While in New York City 9/11/11
Photos by Desiree Prieto I had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero during the tenth anniversary of 9/11. While it is difficult to put into words the somberness of this day, above are some photos I took of the site, which includes St. Paul’s Church (also damaged ten years ago), the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site,…
Native Texan Lela Rose at New York City Fashion Week
Desiree Prieto I’m writing from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City right now, and I’m finding it quite hard to tear myself away from fashion events and sites to sit down and write. Yesterday I checked out Lela Rose’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection; she is a noteworthy designer not only because she is from Texas—Dallas,…
St. Vincent: Strange Mercy
While it may technically have nothing to do with St. Vincent’s (aka Annie Clark) latest release, it really is impossible to put Strange Mercy into context without mentioning her one-off performance this past May in which the demure twee-queen covered Big Black’s hardcore classic "Kerosene." Clark’s music has always hinted at a more sinister edge,…
9/11: Legacy of mistakes — not Osama — still cripple country 10 years on
The attacks of September 11 brought me back to the world. I had a year earlier retreated to a high desert outpost to run a startup weekly paper — ditching what felt like a natural progression from West Texas to Las Vegas with the goal of landing at some unknown major metro on one of…
Flash Fiction Workshop @ Gemini Ink
On Saturday September, 17th, I’ll be leading a workshop through Gemini Ink about flash fiction. It will consist mostly of writing prompts as ways to get into a flash fiction piece. More exciting is the reading at the beginning of the workshop: Marisela Chavez, Arnulfo Talamantes & Nicole Provencher. The night before at 6:30 Ann…
Low-budget Bellflower is an instant indie classic that’ll set you on fire
“I’d seen movies about breakups, but I’d never seen anyone try to make a movie about what it’s really like to have your heart broken,” first-time director Evan Glodell told The Village Voice. So, in order to do his little movie, he sold everything and spent some time living in an office instead of paying…
Mitchell Binder, designer and owner of King Baby Studio visits Neiman Marcus La Cantera Saturday
Mitchell Binder, designer and owner of King Baby Studio will be at Neiman Marcus La Cantera on Saturday, September 10th from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm, showcasing his new products and meeting with clients. I spoke with the Santa Monica-based designer yesterday, who couldn’t wait to talk about what to expect, “I’m really excited! We’re…
A powerful performance by a teen actress lifts this morality tale above its station
The first half of Life, Above All, a Sepedi-language mother-daughter tale set in South Africa, feels entirely powered by heart. Lerato Mvelase plays Lillian, a complex powerhouse of a mother, currently buckled with grief over the death of her infant daughter. Khomotso Manyaka plays Chanda, Lillian’s preteen daughter struggling to pick up the slack and…
The Wicked Stage: Now, even more ethically compromised
Well, last week’s ethically-compromised edition of The Wicked Stage was a hit, of sorts: I think a few people actually read it. (In criticism-starved San Antonio, that’s something of a triumph). Intriguingly, author James Venhaus actually wrote in, asking for thoughts on his new play Ugly People, which was reviewed by Scott Andrews here. (I’m…
“To Surf Volcanoes or Give Enemas – That is the Question” by Serah Brandenn
The disembodied notion of choice thrusts itself on the character in this short by Serah Brandenn. And while the title is absurd (and sometimes the content too), it’s also a decent question in the grand scheme of questions. So take a gander. Which one would you choose? Really? Submit. Flashfiction@sacurrent.com. There is a poverty of…
Texas Cottage Food Law is now in effect; enjoy a legal bake sale today
Decorate some cupcakes and have a front yard bake sale. It won’t be illegal anymore. We’ve heard the horror stories — like 4-year-old Abigail Krstinger’s lemonade stand being shut down by the government due to lack of a $400 permit. Small-scale home-based food sellers are being cracked down on, even if they just so happen…
Blue Star silent auction for a not-so-silent arts community
