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in this issue San Antonio Current
Issue 19_13 /// June 19-July 2, 2019
Publisher: Michael Wagner Editor-in-Chief: Sanford Nowlin
Editorial
Food & Nightlife Editor: Lea Thompson Calendar Editor: Kelly Merka Nelson Contributing Arts Editor: Bryan Rindfuss Art Director: Carlos Aguilar Staff Writer: Chris Conde Digital Content Editor: Sarah Martinez Contributors: Ron Bechtol, Daniel Conrad, James Courtney, Jade Esteban Estrada, Dan R. Goddard, Lance Higdon, Steven G. Kellman, Hannah Lorence, Kiko Martinez, M. Solis, Gary Sweeney Editorial Interns: Diana Amaya, Brian Holmes
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Parker Radbourne / Courtesy of Jamie Hash
07 Feature
47 Music
Serving With Pride
Strike a Pose
Critics say Trump’s ban on transgender people in the armed forces doesn’t reflect the reality of military life BY S A N F O R D N O W L I N
08 News
LGBTQ Activist Jim Kane Remembers Pride’s Past and Looks to the Future It’s Time to Admit San Antonio’s Mayoral Politics Are Partisan Politics
14 Calendar
Our top picks for the week, This Modern World
28 Arts
Transamerica/n: The McNay’s Trailblazing New Exhibition Explores Gender Identity Sister Act
San Antonio’s Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence preach camp for a cause
Dancer and musician Tone Padron draws inspiration from LGBTQ ballroom culture
Turn Up the Heat Getting Wet
Keep cool in more ways than one at San Antonio’s hippest places to swim
37 Screens
Paradise Found
Five of the hottest summer festivals happening around San Antonio
Music Listings
60 Etc
Savage Love, Crossword Puzzle
Echo in the Canyon explores musical inspiration drawn from legendary L.A. area
Bad Sleep
One fun, campy short can’t make up for Nightmare Cinema’s unoriginal anthology ideas
39 Food
Down Home, Fancied Up Tim Rattray’s Fontaine’s Southern Diner & Bar focuses on elevating simple fare
Wine-Curious
Little Death brings a bawdy take on the wine bar to the St. Mary’s Strip
Successful Al Fresco
Where to find the best dining patios in San Antonio
On The Cover: This week, Queensbased illustrator Liam Donnelly’s colorful work celebrates both summer and Pride Month. Art Direction: Tracie Louck sacurrent.com | June 19-July 2, 2019 | CURRENT
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7.4.19 | Pearl Park Spend July 4th at Pearl with lawn games, picnic specials, Bud’s Southern Rotisserie pop out, and live music from the Peterson Brothers. VISIT /
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Jamie Hash (right) re-enlists in the Air Force at San Antonio’s rainbow crosswalk.
a
Parker Radbourne / Courtesy of Jamie Hash
Serving With Pride
Critics say Trump’s ban on transgender people in the armed forces doesn’t reflect the reality of military life BY SANFORD NOWLIN
U
ntil Donald Trump tweeted out his plans to ban transgender troops from entering the military, Tech Sgt. Jamie Hash never felt unwelcome during her eight years in the U.S. Air Force. Indeed, when she informed her supervisor in June 2016 of her pending transition, the response was supportive and encouraging. And when she reenlisted in November for another six-year hitch, the Air Force had no problem allowing her to conduct the ceremony at the rainbow crosswalk in San Antonio’s gay nightlife district. “It’s been a non-issue for me. All the military cares about is performance,” said Hash, 31. “I briefed a two-star general at the Pentagon, and not one word was mentioned [about my gender].” She added: “I don’t consider myself an exception, but rather one example of the ability of transgender military personnel to serve our country.” But, now, three years after the Obama administration made it possible for transgender people to openly serve, Trump has switched course and implemented a new policy that critics say amounts to an outright ban on new transgender recruits. LGBTQ advocates worry the policy will also embolden bigots to discriminate against personnel such as Hash who are already serving.
“The ban has sent a signal to transphobic people in the military that it’s now open season on transgender personnel,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center, a San Francisco-based think tank that studies LGBTQ issues. While the evidence of harassment is largely anecdotal this early on, Belkin said the data — once available — is likely to mirror that collected under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. During that era, harassment of gay service members increased, only making a substantial decline once the rule was overturned. According to a recent Rand Corp. study commissioned by the Pentagon, there were an estimated 10,790 transgender people serving in the U.S. military and reserves in 2016. It’s unclear how many are stationed in San Antonio,
Emily Starbuck Gerson / Courtesy of Jamie Hash
but Hash said she’s encountered others. In April, after the Pentagon released details about how it would implement Trump’s ban, Pride Center San Antonio received calls from concerned personnel seeking more information and access to legal resources. “That tells me it’s an issue here and that people are concerned,” said Robert Salcido, the center’s director. Increasing the worry for LGBTQ advocates, a U.S. appeals court handed Trump a victory last week when it ordered another federal judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy. In January, the U.S. Supreme Court put a hold on the Seattle judge’s nationwide injunction, clearing the ban to take effect. Despite the court victory for Trump, recent polls show the president has failed to win public support for the ban. Around two-thirds of Americans oppose barring transgender people from the military, according to a new poll from the Public Religion Research Institute. And support for the ban has waned among Republicans, according to the poll. Nearly half support the idea of transgender people serving — an increase from just 37 percent in 2017. What’s more, the Pentagon has issued a statement contradicting Trump’s claim during his recent trip to Britain that transgender individuals can’t serve because military personnel are prohibited from taking “any drugs.” Under current law, troops are allowed to take all prescribed medications, including hormone treatments for gender dysphoria, officials pointed out. “The reason for all of the president’s statements is straightforward,” said Belkin of the Palm Center. “The administration doesn’t want to reveal the real reason for what it’s doing, which is to cater to its base.” Despite the recent court setback, Belkin said history suggests the ban won’t outlast Trump’s time in office. “It’s unprecedented to invite a group of people into the military and then kick them out,” he said. “History is not on the president’s side.” Hash agrees. The Air Force recently invited her to speak to a group of 100 new non-commissioned officers, sharing advice on how they could better support transgender personnel. She was pleasantly surprised by the response. Even after a robust Q&A session, several approached her following the talk to keep the conversation going. “The military has always been a social experiment,” Hash said. “That’s been the case with desegregation, with women in the workplace. … Policy in the military sends ripples through society. It always has.”
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Jade Esteban Estrada
GLITTER POLITICAL
LGBTQ Activist Jim Kane Remembers Pride’s Past and Looks to the Future BY JADE ESTEBAN ESTRADA
W
hen Donald J. Trump was elected president in 2016, Jim Kane decided it was time to come out of retirement. With his 30 years of experience as an LGBTQ activist and as the former co-editor and publisher of San Antonio’s 2005 gay newspaper, The Bexar Vortex, he felt that his high-level administrative background would be a valuable asset as he served as a precinct chair with the Bexar County Democratic Party. As San Antonio prepares to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, an event credited for sparking the modern gay rights movement, the 53-year-old Kane is looking back on his journey with bittersweet pride. It’s easy to see, as I sit across from him at Alida, a cozy West Side cafe, how the milestones of his life have closely aligned with our city’s own gay rights movement. Kane may not be senescent by Digital Age standards — he tested HIV-positive 33 years ago, then was diagnosed with AIDS 27 years ago. Still, within a society prone to institutionalized discrimination, that makes him an elder statesman. Kane’s consciousness was awakened in the early 8
CURRENT | June 19-July 2, 2019 | sacurrent.com
1980s, a time he euphorically describes as “magical.” After graduating from McCollum High School in 1984, he enlisted in the Navy. Stationed in Connecticut, he found that he was only a short train ride from New York City. “I was 19 in dress blues in Greenwich Village,” he recounts with dramatic flair, dangling black earring glistening in the light. While there, he even visited the infamous New St. Mark’s Baths. “Then, the plague hit us,” he says, recalling the uncertainty surrounding AIDS, which was first mentioned in a 1981 New York Times article as a “rare cancer seen in 41 homosexuals.” Kane says he doesn’t think it’s possible to fully describe — not with any true justice — the nonverbal cues gay men used to make connections during this socially unreceptive period. The codes even included wearing different colored handkerchiefs in one’s back pocket to signal sexual preferences. “There was a lot of eye contact [and] body movement,” he says. “There was a dance involved, though there was no [initial] touching. I’m not sure that we necessarily have that dance anymore.” And, of course, there was the covert language.
“That’s where [the terms] ‘Mary’ and ‘Nelly’ came from,” he says. “Code words that you’d use to explain that you were one of us.” At that time, gay bars provided one of the few places where LGBTQ people could be themselves without a climate of fear. “I don’t think that people understood that these were our safe spaces,” he asserts. Kane feels grateful for the chance to honor the pioneers during Pride Month. “We owe our freedom to the sisters of the swishy sissies, because [they] were the ones who went out in public and were, unabashedly, who they were,” he says. “They were the extravagant, flamboyant, out, homosexual males, and they’re the ones who paved the way for us.” He leans into my voice recorder. “You have to have balls to be a sissy. If you’re swishy, sissy — swish, baby. Because you come from a history of leading the revolution.” I ask him what three pieces of advice he’d offer in a book about gay love. After a long moment of deep contemplation, he replies: “The first thing you have to realize is that your love is going to be going through trials that heterosexuals never go through. My second husband lost a number of friends when we had our commitment ceremony, because [some friends] couldn’t deal with it.” Kane also cautions that grieving is less accepted — by heterosexuals — when it comes to gay relationships. “I want to remind people when my first [partner] died, I wasn’t allowed to grieve.” As he explains, his email signature, which reads Twice Widowed Disabled Veteran Living With AIDS, comes to mind. “On my second [partner’s death], I wasn’t sure how to grieve, because we’re not taught how you grieve for a gay relationship.” The second tip Kane shares seems more universal. “Someone’s got to wash the dishes. Someone’s got to take out the trash,” he says. “But more importantly, never fall for that, ‘Who’s the wife?’ There isn’t one. OK? We’re both men. There is no wife. That’s the entire point.” Third, and last, Kane warns gay couples of the perils of trying to be a carbon copy of a heteronormative relationship. “You have to make your own decisions about what your relationship is.” In 2005, Kane’s second partner passed away, primarily because he didn’t have access to Kane’s military benefits. “Anytime someone brings up [the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in 2013], I tend to grit my teeth and say something ugly,” he says. “Because, regardless of what anyone says about DOMA, it was bad, and people died because of it.” He looks back at most of the 2010s as a new hope for the LGBTQ community and gives kudos to the younger generation for being powerful advocates for fairness and equality. Indeed, they make him feel like a “proud grandfather.” “Actually, one of them not too long ago, came up to me and said, ‘How are you, you old queen?’ I was like, ‘Oh, shit. I made it to old queen,’” he says with a beaming smile. “I am going to wear that with pride.”
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Sanford Nowlin
CITY CURRENT
It’s Time to Admit San Antonio’s Mayoral Politics Are Partisan Politics BY SANFORD NOWLIN Editor’s Note: The following is City Current, a column of opinion and analysis.
