The Get Up Kids and Hawthorne Heights head to SA to party like it's 1999 (and 2004)
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in this issue
49 Feature Emo Summer
The Get Up Kids and Hawthorne Heights head to SA to party like it’s 1999 (and 2004) Issue 24-17 /// August 21 - September 3, 2024
09 News
The Opener News in Brief
Foul Ball?
San Antonio Missions ballpark would raze low-income downtown apartments
Bad Takes
Despite claims Trump is attacking the ruling class, he is the ruling class
2024 San Antonio College Guide
Here’s how to survive and thrive while pursuing your education in the Alamo City
School Year Surge
Students are heading back to campus as San Antonio COVID-19 infections rise
16 Calendar
Our picks of things to do
35 Arts
Uneasy Neighbors
San Antonio native Vincent Valdez’s new exhibition explores tensions between U.S., Latin America
Storyteller
Comedian Jo Koy returning to San Antonio with more tales of Filipino American family life
23 Screens
Back to Black Comedy
What Michelle Monaghan loves about new TV series Bad Monkey opposite Vince Vaughn
25 Food Corn Star
Southtown’s Nixtamali is on its way to showing masa’s vital place in Mexican cuisine
49 Music Critics’ Picks
On the Cover: Two of emo’s biggest bands are heading to the Alamo City this month. Get Up Kids photo by Shawn Brackbill. Hawthorne Heights photo by Courtney Kiara. Cover design: David Loyola.
Courtney Kiara
That Rocks/That Sucks
HThe state of Texas is almost certainly undercounting heat-related deaths, a new Texas Tribune investigation has found. According to official numbers, heat was either a direct or contributing factor in a record 562 deaths in Texas last year, but because assessing the heat’s role in a person’s death is a complicated process, additional heat-related deaths are likely not flagged as such. The Tribune estimates that hundreds such fatalities between 2013 and 2019 in Texas weren’t recorded.
Arts nonprofit Luminaria last week unveiled a mural created in tribute to the 53 migrants who died after being abandoned on San Antonio’s South Side in an 18-wheeler two years ago without access to cool air or water. The mural, commissioned by Bexar County Commissioner Rebeca Clay-Flores, is titled Sacrificios and shows migrants crossing the Rio Grande under 53 stars in a dark sky.
HTexas is considering adopting an elementary school reading curriculum that contains numerous stories from the Bible, prompting questions last week at a committee hearing of the state legislature about whether teachers tasked with teaching the curriculum would be violating the First Amendment clause providing for the separation of church and state. The new curriculum was purchased from a national publisher last year, then amended to replace sections on numerous non-Christian religions with Bible stories.
HThe Department of Defense’s
Advocating for a fully armed State Fair with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton
Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.
YOU SAID IT!
“I think the fact that tenants have to wait until this project is completed to be relocated into an affordable unit demonstrates the lack of workforce housing downtown.”
— District 5 CouncilwomanTeri Castillo on planstorazetheSoapFactoryApartments tomakewayforanewSanAntonio Missionsballpark.
Despite a near-impeachment and mounting evidence that he’s more worried about racking up far-right brownie points than doing his job, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shows no signs of pumping the brakes on his special brand of performative politics.
Last week, Paxton threatened to sue the city of Dallas if the State Fair of Texas, an annual event staged by a nonprofit, doesn’t toss out a new rule banning open- and concealed-carry firearms.
Fair organizers adopted the rule in response to a highly publicized shooting at last year’s event that injured three people.
In his letter — conveniently shared with media and anyone on the AG office’s mailing list — Paxton posited that because the event is staged at Fair Park, which Dallas owns, it’s subject to Texas laws barring entities from blocking licensed firearms owners from bringing guns onto government property.
In his letter, Paxton said he’s prepared to seek civil penalties $1,000 to $1,500 per day and added that city officials have 15 days to reverse course or face a lawsuit.
Paxton fired off his threat after a cadre of
They argued the ban makes folks gathered to eat fried food on a stick “less safe.” Indeed, no-firearms zones are “magnets for crime because they present less of a threat to those who seek to do evil,” the itchy trigger-fingered legislators warned.
It’s questionable whether fair-goers were enjoying a “safe” experience last year when 22-year-old Cameron Turner opened fire in a crowded food court because a “group of big men” approached him and he went into “defensive mode” out of purported fear for his family.
One of those shots struck an individual who spoke to Turner, while two others hit bystanders, according to authorities.
Turner was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and one count of unlawfully carrying a weapon in a prohibited place.
However, as Paxton’s proven again and again during his career as Texas’ top legal assclown, he’s never been one to let the facts get in the
Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia last week announced she’s running for mayor. Rocha Garcia, who represents District 4 on City Council, said her campaign will focus on fiscal responsibility and crime reduction. She joins a mayoral field that includes two of her council colleagues, Manny Pelaez and John Courage, as well as entrepreneur Beto Altamirano. If elected, Rocha Garcia would become the first Latina to hold the office in San Antonio.
Rural Republicans in the Texas Legislature continue to voice skepticism over Gov. Greg Abbott’s school voucher plan. Last week, State Reps. Matt Schaefer and Ken King both pushed back against assertions at a House committee hearing that private schools would open in the state’s sparsely populated areas if a voucher plan passed. Schaefer blasted the notion as “just not realistic” and warned against any proposal that “primarily benefits urban areas of the state.” — Abe Asher
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s re-election campaign has said it’s taking steps to return 43 illegal campaign contributions it took during the second quarter of the year. The move comes after the Federal Election Commission sent the campaign a letter flagging donations that appeared to exceed the $3,300 legal limit for individual donations. Campaign treasurer Cabell Hobbs told the FEC he’s also looking into contributions from two more unregistered organizations regulators identified in their letter.
Shutterstock / Leena Robinson
Shutterstock / lev radin
Foul Ball?
San Antonio Missions ballpark would raze low-income downtown apartments
BY MICHAEL KARLIS
According to promises by local leaders, San Antonio’s proposed $160 million minor league ballpark won’t cost taxpayers a dime.
Just the same, it may cost some of the city’s most vulnerable residents their homes.
The prospect of the 7,500-capacity ballpark for the Double-A San Antonio Missions displacing low-income housing came to light during a presentation at City Council’s A session last Wednesday.
At the meeting, city Chief Financial Officer Ben Gorzell Jr. revealed that the 381-unit Soap Factory Apartments, 500 N. Santa Rosa St., would need to be demolished to make way for the
stadium and surrounding entertainment venues.
The Soap Factory — owned by downtown developer and major Missions stakeholder Weston Urban — is one of a limited number of center-city complexes that offer low-income housing units. Indeed, Jimmy Arriaga, a resident, told the Current last Thursday that many of its renters are recent immigrants with limited options for finding affordable shelter.
“They can’t get housing anywhere else, only here,” Arriaga said.
Gorzell said during last Wednesday’s meeting that residents displaced by Phase I of the ballpark project, scheduled for a 2027 completion, would be offered the chance to relo -
cate to other Soap Factory units — if there’s space.
That first phase of the project would raze a portion, but not all, of the complex.
