Arcade Fire: 'Reflektor'
Maybe we should have seen this coming. I mean, when the Arcade Fire closed their last album (2010’s The Suburbs), it was with the disco-rave up “The Sprawl II,” arguably that record’s best, and undoubtedly its most fun, track. Now there’s Reflektor, which disco-doubles down across a *ahem* sprawling 80-minutes of suped-up grooves and tribal…
5 Things You Have to Do This Week
Mon, Oct 28 – Thu, Oct 31 Halloween In a 1978 review of John Carpenter’s Halloween, film critic Pauline Kael wrote, “Halloween has a pitiful, amateurish script (by Carpenter and his producer, Debra Hill). An escaped lunatic wielding a kitchen knife stalks people in a small Midwestern town (Haddonfield, Illinois), and that’s about it. Maybe…
VIDEO: Amy Poehler Partners With Alamo Drafthouse Cinema’s Tough Ladies Series
In partnership with Amy Poehler’s Austin-based Smart Girls foundation, Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas will be presenting “To Kill a Mockingbird” as part of the theater’s month-long Tough Ladies series. The Nov. 4 screening features a special video introduction by Poehler in which she praises character Scout’s bravery and authenticity and, of course, reminds patrons to turn…
10 Free Events Happening This Week in San Antonio 10/28-11/3
1.) Screening of The Shining Thursday, Oct. 31, 7 p.m. Wonderland of the Americas continues their “free movie screening on Thursday night” tradition throughout October, and Halloween is no exception. This month’s feature films have grown increasingly creepier as the month progresses. Beginning with the Amityville Horror and moving up to The Sixth Sense…
Judge Blocks Part Of Texas Anti-Abortion Law
Update: As expected, Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed an appeal to counter today’s federal court ruling that found one section of Texas’ anti-abortion law unconstitutional. Abbott signaled the law may eventually move to the nation’s high court: “The court upheld part of the law and enjoined part of the law,” said AG spokesperson Lauren…
Girl in a Coma covers the Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale” at Polish Woodstock
Back in 2010, Girl in a Coma appeared at Poland’s Woodstock Festival, the self-proclaimed “largest open-air festival in Europe.” At the end of their set, they performed a raw, furious version of the Velvet Underground’s “Femme Fatale,” included in VU’s iconic 1967 debut album. Today, 24 hours after the passing of Lou Reed, the Current…
Lou Reed (1942-2013)
Lou Reed, founder of the Velvet Underground and one of the most influential single figures in the history of rock, died today at age 71. Though details have been sketchy, he had received a liver transplant in May and, later on his website, stated to be “bigger and stronger than ever.” Besides his VU and…
SA Scorpions End Home Season in Defeat, But Does It Matter?
Scorpions president Gordon Hartman (in blue), the players, and daughter Morgan. (photo courtesy of sascorpions.com) Nothing matters in Scorpions World. Another defeat, and there they were, signing autographs as if nothing had happened. It was the seasons’ last home game, but that same relaxation they showed while thanking the 7,702 fans is the same attitude…
Federal Health Secretary Dispels Obamacare Web Site ‘Fatal Flaws’ in San Antonio
While in San Antonio this afternoon to talk about the Affordable Care Act, U.S. Department Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius alleviated concerns over the glitch-prone federal exchange web site and sought to temper the politicization of Obamacare. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius visits San Antonio to talk ACA. Photo by Mary…
America’s Got Talent’s David Fenley Coming to Hooligan’s
David Fenley is the type of big, loveable bear whose soulful voice embraces you and won’t let go. The 34-year-old born in Lufkin, Texas, but now residing in Nashville, made it all the way to the semifinals of America’s Got Talent and will be performing at Hooligan’s on Saturday, October 26, at 9 p.m. He’ll…
VIDEO: Batmobile Spotted Driving Through Downtown San Antonio + Watch Batman ’66 Episode One
In case you didn’t know, Alamo City Comic Con is now in full swing. San Antonio Instagrammer Hector Perales posted this video of the actual, real life Batmobile cruising down Broadway yesterday and we couldn’t help but geek out. Check it out then head over to the convention center tomorrow to see the Batman ’66…
Now at the Majestic: ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ is Kid-Friendly Whimsical Slapstick
The Majestic follows up its box-office smash The Book of Mormon with the opposite of that profanity-laden, intentionally offensive musical: the rollicking and kid-friendly entertainment Peter and the Starcatcher, which began life as a surprise off-Broadway hit, and eventually swept its way onto the Great White Way. (There, it racked up an impressive number of…
