San Antonio Current – March 13, 2019

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DETENTION INC. TRUMP’S IMMIGRANT CRACKDOWN MEANS BIG MONEY FOR PRIVATE PRISONS, INCLUDING THREE IN SA’S BACKYARD

SAN ANTONIO, TX

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CURRENT | March 13–26, 2019 | sacurrent.com

in this issue San Antonio Current

Issue 19_06 /// March 13-26, 2019

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

Editorial

Senior Editor: Bryan Rindfuss Food & Nightlife Editor: Lea Thompson Art Director: Carlos Aguilar Staff Writer: Chris Conde Digital Content Editor: Sarah Martinez Contributors: Ron Bechtol, Daniel Conrad, James Courtney, Callie Enlow, Jade Esteban Estrada, Dan R. Goddard, Lance Higdon, Steven G. Kellman, Hannah Lorence, Kiko Martínez, Kelly Merka Nelson, M. Solis, Gary Sweeney, Erin Winch Editorial Interns: Zach Alaniz, Clarence Beal, Louis Q. Iverson, Garrett McGinley, Lori Salazar, Travis Snyder

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Circulation Manager: Justin Giles

Business

Operations Manager: Sarah Estrada Business Support Specialist: Samantha Lopez

Sanford Nowlin

15 Feature

47 Music

Detention Inc.

South by So What

Trump’s immigrant crackdown means big money for private prisons, including three in SA’s backyard

BY S A N F O R D N O W L I N

Music Top Picks

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07 News

School’s Out Forever

After reaching a compromise, council votes to raze Beacon Hill Elementary School

Glitter Political

Downtown Councilman Roberto Treviño Strives to Strike a Balance

20 Calendar

Our top picks for the week

33 Arts

Funny Is Funny

Comedian Carol Burnett returns to her hometown to reflect on her life and career

Mike McCrary’s Novel Hard Hearts Swings Big Secrets Like a Hammer Mujer Power

Women artists take over Artpace with a trio of exhibitions tackling gender, race and identity

Artists ponder whether the benefits of playing South by Southwest outweigh the hassles

39 Screens

Taking Flight

58 Etc

Savage Love, Crossword Puzzle, Astrology, This Modern World

Birds of Passage confronts drug cartel narrative from a unique perspective

Dancers in the Dark

Climax is an art-house-horror hybrid from the provocative mind of filmmaker Gaspar Noé

41 Food

Bubbling Up

Southside Craft Soda looks to grow while bottling SA culture

Good Neighbor

Eastside Kitchenette winning a fan base that extends beyond its Government Hill digs

Downing ‘Em Downtown

Familiar Center City Drinking Spots Offering New Twists

On The Cover: A trio of San Antonio-area detention facilities are among the privtely operated sites housing immigrants caught up in the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance policy.

Illustration: Rob Dobi Art Direction: Tracie Louck sacurrent.com | March 13–26, 2019 | CURRENT

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news

School’s Out Forever

After reaching a compromise, council votes to raze Beacon Hill Elementary School

BY EDMOND ORTIZ

T

he debate whether to demolish or renovate the former Beacon Hill Elementary School came to a close last week as city council rejected a historic landmark designation for the site.

However, as part of a compromise, council also approved an agreement asking the San Antonio Independent School District to develop a cultural heritage curriculum that would help students better appreciate their neighborhoods.

“Preservation efforts must be balanced to ensure our past is remembered with an allowance for growth and change when preservation is not viable,” District 1 Councilman Roberto Treviño said prior to the unanimous vote last Thursday.

Treviño last year asked SAISD to consider repurposing Beacon Hill Elementary to meet the needs of the neighborhood. Last fall, the city’s Historic and Design Review Commission also recommended designating the site a historic landmark.

Others, however, argued that the building — shuttered by SAISD in 1999 to open Beacon Hill Academy next door — is beyond salvag-

ing and that the property could be better used by the academy.

During his time on council, Treviño has promoted preservation efforts, especially in the inner city, where redevelopment has encroached on older neighborhoods. But, during Thursday’s meeting, he said it was better for SAISD to invest in its students than preserve the closed campus, built in the early 20th Century.

School board member Christina Martinez, who represents Beacon Hill, said dealing with the dilapidated school is a top priority for residents in her district, especially Beacon Hill alumni.

“As a parent, I can’t imagine having to walk my child every day by a building that was sitting there, that was ugly and an eyesore and kept [the new school] from having a space they really wanted,” she said.

Eighteen gifted and talented students from Beacon Hill Academy researched the issue and conceptualized how their school could reuse the neighboring property if SAISD was allowed to demolish the structure. The students consulted with Treviño and took part in

a community meeting in January.

Academy Principal Laryn Nelson asked the council to deny the historical-site designation. “[Students and community members are] counting on you to remember them and to honor the 18 students who started this quest,” Nelson said. “I want to tell them that their voice matters.”

City and school district officials last week announced that they had reached a compromise that involved adding the proposed cultural heritage curriculum. However, some council members expressed concern that the city seemed to be dictating school curriculum — which only the district and state can do.

“That’s a pretty ambitious ask,” District 5 Councilwoman Shirley Gonzales said.

However, SAISD President and former councilwoman Patti Radle said the new curriculum wouldn’t add to teachers’ classroom burdens. The compromise, she added, prioritizes the future education in the district.

“It takes a certain amount of humility when you’re standing your ground and you realize to get to a better place, you need to compromise,” Radle said.

Even though he voted for the compromise, District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez excoriated the district for letting Beacon Hill Elementary fall into disrepair. He also criticized district leadership for what he characterized as an exaggeration of safety hazards at the former school, and for fear-mongering in the community.

“I think it’s incredibly distasteful to bring in someone’s kids and use them as props to bolster your argument,” Pelaez added.

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

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CURRENT | March 13–26, 2019 | sacurrent.com

news

Jade Esteban Estrada

GLITTER POLITICAL

Downtown Councilman Roberto Treviño Strives to Strike a Balance

BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA

I

’m sitting across from Roberto C. Treviño in his office, its walls full of art by local creators.

“You see, my office is full of art because I don’t have a window,” he says with a warm, raspy voice.

It was this love of art, in conjunction with his volunteerism and philanthropy, that led the McAllen native to win the District 1 appointment in December 2014, after predecessor Diego Bernal stepped down to run in a special election for a vacant seat in Texas House. Treviño was elected the following year and re-elected in 2017.

Growing up, Treviño always imagined what it would be like to be both an architect and a pilot. As District 1 councilman, he’s had an opportunity to find out, since he uses his deep understanding of the structural details of the city center while steering the direction of downtown’s future from his council seat.

On May 4, Treviño, now 48, will face his third election, this time in a field flush with opponents. He seems nonplussed. That may be because he senses that his unique qualifier as downtown’s citizen-architect sets him apart from the pack.

His manner, as he discusses sidewalks, lights and roofs seems more like the talk of an artist than a poli-

tician. The ebb and flow of his intimate speaking style bring to mind past conversations with local creative luminaries like David Blancas, the visual artist, and Poet Laureate Octavio Quintanilla.

Treviño’s accomplishments have been hard to ignore.

In 2017, for example, he initiated the council vote that created the rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of North Main and Evergreen in the city’s gay nightlife district. The project made a befitting sequel to Bernal’s non-discrimination ordinance, a generational milestone for the city’s LGBTQ residents.

And with a #rainbowcrosswalk hashtag now widely shared on Instagram, Treviño’s legacy bears a cultural significance that will outlast his time in this office. It also makes him a hero among locals aware of his part in creating the landmark.

As we delve into a pool of McAllen memories, Treviño cancels his next appointment and tells me about the time he met his childhood idol, motorcycle-jumping stunt performer Evel Knievel.

When he was nine, Treviño and his best friend, Bobby, stumbled across the motorcycle-encircled travel trailer of Knievel, who was in town for an appearance.

As they approached, Knievel’s son Robbie, who was

about the same age as Treviño, rose from a hammock and struck up a conversation. “[Then] Evel Knievel shows up,” Treviño says with widened eyes. “Like the man, right?”

Knievel asked his son who the newcomers were.

“Dad, meet my new friends!” Robbie replied enthusiastically. “We’re all a bunch of Roberts!”

Knievel nodded with amusement. “Oh, really? So, we’re all Roberts here, huh?”

Treviño pauses. “And I said to him, ‘Wait a minute...

I thought your name was Evel.’” After a hearty laugh, Knievel explained that Evel was his nickname and that his real name was Robert.

“And I was like, ‘Whaaat?’” Treviño recounts with youthful ardor. “I can’t believe my hero’s name is also my name!”

It was a “cool moment” for the books.

Treviño has become a bit of a star himself as the torch-bearer for a district he describes as “the heart of the city.” Our conversation circles back to his architectural experience, which he says allows him to view the quality-of-life needs of his constituency through a filter of practicality.

I ask what architecture has taught him about life.

“Architecture has taught me to see the world through many different perspectives,” he says. “That’s what architecture is about. It’s about people.”

Treviño says the best architects are the ones “who understood how we’re all connected.” He also maintains that “architecture can help drive a significant message about civilization [and] communities.”

In his case, Treviño says he carefully considers how future generations will remember the 1836 Battle of the Alamo as he works on improvements to the Alamo Plaza visitor experience.

When it comes to affordable housing, he asks me to momentarily take away the element of cost.

“What’s left? People just want a good roof over their head. A roof leak can become a serious issue, much like a homeless person who has a hygiene problem that’s not taken care of. It turns into a medical issue,” he adds, referring to the mobile shower truck he’s proposed that the city purchase to serve the homeless population.

At one point, he picks up on my perplexity over the inside-baseball details of architecture and smiles. “I can get very technical. That’s the beauty of architecture. You have to balance the esoteric ideals with the technical realities.”

I ask Treviño if he thinks he’s good at that.

“I think so. Balance is the difficult thing. It’s something that we need to remind ourselves of daily,” he says, adding that he admires people who can find balance in their personal lives. “The scale doesn’t matter.

It’s about where you find your balance.”

Treviño seems to have fashioned a clear-eyed equilibrium between his two childhood aspirations. The architect knows that architecture requires balance.

The pilot can see the connection between architecture and people.

The day-to-day actualization of this dream job seems to offer the councilman some unique insights — and, from the cheap seats, a political advantage.

Maybe from 30,000 feet, we’re all a bunch of Roberts. sacurrent.com | March 13–26, 2019 | CURRENT

9

Detention Inc. Trump’s immigrant crackdown means big money for private prisons, including three in SA’s backyard

By Sanford Nowlin 10 CURRENT | March 13–26, 2019 | sacurrent.com

I

t’s tempting to think President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration polices are playing out elsewhere, the immigrant roundups and family detentions having their biggest impact in dusty border towns.

But, in reality, the San Antonio area is ground zero for Trump’s zero-tolerance policies.

That’s because three of the largest federal immigrant detention centers are located in small towns an hour or less south of the Alamo City. And they’re all run by private prison companies whose treatment of inmates has been decried by human rights groups.

A 2,400-bed detention center in Dilley operated by CoreCivic Inc. and an 830-bed facility in Karnes City run

by Geo Group Inc. represent 95 percent of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s capacity for detaining migrant families. A third, higher-security detention site — Geo’s 1,900-

bed jail in Pearsall — houses detainees awaiting immigration hearings, some jailed for nothing more than minor traffic violations.

ICE is spending $2 billion this year to hold immigrants at privately run jails like the three south of San Antonio, and it wants five more around the country, according to federal documents. Boca Raton, Fla.-based Geo and Nashville-based CoreCivic — two of the nation’s largest private prison companies — will likely benefit from that expansion, observers say.

“People should be asking why we’re spending so much tax money to have private companies lock up people who aren’t dangerous,” said Lauren-Brooke Eisen, a senior fellow at the NYU School of Law’s Brennan Center who follows the private-prison industry. “Our country has a history of stoking unfounded fears around immigration and crime.”

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Sanford Nowlin

6 10 Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Human Rights Watch and Detention Watch Network have assembled detailed reports of medical neglect, sexual assaults and deaths of migrants in private custody. Those result, advocates argue, as corporate jailers cut corners on caring for detainees so they can attain higher profits.

Such concerns came into sharp focus this month when human rights groups demanded that 16 infants under a year old be released from the Dilley detention center, citing lack of medical care, baby food and clean water. The babies were released after the story made national news.

Responding to an interview request for this story, CoreCivic sent an email saying its Dilley site represents a “safe and appropriate” environment for families. In addition to recreational

facilities, a library and chapels, it offers Pre-K through 12th-grade educational programs, the company added.

Similarly, Geo provided an email statement ticking off resources available at its Karnes City facility — among those, educational programs, 24-hour medical care and a range of recreational activities.

“The company’s employees are proud of our record in managing ICE Processing Centers with high-quality, culturally responsive services in safe and humane environments,” the Geo statement reads.

For its part, ICE issued an email statement saying allegations of unsafe conditions at Texas detention centers are “utterly false.”

The Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general issued a 2017 report calling family detention sites “clean, well-organized and efficiently run,” the agency added.

San Antonio Presence While privately run immigrant detention sites are located all over the country, three sizable facilities are located just South of San Antonio.

