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sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 5

FIRST WORDS

On Bexar County Man Charged with Sexually Assaulting His Foster Kids for Years// Meanwhile there are plenty of loving, qualified LGBTQ couples being denied the privilege of being foster parents. Makes sense. — Carolyn Dearinger Harrell

Issue 17_42 /// October 18-24, 2017

On Will Bexar County Be the First in Texas to Legalize Needle Exchange?// Addicts are gonna use drugs. Denying them clean syringes won't and HASN'T stopped them. Denying clean needles only adds to heathcare cost because we have to treat the infections. Needle exchange is a great idea. — Cynthia Schuster On City Christmas Tree Won't Be at Alamo Plaza This Year// Its a matter of time until the tree lighting ceremony will be done away with because the Christian following. The attacked and illegally removed a statue at the cost of 258,000 dollars to the detriment of the districts who bitched the most about the statue and now the city wants to remove the cenotaph from Alamo plaza. Rhey will be targeting Christian items soon. All of the Catholic churches will ne attacked by these Godless pukes. All they worship is money. — Stormy McDonald

NEWS

Fostering Fear Bexar County man charged with sexually assaulting his foster kids for years

FEATURE

Micheladas Get Crafty The hangover cure evolves

Immunity Denied Bexar County deputies who killed Gilbert Flores may still go to court

Build It, Brew It, and They Will Come 5 Stones Artisan Brewing reopens in New Braunfels

Breaking it to Bezos San Antonio drops from race to become Amazon’s second headquarters

Brew Updates Breweries to keep an eye on

CALENDAR

Our top picks for the week

Legal Lawbreaking Trump Administration blocks legal abortion for undocumented Texas minor in federal care Half-Hearted Honor San Antonio gives indigenous people a day — but it doesn’t replace Columbus Day

ARTS + CULTURE

Sketchy Characters Finding method in the madness of Albert Alvarez

ON THE

COVER

NIGHTLIFE

From crafty micheladas to breweries making big moves across the area and a new yearlong exhibit on all things beer, we’re checking the pulse of craft brews across San Antonio and beyond.

La Muerta Wins Freetail Brewing brings home gold at this year’s Great American Beer Festival

Photography and art direction by Carlos Aguilar.

Tipple Test A value-driven happy hour in Monte Vista’s neighborhood

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

SCREENS

Unhappiest Place on Earth Lost souls gather around the margins of Disney World in The Florida Project

MUSIC

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy James Woodard wants to score your film Topo Chica Slaking your thirst for new local music Music Calendar What to see and hear this week

FOOD

Noodle Heaven SA chefs visit the first Ramen Expo USA Blooming Rosella at The Rand is now open

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Savage Love Jonesin’ Crossword Freewill Astrology

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sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 7

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CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

LYANNE A. GUARECUCO

A FREE celebration for SAC & the Community

NEWS

HALF-HEARTED

LYANNE A. GUARECUCO

HONOR

San Antonio gives indigenous people a day — but it doesn’t replace Columbus Day

LYANNE A. GUARECUCO + ALEX ZIELINSKI

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Four days after the city observed Columbus Day, Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced a proclamation from the steps of City Hall, designating Oct. 12 as “Indigenous People’s Day.” “Whereas, indigenous people are the earliest known inhabitants that played a critical role in shaping the long, rich history of San Antonio,” said Nirenberg, reading from the proclamation. “Whereas, while indigenous people have endured past injustices, they continue to emphasize a respect for land, natural resources and cooperation among neighbors.” The crowd of about two dozen people awaiting the proclamation, many of whom identified as indigenous, seemed generally delighted by the mayor’s announcement. But some believe the resolution missed the mark. “It’s very emotional that it took us so many years — generations — and on our own land, that we have to be asking for proclamations,” Gloria Camarillo Vasquez, an indigenous elder said at the event. “But nevertheless, here we are.” For at least a decade, local indigenous rights groups have been pushing the city and county to replace Columbus Day (traditionally the second Monday in October) with Indigenous People’s Day. In the past three decades, more than 50 cities, counties, universities and states have replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous People’s Day, in an effort to acknowledge that

Christopher Columbus’ “discovery” of America kicked off a mass genocide of Native Americans. This hasn’t been the case in San Antonio. In 2015, Bexar County issued a proclamation making Oct. 12, 2015 Indigenous People’s Day — but it wasn’t carried over to the following years. In 2016, the San Antonio City Council, who promised local indigenous leaders they’d rename the day, appeared to have forgotten about it entirely. Neither Nirenberg nor city council members in attendance mentioned Christopher Columbus or Columbus Day in their Oct. 12 announcement — despite it taking place just days prior. “I think it’s a time for us to be proud and excited, and a little bit relieved that the city’s taking the time to acknowledge indigenous people,” said Frankie Orona, the executive director of San Antonio’s Society of Native Nations. “But I also feel that having the Indigenous People’s Day today … is kind of a way of getting away from the Columbus issue. So, I have mixed feelings about that. I’d rather see the Indigenous People’s Day on Columbus Day.” According to city spokesman Justin Renteria, San Antonio decided against following other city’s footsteps in getting rid of Columbus Day “in order to allow each group/culture to celebrate and not have it be at the expense of the group’s other celebration.” The only apparent Columbus Day celebration in San

Antonio last week took place a day early at the Christopher Columbus Italian Society, where members held a spaghetti dinner. Meanwhile, at the neighboring Columbus Park, members of the indigenous community held a rally protesting the park’s Christopher Columbus statue. No other groups were openly celebrating the holiday. “The whole point is to get rid of Columbus Day, not to give you just another day,” said Amador Osio, a member of the Apache del Rio Intertribal Organization, who was in attendance. “The point is to get rid of [Columbus Day] because he did a lot of damage to our people.” Councilman Roberto Treviño admitted the city had a ways to go before it properly addressed the concerns of San Antonio’s indigenous community. “We understand there’s a lot of work to be done, but we’re ready to do that work,” Treviño said. In August, Orona watched as the city voted to remove the Confederate statue towering over Travis Park. To him, that was a sign that symbols and statues praising the people who oppressed his minority community would soon be next. But, for now, the city’s avoided citizens' requests to erase Columbus Day and dodged petitions to remove the Columbus statue and change the park name. “Why not give the same sympathy to native people?” he asked. “If there was any time for this to happen … it would be now.” sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 9

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CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

SHUTTERSTOCK

San Antonio, Texas | LuminariaSA.org

NEWS

FOSTERING FEAR Bexar County man charged with sexually assaulting his foster kids for years ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

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According to court testimony, six months months after a 16-year-old foster girl was sent to live with Miguel Briseno and his wife, Debra, he anally raped her. Prior to the assault, the teenage girl would regularly join Briseno in the garage at their Von Ormy house, where he’d fix up old cars. “She wanted to learn,” wrote Bexar County Detective Jesus Ochoa in a court document. The garage is where the initial rape took place — and where Briseno continued to rape his foster child over the next 3 1/2 years, accordingto his victim. “She remembered that it hurt very much,” Ochoa wrote. According to the victim, Briseno sexually assaulted her at least once a week for the years she was living under his care. He would never let her shower after. On Oct. 12, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office (in a joint

operation with the Medina County Sheriff’s Office and the Texas Rangers) arrested 58-year-old Briseno in Devine, Texas for sexually assaulting at least three different foster children under his care between 2005 and 2010. Law enforcement involved believe more children have been victimized by Briseno, since he’s fostered up to 200 kids. This isn’t Briseno’s first arrest for sexually assaulting a child. According to court records, Briseno was sentenced to 6 years in jail in 2000 for aggravated sexual assault of a child (he didn’t appear to serve the complete sentence), and served 6 months in jail in 2013 for soliciting to commit sexual assault of a child. Child Protective Services didn’t take away his foster care license until 2015.

SHUTTERSTOCK

IMMUNITY DENIED

Bexar County deputies who killed Gilbert Flores may still go to court

Another of Briseno’s fostered victims said that when she was 15, he would offer her cigarettes and extra allowance in exchange for having sex with him. Most of the time, however, he would have sex with her without her consent. Once, when she refused to have sex with him while driving in a van, Briseno made her drive while he had sex with her foster sister in the backseat. In both victim’s testimony to Ochoa, one sentiment in particular stands out. One of the girls told him she “was ... scared because this was her first foster home and didn’t want to be removed to somewhere else.” The other was “afraid to tell anyone while she was at the home in fear of being removed and placed in another foster home.” It seems living in this abusive environment was almost better than the idea of starting over in a new foster home. Judging by state data, this should come as no surprise. Last October, leaked CPS reports showed that nearly 1,000 of Texas foster kids who are at “immediate risk of physical or sexual abuse” have been routinely denied their crucial in-person check-ins by chronically overworked social workers. CPS has yet to produce any evidence that this trend has changed. In Detective Ochoa’s warrant request, he asks the county judge to consider Briseno’s threat to the citizens of Bexar County. During the course of his investigation, Ochoa writes, Briseno “called some of the victims telling them if they go forward [to report their rapes], his son will kill them.” Briseno’s bond is set at $500,000.

ALEX ZIELINSKI

≥

A federal judge has dropped Bexar County Sheriff’s Office from a lawsuit regarding the 2015 death of Gilbert Flores, a man who was holding his hands up in apparent surrender when two county deputies shot and killed him outside his parent’s house. But that doesn’t mean the entire case has been thrown out. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman ruled that there is still enough evidence for the two deputies, Robert Sanchez and Greg Vasquez, to see their day in court. That’s because Pitman decided against granting the deputies “qualified immunity,” a legal shield that’s been relied on in the past to protect law enforcement officials from being held liable in questionable shooting cases. Qualified immunity protects officials “unless their conduct violates a clearly established constitutional right,” Pitman explained. Which Pitman believes they violated at the moment of Flores’ death. “When he was killed by the deputies, Flores was in plain sight, was not advancing towards the deputies, raised his arms in apparent surrender with the knife palmed in one hand, stood motionless, and was more than twenty feet away from both deputies,” Pitman wrote. “Ample cases show that shooting a suspect

under these circumstances was a violation of clearly established law.” This wouldn’t have been the case if they shot at Flores a few minutes earlier. The deputies initially showed up at Flores’ parents house on Aug. 28, 2015, after receiving a frightened call from his mother, alleging Flores had violently attacked both his wife and their infant son. When they arrived, Flores tried to stab the deputies, and chased them around the yard, deflected their tasers with a metal chair. He crossed the street and then headed toward their SUV — which was running and unlocked — when he turned toward the deputies and raised both his hands in the air, in what appears to be a sign of surrender. Only then did the deputies shoot him. In Pitman’s words: “Flores, who was stationary for several seconds and put his hands in the air while remaining otherwise motionless, was no longer resisting and had signaled surrender. Therefore, the deputies’ use of deadly force was not reasonable.” This decision is the result of a lawsuit filed by Flores’ family in 2015, shortly after a Bexar County grand jury declined to charge either deputy for Flores’ death. The deputies’ attorney has already announced a plan to appeal Pitman’s decision. sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 11

NEWS

BREAKING IT TO BEZOS

LEGAL LAWBREAKING

San Antonio drops from race to become Amazon’s second headquarters ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

SHUTTERSTOCK

≥

After a month of will they/won’t they uncertainty, San Antonio has officially withdrawn from the national competition to house Amazon’s second headquarters. In a letter sent to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos on Oct. 12, Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff explained their reasoning. In short: They don’t have time to play games. “It’s hard to imagine that a forward-thinking company like Amazon hasn’t already selected its preferred location,” they write. “And if that’s the case, then this public process is, intentionally or not, creating a bidding war amongst states and cities." They point to the $3 billion that Wisconsin recently dished out in incentives to lure Taiwan’s Foxconn as an example. Since announcing its plans to open a second company headquarters, a sibling for its massive HQ in downtown Seattle, cities have been making some sweeping, somewhat desperate moves to catch Bezos’ eye. Tucson sent the company a 21-foot cactus. Birmingham installed three giant Amazon boxes on its downtown sidewalks. Kansas City’s mayor fired off 1,000 five-star reviews on Amazon products. However, it’s hard to blame them for such aggressive wooing — especially since Bezos is promising 50,000 jobs with an average salary of $100,000 on his new campus. Compared to Hulu’s recent decision to build a new service center in San Antonio — a deal promising 500 jobs that (mostly) pay over $15 an hour — it’s a grand slam. But, as both Nirenberg and Wolff write, that massive economic win isn’t worth the fight to win Bezos’ affection. “Sure, we have a competitive toolkit of incentives, but blindly giving away the farm isn’t our style,” they write. Others in the business community worry that San Antonio simply doesn’t have a strong enough workforce pool to draw top Amazon execs from, or that the city requires stronger transportation infrastructure before attracting such a mega-company. Still, the withdrawal letter ends with an open invitation instead of a slammed door. “Now and in the future, we’re working to ensure that San Antonio is a good choice for any company,” Nirenberg and Wolff write. “If you choose to join a city of the future, we would love to have you in San Antonio.”