Low-income tenants pushed out by phase II — during which the remainder of the Soap Factory would be torn down and replaced with retail space — would be able to move to the Continental Block development, another Weston Urban project, according to the presentation.
However, moving those residents into new dwellings may be easier said than done.
The Continental Block won’t be completed until after the Soap Factory units are demolished, according to details shared at the meeting by Weston Urban. The second phase is scheduled for a 2029 completion.
That creates the prospect that some of San Antonio’s most vulnerable residents may be out on the streets.
Weston Urban, co-founded by former Rackspace CEO Graham Weston, has quietly scooped up land
MThe 381-unit Soap Factory Apartments is one of the few downtown complexes with abundant affordable-housing units.
in downtown’s Northwest quadrant, including near Fox Tech High School’s old baseball field, the planned site for the Missions’ new park.
As part of that buying spree, Weston Urban snapped up the Soap Factory in August 2023, according to the San Antonio report.
During last Wednesday’s presentation, only two council members balked at the Soap Factory’s potential demolition: District 2’s Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 5’s Teri Castillo.
“I think the fact that tenants have to wait until this project is completed to be relocated into an affordable unit demonstrates the lack of workforce housing downtown,” Castillo said.
“I understand that this is ultimately a private project in regards to the
Michael Karlis
market rate housing that’s going to be developed, but it’s publicly facilitated,” she continued. “That’s why we’re having this conversation, and I believe that it’s a disservice to San Antonio residents all throughout the city for this body to not request … deeply affordable housing on this project.”
MDistrict 2 City Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez airs his concerns about the demolition of the Soap Factory Apartments.
Indeed, the ballpark project, if approved by council, would be funded by bonds whose debt would be repaid via a new Houston Street Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone. The development would not be funded by San Antonio residents’ tax dollars, officials from the Missions’ front office maintain.
In short, the project is structured as a public-private partnership.
Weston Urban CEO and co-founder Randy Smith responded to Castillo’s concerns by saying his company will help residents navigate the housing market to find affordable units.
But that answer wasn’t enough for McKee-Rodriguez.
policy to alarm our tenants,” Smith said in response. “The communication with them will be, um, today. Our management team, we’ve let them know today about this meeting. The replacement, I mean, displacement plan going forward starts with onsite relocation. I realize that’s not a perfect effort, but the very first units affected by redevelopment will have the opportunity to move to similar units onsite.”
“This is a project that is all but guaranteed to cause direct displacement, which would prevent it from receiving funding from the housing trust or a future housing bond, for example, if the project was submitted there,” he said. “And, so, the broader question the community would ask is: what makes this the exception to our anti-displacement policy?”
McKee-Rodriguez asked if Soap Factory residents had been consulted in Weston Urban’s plans and whether they had been notified of their possible eviction and forced relocation.
“Until it is a certainty, it is not our
However, when the Current asked five Soap Factory residents last Thursday if they had been notified of the landlord’s relocation plans, all said they’d heard nothing from management.
What’s more, units are still listed for lease on the complex’s website, starting at $667 for a studio apartment.
The Missions ballpark project isn’t finalized yet, but a tentative plan would put the project before council consideration on Aug. 29, according to last week’s presentation.
Meanwhile, a resident at the Soap Factory who asked only to be identified as Patrick H., said he wants to start a petition and organize other tenants against the plan. He said he only learned about the potential displacement when the Current spoke to him Thursday.
“This is really messed up,” he said.
Michael Karlis
BY KEVIN SANCHEZ
At least $83 million.
That’s how much Donald Trump’s political action committee, Save America, has spent, according to FEC records, on attorneys and attendant expenses to defend the former president from lawsuits and criminal charges.
Despite claims Trump is attacking the ruling class, he is the ruling class
Editor’s Note: Bad Takes is a column of opinion and analysis.
“The Trump-aligned PAC has shelled out an average of nearly $4 million a month on such costs since July 2022,” the Associated Press recently reported.
Yet, unlike a petty thief, Don the Con has yet to spend a single night in the hoosegow.
Compare his streak of good fortune to 3,200 people arrested in the U.S. this spring demonstrating against the war in Gaza, according to the AP.
Spark a riot to steal an election and you’re free to run again. Organize a nonviolent protest and it’s going on your permanent record. Of course, it’s doubtful protesting college students received the same pedigree of multimillion-dollar legal counsel as everyman Trump.
This expresses a mundane reality most all of us already intuitively know: there’s a two-class structure to our society. If you or I did anything remotely close to what Trump’s done his whole life, we’d be behind bars.
But don’t try telling Orange Napoleon’s eagerest toadies that. Back in May, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, joined by GOP U.S. Reps. Troy Nehls and Ronny Jackson, showed their solidarity outside the New York City courthouse where Trump had to put in an appearance.
“They want to send [Trump] to jail,” Patrick said, “because they know he’s their biggest danger to taking the ruling class down.”
A reporter promptly asked Patrick an obvious question: ”Isn’t Donald Trump part of the ruling class?”
“Donald Trump is not the ruling class,” Patrick dutifully replied, and former deputy assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka interjected, “Would a member of the ruling class be facing
730 years in prison ... and he’s a member of the elite? That’s pathetic. You’re not a journalist.”
But wouldn’t any non-elite actually be serving those 730 years?
“The greatest trick the president and elites who support him ever pulled was convincing a large swath of the American public that they aren’t members of the ruling class,” Conor Friedersdorf wrote for The Atlantic in 2019.
What makes the denialism especially weird is, I’m old enough to remember 2016, when the barstool argument for Trump was that he alone could fix the rigged game precisely because he’s a member of the ruling class,.
We’re still waiting on that. Instead of draining the swamp, Trump stacked his cabinet with billionaires: Wilbur Ross, Steve Mnuchin, Betsy DeVos. His signature legislative achievement was a gigantic tax giveaway, over 80% of which went to the richest among us.
By any colloquial definition, Trump was born with a silver spoon up his ass. A real estate tycoon and a reality TV celebrity, he didn’t just win the lottery, he can leverage an extensive network of financial connections. That’s why the checks for his legal bills clear while half of cancer patients in this country go broke. If Trump’s not ruling class, who is?
Getting labelled a “class warrior” would have induced fainting spells in Reagan-era Republicans. As early as 2010, though, right-wing talk radio demagogue Rush Limbaugh could write the intro to a book titled The Ruling Class: How They Corrupted America and What We Can Do About It. In the year 2000, the first chapter of the first book written by former Fox News loudmouth Bill O’Reilly was titled The Class Factor. And the day before the 2020 election, Tucker Carlson — then the most popular cable news broadcaster — declared, ”A vote for Trump is a voting against the ruling class.”
Odd then that 54% of voters making
more than $100,000 annually cast a ballot for Trump, according to exit polls.
On Aug. 14, the Bolsheviks over at Forbes magazine ran a cover story finding that Trump’s “26 biggest billionaire backers, worth a combined $143 billion” had so far dumped $162 million into his reelection bid.
What’s the matter with Wall Street? Why back a candidate who’s so clearly intent on “taking the ruling class down?” Aren’t they voting against their own interests?
“For the billionaire donor class,” Timothy Noah explained in The New Republic, this election is “about keeping rich people’s taxes low.”
