Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: Natural Child
Nashville garage rockers Natural Child roll into San Antonio tonight on wave of drugs, booze, and scuzzy riffs. These dirty southern boys have a knack for uptempo tunes to spill your beer to, but will pull out a blues burner just when you’re feeling introspective (stoned). Also on the bill are Austin’s Utero Shock (Bikini…
SXSW Saturday Dispatch: Nobunny at Hotel Vegas
Nobunny, led by the bunny masked-Justin Champlin, took to the Burger Records outdoor stage Saturday night, a stage only a few hours earlier where Roky Erickson captivated audiences, and destroyed it. Burger Records held their SXSW showcase in a compound manor of Hotel Vegas, Volstead Lounge and outdoor stages, creating an east side Austin mecca.…
SXSW Saturday Dispatch: Smashing Pumpkins
Billy Corgan celebrating his birthday in Austin at SXSW. Photo by Jaime Monzon. Red Bull had been hyping up a surprise guest for their Saturday showcase and there were rumors that the Smashing Pumpkins were coming to SXSW, so it was no surprise when they announced them as the headliner, with San Antonio’s own Girl…
SXSW Wednesday Dispatch: El Cuarteto de Nos, Campo, Max Capote and more at Speakeasy
Two-time Latin Grammy winner El Cuarteto de Nos. (All photos by Guillermina Zabala) Here’s my quick take on the March 13 Sounds of Uruguay showcase at Speakeasy: Daniel “Tatita” Márquez Tatita Márquez is the lonely young king of Afro-Uruguayan candombe, the southernmost Afro-Latin rhythm in the world. It is a syncopated rhythm played with three…
SXSW Saturday Dispatch: Cafe Tacvba at Auditorium Shores
I can’t say that I ever really heard Cafe Tacvba before, but after seeing them last week, I’ve become an instant convert. Their music is infectious and sounds like pure fun. Audience members sang along to every word with the biggest smiles on their faces. Singer Rubén Albarrán seemed like he was having the…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: Ozomatli
The third edition of the popular Échale Series starts with a returning powerhouse: Ozomatli, the nation’s ultimate Latin fusion party band. The L.A.-based combo played at the Pearl in 2011 and they’re back to launch the first of three Échale events for 2013. It should be a terrific party, but make no mistake: their Latin/hip-hop…
SXSW Thursday Dispatch: Bajofondo, Molotov, Third Root, and more
SXSW – Thursday Dispatch Bajofondo’s Javier Casalla (left) and Martín Ferrés at Auditorium Shores. (Photo by Jaime Monzón) The theme of the day was eclecticism, with my goal being to jump between indie buzz bands, Latin rock, and throwback soul. Here’s how it played out: Pitchfork Day Party – 1100 Warehouse, Noon-6pm Pitchfork took over…
#SXSW + #SXSA Live Coverage
It’s that time of year again! As South by Southwest makes waves in Austin, its fierce Spillover is gushing through the land of the Riverwalk. We know how overwhelming it can be to take in so Current staffers are here to guide you through the madess locally and, a few miles northwest, in the heart of the…
SXSW FRIDAY DISPATCH: Afghan Whigs ft Usher
Usher on stage with the Afghan Whigs. The tweet came out early in the day. “There will be a special guest joining Afghan Whigs tonight.” Throughout the rest of the day, many replied with speculating guesses. My first guess was Frank Ocean since they cover one of his songs, but I heard Usher mentioned alot.…
SXSW FRIDAY DISPATCH: HRVRD at Equal Vision Showcase
HRVRD singer Jesse Clasen gets some help from the audience. Photo by Jaime Monzon I caught HRVRD singer Jesse Clasen as he was walking to stage and asked him to take a picture with me. He got this weird smile on his face, but was very nice and complied. The band has been gaining more…
SXSW FRIDAY DISPATCH: WAX IDOLS AT GYPSY LOUNGE
The Gypsy Lounge has all the staples of an east side Austin venue. Its dimly lit indoor bar is matched with worn wooden floors and a dash of oxblood paint. Outdoors, a sprawling patio with large staging, picnic bench seating and vanity games like Skee-Ball play host for larger draw acts. Though the Friday night…
SXSW FRIDAY DISPATCH: DIARRHEA PLANET AT CHEER UP CHARLIE’S
The spats of artificial turf, inducing a squat in the park feeling, rested beside the main stage and back fence tent posts. Cheer Up Charlie’s played home to a shoegazing medley of fuzz and drone Friday night at the Ad Hoc SXSW showcase. Featuring up-and-coming acts Nu Sensei, Sam Flax, LODRO and more, much of…
San Antonio Spurs: March Madness
Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs clinched a playoff spot for the sixteenth consecutive season on Thursday night at the AT&T Center with a gritty 92-91 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Duncan was dominant with 28 points and 19 rebounds, delivering a performance reminiscent of his classic postseason battles with Dirk Nowitzki and his…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: Thingamajigy Fayre
Powered by steam and propelled by switches, levers, and gears, the fictional technology introduced by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells (and taken to the next level by cyberpunk pioneers William Gibson and Bruce Sterling) helped spark the steampunk craze. The sci-fi offshoot thrives in blogs and websites offering everything from Victorian-inspired frocks and airship…
The Wicked Stage in NYC: Kinky Boots and more.
