San Antonio Current — March 11, 2020

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CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

BLAH

A TRIBUTE TO RUSH

in this issue San Antonio Current

Issue 20_06 /// March 11-24, 2020

25 Arts

Publisher: Michael Wagner Editor-in-Chief: Sanford Nowlin

The Gatekeepers

Editorial

Furor over Centro de Artes’ exhibition raises questions about how much say the city has over arts content

Food & Nightlife Editor: Lea Thompson Calendar Editor: Kelly Merka Nelson Contributing Arts Editor: Bryan Rindfuss Staff Writer: Chris Conde Digital Content Editor: Sarah Martinez Contributors: Ron Bechtol, Daniel Conrad, James Courtney, Jade Esteban Estrada, Dan R. Goddard, Lance Higdon, Steven G. Kellman, Hannah Lorence, Kiko Martinez, M. Solis, Gary Sweeney Editorial Interns: Brianna Espinoza, Trevor Flynn, Steven Hargis, Katie Hennessey

Studio Visits

Artist Emily Fleisher on memory, motherhood, peach pits and video games

Advertising

Sales Manager: Joseph Allen Account Manager: Mallory Jochen, Cristal Colleli Account Executives: Tom Berry, Mike Valdelamar Digital Sales Specialist: Mike Valdelamar

31 Screens

Destiny Awaits

Marketing and Events

San Antonio high school senior looks forward to bright future in cinema despite SXSW setback

Marketing and Events Director: Cassandra Yardeni Events Manager: Chelsea Bourque Marketing & Events Interns: Marlene Mejia and Caitlin Muñoz

Creative Services

Creative Services Manager: Tina Corbeil Graphic Designer: Samantha Serna Graphic Design Interns: Pedro Macias, Raquel Prado, Jacqueline Rivas, Gabriela Rivera

35 Food

Nostalgia Trip

Circulation

Circulation Manager: Justin Giles

Some of Earl Abel’s famous dishes survive the transition to a new location. Others, not so much.

Business

Business Manager: Sonia Acosta

Euclid Media Group

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Alamo Smoke Joins San Antonio’s Bustling BBQ Scene The Takeaway Small Plates

41 Feature

Moving Heaven and Earth

Ahead of his March 12 San Antonio performance, burgeoning jazz giant Kamasi Washington talks about creativity and why the world is what we make it

41 Music

Homegrown Beats Music Picks

BY C H R I S CO N D E Mary Kang

09 News Up Front

Touch Me, I’m Sick

Trump’s failure to lead on COVID-19 is likely to infect Republicans down the ballot

Glitter Political

Rodriguez vs. Rodriguez: Recent Precinct 2 commissioner debate highlighted milestones and shortcomings of the late Paul Elizondo

14 Calendar

Calendar Picks, This Modern World Art Picks

53 Etc

ON THE COVER p Jazz heavyweight Kamasi Washington spoke to the Current ahead of his SA gig. Design: Melissa McHenry.

p The city’s removal of a video from an art space it owns is raising questions of censorship. Design: Melissa McHenry.

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CURRENT | Macrh 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

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Q U A R R Y M A R K E T. C O M | 2 5 5 E . B A S S E R O A D , S A N A N T O N I O , T X 7 8 2 0 9 sacurrent.com | Macrh 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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San Antonio musical artists, filmmakers and festivalgoers got bad news last week with the cancellation of South by Southwest over coronavirus fears. As of press time, it’s unclear whether attendees, who paid up to $1,725 a ticket, will get refunds. On its website, SXSW says it doesn’t offer rebates or credit for future fests “under any circumstances.”

After 11 years of hard work, one of the world’s most critically endangered species has been successfully bred at the San Antonio Zoo. Conservation staffers hatched eggs of the reticulated flatwoods salamander, a species so decimated it has a single remaining habitat on a Florida Air Force base.

Realizing that low-income people will be hit hardest if coronavirus forces San Antonians to hunker down and self-quarantine, the San Antonio Food Bank launched a campaign Thursday to bring emergency food and supplies to 300,000 area households. It will distribute preparedness kits via local pantries, senior citizens and other locations.

Career NBA shit-talker Richard Jefferson revealed he had plenty more to spew last week on ESPN’s Get Up show. The one-time Spur said franchise hero Tim Duncan “has been carried by people his entire life.” The comment and others that followed caused fellow host Jay Williams to walk off the set. And, we imagine, no small number of San Antonian viewers to hurl stuff at their TV screens. — Sanford Nowlin

YOU SAID IT!

“After the recount, we’ll see what the numbers look like when they come back, and we’ll take it from there.”

— Bexar sheriff candidate Michelle Barrientes Vela, after petitioning the Bexar County Democratic Party for a recount of her race.

Vela, recently indicted on three felony counts, had 12.19% of the vote, compared to incumbent Sheriff Javier Salazar’s 53.73%.

ASSCLOWN ALERT!

Dan Patrick

D

an Patrick, Texas’ bathroom-obsessed Lieutenant Governor, sure knows how to throw red meat to his Tea Party base. Case in point: his decision to piss all over the $450 million Alamo Plaza redesign.

In a statement posted last week on his campaign website, Patrick blasted the plan to relocate the crumbling 1930s Alamo Cenotaph 500 feet south to enlarge the plaza.

Further, he said a museum planned for the site should focus solely on the battle and ignore all other history surrounding the former Spanish mission.

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Gage Skidmore

Patrick’s indignation over the Cenotaph is predictable — plenty of other right wingers have also gotten worked up over the relocation, claiming putting it somewhere else on-site somehow defiles the memories of those who died defending the shrine.

But his argument that no other history should be detailed in the museum — apparently including Spanish colonialism and the landmark 1960 integration of the lunch counter at nearby Woolworth’s — is more troubling. In fact, it’s a slap in the face of Native Americans and African Americans who worked hard to get a seat at the table during the five-year effort to rethink Alamo Plaza.

Here’s an idea, assclown: stop hurling bombs from the sidelines and let people with an actual stake in the Alamo’s redevelopment work through these issues like adults.

— Sanford Nowlin

I.C.Y.M.I

L

ast week, local environmental activists said voters, not city council, should decide whether the 1/8-cent sales tax supporting the Edwards Aquifer Protection Program should be redirected to fund part of the ConnectSA transit overhaul. A plan backed by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, would move aquifer protection under the city’s purview but provide just half its present funding. The Greater Edwards Aquifer Alliance proposed a two-year renewal of the aquifer protection tax to give city leaders time to locate alternative program funding. ConnectSA goes to public vote in November.

D

emocratic turnout in the Super Tuesday primary election surpassed Republican turnout for the first time in recent history, according to the Texas Secretary of State. Political scientists warned Dems not to read too much into the numbers, since the party with the undecided presidential race traditionally sees an attendance surge. Regardless, progressive groups argue the data shows Texas’ Democratic turnout is on an upward trend, while Republican poll numbers remain flat.

B

exar County Sheriffs Office community liaison Robert Vargas III is facing backlash after saying on Facebook that GOP sheriff candidate Gerry Rickhoff’s primary win showed “how racist Republicans are in Bexar County.” As evidence, Vargas said Rickhoff, who’s Anglo, gained 52% of the vote, even though he “didn’t even run an actual campaign.” The Deputy Sheriff’s Association of Bexar County said Vargas’ statement was unacceptable. — Katie Hennessey

Sanford Nowlin

Find more newsmore coverage Find news every day at sacurrent.com

news

White House Photo / Paul Morse

Touch Me, I’m Sick

Trump’s failure to lead on COVID-19 is likely to infect Republicans down the ballot

BY SANFORD NOWLIN

P

resident Donald Trump’s efforts to reassure the public he’s got a handle on COVID-19 aren’t exactly inspiring confidence.

At press time, the U.S. death toll from the novel coronavisus stood at 19, and global markets once again plummeted amid fears of its continued reach.

Meanwhile, Trump was still downplaying the disease’s significance and trying make it all about him.

On a recent Fox News appearance, the president dismissed World Health Organization data placing the death rate from the virus at 3.4%, explaining he had a “hunch” that’s “really a false number.”

Last week, at a media op aimed at shoring up confidence in the administration’s handle on the crisis, he asked health experts why doctors don’t simply use the flu vaccine to combat COVID-19. He also bragged erroneously that anyone who wants a coronavirus test can get one.

The new test kits, he continued, were as “perfect” as his phone call to Ukraine’s president. You know, the one that resulted in his recent impeachment.

“People are really surprised I understand this stuff,” Trump said during a press briefing at the Centers for Disease Control. “Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability.”

Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson sees a parallel between Trump’s so-far inept handling of the coronavirus and George W. Bush’s bungling of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

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CURRENT | Macrh 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

“The Trump administration has misplayed this natural disaster, particularly in the way the president has been counter-message to his own health experts,” Jillson said. “Hurricane Katrina and Bush getting caught looking out the window of Air Force One is a good model for how this could play out.”

Of course, the incident to which Jillson is referring is the photo op the Bush White House allowed of the president gazing out his plane’s window as it flew over Katrina’s devastation. Later, Bush admitted to NBC news the shot was a monumental gaffe that made him seem “detached and uncaring.”

Bush also faced bruising criticism for spending the initial days of Katrina’s landfall on vacation, isolated from news reports. More bad PR followed when the world learned Michael Brown, the political crony the president appointed head of the Federal Emergency Management Administration, had zero experience in disaster relief.

The end result was the deepest damage Bush suffered during his political career. His botched record on the disaster even cost him support of some who supported his ill-advised war in Iraq.

To Jillson’s point, speculation is already swirling that the Trump administration’s mishandling of the coronavirus could be a major liability come November, especially if a symptom of the disease’s so-far relentless spread is global recession.

And the president isn’t the only Republican elected official with something to worry about, Jillson said.

White House Photo

If COVID-19 becomes the unmitigated disaster many predict, it will trickle down the ballot, he added. Democrats would be further energized by the incident, while a percentage of Republicans, no longer supportive of the president, just stay home.

Compounding the potential damage, it’s hard to imagine GOP lawmakers successfully distancing themselves from Trump on his handling of the outbreak.

Not after voters have seen them go all in on the president on every other controversy that preceded it.

Indeed, the political repercussions may already be rolling in.

As Congress passed $8.3 billion in emergency funding to fight COVID-19, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, wore a gas mask on the House floor to mock their concerns. Two days later, his state announced two people had died after contracting the virus, including one of Gaetz’s own constituents.

“Republican elected officials are now identified with Trump, and it’s through their own efforts,” Jillson said. “It will be very difficult for them to change course if his administration is compromised by its handling of the coronavirus.”

And as news continues to break around the global spread of the coronavirus, it’s hard to envision any scenario where it doesn’t become disruptive to U.S. voters’ lives — and their livelihoods.

This month, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicted that if COVID-19 spreads from East Asia, global growth will be slashed in half. With new cases racking up daily in the United States, that scenario appears more and more likely.

