APRIL 27-MAY 3, 2016
sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 3
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sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 7
IN THIS
FIRST WORDS
1
On “Cash Reward Offered for Information About Dog Left in Dumpster” // Jennifer Moyes: If you are angered by this, please consider donating to your local animal shelter or rescue organizations. Things like this happen every single day and most don’t make the news. Millions of animals are tossed into the street like garbage in this country. The organizations that help these animals need money for food, medicine, veterinary care and staff to not only save these animal’s lives but also to work tirelessly to find them loving homes. If you can adopt, adopt. If you can foster, foster. If you can’t foster, then donate. If you can’t donate, volunteer. If you can do all 4, then do all 4! [sic] On “Major League Soccer Commissioner: San Antonio is Fifth in Line for MLS” // Guillermo Gonzalez: I’m not a soccer fan, but saw this on the news. How can they have Detroit ahead of San Antonio?? Aren’t there like 500,000 at most who live there?? And they saw we aren’t big enough, screw them and let’s work towards an mlb team. [sic] On “The Mix Announces Grand Re-opening, Hosts Week-long Celebration” // Omar Morquecho: I liked the old Mix. Dirty and grungy. • Send your thoughts, comments or kudos to letters@sacurrent.com
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8 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
16
ISSUE Issue 16_17 /// April 27- May 3, 2016
10
NEWS
16
CALENDAR
23
ARTS + CULTURE
Newsmonger No-brainer // Fifth in Line // Derailed? Stray Struggles As SA reaches no-kill, freeroaming dogs still trouble neighborhoods
Our top picks for the week
A World Treasure UTSA professor collaborates with Cubans to restore Ernest Hemingway’s home Out and About Stand-up Kristen Key on coming out (twice)
29
33
41
SCREENS
FOOD
Green Room Paints the Walls Red Punk rock idealism trumps Reagan-era intolerance Fresh Snow Is Jon Snow really dead?
Homegrown Favorite Local Coffee adds another store to growing espresso empire Napoletana Now Our first visit to Il Forno Flavor File There’s three new joints to check out in town
45
58
MUSIC
DJ Smoak, Our Own Sell Your Soul Saturday turns two Lee Didn’t Start the Fire The incendiary career of Lee “Scratch” Perry So Long to The Entertainer As Martini Club changes ownership, performer Wayne Harper takes his curtain call Music Calendar What to see and hear this week
NIGHTLIFE
Zines and Zymurgy A new quarterly for beer lovers hits SA Tiki Take Two You’re about to see a lot more tiki
ETC.
Savage Love Jonesin’ Crossword Freewill Astrology This Modern World
ON THE
COVER Adoptable pups from the Animal Defense League of Texas take a stand. Photo by Josh Huskin Art direction by Rick Fisher and Sarah Flood-Baumann
sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 9
NEWS
MARY TUMA
BEXAR-O-METER Checking the temperature of events in Bexar County and beyond
NEWSMONGER No-brainer // Fifth in Line // Derailed? No-brainer In a city like San Antonio, it should be expected that Spanish translators would be provided to non-English speaking residents during local government meetings. “San Antonio has many residents whose primary language is Spanish; however, all City public hearings are conducted in English,” District 1 City Councilman Roberto C. Treviño says in a council consideration request. “The situation produces language barriers and unfair disadvantages to our Spanish-speaking residents.” Treviño filed the request, which seeks a “dedicated, paid staff person” for translation for citizens at meetings, public hearings and some boards and commissions. In San Antonio, according to Census data, 63 percent of residents are Hispanic or Latino. And a 2010 survey by the Census found that 42.5 percent of 504,000 Spanish speakers primarily use the language at home. Simply put, Spanish is the primary language for lots of tax-paying residents. However, Rod Sanchez, the City’s director of development services, says translators have been available at some public meetings, like the Building Standards Board, but weren’t effectively advertised. As of March 1, Sanchez said the City’s policy changed to have an interpreter 10 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
MARK REAGAN/@210REAGAN
present at the Building Standards Board and the Board of Adjustment, and translation services will be better advertised for other boards, like the Zoning, Planning and Historic Design Review commissions — but not for public comment during City Council sessions. Treviño said those administrative changes are simply not enough. Fifth in Line San Antonio loves soccer. That passion has burst into flame with San Antonio FC’s first season and the purchase of Toyota Field by San Antonio and Bexar County for $21 million in partnership with Spurs Sports & Entertainment. And if the brains behind the Spurs — one of the most successful NBA franchises ever — are involved, the Alamo City must be attractive to big-wigs working for Major League Soccer. Not so, unfortunately, we learned last week. During a call with Associated Press sports editors, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said San Anto was fifth in line for a team in the next round of expansion for the league, which includes only four new teams. St. Louis, Sacramento, Detroit and San Diego preceded us. However, part of the deal with Spurs Sports & Entertainment is that it’s required to attract a major league team within six years, if not, it must pay both the City and County $ 3 million apiece.
Derailed? The Lone Star Rail District’s Joe Black swears the decade-plus-long dream for a commuter train between San Antonio and Austin isn’t dead. Never mind that Union Pacific decided it wouldn’t play ball with the idea of using its freight lines that run parallel to one of the most congested sections of interstate in Texas for the commuter rail. Black, the district’s rail director, says there are four alternatives, which were presented in a special meeting this month to assuage its board and media that a passenger rail between the cities is still a viable option. “The widespread panic that the project is dead is not true,” Black told the San Antonio Current. The alternatives all involve the I-35 corridor and include: “the SH130 corridor, the abandoned MoKan rail alignment, and new right-of-way parallel to the Union Pacific mainline, as well as hybrids of these options.” Not only are there alternatives, Black says the Lone Star Rail District is expecting an environmental impact study — a milestone for any massive project — to be completed by 2018. However, it’s difficult to believe anything meaningful will ever happen with the proposal because there’s been lots of talk about this project since the ’90s, but, like clockwork, it always seems to get off track. mreagan@sacurrent.com
Grizzlies Out-manned Spurs advance in playoffs Game of Thrones returns More dragons, please Google Fiber Brace yourself, high-speed internet is coming The Mix Popular spot on St. Mary’s Strip re-opens Triple-A Baseball Million-dollar idea or boondoggle for taxpayers Party’s Over Until next year, Fiesta Prince He left us too soon
©2016 Goose Island Beer Co., Goose IPA®, India Pale Ale, Chicago, IL. | Enjoy responsibly.
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T:10.18 in B:10.18 in
sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 11
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NEWS
JOSH HUSKIN
STRAY STRUGGLES
J oan
As city reaches no-kill, free-roaming dogs still trouble neighborhoods MICHAEL MARKS/@MICHAELPMARKS
DiN ozzo ADO PTED
>
Each of the dogs pictured (except one) are available for adoption through the Animal Defense League of Texas. For more information, visit adltexas.org or call (210) 655-1481.
At about the same time as one of the most brutal dog attacks in recent San Antonio history — a South Side man had his scalp and ear ripped off by a pack of dogs in December, before a police officer arrived and shot three of the animals — the city’s Animal Care Services department announced it had reached a long-elusive goal. As 2015 closed, more than 9 out of every 10 dogs were being released from ACS care alive. The department stressed that reaching the threshold — generally accepted as the benchmark to be a “no-kill” shelter — was just another step on a long journey to spare and improve the lives of as many animals as possible. The department spent millions of dollars over several years to change an operation which once killed over 70 percent of the animals that trotted or limped through its doors. But despite the recent improvement in city shelters, neighborhoods are still plagued by dogs — both those that are allowed to roam freely by their owners and strays. The attack on Abel Arias, 39, is an extreme example. He suffered “substantial injuries to his head, chest and arms” and “huge rips of muscle tissue to his arms and chest” before San Antonio Police Officer Matthew Belver arrived to help. Arias’ condition stabilized after treatment at San Antonio Military Medical Center. The mauling of Arias by dogs that an owner had let roam free underscored a tricky balancing act. As fewer animals die in San Antonio shelters than ever before, critics claim that strays and free-roaming dogs in some parts of the city — particularly poor neighborhoods —
C hels ea
still pose a threat to public safety and health. “The problem is severe,” said Councilman Rey Saldaña. “Right now it’s not as bad as it used to be, but it’s not enough for me for it to ‘not be as bad as it used to be.’ I think we need to solve this.”
∙
PROGRESS AND AN OLD PROBLEM In fiscal year 2010, ACS euthanized about 75 percent of all the animals it took in. More than a third of those animals were healthy or had treatable conditions. They were killed because there was not enough space to house them, and no one adopted them before they were euthanized. But last year the department euthanized fewer than 4,500 animals, about 15 percent of its total intake, while impounding more animals overall. Although there isn’t an official count of San Antonio’s stray population, dog bites and dead animal pickups — the two main measurements for strays — are also down. Reported dog bites dropped about 30 percent from fiscal year 2010 to 2014. Between fiscal year 2011 and 2015, ACS picked up almost 35 percent fewer dead animals. At the same time, the department has performed more spay and neuter surgeries and issued more citations and warnings. But those figures are little consolation to people whose communities are still overrun with both strays and dogs permitted to roam freely by their owners. Martha Banda, who lives in the Denver Heights neighborhood on the East Side, has been trying to solve the stray dog issue there by organizing neighbors, reaching out to local officials and taking matters into her
own hands: She owns five dogs, four of which she took in directly from the street. She still sees plenty of strays in the neighborhood, though. “There’s only so much you can do,” Banda said. “It reflects poorly on the neighborhood. So many of us are trying to take pride in our neighborhood, be responsible … make a blighted neighborhood kind of revived. It takes away from that.” Walking through neighborhoods with free-roaming dogs can be particularly hazardous for children and elderly people. Dogs must be on a leash at all times in San Antonio unless confined to an owner’s property. “It is an overwhelming problem. And when you have packs of free-roaming dogs, that’s a public health issue. People can’t go out and walk. You can’t let your kids go out on a bike,” said Janice Darling, executive director of the Animal Defense League of Texas. Free-roaming animals also impose considerable demands on public resources, due to the expense it takes to catch, care for and sterilize them. The stray problem is nothing new — it’s persisted for decades in some communities. Saldaña, who grew up on the South Side, didn’t know that free-roaming dogs weren’t the norm until he went to Stanford University in California. “Folks just generally ignored the fact that the problem was so bad because it’s always been part of the community to see a stray dog running around or a pack of dogs following a pack of students walking into school,” Saldaña said. The long-standing, deep-seated nature of the issue is CONTINUED ON PAGE 14 ►
sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 13
NEWS
Bernie IN FOST ER CARE
Haylee
◄ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
one reason why it hasn’t been resolved. Whereas ACS substantially boosted its live release rate in just a few years, the embedded cultural forces that create the stray problem make it tougher to fix. But community members and national boosters are also quick to rally around the no-kill cause, according to Xavier Urrutia, an assistant city manager and interim ACS director. “There’s a public will behind trying to increase the live release rate. With that comes volunteers and additional resources,” Urrutia said. Some animal advocates, community members and elected officials are irked by the perception that problems in certain neighborhoods don’t seem to carry as much weight as the live release rate. “You can have a 90 percent live release rate which ... on paper looks fantastic, but if you’re not addressing the issues in the community, what good is it doing?” said Kelly Walls, a long-time area animal advocate who works with Homeward Bound Dog Rescue. Walls and others are also concerned that the fanfare surrounding no-kill could lead the community at large — particularly in more affluent parts of town, where strays are not a problem — to tune out other animal-related issues. “By being obsessed with … no-kill and then say ‘Oh we’ve reached it,’ they give a false impression to the whole city that ‘Oh we don’t have to worry anymore, we’re no-kill,’” said John Bachman, the co-executive director of Voice for Animals.
