San Antonio Current — January 26, 2022

WHY THEY'RE COMING TO TEXAS | TRABAJO RUSTICO | SHIRO'S SLEEK APPROACH TO SUSHI | JAN. 26 - FEB. 8, 2022

ON VIEW JANUARY 26 – JULY 3, 2022 Participating Artists

Fernando Andrade, Richard “Ricky”Armendariz, Jose Balli, Kim Bishop, Hayfer Brea, Francisco Cortes Juan de Dios Mora, Anna De Luna, Juan C. Escobedo, Anel Flores, Juan Flores, Sergio Flores, Brandy Gonzalez Beatriz Guzman Velasquez, Ernesto Ibanez, Julya Jara, Sergio Mata, Barbara Miñarro, Yoko Misu, Merle Mory Anastassia Rabajille, Andrea V Rivas, Caroline Royall, Jesse Ruiz, Gloria Sánchez-Hart, Sabine Senft, Hiromi Stringer Luis Valderas, Jorge Villarreal, Anne Wallace, Naomi Wanjiku, Anahita Younesi, Guillermina Zabala, Claudia Zapata

Participating Organizations

Centro de Artes 101 S. Santa Rosa FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC #CentroDeArtesSA #GetCreativeSA 210-207-1436 SanAntonio.gov/Arts

@ m ar ke ts qu ar es a

With over 100 locally owned shops, you’ll find cultural curios and artifacts, handcrafted leather goods, and a diverse collection of traditional apparel.

514 W. Commerce St. MarketSquareSA.com

10 Sa am tu rd 5p ay m s 10 am -6 pm

op en da ily

Shops.

Food. Fun.

sacurrent.com | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

in this issue San Antonio Current

Issue 22-02 /// January 26 – February 8, 2022

24 Music

Editor-in-Chief: Sanford Nowlin General Manager: Chelsea Bourque

San Antonio native Chrystabell’s Midnight Star charts a galactic course grounded in strong songwriting

Editorial

Digital Content Editor: Kelly Nelson Contributing Arts Editor: Bryan Rindfuss Food and Nightlife Writer: Nina Rangel Contributors: Ron Bechtol, Daniel Conrad, Jade Esteban Estrada, Dan R. Goddard, Lance Higdon, Steven G. Kellman, Hannah Lorence, Kiko Martinez, M. Solis, Gary Sweeney, Lea Thompson, Abe Asher, Mackenzie Cook Editorial Interns: Ashley Allen

Marketing and Events

Music Listings

Marketing and Events Director: Cassandra Yardeni Events Manager: Chelsea Bourque Account Manager: Nathan Sokul Senior Account Executive: Mike Valdelamar Marketing and Events Coordinator: Julia Bentley Social Media Manager: Meradith Garcia

Creative Services

Creative Services Manager: Samantha Serna Production Interns: Pedro Macias, Marlene Mejia

Circulation

Circulation Manager: Justin Giles

Euclid Media Group

Chief Executive Officer: Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers: Chris Keating, Michael Wagner VP of Digital Services: Stacy Volhein Director of Agency Services: Mindi Overman Digital Operations Coordinator: Jaime Monzon Senior Marketing and Events Director: Cassandra Yardeni www.euclidmediagroup.com National Advertising: Voice Media Group (888) 278-9866, vmgadvertising.com San Antonio Current 915 Dallas San Antonio, Texas 78215 sacurrent.com Editorial: (210) 332-5448 Display Advertising: (210) 332-5448 Classified: (210) 227-CLAS / Fax - (210) 227-7733 The San Antonio Current is published by Euclid Media Group Verified Audit Member San Antonio Distribution – The Current is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader.

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Subscriptions: Additional copies or back issues may be purchased at the Current offices for $1. Six-month domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $75; one-year subscriptions for $125.

Bill Daniel

24 Feature

The Oral History of the Butthole Surfers’ San Antonio Years

Before MTV, major labels and ‘Pepper,’ the underground’s most notorious band enjoyed its most fertile period in the Alamo City

07 News

The Opener News in Brief

All Aboard the Texas Train

The reason the state is seeing a population boom is more complex than politicians would have you believe

10 Calendar Calendar Picks

14 Arts

Cementing a Legacy

New book explores the influence of trabajo rústico artisan Dionicio Rodríguez in San Antonio and beyond

17 Screens

Emerging Talent

San Antonio native April Maxey is Sundance-bound with her intimate short film Work

WHY THEY'RE COMING TO TEXAS | TRABAJO RUSTICO | SHIRO'S SLEEK APPROACH TO SUSHI | JAN. 26 - FEB. 8, 2022

19 Food

No Wasabi Needed

Shiro brings a revelatory approach to sushi and other Japanese delights

Sprouting Up All Over

Brussels sprouts are all over restaurant menus these days. Who in San Antonio gets them right?

Hot Dish

O

n the Cover: The Butthole Surfers found the roots for their anarchic sound in SA. Photos by Eric Mark Lord, used with permission from San Antonio, Texas Punk Rock Archive. Cover design: Samantha Serna.

6

CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

H

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt another blow to abortion rights last week, declining to block the enforcement of Texas’ draconian abortion law. The decision was made over the dissents of the court’s three liberal justices. It means that the case will remain before the conservative 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and not be directed back to the district court where it was temporarily blocked in October.

H H

The Tejano Conjunto Festival will be back in-person in May for its 40th anniversary. Held online last year due to the pandemic, the event will be expanded to five days and include a symposium about the history, development and future of conjunto along with a film festival.

The effects of Texas’ new anti-democratic voting law are already being felt, with Reuters reporting that state election officials have rejected hundreds of mail-in ballot applications ahead of the March 1 primary. Bexar County alone has rejected some 300 applications, with four in five rejections due to voter identification requirements under the new law.

Texas’ new Safe Outdoor Dogs Act went into effect last week, making it illegal to inhumanely restrain a dog across the state. Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed an earlier version of the bill in the spring of 2021, arguing that it was unnecessary “micro-managing,” but retreated and signed the revised bill in October. — Abe Asher

YOU SAID IT!

“This land gave my family a chance.

That’s why I’ll never stop fighting for South Texas.”

— U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar,

D-Laredo, in a new campaign spot launched days after an FBI raid at his home

ASSCLOWN ALERT

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

Leave it to U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert to inject unintentional comedy into any political contest.

The East Texas Republican, known for his conspiracy mongering and unyielding fealty to Donald Trump, in November pledged to run for Texas attorney general if he could pull in $1 million in campaign contributions in 10 days.

Gohmert released a Nov. 23 video in which he proudly claimed he’d hit his $1 million goal. Yet a recent analysis of campaign finance data from the Texas Tribune found he’d fallen short of that objective — by $973,000.

Gohmert’s federal filings show he only raised $27,000 by his deadline and didn’t even hit the $1 million mark until Dec. 31. Oops.

Ever the contrarian, the congressman told the Tribune they were the ones who got it wrong, saying his 10-day deadline applied to both actual contributions and commitments by donors.

“Getting all of the money in house took more time, but we got it just as we were promised and just as we promised,” Gohmert said in a statement.

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Flickr Creative Commons / Gage Skidmore

Of course, magical thinking is kind of Gohmert’s trademark. After all, this is the assclown who asked if federal agencies could change the Earth’s orbit to combat climate change, argued that left-wing groups also participated in the Jan. 6 insurrection and claimed that building the Alaska pipeline would help the sex lives of caribou.

Anyone want to start a pool on how many more times Gohmert ends up in this column before his run for AG is over?

— Sanford Nowlin

FBI personnel raided U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar’s home and campaign office in Laredo last week, reportedly as part of a federal investigation into a group of businessmen with ties to Azerbaijan.

The FBI has declined to specify the nature of its interest in Cuellar, with the conservative Democrat facing a formidable primary challenge from progressive attorney Jessica Cisneros in March.

More good news for Texas progressives: threeterm Austin city council member Greg Casar has a commanding lead in the Democratic primary for the congressional seat that spans from East Austin to downtown San Antonio, with a new poll showing him leading State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez and former San Antonio city council member Rebecca Viagrán by 28 points.

Casar boasts endorsements from the Sunrise Movement, Justice Democrats and a host of unions across the district.

Five QAnon conspiracy theorists are running for Congress in Texas, more than in any other state save Florida and California, according to an analysis by the group Media Matters for America. While there are no QAnon supporters currently running in the San Antonio area, the five are vying for seats in the Houston area, El Paso, McAllen and a district stretching from the north Austin suburbs to Waco. — Abe Asher Sanford Nowlin

Find more news coverage every day at sacurrent.com

join us

SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2022

CESAR E. 2 6 T H

A N N UA L

CHAVEZ MARCH For Justice

For 26 years, the Cesar Chavez March for Justice has been a day our San Antonio community to unite, celebrate, and remember a great humanitarian. Equally important, it is a day to never forget the Si Se Puede Spirit Cesar Chavez encouraged us to embrace so that we can overcome the injustices and inequalities our community faces.

“The road to civil rights in the name of humanity has many challenges and barriers. But a people united can overcome.”

–

Jaime P. Martinez, CECLEF Founder LEARN MORE AT CECLEF.ORG |

8

CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

news

Instagram / U-Haul International

All Aboard the Texas Train

The reason the state is seeing a population boom is more complex than politicians would have you believe

BY MICHAEL KARLIS

L

ast week, during a campaign stop in Houston, Gov. Greg Abbott told the crowd that migration into Texas has increased so much that California has “run out of U-Haul moving trailers.”

The Republican governor was referencing a study conducted by the moving company, which found that most people who rented moving trucks from U-Haul had gone to Texas last year. Again referencing U-Haul’s report, Abbott recently tweeted that “people are choosing Texas because we believe in less government, low taxes, and more freedom.”

But experts say the real reason why people are moving to the Lone Star State is far more complex.

Texas welcomed more than 300,000 people last year alone, making it the fastest-growing state in the country, according to the 2021 U.S. Census. And both Republican lawmakers and conservative pundits claim that a hunger for personal freedom is driving the Great Texas Migration.

But, as reported previously by the Current, the Lone Star State isn’t the rugged, freedom-loving and hyper-individualistic state some claim. Indeed, Texas ranked 49th for personal freedoms on the “Freedom in the 50 States” report published by the Libertarian-leaning Cato Institute. The analysis cited Texas’ high incarceration rate, strict marijuana laws, strict gambling laws and near-total ban on abortion as reasons for the state’s abysmally low personal freedom score.

