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FIRST WORDS

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Texas Congressman Al Green CoSponsors First Article of Impeachment Against Trump: Love the Snowflakes in July. — Samuel Velez Report Clears SAPD of Wrongdoing in Marquise Jones Shooting Investigation: Wow, I’m glad everybody charged with investigating this, who’s jobs are literally to investigate this, came up with one answer, but despite all the investigation and evidence, we don’t believe it. — Warren Findley TABC Approves “Clusterfuck IPA” During Actual, Agency-Wide Clusterfuck: Someone please create a GoFundMe account to send a ton of this to the White House and a keg just for the “president”. — Daniel Cantu • Send your thoughts, comments, kudos or tips to letters@sacurrent.com

Issue 17_29 /// July 19-25, 2017

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NEWS

Fatal Errors Review of SAPD’s investigation into Marquise Jones shooting answers little

Friends in Fraud Federal judge says Sen. Uresti’s attorney needs to step down

ARTS + CULTURE

Theater with a Mission Teatro Audaz carves a space for Latinx voices The Power of the Pen Gemini Ink Writers Conference champions transformation

ON THE

COVER We prepare our bellies for the fifth installment of Charc Week — which celebrates methods for curing and preserving food — with looks at boards to come from some of the city’s best restaurants.

Art direction by Sarah Flood-Baumann

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CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

FEATURE

Charc Attack Chefs are preserving more than meat during fifth annual Charc Week

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CALENDAR

Our top picks for the week

Lost Confidence Bexar County Republicans denounce House Speaker Joe Straus

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NIGHTLIFE

The Sweet Side of Social Media 3 bakeries that deliver the goods

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SCREENS

Space Oddity A new star shines in Valerian’s perplexing universe

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MUSIC

Get in the Pit! 10 bands you need to check out at Warped Tour this year Music Calendar What to see and hear this week

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FOOD

Food Court The Fridge rolls into the sunset, gelato at Baklovah and more

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ETC.

Savage Love Jonesin’ Crossword Freewill Astrology

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Celebrating 13 years!

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NEWS

ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

FATAL ERRORS

Review of SAPD's investigation into Marquise Jones shooting answers little

JOHN MATA

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The gun was too rusty. They didn’t have the right forensic tools. It went against protocol. Another black man had been shot and killed a few states over. It just “fell through the cracks.”

These were some of the explanations San Antonio Police Department officers gave when asked why the department waited nearly two years before looking for fingerprints on a gun — a key piece of evidence in a fatal shooting by a SAPD cop. These answers were the result of an independent review of how the city, and specifically, its cops, handled the investigation that followed the February 2014 shooting death of 23-year-old Marquise Jones by SAPD officer Robert Encina.

The review was originally requested by the city earlier this year as a gesture of “full transparency” at the end of Encina’s contentious trial, and conducted by a private San Antonio law firm unaffiliated with the city. However, when the review was finalized in June, the city decided to withhold the entire report from the public and press. The majority of the report was only made public July 10 after a lawyer for the San Antonio Express-News challenged the decision.

Filled with contradicting testimony and unconfirmed claims, the report — which clears SAPD of any wrongdoing — shines a light on the inner workings of the city’s law enforcement agency and finds a department fraught with communication issues, unorganized investigations, and a lot of “I don’t knows.” These hiccups are often expected in a large-scale bureaucratic agency. But this time, they contributed to the bungling of a high-profile case that left a young father dead, a cop cleared of criminal charges, and a community unsure who to trust.

Officer Encina was working an off-duty security job at a northeast side Chacho's restaurant the morning he shot Jones. Encina had stopped a car in the drive-thru lane, suspecting the driver was intoxicated, and Jones was sitting in the passenger seat. No one’s certain why this stop prompted Jones to jump out of the car and start running away from the scene — maybe it was because he was violating probation, or that he had cocaine in his system at the time.

But Encina didn’t know any of this when he decided to fire eight bullets at Jones as he ran. One of the bullets hit the him in the back, lacerating the right atrium of his heart and killing him instantly. Encina told fellow SAPD cops at the scene that morning that Jones was holding a silver or chrome revolver in

his hand when he hopped out of the car. Encina said he truly feared for his life.

The gun was later found some 25 feet away from where Jones had collapsed on the pavement. Police say he must have thrown the gun while he was dying. This weapon quickly became the focal point of the investigation.

Five witnesses on the scene said they saw no gun, including a man parked right next to the car Jones jumped out of, who testified at trial that Encina ran up to him right after the shooting, repeatedly asking, "You seen a gun right?" He hadn’t. In court, Jones’ lawyers implied that the gun had been planted, pointing to a photo of the drive-thru scene that day where the weapon was missing. That gun wasn’t fingerprinted until January 2016 for unclear reasons — and by that point crime lab technicians said it had “been handled by too many hands” to provide any evidence.

Regardless, a grand jury voted not to indict Encina in December 2015, and a federal jury sided with Encina in an April wrongful-death lawsuit filed by Jones’ family.

But cloudy testimony by officers and the city about when the gun was actually fingerprinted — and why — left lawyers and the public demanding more answers. Some sensed a cover-up within the department. The city was confident its independent report would put these suspicions to bed (that is, before they decided to keep it from the public).

In the report, lawyer Kevin Watson interviewed nine members of law enforcement involved in the Jones case, and each had a slightly different story when asked why the gun wasn’t fingerprinted right away. He concluded, however, that SAPD’s investigation “creates no suspicion of any misconduct, tampering of evidence or wrongdoing.”

Detective Brian Peters, who gathered evidence and photographs at the crime scene, said the gun was too rusty and too old to “yield any results from testing.” He told Watson that he packaged the weapon for later testing at the crime lab, but didn't know why it took years for that testing to take place. According to the report, Sergeant James Estrada, who was also present at the crime scene later that morning, said that it was “the intention” to process the gun for DNA and fingerprints, but officers didn’t have the right equipment to do so. Also asked by Watson why it took two years for the gun to be fingerprinted, Estrada said it simply “fell through the cracks.”

“The Sergeant stated that it is ‘human nature’ for things to sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 9

NEWS

DONNA BURTON // FLICKR

fall through the cracks sometimes,” the report reads.

Josep De Alcaraz-Fossoul, a fingerprint expert and lecturer on the scientific analysis of crime scenes at Arizona State University, said that taking the evidence to a lab before testing for DNA or fingerprints is normal police protocol. But while he’s unfamiliar with rust’s effect on fingerprints, he said that fingerprints are incredibly resilient and it's unusual to find a substance that they aren’t left behind on.

“They can resist high temperatures, they can resist rain,” he said. “And they stay there on an object for a while.”

De Alcaraz-Fossoul said that based on his prior experience as a crime scene investigator, it’s rare to not find a fingerprint on a gun. Even if it’s just a partial print, which is what’s commonly picked up on a handgun.

However, Detective R. Hines, the lead homicide detective on the Jones case, told Watson that the gun’s handle was too textured to make it worth a finerprint test.

He also claimed that the investigation itself was stalled by the Bexar County District Attorney because of Michael Brown’s death by police in Ferguson, Missouri

up. It shows you the expense the city and attorneys will go through to cover up wrongdoing,” Washington said.

“What I gathered from it was a bunch of 'I don't knows,' a lot of excuses, and yet the investigators cleared them of any wrongdoing. What kind of transparency is that?”

Watson’s report clashes with the one presented

by Jerry Staton, a former Austin police detective who Washington hired to review SAPD’s investigation during the federal trial. At the time, Staton told the jury that, more likely than not, multiple SAPD officers “tried to conceal evidence in this investigation that would have contradicted Encina’s version of events.”

The evidence described in Watson’s report also clashes with what Washington heard at trial — like how police witnesses described a “bright shiny gun” on the stand, not something old and rusty. He said the report clearly shows him how SAPD has a history and accepted protocol of covering up messy cases to protect police officers.

“Frankly, it insults the intelligence of the citizens of San Antonio,” he said.

ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

in the United States are dark, often riddled with death threats from drug cartels, gangs and corrupt law enforcement officials. But the callousness these families have faced from U.S. border officials at the U.S.-Mexico border in the past year has become equally cruel, according to the immigration rights organizations that filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government July 12.

The complaint accuses U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers of systematically denying BORDER Border patrol hit with asylum to hundreds of immigrants with legitimate, lawsuit for turning away life-threatening reasons to fear returning to their COPS asylum-eligible refugees home country. Filed in a California federal court by IN COURT at U.S. border the American Immigration Council and Council for Constitutional Rights, the suit says CBP has not only violated federal law by turning refugees away, but also Abigail’s husband disappeared in May after he breaks international human rights law. refused to let a Central Mexico drug cartel use “Asylum seekers...have fled persecution, violence his tractor-trailer to transport drugs. When she reported and death, and face grave and immediate danger to his disappearance to Mexico authorities, the same cartel their lives if denied access to the asylum process — abducted her and her two small children. If they wanted to a system specifically designed to protect refugees live, they told her, her family would have to leave Mexico. like them,” the complaint reads.

Dinora faced a similar threat in Honduras by gang The attorneys use anecdotal evidence from a members who had held her and her 17-year-old growing list of plaintiffs (including Abigail, Carolina daughter hostage for three days, repeatedly raping and Dinora) to back up their sweeping claims. each of them in front of the other. They were told they’d Multiple times, plaintiffs who arrived at a border be killed if they didn’t leave the country. entry point were allegedly told they didn’t qualify And after the body of Carolina’s brother-in-law, a for asylum. They were warned that if they crossed high-ranking police officer, was found dismembered the border, they’d be thrown in jail — and their kids in several garbage bags in Mexico, she and her three dispersed among foster homes. Some were told young children also fled the country in fear of their lives. to ask the Mexican government for help, or forced The stories that drive Latino citizens to seek asylum to sign unclear all-English documents, or to testify

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(which happened six months after Jones’ death), since it was a “racially motivated crime.” It’s unclear why this would have impacted Jones investigation — or which district attorney Hines was referring to, since the position changed hands during the first year of the case, from Susan Reed to current DA Nico LaHood.

“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” LaHood told the Current. “I get it, maybe himself or other people at SAPD were under fire ... So maybe that’s an instinct he had to differ attention. I have no idea.”

LaHood said he doesn’t have any reason to believe the cops intentionally hid information about the gun or were part of a coordinated cover-up.

“Could things have been done better? Obviously. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out,” he said.

“But that doesn’t mean things were done maliciously wrong, to cover stuff up.”

The Jones family lawyer, Daryl Washington, disagreed, calling the report “laughable” in an interview with the Current .

“Makes me more sure than ever that there was a cover-

CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

in front of a video camera that they actually didn’t want asylum. Other border patrol agents falsely told them that the U.S. was no longer accepting asylum requests from Central America or that “Donald Trump just signed new laws saying there is no asylum for anyone.”

The actual law that allows asylum, called the Immigration and Nationality Act, gives any noncitizen who arrives in the U.S. the right to apply for asylum. An individual's access to the asylum process, according to the complaint, is “not discretionary.”

“CBP officials themselves are not authorized to evaluate, grant or reject an individual’s asylum claim,” it reads. It’s the job of an asylum official, not a border patrol agent to decides if an asylum-seekers fear is credible, Immigration attorneys across the country (not just those who filed suit) have tracked a significant increase in CBP’s disregard to asylum claims along the border in just the past year. But the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, who oversees CBP, said in a July 12 statement that nothing has changed in the way the department handles asylum cases.

Since the attorneys behind the case believe there are hundreds of immigrants who’ve been illegally turned away at the border, they’re asking the federal judge to give their case class action status.

“Given these systematic violations, which are occurring in the midst of the Trump administration’s broader attacks on immigrants, the courts must take on their duty and order the administration simply to follow the law,” said Center for Constitutional Rights Legal Director Baher Azmy in a statement.

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> State Senator Carlos Uresti, who is facing federal fraud charges for his involvement in a Ponzi scheme, has been told to find a new attorney in his case. The reason? His lawyer played a key role in Uresti's alleged crime.

When he's not at the Capitol, Uresti runs a private law firm in San Antonio. In May, Uresti was indicted on 11 counts by a federal grand jury for recruiting his past clients to invest thousands (often the payout from cases Uresti helped them win) in a now-bankrupt frack sand company, FourWinds Logistics. Uresti received a hefty commission for each of the investors he signed on to back the San Antonio company.

One of those clients was Denise Cantu, a Harlingen woman whose exploding car tire caused a 2010 wreck that killed her 13-year-old daughter, 4-year-old son and two

FRIENDS IN FRAUD

Federal judge says Sen. Uresti's attorney needs to step down ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

COURTESY

LOST CONFIDENCE Bexar County Republicans denounce House Speaker Joe Straus ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

> A week before the Texas Legislature kicked off its special session, the Republican Party of Bexar County voted 36-28 to replace the current leader of the state House, San Antonio Rep. Joe Straus.

The resolution voted on Monday evening cites the "non-support of the RPT [Republican Party of Texas]

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friends. After winning her criminal case against Ford, Uresti convinced Cantu to invest $900,000 of her settlement money into FourSands.

She lost all but $100,000 — while Uresti pocketed a $27,000 commission for her recruitment.

Uresti then did one more favor: He referred Cantu's civil case to fellow San Antonio lawyer Mikal Watts, the same lawyer who Uresti chose to represent him in his current federal case. Which is where the case begins to tangle. Cantu is one of plaintiffs suing Uresti in this case, meaning Watts would eventually have to defend one client against another former client.

