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JULY 14 - JULY 27, 2021

Volume Dealers The Grasshopper Lies Heavy drops a monolithic new album

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in this issue San Antonio Current

Issue 21-14 /// July 14 - July 27, 2021

day festival focused on San Antonio musicians

Editor-in-Chief: Sanford Nowlin General Manager: Chelsea Bourque

Editorial

Music Listings

Digital Content Editor: Kelly Merka Nelson Contributing Arts Editor: Bryan Rindfuss Food and Nightlife Writer: Nina Rangel Contributors: Ron Bechtol, Chris Conde, Daniel Conrad, Jade Esteban Estrada, Dan R. Goddard, Lance Higdon, Steven G. Kellman, Hannah Lorence, Kiko Martinez, M. Solis, Gary Sweeney, Lea Thompson, Abe Asher Editorial Interns: Emily DiTomasso, Brianna Espinoza, Katie Hennessey, Cristela Jones, Jay Moreno, Dana Nichols, Emily Schmalstieg, Jada Teague

Marketing and Events

Marketing and Events Director: Cassandra Yardeni Events Manager: Chelsea Bourque Account Manager: Nathan Sokul Account Executive: Marian Galvan Marketing Interns: Julia Bentley Social Media Content Creator: Meradith Garcia

Creative Services

Graphic Designer: Samantha Serna Production Interns: Pedro Macias

Circulation

Circulation Manager: Justin Giles

Euclid Media Group

Chief Executive Officer: Andrew Zelman Chief Operating Officers: Chris Keating, Michael Wagner VP of Digital Services: Stacy Volhein Director of Agency Services: Mindi Overman Digital Operations Coordinator: Jaime Monzon Senior Marketing and Events Director: Cassandra Yardeni www.euclidmediagroup.com National Advertising: Voice Media Group (888) 278-9866, vmgadvertising.com San Antonio Current 915 Dallas San Antonio, Texas 78215 sacurrent.com Editorial: (210) 227-0044 / Fax - (210) 227-7755 Display Advertising: (210) 227-0044 Fax: (210) 227-7733 Classified: (210) 227-CLAS / Fax - (210) 227-7733 The San Antonio Current is published by Euclid Media Group Verified Audit Member 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: The entire contents of the San Antonio Current are copyright 2019 by Euclid Media 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 mailed to the address 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.

Credit

24 Feature

Volume Dealers

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy hopes its new album will draw a wider audience. (While still crushing your skull.)

09 News

The Opener News in Brief

CityScrapes

When it comes to utility failures during the February freeze, it’s time to stop playing ‘San Antonio nice’

21 Screens

Of Mouse and Man

Gabriel Iglesias is lending his voice to Speedy Gonzales in Space Jam sequel

JULY 14 - JULY 27, 2021

22 Food

Getting the Bugs Out

13 Calendar Calendar Picks

16 Arts

Final Stretch

Completing a hike around the entire perimeter of San Antonio highlights the need to finish its greenway system

On the Verge

San Antonio painter John Guzman is poised for success

Cuishe Cocina Mexicana delivers on the promise of its vast menu of interior Mexican cuisine

Rockin’ Into Southtown

Musician-turned-chef Paul Petersen aims to keep his forthcoming Bar Loretta approachable

Hot Dish

24 Music

Soul Survivor

Up-and-comer Satara prepares to drop a new single and launch one-

Volume Dealers The Grasshopper Lies Heavy drops a monolithic new album

On the Cover: Photographer Jaime Monzon captured avant-metal trio The Grasshopper Lies Heavy in front of its wall of amps. Cover design by Samantha Serna.

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The special legislative session kicked off last Thursday with a grim agenda from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: reviving the bill to restrict voting rights that Democrats killed at the end of the last session, barring transgender student athletes from teams that correspond to their gender identity and more. MOVE Texas Action Fund Deputy Director Zenén Jaimes Pérez called the agenda “appalling.”

In an act of restaurant solidarity, downtown San Antonio’s Smoke BBQ+Skybar donated 100% of its ticket sales from a concert last Wednesday featuring country singer Kevin Fowler to Comfort Café — the nationally acclaimed, volunteer-run brunch establishment damaged in last week’s flooding. Comfort’s flagship Bandera Road location is closed until further notice.

In another example of conservatives engaging in the “cancel culture” they love to complain about, the Bullock Texas State History Museum last week abruptly canceled a talk on the role slavery played leading up to the Battle of the Alamo. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who, along with Gov. Greg Abbott, is on the board that oversees the museum, took credit for the cancellation, writing on Twitter, “I told staff to cancel this event as soon as I found out about it.”. The San Antonio Food Bank raised more than $10,000 during the women’s NCAA tournament in the city. With the Alamodome at reduced capacity for its games throughout the tournament, fans had the opportunity to pay $100 to have a cardboard cutout of themselves in the seats instead while also supporting the food bank. The money raised will provide some 70,000 meals for children in the area. — Abe Asher

YOU SAID IT!

“Eighteen more months of chaos and the inability to get stuff done. That’s what we want.”

