San Antonio Current - December 13, 2023

CORPORATE CLIMATE INACTION | THE SA CONNECTION TO DISNEY'S WISH | 'LIFE AND DEATH ON THE BORDER' | DEC 13 - 26, 2023

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CURRENT | September 7 – 20, 2022 | sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

Publisher Michael Wagner Editor in Chief Sanford Nowlin General Manager Chelsea Bourque Editorial Digital Content Editor Kelly Nelson Contributing Arts Editor Bryan Rindfuss Food and Nightlife Editor Nina Rangel Staff Writers Michael Karlis Interns Amber Esparza

in this issue Issue 23-25 /// December 13 – 26, 2023

Contributors Abe Asher, Bill Baird, Ron Bechtol, Danny Cervantes, Macks Cook, Brianna Espinoza, Dalia Gulca, Anjali Gupta, Colin Houston, Kiko Martinez, Mike McMahan, Kevin Sanchez, M. Solis, Caroline Wolff, Dean Zach Advertising Account Manager Marissa Gamez Senior Account Executive Mike Valdelamar Local Culture Creative Agency Director Mindi Overman Creative Services Creative Services Manager Samantha Serna Graphic Designers Pedro Macias Events and Marketing Marketing and Events Director Cassandra Yardeni Events Manager Chelsea Bourque Events & Promotions Coordinator Chastina De La Pena Social Media Director Meradith Garcia Circulation Circulation Manager Justin Giles Chava Communications Group Founder, Chief Executive Officer Michael Wagner Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer Cassandra Yardeni Operations Director Hollie Mahadeo Director of Agency Services Mindi Overman Social Media Director Meradith Garcia Director of Digital Content Strategy Colin Wolf Art Director David Loyola Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon chavagroup.com

Courtesy Photo / The Esquire Tavern

30 Feature

The 50 Best Bars in San Antonio

National Advertising: Voice Media Group 1-888-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com San Antonio Current sacurrent.com Editorial: editor@sacurrent.com Display Advertising: marketing@sacurrent.com The San Antonio Current is published by Chava Communications Group

09 News

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News in Brief

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The Opener

Home Is Where the Home Is

Growth in specialized housing struggles to keep pace with city plan for removing homeless encampments

Climate Inaction?

San Antonio’s biggest corporations haven’t made verifiable commitments to cut climatedamaging emissions, report shows

17 Calendar Calendar Picks

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25 Arts

Exposing Violent History

Traveling exhibition “Life and Death on the Border” shines light on South Texas tragedy

27 Screens

Christmas Firsts

San Antonio fave Anjelah JohnsonReyes gets into holiday spirit with Eddie Murphy in Candy Cane Lane

Soul-Filling Experience

CORPORATE CLIMATE INACTION | THE SA CONNECTION TO DISNEY'S WISH | 'LIFE AND DEATH ON THE BORDER' | DEC 13 - 26, 2023

Screenwriter and San Antonio native Allison Moore makes feature film debut with Disney’s Wish

30 Food 41 Music

Old-Fashioned Good Songs

Sunny Sweeney talks about new album Married Alone before her San Antonio-area performance

Critics’ Picks

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n the Cover: Southtown’s Bar Loretta is among the drinking spots the Current picked as San Antonio’s 50 best. Cover photo: TxTroublemaker. Cover design: Samantha Serna.

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Leaders in the Texas Republican Party earlier this month voted against a resolution to bar its members from associating with Nazi sympathizers, Holocaust deniers and antisemites. The state party’s executive committee voted down the resolution 32-29 just a month after a top right-wing activist was caught hosting white supremacist Nick Fuentes for a seven-hour meeting. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan called the vote’s outcome “despicable.”

A Travis County judge last week ruled that a Dallas resident could legally abort a fetus with a lethal abnormality, marking the first time in at least a half-century that a Texas judge has intervened to allow an adult woman to get an abortion. Since the ruling, the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court has temporarily halted the order but hasn’t yet ruled on the merits of the case. The court said it will issue a ruling but didn’t specify when.

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Chrissy Anthony, co-founder of the Sea Island Shrimp House chain, died last week after a long battle with cancer. She was 89. Anthony was born in Houston and worked at Nix Hospital in San Antonio before helping start the first Sea Island in the 1970s. From there, the business grew exponentially. It’s now helmed by her son Barclay Anthony.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich won’t face any disciplinary repercussions for admonishing Spurs fans not to boo Kawhi Leonard last month, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last week during a media appearance. During a game last month, Popovich made the unusual move of using the arena microphone to address the crowd while Leonard, a former Spurs star, was preparing to shoot a free throw.. — Abe Asher

ASSCLOWN ALERT

Playing the Revenge Game with Five-Time Loser Greg Abbott Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

The majority of the Texas Legislature doesn’t want what Gov. Greg Abbott is peddling when it comes to school vouchers. Lawmakers said so five times. First during the regular legislative session earlier this year, then during an unprecedented four special sessions, Democrats and rural Republicans in the Texas House shut down the voucher plan the GOP governor has been shilling for the past year.

The old adage you can’t polish a turd comes to mind here. But, alas, Abbott and his allies didn’t even seem to try. They attempted to force through the same bad piece of legislation with minimal changes meant to allay the concerns of rural lawmakers who correctly pointed out the plan was robbing public schools to fund private ones for the rich.

That exercise in legislative futility exhausted — at least until Abbott calls another special session — the governor is now in revenge mode.

Over the past few weeks, he’s begun backing primary challengers to those who voted against vouchers, San Antonio State Rep. Steve Allison among them.

The irony here is that Abbott is likely to come out this latest escape looking like just as big a

— District 2 Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez

issuing a statement during a San Antonio City Council meeting marked by tense debate over a CPS Energy rate increase

Instagram / governorabbott

loser.

Allison won reelection in Alamo Heights’ House District 121 by 10 points in 2022, and he blew out his previous primary challenger 84-16.

Meanwhile, the candidate Abbott’s backing, Marc LaHood, was routed by more than 12 points last year when he tried to run for Bexar County DA. And as a big-city Republican, Allison is theoretically the low-hanging fruit. The majority of the other GOP House members Abbott is trying to primary represent rural districts where voters know full well their rep stood between them and the governor’s shit sandwich of an education bill.

“Many of those incumbents represent rural voters who understand why they did what they did,” Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson said. “I think Abbott’s going to have a hard time earning victories there.”

That means when primary time comes along, Texas’ assclown of a governor is likely to be a six-time loser when it comes to vouchers.

— Sanford Nowlin

A new study from libertarian think tank the Cato Institute found that Texas residents have fewer personal freedoms than those of every other U.S. state. Texas ranked in the bottom fifth on measures including marriage freedom, asset forfeiture and incarceration levels. It also finished last in freedoms for cannabis users.

However, the Lone Star State had one bright spot: finishing first in the country for the freedom to donate large sums of money to political campaigns.

YOU SAID IT!

“She once said, ‘Spur-of-themoment, I ball like Ginobili, and you get D’d up on,’ celebrating our beloved San Antonio Spurs while inviting the opposition to collect their Ls in peace. Happy Birthday to the queen of rap, Nicki Minaj.”

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Sanford Nowlin

San Antonio City Council last week approved a 4.25% rate hike for CPS Energy after a proposal to cut the proposed increase in half failed by one vote. Officials with the city-owned utility say the rate increase is necessary to replace old equipment and transition to cleaner energy, but critics argued the utility isn’t doing enough to protect financially vulnerable residents.

Council members Jalen McKee-Rodriguez, Teri Castillo and Marc Whyte voted against the increase.

Democrats in Texas’ congressional delegation are asking the Department of Justice to open an investigation into civil rights abuses under Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star and clarify whether the sweeping border crackdown violates federal law. In a letter signed by San Antonio Reps. Joaquin Castro and Greg Casar, the lawmakers wrote it was essential for the Justice Department to “assert its rightful field preemption” and send a strong message on human rights abuses. — Abe Asher

Find more news coverage every day at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

news Home Is Where the Home Is Growth in specialized housing struggles to keep pace with city’s removal of encampments

BY STEPHANIE KOITHAN

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n its 2024 budget, the City of San Antonio plans to provide shelter for 400 individuals experiencing homelessness. At the same time, it also pledges to “clean up 700 encampments,” meaning the displacement of more of the street population than it plans to shelter.

There simply aren’t enough beds for all those who will be displaced, and until there are, advocates for the unhoused say the sweeps are a pointless exercise in cruelty. San Antonio needs more housing and needs it now, but the type of housing also matters when it comes to ending homelessness.

San Antonio’s shelter system is overflowing. There’s a wait list of 3,100 households seeking shelter and permanent supportive housing, or PSH, the term used to describe rental-assisted units for people trying to break the cycle of homelessness.

Haven for Hope, the city’s largest shelter, is at capacity and has been for almost two years. In part, that’s because the number of families utilizing the shelter system is up 28% since the expiration of the federal Eviction Moratorium and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. “We are definitely the most over-extended we have ever been,” said Katie Wilson, executive director of Close to Home — formerly South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless — which oversees the shelter waitlist.

In January, Close to Home counted more than 3,155 people experiencing homelessness in San Antonio on a single night. Of those, 874 were living on the street and 566 were counted in the Haven for Hope courtyard.

Haven for Hope serves 85% of San Antonio’s homeless population. People who struggle with addiction may sleep on mats on the floor of the facility’s courtyard, but they must be sober to enter the rest of the campus, which includes rooms with beds.

As an alternative approach, the Housing First model is designed to divert the homeless population away from temporary shelters in favor of permanent supportive housing. Its em-

phasis is on housing people as quickly as possible. That entails removing barriers to entry that block many from accessing the shelter system, including the “cold-turkey” sobriety requirement.

“If you’re living on the street, it is very difficult to demonstrate sobriety within such a vulnerable framework,” said Nikisha Baker, president and CEO of SAMMinistries, which operates several Housing First programs.

Once housed, residents of Housing First programs have access to treatment for other needs including addiction and mental illness.

The Housing First approach can save $15,772 annually in emergency services utilized per housed person, according to the National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH). It can also cost up to $23,000 less annually per individual than a shelter program.

Such PSH programs also demonstrate a 96-98% success rate of residents remaining housing-stable after one year, according to NEAH data.

NIMBY barriers So what’s stopping San Antonio from constructing more Housing First permanent supportive housing?

Funding limitations are an obvious impediment, but there are other roadblocks, among them NIMBY-ism, or the “not in my backyard” phenomenon.

NIMBY-ism creates a Catch-22 in addressing homelessness, according to advocates. Many residents want to clean up “eyesore” encampments, but at the same time, they don’t want housing for the formerly unsheltered in their neighborhoods either.

Many who object to such housing worry it will be unsightly, lead to loitering or an increase in crime. That’s simply not the case, advocates argue.

“Usually, if there’s a PSH facility in your neighborhood, you would have no idea, because it just looks like any other apartment complex,” said Annie Erickson, senior director of veteran and community-based services for Endeavors, a Texas-wide organization with

Stephanie Koithan

three permanent supportive housing programs in San Antonio.