“The issue of divided loyalty is too great,” wrote U.S. Magistrate Judge Henry Bemporad in his July 10 ruling. Since these two cases are "substantially related," Bemporad

platform by the current incumbent" as reasoning for calling for Straus' removal. Not coincidently, the group also voted in support of Gov. Greg Abbott's special session agenda, underscoring the importance of passing what Republicans call the "privacy act." The rest of the public knows this as the "bathroom bill," a measure that would prohibit transgender Texans from using any public bathroom that matches their gender identity (most of these bathrooms are in schools).

Straus ended the regular session in a dramatic stalemate with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick over the contentious Senate Bill 6, refusing to let the Senate's version pass through the House as-is.

Instead, state representatives tweaked the bill to mandate schools create single-occupancy bathrooms and changing rooms. Patrick, however, rejected the House's watered-down version of his SB 6. Far more reserved than talk radio veteran Patrick, Straus spent most of the session dodging questions about the bill.

Until the very last week.

"For many of us — and especially for me — this was a compromise,” Straus told reporters at a May 26 press conference, referring to the House's version of the bill.

“As far as I’m concerned, it was enough. We will go no further. This is the right thing to do in order to protect our economy from billions of dollars in losses and more importantly to protect the safety of some very vulnerable young Texans.”

In a July 10 New Yorker article, Straus went further, saying that when he received the final text of SB 6

said the conflict of interest in this particular case overrules Uresti's right to pick his own counsel. Bemporad said it was one of the hardest decisions he had ever made as a judge, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

This isn't Watts' first brush with fraud charges — he represented himself in a 2013 federal case charging him with fabricating a client list in order to win a $2 billion class-action lawsuit against BP for damages from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Watts was acquitted in 2016.

Watts plans on appealing the judge's decision within the next 28 days, arguing that since it was too "difficult" a decision for Bemporad to make, constitutional law should override the conflict of interest claim.

If Watts' appeal fails, Uresti will be required to use a public defender.

he told the Senator who delivered it to his office: “I’m disgusted by all this. Tell the lieutenant governor I don’t want the suicide of a single Texan on my hands."

This kind of opposition to Patrick's ultra-conservative SB 6, a bill the Bexar County Republicans voted to support in the July special session, is probably why the group soured to the longtime House Speaker.

Despite being unanimously reelected to lead the House in January, Straus has made enemies in the capitol's far-right contingent this past session. While Bexar Republicans were voting against the House leader last Monday, conservative state lawmakers shared similar concerns at a Tarrant County Tea Party meeting.

"Leadership in the Texas House failed you this session," Rep. Tony Tinderholt, an Arlington Republican, told the crowd that same night, according to Texas Tribune reporter Cassandra Pollock. Asked if he'll reelect Rep. Straus next session, Tinderholt replied, "I'm hoping he's gone in the next few weeks."

The GOP's rejection of Straus for not being conservative enough marks a growing divide in the state Republican party — one that pits the more traditional Texas Republicans against the state lawmakers who rode in on the 2009 Tea Party wave. Or, Straus versus Patrick.

But Bexar County Republicans' chair Patty Gibbons, who live-streamed the anti-Straus vote on Facebook, doesn't see a split.

"This is not infighting," she told her fellow party members during the vote. "This is democracy!

Democracy is messy."

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sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 13

COURTESY OF R PUBLIC RELATIONS

FEATURE

JESSICA ELIZARRARAS | @JESSELIZARRARAS

CHEFS ARE PRESERVING MORE THAN MEAT DURING 5TH ANNUAL CHARC WEEK

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If we’re to believe David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times, one must possess at least a bachelor's degree to enjoy a charcuterie board these days.

In his recent column, “How We Are Ruining America,” in which he tackled America’s upper-middle class culture, Mr. Brooks detailed a lunch with a friend who — gasp — only has a high school degree.

“Recently I took a friend with only a high school degree to lunch. Insensitively, I led her into a gourmet sandwich shop. Suddenly I saw her face freeze up as she was confronted with sandwiches named “Padrino” and “Pomodoro” and ingredients like soppressata, capicollo and a striata baguette. I quickly asked her if she wanted to go somewhere else and she anxiously nodded yes and we ate Mexican.”

Watch out, your privilege is showing.

Yet, in a city replete with Mexican restaurants and with a median income of $55,775 as of 2015 according to census numbers, San Antonio reserves a week in July to preserving the art of charcuterie.

Don’t be frightened or put off by the very French word for the techniques used to

FEATURE

their brains and chicharrón. These are vestigial implements for earmark ingredients and behaviors from a culture that was making do,” Sohocki said.

In order to take on the contemplative nature the week requires, the charc celebration usually takes place the last week of July when San Antonio restaurateurs hit a summertime lull and staffs can take a breath and dive deep into the subject. Participation in Charc Week does come with a set simple rules: “participating restaurants must be in control of their own menu; they must make everything on the plate (other than naturally occurring components like salt crystals or honey), and each plate has to have at least four meat or meat-like items.”

A portion of the proceeds is to be donated to the San Antonio Food Bank.

Participants include the usual suspects, and a few wild cards.

Because of storage limitations, Boiler House can’t carry a full list of charcuterie, so chef Jeff White and his staff use this time to go above and beyond. Expect a guanciale or pork jowl that’s been wetcured for two weeks, air-cured for another two weeks, and hung in a cooler before being fried up in thin strips and plated

by White and co., who uses the week to think outside the box. There’ll be a Tuscan finocchiona or fennel-infused sausage in the mix along with headcheese (a nondairy meat jelly made using the head of a calf of pig), rabbit country pâté, foie gras mousse and pork belly rillettes (similar to pâté but with chunks of meat instead of a smooth mixture).

“This is a chance to use the lesser appreciated parts of an animal — head, trotters, cow knuckles, ears, liver. It means we need people to come in with an open mind and get in there,” White said.

White and his staff cut through the richness of their boards with a list of accoutrements including red onion marmalade, green apple mustardo, lemon aioli, honeycomb, candied pecans and pickles (pro-tip: don’t miss the pickled cauliflower).

The restaurant group led by Andrew Goodman and Stefan Bowers is sharing a whole 300-pound pig from South Texas Heritage Pork of Floresville. Owned by Mark and Kelley Escobedo, the ranch

JESSICA ELIZARRARAS

cure and preserve meat products before refrigerators were a staple in each home.

Indeed, charcuterie hearkens back to much, much, much simpler times — though not always easier.

“We have given up what our grandmother, grandfather, tribe, or community used to know and took convenience instead. We enjoy that in the short term, and no one is cognizant of the fact that this is the heritage you’re leaving for your children,” said founder chef Michael Sohocki.

Let me tell you, there are only a few things more stressful than having a James Beard-nominated chef rummage through your work fridge during an interview to pull out a deli turkey wrapper as a way to stress our declining food legacy.

Charc Week, which Sohocki launched in 2012, is a way to honor those traditions born out of need that have been lost since the Industrial Revolution. The subject matter is so important to the chef that he opened his first restaurant, Restaurant Gwendolyn, with a kitchen almost completely devoid of modern electronic appliances.

“We need to take people who are asleep at the wheel,” Sohocki said while on the subject of cultural amnesia, “and have them sit up and think not how, but about the why.”

For Sohocki, who works with a rancher out of Fredericksburg to procure whole pigs, using the entire animal is key.

Back when our great-grandparents would butcher an animal, he argues, the community would “get while the getting was good” and then save the remaining bits and pieces to enjoy in months when meat and produce weren’t always accessible.

“Animals come to us whole. Charcuterie is a commitment of many months or years of that person who tended to the animal, that land, the grass it ate, the tender leaflets at the tips of tree branches — all those things are concentrated in an animal or plant … ” That means getting down to the nitty-gritty of the pig, lamb, goat and making do with the skin, the liver, the hearts, the head of the animal. The uses for saving these bits and pieces don't always boil down to sausage.

“They come down to us in the form of casing on the outside of sausage.

Scotland has its haggis, Mexicans have

Battalion

focuses on heritage breeds. This terrific pig, a 2-year-old Tamworth and English Large Black cross, was dropped off in the same firehouse where Mark’s grandfather worked as a firefighter. The staff broke down the pig Monday afternoon and went on to divvy up sections for charcuterie boards at Battalion, Feast and Rebelle.

“I don’t want these guys to think of charcuterie as cool — it’s what you’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to honor the whole pig,” Bowers said.

Jared Smith, executive chef at Feast shared his strategy. “We’ll probably go with one to three-day cures and full-cooked charcuterie. We can’t get into more challenging methods because of time and space,” Smith said, while noting items that might make the board including sausages and pâté along with pickled cabbage, pickled quail eggs, and mustard.

Boards will vary in price — a new tier was added this year so expect to pay either $15 or $25 — but look for variation by cuisine. Il Forno’s Jason Garcia will prepare nduja (a spicy spreadable salumi), porchetta di testa (essentially a pig head that’s deboned, marinated, rolled, tied, braised and sous vide), lardo (cured backfat), and pancetta (Italian bacon) along with pickles and spreads found at the South Flores shop. Chris Cullum will take his burger concept and deconstruct it to make a “transformer board” with grilled milk bread, Attaboy bacon, charred tomato aioli, brown

Alamo mustard, sweet onion marmalade, Attaboy pickles and possibly a burger sausage. Toro Kitchen + Bar will lean Spanish, while Kimura heads east, and El Machito looks to chorizos and other Mexican delights.

Perhaps the most surprising addition comes by way of Chocollazo. Owner Mary Collazo will tackle a dessert charc board that includes Texas Black Gold garlic ice cream with a drizzle of vanilla, honey and dark chocolate flecks; smoked caramel; a chocolate soil made of almonds, chocolate and salt; brûléed figs with chocolate balsamic pearls; and a chocolate salami made with dense chocolate ganache filled with pistachios and dried fruit, rolled in powdered sugar and tied off to look like a sausage; and finally pizzelles, snowflakelike Italian cookies that she hopes eaters will use as their “bread.”

You won’t need a bachelor’s to enjoy these boards, but you will need a serious dose of curiosity for how the sausage, pâté, rillettes, and pickles are made.

“As a culture, we have reached a point where we’re so far from where things come from and how they’re made and who made them and what it took to make them,” Sohocki said. “We don’t remember and therefore have no ways to appreciate the pains farmers took, bakers took, cheesemakers, butchers …”

It’s time we remember.

Charc Week runs July 24 through 30 at participating restaurants.

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CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

FEATURE

KODY MELTON

RON BECHTOL

CIDERS, PORTS AND MORE TO PAIR WITH YOUR BOARDS

COURTESY OF R PUBLIC RELATIONS

Downstairs at Esquire

Biga on the Banks

Before refrigeration, drying and salt-curing was a way of feeding both high and low on the hog (or other critter) through winter and spring. Today, pearly slivers of chestnut-fed swine seem more like luxury products, to be turned out by obsessed artisan types and sold in precious portions on elaborate charcuterie boards.

So we especially appreciate the efforts of Charc Week to shine a broader spotlight on the craft. And we’d like to expand on those efforts by suggesting that there are liquid accompaniments that will make your charc sessions even more rewarding. All below are available by the glass.

Brandon Waddell is the special events chef at Biga on the Banks, a restaurant that doesn’t do charcuterie.

But restaurants are required to make everything they serve for this event, and he and his teammates are fully into it this year. “We’re using the wine room to cure [different products],” he says.

Look for wild boar salami with sage and fennel, pressed pork belly, a duck breast prosciutto … “and maybe something smoked on the mesquite-pellet smoker.”

Waddell’s chicken liver pâté with white port, brandy and amontillado suggests its own pairing: white port (the bar is bringing it on for the week) or one of the drier sherries by the glass. For the duck and boar, think the impressive Il Fauno blend of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon from charc-happy Tuscany.

A lot of beautiful charcuterie comes off

of that snazzy, red slicer at Bliss — but none of it is made in-house. Charc Week gives chef de cuisine Tony Hernandez the opportunity to remedy that. “We’re doing a pork pâté with peppercorn and bay, a seafood terrine with mint marigold with maybe a little chorizo ‘for bite,’ some smoked beef tongue … ” What to match to all this? Consider the lilting Italian Contadi Costaldi rosé sparkler. An August Kessler Riesling Kabinett with just a whisper of sweetness would be great with almost everything — including accompaniments. For red lovers, there’s the beautifully flexible High Head Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast.

For the charc board at Downstairs beneath The Esquire, chef Brooke Smith routinely makes almost everything in house. Bar manager Hank Cathey has had lots of experience with pairings — and he doesn’t stop at wine. “I also like to suggest ciders,” he says, pouring a small glass of the Isastegi Sagardo Naturala from Spain’s Basque region.

“I recommend sherry as often as people will let me,” he also confesses — indicating the Gonzalo Byass Tio Pepe Fino en Rama. But one advantage of his list is that 3-ounce pours are also available, so you can match wines to specifi c parts of the plate. A dry pinot noir rosé from Germany comes to mind.

So does a Muscadet Sevre et Maine whose brightness cuts across fatty meats like a knife. There will be many to consider. Go crazy.