T
he bare-knuckle brawl of a race between Mayor Ron Nirenberg and challenger Greg Brockhouse mirrored the deep partisan divides apparent on the national political stage. Brockhouse mobilized evangelical voters by playing up their fears of religious discrimination, while Nirenberg pulled in endorsements from Democratic wonder twins Julián and Joaquin Castro and the Texas Democratic Party. Meanwhile, outside money poured into both campaigns at rates that surprised even seasoned political observers. Of course, all of this flies in the face of San Antonio’s longstanding claim that its city elections are
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CURRENT | June 19-July 2, 2019 | sacurrent.com
nonpartisan affairs. We favor that approach, the logic goes, because it allows issues, not ideology, to take the front seat. But like a lot of the narratives our city creates around itself, that’s something of a myth. Partisanship has been part of citywide elections for some time now. While mayor in 2012, Julián Castro became the first Hispanic to deliver the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, erasing any doubt about his party affiliation. And the 2015 matchup between Ivy Taylor and Leticia Van de Putte crackled with partisan rancor. Van de Putte was a longtime Democratic state rep, while Taylor largely appealed to conservative voters. A similar ideological gulf was apparent during Nirenberg’s 2017 run against Taylor. It was no secret
that many progressive supporters saw his win as balm for the stinging defeat Donald Trump handed Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. It’s easy to point fingers at Nirenberg this go-round for accepting campaign help from the Texas Democrats, but Brockhouse fanned the fires of partisanship before he’d even announced his candidacy. Most notably, then-councilman Brockhouse claimed Nirenberg’s unwillingness to bid on the Republican National Convention was motivated by his disdain for the GOP. Brockhouse even blew it up into a public spectacle by asking the state attorney general and the Texas Rangers to investigate whether council violated the law when it voted not to bid. Given the current political climate, which is likely to grow even more contentious as the 2020 election looms, it may be sheer folly to think partisanship won’t consume local elections — here or elsewhere. Maybe it’s just time to admit the Alamo City’s ideal of party-free local elections are, while well-intentioned, not grounded in reality. Plenty of other cities — from New York and Philadelphia to Houston and Charlotte — have partisan contests. To be sure, allowing party distinctions in local elections can help voters better understand the platforms candidates support, said David Crockett, a political science professor at Trinity University. “Partisan elections can give voters more data to work with,” he said. Political scientists also argue that without a party ballot, voters frequently turn to other even more divisive cues when making their decision, such as the ethnicity of a candidate’s name. Of course, none of this is to say Nirenberg can’t — and shouldn’t — work to erase the division lingering after the bitter mayoral runoff, if for nothing but selfish reasons. After all, he’ll need voter support for his plan to alleviate San Antonio’s growing transportation woes, and if he hopes to shore up support for his climate plan. In a recent interview with the Current, Nirenberg said he hopes to bridge the divide by being more visible in the community and continuing efforts to make city government more transparent. “I’ll be out in the neighborhoods far more often than before,” Nirenberg said. “People will see me on their doorsteps a lot more than they will on TV.” That visibility and openness may be the best approach. It’s certainly preferable to one where the mayor backs away from the bold changes he was elected twice now to fulfill. Or trying to sell those changes as something they’re not. While sticking to the middle may be the most natural inclination as Nirenberg tries to unify the city, that strategy hasn’t always served him well. Take, for example, his defense of the vote to exclude Chick-fil-A from the airport’s concessions contract as a business decision based on the chain’s closed-onSunday policy. Voters on the left saw it as a failure to deliver a full-throated defense of the city’s anti-discrimination policy. And those on the right? “It didn’t inoculate Nirenberg from their attacks,” Crockett said. “They just saw it as trying to be clever — and not successfully so.”
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13
SAT | 6/22
THU | 6/20
BURLESQUE
PASTIE POPS BIG GAY BURLESQUE SHOW 5
The Pastie Pops are back with a very special edition of their annual Big Gay Burlesque Show. This year, the show is a benefit for their very own Mustang Ryder, with all proceeds going to help Ryder fund his gender-affirming top surgery. The show will be filled with all the high-quality burlesque, boylesque and drag that you’ve come to expect from the Pastie Pops, with performances by Jasper St. James, Elle Du Jour, Vixy Van Hellen, Mary Annette, Aurora Hart, Dandy Velour, SirGio and more. Hosted by Camille Toe, the show is the perfect way to celebrate Pride, as well as make a tangible difference in the life of a core member of the troupe. $15-$50, 8 p.m., Sexology Institute, 707 S. St. Mary’s St., (210) 487-0371, sexologyinstitute.com. — KMN
New Line Cinema FI LM
SAT | 6/22 MUSIC
VIDEO DUNGEON THEATRE: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH
A botched sex change operation obtained in pursuit of an escape from behind the Iron Curtain set Hedwig (then “Hansel Schmidt”) on an unstoppable trajectory that somehow lead to her serving punk rock realness in a chain of failing restaurants called “Bilgewater’s” (with a name like that, is it any surprise they’re always empty?). Originally performed as a musical, show-creator John Cameron Mitchell adapted Hedwig’s story into a 2001 film, starring alongside some of his original off-Broadway cast members, including Miriam Shor. Between Hedwig’s trademark feathered wig, the catchy and poignant tunes on the soundtrack and costumes that are still on point today, it’s no wonder that this rock opera remains popular almost 20 years later. Video Dungeon Theatre’s special screening of Hedwig and the Angry Inch will feature a bonus performance after the film by members of the Texas Light Opera, whose production of the original musical opens in July. Free, 9 p.m., Oak Hills Tavern, 7920 Fredericksburg Road, facebook.com/thevideodungeon. — Kelly Merka Nelson
of a WWE ring. Wrestling-loving San Antonians will get a chance to see some of the in action when the #NXTRoadTrip makes a stop downtown. $24-$54, 6 p.m., The Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 8124355, theaztectheatre.com. — Kiko Martinez
THE LEGEND OF BIG BEND
There’s nothing better than a summer road trip across the expansive Texan landscape, particularly when you’re able to escape the paved monstrosity that is I-35. In a project akin to Sufjan Stevens’ long-abandoned Fifty States Project, Austin-based indie-rock chamber ensemble Montopolis has crafted two album-length song cycles themed on major Texan landmarks, following up 2017’s Music for Enchanted Rock with The Legend of Big Bend, which blends spoken word passages and poetry about the beloved state park with ambient rock enhanced by classical
FRI | 6/21 – SUN | 6/23 Courtesy of WWE NXT
THU | 6/20 SPORTS
WWE PRESENTS NXT LIVE! L
When World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) decided to expand its brand in 2010 by forming NXT, a developmental branch of the league for young talent who were not yet ready for primetime, the professional wrestling behemoth, owned and operated by CEO Vince McMahon, had no idea how popular it would become in less than a decade. Starting off as a seasonal TV competition, WWE revised the format of the show and transformed NXT into a flagship program for its own brand, which is produced by the WWE and airs on the WWE Network every Wednesday at 7 p.m. Since then, NXT has been lauded by wrestling pundits and fans around the world. In 2014, Grantland.com, a well respected but now defunct sports and culture website run by ESPN, called NXT “the way pro wrestling should be.” Today, NXT still features those up-and-coming wrestlers who are hungry for a shot at making it to the center 14 CURRENT | June 19-July 2, 2019 | sacurrent.com
COMEDY
FINESSE MITCHELL 5
Finesse Mitchell is a hardworking stand-up comedian, actor, podcaster and author who first garnered national attention as a guest on a few late night shows and then as a Saturday Night Live cast member (remember “Starkisha”?) from 2003 to 2006. He has since done tons of stand-up shows, a few movies, television and more, and in 2018, his first hour-long stand-up show, The Spirit Told Me to Tell You, aired on Showtime. With a stand-up game that’s endlessly adaptable and palatable — whether performing for national audiences on Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam tour or members of the armed forces with Felipe Esparza or Ron White — Mitchell has a knack for winning crowds with his incisive and clever topical humor, his well-honed bits about relationships and domestic life and his political jokes. San Antonians will have several opportunities to catch Mitchell in action as he stops in town for a three-day stint. $17-$27, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, lolsanantonio.com. — James Courtney
Courtesy of Finesse Mitchell
calendar
United States during 2017. That’s why raising awareness is such a critical undertaking in the culture war we’re currently fighting in this country. The McNay Art Museum is doing its small part with its free Get Reel summer film series, which this year centers on films about gender identity. Next on the schedule: co-writer and director Kimberly Peirce’s honest and heart-wrenching drama that made Swank a star and swung open doors for other films about the underrepresented trans community to be produced like Transamerica, The Danish Girl and A Fantastic Woman. Free, 7 p.m., McNay Art Museum, 6000 N New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org. — KMN
THU | 6/27 – SUN | 6/30 TH EATER Brenda Ladd
Raven Red Photography
ror comedy will be preceded by a screening of Galindo’s 2017 short, “The Witch Hour.” $5, 7 p.m., Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star, (210) 262-8653, brickatbluestar.com. — KMN
THU | 6/27 FILM
BOYS DON’T CRY p
Courtesy of Maria Galindo
instrumentation. As summer kicks into high gear and the great outdoors begins to call your name, The Legend of Big Bend is a perfect new playlist for the days when All Hail West Texas just isn’t doing it anymore. $15, 8 p.m., Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star, (210) 262-8653, brickatbluestar.com. — KMN
During Hilary Swank’s Oscar acceptance speech for her lead performance in 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry, Swank thanked Brandon Teena, the trans man she portrayed in the film who was raped and murdered six years prior to its theatrical release. “His legacy lives on through our movie to remind us to always be ourselves, to follow our hearts, to not conform,” she said. “I pray for the day when we not only accept our differences, but we actually celebrate our diversity.” Sadly, according to the most recent FBI statistics available, hate crimes against LGBTQ individuals increased in the
JASTON WILLIAMS IN DON’T BLAME THE CAR T
Jaston Williams is making his annual pilgrimage to The Classic Theatre with his latest one-man show: Don’t Blame the Car. Known for the slew of southern characters he’s portrayed in Greater Tuna (with partner Joe Sears) and other one-man shows like A Wolverine Walks Into a Bar…Conversations Over Ice and Clear to Partly Crazy, Williams has parlayed his wildcard humor and cheeky costumes (notably including the chicken getup he donned for I’m Not Lying) into a long-running career as an actor, comedian and writer. For Don’t Blame the Car, Williams delves into the follies of his teenage years, centered on his parents’ attempts to teach him to drive despite the fact that at 4’11” he could barely see over the steering wheel. Come for the vehicular humor, and stay to finally learn why Williams carries a “lifelong grudge against potatoes,” plus much more. $25, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and 7 p.m. Sunday, The Classic Theatre of San Antonio, 1924 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 5898450, classictheatre.org. — KMN
SUN | 6/23 FI LM
MR. ANDERSON’S POSSESSED CAR L
Self-taught indie director Maria Galindo jumped feet-first into filmmaking with her first feature, Life’s a Bitch (released as A Slice of Life in Barcelona on Amazon Prime). Galindo has brought things back to Good Ol’ San Anto for her second full-length film, veering into the horror genre while she’s at it. In Mr. Anderson’s Possessed Car, our eponymous protagonist nabs himself a 1992 Honda Accord for a song. The problem is, the car is a lemon — there are literally demons in the engine! A slave to his pride, Mr. Anderson refuses to simply get rid of the car, insisting on recouping his costs by selling it to some other poor soul, and, predictably, chaos ensues. The hor-
Fox Searchlight Pictures
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calendar PRIDE EVENTS ROUNDUP
It’s the most colorful time of the year again, so break out your rainbows and celebrate everything Pride with San Antonio’s smorgasbord of events. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots makes this year’s Pride particularly important, especially in the face of continuing discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community by the current presidential administration. UNIFY San Antonio and the Kind Clinic will start celebrations off right with Show Us Your PRIDE Friday, June 21, featuring performances by the Rey Lopez Showgirls and DJ Ella Ella, HIV testing by Project: H.O.T., free eats and drinks by Street Treats and more (free, 6-10 p.m., Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star), and the Pride Center will host its annual Icon’s Brunch and Awards on Sunday, June 23, to honor local advocates for the LGBTQ+ community ($85-$800, 11:30 a.m., Pearl Stable, 307 Pearl Pkwy.). On Sunday you can also catch special services at The Living Church at Woodlawn Pointe (free, 11 a.m., 702 Donaldson Ave.) and the Madison Square Presbyterian Church (free, 4 p.m., 319 Camden St.). Prefer soccer to Jesus? The San Antonio Futbol Club has you covered with its Pride Night Out on Wednesday, June 26 — come to the pre-game mixer and cheer the team on against the El Paso Locomotive while you enjoy dollar drink specials. ($14-$35, mixer at 5:30 p.m., game at 7:30 p.m., Toyota Field, 5106 David Edwards Dr.). Things will kick into high gear on June 29 for the annual “Pride Bigger Than Texas” Festival and Parade, hosted by Pride San Antonio. In honor of the Stonewall anniversary, this year’s theme is “Remember. Honor. Educate.” The festivities start in Crockett Park at 11 a.m. with entertainers on deck including Brian Justin Crum, Drowning Mona, Luciana, Sizzy Rocket, Sandra Valls, Patsy Torrres and Bidi Bidi Banda ($10, 1300 N. Main Ave.). At 3 p.m., you’ll have to choose between body slams and the pinnacle of romance, because Pride Championship Wrestling has been scheduled at the same time as the “We All Love the Same” mass wedding — so plan accordingly. The festival winds down at 7 p.m., but you can pop over to The Strip on N. Main for the official afterparty, which will run all the way until 3 a.m. (free, 1416-1503 N. Main Ave.) If you want to stick around Crockett Park for the parade, you can also catch the Running of the Queens High Heel Race at 8:45 p.m. right before the action begins at 9. Plus, there’ll be some post-parade fireworks. — KMN
From Left: Mel Ramos, Wonder Woman; Renee Cox, Eruption (from the Raje series)
FRI | 6/21 TUE | 7/2 Courtesy of SAMA
‘MEN OF STEEL, WOMEN OF WONDER’
E
videnced by the global success of recent films such as Black Panther, Avengers: Endgame and Captain Marvel, among many others, the world is still captivated by the concept of superheroes. While less memorable examples might fall within that formulaic realm the New York Times summed up as “mental popcorn, meant to be rapidly consumed and forgotten,” the box office numbers prove we’re still collectively content to sit and watch statuesque freaks of nature fight off evil forces — even when the takeaway is minimal. Long before the schlock of what’s been dubbed “Hollywood’s Comic Book Age,” Superman and Wonder Woman captured imaginations as defenders of humanity fighting injustices amid the backdrops of the Great Depression and WWII. Introduced in 1938 and 1941,
respectively, this iconic, spandex-clad pair inspire myriad incarnations in “Men of Steel, Women of Wonder,” an exhibition organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, and landing at the San Antonio Museum of Art this summer. Although it might conjure visions of comic cons and nerdy fan art, the traveling show digs deep into the cultural significance of both figures — and it isn’t an entirely kid-friendly affair. Curated by Alejo Benedetti, the collection of 70-plus paintings, photographs, videos and installations goes beyond the expected depictions of costumed heroism to explore sexuality, immigration, race, idolatry, desire and the very building blocks that made these characters possible. Spanning from the 1930s to the present day, “Men of Steel, Women of Wonder” builds an interpretive timeline in four thematic sections.
