Kanye West’s ‘Yeezus’: Batty Narcissism or Legitimate Art?
“When you get something that has the name Kanye West on it, it’s supposed to be pushing the furthest possibilities,” West recently told The New York Times. Along with addressing himself in the third person, he chose to put his well-documented ego on full display during the interview. His latest albumfinds the controversial artist as…
Bosnian Rainbows: 'Bosnian Rainbows'
Guitar god Omar Rodríguez-López and drummer Deantoni Parks 86ing the Mars Volta to hook up with frontwoman Teri Gender Bender and keyboardist Nicci Kasper from Le Butcherettes might seem like a concession to MV detractors. Don’t like presidential-administration-length guitar solos, Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s nasal shrieks, or lyrics about Ouija board mishaps? Here’s Gender Bender’s throaty alto,…
Did LeBron James Get Danny Green Fired?
In the summer of 2010, the Cleveland Cavaliers had but one priority: re-sign LeBron James. They ultimately failed in this quest, as James infamously took his talents to South Beach, where he’s lived in the NBA Finals ever since. But in their attempts to show James they were serious about improving their title odds, the…
Drake, Miguel, And Future Coming To San Antonio
Drake, Miguel, and Future will be embarking on a North American arena tour starting this fall in September and continue throughout November. The trio will be stopping by in San Antonio on Tuesday, November 12 at the AT&T Center. Drake, a Grammy award winning artist, has garnered quite the buzz already with his forthcoming album, Nothing…
Okkervil River’s “It Was My Season” is a Swell New Single
Oh boy! Today Okkervil River, the prolific and hyper-literate folk-rock band from Austin, unveiled “It Was My Season,” the first single from their forthcoming album. Beginning with a jaunty piano line and quickly gaining thickness and thump, the song seems to pick up where the group’s superb 2011 release I Am Very Far left off,…
Soccer fever: Brazil’s Confederations Cup is on
The Confederations Cup, which every four years unite the continental soccer champions one year prior to the World Cup, started in Brazil on Friday with an easy victory by the host team 3-0 over Asia champion Japan. On Sunday, Italy beat Mexico 2-1 thanks to a late goal by Mario Ballotelli, who dedicated the goal…
5 Things You Have to Do this Week
1. San Antonio Film Festival: Texas Before the Alamo In association with Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, ATENEO, and others, the San Antonio Film Festival presents the premier of director/producer Bill Millet’s Texas Before the Alamo, a film about the founding of the Lone Star State and the Spanish who established its missions, presidios, and…
‘Girl Meets World’ & ‘The IT Crowd’: The Cost of Nostalgia
The nostalgia trip is on. With the recent news of Disney Channel’s official order of Girl Meets World, a sequel series to Boy Meets World starring Ben Savage and Danielle Fishel reprising their roles of Cory and Topanga, the show is yet another in the growing line of reboots in television. From Arrested Development’s latest…
Hear M.I.A.’s new single: “Bring The Noize”
I can’t wait for this one. Judging by “Bring The Noize,” M.I.A.’s new single (produced by Switch and Surkin, it will be officially released June 18), and the remix of “Matangi,” which mixes electronica with ancient Vedic chanting and Bollywood music, Matangi, the album, is going to be a riot. The full collection comes out…
Scorpions earn valuable 2-1 win at Tampa Bay
After a poor start in the 2013 season, the visiting San Antonio Scorpions beat Tampa Bay Rowdies (3-3-4) 2-1. It was the team’s first away win and the first time this year the Scorpions win back-to-back victories. The game was watched by a crowd of 4,595 at St. Petersburg, Fla. on Saturday. The goals were…
Spotlight on Southtown: Hidden Treasures at the Jewelry Box
