San Antonio Current - September 7, 2016

September 7 – 13, 2016

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 3

THE END OF ALZHEIMER’S STARTS WITH YOU

Alzheimer’s is an epidemic devastating our families, our finances and our future. The disease is all around us — but the power to stop it is within us. Join us for the Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s® and be inspired by all the footsteps that fall into place behind yours. Together, we can end Alzheimer’s.

START A TEAM. Date: Saturday, September 17, 2016 | Location: AT&T Center | Time: 7:30 a.m.

Registration/Ceremony & Walk 9:00 a.m. alz.org/walk | 800.272.3900

4 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 5

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圀䄀吀䔀刀 刀䔀匀伀唀刀䌀䔀 匀䌀䤀䔀一䌀䔀 伀唀刀 䴀伀匀吀 嘀䄀䰀唀䄀䈀䰀䔀 一䄀吀唀刀䄀䰀 刀䔀匀伀唀刀䌀䔀

倀爀攀瀀愀爀攀 昀漀爀 攀洀瀀氀漀礀洀攀渀琀 椀渀 琀栀攀 眀愀琀攀爀 琀爀攀愀琀洀攀渀琀 椀渀搀甀猀琀爀礀℀ 䰀攀愀爀渀 琀漀 洀漀渀椀琀漀爀Ⰰ 琀爀漀甀戀氀攀猀栀漀漀琀Ⰰ 愀渀搀 挀栀攀洀椀挀愀氀氀礀 挀氀攀愀渀 攀焀甀椀瀀洀攀渀琀 攀猀猀攀渀琀椀愀氀 昀漀爀 琀栀攀 琀爀攀愀琀洀攀渀琀 漀昀 眀愀琀攀爀⼀眀愀猀琀攀眀愀琀攀爀⸀ 䜀攀琀 琀栀攀 琀攀挀栀渀椀挀愀氀 愀渀搀 猀挀椀攀渀琀椀昀椀挀 欀渀漀眀氀攀搀最攀 琀漀 漀戀琀愀椀渀 氀椀挀攀渀猀甀爀攀 椀渀 琀栀椀猀 昀椀攀氀搀⸀

䄀圀䄀刀䐀匀 伀䘀䘀䔀刀䔀䐀 䄀猀猀漀挀椀愀琀攀 漀昀 䄀瀀瀀氀椀攀搀 匀挀椀攀渀挀攀 䌀攀爀琀椀昀椀挀愀琀攀 䴀愀爀欀攀琀愀戀氀攀 匀欀椀氀氀猀 䄀眀愀爀搀 䐀爀⸀ 䠀漀眀愀爀搀 䴀愀爀焀甀椀猀攀Ⰰ 倀爀漀最爀愀洀 䌀漀漀爀搀椀渀愀琀漀爀 ⠀㈀㄀ ⤀ 㐀㠀㘀ⴀ㐀㌀㔀㔀 簀 栀洀愀爀焀甀椀猀攀䀀愀氀愀洀漀⸀攀搀甀 一漀爀琀栀眀攀猀琀 嘀椀猀琀愀 䌀漀氀氀攀最攀 ㌀㔀㌀㔀 一⸀ 䔀氀氀椀猀漀渀 䐀刀 匀愀渀 䄀渀琀漀渀椀漀Ⰰ 吀堀 㜀㠀㈀㔀㄀ 愀氀愀洀漀⸀攀搀甀⼀渀瘀挀

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 7

FIRST WORDS

1

San Antonio Approves Police Union Deal Without Disciplinary Reforms: “So who’s going to vote out the 9 city council members that decided cops pay is more important than their accountability?” – Arturo Gómez Tagle Report: Texas Will Lead the Nation in Illness Caused by Oil and Gas Production By 2025: “But can we not protect ourselves with our guns and our conservative values?” – Johnny Ray Southtown Restaurant Adds “Coonass Jambalaya” to Menu, Quickly Removes It: “Dang, their prices are mad offensive too. $18 for jambalaya is ridiculous. It’s a ‘poor man’s dish’ and its price point is meant to reflect that.” – Alexander Gregory UIW Ousts Longtime President After Weird Comments About Black, Native American Students’ Skin Color: “It was his time to go. Being President of any university should be limited to 10 years.”

– Rodney Zarate • Send your thoughts, comments, kudos or tips to letters@sacurrent.com

IN THIS

ISSUE Issue 16_36 /// September 7-13, 2016

13

NEWS

Vaxxed Bexar County DA is an “empirical data guy” who believes vaccines cause autism Gasping for Breath By 2025, Texas will lead the nation in illness caused by oil and gas production

29

ARTS + CULTURE

The Fabric of Our Lives Jenelle Esparza and Daniela Cavazos Madrigal find identity in the everyday

16

FEATURE

A Photo Feast of Fantastic Proportions Fotoseptiembre is back and more dazzling than ever

COVER

41

NIGHTLIFE

Prost!

Since its creation in 1995, Fotoseptiembre has grown from a random annual sampling of personal artistic expression into an internationally renowned photography festival. From local talent to a solo exhibition of one of Mexico’s most influential contemporary photographers, this year’s festival shows just how far Fotoseptiembre has come in its 21 year history.

Oktoberfest brews we love Happy Hour Hound Intimate setting, cheap mezcal at Michin Mexican Kitchen

CALENDAR

Our top picks for the week

Living Legend Iconic Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide comes to light in ‘A Lens to See’

35

SCREENS

Monster Mash The bland, underwhelming horror schlock of Morgan

36

FOOD

Not Just Legs San Antonio Crab Shack is a laid-back getaway Food Court More pizza, Alchemy tries lunch, and Botika’s new happy hour is here

America’s Angriest Voice of Reason Words of wisdom from Lewis Black

ON THE

22

45

MUSIC

The Border Bard Remembering Juan Gabriel (1950-2016)

59

ETC.

Savage Love Jonesin’ Crossword Freewill Astrology

Trashed The sweet and dirty sounds of Garbage Music Calendar What to see and hear this week

Cover photo: Autorretrato en mi casa/Self-portrait at my House, by Graciela Iturbide, courtesy Ruiz-Healy Art. Art direction by Sarah Flood-Baumann

8 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

25

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sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 9

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sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 11

September 17 & 18 E FRE to

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Joe Lovano\ Kirk Whalum Henry Brun & Friends

featuring Ed Calle, Spot Barnett, Augie Meyers, and June Parker

Lao Tizer

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VIP & Reserved Seating Available Produced by The San Antonio Parks Foundation and the City of San Antonio for more info visit Jazzsa.org

12 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

NEWS SCREENSHOT FROM "VAXXED STORIES: THE PROSECUTOR"

VAXXED Bexar County DA is an “empirical data guy” who believes vaccines cause autism MICHAEL BARAJAS | @MICHAELSBARAJAS

≥

Last week, San Antonio’s top law enforcement official, the man voters have tasked with prosecuting anyone accused of a crime or securing justice for victims, stated unequivocally that vaccines cause autism.

In a short video produced by the people behind Vaxxed: From Coverup to Catastrophe, a recent documentary that builds on the work of the disgraced scientist who’s been instrumental in propagating the long-debunked tie between vaccines and the developmental disorder, Bexar County District Attorney Nico LaHood explained in detail why he believes “vaccines can and do cause autism.” It’s not just because of his own children’s health problems, which LaHood and his wife now believe were caused by childhood vaccines. Rather, LaHood insists it’s his background as a lawyer, prosecutor and truth-seeker that led him to embrace a theory that countless public health experts say is not only misguided but dangerous.

“What I do is follow evidence,” LaHood told the Vaxxed filmmakers. “I’m an empirical data guy. ...Give me objective evidence, I’m gonna do what’s right with that information.” The segment, titled “Vaxxed Stories: The Prosecutor,” repeatedly stressed LaHood’s status as an authority, a government official and an arbiter of truth, with part of it filmed in and around the Bexar County District

Attorney’s Office headquarters downtown. “I seek truth,” LaHood declared. “I mean, I’m a prosecutor for a living.

So I look for truth wherever it leads me.”

LaHood’s role as a top public official turned anti-vaccine prophet is precisely what troubles experts like Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children’s Hospital, who in a phone interview with the Current Tuesday called the Vaxxed documentary “a bunch of pseudo-scientific crap.” Hotez repeated what most established medical experts say about the supposed link between autism and childhood vaccines—that two decades worth of research and investigation has roundly debunked it. “His (LaHood’s) word holds weight as a public official,” Hotez told us. “And what he’s doing is he’s putting children in harm’s way through these pseudo-scientific views.”

After we sent Hotez the Vaxxed video featuring LaHood, this was his response, via email: “Scary stuff...”

LaHood’s comments come as pubic health experts across Texas nervously watch vaccination exemption rates that continue to rise. As the Houston Chronicle recently reported, the number of Texas parents exempting their kids from vaccines for non-medical reasons has increased 19-fold since 2003, the first year Texas law allowed

parents to opt out for so-called “reasons of conscience.”

While they didn’t mention LaHood by name, city, county and state public health officials on Tuesday released a joint statement decrying LaHood’s now-public stance on childhood vaccines, calling vaccines “a public health success story” that has all but eradicated now-rare diseases like polio, diphtheria and measles. “But these diseases can suddenly return,” the statement warned. “Vaccinations are not just for protecting ourselves—they also protect the people around us. Children cannot make the decision on getting vaccinated but informed parents can.”

Yet LaHood says in his interview with the documentary producers that, “If this case had to be tried to a jury, I would be very comfortable trying this case proving that vaccines have a strong factor in causing autism."

If you believe the kind of medical experts and researchers that lawyers like LaHood typically call to testify in court, that would be a tough case for the DA to win. The idea that vaccines cause autism dates back to a small 1998 study published in the medical journal The Lancet that involved 12 patients who, after receiving the MMR vaccine, started to show signs of what appeared CONTINUED ON PAGE 15 ►

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 13

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14 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

NEWS

to be autism. While other researchers were skeptical of the study from the beginning, the paper by British gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield was enough to scare a wave of parents in Great Britain and the United States away from vaccines. In outlining the facts conveniently skipped over by the Vaxxed documentary, the Washington Post recently recapped what ultimately happened with Wakefield’s alarming study: In 2004, Sunday Times journalist Brian Deer reported serious ethical violations by the 1998 paper’s lead author, gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield. Deer accused Wakefield of having been paid by a law firm that had been planning to sue vaccine manufacturers and of subjecting some of the children to unnecessary, invasive procedures for the study. After the revelations, most of the researchers named as co-authors in the study disavowed the findings and withdrew their names from the paper. In 2010, the Lancet’s editors retracted the paper. Three months later, Britain’s General Medical Council revoked Wakefield’s medical license.

Wakefield has been credited as the director of the Vaxxed documentary, which LaHood in turn credits with helping push him into the anti-vaccine camp. But research conducted in the wake of the now-retracted Lancet paper has found no such tie between vaccines and autism, like this 2015 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found “no harmful association between MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) vaccine receipt and [autism spectrum disorder] even among children already at higher risk.”

Still, in the 11-minute video the Vaxxed producers released on Tuesday, LaHood credits a family friend who was “on the bench” for the pharmaceutical giant Merck as a research scientist with first making him skeptical of the safety of childhood vaccines (LaHood, who only identifies the guy as “George,” didn’t respond to follow-up questions Tuesday).

Seeing the Vaxxed documentary, he insists, only solidified his belief that vaccines are dangerous.

The video shows LaHood attending a local screening of the film. He addresses the crowd by saying more public officials should weigh in on the matter. “I would ask whoever’s in office, an incumbent, and I would ask their opponent, ‘Where do you stand on this issue?’”

As for the decades of research and the overwhelming scientific consensus that vaccines are safe, LaHood hints that it’s all part of a “deception” that has been “promulgated on us as a community, even by our own damn government.”

GASPING FOR

ZURIJETA

◄ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

BREATH

Texas will lead the nation in illness caused by oil and gas production by 2025 MARK REAGAN | @210REAGAN

Texas will be the worst place in the entire country

won’t benefit public health, as the Texas Tribune has

by 2025 for children suffering from asthma caused by

reported. The Gradient Corporation has a long history

pollution from oil and gas production.

of “disproving” EPA science. As the Center for Public

That’s according to a new report titled “Gasping

Integrity explained in a February article that describes

for Breath,” which was released last week by the

the company as “rented white coats,” Gradient,

environmental groups Earthworks and the Clean Air

on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute, the

Task Force. The report predicts that nine years from

International Carbon Black Association and the

now, smog from oil and gas fields will cause nearly

trucking company Navistar, published 37 articles

144,500 asthma attacks in Texas children, resulting

attempting to cast doubt on the EPA’s finding that air

in nearly 106,000 lost school days. That’s 100,000

pollution does indeed cause health problems.

more asthma attacks than what the report authors

Consider that when the Alamo Area Council of

predict will be the second most-effected state,

Governments published a study linking drilling in the

Oklahoma. And San Antonio, which is near the

Eagle Ford Shale to increased levels of air pollution

Eagle Ford Shale, lands ninth on the study’s list

in San Antonio, TCEQ was there to dispute the

of 25 U.S. cities where health impacts will be the

findings. At one point, TCEQ Chairman Bryan Shaw

worst, with nearly 15,500 children suffering gas-

told the Tribune that smog does not cause health

and-oil related asthma attacks by 2025.

problems and that focusing on pollution as the

You might think that an increase of thousands

cause means “we’re missing out on the opportunity

upon thousands of asthma attacks in less than ten

to figure out what’s really causing those respiratory

years would be eye-opening for officials at the Texas issues.” Shaw further blamed any health problems Commission on Environmental Quality. Not likely.

on “some other emissions that we have that’s in the

TCEQ has a long history of bucking against the

ambient environment or, more likely, what I think is

growing scientific consensus that links oil and gas

something that’s either in our indoor environments —

production to air pollution and subsequent health

our workplace, our home. People spend 95 percent of

problems. We reached out to TCEQ for comment

their time indoors.” Talk about a scientific conclusion.

on the the new report, but haven’t yet heard back.

