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Publisher Michael Wagner Editor in Chief Sanford Nowlin General Manager Chelsea Bourque Editorial Digital Content Editor Stephanie Koithan Contributing Arts Editor Bryan Rindfuss Staff Writer Michael Karlis

in this issue Issue 26-14/// July 8 - 21, 2026

Contributors Abe Asher, Bill Baird, Ron Bechtol, Danny Cervantes, Amber Esparza, Brianna Espinoza, Anjali Gupta, Colin Houston, Kiko Martinez, Mike McMahan, Kevin Sanchez, M. Solis, Dean Zach Advertising Account Executive Chris Miller Account Manager Parker McCoy Social Media Manager Juliana Torres Creative Services Lead Graphic Designer Ana Paula Gutierrez Events and Marketing Events Director Chelsea Bourque Chava Communications Group Founder, Chief Executive Officer Michael Wagner Co-Founder, Chief Marketing Officer Cassandra Yardeni Vice President of Operations Hollie Mahadeo Digital Operations Coordinator Jaime Monzon Revenue Operations Manager Rachel Gold Project Manager Megan Nally chavagroup.com National Advertising: Voice Media Group 1-888-278-9866, vmgadvertising.com San Antonio Current sacurrent.com Editorial: editor@sacurrent.com Display Advertising: marketing@sacurrent.com The San Antonio Current is published by Chava Communications Group San Antonio Distribution The Current is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. Get listed 1. Visit sacurrent.com 2. Click “Calendar” and then “Submit an Event” 3. Follow the steps to submit your event details Please allow 48 hours for review and approval. Event submissions are not accepted by phone. Copyright notice: The entire contents of the San Antonio Current are copyright 2023 by Chava Group LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Publisher does not assume any liability for unsolicited manuscripts, materials, or other content. Any submission must include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All editorial, advertising, and business correspondence should be emailed to the addresses listed above. Subscriptions: Additional copies or back issues may be purchased at the Current offices for $1. Six-month domestic subscriptions may be purchased for $75; one-year subscriptions for $125.

Ron Bechtol

25 The Rise of River North Watching a block find its flavor

07 News

The Opener News in Brief

Sacred Ground

Native Americans ask U.S. Supreme Court to hear dispute over a revered religious site at Brackenridge Park

Financial Fantasy

Experts warn Gov. Greg Abbott’s property tax plan could bankrupt Texas, hobble cities

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CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

Cardboard Gold

San Antonio collectors fuel a booming sports card market

22Screens

Secret Agent Fam

31Music

Broken Promise

Safe Haven

Critics’ Picks

Thrive unveils housing project for LGBTQ+ youth on San Antonio’s West Side

17 Calendar

Our picks of things to do powerful

ABBOTT'S TERRIBLE TAX PLAN | SAN ANTONIO'S SPORTS CARD BOOM | DJ SUE PROBLEMA'S NEW YORK GROOVE | JULY 8 - 21, 2026

San Antonio-raised director Robert Rodriguez talks 25th anniversary of Spy Kids ahead of special screening

Biting into the Big Apple

Texas Hill Country flood victims still paying the price for FEMA’s failures a year later, report says

Approved auditor info as required for public notices per section 50.011(1)(e), F.S.

21Arts

San Antonio DJ Sue Problema’s New York tour landed her there in the middle of the Spurs-Knicks Finals

n the Cover: The corner of Jones and Broadway is shaping up to be one of the downtown area’s most hopping dining destinations. Photo: Kat Stinson. Cover design: Ana Paula Gutierrez.

sacurrent.com | July 8 - 21, 2026 | CURRENT

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The Trump White House has approached the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, a state agency tasked with providing criminal defense for low-income people, to help it offer legal services to immigrant children facing deportation cases. Immigrant advocates warn the administration’s plan is part of a broader effort to shift unaccompanied minors to the Lone Star State, where it will be easier to quickly deport them. ICE has once again pushed back the opening date for a San Antonio warehouse the agency bought to convert into an immigrant detention center. In a letter, the agency told city officials they now plan to open the facility by mid-2027. The new timeline would put the lockup into operation almost a year after its original target date. The delay follows setbacks, legal challenges and a leadership shakeup at the Department of Homeland Security. The Catholic Diocese of Brownsville is demanding information on the arrest of a nun who was walking to a church in McAllen when she was apprehended by ICE agents. Sister Leticia “Letty” Ugboaja of Nigeria is part of the Daughters of Mary Mother of Mercy and has worked over the past decade as a registered nurse in South Texas. She was released from custody shortly following her detention after members of Congress intervened. The San Antonio Spurs were busy ahead of the opening of NBA free agency last week, resigning both Julian Champagnie and Harrison Barnes to new contracts. Champagnie has reportedly signed a three-year deal worth $45 million, while the veteran Barnes has reportedly signed a team-friendly, one-year deal for $8 million. The arrangements mean the Spurs have $15 million of cap space left with which to pursue free agents. — Abe Asher

YOU SAID IT!

“Over the Fourth, I’m going to get me a couple of big lobster tails, I’m going to get me some nice rib-eyes. I’m going to sit in my backyard with my family [and] my neighbors, and we’re going to be enjoying the Fourth, celebrating 250 years, the birthday [of America].” —HOUSTON-AREA REPUBLICAN U.S. REP. TROY NEHLS, when asked if he’s concerned about the affordability issues affecting his constituents.

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Shuttertstock / lev radin

ASSCLOWN ALERT

Appointing a Christian Nationalist bomb thrower to oversee elections legislation with Gov. Greg Abbott Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark. Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to appoint former state Rep. Nate Schatzline as a senior adviser on election policy says as much about the direction of Texas Republican politics as it does about the state’s lack of seriousness about free and fair elections. Schatzline last week joined Abbott’s office, where he’ll work on what the governor describes as “election integrity” policy. The appointment drops one of the Legislature’s most outspoken far-right culture warriors as well as an outspoken Christian Nationalist into a position that’s likely to play a major role in shaping future election legislation.

A member of the State Board of Education has threatened to sue two other members of the body over statements they have made about her online. Marisa B. Pérez-Diaz, a San Antonio Democrat, sent cease-and-desist letters last week to two of her colleagues, asserting that their online statements have caused her “substantial personal, professional and reputational harm.” Julie Pickren and Brandon Hall, both Republicans, called Pérez-Diaz a “Marxist” in social media posts and blamed her for causing “gender confusion.”

During his time in the Texas House, Schatzline built a reputation as a partisan bomb thrower who showed only marginal interest in crafting serious legislation. Among his greatest hits: referring to Islam as a “death cult” poised to take over the United States and bragging during the middle of Texas’ most recent measles outbreak that his kids’ school has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the state. Schatzline’s divisive rhetoric matters because election administration depends on public confidence that the laws treat everyone equally and aren’t being crafted as part of an ideological crusade. This joker’s political brand has been the opposite: he’s an attention-grabbing showboater who’s repeatedly sought to inject himself into Texas’ most polarizing cultural fights. It’s hard to see the appointment representing anything other than Abbott’s continued embrace of the most extreme fringe of the state GOP and his continued push to marginalize the voting power of Texans who don’t share his increasingly unpopular agenda. Schatzline has been featured in this column multiple times for his outlandish claims and behavior. Looks like it takes an assclown to fully embrace an assclown. — Sanford Nowlin

House Democrats including San Antonio U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act last week to reinstate the flu vaccine mandate for service members following an outbreak of the virus at Lackland Air Force Base. As of last Tuesday, more than 280 troops at the base had the flu and four had been hospitalized. The military’s flu vaccine mandate had been in place since the 1940s, but Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth repealed it earlier this year. — Abe Asher

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

news Sacred Ground Native Americans ask U.S. Supreme Court to hear dispute over a revered religious site at Brackenridge Park