To that end, the City of San Antonio is working to roll out a campaign to educate community members that fears about PSH developments are largely unfounded.

Towne Twin Village, one such permanent supportive housing community, serves chronically homeless adults 50 and older. Once completed in late 2024, the 17.4-acre complex at the former site of the East Side’s Towne Twin Drive-In will have 204 fully furnished units, including a mix of tiny homes, efficiency apartments and RVs. Towne Twin residents, who have started moving in as units became available, pay reduced rent capped at 40% of their income.

San Antonio currently has 600 PSH units citywide that are non-population-specific. However, the city has identified a need for 1,000 additional units over the next five years.

Luckily, more PSH programs are on the way. An additional 386 units are expected to become available in the next couple of years. SAMMinistries’ 200-unit The Commons at Acequia Trails facility is slated to break ground next fall.

However, those units won’t exist when the next encampment sweeps occur, advocates warn.

“It’s no secret that encampment abatements alone will not address homelessness,” said Close to Home’s Wilson. “They are largely a response to the community.”

Housing first In cities such as Portland, Oregon, street homelessness is part of the city’s broader affordable housing crisis.

David Farley, 64, has been chronically homeless his whole life. “Lots of people get us wrong,” he said.

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Encampments have also become ubiquitous in downtown Austin, where the cost of living is considerably higher than San Antonio’s.

In contrast, Houston has reduced homelessness by 60% since 2011 and 17% in the past year alone.

“A pillar of the Houston approach is housing first,” Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Nicholas Kristof observed last month in a New York Times opinion piece praising the city’s success in dealing with chronic homelessness.

San Antonio is investing more in addressing the issue than ever before. San Antonio’s 2024 budget earmarks $42 million for affordable housing, which is intended to provide what’s termed a “front-door” solution to homelessness.

Ideally, such preventative measures work in tandem with solutions like PSH, which help people once they become homeless.

Federal funding is also increasing.

This year, Close To Home landed $17 million from the Department of Housing and Urban Development — the nonprofit’s largest-ever federal grant.

Some of those funds are reserved for PSH. The largest increase will go to rapid rehousing to serve those fleeing domestic violence, which San Antonio leaders have called a citywide epidemic.

Though there’s cause for hope, some worry it’s not coming fast enough as the city prepares to dismantle encampments.

“The problem is that we are playing catch up,” Endeavors’ Erickson said.

sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

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news

Shutterstock / JHVEPhoto

Valero Energy is among the San Antonio-based corporations that highlight their action on climate change in public reports but haven’t agreed to independent verification by SBTi or Climate Group.

Climate Inaction?

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BY SANFORD NOWLIN

the ENERGY STAR certification award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” according to the site.

H-E-B has an online statement labeled “Environmental Sustainability” that includes details on its efforts to reduce water consumption and fossil fuel use while improving energy efficiency at its stores. The grocer notes that it’s the only Texas-based company invited to be a charter partner in the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, an initiative formed to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

For its part, Valero Energy issues an annual sustainability report that includes detailed environmental metrics. The oil and gas company is on target to achieve its goal of achieving 100% of its target of reducing or displacing 100% of scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gases by 2025, according to its 2023 report.

Scope 1 emissions are those directly released from a company’s assets, whilescope 2 emissions result from sources it doesn’t directly own and control.

While SBTi and Climate Group are respected yardsticks for companies’ efforts to reduce emissions, Krystel Castillo, director of the Texas Sustainable Energy Research Institute at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said companies can show their environmental stewardship in other ways.

“As [corporate social responsibility] and the impact of corporations on the climate derive from a wide variety of actions and activities, it is important to keep a holistic perspective when evaluating the social performance of a company,” said Castillo, a professor of mechanical engineering at UTSA. “Although 15

San Antonio’s biggest corporations haven’t made verifiable commitments to cut climate-damaging emissions, report shows

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one of San Antonio’s biggest corporations has committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions under the best-recognized global programs that track companies’ progress toward reaching net-zero targets, according to a new study.

An analysis by corporate-responsibility watchdog group Spendwell found that none of the 10 largest San Antonio-area companies is enrolled in the United Nations-backed Science-Based Targets (SBTi) initiative or Climate Group’s EP100 energy efficiency programs. The companies in the report were selected based on their annual revenues.

What’s more, only one of those companies, Rackspace Technology, has committed to a target with Climate Group’s RE100 program for transitioning to 100% renewable energy sources. The cloud-computing firm expects to hit that goal in 2026.

Spendwell officials said the SBTi and Climate Group programs are the gold standard for measuring businesses’ commitment to tackling climate change because they require companies to submit to independent verification rather than make vaguely worded statements about their efforts to reduce emissions.

“I think the most important thing about these two entities is that they’re both independently verifiable,” said Lincoln Bauer, Spendwell’s founder. “That’s what doesn’t exist in all these claims corporations use in talking about the great things they’re doing for the environment: independent verification.”

None of the San Antonio corporations on Spendwell’s list responded to the Current’s request for comment on the study. In addition to Rackspace, those include Valero Energy, USAA, H-E-B, Rush Enterprises, iHeartMedia, Zachry Group, Clear Channel Outdoor, Nustar Energy and Alamo Group.

SBTi and Climate Group provide what the Guardian newspaper recently called “science-based pathways” for companies to cut emissions. Experts and climate advocates said their validation processes are key ways businesses can demonstrate a serious commitment to tackling climate change.

Heavyweights such as 3M, Apple Inc. and Toyota Motor Corp. have made commitments under SBTi. Meanwhile, Google, General Motors and Johnson & Johnson and others have agreed to go 100% renewable under RE100, and Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Hilton and others have enrolled in EP100.

Commitments versus statements Like many large corporations, the 10 San Antonio-area companies on Spendwell’s list have released public statements trumpeting their environmental stewardship and efforts to combat climate change.

For example, USAA maintains an “Environmental Responsibility” webpage that details its recycling efforts, water-saving programs and energy usage. Its massive San Antonio headquarters building is the “largest financial office building in America to earn

sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

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David Loyola

13 net-zero carbon emission is a very important global goal, it is not the only way a company can actively take steps to reduce its environmental impact.”

Even so, climate advocates said the problem with companies’ corporate social responsibility statements is that they’re often full of vague terminology.

Meanwhile, the SBTi and Climate Group initiatives require specific, measurable commitments. What’s more, businesses who fail to meet their goals can be dropped from the programs.

This summer SBTi ejected Amazon from its list of companies taking concrete steps to counter climate change, saying the online retailer failed to establish a credible goal for reducing carbon emissions by a required deadline.

“With corporations, there’s just this tremendous amount of greenwashing that goes on, and at the same time, climate change is accelerating,” Bauer said.

Fossil-fuel companies in particular tend to use vague language to describe their commitments to tackling climate change, said Paasha Mahdavi, a political science professor at the University of California Santa Barbara who studies oil-industry rhetoric.

“Very often those vague terms are used on purpose,” he said.

The value of SBTi’s and Climate Group’s initiatives is that they set specific, scientifically derived thresholds for companies to meet as they work toward zeroing out emissions, Mahdavi said.

“It’s not enough just to set goals,” he said. “You

have to have targets, a timeline and an action plan.”

Lack of incentives Next year, the European Union will begin requiring corporations to issue detailed disclosures of their climate risks and plans. California lawmakers also passed similar rules requiring companies to be more transparent about their actions to combat climate change.

Mahdavi said those new regulations could drive companies that do business internationally or in the Golden State to participate in voluntary oversight schemes such as those of SBTi and Climate Group.

However, the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, which oversees corporate disclosures in the United States, has been slow to release climate transparency rules, according to the professor. And once it does, the new requirements are likely to face lengthy court challenges.

Given the current quagmire in Congress, it’s also hard to imagine federal lawmakers passing any regulations that force companies to make more serious commitments to fighting climate change.

“The sense is that it’s hard right now to get anything passed at the federal level,” Mahdavi said. “So, because of that, people are turning to states, cities and counties.”

However, under its current leadership, Texas is unlikely to provide much pressure, positive or negative, for its corporate citizens to commit to SBTi and

Climate Group, advocates argue.

During Texas’ 2023 legislative session, lawmakers in the GOP-controlled House and Senate introduced multiple bills aimed at promoting the state’s fossil fuel industry while slowing the shift to renewables.

Gov. Greg Abbott has repeatedly fired back at federal efforts to rein in fossil fuel consumption and even falsely blamed power outages during 2021’s Winter Storm Uri on renewable energy.

“In general, the companies in Texas aren’t getting the right signals on climate change,” said Bee Moorhead, executive director of Texas Impact, an interfaith group that advocates on community issues including climate change. “You’re not going to get any brownie points from the state for doing the right thing on climate change.”

Absent a carrot or a stick, companies in San Antonio — or elsewhere — are unlikely to commit to rigorous standards and oversight of their emissions-reduction plans, Moorhead said.

“Right now, it’s a chaotic regulatory environment, and you can’t blame the private sector for reacting predictably to that kind of chaotic environment,” she said.

Spendwell’s Bauer acknowledged the lack of movement from federal and state lawmakers on climate change. He said that largely leaves it to consumers to demand serious commitments on climate change from the companies they do business with.

“Market pressure is what these companies really respond to,” he said. sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

SPORTS

SPURS VS. LAKERS Now in his 21st NBA season, Lakers forward LeBron James recently surpassed hoops icon Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the league’s all-time leader in minutes played. At age 38, he’s still averaging an astounding 24 points per game. With the in-season tournament in the rearview mirror, he and the Lakers arrive in San Antonio this week for a pair of nationally televised games against the struggling Spurs. The brilliance of rookie Victor Wembanyama notwithstanding, San Antonio’s season thus far has been largely defined by their worst start in franchise history through 21 games. The team weathered losing streaks of 11 and 16 games last season on their way to just 22 wins, suggesting fans should settle in for another rough campaign. Next up for the Spurs is a Sunday afternoon matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans, where the team will honor Hall of Famer and NBA Finals MVP Tony Parker, giving Spurs faithful a timely opportunity to revisit San Antonio’s quiet dynasty. $36 and up, 7 p.m.

Wednesday and 6:30 p.m. Friday, Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, (210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com, NBA TV (Wednesday) and ESPN (Friday). — M. Solis

FRI | 12.15 SPECIAL EVEN T

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WED | 12.13 FRI | 12.15

Jaime Monzon

San Antonio’s sweetest night of the year returns to the DoSeum for another round of festive cocktails, seasonal bites and sweet eats. Dulce’s adult-only holiday celebration offers an assortment of delectable food, drink and entertainment while also supporting the nonprofit museum. Guests 21 and up can sip and eat while they shop from a curated holiday marketplace, explore select museum exhibits and enjoy live music and performances. Attendees of the San Antonio Current-organized event also have a chance to win a $500 cash prize if they come dressed in their most festive holiday garb or their best ugly seasonal sweater. Immersive photo ops will also be available. Limited general admission tickets include full access to the night’s food, drink and entertainment plus the market and select museum exhibits. $65-$100, 7-11 p.m., The DoSeum, 2800 Broadway, dulcesanantonio.com. — Amber Esparza

mas story: the three wise men. In Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera Amahl and the Night Visitors, the gold, frankincense and myrrh-bearing men — on their way to the famous stable — visit a young shepherd boy named Amahl and his mother. This unexpected collision of worlds results in lifelong lessons about wealth, charity and thankfulness for everyone involved — along with some stirring music, of course. Local newcomers Graham Hansen and Carlos Pigeon play the titular Reginald Thomas II / San Antonio Spurs

shepherd boy in OPERA San Antonio’s family-friendly

FRI | 12.15 SUN | 12.17

holiday production, which will reach eyes and ears

OPERA

the weekend before Christmas. $18.50-$23.50, 7:30 p.m.

AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS

at locations across San Antonio with live orchestral accompaniment provided by the Classical Music Institute. Public performances will night-visit the Magik Theatre and Alamo Heights United Methodist Church

In a season stuffed with nutcrackers and Scrooges and sleigh

Sold Out, 4 p.m. Sunday, Alamo Heights United Methodist

rides, OPERA San Antonio presents a 45-minute one-act op-

Church, 825 E. Basse Road, operasa.org. — Dean Zach

era about some of the less-explored characters of the Christ-

Reminder:

Friday and Saturday, Magik Theatre, 420 S. Alamo St.,

Shutterstock / Jeffery Edwards

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.

improvtx.com/sanantonio | 618 Nw Loop 410, SaN ANTONIO, TX 78216 | 210•541•8805 DECEMBER 14-16

DECEMBER 17

DECEMBER 21-23

DECEMBER 29-31

JANUARY 4-6

Josh Blue

The Christi Show

Jeremiah Watkins

Schuler King

Russell Peters

Elevate Your Event Experience at the

FEBRUARY 10

FEBRUARY 17

18

CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

calendar WED | 12.20

stages — including Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli and Brody

SPECIAL EVEN T

House of Black, which includes current TBS Champion Julia Hart

King — have been in fierce competition to become the inaugural AEW Triple Crown Champion. Attendees may also witness the fearsome

CIRQUE MUSICA: HOLIDAY WONDERLAND

among its members, dastardly AEW patriarch Christian Cage or one

Cirque Musica, a traveling troupe that combines circus performances

of the most consistently dominant forces in professional wrestling,

with live music, is hitting San Antonio as part of a 70-plus-stop tour of

Samoa Joe. $44 and up, 6 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive,

its holiday-themed show set in a faraway winter wonderland. Cirque

(210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com. — Colin Houston

Musica: Holiday Wonderland offers dazzling acts from a global cast

TUE | 12.26

of acrobats, contortionists and athletes paired with holiday music, including an aerial violin performance by Carina Gilett. One of the largest such traveling groups, Cirque Musica has thrilled audiences since

SPORTS

2010 with performances bringing together musical artistry and daring circus acrobatics. $39.60-$89.50, 7 p.m., H-E-B Performance Hall, Tobin

SPURS VS. JAZZ

Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624,

Once again absent from the NBA’s Christmas Day slate of games, the

tobincenter.org. — Macks Cook

Spurs will host the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night at the Frost Bank Center in a homecoming for Wagner High School standout Jordan Clarkson.

The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year signed a three-year, $55 million contract extension with the Jazz over the summer and has recently been sidelined with a thigh contusion. Familiar with adversity, San

Joan Marcus

manently pushing away her dearest friend. Following in the legendary footsteps of original Wicked cast members Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, the North American Tour cast boasts an exciting roster of rising Broadway stars, including Olivia Valli (Elphaba), Celia Hottenstein (Galinda) and more. $54 and up, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m.

Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday, December 20-January 7, additional showtimes available online, Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Caroline Wolff

SAT | 12.23 SPORTS

AEW COLLISION Sometimes the best way to celebrate the holiday season is with a good old-fashioned beatdown. All Elite Wrestling’s Collision will be serving those up generously during a San Antonio bout just two days before

WED | 12.20 SUN | 01.07

TCG Entertainment

Jesus’ birthday, and the event will host some of the nail-biting closing matches of the Triple Crown Tournament. Participants in the group

TH EATER

WICKED

Reginald Thomas II / San Antonio Spurs

Wicked will ring in the holidays and new year in San Antonio. The

Antonio currently owns the worst record in the Western Conference.

musical sensation’s current North American tour celebrates 20 years

After the team’s 14th consecutive loss Keldon Johnson, the team’s

of gravity-defying vocals, spellbinding set design and a heartrending

longest tenured player, reflected on the skid. “Nobody said it would

story that paints the Wicked Witch of the West in a whole new shade of

be easy,” Johnson told reporters following a 121-106 trouncing by the

green. Winner of three Tony Awards and one Grammy, Wicked begins

Pelicans in New Orleans. “Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us, nobody’s

in the Land of Oz years before Dorothy’s arrival. Long before her days of

going to give us anything. We

wicked-witch infamy, Elphaba is a freshman at Shiz University, poring

understand that if we want to

over spellbooks and aspiring to make a difference with her magic. Os-

win, we got to go out there and

tracized by her peers for her grotesque green skin, Elphaba is assigned

do the things that it takes to

to room with the conventionally attractive and wildly popular Galinda,

win.” Limiting turnovers will

later known as Glinda the Good Witch. Fixated on their differences,

be key against the Jazz as the

Elphaba and Galinda initially butt heads, but gradually come to under-

Spurs look to get back into the

stand one another and become inseparable. When Elphaba unearths

win column. $38 and up, 7 p.m.,

evidence that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a fraud, she leaps into

Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank

action to overthrow him, begging Galinda to join her. But Galinda,

Center Drive, (210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com, Bally Sports

well on her way to becoming Oz royalty, finds herself caught between jeopardizing the reputation she worked her whole life to build or per-

Courtesy Photo / AEW

SW-SA. — M. Solis sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

19

tree, two, one. at market st. & civic park jefferson clay • pop pistol • shannon sionna dj cósmicaa • príncipeQ • flacucho soundcream airstream at the arneson bombasta • vanita leo • dj joaquin muerte

december 31 • 6 pm - midnight free to all ages

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

calendar

Shutterstock / DFree

TUE | 12.26 COMEDY

PETE DAVIDSON

Former Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson will perform a short-notice show at San Antonio’s Aztec Theatre as part of his 2023 stand-up tour. Known for his self-deprecating humor, Davidson was an SNL fan favorite during his eight-season tenure on the late-night comedy sketch show. Davidson returned to SNL as a host in October, where he performed a parody of the song “I’m Just Ken,” from the Barbie movie. The song, retitled “I’m Just Pete,” featured the comic singing about his failed romantic relationships, mental illness and his “butt hole” eyes. It went viral. $236 and up, 7 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — Michael Karlis

sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

FAMILY FUN FOR EVERYO N E

Bringing the premier family entertainment center to

SAN ANTONIO, TX • BALCONES HEIGHTS, TX • SURROUNDING AREAS For friends, family, and co-workers to MEET, PARTY, and PLAY!

Roller Skating | Laser Tag | Mini Golf | Playground | Xr Arena | Virtual Reality | Arcade | Bistro & Bar sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

Traveling exhibition “Life and Death on the Border” shines light on South Texas tragedy

BY MARCO AQUINO

B

etween 1910 and 1920, thousands of ethnic Mexican Americans living along the border fell victim to tion on the sole assumption they belonged state-sanctioned violence. Despite to bandit groups. Victims were sometimes the scope of the atrocities, they have received dragged from their homes and murdered in relatively little attention until recently. front of their families.

With a new traveling exhibition, San AntoThe exhibition exposes the Texas Rangers nio’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center hopes of the era as participants in racially motivated to raise awareness of this sad chapter in U.S. violence and challenges their previous repuhistory while adding to the public discourse tation as heroic enforcers of the law. on the topic. “Life and Death on the Border, 1910-1920,” housed in the center’s Community Gallery, opened Nov. 28 and runs through South Texas land grab May 31, 2024.

The exhibition encompasses panels along One example of this violence is the Porvenir the gallery walls filled with photos, graphics Massacre of 1918. On the morning of Jan. 28, and informational text. It also includes works 1918, the Texas Rangers’ Company B rode into by local artists. the rural West Texas town of Porvenir, woke “Life and Death on the Border” was origresidents from their homes and separated 15 inally produced by Refusing to Forget, a boys and men from their families. Without nonprofit founded by Texas-tied scholars questioning, the armed patrol executed the with the idea of commemorating the Mexican 15 males.

Revolution of 1910 and the While the violence was first investigation by the prompted to some degree Texas Legislature into the by the Mexican Revoution, Texas Rangers in 1919. The Hernández said that conflict “Life and Death on the exhibition first opened at wasn’t the sole cause.

Border, 1910-1920” Austin’s Bullock Texas State Thanks to modern irrigaFree, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

History Museum in 2016, tion, commercial agriculture Tuesday-Saturday, Community and it’s continued to travel began competing with traGallery at the Latino Bookstore, since. ditional ranching, and the 1300 Guadalupe St., “We wanted to find a way railroad system led to a rise guadalupeculturalarts.org. to reach broader audiin property values and more ences, going beyond the competition for open land. classroom and academia,” What’s more, many Mexican said Sonia Hernández, a American families lost their Texas A&M University history professor and land in the wake of the decades-earlier Mexicofounder of Refusing to Forget. can American War. “One of the things we worked on was this Against this backdrop, many Anglo Texans exhibit, to make this history accessible,” sought to take the land of Mexican AmeriHernández added. “Not just the dark practice cans. of lynching and violence towards Mexican “There were lots of changes going on,” Americans, but we also wanted to address Hernández said. “There is also this growing how the Mexican American community faced idea that certain people are not considered those challenges — not just promote a history full-fledged American citizens during this of victimization.” time — Chinese Americans, Mexican AmerThe violence on which “Life and Death on icans, Indigenous Americans. So, when you the Border” centers is largely attributed to the have the Mexican Revolution break out by Texas Rangers and an array of local vigilante 1910, there is a rhetoric or discourse of bangroups. Between 1910 and 1920, the Rangers ditry that emerges where anyone with dark and loosely organized posses frequently shot skin could be labeled a potential bandit. By and killed Mexican Americans without ques1915, there is indiscriminate violence towards

arts

Exposing Violent History

Marco Aquino

This print by Celeste de Luna is among the artworks featured in the Guadalupe’s “Life and Death on the Border” exhibition.

M

the Mexican and Mexican American community.”

Local histories and artifacts A grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities allowed Refusing to Forget to convert “Life and Death on the Border” into a traveling exhibition. The nonprofit uses the federal funding to award stipends to other organizations to cover the cost of hosting the exhibition.

Each institution that hosts “Life and Death on the Border” also is allowed to incorporate its own local histories and artifacts. The Guadalupe’s exhibition incorporates works by artists Celeste de Luna and Chris Escobar.

Our Lady of the Lake University is concurrently hosting another version of the exhibition on its campus. That iteration opened in early November.

