What U Need: Coffee, T-shirts
Just a little quick housekeeping business. The DIY T-shirt movement is in full swing in SA, with a reuse/recycle bent. Which means the best new place to get/inspire a T-shirt is: Fl!ght gallery, at 1906 S. Flores (turnitoff.tv). You can get a “Fuck the Police” screen (rumored to be inspired by a not-so-friendly run-in with…
Outtakes: Taking you behind the curtain
FISCH OUTTAKES, PART I You know, a lot of times, I can only begin to actually form a coherent story or review out of the chaos of my mind by taking a deep breath, then frantically writing up a whole bunch of stuff that doesn’t even appear in the eventual article. This sometimes makes me…
Hybrid autos threaten Latin America
Brian Thompson bthompsoe@gmail.com Remember those commercials about five years ago that compared SUV drivers to terrorist enablers? Every time you gassed up your Suburban was the equivalent of high-fiving Bin Laden or buying Muammar Ghadaffi a beer, they said. However, with the advent of fuel-efficient hybrids, we’re not funding terrorism and carnage any more, right?…
Oscar-nominated shorts: ‘Lavatory Love Story’
Beginning Friday, the Santikos Bijou will begin screening the Oscar-nominated short films â?? both animated and live action. Tickets are $9 at night, and the live-action and animated categories are screened separately. For the rest of the week, we’ll be profiling the nominees, beginning with “Auf der Strecke (On the Line).” Today, we’re looking at…
SWU Rallies at City Hall to protest CPS Nuke Plans
Greg M. Schwartz gschwartz@sacurrent.com “Hey Hardberger, whatta ya say? We want clean energy and we want it today!” “Hey hey, ho ho, nuclear energy’s got to go!” These were two of the boisterous chants from members and supporters of the Southwest Workers Union as they demonstrated in front of City Hall yesterday afternoon. SWU was…
On the Street: “Monologues, Drugged Youth, the End of Cinema and Copper Wiring, a Return to the St. Hedwig Club, and Other Important Discussions of Our Times”
“Deliverance” Letters (to the On the Street Penthouse Suite) #1 “Pat” More waves lap back to shore from the Cave cover storyâ?¦ Mark, I thought you might be interested to know that we took “Pat” into the cave last Thursday evening. He really enjoyed his trip and provided us with some new clues and information…
The lege remembers Moreno
By Gilbert Garcia Yesterday was a fairly slow day for the state legislature, but they did take time to recognize the February 2 passing of retired San Antonio firefighter Tomas (T.T.) Moreno, at the age of 59. As SAFD Legislative Director/PAC Chairman, Moreno was a fixture at the Capitol over the years, and grew especially…
Live & Local preview:Fuâ??, er, Solid Gold Eagle
Hey guys, tonight we’re washing away any trace of sophistication we may have required from reviewing SOLI Chamber Ensemble by going to see the band soon to be formerly known as Fuck City USA, and an band known to drink beer out of a shoe. Unfortunately for fans of unprintable band names, the dudes in…
A word about HIV/AIDS
In my story on Henry Rayburn, I mentioned his HIV+ status, and his lack of health insurance. However, it’s important to point out that there ARE care and medical options for all people with HIV/AIDS in San Antonio, regardless of their insurance coverage status. The San Antonio AIDS Foundation has spent twenty three years raising…
Foddrill v. COSA: Notes on a scandal
Former COSA Telecom Manager John Foddrill’s lawsuit against the City for wrongful termination is in its fourth day. The Current has been sitting through most of the proceedings, and watching the City’s (quite competent) legal team bend history to its will has prompted a few observations: Advice for would-be COSA whistleblowers a. Have an immaculate…
Stir It Up: Mining Texas aquifers for uranium has risks
Miner errors? State regulations on uranium mining have a long way to go before they can be considered as protective of people and groundwater supplies in Texas. Greg Harman gharman@sacurrent.com It’s better than open-pit mining, but the “death ore,” as the Navajo know it all too well, poses significant challenges when mined even without tearing…
PETA wants the Alamo to Remember Vegetarianism
Can Texans ever be expected to give up eating meat? It would seem doubtful in a state famous for such tasty Tex-Mex cuisine, barbecue and steaks. But you have to hand it to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for coming up with a strategy that’s at least gaining some attention to the…
Oscar nominated shorts: ‘On the Line’
Beginning Friday, the Santikos Bijou will begin screening the Oscar-nominated short films â?? both animated and live action. Tickets are $9 at night, and the live-action and animated categories are screened separately. For the rest of the week, we’ll be profiling the nominees, beginning with “Auf der Strecke (On the Line).” The film-centered Oscar categories…
