Q&A: Jerry Clayworth and Jeff Smith
Jerry Clayworth What’s your story with Taco Land? I started going to Taco Land when I was roughly about 16 years old. This was in the mid-’80s. It was probably early ’84. I was still in school, and I went with a friend because we’d heard about this place and [there were] local rock ’n’…
Steroid dealers most hurt by NBA, NFL lockouts
With the recent NBA and the ongoing NFL lockouts, many people are feeling the sting of work stoppage. Players, Vendors, Sports Bars, the Fans – but none as much as the many who make their living off selling performance enhancement drugs to the players. “It’s been hard, man.” says steroid retailer Ed Ripley. “Usually this…
Why the work of Efraín Gutiérrez will never disappear
Cine en el Barrio La Onda Chicana (1976, 18 min.) Chicano Love is Forever (Amor chicano es para siempre) (1977, 92 min.) $6 2pm Sunday, July 17 Guadalupe Theater 1301 Guadalupe (210) 271-3151 guadalupeculturalarts.org It’s easy to dismiss the films of Efraín Gutiérrez. His movies are rough, unpolished, and lacking those things cinema experts consider,…
Q&A: Eddie Cruz
Eddie Cruz is one of the two sons Ram Ayala had with Tina Cruz, and a man on a quest: to take over the annual event that has been honoring the memory of his dad for the last six years. Or more, if you ask him. This is what he told the Current via phone…
Welcome to ‘Food Fighter,’ where eating gets political
Hi, I’m Liz, and I am very interested in food. I am a Certified Holistic Health and Nutrition Counselor, which means I went to nutrition school and know a lot about the science of food — which foods people should be eating (or eliminating) for their specific illness or health concern. This Holistic Health and…
“Awake” by Gabriela Preiss
Introduction “Awake” by Gabriela Preiss tears at you, at your conceptions. “Awake” is a fable about innocence as good fables are, but it is more than a fable. It does not exhaust itself in some kind of lesson. It is a metaphor: pulling and scratching at your mind. Read on fearless reader, but do not…
Neck Tension? Do as the Sphinx…
The sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and a human head. In traditional Indian lore, it is said to take away the sins of the devotees when they enter a temple, and to ward off evil in general. We can think of the mythical sphinx as a gatekeeper, or guardian,…
‘Ocarina of Time’ 3D redefines what we once thought was perfect
My younger brother, now 16, was not a shade past three when the Ocarina of Time first debuted. In an era where characters looked like dozens of polygons with unblinking eyes and environments were stagnant and unflinching, the Ocarina of Time blew everyone’s expectations away. The kingdom of Hyrule had finally come to life that…
Q & A: Tina Cruz
Before we get into the whole Ram Jam thing, do you have a problem with the annual Rammy Awards organized by the Current? I don’t really … I was just upset because I wasn’t warned about anything and I don’t find it fair at all. It’s bad on all families. It’s bad. Frankly, I started…
Q & A: Sylvia Ayala
When did your mother marry Ram? Did they ever get divorced and then remarried? My parents have always been married; they’ve been married for over 50 years. Well, actually, when my father passed away, I guess they were nearing their 50th anniversary. They got married in ’56, I believe. Did you ever go to Taco…
Execution marches forward, defying international courts and Obama administration
Texas appears poised to execute a death row inmate entangled in a growing international controversy, despite objections from the Obama administration and a long list of former U.S. officials claiming the execution flies in the face of a crucial international agreement. The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles Tuesday declined to halt the execution of…
An Interview with Wendy Barker
Wendy Barker, UTSA’s Poet in Residence and writing teacher, spent nearly a decade trying to publish Nothing Between Us, her novel in prose poems that dives deep into race relations, infidelities, drugs, food, and other sensory experiences of the 1960’s. The publishers all gave her the same line: it’s neither a novel nor really poetry.…
Notes from Paradise
A Better Life Dir. Chris Weitz; writ. Eric Eason; feat. Demián Bichir, José Julián, Joaquín Cosio, Carlos Linares, Bobby Soto, Richard Cabral, Gabriel Chavarria. (PG-13) It might be a Mexican-American version of the classic 1948 Italian neorealist film Bicycle Thieves, but A Better Life could not have come at a more appropriate time, as immigration…
Monkeyfest, “Cannonball”’s grandniece, Jeremiah and others promise a super-charged weekend.
