San Antonio Current — February 8, 2023

THE HIGH PRICE OF POLICE USE OF FORCE | ROMANTIC DINING GUIDE | SCOTT IAN OF ANTHRAX |

in this issue

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31 Music

Armed and Dangerous Anthrax’s Scott Ian dishes on the thrash metal pioneers’ long history with San Antonio

Making Movies

San Antonio-born synth-pop act Hyperbubble to screen its documentary at Lonesome Rose

‘Intellectual Warfare’

York’s Show Me the Body is about empowerment, not protest music

Critics’ Picks

Sprouting Up

San Antonio Current Editor-in-Chief: Sanford Nowlin

General Manager: Chelsea Bourque

Editorial

Digital Content Editor: Kelly Nelson

Contributing Arts Editor: Bryan Rindfuss

Food and Nightlife Editor: Nina Rangel

Staff Writer: Michael Karlis, Brandon Rodriguez

Contributors: Abe Asher, Noah Alcala Bach, Ashley Allen, Ron Bechtol, Enrique Bonilla, Danny Cervantes, Daniel Conrad, Macks Cook, Brianna Espinoza, Kiko Martinez, Mike McMahan, M. Solis, Karly Williams, Caroline Wolff

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UnSplash / Ryan Lange

On the Cover: Jamie Gonzalez is one of the drivers behind a program getting more produce into SA corner stores. Photo: Jaime Monzon. Design: Samantha Serna.

New

HTexas’ dental health is among the worst in the nation, a new study by the personal finance website WalletHub found. Texas came in 47th place in the rankings, beating only Montana, West Virginia, Arkansas and Mississippi, and it ranked next-to-last in the percentage of adults who paid a visit to the dentist in the past year.

A new consumer ranking has named San Antonio-based H-E-B the best grocery retailer in the nation, besting Costco and Amazon. The Retail Preference Index, compiled by the U.K.-based firm Dunnhumby, found that H-E-B established strong emotional connections with its customers and is considered relatively affordable. H-E-B also took the top spot in the ranking in 2020.

HA Donald Trump-appointed federal judge in Texas could dramatically restrict abortion access by siding with a coalition of anti-abortion activists who are challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s 20-plus-year-old approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk has longstanding ties to the Christian right. If he rules against mifepristone, and if that ban is upheld by higher courts, the decisions could signal the end of medicated abortion in the United States.

A new forecast from the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise predicts that San Antonio’s economy will be one the 10 fastest growing in the country this year, with Austin and Dallas also making the list. San Antonio’s gross domestic product is expected to rise by 1.4% this year, lower than the 2.6% the city’s GDP grew last year but still strong given predictions of a coming nationwide recession. — Abe Asher

Shitting on LGBTQ+ Texans with State Reps. Tony

Tinderholt and Rep. Bryan Slaton

Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

If the opening days of this session of the Texas Legislature tells us anything it’s to expect a months-long crusade by conservative lawmakers to punish the state’s LGBTQ+ community.

During the Lege’s second day of business, Jan. 11, State Reps. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, and Brian Slaton, R-Royse City, wasted two hours in a failed tag-team attempt to tack anti-transgender amendments onto a procedural resolution setting up the House of Representatives’ rules, the HuffPost reports. One of the most absurd of those amendments would require anyone who chairs a House committee to publicly state that they only believe in the existence of two genders.

The lawmakers’ bigoted shitshow ultimately failed. House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, a fellow Republican, ruled that their amendments were irrelevant to the resolution being discussed, according to the HuffPost.

It’s easy to dismiss these douchebags as just another pair of grandstanding GOPers eager to pull a stunt aimed at stroking the homophobes in their base. Sadly, there are plenty of other Texas lawmakers also eager to punish the state’s LGBTQ+ community. Apparently, they’re just

willing to display more patience than Tinderholt and Slaton.

Republicans have filed nearly 70 bills this session that aim to take away rights from LGBTQ+ Texans, according to the latest count by the advocacy group Equality Texas, which by now must be tired of keeping a running tally of this kind of horseshit. Incidentally, this session’s number is more than double the prior record of 33.

Predictably, a number of the bills would prevent parents from seeking gender-affirming medical care for their kids. Others seek to punish establishments that host drag shows and ban minors from any type of show featuring performers in drag, regardless of whether there’s any adult content.

Get ready for more ugliness. The session’s just getting started, and it’s a safe bet there are plenty of assclown lawmakers willing to join Tinderholt and Slaton on their crusade of intolerance and division. —

Sanford Nowlin

The San Antonio Police Department’s “hot spot” program is drawing criticism from members of city council following the killing of Tyre Nichols by a specialized policing unit in Memphis. San Antonio’s program is designed to boost policing in 28 predominantly lower-income neighborhoods across the city. “Residents across San Antonio have demanded neighborhood improvements and social services for decades rather than the criminalization of poverty,” said Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia, who represents District 4.

The Environmental Protection Agency has launched an informal investigation into allegations advanced by more than two dozen environmental groups that Texas is failing to enforce the Clean Water Act. The groups, which submitted a petition to the EPA against the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, want the federal agency to intervene to fix what it believes is the state’s insufficient system of issuing permits to control water pollution.

A person formerly incarcerated in the Bexar County Jail has filed a lawsuit alleging that he was illegally held in custody after posting bail. Michael A. Miller’s suit, filed last week in federal court in San Antonio, argues that he was wrongfully held for three days after posting a $3,500 bond last October and that others have suffered a similar fate. He’s asking for the suit to be certified as a class action. — Abe

Asher

YOU SAID IT!

“I was never contacted to actually negotiate the sale of my property. The Alamo Trust Foundation never wanted to negotiate with me. Their plan was to steal it from me all along.”

— Vince Cantu owner of downtown bar Moses Rose’s Hideout in an online statement about the city’s efforts to force him to sell his property

Courtesy Photo / Texas House

Republicans’ opposition to legalized gambling in Texas isn’t rooted in reality

BY KEVIN SANCHEZ

Editor’s Note: Bad Takes is a column of opinion and analysis.

Poker legend Doyle Brunson once wrote of his days as a road gambler back in the ’50s and ’60s, “We must have hit every town in Texas, relieving the locals of their money.”

San Antonio made the circuit, in particular an invite-only underground game just off West Avenue. But to oldschool rounders of the era, the hard part wasn’t winning the money; the hard part was getting out of town with it.

“I’ve been hijacked a few times,” Brunson —aka “Texas Dolly” — confessed in the introduction to his book Super/System, “and I can tell you it’s not a pleasant experience to be looking down at the business end of a shotgun.”

Sometimes it can feel like not much has changed. Two weeks ago, a man in his 30s was shot and killed outside an underground gambling establishment off Old Pearsall Road, TV station KENS 5 reported. We may never know whether the precipitating argument would have ended without violence had it started in a legit casino with adequate security. However, we should at least be able to say that legalizing gambling — regulating it, protecting the players and staff, and yes, taxing the bejesus out of it to

fund essential public services — would surely be safer and more lucrative for our state overall.

An altogether different tragedy occurred the same day of the shooting — this one at San Antonio City Hall. There, more than $140 million in requests for after-school mentorships, homeless assistance, domestic violence prevention and other much-needed programs went chasing after a mere $45 million remaining in the city’s share of the federal American Rescue Plan funding.

Though the state government enjoys a record budget surplus expected to hit $32.7 billion this year, at the municipal level, we’re still forced to skimp on community investments we ought to prioritize.

This state — which lent its name to the most popular poker variant, Texas Hold ’Em — is leaving an awful lot of moola on the table by prohibiting gambling.

How much exactly?

An admittedly lowball back-of-theenvelope figure, legalizing sports betting alone, which 36 states have already done, would haul in over $100 million in taxes, according to a D Magazine estimate.

And Texans spend more than $5

billion annually at casinos in bordering states and Las Vegas, according to Clyde Barrow, a political scientist at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Why travel to a desert to gamble when you could just as easily lose that money at home?

Although above-board “private” card rooms have recently popped up all over San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston, such clubs exist in a legal gray area, according to experts. Which means they could be shut down unexpectedly by a meddlesome prosecutor at the drop of a hat. One such case involving a card room in Dallas is likely headed to the Texas Supreme Court.

That’s not to say all gambling is illegal in Texas. In 1982, the state permitted the boringest game ever invented, Bingo, to go on tantalizing senior citizens. Not to mention, state-sponsored gambling confronts compulsive risk-takers at every convenience store in the form of long-odds lotteries.

The contradictions don’t end there. A January poll conducted by the University of Houston found that 75% of Texans support legislation to let voters decide whether to legalize casinos, including 72% of self-identified Republicans.

Yet the Texas GOP adopted the following plank to its platform last June: “We oppose any expansion of gambling, including legalized casino gambling. We oppose and call for a veto of any budget that relies on expansion of legalized gambling as a method of finance.”

In other words: Texas shall make no tricky attempts to fund education, healthcare and environmental protection with the proceeds. That’s the party of liberty for you. How many times must we relearn the lesson of Prohibi-

tion, that we can’t legislate virtue but we can further worthwhile causes with certain vices?

“The only thing that makes the New York Stock Exchange different from the average casino is that the players dress in blue pinstripe suits and carry leather briefcases,” Donald Trump wrote in The Art of the Deal.

However, one can appreciate casinos without believing that our entire economy should be anchored to a gigantic one. Despite capitalism’s flattering self-image, stable and peaceful markets are not naturally occurring phenomena. They must be built, structured and domesticated.

Without referees, there is no sport, only war. And unlike most big companies today, with newly licensed fields of business, the public can exercise unprecedented input in how they’re run, keeping on guard against predatory marketing and unsavory repercussions. Labor organizations in Nevada such as the Culinary Union have also proven to be a formidable ally for workers in all casino-related occupations as well as on Election Day.

But what’s really at stake in allowing consenting adults to throw dice and squeeze cards together in an air-conditioned room free from street violence is fostering real-life fellowship in a world that’s increasingly atomized.

Poker especially is as woven into the fabric of Texan culture as whisky and tackle football. If we petition the legislature, perhaps Republicans’ obstruction of legalized gambling will suffer a timely run of bad luck.

Because until I can smoke Willie Nelson’s weed in a San Antonio casino “Texas Dolly” cut the ribbon on, this socialist will keep grinding.