It also appears to be a scenario neither Trump nor the Republicans who have bound themselves to him will want to run against come November.

“It will be difficult for Trump to pivot,” Jillson said.

“We haven’t yet begun to experience the full effect of the coronavirus. If schools close, if sporting events are cancelled, it’s very likely he’ll suffer, and so will the Republicans.”

sacurrent.com | Macrh 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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11TH ANNUAL

Open Weekends: Feb 29 - April 19, 2020

& Fri, March 20 For Spring Break

10 AM To Dusk Rain Or Shine | No Pets -Camping Available-

Location

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Entertainment

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Song + Dance

You'll find minstrels, bards, storytellers, magicians, jugglers, & all types of performers strolling our lanes & playing on our stages. If you're lucky, you may spot a faery or two!

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Tickets On Sale Now At Sher woodforestfaire.com | (512)222-6680 | Follow Us On 12

CURRENT | Macrh 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

news

GLITTER POLITICAL

Rodriguez vs.

Rodriguez Recent Precinct 2 commissioner debate highlighted milestones and shortcomings of the late Paul Elizondo

BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA

A

recent debate between the two Democratic candidates for Precinct 2 Bexar County Commissioner shone a light on their widely different views of how to — or, indeed, whether they should — carry on the legacy of longtime commissioner Paul Elizondo.

Elizondo, a larger-than-life figure in the Democrat-dominated district, died in late 2018, a month after the start of his 10th term.

The candidate sitting to my right as I moderated the February 27 forum, Queta Rodriguez, ran against Elizondo in 2018, railing against the “deeply flawed system” that existed under his watch.

Her rival, incumbent Justin Rodriguez was appointed to Elizondo’s seat after his death, and many see him as someone eager to carry on his predecessor’s legacy.

Rodriguez was going into his fourth term as the District 125 representative in the Texas House when he was tapped for the role.

A few days after the debate, voters chose Justin Rodriguez as their next elected commissioner, although the movement that Queta Rodriguez created was clearly influential, and the forum helped showcase stark differences in their views.

The two candidates had, by most accounts, heavily canvassed West Side neighborhoods ahead of the primary.

Although both participated in a debate on Texas Public Radio, this was their only meeting before a live audience.

The tension between their contrasting views was clear in some of their exchanges.

Queta Rodriguez — who lost her 2018 runoff against Elizondo by fewer than 400 votes — took issue over her rival’s appointment, saying the selection came without community input.

“There was a complete lack of transparency,” she said. “I believe that people should have a voice in deciding who gets to represent them.”

She also told the audience that she ran in 2018 because she saw the need for “fundamental change” in county government.

“Our Bexar County Commissioners Court is made up of five people,” she said. “Those five individuals, which right now are all male, represent nearly two million people.”

Later, she added that she hoped voters wouldn’t vote for her because she was a woman, but rather because of her grassroots approach to community outreach.

Mark Hiebert

Community and family are high on the list for many West Siders — values both candidates said they share.

Queta Rodriguez’s mother, former District 5 City Councilwoman Lourdes Galvan, and father, nationally recognized League of United Latin American Citizens organizer Henry Rodriguez, sat in the audience.

“I’m not embarrassed to admit that I still live next door to my mom,” Justin Rodriguez said. “I’m a homeboy.”

He said he planned to “open the doors to county government” when he first joined the Commissioners Court.

As part of that effort, he launched a campaign to answer questions about the role of a county commissioner.

The discussion became heated when the subject of campaign donations came up.

“If something is not ethical, I will not do it,” Queta Rodriguez said, adding that her opponent had connections in Austin that she “would not be happy to claim.”

By that, she was referring to the Texas Association of Realtors, whose PAC gave Justin Rodriguez a $12,500 contribution in September, according to campaign finance records.

“You’ve got to let me respond to that,” said Justin Rodriguez, who rose to his feet. “That was a direct attack on my integrity. Anyone who’s ever given me a [campaign] donation, it’s never been in exchange for a vote. I take exception to you making that allegation.”

Later, Justin Rodriguez had the chance to respond to his opponent’s talking points, arguing that she’d taken credit for his ideas.

“So, I guess every bad thing I’ve done is my idea and every good thing I’ve done is her idea,” he quipped. “So, thank you for your ideas.”

The response drew a laugh from the audience.

Queta Rodriguez (left) shakes the hand of Justin Rodriguez at a forum before the Super Tuesday primary.

M

The forum also touched on issues facing the district — among them preserving historic neighborhoods, improving infrastructure and services to senior citizens.

When talk turned to the San Pedro Creek flood control project, which started during Elizondo’s time, Queta compared it to the continued flooding in neighborhoods such as Los Angeles Heights.

“As I walk those neighborhoods, I get angry,” she said.

“People tell me, ‘You sound angry.’ I’m not angry, I’m passionate.”

And therein lies the biggest contrast between the two.

Queta Rodriguez said she wants to make a top priority of leveling the playing field in some of the West Side’s poorest areas.

One of the final questions was whether the candidates would support redistricting to allow the GOP a shot in at representing the longtime Democratic stronghold. Both said they were open to the idea, even though the political landscape of Precinct 2 was a source of pride for Elizondo.

Ultimately, Justin Rodriguez avoided a runoff by garnering 59% of the vote. With no Republican filing, he won’t be challenged in the general election, a situation for which Elizondo deserves all the credit, or — to some Republicans — all the blame.

While the two had divergent views on Elizondo, it was clear their recent debate was a long-awaited public assessment of the milestones and shortcomings of a three-decade administration of El León de Bexar County. sacurrent.com | Macrh 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

13

Courtesy of Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Courtesy of San Antonio Parks Foundation

SAT | 3/14 SPECIAL EVENT

FEST OF TAILS: KITE FESTIVAL AND DOG FAIR

Whether you’re a dog or own a kite, the organizers of the 14th Annual Fest of Tails want you to bring your waggly bits to McAllister Park. Pooches and their owners alike can shake their backsides in excitement at all the activities, services and vendors at the local fest. Those include info on doggie well-being, pet merchandise booths, a Pooch Parade, a costume contest, onsite puppy adoptions and more. On the other side of the fest’s spectrum, folks can bring blankets and lawn chairs to watch the giant kite exhibition high in the sky. As if the organizers thought there wasn’t enough to keep people busy, they’ll also be providing carnival rides, plenty of food and family-appropriate live entertainment. Just try not to stare at the sun too long as you peer at those huge art pieces flapping in the wind. Free, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., McAllister Park, 13102 Jones Maltsberger Road, (210) 212-8423, facebook.com/saparksfoundation. — Brianna Espinoza

their similar comedic styles and shared love of lists.

With TV appearances including NBC’s Bring the Funny and TBS’ Conan, Ismo’s taken his show on the road, stopping for a one-night stand in San Antonio. Expect a set full of stories and observations about anything from small talk and cultural misunderstandings to our overuse of the word “ass.” $20-$30, 8 p.m., Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 5418805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — Steven Hargis

WED | 3/11 COMEDY

ISMO m

THU | 3/12 – SUN | 3/15 COMEDY

D. L. HUGHLEY A

Courtesy of Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club

Looking to join the list of people, like Bono or Cher, known by one name comes a comedian all the way from Finland. Ismo Leikola, or Ismo, observes the world around him and banters about the different views between English- and Finnish-speaking cultures.

He’s often been compared to George Carlin due to 14

CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

something you like” — Hughley’s wide-ranging social commentary can be a tad too acidic at times, like when he mocked Terry Crews for speaking out about sexual assault. His rapid-fire style hits so many issues that he’s sure to offend someone, but his work on race is far from finished. $40-$70, 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday, March 13, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, March 15, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (866) 468-3399, improvtx.com/ sanantonio. — Trevor Flynn

SAT | 3/14 SPORTS

SPURS VS. TIMBERWOLVES m

Since arriving in Minnesota via trade in February, Timberwolves point guard D’Angelo Russell has been putting up stellar numbers in points and assists. Russell joined NBA icons Allen Iverson and LeBron James as only the third player in the past 30 years to average 24-plus points and 8-plus assists in his first five games with a team. Currently on his fourth team in five seasons, Russell has looked comfortable in Minnesota, shouldering the offensive load as Karl-Anthony Towns recovers from a fractured wrist. The Spurs are winless against the Timberwolves this season, dropping discouraging losses in Minnesota and on their home court. A return to form from LaMarcus Aldridge, who was hampered by a shoulder strain earlier this month, could prove paramount to San Antonio’s diminishing playoff hopes. As the ides of March approach for the Spurs, every contest is critical. $10-$1,661, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Parkway, (210) 444-5140, attcenter.com. — M. Solis

“Three Jews and a black guy walk into a network…” was how D.L. Hughley opened his 2012 Peabody Award acceptance speech for The Endangered List, a satirical docu-comedy charting his quest to put the black man on the endangered species list. Widely known as the original host of BET’s ComicView, one of Spike Lee’s Original Kings of Comedy and the eponymous star of ABC sitcom The Hughleys, the nearly 57-year-old comedian packs plenty of punch.

Likening his approach to his mother’s aspirin and orange juice cocktail — “something you need and Spurs Sports and Entertainment

SPECIAL EVENT

ST. PATRICK’S DAY FESTIVAL AND RIVER PARADE

Each year for St. Patrick’s Day, the River Walk Association and Harp & Shamrock Society of Texas give us the chance to honor our green streak by dyeing the San Antonio River and hosting a spate of Irish-ish festivities. Family-friendly activities include a Passport to Ireland experience, Irish-inspired food, Celtic music and dance performances and — for adults only — the requisite green beer. New this year, dog lovers can put some clover on their rover for the Lucky Dog Parade and Costume Contest Saturday afternoon. Sunday’s events include the chance to experience the glory of the potato at a tater-tot eating contest followed by a floating river parade of 14 barges chock full of everything emerald. Anyone interested in seeing the river’s transformation into brilliant green for the festivities can visit Saturday, Sunday or Tuesday afternoon, when dye is mixed into the water accompanied by bagpipe music and sloshed revelers embarking from Mad Dogs British Pub. Free, noon to 8 p.m. Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, Arneson River Theatre, 418 Villita St., (210) 227 4262, thesanantonioriverwalk.com. — TF Courtesy of San Antonio Riverwalk Association

SAT | 3/14 ART

‘EVERY GIRL WANTS TO BE QUEEN’ m

“Does every girl want to be queen? And what kind of queen would she be?” The large-scale installation invites viewers to explore and look closely, entering Hnatyshyn’s simulacrum of the Tower of London both physically and mentally. Free, 6-10 p.m., outrider art + objects @ South Side Living + Maker Spaces, 2450 Roosevelt Ave., (929) 215-1061, thesouth-side. com. — KMN

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SAT | 3/14 – TUE | 3/17

and lent her voice to the streaming service’s animated shows Big Mouth and since-cancelled Tuca & Bertie. Along with her Milk & Money Tour this year, Wong hit the big screen in DC Comics’ Birds of Prey as Gotham City’s district attorney and recently played a faun police officer in Pixar Animation’s Onward. At this rate, she’ll be competing in the 2020 Olympics decathlon and launching a political campaign by summer. $49.50$275.50, 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Kiko Martinez

THU | 3/19 – SUN | 3/22 SPECIAL EVEN TS

AN EVENING WITH C.S. LEWIS

For many, it’s a dream to meet a literary idol.

