The Spurs Quietly Sweep Their Way Into The NBA Finals
During the San Antonio Spurs’ four-game sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies in the Western Conference Finals (first time that’s happened in a decade), which culminated on Memorial Day with a 93-86 win on the road, never once did it feel like the Spurs were the dominant team. Gregg Popovich admitted as much when consoling his…
Arrested Development’s Return is Lukewarm Ham Water
The great dark period has ended, hailing the long-awaited return of the perpetually plagued Bluth family. The characters may be older, but the faces remain the same, that is, except for Portia de Rossi. Netflix’s third (semi) original series is one big “Previously on Arrested Development,” catching up viewers on what has happened to the…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: 42nd Annual Kerrville Folk Festival
A Hill Country tradition since 1972, the Kerrville Folk Festival showcases upwards of 100 established and emerging singer-songwriters (representing genres from traditional folk to bluegrass, country, rock, blues, jazz, and Americana) on the grounds of the 50-acre Quiet Valley Ranch. Scattered among the daily lineups are 32 promising artists selected from a pool of 700…
Spurs Roll Grizz in Memphis
Things looked pretty bleak for the San Antonio Spurs after Game 3’s opening stanza in Memphis. Down 29-13 against the rough-and-tumble Grizzlies after one quarter, with referee Joey Crawford lurking around the edges of the court, the only solace was the clock. Over the next three quarters and overtime, Coach Gregg Popovich leaned on Bexar…
SATX vs. ATX: An all-star music round table
After Judge Nelson Wolff gave his State of the County speech Friday at the Omni Hotel, the Current got him and other key players of the San Antonio music scene to expand on an old dilemma: how can San Antonio become a viable music destination without being swallowed by Austin? The participants: Judge Wolff and…
10 Things You Need at Your Arrested Development Party
The new season of Arrested Development debuted today on Netflix. Since all episodes are available to stream, it’s no surprise that many fans are planning to throw themed parties. How can you avoid being the lame group not doing the same? Here are some AD staples to incorporate into your viewing party that’ll keep you…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: In the Heights
Vibrant characters with big dreams bring New York’s Washington Heights to life onstage in Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes’ In the Heights. Employing Latin pop and rap to explore love, life, and belonging in the barrio, the musical orbits around Usnavi, a Dominican bodega owner named after one of the first sights his parents…
¡Ask a Mexican!
Dear Mexican: I went to a Los Angeles Dodgers game today and noticed that they now have Doyer Dogs, which are fucking disgusting and covered in nacho cheese, jalapeños and chili. Not that it doesn’t have potential, but this is Dodger Stadium here, not a food truck. But my question: Do you think that it’s…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: Black Flag
If you’ve ever lamented that you were born too late to see one of America’s founding hardcore punk bands, worry no more. And if you’ve ever worried that you’d never see that band split into two factions and beef at each other like an old married couple, well, you’re in luck there, too. The “official”…
Judge Wolff joins Girl in a Coma
The judge with Girl in a Coma’s Jenn, Phanie, and Nina (photo by Faith Radle) In an unexpected turn of events, County Judge (and former Mayor) Nelson W. Wolff became the fourth member or Girl in a Coma, it was announced today. “He kept buggin’ us, that he had some songs, and that he could…
iPhone Game ‘The Tapping Dead’ Set in SATX
San Antonio based game development studio Crazy Cricket has released its first venture: “The Tapping Dead: Escape from San Antonio, Texas!” The 8bit style game allows iPhone users to kick zombie ass in 150 different levels set throughout San Antonio, as five different heroes, including “Alice The Cheerleader” from Boerne, “Bill The Sheriff” from Lockhart,…
Kanye West to Project Video on the Alamo TONIGHT (Updated)
Updated 5/26/2013 10:46 to reflect new information Sure to cause the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to collectively claw at their pearls in agony, rapper, producer, and Twitter screamer Kanye West will project … something onto the Alamo (11:30-12:30), the Guenther and Sons building (10:45-11:45), and North Star Mall (10-11) tonight, according to a…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: Life Kills Me
Foreign film buffs might know Chile’s Sebastián Silva from his Sundance Film Festival hits The Maid (which took home two World Cinema Jury Prizes in 2009) and this year’s Crystal Fairy (starring indie fave Michael Cera opposite Gaby Hoffmann). True fans, however, will tell you to start at the beginning. Released in 2007, Silva’s Life…
17th Annual Webby Awards: Who Won the Internet?