Facility Location South Texas Detention Complex Pearsall Karnes Family Residential Center Karnes City South Texas Family Residential Center Dilley

Number of beds 1,904 830 2,400

Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission documents

Operator Geo Group Geo Group CoreCivic

In Lockdown With its razor-wire fences and windowless concrete walls, Geo’s Pearsall site resembles a high-security prison. As such, it’s emblematic of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, which aims to use detention as a deterrent to asylum seekers.

And, according to immigrant rights groups, the conditions inside are no picnic.

Work at the lockup isn’t mandatory, but advocates say it may as well be. It’s one of the few releases from boredom and the only way many of the detainees are able to make money to spend at the commissary. Those lucky enough to pull kitchen duty make $3 a day, while those sweeping floors and doing other menial work make just $1 a day.

Geo manages its end-run around minimum wage law because ICE considers those who do labor “volunteers” instead of employees. The availability of those volunteers, critics argue, allows the company to hold down its own labor costs and add to the bottom line.

“I don’t see any excuse for a corporation to make a profit off of someone’s indentured servitude,” said Sara Ramey, executive director for the San Antonio-based Migrant Center for Human Rights and an attorney who represents clients held in the jail.

Washington State also has concerns with the practice. Its attorney general sued Geo 17 6

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6 15 last year for using that pay scale at its Tacoma facility, arguing that the company is violating state minimum wage laws.

In its email statement, Geo defended the practice, saying its pay rate was set by ICE and the company is “required to abide by these federally mandated standards.”

But low wages aren’t the only problem human rights groups have with the private detention centers south of San Antonio.

Geo’s Pearsall site was cited in a recent Human Rights Watch study that documents the high number of recent deaths at ICE detention facilities. And, in 2014, the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund submitted a complaint over allegations of ongoing sexual abuse of women detained in the Karnes City center.

In Dilley, an ICE contractor provides medical care, but is unable to provide on-site specialists, such as cardiologists or obstetrician-gynecologists, advocates said. What’s more, many of the detained children, already traumatized by the conditions that led their families to flee their home countries, are unable to cope with weeks or months of detention as they wait for their asylum cases to play out.

“We have serious concerns about the mental and physical effect detention has on these children,” said Katy Murdza, advocacy coordinator with the Sanford Nowlin

Deep-Pocketed Donors Both Geo Group and Core Civic, the operators of San Antonio-area immigrant detention facilities, are significant contributors to federal elections.

Dilley Pro Bono Project, which provides legal help at the site. “We see behavioral regression — children wetting their beds, insisting on being carried by their mothers, even though they can walk on their own. We see them refusing to leave their mothers’ side.”

Geo Group — Top recipients (2018 election cycle) Rick Scott, Senate (R-Florida) $70,400 John Culberson, House (R-Texas) $32,900 Henry Cuellar, House (D-Texas) $32,400 John Carter, House (R-Texas) $31,600 Mike Lee, Senate (R-Utah) $25,000 Tom Graves, House (R-Georgia) $15,000 Carlos Curbelo, House (R-Florida) $10,200 Mike Coffman, House (R-Colorado) $10,000 John Cornyn, Senate (R-Texas) $10,000 Josh Hawley, Senate (R-Missouri) $10,000 Core Civic Inc. — Top recipients (2018 election cycle) Marsha Blackburn, House (R-Tennessee) $94,700 Bob Corker, Senate (R-Tennessee) $93,258 Lamar Alexander, Senate (R-Tennessee) $76,550 Hal Rogers, House (R-Kentucky) $58,400 John McCain, Senate (R-Arizona) $36,846 Mitt Romney, Senate (R-Utah) $36,400 Steve Fincher, Senate (R-Tennessee) $32,374 John Culberson, House (R-Texas) $31,500 Mitch McConnell, Senate (R-Kentucky) $30,600 John Carter, House (R-Texas) $30,000 Source: Center for Responsive Politics

Profit Motives Prison companies such as Geo and CoreCivic bill the government up to several hundred dollars a day per inmate in their custody, according to human rights groups. That makes warehousing migrants a big business.

Last year, Geo turned a tidy $144.8 million profit on revenues of $2.33 billion. For its part, Core Civic reported earnings of $159.2 million on revenues of $1.84 billion.

And those corporate gains are likely to grow as the Trump administration continues its crackdown, observers say. Federal data obtained by the New York Times shows that in September of last year, 12,800 migrant children were in federally contracted shelters — a five-fold jump from a year prior.

“The costs to continue warehousing people are astronomical,” said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat. “For the cost we’re paying per day, you could put them up in a Ritz-Carlton pretty much anywhere in the world.”

But Castro, who chairs the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said his concerns go beyond the waste of tax dollars. His recent tours of detention facilities

in Texas, New Mexico and Florida have convinced him the current system is “morally bankrupt.”

“In addition to the problematic profit motives, the use of these private contractors creates a system of less transparency and less accountability,” he said.

Corridors of Power Castro is among a growing number of lawmakers advocating for more scrutiny for private detention facilities. However, Geo and CoreCivic have spent freely to make sure they have Washington allies, mostly on the Republican side of the aisle.

Last year, Geo reported nearly $1.6 million in federal lobbying expenditures, while CoreCivic reported $1.2 million, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

In the last election cycle, Geo also flowed $1.3 million to federal candidates, including San Antonio Congressman Henry Cuellar, a Democrat, and Republican Texas Sen. John Cornyn. CoreCivic funneled more than $378,000 to federal campaigns during the cycle.

What’s more, the companies’ expenditures suggest they see an ally in Trump. Geo gave $250,000 to fund the president’s inauguration ceremony, according to CRP’s data. Meanwhile, a subsidiary of CoreCivic ponied up an equal sum for the festivities.

“These companies have an incentive to keep costs down and to keep beds filled,” said Kathrine Russell, a staff attorney with San Antonio-based immigrant legal services provider RAICES, which 19 6

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Sanford Nowlin

6 17 represents clients at the San Antonio-area detention sites. “There’s a real concern the companies are lobbying for more people to be detained and for detentions to last longer.”

Broken System The predictable response from immigration hardliners is that if people don’t like being locked up like criminals, they shouldn’t cross the border illegally.

But immigrant rights groups argue that the punishment doesn’t match the crime. Being in the U.S. without papers is a misdemeanor offense. Not to mention, immigration detention is technically a civil, not criminal, matter.

Why then, advocates ask, are detention facilities being run like prisons for hardened criminals? And since most of the detainees don’t represent flight risks as they await immigration hearings, why aren’t they being released on their own personal recognizance or with an ankle monitor?

The Obama administration’s Justice Department in 2016 determined that private prisons were more violent that government-run facilities and began phasing them out. However, Trump’s first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, reversed the order after taking office.

And with Trump’s turbocharged approach to immigration enforcement, it looks likely his administration will only increase its reliance on private detention.

At present, there are 829,000 cases pending in U.S. immigration courts, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University, which tracks federal spending. That backlog has increased by 50 percent since Trump took office in 2017.

Last month, 86 U.S. reps sent a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director L. Francis Cissna demanding an explanation for the delays and voicing concern over the “adverse effect on American families, U.S. businesses and vulnerable populations.”

While there have been baby steps such as the recent hiring of 50 new immigration judges, the backlog doesn’t appear to be clearing up any time soon. In the meantime, the Trump administration seems sure to continue its reliance on private detention sites like the three south of San Antonio.

“What makes it troubling is that these detainees haven’t been convicted of anything,” said the Brennan Center’s Eisen. “All they’ve done is cross the border seeing asylum.”

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With an origin story not unlike that of fellow Puerto Rican drag star Jessica Wild (who performed in San Antonio on March 6), Yara Sofia rose through the ranks of San Juan’s LGBT nightlife scene, perfecting her craft in famed clubs like Krash and eventually landing on RuPaul’s Drag Race — with a considerable language barrier in tow. Likening the season three contestant to “Charo on mood elevators,” the Huffington Post

Courtesy of Yara Sofia

wrote, “Not since season two’s Jessica Wild has the English language been butchered in such endearing ways.” The dark, dramatic alter ego of Universidad del Sagrado Corazón grad Gabriel Burgos, Sofia won over fans with quick wit, solid sewing skills, avant-garde costumes (she claims late fashion disruptor Alexander McQueen as her biggest style inspiration) and the mantra “echa pa’ lante” (which roughly translates to “push forward”). Although she followed her own optimistic catch phrase all the way to fourth place, Sofia let her distaste for the show’s judging criteria get under ART

‘CIVIL PLEASURES’

Ross Cashiola

20 CURRENT | March 13–26, 2019 | sacurrent.com

her skin and essentially threw in the towel during a Lip Sync for Your Life against Alexis Mateo (who once claimed she couldn’t understand Sofia whether she was speaking English or Spanish).

Speaking to the online magazine NewNowNext about her onstage meltdown, Sofia explained, “I was doing it on purpose. I just wanted RuPaul to send me home. That was the intention.” Despite that emotional departure, fans stood by Sofia’s side and elected her as Miss Congeniality for season three. A year later, the imaginative designer, dancer and makeup artist triumphantly returned to the small screen via the inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, competing alongside Mateo as “Team Yarlexis” and finishing in third place.

Crowned “Miss Skin Wars” on a 2016 episode of the Game Show Network’s body-painting competition series, the Las Vegas-based queen serves double duty on Wednesday as a guest performer and judge at the All Stars edition of Rey Lopez Entertainment’s Drag Me to Fame talent search. $5-$15, midnight Wed,

GAMEXPO 4.0 T

San Antonio’s homegrown games convention Gamexpo 4.0 returns this spring for a weekend celebrating games of all types, from video games to tabletop, and every niche in between. Gamexpo puts gaming first — while the convention schedule only features four panels, every hour of the day is jam-packed with gameplay, ranging from the wily game of deceit Are You a Werewolf ? to the time-honored classic Dungeons and Dragons.

The expo also features chances to compete in small tournaments for inventive games — you can wage allout war as monsters, aliens or robots in King of Tokyo, woo the Princess of Tempest in the Love Letter card game, or escape assassination in Codenames.

If you want to get your creative juices flowing, join the Tabletop Game Jam to invent a game from scratch, or flex your coding muscles in the Mobile Game Jam. $15-$40 5pm-2am Fri, 10am-2am Sat, 10am-7pm Sun, Hilton San Antonio Airport, 611 NW Loop 410, (210) 340-6060, thegamexpo.com.

— Kelly Merka Nelson

SAT | 3/16

At its core, Contemporary Art Month (CAM) is designed to “promote and raise the national profile of San Antonio contemporary art and artists” but the nonprofit that makes the tradition tick also understands the value of outside perspectives and welcomes them annually through creative collaborations with national and international artists and curators. While it’s not one of CAM’s “foreign exchange” programs such as the CAM Perennial or CAMx, the group show “Civil Pleasures” falls neatly into that cross-pollination category by bringing together seven artists connected by the mystical, magical, high desert art mecca of Marfa. In every imaginable persuasion, painting also emerges a common — but not exclusive — thread running through “Civil Pleasures.” With a resume that includes solo shows in New York, Los Angeles and Berlin, and press from Art in America, Artforum and the New York Times, New Jesery-born Van Hanos is perhaps the best-known artist in the bunch. Currently living and woking in Marfa, he paints in styles ranging from photo-realistic portraiture and conceptual landscapes to humorous surrealism and hybrids in between. Based between Austin and Marfa, Biff Bolen employs an almost childlike sensibility in garish abstractions and playful figurative paintings he says are “meant to discomfort first, and then to be assimilated, like a bad stand-up comic or extremely spicy food. Start with agitation, then make a sandwich.” Raised in the seemingly disparate locales of Marfa and Bremen, Germany, Moritz Landgrebe draws inspiration from “the architecture of our physical, and also our immaterial surroundings.” While versed in painting, drawing and video work, his recent output falls in the three-dimensional realm via sculptures rendered from MDF, Bondo, nails, spray paint and other low-brow materials that “can be found at the hardware store.” A California native now based in Marfa, Natalie Melendez spins “American detritus” into sculptural collage work that’s currently being collected in a book based on her recent series Birds of America.

A Chicagoan who’s been embedded in all aspects of Marfa culture since 2006, Ross Cashiola is arguably best recognized for his long-running, earthy music project Hotel Brotherhood but proves himself here as a accomplished visual artist with paintings that bring classical subjects into bizarre, contemporary contexts. With roots in Arizona and a connection to West Texas through Cashiola, Rhode Island-based Norbert Garcia also plays with classical iconography albeit in moody, slightly ominous drawings rendered in charcoal on unstretched canvas. Most likely to be familiar to locals, San Antonio’s own Amanda Benavides studied under Hanos at Columbia University and was featured in Freight Gallery’s memorable 2018 exhibition “Images of Power.” Through painting and mixed-media work, she addresses “the ideas of action, physicality, gender, race, hip-hop culture, queerness and violence.” Organized by Vance Knowles, who ran the music program at the renowned contemporary art space Ballroom Marfa before relocating to San Antonio, “Civil Pleasures” is worthy of a visit based solely on its historic venue — the Spire, a 19th-century East Side church the Guide to the Historical Markers of Bexar County describes as “the first established for African Americans in San Antonio.” Free, 7-10pm Sat, the Spire, 230 Center St., contemporaryartmonth.com. — BR

SPORTS

SPURS VS. WARRIORS

The Spurs go for their second win against the Golden State Warriors this season on Monday night at what is sure to be a raucous AT&T Center. When the two teams clashed back in November, San Antonio prevailed with 24 points and 18 rebounds from LaMarcus Aldridge. The February rematch in Oakland went decidedly in the Warriors favor with Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan and Derrick White unavailable. With recent losses to the Heat, Magic and a beatdown at home from the Boston Celtics, the defending champions have shown glints of vulnerability as they grind toward a staggering fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. With only one more regular season homestand remaining on the schedule, health is key for the Spurs as they eye a record 22nd consecutive postseason appearance.

