San Antonio Current - December 27, 2023

SA'S BIGGEST NEWS STORIES | TUMULTUOUS YEAR FOR LOCAL RESTAURANTS | BEST SAN ANTONIO ALBUMS OF 2023 | DEC 27, 2023 - JAN 9, 2024

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

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CURRENT | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | sacurrent.com

YOUR HOLIDAY SPOT FOR THE

Eric Clause Special + A Frosty Beer!

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 23-26 /// December 27, 2023 – January 26, 2024

31 Music

San Antonio Spins

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

The 10 best albums by Alamo City artists in 2023

Advertising Account Manager Marissa Gamez Senior Account Executive Mike Valdelamar Local Culture Creative Agency Director Mindi Overman

Critics’ Picks

Creative Services Creative Services Manager Samantha Serna 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 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 San Antonio Distribution The Current is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader.

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24 Feature

Dining Disorder

San Antonio restaurants continued to face turmoil in 2023

09 News

The Opener News in Brief

San Antonio 2023

A look back at the year’s 10 biggest news stories

Hot Takes

The best, worst and most memorable quotes from San Antonio’s 2023 news stories

Cityscrapes

As San Antonio ponders a new Spurs arena, it should look back on the grim lessons from Sunset Station

20 Arts

Growing Collections

A brief look at what San Antonio museums acquired in 2023

10 Notable 2023 Books From Texas Authors

SA'S BIGGEST NEWS STORIES | TUMULTUOUS YEAR FOR LOCAL RESTAURANTS | BEST SAN ANTONIO ALBUMS OF 2023 | DEC 27, 2023 - JAN 9, 2024

23 Screens

Top 10 Films of 2023

From a Frankensteinian rom-com to a web-slinging sequel, these rank as 2023’s best movies

24 Food

Tastemakers

16 Calendar Calendar Picks

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San Antonio’s 10 most exciting restaurant openings in 2023

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Cava and Cremant offer holidayworthy bubbles at affordable price point

O

n the Cover: San Antonio experienced a big year in music, arts, news and food. Cover photos: Jaime Monzon, Jayne Lawrence, Jaime Monzon, TxTroublemaker (clockwise from left).

Cover design: Joe Frontel.

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The holidays are full. Full of family traditions, old friends and merry memories.

But they’re also full of difficult moments that can increase the risk of substance use.

If you or someone you love wants a healthier outlet for holiday stress, visit TurnToSupportsTX.org for other options you can explore.

Gift yourself time to check in

For more resources and support, visit TurnToSupportsTX.org

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CURRENT | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | sacurrent.com

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More than 225,000 new Texas mothers and their children are at risk of losing access to WIC benefits if Congress doesn’t approve new funding in the coming days, according to a study by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. House Republicans have targeted the longstanding nutrition-assistance program for cuts, and rising food costs mean that the program is now facing a $1 billion budget shortfall.

The New York Times has recognized San Antonio’s venerable Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant as serving one of the 23 best dishes in the country in 2023. Garcia’s received the recognition for its smoked brisket taco. “When the basics are executed this well, there’s no need for any other adornments,” Times food journalist Priya Krishna wrote.

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Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday signed one of the most extreme anti-immigration bills in the state’s history. Senate Bill 4 makes it a state crime for foreigners to illegally enter and allows state judges to order their deportations, effectively encouraging law enforcement officials to target people they believe could be in Texas illegally. The following day, the ACLU and others sued in federal court to block the measure, calling it unconstitutional.

The Witte Museum has a new president and CEO. The museum last week revealed that Dirk Elmendorf, a former museum board chairman and founder of Rackspace Technology, will take over the roles from outgoing President and CEO Marise McDermott in the new year. Elmendorf will assume his role as president and CEO in time for the launch of the new inquiry-based science curriculum Texas Museums 360, designed for use in public schools. — Abe Asher

ASSCLOWN ALERT

Assclown of the Year: Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has long wielded his power in the Texas Capital like a cudgel, using procedural maneuvers to grant himself ever more control of the state Senate and sidelining those who don’t step in line with a far-right agenda steeped in homophobia, immigrant bashing and white nationalism.

So empowered, Patrick has tried to force through some of the most extreme right-wing legislation in the history of the state. Sometimes he’s met with success, as with Texas’ cruel six-week abortion ban, others he’s been shot down in the more moderate House, as with his bill that would have barred transgender people from public restrooms.

Repugnant to say the least, but Patrick’s conduct during the impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on public corruption charges shows that there’s truly no bottom.

First, Patrick declared that he was suitable to preside over the process even though he’d accepted $3 million in campaign contributions from one of Paxton’s biggest backers. Nope, nothing sleazy about that at all, he assured those paying attention.

While Patrick was able to put on his best behavior for the duration of the trial, performing in the role of impartial judge at least as successfully as TV comedian Steve Harvey, he didn’t take long to let us know that it was rigged from day one.

“The speaker and his team rammed through the first impeachment of a statewide official in

YOU SAID IT!

“Gov. Abbott’s efforts to circumvent the federal immigration system and deny people the right to due process is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerously prone to error, and will disproportionately harm Black and Brown people regardless of their immigration status.”

— Anand Balakrishnan

senior staff attorney at the ACLU’s Immigrants Rights Project

Shutterstock / luckyluke007

Environmental groups last week filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., alleging that federal regulators failed to appropriately assess the environmental impact of SpaceX’s failed rocket launches in South Texas earlier this year. The complainants, including the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, first sued the Federal Aviation Administration after SpaceX’s first failed rocket launch in May. Now the groups argue the FAA didn’t do an adequate environmental review before allowing another launch in November.

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Wikipedia Commons / Gage Skidmore

Texas in over 100 years while paying no attention to the precedent that the House set in every other impeachment before,” Patrick claimed in a fiery speech after his Senate voted against bouncing his buddy Paxton out on his ass.

Patrick went on to mocked the House’s impeachment managers, then declared that he’d seek a constitutional amendment to prevent such a trial from happening again. Voters could rest assured that he’d also demand a “full audit” of how much the House had burned through trying to hold the AG accountable.

Since then, Patrick has been locked in a shit-slinging war of words with House Speaker Dade Phelan over the impeachment — one that spilled over into the Texas Legislature’s marathon special sessions. In addition to calling Phelan “revolting, repulsive and repugnant,” Patrick has demanded that the speaker resign in shame.

While Patrick may have sewn up his absolute control over the Texas Senate, his conduct around the impeachment trial shows he’s no public servant. Indeed, it shows he doesn’t even have the political clout to see his agenda make it through the House. Minus those things, it should be abundantly clear that, all along, that Patrick has been nothing but a loudmouth, a bully and an embarrassment. Oh, yeah, and Assclown of the Year. — Sanford Nowlin

San Antonio’s Migrant Resource Center is facing a budget shortfall that could leave it unable to purchase the bus and plane tickets migrants need to leave the city and reach their final destinations. Catholic Charities, which operates the center out of a former CPS Energy building, currently spends around $1 million monthly on transportation tickets for migrants but is expecting an allocation of just $5 million from FEMA for the coming year.

A grand jury last week indicted three San Antonio police officers in the June shooting death of Melissa Perez, a woman who was experiencing a mental health crisis at her apartment complex. Officer Eleazar Alejandro and Sgt. Alfred Flores now face charges of first-degree murder, while Officer Nathaniel Villalobos faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a public servant. Perez’s family has also filed a civil rights suit. — Abe Asher

Find more news coverage every day at sacurrent.com

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Jaime Monzon

San Antonio 2023

of the officers who pulled the trigger.

A look back at the year’s 10 biggest news stories

BY SANFORD NOWLIN

S

an Antonio’s top news stories of 2023 were marked by big-city woes, including construction, crime and dangerous dogs. Meanwhile, the influence of a contentious session of the Texas Legislature and the state’s abortion ban also made their marks.

Here’s a look at the 10 most significant news stories affecting the Alamo City this year.

1. Dangerous dogs. This year marked the first San

Antonio leaders fully acknowledged what many residents have been saying for years: the city has a problem with stray and dangerous dogs. A string of grisly maulings prompted City Council to approve a big budget increase for Animal Care Services so it can promptly respond to calls — something residents complain it’s failed to do.

2. Cruel abortion ban. The Texas Supreme Court

rejected a lower court’s ruling that resident Kate Cox could end a terminal pregnancy that posed serious health risks. In doing so, it signaled that the lengths that GOP-controlled Texas is ready to go to enforce a ban that many consider cruel and extreme. Expect more court challenges to play out.

3. Never-ending construction. With multiple major construction projects going on at once, San Antonio residents found themselves unable to travel busy thoroughfares including Broadway, North St. Mary’s Street, North New Braunfels Ave. — to name just a

few. Council approved funds to aid small businesses, but for many, that helping hand came too late.

4. The Spurs’ future. Wembymania broke out after

the Spurs landed 7-foot-3 Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 NBA draft pick. At the same time, discussions percolated about building a pricey new stadium for the city’s sole professional sports team. Expect to see debates ensue about where it will be located and how much will be funded by taxpayers. And plenty of big — and familiar — promises about how much miraculous economic benefit such a facility will bring.