Wikimedia Commons / David Singleton

The Big Payback

San Antonio’s high-profile police misconduct cases could start costing taxpayers

BY MICHAEL KARLIS

Two weeks ago, the nation collectively gasped in horror as explicit body cam footage released by the Memphis Police Department showed officers delivering a brutal beating to unarmed black man Tyre Nichols.

Nichols’ death at the hands of Memphis police is just the latest such incident to grab national headlines in recent years, joining the likes of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and others. The Alamo City is no exception.

Last summer, a San Antonio police officer shot and killed unarmed 13-year-old AJ Hernandez, claiming the youth was in danger of striking him with a stolen vehicle. Hernandez was the second civilian killed by the same officer in two years’ time.

In October, national outrage swirled around the police shooting of Erik Cantu, an unarmed 17-year-old who ended up in critical condition. A subsequently fired SAPD officer now faces charges including attempted murder for shooting Cantu multiple times after approaching him in a McDonald’s parking lot to question him about an alleged attempt to avoid arrest the night before.

Over the past 10 years, the City of San Antonio paid out a total of $1,566,300 to settle claims of police brutality and misconduct, according to documents obtained by the Current. The highest of those went to the estate of Jesse Aguirre, which last summer received a $466,300 payout.

Aguirre died in 2013 after a trio of SAPD officers put their weight on him for five and a half minutes, according to city records, leading some observers to call him the “George Floyd of San Antonio.”

However, Aguirre’s settlement was far less than the $27 million Floyd’s estate received from the City of Minneapolis. The case also drew scant media coverage outside of Bexar County. Things may be different now.

The arrival of high-profile civil-rights attorneys Lee Merritt and Ben Crump to represent the families of Hernandez and Cantu, respectively, not to men-

tion a heightened national awareness of police accountability brought on by the Black Lives Matter movement, could bring unprecedented scrutiny to allegations of police use of force in San Antonio.

That’s likely to result in higher settlements for victims’ families, experts said.

“I’m not going to say that the quality of a lawyer doesn’t make a difference, because it certainly can and does,” St. Mary’s University law professor and police misconduct expert Gerald Reamey told the Current. “If you look at a track record of a lawyer representing a plaintiff in a case who’s had a lot of success, you’re more inclined to settle, and settle for a higher figure.”

Aguirre was represented by respected San Antonio attorney Edward Pina. Although Pina is a Harvard Law School graduate with a solid reputation, his name doesn’t command the same national attention as Crump or Merritt.

Florida-based Crump has represented the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Keenan Anderson, and, most recently, Tyre Nichols. In total, the attorney has landed an impressive $641 million in personal injury settlements, according to his law firm’s website.

Merritt’s Philadelphia law firm also represented Floyd’s family, along with those of Botham Jean, the 26-year-old man shot to death in his apartment by a Dallas cop, and Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old jogger shot and killed after being chased through a Georgia neighborhood by three white men.

Beyond the two attorneys’ formidable records, they command national media attention. That turns up the pressure for municipalities to settle, Reamey said.

“Media is a huge part of it. If you’ve got a George Floyd case, the city is going to have a strong motivation to settle that case,” he said. “If you’ve got a case like that and it goes to a jury, what do you think the jury is going to do with that? Especially with that powerful video.”

Another big difference between past

cases of alleged SAPD misconduct and those of Hernandez and Cantu is the national reckoning on race and policing forced by the Black Lives Matter groundswell.

In San Antonio, that shift in attitude is apparent in the arrival of police-reform advocacy group Act 4 SA and 2021’s narrow defeat of Proposition B, a citywide referendum that would have stripped the city’s powerful police union of its ability to engage in collective bargaining. The proposal was defeated on a razor-thin 2% margin.

Act 4 SA, led by founder Ananda Tomas, now appears to have gathered enough petition signatures to put an initiative on the May ballot that would ban police chokeholds and no-knock warrants.

Last month, the nonprofit launched an online database funded by the Urban Institute and Microsoft Justice Reform Initiative to track police officers with misconduct records.

The platform seeks to address the problem of so-called “wandering cops” — those fired in one town who manage to find law-enforcement work in another.

“I’ve always said that San Antonio is ground zero for police reform,” Act 4 SA Executive Director Tomas said. “Our police contract has literally been used as a rubric and template all across the nation because it offers the most benefits and strongest protections.

Those types of protections — and us having one of the highest rehire rates in the nation for fired officers — means that they know that they have these protections that have for decades allowed them to get away with egregious misconduct and actions.”

Under greater scrutiny, the tide could be changing, however.

Nationally, cities spent over $1.5 billion on settlements involving police misconduct between 2010 and 2020, according to a recent Washington Post investigation looking at 25 of the nation’s largest police and sheriff’s departments.

While the Post’s number crunching didn’t include San Antonio, the local numbers suggest the settlements the city is willing to pay out are already headed upward.

The sum of the past two settlements between the city and the estates of victims of police violence was more than the previous three combined.

While such payouts are generally covered by insurance claims, taxpayers still end up paying the bill because large enough claims drive up a municipality’s premiums.

“There are some cities that have had to actually pass bond measures to pay for these settlements,” Reamey said. “And if you’re a taxpayer in a city where it’s happening regularly, I’d be demanding a lot of answers from the local police department.”

Michael Karlis

San Antonio owes the public better transparency on its delayed construction projects

BY HEYWOOD SANDERS

Editor’s Note: CityScrapes is a column of opinion and analysis.

When I think of the construction woes currently throttling traffic and commerce across San Antonio, North St. Mary’s Street jumps to the fore.

It feels like the Strip has been under construction for years, with constantly changing detours and lanes making it all but impossible to navigate to restaurants, clubs and services. Difficult as it’s been for potential customers, it’s been far worse for business owners, whose patronage and revenues have plummeted.

The promise in San Antonio’s 2017 city bond program was that the $7 million St. Mary’s project — just one of 64 projects in the bond’s $445 million street improvement component — would provide “sidewalk connectivity, intersection improvements and signal enhancements as appropriate and within available funding.”

The promise of “sidewalk connectivity” was certainly welcome and appropriate. For much of San Antonio’s history, the provision of sidewalks in neighborhoods was the responsibility of property owners. As a result, we ended up with lots of areas — typically

lower income ones — with no sidewalks at all, and others with disconnected stretches of pavement, making walking an adventure.

But while the promise of new and better sidewalks along St. Mary’s is laudable, it seems to be taking forever to get them. The 2017 bond brochure didn’t provide an estimated completion date that could be readily found. Instead, the city’s fiscal year 2018 budget showed the bulk of the spending on the North St. Mary’s project would be in fiscal year 2020 with the final amount coming in fiscal 2021.

Now, city officials promise the project will be completed in summer 2023 at a total cost of $11.4 million, including some added features. That’s not just a delay of weeks or a couple of months compared to the original promise.

And North St. Mary’s is far from the only major street improvement project that appears to be stuck in excruciating slow motion. A large stretch of Broadway is impassable, North New Braunfels Avenue is all torn up and work on North Main Avenue downtown seems to be unending.

So, it’s great that Councilmember Melissa Cabello

Havrda proposed and secured unanimous council backing for an ordinance giving city staff the authority to assess contractors’ ability to keep on schedule, within budget and to complete a quality job. The new ordinance should give the city the capacity to block contractors that underperform from securing new civic projects.

Delays aren’t always the fault of a contractor, though. The recent project update for St. Mary’s notes “challenges” with utilities and soil conditions as reasons for the slowdown. Still, the city needs to be able to deliver on the improvements it promises to the public in its every-five-years bond programs in a timely, effective way — and with as much transparency as possible.

A look at the city’s latest 2017 “Bond Dashboard” shows the St. Mary’s project is “on time.” That doesn’t appear to reflect the reality on the ground.

So, as we look forward to results from Havrda’s ordinance — and an accounting as to whether any contractors are actually held accountable and sanctioned for underperformance — some greater transparency on how the individual bond projects are proceeding would be a significant advance.

And if city staff is actually going to evaluate contractors on qualities such as “responsiveness” and “quality of work,” all of us should be able to easily learn which projects aren’t measuring up to those standards, and who’s to be held accountable.

Too many delays and too many unexplained disruptions might well lead to far more “no” votes on the next big bond program. If that program fails as a result, delaying much needed improvements, city leaders will only have themselves to blame.

Heywood Sanders is a professor of public administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Sanford Nowlin

WILLOW PILL

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression” is a cautionary quote most often attributed to American vaudevillian Will Rogers. Enigmatic drag performer Willow Pill gave that dusty old adage a run for its money during her debut on the 14th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Conjuring a classic blond bimbo, she entered the “werk room” in criminally tacky platform flip-flops and a skimpy white top bedazzled with the word “Angle” accented by wings and a halo. As Drag Race entrance looks go, the ensemble came across as a fashion typo and led other contestants to discredit Willow Pill as serious competition. But during that same episode’s “Charisma, Nerve & Talent Show,” she quickly won over RuPaul and many others with “Self Care in Quarantine” — a conceptual performance that involved her drinking wine, eating meatballs and throwing a toaster into a bubble bath before slipping into it herself. Raised in Denver and based in Chicago, Willow Pill suffers from cystinosis — a rare genetic disease that claimed her sister’s life mere months after filming wrapped. Nodding with her name to the 20-plus pills she takes daily to live with the condition, she channels the darkness in her life into character-driven drag with a distinct sense of storytelling. Shining examples of her madcap creativity took shape in runway presentations entailing a dollhouse worn as a head ornament with “Help” scrawled on the back in fake blood; a Muppet-like costume with polka-dot horns and elongated arms inspired by a childhood “monster under the bed”; and a frilly red-and-white frock based on bleeding tooth fungus mushrooms. Identifying as trans femme since March of last year, she took things wildly over the top for the Season 14 finale, rocking an elaborate creation outfitted with three additional heads modeled in her likeness, performing the bitchy original track “I Hate People” and eventually snatching the crown along with a hefty cash prize of $150,000. Still reigning as America’s Next Drag Superstar while a new crop of queens competes on Season 15, Willow Pill touches down in San Antonio for two makeup shows — originally scheduled for last summer — presented by Rey Lopez Entertainment and hosted by lovable camp queen Tencha la Jefa. $25-$30, 10:30 p.m. and midnight, Bonham Exchange, 411 Bonham St., table reservations via text only at (210) 386-4537, facebook.com/reylopezentertainment. —