Regardless of playoff seeding, the road to the Finals once again runs through Oakland. $55$4,025, 7pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Pkwy., (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com. — M. Solis

WED | 3/20 ART

‘SUBJECTIVE TIMBRE’ p

Amada Miller dove into 2019 with exhibitions at galleries Sala Diaz, FL!GHT, Blue Star Contemporary and Austin’s Mass Gallery, and she’s showing no signs of stopping anytime soon. For her third opening this month, Miller will take over the unconventional gallery space at Southtown’s MBS Fitness with “Subjective Timbre,” an esoteric exploration of color using Bauhaus scholar Johannes Itten’s theory of color dualities. Drawing from her experience with textile art, Miller’s fiber and sculpture pieces are dyed using both natural and synthetic processes, and investigate how humans experience color and form individual preferences. “Synthetic Timbre” will also integrate an Itten-inspired performance element, as Miller stages a recreation of The Egyptian Postures, a series of mystical movements Itten taught at Bahaus that “are claimed to be descended directly from the Pharaohs.” Free, 6pm, the Gallery at MBS, 1115 S. Alamo St., (210) 378-0379, mbsfitness.net. — KMN

Amada Cliare Miller

WED | 3/20 SPORTS

SPURS VS. HEAT 5

The D. Wade World Tour touches down in San Antonio Wednesday night, when Miami Heat icon Dwyane Wade returns for one last dance with the Spurs. After a stellar NBA career that includes three championships, 13 All-Star appearances, and a Finals MVP, Wade is hanging up his sneakers at the end of the season. Even as a member of LeBron’s Heatles, Wade always felt slightly more respected than King James around these parts, likely for taking down the Dallas Mavericks on his own in the 2006 finals. Earlier this season, the Heat handled the Spurs in Miami, despite 20 points from Patty Mills and 16 rebounds from LaMarcus Aldridge. At All-Star Weekend in Charlotte, Wade promised to go out shooting, which should make for a memorable night against the Spurs. $25-$370, 7:30pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Pkwy., (210) 444-5000, attcenter.com. — MS

FRI | 3/22 MUSIC

BLACK VIOLIN L

Breaking down stereotypes and cultural barriers is an underlying theme for Black Violin, a classical-meets-hip-hop duo co-fronted by classically trained musicians Kevin “Kev Marcus” Sylvester (violin) and Wilner “Wil B” Baptiste (viola). After graduating from Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, the pair parted ways for college but later reconnected and bonded over shared musical influences, including Chicago soul pioneer Curtis Mayfield and jazz hero Stuff Smith. Borrowing their name from an album Smith released in 1965, Black Violin scored an early breakout by winning Amateur Night at the Apollo,

calendar

MON | 3/18

Courtesy of Black Violin

Spurs Sports & Entertainment

charming what Sylvester dubbed “the hardest audience on the planet” with classically informed renditions of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy” and Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You.” Since that pivotal moment, Black Violin has released three full-length albums (2008’s Black Violin, 2012’s Classically Trained and 2015’s Stereotypes), collaborated with Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Wu-Tang Clan and Wyclef Jean, performed for the Obamas at the Kids’ Inaugural Concert in 2013 and joined Turnaround Arts, a nonprofit initiative bringing arts education to schools in underserved communities. Often going beyond the core ingredients of classical and hip-hop to concoct what they’ve called “a melting pot of music,” the duo truly shines in a live setting, mixing up unexpected covers and original material with support from percussionist Nat Stokes and turntablist DJ SPS. Like rock concerts appropriate for kids, grandparents and everything in between, these live shows exemplify Black Violin’s mission to bring diverse audiences together and inspire people to look at things from new perspectives. An excellent primer, the Black Violin YouTube channel chronicles both greatest hits (including the early favorite “A Flat” and the Black Lives Matter tribute “Stereotypes”) and oddities such as a “flip” on the Stranger Things theme song and a mashup of Mozart and Cardi B backed by the National Symphony Orchestra. $19.50-$49.50, 8pm Fri, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, H-E-B Performance Hall, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — BR

22 CURRENT | March 13–26, 2019 | sacurrent.com

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rus at 7 p.m. Free, 6pm Fri, Mission San José, 701 E. Pyron Ave.., (210) 207-0035, sanantonio.gov. — KMN

FRI | 3/22 SPECIAL EVENT

‘RESTORED BY LIGHT’ 5

Back by popular demand is the striking spectacle “Restored by Light,” a historical demonstration at the San Antonio Missions that first premiered at Mission Concepción in 2015. This time, “Restored

by Light” returns to Mission San José with a light show that uses custom 3D mapping to project a dramatic recreation of the brilliantly colored frescoes that originally ornamented the building. Accentuated by washes of color that shift across the stucco as well as depictions of Spanish colonial artwork, the crown jewel of the evening is the aforementioned restoration, faithfully rendered as accurately as possible with help from historical documentation collected by artist Ernst Schuhard in the 1920s. Instead of making extensive, and likely inaccurate, restorations to the buildings themselves, “Restored by Light” allows locals and tourists alike to see the original, festive designs of the Missions in a unique and non-invasive manner. Before the light show commences at 8:15 p.m., the event kicks off with kid-friendly activities at 6 p.m., followed by a performance by the USAA Band and Cho-

SAT | 3/23 SPECIAL EVENT

THE ROWDY WOMEN TAKE OVER!

City of San Antonio Office of Historic Preservation

The future is female? More like the present! To celebrate this year’s Women’s History Month, the South Texas Museum of Popular Culture (known familiarly as TexPop) is getting overrun

by Rowdy Women of all stripes. The event features more than 40 artists and vendors, including Genevieve Ashcraft, Laura Robles, Lisa Nigro, Melanie Longoria and Grandma Coyote, among others. While there’s plenty to feast your eyes on, you may want to spend the evening rocking out to grrl powered jams. Gritty Brooklyn-based alt-grunge rocker Lola Pistola will kick things into gear, followed by psychedelic San Antonio quartet Eye of the Day, and local metal mainstay Heather Leather will cap off the night with a bang. Free, 7pm, South Texas Museum of Popular Culture, 1017 E. Mulberry Ave., (210) 858-8935, texpopsa.org. — KMN

SPECIAL EVEN T

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL

Armed with three degrees from Moscow’s Russian Academy of Music, concert pianist Anya Grokhovski arrived in the U.S. in 1989 and moved to San Antonio three years later for a position as a staff accompanist at UTSA. After bringing several Russian and European musicians to San Antonio for performances, Grokhovski launched an intimate series of house concerts that evolved into Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW) — a multicultural arts nonprofit that aims to “unite people one concert at a time.” While possibly best recognized for its genre-spanning series Musical Evenings at San Fernando Cathedral, MBAW also reaches 50,000 students, including at-risk youth, each year through its Kids to Concerts initiative and organizes the quadrennial Gurwitz International Piano Competition (formerly the San Antonio International Piano Competition). Added to the mix in 2014, MBAW’s International Music Festival has imported musicians from Syria, Colombia, India, Iran and beyond for free concerts held in landmark venues. As MBAW Director of Advancement Suhail Arastu puts it, the International Music Festival “creates opportunity for meaningful community dialogue by highlighting hotspots from around the world, where from we are fed negative news and stereotypes. Musical Bridges aims to showcase the beauty, creativity and art that is born of those same regions.” Now in its sixth year, the festival serves up a globe-trotting soundtrack via five distinct concerts: Persian Delight with an American Twist represents an intriguing collaboration between progressive young string quartet Brooklyn Rider and Grammy-nominated Persian fiddle master Kayhan Kalhor (free, 7pm Fri, Mar. 22, Empire Theatre); Tom Harrell Quintet with Ambrose Akinmusire sees award-winning jazz trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire joining a quintet led by Tom Harrell, a prolific trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer who’s worked with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Bill Evans (free, 7pm Sat, Mar. 23, Empire Theatre); Rising Sun spotlights Brooklyn-based Kaoru Watanabe (pictured), a Japanese drummer and flutist who contributed music to both Matin Scorsese’s historical drama Silence and YoYo Ma’s Grammy-winning 2016 album Sing Me Home (free, 3pm Sun, Mar. 24, Empire Theatre); Tales of Renaissance promises to transport concert-goers to medieval and Renaissance Europe courtesy of the Austin Troubadours, an early-music septet that performs songs and dances in

FRI | 3/22 - SUN | 3/31 Musical Bridges Around the World

period costumes (free, 7pm Fri, Mar. 29, San Fernando Cathedral); and the aptly titled Family Affair closes out the fest on a fusionist note with Janoska, a Vienna-based ensemble comprised of four brothers adept at bouncing between classical, jazz, Latin, gypsy, tango and pop stylings (free, 7pm Sun, Mar. 31, San Fernando Cathedral). Free, Charline McCombs Empire Theater, 226 N. St. Mary’s St.; San Fernando Cathedral, 115 Main Plaza, (210) 464-1534, musicalbridges.org. — BR

sacurrent.com | March 13–26, 2019 | CURRENT

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SAT | 3/23 ART

‘ARCANE WILDERNESS’ L

sterile exhibit for human consumption.

Free, 6pm, Mantle Art Space, 714 Fredericksburg Rd., (210) 971-4740, mantleartspace.com. — KMN

DRAG + COMEDY

Courtesy of Lady Bunny

HATER’S ROAST

Joe Hedges’ “hypercombines” lean into the dichotomy between traditional and new media by juxtaposing oil paintings on wood and canvas with technological components. In Inscriptions, Hedges draws the viewer into a cave depicted in a wash of blues and grays, as the distorted echoes of contemporary broadcast news envelop them in an “echo chamber” of sorts. While Hedges’ paintings capture the natural world in intricate detail, the foregrounding of contemporary tech not only forces the viewer to “reflect on the screenbased experience of daily life in the 21st century,” but also calls attention to the artifice inherent in traditional media, for no matter how accurately rendered, each painting of natural scenery is still a facsimile — a snapshot divorced from its original context and displayed in a Manfred Baumann

SUN | 3/24 FILM + TALK

LA BAMBA L

For the next iteration of its Conversation series, the Tobin Center hosts Lou Diamond Phillips for a screening and moderated discussion of the film that gave him his first big break – 1987’s La Bamba. In the movie, Phillips plays Ritchie Valens, who rocketed to fame as a teen with the love ballad “Donna” and his enduring hit rendition of the folk song “La Bamba.” Tragically, Valens’ recording career spanned a

The Detroit-based production company known simply as Murray & Peter Present is behind the campy holiday revue A Drag Queen Christmas and the allegedly forthcoming Ultimate Drag Idol — a “gender-inclusive” RuPaul’s Drag Race alternative promising a $100,000 grand prize. Unleashed on the Aztec last year with a cast of 10 Drag Race contestants, the duo’s Haters Roast returns this year with a 2019 reboot of The Shady Tour. Although reliant on talent poached from RPDR, the bare-bones description for Haters Roast makes no direct mention of RuPaul while teasing out “an outrageous evening of unapologetic comedy starring the contestants from the reality television show on VH1.” If you can smell the drama bubbling up and want the “T,” look no further than the threads posted under the subreddit dedicated to all things RuPaul’s Drag Race (reddit.com/r/rupaulsdragrace). Squabbles and critiques aside, San Antonio loves its drag and local scenesters will undoubtedly already be familiar with the queens on the bill, thanks not only to that “show on VH1” but also LGBT nightlife innovator Rey Lopez, who’s brought a steady stream of RPDR stars to San Antonio since 2011. Hosted by snarky season six diva Darienne Lake (who performed at Heat last year), the all-ages night of zingers, stingers and low-down-dirty reads unites the talents of Willam, a season four cast-off whose acting credits include everything from the TV series Nip/Tuck to the film A Star Is Born, not to mention a Woodlawn Theatre production of The Rocky Horror Show; Shea Couleé, a foul-mouthed Chicago chameleon who made a memorable statement on season nine with a headpiece inspired by a hotdog; Thorgy Thor, a dreadlocked, Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist who’s been vocal about RPDR’s damaging effects on drag performers not lucky enough to make it onto the show; Latrice Royale, an admittedly “large-and-in-charge” Floridian who portrayed Dr. Frank-N-Further in a production of The Rocky Horror Show at the Josephine Theatre; Bendelacreme, a season six favorite who shocked fans by eliminating herself from the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars; Mimi Imfurst, a “larger-than-life” season three contestant who’s appeared in drag on both Nurse Jackie and The Celebrity Apprentice; and Lady Bunny (pictured), a New York drag icon, recording artist, DJ and comedian who co-founded the legendary festival Wigstock. Although open to all ages, Haters Roast is unsurprisingly riddled with adult content. And, in the words of Murray and Peter themselves, “Don’t buy a ticket if you can’t take a joke.” $38-$153, 8pm, Aztec Theatre, (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — BR

mere eight months before his untimely death in the infamous plane crash that also took the lives of musicians Buddy Holly and J.P. Richardson. The film’s inclusion of Valens’ fear of flying — rendered as nightmares about a plane collision that killed a childhood friend — may seem like Hollywood hokum, but the accident and his subsequent

phobia were in fact based in tragic truth. Phillips will discuss his portrayal of the young, groundbreaking musician, as well as the film’s importance both to him personally and to the general public. $22.50-$39.50, 4pm, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, H-E-B Performance Hall, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — KMN sacurrent.com | March 13–26, 2019 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | March 13–26, 2019 | sacurrent.com