Texas’ top scientific department isn’t alone in

Yesterday, however, TCEQ spokeswoman Andrea

denying the link between air pollution and health

Morrow told the Texas Tribune that the agency had

problems, either. Texas’ embattled Attorney General

no comment because it didn’t have time to review

Ken Paxton sued the EPA in 2015 over tightened air

the study. That’s the same line they gave us when

quality standards, which have placed San Antonio

we asked about a New York University study that

in violation of federal smog standards for the first

linked air pollution to 52 deaths a year in the San

time. “The EPA’s new ozone rule is not supported by

Antonio-New Braunfels metro area.

scientific data,” Paxton said at the time. “Areas of

The TCEQ actually has quite an interesting

the country that fail to comply with these impossible

history when it comes to smog and research

standards will be subject to costly new regulations

showing its adverse health effects. In 2013,

that will harm our economy and kill jobs. Texas

the agency spent $1.65 million to hire a private

has proven that we can reduce ambient ozone

company called the Gradient Corporation to

concentrations without stifling growth, and my office

create what many experts called junk science

will continue to defend our state from the EPA’s

that said the EPA’s tightened air quality rules

harmful and overreaching regulations.” sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 15

FEATURE

A Photo Feast of Fantastic

always maintained that our community cannot and should not emulate other entities. We have our own strengths and weaknesses like every other place on earth. The sooner we embrace this, the quicker we will have our own, singular

… What’s also important to understand is that there are two communities we engage, each one with a distinct set of requirements. One is the community that comprises artists, organizations and venues from the metro San Antonio/Hill

What’s particularly/uniquely exciting for you about this year’s Fotoseptiembre? Within the last few years, we have seen a solid trend where exhibitions have developed from being random showings of personal artistic expression, into a more professional context of exhibitions as curatorial statements. Undertaken either by artists or by a nascent group of curatorial aspirants, we see this process as a sign of maturity from our art community. We would like to think that this comes from an appreciation of the higher standards put forth by Fotoseptiembre with our curated exhibitions and our Choice Awards.

identity — and I don’t mean the ersatz Mexican party experience touted by our tourism industry … We learned many years ago that setting themes for a community-based festival like Fotoseptiembre is counterproductive.

Every year, two, three or more thematic strings flow out naturally and organically from Fotoseptiembre participants. We have seen that in this respect, the zeitgeist is well attuned to current events and prevailing mindsets.

Regarding the Tricentennial, no, we will not define that as being a specific signifier for Fotoseptiembre 2018, but the truth of the matter is that the notion of the Tricentennial is already showing up in this year’s exhibitions and will most likely gain traction as we approach 2018. What’s important to us is to keep the “organic-ness” of Fotoseptiembre alive and well, and let it express itself fully as a communitybased festival.

Country/Austin area. The other is our international community of associates (festivals, curators, photography organizations, foundations, etc.), which requires a much higher standard of interaction. Sometimes, under the right circumstances, we manage to integrate our two disparate communities with interesting outcomes.

Several exhibits this year seem to reflect a renewed sense of San Antonio pride. Any particular plans for what Fotoseptiembre might look like in 2018 for the city’s Tricentennial? We are seeing a definite renewal in sense of pride about San Antonio. This has to do with several factors: population growth, demographic shifts, a more pervasive sense of history (not necessarily a better understanding of history) derived from the Missions being designated a World Heritage Site, as well as an incremental understanding of the importance of pride of place in creating community. For years, we have been told that we could be a better community if only we could emulate other cities. Fotoseptiembre has

Tell me a bit about how you manage all of the partnerships and collaborations that you have going on. After 22 years, Fotoseptiembre is fully integrated into the fabric of our community. We have learned how to streamline the process of producing and presenting Fotoseptiembre, and engaging with our community is second nature to us. We manage by being efficient, effective and diligent about our procedures. What also helps is the general understanding that we are a fundamental festival — ultimately, what matters are the exhibits on display. You can have all the parties, food trucks and social media raves in the world, but at the end of the day, it’s the work on the walls that counts. We strive to keep it that way

Proportions

AL RENDON

Fotoseptiembre Is Back and More Dazzling Than Ever JAMES COURTNEY

•Fotoseptiembre

director Michael Mehl

N

ow in its 21st year, Fotoseptiembre is finally old enough to celebrate with an adult beverage. And, celebrate it should. Since 1995, the homegrown, internationally renowned photography festival has consistently brought out the best in local photographers, curators and arts organizations while also bringing in important photographers from all over the world and drawing the attention of the wider art/photography establishment increasingly to San Antonio. This year, Fotoseptiembre will showcase, among many, many other worthies from home and abroad, world-renowned, uberinfluential Mexican photographer Graciela Iturbide (at Ruiz-Healy Art).

In anticipation of the annual celebration of photography, we caught up with festival director Michael Mehl, who detailed his growing satisfaction with Fotoseptiembre’s trajectory, mused about city pride and explained the need to balance the local with the global.

16 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

Tell me a bit about the push to get younger folks involved in Fotoseptiembre. We identify potential talent and reach out to young artists every year. We have seen how the fundamental values of Fotoseptiembre have made an impact on younger artists and curators.

Our guess is that by experiencing our exhibits in past years, they realize that they too can contribute their personal views and tastes to the roster of Fotoseptiembre exhibits, which we encourage. The benefits are significant: More viewpoints, diverse viewpoints, more energy, more adoption of technology to present, promote and inform, and of course, a growing constituency.

How did the exhibits by the photographic societies come about and what do they bring to the table?

In the case of the Texas Photographic Society and the Photographic Society of America, both are presenting juried exhibits of images made by their charter members. Even though juried exhibitions or competitions are antithetical to Fotoseptiembre (we favor curated exhibitions), these efforts are always interesting and are a welcome addition to our exhibitions roster. Plus, we get to see interesting work from different contexts, which is always one of our main sources of satisfaction.

Living Legend MARCO AQUINO

FEATURE

•From left: Graciela Iturbide’s Autorretrato con los indios Seris, 1979 and El señor de los pájaros, 1984

“Graciela Iturbide: A Lens to See”

Free Opening reception: 6-8pm Thu, Sept. 811am-4pm Tue-Sat through Oct. 15 Ruiz-Healy Art 200 E. Olmos Drive (210) 804-2219 ruizhealyart.com

Iconic Mexican Photographer Graciela Itubide Comes to Light in 'A Lens to See'

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s part of this year’s Fotoseptiembre, RuizHealy Art will present “A Lens to See,” a solo exhibition of photography by Graciela Iturbide.

The selections, gathered from the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University, one of the largest archives of contemporary Mexican photography, mark the first time Iturbide has been exhibited in a commercial gallery in Texas, and span a period from the early 1970s to 2006.

Among the work are some of Iturbide’s most iconic photographs, including Our Lady of the Iguanas and Angel Woman in the Desert of Sonora, both of which depict the strength and dignity of indigenous women.

Before becoming one of Latin America’s most celebrated artists, Iturbide began her career studying filmmaking at the Centro Universitario de Estudios Cinematográficos, part of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma in Mexico, and worked as an assistant to Manuel Alvarez-Bravo. While embracing her status as a protégé of Alvarez-Bravo, Iturbide has built a career of international acclaim that steps beyond the shadow of the great Mexican photographer.

In 1987, Iturbide received the W. Eugene Smith Memorial prize for Juchitán, a photo essay developed over a 10-year period during which she

lived and worked among the indigenous people of the small town located in the state of Oaxaca. “I think the way she has documented these specific groups of people in Mexico is simply remarkable,” said gallery director Patricia Ruiz-Healy.

“She doesn’t simply go to a place and take a few pictures and leave, she actually lives in the area for years and that’s how she gains the confidence and trust of a lot of her subjects, specifically in the area of Juchitán, where she produced a lot of her most well-known work, as well as in Sonora, in the desert where she also spent quite a bit of time back in the ’70s.”

In 2008, Iturbide earned the Hasselblad Award, one of the highest distinctions in the world of photography.

Her work is included in several major collections such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. In 2013, Iturbide’s work was exhibited at the Tate Modern, following a similar exhibition of Alvarez-Bravo’s work.

In “A Lens to See,” as in much of Iturbide’s oeuvre, the female presence takes center stage whether it’s through self portraits, images of indigenous Mexican women, or photographs depicting the personal belongings of Frida Kahlo, one of the 20th century’s most recognized artists and a kindred spirit. Much like Kahlo, whose

pregnancies resulted in miscarriages or abortions due to an injury she suffered at the age of 18, Iturbide is a woman who committed her life to art after the death of her 6-year-old daughter in 1970, and whose lasting legacy is a body of work that highlights the enduring strength of the female spirit.

Taken from the 2006 series Frida’s Bathroom, five photographs in this exhibition depict items ranging from Kahlo’s corsets and prosthetic leg to crutches and a bloodstained robe. Each object, carefully selected by Iturbide, stands as a testament to the crippling pain endured by Kahlo throughout her lifetime, and is photographed with the same level of dignity and respect as her human subjects. Like the female figure in Our Lady of the Iguanas, Kahlo’s belongings boldly stand before the viewer as if to say, “I was here.”

In email correspondence with the San Antonio Current, Iturbide described her affinity to the work of Kahlo stating, “I have always admired Frida for the work she produced throughout her lifetime despite her being in so much pain since she was a young girl. When I entered her bathroom after getting permission to photograph so many of these objects related to her pain, I realized how much I admired her work for its therapeutic qualities. It was a very emotional experience for me to be able to

photograph and reinterpret these objects in her own bathroom. I have never been a Frida maniac, one who elevates her to sainthood, but I believe she was a great woman and a very good artist.”

Another point that the selections in the Ruiz-Healy exhibit make clear is Iturbide’s striking use, or inclusion, of animals in her work. Here, birds and iguanas adorn human figures, as if becoming one, eliciting unknown mythical beings. In Bird Man, black birds fly above and fill the sky, perhaps signaling the presence of a higher consciousness.

In our correspondence, Iturbide explains: “The animals that appear in my photographs, in general, are the animals that live with the people from the villages.

There are photographs of other animals that have also received attention such as the birds I did for an essay. There is a poem by San Juan de la Cruz and one

by Attar, a Sufi poet, in which they talk about the conditions of the birds. These readings served me in a spiritual manner to bring me closer to the birds.”

Taken together, the work in “A Lens to See” is an artist’s interpretation of life, tragedy, and the beauty found within, but most importantly, it’s among the finest contributions to contemporary art by a living artist. “She’s a world-class artist,” Ruiz-Healy said. “To have her show in this city is a great privilege.” sacurrent.com • September 7– 13, 2016• CURRENT 17

Top 1.

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Our picks for Fotoseptiembre 2016 1. ‘KICK IT OLD SCHOOL’ For this massive group exhibit, the result of a juried open call for submissions, photographers were instructed to “kick it old school” by limiting their processes to more traditional (non-digital, non-manipulated) equipment and methods. Thus, the work exhibited herein coaxes viewers into a journey through the history of photography and reminds them that it’s still possible to create compelling images by using both traditional and non-traditional methods from the past. Free, opening reception 7-10pm Sat, Sept.

10, on view noon-5pm Tue-Sat through Oct. 1, Freight Gallery & Studios, 1913 S. Flores St., (210) 331-4382, facebook.com/freightsatx.

2. JOSHUA MCDEVITT: ‘ORIENTATION: UNSURE’ Louisiana-based photographer Joshua McDevitt’s Fotoseptiembre exhibit interrogates “Western societal mores” by looking closely at “expectations such as gender roles, heteronormativity, masculinity in boys, and femininity in girls.” Beginning with the understanding that “The way we think about gender has a long list of deeply embedded microaggressions,” McDevitt forces, in subtle and clever ways, the viewer to confront their own conceptions of gender/sexuality.

Free, opening reception 7-10pm Fri, Sept. 9, on view by appointment through Sept. 30, Clamp Light Artist Studios & Gallery, 1704 Blanco Road, Suite 104, (512) 569-8134, clamplightsa.com.

18 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

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otoseptiembre’s sheer size and sprawl can be a bit daunting and it might be difficult for the casual art aficionado (is there any such thing?) to know where to begin their journey through all the goodness that is this spectacular festival. It’s okay. Chill. While not even close to all the exhibits worth visiting this year, here are 10 shows that represent a mighty fine first course.

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3. WALTER PICKERING: ‘ESPRIT DE CORPS’ Drawing heavily upon his days in Lincoln, Nebraska as a member of his high school marching band, photographer Walter Pickering presents a body of work that gets at the heart of the bright side of the American high school experience. Knowing how these things work and using that knowledge to lead him to the really good stuff, Pickering portrays the “intimate moments — moments other than the performances and football games that most people recognize.” In his beautifully colorful “Esprit de Corps,” Pickering captures the feeling of the thing (a difficult task) more than he captures the thing itself. It’s quite a joyful look “at the intense and little-seen life of these high school and college marching bands.” Free, on view 9am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun through Oct. 30, Southwest School of Art, 1201 Navarro St. (210) 224-1848, swschool.org.

4. REBECCA DROLEN: ‘TRANSPLANTS’ When photographer Rebecca Drolen moved to Nashville, she was surprised and (a tad) disappointed that “Instead of cowboy boots and honkytonks, much of the city seemed more like a neighborhood in Brooklyn.” As she came to realize how few people she met had actual, deep roots in Music City USA, she became fascinated with the notion that the influence of a region might become overpowered by its transplants. Begun back in 2014, this exhibit showcases Drolen’s work in documenting some of these Nashville transplants and thereby exploring the complex web of half-intersecting lifestyles and

personalities that comprise the city she met, as opposed to the city she had imagined. Free, opening reception and curator’s talk 11:30am-1:30pm Thu, Sept. 8, on view 7am-9pm Mon-Sat through Oct. 9, Northwest Vista College, Palmetto Center for The Arts, 3535 North Ellison Drive, (210) 326-2622, alamo.edu/nvc.

5. ARELENE MEJORADO: ‘CALIFAS LENS, SAN ANTO HEART: OUTSIDE LOOKING IN’ Cali-born photographer Arlene Mejorado grew up making fond and formative memories on weekend visits to pulgas and swap meets with her mother. Since relocating to San Antonio, Mejorado seeks out such places for their cultural vibrancy and the characters that populate them.

For her, these spaces, these bustling outdoor markets, comprise a kind of far-flung home that she can visit anytime she craves “visually rich scenes intertwined with labor and social engagement.” In “Pulga Portraits,” a continuation of her ongoing photo-ethnographic project “Califas Lens, San Anto Heart: Outside Looking In,” Mejorado zeroes in on Southwest San Antonio’s Poteet Flea Market and the resulting pieces are bursting with life, capturing moments in time where the truly singular arises from looking deeply at the everyday. Free, opening reception 6:30pm Fri, Sept. 9, on view by appointment through Sept. 24, R Space, 110 E. Lachapelle St., (210) 214-1608, ladybasegallery.com.