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

ALEX ZIELINSKI

≥

A 17-year-old undocumented minor living in federal custody in Texas is being denied her right to an abortion by the federal government. American Civil Liberties Union lawyers, who call the move “shocking” and “straight from dystopian fiction” requested an emergency hearing last week in a California federal court to grant her abortion access before she’s too far along in her pregnancy. The judge, while agreeing the feds were illegally blocking the procedure, denied their request. The girl, dubbed “Jane Doe” in court documents, is currently living in a Brownsville facility for undocumented and unaccompanied minors run by the feds where, by law, she is required access to “family planning services, including pregnancy tests and ... access to medical reproductive health services and emergency contraception.” Jane Doe appears to have jumped through all the hoops necessary to obtain a legal abortion in Texas. She obtained a judge’s permission to have an abortion (a requirement for all minors in the state), and had been attending regular check-ups with a doctor in preparation for the procedure. That’s when the U.S. government got involved. “Defendants prohibited me from traveling to the health care center for the examination, counseling, and abortion,” wrote Doe in a Oct. 5 declaration. “I feel like they are trying to coerce me to carry my pregnancy to term.” She wrote that federal officials contacted her mother to try and make her convince Doe against getting an abortion. “I do not want to be forced to carry a pregnancy to term against my will,” she writes. In emails obtained by the ACLU, U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement Director Scott Lloyd explicitly urged staff to take Doe to a “Crisis Pregnancy Center” — a cryptic name for religious, non-medical facilities that often offer

free “pregnancy counseling” meant to dissuade women from getting an abortion. Lloyd has openly opposed abortion, despite it being a legal health care procedure in the U.S. His views are backed by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed an amicus brief in court siding with the feds. He said that allowing Doe to go forward with the abortion would create a “freefor-all” for “anyone on Earth” to get an abortion in the U.S., and place a burden on the public. “Texas must not become a sanctuary state for abortions,” Paxton said in a press release. In court Wednesday, Oct. 11, U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler said she found “no justification” for the government restricting Doe’s right to an abortion. “The government’s legitimate interest cannot justify actively preventing a woman from getting an abortion,” she writes in her ruling. “The government may not want to facilitate abortion — but it cannot block it.” However, Beeler said the decision was out of her hands. In order to expedite Doe’s request for an abortion, the ACLU linked her request to another somewhat similar case already in Beeler’s court. Beeler said Doe’s situation was too unrelated to the already-active lawsuit. After Wednesday’s decision, ACLU senior staff attorney Brigitte Amiri called the ruling a “serious disappointment.” “Although the court found it couldn’t hear the case, it was careful to explain that the government has no business blocking Jane Doe’s abortion,” she said in a statement. “Jane Doe has already been blocked by the Trump administration from two appointments related to her abortion care. But she has shown tremendous courage and persistence, and we’re not giving up.” Amiri said the ACLU will continue to pursue “all avenues of justice” in Doe’s case.

SHUTTERSTOCK

Trump Administration blocks legal abortion for undocumented Texas minor in federal care

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FEATURE

COU OF PO

From top left: Chisme’s award-winning michelada; a Santolada from The Point; Southerleigh’s michelada; Sancholada (left) and traditional michelada (right) from Sancho’s; and Chisme’s new blackberry hibiscus (left) and spiced pineapple michis.

San Antonians love variety, whether it’s funky new mixes, proprietary secret recipes or craft beer making their salty, hangover cure even better. And it makes sense for craft-friendly bars to carry a michelada recipe of their own. The Friendly Spot’s 400-plus brews make it easy to sample different iterations of owner Steve Newman’s michelada recipe. At The Point, where Denise Aguirre and partner Noel Cisneros feature 12 beers on tap and more than 100 in cans and bottles, the restaurateurs hold their secret mix of ingredients very close to their chests. “Mixes are lazy,” Aguirre said. Though she won’t share exactly what goes into their micheladas, she clued us in on eight ingredients that make a cameo with a base of Tabasco, V8 and ice. The Point lets beer drinkers turn any beer into a michelada for $2, but if you’re too hungover to think, Aguirre also carries three signature beer cocktails. The Santolada takes Saint Arnold’s Santo, a black kölsch; Pedernales Brewing Co.’s Lobo

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

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ummer was not over yet, despite The Hoppy Monk’s Michelada Fest also serving as an End of Summer Bash in mid-August, but the oppressive 100 degree heat could not stop hundreds from seeing how the craft-focused Monk would pair unconventional brews in a michelada. From what we could tell, the nearly standing-room-only crowd seemed determined to see this through, too. Using a house-made michelada mix filled with fresh lime juice, Knudson’s Organic Veggie Mix, roasted tomatoes, roasted serrano peppers and a few secret ingredients, The Hoppy Monk served each drink in a tulip glass and a roasted

pepper salt rim, paired boldly with Freetail’s Cerveza, Guadalupe’s Scotch Ale, Dorcol’s HighWheel Betty, Ranger Creek’s SA Lager, Real Ale’s Gose and Saint Arnold’s Fancy Lawnmower. “We always strive to support locally whenever possible,” Kevin Richuber, The Hoppy Monk’s “Hospitality Czar,” told us. “We have great relationships with these breweries, among many others, but we also wanted to introduce folks to other possibilities when it comes to micheladas. Another reason we used these specific brews is due to brewery recommendations. It was important for us to communicate with our friends at these breweries to ensure they were on board with the event. After all, it’s all about the beer!” Freetail’s Cerveza, a flirty blonde, paired well with the michelada mix, and struck a good balance between the mix and the ale’s light and refreshing taste. A surprisingly savory, acidic flavor made this any easy-going pair. But the standout pairings consisted of Real Ale’s Gose (4.4 percent ABV) and Guadalupe’s Scotch Ale. The gose (a slightly sour wheat beer with fresh lime juice that’s added after fermentation) worked really well with the michelada mix’s tartness: the tart, bready and somewhat salty flavor of gose was phenomenal in a michelada, combining two summer favorites flawlessly. On paper, Guadalupe’s Scotch Ale should not have worked here but preconceived notions melted away like so much else in the Texas heat. The smooth, oatmeal taste of the Scotch Ale (which had the highest alcohol level at 8.17 percent) was more prominent than expected, and the malty flavor seemed to dominate the michelada mix more than any other beer-and-michelada tag team available — in all the right ways. Again, michelada lovers turned out for two more events in the dead heat of summer: The Block’s Michelada Mayhem, which tasked food trucks with creating signature mixes, and Michelada Madness at Freetail Brewing Co.’s tasting room with micheladas from El Luchador, The Squeezebox, La Botánica, Franky Diablos, Jandro’s Garden Patio, Bexar Pub, The Cove, Fresca and Kung Fu Kitchen Patio Bar.

FEATURE

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Lager creates a Lobolada; and Ranger Creek’s San Antonio Lager released earlier this year turns into the Michelager. “The Santolada is dark and roasty,” Aguirre said. “We’ll get asked for Bud Light or Dos Equis or Corona, but we try to steer them into craft. People will order the Santo or the Ranger Creek versions because they like that they’re drinking San Antonio beers.” At Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery, the micheladas are the star of brunch, and for good reason. With a mix created by chef Jeff Balfour that combines tomatoes, horseradish, celery, hot sauce, Maggi, salt, pepper and lime juice, the micheladas are a perfect pair with their Gold Export Lager, or goses like That Heirloom Over There, a tart and briny tomato gose that pairs well

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the tomato-filled mix. San Anto bartenders are getting creative when it comes to delivering this hangover cure to tables and dehydrated brunchgoers. Sometimes tomato mixes are forgone altogether. Head to Sanchos where though they carry a traditional michelada; a potent pour comes via their simple and delicious Sancholada, a mix of Modelo Especial with silver Jimador tequila, lime, agave syrup and a dash of locally made Haitian Heat hot sauce. “It’s great for people who are interested in a michelada without all that tomato,” said bar manager Alex Davis. Chisme, this year’s Best Of San Antonio winner (elected by critic and readers alike) for michelada, is proof that michis might not need tomatoes to be life affirming. With Whitney Kiser at the helm, Chisme’s bar has started celebrating Michi Mondays. For $9, guests can order three Collins glasses filled with three distinct micheladas using Modelo Especial. There’s the spiced pineapple with roasted pineapple and Ancho Reyes Verde (a poblano chile spin on the pepper-driven liqueur); a blackberry hibiscus where Kiser creates a tea-infused syrup to add sweetness; and a smaller version of the award-winning formula. “We wanted to mix it up and do a play on the usual michelada,” Kiser said, “while offering something they won’t find anywhere else.” So whether it’s a recipe held under lock and key, a craft beer that blends seamlessly with tart tomato like Southerleigh’s THOT or Guadalupe’s boozy Scotch Ale, or a different spin on that tomato blend, micheladas are only getting more adventurous — and so should you.

Beer isn’t new to Texans and to showcase the immigrantdriven brews and the state’s connection to the beer industry, the Institute of Texan Cultures presents “Brewing Up Texas.” Featuring several hundred vintage items and brewing artifacts from across the Lone Star State, the exhibit is guest-curated by beer writer and author Travis Poling. According to ITC lead curatorial researcher Sarah Gould, the exhibit will feature artifacts from the Pearl Brewery, the Shiner Warehouse, and even private collectors such as Charlie Staats from Seguin. “Brewing Up Texas” will explore the connection between the brewing industry in Texas and German immigrants who helped open breweries as early as 1850 (and were home-brewing long before then). Beer and history buffs will get a kick out of finds from recent archeological digs in Houston and on riverbeds behind the San Antonio Museum of Art. “Brewing Up Texas” will also nod to women, who are historically the ones who took on homebrewing. The year-long exhibit kicks off on Friday, October 20 with an opening reception and free beer samples from Alamo Beer Co. and Freetail Brewing Co. Free, 6-8pm, UTSA Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 E. César Chávez Blvd.; RSVP to at texancultures.com/rsvp.

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CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

FEATURE

5 Stones Artisan Brewing has pursued the unbeaten brewer’s path from the start. Now, settled into their new home at the end of two dirt roads on a patch of ranchland, that commitment has become quite literal. It’s where founder Seth Weatherly plans to double down on his mission to make boundary-pushing beer that brings people together — especially, ideally, right there in the beautiful limestone building where it’s made. Weatherly opened 5 Stones in 2013 in Cibolo, working on a three-barrel setup to produce imaginative, adjunct-rich beers in share-friendly 750 milliliter bottles. Weatherly tasted success quickly, taking home a silver medal for Aloha Piña (a pineapple-and-jalapenoaugmented blonde ale) from the Great American Brew Festival in 2014 and putting 5 Stones on shelves across Central Texas. In the same year, which saw an anniversary party crowd of 400 stretch the brewery’s serving (and sitting) capacity to the limit, 5 Stones started looking for a bigger home. The search lasted for three years, but ultimately Weatherly settled on a 19-acre tract off FM 1836, just outside New Braunfels. The brewery has gone from three barrels to 15, built to spec by California’s BrewBilt Manufacturing, situated behind a taproom running the length of the entrance. Elsewhere, in an excellent exercise in economy, Weatherly has built a sit-and-sip setup on the roof of the barrel room. With its custom woodworking and bucolic wooded views, It’s not hard to foresee the 5 Stones taproom becoming a place of pale ale pilgrimage. 5 Stones has been and remains a family affair for

the Weatherlys. Seth’s daughters Ashley and Taylor work for him now, and multiple other relations have lent a hand at one time or another. In addition to longtime employee Andrew Meyer, 5 Stones recently hired Garrett Crowell, the former head brewer at Austin’s mixed-fermentation farmhouse mecca Jester King, to assist with several projects around the brewery — including chasing down some microbes. As Crowell described it, he foraged the property for various flora and fauna that had come into bloom — flowers, juniper berries, freshly-sprouted leaves — and pitched them into a small batch of wort. Using what he described as “really old and simple techniques” he nurtured the batch along, suppressing the bacteria and encouraging the yeast, until 5 Stones had what Crowell characterized as an “almost Dupont-esque, close to a classic Belgian saison yeast.” The yeasts were captured and sent to a Canadian lab, where three separate strains will be isolated and returned to 5 Stones. That means Weatherly will be able to brew wild styles or stable standards using fermentation agents from his own backyard. More changes are coming. Weatherly revealed that 5 Stones will change is packaging: going forward, beers will come in a combination of 4-packs, cans, and kegs, the latter of which will be mostly available exclusively in the taproom. The can plans include staples like Manmosa and Back To Bridge City, as a brew called Shepherd Boy (“We brewed it as a kölsch and then dry-hopped the living crap out of it,” Weatherly laughed), all of which will allow you to enjoy 5 Stones in single servings.

The move kept the brewery out of commission for four months; at the time of this writing, the new facility has only been in production for a little over a week, and besides the sneak peek offered by a 5K beer run the property on October 14, there’s no date yet for an official opening. There’s a lot of uncertainty for sure, but when a brewery name-checks the Biblical showdown between David and Goliath it’s no surprise that its workers can see the reward beyond the risk. “Time and time again, he’ll bounce ideas off me and be like ‘I don’t want this to be a gimmick. I don’t want this to be something to just get people’s attention,’ and I think beer kind of needs that right now,” Crowell said. “You need people who are making things that are intentional and honest and not a cash grab. I think that’s their biggest asset of what they’re going to offer: really great, honest beer.” “The bringing down the Goliath, for us, was the opportunity to have something like this,” Weatherly said, gesturing to the property around him, “[but] as in David’s life, he fought a long time, and I think that’s just the story. Not to be too philosophical, but I don’t think the fight ever ends.” “I think there’s a lot that that story speaks to,” he continued. “Fear is a giant in a lot of people’s lives. There’s a healthy part of fear, too. That’s wise. But there’s also a giant of fear that just paralyzes people to no action. I’ll tell you straight up, we’re scared crapless out here. We’ve put our family’s future on the line. But you’ve got to suck it up and get your freakin’ stones, if you will, and go to battle.”