BY STEPHANIE KOITHAN

he legal battle over the redevelopment of a site inside Brackenridge Park sacred to Native Americans could head to the U.S. Supreme Court after two lower courts sided with the City of San Antonio. Lawyers representing San Antonio-area tribal leaders filed a petition this week asking the nation’s highest court to review a June 2025 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which allowed San Antonio to proceed with a portion of its redevelopment project at the park north of downtown. Members of the Lipan Native American Church first brought the lawsuit against the city in 2023 to protect trees from removal at a site that’s been a place of worship for centuries and holds deep spiritual meaning for local tribal ceremonies. The city’s renovations are part of a $2.5 million Brackenridge Park revitalization project, first approved by voters as part of a 2017 bond that totaled $850 million. Plans include removing some trees to facilitate park improvements while mitigating the bird population. City officials maintain the renovations are needed to repair crumbling river walls constructed in the 1920s, stabilize the foundation of an 1870s pump house, improve public access and restore portions of the park, the Express-News reports. The tribal leaders’ latest petition argues the city’s plans to remove heritage trees would drive away nesting double-crested cormorants and would permanently alter the site’s “spiritual ecology,” making it impossible to practice religious rituals there. Gary Perez and Matilde Torres, members of the Lipan Native American Church, are plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which alleges the planned renovations

Sanford Nowlin

violate their religious rights under the First Amendment, the Texas Constitution, the Texas Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and a new clause in the Texas Constitution that prohibits limiting religious services. The members of Lipan Native American Church are represented by First Liberty Institute and the Law and Religion Clinic at the University of Texas School of Law. Earlier this year, city officials said phase one of the project was delayed pending federal permits as phase two simultaneously underwent the city’s historic review process, TPR reports. Separately, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ruled that the city could continue its bird mitigation and remove some of the trees it targeted for cutting. However, he also required the city to grant access to a fenced-off area in the park so the

Native American church members could conduct ceremonies. The Lipan Native American Church appealed that decision to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. The notoriously conservative Fifth Circuit, whose jurisdiction includes Louisiana and Texas, determined the project doesn’t substantially impede the church’s religious ceremonies. Attorneys for the Indigenous plaintiffs are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review that ruling, arguing in the petition that courts “are not arbiters of theological truth. The Free Exercise Clause forbids courts from overruling a religious practitioner’s beliefs, while the Establishment Clause prohibits government officials from announcing religious dogma.” Whether the high court will accept the petition remains to be seen. The U.S. Supreme Court only hears oral ar-

guments in about 80 of the 8,000 cases it is asked to review annually, according to its website. Nonetheless, Native American artifacts dating back several thousand years identify the park as one of the most significant archeological sites in Texas, plaintiffs argue. The park is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Antiquities Landmark. “San Antonio can redevelop the area without bulldozing a centuries-old Native American religious site,” Stephanie Taub, Senior Counsel for First Liberty Institute, stated in a press release. “The Lipan church relies on the unique spiritual ecology of the ancient riverbend. The city telling them they can ‘just go worship elsewhere’ is nothing short of the government redefining their religious beliefs.” sacurrent.com | July 8 - 21, 2026 | CURRENT

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news Financial Fantasy

Experts warn Gov. Greg Abbott’s property tax plan could bankrupt Texas, hobble cities BY MICHAEL KARLIS

s the Texas gubernatorial race heats up, Gov. Greg Abbott last week introduced a new plan that calls for eliminating school property taxes and putting severe restrictions on cities’ ability to tax and provide basic services. “Texans shouldn’t be taxed out of their homes,” the Republican governor said in a statement about his five-plank tax plan. “Working with Texas representatives and senators, we will overhaul the system to deliver lasting relief, creating a brighter, more prosperous future for all. It’s time for greater predictability and lower tax burdens. Next session, we will ensure that local governments cannot raise property taxes without people’s votes.” Abbott’s proposal may sound appealing to voters struggling with property taxes. However, experts warn it could bankrupt the state, further defund already struggling public school districts and force cities to rely on meager state funding and grants to provide basic services. “It’s purely ideological and wishful thinking,” said Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Mathematically speaking, Texas’ economy would have to sustain average to exceptional growth in perpetuity for Abbott’s numbers to work without implementing a state income tax, Taylor said. Complicating matters, a state constitutional amendment passed in 2019 made it illegal for lawmakers to institute a state income tax. Southern Methodist University political scientist Cal Jillson told the Current the governor has a “zero-percent chance” of getting all his proposals passed — even though his own party controls both houses of the Texas Legislature. Still, that doesn’t downplay the danger of Abbott’s plan, the professor said. “[Abbott’s proposal] is just starving all of your state services,” Jillson said. “That’s fine for people in the upper middle class and beyond, but it is very

difficult for the working poor, working class and lower middle class, because they’re barely making ends meet.” Punishing city governments Under Abbott’s plan, property tax appraisals would only occur every five years instead of annually, hurting cities’ and counties’ ability to raise revenue in a high-inflation environment. Additionally, the proposal would lower the annual homestead appraisal cap from 10% to 3% and expand that cap to all properties, including rental and commercial holdings. At the same time, Abbott wants to cap local government spending growth to population plus inflation, or 3.5% — whichever is lowest. “Greg Abbott seems to have it out for local governments, particularly for blue areas of the state,” UTSA’s Taylor said. The governor’s proposed cap would make it nearly impossible for local governments to keep up with rapid population growth, essentially defunding essential services, the professor added. That’s especially dangerous with inflation running at around 4.2%, according to the latest Federal Reserve figures. What’s more, federal budget cuts outlined in President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, which went into effect last July, have already left local municipalities nationwide scrambling to make up for lost revenue. To that point, much of San Antonio’s looming $156 million budget deficit stems from federal funding cuts and the end of COVID relief funds, which the city used to pay for expanded social services and other programs, City Manager Erik Walsh told City Council last month. Due to that deficit, council is weighing whether to implement a 3.5% property tax increase — the maximum allowed without going to a citywide vote. However, under Abbott’s plan, twothirds of a city’s population would have

Sanford Nowlin

to approve a property tax rate hike such as the one being proposed in San Antonio. At the same time, only 15% of registered voters would need to sign a petition to hold a referendum on a property tax rollback under Abbott’s tax plan. In other words, if the governor gets his way, it could be damn near impossible for a city to raise property taxes, even if facing dire financial straits. Economic stagnation SMU’s Jillson told the Current that Abbott’s tax plan would also hinder cities’ ability to grow, locking cities into a cycle of economic stagnation. “The logic of local governments, particularly in fast-growing suburbs and exurbs, is you’ve got to build out to get ahead of population growth,” Jillson said. “You can’t build out after people are there. You have to plan and anticipate population growth … . So, you would be limiting [municipalities’] ability to anticipate and facilitate that growth.” Most concerning, though, according to both Taylor and Jillson, is Abbott’s proposed constitutional referendum rule, which would let Texas voters decide whether to pass an amendment eliminating school district property taxes. Abbott maintains state coffers would make up the difference in places where residents vote to do away with school district property taxes. But Jillson said

economic realities show that’s simply not the case. “It only works as long as Texas has a surplus and a steady, rapidly growing economy,” Jillson said. “The next downturn — and Texas always faces downturns — it’s going to be a mess.” During Abbott’s 12 years in office, Texas has never faced a deficit. Since he took office after the Great Recession of 2007 to 2009, he’s never led the state during a recession or deep economic crisis. That’s given the governor a false sense of economic security, according to Taylor. “It’s an ideologically rigid view of taxes, the idea that all taxes are bad, that all government spending is bad,” Taylor said. In the unlikely event the Texas Legislature approves all aspects of Abbott’s tax proposal, the drastic effects would eventually force the state to scramble to create other revenue sources to keep paying for basic services or face a stagnant economy, Jillson cautioned. “It’s just common sense to think that if your working population lacks health insurance, it’s less healthy and productive than the working population of another state might be,” Jillson said. “Similarly, if you’re underfunding your schools, it means the productivity of your future workforce is less than it might be. So, there are costs to being too stingy with your money.” sacurrent.com | July 8 - 21, 2026 | CURRENT