Unfortunately for fans of British author C.S. Lewis, he died some five decades ago. Insert David Payne, who stars as the famous literary luminary in the one-man performance An Evening with C.S. Lewis. While performing a live version of Lewis’ memoir A Grief Observed, Payne was peppered with enough audience questions about the Chronicles of Narnia author that he decided Lewis himself should answer the queries. So, An Evening with C.S. Lewis was born. Payne dons Lewis’ mantle and discusses many facets of his life, including his relationship with Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien, how he almost quit writing his Narnia tales and how he found Christianity. Unless fans prefer conducting a séance, this may be their best option to hear from the man himself. $58.50, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. (sold out) and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday (sold out), Carlos Alvarez Studio Theatre, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — SH

SAT | 3/14 COMEDY

ALI WONG: THE MILK & MONEY TOUR 2 Mira Hnatyshyn

SPACE C7 is no longer the only game in town at the South Side Living + Maker Spaces, as it’s joined by new boutique art space outrider art + objects — Courtney Wynn Sheets’ all-lowercase venture — just in time for Contemporary Art Month. The gallery makes its debut with “Every Girl Wants to Be Queen,” a solo show

by San Antonio artist Mira Hnatyshyn that draws from a photograph she took of two schoolgirls ascending stairs in the Tower of London. Between the tower’s bloody history and long-reigning Queen Elizabeth’s relatively recent Diamond Jubilee, Hnatyshyn pondered ideas of royalty and leadership:

Comedian Ali Wong is having a big moment.

Sure, she might have facetiously described herself as a “fucking idiot” in her 2019 memoir Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life because of the “major and wildly concerning gaps in [her] knowledge and abilities” — she doesn’t know, for example, the difference between a crocodile and an alligator. But when put in the spotlight, Wong is a goddamned genius. Her career trajectory skyrocketed right after her second Netflix comedy special, Hard Knock Wife, debuted in 2018. The following year, she starred with Randall Park (TV’s Fresh Off the Boat) and Keanu Reeves (John Wick) in the Netflix romantic comedy Always Be My Maybe Courtesy of Majestic Theater

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THU | 3/19 SPECIAL EVENT

SAN ANTONIO FLAVOR

The San Antonio Museum of Art is transforming into a culinary mecca for San Antonio Flavor. Guest can nosh on bites from 30 participating restaurants while watching an epic culinary showdown in which three of San Antonio’s top chefs — Justin Ward, Ben Anotti and P.J. Edwards — are paired with three local celebs — Christina Coker, Marvin Hurst and Clarke Finney — in a winner-takes-all cooking competition. $55-$100, 6-10 p.m., San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., sacurrentflavor.com.— KMN

FRI | 3/20 SPORTS

SPURS VS. BULLS

THU | 3/19 FI LM

GET REEL: CLUELESS I

No plans on Thursday night? As if! The latest entry in the McNay Art Museum’s free Get Reel film series is director Amy Heckerling’s coming-of-age classic Clueless, a pairing for the museum’s “Fashion Nirvana: Runway to Everyday” exhibition, which celebrates all things ’90s. Featuring

the talents of Alicia Silverstone as Cher, Stacey Dash as Dionne, Brittany Murphy as Tai and the still alarmingly young-looking Paul Rudd as Josh, Clueless offers a quintessential look back into the slammin’ style of ’90s high school students. Fans are encouraged to dress as their favorite character, so feel free to dust off your favorite plaid skirt, knee high socks and brick-sized cellphone. Free, 6:30 p.m., McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org. — C. Mason

FRI | 3/20 DANCE

HIPLET BALLERINAS

Remember that awesome combo of ballet and hip-hop moves from Save the Last Dance? Dance troupe Hiplet Ballerinas has toured the world executing just that fusion. Created in the early ’90s by artistic director Homer Hans Bryant, Hiplet Ballerinas’ trademark moves pull from a variety of styles including en pointe, popping and locking, beat-boxing, tango and more — all accompanied by music spanning from Tchaikovsky to Beyoncé. After going viral on social media a few years back, the company has strutted its stuff for Old Navy, Mercedes-Benz and New York Fashion Week, and now it’s coming to San Antonio to show us exactly what it’s got going on. $34, 8 p.m., Jo Long Theatre, Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry St., (210) 207-7211, thecarver.org. — BE

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CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

Courtesy of Carver Community Cultural Center

Spurs Sports and Entertainment

When the Spurs last clashed with the Bulls in a 109-110 loss in Chicago in January, the contest came down to a missed free throw by DeMar DeRozan. To his credit, DeRozan led the Spurs with 36 points that night before coming up short at the line. In hindsight, the contest served as a prescient microcosm of San Antonio’s season. Following the halcyon days of the Michael Jordan dynasty, the Bulls are no strangers to failure and are mired in the third season of a rebuild. As the Spurs draw closer to an inevitable rebuild of their own, the NBA’s former model franchise finds itself at an unfamiliar crossroads. According to the numbers, local ratings for Spurs games are down by a third from last year, although the team’s 3.51 rating tops the league in local viewership. $11-$2,000, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway, (210) 444-5140, attcenter.com. — M. Solis

sacurrent.com | March 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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calendar FRI | 3/20 – SUN | 3/22 THEATER

OUR TOWN m

Prepare to experience the Classic Theatre like never before with a fourth wall-breaking production of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Narrated by the show’s Stage Manager, Our Town follows the everyday lives of the inhabitants of tiny Grover’s Corners from the perspective of eternity. The play is set both in a fictional New Hampshire town in the early 1900s and in the theater in which it’s performed — only, the Stage Manager talks like it’s still 1938, when the play was written. By following two families throughout their lifespans, Wilder exhorts audiences not to take their own lives for granted. The combination of nostalgic Americana and mid-century meta-theatre may be why Our Town has endured despite all its archaic “gee whizzes” and “gollys.”

After all, more than 60 productions are slated around the country this year. The Classic’s rendition, directed by Mark Stringham, will welcome audiences for a community conversation with the cast after the April 5 showing. $24-$39, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, March 20-April 12, Classic Theatre, 1924 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 589-8450, classictheatre.org. — TF

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calendar SAT | 3/21 SPECIAL EVENTS

FESTIVAL OF INDIA m

Courtesy of India Association of San Antonio

Challenge yourself to nosh on Indian street food — or chaat — and spicy tandoori dishes while experiencing the rhythm of Bollywood dance at this year’s Festival of India. The India Association of San Antonio hosts this annual event in downtown San Antonio to unite, educate and celebrate India’s rich and vibrant culture. Learn more about the traditions of the subcontinent through activities including saree wrapping demonstrations, fashion booths and colorful cultural performances. Take a break from dancing and enjoy the floating river barge Parade of States that highlights the country’s diversity. For the art lovers there will be henna and face painting, as well as plenty of food to taste and vendors from whom to buy. Free, 1-9 p.m., Venue Villita, 401 Villita St., (918) 361-7472, indiasa.org. — SH

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Thursday, March 26, 2020 Come spend an unforgettable evening with Executive Chef Stephen Paprocki, and the Chef Cooperative as they curate the ultimate dining experience using insects. Enjoy the culinary delights of bug bites and learn how edible insects exist in kitchens around the world today and their impact on how they will sustainably feed future generations.

Purchase Tickets Online at WitteMuseum.org Or Call Reservations Office at 210.357.1910

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CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

art picks SAT | 3/14 ART PICK

‘EXTRACTION ECONOMY’

A

lthough his work takes many forms, local artist Chris Sauter is best known for sculpture that involves him cutting precise shapes out of drywall and using the pieces to construct recognizable objects — from microscopes and cakes to full-size furniture.

Often, the patterns left behind by his drywall extractions are works of art in their own right. They can resemble constellations or more figurative objects. He’s had memorable exhibitions at Artpace, where he recreated his childhood dining room from drywall cut from the gallery walls; Blue Star Contemporary, where he presented a fully decorated replica of his childhood bedroom; and the McNay, where he constructed a disorienting, fully furnished living room populated with models of dopamine. In addition, Sauter sent art scenesters on a 2013 multi-venue “pilgrimage” by mounting four complementary exhibitions exploring intersections between science and spirituality.

Outside of his life as a working artist, Sauter serves as interim chair of painting and drawing and the director of foundations at the Southwest School of Art and as visiting faculty at the Art and Rural Environments Field School, a summer program administered by the University of Colorado Boulder. While traveling with the field school through the Midwest, Sauter found inspiration in the passing landscape and started writing words with marker on a van window.

“I first wrote ‘Surrender Dorothy,’ then saw the potential for a meaningful piece and erased ‘Dorothy,’ leaving ‘Surrender,’” Sauter explained. “The word ‘surrender’ seemed to reflect the unforgiving environment of the Oklahoma panhandle, the agricultural and petroleum industries [and] Oklahoma as the end stop of the Trail of Tears.”

A video Sauter shot of that impromptu piece became the backbone of his forthcoming Contemporary Art Month show “Extraction Economy.” Summed up as “a meditation on the landscape,” the exhibition touches on agriculture, oil production, ancestry, natural disasters and Oklahoma’s position as the buckle of the Bible Belt. He addresses those themes via a human-sized sculptural cross cast in corn and resin, drawings of a tornado hitting a grain bin and an oil derrick drilling into a series of deposits and, amusingly, a stack of prints reproducing frames from the movie Twister. Free, 7-10 p.m. Saturday, March 14, Dock Space Gallery, 107 Lone Star Blvd., (210) 723-3048, dockspacegallery.com. — Bryan Rindfuss

sacurrent.com | March 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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ON VIEW AT MCNAY ART MUSEUM THROUGH JULY 5, 2020 McNay Art Museum pays tribute to 90s icon, singer, designer, and Texas legend— Selena Quintanilla-Pérez—with a series of five photographs by award-winning San Antonio photographer John Dyer.

Selena was the subject of Dyer’s photo assignments for the cover of Más Magazine in 1992 and again for Texas Monthly in 1995, just months before she was tragically killed at age 23.

FREE WITH GENERAL ADMISSION mcnayart.org John Dyer, American born 1947. Selena, 1992. Archival ink on paper. Collection of the artist.