For the longest time, the history of violence towards Mexican Americans was kept alive largely through word of mouth, according to Hernández.

“The abuelitos, or grandparents, would share their memories,” she said.

“Life and Death on the Border” includes those oral histories as well as artifacts and state-produced documents which confirm the tragedy that unfolded along the Texas-Mexico border.

“No one can refute that this happened,” Hernández said. “And this is not to open wounds. This is not to say that one group is better than the others. This is to say that we need to acknowledge this history and learn from it. How do we then move forward and learn from our mistakes? We need to use this as a moment to really think about these things and think about how we can craft a better world.”

Find more arts coverage every day at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

screens

Christmas Firsts San Antonio fave Anjelah Johnson-Reyes gets into holiday spirit with Eddie Murphy in Candy Cane Lane

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

I

t’s going to be an extra special holiday season for actress and comedian Anjelah Johnson-Reyes.

Not only does she have a role in Candy Cane Lane, Eddie Murphy’s new family-friendly Christmas comedy, this will be the first time she and her husband Manwell will celebrate Christmas with their 6-month-old daughter Rosie.

“We’re going to be traveling to see my husband’s family and then to see my family, so it’ll be a lot of bouncing around,” Johnson-Reyes, 41, told the Current during a recent interview. “As she gets older, I’m very excited to engage in some of the fun holiday activities with her.”

One holiday activity the family will probably enjoy doing together this year is watching Johnson-Reyes in Candy Cane Lane. She plays Shelly, a neighbor of Chris Carver (Murphy), a family man who gets caught up in the scheme of an evil elf who’s trying to ruin Chris’s chances of winning the local Christmas-decoration contest.

During our interview, Johnson-Reyes, beloved by San Antonio audiences for her stand-up comedy and also known for TV shows and movies including MADtv and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, talked about her experience working with Murphy for the first time. She also revealed which Christmas movie she can recite verbatim.

You have worked with some talented comedians during your career. Where does somebody like Eddie Murphy rank?

I mean, come on. Eddie Murphy is a living legend. To get to work with him in a holiday movie at the best time of the year was so cool.

The experience was unreal. I am eternally grateful to our director, Reggie [Hudlin], for giving me the opportunity to be in this cast.

What’s your favorite Eddie Murphy movie?

I don’t know. I mean, Dr. Doolittle is a classic, but I wouldn’t want to pick a favorite because he brings so much joy to so many different eras.

As a stand-up comedian though, I’m sure you resonated at some point with something like Raw, yes?

I was definitely too young to watch Raw when it came out, but I went back and watched it when I started becoming a stand-up come-

Courtesy Photo / Anjelah Johnson Reyes

dian. I think [Eddie] always has this warm presence on stage. Even when he’s not giving a punch line, the audience is smiling. It’s like you smile in between his punch lines because he has that energy he puts out from the stage.

Yeah, it’s become its own genre. There’s action. There’s comedy. There’s romantic comedy.

What was your experience like sharing the set with him during your scenes in Candy Cane Lane?

Elf is my all-time favorite Christmas movie.

I love a lot of Christmas movies, but that’s probably the one I can quote verbatim. I still quote it in my everyday life, not just Christmas time. I don’t know if I’ve ever ended a phone call without saying, “Bye, Buddy. Hope you find your dad.”

I’ll be honest, I was nervous. I was very intimidated. I wanted to put my best foot forward and was hoping I was everything that he needed me to be in the scenes. I just wanted to show up and do my best and make sure Eddie had a great experience working with me.

Had you ever felt that nervous before on the set of a movie or TV series?

One other time when I worked with James Gandolfini on the movie Enough Said. He was incredible. I love James Gandolfini, but I was very intimidated by him. But he was very good about making me warm up to him and being very lighthearted. So, it was a lot of fun.

I’d say that’s the only other time where I felt very intimidated.

Have you noticed how many Christmas movies are premiering this month across all the countless platforms we have?

What are some of your favorites to watch around this time of year?

My real name is Francisco, so I know what you mean about Elf. Fran-cis-cooo.

Of all the characters you’ve played in your career, which one would you want to invite over for Christmas, and why is the answer Bon Qui Qui?

(Laughs.) That’s a really good question. Yes, Bon Qui Qui is a hot mess. She would be hilarious. Yeah, I would love to invite Bon Qui Qui over.

What would you give her as a gift?

I feel like whatever she got, she would have an opinion about it. That’s for sure.

Find more film stories at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

screens

Courtesy Photo / Walt Disney Animation Studios

Walt Disney Animation Studios

Soul-Filling Experience

Screenwriter and San Antonio native Allison Moore makes feature film debut with Disney’s Wish

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

I

t wasn’t until she started planning to attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas that Allison Moore realized she wanted to be a playwright.

Moore spent so much time performing on stage at Roosevelt High School that she thought she would pursue a career in acting. Her plans changed, however, when she realized SMU would give her the opportunity to do both.

“They told me that if I went on the theater studies track, I could do acting and another field in theater like directing or playwriting,” Moore, 51, told the Current during a recent interview. “I told them, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m a playwright,’ but I had never written a play in my life.”

That small formality didn’t stop Moore from forging ahead. She said she went home, “madly wrote a bunch of stuff,” then submitted it to SMU. That semester, the university accepted her into the program.

Since graduating from SMU and earning an MFA from the Iowa Playwrights Workshop, Moore has written several plays for theaters across the country.

She’s also written for TV. Since 2012, her small-screen writing credits include the CW’s version of Beauty and the Beast, the USA Network thriller Falling Water and the Prime Video sci-fi drama Night Sky, starring Oscar winners Sissy Spacek (Coal Miner’s Daughter) and J.K. Simmons (Whiplash).

Now, Moore has made her feature debut as a co-writer on the Disney animated film Wish, starring Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story). Wish tells the story of a young girl named Asha (DeBose)

who teams up with a cosmic force known as Star and a talking goat named Valentino (Alan Tudyk) to stop an evil king from hoarding all his kingdom’s wishes for himself.

During our interview, Moore discussed her journey from the stage to the screen and what it was like writing dialogue for a barn animal.

Wish is currently playing at local theaters.

What’s it like watching something you write come to life through animation?

It’s surreal. Every time I sit down to watch the movie with an audience, every moment I know exactly why and how every decision was made. When you first see the animation, it’s mind-blowing. It’s the most exhilarating thing. The very first time you see it with an audience and it makes somebody laugh, it’s the greatest feeling.

It must have felt great to know you were writing for someone like Ariana DeBose who comes from a theater background like you.

As someone from the theater, I understand that actors need playable actions. By writing that playable action, your actors are able to access all of their emotions that they would bring to bear.

How did you go from writing plays to writing for TV and film?

Is it the same process to write for a talking goat?

What was different about writing for the stage and the screen?

What’s your earliest memory of a Disney film?

I had a whole career writing for theater, and then when my son was born, I realized I needed to make more money, so I started pitching for TV. I worked in television for about a decade. In the midst of working in TV, I continued playwriting. That’s how I got on the radar at Disney.

When you’re writing plays, you’re self-employed.

You’re just doing it on your own. When you’re writing a TV show or a feature at a place like Disney, it’s super collaborative. Everybody has to be on the same page with the storytelling. Then, you write, and you hand those pages off to artists, and the artists start drawing and people start recording dialogue. They say it’s a very iterative process at Disney. In TV, you don’t have time to do that. So, working [on Wish] has been incredibly soul filling and really wonderful. I feel like I’ve gotten to use every ounce of my creativity.

(Laughs.) I had never written for talking animals or any of that stuff. You have to treat every character like a full character. When Valentino starts talking, we had so many discussions about his personality.

What does he want? What are his goals? What are things he would be worried about? You have to really embody that character.

I remember having a gigantic crush on the fox in Robin Hood. He was very charming and debonair. I felt like his heart was in the right place. He was bringing justice to the people who didn’t have anything. But he also looked good in his little hat.

Would you like to continue working in animation?

Oh, yeah, I have fallen in love with animation. For me, it’s such a gift. It really gives you the opportunity to explore. It’s an incredibly rewarding way to write. You really get the whole gamut of the human experience, the animal experience, the celestial being experience.

I can’t express how much fun that is. sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

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50 The

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

San An

0

Best Bars in

ntonio

TxTroublemaker

food

A

fter compiling lists of the 100 best bars in San Antonio for the past two years, the Current has slimmed its 2023 list down to half as many.

Why? Certainly not because of a dearth of worthy drinking spots. They keep proliferating as the Alamo City grows, creeping into new parts of town and switching hands as new owners with creative ideas try their hand in the business.

No, we decided to make 50 the magic number this year to give the list more exclusivity. Nothing wrong with 100, but with 50, we had to make hard choices, including leaving some cherished longtime favorites off the list and passing over a few new and hip nightspots.

In other words, there may be some painful omissions, but you, dear reader, can feel assured that we’re presenting a list of watering holes that are truly exceptional and worthy of exploration.

Keep in mind that this is a snapshot in time. As with all lists of its type, the makeup could change if we redid it next week. If you don’t see your favorite spot, relax and remember it may well make the cut next year. If you see a place you can’t stand, hey, it’s a subjective process. Besides, there’s always the risk the exposure would bring a flood of losers who ruin the essence of your favorite haunt.

What we can assure you is that we had a blast assembling this list, and that it’s representative of San Antonio’s unique, diverse and ever-evolving nightlife scene.

Cheers!

Reviews written by Nina Rangel, Sanford Nowlin, Bryan Rindfuss, Travis E. Poling and Michael Karlis.

Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

food 1. 2015 Place

This unpretentious off-the-Main Strip LGBTQ+ hangout remains a favorite thanks to its strong and affordable drinks, neighborhood bar feel and relaxing patio vibes. There’s also a DJ, a decent sound system and a small dance floor, not to mention expected diversions such as pool tables and darts. The 2015’s charm is that’s a little off the beaten path while being just close enough to the Main Street scene.

Someone can easily travel between the two, depending on whether they want to crank up the volume or turn it down a notch. 2015 San Pedro Ave., (210) 7333365, 2015-place.business.site.

2. A Perfect Day

What was touted as simply a “wine bar” at its inception has turned into so much more for the Southtown neighborhood in which A Perfect Day resides. The bright and airy spot now offers a menu of noshable items ranging from cheese boards to steak tartare along with bottled, pre-made cocktails for at-home imbibing. The space is concurrently cozy and spacious, which makes it an equally great locale for an intimate pas de deux or for an after-work group gathering. The vino list spans “quirky” selections by-the-glass, as well as more approachable offerings, so there’s likely to be a suitable selection for everyone. 803 S. St. Mary’s St., instagram.com/aperfectdaywinebar.

3. The Bang Bang Bar

Although The Bang Bang Bar has all but phased out live music, it’s still got charm to spare thanks to its vintage furnishings, inclusive atmosphere and ability to offer a little something for everybody. Want to belly up to the bar for a funky cocktail from a friendly bartender? Go right ahead. Need a cozy conversation spot that feels like grandma’s parlor only with the Clash and Blondie playing over the sound system? You’re covered. Need a game room with a nostalgia-inducing vintage pinball machine and a Skee-Ball track? They’ve got you there too, fam.