Remembering Henry
Remembering Henry Henry Rayburn Threads, 2003 8 drawers with silk threads I got the following e-mail from Kelly O’Connor at the Linda Pace Foundation: *************** Please join us at CAMPsite space to remember Henry Rayburn and view his work titled, “Threads” on Friday February 6th from 4 — 6pm. The Linda Pace Foundation is proud…
Monotonix, We The Granada, Sohns, In Beds, & Bison
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Watching a live Monotonix show is a must for anyone who gives a shit about music. The absurdly minimalist Tel-Aviv garage-rockers set up on the floor, and audiences better watch out for far-flung drumsticks, flying beer cans, and spontaneous pyrotechnics that usually involve the drums. Fiery frontman Ami Shalev dumped an entire…
Out at the Movies
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Out at the Movies, San Antonio’s Lesbian, Gay, Bi, and Transgendered Film Festival, returns to CineFestival after a nearly 10-year hiatus. The highlight is Argentina’s critically acclaimed feature film, XXY (see story, page 30) and queer cinema shorts from Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and the USA. Que Suene La Calle delves into the…
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Downtown San Antonio was transformed into the Wild West last Saturday, as more than 35 Longhorn cattle sauntered down Houston Street to herald the arrival of the annual Stock Show and Rodeo. Ginobili, Parker, Duncan, and the rest of the Spurs are headed for a long stretch as road warriors (until February…
Ballet Hispanico & the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra
Release Date: 2009-02-04 What happens when the hottest Latin Dance Company in New York City joins forces with the Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra? Dance aficionados, take note — “Palladium Nights” is a spicy take on the irresistible rhythms of the Cha Cha, the Merengue, and the Mambo. The night will be an exploration of jazz dance,…
In the red
Release Date: 2009-02-04 The Grand Hyatt has been mired in legal disasters and overruns, robbing it of its mojo. What’s done is done — or rather, what’s undone still isn’t done — but I tried to keep that thought out of my mind. For the moment, I was less concerned if they could complete the building…
Ume, Megazilla, Fuck City U.S.A., & Kick It!
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Frontwoman Lauren Larson combines ferocious guitar riffs and fiery vocals with a melodic beauty, creating a unique combination of catchy pop sweetness, delay-drenched noise, and jaw-dropping intensity. Ume’s sophomore EP, Sunshower, has earned favorable reviews from notables such as Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen — with a full-length in the works…
No posters of India at Mela
Focus is on the food
Andy McKee
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Topeka, Kansas, native Andy McKee became internationally known as a top-notch guitarist through his YouTube videos, which have scored over 20 million hits to date, and has since performed to sold-out crowds all over the world. Using his guitar to the full range of its capabilities, McKee beats, taps, and pokes just…
Big news in microbrew
Freetail heralds a new era for San Antonio
Sonido Colectivo
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Politically conscious and socially active rapper, DJ, and producer Mexican Stepgrandfather headlines Sonido Colectivo, a diverse night of music ranging from traditional Mexican rancheras to cognizant hip-hop. Mexican Stepgrandfather writes on issues such as Texas/Mexico border policy, corrupt institutions, and misrepresentations of minorities in the media — in his music, he samples…
Tonight
Tonight Composer: Franz Ferdinand Conductor: Franz Ferdinand Label: Sony Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording Franz Ferdinand creates most of its catchier songs with the same formula — a combination of the timeless Pixies loud-soft dynamic and the now-outmoded dance-tinged punk rock. Despite Tonight’s occasional upgrade to the currently stylish punk-tinged dance rock, the…
The Golden Boys
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Forget compact discs (those dwindling sales figures and RIAA lawsuits indicate you already have), and save that mp3 player for some inorganically produced Katy Perry kinda shit that deserves to be compressed and flattened, sanitized of all human contamination, and injected directly into your ear canal via tiny, tinny buds. The cranky…
The Eraser Rmxs
The Eraser Rmxs Composer: Thom Yorke Conductor: Thom Yorke Label: XL Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording If Radiohead’s In Rainbows was a surprisingly optimistic snapshot of the world, then The Eraser — released by RH frontman Thom Yorke the year before — is definitely the photonegative. Yorke downloaded an OK Computer’s-worth of paranoia…