Price spikes Ask Texas’ new residents and they’ll tell you that personal freedom wasn’t the primary driver of their relocations. Instead, many new Texans like Susan Coyne, a retired nurse who moved to Canyon Lake from San Diego in 2015, relocated not to seek the personal freedoms Abbott has touted on the campaign trail but economic freedom.

“California was taxing me to death,” Coyne said.

“There’s a state income tax, and the property taxes are higher because the homes cost more. My first reason [for moving to Texas] was the affordability of housing. My second reason is the weather, and my third reason would be for more conservative politics.”

Coyne’s reasoning aligns with preliminary research conducted by Trinity University Political Science Professor Juan Sepulveda.

“It seems like the economic factors are the most primary concern for folks,” Sepulveda said. “When they’re making that decision to relocate to a state like Texas, they’re looking for a more affordable housing market, for better cost of living.”

Push and pull According to Sepulveda’s research, most new residents are part of a “push and pull” effect. Most of our new neighbors are drawn to Texas because they’re employees at companies such as Tesla, Oracle

or Charles Schwab, which relocated their corporate offices to Texas, or they’re like Coyne and were priced out of a coastal city.

“If you are a Republican, you want to believe the few Republicans in California are tired of that place, and they’re coming to Texas to be with their brethren,” Sepulveda said. “What we’ve been doing is really not primary research, but a collection of surveys and some other pieces, and it’s almost 50-50 in terms of what some of those surveys are showing in terms of the type of politics that people are bringing and the reasons they’re moving.”

Whatever the new migrants’ motivations, the Great Texas Migration doesn’t show signs of stopping anytime soon, especially in the Alamo City. Last month, San Antonio was listed as 2022’s fourth hottest real estate market in the country by Zillow, and the bedroom community of New Braunfels was listed as one of the United States’ most desirable neighborhoods last week by OpenDoor.

But Texas’ brisk growth is causing a host of problems for longtime residents. The average rent price in San Antonio soared 30% in 2021, and the city’s cost of living skyrocketed 17% between 2010 and 2020, according to Census data.

Sepulveda expects this trend to continue as more jobs move online, encouraging young professionals to move to more affordable markets in warmer climates. Closer to home, residents being priced out of Austin may opt for living in San Antonio and commute north on I-35 for work.

“The new twist is that people can work from anywhere, so I think there’s going to be interesting patterns in migration moving forward,” Sepulveda said.

“And with the traffic and everything getting worse in Austin, you could see more people moving to San Antonio and working in Austin.”

sacurrent.com | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | CURRENT

9

THU | 01.27

FRI | 01.28 SUN| 01.30

COMEDY

TOM SEGURA Successful with the podcast Your Mom’s House, which he co-hosts with

annual DreamWeek, a 16-day summit aimed to inspire civic engagement among local and global communities. $10, 5 p.m.-midnight, Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star, african-market.olajuartgroup.org. — Dana Nichols

COMEDY

his wife Christina P., Tom Segura was a regional finalist on Last Comic

MIKE EPPS

Standing 2. He has hosted four specials for Netflix, the most recent of

There’s no denying comedian Mike Epps can bring the laughs, but if

which, Ball Hog, premiered in March of 2020. As an actor, he appeared

you haven’t seen his dramatic work too, you’re missing out. Best known

in the 2018 film Instant Family with Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne. Like

for films including Next Friday and The Hangover as well as TV series

all of us, Segura has had personal struggles. However, it’s safe to say his

such as The Upshaws, Epps has done his finest acting work on dramatic

are different, given that he fell into a coma at age 18 following an over-

projects that mix in comedic elements, among them Talk to Me, The

dose of the depressant GHB. $79, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre,

Last Black Man in San Francisco and Dolemite Is My Name. For the last few

224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Mike McMahan

years, Epps’ name was attached to playing the role of comedic legend Richard Pryor in a feature film. While those plans never came to fruition, Epps was able to portray Pryor in the less-than-impressive 2016 film Nina about late musician Nina Simone. Epps will also play Pryor Courtesy Photo / Òlàjú Art Group

this year in a TV miniseries about the NBA juggernaut Los Angeles Lakers called Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty. Until then, find Epps at a comedy club near you. During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he described doing stand-up comedy as “scary fun” because of the ongoing pandemic. “You wanna get back out and you wanna make peo-

SUN | 01.30 SPECIAL EVENT

said. “I’m loving it [and], so far I’ve gotten away with it.” $100-$400, 7:30

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LIVE: NATURE ROARS BACK

p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday and Sunday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday (Sold

As part of the National Geographic Live series, Emmy Award-winning

Out), Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 Northwest Loop 410, (210) 541-

cinematographer Bob Poole is headed to the Tobin Center to discuss

8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — Kiko Martinez

his extensive work in the field of wildlife cinematography and conser-

ple laugh, but you’re still thinking about [how] you can get sick,” Epps

vation as well as his upcoming six-part PBS docuseries Gorongosa Park: Rebirth of Paradise. The TV show documents a conservation project in one of Africa’s greatest natural parks and features incredible HD footage of creatures big and small. Poole works with a variety of rangers and scientists including his sister, renowned elephant researcher Joyce

Courtesy Photo / Robyn Van Swank

FRI | 01.28

Poole, to bring hope to the environments and animals of Gorongosa Park. If you’re even a minor fan of nature documentaries, you’re probably familiar with Poole’s extensive list of cinematography credits

SPORTS

across networks including PBS, National Geographic and the Discovery

SPURS VS. BULLS

Channel. His Tobin Center show promises a behind-the-scenes look at

After refining his game over three seasons in San Antonio, former Spur

decades of documentary filmmaking. $20-$45, 4 p.m., Tobin Center for

DeMar DeRozan continues to flourish in Chicago, providing leadership

the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.

and crunch time heroics for the reinvigorated Bulls. Earlier this month,

org. — Mackenzie Cook

DeRozan became the first player in league history to hit game-winning buzzer-beaters on consecutive days, and early returns in NBA All-Star fan voting have DeRozan leading all guards in the Eastern Conference.

The Bulls have been the surprise team in the East, if not the league, and

Courtesy of Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

look to return to the postseason for the first time since 2017. San Antonio is still recovering from a brutal 1-6 road trip to start the new year, a jaunt during which multiple players were placed in health and safety protocols. The NBA schedule offers no respite for the Spurs, though, with contests against the Suns in Phoenix and Golden State at home in the coming week. As protocols have proven, the margin of error is slight for a Spurs squad that has struggled to consistently protect home court this season. $21-$1,500, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center, (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com, Bally Sports Southwest. — M. Solis

Courtesy Photo / LOL Comedy Club

SAT | 01.29 SPECIAL EVEN T

2022 AFRICAN MARKET FESTIVAL Produced by Òlàjú Art Group, the sixth-ever African Market Festival will showcase talents from the African continent and diaspora in a celebration of Pan-African culture. Check out the main stage for a series of performances and speakers, browse the marketplace and art gallery,

Twitter / spurs

10

CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

Gina Poole

MON | 01.31 CLASSICAL MUSIC

enjoy authentic African cuisines, or take in the festival’s signature

SOLI CHAMBER ENSEMBLE: SPECTRA

runway fashion show. Community members of all backgrounds are

SOLI Chamber Ensemble opens 2022 with a concert celebrating the

welcome to the one-day event for an experience of curated cultural

spectrum of musical expression across the North American continent.

programming. Founded in Nigeria and established in Texas, Òlàjú Art

To that end, the program features works by Carlos Simon (America),

Group established the market as a space to present works both for Af-

Jocelyn Morlock (Canada), Arturo Márquez (Mexico), Malcolm Forsyth

ricans and by Africans. The event is at the tail end of San Antonio’s 10th

(Canada) and Gabriela Ortiz (Mexico), as well as the world premiere

calendar

of San Antonio composer Brian Bondari’s Planetscape. SOLI continues to perform from the San Antonio Botanical Garden, where concert attendees can enjoy the evening’s music in an open-air setting. Attendees seated on the lawn are welcome to bring a low chair or blanket to sit on. $15, 7 p.m., San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, (210) 536-1400, solichamberensemble.com. — Kelly Nelson

Josh Huskin

FRI | 02.04 SPORTS

SPURS VS. ROCKETS After the Spurs’ recent 124-128 loss to the Houston Rockets at home, head coach Gregg Popovich assessed his team’s lackluster start. “We have to be more purposeful, we have to execute better, we have to have better decisions, but we can’t start out following people around and being soft in the first quarters, and that really put us in the hole,” Popovich told reporters. Spurs captain Dejounte Murray was stellar in defeat, scoring a career high 32 points and notching his seventh triple-double of the season. Murray’s elite playmaking has served as a silver lining in an uneven season that recently yielded overtime losses to the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets. Friday night’s rematch against the Rockets offers Pop and his charges one more opportunity to fine tune prior to the team’s eight-game Rodeo Road Trip. This season’s annual chemistry builder includes matchups against the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat and Memphis Grizzlies, who have all been playing winning basketball as of late. $10-$1,535, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center, (210) 444-5000,

Warner Bros.

