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FIRST WORDS 1

On Celebrating Barney Smith, the Norman Rockwell of Toilet Seat Art // Thanks for a great story about Our Barney! I am over at the museum at least weekly and would love to get local heads together on how we as a community can save Barney’s art and museum for Phase II. Find me at my public facebook group “Friends of B.E.S” – Carye Bye On Council Approves $75,000 Bonus for City Manager Sheryl Sculley // She’s paid more than the POTUS and governor of Texas combined and now we are giving her bonuses? For what? Undermining public safety? High crime rates? Businesses going elsewhere because our infrastructure/airport is significantly outdated and cannot support growth? – Avi Cult

Issue 18_05 /// January 31-February 6, 2018

NEWS

Paying the Price Council approves $75,000 bonus for City Manager Sheryl Sculley

CALENDAR

Our top picks for the week

Sex, Drugs, and Frac Sand Lawyers depict Sen. Uresti as clueless victim in federal fraud trial

On New Braunfels City Council Appoints Dead Woman to Housing Authority Board // Still more effective than SA300 committee. – John Hollein

ARTS + CULTURE

Leveling the Playing Field Convention Center brings more San Antonio artists into the fold

Money Moves Gov. Abbott pushes Trump to restore Medicaid funds Texas lost for banning Planned Parenthood

SCREENS

Sundance in Review The 2018 festival became a place for women — as storytellers and protagonists — to shine

FOOD

Beyond the Bag We catch up with area roasters on the latest and greatest in the local coffee scene

NIGHTLIFE

Tipple Test At 6, Southtown 101 offers quality happy hour with bar bites

Geisha in San Antonio Tea-like and rare, this pricy varietal made its debut in the city in December The Third Place With more than 25 coffee shops to choose from, we pick our favorites for each occasion

ON THE

COVER San Anto is buzzing with an influx of coffee. From a slew of new roasters to changes in longtime coffee purveyors, we take stock of what all these beans mean for the city’s future. Photography by Bryan Rindfuss. Art direction by Carlos Aguilar. 6

CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

MUSIC

Remembering Eric Geyer Reflecting on the life of the artist and educator Music Calendar What to see and hear this week

ETC.

Savage Love Jonesin’ Crossword Freewill Astrology

: e c n e u r l e t f n n n ce

CARToAT THE conventio Exhibit Opening Reception

The City of San Antonio hosts a reception and walking tour to celebrate the newly-expanded art collection at the Henry B. González Convention Center.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. Henry B. González Convention Center, Main Lobby 900 E. Market Street, San Antonio, TX 78205 FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Self-Guided and Docent-Led Walking Tours of the Artwork Begin at 6:00 p.m. Walking Tours Last Approximately 30 Minutes Refreshments will be Served RSVP on Eventbrite: Confluence: Art at the Convention Center Opening Reception

sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 7

8 CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

NEWS

Sex, Drugs, and Oil Money ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

≥

Lawyers depict Sen. Uresti as clueless victim in federal fraud trial

Prostitution, cocaine-fueled galas, political influence, oil money, expensive suits, Matthew McConaughey: Only a few days into the trial of San Antonio Senator Carlos Uresti and witness testimony had already set the stage for a sleazy, action-packed crime drama. The plot revolves around FourWinds Logistics, a now-defunct San Antonio company that sold sand used in hydraulic fracking to extract oil from shale rock. The company largely relied on fraudulent bank statements to lure in potential investors, investors that eventually lost thousands when the company went bankrupt in 2015. Many of those investors blamed that loss on the reckless personal spending (read: $20,000 diamond rings, Ferraris, prostitutes, and narcotics) by FourWinds’ owners. Uresti, who runs an injury law firm when the state legislature's out of session, owned 1 percent of the FourWinds — and sometimes provided legal services to the company. He also was financially rewarded by the company for bringing in new investors. In May, FourWinds CEO Stan Bates, company consultant Gary Cain, and Uresti were all indicted on a combined 22 felony counts of fraud and money laundering. Bates unexpectedly plead guilty to his charges on Jan. 8, and now faces decades behind bars. The federal trial that kicked off Monday, Jan. 22 will decide if Uresti and Cain face a similar fate. Both men have claimed innocence in their charges. The trial, presided over by U.S. District Judge David Ezra, is expected to last at least three weeks. With a 21-year career in state politics on the line, Uresti is easily the star of the trial. And despite the Democrat’s well-documented past of glitz, flirting (both wanted and unwanted), lavish parties, and a fondness for The Godfather, Uresti’s attorneys are working hard to paint him as an innocent bystander in the whirlwind of corruption. “People didn’t know what Stan Bates and his inner circle knew,” Michael McCrum, Uresti’s attorney, told jurors during the trial’s opening statements, according to the San Antonio Express-News. “Senator Uresti did not know what was going on in those walls, what was going on in those computers, what was going on in those bank accounts that those people controlled.” The biggest question jurors will face after closing statements: Was Uresti that oblivious to the rampant fraud going on at the small company that promised to make him big bucks? On Wednesday, friends of Uresti told the court they had believed FourWinds was a scam, and they had warned the senator to cut ties. “I told him something to the equivalent of, ‘You don’t need to walk away from this deal, you need to run,’” said Alexander Begum, another local injury lawyer who had agreed to meet with Uresti and Bates to consider investing in FourWinds. After hearing Bates’ pitch over a steak dinner

in 2014, Begum said he told Uresti: “You need to get away from this guy. He’s a complete con man.” But Bates, like Uresti, is a former U.S. Marine. Which, according to Begum, was Uresti’s excuse for trusting Bates’ deals. “He claimed there was a certain brotherhood between Marines. That I wouldn’t understand,” Begum recalled on the witness stand. “He said, ‘A Marine would not take advantage of another Marine.’” In an email presented as evidence by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Blackwell, Uresti tells Bates he’s excited to collaborate with FourWinds, and used military analogies to explain why. “Just like you, I look at the whole battlefield not just the skirmish before me,” Uresti writes. Local clothing designer Margarito Alonzo, a close friend of Uresti’s, told the court that despite agreeing to recruit investors for FourWinds and split the commission with Uresti, he told the senator he didn’t trust Bates from the start. “He was a shady individual,” Alonzo said. At investor meetings, Alonzo said Bates would “embellish the pitch” to a cringe-inducing level. “He would lie about his clothing, his shoes, his house, his trips,” Alonzo said. “He’d say that Matthew McConaughey, Tim Duncan, that they were [investors] in the works, so to speak.” Alonzo said he didn’t worry too much about the often-hazy financial promises, and relied on Uresti, the legal expert, to “get to the bottom of it.” At best, his friends’ testimony made Uresti look like an incredibly poor judge of character, if not a irresponsible businessman. But, is that criminal? If there’s any witness that could derail Uresti’s innocence, it’s Denise Cantu. In 2010, Cantu was driving her Ford Explorer when the back tire exploded, sending the car spiraling into a grassy median. Cantu survived the crash, but her two children and their two friends sitting in the back did not. Uresti represented Cantu in a wrongful death suit against Michelin and Walmart, helping her win a substantial settlement. By 2014, Uresti had convinced Cantu to invest the bulk of her settlement, around $900,000, into FourWinds. Unbeknownst to Cantu, Uresti got 10 percent of her profits

— a hefty $27,000 commission. She lost nearly all of the money by the time the company imploded a year later. In a bankruptcy court filing, federal prosecutors said, “It’s hard to imagine a more mentally and emotionally vulnerable client.” What’s more, her lawyer has said Cantu and Uresti had an “intimate” relationship during her legal settlement. Alonzo confirmed this rumor on Wednesday. But Uresti, whose wife has accompanied him to most court hearings, has vehemently denied this relationship. (He’s also denied, for that matter, recent claims that he sexually harassed female staffers for decades while at the state capitol.) Cantu is expected to testify at some point during the criminal trial. Former FourWinds employees have described the workplace environment as anything but normal. On Jan. 23, former FourWinds office manager Desirée Talley recalled that outside companies saw FourWinds as “a brothel” for only hiring “surgically enhanced women who didn’t have experience in anything,” the ExpressNews reported. Former FourWinds comptroller Laura Jacobs also testified that Bates often spent his money on prostitutes or expensive gifts for “whatever girl he was dating at the time.” Alcohol flowed before noon. Jacobs was responsible for creating false spreadsheets to show Cantu that the company was doing far better off than it actually was. She pleaded guilty to one count of fraud in 2016 and testified Tuesday as part of a plea deal. Talley, who faces no charges, said that she’d experienced sexual harassment while working at FourWinds, but stuck it out because she needed the health insurance and the income to help take care of her dying father. During cross examination, Talley told Gary Cain’s attorney John Muller that Bates called the financial spreadsheets she put together to show potential clients “fluff.” “And what did he call you?” Muller asked. “I was the fluffer, unfortunately,” Talley said. “What did he mean by that?” the attorney pressed. Talley didn’t reply. Muller cleared his throat. “I’ll retract the question,” he said. sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 9

10 CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

NEWS

Paying the Price ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

employees than both UHS and CPS have combined. Councilman Manny Pelaez echoed Nirenberg’s praise, and said Sculley shouldn’t be responsible for all the city’s past mishaps. “I walked into this job not really knowing the amount of work that is placed on her,” Pelaez said. “I never realized how strong a woman she is ... my admiration for Sheryl Sculley has grown dramatically.” Regardless, Sculley’s salary soars high above others in her position in other major Texas cities. Dallas’ new City Manager T.C. Broadnax will make $395,000 starting Feb. 1 (a raise from his Feb. 2017 starting pay of $375,000). Broadnax’s predecessor, Arthur Gonzales, had a final salary of $400,000. Fort Worth City Manager David Cooke makes $314,995 and Austin’s incoming City Manager Spencer Cronk is expected to make around $309,000. Houston does not have a city manager, since it runs on a “strong mayor” form of government, where the mayor plays the manager role. San Antonio, however, uses a “council-manager” system. Most major cities, like Chicago, San Diego, and New York, use the “strong mayor” model. Sculley’s ballooning income has been a growing point of contention both

