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in this issue
Issue 26-13/// June 24 - July 7, 2026
19 Summer Art Bucket List
From contemporary art to historic surveys, summer in San Antonio is full of visual treats
07 News
The Opener News in Brief
Bad Takes
Who really pays for Trump’s deportation agenda? American workers
Data Leak
New report outs Ted Cruz as member of secret society led by controversial billionaire Peter Thiel
’Incarceration Should Not be a Death Sentence’
Activists demand accountability as death toll rises at Bexar County Jail
15
Calendar
Our picks of things to do powerful
23Arts
Auditor’s Certification:
‘The Difference Is in the Details’ Stand-up comic Ali Siddiq talks about the family roots of his storytelling ahead of two Majestic Theatre shows
25Screens
Shapwed by Cinema
San Antonio native Antonio Cisneros finds Hollywood success behind camera
27Food Back to the Future
Esencia brings back the feel of the St. Anthony’s old-school dining room, but the menu is a fresh new take
Chill Out
These San Antonio restaurant dishes offer delicious ways to cool off in the summer heat
31Music
Karol G, Ye, AC/DC and more: San Antonio summer music roundup
Everything you need to know about the season’s concerts and festivals Critics’ Picks
On the Cover: The San Antonio Current’s annual Summer Guide includes arts, music and dining options to make this the coolest time of year for staying entertained. Design: Ana Paula Gutierrez.
Courtesy Image / McNay Art Museum
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SELLBUY TRADE
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Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs is organized by the American Museum of Natural History, New
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs at the Witte Museum is presented by PNC Bank and is generously supported by Mary West and Richard Traylor and the Mary Pat and Michael Bolner Exhibition Endowment Fund.
Pterosaurs:
York (amnh.org).
That Rocks/That Sucks
San Antonio chefs largely had a disappointing night at the annual James Beard Awards, held last week in Chicago. While chef and author Dora Ramírez won the city’s first-ever James Beard Award in the media category for her new cookbook Comida Casera, Mixtli, the city’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, and Nicosi, chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph’s desert bar in Pullman Market, were passed over in their respective categories.
A federal judge in Boston last week ruled that Attorney General Ken Paxton must drop his lawsuit against ActBlue, the fundraising platform mainly used by Democratic political candidates. In his ruling, District Judge Richard Gaylore Stearns wrote that Paxton improperly filed his suit against the platform in retaliation the day after James Talarico, his opponent in this fall’s U.S. Senate race, raised more than $2.5 million following an unaired appearance on Stephen Colbert’s late night television show.
When the New York Knicks won the NBA Finals last week in San Antonio, they did so in front of plenty of New Yorkers According to data from the secondary ticket resale platform TickPick, more than a third of tickets for Game 5 of the series sold on the site were purchased by credit and debit cards with New York billing addresses. A further 8% were bought with cards with New Jersey billing addresses.
The San Antonio father and son who were driving to a soccer game when they were detained by ICE agents last month were released last week from the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro visited Alejandro, a rising high school junior, and his father Jairo at the facility on May 26. “Alejandro missed his last days of 10th grade at Churchill High School and should have never been locked up,” the San Antonio Democrat said in a statement. Abe Asher
Sending the sinners to Hell with Texas Lt. Gov.
Dan
Patrick
Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick took the stage at the Texas GOP convention last week and declared that Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico is “going to Hell” because of his interpretation of Christianity. Patrick also called Talarico’s views “blasphemy” and accused him of campaigning against the almighty himself.
That’s rich coming from a politician whose party has spent the better part of a decade excusing behavior that would make even a moderately attentive Sunday school teacher choke up their communion wafer.
Adultery? Fraud allegations? Corruption scandals? Sexual misconduct accusations? Racist cruelty dressed up as public policy? The modern Texas GOP has shown little to no appetite for calling out such bad behavior when it’s undertaken by members of its own party.
Yet, somehow, Talarico — a Presbyterian seminarian who can quote scriptural circles around many of Texas’ Republican culture warriors — is the one Patrick thinks deserves to roast on Satan’s eternal hot plate.
Not because Talarico misquotes the Bible, but because he refuses to use it to bludgeon the weak and marginalized.
Patrick’s comments further cement something that’s long been obvious about Texas politics. For all the talk about biblical values, many of our state’s loudest self-appointed moral referees aren’t interested in righteousness. They’re looking to play to Republican primary voters.
After all, this is the same Dan Patrick who built a career on inflammatory rhetoric, from his continued fearmongering about immigrants to falsely blaming rising COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths on unvaccinated African Americans.
The lieutenant governor who has repeatedly trafficked in divisive language while pretending he’s the state’s chief guardian of Christian virtue.
And let’s be honest: there is something deeply comical about politicians who spend years defending ethically challenged allies suddenly discovering a passion for moral accountability when the target is a Democrat. It was Patrick’s Texas Senate, after all, that refused to back up the House’s impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Fittingly, Talarico’s response to Patrick’s smear suggested a better grasp of Christian tenets. Instead of engaging in a game of dueling damnations, he called out Patrick for enriching donors at the expense of “the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable.” Of course, we’ll see in November whose brand of theology Texas voters are more comfortable with.
But Patrick’s fire and brimstone at the GOP convention serves up as a useful reminder. In Texas politics, some people invoke Jesus because they try to follow his teachings. Other assclowns invoke Jesus for cheap political points.
It usually ain’t that hard to tell who’s who.
— Sanford Nowlin
YOU SAID IT!
“I would strongly advise you to leave our caucus. There is a Democrat convention happening in a couple weeks. Join them.”
San Antonio Independent School District has a new interim superintendent. The district’s board last week unanimously approved the appointment of SAISD chief of staff Tori Thompson to the position on an interim basis. Thompson will take over for retiring Superintendent Jaime Aquino on July 1 and stay in the role until the district appoints a permanent superintendent. Aquino will remain with the district as a consultant until the beginning of next year.
Criminal justice reform groups gathered recently in front of the Bexar County Jail to demand the sheriff’s office take responsibility for the alarming number of deaths at the facility in recent years. Six people have already died inside the jail this
year, while 124 people died at the facility between 2015 and 2025 — the highest number of deaths per capita for any jail in the state over that period of time.
Texas is now home to more Fortune 500 companies than any other state in the country. A new report from the magazine found that 57 of the companies are headquartered in the Lone Star State — one more than the 56 based in California Those 57 companies, which are disproportionately concentrated in Houston and the Dallas area, generated $2.8 trillion in revenue last year. California’s Fortune 500 companies, meanwhile, still lead the nation in profitability, employment and total market value. — Abe Asher
Wikimedia Commons Gage Skidmore
Who really pays for Trump’s deportation agenda? American workers
BY KEVIN SANCHEZ
“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.
Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”
— Epistle to the Hebrews, Chapter 13, Verses 2-3
With the World Cup in full swing, hundreds of thousands of foreigners have poured into the country to follow their beloved national teams, road-tripping across middle America along the way.
And social media is abuzz with their travelogues.
“A giant supermarket aisle, free ice water, refillable drinks or a cheerful grocery clerk may be just another Tuesday for Americans,” Rachel Fu, chair of the Department of Tourism at the University of Florida, told ABC News, “but for someone visiting from Scotland, Brazil or Japan, these experiences are fascinating cultural discoveries.”
Freddy, a German soccer fan better known by his handle @FreddyLA7, went viral after documenting his befuddlement at some of the staples we take for granted here in the States, such as Waffle House and Buc-ee’s.
“DUDE LMAO THIS IS A GAS STATION,” Freddy wrote in all-caps praise of the latter.