THU | 02.03 FILM

IN THE HEIGHTS

Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg’s cinematic version of West Side Story might be getting all the headlines this awards season, but another Latinx-led, Hollywood musical that debuted last summer was just as entertaining. In fact, the Current included In the Heights in its Top 10 Films of 2021 list at No. 5 and called it “a joyful celebration of culture and family that’s creative, spirited and sincere.” Our review also underscored the performances of the entire cast, specifically Anthony Ramos and Olga Merediz. Directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians) and written by playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes, the film is adapted from the stage musical of the same name by Hudes and Broadway superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda. The story follows a group of Washington Heights residents living their lives in Upper Manhattan. Ramos plays Usnavi de la Vega, the owner of a bodega who dreams of one day moving to the Dominican Republic. Merediz plays the matriarch of the community, whose performance of the song “Paciencia y Fe” (“Patience and Faith”) is one of cinema’s most memorable musical moments of 2021. In the Heights may not have done well at the box office — it was released on HBO Max simultaneously and, you know, there’s a pandemic — but don’t let this one go unseen. Free, 6:30 p.m., McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org. — KM

attcenter.com, Bally Sports Southwest. — M. Solis of the Mask. But he also produced and starred in the 2007 documentary Heckler, which examined those folks who feel the need to interrupt stand-up comics. Kennedy resurfaced on social media recently via a comedic video he completed years ago with the recently departed Bob Saget. $60-$160, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 Northwest Twitter / spurs

Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — MM

FRI | 02.04 SUN | 02.06 Courtesy Photo / Agarita

COMEDY

JAMIE KENNEDY

Glass. Glass-blowing is perhaps a discipline well-suited to

Sure, everyone knows him as Randy Meeks, the rules guy

musical interpretation — its practice requires both careful

from the first few Scream flicks, but Jamie Kennedy has also

planning as well as the ability to improvise in the moment when the heat is on. The quartet — comprised of Sarah Silver

done plenty of other stuff, including stand-up comedy. It Courtesy Photo / LOL Comedy Club

takes a certain level of determination to impersonate a manager, but Kennedy did it as “Marty Power” to book his early acting gigs (apparently “John Barron” was taken). The ruse led to a role in the TV show VR Rangers, followed a couple of years later by an appearance in Romeo and Juliet, alongside

SAT | 02.05 CLASSICAL MUSIC

Manzke, violin; Marisa Bushman, viola; Ignacio Gallego, cello; and Daniel Anastasio on piano — presents a series of free concerts across San Antonio in both traditional performance spaces and surprising venues, including its Humble Hall, a mobile concert venue that allows the ensemble to

Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. By 2002, he was successful

AGARITA + GARCIA ART GLASS

enough to headline The Jamie Kennedy Experiment on the

Agarita continues its season of collaborative concerts with a

mance, Agarita will be joined by flutist Jessica Petrasek and

WB network. Kennedy has also been the subject of jokes

performance inspired by the artistic practice of glass-blow-

percussionist Joseph Petrasek. Free, 7 p.m., The Warehouse on

and ridicule through the years, particularly for his film Son

er Gini Garcia, founder and creative director of Garcia Art

Burleson, 221 Burleson St., agarita.org. — KN

bring music directly to the community. For this perfor-

Reminder:

Although live events have returned, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Check with venues to make sure scheduled events are still happening, and please follow all health and safety guidelines.

12

CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

9T

H ANNUAL

FEB 12, 2022 9AM TO 10AM 10AM TO 3PM EXC LUS I VE V I P

GENERAL ADM.

$ 2 5 ( I N A D VA N C E )

$ 1 0 ( I N A D VA N C E )

T I C K E TS AT SACO F F E E F E ST. CO M

sacurrent.com | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | CURRENT

13

All Photos by Kent Rush

Cementing a Legacy

New book explores the influence of trabajo rústico artisan Dionicio Rodríguez in San Antonio and beyond

BY BRYAN RINDFUSS

A

counterbalance to the geometric austerity of formal English garden design, the artisanal practice of trabajo rústico uses common construction materials — chiefly cement and rebar — to mimic trees, rocks and other wonders of the natural world.

Fitting for the artistic illusions it creates, one could say the form developed organically. What’s more, San Antonio played a significant role in its growth — as evidenced by works such as the distinctive trabajo rústico footbridge in Brackenridge Park, among other local landmarks.

A new coffee table book published by Texas A&M Press, Artisans of Trabajo Rústico: The Legacy of Dionicio Rodríguez, highlights the legacy and influence of the artisan who brought the form to the Alamo City.

The marriage of trabajo rústico’s materials first came into focus at the 1867 Paris Exposition, where French gardener Joseph Monier made a splash with weather-resistant “ferro-cement” flowerpots. His creations were facilitated by the invention of portland cement and the advent of inexpensive, mass-pro-

14

CURRENT | January 26 - February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

duced steel in the mid-19th century.

That same year, Paris welcomed the sprawling Parc des Buttes Chaumont, a public space that featured reinforced concrete railings painstakingly carved to resemble tree limbs among its distinguishing design features.

As trends do, France’s faux bois movement spread, first to Italy and Spain — modernist architect Antoni Gaudí was a notable fan — and then to Argentina and Mexico. And eventually Texas.

San Antonio arrival A native of Toluca, Mexico, Dionicio Rodríguez worked alongside his father as a brick maker in Mexico City and most likely learned to fabricate in the trabajo rústico style from Luis Robles Gil, an artisan who trained in Spain.

After creating numerous concrete sculptures in Mexico, Rodríguez immigrated to San Antonio in 1924 and began working for Dr. Aureliano Urrutia — a surgeon who designed his private sculpture garden

Miraflores in homage to the “floating gardens” of Mexico City’s Xochimilco.

Through his work at Miraflores — a Texas Historic Landmark adjacent to Brackenridge Park — Rodríguez began receiving public and private commissions to create trabajo rústico pieces across Texas and in seven other states.

Beyond his exacting work — which can be seen in Brackenridge Park, Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis and even an Arkansas mill that appears in the opening credits of Gone with the Wind — Rodríguez’s influence extends impressively through the network of assistants and protégées he trained.

“When I first discovered Dionicio’s work about 20 years ago, it was like opening a door to a light-filled cavern,” author, artist and historian Patsy Pittman Light said.

After co-authoring the National Register of Historic Places listing for “The Cement Sculpture of Dionicio Rodríguez in Texas” with Maria Pfeiffer in 2004, Light dove even deeper into the esteemed artisan’s legacy for her award-winning 2008 book Capturing Nature: The Cement Sculpture of Dionicio Rodríguez.

A California transplant who moved to San Antonio in the 1970s, photographer, educator and master printmaker Kent Rush shares Light’s fascination with trabajo rústico and Rodríguez’s distinct influence.

“When I first came to San Antonio to start the print program at the San Antonio Art Institute, I began to notice these trabajo rústico pieces in town,” Rush recalled. “I have always been a fan of vernacular art — yard art, car art, roadside attractions — and I was in-

arts

Left to right: Son of frequent Rodríguez collaborator Máximo Cortés, Carlos Cortés boasts numerous trabajo rústico projects in his native San Antonio, including this impressive arbor on the River Walk. A native Texan who worked for Southern Cement Company before assisting Rodríguez in the 1920s and ‘30s, artisan Sam Murray applied trabajo rústico techniques to critters spanning from donkeys and deer to flamingoes and monkeys.

A German immigrant credited with developing the first lightweight prosthetic leg, Leopold Michael Lux built a cement replica of his birthplace in his San Antonio backyard.

a

trigued with these odd pieces that looked like wood but were made of concrete. I had no idea what it was, nor did I know that it had a history as a traditional genre. … I was thrilled to see that Patsy had written a book about this work and learned a lot from reading it.”

Bringing a genre into focus In addition to bonding over their interest in the niche, the pair teamed up to co-curate “The Tradition of Trabajo Rústico: Fantasies in Cement,” a 2010 exhibition hosted by the Southwest School of Art and sponsored by the San Antonio Conservation Society.

“While working with Patsy, it came to my attention that she had a lot of information on the other artisans that Rodríguez trained as apprentices and who later went off on their own and started their own independent practices,” Rush said. “I proposed to Patsy that we work together to make a book about these other artisans.”

The resulting collaboration is the Texas A&M Press book, Artisans of Trabajo Rústico, published late last year.

Through Light’s voice and Rush’s images, the genre comes clearly into focus with a strong concentration on San Antonio — home to what Light sums up as “the largest number of trabajo rústico works found in any city in the United States.”

Following chapters dedicated to background, history, preservation and the fabrication of trabajo rústico — where Rush steps in as author and tackles everything from armature and joinery to surface modeling and coloration — the coffee table book breaks out into profiles of 20 early and contemporary artisans.

Although San Antonio culture fanatics will undoubtedly recognize a few names — including prolific local artisan Carlos Cortés, son of frequent Rodríguez collaborator Máximo Cortés — there’s plenty to discover about

the stylistic breadth of the genre, which goes whimsically beyond familiar benches, railings, palapas and pagodas.

On these pages, Rush’s photographs illustrate the organic nuances of trabajo rústico and the local legacy of Rodríguez, whose work is so realistic that it’s often mistaken for the real thing.

Influential artisan Dionicio Rodríguez created this trabajo rústico palapa for a private residence in the town of Boerne, located north of San Antonio.

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Find more arts coverage every day at sacurrent.com

improvtx.com/sanantonio | 618 Nw Loop 410, SaN ANTONIO, TX 78216 | 210•541•8805 JAN 28 JAN 30

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Earthquake

Feb. 2 16

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1 AT&T Center Parkway San Antonio, Tx 78219 For tickets visit ATTCenter.com/Events

screens

Emerging Talent San Antonio native April Maxey is Sundance-bound with her intimate short film Work

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

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riter, director and San Antonio native April Maxey has always wanted to tell stories from her point of view.

As a queer Chicana filmmaker, she said it’s a perspective the industry is less likely to ignore these days, but it’s still one that was viewed as niche cinema when she first started making movies in college 13 years ago.

“When I was realizing my own sexuality in high school, I didn’t find a whole lot of queer films to watch,” Maxey, 31, told the Current during a recent interview. “I didn’t see a lot of them, so that’s why I decided to start making them.”

A 2008 graduate of John Marshall High School, Maxey moved to New York City to attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, where she initially majored in graphic design. At the time, she wasn’t sure how making movies could become a career, but during her junior year, she decided to make a leap of faith into film and video.

“I was taking film electives on the side because I really liked it,” Maxey said. “So, I decided to change my major and go for it. It turned out to be a thrilling experience. There is this energy that I feel from the people who are affected by the stories I put on screen.”

Since then, Maxey has written and directed short queer narratives that have screened at more than 60 festivals around the world.

Those include the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco, the longest-running LGBTQ+ film festival in the United States.

Her latest short, Work, is available to view online through January 31 as part of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. The 13-minute film tells the story of a young queer woman who returns to her old job as a stripper after a messy breakup with a girlfriend.

“At first, [Work] was going to be a love story, but then I went through a breakup during the pandemic and realized I couldn’t make a love story,” Maxey said. “I was in this transitional place in my life. I think it’s very relatable.”

