Cover Story
Why have jail suicides soared under Sheriff Ortiz's watch?
Robert Rodriguez’s behavior grew increasingly erratic his final days in lockup this summer. Arrested days before on misdemeanor drug and trespass charges, Rodriguez, 29, began to fear inmates and guards in his unit were out to hurt him. “[Floor sergeant] believes the inmate is mental,” noted one detention guard’s report. In the middle of the…
Pick of the Day: Teenage Bottlerocket
Teenage Bottlerocket’s three chord-rumble has aged nicely. Their pop-punk sound recalls classic old-school trailblazers like the Descendents, Green Day, and Bouncing Souls —full of energy, hooks, chug, and spirit. “Over the last decade plus, the band’s really gelled,” said bassist Miguel Chen. “We’ve got a good cycle as far as write a record, tour as…
Rod Guajardo’s puro San Anto Halloween
Rod Guajardo, one of San Antonio’s best local filmmakers, directed and edited this video starring Mando Guerrero. The short was filmed by Ismael Rodríguez and Arturo Castro, and Guajardo also got assistance from Rosemary Guerrero and Vanessa Zepeda Guerrero. A puro San Anto Halloween. — Enrique Lopetegui
Pick of the Day: Benny Benassi
In 2002, Italian DJ and recording artist Benny Benassi conquered clubland with “Satisfaction” — a global dance anthem that trademarked his gritty brand of tech-house and left a lasting impression thanks in no small part to an accompanying video featuring power tool-wielding sexpots. Since then Benassi has recorded five studio albums and cemented himself as…
Comedian Rob Riggle enjoys the great outdoors in ‘Nature Calls’
Rob Riggle stars in the comedy “Nature Calls.” He was never a Boy Scout as a kid, but comedian Rob Riggle (Step Brothers) is a natural outdoorsman, especially since he spent a few years in the Marines. Riggle’s military experience comes in handy for his new comedy, Nature Calls. In the film, he plays Gentry,…
Pick of the Day: Zombie Con: The Apocalypse
If you’ve read The Zombie Survival Guide and its follow-up World War Z — currently in production as a film starring Brad Pitt — then you’re among the millions prepared for the zombie apocalypse — the theme of SA’s first-ever zombie-survivor convention. Beyond the $1,000 cash prize promised to the winner of the con’s Apocalypse Costume Contest,…
Pick of the Day: Teen
Indie pop in 2012 is crowded with bands who sound like they want the closing track on an ’80s Rom-Com. Drowned in synths, blissful melodies, and weak-ass saxophone solos, the genre dangles its sequin-studded feet over the edge, threatening a descent into regurgitated nothingness. Good thing Kristina “Teeny” Lieberson and her new outfit TEEN are…
The Man in the Brown Jacket by DF Salvador
More of a slice of life than a story, per se, The Man in the Brown Jacket gives us a glimpse into a familial relationship. A little humor and a gnawing sense of something larger (why are they in the hospital anyway? What happened to Michelle?). Still the tension is clear and the characters are…
Found footage gimmick has lost its luster in 'Paranormal Activity 4'
There’s not much paranormal activity in Paranormal Activity 4. As a matter of fact, there’s not much of anything in this most recent installment that is as frightening or interesting as the three previous movies. Since the original debuted in 2007, those three have collectively grossed close to half a billion dollars worldwide, which is…
Frisch's 'Firebugs' offers clarion call about fundamentalists in Iran and the U.S.