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 17

EARTH, WIND & FIRE CHIC feat. NILE RODGERS

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CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

FEATURE

IMAGES COURTESY OF R PUBLIC RELATIONS

PRICES LISTED WHEN AVAILABLE SAN ANTONIO Antlers Lodge-Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort and Spa // 9800 Hyatt Resort Drive, (210) 520-4011, hyatt.com Battalion // 604 S. Alamo St., (210) 816-0088, battalionsa.com, Biga on the Banks // 203 S. St. Mary’s St., (210) 225-0722, biga.com Bite // 1012 S. Presa St., (210) 532-2551, biterestaurantsa.com, $15-$25 Bliss // 926 S. Presa St., (210) 225-2547, foodisbliss.com, $25 Boiler House Texas Grill & Wine Garden // 312 Pearl Pkwy., (210) 354-4644, boilerhousesa.com, $25 Chocollazo // 4013 Broadway, (210) 776-3963, chocollazo.com, $15 The Cookhouse // 720 E. Mistletoe Ave., (210) 320-8211, cookhouserestaurant.com Crossroads Kitchen // 517 E. Woodlawn Ave., facebook.com/crossroadkitchen

Ostra // 212 W. Crockett St., (210) 396-5817, omnihotels.com Rebelle // 300 E. Travis St., (210) 352-3171, rebellesa.com Restaurant Gwendolyn // 152 E. Pecan St., Suite 100, (210) 222-1849, restaurantgwendolyn.com

Sage at The Brooklynite // 516 Brooklyn Ave., (210) 504-9261, facebook.com/sagesavorysa, $15 Signature // 16401 La Cantera Pkwy., (210) 247-0176, destinationhotels.com/signaturerestaurant Southerleigh Fine Food and Brewery // 136 E. Grayson St., Suite 120, (210) 455-5701, southerleigh.com Toro Kitchen + Bar // 115 N. 1604 E., Suite 1105, (210) 592-1075, torokitchenandbar.com, $25 The Well // 5539 UTSA Blvd., (210) 877-9099, thewellsanantonio.com, $15-$25

Cullum’s Attagirl // 726 E. Mistletoe Ave., (210) 437-4263, facebook.com/cullumsattagirl

BOERNE

Edera Osteria Enoteca // 1903 San Pedro Ave., (210) 530-1111, ederaosteria.com, $15-$25

Little Gretel // 518 River Road, (830) 331-1368, littlegretel.com, $15-$25

El Machito // 7300 Jones Maltsberger Road, (210) 314-3971, chefjohnnyhernandez.com/ elmachito

AUSTIN

Embassy Suites-Riverwalk // 125 E. Houston St., (210) 226-9000, embassysuites3.hilton.com Esquire Tavern // 155 E Commerce St., (210) 222-2521, esquiretavern-sa.com, $25

Contigo // 2027 Anchor Lane, (512) 614-2260, contigotexas.com/restaurant, $25 Chicon // 1914 E. 6th St., (512) 354-1480, $15 Jacoby’s http://contigotexas.com/chicon

Feast // 1024 S Alamo St., (210) 354-1024, feastsa.com

HOUSTON

The Granary ’Cue & Brew // 602 Avenue A, (210) 228-0124, thegranarysa.com, $25

Revival Market // 550 Heights Blvd., (713) 8808463, agricolehospitality.com, $15

Grayze // 521 E Grayson St., (210) 481-8776, grayzeongrayson.com, $25 Il Forno // 122 Nogalitos St., (210) 616-2198, ilfornosa.com Kimura // 152 E. Pecan St., Suite 102, (210) 444-0702, kimurasa.com

Battalion

Rosella Coffee Co. // 203 E. Jones Ave., Suite 101, (210) 277-8574, rosellacoffee.com, $15

ORLANDO Capa and Ravello // Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort, 10100 Dream Tree Blvd., Lake Buena Vista, (407) 3136868, fourseasons.com/orlando, $15-$25

Rosella Coffee Co.

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 19

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‘Art in Pop Culture’

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OUR TOP PICKS FOR THE WEEK

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Backstage at Oz THEATER The Woodlawn Pointe company has been bringing LGBT and alternative theater to San Antonio since their opening of The Golden Glee Club. Their latest production, Backstage at Oz, is a musical comedy “about the antics of a group of actors taking part in a stage production of The Wizard of Oz.” The show follows actors playing Dorothy and co. when their production of Oz is interrupted by a strike by the Munchkins, who demand “bigger pay for little people.” The play-withina-play features characters like a Shakespearean actor who believes his role of Oz is

MAGIC

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beneath him, a drunk who plays the Cowardly Lion, and an unlikely pair playing Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch. Moreover, the beloved Scarecrow pulls out due to a straw allergy, and Dorothy follows through with the part despite her breasts being too large. Written by Bernard J. Taylor, the play makes its debut in a production directed

by Dave Cortez with artistic input from Greg Hinojosa. $15-$20, 8pm Thu-Sat, Jul 20-22 8pm, 3 & 7pm Sun, Jul 23, Woodlawn Pointe Theatres, 702 Donaldson Ave., brownpapertickets.com.

— Kelsey Valadez

Over the last 20 years, revolutionary magician and illusionist David Blaine has tried to prove to onlookers that he’s not human. Since coming onto the scene in 1997 with his first TV special Street Magic, Blaine has been buried alive inside a plastic coffin, encased in a six-ton block of ice for more than 63 hours, balanced himself on a pillar 100 David feet off the ground for a day and a half without a safety net, gone on a 44-day fast, held Blaine his breath for a world-record-breaking 17 minutes and four seconds and performed other unexplainable, body-testing feats of survival — all in the name of entertainment. We’re still not sure he’ll be able to withstand the scorching Texas heat when he makes his way to San Antonio on Wednesday, but we’re pulling for him. Along with the insane level of endurance the man/ warlock has displayed, his magic tricks are just as jaw-dropping. Three of his specials are currently streaming on Netflix (Street Magic, 2010’s What Is Magic? and 2013’s Real or Magic) if you want to get a glimpse of his sorcery before seeing him live. $29-$171.45, 8pm, The Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Kiko Martinez

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DAVID BLAINE

Connecting the dots between Pop Art and its older, more politically inclined older sister Dada, the City of San Antonio’s Arts & Culture department’s group show “MetaDada: High Art for the POPulace” presents works by 11 local artists in an intriguing format that tinkers with scale and turns the gallery walls into works of art in their own right. Second in a quartet of programs inspired by the exhibition, “Art in Pop Culture” takes shape in a screening revisiting especially artsy episodes of the retro sitcoms The Jeffersons, The Golden Girls and Good Times.. Aside from these blasts from the past and extended viewing hours of “MetaDada,” the free gathering sweetens the deal with an Andy Warhol-inspired performance from local wildcard Raul Gonzalez and music from the delightfully eclectic mind of former Alamo City resident DJ Jester the Filipino Fist. Free, 7-9pm, Culture Commons, 115 Plaza de Armas, (210) 206-2787, getcreativesanantonio.com. — Bryan Rindfuss SPECIAL EVENT

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Listen: If you saw A.J.’s name and got excited and you already know, quit reading this description and get yourself tickets RTFN, ’cause they’re selling out fast. If you need some extra context for why THU-SUN you might wanna pay for the privilege of seeing this former Oakland Raiderette-turned-Mad TV-alum, aka former King Burgeremployee-turned-whatever-it-is-she’sdoing-now Bon Qui Qui (checkout her “Homegirl Saccurity Company”) — let alone paying double the door price to meet her in person after the show — stream her specials Not Fancy and The Homecoming Show on Netflix and then hope there’s some tickets left by the time you get done.

Then you’ll just have to pay for whatever’s available. Consider that your you-ain’t-already-know tax. $36-$72, 8pm & 10:15pm Thu, 7:30pm & 10pm Fri, 7pm & 9:15pm Sat, 7pm Sun, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, lolsanantonio.com. — Jeremy Martin COMEDY

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Deception by Design

Anjelah Johnson

FILM Described as “a critical look at digital escapism and current control techniques of our ongoing spectacular society,” Blue Star Contemporary’s “Augmented Reality” unites six artists who creatively mine the intersections of visual art and the technology. Opened in June and on view through September, the group show shares “parallel themes and practices” with Deception by Design — a 2015 Australian documentary screening in conjunction with BSC’s Film Friday program. A project five years in the making, the hour-long doc investigates the “critical but little-known role” artists have played in warfare through the development of camouflage and other forms of visual trickery.

Although first proposed by 19th-century American artist and naturalist Abbott Thayer, camouflage first emerged in the military realm during WWI-era France, where camoufleurs hand-painted cloaks designed to mesh with natural surroundings. Besides outfitting soldiers, these artists also obscured potential targets — building artificial suburbs atop aircraft factories and even papier-mâché horse carcasses for snipers to hide inside — and creatively confused enemy submarines by painting thousands of warships with striking patterns inspired by Cubism and other art movements. Informed by more than 20 interviews with camouflage experts, historians and camofleurs, Deception by Design sheds light on the roles of an array of extraordinary characters, including Retired Lieutenant Colonel Timothy O’Neill (considered the father of digital camouflage), Hyperstealth Biotechnology Inc. CEO Guy Cramer (whose “quantum stealth” invisibility cloak “is so top secret, that no one is allowed to see it”) and anti-surveillance designer Adam Harvey (who creates “anti-drone” garments that hide wearers from infra-red surveillance). Free, 6pm, Blue Star Contemporary, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, bluestarart.org. — BR

FILM

Furthering the argument that San Antonio Museum of Art’s Family Flicks series is probably one of the best things you can do for/with your kiddos (or yourself, your friends, etc.) this summer, the latest installment features the French-Belgian animated film Zarafa, directed by Rémi Bezançon and Jean-Christophe Lie. In this touching and occasionally heart-wrenching tale, young orphan Maki, who has been sold into slavery, befriends a giraffe named Zarafa, who is also an orphan. Through a bevy of enchanting and harrowing adventures, Maki and Zarafa prove to be each other’s strongest allies. This excellent movie, aside from being a pleasure to watch, can provide valuable insights into friendship, loneliness, otherness, family and even some of the darker realities of the world, like slavery and a slew of other abuses committed, all too often even today, with impunity in the face of a world that only seems just for certain select groups. Free, 8pm, San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org. — James Courtney

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PEPPA PIG’S SURPRISE

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 21

TUESDAY, JULY 25 7:30 PM Santikos Bijou

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD

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䄀圀䄀刀䐀匀 伀䘀䘀䔀刀䔀䐀 䄀猀猀漀挀椀愀琀攀 漀昀 䄀瀀瀀氀椀攀搀 匀挀椀攀渀挀攀 䌀攀爀琀椀昀椀挀愀琀攀 䴀愀爀欀攀琀愀戀氀攀 匀欀椀氀氀猀 䄀眀愀爀搀 䐀爀⸀ 䠀漀眀愀爀搀 䴀愀爀焀甀椀猀攀Ⰰ 倀爀漀最爀愀洀 䌀漀漀爀搀椀渀愀琀漀爀 ⠀㈀㄀ ⤀ 㐀㠀㘀ⴀ㐀㌀㔀㔀 簀 栀洀愀爀焀甀椀猀攀䀀愀氀愀洀漀⸀攀搀甀 一漀爀琀栀眀攀猀琀 嘀椀猀琀愀 䌀漀氀氀攀最攀 ㌀㔀㌀㔀 一⸀ 䔀氀氀椀猀漀渀 䐀刀 匀愀渀 䄀渀琀漀渀椀漀Ⰰ 吀堀 㜀㠀㈀㔀㄀ 愀氀愀洀漀⸀攀搀甀⼀渀瘀挀

CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

INFO: TPRCINEMA.ORG 800-622-8977

CALENDAR NIGHTLIFE

‘Documenting Black History’ SAT

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Babewatch!

The cowboy is one of the most identifiable symbols of North America, with its roots in Mexico’s vaqueros who herd livestock on horseback. Vaquero traditions quickly spread across the South, and are now deeply instilled in the identity and culture of the United States. The National Day of the Cowboy commemorates the American icon and Mexican mentors whose image “transcends time, gender, ethnicity, and geographic boundaries,” explains Briscoe Western Art Museum president and CEO Michael Duchemin. The third annual National Day of the Cowboy begins at high noon, featuring bilingual museum tours, cowboy demonstrations, arts and crafts, food, craft beer and more. The Railhouse Band will perform live country music during fun family activities including barrel racing, horseshoes and a “You’ll Shoot Your Eye Out” shooting gallery. Enjoy peach cobbler and biscuits served in the traditional cowboy style by Chuck Wagon C ooking, and cool down with free cold beer sponsored by Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling. Herd up the family and mosey on over to the Briscoe to discover fun facts and artifacts of the cowboy and vaquero lifestyle.