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CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

6000 North New Braunfels | San Antonio, Texas 78209

arts Video Capture / Spictacles: La Tortillera

The Gatekeepers

Furor over Centro de Artes’ exhibition raises questions about how much say the city has over arts content

BY KELLY MERKA NELSON

T

he celebratory mood in the run-up to Contemporary Art Month veered into furor when the City of San Antonio abruptly removed an artwork from the groundbreaking “XicanX: New Visions” exhibition at Centro de Artes.

Its justification? The piece constituted “obscene content.”

Just before the February 13 opening, award-winning performance artist Xandra Ibarra’s Spictacles: La Tortillera — a 4-minute video in which Ibarra, in her own words, “takes on her own racial bondage to hot sauce, tacos and demographic panic” — was yanked from the show by Director of the Department of Arts and Culture Debbie Racca-Sittre on the recommendation of City Attorney Andy Segovia.

Ibarra’s take on that bondage is literal, depicting a minstrel Mexican housewife making tacos with her panties, strapping on a Tapatio hot sauce bottle dildo and pretending to jerk off with it, splashing gouts of red over the chones.

The City of San Antonio has shown its support of the arts, both financially and through publicly run spaces like Centro de Artes. However, this incident suggests that once artists express themselves in ways that make people uncomfortable, city officials are prepared to draw the curtain, silencing free expression rather than dealing with potential blowback.

How the dispute plays out may have implications for how San Antonio funds arts in the future — or even how willing local organizations will be to accept public support, which may come with strings attached.

Through a spokesman, city officials declined comment on this story.

Dos Mestizx co-curators Suzy González and Michael Menchaca — the duo behind “XicanX: New Visions” — are not only perturbed by the First Amendment implications of the sudden removal of “La Tortillera,” but also with the lack of trust the city has shown in their curatorial vision.

“It’s concerning that we don’t know who’s calling those shots in our city,” González said. “There shouldn’t be any question that art is art, as long as the person making it considers it so.”

The abrupt timing of the city’s action also raises questions. Speaking to her experience running Blue Star Contemporary, Executive Director Mary Heathcott pointed out that planned programming typically runs on a long clock, with plenty of time for extensive discussion of the pieces that will figure in a showcase.

So, while it’s typical for spaces like Centro de Artes and Blue Star Contemporary to have oversight over what ends up on display, the timeline of the curatorial process should allow organizers, curators and artists to work collectively and iron out any wrinkles well before a show’s opening.

“When we’re working with artists and when we’re turning over the keys to somebody, hopefully it looks more like a dialogue and a conversation,” Heathcott said. “That’s the way that it’s productive.”

It also hasn’t escaped noticed that the city singled out Ibarra’s work, which challenges stereotypes from an explicitly queer perspective.

UTSA Art History Professor Scott Sherer acknowledged that “saying anything about queer culture and

lives and everything out in the public is problematic for some people.”

However, Sherer — who also directs the UTSA Art Gallery and Terminal 136 — added “it’s ridiculous to make an argument about [‘La Tortillera’] relative to obscenity, because certainly in the present-day culture there’s lots of discussion about gender norms, and there is presentation or re-presentation of what gender is in works like this.”

The video’s removal also flies in the face of public statements from the city affirming a commitment to promoting the perspective of marginalized voices, particularly in this new exhibition.

“There’s all this language on the city’s website and the Centro de Artes website of being inclusive to Latino artists, and culture and diversity — all these buzzwords,” González said. “Which, you can say it, but really it’s your actions that mean so much more.”

It’s not just the reinstatement of “La Tortillera” that’s at stake as the curators and city officials try to work out a solution. In the face of this controversy, the city may balk at supporting challenging projects in the future, instead opting for sanitized programming. “‘XicanX: New Visions’ is really wonderful for the City of San Antonio and Centro de Artes, and should be celebrated by the [Department of Arts and Culture], who’s supporting the curators Michael Menchaca and Suzy González in this effort,” Heathcott said. “Because we need to see more perspective on and representation in art.”

“I hope whatever the outcome is, is not less funding for the arts.”

As of press time, “La Tortillera” is still not on view, and is subject to more bureaucratic hoops before it may be reinstated. In the meantime, it’s available to watch on Ibarra’s Vimeo website.

“I do think that if there is a silver lining, this controversy has generated a lot of interest in the exhibition and the artists in the exhibition — and Michael and Suzy too,” Heathcott said.

However, González doesn’t see it that way.

“I think the artists are ready for new visions, but is our city?” she asked.

Find more artsmore coverage Find news every day at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

arts Studio Visits

Artist Emily Fleisher on memory, motherhood, peach pits and video games

BY BRYAN RINDFUSS

T

he wide-ranging work of San Antonio-based artist Emily Fleisher might not immediately come across as personal. And it’s safe to say she’s OK with that.

Encompassing everything from delicate paintings on mylar to cast concrete sculptures, her projects are almost always driven by personal narratives and memo‘Solid Remembering’ ries. While knowing the Free, opening reception 7-10 inside stories behind her p.m. Friday, Mar. 20, on view pieces makes them more 3-7 p.m. Thursday-Saturday fascinating, they stand through May 30, Sala Diaz, on their own and can be 517 Stieren St., (972) 900appreciated without any 0047, saladiazart.org. knowledge of the autobiseveral years ago. ographical threads.

Rendered in thick, A native New Yorker, Fleisher earned loopy yarn, the rug reminded Fleisher of a BFA from Syracuse University, an MFA artist Mona Hatoum’s intestinal-looking from the Rhode Island School of Design sculpture Rubber Mat. When she brought and a collegiate teaching certificate from it home, her cat Cujo attacked, pounced Brown University. While teaching in Syra- and skidded on it. cuse, Fleisher and her husband Jonathan “He determined it wasn’t a threat,” Hudak had a son and decided to relocate she said. “But he proved that there was to be closer to parental support. At the just something inherently curious or off time, her parents lived in Queens and his about the object. So, we were on the same lived in Helotes. page.”

“So, we picked San Antonio,” Fleisher Making a mold from fabric often said. “And I did not hesitate at all.” involves resin, but Fleisher has an averWhile house-hunting, the couple sion to that method and “invented a new opted for a place in northwest quadrant way” involving shellac and “an obscene of the city. Not only was it affordable and amount of petroleum jelly.” During out close to his parents’ home, it came with visit, Fleisher seemed equally excited a two-car garage Fleisher could claim as about using three large tubs of Vaseline a studio. Not long after settling in, she — the Walmart cashier didn’t blink an began teaching sculpture, 3D design and eye — and high-end lime-green concrete art appreciation — between San Antonio pigment custom made by Buddy Rhodes College and the University of Texas at in Pennsylvania.

San Antonio — and exhibiting her work That mix of high and low sensibilities throughout Texas. can be seen throughout her studio — including “stained glass” works rendered with plexiglas, markers and silicone caulk, and intricate recreations of needlepoints and embroideries made with puff As she’s preparing for a Contemporary paint on layered mylar.

Art Month exhibition at Sala Diaz, FleishEchoing the familiar-yet-unfamiliar er’s studio is a flurry of activity. domestic look of her bathmat, a finished When I arrived, she was working on a piece on the studio floor resembled a patnew piece — a concrete sculpture modeled terned bath towel she made with chicken after a lime-green bathmat she bought wire and caulk then hung on a handcraft-

Garage Studio

Sala Diaz

ed wooden towel bar. (The idea came to her while she was retiling her bathroom.)

It’s clear a diverse array of materials are at play in her work.

“If I do a couple of pieces with one material that I’m working with, I make a point to stop and shift to something else,” she explained.

Daily Bread After moving inside for a chat over iced tea and Girl Scout Cookies, Fleisher shed light on an ongoing series of “bread prints” titled Risen: I Put The Yeast In. While teaching a class that started in late orning and finished in the earl after noon, she started looking for a creative acti it she could do with her oung son in her free time.

“I was looking for activities that we could do to bookend the day,” she said.

“And I thought about making bread — you mix up the dough in the morning and then it’s got to sit while it rises.

And you come back and knead it, bake it. Making dough is the best thing to do with a three-year-old. He would drive his cars up it and walk his LEGO people over it — which is not hygienic, but we’re the ones eating it.”

After establishing this ritual, Fleisher noticed the parchment paper lining the baking trays became imprinted by the

bread. That led her to experiment with different loaf shapes.

“It burned the parchment paper in this really beautiful way that kind of imparted it with sentiment, spirituality, mystery,” she said. “Sort of like the Jesus in the toast.”

Simultaneously earthy and ghostly, the series comprises 11 unique prints cheekily named after the shapes they represent, including Infinite Loaf, Haloaf, Love Loaf and Embryoaf.

First Fruits Bread isn’t the only food that factors into Fleisher’s work. In 2015, she incorporated pastina — tiny pieces of pasta often shaped like stars — into two pieces she showed at Blue Star Contemporary. And in 2018, she earned a grant to produce the Tricentennial installation Travis Park: First Fruits. Diving into the park’s history, Fleisher made some unexpected discoveries that shaped the project.

“I found that Travis Park was originally the property of the Alamo and then it changed hands to Samuel Maverick,” she said. “According to legend, it was his personal peach orchard. I dug a bit deeper and found that 2018 was also the 100-year anniversary of the American Peach Pit Collection, during World War I. They had to perfect the gas mask, [and] scientists sacurrent.com | March 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

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arts

Sala Diaz

discovered that peach pits … when rendered down to a charcoal [made] a really absorbent material. Three hundred peach pits were needed for one gas mask … and the Texas Hill Country contributed a massive number of peach pits because at that time, in 1918, they were country’s top producer of peaches.”

Drawing from this research, Fleisher created nine concrete sculptures, all involving peaches or peach pits, plus an informational mural providing context.

Mylar Mysteries Roughly three years ago, Fleisher’s parents moved from New York to San Antonio.

As she helped them pack and unpack, small mysteries bubbled to the surface and she found creative inspiration in the things she came across. “My great-grandmother’s hand-crocheted gloves and a doily that she had made [were] in the same box [as] paper doilies from the Dollar Store,” she said. “There was this weird juxtaposition of these two similar objects that do the same thing, but one is completely imbued with family history and the other is like garbage.” She felt similarly intrigued by three cross-stitches her mother bought at a flea market. Drawn in by these delicate relics, Fleisher started tracing them on mylar and replicating their patterns with puff paint.

At a glance, they look nearly photorealistic.

Research ensued and Fleisher came across a 1700s-era cross-stitch on a museum’s website. “They don’t know who did it, but they call it an acrostic puzzle,” she explained. “It says, ‘Send Your Accounts,’ [backwards and forwards]. So it’s like a word puzzle … and it’s this object of mystery.” Fleisher then translated that format to illustrate a “forever mystery” of her own — the words “Beans and Cases” written on a chalkboard at the

New York hospital where she took prenatal classes. “We were like, what does ‘Beans and Cases’ mean? Nobody knew, and it was there for a while. A lot of the work that I do comes out of these things that stick in my memory over time.” Bordering her mylar mimicry of the antique acrostic are crows, snowflakes, conifers, and lillies of the valley — all hallmarks of her life in Syracuse and the birth of her son.