Swiss playwright Max Frisch subtitled The Firebugs, a 1953 radio play that was adapted to the stage in 1958, A Learning-Play Without a Lesson. However, denial of didactic intentions is as disingenuous as Huck Finn’s warning that persons attempting to find a moral in his story will be prosecuted. Like the Greek drama it parodies, Frisch’s absurdist…
Bexar jail suicides: Sheriff Ortiz and KSAT misrepresenting alleged ‘misrepresentations’
Someone is misrepresenting the seriousness of suicides happening in Bexar County jail. According to Sheriff Ortiz, it’s the San Antonio Current. We say it’s Sheriff Ortiz. We got notice Ortiz was holding a press conference the day our story on jail suicides hit the streets Wednesday. We wish we could have been there, but as…
Pick of the Day: The 39 Steps
Barring the Monsterpiece Theater segment “The 39 Stairs” (starring Cookie Monster and Grover in an educational film noir), Patrick Barlow’s Tony-winning melodrama is the wackiest incarnation of John Buchan’s 1915 espionage novel The 39 Steps. Using Alfred Hitchcock’s film as a template, Barlow’s play follows Buchan’s recurring protagonist Richard Hannay on an epic journey sparked…
The third time is the charm for TEDx San Antonio
Audience consensus confirmed last Saturday’s 3rd annual TEDx San Antonio was a hit. “100 times better than last year’s #TEDxSA. Lots of innovative and positive thinkers.” tweeted @dougcohenmiller “Talk about being indulgent – a whole day devoted to listening and learning! What a gift!” said Lady Ray Romano. Several years ago when I first talked…
El Cucuy … South Texas’ official boogeyman
El Cucuy Self Portrait by eyetooth7 ‘Tis the season when strange things go bump in the night and all manner of scary beasts creep and crawl through moonlit graveyards. Yet, perhaps no goblin is more symbolic to South Texas than the Latino boogeyman known as El Cucuy. Like most urban legends, there are many interpretations…
Pick of the Day: Geeks Who Drink Third All-Simpsons Quiz
Imagine a world where skin is yellow, hands have four digits, and idiots helm nuclear power plants. If this world is more real than imaginary, you are ready to climb into The Treehouse of Horror, Geeks Who Drink’s third all-Simpsons quiz. Although it’s named “Treehouse of Horror” (in honor of the The Simpsons annual Halloween…
Grand Opening in Southtown: Lisa Astorga-Watel’s Bite
The culinary action just doesn’t seem to stop in Southtown. Bite, a new venture by Lisa Astorga-Watel, wife of Damien Watel (Bistro Vatel, Bistro Bakery, Cafe des Artistes), launches its grand opening today, Wednesday October 17, with an eclectic menu with a “70’s modern twist.” Look for smaller (but not tapas-sized, we’re told) portions…
Tenacious, talented Vikki Carr nails her new album and pimps her man
"It’s [Mitt] Romney for me," Vikki Carr (still looking and sounding great at 72) told the Current towards the end of our conversation about Viva la Vida, her first album since The Vikki Carr Christmas Album in 2001. How did we end up there? How do you go from discussing a ranchera album co-produced by…
Kiss: 'Monster'
The new Kiss album is out and it’s exactly what fans were expecting. Building on the throwback format they established three years ago with Sonic Boom, the elder statesmen of face-paint have made minor technical improvements while leaving the overall machine running exactly as expected. The first two singles, "Hell or Hallelujah" and "Long Way…
Sanchez Ice House #1 withstands test of time serving one bucketful of beer at a time
When an ice house has nearly 50 years under its belt, it can’t help but epitomize an elusive worn-in kind of camraderie that modern day waterin’ holes strive to replicate. Sanchez Ice House #1, the humble little joint that is practically underneath I-35 at South San Saba and Guadalupe, is one such rarity. Before my…
Traveling the Texas Wine Trail brings buckets of good cheer
October is Texas Wine Month. You will have noticed that it’s already more than half over. Sorry. But there are ways to make up for this oversight. One is to get yourself over to Steinheimer’s Lounge at the Westin La Cantera Hill Country Resort any day in October between 5 and 6 p.m. There, Resort…
Tame Impala: 'Lonerism'
For anyone who has taken on the burden of upholding a new band or artist, you’ve almost certainly been caught in the "they just don’t make music like they used to" argument. While there are all sorts of variations on the "good ol’ days" platform, the most common charge is that bands today just don’t…
San Antonio Herb Market Returns on Saturday
This Saturday’s farmers market at the Pearl Brewery will feature the 21st Annual Herb Market from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rose is 2012’s herb of the year, so Chef Steven McHugh — formerly at Lüke San Antonio and a future Pearl Brewery restaurateur — will be giving a cooking demo using roses. There will…
Mumford & Sons: 'Babel'
First, some numbers. Since its release in 2009, Mumford & Sons’ debut Sigh No More has moved 2.4 million copies in the U.S. These are Bieber numbers, certainly not the kind of thing bands with banjo players and fondness for 19th century bowlers do. No one seems more surprised by this than Marcus Mumford and…