5. Republican infighting. Even though the GOP

controls all the levers of power in Texas, it became clear all the party’s leaders aren’t on the same page, or even looking at the same goddamned book. A war between moderates and the growing extremist wing of the party broke out over the failure to remove disgraced Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from office. Things only got worse after a top conservative lobbyist hosted a day-long meeting with white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

6. Police shootings. San Antonio police shot at least 21 people this year, the highest number recorded since at least 2015, according to data from the Texas Justice Initiative. In the cases of Melissa Perez, a woman suffering a mental health crisis at her apartment complex, and Erik Cantu, a teen parked outside a McDonald’s, those shootings resulted in indictments

7. School closures. Stung by years of declining

enrollments, school districts including San Antonio ISD enacted plans to shut down campuses they identified as underutilized. While advocates said the “rightsizing” moves are overdue, they proved controversial with parents and educators, who argue school consolidation will prove disruptive to students while yielding no educational improvements.

8. Change in county leadership. Nelson Wolff retired

as county judge, a position he’d held for more than two decades, enabling Peter Sakai to take the position on Jan. 1, 2023. Since the transfer, we’ve seen a difference in styles between the two leaders and a contentious budget fight that it’s hard to imagine would have broken out under Wolff’s watch.

9. Hell no to vouchers. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott discovered the limits of his power after the Texas Legislature, controlled by his own party, rejected his repeated attempts to push through a school voucher bill. The measure was unpopular with both Democrats and rural Republicans, who view it a mechanism for robbing public schools so affluent Texans can have more money to send their kids to private campuses.

10. Public safety concerns. Tensions bubbled up between San Antonio Police Chief William McManus and Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales after a string of shootings of police officers, including some committed by suspects out on bond. Residents’ crime concerns also played a key role in the ballot box defeat of a proposition that would have codified cite-and-release for petty crimes while decriminalizing cannabis and abortion. sacurrent.com | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | CURRENT

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news

again, theft and property damage are not victimless crimes.” — Mayor Ron Nirenberg speaking out against the San Antonio Justice Charter, or Prop A, which failed at the ballot box

Doubling down

“I’m sticking with my theme that I’ve had every year, which is ‘Party with Perry.’ But I want to remind everybody, party but be safe, right? Lesson learned here.”

— Former District 10 City Councilman Clayton Perry on the theme for his offices’ Fiesta Medal, unveiled a week before he was sentenced in a DWI and hit-and-run case

Except when it comes to being able to pass a voucher bill, apparently…

“In Texas when we seek to achieve goals, we seek only one thing: it’s to be No. 1. If you think we’re seeking to be anything other than No. 1, then you’re not a Texan.” – Gov. Greg Abbott speaking at pro-school voucher rally at San Antonio’s St. Mary’s Magdalene Catholic School

Wembymania in a nutshell

“We rolled the dice and we fucking won. I haven’t been this happy since we won the championship in 2014.” — Lifelong Spurs fan Zander Stanley after the team landed No. 1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama Meradith Garcia

Hot Takes

We’re concerned about fentanyl but not that concerned

The best, worst and most memorable quotes from San Antonio’s 2023 news stories

“I think it was a failed opportunity to ensure that we were deploying all tools available to us, and access to fentanyl testing strips is one of the many ways that we can save lives.” — San Antonio City Council Member Teri Castillo on the Texas Legislature’s failure to pass a bill legalizing life-saving fentanyl test strips.

BY MICHAEL KARLIS

Slap gate

S

an Antonio’s political leaders, media personalities and residents had lots to say 2023. And why not? It was a big year for news.

Sometimes the thoughts they shared when digital recorders and cameras were rolling proved insightful, funny or stinging. Other times, they were downright ludicrous. What follows are some of the best, worst and most memorable quotes by Alamo City newsmakers from the past year.

DWI charge

This is home

“While out of an abundance of caution, we marked this as a peaceful protest, I am here to testify to you that there are men, women, organizations and individuals across the state of Texas that are very much prepared to sacrifice much more to prevent your theft of this man’s property. I can only pray that you and politicians across Texas are receiving this message.” — Self-described “patriot” J.R. Haseloff urging City Council not to use eminent domain to take Moses Rose’s, the bar standing in the way of the Alamo Visitor Center

“We have been part of the San Antonio community for 50 years and expect to be celebrating another 50 years 50 years from now. [For] the Holt family, this is home.” — Spurs CEO R.C. Buford quelling fears about the team relocating out of San Antonio

Way to alienate half (or more) of your fans

“In my 26 years at KSAT I saw several examples of anchors making the same dumb mistake but it did not end their career. It’s different now. Management then was all male and humanitarian principles ruled. Now that authority is dominated by women.” — Former KSAT meteorologist Steve Browne in now-deleted social media post blaming women in leadership for the resignation of sports reporter Greg Simmons after his arrest on a 12

CURRENT | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | sacurrent.com

Finally, the bucks stopping somewhere

“I was just asking questions: Why are we hiring these contractors when they’re not doing a good job?”

— San Antonio City Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda on her ordinance to bar contractors from future city work if they can’t finish projects on time

Remember Moses Rose’s?

Ballot box flop

“The challenge with Proposition A is that I think it mischaracterizes what cite and release was about.

Cite and release has always had officer discretion.

Prop A effectively removes officer discretion, and

“That person was calling me, ‘Sir, sir,’ and that person grabbed me from behind. I didn’t see what happened because I was walking straight, and they told me ‘Don’t stop.” But that person grabbed me from behind — not on my shoulder, she grabbed me from behind.” — Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama after pop singer Britney Spears accused his security detail of roughing her up

Once Bitten…

“Digging into this data, if we had this number in 2015 or 2016, before it exploded into an incident that everybody is talking about, maybe we could have made those course corrections.” — Mayor Ron Nirenberg speaking to former Animal Care Services Director Shannon Sims about the alarming number of dog attacks in the city

What’s next? Nuking Mexico City?

“Republicans have gone from Self Deportation to Build A Wall to Invade Mexico in just over a decade.”

— U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-SanAntonio, on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposal to invade Mexico

Incomplete work

“It doesn’t seem like they’re really finishing anything.

They’re just digging one hole and moving on to

Michael Karlis

another.” — East Side bakery owner Kayla Matta on her frustration with the city’s delayed road construction projects

Texas: all-access state

“What we’re seeing is that people are having access to guns who have no business carrying guns. People who have mental health issues, people that have criminal histories, people who are involved in relationships who have victimized their significant other in domestic violence situations — all those people have access to guns.” — Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales addressing this fall’s string of shootings of police officers

Winning may not be the only thing, but turns out it’s important

“Of course, we add a player of Victor’s capabilities, and your prospects look a lot better. But this year, with development, I think one of the important factors to enhance that development is winning. So winning is as important this year as learning last year. So, they’ve got to continue to learn. But, adding more wins, I think, is appropriate, mandatory and helpful.” – San Antonio Spurs Head Coach Gregg Popovich his expectations for the Spurs at the start of the season.

Turbulent times

“Mayor Ron is a coward. For a man who touts to be the mayor of a compassionate city and a city of immigrants and a

minority-majority city, he’s letting fear make his political decisions for him.” — Palestinian rights activist Maureen Kaki on Mayor Ron Nirenberg’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict

Still dishing it out to San Antonio

“Victor, I got a final question. How do you say ‘churro’ in French?” — NBA great and commentator Charles Barkley giving Victor Wembanyama a hard time

Diehard fan on the dais

“I want to wish a very, very happy birthday to a very, very special woman. She is an advocate for higher education, a philanthropist, a mogul, a poet, and a mother … . 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.” — District 2 City Councilman Jalen McKee-Roriguez during an otherwise-tense December council meeting

Puro San Anto dispute

“All I posted was a meme to get people’s reaction and likes on Facebook or whatever. It’s basically the same thing as me taking a picture with a Nike T-shirt on and posting it. I never made a cent.” — San Antonio artist Adrian Galvan on being sued by Fred’s Fish Fry after creating a parody image of a basketball jersey bearing the restaurant chain’s logo

Only through January 7 Closing Soon!

200 West Jones Avenue | samuseum.org Caption: Luigi Lucioni (Italian American, 1900-1988), An American Landscape (detail), 1930, Oil on canvas. Courtesy of the Thomas H. and Diane DeMell Jacobsen PhD Foundation.

sacurrent.com | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | sacurrent.com

news CITYSCRAPES

As San Antonio ponders a new Spurs arena, it should look back on the grim lessons from Sunset Station

BY HEYWOOD SANDERS Editor’s note: Cityscrapes is a column of opinion and analysis.

T

his time of the year it’s traditional for columnists to look back at the events of the past year and reflect on what they mean for the future. But now, as we face 2024, there are big, expensive things on the horizon.

The buzz around a new downtown arena for the Spurs is growing louder and more persistent. And then there’s the on-again, off-again talk about a minor league ballpark downtown as well — perhaps even in combination with that new arena to create a whole new “sports district” that will boost our stumbling downtown core.

