Nighttime Rodeo
After the Dignowity Hill Pushcart Derby (check our MySpace for recently uploaded pics, and check this here blog later today for video), I decided to check out Ken Little’s Hometown Artist’s Rodeo. Although I didn’t get to see Mr. Little himself, I did catch the folksy sounds of Becky Purcell and the synth-driven antics of…
Nighttime Rodeo
After the Dignowity Hill Pushcart Derby (check our MySpace for recently uploaded pics, and check this here blog later today for video), I decided to check out Ken Little’s Hometown Artist’s Rodeo. Although I didn’t get to see Mr. Little himself, I did catch the folksy sounds of Becky Purcell and the synth-driven antics of…
On the Street
“If politics is Hollywood for ugly people, then…Hollywood is politics for pretty people?” Letters (to the On the Street Penthouse Suite) Remember, I just publish what people send in. If at times it seems not “San Antonio” enough, then don’t blame me, at least directly. It’s not my fault On the Street is HUGE…
On the Street
“If politics is Hollywood for ugly people, then…Hollywood is politics for pretty people?” Letters (to the On the Street Penthouse Suite) Remember, I just publish what people send in. If at times it seems not “San Antonio” enough, then don’t blame me, at least directly. It’s not my fault On the Street is HUGE in…
Swap meet
San Antonio’s latest fashion boutique addition, Fashion Emporium, is currently on the tail end of a T-shirt swap. Shoppers can bring in their shirts to swap (hurry, today is the last day for the swap!) and they’ll be given a coupon for each shirt swapped. Tomorrow go to the boutique with coupon-in-tow and select a…
The multi-layered ‘Women’
Steven DaLuz’s “Virgen of Biloxi” sits in her fatigues, weapon nearby; her gaze is reminiscent of Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” The Biloxi “Virgen” sits among a group of mothers, children, grandmothers, daughters, artists, and professional-types in Many Faces of Women a 40-plus collection of work hosted by Planned Parenthood Trust of San…
Swap meet
San Antonio’s latest fashion boutique addition, Fashion Emporium, is currently on the tail end of a T-shirt swap. Shoppers can bring in their shirts to swap (hurry, today is the last day for the swap!) and they’ll be given a coupon for each shirt swapped. Tomorrow go to the boutique with coupon-in-tow and select a…
The multi-layered ‘Women’
Steven DaLuz’s “Virgen of Biloxi” sits in her fatigues, weapon nearby; her gaze is reminiscent of Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” The Biloxi “Virgen” sits among a group of mothers, children, grandmothers, daughters, artists, and professional-types in Many Faces of Women a 40-plus collection of work hosted by Planned Parenthood Trust of San…
Lewis Black
Release Date: 2008-07-23 Comedian, actor, and author, Lewis Black takes history by the throat and the balls with social commentary that most people wouldn’t dare utter. Black is more pissed-off optimist than mean-spirited curmudgeon, and his uncensored live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for audiences. Love him or hate him —…
Monkeyfest w. The Hawks of Holy Rosary, Pop Pistol, Pigsney Charmer, & more
Release Date: 2008-07-23 Drunken Monkey Promotions’s two-day rock fest includes Pop Pistol’s electronic-fusion rock, the melding of rock, reggae, punk, and jazz by The Sons of Sancho, and Heather go Psycho’s hardcore girl punk. DMP was formed by college students at SAC as a class project, but has evolved into a full-fledged team that attempts…
Micky & The Motorcars w. Trainwreck
Release Date: 2008-07-23 Now established as a force on the lucrative Texas Country circuit, Micky and the Motorcars herald their fourth studio album, NAÏVE, with a series of album release shows across Texas this month. NAÏVE features guest appearances by Texas music heavyweights Lloyd Maines, Mickey Raphael, and Bukka Allen, and others. $12, 8pm, Sam’s…
The Mambo Kings
Release Date: 2008-07-23 The Mambo Kings keep with the Afro-Cuban big band tradition by paying tribute to the pioneers of Latin Jazz. This night they feature special guests — world-class trumpet soloist Luis Gasca and trombonist/vocalist Ron Wilkins. Hoping to evoke that old-timey feeling, the Kings don festive costumes and play the works of Tito…
The Parlor Mob
Release Date: 2008-07-23 These Jersey boys trek to the Lone Star State to perform hits from their debut album, And You Were a Crow, released this spring by Roadrunner Records. The Parlor Mob recorded with producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse), and the result was genre-breaking, edgy rock ’n’ roll. Their…