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

news Broken Promise

Texas Hill Country flood victims still paying the price for FEMA’s failures a year later, report says BY SANFORD NOWLIN

year after floods swept through the Texas Hill Country, killing 139 people and upending survivors’ lives, a new report shows more than half of families who applied for federal disaster aid never got it. Released by watchdog group Sabotaging Our Safety (SOS), the analysis blames the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s faltering response on the Trump White House’s moves to gut the agency. FEMA’s failure in the wake of the Guadalupe River floods also offers a warning about how unprepared the feds are to deal with future disasters, according to officials with SOS, a national coalition that includes lawmakers, advocates and former federal officials. “If you are waiting two months after a disaster to even get help with basic needs or enough repair money to make your house safe to live in again, that’s a real burden,” Maddie Sloan, director of disaster recovery and fair housing for public interest group Texas Appleseed, told the Current of SOS’s findings. “It’s particularly hard not just on families and individual survivors but also local jurisdictions, who are spending money to do emergency response … and don’t know whether or not they will ever be reimbursed.” Among the findings in the report: Only 3,877 of the 8,631 families who applied for FEMA aid in the 10 counties with federal disaster declarations were deemed eligible. That 45% eligibility rate is roughly half of the 80% approval rate when Hurricane Beryl slammed into Texas during the summer of 2024. As of this May, FEMA had approved just $41 million in total individual assistance across the 10 affected counties

Wikimedia Commons / wckitchen

— a fraction of a percent of the damage and economic loss estimated at as much as $22 billion. A majority of applications from Texas flood victims were never evaluated by FEMA officials, meaning families who sought funding never received a decision about whether they were even deemed eligible. While FEMA money is intended to be a life preserver for those caught up in a disaster, not a fund to fully rebuild, advocates said the report shows the agency failed to even deliver on that part of its mission. The consequences have been dire for residents who had little other source of financial help after the Guadalupe River surged nearly 30 feet in 45 minutes, changing lives forever, SOS officials said. ‘The delay absolutely cost lives’ The report found 97% of Kerr County residents had no flood insurance and 84% had no homeowners insurance. Roughly 63% of households there earn less than $60,000 annually. “When I hear those numbers, I don’t see a spreadsheet, I see my neighbors,” said Ashlee Willis, whose family lost their farm and small business on the banks of Sandy Creek. “I am so tired of this recovery moving at the speed of bureaucracy instead of the speed of a crisis.” To Willis’ point, the SOS report accuses

FEMA of making things worse through its mismanagement and sluggish response in the hours after the flood. David Richardson, the agency’s acting administrator, was unreachable for nearly 24 hours on the day of the disaster, which delayed the start of search-and-rescue operations, the report states. Meanwhile, FEMA’s disaster call centers went dark in the days following because the Department of Homeland Security allowed call center funding to lapse. Beyond that, former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s policy demanding that she personally sign off on all contracts exceeding $100,000 further contributed to the delay. Noem, who was fired from her role in March, didn’t authorize search-and-rescue efforts until three days after the flooding began. “That delay absolutely cost lives,” Willis said. “There were no boots on the ground. There was nobody knocking on doors.” Unable to fill the gap Trump administration officials have publicly depicted FEMA as bloated and bureaucratic and said they want to shift more responsibility for disaster recovery to state and local officials. However, Texas Appleseed’s Sloan cautioned that cash-strapped states and municipalities aren’t equipped to

handle the immediate response to massive natural disasters. That proposed shift also comes as experts warn the climate crisis is making such catastrophes more severe and more frequent. While eight flood sirens were installed and tested in Kerr County this May, they were funded by the state, not the federal government. And the second installation phase won’t take place until 2027. What’s more, the county’s flood maps are still outdated, and the most recent FEMA flood map was last revised in 2011. Meanwhile, flood victim Willis is begging local officials to rebuild a road leading to her property that washed out in another river rise two weeks ago, leaving her farm inaccessible to potential customers as the family struggles to rebuild. If the Trump administration continues to bleed out FEMA, states can’t come up with the billions of dollars in recovery funding needed to replace it, Sloan said. “There is a reason we have a federal recovery system: because it’s inefficient to have 50 separate FEMAs,” Sloan said. “In many aspects, FEMA is a way in which Americans show up for each other during a disaster, in that we spread risk and we ensure that hopefully everyone gets taken care of — that you’re not left on your own just because of which state you happen to live in.” sacurrent.com | July 8 - 21, 2026 | CURRENT

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

news

Courtesy Image / Thrive Youth Center

Safe Haven

Thrive unveils housing project for LGBTQ+ youth on San Antonio’s West Side BY JULIANNA PLEWES

an Antonio-based housing nonprofit Thrive wants to reverse an alarming trend. The organization will open a new neighborhood-style community, Thrive Vecindad, to provide 25 LGBTQ+ youth facing homelessness with a safe and affordable place to stay. Billed as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the project comes at a critical time for LGBTQ+ youth in San Antonio. “Far too many young people face homelessness simply because of who they are,” Justin Holley, Thrive’s executive director, said in a statement. “Together with the San Antonio Housing Trust Foundation, we are creating a model of care and housing that provides not only shelter, but stability, dignity and opportunity.” Thrive, which focuses its work on LGBTQ+ youth, is working with the San

Antonio Housing Trust to restore two homes and build a third at 1600 Buena Vista St. on the West Side. Together, the organizations hope to have residents move in late 2028 or early 2029. The project will provide housing for 18- to 24-year-olds experiencing homelessness or housing instability. Thrive will offer case management along with access to resources and opportunities that set residents up for success once they leave the program. Having a campus to house LGBTQ+ youth in need has always been a dream for Thrive, according to Sacco Leo Castillo-Anguiano, the organization’s outreach and advocacy manager. The San Antonio Housing Trust, a nonprofit focused on creating and preserving affordable housing, first acquired the Buena Vista property in May 2025 with the hope of working with an

organization to provide transitional housing — a temporary supportive residence — for a group in need. After reviewing proposals from nonprofits interested in the space, Housing Trust officials decided to go with Thrive. “Their proposal really spoke to a critical need in our community with a very vulnerable population that is underserved and underrepresented in our community,” Housing Trust Executive Director Pete Alanis said. The San Antonio Housing Trust also is in the process of creating a 68-unit apartment-style development on the South Side to house youth experiencing homelessness. That living option will serve as an optional next step for those at Thrive’s Vecindad development. Queer youth in San Antonio are particularly vulnerable to homelessness, according to a 2024 study by Trinity University sociology professor Amy Stone conducted for Pride Center San Antonio. Analyzing 685 responses to an online survey from LGBTQ+ Alamo City residents, Stone found that 28.5% of respondents experienced homelessness during their lifetimes, with one in five reporting homelessness before the age

of 25. Vecindad will help address the problem by providing safe and supportive transitional housing, Castillo-Anguiano said. Though Thrive still needs to raise $10 million to complete the project, the community has rallied around the effort. “We always meet somebody who tells us, ‘Man, I wish y’all were around when I was younger.’ To me, that speaks volumes — to have a space where people can feel affirmed, be housed and not really worry about anything else other than the fact that they have a safe bed, a safe place to be,” Castillo-Anguiano said. “We have so much support from the community.” The project not only supports LGBTQ+ youth but also helps preserve the historic character of the West Side, the Housing Trust’s Alanis said. This development will restore two historic homes and build a third residence on a lot between them. “We saw the site and the opportunity with the two homes to see if there was a way to put those two historic buildings back into use in some meaningful way that would support the community and the community’s needs,” Alanis said. sacurrent.com | July 8 - 21, 2026 | CURRENT