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Solid Remembering Fleisher’s upcoming Sala Diaz show “Solid Remembering” represents eight years of work — none of which has ever been shown in San Antonio. The work on display includes her “bread prints” and a carved wooden wheelbarrow spilling out an entire landscape fashioned from model railroad materials — a piece inspired by the monumental task of filling garden beds with soil. The exhibition also showcases her mastery with mylar — especially in Last Puffs, a three-dimensional recreation of her late grandmother’s final box of Kleenex.

Although the title reflects the persistence of memory in her work, Fleisher confessed that it’s lifted from a video game she plays with her son, who’s almost 11.

“It’s from Katamari Forever,” she said.

“There are three Katamari games, and they’re amazing. There’s the King of All Cosmos, and you’re the Prince and you roll this sticky ball across the world and pick up things. Then the King uses that sphere to make stars. In Katamari Forever, the King — who is like a giant, he’s larger than the Earth — gets hit in the head with a rocket and gets amnesia. So, you have to roll around Earth to collect things [that] trigger his memory. If you do a good job … he says, ‘You collected a lot of things, that’s some solid remembering.’”

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screens

Destiny Awaits

San Antonio high school senior looks forward to bright future in cinema despite SXSW setback

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

S

aint Mary’s Hall senior and filmmaker Wilson Jones, 18, learned via a Friday afternoon group chat that the South by Southwest Film Festival was canceled. His short film Alex was selected to compete in the annual film, music and tech fest’s Texas High School Shorts Program.

Alex tells the story of a transgender teen who finds the strength to talk openly to his father about his sexual identity.

“I was sent a screenshot of a tweet from NBC News saying the festival was canceled,” Jones told the Current Friday evening. “It was heartbreaking.”

The City of Austin held a press conference earlier that day and officially announced SXSW was canceled over concerns about the novel coronavirus. As the World Health Organization revealed the number of cases would soon hit 100,000 around the globe, Austin decided to pull the plug, knowing that the event would attract thousands of visitors from around the world.

Although Jones understands why the city canceled the festival, that didn’t make it hurt any less, especially since screening a film at SXSW had been a dream of his since he started taking film classes as a freshman.

At least one student filmmaker from Saint Mary’s Hall has been accepted to SXSW every year —even before digital cinema instructor Will Underwood started teaching there in 2009. With that rate of success, Jones had seen a handful of schoolmates screen their films at the festival over the last four years, including Alexia Salingaros, Miranda Potter and Jade Jess.

“Watching other students from my school go to SXSW every year was very inspirational to me,” Jones said. “When I found out I got accepted, it was life changing.”

Jones got his first film set experience back in 8th grade, when Underwood asked him to star in one of his high school students’ short films. At the time, Jones didn’t know whether he wanted to continue attending the private school or jump to a public campus. When he saw what the cinema courses could offer, his decision became clear.

“I stayed at Saint Mary’s Hall because of cinema,” he said. “It’s that powerful to me.

It has set me free in a way that no other artform could.”

Courtesy of Wilson Jones

As his cinema teacher for the last four years, Underwood knows just how much Jones is dedicated to his craft. In Jones, he sees a filmmaker who not only wants to make great movies, but also make ones that are reflective of what is happening in society.

“He would never make a film that he didn’t feel was important,” Underwood said. “He wants to make something that is going to start a conversation. His passion

for using film to open up a dialogue is really what drives him.”

After graduation, Jones plans to attend Chapman University in Orange, California, and major in film production. Hopefully, by the start of school this fall, the sadness he’s feeling about SXSW will have subsided.

“As a filmmaker, I just wish I could have seen my work on the big screen,” he said.

“But it’s just one festival. I’m sure there will be many more.”

Find more news Find more every day at film stories sacurrent.com

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food

Nostalgia Trip

Some of Earl Abel’s famous dishes survive the transition to a new location. Others, not so much.

BY RON BECHTOL

O

ne of the first places I was taken to when I arrived in San Antonio, more years ago than I’d care to admit, was Earl Abel’s. Then located at the corner of Broadway and Hildebrand Avenue, it was famed for its call-you-honey waitresses, milehigh pies and fried chicken — the latter available at all hours via a drive-thru window. It was considered a local icon at a time when the term didn’t seem trite or clichéd.

Times changed, and eventually the restaurant moved to Austin Highway under a new management team that tried hard to replicate the feel and menu of the original. That crew survived longer than might have been expected — at least until times changed again. Under even-newer management, Earl Abel’s is now located in tinier, more fashionable digs next to Pearl.

It’s not fair to suggest that the shrinking size comes with diminished expectations, but there is this observation: the only hints of the original operation are a display case full of pies and pastries, a few kitschy sayings on the walls and the wax-works butler that was a fixture at the Broadway location. Little surprise, fried chicken remains on the menu.

Relentless marketing and pollo-centric food porn have raised our visual expectations of fried chicken — perfectly golden, geographically craggy and practically levitating above a plate.

Imagine the disappointment when my twopiece — one light, one dark — plate arrived at lunch. The expected crags had been reduced to bare hillocks with a dull brown color, and the portions were accompanied by a flat, sad looking biscuit.

The taste wasn’t at all bad, with the dark meat portion juicier than the breast, as is usually the case. As sides, I ordered “the best macaroni and cheese” and cole slaw. At best, the mac and cheese was ordinary, though at least they didn’t try to trick it out with truffle oil. The cole slaw, flecked with what appeared to be tiny bits of pineapple, was acceptable.

Brunch was a better story. Served all day Saturdays and Sundays, brunch attracted a decent crowd on the outdoor patio, its fire pits blazing to ward off a slight chill. Brunch is also the restaurant’s largest menu category and where ol’ Earl attempts to update its homey food offerings with creations including the kale-andegg white superfood frittata and cider-glazed pork belly. I briefly considered the slightly renegade rancheros Benedict with black bean and cheddar-stuffed quesadillas, but in the end

Earl Abel’s

Facebook/ Earl Abels

no matter which you 1639 Broadway 78215 | earlabelssa.com I didn’t trust tricks too happen upon, I have (210) 444-9424 new. Chicken-fried to believe all will Mon-Fri: 10 a.m.-8 p.m., steak seemed like a be plagued by the Sat:y 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun: 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Accessible better test of traditions same, sub-standard, Sandwiches and plates: $9.95-$14.95 preserved. This despite under-baked crust.

Best bets: chicken fried steak, pork belly, the claim that the CFS Of the two fillings, I bar drinks is made with Akaushi much preferred the beef.

THE SKINNY: coconut meringue The steak was with its delicate The fourth incarnation of a beloved San Antonio decent, but by the time custard and toasty, restaurant that began life on North Main Street it’s tenderized, fried coconut-strewn in 1933, Earl Abel’s spent decades at Broadway to a fare-thee-well and topping. The maple and Hildebrand Avenue before its most recent doused in peppery pecan, crowned move, into a former burger joint next to Pearl. gravy, the classy breed with unconvincing Some historic décor made the transition, as did of beef is the least of it. whipped cream but the once-legendary fried chicken. Nostalgia may The drop biscuit that real pecans, tasted of make that chicken better than it actually was, came with the plate extract, and its texture but the current iteration isn’t in any way excepwas better than the tional. Nor are the pies, which may also suffer was pasty. from the same, rosy, reappraisal. Chicken-fried first example, though But wait. There’s steak was decent, however, and bar drinks show it still needed salt. The solace of sorts to real promise. Maybe the new owners need a little accompanying hash be had in the bar. more time to exorcize Earl’s ghost and develop browns were shreddy Stopping well short some nostalgia-worthy aspects of their own. and light as opposed of suggesting you to crisp and greasy try the chicken leg — and better for it. accessorized bloody Though I had pie on two separate occasions, Mary, I can report that Abel’s Ace — gin, lemon I’m going to lump them together here as a desand pomegranate juices, egg white — was a sert course. Those offerings appear on a board properly made drink. First, its given a dry shake at the bakery window near the bar, and not all to emulsify the egg, then shaken again with ice. of them will be available on any given day. But It’s also pretty.

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food Alamo Smoke Joins San Antonio’s Bustling BBQ Scene

BY LEA THOMPSON

A

ustin, Houston and Dallas may have established reputations as serious Texas barbecue destinations, but San Antonio is only beginning to gain recognition for its contributions to one of the Lone Star State’s most revered culinary traditions.

While 2M pitmaster Esaul Ramos recently snagged a James Beard Award nomination for “Best Chef-Texas”, the accolades for SA barbecue have been few and far between. So it’s exciting to see a new talent like pitmaster Alex March of Alamo Smoke BBQ add his voice to the city’s burgeoning BBQ culture.

At Alamo Smoke BBQ , a newcomer to the St. Mary’s Strip dining scene, March offers a small yet diverse selection of smoked meats and barbecue classics.

“There’s been an explosion of barbecue joints in San Antonio within the last few years — suddenly everybody wants to do fucking barbecue,” March said. “But this is what I’ve been doing my whole life.”

Rather than attempt to please everyone, the restaurant focuses on doing a few things well. Alamo Smoke’s signature brisket — smoked over pecan, mesquite and oak for 24 hours onsite — offers a uniquely flavorful approach to the Texas classic, appearing on a variety of plates, inventive pizzas, nachos, sandwiches and loaded fries.

Inspired by Henry “Ray” March, his late barbecue-loving father who developed the idea for Alamo Smoke in the 1980s, the younger March oversees a group of dedicated pits that serve up smoked brisket, flavorful Polish sausage and evolving pork specials.

In the kitchen, a small crew works on dishes including a sweet-and-spicy pork pizza, topped with red sauce, pork, serrano pepper and balsamic drizzle, and the Holy Schmitt sand-

Leah Thompson

Leah Thompson

wich, which layers brisket, Swiss cheese, onion and homemade sauerkraut on rye bread.

Beyond the meaty main courses, the crew delivers on sides and sweets including cornbread muffins, mashed sweet potatoes and the house funnel cakes, drizzled with chocolate and served with a strawberry compote.

An industry veteran with decades of work experience in local restaurants, bakeries and food trucks, March plans to expand Alamo Smoke’s menu with a mix of sweet and savory plates and a

new breakfast service with roast coffee and pastries baked in-house.

“A lot of what we’re doing is really simple. We’re a smokehouse that also does barbecue, and we’ll be growing to offer more specials and longer hours,” he said. “What really matters is that it’s good.”

Though Alamo Smoke sits on a property spanning nearly a half-acre, the restaurant is currently limited to outdoor seating with picnic tables and an oversized screen to watch Spurs games. The menu is small, and the libations are BYOB. However, in coming

Leah Thompson

months, patrons can expect to see the restaurant broaden its food offerings, install a shade canopy and secure a beer and wine license.