Weatherly (center) with his family and opening partners during a preview event for the brewery.

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MAKING MOVIES • NINA DIAZ • LOS TEXMANIACS LAS TESOROS • MONEY CHICHA • BOMBASTA

Pop Pistol • Grupo Frackaso • Mexican Stepgrandfather • Pochos Chidos Fantastico! • Blackbird Sing • Tallercito de Son • Las Monas • The Guadalupe Dance Company • Mariachi Nuevo Estilo

Juan & Armando Tejeda performing traditional Conjunto Mariachi Flor de Jalisco SA Parks & Rec Ballet Folklorico Dance Program Poetry by Victoria Garcia-Zapata, Eddie Vega and Jacinto Jesus Cardona Floating Altar by Ana Fernandez • Art Installations by Momo & Pompa • Workshops by Colectivo Cultural SATURDAY: 10AM-11PM | SUNDAY: NOON-10PM 418 VILLITA ST., SAN ANTONIO, TEXaS

MUERTOSFEST.COM

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

FEATURE

Künstler is getting close to opening their doors this fall.

JEREMY BANAS

Jeremy Banas & Jessica Elizarraras San Antonio’s brewing industry just keeps on growing. Though we’ve seen some changes like the re-organization of Branchline Brewing going from a stand-alone operation to being brewed at Alamo Beer Co., overall San Antonio keeps chugging right along. In the next six months, we’ll see three new breweries begin operations in the Alamo City. Here’s what we know about Künstler Brewing, Brew Monkey Beer, and Roadmap Brewing. Künstler Brewing has been a labor of love and more. Owner/head brewer Vera Deckard and her husband Brent started down this path in 2014 with the same hopes and dreams as other brewers: making quality beer. Bringing a passion for brewing that started at home, and after overcoming various legal issues with their previous name and some community opposition, the Deckards are just about ready to serve up their tasty brews. Shooting for a November opening, Deckard and her husband have just begun brewing on their new Brewbuilt

brand system in anticipation. Their lineup will include IPAs, English styles, Belgian and German styles made using local ingredients such as honey, herbs, cactus paddles and various peppers. After a year of renovations to their South Flores location, the décor is pays homage to both Old and New World taverns. With a focus on traditional German fare, the neighborhood brewpub will feature plenty of outdoor seating, a large community table inside (as well as many tables) and, with a nod to its German background, even a deli display case. Piped-in music will grace the main hall, creating a relaxed atmosphere, while the auxiliary room off of the main tap room will feature multiple TVs, oldschool arcade, and roll up garage doors giving a livelier vibe. Located at 302 East Lachapelle, Künstler will feature a variety of

styles that are sure to please most palates. Construction on Islla St. Brewing Co.’s frame is set to begin in the coming weeks, but San Antonians already got a taste for the microbrewery opened by brothers Josh and Joaquin Peña. The Corpus Christi natives are bringing in a little bit of sabor to area breweries with their 1,200-square-foot brewery inside the LocalSprout Food Hub on 503 Chestnut Street. Opened as a homage to their coastal roots and their grandfather Ricardo Peña, Islla St. Brewing will feature beers such as a Chola Blonde, named after a cheeky tía; a 1606 Belgian saison named after their home on Islla St. in Corpus; a Mexican Hot Chocolate stout that nods to the family’s New Year’s Eve traditions; and a Suavecito 37, smooth brown ale with hints of pecan. “We bumped into Stephen Paprocki (of Texas Black Gold Garlic) and he’s been a real advocate for us going into the space,” Joaquin said. Paprocki will expand his footprint at the food incubator as well by adding a kitchen, which will be used to host beer pairings with local chefs. Though a little farther off, San Antonio will welcome two more breweries in 2018: Roadmap Brewing Co. and Brew Monkey Beer Co., both of which have Texas transplants behind them. With an approximate opening date of late May 2018, Roadmap Brewing Co. is the is the brainchild of Pittsburgh native Dustin Baker, who took to San Antonio after several visits with his wife to visit his sister. Baker, who, like many, caught the brewing bug after a homebrew kit was gifted to him. Once in the Alamo City, he felt the urge to open his own brewery, seeing a bustling, but still largely untapped market. After months of looking for a location, Baker

just took possession of the keys to his location at North Alamo and 8th Street. Baker came upon his brewery’s name after talking with his architect and wishing there was a roadmap to opening a brewery. He’ll be working with a seven-barrel system from Alpha Brewing Operations. Roadmap will keep 95 percent of their brews on site, with the other 5 percent distributed within only a few blocks of the brewery. Roadmap will feature nine beer taps and a cider, as well as offering plenty of space for an indoor beer garden with games like corn hole. Look for year around offerings to include a kölsch, pale ale, saison, and porter. Opening a few months later in the fall of 2018, owner and head brewer Jason Hansen is hoping to make Brew Monkey Beer a destination within San Antonio. The Californian began his brewing career cleaning tanks at Devil’s Canyon Brewing in San Carlos, and would eventually go on to handle production procurement and brewing for Gordon Biersch Brewing Company’s production facility. Hansen met his wife, a native of San Antonio, in San Jose and after many trips to visit her family, fell in love with the Alamo City. Not long after relocating, he hatched his plan for Brew Monkey Beer, a name derived from a system he used to work on that was described as being so easy a monkey could use it. Hansen plans to take his decade-plus industry experience and put it to use on a 10-barrel ABS Systems brewhouse that will be located off DeZavala near I-10. The 3,500-square-foot brewery will include a dog park and plenty of outdoor seating. Hansen plans to have 10 house beers, including a cream ale, steam beer, session IPA and Irish stout, along with several seasonal offerings. Hansen doesn’t plan to keep all the brewing knowledge to himself — he plans to eventually create multiple brewing educational programs for homebrewers and those just looking to learn more about the malted beverage they love.

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OUR TOP PICKS FOR THE WEEK

‘Iconic Reality’

In the catalogue for the landmark traveling exhibition “Chicano Art: Resistance and Affirmation” (1991-1993), Mel Casas affirmed his goal of making Chicano art “relevant to EVERYONE: AN ICONIC REALITY.” Here, the late Chicano artist presented a diagram that outlined the process he believed would take Chicano art into the dominant culture. Artists would have to balance both national art criteria and Chicano art, and correlate both with “the reality of human needs.” Borrowing from this idea, Ruiz-Healy WED Art will present an exhibition of Casas’ work with pieces from his seminal Humanscapes series along with smaller works that showcase the artist’s more painterly applications. As co-founder of the San Antonio Artist collective Con Safos, and professor emeritus at San Antonio College (where he taught for 29 years), Casas is considered one of the most significant Chicano artists of the past century whose work challenged racial stereotypes of Mexican Americans. Casas’ Humanscapes, a large-scale series of cinematically inspired paintings completed between 1965 and 1989, is considered one of the longest painting series in American art. Free, 6-8pm (on view through Nov. 25), Ruiz-Healy Art, 201 E. Olmos Drive, (210) 804-2219, ruizhealyart.com. — Marco Aquino ART

Spurs vs. Timberwolves

SPORTS Spurs basketball officially tips off at the AT&T Center on opening night with San Antonio hosting Minnesota in an early season showdown between prospective Western Conference contenders. During an off-season marked by player movement, the Timberwolves landed All-Star Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Bulls, along with standouts Jamal Crawford, Taj Gibson, and Jeff Teague via free agency. NBA general managers recently voted Karl-Anthony Towns, the centerpiece for the young Wolves, as the player “most likely to have a breakout season.” Towns has put up Tim Duncan numbers in his first two seasons and is hoping for his first glance at playoff glory. For the Spurs it’s all about Kawhi Leonard, who, after sitting out the preseason with a thigh injury, will likely make his season debut challenging Butler. $18-$661.25, 8:30pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Pkwy., (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com. — M. Solis

THU

Josiah Media Festival

Named after 20-year-old Josiah Miles Neundorf, a film/media student who passed away in 2006 from osteosarcoma, the Josiah Media Festival serves as a reminder that, oftentimes, FILM youth films are more daring and original than those made by more experienced but derivative filmmakers. This year is no exception: the four winners (chosen out of a pool of 1,800 international 20-minutes-or-less shorts directed by auteurs 21 and under) in narrative, documentary, experimental and animation categories are a feast for the eyes. But the doc and animation winners are must-sees: Gente di Mare (USA, a gorgeous yet gloomy look at the Italian-American fishing community in Gloucester, Massachusetts) and iRony (Australia, by 18-year-old Radheya Jegatheva, who wrote, drew, shot, scored, directed and produced this trapped-by-technology gem) easily stand out. Full disclosure: my wife (and other local educators) will be a panelist in the “State of Youth Media Panel in Bexar County” roundtable on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., and her SAY Sí students will participate in the local youth screenings at 2 p.m. on the same day. The festival ends with an awards ceremony and Skype conversation with the international winners. In total, 54 films will be screened, including second and third prize winners. $10 per screening, $30 for a festival pass, 7pm Thu-Sat, URBAN 15 Studios, 2500 S. Presa St., (210) 736-1500, josiahmediafestival.com. — Enrique Lopetegui

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CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

MEL CASAS

WED

COURTESY OF THIEVERY CORPORATION

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MUISC

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MEL CASAS

COURTESY OF THIEVERY CORPORATION

Godfrey

FRI

Thievery Corporation For more than 20 years, DJs/producers Rob Garza and Eric Hilton have, with assists from a whole society of avid collaborators, invited listeners on the global musical journey that is Thievery Corporation. The duo’s supremely chill electronic music ranges in flavor and styles from album to album, but they never fail to find a hazy sweet spot between stoned-out relaxation vibes and intimations of the dance floor. Using a mind-blowingly diverse spectrum of samples, Thievery Corporation offers up a sound that includes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, hip-hop, bossa nova and more. The duo’s recently released tenth album, The Temple of I & I, explores familiar and outré sounds from Jamaica and beyond. $22.75-$115, 9pm, Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre. com. — James Courtney

COMEDY

I’m African,” says comedian Godfrey, the child of Nigerian immigrants. “I know you don’t believe me ’cause I have clothes on and shit.” The perception problem — says the Chicagoraised stand-up and actor who can be seen in Zoolander, Soul Plane, 30 Rock and Louie — comes from news reports and documentaries that exploit underdeveloped parts of the world for cheap, quick pathos: “Poverty is lucrative.” Godfrey’s web series The Village Idiot examines the difference between reality as it actually is and the way it’s packaged and presented for entertainment by contrasting the polished format of his Comedy Central special with rougher late-night spots at clubs like New York City’s Comedy Cellar, which sometimes require him to perform while the waitstaff drop the checks on the tables or shout down hecklers. “It’s raw, but people need to see that,” says the comic, who first got laughs as a class clown and by impersonating his college football teammates. “Comedy is an ugly sport.” $18.50, 8pm & 10:15pm Fri-Sat, 7pm Sun, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, lolsanantonio.com. — Jeremy Martin

FRI-SUN

20-22

‘The Black Lodge: A Twin Peaks Art Show’ The recent finale of Twin Peaks: The Return,, which saw David Lynch and Mark Frost revisiting their iconic, cult classic TV series Twin Peaks after 25 years, left fans and newcomers alike asking some pretty important questions. Will this really be the end of this beloved, transcendental mystery? How is Dale (the real one) ART such a badass? Also: what the fuck even happened at the end there? While you might not find any answers to these questions at this weekend’s Twin Peaks-inspired art show (appropriately dubbed “The Black Lodge”), you will have the opportunity to view/purchase sweet themed artwork, to enjoy/endure some fittingly surreal live music from Porridge Fist and The Midnight Cleaners, and to feast your eyes upon projections from/inspired by the series. Real Ale Brewing Company will be serving up adult beverages, and, of course, there will be coffee (presumably damn good and hot!) as well as pastries. Free, 9:00pm, Pan Dulce Gallery, 1005 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 797-2628, facebook.com/ pandulcegallery. — JC

SAT

Special guest MC

KURTIS BLOW

NOVEMBER 10

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NOVEMBER 29

JANUARY 6

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MESSAGE OF LOVE & COMPASSION

COURTESY VIVA VIA

Led by murder victim family members working to end the death penalty, the 2017 Texas Journey of Hope from Violence to Healing is coming to San Antonio October 22 – 26.

