San Antonio Current - December 25, 2024 by Chava Communications

DEC. 25, 2024 - JAN. 7, 2025

CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

sacurrent.com | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | CURRENT

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

in this issue

Issue 24-26 /// December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025

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

Michael Karlis

25 Feature

The 50 Best Bars in San Antonio

07 News

The Opener News in Brief

‘Unsafe and unsound’

Federal regulators hit USAA Savings Bank with yet another order to fix longstanding shortfalls San Antonio lands $268 million for city’s first Advanced Rapid Transit project

Bad Takes

Texas’ right-wing extremism is driving away smart folks the state desperately needs

Cityscrapes

The big numbers attached to Project Marvel’s convention center expansion don’t add up Approved auditor info as required for public notices per section 50.011(1)(e), F.S. Circulation Verification Council 12166 Old Big Bend Road, Suite 210 St. Louis, MO 63122 www.cvcaudit.com Auditor’s Certification:

15 Calendar

Our picks of things to do

21 Arts

CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

Recognizing Rasquachismo

New McNay Art Museum exhibit delves into the power of found objects in Chicano life

23 Screens

Holiday Magic

San Antonio native Brian Villalobos stars in body-swapping flick Switched Up Christmas

33 Music

Getting an Earful

San Antonio’s 10 best releases of 2024 run the gamut from dream pop to dream-crushing metal

Critics’ Picks

n the Cover: The Current has compiled its annual 50 Best Bars list, which includes wine bar A Perfect Day, featured on the cover. Cocktail crafted by Aaron Peña. Photo by Jaime Monzon and layout by David Loyola.

sacurrent.com | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | CURRENT

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued a New York doctor who allegedly prescribed abortion drugs to a Texas resident. The legal action sets up a potential battle between the states’ dueling abortion laws. Texas has a near-total abortion ban, which Paxton’s office claims the doctor violated. However, New York has a shield law that protects its healthcare providers from out-of-state investigations and persecutions. The Library of Congress has added four Latino-led films to the National Film Registry in recognition of their lasting cultural significance. The films, which were nominated for inclusion by San Antonio Congressman Joaquin Castro, are Mi Familia (1995), American Me (1992), Up in Smoke (1978) and Spy Kids (2001) — the last directed by San Antonio native Robert Rodriguez. The Library also added Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), which features Latino actor Ricardo Montalbán. Texas agencies reported more than 250 new cases of groundwater contamination in 2023, bringing the state’s total number of open cases up to 2,870. The numbers come from the latest report from by the Texas Groundwater Protection Committee, which is composed of 10 statewide agencies and organizations. Texas currently gets a little more than half its drinking water from aquifers, with that percentage expected to increase in coming years. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich released his first statement since suffering what team officials termed a “minor stroke” in early November. Pop thanked fans for their support. “As we work together on my recovery, I want to take a moment to share that the outpouring of support we’ve received during this time has been truly overwhelming in the best possible way,” Popovich said. There’s not yet any timeline for his return to the sideline. — Abe Asher

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Instagram govabbott

ASSCLOWN ALERT

Bragging about Texas’ dismal funding of public education with Gov. Greg Abbott Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark. Amid Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest bilious bouts of border bluster, it might have been easy to overlook his recent spate of tweets congratulating himself for turning Texas’ education system into the pride of the nation. “Texas continues to be a leader in education success because we prioritize the needs of our students,” the Republican governor boasted Sunday, Dec. 15, on X. In a subsequent tweet, he went on to brag that he’d “provided more funding for education and pay raises than any governor in state history.” Needless to say, it didn’t go well. Plenty of teachers and parents in Social Media Land are painfully aware of the statistics that show Texas is far from a “leader in education success.”

They were happy to let Governor Greg know he’s as full of shit as a NIOSA port-a-potty. For a moment let’s put aside the facts that the Lone Star State ranks 37th in the nation in per-student spending and 42nd in per-student funding. And that Abbott, in his indefatigable quest to ram school vouchers down the state’s collective throat, has tirelessly railed about public schools being a mess and their employees turning Texas youths into woke zombies. No, instead, let’s just focus on Abbott’s claim that he’s flowed historic amounts of cash to teachers. While it’s true he signed off on big-ticket education bills passed by the Lege, the AFT Texas union ran the numbers for a comprehensive funding study this May and found the following: • Adjusted for inflation, the average Texas teacher’s salary has dropped by more than 9% since the 2009-2010 school year. • Texas teachers now make roughly $9,000 less on average than their peers nationwide. Separately, an AFT Texas membership survey showed that 45% of respondents named salaries as their top workplace concern, and 69% considered leaving their posts in the past year. It’s not hard to fathom why. Here’s some advice, Governor Assclown. Do the math before you let your tweet-happy thumbs do the talking. — Sanford Nowlin

YOU SAID IT!

“People’s main association with the Democratic Party was the party for the working class from the post-war era up into the early 2010s. And since then, we’ve lost a lot of that and Trump has capitalized on it.”

The board of the San Antonio Independent School District last week voted to start negotiations to sell a key plot of land to the San Antonio Missions for the construction of the minor league baseball team’s new stadium. The 2.3 acres of land the Missions are looking to acquire are currently being used as a parking lot for Fox Tech High School.

— U.S. Rep. Greg Casar to the Texas Tribune after he was elected to head the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Two San Antonio-area school districts are considering closing schools ahead of the next academic year: Northeast ISD may consolidate three campuses into one for the 2025-26 school year, while Judson ISD is

considering a recommendation to shutter three campuses. The news of the potential closures comes as school districts across Texas grapple with falling enrollment and a lack of state funding. San Antonio ISD closed 15 campuses in 2023. SpaceX wants to turn its base of operations in South Texas into a city. Employees living at Starbase, the company’s headquarters and primary rocket launch site, submitted a petition to a Cameron County judge last week requesting a special election to determine whether the site can be incorporated. — Abe Asher

Find more news coverage every day at sacurrent.com

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CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

news ‘Unsafe and unsound’ Federal regulators hit USAA Savings Bank with yet another order to fix longstanding shortfalls BY SANFORD NOWLIN

ederal regulators have slapped San Antonio-based USAA’s banking unit with an order demanding that it fix “unsafe and unsound” policies, marking the government’s third attempt since 2019 to force such changes. The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) said Wednesday that it’s ordered USAA Federal Savings Bank to fix longstanding regulatory shortfalls related to its management, earnings, information technology, consumer compliance, internal audits and reporting of suspicious activity. OCC officials said some of the bank’s violations have been on the agency’s radar since at least 2019. What’s more, the new order includes parts of prior OCC orders from 2019 and 2022 for which USAA

has yet to come into compliance. In a statement emailed to the Current, USAA said it’s working with regulators to improve the deficiencies and better serve customers, which it calls “members.” USAA is one of San Antonio’s largest corporate employers. The business provides insurance, banking and other financial services to military personnel, veterans and their families. “Although our progress has not been consistent or swift enough, the bank is well-positioned to complete this work,” USAA said. “With a stronger foundation in place to prevent and mitigate risk, we will continue to enhance our capabilities and processes to ensure we consistently serve our members with excellence.” Under the latest OCC order, USAA must submit an action plan showing how it will comply with federal banking rules, and it’s also required to develop

Sanford Nowlin

risk plans for its problem areas. The feds have also limited the bank’s ability to introduce new products and services as well as add new incentive-based compensation for staff. USAA Federal Savings Bank’s ongoing regulatory woes were the subject of an investigation this fall by the Current and industry publication American Banker. The news outlets found that the bank

repeatedly failed to make investments needed to satisfy regulators and some longtime members as it briskly grew its customer base. Amid those regulatory penalties and meager profits, USAA has shuffled key executives and resorted to cost-cutting layoffs. Company CEO Wayne Peacock is expected to retire this spring after five years in the post. “Independently, these various violations could be understood, but collectively, they show a pattern that raises concerns,” Mark Williams, a Boston University finance professor and a former bank supervisor at the Federal Reserve, told the Current and American Banker for their joint story. “There’s something more fundamental.” The statement USAA issued Wednesday said the OCC’s latest order confirms that the bank has made progress in addressing earlier concerns by banking regulators. The company also said it’s financially healthy and has the “highest possible ratings” from agencies S&P, Moody’s and AM Best. “Our focus is on getting this right for USAA and our members,” the statement said.

San Antonio lands $268 million for city’s first Advanced Rapid Transit project BY MICHAEL KARLIS

an Antonio and Bexar County landed a $268 million federal grant to fund more than half the cost of the VIA Green Line, the Alamo City’s first-ever Advanced Rapid Transit program, local leaders said Wednesday. The 10.5-mile bus route will start at San Antonio International Airport before traveling down San Pedro Avenue. The line then will snake through downtown and Southtown before ending at VIA’s Brooks Transit Center. The difference between the project and existing VIA bus routes is that the Green Line will travel a designated lane synced with traffic lights so it won’t compete with other vehicular traffic. The line will operate in 10-minute intervals, transforming how San Antonians get

around, city officials said at a Wednesday press conference. “A lot of communities automatically think of rail as synonymous with public transportation,” Federal Transit Administration Deputy Administrator Veronica Vanterpool said during the event. “But here in the United States, we’re using our roadways built to support a car culture to create a new cost-efficient way for people to get around and attract a new generation of riders.” The federal grant will fund 56% of the Green Line’s total $480 million price tag. Another $153.7 million will come from local bonds, while the remaining $56.8 million will be allocated from existing funds. During Wednesday’s announcement, Mayor Ron Nirenberg thanked the FTA, local officials and federal lawmakers for helping make the Green Line a reality. “You shared our vision for a city with

Courtesy Image Via

everything it needs to be, not just a world-class city, but a sustainable and equitable city for everyone, including a modern mass transit system and bold leadership to take the next steps towards greatness,” Nirenberg said. Despite its promise of speedier public transport, the project has sparked fears from small-business owners about a pending construction nightmare. Some business owners concerned over the line said they’re still recovering from construction delays downtown and along the St. Mary’s Strip. Even so, Bexar County Judge Peter

Sakai said the city and county will work with small businesses to ensure that the project doesn’t hinder foot traffic. “I’m expecting us to incorporate all those small businesses, or any businesses, up and down that North-South line of the city to see how we can improve our community — not just for the bus riders but for the businesses that are along that route,” Sakai said. If all goes as planned, construction on the Green Line will begin late next year and wrap up in mid-2026, according to local officials. The route is expected to be fully operational by 2027.

sacurrent.com | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | CURRENT

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news BAD TAKES

Texas’ right-wing extremism is driving away smart folks the state desperately needs BY KEVIN SANCHEZ Bad Takes is a column of opinion and analysis.

ot everybody is fully aware of Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar’s job duties or even the preferred pronunciation of his title. Turns out, “controller” is the favored way to say it. Essentially, Hegar is the state’s chief accountant and, in addition to overseeing tax collection and managing government purchases and audits, he signs checks for whatever Gov. Greg Abbott and the Lege deign to spend money on. In other words, not teacher pay raises. Back in May, at the Texas GOP Convention, Hegar tried his best to energize tired delegates by flinging familiar red meat. “I wouldn’t be very Texan, you wouldn’t be very Texan, if we didn’t pick on California,” Hegar goaded before referencing the Golden State’s then-gigantic budget deficit. California has since “roughly balanced” its books according to the nonpartisan fiscal adviser for its legislature, but let’s leave that aside. Hegar went on to appreciate how fortunate we are that “conservative Republicans are still calling the shots here in Texas,” and claimed “our job growth continues to outpace everybody, year after year after year.” Actually, in terms of year-over-year percentage increases, Texas ranks 10th in job growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, behind the likes of Vermont and Colorado, which — checks notes — voted for Kamala Harris. Leave that aside as well. “When I first took office, I told you that Texas — the state that we call home, the state that we love — was the 12th-largest economy in the world. But, you know, since that time, I can’t tell you that Texas is the 12th-largest economy anymore. You know why? Because we moved to No. 11, then No. 10, then No. 9, and as I stand here today, Texas is the eighth-largest economy in the entire world. And that’s thanks to conservative leadership.”