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

VISUAL ART

JAMES COBB: THINGS INTO THOUGHTS

Featuring new work by polymath James Cobb, Things Into Thoughts explores systems, form and color with the syncopation of a jazz solo. This suite of new work is one of four exhibitions by San Antonio-based artists that opened at the Contemporary on First Friday. Packed with the frenetic energy and bizarrely totemic imagery audiences have come to expect from Cobb — an artist featured in the first-ever exhibition at Blue Star back in 1986 — these large-scale paintings and digital works delight through precision and whimsy in equal measure. Free, noon-5 p.m. Wednesday, noon-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, noon-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, The Contemporary at Blue Star, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, contemporarysa.org. — Anjali Gupta

calendar

ONGOING - SAT | 10.04

Courtesy Image James Cobb

THU | 07.09 - SUN | 07.12 FILM FESTIVAL

47TH CINEFESTIVAL SAN ANTONIO

CineFestival San Antonio, the nation’s longest-running Latinx film festival, is back for its 47th incarnation. Devoted to showcasing Latin American feature films and shorts alike, CineFestival provides a reference point for cultural identity, politically charged storytelling and fiercely independent filmmaking. The festival opens with a screening of Mexicanamerican (2026), the debut film by industry newcomer Eddie Sánchez. Melding home movies with recent interviews, Sánchez weaves a firsthand tale of one family’s journey — both physically and psychologically — from Mexico to the U.S., the convergence of two cultures and resultant intergenerational acceptance of newborn hybridity. Other inclusions focus on music-making and the grassroots activism intrinsic to the Latinx experience. This year’s festival also showcases a large volume of short films made by regional and local filmmakers, which CineFestival Program Director Eugenio del Bosque attributes to a creative ecosystem that supports a burgeoning Latinx filmmaking movement here in the Lone Star State. It’s a movement dedicated to independent voices and cultural authenticity — and born of political necessity. For information on individual screenings, visit the Guadalupe’s website. Free, $40 all-access pass, Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry St., (210) 271-3151, guadalupeculturalarts.org. — AG Courtesy Photo Cinefestival

calendar FRI | 07.10 - SUN | 07.19 MUSIC

CACTUS PEAR MUSIC FESTIVAL

Cactus Pear Music Fest, presented by the Carver Community Cultural Center and the University of the Incarnate Word, brings six days of world-class classical music to the San Antonio area, free of charge. This season — Cactus Pear’s 30th — brings the classical concerts to multiple venues over different days, including UIW’s Bennack Hall, the Carver and the Uptown Blanco Ballroom in the nearby city of Blanco. There will be the obligatory, and likely amazing, Mozart pieces but also more challenging fare by the likes of Olivier Messiaen, Stravinsky and Ravel. Each concert presents a unique artistic premise. How often does the opportunity come along to absorb this much culture without spending a dime? Free, see website for dates, start times and locations, cpmf.us. — Bill Baird

Courtesy Image / Ali Manning

THU | 07.16 WORKSHOP

JAPANESE STAB BINDING - THE FOUR HOLE PATTERN

Unsplash / Providence Doucet

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

This bookbinding class teaches the art of Four Hole Japanese Stab Binding, a traditional Japanese technique known as fukurotoji, or “bound pocket books.” Originating in China, the practice arrived in Japan in the 1300s and became the printing industry standard during the Edo period (1603–1867). Today it’s a novelty format, mostly used for creating one-ofa-kind gifts, journals and sketchbooks. Participants will leave with at least two completed books. Handmade paper and tool use are included in the workshop price. Tickets must be purchased in advance and space is limited. $45, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Spare Parts Center for Creative Reuse, 13491 Wetmore Road, (210) 851-6100, spsatx.org. — AG

calendar FRI | 07.17 FI LM

THEYDREAM Debuting at Sundance in the experimental “NEXT” category, TheyDream is an autobiographical film that combines mixed media animation and cinema verité. Filmmaker William D. Caballero uses familial storytelling to illustrate how art can act as a potent means of catharsis. After the death of his grandmother and his mother’s subsequent retreat into despair, Caballero invited her to collaborate on a project. The pair recreated family stories through increasingly complex modes of filmmaking: animating handcrafted miniatures, digital rotoscoping and 3D motion-capture included. He simultaneously captured his mother’s journey through the process — her tearful recreations of conversations with her own mother, her trembling hands placing miniatures in front of the camera and, ultimately, her healing through the process of creative collaboration. Free, 8-10 p.m., Chris Park, 111 Camp St., (210) 227-8400, rubycity.org. — AG

Courtesy Image Ruby City

TUE | 07.21 - SUN | 07.26 FILM FESTIVAL

32ND ANNUAL SAN ANTONIO FILM FESTIVAL

The San Antonio Film Festival, the largest event of its kind in South Texas, brings in films from around the world for an approachable experience. Filmmaking is an insular world in which contacts are paramount. Thus, SAFILM intentionally crafts an environment that fosters both creativity and mentorship. By commingling filmmakers, actors, industry professionals, emerging filmmakers, students and cinephiles in one locale, opportunities for the pure enjoyment of the medium and meaningful one-on-one networking abound. Sure, there are screenplay workshops, educational panels and networking events for pros and aspiring pros, but those don’t overshadow six days packed with feature films, shorts and documentary screenings, solidifying SAFILM’s impetus: an unadulterated love of the craft. A full schedule can be found online, as well as detailed information about badge levels. $49.99 to $139.99, 10 a.m.-12 a.m. daily, Radius Center, 106 Auditorium Circle #120, (210) 885-5888, safilm.com. — AG

Courtesy Image / San Antonio Film Festival

sacurrent.com | July 8 - 21, 2026 | CURRENT

APPLY Get Prequalified to make Public Art!

sa.gov/arts 20

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

arts

Cardboard Gold

San Antonio collectors fuel a booming sports card market BY ADAM POUPKO

nside a packed San Antonio Shrine Auditorium during the last weekend of June, a multi-generational crowd of collectors gathered for the San Antonio Collectors Expo with a mission: to buy, sell and showcase their prized cardboard investments. People of all ages swarmed the floor. Young kids dressed in suits carried briefcases full of sports cards to sell. College-age browsers and grandparents perused dealers’ tables stacked with trading cards bearing images ranging from Pokémon to legendary athletes across a variety of sports. For San Antonio collectors, trading cards aren’t just a hobby. They’re a big business. “The world of collecting has changed drastically. It went from just one or two sets a year with all base cards to high-end, numbered and autographed [cards] — and relics. And grading has kind of exploded in that time frame,” said Mike Medeiros, a collector of baseball and WWE cards, who came to the Collectors Expo to wheel and deal. The local enthusiasm mirrors a nationwide shift happening in an industry that’s existed since the 1860s and almost died out. It’s revived itself over the past decades, and has been booming since the pandemic. San Francisco-based consultancy Grand View Research estimates the sports card business will hit $14.5 billion this year and explode to $24.7 billion by 2033. Digital marketplaces, card grading services and social media communities have played key roles, making transactions and trading more accessible and transparent, according to Grand View’s analysis. Additionally, sports card companies such as Fanatics have invested in limited-edition releases, autographed cards and special artifacts to boost demand. Those special items were all over the Collectors Expo. One vendor showed off an autographed card for soccer legend Lionel Messi valued at $25,000. Autographed cards for Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama also were priced in the thousands. “I’ve been here since ’83, and before that, I used to do card shows. So, I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs, but it’s never been this big,” said Charlie Dipietro, owner of San Antonio’s Sports Cards Plus. “There was a big difference in money back then. I could get a Mickey Mantle rookie card from 1952. I could buy it for $800. That same card is about $100,000 [now].” Traffic is constant at Dipietro’s Lockhill Village shop. He’s not just getting heavy traffic on weekends but even during the workweek. To some degree, the increasing value of sports