Sunday, Oct. 22; 10:15 am – 11:15am Travis Park United Methodist Church - 230 E Travis St – Labyrinth Room Sunday, Oct. 22; 3:00 - 5:00 pm Journey Kick-Off event for San Antonio – Charlie King concert, with Journey speakers. Oblate School of Theology – Tymen Hall, 285 Oblate Drive Monday, Oct. 23; 12:00 noon – 2:00pm Texas A&M University – Vista Room, 4th Floor of CAB Wednesday, Oct. 25; 6:00 – 7:30pm St. John’s Lutheran Church – Chapel Wednesday, Oct. 25; 6:30 – 8:00pm Turkish Raindrop House Thursday, Oct. 26; 4:00 - 6:00pm St. Mary’s University, Law Library, Law Alumni RM 1 Camino Santa Maria Journey speakers with an Amnesty International death penalty photo exhibit Take action to stop the Oct. 26 execution of Clinton Young (possibly innocent), learn more & donate at

DeathPenaltyAction.org/JourneyofHope

October 26 7PM - 9:30PM LANE MOORE

21+ Only

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

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Hocus Pocus It’s time to start planning your costume for Fiesta Youth’s fourth annual Halloween Hocus Pocus fundraiser, SAT slated for October 21 at Arbor House Suites in the heart of downtown. The city’s only gayowned bed and breakfast, Arbor House consists of four, 125-yearold two-story Queen Anne-style Colonial Revival homes with beautifully landscaped gardens. Partygoers (21 and up only) are invited to partake in finger food, an open bar, music, dancing and a silent auction — not to mention a costume SPECIAL contest with prizes for scariest, funniest, EVENT sexiest and most original costumes. The mission of Fiesta Youth is to provide “a safe, non-judgmental, affirming place for LBGT teens to express and explore who they are through education, peer-support, advocacy and friendship.” Fiesta Youth also sponsors Fiesta U, a twice-monthly support group for young adults aged 18 to 24. $25 in advance, $35 at the door, 7:30pmmidnight, Arbor House Suites, 109 Arciniega St., (210) 802-1373, hocuspocussa.com. — Sam Sanchez

COURTESY VIVA VIA

SAT

VIVA Cultural Adventure

Nathan Felix, a recent transplant from Austin who locals might remember from his old band The Noise Revival Orchestra, is up to some exciting things with his DIY choir From Those Who Follow the Echoes. A large collective of singers and (sometimes) musicians, Echoes is something of a guerrilla operation, bringing pop-up choral/orchestral concerts to unconventional spaces, often with little warning. In honor of Museum Month, Felix and company have teamed with Blue Star Contemporary, San Antonio Museum of Art, the McNay Art Museum, and VIA VIVA to present a progressive opera performance right on the 11A culture buses (see viainfo.net for exact scheduling). You’ll be able to catch the special performance in full if you board the bus at Blue Star or the McNay at approximately 1 p.m. However, you can also pop in anywhere on the route for a choose-your-own-adventure kind of effect. Free, 1-3pm, McNay Art Museum (6000 N New Braunfels Ave.), San Antonio Museum of Art (200 W. Jones Ave.), Blue Star Contemporary (116 Blue Star), (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org. — JC SPECIAL EVENT

The Rocky Horror Picture Show Ordinarily, a good screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is all about not being judged for doing pretty much anything, but when we’re talking about a costume contest with the winner selected by Barry “Brad” Bostwick, we’ll allow it. Released in 1975 and remade to very little acclaim last year, Rocky Horror is the legendary glam-rock musical celebration of basically everything uptight people have been clutching their butt muscles about since David Bowie sang “Starman” on Top of the Pops. Plagued by the nonspecific car trouble that seems to always haunt horror protagonists, lovebirds Brad and Janet look for help in the only place available in such films, a creepy-ass Victorian castle, where Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the “Sweet Transvestite from Transsexual Transylvania” (Tim Curry in the role he was born, or possibly genetically engineered, to play) and his henchmen are performing all sorts of erotic experiments and de-thawing Meatloaf amongst repurposed Hammer Films sets. Throw in an alien takeover plan, a King Kong-referencing cabaret show, and a convention of assorted other freaks and weirdos and … you know the story. Unless you’re a virgin, in which case, better catch up quick ’cause not only are you gonna be surrounded by cosplaying fans (hence the contest portion of the evening), they’re gonna be yelling obscenities at the characters, dancing in the aisles while chanting “group sex” and throwing stuff at the screen — though because of the venue’s electric floor, ticket holders are asked not to bring rice, water guns, hot dogs or prunes. When they feel the need to prohibit prunes, you know it’s a party. $29.50-$128.50, 7:30pm, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. SPECIAL — Jeremy Martin EVENT

LANE MOORE

COMEDY

TUE

MON

Tinder Live! Combining sex and painful awkwardness, dating apps are common fodder for stand-up material. Comics often wring laughs from bad profiles and worse dates, but Lane Moore actually opens her Tinder account onstage, projecting the app on a screen behind her to make fun of potential matches in real time. She lets spectators vote whether to swipe left or right (accepting or rejecting their profiles, if you’re fortunate enough to not need the app), and gives everyone a voyeuristic thrill by texting and calling would-be suitors while the audience listens in, ensuring every show is one-of-a-kind, localized, and has an element of actual danger. If you’re on Tinder and don’t want to become part of the evening’s entertainment, Moore cautions at the start of the show, you should probably turn off your phone. $24.50, 7:30pm, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — JM

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ART Art Out: “The Latino List”: What’s Your Story? In conjunction with documentary

filmmaker and photographer Timothy Greenfield Sanders’ exhibition “The Latino List,” SAMA invites guests to take part in a discussion and portrait session, dance to the music of Gloria Estefan and Pitbull (both of whom are included in the series), and then follow the crowd to Ocho for Cuban food and cocktails. $5-$15, 7:308:30pm Friday; San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100.

“Behind The Screen: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” Last

shown in 2013, this McNay favorite features original puppets and set pieces filmed for the 1993 classic stop-motion animation film surrounding Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. $15$20, 10am-4pm Wednesday, 10am-9pm Thursday, 10am-4pm Friday, 10am-5pm Saturday, noon-5pm Sunday, 10am-4pm Tuesday; McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368.

FILM Ghostbusters The City of San Antonio World Heritage Office and Slab Cinema celebrate Throwback Thursday by revisiting Ivan Reitman’s 1984 classic following the exploits of eccentric parapsychologists Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis) as they launch a ghostcatching operation in New York City. Free, 7pm Thursday; Mission Marquee Plaza, 3100 Roosevelt Ave., (210) 207-8612.

Halloween Double Feature Video

Dungeon Theatre serves up a double dose of Jamie Lee Curtis (as Laurie Strode) and Donald Pleasence (as Dr. Sam Loomis) with back-to-back screenings of John Carpenter’s iconic slasher flicks Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981). Free, 9pm-1am Thursday; Oak Hills Tavern, 7920 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 614-8855.

Wonder Woman Slab Cinema hosts a

free outdoor screening of director Patty Jenkins’ superhero blockbuster starring Gal Gadot as an Amazonian warrior princess who leaves home to fight a war and discovers her full powers and true destiny. Free, 7pm Saturday; Memorial Park, 2 Mecca Drive, (210) 212-9373.

THEATER Adelita Written and directed by Mono Riojas

Aguilar, FIRE Collaborative’s sequel to Chato’s Bridge follows Dolores DeLeon, a lawyer and city councilwoman who decides to run for U.S. Senate despite apathy from her party’s leaders and the horrors of her

own past. $10-$12, 7pm Saturday, 3pm Sunday; Jump-Start Performance Co., 710 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 355- 3850.

Amazing Grace Doves Ceremonial White Dove Releases

An Act of God Dylan Brainard directs

The Vex’s production of Emmy-winning playwright/lyricist David Javerbaum’s An Act of God, a “divine comedy” adapted from the satirical celebrity autobiography The Last Testament: A Memoir by God. $15$23, 7:30pm Thursday, 8pm Saturday, 2:30pm Sunday; Sheldon Vexler Theatre, 12500 NW Military Hwy., (210) 302-6835.

Hex Writer/director Emily Fitzgerald’s

supernatural rom-com Hex follows witch sisters Rowan (Bridget Melley) and Holly (Erika Johnson) as they perform a fordidden spell (transforming a toad into a man) that leads to a deadly confrontation with their fairy godmother. $10-$20, 8pm Friday-Saturday, 3pm Sunday; The Overtime Theater, 5409 Bandera Road, Suite 205, (210) 557-7562.

Little Shop of Horrors In Little Shop of

Horrors, poor misguided Seymour gets taken for a ride by his unique new Venus Flytrap, Audrey II, which he soon learns has quite the taste for human blood. Tempted by the fame that his fast-growing botanical oddity is generating as well as the opportunity to dispose of a rival (who, frankly, has it coming), Seymour finds himself swept into a life of crime by Audrey II’s insatiable hunger. For fans of the movie, be forewarned — the musical has a much grimmer resolution in store for Seymour and Earth’s other humans, but it’s no less entertaining. $18-$29, 7:30pm FridaySaturday, 3pm Sunday; Woodlawn Theatre, 1920 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 267-8388.

Sueño Mellissa Marlowe directs Northwest

Vista College’s production of José Rivera’s adaptation of Calderón de la Barca’s classic Life Is a Dream. Set in 1635, the metaphysical drama follows the life of young Prince Segismundo, heir to the Spanish throne, who is imprisoned at birth when astrologers predicted his reign as king would result in the country’s ruin. $5-$10, 8pm Thursday-Saturday, 2:30pm Sunday; Northwest Vista College, Palmetto Center for the Arts, 3535 N. Ellison Drive, (210) 486-4000.

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Teatro Salon: An Evening of New Works For the fourth installment of its Teatro Salon, the Guadalupe pairs new projects by Ruby Nelda Perez (Dancing with Maria/ Bailando con Maria) and Amalia Ortiz (The Canción Cannibal Cabaret) and a staged reading of Joel C. Settles’ work in progress El Camino. $10, 7pm Saturday; Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., (210) 271-3151.

The King and I Shall we dance? We shall — 8 P.M. | JO LONG THEATRE, 226 N. HACKBERRY sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 25

P R E S E N T S

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CALENDAR

El Milagrito Café and Papa Lupe’s Latin especially since Bartlett Sher’s rapturously Cuisine. $40 donation, 6-10pm Thursday; reviewed production of The King and I will Centro Cultural Aztlan, 1800 Fredericksburg be landing for a week at the Majestic. San Road, Suite 103, (210) 432-1896. Antonio patrons with long-ish memories will recall Sher’s breakout production of Rodgers Monarch Butterﬂy and Pollinator and Hammerstein’s South Pacific (2008), a Festival Presented by the Texas Butterfly Lincoln Center mounting that eventually Ranch, the Monarch Butterfly and made it to the Alamo City. The King and I Pollinator Festival takes place during peak tackles some of South Pacific’s main themes Monarch migration week in San Antonio, — the collision of cultures, the persistence when all the Monarch butterflies east of of racism, the goddamn imperfection of the Rocky Mountains funnel through Texas man — but weds it to a girl-meets-king tale, on their way to Mexico to roost for the as British governess Anna travels to Siam to winter. Following a theme of Butterflies tutor the gaggle of (adorable) royal offspring. without Borders, the fest fuses science, For this tour, Laura Michelle Kelly and Jose education, art and celebration into three Llana take over the roles made famous by days of events hosted between the San Deborah Kerr and Yul Brenner in the film. Antonio Botanical Garden, the Witte $35-$85, 7:30pm Wednesday-Thursday, Museum, Yanaguana Garden, Mexican 8pm Friday, 2pm & 8pm Saturday, 2pm & Cultural Institute and the Pearl. Prices, 7pm Sunday; The Majestic Theatre, 224 E. times and locations vary, Friday-Sunday; Houston St., (210) 226-3333. visit texasbutterflyranch.com for details and the complete schedule.

SPECIAL EVENTS All Hallow’s Eve Dinner and Ghost Tour

The Sisters Grimm invite guests to feast upon the delights of the season inside the Menger’s haunted Colonial Room, and then follow tour guides through the historic hotel to hear haunted stories of its past, and cap off the night with a “Ghost Walk” through downtown. $59-$79, 6:30-10pm Friday, 6:3010pm & 7-10:30pm Saturday; Menger Hotel, 204 Alamo Plaza, (210) 638-1338.

Dracula Fest: Romanian Food Festival

Síclovía Making recreational use of closed-

off city streets since 1976, Colombia’s cycle-centric concept Ciclovía (Spanish for “cycleway”) has inspired adaptations across the globe. Launched in 2011, SA’s own Síclovía was an instant hit and is now considered the Alamo City’s “largest free health and wellness event.” Routinely drawing tens of thousands of participants, Síclovía’s latest chapter sees the car-free, kid-friendly outing stretching from Alamo Plaza up Broadway to Mahncke Park. Free, 11am-4pm Sunday; from Alamo Plaza following Broadway north to Mahncke Park, visit ymcasatx.org/siclovia/route for the complete route.