Tanya Kulhanek can sometimes be seen sprawled on the floor of her store, the Jewelry Box in Southtown, painting colorful skulls that don smiles, dresses and lamp shades as hats. While happy skeletons seem like an oxymoron, the art is inspired by Mexican folk art and Dia De Los Muertos, the Mexican Catholic holiday that…
Manure No More: Ginobili Starts, Shines as Spurs Take 3-2 Finals Lead
“What’s wrong with Manu?” Gregg Popovich and Manu Ginobili had to be plenty tired of those four words by the time they arrived at the AT&T Center Sunday night, as the media — en masse — uncorked a question they’d been reticent to ask after yet another putrid performance Thursday night from the Spurs’ aging super-sub. Ginobili…
Doing Stuff With Ghostpizza — Episode 1: “Getting Stuff For the Spurs Game”
http://ghostpizza.com
Ask Aliyah: Pregnant Smoking & The Ethics of Public Shaming
I think I made a mistake. I am really not so sure, I haven’t made up my mind completely and not sure if I will ever come to a conclusion I can settle on. Last week, while on vacation with my husband and toddler, I saw a pregnant woman smoking. She arrived to the beach…
Top 10 Reasons Medina Lost
Adios, District 5 council member David Medina, we hardly knew ye, though it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying on our part (or that of any other media outlet). On Saturday, he lost in a runoff, along with District 8 hopeful Rolando Briones. We like to think the two studmuffins lived in what 30…
‘Man of Steel’: Superman gets the Christopher Nolan treatment
Spectacular but empty. As a director of hyperbolic havoc, Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen, SuckerPunch) has thankfully put aside his slow-then-fast effects and replaced them with the pixilated bombast of Michael Bay, albeit with more craft and focus. It’s hard to say whether cinematographer Amir Mokri’s (Transformers: Dark Of The Moon) chaotic hand-held approach is actually…
Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum names Steven Evans Consulting Manager
Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum has named Steven Evans as consulting manager to the Southtown arts hub. Evans will work with the board of directors to revamp Blue Star’s strategic plan, and manage daily operations. Blue Star is currently without a director, since Bill FitzGibbons stepped down from the leadership role this week. Evans, who…
San Antonio Garage Rockers The Rich Hands Prepare For Blastoff
The Rich Hands practice in bass player Matt Gonzalez’ bedroom, with vinyl albums and posters of bands and Lindsay Lohan lining the walls and looking down on each session. A sticker on the record player on the far side of the room tells you all you need to know about the trio: “It’s only Rock &…
Manure Ginobili: Spurs’ Big Three Officially Reduced to Two as Heat Even Series at 2-2
One of the dominant storylines of this NBA Finals duel is that both the Spurs and the Heat boast a “Big Three.” Thursday night in San Antonio, Miami’s LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade backed that notion up for the first time this series, combining for a staggering 85 of their team’s 109 points.…
CSS: 'Planta'
It was 2003 when Brazil’s CSS (“Cansei de Ser Sexy,” or Tired of Being Sexy) first made a splash with their day-glo brand of synth-pop (a colorfulness that extended to the band’s outfits and lyrics.) Now a decade and four albums in, well after the novelty of their trash culture referencing singles (“Meeting Paris Hilton,”…
San Antonio, Texas LGBTQ Activists Arrested Outside Boehner’s Office
While protesting for national anti-discrimination measures, six gay rights activists from Texas– including Erin Susan Jennings of San Antonio– faced arrest outside House Speaker John Boehner’s D.C. office earlier today. The group, eight in total, visited Boehner to request his support for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act or ENDA. The perennial legislation, tweaked over the decades, would prevent employers…
San Antonio’s Homeless Registry Unveiled
Through the collaborated efforts of 100,000 Homes Campaign, Got Your 6, and dedicated partners, San Antonio hopes to end homelessness among vulnerable San Antonio residents, including veterans. This week more than 100 volunteers hit the streets of San Antonio to compile a registry of the Alamo City’s homeless. According to compelling data cited on Thursday by…