In May, more than 100 civil rights and labor groups warned visitors about Texas’ unpredictably draconian immigration regime, and hotel owners admitted to an underwhelming uptick in bookings, in part due to visa rejections and fears of bureaucratic hassles.
This is only Senegal’s fourth time qualifying for the World Cup, for example, yet according to a BBC analysis, U.S. officials deny visa requests from the West African
nation more than 70% of the time.
Yet the romance persists.
Even as the love of soccer has “been interspersed with news stories about players and a referee being denied entry at the border,” the New York Times reported, “videos depicting international visitors finding joy in the mundane have been unifying and welcome.”
Still, it’s important to remember that players and referees, unlike tourists, are on the job. An under-appreciated feature of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has been its consequences for the livelihoods of workers — foreign- and native-born alike.
In a paper under review for the National Bureau of Economic Research titled “Labor Market Impacts of ICE Activity in Trump 2.0,” economics professors from the University of Colorado Boulder determined that immigration enforcement not only reduces access to foreign workers but also has negative effects on U.S.-born workers.
“There is a negative and significant impact on the employment of U.S.-born male workers with at most a high-school education,” the authors found. This “is consistent with a model where undocumented immigrants and U.S.-born workers are complements, rather than substitutes for each other in the labor market.”
That’s because undocumented immigrants are more likely to take jobs that are less desirable due to low pay, work hazards and irregular schedules. Indeed, there’s no evidence employers boost wages in a bid to attract U.S.born workers to fill these positions, the researchers found. Instead, businesses simply hire fewer workers overall, and the economy stagnates.
Or as a recent letter to the editor put it succinctly in the Express-News: “You can’t demand mass deportation on Monday and complain about missing workers on Tuesday.”
Nor can the GOP tout itself as the party
of the working class if, once in power, they humiliate and deport untold numbers of hard-working migrants, many of whom had legal status when Trump assumed office.
Take truckers.
“Texas, following the dictates of the Trump administration, canceled commercial driver’s licenses held by legally present noncitizens, including asylum seekers, refugees and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients,” the Texas Tribune reported last month.
The administration’s push could result in some 200,000 truck drivers nationwide losing their credentials, assuming the Department of Transportation’s dictates are upheld in court or Congress passes the pending legislation Trump requested in his State of the Union.
“I love the job,” one trucker who was brought to the U.S. illegally when he was 2 years old told PBS News. He received DACA protection as a teenager and has driven commercially for 12 straight years, but now he can’t renew his license.
“They use the word safety as a disguise,” he added. “I think they’re trying to push their immigration agenda into the trucking industry.”
Industry officials also acknowledge just how bad an idea it is to take immigrants with legal status off the roads.
“Long-term, the biggest concern is that this rule reduces the available pool of talented and safe drivers in an already difficult work environment,” Bill Jones, divisional vice president for waste and recycling collection firm Waste Pro told PBS. “I’ve got people that have driven incident-free for 15 to 20 years, been safe, won all sorts of safety awards with the
company, and suddenly they can’t drive.
And thanks to the stricter legal-status rigmarole that Senate candidate Ken Paxton imposed while attorney general, thousands of barbers, electricians, and other trade professionals in Texas may soon suffer a similar fate as noncitizen commercial drivers.
NBA legend Charles Barkley may have feuded with San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones in the media recently, but his comments during the March Madness tournament would no doubt land on common ground with the mayor.
“The way some of these immigrants are getting treated in our country right now is a travesty and a disgrace,” he said. “There’s a difference between amazing immigrants and criminal immigrants, and what we’re doing to some of these amazing immigrants is really unfortunate, and it’s really sad.”
To Barkley’s point, fewer than 14% of immigrants arrested by ICE during Trump’s first year back had charges or convictions for violent offenses, and 85% of the deported DACA recipients had no criminal record whatsoever.
Not surprisingly, the share of Texans who approve of Trump’s handling of immigration has dropped 17 points, according to a Texas Lyceum survey conducted in April.
“Immigrants built this country, and we should admire and respect them,” Barkley said, summing things up.
If only we elected politicians who could be as courteous and decent to the migrant laborers who added incalculably to our country’s success as we are to the crazed soccer fans who are just passing through.
Pexels Mark Thomas
Data Leak
New report outs Ted Cruz
as member of secret society led by controversial billionaire Peter Thiel
BY STEPHANIE KOITHAN
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was revealed in a leak to be a member of Dialog, a secret society led by Peter Thiel, the controversial founder of defense-tech firm Palantir, tech-industry magazine Wired reports.
Dialog is a private, invitation-only organization the billionaire tech investor co-founded in 2006. The group’s retreats bring together U.S. politicians, foreign government officials and Silicon Valley executives.
Thiel, raised in apartheid-era South Africa, was one of the first Silicon Valley giants to support Donald Trump and has courted controversy by writing that freedom and democracy aren’t “compatible” and that regulating Big Tech is the work of the “anti-Christ.”
The directory revealed to Wired in the data leak includes Trump administration officials and two U.S. senators, including Cruz. The magazine didn’t name the second senator. However, a hacker behind the leak revealed the larger list, which included New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, a prominent Democrat who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee.
Cruz is listed alongside executives of industries he is charged with regulating as chairman of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which oversees the Federal Trade Commission and its data-privacy authority.
Other notable figures revealed in the leak include Hallie Hoffman, acting chief of staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration; Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League; Peter Goettler, president of the Cato Institute; Ryan Stowers, executive director of the Charles Koch Foundation; and Roger Myerson, a Nobel
laureate economist at the free market-focused University of Chicago.
The list also includes Treasury secretary Scott Bessent, whose department creates rules around financial data privacy. Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale, whose software is integrated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Pentagon and the intelligence community, is also listed in the society along with Army secretary Dan Driscoll.
Additionally, U.S. Rep. Jim Himes — the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee — appears on the list. The House Intelligence Committee oversees agencies with whom Palantir contracts.
Julian Castro, a former San Antonio mayor and the Obama administration’s housing secretary, also appears on the list.
Google executives, hedge-fund managers, private-equity billionaires, best-selling authors, TV actors, religious leaders and one journalist — a national security correspondent for the Washington Post — are also included in
the directory, according to Wired. Controversial music exec Scooter Braun, who is dating Sydney Sweeney, is also on the list, as is 500 Days of Summer actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Swiss hacktivist maia arson crimew (the lower-case letters are the part of the person’s moniker) first revealed the secret society’s directory after receiving an anonymous tip, Wired reports. The hacktivist is also responsible for uncovering the U.S. government’s No-Fly List.
The Dialog directory lists 222 attendees of its upcoming retreat, scheduled for Aug. 12-16 in Dublin, Ireland.
The data revealed in the leak includes a program of off-the-record sessions on topics ranging from “Navigating WWIII” to “How’s Your Sex Life?” Wired reports. Other topics will include “Money (Does?) Buy Happiness,” “Bring Back Nuclear,” “Battlefield Technologies” and another on how to build a cult.
None of the attendees used their government emails, meaning communications within the society can’t be obtained via public records requests,
according to Wired.
Retreat registrations included in the data leak also reportedly asked if registrants were “looking for love” and revealed a dating site as a component of the secret society.
The group, which holds at least one retreat annually, has been likened to a tech industry version of Bilderberg, another off-the-record gathering that brings together political elites and business tycoons.
Past Dialog retreats have been held at the Ritz-Carlton Dove Mountain in Arizona and the San Clemente Palace in Venice, Italy, according to Axios.
Little is known of the discreet organization, and glimpses of its inner workings are rare. However, retreat registration fees have run upwards of $16,000, according to an invitation leaked on a statistician’s blog in 2022.
The 2014 retreat also surfaced in the public eye this year when an invitation forwarded to the financier Jeffrey Epstein appeared in the U.S. Justice Department’s release of the Epstein files.