∙
NOT ONE OR THE OTHER Even though Bachman and others praise ACS for raising the live release rate, some question whether the 90-percent figure is completely accurate. Advocates are concerned over whether certain dogs at the shelter deemed unhealthy, untreatable or aggressive — whose deaths don’t count toward the live 14 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
release rate, which only counts healthy, adoptable dogs — are mislabeled. Some claim that the dogs are just scared from the ordeal of being picked up and put in a new place, and that kennel workers misinterpret that as aggression. They also cite ACS’ slow response times in the field. Others claim that the “no-kill” label leads some who surrender their animals to believe that there’s no risk of them dying. One local advocate, Cyndi Cox, sends out a weekly email blast showing adoptable dogs that were euthanized over the past seven days. ACS officials defended their practices in determining whether a dog should be euthanized, and chalked up the department’s responsiveness to a matter of finite resources. “We received 107,000 calls for service last year. With 40 officers … it’s numerically impossible to bring all those animals in,” said Shannon Sims, ACS field operations manager. Claims of ACS cutting corners don’t hold water with Saldaña, although he held them himself when he first took office. “I was very skeptical that we could get to a successful live release rate while at the same time meet the needs of my constituents. … For me it was a foregone conclusion that somehow the city would
be fluffing its numbers to make it seem like we would be picking up more animals when really we weren’t. ... But I just haven’t seen those facts bear out,” Saldaña said. His colleague, District 2 Councilman Alan Warrick, supports increasing the live release rate, but he’s wary of doing so at the expense of public safety. “We’ve proven that we can do [no-kill]. But I think the key is really changing that and saying ‘No strays first,’” Warrick said. “The vast majority [of no-kill activists] are in areas that don’t have these kind of problems. ... It’s a lot easier to say ‘We shouldn’t pick up these dogs’ ... because their children are able to walk to school without carrying golf clubs or sticks to beat off the pit bulls.” But if the answer was just to pick up and euthanize every dog on the street if it wasn’t quickly adopted, the problem may have been solved by now. That’s the model that ACS followed closely for much of its history. “The … methodology the city had in place say, 10 years ago, which was to pick up every stray animal and basically that animal was euthanized at the end of the day. It did not deter the number of roaming dogs out there,” Urrutia said. The longterm solution, all agree, is to increase efforts surrounding education and sterilization. Although many factors play into the live release rate and stray dog population, Urrutia and Sims credit increased blockwalking, emphasis on returning animals to their owners in the field and a city ordinance that required all pets to be micro-chipped with much of the progress. Spaying and neutering as many animals as possible — stray or owned — is perhaps the most important factor to resolve the problem. “The solution to the animal problem is to do a sufficient number of spay and neuter surgeries to reduce the birth rate down to a zero population growth. Until you do that, it’s pure mathematics, you are not going to reduce the stray population,” Bachman said. “Adoption is like treatment. You’re treating the problem, but you’re not solving the epidemic.” Bachman supports mandating spay or neuter surgeries, a move that many municipalities have already made, but that doesn’t have the support of industry groups such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Veterinary Medical Association. Deanna Lee, founder of Advocates for SA Pets, Sis co suggested at a recent ACS board meeting that a possible compromise would be to mandate spay or neuter surgeries for several years so that the city is able to temporarily slow the growth of the stray population. And ultimately, if the strays continue to plague certain neighborhoods at their current levels, it will be difficult for ACS to maintain its high live release rate. “The two need to work together. ... While there are dual missions, the approach is a comprehensive approach,” Urrutia said. “It’s not one over the other.”
and activities!
Roberto Gonzalez:
Sacred Waters Art Exhibition Curated by Ruben C. Cordova
CENTRO DE ARTES 101 S. Santa Rosa Ave. | Free and Open to the Public Tues-Sun: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Mon: Closed 210.784.1105 | www.tamusa-ecac.com
Drop Ins Welcome
Tuesday- friday 9am- 5pm, Saturdays 9am- 12pm
2313 N St Mary’s St • (210) 734- 8787 sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 15
CALENDAR
UTSA LIBRARIES SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
JOSUE RIVAS THU
28
Chicano Batman MUSIC
In the 73-year film history of the Caped Crusader, every actor to portray Bruce Wayne has been white — hitting a nadir this year with Ben Affleck, the pastiest of them all. But LA funk quartet Chicano Batman envisions an alternative history, in which the Batmobile cruises down the 101 blasting sunnyday soul and Latin rock à la Santana on mescaline at Woodstock. If you’re a fan of the guitar, don’t sleep on the lively work of supporting act Imarhan, playing the Tuareg music of North Africa. The Algerian quartet is psychedelic in the long-form sense of the word, when droning riffs create loops of rhythm and heat-bending improv. $14, 7pm, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersa.com. — Matt Stieb
16 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
THU
28
‘1000 Parks and a Line in the Sky: Broadway, Avenue of the Future’ ART
In an “attempt to investigate urban transformations and the evolution of sustainable cities,” Dr. Antonio Petrov, assistant professor of architecture at UTSA, and his students will exhibit a 50-foot-long model of Broadway to show how their design could help shape the San Antonio corridor and create more public space by including walkways, dog parks, recreational areas, public plazas, bike paths and a public garden. The event is “part exhibit, part conversation and part public engagement.” If their plans include bringing back the Brackenridge Park Skyride, we’re all in. Free, 6pm, Brick, 108 Blue Star, (210) 262-8653, cacp.utsa.edu. – Kiko Martínez
THU
28
Justin Boyd ART + MUSIC
Artist, sculptor and sound collagist Justin Boyd was born with hyper-sensitive hearing and remembers having deep emotional reactions to singular sonic occurrences. Adapting his natural proclivities for appreciating the emotive potential of all manner of aural stimuli, Boyd crafts challenging sonic experiences using found sound. Thursday, in conjunction with his Blue Star exhibit “Going on Going” (inspired by his recent artist residency in Berlin), Boyd will perform “a short electroacoustic piece of processed field recordings from his time in Berlin.” Free, 6-7pm, Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum, 116 Blue Star, (210) 2276960, bluestarart.org. — James Courtney
THU-SAT
28-30
Enfrascada THEATER
Enfrascada, a new play performed in English with a light dusting of Spanish, is the latest from Tanya Saracho, a Chicago-based screenwriter and playwright who’s worked on HBO’s Girls and Looking. Enfrascada finds the nationally recognized writer/performer exploring the quirky intersection between old and new remedies for heartbreak. When the lovelorn protagonist Alicia, described as a tightly wound Latina curator, and her friends turn to the “old-school Santería” of neighborhood elders, pointed hilarity and poignant opportunities for reconciliation of diverse approaches ensue. $12$15, 8pm, Guadalupe Theater, 1301 Guadalupe St., (210) 271-3151, guadalupeculturalarts.org. — JC
CALENDAR
29
SIGGI RAGNAR
SUB POP FRI
Shabazz Palaces DJ Set MUSIC
Now that Prince is gone, who will rise to the title of the coolest person on Earth? A dark horse is Ishmael Butler, of the thoroughly woke duo Shabazz Palaces. In the ’90s, Butler was responsible for some of the smoothest bars of the jazz-rap generation as a member of Digable Planets. After a few years out of the industry, he returned as the soothsaying mouthpiece for SP and moonlights as an A&R man for Sub Pop. Given his professionally dope palate, this DJ set at The Mix’s grand reopening should be a grad program for the music you should be tuned into right now. Also on the bill: Maneaters of Tsavo and Blaak Heat. Free with RSVP, 9pm, The Mix, 2423 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 735-1313, themix-sa.com. — MS
FRI-SUN
29-1
Born Yesterday THEATER
Premiering onstage in 1946, Garson Kanin’s comedy Born Yesterday was among the era’s longest-running plays, staying firmly planted on Broadway for nearly four years. The narrative follows a sugar daddy millionaire who hires a journalist to teach his mistress proper etiquette when her lack of social graces starts to affect his business. Two films were also made: an Oscar winner in 1950 and a Razzie nominee in 1993. Matthew Byron Cassi directs The Classic Theatre’s production through May 22, with a community talkback following the May 15 performance. $10-$25, 8pm Fri-Sat, 3pm Sun, The Classic Theatre of San Antonio, 1924 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 589-8450, classictheatre.org. — KM
TUE
3
Mystic Braves MUSIC
Los Angeles psych-rock outfit Mystic Braves has accomplished much in its five years of activity. The roadwarrior five-piece has perfected its dusty, low-key freak-out of a set through tireless touring, but that hasn’t kept them from dropping three increasingly stellar and surprisingly enduring LPs that call to mind a sand-surfing trance in the key of Creedence Clearwater Revival (only subtler). On Tuesday, Mystic Braves hit Limelight in support of their latest and greatest release to date, Days of Yesteryear, out last November. Study up on these nextwave psychonauts at mysticbraves. bandcamp.com. $7-$10, 9pm, Limelight, 2718 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 735-7775, thelimelightsa.com. — JC
TUE
3
Motown the Musical
THEATER
Hailed as a “musically vibrant trip back to the glory days of Detroit,” Motown the Musical tells the story of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, who launched countless careers and shaped a genre that forever changed the American musical landscape. Although it employs Gordy as a through-line, the musical truly shines through the cast’s portrayals of Motown icons, ranging from Diana Ross to a young Michael Jackson. Theater-goers seeking a nostalgic evening awash in Motown’s greatest hits will get more than their money’s worth — this national tour packs in 40plus numbers. $30-$170, 7:30pm, The Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Kelly Merka Nelson
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18 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
CALENDAR NIGHTLIFE
WED
27
‘Praise of Folly’
FRI
In an art world riddled with esoteric concepts and high-brow commentary, a keen sense of humor is always a welcome breath of fresh air. A champion of this rare balance between wit and artistic prowess, octogenarian artist Pedro Friedeberg boasts a long and impressive exhibition history (highlighted by a 2009 retrospective at Mexico City’s Palacio de Bellas Artes) and an official bio that includes his invention of “several styles of architecture, as well as one new religion and two salads,” not to mention an admiration for all things “useless, frivolous and whimsical.” Born in Italy and raised in Mexico, Friedeberg has proven his mastery with everything from prints and paintings to textiles and hand-carved Mahogany chairs — all falling within an odd middle ground between surrealism, figuration, folk art and geometric abstraction. With “Praise of Folly,” Ruiz-Healy Art brings the “master illusionist” and his wide-ranging works to light in a solo show and companion catalog featuring an essay by Dan Cameron. Free, 6-8pm, Ruiz-Healy Art, 201 E. Olmos Drive, (210) 804-2219, ruizhealyart.com. — Bryan Rindfuss
Art
Art opening: “Shadowy and Still”
With his new solo show, Austin artist, Artpace alum, Okay Mountain collective member and Texas State University assistant professor Sterling Allen explores the relationship and boundaries between mediums via an installation of photographs, sculptures and site-specific interventions designed to leave viewers with “a heightened sensitivity to the intricacies of objects that they encounter every day.” Free, 6-10pm Saturday; Sala Diaz, 517 Stieren St., (972) 900-0047.
“Mapping Texas: From Frontier to the Lone Star State” The Witte unveils a oncein-a-generation, collaborative exhibition covering nearly 300 years of Texas mapping. Dating from the 16th through the 19th centuries, the maps document the birth of Texas, the evolution of the physical and political boundaries of the state and the rise of the Alamo and San Antonio Missions. $7-$10, 10am-5pm FridaySaturday, noon-5pm Sunday, 10am-5pm Monday, 10am-8pm Tuesday; Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway, (210) 357-1900.
Night at the Museum Presented by SAMA’s vibrant group of young professionals (aka Young Friends), this third installment of Night at the Museum promises dancing to music by DJ Steven Lee Moya, food trucks, a cash bar, spin art, gallery tours, presentations by University of the Spoken Word, a scavenger hunt, food trucks and “late-night surprises.” $20, 9pm-midnight Friday; San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100.
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‘Secondary Stories’
A timely arrival for a city still clearing the colorful dust from an 11-day Fiesta, renowned contemporary artist and 2001 Artpace resident Rivane Neuenschwander’s kinetic installation “Secondary Stories” references a “direct association” between confetti and her native Brazil’s week-long Carnival. Employing a similar visual vocabulary as her 2006 Cao Guimarães collaboration Quarta-Feira de Cinzas: Epilogue (a video that references Ash Wednesday and the aftermath of Carnival via ants marching around to samba music carrying bits of leftover confetti), “Secondary Stories” invites viewers to tilt their heads back and gaze up at a slowly shifting constellation of supersize confetti suspended by a translucent Coroplast ceiling. Activated by a network of hidden fans, the multi-colored dots shuttle around in clusters or fly solo — every so often slipping through one of four escape holes and fluttering down to the gallery floor. Evoking the type of banter that could occupy a kitten for hours on end, “Secondary Stories” sets the stage for meditative contemplation and playful selfies alike. Previously shown at New York’s Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, the room-size installation makes its Texas debut at the Linda Pace Foundation’s SPACE gallery accompanied by two photographic series and a trio of videos set to rotate during the show’s run. At the reception: snacks from Chamoy City Limits, Brazilian-inspired cocktails crafted by Park Social and music by sound artist Justin Boyd. Free, 6-8pm, SPACE, 111 Camp St., (210) 227-8400, lindapacefoundation.org. — BR
“Shepard Fairey at the McNay” Best
known for the famous “Hope” poster he designed for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign and his iconic image of pro wrestler André the Giant emblazoned with the word “OBEY,” Shepard Fairey is one of the country’s most famous and influential street artists. Many of Fairey’s prints were produced in collaboration with the late Richard Duardo at Modern Multiples in Los Angeles, a print shop favored by San Antonio collectors Harriett and Ricardo Romo. Typically rendered in a limited color palette of black, white, tan and red, Fairey’s bold works come to light at the McNay in a never-before-exhibited selection of eight large-scale prints the Romos gifted to the museum. $15-$20, 10am-4pm Wednesday, 10am-9pm Thursday, 10am-4pm Friday, 10am-5pm Saturday, noon-5pm Sunday, 10am-4pm Tuesday; McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368.