Sob Choke LOVE II: Electric Boogaloo
Release Date: 2009-02-04 The Overtime Theater crew celebrates that February tingly feeling with Sob…Choke…Love II: Electric Boogaloo, the sequel to the theater’s most talked about show of 2008. From the 1950s to the 1970s, romance comics were in full bloom and little girls’ minds were forever warped — this troupe presents staged versions of these…
The Mountain
The Mountain Composer: Heartless Bastards Conductor: Heartless Bastards Label: Fat Possum Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording Garage rock rarely evokes such soulful and cosmic visions, incorporating so much of what makes American music a still-bright beacon. Witness the stirring, swampy vocals and guitar-handling of Heartless Bastards founder Erika Wennerstrom. After securing a slot…
Clean Your Conscience: Go Vegetarian
Release Date: 2009-02-04 PETA beauties will bathe in an outdoor show set up outside the Alamo to let consumers know that it takes water equivalent to six months’ worth of showers to produce just 1 pound of meat.
Mantis
Mantis Composer: Umphreys McGee Conductor: Umphreys McGee Label: SCI Fidelity Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: NONE Genre: Recording The Chi-Town jam-rock phenoms take a different tack on Mantis, delivering a platter full of brand-new songs yet to be road-tested. It’s usually the other way around for jam bands, which might explain why most such albums fail…
Sob Choke LOVE II: Electric Boogaloo
Release Date: 2009-02-04 The Overtime Theater crew celebrates that February tingly feeling with Sob…Choke…Love II: Electric Boogaloo, the sequel to the theater’s most talked about show of 2008. From the 1950s to the 1970s, romance comics were in full bloom and little girls’ minds were forever warped — this troupe presents staged versions of these…
La Milagrosa
La Milagrosa Director: Rafael Lara Screenwriter: Rafael Lara Cast: Antonio Merlano, Guillermo Iván; Mónica Gómez Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: NONE Genre: Film Last July, a daring commando raid freed Ingrid Betancourt, who six years earlier had been seized by rebels while campaigning for the presidency of Colombia. However Three-thousand other hostages still languish in captivity,…
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo: Taylor Swift
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Downtown San Antonio was transformed into the Wild West last Saturday, as more than 35 Longhorn cattle sauntered down Houston Street to herald the arrival of the annual Stock Show and Rodeo. Ginobili, Parker, Duncan, and the rest of the Spurs are headed for a long stretch as road warriors (until February…
Beauty of the Fight
Beauty of the Fight Director: John Urbano Screenwriter: John Urbano Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: NONE Genre: Documentary The visually dramatic images he captures in Beauty of the Fight make it obvious documentary filmmaker John Urbano is a better photographer than storyteller, but, there’s no denying the sincere and spirited words spoken by his subjects. For…
Hornsby Entertainment Theatre Company
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Engage with Black History Month through electric, proselytizing theater at the hands of the Hornsby Entertainment Theatre Company, founded by pro actress and Texas State alum Kathy Hornsby. San Antonio thespians, including Earley Teale, Kevin Evans, Trina Forcey, Andrea Walker, and Tequan Whaley will present the Obie Award-winning For Colored Girls Who…
The Garden
The Garden Director: Scott Hamilton Kennedy Screenwriter: Scott Hamilton Kennedy Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: NONE Genre: Film For more than a decade following the Rodney King riots, a 14-acre swath in south central Los Angeles served as the largest community garden and urban farm in the United States. More than 350 families, most of them…
San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo: Reba McEntire
Release Date: 2009-02-04 Downtown San Antonio was transformed into the Wild West last Saturday, as more than 35 Longhorn cattle sauntered down Houston Street to herald the arrival of the annual Stock Show and Rodeo. Ginobili, Parker, Duncan, and the rest of the Spurs are headed for a long stretch as road warriors (until February…
Curse of the Lechusa
Curse of the Lechusa Director: Amza Moglan Screenwriter: Amza Moglan Cast: Paul Matthew Lopez, Dana De La Garza, Stefanie Aguallo, Alex Moglan Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: NONE Genre: Film Though it’s been a South Texas legend for centuries, the lechusa is a folk-creature that seems to come directly from a rejected Emerson, Lake & Palmer…
Wham! Pow! … Burlesque!
