Janelle Monáe’s ‘The Electric Lady’: ambitious and right on target
Related: Janelle Monáe ‘Dances Apocalyptic’ All over Letterman’s Desk Janelle Monáe Coming to ACL Live Nov. 12 Janelle Monáe The Electric Lady (Bad Boy Records) The first of Janelle Monáe’s natural strengths (and by default, tragic flaws) lies in her eclecticism. Like her studio debut, The ArchAndroid, The Electric Lady is a delightful romp through…
Elvis Costello & The Roots team up and ‘Wise Up’
Elvis Costello & The Roots Wise Up Ghost (Blue Note Records) This really shouldn’t be a surprise. For two artists as collab-heavy as Elvis Costello (Paul McCartney, Allen Toussaint, every episode of the Sundance Channel’s Spectacle) and Roots’ leader Questlove (Erykah Badu, Fiona Apple, every episode of The Late Night), it was really a matter…
5 Things You Have to Do This Week
1. Canstruction Part competition, part hunger awareness initiative, Canstruction tasks architects, engineers, contractors and their proteges with creating masterpieces using canned goods. Hosted by North Star Mall in conjunction with the Society for Design Administration, the eighth annual event came together on Sunday when 13 teams spent 12 hours making creative use of an estimated…
‘Mission Park’ Over-performs Locally, Bashed by Critics
Related: SA Film ‘Mission Park’ Almost Hits the Mark So, how did local crime drama Mission Park fare at the theater opening weekend with moviegoers and critics? And what did its box office numbers look like? Although Santikos Theaters said they could not share specific numbers with the Current, Daniel Rodríguez, Marketing Communications Manager for…
Arcade Fire Releases “Reflektor” Videos
The much-anticipated video for Arcade Fire’s “Reflektor,” directed by Anton Corbijn (best known for his work with U2 and Nirvana), is here! It has also been confirmed there is a special guest providing backing vocals, via David Bowie’s facebook, “We can confirm that David Bowie has supplied a brief backing vocal on the James Murphy…
Mayweather Guaranteed $41.5 Million Against Canelo
Do you still have any doubts that the September 14 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez will be the biggest fight in history? Get this: Mayweather is guaranteed a purse of $41.5 million, and that doesn’t count his percentage for pay-per-view sales. It will be his biggest payday since his $45 million…
New Van Gogh Painting Discovered
“Sunset at Montmajour,” by Vincent Van Gogh (1888) A newly discovered painting by Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), “Sunset at Montmajour,” was unveiled Monday at Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum, which holds the largest collection by the Dutch master. “A discovery of this magnitude has never before occurred in the history of the Van Gogh Museum,”…
Eminem’s Official “Berzerk” Video Is Here
Eminem (right) ith track producer Rick Rubin. The video for “Berzerk,” the first single off Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP (out November 5), is finally here. It features cameo appearances Kid Rock, Kendrick Lamar, producer Rick Rubin and Joe Budden and Royce da 5’9″ (Slaughterhouse).