Z: The Musical
Release Date: 2008-07-23 Austin director John McLean wanted to break the mold of older zombie flicks when he created Z: A Zombie Musical, a comedy-laden, feature-length film that chronicles the day-to-day lives of zombies from their point of view. These zombies talk, sing, and dance — they only put on the undead act when humans…
Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival
Release Date: 2008-07-23 It’s very likely that the first-ever Mayhem Fest is the concert of the summer for SA’s rockers, featuring multi-platinum rock acts Slipknot (right) and Disturbed in a co-headlining slot. The much-buzzed-about road show features hard music’s most influential bands and a new wave of heavy-hitting acts in an amp-shattering festival showdown that…
Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters w. Cemetary Hips & Tongue Tied Lightning
Release Date: 2008-07-23 It’s fitting that Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters cover two Mike Nesmith songs on their latest album, because Nesmith and Thornton have a lot in common. They’re both Hollywood cowboys: Southern boys with honky-tonk in their DNA, and musicians who stumbled into acting careers before eventually backpedaling into their first loves.…
Beefed up
Release Date: 2008-07-23 “The old, neighborhood regulars still come,” offered our waitress. They think it’s fine in spite of the change, she was implying. Or maybe even because of it. Some ’splainin’ may now be required, Lucy. I was driving down Main just south of SAC the other day — not a street I normally…
Destiny
Destiny Composer: The Jacksons Conductor: The Jacksons Label: Epic Legacy Release Date: 2008-07-23 Rated: NONE Media: CD Length: LP Format: Album Genre: R & B Off the Wall, Michael Jackson’s 1979 collaboration with producer Quincy Jones, is usually cited as the self-proclaimed King of Pop’s coming-of-age record. It signaled that little Michael of the “I…
13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
13 Blues for Thirteen Moons Composer: The Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band Conductor: The Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band Label: Constellation Release Date: 2008-07-23 Rated: NONE Media: CD Length: LP Format: Album Genre: Free Improv There’s really no topping the intro track to Silver Mt. Zion’s last release. “God…
The Dark Knight
Dir. Christopher Nolan; writ. Christopher & Jonah Nolan; feat. Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman (PG-13) As Batman swooped over Gotham City at the end of Batman Begins, the promise of bigger, better adventures hung in the air with him. With The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan…
2008’s Art of Fashion would’ve made Vreeland swoon
Click for complete CAM Calendar I always love to cover the Art of Fashion show during CAM, both because I think CAM needs more fashion and design events, but because I also feel it’s San Antonio’s only “serious” vehicle for local fashion talent. I like to think so, anyway — I admit I’ve been disappointed…
Savage Grace
Dir. Tom Kalin, writ. Howard A. Rodman, Natalie Robins (book), Steven M.L. Aronson (book); feat. Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane, Elena Anaya, Eddie Redmayne (NR) Director Tom Kalin dropped a sophisticated, sublime movie called Swoon into art houses in 1992, a movie that blended a highly stylized true-crime story with psychosexual fearlessness. He achieves an ever…
Truth in advertising
Click for complete CAM Calendar The exhibition Sign Language dominates two San Antonio art spaces through the end of the summer, and it’s not to be missed. Chicago-based artists Michael Genovese and Juan Angel Chávez use elements of advertising signage in their works, but they approach the notion of signs in radically different ways. Seeing…
Step Brothers
Dir, Adam McKay; feat. Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Mary Steenburgen Written by and starring Hollywood’s favorite heterosexual life partners, Ferrell and Reilly, Step Brothers asks that you open wide and swallow the following pill: Single mother (Steenburgen) meets single father (Richard Jenkins), both of whom have 40-year-old sons who still live at home. The…
Speakeasy (dance, not so much)
“The worst Best Musical ever!” So goes Forbidden Broadway’s deadly quip about Thoroughly Modern Millie — and it isn’t as cheap a shot as one might suppose. Though Millie captured the top Tony Award in 2002, it seems somehow incredible there wasn’t a stronger contender for the title. The musical’s not even original, really: The…