Encompassing both the reverent and irreverent, the introductory section The Heroes We Know comprises photographer Siri Kaur’s amusing portraits of celebrity impersonators captured in mundane, contemporary contexts, Peter Saul’s playfully surreal painting Superman Versus the Toilet Duck and a provocative yet nostalgic installation by Jim Shaw, The Issue of My Loins, that showcases — and supersizes — Superman’s crotch. Placing the mythical stars in historical context, Origin Stories is reportedly the germinating seed for the entire exhibition. Here, real-life men of steel and women of wonder are presented in etchings of 1930s-era steel workers building the metropolis, photographs of women welding in the Willow Run bomber plant in the 1940s and Norman Rockwell’s 1943 painting of brawny machinist and feminist icon Rosie the Riveter eating a sandwich as the American flag billows in the background. Contrasting God-like power with traces of vulnerability, Glimpsing Humanity places our heroes in unexpected contexts: an alienated Superman reads the paper amid a barren landscape in Llyn Foulkes’ 1991 painting Where Did I Go Wrong and gets lit in Mike Kelley’s 1999 video Superman Recites Selections from “The Bell Jar” and Other Works by Sylvia Plath. Wonder Woman becomes a religious icon in Valetin Popov’s 2009 painting St. Wonder Woman and gets placed In Exile alongside the Virgin Mary, Aphrodite and others in Mary Beth Edelson’s mixed-media painting from 1989. Timely and provocative, the closing
SAT | 6/29
Julian Ledezma
art pick section Defender of the Innocent challenges stereotypes of gender and race while importantly reminding that both beloved characters are immigrants (he’s from Krypton, she’s from Themyscira, aka Paradise Island). Sarah Hill addresses the plight of a trans Wonder Woman in the 2014 video They Wonder; late San Antonio artist Mel Casas calls out the lack of diversity in the superhero realm in his painting Humanscape 70 (Comic Whitewash); Superman locks lips with Batman in Rich Simmons’ 2014 mixed-media work Between the Capes; Dulce Pinzón celebrates Mexican immigrants as working-class superheroes in staged photographs; and an installation attributed to the U.S. Department of Illegal Superheroes (ICE DISH) comes complete with a hotline where concerned citizens can report suspicious activity. As host venue, SAMA rises to the heroic occasion with an abundance of complementary programs, including talks with featured artists, weekly gallery talks, workshops, a Superhero Pajama Party (July 26) and outdoor screenings of Black Panther (June 28), Superman: The Movie (July 12), Nacho Libre (July 19), The Incredibles 2 (August 2), Batman (August 6), Wonder Woman (August 9), Birdman (August 16), Lu Over the Wall (August 23) and Superman II (August 30). $12-$20, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed-Thu, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat-Sun, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Tue through September 1, San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org. — Bryan Rindfuss sacurrent.com | June 19-July 2, 2019 | CURRENT
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Josh Huskin
SAT | 6/29 SKIN-PROV: SUMMER OF STRIP p
The summer is about to get much hotter with lots of shimmying and plenty of shaking. San Antonio’s longest-running neo-burlesque troupe, the Stars and Garters, is bringing an interactive improv show with sizzling and sinful eroticism to the MoSA (Museum of Sexy Art) space at the Love Shack Boutique! Not only will the performers striptease with boisterous theatrics but they’ll also offer the audience members a dominating role in the performance. The burlesque performers will submit to the whims of audience members, who will spin the wheel of titillating tunes to determine the song the performers dance to — and there may even be props! The all-star ensemble, voted the Best Burlesque Troupe in the San Antonio Current’s Best of SA poll five times, will feature Suki Jones, Black Orchid, CoCo Simone and Giselle J’Adore, along with guest star Miss Sugar Free and more. Buy your tickets now to ensure you’re close enough to feel the heat. $20, 7:30
p.m., Love Shack Boutique, 1580 Babcock Road, (210) 767-9411, starsandgartersburlesque.com — Brian Holmes
SUN | 6/30 WORDS
GOOD POEMS AT THE GOOD KIND Trinity University professor and recent San Antonio Poet Laureate Jenny Browne has curated an ongoing series of poetry readings at The Good Kind’s picturesque Southtown location. This month, the series returns with a stacked lineup, featuring none other than Naomi Shihab Nye, San Antonio’s beloved local poet and recently crowned Young People’s Poet Laureate, who will be reading from her latest book, The Tiny Journalist. Joining Nye are San Antonian Evan Beaty and San Marcos’ Vanessa Couto Johnson, who recently released her first full-length collection pungent dins concentric. While the event kicks off at 4 p.m., the readings will not commence until 5, so it’s safe to arrive fashionably late. Free, 4 p.m., The Good Kind, 1127 S. St. Mary’s, (210) 439-0030, eatgoodkind.com — KMN
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OPENING RECEPTION
Thursday, June 27, 2019 • 6:00pm – 9:00pm EXHIBITION ON VIEW THROUGH SEPTEMBER 29, 2019 Participating Artists
Lorena Angulo, Richard Armendariz, Jose Balli, Marisela Barrera, Gregg Barrios Kim Bishop, Hayfer Brea Rodriguez, Francisco Cortes, Sarah Fisch, Anel Flores, Ernesto Ibanez Julya Jara, Maria Linan, Sergio Mata, Bárbara Miñarro, Ashley Mireles, Merle Mory Anastassia Rabajille, Andrea V. Rivas, Jessica Ruiz, Luis Valderas, Jorge Villarreal, Anne Wallace Naomi Wanjiku, Guillermina Zabala, Claudia Elisa Zapata
Participating Organizations
Centro de Artes |101 S. Santa Rosa FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
#CentroDeArtesSA | #GetCreativeSA | 210-207-1436 | sanantonio.gov/arts |
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your United Artists
TUES | 7/2 FI LM
TPR CINEMA TUESDAYS: MIDNIGHT COWBOY
If the only thing you know about Jon Voight is that he’s Angelina Jolie’s dad, then this week’s iteration of TPR’s Cinema Tuesdays is a must-attend for you. Voight’s storied career was launched by Midnight Cowboy, in which he starred as a naïve Texan dishwasher who decides to make it big in New York City as a sex worker. Things don’t quite go his way once he arrives, and he strikes up an unlikely friendship with the aptly named grifter Ratso Rizzo, played by Dustin Hoffman. Not only is this first and only X-rated flick to receive the Oscar for Best Picture (though it was later reclassified as R), Midnight Cowboy is also the source of the ultimate NYC exclamation: “I’m walkin’ here!” $10-$15, 7:30 p.m., Santikos Bijou Cinema Bistro, 4522 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 614-8977, tpr.org — KMN
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Transamerica/n: The McNay’s Trailblazing New Exhibition Explores Gender Identity BY MARCO AQUINO
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groundbreaking new exhibition opening June 20 at San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum is raising eyebrows across the nation. Billed as Transamerica/n: Gender, Identity, Appearance Today, the show gathers 59 artists from across various mediums to form the first major survey of contemporary art to “explore the construction of identity through gender and outward appearance.” The exhibition presents gender as part of a broad spectrum, which includes male, female and non-binary gender identities. While the majority of the artists included come from underrepresented communities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, the exhibition also makes room for Japanese appropriation artist Yasumasa Morimura. In Dedicated to La Duquesa de Alba (2004), Morimura depicts himself as the famous duchess as painted by the Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Also featured in the exhibition are photographers Graciela Iturbide, Robert Mapplethorpe, Lesley Dill, sculptors Greer Lankton and Frank Benson and installation artists Xavier Schipani and Jacolby Satterwhite. The work in Transamerica/n spans the 1970s to today and is presented within seven different themes including “The Performance of Dress,” “Home and Community,” and “The Authentic Body.” Transamerica/n is held in tandem with Andy Warhol: Portraits, an exhibition which features over 120 paintings, prints, photographs and films depicting the artist’s inner social circle during the 1980s. Together, the exhibitions commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riots, which served as a catalyst for the modern fight for LGBTQ rights. 28
CURRENT | June 19-July 2, 2019 | sacurrent.com
At a recent information session, the exhibition’s organizers gathered to answer questions and address concerns the public might have about Transamerica/n. While some community members voiced worries over the “appropriateness” of the exhibition for young children, others expressed gratitude for the chance to bring their families to such a show. Museum director Richard Aste pointed out that the exhibition will be a learning opportunity for the museum’s visitors. “We are in the business of teaching through modern and contemporary art,” he said. “This exhibition is an opportunity for us to not only learn about ourselves, but also other members of our community, and to appreciate other points of view that may be very different from our own.” Aste said that everything the museum does is grounded in its mission to engage “a diverse community in the discovery and enjoyment of the visual arts.” Transamerica/n is significant in that it spotlights communities of artists who have, up until now, been underrepresented by the museum. “Everyone who comes onto our campus should have the chance to see themselves and feel truly engaged when they are here,” Aste said. “Everyone should know that they are meant to be here at the McNay just as they are.” Fittingly, one of the first works of art viewers will see as they enter the exhibition will be Satterwhite’s neon sign, How lovly is me being as I am. Renee Garvens, president of the San Antonio LGBT Chamber of Commerce, also participated in the McNay’s information session, and said that, in the past, visitors to Texas have been wary of the state’s level of inclusivity or LGBT friendliness.