Seven years into its run, Bang Bang is still bangin’. 119 El Mio Drive, (210) 3201187, thebangbangbartx.com.

4. Bar 1919

A bar must be doing something right when it’s regularly packed even though it’s located underneath another bar, surrounded by other bars and has pretty much no signage to make you

Bar 1919

walk down its nondescript stairs. Bar 1919 has leveraged its basement space in the Blue Star Arts Complex to create a craft-cocktail institution. Vested mixologists are well versed in the extensive menu of classic and house cocktails and make solid recommendations when it comes to the spot’s enormous bourbon and Scotch selections. A favorite Bar 1919 concoction for those in the know is a shot of a house-made sweet potato-infused Irish whiskey dropped into a Left Hand Milk Stout poured from a nitro gas tap. 1420 S. Alamo St., (210) 227-1420, bar1919.com.

5. Bar America

This spot has stood the test of time, having served San Antonio for the past 80-plus years. Nestled conveniently in the downtown-abutting end of Southtown, Bar America continues to thrive because it’s the perfect place to grab post-dinner drinks or a quick bite after a visit to nearby art galleries. Folks stopping in should definitely try one of the bar’s puro San Antonio drinks, such as the Chamoy Shot or the Raspa — made with coconut rum, Big Red and pickle juice. 723 S. Alamo St., (210) 2815945, facebook/baramericasatx.

6. Bar at Bohanan’s

The Bar at Bohanan’s is a frequent backup plan for people who don’t have a reservation for the upstairs Bohanan’s Prime Steaks and Seafood. No, it’s not quite the same as a full steakhouse experience, but access to excellent small bites and some of the steakhouse menu will leave most folks plenty satisfied.

Beyond that, the bar is a destination for thoughtfully conceived cocktails, a curated beer and wine selection and some of the city’s best bar staff. The legacy of the late Sasha Petraske, a well-known bartender and original advisor to the bar, is carried on with attention to detail. Experience live jazz 7-10 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. 219 E. Houston St., #275, (210) 472-2202, bohanans.com.

7. Bar Loretta

Since opening more than two years ago, this spot serving elevated Texas-style cuisine has become a Southtown staple. Although Bar Loretta — the brainchild of San Antonio natives Roger Herr and Paul Petersen — is better known to some as a high-end dinner spot, it’s also got a happening bar that attracts a crowd of its own thanks to its classic feel and bar program honcho Michael Neff’s attention

Michael Karlis

to craft. Check out one of the deftly created house cocktails or sample from an extensive whiskey list. The spot also serves bar bites, including steak frites, Caesar salads and grilled cheese sandos until 1 a.m., making it a great pitstop on a weekend bar crawl. 320 Beauregard St., (210) 757-3607, barloretta.com.

8. Bar Ludivine

It didn’t take long for this relative newcomer to the Southtown scene to find its stride. Decorated with eclectic furniture and funky light fixtures, Bar Ludivine feels chic yet homey, just like the neighborhood it serves. And that’s intentional, according to owner Mike Abad, who told the Express-News he was aiming to make the space feel like the interior of one of the historic mansions in the nearby King William Historic District. Indeed, Bar Ludivine feels like a much hipper version of Cheers with its neighborhood clientele and welcoming vibe. Take a pick from five specialty cocktails that rotate seasonally and stop by for karaoke on Mondays and Fridays if you want to show off your golden throat. 1014 S. Presa St., (210) 908-9209, facebook/barludivine.

9. Bar Mon Ami

Alamo Heights-area drinkery Bar Mon Ami has stood the test of time by positioning itself as a spot that takes its cocktails seriously — and not much else. From its marble bar top to a larger-than-life red neon sign that breaks down the recipe for a classic Negroni, this place exudes the kind of vibes you hope for on a first date: sexy, fun and quirky enough to warrant a second encounter. Try classic cocktails such as the Aviation or Vieux Carré or something more modern from Mon Ami’s menu

of signature tipples and you may find yourself among the faithful supporters of this hidden gem. 4901 Broadway, (210) 701-0577, barmonami.com.

10. Beethoven Maennerchor

If German beer is your thing, the Beethoven is the place to go for some of the world’s greatest lagers. But, in recent years, the King William mainstay bar and biergarten has stepped outside the bounds of its 155 years of tradition and offers a few taps of Texas craft beers and plenty of choices in bottles and cans. If it’s been a few years since the last visit, recent changes include offering German food nightly instead of just during special events. The German singing society that founded the place is still going strong as is the Beethoven’s big band. The best beer prices are Tuesday and Wednesday when the singers and brass players hold weekly rehearsals. 422 Pereida St., (210) 2221521, southtownbeethoven.com.

11. Bond’s 007 Rock Bar

This long-running downtown bar harkens back to the era when San Antonio was called the Heavy Metal Capital of the World. The walls are adorned with hard rock memorabilia, and the bar top is decorated with the logos of nearly any ’80s metal act you can think of. The upstairs music venue offers live bands on the weekends, including occasional touring shows, and boasts an appropriately powerful sound system. Music fans can usually pay at the door but are encouraged to buy tickets ahead of time for higher-profile acts.

The downstairs bar is open daily until 2 a.m. and offers inexpensive drinks and an array of beer options. 450 Soledad St., (210) 255-0007, bondsrockbar.com.

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food 12. The Bonham Exchange

With a nod to Nirvana’s 1992 classic, the Bonham Exchange has adopted “Come As You Are” as an unexpected social-media catchphrase. Rather than a request to show up in grungy flannels, the message is an invitation for all walks to let loose in one of the Alamo City’s most storied pleasure palaces. Opened in 1981 in the shell of a 19th-century German athletic club, the Bonham helped pen the script for gay nightlife in San Antonio — first hosting concerts by new wave icons then quickly winning over a devoted following that’s become increasingly mixed over the decades. Encompassing multiple dance floors, an expansive back patio and an upstairs ballroom that hosts world-class drag shows, the local landmark continues to stir up a wild melting pot fueled by wallet-friendly cocktails and party anthems that span the eras. 411 Bonham St., (210) 2249219, bonhamexchange.com.

of St. Paul Square Spanish restaurant Toro Kitchen and Bar, you’ll find the aptly named Cellar Mixology. The speakeasy-style nightclub is happening on the weekends and has a limited capacity, so it’s a good idea to arrive early.

Beyond the clandestine vibes, guests are drawn by the exacting bar professionals who are aces at shaking up the Cellar’s specialty cocktails. Watch them play with liquid nitrogen and engage in the latest molecular mixology as they craft liquid works of art. And don’t expect to select your tipple from a tiny cardstock menu either. The Cellar’s list of selections is more like a book in which each cocktail tells its own story.

The most popular drink in the tome is the El Diablito, a cocktail honoring lust. 1142 E. Commerce St., (210) 4635386, cellarmixology.com.

16. Cobalt Club

True to its name, Bruno’s is among the few remaining dives in the rapidly gentrifying Southtown neighborhood. The dimly lit drinking spot is named after Bruno Dzanski, who operated the B&D Ice House, a neighborhood watering hole that occupied the building from 1961 to 2014. With its affordable tap beer, collection of shabby memorabilia and no-frills take on fun, Bruno’s embodies everything that a good dive bar should be — and that’s just the way locals like it. 1004 S. Alamo St., (210) 225-9801, brunosdive.com.

Cobalt Club’s affordable drinks, affable staff and unconventional hours — drinks start flowing at 7 a.m. daily — have helped solidify its place as one of the city’s most beloved north-ofdowntown watering holes. Pull up for casual, low-key, LGBTQ-friendly vibes in a windowless spot anchored by a wraparound bar. You’ll be getting your drink on with shift workers, staff from nearby hospitals and others looking to get a buzz on in the midday hours. Like any other dimly lit neighborhood joint, you’ll encounter die-hard regulars at just about every hour, but don’t fret — they’ll treat you like one of their own.

2022 McCullough Ave., (210) 251-2027, facebook.com/thecobaltclub.

14. Casa Hernan

17. Cootey’s Tavern

13. Bruno’s Dive Bar

The latest culinary installment from local chef Johnny Hernandez, Casa Hernán offers an extensive selection of agave spirits, hand-crafted cocktails and botanas inside a vibrant Southtown location. Previously used as a specialized space for weddings and private dinners, the venue opened as Casa Hernán Cantina earlier this year, boasting the chef ’s collection of Mexican art, blown-glass light fixtures and bold color schemes. The spot recently launched Sunday brunch, replete with mimosa flights along with hearty eats such as menudo and tamales Texanos with chile con carne, crema and queso fresco. 411. E. Cevallos, (210) 827-2235, casahernan.com.

15. Cellar Mixology

Behind a secret door in the basement

This North Star-area neighborhood joint has been slinging no-nonsense drinks and casual atmosphere since 1969. From pool to darts, live trivia to karaoke, Cootey’s offers plenty of activities to occupy your time while you swig from a longneck or any one of the daily specials, including $4 whiskey. It won’t be long before you’re pulled into a conversation with one of the regulars.

When you’re looking for easygoing vibes and quality people watching, Cootey’s is a safe bet that continues to draw a devoted Alamo City following.

8318 Jones Maltsberger Road, #128, (210) 342-4998, cooteystavern.com.

18. The Dakota East Side Ice House

Opening a contemporary ice house in a quickly gentrifying historic neighborhood might sound like a slippery

The Dakota East Side Ice House

Nina Rangel

slope, but owner Kent Oliver did just that with the Dakota. The gamble paid off in a big way. Situated in a former convenience store in the shadow of the Alamodome, the East Side haunt is just five years young but conjures old spirits with vintage photos sourced from the surrounding ’hood. That level of thoughtfulness is reflected in the Dakota’s eclectic programming — which includes both bellydancing and drag shows — and an oft-Instagrammed welcome sign that reminds guests to “Just Be Nice, Dammit!” Balancing out the Dakota’s selection of beer, wine and frozen libations is a solid menu of bar fare — including a Texas Monthly-approved pork queso — that can be enjoyed in the funkily appointed interior or at picnic tables on the spacious patio. 433 S. Hackberry St., (210) 3756009, thedakotasa.com.

20. Elsewhere Garden Bar & Kitchen

19. Double Standard

21. The Esquire Tavern

The group behind San Antonio foodie havens Hot Joy, Barbaro and Little Death began serving oysters, steaks and high-caliber cocktails from this timeless-feeling space in 2022, but it’s always so packed, you’d think it just opened. Named for its bar philosophy — “where doubles are standard,” get it? — this tavern occupies the 3,000-square-foot space that formerly housed Rosella Coffee’s downtown location. Speedy staff behind the well-stocked bar offer craft cocktails, $6 well drinks and shot-and-a-beer combos. For a happening downtown happy hour, this is the spot to be.