March has also teamed with bar manager Michael Miller to transform an old house onsite into a new drinking spot. Miller, who previously worked at the now closed Periphery in Monte Vista, will create a drink menu that highlights dozens of craft beers and an extensive wine list.

Alamo Smoke, 358 E. Craig Place, is open from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m., Tuesday through Sunday. sacurrent.com | March 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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food

The Takeaway: Jenn Reisman turns ideas and inspiration into custom pastries

I was working with boutique hotels and high-end restaurants. I was part of the opening team for Hotel Emma, I was a pastry chef for a five-star property in Virginia, I worked at Omni La Mansion and the Watermark Hotel and I spent time in Austin at restaurants. I eventually veered off into doing custom orders and wedding cakes.

Did you go to culinary school or are you self-taught?

I went to a tech school in Little Rock, Arkansas in 2007, where I earned my baking and pastry tech certificate. If you’re trying to be an artisan, there’s no reason to get yourself in debt to do it. I’ve never seen a big difference between someone with a certificate and years of experience and someone with a degree.

Talk

What’s your favorite thing to make these days and why?

My favorite thing to make is money, or custom cakes. I love taking people’s ideas and inspiration and turning them into something you can see and smell and taste.

What’s your secret weapon at work?

No one is allowed to touch my scissors and offset spatula.

Who was the mentor that had the biggest effect on your career?

John Ward. We’ve worked together onand-off for the past 10 years. Not only has he given me guidance and support over the years, but he taught me a lot about savory cooking, something that definitely makes me stand out. In this industry, you take care of each other.

When you come up, you take your people with you.

Courtesy of Jenn Riesman

Name: Jenn Reisman Job/Title: Owner, Rooster Crow Baking Co. Birthplace: Richardson, Texas Years in food service: 13 Big impact: Pastry chef for the Fairmont Hotel, creates custom desserts and wedding cakes Money quote: “My favorite thing to make is money, or custom cakes.”

Where to follow: Instagram @roostercrowbaking

Instagram / roostercrowbaking

Tell us about your background and how you got where you are?

I’ve always worked in baking and pastry, but before I started my own business,

What do you bake at home?

I stick to the savory side of pastries with things like biscuits and gravy and meat pies. If I ever had an entire afternoon to cook whatever I wanted, I’d just make a giant bowl of chili and cornbread.

What’s next for you?

The goal is to create a business that can support other bakers, because the more they learn the more they grow and the more the community will grow.

I’ve been known as Jenn Reisman the individual for so long, it’s exciting to let people know about Rooster Crow Baking Co. I’m getting the word out about my custom orders — wedding cakes, pies and mini banana tarts. I’ll be hosting pop-up events throughout San Antonio, including the March 14 (National Pi Day) pop-up at Attagirl’s for my pies.

Facebook/ The Hot Box BBQ

BY LEA THOMPSON OPENINGS

The Tea Crate, 26108 Overlook Parkway, recently opened its tearoom with a worldly collection of sandwiches, soups and pastries to accompany its namesake beverages. … Coffee and pastries are now available at Merit Coffee’s newest location inside the San Antonio International Airport. … After leaving the Rivercenter Mall for 3827 SW Military Dr., The Hot Box BBQ is back to serving Texas-style brisket, pork ribs, grilled chicken and bacon-wrapped jalapeño poppers. … Missouri-born entertainment venue Chicken N Pickle will open its pickleball courts, restaurant and rooftop bar at 5125 UTSA Blvd. this spring. …

Food truck owner Ricky Ortiz recently launched Holy Smoke BBQ + Taquitos with Texas smoked meats and handmade street tacos at 2410 N. St. Mary’s St.

CLOSINGS

A fire forced Northwest San Antonio favorite Taqueria Datapoint, 4063 Medical Dr., to temporarily close for repairs. … After the TABC revoked its permit, Twin Sisters Cantina closed its doors at 1710 S. Hackberry St. … After a year in business, Mo’s Irish Pub has shut down its restaurant and bar at 255 E. Basse Road, Suite 1400. … Don Martin’s Coffee Co., 540 S. Presa St., will serve its final brews on Friday, March 20. sacurrent.com | March 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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music

Moving Heaven and Earth Ahead of his March 12 San Antonio performance, burgeoning jazz giant Kamasi Washington talks about creativity and why the world is what we make it

S

axophonist, composer and bandleader Kamasi Washington’s gargantuan compositions have branded him as one of the most important creative forces in contemporary jazz.

Much of the buzz about the Los Angeles-based musician stems from his 2015 tour de force album The Epic, a 172-minute cosmic journey with a 10-piece ensemble, which included the acrobatic R&B and fusion bassist Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner.

As evidence of Washington’s clout — not to mention his appeal beyond the typical boundaries of the jazz world — his Thursday, March 12 performance in San Antonio will take place not at club but the 1,500-seat Aztec Theatre.

“He’s one of the few so-called jazz artists who could also headline a rock festival or headline a festival that doesn’t associate itself with jazz very often. At the same time, he could headline a jazz festival,” said Kory Cook, music director for local jazz station KRTU-FM. “Being that all-encompassing type of artist, he can appeal to a lot of people with different tastes, whether it’s jazz or improvisational rock or experimental music.

Or people who may like R&B and soul but aren’t necessarily jazz fans.”

Part of that expansive appeal stems from Washington’s frequent collaborations with pop and hip-hop musicians including Lauryn Hill, Snoop Dogg and Raphael Saadiq. He also performed in the jazz band featured on rapper Kendrick Lamar’s groundbreaking album To Pimp a Butterfly.

“He’s introduced jazz to a lot of people who maybe didn’t think they liked jazz so much,” Cook added.

While Washington’s music is clearly pushing the genre’s boundaries, he’s not making “difficult” music that caters to a boutique audience.

The swirling, breathing, polyrhythmic layers of compositions never seem to be fighting each other. Instead, they combine into grand and harmonious pieces of musical art.

On his latest full-length recording, Heaven and Earth, Washington pushes further into uncharted cosmic territories, all the while moored to accessibility thanks to his mastery of swing and melody.

We caught up with the 39-year-old reedman and composer via phone to ask about his personal influences, what drew him to the saxophone and the themes he explored on Heaven and Earth.

BY CHRIS CONDE

Courtesy of Kamasi Washington

Find more music coverage Find more news every day at sacurrent.com

What artists influenced you most growing up?

I was like into West Coast hip-hop like NWA, but when I was 11 years old, I had a cousin that gave me a mixtape that was full of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. And, you know, my dad was a jazz musician, and he was trying to get me into jazz my whole life. But there was something about having [the music come from] someone closer to my age. But that’s when I really took it as my own thing. Then, when I was 13, that’s when I really started to play saxophone, and I was really into Wayne Shorter. When I was 16, I got into John Coltrane, but there were tons of musicians in between there.

What was it about the saxophone that drew you to the instrument?

My dad was a musician and had tons of instruments around the house, so when I found the saxophone, it just felt like the instrument that felt like my voice. But I was always writing music.

I was always interested in music in the whole sense of it, more so than I was super-attached to a particular instrument. I was always writing music. It was always a means for me to express myself, and I think that’s what drew me to music, and that’s what drew me to jazz. This idea of being able to share who you are in a way that is kind of pure. You know, when you try to explain yourself and try to explain your feelings or explain to someone what’s going on in your head, you can’t find the words, but somehow in music it just comes out? … Or you just feel it as you play it, like “Oh, wow, I’m tapping into who I am, and it’s coming out and I can hear it myself.” Like aspects of who you are and what’s going on. But, somehow, music has this way of — at least for me — reaching to the truth of myself that I didn’t have anywhere else.

42

CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

What’s the overarching message of Heaven and Earth?

It was a journey that at that time period, right after The Epic, we were touring — I toured more than that I ever did in my whole life — and when you’re touring with musicians, you’re having a lot of conversations. And one aspect of those conversations was asking the question “Why are things the way they are?” And my perspective on that has always been and the world is exactly what we all make it, you know? And each of us contributes something, and none of us are responsible for all of it or none of it.

And, in that, I was also coming to this realization about the power of our thoughts: not only is the world what we make it, it’s also what we think it is.

Courtes

As we think the world is a certain way, it will start to become that way. Same thing with ourselves. So, there’s like heaven, which is our thoughts, and earth, which is our reality, and realizing that they’re kind of one and the same thing. So that’s what this record was all about for me. The journey of realizing that.

On this particular album, the track “Can You Hear Him” really moved me and I got lost in it. Is the song about God? As you travel and you go to different

places and go to different cultures and even just nature — like right now, I’m in Buffalo, and we went to Niagara Falls — and you know that idea of God is so expansive. I feel like it’s everywhere, and the idea of “Can You Hear Him?” is that at any given moment, no matter where you are and what you’re doing, that energy and presence is there, and it’s, like, but can you hear Him? And it’s in the journey of life and learning all the different places that God is. He’s not just in one place, He’s not just in one town, or with one people or with one culture, He’s

everywhere. … And that’s what the song is about: opening your consciousness to be able to feel that presence everywhere and in everyone and in every place, and once you do that, you start to see all these beautiful wonders of the world, and you get to experience things on a different level.

You’ve collaborated with musicians across jazz, hip-hop and other genres. Who was the most fun to work with?

I feel like each person brought their own special dynamic to [the music]. It was definitely fun working with Kendrick [Lamar], he’s such a brilliant artist, and he’s also so open, you know. I think that approach of letting people you work with really kind of pour their whole hearts into the music that you’re doing is something I definitely prescribe to myself. It was really fun to work with artists on that level, but I mean everyone. Lauryn Hill is one of the most brilliant people, for sure, that I’ve ever worked with. Snoop [Dogg] is super cool. It was amazing working with people Gerald Wilson, who was there for the invention of jazz basically. People like Stanley Clark. I mean, everybody I’ve worked with! I’ve had the chance to work with extraordinary people, and they all had something different and uniquely special to bring to the table.

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Who would you most want to collaborate with, living or dead?

D’Angelo would be amazing to work with. We were just driving to Black Messiah today.

Do you enough young people care about music outside of pop, like jazz or instrumental music?

Right now, I feel like there seems to be a resurgence. I’ve been meeting a lot of young kids that are really knowledgeable and are really great young musicians. They’re really searching, and they live in an era now where music is so accessible. When I was kid you only got to hear the music that you owned. Like, if you got five CDs, that’s the music that you got to listen to, other than what’s on the radio, I guess [laughs]. Now, if you’re a kid growing up, basically all of music is at your fingertips, all the time. I can’t wait to hear what these kids end up sounding like, because they’re going to have such a wealth of music infused into who they are. So, it’s hard to say if there’s enough kids or not. It feels like there are, but I’m in a different position — I feel like a kid could probably answer that better than I could.

To that point, what would you say to a kid who’s taken up a woodwind instrument and is afraid of what the world might think of them?