That’s a bit simplistic. Whether the ruling class is best thought of as a coordinated elite conspiracy or as competing managerial teams trying to kneecap each other, class domination is primarily about the preservation of the system.
“What the ruling class does when it rules is not to make, as a compact unit, all important decisions in society,” sociologist Göran Therborn wrote in 1999. “The ruling class of a given society is the exploiting class.”
Earnest conservative Sohrab Ahmari, the editor of Compact magazine, has tried like hell to pull the GOP toward the working class. He described a
MFormer President Donald Trump speaks before closing arguments at his civil fraud trial early this year at the State Supreme Court of New York.
recent interview between Trump and an unabashed union-buster named Elon Musk as “chuckling along with an oligarch about how [Musk] came in and fired employees.”
“This is hideous. And it makes it harder and harder for me to try to imagine wringing genuine populism out of Trump 2024,” Ahmari wrote. Indeed, to court megadonors, there’s every indication Trump is scurrying away from even the semblance of the economic populism he once touted, anti-monopolist watchdog Matt Stoller wrote for Lever News.
Trump isn’t ruling class because he’s obscenely rich, nor is he ruling class because he mostly does what the top 1% wants him to do. He’s ruling class because he’s a vehicle for the status quo. He can quell striking workers or throw protesters in prison without the slightest pang of conscience.
The United Auto Workers didn’t need Professor Therborn’s academic lingo to express the same basic point in a recent online ad: “Donald Trump is a scab.”
2024
San Antonio College Guide
Here’s how to survive and thrive while pursuing your education in the Alamo City
BY
SANFORD NOWLIN
While San Antonio may not be the first place that comes to mind when you hear the words “higher-ed hub,” the city plays host to more than 100,000 students spread across more than 30 institutions of higher learning at any given time. Whether you’re a newcomer to college life or a returning student, campus life can present challenges, from managing your time to stretching a budget to balancing school, work and life. To help ease the burden, here are some tips to making the most of college life in the Alamo City — and growing and enjoying yourself while doing it.
Embrace local culture, music and art
Sure, it’s great to see concerts by top recording artists, touring gallery exhibitions and big events everyone will be talking about, but college makes a great time to familiarize yourself with a city’s homegrown cultural scene. Door prices are low for catching local and regional bands, for example, and many locally organized arts events are free. Familiarize yourself with San Antonio while taking in amazing entertainment on a student budget. Who knows, you may just find a favorite band, comedian or drag performer before they break out to much bigger things.
Know the nightlife hubs
San Antonio has several destination-worthy concentrations of bars and nightlife: the North St. Mary’s Strip and St. Paul Square, both located near downtown, offer an array of music venues, bars and restaurants.
Meanwhile, the Main Strip just north of downtown is the city’s concentration of LGBTQ+ nightlife options. Bike, walk or Uber your way down to one, both or all three to explore what they have to offer. They’re walkable and have lots of options for drinking, dining and entertainment. Ask around to find other popular hangouts within walking distance of your own campus.
Use your student discount
Your student ID unlocks savings at lots of places around town, from movie theaters to chain restaurants to locally owned businesses near your campus. Online services such as YouTube and Apple Music also offer discounts for students, so dig deep on websites to see what you qualify for. Even if you don’t see a sign announcing that a place has a student discount, don’t be afraid to ask. Even if you shave as little as 5% of a purchase, those nickels and dimes add up over time. Don’t forget both the San Antonio Museum of Art and the McNay Art Gallery also offer student discounts, so check their websites for details.
Stay fit and avoid the ‘freshman 15’
Between all that studying, exploring and partying, don’t forget to take care of yourself. There’s a reason many folks pile on pounds their first year of college. Take advantage of free recreational spaces and amenities on your campus to stay fit while skipping that pricy gym membership. Intramural
sports teams at your school also offer a way to meet new friends while staying in shape. Also, visit sa.gov/directory/ departments/parks to learn about free city amenities, including parks, pools, hiking and natural areas, that can help you stay active.
Explore campus health services
Stress can pile up at college, putting strain on your mental and physical health. Know what clinics and health resources are available on your campus for free or little cost. For many issues, a visit to the campus clinic beats a pricy trip to the minor emergency clinic. Some schools even have on-site pharmacies connected to their health services so you can pick up meds on your walk to class. Most campuses also have counseling services or can help connect you with mental health professionals should you need one. Also look for resources such as LGBTQ+ ally organizations at your school.
Explore your new city
There’s a good chance a well-meaning parent or relative warned you about the dangers of living in a big city before you headed to college. Staying safe in an urban area is important, but don’t be afraid to explore areas outside the orbit of your campus — especially ones that can provide culture, enlightenment and relaxation for free or little cost. Get to know the Southtown neighborhood by going to a First Friday art walk, explore the South Side’s San
Antonio Missions National Historical Park, attend an event at the West Side’s Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center and take in some amazing music at the East Side’s Carver Community Cultural Center.
Find a study escape
For all the fun college affords, you — or your parents — are shelling out big bucks for an education. Your education should take top priority, and finding study time with a minimum of distractions is vital. Find a place on campus where you can hit the books without the lure of drama or the constant fear of being pulled into activities with friends. If you need to find that refuge off-campus, look for a public library, a quiet coffee shop or another spot where you’re unlikely to see people you know.
Get organized for the win
College is the first time many of us have to juggle so many things at once. Between meeting new friends, taking in the wonders of a new city and working a campus job, it can be easy to forget upcoming assignments, tests and reading assignments. Your professors won’t hold your hand through the process, and your mom’s not here to pin a note on your shirt. Buy a wall calendar, a desk calendar, use an online scheduler, write stuff on your hand — do whatever it takes to make sure you’re effectively using your time and staying up with assignments. If you have all that on track, it leaves more
School Year Surge Students are heading back to campus as San Antonio COVID-19 infections rise
BY SABRINA YE
San Antonio’s summer surge in COVID-19 infections is carrying over into the start of a new school year.
University Health data indicates a continuing spike in COVID-19 infections in San Antonio. The hospital district tallied 336 positive tests for the week ended July 20, a considerable uptick form the 226 it recorded for the week ended July 13.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control named Texas as one of the 32 states in which COVID-19 infections are growing or likely growing.
With schools reopening soon, local higher-ed institutions said they’re taking measures to keep students, faculty and staff safe as COVID-19 cases rise.
“The Alamo Colleges District continues to follow the latest CDC guidelines,” the five-campus district said in an emailed statement. “Moving beyond the exclusive focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, our operational strategies now address a broader spectrum of respiratory viruses.”
Alamo Colleges offers an online list of current protocols for respiratory viruses on its website under the “Better. Safer. AlamoTOGETHER.” tab.
Similarly, San Antonio public school districts have established precautions on their campuses. Barry Perez, assistant superintendent of communications for Northside ISD, said a clean environment is essential to keeping infections in check.
“Our custodial crews work daily to clean and disinfect all high-traffic areas and hard surfaces in an effort to help combat the spread of COVID and other illnesses such as the flu,” Perez said.
“We also encourage frequent hand washing with soap and water and do make hand sanitizer available in key locations in the school.”