“Honestly, Texas doesn’t have a good reputation in this community, so oftentimes we get asked to write letters in support of San Antonio and how inclusive it is,” Garvens said. “I think that this type of exhibit is putting us on the map for being a friendlier, more inclusive community that is more welcoming to millions of LGBT members from the United States.” Another topic of concern was whether the museum had engaged with members of the transgender community before presenting the exhibition. René Paul Barilleaux, head of curatorial affairs at the McNay Art Museum, said the exhibition’s content and structure was indeed shaped by input given by community members,
arts Clockwise from top left: JJ Levine, Switch 1; Jacolby Satterwhite, How lovly is me being as I am; Lezley Saar, The Silent Woman; Yasumasa Morimura, Dedicated to La Duquesa de Alba/Black Alba; Lesley Dill, Poem Dress for a Hermaphrodite
including transgender and nonbinary individuals. He explained that the museum created two committees, one made up of activists and community members and another of arts professionals. “From the very beginning, those committees met,” Barilleaux said. “We shared our thoughts, our concepts... lots of images. We looked at their reactions and we got their feedback.” Another thing to remember is that while Transamerica/n spotlights many LGBTQ artists, it is not an exclusively LGBTQ show. “When you see the exhibition, you will see we
are using ‘trans’ in a broader sense, not just as in ‘transgender,’ but also as in ‘transformational,’ ‘transnational’ and ‘transhistorical,’” Barilleaux said. “We are really thinking about the way these issues are crossing boundaries of all sorts, not just identity boundaries, not just sexual orientation boundaries, but boundaries of all sorts.” And here is what the exhibition aims to reveal: the fluidity of gender across space and time. “If we are doing our job correctly, you should leave the
Transamerica/n: Gender, Identity, Appearance Today McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave. June 20-September 15
Sundays: $15-$20, noon-5 p.m. , Wednesdays and Fridays: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Thursdays : 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturdays: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (210) 824-5368 mcnayart.org.
McNay on every occasion [as] a different person than from when you arrived,” Aste said. “I think museums have that power, that capacity to expand our minds and connect us with other people. So, if you’re straight and you don’t see yourself here, then this is an opportunity to appreciate someone who isn’t the way you are, but it’s also an opportunity to empathize and walk away seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.” This article originally appeared on Spectrum South.
Find more artsmore coverage Find news every day at sacurrent.com
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outreach, advocacy, education for safer sex awareness and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment.” Currently comprising 11 active members, the local chapter employs liberal doses of “humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.” In an effort to better understand the Abbey of the Alamo’s endeavors, accomplishments and inner workings, we sat down with Fully Professed Members Sister Skharlott de la Noche (Abbess), Sister Dottie Bair (Secretary) and Sister Katya Klyzm on a Friday night before they went out to distribute “Bliss Kits” in bars on the Main Strip.
Sister Act
San Antonio’s Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence preach camp for a cause BY BRYAN RINDFUSS
M
usical-theater icons Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein are either laughing or rolling in their graves over their unwitting role in the bizarre origin story of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — a troupe of gender-blending “nuns” that emerged in 1970s-era San Francisco after donning habits procured from an Iowa convent for an unconventional production of The Sound of Music. Outlined in the “Sistory” section of the group’s website, founding members Sister Vicious Power Hungry Bitch, Reverend Mother, Missionary Position and Hysterectoria-Agnes made their first appearance together on Easter weekend 1979, marching through the gay-friendly streets of the Castro district armed with “a machine gun (for protection)” and then, naturally, to a nude beach and a softball game to perform a well received pompom routine. Rising from a counterculture mecca informed by everything from the Summer of Love and San Francisco’s gay groundswell to outré theatrical troupes like the Cockettes and the Angels of Light, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence set out to further challenge conformity with a visually arresting mélange of bearded drag, camp and Catholic satire. Beyond adopting habits, wimples and conceptual “ear bras30
CURRENT | June 19-July 2, 2019 | sacurrent.com
sieres,” the founding Sisters established themselves as benevolent beings on a mission “to promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt.” While earning press and controversy alike, they began serving the needs of the San Francisco community by hosting early AIDS fundraisers and distributing educational yet humorous pamphlets preaching the virtues of safe sex. As their popularity and visibility rose in California, spinoffs began popping up — starting with Sydney, Australia, and Toronto, Canada, and slowly but surely spreading across the United States and the world. Although under the umbrella of the Motherhouse in San Francisco, these 70-plus satellite orders are independent entities that share similar missions and goals but can customize their own rules and dress codes while addressing the specific needs of their local communities. Formed in 2011, the nonprofit San Antonio Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Abbey of the Alamo, bills itself as “a modern, communal order of 21st-century nuns dedicated to community service, fundraising,
What can you tell me about the hierarchy of the order? Sister Skharlott: Well, you start off as an Aspirant and you just kind of hang out and get to know the group, see what we’re all about. As Sister Betty put it to me when I first joined, it’s the butt-sniffing phase, like dogs checking each other out. Then when you decide you want to join, you become a Postulant, and you work, and that’s where you wear the grey dress, and you’re a little demure. It’s basically the observation phase. Then you do a Postulant Report and you get interviewed by the Fully Professed Members and they vote whether you move up or not. Then you move up to Novice — if you move up. And that’s a little bit more [formal]. You wear a black dress, you can add some color to your face, and you’re allowed to speak. Postulants can’t speak on behalf of the house — they have white lips. As a Novice, you’re still learning how to be a Sister and what we’re all about. And then you do a Novice Project, which can be a fundraiser, a community benefit or something like that. And then after that, if your Big Sister and the Mistress and Novices decide you’re ready to move up, then you’re interviewed again, and you’re voted whether you move up to Fully Professed Sister. Tell us a bit about your mission. Sister Katya: I typically explain that it’s to “promulgate universal joy and expiate stigmatic guilt,” but I [simplify it] a bit and say that it’s to spread joy and end guilt. We’re trying to help you to feel happy and see [that] you can be as ridiculous as we are when we go out, or you can be whoever you are. Sister Dottie: That’s exactly the core of the mission. … We spend so much time as queer people being told we’re not enough. We’re not good enough, we’re not worthy enough, we’re not something enough. My mission, every single person I meet, I need them to know [that] they are perfect, they are amazing and they are more than enough. They are amazing. They are loved and worthy and all of those things. Because we grow up internalizing those messages, and I really just want to make sure that people know, when you look in your mirror, you are looking 33 6
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June 21–September 1, 2019 Men of Steel, Women of Wonder is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas., This exhibition is is generously funded by The Brown Foundation, Inc. and, The Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992., This exhibition is supported by the City of San Antonio’s Department of Arts & Culture. Mel Ramos, Wonder Woman (detail), 1962, Oil on canvas, 50 x 44 in., Rochelle and Darren Leininger Family Collection; Fahamu Pecou, Nunna My Heros: After Barkley Hendricks’ ‘Icon for My Man Superman,’ 1969 (detail), 2011, Acrylic, gold leaf, and oil stick on canvas, 63 x 49 1/2 in. (160 x 125.7 cm), Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University., Gift of Marjorie and Michael Levine, 2012.8.1. © Fahamu Pecou., Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.
200 West Jones Avenue | samuseum.org sacurrent.com | June 19-July 2, 2019 | CURRENT
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4 CONVENIENT SAN ANTONIO LOCATIONS
8806 Bandera Rd #103 - 210.684.2285 | 9822 Potranco Rd #115 - 210.684.2285 19422 U.S. Highway 281 N. #105 - 210.251.4058 | 7325 N Loop 1604 W STE 101 - 210.988.3720
arts
hour and a half to two hours. I’m a little bit perfectionistic. Sister Skharlott: I wanna say tonight took me about an hour and a half. I’m like Katya, I play certain music, have a certain table. You get yourself in the zone. And some days, you can be in the worst mood ever, but you start putting on the whiteface and my mood will change like that. It’s the weirdest thing. It’s kind of an epiphany, maybe halfway through your journey. You just put it on, and you start changing. Your personality changes a little bit, your thought process changes. Sometimes you truly do become different. Sister Dottie: There are days when you do not want to put on a face. Like, when I’ve been at work all day, I’m tired. I just want to play video games and forget the world. And there’s a moment when you’re putting on the whiteface that — I tell people all the time, that Dottie isn’t me. Dottie is a manifestation of a need inside of the community. And there’s a moment where that happens. And suddenly it’s no longer about me. It’s never been about me. It’s about all the people out here that need Dottie.
6 30 at somebody that is not just enough, you’re fucking perfect. So, beyond that positivity, what about the activism? Sister Dottie: There is activism involved. We did the Women’s March, we did the migrant children protest. You have to tread kind of a fine line when you’re a 501(c)(3). You can advocate against policies, you can advocate against laws [but] you can’t advocate for or against specific parties or people. I actually did a big voter registration drive and during it, people kept trying to engage me [about political parties]. When you’re looking at me like this, I can’t talk about party — period. All I care about is that you go vote. Like, just vote. [San Antonio’s] turnouts are pathetic. When you talk to me and I don’t look like this, I’m more than happy to share those views with you. But as a [nonprofit] you can’t cross that line. Sister Skharlott: Not only do we participate in other activism, but Sister Dottie here has Just One Night
to help raise money and awareness for homeless youth. We’ve also got a pretty robust HIV awareness [program]. We pass out Bliss Kits with condoms and lube, and we all [encourage] people to go get tested. We pass them out at First Friday and in the bars [on the Main Strip]. I always have a big bag of them in my purse. Sister Dottie: Just One Night was originally my Novice Project. As I came up through the ranks, I knew it would be something I would do every year. I used to be a 16-year-old living on the streets, so part of my mission as a Sister is helping homeless youth. It just absolutely is. Because I know what those kids go through. So, it’s an event that I do every year and am trying to make a citywide event. You know how people sign up for a bike ride or a 5K, they raise funds and then they go run. So, I ask them to sign up, raise funds and then come sleep in a city park overnight as a way to start a conversation about homelessness. We just had its second year and raised $8,500 for Stand Up for Kids and Pride Center.
How often do you all get together to do outreach? Sister Katya: All of us, it’s not that often — with everyone’s schedules, it can be tough. So, it’s a lot more [often] that small groups of us will go when [we] can. Wherever you feel called, you go there. We’re drawn to that kind of work. Do you ever divulge your real names? Sister Dottie: I actually divulge my name all the time. I’m actually on the Mayor’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee. And, so, they know my name forwards, backwards, left and right. It’s all over in print. And I’m very out at work as a Sister as well. They were actually trying to get me to come into work the other day like this. And I’m an engineer at Rackspace — so big computer nerd by day. How long does it take to get all of this on? Sister Katya: It varies. I think I take the longest, I’m pretty sure, of everyone. But for me, I have to listen to my music, and have this space for getting ready to go out to do something that’s not your everyday thing. So, it takes me about an
And what is that deepest need? For people to feel better about being themselves? Sister Dottie: I would say, at the core of it, to know that you’re accepted, that you’re of value, that you’re loved. I think most human beings walk around honestly believing that they’re not worthy of love. And by God, I’ll tell a complete stranger. I’ll look them in the eyes and tell them I love them. Because we don’t say it enough and we don’t let people know enough. What’s the typical reaction to your look as a house? Sister Katya: People are always very excited to see us, because we don’t wear the traditional nun’s habit and all that stuff. Either happy or “What are you?” They need to know what we are, and we can talk about that — that’s fine too. But usually they’re happy and want to laugh because we’re ridiculous. Sister Dottie: They think we’re clowns. Are there any barriers as to who can join? Sister Dottie: We are inclusive of everybody, every sexuality, every gender identity. If you feel the mission, you can join. sacurrent.com | June 19-July 2, 2019 | CURRENT
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Getting Wet
Keep Cool in More Ways Than One at San Antonio’s Hippest Places to Swim BY KELLY MERKA NELSON
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s of June 15, the City of San Antonio officially declared the start of summer by opening all of its swimming pools to the public. Sure, some public pools deserve their reputation as chemical-laden rectangles full of screaming kids that are watched over by teenage lifeguards with thousand-yard stares. Even so, there are still a bunch of great places to get your swim on in San Antonio without feeling like you’re an extra in that scene in The Sandlot when Squints pretends to drown. Historic San Pedro Springs Park is a luxurious place to soak. Fed by spring water, the large pool is shaded by Cypress trees and surrounded by a limestone walkway — a suitably picturesque alternative to the blinding white concrete of the stereotypical neighborhood swimming pool. Originally built in 1922, the facility was refurbished in the late ’90s to bring it back to its former glory. It’s been a local favorite since reopening in 2000. Free, 2-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through August 11, 2200 N. Flores. Roosevelt Park’s pool is a light blue ellipsis surrounded by a winding set of stairs that double as a stadium-seating-esque spot to lounge and catch
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CURRENT | June 19-July 2, 2019 | sacurrent.com
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some sun while you watch the kids, or just take a break to reapply sunscreen. Free, 1-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through August 11, 330 Roosevelt Ave. You may not be allowed to swim in the lake, but Woodlawn Lake Park more than makes up for that with its massive pool, which features shaded pavilions along its extended length, so you don’t find yourself baking in the sun when sitting poolside. Free, 1-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through August 11, 330 Roosevelt. Like Woodlawn, Lady Bird Johnson Park’s pool is simply huge, meaning there’s plenty of room for everyone to get in on the aquatic fun. The typical rectangular shape is broken up with a curving design with two sloping, shoreline-esque pool entryways, making it a more interesting destination than many of its “square” counterparts. Free, 1-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through August 18, 10700 Nacogdoches Rd. This year, Elmendorf Lake Park finally got its long-planned pool. Although originally nixed due to funding issues when the park restoration began, the swimming facilities were added back into the budget when voters approved the 2017 city bond. The park is also introducing new features including a splash pad,
playground and public art. Free, 2-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays through August 11, 235 Shore Dr. Open year-round, the San Antonio Natatorium provides public access to a competition-grade swimming facility that can be used for fitness as well as free swim. If you want to don your swimsuit but have had it up to here with the rising temperatures outside, the natatorium lets you enjoy the best of both worlds. There is a catch, though — while the city’s outdoor pools grant free admission, there’s a small entry fee here. $2-$4 (extended passes available for $50-$70), 1-7 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays, 1430 W. César E. Chávez Blvd. If you’re looking for a kid-friendly way to keep cool but don’t want or need full immersion, there’s no need to resort to turning on the sprinklers (which may go against water restrictions, anyway). In addition to Elmendorf’s new splash pad, kids can enjoy similar pads at Yanaguana Garden in Hemisfair (Free, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, 434 S. Alamo) and Pearsall Park (Free, 9-11:30 a.m., 12:30-2:30 p.m., 3:30-5:30 p.m. and 6:30-9 p.m. daily, 4838 Old Pearsall Rd.). Or, you can keep them occupied while you brunch at the Bottling Dept. with the water spouts of Gustav’s Geysers in Pearl Park (Free, 9 a.m.10 p.m. daily, 312 Pearl Parkway).