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20 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

FEATURE

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6. ‘CARAS III’ The cara (Spanish for face) is a strange thing. Capable of telling a person’s entire life story, or of obscuring it, of revealing true feelings, or of disguising/ altering them, the face is the initial brand by which we come to associate the substance of a person with their form. Considering this truism in depth, and boasting portraiture work by more than 20 local photo artists — Rolando Briseño, Melanie Rush Davis, Trish Simonite and Ramin Samandari among them — “Caras III” is an extension of the “Nuestras Caras” and “Caras II” projects that began as community collaborations with the San Antonio Museum of Art’s “Retratos” exhibition back in 2006. Free, opening reception 6-9pm Fri, Sept. 16, on view 9am-5pm Mon-Fri through Oct. 14, closing reception 6-9pm Fri, Oct. 14, Centro Cultural Aztlan, 1800 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 432-1896, centroaztlan.org.

7. PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF AMERICA’S 78TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE & INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION This year, the Photographic Society of America will host its annual Conference and International Exhibit in San Antonio to fall smack in the middle of Fotoseptiembre. The conference, which will run during the same time frame as the exhibition, will feature seminars, workshops, image projections and plentiful opportunities for networking. Students, educators, amateurs, and old pros are encouraged to attend (see website for more details). While we don’t know much yet about the exhibit, judging by its international scope, we are entirely prepared to be blown away. Free, opening

reception 6-8pm Tue, Sept. 13, on view 1-6pm Wed-Fri through Sept. 16, closing reception 5pm Fri, Sept. 16, Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk, 111 E. Pecan St., (847) 636-7543, psa-photo.org.

8. SCOTT MUELLER: ‘NICK BOTTOM AND THE DARK GLOOMY ROOT VEGETABLES’ How about a photo exhibit that combines the donkey-licious shadow of one of Shakespeare’s most offbeat and humorous characters with a consideration of the glories of root vegetables? If that sounds just crazy enough to be perfect, that’s because it absolutely is. In “Nick Bottom and the Dark Gloomy Root Vegetables,” photographer Scott Mueller gets weird and playful as he uses a variety of photographic techniques (including transfers and gum oils) to create intriguing images of his ground-dwelling subjects. Free, opening reception 6-9pm Sat, Sept. 10, on view 4-8pm Wed, noon-5pm Fri, 11am-5pm Sat, 1-5pm Sun through Sept. 30, Gallery 20/20, 1010 S. Flores St., Suite 108, (210) 473-8331, gallery2020.net.

9. ‘ANSEL ADAMS: DISTANCE AND DETAIL’ One of the finest photographers ever to come out of the United States, Ansel Adams (1902-1984) helped establish photography as a truly legitimate art form — one that could preserve the past, keep the present honest,

and foster new ways of seeing and communicating.

An environmentalist and a social activist, Adams has influenced photographers the world over with his conscience and with his inimitable skill with photography.

Spanning across much of his career, “Distance and Detail” presents a chance to view 30 of Adams’ works, including some biggies like Moonrise Over Hernandez and some lesser-known gems. $8-$10, opens Fri, Sept.

16, on view 10am-9pm Tue, 10am-5pm Wed-Sun through Dec. 15, Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St., (210) 299-4499, briscoemuseum.org.

10. ‘ESTRELLA STUDIO: POSED PORTRAITS’ A historical and culturally poignant collaboration between mother and daughter, this exhibit is really something special, even on a list of special things to behold. Diana Rodríguez Gíl began serving as an assistant to her mother, Bertha Gíl Rodríguez, at a very early age, back in her hometown of Eagle Pass. Bertha eventually relocated to San Antonio (in 1950) and started Estrella Studio on Dolorosa Street (which ran until the late 1970s). In this series of historically and personality-rich photographs, some of them originally taken as required identity photos for noncitizens, we see the work produced by both Bertha and Diana as an important and compelling documentation of the evolving immigrant experience and the MexicanAmerican experience as a whole. Free, opening reception 6:30-8:30pm Fri, Sept. 9, on view 9am-noon Tue-Fri through Sept. 30, Jump-Start Performance Co., 710 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 725-2690, jump-start.org. sacurrent.com • September 7– 13, 2016• CURRENT 21

MARK MENJIVAR

CALENDAR

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◀ The City of San Antonio celebrates the first anniversary of the Missions’ designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a multifaceted festival. In addition to a “Nuestra Historia” archival exhibition (10am-5pm daily, Presidio Gallery, 126 E. Nueva St.), the festival features several don’t-miss events. Notably, at Thursday’s San Pedro Creek Groundbreaking Ceremony, Opera San Antonio will premiere the first act of an opera commissioned

by Bexar County (6:30pm, Fox Tech High School Athletic Fields, 701 N. Flores St.). Come nightfall on Friday, Mission San Jose will get a temporary makeover via “Restored by Light,” a spectacle using projection technology to recreate its original frescoed facade (6:30-11pm, Mission San Jose, 6701 San Jose Drive). On Saturday, The Mission Pachanga Celebration highlights San Antonio’s rich cultural landscape by showcasing an eclectic array of local musicians (from the jazz and swing of Brent “Doc” Watkins to the mystical fusion of Femina-X) alongside classic San Antonian fare (11am-11pm, Mission Park Pavilion, 6030 Padre Drive). The festival culminates on Sunday with a series of Celebratory Masses held at Missions Concepción, Espada, San Juan, San José and San Fernando. Free, Wed-Sun, visit worldheritagefestival.org for a full schedule of events. — Kelly Merka Nelson

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World Heritage Festival

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THU

CALENDAR OUR TOP PICKS FOR THE WEEK

‘Recreational Modernism’

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BUSTER GRAYBILL

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22 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

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art With the 2015 group show “Back from Berlin” (featuring works by Vincent Valdez, Cathy Cunningham-Little, Ricky Armendariz and Karen Mahaffy) and Thomas Cummins’ current solo show “Broken Lens,” Blue Star Contemporary has offered local art scenesters a glimpse of its Berlin residency, a three-month program that awards San Antonio artists with studio and living space at Künstlerhaus Bethanien. A pleasant surprise to come of the partnership, BSC has started to “build on this exchange and welcome KB resident artists to San

‘Obstacle’

Antonio.” First seen last winter in Norwegian artist Bodil Furu’s video project Landscapes by the Book, the cross-cultural collaboration continues this month with Swedish artist Patrik Elgström’s “Obstacle,” a photographic exhibition hosted by Trinity’s Noemi Neidorff Art Gallery. Informed by Elgström’s walks through Berlin, the series takes architectural details out of context to present them as “obstacles” that nod somewhat abstractly to the city’s complex history. Free, 6-9pm, Trinity University, Dicke Art Building, Michael and Noemi Neidorff Art Gallery, One Trinity Pl., (210) 227-6960, bluestarart.org.

— Bryan Rindfuss

◀ An assistant professor at UTSA, Buster Graybill employs sculpture, installation, video and photography as “an all-terrain vehicle to traverse the rural landscape and reconnect with often-overlooked places.” Putting a conceptual spin on classic American pastimes like fishing and camping, Graybill’s previous projects encompass sculptural installations bursting with tangled inner tubes and a super-sized bronze catfish perched atop a replica of a highvoltage box. But it was the 2010 exhibition he created for Artpace’s International Artist-in-Residence program that brought Graybill to the attention of many San Antonio art fans. Named after a large, tusked hybrid of a domestic pig and a Russian boar, his “Tush Hog” took shape in an installation of sculptural hog feeders Graybill crafted in diamond-plate metal, filled with corn, released on a ranch and monitored as they were discovered by an array of wildlife. In addition to the “corn-dispensing artworks,” the finished project included photographs and video captured with infrared cameras. Aiming to challenge “perceived notions of value and hierarchies imposed on objects of ‘high’ and ‘low’ culture,” the outdoorsman and contemporary artist’s new Sala Diaz solo show “Recreational Modernism” celebrates “the conceptual potential of objects and materials often tucked away in garages, found on the shelves of sporting goods stores or loaded on the bed of a truck for a weekend vacation.” Free, 6-10pm, Sala Diaz, 517 Stieren St., (972) 900-0047, saladiazart.org. — BR

CALENDAR

‘Family Happiness’

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◀ Tucked away inside the 1906 South Flores arts complex, FLAX Studio originated as the collaborative project of Katy Silva, the marketing and communications director at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center, and Andrei Renteria, a current participant in the community-based organization’s Artist Lab fellowship. In an interview with the San Antonio Current, Silva explained that FLAX directs its curatorial efforts toward diverse groups of socially disadvantaged artists, which happens to include women and ethnic minorities alike. This weekend, FLAX unveils Washington DC-born artist Kelly Johnston’s

ALLISON VALDIVIA

◀ Another month, another winning choice of featured artist by Provenance Gallery. Visual artist, San Anto transplant, recent UTSA MFA grad and self-described military brat Allison Valdivia often finds herself “looking to the past, looking to [her] family and culture to find a sense of who [she is].” Her new exhibit, coyly (maybe subversively?) titled “Family Happiness,” takes on her own family’s past as a source of hidden stories, forgotten or unshared memories and, ultimately, as a therapeutic journey to reconnect to her own roots. In her artist’s statement, Valdivia explains: “By viewing old family photos as artifacts, I have been creating my own stories, projecting hidden philosophies based off of personal experience, from what I see in the object before me and the lack of family history shared with me.” She explores the ideal of the happy family, often depicted on the surface of the family photos she encounters, versus the actuality of dysfunction, guilt and suffering that are part of the family experience for so many people. Often at odds with or isolated from her culture as a Latina — the result of moving around so much and of being an artistically passionate person — Valdivia also uses her ruminations on the particulars of family life to deepen her connections to her cultural identity. Free, 7-10pm, Provenance Gallery, 1906 S. Flores St., (210) 216-8362, artandprovenance.blogspot.com. — James Courtney

solo show “Ephemera” as part of the Second Saturday art walk. Johnston told the Current she was inspired by her mother’s painful struggle with dermoid cysts, abnormal pockets of tissue that contain blood, teeth and clumps of hair. To this end, she crafted a series of fruit-like sculptures cast from inorganic materials and adorned with long hair follicles. “It’s hard for women, period,” Johnson said. “There’s stuff people don’t talk about, because it’s gross and dirty. There’s a culture the art world breeds, and if you don’t fit into it, it’s hard to be heard.” Free, 7-9pm, Flax Studio, 1906 S. Flores St., (909) 518-2245, facebook. com/flaxstudio. — Abby Mangel

‘Strip Tease’ ◀ For quite a while now, if you’ve been paying attention, it’s been clear that comic books and comic strips are far from being kid’s stuff. The initially undervalued medium presents a wealth of possibility to writers who want to tell their stories with visuals and to illustrators who know that a few well-chosen words can make a narrative more clear. In “Strip Tease” (comic strip, that is … get your mind out of the gutter), we have an exciting chance to see new work from more than 10 local artists (Regina Morales, Isabel Ann Castro, Rigo Ortiz and Sergio Mata, to name a few) with quite distinct styles and artistic backgrounds. It’s a fine opportunity to check in on the limits and possibilities of this unique narrative format, with folks operating/experimenting at the cutting edge of their disciplines. Free, 7-11pm, Black Moon Gallery, 1420 S. Alamo St., #106B, facebook.com/blackmoonprint. — JC

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016• CURRENT 23

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24 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

CALENDAR NIGHTLIFE

AFRICA STUDIO

SUN ▶ Launched earlier this year and officially introduced to the public in May through the collection Life Lessons: Confessions, Viva is a group of writers and theater artists dedicated to working with emerging artists and exploring issues surrounding social justice, responsibility and diversity.

Simultaneously diving into the local theater landscape and engaging various factions of the scene, the upstart’s latest squeezes seven plays into a two-hour program concocted in just two days.

Reminiscent of beat-the-clock programs like the the San Antonio Theatre Coalition’s Theatre ASAP and the widespread 48 Hour Film Project, Viva’s 48 Hour Play Fest tasks participating writers, directors and actors with scrambling up 10-minute productions that incorporate “a randomly chosen line, prop, and costume.” Bringing together independent artists and members of Viva, SAY Sí, The Overtime, Jump-Start Performance Co., Archetype Theatre Consultants and FIRE Collaborative, the inaugural event takes shape on the intimate stage at Southtown sausage specialist Frank. $10, 7:30pm, Frank, 1150 S. Alamo St., (210) 265-5292, vivatheatreco.wixsite.com/viva. — BR

ERIC ISSELEE

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48 Hour Play Fest

many not. GroomWars competitors — many SA locals but some from as far away as Oklahoma — are allowed to practice their craft on their breed of choice for the final two days of competition but will be met with a major unknown right out of the gate. The first day’s competition requires groomers to showcase their skills making over a randomly assigned rescue dog before they can move on to a fancy-pants purebred. Sort of like Chopped with dogs, but where “competitors are responsible for keeping the venue free of dog waste of any kind” — because war is hell. Free for spectators, 8:30am-6pm SatMon (competitions: 2:30-5:30pm Sat-Sun, 1:30-5:30pm Mon), Austin Highway Event Center, 1948 Austin Hwy., (210) 639-1434, groomwars.net. — Jeremy Martin

◀ People say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in the event of the robot apocalypse Kraftwerk’s Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider better hope robots say that, too. Originally labeled “krautrock,” the catchall for Germany’s psychedelic rock movement in the 1970s, classical music students Schneider and Hütter soon moved into less populated territory, harnessing the power of then high-tech drum machines and synthesizers to create sleek, minimalist symphonies on classic albums Autobahn, Trans-Europe Express and The Man-Machine: tributes to human ingenuity and forward momentum that have influenced practically everything since and still sound like transmissions from the future perfect. Monday’s lineup features Hütter and three other musicians, but the stage setup, featuring neon lighting and appropriately retro-futuristic 3D visuals, could practically function on its own. Perhaps it will someday, after Skynet has taken over. $55-$75, 8:30pm, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 2238624, tobincenter.org. — Jeremy Martin

theatre

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MATTHEW MURPHY

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu advises “the worst policy of all is to besiege walled cities.” Similarly, the rules for threeday dog-grooming gauntlet GroomWars stipulate: “Dogs must not be in season at the time of completion,” most likely to prevent canines in heat from providing their own definition of “doggystyle.” The point is, competitive dog-grooming, much like war, involves managing and mastering an everlist of variables, GroomWars growing some predictable,

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theater

The Sound of Music ▲ If you’re feeling in the mood for singing nuns, lonely goats and a bit of “Do-Re-Mi,” you’re in luck, because the national tour of The Sound of Music lands at the Majestic this week. Set in pre-World War II Austria against a dichotomous backdrop of mountainous vistas and an ever-increasing number of Nazi flags, the musical follows Maria Rainer, who becomes governess to the Vonn Trapp children and makes an indelible mark on the family with the power of music. Under the direction of three-time Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien, the production seeks to refresh the beloved musical and introduce it

to a new generation, while keeping true to the original material. Just last year, the 1965 film starring Julie Andrews passed its 50th anniversary, and in that time, strains of its classic songs have made an indelible impression on our ears. If you know the tune of “The Sound of Music” but have never experienced the story in full, Broadway in San Antonio’s six-night run presents a top-notch opportunity to see the musical as it was originally envisioned by Rodgers & Hammerstein — on the stage. $30-$125, 7:30pm, The Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 2263333, majesticempire.com.