The time seems right to look back a bit further, back to the beginnings of the revitalization of St. Paul Square, the coming of the Alamodome and the promise of the Sunset Station development — and how those things fared, or not.

The place to start is 1975, with the city’s first urban renewal effort on the East Side, a plan to restore and revitalize the “once thriving but now deteriorated section” east of downtown described by the San Antonio Express in April 1976 as having “acquired an unappealing reputation over the years, becoming somewhat of a small haven for dope addicts, petty crime, winos and prostitutes.”

The plan at the time was to improve the Victorian-era buildings around Sunset Station, including the infrastructure, with the “development of a marketplace, tourist center, entertainment facilities, restaurants, apartments and other small businesses.”

But a decade later, the area was mostly office space for professional firms. There were some restaurants, a boot maker, a pharmacy and a nightclub. But the vision of a bustling tourist area with specialty retail shops simply hadn’t come to fruition, in part because of the area’s separation from downtown and the barrier posed by I-37.

Still, there was hope. The opening of the new Rivercenter Mall just to the west promised increased property values, development and more activity.

And then, in the wake of the January 1989 vote, there

Shutterstock / Neumann

would be the new Alamodome right next door. As part of its deal to finance and build the dome, VIA Transit had acquired the Sunset Station complex and moved ahead to find a developer for the facility and its surroundings. The announcement in September 1993 that Zachry Realty, Charles Martin Wender and a group of local investors would be responsible for the new development was hailed as a boon for the East Side.

The Sunset Station Development Group hired theme park consultant Buzz Price to assess the market potential and likely performance of their proposed themed entertainment and restaurant complex.

Price had worked on the creation of both Disneyland and Disney World. In San Antonio, he had delivered a remarkably accurate, if futile, assessment of Sea World’s likely performance.

But for Sunset Station, he was positive and upbeat. Noting that a Dallas developer was planning a 400-room “upscale” hotel as part of the project, he also explained that “there is no themed downtown attraction that is driven by live entertainment and complemented with dining.”

Price forecast 1.7 million annual attendees and $27 million in yearly revenues. His optimism was based in large part on the performance of the Alamodome.

He projected that the domed stadium would draw 3 million attendees a year based on its first year — even more than the 1.5 million to 2 million city staff had forecast in 1988.

But there was a fundamental problem with that logic.

The dome never managed attendance of 3 million a year. It didn’t even hit 2 million. When the Spurs were playing there, dome attendance averaged a bit

over 1.5 million. Without the NBA team, attendance dropped to about 950,000 from 2005 to 2015. And where the city had estimated the Alamodome would accommodate a million conventioneers annually, most of the dome’s attendees were locals with lots of options for food, drink and entertainment.

As the dome saw fewer people, Sunset Station suffered. We never saw the “upscale” hotel, only a 138-room Staybridge Suites. The live entertainment flopped, and Zachry fired Graham Brothers Entertainment in 2000. Restaurants — Ruth’s Chris, Aldaco’s, Smoke — came and went, as did the University of Houston’s hospitality program.

Zachry ended up selling the station and surrounding buildings to REATA Real Estate in 2017. The new owner planned to create an entertainment district with restaurants, bars and concert spaces like the Pearl, all boosted by a commitment from the city of $1.3 million for improvements. Perhaps that new ownership and vision will work this time.

The proposed new Spurs arena and the vision of a downtown sports district will no doubt come with lots of promises and hopes and forecasts.

There will surely be consultant studies offering up big numbers for jobs and economic impact. Talk of an “entertainment district” will ensue. Along the way, local leaders and news media will almost certainly point to successful sports projects in other places.

However, we — and they — need to learn the lessons of our previous public investments.

Developers will make lots of promises. But those grand new venues won’t necessarily revitalize a downtown. Or even the area across the street.

Heywood Sanders is a professor of public policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio. sacurrent.com | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | CURRENT

15

Oscar Moreno

SUN | 12.31 SPECIAL EVENT

CELEBRATESA

The city’s official annual New Year’s Eve party returns to ring in 2024, bringing with it live music, eclectic DJ sets, carnival attractions and — of course — food, drinks and fireworks. Put on by the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio Parks Foundation, CelebrateSA draws more than 70,000 attendees to downtown each year — whether rain, shine, or in this year’s case, construction. This year, the main live music and fireworks show will move just around the corner from South Alamo Street, where it usually takes place. The new destination is Market Street between South Alamo and the Grand Hyatt with pedestrian connections to Hemisfair’s Civic Park (210 S. Alamo St.). Those at Market Street can anticipate performances from alt-pop band Jefferson Clay, electronic rock trio Pop Pistol and pop-soul singer Shannon Sionna, along with open-format sets from DJ Cósmicaa.

At Civic Park, revelers will encounter DISCO PICNIC, a garden party thrown by SoundCream Airstream featuring sets by DJ Flacucho and Príncipe Q — along with the city’s best view of the fireworks. The party will continue at the satellite event CelebrateSA on the River, with live music and sets from Vanita Leo, DJ Joaquin Muerte and South Texas barrio big band Bombasta at the Arneson River Theatre (418 Villita St.). On top of all that, family-friendly activities including carnival rides, games and artisan vendors will line the streets. Food, hot drinks, cocktails, bubbles and beer will be available for purchase — and all proceeds will benefit SA and Bexar County parks. The night will end with a bang as fireworks pop off at midnight. Staying in? News4 San Antonio will broadcast live from Market Street starting at 10:30 p.m., while Telemundo will cover the festivities from the Arneson River Theatre beginning at 11 p.m. as part of its nationwide New Year’s Eve special, Bienvenido 2024. Free, 6 p.m.-midnight, Downtown San Antonio, (210) 212-8423, saparksfoundation.org. — Dalia Gulca

WED | 12.27 SUN | 01.07 TH EATER

WICKED

the Good Witch. Fixated on their differences, Elphaba and Galinda initially butt heads, but gradually come to understand one another and become inseparable. When Elphaba unearths evidence that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a fraud, she leaps into action to overthrow him, begging Galinda to join

Wicked will ring in the holidays and new year in

her. But Galinda, well on her way to becoming Oz

San Antonio. The musical sensation’s current North

royalty, finds herself caught between jeopardizing

American tour celebrates 20 years of gravity-defying

the reputation she worked her whole life to build

vocals, spellbinding set design and a heartrending

or permanently pushing away her dearest friend.

story that paints the Wicked Witch of the West in

Following in the legendary footsteps of original

a whole new shade of green. Winner of three Tony

Wicked cast members Idina Menzel and Kristin

Awards and one Grammy, Wicked begins in the Land

Chenoweth, the North American Tour cast boasts an

of Oz years before Dorothy’s arrival. Long before her

exciting roster of rising Broadway stars, including

days of wicked-witch infamy, Elphaba is a freshman

Olivia Valli (Elphaba), Celia Hottenstein (Galinda)

at Shiz University, poring over spellbooks and aspir-

and more. $54 and up, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8

ing to make a difference with her magic. Ostracized

p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Dec. 27-Jan.

by her peers for her grotesque green skin, Elphaba is

7, additional showtimes available online, Majestic Theatre,

assigned to room with the conventionally attractive

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

and wildly popular Galinda, later known as Glinda

Caroline Wolff

16

CURRENT | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | sacurrent.com

Joan Marcus

calendar

THU | 12.28

addition to the league.” Wembanyama is leading all rookies

SPORTS

bound game. Milwaukee’s bruising frontcourt of Giannis

in points, rebounds, blocks and steals, and recently became the youngest player in NBA history with a 20-point, 20-re-

ALAMO BOWL

Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez provides another nation-

The 31st annual Valero Alamo Bowl appears to be the perfect

ally televised test for Wembanyama as he vies for Rookie of

pairing to uncork a new rivalry. This year, the No. 12 Oklaho-

the Year honors. $40 and up, 6:30 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1

ma Sooners, led by quarterback Jackson Arnold, will take on

Frost Bank Center Drive, (210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com,

Noah Fifita and the No. 14 Arizona Wildcats. The matchup

TNT. — M. Solis

is sure to be an interesting one, considering that the Big 12 and PAC-12 schools, who are both leaving their respective conferences for the SEC and Big 12 next year, haven’t played against each other since 1989 in a game that the Wildcats won 6-3. What’s more, Arizona, favored to win, hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2017. Those who weren’t lucky enough to land tickets can catch the nationally televised game on ESPN. $52 and up, 8:15 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St., (210) 226-2695, alamobowl.com. — Michael Karlis

Reginald Thomas II / San Antonio Spurs

named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team last season and has played a key role for the second-best defense in the league. Despite Victor Wembanyama’s imposing presence in the paint, San Antonio’s defense skews closer to the bottom in team rankings. Reeling from a franchise-record losing streak that prompted changes to the starting lineup, the young Spurs have been plagued by critical third quarter lapses throughout the season, often when leading at the half.