Maxey shot Work in Los Angeles after being one of eight filmmakers selected for the American Film Institute’s Directing Workshop for Women – Class of 2021.

“As part of the workshop, they would bring in these script experts who would do these long sessions and would dig into the story and ask us why we were telling it,” Maxey

Xavi Portillo

said. “It felt like a therapy session. I really loved it.”

Along with the breakup storyline, Maxey, who’s since relocated to LA, could also relate to the main character’s decision to return to dancing at a strip club. It’s something she also did to make money when she was between freelance gigs during college.

“That experience never left my head,” she said. “I don’t think people really understand what it’s like to work a job like that. In Hollywood, it’s either highly glamorized or demonized. I wanted to show my personal experience with it.”

She hopes that when viewers watch Work, they feel a sense of confidence in the characters. It’s something she said she felt herself when she was dancing.

“There’s something about it that makes you tap into this fearlessness,” she said. “You develop this very thick skin. You’re like this salesperson, and you get rejected left and right. All the women there have these different lives. It was very interesting.”

What’s also interesting to Maxey is that her

shorts have started screening at non-queer film festivals over the past few years. When she first started, the only ones accepting her work were those showing films centered on LGBTQ+ issues. Now, more mainstream fests are programming queer content.

“I think having one of my films play for a mainstream audience is powerful,” Maxey said. “I do love queer festivals and being with a queer audience though.”

As she continues to explore filmmaking opportunities, Maxey wants to tell more queer stories. Currently, she’s working on a feature script version of Work and has taken on freelance commercial jobs for companies including Jack Daniel’s.

As long as she can continue to make intimate films and not allow Hollywood to dictate what she does, she’ll be happy behind the camera.

“I’m always trying to write from the emotional space of my characters and focus on that,” she said. “I still think there is so much room for different voices in queer storytelling.”

Find more film stories at sacurrent.com

WINTER RESTAURANT

W E E K S

Winter Restaurant Weeks are arriving in style with your favorite Restaurants offering Three-Course Prix fixe menus during this Bi-Annual extravaganza!

Enjoy two weeks of deliciousness with the best eateries in town participating!

Three-Course Menus for Lunch ($20 AND $30) Three-Course Menus for Dinner ($35, $45 AND $55) To-Go Options ARE available at many Restaurants!

JAN 15 JAN 29 THRU

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CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

food

No Wasabi Needed

Shiro brings a revelatory approach to sushi and other Japanese delights

BY RON BECHTOL

T

here’s a good chance you’ve heard the proverb “In the Land of the Blind, the one-eyed man is king.”

In various forms, the observation has reportedly been around for centuries. In our current era, when sushi is so ubiquitous it can be found in supermarkets and service stations, I can’t help but think the same of the Japanese fish preparation.

The least bit of effort in sourcing and artistry becomes revelatory.

There’s more than a little effort being expended on sushi at Shiro, a newish Japanese restaurant located on Jones Avenue at the San Antonio River. If you’re looking for a traditional sushi setting with its central shrine of raw seafood displayed like so many religious relics, this is definitely not it. The place is bathed in pink neon and enlivened by distinctively Western music. The aromas that greet you upon breaching the entry flags may be of fried garlic or mushrooms crisping over charcoal.

And yet the sushi that will eventually arrive, not necessarily first as one might imagine, will be reassuringly fresh, beautifully carved and artfully perched atop just-sticky-enough rice. It won’t need, nor does it want, slatherings of fiery green wasabi or dunking in overbearing soy sauce — though a bottle is at the ready for the unconvinced. Your full attention is all that’s required for garnish.

The menu of nigiri — fish served on rice — and sashimi — served without — will change according to seasonal availability, as it should. On various visits, I’ve had and liked King salmon, flounder, the daunting geoduck clam — that’s pronounced “gooey” duck — and lightly seared Spanish mackerel.

A belted strip of cooked eel over rice was the essence of umami, as was pillowy, golden sea urchin girdled with nori. Monkfish liver pâté, a first for me on local menus, smacked of foie gras in both taste and texture. The only disappointment among the lot was a nigiri serving of red sea bream so translucent as to nearly disappear and so delicate as to have almost no taste. But perhaps a finer palate might be able to prize out its virtues.

Shiro offers three “from kitchen” plates, both chicken and beef teriyaki and charcoal grilled Chilean sea bass, but the specialties section was just too appealing to go down those more conventional routes. The seared sea scallop with sake-soy beurre blanc was

Ron Bechtol

a dud due to overcooking of the scallop — charcoal-seared tuna fared far better. But the sauce, a variation of which is used on several dishes, was both versatile and very good.

Charcoal-grilled tiger shrimp were an unequivocal hit with their plate mates of equally charcoaled asparagus and oyster mushrooms, all wreathed in a ring of kabocha squash purée. On another plate, those grilled oyster mushrooms, fire-crisp and earthy, almost stole the show from the carefully tailored but lukewarm slices of Prime New York strip in the pan-seared beef tataki. An aromatic Chi-

non from the better-than-you-might-think wine list was a natural companion to the beef.

You won’t have any real say in what order dishes arrive at Shiro, but a fitting end to any meal would be the sashimi “tapas,” five different seafood treatments, each with its own accompaniments. Our handsome selection included Bluefin and albacore tunas, deepfried Hamachi collar, salmon and shrimp.

Add a glass of gently sparkling sake from the list that deserves its own exploration, and you’ll never miss dessert.

SHIRO JAPANESE BISTRO 107 W. Jones Ave. San Antonio 78215 | shirossan.com 4-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon-3 p.m. and 4-9 p.m. Sunday Specialties and plates: $16-$42 Sushi and sashimi: $5-$32 Best bets: Most sushi and sashimi, charcoal tiger shrimp, charcoal-seared tuna, sashimi tapas The skinny: Shiro excels by having a unique variety of sushi on offer — monkfish liver pâté and geoduck clam, for example.

Raw seafood is beautifully handled and presented with minimal fuss. For the most part, it needs no adulteration with wasabi or soy sauce. The extensive use of charcoal searing of meats, seafood, vegetables and exotic mushrooms is both unconventional and welcome. Garlic pervades many dishes — also a welcome factor. The sake list begs to be explored, but the wine list is also unexpectedly ample and numerous enticing Japanese beers are on offer. Dedicated parking is available in the adjacent garage.

Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com

Tortillas made fresh daily 223 Palo Alto Rd. Sa, TX 78211 | 210-923-1534 | Open Mon- Sat 6am-6pm | Takeout kitchen open 6am - 1pm 20

CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

food Sprouting Up All Over

Brussels sprouts are all over restaurant menus these days.

Who in San Antonio gets them right?

BY NINA RANGEL

I

t’s finally feeling like winter in San Antonio, and a quest to use food to combat cold and flu season yielded a fun fact. Namely, that Brussels sprouts, beyond their recent star status on menus, are a fiber-rich, cold-weather superfood packed with immunity-boosting vitamins C and A as well as folates, phytochemical and natural antioxidants.

The cruciferous, cabbage-like orbs are having a moment in San Antonio, whether for health reasons or the fact that people have finally realized that they’re not the gross things we thought they were as kids.

Either way, it seems like time to get familiar with the iterations offered in and around the Alamo City.

A multitude of local eateries are offering their takes on the veg — and they aren’t the mushy, bitter Brussels from childhood.

Of course, avoiding that nastiness means getting the equation correct: perfectly crispy leaves with a tender center. Further, it helps to play up the complexity of le petit chou chou by generously seasoning them and tossing them with complimentary ingredients.

The iconic Brussels from now-defunct Lüke — with sliced green apple, almonds, honey and queso fresco — and longtime sherry haven The Monterey’s version, with sweet chili paste and crushed peanuts, come to mind.

Brussels lovers may delight in the news that even with those two exemplary restaurants gone, others in SA are treating Brussels with the respect and care they deserve. As an ingredient, are they a flash in the pan or a lasting addition to the dining scene?

Either way, we’re here for the mini-cabbage renaissance that’s taken hold of the culinary scene, and we’re happy to highlight three local spots that get them right.

Gather Brewing Co.

Many items on this new brewery’s food menu feature Asian flavors, and the Brussels are no exception.

Deep-fried and tossed in a Korean glaze, this dish also features pickled ginger, cilantro and toasted sesame seeds for a gluten-free — yet multi-faceted — bite that satisfies.

The generously seasoned sprouts are part of the new Universal City-area brewery’s “small plates and shareables” menu, but we’ve yet to share anytime an order has come to the table.

Nina Rangel

Bar Loretta

Southtown’s Bar Loretta’s entire menu is a direct reflection of chef Paul Petersen’s personality: fun, a little bit quirky and a little bit rock ’n’ roll. Since opening the eatery last summer, Petersen’s Brussels have boasted two separate amalgamations of flavors — both successful and memorable.

For summer, Bar Loretta tossed its fried sprouts with bright chili-lime seasonings and chamoy — a popular Mexican seasoning made of dried chilies, salt, sugar, citrus and stone fruit such as apricot. The chamoy lent an explosion of complementary flavors to the nutty veg. For fall, the restaurant’s demure combination of maple glaze, toasted pecans and queso fresco wholly delivered on flavor, playing up the sprouts’ earthiness.

“I love Brussels sprouts. They’re so fun, versatile and shareable,” Petersen said. “Their earthy characteristic lends to pairing with a lot of different flavor profiles.”

Back Unturned Brewing’s savory Brussels are tossed in spicy honey mustard and gain saltiness from the addition of thickcut bacon.

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Back Unturned Brewing

For those who take their veggies with a hefty application of sugar and spice, near-downtown suds factory Back Unturned Brewing offers herb-roasted sprouts tossed in spicy honey mustard.

The addition of crispy, thick-cut bacon adds a saltiness, balancing the flavors of the Brussels and heightening the flavors of the beers they’re meant to accompany.

Spicy honey mustard may not seem an obvious dressing for such an earthy ingredient — that’s a lot of flavors being brought together — but this spot does it right. sacurrent.com | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | CURRENT

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BRUNCH BITES • DRINKS • MUSIC

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CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

BENEFITING

food

NEWS Tickets for the 5th Annual Texas Whiskey Festival — scheduled for May 13-14 — are now on sale. Star Hill Ranch, 15000 Hamilton Pool Road, txwhiskeyfest. com.