Uniting Arts: Visual & Spoken Blue Star
Contemporary and Gemini Ink bring the visual and spoken together with an art talk led by Gary Sweeney, poetic performances by Amanda Flores and Diamond Mason, live music and a happy hour (4-6pm) highlighting Viva Tacoland’s new specialty drink menu (cash bar). Free, 4-9pm Saturday; Viva Tacoland, 103 W. Grayson St., (210) 315-2685.
Film
Can You Dig This Slab Cinema hosts a free
outdoor screening of director Delila Vallot’s 2015 documentary exploring the urban gardening revolution currently taking place in South Central Los Angeles (one of the largest food deserts in the country) through
the stories of five “gangster gardeners” planting the seeds for a better life. Free, dusk Saturday; Lockwood Park, 801 N. Olive St., (210) 212-9373.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Stylish, mysterious
and wild, the impeccably dressed mistress of reinvention known as Holly Golightly is Truman Capote’s most iconic gift to pop culture. Born Lulamae Barnes in Texas, Golightly’s easy to sum up (The Hollywood Reporter once pegged her as an “amoral socialite gold digger who charms and seduces everyone around her”) but Capote’s 1958 novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s skirts the topic of her questionable profession. Northeast Lakeview College revisits Blake Edwards’ 1961 adaptation starring Audrey Hepburn as the Givenchy-clad gamine who popularized the term “little black dress.” Free, 6:30pm Tuesday; Northeast Lakeview College, Performing Arts NPAC, 1201 Kitty Hawk Road, Universal City, (210) 486-5000.
Veronika Voss Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s
film Veronika Voss may be set in postwar Germany, but its style is a glittering, smoky black-and-white dream of the Marlene Dietrich era. Veronika is a former movie star from the 1930s. Now it’s the 1950s, and she nurses hopes of a comeback if only she can get over her dependence on opiates, as dished out by a shady doctor. One of Fassbinder’s trilogy of films about how WWII affected German women, this stylish tragedy is among the best and most visually beautiful films of the 1980s. The McNay screens the art-house favorite as part of its GET REEL Film Series. Free, 7pm Thursday; McNay Art Museum, Chiego
Lecture Hall, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368.
Theater
Joci Awards Twenty-five finalists from 12
area high schools vie for a chance to win a portion of $100,000 in scholarship funds by competing in five categories: Acting, Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Best Lead Actress in a Musical, Dance and Vocal. $15, 7pm Sunday; Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 226-3333.
Memphis Loosely based on the career of
groundbreaking disc jockey Dewey Phillips, Memphis throws audiences into the heat of racial tension, love and rock ‘n’ roll in 1950s-era Tennessee. With an original score by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, the Tony Award-winning musical follows a white man with a passion for R&B and his dangerous affair with an up-and-coming black singer. Touted by critics as “an exuberant musical with classic values,” Memphis lights up the Woodlawn with a production directed by Rebecca Trinidad starring Brian Hodges, Marie Warren and Edward Burkley. $17-$26, 7:30pm Friday-Saturday, 3:30pm Sunday; Woodlawn Theatre, 1920 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 267-8388.
Words
Mega Corazón Curated by former San
Antonio Poet Laureate Carmen Tafolla, URBAN-15’s Mega Corazón closes out National Poetry month with a nine-hour poetry marathon showcasing San Antonio’s best spoken-word artists. Poetry fans unable to attend can stream Mega Corazón live at urban15.org/live-stream. Free,
sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 19
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El Corazón de la Luna Rosa Anthony The
Poet hosts this bilingual National Poetry Month event featuring acclaimed author and performance artist Andrea Greimel with accompaniment from guitarist Victor Bustos. Free, 7-11pm Saturday; Luna Rosa Puerto Rican Grill y Tapas, 2603 SE Military Dr., #106, (210) 314-3111.
Special Events
Hemisfair FitFest The Hemisfair Coalition’s inaugural FitFest takes over Yanaguana Garden with free fitness classes, nutrition and wellness vendors, and healthy food truck fare. Free, 9am-1pm Saturday; Hemisfair Park, 434 S Alamo St., (210) 709-4750.
International Tabletop Day Game
Expo and Wonderland of the Americas celebrate International Tabletop Day with a variety of vendors and 40 tables of games to play. Free, 10am-8pm Saturday; Wonderland of the Americas, 4522 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 785-3500.
IIDA ZeroLandfill The International
Interior Design Association of San Antonio hosts a bi-annual event offering tile, fabric, carpet, wood and paint samples to the public free of charge in hopes they will stay out of landfills and be reused. Free, 10am-1pm Saturday, FacilityRX, 2715 N. St Mary’s St., (210) 690-5800.
The Big Give S.A. Part of the national
initiative Give Local America, The Big Give S.A. is a 24-hour, community-wide giving challenge designed to connect people to the causes that move them most and make giving fun. Having raised $4.3 million last year for 882 charitable causes, The Big Give S.A. returns on May 3 with a goal to raise $6 million. $10 minimum donation, midnight-11:59pm Tuesday; visit the thebiggivesa.org for details.
The Return of Don Draper Members of the San Antonio business community share highlights and anecdotes from Reality in Advertising, the out-of-print
book that inspired Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner to model the character of Donald Draper after author Rosser Reeves, the “greatest adman of his day.” $15-$45, Geekdom Event Centre, 131 Soledad St., (210) 373-6730.
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Talks Plus
NALAC Regional Arts Training Workshop Organized by the National
Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, this grassroots gathering of Latino artists and cultural workers encompasses two days of panels and workshops, State of the Latino Arts Roundtable Workshops by discipline and a reception/open mic at Lone Star Studios. $20-$40, 8:30am-6pm FridaySaturday; Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, 1301 Guadalupe St., (210) 432-3982.
Nuestras Historias: Latin@s in the Arts
To help kick off the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures’ Regional Arts Training Workshop, NALAC and the San Antonio Public Library host a free, PechaKucha-inspired evening with short presentations by Antonia Castañeda (historian), Isabel Ann Castro (St. Sucia zine), Anel Flores (literary artist), Joey Lopez (Convergent Media Collective), Daniela Riojas (interdisciplinary artist), Alex Rubio (visual artist), Agustina Woodgate (multimedia artist) and Tomás Ybarra-Frausto (scholar). Free, 6:308:30pm Thursday; Central Library, Future Latino Studies Collection Space, 600 Soledad St., (210) 207-2500.
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The Mind of the Maya Series: Meet the Maya The Witte welcomes Drs.
Kathryn Brown and Jason Yaeger for a presentation complementing the upcoming exhibit “Maya: Hidden Worlds Revealed.” $5-$10, 6:30-8:30pm Wednesday; Witte Museum, 3801 Broadway, (210) 357-1910.
LGBT
Laila McQueen RuPaul’s Drag Race season
eight starlet Laila McQueen headlines a night of drag performances with support from Rey Lopez Entertainment Showgirls Tencha la Jefa, Nilaya Milan Raven, Amerie Parker, Alayna Marquez, Chyna Cravens, Aaron Andrews and Felisha Andrews. $10$25, 10:30pm Wednesday; Heat Nightclub, 1500 N. Main Ave., (210) 227-2600.
Dance
Dance Kaleidoscope San Antonio
Metropolitan Ballet’s 28th annual presentation of Dance Kaleidoscope combines the frivolity of “Gaîté Parisienne” and its famous can-can with an array of contemporary works and student choreography. $12-$20, 2:30pm Sunday; Jo Long Theatre, 226 N. Hackberry St., (210) 207-2234.
SATURDAY MAY 7 AT 7:30 PM & SUNDAY MAY 8 AT 3:00 PM CARVER COMMUNITY CULTURAL CENTER 226 N. HACKBERRY This production is not a presentation of the Carver Community Cultural Centeror the Carver Development Board. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com, the Alamodome, and at the Carver Community Cultural Center Box Office.
Get tickets online at www.alamoartsballet.org A Texas 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization
sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 21
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ARTS + CULTURE
A WORLD TREASURE
UTSA professor helps restore Ernest Hemingway’s Cuban home MARK REAGAN/@210REAGAN
When Ernest Hemingway committed suicide at his home in Ketchum, Idaho on July 2, 1961, the Cold War was in full swing and the United States’ relationship with Cuba was in the gutter. In 1959, Fidel Castro established the first communist state in the Western Hemisphere, and by April of 1961 — approximately two months before Hemingway took his life — the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba failed horribly. By 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis would be making headlines across the world. During this increasingly hostile climate between the countries, Hemingway’s fourth and final wife, Mary Welsh Hemingway, would travel to Cuba to pick up the pieces at her late husband’s beloved home, Finca Vigia, or Lookout Farm, in San Francisco De Paula — a small community near Havana. “When Mary Welsh Hemingway wrote to Fidel Castro to say she was coming back into the country, because she had been away, at that point, for more than a year — and, of course, a lot of things had changed in that year,” explained William Dupont, a University of Texas at San Antonio architecture professor endowed by the San Antonio Conservation Society. Dupont is a distinguished, but soft-spoken man. Inside his first floor office in the Monterey Building at UTSA’s Downtown campus, he explained that since 2005 he has had special permission from both the U.S. and Cuban governments to travel to Finca Vigia, where he and a team of consultants collaborate with Cuban colleagues on restoring Hemingway’s historic home. “She was coming for the purpose of cleaning things out. And Fidel met her when she arrived and said the house has to be a museum. ‘You can take • Ernest two crates of belongings, personal Hemingway at effects, and the rest stays,’” Dupont Finca Vigia in said, describing what Fidel Castro 1936. told Mary Welsh Hemingway. “And so she stayed for about three months and went through everything and took the things, you know the personal effects, that was within the space allowed. And the rest remained.” Today, Finca Vigia is a museum visited by thousands of scholars and literary tourists from around the world. But 11 years ago, the abode where Hemingway wrote a chunk of For Whom the Bell Tolls and the legendary The Old Man and the Sea was in dire straits. That year, both
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Cuban and American colleagues work on the design for a new archival facility in Hemingway’s basement in 2012.
the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund listed Finca Vigia as endangered. “It was a catalyst for attention,” Dupont explained. That same year, the Finca Vigia Foundation, through a partnership with the Cuban Ministry of Culture, made it possible for Dupont and a team of American experts to travel to the island nation to meet their Cuban counterparts and assist them in preserving an international treasure. However, that relationship took time to foster because of cultural differences and decades of mistrust of Americans. “There were presentations by Cubans and after about a day and a half we were allowed the opportunity to offer commentary, after many presentations about what was going on,” Dupont said of that first meeting in 2005. “It was necessary and appropriate, but there was definitely a concern on the part of our colleagues there in Cuba that Americans were not to be trusted. “That we tend to take and steal. That we claim credit for things that we didn’t do. And, so, that was a preconceived perception there. And I won’t comment on whether that was warranted or not.” Those first meetings were at Finca Vigia, which, at the time, was undergoing a process called disassembly as the Cubans were well underway with the restoration. “They took the whole roof off. So when I first went to the house, all of the artifacts that are now within the
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William Dupont and Cuban architec t Adanelio Benavides Ramos review the roof and gutter assembly on Hemingway’s House in 2006 .
house were in storage,” he said. “They cleared it because it was taking in too much water through the roof and through the walls. And in order to keep everything safe, they took everything out of the house and they started to disassemble it and find the worst areas in need of repair.” The house was fully furnished when Mary Welsh Hemingway finished packing her two crates of personal effects, as well as being filled with books, innumerable paper documents — letters, personal writings, first editions, manuscripts, documents, maps and tomes full of notes in the margins — all of great value to scholars. “The house is virtually a time capsule of Hemingway’s life and belongings at the time of his death,” Dupont said. “After he took his own life in Idaho, it was widely known to everyone, including Fidel Castro, and Castro apparently developed a plan … the house needed to be a museum, for all the people of the world, but also for the people of Cuba, especially.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 25 ►
sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 23
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ARTS + CULTURE
•
The front door to Finca Vigia; a rendering of the archival facility by The Christian Company.