Expect more struggles as the team seemingly prioritizes player development over wins in season two of its rebuild. $55 and up, 6 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, (210)

Reginald Thomas II / San Antonio Spurs

444-5140, frostbankcenter.com, Bally Sports SW-SA. — M. Solis

THU | 01.04 Courtesy Photo / Valero Alamo Bowl

SUN | 12.31 SPORTS

SPURS VS. CELTICS

SPORTS

SPURS VS. BUCKS Following a loss to the Indiana Pacers in the In-Season Tournament semifinals, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis called out his head coach and teammates for the team’s lack of cohesion in crunch time. With the addition

After adding All-Stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis to

of All-Star Damian Lillard, expectations are high for the

their roster over the summer via trade, the reloaded Boston

Bucks, whose roster is now constructed to win. A lack of

Celtics currently stand atop the Eastern Conference stand-

consistency, particularly on the defensive end of the floor,

ings. Former Spur Derrick White has excelled as a starter for

is something San Antonio can likely relate to as the Spurs

the Celtics this season and was serenaded with MVP chants

continue to stack losses during a challenging season. NBA

following a 30-point performance earlier this month that

commissioner Adam Silver praised Spurs rookie Victor

culminated in a win against the New York Knicks. White was

Wembanyama at the tournament, calling him “a terrific

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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19

Courtesy Image / McNay Art Museum

Growing Collections

A brief look at what San Antonio museums acquired in 2023

BY BRYAN RINDFUSS

S

an Antonio museums had a busy 2023 highlighted by memorable exhibitions, leadership changes and new developments.

The McNay Art Museum mounted the powerful “Womanish: Audacious, Courageous, Willful Art,” welcomed Matthew McLendon as director and CEO, and appointed Mia Lopez as its first ever curator of Latinx art.

The San Antonio Museum of Art opened the era-spanning “American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection,” and it promoted longtime force Jessica Powers to the role of chief curator.

Meanwhile, the Linda Pace Foundation’s Ruby City inaugurated the timely “Water Ways,” named Rachel Mauldin manager of collections and exhibitions, and it celebrated the completion of its campus in tandem with the latest phase of the San Pedro Creek Culture Park.

But perhaps more tangibly exciting for San Antonio art fans, all three institutions significantly amped up their collections — with their combined acquisitions ringing in at just under 700 works. Representative of the vision of curators and make-or-break input from museum boards, those acquisitions encompass both carefully planned purchases and generous bequests from art collectors.

In hopes of shedding light on this process, we 20

CURRENT | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | sacurrent.com

spoke to leaders from the McNay, SAMA and Ruby City about their key acquisitions of 2023.

McNay Art Museum

Hailed as the first modern art museum in Texas, the McNay acquired a whopping 304 works of art in 2023.

Intriguingly, the museum even invited the community to weigh in on one of them via Collecting Texas — a new annual event set to focus on a different city each year. Held in October in the museum’s Leeper Auditorium, the inaugural event highlighted contemporary works by El Paso artists and invited guests to vote for their favorite piece on display. Created this year by Mexican American mixed-media collage artist Fausto Fernandez, the winning work Burden Narratives While Stuck in Traffic in Pursuit of an Obligation at the Port of Entry depicts a sea of hot-pink cars waiting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

A gift that promises to keep on giving, the McNay’s John M. Parker Jr. bequest added more than 200 objects to the museum’s collection. Comprised of minimalist and conceptual works collected by San Antonio native John M. Parker Jr., the bequest includes pieces by such blue-chip artists as Jasper Johns, Agnes Martin and Donald Judd. Some of those works are currently on view in “Eye of the Beholder: The John M. Parker Jr. Bequest,” and a second exhibition is scheduled for 2024.

Courtesy Image / San Antonio Museum of Art

“We are proud of our growing collection as we aim to reflect and respond to the communities we serve,” McNay Director and CEO Matthew McLendon told the Current. “Each piece helps shape our rich historical narrative for future generations. … Our acquisitions will offer opportunities for deep and critical reflection and engage our community in the discovery and enjoyment of the visual arts.”

San Antonio Museum of Art

With areas of interest that run the gamut from ancient Mediterranean to modern and contemporary art, SAMA boasts a collection comprising nearly 30,000 works spanning 5,000 years of history. That collection got even deeper this year, to the tune of 325 new acquisitions.

“We are really trying to collect in a way that’s thoughtful and strategic,” SAMA Chief Curator Jessica Powers said. “The curators are [asking questions.] If we acquire this work of art, how does it fit with what we already have in this collection? Is it building on a strength? Is it filling a gap? Is it adding something new? Is it broadening the narrative that we can share with our public?”

When asked about 2023 acquisitions she’s excited to exhibit in the future, Powers was quick to highlight Yemaya — a 1993 painting by late San Antonio artist Angel Rodríguez Díaz. As Powers explained, Yemaya was something of a missing puzzle piece.

“It’s the centerpiece of Rodríguez Diaz’s Goddess triptych,” Powers said. “The other two side paintings have been in our collection for about a decade.”

Titled The Myth of Venus (1991) and La Primarvera (1994), the triptych’s side pieces entered SAMA’s collection in 2013 as a gift from famed writer and former

arts

10 NOTABLE 2023 BOOKS FROM TEXAS AUTHORS

Compiling any “best-of” list is always a challenge. There’s never enough space to include every title you want to discuss. Plus, when it comes to books, no one person can read everything published in a year — not even every book written by Texas authors. With that said, here are ten notable 2023 books written by Texans we’d like to put on your radar.

Jens Ziehe

Left to right: 1. Fausto Fernandez, Burden Narratives While Stuck in Traffic in Pursuit of an Obligation at the Port of Entry . 2. Santa Barraza, Emma Tenayucca Retablo. 3. Mona Hatoum, Mobile Home II

U

San Antonio resident Sandra Cisneros.

“We’re really excited to be able to present the entire triptych and to honor [Rodríguez Díaz] and showcase his work in late January,” Powers said of the forthcoming exhibition “Ángel Rodríguez Díaz: The Goddess Triptych Reunited.”

Other recent SAMA acquisitions include Kingsville-based Santa Barraza’s Emma Tenayuca Retablo — a 1993 painting celebrating the civil rights activist and union organizer who led the 1938 San Antonio Pecan Shellers Strike — and Margarita Cabrera’s Space In Between: Nopal (Candelaria Cabrera), a 2010 example of the soft cactus sculptures the El Paso-based artist crafts from Border Patrol uniforms.

Ruby City

Although it identifies as a contemporary art space and not a museum, the Linda Pace Foundation’s Ruby City is still a collecting institution — one that acquires work reflecting the distinctive vision of late San Antonio artist, philanthropist and Artpace founder Linda Pace.

In addition to focusing on women, Artpace alumni, San Antonians and Texans, Ruby City’s collection is rooted in feminism, identity politics, materiality and interpretations of “home,” among other concepts.

“Building the collection is among the most exciting aspects of my role,” Ruby City Director Elyse A. Gonzales said. “I get to see and learn about terrific works of art but also apply some critical thinking to potential selections made for purchase as well as for donation. We want to maintain the singular character of the collection — meaning any purchases or gifts must explore similar concepts around which the collection revolves.”

With that criteria in place, Ruby City this year acquired 65 works by 26 artists — 15 of whom are newcomers to the Linda Pace Foundation collection.

A 2023 acquisition currently on view at Ruby City, renowned British Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum’s Mobile Home II, is a kinetic installation from 2006 that winks at its title as domestic objects — tables, chairs, a suitcase, kitchen towels, a raggedy stuffed animal — glide slowly back and forth across the gallery floor on laundry lines.

Another acquisition even closer to home, photographer Celia Álvarez Muñoz’s 2002 series Semejantes Personajes/Significant Personages, functions as a nostalgic and candid snapshot of San Antonio art world movers and shakers, including such late local legends as Chuck Ramirez, Alberto Mijangos, Mel Casas, Adan Hernandez and Alex de Leon.

Beasts of 42nd Street by Preston Fassel North Texas novelist and journalist Preston Fassel has also made waves working in the indie film scene. That experience clearly proved useful with his latest novel through Cemetery Dance. Beasts of 42nd Street takes place “on the backdrop of Times Square at the height of its decadence and depravity.” It’s a horror-crime hybrid about a degenerate film projectionist and the mysterious reel he — until now— has kept privately stashed away.

Holler, Child: Stories by LaToya Watkins In the fiction of LaToya Watkins, West Texas is practically its own character. Her debut novel, Perish, received impressive praise upon its 2022 release. For many, her first story collection — released earlier this year by Penguin Random House — was one of the most anticipated books of 2023. Consisting of 11 stories total, all told from the perspectives of Black women and men residing in Texas, Holler, Child is at times absurdly funny and also terrifyingly bleak. The tonal shifts are handled masterfully.

The Devil’s Promise by Celso Hurtado Marketed as the sequel to 2021’s The Ghost Tracks (Inkshares), The Devil’s Promise can also easily be read as a standalone piece without confusing its readers. Set in San Antonio, both of these novels revolve around a 17-year-old paranormal investigator taking on clients with bizarre, unexplainable problems. In Hurtado’s latest offering, his protagonist finds himself helping a man convinced he’s being hunted by the Devil.