Texas-based Shiner Beer has released Bruja’s Brew, the first in a new three-brew Tex Hex IPA series.

Culinaria’s chef-driven Titans of Tailgate cookoff will return to San Antonio’s Sunken Garden Theater on Feb. 5. Sunken Garden, 3875 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 735-0663, eventbrite.com/e/titans-of-tailgate2022-tickets.

Hell’s Kitchen chef Mary Lou Davis will hold a Jan. 27 Cajun-Japanese fusion pop-up at Evil Olive and a Jan. 31 five-course dinner at Ambler Texas Kitchen ahead of a move to California. Evil Olive, 2950 Thousand Oaks Drive, Facebook.com/EvilOliveSA; Ambler Texas Kitchen at Hotel Contessa, 306 W. Market St., amblersanantonio.com.

is now open. 11056 S. State Highway 16, (210) 3894255, facebook.com/Colt45SportsClub.

New drinkery Kung Fu Saloon is now offering cocktails and vintage arcade games in Northwest San Antonio. 5531 N. Loop 1604 West, (210) 756-1719, kungfusaloon.com.

China-based Ten Second Yunnan noodle shop has opened a shop in Northeast San Antonio. 8222 Agora Parkway, Suite 148, (210) 616-2202, tensecondsyunnanricenoodle.kwickmenu.com.

After a three-month closure, nationally lauded Caribbean eatery The Jerk Shack has reopened in the Alamo Ranch area. 10234 State Highway 151, (210) 776-7780, thejerkshacksatx.com.

California comfort food spot Black Bear Diner is planning a Texas expansion, including a San Antonio location this summer. 2707 SE Military Dr., blackbeardiner.com.

San Antonio’s Colibri Coffee is now holding caffeinated pop-ups at iconic La Tuna icehouse from 6:30-10 a.m. weekdays. La Tuna, 100 Probandt St., (210) 212-5727, latunasa.com.

Ro-Ho Pork & Bread sandwich shop will open a second location southeast of downtown this summer. 618 Fair Ave., (210) 800-3487, ro-ho-porkbread-tortas-ahogadas.business.site.

OPENINGS

Tlahco Mexican Kitchen is now serving up interior-Mexican fare at a second location in the Stone Oak area. 1662 Encino Rio, Suite 100, (210) 455-8543, tlahcokitchen.com.

Relocated ramen shop Kimura has reopened inside the former 5 Points Local building north of downtown. 1017 N. Flores St., 210-222-1849, kimurasa.com.

Detroit-style pizza chain Via 313 will open its first San Antonio location this spring. 8435 Wurzbach Road, via313.com.

North Carolina-based fried chicken chain Bojangles is set to open San Antonio stores later this year.

South San Antonio’s massive Colts Sports Park Bar

Upscale bar Shin-Dig, helmed by the owners of politically themed drinkery Angry Elephant, has opened on the North Side. 22250 Bulverde Road, facebook.com/shindigsa.

A new panadería and coffee house will open Jan. 31 inside the former Rise Bakery in Stone Oak. 923 N. Loop 1604 E., Suite 101, (956) 998-1269, facebook. com/lacatrinamexicanbakery.

Instagram / rohoporkandbread

sacurrent.com | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | CURRENT

23

The Oral History of the Butthole Surfers’ San Antonio Years Before MTV, major labels and ‘Pepper,’ the underground’s most notorious band enjoyed its most fertile period in the Alamo City

BY BILL BAIRD

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and helped shape its musical voice. orn in an isolated late-’70s San Antonio We caught up with Leary and drummer King Cofpunk rock scene, the Butthole Surfers evenfey, along with others who passed through the band tually grew into one of the premier underground acts of the ’80s and ’90s. The band’s or were drawn into its orbit during those formative San Antonio years. Haynes and drummer Teresa potent fusion of post-punk, performance art, Texas Taylor didn’t respond to interview requests. psych and theater of the absurd cemented it as one What follows is an oral history of the rowdy misof the era’s most enigmatic and compelling musical fits’ formative years in the Alamo City. ensembles.

“We became what we wanted to see in a rock band,” guitarist Paul Leary said of the band in 2018. “It ‘Showman right from the start’ helped that there was no message we were trying to convey. It was all kinda nihilistic.”

Paul Leary: I grew up in North Central San Antonio, Much of that nihilism stemmed from the memnear San Pedro and Hildebrand [avenues]. It was bers’ feeling that culture at large had stagnated — a pretty fun. San Antonio was like a giant small town realization formed in part during their Alamo City with a cool Hispanic vibe. I started playing guitar at years. After the youth explosion of the ’60s, many age 5. I wanted to be Chet Atkins.

Baby Boomers put away their tie-dyed tapestries, donned pinstripe suits and lined up in cookie-cutter Scott Stevens (former bassist): Gibby’s dad was a uniformity. children’s TV show host in Dallas: Mr. Peppermint.

The Buttholes sought to undermine, ridicule and He’d go on the show. Gibby was a showman right subvert that bland culture — and they succeeded from the start. beyond their wildest dreams.

Their music combined Leary’s fevered guitar Jerry Haynes (Gibby’s dad): In the mid-’60s, Gibby scrabbling — equal parts mild-melting psychedelia would come down and help a little bit on the show. and post-punk noise — with frontman Gibby Haynes’ Once, his chair fell over backwards. He fell over unhinged vocals, often crackling through a bullhorn five or six feet, and he came up laughing. He could or buried under a sludgy mudslide of delay. The do anything. He learned how to blow five bubbles band’s dual drummers thudded behind them with within bubbles, then moved on from that. (Spin, tribal fury.

1996) In the pre-internet, word-of-mouth underground, the band became the reigning kings of a growing Scott Stevens: Gibby had seen that being in show weird-rock scene. Their unhinged live shows spread business was not financially stable. That’s why he fear and awe through crowds worldwide. went for the accountant degree. He was the star acThe impact of the group was seismic, galvanizing counting student in a black leather jacket. I met him and lasting. Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain listed the Surfin ’78. Trinity [University] was a pretty conservative ers’ first EP as one of the 10 greatest school at that time — lots of Biffs and records ever made, and New York Muffies. That was my feeling anyway.

Photos by Bill Daniel avant-jazz legend John Zorn also sang Everything seemed very uptight and Flyers courtesy of Chris their praises. By the ’90s, the absurconservative.

Smart dity reached new heights as the band topped the alternative charts with A stifling Texas culture For a playlist of pre-major “Pepper,” recorded the MTV theme label Butthole Surfers to song and had its songs appear in HolKing Coffey: Isolation. I think that’s accompany the article, vislywood movie soundtracks. the nature of Texas Punk. We were it mixcloud.com/sasound/ As further evidence of the ’holes so far removed from the coasts. And butthole-surfing. lasting influence, a feature-length Texas is so spread out. This was before documentary on the band announced there was any kind of touring netin December from director Tom Stern blew past the work, any kind of punk network to tap into. So, we $50,000 goal of its online fundraising campaign in were left to our own devices. In Texas, you could look less than a week. back to the ’60s, bands like the 13th Floor Elevators, For many fans, however, the Surfers’ most compelwho were a lot more “out there” than their contemling work emerged from their time in San Antonio, poraries, and I think that had a lot to do with the from 1978 to 1984. The city was smaller then, isolated isolation Texas had at the time. Pre-internet, obvifrom cultural trends. But rather than stifling the ously. It was hard to get to know other bands outside members’ creative drive, that parochialism lit a spark your city.

24

CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

Paul Leary: We were definitely a product of our time, and a product of Texas. Music out of Texas has always been different than other places. I think only Texas could have produced the Butthole Surfers. We were just plain weird. We were reacting to everything around us and lashing out.

Chris Smart (early acquaintance): What was happening was all just so ... boring. So, we were anti-everything. Anti-’70s, anti-hippie. As a result, everyone hated our little crowd of people. It was great actually, because it drove everybody to do more. “You hate that? Well, you’re gonna hate our new band! You’re gonna hate our new songs! It’s gonna piss you off, and that’s what we’re here to do, because you’re all so insanely boring.” So, it worked to our benefit, in a way. Because the only way movements happen is

music

Catie Laffoon

through isolation and animosity. There have to be people against you, something you’re fighting against.

Discovering a musical underground Chris Smart: It’s hard to imagine now what San Antonio was like back then. There was no college radio, no underground papers, no clubs to play, and we got threatened all the time by police, jocks, heavy metal guys, straight guys. I used to get called “faggot” every day. My band, the guys in the Surfers.

All of us. Every day, somebody would drive by yelling, “Hey, you punk rock faggots!” Every damn day.

King Coffey: The Buttholes took a lot from

the Dicks and the Big Boys, who were themselves oddball Texans. For punk rockers, they were strange. They kind of laid the template for a lot of the performance aspects of what the Buttholes did. But Gibby and Paul were bringing their own weird take on it. Paul was actually a great musician, so that was unique.

And they were both art students, so there was really no dogma that they had to pursue or obey. No punk rock dogma. Punk rock was painting itself into a corner. ... We considered ourselves punks, but we’d gotten quite bored with the “‘rules” of punk music.

Chris Smart: There were only about 30 people in that whole SA scene, and we were all connected. Like the Pugliese brothers.

The Vamps’ keyboard player was Joe Pugliese,

Gibby Haynes (left) and Paul Leary were the Butthole Surfers’ two consistent members during its formative years in San Antonio.

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who brought all the important bands to town. He doesn’t get any credit. These were important shows! Brought the Sex Pistols, the Ramones, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, John Cale. All these shows that were just ... too soon.

Bill Daniel (band collaborator and photographer): There was so much time and space in San Antonio back then that artists could completely live devoted to their work.

Isolation and time mean you can come up with something completely unique. Plus,

Reminder:

Although live events have returned, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Check with venues to make sure scheduled events are still happening, and please follow all health and safety guidelines.

BENEFITING

26

CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

music

you’ve got enough of a scene you can plug into, which is open-minded enough that you can come in and do your thing that’s totally different. The underground audience wasn’t huge, but it was really open-minded, really supportive.

Trinity’s freaks unite

Jerry Haynes: [Gibby] did a lot of weird things at Trinity. He played nude tennis and got arrested by the campus police. He entered an art contest. The name of the piece was Hold the Pickles at Auschwitz. He was brought before the student government. They said it was anti-Semitic. He was never subtle, I guess. But he’s pretty smart. He got the

house stickers.