Please no one tell Hegar that California is currently the fifth-largest economy in the world — and for the seventh straight year. Not bad for a state that’s typically depicted as a fascist hellscape in MAGA folklore. Early in 2023, the New York Times’ resident non-loco conservative, David Brooks, had already added an important qualification to the “simple story” that Hegar proffered whereby “Republican policies work, Democratic policies don’t.” “When you look inside the red states at where the growth is occurring, you notice immediately that the dynamism is not mostly in the red parts of the red states,” Brooks explained. “The growth is in the metro areas — which are often blue cities in red states. A study from the LBJ Urban Lab, for example, found that Austin, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth accounted for 71% of the jobs created in Texas in 2019.” And this November, all three cities, as well as San Antonio, went for — checks notes a second time — Kamala Harris. “Republicans may be proud that many of their states are growing,” Brooks rejoined, “but Austin is not the Conservative Political Action Conference’s utopia.” Then why, pray tell, do so many right-wingers enjoy reminding us that more people move to Texas than any other state in the country? Wouldn’t you know, this month Dallas Morning News Assistant Business Editor Kyle Arnold broke some bad news. “For the first time in five years,” he wrote, “Texas was downgraded from an inbound migration state to neutral for those moving from other states in the U.S., according to a new report from Atlas Van Lines.” The Migration Patterns Study, conducted since 1993, tracks where Atlas’ customers relocate and aligns the data with Census surveys. “Real estate data company Zillow shows the median price of a new home in Texas has surged by over 40% since 2019,” and “the average annual tempera-

Shutterstock / Joseph Sohm

ture in Dallas-Fort Worth is 4 degrees higher than it was a decade ago,” Arnold wrote of the falloff. Apparently, for some people, not even the fool’s gold of Texas’ zero progressive income tax can beat its extreme and worsening heat. Even before the new info though, a sizable asterisk remained next to Texas’ purportedly magnetic attraction. Fockers like Donald Trump’s de facto vice president Elon Musk have saved beaucoup billions using our state like his own private Panamanian tax haven. And as corporations chase cheap labor and “business-friendly” deregulation, the mute compulsion of “mobility clauses” may explain why workers decamp to Texas better than any love for bluebonnets or abortion bans or soccer fields free of transgender children. And even if your top priority was attracting capital investment, Texas’ socalled anti-”Environmental, Social and Governance” legislation may cost us big. My favorite Republican, Sarah Stogner — who recently ousted a Democratic district attorney in West Texas — explained matters in a November op-ed. “If a firm seems too friendly to the environment, the Texas Comptroller can put them on a blacklist, banning them from doing any business with state and local governments,” Stogner wrote. “If they acknowledge the potential financial impact of climate change, state pension funds and even county governments issuing bonds can be barred from working with them.” The upshot? “By blacklisting many of the best-performing financial firms, state lawmak-

ers reduced competition and left Texas counties fewer options when it came time to issue bonds. A Wharton study estimated that Texas taxpayers were already on the hook for an additional $300 million to $500 million in interest in just the first eight months after the enactment of the law.” This further undermined “industry’s efforts to remain competitive by forcing Texas pension holders to underwrite the worst-polluting wells.” Houston Chronicle business columnist Chris Tomlinson relayed bleak estimates of his own. “Texas taxpayers could end up paying $22 billion in excess interest payments, thanks to the Republican-led Legislature, Gov. Abbott and Comptroller Hegar,” Tomlinson said. A headline from left-of-center magazine The New Republic last autumn appears to sum it up: ”The red state brain drain isn’t Coming. It’s happening right Now.” Seems that all the censored books, quashed anti-racist curricula, mass shootings, contraceptive restrictions and assorted “culture war” hogwash is “pushing out young professionals” from theocracy-curious states. If you were a woman fresh out of graduate school, would you volunteer to live under a legal regime that might leave you to die in a hospital parking lot rather than allow you to receive standard reproductive care? As a lifelong Texan, my attitude when I see California plates on the road is reminiscent of the misogynist Vaudevillian comic who walks in on his wife in bed with his best friend: “I have to, buddy, but you?”

sacurrent.com | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

news CITYSCRAPES

The big numbers attached to Project Marvel’s convention center expansion don’t add up BY HEYWOOD SANDERS Cityscapes is a column of opinion and analysis.

he city of San Antonio’s gradual — and remarkably partial — unveiling of the “Project Marvel” downtown sports and entertainment district continued earlier this month with the visit of two outside consultants and a few more details on the proposed expansion of the Henry B. González Convention Center. Once again, those scant details included no estimates of the price tag. The recent presentation to San Antonio City Council by Michael Lockwood of the Populous architecture and design firm and John Kaatz of consulting firm CSL was almost breathless in its view of the future of the convention business and the imperative for San Antonio in the face of growing state and national competition. “We really need to step up,” Lockwood told council. We were told that that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a “lot of pent-up demand” for face-to-face meetings. But in a colorful bar chart of “comparable facilities” around the country — ranging from Las Vegas and Chicago at the top in terms of total convention exhibit space down to Austin and Fort Worth at the low end — San Antonio is now pretty close to the bottom, ranking No. 18. The expansion Lockwood and Kaatz recommended would bring HBG up to 620,000 square feet of exhibit space, hoisting our city up to 10th place, just below Indianapolis. That increased exhibit space would allow us to host two events at the same time, boosting the number of convention attendees and increasing the

Shutterstock / Ceri Breeze

impact of their spending, the “experts” told us. They forecast that the proposed expansion would boost visitor spending by 19%. And if we don’t expand, visitor spending would drop by 10%. The visitor industry is “at the core of [San Antonio’s] economic health,” they also said, making it sounded like an obvious case for a bigger convention center. Unfortunately, it also appears to be an obvious case for expansion in a whole host of other cities around the country. The presentation from CSL and Populous included a map of competing cities around the country that are investing in bigger and better convention venues. There’s Seattle at $1.9 billion and Los Angeles at $500 million. Then there’s Phoenix adding “110-150k of exhibit space + new 1,000-room HQ Hotel” and New Orleans with a $557 million investment in its center. Plus Orange County’s spending $560 million on a bigger convention facility in Orlando. And don’t forget Boston, which is spending $400 million. CSL has also trotted out consultant studies and presentations to each of these competitive cities. Just as promised to San Antonio, more space means they could accommodate overlapping conventions and meet market demand-

ed for bigger ballrooms and more meeting space. Seattle leaders heard that a major expansion would increase their convention visitors’ spending by 55%. A larger Los Angeles Convention Center would boost that city’s convention spending by 35%, compared to a 13% drop if the city did nothing. CSL told Phoenix its ranking on space would go from No. 14 to No. 10 once it completed the recommended expansion and added a big new hotel. And Orange County received a dire warning from the consultant: “It is clear that competitive destinations are making extensive investment in their convention product, and that the market success enjoyed at the [Orange County Convention Center] should not be taken for granted.” From one city to the next, CSL’s analysis and the recommendations are remarkably similar. And consistent over the years. When CSL’s consultants delivered their feasibility analysis of an expansion of the Henry B. González Convention Center in 2008 — the analysis that helped justify the site’s last expansion — they argued that “competitive destinations, including Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Orlando and others, are investing heavily in their convention product.”

If San Antonio were just to add more space, the center’s “ability to accommodate larger multiple overlapping events would be significantly enhanced, and larger events willing to book the entire center could be accommodated.” They assured us we would see even more business, boosting convention visitor spending from $260 million a year to $315 million. That was more than 15 years ago. San Antonio spent $325 million for the expansion that opened in 2016. Somehow, that massive expenditure didn’t move us into convention center stardom. Indeed, it didn’t even do much to change where we stood in the national ranking of convention center space. And it surely didn’t remake our downtown into a vibrant, diverse urban center. There will no doubt be more consultant studies featuring lots of big numbers as Project Marvel gets pushed ahead. We need to remember what we were promised before. And that the same folks made those same promises to plenty of other big cities. Importantly, we also need to remember what we ended up getting last time we fell for their sales pitch. Heywood Sanders is a professor emeritus of public administration at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

sacurrent.com | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | CURRENT

CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

FI LM

A CHRISTMAS STORY While most people spend the day after Christmas picking up shredded wrapping paper off the floor or tending to an eggnog hangover, a select few are already counting down the days until the 2025 holiday season. Everyone knows someone who wishes Christmas was celebrated every day of the year. Luckily, for those who’d like to hear the Mariah Carey earworm All I Want for Christmas Is You playing in H-E-B in July, the ho-ho-ho-ing isn’t officially over in San Antonio. The days after Christmas, Frost Plaza at the Rock at La Cantera will show the 1983 classic A Christmas Story on the venue’s 40-foot LED screen. Yes, that’s the one with the sexy leg lamp, the pink bunny pajamas, the tongue stuck to the frozen flagpole and the official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model air rifle that’ll surely shoot someone’s eye out. Bring leftover tamales, hand them out to fellow moviegoers and say, “Show mommy how the piggies eat!” Free, 7 p.m., Frost Plaza at the Rock at La Cantera, 1 Spurs Way, therockatlacantera.com. — Kiko Martinez

calendar

THU | 12.26

THU | 12.26 - SUN | 01.12

TUE | 12.31

SPECIAL EVENT

SPORTS

HOLIDAY LIGHTS ON THE SAN ANTONIO RIVER WALK

SPURS VS. CLIPPERS

With detritus strewn all over the house, taking down the tree might feel like an insur-