The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale At this point, Joe Lansdale should be a household name for any Texan who values good writing and entertaining stories. Lansdale’s latest novel, The Donut Legion (Mulholland Books), tackles the absurdity of UFO cults in East Texas.

The Legend of Charlie Fish by Josh Rountree Speaking of Lansdale, here’s what he had to say about Josh Rountree’s The Legend of Charlie Fish: “Odd, creepy, funny, The Black Lagoon meets the Six Gun universe. High up on the way-cool factor. You need this.” We find it hard to disagree with that kind of endorsement. Rountree blends genres like he’s freestyling a casserole. Recommended for fans of the Coen Brothers.

The Lies We Weave by Grace R. Reynolds Not enough end-of-the-year lists give shoutouts to poetry, and that’s a shame. San Antonio’s Grace R. Reynolds dropped one hell of a poetry collection earlier this year through Curious Corvid Publishing titled The Lies We Weave. This book will make you feel extremely bad, but also kind of good. Recommended for fans of generational trauma.

An Autobiography of Skin by Lakiesha Carr First, how incredible is that title? An Autobiography of Skin is a novel told in three stories, each from a separate female protagonist as they process individual traumas while living in the South. Every great book should be an experience, and this one is simply unforgettable.

Lowdown Road by Scott von Doviak Lowdown Road is one of the year’s wildest books, so no surprise it was published by Hard Case Crime, which specializes in hardboiled and over-the-top fiction. Stephen King called it “a blast,” and we can’t think of a more accurate description for this gritty crime yarn.

Where Wolf by Rob Saucedo Not only is Where Wolf a great werewolf story, it’s a great Texas story. This graphic novel is hilarious and heartfelt. It’s also jam-packed with fun characters, genuine surprises and all the gory werewolf action every diehard fan of the genre craves.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton The Spite House may be one of the best modern haunted house novels yet published, and it was written by a San Antonian. Fascinating, terrifying and impossible to put down. If this debut novel is a sign of the author’s future work, we can’t wait to pick up whatever he puts out next.

Consider ourselves Johnny Compton fans for life. — Max Booth III

Find more arts coverage every day at sacurrent.com

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Poor Things

From a Frankensteinian rom-com to a web-slinging sequel, these rank as 2023’s best movies

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

I

t was a thrilling year for moviegoers, whether they chose to make a trip to the theater or stay home and take advantage of the countless streaming services at their fingertips. This year’s film releases also ran the gamut from grizzly bears snorting cocaine to overstimulated Swifties.

Whatever your genre of choice, there was more content available than any human could consume in 12 months. Below is the list of the Current’s 10 favorite films of 2023.

1. Poor Things

An absurdist exploration of bodily autonomy and toxic masculinity, director Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster) created a weirdly dark and remarkable romantic comedy that also plays like a Frankensteinian monster movie — with orgasms. The film follows the bizarre journey of Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), a corpse given new life who ventures out to discover what makes her happy. Bella’s biting sarcasm and wit is a perfect fit in Lanthimos’ eerily beautiful world.

2. Oppenheimer

Epic in scale and substance, writer-director Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk) has arguably produced the best film of his impressive career. At the center of the historical drama is J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), a theoretical physicist known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” Nolan delivers a nuanced script that avoids labeling its title character as a hero or villain and turns a complex and defining moment in history into a pulse-pounding thriller.

3. Barbie

While plenty of eyes probably rolled at the initial thought of a Barbie movie, in the hands of co-writer and director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) and co-writer Noah Baumbach (Frances Ha), it became not only the biggest blockbuster of 2023 but one of the most thought-provoking social commentaries and empowering mainstream comedies in recent years. The “I’m Just Ken” scene should be playing on a loop in the Louvre.

4. Killers of the Flower Moon

Director and co-writer Martin Scorsese (The

screens

Top 10 Films of 2023

Searchlight Pictures

Irishman) has packaged together a harrowing look at the mass murders that took place in the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma. At the center of the devastating narrative is Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), an Osage whose family’s oil wealth makes her a target of her white husband (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his uncle (Robert De Niro). Scorsese’s vision is masterful as he confronts the sensitive subject matter in a respectful manner.

5. Origin

Based on the 2020 book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson, this film by writer-director Ava DuVernay (Selma) is an intimate, moving and powerful look at the impact of the caste system across the world. The film follows Isabel (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) as she researches the complexities of caste and how it ties different societies together in unsettling ways. DuVernay dramatizes Wilkerson’s written words on screen with compassion and courage.

6. All of Us Strangers

Writer-director Andrew Haigh (45 Years) reflects on grief in his dramatic ghost-story romance adapted from a 1987 novel. The film tells the story of Adam (Andrew Scott) and Harry (Paul Mescal), two strangers in London who begin a relationship at the same time one of them is having an ongoing metaphysical experience with his late parents, who died when he was a child. It’s a fascinating and touching narrative that will stir the soul.

7. The Zone of Interest

Set in Auschwitz in 1943, writer-director Jonathan Glazer (Under the Skin) introduces audiences to Nazi commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller) as they work to turn their house, which sits just outside the walls of a concentration camp, into their dream home.

Glazer takes a minimalist approach to the storytelling, but the film is still beyond disturbing. Removing the violence doesn’t cloud the mind’s eye.

8. The Holdovers

Stuck at a boarding school in New England for the holiday break, a cranky teacher (Paul Giamatti), spurned student (Dominic Sessa) and bereaved cafeteria worker (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) try to make their time together as joyful as possible in director Alexander Payne’s Christmas dramedy. Payne (Nebraska) finds the humor in his most emotionally damaged characters, so his reunion with Giamatti for the first time since Sideways is a delight.

9. Society of Snow

The survival film co-written and directed by J.A. Bayona (The Impossible) follows the true story of a 1972 plane crash in the Uruguayan Andes that stranded the survivors of a rugby team for more than two months before they were rescued. The tragedy was adapted into the 1993 film Alive, but Bayona’s interpretation goes beyond sensationalism. Instead, he crafts a thriller that’s both uplifting and awe-inspiring.

10. Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse

As much ground as the original 2018 Spider-Verse animated film broke, the web-slinging sequel takes the Marvel superhero to new heights. The artistry is jaw-dropping, and the script is absorbing throughout. Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) will likely end up with his own live-action movie in the future, but the visual language of this franchise will be difficult to beat.

Honorable mentions: 20 Days in Mariupol,

Anatomy of a Fall, The Iron Claw, Maestro, May December, Past Lives, Priscilla, Radical, Saltburn, Wonka

Find more film stories at sacurrent.com

ing on with their three other food businesses, including the food truck Jeepney Street Eats, Sari-Sari Filipino Restaurant, Market & Bakery in Leon Valley and Sari-Sari Stone Oak. “It’s truly a tough time for small business owners,” she added.

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated the food and beverage industry nationwide, forcing layoffs, closures and other drastic measures. Even as the economy fully reopened in 2022, many owners are left little choice but to raise prices to make up for soaring costs for ingredients, labor, energy and more.

A year later, those issues have only grown in intensity, local restaurateurs said.

A March 2023 survey by consulting conglomerate Deloitte found that customers also were tightening their belts as a result of inflation.

“Although customers seem to have an insatiable taste for restaurants, many are feeling the pinch economically,” according to the report. “Customers want less expensive options alongside promotions and discounts.

These motivators would compel 37% of dinein guests and 40% of takeout guests to order from restaurants more often.”

Dollars and discounts

Dining Disorder

Sanford Nowlin

San Antonio restaurants continued to face turmoil in 2023

BY NINA RANGEL

S Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com

an Antonio’s food scene was rocked at the beginning of December as three heavy-hitting locally owned restaurants announced their impending closures.

Sari-Sari Supper Club, Sangria on the Burg and Carnitas Lonja — all nationally renowned, all favorites of Alamo City local foodies — will shut their doors permanently by year’s end.

Around the same time, several other less high-profile eateries reached out for help on social media, warning that they too are close

to shutting down.

The sad news was a culmination of a year of rising prices, weak consumer spending and uncertainty for San Antonio restaurateurs.

“Everything is just so different, post-pandemic,” Sari-Sari Supper Club co-owner Camille De Los Reyes said of the strain. “We have no idea what works anymore.”

De Los Reyes’ Sari-Sari Supper Club is known for expanding San Antonio diners’ knowledge of Filipino cuisine. Although De Los Reyes and her husband will permanently shutter the restaurant Dec. 23, they’re soldier-

It stands to reason consumers want to spend less for the same or better quality of food and service. However, the clincher is that small, locally owned businesses can’t afford to offer daily — or even weekly — promotions and discounts.

“Our menu items are priced accordingly, so what you’re paying for is on par with the quality of ingredients we use,” said Deco Pizzeria owner Jacob Valenzuela. “We don’t skimp on quality, and sometimes I wonder if that’s going to be our downfall.”

On Dec. 15, Valenzuela alerted diners in a social media post that the financial struggles may force him to close down.