Free, noon-4pm, Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St., (210) 299-4499, briscoemuseum.org. — Kimberly Rivera

National Day of the Cowboy

MUSIC Back in October 2016, thanks to some lame grumbling (and perhaps a few legit gripes) from area residents, Float Fest was initially denied its permit for 2017 by Guadalupe County Commissioners. However, the permit was eventually granted, the haters brushed aside, and Float Fest, a weekend of music and (totally optional) tubing along the San Marcos River, is officially on for its fourth year (July 22-23). While this year’s lineup is overall the fest’s best so far — boasting more than 20 acts, including Weezer, MGMT, Cage the Elephant, Girl Talk, Neon Indian, Mac Miller, and more — we’re especially excited to catch Passion Pit in action. To be sure, the indietronic/psych-dance-pop act, which is essentially the solo project of Michael Angelakos, though he has a live backing band, probably belongs more in a dingy discotheque than along the banks of a river in Central Texas, but any chance to catch Passion Pit is a blessing. The act’s most recent release, and first since SAT Angelakos came out as gay in 2015, is the endlessly enjoyable, multi-faceted, and aptly-titled Tremendous Sea of Love.. If you haven’t had a chance to dig that album yet, consider it your mission to give it a few spins before Float Fest. You won’t be disappointed: It’s the perfect sweltering and sauntering summer sojourn. $60-$249, gates at 2pm, Cool River Ranch, 601 Dupuy Ranch Road, Martindale, floatfest.net. — JC

PHOTO CREDIT

BURLESQUE Summed up simply by online authority IMDB as “a cadre of attractive lifeguards patrol a crowded recreational beach,” the ’90s-era guilty pleasure Baywatch boosted the careers of actor/singer/drunken hamburger-eater David Hasselhoff and actress/Playboy Playmate/PETA supporter Pamela Anderson ... but is arguably best remembered for its slow-motion, boobybouncing running scenes. Evidenced by a recent boxoffice flop that unapologetically objectified costars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron, Baywatch boasts an odd brand of staying power that defies trends and taste. With a nod to the show’s apt nickname (not to mention a series of adult films), Stars and Garters Burlesque’s Babewatch! goes beyond the sexy lifeguard shtick to put a naughty spin on the playful beach party films of the 1960s (Beach Blanket Bingo, How to Stuff a Wild Bikini, Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, etc.). Showcasing the talents of S&G mainstays Suki Jones, Pystol Whips, Black Orchid and Coco Simone along with special guests Brian Gutierrez, Emma D’Lemma and Giselle J’Adore, the “two sexy shows on one sizzling summer night” combine classic striptease, burlesque, pole dance, variety performances, shimmying and shaking with audience participation opportunities — including a “rowdy” take on beach party limbo. $17-$25, 8pm & 10pm, Brick, 108 Blue Star, (432) 235-0414, starsandgartersburlesque.com. — BR

Additionally, the group is looking for volunteers to help with the gathering and compiling of artifacts and research that this important work requires. Whether you have something cool that your elders left lying around, you’re interested in helping with research, or you’re simply curious, Saturday is your chance to get involved in the essential work of documenting Black History in SA. Free, 11am-3pm, Carver Branch Library, 3350 E. Commerce St., (210) 207-9180, mysapl.org. — JC

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◀ The folks behind the fi lm Message to the People: A Story of Malcolm X are calling San Antonians to be a part of their current project, “a new documentary fi lm celebrating the contributions black people have made to the fabric of San Antonio.” At the Carver Branch Library, which will act as sort of a home base for this project while it’s ongoing, these documentarians are calling for “historical photos, video, audio recordings, or memorabilia that is signifi cant to African American/black history” in SA. TALKS PLUS

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Passion Pit sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 23

CALENDAR

ART Art Out: “Where Will Your Karma Land You?” In conjunction with its

exhibition “Heaven and Hell: Salvation and Retribution in Pure Land Buddhism,” SAMA invites guests to “explore the paths of reincarnation, the cycle of samsara and then play a game with the 10 kings of hell to see where your karma will land you.”

Following the event, attendees can show their museum sticker for 10 percent off themed cocktails at The Brooklynite. $15, 7:30-8:30pm Friday; San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100.

CULTURE

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L O C A L C U LT U R E T I C K E T S . C O M

COCKTAIL: THE EVENT 2017 FRIDAY, JUL 28 • 8PM •THE DOSEUM

WHISKEY BUSINESS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 • 8 PM • WITTE MUSEUM AUGUST 25, 2017

FAKE NEWS BY THE ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE — GRIDIRON2017

SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 • 7:30PM • TEXAS A&M AUDITORIUM

SAN ANTONIO MUSIC SHOWCASE showcase

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 • 8 PM • ST. MARY’S STRIP

SAN ANTONIO BEER FESTIVAL 2017 SATURDAY, OCT. 21 VIP DOORS: NOON • GA DOORS: 1:30 DIGNOWITY AND LOCKWOOD PARKS

ON LOCALCULTURETICKETS.COM AND GET FREE PROMOTION IN THE CURRENT CALL 210-388-0606 FOR MORE INFO.

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CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

The Little Mermaid Slab Cinema’s kid-

friendly Movies by Moonlight series returns to Travis Park for an outdoor screening of the beloved 1989 Disney adaptation of the iconic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale about a beautiful mermaid princess who makes a Faustian bargain with an unscrupulous sea-witch. Free, 8:30pm Tuesday; Travis Park, 301 E. Travis St., (210) 212-9373.

International Artist-in-Residence Exhibitions Organized by Mexico City-

Urban Cowboy As part of its Dance Off Bro

FILM Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs The

Weird Science Video Dungeon Theatre

Headwaters Summer Environmental Film Extravaganza The nonprofit

THEATER Cthulhu Too: The Stranger in Yellow

based artist and curator Yoshua Okón, Artpace’s Summer 2017 International Artist-in-Residence cycle unites Christie Blizard (San Antonio), Rolando López (Aguascalientes, Mexico) and Kang Seung Lee (Los Angeles). Free, noon-5pm Wednesday-Sunday; Artpace, 445 N. Main Ave., (210) 212-4900.

Pearl’s Cinema Culinarian series continues with a free screening of the 2009 animated adaptation of the 1970s-era children’s book surrounding a flunky scientist (voiced by Bill Hader) who invents a machine that can make food fall from the sky. Free, 8:30pm Monday; Pearl Park, 303 Pearl Pkwy., (210) 212-9373.

Headwaters at Incarnate Word kicks off its Environmental Film Extravaganza (July 22 and 29) with screenings of Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time (1pm), Love Thy Nature (2:15pm), and Before the Flood (3:45pm). Free, 1-5:30pm Saturday; University of the Incarnate Word, Mabee Library Auditorium, 4301 Broadway, (210) 828-2224.

Sing The City of San Antonio World Heritage Office hosts an outdoor, pet-friendly screening of Illumination Entertainment’s 2016 computer-animated comedy following an optimistic koala (voiced by Matthew McConaughey) who attempts to save his struggling theater with a singing competition. Free, 8:30pm Saturday; Mission Marquee Plaza, 3100 Roosevelt Ave., (210) 207-8612.

The Adventures of Robin Hood A movie

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merry men, takes on usurping traitor Prince John (Claude Rains) and his mutinous minions. $10-$15, 7:30pm Tuesday; Santikos Bijou, 4522 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 614-8977.

that must be seen on the big screen, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) is a glorious Technicolor swashbuckler about the regal outlaw hero Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) and loyal-to-King-Richard defender of the realm who, with the help of his

film series, Central Library screens director James Bridges’ 1980 classic starring John Travolta as an oil worker from rural Texas who learns about life and love in a Houston nightclub, where he must prove he is a “real cowboy” to win the affections of a desirable woman (Debra Winger).

Free, 2pm Sunday; Central Library, 600 Soledad St., (210) 207-2500. revives John Hughes’ 1985 favorite starring Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan MitchellSmith as nerdy high schoolers who create a beautiful woman (Kelly Le Brock) by hooking electrodes to a doll and hacking into a government computer system. Free, 9pm Thursday; Oak Hills Tavern, 7920 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 614-8855.

Inspired by the stories of H. P. Lovecraft, this second chapter in Edward E. Wise II’s Bride Mythos Saga brings “cosmic horror” to a storyline following two bored cousins who invite danger into their home. $10, 8pm Friday-Saturday; The Overtime Theater, 5409 Bandera Road, (210) 557-7562.

Hairspray Based on John Waters’ 1988 film,

Hairspray follows spunky, curvaceous teen Tracy Turnblad aspiring to become a famous performer in 1960s-era Baltimore.

After winning an opportunity to dance on her favorite TV program, Tracy is swept up into a celebrity cyclone of social pressures and prejudices. Omar Leos directs Kass Ortiz (as Tracy Turnblad) in The Playhouse’s production. $10-$40, 8pm Friday-Saturday, 3pm Sunday; The Playhouse, 800 W. Ashby Pl., (210) 733-7258.

Nuevo Teatro Showcase The Guadalupe

partners with F.I.R.E. Collaborative for an evening pairing writer/director Julie Marin’s Mundo Sin Ti (following a dysfunctional family residing on the Westside of San Antonio) and La Chona se Confiesa (about a Mexican indigenous woman called

CALENDAR

Chona who returns to her mischievous ways and creates chaos by confessing). $5, 8pm Saturday; Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., (210) 271-3151.

Shrek The Musical “Once upon a time, there

was a little ogre named Shrek...” And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Mark McCarver directs Joshua Goldberg (as Shrek) and Morgan Clyde (as Fiona) in the Woodlawn’s production. $21-$32, 7:30pm FridaySaturday, 3pm Sunday; Woodlawn Theatre, 1920 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 267-8388.

Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name? Weaving history and comedic

insights into stories exploring identity and names, award-winning social justice activist, lawyer and journalist Irma Herrera’s one-woman show draws inspiration from her personal journey from a small, segregated South Texas town to a multicultural mecca in California. $10$20, 8pm Friday; Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., (210) 271-3151.

COMEDY Joe Devito Whether taking on relationships,

conforming luxury brand,” San Antoniobased fashion startup Misuer unveils its Resort 2018 collection with a ticketed event at the Tobin. $27-$60, red carpet at 6:30pm, show at 8pm Saturday; Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624.

Salud! Culinary Nights: “Rosé All Day”

The Witte invites guests 21 and over for an evening at the museum featuring bites from chef Edward Garcia of Box Street Social paired with rosés from Farmhouse Vineyards, Ron Yates Winery and William Chris Vineyards. $45-$50, 6:30-8:30pm Thursday; Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway, (210) 357-1900.

Shark Week The Science Mill encourages

attendees to “encounter the predator we all love to fear” via screenings of Great White Shark 3D, a fossil dig for shark teeth, and enlightening factoids uncovering the truth behind this powerful underwater creature. $8-$10, 10am-5pm SundayTuesday; Science Mill, 101 S. Ladybird Lane, Johnson City, (844) 263-6405.

Texas Sized Blended Burger Bash

In conjunction with the James Beard Foundation’s Blended Burger Project, Alamo Beer welcomes six chefs from all over Texas for a competitive afternoon combining burgers, beer, local vendors and live music by Fishermen. $30-$35, noon-4pm Sunday; Alamo Beer Company Brewery, 202 Lamar St., (210) 872-5589.

his Italian-American family or current events, former journalist and advertising writer Joe DeVito’s dead-on timing, unexpected twists and sheer flights of lunacy have made him a favorite at clubs, colleges and late-night talk shows (The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Chelsea Lately among them).

TALKS PLUS $17, 8:30pm Wednesday-Thursday, 8pm Community in Conversation: “Strength” & 10:15pm Friday-Saturday, 8pm Sunday; As part of its Mash-Up Lecture Series, Improv San Antonio, 849 E. Commerce St., the McNay tasks museum-goers with (210) 229-1420. connecting the dots between two presentations by accomplished community SPECIAL EVENTS members working in disparate fields: DigiTour: Good Times Tween stars rising Lyle Williams, curator of the exbibition from the ranks of Instagram, YouTube and “California Dreaming: Works by Ruscha, SnapChat — such as Tyler Brown, Justin Hockney, and Others” and American Strong Blake and Bryce Hall — converge at Alamo Woman Mama Lou. Free, 6:30-7:30pm City Music Hall. $25, 3pm Saturday; Alamo Thursday; McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New City Music Hall & Club, 1305 E. Houston St. Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368.

Give Belly Dance a Chance Karavan Studio

takes over the Josephine Theater with a 21st annual event combining a pair of recitals (Friday-Saturday) and a performance night featuring Karavan soloists, Los Angelesbased debke dancer Hassan Harfouche and live music from The Byblos Band (Houston), Naser Musa (Los Angeles), Georges Lammam (San Francisco), Miguel Crespo (Bogotá, Colombia) and Michael Ibrahim (Detroit). $15-$20, 7:30pm Friday-Saturday, 6pm Sunday; Josephine Theatre, 339 W. Josephine St., (210) 320-0514.

Misuer Resort 2018 Runway Debut

Self-billed as the “first-ever gender-non-

Southtown to Broadway, Centro Plaza to Sunset Station, and throughout the

San Antonio Missions World Heritage Site

#letsVIVA

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ARTS + CULTURE

JULIÁN P. LEDEZMA

KELSEY VALADEZ

THEATER WITH A MISSION

Dos Chicanos Un Camino $10-$20 7:30pm Fri, Jul. 22 & Fri, Jul. 29 The Bang Bang Bar 119 El Mio Drive teatroaudaz.com

Teatro Audaz carves a space for Latinx voices

≥

COURTESY OF TEATRO AUDAZ

Teatro Audaz, which translates to bold or audacious theater, has been carving a niche for Latinx narratives (gender-neutral phrasing intentional) for about a year now, with a focus on Texas playwrights. In anticipation of the company’s second season (which kicks off July 22 — not in a theater but at The Bang Bang Bar), we caught up with Teatro Audaz board chair and actor Maximo Anguiano and literary director Paula Rodriguez to chat about the company’s initial spark and goals for the future.

“There had been several of us working in these spaces sort of separately, but [we] knew of each other,” Anguiano explains.

“I met Maximo at a reading from another playwright. I saw him through Facebook, speeches he had given,” Rodriguez recalls.

Following a casual Facebook exchange two years ago between founding members Laura Garza and Alison Vasquez, the pair sat down a year later to get things moving. They then approached Rodriguez about signing on as a co-founder.

“Prior to this, there really hasn’t been a recent organization to do this. In San Antonio that’s kind of hard to believe,” Anguiano says. He says that while there are Latinx people writing, performing and working: “We don’t have anything formal, like a collective with a season, with a cast and crew — a consistent group of folks.”

So in 2016, Rodriguez, Garza and Vasquez began looking for people who shared their vision. “We started small, with readings first, leading up to actual productions.

Now we have an entire season and are in collaboration with The Playhouse San Antonio,” Rodriguez says.