MANUEL A. MAR TINE Z
◄ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23
And that’s because the literary titan was accepted in Cuba. “He chose to live there for the last third of his life. So, even though he was an American citizen living in Cuba, he was accepted in Cuba as a Cuban,” Dupont explained. Like any home, whether it belongs to a legend of literature or to a third-grade teacher, the work never ends. “With the management of museum properties you are never done. There’s always another project that’s coming down in the future,” Dupont said. Finca Vigia itself was renovated between 2005 and 2008. Currently, the Cubans are in the process of constructing a conservation workshop and an archival storage facility, where all those important documents can be safely stored. “It’s all there, but while it’s currently maintained in boxes and in cabinets ... it’s in a room that’s inappropriate [for] archival storage for things of that value,” Dupont said. “The objects are somewhat threatened where they currently sit; weather, humidity, temperature and exposure, and the building itself is not sufficiently robust. “So I worry that in a severe hurricane event, there would be enough damage that it would hurt the collection.” This new archival facility also has its own historical significance. “Presently, we’re about to export a bunch of materials, products and tools and related equipment for the Cubans
to finish the construction of this new facility,” he said. That’s a result of relations between the two countries starting to ease under President Barack Obama’s administration, which loosened sanctions on Cuba in January 2015. Following the completion of that work, an administrative building will be built and Hemingway’s guest house will be renovated. Right now, the administrative offices are housed in Hemingway’s guest house. “And that needs to be rebuilt in order to house Hemingway’s car. It’s a 1957 Chrysler convertible, which they have stored onsite, and it’s in the process of being fixed up so it can be displayed,” Dupont said. “It doesn’t have to run. We’re just going to park it in the garage, but the garage currently has the executive director’s office in it.” Without this special collaboration, Finca Vigia may not have outlasted the elements — or the ongoing American embargo. But for such a renowned author, all efforts to preserve Finca Vigia for the world are worth it. There are few writers, as Dupont notes, that attract the respect of such a diverse group of people, from Fidel Castro to John McCain. “But that’s what Hemingway does,” he explained. “And that appeal certainly warrants the attention of an investment to make it into a museum property.” mreagan@sacurrent.com
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ARTS + CULTURE
OUT AND ABOUT
Comedian Kristin Key finds courage to be herself KIKO MARTÍNEZ
As a teenager living in West Texas in the late ’90s, things didn’t go smoothly for Kristin Key when she told her parents she was gay. “My dad is a minister,” Key, 35, told the San Antonio Current last week. “When I came out of the closet, it cost me my relationship with my family, so I took it back. I went back in the closet and decided not to talk about it anymore.” This was around the same time Key started her career as a stand-up comedian. For the next 14 years, Key never brought up the fact she was a lesbian. It took a near-death experience three years ago for her to decide she needed to be true to herself and tell her own story. She hasn’t looked back since.
couple of years things have changed a lot. I was in a car accident in 2013. The car caught on fire. It opened my eyes to taking more risks with my stand-up and not being so private on stage. Since I’ve been doing that, I feel like the laughs are bigger, and the moments I share with the audience are a lot more genuine. Why did it take so long to talk about being gay on stage? As the years went by, it just got easier and easier not talking about it. When I first started comedy, a lot of people told me that if I told people I was gay, it was going to pigeonhole me, and I was going to lose all my fans. I believed them.
When did you know you wanted to be a stand-up comedian? How is your relationship with When I was a little kid, I thought your parents today? about it. My parents were really I think we’ve found a really good place religious, so they were like, “No, you where we’re allowing each other to be don’t. You’d have to perform in ourselves. They still don’t accept bars. You don’t want to perform being gay as a Christian value, Kristin Key in bars, do you?” I was like, but we spend time together and $16 8pm Wed-Thu, 8pm “No?” So, I kind of put it out of are building on those things we & 10:15pm Fri-Sat, my head until I was in college. do have in common. I would say 7pm Sun they’re probably proud of me for April 27-May 1 Have you found your voice Laugh Out Loud Comedy standing up for what I believe in. Club and know what kind of 618 NW Loop 410 comedian you are? For our full interview with (210) 541-8805 Yeah, I feel like in the last Kristin Key, visit sacurrent.com. lolsanantonio.com
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SCREENS
•
Patrick Stewart and his neoNazi crew
GREEN ROOM PAINTS THE WALLS RED With neo-Nazi blood
Although he had made a series of short films and one horror-comedy feature by the mid-oughts, director Jeremy Saulnier became a household name on the indie film circuit when he came out with 2013’s Blue Ruin, a moody and ominous revenge flick set in the American backwoods that manages the impeccable feat of providing an overabundance of suspense even though the audience most surely knows the movie’s ultimate dour ending. With Saulnier’s most recent cinematic endeavor, Green Room, the filmmaker once again returns to rural America as he documents how a four-piece ’80s punk band find themselves locked inside the green room of a skinhead-run music venue after witnessing a murder. While I avoid trailers for movies I review, and due to the fact that I subsequently don’t read any publications about the making of those films, I had, in a preconceived way, envisioned Green Room to be an all-out horror gore-fest with less talk and more action. While there is a visual cornucopia of practical effect carnage contained within the narrative, Saulnier’s latest filmmaking effort reads more like a psychological thriller embodied in one pragmatic setting, a conceit that borrows heavily from an off-Broadway play or Linklater’s Tape (without the anxious emotional brooding), eventually utilizing a Die Hard narrative device that takes place
BRETT SEAMANS
not in Nakatomi Plaza but in an illicit Oregon neo-Nazi entertainment establishment, an organization fronted and controlled by Sir Patrick Stewart. Yes, you read correctly. Starfleet Captain Jean-Luc Picard has quickly transformed himself into the ringleader of an underground neo-Nazi enterprise. What is most jarring about Stewart’s menacing persona is his calm, mild-mannered temperament that is on full display throughout the entire film. The respect, admiration and reverence that each racist skinhead has for this man is evident by their blind subservience to Stewart’s every request and whim. Rather than barking orders, he simply asks for cooperation and his murderous instructions are dutifully carried out by the impressionable youth. Stewart need not establish his dominance over his racist faction by machismo Scarface posturing, which ultimately makes his character all the more horrific. One is given the impression that if Stewart’s patriarch were to suggest an all-out race war within their small Oregon community, many needless deaths would be reported on the nightly news. The post-modernist in me likes to view Green Room as documenting the honorable Captain Picard’s past misguided life prior to commanding the USS Enterprise, making for one hell of an epic character arc that only genre fans can appreciate. Making the narrative backdrop of Green Room even
more frightening is the very real fact that Oregon is home to Volksfront, one of the most active neo-Nazi groups on the West Coast. And what do we fear the most? Those things that we can’t understand. As simplified as rampant racism has become in the mass media, our heroic characters in this film fail to understand their tormentors’ complex motivations and behavioral justifications. What causes such vehement hatred? What are the dogmatic rules by which hate groups abide? What are the social norms in such a subgroup of the American population? By becoming trapped mice in a labyrinth of skewed philosophical ideas, what nightmarish experience can our well-intentioned ’80s punks expect to encounter in every passing minute of this film? This inability to completely comprehend their captors’ intentions is what ultimately creates a heartpumping, breath-stopping cinematic experience that will haunt the viewer from days on end after witnessing the psychological mindfuck that is Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room.
Green Room (R) 94 min. Dir. Jeremy Saulnier; writ. Jeremy Saulnier; feat. Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Mark Webber, Patrick Stewart Opens nationwide on Friday, April 29.
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I don’t know anything you affinity to Snow. However, whether the don’t. The bizarro Medieval White Walkers' power of reanimation drama that has further works on those who they have not killed silenced Sunday nights into a national themselves remains unknown. ritual of HBO and awe didn’t release Melisandre, the former aid and any screeners for critics, so, just like priestess to the slain Stannis you, I’m left in the dark, out in the cold. Baratheon, has proven her keenness Our protagonists, the Starks of in the arts of witchcraft and, with the Winterfell, if we are to draw lines in the immolation of Princess Shireen in ever-shifting drama of fickle loyalties, an effort to secure the domination of are scattered to the four winds. The Winterfell by spilling King’s blood, she series, now surpassing author George should have scrounged up enough R. R. Martin’s literary blueprint of juju to bring back the 998th Lord A Song of Ice and Fire, has Commander of the Night’s proven that it will break the Watch. Spoiler alert: In what • Game of Thrones one rule most serial thrillers may be the most unsettling screens every have always managed to scene in season six’s first Sunday at abide by: not to kill the main episode, Melisandre removes 8 p.m. on HBO characters. But, numerous her choker to reveal her true Starks have come and gone age, several hundred years and the first episode of the old. Proof that there still may be sixth season offers no revelatory some magic left in her fiery heart. reincarnations or fresh corpses. Perhaps the most intriguing form Jon Snow’s death closed the fifth of reincarnation for Snow would be season and left many fans shocked as his half-sister. Arya, newly blind, and horrified. However, there are is still in the process of attempting to several ways that we can alleviate become a faceless person, a follower the silly predicament that the bastard of the Many-Faced God. It would of Winterfell seems to have found be interesting, to say the least, if himself in. One, the ice-crowned king Arya completes her transformation, of the abominable snow zombies becoming no one, and in so doing can known as White Walkers. They become Jon Snow and not only avenge have proven their ability to bring their his death but secure Winterfell for the victims back to life and with Snow’s Starks once more. vanquishing of one of their elite albino Just like you, I’ll have to wait and see. generals, the Night’s King took a certain dtbuffkin@sacurrent.com
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HOMEGROWN FAVORITE Local’s newest spot might be best-looking location yet CAROLINE TIMMINS | AMANDA RODRIGUEZ
Since opening in 2009, Local Coffee has been the standard bearer for the San Antonio third wave and specialty coffee movement. Over the past seven years, our city’s coffee scene has really bloomed (coffee pun intended) and much of the credit for that goes to Local. Most of the newer coffee shops in town have owners who cut their teeth at Local. What was once a single outpost in Stone Oak has become the epicenter for the coffee community in the Alamo City. Now, with the February opening of their fourth cafe location in the Medical Center, Robby Grubbs and his team of skilled coffee enthusiasts are bringing their product to a whole new audience. The new Local has attracted its loyal base while also introducing its product and culture to a whole new clientele. For a frequent flyer of Local’s other locations, the first thing you’ll notice here is the crowd. Gone are the 20and 30-something freelancers buried in their computers. In their place you’ll find students buried in textbooks (plus the elusive hot doctor). But while there may be a new crowd at this Local, the vibe is still as strong as ever. We’re going to make a bold statement here, but this Local is by far the most beautifully designed. Upon entering, the high ceilings and airy feel make the space feel open. You can’t throw a rock without hitting some
amazing detail in this place (please, don’t actually throw any rocks). The room is so clean and bright, with lots of windows pouring in sunlight, sleek concrete floors, gold accents and white marble galore. (Side note: two of our biggest obsessions in life are gold and marble, so this place was kind of like a wet dream for us.) The central hub for coffee-making magic is the gorgeous bar in the center of the space. A gold-framed pastry case is filled with treats from Bakery Lorraine, which is about to open their second location in the same shopping center — just so you know. After admiring the baked goodies, let your eyes wander upward to the insanely stunning menu board. Evoking the feel of a vintage suitcase, the menu is composed of a backlit box wrapped in gold that’s suspended from the ceiling. All of the machinery in this Local is unreal, with a gold tap for their iced coffee, custom pour-over stands and a Mod Bar espresso machine that is effing crazy. Two giant speakers pump the tunes that fill their air, with playlists from alt to hip-hop. Sorry, but you won’t find the typical coffee shop crooners like Michael Bublé or Norah Jones playing here. Tables and benches line the main space, with a lounge spot in the back, counter seating and a standing bar with leather foot rests in the
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middle. It’s the perfect example of form meeting function; a space that can accommodate its customers while still being extraordinarily beautiful and unique. Now, we know this ain’t Architectural Digest, so let’s talk coffee, which Local does like no one else. Going strong in Southtown for over a year now, Local’s sister company Merit supplies the coffee for all their shops, and the beans are most definitely the stars of the show here. From capps to cortados, you can’t go wrong with any of their offerings. Addiction to Local’s iced coffee is a real thing, so the cold brew flowing from their gold tap is perfection. As always, there are great options for tea drinkers, too, with various hot and cold blends and yummy chai. And, of course, all of these drinks taste even better with the aforementioned Bakery Lorraine snackage. In addition to the top-notch products, what makes Local so great is the people who work there. You won’t find any pretentious baristas in their shops, just legitimately cool dudes who you end up shooting the shit with while the espresso’s dripping. It’s no surprise that once someone starts going to Local they’re hooked for good. We most definitely are. Timmins and Rodriguez are punnily eating their way through San Antonio’s expanding food scene. Find them at eatitb.com.