For tickets & more information, please visit alamo.edu/pac/teatro or call the Box Office at 210-670-6670 Monday-Friday between 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

alamo.edu/pac/teatro

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Broadway in San Antonio

TUE | 3/26 WORDS

PUROSLAM FINALS

Since its inception back in 1999, the San Antonio institution known as PuroSlam has called many venues home — from bygone haunts like Re:Verb, the Wild Club, El Toro and the Korova to still-active mainstays like Sam’s Burger Joint, Southtown 101 and the Mix — while staying true to its roots as a platform for outspoken, envelope-pushing spoken word. Founded

by Benjamin Ortiz and in the hands of wordsmith Jason “Shaggy” Gossard since 2000, the Tuesday night tradition follows a steadfast format: anyone can sign up to compete, poets are given three minutes onstage to spit strictly original material, random audience members help judge performances, prizes are awarded, DJ Donnie Dee spins during the breaks — and booze and heckling are both part of the overall equation. “There is a reason I hold [the] slam so late and at a bar — I want it to have that punk-rock atmosphere,” Gossard explained to the Current in 2014. Unsurprisingly, PuroSlam’s irreverent, uncensored spirit hasn’t gone unnoticed at the National Poetry Slam (NPS), a roving championship tournament the group nearly won as a fresh force to be reckoned with back in 2000.

(Boos and hisses reportedly punctuated PuroSlam’s offerings at NPS in 2013.)

For the last seven months, PuroSlam poets have been duking it out at weekly

slams in hopes of scoring high enough to land in a group of 10 who’ll compete for just four coveted spots on a team bound for this year’s NPS in Oakland.

So far, confirmed competitors include 2014 San Antonio Grand Slam Poetry Champion Christopher “Rooster” Martinez, 2017 San Antonio Grand Slam Poetry Champion Chibbi, 2018 San Antonio Grand Slam Poetry Champion Diamond Mason, 2018 NPS team member Mandy Lynn, multi-year NPS team member Travis and rookie George Lee. It’s safe to say nerves will be running high as the special guest judge for the qualifying event is none other than San Antonio Poet Laureate Octavio Quintanilla. Free, 9:30pm-12:30am Tue, the Mix, 2423 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 735-1313, facebook.com/puroslam. — BR

TUE | 3/26 SUN | 3/31 THEATER

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF T

Probably most well-known for its 1971 film adaptation, productions of Fiddler on the Roof have run seemingly nonstop since its premiere on Broadway in 1964. With timeless classics such as “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” it’s no surprise that the musical has become a hallmark of community theater nationwide. The scene opens on patriarch Tevye, who wants happiness and stability for his five daughters, but is entrenched in the traditions under which he was raised. When the tides of change sweeping turn-of-the-century Europe finally wend their way to his small village, Tevye must reassess his values as his eldest daughters enter adulthood and assert their independence — Tzeitel finds love with a young, impoverished tailor, rejecting the matchmaker’s proposed pairing with a financially secure widower, and Hodel horrifies her parents by running off with the revolutionary gentile Perchik. On top of it all, tendrils of violence creep into their rural community, as the rising political persecution of Jews threatens their way of life. This national tour touching down at the Majestic features expert direction by Bartlett Sher, who took home a Tony for his 2008 revival of South Pacific. $40-$140, 7:30pm Tue-Thu, 8pm Fri, 2pm & 8pm Sat, 2pm & 7:30pm Sun, Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 2263333, majesticempire.com. — KMN

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The Magik Theatre Presents

March 9 - 16, 2019 Don’t miss The Very Hungry Caterpillar August 9 - 18, 2019

Tickets at TicketMaster.com by searching “Magik Theatre Presents - The Cat in the Hat” 226 N St Mary’s St, San Antonio, TX 78205

Art and language have always been inextricably linked; the artistic fascination with the written word spans continents and cultures. Words/Matter offers an innovative perspective on how Latin American artists have explored the connections between visual art and written language since the early decades of the twentieth century. Drawn primarily from the Blanton’s extensive Latin American art collection, the exhibition highlights key moments in the synthesis of words and art and examines its use to communicate personal, poetic, or political messages. Words/Matter features artists from Mexico to Uruguay working in a broad range of media, celebrating the subversive aesthetics of artists’ books, painted poems, political posters, and conceptual art. Make your plans to see it soon.

The University of Texas at Austin / blantonmuseum.org / @blantonmuseum / #WordsMatterATX Image: Carlos Amorales, Typographical Patterns for Mass Reproduction (sample book), 2012 Silkscreen, 11 11/16 x 15 5/8 x 13/16 in., Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, Gift of the Artist, 2017

arts

Funny Is Funny

Comedian Carol Burnett returns to her hometown to reflect on her life and career

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

I

t’s been more than 40 years since comedian Carol Burnett’s namesake variety TV show went off the air, but the San Antonio native still knows what it takes to make audiences laugh. Burnett, who grew up on the city’s West Side before moving with her grandmother to Hollywood in the late 1930s as a child, will return to her roots when she makes a stop at the Tobin Center on March 19 to reflect on her life and career and take questions from fans. The Current caught up with Burnett, 85, a few weeks ago to talk about her early years in San Antonio and how much TV has changed over the last four decades.

I know you lived in San Antonio for only a few years as a child, but are you OK with us flying the Carol Burnett flag high and still claiming you?

Oh, I love it! Once a Texan, always a Texan! I would love it even if I had left when I was six months old.

How did you feel when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) not only honored you in January with their first-ever lifetime achievement award for TV, but also named the award after you?

I was pretty surprised by it. They told me a month prior that they were creating a new award for television and that I was going to be the first recipient. The next thing I knew, they said they were going to name it after me! I was amazed!

Who would you like to see become a recipient of your namesake award in the future?

It doesn’t necessarily have to be an actor, just as long as they have a body of work. That could be someone in front of the camera or behind the camera. It could be a writer or a producer. I think of someone like [writer/producer] Norman Lear who has done so much.

Then, of course, Betty White!

In the past, you’ve talked about how going to the movie theater with your grandmother inspired you early in your life to pursue a job in the entertainment industry.

Did that include movie theaters in downtown San Antonio during the late 1930s?

Yes! I remember I was three or four years old and my feet didn’t touch the floor in the movie theater. I was in a San Antonio theater the first time I saw [actor] James Stewart (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) and I fell in love

Courtesy of Carol Burnett

with him. I told my grandmother, “Nanny, I know him! He’s my friend.” She said, “That’s nice, dear. Drink your Ovaltine.”

high school with no experience. Today, the networks have their hands in casting and in everything else. I’ve done guest spots on sitcoms where I’ll be reading the script and there are 50 people there from the network judging the reading. That’s what they do nowadays. I remember William Paley, who ran CBS when we started, would say, “You guys are the artists. I’m the businessman.

You do what you do and I’ll do what I do. I’m leaving you alone.” Nobody would leave you alone today. They all gotta have their say to make their jobs worthwhile.

Do you think a comedy variety show like The Carol Burnett Show could be successful today or is it simply a show for a different time?

I feel like it could make it today. I can testify to that because [The Carol Burnett Show] comes out on reruns on TV and it holds up.

The only thing that dates the shows are the clothes. I’m getting fan mail from 10-year-old kids and teenagers who watch the DVDs or the reruns or YouTube. Funny is funny. I think Something that’s also different today is the reason it holds up is because we weren’t that families don’t watch TV programs topical. We weren’t talking about what was together. Everyone is watching different going on in the news at the time. We just shows on different screens and platforms. wanted to go out and do a fun, musical People tell me all the time about how they variety show every week. I dare people today remember their family to watch the dentist would sit together to sketch with Tim [Conwatch the Saturday way] and Harvey [Kornight lineup (All in the man] and not laugh.

Carol Burnett Family, M*A*S*H, Mary And that sketch is over Tyler Moore, The Bob 40 years old! $69.50-$179.50 Newhart Show and The 7:30pm Tue, Mar. 19 Carol Burnett Show).

Is there anything you Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, There were only three did on your show that H-E-B Performance Hall channels, so we had 30 you don’t think you million people watchcould get away with 100 Auditorium Circle ing us every week! They today?

(210) 223-8624 tell me how it was such No network would let tobincenter.org. a great time to spend me hire Vicki Lawrence with their family watchtoday. She was 18 years ing TV and laughing. old and fresh out of

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

arts

ROSHINI KEMPADOO p

Mujer Power

Women artists take over Artpace with a trio of exhibitions tackling gender, race and identity

BY BRYAN RINDFUSS

Bryan Rindfuss

uite often with the exhibitions born out of Artpace’s world-renowned International Artist-in-Residence program, connections and common threads can be elusive at best.

The opposite might be said about the trio of forthcoming exhibitions created by current residents Jennifer Ling Datchuk (San Antonio), Sama Alshaibi (Tucson) and Roshini Kempadoo (London), three accomplished women artists selected by Deborah Willis, a New York-based curator and professor who chairs the Department of Photography & Imaging at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Beyond echoing Willis’ area of expertise by employing photography as a tool for expression, all three artists took the opportunity of the residency to realize fascinating, multifaceted projects that explore race, identity, cultural stereotypes and the representation of women.

JENNIFER LING DATCHUK L

Is the red curtain the main focal point?

There will be objects [but] I always thought of the curtain as the main focal point of the show … [I’m] thinking about thresholds that we cross daily and the experiences we have to navigate. So that time when you’re a girl and then you walk over and become a woman, and how girlhood has been taken away much sooner in our lives … How as a woman walking into spaces that are all male, confronting power. And then a person of color when they walk into all-white spaces.

So, this is what the curtain is kind of representing. And as you walk through the curtain, there’ll be porcelain beads dangling from the hair, and written on the porcelain beads are affirmations, sayings, words of encouragement that I’ve been collecting from Instagram and communities … I’m really inspired by the hippie beaded curtains from the ’70s.

So, in the ’70s, ceramics, pottery, or textiles were really rooted in women’s crafts … and they weren’t considered art. A lot of those techniques and skills were learned in community centers, churches, after-school centers. And they really become 34

CURRENT | March 13–26, 2019 | sacurrent.com

places where women could gather … the whole sisterhood and camaraderie of making. But I think of the women’s rights movements at that time and how in some ways, these things were taught to us to kind of pacify us and keep our hands busy — instead of burning our bras or protesting or picketing. So really what this was inspired by was re-contextualizing those materials and kind of breaking down hierarchies of materials that are really still prolific in the art world.

And what about the color?

I never work with color. Like I’m blue-and-white forever. It’s something I hold close. The red felt the most visceral. I think the red really captures the anger I feel as a woman today. Of how we still haven’t come much further. Yeah, a lot of this is about my anger. And kind of navigating power structures.

And what else can you tell me about the objects?

I’m kind of asking questions about the role I play in feminism. I’m an intersectional feminist, but I’m still a woman that can’t leave the house without putting makeup on my face … I’m kind of complicit in these power structures within beauty and identity. So [there’s a] photograph of me wearing prosthetic butt underwear with a tattoo on my back painted with skin bleaching cream … Skin bleaching cream is a multimillion-dollar industry. So even Asian women who are white and fair still want whiter skin … [I’m also] thinking about how a lot of people get Asian tattoos on their back not understanding or researching the iconography or the symbols that they’re using.

It’s cool that it’s an all-female group here, too.

Yeah, we were talking about this, too. That during the opening we have to do our talk and we want to really make sure we don’t get marginalized in the conversation. Because we’re all from different places, and our work is really concerned about the representation of women. It’s been really great conversations between the three of us. It feels like it’s the best girl band you could ever be in.

Could you give us a brief introduction and explain what your work typically addresses?

I describe myself as a media artist. I come from a photographic documentary background. And I kind of always have moved into thinking about the limits of the photograph … At the same time that I was doing documentary work, I helped to set up Autograph, which is the Association of Black Photographers, which is still going. I was also part of Format, which was a women’s picture agency in the U.K., and the only one of its kind … At the time, in the ’80s and ’90s, it was really anti-Thatcherism. So, it was really quite political a time, particularly for people of color … So, it was very much about bettering social conditions, so my work has always come out of that, and that’s what I’ve always been interested in … I always worked in the gallery space as well.

What can you tell me about the fictional aspect of your work?

[It goes] back to the limits of whether a photograph can reveal [certain] stories. So, the idea of people perceiving something as being truthful with the photograph, I bring that into question by working with montage … I was working with the first version of Photoshop when it came out — a long time ago — as woman, which is quite unusual [laughs] … Being from the Caribbean — my parents are from Guyana and my formative years were in Guyana — I came into photography being very aware that there was an incredibly strange perception of what the Caribbean was at that time.

