie stories. It’s the hopelessness of it all that speaks to me. The necessary humanity (or not) that must be the response. How to deal with such stress? The Walking Dead is sort of updated Nausea by Jean Paul Sartre. We are what we make ourselves, but there are definitely…
Q&A: Actress Gina Rodriguez takes musical journey in ‘Filly Brown,’ CineFestival’s Closing Night film
Actress Gina Rodriguez stars as L.A. street poet and hip-hop artist Majo Tonorio in the music drama ‘Filly Brown.’ In the drama Filly Brown, actress Gina Rodriguez (Go For It!) plays Majo Tonorio, a L.A. street poet who attempts to crossover into the music industry as a hip-hop artist. The film, which is the closing…
Video: Atoms for Peace’s “Ingenue”
Atoms for Peace (Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, producer Nigel Godrich, and drummer Joey Waronker) unveiled the video for “Ingenue,” off AFP’s debut Amok, released February 25. Directed by Garth Jennings, the video features Yorke and dancer Fukiko Takase performing a choreography by Wayne McGregor. If you think you’ve seen this somewhere,…
Lamar Smith angry that ICE is finally prioritizing spending
Low-risk, non-violent immigrant detainees released from ICE detention centers?! Cue the outrage from Congressman Lamar Smith in 3, 2 “Spending cuts are no excuse for releasing thousands of criminal and illegal immigrants into our streets,” the local GOP rep told the daily. “The (Obama) administration is either incompetent and unable to prioritize spending,…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: CAM Kick-off Party
It moved from July to March in 2010, but this year’s Contemporary Art Month gets a head start at the tail end of February. Launched in 1986 to raise the national profile of San Antonio contemporary art and artists, CAM continues to evolve and grow via additions and innovations including the CAM “Perennial” exhibition and…
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus stops in SA today
The non-profit John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is a state-of-the-art mobile audio and video recording studio that, for the last 16 years, has provided free songwriting and multimedia production workshops for students. Next stop: San Antonio. Today. Free. Just go to Café College, 131 El Paso, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. No RSVP required.
'A Royal Affair,' a true story of love and betrayal
An idealistic and charismatic doctor. A mad king. A neglected queen. Can you see where this is going? What makes director and co-writer Nikolaj Arcel’s A Royal Affair historically intriguing — aside from its incredible costumes and sets — is that this 18th century love triangle ushered in ultra-conservative Denmark’s Age of Enlightenment. The king…
Walk the City Creeks
Sure, you know the River Walk, and may have explored the Mission Reach that strikes south from the Blue Star Complex towards the green land surrounding the acequia of Mission Espada. But if you want to really escape turista town, take a hike on one of the creek trails. Now known as the Howard W.…
Cocktails
Cocktail culture hit SA with an obsession the last year, with crews of young mixologists (yes it really is a word — from the early 1900s) in eager attendance filling new drinks venues. Here’s a list of our favorite new and old houses of elegant libation. –Eli Miller BAR 1919 Tucked snuggly under the lofts…
Groveling For a Grocer
Downtown San Antonio has an ever-expanding roster of eat spots – from food trucks to high dining – to choose from, but good luck finding somewhere to stock up on goods for a home cooked dinner. Within the small downtown loop enclosed by interstates 35, 10, and 37, downtowners have few options: Delivery Market on…
Flea Markets
Here in San Antonio we have fine flea markets, influenced heavily by the vast indoor/outdoor mercados of Mexico. Looking to get a sonogram and a haircut, pet a donkey and ride a pony, eat some ice cream and a corn cup, play some videos games and pick up some new home furnishings? If you choose…
VIA Buses
A public transit system that is extensive and useful, and extensively used, has long been one of the hallmarks of a thriving metropolis. For over 30 years, VIA has been San Antonio’s answer to the great subways of the east and impressive bus grids of the west. In recent years VIA has upped services in…