Mutating virus
Dr. Jason Bowling, director of hospital epidemiology with University Health and professor at UT Health San Antonio, attributes the spike to the virus’s constant mutation.
“These strains acquire a combination of mutations that allow it to get around our antibodies, [which is] the response that our body gets after we’ve had infection or a vaccine,” Bowling said in a video news release.
The summer season’s rise in leisure activity also contributed to the spread, Bowling added.
“There’s more people traveling, more people are gathered together indoors, and then lastly, we’re about that time frame where we’re several months out from the respiratory virus season in the winter, and so a lot of people’s natural immunity is probably a little bit lower,” he said.
While new COVID-19 variants are more transmissible, people are continuing to have the classic symptoms that are now associated with infection:
sore throat, nasal congestion, cough, fatigue, headache and the loss of smell and taste.
In response to the evolving virus, an updated COVID-19 vaccine is expected to be released between late August and September, according to Bowling.
Beginning July 31, University Health pharmacies temporarily paused administration of the 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine in preparation for the new vaccine formula expected in the fall.
Limiting risk
The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older receive this updated 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine, which better targets the currently circulating strains. This development process for new COVID-19 immunizations is akin to that of the annual flu vaccine, which
is formulated each year to match the most anticipated strains.
Beyond getting the vaccine, medical experts recommend other precautions for limiting the spread of the virus, especially if heading back to crowded conditions on a college, university or other school campus. University Health’s Bowling recommended the following tips to avoid contracting the virus or spreading it to others:
1. Do a risk calculation for your risk factors, especially for people over 50 with underlying medical illnesses or who take medicines that impair the immune system.
2. Wear a mask if you go to a crowded indoor space with limited ventilation.
3. Stay home and take a test if you have symptoms associated with COVID-19.
Pexels Zen Chung
TIGRES VS. RAYADOS OCT 12 AUG 31
BILLY JOEL & STING OCT 25
THEATER JUDGEMENT OF THE EYE
Born in the Netherlands in 1889, Han van Meegeren aspired to be recognized as a great painter but got pigeonholed for his obsession with bygone eras, specifically the Dutch Golden Age. After finding limited success with his nostalgia-fueled originals, he began forging works by 17th-century masters including Johannes Vermeer. As part of his practice, van Meegeren purchased 17th-century canvases, made his own brushes from badger fur, mixed paints using period-specific formulas and “aged” his finished works hundreds of years by coating them with phenol formaldehyde resin and cracking them with a rolling pin. Going to these lengths served van Meegeren well — to the tune of $30 million earned from forged paintings. However, his good fortune ended after World War II when it was discovered that he’d traded an alleged Vermeer for 137 paintings looted by the Nazis. Accused of collaborating with the enemy, he narrowly escaped a death sentence by outing himself as a forger and painting a phony Vermeer in a courtroom during his trial. Subject of the 2016 film A Real Vermeer, this story of deception and intrigue comes to life on stage in playwright Simon Bowler Khan’s Judgement of the Eye. Billed as a “modern take on a historical drama,” the production employs a diverse cast of color and is set “in a literal frame of art.” While Khan’s script has received accolades and even a Beverly Hills Theater Guild award, Judgement of the Eye makes its world premiere at San Antonio’s Overtime Theater in a production directed by Blake Hamman and starring Josh Davis in the role of van Meegeren. $12-$18, 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday through Sept. 7 (pay-what-you-will on Thursday, Aug. 22, matinee on Sunday, Sept. 1), Gregg Barrios Theater at the Overtime, 5409 Bandera Road, (210) 577-7562, theovertimetheater.org.
— Bryan Rindfuss
WED | 08.21SUN | 10.06
C& CENTER OF UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Conceived by co-founders and artistic directors Julia Grosse and Yvette Mutumba, the C& Center of Unfinished Business is a reading room offering a selection of books linked to the topic of colonialism in various ways. As an extension of the Colonial Repercussions/Koloniales Erbe event series of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, it examines the structures of colonial power relations and their continuing impact on science, art and society. The word “Unfinished” in the title subtly echoes the “post” in postcolonial, hinting at an incomplete reckoning that expands in scope with every stop it makes, adding specificity to how colonialism touched — and continues to impact — each location. The project has been traveling since 2017 as a generative archive that continually picks up new information, content and context for academic and artistic consideration and study. Its latest stop is the Contemporary at Blue Star, where it will remain through much of fall. Free, 12-5 p.m. Wednesday, 12-8 pm. Thursday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday through Oct. 6, Contemporary at Blue Star, 116 Blue Star, (210) 227-6960, contemporarysa.org. — Anjali Gupta
Courtesy Photo / Mewborne Photography
SAT | 08.24
SPECIAL EVENT
FESTIVAL OF INDIA
As part of its mission to “foster a better understanding between India and San Antonio,” the India Association of San Antonio organizes a variety of festivals commemorating holidays celebrated on the subcontinent. While not tied to a spiritual or patriotic event, the organization’s annual Festival of India certainly ranks as one of its most popular gatherings — and with good reason. The Maverick Plaza festival
presents a colorful assortment of performances and vendors along with plenty of spicy and comforting food showcasing the country’s wide variety of regional cuisines. Expect lots of music and dancing — both of the traditional and Bollywood variety — along with cultural showcases, DJs, live musicians, henna tattoos and even a parade representing India’s 28 states and eight union territories. Free, 3-10 p.m. Maverick Plaza, La Villita, 418 Villita St., (856) 335-5327, indiasa.org.