Through Sept. 18. – KMN

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016• CURRENT 25

26 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

CALENDAR

ART Art opening: “Feminality Discomposed” Artist Ana Hernandez-

Burwell presents new works exploring dislocation and reconciliation associated with gender, femininity and identity. Free, 7-10:30pm Saturday; Studio Fantomas, 1906 S. Flores St., (210) 978-6663.

Art opening: “Non-Contingent” The

Lullwood Group showcases the work of Barbara Miñarro, an SA-based Monterrey native focusing on painting and sculpture while pursuing a BFA from UTSA. Free, 7-10pm Saturday; The Lullwood Group, 107 Lone Star Blvd., (210) 787-6101.

”46 Years of Photography” REM Gallery’s Kent Rush retrospective highlights the longtime local photographer’s career through images dating back to the 1970s.

Free, noon-6pm Friday-Saturday; REM Gallery, 219 E. Park Ave., (210) 224-1227.

THEATER Evita Christopher Rodriguez and Josh Pepper co-direct the Woodlawn’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s iconic musical chronicling the life of Eva Perón, who rose from childhood poverty to become a powerful voice for change in Argentine politics. $17-$26, 7:30pm Friday-Saturday, 3pm Sunday; Woodlawn Theatre, 1920 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 267-8388.

Face Edward E. Wise II directs Chris Lombardo

and Sciovahn Lydston-Barron in Emily Adler’s new play surrounding a complicated couple pushing the boundaries of their taboo relationship. $10-$15, 8pm FridaySaturday; The Overtime Theater, 1203 Camden St., (210) 557-7562.

The Foreigner Likened by theater critic

Ben Brantley to “a Beverly Hillbillies or Green Acres episode with a social conscience,” Larry Shue’s Obie Awardwinning farce The Foreigner follows tragically shy British proofreader Charlie Baker to a rural fishing lodge in Georgia where he masquerades as a foreigner from an exotic locale. $16-$22, 7:30pm

Thursday, 8pm Saturday, 2:30pm Sunday; Sheldon Vexler Theatre, 12500 NW Military Hwy., (210) 302-6835.

The House on Mango Street Sometimes

heartbreaking, sometimes joyous, Amy Ludwig’s stage adaptation of Sandra Cisneros’ beloved book The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina yearning to leave her rundown neighborhood and surpass the low expectations the world has for her. José Rubén De León directs The Classic Theatre’s production. $10$25, 8pm Friday-Saturday, 3pm Sunday; The Classic Theatre of San Antonio, 1924 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 589-8450.

SPECIAL EVENTS Brews and Blooms The San Antonio

Cerveceros and the Botanical Garden’s partnership continues with a fall evening combining lawn games, live music by the Jeff Jacobs Band, grub for purchase from area food trucks and samplings of 30-plus craft brews and limited releases. $27-$30, 6:30-9:30pm Saturday; San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Pl., (210) 536-1400.

SAN ANTONIO

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New Braunfels Civic Center 375 South Castell, New Braunfels, TX 78130 Over 100 tables of vinyl, CD’s, DVD’s & plenty of music memorabilia at the show!

Regular Admission is just $5.00 (10am to 6pm) Earlybird deal $10.00 (8am to 10am)

The Great San Antonio Bash Alamo City

wrestlers Kurt Angle, Booker T, Johnny Mundo, Jerry “The King” Lawler, Buff Bagwell, Carlito, Tommy Dreamer, Matt Cross (Son of Havoc), Taya, Billy Gunn and Colt Cabana converge for an epic brawl at Country Gold Ballroom. $25-$175, 3-9pm Sunday; Country Gold Ballroom, 7405 Old Pearsall Road, (210) 623-1760.

musicconnection@sbcglobal.net | 210-415-2972

TALKS PLUS “What Does Freedom Mean to You?”

A collaboration with literary nonprofit Gemini Ink, the August edition of the ITC’s Free Second Sunday program explores the concept of freedom through interactive writing exercises and a presentation by Tejano Roots author Dan Arrellano connecting the Battle of Medina (dubbed the “biggest and bloodiest battle ever fought on Texas soil”) with diez y seis de septiembre.

Free, noon-4pm Sunday; Institute of Texan Cultures, 801 E. César E. Chávez Blvd., (210) 458-2300.

Working Artist Panel Southwest School

of Art President Paula Owen moderates a panel discussion between working artists Andy Benavides (SMARTSA, 1906 Studio), Kim Bishop (Art to the Third Power, 3rd Space Art Gallery), Margaret Craig (SSA Printmaking Chair), Ramin Samandari (Magic Realism Studio) and Mark and Angela Walley (Walley Films). Free, 5:307:30pm Thursday; Southwest School of Art, 300 Augusta St., (210) 224-1848. sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016• CURRENT 27

* !

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V IS IT : D R A FT H O U SE .C O M 28 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

ARTS + CULTURE

FABRIC OF OUR LIVES

Jenelle Esparza and Daniela Cavazos Madrigal find identity in the everyday

≥

JAMES COURTNEY

In the heat of August, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center opened a wellpaired duo of exhibits, which remain on view at Galería Guadalupe through October 8. The exhibits, “Evaporándome Lentamente” by Daniela Cavazos Madrigal and “El Color de la Obra” by Jenelle Esparza, each present visions of how our hopes and dreams, our very identities, become entangled in — and shaped by — the activities and artifacts that fill our daily lives. While Madrigal’s installation, constructed from repurposed garments embroidered with sayings, elicits private thoughts suggestive of both suffering and renewal, Esparza’s ruminates upon the defiant hope and joy that South Texan field workers find amid the endless monotony of their labor.

underwear, reads “Tu eres mi jarabe” (“You are my syrup”). In some cases, the artist has created sprawling cursive text (all fashioned from fabric) across the gallery’s white walls, effectively creating something bold and confident from materials typically considered private.

The most striking piece is a massive, floor-to-ceiling denim waterfall that seems to bound down the wall. In faintly visible embroidery, it reads “Fuera de aqui lo hay todo” (“Outside of here there is everything”).

‘El Color de la Obra’ With family ties to the picking fields, Esparza takes a simultaneously personal and conceptual approach in her efforts to shed light on a predominately Latino labor force along the U.S.-Mexico border. To stunning and immersive effect, “El Color de la Obra” ‘Evaporándome Lentamente’ comments on the life/work dichotomy Madrigal’s colorful repurposed fabric by combining a beautiful photographic sculptures transform intimate everyday mural of a cotton farm with mirrored items into vessels for personal and boxes containing bronze sculptures shared narratives. Inspired by the concept of cotton calyxes (the hard husk that of intersecting histories as presented surrounds the bud) and a recreation of through language, and inextricable from an old weighing system. Staring into the materials that fill our lives and clothe one of the mirror boxes, the viewer our bodies, Madrigal shares phrases feels thrust into an endless world of (in her native Spanish) of loss, love and toil and sameness, of cotton, of sweat, longing. “Masochista por excelencia” and of the damage wrought on one’s (“Masochist par excellence”) reads Olivia, hands by the cotton calyxes. But, an innocent-looking white knit looking to the right, the viewer piece constructed from finds a sense of defiant “Evaporándome women’s underwear. peace from the lyrics to Lentamente” & A gray knit piece, a field song, poetically “El Color de la Obra” Free also crafted from describing life as both Noon-5pm Mon-Fri repurposed hard and beautiful.

Galería Guadalupe 723 S. Brazos St. (210) 271-3151 guadalupeculturalarts.org

DANIELA CAVAZOS MADRIGAL

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TAKE NOTE YOUTH BAND AUDITIONS

BE PART OF SAN ANTONIO PARKS AND RECREATION’S AWARD-WINNING TAKE NOTE YOUTH BAND Musicians and vocalists, ages 13 to 18, can submit samples and a letter of interest no later than September 16, 2016. For more details call 207-3132 or visit sanantonio.gov/parksandrec

30 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

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Whether you know him from his awardwinning stand-up specials, his regular “Back in Black” segments on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, as the voice of Anger in Pixar's blockbuster Inside Out, or in his role as ambassador for voting rights for the American Civil Liberties Union, there is no mistaking the voice of Lewis Black.

While tilting against the idiocy of life's windmills, oftentimes to the point of being, at best, apoplectic or, at worst, having a mental breakdown, Black strives to be a voice of reason in an increasingly indifferent world. Black recently spoke to the Current in advance of his appearance at the Majestic as part of "The Emperor's New Clothes: The Naked Truth Tour."

I understand you grew up in the D.C. Beltway.

Were politics a part of your life growing up?

Were they something your parents were passionate about? Politics were in our face. You're living 20 minutes away from the nuthouse. I like to put that everyone else's national news was our local news. My mother would watch the news and just yell at the television half the time. When the [Vietnam] War started, my father said that he was going to see if there was actually a legal basis for it.

You went to college to study to be a playwright.

How did comedy evolve out of that? Mainly I got into it because more people started to gravitate towards my stand-up. I ran this club in New York and we were doing these plays and I was kind of opening in front of these plays. I just became more and more comfortable with it. I'd been doing stand-up off and on since I was 21 just for fun, but by the time I was 40, it really became my main focus.

So, did people in your social circles tell you that you were funny? Did you think you were funny?

Yeah, I was told I was funny. I knew a lot of funny people, and I tend to gravitate to funny people. You know, you don't gravitate to depressed people. You

ARTS + CULTURE

don't go to a weep-a-thon. My friends are all still really funny. I'm still kind of surprised, but yeah, I do consider myself to be a funny person ... A lot of the times, I think I can't believe that came out of my mouth ... There are a lot of people who I think are funnier than me. My friend Kathleen Madigan is hysterical. Dave Attell, he slays me. Bill Burr is funny. Jon Oliver's stand-up, I hear him and just say, "Fuck, I should've thought of that.”

So, what do you find funny? What makes you laugh? Stupid. Stupid makes me laugh. It's just like, really? You have the choice between this and that and one is the obvious choice, but you're going to choose that? You are so wrong, it's beyond belief.

It's like that kid yesterday. He tried to impress his girlfriend by jumping off a building and surprising her and wound up getting stuck between two buildings. That's funny. If he died, it's not as funny.

You'd have to wait a few days, maybe two weeks.

But since he only twisted his ankle, it's funny.

I would venture that the majority of people became aware of you from your work on The Daily Show. How did that role come about? I got it because Lizz Winstead knew me. And she was the executive producer. She knew me from standup and knew that I had a lot of material and they needed a lot of material.

Since so much of your material over the years deals with politics, as a comedian, who would provide you with more fodder as president? I mean, for comedy, it's Trump and for tragedy, it's Trump.

I read a quote that was attributed to you describing your style as “being on the Titanic every single day and being the only one who knows what is going to happen.” Do you still feel that way?

Yeah, I still feel that way. Seriously,

it's kind of like, do you still want to discuss this stuff or do you want to do something about it. We're not going to figure out immigration? Really? We're just going to say that it is A or B and there is no compromise?

I mean, even under Bush, he gave it one last shot and he couldn't get people on board. It's pathetic ...

We have a social security system that needs to have some sort of an overhaul. I'm not convinced of what that is, but privatizing it would be mildly psychotic. All these people, all these geniuses, they can't figure it out now? This is in light of an older population that is living longer than anybody expected. I mean, you can't move the retirement age to 68? Nobody can figure this stuff out? I mean seriously, grow the fuck up!

These seem like common sensetype of suggestions. Has the concept of you running for public office been brought up before? Yeah, people yell that out and nah, I'm not going to do that. I don't want to deal with those people. Like those politicians, I don't want to have to go to work. Right now, I at least enjoy what I do.

$25-$69.75 8pm Fri, Sept. 9 The Majestic Theatre 224 E. Houston St. (210 ) 226-3333 majesticempire.com

I'm always curious about what people think of our city. You’ve been here a few times, what are your thoughts on San Antonio? How are we as a comedy city? I've performed there several times.

I used to perform at the comedy club there. When you talk about a city for comics, what they really care about is, is there a mall or somewhere I can walk around? Are there any fun spots to go do some things? San Antonio has everything you could want if you're a comic.

AMERICA’S

ERIC MORENO

Words of wisdom from Lewis Black

COURTESY

VOICE OF REASON

Lewis Black

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 31

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www.WorldHeritageFestival.org 32 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

September 10, 2016 22 mile, 14-mile, 7-mile options

A fully supported Bike Tour of the San Antonio Missions.

Rest stop at every Mission, Tour Guides, Activities, Amazing Goody Bag, Lunch After the Ride, and Music Festival for the entire family.

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 33

34 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

2016 TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION

SCREENS

MONSTER MASH

The bland, underwhelming horror schlock of Morgan

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Morgan takes an interesting premise and discards it like it’s a rancid piece of trash. It’s high concept that devolves into low-grade horror schlock, resulting in one of the most predictable and disappointing endings you’ll ever see. If you insist on going, trust me and leave after 45 minutes – whatever ending you imagine in your head is guaranteed to be better than what director Luke Scott delivers.

Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) is a risk management consultant for a technology company. She ventures to a remote area after a scientifically created, human-like synthetic organism called Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy, The Witch) attacks one of its caretakers (Jennifer Jason Leigh). It’s Lee’s responsibility to assess if Morgan is worth preserving or should be eliminated. Interestingly, the doctors at the facility (played by Rose Leslie, Chris Sullivan, Vinette Robinson, Toby Jones and Michelle Yeoh), as well as their assistant Ted (Michael Yare) and chef Skip (Boyd Holbrook), share an affinity for Morgan and want to protect it. This makes sense given that

they’ve raised Morgan from infancy for the last five years.

Unlike Ex Machina, which looked at the sentience and desired humanity of synthetic organisms, Morgan goes the monster movie route. Morgan begins to attack and kill those who’ve loved and supported it for years, and the whole time you’re wondering why you’re bothering to watch yet another bland monster movie. It would’ve been so, so much more interesting to dig into the science and figure out why Morgan snaps, how and if it can be fixed, and how its evolving emotions do or do not factor into its decision making. The movie was set up for this. And then Morgan starts biting people’s faces.

Luke Scott is director Ridley Scott’s son, and with this being Luke’s feature film debut, we can understand why it’s not a refined piece of art. It’s worth noting, though, that whereas some directors will work their way up to the big chair, and/or start by creating a handful of short films, Luke has very little experience. He has only one short film to his credit,

DAN HUDAK

and was the second unit director on his father’s big budget flop Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014).

Granted, there’s no better way to learn than by doing, but it seems he wasn’t quite ready for what this movie requires. He may very well evolve into a fine filmmaker, but this is far from a promising start.

Of course, writer Seth W. Owen is to blame as well, as his story goes so bonkers off the rails asinine that you wish you could grab him and shake some sense into him.

Why Morgan does some of the things it does is never explained, and the resolution of Mara’s Lee is completely uninspired. Worse, all the killing and chasing and pleas for help are notably unoriginal. If you’re going to take a path paved by hundreds before you, at least try to do it in a creative way.

In terms of aesthetics and production value Morgan is fine, but if you can’t get the story right, nothing else matters.

How dare Luke Scott tease us with a captivating premise and then assault our eyes with such nonsense.

H

sacurrent.com • September 7– 13, 2016 • CURRENT 35

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u p s c a l e d i n i n g w i t h a l o v e o f t he g a m e 36 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

DAN PAYTON

FOOD

NOT JUST LEGS

San Antonio Crab Shack Is a Laid-back Getaway JESSICA ELIZARRARAS | @JESSELIZARRARAS

San Antonio Crab Shack 4413 Rittiman Road, (210) 504-7227 facebook.com/sacrabshack The Skinny: Lots of care and little fuss at this new eatery off Rittiman that packs in crab legs, po’boys and more. Best Bets: Sunny Florida, fried shrimp po’boy, catfish po’boy Price: $7-$40 Hours: 11am-9pm Tue-Thu; 11am-10pm Fri-Sat; noon-6pm Sun

> If you tire of the kitsch of Joe’s Crab Shack, but still need to get your crustacean fix, San Antonio Crab Shack is definitely worth several visits.

Instead of the décor that haunts most seafood eateries (see: nets, expansive sea floor murals filled with sharks, schools of fish, and starfish, lifesavers, sand, stuffed sea creatures), the San Antonio Crab Shack goes for bare-bones pragmatic dining. There are a dozen or so tables, all topped with plastic buckets, napkin rolls and crab crackers. A flat screen TV usually draws attention, but that’s about it.

Like most often the case at such demure joints, you’re not there to play interior designer, you’re there for delicious food. After opening in mid-May at an equally nondescript shopping center off Rittiman Road, the San Antonio Crab Shack has amassed a small following — and for good reason.

I stopped by for my first visit on a recent weekday just past the lunch hour and was warmly greeted by one of their staff members. Like every restaurant worth its salt, SACS has a tight and concise menu, and theirs is made up of crab specials, shrimp and

crawfish boils, po’boys and sides. There’s a mention of desserts, but my lunch partner and I stuck to savory offerings. I went with the Sunny Florida crab platter in the most go-big-or-go-home fashion, while my partner chose the fried shrimp plate.

Several minutes later, we were presented with our orders. My awe-inspiring plate was perfectly arranged with two snow crab leg clusters, a quarterpound of shrimp, smoked sausage, sweet corn and seasoned potatoes. A fan of crawfish, I don’t mind putting in some work in order to chow down on any meal, and this was no different. Though plainly seasoned, the crab was tender, and my only complaint would be that the AC in the joint quickly turned my plate stone cold. No matter, the flavors were still balanced and the garlic butter that was paired with it helped jazz up the crab. The garlicky shrimp boil was doused in delicate chili oil that also worked well with the sweet corn. And the Kiolbassa sausage, boiled in with the crab, featured a lingering taste of salt water.

My partner’s fried shrimp was pop-able, and clearly

EXP E R I ENCE

P EARL

dredged by hand in the kitchen with a hint of chili and plenty of pepper. The plates would have been near perfect had it not been for our fingerling potatoes, which weren’t completely cooked through.

The second visit, a week later and during the evening featured more patrons, both families and smaller twosomes. This time I was joined by a pair of pals who opted for the fried shrimp plate and a fried shrimp po’boy, while I chose the catfish po’boy. The shrimp was consistently good (ask for it spicy at your own risk), but the highlights were the po’boys. Both on the smaller side, and served on small baguettes if not hot dog buns, the po’boys hit the spot without inducing a coma. My catfish, coated with cornmeal, was fried to perfection, and didn’t call for any extra sauces (thankfully it’s served sans tartar sauce). The shrimp po’boy with a simple remoulade was hard to navigate on the small bun, but still worth every bite.

No frills, just plenty of Old Bay to go around and all the crab your heart desires — the San Antonio Crab Shack is unlike most seafood eateries in SA. And that’s a very good thing. flavor@sacurrent.com

local flavor since 1883 sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 37

FOOD

Pizza Party

JESSICA ELIZARRARAS | @JESSELIZARRARAS

PHILIP CARDEN

FOOD COURT

More pizza, Alchemy tries lunch, and Botika’s new happy hour is here

> In delicious pizza news, Ray’s Pizzaria is spreading its New York-style pies to the 281 corridor. The local favorite announced the opening of its fifth shop on August 23.

Known for its laid-back decor, great pies and accessible prices, Ray’s Pizzaria first opened off Blanco Road and has grown to include spots on Fredericksburg, Kitty Hawk, Walzem, and now 281.

The new location will serve the same menu as its sister spots and will operate from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. MondayThursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday.

17700 US 281 N., (210) 530-1030.

Kombucha Optional

> The Five Points neighborhood is one of San Antonio’s most underrated neighborhoods, in my not-so-humble opinion. You’ve got great barbecue, addictive chicken fried steak, pretty protein bowls and now lots more greens available for lunch coming out of Alchemy Kombucha & Culture’s kitchen.

Crafted by chef Jessica Riviera, the menu features a few dinner items along with new dishes that are already more enticing than previous efforts at pleasing a lunchtime crowd.

Now served Wednesday through Saturday from 11 to 3 p.m. (evening hours are still the same), lunch includes a few salads, a few sammies, and a few interesting menu items including a fried country ham crepe that I’ll have to go back for. A lunch partner and I stopped by during the first day and were pleasantly surprised by the selection.

Dishes are ordered at the walk-up counter and range from $7 to $14 with optional add-ons and sides ranging from $1.50 to $3.50.

If you’re into healthful lunches, this farm-to-table spot deserves multiple visits to get acquainted with that menu.

Oh, and college students who show their school ID receive a 10 percent discount on any entree.

1123 N. Flores St., (210) 320-1168.

▲

Peruvian Happy Hour

> Botika, SA’s newest Peruvian fusion joint, which opened July 5, is finally launching a happy hour last week. You too can use this as an excuse to caress the Peruvian pom poms that adorn every bar chair in the joint, while taking advantage of discounts and snacks Monday through Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m.

Opened by Geronimo Lopez the former chef at

38 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

Culinary Institute of America-San Antonio’s NAO, Botika is adding Peruvian-Asian fare to the city featuring “Chifa” and “Nikkei” cuisine, and other classics from Latin America. The restaurant is quickly gaining attention for its elaborate sushi platters and off-menu specials.

During happy hour, the menu features $5 house empanadas, veggie spring rolls, tuna tartare and $4 Japanese peanuts along with selected $5 draft beer, Botika-selected wine, sake by the glass and a select spirit of the day.

303 Pearl Pkwy., Suite 111, (210) 670-7684.

Stouts Aplenty

> The bar owners behind The Hangar Bar & Grill, The Three-Legged Monkey and The Ringer Pub have set a date for their new bar, Stout House. The 3,000-squarefoot bar will replace Red Square Bar and ditch the wall of vodkas for 20 craft beers on tap, table seating, an outdoor patio and a pub-style atmosphere. Stout House opens September 17 from noon to 2 p.m. daily and happy hour will run noon to 8 p.m. with drink, shot and beer specials.

11851 Bandera Road, Suite 119.

A Good Taste

> The Good Kind, which is set to open this fall inside the space formerly occupied by One Lucky Duck Texas, is giving San Antonio a taste of what’s to come.

The concept is the brainchild of Tim McDiarmid of Tim the Girl culinary company. The Good Kind will be an extension of McDiarmid’s food philosophy we already

know from Tim the Girl, balanced, clean, modern and straightforward fare. The shop will seat 20, but will also serve a large grab-and-go menu for breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks.

Those wanting to get a taste for what McDiarmid is cooking up for The Good Kind can stop by the Pearl Farmers Market on Saturdays and Sundays. A small market-driven menu is available for now, and includes chopped salad with feta, lemon and olive oil; a market bowl with grains and carrot ginger dressing; watermelon lemonade; beet ginger juice; and brown butter berry bars.

303 Pearl Pkwy., Suite 109.

Ramen Pop-Up

> Keep an eye out on a a weekly pop-up by Quealy Watson who hosted a ramen pop-up to Brick at Blue Star on Monday, September 5.

Watson, who recently finished a stint with The Old Main Assoc. after parting ways with The Empty Stomach Restaurant Group, will test out recipes for Tenko Ramen, a project he’s still pretty tight-lipped on.

For the September 5 pop-up, Watson and wife Jennifer Dobbertin offered three different ramen bowls along with a slew of add-ons and small dishes including pickles, kimchi, a chicken katsu tea sandwich, hot edamame, garlicky slices of cucumber and sticky beef tendon nimono (or simmered dish). flavor@sacurrent.com Send food- and nightlife-related events and news to flavor@sacurrent.com.

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NIGHTLIFE

Oktoberfest Brews We Love

T

hough August is still a faint memory, most brew retailers started lining up their Oktoberfest offerings in the middle of last month to help you stock up in advance of the real Oktoberfest. If you can’t make it to Munich

by September 17, load up on these brews as picked by our beer scribes. Just make sure to grill enough brats to soak up the alcohol content.

OKTOBERFEST BY ALAMO BEER CO. San Antonio, Texas, ABV: 5.8 percent IBUs: 22

Alamo can annually be counted on to supply something good in celebration of the coming of fall. This year’s Oktoberfest is described as a traditional “Bavarian festbeer.” It’s dark, it’s malty and it’s smooth. Like pretty much everything that Alamo Beer puts out, especially their lagers, this is a typical “sessional” beer. At 5.8 percent ABV and 22 IBUs, you can drink them (responsibly) till the oompah bands stop playing.

The balance that this beer has really why I personally love it.

You can drink ‘em and imagine the Alps are behind you and you’re sporting your best pair of lederhosen. –Eric Moreno

OKTOBERFEST BY REAL ALE BREWING CO. Blanco, Texas, ABV: 5.7 percent, IBUs: 22

After tasting it, you would never guess that the Oktoberfest is the Blanco brewery’s first attempt at a lager. On shelves at Central Market and other beer retailers, the light copper beer stands out as one of the most pared down, minimalist fall offerings available. No apothecary’s delight of savory spices — just a slight malty sweetness in a medium bodied beer.

Elegant in its simplicity, Real Ale has found a winner in this seasonal offering. – Mark Stenberg

company’s staple; it is also a bit smoother to drink. As an easy drinking lager, it’s got a 5.8 percent ABV and is very “clean.” The first Märzen style beer I ever had was a Shiner Bock Oktoberfest and I was hooked ever since. - EM

OKTOBERFIESTA BY FREETAIL BREWING CO. San Antonio, Texas, ABV: 5.8 percent, IBUs: 27

Oktoberfest beers are here! Out of the many offerings already available of this popular fall style, I look forward to my first pint of ‘Oktoberfiesta’ from San Antonio based Freetail Brewing Co. This hoppier take on the Märzen/Oktoberfest style has a malt back bone that just screams German lager. The twist on this one though is the non-traditional use of a Belgian yeast strain, which serves to highlight European hops and malt, giving it a smooth fruity character. Perfect for for any season, Oktoberfiesta really shines in the fall, as we come down off the summers much lighter offerings. – Jeremy Banas

And because you’re already aching to try pumpkin beers, here’s a bonus pick: PUMPKIN DOWN BY BALLAST POINT San Diego, California, ABV: 5.8 percent, IBUs: 22

OKTOBERFEST BY SHINER BOCK Shiner, Texas, ABV: 5.8 percent, IBUs: 18

The products put out by the fine folks at Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas (aka the Cleanest Little Town in Texas) are always my preferred beverage of choice. Each fall, I make sure I find some of these as they are delicious. This is a more copper-looking color than the darker Bock beer that is the

For someone looking for a little autumnal flavor without a deluge of sucrose, the Pumpkin Down should be your first choice. Breathe deeply enough and the nostalgia of fall will come rushing in, like your nose is hovering over a fresh pumpkin pie or a jar of cloves. Since the beer is Scottish Ale, it holds its own against the toffee and molasses notes. The result is a spicy, toasted taste with just a hint of sweetness, a perfect beer for the season. - MS sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 41

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HAPPY HOUR HOUND

Intimate setting, cheap mezcal at Michin Mexican Kitchen

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We’ve all been there, we start want to go out and have a fun night out, but our wallets tell us to stay in. Well, Michin Mexican Kitchen offers an opportunity to start your night late and still save money.