Forget, for a moment, the gorgeous models in front of you dressed in Neiman Marcus’ fall collection. Mannequin-art by nine local artists is also on display at “Models and Mannequins: a Passion for Fashion,” the SA edition of the 3rd Annual Fashion’s Night Out, going down tonight Sept. 8 at The Shops at La…
San Antonio nonprofits need your help. Here are some volunteer ideas…
If you read my previous blog post “Texas nonprofits, facing state and federal cuts, see plenty of doom and gloom,” you know agency budgets will only get leaner in the days to come—even as the needs in San Antonio increase. A parallel increased need for volunteers is also sure to occur. Since San Antonio has…
Underage fashion (and sexual metaphors) at Katy Perry last night
By Desiree Prieto “So, how do I look?” I asked my one-and-only before heading to the Katy Perry concert at the AT&T Center last night. “Like all the other soccer moms who’ll be accompanying their 14-year-old daughters,” he jokingly…
In Texas, no love for volunteer fire departments
As our Fed Up!, regulatin’-hatin’ governor hits his first GOP presidential debate, Rick Perry’s state is burning, and has been for much of the past week. Granted, with wildfires scorching thousands of acres, claiming at least two lives and destroying hundreds of homes, Perry left the trail Monday to come home and assess the damage.…
Fast Foodie: Oro
With the price of gold at record-high levels, it may be time to give Oro in the Emily Morgan some renewed scrutiny. Should diners be flocking to the relative safety of its take-no-risks menu? Can the writer resist referring to “all that glitters” and fool’s gold? It is true that some of the restaurant’s visual…
Slideshow: August in Pictures
An all-access wristband to Lollapalooza lured ARTslut to Chicago, where she tried desperately to maintain a balanced diet of live music, salty nuts, dirty martinis, and contemporary art. Although this 110-ton, $23 million, stainless steel sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor is officially named Cloud Gate, people call it The Bean. L.A.-based Mark Bradford is officially ARTslut’s new favorite artist. His exhibition at Chicago’s Museum…
Struggle of Texas Independence just another Masonic plot?
A few days ago we received a note from Joe Hilliard of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, alerting us to a story he had just written that “certainly has a San Antonio flavor.” OK, I’m game, so hit the link to find news about a young Corpus filmmaker whose murder-mystery web series places the Battle of…
Live & Local: Los Nahuatlatos at Saluté International Bar
Unlike most party bands, Los Nahuatlatos (nah-wah-TLAH-toes, meaning “speakers of nahuatl,” and a term wrongfully used by Spanish conquistadores to describe interpreters of different native tongues) is a socially conscious San Antonio-based alternative fusion band including four members of former SA band Xemilla. They want you to dance and think, but, honestly, it can be…
Berlin dance fest tears down boundaries
The 17 days of this year’s 23rd International Dance Festival in Berlin will be remembered as a convergence of traditions, refocusing on the glorious traditions of classical dance as transformed and integrated into contemporary forms, including break dance and African tribal expressions. Crossing borders and tearing down boundaries between these so extremely different techniques and…
SHOCK’S three-fingered salute
What do you do after you achieve legendary status? Find a warm climate with a decent surf-and-turf special and wait to die on a bamboo lawn chair? Not if you’re Ron Shock. Known as a master storyteller, Ron has more presence in a look than many have in their whole acts. Like a grandfather he…
Area 31 traffics in high gloss and creatively manicured beards
Here’s an idea for a stupid dating show: Drop a hapless, bright-eyed couple into the center of suburban strip malldom and follow them around as they spend the day navigating the weird assortment of Americana commerce that collects there. If our couple were parachuted into the Ridge Shopping Center, a two-year-old oasis in the oak…
The Rapture: In the Grace of Your Love
We’re not supposed to care about the Rapture. Almost a decade after the party died down on the New York dance/punk revival, and fellow contemporaries Liars and Radio 4 had long since gone home, there was the Rapture, still dancing on their own. It should have been sad, embarrassing even. But like all great rock…
After decades of neglect, could San Antonio become a live-music capital again?