Muse: 'The 2nd Law'
You gotta hand it to Muse — in the tongue-in-cheek era, they are proud to be fucking ridiculous. Because really, what band today could open a record with the line "Wake to see your true emancipation is a fantasy" wailed over the string section from "Kashmir" and riff right out of the Queen playbook? Dub-step…
Newsmonger: Got hope? Bexar health statistics still unequal, Innocence case gaining traction
Got hope? Bexar health statistics still unequal UT Health Science Center’s Center for Medical Humanities celebrated 10 years of being a voice of "compassion in medicine" with a shocking look at the still-yawning race-related gaps in health care in Bexar County. Dr. Anil Mangla flew point on a panel of experts that included the CEO…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): When Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro laid waste to Peru in 1532, his soldiers found green stones on the land. Were they emeralds? A priest who was traveling with them gave them bad advice. He said that the way to determine whether they were merely colored glass or else precious gems was…
Lone ranger of Pig Stands a monument to diner culture
New to San Antonio, I happened upon the Pig Stand by chance. Tucked away downtown amongst highways 35, 37 and 281, it’s a part of my daily drive home. Its kitschy, run-down exterior screamed for my attention, leering at me with flickering neon signs and lunch-pail vibes. For two months, I drove right by it,…
Forget 'Homeland': 'Hunted' is the thriller to watch
Hunted (9pm Fri, Cinemax) Forget the overrated Homeland. If you’re looking for an international spy thriller on premium cable, this is the one to watch. The pilot messes with your head so skillfully that you’re woozy by the 30-minute mark. And thoroughly intrigued. It takes a while, but you come to see that Sam Hunter…
Teeny Lieberson breaks out on her own
Indie pop in 2012 is crowded with bands who sound like they want the closing track on an ’80s Rom-Com. Drowned in synths, blissful melodies, and weak-ass saxophone solos, the genre dangles its sequin-studded feet over the edge, threatening a descent into regurgitated nothingness. Good thing Kristina "Teeny" Lieberson and her new outfit TEEN are…
Hiroshima headlining SAGE Music Fest (we hope)
As I’m writing this, local hip-hop duo Mojoe is listed as one of the performers in the SAGE Music Festival, which benefits San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside (a non-profit that helps current and potential new businesses in that neighborhood). But, due to a confusing series of events, that almost didn’t happen. "Mojoe will…
Peter French's photography crosses the line in Connecting Moments
The horizon is not a line. It is a zone that extends in width beyond the edges of vision, rising and falling with the land, becoming incredibly thick in the haze of twilight. At night, it retreats into memory. Peter French’s exhibition on view in the hallway of Southwest School of Art’s admin building tracks…
Texas brewers have best showing at GABF
Texas brewers have best showing at GABF Texas breweries made an admirable showing of nine medals at the awards competition of the Great American Beer Festival in Denver over the weekend. The count was five gold, three silver, and a lone bronze, according to the Brewer’s Association website for GABF. The last time Texas craft…
'V/H/S', the scariest film only a few have seen
V/H/S opened on October 5 in only 18 theaters nationwide, earning a pale $36,402 so far. The movie will finally arrive to San Antonio on Friday, Oct. 26, but hurry and don’t blink: It will only enjoy a one-week run at the Bijou (but you can also rent it on iTunes or Amazon for $6.99).…
Director Ben Affleck delivers neatly packaged spy thriller 'Argo'
Imagine what screenwriter Lionel Chetwynd must’ve been thinking when former CIA officer Tony Mendez released his book Master of Disguise in 1999. The memoir, which reveals details about a covert operation he led to rescue six Americans trapped in Iran in 1980, was a story Chetwynd thought he had already thoroughly adapted into the TV…
Vikki Carr: The Current interview
Vikki Carr was euphoric. Talking in English and Spanish on the phone from Orlando (where she was doing the Spanish TV rounds), she shared with the Current her enthusiasm for the public’s reaction to Viva la Vida, her first album since 2001. But gradually the conversation — which took place days before the first presidential…
Nandomania!
Going into training camp the biggest surprise from the Spurs was the last minute addition of Eddy Curry to their roster. Although the veteran center won a NBA Championship with the Miami Heat last season, he wasn’t exactly a key contributor. Through four exhibition games though, it was French 6-5 rookie guard Nando De Colo…
Pick of the Day: Alien Ant Farm
Formed in 1995 in Riverside, Calif., alt-rock outfit Alien Ant Farm (frontman Dryden Mitchell, guitarist Terry Corso, bassist Tye Zamora, and drummer Mike Cosgrove) has seen its share of ups and downs but is back with a vengeance and signed to Executive Music Group (Fontana/Universal) with the original lineup intact. Undoubtedly best known for their…