Most happy hours in San Antonio will end around 7, or 8 (some even as early as 6) but at Michin you can count on their “Social Hour” lasting from 3 p.m. ‘til closing time. The Social Hour offers discounts on select drinks, beers, and spirits all at less than $4 bucks.

The Tita Margarita (the house marg) will cost you only $2.99 while the spirit selection is priced just one dollar higher.

If you plan accordingly, you can even take advantage of Michin’s Patio Social Hour, which runs from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and offers $5 deals on select food and appetizers (guacamole, ceviche, elotes and Mexican pizzas). This does only take place on the patio however, so if you do not want to brave the heat, you do have to pay full prices inside.

I was one of those people opting to stay in the AC. The store was surprisingly quiet for a Saturday evening.

We got there at about 8:30 and there were only a couple of people enjoying their complimentary chips and salsa while sipping on their margaritas. It seems that most people aren’t aware that the eatery is open late into the night, and that they get most of their traffic during the lunch hour. Our server (Mark) greeted us and brought the chips and salsa trio to the table (you get three salsas), he asked if we had ever visited the restaurant before, then suggested some of his favorite items on the menu.

We ordered drinks, I took advantage of happy hour getting copitas of Wahaka mezcal at only $3.99, and my

friend opted for a White Manhattan (white whiskey, dry vermouth and bitters) off the cocktail menu (not on happy hour) that set her back $15. The food and drink menu have really broad price ranges. Depending on what you wanted you could spend anywhere from $3 to $16. Foodwise, my friend and opted for some tacos (they ran about $4 each) and munched on the chips while taking in the ambiance of the restaurant.

Michin’s got an open air vibe to it, and it’s very sleek and modern. It seems like the type of place that could have the potential to be loud if packed with a lot of people, though it wasn’t this evening.

Instead Michin ended up giving it more of a intimate vibe, somewhere you could go for late night snacks and drinks with a date or a friend. There is live music on Fridays, but that’s also on the patio, (the patio gets everything!).

The food arrived fast, and looked great. If our meals were anything like the chips, (which had a dusting of chili powder), I knew it would be delicious. It lived up to the Michin motto of a “fresh healthy kitchen.” The food was good, and if you are looking for something that is cheaper and healthy is a great spot to hit up. Michin has a great thing going for it, though it does need to work on getting some patrons in on a Saturday night (they did mention starting karaoke). Until the karaoke starts, or word starts spreading about the great social hour deals, it’s a great intimate spot. Perfect for those wanting to have a conversation over affordable snacks and drinks.

427 N. Loop 1604 W., Suite 202, (210) 277-7222; Social Hour runs from 3 p.m. ‘til close, everyday with Social Patio running 8-10 p.m. daily.

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COURTESY OF GARABGE

DAVE TERRY

•

Garbage plays the Majestic September 11

COU RTE SY OF STU

NVO LUME

≥

TRASHED The sweet and dirty sounds of Garbage RYAN SMITH

Breaking out of the saturated crowd of alternative rock bands clamoring for attention and emerging onto an international stage was an extraordinary accomplishment for any band in the early 1990s. But then again, Garbage was always far from ordinary.

Several years prior to their formation in 1993, hiphop had begun to take the world by storm with artists like the Beastie Boys, Run-DMC, and Public Enemy all gaining huge audiences. Underlying their rhymes were beats, often featuring portions of other songs that were retooled and re-imagined in entirely novel ways. In other words: sampling.

It’s from these roots, incredibly enough, that Garbage was born.

Three of the founding members of Garbage — Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig — all came from recording and sound engineering backgrounds.

Vig, in particular, had been hard at work since the early ‘80s working in the studio with variety of punk bands, and would soon be lead producer on some of the biggest alt-rock albums of the 90s: Nirvana’s Nevermind, Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream, and even Dirty by Sonic Youth, not to mention a number of other major releases from the likes of L7 and House of Pain.

Despite that success, Vig was itching to branch out. He ultimately teamed up with Marker to start their own new way of sampling and remixing, by reworking,

adding instrumentation to, or occasionally building entirely new rhythms, melodies, and directions out of well-known songs. They started dropping new takes on tunes by Depeche Mode, U2, and Nine Inch Nails.

But perhaps most importantly, the duo realized they could use their penchant for sample-based musicmaking to create an entirely new kind of rock and roll.

That’s when they added their friend, Duke Erickson, on bass and brought on Scottish singer Shirley Manson.

What emerged was a rock band that emphasized and was unafraid to ingratiate new sounds. Genrebending compositions were pieced together in the studio with looping and sampling to record special effects, guitar, bass, and other unconventional noises (many accidentally discovered). The result: a beautiful new sound perhaps best illustrated by Garbage’s 1995 self-titled debut album, which would propel the band to tremendous success and acclaim.

Fast forward to 2016, and Garbage is now touring to support Strange Little Birds— a new album that debuted internationally on June 10. The band’s sixth full-length studio album, a darkness carries through and underlies the record’s many gorgeous moments for an album that longtime Garbage fans will— much like the show itself— be sure to love.

Garbage, with Cigarettes After Sex. $69-$262, 8pm Sat, September 11, Majestic Theater, 224 E. Houston St., majesticempire.com

sacurrent.com • September 7– 13, 2016 • CURRENT 45

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MUSIC

REMEMBERING

(1950-2016)

JUAN GABRIEL

ROBERT HACMAN

The Border Bard

ENRIQUE LOPETEGUI

≥

Juan Gabriel (born Alberto Aguilera Valadez in Michoacán, but raised from an early age in an orphanage in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua) was a lot more than a Mexican icon who wrote over 1,800 songs, sold more than 100 million copies of his 45 albums and died Sunday at age 66, after performing his last sold-out concert at The Forum in Inglewood, California on Friday. He was the Divo of Ciudad Juárez, but also The Border Bard.

“He was the voice of people on the border with big dreams and carrying a lot of pain in their hearts for what life has dealt them,” Rubén Martínez, an author and Literature professor at Loyola Marymount, told the Current over the phone from Los Angeles. For more than one generation of Chicanos, Gabriel’s work in many ways represented borders, not just geopolitical but the blurred boundaries of genre and sexuality. His early hits, like “El Noa Noa” and “La Frontera,” were classic border ranchera-rock. “And he was on the border in terms of sexual identity,” Martínez said. “In his concerts, he would ask, ‘¿Quién se quiere casar conmigo?’ [‘Who wants to marry me?] And everyone, men and women, wanted to marry him, even the biggest machos!”

News of Gabriel’s death exploded on social media, and there is even a Facebook page calling for a “March to revive-clone-hologramize Juan Gabriel,” scheduled for November 12 at Mexico City’s El Zócalo, launched by fans who “refuse to accept the death of the Divo.”

Even Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine tweeted “I’m sorry for #Mexico losing this great musician.”

Juan Gabriel’s melodies were beautiful and clever in their simplicity, and the hooks genius: they would grab you and wouldn’t let go. Not only did he write for himself, but also for others whose careers exploded thanks to his songs. Marc Anthony, a once unknown Nuyorican whose only brush with fame was “Ride on the Rhythm” (number one on Billboard’s dance chart in 1992) has repeatedly said his life changed thanks to Juan Gabriel, and it only took one song. Asked by Ralph Mercado (then president of salsa label RMM Records) to do a Spanish-language salsa album, Anthony was unsure. He only decided to do it after hearing “Hasta que te conocí,” a major “Juanga” hit, during a cab ride in New York.

“I jumped out of the car and called Ralph from a pay phone,” Marc Anthony said in 1996, for a story in the Los Angeles Times. “I told him that if I could record a salsa version of the song, I was willing to start recording tomorrow.” The rest is history: Marc Anthony’s acclaimed salsa debut, 1993’s Otra Nota (produced by Sergio George) began the process that turned Marc Anthony

into a superstar. Once again, there was Juan Gabriel to help out as he had done before for so many other artists.

Juanga was so big that he could stop recording for seven years (due to a legal dispute with his label BMG in 1986-94) without losing an ounce of popularity. But if there was Juanga the singer-songwriter, there was also Juanga, period. A larger-than-life persona who couldn’t be more opposite the usual Mexican macho stereotype; yet, everyone loved him, even rockeros whose music had (apparently) little to do with Juanga’s pop melodies. Just listen to “Querida,” a 1992 ska-punk cover by Maldita Vecindad, and understand they were not poking fun at the crooner, but paying respects to the master. They even once invited Juanga to one of their shows, and Juanga loved it.

“They invited me to one of their shows, and after I met them, I saw they were beautiful people, full of energy,” Juan Gabriel told me in 1993. “It was a phenomenal show.”

It made a lot of sense that Juanga, who was first inspired

by Enrique Guzmán’s early rock en español hits with Los Teen Tops in the early ’60s, would leave us as a last single a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have you Ever Seen the Rain?” included in Quiero Creedence, a Spanishlanguage tribute album featuring Juanes, Los Lonely Boys, Los Lobos and other major Latin artists.

That 1993 conversation was my first of three encounters with Juan Gabriel for the Los Angeles Times, on the occasion of his return after the legal difficulties with the label. He would pack Pasadena’s Rose Bowl (a crowd of almost 100,000) in a benefit show for the Chihuahua orphanage he opened in 1987. I was a little apprehensive, having heard stories about his temperament. But entering his hotel room in Studio City, California, was like entering a magical, other-worldly realm. There he was, sitting and playing a long white piano, dressed in white, with white pillows all over the room. He smiled and spoke with me (in Spanish) about everything, even the things I didn’t quit know how or when to ask. The following exchange is one of the very few times he spoke about his sexuality: > Despite all the love of your fans, the media have often portrayed you in your private life as somewhat distant and temperamental. What do you say about that? “[Laughs] I’ve heard that before. There are different Juan Gabriels in people’s heads, and I can’t answer for all of them. But let’s set the record straight: I’m not a monster, but I’m also not as good as some people say I am. I’m human and I make mistakes. Within my own

family, there were different opinions about me when I was growing up－in all respects. One sister told me I was her favorite. Another one said that . . . well, that I was not what I was supposed to be. You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?” >Your sexual orientation? I was about to get into that . . .

“I wouldn’t like it.” >Why not? I couldn’t care less about your private lifestyle, but I find the Juan Gabriel phenomenon fascinating, considering the still rampant homophobia in Latin America and, especially, Mexico. You’re loved by everyone, even the big “machos.” But you’ve never talked about your sexuality.

“I have four sons. That’s No. 1. Second, in show business, if you’re male and cute and gracious, people assume you are blah, blah, blah. But people don’t understand that art itself is female－it is full of graciousness, cadence, color, rhythm. It’s full of love and grace. No. 3: Nowadays, the important thing is to be careful. That’s what people have to worry about, not whether one is or isn’t. Watch your ‘bird’ and watch your butt. Especially in the U.S., where there is, or there is supposed to be, so much respect for all peoples.”

Years later, he famously told Univision’s Primer Impacto that “Lo que se ve no se pregunta” (“What you see you don’t ask about”).

“It was a very obvious thing, but he was having it on his terms long before so many artists could,” said Rubén Martínez.

Just like he once stirred controversy when he compared the great María Félix with Virgin Mary in “María de las Marías” (“With all due respect to Virgin Mary, she’s a Lady, but María Felix is another Lady,” he said), and just like members of his own family had different opinions about him, people saw Juan Gabriel in different ways. My take is simple: Along with José Alfredo Jiménez and Agustín Lara, he’s part of the Holy Trinity in a long list of superb Mexican singer-songwriters, but he’s unique in the sense he transcended styles, sexuality and geography.

“He is the great composer and number one record seller,” the late Mexican author Carlos Monsiváis once wrote. “He was an institutional phenomenon and an industry in his own right.” sacurrent.com • September 7– 13, 2016 • CURRENT 47

MUSIC

RENATA RAKSHA

MP

MUSIC PICKS

September 9 - Cash’d Out ( Johnny Cash Tribute)

Floating Points Perhaps a sign of his academic background (a PhD in neuroscience and epigenetics), Floating Points frontman Sam Shepard crafts beautifully precise and simultaneously organic mixtures of instrumental nuggets and rhythmic house numbers laden with a variety of jazz, big band, and exotic sampling.

Floating Points is one of those bands that’s found fascinating ways to meld digital with acoustic, fleshing out sonic experimentations into one of a kind performances that are not to be missed.

With Olga Bell. $15, 8pm, Paper Tiger, 2401 N. St Mary's, papertigersa.com FRI

9

Delicate Boys Not just another rock and roll band from Austin scraping to get by, Delicate Boys are, in their own words, “available for birthdays, and will bring clown.” Even for a band just a few months old with one two-track digital single under their belt, these young guns are already crafting some of the newest, most exciting, and fuzzed out garage jams currently coming from the 512. True to their word, they also put on a rowdy, rough and tumble live set–clown or no clown. With Sad Diet and Berlin Dream. $5, 8pm, Imagine Books & Records 8373 Culebra Rd., imaginebookstore.com FRI

9

Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas Pop culture icons, long-time collaborators, and fellow Dallas natives Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas have come a long way since their Disney days. Lovato has, in addition to judging on the X-Factor, had a run of successful albums beginning with 2008’s Don’t Forget, which she co-wrote with Jonas and his brothers, who also produced the album. Jonas, of course, gained fame through the Jonas Brothers trio, which went on hiatus as each member sought solo projects. $29.95-$89.95, 7pm, AT&T Center, 1 AT&T Center Pkwy, attcenter.com FRI

September 10 - Robert Earl Keen

Sept 14

Haken w/Thank You

September 16 - Pat Green + Kyle Park

Sept 17

School of Rock

September 17 - Billy Joe Shaver

Sept 17

Audiotopsy

Sept Aug 24 3

GirlsSonic NIGHTRadio Out... the Show

Sept 25

Islander

9

▲ Avi Buffalo That Avi Buffalo is performing again and in San Antonio should not be taken for granted. At one point, the band was declared dead by lead songwriter Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg, who said he wanted to pursue other projects. Later, it became clear a bad management deal had been the primary reason he’d left. Thankfully, it all turned out to be a mere hiatus for Avi Buffalo, which will bring its soft, warm, and winsome blend of folk, pop and rock to San Anto this week. With the Kickback and the Rich Hands. $5, 18+, 9pm, Limelight, 2718 N St Mary’s St., thelimelightsa.com SAT