— Sanford Nowlin
THU | 08.30SUN | 09.15
THEATER
LONDON SUITE
There was only one Neil Simon, the prolific playwright and screenwriter who mastered an elegant and wry humor as quick-witted as it is warm hearted. The Heartbreak Kid, The Out of Towners, The Odd Couple and Barefoot in the Park are certified classics and still play like gangbusters, even for young audiences. London Suite (1994) is a breezy anthology comedy consisting of four one-act plays played out by various guests in a Hyde Park hotel in London. Similar in structure to previous episodic Simon works including Plaza Suite and California Suite, London Suite has a fizzy ensemble energy imbued with the delightful intrigue of overhearing a stranger’s conversation. For show times and ticket pricing contact Christine Crowley at the Box Office, Boerne Community Theatre, 907 E. Blanco Road, (830) 249-9166, boernetheatre.org. — Neil Fauerso
MON | 08.26
BOOK CLUB FAIRY TALE
Looking to exchange views about your favorite sci-fi and fantasy works with fellow fans of the genres? The Parman Library holds a monthly book club devoted to those realms of speculative fiction, allowing local fans a chance to do just that. Each month, the club chooses and assigns a new book to discuss. This month, the selection is Fairy Tale, Stephen King’s 2022 dark fantasy about a troubled 17-year-old boy who discovers a strange realm in which he must lead a battle between good and evil. The novel has received praise among fans as one of King’s most entertaining recent works. Free, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Parman Library at Stone Oak, 20735 Wilderness Oak, (210) 207-2703, mysapl.org. — Brandyn Miller
SAT | 08.31
SPECIAL EVENT
THE CREATIVE COLLECTIVE OPEN MIC
Whether you’re a seasoned stand-up comic or an aspiring singer-songwriter ready to take your voice beyond the shower, The Creative Collective welcomes you. At the Central Library auditorium, performing artists of all styles and experience levels will gather to socialize and share their respective crafts. By eliminating skill barriers and cultivating a relaxed, intimate environment, The Creative Collective strives to stave off the intimidation that often comes with public performance. The Central Library will provide mics, speakers, an electric guitar, a bass and a keyboard. Attendees are also welcome to bring their own instruments or props if they prefer. Spectators are invited to enjoy an afternoon of local talent, offer support and perhaps discover a new favorite performer. In the spirit of close-knit community, The Creative Collective Open Mic is a recurring event at Central Library. The group convenes every two weeks on Saturdays. Free, 3-5 p.m., Central Library, 600 Soledad St., (210) 207-2500, mysapl.org. — Caroline Wolff
FRI | 09.01
GODZILLA
Godzilla remains perhaps the most enduring monster movie of all time. While the franchise boasts scores of films, including last year’s excellent Godzilla Minus One, the original remains a potent critique of the nuclear age — one Japan experienced most viscerally. As a monster, Godzilla is a sort of sin-eater for the human urge to destroy itself. Of course, these movies are campy, but there’s a beauty and charm to them, including thunderous music, detailed sets and exacting stop motion animation. Pair the film with a viewing of the mind-blowing De La Torre brothers show Upward Mobility in the main museum, which makes extensive nods to a beloved and feared monster in the lenticular piece Coatzilla. Like Godzilla, the exhibition also explores themes of destruction and cultural impact. Free for members, $10 for nonmembers, 3-5 p.m., Chiego Lecture Hall, McNay Art Museum, 6000 N New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org. — NF
Dreamers + Changemakers | Soñadores + creadores del cambio
On view through October 6, 2024
Admission is always free at the Contemporary. 116 Blue Star, San Antonio, TX 78204 contemporarysa.org | @sacontemporary
Briseño + Sarah Castillo + Celeste De Luna + Alejandro Diaz + Jose Esquivel + Ana Fernandez + Carlos Frésquez + Roberto Jose Gonzalez + Ana Laura
Hernández + Ester Hernandez + Luis
Jiménez + Dennis Martinez + César A.
Martínez + Delilah Montoya + Julio César
Morales + Oree Originol + Alfred J. Quiroz + Chuck Ramirez + Juan Miguel Ramos + Al Rendón + Moises Salazar + Ana Lilia
Salinas + Raul Servin + Rudy Treviño + Luis Valderas + Linda Vallejo + Kathy
A visitor viewing Alfred J. Quiroz’s Muneefist Destiny
Photo by Bria Woods.
Uneasy Neighbors
San Antonio native Vincent Valdez’s new exhibition
explores tensions between U.S., Latin America
BY MARCO AQUINO
San Antonio native Vincent Valdez’s new exhibition at Artpace marks 10 years since the artist’s last hometown show.
Valdez’s newest body of work explores the tensions between the U.S. and Latin America while striving to show a lineage between his own work and those of his artistic predecessors. The exhibition “Undercurrents” features Valdez’s work alongside those of Cesar Martinez, Adriana Corral, Luis Jiménez, Kathy Vargas and friend and mentor Rubio.
“Undercurrents,” curated by Zhaira Constiniano, runs through Dec. 1
“Valdez is no longer merely a ‘Chicano’ artist, but the epitome of an ‘American Artist’ who has not abandoned his roots despite wide mainstream recognition, and has transformed those roots into wide reaching allegories of contemporary life in the United States, often referenced by ruins and rubble,” art historian Lucy R. Lippard writes in the exhibition catalog.
“Undercurrents” is presented in two parts. On the first floor, the gallery is arranged into a salon-style setup featuring works hanging from floor to ceiling. There, visitors can view a sampling of Valdez’s early work alongside pieces by some of his influences, including Vargas. Also included are paintings by Valdez’s great grandfather, Jose Maria Valdez, which the artist first viewed as a child in his family’s South Side home.
Siete Dias/Seven Days, the signature component in “Undercurrents,” is on display in the Hudson Room on the gallery’s second floor. The series consists of drawings of people who have gone missing in Central and South America.
Each illustration is suspended from the
ceiling on large vertical banners, render ing the gallery a sort of sacred ground that reminds viewers of forgotten histories and what once was. A ghostly presence takes over as viewers walk examine the work. Banners with the names of every day of the week are dispersed throughout, giving a sense of the passage of time or perhaps indicating that violence and the disappearance of people targeted by oppressive regimes happens 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
Ten years ago, in the same room, Valdez presented “The Strangest Fruit,” an exhib it inspired by state-sanctioned violence against Mexican Americans in the early part of the 20th century. That series of paintings depicted young Mexican American males dressed in contemporary clothing suspended in mid-air. It was up to the viewers to decide whether they were dead or alive, from the past or present.
Like “Undercurrents,” “Strangest Fruit” converted the Hudson Room into a sacred, chapel-like space where visions of the past confront viewers with the present.
Siete Dias seems a natural outgrowth of Val dez’s “Strangest Fruit,” in that it expands on the idea of suspended figures, perhaps head ing toward the heavens. And like “Strangest Fruit,” the figures in Siete Dias and wound-free. They bear no signs of what may have occurred to their bodies earlier.
scale graphite drawing depicts a whirlwind of presidential election makes in this process. election in November.
out of the Presidential race, allowing Vice
Many of those depicted sport the thick, black hair and broad facial features typical of South and Central America. By focusing on the individual, Siete Dias, points to their hu manity, something often lost in the politiciza tion of tragic events throughout the region.
Not since 2001’s Kill the Pachuco Bastard, Valdez’s painting depicting the Zoot Suit Riots, has the artist chosen to depict explicit
Courtesy Photo / Artpace San Antonio
arts Storyteller
Comedian Jo Koy returning to San Antonio with more tales of Filipino American family life
BY SANFORD NOWLIN
Comedian Jo Koy’s mother has long been front-and-center in his work.
The 53-year-old stand-up frequently weaves stories of her into his act, slipping into her voice and accent as he describes the challenges of growing up in a single-family Filipino American home. In one of his most-memorable yarns, Koy goes into detail about his 4-foot-10 mom’s willingness to direct her sharp tongue at anyone who dared yell at her kids.
In a recent interview with the Current, Koy said audiences can expect to hear plenty from his mom as his Just Being Koy tour stops Saturday, Sept. 7 at Frost Bank Center. He said it’s vital to represent her and other Filipino Americans, whom he said have only recently found a place in U.S. pop-culture.
And slipping into the voice of the 75-year-old matriarch is especially poignant for Koy right now, since health issues robbed her of the ability to use her own.
“I feel like it’s especially important for me to speak for her since she can’t,” he said.
As per usual, audiences shouldn’t expect Koy to pull punches as he delves into his family life. Those familiar with his act know he also riffs on his teenage son’s quirks, including his masturbation habits.
“C’mon, we all do it,” Koy said. “And when you’re a teenager, that’s time the time when it’s OK. It’s way worse when you’re talking about some 45-year-old perv doing it.”