Money Moves ALEX ZIELINSKI | @ALEX_ZEE

within City Hall and among the public, often used against her in contrast with underfunded city programs. Sculley’s current contract permitted up to a $100,000 bonus, but the council somehow settled on $75,000. Councilman Greg Brockhouse, a longtime critic of Sculley’s work, said there were “multiple” members of the council who didn’t want her to get any bonus dollars. Brockhouse was one of them. “Seventy-five thousand is double what the average family makes in San Antonio,” Brockhouse said. “We talk equity in City Hall, but it’s selective. When we take care of a big CEO of a city that makes half a million dollars, but we give the animal care officer a 2 percent raise, that is embarrassing. We don’t offer equity of pay across the entire city.” He said the $75,000 bonus was “laughable” based on the year Sculley’s had. He blamed Sculley for a landslide of city issues: San Antonio Police Department’s mismanaged sexual assault cases, Centro’s embezzlement problem, the floundering Tricentennial Commission, the drama over the San Antonio River barge contract, and the unresolved San Antonio Fire Department contract. Brockhouse was especially frustrated

SHUTTERSTOCK

≥

In a closed-door meeting Thursday, Jan. 25, the San Antonio City Council and Mayor Ron Nirenberg decided that City Manager Sheryl Sculley deserved a $75,000 bonus for her 2017 job performance. Under Sculley’s current 2016 contract (which expires at the end of 2018), she’s automatically granted an annual $25,000 raise. Meaning that, on top of her base salary of $450,000, Sculley will get a total $100,000 boost in compensation this year — $550,000. This easily makes her the highest-paid city manager in Texas. At an impromptu press conference following the meeting, Nirenberg said Sculley deserves every penny of the jawdropping number. “The fact of the matter is, this is a $2.7 billion-dollar operation with 12,000 employees,” Nirenberg said. “We have a fantastic city manager. Compared to many other city employees at the CEO level and above, she is underpaid — believe it or not.” Nirenberg’s referring to the CEOS of other publicly-funded organizations, like CPS Energy’s Paula Gold-Williams who receives $735,000 and University Health System’s George Hernandez, who receives $725,000 (both salaries have bonuses calculated in). Sculley oversees more

Council approves $75,000 bonus for City Manager Sheryl Sculley

Gov. Abbott pushes Trump to restore Medicaid funds Texas lost for banning Planned Parenthood >Governor Greg Abbott is getting impatient. Five days after President Donald Trump spoke at a D.C. anti-abortion rally, Abbott sent the White House a letter, essentially asking the president to ‘walk the walk.’ “I write to applaud your recent actions protecting unborn children,” Abbott begins. “To further these efforts, I also

request your commitment to reverse particular punitive actions the Obama administration took against Texas for pursuing a culture that prioritizes not only the life of the unborn, but of the women carrying them.” Abbott’s talking about the $35 million in yearly federal funds Texas surrendered when it chose to exclude providers

that the city lacked any metric-based system to review the city manager’s annual performance. Brockhouse was especially frustrated that the city lacked any metricbased system to review the city manager's annual performance. Nirenberg instead held-one-on-one meetings with each member of council to gauge how they thought Sculley was doing — and then had council members come to a consensus on her bonus during the Thursday meeting. Only once, in 2016, has the city used a metric system to rank a city manager's performance. Former Mayor Ivy Taylor did not reintroduce the system in 2017, leaving Nirenberg empty-handed when Sculley's annual review rolled around. "That was the situation that the city council was faced with [after Taylor left]: How do we gauge the level of performance pay without the metrics having been established?" Nirenberg said. "So, we're making sure we don't have this problem again." Nirenberg said the city will hire a consultant to survey members of the council about manager compensation and create cemented metrics to measure a manager's success. That system could take several years to iron out, Nirenberg noted.

that “perform or promote” abortions from state Medicaid coverage in 2013, specifically, Planned Parenthood. Federal law requires states to give Medicaid patients the “freedom of choice” when selecting a willing health care provider — and Texas has effectively taken that choice away. That’s why, under the Obama Administration, Texas created its own state-funded health care program for low-income women. It’s served 30,000 fewer women than the federal Medicaid program did and resulted in a 35 percent increase in unintended pregnancies. With Obama gone, Abbott’s hoping to charm Trump into handing over the funds Texas still doesn’t qualify for (according to federal law). Abbott initially asked the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a waiver to restore this funding in May. He has yet to hear back. “As of today, ... Texas is still awaiting approval of its waiver by CMS,” Abbott writes. “Importantly, the approval of Texas’ waiver is not only consistent with the policies you announced last week, but also will set a powerful example of the impact of your decision to rescind previous guidance from the Obama administration.” Perhaps stroking Trump’s ego will convince the White House to ignore federal health care funding laws? Smart move, Abbott. sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 11

CALENDAR

Spurs vs. Rockets

OUR TOP PICKS FOR THE WEEK

For Spurs loyalists, the pinnacle of the 2016-17 NBA campaign came in the Western Conference Semifinals when Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili exorcised playoff demons from San Antonio’s past by defeating the Houston Rockets in a stirring six-game series. Over the summer, Houston countered by adding mercurial point guard Chris Paul to their roster, a move that has propelled the Rockets to overtake the Spurs in this season’s standings. A subpar record on the road has hampered San Antonio’s momentum, as injuries remain a recurring theme. With Tony Parker unceremoniously turning over the keys of the offense to Dejounte Murray, and Leonard on the mend indefinitely, the team remains in transition. A showdown with Paul and the Rockets at home could set the tone for the Spurs as they lock in for their annual Rodeo Road Trip, which tips off next week. $32-$1,790, 7pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Pkwy., (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com. — M. Solis

ADAM OUAHMANE

SPORTS

WED

Kim Chi

In the nine years since its premiere on Logo, RuPaul’s Drag Race has become a television staple satirizing gender stereotypes while championing the rise and acceptance of LGBT culture. Not without its critics, the show has been accused of advancing negative racial stereotypes and its namesake drag icon has even been accused of making transphobic comments. While often showcasing crass or politically incorrect humor, the drag competition show remains a beacon of hope for many in the LGBT community. Within this setting of contradictions and boundary-pushing antics emerged one of the show’s most endearing, breakout stars — season eight finalist Kim Chi. As one of the first Korean-American drag queens on reality television, Kim Chi described her look as “a live action anime-character who works as a high-fashion model.” While her inability to walk in heels became a running joke on RPDR, she quickly redeemed herself with a performance of the song “Fat, Fem, and Asian.” An anthem of selflove, “Fat, Fem, and Asian” humorously preached strength and beauty through diversity. On Wednesday, Kim Chi returns to the Alamo City for two performances at Heat courtesy of Rey Lopez Entertainment. $10$25, 10:30pm & midnight, Heat Nightclub, 1500 N. Main Ave., (210) 386-4537, reylopezentertainment.com. — Marco Aquino

THU

‘Manifest’

THU-FRI

01-02 In “Manifest,” photographer Wendel White gathers nearly 100 remnants from the past documenting the African-American experience in the U.S. Delving as far back as the transatlantic slave trade, the portfolio includes photographic representations of items gathered from private and public collections including slave collars, a drum, a slave bill of sale and, perhaps most strikingly, a preserved lock of Frederick Douglass’ hair. In an artist statement, White explains, “‘Manifest’ is an effort to seek out the artifacts and material evidence of the American construct and representation of race.” Shot against stark, black backgrounds, the images bring to life the ghosts of America’s dark past. A Distinguished Professor of Art at Stockton University, White first exhibited “Manifest” at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco and has since taken the work throughout the country. Free, 6-9pm Thu, noon-9pm Fri (on view through May 6), Blue Star Contemporary, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, bluestarcontemporary.org. — MA ART

WENDEL WHITE

DRAG

PRESENTS

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JUNE 21

COURTESY OF JESSICA SHERR

CALENDAR

Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies

THU-SAT

01-03

Hitting the Tobin’s Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater for a three-night run, Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies is a one-woman show written by and starring Jessica Sherr. Drawing from the real life of the iconic actress, the play takes place in 1940, just as the Los Angeles Times has leaked the list of Oscar winners ahead of the ceremony, showing Davis (Dark Victory) losing Best Actress to Vivien Leigh (Gone With the Wind). Angry and dejected, Davis sits in her dressing room and banters with the audience about her life in Hollywood. Sherr, who hails from El Cajon, California, developed a one-act version of her play in 2010 as part of an Off-Broadway show called The Redheads which explored the lives of Davis, Lucille Ball and Shirley MacLaine. Sherr went on to develop a full-length version of the show, which premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has received widespread acclaim. In a recent review in Stage and Cinema, writer Lawrence Bommer said, “With flashing eyes and clipped delivery, Sherr incarnates the rebel with a cause who defied Warner Brothers to demand script control and better billing. In phone calls to her over-protective mother Ruthie, we see Bette as a proud daughter of the theater who holds Hollywood’s dream factories in proper disregard even as she feeds its fantasies.” $36.50, 7:30pm Thu, 8pm Fri-Sat, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter. org. — Sam Sanchez

COURTESY OF JESSICA SHERR

THEATER

Pony Express Love Letters

BR IS C

OE W ES T ER

N A R T M U SEUM

01-06

For fans of hot jazz (or Dixieland, if you prefer), New York-based neo-traditionalist jazz outfit The Hot Sardines needs no introduction. Straddling jazz sub-genres FRI from swing to ragtime to the rootsy New Orleans stylings at their core, the ensemble has, since its start in 2007, been a beacon of jazz tradition done right, of old ideas made new again. Led by Elizabeth Bougerol and Evan “Bibs” Palazzo, the band has steamrolled through these past few years, winning international acclaim for its joyous celebration of classic jazz and the consummate professionalism of its live shows. Don’t get much chance to go to major jazz fests like the Newport Jazz Festival or the Montreal Jazz Festival? Not a problem: The Hot Sardines will come to you this weekend, courtesy of ARTS San Antonio. Expect the crew to run through classics and favorite originals, especially from its highly-lauded 2016 release French Fries + Champagne. $21-$69, 7:30pm, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 226-5700, majesticempire.com. — James Courtney MUSIC

IMG ARTISTS

This 11-day event offers a charming detour from your usual Valentine’s Day exchanges of chocolates, flowers and teddy bears. Celebrating the beauty of words, the Briscoe encourages sweethearts and friends to put down their devices and THU-TUE correspond the old-fashioned way as part of its annual Pony Express Love Letters tradition. Named after America’s first transcontinental horseback mailing service, the completely free initiative invites museum guests to get creative in writing stations outfitted with vintage typewriters, writing materials and inspiring books of poetry. Members of the San Antonio Calligraphers’ Guild will be on hand to artfully address letters, which can be hand-delivered to recipients in the downtown area by “Pony Express” riders (volunteers from SATX Social Ride) or mailed elsewhere via the U.S. Postal Service — complete with a special Pony Express stamp. Free, 10am-9pm Tue, 10am-5pm Wed-Sun (through February 11), Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W Market St., (210) 299-4499, briscoemuseum.org. — Lori Salazar SPECIAL EVENT