10

September 23 - The Mavericks

14492 Old Bandera Rd Helotes, TX (210)695-8827

For tickets: liveatfloores.com

1223 E Houston St. SA, TX 78205 www.therockboxsa.com sacurrent.com • September 7– 13, 2016 • CURRENT 49

MUSIC

Doug Moreland - Dance Hall Show All Ages, 8pm, Luckenbach Dancehall Floating Points, Olga Bell $15 Presale, All Ages, 8pm, Paper Tiger Friday Nights with Ghostpizza $3, 21+, 9pm, Phantom Room It’s A Groove Thing with DJs Chacho and Donnie Dee Free, 21+, 10pm, Groove Lounge

Bob Schneider $25 Presale, All Ages, 7pm, Gruene Hall Collective Soul $30-45 Presale, All Ages, 7pm, Aztec Theatre Demi Lovato & Nick Jonas $30-90 Presale, All Ages, 7pm, AT&T Center Freshmoon Showcase Free, 21+, 9pm, The Mix Jim Cullum Jazz Band Free, 21+, 7pm, Tucker’s Kozy Korner

NATHA N HALL PHOTO GRAPH Y

◀ Jon Wolfe $10-20 Presale, 18+, 7pm, Cowbows Dancehall

Jason Isbell with Lucero $24 Presale, All Ages, 730pm, Whitewater Amphitheatre Jazz Fridays with Peter Rosie Free, All Ages, 7pm, Punta Del Cielo Café

Peligrosa 2nd Fridays Free, 21+, 10pm, The Mix Pete’s Best Free, All Ages, 9pm, The Pigpen The Cover Letter with The Dylan Tanner Band Free, All Ages, 9pm, Burleson Yard and Beer Garden Verisimilitude, Garrett T. Capps, Mantra Love $3, 21+, 10pm, Hi-Tones

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10 80s, New Wave, Pop Saturdays Free, 21+, 930pm, Jack Rabbit

Mission Pachanga ft. music by Nina Diaz, Femina-X, Fishermen, Volcán, The Black Market Club, Doc Watkins Free, All Ages, 11am, Mission Park Pavilion Nory Yamasaki (Deep House, Progressive Techno) Free, All Ages, 10pm, La Botanica

Strangeways 101 with DJ Charlie Free, 21+, 9pm, Southtown 101 The 9th Annual “We Will Never Forget” - 9/11 Tribute Benefit $8+ Presale, All Agesm 6pm, Sam’s Burger Joint Tooloji - A Tribute to Tool with Poetry and Prose - A Tribute to Primus $10 Adult $15 Minor, 7pm, Fitzgerald’s Bar and Live Music Weldon Henson All Ages, 1pm, Luckenbach Dancehall

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 Family Night & Free Dance with The Drugstore Cowboys Free, All Ages, 6pm, John T. Floore Country Store Fiestas Patrias 2016 All Ages, 10am, Trader’s Village Jesus Piece $10 Presale $12 Door, All Ages, 6pm, The Korova

Robert Earl Keen, Shinyribs, James McMurtry $25+ Presale, 18+, 7pm, John T. Floore Country Store

CINDI JEAN, PERSIS TENT VISION MEDIA

All Ages, 8pm, Luckenbach Dancehall

Live Music & Dance with Jesse Stratton Free with Rodeo Admission, All Ages, 9pm, Tejas Rodeo Company

Stoney LaRue with special guests Jerry Deleon, Country Crossroads $15 GA Presale $25 VIP, 21+, 7pm, R&J Music Pavilion

Rock and Roll Over Kiss Tribute Band Free, 21+, 8pm, Blue Bonnet Palace Saturdays with Midnight Swim Free, 21+, 10pm, Bottom Bracket Social Club Saturday’s w/ Dj Malik 10pm, Stone Street Pub Scorpio Rising + StereoFiend Free, 21+, 10pm, The Mix

Anthony Wright Free, All Ages, 9pm, The Pigpen

Sell Your Soul Saturday’s presents The Stovebolts & Over the Top 10pm, Faust Tavern

Avi Buffalo, The Kickback, The Rich Hands $5 Presale 8 Door, 18+, Limelight

Soul’d Out Saturday with DJ Gibb Free, 21+, 10pm, Groove Lounge

▲ Lacey Sturm $20+ Presale, All Ages, 7pm, Sam’s Burger Joint Noisem + Amygdala All Ages, 7pm, Paper Tiger Sunday Afternoon with Mike Blakely + Jake Martin (Outdoor Show) All Ages, 1pm, Luckenbach Dancehall Sunday Evening Picker All Ages, 5pm, Luckenbach Dancehall CONTINUED ON PAGE 57 ►

sacurrent.com • September 7– 13, 2016 • CURRENT 53

Beer! Beer! Beer!

IN HONOR OF

and all the places to grab one WE PROUDLY PRESENT This week’s calendar A WEEKLY PAGE TO ALL of events THINGS... YOU GUESSED IT, BEER!

Local picks of the week Downtown San Antonio’s best craft beer selection.

302 E Commerce St, SA, TX 78205

1ST WEDNESDAY BEER PONG TOURNAMENT: SEPTEMBER 7, THE RINGER PUB (2826 THOUSAND OAKS ROAD), 9:30PM-2:00AM

HOP & VINE 5619 W LOOP 1604 N, # 109, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78253 The concept behind this locally owned and operated restaurant is to offer great craft beer, wine and modern comfort food. Husband and wife team, Angelo and Kelly Cavazos both have a passion for great food and craft beer.

Chef Jeremy Carolino uses fresh, local ingredients to create a new twist on comfort food. “Hop & Vine’s menu goes far beyond your typical pub fare,” says owner, Angelo Cavazos, “Our food and drink menus were designed to provide perfect pairings. We want to provide choices that span from the traditional to more adventurous.” The craft beer menu showcases a variety of styles from Texas breweries.

The rotating food and drink menus, as well as the intimate atmosphere make Hop & Vine a perfect date night destination or a relaxing evening with friends.

Tap list is available at www.hopandvinesa.com

The Ringer Pub wants to know if you think you’ve got the skills. Are you the bomb at beer pong? Their 1st Wednesday Beer Pong tournament is the chance for you to show off what you’ve got. Prizes will be awarded for first, second, and third place.

THE BRASS TAP AT THE RIM (behind Bass Pro Shop) 17619 La Cantera Pkwy #2-208, SATX 78257 (210) 670-7090

The San Antonio Botanical Garden and San Antonio Cerveceros once again team up for the annual Brews and Blooms event. This casual evening features craft beer sampling, food booths and live music, all set in the gorgeous Botanical Gardens. Tickets start at $15 per person.

6 September at 7pm: Uncle Billy’s Brewery (from Austin, TX) Pint Night. Keep the glass with a purchase of beer.

11 September at 12pm: Real Ale (from Blanco, TX) features Han’s Pils’ Dog’s Day Brunch. Buy a pint, keep the glass. Buy a can, keep the koozie and other cool Real Ale swag.

Happy Hour (3pm-6pm, Monday - Friday): $2 OFF all draughts & $5 Flatbread Pizzas Football Sunday: 75¢ Wings (min.order of 20); $5 Select Draughts Football Monday: 75¢ Wings (min. order of 20), $1 OFF all Texas draughts Check us out at: www.brasstapbeerbar.com/sanantonio Instagram: @brasstapsa

RANGER CREEK BOURBON AND BEER SEMINAR: SEPTEMBER 7, THE HOPPY MONK (1010 N. LOOP 1604 E.), 6:00-8:00PM Ranger Creek Brewing & Distilling will help celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month with a seminar led by their distillers. The event includes a reception cocktail, a progressive tasting of 3 bourbons, a beer/whiskey side-by-side, and their bourbon barrel aged Russian Imperial Stout.

BREWS AND BLOOMS: SEPTEMBER 10, SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDENS (555 FUNSTON PLACE), 6:30-9:30PM

REAL ALE OKTOBERFEST: SEPTEMBER 10, REAL ALE BREWING COMPANY (231 SAN SABA COURT, BLANCO), NOON-5:00PM Nestled in the Texas Hill Country, Real Ale Brewing Company presents their annual Oktoberfest event. The Polkasonics are back again to provide tunes and Best Wurst is serving up sausages for all. Limited edition Oktoberfest mugs will be guaranteed to the first 450 advance ticket buyers and the first 50 Designated Driver ticket reservations.

Beers will be announced soon.

For more visit SanAntonioBeerFestival.com

54 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

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sacurrent.com • September 7– 13, 2016 • CURRENT 55

56 CURRENT • September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

MUSIC

◀ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 53

Sunday Funday with DJ Shawn Jackson Free, 21+, 8pm, Leaky Barrel Sunday Funday with Rollin Rollin Free, 21+, 9pm, Phantom Room Sunday Jazz at the Witte with Sarah Arenella Free for members, All Ages, 3pm, Witte Museum

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Industry Night with Derrick Rage and VJ Necio Free, 21+, 10pm, Moses Rose’s Hideout Jim Cullum Jazz Band Free, 21+, 7pm, Tucker’s Kozy Korner Kraftwerk: 3-D Concert $55-75 Presale, All Ages, 830pm, The Tobin Center Marley Mondays with DJ FantasticDan Free, 21+,

8pm, J&O’s Cantina Monday Night Picker Circle with Shannie All Ages, 5pm, Luckenbach Dancehall Swing Nite with Johnny P. and The Wiseguys $10, All Ages, 7pm, Sam’s BurgerJoint Trapped Out Mondays with DJ Burlo Free, 21+, 10pm, Bottom Bracket Social Club ° Ululatum Tollunt ° $3, 21+, 9pm, Hi-Tones Wurd of Mouth Mondays with DJ Gibb Free, 21+, 10pm, Blue Box

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 2Play Tuesday: Langton Drive, Wayne Holtz & more $2, 21+, 9pm, Phantom Room

Bayside, The Menzingers, Sorority Noise $18 Presale $23 Door, All Ages, 6pm, Alamo City Music Hall Draco Rosa: Lo Sagrado y Lo Maldito Tour $35 Presale, All Ages, 8pm, Aztec Theatre Gen-X Tuesdays: ’80s Night Free, 21+, 8pm, The Amp Room Jim Cullum Jazz Band Free, 21+, 7pm, Bohanan’s Throwback Tuesdays with DJ Ammunition Free, 21+, 9pm, Retox Bar Tuesday Night Picker Circle with Bo Porter Free, All Ages, 5pm, Luckenbach Dancehall Turn Up Tuesdays with DJs Ferno, Dennis Loy and Rollin Rollin Free, 21+, 10pm, Bottom Bracket Social Club

502 Bar 502 Embassy Oaks, (210) 257-8125, 502bar.com Alamo Street Eat Bar 609 S. Alamo St., (210) 227-2469, alamostreeteatbar.com Aztec Theatre 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355 theaztectheatre.com Barriba Cantina 111 W. Crockett St., Suite 214, (210) 228-9876, barribacantina.com Bonham Exchange 411 Bonham, (210) 2713811, bonhamexchange.com Bohanan’s 219 E. Houston St., (210) 472-2600, bohanans.com Bottom Bracket Social Club 1609 N. Colorado Street, (210) 267- 9160, facebook.com/bottombracketsocialclub Blue Box 312 Pearl Pkwy., Suite 2107, (210) 227-2583, blueboxbar.com Brass Monkey 2702 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 480-4722, facebook. com/brassmonkeytx Carmens De La Calle 320 N. Flores St., (210) 281-4349, carmensdelacalle.com Cave Without a Name 325 Kreutzberg Road, (830) 537-4212, cavewithoutaname.com Club Rio 13307 San Pedro Avenue, (210) 403-2582, club-rio.net Esquire Tavern 155 E. Commerce St., (210) 222-2521, esquiretavern-sa.com Faust Tavern 517 E. Woodlawn Ave., (210) 257-0628, facebook.com/thefausttavern Fitzgerald’s 437 McCarty Road, Suite 101, (210) 629-5141 facebook.com/fitzgeraldsbarsa GS 1221 1221 Broadway, Suite 116, (210) 251-3184, gs1221.com Groove Lounge 501 E. Crockett St., (210) 281-8383, facebook.com/groove210 Gruene Hall 1281 Gruene Road, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall.com Hi-Tones 621 E. Dewey Pl., hitonessa.com Imagine Books & Records 8373 Culebra Road, Suite 201B, (210) 236-7668, imaginebookstore.com J&O’s Cantina 1014 S. Presa St., (210) 485-7611 Jack’s Patio Bar 3030 Thousand Oaks, (210) 494-2309, jacksbarsa.com John T. Floore’s Country Store 14492 Old Bandera Road, (210) 695-8827, liveatfloores.com K23 Gallery 704 Fredericksburg Road, (210) 776-5635, facebook. com/k23gallery La Botánica 2911 N. St. Mary’s St., vivalabotanica.com Leaky Barrel 7959 Fredericksburg Road, Suite 131, (210) 577-5470, facebook.com/leakybarrelsa Leon Springs Dance Hall Boerne Stage Road, (210) 2269881, leonspringsdancehall.com Limelight 2718 N. St. Mary’s St., thelimelightsa.com Luckenbach Dancehall 412 Luckenbach Town Loop, (830) 997-3224 luckenbachtexas.com Moses Rose’s Hideout 516 E. Houston St., (210) 775-1808, mosesroseshideout.com Nite Lite 714 Fredericksburg Road, nitelitesa.com Olmos Bharmacy 3902 McCullough Ave., (210) 822-1188, olmosrx.com Paper Tiger 2410 N. St Mary’s St., papertigersa.com Paramour 102 9th St., (210) 340-9880, paramourbar.com Phantom Room 2106 N. St. Mary’s St. Punta del Cielo Café 115 N Loop 1604, (210) 549-3583, facebook.com/puntadelcielostoneoak Retox Bar 1031 Patricia, (210) 775-2886, retoxbar.net River Road Icehouse 1791 Hueco Springs Loop Road, (830) 626-1335, riverroadicehouse.com Sam’s Burger Joint 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com San Antonio Swing Revival 1717 San Pedro Ave., (210) 504-7812 Soho Wine & Martini Bar 214 W. Crockett St., (210) 444-1000 Southtown 101 101 Pereida St., (210) 2639880 The Amp Room 2407 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 320-2122, theamproom.com The Bang Bang Bar 119 El Mio Drive, (210) 833-2203, facebook.com/thebangbangbar210 The Cove 606 W. Cypress St., (210) 227-2683, thecove.us The County Line 10101 IH-10 W, (210) 641-1998, countyline.com/countyline10 The Korova 107 E. Martin St., (210) 2265070, thekorova.com The Mix 2423 N St. Mary’s St., (210) 735-1313, themix-sa.com The Rock Box 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 677-9453, therockboxsa.com The Roundup 531 FM 3351, (830) 428—3231, therounduptx.com Tobin Center for the Performing Arts 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org Tucker’s Kozy Korner 1338 E. Houston St., (210) 320-2192 Ventura 1011 Avenue B, (210) 802-6940, facebook.com/venturasatx Web House 320 Blanco Road (210) 531-0100, webhousecafe.com Whitewater Amphitheater 11860 FM 306, (830) 964-3800, whitewaterrocks.com Zombies Bar 4202 Thousand Oaks, (210) 281-8306, zombiesliveinsa.com

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GAY CUCKOLDING > My husband and I have a pretty good sex life considering we are raising three kids, we both work full time, and I’m going to school.