So your intrepid theatre critic caught five shows in the Big Apple as he zipped up north for spring break. But at least one show is a better fit for good ol’ Texas: Hands on a Hardbody: The Musical, which sounds as risqué as Oh, Calcutta! but is in fact far closer to Oh, Nissan!…
SA Tour Diaries: The Spits
Michigan punks, The Spits, play tonight at The Korova as part of The Big Spill with Retox and Ghostwolf.
Guest Post: San Antonio Pets Alive
Mange is nothing to lose hair over…for long. The first sign of mange in a dog or cat is hair loss, usually around the ears and face. Mange can be diagnosed with a simple skin scrape. It is treatable with topical ointment and can take between 4 weeks to a few months for your pets…
SXSW Review: Tegan and Sara at The Main
Tegan and Sarah at The Main. Photo by Jaime Monzon. The iHeartRadio Music showcase was held where the old Emo’s was. This used to be one of my favorite places to see live bands. It’s intimate and sounds great. So I was excited to find myself close to there about 15 mins till before Tegan and…
Six-Worders from A.J. Chilson & James Courtney
Six-worders. Lovely. I’ve touted them before. Here are some excellent ones by Don Mathis (a past contributor of other short works) who carries the six-worder forward into a linked progression creating a larger piece. And another (complete with further constraint: alliteration) by Gary Muenster. The ones I have for this week are a little different,…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: “bite like a kitty”
A signature Contemporary Art Month component initiated last year, the CAM Perennial is the first ever CAM-sponsored event. Facilitated by collaboration between CAM and the Guadalupe, the Perennial’s second chapter takes shape in an exhibition curated by Bill Arning, Director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. After studio visits with 18 local artists, Arning handpicked…
Auditions soon for ‘HELLCAB’ at AtticREP
The Rep is holding auditions for HELLCAB, Will Kern’s long-running comedy, capturing one day in the life of a hapless cab driver working the mean streets of Chicago. The company is looking for four men and three women between the ages of 20-50 to play a racially and ethnically diverse range of characters. HELLCAB is for mature audiences,…
SXSW Wednesday Dispatch: Tenacious D, The Whale, Earl Sweatshirt, Warm Soda, Hiatus Kaiyote
Tuesday marked the official beginning of the music chunk of SXSW, but Wednesday, oh Lordy, felt like the real kick-off: bigger bands, more venues, and those lines, lines, LINES. Here’s the best of what I managed to catch: Hiatus Kaiyote – Flat Top Burger, 5:30pm If I were to take part in some sort of…
Ugly animals in the basement: Retox plays the Korova Friday
Justin Pearson is among the pioneers of a strange new kind of punk. A member of some of more unique noise, punk, and grind bands in recent memory (like Swing Kids, Holy Molar, and Head Wound City), Pearson is probably best-known for his role in the synthy distorted mess known as The Locust. Pearson and…
SXSW Wednesday Dispatch: Blondfire at Filter on Rainey St. Party
Blondfire at SXSW2013. Photo by Jaime Monzon You know who Blondfire is, even if you’ve never heard their name. Chances are you’ve heard their song “Where the Kids Are” in the Honda Civic commercial while watching TV. The song is catchy and stays stuck in your head for days. The band sounds great live featuring…
SXSW Wednesday Dispatch: SXSW Interviews Depeche Mode
Jason Bentley talks to Martin Gore and David Gahan, photo and video by Jaime Monzon Depeche Mode was interviewed by KCRW Music Director, Jason Bentley. They spoke at length about the making of their new album Delta Machine, due out later this month. The band was in great spirits and kept the audience entertained with…
SXSW Wednesday Dispatch: The Neighbourhood at Filter on Rainey St. Party
The Neighbourhood at SXSW2013. Photo by Jaime Monzon The Neigbourhood have had quite success lately with their new Im Sorry ep. Success is well deserved as they have a catchy brand of music mixing electronica and rock. Their big single right now is the summer anthem “Sweater Weather” that evokes nostalgia of going to the…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: KMFDM
What began as an “art-terrorist” project evolved into an industrial force named after a phrase drawn from a hat. Kein Mehrheit Für Die Mitleid roughly translates to “No Majority for the Pity” but seeped into pop culture as “No Pity for the Majority.” After causing a ruckus in Paris in 1984 with a concert employing…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: “Meditations on Paper”
Ana Montoya’s AnArte Gallery celebrates Contemporary Art Month with “Meditations on Paper,” an exhibition pairing accomplished local artists Steven DaLuz and Russell Stephenson. Comprised of “meditative” drawings, the collaborative show explores “the comfort and solace an artist can find through their art making.” At the opening wine and champagne reception: live music by pianist Buck…