114 E. Houston St., (210) 977-0005, doublestandardsatx.com.

Elsewhere Garden Bar & Kitchen has become a favorite outdoor hangout spot thanks to its relaxing vibes, San Antonio River views, cut-above grub and wide array of taps dedicated to Texas beers. Offerings from the bar, which is constructed of decommissioned shipping containers, also include ciders, margaritas and the specialty adult Elsewhere Punch. Expect standard bar fare such as burgers and chicken sandwiches with sides like waffle fries, but don’t overlook less conventional options like the parmesan brussels sprouts or gochujang cauliflower wings. Like many bars, Elsewhere has a live DJ on Friday night, but how many can say they sometimes boast aerial acrobats and fire dancers as part of the entertainment? 103 E. Jones Ave., (210) 201-5595, elsewheretexas.com.

Opened 90 years ago to celebrate the end of Prohibition, the Esquire Tavern’s old-time ambiance is impossible to fake. From its soaring ceilings to the warm glow of its vintage light fixtures to its taxidermy animals to its breathtaking bar — once reputed to be the longest in Texas — this downtown landmark has ambiance to spare. It also bolsters that timeless allure with one of the city’s best craft cocktail programs and elevated bar food that ranges from steak and frites to barbecue sandwiches made with pork smoked in-house.

Even the downscale items are treated with enough care that they feel special — the fried house-made pickles are not to be missed. 155 E. Commerce St., (210) 222-2521, esquiretavern-sa.com.

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food 22. The Faust Tavern

In case Faust’s name and the neon devil head above its entryway doesn’t clue you in, this is a drinking spot unafraid to embrace the dark side. Occult posters and kitschy masks decorate the walls. Horror movies splash red across the flat-screen TV while black metal blares from the sound system. All the while, the capable bartenders keep the cold ones coming. With its narrow brick courtyard, dark interior and vintage wallpaper, Faust feels more like a hidden French Quarter bar taken over by metalheads, punks and other shadow dwellers than a typical St. Mary’s Strip party stop. That’s precisely why we like it. 517 E. Woodlawn Ave., (210) 257-0628, facebook.com/thefausttavern.

23. The Friendly Spot

Massive Live Oak trees frame this popular beer garden in the heart of the King William Historic District. There’s nothing pretentious at The Friendly Spot, which is the key to its lasting appeal.

Inside its graveled grounds and seated at its weather-battered tables, you’ll find folks from all walks of life sipping inexpensive longnecks or enjoying pricier craft beers from one of the many eclectic taps. The Friendly Spot’s front and back bars together boast 76 beer and cider taps and 300 bottles and cans from Texas and beyond. Burgers, Mahi Mahi tacos and steak nachos are among the varied food offerings.

Throw in a playground for the kids and Spurs games on a giant blowup screen, and you’ve got a place where an afternoon drink can stretch into an hours-long hangout. 943 S. Alamo St., (210) 224-2337, thefriendlyspot.com.

24. George’s Keep

There is a studied coziness to George’s Keep, the cocktail destination located at the terrace level of Northwest San Antonio’s upscale Eilan development.

High-backed padded booths wrap imbibers in a cocoon for conversation while open seating at the bar invites conviviality. The experience is created

by Steve Mahoney, the entrepreneur behind bars including Blue Box Bar, Francis Bogside and Hanzo. A slate of local beers from High Wheel dominates the taps, while the cocktail menu stays fresh with creative drinks such as the Charro, a cacao nib-infused tequila with Coca-Cola served in a tall glass with a smokey salt rim. 17803 La Cantera Terrace, (210) 310-3733, georgeskeep.com.

Hugman’s Oasis Giles Design Bureau

25. Hanzo

This Japanese-inspired restaurant and bar created by San Antonio restaurateur Steve Mahoney — the man behind George’s Keep, Blue Box Bar and the Green Lantern — doesn’t disappoint.

Hanzo takes its Japanese theme seriously enough to play old anime shows in the main dining room but earns copious points for backing up the vibes with formidable eats, ranging from bao buns and sticky glazed ribs to a variety of creative sushi rolls. The spot also draws a crowd for its happy hours, which serve up $7 cocktails and sushi rolls from 11 p.m. to close every day or all day on Sundays and Mondays. Don’t miss the lunchtime bento boxes, either.

7701 Broadway, Suite 124, (210) 8261488, hanzobar.com.

26. Havana Bar

The red lightbulb and the candlelit stairs to the basement of Hotel Havana are signs that the drinking lamp is lit four nights a week at Havana Bar. Dim lighting — most of it from flickering candles — and clusters of seating in vintage overstuffed chairs and couches provide a cozy hideaway before or after taking in a show at the nearby Tobin Center. The bar makes plenty of classic cocktails, but rum drinks are a go-to order in keeping with its old Cuba theme. You don’t need a secret knock to gain entry despite the speakeasy vibe.

Even so, its secluded basement locale makes is enough to make it a hideaway for guests of the boutique hotel, along with locals in the know. 1015 Navarro St., (210) 222-2008, havanasanantonio.com.

27. Heat

The line that forms outside the aptly named Heat on weekend nights frequently offers a vivid preview of the festivities playing out inside. Those can encompass anything from sequin-clad drag queens and Speedo-sporting go-go boys to all stripes of LGBTQ+

scenesters tossing back shots and dancing the workweek away. Away from the pulsing beats of the dance floor — which periodically plays host to touring DJs — the Heat offers quieter spaces for intimate conversation and impromptu canoodling, including a designated “Chill Bar” and a breezy back patio. While the club lights up every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it also hosts a variety of themed nights — including drag showcases, underwear parties and BDSM events. 1500 N. Main Ave., (210) 227-2600, heatsa.com.

28. Hi-Tones

It’s clear “vibes” were at the top of the list when it came to developing this memorable St. Mary’s Strip nightspot.

From Hi-Tones’ distinctive deep-teal exterior to the neon sign-laden inside, this late-night hangout specializes in a relaxed, casual atmosphere. Revelers sip on drinks tailor-made to San Antonio tastes, including the bracingly sour pickle and chamoy shots. If the bumping from the DJ becomes intrusive, the spot also offers a spacious outdoor patio for chatting or a cuddle session with an “Emo Night” acquaintance. 621 E. Dewey Place, (210) 785-8777, instagram. com/hitones_sa.

29. High Street Wine Co.

Despite a devoted following and prime location at the Pearl, High Street Wine Co. somehow still boasts the cachet of a hidden gem. A 2022 James Beard award semifinalist in the Outstanding Wine Program category, High Street recently doubled in size by expanding into an adjacent space. That added a private events area, a lounge and a larger cellar to store the establishment’s 500-plus wines from around the world. Wine education is incredibly approachable at High Street— whether it be an expertly explained flight or a midweek class — and there’s never any judgment if you’d rather post up on the patio

to crush a bottle, nosh on flatbread and watch the world go by. 302 Pearl Parkway #104, (210) 908-9144, highstreetwine.com.

30. Hugman’s Oasis

The River Walk’s kitschy throwback to the Trader Vic’s era gets things right thanks to vibrant design by veteran tiki artist Bamboo Ben and the bartenders’ deft hand at classic drinks of the era, including the Jungle Bird, the Painkiller and the Suffering Bastard. Expect the cocktails to be served in ceramic mugs that fit the South Pacific exotica theme.

Of course, they’re also garnished with the requisite paper umbrellas, pineapple chunks and orchids — not to mention occasionally kissed with fire. It would be nice to see Hugman’s expand the food menu beyond four items, but that may a bit much to ask given the high volume expected of its tourist-friendly location. 135 E. Commerce St, (210) 441-7225, hugmansoasissatx.com.

31. Jazz, TX

The chatter and buzz of the food hall in the Pearl’s Bottling Department building fades away completely when patrons head for the cellar to find hot and cool jazz at piano man Doc Watkins’ Jazz, TX. Daily shows from bandleader Watkins and other jazz groups are interspersed with acts from other genres such as swing, blues and salsa. The kitchen has a high-end menu heavy on twists on surf-and-turf classics. Specialty cocktails are $14 and deliver big and rich flavors. With cognac, chai, sherry, almond and cream, the Satin Doll is like dessert in a glass.

A short but well-thought-out beer list includes the refreshing Han’s Pils from Blanco-based brewery Real Ale and the warming Chimay Tripel made at a Trappist monastery in Belgium. 312 Pearl Parkway, Building 6, Suite 6001, (210) 332-9386, jazztx.com.

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food 32. La Ruina

When La Ruina opened in 2022, its “Tropical American” tipples weren’t the only draw. San Antonio’s cocktail-loving community was champing at the bit to know what owners Olaf Harmel and Gerry Shirley — known for putting speakeasy-style cocktail spot The Modernist on the map — had been up to since the pandemic. The pair spent months renovating the historic building that houses La Ruina into a funky tropical paradise bursting with color and texture. Craft cocktail fans — especially lovers of rum, tequila and mezcal — should also find plenty to love beyond the atmosphere. 410 Austin St., (210) 627-7846, la-ruina.com.

vino scene that’s driven home by everything from its mural-covered facade to its signature hashtag: #worstwinebarsa. Doing double duty as what’s arguably the Alamo City’s most colorful wine shop, Little Death digs deep into the natural wine movement, importing bottles from across the globe while doing an admirable job of stocking both affordable options and rare finds.

Beyond the reds, whites, rosés and bubblies, the super-casual space serves up solid snacks — cheese plates, conservas and tomato bread among them. It also shucks $1 East Coast oysters from an Airstream trailer beginning at 5 p.m.

Wednesdays. 2327 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 264-6472, littledeathwine.com.

33. Liberty Bar

36. The Lonesome Rose

Yes, Liberty Bar is a restaurant in addition to a drinking spot, and we could go on about the quality of its approachable, scratch-made food, ranging from its daily pasta specials to fresh and creative salads to interior Mexican entrees. Even minus the top-quality vittles, this Southtown classic warrants a visit thanks to the quality of its bar experience. Located in a one-time nun’s convent, the place has funky ambiance to spare, and it draws an eclectic crowd that makes for prime people-watching.

Throw in expertly crafted seasonal cocktails, smartly curated beer and wine lists and even a few zero-proof offerings, and you have a definitive San Antonio experience. 1111 S. Alamo St., (210) 227-1187, liberty-bar.com.

34. Lighthouse Lounge

Lighthouse Lounge is among the hangouts that have proliferated around Woodlawn Lake Park as gentrification spreads west, but its puro San Anto vibes make it feel like it’s been in the neighborhood for decades. Live music and DJs specializing in anything from Latin music to metal rule on the weekends, but on quiet nights, you’ll find a crowd as eclectic as the booking policy and the decor that adorns the walls.

The Lighthouse Lounge serves everything that a neighborhood bar should, along with an array of specialty shots unique to the Alamo City, including its Luby’s Sweet Tea and Watermelon Paleta shots. 1016 Cincinnati Ave., facebook. com/thelighthouselounge.