Rosedale Park plays host to this inaugural event combining traditional Romanian food, music, dancing, arts and crafts, and historical insight into the truth behind Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. Free, San Antonio Beer Festival In addition to 10am-8pm Saturday; Rosedale Park, 422 400-plus premium and craft beers from more Dartmouth St., (210) 302-2730. than 125 breweries from around the world, Mole Throwdown Supporting Centro the Current’s 12th annual San Antonio Beer Cultural Aztlan’s programming, this ninth Festival boasts unique casks, one-of-a-kind annual event allows guests to sample and collaborations, various porters, stouts, vote on mole dishes from participating pilsners, ales, wheats, Belgians, ciders and chefs, caterers and restaurants including lagers, plus live music, interactive games, a Veronica Castillo Salas, Colibri Llevando wine garden, food trucks and food booths. Sabor, Jenny’s Catering, Chef Jerry Olivarri, $40-$80, 12:30-6:30pm Saturday; Dignowity Los Laureles Café, Fred Anthony Garza, Park (701 Nolan St.) & Lockwood Park (801 N. Olive St.), (210) 227-0044.

San Antonio Zombie Walk If predictable,

half-baked and dreaded “sexy” costumes have sucked the creepy fun out of your Halloween festivities, look no further than the San Antonio Zombie Walk. Modeled after similar events that have haunted public spaces and fought for Guinness World Records since the early 2000s, this blood-soaked gathering unites undead of all walks — nurses, mariachis, clowns, toddlers, dogs, you name it — in a moaning, brain-thirsty crawl through downtown. $5-$10, 3-9pm Sunday; La Villita, Maverick Plaza, 418 Villita St., (210) 207-8614. sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 27

ARTS + CULTURE

BRYAN RINDFUSS

SKETCHY CHARACTERS Finding method in the madness of Albert Alvarez

≥

Anyone who’s spent serious time in museums or galleries has likely witnessed the robotic sideshuffling of visitors as they work the perimeter — skimming the surface, rapidly absorbing, maybe Instagramming. San Antonio artist Albert Alvarez deprives viewers of that immediate satisfaction with obsessively detailed, intensely overstuffed work that truly needs to be stared at, pondered, and then perhaps seen again, to be understood at all. Within the layers upon layers of his deftly rendered scenarios, juvenile delinquents get high and run rampant in the classroom; bloody soldiers fight a never-ending, unwinnable war; crazed lunatics take over the asylum; monstrous characters engage in every imaginable act of depravity; and Jesus hangs on the cross amid a toxic mushroom cloud inhabited by a tantric orgy and the animated likes of Fred Flintstone, Santa Claus, Dennis the Menace, Gumby, Pinocchio, Tweety Bird and a Keebler Elf. An Alamo City native who grew up on the Southeast Side, Alvarez attended Poe Middle School, studied art at Brackenridge High School and earned a handsome scholarship to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. After completing a core program at RISD that entailed sculpture, drama and two-dimensional design, Alvarez trained his focus on animation and found inspiration in both the intricacies of Chinese art and German 28

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

Renaissance master Albrecht Dürer. “I thought [Dürer’s] style is [how] I want to draw. It was filled with imagination,” Alvarez said during a recent visit in his Eastside studio. His fascination with Dürer eventually led to him adopting the alias “Albrechto Alvarez.” Upon graduating from RISD in 2006, Alvarez weighed the potential destinations for his next chapter. “It was coming down to the wire of where everyone wanted to go. Everyone wanted to travel to a metropolis. But in my mind, I wanted to just come back to San Antonio. It’s in your bones.” Not long after returning to his hometown, Alvarez caught the eye of former San Antonio Museum of Art curator David Rubin. “When I first became aware of Alvarez in 2006, he had just returned to San Antonio from RISD, and he was making the rounds of art openings with sketchbook in hand,” Rubin wrote in a story for Glasstire. During that time, Alvarez was developing a signature style informed by techniques honed at RISD as well as the chaos and characters he encountered as an adolescent growing up in San Antonio. An early brush with success came in 2007, when Rubin purchased Alvarez’s autobiographical painting I Am Albert’s Hard Times for SAMA’s permanent collection. Surrounding the artist in an intense swirl of negative recollections are what Rubin described as “tiny vignettes, including … [a heroin overdose], various views of street violence, police arrests, and

From left: Alvarez’s 2017 painting The Inferno; pocket-sized sketchbooks and characters destined for the forthcoming exhibition “The Other Side of the Alamo: Art Against the Myth”; the 2017 drawings Welcome to the Family (top) and The Wisdom of A-Train: A Day in the Life.

strippers, interspersed with references to daily life, such as his family’s house, a cell phone, and a roaming black cat.” Remarkable as it may be that the painting — Alvarez’s very first foray into acrylics — got snapped up by SAMA and subsequently featured in the Rubin-curated exhibition “Psychedelic: Optical and Visionary Art since the 1960s,” Alvarez admits he’s not a fan. “Technically, it just wasn’t what I wanted to be perceived as,” he explained. During our visit, the walls of his compact home studio are lined with recent works — including many he exhibited this past summer in a two-man show with Ed Saavedra at Presa House Gallery. On a drafting table, cutout drawings of Pee-wee Herman and Ozzy Osbourne join other more expected “heroes” of the Alamo — all pieces of a tableau destined for “The Other Side of the Alamo: Art Against the Myth,” a Ruben C. Cordova-curated exhibition opening in February at Galería Guadalupe. Propped against one wall, a composite drawing delivers an adult comic

ARTS + CULTURE

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book in one sprawling panel. Below a marquee-like sign emblazoned with “The Wisdom of A-Train: A Day in the Life,” a dizzying array of situations, subtitles, quotes and text bubbles converge in a puzzle of cross-hatched lines. Multiple couples are caught in the act of humping; recognizable characters spring to life (including Alvarez himself, Kawhi Leonard and Coach Popovich); and talking heads squawk telling tidbits back at their creator: “Why do you make Mexicans look bad in your art?” “You’d be rich in jail with talent like that.” “How much money do you make? Do you have real job?” “Why does your work portray so much violence towards women?” “You know, you oughta draw something nice.” As it turns out, I’ve asked Alvarez a few of those very questions since my first serious conversation with him back in 2015, the year he and graphic designer Will Templin published the unapologetically tasteless graphic novel Sexican. What I’ve learned over the years is that Alvarez’s only “real job” is making and selling art; the violence in his work is equal-opportunity — no one is safe; and despite its often comical exterior, his artwork is less about fantasy than it is a sharp commentary on the dangerous reality we’re living in. “You would think that we’d be a lot more enlightened by now,” Alvarez said. “All this happened in the ’60s. How did we get back to that?” As for him drawing “something nice,” that might happen, too. “I think one day I should do a parent drawing,” Alvarez said. “Because that is an important thing in my life. I’ll get around to it eventually. I think that when you grow up, you become who you will become regardless of who raised you. I thank them for having me. It is mysterious how it all comes to be.”

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Lost souls gather around the margins of Disney World in The Florida Project

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The walls of the Magic Castle Inn — the primary setting of Sean Baker’s The Florida Project — shine with a new coat of pastel-purple paint, desperately trying to evoke the happy playland of Walt Disney World just up the Orlando highway. The name might confuse someone into an online booking, thinking it’s actually a Disney hotel, but it’s a world of broken ice machines, bedbug infestations and semi-permanent residents who can barely make the weekly rent. But it’s still a place where kids can have a summer of adventure and fun — even if they’re almost completely unsupervised, and some of that “fun” involves burning down an abandoned condo. The Florida Project is a messy movie full of messy people, and it would be easy to find many of them borderline irredeemable. The focus is on Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), a 6-year-old living with her unemployed single mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), at the Magic Castle. Out of school for the summer, Moonee and her friend Scooty (Christopher Rivera) — who also lives with a single mom in the room just below hers — find a new playmate in Jancey (Valeria Cotto), who lives in the nearby, also-Disneyadjacent-named Futureland Inn. They spit on a car from the motel balcony. They scam tourists for change so they can buy ice cream. And yes, they set fire to a derelict building while using it as a playground. Baker (Tangerine) doesn’t soft-pedal the near-feral

nature of his young characters, nor does he make most of the adults surrounding them particularly sympathetic. Halley is a complete mess, surviving on the freebies provided by Scooty’s mom Ashley (Mela Murder) from her job at a diner, selling wholesale perfume for a profit at the more upscale hotels and turning to prostituting out of her room when other options run out. There’s no hard-luck back-story to explain why Halley is the way she is, and it’s a bold move by Baker to treat the character as deserving of compassion because she’s a human being, not because she was perhaps once a victim. That doesn’t necessarily make it easier to spend time with her, especially when she seems gleeful about getting away with ripping off a bunch of Disney admission “magic bands” from one of her johns. The actual job of surrogate parenting is left to the Magic Castle’s manager, Bobby (Willem Dafoe), who deals with everything from fights on the property to a resident who won’t stop sunbathing topless by the pool. Dafoe brings a weary decency to the role, trying to do his job while still treating the struggling residents with respect. In one uncomfortably wonderful scene, he spots a stranger approaching a group of the resident kids, instantly senses a possible predator and swoops in to move the threat along on his way. Baker perhaps underlines a bit too obviously the way the Magic Castle becomes a makeshift family for

Bobby — briefly introducing an adult son (Caleb Landry Jones) he hires for odd jobs as an excuse to spend time with him — but there’s a lovely humanity to a man who could remain at a professional distance from the people around him, but finds it impossible to do so. The story mostly belongs to the children, though, and it’s here that Baker redeems whatever stumbles he makes with his adult characters. All of the young actors are fascinating to watch as they roam, ramble and raise hell, but Brooklynn Prince becomes a magnetic center. Moonee’s beyondher-years behavior — flipping off passing helicopter tours, or twerking to music — isn’t meant to play as shocking in a “Harmony Korine goes to first grade” way, but instead as a demonstration of what we don’t see from Halley’s own history. She may be a loving mother, but she’s a terrible mother, and Moonee’s simply the next generation in a cycle that kills up-by-the-bootstraps mythology. Another kind of mythology also lurks forever around the edges of The Florida Project, and that’s Disney World itself. Though close enough that the evening fireworks appear in the sky, it’s also practically another universe as far as these characters are concerned. Without wallowing in miserablism, Baker provides a reminder that there’s a certain kind of childhood innocence that just isn’t in the cards for many American kids. When the Magic Kingdom isn’t an option, the Magic Castle is all that’s left. sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 35

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FOOD

NOODLE HEAVEN ≥

A far-off exposition center which hosts off-beat events like kennel club competitions, Ironman races and this weekend’s Austin Scale Modeler’s Society was home to the first-ever Ramen Expo USA. Put on by the Japan External Trade Organization, Texas Restaurant Association and Next Global, Inc., the event grouped together noodle, broth and ramen miscellany vendors inside the center’s banquet hall. I can’t mince words: as a consumer, Ramen Expo USA was a noodle wonderland. With ramen restaurants blowing up across the U.S., organizers felt hosting an expo like the ones in Japan made sense. And if you missed the festivities this year, don’t kick yourself just yet. Geared mainly at businesses, and restaurants to gain direct access to vendors and producers, the event was open to the public for a limited time during both days. Members of the media and food industry were given early access to the noodles, sauces, seasonings and toppings and Texas showed up, according to Next Global Inc’s marketing manager Jamie La Torre. “Honestly, we felt the love from Texas, not just from Austin, but also San Antone, Dallas, Pflugerville, Houston. This is awesome,” said La Torre. She estimated attendance of up to 3,000 for Monday (when people were off for school and work), and 1,500 for Tuesday throughout the day. They chose Texas for its centrality, according to La Torre, as it’s

JESSICA ELIZARRARAS

JESSICA ELIZARRARAS | @JESSELIZARRARAS

SA chefs visit the ﬁrst Ramen Expo USA accessible to both coasts. The expo was broken down into booths, each sharing a different product or sample from noodles to poké and everything in between. The longest line, at least 30 people deep throughout the day, was for Nishiyama Seimeo, from Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, which asked attendees to choose from one of eight noodle varieties available and served up the fresh noodles table-side in groups of four. The wait was worth it. Also worth the drive were the kale noodles sampled, frozen okonomiyaki (seafood pancake), smoked garlic oil, green onion oil and Sapporo Reserve served, and now I know where to score chopsticks with grooves on the tip for better noodle control. The behind-the-scenes look into the ramen industry (even ever-popular Sun Noodle Brand out of Hawaii made the trek) was a tad overwhelming from the amount of noodle varieties per producer, to concentrates used to produce large batches of ramen broth in little to no time (think Knorr bouillon, but better). Hot Joy’s John Philpot, who visited the expo on Monday, said he could have done with less ramen enthusiasts and more variety per vendor. Philpot said he wasn’t privy to broth concentrates before the event. “We always make everything here which takes two to three days, but I get with smaller restaurants that don’t have

the people to make stock that can go for two days, it would be smart to streamline,” Philpot said. Still he took home newto-him brand of mixed-fish bonito with mackerel, sardines and anchovies and dried kelp to make stocks with. Kevin Chu of Nama Ramen and Kuma off Babcock, made the drive to Austin with two employees. “I loved it,” Chu said, “it was good to see vendors in Texas so we have more options, and access and more tools to be creative.” He hinted at a new line of ramen at the tiny eatery that might draw in purists of the genre in the coming weeks. Others, like Quealy Watson, co-owner and chef at Tenko Ramen at the Bottling Department Food Hall, came away with more information for ramen tools. “The main thing I enjoyed was getting more info on something I’ve been looking into, a tester for salinity and a refractometer to measure the total dissolved solids, so I can keep things consistent,” said Tenko Ramen co-owner and chef Quealy Watson via message. Other expo-goers included food scientists and aforementioned ramen nuts, who La Torre said had a chance to ask vendors questions on cooking, toppings and techniques. “Honestly with the love we felt, we are planning on doing one again next year,” La Torre said. “Maybe in a new location, but we definitely felt the love in Texas.”

sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 37

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Mon-Sat 2Pm-7Pm Specials Daily Kitchen Open Until Midnight Tuesday-Saturday OCT. 21, 2017 THE GENTLEMEN SWANK OCT. 28, 2017 MATT KERSCH

BLOOMING Rosella at The Rand is now open JESSICA ELIZARRARAS

≥

Though first announced in February of 2017, Rosella Coffee Co. is expanding its Downtown footprint. Yes, there›s the Methodist Hospital location, the OG Jones Ave. shop and two small retail shops out of the Lincoln Heights and Alon Market H-E-Bs, but to be quite specific, Rosella at The Rand is finally opening its doors. The downtown location designed by TADA (Total Art Design & Architecture) out of New Braunfels, and opened by Rosella founder Charles Gonzalez (you may know him from a certain TV station in town), Rosella at the Rand is packing in a lot more than coffee inside the 2,500-squarefoot space. For its second major location, the coffee purveyors (Gonzalez was joined by business partner Tom Schleuning) are making this concept a triple threat: coffee shop, bar and restaurant. Expect a full bar and eight cocktails (with early consulting by Jeret Peña) under the direction of Jesse Torres, most recently at El Mirador and Paramour. Prices for cocktails (some will feature coffee syrups or incorporate cold brew, according to Gonzalez) will linger at around $9. Six beers will be available on tap along with a white and red wine, with eight to 10 more brews in cans and bottles. The kitchen will be helmed by chef Rafael Peña, previously with Cappy’s and

Cured. While most breakfast items will migrate from the Jones location, lunch will tell another story with the addition of more salads, hot sandwiches, two burgers (a classic burger and a Rosella Burger with kale chips, Calabrian pepper sauce and a blend patty made with chuck, brisket and short rib) and grab-and-go sandwiches. “We wanted to see what we can do with that kitchen, and thought why can’t a coffee shop have a really good burger,” Gonzalez said over the phone. Come 4 p.m., the wifi gets shut off (!) and the shop will transition to sit down service for happy hour (4 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday) and dinner. Happy hour will feature a menu of small bites including fries, kale chips, popcorn, deviled eggs, lox rangoon, and mac and cheese to name a few. Dinner will feature a small menu of a burger, ribeye, fried chicken, pork ragu, and a scallop entree, along with a rotating fish dish priced anywhere from teens to the mid-$30 range. Gonzalez said they may limit the number of guests for dinner during the soft opening phase. Opening hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday with dinner running until midnight on Friday and Saturday. The shop opens 8 a.m. Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday for brunch. 114 E. Houston St.

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sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 39

ERIN WINCH

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

NIGHTLIFE

LA MUERTA WINS JEREMY BANAS

Freetail Brewing brings home gold at this year’s Great American Beer Festival

Freetail’s head brewer Jason Davis after the win. Of the Texas winners in the San Antonio area, or at least those available that you can buy right now, Houston’s Saint Arnold Brewing Company took gold for Pumpkinator in the Pumpkin/Squash beer category; bronze for Amber in the Ordinary or Special Bitter category; and a bronze for Weedwacker in the German-style Wheat Ale category. Saint Arnold also left the competition with Mid-Size Brewery and Brewer of the Year honors. Just up 281 from San Antonio, Blanco’s Real Ale Brewing took home a gold for its Real Heavy in the Scotch Ale category; and a silver for Fireman’s 4 in the Golden or Blonde category. Alpine’s Big Bend Brewing (which is planning a facility in San Anto) took a bronze medal for Barrel Aged

COURTESY OF BREWERS ASSOCIATION

≥Thousands of brewers waited together in a nondescript auditorium of the Colorado Convention Center for more than two hours as the names of winning breweries were announced. Those lucky winners walked the stage and gave a fist bump to GABF founder Charlie Papazian as they accepted their awards. This year’s competition had 2,217 breweries from all over the United States enter an incredible 7,923 brews, with 276 judges from 13 countries evaluating the best of American ales, lagers, and specialty brews. Many Texas breweries have been recognized for their efforts in past years, and 2017 was no different. Texas brought in a record 21 total medals this year; nine gold, six silver, and six bronze medals between 17 breweries, with Large Brewpub and Mid-size Brewery honors. For San Antonio proper, the coup de grâce was a gold medal for Freetail Brewing Company for its 2014 iteration of their Imperial Stout La Muerta, in the Aged Beer category, making it the Alamo City’s first GABF medal. For those not in the know, La Muerta has long been considered Freetail’s signature beer, making its legendary debut back in early 2009 and has maintained a cult-like following ever since with fall releases and special riffs (including tequila barrel aged, raspberry and more). “I haven’t come down from the high of winning yet,” said

Marfa Light in the Wood and Barrel Aged Beer category. Shiner’s Spoetzel Brewing took silver for their longtime favorite Shiner Bock in the American-style Amber Ale category. Finally, Save The World Brewing of Marble Falls took silver for Lux Mundi in the Other Belgian Style Ale category. Though Texas, and often San Antonio in particular, has long been looked at as behind the rest of the country when it comes to small and independent breweries putting out quality craft beer, the Lone Star State has won between 1015 medals yearly in the last three GABF competitions. After coming in third in the overall medal count this year — behind only Colorado and California — Texas clearly proved that it’s every bit as good as the rest of the country and should now command the respect that we have long deserved.

Name: Periphery Background: Periphery opened in February of this year, where Old Main Association used to be housed. Opened by chef Mark Weaver, who was previously at Jason Dady's Tre Trattoria, they specialize in food with an Italian-Southern influence.

ERIN WINCH

TIPPLE TEST A value-driven happy hour in Monte Vista’s neighborhood

Happy Hour: Happy hour runs Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. and features $5 glasses of wine, a list of $5 cocktails including Manhattans, Old Fashioneds, Negronis and a French 75, and half-off select beers. During happy hour, they offer $5 braised greens and cornbread and $.75 pimento cheese crackers. Patrons: Periphery is frequented by those in the area. From professionals with offices down the street, to those that live in the Monte Vista community. The crowd is on the older side. Experience: With the crowd that frequents

Periphery made up of those that are established professionals in the community, the eatery doesn't get busy until later in the evening and towards the end of happy hour. Visiting between 5 and 6:30 means that space at the bar is plentiful, and it's the perfect place to sit and visit with those that run the joint. Conversation with the staff is ample, the drinks and food solid, and the atmosphere — both casual and upscale. The pimento cheese crackers are great for a little snack and to help soak up the booze from your $5 drinks. The braised greens are great for those wanting more heft for a small price. Honestly, you could come for happy hour, spend only $10 bucks, and leave full. It's a great place for a date, a casual meet-up with friends, or for a little substance and class before a night on the nearby Strip. 2512 N. Main Ave., (210) 966-0404. Erin Winch writes about boozin' in the Alamo City on her blog Drinking In SA. Follow her on Instagram at @drinking.in.sa for more.

sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 41

104 N. St Mary’s St, San Antonio, TX

TOPO CHICA

≥

THIEVERY CORPORATION • OCT 20

GOGOL BORDELLO • OCT 23

THEORY OF A DEADMAN • OCT 28

IRON AND WINE • NOV 02

TOM SEGURA • NOV 03

EXTREME MIDGET WRESTLING • NOV 04

FOR FULL LIST OF CALENDAR EVENTS, VISIT THEAZTECTHEATRE.COM

Topo Chica, the refreshinglynamed lo-fi, dream-punk outfit from San Antonio, is up to something. The chica-powered five-piece, which you might have caught gigging around the St. Mary’s Strip (and elsewhere) for a little over a year now, has dropped three rad singles over the past few months: “Leonardo,” “TFW,” and “Sweaters.” Featuring veteran members of several other awesome (and markedly different) San Anto bands (Spokesmodel, Dreamland, Ellis Redon, Groupo Frackaso), Topo Chica boasts a shimmeringly diaphanous, laid back punk sound. Like a hazily-recalled soundtrack to your dreams, the band’s music submerges a poppy garage-punk sound into a syrupy well of blissfully-stoned, damn-near hypnagogic grunge. In other words: this shit’s highly-recommended for fans of Vivian Girls, early Best Coast, Blouse, and Hinds. Vocalist Briana Magnon told the Current that Topo Chica’s style took shape organically, despite the widelyvaried musical backgrounds of the band’s members. “We’ve never intentionally gone for a certain sound,” she explained via email, “but people have taken to labeling us as Dream Punk, and it’s sort of stuck.” Topo Chica’s infectious and easy going sound, however, wasn’t a total

accident. It has a lot to do with the members’ attitude toward the whole ordeal of being a band. “I don’t think any one thing inspired what Topo Chica is — we just wanted to have fun and play music,” Magnon responded when asked for the band’s biggest influences. When you can create music as cool and effortless sounding as Topo Chica in your spare time, I reckon it’s best to be your own damn role model anyhow. While Topo Chica’s members— Magnon, Briana Lozano (keys), Kalyn Bragg (bass), Rita Zarate (guitar), and Sylvia Swine (drums) — all keep pretty busy with their day jobs and their other musical commitments, that hasn’t stopped them from pressing ahead with writing and recording new music. We think you’ll agree with us when we say that, based on these latest tracks from Topo Chica, this is certainly a band to keep up with. The group has confirmed that the songs are but a taste of what’s to come. At the moment, with a full, eight-song EP written and recorded, the band is weighing release options and tentatively looking to drop something in the next few months. Saturday, November 25, Brick at Blue Star Arts Complex, 108 Blue Star, (210) 262-8653, brickatbluestar.com

COURTESY TOPO CHICA

JAMES COURTNEY

Slaking your thirst for new local music

COURTESY THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY

MUSIC

COURTESY TOPO CHICA

COURTESY THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY

MUSIC

James Woodard wants to score your film

THE GRASSHOPPER LIES HEAVY JAMES COURTNEY

≥James Woodard, the creative force behind veteran local experimental act The Grasshopper Lies Heavy (TGLH), wants to score your film. And, you should probably let him. That’s what San Antonio filmmaker Dave Sims did, with his short film Cavern, and the results are glorious and penetratingly eerie. Truth be told, Woodard was made for this shit. A longtime fan of soundtrack/score work by acts like Goblin and John Carpenter, he has always displayed — through the diverse output of TGLH — the kind of knack for emotive, even image-rich atmosphere that is a hallmark of all the best practitioners in this particular field. On TGLH’s brilliant 2014 release All Sadness, Grinning into Flow, a masterful expression of the act’s tension building dual-nature, now deliriously patient, now furiously immediate, this evocative gift was more apparent than ever. The opportunity to score Cavern — “a haunting short film about survival, alienation and redemption set in the remote Mojave desert” that follows “a woman who finds an unconscious man while hiking in the desert and her journey to bring them both to safety” — came about as a result of serendipity, which found Sims and Woodard as

colleagues at Rackspace. Woodard, who usually works on TGLH material with longtime collaborator Mario Trejo (and sometimes others), quickly recruited seasoned musician Bob Catlin (most notably of Evil Mothers, Pigface), who has frequently recorded, engineered, and mixed for TGLH, as his collaborator for this project. From there, Woodard reports that the process went swimmingly, with the two in tune with each other’s ideas as they went through the slow process, in turns improvisational and meticulous, of mapping out the atmospheric/emotional landscape of the film (which was originally 41 minutes, instead of the final cut’s 24 minutes). Using a slew of instruments, many of them Catlin’s odd inventions, the duo strove to craft the atmosphere that they felt was demanded by each scene of the film, which features very limited dialogue, all the while remaining mindful that, ultimately, this was one full piece that they were creating. It’s a tricky distinction to tip-toe, but the pair did it quite successfully (see the final cut of the film below). Now, divorced from the film (now half relegated to the oblivion of the cutting room floor) for which it was made,

Cavern the album (released on vinyl and digitally by Woodard’s own Canon Imprint) stands exceedingly well on its own. It is, in fact, remarkable how well Woodard and Catlin are able to convey feelings of isolation, exhaustion, dread, and anticipation, in an almost painterly manner, throughout the course of Cavern’s 14 tracks. Even if you don’t read the track titles, super suggestive stuff like “Night,” “Body Drag,” “Panic,” “Fight,” and “The Truth,” there is a powerful sense of narrative at work. If you’re a fan of experimental/ambient music, horror scores, and/or spooky-ass mood music for the season, Cavern is highly-recommended. Long term fans of TGLH will find lots to love too. While the album doesn’t offer the kind of crushing moments of catharsis that made earlier TGLH so satisfying, Woodard’s signatures styles are still discernible in the use of aural space, the cultivation of tension, and the prevalence of dark, pensive vibes. TGLH, which is in the process of recruiting a new drummer, will release more new material soon, in the form of a split LP with Minneapolis’ Gay Witch Abortion (out in November on Learning Curve Records). sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 43