Wikipedia Commons / Gage Skidmore
’Incarceration Should Not be a Death Sentence’
Activists demand accountability as death toll rises at Bexar County Jail
BY MICHAEL KARLIS
Grassroots criminal justice groups gathered Saturday, June 13, in front of Bexar County Jail to demand Sheriff Javier Salazar and his office take accountability for mounting deaths at the detention center.
“Let’s be clear, incarceration should not be a death sentence,” Ananda Tomas, executive director of police reform group Act 4 SA, told the crowd of around 30 people. “But, in Bexar County, that’s exactly what it’s become.”
The Bexar County Jail has the highest number of deaths per capita in Texas, with 124 recorded county jail deaths
between 2015 and 2025, according to the Texas Jail Project. The problem shows little sign of improving, with another six deaths recorded so far this year.
The leading cause of death in the lockup is “natural causes,” according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, followed by suicides and accidents, respectively. However, Tomas said there’s more to the deaths than BCSO is releasing to the public.
“The root causes are clear: lack of medical care and attention that could save lives, or medical decisions that leave people in loosely monitored cells when they’re overdosing or detoxing, extreme
temperatures that literally cook people in their cells, overuse of solitary confinement that breaks bodies and minds,” Tomas said. “It’s inhumane. These are not accidents; these are choices made by officials who treat incarcerated people as disposable, and that’s wrong.”
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office didn’t respond by press time to the Current’s request for comment on the activists’ concerns.
While some of the deaths are among indigent people who can’t afford bail and deteriorate while inside, activists said others can be chalked up to staff not adequately doing their jobs.
Speaker Lydia Leos said guards failed to thoroughly search her son after he was booked into the jail. Scared that he might get in trouble for the drugs he had hidden away, he swallowed them inside his cell and died of an overdose.
Leos said the Sheriff’s Office refuses to take accountability for what happened to her son.
“Nobody knows who’s going to end up in these facilities,” she added. “Put yourselves in our shoes.”
Political figures ranging from Republican County Commissioner Grant Moody to county judge candidate Ron Nirenberg and district attorney hopeful Luz Elena Chapa have argued for building a new jail to alleviate overcrowding in the current facility.
“We have relied on costly contracts with nearby Kerr and Burnet counties to house 200 to 300 Bexar County inmates at any given time,” Moody wrote in a recent op-ed. “At current rates, these contracts cost the taxpayer more than $7 million annually — and that number is likely to grow because our county population is growing.”
However, at Saturday’s presser, Texas Civil Rights Project attorney Travis Fife argued it’s more cost-effective and humane to focus on expediting bail reform, which reduces overcrowding while improving inmate safety.
“If you cannot provide care to the more than 4,000 people who are in your custody and care, then you have to find a way to invest the funds to sustainably reduce and release them back into the community,” Fife said.
Michael Karlis
ONGOING - SAT | 11.29
VISUAL ART
‘SELF’
“Self,” an exhibition of four Artpace alumni, examines “selfhood” in the widest definition imaginable, including identity and prognostication. Exploring the work of late-’90s it-girl Alex Bag, hands-down genius Paul Pfieffer, relative newcomer Kang Seung Lee and Texas artist-activist Anne Wallace, the show represents a vast artistic sampling — and dichotomies abound. Wallace, for instance, has dedicated her career to the border region, often putting herself in peril to capture the gravity of a given situation. Then we have Bag, who recorded herself playing an assorted cast of mass media-casualties like a second-rate Cindy Sherman with a video camera. Bag showed up for her residency with her boyfriend and dog in tow, bought a Scooby-Doo van and turned it into a viewing room, which she happily drove home after the exhibition. Impetus is everything — or is it? Free, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Monday-Friday and noon-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Artpace San Antonio, 445 N. Main St., (210) 212-4900, artpace. org. — Anjali Gupta
WED | 06.24
MUSICAL BRIDGES AROUND THE WORLD: GERMAN MUSIC & CULTURE
With 75 recording credits and a Grammy nomination to his name, prolific polka artist Alex Meixner blends music and storytelling to exalt his craft. For people in San Antonio and the Hill Country, those sounds still resonate. Old-school Texans are extremely proud of their German heritage, be they early Protestant exiles or post-Reich influxes. In central downtown and the Hill Country alike, these roots are still tangible in our architecture, dialects and cuisine, which is a blend of German, Canary Islander and Mestizo cultures. The San Antonio Public Library, in partnership with Musical Bridges Around the World (MBAW), brings it poetically together through this engaging and tuneful examination. Free, 1-2 p.m., Collins Garden Library, 200 N. Park Drive, (210) 207-9120, musicalbridges.org — AG
Courtesey Image / Artpace
Jim Flynn
WED | 06.24 - FRI | 06.26
THEATRE
WEST SIDE STORY
The San Antonio Broadway Theatre is presenting this Broadway adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays: Romeo & Juliet. Unfolding live in technicolor on the Upper West Side instead of Verona, Italy, this third-generation incarnation of one of the most popular musicals ever, West Side Story, features Jerome Robbins’ original choreography and bold vocals accompanying Leonard Bernstein’s award-winning score. An iconic story that substitutes rival local gangs for lofty Montagues and Capulets, West Side Story is a tale of forbidden teenage love and avoidable tragedy incarnate. $62.50-$72.50, 7 p.m., Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater at the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — AG
FRI | 06.26
ALICE HOWELL’S SILENT SUMMERS
Villa Finale Museum & Gardens’ screening will offer an evening honoring Alice Howell, queen of the silent sketch comedy, often referred to as the feminine version of Charlie Chaplin. Howell is an inextricably long-sidelined screen gem. Her performances were legendary, paving the way for women performing physical and slapstick comedy, from the incomparable Lucille Ball to the celebrated ladies of Laugh-In This event salutes Howell’s comedic genius with a screening of three of her earliest shorts and ends with live and impromptu audience salutes. Capacity is limited. RSVPs requested. Free, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Villa Finale: Museum & Gardens, 401 King William St., (210) 223-9800, villafinale.org. — AG
Courtesy Photo / United Artists
SUN | 06.28
VARIETY
CLOWN CHURCH
Inspired by campy televangelists and retro variety shows such as The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, Clown Church is the peculiar brainchild of husband-and-wife duo John Tuttle and Kristin Paredez-Tuttle. Lifelong San Antonians with working experience in comedy, the Tuttles anchor monthly Clown Church shows as a Southern couple at odds with the creative chaos around them. Clowns, however, were not always on the menu. “The name Clown Church felt like it fit the vibe [we were going for],” John Tuttle told the Current. “But people started to come out dressed as clowns. There really was this huge interest in the clown part. And so rather than tell everybody, ‘No, you have it wrong,’ [we decided to] lean in. It’s become way more of a circus than we had originally [planned], and that’s been for the better.” Typically themed after a holiday or a San Antonio-specific concept, said circus warms up with a 15-minute stand-up showcase and then continues with a quirky melange that includes an improv contest judged by the audience, music by house band Powdered Wig Machine, a history lesson courtesy of Carmen San Antonio (Kristin Paredez-Tuttle dolled up as Carmen San Diego) and a stunt portion. Previous stunts have involved Clown Church regular Alonzo Cantu dancing ballet on a bed of mousetraps while dressed as the Mouse King from The Nutcracker, having a Spurs logo paintballed onto his back and getting a dangerous chest shave with a weedwacker. For its upcoming seventh outing, Clown Church is tackling the notion that “The only thing in San Antonio is amusement parks.” During the show, Carmen San Antonio will shed light on the history of the lawsuit-inducing Rattler rollercoaster at Six Flags Fiesta Texas as well as the SeaWorld exposé Blackfish. Whether you opt for standing room ($10) or reserved seating ($15), the format of Clown Church allows for guests to move around the space to make trips to the bar, peruse clown-themed wares from 20plus San Antonio vendors and makers or even get into character with a little help from resident face-painter Friday the Clown. $10-$15, 21 and up, 8-10 p.m., Rah Rah Room, 6322 San Pedro Ave., clown-church.com. — Bryan Rindfuss
THURS | 07.02
WORKSHOP
ESPAÑOL, TU DESTINO
Today’s U.S. high schoolers aren’t encouraged to do much besides pass algebra and recite basic-ass Spanish. Great. Your pencil is big and yellow. Can you order a taco? Ask directions? Have a simple conversation? Pick someone up without making a fool of yourself? Not bloody likely. In a town that’s roughly 65% Latino by last count, having only the most basic grasp of Spanish puts you at a severe disadvantage. The Central Library’s Español, tu Destino workshop could change your dang life. Using the 1992 hit telenovela Destinos — which comprises 52 half-hour episodes in all and careens from Spain to Argentina, Puerto Rico and Mexico — instructors will have you listening, speaking, reading and writing in Spanish in no time. Free, 10-11 a.m., San Antonio Central Library’s LCRC, 600 Soledad St., (210) 207-2500, mysapl.org — AG Wikimedia Commons / MagicM100
Gabriela Medina
Summer Art Bucket List
From contemporary art to historic surveys, summer in San Antonio is full of visual treats
BY KAT MCKINNEY
If you’re looking for ways to stay out of the heat this summer, San Antonio’s art museums and galleries may be just the fix — and one that gives you a new understanding of the world in the process.