ASSCLOWN ALERT

Tantrum time with Allen West Assclown Alert is a column of opinion, analysis and snark.

news

That Rocks/That Sucks

Texas GOP Chairman Allen West formally announced his plan to run for governor last week. And according to a recent report, he’s ending his time as party chief kicking over an ant hill. Last Wednesday, the already frayed relationship between West and party vice chair Cat Parks snapped completely when he called her a “cancer” and “delusional and apparently deranged” during an email exchange, the Texas Tribune reports. Adding an extra layer of “ugh” to the exchange, Parks is a cancer survivor. According to the Tribune, the online exchange came about after Parks asked West to intervene in an interparty dispute over whether to publish a “legislative scorecard” to grade state lawmakers on how they performed during the recent session. A snippy email exchange between Parks and West snowballed until he accused her of being a self-promoter who’s failed to raise money for the party, according to the report. “You Ma’am are a cancer, do not EVER email me again,” West wrote, adding that she does “nothing but create chaos and confusion.” The tirade caps off an almost perpetual pissing match between West and members of the party he was elected to lead. Among those episodes, West butted heads with the party over whether it should have an account on Gab, a social media platform used by neo-Nazis and members of other extremist groups. After an executive committee voted to

close the account, West opened a personal one on the site, according to media reports. Last week, a group of county chairs fired off a letter demanding West’s removal, saying it’s a conflict of interest for him to remain in the position of chairman while running for governor, the Tribune reports. Although he formally announced his candidacy for governor on July 4, he didn’t resign from his position until last Sunday. Hang tight until the primaries when we’ll see how many of the state’s Republican voters are keen to replace one reactionary, hot-headed assclown with another. — Sanford Nowlin

A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Air Force is primarily responsible for the 2017 shooting at the Sutherland Springs First Baptist Church that left 26 people dead. U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez said that the Air Force should have entered the shooter’s criminal history into a database that would have denied him the opportunity to buy firearms and is 60% responsible for the massacre. A later trial will determine damages owed to the victims’ families.

A man shot twice with paintball rounds by a San Antonio Police Department officer at a George Floyd protest last summer is suing the city. In a suit filed in Bexar County District Court, Alexander Lance alleges that he was shot without provocation and was hospitalized for three days as a result. The incident was recorded on video and widely shared at the time. Lance is seeking damages for his medical bills, lost wages and physical and mental injuries.

Wikimedia Commons / Gage Skidmore

Last week, San Antonio Police Department officer Dezi Rios was arrested for DWI and failure to stop and provide information after allegedly fleeing the scene of a car crash. Rios has a reported history of road rage incidents and was once suspended over a gun battle involved in one of them. The officer may also face charges of assault over allegations that he repeatedly punched a 61-year-old man who followed and confronted him after the recent collision.

— Chip Roy,

Republican U.S. Rep. who represents San Antonio, telling a conservative group what he wants to see in Washington to ensure his party flips the House and Senate in the midterms Twitter / MajorNews911

Find more news coverage every day at sacurrent.com

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Joe Webb

CITYSCRAPES

When it comes to utility failures during the February freeze, it’s time to stop playing ‘San Antonio nice’ BY HEYWOOD SANDERS CityScrapes is a column of opinion and analysis.

he Great Freeze of February now seems like a distant, ugly memory. The plumbing damaged by frozen pipes has largely been repaired or replaced, and the seemingly dead foliage is now showing signs of life, even healthy growth. My Sago palms, once neatly frozen to a uniform golden brown, are producing an abundance of new greenery. While the freeze now seems long ago, it’s vital that we don’t forget it, and that we pay full attention to its lessons for the future. For that, we can start with the late June report of the city’s Committee on Emergency Preparedness. With some 30 pages of text and color-filled graphics, along with 49 individual recommendations set out in bold, the document represents the formal response by our mayor and city council to Winter Storm Uri. It also leaves lots of questions. The report properly places much of the responsibility and blame for the failures during the storm outside San Antonio. Those fall on the Texas Legislature, the Public Utility Commission and the perhaps misnamed Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which proved magnificently unreliable. Yet while this was a statewide disaster, some of the serious problems were quite specific to San Antonio — more specifically, to city-owned utilities CPS Energy and the San Antonio Water

CURRENT | July 14 – July 27, 2021 | sacurrent.com

System. Our renewable energy sources, both solar and wind, were notably affected by the snow and the cold, with their production dropping well below historical averages. But despite taking regular winter readiness steps and a host of emergency plans, CPS’s other energy sources also experienced failures. On the crucial, coldest days of the freeze — February 14, 15 and 16 — generation by the coal-fired J.K. Spruce 1 plant plummeted, due to the “loss of control of the forced air fan feeding the firebox,” according to the report. Capacity plummeted from 100% on February 13 to just 1% by February 15. Even by the 19th of the month, the plant was operating at just 40% capacity. Then there was the problem at the South Texas Nuclear Plant, where an “uninsulated water pressure sensor line froze” on the morning of February 15, dropping the STP 1’s generation to zero by the following day. That cut CPS Energy’s nuclear-based power production in half. Natural gas-fired plants, effectively CPS’s backup source, also experienced problems. The single biggest reason for lost natural gas capacity on February 14 was a “planned outage.” The next day, that “planned outage” dropped to second place, with “weather” — not further elaborated on in the report — listed as the biggest source of lost power. It was only on February 16 that