Adam Poupko

cards is driven by the current crop of rookies who quickly achieve star status, according to Dipietro. In 2017, waves of collectors chased the Patrick Mahomes rookie card, followed by Shohei Ohtani the next year. Today, Alamo City hoops fans find themselves in a similar situation. “Right now, it’s the Spurs and Wemby that are generating the interest,” Dipietro added. Brien Metzger, who co-founded San Antonio Collectors Expo, has watched the city’s card culture evolve over the decades. He once operated six card shops in San Antonio and jumped back into the business in 2020 after a 25-year break. While vendors in Dallas and Houston may pull a larger cash flow due to the multiple sports franchises in each metro, San Antonio does plenty of business based on loyalty to its one pro team. “Because we only have the Spurs, collectors are mainly passionate about the Spurs, and that’s why more basketball sales are here in San Antonio,” Metzger said. Although rising prices for rare cards capture headlines, that’s not the only reason the hobby has grown. For many, it’s a family tradition. Maverick Rhodes, a young collector at the Collectors Expo, first got into the hobby at age 8, driven by curiosity about his dad’s childhood collection. Such stories show that even in a high-value, star-driven market, personal connections often drive the passion. Rhodes remembers sharing the thrill with his dad after pulling a rare 1 out of 10 Wembanyama card from a new pack he’d purchased. “I screamed a couple times, ‘Dad, Dad, I pulled a Wemby,’” he said. Kristi Ng, a staff member at the Collectors Expo, has seen parents and their children connect over the hobby. “You see kids come in here who learn the value of a dollar, and learn to barter with some of these

guys,” Ng said. “You get parents coming in here that have no idea what I’m doing, and the kid does, and he’s 8 years old, and it’s becoming a family tradition that dads do with their kids.” San Antonio vendors are happy to lean on that sense of family and community. For Pepe Esquivel, president of the Baseline Bums Spurs fan group, card collecting is an extension of a lifelong sports obsession. “You know, being in the sports community, it’s great because you meet so many kinds of people,” he said while selling cards at last month’s expo. “I’ve met brain surgeons, dentists, doctors, people that work in the Spurs community, and then you’ve got the normal everyday person.” For Esquivel, those interactions at card events are most rewarding. “You know this doesn’t even feel like work. Honestly, I could be here and not make money, and I’m fine with it. I’m here for the community to talk to people first, and then of course, the money will come.”

Find more arts coverage every day at sacurrent.com Adam Poupko

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Troublemaker Studios

Secret Agent Fam

San Antonio-raised director Robert Rodriguez talks 25th anniversary of Spy Kids ahead of special screening BY KIKO MARTINEZ

ovies such as 1985’s The Goonies and 1987’s The Monster Squad put kids at the center of the adventure. But it wasn’t until San Antonio native Robert Rodriguez’s 2001 hit Spy Kids that young heroes transformed into bona fide action stars. The idea was so unique, Dimension Films jumped at the opportunity to make it. “When the studio guy saw the art, I remember him saying he felt like he was looking at Star Wars for the first time,” the 58-year-old director told the Current during an interview last week.

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

“They loved the concept.” What they didn’t love, however, was that Rodriguez, a graduate of St. Anthony’s High School, wanted a family with a Spanish surname at the heart of the story. Since no one had tried it before, the studio was worried that only Latino families would go to the theater to see it. “I finally told them that it’s based on my family, but more than that, you don’t have to be British to enjoy James Bond,” Rodriguez said. “It took that kind of courage and pushback early on in order to make it happen.” Spy Kids follows siblings Carmen and Juni Cortez (Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara), who discover their parents

(Antonio Banderas and Carla Gugino) are secret agents. When a villain named Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming) kidnaps them, the kids set off on a mission to rescue their family and stop a plan to take over the world. On Saturday, July 11, Rodriguez will host a Spy Kids 25th-anniversary screening at the Aztec Theatre. Along with a screening of the movie, the event will include a Q&A with the director and a performance by the Rodriguez Family Spy Band, which will perform songs from Rodriguez’s films. During our interview, Rodriguez discussed his passion for empowering kids through film, why he thinks Spy Kids continues to resonate today and the one gadget from the movie he still wishes was real.

Do you ever watch family action movies today and notice they’ve been inspired by Spy Kids? Oh, everybody gets influenced by everybody. I like seeing when [directors] put stuff in their films that they grew up with. I was the same way. I saw Escape to Witch Mountain when I was

a kid. I remember thinking how cool it was that the little boy and little girl had powers. After seeing the movie, me and my sister went home and played together. We had never played together before. When I go to these [anniversary] shows, I meet adults who grew up with [Spy Kids], and they tell me how they played spies with their siblings because of the film.

What’s great about Spy Kids is that it’s a rare live-action family movie that doesn’t talk down to kids. Was that always your intention when making these movies?

Well, yes, especially the wish fulfillment part and the messaging. [The film] even ends with [Carmen] directly talking to the camera, giving a family message. Kids tend to watch and support anything that empowers them. I knew this would be very empowering to children, and that they would watch it over and over. So, you want to put things in there that are good for them to hear and to take into their life. Each [Spy Kids movie] was always designed like this.

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of these [family] movies came out, and I had [an R-rated movie] to follow it up. The very next year was Sin City and [The Adventures of] Sharkboy and Lavagirl. So, if you didn’t want to see the family film, I had another one at the theater literally months before or after. One day, it was a movie for the big kids, and one day a movie for the little kids. What they all have in common is that they’re all fun comedies.

If Spy Kids premiered today in the age of TikTok, what part of the movie do you think would go viral?

Oh my gosh, it’s probably the part in the movie where [Carmen] puts this little yellow and red package in what looks like a microwave, and it turns into a McDonald’s Happy Meal instantly. Everyone in the audience back then – their minds were blown most by that.

On that note, of all the incredible gadgets featured in Spy Kids, which one are you most disappointed still doesn’t exist in 2026?

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Besides understanding the importance of family, what’s something that you think younger audiences have learned from this franchise?

My [kid characters] never beat the bad guys. They always turn the bad guy to the good side over the kindness of them being children. So, by the third film, they’ve accumulated all the villains into their family. That was a very Latino thing, but it’s also very Roman Catholic. Growing up that way, you have to forgive everybody and see the good side of everyone.

When you watch the original Spy Kids today, do you see a filmmaker who’s already found his voice or were you still figuring it out?

We just watched the 25th anniversary screening in Austin, and [the film] didn’t seem to age. It felt just as fresh as it did 25 years ago. I was really surprised by that. Even the visual effects, which probably feel dated, work really well in the context of the movie. Because I am from a family of 10 kids and then started to have children of my own, I was at the exact place I needed to be to make that film. The identity of [Spy Kids] comes from somebody who’s clearly a parent and was a sibling to

The one that has always disappointed me since I was a kid was the jetpack because we dreamt about it. As a little kid, we’d watch stuff like Jonny Quest, and he’s got a jetpack. Where’s my jetpack?! And then, I put it into Spy Kids and thought, “Well, maybe someone will finally invent it.” But no, we still don’t have our jetpacks! Traffic is worse than ever. We could be zipping around. What’s going on? We’re going to Mars, but we don’t have jetpacks!

many siblings.

In 2024, Spy Kids was added to the U.S. Library of Congress National Film Registry for its cultural and historic significance to American cinema. Does that designation change how you think about it now?