“Since COVID, our struggles remain the same: staffing shortages; increase [sic] food cost and increases in overhead expenses. We continue to be optimistic, but the reality is that every day is a struggle,” the post read. “I am not certain how much longer we can keep our doors open.”

Despite the challenges facing San Antonio restaurateurs, national surveys suggest that that revenues are going up. Bar and restaurant sales increased by 8.5% over the past nine months, according to a National Restaurant Association study — that’s five times more than the sales gain in non-restaurant retail sectors during the same period.

Eager to burn off pent-up demand accumulated during the pandemic, consumers nationwide seem to be prioritizing dining out, a separate December study by the association found.

These numbers aren’t being reflected in San Antonio, restaurant owners argue.

“People just aren’t spending money like

they used to,” said Braunda Smith, owner of the Lucy Cooper’s Texas Ice House chain. “It breaks my heart every time I see a small business close its doors, because these are local families that are being impacted. Costs are out of this world, staffing is still a struggle, we are all feeling the pressure.”

Fixed costs Food and operating costs continue to be a headwind for many local restaurants. Deco Pizzeria owner Jacob Valenzuela said his rates on fixed operating costs such as rent, utilities, insurance and taxes continue to rise whether consumers are spending more money.

“I often have a $3,000 CPS bill, and my rent has been raised significantly in the last three years,” he said. “I’m trying to work with my landlord on my rent, but the daily goal is to make sure I can keep the doors open, but it gets harder every day. I sincerely have no idea how much time we have left.”

Valenzuela said he recently visited another San Antonio restaurant and sat with its owner during a busy shift. Even though the restaurant was full, the woman spoke to him with tears in her

eyes about the uncertain future of her family’s business. He declined to name the business.

“This is a 60-year legacy we’re talking about,” Valenzuela said. “And we’re in danger of losing it.”

As restaurant closures proliferate, local diners are hurled into the task of protecting such legacies. After all, their dollars are what keep San Antonio’s vibrant and diverse culinary landscape thriving.

At the same time, owners recognize that consumers are also struggling. Median income in the San Antonio area dropped roughly 2% between 2019 and 2022, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

However, onsumers’ support doesn’t always have to come in the form of dollars spent at a restaurant.

“Obviously, making plans to stop into your favorite mom-and-pop shop once or twice a month is beneficial, but support can also mean a leaving a positive online review, or sharing your good experience with friends,” Sari-Sari’s De Los Reyes said.

“I only wish we’d had more visits, more support, before we had to make the difficult decision to close the Supper Club.”

SUNDAY

EVENTS

Instagram / supperclub_sarisari

open mic comedy @ 9pm

MONDAY

open mic @ 7pm

TUESDAY

karaoke @ 7pm

WEDNESDAY trivia @ 7pm

THURSDAY open mic @ 7pm

Contact Ladybird Beer Garden to host your next event!

447 Hildebrand Ave, San Antonio TX 78212

sacurrent.com | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | CURRENT

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JA N UA RY

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COCKTAIL EDUCATION | TASTINGS | HAPPY HOURS | DINNERS + A FINAL | CELEBRATORY BASH LOCATIONS, TICKETS & MORE AT WWW.CULINARIASA.ORG/THIRDCOASTCOCKTAILSUMMIT 26

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food Tastemakers

San Antonio’s 10 most exciting restaurant openings in 2023

BY NINA RANGEL

D

espite the challenges facing San Antonio’s restaurant scene this year — inflation and labor shortages among them — the city experienced its share of new openings. As a result, diners gained access to new concepts, cuisines and gathering spots, some of which are likely to be delighting us for years to come.

Here are the 10 bar and restaurant openings of 2023 that made the biggest impression on us.

Yozora Sake & Wine & Listening Bar

Late this year, the chef behind Shiro Japanese Bistro launched a new izakaya-style restaurant in the Dominion area with a focus on yakitori and crudo dishes as well as thoughtfully curated beer, wine and sake selections. Complemented by tunes played on a custom-built sound system, chef Grey Hwang’s new spot also turned heads by offering umami-packed, dry-aged seafood. 22211 W. I-10, Suite 1111, (210) 2183925, instagram.com/yozora_satx.

Tokyo Cowboy

Nestled right across the San Antonio River from the historic Bald Cypress some call “Geronimo,” this chic Japanese street-food spot markets itself as a “whisky diner” and features menu items such as Viet-Cajun barbecue prawns and a sukiyaki burger. An array of new brunch offerings includes its Asian-inspired take on chicken and waffles. Many who come for the eats end up staying for the inventive Japanese whisky-based cocktails. 135 E. Commerce St., (210) 3057075, tokyocowboytx.com.

Paladar Fusion Mexico Cuba

Allysse Shank-Rivas

Leche de Tigre

Southtown’s Leche de Tigre gained serious regional attention a few months after opening thanks to a July review in Texas Monthly praising the Peruvian cebichería as one of the city’s “most compelling new restaurants.” The spot’s sashimi plates and cebiche couldn’t be any more fresh, and the tapas and lomo saltado — a stir fry with Chinese influences — show the diversity of Peru’s cuisine. Make sure to quench your thirst with some Pisco, Peru’s official brandy. 318 E. Cevallos St., (210) 265-5933, lechedetigretx.com.

Vista Brewing

(830) 359-8720, instagram.com/blulacysmokehouse.

A Perfect Day

Southtown wine bar A Perfect Day opened in Francis Bogside’s former space this summer and it’s continued to rack up praise, including a spot on the Current’s 50 Best Bars list. Along with adjacent cocktail lounge Gimme Gimme, A Perfect Day offers easygoing vibes complemented by a selection of wines, cocktails and bites from Bar Loretta’s capable chef, Paul Petersen. 803 S. St. Mary’s St., instagram.com/ aperfectdaywinebar.

Paladar Fusion Mexico Cuba opened its doors in November, taking over the nearly hidden space previously occupied by Fonda Nostra Bistró. True to the “Fusion” in the restaurant’s name, its signature plate, flautas de lechón, features three nixtamal tortillas, a Mexican staple, filled with lechón, or roasted suckling pig, a Cuban specialty. The flautas are then topped with mixed greens and queso fresco and served with salsa and fried plantain chips. 3615 Broadway #4, paladarfusion.com.

Austin-based Vista Brewing shuttered its San Antonio location at the Warehouse 5 maker space earlier this year to make the move to the East Side. The new spot serves as a great platform for Vista’s craft brews along with a menu making use of sustainably and locally sourced ingredients. Under the watchful eye of Executive Chef Kyle Barker, items such as burgers made with Akaushi Texas Wagyu beef and fresh salads rotate with the seasons and ensure that Vista offers more than standard bar food. 125 Lamar St., (210) 8021578, vistabrewingtx.com.

Rosario’s ComidaMex & Bar

Idle Beer Hall & Brewery

Blu Lacy

Thirsty Pups Brewery & Bottle Shop

Idle made its debut in October as one of the initial tenants to secure a spot at Make Ready Market, a highly anticipated food hall in San Antonio’s River North area. Brewmaster Brandon Pettit crafts beers made onsite while expert bartenders offer cocktails from a full bar. Food vendors inside Make Ready Market are starting to open up, making this drinkery a one-stop shop worthy of attention. 414 Brooklyn Ave., idlebrewing.com.

Though located outside San Antonio proper, this new Castroville barbecue spot from Esaul Ramos — the culinary pro behind 2M Smokehouse — is drawing raves for its smoked meats. The mouthwatering delicacies are given the low-and-slow treatment in a wood-fired smoker custom built by Texas-based M&M BBQ Co. Adding to the appeal are desserts and bread made

by Ramos’ wife Grecia, who recently opened her own venture, Baked, next door. 1303 Lorenzo St., Castroville,

The massive new flagship location of this Southtown staple is housed in a two-story building featuring a 5,000-square-foot rooftop bar with breathtaking views of the downtown skyline. The addition of patio dining, landscaped courtyards and a stunning mural by internationally renowned artist INTI also elevate this spot to must-visit status. Beyond appearances, Rosario’s has also upped its cocktail game with an expanded drink menu, and the food is dependable as ever. 722 S. St. Mary’s St., (210) 223-1806, rosariossa.com.

This dog-friendly spot opened in Castle Hills in October, serving craft brews and wine with a side of easygoing vibes. Co-owner Erik Ureta, who racked up experience brewing for San Antonio-based Alamo Beer Co. and Second Pitch Beer Co., helms the bar himself, serving up $12 flights and advice to home brewers who belly up to taste his wares. 2211 NW Military Highway #130, instagram.com/thirstypupsbrewery. sacurrent.com | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | CURRENT

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- Located inside The Bottling Department at The Pearl -

Fall Calls For Fideo at Chilaquil 28

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@eatchilaquil

Order To-Go eatchilaquil.com

food Budget Bubbly?

Cava and Cremant offer holiday-worthy bubbles at affordable price point

BY RON BECHTOL

P

op, pop, fizz, fizz, oh what a seasonal delight is it!

Of course, the big-C Champagne producers, who literally bank on the exclusivity conveyed by their limited area of production in France’s northeast, would have us drinking the stuff almost daily, not just for New Year’s and locker-room celebrations.