Major cultural institutions across the Alamo City are rolling out some of their most ambitious programming in the coming months. Let’s take a look.
The McNay Art Museum
As the ‘first modern art museum in Texas,’ the McNay enters summer with a slate of exhibitions that highlight the breadth of its collections.
“Tony Walton: Designer of Dreams,” pulls from the museum’s Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts to spotlight one of Broadway’s most prolific scenic and costume designers. The exhibit is open now and closes on August 23.
Also on view is “untitled: 20 Years of Collecting Contemporary Art,” a sweeping survey of more than 100 works that reflect the McNay’s commitment to expanding contemporary art access in San Antonio. The exhibition doubles as a tribute to former head of curatorial affairs, René Paul Barilleaux, whose decades-long tenure shaped the museum’s visual identity.
On Saturday, June 27, visitors will also have the opportunity to learn from Barilleaux himself at the “Weekend Artist Workshop.” The event will see the former curator guide participants through the curation of their own mini art exhibit.
“Garden Party: Nature on Paper,” open from May 7 until August 9, is the museum’s celebration of the summer season. Located in the Butt Paperworks Gallery, the exhibit focuses on works in the permanent collection that center on the domestic garden.
$10-$23; special exhibit ticket prices vary, noon-5 p.m. Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. Entry is free 4-9 p.m. every Thursday and noon-5 p.m. on the first Sunday of every month, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org.
Ruby City
The Southtown contemporary art destination and home of the late Linda Pace’s prolific art collection is always free and open to the public. Ruby
City’s summer lineup continues the institution’s commitment to bold, boundary-pushing art.
The headline exhibition, “Tracey Rose,” presents a major survey of the South African artist’s work during and after her Artpace residency in 2000. Known for her sharp political edge and performance-based practice, Rose’s solo exhibit positions her as one of the most vital voices in global contemporary art.
Along with these exhibits, Ruby City has an exciting lineup of summer programming. Coming up, “Drawing in the Galleries with Colleen Borsh” returns June 20. The next “Morning Grounds” event on June 27 invites guests to explore the beautiful Chris Park and freshly brewed coffee from Mural Roasters, and the “Monthly Medita-
M“James Cobb: Things Into Thoughts” will feature both paintings and digital works from the San Antonio artist.
tion” every third Sunday at Chris Park continues in July.
The Contemporary turns 40 this summer and has lined up an exciting series of new exhibits to celebrate.
arts
Find more arts coverage every day at sacurrent.com
arts
“James Cobb: Things Into Thoughts” opens June 27. The show brings playful new work to the Blue Star campus from a true San Antonio art treasure. “Bella Martinez: Ghost Notes,” “Soomin Jung Remmler: Ordinary Life: Shining Moments,” “Mónica Martínez-Díaz: The New House is Empty: Post–American Dream” and “Rubio: El Corazón” also open June 27. The solo exhibitions will feature the works of four local artists who use their respective media to explore identity and question reality.
As always, the museum’s summer programming includes artist talks, community events, workshops and opportunities to engage with the Blue Star Arts Complex. The exhibitions will run through October 4, giving audiences ample time to revisit and rethink the work.
Free, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Wednesday, noon-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, contemporarysa.org.
Briscoe Western Art Museum
The Briscoe is set to unveil what may qualify as its most ambitious exhibition yet, “Tejano Legacy: Another American Origin Story,” on July 24. The showcase will trace 400 years of Tejano presence in the American West.
To commemorate the achievement, the Briscoe has also unveiled “Selena Forever / Siempre Selena.” The major exhibition honors the life and legacy of Selena Quintanilla through photographs shot by SA native John Dyer, and will run through January 2027.
The Briscoe is bringing back its summer movie nights to complement the Selena exhibit. The “Siempre Tejano” series will show three iconic Selena-related movies on the third Sundays of June, July and August. Entrance is included with general admission tickets.
Free–$16, open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday through Monday. 210 W. Market St., (210) 299-4499, briscoemuseum.org.
San Antonio Museum of Art
ming at SAMA blends ongoing blockbuster exhibitions with hands-on experiences and community-driven events.
The museum’s major long-term installation, “Renoir to Picasso: The Robertson Family Collection,” opens June 12. The show brings an impressive roster of European modernists to San Antonio, and offers visitors a rare opportunity to see some of the most influential painters of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Make sure to visit “New African Masquerades: Artistic Innovations and Collaborations” before it closes on July 5. The exhibition, which opened in January, highlights contemporary interpretations of masquerade traditions throughout Africa.
SAMA is also leaning into interactive programming this summer. Special tours, including “Off the Wall,” “Highlights,” and “Slow Down at SAMA,” will give visitors multiple entry points into the collection.
Free-$24, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday and Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday and Saturday through Sunday, free Bexar County resident admission 4-7 p.m. Tuesday and every second Sunday, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org.
Centro Cultural Aztlán
Centro Cultural Aztlán enters summer with “Infinity Square,” a vibrant duo exhibition featuring works by Louis Vega Treviño and Ben Mata. Open from June 5 until July 18, the show highlights both artists’ exploration of geometric forms and spatial rhythm.
MTony Walton’s Design for Bust of Domina for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is among the works on display at the McNay.
The center will also continue its plática series, which recently featured a virtual conversation with artist Nia Jaramillo. The talks offer audiences a chance to hear directly from artists about their process and influences and ask their own questions about their work.
On July 18, the Centro will host its annual El Gran Día de los Artistas, a day-long celebration of local creativity. The beloved art festival brings together all kinds of artists for an afternoon of live demonstrations, a market and cultural programming.
San Antonio Art League & Museum’s summer exhibition, “Summer Reflections,” opens June 21 and runs through Aug. 7. The show brings together a selection of works that explore light, seasonality and the shifting moods we experience in the warmer months. The show spotlights regional artists whose practices span painting, photography, mixed media and more.
Nestled in the historic King William neighborhood, the Art League’s historic building is an intimate backdrop for the exhibition. Viewers also will find themselves within walking distance of some of Southtown’s hottest food and drink attractions.