SXSW Tuesday dispatch: Gaby Moreno shines, Marnie Stern disappoints
SXSW just keeps finding ways to get bigger, be it the giant inflatable Doritos dispenser/stage, the now ubiquitous celebrity spotting, or the fact that Cirque de Soleil somehow now qualifies as a music showcase. But expanding the music portion a day earlier to Tuesday probably says more about the SXSW swell than any of that,…
Lege starts tackling state water woes
Texas may not have much water or hope of seeing more in the forseeable future. But we do have plenty of oil. Tax revenue from the state’s oil and gas boom has filled up the government’s coffers and this week there was talk of tapping those funds to tackle Texas’ water woes. The House Appropriations…
Los Rakas bring the Great Panama Bacchanal to SA
Panama is a wonderfully weird place. For starters, it is simultaneously equal parts the U.S. (by way of history and the Panama Canal), Central America, the Caribbean, and South America (Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903). At least in Panama City, the streets have no name: if you want to visit anyone, you need to…
A curious case of (alleged) police brutality
A police report says Diego Martinez was swerving and switching lanes without a signal when San Antonio Police Officer R. McDaniel pulled him over just after 2 a.m. on March 5, 2011 near I 410 and Culebra. According McDaniel’s incident report, Martinez “was slumped to the left without his seatbelt on” when the vehicle came…
Is Zavala the potential savior of Tejano music?
As singer Stefani Montiel’s husband/producer, as a member of Lush, and as the host of Tejano y Más for the last four years (KSAT Channel 12, 11:30 p.m. Saturdays), up until now Gabriel Zavala has done his best to adjust to what "being a Tejano musician" was: a mild polka beat here, a little sax…
What to do with Seville oranges
I recently spent an afternoon juicing, researching, and playing with sour oranges. It made a big, sloppy, super-fun mess. In a recent article, I referred to them as Mexican sour oranges (also called bitter oranges) because they are, in fact, common in Yucatecan and other regional cuisines of Mexico. Yet the sour oranges that grow…
Caterer Partridge in a Pie Tree delivers
Raised off the grid (no electricity or telephone) in a log cabin in Arkansas, Tonya Ellen Bates learned the gritty basics of deep-country life at an early age. Her family raised their own food, canned the excess, and celebrated good times with a deep-dish pie. That experience led her to commercial kitchens at age 14,…
'Banshee' season finale will thrill you
Banshee (9pm Fri, Cinemax) If you’ve been following Banshee since January, the season finale will not let you down. TV genius Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood) executive-produces this tale of a master criminal named Lucas Hood (Antony Starr), who masquerades as a town sheriff in Pennsylvania Amish country. This week’s episode is as…
'A Place at the Table' tackles the new face of hunger in America
There’s a set by comedian David Cross in which, during one of his many tirades (either on rednecks, ‘Mericuh, or George Bush), he settles on the pathetic state of American nutrition — skyrocketing obesity, taco shells made from Doritos chips, three-liter bottles of soda. "You see these people that are just morbidly obese, not even…
David Bowie: 'The Next Day '
In the 10 years since David Bowie’s last release, 2003’s Reality, he has faced some documented and rumored health issues that left many of us wondering if that comparatively tepid effort would be the cultural icon’s last. Then, shortly after 2013 began, there was “Where Are We Now?” — a sublime first single that muses…
Getting to know The Ten Eleven
Standing on Avenue B downtown is a small building that invites, even encourages passersby to exercise their imaginations. The tiny white structure looks foreboding to some, unsettling to others, and condemned to most. I was definitely off-put as I stepped out of my car to investigate this out-of-the-way music venue. But my friends who told…
Bajofondo: 'Presente'
Presente (which include liner notes written by Enrique Lopetegui, the Current’s music editor) is a giant record. Beyond its runtime (78 min.) and the size of the band that made it (an eight-piece), it’s an album that audaciously aims to integrate trip-hop, tango, classical, pop, folk, and a capella with relative coherence. That Bajofondo get…
Devendra Banhart: 'Mala'
The former bearded alt-folk guru of years past ditches the beard and long hair for a fresh take on minimalist art pop melodies with Mala. Devendra Banhart wrote the album alongside longtime guitar collaborator Noah Georgeson, continuing their genre-skipping recording style. Bouncing from techno to spare guitars with Banhart’s always chimeric voice, the result is…
Would a new state commission finally keep us from throwing innocents in prison?
