New Releases from Local Bands You Should Already Be Listening To
We Leave at Midnight, Holy Rolling Flower Band, released Dec 9. Leading off another trifecta of fine local releases is We Leave at Midnight’s (WLAM) latest offering, the crafty psych-pop-rock group’s second full length effort. As with previous work from the John Dailey-led WLAM, Holy Rolling Flower Band begins with a Beatles blueprint and piles on…
Fliers Surface at Texas State University Urging Students to Report Undocumented People
Fliers were found on the Texas State University campus this week urging students to report undocumented people. The message, which features a U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal, says, “We are entering an era of law and order in this country. Do you part to make such a change for good!” It includes a phone…
Live Music Roundup: Who to See This Weekend
Swimming with Bears Friday, December 9 Combing the good times from even the darkest days, Swimming with Bears are an optimistic outfit that’s brimming with indie ambition. Inching out of Austin’s sprawl, the rock band managed to recruit Blue October’s Matt Noveskey two years ago to produce their first album, which they appropriately titled Paws. Shifting…
YOSA’s Troy Peters Honored as a 2016 Professional of the Year by Musical America
For those of us who make it our business to know what’s good in San Antonio music, Troy Peters—composer, music advocate, and director of Youth Orchestras of San Antonio (YOSA)—has been a beacon of inspiration for years now. Aside from his gifts as a conductor and composer, he has the patient, endlessly uplifting manner of…
City’s First Indoor Farmers Market Is Coming to the East Side
The Truckin’ Tomato, which recently sold its signature trailer to focus on wholesale goods, is dipping its toe back into market pop-ups. According to founder Shaun Lee, the Mid-Week Market will reignite the Tomato’s market efforts so chefs and home cooks alike can get their pick of fresh produce and locally made products. The pilot…
5 Alternative Holiday Concerts to Jingle Your Bells and Rock Your Halls
Like listening to the non-stop, mind-numbing Christmas radio station droning the same Bing Crosby tunes (hopefully while tap dancing with Danny fucking Kaye), holiday music can get pretty redundant. So until the sweet salvation of the December 26 (the day radio stations go back to the normal, endless loop of the same 15 songs), here…
Marfa Myths Music, Film, and Art Fest Announces 2017 Lineup
Now in its fourth year, Marfa Myths is an annual music, art, and film festival put on by the righteous, independent Brooklyn label Mexican Summer and Marfa cultural organization/all-arts venue Ballroom Marfa. Aside from boasting the most stunning (not to mention joyfully eccentric) festival grounds imaginable—festival events occur all around the tiny town—Marfa Myths musical lineup has…
Shia LaBeouf Takes on Another Intense, Complex Role in “Man Down”
Man Down doesn’t start well. Soldier Gabe Drummer (Shia LaBeouf) is seen rescuing his captive son in an abandoned building as helicopters fly overhead. Why he has to rescue his son, why there’s danger, and the identity of the antagonists are all unknown, which means it’s an action scene without context, which means it’s pointless.…
SA’s Evolving Thirst for Vino and Where to Imbibe
The history of wine bars in San Antonio, historically thought of as a beer town, has not been pretty — just ask Cecil Flentge. Along with his wife Pam, Flentge opened The Tasting Room at Embassy Oaks in the fall of ’98 and closed it three years later. During its brief tenure, The Tasting Room…
How the Last Bandoleros Reinvented Tex-Mex and Blew Sting Away
“Hello Cleveland!” yells someone, somewhere within the bowels of the Tobin Center, and it ain’t Spinal Tap’s Derek Smalls. His name is Emilio Navaira IV, the drummer for the band that, at least for the 15 minutes it took us to find their freaking dressing room, became known as The Lost Bandoleros. “When it’s time…
Business Group Says Anti-LGBTQ Laws Could Cost State Billions
Turns out state-sanctioned discrimination could be very costly for Texas – to the tune of $8.5 billion in lost GDP should laws targeting LGBTQ rights pass this upcoming legislative session. That’s according to the Texas Association of Business, which on Tuesday released studies showing the kind of anti-LGBTQ laws Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick has made…