Free, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, 130 King William St., (210) 223-1140, saalm.org.
Courtesy Image / McNay Art Museum
arts
‘The Difference Is in the Details’
Stand-up comic Ali Siddiq talks about the family roots of his storytelling ahead of two Majestic Theatre shows
BY SANFORD NOWLIN
On his website, Houston-based funnyman and former radio personality Ali Siddiq describes himself as a “stand-up comedian and storyteller.”
The storyteller part gets equal billing because it’s so much of what he does. Rather than riff on current events or jump between rapid-fire punchlines, Siddiq draws from his own life. That means he may talk about his current life as a father, the relationship he had with his own largely absent father or the six years he spent in a Texas prison for selling drugs.
Siddiq, who’s bringing his Custom Fit tour to San Antonio’s Majestic Theatre for two shows on Friday, June 26, has spent nearly three decades honing his storytelling craft. He understands pacing and physicality, when to go for a laugh and when to build tension.
And, as he pointed out in conversation with the Current, he wants his stories to feel authentic and lived — something he’s tried to convey to other comics who ask for tips.
“In storytelling, the difference is in the details,” Siddiq said. “They don’t have enough details in their story, and a lot of them are not living a full life.”
The prolific comic’s latest special, My Father, was released June 21, and he has three more in the can. We caught up with him by phone ahead of his San Antonio shows.
I read in past interviews that storytelling wasn’t something you came to immediately. Can you point to a deciding moment that nudged you
away from punchline comedy to your current style?
No, but I can say it happened early on. I’ve been doing it 29 years, so I have evolved to a different level over the years. I probably stopped doing political comedy and setups, punchlines and all that probably in year No. 10.
In addition to great storytelling comics such as Richard Pryor, you have cited Benny Hill, Phyllis Diller and Don Rickles among your influences. None of them seem directly adjacent to your approach. Can you talk about their impact on your work?
Benny Hill had a show where he did short stories with no words. So, the physicality and the setup and the emphasis on movement is what I took from Benny Hill. A lot it with Don Rickles was just snappy stories. Phyllis Diller had a Plain Jane life story. She was talking about herself the majority of the time with some indication of how hard it is to be like that as a woman. All of them had a storytelling component in their standup.
It just took different forms. Correct.
As a storyteller, do you draw influence from movies, TV series or things you read, or is it mainly centered around what people would call the oral tradition?
My particular style is built into me just because of my family. I tell stories because that’s how I learned everything that I’ve ever learned. I learned by being told a story. So, I try to look at movies and things just for pure entertainment, not for inspiration. I get that from my family, from my uncle or my grandmother, my mom — somebody who’s going to tell me a story — and I just look at the different cadences and the different styles of my family and mix and match different levels of how I can develop a story just from them.
Do you worry that tradition is slipping away from new generations?
I worry about that a lot, because communication has declined with the addition of cell phones. People just texting and not really having conversation. So, yeah, that’s definitely a concern.
Earlier this year, your special MyTwo Sons was nominated for an NAACP
Image Award for Outstanding Variety Series. It was the first independently produced standup comedy special to earn a nomination in that category. Both to get a nomination and to win. I actually won.
Heard. How important to you was it to break that ground for independently produced content?
It’s an incentive for independence, for other independents to keep pushing. Everyone wants to win for their talent, for
their contribution to the art. And independents were feeling like they were never going to win due to the … influence the industry exerts and how the industry markets. Just how overwhelming the industry is in their marketing of other specials that they produce, because they have those relationships. So, winning was like a log in the fire to tell independents to keep pushing.
$43-$274, 7 p.m. (sold out) and 9:30 p.m., Friday, June 26, Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-5700, majesticempire.com.
David Odi Wright
Shapwed by Cinema
San Antonio native Antonio
Cisneros finds Hollywood success behind camera
BY KIKO MARTINEZ
Cinematographer and San Antonio native Antonio Cisneros was captivated by cinema at an early age. He recalls watching Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror masterpiece Alien alone on TV as a child, an experience that he said “really screwed me up.”
He also remembers his parents giving him a VHS copy of Fantastic Planet, the surreal 1973 French animated classic about a race of giant blue aliens who kept humans as pets. Films like those sparked Cisneros’ lifelong fascination with visual storytelling.
Today, Cisneros, a 2004 graduate of North East School of the Arts (NESA), is a professional cinematographer who has worked on projects for Disney+, Netflix and ABC.
In 2022, he served as the director of photography for the Disney+ documentary, Mickey: The Story of a Mouse, about the history and social impact of iconic animated character Mickey Mouse. His latest film, Cookie Queens, a documentary about Girl Scout cookie season, is set for release later this summer. Cookie Queens premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
In conversation with the Current, Cisneros, 39, talked about which filmmaker inspired him the most as a kid and why he chose cinematography over directing. He also discussed how the Texas Young Masters Program, which he received a grant from while in high school, swayed him to pursue a career in film.
How did San Antonio shape you as a filmmaker and serve as a launching pad for your career?
At NESA, I had a teacher there who really took an interest in me — George Ozuna. I wouldn’t have taken the path I’ve taken if it wasn’t for him. The thing about San Antonio is that it’s such a fertile place of culture. It was easy to go out and find stories or take pictures at a young age. I miss San Antonio a lot.
What other films do you remember making an impression on you growing up?
I was 12 years old when I was flipping through the channels and saw this epic samurai battle. It was [Akira Kurosawa’s] Ran. The first half of Ran is very slow and intense. When the second
half begins, it’s all these fucking chaotic battle scenes — violence I had never seen before. I remember thousands of extras, hundreds of horses, samurai swords, spears, and arrows flying everywhere. It’s one of the most brutal things ever in cinema. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Were you hooked on Akira Kurosawa after that? Yeah, a few days later, I went to the Bazan Library and wrote out his name, Akira Kurosawa, and the librarian was like, “Oh, we have all his movies at the big enchilada main library.”
So, I caught the bus to go down there, and they pointed me to the back where all the foreign films were. I grabbed Yojimbo and thought it was fucking cool. I basically watched all his films between the ages of 12 and 17 except for some of his earlier stuff they didn’t have at the library. He was a big influence on me.
Did you initially want to be a director before you turned your attention to cinematography?
There is so much bullshit you have to deal with being a director, and I don’t enjoy that aspect of filmmaking at all. Sometimes, you have to be a masochist to be a director. It’s really hard work. As a director, you need to deal with actors. That’s a whole different thing than just focusing on camera work. I didn’t think I wanted to become a cinematographer until the very end of my experience at New York University. I just enjoy having a camera in my hands.
You have made a lot of documentaries. What about the genre do you like in comparison to a fictional narrative film?
One thing I really love about documentaries is that they can raise a lot of ideas and thoughts and put them in people’s minds. With fiction, it’s hard to focus on the story. With documentaries, you eliminate all that. It’s just the subject, the sound person and the camera. It’s
very hands-on. With documentaries, I can do 30 different projects, all with different styles, languages and approaches.
I noticed. One year you’re following drug cartels to make KingdomofShadows, and then you’re following Girl Scouts to make Cookie Queens. That’s quite a shift. Having a range of different stories and jumping back and forth between narrative films and documentaries gives you a lot of different skills. You have to make very fast decisions in a short amount of time when you make a documentary. Your storytelling skills have to be very strong. The fun thing about documentaries is that all the stories are usually fascinating.
As a Texas Young Masters alum, how did a program like that enable you to pursue your artistic talents?
It allowed me to experiment and make mistakes at a young age. It gave me access to a dark room throughout high school, which gave me a lot of confidence and ability to learn how to look at images. The program gave me a jumpstart to find my voice.