Gilbert Valdez, then 17-years-old, had been friends with the girl for over a year. Just days shy of her 16th birthday, she, like Valdez, had a rebellious streak; on probation for stealing a car, she was a frequent runaway, while Valdez briefly ran with a local street gang. The two had had sex before. The…
'Bates Motel,' an eccentric prequel to Psycho
A prequel series based on Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror masterpiece about a misfit’s murderous fixation on his mother? The eccentric Bates Motel gives you reason for hope, starting with the actress cast as the mother: Vera Farmiga of Up in the Air. Farmiga has a gift for bringing out a character’s complexity, and Lord…
Industry News: Friday night wine dinner and crawfish boil
ORO Restaurant at the Emily Morgan Hotel is partnering with LangeTwins Family Winery for a special dinner this Friday, March 15. The dinner will be five courses paired with LangeTwins wines. In addition to food and drink, you can also get your caricature drawn. Definitely not part of any wine dinners I’ve been to, but…
Melina Narezo: 'Melina'
The debut album from this local singer-songwriter stands out from a swamp of similar releases on a number of levels. Instead of retreading old standards, she wrote most of the material and assembled a solid backing band, giving her R&B-tinted jazz numbers a deft, breezy sound. Her voice isn’t the most polished, but it’s extremely…
The Offbeats: 'F' (EP)
The San Antonio four-piece The Offbeats — comprised of brothers Bryan, Colin, and Sean Foster along with guitarist Eric Romasanta — play a stubbornly catchy brand of punk-infused garage rock. F is the group’s third official outing and a superb, albeit too short, follow up to 2011’s well-received Lights Out in the City full-length. Opener…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): "If it’s stupid and it works, it’s not stupid." That could turn out to be a useful mantra for you in the coming week. Being pragmatic should be near the top of your priority list, whereas being judgmental should be at the bottom. Here’s another mantra that may serve you well:…
Live and Local: The Copper Gamins at Blue Box on March 5
I’m sure Mexico’s The Copper Gamins have played some tough gigs on both sides of the border, no doubt. But playing a Tuesday night gig at a cocktail bar that is in no way designed to accommodate a live band, well, I’m sure it posed a unique challenge for the blues duo. Squeezed into a…
'Waiting for Lefty': Proxy Theatre's revival of Clifford Odets' classic
The premiere of Waiting for Lefty, by the legendary Group Theater in New York in 1935, was as sensational as the first performance of The Rite of Spring by the Ballets Russes in Paris in 1913. A bourgeois audience accustomed to the graceful movements and melodies of Coppélia and Swan Lake reacted violently to Igor…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I would be most interested in hearing your point of view regarding our raza always voting for someone with a Latino last name, without even considering if the vato/vata is qualified for a particular office. Often I hear comments like, "If he is Latino it makes up for all the years of injustice."…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: WHY?
You may have noted a recent pick up in hip-hop and indie-rock shows traveling through San Antone. WHY? represents the continuance of both. This curiously named project of Berkeley musician and wordsmith Yoni Wolf plays a neurotic blend of heady indie-rock and frenetically poetic alt hip-hop. On tour in support of their fourth album Mumps,…
