Cover Story
Bookmark This Now: Where to Find Great Sandwiches about Town
Not content with a tour of bánh mì and a handful of falafel, we penned a handy guide on where to find a solid selection of sandwiches in San Anto. The old Faithful Five-and-a-half years ago, before I was the leading Music/Screens Editor in the free world, I began working at a 300-square foot sandwich…
Allen Toussaint Leaves Us … With Some Incredible Music
Allen Toussaint, one of the Crescent City’s finest, took that last long walk early Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack following a gig in Spain. Toussaint is one of those elite masters of his craft that isn’t necessary a household name, until you start discussing his contributions to popular music – then folks get…
It’s Grand Opening Time For Francis Bogside
After quietly opening its doors this Labor Day weekend, Francis Bogside will host a grand opening party on Wednesday, November 11 from 6 to 8 p.m. Complimentary drinks and snacks will be available for attendees who RSVP through Do210 (you can do that here). The evening will also include Buddy Holly-meets-Waylon Jennings-meets Neil Young sounds…
Ted Cruz’s New App Wants All Your Contacts
Want to make fun of presidential hopeful Ted Cruz? There’s an app for that. And we can thank the freshman Senator from Texas for creating it. The “Cruz Crew” app for Apple and Android allows people to do all their favorite time-wasting social media activities, like inviting friends, sharing messages to to Facebook and Twitter,…
Texas Poet Laureate Carmen Tafolla to Hold Reading Tonight at the San Antonio Public Library
The San Antonio Public Library will host a tribute to Carmen Tafolla, Texas’ poet laureate, on Tuesday, November 10 at the Central Library Auditorium (600 Soledad St.). Tafolla was San Antonio’s first poet laureate, and took on the statewide title earlier this year. She will hold a reading and a book signing at the event,…
Even After Victories, Groups Continue Living Wage Push in San Antonio
San Antonio City Council and the Bexar County Commissioner’s Court approved raising the minimum wage for municipal workers to $13 per hour in their most recent budgets. And while groups both nationwide and in San Antonio praised that move, some are continuing to push for even greater gains. Groups such as the Service Employees International Union…
The Cure Is Coming to Texas …
(But not to San Antonio). The 1980s are a highly contested time, particularly for music. Was it the beginning of the end? the last dying gasp from an industry that had been stuffed to the gills with the fat of the land that permeated American culture throughout the ’70s? It makes sense that we would…
You Want a Dozen of Sweet Craft Jewelry’s Tamales
Sweet Craft Jewelry is bringing back its delicious tamale necklaces and earrings just in time for the holidays. We profiled Nicole Gonzalez and Sweet Craft earlier this year. The local, indie outfit specializes in puro clay, polymer jewelry that’s sweet enough to eat, including conchas, chalupas, tacos and more. Gonzelez says on Instagram that you…
Musings From Fun Fun Fun Fest: Part 3
Ms. Lauryn Hill When Lauryn Hill rapped “Observe how a queen do,” from “Final Hour” last night, you couldn’t help but believe her as she stomped her feet and earnestly gestured herself in triumph. But the arc of her reign has always been a troubled one. After the release of her critically acclaimed The Miseducation…
Did This Spurs Fan Hide a Hoax Bomb on a VIA Bus?