5 Things to Know About Freetail2
As the sound of nearby trains rolling by filled the air, folks from all over San Antonio gathered on Saturday morning at the future second location of San Antonio based brewery Freetail Brewing Co.’s wholesale production facility that has been codenamed ‘Freetail2’ by owner and founder Scott Metzger. Metzger waxed poetic about the history of…
Officer-involved Shooting at Super 8 Downtown
Updated at 9:58 a.m., Tuesday, September 10, 2013 Photo by Bryan Rindfuss It’s not every day breaking news happens at your office doorstep, but driving to work this morning, all my usual routes were blocked by police. Earlier this morning, there was an officer-involved shooting at the Super 8 motel on North St. Mary’s and Quincy,…
Bonehead Quote Of The Week: Donna Campbell on the NDO
Welcome to a new blog from the Current. Each week we’ll bring you our favorite verbal garbage, confusing sentiments, hypocrisies and/or just plain nonsense from politicians, elected officials, newsmakers and notable loudmouths. Living in Texas, there should be ample selection. So, who said it best worst this week? While San Antonio cheered on the passage of an LGBT…
WTF Friday: Snake Found in San Antonio Starbucks Toilet
Bruce Ahlswede and his wife Michele were at the Starbucks at Bandera Road and Loop 1604 this week when he came upon a slithering reptile in the men’s room. KSAT reports that Ahlswede had just wrapped up a business presentation when he stumbled upon what is most likely a Texas rat snake “freaking out” in the toilet…
Gruene Music & Wine Festival Tickets On Sale
(Courtesy) The event might not take place for another month, but tickets have officially gone on sale to the public for the Gruene Music & Wine Festival. The GMWF will feature four wine and music events starting October 10 at The Grapevine with “Not From Texas” a kick-off event featuring New World & German wines,…
Boiler House Hosts Fall Wine Preview
Booze it up at Boiler House this Sunday. (Courtesy) The culinary and wine teams at Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden are hoping to will summer away and woo fall into SA with a Fall Wine Preview this Sunday, September 8 from 2-6 p.m. The event will feature bites from the kitchen including Boiler’s…
McNay, Bohanan’s host Art to the Power of 10 Fundraiser Friday, Sept. 6
San Antonio, Austin, Marfa unite for a night of art, cocktails and snacks. (Courtesy) Tickets are still available for Friday’s art fundraiser hosted by the McNay Art Museum, Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood and Gaucho Gourmet. The cocktail party will feature art from 11 galleries in Austin, Marfa and San Antonio along with costumes created…
LGBT Non-Discrimination Ordinance Passes In Long-Awaited Council Vote
After months of protesting, activism and one highly publicized scandal, San Antonio city council voted 8-3 to pass an LGBT non-discrimination ordinance– marking a historic moment for a city that’s stagnated in ensuring the LGBT community be afforded equal rights. A chamber divided. Supporters of the NDO wore red shirts while those who opposed donned…
Shot of the Week: Lion & Rose’s Purple Gecko
It’s more of a dark blue…(Katie Bosworth) When you think of a pub you think of beer. But the Lion & Rose Restaurant and Pub offers beer and so much more. I walked into this joint after a long day of classes looking for two things: food and a much-needed shot. I asked the bartender…
The Granary Hosts Dinner With Salt of the Earth’s Kevin Sousa
(Courtesy post-gazette.com) Chef bromances might be the best win-win ever. They get together for tasty collaborative dinners and we get to sample awesome food. For this month’s guest chef collaborative dinner at The Granary, chef Tim Rattray will team up with Pennsylvania’s Kevin Sousa, whose restaurants include Salt of the Earth, Union Pig & Chicken…
LiveTweeting San Antonio’s NDO Vote
Current staff writer Mary Tuma is reporting live from the vote. Follow below for updates. Tweets by @TumaTime !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?’http’:’https’;if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+”://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,”script”,”twitter-wjs”); Related: Winners & Losers at City Council Last Night The Biggest Little Gay Rights Battle in Texas: An NDO timeline
10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend
1. ‘TX?13’ Established in Austin in 2005 to provide an exhibition opportunity for artists across the Lone Star state, the Texas Biennial is the longest-running state biennial in the country. Comprising contemporary works selected from an open call, the biennial’s “TX?13” centerpiece rounds up more than 60 artists—with Shannon Crider, Claudio Dicochea, Julia Barbosa Landois,…
Winners & Losers at City Council Last Night
For the first time, I saw the NDO debate firsthand at City Council’s Citizens to be Heard last night. With hours, maybe even minutes, before the long-awaited vote on this ordinance, which would add “gender identity” and “sexual orientation,” I’m trying to process what I saw last night, for the four hours I observed testimony…
Op-Ed: There IS LGBT Discrimination in San Antonio
By Jennifer Falcon, lead organizer of GetEQUAL San Antonio Chapter For the past few months GetEQUAL Texas has been educating the community about the upcoming non-discrimination ordinance and actively talking to people about the discrimination they have faced themselves based on gender identity and sexual orientation. At least twice a week we hit the…
10 Free Events Happening in San Antonio This Week
1. Rob Baird & Cody Jinks – September 7 With his new album release ‘Black Sheep’ dropping in June, Traditional Country singer and Texan Cody Jinks performs an afternoon show at 1p.m. and a night show (with opening act and fellow Country singer Rob Baird joining him) at 9p.m. at Luckenbach. Far from his past…
13th Floor Haunted House Auditions Start Today
If you frequently think about zombies and vampires or how you can make yourself look like you are one, you might be interested in auditioning for a role in San Antonio’s 13th Floor Haunted House. The fall attraction, infamous for its frightening characters and scenes, is looking for 50 terrifying actors and actresses to continue…
Freetail2 Site To Be Unveiled Saturday, September 7
Sudsy goodness. (Current Files) Clear your Saturday morning, beer lovers. Scott Metzger will unveil the location of Freetail2. Representative Mike Villarreal and Senator Leticia Van De Putte will be honored during the unveiling by the Texas Craft Brewers Guild for their work on beer law reforms. The event will take place Saturday, September 7 at…
Bar 1919 Hosts Glenfiddich 50-Year-Scotch Tasting
Bar 1919 owner Don Marsh holds the $25,000 bottle. Scotchy-Scotch-Scotch. That was literally my extent of knowledge on the spirit until one of our summer interns compiled this awesome blog post: Five things You Need to Know About Scotch. You can learn more about single malt Scotch this Wednesday, September 4 if you have $1,500…
Op-ed: Transgender Inclusion in the NDO
By Lauryn Farris, President of the San Antonio Gender Association (SAGA) and member of the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) It is not without recognizing the irony that I write this on the anniversary of one of the most influential events of all time—the 1963 march for civil rights on Washington, D.C. Rather than…
SA’s Ronald Ray Gun: The Great Communicators
From his membership in Bad Breaks and Jasper’s Cast to his status as a former angel in Marcus Rubio’s Gospel Choir of Pillows, SA stalwart Jackson Floyd is no stranger to the scene. But his newest outfit, the pun-heavy Ronald Ray Gun, reps a sense of humor we haven’t seen before in the multi-instrumentalist. The…
Cheap Booze Handled with Care
There’s not much that could pass for décor at Local Bar, an urban watering hole that appears to attract both downtown denizens and the dazed and confused tourist who has stumbled blinkingly up from the nearby River Walk. There is the bowdlerized logo, an irreverent “Come and Drink It” take on the famous Gonzales flag,…
The Biggest Little Gay Rights Battle in Texas: An NDO timeline
It’s been a long, bumpy road for a seemingly simple rule update. The City of San Antonio has long had a non-discrimination ordinance in place, which protects citizens from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age and handicap in dealings with City employees, City contracts and subcontracts, board and commission appointments and…
The Clash: 'Hits Back'
Released simultaneously with Sound System, but separately, Hits Back is a collection of studio tracks following the set list of the band’s legendary 1982 Brixton Fairdeal show. The two CDs (or 3-vinyl set, 32 tracks total) start with “London Calling” and end with “Garageland,” with eight well-selected bonus tracks thrown in (including “White Riot” and…
Life After the NDO: A primer for local LGBT activists