I would say to any person that’s making music, whether with an oboe or an MPC or with Ableton, that the true gift of music is the music itself. So, when you find your voice, it’s not about how popular you think you are or how you think people are going to react to what you do. It comes to you from outside Courtesy of Kamasi Washington of yourself, and you don’t really know what the impact of the music will be. You think of someone like Bach who wasn’t really famous in his lifetime. He was a guy playing at a church, but he ended up being one of the biggest figures in music history ever, you know? I would tell that person, “Don’t worry about what people may think. Do you love it? Does it move you?

Is it your true and honest expression?” That’s what you should worry about it: are you really truly and honestly expressing yourself? The world changes, and there was a time where there wasn’t an invention called the saxophone, and people were still making music then. And there was a time where there wasn’t an invention called the piano, and people were still making music then.

The real gift is the creativity and the expression. You can express yourself on a string tied up to a bucket if your heart is really in it. The instruments are just that, they’re instruments to help you release what’s inside of yourself — that’s the real precious thing.

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music

Rock Out? More Like Geek Out! Daylong nerdcore music festival makes its debut in San Antonio

BY CHRIS CONDE

S

an Antonio’s newest music festival isn’t centered around Tejano, hip-hop or metal. Instead, it’s all about celebrating life’s geekier side.

Super Bitfest, which makes its debut Saturday, March 14, at a trio of near-downtown venues, is hosting a homegrown 12-band showcase devoted the all-inclusive world of nerdcore music.

For the uninitiated, nerdcore is an umbrella term for any type of pop music highlighting geek culture, from video games to anime.

And we do mean any type. The fest’s inaugural lineup will run the gamut from hip-hop and metal to a mariachi act that performs video game themes.

The fest’s debut comes hot on the heels of January’s PAX South, a mega-sized gaming expo that takes place annually in San Antonio.

“We are stupid nerdy here,” said Super Bitfest organizer Joseph

Devine, also who plays guitar for SA-based nerdcore metal band Bitforce. “That’s why PAX does so well. That’s why the comic cons that come through did so well.”

Bitfest will take place across three adjacent venues, the Rock Box, Vibes Event Center and the Underground, all located on East Houston Street.

In addition to Devine’s outfit, the event will include a performance by SA-based Mariachi Entertainment System or M.E.S. — that mariachi band we mentioned earlier, whose name happens to be a play on the iconic N.E.S. gaming system.

EyeQ, a Florida-based rapper who released an entire album dedicated to the anime Attack on Titan, will also perform.

EyeQ, whose real name is Chris Allen, said he was encouraged watching Devine and his team build Super Bitfest. The rapper also underscored the importance

Courtesy of Bitforce

of seeing more people of color in geek-centric festivals.

“Seeing this culture become cool — when most of my life I was made fun of because of it — I think is awesome,” Allen said, “because it’s showing that it’s starting to become more mainstream.”

In addition to the live music, Super Bitfest will include a cosplay contest, Smash Bros and NFL Blitz tournaments and a Pokémon Snap simulator game. Attendees will also get to meet San Antonio-based indie game developers and demo new Nintendo games with an official company rep.

Allen said videogames are a bonding part of nerd culture, which explains why there’s a surge of musical acts that draw inspiration from them.

“That’s the thing we all have in common,” he said. “Being able to play through this imaginary world and being able to forget the world that I was in. … That’s important because everyone needs something to take them away or inspire them or make them feel like they’re still important, or that they’re still alive and that life, even in it’s all challenges, is still worth living.”

Tickets, which run from $7 to a $30 VIP pass, are available — along with a full lineup and schedule — at the event’s website: superbitfest.com.

Courtesy of Moze Pray

Moze Pray’s A Whirling Hall of Knives cuts with sound

BY CHRIS CONDE San Antonio-based industrial act Moze Pray’s new EP A Whirling Hall of Knives is a showcase for electronic music that’s dark, gloomy and simultaneously entrancing.

“A Whirling Hall of Knives is about a love-hate relationship with myself, a different persona brought to life,” said Libby Del Barrio, the solo musician behind Moze Pray.

“While it’s all based around personal experiences in love, anxiety, loss and growth. These songs are pieces of me that I can only reveal through sound and melodies.”

We’re not sure whether that makes it appropriate or ironic the EP was released on Valentine’s Day. But it’s worth noting it came out via Somatic Records, the Austin indie whose roster includes fellow SA-based industrial aritst Mutant.

The opening track, “Love You,” draws the listener into a dark forest of minimalist techno. Echoing vocals swirl around a throbbing synthetic bass line and add to the haunting atmosphere. Changing percussive elements enter and fade, driving the song driving forward and leaving the listener to guess where it goes next.

“For You,” the fourth song on the five-track release, is the undisputed standout. Its oscillating, herky-jerky synth lines and washed out vocals float atop vintage electronic drumbeats. While the whole EP is reminiscent of ’80s industrial acts such Skinny Puppy, this piece in particular seems like it could originate from that time period.

A Whirling Hall of Knives is available at somaticaustin. bandcamp.com/album/a-whirling-hall-of-knives. sacurrent.com | March 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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CONTEMPORARY ART MONTH CAMMIE AWARDS 2019 Friday • March 27 • 6 PM – 8 PM Chris Park at Ruby City 111 Camp Street Every year, CAM recognizes excellence and diversity throughout the city’s rich landscape with the presentations of the CAMMIE Awards.

FIND ADDITIONAL INFO ON ALL OF THE ARTISTS, EVENTS, UPDATES, AND MORE! CONTEMPORARYARTMONTH.ORG

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CURRENT | March 11-24, 2020 | sacurrent.com

music RODRIGO Y GABRIELA

Wednesday, March 11 Mexican acoustic guitar shredders Rodrigo y Gabriela are making their way to San Antonio on the heels of their first Grammy win. Although the two have been performing since the ’90s, it wasn’t until their 2006 eponymous debut album, which showcased a mix of nuevo flamenco, folk, rock and metal, did they achieve international acclaim.

Fans of anything from bossa nova to metal have found something to enjoy about this band’s musicianship. $39.50-$190, 8 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Chris Conde

Instagram/ RodrigoyGabriela

WED | 3/11 JAMIE LIN WILSON

Sharing stories, emotion and music during her performance with Courtney Patton, Jamie Lin Wilson will again present her soulful country sound for a Texas evening. Having lived not far from San Antonio, Wilson captures the big bright stars of the South with her down-to-earth lyrics and a mellow sort of yodeling voice. $15-$18, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 2232830, samsburgerjoint.com. — Brianna Espinoza

PSYCHO 78, SATURDAY NITE SHOCKERS

Tacoma, Washington’s Psycho 78 shouldn’t be confused with the SA Misfits tribute act also called Psycho 78. But what both share — especially if it’s a dark and stormy Friday the 13th — is a frenzied hardcore punk energy. Citing influences from the Supersuckers to Slayer, this Pacific Northwest quartet promises to get a circle pit spinning in short order.

Local death rockers Saturday Nite Shockers supply appropriately energetic support. $5, 10:30 p.m., Amp Room, 2407 N. St. Mary’s St, (210) 3202122, theamproom.com. — LH

CORRIDOR

Canadian indie rockers Corridor are touring for their most recent release, Junior, which encompasses echoing vocals and guitar melodies that cast a look back to the ’80s. The band also comes off a newly signed deal with the legendary Sub Pop label, whose roster included ’90s grunge bands Nirvana, Soundgarden and Mudhoney. $10-$12, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx. com. — BE

SAT | 3/14 DONELLA DRIVE, WARSTORIES, WULFHOLT

This show celebrates San Antonio post-hardcore trio Donella Drive’s release of an EP called Bloomer, its first new recording in five years. Judging from “Uncertainty of Now,” the release’s single, the band’s songwriting has matured over that time, bringing a new mastery of dynamics to its already interesting take on hard-edged rock. $5, 9 p.m., Limelight, 2719 N. St. Mary’s St., thelimelightsa.com. — CC

THU | 3/12 TEMPTATIONS, FOUR TOPS

Well into the sixth decade of their careers, two of Motown’s iconic vocal groups are still working the road.

Whether you remember them from your AM radio, FM radio or the roller rink, the Temptations and the Four Tops are essential players in America’s soul songbook. Expect to hear them perform classics including “My Girl,” “I Can’t Help Myself,” and hopefully cuts from the Temptations’ unlikely psych-funk classic Psychedelic Shack. $49.50-$175, 7:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 226 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Lance Higdon

FRI | 3/13

BROWNOUT

Courtesy of Orville Peck

ORVILLE PECK

Sunday, March 15 Queerness, Canada and country music. The three words don’t often get used together, but Orville Peck seems to embody all of them. Hailing from Great White North, openly queer Peck mixes country with gothy and indie-pop elements for a sound that’s drawing both a large fan base and critical notices. Peck, who performs in a fringed Lone Ranger mask, channels a sad, dreamy and spaghetti Western-informed vibe that’s equally brilliant and weird. $25-$125 (sold out), 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — CC

Funk act Brownout makes full use of its nine members to create a progressive, soul, rock and horn-filled sound that fills ears to the brim. The band’s CV includes having released two highly successful Black Sabbath cover albums, and it’s become an in-demand backing band, having performed alongside Prince, GZA and Bernie Worrell. $15-$70, 10 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — BE sacurrent.com | March 11-24, 2020 | CURRENT

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music

SAT | 3/14

THE EXPENDABLES

These kitchen-sink ska punks are bringing their mix of humor and copious guitar solos to SA. The band is touring behind Gone Raw, an acoustic EP released last year. $18-$22, 7 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — MM

WED | 3/18 DANCE GAVIN DANCE

Thanks to its mix of melodic guitar shreddery and soaring, high-pitched vocals, Dance Gavin Dance have become mainstays of the post-hardcore scene. Although the band blew up in the late-2000s, it continues to build a following. $30-$35, 6:30 p.m., Vibes Event Center, 1211 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, vibeseventcenter.com. — CC

DIAMONDS, FILTHY AND MORE

LA’s Diamonds — stylized as D I A M O N D S for those into odd typesetting tricks — perform Smiths-influenced pop rock with appropriately melodramatic vocals. Not surprisingly, the group’s sad pop songs are easy to dance to. SA post-punk and darkwave outfit Filthy fills out the bill. Crying on the dance floor encouraged. $5, 8 p.m., Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star, Suite 1773, (210) 262-8653, brickatbluestar. com. — CC

HOT CHELLE RAE

Even if you don’t recognize the name, you may have heard Hot Chelle Rae’s 2011 catchy-in-an-annoying-way track “Tonight, Tonight” on the radio, at the store or on TV commercials. Although essentially a one-hit wonder, the band is still touring with its combination of electronica and almostsort-of rock. $22-$97, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BE

GLASS ANIMALS

Add a dash of R&B, a pinch of pop and a splash of psychedelic electronic music and you’ve got a recipe for the kind of music Glass Animals makes.