San Antonio Fire Department investigators really want to talk to this Spurs fan. Last Thursday, around 3 p.m., a VIA Metropolitan rider found a suspicious device on a bus, which authorities detonated. Media reports indicated that it was a “hoax” bomb. SAFD arson investigators released these photos Tuesday morning, describing the man as a person…
The Genius of Reba Vol. 1 or Adventures in the Progressive Politics of Country Music
For the inaugural edition of The Genius of Reba, a series that can only grow with the respect and adoration of the redheaded jackie-of-all-trades — as this blog seeks to do, in a mature, sophisticated way that only an internet forum can provide — we will be viewing “Fancy” from her fifteenth studio album Rumor…
Former SAPD Officer Avoids Rape Conviction, Sentenced to 14 Months
A former San Antonio Police Department patrol officer accused of handcuffing a woman and raping her in the back of his patrol car avoided a conviction for aggravated sexual assault by pleading no contest to improper sexual activity with a person in custody, KENS reports. Jackie Neal, 42, agreed to a plea deal Monday, and…
The North Side Just Got Its Own Tiu Steppi’s Osteria
The owners of Two Step Restaurant & Cantina are expanding their North Side footprint with a second location of Tiu Steppi’s, their laidback pizza and wine concept. Tiu Steppi’s Osteria (17230 Bulverde Road, Suite 110, 210-592-8645) has its joined sister location at 9910 W Loop 1604 N, Ste 123 (which sits a couple hundred yards from…
Sean Elliott Drew a Big Ol’ Dick on National Television
Why, hey there, Sean Elliott! Is that a telestrator in your pocket, or are you just happy to see us? Basketball commentator and former Spur Sean Elliott inadvertently drew what many saw as a penis on the audience’s television screens during the Spurs 114-94 win against the Charlotte Hornets. Don’t believe us? Check it out…
10 Free Events Happening This Week
Tuesday, November 10 Kingdom of Shadows Kingdom of Shadows takes an unflinching look at the human cost of the U.S.-Mexico drug war through the perspectives of three unlikely individuals.Director Bernardo Ruiz will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening. Read more about the film here. Free with RSVP, 7:30pm, Tue, Nov. 10, Guadalupe Cultural…
Piñata Protest Gets Love From Mitú
Mitú, a media team that is “reshaping the Latino media landscape, how consumers are reached and how brands connect with the Latino Mobile Generation,” has released a short documentary introducing its viewers to San Antonio’s mojado punks Piñata Protest. In essence, the “global launch pad and home to the largest group of Latino content creators…
Ben Carson, Who Can’t Stop Lying, Gets The Perfect Alamo Meme
Ben Carson, a doctor who is gunning for the GOP presidential nomination and who just might be your next president in the unlikely event that Donald Trump doesn’t get to rule us all, is in the news for lying a lot. Media reports have challenged statements he made in his autobiography about his childhood and…
Bexar County May Donate Confederate Symbols to the Institute of Texan Cultures
The Confederate symbols which were once on Bexar County property may have a new home after tomorrow. The Bexar County Commissioner’s Court voted to remove the symbols from county property on July 21. Now, they’ll be housed at the Institute of Texan Cultures according to the San Antonio Express-News, pending approval by the court tomorrow.…
SeaWorld to End Its Inhumane Orca Show … In San Diego, No Plans for SA
Update: Monday, November 9, 2015, 6:00 p.m. A SeaWorld spokesperson provided the Current with a statement to clarify its plans for the San Antonio orca show: “As a point just to further clarify, the change in killer whale presentations was based on input we’ve received in our San Diego park. We alter these presentations…
Report: Texas Bombs Assessment of State Government Integrity
If you can believe it, a state whose longest-serving governor and current attorney general are both facing felony indictments scored poorly in an investigation on ethics and transparency in state government. Who could have guessed? Texas received a ‘D-‘ grade in the 2015 State Integrity Investigation, a nationwide project conducted by the Center for Public…
New Co-op Workspace for Creatives to Open Its Doors in Tobin Hill Next January
The creative’s version of Geekdom — dubbed The Workery — will open in Tobin Hill next January. The brainchild of former Rackers Sally Aguilar-Robertson and Mari Aguirre-Rodriguez, The Workery is just seven blocks from the Pearl Brewery at 221 w. Poplar, in four historic early-century homes converted into office space that was formerly the LiftFund…
5 Things You Have To Do This Week