San Antonio Lawmaker Wants to Fix Texas’ Useless Medical Marijuana Law
Believe it or not, Texas actually has a medical marijuana law on the books, which is a pretty big deal when you consider the rest of the draconian laws governing all things pot in this state. The thing is, the state’s first-ever medical marijuana law is practically useless — not just because it limits medicinal herb to…
Texas Throws More Medically Inaccurate Info at Women Seeking Abortion
On Monday, Texas’ health department released a new version of a 13-year-old pamphlet meant to educate women about abortion. But health experts say this update is even more medically inaccurate than its dated predecessor — and serves more as a piece of political “propaganda” than educational tool. Abortion doctors in Texas have been required by…
Ivy Taylor and Austin, San Marcos and New Braunfels Mayors Rally Against Property-Tax Relief Bill
A property-tax reform bill filed by Texas State Sen. Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston) last week has encountered potent opposition from mayors in cities along the Interstate 35 corridor. Specifically, the leaders of San Antonio (Ivy Taylor), Austin (Steve Adler), San Marcos (Daniel Guerrero) and New Braunfels (Barron Casteel) are targeting the proposed four percent revenue cap…
It’s FREE Sno Day at Bahama Buck’s
After too many dreary days that almost gave me Seasonal Affective Disorder, it’s nice to see the sun out. It’s even nicer when this gloriously sunny day coincides with free Sno Day at Bahama Buck’s. Today only, you can stroll up to your nearest Bahama Buck’s (San Antonio has nine) order a 12-ounce Sno and…
Go See Dolly Parton at the Tobin Center – Just Don’t Expect Her to Sing Much
Like her famous duet-mate, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton is not merely a singer. She’s an actress, an icon, a rags-to-riches story, a brand unto herself—she’s got her own theme park (Dollywood, Tennessee), for Christ’s sake. She’s also a deft comedic monologuist, as I recently learned while attending one of her shows in Washington state. Parton’s…
Lawsuit Claims Edgewood Officials Ignored Complaints About Teacher Who Raped, Impregnated Student
In a federal lawsuit filed Monday, the family of a Memorial High School student sexually assaulted by two former Edgewood ISD employees claims district officials ignored obvious signs the girl was being targeted at school. The lawsuit follows criminal charges against Manuel Hernandez, a former Edgewood ISD police officer, and Marcus Revilla, the girl’s former…
Chisme, Inside the Original Teka Molino, Is Now Open
The restaurant group behind The Monterey, Barbaro and Hot Joy has added a fourth concept with the opening of Chisme this week. Located inside the former location of the original Teka Molino is Chisme, which brings flavors of South Texas as presented by chef Mara Serna (formerly with The Monterey, and several Houston eateries including…
Zig Zags: Fellowship and Rock at K23
My favorite thing about K23 (besides the dope live acts they host, obviously) is the sense of family and community that you immediately feel a part of when you walk through the door. Granted, our scene is small and everyone kind of knows everyone, but even with the people I didn’t know at the show…
Finding Greatness at Taco Mexicano
Reposted with permission from The Tacoist. Really, all I’m looking for while hopping from taqueria to taqueria across San Antonio is greatness in taco form — a life-affirming taco I can’t wait to tell you about, a taco worth driving across town for. I believe I’ve found such a taco at Taco Mexicano on S.W.…
Why is ICE Releasing Hundreds of Women and Children from Family Detention Centers?
Nobody seems to know exactly why hundreds of asylum-seeking women and children from Central America were taken out of two South Texas detention centers, put on buses, and then dropped off in San Antonio starting this weekend. According to volunteers with Raices, a San Antonio legal-aid nonprofit that represents refugees, buses of largely Central American…
Hosting a New Year’s Event? Tell Us More.