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Echo in the Canyon explores musical inspiration drawn from legendary L.A. area BY KIKO MARTINEZ
T
o hear a score of iconic singers and songwriters speak so highly about what it was like to live and work in Laurel Canyon during the mid-1960s, one might believe they experienced nothing less than paradise. In Echo in the Canyon, first-time director Andrew Slater and musician Jakob Dylan (son of Bob and executive producer), reach out to a number of these folk-rock legends, including Michelle Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas and Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield, to talk about why a place like Hollywood Hills was such an enriching environment and why they think their bands — and others — were able to generate some of the most beloved songs of their generation. Echo in the Canyon is a touching homage to these musicians and the songs they created in what basically became a musical commune. During the film, Slater and Dylan also meet up with their contemporaries (Norah Jones, Eric Clapton, Fiona Apple, Cat Power and the late Tom Petty, among others), to share how the music of that era influenced them and to jam out in living rooms and on stage to songs like the Beach Boys’ “In My Room,” the Byrds’ “It Won’t Be Wrong” and the Association’s “Never My Love.” Between everyone singing each other’s praises,
Cranked Up Films
Bad Sleep One fun, campy short can’t make up for Nightmare Cinema’s unoriginal anthology ideas
A
s far as gory horror anthologies go, Nightmare Cinema is a mixed bag of body parts. Created in the same hemorrhaging vein as the
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which registers as a bit self-aggrandizing in some scenes, Dylan — who takes on the role as interviewer — teases out a few interesting anecdotes from his time-honored subjects. Nothing they reveal is earthshattering, but discussions from the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson on how the Beatles’ Rubber Soul inspired him to write Pet Sounds and an acknowledgement from the Byrds’ David Crosby about why he was fired in 1967 from the band he helped form are satisfying. “They threw me out of the Byrds because I was an asshole,” he explains. Throughout, Dylan manages to get the rock ’n’ rollers to open up to him with personal stories. Other times, the film offers the most devout fans a reason to geek out over narratives about gigs at the famous Troubadour nightclub, which was recently featured
Creepshow movies of the 1980s and, more recently, the V/H/S and The ABCs of Death franchises, the five-part anthology suffers from same principal problem as past films in the genre in that it’s practically impossible to compile a series of shorts and have them all come out winners. In fact, of the five short films that make up Nightmare Cinema, only one is quality work. That distinction goes to the anthology’s juiciest, meatiest, and funniest blood-soaked segment, which happens to be the very first in its lineup, “The Thing in the Woods.” Directed by Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead), the film shows the Argentine filmmaker taking a page from the Sam Raimi playbook and that director’s 1987 cult classic Evil Dead 2. Part slasher flick, part creature feature, Brugués’ short is campy and fun with the perfect dose of laughs and decomposing corpses. Set in the woods, it begins with Samantha (Sarah Elizabeth Withers), a young woman covered in blood running away from a killer armed with a pick ax and wearing a welding helmet. Once their confrontation ends at a nearby cabin, “The Thing in the Woods” takes a clever twist and becomes something different, but just as absurd and enjoyable. Viewers who suffer from arachnophobia might want to take a pass if they can’t control their heebie-jeebies. Everyone else can bow out once “The Thing in the Woods” wraps. The other four shorts are insignificant, which is unfortunate since one of the
in the Elton John biopic Rocketman, and the introduction of the revolutionary 12-string guitar. Phillips even speaks on her past marital indiscretions, which ultimately led her band to write songs like “I Saw Her Again” and “Go Where You Wanna Go.” While Echo in the Canyon is a crowd-pleasing blast from the past, it probably won’t become the be-all and end-all film on the musical era. However, the captivating archive footage and interviews with the men and women who reinvented the rock genre forever make it must-see (and must-hear) rockumentary, especially for those who consider the music of the ’60s part of their own life’s soundtrack. Echo in the Canyon opens exclusively at the Santikos Bijou Cinema Bistro June 14.
films is by Joe Dante, who directed 1984’s Gremlins. Dante’s short, “Mirari,” is a rip-off of the classic 1960 Twilight Zone episode “Eye of the Beholder.” In Dante’s updated take, Anna (Zarah Mahler), a self-conscious, young woman with scars on her face, is coerced by her fiancé and her future mother-in-law’s plastic surgeon, to undergo an array of cosmetic procedures she doesn’t need. The outcome is disturbing but predictable and unoriginal. Rounding out the anthology are directors Ryûhei Kitamura (The Midnight Meat Train) with the segment “Mashit,” a cliché possession narrative that takes place at a private Catholic school; David Slade (Hard Candy) with the segment “This Way to Egress” about a paranoid, single mother’s (Elizabeth Reaser) descent into madness; and Mick Garris (Critters 2) with the segment “Dead,” about a young piano protégé who cheats death and gains the power to see ghosts. Even with Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) making a cameo as the mysterious “Projectionist,” the self-described “curator of 100 years of nightmares trapped in a silver screen that never forgets,” Nightmare Cinema is a mostly unpleasant experience. Nightmare Cinema debuts on VOD platforms June 14.
— Kiko Martinez
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by pastry chef Sayde Carroll, includes house caramel cake, pudding jars and peanut butter pie — the latter made with chocolate-and-bourbon caramel and topped with meringue, whipped cream and crushed vanilla wafers. Rattray’s mother Candy recently visited Fontaine’s to make sure the kitchen was following the family’s dessert recipes, which have been hand-tested and passed down over several generations. “We’re going to have a rotating number of Southern desserts, so hopefully people are coming in often enough to try them all,” he added. Fontaine’s opened with a limited menu, but Rattray expects to service to expand to include breakfast, lunch, dinner and weekend brunch service in the coming weeks. For those looking to imbibe, the restaurant also has a selection of boozy milkshakes and $10 cocktail options, including a Southern peach julep, a fruit cobbler libation made with house preserves and an impresCourtesy of Fontaines sive whiskey lineup that can be enjoyed at the bar or on the patio. Diners can snag a corner booth or pull up a chair on the patio to order iced tea, play outdoor lawn games or people-watch. “We’re hoping to make this a place for the community,” Rattray said, adding that Fontaine’s plans Fontaine’s Southern to host daily happy hour Diner & Bar events from 4-6 p.m., and 906 E. Elmira St. all-day happy hour specials rant interior has been upon Sundays. dated to offer a mix of booth (210) 236-9013 Rattray plans to stay inand traditional table seating. facebook.com/ volved in the Granary, which Family photos and copies of fontainesdiner he credits with teaching him Aunt Fontaine’s recipes line Hours: Tues.-Fri. 7 a.m.a lot of what not to do and to the walls. midnight; Sat.-Sun. 10:30 focus on what really matters Diners can also expect to a.m.-midnight to customers. view the kitchen at work as “It’s important to be a staff create Southern specialplace that people can conties such as icebox pickles, sistently enjoy themselves and return for tomato pie and sweet tea-braised collard the hospitality, flavor or just a great slice of greens — all made from scratch. pie,” he said. A small but promising dessert menu, led
Down Home, Fancied Up
Tim Rattray’s Fontaine’s Southern Diner & Bar focuses on elevating simple fare BY LEA THOMPSON
S
ince chef Tim Rattray opened the Granary at the Pearl in 2012, barbecue has risen in culinary esteem from a casual Texas tradition into an elevated dining experience. Now, Rattray’s second restaurant, the recently opened Fontaine’s Southern Diner & Bar, promises to do the same for Southern diner fare. Fontaine’s, named for Rattray’s late great aunt Fontaine Shamburger Wilhelm, takes a fresh approach to old-school Southern dishes like fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and cornbread. Fluffy Johnny cakes, for example, get topped with foie gras, syrup and preserves, while diners are offered a variety of artisan country hams. The menu and restaurant are a tribute to “where my family came from, and what we ate as kids — just executed really well,” Rattray said. Rattray began his culinary career working for celebrated San Antonio chefs, including Bruce Auden of Biga on the Banks and Andrew Weissman of the now closed Le Rêve, Il Sogno and Sandbar. After that, Rattray went on to stage at restaurants in Chicago and New York before establishing The Granary at the Pearl. Where the Granary showcases Rattray’s culinary experiences through smoke and fire, Fontaine’s celebrates his family’s origins and culinary traditions rooted in Alabama and Georgia. Formerly home to a gas station, the restau-
Courtesy of Fontaines
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Erik Gustafson
Wine-Curious
Little Death brings a bawdy take on the wine bar to the St. Mary’s Strip BY RON BECHTOL
D
geeks, youngsters with a yen for someespite its unremarkable interior, Little Death is a wine bar thing new and even old farts who don’t care about labels. According to one that stands out from the muserver, everyone outside of people in table St. Mary’s Strip. Named line for Burger Boy on weekends comes for la petite mort, a French expression into the small bar. for a sensation related to orgasm, Little At Little Death, there are no baller Death is a wine bar that lives up to its Bordeaux and Burgundies, no ScreamRabelaisian exterior, covered with blaing Eagle examples of California tantly bawdy graphics by artist Rudy excess. The wines lining the wall are Herrera and his collaborators. mostly French, sourced by The wine bar is the producers most of us have latest operation from the never known, and they are fertile, if not fervid mind Little Death well-priced for consumpof Chad Carey and the 2327 N. St. Mary’s St. tion in place. Add Riedel Empty Stomach Group, Open from 5 pm daily glassware, a $10 discount which operates Hot Joy, Instagram: on take-away bottles and Barbaro and neighboring there’s no excuse not to music venue Paper Tiger. @littledeathwine experiment. Since Little Death The serving personnel opened in March, the knows enough about the wines to be former service station has been filled helpful, but not so much that they bewith a new wine-curious crowd, one comprised of neighborhood folks, wine come snobby about the topic. For any
Little Death visitor, the best place to start is with the limited, but attractively inexpensive list of wines by-the-glass. At last look, there was a $4 red that might have lacked finesse but more than made up for it in guileless exuberance. These bottles are already open, so feel free to ask for a taste of something that strikes your fancy before moving onto the library found along the walls. I’m personally fond of Loire Valley reds such as Chinon and Bourgeuil,
made principally from cabernet franc grapes, but there are lighter Gamay options from Beaujolais to explore as well. If you aren’t interested in exploring the unfamiliar in glasses of lesser-known wines like Picpoul, then a somewhat more conventional Sancerre — a snappy, fresh wine that is fully expressive of Sauvignon Blanc — may be a better bet. While Riesling and sherry were a focus at Carey’s late Monterrey restaurant, they take a back seat here. Carey, along with other wine enthusiasts, has moved on to other regions and other grapes, like South African chenin blanc and Oregon pinot noir. Move with them. Little Death does provide a few amuse-gueules (a house term that roughly translates to “mouth-gratifier”) to keep the wine company. The entire menu won’t be available at any one given time, but snap up a chicken liver pâté served on a slab of Bakery Lorraine’s country bread when it’s around; fresh oregano gave the already well-seasoned spread further zing. Chef Anne Ng had just delivered several baguettes for the cheese plate — in this case, a melty goat brie and a robust Roquefort — during one of my visits. The menu’s broad beans with lemon lacked character, but house-seasoned roasted almonds came through, and if radishes with butter and sea salt should be available, give this classic French combo a spin. I haven’t yet sprung for the washed-rind Époisses, a Burgundian cheese that, at $25, is by far the food menu’s priciest option, but with a few bottle-loving buddies on hand to share the experience, the expense might well be worth it.