Monday, November 9 America’s Got Talent Live: The All-Stars Tour The NBC variety competition series’ first ever all-stars tour promises captivating performances by comedic Taylor Williamson, powerhouse vocalist Emily West, hand-balancing duo The KriStef Brothers, “junk rock” performers Recycled Percussion and magician Smoothini. $30-$65, 7:30pm, Mon., Tobin Center For The Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle,…
Come Together for YOSA’s ‘OK Computer’ Follow-Up ‘Abbey Road Live’
Youth Orchestras of San Antonio will follow-up its massively successful “OK Computer Live” show this spring with a live beginning-to-end performance of The Beatles’ “Abbey Road.” YOSA’s “OK Computer” show, in which the performed the entirety of the classic Radiohead album with a diverse range of performers from SA’s local music scene, was one of…
5 Shows to See This Week
Monday, November 9 Of Montreal If you’ve been paying attention to popular music over the past 15 years, you’ve heard something or other about Athens, Georgia band Of Montreal. From its early days of quirky indie rock, to the postmodern disco jams that the outfit, led by mad genius Kevin Barnes, is perhaps most loved…
Vista Ridge Opponents to Rally at City Hall, Council to Hear Presentation on Controversial Water Report
The Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources will present its final San Antonio Water Policy study to the City Council Thursday morning. This is the study that the San Antonio Water System said was full of inaccuracies. Drafted by Calvin Finch, who was removed as author, the report rated the 142-mile Vista Ridge Pipeline…
SAPD Looks to ID Someone in Baby Found in Bus Station Case
On Halloween night at the VIA Park and Ride near Interstate 35 and the Loop 410, someone found an abandoned baby in a bathroom. The child was rushed to a hospital and is still fighting for its life, and the San Antonio Police Department is trying to find out who left the premature infant at…
Musings From Fun Fun Fun Fest: Part 2
FunFunFun Fest has earned a reputation for bringing together nostalgic acts and reunions in hip-hop—Jurassic 5, Ice T, De La Soul – and this year – Wu-Tang Clan. But old-rap heads can only sustain a festival for so long. So it should come as no surprise that FFF Fest has always been invested in mixing the…
Musings From Fun Fun Fun Fest: Part 1
Benjamin Booker JASH Yellow Stage 6:35pm Benjamin Booker’s voice was like a sore soaked with plain cigarettes and whiskey. His teeth gnash together as he growls from the back of his throat, “I will learn to love,” on “Wicked Waters.” Pain-stricken and despairing, the Delta blues is undeniably heard—there are traces of the tortured prodigal…
SA Rodeo Compensates for Toby Keith by Booking Pitbull
The San Antonio Stockshow and Rodeo began announcing its 2016 concert line-up this week. Included among the many entertainers is Toby Kieth, who, as you may very well know, sucks. The shit country “artist,” who banked off 9/11 with the terrible “Courtesy of the Red White and Blue (The Angry American),” otherwise known as “The…
Luminaria Gets a Do-over
Rain put a damper on Luminaria this year. The city’s annual downtown arts festival, which moved its footprint to the area around SAMA, was scaled back from two nights to one, and most of the outdoor events were cancelled. Now Luminaria organizers will try again, but on a much smaller scale. Next Friday, former…
First Impressions: 5 Thoughts I Had During Rebelle’s First Night of Service
Rebelle, the first new restaurant to open this month blew it’s doors wide open on Wednesday night. Brought to you by Andrew Goodman and chef Stefan Bowers of Feast fame, Rebelle inside the St. Anthony Hotel (300 E. Travis St.) is bringing familiar items with elevated French technique. Here are the five first impressions I…
Oh My God, There Are Spurs H-E-B Commercials Bloopers
And they are amazing. First things first, if you haven’t watched this year’s crop of fan favorite H-E-B Spurs commercials, go watch them now. Watch them a million times. Then come back and watch this behind-the-scenes blooper reel from this year’s shoot, featuring some Tim Duncan riffing off he cuff, Manu Ginobili being adorable and…
Clickhole’s List of Things All Texans Know Is Hilarious
A bit of levity for the long week. ClickHole, the sister site of The Onion that’s a spot-on parody of the addictive banality of sites like Buzzfeed, has a hilarious listicle titled “9 Things Only People From Texas Will Understand.” You know the type, we even did one for San Antonio last year. Clickhole’s Texas-sized list…
Look at These Creepy, Sexist Assholes: Blood on the Dance Floor at Fitzgerald’s
If the Blood on the Dance Floor concert took place in 2008, the age of Myspace where coon-tailed scene queens reigned supreme, Hot Topic was makin’ bank off of Invader Zim merchandise, neon clip-in hair extensions were in high demand and owning a white belt meant something, there would’ve been more scenesters than a guesstimated…
Bonehead Quote of the Week: Louie Gohmert and the Great, Gay Desert Island Experiment
Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Republican from Tyler, is no stranger to the Bonehead Quote of the Week. This week while speaking to students at Liberty University, the massive evangelical Christian college in Lynchburg, Virginia founded by Jerry Falwell, Gohmert took home that prize once again. While on the subject of marriage, Gohmert proposed a sort…
Who to (Not) See at Fun Fun Fun Fest
Our own Alejandra Ramirez and Jaime Monzon will be in Austin for FFF this year and their coverage will be up throughout the weekend, pero, for now, I will being supplying you with the artists (I use that term lightly in some cases) that you should check out if you’re heading up 35. Friday, November…
These Irving Police Emails Detail Aftermath of Ahmed Mohammed Arrest
Back in August, Ahmed Mohammed was arrested for building a hoax bomb, despite the fact that it was just a clock. Through the Texas Public Information Act, Vice’s Motherboard obtained 230 pages of Irving Police Department emails and memos set in the aftermath of Mohammed’s arrest. Full of vaguely worded threats, information requests, and internal chit-chat,…
Meet Lauren Nicole, San Antonio’s 15-Year-Old Fashion Designer
Tonight at 8 p.m., Emme Nail Spa will host a free fashion show for their grand opening, featuring University of the Incarnate Word student designers, Svelte by Valerie Velazquez with Celestino Couture and the debut of 15-year-old designer Lauren Nicole. Like Tavi Gevinson before her, the blogger who rose to power in the fashion world…
Anthony Bourdain Doesn’t Want Your Tex-Mex, Texas
Come on, Anthony Bourdain. First he skips San Antonio for his Close to the Bone tour, then he goes and disses Tex-Mex. In an interview with Austin CultureMap, celebrity chef/travel writer/documentary filmmaker/all-around cool human being Anthony Bourdain said that he wasn’t coming to Texas to do what you’d think. “There will be no barbecue in…
Sgt. Slaughter on WWE Fans in San Antonio, Wrestling on Mars, and Wrestlemania 32
Former WWE professional wrestler and Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter knows a thing or two about what it’s like to perform in front of thousands of people on the WWE’s biggest stage, Wrestlemania. Slaughter’s most memorable match came at Wrestlemania VII when he went head to head with Hulk Hogan at the Los Angeles Memorial…
Animal Care Services Lowers Its Adoption Price for Cats This Weekend
If you need a cuddly cat buddy in your life (or another one), now’s the time. Cats and kittens are on special this weekend at Animal Care Services. ACS has lowered its price to adopt a cat or kitten to $15. The reduced rate will last through Sunday, November 8. In addition to the discount,…
San Antonio’s First Yoga Festival Is Rescheduled
Update 5:06 p.m.: S.A.Y. Om, San Antonio’s First Yoga Festival, has been rescheduled for Saturday, Nov. 14 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in Travis Park. The City of San Antonio partnered with Mobile Om to bring Alamo City yoga enthusiasts S.A.Y. Om, the city’s first yoga festival. The yogi-centric celebration is Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2…
More Falafel! Jerusalem Grill Opens Second Location
Jerusalem Grill, which opened at 3259 Wurzbach Road more than a dozen years ago, is creeping closer to the city’s Medical Center with their second location, that’s now open. Hours run 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and the new space will hold close to 100 seats. Read more about Jerusalem Grill’s falafel in our…
The San Antonio Ballet to Perform ‘The Nutcracker’ 12 times in 10 Days
Halloween is over, which means it’s now time for all-things Christmas — sorry grinches. The first holiday season press releases are starting to rolling, with the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts announcing that tickets are now on sale for Ballet San Antonio’s The Nutcracker. The ballet troupe, in its 30th season, will perform to…
Alamo Whizzer Ozzy Osbourne Gets Hero’s Welcome at Alamo
Sure, we’re supposed to remember the Alamo, but we can forget a little incident involving a metal icon and a sprinkling of pee, can’t we? While his notorious visit to the Alamo will forever be marred by piss, Ozzy Osbourne’s return 33 years later will likely be described as a shit show, all thanks to…
10 Things You Have to Do This Weekend
Thu 11/5 Bomba Estéreo In their first decade together, Bogotá’s Bomba Estéreo has perfected an infectious fusion of Afro-Colombian folk music and trippy electronica, nabbed the title of “Best New Band in the World” (courtesy of MTV Iggy) and emerged as a mainstay on the American festival circuit. Seemingly without trying, they’ve also remixed the…
SA’s Ants Announce New Album, Premiere Single
Let me be blunt: if more people made balls-out rock music the way local four-piece Ants does, the world would be a better place. Full of abandon, wit and raw force churned into a kind of neurotic finesse, Ants’ music is shoegaze, punk, doom metal, and lo-fi psych-rock all at once. Since May 2014, the…