The Spurs celebrate New Year’s Eve

mountable task. Seems like a good time to eat leftovers and procrastinate, save for the

at home in a rematch against famil-

houseful of people you most likely still need to entertain. One easy, family friendly way to

iar foils James Harden and the Los

enjoy your remaining holidays might be a simple, leisurely walk down the Paseo del Rio,

Angeles Clippers. When the teams

the downtown loop of the River Walk. The San Antonio River Walk is a public park open

squared off back in November,

every day of the year, 24 hours a day, and it’s currently decorated with a stunning display

Spurs center Victor Wembanyama

of 100,000 lights draped over and around its beautifully landscaped pathways. You can

was all over the court, finishing the

choose to patronize a few shops, restaurants or coffee houses for snacks and souvenirs,

night with 24 points, 13 rebounds

but there’s no charge for simply experiencing the beauty of this annual display. Free, Paseo

and 9 blocks even though the team

del Rio, (210) 244-2000, thesanantonioriverwalk.com. — Anjali Gupta

suffered a deflating 104-113 loss. After letting nine-time All-Star Paul George walk in free agency, the Clippers have exceeded expectations despite the extended absence of Kawhi Leonard due to a degenerative leg injury. Injuries remain a recurring theme for the Spurs with Zach Collins, Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones recently sitting out with assorted ailments. Wembanyama has been playing through lower back pain while carrying a heavy load on both ends of the floor. San Antonio

Reminder:

received positive news prior to the holidays, though, in an unexpected

Instagram / Spurs

update from head coach Gregg Popovich showcasing his signature humor while describing himself as “less than coachable” as he continues recovery from a mild stroke. $39 and up, 6 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Shutterstock / Kevin Seagrave

Drive, (210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com, Fanduel Sports Network-Southwest. — M. Solis

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.

CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

TUE | 12.31 SPECIAL EVENT

NEW YEAR’S EVE AT THE BONHAM EXCHANGE

In a 2012 article titled “The Worst Holiday,” The Atlantic summed up New Year’s Eve as overhyped and anticlimactic. “On December 31, mediocre restaurants throughout America string absurd velvet ropes outside their doors, inflate black and white balloons as decoration, and charge three times the usual price for the same old fare plus bad champagne,” journalist Conor Friedersdorf quipped. “Is it any wonder that our elders, as they grow older and wiser, opt to stay home and turn in before midnight?” While there’s plenty of truth to that cynical perspective, we’re of two minds — not willing to shell out wads of cash … but also not willing to retire before the countdown. With an abundance of similar events planned across town — complete with interchangeable flyers co-opting Great Gatsby-inspired fonts — we’re leaning toward ringing in the new year at the wonderfully old Bonham Exchange, the undisputed grande dame of San Antonio nightlife. Boasting multiple levels and rooms to explore, affordable drink prices and a consistently mixed crowd, the historic club is an ideal space to lose yourself for a spell — even if that takes shape in doom-scrolling over stiff cocktails until the downtown fireworks begin. Hailed as “San Antonio’s biggest New Year’s Eve dance party,” the Bonham’s final shindig of 2024 brings a different DJ to each of its key rooms. While revelers can shimmy the night away to jams by DJ Cobweb in the main room and DJ Cece in the cozy video bar, we’re most excited to exorcise our demons to the tribal stylings of Twisted Dee upstairs in the Rainbow Ballroom. Born Dee Martello, the Orlando-based DJ and producer has remixed songs by a slew of major artists — from Beyoncé and Michael Jackson to The Killers and Fall Out Boy — and landed multiple original tracks on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. Call us crazy, tacky or both, but we’re hoping Twisted Dee throws down her famed remix of the Material Girl’s bratty 2015 comeback “Bitch I’m Madonna” featuring guest vocals by queen Nicki Minaj. $5-$15, 8 p.m.-3 a.m., the Bonham Exchange, 411 Bonham St., (210) 2249219, bonhamexchange.com. — Bryan Rindfuss

TUE | 12.31 SPECIAL EVENT

CELEBRATESA: NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY AND COUNTDOWN Billed as “San Antonio’s most iconic New Year’s Eve celebration ”, CelebrateSA is a family-friendly event in the heart of downtown that extends from Market Street to Civic Park at Hemisfair and Arneson River Theatre La Villita with each site offering differing age-appropriate experiences. With a special Kids Countdown and Winter Wonderland Village, the little ones are covered. Older revelers can get down to dance parties and live musical performances. The night culminates in a breathtaking fireworks display that will light up the Tower of Americas and the surrounding San Antonio skyline at midnight. Free, 6 p.m. to midnight, Arneson River Theatre at La Villita 418 Villita, (210) 468-1575, saparks.org. — AG

FRI | 01.03 - SAT | 01.04 COMEDY

SAM MORRIL Since being named one of Comedy Central’s 2011 Comics to Watch, stand-up and joke writer Sam Morril’s racked up an impressive list of credits, from working with stalwarts such as Marc Maron, Dave Attell and Amy Schumer to delivering multiple sets on Conan, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The Late, Late Show with James Corden. The New York-based comic has also dropped multiple streaming specials, the latest of which, Sam Morril: You’ve Changed, is available on Amazon Prime Video. While Morril was initially known for delivering rapid-fire jokes, he’s since slowed his pace to focus more on storytelling, which works well with his dry delivery and penchant for dark humor. In You’ve Changed, he manages to take on the hyperventilating outrage some folks have adopted about trans people. While he draws plenty of laughs, he earns most of them by punching up instead of down. “People get so weird with the trans stuff — how angry people were with the partnership Bud Light made with the trans woman Dylan Mulvaney,” Morril deadpans in the special. “I will say this: shame on Bud Light for pretending to be good people.” $80 (table for two) and up, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday and 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com. — Sanford Nowlin sacurrent.com | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | CURRENT

CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

SAT | 01.04 SPECIAL EVENT

JOHN MORETTI: EXPLORING FOR ICE AGE FOSSILS IN THE WATER CAVES OF CENTRAL TEXAS Geographically, the Edwards Plateau is the heart of Texas. This geological formation stretches from the southernmost region of the Great Plains, from San Angelo to Austin and San Antonio to Del Rio. It’s proved to be a rich resource for scientists of all ilk, including paleontologists, helping them chart the extinction of mammoths, saber-tooth cats and other megafauna living in Ice Age grasslands. However, until recently, this information was only gathered from dry caves. New explorations of water caves in the area have only recently begun, and will certainly add volumes to both the general knowledge and scholarship about the megafauna that once roamed Central Texas, not to mention traces of flora that will help us better understand the ecology of the area during the Pleistocene Era. Delving into research that occurs at the nexus of vertebrate paleontology, zooarchaeology and conservation biology, John Moretti of the University of Texas at Austin will provide a brief introduction to the Texas water caves, the challenges of working in those caves, his latest fossil discoveries and their place in the Anthropocene. Free, 1 p.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy, Urban Ecology Center Gathering Hall, 8400 NW Military Highway, (210) 492-7472, philhardbergerpark.org. — AG

SAT | 01.04 SPORTS

SPURS VS. NUGGETS

One of the Spurs’ signature wins in Victor Wembanyama’s rookie season came in April at the expense of the then-defending champion Denver Nuggets. Wembanyama led San Antonio with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists in a stunning 120-121 victory, but it was former Spur Devonte’ Graham’s floater with 0.9 seconds remaining that knocked Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets out of sole possession of first place in the West, setting the table for a disappointing title defense. Denver’s slide appears to have extended into this season with the Oklahoma City Thunder sitting atop the standings, and an early season return to form for Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies. San Antonio has recently been playing .500 hoops with acting coach Mitch Johnson at the helm. After away and home matchups with the Nuggets to start the new year, the Spurs face a four-game road trip featuring a showdown with the NBA Cup Champion the Milwaukee Bucks and back-to-back games against the Los Angeles Lakers. $43 and up, 7 p.m., Frost Bank Center, 1 Frost Bank Center Drive, (210) 444-5140, frostbankcenter.com, Fanduel Sports Network-Southwest. — MS 2024 Texan by Nature

THURSDAY JANUARY 16 TICKETS ON SALE AT MAJESTICEMPIRE.COM sacurrent.com | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | CURRENT

WELLNESS

Sound Healing in the Museum Saturday, January 4 | 9:00–10:00 a.m. Tickets: $10 | Free for Members

VALERO ALAMO BOWL • BYU vs. COLORADO DEC 28

Join SAMA and Yolpaki Coaching and Consulting for a relaxing inner journey. The session blends therapeutic movement, invigorating breathing exercises, and guided relaxation to relieve stress, regenerate the body, and enrich the soul. Please bring your own yoga mat.

Scan the QR code to register or visit www.samuseum.org/events

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200 West Jones Avenue 20

CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

arts

Recognizing Rasquachismo New McNay Art Museum exhibit delves into the power of found objects in Chicano life BY EDMOND ORTIZ

n 1989, Latinx cultural scholar Tomás Ybarra-Frausto coined the term “rasquachismo” in an essay that explored a cultural concept informed by the daily experiences of ordinary Chicanos. While the term was a play on the word “rasquache,” slang for bad taste or low class, Ybarra-Frausto defined it as a “a form of resistance incorporating strategies of appropriation, reversal and inversion.” The exhibit “Rasquachismo: 35 Years of a Chicano Sensibility,” which opened Dec. 19 at San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum, shows that rasquachismo continues to influence Latinx poetry, music and the visual arts. Inspired by Ybarra-Frausto’s original essay “Rasquachismo: A Chicano Sensibility,” the exhibit boasts 50-plus artworks from the McNay’s collection, including pieces by Margarita Cabrera, John A. Hernandez, Luis Jiménez, Yolanda López, César Martínez, Juan de Dios Mora and Kathy Vargas. It also features artworks on loan by Ybarra-Frausto and other contemporary artists from San Antonio and elsewhere. “Rasquachismo” was organized by Mia Lopez, the McNay’s inaugural curator of Latinx art, who worked on it in collaboration with Ybarra-Frausto. The show draws upon everyday objects found along city streets and in homes, lawns, houses of worship and flea markets, highlighting efforts to find beauty in them. Those found objects range from broken plates and plastic fragments to bottle caps and tires. Lopez said the incorporation by Chicanx and Latinx artists of found objects into their work reflects a do-it-yourself attitude and a resourcefulness similar to that of home decorators, tinkerers and graffiti artists, all of whom are adept at using whatever materials they have on hand. “In some cases, the trash and discarded elements that one might encounter on the street [leads] one to interject their own sort of sense of humor, but also there’s a sense of beauty and being able to transform something as simple as construction material and making that into a kind of monument,” Lopez said. The exhibit includes Diana Molina’s mixed-media collages, in which candy