Lunchtime Links: 8 Goosebumps-Inspired Halloween Costumes, TX Charter School Textbook Claims Darwin Inspired Hitler, UT Astronomers Discover Farthest Known Galaxy, Arrested Development…
…Soundtrack Out Soon, SA Wal-Mart Office Studies HEB for Lesson in ‘Fresh’ + More
NY Cosmos Return to SA After 32 Years; Scorpions Want Revenge
Even though the SA Scorpions have no chance of winning the NASL championship, tomorrow’s 8:30 p.m. game at Toyota Field against the New York Cosmos is crucial for many reasons: 1 – Historically, it will be the first time the second incarnation of the legendary Cosmos play in San Antonio in 32 years (when they…
Bonehead Quote of the Week: GOP Precinct Chair on Voter ID Law
On a recent The Daily Show segment, comic correspondent Aasif Mandvi sits down with North Carolina GOP precinct chair Don Yelton to discuss the Voter ID law, a measure that requires voters to show identification at the polls. In a response that has elicited a media firestorm, Yelton laid bare the intentions of Voter ID–…
Hangar Tavern Hosts Beer Tasting on Nov. 6
The Hangar Tavern released eight confirmed list of brewers for free beer tasting. (Courtesy) Taste local brews and craft beer for free at the Hangar Tavern. Enjoy the flavors of the season like ciders, gingerbread, and cinnamon that have been thoughtfully crafted and brewed from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 6 at 14532 Brook…
Bin 555 Hosts Pre-Halloween Wine Dinner
Bin 555 will host a Halloween Wine Dinner. (Courtesy) Let Chef Jason Dady and Bin 555 present to you a Halloween Wine Dinner. Before the dinner, a reception of wine and cocktails will be offered at 6:30 p.m. on Oct 30 at 555 W. Bitters. Following the reception Dady will serve trout roulade with braised…
Watch Conan Get Blown Away by Allen Stone
If you picked up this week’s edition of the Current (I know you did), you know soul/R&B singer Allen Stone will be performing Saturday at the SAGE Festival to benefit San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, which provides programs such as storefront grants for businesses in order to help revitalize the Eastside. Stone will…
Shot of the Week: White Russian Jell-O Shots
Scary good: White Russian Skull Jell-O shots As far as I’m concerned, Halloween is my favorite holiday. It’s almost as indulgent as Thanksgiving, but you don’t have to spend it with a senile grandmother or a creepy uncle. To celebrate, we scoured the internet in search of deliciously frightening shots to create this October 31.…
SA Spurs Unveil New Military-inspired Uniform
Kawhi Leonard, Danny Green, and the new uniform. The San Antonio Spurs have a new uniform… at least for two nights. “Playing in San Antonio, we’re constantly reminded of the selflessness and courage of those that serve,” said Spurs guard Danny Green. “We owe them a debt of gratitude and it is an honor to…
Arcade Fire’s ‘Reflektor’: Listen to the 90-minute teaser
Reflektor, the new album by Arcade Fire, comes out October 29, but you (almost) don’t have to wait that long: here’s the official near 90-minute album teaser, set against the images of Marcel Camus’ Black Orpheus, 1960 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film. Even though the film is a modern retelling of the Orpheus and…
10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend
Fri, Oct 25 ‘Alternate Currents’ Billed as “an exhibit at the intersection of art and science,” the Guadalupe’s “Alternate Currents” unites five local artists in an exploration of “light and the ideas that can arise from it.” Curated by executive director Patty Ortiz, the group show tasked Jesse Amado, Ken Little, Karen Mahaffy, Anita Valencia…
Lunchtime Links: Ted Nugent Joins Campaign Team for GOP Agriculture Commissioner Hopeful, Long Lost Bob Dylan Concert Special Video Surfaces, New Anchorman 2 Trailers, Vegan Pumpkin Pie Ice…
…Cream Recipe, Voter ID Law May Cause Problems for Women Using Maiden Names + More
Pearl Restaurant In the Works For Hotel Valencia’s Jeff Balfour
The unnamed project is slated to open fall 2014. (Courtesy) The Pearl Brewery complex is adding another restaurant late next year. Owned by chef Jeff Balfour of Hotel Valencia’s Citrus, the restaurant will be located on the ground floor of the Pearl Brewery brew house. ““I am honored to be a part of such an…
Construction Blows; Southtown Farmers & Ranchers Market Goes On Hiatus
Put away your reusable bags, folks. (Courtesy) Effective immediately, the Southtown Farmers & Ranchers Market held at the Blue Star complex is going on hiatus. Citing construction woes, co-founder Heather Hunter says the market will reopen in January 2014, via a press release. Read about the market’s first few weeks here.