Yeah, it got that recognition pretty quickly. I remember my film teacher at UT-Austin said, “I’m teaching all my classes about [Spy Kids] because it broke all kinds of records.” It was the first time a Latino family has been in a movie where they’re the heroes. The film got its own McDonald’s meal deal every year. Nobody had had that before. There were so many firsts. So, it made sense that the Library of Congress would recognize it as something that was culturally significant. At the time, it was pretty seismic what it did. It came out of nowhere and did a lot of things that kids’ films weren’t doing at the time.

Did you get any pushback from fans of El Mariachi, Desperado, From Dusk Till Dawn and The Faculty for making a family movie? I don’t think there was pushback because they were getting so many of [my other films] too. Once Upon a Time in Mexico came out just two months after Spy Kids 3-D. A lot

Spy Kids 25th Anniversary Celebration $19-$88, Saturday, July 11, 3 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St, (210) 8124355, theaztectheatre.com.

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Named Best Cocktail Bar Two Years in a Row! Cheers, San Antonio!

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

food Ron Bechtol

The Rise of River North

Watching a block find its flavor BY RON BECHTOL

t’s easy to get the summer travel blues. The dollar is dropping against foreign currencies, airline tickets are soaring, crowds in some European destinations have brought foot and vehicle traffic to a virtual standstill. In others, special fees, visitor limits and even water pistols are used to discourage tourism. Which explains the popularity of the micro-vacation. Here’s how it goes: pick a local destination with a variety of options including eating,

drinking, shopping and, ideally, cultural exploration. Plan to spend the day. Downtown San Antonio is an example that provides all of the above — though it can get a tad touristy itself. The Pearl is another that works from early breakfast to late-night revelry. More micro than most, and poised between the two in a neighborhood marketed as River North, stands a single structure at the corner of Jones and Broadway. The repurposed building houses three eateries — NOLA, Pumpers and Hot Joy — and one dedicated bar — Merci Jones — that might be thought of as the hinge (lower case) of the group. All are either new or newly relocated. The collective has already held some team-building block parties with all tenants participating, and I was late to that party when I suggested to chef Pieter Sypesteyn of NOLA that a choreographed dine-around might also work. Already happened spontaneously, he explained. Original idea or not, the logical place to commence your crawl should you plan a River North micro-vacation is NOLA, 1101 Broadway,

Step right up for your burger order at Pumpers.

Suite 120. It’s open 8 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. The New Orleans-themed restaurant, helmed by Sypesteyn and his wife Susan Saars-Sypesteyn, began as a food truck, then made its reputation on breakfast, brunch and beignets in a cottage just off of North St. Mary’s. The duo later opened the Cookhouse, with a more expansive menu, just around the corner. The new, larger NOLA is a blend of the two with an all-day emphasis. That breakfast menu is headlined by the irresistible beignets served with a blizzard of powdered sugar, and you should have them regardless — preferably paired with chicory coffee, black and straight up, or au lait. Nobody’s stopping you from having these at night, of course, and the same goes for other traditionally a.m. items such as the blue crab omelet or Seussian Green Eggs and Ham served with spinach cream. You could have the classic red beans and rice for breakfast too, but I prefer that bowl later in

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food

Ron Bechtol

the day. At a recent lunch, the beloved beans and andouille were as good as remembered, and the same goes for the robust smoked duck gumbo. Fried green tomatoes in a cornmeal coating pleased a friend who had spent college days in the Crescent City. I was less pleased personally by the boudin balls that used to be an automatic order at the Cookhouse. They seemed bland — but maybe I’m the one who’s changed. For purposes of timing on our tour, after-4 p.m. specials such as charbroiled oysters and barbecue shrimp aren’t on the agenda, though they could be saved for another day. But while at NOLA, it’s worth noticing the bold murals that frame the space, indoors and out. Irises abound. Appropriately, art immersion comes next. Good thing it’s a short walk down Jones Avenue to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., which opens at 10 a.m. every day but Monday. Adult tickets are $24, a true bargain when compared to the Louvre in Paris ($75) or the Uffizi in Florence ($82). At those venerable institutions you’re all 26

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

but required to make timed reservations and then wait in lines to enter. And that’s before you tussle with crowds in front of must-sees such as da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. There’s no Mona or Venus at SAMA, but there are world-class collections. One focus is Latin America, and in that wing you’ll find not only ancient and contemporary works, but also my personal favorite room, which has a folk art focus. Roaming at random is also a possibility in a museum of this scale — it was created from a building complex that once housed the original Lone Star Brewery. Whether Asian, ancient Roman or dynastic Egyptian, you’re bound to find favorites. But whatever holds your attention, be sure to stop by the gift shop on your way out. It’s especially good for art books, and it also satisfies your shopping jones — on Jones, as it happens. Sated with art and in need of refueling, it’s now on to Pumpers, 1101 Broadway. In contrast to SAMA, it’s loud and hustling — a clear change in tone. Burgers and dogs prevail.

Having played a major role in previous hotspots such as Feast, Battalion, Rebelle and Playland Pizza, Stefan Bowers, the cheeky chef behind Pumpers, is wellknown to followers of San Antonio’s culinary scene. Like many brick-and-mortar restaurants these days, Pumpers began as a pop-up — this one at the equally irreverent Little Death wine bar. And, yes, just as with Little Death, it’s entirely possible a little innuendo is at play. Out of six burgers on the menu I’ve only had one so far — and it was much better than I had anticipated given that it’s constructed from two, thin patties, smashburger style. Bound to be overdone was my fear. But considering the Monterey Jack, salsa macha aioli, sweet onion and Magic A$$holes it comes with, that fear proved unfounded. Even with a wimpy-looking but surprisingly resilient milk bun bracketing beef and all, the whole package — satisfyingly hedonistic with a touch of hellfire — just plain worked. Magic A$$holes, in case you wonder, are candied jalapeños. I haven’t done the dogs, here called

Funky vibes abound at Hot Joy

Rippers — more innuendo — but a trusty source claims they are also superlative. Whichever the choice, ordering the addictive, Classic French Fries is a good play. They’re thin, which gives lots of relative surface for crisping, but do tend to cool off quickly. Take a cue from the music being pumped into the small space and eat them energetically before cold. Bowers has recently opened another pop-up in the ‘hood as well. With a sandwich and seafood theme, it’s called Mayday, and it’s located just next door inside Merci Jones, 1101 Broadway, Suite 101. Which it’s time to visit for a little day drinking. You’re on vacation, remember? The space, modestly decorated in contrast to its more exuberant neighbors, can seem empty during the day. But that just leaves room for inevitable evening crowds. The main drinks menu isn’t large or particularly inventive, but the bartenders give the impression of being able to pull

food

This mural greets diners at NOLA

off almost any drink you might desire. And a selection of seven drinks is available for $7 from opening at noon to 7 p.m. (They’re $12 after that.) This is the kind of unfussy bar we all need. From the main list, a straightforward, equal-parts Negroni easily passed muster. My taste in daiquiris skews dry, but the house version is a good stepping-off point. A carefully constructed Gold Rush with whiskey, lemon and honey, and a Salty Dog with vodka, grapefruit and tartsweet oleo saccharum are other options. Understandably pricier are the “nerdier” drinks listed as From The Lab. Meant to change, the one I sampled from the current selection is the Mango Marg. I take issue with the fact that it’s clarified of even a trace of mango’s blush, since

Ron Bechtol

color is one of the fruit’s seductive appeals. But it was otherwise a promising indicator of things to come. If I were the designated driver on our little escapade, I think I’d order the Amaretto by Morning from the non-alcoholic cocktail list “that doesn’t suck” just for the name. If I were a wine snob, I’d be impressed by the selection that comes courtesy of Little Death. Along with Merci Jones, it’s another of the many properties — Double Standard downtown and Barbaro in Monte Vista also among them — owned by the ravenous Empty Stomach Group. Empty Stomach also happens to own Hot Joy, 1101 Broadway, Suite 140, our next destination. Stepping inside immerses you in a setting that, depending on your worldly experiences, may evoke opium denmeets-Chinese apothecary-meets-tattoo