So, I guess my visual language was always in response to that — trying to uncover how you might understand a different type of Caribbean and the Caribbean diaspora.

Is your Artpace exhibition part of a preexisting project?

It was a project I thought about when I got the invitation. I thought about how important it would be to link, to think about the space of San Antonio with the Caribbean. And, of course, what happened was: it’s through oil. So, I’ve got an oil drum in the gallery [laughs]. One of the things that’s happened in Guyana and off Venezuela, is that they’ve

arts

found one of the biggest deposits in the world of oil and gas … Guyana only has 800,000 people. It’s really a massive place with very little population, so the impact of that money is going to be quite something. And nobody knows what it is going to be … And, of course, that’s almost an unpopulated space … We have an indigenous population that may well be affected … And it’s very, very remote … So, what I’m trying to do is make that connection through the oil.

So, you photographed indigenous communities?

No, not really. I didn’t want it to be an ethnographic [project] in that sense. What I was doing was listening and recording … I’m not really going to directly use those stories or their voices in audio, but evoke another narrative, an imaginative narrative, from those stories I heard. So the idea is that there are two fictional characters: one living here, who is of indigenous/Latina origin who has been very aware of the Dakota Access Pipeline and the connection that’s had to the Trans-Pecos Pipeline, as an activist. So thinking about environmental activism and two women characters who come from those spaces … My interest in particular in indigenous people — both here and in Guyana — is based on the different knowledge they have about the land, which we don’t. We don’t have the same knowledge at all.

SAMA ALSHAIBI E

What can you tell me about your upcoming exhibition?

So, I researched all of these historical images … but then I deconstructed what was going on in [them], which are primary albumens and photogravures from the late 19th century and early 20th century. And then I created a bunch of sculptures that are used as my props [for photographs] that kind of deconstruct what’s going on — staged fantasies — and then I use myself. So, I’m the subject. And, so, all of them have these kind of elaborate sculptures that are on top of my head. A lot of the images you see from this period … had either like headdresses but a lot of times vessels … Women were always carrying them, so it’s like this idea of the burden of representation. And the water pipe, mashrabiya lattice work, those are tropes that get recycled over and over again.

Bryan Rindfuss

So, these would have been done in a portrait studio?

Some. Some are outdoors … Some of them are in Turkey, the majority are from the Middle East and North Africa. So, you have arbitrary things, a lot of these are costumes, and you have the same models being used over and over again.

Some of them are authentic, some are fully staged … So, some of [my photographs] are really just poking at those images and some of them deal with the issues that Arab women — I’m Palestinian and Iraqi — deal with … So, the whole idea I started off with is the West’s obsession with the image of the so-called oppression of Arab women, and how that gets conflated with democracy, and all Western kinds of interventions taking place in the Middle East and Bryan Rindfuss North Africa. And this is often put onto the burden of the female — oppression through what women do or do not since the United States invaded it in 2003. So [during] the wear in the Middle East. Primarily the hijab or the abaya Bush administration [when] the war was not popular, the or the niqab or whatever. As that garment being kind of a United States … backed a particular group in Iraq that [was] trigger for these kinds of fantasies or misconceptions. This against Saddam and against the Sunnis, but the main thing is a historical thing, this representation of the Middle East was that they wanted to change the Constitution. And what through the woman’s body. And representation happens in the United States sort of turned a blind eye towards was the a number of ways. One, the Orientalist photographers who fact that women’s rights would be changed … And that was photographed that region two different ways. One, looking sort of the beginning of women’s rights and opportunities at the woman as a sort of sexual being, so the fantasy of eroding. Yet we sold this war in the United States conflating the harem — as much sex as you possibly want, multiple that we were going to be exporting some sort of democracy wives, this kind of fantasy for Western audiences … These to women and giving them rights. Which, they’ve always women, most of them had no agency in having their images enjoyed their freedoms and rights. They could vote, they taken like that, with exposed bodies. Or [they were] kind worked, they were in government, they drove. It was a [comof hidden — completely covered. If a woman is completepletely] false representation. And to this day if you Google ly covered and she’s Muslim and she’s conservative and “Iraqi women” you’ll see the purple-stained fingers that modest, she’s not going to be modeling for a Western male they voted. They’ve always voted. It’s interesting to me how photographer. So, again it just shows that these are staged the justifications and the kind of misunderstandings that and contrived images. And so that’s really where this started people have of that part of the world often deals with this … And then I’m making a series of posters [that deal] with representation of a woman being oppressed and covered. images of Palestinian women in the ’60s and ’70s when they started creating their own content, knowing how that icoWhen did you arrive in the U.S. and what were the cirnography of the female in military clothes with a gun was cumstances that led your family to relocate? very potent for a Western audience. And we see that now, I arrived at age 13. We escaped Iraq during the Iraq-Iran too. Like when Kurdish female fighters that are fighting in War and we fled to Saudi Arabia where I lived for a couple Iraq against ISIS, this is the kind of images that the West of years followed by Jordan and then the United Arab was really putting out there. Like, this is how we’re going Emirates. There was a mass exodus and brain drain from to combat ISIS: We have these female guerrilla fighters.

Iraq — Saddam responded by basically threatening other And this becomes this potent kind of imagery to legitimize Arab countries not to give work visas to Iraqi citizens livthe morality of Western interventions in the Middle East, ing in exile. It was difficult for my father to keep his work especially U.S. interventions … And I have video, too, where visas in various Arab countries that were afraid of Saddam I’m using early news cinema. So, I’m looking at the early Hussein … Our escape put us on a blacklist in Iraq … My British Pathé films that they made in the Middle East, prifather didn’t want to settle in the USA. and my mother marily in Palestine, Syria and Egypt, some in Iraq too. And didn’t want to wait for the war to end to move back to Iraq so I have all of this archival footage that I’m layering with … She wanted to settle somewhere safe and where she a performance piece with a gun and a performance piece believed she and her children could have a future. So, we with [a vessel with] water rushing out. And then upstairs moved to the USA. My father didn’t come with us, and after will be a neon piece [based on] a very famous water feature one year, they divorced. Which made us illegal — we [had] in Baghdad … It’s called Kahramana, and it’s a tale from the entered with a student visa [and my mother] couldn’t One Thousand and One Nights … and she’s the slave girl that pay for university … So, I lived here for many years as an saves Ali Baba, saves herself, when she undocumented person in the United hears the 40 thieves hiding in the vessels, States. Then, after Iraq invaded Kuwait International she pours hot oil and kills them all, saves and the United States invaded Iraq, they Artist-in-Residence herself basically. This was done by an started looking for the Iraqis who’d Exhibitions artist who [was] a friend of my father’s. come into the country and never left. So, I had an interview with him before he we were visa overstay. And they found Free, opening reception 6-9pm Thu, Mar. 21, on view passed away. And I was talking about us and they put us up for deportation 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, noonthis idea of why he used a female figure and we went to court and we had two 5pm Sat-Sun through May 12, and the Scheherazade story. And he had days to fight our case in court, and we Artpace, 445 N. Main Ave., his own reasons for it. But the reason I’m were granted political asylum. So, from (210) 212-4900, artpace.org. really using it is actually Iraqi women’s political asylum to green card and then I disappearance from the social sphere became a citizen in 2004. sacurrent.com | March 13–26, 2019 | CURRENT

35

arts Mike McCrary’s Novel Hard Hearts Swings Big Secrets Like a Hammer

BY MAX BOOTH III

A

TradersVillage.com 36

CURRENT | March 13–26, 2019 | sacurrent.com

ll good characters have secrets.

It’s what makes them intriguing and worth reading about. Nothing in this world is more boring than a flawless protagonist without anything to hide.

Novice authors often throw all their cards on the table early in their books, spoiling the sense of mystery almost immediately. Luckily, in Austin resident Mike McCrary’s latest novel, we’re blessed with the talent of someone who actually knows what he’s doing.

We begin with our main character, Becky Rant, bound to a chair in the middle of an empty room. She’s been beaten to hell and back. Escape doesn’t seem likely. A strange robotic voice barks demands at her from an intercom. It’s the kind of beginning that begs for a binge read.

“Tell me a story,” the intercom stranger orders, and Becky Rant doesn’t have much choice but to oblige. What follows is a fast-paced rehashing of the events that led Becky Rant to be in her current predicament. It’s not an inventive storytelling gimmick by any means, but not once does McCrary ever make the device feel derivative.

It’s also refreshing to read a female lead who isn’t plagued by tropes.

Becky Rant truly is her own person in Hard Hearts, and by the end of the book you’ll be dying to stay in her life forever. She’s a bad-ass, tough-asnails broken human being. Her past is always just out of arm’s reach, and eventually it’s going to catch up to

her. The things she’s done in her life aren’t the kind of actions your typical Hollywood heroine makes.

Unlikable characters are my bread and butter, but they’re not easy to get right. They need to be unlikable on paper but end up changing your mind the more you invest in their story.

That’s exactly what happens here. As we ride shotgun on Becky Rant’s nonlinear blast to the past, we’ll witness a person who’s done more than we can ever imagine. She’s a violent, drunken mess who prefers a hammer over a gun. Screw with her and prepare to kiss your life goodbye. Hell, don’t even look at her funny, buster.

Hard Hearts is proof that memories are tangible — painful. Reach out, and you’ll be surprised at what you feel.

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Birds of Passage confronts drug cartel narrative from a unique perspective

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

W

hen revisiting some of the best films about a criminal’s rise to power, you don’t have to look much farther than the original 1972 Oscar-winning drama The Godfather and how a baby-faced Al Pacino stepped up to take over the Corleone family’s shady business and keep them relevant and feared. Since then, strong foreign films like the 2002 Brazilian crime drama City of God and the 2009 French prison drama The Prophet are some of the best examples of a criminal’s cinematic ascent to the top.

Now, a new foreign film, Birds of Passage (from Colombia) finds its place in the crime drama subgenre with the story of an indigenous family at the center of the drug trade in the late 1960s and beyond. It’s a compelling look at one family’s decision to choose greed over dignity — a choice that corrupts their culture and everything that makes them so exceptional.

Leading the cast is first-time actor José Acosta as Rapayet, a poor man of the Wayuu tribe in Northern Colombia, who is determined to find a way to raise the money he needs to pay a steep dowry so he can marry Zaida (Natalia Reyes), a young woman in his village. Zaida has just celebrated crossing over into womanhood and her mother Úrsula (Carmiña

The Orchard

Martínez) isn’t about to let anyone claim her without getting something in return.

When Rapayet and his friend Moises (Jhon Narváez) start selling marijuana, their fortunes begin to rise faster than they could have ever imagined. Before he knows it, Rapayet is making life or death decisions to keep his family safe and his business flourishing.

Told in five chapters, Birds of Passage, Colombia’s official entry for this year’s Academy Awards (it was shortlisted but ultimately didn’t receive a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film), is a confident piece of filmmaking by directing duo Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra, who made the beautifully shot, Oscar-nominated foreign film

Dancers in the Dark Climax is an art-house-horror hybrid from the provocative mind of filmmaker Gaspar Noé “On acid” is a phrase people tend to use when describing something recognizable that has been reworked to give the impression that it exists in some kind of altered and exaggerated state. For example, last year, director Julius Avery described his zombie action flick Overlord as “Indiana Jones on acid.” The Netflix original series Russian Doll has been called “Groundhog Day on acid.”

Although it would be easy enough to define French-Argentine filmmaker Gaspar Noé’s latest provocative picture Climax as “Step Up on acid,” the description is a bit too precise since all the characters in the dance-horror hybrid are, well, on acid. And while it might’ve been an even more experimental film had Noé demanded his actors go method and actually drop acid, it feels just as relentless and warped knowing the cast and crew on set stayed sober.

In Climax, a 95-minute film that was mostly

screens

Taking Flight

A24

improvised, Noé packs his characters — a diverse group of French dance students — into a large, spacious school building where they’re about to celebrate completing a successful rehearsal by partaking in some drinking, conversation and more dancing. At this point, the audience has already been introduced to each one of the dancers during the interview portion of an audition where the young men and women explain to an off-camera choreographer why they want to join the troupe.

After an incredible opening dance sequence (the only choreographed dancing in the entire film), the dancers find themselves under the dim lights contorting to pulse-pounding house music like demon-possessed characters in a horror movie and tossing back cups of sangria. Some chat with each other about relationships, family problems

Embrace of the Serpent in 2015.

Although the drug cartel formula is evident in the picture, Gallego and Guerra manage to transcend the familiar narrative by including unique elements and traditions of the characters’ native tribe. It’s an effective balance to the necessary violence that keeps the stakes high for Rapayet and those closest to him.

Birds of Passage isn’t the kind of crime saga that will likely move mountains, but with a strong script and steady direction by Gallego and Guerra, the film takes flight.

Birds of Passage opens at the Santikos Bijou Theater on March 15.

and which of their fellow dancers they want to have sex with before the night is over. Most just show off their best freestyle moves.

As the celebration continues, some of the dancers begin to feel ill. Soon, they all realize that the sangria they have been drinking has been spiked with LSD. As the hallucinogenic drug slowly seeps into their bloodstream, the dance party begins to morph into a hellish experience for everyone. Noé chooses not to allow viewers to actually see or hear anything affecting his drugged-out characters, but witnessing them wear down mentally and behave in the most abhorrent ways is just as disturbing.