This tour will mark the U.K.-based group’s first return to the U.S. since 2017. The Wednesday show is sold out, but a Thursday has been added. $44.50-$135, 8 p.m., (210)812-4355, Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., theaztectheatre.com. — CC

THU | 3/19 SILENT PLANET

This Christian metalcore act —named after a C.S. Lewis novel, of course — has created a unique T-shirt for each day of its current headlining tour. Cool and smart, considering that most bands these days make a living as traveling shirt vendors. $16-$18, 7 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — MM

Facebook / Tim Cappello

TIM CAPPELLO

Wednesday, March 18 If you’re a Gen Xer or a fan of vampire cinema, chances are you know Tim Capello, even if you don’t know his name. The Lost Boys is filled with classic imagery, but the scene where the buff bro with the saxophone performs “I Still Believe” is one of its iconic moments, and that guy is Tim Capello. Capello got his start playing saxophone with Peter Gabriel in the late ’70s, before making his mark with Kiefer and Co. in Lost Boys and stints with Tina Turner and Ringo Starr. He’s stayed on the pop culture radar, touring a one-man show and doing soundtrack work. Capello released a solo album, Blood on the Reed, in 2018 and — perhaps surprisingly — cites his all-time favorite artist as Captain Beefheart. 7 p.m., $7, The Mix, 2423 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 735-1313, themixsa.com. — MM

DAN + SHAY

Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney formed their duo in Nashville in 2013. Five years later, they took home a Grammy for “Tequila,” which plumbs much more forlorn feelings than you’d expect from a song named after booze. But then, this duo is full of

surprises. In what’s surely the first application of a Malcolm Gladwell concept to pop-country crossover, the pair last year released “10,000 Hours,” a collaboration with Justin Bieber. $20-$146.97, 7 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway, (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com. — LH

THELMA AND THE SLEAZE

Thursday, March 19 While a lot of acts blowing up in recent years sound like copycats of each other, Nashville’s Thelma and the Sleaze have made the refreshing decision to hold firm to its own musical identity. As song titles like “Cum,” “Motor Tits,” and “Pain” suggest, the all-female trio goes hard and fast and delivers an action-packed live set. It’s all-killer, no-filler straight-up rock ’n’ roll buoyed by an honest delivery. There’s an undeniably Southern rock feel to what the band lays down, but it doesn’t feel beholden to emulate the guitar worship of ’70s acts like the Allmans or Lynard Skynyrd.

Instead, Thelma and the Sleaze crank up the fuzz pedal, along with the energy and swag.

Even, so don’t expect the entire set to be manic four-on-the-floor rockers. Some of the best moments on the band’s 2019 album Fuck, Mary, Kill come when it takes a mellow, more introspective approach. $10, 9 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose.com. — CC Courtesy of Thema and the Sleaze

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music

Courtesy of Sunny Ozuna

SUNNY OZUNA

Sunday, March 22 If you’re unfamiliar with the phenomenon of Chicano Soul, get ready for a quick history lesson. Late music journalist Margaret Moser called the San Antonio-born genre the “missing puzzle piece of American rock ’n’ roll” for the way it melded aspects of Tejano, blues, R&B and soul. Ozuna and his band Sunny and the Sunliners helped pioneer that musical form in the ’60s, and he’s continued to release music as recently as last year. Getting the chance to see a living legend like Ozua perform is a rare occurrence, let alone for free. Free, 1:30 p.m., Traders Village, 9333 SW Loop 410, (210) 625-8383, tradersvillage.com. — CC

S AT • M A R C H 1 4 MIKE AND THE MOONPIES

FRI | 3/20

WITH VINCENT NEIL EMERSON

SILVERSTEIN

Silverstein has accomplished a lot in the 20 years its current tour is commemorating. It’s had few lineup changes, outlived the early-2000s emo era and continues to tour and release music. On this anniversary tour, the outfit will play a longer set, including music from its new album A Beautiful Place to Drown. $25-$28, 7 p.m., Vibes Event Center, 1211 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, vibeseventcenter.com. — BE

SAT | 3/21

S AT • M A R C H 2 1 PARKER MCCOLLUM WITH RANDALL KING

FR I • MA R CH 27

REVEREND HORTON HEAT, FLACO JIMENEZ, PINATA PROTEST

This bill brings the heat, y’all, and not just the ordained kind. Dallas’ Reverend Horton Heat has been carrying the psychobilly torch for 34 years now, and his smoking trio is joined by two monsters of the squeezebox: ex-Texas Tornado and SA legend Flaco Jimenez and Tex-Mex punk upstarts Piñata Protest. Regardless of age, all three acts draw on disparate American musical traditions and inject them with the vitality and urgency of rock ’n’ roll. Come prepped to sweat. $15 -$20, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — LH

RANDY ROGERS BAND WITH SHANE SMITH & THE SAINTS, WILLIAM BECKMANN

S AT • A P R I L 4 MUSCADINE BLOODLINE WITH NOAH HARRIS

BRITTANY HOWARD

Tuesday, March 24 Although, best known as frontwoman for the jangly, soulful rock outfit the Alabama Shakes, Brittany Howard recently released a solo album called Jaime, which she’s touring to support. The solo debut isn’t too far off from the Shakes’ sound, which should make it an easy sell to fans. Her voice is still soulful, and the songs are still catchy as hell. One difference: she seems to lean into the old-school Motown vibe a bit more on this endeavor. $35-$143.50, 7 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — CC Courtesy of Brittany Howard

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etc “ DA N G E R O U S C U R V E S ” BY M AT T J O N E S

E M P LOY M E N T Baylor College of Medicine is hiring for the following positions at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio, San Antonio, TX Assistant Professor Pediatric Critical Care (#3174).

Practice medicine in the pediatric intensive care units and provide day-to-day care of children requiring critical care. Conduct patient discharge planning, utilization review, and improvement of patient care quality related to pediatric critical care. Direct, monitor, and evaluate pediatric critical care given to patients and staffing related to pediatric critical care.

Every capital letter in the theme has curves ACROSS 1 School that won 10 NCAA basketball championships in 12 years 5 Planetarium projections 10 Section of music that’s repeated 14 Thing on stage 15 Banned practice?

16 Earth Day subj.

17 *Bowlful on the specials list 19 “Trapped in the Drive-___” (Weird Al song) 20 Beaker’s spot 21 Goose formations 23 Nursery schooler 24 “Grown-up” cereal ingredient 27 *Italian veal dish 29 “Deep Space Nine” constable 30 Tap takeover unit 33 Hypnotic state 34 Mess up 36 Aragon-born artist 39 “So help me!”

40 *”I Am the Walrus” refrain 43 Even so 45 24-karat, gold-wise

46 Tabby tooth 49 Believer of sorts 51 It takes night deposits 53 Arthur of “Maude” and “The Golden Girls” 54 *Department of Labor training program 57 Seemingly bottomless pit 59 Gold, to Cortez 60 Christmastime 61 Addr. on a business card 62 Accumulation 64 *Bands like AKB48 and Babymetal (but not BTS-that’s a different letter) 69 Cop on a bust 70 “... to fetch ___ of water” 71 1952 Winter Olympics city 72 Laundromat lather 73 Mary Poppins, for example 74 Late infomercial pitchman Billy DOWN 1 “What can Brown do for you?” company 2 ___-Magnon man

3 Actor Diamond Phillips 4 iPad Pro maker 5 Ticket souvenir 6 Blues guitarist ___ Mahal 7 From the beginning, in Latin 8 Rakish sorts 9 Most in need of a massage 10 Terrier treater 11 1991 U2 album featuring the song “One” 12 Fez’s country 13 Demoted (like a former planet) 18 Nightfall 22 Kevin who played Hercules on TV 24 Driving visibility problem 25 “___ believe ...”

26 Wave rider’s accessory 28 ___ Pigs Invasion (1961 event) 31 Quail ___ omelet 32 Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand 35 B vitamin acid 37 TTYL part 38 “Slumdog Millionaire”

city 41 Kaitlin of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” 42 Hot tub nozzle 43 Capital of Newfoundland and Labrador 44 “Walden” writer 47 “Duck Hunt” platform 48 Oxygen, for one 50 One fooled by a wooden horse 52 Ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny 55 Pig blamed for causing American kids to affect British accents 56 Alfred P. ___ Foundation (NPR benefactor) 58 Result in flowers 61 Unpleasant, as a situation 63 Laptops or desktops, e.g.

65 Alley figure 66 Home of Rome and Moscow 67 What the P in TP doesn’t stand for 68 Oceanic distress signal

ANSWER ON PAGE 16

Assistant Professor Pediatric Cardiology (#3175).

Admit, evaluate, diagnose, provide consultation to, and provide medical care to patients, including pre- and post-operative care, to correct or treat various conditions of the heart and related blood vessels including open and closed heart procedures. Provide complete care of critically ill patients with underlying cardiac conditions in emergency departments, pediatric intensive care units, neonatal intensive care units and maternal-fetal medicine units.

Software Developer III - Rackspace US, Inc. – San Antonio, TX. Designs and devs SW for enterprise servs. Req’s: Bach degree or equiv in CS or a tech rel field + 5yrs exp in SW dev, eng, testing, or rel field + any exp w/: writing server-side script in Python + Linux, Windows, and Mac Oss + writing RESTFul APIs w/ flask frmwrk + uWSGI and Nginx to serve REST APIs + PyTest for unit test and Selenium for func test + BDD + MySQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, Oracle and MSSQL + SQLAlchemy and Django ORM to connect DBs + AJAX and JQuery + Jenkins auto tool for deployment on Staging, AltStg, Integration and Production enviro + Ansible for deployment + Docker. To apply: qualified applicants please submit resumes to: careers@rackspace.com, Ref. 12691.

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Apply online at https://www.bcm.edu/careers/ search-positions-and-apply by viewing Facility Positions and search using posting number referenced above. Baylor College of Medicine is an Equal Opportunity, Equal Access, Affirmative Action Employer.

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San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind is seeking a Manufacturing Technician in San Antonio, TX to assist manufacturing engineers with continuous in provements projects in the manufacturing area.

To apply visit our career website at https://www.salighthouse.org/employment/

Sr. Manager, Engineering - Rackspace US, Inc. San Antonio, TX. Plan,organize & manage overall maintenance & admin of IT environ throughoversight of group of IT admins. Req’d: HS diploma or equiv + 8yrs exp in rel field + 4yrs mgmt exp of tech pros in rel areas + any exp w/: broad ITinterdependencies & effectively communicating how change affects environ as a whole; web techs (https, ftip, ssh, DDoS & DNS); networking fundamentals including network security & familiarity w/navigating threat landscape; leading projects, especially in deploying & maintaining live end-user systems; and Agile/Scrum best practices (Scrum and Kanban) & other dev practices. Send resume to: careers@rackspace.com, Ref. T20011

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