The Hot Sardines

MARCH 23 ON SALE FRIDAY! sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 13

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CULTURE

CALENDAR NIGHTLIFE

Foodie Cinema Tongue-in-cheek movies don’t get any steamier than 2000’s Chocolat. With a slew of A-List actors including Dame Judi Dench, Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp (arguably at his most enticing sans pirate dreads, Sweeney makeup or Willy Wonka prosthetics), the film follows Binoche as a single mother who moves to rural France, opens a chocolate shop days before Lent and transforms the sleepy town. Foodie Cinema, the San Antonio Botanical Garden’s latest food-driven endeavor, welcomes cinefiles and chocolate-lovers to the culinary garden for a screening of Chocolat enhanced with demos, sample recipes and wines inspired by the movie. Chef Dave Terrazas hosts this perfect date night. Reserve your spot by January 31. $31.50-$35, 6-8:30pm, San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Pl.., (210) 5361400, sabot.org. — Jessica Elizarraras

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John Heffron FRI-SAT

02-03

Titans of Tailgate New year, new food event foodies will want to pencil in their calendars if they’re into A) tailgating B) Jason Dady or C) chill vibez. The Iron Chef-testant and owner of Range, The Bin, Shuck Shack, Tre Trettoria, Tre Enoteca and Two Bros. BBQ Market, shared the news of the first-ever Titans of Tailgate Throwdown and Food Festival, an event the Dadys have been planning for the past six months. “I wanted to do an event my way,” Dady said. “It’s still a food festival with chefs, wine, food, beer, but we wanted to knock it down a notch and make it more casual, chill and fun.” The setup is reminiscent of late food writer Josh Ozersky’s brainchild Meatopia, with chefs from across San Antonio and the nation bringing their talents to the Alamo City. Dady’s inviting chef friends he’s made at various food events around the globe including fellow Iron Cheftestant Shota Nakajima of Seattle. The complete list of chefs includes Dean Fearing (Fearing’s, Dallas), RJ Cooper (Henley, Nashville), Tim Hollinsworth (Otium, Los Angeles), Matt McCallister (FT33, SPECIAL EVENT

SAT

COURTESY JASON DADY

Dallas), Rebecca Masson (Fluff Bake Bar, Houston), Robbie Nowlin (B&N Kitchen, Dallas), Michael Fojtasek (Olamaie, Austin), Phillip Speer (Bonhomie, Austin). Hometown tailgaters include Johnny Hernandez (La Gloria, Burgerteca, Fruteria), Steve McHugh (Cured), Jeff Balfour (Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery), Chad Carey (Hot Joy), Diego Galicia and Rico Torres (Mixtli), Peter Sypesteyn (Bud’s Rotisserie, The Cookhouse, NOLA Brunch & Beignets) and Mark Weaver (Periphery). The chef shared the tailgate theme will echo throughout Sunken Garden with cornhole, lawn chairs, Giant Jenga and perhaps a flag football area. Dady and co. are also looking to add live fire demos for home cooks and barbecue nerds to enjoy. “We just want it to be fun. One of my favorite events is Culinaria’s Burgers, BBQ & Beer, where you enjoy beer, you don’t have to get dressed up,” Dady said. “We want to add one more notch to San Antonio’s belt as a food destination.” $75$125, 1-5pm, Sunken Garden Theater, 3875 N. St. Mary’s St., eventbrite.com. — JE

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COURTESY JOHN HEFFRON

When John Heffron beat out the likes of Todd Glass, Kathleen Madigan and Alonzo Bodden to claim the title spot in the 2004 season of Last Comic Standing, he’d been performing stand-up since college and had already released two albums — 1997’s Kid with a Cape and 2003’s Good Kid Bad Adult. He’s since gotten married (detailed in 2006’s The Better Half and 2009’s Middle Class Funny) and raised a teenage step-daughter. In the journey from funny kid to funny dad, he’s gained perspective (catch him complaining about how the damn kids these days wear their hats or explaining to younger audience members how the radio used to work) but he’s still immature enough to delight in anecdotes about Otter Pops or annoying his parents. As for what the next several years have in store, only Heffron — who co-wrote the 2014 advice book I Come To You From The Future: Everything You’ll Need To Know Before You Know It — knows for sure. $20, 8pm & 10:15pm FriSat, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, lolsanantonio.com. — Jeremy Martin COMEDY

Spread the love across San Antonio! - A FREE Community Program -

210.299.4499 | BriscoeMuseum.org Briscoe Western Art Museum 210 W. Market St. | On the River Walk

CURRENT •January 31-February 6, 20188 • sacurrent.com

CALENDAR

Legislate This! SAT

S.T. SHIMI

Launched in 2012 by Austin-based activist and burlesque performer Ginger Snaps as a revealing reaction to “the perils of having Rick Perry as our governor,” Legislate This! takes shape in a trio of Texas shows benefiting Planned Parenthood chapters across the state. Alongside Snaps, Tifa Tittlywinks (Houston), Vivienne Vermuth (Dallas), former Austinite Scarlet Conte (Fremont, California) and Black Orchid (San Antonio) are “grabbing back in 2018 with an epic array of ecdysiast entertainment.” Having raised awareness and substantial funds for the nonprofit healthcare provider, Legislate This! culminates with San Antonio’s fifth annual contribution to the cause. Emceed by “San Anto fresa” Gacho Marx (of Los MENtirosos drag king troupe), the BYOB evening showcases the talents of Orchid (pulling double duty as the event’s producer) as well as burlesque/boylesque scenesters Annabella Lugosi, Giomara Bazaldua, Maxxy Radd, Jasper St. James, Queen Anthuros, Lita Deadly and Chola Magnolia. $10 ($50 for a table for four), 8pm (doors at 7:30pm), Jump-Start Theater, 710 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 2275867, ltsa18.brownpapertickets.com. — Bryan Rindfuss BURLESQUE

MARCH 22

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The Color Purple The Color Purple first made waves in the early ’80s, when Alice Walker, who wrote the devastating, yet ultimately uplifting novel became the first woman of color to win the Pulitzer Prize. In rural Georgia in the early 1900s, Celie suffers abuse at the hands of her father, and then her betrothed. Separated from her sister, she seems utterly alone until she meets Sofia and Shug, and, drawing strength from her connection to these two women, she is eventually able to assert her independence. Scored with jazz, gospel, ragtime and blues, the Tony Award-winning musical adaptation — which lands on the Majestic stage for a six-night run courtesy of Broadway in San Antonio — stages Walker’s intimate portrait of Celie TUE in a production that is sure to pull at your heartstrings. $30-$105, 7:30pm (through February 11), The Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Kelly Merka Nelson THEATER

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CURRENT •January 31-February 6, 20188 • sacurrent.com

t e x a s s a l s a f e s t. c o m

CALENDAR

ART Art opening: “Common Currents”

Organized in celebration of San Antonio’s Tricentennial, “Common Currents” is a diverse, encyclopedic showcase of San Antonio’s history as told and rewritten by more than 300 visual and performing artists. Blue Star Contemporary’s portion highlights the years 1768-1817 via works by David Zamora Casas, Ken Little, Pink Leche, Josh Huskin, Tamara Adira, Ruth Buentello, Daniela Cavazos Madrigal, Julia Barbosa Landois, Sarah Fox and more than 40 others. Free, 6-9pm Thursday, noon-9pm Friday; Blue Star Contemporary, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960.

Art opening: “Our Turn 3: 58” on Center” Presa House Gallery’s latest

celebrates the “unsung blue-collar individuals” who work behind the scenes as art handlers at Artpace, Blue Star Contemporary, Centro de Artes, the McNay Art Museum, the San Antonio Museum of Art and the Southwest School of Art. Free, 6-11pm Friday; Presa House Gallery, 725 S. Presa St., (210) 913-5842.

Art opening: “Terra Chartam” Working

in paper, Austin-based artist Katy Schmader creates meticulous, abstract landscape collages exploring connections between the tactile traces of a physical environment, an art-historic tradition of landscape aesthetics, and the potential for cultivating a new system of eco-semiotics. Free, 6-9pm Thursday-Friday; FL!GHT Gallery, 134 Blue Star, (210) 872-2586.

THEATER Little Women Louisa May Alcott’s

sentimental tale of the four March sisters has been touching hearts since its publication in the 1800s. Now it can be enjoyed as a musical production centered on the boisterous and effervescent Jo, who dreams big but never forgets her roots. Come celebrate the newly re-christened Public Theater of San Antonio (formerly The Playhouse) as it brings this uplifting story to the stage under the direction of Andy Meyers. $20-$35, 7:30pm Friday-Saturday, 2pm Sunday; The Public Theater of San Antonio, 800 W. Ashby Pl., (210) 733-7258.

TALKS PLUS “Old Worlds — New Worlds: Botanical Fervor in the Age of Discovery”

Dedicated to the exploration of “the visual bounty of the natural world,” SAMA’s 21st annual Mays Symposium comprises enlightening presentations by four distinguished speakers: Martyn Rix (“The Golden Age of Botanical Art”); Emily Berquist Soule (“The Bishop’s Utopia”); David J. Elliott (“The Curious Mr. Catesby: A Truly Ingenious Naturalist Explores New Worlds”); and Katherine Manthorne (“Unity of Nature: Alexander von Humbolt and the Americas”). $25-$75, 9:30am-4pm Saturday; San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100.

“Urban Transformations” The Witte and

Urban Future Lab continue their three-part “On the Edge of Future” lecture series with “Urban Transformations,” which takes a critical look at Bilbao, Spain, and how the Guggenheim Museum catalyzed the city’s transformation. Free, 6pm Monday; Witte Museum, Prassel Auditorium, 3801 Broadway, (210) 357-1900.

SPORTS Mexican National Team Tour Kicking off

its 16th annual U.S. tour, the Mexican National Team returns to San Antonio to take on Bosnia and Herzegovina. $35$325, 8pm Wednesday; Alamodome, 100 Montana St., (210) 207-3663.