35. Little Death

With a name that nods to the French term for orgasm, Little Death brings an irreverent spirit to the San Antonio 38

The Lonesome Rose allows music fans to replicate the experience of the Texas Hill Country’s famed dance halls without leaving central San Antonio. Now in its fifth year, the “oldest honky tonk on the St. Mary’s Strip” offers live music from a solid selection of local, regional and national Americana performers, and it occasionally lassos surprising shows from outside the genre. Balancing the tavern’s old-style country vibe with its hipster-heavy locale, the beer selection spans from Lone Star to craft selections. The house cocktails — mostly based around tequila or whiskey — are pretty damn good too. 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose.com.

37. Lowcountry

Billed as the “sweetest little bar in Southtown,” Lowcountry is the perfect spot to start a night of revelry. Wedged between two converted apartment buildings off East César Chavez Boulevard, it might be hard to miss if not for the glow of purple neon. Once inside, however, visitors will discover an intimate, chicly decorated space that serves up specialty cocktails, including the fruity and refreshing Junglebird, a tiki classic. Lowcountry’s Hot Toddy is a perfect drink for hanging out on the expansive backyard patio as winter sets in. 318 Martinez St., (210) 560-2224, lowcountrysa.com.

38. The Moon’s Daughters

Situated on the 20th floor of the luxurious Thompson San Antonio hotel, The Moon’s Daughters offers terrace seating with 360-degree skyline views.

The bar’s breathtaking vantage is clearly a big draw — expect the terrace to be bustling with both visitors and locals

CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

— but that’s not the only reason to visit.

Business Jet Traveler magazine named The Moon’s Daughters one of Texas’ top five restaurants, which is testament to its stellar food and drinks. In other words: go for the ambiance, stay for the tipples. 115 Lexington Ave., (210) 9426032, themoonsdaughters.com.

39. Paper Tiger

Paper Tiger is the closest thing San Antonio has to Austin’s late lamented Liberty Lunch. (Ask an older sibling or your parents if you’re too young to remember.) Which is to say that this St. Mary’s Strip music venue is a locally owned gem that books a broad swath of adventurous touring music while boasting an inviting indoor-outdoor space appropriate for South Texas’ warm climate. No, the drinks and ambiance alone aren’t going to draw people to Paper Tiger, but the quality of the music certainly does. And discriminating music fans wouldn’t keep coming back if the staff didn’t excel at providing a laid-back and welcoming experience. 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com.

every Saturday at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., and they include three samples. An add-on VIP whiskey-sampling experience lets patrons enjoy two future releases from the barrel, rare whiskies and bourbon chocolates. Beer choices range from the easy drinking San Antonio Lager to a robust barrel-aged Russian imperial stout. 4834 Whirlwind Drive, (210) 3392282, drinkrangercreek.com.

42. RD Speakeasy

This unassuming airport-area cocktail spot possesses all of the marks of a secret getaway: nondescript entrance, barely there lighting and secret password for entry. The intrigue! Fortunately, there’s more to RD Speakeasy than schtick, however. Once inside, cozy up to your companion or sit solo at the bar — that’s how we do it — and watch the impeccable and precise work of the barkeeps as they fashion cocktails, both new and classic. The reservation-only spot seats just 27 guests, so expect attentive service and knowledgeable recommendations. 8400 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 605-2292, mixed4u.com.

40. Pegasus

43. Shady Lady Saloon

41. Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling

44. Sparky’s Pub

In flight since 1994, Main Strip mainstay Pegasus serves as a tried-andtested LGBTQ+ neighborhood bar, serving the community 12 hours a day, seven days a week — even “366 days during leap years.” While regulars start trickling in as early as 2 p.m. for budget cocktails in a relaxed atmosphere, the crowd starts assembling around 10 p.m. for nightly shows featuring local drag legends and rising stars alike.

Home to some of the most affordable cocktails on the Main Strip, the delightfully unpretentious Peg also boasts what’s perhaps the city’s most entertaining and diverse karaoke stage. 1402 N. Main Ave., (210) 299-4222, pegasussanantonio.com.

While the tasting and tap room at Northeast San Antonio’s Ranger Creek is worth swinging by just to hang out for a pint or cocktail, taking the tour heightens the visit. After all, this is Texas’ first combination brewery and distillery, and the owners have a lot to show off, from a hard-working copper still to an impressive array of bourbon aging in barrels. Some of Ranger Creek’s beers even age in used bourbon barrels for additional flavor depth. The 60- to 90-minute tours are available

This no-nonsense Southeast San Antonio watering hole boasts ice-cold beer, live music and all of the accoutrements one would expect from a neighborhood dive: shuffleboard, pool, darts and an Internet jukebox. Although plenty of other neighborhood spots offer similar amenities, the Shady Lady just seems to get all the nuances right. Belly up to the well-worn bar for affordably priced drinks or head to the back patio for a look at the night sky. The spot is just far enough removed from the bustle of the Brooks development to offer a breathtaking look at the stars. 3603 S. WW White Road, (210) 333-4224, facebook.com/ shadyladsaloonsa.

Search Google for “gayrish pub” (quotes required) and you’ll be swiftly directed to Sparky’s Pub — a convivial LGBTQ+ watering hole that traffics in potent cocktails served in pint glasses.

Beloved by a mixed scene, the Main Strip fave takes cues from both sports bars and gay clubs — wood paneling, local LGBTQ+ memorabilia, neon signs, pool, darts, danceable jams and nostalgic music videos are all on the menu.

While daytime visits may bring to mind a gay version of Cheers, the night lures

Lonesome Rose

Nina Rangel

a more lively crowd — which makes the bar-equipped back patio a convenient escape. And if those pints of vodka soda catch up with you, pay a visit to Sparky’s cozy wine bar area, which serves coffee drinks, sandwiches and sweets to the weary and wasted. 1416 N. Main Ave., (210) 320-5111, sparkyspub.com.

45. Sternewirth Tavern and Club Room

Despite the vastness of a bar with a 25-foot-high vaulted ceiling, Sternewirth in the Pearl’s high-end Hotel Emma manages to pull off intimacy and a comfortable classiness. That sounds even more unlikely when much of the décor and infrastructure is made from one-time industrial brewing equipment, but those unusual touches only heighten the charm. A metal spiral staircase built for the brewery leads to mezzanine seating overlooking the bar. Groupings of leather couches and club chairs create spaces to chat, relax and people-watch. To keep from being watched, ask for a booth inside one of the huge, repurposed brewing tanks along one side of the establishment.

The cocktails — including the Wish You Were Beer, which mixes porter ale with Scotch — are tempting, but don’t forget to explore the high-end bourbon, rye, Irish and Scotch whiskies list, which is wide and deep. 136 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-7375, thehotelemma.com.

46. Texan II

The Texan II is an oasis for locals who are looking to escape the bustle of downtown — you know, dodging tourist pedestrians, slow-moving horse-drawn buggies, aggressive valets and predatory parking lot prices. As more high-end bars invade the center city, this celebrated drinkery is one of a handful of holdout old-school dives that cater to the service industry and those after a shot and beer on a budget.

A Lone Star tallboy and a shot of well whiskey is easy on the wallet at $5.25 before tip, and bottled Modelo Especial runs just $3.50. Three pool tables with well-kept felt draw the kind of players who bring their own cues. The original Texan Icehouse on West Avenue, which the Texan II owners sold some time ago, closed permanently earlier this year, but the spirit lives on downtown.

114 Jefferson St., (210) 212-6442.

47. Thirsty Horse Dance Hall & Saloon

If the Americana-focused Lonesome Rose traffics in old-school honky tonk vibes, the Thirsty Horse Saloon does the same for those into the Nashville side of the C&W experience. Located in a North Central San Antonio strip mall, this dance hall destination offers darn good live music most nights of the week, a relaxing patio and a massive floor on which to dance the night away.

For those new to two-steppin’, Thirsty

Horse even offers $5 lessons Wednesday through Saturday. By the end of those instructions, you’ll be ready to boot scoot the night away. 2335 NW Military Highway, (210) 348-1513, thirstyhorse.net.

48. Three Star Bar

While originally founded by San Antonio craft-cocktail guru Jeret Peña, this self-proclaimed “dad bar” doesn’t put on airs. In fact, that’s key to its brand.

Three Star offers a centrally located spot for neighborhood residents and downtown service workers to grab a cold beer or cocktail and chill. The inside gives off ice-house vibes, while the front porch offers ample space to sit back, converse with friends and watch hipsters and partygoers from other nearby bars stumble along Grayson Street. Three Star’s specialty is its beerand-shot combo for $9. A rotating draft cocktail — currently the intriguingly named Adios Motherfucker — goes well with the traditional bar bites, including nachos and hot wings. 521 E. Grayson St., threestar.bar.

49. Tony’s Siesta

Tony’s Siesta is a tribute to Tony Lopez, the longtime bar owner who sold inexpensive drinks to downtown denizens and workers — blue and white collar alike — at the end of a long day. While the legacy of Lopez’s former bar lives on with the Tower of the Americas

sculpture located in front of Tony’s Siesta, the tavern’s inner workings are much changed. The inviting interior space features a full bar, cocktails and draft beers including some local offerings. Guests partake in vodka- or rum-spiked aguas frescas in watermelon and various tropical flavors.

While the prices are no longer dive-bar thrifty, Tony’s daily specials and happy hour pricing are worth checking out.

A well-shaded outdoor patio backs up to a food truck park. 206 Brooklyn Ave., (210) 592-1199, facebook.com/tonyssiesta.

50. Who’s Who Cocktails

Everyone’s a star in this unassuming but always lively Medical Center-area haunt. Who’s Who Cocktails welcomes karaoke aficionados seven days a week, offering up a a stage, sound system and multiple video monitors to scroll lyrics.

If spectating is more your speed, grab a seat at the bar or in a cozy booth and watch the amateur crooners take their time at the mic. Whether you intend to sing or watch, get there early, since the space fills up quickly, especially on weekends. True to its name, the bar staff excels at both fancy and simple cocktails — liquid courage for those showing off their vocal skills. 1711 Babcock Road, (210) 973-5055, facebook.com/ whoswhococktails.

sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

music

Old-Fashioned Good Songs

Sunny Sweeney talks about new album Married Alone before her San Antonio-area performance

BY AARON IRONS

S

unny Sweeney is as adept at scuffed-boot honky tonk as she is at rib-crushing balladry, and on her latest full-length effort, Married Alone, the Texas native does what she does best by defying categorization and resisting cliche.

Enlisting country chimera Paul Cauthen to co-produce beside Texas Gentleman Beau Bedford at Dallas’s Modern Electric Sound, Sweeney stacks the album with her signature attitude, a smattering of pop charm, special guests galore and plain, old-fashioned good songs.

It’s a safe bet some of those tunes will feature in Sweeney’s set when she performs Saturday, Dec. 16, at New Braunfels’ Redbird Listening Room. Sam Downing will open the limited-seating show.

“I always feel like the artist should be in charge of all things creative, and I was at a company where that was not the M.O.,” said Sweeney, calling from a motel room during a recent run of shows. “It was just like pulling teeth trying to figure out who was going to produce my record, and it was the first person that we could all agree on. Long story short, we agreed on Paul and he did a great job.”