Courtesy Image /McNay Art Museum

wrappers and beer labels create a mosaic. Jimmy Canales’ Survival Serape is a blanket augmented with duct tape. A painting from Cruz Ortiz features pieces of wood, a bedsheet and a corn broom. Rasquachismo is less of a traditional artistic movement and more of a playful aesthetic that prevails among working-class Chicanx creators who make the most of what they have, according to Ybarra-Frausto’s essay. The “Rasquachismo” exhibit also explores themes of domesticana, or Chicana rasquache, a term coined by artist and author Amalia Mesa-Bains in 1992 as a feminist response to Ybarra-Frausto’s initial essay. Domesticana is described as a means to examine the work of women in their family and their barrio, and how they persevere. Mesa-Bains’ essay highlights the role of women in the domestic sphere via home altars and capillas, or yard shrines. For example, Ruth Buentello’s painting The Last Supper depicts a contemporary family enjoying a pizza dinner in the living room. “The artworks do not necessarily all have to adhere to the same aesthetic, but they are also about an attitude and of survival,” Lopez said. The exhibit also includes two recent McNay acquisitions. Jamex and Einar de la Torre’s Mi Chicano Corazon uses blown glass and mixed media to reflect the complexity of dual Mexican and American identities, while Nivia Gonzalez’s Untitled pays tribute to her upbringing in San Antonio and her contributions to the community. Ybarra-Frausto said it’s fitting that the McNay — a museum he said has long championed cultural diversity — is hosting an exhibit dedicated to the rasquachismo spirit. “This is a very important exhibit because San Antonio is probably the King of Rasquache, and every backyard has a lot of yard art,” he said. “San Antonio is quite a city.”

Ruth Buentello’s painting The Last Supper.

René Paul Barilleaux, the McNay’s head of curatorial affairs, said the “Rasquachismo” exhibit demonstrates the museum’s growing collection of Mexican-American art. “It’s great to bring that to the forefront, and with this very particular point of view, it has really been gratifying for everyone and for Tomas to see this happening before his eyes,” Barilleaux said. The exhibit will offer special events throughout its run, which ends March 30. “Rasquachismo” is included with the McNay’s general admission, which is $20 for adults with discounts and free admission available. $20, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, noon-5 p.m. Sunday through March 30, McNay Art Museum, 6000 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 824-5368, mcnayart.org.

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3331 General Hudnell Dr. | San Antonio, TX 78226 | 210.600.3699

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San Antonio native Brian Villalobos stars in bodyswapping flick Switched Up Christmas BY KIKO MARTINEZ

ast year, actor and San Antonio native Brian Villalobos was seen in the film The Accidental Texan, which stars Oscar nominee Thomas Haden Church (Sideways). He also shared a scene with Oscar nominee Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog) in the HBO Max miniseries Love & Death. Now, Villalobos is starring in a kind of project he never thought he’d get the opportunity to do. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be in a body-swap movie,” Villalobos, 44, told the Current during a recent interview. “There are bucket lists, and then there’s a bucket list that you didn’t even imagine.” In Switched Up Christmas, Villalobos plays Joe Nelson, a talent agent and the father of a dysfunctional family that loses its Christmas spirit. When hit with a dose of holiday magic, Joe and his wife find they have switched bodies with their two kids. During our interview, Villalobos, a 1999 graduate of Saint Mary’s Hall who now resides in Austin, talked about his favorite Christmas movies growing up, the surge in new holiday rom-coms and the body-swapping movie he couldn’t get enough of as a

kid. Full disclosure: Villalobos worked as a writer and associate editor at the Current from 2005 to 2012. Switched Up Christmas is currently available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime.

What drew you to a body-swapping movie set during Christmas? I wanted to do it because it’s a Christmas body-swap movie! I was like, “I’m in. I don’t need to know anything else. I’m sure the script is nice, but I don’t care.” I was like, “Oh, my gosh! I get to do Big or Freaky Friday!” I also wanted to do something my kids could watch.

How did your kids respond?

We sat down and watched it together and, honestly, they really enjoyed it. Our daughter was like, “That’s my new favorite movie!” I was like, “Does she really mean it or is she saying that because Christmas is coming?”

What is your relationship like with Christmas movies?

I definitely have some Christmas movie holes. I’ve never seen A Christmas Story, which is kind of not allowed. I grew up loving Gremlins. It’s not only one of my favorite Christmas movies ever but also one of my favorite movies ever. I also grew up watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation before I was old enough to understand 70% of the jokes.

Does Switched Up Christmas fit the style of Christmas movies you remember as a kid?

To me, the movie feels like it was made somewhere between 1989 and 1996, mainly because of the body-swapping [aspect], its tone and [the cast’s] performances. The people I got to work with really nailed that style.

screens

Holiday Magic

I don’t think everyone on Earth can just slide into a ’90s comedy and seem like they’re not out of place.

Have you noticed how many new Christmas rom-coms there are on Netflix, Hallmark and Lifetime? There’s a new one called Hot Frosty where a woman falls in love with a snowman that transforms into a hunk. I hear that Hot Frosty is burning up the charts! I have never watched one, but that’s not to say I wouldn’t. I am super-curious. I can see what the appeal is. They certainly seem very cozy. My [comfort zone] is more a movie about a 12-year-old boy stuck in the body of a hapless, frazzled dad. It’s less about a dashing ex-carpenter who comes back to his snowy hometown to woo the woman who runs her grandmother’s trinket shop.

When it comes to body-swapping movies from the ’80s, are you Team Vice Versa or Team Like Father Like Son?

I saw Vice Versa. I never saw Like Father Like Son. I saw 18 Again! where George Burns switches bodies with his grandson. It was one of those movies we had recorded on a VHS tape. I watched 18 Again! so many times for no reason. I didn’t understand it, but I kind of had it memorized.

I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but San Antonio has experienced a bit of a Krampus craze over the last few weeks because the city held its first Krampus Parade. So, does Krampus make an appearance in Switched Up Christmas? (Laughs). Maybe in the sequel. But a Krampus parade that accidentally opens a portal to Hell sounds like a really good plot for a Hallmark Christmas movie. I would watch that, and if someone wants to make it, I’ll be in it.

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CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

food

The 50 Best Bars in San Antonio

Lighthouse Lounge

BY SAN ANTONIO CURRENT STAFF

n what’s become a yearend tradition, the Current’s staff gave our livers a vigorous workout by running down our 50 favorite San Antonio bars of the

year. With the city’s food and nightlife scenes ever expanding and evolving, it wasn’t easy to narrow down the list to just 50. But that’s kind of the point. We’re highlighting our absolute top-shelf favorites, not trying to compile a directory of every local drinkery worthy of attention. As a result, we had to make tough calls and leave off many personal favorites. Helping narrow it down, we tried to avoid establishments where the music is the main draw and drinking is just ancillary. Same for places that are primarily dining destinations and don’t attract crowds on the basis of the bar program alone. That said, there’s a good chance one of your most-cherished haunts didn’t make the cut. If that’s the case, take consolation that it will remain your little secret … at least until next year. Bottoms up, SA!

1. 2015 Place For the uninitiated, approaching the 2015 Place might be a tad disorienting. Thanks to its pitched roof and unassuming facade, the San Pedro Avenue mainstay looks more like an old house than the beloved neighborhood dive bar that it is. Fittingly, a relaxed sense of homeyness also pervades the interior — a delightfully unfussy melange that includes comfy sitting areas, pool tables, old-school video games, a modest dance floor and a compact patio. Although long favored by members of the LGBTQ+ community, the judgment-free watering hole is frequented by all walks looking to unwind in a convivial setting over wallet-friendly well drinks, pitchers of beer and nostalgic jukebox gems. 2015 San Pedro Ave., (210) 733-3365.

2. A Perfect Day Wine bars can easily fall into the stuffy or slick categories, from pricey casual to pricier pretentious. A Perfect Day, the year-old Southtown bar in Francis Bogside’s former home, turns that notion on its head. The cozy spot avoids the typical and manages to avoid kitsch despite a wall of silver streamers and some bright neon. A Perfect

Sanford Nowlin

Day offers roughly 100 wines by the glass, all for $10 a pop, and an eclectic, albeit small beer selection includes Lone Star along with local brewery favorites. Food is available from the connected rock bar and eatery Gimme Gimme. 803 S. St. Mary’s St., instagram.com/aperfectdaywinebar.

3. Amelia Social Lounge Housed in a former creamery, this sophisticated cocktail lounge named after Amelia Earhart pays homage to significant women throughout history. The drink menu is distinctive enough that Amelia came in third for Best Cocktails in the Current’s Best of San Antonio 2024 issue. Surely the only one of its kind in the city, Grandma Joe’s Clarified Milk Punch includes vodka, sweet potato, brown sugar and house chai whipped cream. Other specialty cocktails center on classic ingredients such as Campari, Aperol, cognac and vermouth. Fancy snacks include beef tartare, burrata, roasted carrots and a flight of deviled eggs. The lounge also has a modest but respectable wine list. There’s a dress code, so don some dapper duds lest you be turned away. 875 E. Ashby Place, Suite 1120, ameliasatx.com.

4. Amor Eterno From the custom velvet wallpaper to the neon pink lighting, Amor Eterno exudes a certain San Antonio brand of swankiness. The intimate Southtown bar’s seductive ambiance makes it a sought-after spot for date nights and nightcaps. Craft cocktails, including a fine Brown Sugar Old Fashioned and a suitably bracing Hemingway Daiquiri, are the star here, but the wide selec-

tions of craft beers and wine are also an attraction. Amor Eterno also has a generous weekday happy hour offering $6 cocktails from 6-8 p.m. 540 S. Presa St., instagram.com/amoreterno_sa.

5. Ay Que Chula Reflected in its splashy, rainbow-striped logo, Ay Que Chula delivers all the cutesy vibes its cheeky name suggests. Situated in a sunlit, window-lined corner of the Main Strip formerly occupied by the old-school burger joint Luther’s Cafe, the all-ages hotspot is a proud “Hispanic-owned, family-run establishment” that serves up cocktails, pancakes and Tex-Mex classics in vibrant digs frequented by the LGBTQ+ community. Having recently celebrated its first anniversary, Ay Que Chula has established itself as a destination for weekend drag brunches — 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday with food served until 4:30 p.m. — but also packs in a mixed crowd of revelers for nightly shenanigans Tuesday through Sunday. 1503 N. Main Ave., (210) 251-4902, ayquechulatx.com.