Quinn Matthews (former bassist): Paul spent most of his student loan on getting a bass, guitars and amps for everybody. My brother Scott was the original drummer.

The theatrics begin

Jeff Smith (early acquaintance and current Hickoid): Gibby comes up and starts haranguing me. “Hey, I heard you’re booking shows at some place called Texas Style Barbecue.” He and Paul are living in a shack around the corner. He makes me come over and listen to their demo tape. It’s the most godawful thing I’ve ever heard in my life. I was like, “Sure, you can play this show we got coming up.” (Laughs.)

A show with the Mystery Dates, my band — the Smart Dads — and Platform of Youth.

Paul Leary: I met Gibby at Trinity University, and he talked me into playing guitar again. Which I did with a whole different attitude. By then, I was listening to Meat Puppets and Black Flag, and that was inspirational.

Scott Stevens: I went to Trinity with Paul and Gibby. I was in a drawing class with Paul, and he was a really good artist. We didn’t talk much. In fall of ’78, in printmaking class, the teacher was a real jerk. Everything had to be “drawn from nature.” Paul did a drawing of a T-rex with big teeth, a dog with big teeth and a lawnmower with big teeth, and they were all going around in a circle. He called it “Dada Dog Damage.” The teacher took great exception to it: “I told you to draw something from life.” And Paul said, “Well, I have a little toy T-rex on my breakfast table I see every morning.”

Chris Smart: My first band was Platform of Youth, and one of our first shows was one of the Surfers’ first shows. They were called the Dick Gas Five. Jeff Smith set up the show at a barbecue place, out [U.S. Highway] 281 and Bitters [Road], back when there was nothing out there. The owner of the barbecue restaurant wouldn’t let them put Dick Gas Five on the sign out front, so they changed it to the Dick Clark Five. The Surfers had played two art galleries and then in Austin. So, this was their first San Antonio show, really.

Terence Smart (former bassist): Paul and I are faculty children. His dad taught in the Trinity business department, and my father taught in the history department. So, I knew of him. ... I knew Gibby from 1977 and ’78 in the dorms. We were friends and did a show together in the theater department. Trinity had a great theater and arts department — an amazing place to be. In ’81 or ’82, they got a new president and things changed. But for a while, it was pure creativity. And Gibby was an amazing artist from the word go. A great basketball player too.

Captain of the team.

Scott Stevens: I’d heard of Gibby Haynes in the fall of ’78. He was a tall skinny guy — an accounting student in a black leather jacket. He was also the president of the Theta fraternity. And they were the hardcore party fraternity house. Not just suds, if you know what I mean. He was the last person in that frat. The university shut it down, trying to clean up the school’s image.

was a showman. He had a pet roach and made a photocopy of it. It was like a ticker tape parade, but all the [confetti had] images of cockroaches. ... We were playing as the Dick Clark Five. The idea being we’d get sued by Dick Clark and get publicity. That was Paul’s idea.

Jeff Smith: Gibby was doing the earthworm, laying on the ground, shaking. They were outrageous.

The music was still not realized, but they knew how to push buttons.

Accountant of the Year award down at Trinity. (Spin, 1996).

Scott Stevens: With Paul and Gibby, there was a small crew of us. We did vandal art. Doing weird images and putting them around the campus. We wrapped a mannequin and put it in front of the dorms. We covered the whole side of a dorm with Sound Ware-

Scott Stevens: The first time the Butthole Surfers played was at a San Antonio art gallery, the Davenport Gallery.

The owners loved it but couldn’t hear the lyrics. We had a PA for the second show, and when they heard the lyrics for the first time to “I Fuck Your Wife” and “Butthole Surfer,” well, they didn’t like it much. That was that. But Gibby

Paul Leary: We started out as the Dick Clark Five, then we were the Dick Gas Five, then it was the Ashtray Babyheads, then Nine Foot Worm Makes Own Food, Vodka Family Winstons, Abe Lincoln’s Bush, Ed Asner’s Gay, the Right to Eat Fred Astaire’s Asshole, which was shortened from the Inalienable Right to Eat Fred Astaire’s Asshole.

(Spin, 1996).

Scott Stevens: At the very beginning, everybody threw their piece in. Like a jam. Everyone comes up with their own part, Gibby scribbles some lyrics. It was a great joy. It wasn’t a dictatorship. We were all together, went to shows to-

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gether. I remember the Surfers driving to Austin to see that first U2 tour.

Quinn Matthews: My brother, Gibby and I moved to Woodlawn and McCullough [avenues], and that house became known as Butthole Manor.

Which was a ridiculous place. A mother and two daughters lived upstairs. They said, “We love listening to your rehearsals!” One day, the mom came down and had a head bandage. She seemed a little frail, and we were like, “Are you ok?” And she said, “Oh, I had brain surgery two weeks ago.” We were the soundtrack to her recovery.

Revolving door lineup Scott Stevens: I had to quit the band because I was losing weight and not eating right.

Quinn Matthews: Andrew Mullins was the second bass player. He freaked out at a gig at Rock Island in Houston.

Took a bunch of acid and ran off with all the gig money and disappeared. We never heard from him again. He said he went out to the desert to set himself on fire. So, they needed a bassist.

I taught myself all the songs without them knowing. I learned every one of their songs and announced to them I was their new bass player. And that was that. ... It was wild times. I remember one night coming back from a gig, we were driving through Brackenridge Park by the old horse stables. Gibby started screaming, “Stop the car! Stop the car!” Gibby hopped out of the car, climbed up to the sign and with a Sharpie drew a huge penis on the horse. Then gets back in the car. “OK. We can go.” ... Another time we were sitting in the kitchen after rehearsal, tripping balls on acid, each of us holding a can of Raid roach spray. We had a contest: who can kill the most roaches?

We were quiet, kept the lights down low. We called the game “Shiny.” I guess because the roaches were shiny.

Chris Smart: Ah, the muscular dystrophy benefit show. That was the first punk rock show with like 100 people there. ... Mark Rubinstein of the Rejects set that up. He got the outdoor La Villita stage by saying it was a benefit for children with muscular dystrophy, but it was really just a big punk rock show.

The Big Boys came down, the Rejects played, and more — like six bands. The Surfers played. They weren’t called the Surfers yet. They were called the Dick

Drummer King Coffee joined the Surfers after his other band, the Hugh Beaumont Experience, came to SA to record.

6

Gas Five.

Quinn Matthews: The La Villita folks weren’t happy with us! They said, “Oh my God! Punk rockers!” You’ve got Gibby on stage in his boxer shorts, distributing cockroach confetti to the entire crowd. Not exactly family-friendly. But we actually raised a lot of money for the charity. Back then, folks did what they had to do: used guerrilla tactics to get a gig.

Building the myth Paul Leary: We used to talk about a fictitious music scene in San Antonio.

We called it Kung Fu. We made up a bunch of fictitious Kung Fu bands. We told stories about how Kung Fu bands were playing every Tuesday night at the Olmos Pharmacy, and how they would roll away the racks of hearing aids to make room for the events. ... The biggest Kung Fu band was The Ridiculoids.

Someone always committed suicide at every Ridiculoids show, so the band took to doing surprise shows unannounced. But then people would commit suicide because they had missed a Ridiculoids show. There were two competing Kung Fu promoters: Steak Watson and Lady Corn Wilson. We fantasized about putting out a Kung Fu compilation album that [the Butthole Surfers] would make ourselves under the various band names.

King Coffey: Paul and Gibby invented the entire Kung Fu scene in San Antonio. ... They told all this to Jello Biafra [of Alternative Tentacles Records and the Dead Kennedys], and Biafra loved it. He was gung-ho to record a compilation. For a while, we were trying to be all 15 bands [in the fake scene]. Eventually, Jello figured it out and he was disappointed.

Terence Smart: First time I saw [the Surfers] was at a party, off Trinity campus. They performed in the living room. It was hilarious. Gibby was singing into the neckbone of a dummy, swinging it around. He’d stuffed the chest of the dummy with a boxful of Church’s fried chicken, and during a guitar solo, he stuffed the entire box sacurrent.com | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | CURRENT

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of chicken into his mouth, chewed it up, spit it out and kept singing. It was amazing.

King Coffey: The Buttholes were one of my favorite bands. It was so good, so left field, so unique. When I saw them live for the first time, I took the bus down from Fort Worth, walked into the Ritz [in Austin], and they were playing their farewell performance — they were moving to LA. They were playing “D.O.A.” by Bloodrock. They were playing an honest to goodness sincere cover. Such a ridiculous song to do, but they were giving it their all.

with it, passing it, tackling each other.

It was better for throwing. Kicking field goals with it kind of hurt. Although throwing wasn’t so great either. It didn’t really fly, it just kind of flopped around. (Laughs.)

Scott Stevens: Next I heard, the Surfers had to come back from California because Scott Matthews wanted to come back, and it was his van and PA they were using. ... The band’s expertise at writing and recording had greatly increased over the past year, but they

Starting over After that fracas, Paul and Gibby lost their rhythm section. They started over, using Bob O’Neil Sound Studios, a longgone recording facility near Broadway’s old Kiddie Park, as home base. The Surfers recorded their first four releases — Brown Reason to Live, PCP PEP, Psychic... Powerless... Another Man’s Sac and Rembrandt Pussyhorse — in San Antonio. By the recording of Another Man’s Sac, their first full-length album, the band’s iconic double-drummer setup of King Coffey

California tripping Quinn Matthews: We went out to LA. Played with the Meat Puppets and stayed at their house on the way.

Literally showed up on the door of SST Records. Slept on the floor, under the desk, anywhere we could. And we had a gig at the Grandia Room. We’d gone up to San Francisco, played the [Valencia] Tool & Die Club, and Jello saw us.

Then [SST producer] Spot got us a gig at the Whisky a Go Go in LA. So, we went south.

Scott Stevens: I admired what they did.

They sold everything, risked it all, and went to California, and it seemed like it paid off. I saw the Big Boys in Dallas and Tim Kerr told me, “Word on the underground is that the Butthole Surfers blew the Dead Kennedys off the stage.”

And I said, “Yes! My boys done good!”