With nearly 150 awards, the Webbys have five types of entry: Web, online film and video, interactive advertising and media, mobile and apps, and social. The list of winners is filled with the predictable pats on the back. It’s no surprise that Pinterest wins a Webby for Social Media, Netflix stands firm over Hulu and…
SA Artists named to Texas Biennial, win awards in Austin
Five San Antonio artists were named as participants in the fifth edition of the Texas Biennial, taking place this fall at the Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, September —December. Shannon Crider, Claudio Dicochea, Kelley O’Connor, Chris Saurter, and Gary Sweeney are among the 69 artists throughout Texas chosen by a panel of 14 curators led…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: sami.the.great
Sami Akbari, who records and performs under the cheeky nom de plume sami.the.great, is possessed by a gentle vocal talent that lends tremendous emotional depth to her sweet and searching pop songs. Lyrically sharp and earnest all at once, as on her latest single “Hear Me Now,” sami.the.great calls upon her diverse life experience —…
Last boat to Cuba: ICONS at Bihl Haus closing
Fashion and politics go hand-in-hand. Without popular media images there is no propaganda, and likewise, no sales. When Fidel Castro ousted Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista from power in 1959 the world was split between those who embraced the radical new forces of socialism, and those who embraced the free world of capitalism. Neither side quite…
Mal Blum’s Pragmatic Love Songs
As I listen to Brooklyn’s Mal Blum, who on May 7 released Tempest in a Teacup, her fifth album, I have passing thoughts of innocence, of youthful affection. Her voice is sentimental and daringly honest. In particular, I get these waves of reminiscence hearing her alter-love song, “Valentine’s Day.” Though no one would mistake…
‘The Brass Teapot’ Puts the Slap in Slapstick
Life after college isn’t what they thought it would be for newlyweds John (Michael Angarano) and Alice (Juno Temple). John is stuck in a call center job, while Alice unsuccessfully tries to parlay her Art History degree into an executive position. Love isn’t paying the bills, and the sight of her high school friends living…
Sexually confused: LGBT non-discrimination ordinance opponents can’t get their arguments straight
Pastor Charles Flowers says he plans to fight for his right to discriminate. That is, against “the homosexuals, the transsexuals,” and any other permutation of human sexuality that doesn’t fit the man+woman=child patch he and other supporters wore on their lapels in the City Council chambers Tuesday afternoon. After two years of pushing from the…
Manu Gets Out-Ginobilied, But Spurs Win Game 2
Manu Ginobili is a champion, and perhaps the most successful Sixth Man in the history of the game. But he’s one of the NBA’s most hated players outside of San Antonio for a reason: He’s a shameless flopper. In fact, it could be argued that the league’s decision to institute flopping fines this year is…
The new 'Arrested Development' is here
Arrested Development (Sun, Netflix) We all mourn the TV masterpieces cut off in their prime — shows like My So-Called Life and Freaks and Geeks, which could have offered so much more pleasure if only low ratings hadn’t gotten in the way. For many of us, such tragic cancellations prove there is no God. The…
Cityscrapes: One More Hotel
Just one more hotel, and the city will boom. That has long been the mantra of this city’s business and political leaders. With her decision to support a new hotel tower atop the Joske’s building, City Manager Sheryl Sculley has now joined the crowd, fully backed by newly reelected Mayor Julián Castro. There was the…
Down the Hatch: The Horse's Neck
It is the first of the 90-plus-degree days. The sun beats down on already sunburnt skin and it is too hot to be hung-over and to simultaneously suffer an allergy attack. I’m walking the dog, wondering where all these pigeons came from, when somehow a fire ant sneaks his way into my shoe, creeping under…