6. Bang Bang Bar For the past nine years, Bang Bang Bar has filled a role as a neighborhood dive that also attracts a music-loving crowd. Cozy seating abounds thanks to vintage chairs and couches, and a side room offers video games and SkeeBall. There’s a solid beer and liquor selection, but the bar also is known for some of its over-thetop drinks. Bartenders are constantly creating seasonal tipples such as the Pick Me Up, Buttercup with vanilla vodka, Kahlua, salted caramel,

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food fresh-brewed espresso and sea-salt foam. 119 El Mio St., (210) 320-1187, thebangbangbartx.com.

ways been a safe space for members of the LGBTQ+ community but also excels as one of the city’s most festive melting pots — a designation fueled by cheap drinks, multiple dance floors, party jams and eye candy spanning from go-go dancers to drag divas. Although we often burn the midnight oil in this storied haunt — especially when Rey Lopez Entertainment brings a touring Drag Race star to the upstairs ballroom — it arguably looks its very best during the outrageously fun day party it hosts each year after the Battle of Flowers Parade. 411 Bonham St., (210) 224-9219, bonhamexchange.com.

Casa Hernan

7. Bar 1919 Bar 1919 sprouted up as the craft cocktail craze washed over the Alamo City, yet it’s managed to stay trendy despite its longevity. Instead of becoming a meeting place for an aging group of regulars, this well-hidden basement staple at the Blue Star Arts Complex continues to draw young patrons and curiosity seekers. Vested mixologists are well versed in the bar’s array of specialty ingredients and come armed with an impressive knowledge of its large bourbon and Scotch selections. A favorite of those in the know is a house-made infusion of sweet potato with Irish whiskey dropped into a Left Hand Milk Stout poured from a nitro-gas tap. 1420 S. Alamo St., (210) 2271420, bar1919.com.

8. Bar du Mon Ami

12. Bruno’s Dive Bar

Travis E. Poling

Cellar Mixology

The cocktail menu at Bar du Mon Ami is an ever-changing work of art based on themes selected by staffers. The list of $13 cocktails this fall and winter features a 1980s rock theme with names such as Killed by Death, inspired by the 1984 Motörhead shout-along, and the botanicals-laden Bohemian Rhapsody, named for the Queen choral masterpiece. Located next to H-E-B’s Central Market in Alamo Heights, Mon Ami is classy enough for ’09 but welcoming enough for those who don’t hail from the poshest of ZIP Codes. 4901 Broadway St., barmonami.com.

13. Casa Hernan

9. Bar Loretta Busy Southtown fixture Bar Loretta is the perfect spot for a date night, a casual drink or a family affair like a birthday celebration or anniversary. Although the restaurant serves upscale Texas-inspired cuisine, its bar scene is a draw on its own. The drink list includes 50 wines along with a smartly curated list of bourbons. Bar Loretta’s cocktails are not to be missed either, featuring ambitious spins on classics along with several that highlight Texas-produced spirits. The South Town Fizz, built around SA-produced Kinsman Rakia, offers a complex and velvety spin on a sour, while the espresso martini is one of the best in town. 320 Beauregard St., (210) 757-3607, barloretta.com. 26

Although San Antonio’s Southtown neighborhood continues its upscale evolution, Bruno’s Dive Bar serves as a reminder of the once rough-around-the-edges charm that originally drew many to the area. Opened by Bruno and Diane Dzanksi in 1961, the building on the corner of South Alamo and Cedar streets was an authentic Texas ice house before being leased to Friendly Spot owner Bailey Newman in 2014. Newman made the spot a barbecue joint before transforming it back into a neighborhood dive where folks can engage in conversation over affordable drinks in a funky, no-frills setting. 1004 S. Alamo St. (210) 225-9801, brunosdive.com.

Travis E. Poling

10. Bar Ludivine This eclectic bar in the Lavaca neighborhood serves up craft cocktails, beer and a selection of French wines in an intimate but approachable setting that’s made it a neighborhood fave. The menu of rotating seasonal cocktails often centers around Texas-grown or -produced ingredients, and the Ludivine cocktail, something like a zesty, boozy lemonade, is not to be missed. Bar Ludivine also offers karaoke every Tuesday, and periodic burlesque shows, whiskey raffles and more keep things lively.

CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

1014 S. Presa St., instagram.com/barludivine.

11. Bonham Exchange The historic grandeur of the stately Bonham Exchange has a knack for inspiring drama and fantasy — which is only one reason you might clock club-goers strutting the hardwood hallways like off-duty runway models. Opened in 1981 in the elegant shell of a late 19th-century German athletic club, the iconic nightspot has al-

Thanks to its abundance of bold art, Southtown newcomer Casa Hernan offers something of an Alice in Wonderland-set-in-Mexico experience. Part of Chef Johnny Hernandez’s ever-expanding lineup of restaurants and bars, botanas are at the center of Casa Hernan’s small-bites menu and pair well with a host of agave-based spirits such as tequila and mezcal. Many of the drinks are fruit forward but also include creative twists. For example, the Smoking Gun mixes Woodford Reserve bourbon, Herradura Reposado tequila, sugarcane cola and habanero bitters. Sunday brunch runs 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and the bar opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. 411 E. Cevallos St., (210) 226-3670, casahernan.com.

14. Cellar Mixology Although a bright neon sign announces Cellar Mixology’s presence as you descend steep stairs to the doorway, the vibe is still

Hangin’ Tree Saloon

The Friendly Spot Ice House

Travis E. Poling

in keeping with the speakeasy theme. The menu comes in book form, its pages filled with fascinating details about the signature drinks, but read it as a 28-page PDF on the website before you go, because the dimly lit room is for cocktails and conversations more than taking in history lessons. The well-stocked bar and top-notch mixologists are there for any drink, but try one of the signatures for a show, perhaps the house Old Fashioned, which includes an infusion of smoke and a garnish of Serrano ham. The spot even offers 90-minute mixology classes where its pros show the curious how to whip up two to three shows topping cocktails. 1142 E. Commerce St., (210) 463-5386, cellarmixology.com.

the trees is the ideal way to enjoy this favorite spot in the shadow of the Alamodome. The Dakota is a neighborhood haunt with a melting-pot clientele that spans generations. A robust menu of bar food ranging from basic bean-and-cheese nachos to a satisfying Brisket Biscuit brings home the local flavor. Drink options include wine, wine-based mixed drinks along with a draft and bottle beer selection deep on Texas favorites. Don’t overlook the fun of The Dakota’s specialty Grape Drank and Pink Lemonade frozen tipples. 433 S. Hackberry St., (210) 375-6009, thedakotasa.com.

15. Chiflada’s Cocktail Bar

Located in the heart of downtown, Double Standard offers an upscale American tavern experience at some of the city’s most affordable prices. An 11:30 a.m.-6 p.m. happy hour includes double-shot well drinks for $4 along with $1 East Coast oysters. Double Standard is also known for its Steak Friday special, which serves up steak frites with a side for $15 — along with $1 martinis — until 3 p.m. Anything on the chef-driven menu of burgers, po’boys and bar bites is a solid choice, though. 114 E. Houston St., (726) 444-5163, doublestandardsatx.com.

This woman-owned West Side party spot is as sassy as the name suggests. Feel like a fancy tipple? They’ve got you covered. Just a beer or a shot? They can do that too. The key word in this popular West Side hangout is “community,” and big kisses to Chiflada’s for building a thriving one through its dance nights, drag brunches, live music, pop-ups and food trucks. Most importantly, this place delivers a warm, inclusive atmosphere that keeps folks coming back. 1804 W. Martin St., (210) instagram.com/chifladas_sa.

16. Dakota East Side Icehouse Sipping a cold one outside and under

17. Double Standard

18. Elsewhere Garden Bar & Kitchen Located along the burgeoning section of the River Walk near the Broadway corridor, Elsewhere has made a name for itself as the go-to hang spot for young professionals

Michael Karlis

and those seeking an inclusive after-work gathering place. Elsewhere isn’t just another patio bar, though. Plentiful foliage and vines transports visitors to a tropical paradise full of funky decor. Elsewhere serves up signature White Claw margaritas along with an impressive list of beers on draft and in cans. The food, ranging from formidable burgers to addictive gochujang cauliflower wings, is also a draw. 103 E. Jones Ave., (210) 201-5595, 103 E Jones Ave., elsewheretexas.com.

19. The Esquire Tavern The oldest bar on the River Walk — which also happens to boast the longest bar top in Texas at 100 feet — is a downtown stalwart that can be packed with tourists, locals or industry workers depending on the time of day. Opened just after Prohibition was lifted in 1933, The Esquire is celebrating 87 years in business, which doesn’t include the five years it lay fallow until its 2008 reopening in its current, tonier incarnation. The food and cocktail program have garnered national praise, including a James Beard Award nomination. Service goes to midnight Sunday through Thursday, then extends to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday with the kitchen going until 1 a.m. 155 E. Commerce St., (210) 222-2521, esquiretavern-sa.com.

20. Faust Tavern San Antonio has lost metal bars this year,

including the venerable Bond’s 007 Rock Bar and short-lived doom-focused spot Torche. Thank God — or perhaps Satan — we still have Faust. Much like Ol’ Scratch himself, this metalhead mecca isn’t going anywhere. The dimly lit bar with patio seating serves as a venue for DIY metal and hardcore shows, but it’s plenty entertaining even when there’s no live music. Don your finest corpse paint and battle jacket and grab a cold one. Can we really bludgeon this metaphor to death by saying we sold our soul for Faust? Oops, too late. We just did. 517 E. Woodlawn Ave., instagram. com/fausttavernsa.

21. The Friendly Spot Ice House The Friendly Spot celebrates San Antonio’s ice house culture in a big way. Literally, the sprawling complex is a larger-scale version of the beloved outdoor beer-bar concept that manages to keep the friendly, laid-back atmosphere while drawing substantial crowds. Located in the heart of Southtown, The Friendly Spot is one of the city’s go-to spots to catch a game — displayed on a huge LED outdoor TV, no less — catch up with friends while the kids scramble over its playground or grab after-work drinks with coworkers. It’s a quintessential Alamo City experience. 943 S. Alamo St., (210) 224-2337, thefriendlyspot.com.

22. George’s Keep

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food lated décor — including money stapled to the ceiling — are the backdrop for the friendly service, inexpensive drinking and boot scootin’ on the well-trod hardwood floors. 18424 2nd St., Bracken, (210) 651-6812, facebook.com/Hangin-Tree-Saloon-100057859831165.