Given San Antonio’s large Hispanic population, Anguiano finds it surprising “for us not to have that

be reflected on stage in all aspects. We needed to be represented there, to have our stories being told.” He finds the Latinx community too complex to not explore artistically. What makes San Antonio the prime setting for Teatro Audaz is that the company was created specifically for this city. Anguiano recounts a memorable moment during one of their auditions: “To hear a collection of stories in a two- or three-hour setting of really complex identities … When you talk about being queer, Chicano, or being an immigrant mother, this is some deep stuff.

We think if we can help get these stories out there to the broader audiences, that’s what this society is missing right now. We can get these stories out, theater has the possibility to do that.”

On what makes theater a uniquely effective avenue to share these narratives, Rodriguez explains, “It’s live action — it’s one ephemeral moment that occurs. It’s immediate.”

It’s also an avenue that they have experience in and want to continue exploring. “With teaching and directing, I thought, now’s the time for me to start auditioning and start doing things,” Rodriguez says. “And what better place than this theater company?”

Teatro Audaz seems poised to fulfill a need in the community for a space where Latinx voices are represented. Referencing the many actors who often feel left out of mainstream theaters, Rodriguez says, “They look at the season of shows in a theater and they go, ‘There’s no part there for me. How am I gonna fit into this season?’”

Fortunately, Teatro Audaz has already had a lot of luck finding writers — both from outreach and writers reaching out to them. The company’s first production of the upcoming season was penned by a local playwright who went to school with Garza, who’d asked him to

submit some work to be considered.

They’ve also had their share of challenges, though.

“Funding is always an issue,” Anguiano says. “[And] we don’t necessarily have a [physical] theater right now, but we’re working on it.”

In the meantime, they’re working with The Playhouse for productions in 2018, a new blackbox theater space on the San Antonio College campus, and even planning a holiday show at the San Antonio Mennonite Church.

So … why The Bang Bang Bar for the season opener? To put it simply, “they share the same vision that we have,” Rodriguez says. “If you know the place and know the owners, they’re the same way we are.”

Enter Dos Chicanos Un Camino, written by Gabriel Itzcoatl Luera.

“It deals with so many different topics,” Rodriguez says. “Like, what does it mean to be a Latino? It deals with prejudice in your own community; it deals with stereotypes.”

It’s a comic play that starts off with a DJ radio show — a love-line type scenario where every caller seems to have similar stories of cheating or behaving badly in a relationship. “And that’s kind of like a stereotype of the community. But there’s also a lot of love there,” Rodriguez says. It also tackles the subject of not feeling Latinx enough for not speaking Spanish. Set right here in San Antonio, the play makes a number of local cultural references, including mentions of Brackenridge Park, the Spurs, Girl in a Coma and people being called “Northsiders.”

Although the play is billed as being 10 percent in Spanish, Rodriguez notes that the “Spanish is probably more Spanglish.”

“We’re only in our second year [and] we’re oftentimes paddling up the stream … but we have all the makings to make this be really something,” Anguiano says.

“Our theme this year is persistence,” Rodriguez says.

“We keep on going.”

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 27

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ARTS + CULTURE

•

THE POWER OF THE PEN

Pablo Miguel Martínez

JAMES COURTNEY

AMADA CHÁVEZ NÚÑEZ

Gemini Ink Writers Conference champions transformation

> Gemini Ink’s Writers Conference lore and drastic realities of life in South may be in its second year now, but, with Texas. another full schedule of workshops, Other highlights include a workshop panels, readings and more slated for this called “The Poet As Witness: Writing weekend, there is certainly no sign of a to Inhabit the World” with poet and Our sophomore slump.

Lady of the Lake University professor Since its founding in 1997, Gemini Octavio Quintanilla, insightful talks Ink, a literary organization whose work from industry pros like Kirkus Reviews “honors and springs from the human editor Clay Smith, a small press book story and is dedicated to building fair, a youth poetry workshop led by language skills, self-esteem and a talented local slam poets Andrea strong sense of human connectedness “Vocab” Sanderson and Christopher in citizens of all ages,” has played an “Rooster” Martinez, and panels on increasingly robust role in supporting everything from documentary poetry to and growing San Antonio’s literary creative education, from the politics of scene, working with budding and wellscience fiction to ancient expressions of established local talents, as well as contemporary identity, form the Harlem bringing some of the finest national and Renaissance to journaling, eco-poetics, international wordsmiths to town.

Hebrew scripture, San Antonio literary The Writers Conference is Gemini history, and so much more.

Ink’s way of bringing literary edification In a special pre-festival event titled to us in the form of a concentrate.

“Real Women Have Words,” Marilyn This year’s event will take “Writing for Atlas, the award-winning producer of Change” as its focus.

HBO’s Real Women Have Curves, will While a framing phrase like “Writing join SA2020 president and CEO Molly for Change” might immediately pack Cox in conversation with Jackson Poetry a political connotation in our historical Prize winner Patricia Spears Jones, moment, the conference — designed to who is easily one of the most important aid attending writers of all styles and American poets working today. The experience levels in their pursuit of the conversation will focus on “how writing muse, but also featuring select events can reframe what we think is possible.” that are free and open to the public Events that are free and open to the — will focus on writing not only as a public include a relaxed reading featuring means of protest, but also as a catalyst conference attendees and presenters of profound personal and aesthetic alike at Viva Tacoland (9pm Fri, Jul. 21, transformation.

103 W. Grayson St.) and a reading/ The keynote speaker for the reception with Brian Turner, conference will be poet Patricia Spears Jones, Pablo Miguel Martínez, Helena María Viramontes Gemini Ink Writers Conference whose first book of and Octavio Quintanilla (Real Women Have Words: $95-$245, 6-9pm poetry Brazos, Carry at Centro de Artes Thu, Jul. 20; day passes and general registraMe (2013) is steeped (7pm Sat, Jul. 22, 101 tion: $25-$165, 3-7:30pm Fri, Jul. 21, 7am5pm Sat, Jul. 22, 7:30am-6:30pm Sun, Jul. 23, in both the fantastic S. Santa Rosa Ave).

El Tropicano Hotel, 110 Lexington Ave., (210) 734-9673, geminiink.org

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 29

TUESDAY, JULY 25 7:30 PM Santikos Bijou

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD

Northeast/Downtown

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INFO: TPRCINEMA.ORG 800-622-8977

COURTESY OF STX ENTERTAINMENT MOTION PICTURE ARTWORK

SCREENS

KRISTIAN LIN

SPACE ODDITY

A new star shines in Valerian’s perplexing universe

≥

Like Steven Spielberg, Luc Besson uses the latest in technology to breathe life into the comic books that fired his youthful imagination. His latest film, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, is recognizably by the same director who made The Fifth Element 20 years ago, reveling in his ability to create worlds that never were, and using special effects he couldn’t have imagined in 1997. This science-fiction epic gives us all sorts of cool things to look at, from oceanic sub-worlds full of marine creatures to Great Wall of China-sized circuit boards tended by floating robots, but it’s one star turn that outshines them all.

After a skillful opening credit sequence depicting the International Space Station growing and evolving over centuries into Alpha, a free-floating commercial hub of human and alien races, the movie introduces us to Valerian and Laureline (Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne), undercover agents for the intergalactic government who are partners in the field — and sometimes in bed as well. Upon returning to Alpha, their commander (Clive Owen) gives them a new mission: Take control of his personal security during a sensitive strategy meeting about the mysterious radioactive dead zone that has appeared at Alpha’s

heart. Sure enough, terrorists strike at the meeting and kidnap the commander.

This is loosely based on the series of French comic books by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières that ran from 1967 to 2010. Their extravagant visual imagination shines through here; besides the wealth of imaginary locations that we see, Besson has his characters use a whole array of nonlethal weaponry and doesn’t show us what the weapons do until the moment they’re used. In addition, the wildlife here includes giant underwater behemoths and a spiky creature the size of a small dog that replicates pearls — not since Avatar has a movie given cryptozoologists so much to ponder.

Unfortunately, this movie carries a lot of Avatar’s fl aws, too. Terrible dialogue is to be expected from Besson at this point, but his treatment of the race of bald, glowy-skinned, tropical-dwelling aliens who are behind the plot is terribly unsophisticated.

This movie’s moral message boils down to “Genocide is bad.” Besson’s sexual politics are stuck in the 1990s, too; his handling of the shape-shifting dancing slave (Rihanna) who helps Valerian and Laureline’s mission can

be charitably called insensitive. Laureline herself constantly gets squeezed into revealing outfi ts — and why is she only a sergeant while Valerian, who’s no more capable, is a major? Come to think of it, why isn’t Laureline’s name in this movie’s title, like it was in the comic books? I’m calling both 21st- and 26th-century sexism here.

Besson is lucky that his lifelong obsession with casting tall, statuesque actresses pays off so handsomely here. Delevingne is an electrifying screen presence who can deliver a spinning roundhouse kick and a sarcastic quip with equal ease. Better still, she’s able to filter all her emotions through her character’s professional cool, whether Laureline is guiding Valerian through mortal danger or placing a giant mind-reading space jellyfish on top of her head.

She easily swamps DeHaan (a terrific actor who lacks the character’s raffish charm), so that when Valerian proposes to Laureline early in the film, you can’t help but think that she can do better. This former fashion model’s performance has everything you could want. If she picks better projects than Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, Delevingne will be a star, which would be a nice legacy for this junky comic space opera to leave.

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 31

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FOOD

FOOD COURT The Fridge rolls into the sunset, gelato at Baklovah and more JESSICA ELIZARRARAS + ALEJANDRA LOPEZ GONZALEZ

N

R AI OR INE

> Long-time favorite food truck and ultimate munchies spot, The Fridge announced Friday morning that it will close its truck doors at the end of this month.

The food truck will remain open every Wednesday through Saturday evening at the Alamo Street Eat Bar until July 29, so Fridge fans can still get fill of Hot Cheetos fried chicken sandwiches and grilled paninis for a little while longer. This year, The Fridge was voted runner-up for Best Food Truck and took the top spot for Best French Fries (reader’s picks) in the Current’s annual Best of San Antonio.

“With nerves, excitement, and a bit of sorrow, we announce that after July 2017, The Fridge food truck will cease to exist.

Because of The Fridge, we have had customers become friends, and friends become family. We appreciate everyone who has ever eaten from us, had us at their place of work, event, or party. Not every business gets the opportunity to go out on their terms, and for that we are truly grateful.

You can find us for the remainder of the month every Wednesday - Saturday evening at EatBar. Our last day of service will be the evening of July 29 at Alamo Street Eat Bar Thank you all.”

Gabe Cardenas, The Fridge owner, told the Current that there are no new food-related business plans as of now. « “We’re just excited to move onto the next phase of life.

We spent six years of our lives taking The Fridge from idea to award winner,” Cardenas continued, “we’re excited to get some time off.” — ALG

Rosé at Max’s

> If your activity of choice this summer is pickling yourself with rosé, a) we’re not here to judge, b) guilty and c) you’ll want to reserve seats to Max’s Wine Dive’s next special dinner on July 31 at 7 p.m.

Billed as A Midsummer Night’s Rosé, the dinner will include five courses from chef Halston Connella featuring light, seasonal fare, each paired with a serving of rosé.

The menu includes a cold pea mint soup with watermelon and pea shoots, fried pimento cheese with stuffed squash blossoms, salmon sashimi, grilled octopus with pomegranate molasses and lastly strawberry ice cream donuts with pistachio and berry crumble.

Reservations are required and can be made by calling (210) 444-9547 or here. Tickets are $65 per person.

240 E. Basse Road. — JE

SH

Pearl

MARKET

Cool off with gelato and baklava

> Ice cream and baklava were basically meant for each other. Baklovah Bakery is doing one better by adding gelato to their menu.

Available in more than 10 flavors (including sea salt caramel, dark chocolate, pistachio, hazelnut, cookies and milk, rose, coffee, coconut, chocolate orange saffron, lemon sorbet, mango sorbet and strawberry sorbet) the gelato is available in three sizes priced at $4.29 for a 4-ounce cup, $5.39 for 6 ounces and $5.89 for eight ounces. Pair the gelato with a house-made macaron, pistachio baklava or mousse if you want an über-decadent dessert.

Gelato connoisseurs will find the flavors familiar as they’re made across town at Paciugo San Antonio and delivered several times a week for freshness.

9329 Wurzbach Road, (210) 982-3231. —JE

Crepes at Chocollazo

> Though crepes have been a part of Chocollazo’s offerings since last November, the small chocolatier ramped up their offerings this past Saturday with a new menu of nine crepes that’ll satiate just about any appetite.

Prices for crepes vary. There’s the $2.99 Keep It Simple crepe with butter and cinnamon sugar; the Hella Nutella, which starts at $4.99 available with fruit add-ons for an extra charge.

“We did away with the choose-your-own type of menu and served up nine new crepes that range from classic to basically dessert in a crepe,” Mary Collazo, the shop’s owner and mastermind said.

The rest of the offerings include a caramel pie crepe with sautéed apples, cinnamon, candied pecans and housemade caramel ($7.99); blueberry danish with macerated blueberries, cream cheese, house-made oatmeal streusel and cinnamon sugar ($7.99); peaches and cream with flambéed peaches, honey, Honeycomb cereal and whipped cream ($7.99); Holy Cannoli with cannoli cream, chocolate chips, pistachios, and melted chocolate ($7.99); The Elvis with peanut butter, bananas and bacon fit for the King ($7.99); and finally a Gimme S’more with house-made marshmallow fluff, melted chocolate, and Teddy Grahams nestled in a chocolate crepe ($6.99).

Crepes are served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday mornings.