Green Dreams
When we first met Brandon McKelvey two years ago, his food truck was still in construction. "I’m going to put solar panels on this puppy someday," he told us. Since then, Say.She.Ate, with their duck-fat sweet potato fries and Akaushi beef sliders, has gained fame as one of the very top food trucks in town.…
Santikos Bijou
Once dubbed "Ramboville" by movie distributors who assume that its taste in movies is not subtle, San Antonio boasts many state-of-the-art facilities for viewing blockbuster art. However, only one local theater is likely to be showing the latest release by Michael Haneke, Guillermo del Toro, or Zhang Yimou: the six-screen Bijou. It is true that…
DIY
There comes a time, for some people, when working for a company just doesn’t make sense anymore — unless it’s their own. But the typical business strategy of obtaining heavy funds, hiring staff, then looking for a profit 3-to-10 years in the future isn’t an option. Here are two local outfits that get the job…
Pearl
Anchored by the campus of the Culinary Institute of America, the Pearl is poised to become the city’s most concentrated dining destination; quality taken into account, it already is. And with the start of construction on a new boutique hotel and the announcement of plans for even more housing units, the concentration can only continue.…
Dance Clubs
When the sun goes down and you’re achin’ to strap on your dancin’ shoes, there’s only one thing that can be done: find a spot out on the nearest dance floor and start shakin’ it. Channel your inner dancing queen (or king) and check out these discothèques sure to keep you groovin’ and movin’ in…
Wine
Texas is beer country, but even before the cocktail scene exploded, wine bars were offering an alternative, providing us with a less-rowdy atmosphere to participate in the cult of Bacchus. Here are our steady favorites. 20NINE Named after the highway that runs through Napa Valley, 20nine has expanded its California focus to include wines from…
Fab Finds
Desperately seeking a Kabbalah from 1874? Can’t sleep without an ‘N Sync pillow? For treasure, oddities, and other things you never knew you needed, look no further than our nine new favorite stores. – Words and photos by Bryan Rindfuss Bearded Lady Emporium The compelling conversations one might hear in Janessa Consenz and Jedidia Reid’s…
Southtown
Artsy Southtown claims some of the city’s greatest restaurant finds. For those who have yet to venture into this eclectic district, here’s a short list of spots you may want to try — Lauren Silva Bliss Serving up American cuisine, Mark Bliss’ menu rotates, based on availability of seasonal ingredients. Menu staples include the Australian…
Michelada Madness
The michelada, or ‘mixed chela’ (chela meaning beer in Spanish), is a type of cerveza preparada that includes varied combinations of lime, beer, tomato juice, and something spicy — among other additions. Like the finest of cocktails, making a great michelada requires finesse. Available many places, here are a few that stand out. – James…
Sports Bars
Whether you’re looking for a place to watch the game or just a place to meet with friends, San Antonio has much to offer in the way of sports bars. The key, of course, is plenty of televisions. These local spots afford patrons multiple screens dialed to sports heaven. Don’t worry about bringing too many…
Rackspace
San Antonio was recently ranked #3 on Forbes’ list of New Tech Hot Spots. One of the main companies leading the advance is Rackspace Hosting, founded by three Trinity University alumni in 1998 as a web hosting company that provided more than just hardware. "Fanatical support" for customers separates this local business from the competition.…
Thrift Shops
Whether it be your deep-seeded need for a unique piece for your home or your newfound love for Macklemore that brings you there, thrift shops are the treasure and trash troves for the millions. Regardless of economic background, a person can enter a thrift shop and be transported to childhood memories, inspired by vintage design…
Early Art School
If you want to be an artist, don’t wait till college to make your move. Young eyes (and minds) have the best shot at attaining this life/work goal. SA is rich in community after school art classes. What, didn’t get a chance when you were a kid? Some offer classes for adults, too. — Scott…