Pick a day. Any day. Check out what bands are coming to, say, Austin. Then look to see what other cities they’ll be visiting. Most won’t be coming to San Antonio. They’ll go to Austin, Houston, Dallas. Even Edinburg. But SA? No way. England’s Yuck played Austin, Dallas, Houston, and even Chapel Hill, N.C. No…
The world’s coolest rogue cop
On the surface, The Guard is an Irish comedy/crime thriller in which the rough, enigmatic Sgt. Gerry Boyle (Brendan Gleeson, Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1) is trying to bust a drug-trafficking ring. He’s paired with Wendell Everett, an American FBI agent played by Don Cheadle. Gleeson ranges naturally…
Shades of greeny green
Stoner films used to be either straight-up counter-cultural underground or camp, but the onset of indie stoner films, complete with artistic and even literary aspirations, is developing into a new sub-genre, as crazy as that sounds. In it we find the marijuana farm presented as an idyllic world apart from the dysfunction of the big…
Talking dry, drinking sweet
Here’s a conundrum (or maybe merely a dilemma): Many folks, perhaps in an attempt to appear sophisticated, claim to like only “dry” wines, clandestinely slugging sweet in secret. Some, taking the notion that sweet wines are for sissies and schlubs to the extreme, would disdain even a spectacular Sauternes, one of the world’s truly great…
The Beatles: 1
Originally released in 2000, 1 sold more than 31 million albums and is the fastest-selling record of all time. Not bad for a band that broke up in 1970. This 27-song collection of number one (duh) singles go from "Love Me Do" to "The Long and Winding Road" and, in case you haven’t figured it…
Santana credits humanity’s birthplace — and Metatron — for his life and sound
Has everything been invented in music? Yes and no. You can always trace what anyone is doing to an earlier master, an earlier sound. But every decade has new waves of music that change the musical map thanks to the inspiration of people who listen to their own muse. Or their own angel. On August…
Piccolo’s Italian bistro delivers honest family fare
There is the restaurant, there is the food, and then there is the restaurant experience. Some poeple go to restaurants because they pass a fancy test. Others risk places with a “we-are-about-to-fail-our-next-safety-inspection” ethos to claim patronage of “authentic” cuisine (forgetting that you can be authentic and hygienic at the same time). Then there are the…
Critic’s Pick: Sabrina
Technically, Humphrey Bogart is old enough to be Audrey Hepburn’s father. And realistically it requires much more than a ponytail and a shabby dress to make Hepburn look like a wallflower. However, the actors and plotline in this 1950’s Cinderella story are so charming and endearing that even modern-day viewers are likely to grant the…
Fine dining on life support, Lodge to shutter
After 10 years, The Lodge in Castle Hills is shutting its doors. Chef and owner Jason Dady announced last week that his restaurant will hold its last service on New Year’s Eve, literally going out with a bang. Citing the changing dining scene, Dady said via Twitter and Facebook that fine dining is on its…
¡ASK A MEXICAN!
Dear Mexican: I’m a young white dude who drives to work everyday, and on my daily commute, I get off the freeway and drive through the streets. Every single day between the hours of 5 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., there are AT LEAST one hundred Mexican men out there waiting to be picked up for…
Various Artists: Listen To Me: Buddy Holly (Verve Forecast)
Buddy Holly’s recording career lasted only two years, but his songs have endured. This tribute (coming on the heels of June’s Rave On, with Paul McCartney, Lou Reed, and others) revisits not just the hits, but many more obscure tracks with performances from pop’s biggest stars. Sadly, there appears to be more emphasis on the…
ISTORIA at UTSA Satellite Space
Regardless of how it’s done, storytelling has always been a big part of photography’s role. “ISTORIA,” on view this month at UTSA Satellite Space, presents new trends in narrative photography in a juried international exhibition that fills the small gallery at the Blue Star complex with works by 15 artists. The consensus? There isn’t one,…
Bexar commissioner wants to break up the state of Sheriff’s union
Back in mid-August, Bexar County Commissioner Kevin Wolff toured the Haven for Hope campus with Haven CEO George Block and others for the annual budget-season “shakedown,” as Wolff terms it. Block, bracing for heavy state funding cuts on the way, was hoping the county could contribute more than the $50,000 the county’s proposed 2012 budget…