Erik Gustafson
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generous patio space with picnic-style seating. It can be an ideal spot to enjoy wine by the glass or meet up with friends to split chic snacks while trying a bottle or two of something new.
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CON SAFOS COCINA Y CANTINA \
607 Hemisfair Blvd., (210) 514-5006, consafos-sa.com.
Located in Hemisfair’s Yanaguana Garden, Con Safos provides an incredible view of the bustling downtown area and the surrounding green space. Weekly specials include concha burgers, wings and a selection of frosty margaritas, mangonadas and favorite local brews on tap.
SOUTHERLEIGH FINE FOOD & BREWERY
136 E Grayson St. #120, (210) 455-5701, southerleigh.com. Southerleigh, located inside the historic Pearl brewhouse, is one food landmark that’s impossible to miss. Stop by the restaurant’s courtyard to take advantage of the fresh Gulf Coast oysters, rotating seasonal brews and great happy hour specials — 75cent biscuits, $1 pressure fried wings and discount beer and wine — available daily from 3-5 p.m.
SANGRIA ON THE BURG
5115 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 265-3763, sangriaontheburg.com.
A popular brunch spot, Sangria on the Burg delivers flavorful eats, ice-cold beers and tasty $4 sangria glasses during happy hour. The outdoor patio offers customers a vibrant setting to chat, watch local sports or cool down after a long day.
EASTSIDE KITCHENETTE
2119, I-35, (210) 507-2568, theeastsidekitchenette.com.
If you’re looking for a pet-friendly space with shade, views and Southern-style eats, look no further than Eastside Kitchenette. Take a seat on the restaurant’s front porch to enjoy drinks, snacks and year-round cool temperatures, if only to escape the brutal summer heat. Courtesy of Con Safos Cocina Y Cantina
2512 N Main Ave, (210) 966-0404, peripherysa.com.
Successful Al Fresco
Where to find the best dining patios in San Antonio BY LEA THOMPSON
F
ew things feel more like summer in San Antonio than dinner on a restaurant patio, relishing the onset of the night-time breeze with a frosty drink in hand. Whether you’re looking for a space to cool down after a long bike ride, relax with your favorite furry friend or simply enjoy cold beers while watching the sunset, San Antonio has a restaurant patio right for the occasion.
CHERRITY BAR
302 Montana St., (210) 598-0496, cherritybar.com.
This philanthropic East Side bar specializes in al fresco dining with a cause, donating proceeds to local charities and nonprofits. Grab cool cocktails
PERIPHERY
on the patio and order the crispy chicken wings, bao buns or ramen from its on-site restaurant, Kuriya.
THE BLOCK
14530 Roadrunner Way, (210) 690-3333, theblocksa.com. The Block, a culinary park located near the University of Texas at San Antonio campus, brings the city’s best food trucks and breweries together in one place. Visitors will also find family friendly and date night-approved entertainment options, like movie and game screenings, at the casual outdoor patio.
LITTLE DEATH
2327 N. St Mary’s St., instagram.com/littledeathwine.
This small yet lively neighborhood wine bar features
This Monte Vista eatery brings appealing yet approachable American and Italian-inspired dishes to the table — and its appealing outdoor patio. Happy hour includes affordable bites, plus wine bottles are 20% off on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
SANCHO’S
628 Jackson St., (210) 320-1840, sanchosmx.com.
A popular destination for San Antonio’s bicycle crowd, Sancho’s offers indoor seating plus an outdoor patio where you’ll find well and beer specials, not to mention live music. The laid-back cantina feel makes it an inviting place to meet friends, grab a quick bite or take the pups while on a walk.
THE FRIENDLY SPOT
943 S. Alamo St., (210) 224-2337, thefriendlyspot.com.
A Southtown favorite, The Friendly Spot invites all guests — families with children, young professionals and die-hard San Antonio sports fans — to unwind and enjoy themselves. The icehouse recently introduced spirited libations to its beer and bites menu. sacurrent.com | June 19-July 2, 2019 | CURRENT
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Strike a Pose
Dancer and musician Tone Padron draws inspiration from LGBTQ ballroom culture BY CHRIS CONDE
S
trobing lights and a thumping electronic track pulsed through the Paper Tiger during a recent performance by queer pop sensation Wayne Holtz. As Holtz sang, local dancer Antonio Padron, better known as Tone, channeled his energy into an onstage dance. Spinning, kicking, dipping, twirling his arms and whipping his wrists with poise and precision, Padron used the elements of vogue — a dance style popularized in Harlem’s 1980s LGBTQ ballroom culture — as part of the performance, enthralling the crowd. Despite those moves, Padron isn’t just a supporting dancer, though. Padron was a crucial member of the San Antonio-based dance and art collective House of Kenzo. Although he’s since parted ways with the group, his musical production and choreography helped it land showcases at festivals including South by Southwest and Day for Night. And last month, he dropped his first full-length collection of music, Akashas Records, under the moniker YyynOt. The 17 tracks fuse industrial, techno and ’90s house for a combination that feels violent and chaotic yet somehow controlled and deliberate. Both his work in dance and his music are an outgrowth of the ballroom culture, which the award-winning 1990 documentary Paris is Burning introduced to a wider world. Part dance-off, part drag fashion show, Harlem balls provided a creative forum for members of the LGBTQ community sometimes excluded from New York’s wider gay culture. “The ballroom culture is very important to me,” said Padron, 27, who’s now active in the Texas chapter of the New York-based ballroom group House of Mizrahi. “It’s made me very comfortable with my feminine side and raised my level of confidence. I’m very grateful to the icons and legends that engineered the culture.”
music
@jbajsel (Instagram)
opened up progress for New York’s LGBTQ community, Harlem’s ball culture began to shine on a community that had been overshadowed for nearly a 100 years: LGBTQ people of color. During this era, ballroom houses popped up. The collectives, overseen by mothers like Crystal Labeija and Paris Dupree, took in queer youth of color, educating them not only on the ballroom world but daily life. Often, these youth had been thrown onto the streets by their own families. So, the ballroom scene, especially in this era became one of the only safe spaces where queerness could be seen and celebrated, historians point out. The contests became a Javier Hernandez chance for participants to forget the hardships of the world for a few hours. Even his newly released YyynOt musical collection Eventually Madonna’s hit single “Vogue” debuted owes a heavy debt to the thumping soundtrack of in March of 1990, catapulting elements of ballroom ballroom contests. to the mainstream. House of Extravaganza members “I want my music to take people somewhere,” said Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza Padron, who got his musical start creating dance choreographed the song’s video after meeting the mixes of others’ music. superstar in a club. And take them somewhere it does. Listeners are carAfter a brief return to the underground through ried along by a few minimal bars of electronic hand the 2000s, ballroom culture has reemerged in the claps only to be abruptly submerged in pummeling pop culture zeitgeist, thanks to Pose and Rupaul’s bass thumps. Yyyn0t’s music can feel asphyxiating yet Drag Race. life-affirming, all at the same time. Drag Race incorporates elements of ballroom by San Antonio-born Padron graduated from South using categories that each drag queen must compete Side High School in 2009. Shortly after graduation, he in to progress to the next round. During one episode met San Antonio-based dancer Karma Stylez, who’s each season, the queens comedically critique each since gone on to appear on Ryan Murphy’s FX series other, a phenomenon known as “reading” or “throwPose. That show is also set in the ’80s ballroom scene ing shade” that plays heavily into Paris is Burning. from which both dancers drew inspiration. Working as a pair with Stylez, Padron began entering dance competitions. They ultimately joined in as founding members of House of Kenzo.
Back to the Future
‘Strangest and Gaudiest’ Two of ballroom’s most significant mainstream touchpoints, Paris is Burning and Pose, provide glimpses into the culture’s 1980s heyday, leading many people think that it began in that era. They’re only a century or so off. The first documented queer ball was thrown in 1869 as a masquerade, offering a place for queer folk to congregate and cross-dress. Participants competed by emulating other genders and social classes. Some of the contests, for instance “Femme Queen Realness,” judged participants’ ability to blend in with cisgender women. In those early years, gay people weren’t the only ones attending the balls, though. Straight onlookers would show up to watch, despite a public outcry from some who considered the events perverted and immoral. Later, Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes discussed his experience at a 1920s drag ball in his autobiography The Big Sea, calling it the “strangest and gaudiest of all Harlem spectacles in the ‘20s,” and describing “the queerly assorted throng on the dance floor, males in flowing gowns and feathered headdresses and females in tuxedos and box-back suits.” Later in the century, after the Stonewall Riots
Although, the aforementioned Stylez first introduced Padron to vogue, his interest was further ignited while watching America’s Best Dance Crew back in 2009. That season featured Vogue Evolution, an ensemble that included Malechi Williams, Jorel “Prince” Rios, Dashaun Williams, Devon “Pony” Webster and Leiomy Maldonado — all icons in the world of vogue. “That is when I officially fell in love with vogue,” said Padron. “This is when I learned about the other side of vogue culture, and that is vogue-fem.” “Vogue-fem” is the latest evolution in ballroom performance, which incorporates five elements including duck-walking, cat-walking, hands, floorwork, and spins and dips. Top scores are given to voguers who can move quickly and fluidly in and out of all five elements while also showcasing exaggerated feminine energy. While Padron is fulfilled by his work in dance and music production, he’d ultimately like to make a different change by getting involved in local politics — even joining city council. “I have a lot of things I want to see implemented,” Padron said. “Sustainable public transportation, protecting the Edwards Aquifer, shutting down all the coal plants, implementing cleaner energy, smarter development that puts our health and local ecology as the top priorities, more community gardens, workers’ rights… I could go on.”
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Turn Up the Heat
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Five of the hottest summer music festivals happening around San Antonio BY CHRIS CONDE
S
ummertime, and the living is easy. Well, it is if you enjoy live music. As sweltering season arrives, it brings with it a spate of music festivals worth enduring the Texas heat for. And, lucky for you, one is even located near water so you won’t have to walk far to cool off. These five South and Central Texas festivals span summer and early fall, offering something for fans of just about any genre. Catch all the dates, boo, or just go to one. Live your life.
Top Shelf Records
Cruise and Kelow Latesha. Tickets ($69-$199) are on sale now at sosmusicfest.com.
WILLIE NELSON 4TH OF JULY PICNIC AND FIREWORKS 5
AUSTIN INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FEST L
Thursday, July 4 Austin 360 Amphitheater, Austin
Even if you’re not a huge fan of country music, it’s impossible to not be drawn to the grit and charm of the legendary Willie Nelson. Plus, for fans of country, folk, Americana and blues-inspired rock, Willie’s annual picnic is a must-see. Even if this one-day concert doesn’t constitute a festival in some people’s minds, plenty of events billed as such boast fewer artists on the bill. In addition to Willie Nelson and Family, this year’s roundup includes Luke Combs, Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Alison Krauss, Jamey Johnson, Steve Earle and the Dukes, Colter Wall, Hayes Carll, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Gene Watson, Billy Joe Shaver, Johnny Bush, Folk Uke, the Raelyn Nelson Band and the Casey Kristofferson Band. Tickets ($45-$499.50) are on sale now via austin360amphitheater.com.