‘The Exorcist’ Comes to TPR’s Cinema Tuesdays
For most of cinema’s history, the horror genre existed at the fringes of more popular fare. Universal Studios had much financial success with early monster films such as Dracula and Frankenstein, but great actors like Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff never received the accolades for their work in these films that they would have had…
Austin Film Festival 2013
It’s been 20 years already? The Austin Film Festival, which pays special attention to the art of screenwriting, is celebrating its first two decades with the usual selection of must-see films and must-attend events. The festival starts this Thursday and continues until October 31; there’s plenty to choose from no matter your tastes. The following…
Anti-LGBT Group in ‘Ethics’ Clothing Targets Stonewall Dems
As the old adage goes, if you can’t beat ‘em … annoy them mercilessly. Retribution waged by the right wing against anyone and everyone in support of the City’s recently passed LGBT non-discrimination ordinance continues in full force. The measure, meant to codify equal protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender residents in areas…
Music Journalist Robert Hilburn Talks About His Book, ‘Johnny Cash: The Life’
As the Los Angeles Times’ pop music critic for more than three decades (1970-2005), Robert Hilburn was the type of editor that would edit with the writer sitting right next to him, going line by line, and celebrating an improved sentence with effusive high fives. He applied that same passion to his Johnny Cash: The…
Savage Love: Lotion Up
My girlfriend always responds positively when I initiate sex with her, but she hardly ever initiates sex with me. I’m a no-beat-around-the-bush kind of guy, but I realize that this can be a sensitive topic, and I don’t want to scare her by saying, “Please initiate sex more often!” So I do small things to…
Vegas-Style Ice Lounge Offers Chilly Shots
PHOTOS: Japan’s Pandemonium Tour Comes to the Ice Lounge Ice Lounge, which proclaims itself as a “true Vegas-style club on the Northwest side of town,” definitely exudes a Vegas vibe, but while some parts are very Venetian, some are undoubtedly Circus Circus. Located in what used to be Clicks Billiards (they unfortunately retained some of…
Market Eats: YAPA Artisan Empanadas Adds Chilean Twist
The tempting smell of fresh empanadas wafts through the Quarry Farmers & Ranchers Market on Sunday mornings, emanating from the YAPA Artisan Empanadas booth. For the last two months, artisan empanada maker Leopoldo “Polo” Valdes and his wife, Laura Tansey, have spent their weekends in the midst of the bustling farmers market. Yapa is a…
Soul Hippie Allen Stone Doesn’t Want Your Sex
“Don’t you get it, lads?” asks the manager of an aspiring whiter-than-white Irish soul band in Alan Parker’s The Commitments (1991). “The Irish are the blacks of Europe. And Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland. And the Northside Dubliners are the blacks of Dublin. So say it once, say it loud: I’m black and I’m…
Scream It Like You Mean It Tour Brings Punk and Metal to SA
Despite the title, the Scream It Like You Mean It tour—appropriately hitting the White Rabbit the week before Halloween—isn’t a screamo show. Or, rather, it’s not exclusively a screamo show: there’s also some emo, hardcore, melodic hardcore, post-hardcore, alt-metal, pop-punk, dance punk and … well, you get the idea. If the kids are running around…
Book Excerpt—Johnny Cash: The Life
The Current is pleased to present this exclusive excerpt from Robert Hilburn’s biography Johnny Cash: The Life, which will be released Tuesday, October 29. See here for an interview with Hilburn, longtime chief music critic for the Los Angeles Times as well as the only music journalist present at Cash’s iconic 1968 Folsom Prison concert.…
Wrestling Legends Set to Elbow Drop Alamo City Comic Con
Present and potentially future pro wrestling hall of famers will be laying smackdowns on their fans at the Alamo City Comic Con. Legends Bret Hart, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Buff Bagwell, Scott Norton, Virgil and Super-Mex Shawn Hernandez will be signing autographs and taking photos during the three day convention…
Elisa Chan Resigns from City Council to Seek Texas Senate Seat
One of the most controversial San Antonio City Council members in recent history stepped off the dais last Friday, but not for reasons that would appease her fiercest critics. District 9’s Elisa Chan, now infamous for the intolerant remarks made toward the LGBT community in a covert recording exposed this August, officially resigned from her…
Vinously Speaking: Wine nerds’ thrifty BFF
Cecilia “Ceci” Barretto is kind of a nerd, but you want an admitted bookworm to handle your wine. As co-founder of Vinously Speaking-An Eclectic Wine Shop and blog (7271 Wurzbach, Ste 117, vinouslyspeaking.com), Barretto’s journey into the wine world began at 17 while working at French restaurant The Metropolitan (now 20Nine Restaurant and Wine Bar).…