4013 Broadway, (210) 776-3963. — JE

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FOOD

HANNAH LYNN

THE SWEET SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIA 3 Bakeries that deliver the goods

SARAH FLOOD-BAUMANN

Donuts from Cake Thieves Bakery

CAKE THIEVES Founded in Brooklyn, New York by Lauren O’Connor, Cake Thieves has been whipping up sweets under the motto “We make vegan things that don’t taste vegan ... cause that would be gross” since 2009. You can now catch them around the Alamo City at pop-ups or by setting up a custom order.

The real stars of Cake Thieves’s extensive menu are the donuts. While custom flavor inquiries are welcome, the seasonally changing options already features a variety of imaginative flavors like: lemon raspberry, mango chile, peaches n’ cream, matcha chocolate chip, and wild blueberry crumble, s’mores, cherry almond, cookie dough, lemon pistachio, cookies n’ cream, samoa, lavender lime, Key lime, strawberry toasted coconut, salted chocolate, maple pecan, and cinnamon sugar, churro, as well as piña colada and margarita with real rum and tequila to name a few.

In addition to the donuts, some of their pop-ups also feature cinnamon buns, muffins, cookies, scones, and even miniature pies in honor of Twin Peaks.

True to the name, the vegan baked goods purveyor will also takes custom orders for cakes with or without miniature donuts around the base.

(Though when are miniature donuts ever not the right choice?) Inquire for flavor options and pickup locations by contacting O’Connor through orders@ cakethieves.com or follow Cake Thieves on Instagram @cakethievesbakery to keep tabs on pop-ups around town (recent locations have included Mila Coffee, White Elephant Coffee, The Brick at Blue Star and La Botanica).

chocolate, glazed or jelly-filled donuts.

Follow the bakery on social media @ gopalsgourmetbakery on both Facebook and Instagram for daily specials and new menu items like vegan cardamom spiced cupcakes with rose essence frosting, chocolate almond cookies and peanut butter rice crispy treats.

While orders are primarily pick-up only (at 103 Bernice Drive), Gopal’s Gourmet Bakery is plans to offer delivery and eventually expand into having a storefront. The occasional popup is announced on social media.

Full menu can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/ gopalsgourmetbakery. To place an order, inquire by phone or text to (832) 689-1559, send a message through social media or email the bakery at gopalsgourmetbakery@gmal.com.

CHERRY POP BAKESHOP Because panda donuts, bacon brownies, unicorn cakes and goth ice cream cone pops are exactly what you need in your life, Cherry Pop Bakeshop exists to satisfy all those cravings and more. Available through custom orders and pop-ups at the Brick at Blue Star and other San Antonio locations, self-taught Mel Fernandez’s treats are often “strange and unusual” in the best way.

A quick browse through the Cherry Pop Bakeshop Instagram page @ cherry_pop_bakeshop reveals how Fernandez isn’t afraid to experiment.

There’s everything from coconut cupcakes with a fried pineapple flowers to glittery mermaid cookies, panda cookie pops, classic Italian creme cakes, elaborate tiered event cakes and even a few bachelorette or bachelor GOPAL’S GOURMET BAKER Gopal’s party-ready (fairly realistic) penis cakes.

Gourmet Bakery officially joined the In the future, Mel Fernandez hopes to city’s bakery offerings in March 2017. take her pop-up and order based bakery Based out of San Antonio’s Krishna to the next level as a cupcake food truck.

Temple, Gopal’s is the dessert side of “I take pride in what I do, if you want the temple’s savory catering options. something I haven’t done yet then I will Most of the baked goods are vegan, take the challenge and try my best to and all of the menu is vegetarian. give you what you want. I love what I do Options include traditional Indian and I love seeing people smile- it’s my “gulab jamuns” — balls of sweet moist passion, it’s what makes me smile.” fried spiced dough, American-style Inquire for flavor options and pickup cookies in flavors like peanut butter and locations by contacting Mel through snickerdoodle, sheet and round cakes, skullybee@gmail.com or follow Cherry whoopie pies, tres leches cake, vegan Pop Bakeshop on Instagram @cherry_ cinnamon sugar-topped banana bread, pop_bakeshop for details on pop-ups “everyday breads” such as hamburger (recent locations have included The and hotdog buns, as well as either Brick at Blue Star and Hemisfair Park). sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 35

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CURRENT • July 12-18, 2017 • sacurrent.com

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COURTESY OF SOCIAL SPOT

BOOZE NEWS New bars, TABC relaxes the rules and more JESSICA ELIZARRARAS + ERIN WINCH

El Luchador is jumping into the ring // Roosevelt Avenue gained a new bar and El Santo aficionados will want to pay homage to this new watering hole. Dubbed El Luchador, the new shop features a luchador theme as executed by business partners Ricardo Briones, Jesse Campos, Vanessa Martinez and Billy Mendoza.

The bar has been in the soft opening stage since July 3 when they opened their doors quietly to a few friends and family, but held its grand opening this past Friday, July 14 with a group of DJs known as GSK Cumbia and some Spandexclad special guests.

El Luchador features a walk-in cooler, craft beers, as well as beers “our grandpas drink,” said Campos. Expect to find five signature cocktails along with a few lucha-friendly shots.

Glimpses of the modern day cantina featured on social show a wide array of luchador art and paraphernalia including posters and some of Mendoza’s mask collection — they really don’t have room to showcase all 200. Formerly Vaqueros and Andariegos, El Luchador includes a bar, dance floor and lounge area along with a patio and plenty of parking. The name comes from parking lot wrestling matches the bar used to host on weekends. But the bar’s mission to become a neighborhood joint is still present.

“We’re listening to our neighbors. We had a neighborhood association meeting here,” Campos said.

Hours will be 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. with a happy hour running 4 to 7 p.m.

622 Roosevelt Ave., (210) 272-0016. — JE What does a Clusterfuck taste like? // In the

midst of a massive, messy, agency-wide shake-up, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission gave an Austin brewery the green light to start selling the aptly-named “Clusterfuck IPA.” The timing couldn’t be better.

Last week’s approval of the Uncle Billy’s Smokehouse & Brewery ale came after six of the TABC›s head honchos were forced out of the agency (including three just last week) after light was cast in early 2017 on the agency›s bad habit of lavish spending and other taboo corruption. TABC›s acting director, Ed Swedberg, who had only been on the job a month, was the latest to step down Friday.

Use of the word “fuck” is usually grounds for disqualification in the world of state-issued licenses, but according to TABC spokesman Chris Porter — the decision was simply based on the law.

“In cases like these, we come up against First Amendment issues,” Porter told the Current.

“Because the community standard for indecent is so different across the state, we’re unable to make that call.”

Trevor Nearburg, head brewer at Uncle Billy’s Austin taproom, said he didn’t expect the label to make the cut. “But we figured we’d at least give it a shot,” he said.

Nearburg said that the name “Clusterfuck” has nothing to do with the TABC’s ongoing drama, but rather the “fuckloads” of special cluster hops used in the brew. Those aromatic hops, he says, create the beer’s “floral, full-bodied, easy-drinking summer” profile.

For those curious about what a “clusterfuck”

looks like, read up on TABC officials here. Or, perhaps more pleasurably, give the only-on-tap summer session a taste at Uncle Billy’s location near Barton Springs.

1530 Barton Springs Road, Austin, (512) 4760100. —MS Pinks Patio Is Now Social Spot // The Broadway corridor has seen several businesses come and go within the last few years. This time, instead of closing to make room for a 10-story office building, the bar stays, gets new owners and a makeover. Pink’s Patio, which opened late December 2015, is now Social Spot.

The takeover by Sergio Acosta means the bar will keep regular business hours of 4 p.m. to midnight on Thursday and Friday, noon to 1 p.m. Saturday and noon to midnight Sunday. For now, the 26-yearold is adding new beers to the lineup, in bottle and draft. A liquor license is in the works so bar-goers can expect to wind down with stronger stuff in the coming weeks — including drinks from a margarita machine. Happy hour runs Thursday through Sunday from 5 to 8 p.m. with $3 domestics, $3.50 imports and $3.75 16-ounce drafts.

More changes include a rotation of food trucks, regularly scheduled live music and DJ sets, a game room, drinking games such as giant beer pong and Jenga to play along the giant outdoor patio, a new outdoor screen, and murals along the side of the buildings. For now, Acosta is taking any and all feedback (more shade, more signage) from bar-goers in advance of Social Spots August grand opening.

930 Broadway, (210) 263-9009. — JE

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 37

MUSIC

SLAVE PIT INC

JOHN GILHOOLEY

Vans Wraped Tour

CHRIS CONDE

COURTESY OF HANDS LIKE HOUSES

GET IN THE PIT!

Tickets start at $39 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or on the day of the festival at the box office. Doors open at 11 a.m.

For more info, check out vanswarpedtour.com/san-antonio.

10 bands you need to check out at Warped Tour this year

Since 1995 the Van’s Warped Tour has has been traveling around the country uniting scene kids, punk rockers and all those looking to let out all their angst in a circle pit with an afternoon of punk, ska, metal and hip-hop. Over the years the tour has hosted artists like Eminem back in 1999 and Katy Perry in 2008, before catapulting them into global stardom. On Saturday, July 29 the tour is headed back to SA for literally the hottest afternoon of music this summer (make sure to check out those water stations they’ve got set up!). With 64 artists and bands playing this go ‘round, we’ve selected 10 that you won’t want to miss.

Watsky Starting out as a slam poet in the Bay Area, San Francisco rapper Watsky can jump from rapid-fire flows about punching dragons to spoken word-esque raps about checking out chicks. While at first listen Watsky can come off as yet another cheesy, white, alt-rapper, a skim through his catalog will make you a believer of this quirky rhyme enthusiast.

Shattered Sun With a population of roughly 19,000 people, the tiny town of Alice, Texas doesn’t exactly scream “metal haven.”

However, with their chunky breakdowns, synth melodies and driving guitars, this six-piece metalcore outfit managed to gain the attention of Victory Records and signed with the label back in 2015. If you dig bands like Unearth, or just are overall a fan of metalcore, peep these dudes.

American Authors You know we had to throw some poppy shit in here ... ok maybe we didn’t, but with catchy jams like their über anthem, “Best Day Of My Life,” New York heartthrobs, American Authors just might be the break between breakdowns you’re looking for that afternoon. ▲ Gwar Blur the penis! During in an interview with Gwar vocalist, Blothar, back in 2015, FOX 29 reporter J.T. Street from was fired for not blurring out the prosthetic penises

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CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

bouncing off the singer’s costume. While Street’s journalism career was cut short (he does PR now), Gwar continue to rampage through the years with their crazy monster costumes, gory on-stage antics, and metal tunes – a combo that’s made them infamous since 1984.

Candiria It takes some serious skill to blend the amount of genres Candiria does into their music. Going from straightforward metalcore guitar thrashing to a jazz fusion breakdown punctuated with “ba da da”s, this Brooklyn-based outfit manages to layer their seemingly convoluted compositions in a way that is balanced, articulate and smart.

Bad Cop/ Bad Cop Drawing comparisons to bands like No Use For A Name and Face To Face, LA’s Bad Cop/ Bad Cop, are bringing the feminist vibes to the Warped Tour party.

With three-part harmonies and lyrics like “I’m a modern anarchist / a punk rock existentialist / who wants to make the whole world feminist” these ladies are clearly rocking for a cause.

Sick Of It all If you know anything about the history of hardcore punk rock, you’ll know that Sick Of It All were major contributors shaping the sound of modern hardcore.

Formed in 1986, these New Yorkers are sure to keep shit heavy and fast.

▲ Save Ferris Warped Tour wouldn’t be Warped Tour without some ska in the mix! Amiright?! Best known for their cover of Dexys Midnight Runners 1982 hit “Come On Eileen,” Orange County’s Save Ferris are a reminder that the ‘90s are sort of back in full effect. With horns, pop punk rhythms and jazzy swing vocals, their set will be sure to give you flashbacks to scenes from movies like Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You. ▲ Hands Like Houses With 99.5 KISS dousing San Antonio with songs from the likes of Godsmack and Papa Roach on the regular, we’re probably good to go the rest of our lives without hearing anything else from the active rock genre.

However, Australia’s Hands Like Houses manage to blend sounds that you might hear from say early Linkin Park, and synth pop group Bastille, all while throwing random hardcore breakdowns in the mix.

T.S.O.L. For 39 years True Sounds of Liberty, better known as T.S.O.L. have been pumping out their punk rock jams to the masses. Though the Long Beach, California boys are considered straightforward punk, over the years, their sound has jumped from deathrock, art punk, horror punk and other sub genres. Truly living legends from the punk rock community, this a band you’ll definitely not want to miss.

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 39

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CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

MUSIC

MP

19

COURTESY OF WHISKEY SHIVERS

MUSIC PICKS

WHISKEY SHIVERS ROOFTOP JAZZ AT ARTPACE WITH AARON PRADO

To be quite honest, Artpace’s beautiful and scenic downtown rooftop just might be the coolest place in town to see live music. The opportunity to do so, however, comes around only sporadically, so it’s essential to jump on it when it does happen. This weekend, at an event exclusive to members of Artpace or KRTU (Trinity University’s radio station), you’ll have such a chance. While enjoying adult refreshments from Alamo Beer and Austin Cocktails, attendees will be treated to a spellbinding performance by Aaron Prado, paying tribute to the work of jazz luminary Herbie Hancock. Not a member yet? No problem. Now’s a fine time to support such worthy arts and culture organizations, and put your money where your mouth is, anyhow. A student membership to KRTU will run you a mere $25 while the rest of us would pay $60 (at krtu.trinity.edu/donate-krtu). Meanwhile, an Artpace membership will run you $50 ($30 for artists).