Mirren lends ‘Debt’ gravitas and class
A friend turns to me an hour into the stimulating espionage thriller The Debt during a scene when retired Mossad secret agent Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren) deplanes in the Ukraine only thinking of her intended target. “It’s Jason Bourne’s grandma,” he tells me, as Mirren bobs and weaves like a spy 30 years too late…
Chemistry and chaos help lift the Ground’s art-rock
If the Ground were known by any other name, one might consider Points of Contention. Or maybe Points of Polite Disagreement. Consider the two pieces of promo art on their Facebook page, one of which became their album cover art. The first is designed by guitarist/vocalist Brad Angotti (also in Perpetual Heat and the now…
Ramirez retrospective includes stunning, if not the artist’s best, works
Of the four shows at Blue Star Contemporary Art Center that mark Fotoseptiembre this year, no doubt the most anticipated is “Minimally Baroque,” a retrospective of the strangely affecting photography of Chuck Ramirez, the much beloved local artist who died last November in a bicycle accident. Beginning in the mid-1990s, Ramirez took the skills that…
Tejano’s “red alert”
The 31st annual edition of the Tejano Music Awards being held at the San Antonio Event Center this Saturday, come during a critical point for the genre. Either the Tejanos get it together in 2012, or the Tejano category of the Latin Grammys could be a thing of the past. Both NARAS (the National Academy…
The QueQue: Perry appointment push for nuke waste, River Walk to get Hippie Hollow treatment, Texas, meet Anonymous
Perry appointment push for nuke waste Rick Perry is preparing to appoint a new slate of nuclear waste governors for the two-state Texas-Vermont low-level radioactive waste commission. His selection will determine just how much richer one of his most generous donors, Dallas’ billionaire “evil genius” (as D Magazine slugged him) Harold Simmons, owner of growing…
Do private prisons save money?
Private-prison detractors have long accused businesses in the incarceration-for-profit game of cutting corners to boost revenue. With dozens of for-profit corrections facilities across Texas housing a mix of federal convicts, undocumented immigrants, juvenile offenders, and local inmates, there’s ample anecdotal evidence to support their claims, including regular complaints of squalid facilities, wrongful deaths, shoddy medical…
Jennifer Shaw’s ‘Hurricane Story’
Photographs of children’s toys threw yet another fatiguing stain of kitsch into the cultural wash over the last decade, but a stunning exception is Jennifer Shaw’s use of plastic action figures in “Hurricane Story,” her memoir of two month’s flight and survival after Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in New Orleans. When the storm hit, Shaw was…
Circle Takes the Square: Decompositions — Vol 1. Chapter 1. Rites of Initiation (EP)
Another apparent casualty of early 2000’s screamo scene, Circle Takes the Square evaporated into a seven-year hiatus after their acclaimed debut, As the Roots Undo (2004). Emerging from their extended vacay, these grindcore veterans serve up the satiating first course of a planned November full-length. I’ll confess: The first couple turns of the four-song EP…
Free Will Astrology
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Don’t be angry with the rain,” counseled author Vladimir Nabokov. “It simply does not know how to fall upward.” In the coming week, I advise you to apply that principle to a host of phenomena, Aries. Don’t get all knotted up about any force of nature that insists on being itself,…
BEER TRIPPIN’: RANCH ROAD 12
With so many new breweries popping up in Texas’ small Hill Country towns, the urge has been strong to slip the bonds of the city and head for breweries with a strong bucolic aesthetic. On the latest quest for fresh Texas beer, I hit the road with Faust Brewing Co. head brewer and fellow New…
The Apoca-List
AKA The “We’re Fucked” Index
Texas, meet Anonymous
This shadowy swarm of hackers/criminals/activists/pranksters has largely remained quiet since mid-summer’s arrest of a de facto Anonymous leader (apparently, a 19-year-old Scottish kid) following the group’s high-profile hack of Arizona’s Department of Public Safety. But now we know Anons have been plotting in the dark for the past two months, hacking Texas police servers, gathering…