DANCE Barynya Barynya is a world-renowned

group that enjoys exalting stature as the premier Russian folk ensemble outside of Russia. Barynya presents Russian, Cossack, Ukrainian, Jewish and Gypsy Roma traditional dancing, music and songs. Musical Bridges Around the World imports the festive troupe for a free performance as part of its International Music Festival. Free ($95 for reserved orchestra seats), 3pm Sunday; Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 4641534, musicalbridges.org.

WORDS Latina Poetry Across the Americas In

conjucntion with its Álvarez Seminar, Trinity’s Mexico, the Americas, and Spain (MAS) program welcomes poet, performer and educator Denice Frohman for a lecture titled “In Between Worlds: Poetry of Reclamation.” Free, 6pm Thursday; Trinity University, William Knox Holt Center Dining Room, One Trinity Pl., (210) 999-7011.

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ARTS + CULTURE

Leveling

Exhibition. With roughly 15,000 electric, gas and water utilities professionals in attendance and artwork freshly installed across three floors, the viewing experience conjured the odd sensation of a scavenger hunt in a crowded airport. Below, a few highlights of what visitors can expect to see during the public opening and docentled walking tours on February 1. BRYAN RINDFUSS

the Playing Field Convention Center brings more San Antonio artists into the fold Constructed in conjunction with HemisFair ’68 and named in honor of the first Mexican American elected to the Texas State Senate, the Henry B. González Convention Center has evolved over the years but drastically transformed in 2016. Hailed as “the largest capital improvement project in the City of San Antonio’s history,” the two-year-old, $325 million expansion increased the footprint to an almost-incomprehensible 1.6 million square feet. While the undertaking involved the demolition of the west wing, it thankfully preserved Guatemalan artist Carlos Mérida’s 1,440-square-foot glass-tile mosaic mural Confluence of Civilizations Previously an indoor backdrop for a spiral staircase, it’s now outside — facing its kindred spirit on the facade of the Lila Cockrell Theatre: Mexican artist Juan O’Gorman’s Confluence of Civilizations in the Americas (which shares its name with HemisFair’s official theme). Along with many high-tech upgrades came two monumental public artworks — Los Angeles-based Christian Moeller’s 20

“architectural frieze” Cactus, rendered in 913 feet of chain link fencing and 100,000 white vinyl dots; and London-based artist Jason Bruges’ Liquid Crystal, a towering sculpture decked out in 3,510 LCD panels — both of which sparked controversy due to their $1 million price tags and non-local creators. While non-local art is nothing new to the Convention Center (starting with the landmark murals by Mérida and O’Gorman), the venue does hold works by local artists — from early Texas painter Porfirio Salinas and late printmaker/ceramicist Alex De Leon to creative reuse pioneer Anita Valencia and flamboyant folk art fusionist David Zamora Casas — and a recent round of acquisitions, loans and commissions essentially levels the playing field, with 25 of the total 48 artists representing San Antonio. Nodding with its title to a theme that trickled through the space’s earliest artistic focal points, “Confluence: Art at the Convention Center” seeks to provide visitors “with an art historical overview of San Antonio’s contributions to the visual

CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

Gary Sweeney, The Story of Civilization

arts” while “reflecting the city’s growth and dynamic connections to Mexico and Texas history.” Spearheaded by the City of San Antonio Department of Arts & Culture, art advisory committees and art historian/ curator Ruben Cordova, the project incorporates works from guards both old (Jesse Treviño, Alberto Mijangos, Verónica Castillo Hernández) and new (Kelly O’Connor, Richard Armendariz, Jenelle Esparza). When reached for comment, Arts & Culture Director Debbie Racca-Sittre explained, “We are proud that more than half of the participating artists in this exhibit are San Antonio artists who are helping tell the story of our city and showcase, through their works, the rich history and vibrant culture of San Antonio.” Timed with the Convention Center and Hemisfair Park’s 50th anniversary, “Confluence” opens to the public in tandem with a temporary exhibition of HemisFair ’68 photographs and memorabilia. In anticipation of the big reveal, we slipped in for a preview during last week’s Distributech Conference and

STREET LEVEL Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz, Reunion ▲ Likely the first work visitors will encounter is the 2008 painting Reunion by unsung portrait master Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz. A native of Puerto Rico who relocated to San Antonio in 1995, Rodríguez-Díaz made one of his earliest local marks with the 1998 Artpace exhibition “A Splendid Little War” and was celebrated in 2017 with a retrospective hosted between Centro de Artes and FL!GHT Gallery. Visibly inspired by Mexican icon Frida Kahlo, RodríguezDíaz often employs self-portraiture as a vehicle for social commentary and has painted himself as famed luchador Rey Mysterio and the mythical chupacabra. Reunion presents the artist with a wry smile, donning a sombrero alongside a trio of birds and an ornate mirror reflecting jungle-like foliage. Richard Armendariz, Forgive Me Pretty Darlin’ An El Paso native who moved to San Antonio in 1999, Richard Armendariz channels inspiration from MexicanAmerican traditions, the animal kingdom, mysticism and mythology into prints and paintings incorporating elements of woodcutting. Using a router, he carves into moody paintings on wood panels, giving them an illustrative quality with precise crosshatching. Evocative of a desert sunset and representative of his easily recognizable aesthetic, Armendariz’s 2017 piece Forgive Me Pretty Darlin’ depicts a running coyote — possibly in pursuit of prey — framed by a pattern of leaves and birds.

ARTS + CULTURE

Jesse Treviño, Mi Vida

Kelly O’Connor, In Real Life ▲ Taking up nearly an entire wall, San Antonio native Kelly O’Connor’s billboardsized vinyl print In Real Life brings an undeniable “wow” factor to an otherwise nondescript hallway. Buzzing with playful energy and riddled with nostalgic (and often humorous) imagery clipped from vintage periodicals, the piece invites viewers to get lost in sun-bleached vignettes that place Dumbo, Peter Pan, Joan Crawford, Willy Wonka, Shirley Temple, Dean Martin and Disneyland’s Cinderella Castle in the otherworldly landscape of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park — surrounded by some of O’Connors signature hallmarks: prismatic starbursts, glittering, honeycomb-like patterns and dripping stalactites.

MEETING ROOM LEVEL Jesse Treviño, Mi Vida Born in Monterrey and raised in San Antonio, Jesse Treviño studied painting at New York’s Art Students League in the 1960s, got drafted into the Army in 1966 and lost his right hand as a result of an explosion during the Vietnam War. Following a two-year recovery period, Treviño taught himself to paint with this left hand and went on to brilliantly capture the spirit of San Antonio in photorealistic, sliceof-life paintings like 1976’s La Raspa, Los Camaradas del Barrio and Mis Hermanos (which resides in the Smithsonian American Art Museum). Possibly best recognized on a local level for his nine-story Spirit of Healing mural (at Christus Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital) and his mosaic mural La Veladora of Our Lady of Guadalupe (at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center), Treviño created something of a visual autobiography in Mi Vida, a 1972 painting

(originally painted directly onto his bedroom wall) that layers symbolic imagery — a central female character, a hot rod, coffee and pan dulce, a pack of cigarettes, a pill, a can of Budweiser, a soldier carrying a gun, a prosthesis and a Purple Heart. Mel Casas, Texano & Texas Fantasy An El Paso native who adopted San Antonio as his home, late painter Mel Casas exhibited work in the 1975 Whitney Biennial, is represented in the Smithsonian American Art Museum and served as the first president of the seminal Chicano art collective Con Safo, but never received substantial accolades on a local level. Setting out to correct this oversight, Ruben Cordova organized a multi-venue San Antonio retrospective in 2015 that collected nearly all 150 of Casas’ Humanscapes — an epic series of large-scale paintings created between 1965 and 1989. Often spoofing or critiquing Southwestern stereotypes, politics and pop culture, his Humanscapes enter the Convention Center’s growing collection via No. 117 (Texano) and No. 118 (Texas Fantasy), which amusingly boil the Lone Star State down to mounted longhorns, cattle brands and a cowboy hat. Ken Little, Victory and Defeat ▶ Often challenging the confines of sculpture with a wink and a nod, Canyonborn artist Ken Little boasts the only floor piece in the new lot. Known and loved for everything from taxidermy mounts covered in shoes to largerthan-life garments plastered in dollar bills to conceptual neon signs to eclectic music projects, Little nods to the “successes and failures of each generation” with his 1997 sculpture Victory and Defeat. Amusingly installed near a

window that looks out onto the Alamodome, the piece combines heavy metal (powdercoated cast iron) and simplistic, emojiesque graphics (sad face, happy face) on a giant pair of hollow feet.

escalator, the pieces employs bits and pieces of commercial signage to spell out the first two paragraphs of Will and Ariel Durant’s 11-volume encyclopedia of Western history.

HemisFair ’68 Mini-Exhibit A small but fascinating little capsule collection organized by curator Rigoberto Gary Sweeney, The Story of Luna with guidance from archivists at the Civilization A California transplant who’s worked as a UTSA Libraries Special Collections and the McNay Art Museum, this temporary sign painter, a Playboy Mansion butler and exhibition of digital prints on aluminum an airline baggage handler (to the tune of panels (on view through the end of the 35 years), Gary Sweeney has embedded his humorous work in San Antonio’s artistic year) commemorates the 50th anniversary of HemisFair ’68, a World’s Fair then billed landscape through public art installations as “a six-month fiesta in honor of the city’s that oddly gravitate toward parking 250th year.” In addition to transforming lots: a city-owned garage on St. Mary’s the center of downtown with the Tower of Street houses his shoe-centric, multithe Americas, the State of Texas Pavilion level installation Walk This Way; the San (now the Institute of Texan Cultures), Antonio International Airport’s garages are the Mexico Pavilion (now the Mexican bordered by his postcard-inspired tourist Cultural Institute), a Fiesta Island with 18 spoof Nostalgia, Texas (HemisFair ’68? different rides and a monorail connecting You’re Way Too Late); and his patchwork it all, the fair welcomed 33 nations, sign collage in the San Antonio Museum major corporations, cultural groups and of Art’s parking lot is a popular spot for performances — including a water ski show, photo ops (“Art Is the Stored Honey of the the high-flying Voladores de Papantla and Human Soul”). Like Kelly O’Connor’s In Real Life, Sweeney’s large-scale The Story an adults-only puppet show presented by of Civilization makes no attempt at blending H.R. Pufnstuf creators Sid and Marty Krofft. in with its surroundings and is quite likely to become a destination for selfies of bored conventioneers. Created in 2003 Confluence: and now spread Art at the Convention Center across two Free, opening reception 5:30-7:30pm walls at the Thu, Feb. 1 top of (RSVP at eventbrite.com) an on view 8am-5pm Mon-Fri Henry B. González Convention Center 900 E. Market St., (210) 207-8500 sahbgcc.com