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church), and light fixtures made by chef himself using foraged pallets. The DIY extends to il forno, or oven, built entirely by Sohocki down to the last brick. Where he found time to run two restaurants, keep a growing urban farm with chickens, ducks and rabbits and handling a newborn son is beyond me. When it comes to the pie, early signs point to a new contender for best new pizza in town. I’m not usually one for hyperbole, especially after only one visit, but Il Forno’s pizzas are that impressive. Led by Jason Garcia, previously with Ocho, Ciao Lavanderia, Godai Sushi, Dough Pizzeria Napoletana and Restaurant Gwendolyn, the small staff creates six pies all within the $12 range, all using fresh locally sourced ingredients, and house-cured meats. A Margherita was delicately topped with freshly torn basil leaves, while the Bianca pizza with prosciutto and arugula delivered a luxurious saltiness from the house-cured pork. The real star is the crust that’s pliable, aromatic and soft, but sturdy enough to hold all the toppings. It’s an early nod, but a nod nonetheless. Get thee to Il Forno before the masses figure out South Flores has great pizza. flavor@sacurrent.com
Stone Oak
When the dude behind Restaurant Gwendolyn (which brought 1850’s era recipes and techniques to Downtown San Antonio), and Kimura (San Anto’s first official ramen shop), opens yet another restaurant, you make it a point to get down there, pronto. This was the case last Monday as two co-workers and I visited the former home of short-lived Nesta at 122 Nogalitos Street to take in Il Forno, chef Michael Sohocki’s latest, which focuses on scratch-made Naples-style pizza. Though both Gwendolyn and Kimura are based in the heart of Downtown, Sohocki stretched his reach south for Il Forno, which is neatly tucked away behind the intersection of Cevallos, Nogalitos and South Flores streets. There’s ample parking behind the shop on the street, but it could get dicey as word gets out about chef’s take on these blistered pies. There’s very little to remind pizza lovers that this was once a dive bar. That’s not to say that the joint mimics Kimura’s sleekness or Gwendolyn’s Victorian charm, but Il Forno’s bare bones, thoroughly rustic and DIY efficiency is evident once you step inside. A patio is still to come, but the open dining room features wooden benches (formerly pews from an area
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Open 7 Days a Week 226 W Bitters Rd #124 • (210) 545-3354 • saebthainoodlesa.com We’re averaging about three restaurant openings a week these days, food lovers. The opening of Michael Sohocki’s Il Forno (read more about it on page 35), was preceded by Down on Grayson’s (303 E. Grayson St., 210-248-9244) launch right in the thick of Fiesta. Brought to you by the same folks behind Mozie’s, Gristmill Restaurant and Bar and Gruene Hall, Down on Grayson opened with a gorgeous patio, Cuba Libres on the cocktail list and American grill favorites. The eatery is primed for a badass happy hour and is already drawing folks in for game-time viewings on their bar flat screens. Loopland residents are also getting a little love via Austin-based burger chain Hopdoddy Burger Bar, which opened its first location this past Monday at 17623 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 101. The space mirrors that of the original South Congress location in Austin, but features a beer garden with local brews served out of a 1950s Airstream trailer. For Guy Villavaso, co-founder of Hopdoddy, the addition was an obvious one. “Guests like to come to Hopdoddy for a place to come together with friends & family for the perfect combination of craft beer + burgers. We’ve simply tried to create a great patio area to hang out and enjoy,” Villavaso said via email. As for what items San Antonians can get down with, Villavaso expects the Goodnight for a Good Cause burger to pull in Spurs fans. “$1 from each burger sold, goes straight back into our community through what the Spurs Sports & Entertainment Nonprofit, Silver & Black Give Back’s Team Up Challenge is doing with youth throughout San Antonio. Our Goodnight contributions will help local groups build incredible things from community gardens to flood victim prevention systems,” he said via email. If you’re rocking that post-Fiesta bloat brought on by one too many $4 Bud Lights and delicious chicken on a stick (which we’d never in a million years give up), you always could grab a healthy lunch from Pharm Table. The eatery at 106 Auditorium Circle is now serving farm-to-table tacos during lunch. Order three organic vegan tacos from $10 or add some animal protein with 2 braised Berkwood Farms pork tacos for $14 or gulf-caught black drum tacos (available Thursday and Friday only) for $14. flavor@sacurrent.com
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NIGHTLIFE
ZINES AND ZYMURGY San Antonio Beer Zine serves up city’s first beer mag LANCE HIGDON
If you were among the thirsty throngs making the rounds during San Antonio Beer Week, you may have come across a copy of San Antonio Beer Zine #1. Unless you mistook it for an exceptionally elaborate coaster, you probably leafed through its 32 full-color pages, ogling pictures of pint porn and dog-earing cerveza science lessons from a Certified Cicerone®. This isn’t a MillerCoors production, clearly — but who did write the brash little publication? Turns out, it’s the hopped-up dream of a squad of whale-gunning beer nuts dedicated to giving SA’s brew lovers one rad mag. Harrison Civick spearheads the SABZ, assisted by friends from both sides of the bartop. Big Hops Huebner bartender Nathan Martinez and Flood Distro rep Mark Bell both contribute copy, while dedicated amateurs Collette Orquiz and Jose Cruz oversee photography and editing, respectively. All are involved with the San Antonio Let’s Talk Craft Beer Facebook group, whose volume of activity and intensity of interest prompted the quintet to launch the city’s first beerexclusive quarterly. “We knew about things like the Austin Beer Guide and Denver Thirst and similar magazines,” Civick said in an email to the Current, “and asked ourselves, ‘Where is San Antonio’s exclusive print?’ The answer was simple: It didn’t exist.” SABZ is distributed to the city’s favorite beer haunts and a select number of breweries, including Busted Sandal, Ranger Creek and Branchline Brewing, the latter of which is profiled in Issue No. 1. Branchline’s brewmaster, Paul Ford, also contributed a piece addressing spring beer styles. This synergistic editorial approach reflects SABZ’s desire to examine local talent across an entire issue rather than a single article. “It’s one thing to write a two- or threepage article on someone and another to give them an even bigger outlet to really showcase their potential,” Civick said. “Hopefully we can continue that because it makes those features more personal.” Good beer is a family tradition for Civick. His father, Bradley Civick, was present at the birth of the Texas
microbrewery rebellion in the ’90s; tap handles and old Texas Craft Beer Festival brochures scattered Civick’s childhood home. When his son turned 22, Bradley gifted him with a bottle of Thomas Hardy Ale purchased the month Harrison was born. Mindful of maintaining that two-decade history, SABZ is meant to meet lovers of fine beer at every level of experience. “We hope to have a little bit of something for everyone,” Civick said. “From the newer craft beer drinker entering bars and bottle shops staring down a long list of intimidating beer styles, to a more seasoned drinker that might be looking for new spots to go in town or even wants to learn about off-flavor education or cellaring and aging techniques to expand their knowledge.” The capacity to describe what exactly you’re drinking lifts all boats (and floats all kegs), according to Civick. “People who can describe why they like a certain style by specific descriptions and ingredients rather than just saying, ‘because it taste good’ are way more willing to branch out and try other things they know might be similar. There is too much good beer in this world to be devoted to one brand for life.” “Education isn’t just beneficial to the person learning; it builds the entire beer community,” he continued. “The more informed, knowledgeable and intrigued consumers we have, the more the scene grows.” Don’t confuse SABZ’s focus on education with craft-snob condescension, though. Civick describes the zine’s tenor as anything but didactic. “The magazine is definitely going to be more laid-back and approachable compared to what you might see elsewhere in other cities. San Antonio’s attitude as a whole is kind of easygoing and friendly, so I want to have that attitude in the magazine. There is no need to be snooty or pretentious about this. We are all friends here.” Friends of SABZ can look forward to release parties for those issues that don’t coincide with SABW. Civick anticipates future release parties featuring exclusive kegs, merch giveaways and ample socializing.
They will also provide occasion for a very special pastime. Several members of the SABZ masthead enjoy a certain reputation for their shotgunning skills, particularly to troll overly serious rare beer collectors. When asked to name his parking-lot chugger of choice, Civick has a ready answer. “I like to slam [The Alchemist’s] Heady Topper before a big bottle share,” he joked. “It gets the blood flowing and makes you feel alive! But for those casual shotgun Fridays with some friends? Hans’ Pils forever.” sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 41
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NIGHTLIFE
TIKI TAKE TWO The tiki throwdowns are heating up JESSICA ELIZARRARAS/@JESSELIZARRARAS
APRIL 29 - ROGER CREAGER
JOSHUA BROCK
Though landlocked by some 200 or more miles in just about every direction, San Antonio has held onto the notion of tiki cocktails first created in pre-WWI California. Tiki cocktails, as a whole, have already gone in and out of vogue several times over, and it’s been no different in the SA microcosm. The Brooklynite first gave us a taste for rumbased tropical drinks that weren’t overly saccharine in 2012. Staffing changes and departures eventually led to a tiki funk for the bar, if you will, but the addition of Joshua Brock on Tiki Tuesday is helping bring back those laid-back vibes. Nowadays, rum-lovers can get their fix during the bar’s revamped Tuesday shindigs. Monthly themes are planned (Brock’s a fan of themed nights so expect a WWII variation or ’80s beach classic night), but Brock’s CapriRum has landed as an early staple of the new tiki menu. “For my first tiki night, King Pelican was playing and there were a lot of people there and I was doing drinks I’d never done, a bunch at a time. Each has six or seven ingredients and quarter-ounce measures so I needed something I could do super-quick and easy,” Brock said. Enter tropical and fruit punch varieties of Capri Sun made only better with the addition of an ounce of overproof rum (Smith & Cross and Wray & Nephew’s White Overproof rum) through a metal-tipped turkey baster. The result is a $6 bag of fun (not to be confused with Paramour’s Mixtli-inspired “Fun Bag,” … but we’ll leave #pouchgate for another article).
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“I think drinking is fun and we should have fun while we do it. I think that’s where a lot of my stupid ideas come from. This is one of them,” Brock said. But San Anto’s tiki wave extends past South Presa’s Concrete Jungle (still alive and kickin’) into the balmy waters of Olmos Park where Park Social is filling Thursday nights with tropical classics and house variations. The menu will change every first Thursday of the month. For the May festivities, the bar will join forces with Mezcalería Mixtli for Tiki vs Aztec: Cinco de Mayo. “Agave and rum are really good friends and since Cinco de Mayo [falls] on a Thursday we all thought doing a shared menu between neighboring bars was a good idea,” Javi Gutierrez, front-of-house manager for Park Social and Folc said. Beginning at 5 p.m., the bars will feature proprietary punch bowls, a shared tiki menu made using Don Q Rums, Montelobos Mezcal and other spirits, and will offer shuttle service to and fro. San Anto’s tiki-fueled summer starts now. flavor@sacurrent.com
APRIL 30 - UNCLE LUCIUS
MAY 6 -STONEY LARUE
MAY 13 -BOB SCHNEIDER
MAY 14 -ELI YOUNG BAND
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DJ SMOAK, OUR OWN Selling his soul for some fancy flea medicine TRAVIS BUFFKIN | @DTBUFFKIN
You may know him as the golden-locked, Pug-loving tattooed provider of the rock ‘n’ roll bands that get your dander up (bands with names like Black Pussy and Lecherous Gaze), the local DJ who spins that obscure groove metal, haunted happy hour head-banging music, or you may not know him at all. Either way, here’s your opportunity to gain a better understanding of Loy Smoak, the man with the greatest metal DJ name of all time, who, for nearly 15 years, has been filling the streets of SA with the scuzziest Sabbath-and-skunk weed-powered stoner jams and bands. (You can thank him in piss-beer, rotgut whisky and Marlboro Reds). Is San Antonio the “Metal Capital” it purports to be? Maybe, like, for old dudes. I think at one point we definitely used to be.
food and fliers, and, I mean, all I wanted at the end of the night was a free shirt. How has DJ’ing evolved in the past 15 years? People sometimes, I don’t know what they’re thinking when they see a record player, but some people are freaked out by it. They think there should be a computer somewhere. They don’t even understand the needle … And then they see colored vinyl and they’re freaked out even more. It’s mind blowing to them. Is it technology? It’s technology in a sense. It’s making caveman technology a little more colorful. It’s kind of mindblowing to people. Fucking idiots, dude. Lava lamps or blacklights? Don’t they go together? OK, I’m gonna go with blacklights. Why? They’re safer. Snakes or a black jaguar?