10 Things You Have to Do this Weekend
Thursday, June 13 1. Borgore Having notched over 10 releases since 2009, Israeli dubstep producer/rapper Borgore comes to SA with a new EP, Legend, just two weeks away. Influenced by everything in his long history of music and travel, Borgore is unique among the ever-growing cast of international EDM artists. His sound, ready-made for thrilling…
SA Mayor Castro releases “Hey Chuck! Part II” video
Poor Charles Barkley. Give the guy a break. This time, he was actually one of the very few who dared to say the Spurs could actually sweep the Heat. But wait. He also continued dissing our women, as he did in 2012, which prompted our Mayor to counterattack with the first “Hey Chuck!” video. So…
Spursery Rhymes by Rosey
Credit: Bronwyn Wingo Matthew Rose, musician-at-large, who I last saw dressed up like Ziggy Stardust serenading King William fair-goers with Bowie covers, has directed his songwriting abilities lately to creating “Spursery Rhymes” based on his beloved adopted basketball team, under the name Spursery Inc. He sent me a collection recently, and these are my favorite.…
Spurs fever: Joe the Barber does Tim Duncan
Jim Mendiola’s latest video honors indestructible Tim Duncan via Joe Barajas (“Joe the Barber”), who shaved a Duncan portrait on a customer’s head at his barber shop. He’s the same barber who last year did a Matt Bonner portrait on the head of a Woodlake Hills Middle School student who got suspended for it. Mendiola…
Kawhi Not? Silent, Sinewy Small Forward Stirs the Spurs
While Tuesday night’s blowout win over the Heat was punctuated by the surprisingly dynamic sharpshooting duo of Gary Neal and Danny Green, the all-important comma in Miami’s death sentence was Kawhi Leonard. Much was made of Golden State small forward Harrison Barnes elevating his game during the second round against the Spurs, but it’s been…
Linda Pace Foundation Names Maura Reilly New Director
The Board of Trustees of the Linda Pace Foundation has announced Maura Reilly as its new executive director. An internationally acclaimed curator, critic, and art historian with a doctorate in art history, Reilly has extensive experience in scholarly research, teaching, and arts administration, and is known for her ground breaking advocacy for the study of…
Racist Internet Trolls Attack 10-Year-Old Spurs National Anthem Singer
***Update Thursday June 13: Sebastien will once again sing the anthem at Game 4 of the NBA finals tonight. Go Sebastien Go!*** Last night, minutes before the Spurs demolished the Heat in Game 3 of the NBA finals, San Antonio’s 10-year-old mariachi singer Sebastien De La Cruz offered a wonderful rendition of the National Anthem…
Neal Before Zod! D-Green Hornet! Kahwhiian Punch! Spurs’ Supporting Cast Annihilates Heat
Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined for a mere 25 points Tuesday night against the Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Finals. See if you can guess which team won by 36 points. If you picked Miami, you’d be wrong, as San Antonio pulled off one of the most stunning blowouts in…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Irish poet Richard Brinsley Sheridan didn’t confine his lyrical wit to well-crafted poems on the printed page. He used it to say things that would advance his practical ambitions. For example, when he first met the woman who would eventually become his wife, he said to her, “Why don’t you come…
Various Artists: 'Woody Guthrie at 100! (Live at Kennedy Center)'
Donovan, John Mellencamp, Judy Collins, Lucinda Williams, Rosanne Cash and many others (including actor Jeff Daniels reading Guthrie’s texts) met in Washington D.C. in October 2012 as part of the Woody Guthrie centennial celebrations held around the world. The CD/DVD package of the show has many highlights (including eight tracks not shown in the recent…
Value Vino: Three-Buck Junk?