BALLROOM LEVEL

sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 21

SEL ECTIONS FR O M T H E UTSA A R T C OLLE C TION CURATED BY ARTURO INFANTE ALMEIDA

OPE NI N G

RE CE PT I ON

February 8, 2018 • 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. Exhibit runs through June 10, 2018

Centro de Artes Gallery • 101 S. Santa Rosa FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

22 CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

F E AT U R E D A R T I STS Cande Aguilar

Abelardo Peña Ebaben

Blas E. Lopez

Gladys Roldan de Moras

Claudio Aguillón

Gaspar Enríquez

Emiliano López

Frank Romero

Carlos Almaráz

Jenelle Esparza

Joe Lopez

Sonia Romero

David Almaguer

Juan Farías

Luis Lopez

Alex Rubio

René Alvarado

Ana Fernández

Salvador J. Lopez

Ricardo Ruiz

Jesse Amado

Andrés Ferrándis

Jose Lozano

Joel Salcido

Edmundo Aquino

Pedro Friedeberg

Gilbert “Magu” Luján

Anna Lilia Salinas

Connie Arismendi

Adriana Maria Garcia

Adál Maldonado

Armando Sanchez

Richard Armendariz

David Anthony Garcia

Richard Martinez

Marta Sanchez

Estevan Arredondo

Margaret Garcia

Tessa Martinez

Maricela Sanchez

Antonio Azorín

Rupert García

César Martínez

Santiago “Chago” Sanchez

Judith F. Baca

Carmen Lomas Garza

Jesus Toro Martinez

Rocio Saenz

Andy Benavides

Jorge Garza

Antonio Martorell

Enrique “Sebastian” Carbajal

Cecilia Biagini

Luis M. Garza

Ben Mata

John Segovia

David Blancas

Xavier Garza

John Mata

Pepe Serna

Charles Bojórquez

Ignacio Gomez

Michael Menchaca

Raul Servin

David Botello

Albert Gonzales

Alberto Mijangos

Cristina Sosa Noriega

Manuel Álvarez Bravo

Raul Gonzalez

Abraham Mojica

Kathy Sosa

Rolando Briseño

Rigoberto González

Franco Mondini-Ruiz

Lionel Sosa

Cody Bustamante

Jose Guadalupe Guadiana

Malaquías Montoya

Eloy Torrez

Gerado Cabrera

Daniel Guerrero

Juan de Dios Mora

Jesse Treviño

Jimmy Canales

Luis “Chispas” Guerrero

Pedro Morales

Louis Vega Treviño

Jesus “Chista” Cantú

Raul Guerrero

Glugio “Gronk” Nicandro

Lawrence Trujillo

Raul Caracoza

Jacinto Guevara

Carmen Oliver

John Valadez

Henry Cardenas

Ana Clarissa Gutierrez

Cruz Ortiz

Patssi Valdez

Melesio Casas

Christopher Gutierrez

Peter Ortiz

Vincent Valdez

Vanessa Centeno

Michael C. Gutierrez

Pablo Palazuelo

Luis Valderas

Victor Chaca

Rafael Fernando Gutierrez

Cecilia Paredes

Anita Valencia

Martha Chapa

Roberto Gutierrez

Amado Pena

Kathy Vargas

Carlos Chávez

Wayne Alaniz Healy

Ashley Perez

Deborah Kuetzpal Vasquez

Alejandro Colunga

Adan Hernandez

Rainey

Ramon Vasquez Sanchez

David Josue Cordero

Richard L. Hernandez

Chuck Ramirez

Felipe Vazquez

Sam Coronado

Ester Hernández

Juan Miguel Ramos

Manny Vega

David Correa Muñoz

John Hernandez

Al Rendon

Carla Veliz

Miguel R. Cortinas

Celina Hinojosa

Gustavo Rivera

Candido Veras

Alba de León

Jon Hinojosa

A.J. Rodriguez

Olivia Villanueva

Sandra de León

Benito Huerta

Adam Rodriguez

Joe Villarreal

Gabriel Delgado

Leticia Huerta

Eduardo Rodriguez

Andy Villarreal

Giselle Diaz

Graciela Iturbide

Elizabeth Rodriguez

George Yepes

Analy Diego

Cisco Jiménez

Martin C. Rodriguez

Guillermina Zabala

Richard Duardo

Luis Jiménez

Omar Rodríguez

Gilbert Durán

Leo Limón

Ángel Rodríguez-Díaz

sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 23

SCREENS

SUNDANCE ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF SUNDANCE INSTITUTE

IN REVIEW SCOTT RENSHAW

The 2018 festival became a place for women — as storytellers and protagonists — to shine

≥

Harvey Weinstein wasn’t at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Then again, in a manner of speaking, he was everywhere. Once a ubiquitous presence at the festival — where his tirades and wheelin’ and dealing were as legendary as his sexual offenses have now become infamous — the former studio executive instead was at the center of the longignored, now unavoidable conversation about how women have been held back by predatory men from opportunities for success in general, and in film in particular. The festival’s programming might have long been a platform for underrepresented voices, but this year, perhaps more than usual, people seemed ready to listen. In that context, it was almost inevitable that Jennifer Fox’s The Tale would become a central part of Sundance 2018. Based on the longtime documentary filmmaker’s own experience, it cast Laura Dern as Fox, investigating her own past after her mother discovers a story young Jennifer wrote as a middle school student, suggesting that the youthful “relationship” she recalled as consensual took place when

24 CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

she was 13 years old, with a much older predator (Jason Ritter) who was her running coach. It’s almost unfair to reduce Fox’s film to its torn-from-the-headlines premise, since she employs fascinating storytelling devices — like recasting the “young Jennifer” from a confident teenager to a timid adolescent — that turn The Tale into a harrowing exploration of what survivors often have to do to their own memories in order to keep going. As it turns out, virtually every one of this year’s best festival films was directed by a woman, telling stories so widely varied that there was no way to pigeonhole them. Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here cast Joaquin Phoenix as a freelance investigator who gets in over his head after attempting to track down the runaway daughter of a politician, in a vigilante thriller that turned upside down every notion about how you’re supposed to shoot this kind of action yarn. Debra Granik somehow went eight years between making Jennifer Lawrence a movie star in Winter’s Bone and her next fiction feature, but Leave No Trace freely adapted the Daniel Woodrell novel My

Clockwise from top left: The Miseducation of Cameron Post, The Tale, The Kindergarten Teacher, Skate Kitchen, Madeline’s Madeline

Abandonment — about a widowed veteran (Ben Foster) and his teenage daughter (stellar newcomer Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie) trying to live off the grid — into an emotionally devastating story about the need for community. The experimental whirlwind of Josephine Decker’s Madeline’s Madeline explored the mind of a New York teenager struggling with mental health issues (Helena Howard), and the way art can be alternately therapeutic and exploitative when dealing with such pain. Sara Colangelo fashioned the English-language adaptation of the Israeli psychological drama The Kindergarten Teacher into something uniquely American, with Maggie Gyllenhaal superb as a woman who discovers that one of her 5-year-old students might be a poetry prodigy, and becomes determined to protect his gifts. And documentary filmmaker Crystal Moselle showed a terrific kinetic sensibility in following a lonely Long Island teen (Rachelle Vinberg) as she discovers a posse of fellow female skateboarders in Skate Kitchen. Even when the creative force behind the camera wasn’t female, the onscreen stories allowed female protagonists

SCREENS

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From top: Hearts Beat Loud, Eighth Grade

to shine. Toni Collette went gloriously over-the-top as a grief-stricken mother in the horror standout Hereditary, with first-time feature writer/director Ari Aster showing a magnificent sense for creating unease through camera placement, lighting, and even something as simple as a glottal tongue-cluck. Comedian Bo Burnham showed a compassion evident nowhere in his stand-up material in the dark comedy-drama Eighth Grade, showcasing young Elsie Fisher as an awkward middle-schooler coming of age in the social-media-saturated world where your popularity is forever measured in likes and shares. And that was only when the traditionally under-represented voices were white and female. AfricanAmerican filmmakers like Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You) and Qasim Basir (A Boy. A Girl. A Dream.), as well as Chilean director Sebastián Silva (Tyrel) and Mexican-born Carlos López Estrada (Blindspotting), dug

into the anxieties of black Americans at this political moment in ways that were sometimes darkly satirical, sometimes heartbreaking. Bisexual Iranian-American Desiree Akhavan explored the world of Christian “pray the gay away” programs in the Grand Jury Prize winner The Miseducation of Cameron Post, while the thriller Search — by director Aneesh Chaganty — cast the all-American family dealing with a missing child as one that happened to be Korean-American. There was also a curious theme that ran through several festival films: In Search, Eighth Grade, Leave No Trace and the crowd-pleasing comedydrama Hearts Beat Loud, the central relationship was between a single father and his teenage daughter. Given the ﬂukes of movie production, it was of course purely coincidental. But maybe it also speaks to a world into which men are watching girls emerge, and hoping it’s one in which they won’t just survive, but thrive.