Like Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier (Antichrist, Nymphomaniac), Noé’s work is not for the faint of heart. From his 2002 thriller Irreversible, which featured a brutal, nine-minute rape scene, to last year’s erotic drama Love, which featured a host of unsimulated sex scenes, Noé uses violence and sexual deviation to his advantage, although he’s relied too much on shock value in the past. In Climax, however, he challenges his audience to think and interpret the debauchery on their own.

Climax opens at the Alamo Drafthouse Park North on March 15. For our interview with director Gaspar Noé, visit sacurrent.com.

- Kiko Martinez

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food

Bubbling Up

Southside Craft Soda looks to grow while bottling SA culture

BY TRAVIS E. POLING

S

outhside Craft Soda Co. was developed by an unlikely team — a local brew master, an ad executive, an entrepreneur and an accountant — but together, this February, they bottled 700 cases of TexaCola, becoming the first locally owned and crafted soda to distribute in San Antonio in 50 years.

“I think there’s a lot of pride in the South Side [and its culture], and that’s what we have going on here,” said co-founder Andrew Anguiano, the ad exec in the mix. “We have a lot of pride in what we’re making.”

The market for sodas with natural, less-processed ingredients has grown, despite increased health consciousness and an overall drop in soda sales. While the whole team has certainly hustled to fill that void in the local market, the idea for a craft soda line began with Gregg Spickler, former head brewer at Alamo Beer Co. During a 2016 trip to Germany, he discovered a flavorful small-batch soda made with beer hops and citrus.

The trip inspired Spickler — also a beekeeper and owner of Winding Road Provisions, a business selling wax and honey-based products — to develop a soda using locally-sourced honey.

He soon met and partnered with Anguiano, who had toyed with a similar idea. The management team has since expanded to include local entrepreneur Rob Rodriguez, a Southside First Economic Development Foundation board member, and Paul Randles, a finance veteran and procurement executive at food distributor Sysco.

TexaCola, the first Southside soda to hit the market, is made with local honey, Mexican cane sugar and Rio Grande Valley citrus. Honey cream soda, root beer and pineapple are all in the refinement stages before going into longneck bottles using the bottling line at Alamo Beer.

Though small batches of TexaCola have been produced for accounts like Larder at Hotel Emma and the in-room bars at Hotel Havana, the soda should be easier to find in the coming months as its distributor, San Antonio-based Hops & Vines, gets the word out to bars, restaurants and retailers.

Travis E. Poling

Southside executives say they are in talks with San Antonio-based grocery powerhouse H-E-B for a major retail presence.

In partnership with Spickler’s Winding Road, Southside also will use a converted house on Roosevelt Avenue near Mission Road and Mission Concepción as a store and gathering place for Southside Craft Soda and Winding Road provisions. Eventually, they’ll house production onsite.

“This will be another place for people to visit after going to one of the missions,” Anguiano said. “People are busing in and out, but not going anywhere else on the South Side, which puts all the economic impact downtown.”

The ingredients for Southside’s sodas are more expensive, and lack of economies of scale lead to higher costs. However, affordability is key to moving from bars and restaurants and into retailers such as H-E-B. It also encourages residents to be proud of their city and heritage.

“We’ve been living here hundreds of years,” said Anguiano, who traces his family to some of the earliest San Antonio settlers. “We don’t want to give people something (priced) to get us run out of town.”

Tristan Maldonado, founder of Southside’s distributor, Hops & Vines, said craft beverages with natural ingredients and unique flavors don’t have to be priced as a luxury. Southside is the first non-alcoholic beverage to be sold by his company.

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“We want any San Antonian to be able to afford it,” Maldonado said. “We are going up against Coke, Maine Root, Dr. Pepper and Snapple. Texans identify with things that are made within their state lines.”

A 2017 report by market-intelligence company Mintel found that iGeneration millennials, who are increasingly looking for more healthful options and flavors, will be central to future sales growth. In 2016, the U.S. wholesale craft soda industry was estimated to generate $541 million annually with projections to expand.

Four-pack and single bottle prices are still in the works, but Southside is continuing to look for natural ingredients and local sources when possible. Besides area honey and lemons and limes from groves around McAllen, future soda flavors could include regionally harvested mesquite beans in a root beer and even native mustang grapes, if they can be found commercially.

Bringing on regional flavors such as piloncillo (a Mexican brown sugar) and tamarind will mean sourcing some ingredients from south of the border.

“I would like to see this in mom-and-pop stores and eventually in bibs (at bars) for soda guns,” so it can be served on draft and in mixed drinks, Spickler said. Demand for the sodas, even before they were officially released, has been great. “But we need to be prepared for H-E-B. We need to ramp up real hard, real fast.”

Find more Findfood more& drink news news every day at sacurrent.com

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food

Lea Thompson

Good Neighbor

Eastside Kitchenette winning a fan base that extends beyond its Government Hill digs

BY LEA THOMPSON

I

t’s not easy for new restaurants to become part of the fabric of a neighborhood, but just weeks after its January opening, Eastside Kitchenette is on its way to making that happen.

The restaurant, found in a historic home in the East Side’s Government Hill, is already building a loyal following for approachable Southern cuisine served up by owners and staff wellversed in the city’s fine-dining scene.

“I’ve been cooking for [more than 30 years], and the last 20 of them have been spent in fine dining,” said Jeff White, who previously served as executive chef at the Boiler House at the Pearl and at Tucker’s Kozy Korner. “What I’m doing here is Southern comfort, it’s homestyle food, all made from scratch, but it comes easy after all the years of doing that in places [where that’s] standard.”

White and his wife Jenn spent more

than a year renovating the building, including foundation and drainage work and passing 28 city inspections to bring it up to code. Surprisingly plentiful seating is spread through the old dwelling, and the walls are decorated with antiques and found objects.

Beyond the homey ambiance, though, the pair have also worked to create an inviting menu and cultivate an accommodating staff. Eastside’s focus on exemplary food and service attracts not just neighbors, but business crowds and folks from other parts of the city.

White isn’t looking to reinvent anyone’s idea of Southern cuisine or create dishes that are easy to eat gracefully or without getting sauce on your face.

Eastside’s pimento bacon hushpuppies, fried house-made pickles, Mexican corn and fried-chicken cobb salad are simple yet flavorful.

The restaurant’s popular daily Blue

Plate specials, which include pierogis on Mondays and fish and chips on Fridays, show the kitchen’s commitment to fresh local produce. A brunch menu offers classic Southern standbys, including chicken and waffles or shrimp and grits.

Jenn White, meanwhile, has developed a fun and relaxed cocktail menu that includes drinks like the East Side Old Fashioned, East Side Sangria and the

Line ‘Em Up — a Miller Lite served with two shots of Evan Williams Bourbon.

“There’s no pretense,” Jeff White said.

“The restaurant, as well as the menu, is very approachable. It’s all things we know, things we love — just with a little twist here and there.”

The kitchen, he added, is there to make people feel welcome and accommodate customers’ dietary needs. He’s offered to make menu items like the house BLTA — fried green tomatoes, slabs of bacon, avocado, arugula, pimento cheese and Duke’s Mayonnaise — vegetarian or vegan-friendly.

“Since we’ve been up and running, [the staff] has knocked it out of the park, and customers haven’t stopped talk about their experiences with the front of house and back of house,” he said. “I mean, everybody’s just [working like] they have a lot of stake in this place as well; they’d been waiting for a while [for the restaurant to open].”

Eastside’s porch, which provides breezy screened-in seating, a kid- and dog-friendly space and three TVs, has the potential to make Eastside Kitchenette an ideal escape from the near yearround heat. It seems like the perfect ambiance for enjoying cold cocktails and watching a Spurs game.

“We want to be known as a neighborhood restaurant, where you know everyone, and you can bring friends and family to come relax,” he said. “We’re proud to have taken something old and made it new.”

Eastside Kitchenette is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. Eastside-Kitchenette | 2119 N. Interstate 35, (210) 507-2568.

Lea Thompson

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Need some Tiki in your life? San Antonio’s only Tiki-driven bar menu can be found in Southtown. Using specialty ingredients like passion fruit and cane syrup, the pan-Asian dining spot has launched a new happy hour menu featuring deliciously fruity yet deceptively strong cocktails. Try six new and classic creations rind rim. Classics like Palomas, Old Fashioneds and discounted at $6. The Frozen Zombie, a tropical-drink even a French 77 are featured suggestions. The prices staple, packs a real punch. They’re so boozy, your barare nice, and the beverages are dressed to the puro tender will limit you to just two. Happy hour specials nines with chili and chamoy. run 5-7 p.m. daily.

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t’s easy to fall into a happy hour rut — you lose track of cocktail menus, pass on the places that you’ve visited more than a handful of times and stick to the cheap specials you know.

When that happens, it may be time to venture down- ROSELLA AT THE RAND town again or onto the St. Mary’s Strip. There you’ll find New bar manager Denise DeGlopper, formally of Lownew bars, fresh local talent and, of course, the reasoncountry, is coming in hot with a new cocktail menu ably priced drinks that you didn’t know you needed. at Rosella’s downtown location. Delicate ingredients like celery juice, elderflower and basil give a refreshing lift to many cocktails on the adventurous menu, EL BÚJO while standards like Old Fashioneds and Daiquiris are One of the newest additions to the Strip, this tiny bar extends out back into an open and comfortable solid and balanced. Rosella’s been long known for a good cup of coffee, but cocktails are the new attraction patio with plenty of picnic tables. Wells and beers — and the skilled, all-female bar staff is among the best are standard, but the bartenders have created a in San Antonio. You can tell yourself it’s five o’clock handful of fun San Antonio-inspired originals like somewhere. It’s well worth the afternoon buzz. the Fruit Cup, made with peach vodka and several 114 E Houston Street, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 7 fruit juices, and the Spicy Cucumber, a blend of cucumber vodka and citrus juices with a spicy tama- a.m.-12 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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This city loves its ice houses, and when the weather is nice, Burleson Yard fills with San Antonians soaking up sun and sipping cold beverages. While most ice houses are known for a solid beer selection, Burleson’s bartenders also mix a mean cocktail, making it a perfect place to gather all your friends, no matter their beverage preference. With 20 taps that include sours, ciders, IPAs and a full bar, the day-drinking possibilities are endless. The bar, located just east of downtown, regularly hosts great local food trucks and community events.

430 Austin Street, 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Friday, noon-2 a.m. Saturday-Sunday. sacurrent.com | March 13–26, 2019 | CURRENT

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music

South by So What Artists ponder whether the benefits of playing South by Southwest outweigh the hassles

BY CHRIS CONDE

D

er Kindestod is looking forward to a much less stressful South by Southwest this year.

For years, the avant-garde producer and underground rave DJ has been throwing his own unofficial shows during Austin’s much-hyped music conference. That meant doing everything, including booking the venue, lugging equipment, bringing in talent and playing the show.

This year, though, the San Antonio-based DJ landed an official showcase, and he’s stoked just to show up and spin instead of worrying about logistics.

“I was spending a lot of my time, money and energy throwing my own events, because I wasn’t satisfied with what was going on at [official] SXSW [events],” said Der Kindestod, born Henry Rodriguez. “At least being official, it’s nice to just get booked, show up and do my thing.”

Every spring, the 32-year-old South by Southwest festival brings a clusterfucked two weeks of performances, presentations and panel discussions to Austin, leaving a whirlwind of wristbands in its wake. Musicians, filmmakers, techies and creatives from around the globe converge, using it as an opportunity to network and mingle.

And, every year, a dozen or so San Antonio musical acts end up in the mix, looking to reach a broader audience, gain industry insight and maybe even land a record deal. But an official showcase isn’t a shortcut to glitz and glam, they point out.

Garrett T. Capps, a purveyor of honky-tonk country, will be playing his third official SXSW showcase this year. From his time in the trenches, he’s learned that the many unofficial shows that sprout around festival time can have better lineups and bigger turnouts.

“If you’re up there in the madness, it doesn’t hurt to play an official showcase,” Capps said.

“But without someone curating the lineup and management placing you in the right official showcase, it doesn’t seem like [SXSW] gives you much more of a benefit than playing a really bad-ass unofficial showcase.”

Blame It on the Algorithms Another benefit that comes with being an official SXSW artist is getting a song or two thrown onto an official Spotify playlist. Country singer Capps’ song “Born in San Antone” ended up on the official SXSW playlist back in 2017, the year he landed his first showcase.

Courtesy of Garrett T. Capps

Courtesy of Der Kindestod

Call it luck or blame it on the algorithms, the song came to the attention of Brian Koppelman, co-creator of the Showtime drama Billions. And, long story short, “Born in San Antone” appeared on the season premiere of the show last year.

The odds are stacked against those kind of success stories. Still, Capps encourages San Antonio artists to play in the festival. After all, it’s a short drive.

“I do my best not to turn down any opportunity to play in Austin, because it’s one of the only dense scenes for the kind of music I play,” he said. “It’s s a dense scene for everything.

SXSW is one of the only music conventions of its kind in the whole world, and if you’re living in San Antonio, you should take every opportunity you can to be a part of it — you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

Will Play for Wristbands Of course, not everyone feels SXSW gigs, official or not, are worth the hassle.