I cut my wine teeth on the three-for-$7 bin at the corner liquor store in my Manhattan apartment building years ago. By today’s standards they were tough wines, but they got me started down a long and convoluted path… I couldn’t help but think that the same might be true for other newbies when I…
Michael Menchaca's 'Autos Sacramentales' at Artpace
It started, said Michael Menchaca, with “a dirty mustache joke” the young San Antonio artist overheard while studying at Texas State University at San Marcos. Whether it was the joke or the mustache itself that was dirty, Menchaca didn’t explain. But it’s clear that the sorry attempt at humor played on stereotypes of Mexican identity,…
Mixhell: 'Spaces'
The oddest possible side project from Sepultura drummer Igor Cavalera might just be the best: a collaboration with his wife, DJ/singer Laima Leyton, called Mixhell. Funky Latin and club rhythms, assayed by Cavalera himself, blend with sleazy late-’80s dance floor anthems sung by a seductive Leyton (and a handful of carefully selected guests) and an…
Industry News
David Gilbert left Sustenio at the Eilan Hotel and Resort earlier this year, citing the desire to pursue other ventures. He’ll soon be back in the kitchen cooking foods closer to his heart – Asian street food. Gilbert is teaming up with the owners of the Friendly Spot, Steve and Jody Newman, on his new…
True Blood’s Season 6: HBO’s Truthful Vampires Return for a Sixth Season
“Bill, this isn’t you,” she says as he holds the vile of sacred blood. “What the fuck do you know about me?” he responds. Ushering in religious overtones and the damnation of one’s soul, human or vampire, Season five of HBO’s horror-drama True Blood ended with the blood-soaked reincarnation of Bill (Stephen Moyer). Calculating and…
Seth Rogen’s ‘This Is The End’ Is Crude, Bloody and Riotously Funny
When it comes to comedy, is there such a thing as too much? Is it OK to play soccer with a decapitated head and for five guys to discuss “a rapey vibe” in the air while Emma Watson rests in a nearby bedroom? This is the End is crude, tasteless, bloody, and, at its best,…
Chef Jeff White at Boiler House
Jeff White started his first restaurant job at 16, but planned on a career in mechanical engineering. He lasted all of three months at his first gig in the construction field. “The owners got me off the hook by telling me, ‘do what you really want to do,’” said the San Antonio native. “I wasn’t…
Arirang Korean Restaurant: Asian Roadhouse
Perched on the side of the Austin Highway, just east of Salado Creek, is a relic from earlier times — a roadhouse serving homemade grub and cold drinks till 2 a.m. Arirang Korean Restaurant is no honky-tonk, but a Texan outpost of an older tradition. Along with almost 50 food items on the bilingual menu,…
Newsmonger: Down and Dirty in the Districts for City Council Runoffs
Saturday, June 15, marks the runoff elections for city council seats for Districts 5 and 8. District 5 residents will get a chance to support either social conservative pretty boy David Medina, a very green leader in every sense, or pawn shop proprietor/urbanist athlete Shirley Gonzales, a relative newcomer to both politics and the district.…
Kendrick Lamar Brings His Talented Friends to Our Neck of the Woods
Kendrick Lamar burst into the national spotlight in 2011, following the release of his debut album Section.80, which included the hits “HiiiPoWeR” and “A.D.H.D.” If that album — lyrically focused on issues of drug addiction, violence, love, lust, and the battle to improve oneself — got people talking about Lamar as if he was next…
Murder Destroyed Charity Lee's Family, Forever Altered Her Concept of Justice
On a sweltering Monday evening in May, Charity Lee sat near a makeshift pulpit inside the Greater Faith Church on the city’s East Side. Before her sat 10 children whose lives had been forever changed by the sins of their parents. The kids stared at the concrete floor and fidgeted nervously until Lee broke the…
Newsmonger: Euthanasia by Proxy
Last week, Express-News editorial board writers heaped praise on city Animal Care Services, saying new leadership has catapulted San Antonio’s handling of strays from the depths of “downright shameful” to a model for other cities to follow. Sure, it seems COSA, which in 2006 had the highest per-capita pet euthanasia rate in the country, is…
'Before Midnight': Linklater Wraps Up His Talky Trilogy
Richard Linklater has all but assured himself a spot in film studies syllabi forever more with his trilogy of films Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and now, Before Midnight. Employing the same two talented actors, and revisiting them several years apart, the filmmaker provides a faascinating, and visually-stunning, character study. But the films, all penned by…