Quinn Matthews: We met a girl [in LA] named Carrie Faber who put us up until we got our own place. Carrie’s is where we had the famous dildo football game. Carrie had this 14-inch rubber dildo with balls on it. Gibby, Paul, Scott [Matthews] and I played football with it. We were kicking field goals

came back with hardly anything. They had some lint in their pockets. That was it. ... They next played a show [in Dallas] on Hiroshima day. It was the Hugh Beaumont Experience, Stick Men with Ray Guns and the Dead Kennedys. That show was the closest I’ve ever been to a riot. It was insane. Gibby had gotten the [door] money from Jello Biafra but didn’t share it. Scott and Quinn showed up at Gibby’s parents’ house at 4 a.m. demanding money, and there was a fistfight. That broke up the band.

was firmly in place.

and Teresa Taylor

Paul Leary: B.O.S.S. was a demo studio with a one-inch Tascam 16-track. The owner Bob O’Neil liked us and let us spend the night there to record our stuff. It was an educational experience, as we had no idea how records were recorded. We got a record deal with Alternative Tentacles when we were in San Francisco in 1982. By the time we got back to San Antonio, we had lost our drummer and bass player, so Gibby and I went at it alone at first. One day this disco-looking dude walked into

the studio and said he heard music from the street. He asked if he could play drums on a song, and we let him.

The song is called “Hey.” He recorded each drum on a different take, starting with the high hat, until the drum part was complete. And then he left. Never saw him again, never knew his name.

Quinn Matthews: I had moved [back] to San Antonio in ’84 and they were hanging at B.O.S.S. studios. I ran into Paul at the convenience store. We all hung out. [Paul and Gibby] said, “It was fucked up what we did, but let’s get beyond it, and we can stay friends.” And we did. I later hopped up on stage with them and played saxophone a few times!

Played a gig with them at Woodlawn Theater with Sonic Youth in ’86.

King Coffey: I used to take the Greyhound between San Antonio and Austin to record at B.O.S.S. Gibby and Paul got Bob, the studio owner, to put together a hardcore compilation called Cottage Cheese from the Lips of Death.

Gibby and Paul recruited my band, the Hugh Beaumont Experience, to be on it. So, we came down to San Antonio, recorded two songs in about three hours. Gibby was living in the studio. He’d crash at night and be gone in the morning before paying clients would come in. ... I played on two songs on the first [Butthole Surfers] EP. Brad [Parks] from Marching Plague played on a couple songs. Then I ended up in the band. ...

I was the first drummer who actually wanted to be in the band. I was dying to be in the band — whereas everyone else was just kinda helping them out.

Chris Smart: I ran into Gibby a little later, in ’84, and they were playing more to the hardcore punk crowd, and we were playing more post-punk, art

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crowd, and Gibby came up and said, “Man, we wanna play with ya’ll!

We hate the hardcore crowd. We’re not hardcore.

We’re not a punk band.”

So, they set up this Meridian show. The Meridian was on Austin Highway, totally funded by cocaine. They had a recording setup in-house.

And that’s where the live EP [PCP PEP] came from.

There were 50 or 60 people there. It’s called “legendary” by anybody who wasn’t there. It wasn’t that big a deal.

Terence Smart, Chris Smart’s brother, the Surfers left on an open-ended, multi-year tour in a Chevy Nova with “Ladykiller” painted on it. A female pit bull named after Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad was along for the ride.

Scott Stevens: Another Man’s Sac. It’s classic.

It’s the Sgt. Pepper of acid punk. It’s such a great song cycle. There’s so much to it.

Every individual song is cool and different on its own. But hearing them one after another, it has an effect. The early stuff was the best. ... I love it all, but the early ones are special.

Terence Smart: Gibby had a brown paper lunch bag, and in it was a whole bunch of pieces of paper with names and phone numbers, and that’s how he conducted business the whole way.

I was amazed. Crazy. ... We made it to Detroit, then lived in New York City for a couple months. [Famed New York concert promoter and record label honcho] Terry Tolkin helped us out a lot. I loved playing Danceteria, CBGB’s.

Being from Texas, everyone thought we were wild ones. And I guess we were.

Back on the road After recruiting fellow Trinity alum

Terence Smart: I’d graduated by ’84. I was pinning my resume to the board of a music store and bumped into Paul and Gibby. They invited me over to their garage. They needed a bass player.

And I had a car, so ... I was in. (Laughs.) ... We took the car to a guy whose real name was — no kidding — Buzz Saw, and he practiced “auto carpentry,” which I didn’t know was a thing. He ripped out the backseat and where the spare tire used to be — so two people and a dog could lay down. And we left.

A 34-hour drive to Detroit in a Chevy Nova hauling a trailer. Crazy.

King Coffey: On that tour, I had a full-on mohawk. Stopped at a McDonald’s outside of Dallas, and while I was standing in line, these two Bubbas came in and said, “I don’t like it” and punched me square in the jaw and knocked me out. When I came to, nobody was helping. They were laughing at me. “That’s what you get.”

King Coffey: We were collecting bottles on the streets of New York to get the deposit, just to get something to eat.

But we were doing what we wanted to do. This was my first time to leave the state of Texas.

Terence Smart: We headed west. The big show was opening for Public Image Ltd. at the Olympic in Los Angeles.

That was violent as hell. People were throwing steel-toe boots, bottles in the air, getting spit on. There was a riot after the show. We got $1,000 and a bag of weed. We all ate steak that night and bought beer. ... I got really sick after the fifth month, was dehydrated and losing weight. So, I split. I read in a book

that when I quit, I threw a milk carton against the wall, but at that time ... I don’t think I would have wasted it. Not sure how I would have even gotten the milk anyway. ... I left the band in Georgia and arrived back to Georgia a few years later ... as an officer candidate. I was in the Army then. I never told them about my time in the Butthole Surfers.

Not sure how that would have gone over.

Stepping up the weirdness After Terence Smart’s departure, the Surfers recruited 18-year-old Jeff Pinkus, the band’s longest-running bassist.

Around that time, the group also ramped up the visual element of its shows.

King Coffey: We were one of the first bands, certainly in our genre, to be playing films and visuals. We were lugging around all these strobe lights and smoke machines. We had dual projectors. Because Gibby and Paul were artists, they incorporated visuals as well as the music.

Paul Leary: I was, and am, a fan of the absurd. Yves Klein was a big inspiration. Gibby became enamored with it as well. We loved randomness and mistakes. The visual elements that we incorporated into our shows were absurd. We projected films of penis reconstruction surgery layered with scenes of Charlie’s Angels and meat processing. We used strobe lights and smoke machines to absurd excesses.

We had belching flames to the ceilings and 12-gauge shotgun blasts on stage every night. We became what we wanted to see in a rock show.

Bill Daniel: I toured with them in ’87, which I feel like was their peak year.

I was on the first tour when they had their Winnebago. I was the driver — and film projectionist. People would be dropping acid behind me while I drove but ... there were actually very few parties. After the hard years, they were now total pros. Very focused on the job.

Scott Stevens: I saw them in Dallas in ’87. Man, that was an intense show.

They had strobes and dual projections showing pretty and ugly clips side by side. They had many high points, but for me, that was the peak.

Bill Daniel: They’d been ramping up their stage production, touring with their own sound system. We had to

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load it all in and out, every night. Huge expense, huge hassle, but it was genius.

Jumping to the majors After relocating to Austin and recording the independent albums Locust Abortion Technician, Hairway to Steven and piouhgd, the band made the leap to Capitol Records. John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin produced the Surfers’ major label debut.

Paul Leary: [Our first place in Austin] was a very funky house plopped down on a weird lot under an abandoned drive-in movie sign. I built a studio in the house and hung pieces of plywood from the ceilings for us to sleep on.

Eventually, the highway department condemned the property and we had to move. The highway department gave us $10,000 to move, and we put that money down on a berm house in Driftwood, Texas. It was a great place to decompress after years of touring. It was there that we recorded a jingle for MTV, which was played a lot. It made us the most-played band on MTV at the time, although nobody knew it was us. We recorded the album piouhgd there. The title of that album came from throwing a dirty sock at a computer keyboard.

King Coffey: I think that album title Hairway to Steven was a big reason why John Paul Jones actually worked with us. He liked the cheekiness of the band.

[Independent Worm Saloon] was our major label debut, and we put the burden on ourselves to put up or shut up. We made a slick record. We’d never made a record like that before. ... Then we did “Pepper.” I really liked “Pepper” at the time. It reflected what the band were into: trip-hop. The drag is that once it became a hit for us, the label thought we could do it again. And for us, it was a weird experiment. That was hell, to try and follow up a hit in a genre you’ve never really done before. That was a drag.

Changing times, changing expectations Paul Leary: We loved putting mayhem into our shows. After 9/11, I lost my appetite for mayhem.

Chris Smart: I saw them on their last tour. The single was co-written with Kid Rock, and they were signed to a Disney label. It was generic, not good, and they weren’t into it live. Two hired guns. The backing tracks went out in the middle

The band performs with Quinn Matthews (left) on bass. “I learned every one of their songs and announced to them I was their new bass player,” he said.

6

of their set — the keyboards, the backing vocals — all went out.

It’s the kind of thing that the Surfers would have ripped someone apart for doing earlier in their career. But this is not an unfamiliar story. It happens to everyone. You’re young and make these statements, going against the world, and never think ... someday, you’ll have to make a house payment.

Scott Stevens: The last time I saw them was in 2011 at Emo’s here in Austin. It was good hearing the songs again, but the video was not nearly as good as back in the ’80s. Lots of sparkly lights, but none of the weirdness. No penis reconstruction surgery.

Terence Smart: I was disappointed they didn’t create their own alternative mainstream, but they never let themselves get bought out and never conformed enough to get the big, big money. They stayed true to their art.

King Coffey: It’s a really magic time, right now, for music and for culture in general, due to how decentralized everything has become. Not sure how we would have negotiated social media though. With the Butts, we made it deliberate early on to keep as little information as possible, as open ended as possible. There was no picture of what we looked like, no band names on the records. People’s imagination was better than reality! ... Right now, the music scene is better than ever. Bands can put out a record without needing a label to do it. It’s changed the whole dynamics of what a band used to need to put out a record. The rules have changed. Do you even need a record? (Laughs.)