Cauthen also lends his considerable vocal talent to the dented-heart “A Song Can’t Fix Everything,” a tune Sweeney co-wrote with Lori McKenna.

“We were in the studio recording it, and we were talking about putting a male harmony on it, and Paul just started singing it. I was like, ‘Well, obviously, you’re doing it. Why am I hiring someone else when you’re literally doing it right now?’ Sweeney said with a laugh. “He just left that vocal and that was that. His voice is so haunting. I love him.”

Even before the pandemic — “stupid COVID,” Sweeney calls it — Married Alone had been in the works, with Sweeney writing and assembling songs from some of Music City’s finest tunesmiths, including Kendall Marvel and Waylon Payne (“Fool Like Me”). Hannah Blaylock, Autumn McEntire and Josh Morningstar penned the title track, which also features Vince Gill on vocals. For Sweeney, it was a song that came along at a particularly notable time.

“It was perfect! I was coming out of my

Courtesy Photo / Sunny Sweeney

second divorce and my friend Arthur sent it to me and he was like, ‘OK, you need to listen to this song, but make sure you’re by yourself because you’re probably gonna lose your shit!’” Sweeney said. “I got through one verse and one chorus and was sobbing, and I called him and was like, ‘Uh, whose song is this and how do I get to record it?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s yours if you want it.’ I’ve had that song on hold since April of 2019.”

Sweeney said her song-selecting process — personally and professionally — is more instinctual than calculated.

“Sometimes you just relate to them and sometimes you don’t,” she added. “I do write songs, and so typically that’s what I go for as far as like I know what we’ve come up with to record, but then you hear something like ‘Married Alone’ or ‘Fool Like Me’ and you’re like, ‘Oh shit! I wish I’d written that!’ It’s usually that sentiment, I guess — I wish I would have written it. And then you have to call the people that wrote it and be like, ‘Can I record that? Please?’”

An album highlight is the painfully inventorial “How’d I End Up Lonely Again,” which Sweeney co-wrote with Josh Morningstar and Channing Wilson.

“We were all just talking about like, ‘I’m getting divorced twice before the age of 40. How does that happen?’” Sweeney said.

“They’re both just such good writers and friends, so it’s easy to be vulnerable and talk

about crap with them.”

The flipside of “Still Here” explores the equally wrenching experience of making a marriage work at any cost — for good or ill.

“Things change, people change, but that song, man … I loved that song the minute I left that [writing session],” Sweeney said. “It was with Lori McKenna and she’s ridiculous.

I don’t even have words for how great she is.

She’s been married a really long time, and she’s kind of like a beacon to me. She just has all the things going — she has kids and a family — and she’s so great to aspire to be like, you know what I mean? I’m sure she has problems. Of course, everyone has things going on in their life, but I look at her and she’s just so sweet, writing songs with whoever, just about shit falling apart all around them.

Which is typically my relationships.”

And does that potential for domestic bliss maintain a hold in Sweeney’s thoughts?

“No. Not anymore,” she said. “I kind of came and went with all that. I’m very, very happy with my dog as my child and he’s a handful enough. He’s very, very small and he travels well, and he doesn’t talk back and he doesn’t eat a lot and he doesn’t need me to cook and he doesn’t need me to do laundry.

He’s just a great little roommate and a great little boyfriend. Five pounds of fury!” $50, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16, Redbird Listening Room, 1260 Business I-35 South, New Braunfels, redbirdlisteningroom.com.

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.

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critics’ picks Wednesday, Dec 13

Chavela

Scott H. Biram Scott H. Biram, aka The Dirty Old One Man Band, has been entertaining audiences with his scorched cowpunk blues for two decades now. The Austin resident has achieved varying degrees of success along the way, with an appearance on The Tonight Show, albums on the Billboard charts and numerous Ameripolitan award nominations. Biram’s great songwriting gets a caffeinated kick from his fully committed performance style. So committed, in fact, it can sometimes freak folks out. He is, after all, a legally ordained preacher. $20, 7:30 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., samsburgerjoint. com. — Bill Baird

Thursday, Dec 14 Dan Deacon Electronic artist and composer Dan Deacon is well known for enthralling live performances that encourage audience participation. His most recent solo work was 2020’s Mystic Familiar, which was seen as a return to his synth-pop roots but augmented by his wellknown meticulous arrangements. In addition to electronica, Deacon writes contemporary classical music and scores films, including the Netflix releases Hustle and The King of Clones. $25, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — Danny Cervantes

Friday, Dec 15 Parliament Funkadelic featuring George Clinton George Clinton is a living legend, full stop. The eccentric bandleader’s work with funk pioneers Parliament and the funk-rock hybrid Funkadelic revolutionized music. Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain should be enough to earn him a place in the pantheon, but it’s good to know that his recent appearance on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly earned him a Grammy nomination and introduced him to a whole new generation.

Expect a party. $39.50-$148, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., theaztectheatre. com. — BB

Friday, Dec 15 Warrant, Lita Ford, Winger, Steelheart This package tour billed as Rock the Halls appears to be a holiday present for those with an affinity for teased hair and Spandex. Maybe you have a genuine, unabashed love of hair metal, maybe you want a fun spectacle, maybe you’ve always wondered what it’d sound like to hear Warrant sing “Frosty the Snowman,” maybe you’re just desperate to use that can of Aqua Net that’s been rusting in the closet since 1988. If any of these apply, this is your show.

Courtesy Photo / Carver Community Cultural Center

$72-$121, 7 p,m., The Espee, 1174 E. Commerce St., theespee.com. — BB Chavela Chavela revives San Antonio’s much-venerated West Side Sound — a mixture of soul, R&B and Latin music — for a new generation. Good thing the group features tight grooves, great singing from frontwoman Isa Paillao and the style to pull it off. Chavela performs as part of the Carver Center’s Intimate Series, which brings cabaret-style concerts to its Little Carver stage. $25, 8 p.m., Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry St., thecarver.org. — BB Sanity Slip, Corpse Pile, Intestinal Sodomy, Endless Decay, Upsurge, Voracious Contempt This packed death metal and hardcore lineup celebrates San Antonio-based Sanity Slip’s release of its Winter Promo EP on top of the band’s signing to Vile Tapes Records. Worthy of note: the bill also includes a raft of Texas-based bands, including Houston-based Corpse Pile, which is playing SA for the first time. Expect endless opportunities to mosh, kick and slam. $15, 6 p.m., Snakehill Social Club, 1522 E. Grayson St., (210) 446-7596, instagram.com/snakehill.satx. — Dalia Gulca

Saturday, Dec 16 The Maine, Flor, Daisy Grenade Formed in Tempe, Arizona, in 2007 and born of influences such as Death Cab for Cutie and Third Eye Blind, The Maine has since distinguished itself with its own alt-rock sound. The group’s latest release, self-titled album The Maine, shows a bit more of a lean into rock, and the single “how to exit a room” even channels Kings of Leon. The introspective trio Flor serves as a worthy opener. $35-$37, 7:30

p.m., Vibes Event Center, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/vibesunderground. — DC Nick Garza’s Get Along, JJ Swinn & Swindlers, Loteria San Antonio native Nick Garza commands a low baritone voice that conjures up memories of C&W greats. Although tagged as progressive country, it’s probably a better description to say Garza simply deals in good-vibe country that sails above convention and cliche. Swindlers is the vehicle for songwriter JJ Swinn, whose recently released Texas Tapes beautifully melds Elliott Smith with Texas roots music, as filtered through a home-recorded DIY lens. Austin-based Loteria’s recent LP Texas Toast fuses seamless vocal harmony, a freewheeling garage intensity and a firm grasp of Texas roots. $10, 9 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., thelonesomerose.com. — BB

Saturday, December 16 San Antonio Philharmonic with YOSA and Buttercup The orchestra birthed from the ruins of the San Antonio Symphony is continuing its mission of making classical music more accessible to San Antonio audiences with its presentation of Christmas classic The Nutcracker. Youth Orchestra of San Antonio will provide help with strings and quirky San Antonio pop group Buttercup is also providing musical contributions.

What’s not to love about this kind of artistic teamwork? $30-$65, 6 p.m., The Espee, 1174 E. Commerce St., theespee.com. — BB

Saturday, Dec 16-Sunday, Dec. 17 Mezclas Acústicas with Azul Barrientos

Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, long revered for its activism and consciousness-raising work, extends its progressive, inclusive mission into music with Mezclas Acústicas.The intimate concert series is hosted by Mexico City native Azul Barrientos, whose stunningly expressive vocals resonate long after each listen. $7 mas o menos, 7:30 p.m. (Saturday) and 2:30 p.m.

(Sunday), Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 922 San Pedro Ave., esperanzacenter.org. — BB

Friday, December 22 The Lonesome Heroes, Georgia Parker Call it a lonesome band landing at a lonesome venue. This is the last show of the year for Austin’s The Lonesome Heroes, an indie rock-Americana band that’s released four albums since 2008 and had a track featured in the final season of Netflix’s thriller-drama Bloodline. Georgia Parker, an award-winning Western swing performer originally from Boerne, will open. Free, 9:30 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose.com. — Dalia Gulca

Tuesday, Dec 26 Stone & Jude, The Daisy Killers Pop-rock duo Stone & Jude play shows at legendary Hollywood venues including the Whisky A Go Go and the Viper Room, and they’re frequently called the “best live band in Los Angeles.” It’s easy to see the appeal of the pair’s catchy and energetic brand of power-pop, influenced by Green Day and Maroon 5. Check out the recently released single “Fucked Up & Found You” for a preview. $12-$70, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — DC

sacurrent.com | December 13 – 26, 2023 | CURRENT

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HEALTHY TIPS As holiday festivities are near, Metro Health is encouraging the community to stay healthy while preparing for the upcoming celebrations and family gatherings.

• Balance your meals. Make everyday a celebration by eating well and feeling great!

• Ensure food safety. Make sure all meals are safe to eat to avoid food poisioning.

• Stay up to date with routine vaccinations. For the first time ever, vaccines are available for all three major fall and winter respiratory diseases-flu, COVID-19, and RSV. • Stay home if you feel sick. To avoid spreading viruses to others, consider skipping gatherings, especially if individuals who are at risk will be present.

For more information visit, SanAntonio.gov/Health 44

CURRENT | December 13 – 26, 2023 | sacurrent.com

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by Netflix 9. Flower fragment 14. Fruity dessert 15. Ibiza o Mallorca 16. Project, as charm 17. Lunar eclipse sight, sometimes 19. Yorba Linda presidential library subject 20. Alternative to Dollar or Budget 21. Prods into action 23. The ___-Bol man (classic TV ad character) 24. Remote feature that breaks?

30. Admit guilt, with “up” 31. Ctrl-Alt-___ 32. Nutritional guideline letters 33. ___ parmigiana 36. “Pinafore” designation 38. Bolt on a track 40. Writer who gets asked a lot of judgment questions 44. Give a false story 45. Oversized 46. “A Bug’s Life” beat it in the 1998 box office

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