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sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 29

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CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

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CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

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CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

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CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

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that is offered Mondays and Tuesdays, the price that you pay for what you get is pretty fair. And the nachos get the Background: Southtown 101, which will be celebrating job done — they soak up the booze, and leave you with something to snack on while playing trivia and chatting with a six-year anniversary in September, is now a seasoned friends. Overall, Southtown 101 is a great happy hour spot member of the Southtown bar scene. Though it might seem Experience: I visited Southtown 101 on a Thursday night for those that are looking for cheap eats, cold drinks, and a young, they pre-date many of the well-established bars in around 6 and the trivia crowd had already started trickling laid-back atmosphere. It’s a chill spot, with a simple menu the area like Francis Bogside, Lowcountry and Hot Joy. into the neighborhood bar an hour before it was set to start. — perfect for friends and those that want something easy. Happy Hour: There is a daily happy hour in the bar Make note of that if you want to visit on a Thursday — get there early enough to claim your table. I imagine the other Be sure to visit for their Super Bowl Watch party on from 5 to 9 p.m. that features wells for $2.50 and wine for days of the week you should be fine. Upon arriving, I put February 4. They will have food and drink specials as well $3. On Mondays and Tuesdays the deal is even sweeter in an order of nachos at the kitchen that is in the back of as a raffle giveaway. — burgers are offered during happy hour for $4.99. Stop the bar, strongly advised by the cashier to load the nachos in for daily specials like $5 Mason Jar Mondays, $2 with beans and avocado for an additional $1.50, I did so domestics on Tuesdays and $2 mimosas on Sundays. Erin Winch writes about boozin’ in the Alamo City and with the starting price being $6.99 including steak — it on her blog Drinking In SA. Follow her on Instagram Patrons: Bar-goers that frequent Southtown 101 are was a steal. Walking back to the main bar, I ordered a well at @drinking.in.sa for more. drink from a smiling bartender and the food buzzer rang. typically those of a younger age. The affordable bites, cheap drinks, and laid-back vibe attract the local millennials that want While the nachos can’t compare to the sweet burger deal to meander in the area for a drink without paying craft cocktail prices. Different days of the week do attract a different crowd. Thursdays bring in Geeks Who Drink trivia players, and on First Fridays the joint can get pretty crowded.

sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 37

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CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

MUSIC

Remembering

Eric Geyer MARY MAJELLA BAUGNET

Jacqueline Moody Fuller reflects on the life and work of local playwright, musician and educator

JACQUELINE MOODY FULLER

Eighteen years ago, I wrote a feature for this very publication that began with these words: “Eric Geyer is an asshole.” I stand by this. Eric Geyer was self-absorbed, stubborn and infuriating. He was also one of the most kind-hearted, easygoing, deeply generous people I’ve ever met. When a person dies, we talk about all the lives they touched, but, with Eric, it’s no platitude. If you could see us all at once, we’d look like the web of stars projected on the ceiling of the Scobee Planetarium (a place he loved, and whose projector was pictured in the liner of his 1999 album, You Never Get What You Want.) Eric’s unique brand of assholery was merely the product of fiercely-held convictions, which were apparent in his creative work. Through multiple records and numerous stage plays, Eric exposed the ridiculous things we do in our quest for connection. He was a huge fan of Mr. Show, Larry David, and Ricky Gervais, but they served less as inspiration than affinity. Eric’s assessments were funny, dark, painfully honest, and surprisingly tender; his work made sad clowns of us all. But he held his convictions off-stage, too. He was a bona fide eccentric in a world that often wished he wasn’t, which could make life with him challenging (and no doubt

made it challenging for him.) The class clown at MacArthur High School, Eric formed a band with friends and honed his theatre chops, acting and directing. After Mac, he attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he found his unique voice (think Paul Westerberg meets Geddy Lee) as a solo singer-songwriter, hosted the open mic at Chicago House, and continued to write plays. He also wrote for an award-winning Spanish children’s series, La Isla de Jordán, which aired on Telemundo and Discovery Kids Latinoamerica (and starred Eric in the form of a smart-mouthed, picky-eating pelican.) Eventually, Eric returned to San Antonio, where he hosted open mic nights at various venues, including the former North St. Mary’s Brewing Company and Sam’s Burger Joint (which won the Current’s Best of SA ’04 open mic.) Eric’s performances — from heartfelt originals to quirky covers — were the highlight of these nights. Meanwhile, his plays continued to garner attention, winning Best of Fest at Austin’s FronteraFest multiple years. In all, his plays have been performed well over 50 times across the country. Eric was also a mentor to countless young creatives, via programs with Gemini Ink, as well

as the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center (despite his guayaberas being the only thing Latino about him.) From 2000-2014, he served on the faculty of Saint Mary’s Hall. There, he founded the Speech, Debate, and Competitive Drama Program, which won six state championships under his guidance, and is now one of the top programs in the nation. He was adored by students, and recognized by the school as a Master Teacher. For a guy who once claimed to dislike children, Eric had more of them than his parent-friends combined. Eric was a big kid with grown-up wit. He wore Chuck Taylors, collected Hot Wheels, and had an arcade-sized video game in his home. He hosted an annual holiday party for friends far and wide. He was a beloved, gregarious pal to many, and a vulnerable, close friend to a lucky few. Eric died January 8. He was preceded in death by his mother, and leaves behind his father, a brother, and … oh, fuck it. He left us all behind, and the world will be forever kind of boring, but hopefully a bit more honest. My blessing to you: May you find yourself surrounded by assholes like Eric. If you can even find another like him. Jacquie Moody Fuller, a San Antonio native, is Assistant Program Director at KUTX 98.9 in Austin.

sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 39

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CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

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MUSIC

BARRY MANILOW With a career that speaks for itself – one that includes selling more than 85 million albums and securing 50 Top 40 hits – the legendary Barry Manilow doesn’t need much introduction. On tour with his latest album This is My Town: Songs of New York (released back in April), the “Copacabana” and “Mandy” singer’s appearance in San Antonio is sort of perfect since we’ve recovered from all those holiday bills. Well, at least, mostly recovered. Either way, Manilow is that legend that you don’t want to miss. $99-$249, 7:30pm, Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-5700, majesticempire.com. – Chris Conde WED

Dance-y, poppy, indie and hip, Denver duo Tennis are, dare I say, the perfect indie pop band. Combining sounds from 1950s doo-wop to ’60s folk with ’80s drum sounds, husband-and-wife duo Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore have been taking the indie music world by storm since their 2011 debut album Cape Dory, which NPR called “retro-pop,” which is actually a deadon description. On “In the Morning I’ll Be Better,” the swaying 6/8 track opens with Moore’s harmonizing falsetto and keyboard strokes before drums come in and pull the listener through a track that sounds like it could’ve been performed by ’60s female pop groups like the Supremes or Martha and the Vandellas. $16, 8pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. – CC

LUCA VENTER

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Ceschi + Sammus If you’re a connoisseur of fine hip-hop (as opposed to the bullshit that sometimes passes) and you haven’t heard of Connecticut’s Ceschi, you’re gonna want to remedy that immediately. Born Julio Francisco Ramos, Ceschi has been a staple in the underground community since the early aughts. Blending elements of indie rock and folk music, Ramos’ unique singer-songwriter-rapper work features plenty of acoustic guitar and folksy instruments for a combination that’s unlike any other rapper we can recall. Fans of Sage Francis, MewithoutYou, and The Mountain Goats will dig it. Also on the stacked, outsider hip-hop bill is an up-and-coming force to be reckoned with in hip-hop, Sammus (pictured), a female rapper, former educator, and academic from Ithaca, NY with woke bars and a flow that demands listeners’ attention. Seriously, turn off Lil Pump or whatever wack-ass rapper you’ve got going on in your headphones and peep some real shit from Sammus. Alson on the bill are indie rappers Factor Chandelier, hERON, and local hip-hop folks Chisme, and Chris Conde (full disclosure: Conde is a staff writer for the Current). 8:30pm, $6, Limelight, 2718 N. St. Mary’s St., thelimelightsa.com. – James Courtney WED

Nearly 20 years after the recording of their 2001 live album Unleashed Live, Texas country torch-carriers and pals/brothers Jack Ingram, Charlie Robison and Bruce Robison are getting back together on the same hallowed stage where that contemporary classic record was captured. Though all distinct in temperament and songwriting style, these three longtime collaborators and mutual admirers nevertheless share a love and a knack for traditional Texas honky-tonk music and vibes. The elder statesman of the group, Bruce Robison is an easygoing Hill Country romantic, while his younger brother Charlie is the hellraiser and Ingram the consummate storyteller. Fans can expect the three stars to play from a wide range of their own material and the material of their heroes, sometimes sharing the stage and sometimes solowith backing bands. Looking to hear a report by example on the state of Texas country? Shine up your good boots and meet us at the old dancehall. $30 (sold out), 8pm, Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene, New Braunfels, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall.com. – JC FRI

COURTESY OF BRUCE ROBINSON

Bruce Robison + Charlie Robison + Jack Ingram

ZOLOO BROWN

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sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 41

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CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

MUSIC

International Sister City Jazz Ensemble Thanks to the spectacular and undersung initiatives of Musical Bridges Around the World — a San Antonio non-profit that looks to use performance and visual arts programming as vessels in which audiences can be gently (but effectively) ferried across cultural divides — jazz fans are in for a real treat this weekend. As a part of the larger fifth annual International Music Festival, which your ticket to this event would get you full access to, MBAW will present a unique, cross-cultural dialogue of sorts, in musical form. For the first time, the newly formed Sister City International Jazz Ensemble, comprised of players from all over the world, representing almost all of SA’s 10-plus Sister and Friendship Cities, will perform a one of a kind live set. Free ($95 for reserved seats), 7:30pm, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 226-5700, musicalbridges.org. – JC

Josh Halverson

SAT

Folk singer-songwriter Josh Halverson, who also appeared on NBC’s televised singing competition The Voice, returns to San Antonio for a gig at Ventura with Michael Carillo’s (Deer Vibes) country-folk side project Michael J. & The Foxes. Halverson recently received the Artist of the Year and Best Folk Recording at the 17th annual Native American Music Awards in October 2017 and was also named the Artist of the Year at the Country Music Awards of Texas in 2018. The artist will be accompanied by The Feel Good, which consists of guitarist Ryan Koronich, bassist Robert Alarcon and drummer Fernando Rafa Sanchez from The Holy Child, and multi-instrumentalist Sarah Jondreau. $10, 9pm, Ventura, 1011 Avenue B, (210) 802-6940, venturasatx.com. – CC SAT

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When Drake decides to sign you to his label, you know you must be doing something right. That’s what happened in February of 2016 to Canadian duo DVSN (pronounced “division”), composed of Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85, born Paul Jeffries, who has worked on huge tracks like “Hotline Bling” and “Truffle Butter.” The group’s sound is incredibly minimal for a band that’s making waves in the genre. With DVSN, there’s no need to layer on tons of reverb and production, their sheer talent stands on its own. On “Mood,” for instance, Daley croons over a simple drum beat with piano echoing in and out of the track. It’s smooth and sexy and definitely worth a listen (or 20). $27$77, 8pm, The Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. – CC

COURTESY OF SLEIGH BELLS

DVSN SAT

In 2010, the world was shook with the explosive arrival of noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells. And good news, San Antonio fans, they’re in the Alamo City this week. Matching female vocals that range from punk rock yells to lullaby croons with blaring guitars and distorted drum beats, the Brooklynites seem to have an omnipresence about them, showing up and slaying almost every major music festival in recent years. Guitarist Derek Edward Miller (who played guitar in the hardcore outfit Poison The Well) recruited vocalist Alexis Krauss and the duo has released four albums since 2010, plus a new seven-song, mini-album Kid Kruschev which came out in November. $25-$27, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. – CC MON

sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 43

MUSIC

MUSIC CALENDAR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31 Barry Manilow Pop music icon Barry Manilow will take the stage at the Majestic Theater in celebration of his newest album This is My Town: Songs of New York. $59.75-$249.75. The Majestic Theatre, 7:30pm. Devon Gilﬁllian Gilfillian fires twin barrels of gospel-blues and southern soul on his debut EP. Released in May 2016, the selftitled album finds the musician stepping into the spotlight as a solo artist. $10-$40. Sam’s Burger Joint, 8pm.