Merci Jones offers a cool spot for cocktails and socializing

parlor. A flock of red paper lanterns swarms overhead. Stylized tigers adorn walls. The madcap décor — reminiscent of the late, lamented Hot Joy in King William — perfectly fits our escapist agenda. Any menu would have a hard time keeping up with the decorative over-the-topness at Hot Joy, but the kitchen gives it a good go. The only dish that recently disappointed was the Fiery Gato Noodles, which lacked heat or much of any other flavor. Surprisingly, then, the lemongrass-chili oil noodles with cooling cucumber didn’t pull punches, while the crispy Sichuan tofu buns might have converted me to a protein I normally

Ron Bechtol

shun. As for the wok-fried green beans? I’d gladly order those by the bucketful. Unexpectedly, the Hong Kong Cornbread with Peruvian chili butter also could become a favorite — in part because of the linked spheres that resemble nothing so much as an abacus. Finally, consider splurging on the simple-sounding beef and broccoli rabe. It’s made utterly luxurious by a bone-marrow oyster sauce with deep tastes of caramel. You could always transfer to the bar at this point and drink your dessert in the form of a tiki standard such as the Jungle Bird or Singapore Sling. Or you could call it a day and call an Uber. Regardless, your micro-vacation has been far less stressful and much cheaper than a road trip to Austin. Or a flight someplace further flung and even pricier. sacurrent.com | July 8 - 21, 2026 | CURRENT

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

music

Biting into the Big Apple San Antonio DJ Sue Problema’s New York tour landed her there in the middle of the Spurs-Knicks Finals BY KAT MCKINNEY

f all the weekends to end up in Brooklyn playing a string of shows, San Antonio DJ Sue Problema couldn’t have picked more of a banger. In a twist of fate, she lined up a three-show tour that spanned June 5-8, the peak of last month’s riveting Knicks-Spurs championship series. It wasn’t planned — she’d had the first gig booked five months ago — but it ended up turning into a musical reunion for expat San Antonians while giving her an unexpected jolt of exposure. Rebecca Gonzales took on the handle Sue Problema when she was a zine-maker in the late ’90s. Since then, she’s built a reputation for spinning deep-cut selections in genre-hopping sets — an approach bolstered by her day job as an archivist for Bexar County. Gonzales’ New York jaunt allowed her to do more than show off her crate-digging skills. At one point she ended up spinning for a “sleeper cell” of Spurs fans gathered at Doris, a Brooklyn bar co-owned by her friend from home, Jessica Warner. The New York Times even featured the party in a story about Spurs fans across the city’s five boroughs cheering on their team’s first Finals run since 2014. “We had no idea the Spurs would be playing, but as we were getting closer and closer, we realized we’d be rooting for the Spurs in New York,” Gonzales said of her set at Doris. “We put our jerseys on inside. I brought an H-E-B bag, and everyone loved it. It was a great experience.” Because of the timing, Gonzales said she briefly worried about performing as a San Antonio DJ on the Knicks’ home turf. “With the playoffs, I was like, ‘Oof, how is this going to land?’ The flyers all said San Antonio,” she said. “But nobody gave me a hard time. It actually felt really good to represent San Antonio.” Indeed, Knicks fans more than tolerated Gonzales special appearance. She said the trip was a great opportunity to expand her music network and meet more people like the ones who made her tour possible in the first place.

Courtesy Photo DJ Sue Problema

“It was really through friends, music friends, connecting me with other people,” she said. “The tour ended up being a great way to meet folks in New York, too.” To be sure, the trek allowed her to jump between music scenes and subgenres. At the club Cassette in Queens, she served up a night of boogie and disco. At Mama Tried, a divey Brooklyn spot, she played the record release show for Skirting, a longtime friend’s band. And at Barbès, a legendary venue known for bringing in international talent, she closed out the trip with a cumbia set alongside Milagro Verde, a Bushwick-based Peruvian chicha band. “Every country has its own interpretation of cumbia,” Gonzales said. “Peru has chicha. Ecuador has synthesizers. Mexico leans Colombian. I love tracing those histories.” Another fortuitous highlight came when she landed a set at The Lot Radio, the Brooklyn‑based online station that’s become a coveted stop for DJs worldwide. The opportunity came through San Antonio-raised Andy Beta, a music writer she met while attending high school. Beta, who now lives in New York, holds a residency at the station and is the author of Cosmic Music: The Life, Art, and Transcendence of Alice Coltrane, a critically acclaimed biography

released this spring. “When I told [Beta] I was coming to New York, he asked if I wanted him to see about getting me on The Lot,” Gonzales said. “I ended up with a one‑hour recorded set — a huge deal for DJs — and it wasn’t even part of the original tour plan. Just a really nice surprise.” While Gonzales’ trip to New York allowed her to catch up with friends and bask in plenty of SA vibes, music ultimately drove the visit. She arrived with a suitcase lined in cardboard and packed almost entirely with records. “I brought some shirts, two pairs of pants, an extra pair of shoes — and then just records,” she said. “Music is my obsession. I go down rabbit holes for hours.” Indeed, Gonzales’ residencies back home also reflect a DJ who treats vinyl records less like collector’s items and more like a living archive. In addition to disco nights at Little Death, locals can find her behind the decks at the Summer Vinyl Series at cocktail bar Jue Let in the Pearl District. The DJ runs the latter through ¡Viaje! World Vibrations, the global-music venture she co-owns with DJ Rambo Salinas. “[Jue Let] has been a good new home. We’ve been searching for a place that feels like home and has a good sound. That’s really important to us,” Gonzales said.

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critics’ picks Saturday, July 11

Thursday, July 16

No Pasa Nada Fest In honor of hometown heroes Piñata Protest’s tour kickoff and newest album No Sabo, the punk rock-ska-cumbia-Norteño combo is headlining the Mexican American punk celebration No Pasa Nada Fest. Piñata Protest made an underground splash in the early 2010s — playing key SXSW showcases and jumping on high-profile tours — and the group’s continued to build its audience outside of the Alamo City. Other bands on the bill include Fee, Los Juanos and Hijas de la Madre. $15-$20, 6:30 p.m., Rah! Rah! Room, 6322 San Pedro Ave., therahrahroom.com. — Brianna Espinoza

Hemisfair Summer Setlist: DJ Illkat Despite its checkered past, witnessing the rebirth of Hemisfair Park has been heartening. Apparently, the city wants to make this work. Part of the ongoing activations in Hemisfair has been their Summer Setlist series, where local vendors and food are paired with a local, often highly danceable, musical component. The latest installment includes a set by DJ Illkat, a registered nurse who saves lives by day but cranks out infectious dance floors jams by night. DJ Illkat brings the party, and dancing like a maniac on Hemisfair’s Great Lawn sounds awesome. Free, Hemisfair, 630 E. Nueva St., hemisfair.org. — BB

Saturday, July 11 Sparta El Paso’s At the Drive In were a brief, brilliant band who threatened to explode from the DIY underground into the mainstream. When the band dissolved, the more experimental members formed The Mars Volta, while Sparta took ATDI’s more fundamental punk-rock and emo influences and distilled them into an alt-rock powerhouse. Frontman Jim Ward has racked up a good run with the band too, criss-crossing the globe to play to fans. While he’s expanded into Americana and more atmospheric fare along the way, Sparta’s more recent work marks a return to his melodic punk roots. $28, 7 p.m., The Rock Box, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 803-2101, therockboxsa.com. — BB