NY’s The Dig Plays 502 With Stellar Local Support
One of the great things about a venue like 502 Bar is that, while it is big enough to attract many national touring bands, it still maintains ties to the local indie music scene. Why, you might ask, is that such a benefit? Let me explain by way of example. The Dig On Friday night,…
5 Must See Films at the 2013 San Antonio Film Festival
It’s a tough gig being a San Antonio filmmaker. Take Kevin and Robin Nations, for example. The filmmaking couple and their cast and crew let the sweltering Texas heat beat down on them last summer while they shot dog agility competition scenes for their family film Champion. Or how about director/writer Cedric Thomas Smith, who…
Tiger Pop: Sriracha Sauce Rescues This Korean Fusion Cuisine
Tiger Pop Korean Roll N Go is located between a Starbucks and a McDonald’s in a mini-strip on 1604 at Bulverde; this should tell you most of what you need to know. In case it doesn’t, keep reading. San Antonio has welcomed Korean restaurants ever since veterans began coming back from wars across the Pacific.…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: In Philadelphia, where I live, there are three Spanish-language stations on regular broadcast television. None of them offer English subtitles. I bet plenty of people of all heritages would like to check out Spanish language television, or the news from Central America or whatever, if we could get subtitles. I called one of…
Apache '65: 'La Belladonna Di Morti'
I’ve dug Austin’s “spaghetti-surf” of the late ’90s, but I’ve never heard a whole concept album based on an imaginary movie Sergio Leone wished he had directed. What Brian Parrish (drummer for Saturday Night Satellites) and Randy Elliott (Mosquitohead) did with Apache ’65 is use surf music as an excuse to create an unpredictable soundtrack…
Julie Shipp’s Abstract Paintings Point To The Sky
Richly atmospheric and brilliantly colored, Julie Shipp’s abstract paintings evoke dramatic moments of sunlight shining through storm clouds or the disorienting sensation of floating, in an emerald sea without knowing which way is up or down. Partly inspired by 19th-century landscapes, her work can be described as “Turneresque,” but unlike J.M.W. Turner’s atmospheric paintings, Shipp…
Blue Box Bartender Spills His Secrets Weekly
When I bring up Olaf Harmel’s name among local cocktail cognoscenti, the responses land in one of two camps: he’s a Leonardo da Vinci of drinks or he’s kind of a dick. Upon further pressing, those in the latter camp are generally referring to experiences from back in Harmel’s days putting Bar du Mon Ami…
In San Antonio, There’s a Ladies’ Night For Every Lady
Tattooed Ladies’ Night at Nightrocker Live. Photo by Essentials 210. Organize the new week with these awesome ladies night specials for all the ladies in San Antonio, even during Spurs games. So if things ever get too tense and you need to drink it off/dance it off there is always a door (and bottle) open…
10 MORE Places to Watch the Spurs Vs. Heat in San Antonio
1. Where: Fatso’s, 1704 Bandera Who: The Rowdy Spurs Fans 2. Where: Nueve Lounge, 23535 Interstate Highway 10 Who: The Tony Parker Fans 3. Where: 54th Street Bar & Grill, 410 & Highway 151 4. Where: Big Sam’s Grill & Bar, 13802 Embassy Row Why: 42inch TVs throughout the place and 3 big screens. 5.…
This Bytes: Chili Lime Peanuts Recipe
These past few weeks in S.A have been so exciting! Our Spurs are back in the NBA Finals with their first chance at a championship since 2007. Pretty much everyone in town has Spurs fever. Everyone is driving around S.A with their Spurs flags hanging from their cars, including our parents. “Go Spurs Go” banners are hanging…
Who Makes the Best Puffy Taco in San Antonio?
Last week we asked you, dear readers, to let us know who makes the best puffy taco in San Antonio. Answers varied greatly. The discussion escalated quickly. And some of you just didn’t take this seriously at all. We suggested this place… Taco House6307 San Pedro(210) 341-3136Click here to read our review! But ultimately you…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: The Brent Watkins Trio: “The Sound of the Trio”
For Brent “Doc” Watkins, paying tribute to the late Oscar Peterson isn’t the most obvious choice. As far as jazz piano masters go, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk all would have been better known subjects. He also couldn’t have picked a tougher figure to emulate than Peterson, whose lightning runs across the keyboard…