Rebecca Basaure
Back to the Future
Esencia brings back the feel of the St. Anthony’s old-school dining room, but the menu is a fresh new take
BY RON BECHTOL
The St. Anthony Hotel’s Madrid Room served as a downtown dining staple for San Antonio’s business and social set for nearly 50 years before being radically reimagined as Rebelle in all its louche, low-light glamor.
Now that the same space has morphed into Esencia, echoes of the old Madrid — blind balconies, tinkling fountain and all — have eased back into focus. The coffered ceiling has even been embellished by Tiepolo-like, puffy cloud panels.
But what many old-timers remember fondly about the Madrid Room, whose culinary delights included the likes of Polynesian Chicken, wasn’t the decor or the now-dated entrees, but rather the free bread basket that preceded each meal. Gingerbread was a standout component. In perhaps an inevitable sign of the times, bread and butter service at Esencia runs $18. There’s also a certain then-and-now nostalgia surrounding Chef Leo Davila, the new grandee of Esencia.
Davila has garnered awards and accolades recently, including a James Beard nomination for Anacacho Coffee & Cantina at the St. Anthony and a designation as chef-ambassador for the UNESCO City of Gastronomy title that San Antonio shares with cities such as Alba, Italy.
But it was at Stix & Stone, a bright and boisterous family-run restaurant near Bandera and Loop 410, that Davila first garnered serious attention.
A duck in mole was just one of several dishes that immediately stood out — in part because it was unexpected in the surroundings, but also because it was just plain good.
Nostalgia is often best taken in small doses, and now that expectations are higher for the duck — and other carryover plates — in Davila’s new digs, perhaps best abandoned altogether. Yes, the duck, now served in a jamaica and Texas pecan mole and billed as Duck & Flower, is good indeed. The accompanying wok-fried vegetables are also colorful and more than competent.
But in his posh new digs, expectations certainly run higher.
Thankfully, many of Esencia’s “For the Table” offerings are spared the burden of past comparisons. A smoked seafood crudo was new to me,
and though the serving may seem small for its $31 price, it merits careful contemplation.
One evening, the seafood consisted of sliced scallops and redfish, smoked just enough over jasmine tea to yield a delicate and lightly floral effect. A bracingly tart apple ponzu enhanced the flavors, candied jalapeño brought a flash of spice and ruffled sheets of rice paper — looking like scraps of frozen seafoam — provided a crunchy base for it all.
The kitchen also showed off its smoking technique again with a Tacos of Texas trio, in which corn got the treatment.
I think I’d like the eminently shareable Peppers & Cactus dish more if the shishito peppers were smaller and more blistered, since they tended to overwhelm the more deferential strips of nopalito in both taste and texture. But bold plate mates — notably house chorizo, fried garlic and a miso aioli — bode well for things to come from the kitchen.
The Duck & Flower dish above can be found under the menu’s “Chef Curated Classics” heading. Look for the Pork & Apple there too. The pork is presented in a different, equally appealing, mole of apple and pasilla. Apple being the throughline, it also comes in pickled and compote form, all in the service of house-cured pork belly.
In the manner of many Asian dishes — and also reflective of the Chinese part of Davila’s heritage — the dish came with cupped leaves of lettuce for DIY assembly into a kind of green and crunchy taco. It works because the contrast with the unctuous pork is great.
A bone-in pork chop and seared redfish are among the possibilities under the menu’s “Traditional” heading.
Nostalgia reared its head one more time in my dining experience at Esencia, and that was in the dessert selection.
At Stix & Stone, the desserts, both dramatic and delicious, were perhaps even more surprising than the duck. Even though that set expectations high, they certainly weren’t dashed.
Take the Humita Dulce. Conventionally, humitas consist of a ground fresh corn mix steamed in cornhusks. At Esencia, they arrive in a form that looks for all the world like a branded, Chinese red bean cake. But rather than sweet bean paste, the interior conceals a spiced chocolate ganache, the plate is decorated with a ribbon of dehydrated
raspberry and dots of crème anglaise. Brilliant. One thing I’m not nostalgic for is noise. At Stix & Stone, a certain buzz was to be expected — even celebrated. At the more sedate Esencia, it can cast an acoustic pall over both duck and dessert. Fortunately, attentive service goes a long way in compensating, as does a wine list emphasizing Texas and Mexican bottles — as soon as a new distributor can be found for the Mexican part.
ESENCIA AT THE ST. ANTHONY HOTEL
300E.TravisSt.,(210)352-3145,esencia-sa.com.
Hours: 5-10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 5-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday Price range (appetizers and main courses): $18-$105
The lowdown: Esencia is the latest iteration of the St. Anthony’s historic dining room, and decoratively it’s gone back to its Spanish Colonial roots. Culinarily, though, it could hardly be more different from past incarnations. Laureled chef Leo Davila now helms the kitchen, and his Mexican and Chinese roots are reflected in a menu that ranges from updated tacos to upscale wagyu steak and smoked seafood appetizers. Mole figures into a standout duck dish, where the sauce is more flowery in taste, while a house-cured pork belly in yet another mole is accented by apple in several forms. Don’t skip desserts. They’re both beautifully presented and a pleasure to consume.
Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com
Ron Bechtol
Ron Bechtol
Friday, Aug 21 | 7pm VIP | 8pm GA
Experience San Antonio’s premier whiskey tasting event, hosted at the legendary riverfront Witte Museum. Early Bird Tickets Now On Sale!
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food
Chill Out
These
San Antonio restaurant dishes offer delicious ways to cool off
in the summer heat
BY KATHERINE STINSON
Summers here can be brutal. If you’re looking for a way to cool down that doesn’t involve a frozen cocktail, some of San Antonio’s best restaurants serve up flavorful cold dishes that do the trick.
From cebiches to sushi to creative salads highlighting the seasonal harvest, these local favorites offer fun and filling menu items that hit just right when it’s scorching outside.
Leche de Tigre
Cold cebiches are a specialty at this beloved Peruvian eatery. The Clasico, which combines seasonal fish with a slightly tart leche de tigre broth, earns a slight hint of sweetness from sweet potatoes. It’s almost too pretty to eat, but worth every cooling bite. Sit at the cebiche bar for a chance to observe how each creation is made, from fish to dish. 318 E. Cevallos St., (210) 265-5933, lechedetigretx.com.
Shiro
The truffle hamachi is a standout cold dish at Shiro, an acclaimed Japanese restaurant located in the heart of River North. Yellowtail sourced straight from Japan is layered with an umami-forward tosazu sauce, complete with a slice of truffle for a simple finishing touch. 107 W. Jones Ave, (210) 585-1863, shirossan.com.
Godai Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant
The poke bowl at Godai is downright refreshing and packed with protein, thanks to the generous helping of tuna and salmon. The comforting and filling dish is topped off with edamame, mixed vegetables and the right helping of fresh mango. 11203 West Ave., (210) 251-4356, godaisushi.com.
Mare e Monte
Most locals know the eatery for its focus on Italian cuisine, but Mare e Monte means “land and sea” for a reason. The seafood salad is an underrated cold dish — shrimp, calamari and octopus are lightly dressed with fresh lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil and a dash of arugula with red onion. It’s a unique spin on the traditional salad menu. 9390 Huebner Road, (210) 267-1233, mareemonte.com.
Southerleigh Fine Food & Brewery
Don’t knock Gulf Coast oysters until you try the options at Southerleigh — the Taste of Texas selection makes a strong argument for locally sourced oysters, complete with a house-made barbecue mignonette on the side. They’re a refreshing way to feel like you’re treating yourself. 136 E. Grayson St., (210) 455-5701, southerleighatpearl.com.