Holy Diver

25. Havana Bar A red lightbulb and a descent down candlelit stairs lead the way into this sultry bar in the basement of Hotel Havana where time appears to stand still. Dim lighting and overstuffed chairs create an intimate environment for drinks after a show at the Tobin Center. Havana Bar makes plenty of classic cocktails, but rum drinks are a go-to order in keeping with its Old Cuba theme. 1015 Navarro St., (210) 222-2008, havanasanantonio.com.

26. Heat Nightclub

Instagram / holydivertikilounge

There is a studied coziness to George’s Keep, the cocktail destination located on the terrace level of far Northwest San Antonio’s Eilan development. High-backed padded booths wrap imbibers in conversation-ready cocoons, while seating at the open bar invites conviviality. Local High Wheel beers dominate the taps, and the creations on the finely tuned cocktail menu could keep multiple fruit stands in business. A separate slate of drinks, including well-known classics such as daiquiris and Moscow Mules, are just $7 during happy hour, which runs 4-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and all day Sunday and Monday. 17803 La Cantera Terrace, (210) 310-3733, georgeskeep.com.

23. Hanzo Billed as a “Japanese-style gastropub,” this stylish Alamo Heights hotspot serves up an innovative array of house cocktails — 28

the gin- and rosé wine-based Rosé Colored Glasses is both summery and sophisticated — along with a well-curated sake list and both Japanese and domestic beers. The kitchen ably handles a deep bench of Asian-inspired bar bites and sushi. It’s hard to go wrong with any of the specialty rolls, and don’t sleep on the deep-fried agedashi tofu bathed in an addictive house-made ponzu blend. 7701 Broadway #124, (210) 826-1488, hanzobar.com.

24. Hangin’ Tree Saloon The Hangin’ Tree Saloon is a step back in time in Bracken, a village steeped in capturing the past with its restaurants and retail spots. This rustic watering hole offers shelter from the harsh light of day when it opens at noon, and by night it transforms into a honky-tonk refuge from the world’s problems. Free pool tables, a shuffle board, a long bar and generations of accumu-

CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

Anchoring the Main Strip since 2001, Heat is perhaps loved best for its vibrant dance floor — which sometimes rages into the wee hours and also doubles as a stage for drag performances and other surprises — like that time Ariana Grande showed up unexpectedly in 2019. Smartly, the hotspot balances out its space with slightly quieter settings, including a loungey video bar and a breezy back patio with top-notch people watching. Under the ownership of married business partners John Barker and Jerry Jimenez since summer 2024, Heat is enjoying a fresh resurgence to the tune of weekly drag shows — hosted by Lyn-z Andrews on Friday and Kristi Waters on Sunday — not to mention monthly ballroom nights hosted by self-described “vogue assassin” Ez Brezzy. “We’ve added a lot of parties,” Barker said, citing events such as a Winter Party headlined by drag star-DJ-porn director Chi Chi LaRue and a black-andgold-themed New Year’s Eve masquerade party featuring West Hollywood-based DJ Roland Belmares. 1500 N. Main Ave., (210) 227-2600, heatsa.com.

27. Hi-Tones Few places embody the relaxed, puro-party vibe of the old St. Mary’s Strip better than Hi-Tones, the teal brick bar that towers over the street’s intersection with Dewey Place. Diverse live music is part of the draw, as are special nights for emo tunes, dance music and karaoke. Throw in a bustling patio scene, an array of specialty

shots and affordable drink prices, and it’s easy to understand why this Strip staple has stood the test of time. We also hear rumor a hidden tiki bar lurks somewhere upstairs. 621 E. Dewey Place, (210) 785-8777, instagram.com/hitones_sa.

28. High Street Wine Co. Although San Antonio has plenty of wine bars, The Pearl’s High Street Wine Co. stands out both for its comfy digs and the staff’s high level of expertise. New to deciphering a wine list? Don’t worry. Just pick out one of High Street’s charcuterie board offerings and ask your server what pairs well. They’re happy to help. Whether it’s a date night, an evening with friends or an after-work treat, High Street Wine Co. delivers on a wine experience that’s sophisticated and educational without feeling stuffy. 302 Pearl Parkway #104, (210) 9089144, highstreetwine.com.

29. Holy Diver Tiki bars can go one of two ways. They can play up the absolute camp of the Trader Vic’s aesthetic — Hugman’s Oasis on the River Walk does this capably. Or they can elevate tiki by mixing classy exotic decor with an artisanal approach to tropical cocktails. Holy Diver is in the latter camp — with one part speakeasy mixed in as well. The experience of getting to Holy Diver is worth it alone. Enter through Hi-Tones, push through the crowd accumulated for what’s likely to be an emo night and climb the stairs to this hidden oasis. Upstairs at Hi-Tones, 621 E. Dewey Place, (210) 7858777, instagram.com/holydivertikilounge.

30. Jaime’s Place It doesn’t get much more Puro San Anto than Jaime’s Place. This West Side watering hole and outdoor venue launched during the pandemic, and despite the unfortunate timing, managed to flourish and become a communidad hub. Events like Show Us Your Stacys celebrate West Side cultura and give local pachucos and pin-ups the chance to show off their slick duds and lowrider cars. Jaime’s was strictly a beer joint at first, but this year, the establishment landed a liquor license and has since introduced specialty cocktails for those who want a little more finesse than an ice bucket of Sol lager with lime. But by no means is this neighborhood spot putting on airs. It’s “built for the barrio and beyond” — and

Near Dark

Michael Karlis

that’s por vida. 1514 W. Commerce St., (210) 564-9083, instagram.com/jaimesplace.

31. Liberty Bar While King William’s Liberty Bar is well known for its food, it doesn’t lose sight of the fact that it’s still very much a bar that draws downtown workers for happy hour, Southtown dwellers for a good time and tourists who have to check out the pink façade of the former convent built as a private home in 1882. Gleaming wood floors and high ceilings on two levels, a spacious patio and an impressive drinks list make for a boisterous night out with closing at midnight. The wine and beer lists are well rounded, and the list of bourbon, rye and other whiskies includes hard-to-find rarities. 1111 S. Alamo St., (210) 227-1187, liberty-bar.com.

32. Lighthouse Lounge Unfussy neighborhood watering hole Lighthouse Lounge sits right next to Woodlawn Lake Park. In fact, the bar is named for the lighthouse that sits in the middle of its neighboring body of water. Lighthouse Lounge is the kind of place where regulars gather for tequila shots, games of pool and cutting it up on the dance floor. The venue also features local music on its small stage, and great tacos at a tent outside. Further emphasizing its role in the community, the Lighthouse Lounge invites patrons to participate in its annual ofrenda under a

sea of pinpoint lights from the disco ball. 1016 Cincinnati Ave., instagram.com/thelighthouselounge.

33. Little Death Named after the French term for orgasm, Little Death is a colorful spot on the St. Mary’s Strip if you’re in the mood for wine and vittles. Despite its hashtag, #worstwinebarsa, it’s actually a pretty good wine bar, stocking a spectrum of price points, from inexpensive (but good) choices to ultra-rare bottles. Naturally produced wines are also a specialty. The casual spot also offers cheese plates, conservas and tomato bread to go with its vino, and it even shucks $1 oysters every Wednesday. 2327 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 264-6472, littledeathwine. com.

34. Little Woodrow’s Whether it’s a Super Bowl, a Spurs playoff game or a college football matchup, the Austin-based Little Woodrow’s chain provides destinations for SA sports fans to catch all the action. All three San Antonio locations have the same consistent atmosphere — big screens, beer buckets and rowdy fans. Each also features a large patio with lawn games. Multiple locations, littlewoodrows.com.

35. The Lonesome Rose

The “oldest honky tonk on the St. Mary’s Strip” is only six years old, but it’s already an institution. On any given night, the bar and music venue will attract all walks of life, from bikers to old-school vaqueros to punks to hipsters to honky-tonk angels to a hayseed hoss or two. As a dyed-in-thewool “y’allternative” venue, live music at the Rose spans from classic country and Americana to bizarro and international offerings. The beer selection is as eclectic as its music, from Lone Star to craft beers and even sours. Bartenders are experienced and friendly, serving up specials like the Cowboy Breakfast — a pony High Life, shot of whiskey and a Slim Jim. And though it might seem highfalutin to order a cocktail at a honky tonk, the Tequila and Teardrops is just too good to pass up. Slab Side BBQ also serves up mouth-watering brisket mac if you get hungry after depositing tears in your beer at Cowboy Karaoke. 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 455-0233, thelonesomerose.com.

For a view of the moon, stars, blue sky or San Antonio’s skyline, the 20th-floor bar and lounge atop the Thompson San Antonio-Riverwalk hotel is the place to be. The Moon’s Daughters, a name inspired by Greek mythology, has an eclectic selection of shareable snacks perfect to accompany imbibing. Those looking for elevated entrees, including a $75 Akaushi New York Strip steak, can find those too. The craft cocktail menu brings whimsy with drinks such as the Must Be Nice, which includes serrano pepper-infused tequila, green apple, Jalisco orange and lime. San Antonio and Houston breweries are represented on the small draft list, and wines from the Hill Country join the menu alongside vintages from France, Italy, New Zealand and South America. 115 Lexington Ave., (210) 9426032, themoonsdaughters.com.

36. Low Country

39. Near Dark

Billed as the “sweetest little bar in Southtown,” Low Country is a go-to spot for meeting up with friends for early drinks before embarking on a weekend bar crawl. This intimate and trendy bar inside of a former residence on East Cesar Chavez offers a wide selection of craft cocktails, including the SA Collins and the Two Trick Pony — a mix of Montenegro liqueur, ginger beer and lime. Live music acts perform on a makeshift stage in what was formerly a living room. 318 Martinez St., (210) 560-2224, lowcountrysa.com.

This death-themed bar blends vampiric vibes with craft cocktails for one of the city’s more unusual drinking experiences. A skeleton sits atop the liquor rack and dark tunes, from metal to death-rock, often blares over the speakers. The drinks are equally intriguing, including the appropriately named Not Today Satan and a formidable classic Tom Collins. Emo and nu-metal nights along with various service-industry events add to the appeal. 1024 S. Presa St., (210) 600-4009, instagram. com/neardark_sa.

37. The Modernist

40. Pecan Grove Drive Inn

This speakeasy-style cocktail bar is located in an unassuming house across the street from Three Star Bar. But don’t let the humble exterior fool you — this place serves up some of the most inventive and artisanal cocktails in the Alamo City. Indeed, it earned the top spot in the Cocktails category of the Current’s 2024 Best of San Antonio issue. This top-shelf hideaway features a singular experience not replicated anywhere else in this city, and it’s a feast for the senses. Enjoy the dryness of an extra dirty martini contrasted by the sumptuous ambiance of dim light and delicately alluring music, surrounded by classy cocktail enthusiasts speaking in low murmurs. This isn’t the place to turn up, this is the place to level up. 516 E. Grayson St., instagram.com/ themodernistsa.