Release Date: 2009-02-04 The Overtime Theater crew celebrates that February tingly feeling with Sob…Choke…Love II: Electric Boogaloo, the sequel to the theater’s most talked about show of 2008. From the 1950s to the 1970s, romance comics were in full bloom and little girls’ minds were forever warped — this troupe presents staged versions of these…
Coraline
Critic’s Pick Coraline Director: Henry Selick Screenwriter: Henry Selick Cast: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane, Jennifer Saunders, Keith David, and John Hodgman Release Date: 2009-02-04 Rated: PG Genre: Film As a young girl, Coraline Jones (Fanning) is already discovering how disappointing life really is. The apartment her family’s just moved into is old and…
S’Nuff film
Attention creative types: The City’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the Westside Development Corporation have sort of banded together to think about developing a “cultural incubator” on the West Side, a shared office space for artists, filmmakers, designers, etc. Since this thing barely exists outside of the mind of some dude at OCA at this…
Supercalifornia-mysticexperthalitosis
There is no I in team they say, but for Gordy Grundy, Viceroy of The Western States, “Gong Long” is a pass play. Possibly a USC pass play, with Lindsey Buckingham selling Cokes and directing the marching band with a straw. I can see him from the press box where I write. He faces the…
Get used to it
Some proponents of Queer Theory maintain that the concepts of homosexuality and heterosexuality are arbitrary constructs whose usefulness will wear out, as people increasingly embrace fluid sexual identities that defy easy categorization. Argentinean filmmaker Lucía Puenzo’s extraordinarily sensitive coming-of-age drama, XXY, deftly explores the cruelties inherent in rigid labeling — in this case, the binary…
ARTIFACTS
Introducing: Fortuna Rising, a 21-week, online, multimedia art experience, born in a way from a 2005 Sala Diaz exhibition hosted by Hills Snyder and reviewed by yours truly. If Snyder’s intro to this art experiment, at left, leaves you hungry for more gentle, cynicism-dissolving mind games, you’re in luck — every Wednesday for the next…
The QueQue
The QueQue didn’t discover this bedrock principle of physics, but we preach its self-evidence weekly: When it rains, it pours. Check: Party line The City’s long game of telephone line with whistleblower John Foddrill is coming to an end, and the municipality’s mouth must now speak directly to its public’s ear. The former Telecom Manager’s…
Rayburn of light
Henry Rayburn — artist, architect, activist, volunteer, world traveler, and world-class charmer — died on January 27 from cancer-related complications, leaving San Antonio minus one more Renaissance man. His loss is a shock to the art community, the LGBT community, as well as his many family members (he was one of seven children) and friends.…
Boundary issues
In her two years on the San Antonio City Council, District 8 rep Diane Cibrian has established a reputation for wanting to be involved in every aspect of the municipal government process. Her advocates would say that it reflects the mayoral candidate’s zeal to bring about positive change in the community. Her detractors tend to…
Tripping through the ‘Twilight Zone’
On October 2, 1959, Rod Serling introduced his seminal anthology TV series The Twilight Zone to an unsuspecting viewing public. Unlike the plethora of similar shows conceived in that era (Tales of Tomorrow, One Step Beyond, and several others), Serling’s blend of quality production and social awareness cemented the series firmly in the public consciousness.…
Sinz of the heart
The San Pedro Playhouse’s Altar Boyz is a sly, often hilarious evening of theater (though I’ll leave it to a press agent to add the terms “heavenly” and “divine”). The conceit is that a fresh-faced Christian boy band — the titular Boyz — has finally made it to San Antonio on its “Raise the Praise”…
Cupid’s antidote
Valentine’s Day is maligned as a desperate, commercialized, heavy-handed excuse to pressure your loved one into declarations of devotion and adoration they simply may not feel, in a manner which they normally would never express themselves. The backlash is fierce but often trite, with websites such as “Love Sucks Month” and “LIE (Love is evil)”…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I can’t tell you how disappointed I’ve been these past few days, as a U.S. citizen and ciudadano mexicano, how I’ve been seeing more and more stories about los narcos and how the Mexican government keeps getting screwed over in newspapers. I think that you should dedicate a whole article in your column…