Pharm Table
Pharm Table is a place where you can eat your veggies — and enjoy them too. This critically lauded eatery offers several summer-ready ceviche options, but the strawberry-preserved lemon salad is a particular standout in warmer months. Perfect for a day bite after a dip at the pool, the refreshing starter dish gets a crunch from pepita chia seeds. Hungry? Add bakka salmon or pasture-raised chicken on top. 611 S. Presa St., #106, (210) 219-2652, pharmtable.com.
RECIPE
Make chef Jason Dady’s favorite summer salad at home
Chef Jason Dady (Mexico Ceaty, Roca & Martillo, Range) provided us with the recipe for this delightful heat-beating salad that pairs Maine lobster with refreshing summer produce and a citrusy dressing.
Maine Lobster Summer Salad Serves 8
1 bunch Italian flatleaf parsley
3 garlic cloves
3 lemons (for zesting)
1 Tbsp. mint leaves
1 Tbsp. basil leaves
2 oz. blood orange vinegar
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 1.5-lb. Maine lobsters, steamed
1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1 peach
1 nectarine
2 heirloom tomatoes
kosher salt and fresh-cracked black pepper, to taste
Once lobster is steamed and chilled, remove all meat and chop into small pieces. Refrigerate and allow to cool.
Pick all of the leaves from the stems of the parsley. Wash leaves and dry completely. Mince parsley until finely chopped. Place in paper towel and squeeze to remove as much moisture as possible.
Place parsley in small bowl and, using a microplane, grate the lemon zest into the parsley. Using the microplane, next grate the garlic into the parsley and toss to mix thoroughly.
To finish the dish, toss the white beans with ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil, blood orange vinegar, mint, lobster meat, diced stone fruit and the garlic, herb and lemon zest mixture. Adjust seasoning as needed with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
— Katherine Stinson
Alejandro Deleon
Karol G,
Ye,
AC/ DC and more: San Antonio summer music round-up
Everything you need to know about the season’s concerts and festivals
BY KAT MCKINNEY
While Austin may bill itself as the Live Music Capital of the World, the summer concert schedule suggests the real action is happening 80 miles south along I-35.
San Antonio has a stacked calendar this season that ranges from arena-worthy acts such as AC/DC, Kanye West and Karol G to locally produced fests featuring up-and-coming artists. And there are plenty of touring acts that fill the space between, from Grupo Frontera to Benson Boone.
Let’s run down some of the highlights from now through early September.
Saturday, June 27
Rick Ross with Renaissance Orchestra
Iconic rapper Rick Ross of “Hustlin’” fame will perform with a full orchestra and choir, reimagining his catalog with cinematic scale. $97.60$350, 8 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St, San Antonio. (888) 811-5040, atgtickets.com.
Sunday, June 28
Banda El Recodo
Banda royalty is returning to the Alamo City for a high-energy, family-friendly show at Chaparro Ranch. $82.25, 5 p.m., 18280 S. Jett Road, San Antonio. instagram.com/chaparro_ranch.
Gio Chamba
Psychedelic cumbia-electro duo Gio Chamba will bring its signature neon fusion to Paper Tiger for a full-fledged Cumbia Party. $15-$17, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com.
Friday, July 3
Release the Rhythm Fans of underground electronic and hip-hop blends may want to mark their calendars, as
AC/DC
Piñata Protest
Dopez, MosDef Maro and Cura are scheduled to headline the next Release the Rhythm celebration at Southtown gem Amor Eterno. Free, 9 p.m., Amor Eterno, 540 S. Presa St., instagram.com/ amoreterno_sa.
Saturday, July 4
Kanye West
Controversial rapper Kanye West’s stadium-scale Fourth of July show is likely to be a night of spectacle. Whether you buy the apologies he’s given for his abhorrent words, it’s been a while since Ye has been our way and fans are undoubtedly excited. $228-$5,248, 9 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St, San Antonio. alamodome.com.
music
Find more music coverage every day at
Wikimedia Commons / Raph_PH
Courtesy Photo / Pinata Protest
music
Saturday, July 11
No Pasa Nada Fest
In case you just didn’t get enough last time, Rah Rah Room’s No Pasa Nada Fest is back. Piñata Protest leads a stacked bill of local acts that also includes FEA, Los Juanos and Hijas de la Madre featuring Amalia Ortiz. Mariachi interludes and food from Mi Tierra will be on hand to round out the night. $19.32, 6:30 p.m., Rah Rah Room, 6322 San Pedro Ave., therahrahroom.com.
Sunday, July 19
Grupo Frontera
The Triste Pero Bien C*brón Tour is scheduled to land at Frost Bank Center. This cumbia Norteña show will draw one of summer’s biggest crowds, and tickets are selling fast. $73-$1,140.75, 8 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive. frostbankcenter.com.
Friday, July 24
AC/DC
Australian classic rockers AC/DC are on the road for their Power Up Tour. Expect to hear the band, now down to sole original member Angus Young, thunder out raunchy rock classics that helped define ’70s and
Lord Huron, whose song “The Night We Met” gained widespread popularity through Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, will fill a downtown movie house-turned-elegant concert venue with its cinematic folk-rock. $60-$359, 8 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St, San Antonio. (888) 811-5040, atgtickets.com.
Tuesday, July 28
Lionel Richie, Earth, Wind & Fire
A generational soul-pop summit, this tour brings together a pair of hitmakers whose music still gets people moving and singing along. Expect a night that evokes memories and spans the hits of both artists. $39-$1,376.20, 7:30 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, frostbankcenter.com.
Friday, July 31
Story of the Year, Silverstein
The Camp Screamo Tour will make a pit stop at The Espee for all those who just can’t get enough of the aughts-era fusion of punk and emo. Don’t forget
Boone’s powerful ballads and off-thewall acrobatics have made him one of the year’s breakout acts. Now his Wanted Man Tour is coming to town to give fans what they crave. $50-$524.40, 8 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, frostbankcenter.com.
Saturday, Aug. 22
Palomazo Norteño: Tour Clase Maestra
This powerhouse Norteño showcase brings together living legends Lalo Mora, Eliseo Robles, Rosendo Cantú and Raúl Hernández. $68-$400.15, 7 p.m., Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston St., (210) 2261177, freemancoliseum.com.
Wednesday, Sept. 2
Karol G
La Bichota will return to San Antonio for her global Viajando Por El Mundo Tropi tour, blending reggaetón, pop and R&B with her iconic choreography and X-factor stage presence. $71-$5,938.60, 7 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St, San Antonio. alamodome.com.
Sunday, Sept. 6
San Antonio Funk Fest
your ear protection and moshing shoes. $55, 7 p.m., The Espee, 1174 E. Commerce St., atgtickets.com.
Tuesday, Aug. 11
Steve Earle
Stable Hall is hosting Americana icon Steve Earle for a stop on his 51 Years of Songs & Stories tour. The “Copperhead Road” singer’s solo storytelling shows are intimate yet full of sharp observations and provide an insightful overview of his five decades of songwriting and performing. $43-$108, 8 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com.
Friday, Aug. 14
Hermanos Espinoza
The McAllen-born duo Hermanos Espinoza will bring its viral música Mexicana to town. Norteño roots are woven through the act’s modern hits “Prueba De Fuego” and “DIOS POR DELANTE.” $53$525.89, time TBA, Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston St., (210) 226-1177, freemancoliseum.com.
Thursday, Aug. 20
Benson Boone
Soulful pop singer-songwriter Benson
Boeing Center’s multi-artist funk celebration will be packed with pure get-down energy. Classic acts Zapp, the Bar-Kays, Klymaxx, Lakeside and more round out a supremely soulful bill. $53.73-$122.14, 7 p.m., Boeing Center at Tech Port, 3331 General Hudnell Drive. (210) 5633158, boeingcentertechport.com.