Paul Leary: I don’t pay attention to music in 2021. I listen to music from the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. The only music I listen to that is current is whatever I am producing or mixing.

What I would tell a kid looking to bust out is to stay in school. I have no idea how young musicians make it in music these days. ... I have family in San Antonio. I return to visit and to get the best Tex-Mex in the world. sacurrent.com | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | CURRENT

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Mathieu Bitton

San Antonio native Chrystabell’s Midnight Star charts a galactic course grounded in strong songwriting

BY MIKE MCMAHAN

F

uturistic avatar and current humanoid Chrystabell excels at bringing new sounds to this dimension, whether looking backwards or forwards for inspiration.

It’s no surprise that she rolls a visual flair for weirdness into her music, given her past collaborations with oddball filmmaker David Lynch.

All these elements are present in the San Antonio native’s highly textured new dream-pop album Midnight Star (Love Conquered Records), released Friday.

Back in the days when she was known as Chrysta Bell, she led 8½ Souvenirs through a retro, swing-based sound that featured her singing in several languages, a postmodern chanteuse for the 20th century. Indeed, by the ’90s, the world had gotten smaller.

But the internet was poised to shrink it more.

While the music on Midnight Star couldn’t sound more different to 8½ Souvenirs on the surface, a surprising number of common threads show that Chrystabell’s (quite possibly) robot heart still reverberates to that same beat. Sure, tech bros aspire to lead humanity to the stars in this new century, but we still need divas.

The track “Love Confit” is a perfect example of her future lounge stylings, as is “Clouds For Breakfast.”

Or consider the title cut. A swirl of synths and a countdown welcomes listeners with a vibe that conjures up Fhloston Paradise from the end of

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Luc Besson’s sci-fi cult classic The Fifth Element. Need more evidence? The first lyrics are “Spaceman / soaring to heaven.”

In fact, Milla Jovovich’s Fifth Element character Leeloo bears a certain similarity to Chrystabell’s persona. Both speak an entrancing lyrical language that manages to communicate emotions through lovely but otherworldly tones.

Any music going for a future vibe these days is likely to include EDM elements such as beeps, boops and drum machines, and Midnight Star is no exception.

However, these songs aren’t dance floor bangers. For one thing, they’re rooted in chord changes. Unlike much EDM, which relies on loops, some of which approach drones in their aspirational adherence, creating a stark post-apocalyptic groove.

Still, fitting the aesthetic, it’s not hard to imagine a talented producer tweaking these tracks and reinventing them as dance floor invitations.

Perhaps that’s a tribute to the strength of the songwriting — or to the production. The poppy “Suicide Moonbeams” could easily be an 8½ Souvenirs song if it featured different instrumentation.

Or perhaps, just perhaps, seeing Chrystabell as a badass-looking cyborg on the freaky-deaky cover art plays a role. After all, you don’t appear in David Lynch productions without a certain peculiar flair. And Chrystabell brings that in spades to Midnight Star.

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music listings Wednesday, January 26

12th Planet No, it’s not an event celebrating Zecharia Sitchin’s new age classic about ancient astronauts. Instead, it’s a set from a DJ and producer using the same moniker. Mr. Planet, as the New York Times might call him, has collaborated with big names such as Skrillex and appeared at top fests, including Coachella, Electric Daisy Carnival and Ultra Music Festival. Though known primarily for his work in the dubstep genre, 12th Planet also includes jungle, drum-and-bass and trap elements in his sets. $15-$20, 9:30 p.m., Prïvat, 5138 UTSA Blvd., (210) 920-0932, privat.bar.

— Mike McMahan Martin Barre Primarily known as the lead guitarist for Jethro Tull for over 40 years, Barre now tours and creates music as solo act while still paying homage to his former band’s considerable legacy. Barre’s current tour, rescheduled due to the pandemic, celebrates the 50th anniversary of Aqualung, one of Tull’s best-known albums. $35, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 2232830, samsburgerjoint.com. — Brianna Espinoza

Thursday, January 27 Braydon Zink Zink’s sound combines elements of both outlaw country and Southern rock, making him a logical fit for The Rustic’s Americana-focused stage. The Austin-based musician has a busy 2022 with dates lined up around the state through February.

Free, 7:30 p.m., The Rustic, 17619 La Cantera Parkway, (210) 245-7500, therustic.com. — Enrique Bonilla

Friday, January 28 Pop Pistol As January winds down, SA’s long-running indie-etc. rock ensemble Pop Pistol will finish up a month-long residency at 502 Bar. One of the band’s strengths is its investment in the visual elements of its music. Yes, this includes album covers and websites. But, in a more off-the-beaten path move, the band unveiled its trippy Lightgeist mural as part of Luminaria last November. Expect the eye pokes to continue at 502. Free, 9:30 p.m., 502 Bar, 502 Embassy Oaks #138, (210) 257-8125, 502bar.com. — MM

Friday, January 28 Otherwise Las Vegas-based Otherwise are making their way to San Antonio for the first time in the band’s almost two decades of existence. Purveyors of driving, post-grunge hard rock, these guys might rank must-see status for fans of 210’s similarly scorching Nothing More. $16, 7:30 p.m., Vibes Underground, 1211 E. Houston St., facebook.com/vibesunderground. — EB

Saturday, January 29 Randall King One of modern country’s finest artists is bringing his soulful, real-deal music to Floore’s. What’s notable about King’s approach is that he manages to embrace both newer and traditional Nashville sounds — think Merle Haggard with a more polished production. Former rodeo cowboy turned country singer Wynn Williams opens the show, so get there early. $20, 8:30 p.m., John T. Floore’s Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, (210) 695-8827, liveatfloores.com. — EB 38

CURRENT | January 26 – February 8, 2022 | sacurrent.com

Tool

Courtesy Photo / Tool

Tropidelic If the name didn’t tip you off already, Tropidelic serves up a reggae-rock fusion that occasionally incorporates rap as well — with a smile. These Ohioans’ Midwest base of operations may put them far from the Caribbean, but they clearly embrace and understand the island vibes. $20, 9 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — BE

Tuesday, February 1 The Decibel Magazine Tour This tour stacks heavy on top of heavy by assembling an earsplitting lineup of thrash and death metal. Obituary, Municipal Waste, Gatecreeper, Enforced and Spirit World are all set to honor the magazine’s name with a night that can only be described as a mosher’s dream come true. $23-$25, 7 p.m., Vibes Underground 1211 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/ vibesunderground. — BE

Wednesday, February 2 Tool Get ready to be “elbow deep” in tricky time signatures and jaw-dropping visuals as one of the top acts in the prog-metal genre rolls into town on its first tour in two years. It’s a safe guess they’ll play plenty of the throbbing, innuendo-filled songs that remain mainstays on KISS-FM. Pro tip: leave the cell phone in your pocket or vocalist Maynard James Keenan might personally have you kicked out of the venue. $59.50-$125, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Parkway, (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com. — BE Gary Clark Jr. Gary Clark Jr.’s sound melds blues and rock while touching the edges of psychedelia and soul. Early on, he drew comparisons to other guitarists mining blues-rock’s well-traveled sonic territory, but with the Grammy-winning 2020 album This Land, it’s become apparent Clark is a true master who’s capable of giving a fresh approach. He’s not the next Hendrix, nor the next Stevie Ray Vaughn. Clark is in a league all his own. $49.50-$79.50, 7:30 p.m. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — EB

Friday, February 4 Cody Canada & The Departed Perhaps this show will answer that long-running question: can you call a band a power trio if they aren’t directly descended from the royal bloodlines of Rush or Cream? Consider the case of New Braunfels’ Cody Canada & The Departed. They make a big racket with bass, guitar and drums. So far, so good. They released an album called HippieLovePunk in 2015. We’ll allow that one too. But they have roots in red-dirt country, having formed

from the dried bones of Cross Canadian Ragweed. That’s where it gets tricky. If it’s pensive songs over chops, what is the correct verbiage? Guess there’s one way to find out. $20, 8 p.m., Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall.com. — MM The Texas Gentlemen This North Texas collective steps in when some of today’s top country and pop singers need a backup band. Which means they’ve played alongside an impressive mix of artists including George Strait, Ed Sheeran, Kris Kristofferson and Shawn Mendes. When not riffing alongside some of the biggest names in music, the group plays an impressive batch of originals coupling funky, progressive riffing with sweet, sassy country rock in a way that works seamlessly. $15, 9 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — EB

Saturday, February 5 Being as an Ocean Don’t jump to conclusions just because Being as an Ocean started off exploring Christianity via hardcore punk. Their name references a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, so we’re not exactly talking Joel Osteen here. The band will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Dear G-d LP with a signature mix of post-hardcore and post-rock. Adding to the intrigue, the group cites influences both obvious (Touché Amoré) and surprising (Sigur Rós). $17-$20, 6 p.m., Vibes Underground, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/vibesunderground. — MM Inner Wave California natives Inner Wave’s approach to dream pop incorporates funky, ’70s vibes — putting them among a growing cadre of laid-back indie acts that embrace old-school vibes. It’s easy to see the appeal: the soft, grooving melodies can take listeners back to a fun, hedonistic and less-complicated time that no longer exists. $19-$21, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BE Deadeye Tribute bands abound these days. Even with that caveat, there are a lot of Grateful Dead tribute acts in particular. Here’s the thing: the Dead’s music is so open to interpretation that there’s a lot of room in which to work. And that’s where Austin’s Deadeye comes in. The band plays the songbook, of course. But the musicians are also doing their own thing with psychedelic flights of fancy that are the Dead’s real signature — or what the kids these days call “jams.” If you’re looking to see a bunch of dudes banging out radio classics and going through the motions dressed up as Led Zeppelin, these are not the droids you’re looking for.

However, if you’re looking to enjoy a look at classic Americana through a new set of shades, this might be right up your alley. $15-$18, 9 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — MM

E M P LOY M E N T Baylor College of Medicine hiring for the following position at the Children's Hospital of San Antonio, San Antonio, TX: Associate Professor, Congenital Heart Surgery (#9768) Admit, evaluate, diagnose, provide consultation to, and provide medical and surgical care to pediatric and adult 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. Lead quality and research efforts for cardiovascular services, including translational and clinical research.

Instruct medical students, residents, Fellows, and other students in related fields, who observe the physician directly in the hospital setting, in congenital heart surgery.

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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