FLOAT FEST
Saturday, July 20, and Sunday, July 21 2855 S. US HWY 183
August 30 Spokesman, Austin
David McClister
high-caliber acts and letting festival-goers cool off by floating in the river while they enjoy the tunes. Among the other artists on this year’s bill are Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Grouplove, Big Boi, Jungle, St. Lucia, Houndmouth, G Love & Special Sauce, Missio, The Floozies, Goldfish, Sego and Cowboy Diplomacy. Tickets ($75-$449) are on sale now at floatfest.net.
SOUND OF SUMMER FEST
Thursday, August 30 and Friday, August 31 Nelson Wolff Stadium, San Antonio
Shortly after announcing a move from San Marcos to Gonzales, Float Fest unveiled this year’s lineup, which assembles diverse headliners Major Lazer, Ice Cube and The Flaming Lips. Now in its sixth year, the outdoor concert continues to build on its rep by courting
The inaugural Sound of Summer Music Fest will take place at Nelson Wolff Stadium, where the Mala Luna festival is held, and it sports a similar lineup focused on hip-hop, R&B, EDM and Urbano Latino. The twoday event will feature heavy hitters such as TYGA, PnB Rock, Chief Keef, Dej Loaf, Play-N-Skillz, Carter
MAJESTIC THEATRE
Spend an evening going behind the scenes at the historic Majestic Theatre! 800.982.2787
Austin Instrumental Music Fest may be a little out of left-field, but it’s worth checking out if your ears are open to new sounds. Started in 2015 by Dakota Applebaum of SA psych, prog, art-rock outfit Verisimilitude, the event continues to offer a place for edgy, vocal-free music to thrive. What’s more, it’s landed some impressive acts of late, including Los Angeles-based post-rock giants El Ten Eleven. Though the current lineup has yet to be released, Verisimilitude themselves usually play, and if you’ve haven’t seen the trio live, that alone may warrant the drive. Tickets are on sale now at aimfest.com.
ACL MUSIC FESTIVAL October 4-6 and October 11-13 Zilker Park, Austin
Arguably one of the world’s premiere music festivals, ACL continues to assemble impressive lineups year after year. This summer is no exception. Guns N’ Roses will close out both weekends with rising pop sensation Billie Eilish, Grammy-winning R&B sensation Childish Gambino and mopey ’80s stalwarts The Cure rounding out the bill. Not too shabby. Visit the festival’s website to view the full lineup. Wristbands ($105-$3600) are on sale at aclfest.com.
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music | music listings Wednesday, June 19
MOON PHASE
SOUND CREAM SUNSET SESSIONS: TIKI DISCO
With a name that evokes thoughts of orange cream popsicles and poolside drinks, Tiki Disco, presented by Sound Cream, is preparing us for the long summer ahead. Feel free to move as they spin fun, danceable tropical music on the lawn of the Pearl every Wednesday in June. Free, 5:30 p.m., The Pearl, 303 Pearl Parkway, (210) 212-7260, atpearl.com. — Shannon Sweet
CROWN MAGNETAR
Hailing from the frigid wilderness of Colorado, Crown Magnetar is darker and colder than Hell’s lowest level. Brutal song titles like “Fetus in Fetu,” “Mountain of Flesh” and “Detestable Impurity” should give an idea what to expect. And if those names don’t provide ample warning, know this: the band’s music just might make you cry blood and burn “666” into your flesh. $10, 10 p.m., Bond’s 007 Rock Bar, 450 Soledad St., (210) 225–0007, facebook.com/ bonds007rockbar. — SS
Emo/shoegaze outfit Moon Phase will surely bring their massive pedalboards along as they depart from their native Houston for a three-day Texas run. 7 p.m., Amp Room, 2407 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 320-2122, theamproom.com. — Mike McMahan
BEAU RODRIGUEZ
Beau Rodriguez, a compelling singer-songwriter and ace guitar player, brings his considerable talents to the ideal stage for his bluesy rock ’n’ roll sound. $5-$25, 8:30 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — James Courtney
BBQ, BANDS, BEER!
As the name suggests, this free bill brings together heavy hitters from the local rock scene with barbecue and beer. Seventies-inspired shakers the Rich Hands are joined by sultry rockers Holy Knives and the post-punk musings of Filthy for what’s likely to be night to remember — assuming you shows restraint with the advertised suds. Free (with RSVP), 6 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 841-3771, papertigersatx.com. — Chris Conde
Thursday, June 20
PALETA PALOOZA II \
Back again with a vengeance — well, maybe more popsicles then vengeance — Paper Tiger hosts Paleta Palooza II, which features a myriad of talent from the ever blossoming lo-fi/bedroom pop/indie rock scene. Performers will include Baldemar, Elnuh, The Cold Tonys and Sleep Well. $5, 7 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 841-3771, papertigersatx.com. — CC Courtesy of Sleep Well
top pick JENNIFER LOPEZ
Friday, June 21 What else can be said about Jennifer Lopez that we don’t already know? She’s a fierce Latina who played Selena in the Tejano legend’s biopic, and she’s done a stellar job of representing Latin women in pop, R&B and hiphop across three decades. From starting off as dancer in the ’90s sketch comedy In Living Color, to landing on the billboard charts for her Latin-influenced pop grooves, to starring in numerous films, J.Lo has emerged as a beacon of hope, showing that brown women have as much as a place in the entertainment industry as anyone. $49-$559, 8pm, AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Pkwy, 210-444-5140, attcenter.org. — Chris Conde Sony Music
Courtesy of Kyle Moon
KYLE MOON & THE MISLED L
Get your slide guitar and country on — plus a little rock ’n’ roll flair — courtesy of this veteran Amp Room outfit. The band’s leader, a former native of Denver, took a leap of faith by moving to the Alamo City and meeting the musicians that comprise the rest of his current outfit. Free, 8 p.m., Amp Room, 2407 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 320-2122, theamproom.com. — Jay Nanda
MATT & SYLVIA KIRK
This acoustic duo, which soldiered on after having its gear stolen in 2017, calls the Ice House its musical home the third Thursday of every month. Free, 7 p.m., River Road Ice House, 1791 Hueco Springs Loop Road, New Braunfels, (830) 626-1335, riverroadicehouse.com. — JN
Friday, June 21
NITA STRAUSS, KORE ROZZIK, WULFHOLT
Sure, Strauss is easy on the eyes, but it’s her skills on the axe that earned her the gig as Alice Cooper’s guitarist in 2014. She made her calling in all-female Iron Maiden tribute act the Iron Maidens and the modern-day version of ’80s glam band Femme Fatale. Strauss is touring in support of her first solo album, Controlled Chaos, which she self-produced and contributed all the bass and electric guitar work. $18, 7 p.m., Rock Box, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, therockboxsa.com. — JN
SEDATED
Down to the ripped jeans, leather jackets and black wigs, Ramones tribute band Sedated looks as much like the Ramones as the sound like ’em — which is to say, they nail the pop-punk creations that made the ’70s punks from Queens legendary. $10, 8 p.m., Bond’s 007 Rock Bar, 450 Soledad St., (210) 225-0007, facebook. com/bonds007rockbar. — SS
ELI YOUNG BAND
The Eli Young Band, hailing from Denton, will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. The beloved roots/ Americana act’s most recent record is 2017’s Footprints. $20-$400, 7 p.m., John T. Floore’s Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, (210) 695-8827, liveatfloores.com. — MM
RICH THE KID
These days, Soundcloud rap is mainstream rap. And artists like Atlanta’s Rich the Kid, who runs in the same orbit as Migos and Kodak Black, are proof. $25, 7 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — JC sacurrent.com | June 19-July 2, 2019 | CURRENT
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music | music listings
Charles for reference points. $5-$15, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — CC
GINA CHAVEZ Saturday, June 22
Gina Chavez’s well-crafted folk tunes helped her win Austin Musician of the Year back in 2015. Her blend of bilingual folk-pop has also garnered national attention on NPR’s “All Things Considered” and its Tiny Desk concert series. Those accolades and important moments of exposure came because Chavez — a visible member of the LGBTQ community — creates music and lyrics that are heartfelt and personal enough to win over a broad audience, regardless of sexuality identifiers. $12-$50, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — CC
Wednesday, June 26
ROGER CLYNE AND THE PEACEMAKERS
Known for the ’90s radio hit “Banditos,” Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers embody the classic alt-rock sound so many fell in love with during that decade. No doubt, many still appreciate it today. $16-$90, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 2232830, samsburgerjoint.com. — CC
Friday, June 28
MASSIVE BRAIN DAMAGE, EXECUTIONER, X.I.L, BAD IDEALS
top pick Lisa Donato
Friday, June 21
Sunday, June 23
ROB BAIRD, PARKER CHAPIN
STATIC X
Memphis-bred singer-songwriter Rob Baird is touring behind an emotionally raw new album recorded straight to tape. Expect to hear plenty about the hard truths that failed relationships bring to the surface. Austin’s Parker Chapin, also no stranger to heartache, opens. $10-$45, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — Sanford Nowlin
Saturday, June 22
JAKE WARD, DAMON CURTIS
Two young and promising Texas country acts bring their classic take on the genre to the legendary dancehall. Sounds like a perfect match of artist and venue. $10-$12, 7 p.m., John T. Floore Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, (210) 695-8827, liveatfloores.com. — JC
THE DICKIES, THE QUEERS
This pair of pop-punk pioneers represented California way before SoCal’s Blink-182 dominated the airwaves. The Dickies, inspired by the Ramones’ fast-and-catchy approach, worked to make audiences laugh at a time when punk was often a political statement. The Queers took a similar Ramones-inspired approach, focusing less on politics and more on amping up the fun. $20, 8 p.m., Limelight, 2719 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 735-7775, thelimelightsa.com. — SS
TWENTY ONE PILOTS
Comprised of lead vocalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun, Twenty One Pilots stitches together the seemingly disparate fabrics of alternative hip-hop, electropop, emo, rap, indie rock, psychedelia, reggae and indietronica for a sound that’s reeled in a legion of fans. $39-$79, 8 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Pkwy, (210) 444-5140, attcenter.org. — CC
Static X mashed nu metal together with industrial and garnered an insane following in the late ’90s to early 2000s. Perhaps because of that fusion, the band remains one of the few to survive the decline in nu metal’s popularity. $22.50, 7 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — CC
Monday, June 24
DEVAN JONES AND THE UPTOWN STOMP
Devan Jones and The Uptown Stomp, hailing from Austin, specialize in the kind of jumpin’ and swangin’ R&B that was a hot commodity through the ’40s and ’50s. Think Guitar Slim, T-Bone Walker and Ray
Massive Brain Damage, a hardcore outfit from LA, top this bill of punk and extreme metal. The band’s bassist, Ruben Alvarez, sports a Maiden T-shirt on in their promo shot — always an asset for a four-stringer. $8, 8 p.m., Guillotine, 1816 N. Main Ave., (210) 227-2623. — MM
QUAKER FOLK
For a bunch of pacifists, the Society of Friends — otherwise known as Quakers — sure get people riled up, what with their refusal to fight other people’s wars or own other folks as slaves and all. Arizona noiseician and practicing Quaker Stephen A. Cosand stirs up a ruckus of his own via his Quaker Folk project, trading in the righteous riffage of his straight-edge hardcore background for sanctified static. Cosand describes his live shows as opportunities to treat blown-out noise walls as meditative prayer practice, and while there’s no mistaking Quaker Folk’s feedback squalls for meetinghouse silence, there is definitely a peaceful stillness at the center of the storm. Dr. Noize and Shadow People round out the boisterous bill. Free, 9 p.m., Brick at Blue Star Arts Complex, 108 Blue Star, (210) 262-8653, brickatbluestar.com. — Lance Higdon
top pick TACO CITY ROCKERS #2 RELEASE PARTY WITH THE HICKOIDS