Pho Kim Long’s Vietnamese Fare Offers Olmos Park a New Kind of Comfort Food
Let’s get this out of the way now. Yes, the name Pho Kim Long is undoubtedly one of the most risqué puns for a restaurant, but it just so happens the owner’s name is Kim Long. Leave the snarky comments at the door. The family-owned and -operated Vietnamese joint opened in early August after Laurent’s…
Flavor File: Taps y Tapas opens, Big Hops and Habanero’s to add locations
While the SA Beer Festival was coming to a close, Taps y Tapas (1012 N Flores) was on day two of its soft opening weekend. The modern Mexican restaurant is serving up Tortas Three Ways (cochinita pibil, a spicy torta ahogada and a torta estilo Jalisco), Tacos Three Ways (al pastor, asada and fish tacos),…
5 Ways to Get Your Grub/Drink On This Week
Saturday, Oct 26: Get those wet naps ready. The Monterey and Saint Arnold’s Brewing Company will team up for a barbecue event with Texas-style brisket (is there any other worth having?) and cold sides along with a tapped cask of Oktoberfest and other fave Arnold brews such as Elissa and Santo. $35, 11am-3pm, 1127 S…
Holy Guacamole! Alamo City Comic Con Invades SA
PHOTOS: Alamo City Comic Con Superhero Prom Years ago, a lead such as “The nerds are coming! The nerds are coming!” might have been apropos for this kind of story. But unless you’ve been living in the Phantom Zone the past 10 years, it’s clear that the nerds are not coming. They’ve already arrived. Top…
‘Thelma & Louise’ Screenwriter Dishes on Sex, Guns and Writer’s Block
Thelma and Louise’ (the Movie) Starring Thelma and Louise (the Two Headed Turtle) Picture this: You were born in San Antonio and moved away shortly after your fifth birthday. You studied theater in college and were ambivalent about your writing skills. Then, one day you had an idea. “This could be good,” you thought. So…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I’m greedy,” says painter David Hockney, “but I’m not greedy for money — I think that can be a burden — I’m greedy for an exciting life.” According to my analysis, Aries, the cosmos is now giving you the go-ahead to cultivate Hockney’s style of greed. As you head out in…
Great Odin’s Raven! Ben & Jerry’s Teases ‘Anchorman’ Ice Cream
Loud noises! We can’t wait. (Courtesy) I don’t know if you know this, but this is kind of a big deal. The Vermont ice cream makers released a photo of a new “Anchorman”-themed ice cream and we’re pumped. We’re adding it to our list of things we love (“poetry, and a glass of scotch, and,…
Titus Andronicus Will Melt Your Face at the Lime Light Tonight With Boys From Brazil, Creatura + More
CC Image by davidjlee There are certainly bands–Slayer, Odd Future, Black Flag–where you go in to their show knowing you might get in some way injured. Normally I wouldn’t add a band named after a Shakespeare play anywhere near that list, but then Titus Andronicus are an abnormal bunch. They write 8-min epics about the…
Muy Sabroso! Nao Introduces Peruvian Menu
We’re off to Peru. (Courtesy) As if Nao New World Flavors (312 Pearl Parkway) hasn’t impressed you enough with its dedication and celebration to the authentic cuisine and culture of Latin America, step back, take a deep breath, and take this in: Ecstatic to continue the Celebration of Cuisines program, Nao is proud to present…
Max’s Wine Dive Turns Three with Halloween Blow Out
Why are you dressed so scary? (Courtesy) Halloween doesn’t have to mean crappy candy. Max’s Wine Dive (340 E Basse, Ste 101) will celebrate its third anniversary with a giant Halloween party and special wine tasting. The wine tasting will include eight themed wines and appetizers from 8-10 p.m. at $25 per person. Costumes are…
Boiler House Celebrates First Anniversary Nov. 14
Happy anniversary, Boiler House! (Courtesy) Chef Jeff White will offer a three-course prix fixe dinner menu, with wine pairings available at an extra cost, to celebrate the first anniversary of Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden (312 Pearl Parkway, Building 3). The menu will be available starting at 5 p.m. on November 14; winos…
New Hope For San Antonio Four
Update: The Current obtained copies of the writs seeking to vindicate the San Antonio Four. Among the grounds for petition, Ware includes inaccurate expert testimony, the introduction of previously unavailable scientific evidence, denial of due process and the assistance of counsel. An excerpt from the writ establishing the reasons for Ramirez’s unlawful incarceration: “Since her 1997 trial,…
Lunchtime Links: Texas Book Festival?’s Lack of Latinos, Someone Is Changing N Train Signs To Ñ in #NY, INTERNATIONAL #CAPSLOCKDAY, Tim McGraw?, Alan Jackson? to open 2014 San Antonio Rodeo,…
…Dogs Shaking Off Water Captured in Super Slow Motion Video Will Make Your Day + More