Bryan Rindfuss

vative fair food. As always, the rodeo boasts an impressive musical lineup, opening Feb. 9 with Ryan Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen ($33 and up, 7 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway) and wrapping up with Gary Allan on Feb. 25 ($49 and up, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway). A full rundown of musical performances is available online, and as per usual, it’s not just country but also includes rock, Tejano and more. The rodeo fairgrounds ($5-$15) are open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, giving attendees access to more than 175 unique vendors, a food court, bars and a petting zoo, while the carnival is open 4-11 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-midnight Saturday and Sunday. Times and pricing vary, Freeman Coliseum, 3201 E. Houston St., and AT&T Center, One AT&T Center Parkway, sarodeo.com. — Macks Cook

THU | 02.09

SUN

THEATER FENCES

02.26

The Pulitzer-winning play Fences tells the story of the Black American battle for respect and dignity in sports and beyond. The play’s protagonist, Troy Maxson (Naybu Fullman) — a former baseball player relegated to working as a trash collector in 1957 Pittsburgh — was once excluded from the major leagues based on his race. When Troy’s son Cory (Ty Price) catches the attention of a college football recruiter, the father’s unresolved feelings about his past threaten to destroy his relationships with his son, his wife Rose (Nerryl Williams) and the rest of his family. Thanks to a 2016 film adaptation starring Denzel Washington, Fences has emerged as a resonant and ever-relevant drama

that’s touched the lives of millions. Presented by the Classic Theatre of San Antonio, this local run will feature a series of Community Nights, including Free Admission for Students Nights, Pride Night, ASL Night and a performance followed by a community talkback. The Classic also will host a book drive for the San Antonio African American Community Archive and Museum (SAAACAM) during the final weekend of performances. $23-$38, 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry St., (210) 589-8450, classictheatre.org. — Caroline Wolff

THU | 02.09SAT | 02.18

THEATER WE SAIL ON IN DARKNESS

We Sail on in Darkness, which is making its onstage debut, is a work of physical theater, a performance genre in which the storytelling primarily takes place through movement. The play makes use of actors’ onstage actions and gestures along with music and color to connect the stories of four mystics: Hildegard of Bingen (Katrin Blucker Ludwig), Julian of Norwich (Cynthia Neri), Angela of Foligno (Michelle Bumgarner) and Martyred Perpetua (Courtney Johnson). Playwright Ruthie Buescher adapted their writings for modern audiences, connecting accounts of suffering, courage and joy, with each mystic’s story representing a specific form of human suffering. For this production, Buescher assembled a primarily female cast and crew. This play’s run includes a a Feb. 11 ASL interpreted performance, a Feb. 15 student performance and a pay-what-you-can performance on Feb. 16. $15-$25, 7 p.m. Feb. 9-11 and 15-17, 2 p.m. Feb. 18, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 315 E. Pecan St., (210) 207-7211, wesailonindarkness.com. — Christianna Davies

FRI | 02.10SAT | 02.11

OPERA MARIA DE BUENOS AIRES

SPECIAL EVENT

SAN ANTONIO STOCK SHOW AND RODEO

Dust off your Stetson, shimmy into your blue jeans and grab your boots, it’s rodeo time. The 2023 San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo promises more than two weeks of bull ridin’, bustin’ mutton and inno-

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Opera San Antonio is bringing a sensual and seductive opera to the Tobin Center. Astor Piazzolla’s and Horacio Ferrer’s Maria de Buenos Aires tells the story of the life and death of the eponymous Maria (played by soprano Catalina Cuervo), a tango-obsessed sex worker who was “born on a day when God was drunk.” The production also may hold appeal for those not normally drawn to opera, since Piazzolla’s music revolutionized tango, adding elements of jazz and classical music to the genre. The show is a collaboration with Classical Music Institute, featuring musicians led by conductor and pianist Pablo Zinger. To fit the opera’s theme, the Tobin Center’s Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater has morphed into a gritty night-

Courtesy Photo / Rey Lopez Entertainment

Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo

Courtesy Photo / Classic Theatre of San Antonio

Courtesy Photo / We Sail On In Darkness

club with cocktail table packages, interactive single seating options and full bar service. Sold Out, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — CD

SAT | 02.11

BURLESQUE

VA-VA-VALENTINE BURLESQUE & VARIETY SHOW

San Antonio burlesque troupe the Pastie Pops will spice up Valentine’s Day weekend with its annual Va-Va-Valentine Burlesque and Variety Show. Pastie Pops faves will strut alongside special guests in the Bonham Exchange’s historic Rainbow Ballroom for a show bubbling over with charm and glamor. Expect sizzling performances from Ruby Joule, Lady Lola LeStrange, Queertini Time, Pantie Oaklie, Natasha B. Capri, Miss Taint, Mary Annette, Jasper St. James and Vixy Van Hellen. Hosted once again by Camille Toe and Topsy Curvy, Va-Va-Valentine is sure to leave you — and your date — at least a little hot and bothered. $10-$100, 8 p.m., Bonham Exchange, 411 Bonham St., (210) 224-9219, instagram.com/ pastiepops. — Dalia Gulca

SAT | 02.11

SPORTS

REY VARGAS VS. O’SHAQUIE

FOSTER: WBC SUPER FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

How good is Rey Vargas, really? The undefeated, sleek Mexican Featherweight and Super Bantamweight champ moves up in weight to try to earn his third belt in as many weight classes, joining the Julio César Chávez, Erik Morales and Mar-

TUE | 02.14

COMEDY BOX OF LAUGHS

This Valentine’s Day, there are alternatives to the traditional box of chocolates. One of those is Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club’s annual Box of Laughs performance, which this year features an array of Texas’ top stand-up talent. Dallas Vann will emcee for a lineup including Justin Governale, Ben Horn, Will Mosely, Ava Smartt, Holly Hart and Tori Pool. Many Alamo City comedy fans are familiar with Pool, who hosts Texas Public Radio’s Worth Repeating podcast, produces Don’t Tell Comedy San Antonio and co-created the card game Latino Card Revoked. While Governale is known around the Lone Star State for his sharp wit, he may soon gain a national following thanks to his upcoming appearance on Season 9 of Discovery’s Naked and Afraid. In his Instagram bio, Goverrnale calls himself a “Marine Sniper Has-Been,” which puts him in a unique position for the task at hand. $15, 8 p.m., Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 Northwest Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — Brandon Rodriguez

co Antonio Barrera club. Possessing an excellent jab, height and reach advantage, Vargas can box but also punch, as his 36-0 (with 22 KOs) record indicates. He can go down but always gets up, and he seems to be a magnet for headbutts that cut him in virtually every fight. Yet he always survives and takes care of business, even though he hasn’t knocked anyone out since 2016. O’Shaquie Foster (Orange, Texas, 19-2, with 11 KOs) boasts a nine-fight winning streak and likes to switch stances and counterpunch effectively, so we’re likely in for a history-making bloodbath — if Foster corners him. Not enough for you? Here’s a significant added attraction: SA’s own, always-tough, former WBA Super Lightweight champion Mario Barrios (26-2, 17 KOs) is returning home to face Puerto Rican Jovanie Santiago (14-2-1, 10 KOs), in a door-die bout for a pair of fighters coming from two straight defeats.

$55.50-$155.50, 8 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St., (210) 207-3663, alamodome.com. — Enrique Lopetegui

Reminder:

Although live events have returned, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Check with venues to make sure scheduled events are still happening, and please follow all health and safety guidelines.

Courtesy Photo / Box of Laughs

Ryan McGettigan, Venue Designer

Courtesy Photo / The Pastie Pops

Courtesy Photo / Alamodome

SUN | 02.12

CLASSICAL MUSIC

SANDBOX PERCUSSION

Sandbox Percussion’s name calls to mind a creative playground activity: digging in the dirt, molding it into complex architecture and smashing it in a frenzied climax when the whim strikes. Percussionists Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Ian Rosenbaum and Terry Sweeney collaborate with composers as well as artists in other disciplines to craft performances that go beyond toe-tapping rhythms — though there’s always plenty of that too. As part of the San Antonio Chamber Music Society’s 80th season, Sandbox brings a concert focused on new music with inventive instrumentation to Temple Beth-El this month. Featured pieces include Caccese’s Bell Patterns, for four tuned desk bells and vibraphone, and Amy Beth Kirsten’s triangle quartet may the devil take me, two works that play with resonance by alternating between ringing and muted metallic timbres. The quartet also will perform Pillar V from Andy Akiho’s Grammy-nominated piece Seven Pillars, an evening-length work commissioned by Sandbox and developed over the course of an eight-year collaboration with the composer. Though the program is primarily forward-looking, the ensemble will delve into past canon as well with a keyboard concerto movement by Johann Sebastian Bach and Part 1 of Steve Reich’s seminal percussive work Drumming $25, 3:15 p.m., Temple Beth-El, 211 Belknap Place, (210) 4081558, sacms.org. — Kelly Nelson

TUE | 02.14

DANCE

MALEVO

As seen on America’s Got Talent, Malevo is a thrilling, all-male group specializing in the art of malambo — a traditional Argentine folk dance at least two centuries old. Created by choreographer and dancer Matías Jaime, the group takes the art form beyond its traditional confines, giving exhilarating performances and producing an over-the-top spectacle. Malevo incorporates percussion, aggressive footwork and — much like the original gauchos, or cowboys, of Argentina — swinging cattle rope. The troupe originated with eight men, each of whom worked blue collar jobs and envisioned themselves as the “Magic Mikes” of Argentina. Since appearing on Season 11 of America’s Got Talent, Malevo has toured the world, worked alongside pop star Ricky Martin and earned the title of “Cultural Ambassador to the National Identity of Argentina.” $35-$65, 8 p.m., Tobin Center for the Performing Arts, 100 Auditorium Circle, (210) 223-8624, tobincenter.org. — Marco Aquino

THU | 02.16

SPECIAL EVENT

TRIXIE & KATYA LIVE!