Kevin Hart sprung to his defense. Koy said he’s done wringing his hands over the show. He said he did the best given that he had just two weeks to work with writers on the material. He also blames the entertainment press for looking for quick online traffic by declaring the performance a disaster. “We’re in a time when people thrive on clicks,” Koy said.
If it seems like Koy has stopped frequently in San Antonio over recent years, that’s because he has. Texas remains a touring high point, he explained. Even when the popularity of stand-up has ebbed in other parts of the country, Lone Star State audiences stay receptive.
“What can I say? Ya’ll like to laugh,” he said.
$39 and up, Saturday, Sept. 7, Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, (210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com.
Even as uncomfortably personal as the jokes can appear, Koy said he won’t talk about something if his son, now 21, tells him it’s off limits. Plus, it’s obvious from his act that Koy holds abundant love and respect for the young man, who frequently accompanies him on the road.
The Just Being Koy tour will bring the stand-up to San Antonio for the first time since his badly received turn hosting the 81st Golden Globes Awards in January. Critics and social media snipers blasted Koy’s performance as a flop even as fellow comedians such as Steve Martin, Whoopi Goldberg and
Courtesy Photo Jo Koy
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Back to Black Comedy
What Michelle Monaghan loves about new TV series
Bad Monkey opposite Vince Vaughn
BY KIKO MARTINEZ
Best known for her role in the Mission: Impossible film franchise along with movies and series including Gone Baby Gone, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and the first season of HBO’s True Detective, actress Michelle Monaghan has been entertaining audiences for nearly 25 years.
In Bad Monkey, the new black comedy-drama series streaming on Apple TV+, Monaghan stars as Bonnie Witt, the love interest of the show’s main character Andrew Yancy, played by Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers). Yancy is a former police detective demoted to restaurant inspector.
Bonnie’s narrative is full of mystery. She comes with a dark past that includes being in an abusive marriage. Bad Monkey is based on a 2013 novel of the same name by Carl Hiaasen. And, yes, a Capuchin monkey character who shows up in the series. The animal’s name is Driggs.
During a recent interview with the Current, Monaghan talked about what she likes about her scheming character, the primate she got to work with on the series, and how she uses journalism as an actress. Bad Monkey is currently streaming on AppleTV+.
What resonated with you about Bad Monkey that made you want to be a part of the series?
It was absolutely [my] character. It was getting the opportunity to work with [creator and executive producer] Bill Lawrence (Ted Lasso), who is a comedic genius in my mind. On top of that is Vince Vaughn. He’s someone who I’ve admired, obviously, for a couple of decades. So, getting to collaborate with both of them on a role that is so different than anything that I’ve done before was a really exciting opportunity for me.
Vince’s character tells your character in one scene, “Sometimes I feel like I’m in a movie that you’re writing in your head,” and you take it as a compliment. If I drop that line on my wife later tonight, should I expect the same reaction?
( Laughs. ) Unfortunately, I did not get any screen time with the monkey, but I did get some screen time with a manatee. Later in the season, you’ll see Bonnie going swimming, and she encounters this incredible protected species. They’re very rare and really found only in a certain part of Florida. It was a very cool experience. That’s one of the cool things about working in Florida. Florida really serves as this amazing backdrop. All the elements of Florida — the environment, the weather, the different wildlife — really inform the narrative in the show. I think that people will really respond to that.
(Laughs.) I don’t think so! That’s what I love about Bonnie. She’s just so aloof to anything else that’s going on. The world revolves around her. She’s slightly delusional. She’s kind of naive, but also very sly and very cunning. I really just loved all the different shades of her. It was a great opportunity to dip my toes back into doing comedy. I did that very early on in my career, and it was something that I wanted to do again.
I haven’t finished watching the series, so how much screen time do you actually get with the monkey?
I saw some photos of you on Instagram playing with some Aussie doodles. So, I’m assuming you’re an animal lover, yes? I am an animal lover. Those Aussie doodles, they’re my mom’s [dogs]. I was in Iowa, actually. Those Aussie doodles are just shy of a month old, and they’re so precious. They kind of stole my heart.
You studied journalism in college. If you had stayed in the field, what do you think your beat would be as a writer? What a great question! I’ve always loved investigative journalism. I always thought that I wanted to right the wrongs of the world. I think I would have taken any sort of deep dive into the investigative space. A journalist who I’ve greatly admired all of my life is Christiane Amanpour. She’s a wonderful journalist. I still love journalism. I use journalism when I prepare for a role. I essentially do an investigative piece on my character. I’m still using a lot of those tools. So, studying journalism wasn’t all for naught.
Courtesy Photo / AppleTV+
ON TOUR SINCE 1986
Corn Star
Southtown’s
Nixtamali is
on the way to showing masa’s vital place in Mexican cuisine
BY RON BECHTOL
Mexico and masa are inseparable.
“Sin maiz no hay pais,” or “Without corn, there is no country,” has been more than a PR slogan since the founding of the republic.
Even so, this confluence of country and corn only became apparent to many in the U.S. relatively recently. The appearance on the market of such culinary products as the smartly promoted, artisanal masa harina produced by Masienda in cooperation with Mexican farmers has certainly helped. In the spirits realm, the liqueur Nixta has managed to capture the essence and aroma of fresh masa in a bottle. Pairing it with Abasolo, Mexico’s corn whisky, makes for a mean Mexican Old Fashioned — a way to pay homage to the corn gods with a drink in one hand and a tortilla in the other.
The name of newish Southtown restaurant Nixtamali Molino + Comedor suggests its devotion to masa is so profound that it should lead to the kitchen being recognized for advancing our awareness of Mexico’s culinary heritage. Maybe soon, but not quite yet.
According to a server, all the equipment is in place to begin using the traditional nixtamal process to turn out masa in an array of colors, but the restaurant has yet to define its source of corn. Eventually, tortillas both classic and augmented with herbs and chiles should be available to serve and take away. For now, the kitchen will send out corn tortillas that taste a tad shy of bespoke. However, the kitchen has a way with plenty of other ingredients.
The ensalada de nopales may change your mind immediately about cactus paddles. No longer will they seem mostly a drab and dutiful part of Pascuas, or Easter. Curing in Colima salt is apparently part of what makes Nixtamali’s cubed cactus so bright green and snappily textured. Mixed with pico de gallo and radish and served with shaved queso panela, the dish would be a delight at any time of year.
Somewhat less eye-opening were the Yucatecan specialty panuchos with cochinita pibil. Toppings including turkey (also on the menu) are traditional, but the common denominator is the foundation of “souffled” corn tortillas stuffed with pureed black beans. Perhaps once proudly puffy, the pair of
tortillas had deflated under the weight of the puerco, and the beans were a mere suggestion.
For its part, the cochinita was tender, suitably shredded and well served by a dollop of cured red onion. Still, it lacked the expected punch normally provided by achiote, sour orange and habanero chili. Other entradas calientes include corn in an epazote broth and a gordita with chorizo, carnitas and chicharron prensado, with prices ranging from $9 to $22 for the pibil.
and sometimes even romaine and epazote, all to balance out the pepitas. This one was squash seeds all the way down — not bad, just not remarkable.