What do you think keeps bands from coming to the “Metal Capital?” There are some people that have Is the black jaguar friendly? put a bad mark on this town. And I I was picturing it going up get it. But [these people] a log, like a velvet haven’t gotten beaten up painting. Cause you or anything, and they’re were saying black light Sell Your Soul Saturday’s Twostill around. Why aren’t or lava, so I instantly Year Anniversary people getting checked put myself inside of a w/ Duel and or exiled? van or a smoke room or Black Titan I’m like level 10. And I something. Like, would Free 10pm Sat, April 30 want everyone to be level you say boogie van or Faust Tavern 10 … God knows how El Camino? 517 E. Woodlawn Ave. much money I’ve lost on (210) 257-0628 facebook.com/ thefausttavern
Boogie van, duh, there’s more room. Whisky or tequila? Oh, totally whisky. And I usually like well whisky. Nothing fancy. I like Kentucky Deluxe. Totally OK with Kentucky Deluxe. I just can’t do [tequila]. Makes me crazy. It reminds me of, like, meth before it’s made. Does that make sense? No. Not to me. Strobe light or dry ice? Oh, I like dry ice. Dry ice is cool, man. What should folks buy you at the bar? Whisky and a Coors Light, “Colorado Kool-Aid.” Just a shitty beer. I’ll take a cigarette with it, too. I mean, this is what I do. I bring free music to people … And, if someone wants to sit around and complain, they can do it themselves. But they won’t and they can’t. Do you feel like a diplomat for SA? I do. I’m not saying that arrogantly … I will pay you good. I’ll feed you. I’ll offer you a place to stay and I’ll party you out … I know it sounds stupid, but I wanna be the old dude sitting in my chair with my denim vest and my necklace … I love being in rock ‘n’ roll … We all have fantasies, but I wanna live mine. For the full interview with Loy Smoak, visit sacurrent.com.
W/ IMARHAN DOORS 6PM / SHOW 8PM - ALL AGES Friday, April 29th Transmission Events Presents
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SUBATOMIC SOUND SYSTEM 40TH ANNIVERSARY SUPER APE TOUR! DOORS 6PM / SHOW 8PM Saturday, April 30th Transmissions Events Presents
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WED. MAY 11 - EAGLE CLAW SAT. MAY 14 - THE WIND AND THE WAVE SUN. MAY 15 - ANAMANAGUCHI TUES. MAY 17 - FRIGHTENED RABBIT THUR. MAY 19 - OUGHT FRI. MAY 20 - THE BLASTERS SUN. MAY 22 - PLEASURE LEFTISTS MON. MAY 23 - ARABROT FRI. MAY 27 - QUIET COMPANY SAT. MAY 28 - GOLDEN DAWN ARKESTRA sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 45
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26108 overlook pkwy san antonio, tx 46 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
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MUSIC
MANFRED WERNER
LEE DIDN’T START THE FIRE Lee “Scratch” Perry, reggae pioneer, set to burn the mother down HILARY HARTY
•
The man, the myth, the spiritual pyro
Lee “Scratch” Perry is eccentric. Not like your rich uncle who exclusively wears periwinkle blue track suits to brunch every Sunday. No, Perry’s eccentricities are more organic than that, rooted in decades of building the foundation of what we now know as reggae and dub music. Born Rainford Hugh Perry, the 80-year-old Kendal, Jamaica native has managed to do something few musicians get to do during their careers: Pioneer a new sound, produce monumental tracks that propel it to soaring heights and then burn said sound to the ground. Back in the early '70s, after over 15 years of working in the newly christened reggae industry, Perry built a recording studio in the backyard of his Kingston, Jamaica home that would ultimately change the future of the movement. The infamous Black Ark Studios was, for all intents and purposes, a Rasta shack that slowly seeped smoke from under its feeble walls whilst the thumping of deep dub beats permeated throughout its surroundings. The four-walled palace of pot helped shape the careers of legendary reggae sound-masters like The Heptones, Junior Byles, Max Romeo, Augustus Pablo and most notably, Bob Marley and the Wailers. Perry was behind the board for all of these sessions, using his inherent skills to overdub various layers of music while creating a unique sound which would eventually evolve into dub.
Perry’s style was so influential and one-of-a-kind that will have with sunburns in our lives, you can’t feel bad musicians like Paul McCartney and The Clash traveled for the man. His legacy is one that will carry on long to Jamaica to seek his musical wisdom. Some of his after his last dub performance leaves you feeling oh-so more notable production techniques included burying a irie and high-re. drum at the bottom of a palm tree to get a more bass-ed Known as the “godfather of dub” by many, a sound, employing the vocal stylings of crying babies on documentary called The Upsetter (his infamous nickname), his tracks and surrounding his boards with things like detailing the life of Perry, was theatrically released after a chicken wire, broken bottles and cutlery. All of these successful showcase at SXSW in 2008. In it, you see a effects contributed to the success and legacy of the man who had a desire to leave a cannabis-shaped footprint Black Ark studio and Perry. on the music industry from an early age, a man who many But by the end of the decade, Perry was disenchanted might say is crazy, but is never lazy and, most importantly, with the once profound empire he had built. Citing a man who has learned to embrace and accept change stress from the constant rigmarole of having to turn his while still keeping his peripheral eye on his past life. creativity on and off, Perry felt that the vibe and spirit of The most impressive thing about Perry, however, is the studio had changed. Rumors were afoot at the time that he’s still writing, recording and performing. Most that prominent Jamaican gangsters and politicos were musicians who were active at a time when Led Zeppelin trying to cheat him of every last dime. Others say and The Who were still putting out their bests that Perry’s sometimes flamboyant and outlandish are either resolutely docile or are enjoying the behavior contributed to his downfall. Whatever fruits of their past labors. These days, you can Lee “Scratch” Perry & Subatomic find Perry performing with the Subatomic Sound the case may be, Perry eventually burned the studio down less than a decade after he had built Sound System System and using his chops to influence a myriad 40th Anniversary it. And he burned down another one in late 2015, Super Ape Tour of newer electronic musicians. The candle that $20 except this time it was an accidental fire started lit his musical career, purpose and dub roots has 6pm Fri, April 29 by a candle left unnoticed. never burnt out, and it’s inarguably Lee “Scratch” Paper Tiger While the Grammy-winning sound-smith may Perry’s creative fire that has been the most 2410 N. St. Mary’s St. papertigersa.com have had worse luck with fires than most of us important one to spark in his lifetime. sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 47
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50 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
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MUSIC
TRAVIS BUFFKIN
SO LONG TO THE ENTERTAINER Martini Club’s Wayne Harper hangs it up
TRAVIS BUFFKIN | @DTBUFFKIN
As I discovered throughout an evening spent drinking Budweiser, talking music, the bar business and Robert Conti, Wayne Harper is chemically dependent. The 66-year-old guitarist/ saxophonist/trumpeter, student of classic American showmen and proprietor of the Martini Club for the last 26 years, will die if he doesn’t take the assortment of pills prescribed to him. A man who has lived through two heart attacks and prostate cancer, Harper hung it up last Saturday, citing a multitude of anatomical assaults. He has handed over the keys and called it a day as the owner of Martini’s. I should have asked him about the mysteries of life. Instead, I asked him about his bar. Purchasing the members-only night club that previously operated under J. D. “Shady” Strickel, Harper signed a five-year note on the club. “The joke was he didn’t think I would make it. He thought he would collect the down payment, six or eight months of interest payments, I would bail and he would sell it again,” he reflected. “But, no, I was determined to make it work.” Harper paid the bar off in two-and-a-half years, playing Tuesday through Saturday in the house band. The nondescript venue nestled inside a shopping center behind North Star Mall (8507 McCullough Ave.), styled with shag carpet, black and thick like a Neanderthal’s rugged torso, a small but comfy dance floor, wood paneling, mirrors and glittery curtains, has been the weekend gig for three of the city’s best musicians and a wellspring of musical appreciation and drunken revelry for San Antonio. Keyboardist, arranger and backup vocalist Ernie Kreth, a brilliant musician who looks like a prog rock Bach, and drummer/vocalist Michael Canales, a Berklee College of Music grad and the man who handles much of the hip-hop material and dons an appropriately hilarious hat for every song requested, complete the ensemble. The group functioned as a cover band; playing whatever you jot down on your napkin, in lipstick preferably, (for the sake of aesthetics) and accompanied by a five, 10 or 20 — if you want to hear your tune played right away. They careen through pop standards of the last 70 years, Harper pausing between each tune to gauge the audience’s vibe and to slip into his next persona. He raises his trumpet to his lips for a rousing rendition of “Volver, Volver” and before you know it the trio have
drifted right into “Brown Eyed Girl,” Harper drawling and yipping just like Van the Man, but playing the lead guitar line, as well. And then into “Mama’s Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys,” singing both Willie and Waylon’s parts. The bottom line and the real story, for me as a music fan, is that Harper headed one of, if not the best band in town. From his days as a session player in Detroit, a hired hand in Vegas, a sideman in San Francisco and a picker in Marco Island, Florida and Lake Charles, Louisiana, his skills as a musician and a learned performer have been honed in the nocturnal neon. He also studied the best, taking in the mannerisms, asides, timing, banter and nimble-mindedness of the lounge circuit’s most captivating performers. And it shows. The magic of the group is their dynamism. Their ability, like the best bands of all time, to make you forget what ails you. Even if it’s through a spot-on, campy but mesmerizing performance of a medley of Neil Diamond numbers, their ability to pull you in and shoo your worries away at the drop of a trucker hat (worn by Canales on Pat Green numbers, a former bar regular) is something few bands can do. Kreth and Canales will stay on as the house band under the new ownership of Robert Binovi, a local who has tended bar, overseen the construction of numerous watering holes with the Muy Company, has worked as a professional musician and, despite making some updates
to Martini’s, plans to keep the atmosphere true to what has made the venue a prominent destination, which Harper sums up better than anyone else: “The bottom line is: make people forget their problems … A good entertainer will get your mind focused only on that moment in time. If you can make it a positive moment in time, you’ve achieved more than every hot lick or fancy chord ever invented.” The band, like lounge bars such as Martini’s, are truly a dying breed. First were the house bands, which gave way to the original bands and increasingly the DJs — cheaper to pay, never subject to poor performances or bad renditions. But these players, a generation of day-in, day-out, four-sets-a-night entertainers, are dissipating. And down comes another one. A man who, with a voice that its owner has forgotten what it’s supposed to sound like due to so many years of molding and shifting it to resemble that of the requested singers, parted the once-teeming seas of nightlife, exclaiming, “Those that want a show, come with me.” And we did. We outlasted Wayne. We’ve got that going for us. But, fear not, for those who never had the pleasure of witnessing the trio tear through anything you want to hear, pausing only to scan the newest napkin or shoot bourbon with patrons and friends, Harper promises to sit in occasionally. You’ll just have to put in the time necessary to catch him. It’ll do you good. dtbuffkin@sacurrent.com sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 51
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52 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
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MUSIC
FRI-SAT
29-30
Fredstock and KSYM 90.1 FM “50 Years of College Radio” Concert
In a fairly unorthodox move, this week’s music calendar pick is a twofer. Friday night is San Antonio College’s annual free Fredstock. Featured in the SAC parking lot just east of the Jean Longwith Radio, Television & Film Building will be San Antonio-born roots rocker Javier Escovedo & The City Lights, corn-loving cowpunks The Hickoids, the Benny Harp Blues Band, who can tear a harmonica to ribbons, the Anthony Wright Band and DJ Gibb, spinning smooth grooves between sets. The following evening, head down to the Empire Theatre to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of San Antonio’s KSYM 90.1 FM station, the oldest community college radio station in Texas. Featured on the Empire stage will be Mitch Webb & The Swindles, and Los #3 Dinners, holding down San Anto with their interpretation of classic country, soul, blues, rock ‘n’ roll tunes and originals, specifically, “Take a Walk on the Westside” and “Livin’ Inside the Loop.” Closing out the free show will be Extreme Heat. Fredstock: Free, 4pm, San Antonio College, 1819 N. Main Ave., (210) 486-0000, fredstocksatx.com; “50 Years of College Radio” Concert: Free, 6pm, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 226-5700, majesticempire.com. dtbuffkin@sacurrent.com