Free (for KRTU or Artpace members), 8pm, Artpace, 445 N. Main Ave., (210) 212-4900, artpace.org. – JC FRI

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It may come as a shock that The Righteous Brothers’ song “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” is in the top three of most played songs in the world. In an article that came out a few years back, Time Magazine showed that the blue-eyed, soul-duo’s hit came second to, get this, fucking “It’s A Small World (After All)” — lol, what? Also, In his book THE The Time of My Life: A Righteous Brother’s Memoir, Righteous Brother Bill Medley says the RIGHTEOUS group got their name from black members in their BROTHERS audience that would say “that’s righteous, brothers!” Besides coming in second to the song that plagued the nightmares of children for generations, and naming themselves after something someone shouted at them once, The Righteous Brothers and their music, are still obviously legendary and played an important role in shaping the future of American rock & roll. $34.50-$89.50, 7:30pm, The Tobin Center, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org – Chris Conde FRI

21

COURTESY

21

JONNY PEREZ OF JONNY KNOWS PHOTO

Without implying that it’s wholly derivative at all (because it’s not), young, talented, and local indie rock outfit St. Dukes reminds me a bit of Sunset ST. DUKES EP RELEASE Rubdown, the delirious and excellent side-project of Wolf Parade frontman Spencer Krug. There’s a delicate thread of chaos running through Inez Escobar Jr’s enchanting vocals.

Meanwhile, the group’s overall sound veers toward the more energetic and jangly side of intricate indie-pop, swelling with youthful rhythms of celebration.

This weekend, catch St. Dukes in action as the band releases its debut EP, with support from other talented young bands Roshii and Noise Quota. For a little taste of what to expect, dig the instantly infectious song “Distant Lover” at facebook.com/SaintDukes. $5, 7pm, Imagine Books and Records, 8373 Culebra Road, (210) 236-7668, imaginebookstore.com. – JC FRI

Two days before the band releases it to the world, there’s a damn good chance San Antonio show-goers will get a heavy dose of Some Part of Something, the latest album from ATX bluegrass/hard-country outfit Whiskey Shivers. Some Part, which follows up the group’s stellar, self-titled 2014 effort, promises to see the band maturing and refining its fiery sound, just as it has with each previous release. But, for Whiskey Shivers, maturing has nothing to do with taking the proverbial foot off the gas. The punk fever that has always hallmarked the band’s would-be puro Americana sound is still there in huge helpings, as their songs lurch and lunge, wild and tempestuous, into the sacred territories of both ecstatic joy and unbridled darkness. $10, 8pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. – James Courtney WED

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 41

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JABARI JACOBS

MUSIC

EARTH WIND AND FIRE + NILE RODGERS From winning Grammys, to earning lifetime achievement awards, and being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – Chicago’s dynamic Earth, Wind & Fire really don’t need any introduction. Since the 1970s the 10-piece band have been showing up on party playlists across the world with their thick blend of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, pop, rock, Latin and African music. Also on the bill is Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, who rose to fame during the disco era with hits “Le Freak,” “Everybody Dance” and “I Want Your Love,” to name a few. For a night that’s sure to be nostalgic, don’t miss this show which is guaranteed to make you awww – freak out! $24-$237+, 7pm, ATT Center, 1 ATT Center Pkwy., (210) 444-5140, attcenter.org – CC SAT

COURTESY

22

GHOST IN THE MACHINE EP RELEASE Take some Joy Division and stir until frothy. Add a pinch (perhaps two, fuck it) of Velvet Underground and a dangerous dash of The Strokes. Combine with a fuzzy and patient take on post-punk and some lo-fi, mid-aughts indie pop for good measure. Bake (or rather: get baked) and enjoy.

This, essentially, is the recipe for the heady and delectable sound of relatively new local act Ghost In The Machine. In less than a year of existence, the band has played a ton of shows and dropped the endlessly listenable Cold Coffee and Stale Cigarettes EP (which you can listen to here: tgitmofficial. bandcamp.com). On Saturday, aided by other rad SA acts St. Dukes, Ellis Rendon, and Harvey McLaughlin, Ghost In The Machine will present its debut long player. Here’s to hardworking young bands that actually believe in releasing music! $5-$8, 8pm, Limelight, 2718 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 7357775, thelimelightsa.com. – JC SAT

COURTESY

22

PATRICIA VONNE + JOE KING CARRASCO

22

Punctuated with heavy transitions that swell and fall with heavy guitar distortion, Brownsville’s Oh Broken Remedy are experts at composing epic movements of emotive, introspective songs. On the title track off their 2014 release Beggars, the singer’s voice is reminiscent of that familiar yearning tone heard from vocalists like Eric Owyoung of Future of Forestry and Aaron Weiss of MewithoutYou – artists whose lyrics explore modern Christian themes. While some may write off these Brownsville boys for their Jesus-y lyrics, it’s impossible to deny the beautiful post-rock landscapes the band has carved through their catalog. With Lonely Horse, The Dames Jeans, $3-$5, 10pm, Limelight, 2718 N. St. Mary’s St., thelimelightsa.com – CC TUE

25

JONATHAN SALAS

If you are a lover of any of the many incarnations of what gets generalized as the Tex-Mex sound, there’s no excuse for not being at Sam’s this weekend.

First on the perfectly paired bill is Joe King Carrasco, who plays everything from country to rock & roll, tequilasoaked reggae to the sped-up polka that eventually became nueva wave.

Heavily influenced by the Tex-Mex sounds of San Antonio, particularly the Sir Douglas Quintet and Sunny Ozuna, Carrasco has taken their formula to incredible (and very often successful) lengths. Patricia Vonne, who shares this bill with Carrasco, is a San Antonio-born songstress whose sound, full of melodrama, poetry, and movement, hearkens back to her own roots in Spain. Taken together, these two admirably represent both the future and the past of Tex-Mex music. $12-$50, 8pm, Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. – JC SAT

OH BROKEN REMEDY

sacurrent.com • July 19-25, 2017 • CURRENT 43

MUSIC

MUSIC CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, JULY 19 Acoustic Showcase Craig K from Shady Rest Band performs an acoustic set. Free.

The Phoenix Saloon, 8:30pm

CULTURE JULY 21 • JON WOLFE

tickets

L O C A L C U LT U R E T I C K E T S . C O M

Bissell/Miller Duo Joined by Sandy Ewen, Aaron Russell, Dane Rousay and Jared Flores. $5. Ventura, 8pm Bru’s Tunes Live Acoustic Music by Bru’s Tunes. Free. La Hacienda De Los Barrios, 6-9pm Delta Rae Americana act on their “A Long And Happy Life Summer Tour.” Joined

by Liz Longley. $15-$80. Sam’s Burger Joint, 8pm

COCKTAIL: THE EVENT 2017 FRIDAY, JUL 28 • 8PM •THE DOSEUM

JULY 22 • CELEBRATING 101 YEARS OF ADOLPH HOFNER THE KING OF SOUTH TEXAS SWING!

Primetime Jazz Orchestra John Magaldi’s primetime jazz orchestra. Free. The Cove, 8-10pm

SAN ANTONIO REGGAE FEST JULY 29 11AM ROSEDALE PARK PAVILION SATURDAY,

•

•

THURSDAY, JULY 20 AUGUST 25, 2017

When Coltrane Calls, You Listen Morgan King channels Coltrane with his quartet. $15. Carmens de la Calle Café, 7:30-11pm FRIDAY, JULY 21 Balcones Heights Jazz Festival Featuring Paul Jackson, Jr., Phillip “Doc” Martin, Chase Huna, Oli Silk, Steve Oliver Rick Braun and more. Free. Wonderland of the Americas Amphitheatre, 7:30 & 9pm Chris Taylor Band The Chris Taylor Band performs at The Cove. Free. The Cove, 9-11pm Dan West Open, unplugged acoustic circle with Dan West. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 4pm Friday Afternoon Picker Circle Open, unplugged acoustic circle every Friday with Hayden Whittington. Free.

Luckenbach Dance Hall, 1-4pm John Conlee Country music act. $25-$58. The Roundup Outdoor Music Venue, 8-11 p.m.

Jon Wolfe, Parker McCollum Country music singer/songwriter joined by Parker McCollum and Shotgun Rider. $15-$400.

John T Floore’s Country Store, 8:30pm The Lavens Americana covers and originals. Free. The Cove, 6:30-8:30pm The Merles Country/Americana music at Luckenbach. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 8-11pm

Arsonists Get All the Girls Metal band from California, joined by I Set My Friends on Fire and more. $12. Jack’s Bar, 6-11:30pm

Oro Cassini Prog-rock act from Austin, joined by Dojo and Saint Lo Gun. $5.

Zombies, 9:30pm

showcase

Kirk Covington Quintet Jazz at Luna. $5.

Luna, 9:30pm

SAN ANTONIO MUSIC SHOWCASE

Naughty Professor Progressive funk/jazz band joined by Motel Radio. $8-$30.

Sam’s Burger Joint, 8pm

PIG Post-industrial act joined by Julian K, Ghostfeeder and DJ Hans 242. $18-$20.

The Amp Room, 7pm

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25 • 8 PM • WITTE MUSEUM

FRIDAY, SEPT. 29 • 8 PM • ST. MARY’S STRIP

17 20

Rebeca and Friends Country/rock blues covers and originals. Free. The Cove, 8:3010:30pm

SAN ANTONIO BEER FESTIVAL

Rod Stewart Tribute Show Vic Vaga and the Dirty Weekend, joined by Back to Black, an Amy Winehouse tribute. $10$15. Fitzgerald’s Bar & Live Music, 7pm

SELL YOUR EVENT TICKETS

Roger Creager’s Birthday Show Country act Roger Creager performs an acoustic set, joined by David Lee & Paul Overstreet. $20. Gruene Hall, 8pm

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Thursday Night Picker Circle Open, unplugged acoustic circle with West Creek every Thursday. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 5-9pm

210 Blues Band R&B by 210 Blues Band every Thursday & Sunday. Free. SoHo Wine & Martini Bar, 10pm

WHISKEY BUSINESS

44

Roger Creager’s Birthday Show Country act Roger Creager performs an acoustic set, joined by Cory Morrow. $20. Gruene Hall, 8pm Whiskey Shivers Country/folk act joined by The Deer. $10. Paper Tiger, 8pm

JULY 27TH • RANDY ROGERS & WADE BOWEN

JULY 29 • BRUCE ROBISON

Picker Circle Open, unplugged acoustic circle with Jimmy Lee Jones every Monday and Wednesday. Free.

Luckenbach Dance Hall, 5pm

Dirty River Boys perform at Whitewater Amphitheater. Free. Whitewater Amphitheater, 8pm

The Dirty River Boys Country rock act The

Roger Creager’s Birthday Show Country act joined by The Powell Brothers. $25 (sold out). Gruene Hall, 8pm Roxy Roca Soul and funk at Luna. $10.

Luna, 9:30pm Ryan Ross Band Southern rock and Texas country. Free. The Phoenix Saloon, 9pm Shawn Mendes Pop singer Shawn Mendes performs on his Illuminate world tour. $29.50-$67.50. AT&T Center, 7:30pm Texas Threat Fest 2017 Including Disfigured, Defiled Crypt, Evoscerated and more. $10-$12. Fitzgerald’s Bar & Live Music, 6 pm

MUSIC

The Lucky Odds Rockabilly act joined

by Harvey McLaughlin and the Bottomfeeders and The Dead Barons.

Free. The Bang Bang Bar, 9pm Warbeast Album Release Show Metal act Warbeast performs at their album release, joined by Aggravator, Isolaydead, The Ruined Few and Cauterized. $5-$10. Bond’s 007 Rock Bar, 7:30pm West Kings Highway Friday night residency at Sancho’s Cantina. Free. Sancho’s Cantina, third Friday of every month, 7-9pm SATURDAY, JULY 22 Adolph Hofner Birthday Bash “The King of South Texas Swing” with The New Pearl Wranglers and The Circle C Band. $8-$10.

John T Floore’s Country Store, 7:30pm Birdlegg and the Eastside Kings Blues act Birdlegg and the Eastside Kings. Free.

Gruene Hall, 1-5pm Clayton Gardner Country act at Luckenbach. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 1-5pm Day of Reckoning, Switchbach Houston metal act joined by Switchbach, Final Exit and Wonderland Syndrome. $10-$13.

Jack’s Bar, 7pm Deadly Omens King Diamond tribute joined

by Hostile (Pantera tribute), Bloodline (Slayer tribute) and Arova. $5-$8. Bond’s 007 Rock Bar, 8pm Donovan Keith and the Funky Heat Soul music at Luna. $10. Luna, 9:30pm Gary P. Nunn Country act Gary P. Nunn at Luckenbach. $20. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 9-11pm Karen Wells and the Southriver Trio Singer/songwriter trio featuring Sean Palen, Anthony Garza and Karen Wells.

Free. The Cove, 9-11pm Lana Del Rey Tribute With DJ Boy of DOOM and Johnny and the Skams. Free. The Amp Room, 9pm Michael Sherry Country, indie rock and Americana. Free. The Cove, 6:30-8:30pm Patricia Vonne, Joe King Carrasco Americana/rock act joined by Joe King Carrasco. $5-$50. Sam’s Burger Joint, 9pm Roger Creager’s Birthday Show Country act joined by Ray Johnston. $25 (sold out).

Gruene Hall, 9pm Rottn “Industrial goth rap” act joined by

New World Architects and Spell 27. $5.

Zombies, 9:30pm Steven James and the Jaded Indie Americana act joined by Garrett Smith.

Free. The Phoenix Saloon, 9pm SUNDAY, JULY 23 210 Blues Band R&B by 210 Blues Band every Thursday & Sunday. Free. SoHo Wine & Martini Bar, 10pm Don Lovato Don Lovato plays at The Cove.