If budget wasn’t an issue, I’d have to say I agree with them. Champagne is an incredibly versatile wine, one that can even work with steak, especially if you find — and afford — a vintage bottle with a little age on it.

While cost is a genuine concern to most of us, a retreat to flabby Prosecco isn’t the only solution.

Options abound. The best of them, not surprisingly, come from France itself. And, perhaps surprising to some, from Spain.

Remember these two words: Cava and Cremant.

Bubbles to bubbles, and dollars to dollars, they match up nicely — at least around the $20 price point.

Let’s start with Cava since it’s a less complex designation in many ways. Many of us of a certain age will remember Freixenet in the black bottle, a sparkling stalwart for decades now. It was what we brought to a party when we wanted to feel a little sophisticated without breaking the bank. Widely available for under $9, it’s entry-level Cava, from the Penedes region south of Barcelona at its bargain best.

Like all Cavas, it’s made exactly as the wine is in France’s champagne region, with a secondary fermentation in the bottle. The major difference is in grape composition and designations connoting age in the bottle. Reserva Cava represents a minimum of 18 months aging, for example, and Gran Reserva a minimum of 30. While Champagne consists of variations on the Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier theme, Cava generally is made from grapes most have never heard of: Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo.

With the assistance of Heidi Holcomb Rinehart at Central Market’s wine department, we picked the Navaran Brut 2021 Vintage — vintage Cavas being a relative rarity — at $18.99 to taste for this article. However, labels such as Juve & Camps are also good at the same relative price point.

The tasting panel of three found this elegant sparkler to be pleasantly dry on a nose — something that betrayed just a hint of the small amount of organic Chardonnay the winemaker uses. The bubbles were sharp and fine, and there was a sensation of creamy fruit and a touch of spice on the palate, though nothing stood out.

It was, we decided, a thoroughly sophisticated,

Ron Bechtol

black-tie bubbly. For just a little more money, also check out the Raventos i Blanc from a producer that has withdrawn from the Cava designation to allow more flexibility in composition. Take any of the above to a party and be thought of as bubbly baller: nobody needs to know how little you spent.

For an event with a more flexible dress code, metaphorically speaking, the panel recommends the general category of Cremants. They’re basically Champagne-like sparkling wines made in France and Alsace outside the confines of Champagne proper. As a result, each Cremant is uniquely representative of the region in which it’s produced. The winemaking process may be the same, but the grapes differ widely.

Central Market’s Holcomb Rinehart pointed us toward two: Langlois Brut Cremant de Loire ($19.95) and Domaine Michel Fonne René Barth Cremant d’Alsace ($21.99). Crafted from Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir, the Cremant d’Alsace offered hints of ripe apple and pear. It also had a tad more fruit and body than the Cava, making it a more food flexible.

As with the Cava, there wasn’t much of a lingering finish, but then who’s interested in finish at a party, as long as the bubbles caress the tongue? Among other Alsace Cremants to consider, look for the always-dependable Lucien Albrecht , which also comes in a pretty — in all senses — rosé version.

Cremants are also made in Bordeaux, Burgundy and Limoux in the Languedoc. Each serves as an effervescent version of the regions’ better-known still wines. There’s not a blend I know of in the Loire that comes anywhere close to that of The Langlois Brut, but perhaps there should be. Chenin Blanc, a stalwart of the region, is the major player here, supported by Chardonnay and another Loire favorite, Cabernet Franc. It’s this Cab Franc that gives the bubbly a backbone that supports creamy citrus and herbal aromas and flavors.

Not that you need to discuss any of this while attacking a spicy shrimp cocktail, a pimento cheese ball or a platter of hand-made tamales. You are allowed to feel a little smug in your knowledge, however. sacurrent.com | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | sacurrent.com

The 10 best albums by Alamo City artists in 2023

BY SAN ANTONIO CURRENT STAFF

A

fter the pandemic’s lean time for live shows, it’s been refreshing to see San Antonio acts back on stage, gathering audiences and releasing new music at a frantic pace. To be sure, 2023 was a banner year for local releases. Let’s run down this year’s 10 best albums, as chosen by the Current’s music writers.

Burn Ritual: Grave Watcher (Selfreleased)

For all its alleged simplicity, doom metal is a tricky genre to pull off.

If downtuning, playing slow and smoking a bowl before the show meant success, we’d be awash in amazing releases by bearded longhairs with Marshalls cranked to 11.

Fortunately, one-man band Burn Ritual is slathered in a bong-scented special sauce that allows it to rise above the rabble. The riffs aren’t just bludgeoning but memorable and hypnotic, and eerie quiet passages bring powerful dynamics into play.

— Sanford Nowlin

Buttercup: Grand Marais (Bedlam Records)

Buttercup has been inviting audiences beyond their comfort zone for years. The band presents its well-crafted indie at fourth-wallbusting performances and with a joyous sense of inclusion. The latest album finds Buttercup’s members pushing themselves beyond their own comfort zone as well, eschewing the standard electric guitar and drums for an intense, mostly acoustic album. Don’t be fooled by the “acoustic” tag, however — these songs rock. — Bill Baird

Crawl: Damned (Profound Lore)

San Antonio’s Crawl creates a lot of disquieting noise for one guy with a drum kit embellished with human bones, a downtuned bass and a set of fried vocal cords. On Crawl’s ninth release in 12 years, mastermind Michael A. Engle creates lengthy, suffocating compositions that reside somewhere between the slowest, darkest extreme metal and a soundtrack for an as-yet-unfilmed horror movie about an inescapable medieval torture dungeon. Brutal, dispiriting and elegant at the same time. — SN

Recreating Eden Tome I: Awaken (Self-released)

When a rock album features a prologue, Roman numerals and cryptic looking sci-fi art,

you know what you’re getting. Yep, Recreating Eden is prog but veers toward powerful hard-rock riffing and high-register vocals that keep things lively. The band also knows how to sprinkle toppings such as a saxophone and the pleasant tinkling of a piano across its maximalist 82 minutes. Take note, Coheed and Cambria fans. — Mike McMahan

music

San Antonio Spins

Noisy Neighbors: Derailing the Hype Train (Self-released/Grand Vomit Productions)

Imagine the grimiest venue bathroom you’ve been in. That’s how dirty Noisy Neighbors’ second album gets during its short 33 minutes. The band bills its ear-slaughtering music as “raw D-beat grindcore,” which basically means it’s designed to make you punch walls.

Derailing the Hype Train particularly shines on moments when the snare drum’s blast beats lock in air-tight with the sludgy guitar riffs.

Even though this release dropped in January, it’s lost none of its power to deliver a gut punch. — Brianna Espinoza

Powdered Wig Machine: It’s What I’ve Always Wanted

The performance-art band’s debut album celebrates singer-guitarist Brandon Pittman’s ambition of pursuing the rock game on his own unconventional terms. Pittman first conceived of Powdered Wig Machine as a web series, then transitioned it into a musical group, which should provide a hint of just how far off the beaten path he’s gone. The album fuses noise rock with garage punk anthems, then throws jazzy elements into the mix for good measure. There’s even an interlude that echos the lyrics of Peggy Lee’s 1969 hit “Is That All There Is?” — DG

Sex Mex: Sex Mex ’23 (Self-released)

The Alamo City’s best bubblegum punk band is all about trashed-out, thrashed-out fun of the highest Courtesy Photo / Powdered Wig Machine order. There are no elaborate concepts, no pretentious bullshit, no emo moaning to get in the way. Loud guiJake Castillo Trio: Hush (Self-released) tars, scorching synths, singalong choruses, If you know San Antonio blues-rock guitarist Jake Castillo, you know bro can rip a lead. But blown-out recordings and infectious joy rule on the appropriately titled Hush, he reels it in the day. Lucky for us completists, Sex Mex ‘23 collects the three EPs the group released this — well, mostly — for a more subdued release. year: Dubble Bubble Blowout, We’re a Happy The seven-song, 38-minute run time serves Family and Chick Problems. — BB as a hint, as does opening track “Lady,” that this is a more songwriting-focused effort. No wonder. The album explores the death of his Temachii: flora maniia (Self-released) father and his mother’s subsequent grief. The Newcomer Temachii dropped her first album guitar fireworks are present, but they take a flora maniia this spring, the perfect season backseat to well-crafted tunes. — MM to match the album’s light caress. Temachii’s ethereal vocals send listeners into another world where woodland creatures float on Honeybunny: Be Cool (Self-released) On its debut album, SA’s HoneyBunny mashes a cloud and the melodies feel as delicate as the butterflies featured on her album. Those together ‘90s ska elements, poignant and vocals are the star here, getting minimal self-reflective lyricism, a little romantic melaccompaniment from strummed guitars and ancholy and a lot of rolling energy. Whether lightly tapped drum patterns. However, the it’s an upbeat riot grrrl track like “Emancimusicianship never feels muddled, especially pator,” a softly swelling tune like “Also Me” not on songs like “12:00pm,” which go for the or a cross of the two like “Grey House,” the ambient dreamscape approach. Temachii has partnership of vocalist Bridgette Norris-Sanalso released a second full-length album out chez and guitarist Bobby Rivas has stitched this year, but if forced to pick between the together an album as sunny as it is punk. two, we’re sticking with the debut. — BE — Dalia Gulca

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.

critics’ picks Snail Mail

Saturday, Dec. 30 Corrupt Vision, Larval Therapy, herlovebeheadsdaisies, Slaughter Swamp, Public Threat For its last show of the year, San Antonio hardcore DIY collective …Out with the Goons is bringing in California ska-rockers Corrupt Vision to headline an otherwise all-local lineup. As such, the bill is something of a sampler across the extreme metal-to-hardcore spectrum. Expect punk-screamo from herlovebeheadsdaisies, sludge metal from Slaughter Swamp, mincecore from Larval Therapy and straight-up hardcore from Public Threat. $10, 6 p.m., Snakehill Social Club, 1522 E. Grayson St., (210) 446-7596, instagram.com/snakehill.satx.