Wednesday, April 27
The Contortionist Labeled as "prog
metal," you'd expect The Contortionist to release concept albums about demons, hell and hot barbarian chicks, instead the group composes ambient songs about outer space. With Monuments, Entheos and Sleepmakeswaves. The Korova, 6:30pm
Harvey McLaughlin & the BottomFeeders Tour Kickoff One
of SA's commendable pub rock bands kicks off their West Texas tour with local punks Lloronas, American Swine and The Morning Owls. The Mix, 9pm
Jimmy Eat Wednesday A DJ night
devoted to the most angsty, misunderstood genre of sorta-rock: emo. Brass Monkey, 10pm
Live at Ocho Enjoy a special performance
by Bombasta at the historic hotel on the River Walk. Because Fiesta never really ends, does it? Ocho at Hotel Havana, 7pm
Oh Bleep! Wednesdays Go up (on a
Wednesday) to the rooftop with Skrillex protege Mija. Lush Rooftop, 10pm
Soaked, Fishbrain and Baby Bangs
Dirty garage rock saturated in dream pop, Soaked is a hipster wet dream, and one that doesn't contain Zooey Deschanel. Limelight, 9pm
XV Relive all those old quince feels with
DJs devoted to spinning you back in time to when Selena, puffy Cinderella dresses and puppy love was all there was. Hi-Tones, 10pm
Thursday, April 28
Blackberry Smoke The well-worn path
originally trudged by Skynyrd and Bob Seger gets a new set of tire tracks from this Atlanta, Georgia quintet. With Simo. River Road Ice House, 6pm
Frankie Lava - All Vinyl. A DJ without a
computer? In-con-ceivable! Lava spins all vinyl soul, funk and oldies. Hi-Tones, 10pm
Jon Wolfe: Spring Singin' Thing
This Austin honky tonker delivers early Toby Keith and George Straitinspired shitkickin' numbers with a twang that can rhyme "drinks" with "place." Somebody seriously fucked up naming this concert, however. Cowboys Dancehall, 7pm
Los Callejeros de San Anto The conjunto
side project of Piñata Protest's Alvaro Del Norte comes in off the streets to perform classic boleros and rancheras for those that find the Piñata pits a little too necio. With Volcán. The Mix, 9pm
Prong With members culled from
impressive acts such as Danzig and Swans, Prong have carved out a distinct spot in metal, influencing Trent Reznor and, ahem, Korn's Jonathan Davis. With Deadpool, Metalriser and Isolaydead. The Korova, 7pm
Retama Spring Fest 2016 Jimmy
Gonzalez y Grupo Mazz headline the first night of festivities at the Bukowski Shangri-La. Retama Park, 5pm
Tommy Castro & the Painkillers
Learning from the blues masters and sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 53
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54 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
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MUSIC
even touring with legend B.B. King, Tommy Castro, now enhanced with the Painkillers, will have you OD'ing on soul. With Samantha Fish. Sam's Burger Joint, 7pm
Friday, April 29
Crawfish Festival The third annual
Crawfish Festival of New Braunfels is now a two-day family friendly event featuring three stages of live music with 10 bands, children’s rides, “Battle of the Roux” Gumbo Cook-off, a 5K Crawdaddy Dash, an arts and crafts market, 10,000 pounds of mudbugs and more. Comal County Fair Grounds, 6:30pm
Joe Ely Band Much like Gruene Hall, Ely's
career has kept him outside the shitty city limit's of banal radio rock and popcountry; where any self-respecting artist belongs. Gruene Hall, 7pm
Lisa Fischer As a backup singer on every Rolling Stones tour since '89, Fischer is one of the brightest talents behind the talent, having also worked with Tina Turner, Chaka Khan, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys and many of the world's most impressive divas. Carver Community Cultural Center, 8pm
Lisa Mann Award-winning bassist, vocalist and bandleader Lisa Mann brings her own unique brand of “Tough Girl Blues” to Sancho’s. Sancho’s Cantina, 9pm
Los Skarnales Ska punkers Los Skarnales
incorporate Spanish slang with furious reggae beats, helping to keep the '90s alive. With Celebrity Sex Scandal and River City All Stars. Jack's Patio Bar, 7pm
Magrudergrind The influential grind
band with songs shorter than the time it takes to read this review headlines a bill with Yautja, Illustrations, Ghost Police and Haunter. The Korova, 7:30pm
The Nightowls EP Release 10-piece soul
ensemble The Nightowls release their EP Royal Sessions. With Waking Fable. Sam's Burger Joint, 8pm
Nothing Chief Friday Residency Nick
Long of Lonely Horse, the deceased desert rock duo, plays tracks from his sensitive, exploratory solo side project at his weekly residency. Rosella Coffee Co., 7pm
Retama Spring Fest 2016 Erick y Su
Grupo Massore will even have the ponies prancing with their gente-approved cumbias. Retama Park, 5pm
San Antonio Symphony: Mozart Concerto For Flute and Harp Guest
conductor Jacques Lacombe is joined by two of the San Antonio Symphony’s own principal musicians, flautist Martha Long
and harpist Rachel Ferris, for Mozart’s popular Concerto for Flute and Harp – the composer's only composition to include the harp. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 8pm
Tony Joe White With a voice as deep
as his soul, White's tunes have been covered by some Tennessee kid named Elvis ("Polk-Salad Annie") and Brook Benton ("Rainy Night in Georgia"). Luckenbach Dancehall, 8pm
Saturday, April 30
Charlie Brown’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill Join Us for Happy Hour
Mon-Fri 2pm-6pm Specials Daily
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APRIL 29 - ROGER CREAGER
Blackbird Sing Hot off the recording of
their second full length record, Cinco, with Grammy-winning producer Stuart Sikes, Blackbird Sing bring their heartfelt Tex-Mex Americana to the Grayson Street club. Sam's Burger Joint, 8pm
APRIL 30 - UNCLE LUCIUS
Crawfish Festival The second day of
the two-day festival which boasts over 10,000 pounds of mudbugs. Comal County Fair Grounds, 11am
Highly Suspect Combining the angst-
ridden whine rock of ought metal acts like Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin with the ersatz bro blues of the Black Keys. Take note, people: there's already one Black Keys, and that's one too many. With Audiodamn! Paper Tiger, 9pm
Human Ottoman Utilizing the unlikely
sonic trio of a vibraphone, cello and drumset, Oregon's Human Ottoman play driving polyrhythmic World-metal. Limelight, 9pm
Jaik Yanez For fans of the sincerity and
intimacy of songwriters like Jim Croce and James Taylor, Yanez is an exciting local voice worth scoping out. With Dylan Tanner and Michael Cristopher. The Bang Bang Bar, 10pm
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Jonny Craig Timberlake-inspired soul
pop with a dash of acoustic emo. With Tilian, Kurt Travis, Myke Terry and Victory Heights. The Rock Box, 6pm
Junior Brown Neo-traditionalist, country and western artist Junior Brown is a bona fide Americana generalist. A devotee of what can best be described as honky-tonk boogie, Brown plays his own mutant version of the double neck guitar with such alacrity and deadpan sincerity that he almost makes it not look ridiculous. Gruene Hall, 8pm
MAY 14 -ELI YOUNG BAND
Peter Murphy: The "Stripped" Tour
Former frontman of the now deceased post-punk group Bauhaus, Peter Murphy is generically – but appropriately – crowned the "Godfather of Goth." The Korova, 7:30pm
Retama Spring Fest 2016 Day three of
the festival at the pony track will feature
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sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 55
56 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
MUSIC
Divas Tejana Shelly Lares, Stefani Montiel and Patsy Torres. Retama Park, 5pm
San Antonio Symphony: Mozart Concerto For Flute and Harp
The performance of Mozart's only composition featurng harp continues throughout the weekend. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 8pm
The Tikibilly Bash Surf waves of fruit-
flavord liquor with King Pelican, Texas T & the Shine Runners and DJs Tim Beard and Tropicana Joe. Concrete Jungle, 7pm
Sunday, May 1
Battle Trance One sax, two sax, three sax,
four. The experimental sax quartet Battle Trance play the loudest bookstore in Texas. With Saturn Skies. Imagine Books & Records, 8pm
The Bible Tour As opposed to the Quran, Torah or Tao tour? This lazily-titled Christian revival finds Matthew West, Sidewalk Prophets, Aaron Shust and Love & the Outcome sharing the Trinity University stage, a place of "higher" learning. Laurie Auditorium, 7pm
Blue October The group that got their
breakthrough with pouty pity-me portrayals of depression rock and love-makes-life-worth-living pop ("Hate Me" and "Calling You," respectively) continue evolving, writing melodramatic tunes depicting their growth into daddies and husbands with 2016's release, Home. Aztec Theatre, 6:30pm
European Rhapsody YOSA gears up
for its 2016 tour to Prague, Vienna and Budapest with a colorful program featuring YOSA alumna, Fiesta duchess and San Antonio Symphony oboist Jennifer Berg as soloist. Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 7pm
Fredo Santana "I Got Trap Money" Tour Glory Boyz co-CEO and super goon Fredo Santana embodies trap and it’s offspring drill music, arguably invented by his cousin Chief Keef. The Korova, 7pm
Mariachi Damas de Jalisco In
celebration of Cinco de Mayo, the allfemale mariachi orquesta will play the historic neighborhood recuperating from the annual fiesta fair named in its honor. King William Park, 5:30pm
Retama Spring Fest 2016 Ruben Ramos & the Mexican Revolution headline Sunday's edition of the ongoing fiesta. Retama Park, 5pm
Monday, May 2
Open Jam Session with Small World Jazz Led by drummer Kyle Keener
and guitarist Polly Harrison, Small World features music from the Great American Songbook and bossa nova sung in the original Portuguese. Olmos Bharmacy, 7pm
Retama Spring Fest 2016 Brothers Delio, Brian and Marcel, who make up The Palacios Brothers, play riff-heavy blues standards from the likes of Jimi and Stevie. Retama Park, 5pm
Tuesday, May 3
JJ Grey & Mofro I am not exactly sure
what a "Mofro" is, but JJ Grey's blend of Southern Soul's sticky sweetness with the metropolitan meters and rhythms found on 2015's Ol' Glory prove that he's just one letter away from bad mofo. For fans of Amos Lee and St. Paul & The Broken Bones. With KOA. Sam's Burger Joint, 7pm
Tuesday Night Music Series Matthew Rose's YesBodyElse pivots between folk, lounge, country and rock on impressive debut Elsewhere. Liberty Bar, 7:30pm
Aztec Theatre 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com Brass Monkey 2702 N. St. Mary's St., (210) 480-4722, facebook.com/brassmonkeytx Carver Community Cultural Center 226 N. Hackberry St., (210) 207-7211, thecarver.org Comal County Fair Grounds 701 Common St., (830) 625-1505 Concrete Jungle 1628 S. Presa St., facebook.com/tikiconcretejungle Cowboys Dancehall 3030 NE Loop 410, (210) 646-9378, cowboysdancehall.com Gruene Hall 1281 Gruene Road, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall.com King William Park 131 King William St. Hi-Tones 621 E. Dewey Pl., hitonessa.com Imagine Books & Records 8373 Culebra Road, (210) 236-7668, imaginebookstore. com Jack’s Patio Bar 3030 Thousand Oaks, (210) 494-2309, jacksbarsa.com Laurie Auditorium 1 Trinity Pl., (210) 999-8117 Liberty Bar 1111 S. Alamo St., (210) 227-1187, liberty-bar.com Limelight 2718 N. St. Mary’s St., thelimelightsa.com Luckenbach Dancehall 412 Luckenbach Town Loop, (830) 997-3224, luckenbachtexas.com Lush Rooftop 4553 N. Loop 1604, (210) 858-9028, facebook.com/lushrooftop Ocho at Hotel Havana 1015 Navarro St., (210) 222-2008, havanasanantonio.com Olmos Bharmacy 3902 McCullough Ave., (210) 822-1188, olmosrx.com Paper Tiger 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersa.com Retama Park 1 Retama Pkwy., (210) 651-7200, retamapark.com River Road Ice House 1791 Hueco Springs Loop Road, (830) 626-1335, riverroadicehouse.com Rosella Coffee Co. 203 E. Jones Ave. #101, (210) 277-8574, rosellacoffee.com Sam’s Burger Joint 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com Sancho’s Cantina 628 Jackson St., (210) 320-1840, sanchoscantinaandgrill.com The Bang Bang Bar 119 El Mio Drive, (210) 833-2203, facebook.com/thebangbangbar210 The Korova 107 E. Martin St., (210) 2265070, thekorova.com com The Mix 2403 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 735-1313 The Rock Box 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 2799430, 210kapones.com Tobin Center for the Performing Arts 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org
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THE ONE-NIGHT STAND SAVAGE LOVE by Dan Savage