Weather Forecast Shows No Reprieve from Rain for San Antonio
Batten down the hatches, San Antonio. Yes, again. Our typically hot and dry summer has given way to a soppin’ wet fall. Some parts of Texas have received lethal amounts of rain, and several San Antonio events have been cancelled or abbreviated because of the recent weather. The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood…
Fashion Week San Antonio Producer Tony Harris Accused of Theft
The San Antonio Police Department arrested Antonio “Tony” Harris, fashion publicist and producer of Fashion Week San Antonio (FWSA), last night on theft allegations. The San Antonio Express-News reports that Harris is accused of writing hot checks and for theft of service. We’ve reached out to Harris to provide him an opportunity to comment on…
New Music Venue to Open in the Pearl
Jazz pianist/organist, Brent “Doc” Watkins, who has a command of the keyboard like Manu has a command over the ball, or freetail bats, will be opening a new music venue/restaurant/bar in the Historic Pearl. Jazz, Tx will focus on providing patrons with the best jazz, blues, big band, Texas swing, salsa, conjunto, and Americana in…
10 Shows to See This Weekend
Thursday, November 5 Puscifer If there’s one thing Maynard James Keenan is not particularly keen on (other than that pun) it’s people bringing up his legendary alt-metal act Tool when he’s trying to talk about his sophomoric comedy-rock troupe Puscifer, and with good reason. Though tracks on albums such as “‘V’ Is for Vagina” and…
Is Mexico Going to Legalize It?
The debate about drug laws south of the border is sparking new conversation after the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that its citizens should be allowed to grow and distribute marijuana for personal use. From The New York Times: The vote by the court’s criminal chamber declared that individuals should have the right to grow and…
Ozzy Will Reportedly Apologize for Peeing On Alamo Cenotaph in the Presence of Cameras
Update: 1:31 p.m., November 5, 2015 KENS is reporting the Texas General Land Office, which took over custodianship of The Alamo this year, has denied permits for the History Channel to film on Alamo property. Osbourne and his camera crew have been granted permits by the city to shoot on Alamo Plaza. UPDATE: Texas General…
The 2016 King William Fair Is Calling All Artists
The 2016 King William Fair is accepting applications from artists. In its 49th year, the one-day event attracts around 40,000 festival-goers and features 200 art and craft vendors of an array of discilines, along with five stages, great food, a Kids Kingdom play area and one of the city’s quirkier parades. The official “Fiesta” event…
Adorable Latino Boy to Donald Trump: ‘Fuck You, You Racist Fuck’
From the mouth of babes. The political action committee Deport Racism is adding a dose of #realtalk to our nation’s political conversation on immigration by having two precocious Mexican-American children call Donald Trump out on being a racist dick. And they do it with as much enthusiasm as Dora and Diego. As you undobtedly know,…
‘Dark Disco’ Duo Calico Club Release Video Via Brooklyn’s Artsy Magazine
In Calico Club’s single and follow up to their Permanent Night EP debut video UNTITLED (F.T.D.F.), “King of the Streets” the role of the King, in this case a dark, decapitated, limo-riding, duffel bag-dropping, bad ass mafka is turned on its head and replaced by a Queen, The Club’s own PleasureFaces. Drawing from the depression-dance stylings of…
City, County to Buy Toyota Field, Work with Spurs Sports and Entertainment to Lure MLS
Major League Soccer isn’t coming to San Antonio. Yet. But if the nation’s premier soccer league does grant the Alamo City a franchise in the future, an announcement made today by Mayor Ivy Taylor and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff will have played a key role. Taylor and Wolff said at a news conference today…
A Dead Body Was Found In The San Antonio River … Again
The body of a 54-year-old man was found by a maintenance crew around 9:30 this morning, KSAT reported. The police closed off the 100 block of Crockett Street in order to remove it. Police Chief McManus said that there was no sign of foul play and that there was nothing for us to worry about. They…
No College Football Championship for San Antonio
The Alamo City won’t host the College Football Playoff National Championship anytime in the near future. Atlanta, which is finishing up a new $1.4 billion stadium, hosts the game that will be played in the new facility in 2018. The 2019 game takes place in Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California — a $1.3 billion…
Fly Free to Las Vegas or Florida Through Allegiant Air’s First Flights from SA