Let’s be real. For supporters, the long road towards the passage of the Non-Discrimination Ordinance (NDO) has been exhausting. Scratch that. Maybe “excruciating” would be a better word. Once that victory is won, very likely on September 5, there will be a need for the city’s LGBT community and its allies to figure out what…
SA Film ‘Mission Park’ Almost Hits the Mark
Local independent director/writer Bryan Ramírez has potential. While that might sound like a backhanded compliment for someone determined to lead a San Antonio film renaissance, it isn’t meant to be. I have little doubt Ramírez can produce something substantial for the silver screen. Unfortunately, the crime drama Mission Park, his first solo feature-length project, is…
The Clash: 'Sound System (12- disc CD/DVD set)'
“When we came to the U.S., Mick [Jones] stumbled upon a music shop in Brooklyn that carried the music of Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, the Sugar Hill Gang,” Joe Strummer once said. “These groups were radically changing music and they changed everything for us.” That statement alone exemplifies what turned The Clash…
‘Wonder Worlds’ Gives Amusement Parks Surreal Life
In looking photographer Rebecca Dietz’ work assembled for “Wonder Worlds,” opening Thursday as an official Fotoseptiembre event, my mind wanders, unexpectedly, to The Sopranos. Dietz’ black-and-white photos of amusement parks, particularly those on the boardwalks that line the Mid-Atlantic, recall a particularly surreal fever dream of Tony Soprano at the end of season 2. In…
Naara Café: Best falafel in town
“Next time you have to have the pizza,” she said. “It’s really good.” Say what? We had just finished lunch on the patio at Naara Café, one of several Middle Eastern enterprises in the quasi-compound on Wurzbach that includes Pasha Mediterranean Grill and Ali Baba International Food Market. A pleasant fountain burbled away, echoing some…
The Luck Archive & The San Antonio Missions
Local photographer Mark Menjivar has spent the past few years collecting stories, objects and photographs for his Luck Archive project, which has been exhibited in San Antonio, Asheville, N.C., and Portland, Ore. He recently teamed up with Minor League baseball team the San Antonio Missions to learn their views on luck, superstition and the "baseball…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “No regrets? Really?” asks author Richard Power. “I have regrets. They are sacred to me. They inform my character. They bear witness to my evolution. Glimpses of lost love and treasure are held inside of them; like small beautiful creatures suspended in amber.” I think you can see where this horoscope…
Four Questions for SA Poet Laureate Carmen Tafolla
These days poet laureate Carmen Tafolla is busy doing readings, fostering education and putting together programs advocating poetry all while simultaneously working on a biography on Emma Tenayuca, a collection of poems and a children’s book. All of this contributes to the reason Gemini Ink plans to present her with the Literary Excellence Award during…
City Scrapes: Building the arts
We do a great job building buildings. We built an AT&T Center for basketball and an Alamodome for the promise of big league football. We built the space formerly named Museo Alameda for Latino art. Now we’re building a new performing arts center, renovating and restoring an historic movie theater and creating a new western…
Major Lazer Leads Mad Decent Block Party to New Braunfels
One stage, nine bands, an inflatable cooling station, free T-shirts and even sponsored mascots (a walking taco, a walking pizza) are some of the features of the sixth edition of the Mad Decent Block Party—the first to come to Texas, and also the first with a ticket price after five free years “It just didn’t…
Barbra Riley’s Surreal Food Porn/Still Life Hybrids
There’s a fair share of whimsy that comes through in Barbra Riley’s contemporary photographs recalling Dutch still lifes. Each contains Easter eggs that bring the viewer back to modern-day life: Sharpies, a Samsung Galaxy Note phone, Ipod earbuds. Riley achieves the surreal effect by seamlessly merging backgrounds (Mount St. Helens and Canyon Lake, most recently)…
Faust Tavern Offers Homey Atmosphere, Devilish Bargains and Late-night Scene
This article has been updated to reflect that only Danny Delgado owns Faust. We previously misidentified Miguel Delgado as a co-owner. The northernmost end of the Strip is going through some changes. Just last year, Web House or Russian Bar or whatever they were calling it, still occupied the small building just off St. Mary’s.…
Culinary Calendar: Seven ways to get your grub and/or drink on