If you ask me, the place to be this weekend is Monkeyfest. But, as is the case more and more in San Antonio, there’s plenty to see and hear. The Super Soul Shakedown presents Austin’s soul band Akina Adderley & The Vintage Playboys (all ages, $8-$10, 9pm Saturday, July 9, Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E…
Ram Ayala’s son and his quest to take over what — he says — belongs to the family
There’s a place in San Antone Where I can go and not feel alone Tacoland, it’s a panacea Tacoland, they’re always glad to see ya — “Tacoland,” The Dead Milkmen “I’m taking over the Ram Jam thing, there’s no doubt about that,” said Eddie Cruz, the son of murdered nightclub owner Ram Ayala. I…
QueQue: Doggett hits Westside march, Wentworth’s ad war, Lamar targets kinder, gentler ICE
Doggett hits Westside march Republican redistricting pushed Austin-based Congressmen Lloyd Doggett into a linear Congressional district — at least temporarily — stretching from Austin to San Antonio. And though he claims he has yet to start officially campaigning, we’re already seeing more Doggett around town. He joined a long, blistering July Fourth march with a…
Gay wizards stirring up marriage equality and superstorms
New York’s next gay pride parade should be a huge event, with lots of marriage-themed floats filled with same-sex couples celebrating the state’s recent legalization of gay marriage. I’m sure there will be lots of catty comments bandied about over who should be allowed to wear white as “bride and groom” cake decorations are retrofitted…
The origins and evolution of DMP’s Monkeyfest
Monkeyfest 2011 Night 1 Free 8pm Thu, July 7 The Mix & Limelight Night 2 $5, 21+ except White Rabbit: $8 for minors 8pm Fri, July 8 Salute, Limelight, & The White Rabbit Night 3 $5, 21+ 8pm Sat, July 9 Limelight Both Drunken Monkey Promotions and Monkeyfest were conceived like most big…
Recent sightings point to Top Chef in San Antonio
Is the ninth season of Top Chef going to be filmed in the Alamo City? Signs point to “yes,” based on the rumor mill and recent sightings. Last week, Top Chef judges Tom Colicchio, Padma Lakshmi, and Gail Simmons were spotted at Biga on the Banks and The Esquire Tavern with chef Emeril Lagasse and…
Artifacts: Changes in the South Flores Arts District
Lots of changes are happening in the South Flores Arts District these days. Deep in the heart of Second Saturday art walk territory (happening this week on July 9), Joe Lopez is looking to downsize his operation at Gallista Gallery, and has put the building up for sale. Lopez told the Current last month that…
The Apoca-List
AKA The “We’re Fucked” Index
Ranger Creek releases
Ranger Creek releases The folks at Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling Co. will soon release a hefeweizen for the doggiest days of summer. The refreshing German beer features wheat, barley, and a special yeast that gives interesting fruity and spicy flavors. The beer dates back to before the brewery was a gleam in the owners’…
International artists on the Dalai Lama
The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama Adults $8, seniors $7 students and military $5, children 4-11 $3 10am-9pm Tue 10am-5pm Wed-Sat Noon-6pm Sun San Antonio Museum of Art 200 W Jones (210) 978-8100 samuseum.org Exhibition on view to July 31 Good endings are important. “The Missing Peace: Artists Consider the Dalai Lama,” on…
Relocated rocker depot making new friends in Northside’s Embassy complex
Dixie’s Bar 502 Embassy Oaks Vibe A true Texas bar that captures the state’s independent spirit. Best Use The place you go to drink whiskey and hang with friends, regardless of what scene you’re in. Prices $2.50 wells and domestics; $2 Lone Star; rotating premium liquor and beer specials. We weren’t there the…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): It’s my observation that women find it easier than men to tune into their natural rhythms. The menstrual cycle helps cultivate that ability. We men experience less dramatic physical shifts, and that seems to give us license to override messages from our bodies for the sake of ambition, laziness, or convenience.…
Atari Teenage Riot: Is This Hyperreal?
“It’s time to act; it’s time to fight through,” says Nic Endo in the title track for Atari Teenage Riot’s first album in 11 years. This is about as rational as the Clinton-era, anarcho-digital hardcore band gets on this record full of conspiracy theories and obvious political truths. New MC CX KiDTRONiK tells us Barack…
El Cine: URBAN-15’s 5th Annual Josiah Media Festival
San Antonio desperately needs a new generation of filmmakers to shake things up. And the younger, the better. That’s where URBAN-15’s 5th Annual Josiah Media Festival comes in handy. Named after Josiah Miles Neundorf, a 20-year-old local media artist who passed away in 2006 from bone cancer, the festival will take place July 7-9 at…
Steve Earle spits the bit and leads his own parade
Steve Earle and the Dukes (and Duchesses) feat. Allison Moorer $45, 8:30pm Fri, July 8 Gruene Hall 1281 Gruene Rd., New Braunfels (830) 606-1281 gruenehall.com It’s a testament to Steve Earle that encapsulating his career isn’t quick or easy. Multiple facets each shine their own light on the Schertz native, from the decade-long musical apprenticeship…
¡ASK A MEXICAN!