Artists accepted into the festival typically receive less than $300 in payment — unlikely to cover gas, lodging or other travel expenses for bands traveling from outside the state.

Their other option is forgoing the payment to receive a wristband that allows admission into SXSW events.

Not to mention, applying to play the festival is no guarantee you’ll get a showcase. And the $35-to-$55 entry fee is nonrefundable.

Beyond the paltry pay, official showcases can be crammed into off-the-beaten-path venues or scheduled at 1 a.m. on a weekday, meaning a paltry turnout. If your band drove down from Washington to play for six people, that’s got to sting.

Ceschi Ramos, whose Connecticut-based Fake Four label has issued releases for underground acts like Open Mike Eagle and Astronuatalis, said his last few label showcases have primarily brought people already familiar with his roster, not new audiences or industry folk.

“I just started noticing our fans would come out to our shows,” Ramos said. “It wasn’t like a bunch of South by badgeholders at our show.

We weren’t the buzz. We just had our own niche, and we’d still fill a show, but it would be our people. It wasn’t like all reviewers.”

Joining the Congregation Even so, Maria Ferrero, whose New Jersey-based music PR company handles metal heavyweights like Cradle of Filth, Lamb of God and DevilDriver, says up-and-coming bands need the kind of shoulder-rubbing opportunities SXSW can provide.

“It’s a congregation of a lot of people in the music business that want to be out and see what’s going on,” Ferrero said. “It’s a great place to network with people. With bands, labels, publicists, radio, managers, just all kinds of people. I think it’s important and valuable, but it’s up to the artists who go and participate to determine what they get out of it.”

While Der Kindestod is excited about not having to organize every aspect of his upcoming show, even more exciting is being able to focus on having a solid performance. And that’s what he plans to focus on, more than what he can hope to gain from an official showcase.

“I’ve done South by and have had really cool people show up before, but I just really want to play good music and devastate people – whoever is there,” he said. “I just want everyone to feel something, and that’s my ideal show.”

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

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music | music Picks

of 1980s synth-pop with techno and other electronic styles. Finally, Vowws is a young Australian act that describes itself as making deathpop music — which seems pretty damn appropriate to us.

More experimental and aggressive than the other two acts, Vowws has an industrial edge and combines post-punk and shoegaze with its synth-pop bread and butter. All in all, it could make for an ideal night to cry onto your leather jacket while pretending you live in a faraway dystopian society — because you totally do. $17, 8pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 841-3771, papertigersatx. com. — James Courtney

EARTH, WIND & FIRE p Wednesday, March 13

Courtesy ofCold Cave

IMAGINE FEST IV p March 13-16

DIY-as-fuck and a testament to a true love for local music, Imagine Books & Records (also known as the Loudest Bookstore in Texas) is already a few days into Imagine Fest IV, its annual, weeklong showcase of local, regional and national musical acts from a variety of genres. While a few days’ worth of music is already in the rearview mirror at this point, folks interested in sampling undiscovered bands are likely to find at least something they enjoy during

the remainder of the event. A rundown of what’s still to come: Wednesday, March 13: Mr. Pidge, 16 the Olympus, Joshua Myles, Xenobia, the Foreign Arm; Thursday, March 14: Donella Drive, Celestial Descent, Sick/Sea (Austin), Roshii, Medusa Complex; Friday, March 15: Invision Love, Younger Than Neil (Denver), the Holophonics (Denton), St. Dukes, PeanutGallery, Daniel Miller and the Red Roses; Saturday, March 16: Grandchildren (Philadelphia), Mírame, Vintage Pictures Small Business (Austin), Alix Williams. $7 (each day), 7pm, Imagine Books & Records, 8373 Culebra Rd #201b, (210) 239-7380, facebook.com/ imaginebookshop. — CC

Earth, Wind & Fire is one of those veteran acts that you have to talk about in terms of distinct eras of creative output. No one description or writerly encapsulation can truly pin down the outfit’s identity. The group, which blended funk, jazz, pop, soul and R&B in novel ways, was founded by Maurice White in 1969 and has been instrumental in expanding the scope of what black popular music can be. The 2000 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are best known for hits like “September,” “Let’s Groove” and “Shining Star.”

In 2016, White passed away and left the band in the capable hands of his brother Verdine White. This show, for fans of any era of the band’s music and for students of popular music history, should be seen as an essential experience. $60.50-$126, 8pm, The Majestic, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — JC

Courtesy of T-Pain

T-PAIN L

Saturday, March 16

After postponing his show here last year for unexplained circumstances, T-Pain is finally gearing up for a performance in the Alamo City — and we’re pretty much here for it. If you’re familiar with NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, you know that the broadcaster invites artists of all genres to play acoustic or stripped-down versions of their songs in front of a small audience at its NYC headquarters. During his Tiny Desk performance, T-Pain surprised us all by showing he can really sing without Auto-Tune. That’s sort of surprising, since he helped pioneer Auto-Tune’s copious use in modern hip-hop. But like Tallahassee Pain says, “Keep in mind, you can use Auto-Tune and you can know how to work it perfectly, but you still have to know how to write a good song.” And T-Pain’s certainly shown he can do that. $59-$79, 8pm, Aztec Theatre, (210) 812-4355, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., theaztectheatre.com. — CC

COLD CAVE L

Wednesday, March 13

Regular John Design

This bill amounts to a can’t-miss for fans of darkwave electronic music and synthpop. Cold Cave will be at Paper Tiger this week with likeminded acts ADULT. and Vowws. Cold Cave, as any self-respecting emo kid with a taste for electronic pop will know, is an LA band that grew to indie stardom in the late aughts, especially with the release of its 2009 album Love Comes Close. ADULT., the veteran act on the bill, is a band from Detroit known for putting on wild live show and crafting music that mates elements

Courtesy of Earth, Wind & Fire

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grooves. $25, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 841-3771, papertigersatx. com. — CC

THE BEACH BOYS \ Tuesday, March 19

Courtesy of The Beach Boys

TEXAS LOOPFEST Saturday, March 16

The marquee event for a larger festival that takes place over several days and at a few different locations (see the website below for more details), Loopfest bills itself as “the single most creative music and technology performance art fest you’ll ever see.” That may be a bit strong on the hyperbole. However, the fest does spotlight artists from all over that use live audio-looping technology, and the possibilities for music made this way are indeed endless. The technology liberates performers from having to coordinate with others in a traditional band setup, and it frees them to chase the sound that they hear in their own heads, which can be a pretty exhilarating experience in the hands of a master. Performers slated for the free event are PEDEPLEI (Mexico City), Rejyna (Los Angeles), Violoncehloops (Guadalajara, Mexico), Liz Ruvalcaba (Guadalajara, Mexico), [stagename] (Ohio), Katie Martin, Jimmy Loop (Costa Rica), and Brian and Chanel (Rockwall, Texas). Free, 10am, Mission Marquee Plaza, 3100 Roosevelt Ave, (210) 207-8612, texasloopfest.com. — JC

GHOSTLAND OBSERVATORY p Sunday, March 17

Even though it’s been over a decade since Ghostland’s “Sad Sad City” hit the airwaves, synth-heavy pop music has only grown more popular. But it’s not like the duo has been chilling in Austin for a decade. See You Later Simulator, released last fall, packs an electro punch, maybe even more so than the pair’s earlier work. Find out for yourself on Sunday, March 17, when Ghostland Observatory returns to Paper Tiger to tear the sky open with their synth-heavy

Courtesy of Ghostland Observatory

Mike Love and his version of the Beach Boys will be in town to once again give San Antonio fans a dose of pleasant nostalgia. Of course, with Love at the helm and sans Brian Wilson, these Beach Boys are basically an early-1960s boyband, but that won’t stop a single one of us from going crazy for “Little Deuce Coupe,” “Surfin’ Safari” or “Help Me, Rhonda” (all tunes from the pre-Pet Sounds days). Love has been known to mix in his own solo material as well as select covers into set lists, but selections from the band’s late’60s and early-’70s output, when Brian Wilson was in his songwriting zone, are few. Nevertheless, the constantly touring act is as tight as ever and offers up, in its own way, an indelible part of pop/ rock music history every time it takes the stage. $50-$80, 7:30pm, The Majestic, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire. com. — JC

Courtesy of Switchfoot

SWITCHFOOT F Tuesday, March 19

An essential band for sheltered ’90s kids whose parents only let them out of the house for school, church and youth group, Switchfoot were one of those barely crossover bands that straddled the secular and religious music world.

The video for its biggest song, “Meant to Live,” appeared on MTV2 alongside bands like Incubus, P.O.D., Green Day and Weezer, and if you remember, frontman Jon Foreman was super-hot, in that settle-down-and-get-hitched-at-22because-I-can’t-have-sex-until-I’m-married kind of way. See for yourself how the band holds up decades later with their return to the Aztec Theatre. $35$49.50, Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — CC

PUDDLES PITY PARTY 5 Tuesday, March 19

The sad clown with the golden voice is coming to San Antonio with his heartfelt anthems and a suitcase full of tissues. Most recognized for his performance on America’s Got Talent, Puddles sings 1930s versions of classic pop and rock songs from ABBA, Bowie, Cheap Trick and Queen. It’s kinda absurd, but Puddles’ schtick is also kinda smart and reintroduces audiences to classic jams in a new and refreshing way. $35-$45, 8pm, Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., 210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — CC

Emily Butler Photography

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music | music Picks

Live Bands | Karaoke | DJs March 15

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March 23

March 29

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Thursday, March 21

While acts like Lady Gaga and Beyonce generally pass us by, we’re grateful for the pop mega-acts that do stop in the Alamo City to put on a show. Justin Timberlake exhibited his starpower earlier this year and Ariana Grande is set for an eventual return, so anti-pop singer P!nk should provide a welcome fix in between. Known for keeping it real-as-fuck in her lyrics over a 20+ year career, the “What About Us” singer is touring behind her latest album, Beautiful Trauma. $39-$246, 7:30pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Pkwy, (210) 444-5140, attcenter.com. — CC

time, energy and their own money into albums that have helped cement their longevity. During last few years, they’ve even secured slots on the Billboard charts and managed to land three Grammy nominations. Matching elements of hard rock and metal with enough pop aesthetic to be approachable to a large audience, it won’t be a surprise to see these guys killing it for quite some time. $35-$51, 6:30pm, Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 8124355, theaztectheatre.com. — CC

NOTHING MORE 5 Saturday, March 23

Hometown active-rock heroes Nothing More know a thing or two about work ethic. For a dozen years, the band has toured incessantly while also investing

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music | calendar

Courtesy of One OK Rock

BY SHANNON SWEET WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13

ONE OK ROCK L

Before K-pop became a full-blown lifestyle in the States, J-rock was the import of choice among anime-convention junkies and teenagers rebelling against American pop-music cliches. Tokyo’s hyper-stylish One OK Rock first blew up globally in the mid-2000s, but their scientifically perfected spiky hair and motivational power-rock ballads featuring a hybrid of English and Japanese lyrics bestowed them with surprising staying power. $27.50, Aztec Theatre, 6:30pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 16

MARISELA Y AMANDA MIGUEL

Latin music queens Marisela and Amanda Miguel are joining forces, which is a match made in heaven, as they both possess strong voices, stage presences and a love for hairspray. Blonde bombshell Marisela is noted for her No. 1 hit single “Ya No,” while classically trained songstress Amanda Miguel’s ballads will leave no soul unstirred. $52.50 - $154.50, The Majestic Theatre, 8pm

SUNDAY, MARCH 17

CRUNK WITCH

Hailing from the foggy shores of Maine, husband-wife duo Crunk Witch update ’80s-influenced synth dreamscapes with rave-style bass drops and breakdowns. Their nerdy, sci-fi themed lyrics are always romantic to the core, showing that this dancing machine has a beating heart.

Free, Limelight, 9pm

FRIDAY, MARCH 21

ONE NIGHT OF QUEEN

Even through its historical inaccuracies and the PG-13 scrubbing of Freddie Mercury’s life, the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody has inspired a new generation of Queen

fans to listen beyond the radio hits. Riding the wave of that resurgence, One Night of Queen, a tribute act paying homage to Mercury and company since 2001, promises to rock you in ways the silver screen adaptation can’t quite pull off. $26.50, Tobin Center, 7:30pm

SATURDAY, MARCH 22

QUEENRŸCHE

Although original vocalist Geoff Tate parted ways long ago, Queensrÿche has never stopped melting faces — from 1980 to, well, what seems like oblivion. While the legendary metal act could rest on the 30 million albums it’s already sold and a string of hardrock radio staples, it instead continues releasing new material that brings out devoted headbangers. $29.50, Aztec Theatre, 7pm

SUNDAY, MARCH 23

BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA

Led by conductor Keith Lockhart, who succeeded famed movie composer John Williams, the Boston Pops Orchestra helps draw new audiences into orchestral music by performing recognizable compositions from across the pop-culture realm. At this concert, the Boston Pops take on cinema classics along with rock and pop tunes from Queen to Led Zeppelin. $74.50 - $164.50, Tobin Center, 8pm

DOORS OPEN: HOWL AT 2PM MERKABA AT 3PM

FEATURING $3 GREEN BUD LIGHTS $6 JAMESON CAR BOMBS $5 JAMESON SHOTS BRING THIS IN FOR

FREE ADMISSION AT HOWL UNTIL 10PM and VIP DRINK SPECIALS AT MERKABA UNTIL CLOSE

HOMEBASE: CONCERT, Q&A WITH CLAIRE ROUSAY Avant-garde music curator and creator Claire Rousay has devoted herself to bringing light to groundbreaking artists through Contemporary Whatever, a monthly spotlight on experimental visionaries from our city and beyond. At this Homebase event, Rousay will perform improvised music and answer audience questions about the avant-garde scene.