Wednesday, September 4: The Hangar Tavern will hold its monthly beer tasting. Check out local and other craft beers available at this bar-turned-playroom. Sample Stone IPA, Stone Sublimey Self Righteous, Wasatch Pumpkin Ale, Oskar Blue’s Dale’s Pale Ale and Old Chub and others. Free, 7-9pm, 14521 Brook Hollow, (210) 846-8810, facebook.com/TheHangarTavern. Thursday, September 5: It’s…
Savage Love: Quickies
Settle this for us, Dan? Which is the bigger ask: a one-time, once-in-a-lifetime threesome or regular (and pretty damn elaborate) bondage sessions? —Ruling On Private Enquiry Required Let me guess: Your partner is into bondage, ROPER, and you’re not. But you’ve been doing the hard work of tying him/her/some-other-point-along-the-gender-spectrum up for months, years or decades…
Industry News: Spanish tapas in Blue Star, John Besh adds TV host to his resume
There’s a new tapas restaurant open in the Blue Star complex. Barraca (1420 S Alamo, Ste 101) is a paella and tapas bar serving traditional Spanish fare like patatas bravas and piquillos rellenos. The Current loved Chef Javier Flores’ Cheeks and Chops food truck and has high hopes for this endeavor. I can count on…
20 Years of Gemini Ink, SA’s Community-driven Literary Arts Program
When asked about why she wrote, Chicana author Gloria Anzaldua explained, “… Because the world I create in the writing compensates for what the real world does not give me. By writing, I put order in the world, give it a handle so I can grasp it. … I write because I’m scared of writing,…
New Music Review: Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Hesitation Marks’
From the stark, violent drone of opener “The Eater of Dreams,” Trent Reznor packs his return to the moniker of Nine Inch Nails with dark, manic electro-pop with a Sarin twist. But what else is to be expected from Reznor? Like a David Lynch aural equivalent, his records sound like nightmarish soundtracks for imaginary films…
Did De La Hoya Actually Beat Mayweather? You be the Judge
On the second episode of Showtime’s All Access promoting the September 14 fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Mexico’s Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, Golden Boy-turned-promoter Oscar De La Hoya said he gave Canelo “the blueprint” to beat Mayweather. “How can he have the blueprint if he didn’t beat me?” said Mayweather, who beat De La Hoya…
‘True Blood’ Runs Out of Life
With the sixth season of the popular HBO show having ended last month with a lot of questions to be answered, the cable network has announced that next year’s seventh season will be its last. The series has taken us into Bon Temps and the world of vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, witches, and faeries and…
Chef Steve McHugh Hosts Corn Roast
Om nom nom. (Courtesy) Chef Steve McHugh will host a corn roast at Friendly Spot (943 S Alamo) Sunday, September 22 at 4 p.m. The event will benefit the South Central Texas Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. A $30 admission ticket will get you drink tickets, a commemorative cup, roasted corn (obvi) and…
Mayweather-Canelo, ‘All Access’ Full Episode 2
Last week, we raised the question: Is Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez the biggest fight ever? At the very least, it is the best possible boxing match up you can hope for today. If you liked All Access Episode 1, here’s Episode 2, which premiered Sunday on Showtime.
SA-born “Thelma & Louise” writer to Be Honored by Austin Film Festival
Related: “Thelma and Louise” (The Movie) Starring Thelma and Louise (The Two Headed Turtle) San Antonio-born Callie Khouri, who won a Best Original Screenplay on her first try (1991’s Thelma & Louise), will receive the 2013 Distinguished Screenwriter Award from the Austin Film Festival and Conference during the festival’s annual Awards Luncheon on Saturday, October…
Op-Ed: Supporting Equality, It’s a Jewish Value
By Jonathan Lipton (To hear more religious leaders who support the NDO, head to City Hall at 2 p.m. for the Faith Leaders Rally for Equality, Justice and Healing) During the past few weeks, the City of San Antonio has been consumed by the local and national media’s attention on the upcoming vote on…
Op-Ed: Non-discrimination ordinance should pass
Ed. note: Until the September 5 vote to change the City’s non-discrimination ordinance to include LGBT citizens and veterans, we’ll be running op-eds that various members of the community have sent in. You may notice these op-eds seem a little one-sided. While the Current reached out to the very few local, vocal leaders of the…