Though neither made it to the finals on Season 7 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, fan favories Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamolodchikova rose to fame and haven’t stopped ruling in their own right. Performing together on the web series UNHhhh since 2016, they’re prepping for a new theater tour. The bottle blonde pair’s San Antonio stop is one of just two Texas dates and comes after their successful TV debut, Viceland’s The Trixie & Katya Show, and the cementing of their status as New York Times best-selling co-authors with Trixie and Katya’s Guide to Modern Womanhood. Known for improv comedy that frequently skewers both pop culture and LGBT stereotypes, the duo promises no shortage of dancing, acting, wigs, stunts and props during a sold-out San Antonio performance that might be worth seeking tickets for on the resale market. Sold Out, 7:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — Karly Williams

WED | 02.15 -

THU | 02.16

DANCE

CONTRA | TIERRA

Arte y Pasión is hosting Madrid-based flamenco masters El Caballero and La Nerea for two San Antonio presentations of the production CONTRA | TIERRA. Artistic director Tamara Adira, vocalist La Memphi and guitarist Jose Manuel Tejeda will perform alongside the primary dancers. While El Caballero starred in Arte y Pasión’s 2022 production Confluencias, which brought the entire house to its feet, this will mark La Nerea’s first visit to the United States. Both La Nerea and El Caballero are fixtures of Madrid’s tablao scene, performing in venues such as the world-famous Cardamomo and Café Berlín. Together, the two are

Noah Stern Weber

Shutterstock.com / Kathy Hutchins

Courtesy Photo / Tobin Center for the Performing Arts

known for rapid-fire footwork and gritty, passionate performances. CONTRA | TIERRA is a play on words, taken from the term “contratiempo,” or counter rhythm. Counter rhythms, or palos, are a key feature of the flamenco genre, which often features complex cadences that are difficult for the untrained ear to follow. $15-$30, 7:30 p.m., Brick at Blue Star, 108 Blue Star, (210) 262-8653, arte-y-pasion.com. — MA

THU | 02.16SAT | 02.18

THEATER

THE

SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY

Fans of the iconic ’60s folk duo will have a chance to say “hello darkness, my old friend” as The Simon & Garfunkel Story rolls into San Antonio. This concert-style theater performance brings the story of Simon & Garfunkel to life with projected photos, film footage and a live band playing hits such as “Cecilia” and “Mrs. Robinson,” which became mainstays for a generation. The production promises glimpses into the

SUN | 02.19

SPORTS BRAHMAS VS. BATTLEHAWKS

The San Antonio Brahmas will take on the St. Louis Battlehawks this month in a nationally televised game at the Alamodome. The Brahmas’ inaugural home game will be the first time San Antonio sports fans will catch a glimpse of the newly formed XFL semi-pro sports franchise and see what Brahmas head coach, former NFL star Hines Ward, has managed to put together on the field. Even so, the jury is still out as to whether Alamo City residents will welcome the Brahmas sufficiently to ensure the team’s future viability, given the litany of semi-pro football teams that have petered out here, most recently the AAF’s Commanders in 2019. $24 and up, 2 p.m., Alamodome, 100 Montana St., (210) 207-3663, alamodome.com, ABC. — Michael Karlis

infamous feud that fueled the duo’s 1970 split, the performers’ early careers under the name Tom & Jerry and their 1981 reunion concert in Central Park that drew half a million fans enraptured by their harmonious vocals and lyricism. $39.50 and up, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Charline McCombs Empire Theatre, 226 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 226-3333, majesticempire.com. — MC

FRI | 02.17SUN | 02.19

COMEDY

NIMESH PATEL

Known for a quick delivery, high-level wit and deadpan demeanor, Brooklyn-based comic Nimesh Patel has opened for top comedians such as Chris Rock and Aziz Ansari. But Patel’s conversational stand-up work isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and he knows it. For example, in one YouTube clip he lays out an increasingly uncomfortable series of jokes mocking former Vice President Mike Pence’s homophobic public persona, leaving the audience to think, “Pence is projecting, right?” Perhaps because of that willingness to push buttons, Patel has also earned high-profile writing gigs including a stint as the first Indian American writer on Saturday Night Live. Additionally, he’s penned jokes for the 2016 Academy Awards (at host Rock’s invitation, no less), the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and NBC late-night talk show A

Little Late with Lilly Singh. Patel’s special Thank You, China is available on YouTube. $70-$200, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — Brandon Rodriguez

Courtesy Photo / Arte y Pasión

Shutterstock / Felix Mizioznikov

Courtesy Photo / LOL Comedy Club

Courtesy Photo / Empire Theatre

Exhibition on View Through JULY 2, 2023

curated by

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Cande Aguilar, Francis Almendárez, Fernando Andrade, Violette Bule, Angel Cabrales, Sara Cardona, Christian Cruz, Jenelle Esparza, Christopher Nájera Estrada, Melissa Gamez-Herrera, Karla Michell García, Omar González, Raul de Lara, Ingrid Leyva, Ruben Luna, Alejandro Macias, Chris Marin, Gabo Martinez, Gabriel Martinez, Tina Medina, Juan de Dios Mora, Arely Morales, Francisco Moreno, Patrick McGrath Muñiz, Benjamin Muñoz, Marianna T. Olague, Joe Peña, Jaylen Pigford, Vick Quezada, Stephanie Concepcion Ramirez, Josué Ramírez, Natalia Rocafuerte, Gil Rocha, Eva Marengo Sanchez, Marco Sánchez, Ashley Elaine Thomas, Bella Maria Varela, José Villalobos, Sarah Zapata, Jasmine Zelaya.

RIGOBERTO LUNA

‘Refined Reflections’

University of Texas at San Antonio’s Zoe Diaz Collection exhibition reflects a gift to the community

BY MARCO AQUINO

The latest exhibition at UTSA Southwest’s Russell Hill Rogers Galleries represents a collection that spans more than 2,000 works and features some of the most significant Latinx artists working in the U.S. today.

And they’re all in the hands of a 16-yearold.

Titled “Refined Reflections into the Formidable: Contemporary Latino Art from the Zoe Diaz Collection,” the exhibition gathers work from 23 artists that are part of a collection South Texas businessman Joe Diaz gifted to his 16-year-old daughter Zoe Diaz.

“It’s her collection and she will continue to build on it after I’m gone,” Joe Diaz told the Current. “I’m trying to teach her that this job requires great responsibility. We are seeing what she can do and how she’s going to handle it and how much she’s learning.”

The elder Diaz began acquiring the works some 30 years ago, and the works now on display at UTSA’s Southwest Campus range from large-scale paintings and sculpture to photographs and drawings. The show is curated by Scott Sherer, a professor of art history at the university.

He added that the works in the collection hold more than just monetary value.

“It’s not just an art collection,” Diaz said. “I mean, it’s really a collection of our heritage.”

The businessman’s interest in art began when he was living in Houston during a time when few galleries and institutions were showcasing Latinx art. He recalls seeing a work by artist Benito Huerta, the longest-serving director of The Gallery at UTA at the University of Texas at Arlington, and immediately falling in love with it.

Diaz also credits the book Hispanic Art in the United States by John Beardsley for further piquing his interest. That’s where Diaz first encountered the work of San Antonio-based artist César Martínez. Martínez’s large-scale works, inspired by the color field painting of the 1950s, would one day become part of Diaz’s own collection.

Recuerdo

To date, Diaz has also acquired works by Luis Jimenez, Gloria Osuna Perez, John Valadez, Chuck Ramirez and Kathy Vargas, all of whom are represented in the UTSA

exhibition. But it’s the work and career of San Antonio-born artist Vincent Valdez that Diaz said has surpassed all his expectations.

“Luis Jimenez is probably the most famous Mexican American artist of all time,” Diaz said. “But it’s amazing to see where Vincent Valdez is right now. And he’s coming up on that type of level.”

In 2016, the New York Times described Valdez’s paintings as “striking for their attention to emotion, storytelling and the revealing detail.”

Among Valdez’s works included in “Refined Reflections” is a luminous oil painting titled Recuerdo created in 1999, when the artist was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design.

In it, Valdez depicts an elderly, contemplative man, cigarette between his lips, as he somberly plays an accordion. Open beer cans, a lit candle and key chain with a chicken foot attached to it are scattered in the foreground. Depicted in the background is a clue to what drives the figure’s sorrow: a single white cross delineates a pet’s gravesite.

While Recuerdo works as a stirring tribute to someone reminiscent of the artist’s grandfather and a then-recently departed pet, the piece also is important because it signaled a shift in Valdez’s art-making process. Stuck nearly 2,000 miles away from South Texas, Valdez developed an affinity for his home community and began to recognize his identity as a Latino artist.

“It was Thanksgiving vacation, and I couldn’t afford to fly home to see my family,” Valdez explained to the Current in a text message. “So, I sat in my studio at RISD, stared at a blank piece of wood, and began painting what I was experiencing at the moment. Recuerdo reflects an imagined character based on my grandfather, who sits in his backyard after a hard day’s work cutting yards and reflecting back on his own life. This painting depicts an important moment for me — it was the moment that I fully realized what my voice and my vision was about to become as a painter.”

Curator Sherer said the work also wrings considerable empathy from the viewer.

“You kind of get lost in the details and elements of the work, whether it’s the color or image being reflected,” he said. “It’s just well-crafted work.”

“Refined Reflections” is only the third exhibition to be presented since fall 2022, which marked the merger of UTSA’s art program with the academic offerings of the Southwest School of Art. The university expanded its footprint along the San Antonio Riverwalk with its Southwest Campus occupying a portion the Southwest School’s historic downtown enclave.

Latino art is American art

The work in the new exhibition has been well received by the community, according to Sherer. The diversity of each artist and their unique vision makes the collection interesting, he added.

“I feel the exhibit is kind of a gift to the community,” Sherer said. “There is a legacy from Luis Jimenez to more contemporary artists, and it really shows the power of Latino art from the past to the present — and moving forward with some of the younger artists. Latino art is central to the American art experience, and I think the exhibit really shows that.”

Diaz recalls the days when galleries would only call him ahead of Latino Heritage Month in September to seek out work. A lot has changed in the past 30 years, he said.

Today, Diaz reveals that he gets constant requests from galleries and museums around the country interested in showing works from his daughter’s collection. That interest grows as people become more familiar with the artists.

“We are part of the culture,” Diaz said. “We are American. We are here.”

MVincent Valdez created Recuerdo when he was a student at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Vincent Valdez

“Refined Reflections into the Formidable: Contemporary Latino Art from the Zoe Diaz Collection”

Free,

Russell Hill Rogers Galleries UTSA

Realizing a Rom-Com

Dave Franco and Alison Brie talk about collaborating on Somebody I Used to Know

BY KIKO MARTINEZ

Actor and director Dave Franco (The Rental) was walking around his hometown of Palo Alto, California, one day with his wife, actress Alison Brie (Community), when the idea for a romantic comedy started forming in their heads.