— Dalia Gulca

Sunday, Dec. 31

Shutterstock / Tony Norkus

Wednesday, Dec. 27 Case Hardin Natural Bridge Caverns is continuing to present music in what it bills as the “the deepest venue in Texas.” That might have some fans of Texas psych recalling legendary concerts that took place in the underground formation in the ’60s.

A far cry from that era, Case Hardin will perform inside Natural Bridge, presenting his take on the familiar Texas singer-songwriter genre. It’s throwback, no-frills country about ranch life — not necessarily what you’d expect from a 2013 American Idol contestant. Expect musical comfort food in an underground setting. $79.99, 7 p.m., Natural Bridge Caverns, 26495 Natural Bridge Caverns Road, (210) 651-6101, naturalbridgecaverns.com. — Bill Baird

Thursday, Dec. 28 K. Flay, Sabino Kristine Meredith Flaherty, best known as K.Flay, refuses to simply fit into any one genre.

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The mix of hip-hop and alt-rock on 2017 release Every Where is Some Where hit big, spawning the singles “High Enough” and “Blood in The Cut,” the latter of which earned a Grammy nomination. In 2022, K.Flay began to experience hearing loss, eventually going completely deaf in her right ear. She came back in 2023 with the album Mono, which she describes as her best yet. $30, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — Danny Cervantes

Friday, Dec. 29 Snail Mail, Narrowhead, On Being An Angel Snail Mail is a showcase for the talented singer-songwriter and guitarist Lindsey Jordan.

With two albums of indie rock under her belt, Jordan continues to explore themes of loss and heartbreak. She opts for a delicate but purposeful sound accented by piercing lyrics.

Influences including Hayley Williams, Liz Phair and Sufjan Stevens shine throughout. $25, 6 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — DC

CURRENT | December 27, 2023 – January 9, 2024 | sacurrent.com

opens the night with R&B-inflected regret pop. $26-$30, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BB

Saturday, Jan. 6 Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country, Tele Novella, Elnuh, Precious Gems Local luminaries Garrett T. Capps & NASA Country had a packed lineup that also includes Lockhart’s Tele Novella, a group that’s a fused medieval aesthetic and honky tonk twang on its latest Kill Rock Stars LP, Poet’s Tooth. San Antonio-to-Arizona shoegaze transplant Elnuh and Austin band Precious Gems round out the bill. Precious Gems — the newest project from Little Mazarn’s Lindsay Verrill and Nicole Hale — has the erstwhile folkies exploring charged ambience and enjoyable uncertainty. $10, 8 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose.com. — DG

Ghostland Observatory, House Arrest Austin’s Ghostland Observatory will ring in the new year with its much-loved brand of electro-clash pop fury. The scrappy duo rose to fame through hard touring and an absurdly over-the-top live show that’s converted countless fans. Love ’em or hate ’em, that hard-won experience translates into one hell of a live spectacle. Just as impressive is that the band, despite its success, continues to self-release albums on its own Dirty Moped label. Expect lasers, bass drops and lots of hands waving in the air. $50-$125, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BB

Sunday, Jan. 7

Thursday, Jan. 4

Tuesday, Jan. 9

Haley Reinhart Talented jazz vocalist Haley Reinhart’s career has featured interesting twists and turns. For one, a third-place finish on American Idol led to a slot at the 2012 Lollapalooza — an unlikely but compelling trajectory. She’s also been featured on TV shows and even guested on famed actor Jeff Goldblum’s 2018 album of jazz standards. Her versatile vocal technique places her alongside modern greats Amy Winehouse and Adele. $36, 8 p.m., Carver Community Cultural Center, 226. N. Hackberry St., (210) 207-7211, thecarver.org. — BB

Smoking Popes Chicago’s Caterer brothers, Josh, Eli and Matt, formed a band in the parents’ basement in 1990 that eventually emerged as the pop-punk outfit Smoking Popes. The group’s 1994 single “Need You Around” broke out on the “Clueless” soundtrack and earned an invite to tour with Green Day. The Smoking Popes’ latest single, “Madison,” shows that the brothers can still bring it with their bouncy brand of punk. $18, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — DC

Friday, Jan. 5 Slaughter Beach, Dog, Sun June Slaughter Beach, Dog was initially the solo project of Jake Ewald of revered Philadelphia emo band Modern Baseball. However, the project has taken on a life of its own, evolving into a full-fledged band to realize its mellow take on indie-rock. The music slides along at its own pace, unfussy and unhurried. As such, the comma in the band’s name seems strangely consistent with its music. Austin’s Sun June

Brandon Padier and Black Gold, Favorite Son, Chavela!

Hometown singer-songwriter Brandon Padier will celebrate the release of his latest album, Kintsugi, with this Sunday matinee show.

Expect the performance to highlight the gifted multi-instrumentalist and his talented supporting players. The polish on the album’s first single “Still Learning” shines through, making it a perfect fit for honky-tonk jukeboxes. $10, 5 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerosesa.com. — DC

Wednesday, Jan. 10 Goon Squad Presents: A David Bowie Tribute Since 2016, members of San Antonio synthpop band Moon Tokki have presented an annual tribute to the music, fashion and cultural influence of the late David Bowie. This year’s blowout promises to be the biggest yet, with a Bowie costume contest, a Bowie-themed photo booth, local vendors and a drag performance from House of Eternas. $15-$20, 7 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx. com. — BB

Open Mic Mondays $3 WELLS ALL NIGHT LONG

“Bundling Up”--plenty of layers.

by Matt Jones © 2023 Matt Jones Across 1. Yogurt-based Indian drink 6. ___ noche (tonight, in Spanish) 10. Onetime Kremlin figure 14. Had takeout, perhaps 15. Like a dime 16. Kitchen gadget and cookware company 17. Piece of paper with nothing on it 19. Seriously lack 20. Position in an ordered list 21. “Desperate Housewives” actress Hatcher 22. Initials on a Cardinal’s cap 23. “... and so on” 24. Obey Daylight Saving Time, maybe 28. Name not to say out loud right now (lest it turns on devices) 30. Pearl bearer 31. Do some coding?

36. Rita who judged on “The X Factor” 37. How a winning streak might be described 42. Floor decor 43. Driving levy 44. Letter-based British secondary school exam, once 47. Prearrange

51. High-grade, ultra-soft European fabric 56. “Messenger” material 57. Had been 58. Abel’s big brother 59. Mid-century music system 60. Parliament member 62. “You’re welcome to visit” 64. Alumnus, for short 65. Once again 66. Of service 67. Biblical boats 68. Coin flip 69. “___ be great!”

Down 1. Tar pits location 2. Repetitively named Aztec spear-throwing tool 3. Medium setting?

4. Bathroom fixture 5. Tats 6. It’s a bit of a knockout 7. Rob Zombie’s spouse, fashion designer ___ Moon Zombie 8. Advertising gimmick 9. Six-legged creature 10. Place to the right of the decimal point 11. He-Man’s nemesis 12. Cy Young Award winner, probably 13. Tackle component 18. Engine additive and NASCAR sponsor 22. Put into words 24. Hourglass filler 25. “Yeah, yeah, I know”

26. Prefix for space 27. Sketch 29. Baby boomer’s kid 32. Paste shortcut, on PCs 33. Los Del ___ (“Macarena” duo) 34. 1950s singer Sumac 35. ___ Xing (street sign) 37. Trampled, with “on” 38. “The Handmaid’s Tale” streamer 39. Belinda Carlisle hit where she “can’t speak” 40. Conde ___ Traveler 41. Timber tool 45. Rarer PokÈmon collectibles from the Sword & Shield Series 46. Interjections outside a Tim Hortons, maybe?

48. Pub contest fodder 49. Not noticed 50. Like sorted socks 52. Budgetary prefix 53. Gold fabrics 54. Opinions 55. U2 producer Brian 59. Frozen planet in “The Empire Strikes Back” 60. Golfing org.

61. Miss the mark 62. Nyan ___ (meme with a repetitive earworm) 63. Cashew, e.g.

2423 N ST MARY’S ST 78212

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