Saturday, Sept. 12
My Chemical Romance
MCR’s long-awaited return will include a stop in San Antonio with the Mars Volta opening as a special bonus. For the first time in four years, SA fans will get to sing along to 2000s-era classics including “Welcome to the Black Parade” and “Teenagers.” $61-$4,475, 6 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St, alamodome.com.
Sunday, Sept. 13
J. Cole
Hip-hop heavyweight J. Cole will close out the summer concert season with one of the year’s most anticipated shows. The star’s Fall-Off tour is delivering the goods when it comes to arena-scale rap. $72.60$3,025, 8 p.m., Frost Bank center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, San Antonio, frostbankcenter.com.
jjm7808
Karol G.
critics’ picks
Thursday, June 25
Jinjer, Enthos, Crystal Lake
Ukrainian metal export Jinjer seems to hit up San Antonio every time it goes on a headlining North American tour. The female-fronted quartet, which rose to prominence with the music video for its burner “Pisces,” is on the road in support of last year’s crushing progressive release Duel. With inspirations that run from Lamb of God to reggae to funk, Jinjer has evolved from its metalcore roots to a lyrical and musically diverse powerhouse. Death metallers Enthos and metalcore act Crystal Lake provide support. $53-$85.55, 7 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztecthe-
455-0233, thelonesomerose.com. — Bill Baird
Los Aptos
Los Aptos update regional Mexican music with groovy modern production, elements of psych-rock and loose home-recording vibes for a sound that’s somewhere between Norteño, chill wave and the music of Tame Impala. Great songs and production make Los Aptos feel like a soundtrack for the summer. $17, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx. com. — BB
Saturday, June 27 Tsushimamire
In the history of Tsushimamire, Japan and Texas overlap more than expected — the band’s U.S. rep exploded after playing SXSW back in 2004. Since then, the punk trio has toured the globe and progressed musically, exploring more art punk stylings on recent recordings. The act’s lyrics hit subjects like sex, death and even food, and its members don bright colors or flowered dresses. The band also released an original track titled “Break the Curse” for Fortnite. $18.37, 9 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose. com. — BE
Tuesday, June 30
Smoking Popes, Lauren Lakis Pop-rock institution Smoking Popes will transport you back to the ’90s, when they signed to Capitol, graced the Clueless soundtrack, and toured with Green Day. Since then, the band has broken up, reformed, shuffled around, moved cities and somehow managed to keep it all together. Yes, it’s a nostalgia trip, but it’s a good one. Lauren Lakis, meanwhile, is one of Austin’s best kept secrets, serving up shoegazey pop with fantastic vocals. $52, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BB
Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, John Doe Folk Trio
er represents a true arrival. Known for years as Mike and the Moonpies, the quirky name is gone, and the rebrand has allowed the group to expand their sound beyond Texas honkytonk into the bigger playing field of Americana. $25, 8 p.m., Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall. com. — BB
Friday, July 3
The 501s, Mockingbird Express
This free show is part of Summer Night City, Texas Public Radio’s long-running musical showcase, which couples sets by local bands with select vendors and refreshments. This installment features psych-rock kings Mockingbird Express and local country shredders The 501s for great vibes along San Pedro Creek. Free, 6 p.m., Texas Public Radio, 321 W. Commerce St., tpr.org/summernightcity. — BB
Saturday,
July 4
Ye/Kanye West
Polarizing rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is returning to San Antonio for the first time since 2013’s Yeezus Tour. Originally intending to headline London’s July Wireless Festival, the 24-time Grammy winner faced a visa ban over antisemitic and pro-Hitler rants, which he apologized for earlier this year. Ye’s recent sellout concerts supplement his new album Bully with a setlist incorporating dozens of previous hits — a bid for redemption by evoking the nostalgia of Graduation and The College Dropout He even recruited reclusive hip-hop icon Ms. Lauryn Hill to performing timeless hits including “All Falls Down” at his second Los Angeles show. With a stage design centered around a giant globe, the concert promises a largerthan-life spectacle for those choosing “Flashing Lights” over fireworks this Fourth of July. $349 and up, 9 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St., (210) 207-3663, alamodome.com. — M. Solis
Daniel Romano’s Outfit, Carson McHone, Garrett T. Capps
atre.com. — Brianna Espinoza
Friday, June 26
Mypilotis, The Dialtones, Little Joe and the Dead Boys
Austin’s The Dialtones is a one-of-a-kind act that combines compelling lyricism, synth-pop hooks and absolutely ripping guitar playing. The band is the brainchild of Lauren Gurgiolo, who has put in time with icons like Okkervil River, Octopus Project and the Heartless Bastards. Mypilotis and Little Joe and the Dead Boys are two of SA’s most exciting young bands, making this a can’t-miss show. $10, 9 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210)
The prospect of seeing musical icon Bob Dylan perform at Whitewater with a solid backing bill makes this the show of the year for folkrock fans. Too bad it’s sold out, but scalped tickets may be floating around somewhere. See you on the black market. Sold out, 8 p.m., Whitewater Amphitheater, 11860 FM 306, New Braunfels, (830) 964-3800, whitewaterrocks. com. — BB
Thursday, July 2-Friday, July 3
Silverada
Hard-working Silverada has risen through the ranks to become one of the state’s top country acts, so this Gruene Hall double-head-
What happens when a Canadian absorbs ’60s rock, old Texas country and ‘70s Southern rock influences? Apparently, you get Daniel Romano, who’s backed by crack band the Outfit. Romano and the Outfit are on a mini-tour promoting their Tom Petty-esque new album Preservers Of The Pearl, which dropped in March. When Romano isn’t performing his own songs with the Outfit, he’s working with the likes of City and Colour, Tool’s Danny Carey and Matty Matheson in the hardcore band Pig Pen. Outfit member Carson McHone, a fine singer-songwriter in his own right, and SA icon-in-the-making Garrett T. Capps will open. $20.66, 9 p.m., Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose.com. — BE
50. Where Grover and The Count can check out books?
53. Southern Hemisphere species marketed as Chilean
sea bass
55. “Well, golly!”
56. Theater sign
57. “La Bamba” actor Morales
58. “Freaks and ___” (NBC one-season wonder)
59. “Holy ___!”
60. “The Phoenician Scheme” director Anderson
61. Upper house of France’s Parliament
Down
1. Microblogging site
2. Firenze’s locale
3. Titles on state records
4. “All By Myself” singer Carmen
5. Winter ice melter
6. Hawke of “The Lowdown”
7. Tattered
8. Blunder of all blunders
9. Grumpy companion
10. Rapper Azalea
11. “Minions: The Rise of ___”
12. Smithfield product
14. Words after “have” or “take”
18. Beside the point
20. Army group?
25. Prepare for action
26. Wriggling critter
27. Capital served by one end of the ÿresund Bridge
28. Mass ___ (MIT’s addr.)
29. As directed by
31. Experiment site
32. Cutting-in question
33. Poet Hughes
34. Eggs, in science
35. Not many
36. Passage
37. Irish fuel sources
42. Door word
43. “Slumdog Millionaire” setting
44. Outdoor gear retailer
45. “I’ve found it!”
46. Least rainy
47. California art museum, with “the”
48. Flat-topped hills
50. Homeland
51. ___ en place (professional kitchen setup)
52. 1950s South Korean president Syngman
53. President pro ___
54. Palindromic brand of kitchenware
Answers on page 25.
Bexar County Hospital
District d/b/a University
Health seeks board-certified Pulmonary/Critical Care physicians in San Antonio. Requires active TX Medical License, and completion of ACGME Pulm/CC fellowship. Send CV to Amy. Hensz@uhtx.com, reference job order 6017. EOE/AA