Special Soccer Edición Dear Readers: Ever since the Mexican national soccer team thrashed the American side, 4-2, in last month’s Gold Cup final, Know Nothings have railed about how Mexis in the U.S. root for El Tri against the norteamericanos. They’ve invaded the Mexican’s mailbox with preguntas sobre fútbol, so rather than answer them,…
L.A. Left Comatose
Girl in a Coma June 30, 2011 Levitt Pavilion (Pasadena, California) Blame it on the L.A. traffic, but it’s actually kind of cool arriving just as Girl in a Coma are starting up, taking in the full crowd, walking past the vendors’ booths. It’s a free show, but the atmosphere is like a side stage…
Trigun: Badlands Rumble (Gekijouban Trigun: Badlands Rumble)
If a computer-generated kung fu-fighting panda, a scrawny cowpoke chameleon, or a jelly-bean-pooping Easter bunny haven’t impressed you this year on the feature animation front, it might be time to try something on a completely different creative plane. Something from much further east. That could’ve been a selling point for the production team behind the…
Black Pus: Primordial Pus
Black Pus is Brian Chippendale’s personal pugilistic playground, a realm where the Lightning Bolt drummer gets to let his freak flag fly long, hard, and largely unedited: he mashes skins, strings, and keyboards into a noxious paste as aurally repulsive as its namesake. On Primordial Pus, as with 2008’s Black Pus 4, his impromptu shotgun…
Moby: Destroyed
The tenth studio album from the electronic architect constructs clean, sophisticated landscapes while displaying an illuminated sense of emotional desolation. Destroyed, recorded in hotel rooms while on tour and released in conjunction with an eponymous photo book, is a self-conscious work with each track seemingly constructed out of destructive behaviors (the cover image displays an…
With A Better Life, Demian Bichir portrays the real lives lost in today’s immigration debate
Mexico City-born actor Demián Bichir laughs a bit as he gives his analysis on the current state of U.S. immigration legislation and the suggestion by some people that the government should find a way to send 11 million undocumented Mexicans back across the border. “Realistically, I don’t know how that could ever happen,” Bichir told…
Fast Foodie: Trinicake Cupcakery
Trinicake Cupcakery 999 E Basse, Ste. 178 (210) 826-2427 Much like a rebellious — and fabulous — teenager, the cupcake has established its own niche in the world of more staid baked goods. I’m sure we’ve all taken note of the trendy little cakes dressed to perfection in fanciful frosting and fondant. Even Kim Kardashian…
What to see at the 5th annual Josiah Media Festival
The 5th Annual Josiah Media Festival is an event only open to nationwide filmmakers age 21 and younger and is designed to showcase outstanding works by young film, video, and media artists. URBAN-15 will be awarding over $1,000 in prizes to the winners at the awards presentation on Saturday, July 9. The following is the…
Brian Eno: Drums Between the Bells
In his 40-plus years of recording, Brian Eno — ex-Glam God and innovator emeritus of ambient music — has exhibited an other-worldly panache for pitting unlikely sonic assemblages against one another. From his aurally repetitive experiment into the possibilities of incidental score, Discreet Music, to his collaboration with David Byrne, My Life in the Bush…
Colony of Mexican Free-Tailed bats gaining a following on River Walk
At dusk under the I-35 bridge at Camden Street a small crowd lingers. They bob their heads between wristwatches and cell phones and something above not yet visible. Passersby stop to ask, “What’s everyone looking at?” Soon a cloud of Mexican free-tailed bats are streaming from beneath the bridge, the façade of the San Antonio…
San Antonio, Dallas top ‘lottery-like’ systems for Social Security benefits
In San Antonio, Texas, people hoping to get Social Security disability payments could see their cases assigned to any of 17 judges. The luck of this draw matters a lot. One of the judges grants benefits in just 14 percent of cases. Another judge hands over benefits—which range from about $700 per month to about…
Castro, Doggett rub elbows at Westside march
Though the longtime congressman claims he has yet to start campaigning, you can expect to see a lot more of Lloyd Doggett around town. Doggett, who’s now running in the newly formed congressional district that stretches from Austin to San Antonio, joined a local march on Monday with a host of neighborhood and immigrant rights…