MUSIC

MUSIC PICKS

SHUTTERSTOCK/CHRISTIAN BERTRAND

DANIEL TOPETE

THE WEEKND PROTOMARTYR

Get ready to not feel your face, or, have him not feel his face, or ... the point is, The Weeknd is coming to San Antonio. So may the face-numbing commence. This Thursday, the Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer will touch down in San Antonio on the “Starboy: Legend of the Fall” world tour with Gucci Mane and Nav, a Canadian rapper signed to The Weeknd’s label, XO. Born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, The Weeknd released a few mixtapes and one album before releasing Beauty Behind the Madness containing “Can’t Feel My Face.” On the heels of his latest album, Starboy, The Weeknd continues to push dark R&B-laced pop music into the future. $39.50-$685.50, 730pm, AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Pkwy., (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com. – CC THU

Upon listening to “Maidenhead,” the opening track off Protomartyr’s 2015 release Under Color of Official Right, I can’t help but think “yeah, these dudes definitely were definitely into The Smiths.” Which is certainly not a bad thing. And while the band retains elements of post-punk in their brand new album Relatives in Descent, it’s clear the Detroit four-piece have decided to go in a bit more of an experimental noise rock direction. The songs are less straight-forward, but give the drums an opportunity to narrate, and with vocalist Joe Casey delivering his baritone vocals reminiscent of the late Ian Curtis of Joy Division, it appears the band has found its identity. With Flasher, The Gospel Truth, $12-$15, 8pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. – Chris Conde THU

6LACK

For a genre that’s saturated with so much of the same monotonous artists singing over the same sounding beats, Atlantabased singer-songwriter 6lack manages to rise above the wackness to deliver something fresher than a brand new pair of Nikes. Born in Baltimore before finding a home in the A-T-L, Ricardo Valdez Valentine, better known as 6black (pronounced “black”), began releasing music through his Soundcloud account before signing with LoveRenaissance and Interscope Records. His debut studio album, Free 6lack, peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200 chart. Valentine was also guest performer on The Weeknd’s Legend of the Fall Tour, and performed his song “Prblms” from his debut album during a break in the headliner’s set. Part R&B, part rap, and all soul, Valentine proves that there’s always room for more in the ever-expanding sub-genres of hip-hop. $25, 8pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. – CC THU

PRIMUS Have you ever tripped on mushrooms and thought the thoughts that you’re not supposed to think when you’re tripping – “What if I’m stuck, and I’ll be tripping forever?”, “How long have I been tripping?, “Have I been tripping my entire life?” It’s a terrifying experience and, while I don’t know any cases of people actually getting “stuck” in perpetual trippiness, Les Claypool and the boys in Primus might actually be stuck. At least that’s what their extensive catalog of jam band, metal, funk, experimental rock music suggests. But they seem to be pretty alright with it. Along with the psychedelic imagery that accompany their live shows, one thing's for certain: This San Francisco-based three-piece are unapologetically wacky, unique and have been making waves in the rock ‘n’ roll world since the mid-’80s. $29.50-$249, 630pm, Sunken Garden Theater, 3875 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 207-3050. – CC FRI

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CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

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sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 45 9/28/17 10:36 AM

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com

MUSIC

With some fall air finally teasing us, stirring up romantic dreams of sweethearts held close and the particular electricity of an autumn night out in San Anto, we can think of nothing sweeter than a spontaneous Monday escape to a conjunto show. Hosted in the decidedly unpretentious (thus ideal) confines of a Southside pulga, it seems like this show is just the ticket to keep the weekend going even after the work week has begun. The special concert will feature Conjunto Romo from Kyle and local act Flavio Longoria and the Conjunto Kings, both of which make no bones about sticking strictly to the traditional approach of Tejano/conjunto. Best part: you may be able to actually dance to your heart’s content without sweating like a mafioso on the lam. $8-$10, 7:30pm, Pan Am Plaza, 1419 Commercial Ave., (210) 922-6968, facebook.com/panamplazaofficial. – James Courtney

CONJUNTO BASH AT PAN AM PLAZA

SAT

West Side Oldies Dance Party DAN EFRAM

GOGOL BORDELLO If you’re a devotee of Gogol Bordello, whether you prefer the old stuff or new, you know better than to miss any chance to catch one of the band’s breakneck live shows. The gypsy punk outfit’s bread and butter is raucous, Dionysian live blowouts — the exact kind of scene you imagine when you listen to the group’s singularly wild music. Since 1999, this New York-based crew has been making inventive music that combines eastern-European sounds with punk, Latin rock, folk, and dub. In this way, like the city it hails from, Gogol Bordello is truly of the whole world. Back in August, the band released its tenth album, Seekers and Finders, which figures to feature heavily at the act’s SA stop. $20-$45, 7pm, Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. – JC MON

Boasting a sound that’s as eclectic as it is in flux from one song to the next, LA’s Chicano Batman deftly melds disparate aspects from soul music, tropicalia, reggae, cumbia, pop, and psych-rock. The band has created a whole new aesthetic that’s as much SoCal as it is pan-Latin. In the live setting, like any good jam band, the group’s tunes become even less predictable, even more intense and far-flung. Joining the touring favorite on this bill is Houston experimental psych-rock band Khruangbin, which proffers a sonic onslaught that blends mystical Eastern sounds with krautrock, surf, blues, and more. Taken as one, this bill represents the pinnacle of contemporary genre fusion, each band crafting something wholly new out of familiar parts. $20, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. – JC TUE

CHICANO BATMAN

COURTESY ATO RECORDS

On Sunday, October 22, San Anto Cultural Arts will be hosting a Westside Oldies Dance Party featuring DJ Plata (Tucker’s Kozy Korner, Sexto Sol), plus The Frank Rodarte Band (Saxophonist in the Del Kings and Los Blues). The event will kick off fall programming for San Anto and raise additional funds needed to sustain many of the youth initiatives hosted by the organization throughout the year. One of the Westside’s crown jewels, San Anto Cultural Arts has been creating engaging and educational community programs since 1993. Founded by Manny Castillo, Cruz Ortiz, and Juan Miguel Ramos, the nonprofit continues to foster positive growth throughout the Westside including the creation and management of some of the city’s most cherished murals. With so much emphasis on the Westside sound and Chicano oldies as of late, San Anto’s true roots oldies dance party will prove to be the real deal. $10, 6-9pm, Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 723 S. Brazos St., 210-226-7466, sananto.org. – JJ Lopez SUN

sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 47

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MUSIC

MUSIC CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18

Bru’s Tunes Live acoustic music. Free. La Hacienda De Los Barrios, 6-9pm The Last Bandoleros San Antonioformed rock group at the conclusion of the Spurs’ season opener. $16-$737. AT&T Center, 8:30pm Placido Domingo le Canta a San Antonio “The King of Opera” will perform famous operatic arias, traditional Spanish songs and popular music. $45$400. Alamodome, 8-10:30pm Primetime Jazz Orchestra John Magaldi‘s Primetime Jazz Orchestra. Free. The Cove, 8-10pm TAUK Heavy instrumental rock fusion act from New York, joined by Naughty Professor. $13-$60. Sam’s Burger Joint, 8pm

by Marty Stuart, Brent Cobb and more. $35.75-$50.75. AT&T Center, 7pm Dayglo Abortions The Remember the Punks pre-party features Canadian punk act Dayglo Abortions, CH3, Parasites, Spider and more. $12-$15. Limelight, 8pm Fox Motel Tour Kickoff/CD Release Show Alt-rock act, joined by Given A Chance, A.O. RIVER, and Mad Fly. Free. The Bang Bang Bar, 9:30pm Friday Afternoon Picker Circle With Hayden Whittington. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 1-4pm Gary Allan Country musician joined by Frank Foster. $30.02-$1,034.64. Whitewater Amphitheater, 8:30pm Imagine Six Year Anniversary Musical performances by Rock Bottom String Band, Phantom Chatter, Noise Quota and more. $7. Imagine Books and Records, 7pm

JD McPherson Rockabilly act from Oklahoma joined by country singer/ Trevor Sensor Folk act from Illinois, joined songwriter Nikki Lane. $25. Gruene by Peter Oren. $10. Paper Tiger, 7pm Hall, 8pm

Bill Small Band Americana act at Gruene Hall. Free. Gruene Hall, 6-10pm

The Lavens Playing original material and Americana covers. Free. The Cove, 6:30-8:30pm

Captain Kirk Covington Quintet Jazz act at Luna. $5. Luna, 9:30pm

L&M Kings “Honky-tonk” act at Luckenbach. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 4-7pm

Losing September Hard rock act Losing September (Indiana) performs at The Korova. $10-$14. The Korova, 6pm

Mike Ryan Local country singer/ songwriter at Cowboys. $10-$20. Cowboys Dancehall, 7pm

The Magpie Salute Rock act formed by former Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson. $14-$25. Aztec Theatre, 7pm

The Mismatch Americana folk act at Phoenix Saloon. Free. The Phoenix Saloon, 9pm

Zeke Hardcore punk band from Washington, joined by Against the Grain and ANTiSEEN. $10-$15. Limelight, 8:30pm

Rich Chigga Indonesian rapper and comedian, joined by Duckwrth and Don Krez. $18-$125. Paper Tiger, 8pm

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20

Bloodbath Death metal act joined by Surf Curse, Omni and Guantanamo Baywatch. $15-$17. Paper Tiger, 8pm Chris Stapleton Award-winning guitarist and singer/songwriter, joined

Satisfaction The international Rolling Stones show at Sam’s Burger Joint. $10$45. Sam’s Burger Joint, 9pm Seventh Son Iron Maiden tribute band joined by Slaterica (Metallica and Slayer tribute band). $10-$12. Bond’s 007 Rock Bar, 7:30pm

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Joan Osborne: The Songs of Bob Dylan Award-winning singer/songwriter Joan Osborne sings the songs of Bob Dylan at the Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts. $46.50-$85. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 8pm

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Social Repose Electronic dance pop act from Washington, DC, joined by Hotel Books, The Funeral Portrait. $15$20. Jack’s Bar, 6-10pm Thievery Corporation Electronic act Washington, DC performs at The Aztec Theatre. $39.50-$135. Aztec Theatre, 9pm West Kings Highway Friday Night residency at Sancho’s Cantina. Free. Sancho’s Cantina, 7-9pm SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21

14th Annual Conjunto Tardeada Performances by Max Baca and Los Texmaniacs, Volcan, Conjunto Hall of Famer Bene Medina y Conjunto Aguila, and more. $10. Maverick Plaza, 6-11pm Bond’s Annual Halloween Party Musical performances by Hostile (Pantera tribute), War Pigs (Black Sabbath tribute) and more. $5. Bond’s 007 Rock Bar, 10pm Bru’s Tunes Live acoustic music. Free. Evil Olive Elixir Lounge, 9:30pm Coven DJ Ely Bat and DJ Xyla play industrial, darkwave and goth music. Free. The Amp Room, 9pm Imagine Six Year Anniversary Performances by The Foreign Arm, Mr. Pidge and more. $7. Imagine Books and Records, 7pm Jennifer Birmingham Band Victoriabased vocalist with her band at Phoenix Saloon. Free. The Phoenix Saloon, 9pm Jon Wolfe Country act joined by Hunter Hutchinson. $15. Gruene Hall, 9pm Jose Amador & Natiao Latin Jazz Jose Amador & Natiao Latin Jazz perform at Luna. $10. Luna, 9:30pm Los Lonely Boys Chicano rock trio, joined by Lisa Morales at The Roundup. $32-$37. The Roundup Outdoor Music Venue, 8-11pm

VIA VIVA Cultural Adventure w/ From Those Who Follow the Echoes Nathan Felix’s choir engages in a progressive performance for riders on the Number 11A culture bus. Free. McNay Art Museum, 1-3pm Witt Lowry Hip hop artist from Connecticut, joined by Ro Ransom at The Korova. $13-$65. The Korova, 7pm SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22

Brian Langlinais Band “American roots” act at Gruene Hall. Free. Gruene Hall, 4:30-5:30pm Cash’d Out Johnny Cash tribute act, joined by The Dead Barons. $10-$15. Jack’s Bar, 8pm

DAILY HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS

#SUNDAY

FUNDAY

Dawn & Hawkes Indie folk act at Gruene Hall. Free. Gruene Hall, 12:30-4pm The Devil Wears Prada Hardcore rock act, joined by Veil of Maya and Thousand Below. $20-$23. Paper Tiger, 7pm King William Concerts in the Park The Youth Orchestra of San Antonio performs for the King William Concerts in the Park. Free. King William Park, 5:30-6:30pm Seth James Blues act at Gruene Hall. Free. Gruene Hall, 6-9pm

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Sunday Evening Picker Circle With Bill Lewis. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 5-9pm MONDAY, OCTOBER 23

Bad Banjo Brown Swing/traditional jazz act plays swing night at Sam’s Burger Joint. $7-$10. Sam’s Burger Joint, 8:30pm Monday Evening Picker Circle With Kathy Bauer and Michael Broussard. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 5-9pm Screaming Females Rock act from New Jersey, joined by Street Eaters. $10. Paper Tiger, 8pm TUESDAY, OCTOBER 24

Remember the Punks Remember the Punks 2 features Good Riddance, The Unseen, Big D and the Kids Table, Down by Law and more. $59.95-$150. Paper Tiger, 11am-11pm

Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul The “Soulfire Tour 2017” celebrates the recent release of Little Steven’s new solo album, SOULFIRE. $29.50-$64.50. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30pm

The Eastside Kings Blues/R&B act joined by Birdlegg. Free. Gruene Hall, 1-5pm

Tuesday Picker Circle With Kem Watts. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 5-9pm

Valley Queen Folk pop act from California, joined by Jeff Glatz. $5-$8. 502 Bar, 9pm

Waker Rock act from Nashville, joined by Folk Family Revival. Free. Sam’s Burger Joint, 8pm sacurrent.com • October 18-24, 2017 • CURRENT 51

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>My only child is 16 years old. He was curious about sex from a very young age and very open with me, so his interest in sexual matters gave me ample opportunity to talk with him about safety and consent. He went through a cross-dressing phase when he was small — mostly wanting to wear nail polish and try on mascara — and I felt like I navigated those waters pretty well, but his father made attempts to squelch those impulses. (He and I are divorced. He has since remarried and is less involved.) That’s the background. I’ve always accepted that he is who he is and done my best to help guide and educate him. Then last year, I caught him trying to shoplift a pair of panties. I’m not the sort of mom who freaks out, but I made him put them back and talked to him about his actions. When I asked him why he stole them, he refused to tell me. I asked: “Did you want them to masturbate with? Did you want to wear them?” He said he wanted to try them on. I told him that if he wanted to explore, he needed to do that with a legal purchase and in the privacy of his own room. Today, I found a girl’s bra in the laundry. He says he doesn’t know whose it is or how it got there, but this isn’t my first rodeo. What on earth do I do? If I send him to a therapist and this is about being trans or cross-dressing tendencies, I’m afraid that will shame him. However, this is now something of a criminal/ethical concern, and I want to nip that in the bud. He is in every way a wonderful human: kind, smart, funny, athletic, no drugs. Is this just the same kid who has always been curious about sex? Or are these warning signs of some sort of sexual deviance? Please help. Mom In Sleepy South Carolina Lovingly Educates Offspring Take a deep breath, MISSCLEO, or take two — take however many you need until you’re back in touch with your inner mom, the one who doesn’t freak out. Your son may be a cross-dresser or he may be trans or he may find bras and panties titillating because women wear them and he wants to sleep with women (not be one). (Lots of gay boys are titillated by jockstraps — but a closeted gay boy can collect ’em all without freaking out his mom.) We can’t know whether your son is a cross-dresser,

trans, or merely titillated, MISSCLEO, but he’s clearly exploring and wants to do so privately. So while he could go to his mom and ask for a pair of panties and let her know exactly how he intends to use them, he doesn’t want to ask his mom for a pair of panties or share his uses for them with his mom. He knows you’ve always accepted him for who he is (but a reminder never hurts), so if this is about his gender identity, well, you’ll have to trust that he’ll share that with you when he’s ready. But if this is about a kink, he may never share that info with you, because why on earth would he? Kinks are for sharing with lovers, not mothers. Give your son some space, including the space to make his own mistakes. As teenage misbehavior goes, swiping a single pair of panties isn’t exactly a crime spree. If you suspect he snuck into the girls’ locker room and made off with a bra (there has to be an easier way for a guy to get his hands on a bra!), you’ll want to address that with him — not the “Why do you want a bra?” part, but the risk of getting caught, suspended, expelled, or worse. There are too many prosecutors out there looking for excuses to slap the “sex offender” label on teenagers — especially in the Bible Belt. My hunch is you don’t have a sex offender on your hands or a kid drifting into organized crime. You have a slightly pervy teenage boy who’s curious about sex and who may, like millions of other men, have a thing for women’s undergarments. You should emphasize the Not Okay-ness of shoplifting panties from stores or stealing bras from classmates (or the siblings of friends or Laundromats or thrift stores) and the possible consequences should he get caught — theft charges, suspension/ expulsion, losing friends, coming into the sights of a sex-negative prosecutor. (Seriously: A man like Harvey Weinstein gets away with assaulting women for decades, but prosecutors across the country are throwing the book at teenagers who got caught sharing pics they took of themselves with their BFs/ GFs/NBFs.) But otherwise, MISSCLEO, I’m going to advise you to back the fuck off. Your son knows you love him, he knows he can talk to you about anything, and he’ll confide in you if and when he’s ready — if, again, this is something he needs to discuss with you at all. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org sacurrent.com • October 18-24 2017 • CURRENT 53

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JONESIN’ CROSSWORD by Matt Jones

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sacurrent.com “Weekends” —actually, they’re wk-ends. ACROSS

1 Maker of the CR-V 6 Fork’s place 10 Summer in Saint-Tropez 13 Woodwind section members 14 Studio 54, for one 15 “On the Road” narrator ___ Paradise 16 Kept track of time in boredom 19 Downbeat music genre 20 Discourage from acting 21 Inflatable co-pilot in “Airplane!” 22 Mac Web browser named for an expedition 25 Grab ___ (eat on the run) 27 Mixed-breed pups 30 Openings 33 Comment of sudden confusion 37 Bitter bar brew, for short 38 Number before zwei 39 IM giggle 40 Cake decorator 41 Dolphins’ org. 42 Return message? 46 Chewy chocolate candy brand from Germany 48 Roguish guy 49 Ward (off) 51 “___ Weapon” (Mel Gibson film) 55 Pot payment 57 Put in a seat? 60 Peyton’s brother

61 Heated drink that traditionally helps you fall asleep 65 MPG rating group 66 Dick who coached the Washington Bullets to a 1978 NBA Championship win 67 Comedian Izzard 68 Director Guillermo ___ Toro 69 Caricatured 70 Like some cavefish

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1 Gordie and Elias, for two 2 Time’s Person of the Year for 2008 and 2012 3 “___ This Earth” (1957 sci-fi film) 4 12th of 12, briefl y 5 Briquette remnant 6 “Stanley & Iris” director Martin 7 “Straight Outta Compton” star ___ Jackson, Jr. 8 Bitterly harsh 9 Grumpy companion? 10 Really specialized knowledge 11 Diplomatic quality 12 Nevada city on the Humboldt River 14 Ike’s monogram 17 Archie Bunker’s wife 18 Former Senate Majority Leader Trent 23 Qts. and gals., e.g.

24 Monotonous routine 26 Publicity, slangily (and presumably before computers) 28 Fail to keep a secret 29 Big surprise 31 Oil cartel since 1960 32 Cutty ___ (Scotch brand) 33 Day-to-day deterioration 34 “New Adventures in ___” (1996 R.E.M. album) 35 Like a family tree’s roots? 36 Tesla founder Musk 40 “Likely story!” 42 “Isn’t it rich / Are ___ pair” (“Send in the Clowns” lyric) 43 Wrap completely around 44 ___-Meal (longtime hot cereal brand) 45 December 24th or 31st, e.g. 47 Mushroom stalk 50 Bring joy to 52 “America’s Got Talent” judge Klum 53 Maximum poker bet 54 Gave props on Facebook 55 Blown away 56 Scruff of the neck 58 Abbr. before a cornerstone date 59 Jefferson Davis’s gp. 62 Daytime ABC show, for short 63 It’s a few pages after 4-Down 64 1550, on some hypothetical cornerstone

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): “I am my own muse,” wrote painter Frida Kahlo. “I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to know better.” Would you consider trying out this perspective for a while, Aries? If so, you might generate a few ticklish surprises. You may be led into mysterious areas of your psyche that had previously been off-limits. You could discover secrets you’ve been hiding from yourself. So what would it mean to be your own muse? What exactly would you do? Here are some examples. Flirt with yourself in the mirror. Ask yourself impertinent, insouciant questions. Have imaginary conversations with the person you were three years ago and the person you’ll be in three years.

peace and stillness in a sanctuary? Can you sense the rewards that will become available if you pay reverence to influences that nurture your wild soul? I hope you’ll be working on projects like these in the coming weeks, Leo. You’ll be in a phase when the single most important gift you can give yourself is to remember what you’re made of and how you got made.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Louisa May Alcott wrote a novel entitled A Long Fatal Love Chase, which was regarded as too racy to be published until a century after her death. “In the books I read, the sinners are more interesting than the saints,” says Alcott’s heroine, Rosamund, “and in real life people are dismally dull.” I boldly predict that in the TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Happiness comes from getting what you want,” said poet coming months, Virgo, you won’t provide evidence to support Rosamund’s views. You’ll Stephen Levine, whereas joy comes “from be even more interesting than you usually being who you really are.” According to my analysis, the coming weeks will bear a higher are, and will also gather more than your usual quota of joy and self-worth — but without potential for joy than for happiness. I’m not saying you won’t get anything you want. But having to wake up even once with your clothes torn and your head lying in a gutter I do suspect that focusing on getting what you want might sap energy from the venture after a night of forlorn debauchery. that’s more likely to thrive: an unprecedented awakening to the truth of who you really are. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): A woman I know, Caeli La, was thinking about relocating from Denver to Brooklyn. She journeyed across GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Sigmund country and visited a prime neighborhood in Freud was a medical doctor who laid the groundwork for psychoanalysis. Throughout her potential new headquarters. Here’s what she reported on her Facebook page: “In the the twentieth century, his radical, often last three days, I’ve seen three different men outrageous ideas were a major influence on separate occasions wearing sundresses. on Western culture. When Freud was 50, he discovered a brilliant psychiatrist who would So this is definitely the right place for me.” What sort of signs and omens would tell you become his prize pupil: Carl Jung. When the what you need to do to be in the right place two men first met in Vienna in 1907, they conversed without a break for 13 consecutive at the right time, Libra? I urge you to be on the lookout for them in the coming weeks. hours. According to my reading of the Life will be conspiring to provide you with astrological omens, you could experience clues about where you can feel at peace, at a comparable immersion sometime soon: home, and in the groove. a captivating involvement with a new influence, a provocative exchange that enchants you, or a fascinating encounter that SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Simon & Garfunkel released their first album in shifts your course. October 1964. It received only a modest amount of airplay. The two musicians were CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the next twelve months, I hope to help you track down so discouraged that they stopped working together. Then Bob Dylan’s producer Tom new pleasures and amusements that teach Wilson got permission to remix “The Sounds you more about what you want out of life. I will also be subtly reminding you that all the of Silence,” a song on the album. He added rock instruments and heavy echo to Simon world’s a stage, and will advise you on how to raise your self-expression to Oscar-worthy & Garfunkel’s folk arrangement. When the levels. As for romance, here’s my prescription tune was re-released in September 1965, it became a huge hit. I bring this to your between now and October 2018: The more compassion you cultivate, the more personal attention, Scorpio, because I suspect you’re now at a point comparable to the time just love you will enjoy. If you lift your generosity before Tom Wilson discovered the potential to a higher octave, there’ll be another perk, of “The Sounds of Silence.” too: You will be host to an enhanced flow of creative ideas. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): “Consider LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Are you interested in how hard it is to change yourself,” wrote author Jacob M. Braude, “and you’ll diving down to explore the mysterious and understand what little chance you have in evocative depths? Would you be open to trying to change others.” Ninety-nine percent spending more time than usual cultivating

of the time, I’d advise you and everybody else to surrender to that counsel as if it were an absolute truth. But I think you Sagittarians will be the exception to the rule in the coming weeks. More than usual, you’ll have the power to change yourself. And if you succeed, your self-transformations will be likely to trigger interesting changes in people around you. Here’s another useful tip, also courtesy of Jacob M. Braude: “Behave like a duck. Keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddle like the devil underneath.” CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): In 1969, two earthlings walked on the moon for the first time. To ensure that astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed there and returned safely, about 400,000 people labored and cooperated for many years. I suspect that in the coming months, you may be drawn to a collaborative project that’s not as ambitious as NASA’s, but nevertheless fueled by a grand plan and a big scope. And according to my astrological calculations, you will have even more ability than usual to be a driving force in such a project. Your power to inspire and organize group efforts will be at a peak. AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): I predict your ambitions will burn more steadily in the coming

months, and will produce more heat and light than ever before. You’ll have a clearer conception of exactly what it is you want to accomplish, as well as a growing certainty of the resources and help you’ll need to accomplish it. Hooray and hallelujah! But keep this in mind, Aquarius: As you acquire greater access to meaningful success — not just the kind of success that merely impresses other people — you’ll be required to take on more responsibility. Can you handle that? I think you can. PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): What’s your top conspiracy theory? Does it revolve around the Illuminati, the occult group that is supposedly plotting to abolish all nations and create a world government? Or does it involve the stealthy invasion by extraterrestrials who are allegedly seizing mental control over human political leaders and influencing them to wage endless war and wreck the environment? Or is your pet conspiracy theory more personal? Maybe you secretly believe, for instance, that the difficult events you experienced in the past were so painful and debilitating that they will forever prevent you from fulfilling your fondest dream. Well, Pisces. I’m here to tell you that whatever conspiracy theory you most tightly embrace is ready to be disproven once and for all. Are you willing to be relieved of your delusions?

THIS MODERN WORLD by Tom Tomorrow

sacurrent.com • October 18-24 2017 • CURRENT 57

CURRENT • October 18-24, 2017 • sacurrent.com