“It’s a genre that we both love,” Franco, 37, told the Current during a recent interview. “We started thinking about the idea of coming home and reconnecting with your roots and with the people we used to know; what that says about who you were back then versus who you are now.”

The brainstorming session prompted Franco and Brie to co-write the script for Somebody I Used to Know, the story of Ally (Brie), a reality show producer who returns to her hometown after years away to seek a break from Hollywood. While there, she learns that her ex-boyfriend is about to get married. Overcome with feelings of regret, Ally begins piecing together a plan to break up the couple and win him back.

“‘The one that got away’ is a common trope in romantic comedies that I’ve witnessed in real life with friends of mine,” Brie, 40, told the Current. “I think a sort of relationship amnesia can happen where you romanticize something after the fact, even though there are glaring reasons why it doesn’t work.”

During our interview with Franco, who directed the movie, and Brie, they talked about what it’s like writing a script together. Brie alluded to a scene of the film in which she sheds her clothes and goes streaking.

Somebody I Used to Know premieres on Amazon Prime on Feb. 10.

First, one million bonus points to whoever’s idea it was to put a poster of American Movie in Ally’s childhood room.

Dave Franco: Thank you for noticing. So, we needed posters from that time period for [Ally’s] room. It was like the late 1990s. [American Movie] is just one of the greatest documentaries ever made. You can imagine my affection for it. There are similarities to The Room and The Disaster Artist. So, those types of movies are right up my alley.

Alison Brie: We had a great production designer that really knocked it out of the park with Ally’s bedroom. There are so many specific posters on the wall — of the music

she was listening to. It really gives you a sense of who Ally was.

DF: She’s got Sleater-Kinney on the wall. Dazed and Confused. Reality Bites.

AB: [Ally] was rebelling a bit, but she genuinely had a love for film and the art form. I think she wanted to do edgy, cool work when she was younger. She didn’t envision herself [producing] a reality show series.

On that note, aside from the rom-com aspects, there is another narrative in the movie about devoting your life to things you are passionate about versus things that are less fulfilling. Have either of you experienced that in your career?

AB: Yeah, I think there was a time early on where I felt so fortunate to be working and having a choice about what I was going to do next. I think I had this mindset of choosing [projects] based on what I thought was the right next step as opposed to doing things that I would have fun doing and that I feel passionate about.

As you wrote this script together, what happened when you disagreed on something? How did that get resolved?

DF: It’s very rare that we’ll disagree on something, but it will happen. Usually, it’ll kind of marinate for a couple of days. Then, when it

gets brought up again, we’ll be like, “Here’s why I think it needs to be this way.”

AB: I think it starts with fireworks. We’ll get passionate or defensive about a moment or a character and we go head-to-head on it. And then we say, “Let’s not make any decisions about it,” and we let it lie. Usually, there’s a little bit of compromise on both sides.

Dave, this being your second film as a director, was it a conscious decision to do something completely different than your first movie, The Rental, which was a horror-thriller?

DF: I don’t think I thought too much about it. When we started writing this, it was at the very beginning of the pandemic. The movies we were watching were romantic comedies and movies that were very uplifting and joyous. It was all we could stomach at the time. So, I think we just had this idea of putting our own project in the world that would hopefully bring people some positivity. That said, I love horror so much. If people want me to keep directing, I will make another horror movie for sure.

You could’ve easily given Ally a knife.

AB: (Laughs.) Streaking with a knife.

Sprouting Up

After a slow start, the Healthy Corner Stores initiative is planting oases in food deserts

BY BRANDON RODRIGUEZ

For many who reside around convenience store owner Iqbal Karediya’s Skyway Food Mart on South Flores Street, the shop isn’t just their closest source for groceries but the one they frequent most.

Until 2019, Karediya’s store carried only the same shelf-stable fare as most of its type: Takis, Skittles and Lone Star Beer. Fresh produce simply wasn’t an option. Then he enrolled in San Antonio’s Healthy Corner Stores Program.

Karediya said his participation has been “helpful” to the community in which he operates and thinks highly enough of it that he recommends it to other convenience-store operators.

The Healthy Corner Stores initiative launched in 2019 when then-District 3 Councilwoman Rebecca Viagran secured $50,000 in city funding to launch

a pilot program to supply affordable fresh produce to neighborhood stores. Such stores are the primary shopping destination for many families in low-income neighborhoods, especially families without reliable transportation.

Under the program, the city supplies participating stores with no-cost refrigeration units and access to affordable fresh produce in exchange for the promise they’ll make it available to customers.

Initially, the program focused on Viagran’s South Side district, appearing to offer a straightforward solution to combat San Antonio’s food insecurity problem, health and nutrition problems.

Since then, then program has grown from eight participating stores to more than 30, according to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. But it’s been slow going. The early days were riddled with

stock fresh produce if it doesn’t make economic sense.

problems securing produce distributors, then came the pandemic, lagging supply chains and frequent leadership turnover.

Still, those who see the program’s vital role in improving San Antonio’s health are keeping it alive and growing.

“This is not a program many people in the produce industry are overly excited to be a part of,” said Jamie Gonzalez, president of the Food Policy Council of San Antonio, and one of Healthy Corner Stores’ key drivers. “You have to really want to operate in this realm to think this is a good opportunity.”

The program’s original supplier, River City Produce, exited Heathy Corner Stores a year after it launch, highlighting one of its realities: No matter how good a program’s intentions, it needs to make financial sense for all parties involved.

Economic sense

Gonzalez, known locally as “La Puta de la Fruta” for her years of food advocacy, said she’s managed to

Jaime Monzon

MJamie Gonzalez of the Food Policy Council says stores won’t

right the course for the initiative and keep it growing by finding ways to make the numbers work.

For large-scale produce distributors, such as River City, fulfilling produce orders that run into the thousands of pounds makes more sense than servicing convenience stores that may buy in quantities of as little as 10 and 20 pounds.

And for store owners such as Karediya, it becomes vital to be able to obtain products at a good cost. After all, if a store owner has to mark up a carton of strawberries so much that consumers can’t justify the expense, the program has failed.

When River City exited, Gonzalez became instrumental in finding its replacement: Big State Produce Co.

The connection made sense, in part because Gonzalez is Big State’s director of Community Feeding Programs. She said the business is able to work within the confines of the Healthy Corner Stores Program because in addition to standard truck deliveries, it uses alternative delivery methods, such as gig drivers, for whom smaller deliveries are economically viable.

To ensure the economics work out for store owners, Gonzalez makes a proactive effort to keep them current with what produce items are affordable at the moment and which are prohibitively expensive. For example, a dramatic rise in iceberg lettuce prices doesn’t make it a financially viable option for many small retailers right now.

“We price-monitor and work with store owners, advising them when specific produce options rise in price,” Gonzalez explained.

One of the owners who regularly turns to Gonzalez for advice is Ian Ismail of Red Rooster Meat Market, a Southeast San Antonio neighborhood grocery store in the middle of a food desert. Red Rooster joined the program in 2019, becoming one of the first stores in the initiative.

“The program gave us the ability to try a different variety of vegetables that we wouldn’t usually order to find the perfect combination for our customer’s taste,” said Ismail, who places produce orders twice a week through the program.

The stock at participating shops can vary widely, according to Gonzalez. Some owners may stock bare essentials such as limes, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños and onions due to space constraints.

Others, including Red Rooster, carve out much larger sections of their stores for fresh produce. On a recent visit to the small grocery store, which was populated by neighborhood residents and truckers fueling up outside, the fresh produce offerings included cases of apples and oranges along with cucumbers, cauliflower and pre-packaged fruit salads.

Pandemic stress

After the start of the pandemic, Healthy

Corner Stores also grappled with the same supply-chain breakdowns that beset the business world, according to Gonzalez. The trouble wasn’t so much finding the produce as it was tracking down the refrigerated storage units retailers needed.

Organizers are still struggling through delayed deliveries of the equipment, although that’s recently improved, Gonzalez said. Ultimately, it may just be one of those difficulties the program has to ride out.

As the COVID crisis set in, the oversight of Healthy Corner Stores also underwent a serious restructuring. Initially, the program involved University of the Incarnate Word’s School of Osteopathic Medicine, Metro Health, the Food Policy Council, the San Antonio Food Bank and other entities.

It’s now been streamlined, and Metro Health oversees the program while getting advisory assistance from the Food Policy Council. According to Anna Macnak, health program manager for Metro Health, the consolidation ultimately proved instrumental to the program getting on track.

On the right track

While the number of organizations helming Healthy Corner Stores has dwindled, Gonzalez pointed to its growing participation at the retail level as a sign of its forward momentum.

Metro Health expects to add eight more stores during the first quarter of this year, which appears to put it on the path to meet or exceed the organization’s goal of it serving 50 stores by Sept. 30, 2026.

What’s more, the program is now a key component of the SA Forward Plan, which Metro Health launched in 2022 to promote healthy behaviors across Bexar County to address the area’s numerous health challenges, including diabetes and obesity.

In October 2022, Metro Health further expanded funding for Healthy Corner Stores, issuing a contract that made Big State its sole produce distributor for the next five years.

Now that Healthy Corner Stores appears to be on the right track, it’s attracted the interest of entities and city leaders outside of San Antonio, according to Gonzalez. So far, the city of Houston and the American Heart Association have examined the program to see if it can be replicated elsewhere, she said.

Even though former councilwoman Viagran hasn’t been involved with the program for some time, she’s proud of its progress. She said she smiles each time she hears a new store is added to the list.

“This is a great program, and I am glad the city invested,” Viagran told the Current. “I am glad people are still very much involved and excited about it.”

The coming five years will be crucial to the longevity of the Healthy Corner Stores Program, Gonzalez said.

By leveraging San Antonio’s abundance of convenience stores, the program is helping rebuild the legacy of San Antonio’s racist redlining, one of the key causes of its lingering food insecurity issue, according to experts.

And advocates including Gonzalez soon may have quantitative evidence to show the lasting effects of the program on the health and wellbeing of San Antonio residents.

The city is gearing up to launch a largescale food systems study, which will examine programs such as the Healthy Corner Stores Program.

Gonzalez said she expects the data will show what she’s long argued — that the initiative’s worth goes well beyond the produce it helps sell.