The kindest cutscene
Sometimes, the answer to a single question tells you everything you need to know about where a person stands on a topic. The Los Angeles Lakers: Do you like Kobe Bryant? Coldplay: Do bombastic Chris Martin solos turn your musical crank? Metal Gear Solid: Dude. How do you feel about cutscenes? Anyone who’s spent…
Dear Uncle Mat
Well, god damn it! I’ve done it again. As you know, I have written you more than once in the past, and I love your advice. It has been a long time, since December, and I really haven’t been doing any better. I have been through at least six women in as many months. Nothing…
Love to Hate
 
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Anna Renalda Hyatt, a reader from Colorado, bragged to me about her prowess. “My capacity for expressing love far surpasses that of anyone I have ever met,” she wrote. “I am a Sublime Genius of Love, a Master of Unconditional Compassion, a Virtuoso of Deep Empathy.” Your assignment in the coming…
A missionary’s position
On a recent white-hot afternoon, I cornered Rosemary Benitez in a quiet spot in her couples-friendly, family-owned adult boutique, Shades of Love. The shop is feminine, colorful, and cozy despite the occasionally lurid merch packaging — a perfect setting for a chat about gender relations, Texas politics, sexual liberation, spirituality, the recent Fifth Circuit ruling…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Special tortilla contest edition Dear Readers: Gracias, merci, obrigado for the many submissions in our contest asking readers to argue in 25 words why corn tortillas are superior to flour, or vice versa. Below are the winners for some of the cities that carry the Mexican; read the full list at sacurrent.com. Don’t see your…
Eastern promises
Struggling for generations in the shadow of the downtown skyline, San Antonio’s East Side has seen its share of ups-and-downs. The good: The AT&T Center, home to the Spurs and a major venue for all-star performers, and the Carver Community Cultural Center, showcasing African-American arts. The bad: Notoriously high crime stats and a series of…
Clothes-minded
Welcome to week four of the Wardrobe Refashion Challenge, in which I have pledged not to buy any new manufactured clothing, instead relying on vintage, recycled, thrifted, handmade or renovated clothes for all my summer fashion needs. Let’s talk a little bit about buying handmade items. Ever since BUST Editor Debbie Stoller launched Stitch ’n…
What price art?
Unfortunate son The heat, they say, can make you crazy. (That’s not exactly how “they” say it, but the technical med terms will drive your already steamin’ grey matter right into meltdown). Maybe that explains the recent rash of free-expression faux pas. First, an incident that surely would make the Defenders of the Alamo roll…
In the Heat (and Luther’s) of the night
While it might not seem so to everyone who makes the drive down Main Avenue during daylight hours, a modest-looking dance club and a decades-old eatery that was fashioned from a gas station are an important part of the small but thriving gay district in San Antonio. Those familiar with area nightlife know otherwise, natch.…
Coulda been a contender
“What do you care what a bunch of bloodthirsty, screaming people think of you? They pay a few lousy bucks hoping to see a man get killed. To hell with them! Think of yourself. Get your money and get out of this rotten business.” — Humphrey Bogart in The Harder They Fall Returning to the…
Amuse-BOUCHE
This past weekend, A-B headed up the road to the Roaring Fork, the newest outpost of the Eddie V’s empire, located at 1604 and Huebner, next door to its seafood sibling, Wildfish Grill. And we did feast, the highlights of the meal being the house pride-n-joy Green Chile Pork Stew and a really fine margarita.…
Ozzy, Metallica, and…Brotherhood?!
Calling all music junkies! You have the chance to help a San Antonio band play the Ozzfest stage this year. Hard-working local metal act Brotherhood is the only SA band in the running to open Ozzfest 2008 — submissions from 200 bands have been narrowed down to 20 and Brotherhood has made the cut. They’re…
Stepping out
“This is my cave, my sanctuary,” Juanito Castillo says as he enters the guest-house-turned-music-studio built for him behind his parents’ home on San Antonio’s West Side. “I’m out here all the time, whenever I feel like it: midnight, 2 a.m.” A musical prodigy who dazzled locals as an adolescent member of Esteban Jordan’s band, Juanito…
Obama and McCain on Hutto: who’s on the fence?