Pricing, in a range from $16.50 to $40 for a ribeye a las brazas, is not shy for the platos principales, either. I’d be less inclined to mention price — full-service dining is expensive no matter where you eat these days — if the main plates had revealed anything particularly new or especially rewarding. Take the traditional green mole, often called pipian, for example.
The menu offers the sauce with either chicken breast or pork belly, and as overexposed everywhere as the belly may be, chicken breast is even more so. As it happens, the pork was beautifully tender, moist and not gratuitously fatty. Also welcome were the accompanying chayote squash and blistered green beans. The disappointment was the mole, usually made complex with flavors of tomatillo, cilantro, white onion, green chiles
As ubiquitous as octopus also is these days, it takes some creativity to make the ingredient stand out, and here, the kitchen almost achieved it. Veracruz specialty arroz a la tumbada is usually like a soupier seafood paella adorned with anything from shrimp and squid to clams, crab and yes, octopus. In my order, grilled octopus (perfectly done) and shrimp (overcooked) sat atop a rice mixture that was much more like a rusty-hued risotto seemingly scented with fish stock. With a mayonnaise-like substance drizzled over top, it made for an odd — but oddly interesting — dish worth investigating.
NIXTAMALI MOLINO + COMEDOR
728 S. Presa St., (210) 369-8170
There was no equivocation of any sort about the pan de elote that capped the evening: it was sensational. Formed in a corncob mold and steamed, the moist cornbread sported fresh kernels, was lashed with cajeta and sprinkled with grated chocolate to emulate grilling or torching. Bravo.
So now I want to come back when the bar is activated and the masa program is in full swing. You can currently bring your own wine, but it would be a little awkward to arrive with your own tortillas.
Best bets: Ensalada de Nopales, Pulpo y Arroz Tumbado, Pan de Elote
The skinny: Nixtamali Molino + Comedor teases the possibility of a program of fresh masa products not yet underway in the restaurant’s early months. Once in play, house-made tortillas, gorditas, panuchos and more should bolster a kitchen with ambition. Try the crunchy and bright ensalada de nopales, the curious but rewarding arroz a la umbada with octopus, and the delightful pan de elote — everything a corn dessert should be and then some.
Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com
Ron Bechtol
401 East Houston Street, San Antonio, TX 78205
Monday – Thursday: 4 pm – 12 am
Friday – Sunday: 12 pm – 12 am
Please Sin Responsibly.
Emo Revival
Hawthorne Heights still feeling the fire as 20 Years of Tears Tour heads
BY BRIANNA ESPINOZA
Hawthorne Heights helped shape a new musical era for angsty teenagers when the Dayton, Ohio-based band broke out in the early 2000s. The group dropped its 2004 debut The Silence in Black and White to negative reviews from critics, but the album blend of hook-filled pop-emo and grinding metalcore ultimately won over a generation of young listeners.
Now, 20 years later, Hawthorne is celebrating The Silence in Black and White with its 20 Years of Tears Tour, during which the band will perform the release in full, including its heartbreak anthem “Ohio Is for Lovers.”
Ahead of Hawthorne’s Tuesday, Aug. 27, show at Paper Tiger, which will include support from Thursday, Anberlin Cartel and more, the Current caught up with drummer Poppy by phone. During the conversation, he credited Texas fans as being instrumental in the band’s ongoing success.
“Texas is possibly the band’s collectively favorite state to play, and that really comes down to our fanbase there,” Poppy said. “I don’t know what it is. It’s always been a great spot for the band and still is.”
Thanks to local and touring emo nights, such as one Hawthorne vocalist J.T. Woodruff hosted here in June, San Antonio remains a major hub for the emo sound that the band helped break out to a larger audience.
“We toured with Armor for Sleep and …
to San Antonio
sold out one of our biggest shows,” Poppy said. “I believe it was in San Antonio.”
The drummer also fondly recalled last year’s massive Hawthorne show at Vibes Event Center. But his praise for the Lone Star State didn’t end there. He also recalled a memorable performance at the concession area of a baseball field in Laredo, of all places.
set of road
‘Didn’t know how to stop’
Ironically, trouble in its home scene of Dayton may have played a key role in helping Hawthorne find a larger audience. Jealousy among bands and increasing difficulty find ing halls to rent for shows eventually drove the band to gig more outside of its corner of the Buckeye state, Poppy explained.
Those “splinters have been repaired” as band members grew up, he said. However, the lasting result is that Hawthorne explored new scenes across the country and found an eager audience.
“The popularity ebbs and flows,” Poppy said of the emo wave Hawthorne helped bring on. “We’ve weathered that storm and just kept touring shows. It didn’t matter how many people were coming. We just didn’t know how to stop.”
The perseverance paid off. An emo revival is in full swing, and Hawthorne appears to be just as popular two decades on. Some may call it nostalgia, but Poppy said The Silence in Black
be forever. Thanks to the continued support
Hawthorne’s current
dates aren’t
Courtney Kiara
music
Older, but Still Feeling It
The Get Up Kids hit San Antonio to play the 1999 album Somethingto Write HomeAbout in full
BY MIKE MCMAHAN
“Ifigure if The Beach Boys still get to be boys, then the bar has already been set,” singer-guitarist Matt Pryor of The Get Up Kids said, justifying his band’s name even though he’s closing in on the half-century mark.
The observation came during a Zoom interview with the Current from Santiago, Chile, where the acclaimed and influential emo outfit were pending a show.
Pryor has reason to reflect. The Get Up Kids’ second album, 1999’s Something to Write Home About, has just gotten a deluxe digital reissue with a vinyl release scheduled for September.
Don’t worry. The album still packs in all the feels, even if fans who bought it back in the day have settled comfortably into middle age.
To celebrate the milestone, The Get Up Kids are on a U.S. tour performing the album in full. The Kansas City-bred group will hit Paper Tiger on Sunday, August 25, with the Smoking Popes opening the show.
The following interview with Pryor has been edited for length and clarity.
We’re all 25 years older since SomethingtoWriteHomeAbout dropped. Does that distance impact your performance, especially trying to summon up the emotion of these songs?
Well, I don’t think much about the feelings or the content when we’re performing it live. It’s really more about the performance. I’m 47 singing like I’m 22. It requires more preparation and training and planning. We have this thing that we always call “gig neck,” where you’d start playing the show and you’re like whipping your head around so much that your neck and your shoulders hurt. And then your shoulder hurts from wearing a guitar for two hours. I do a lot of yoga
when I’m on tour to counteract that. But as far connecting with the songs, I try to connect with the audience more than anything. It’s not like we haven’t been playing a lot of these songs over the last 25 years.
For the songs that haven’t been played live in years, is there muscle memory involved, or do you have to go get out the record and figure it out note by note like you would to learn a cover?
Sometimes you have to do that initially. But usually, it comes back pretty quick. The songs that we wrote in the early part of our career are more complicated because they just have no song structure. We were teenagers and just making shit up as we went along. It’s like, “Why does it take three minutes to get to the chorus?” It doesn’t make any sense. I think I wanted to be more of a guitar player and less of a singer then. I’ve kind of flipped that as I’ve gotten older. So, I have to relearn how to play the guitar in that way.