“This program is about creating access where it doesn’t exist,” she said.

Brandon Rodriguez

SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS

COVID/CONSTRUCTION RECOVERY GRANTS PROGRAM

APPLICATIONS OPEN FEBRUARY 13-28, 2023

Small businesses impacted by COVID and City-initiated construction that are located in qualifying project zones may be eligible for up to $35,000 in grant funding supported by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). To see if you qualify, scan the QR code or visit the link below.

SanAntonio.gov/EDD/Programs-Grants

True Romance

Still trying to find the ideal Valentine’s Day dinner spot?

Let us help.

BY NINA RANGEL

Valentine’s Day is nearly here again, along with the stress of picking the perfect spot to wine and dine one’s significant other. With so many options, picking the perfect spot to fit the mood can be perplexing, whether you plan to brave the crowds on the big day or slide in for a quieter dinner sometime after.

To help out, we put together a handy guide of locally owned date-worthy spots that run the gamut from sultry and sexy to easygoing and fun. We even ranked them all based on price, ambiance, noise level and approachability.

And don’t limit your visits just to Valentine’s Day. These are all stellar dining spots any day of the year. All ratings are one to five scale with five being the highest.

Copa Wine Bar

Approachable fare, extensive wine offerings and knowledgeable staff make Copa hard to beat. Owners Jeff and Angie Bridges have specialized in offering rare labels and vintage wines for more than two decades, but don’t let the heft of the wine list scare you off. Fresh tapas and pizzas, a cozy atmosphere and an inviting crew create an easygoing setting for romantic meetings. 19141 Stone Oak Parkway, (210) 495-2672, thecopawinebar.com.

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The Magpie

Named for a messenger of good luck in Korean culture, The Magpie features Korean-influenced plates in an intimate East side eatery known for using fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Chef-owner Jungsuk “Sue” Kim’s experience in a variety of cuisines, including time Los Angeles’ Michelin star-rated Melisse, is apparent in her plating, which is likely to impress a date’s eyes as much as their taste buds. The Magpie is great for adventurous eaters who don’t mind close quarters for date nights. 1602 E. Houston St., Ste. 106, magpie.us.

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Sojourn Trading Co.

The term “sojourn” may signify an escape or getaway, but the vibe of this downtown spot will make you want to sit and stay a while. A bright and airy interi-

or sets the tone for imbibing in interesting takes on classic cocktails, and the menu includes small bites ranging from sandwiches and charcuterie to a raw bar with ceviche and oysters on the half shell. Post up at the bar or a cozy table for a bite and a cocktail, then confer with your plus-one about staying for another round. Sojourn is great for folks who enjoy casual, yet elevated, fare, and may want the option of barhopping together afterward. 244 W. Houston St., (210) 455-0357, sojournsatx.com.

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Il Forno

For low-key couples whose ideal date night is sharing well-prepared food in a relaxed setting, you can’t lose with Il Forno’s wood-fired pizzas. Sure, the spot is super casual, but something still makes it feel right for special occasions. We suspect it’s the decadence of the pies, made with scratch-made mozzarella, fresh veggies and house-cured meats. Herbs and more are grown onsite, and the menu’s “Not Pizza” section includes salads, meatballs and antipasto. 122 Nogalitos St., (210) 264-7559, ilfornosa.com.

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Ocho

Ocho’s ambiance — which includes a gorgeous,

glass-encased dining room — makes it a perennial on lists beautiful San Antonio dining destinations. But that’s not the only reason to visit. Chef Jesse Kuykendall’s creations, such as fiery agua chile and a chimichurri-marinated ribeye, make this a great date spot for established and new relationships alike, as long as both eaters don’t mind a little culinary indulgence. 1015 Navarro St., (210) 222-2008, havanasanantonio. com.

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Frederick’s Restaurant

From the mind behind now-shuttered French food haven L’Etoile, Frederick’s offers friendly service along with its expected white-tablecloth vibes. Chef-owner Frederick Costa blends the flavors and diverse cultures of Vietnam and France. Classic European dishes such mushroom risotto and creme brûlée abound, but don’t be surprised if you encounter fresh charred octopus and pho as well. Frederick’s is a great spot for couples who enjoy exploring wine menus over dinner, but the space is small, so be sure to make a reservation. 7701 Broadway St., Ste. 20, (210) 828-9050, fredericksrestaurantsa.com.

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Instagram / @clementine.sanantonio

MClementine makes for a casual date focused on local ingredients.

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Fairmount Rooftop Oyster Bar

Set atop the historic Fairmount Hotel, this rooftop oyster bar marries al fresco dining with fresh seafood against the breathtaking backdrop of downtown San Antonio. Seafood lovers will find much to swoon over, including oysters from boutique East Coast harvesters as well as crab and lobster. The affable bartenders are adept at slinging wine, beer and craft cocktails. If your significant other is prone to selfie-taking at every angle, the Fairmount offers unbeatable photo ops. 401 S. Alamo St., (210) 224-8800, fairmountsa.com.

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RD Speakeasy

It may not look like much from the exterior, but the charms of this reservation-only speakeasy are hidden inside. Especially if your date has a penchant for sipping expertly crafted Old Fashioneds in an opulent ambiance. Sure, texting a phone number for a secret password to gain entry is a little dramatic and theatrical, but there is sense of romantic intrigue about it. 8400 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 605-2292, mixed4u. com.

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Toro Kitchen + Bar

Toro operates two SA locations, but for date night, we lean more toward the one downtown, in part for its sexy basement bar, Cellar Mixology. Share seafood-laden paella, fancy Jamón Ibérico or perfectly prepared fresh octopus then pop downstairs via Cellar’s secret entrance for an after-dinner cocktail. Bonus points if your lover enjoys flamenco since Toro often hosts live music right in its dining room. 1142 E. Commerce St., Suite 100., (210) 592-1075, torokitchenandbar.com.

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Clementine

Owned and operated by husband-wife team John and Elise Russ, casual Clementine centers around seasonal eats inspired by global flavors. The chefs’ dedication to seasonality even includes a “Feed Me” dinner in which they prepare a menu just for you and your honey that highlights the freshest ingredients available. 2195 N.W. Military Highway, (210) 503-5121, clementine-sa.com.

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Homegrown Mood Enhancers

If aphrodisiac foods are on your Valentine’s Day menu, why not source them locally?

BY NINA RANGEL

Adrink before, and a cigarette after,” the old adage goes. And there’s also no shortage of sayings about food items that offer powerful benefits during romantic encounters.

Legend has it that Giacomo Casanova, one of the most famous lovers in history, would slurp down dozens of oysters before bedding down with partners. Many claim the slippery bivalves and other foods are aphrodisiacs that heighten arousal and boost sexual performance.

Before anyone drops even more money on fancy food ahead of Valentine’s Day, keep this in mind: Even after copious study, there’s not much scientific evidence to back up claims that certain digestible items can transform us into red-hot lovers.

But if you’ve not yet busted your budget for the big day, your attitude may be, “What not give it a try?”

For readers with that mindset, we plumbed the archives of PBS’s The History Kitchen to research five of the best-known purported aphrodisiacs and identified spots where romantic San Antonians can find locally sourced versions of these alleged mood-enhancers.

Chocolate

Chocolate’s longtime rep for putting people in the mood may come down to the presence of the compounds phenylalanine and tryptophan. The former is a stimulant that’s released in the brain when we fall in love, according to food historians, while the latter helps produce serotonin, the brain chemical most often associated with happier moods and sexual arousal.

Where to find it:

Délice Chocolatier & Patisserie: 946 N. Loop 1604 W., Suite 145, (210) 545-2200, delicechocolatier.com.

Casa Chocolates: 555 W. Bitters Road, Suite 127, (210) 570-2225, casachocolates.com

Oysters

The zinc in oysters is said to help raise testosterone, which can support a good mood and a healthy libido. Oysters also contain taurine, an amino acid that supports cardiac health and nerve transmission, according to the medical journal Translational Andrology and Urology. Flavonoids in oyster meat also have been shown to stimulate the reproductive system and can help bolster sperm count.

Where to find them:

Double Standard: 114 E. Houston St., (210) 977-0005, doublestandardsatx.com.

Ostra Restaurant: 212 W. Crockett St., (210) 3965800, instagram.com/ostra_sa.

Pomegranates

The word aphrodisiac originates with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, who’s credited with planting the first pomegranate tree. Even though science has shown the fruit is better at supplying antioxidants than boosting sexual performance, its abundance of seeds led people to associate it with fertility. It also appears as a romantic symbol in literature dating back centuries.

Where to find it:

Clementine’s White Mushroom Salad: 2195 NW Military Highway, (210) 503-5121, clementine-sa.com.

Pharm Table’s Pomegranate Guacamole: 611 S. Presa St., Suite 106, (210) 802-1860, pharmtable.com.

Honey

Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed honey for sexual vigor, and an old French wives’ tale claimed that a bee sting was akin to receiving a shot of pure aphrodisiac. Since then, scientists have established that honey contains boron, said to regulate hormone levels, and nitric oxide, which is released in the blood during arousal.

Where to find it:

Holdman Honey: 1050 Youth Haven Road, Seguin, (210) 885-5868, holdmanhoney.com.

Beespace: 709 Highway 90 West, (210) 415-9636, facebook.com/beespaceofficial.

Coffee

A 2010 University of Texas study found strong evidence that caffeine was effective in boosting female libido. Well-established effects of caffeine, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, are among the factors that enhance female arousal, researchers found.

Where to find it:

Shotgun House Roasters: 1333 Buena Vista St., shotgunhouseroasters.com.

Barrio Barista Coffee: 3735 Culebra Road, (210) 5195403, barriobarista.coffee.

Nina Rangel

Armed and Dangerous

Anthrax’s Scott Ian dishes on the thrash metal pioneers’ long history with San Antonio

BY MIKE MCMAHAN

Those who know thrash metal titans Anthrax and their signature anti-racist anthem “Indians” know shit gets real when rhythm guitarist Scott Ian shouts “War dance!” at the start of the song’s punishing breakdown.

“Indians” was among the aggressive anthems that helped define Anthrax’s classic 1987 release Among the Living. The album dropped on the heels of Metallica’s breakthrough LP Master of Puppets, and its hyper-speed riffing and socially aware lyrics propelled Anthrax to the forefront of the nascent thrash movement.