Prepare the Bat-Signal: Subdivision Plan Encroaches on Globally Significant Preserve
Each summer our local weathermen look at the Doppler and tell us to disregard a cloud hanging over the Hill County. No, it’s not sign of some impending rainstorm, but the nightly exodus of at least 10 million bats from their summer home. Bracken Cave in southern Comal County is widely regarded as the largest…
Urban Homesteader: Spring, Going On Summer
With the first few days of truly warm weather, when leafy greens go into a full-tilt wilt in the afternoon sun, the time has come to discuss some realities of subsistence gardening in San Antonio. It will soon be hot, and probably dry, for several long months and there’s not much that can be done…
'Motive' lets you know who, but not why until the end
Motive (8pm Thu, ABC) Most police procedurals tease you with “whodunit,” only unveiling the perp at the end. Motive takes a different approach, brazenly identifying the killer in the opening minutes of each episode. You can’t miss him: He’s the one with the title “The Killer” under his mug. Similarly, the soon-to-be-dead person is tagged…
Is Piñata Protest Ready for Bigger Things?
“It might get a bit loud,” Álvaro del Norte tells me, as I proceed to sit in the middle of Piñata Protest’s 8 x 10 rehearsal space at a secret storage room somewhere in the city (don’t ask). It’s Sunday, but the band doesn’t stop. “You’re in the middle of the storm now,” the singer/accordionist…
Still Waiting for Limelight's Sonic Boom
It’s easy to get worked up with nostalgia about a place, particularly one you got wasted in a lot. That seems to go doubly true on the St. Mary’s Strip, where any change to a beloved bar can whip up a frenzy (Saluté), or prove the kiss of death (Web House). The recent drama over…
‘The Angels’ Share,’ an Inverted Morality Play
Perhaps only in Scotland could the appreciation of fine whiskeys be touted as a path to redemption, but that’s the improbable road taken in veteran British filmmaker Ken Loach’s new comedy, The Angels’ Share. The title is a distiller’s term for the portion of whiskey that evaporates from the cask during aging, and seemingly divine…
The Black Angels' Long and Winding Road
Ask Alex Maas to define “psychedelic,” and he’s got an answer ready. “Eighteen grandmothers in a yellow polka-dot bikini, playing banjo onstage,” he says. It’s a shitty, sarcastic answer, sure. But you gotta figure that, as frontman for the Black Angels, founders of Austin Psych Fest and a band that named itself for a Velvet…
Jewel as June Carter Cash: a must see
Ring of Fire (8pm Mon, Lifetime) This exceptional TV movie tells the story of country singer June Carter Cash (Jewel), from her childhood stardom with the Carter Family through her turbulent marriage to Johnny Cash (Matt Ross). I know you’re not going to believe me, but Jewel — known as a pop singer rather than…
A Dead Horse Kicks Back
It’s no secret that the Texas metal scene of the ’80s kicked all sorts of New York, SoCal and Bay Area’s ass. But for whatever reason, bands like Anthrax, Slayer, Metallica and their compadres have enjoyed lengthy, fruitful careers while legions of Lone Star thrashers have seen their own bands disintegrate and be relegated to…
Yellowfish Sushi Creates "Japamex" Cuisine
Opening last February in a tiny building on Wurzbach that has housed a number of businesses, most recently an auto inspection station, Yellowfish Sushi brother and sister owners Alex and Brenda Sarmiento have jumped in the swim with an urbane attitude and panache, delivering well-executed traditional and hybrid fare. Originally from Mexico City, the two…
Rex Hausmann: Cats/Donuts/Starships/Ideals
Rex Hausmann, local artist and arts advocate, recently opened his latest exhibition in the massive showrooms of Gallery Nord with a cohort of more than 30 participants, quite a crowd for a solo show. But Hausmann, who runs Alta Vista studio and exhibition space Hausmann Millworks with his family, and has toured groups of SA…