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CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

International Music Festival Launched in 1998 by Russian-born pianist Anya Grokhovski as a means to “promote cultural understanding through innovative, multicultural performances,” the nonprofi t Musical Bridges Around the World routinely imports eclectic acts to San Antonio for its free concert series at San Fernando Cathedral and its International Music Festival, an initiative launched in 2014. In essence a condensed approach to concerts previously spread across the year, the weeklong festival celebrates its fi fth anniversary with a melange of global sounds and a few familiar faces. Hosted between the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre (226 N. St. Mary’s St.) and San Fernando (115 Main Plaza), the 2018 program kicked off Saturday, January 22 with a Founders’ Concert showcasing jazz pianist Valeri Grokhovski and violinist Mark Cheikhet with support from members of the San Antonio Symphony. The festival closes out this week with Czech This Out, featuring Felix Slová�ek senior and also two young stars of the current Czech musical scene – clarinetist and soprano saxophonist Felix Slová�ek junior (Jan. 31); Tales from the Edges of Spain, featuring Galician bagpiper Cristina Prato, (Feb. 1); Hexameron, which features gold medalists of previous San Antonio International Piano Competitions (Feb. 2); International Sister City Jazz Ensemble (Feb. 3); and the Russian folk dance ensemble Barynya (Feb. 4). While all performances are free and open to the public on a fi rst-come, fi rst-served basis, world-music fanatics can secure orchestra seats to all fi ve Empire shows for a $95 donation. Free on a ﬁrst-come, ﬁrst-served basis. San Fernando Cathedral, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat 7:30pm, Sun 3pm. Jimmy Eat Wednesday A monthly pop-punk DJ night for late ’90s- mid ’00s emo jams. Free. Brass Monkey, 9pm-2am.

Primetime Jazz Orchestra San Antonio jazz band performs live under the direction of John Magaldi. Free. The Cove, 8-10pm. Stovensky’s Vintage Lemon Rose Local indie rock band Lemon Disco is joined by Vintage Pictures and alternative band Andria Rose & The Youth from Austin. $5. Fitzgerald’s Bar & Live Music, 8pm-2am. World/Inferno Friendship Society Based out of Brooklyn, World/Inferno merges punk, soul and jazz led by singer Jack Terricloth and joined by local band The Lost Project and psychobilly outfit Los Tejanos Muertos. $12. Jack’s Bar, 6pm.

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1 The Band of Heathens An American rockand-roll band from Austin performs live with Arizona soul duo The Watters. $12-$90. Sam’s Burger Joint, 7pm. Declan McKenna Indie rock singersongwriter from England performs live with special guest Chappell Roan of Willard, Missouri. $15-$20. Jack’s Bar, 9pm. Flans An all-female Mexican group that provided poppy tunes for the late ’80s and early ’90s. Ilse, Ivonne & Mimi are now celebrating their 30 year career of great hits with a tour. $49-$154. Aztec Theatre, 8pm. Salsa Night Mainstream Latin jazz artist Jose Amador performs with the NATIAO Latin jazz group. $10. Jazz, TX, 8:30-11:30pm. Softest Hard LA electronic DJ associated with Skrillex pop artist performs live set. $8. Paper Tiger, 10pm.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2 Friday Afternoon Picker Circle Country singer Hayden Whittington performs an unplugged acoustic set. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 1pm. From Parts Unknown, Breaklights Rock 'n' roll band from Dallas perform live along with local support from Destroy Orbison and Knockin’ Chucks. Free. The Amp Room, 9pm-2am. Hot Sardines New York City jazz act performs their new album French Fries & Champagne live. $29-$99. Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 7:30pm. John Baumann Described as a “Texas troubadour on the rise,” Baumann, hailing from Austin, performs originals live with classic country artist, Kathryn Legendre. $10-$45. Sam’s Burger Joint, 8pm.

MUSIC

Judah & The Lion American alternative band from Nashville are joined on stage by Boston city electrofolk Tall Heights on their Going to Mars tour. $26-$51. Aztec Theatre, 8pm. New Orleans Night South Texas jazz musician Brent “Doc” Watkins is joined by Pierre Poree of New Orleans and friends to perform live. $20. Jazz, TX, 8:30-11:30pm. Nightbird A Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks tribute band from Houston performs live. $10. The Bang Bang Bar, 9pm-2am. Randall King A fourth generation hay hauler from West Texas performs modernized honky-tonk originals. Free. John T. Floore Country Store, 7pm. Tennis, Overcoats American indie pop band from Denver, made up of husband and wife duo Alania Moore and Patrick Riley, perform live with electronic pop duo Overcoats. $16-18. Paper Tiger, 8pm. Twelve Years Driven Aggressive Houston rockers takes the stage with local metal bands Fumar and Deathdodger. $5-$8. Bond’s 007 Rock Bar, 7pm. Unleashed Live Reunion Tour Texas based singer-songwriters Jack Ingram, Charlie Robison and Bruce Robison reunite to perform original country hits. $30. Gruene Hall, 8pm. Weeners and Poon San Antonio’s all male Ween tribute band perform live with special guests Poon, Austin’s all-female Ween tribute band. $5-$8. Limelight, 9pm-2am. West Kings Highway Local band performs blues, jazz, classics, covers and Americana. Free. Southtown 101, 8-11pm.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3 DVSN This Canadian R&B duo signed to Drake's OVO Sound performs songs from their latest album Morning After. $27-$32. Aztec Theatre, 9pm. Eleven Hundred Springs An outlaw country band from Dallas performs live with Mayeux & Broussard, a swampy-tonk band from Austin. $12-$15. John T. Floores Country Store, 7pm.

Burger Joint, 8pm. Saturday Evening Picker Circle Unplugged acoustic jam featuring country singers, Kathy Bauer & Michael Broussard of Bandera, Texas. Free. Luckenbach Dance Hall, 5-9pm. Shake the Baby til the Love Comes Out Seattle Instrumental funk band performs live with locals 16 The Olympus, Red Cardinal and Phantom Chatter. $5. Imagine Books and Records, 8pm-midnight

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Doll Skin A revved up rock ‘n’ roll band from the desert of Phoenix play a mixture of rock, punk, and pop alongside North American Pharaohs, Buried Alike and Moronic Behavior in support of their new album Manic Pixie Dream Girl. $12-$14. Jack’s Bar, 7:30-11:30pm.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5 Banditos, The Rich Hands Rock ‘n’ rollers Banditos from Birmingham are joined by The Rich Hands, alternative group from Austin and Chicago indie rock band The Reputations. $10-$12. Paper Tiger, 7pm. Remembrance Dedicated to the memory of clarinetist and new music advocate, Laura Flax (1951-2017). A noted performer and a trailblazer for women in classical music, the New York based artist was the sister of longtime SOLI supporter Freda Flax. Legendary composer Shulamit Ran, a close friend of the late clarinetist, will perform for a memorial concert presenting her new work for solo clarinet in honor of Flax, performed by SOLI founder Stephanie Key. Also on the program is Ran’s recent work, Birkat Haderekh (Blessing for the Road), which was premiered by Flax in 2015. Jazz, TX, 7:30pm.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Matt Bradford Bradford weaves his heartfelt originals with a blend of Americana, folk, blues, country and pop. Free. Lowcountry, 10pm-1am.

Remembrance In memory of clarinetist and new music advocate, Laura Flax (19512017). A noted performer and a trailblazer Josh Halverson Americana artist hailing for women in classical music, the New from Austin performs live with local band York based artist was the sister of longtime Michael J. & The Foxes. $10. Ventura, SOLI supporter Freda Flax. Legendary 7pm-2am. composer Shulamit Ran, a close friend of Junior Brown Combining the soul of country the late clarinetist, will join in this memorial and the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll, Junior Brown concert to present her new work for solo of the Texas country performs live with clarinet in honor of Flax, performed by Rachel Laven of San Antonio. $20. Gruene SOLI founder Stephanie Key. Also on Hall, 8pm. the program is Ran’s recent work, Birkat Haderekh (Blessing for the Road), which Max Stalling Country singer-songwriter, Max was premiered by Flax in 2015. $60. Ruth Stalling of Uvalde, performs originals with Taylor Recital Hall, 7:30pm. Oklahoma’s Travis Linville. $10-$50. Sam’s

sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 45

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46 CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com sacurrent.com • June 28-July 4, 2017 • CURRENT 51

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I am a 38-year-old lesbian, very femme, very out. I have a coworker I can’t figure out. We’ve worked together for a year and gotten very close. I never want to put out the wrong signals to coworkers, and I err on the side of keeping a safe but friendly distance. This is different. We are each other’s confidants at work. We stare at each other across the office, we text until late at night, and we go for weekend dog walks. Her texts aren’t overtly flirty, but they are intimate and feel more than friendly. I’ve never had a “straight” girl act like this toward me. Is she into me? Or just needy? Is it all in my head? Workplace Obsession Roiling Knowing-If-Nervous Gal

promotion away from becoming her supervisor and your company doesn’t incentivize workplace romances by banning them, ask your coworker out on a date — an unambiguous ask for a date, not an appointment to meet up at the dog park. And this is important: Before she can respond to your ask, WORKING, invite her to say “no” if the answer is no or “straight” if the identity is straight. Good luck!