Along with Metallica, Megadeth and Slayer, Anthrax emerged as part of the “Big Four” that drove the metal genre in a faster, more intense and brutal direction.

On the occasion of Anthrax’s 40th anniversary tour with Black Label Society and Exodus, which hits San Antonio’s Boeing Center at Tech Port on Friday, Feb. 10, the Current caught up with Ian to discuss the band’s memorable Alamo City gigs. He called on the afternoon of a gig in Grand Forks, North Dakota, noting “it’s fucking freezing here!”

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

This is the 40th anniversary tour, but it’s actually Anthrax’s 42nd year as a band, right?

Yeah, July will be 42. We didn’t get to tour in 2021 on the back of the actual anniversary because of COVID. We started the 40th anniversary tour in 2022, which was the first leg of this run. Now we’re on the second leg of the tour with Black Label and continuing the 40th anniversary thing.

The band has a long history with San Antonio. What was your earliest stop here?

We played Sunken Garden in July of ’87 with Metal Church and D.R.I. opening. That was our first big show in San Antonio. We were there in April ’86 headlining too, but I can’t remember what club it was. I think we had Helstar opening for us. We quickly realized that San Antonio was like a metal mecca.

In April of 1989, the Headbangers Ball tour — with you guys, Helloween and Exodus —

stopped here. The band was reaching a new level with all of the MTV support. That gig was moved last minute, due to rain, from Sunken Garden to Freeman Coliseum. And Exodus had to cancel last minute due to someone being sick. That must have been chaotic.

I’m sure it was chaotic. You said it was rain? It was. Before the show, you signed albums at Sound Warehouse. Do you remember that place?

I don’t remember the signing specifically, but I remember Sound Warehouse for sure.

You still had hair, and drummer Charlie Benante hadn’t cut his.

(Laughs.) Exactly!

The next San Antonio show would have been supporting Iron Maiden in February 1991. You have cited Maiden as a huge influence. Being on that tour must have been a thrill.

There’s no band more responsible for Anthrax being a band than Iron Maiden. In those early days — even pre-Anthrax — Maiden was everything When you look at it on paper, it doesn’t seem too long. I think back to 1980 when the first Maiden record came out. Walking home from the record store with that album — and listening to it — it completely changed my life. In ’81, there’s Killers too, and Anthrax is a band and we fucking worshipped Iron Maiden. They opened for Judas Priest in ’81 at the Palladium in New York City. All of us were at that show, even though we weren’t in a band together yet. I didn’t even know

Charlie and Frank [Bello, the bassist]. But we were all at the shows. And then cut to just nine years later and we were opening a world tour for them — ’81 to ’90 might as well have been an eternity. Looking back on it now, it’s only nine years. We’re still good friends. I just bumped into [Maiden guitarist] Adrian Smith at a Whole Foods in Malibu before I came out on this tour.

That’s rock ‘n’ roll!

We were standing there at the checkout for 10 minutes, holding up the line. People are like, “Who are these two weird old guys talking about music?” There’s no band I can say more about, that’s more instrumental in our career path. They’ve gone above and beyond for Anthrax in every possible way. If it wasn’t for the fact that I have pictures from back then, it would almost seem like it was a dream.

Looking back at 40 years. If you had a time machine and could change one thing, what would it be?

My logical mind tells me you can’t change anything, because you couldn’t be where you are now, still being able to do it at this level in 2023. I guess the real answer would be: I would have bought Apple stock back in the 1980s.

A longer version of this interview, which includes Ian’s thoughts on whether thrash peaked with the Clash of the Titans tour, how Alice In Chains got on that bill and the Pantera reunion is available online at bit.ly/3HWvhAi

$30.50-$80.50, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 10, Boeing Center at Tech Port, 3331 General Hudnell Drive, (210) 600-3699, boeingcentertechport.com.

music

Reminder:

Although live events have returned, the COVID-19 pandemic is still with us. Check with venues to make sure scheduled events are still happening, and please follow all health and safety guidelines.

A.PAES / Shutterstock.com

Mike McMahan

music Making Movies

San Antonio-born synth-pop act Hyperbubble to screen its documentary at Lonesome Rose

BY MIKE MCMAHAN

Veteran synth-pop act

Hyperbubble has always been a visual band, as even a casual glance at its album covers and flyers shows. Now, the San Antonio-formed duo is taking things to the next level with a new documentary, Cowgirls and Synthesizers.

The feature-length film will have its first public screening Sunday, Feb. 19 at St. Mary’s Strip honky tonk the Lonesome Rose. For the sake of transparency, we should mention that the movie includes a voiceover from Current Editor-in-Chief Sanford Nowlin.

Hyperbubble is composed of married couple Jeff and Jess DeCuir, though they only use their first names, fitting their retro-futuristic image. Both sing and perform on synths, with Jess also tackling the theremin. The pair currently reside in St. Louis, though they insist Hyperbubble, which has performed on stages as far away as Europe, remains a San Antonio band at heart.

Alternative Press once described Hyperbubble as “the sonic equivalent of a truckload of Twizzlers,” a colorful and whimsical description that holds true for Cowgirls as well.

The documentary combines performance footage with comedic bits, animation and interviews with collaborators and influences. Unlike many of the music docs crowding streaming services, Cowgirls features full-song videos drenched in the band’s colorful, ’80s-influenced aesthetic.

“When I watch a music documentary, I see a lot of talking heads,” Jess said of including whole videos. “To me, there’s only so much of that you can have before it gets a little boring. [Cowgirls and Synthesizers] is a documentary. But it’s also a fanzine, a music video, even some comedy skits.”

Keeping it DIY

As highlighted in Cowgirls, the story of Hyperbubble began as many great rock ’n’ roll stories do: in a dumpster. In one of the movie’s best animated scenes, a young Jeff embarks on an epic dumpster dive outside a record company office. While he finds the

corporate memos and info he’s after, he also discovers a record by Shoes, a largely unknown power-pop band who becomes an inspiration for the fledgling musician.

In a full-circle moment later in the film, Hyperbubble presents the members of Shoes, years later, with that very LP, complete with a mustard stain acquired during its time marinating in the trash. Cowgirls director Joe Wallace conceived of the scene after hearing about Jeff’s life-altering dumpster dive.

“They’re huge in the power-pop community,” Jeff said of Shoes’ lasting influence. “They have a sustainable career because they are 100% themselves.”

The theme of being true to one’s own vision and keeping it DIY is key to Hyperbubble and, ultimately, to Cowgirls. The film documents what transpired after Wallace, intrigued by the possibilities of the group’s DIY approach, suggested Jess and Jeff record an album in Nashville.

In keeping with that shoestring approach, the movie reflects the influence of classic Canadian sketch comedy show Second City Television (SCTV), particularly its low-quality pixelated graphics and shabby green-screen special effects.

“They pushed up the cheapness and tackiness,” Jeff said of SCTV.

Indeed, Cowgirls looks to the past not just for its aesthetics but to understand Hyperbubble’s inspirations along with Jess’ and Jeff’s origin stories. The footage form their pre-Hyperbubble lives includes anything from tours of duty in hardcore bands to talent show performances.

Positive spin

Hyperbubble won’t perform at the Lonesome Rose screening. However, the evening — billed as Fellowshipwreck Film Fest — also will include a variety of shorter, experimental films rooted in electronic music. In addition, the fest will highlight video from Infinity Asylum, Jeff’s space rock project with Joe Reyes of Buttercup.

Infinity Asylum features voice acting from Samantha Newark, the voice of

Jem from the ’80s cartoon Jem and the Holograms, another aesthetic and musical influence Hyperbubble explored in Cowgirls.

If the power-pop of Shoes and Jem’s animated tales of an all-girl rock band sound fluffy compared to the ponderous, often dark nature of much of today’s underground music, that’s kind of the point.

There’s a positivity inherent to both Hyperbubble and the film, which the band is working into other film festivals.

“There’s a lot of stuff going on that’s going to bum you out these days,” Jeff said. “And we’re losing our musical heroes, one at a time, day after day. Here’s something that’s going to make you smile. It might make you laugh and

bring you a little bit of happiness. And it’s done by a couple of people who are misfits and outcasts. The nerds, not the rockstars.”

Much like the outsiders who fueled the original punk explosion.

“Can you have that attitude that punk rockers have with their guitars, but with synthesizers? Yes, you definitely can,” Jess said. “What separates us from the original punk rockers is a more positive attitude and more positive lyrics.”

“But there’s a darkness kind of boiling under the surface,” said Jeff. “And punk was very colorful in the late ’70s,” he added.

Free, 6-9 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 4550233, thelonesomerosesa.com.

Courtesy Photo / Hyperbubble

‘Intellectual Warfare’

New York’s Show Me the Body is about empowerment, not protest music

BY SANFORD NOWLIN

With its banjo-bass-drums instrumentation and affinity for sonic exploration via samples and electronic treatments, New York-based hardcore punk trio Show Me the Body channels all the political rage expected from its genre.

Just don’t expect it to play by-thenumbers thrash.

Instead, the band has drawn critical acclaim and a sizable audience by fusing its militant political message with an amalgam of noise, metal, hip-hop and folk that somehow gets bodies both moshing and dancing.

Show Me the Body’s third and most recent album, Trouble the Water, continues its exploratory streak while adding nuanced dynamics and texture to its songwriting. The tour promoting the release — the group’s first since the pandemic — will stop at San Antonio’s Paper Tiger Tuesday, Feb. 21 with Jesus Piece, Scowl, Zulu and TRiPPJONES opening.

The Current caught up with Show Me the Body founding members Julian Cashwan Pratt (banjo and vocals) and Harlan Steed (bass and electronics) via phone to talk about their music, message and constant growth.

Protest music tends to be inclusive. You’ve got to reach out to an audience, engage them, get them singing along. On the other hand, experimentation tends to look inward.

How does Show Me the Body strike a balance between those two sides?

Julian Cashwan Pratt: I would start by saying I don’t really consider that Show Me the Body does protest music. I don’t think I would consider it protest music as much as music that is dedicated to empowerment, music that is dedicated to the young people who listen to it and music that belongs to the listener rather than music that belongs to me

or Harlan. It belongs to the people who are part of our community. Maybe in that sense, it sounds different because most music is not about that. ... I’d say that most of our music is just about intellectual warfare. It’s about self-defense, and it’s about love of our community and how to build one — and how other kids can build one. I’d say that that is actually a pretty experimental thing to do in our current state of reality. Even the experimental side of what we do can be considered extroverted in that you’re not encouraged in the world to start a mutual-aid initiative. You’re not encouraged in America to have solidarity across class boundaries. In that way, I’d say the point of it is experimental to a certain extent.