Free. The Cove, 1-3pm Ghandi’s Gun Local rock act joined by Jason Kane & the Jive and Jarrell. $5-$10.

502 Bar, 7pm Kevin Deal Band Country act Kevin Deal Band at Luckenbach. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 1-5pm Marks Brothers Folk, rock and blues covers and originals. Free. The Cove, 4-6pm The Naggins Irish and Celtic folk/rock music at The Cove. Free. The Cove, 7-9pm Robyn Ludwick CD Release Americana act Robyn Ludwick performs a CD release party. Free. Gruene Hall, 12:30-4:30pm Sunday Evening Picker Circle Open, acoustic session with Bill Lewis every Sunday. Free.

Luckenbach Dance Hall, 5pm MONDAY, JULY 24 Picker Circle Open, unplugged acoustic circle with Jimmy Lee Jones every Monday and Wednesday. Free.

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Swing Nite with Texas T And The Shine Runners Rockabilly/roots act at swing night. $7-$10. Sam’s Burger Joint, 8:30pm TUESDAY, JULY 25 The Electric Cowboys Local country act.

Free. Big Texas Ice House & Dance Hall, 9:30pm Jazz on the Rocks Live jazz and happy hour. Free. St. Anthony Hotel, 5-7pm Rotem Sivan Jazz guitarist and composer. $10. Jazz, TX, 8:30-11:30pm Tuesday Evening Picker Circle Unplugged, picker circle with Him & Her Trio. Free.

Luckenbach Dance Hall, 5-9pm Two Tons of Steel Local rockabilly act play their weekly Two Ton Tuesdays show. $5.

Gruene Hall, 8:30pm Zombie Mafia Punk rock act joined by In The Graveyard and Sketchy Trench. Free.

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COME AGAIN > I’m a 29-year-old straight woman facing a dilemma. I dated this guy about a year ago, and in many ways he was exactly the guy I was looking for. The main hitch was sexual. Our sex was good, but he had a fetish where he wanted me to sleep with other guys. Basically, he gets off on a girl being a “slut.” He was also into threesomes or swapping with another couple. I experimented with all of that for a few months, and in a way I had fun with it, but I finally realized that this lifestyle is not for me. I want a more traditional, monogamous relationship. I broke it off with him. We reconnected recently, and he wants to get back together. He says that he wants to be with me, even if it means a more traditional sex life. I’m interested, but suspicious. If he decides to forego his fetish in order to be with me, can he ever feel truly fulfilled with our sex life? I don’t want to be with someone I can’t completely satisfy. I also worry that down the road he might change his mind and try to convince me to experiment with nonmonogamy again, which would make me feel pressured.

I’m looking for someone to settle down with, and I’m scared to waste more time on this guy, even though in many ways he’s a great fit. Do you think it’s possible for us to be happy together in a traditional arrangement when deep down he wants more?

Interested Despite Kink Every partnered person on earth is with someone they “can’t completely satisfy.” No one person can be all things to another person — sexually or in any other way. So don’t waste too much time stressing out about that.

That said, IDK, this guy gets off when girls — his girl in particular — are “sluts.”

That doesn’t mean he can’t/won’t/ doesn’t get off when you’re not being slutty. (In this situation, “being slutty” refers to you sleeping with other people, which is only subjectively slutty.) He likes it when you’re a slut, but I bet he also likes it when you ___, ___, or ___.

(I don’t know your sex life. Fill in the

SAVAGE LOVE

by Dan Savage

blanks.) Are you focusing too much on one of the things he’s into (you fucking other people) and not enough on all the other things he’s into (things like ___, ___, and ___)? If those other things are enough for him to have a great sex life with you without getting to enjoy this particular kink, you can make this work.

In other words, IDK: If giving up his hotwife/cuckold fantasies is the price of admission he’s willing to pay to be with you, maybe you should let him pay that price. If being with someone who fantasizes about sexual scenarios you would rather not participate in (and who may be fantasizing about them while you’re having sex) is the price of admission you’re willing to pay to be with him, maybe you should pay that price. Another maybe: Are there accommodations that would allow him to have his fetish/fantasies without having to stifle them and allow you to have your monogamous commitment? No fucking other guys, but sometimes sharing stories of past exploits? Or making up dirty stories you can share while you’re fucking?

Kinky people sometimes place a few of their kinks on the shelf for years, decades, or all their lives because they love their partner, but their partner doesn’t love their proclivity for ballbusting/piss-pigging/whatever-evering.

And, yes, sometimes a person says they’re willing to let go of a kink and then changes their mind and starts pressuring their partner years or decades later — often when it’s much harder for the non-kinky partner to end things, i.e., after marrying, having kids, etc., which renders the pressure coercive and corrosive. Another thing that sometimes happens: People who never thought they’d be into X and married someone with the understanding that X was forever off the table suddenly find themselves curious about X and wanting to give X a try years or decades later.

Who we are and what we want at 39 or 49 can look very different than who we were and what we wanted at 29. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

Constellation Brands, Inc. seeks Director, Finance for San Antonio, TX. Bach or equiv degree in Bus Admin, Finance, Accntg, or rltd, and 5 yrs exp in Cost Accntg and Fin Planning & Analysis in multi-plant manufact environment. Exp with US owned multi-facility Mexican operations, managing costs and deadlines for Mexican facility reqd.

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CURRENT • July 19-25, 2017 • sacurrent.com

“Arrangement in Black and White”— another freestyle puzzle.

ACROSS

1 Get the DVD going 10 When doubled, a Japanese telephone greeting 15 Mole ___ (sauce named for a Mexican state) 16 ___ impulse 17 Ancestor 18 Passed out 19 One of Sri Lanka’s official languages (besides Tamil and English) 20 “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” author Eric 21 “Cool!”

22 Synagogue singer 23 Father’s Day gift that accessorizes another Father’s Day gift 27 U.S.-based Maoist group of the 1970s-80s (or an abbreviation for the thing you’re solving) 28 It may be captured from your laptop 32 Sport with mallets 33 Earlier offense 34 Kid’s game 35 Gives the eye 36 Bird on Canadian coins 37 Scout’s honor?

39 “That’s so weird!” online

40 Chaotic states 41 “The Imitation Game” subject 43 “___ come to my attention ...”

47 Scottish families 48 “Not even close!”

52 Therefore 53 “High Sierra” actress 54 Invest (with) 55 University of South Carolina team [giggle] 56 Daniel of “Home Alone” 57 Savvy

DOWN

1 Boston ___ Orchestra 2 ___ to go (stoked) 3 Cervenka of early punk rock 4 Borat, really 5 Abandoned property dweller 6 Pilfer 7 ___-majestÈ (insulting the king) 8 Years, in Chile 9 Olden days 10 Zany 11 Indian, for one 12 Have no leads to follow up on 13 What a person who can eat constantly without gaining

weight is said to have 14 Situate between 22 Op. ___ (bibliography abbr.)

24 Compound present in beer 25 Spanish actress and frequent “Love Boat” guest star 26 Latin suffi x after “bio” or “techno” 28 Figures in Pollock paintings?

29 Neologism paired with “embiggen” on a “Simpsons” episode 30 It’s between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo 31 Unimaginably long time 32 Jordan Spieth’s org.

35 Get in the way of 37 Auto ad stat 38 Frivolous type 40 Latent 42 Receive, as a penalty 44 “Join me for a ride!”

45 Ecclesiastical vestment 46 Airport bathroom lineup 48 Mediterranean fruit trees ...

49 ... whose leaves covered him up 50 “Rendezvous With ___” (Arthur C. Clarke novel) 51 Word after ring or coin

ETC.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY by Rob Brezsny ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): The Greek word philokalia is translated as the “love of the beautiful, the exalted, the excellent.” I propose that we make it your keyword for the next three weeks — the theme you keep at the forefront of your awareness everywhere you go. But think a while before you say yes to my invitation. To commit yourself to being so relentlessly in quest of the sublime would be a demanding job. Are you truly prepared to adjust to the poignant sweetness that might stream into your life as a result?

with scraps of bread and dried fish, but he almost starved to death. After 10 months, he managed to escape and make his way to a convent that gave him sanctuary. For his first meal, the nuns served him warm pears with cinnamon. I reckon that you’ll soon be celebrating your own version of a jailbreak, Leo. It’ll be less drastic and more metaphorical than St. John’s, but still a notable accomplishment. To celebrate, I invite you to enjoy a ritual meal of warm pears with cinnamon.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): It’s a favorable time to strengthen your fundamentals and stabilize your foundation. I invite you to devote your finest intelligence and grittiest determination to this project. How? Draw deeply from your roots. Tap into the mother lode of inspiration that never fails you. Nurture the web of life that nurtures you. The cosmos will offer you lots of help and inspiration whenever you attend to these practical and sacred matters. Best-case scenario: You will bolster your personal power for many months to come.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): “I’m very attracted to things that I can’t define,” says Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons. I’d love for you to adopt that attitude, Virgo. You’re entering the Season of Generous Mystery.

It will be a time when you can generate good fortune for yourself by being eager to get your expectations overturned and your mind blown. Transformative opportunities will coalesce as you simmer in the influence of enigmas and anomalies. Meditate on the advice of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke: “I want to beg you to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves.”

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): Two talking porcupines are enjoying an erotic tryst in a cactus garden. It’s a prickly experience, but that’s how they like it. “I always get horny when things get thorny,” says one. Meanwhile, in the rose garden next door, two unicorns wearing crowns of thorns snuggle and nuzzle as they receive acupuncture from a swarm of helpful hornets.

One of the unicorns murmurs, “This is the sharpest pleasure I’ve ever known.” Now here’s the moral of these far-out fables, Gemini: Are you ready to gamble on a cagey and exuberant ramble through the brambles? Are you curious about the healing that might become available if you explore the edgy frontiers of gusto?

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): I predict that four weeks from now you will be enjoying a modest but hearty feeling of accomplishment — on one condition: You must not get diverted by the temptation to achieve trivial successes. In other words, I hope you focus on one or two big projects, not lots of small ones. What do I mean by “big projects”? How about these: taming your fears; delivering a delicate message that frees you from an onerous burden; clarifying your relationship with work; and improving your ability to have the money you need.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): Spain’s most revered mystic poet was St. John of the Cross, who lived from 1542 to 1591. He went through a hard time at age 35, when he was kidnapped by a rival religious sect and imprisoned in a cramped cell. Now and then he was provided

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): I’ve compiled a list of four mantras for you to draw strength from.

They’re designed to put you in the proper alignment to take maximum advantage of current cosmic rhythms. For the next three weeks, say them periodically throughout the day. 1. “I want to give the gifts I like to give rather than the gifts I’m supposed to give.” 2. “If I can’t do things with excellence and integrity, I won’t do them at all.” 3. “I intend to run on the fuel of my own deepest zeal, not on the fuel of someone else’s passions.” 4. “My joy comes as much from doing my beautiful best as from pleasing other people.”

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): I suspect you may have drug-like effects on people in the coming weeks. Which drugs? At various times, your impact could resemble cognac, magic mushrooms, and Ecstasy — or sometimes all three simultaneously. What will you do with all that power to kill pain and alter moods and expand minds? Here’s one possibility: Get people excited about what you’re excited about, and call on them to help you bring your dreams to a higher stage of development. Here’s another: Round up the support you need to transform any status quo that’s boring or unproductive.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.” So said psychologist Carl Jung. What the hell did that meddling, self-important know-it-all mean by that? Oops. Sorry to sound annoyed. My cranky reaction may mean I’m defensive about the possibility that I’m sometimes a bit preachy myself. Maybe I don’t like an authority figure wagging his finger in my face because I’m suspicious of my own tendency to do that.

Hmmm. Should I therefore refrain from giving you the advice I’d planned to? I guess not.

Listen carefully, Capricorn: Monitor the people and situations that irritate you. They’ll serve as mirrors. They’ll show you unripe aspects of yourself that may need adjustment or healing.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): A source of tough and tender inspiration seems to be losing some of its signature potency. It has served you well. It has given you many gifts, some difficult and some full of grace. But now I think you will benefit from transforming your relationship with its influence. As you might imagine, this pivotal moment will be best navigated with a clean, fresh, open attitude. That’s why you’ll be wise to thoroughly wash your own brain — not begrudgingly, but with gleeful determination.

For even better results, wash your heart, too.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): A “power animal” is a creature selected as a symbolic ally by a person who hopes to imitate or resonate with its strengths. The salmon or hare might be a good choice if you’re seeking to stimulate your fertility, for example. If you aspire to cultivate elegant wildness, you might choose an eagle or horse. For your use in the coming months, I propose a variation on this theme: the “power fruit.” From now until at least May 2018, your power fruit should be the ripe strawberry.

Why? Because this will be a time when you’ll be naturally sweet, not artificially so; when you will be juicy, but not dripping all over everything; when you will be compact and concentrated, not bloated and bursting at the seams; and when you should be plucked by hand, never mechanically.

THIS MODERN WORLD by Tom Tomorrow

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): The world will never fully know or appreciate the nature of your heroic journey. Even the people who love you the most will only ever understand a portion of your epic quest to become your best self. That’s why it’s important for you to be generous in giving yourself credit for all you have accomplished up until now and will accomplish in the future. Take time to marvel at the majesty and miracle of the life you have created for yourself.

Celebrate the struggles you’ve weathered and the liberations you’ve initiated. Shout “Glory hallelujah!” as you acknowledge your persistence and resourcefulness. The coming weeks will be an especially favorable time to do this tricky but fun work.

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