Live Music
With national and regional talent taking increasing notice, and local heroes making the big time, it will soon be impossible for even the staunchest pessimist to consider San Antonio a second-rate music town. From national to local, from Tejano to metal to indie pop, and everything in between — here are some of the top…
Walley Films rolls camera, takes action, and visits Tía Chuck
Meet Mark and Angela Walley, the dynamic dyad of arts advocates and documentarians professionally known as Walley Films. After studying film at Northwest Vista College, they received an emerging filmmaker fellowship from the Houston-based Southwest Alternate Media Project and decided to pursue their craft seriously. The Walley’s work ranges from documenting the curious comedy of…
Microbreweries
BRANCHLINE BREWING CO. Branchline Brewing Co. officially opened and started selling beers on the market in early February. A snazzy tasting room is part of the brewery, which makes 10-barrel batches. Branchline plans to use it for special events, and perhaps even for Friday evening tours. 3633 Metro Pkwy RANGER CREEK BREWING CO. While microbreweries…
Museums
A city without museums is hardly a town, and though San Antonio prides itself on retaining a small-town feel, our museums are known internationally — as institutions that could only happen here. – Scott Andrews San Antonio Museum of Art SAMA is San Antonio’s encyclopedic museum, spanning cultures ’round the globe from Ancient Egypt to…
On Stage
Community theater in SA has roots a century long. Here is our short list of favorite venues, specializing in repertory theater, new works, and community action. AtticRep Since it began in 2005, the professional theater company in residence at Trinity University has engaged the community with new and acclaimed works by established and emerging playwrights,…
Pit Stops
Texas is a national contender for BBQ king, with the pits in the Hill Country strong advocates of tradition. But in SA, the trend is towards chef’s interpretations of old customs. Here is our short list for both flavors. B&B Smokehouse Tiny and unassuming, B&B Smokehouse is known for melt-in-your-mouth brisket, St. Louis-style ribs, and…
Ice Houses
The Texas ice house is a steadily disappearing landmark. Once dotting the street corners of San Antonio, much like Starbucks does today, they provided communities with, as the name suggests, ice. As ice houses took on the role of local gathering places, they started to offer other goods. Beer, natrually, became the most popular. Sometimes…
Wonder Twins
Julián Castro quickly rocketed past the heights of political celebrity Henry Cisneros, San Antonio’s once best-known mayor, reached in the 1980s. From the outset, Julián’s trajectory appeared almost pre-determined. Born to a celebrated West Side Chicana activist, Julián was elected San Antonio’s youngest-ever mayor in 2009. The following year, The New York Times Magazine drooled…
Taco Town
Tacos for breakfast, tacos for lunch, tacos all the time! SA is awash with taco joints — many are quite good, and most of us have faves. Here are four that continue to amaze with homey goodness. Henry’s Puffy Tacos Henry’s Puffy Tacos has been a family affair since 1978 at their original (and now…
Cycling San Anto
You’ll finish sweatier, dirtier and smell like the receiving end of a VIA bus tailpipe. But biking is, and will remain, the best way to move in and around downtown San Antonio. Expect more of us traveling to and from work, running errands, or heading out at night on two wheels as SA continues to…
Brewpub Guide
Even if you’re not a beer aficionado, there’s something about drinking a well-crafted brew and a meal only steps away from both were made. In the last few years, San Antonio has exploded into a good beer town with three brewpub/restaurants in the city, two outside town, and soon-to-be seven microbreweries in the area. Here’s…
Eat Local
Farmers markets offer an abundance of delights such as charcuterie, fermented foods, salsa plump tomatoes, and select seasonal fruit, and it is a good place to enjoy some freshly baked goods over a steaming cup of joe. Elimination of packaging, shipping and wholesale costs also adds to the perks of being a farmers market consumer.…