Anyone wanting to sample true San Antonio ice house culture should look no further than Pecan Grove Drive Inn, where cold beer and chill vibes rule the day. The interior of this converted South Side residence includes a bar, a pool table and little else. Head to the tree-shaded backyard to pass your time tilting back longnecks under the stars, string lights and namesake pecan trees. There’s a good chance someone will be firing up the barbecue pit and spinning some smooth West Side soul. The spot’s Cheap Ass Mondays live up to their name with $1.75 domestics. 1526 Roosevelt Ave., (210) 532-4113, facebook.com/pecangrove.driveinn.1.

38. The Moon’s Daughters

41. Pegasus

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food If drag shows are your jam, look no further than Pegasus — a diamond in the rough that hosts performances every single night of the week on the Main Strip. Staged in a repurposed parking lot equipped with cabaret-style seating, the Peg’s programming runs the gamut from Talent Night Tuesdays to Super Sunday revues. Hosted by local drag legends Tersa Mathews and Layla LaRue — both quick-witted masters of the mic who get crowds cackling — these shows are an excellent opportunity to get familiar with established and emerging talent alike, with occasional bonuses like a recent birthday appearance by San Antonio-born Drag Race star Jorgeous. But drag is far from the venue’s only strong suit. Strong, cheap drinks start pouring here at 2 p.m. every single day of the year — and “366 days during leap years” — while regulars mingle and take in music videos curated with the LGBTQ+ set in mind. And once the evening hours kick in, the Peg’s back patio plays host to what just might be the city’s most amusing karaoke stage. 1402 N. Main Ave., (210) 299-4222, pegasussanantonio.com.

42. Pink Shark With a name that seems plucked from the SpongeBob Universe, Pink Shark delivers all the kitschy quirkiness one might expect. Launched in 2022 by couple Jessica Marinez and Amber Hernandez, the young downtown haunt serves up frozen concoctions in boot-shaped tumblers, tiki-style cocktails and elevated bar bites in retro-inspired digs with underwater-themed murals and neon signs. Part of the same family as Northside drag-brunch fave Picks Bar and reinvented downtown sports bar Sore Loser, Pink Shark recently underwent a holiday makeover involving miles of multicolored tinsel and a menu of seasonal tipples — including a tempting North Pole Collection featuring gingerbread, eggnog and cranberry-orange libations in mini martini glasses. Word to the wise: pay the gay-friendly cantina a visit during Shark Hour, promising discounted drinks from 3-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 1-8 p.m. Friday-Saturday and all day on Sunday. 203 N. Presa St., (210) 834-3372, pinksharkbar.com.

43. RD Speakeasy RD Speakeasy lives up to the “speakeasy” part of its name, requiring advance reservations and a password to enter. It’s also tucked away behind an unmarked door on an exterior wall of a certain Alamo Heights steakhouse with a barnyard motif — hint,

bar recently added an expanded shade structure to the front of the building that’s already hosting monthly Sunday markets highlighting queer vendors. “We’re really working to bring the community together,” Barker told the Current. “And to build a more inclusive audience.” 1416 N. Main Ave., (210) 320-5111, sparkyspub.com.

48. Sternewirth Tavern and Club Room Tony’s Siesta Michael Karlis

hint. The low-ceilinged interior, bathroom hidden behind a bookcase and funky mismatched furniture add to the clandestine vibe. There’s more than atmosphere and mystique to recommend RD, however. Service is attentive, and the bartenders know their way around a short but varied menu of classic and house cocktails, including the Passionate Stranger, a sweet-sour-smoky delight featuring mezcal, lime, Montenegro and passionfruit. 8400 N. New Braunfels Ave., (210) 605-2292, mixed4u.com.

44. Rough Rider Bar The bar at the Alamo-adjacent Menger Hotel has a major claim to fame in American history and has now fully claimed that connection via its name. It was within the cherry wood and carved mahogany walls of the Rough Rider Bar that leaders of the volunteer army that would drive Spain out of Cuba in 1898 — including future president Lt. Col Theodore Roosevelt — would cavort after recruiting outside the hotel and at an encampment on the edge of the city. The hotel bar was built in 1887 as a replica of London’s House of Lords Pub. Whiskey, wine and old-school cocktails are the order of the day. Sadly, a pedestrian beer selection misses out on celebrating the fact that the spot once was the site of Texas’ first brewery. 204 Alamo Plaza, (210) 223-4361, MengerHotel.com.

45. Shady Lady Saloon The truth is in the advertising when it comes to Southeast San Antonio’s Shady Lady Saloon. The neighborhood haunt describes itself as a “dive bar with a Cheers atmosphere,” and we’d be hard pressed to sum it up any better. You won’t find mixologists shaking up high-falutin’ tipples here,

just friendly folks who don’t mind being called “bartenders.” And there always seem to be regulars willing to engage in conversation or a friendly game of shuffleboard, pool or darts. This Shady Lady doesn’t put on airs, and that’s precisely her appeal. 3603 S. WW White Road, (210) 333-4224, facebook.com/theshadyladysa.

46. Slow Ride If you’re looking to take it sleazy, San Antonio newcomer Slow Ride is willing to deliver. The bar is another hip new spot from the minds behind The Lonesome Rose and Holy Diver. But, like the Foghat song to which its name is a nod, this one is all about sweet ’70s sleaze, baby. We’re talking bikes, babes, brews, wood-paneled walls and handlebar mustaches. 1524 Grayson St., instagram.com/slowride_sa.

47. Sparky’s Pub Like its older sister Heat Nightclub, Sparky’s is having a bit of a renaissance under the direction of new owners John Barker and Jerry Jimenez — the married business partners who purchased it this past summer. Thankfully, what wasn’t broken hasn’t been fixed. A refreshingly mixed scene still shows up to throw back potent cocktails served in pint glasses, play games of pool and mingle with other members of the LGBTQ+ community in a cozy atmosphere modeled after a traditional British pub. The biggest change is perhaps a heightened focus on community-driven gatherings, such as October’s Drag Out the Vote — a Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio event that united drag performers and elected officials in a valiant effort to bolster early voting at nearby San Antonio College. As part of this new direction, the beloved

The bar of The Pearl’s Hotel Emma is an inviting place that blends old-world classic looks of wood and brass with repurposed remnants of what was once the largest brewery in the Southwest. The cocktail list has a few signature drinks that stay, but the menu changes up from time to time as mixologists get playful with the ingredients in drinks such as the Sticky Rice, made with vodka, nigori sake, jasmine rice syrup and mango. Take time to explore the high-end bourbon, rye, Irish and Scotch whiskies list. It’s both wide and deep. 136 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-7375, thehotelemma.com.

49. Texan II As one of just a handful of old-school dives still operating downtown, Texan II has a special place in the heart of many locals. It caters to the service industry and those looking for a shot and beer on a budget. A house cat wanders the barroom, and the pool tables have seen serious action. Little surprise that Texan II’s quiet and simple charm earned it a place in the coffee table book Texas Dives: Enduring Neighborhood Bars of the Lone Star State. 114 Jefferson St., (210) 212-6442.

50. Tony’s Siesta Tucked away on the quiet downtown corner of Brooklyn Avenue and Avenue E, Tony’s Siesta offers an intimate experience that’s quintessentially San Antonio. Initially opened as Tony’s, the bar went through a major 2020 renovation after the former owner sold the place. The hip, dimly lit spot — neon bar signs seem to provide most of the illumination — attracts a younger crowd than the original, but it still offers a bar experience that feels decidedly old-school. In addition to cold ones, Tony’s Siesta offers and array of puro SA cocktails, including the Siesta Rita, Frozen Cuban and La Leche Prohibida. Get there early, though, as seats fill up fast on the weekends. 206 Brooklyn Ave., (210) 227-4551, tonyssiesta.com.

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CURRENT | December 25, 2024 - January 7, 2025 | sacurrent.com

music

Getting an Earful

Shutterstock Ioannis Stamou

San Antonio’s 10 best releases of 2024 run the gamut from dream-pop to dream-crushing metal

decades of distilled independent, soulful indie rock. It is outstanding, straight up. — Bill Baird

hile it’s easy to complain about everything from Autotune to Spotify killing real music, there’s still plenty being produced. And, yes, quite a lot of it is coming out of the Alamo City, assuming you’re willing to seek it out. As evidence of that wealth of compelling sounds, we had a hard time picking just 10 local releases to praise as the year’s best. If you haven’t yet explored the year’s crop of San Antonio sounds, let this list be your guide. Here they are in no particular order, and with some singles and EPs thrown in with the albums for good measure.

Excantation — Fleeting in Its Grandeur

Garrett T. Capps and NASA Country — Everyone is Everyone San Antone’s cosmic cowboys released their sophomore album this year, continuing an emphatically humanistic ethos that originated with the group’s debut album, People Are Beautiful. However, Everyone is Everyone takes things further, blending positive psychology and celestial epiphany with cowboy prairie wisdom. Single “Flow State” presents this peaceful world view, which is reflected in a placid melody that meets somewhere between krautrock, Talking Heads and J.J. Cale. Quirky frontman Garrett T. Capps carries this eclectic taste through to the music calendar at his St. Mary’s Strip honky tonk, The Lonesome Rose. That said, the group’s biggest cosmic influence is delivered by modular-synth guru Justin Boyd,

“the Brian Eno of the group.” Despite or perhaps because of the vast plane they cover in their influences, these bodhisattva bandoleros sound like nothing you’ve heard before. — Stephanie Koithan

Elnuh — “B.S.” and “Blue” Elnuh is the brainchild of singer-guitarist Elena Lopez with Daniel Puente on drums and Luke Mitchell on bass. The trio’s moody, intoxicating dream pop feels like it could have been released on British label 4AD during its classic era. Elnuh released two singles — “B.S.” and “Blue” — during 2024, and both feel worldclass. It’s the sound of SA, but filtered through

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Excantation belong to a metal subgenre known as funeral doom, and as the name suggests, this duo specializes in taking the lumbering downtuned riffs of doom metal and slowing them to a depressing and glacial pace. Comprised of two marathon tracks, Fleeting in Its Grandeur is a masterpiece of spirit-crushing, atmospheric heaviness. Simultaneously beautiful and hideous, this is essential listening for those brave enough to explore music’s darkest and most extreme reaches. — Sanford Nowlin