Amuse-BOUCHE
More resto RIPs have rolled in since our last A-B update. Merchants Bistro comes as no surprise. “Jane & I have decided to close Merchants as of today. It’s been a roller-coaster ride … Unfortunately we never were able to make the connection with enough guests to become financially successful,” read the email. As we have…
‘Sonidos’ gold
The winners of the 51st Grammy Awards will be announced this Sunday, and I wish I could give you the list of brilliant minds that snubbed Café Tacuba’s Sino (the best Spanish-language rock album of the last year, hands down) in the Latin Rock/Alternative category. Even in last November’s Latin Grammys, the Mexican fab four…
THE SOUND & THE FURY
Classical/jazz virtuoso Matthew Dunne has been organizing the Southwest Guitar Festival for UTSA since 1995, and in that time, he’s seen it develop from “a regional gathering” to one of the most prestigious classical-guitar festivals in the country. Dunne decided to make this year’s SWGF particularly memorable by commissioning a concerto from acclaimed composer Sérgio…
SOLI Chamber Ensemble
Before she begins, clarinetist Stephanie Key attempts to calm those intimidated by “Esprit Rude/Esprit Doux,” a piece for flute and clarinet written by composer Elliot Carter at the age of 87. “Carter is always joking and dancing along to his music,” she reassures us, “so why shouldn’t we?” It’s hard to fault the audience for…
“Downsized” — Fatt Mattress
Dave Schlesinger’s basic blues-scale guitar intro — not to mention the fuckin’ song title — should be a dead giveaway. So, when LA transplant Sean Etheridge howls, “My boss called me in one day, wasn’t for a raise,” you probably see where this one’s headed. But before you feel too sorry for shit-canned Sean, currently…
Dear Uncle Mat
I’m a 22-year-old guy who is a virgin, and I don’t know what to do. — Help!! Dear Help!!, Masturbate. Seriously. I am not being crass or mean here. Masturbation is your friend. If you don’t like masturbating, you are doing it wrong or you’re unnecessarily burdened by adolescence-instilled guilt. A healthy masturbation life will…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): I was watching a martial arts competition on ESPN TV. It featured a fierce macho dance-off, in which rivals took turns brandishing their high-octane warrior choreography. At one point the announcer waxed poetic as the eventual winner pulled off a seemingly impossible move: “And that was a corkscrew illusion twist rodeo…
Películas de pride
A man running through the forest; a woman diving into a swimming pool; a funeral procession. That’s all I’m able to grasp from watching the two-minute trailer for Matar a Todos as I scan through the CineFestival website for this year’s film lineup. I’d like to know more about director Esteban Schroeder’s 2007 political thriller,…
And for the defense: the Express-News
Would-be City whistleblower John Foddrill, whose case is before the court this week, might get a fair trial at the Bexar County Courthouse, but our daily paper, which had declined to cover his case until this week, seems uninterested in the whole truth, etc. I met the reporter who wrote today’s Metro-section story at the…
ARTIFACTS: R. MUTT GITS PUNK’D: Avila at Bihl Haus
Hey dudes, we’ve got loads of arts coverage in the paper-paper this week, including a eulogy of sorts for Henry Rayburn and an essay by Hills Snyder, so my ARTIFACTS column was, um, LIBERATED for the Intenet. READ UP! ARTIFACTS by Sarah Fisch Sure, scenesters, you knew that Norman Avila was a founding member of…
An ACCD Gallery
A gallery of ACCD artists Thanks to all of you who’ve given me feedback about the ACCD art story, which you can find here. I intend to follow up on this whole thing, for many reasons. ACCD’s an important institution, and a complex one. I’m hoping to learn more about enrollment, history, past and present…
Solar shifts suggest Lege action near
Greg Harman gharman@sacurrent.com It’s a good time to be talking green jobs â?? specifically the solar variety â?? in San Antonio. First, super-bad CPS Energy adopts a resolution in favor of transitioning to a decentralized power model, a critical first step toward a future where our electricity is made on the rooftops of homes across…