We have sex four to five times a week, sometimes daily. Before we married, it never occurred to me to check what he was looking at online. Now I can’t stop. I know he looks at porn and masturbates.

I never check his phone or his Facebook or anything like that, just what he has googled. How can I let go and be more confident and believe that, regardless of his personal habits, he still wants me?

He says it’s not personal, it’s when I’m not available, and it’s a good way to take a nap. I trust him and don’t think he’s doing anything wrong, but how do I feel okay with it?

Sees Problems On Understanding Spouse’s Electronics You don’t have a good sex life, SPOUSE, you have a great sex life. You two are raising three kids, you’re getting sex on an almost daily basis, and at least one of you is getting naps? You’re the envy of all parents everywhere. It’ll put your mind at ease if you remind yourself now and then that no one person can be all things to another person — sexually or in any other way — and that the evidence your husband still wants you is running down your leg four to five times per week. Now please pass the paper/tablet/ phone to your husband, SPOUSE, I have something to say to him.

Hey, Mr. SPOUSE, here’s a handy life hack for you: CLEAR YOUR FUCKING BROWSER HISTORY. Use the “private browsing” or “incognito” setting in your web browser, and spare your wife — and yourself — future scrutiny and smut shaming. > Via text I asked my (gay) husband of 10 years if he had any sexual fantasies he hadn’t shared with me. He replied, “I want to cheat on you.” I was out of town when we had this text exchange. He wrote the next morning to apologize. He said he was tipsy when I texted him and didn’t mean what he said.

I explained that I wasn’t upset

SAVAGE LOVE

by Dan Savage

but turned on. If he wanted to sleep with other people, he could, provided it was someone safe and not someone in our social circle.

The idea of being cheated on, frankly, appeals to me. (That makes me a gay cuckold, correct?) I even told him I jerked off about it already.

He did not react the way I expected.

He got upset and said he thinks about cheating on me only when he’s drunk and he would never want to do it in real life and he’s angry that I would want him to. Advice?

Chump Under Cloud Keeping Silent Years ago, my then-boyfriend cheated on me while I was out of town. He didn’t like my reaction when he confessed (“Was he cute? Can we have a threeway?”) and got angry at me for not being angry with him. We wound up having a fun threesome with the other guy shortly before we broke up for other reasons, CUCKS, and I suspect the day will come when your husband fucks someone else — if he hasn’t already — with your permission, which means it’ll be cuckolding, not cheating. Just apologize for now, roll your eyes when he’s not looking, and bide your time.

And speaking of gay cuckolds…

Way, way back in 2008, a reader asked why I described cuckolding as a straight male fetish. “The cuckolding fetish is the boner-killing lemons of straight male sexual/paternal insecurity turned into deliciously perverted bonerade,” I responded. “Gay sex doesn’t make babies, only messes (which is all straight sex makes 99.98 percent of the time). Which may explain why, as a general rule, gay men aren’t as threatened when our partners are ‘taken’ by other men.”

But gay cuckolding has emerged as a porn genre over the last few years — right after marriage equality was achieved in the United States (hmm) — and now sex researchers David Ley and Justin J. Lehmiller are looking into it. So if you’re a gay cuckold — an experienced gay cuck or just someone who fantasizes about it — please take a few minutes to fill out this anonymous survey in the name of both science and your kink: tinyurl.com/gaycuck.

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1 ___ de gallo (salsa variety) 5 Home of the Bills and Chargers, for short 8 Extinguishes birthday candles 13 Federal org. that inspects workplaces 14 Day-___ colors 15 Canadian dollar coin nickname 16 Identical online message, but sent backwards?

18 Fragrant evergreen with starlike flowers 19 “Gangnam Style” performer 20 Did some tricks at a skate park?

22 Biter on the bayou 24 Get out of debt 25 Three-dimensional figures 27 Competes on eBay 29 “A Boy Named Sue” songwriter Silverstein 30 “F¸r ___” (Beethoven dedication) 32 Misfortune 35 Do some drastic wardrobe reduction?

39 She’s your sibling 40 Die-___ (people who won’t quit) 41 Chichen ___ (Mayan site) 42 ___mojado (Spanish side of a

“wet floor” sign) 43 Drop it already 45 Be in the driver’s seat 48 Hollow-centered muffin 51 W ith 57-Across, what was always covered with a sock until just now?

53 Org. with lots of clubs 56 Portugal’s part of it 57 See 51-Across 59 Firming, as muscles 60 Suffix for the extreme 61 Choral voice range 62 Benny Goodman’s genre 63 “Dude ... your fly” 64 Bust’s counterpart

DOWN

1 “___ and Circumstance” 2 Spy agency on “Archer” 3 LeBaron and Pacifica, for two 4 Rower’s blade 5 Concurs (with) 6 City with a contaminated drinking supply 7 Count in French?

8 Chef on cans 9 Actor Peter and TV producer Chuck, for two 10 Ready to drink 11 Pebbles Flintstone’s mom 12 Oozing

15 K-O combination?

17 Carried a balance 21 Trips for Uranus, e.g.

23 Narc’s weight 25 Mach 2 fliers, once 26 “Fancy meeting you here!”

28 Somewhat, in suffixes 30 “The Final Countdown” band 31 British version of Inc. 32 Olympic team game with a goalkeeper 33 Granular pasta 34 “Voice of Israel” author Abba 36 Sounding like a ceiling fan 37 ___ in “Oscar” 38 Buckle under pressure 42 Look through a window, maybe 43 “Kick-Ass” star Chloe Grace ___ 44 Kitchen unit 45 Fits of pique 46 Quarterback known for his active knee 47 “___ wouldn’t do that!”

49 “Masters ___” (Showtime drama since 2013) 50 Verse-writing 52 Reusable grocery purchase 54 Visit 55 Infinitesimal bit 58 Awesome

ETC.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY by Rob Brezsny ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): Two

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22): You know

seven-year-old girls showed me three tricks I could use to avoid taking myself too seriously and getting too attached to my dignity. I’m offering these tricks to you just in time for the letting-go phase of your astrological cycle. Trick #1: Speak in a made-up language for at least ten minutes.

Example: “Groftyp hulbnu wivgeeri proot xud amasterulius. Quoshibojor frovid zemplissit.”

Trick #2: Put a different kind of shoe and sock on each foot and pretend you’re two people stuck in a single body. Give each side of you a unique nickname. Trick #3: Place an unopened bag of barbecue-flavored potato chips on a table, then bash your fist down on it, detonating a loud popping sound and unleashing a spray of crumbs out the ends of the bag. Don’t clean up the mess for at least an hour.

you have a second brain in your gut, right?

(If not, read this: http://bit.ly/secondbrain.)

During the past three weeks, I have been beaming telepathic instructions toward this smart part of you. Here’s an edited version of the message I’ve been sending: “Cultivate your tenacity, darling. Build up your stamina, sweetheart. Feed your ability to follow through on what you’ve started, beautiful. Be persistent and spunky and gritty, my dear.” Alas, I’m not sure my psychic broadcasts have been as effective as I’d hoped. I think you need further encouragement. So please summon more fortitude and staying power, you gutsy stalwart.

Be staunch and dogged and resolute, you stouthearted powerhouse.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): In accordance with the astrological omens, I suggest you spend less energy dwelling in profane time so you expand your relationship with sacred time. If that’s of interest to you, consider the following definitions. PROFANE TIME happens when you’re engulfed in the daily grind. Swarmed by a relentless flurry of immediate concerns, you are held hostage by the chatter of your monkey mind. Being in SACRED TIME attunes you to the relaxing hum of eternity.

It enables you to be in intimate contact with your soul’s deeper agenda, and affords you extra power to transform yourself in harmony with your noble desires and beautiful intentions.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20): About 1.7 million years ago, our human ancestors began using primitive hand axes made from rocks. This technology remained in use for over 60,000 generations before anyone invented more sophisticated tools and implements. Science writer Marcus Chown refers to this period as “the million years of boredom.” Its slow pace contrasts sharply with technology’s brisk evolution in the last 140 years. In 1880, there were no cars, planes, electric lights, telephones, TVs, or Internet. I surmise that you’re leaving your own phase of relatively slow progress, Gemini. In the coming months, I expect your transformations will progress with increasing speed — starting soon.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22): Prediction #1: You will attract truckloads of good luck by working to upgrade and refine the way you communicate. Prediction #2: You will tickle the attention of interesting people who could ultimately provide you with clues you will need to thrive in 2017. #3: You will discover secrets of how to articulate complicated feelings and subtle ideas that have been locked inside you.

Prediction #4: You’ll begin a vibrant conversation that will continue to evolve for a long time.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22): Is “Big Bang” the best term we can come up with to reference the beginning of the universe? It sounds violent and messy — like a random, accidental splatter. I would much prefer a term that suggests sublime elegance and playful power — language that would capture the awe and reverence I feel as I contemplate the sacred mystery we are privileged to inhabit. What if we used a different name for the birth of creation, like the “Primal Billow” or the “Blooming Ha Ha” or the “Majestic Bouquet”? By the way, I recommend that you consider those last three terms as being suitable titles for your own personal life story in the coming weeks. A great awakening and activation are imminent.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21): When my daughter Zoe was growing up,

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18): These

I wanted her to be familiar with the origins of ordinary stuff that she benefited from. That’s why I took her to small farms where she could observe the growth and harvest of organic food crops. We visited manufacturing facilities where cars, furniture, toys, and kitchen sinks were built. She saw bootmakers creating boots and professional musicians producing songs in recording studios. And much more.

I would love it if you would give yourself comparable experiences in the coming weeks, Sagittarius. It’s an excellent time to commune with the sources of things that nurture you and make your life better.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19): Unless you were brought up by a herd of feral donkeys, the coming weeks will be an excellent time to embark on your second childhood. Unless you’re allergic to new ideas, the foreseeable future will bring you strokes of curious luck that inspire you to change and change and change your mind. And unless you are addicted to your same old stale comforts, life will offer you chances to explore frontiers that could expose you to thrilling new comforts.

days, my dear, your eccentric beauty is even more unkempt than usual. I like it. It entertains and charms me. And as for your idiosyncratic intelligence: That, too, is messier and cuter and even more interesting than ever before. I’m inclined to encourage you to milk this unruly streak for all its potential. Maybe it will provoke you to experiment in situations where you’ve been too accepting of the stagnant status quo. And perhaps it will embolden you to look for love and money in more of the right places.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20): I’m giving you an ultimatum, Pisces: Within the next 144 hours, I demand that you become at least 33 percent happier. Fifty percent would be even better. Somehow you’ve got to figure out what you can do to enhance your sense of well-being and increase your enjoyment of life. I’m sort of joking, but on the other hand I’m completely serious. From my perspective, it’s essential that you feel really good in the coming days. Abundant pleasure is not merely a luxury, but rather a necessity. Do you have any ideas about how to make this happen?

Start here: 1. Identify your four most delightful memories, and re-enact them in your imagination.

2. Go see the people whose influences most thoroughly animate your self-love.

THIS MODERN WORLD by Tom Tomorrow

LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22): The last few weeks have been fraught with rich plot twists, naked dates with destiny, and fertile turning points. I expect there will be further intrigue in the near future. A fierce and tender decision at a crossroads? The unexpected arrival of a hot link to the future? A karmic debt that’s canceled or forgiven? In light of the likelihood that the sweet-and-sour, confusingand-revelatory drama will continue, I encourage you to keep your levels of relaxed intensity turned up high. More than I’ve seen in a long time, you have the magic and the opportunity to transform what needs to be transformed.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21): In the coming days, you will have more than your usual access to help and guidance.

Divine interventions are possible. Special dispensations and charmed coincidences, too.

If you don’t believe in fairy dust, magic beans, and lucky potions, maybe you should set that prejudice aside for a while. Subtle miracles are more likely to bestow their gifts if your reasonable theories don’t get in the way.

Here’s an additional tip: Don’t get greedy. Use the openings you’re offered with humility and gratitude.

sacurrent.com • September 7 – 13, 2016 • CURRENT 61

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MilanInstitute.edu

6804 Ingram Road • 605 S.W. Military Drive San Antonio Programs vary by location. *License Number MS1035 – 6804 Ingram Rd., San Antonio, TX 78238.

For more information about our graduation rates, median loan debt of students who completed the program and other important information, please visit http://milaninstitute.edu/consumer-and-clery-information

Hiring caregivers for immediate openings to care for elderly & people w/disabilities in San Antonio, New Braunfels, Austin & surrounding areas. We offer flexible hours; including days, nights, and weekends. Paid time off and overtime available. Must be 18 yrs w/ reliable transportation.

To apply visit our website lifespantx.com or stop by our office at 6243 IH-10 West, Suite 375

Study will be conducted at the: TDI on 701 Zarzamora St. Principal Investigator: Ralph A. DeFronzo, M.D. Department of Medicine, Diabetes Division UTHSCSA. 62 CURRENT •September 7 – 13, 2016 • sacurrent.com

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showcase

Saturday, SEPTEMBER 24 st. mary's strip

11 venues 60+ local bands 1night RUMBLE | THE MIX | FAUST | LA BOTANICA | PHANTOM ROOM | LIMELIGHT | AMP ROOM HI-TONES | VENTURA | SQUEEZEBOX | HIGH WIRE ARTS

$5 all access pass and lineup at sanantoniomusicshowcase.com CULTURE

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L O C A L C U LT U R E T I C K E T S . C O M