Starting tomorrow, San Antonians will be able to fly directly to Las Vegas, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. And a terrible fashion sense could get you there for free. Allegiant Air will give away two free seats and a three-night hotel stay to each of those destinations to celebrate the airline’s first flights out of San…
3 Graphs on Tim Duncan’s Record 954 Wins
With 954 wins, career-long Spur Tim Duncan now holds the NBA record for wins with a single team. He surpassed former Utah Jazz point guard John Stockton after the Spurs beat the New York Knicks on Monday, November 2. But who has Duncan bested most often? Which teams have he and the Spurs blown out,…
Voter Turnout Is Low As Texans Approve 7 Constitutional Amendments
Correction: Story is updated to reflect that Tomas Uresti is in a runoff with John Lujan, not Gabe Farias. Just 11 percent of Texas voters approved seven ballot propositions in a state-wide election Tuesday. The propositions amend amend Texas constitution in a number of ways, like, raising the homestead exemption from tax money for public…
‘Kingdom of Shadows’ Sheds Light on War on Drugs
The narco-conflicts and humanitarian crises in Mexico and the southwestern United States are some of the most pressing human rights issues in the world. The Mexican government estimates that since 2007, 23,000 people have been disappeared by rival cartels, the police and SWAT-like units established to try to engender peace in the country. This is…
Watch a Family’s Sharp Squabbles in ‘Bad Jews’
After the funeral of a Holocaust survivor, his grandchildren – Daphna Feygenbaum and Jonah and Liam Haber — spend a bellicose night together in an Upper West Side studio apartment. A garrulous, opinionated yenta who is soon to graduate from Vassar, Daphna proclaims her intention to pursue rabbinical studies in Israel. She excoriates Cousin Liam…
Aziz Ansari: Comedian of All Trades, ‘Master of None’
In the current age of stand-up comedy, it’s almost never enough for a comedian to just be on stage. Through podcasts, writing books, acting and more today’s top stand-up acts are constantly using a myriad of media forms as an extension of their material. And what better place than Netflix for a modern comedian like…
First Words: Facebook Comments From Our Followers
On “Mayor Ivy Taylor Says SAPD Has It Right on Immigration Procedures”// Loyd Hawkins: “As the federal government keeps reminding us, immigration enforcement is the job of the federal government, not local police departments. The federal government has much more in the way of resources than cities do.” On “Hotel Emma Sets Opening Date”// Rolando Guerra:…
Flavor File: Big Openings for Rebelle and Hotel Emma
Let’s be honest — our palates aren’t ready for what’s about to go down this November. The big news this week is the much-anticipated opening of Rebelle inside the remodeled St. Anthony Hotel (300 E. Travis St., 227-4392). Opened by the star team of Andrew Goodman and chef Stefan Bowers of Feast, Rebelle’s already made…
Free Will Astrology, Week of November 2
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1978, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield began selling their new ice cream out of a refurbished gas station in Burlington, Vermont. Thirty-seven years later, Ben & Jerry’s is among the world’s best-selling ice cream brands. Its success stems in part from its willingness to keep transforming the way it does…
Alex G Delivers From the Basement of His Heart
Simplicity reigns in the basement universe of Philadelphian Alex G. The 21-year-old bandleader thrives on slim, hushed tunes that hit like coffee on a cold morning. To say that his new record Beach Music was mastered is true only as a technicality, in the same way that Kim Kardashian published a book this year. Born…
The Underachievers Rep Brainy-bangers
By now, I’m not sure if being compared to the golden era of rap is a compliment or not. AK from The Underachievers knows this: “It’s flattering being compared to that era in hip-hop, but we want to move past that. We don’t want to be placed into a box.” Labeling The Underachievers as a…
The ‘Black and Tan Fantasy’ of San Antonio’s Keyhole Club
It started with a picture. Not a remarkable one at that, just a crowd of old-timey-looking men stuffed behind a table. Of course, two of those men are unequivocal jazz legends. The first, standing third to the right in those killer lapels, is Duke Ellington, arguably America’s greatest composer and bandleader. The second, perched down…
The Essential Ellington: 6 Must-hear Tunes Show Why Duke Is a Boss
Duke Ellington had a wit and air that was only surpassed by the brilliant use of his greatest instrument: his Orchestra. He also composed over 1,500 songs, so this is in no way a comprehensive “essentials” list. Here are just quintessential pieces and interpretations that you just gotta get hip to, lest you die a…
Will UTSA Implement Gun-Free Zones?