Saturday, June 29 During the early ’80s, Texas was a hotbed of pissed-off and creative punk acts, ranging from the Austin’s Big Boys and Dicks to Houston’s Really Red and the Mydolls. San Antonio participated in that uprising too, but with fewer commercially released recordings to show for its efforts. Fifteen years ago, a homespun compilation album called Taco City Rockers set out to right that wrong, serving up a sampling of the city’s punk underground going back to the early ’80s. Now, Kaniption Records, the label behind the release, has dropped a second installment — this one tackling the tall order of documenting 40 years of SA punk. The new LP does an admirable job of hitting the high points, from the New York Dolls-influenced Vamps — arguably the city’s first punk outfit — to the recently launched Sissies, whose
Courtesy of The Hickoids
tsunami of sound does its forbears proud. The Hickoids, whose song “TJ” is featured on Taco City Rockers #2, will play the launch show, along with Texacala Jones Pony Island Express and the Genzales. $7, 10 p.m., Bang Bang Bar, 119 El Mio Dr., (210) 320-1187, thebangbangbartx.com. — Sanford Nowlin
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example, the singer rocks a bare torso while fog machines spray full blast and lasers fill the venue with moody splashes of color. You’ll feel like you stepped back into the Reagan era. $16, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — SS
ROSIE FLORES
Longtime Texas musical treasure Rosie Flores’ approach to musical Americana runs the gamut, working in elements of country, jazz, rockabilly and Mariachi. Even at the age of 68, she still puts on a dynamite show. $10, 8 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 4550233, thelonesomerose.com. — JC
top pick Harper Smith
MIDLAND, PAUL CAUTHEN, DESURE Saturday, June 29
When a band hails from Dripping Springs, Texas and got its name from a Dwight Yoakum song, you already know that you’re in store for some serious country goodness. Such is the case with neo-traditionalist country act Midland. The trio dropped a self-titled EP in 2016 and its debut (and, so far, only) album On the Rocks in 2017. Paul Cauthen — a singer-songwriter from Tyler who mixes rock, soul and gospel into his hard Texas country sound — shares the bill. Los Angeles singer-songwriter Josh Desure, who records and performs as Desure, will round things out with his Springsteen-influenced take on Americana. All told, this show presents a fine opportunity for fans of newschool country artists with old-school tendencies to get to know some new talent. These three acts also happen to share the trait of putting on rousing, perhaps even bruising, live shows. $31.29-$1,065, 7 p.m., Whitewater Amphitheater, 11860 FM 306, New Braunfels, (830) 964-3800, whitewaterrocks.com. — James Courtney
Friday, June 28
APPLESEED CAST
Although its career tracked that of ’90s emo acts Cap’n Jazz and Joan of Arc, Kansas’ Appleseed Cast didn’t make a huge impact until the 2000s, when its textured guitar work and winsome singing caught fire. While there was an aggressive edge to the band’s music, the atmospheric power behind its sound was more akin to bands like Explosions in the Sky than in-your-face hardcore. $13, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 841-3771, papertigersatx.com. — CC
PARKER MCCOLLUM
This Austin-based country artist is known for turning his relationship frustrations into songs you can not only relate but dance along to. After all, there’s nothing wrong with two-steppin’ while lamenting the crazy ways of your ex. $20, 7:30 p.m., Backyard Amphi-
KIVI
Billed as “an evening of house and techno,” this event will include lighting, lasers and visuals to go along with the music. Of course, it will also include a healthy serving of “the untz,” courtesy of your host Kivi. $5, 8 p.m., Limelight, 2718 N. St. Mary’s, thelimelightsa.com. — MM
Sunday, June 30
BAND OF HEATHENS
Saturday, June 29
Essentially a jam band rooted in country, Americana, folk and soul, Austin’s Band of Heathens deliver a badass live show that’s unlikely to disappoint fans of fleet-fingered picking. $29.50, 8 p.m., Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 226-5700, majesticempire.com. — JC
SETH SHAW QUARTET
THE ROCKETZ
If swing and soul are your thing — or soulful swing for that matter — then hanging with the hip cats in the Seth Shaw Quartet may be exactly what the doctor ordered this Saturday night. Free, 8 p.m., Bar 301, 23567 W. Interstate 10 Frontage Road, (210) 455-9576, bar301.com. — JC
LA-based punk/rockabilly practitioners The Rocketz will close out the weekend with a bang. The trio is bringing its revved-up sound to the Alamo City before hot-rodding towards the East Coast for more dates. 9:30 p.m., The Mix, 2423 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 735-1313, themixsa.com. — MM
top pick
theater, 2254 S. U.S. Hwy 87, Fredericksburg, thebackyardamphitheater.com. — JN
FAIRWELL, BLOOD BETWEEN US, CIRCADIA, IN BALANCE, PLANETARY, ABOVE MY ENEMY
This bill’s metalcore headliners pride themselves on bringing — and being full of — “Southern California emotion.” That said, they’ll put the latest addition to the Rock Box to the test in the intimate basement area that’s acquired shows originally booked for the recently closed Jack’s Patio Bar. $8/$10, 7:30 p.m., Vibes Underground (inside Rock Box), 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 2553833, therockboxsa.com. — JN
Saturday, June 29
STRANGELOVE
Not only content with sounding exactly like Depeche Mode at their peak, Strangelove’s commitment to accuracy goes down to the smallest detail. For
TDC Photography / Shutterstock
POWERMAN 5000 Tuesday, July 2
Powerman 5000 rose to fame during the late ’90s alternative rock boom with the release of its most successful album, Tonight the Stars Revolt. That release spawned the smash hit single “When Worlds Collide,” which, for better or worse, is still synonymous with the band for many listeners. However, Powerman 5000 never stopped making new music — even though its lineup has changed, as have the public’s tastes. The band has released seven albums of varying quality this millennium, including its latest, 2017’s New Wave. Longtime fans and those bitten by the nostalgia bug will certainly want to be in attendance for this show. For others, it’s worth noting that Powerman 5000 continues to do at least one thing really well — make occasionally abrasive, industrial-influenced music palatable to a wider audience through its sharp pop sensibilities. $15, 7pm, The Rock Box, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 677-9453, therockboxsa.com. — JC sacurrent.com | June 19-July 2, 2019 | CURRENT
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etc S AVA G E L O V E B Y D A N S AVA G E
Why Not Me? I found your column after a Google search. I saw your e-mail address at the bottom and was hoping for some insight. My issue is this: Two years into our 23year marriage, my wife declared that she didn’t want to kiss me or perform oral on me. Several years ago, she had an affair and confessed that she not only kissed this other person but performed oral on them as well. Why them and not me? Should I just go find someone willing to do what I want? I have a high sex drive, but I find that I don’t want to sleep with my wife anymore because there is never any foreplay and a few minutes into it she’s telling me to hurry up. I don’t feel wanted, and honestly I no longer desire her. What do you make of this? Hurting Unwanted Husband
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Before telling you what I make of your e-mail, HUH, I want to tell you what I wish I could make out of your e-mail: a time machine. If I could turn all those pixels and code and whatever else into a working time machine, I’d drag your ass back to 1996 (and try to talk you out of marrying your wife) or 1998 (and try to talk you into leaving her after two years of marriage). But since time machines aren’t a thing — at least not yet — we’ll have to talk about the here and now. Your wife isn’t attracted to you, and never was, or hasn’t been for a long, long time. And now the feeling is mutual — you aren’t attracted to her anymore, either. And if you’re seriously wondering why she kissed and blew that other person — the person with whom she had an affair — when she hasn’t wanted to kiss or blow you for 20-plus years (“Why them and not me?”), HUH, the answer is as painful as it is obvious: Your wife was attracted to her affair partner (that’s why them) and she’s not attracted to you (that’s why not you). Now, it’s possible your wife was attracted to you a long time ago; I assume she was kissing and blowing you while you were dating and during the first couple dozen months of marriage. (She wouldn’t have to announce she was going to stop doing those things if she’d never started.) But at some point relatively early in your marriage, HUH, your wife’s desire to swallow your spit and inhale your dick evaporated. It’s possible her desire to swallow/inhale
the spit/dick of her affair partner would have evaporated in roughly the same amount of time, and she would have lost interest in him and his dick and his spit, as well. Some people have a hard time sustaining desire over time — and contrary to popular belief, women have a harder time sustaining desire in committed, romantic relationships than men do. (Wednesday Martin wrote an entire NYT best-selling book about it, Untrue: Why Nearly Everything We Believe About Women, Lust, and Infidelity Is Wrong and How the New Science Can Set Us Free.) Of course, it’s possible your wife isn’t the problem. You may have said or done something that extinguished your wife’s desire for you. Or, hey, maybe your personal hygiene leaves everything to be desired. (I’ve received countless letters over the years from women whose husbands refuse to brush their teeth and/or can’t wipe their asses properly.) Or maybe you’re emotionally distant or cold or contemptuous or incredibly shitty in bed. Or maybe you’re not the problem! I don’t know you, HUH, and other than the very few details you included your very brief letter, I don’t know what’s going on in your marriage. But I do know this: If you can leave, HUH, you most likely should. But if you decide to stay because you want to stay, or because leaving is unthinkable for cultural or religious or financial reasons… well, seeing as how your wife hasn’t wanted to fuck you for decades, and seeing as how you no longer want to fuck your wife, you should release each other from the monogamous commitment you made more than two decades ago. If you can adjust your expectations — if you can both agree to define your marriage as companionate, i.e., you’re friends and life partners, not romantic or sexual partners — you may be able to appreciate your marriage for what it is. But to do that, you’ll have to let go of the anger and disappointment you feel over what it’s not. And to be clear: If your marriage is companionate, you should both be free to seek sex with outside partners.
mail@savagelove.net @FakeDanSavage on Twitter www.ITMFA.org
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“Themeless Plug”— another freestyle for you. ACROSS 1 Success story focus, maybe 12 Catered to? 15 Stat that may figure into a walking itinerary 16 Bambi’s aunt (in the book) 17 She played Edith Bunker in 2019 18 Music game with a floor pad, for short 19 “48___” (Nick Nolte film) 20 Like the works of Sappho 22 Brazilian jiu-___ 26 Gregarious beginning? 27 Most down 33 “Passages” author Sheehy 34 Charlotte or Gabrielle, in Broadway’s “Cinderella” 35 Radius neighbor 36 Aunt, in Asuncion 37 First option 38 Is down with 39 Measuring cup marks, for short 41 Frilly underskirts 44 She played Romy 45 Conned person’s revelation 46 Intense loathing 48 “Starry Night” setting 49 Gavin of “The Love Boat” 52 Calendar divs.
54 Theta preceder 55 State with the shortest motto (“Hope”) 61 “___ blu, dipinto di blu” (“Volare” alternate title) 62 “Bake him away, toys” speaker 63 Packers’ pts. 64 Moldable, squishy material in some ASMR videos DOWN 1 Late comedian Kinison 2 TV actor Longoria 3 The Once-___ (“The Lorax” narrator) 4 Part of WTF? 5 Woven compositions? 6 Petri dish substance 7 P.D. investigators 8 Gen. Eisenhower’s WWII command 9 “Rent” heroine 10 Final answer? 11 Roan answer 12 NYC historical site where the Stamp Act Congress met 13 Finished like the 2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee 14 What the “cool” smiling face
emoji wears 21 Marinara brand 22 “Hold on!” 23 Cowed 24 Dramatic performances, quaintly 25 Maple syrup, essentially 28 Longstocking of kids’ books 29 Ait, e.g. 30 Les ___-Unis 31 ___ clear message to 32 Oregon, for one 40 TV lawyer Goodman 42 It still holds up 43 Boat propeller 47 Gardasil maker 50 “___ Mark!” (line from “The Room” in memes) 51 “___ the Pigeon” (“Sesame Street” song) 52 It’s perpendicular to the warp 53 Fuzzy fruit 56 Kaitlin’s “It’s Always Sunny...” role 57 Some smartphones 58 Turkish title 59 “The Sound of Music” extra 60 Dentist’s deg. ANSWER ON PAGE 21
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