The Cook's Tale
Stefan Bowers, Feast Stefan Bowers, the driving food force behind Southtown’s Feast, grew up in Berkeley and spent time in the Navy as a rescue swimmer, and then served an apprenticeship at an Italian restaurant in San Diego. The experience inspired him to attend Houston’s Culinary Institute LeNotre, after which he landed a job at…
Dos Carolinas
The origin of the guayabera is debatable, but its name likely refers to the Cuban farmers along the Yayabo River who used the shirt’s lower pockets to store guava (aka guayaba). Some attribute the style’s breezy design to an 18th-century Andalusian who immigrated to Cuba and made her husband a white linen shirt with four…
Vegetarian
A list of vegetarian and "veggie-friendly" establishments that will help tender eaters survive in Meat City. Green Vegetarian Cuisine Macrobiotic, vegan, and vegetarian tastes are well served at this family-owned, homegrown vegetarian café. Tasty baked goods and savory breakfast and lunch options abound. New location opening in March at the Pearl. 10003 N W Military,…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: CineFestival
CineFestival’s second week is even stronger than the first one. It’s hard to name only one pick, so here’s a quick heads-up: Mexican comedy genius Tin-Tan (Germán Valdés, who was to Cantinflas what Keaton was to Chaplin) stars in El Rey del Barrio (The King of the Neighborhood, 1950) arguably his best film, in a…
Emilio Estefan Jr.: The Current Q & A
What should we expect this year [at the People En Español Festival]? It’s going to be a spectacular stage. We’re bringing the light person who worked at the Olympics and the MTV Awards. And the fact that it’s in San Antonio is very significant, because it was in SA that the first Spanish-language radio, TV…
Distiller Johnny Schuler is Señor Pisco
"Do this for me," he said. "When making your Sunday Bloody Mary, do one in vodka and another in pisco — then let me know what you think." Seemed innocent enough. The request came from Johnny Schuler. "My daughter calls me ‘the Santa Claus of pisco,’" said the Peruvian-born entrepreneur. His label, Pisco Portón, was…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1993, Frenchman Emile Leray was on a solo trip through the Sahara Desert. In the middle of nowhere, his car suffered a major breakdown. It was unfixable. But he didn’t panic. Instead, he used a few basic tools he had on hand to dismantle the vehicle and convert its parts…
Andrew Weissman poised to open The Luxury in addition to two more restaurants
In the last few years, San Antonio has seen an exponential rise in the number of quality restaurant offerings, several of them from native son Andrew Weissman. The award-winning chef, restaurateur, and culinary mentor, also a devoted husband, and father to three children under the age of six — will soon be adding two new…
Art-spectacular! Selections from this week's CAM calendar
Now in its 28th year, Contemporary Art Month presents over 100 exhibitions, performances, and art happenings in March, getting a few extra days in the mix with the CAM Kick-off Party at Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum this Thursday, February 28. For a complete listing of CAM events, look at the insert in this week’s…
Judge recommends overturning former SAPD officer's child-rape conviction
Frank Navarijo was still recovering from a surgery that removed his cancerous prostate when he was accused of raping his daughter in 1998. At trial, Navarijo, a 23-year SAPD veteran and former Department of Justice contractor, embarrassingly admitted he was incontinent, sometimes forced to wear adult diapers, and impotent during the period he was accused…
Masters of Love teases sophomore album
My apologies to Masters of Love for having ignored them for years. But guys, what’s with the name? "I got some pushback about [the band’s name]," admits singer Fred Himes. "I knew it was kind of pompous and over-the-top, and I figured that since we would be a band that didn’t practice very much we…
Former Jail Standards director on why Lyle Larson, and Joe Arpaio, are wrong on tent jails
Before the Lege’s 2011 session, San Antonio’s GOP state Rep. Lyle Larson declared on his campaign website, “Sheriff Joe is right.” By “Sheriff Joe,” Larson meant Arizona’s Joe Arpaio, the country’s toughest – some would say most corrupt and abusive – lawman. A Justice Department lawsuit filed last year took Arpaio to task for the…