In the ’90s, the term “emo” wasn’t such a punchline. How did it evolve from the more indie-punk thing it started as? Seems like it went from
specific chord voicings and a musical style to whatever it means now.
I’m the wrong person to ask about that. There are things that other people put on us and not things that we ever really aspired to or really gave much thought. We like what we like. And we just try to do that. It’s hard for me as an insider looking out to compare us to other bands of the same era, or, I guess, genre. And a lot of the bands sounded pretty different. I hear big differences between us and Mineral, or us and Braid. Jimmy Eat World is probably the closest one, because we were actively trying to kind of emulate them to a certain degree early on. But they’re kind of a pop band, and so are we.
Is it true that Vagrant Records co-owner John Cohen’s parents loaned the money to finance Something by mortgaging their house?
That’s what I was told. I was not aware of that at the time when it happened. I didn’t learn that until probably at least 10 years after the record came out. But I’ve heard that it is true.
Do you have a memory of the recording of SomethingtoWriteHome About that you’d like to share with
us? Something that was fun or particularly challenging?
We just holed up and spent all day in the studio. It was a unique experience. We were staying at a friend’s house and sleeping on the floor, and he hadn’t told his roommates that we were gonna stay there. There were six of us, and we all just kind of fucking showed up and stayed on his couch. And the roommates were kind of put off by our presence. We just had fun.
But now it’s a great story. Now they can put on the record and say, “These guys crashed on our couch when they were making this.”
I guess so, if they want to. I don’t know how much credit you get for that. We had spent over a year being frustrated with talking to major labels and them not taking us seriously. So, it was just very nice to not have to worry about that anymore and say, “This is what we’re doing now.” It wasn’t about trying to be superstars. It was about trying to get enough money that we could actually make a good sounding record.
$29.50-$35, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25, Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com.
Shawn Brackbill
Wednesday, Aug. 21
Soul Asylum, The Cinderleaf Alt-rock hitmakers Soul Asylum have been cranking it out since the ’80s with frontman Dave Pirner’s rough-hewn vocals front and center. Although best known for the 1992 triple-platinum release Grave Dancers Union, which featured the massive hit “Runaway Train,” the group continues to release new ma terial. A 13th studio album, Slowly But Shirley, is due out this fall. MacArthur High grads The Cinderleaf open. $35, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. Cervantes
Friday, Aug. 23
Toni Romiti, DJ Caleeb, Aleksa Safiya
The sometimes-delicate, sometimes-fierce vocals of Toni Romiti highlight her fusion of R&B and hip-hop with a pop sensibility. Chicago-born Romiti was playing college basketball when she decided to move out to Los Angeles to pursue her dream. Best known for her hit singles “Missing You” and “Switch Up,” which both charted on the Billboard Top 100, Romiti has also written songs for Chris Brown and Dej Loaf. $22.50-$85, 8 p.m., The Rock Box, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 772-1443, therockboxsa. com. — DC
critics’ picks
Nicky Diamonds
Friday-Saturday, Aug. 23-24
Jazz, TX 8 Year Anniversary
San Antonio has a surprisingly deep jazz legacy, from sax powerhouse Clifford Scott to preservationist Jim Cullum to KRTU, one of the nation’s top jazz radio stations. During its eight years in operation, the Pearl’s Jazz, TX has been a worthy addition to that lineage, consistently staging shows from its vibey basement space. For the venue’s two-night anniversary celebration, expect regulars Doc Watkins and Meg Bodi along with the Jazz, TX orchestra and special surprises. $70, 9:30 p.m., Jazz, TX, 312 Pearl Parkway Building 6, Suite 6001, (210) 332-9386, jazztx.com. — Bill Baird
Saturday, Aug. 24
Nicky Diamonds, Marley Hale
San Antonio native Nicky Diamonds recently departed for Nashville and, by all accounts, has been kicking ass with his new label Black Opry Records. After being invited by Willie Nelson to perform at the 2023 Luck Reunion, Diamonds released Perdido en La Salsa, a seven-song mini-album exploring the vicissitudes of depression and redemption. Little surprise he’s been racking up so much attention: Diamonds has a great picking style, thoughtful lyrics and a soulful voice. Opener Marley Hale’s songwriting has won praise from respected Americana outlets No Depression and Western AF. $10, 9:30 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., thelonesomerose.com.
Sunday, Aug. 25
Bob Log III
Bob Log III plays a noisy, post-punk take in Delta blues, one-man-band style. He plays his resonator guitar with a slide while playing drums with his feet and wearing a helmet equipped with a microphone. The live experience is wonderfully entertaining and absurd — a singular American weirdo kind of ass kicking. It’s like RL Burnside dressing up as Daft Punk. $12, 8 p.m., The Lonesome Rose, 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., thelonesomerose.com. — BB
Thursday, Aug. 29
Fantastic Negrito
Fantastic Negrito, the stage handle of Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, performs modern electric blues-rock at its finest. Indeed, from 2018 through 2020, he racked up three straight Grammy wins for Best Contemporary Blues Album. More than anything, Negrito’s willing-
ness to let his freak flag fly — from his unconventional stage banter to his fashion to the subject matter of his songs — helps him stand out above his peers. His latest album, White Jesus Black Problems, certainly doesn’t shy away from sensitive subject matter, and that’s what makes the performer so special. He’s not just talented as hell, but fearless and filled with infectious joy. $31, 8 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com. — BB
Friday, Aug. 30
Clay Walker
Multi-platinum country artist Clay Walker will play a Labor Day Weekend visit to a venue that’s been a longtime cradle of Texas music. Born in Beaumont and raised in Vidor, the Walker has built decades of success on a raspy, rugged voiced influenced by George Jones, James Taylor and his childhood soundtrack of R&B music. The singer-songwriter is also
known for his tireless efforts to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease he was diagnosed with in 1996. $97.50, 8 p.m., Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall.com. — DC
Friday-Saturday, Aug. 30-31
Cody Jinks, Tanner Usrey
Expect a double dose of deep vocals from outlaw country artist Cody Jinks along the waters of the Guadalupe River over Labor Day Weekend. Born just outside of Fort Worth, Jinks served as thrash-metal frontman in the ’90s before pivoting to country in 2005. Jinks released his latest album, Change The Game, this past spring, and heavy themes of sobriety are interwoven throughout. $65.10-$128.40, 7:30 pm, Whitewater Amphitheater, 11860 FM 306, New Braunfels, (830) 964-3800, whitewaterrocks.com. — DC
Courtesy Photo Carver Community Cultural Center
Finance Director (SICA & NewTek) wanted by Vizrt to work in San Antonio, TX. Reviews P&L & balance sheets, business review w/ Regions & BU mgmt. Facilitates improvement in Internal Control environment across functions. Provides input to build strong KPIs. Establishes fin’l plans & goals based on strategic initiatives. Ad hoc analysis of Business Performance. Reqs: Bach’s deg in finance or economics & 2 yrs of post-baccalaureate exp in the job offered or 2 yrs as fin’l analyst prep’g pro forma statements, forecasts, & budgets, & 2 yrs of exp using Microsoft Office Suite & VBA. Apply online at: https://apply.workable.com/vizrt/ Use job code: 131.