I am a trans man and I have no love life. But I did just hook up with a friend two nights ago. It was the first time I’ve had sex in more than a year. My problem is that it was a “one-time thing.” I was hoping to be FWB at least. I’m furious with myself for giving that away for what amounted to a hookup, and thoroughly sorry for myself for it being a “one-time thing,” because it nearly always is. I feel thoroughly unlovable and dejected right now. I was raised a Boston Irish Catholic, and I have PTSD from my parents being difficult. In a backward way, I hope the issue for others is tied to the fallout from my upbringing — because that’s something everyone has problems with, and those things, while not entirely fixable, are manageable and not so visible. I worry it’s not that, though. I worry my being trans is the first problem a potential partner sees. I am a man with a twat — a forlorn, underused twat at that. Not Often Picked, Everyone Not Interested Sexually Buck Angel is a public speaker, a filmmaker, an activist, and a trans man, NOPENIS, who famously and fearlessly bills himself as “the man with a pussy.” I passed your letter on to him because who better to answer a question from a man with a twat than the man with a pussy? “Anyone who hasn’t had sex in more than a year is going to find it scary to get back out there and start again,” said Buck. “And starting again with a body that you might not be 100 percent
comfortable with yet? That’s even scarier. The first thing that NOPENIS needs to hear — and really believe — is that he is lovable. And he is, even if he doesn’t know it yet.” The second order of business: You gotta stop beating yourself up over that one-night stand. Take it from Buck, your fellow trans man, and take it from me, your fellow Irish Catholic queer: You didn’t do anything wrong, you didn’t give anything away — hell, you were doing something right. “Hookups can be important for understanding your body sexually,” said Buck. “So NOPENIS shouldn’t be mad at himself. We learn and grow from our experiences, even if they’re bad ones. And here’s what I learned from my first experiences in the gay men’s world of sex: Hookups are the way it’s done. I was not prepared for that because I’d had sex only with women before my transition. That was hard for me, too, at first. But what I learned was that I wasn’t being rejected, even if it was only a one-night thing. I was being accepted in a way I wasn’t used to.” Finally, NOPENIS, you’ve got to stop seeing your body and your twat as problems. It’s the only body you’ll ever have, and it’s a body some will find attractive and some won’t. Some guys will be attracted to your body (and you, ideally) for its differences—not attracted to your body (ditto) despite its differences. “NOPENIS absolutely shouldn’t count himself out just because he’s trans,” said Buck. “The world is different now, and many people are attracted to trans men sexually. He just needs to learn to love himself and to have sexual confidence, because people find that attractive. And he should continue to experiment and continue to embrace new experiences!” For more Buck, go to buckangel.com. And you can — and should — follow Buck on Twitter @BuckAngel. On the Lovecast, a cavalcade of sextoy questions: savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter
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JONESIN’ CROSSWORD by Matt Jones
Answer on page 21
“Err Guitar”— definitely not a solid instrument. ACROSS
NEWS CULTURE FREE
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60 CURRENT • April 27—May 3, 2016 • sacurrent.com
1 Hoover, e.g. 4 He came back for a “Big Holiday” in 2016 10 Participates in an auction 14 Roswell craft 15 ___-Lorraine (area in northeast France) 16 “A Streetcar Named Desire” director Kazan 17 ___ de mer 18 Veteran Marine, in slang 20 Cold one 22 Corleone patriarch 23 A year in Paris 24 Lawsuit 26 Pair with a lot of pull? 27 Spherical treat that comes from a toroid 32 Bowler’s place 33 Hockey Hall of Famer Cam 34 Kal Penn’s costar John 37 Hitchcock title word 38 ___ au poivre 39 “The Grapes of Wrath” family name 40 Neither’s partner 41 Graphics program included with Windows 1.0 42 Carried, as by the wind 43 Sprays some sticky stuff as a prank
45 Answer sharply 48 Plasma particles 49 Not mine, in bucolic comic strips 50 Carpenter’s leveler 53 Autocorrect target 56 Poopo or Titicaca, e.g. 59 Empty (of) 60 About, formally 61 “I can’t hear you!” 62 Four-color card game 63 King with three daughters 64 John Doe, e.g. 65 Part of rpm
DOWN
1 Like some mistakes 2 In the distance 3 Like some small biological projects? 4 Chum 5 Late hour, for some 6 “Caprica” star Morales 7 Light bulb unit 8 Reverb (and a cliche when a character thinks it’s someone else) 9 Ultra-wide shoe size 10 He was associated with the Jets 11 “Mr. Belvedere” actress Graff 12 Vegetable cutter 13 Fermented rice drinks
19 Recover from a setback 21 Final Jeopardy! amount 25 Not forthcoming 26 Eleventh U.S. president 27 “Shoot!” 28 It’s sold in bars and tubs 29 No later than 30 Pint-sized 31 Events at meets 34 Sweetener under recent scrutiny 35 Install in a gallery, maybe 36 Neruda works 38 Seasonal addition? 39 It usually gets rolled 41 Schroeder’s prop 42 ___-country (2010s music genre) 43 Comparatively agile 44 Opportune 45 Emmy-winning title role for Sally Field 46 All’s opposite 47 Tony-winning actress McDonald 50 Graceful swimmer 51 Xbox series since 2001 52 “Was ___ inside job?” 54 Maine’s state tree 55 Paper factory side effect 57 Ft. Lauderdale locale 58 Aries’ animal
ETC.
FREE WILL ASTROLOGY by Rob Brezsny ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): The oracle I’m about to present may be controversial. It contains advice that most astrologers would never dare to offer an Aries. But I believe you are more receptive than usual to this challenge, and I am also convinced that you especially need it right now. Are you ready to be pushed further than I have ever pushed you? Study this quote from novelist Mark Z. Danielewski: “Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience. It is not about feeling good. It is about endurance. Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati.”
TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): You’re in a phase of your cycle when you’ll be rewarded for your freshness and originality. The more you cultivate a “beginner’s mind,” the smarter you will be. What you want will become more possible to the degree that you shed everything you think you know about what you want. As the artist Henri Matisse said, if a truly creative painter hopes to paint a rose, he or she “first has to forget all the roses that were ever painted.” What would be the equivalent type of forgetting in your own life?
GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): “Am I still a hero if the only person I save is myself?” asks poet B. Damani. If you posed that question to me right now, I would reply, “Yes, Gemini. You are still a hero if the only person you save is yourself.” If you asked me to elaborate, I’d say, “In fact, saving yourself is the only way you can be a hero right now. You can’t rescue or fix or rehabilitate anyone else unless and until you can rescue and fix and rehabilitate yourself.” If you pushed me to provide you with a hint about how you should approach this challenge, I’d be bold and finish with a flourish: “Now I dare you to be the kind of hero you have always feared was beyond your capacity.”
CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): “We need people in our lives with whom we can be as open as possible,” declares psychotherapist Thomas Moore. I agree. Our mental health thrives when we can have candid conversations with free spirits who don’t censor themselves and don’t expect us to water down what we say. This is always true, of course, but it will be an absolute necessity for you in the coming weeks. So I suggest that you do everything you can to put yourself in the company of curious minds that love to hear and tell the truth. Look for opportunities to express yourself with extra clarity and depth. “To have real conversations with people may seem like such a simple, obvious suggestion,” says Moore, “but it involves courage and risk.”
LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): I watched a video of a helicopter pilot as he descended from the sky and tried to land his vehicle on the small
deck of a Danish ship patrolling the North Sea. The weather was blustery and the seas were choppy. The task looked at best strenuous, at worst impossible. The pilot hovered patiently as the ship pitched wildly. Finally there was a brief calm, and he seized on that moment to settle down safely. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, you may have a metaphorically similar challenge in the coming days. To be successful, all you have to do is be alert for the brief calm, and then act with swift, relaxed decisiveness.
VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): “Show me a man who isn’t a slave,” wrote the Roman philosopher Seneca. “One is a slave to sex, another to money, another to ambition; all are slaves to hope or fear.” Commenting on Seneca’s thought, blogger Ryan Holiday says, “I’m disappointed in my enslavement to selfdoubt, to my resentment towards those that I dislike, to the power that the favor and approval of certain people hold over me.” What about you, Virgo? Are there any emotional states or bedeviling thoughts or addictive desires that you’re a slave to? The coming weeks will be a favorable time to emancipate yourself. As you do, remember this: There’s a difference between being compulsively driven by a delusion and lovingly devoted to a worthy goal.
“The best people I know are inadequate and unashamed.” That’s the keynote I hope you will adopt in the coming weeks. No matter how strong and capable you are, no matter how hard you try to be your best, there are ways you fall short of perfection. And now is a special phase of your astrological cycle when you can learn a lot about how to feel at peace with that fact.
CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): How do plants reproduce? They generate seeds that are designed to travel. Dandelion and orchid seeds are so light they can drift long distances through the air. Milkweed seeds are a bit heavier, but are easily carried by the wind. Foxglove and sycamore seeds are so buoyant they can float on flowing water. Birds and other animals serve as transportation for burdock seeds, which hook onto feather and fur. Fruit seeds may be eaten by animals and later excreted, fully intact, far from their original homes. I hope this meditation stimulates you to think creatively about dispersing your own metaphorical seeds, Capricorn. It’s time for you to vividly express your essence, make your mark, spread your influence.
AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): “It is a fault to wish to be understood before
we have made ourselves clear to ourselves,” said philosopher Simone Weil. I hope that prod makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, Aquarius. I hope it motivates you to get busy investigating some of your vague ideas and fuzzy self-images and confused intentions. It will soon be high time for you to ask for more empathy and acknowledgment from those whose opinions matter to you. You’re overdue to be more appreciated, to be seen for who you really are. But before any of that good stuff can happen, you will have to engage in a flurry of introspection. You’ve got to clarify and deepen your relationship with yourself.
PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education,” said writer Mark Twain. That’s excellent advice for you to apply and explore in the coming weeks. Much of the time, the knowledge you have accumulated and the skills you have developed are supreme assets. But for the immediate future, they could obstruct you from learning the lessons you need most. For instance, they might trick you into thinking you are smarter than you really are. Or they could cause you to miss simple and seemingly obvious truths that your sophisticated perspective is too proud to notice. Be a humble student, my dear.
LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): “Everyone who has ever built a new heaven first found the power to do so in his own hell.” That noble truth was uttered by Libran philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, and I bet it will be especially meaningful for most of you during the rest of 2016. The bad news is that in the past few months you’ve had to reconnoiter your own hell a little more than you would have liked, even if it has been pretty damn interesting. The good news is that these explorations will soon be winding down. The fantastic news is that you are already getting glimpses of how to use what you’ve been learning. You’ll be well-prepared when the time comes to start constructing a new heaven.
THIS MODERN WORLD by Tom Tomorrow
SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): “Zugzwang” is a German-derived word used in chess and other games. It refers to a predicament in which a player cannot possibly make a good move. Every available option will weaken his or her position. I propose that we coin a new word that means the opposite of zugzwang: “zugfrei,” which shall hereafter signify a situation in which every choice you have in front of you is a positive or constructive one; you cannot make a wrong move. I think this captures the essence of the coming days for you, Scorpio.
SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): “We have to learn how to live with our frailties,” poet Stanley Kunitz told The Paris Review.
sacurrent.com • April 27—May 3, 2016 • CURRENT 61
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