When Texas’ legislators pulled the trigger on campus carry, they didn’t realize that the day they scheduled the law to take effect is the 50th anniversary of the University of Texas at Austin mass shooting. On August 1, 1966, deranged murderer Charles Joseph Whitman climbed the UT Tower and shot and killed 14 people while…
Newsmonger: Sanctuary Cities, a Gunman on Campus and the Spurs Drop the Opener
Sanctuary San Anto Is San Antonio a sanctuary city? It’s worth asking, since Gov. Greg Abbott is preparing to go to war with any municipality that doesn’t nose into the citizenship status of its residents. Abbott supports banning sanctuary cities in Texas and expects the state Legislature to do so in 2017. San Antonio hasn’t…
Not Kitsch Just Pub Fun at Francis Bogside
Now, Steve Mahoney’s track record speaks for itself. The guy’s opened up several cocktail bars that have turned into hot spots, regardless of their previous use. Green Lantern is situated in a basement. Blue Box sits inside a former storage room, as does George’s Keep at Eilan. He’s got a knack for turning unused spaces…
Wrap Battle: 4 Falafel Sandwiches, 3 Stuffed Writers
Our Tasters Ron Bechtol: Food writer and falafel fan Jessica Elizarraras: Food and nightlife editor with a penchant for all things saucy Bryan Rindfuss: Resident pescatarian and Mediterranean food connoisseur Comparing lauded falafels across town was likely a fool’s errand, considering the vast differences between wraps, but here we are. The criteria are simple: eat…
A Walk Through Hotel Emma
First Impressions When you walk up to Hotel Emma’s reception area, through the slate-gray gravel and naturally arranged flora, you start to feel as though you’re entering a unique place with an old personality and an authentic soul. You’ll glance at the massive outdoor fireplace to your left, you’ll look up at the restored façade…
Hopping on the Auto-banh: a Sampling of Banh Mi Sammies in Town
French Sandwiches 8448 Fredericksburg Road • (210) 692-7019 First stop, French Sandwiches located in the Medical Center. Honestly, we were not expecting to find bánh mì on the menu, but we did. The pork and vegetables were parallel with the Vietnamese sandwich, but crispy bread and garlic mayo gave it a French touch. Typically with…
At Long Last, Pearl’s Grand Hotel Emma Has Arrived
After having survived the myriad delays that seem to plague any ambitious project these days, Hotel Emma at the Pearl is opening to the public on November 12. And it must be admitted that after 121 years — and a massive makeover of reality-show proportions, the old girl is looking pretty spiffy. Built as Pearl’s…
Bat Poop and Musket Balls: The Alamo Was Once a Wreck
“Today its grim walls, scarred and battered in that heroic struggle for liberty, stand threatened by vandalism and menaced by the hand of commercialism.” It seems impossible that this could be written about any building in San Antonio. Few cities prioritize historic preservation so much, and if any structure were to be protected, it would…
Savage Love: The Last Word
DEAR READERS: Two weeks ago, I announced I would be taking a nice long break from questions about miserable sexless marriages. (I don’t get questions about happily sexless marriages.) I tossed out my standard line of advice to those who’ve exhausted medical, psychological, and situational fixes (“Do what you need to do to stay married…