As the race to the White House enters its most crucial lap, one labor activist is looking to the candidates to explain why there are children behind bars in Texas. While Jaime Martinez, founder of the César Chávez March for Justice was in Washington D.C. last week for the LULAC elections, he took the opportunity…
What price arts funding?
The heat, they say, can make you crazy. Maybe that explains recent events at two local arts flagships that invoked City funding to interrupt politically controversial programming. At San Pedro Playhouse, the final, Independence weekend performances of Among the Sand and Smog — a hardcore play (favorably reviewed by the Current) about the disappearance and…
THE SOUND & THE FURY
One of the unsung musical pleasures in S.A. this summer has come from Main Plaza’s series of free, lunchtime concerts. The schedule has included Blue Monday shows featuring the likes of Spot Barnett and Eddie Polanco & The Allniters, and Tuesday-Friday gigs (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.) which bound across genres with the Americana of The Swindles,…
Last Words
 
How to drive a (fabulous) Cadillac
What a difference a hit makes. Arguably the kings of least-likely-to-succeed Latin alternative bands, Argentina’s Los Fabulosos Cadillacs have always proven critics wrong. Mainly on the strength of one single (the irresistible, Olodum-like “Matador”), great songwriting, dynamite live performances, and smart planning, LFC debunked all formula myths and established themselves as one of the biggest…
Hey, you can’t say that!
The First Amendment is not an umbrella law that protects all speech. There are many places and times that the Constitution will not protect what you want to say, when and where you want to say it. Where Your Speech is Protected The law breaks down speech forums into public and private. In a…
CDs Nuts
Last 2 Walk Three 6 Mafia (Sony) Other than the catchy but unoriginal “Trap Boom,” and the valuable advice in “Weed, Blow, Pills” – snorting lines off a wood table can lead to splinters in your nose – this release from the remaining two Mafia members disappoints. Juicy J and DJ Paul make some truly…
Ozzy, Metallica, and…Brotherhood?!
Calling all music junkies! You have the chance to help a San Antonio band play the Ozzfest stage this year. Hard-working local metal act Brotherhood is the only SA band in the running to open Ozzfest 2008 — submissions from 200 bands have been narrowed down to 20 and Brotherhood has made the cut.…
Blast from the past
As a teenager living in New York City in 1994, Jonathan Levine searched for a mantra that would encompass everything he was feeling as a recent high- school graduate living in a city that had just elected Rudy Giuliani as mayor. During this time, NYC started to become a different place as Giuliani implemented zero-tolerance…
What price arts funding?
The heat, they say, can make you crazy. Maybe that explains recent events at two local arts flagships that invoked City funding to interrupt politically controversial programming. At San Pedro Playhouse, the final, Independence weekend performances of Among the Sand and Smog — a hardcore play (favorably reviewed by the Current) about the disappearance and…
CRITICAL Darling
The time has come, the walrus said — to misappropriate one Mr. Lewis Carroll. After approximately 1.5 years at the Current in the capacity of screens editor, I’m falling down the next rabbit hole. In approximately two weeks, this born-and-raised-and-educated San Antonian is leaving home to play in the big, bad world for once. If…
Mi Casas ain’t necessarily your Casas
A few pages into The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, an astute observer cautions Roussel, one of several young artists gathered in the gallery of the influential art dealer Vollard, against craving membership in a club that won’t have him or his ilk. He ends by reminding the eager Roussel: “No, my dear young friend,…
Remote possibilities
30 Days (FX, Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD; Season 3 readily downloadable via iTunes and less legal means) The timing of this is bad. I’ve spent the last month and a half beating my head at the keep of Morgan Spurlock’s 30 Days, an infuriatingly uneven documentary series. Wham, wham, wham goes the brainpan.…
ARTIFACTS
If you spend your Thursday evening at Blue Star, you can go ahead and scratch Einstein off the list of deceased eminences you wish you’d had the opportunity to charm over a Weller and water (you are so darling when your syllables start collapsing like dying stars). Renowned Albert impersonator David Cort will put the…