Harlan Steed: I agree with Julian. If anything, our music is anti-authoritarian more so than it is protest, and it’s more about creating a space for people to feel free and feel like they can express themselves. In line with the experimental question, I think we’re in a time where people are so bored with the status quo, lowest-common-denominator, nostalgic music that comes out that I think that experimentation is something people are turning to because they need something new to

experience. I don’t know if we give it to them, but that’s the goal.

There’s a sense of place in your music. It’s political, but it’s very tuned into your surroundings in New York — addressing specific kinds of gentrification, corporate ambivalence and over-policing. Do you think you’d be the same kind of band had you guys grown up somewhere other than New York?

JCP: We’d be a similar band, but I think we’d be a lot less funky. HS: I think these problems are everywhere, man. I think these systems of power and humans versus prisons and humans versus police and humans versus politics, these are things that are ever-present within the human condition. It speaks to people everywhere. Just because of where we were raised in New York, Show Me the Body has a certain sound. That’s kind of the only thing that makes us more specifically New York is just that type of sound. We consider ourselves an aggressive band, but we try not to put out anything that you can’t dance to. We maintain a heavy priority that just as fighting is important, dancing is maybe the most important.

JCP: As far as heavy bands, I think a lot of people don’t really consider the

dance.

On the new record, for all the heaviness, there’s certainly a lot of dynamics at play. Several of the songs start out sounding like folk tunes almost, but by the end they’re real burners. How deliberate is that attempt to build from a whisper to a roar?

HS: I think, as a band, we have a reputation [for that], but also, I think we tend to build songs this way and have certain structures that we rely on. A lot of artists just jump right into the swimming pool, so to speak, but we like to have that slow but steady climb up the diving board tower to the point where you get to that peak and then you let go. That’s something we always enjoy incorporating into our writing. A lot of it is whenever we make records, we’re very collaborative and responsive to each other’s ideas and try to challenge each other to push those ideas as far as they can go. This album was really Julian and I finishing each other’s sentences and trying to arrive at songwriting styles we’ve used in the past, but also trying to get those to a whole new territory.

$25, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com.

Nick Sethi

critics’ picks

Wednesday, Feb. 8

MDC, The Cutthroats, Violent Practice, W. Witosky and the Dirty Dog Dick Eaters

MDC — an acronym that initially stood for Millions of Dead Cops but has mutated over the years depending on the band’s targets — helped set the template for hardcore punk in the early ’80s with a mix of speedy riffing and pissed-off politics. The long-running band hasn’t let up on its radical message or the ferocity of its musical attack. This show’s also an album-release party for SA’s W. Witosky and the Dirty Dog Dick Eaters, whose new release Earn Your Wings is an amalgam of gloriously sloppy early Replacements-style snot rock and hoarsely shouted punk given an extra kick of cowpunk giddyup. $10, 8 p.m., The Mix, 2423 N. St. Mary’s St., facebook.com/themixsatx. — Sanford Nowlin

Friday, Feb. 10

Danny Ocean

Latin pop singer and producer Danny Ocean is best known for his 2016 international hit “Me Rehúso,” a song about longing and love lost during a time of economic and political turmoil. Ocean, who migrated from Venezuela to the U.S., told Rolling Stone in 2022 that he views his signature song as a political statement. “It was like, ‘Why do I have to leave somebody behind, and why do I have to leave my country?” he explained. His San Antonio stop is part of a 16-city tour that wraps up in his adopted hometown of Miami. $64.83 and up, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — Marco Aquino

Mourning Sun, NDGO, Forever, for Now, Voltreus, Inbala

If you put the fierce sounds of metalcore stalwarts After the Burial in a blender with Upon A Burning Body, the result might resemble San Antonio act Mourning Sun. The band punches listeners in the face but does so with grace — thanks to the melodic guitars underpinning its rage-filled songs. Current vocalist Jerecho Barrera started off as the bassist, but his scratchy screams make him an ear-shredder well qualified to lead the band. While Mourning Sun has opened for national metalcore acts including The Plot in You and The Devil Wears Prada over the years, it’s only released one EP and a slew of singles. This show celebrates the release of its second EP, Second Skin. $10$12, 6:30 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — Brianna Espinoza

Saturday, Feb. 11

Bobby Oroza, Las Los

Bobby Oroza’s soul sound reflects the diverse, multicultural soundtrack of his early life. Born in Helsinki, Finland, to a Bolivian mother and Finnish father, he grew up around a family record collection that primed him for a boundary defying aesthetic. His father, a jazz guitarist, also ensured the young Oroza got to experience Blue Note jazz, Motown soul and West African music. Oroza’s latest effort, 2022’s Get On The Otherside, builds on the foundation of his 2019 debut This Love. Jazzy influences shine through on the album’s first single “I Got Love,” which showcases the performer’s love-conquers-all approach with a dreamy and timeless mix of guitars, flute fills and deliberate drums. $18$20, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx. com. — Danny Cervantes

Avnue, Checkered Soul, Unholy Trinity, Astro Current, Pain Junkies, Counterfeit Icons

San Antonio band Avnue has made quite the name for itself

since the release of its debut EP Nothing to See Here several years ago. The group captures the feel of aughts-era punk bands such as The Story So Far with raspy vocals and lyrics full of trials and tribulations. Avnue then sets itself apart by adding hard-hitting drums and guitars as a contrast to its melodic, heartfelt tendencies. $10-$15, 7:15 p.m., Vibes Underground, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, facebook.com/vibesunderground. — BE

Monday, Feb. 13

Life Cycles, Realms of Death, Inner Self, Flagrant Foul Reminiscent of metallic hardcore pioneers Hatebreed, San Antonio extreme metal band Life Cycles started releasing music in 2019 and set fire to stages all over Texas. Given the aural pain the band specializes in, headlining this “Love Hurts” show the day before Valentine’s at the Vice Versa basement might be just its calling. $5-$10, 8 p.m., Vice Versa, 123 Heiman St., (210) 9770566, instagram.com/viceversa.sanantonio. — Dalia Gulca

Wednesday, Feb. 15

Quasi, Yuvees, On Being an Angel

Formed in 1993 by former spouses Sam Coomes (vocalist, multi-instrumentalist) and Janet Weiss (vocalist, drummer), Oregon-based indie-pop duo Quasi tours as often as the members’ other bands’ schedules permit. Weiss was the primary drummer for Sleater-Kinney, and Coomes appeared on several Built to Spill albums. The pair is now touring in support of three recently released singles. The latest of those, “Nowheresville,” is a raw, fuzzy guitar- and drum-fueled track that will appear on their new album Breaking the Balls of History. $20-$22, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. – DC

Any Color You Like

San Antonio’s self-described “soul-hop psychedelic mystic-folk” group Any Color You Like celebrated its first major release last December. The single “Indigo” represents the culmination of years of effort from Noah Slavin, Gavin Massay, Ryan Hollander and Gilbert Salazar, and it showcases an infectious energy likely to get crowds grooving. $12-$50, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — DC

Thursday, Feb. 16

Ari Lennox

Last year, R&B songstress Ari Lennox vowed to never do another interview in South Africa after a podcaster disrespectfully asked, “Is someone fucking you good right now?” Lennox’s intimate, confessional song lyrics led the interviewer to believe he could get away with going there. But while Lennox is known for her sexually explicit lyrics on albums like 2022’s Age/Sex/Location, she also presents as an empowered woman who sings about self-love and female strength. Her 27-date tour supporting the release wraps up in March in her hometown of Washington, D.C. $100 and up, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — MA

Friday, Feb. 17

Young Costello, Celebrity Sex Scandal, Sloth, Blown Lights

The modern ska genre tends to skew one of two ways — punk and depressing or too beachy and lightweight. Young Costello, a San Antonio-based progressive ska band, draws an interesting medium. It pairs raspy vocals spouting dire lyrics with a mix

The Bright Light Social Hour

of shamelessly energetic horn lines, squiggly guitar riffs and furious drums. That blend may leave listeners unsure whether to mosh, dance or stand still and bob their heads. The show also serves as an album-release party for San Antonio’s oddly groovy avant-garde metal merchants Celebrity Sex Scandal. $10-$15, 8 p.m., The Starlighter, 1910 Fredericksburg Road, thestarlighter. com. — DG

Deadmau5

Mouse-masked DJ Deadmau5 is heading to San Antonio with all the modern grooves he can trap for a Friday night throwdown. While generally associated with progressive house, the Canadian superstar doesn’t limit himself to one genre of electronic music. He’s collaborated with anyone from My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way to Kaskade. $44.50-$64.50, 8 p.m., Cowboys Dancehall, 3030 NE Loop 410, (210) 646-9378, cowboysdancehall.com. — Mike McMahan

Los Lonely Boys

Formed more than 20 years ago, Los Lonely Boys are no longer boys. However, the San Angelo-bred trio is still composed of the same Garza brothers who rose to national attention after recording their debut album at Willie Nelson’s studio in 2003. The debut single “Heaven,” roared onto the charts the following year and became their signature song. Los Lonely Boys have toured frequently since, bringing conjunto-tinged roots rock to enthusiastic audiences. $30-$130, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com. — MM

Bronco

Grupero act Bronco’s San Antonio appearance is billed as a special Valentine’s Day concert, and — despite being a few days late — why not? The band rose to fame in the ’80s and ’90s, scoring big hits with a musical style that pays tribute to the Norteño genre while leaning toward rock and pop sensibilities. While Bronco’s lineup has shifted over the years, influential vocalist José Guadalupe Esparza remains at the helm. $55.75.$115.75, 8 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 2263333, majesticempire.com. — MA

Saturday, Feb. 18

The Bright Light Social Hour

The Bright Light Social Hour’s psychedelic rock reached a wider audience circa 2017 when its song “Harder Out Here” was used as the theme for Amazon Video series Sneaky Pete. But the Austin-based band already had it going on. The Bright Light Social Hour updates the sounds of Texas’ 1960s psych underground with R&B and off-kilter pop. A tight rhythm section keeps things from meandering too far into left field. $20-$150, 8:30 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — BE

Courtesy Photo / The Bright Light Social Hour

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