The Bryan Ferry Orchestra: 'The Jazz Age'
Ever wonder what “Do The Strand” would sound like if played by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven? Bryan Ferry is obviously the one guy who did, and he has created The Jazz Age as the answer. The record gives 13 Roxy Music cuts a 1920s’ jazz treatment, with every possible touch — grainy sound…
Jonny Hernandez Pushes South with The Fruteria
Southtown, Blue Star, SoFlo … the march of development continues southward, and food seems to be following. The opening of Johnny Hernández’s Frutería below Probandt has got to be encouraging to new inhabitants of faux lofts. For the rest of us, it’s a destination. In calling his new place The Frutería, subtitled "Botanero by Chef…
Best of Flash Fiction, February 2013
We’re all good at something (maybe I shouldn’t be quite so casual or vague about that). Sometimes that something translates into another area, sometimes it doesn’t. To get a bit more specific: chess is a game of foresight, but so is soccer. Players and pieces move around the field to their objective. It’s all about…
Emilio Estefan Jr. on SA, Chris Perez, and the 'People en Espanol' Festival
Wanna bitch about the second annual People en Español Festival in San Antonio? Here’s some ammunition: Emilio Estefan Jr. (Miami Sound Machine, Shakira, Marc Anthony, J. Lo, and tons of other credits) will be the event’s artistic producer of the August 31 and September 1 festival at the Alamodome. Not that you need any, but…
Industry News: Sohocki nominated for Beard award, cooks noodles
Michael Sohocki of Restaurant Gwendolyn and David Gilbert (formerly of Sustenio) both made it to the semifinals of the James Beard Foundation awards in the category of Best Chef-Southwest. The James Beard awards are like the Grammy Awards for restaurants, recognizing culinary rock stars and innovators. Both chefs are first-time nominees. The finalists for the…
‘Enlightened’ seeks transcendence in its season finale
Enlightened (8:30pm Sun, HBO) Amy (Laura Dern) is a troubled woman making crazy-ass stabs at transcendence. This season, she has committed herself to doing something meaningful on this Earth by exposing corruption at the company where she works. Friends and relatives think she’s out of her mind, and Amy can’t help wondering if they’re right.…
The Copper Gamins: 'Los niños de cobre'
The first full-length by Mexican (and honorary San Antonian) duo The Copper Gamins has more of what they showed in their acclaimed 2012 EP: a dark, analogue, radio-unfriendly yet groovy garage-blues that channels Robert Johnson and sounds as curated by John Lomax. I find the English lyrics mostly unintelligible, but the group’s power rests in…
Atoms for Peace: 'Amok'
I’m sure Thom Yorke hates the term “supergroup.” And if he cared, he’d probably hate my using it in the first sentence of the review for his new group Atoms for Peace. But when you interrupt your day job fronting one of the world’s biggest acts to form a band with the bassist from Red…
Pat Metheny: 'The Orchestrion Project'
Pat Metheny created a monster. Specifically, a robot monster dubbed the Orchestrion, a multi-ton, 30-something piece orchestral autobot, all controlled through Metheny’s guitar and pedals. And while the 2010 debut of the beast Orchestrion saw Metheny successfully harnessing its power for a richly melodic set, it seemed disconnected from the awesome means of its creation.…
Group hopes to turn Texas into a battleground state
Texas is a red state. There’s no denying that. But this lovely shade of crimson has not always graced our fair state. Throughout the 1960s Texas was deep blue. Congress didn’t see a Republican Senator from 1877 to 1961. But things slowly changed. More Republicans won at the State House and in Congress. It took…
Watch Castro’s State of the City speech at noon
Watch live streaming video from nowcastsa at livestream.com After a year of pumping his lofty, transformative vision of SA2020, Mayor Julián Castro attempted to define his legacy as something more fundamental at last year’s State of the City address: early childhood education. “Let me be very frank, it’s the initiative in my tenure as mayor…