Free, AP Art Lab, 7pm

111 W. Crockett Street • River Walk • 210-212-4770

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Let’s say my kink is edging and I edge myself for a few days leading up to a date.

Is it my responsibility to tell my potential partner? There are a few variables here that are important to note. This is a first/ Tinder date, and it’s just a coffee date, BUT she and I have talked about our expectations and there will likely be a physical aspect in whatever potential relationship may ensue. I understand that it’s never cool to involve someone in your kink without their consent, but what are the rules here? On one hand, if I don’t divulge this information, I could see how my production of an unexpectedly large amount of ejaculate could be upsetting, depending on the circumstances/activity. But on the other hand, at least some amount of come is expected, right? If I randomly had massive loads every single time through no effort of my own, would I be responsible for letting a partner know? Perhaps it would be the polite thing to do. I guess I’d feel comfortable saying, “Hey, by the way, I produce very large loads,” if sex was imminent.

But when you add the kink factor into the mix, I think something like that should be talked about before sex is “imminent.” So what responsibility do I have to divulge this information? And if I do have a responsibility to divulge this, when would be the appropriate time to bring it up? I feel like it could be sexy to be so open about a taboo, given that we’ve already discussed the desire for a physical aspect to the relationship. But at what point between sex being “not off-limits” and “my parts are going to be interacting with your parts as soon as our clothes are off” is the right moment to disclose my kink?

What Ought One Do? Let’s say… you blow that load. I can’t imagine your new friend will be shocked.

Blowing loads, after all, is what men do* with their penises**, WOOD, and most people who are attracted to men are aware of this fact. And anyone who’s slept with two or more men is aware that some men blow bigger loads than others. Volume varies. Volumes vary between men, and the volume of an individual man’s loads can vary naturally or as the direct result of an intentional intervention, like edging.

Backing up for a second: Edging entails bringing yourself or being brought to the edge of coming over and over again. It’s

about getting yourself or someone else as close as you can to the “point of orgasmic inevitability” without going over. Draw out the buildup to a single orgasm for hours or days — by edging yourself or being edged by someone else — and the resulting load will be larger than normal for the edged individual. But even so, an edged dude’s load can still be smaller than the load of a guy who just naturally produces more ejaculate.

And in answer to your question, WOOD, no, I don’t think there’s a pressing need to disclose your kink to your date. If it gets sexual, she’s going to expect you to produce ejaculate at some point. And even if the load you wind up blowing is enormous, you’re not going to drown her or wash out her IUD. Frankly, WOOD, your letter reads like you got baked out of your mind and sat up half the night trying to come up with an excuse to tell this woman about your notthat-kinky kink and “I should tell her as a courtesy” was the best you could do.

If you want to tell her, go ahead and tell her. But since there’s no need to tell her that you sometimes like to stroke for a bit without climaxing, there’s a strong chance she’ll react negatively to your “courtesy” disclosure. Even if she’s made it clear there could be “a physical aspect in whatever potential relationship may ensue” — even if that’s not just dickful thinking on your part — she’s going to be scrutinizing you for signs that you aren’t someone she wants to get naked with. She’ll be looking for red flags at your first face-to-face meeting, and if you come across like a creep with piss-poor judgment — and a needless conversation about how much ejaculate you produce and why you produce so much ejaculate will definitely come across as creepy — then she may decide not to ensue with you. * Not all men have penises, not all penises have men, not all men blow loads, not all loads are blown by men, etc. ** Not the only thing men do with their penises, some men don’t do that thing with their penises, some penis-havers don’t do that thing as men, etc.

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ACROSS 1 Biblical fratricide victim 5 Ragged peak 9 Passing lines 13 “3 Feet High and Rising” group ___ Soul 14 Pick up 16 Controversial director Riefenstahl 17 Current U.S. Secretary of Transportation 19 Cheap bar 20 Calico pony 21 Vaccination 23 Patch of grass 24 Holiday in Hanoi 25 Suffix for novel 28 In a genial manner 30 1992 song by The Cure that goes through the week 33 Airline from Stockholm 34 Likely 35 Fanning of “Maleficent” 36 Magazine for teens since 1965 40 “___ Is Us” 42 Charged-up particle 43 Settings for med. dramas 46 Thought experiment featured in an episode of “The Good Place” 50 Meat dish with a filling 51 Mop & ___ (floor cleaner brand)

52 French possessive meaning “your” 54 Contribute 55 Thailand, formerly 57 “Inconceivable!”

59 “Cool, man” 61 TV host with a “Neighborhood of Make-Believe” (where the starts of the theme answers were found) 64 Letterman rival, once 65 Meditation teachers 66 “Language” of “haxored” and “pwn’d” 67 Agitated state 68 Word before or after break 69 Airport data, for short DOWN 1 Not so klutzy 2 Philosophy 3 2019 Hyundai model 4 Café au ___ 5 A.L. Central team, on a scoreboard 6 Tape deck button 7 Oohs’ followers 8 S’mores flavor component 9 Antiquarian 10 Diamond game, in Santo Domingo 11 Make use of 12 Create a colorful T-shirt

15 Swedish actress Rapace of the “Millennium” series 18 Domino’s ad character, once 22 ___ pedis (athlete’s foot) 26 ___ paneer (Indian spinach dish) 27 Do some keyboarding 29 2008 Verizon acquisition that once had naming rights to Jacksonville’s stadium 31 “And ___ don’t know what’s going on!”

32 “Let ___!” (“Go ahead”) 37 Cuba y Puerto Rico, por ejemplo 38 “Star Trek” collective 39 Compound with a double bond 40 Walked on 41 Harry who died on Halloween 44 Amplify a certain message 45 Spoke ill of 46 Hiker’s routes 47 Inform 48 ___ the Pig (2019) 49 “With or Without You” singer 53 Complex orgs.

56 Prefix with byte or hertz 58 Stare at in a gross manner 60 “I ___ You Babe” 62 Talk smack about 63 Q-U filler ANSWER ON PAGE 27

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etc FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZNY ARIES (March 21-April 19): The coming weeks might be a good time to acquire a flamethrower. It would come in handy if you felt the urge to go to a beach and incinerate mementoes from an ex-ally. It would also be useful if you wanted to burn stuff that reminds you of who you used to be and don’t want to be any more; or if you got in the mood to set ablaze symbols of questionable ideas you used to believe in but can’t afford to believe in any more. If you don’t want to spend $1,600+ on a flamethrower, just close your eyes for ten minutes and visualize yourself performing acts of creative destruction like those I mentioned.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Taurus aphorist Olivia Dresher writes that she would like to be “a force of nature,” but “not causing any suffering.” The way I interpret her longing is that she wants to be wild, elemental, uninhibited, primal, raw, pure—all the while without inflicting any hurt or damage on herself or anyone else. In accordance with your astrological omens, Taurus, that’s a state I encourage you to embody in the coming weeks. If you’re feeling extra smart—which I suspect you will—you could go even further. You may be able to heal yourself and others with your wild, elemental, uninhibited, primal, raw, pure energy.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In some major cities, the buttons you push at a crosswalk don’t actually work to make the traffic light turn green faster. The same is true about the “Close Door” buttons in many elevators.

Pushing them doesn’t have any effect on the door. Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer says these buttons are like placebos that give you “the illusion of control.” I bring this phenomenon to your attention, Gemini, in hope of inspiring you to scout around for comparable things in your life. Is there any situation where you imagine you have power or influence, but probably don’t? If so, now is an excellent time to find out—and remedy that problem.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Philip Boit was born and raised in Kenya, where it never snows except on the very top of Mount Kenya. Yet he represented his country in the cross-country skiing events at the Winter Olympics in 2002 and 2006. How did he do it? He trained up north in snowy Finland. Meanwhile, Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong competed for Ghana in the slalom in the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Since there was no snow in his homeland, he practiced his skills in the French Alps. These two are your role models for the coming months, Cancerian. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you’ll have the potential to achieve success in tasks and activities that may not seem like a natural fit.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): In the process of casting for his movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, director David Fincher considered selecting A-list actress Scarlet Johansson to play the heroine. But ultimately he decided she was too sexy and radiant. He wanted a pale, thin, tougher-looking actress, whom he found in Rooney Mara. I suspect that in a somewhat similar way, you may be perceived as being too much something for a role you would actually perform quite well. But in my astrological opinion, you’re not at all too much. In fact, you’re just right. Is there anything you can do—with full integrity—to adjust how people see you and understand you without diluting your brightness and strength?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In 1993, an English gardener named Eric Lawes used his metal detector to look for a hammer that his farmer friend had lost in a field. Instead of the hammer, he found the unexpected: a buried box containing 15,234 old Roman silver and gold worth more than four million dollars today. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, because I suspect that you, too, will soon discover something different from what you’re searching for. Like the treasure Lawes located, it might even be more valuable than what you thought you wanted.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover,” wrote author James Baldwin. “If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” To fully endorse that statement, I’d need to add two adverbs. My version would be, “The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to kindly and compassionately make you conscious of the things you don’t see.” In accordance with current astrological omens, I recommend that you Libras enthusiastically adopt that mission during the coming weeks. With tenderness and care, help those you care about to become aware of what they’ve been missing—and ask for the same from them toward you.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Wompsi’kuk Skeesucks Brooke is a Native American woman of the Mohegan tribe. According to her description of Mohegan naming traditions, and reported by author Elisabeth Pearson Waugaman, “Children receive names that are descriptive. They may be given new names at adolescence, and again as they go through life according to what their life experiences and accomplishments are.” She concludes that names “change as the individual changes.” If you have been thinking about transforming the way you express and present yourself, you might want to consider such a shift. 2019 will be a favorable time to at least add a new nickname or title. And I suspect you’ll have maximum inspiration to do so in the coming weeks.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): For many of us, smell is our most neglected sense. We see, hear, taste, and feel with vividness and eagerness, but allow our olfactory powers to go underused. In accordance with astrological omens, I hope you will compensate for that dearth in the coming weeks. There is subtle information you can obtain—and in my opinion, need quite strongly—that will come your way only with the help of your nose. Trust the guidance provided by scent.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Essayist Nassim Nicholas Taleb says humans come in three types: fragile, robust, or antifragile. Those who are fragile work hard to shield themselves from life’s messiness. The downside? They are deprived of experiences that might spur them to grow smarter. As for robust people, Taleb believes they are firm in the face of messiness.

They remain who they are even when they’re disrupted. The potential problem? They may be too strong to surrender to necessary transformations. If you’re the third type, antifragile, you engage with the messiness and use it as motivation to become more creative and resilient. The downside? None. In accordance with the astrological omens, Aquarius, I urge you to adopt the antifragile approach in the coming weeks.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): In 2014, NASA managed to place its MAVEN spacecraft into orbit around Mars. The cost of the mission was $671 million. Soon thereafter, the Indian government put its own vehicle, the Mangalyaan, into orbit around the Red Planet. It spent $74 million. As you plan your own big project, Pisces, I recommend you emulate the Mangalyaan rather than the MAVEN. I suspect you can do great things—maybe even your personal equivalent of sending a spacecraft to Mars—on a relatively modest budget.

THIS MODERN WORLD BY TOM TOMORROW

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): For thousands of generations, our early ancestors were able to get some of the food they needed through a practice known as persistence hunting. They usually couldn’t run as fast as the animals they chased. But they had a distinct advantage: they could keep moving relentlessly until their prey grew exhausted. In part that’s because they had far less hair than the animals, and thus could cool off better. I propose that we adopt this theme as a metaphor for your life in the coming weeks and months. You won’t need to be extra fast or super ferocious or impossibly clever to get what you want. All you have to do is be persistent and dogged and disciplined. sacurrent.com | March 13–26, 2019 | CURRENT

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10TH ANNUAL

Open Weekends: March 2 - April 21, 2019

& Open Fri, March 22 For Spring Break

10 AM To Dusk Rain Or Shine | No Pets

Location

1883 Old Hwy 20 Mcdade, Tx 78650

35 Miles East Of Austin -Or2 Hrs Northeast Of San Antonio

Entertainment

Join Robin Hood & Lady Marian as they host full contact jousting, falconry, swordplay, archery, juggling, comedy, theater & more. Medieval England comes to life in Central Texas.

Artisans + Merchants We host a grand selection of hand-crafted goods in Central Texas. We offer demonstrations like glass blowing, blacksmithing, pottery spinning, leather armor making, weaving, jewelry & art creation, & others.

Song + Dance

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

Food + Drink

From trenchers weighty with tasty fare to tankards overflowing with foamy mead, there's plenty to eat and drink at Sherwood Forest Faire. You'll discover medieval treats & delicacies.

Tickets On Sale Now At Sher woodforestfaire.com | Follow Us On