Real talk, 2016 has been a horrible year, which means that on Dec. 31, we have go out with a bang. Now that 2016 is (finally) ending, we’re compiling a grand list of ways to ring in the new year. If your bar, art gallery, restaurant, music venue, business or space of any sorts is throwing…
Tell Us How 2016 Was Horrible For You
Consider it group therapy. As we wind down 2016, what feels like the most trying year in recent memory, we want to hear about your woes. Whether big or small, we want to know what ailed you, what struggles you had to overcome, what plight you’re still chipping away at, what burden you’re still carrying,…
Sinkhole Devours Two Cars and One Person On Southwest Side
Update 2:30pm: The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office confirms that a deputy died Sunday after her car fell into the sinkhole. Per Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau: “We are heartbroken to confirm Deputy Dora Linda (Solis) Nishihara passed away after her car fell into a sinkhole Sunday. Our thoughts and prayers are with her friends and…
Inmate Found Dead in Bexar County Jail
An inmate in his 50s, booked into the Bexar County jail earlier this year to serve out his sentence on DWI and parole violations, was found unresponsive inside his cell Sunday afternoon. While officials have yet to determine an exact cause of death or even publicly identify the man, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office has already…
NPR Names FEA’s “Tragedias” a Top Song of 2016
NPR Music released their annual Top 100 Songs of 2016 and we were more than pleased to see San Antonio natives FEA come in at No. 79 for their song “Tragedias” off the band’s self-titled album, released earlier this year. Of the song, Felix Contreras, co-host of Alt. Latino, NPR’s program about Latin Alternative music and culture,…
Sound on Sound Fest Announces It’ll Be Back for a Second Year
It appears that the inaugural Sound on Sound Fest was a huge success because the music festival, presented by Margin Walker, announced that SOS will return to Sherwood Forest Faire Nov. 10-12, 2017. Created by Fun Fun Fun Fest founders Graham Williams and James Moody, this year’s three-day festival brought a range of big-name artists from…
Satanic Temple Vows to Fight Texas’ Fetal Burial Rule
The Satanic Temple has a morality problem with Texas’ new abortion rule. Last week, the state Department of Health and Human Services published a new rule that would require abortion providers to bury or cremate the fetal remains of an abortion — regardless of how far along the pregnancy is. Opponents have said this rule…
Guns N’ Roses is Coming to San Antonio in 2017
Time to break out the air guitars, San Antonio — Guns N’ Roses is planning a stop in the Alamo City for 2017. As the last stop on their 16-city Not In This Lifetime Tour, Guns N’ Roses will play on Sept. 8 at the Alamodome. Tickets go on sale beginning Saturday, Dec. 10 through…
Texas Blocked From Licensing Immigration Lockups as Child Care Centers
Texas can’t lower its standards in order to license a couple of South Texas immigration lockups run by private prison corporations. That’s the result of a final judgement issued by a Travis County judge late Friday in a lawsuit triggered by the state’s unusual decision to license immigrant detention centers as child care facilities. In…
San Antonio 100: Biga’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Is Perfect for the Holidays
We’re compiling a list of our favorite 100 dishes in the city with the San Antonio 100. Check back weekly for a new dish we love that either screams SA or you need to enjoy ASAP. ‘Tis the time of year for sugar plums — cue “the Nutcracker” and “The Night Before Christmas.” I hate…
Morrissey Cancels Shows, Blames “Slippery Industry Incompetents,” Says He Expects “No Further Chances” In SA
It appears Morrissey has canceled his upcoming San Antonio show. Again. (What the hell, 2016?) On Saturday morning, Morrissey fanzine “True to You” published a lengthy post that is supposedly from Moz himself (die hard fans say he communicates through the zine). The post strikes exactly the tone you’d expect from a very upset Morrissey…
Dark Dude, King Dude
I have a huge crush on T.J. Cowgill, the frontman from King Dude. If I’m completely honest with myself, asking my editor if I could cover this show for the Current was probably a way I could low-key maybe meet and get a picture with him (which totally happened, omg yass). I first heard about…