I’m a lesbian, and my partner recently reconnected with a childhood friend. At first I felt sorry for him, as he was having a health crisis. But he’s better now, and his pushy behavior really gets to me. He texts her at all hours — and when he can’t get in touch with her, he bugs me. When I refused to go on a trip with him and his Five weeks ago, a letter writer jumped husband, he guilt-tripped me for down my throat for giving advice to weeks. He constantly wants us lesbians despite not being a lesbian to come to his house, but they’re myself. Questions from lesbians have chain-smokers. I’m going to Los been pouring in ever since — lesbians Angeles to interview a celebrity for apparently don’t like being told who they a project, and now he’s trying to may or may not ask for advice. Three insert himself into this trip because weeks ago, I responded to a man whose he wants go starfucking! He also coworker asked him if he might want wants to officiate at our upcoming to sleep with the coworker’s wife — a wedding! My partner won’t stand coworker who was “not [his] boss” — up for me when I say no to this guy. and people jumped down my throat for How can I get my partner to listen entertaining the idea because it is NEVER to me or get her jackass friend to EVER NEVER EVER okay to sleep with leave me be? a coworker and/or a coworker’s spouse. Can’t Think Of A Clever Acronym And now here I am responding to a question from a lesbian who wants to Burn it down, CTOACA. Call or e-mail sleep with a coworker. Farewell to my your partner’s old friend and tell him you mentions, as the kids say. think he’s a pushy, unpleasant, smelly Here we go, WORKING… asshole and that you don’t want to hang Your straight-identified workmate out with him — not at his place, not on could be straight, or she could be a trip, and not at your wedding, which a lesbian (lots of lesbians come out he not only won’t be officiating but, if later in life), or she could be bisexual you had your druthers, he wouldn’t be (most bisexual women are closeted, attending. That should do it. You can’t tell and others are perceived to be straight your soon-to-be wife who she can’t have despite their best efforts to identify as as a friend — that’s controlling behavior bisexual) — and lots of late-in-lifers and/ — but she can’t force you to spend time or closeted folks don’t come out until with someone you loathe. some hot same-sex prospect works up the nerve to ask them out. If your mail@savagelove.net coworker isn’t currently under you @fakedansavage on Twitter at work and you’re not an imminent ITMFA.org

ETC.

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1 Candy brand that comes in twos 5 One of Australia’s six 10 “The King and I” character 14 Planetarium roof 15 Hardwood playing surface 16 Ending for concert or movie 17 Banana peel, in British English 18 Image transmitter to the brain 20 Early Doritos flavor 22 Cuatro doubled 23 Charles played by Jamie Foxx 24 Bitter beer variety, for short 26 It spits out bills 28 Cassis-and-wine cocktail 29 Altar-ed statement? 30 Flowers related to tobacco, tomatoes, and deadly nightshade 33 The Bahamas’ capital 35 Dress rehearsal follower 37 Ricky’s portrayer on 1950s TV 38 Bread in an Indian restaurant 39 Doesn’t feel so great 43 Potential award winner usually announced in January 48 2016 Lady Gaga album 51 TNT drama whose 77th and final episode aired on Christmas 2012 52 Abbr. on food labels

53 Certain Wall Street trader, slangily 55 In medias ___ 56 Voting yes 57 Bread for a Reuben 58 “Afternoon of a ___” (Debussy work) 60 Train travel 62 2019 and 2021, e.g. 65 House, in Havana 68 “Switched-On Bach” synthesizer 69 “This one goes out to the one ___ ...” 70 “Monday Night Football” network 71 Muppet with a goldfish 72 Burn perfume, in religious ceremonies 73 “Take ___! (And ___!)”

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Airport’s home 13 Words before ready or serious 19 “Come Away With Me” singer Jones 21 “What ___ do?” 24 The Touch is the only one still produced 25 “Muppets Tonight” prawn 27 ___ cum laude 31 Group with dues 32 Hair tangle 34 Flight component? 36 Word before child or peace 40 Very quickly 41 Brick that hurts when stepped on 42 Fortune teller 44 Screw-up 45 Like some tiles 46 Direct 47 Tableland 48 Former halfback Bettis 49 Detergent that debuted in 1914 50 The world of simians 54 “Haven’t Met You Yet” crooner Michael 59 Element #10 (Really, it’s that early in the sequence? Wow.) 61 “Law & Order: SVU” costar 63 The Red Cross or Doctors Without Borders, e.g. 64 Homes parked in parks 66 Tranquil destination 67 Colony insect

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48 CURRENT • January 31-February 6, 2018 • sacurrent.com

ETC.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY by Rob Brezsny ARIES (March 21-April 19): In all of history, humans have mined about 182,000 tons of gold. Best estimates suggest there are still 35 billion tons of gold buried in the earth, but the remaining riches will be more difficult to find and collect than what we’ve already gotten. We need better technology. If I had to say who would be the entrepreneurs and inventors best qualified to lead the quest, my choice would be members of the Aries tribe. For the foreseeable future, you people will have extra skill at excavating hidden treasure and gathering resources that are hard to access. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Stories have the power to either dampen or mobilize your life energy. I hope that in the coming weeks, you will make heroic efforts to seek out the latter and avoid the former. Now is a crucial time to treat yourself to stories that will jolt you out of your habitual responses and inspire you to take long-postponed actions and awaken the sleeping parts of your soul. And that’s just half of your assignment, dear Taurus. Here’s the rest: Tell stories that help you remember the totality of who you are, and that inspire your listeners to remember the totality of who they are. GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Author Anaïs Nin said, “There are two ways to reach me: by way of kisses or by way of the imagination. But there is a hierarchy: the kisses alone don’t work.” For two reasons, Anaïs’s formulation is especially apropos for you right now. First, you should not allow yourself to be seduced, tempted, or won over by sweet gestures alone. You must insist on sweet gestures that are synergized by a sense of wonder and an appreciation of your unique beauty. Second, you should adopt the same approach for those you want to seduce, tempt, or win over: sweet gestures seasoned with wonder and an appreciation of their unique beauty.

demand: that the dj play a recording of the Muppet song “The Rainbow Connection,” as sung by the puppet Kermit the Frog. Fortunately, police intervened quickly, no one was hurt, and the kidnapper was jailed. In bringing this to your attention, Leo, I am certainly not suggesting that you imitate the kidnapper. Please don’t break the law or threaten anyone with harm. On the other hand, I do urge you to take dramatic, innovative action to fulfill one of your very specific desires.

rare old copy of America’s Declaration of Independence, originally created in 1776. He eventually sold it for $2.42 million. I doubt that you will experience anything quite as spectacular in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. But I do suspect you will find something valuable where you don’t expect it, or develop a connection with something that’s better than you imagined it would be. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): In the 1740s, a teenage Capricorn girl named Eliza Lucas almost single-handedly introduced a new crop into American agriculture: indigo, a plant used as a dye for textiles. In South Carolina, where she managed her father’s farm, indigo ultimately became the secondmost-important cash crop over the next 30 years. I have astrological reasons to believe that you are now in a phase when you could likewise make innovations that will have long-range economic repercussions. Be alert for good intuitions and promising opportunities to increase your wealth.

use, but believed it withered one’s willpower and diminished one’s determination to transform one’s life for the better. For a year, I meditated on and experimented with his hypothesis. I found it to be true, at least for me. I haven’t smoked since. My purpose in bringing this up is not to advise you about your relationship to drugs, but rather to urge you to question whether there are influences in your life that wither your willpower and diminish your determination to transform your life for the better. Now is an excellent time to examine this issue.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Many varieties PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Would you like of the nettle plant will sting you if you touch to shed unwieldy baggage before moving the leaves and stems. Their hairs are like on to your next big challenge? I hope so. hypodermic needles that inject your skin with It will purge your soul of karmic sludge. It a blend of irritant chemicals. And yet nettle will prime you for a fresh start. One way to is also an herb with numerous medicinal accomplish this bravery is to confess your properties. It can provide relief for allergies, sins and ask for forgiveness in front of a arthritis, joint pain, and urinary problems. mirror. Here are data to consider. Is there That’s why Shakespeare invoked the nettle as anyone you know who would not give you a metaphor in his play Henry IV, Part 1: “Out a good character reference? Have you ever of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, committed a seriously unethical act? Have safety,” says the character named Hotspur. In you revealed information that was told to you accordance with the astrological omens, Virgo, AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): When I was in my early twenties, I smoked marijuana now in confidence? While under the influence of I choose the nettle as your power metaphor and then. I liked it. It made me feel good and intoxicants or bad ideas, have you done things for the first three weeks of February. inspired my creativity and roused spiritual you’re ashamed of? I’m not saying you’re visions. But I reconsidered my use after LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Knullrufs is a more guilty of these things than the rest of encountering pagan magician Isaac Bonewits. us; it’s just that now is your special time to Swedish word that refers to what your He didn’t have a moral objection to cannabis hair looks like after sex: tousled, rumpled, seek redemption. disordered. If I’m reading the astrological omens correctly, you should experience THIS MODERN WORLD by Tom Tomorrow more knullrufs than usual in the coming weeks. You’re in a phase when you need and deserve extra pleasure and delight, especially the kind that rearranges your attitudes as well as your coiffure. You have license to exceed your normal quotas of ravenousness and rowdiness. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In his “Crazy Lake Experiment” documented on Youtube, Harvard physicist Greg Kestin takes a raft out on a lake. He drops a tablespoon of olive oil into the water, and a few minutes later, the half-acre around his boat is still and smooth. All the small waves have disappeared. He proceeds to explain the science behind the calming effect produced by a tiny amount of oil. I suspect that you will have a metaphorically comparable power in the next two weeks, Scorpio. What’s your version of the olive oil? Your poise? Your graciousness? Your tolerance? Your insight into human nature?

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Are you more inclined right now to favor temporary involvements and short-term promises? Or would you consider making brave commitments that lead you deeper into the Great Mystery? Given the upcoming astrological omens, I vote for the latter. Here’s another pair of questions for you, Cancerian. Are you inclined to meander from commotion to commotion without any game plan? Or might you invoke the magic necessary to get involved with high-quality SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In 1989, collaborations? I’m hoping you’ll opt for the latter. (P.S. The near future will be prime time a man spent four dollars on a painting at a flea market in Adamstown, Pennsylvania. He for you to swear a sacred oath or two.) didn’t care much for the actual image, which LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In March 1996, a was a boring country scene, but he thought man burst into the studio of radio station he could use the frame. Upon returning Star FM in Wanganui, New Zealand. He took home, he found a document concealed the manager hostage and issued a single behind the painting. It turned out to be a

sacurrent.com • January 31-February 6, 2018 • CURRENT 49

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