Fear of Loss — Surrender to Suffering

Blasting out no-frills three-chord rock ’n’ roll that stands out from the herd isn’t as easy as it looks. Thanks to catchy songcraft, primal energy and more swagger than a pimp convention, The Fixations have damn near perfected the formula. This self-released gem evokes the rough-and-ready riffage and bad attitude of early AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and Saxon — and manages to do it without grinding into tiring sameness over the course of 10 ripping tunes. — SN

Fluxus Mortis — When Pleasure Becomes Torture

tars, wavy synths and echoing drums give Morose Mūsēum an authentic ’80s and ’90s goth sound. Deep, dark vocals contrast with angelic singing, giving the album a Type O Negative feel that’s deliciously drenched in both punk and death rock. — BE

Mockingbird Express — Mockingbird Express

over the past few years it’s easy to lose track, which is why this 11-song collection of recent EPs is essential listening. Raw, overdriven, hook-laden and beautifully immature, Sex Mex evokes the agitated immediacy of first-wave punk bands such as the Adverts, Buzzcocks and Swell Maps without sounding derivative. Repackaged is fast, frantic and most of all fun. — SN

Various Artists — Eccentric Soul: The Dynamic Label

San Antonio loves its heavy music, and hardcore act Fear of Loss gives the people what they want. The group’s sophomore EP punches listeners in the head with fast, snare-forward drumming and slow, crunchy guitar chugs. Thick bass lines and guttural vocals perfect the release’s dingy-basement-show feel. For a band that only got its start last year, Fear of Loss is on a quick rise in the Texas’ hardcore scene that the band actively supports in more ways than just releasing music. — Brianna Espinoza

The Fixations — The Fixations Are Who You Thought They Were

Melodic black metal band Fluxus Mortis hasn’t produced much music yet, but what it has produced is already catching our attention. Its five-song debut album When Pleasure Becomes Torture, released Dec. 14, compiles a couple of singles it released throughout the year plus a few other tracks, all centered on the concept album’s BDSM theme. Standout track “Centuries of Her Sinister Domain” starts with a forsaken wail over a baroque and mysterious sonic landscape before ripping you apart with guttural snarls and rapid-fire blast beats. With every song centered on sadomasochism or sex rituals, the album harkens to spiritual forebears of sexual perversion like Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and Aleister Crowley. — SK

Lessons in Purgatory — Morose Mūsēum Eerie San Antonio duo Lessons in Purgatory emerged from its mossy tomb earlier this year with the release of debut album Morose Mūsēum. The production on the first song may appear a bit rocky, but as the album progresses, the recording’s lo-fi nature adds to its personality. The crushingly distorted gui-

Marc “Mockingbird” Smith is a puro-SA guitar hero. After playing in bands for years, he started Mockingbird Express as a custom vehicle for delivering heavy Texas psych. Seeing is believing — the live shows unabashedly shred, spreading sonic good vibes while showing off Smith’s impeccable fashion sense. This year marked the long-awaited — and delayed — release of the first full-length LP from Smith’s Mockingbird Express power trio. The band’s raw garage-psych is Texas to the core, and it manages to harness the energy of the live shows. — BB

Sex Mex — Repackaged Prolific garage-punk purveyor Clark Gray — aka Sex Mex — has blasted out so many short, speedy and catchy songs

The influential Numero Group released this stunning compilation of singles cut in the ’60s by San Antonio’s Dynamic label, founded by West Side studio guru and real estate mogul Abe Epstein. Epstein’s studio on General McMullen Drive captured anything from West Side Soul to blues to conjunto to psych-rock, providing a true musical and racial melting pot during a tumultuous era. The album offers a great introduction to SA gems including the Commands, Tonettes, Little Jr. Jesse & the Tear Drops, Don & the Doves, Willie Cooper & the Webs, Bobby Blackmon & His Soul Express and Doc & Sal. Essential and great for parties. — BB

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critics’ picks Thursday, Dec. 26 Honey Bunny, Lloronas, Tetsuo Honey Bunny, one of SA’s best up-and-coming bands, is hosting an event billed as its “Post-Christmas post-punk party.” Seems like a perfect way to shake off a holiday hangover with a little hair of the dog while affording a chance to escape family long enough to mingle with fellow freaks. The show also will help inaugurate the Rah Rah Room, the new venture from the owners of the beloved Bang Bang Bar. $10, 9 p.m., Rah Rah Room, 6322 San Pedro Ave., instagram.com/therahrahroom. — Bill Baird

Friday, Dec. 27 Shinyribs, Garrett T. Capps Two of Texas’ finest party animals will convene again for a special night. Shinyribs is the 10-piece New Orleans-style party band led by Kevin Russell, whose unabashed exuberance invites folks to let loose and dance. San Antonio’s own Garrett T. Capps, meanwhile, brings together disparate crowds with his joyful DIY spirit. $27-$79, 8 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com. — BB

Saturday, Dec. 28 2 Chainz At this show billed as an Alamo Bowl afterparty, Georgia rapper 2 Chainz promises to deliver rump-shakin’ beats both the victors and the vanquished can get down to. Expect the “Drenchgod” to hit the post-game crowd with “Champions” to celebrate. Earlier this year, 2 Chainz released a couple of new singles, his first since parting ways with longtime label Def Jam last year. $41.83-$53.95, 10 p.m., 1902 Nightclub, 1174 E. Commerce St., (210) 9413010, 1902satx.com. — Danny Cervantes Mickey Darling San Antonio indie-pop duo Mickey Darling is bringing its infectious sound to a hometown show at the Aztec. At risk of sounding like an out-of-touch old dude, some of Mickey Darling’s neon-sweater aesthetic flies over my head, but there’s an undeniable spirit here of joy and humor — especially in the lyrics. Mickey Darling members Skylar Medina and Austin Medrano are repping the 210 loud and proud for a whole new generation of meme-gulping young ’uns. $25-$37.50, 8 p.m., Aztec Theatre, 104 S. St. Mary’s St,, theaztectheatre.com. — BB

Saturday, Dec. 29 Las Fenix The five sisters behind Las Fenix are taking a final flight after announcing their retirement earlier this year. The all-female group, originally from Houston, fuses Tejano, Norteno and cumbia into a potent brew and has provided a refreshing musical alternative in male-dominated genre for 25 years. Expect an emotional — and celebratory — farewell. $20-$70, 7:30

Mickey Darling p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., majesticempire.com. — BB

Monday, Dec. 30 Rebirth Brass Band, Nik Parr & The Selfless Lovers Get ready for the joyful sounds of the French Quarter to take over Stable Hall. The Grammy winning Rebirth Brass Band keeps the Big Easy brass bands tradition alive while infusing it with elements of hip-hop, funk and soul. Formed in 1983, the ensemble has persevered through multiple lineup changes to collaborate with artists as diverse as Trombone Shorty and the late Robbie Robertson. $35, 8 p.m., Stable Hall, 307 Pearl Parkway, stablehall.com. — DC

Tuesday, Dec. 31 Pat Green, Walt Wilkins

Musical options abound for ringing in the new year, but there may be no finer venue for the occasion than the venerable Gruene Hall. Singer-songwriter Pat Green will provide his feel-good take on frat-Americana for both an early and a late show. While Green may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the beautiful and historic dancehall is bound to overflow with good vibes and celebratory feels. $95, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, gruenehall.com. — BB

Saturday, Jan. 4 Lowdown Drifters, Wade Forster, Dalton Domino Lowdown Drifters’ blend of Americana, country and rock has put the band on a fast ascent, including opening slots for acts including LeAnn Rimes and Zach Bryan. It’s easy to see why

the group’s combination of heartful melodies and “rock with a fiddle problem” has struck a chord with fans. $15, 8 p.m., Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, (830) 6061281, gruenehall.com. — DC The Fixations, Pavel Demon & the Revenant, The Babylonz, The Genzales Revved up three-chord rockers The Fixations headline this bill aimed at starting the new year off with a quadruple dose of raw energy. If The Fixations’ fire-breathing post-AC/ DC boogie doesn’t liven up 2025 for you, there’s a good chance you flatlined sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Call your healthcare provider posthaste. $5, 9 p.m., Lighthouse Lounge, 1016 Cincinnati Ave., instagram.com/thelighthouselounge. — Sanford Nowlin

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“Reverse Routes”--if you switched them... by Matt Jones © 2024 Matt Jones Across 1. “___: The Hands of Fate” (“MST3K” classic) 6. Helpers, briefly 11. Relay section 14. Dangly throat thing 15. Antique photo tone 16. “___ just figured it out” 17. Portable brain? 19. Outburst 20. Bigger than big 21. 1967 spelled-out #1 hit 23. Jackie’s second married name 25. Microscopic 26. Arouse, as curiosity 29. Little kid 30. Progressive character 31. Color in the AtlÈtico Madrid logo 32. Haunted house noise 33. Spock’s home planet 36. “Annabel Lee” poet 37. Keep up 39. Raw mineral 40. Certain ticket buyers 42. 1,000-plus-year realm, for short 43. “Hook” sidekick 44. ___ de parfum 45. Feeder user 46. “People tell me ...” 47. H.S. exams 49. Glow 51. Wedding cake specification 53. Bagel varieties 57. Live mascot of the Bulldogs 58. Dub some DJ turntablism over a Pixar movie?

60. “I finally made it through ___ school” (“Like a Surgeon” opener) 61. Actress Watts 62. Catherine who played Moira Rose 63. “___ XING” 64. Eye-related 65. “Grand” mountain Down 1. G.H. ___ (name on champagne bottles) 2. Converse competitor 3. “Sister Act” group 4. Someone wise beyond their years, it’s said 5. Nicole Kidman’s role in “Moulin Rouge!” 6. Hazardous fireproofing material 7. Sun. lecture 8. Budget airline that filed for bankruptcy in late 2024 9. Fork points 10. Sinks under pressure 11. Your future? 12. Boot out 13. California art museum, with “the” 18. Eggs in a lab 22. Dispensary unit 24. Placated 26. Largest of the Three Bears 27. Polo shirt producer 28. Line up for first dibs using the plus sign? 30. A good time (hopefully had by all) 32. City transit 33. “La ___ en rose” 34. Measure of coverage 35. ___-do-well 37. “Rugrats” father

38. Skilled at sculpture, perhaps 41. “The ___ of Us” 43. Encase, as a sword 45. Bird in a Monty Python sketch 46. Summer complaint 47. Baffle 48. “Shucks, stop it!” 49. Quickly review 50. Agcy. spawned by the Manhattan Project 52. “Money ___ object” 54. Medieval defense feature 55. Word on Dutch coins 56. Bridge section 59. “What ___, made of money?” Answers on page 21.

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