Saturday, July 18

Sunday, July 12

MC Magic & Paul Wall Mexican-born and Arizona-raised rapper MC Magic is teaming up with H-Town’s Paul Wall for a show dubbed “The Summer Love & Swangaz,” which reunites the two artists who ollaborated on the romantic hip-hop ballad “Favorite Girl” earlier this year. MC Magic is known for rapping in both English and Spanish and rose to fame in the ’90s as founder of NastyBoy Records and frontman of the group NB Ridaz. $75.00-$144.00, 7:30 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s, (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre. com. — DC

Wavves, Bass Drum of Death, Worlds Worst Alt-rockers Wavves released their latest album Spun in March following a five-year hiatus. The band’s sunsoaked grooves are undoubtedly influenced by its San Diego home base, and now those vibes can extend into its own branded cannabis from Wavvy Supply Co. The single “Nine Is God” is an excellent jump-in point for what the group does best. $29.27, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx. com. — Danny Cervantes

Monday, July 13 Be Your Own Pet Nashville’s Be Your Own Pet took the world by storm circa 2008, blowing away crowds with their reckless and compelling brand of noisy garage-rock. After signing to Thurston Moore’s Ecstatic Peace label, the band cranked out only one album before calling it quits. As it turns out, being a female-fronted punk band was damn tough. Fast forward 15 years and, after a personal plea from the famed Jack White, the band has reunited. Its latest album, Mommy, dropped in 2023 on White’s Third Man Records. $24, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BB 30

CURRENT | July 8 - 21, 2026 | sacurrent.com

Sparta

Dwight Yoakam Singer-songwriter Dwight Yoakam has always existed as his own man in the country music world. His fondness for bluegrass, rockabilly and the Bakersfield sound of Buck Owens set him apart from his increasingly slick and showbiz peers of the late 1980s. Some have called Yoakam’s work alt-country, but he’s more a throwback to the influences that shaped his distinct style. Expect him to showcase the entire range of his catalog in this performance. $65.10-$157.38, 8 p.m., Whitewater Amphitheater, 11860 FM 306, New Braunfels, (830) 9643800, whitewaterrocks.com. — DC

Saturday, July 18

King Pelican, Fausto Faustito Yes, it’s a two- or three-hour drive to the ocean from San Antonio, but that doesn’t matter. Surf rock is a vibe and an attitude — and King Pelican possesses both in spades. The trio performs groovy, fast, catchy, precise instrumental rock drenched with plenty of reverb. The band also injects plenty of San Antonio flavor along the way, meaning expect blues, Tex-Mex and polka to be effortlessly infused, because that’s just how we do it here. $10, 11 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose.com. — BB

Courtesy Photo / Sparta

Sunday, July 19 Grupo Frontera After going viral on TikTok shortly after its 2022 formation, Grupo Frontera landed on the Billboard charts that same year. Since then, the South Texas natives have since won awards — including multiple Latin Grammys — for their regional Mexican sound and collaborated on songs with Bad Bunny, Christian Nodal and Maluma. $75.15-$1,023.75, 8 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, (210) 4445000, frostbankcenter.com. — BE Air Supply The duo of Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock has a myriad of reasons to celebrate their partnership as Air Supply. The pair ruled the ’80s airwaves with soft-rock hits including “Lost In Love” and “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” and left a lasting legacy. Air Supply is on

tour in anticipation of a new album A Matter of Time, its first new work in 15 years. $60.39$374.50, 7:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-5700, majesticempire. com. — DC

Monday, July 20 Conan Conan the English metal band — not the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie or the red-haired TV host — is crossing the pond in support of its 2025 album album Violence Dimension. Sludge and primal down-tuned riffage are so much part of the band’s sound that it’s been described as playing “caveman battle doom.” It’s a dirty, distorted and ultimately compelling style the band’s stuck with for two decades. In other words, they’ve got it down to a fucking art. $21.36, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BE

EMPLOYMENT LPA, Inc. seeks a Project Landscape Architect in San Antonio, TX, to: execute, manage, and monitor project bdgts, work plns, consults, and stkhdr meeting plns, and des activ; maint comm & project dir; asst in the creat of fee est, prop, Services Agreements and Reqs; prepare project-level rev proj and mo. bill; lead des dev through all phs; mntr des team members. Requires trvl to California 1–2 times/yr for meetings. Telecom avail 2 days / week. Reqts: BS deg in Landscape Architecture or rel fld, plus 8 years of exp with landscape architecture and a Landscape Architect license. Required skls: Knowl of qlty ctrl and qlty mgmt rev procs (QCR, QMR, DQR, PQR); Experience prep const documentation, incl plns, dtls, specs, rndrgs, and 3D mdls; Prof with digital mdlg, rndrng, and viz tls (e.g., AutoCAD, Revit, SketchUp, Lumion, Adobe Creative Suite); Abil to dev Basis of Design (BOD) documents and cst est; Famil with val eng (VE) mthds and const cst ctrl; Undrstndg of const phase procs, incl submtls, RFIs, CCDs, site vsts, and punch lists. Sal: $102,000 / year. TO APPLY: Email CV to recruiting@lpadesignstudios.com “You’re Too Wise”--well, close enough. by Matt Jones © 2026 Matt Jones Across 1. Hibachi residue 4. Awards show hosts 7. “___ Kapital” 10. “___ Don’t Use Jelly” (Flaming Lips song) 13. Part of a repeated dance movement 14. Designation for bands like Bon Iver 16. Calligraphy tool 17. Backpacker’s chain 18. Sorting hub for train networks 20. Formative period 22. Mine extractions 23. Lunchbox sandwich 24. Mata Hari, e.g. 25. Mon. follower 26. South American fruit called “pineapple guava” in some areas 29. June honoree, in cards made by little kids 30. Coffee vessel 31. Liqueur in a Negroni 35. Dairy product that may contain seeds 41. Start of many Italian dance track titles (it means “the rhythm”) 42. Silent assent 43. 1983 Washington-set taxi comedy starring 33-Down 45. Norwegian coast features 48. St. Louis highlight 49. ___ status (oldness, in Gen

Z slang) 52. Fig end? 53. “Dude!”, casually 54. She was Maid Marian in “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” 58. It’s extremely high-priced and seaworthy 60. Wolf Man portrayer ___ Chaney Jr. 61. Poem full of praise 62. Pine tree droppings 63. Night before 64. Anderson who directed “The Royal Tenenbaums” 65. “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” animal 66. My Chemical Romance genre 67. Garden droplets Down 1. Farmer’s measurement 2. 1965 Beatles concert stadium 3. Fasteners that lend their name to sharp curves 4. Actress Catlett who voices Mrs. Puff on “SpongeBob SquarePants” 5. Pottery material 6. Pig pens 7. Bridal contribution of yore 8. Word with a sigh 9. Place to see constellations 10. Left undamaged 11. Iconoclasm 12. Airs the final episode 15. Move your wings 19. “Understand?” but beatnik-style 21. JFK’s veep 25. Luau root

26. Pet’s coat 27. Timeline portion 28. Acid-tongued 29. Exactly when an event takes place 32. Singer Grande, to fans 33. “I pity the fool!” exclaimer 34. Dr. Hank ___ (Michael Douglas’s “Ant-Man” character) 36. Peru’s Machu ___ 37. Boring 38. Let out, like a garden hose 39. Unit equal to 5 1/2 yards 40. QB’s achievements 43. DJ behind the 2000 hit dance song “Sandstorm” 44. Pivotal points 46. Kipling’s “___ Stories” 47. Spheroid 49. Hesitant agreement 50. Long-distance swimmer Diana 51. Travel by bike 53. Play the sax 54. Positive votes 55. Throaty attention-getter 56. Sheltered inlet 57. Had a feeling 59. “Messenger” material

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