San Antonio's Theater Scene is Long on Space, Short on Productions
If you think there is little to no serious theater in San Antonio, you’re not alone. Even business travelers dining at Bohanan’s must notice that the marquees of the venerable Majestic and Empire theaters most often announce comedy or music shows. If a play is listed, it’s likely a touring musical, such as The Addams…
Local Marine Corps Vet Still Awaiting Trial
Maria Anna Esparza fears she’s losing her son, again. In November 2011 the Current chronicled the story of Adan Castañeda, a 27-year-old sniper who battled serious mental illness after his honorable discharge from the U.S. Marine Corps. We wrote how the Marines looked the other way when Castañeda attempted suicide while enlisted, and how, despite…
Loreta Velázquez, the Secret Soldier of the Civil War
She was a woman who disguised herself as a man. She was an immigrant who believed that “in thought and manner” she was an American. She was a Confederate soldier who later became a Yankee spy. In Rebel, director María Agui Carter illustrates that limiting Cuban-born immigrant Loreta Janeta Velázquez to one set of binary…
'Behind the Candelabra' portrays Liberace as a monster
Behind the Calendabra (8pm Sun, HBO) Behind the Candelabra assembles high-quality artists to tell the story of a low-quality one: the glitzy piano player Liberace. Steven Soderbergh directs, Michael Douglas camps it up as the inexplicably popular musician, and Matt Damon throws himself into the role of Scott, Liberace’s boy toy from the 1970s and…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19) “I’m still learning,” said Michelangelo when he was 87 years old. For now, he’s your patron saint. With his unflagging curiosity as your inspiration, maybe your hunger for new teachings will bloom. You will register the fact that you don’t already know everything there is to know … you have not…
2013 Tejano Conjunto Festival video highlights
The winning poster of the Tejano Conjunto Festival 2013, by Bart Thomas. Here’s some highlights (in order of appearance) from the 2013 Tejano Conjunto Festival that ended Sunday at Rosedale Park. SA’s own Los Nahuatlatos kicked off the “New Directions in Conjunto” night Thursday at the Guadalupe Theater. Their final song was a new one:…
Inside the Spurs’ Monday Morning Practice
“I think I’ve become more focused,” says Danny [Green] matter-of-factly.Photo by Josh HuskinAs I embark from the West Side of San Antonio to the Spurs suburban practice facility on a bright Monday morning, I decide to count the Spurs flags along the way to pass the time. This car game is akin to another that…
Tip Well on National Waitstaff Day
As you head out tonight to gobble up your favorite linguine, taco, pho, double bacon cheeseburger, pulled pork, bucket of kale, [insert food here], make sure to tip your server a little extra to show our collective gratitude for their often thankless service. Servers work hard; folding napkins, running food, polishing flatware, stocking toilet paper,…
Baguettes and Boules now at Bakery Lorraine
Last week, Bakery Lorraine started baking French baguettes and sour dough boules in their new bread oven. Six days later, they seem to have passed the shake-down period. Made with a blend of white and whole wheat flour, the breads are crunchy on the outside, moist inside, and a chewy delight. The sour dough…
Stay Current with the Pick of the Day: SOLI Chamber Ensemble: “Power of the Story”
Winner of a 2013 CMA/ASCAP Adventurous Programming Award, SA’s own SOLI Chamber Ensemble (Ertan Torgul, violin; Stephanie Key, clarinet; Carolyn True, piano; and David Mollenauer, cello) prides itself on “giving new voice to 20th- and 21st-century classical contemporary music.” Since 1994, the decidedly unstuffy quartet has commissioned more than 30 new works penned by emerging…