“curtailment” of fuel supply emerged as a major problem, just edging out the “planned outage.” On the three critical days, significant amounts of natural gas generation were lost to “controls and mechanical” failures, a category the report doesn’t explore. Perhaps the failures at the Spruce and STP plants were only accidents, effectively unavoidable, although the freezing of the uninsulated line at the nuclear plant suggests an absence of planning and risk assessment. The issues with the natural gas plants also could have been reduced or eliminated by better planning. Having a “planned outage” ahead of a freeze that forecasters warned could be catastrophic simply isn’t a satisfying answer. The committee’s neatly bolded recommendation in the face of all these failures? “CPS Energy should emphasize and refocus on their long and distinguished history of operational excellence.” That guidance is a great example of “San Antonio nice.” It’s not much of a basis for understanding why CPS took so much capacity offline for “planned outages.” Nor does it help us understand why “controls [and] mechanical” problems were just as numerous on pre-freeze February 9 and post-freeze February 19 as during the height of the storm. Nor does it explain just what the “weather” issues were on February 15. And those are just the obvious questions. The report also turns to the San Antonio Water System, which also experienced widespread failures during the winter weather. “SAWS failed to have draining ports installed in its above-ground piping which led to water freezing in those pipes,” the document notes, adding that upgrades “will require weatherization changes to that infrastructure.” Where are those above-ground pipes,

how long are they, what will weatherization require and why wasn’t it done before? The committee report is silent on those. Then there is the report’s description of how SAWS serves “the northern sector of the service area” with water from external suppliers such as the Vista Ridge Pipeline and Trinity Aquifer Suppliers using a “‘ladder climbing’ technique to pump water from station to station to move water to higher areas,” starting from the station at UTSA and Loop 1604. That, of course, made water supply to the areas north of 1604 uniquely vulnerable to a single point failure. Why? Again, the committee’s report leaves the question unanswered. The community needs answers. What’s more, the document mentions “an outside expert review conducted by Black and Veatch” of SAWS. But that “expert review” isn’t appended to the report or available on the committee website. It’s clear that we need to get beyond the everybody-gets-along sentiments that constitute San Antonio nice. Along with that, we need to cast aside assumptions that our utilities’ “long and distinguished history of operational excellence” suffices when severe weather events have become increasingly common. Serious scrutiny of CPS and SAWS is simply too vital to this community to be left to a part-time board. And when members of CPS’s senior legal staff simultaneously submit their resignations, this entire community needs to ask substantive question about how both it and SAWS are being managed, and whether we have the right institutions and elected officials for getting the answers our community deserves. Heywood Sanders is a professor of public policy at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

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Mune and Sohone of the Moon and Sun, respectively, set out to retrieve the star and save their planet from eternal night-

time. The original film is in French, but SAMA will screen the English-dubbed version featuring the voices of Rob Lowe, Joshua Ballard, Christian Slater and Ed Helms. Tickets are

free on a first-come, first-served basis, because space is limited. Free, 8-10 p.m., San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 W. Jones Ave., (210) 978-8100, samuseum.org. — Dana Nichols

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

SAT | 07.17 BOXING

JERMELL CHARLO VS. BRIAN CASTAÑO If you’re one of those who switched to MMA because “box-

ing is dead,” here’s another chance to prove you wrong: two world champions in their prime — one of them is unde-

feated, the other has already avenged his only defeat — will battle in San Antonio for four belts of the super welterCourtesy Photo / Balcones Heights Jazz Festival

FRI | 07.16

weight championship. Houston’s Jermell Charlo (WBA,

WBC and IBF champion, 34-1, 18 KOs, not to be confused

with his twin and also champ brother, Jermall) faces up-

and-coming, undefeated Argentine Brian Castaño (WBO

SPECIAL EVENT

27TH ANNUAL BALCONES HEIGHTS JAZZ FESTIVAL

Headlined by guitarist Nils and singer-trumpeter Johnny Britt, the latest show in the long-running series will feature an opening set by local cats the Joe Posada Trio. Nils — a performer who needs no last name, much like Prince, Cher or Madonna — turned his teenage fixation with Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple into a jazz career that landed him studio and live gigs with the likes of the Temptations and George Benson. His most recent contemporary jazz release is 2020’s Caught in the Groove. Meanwhile, Britt is a multi-talented producer and arranger primarily known for his trumpet work. He’s appeared onstage with musical icons including David Bowie, Josh Groban and J-Lo, and he collaborated with Boney James for several Billboard chart toppers. This year’s Jazz Festival also has a welcome-back vibe, according to Balcones Heights Mayor Suzanne de Leon. “With businesses opening back up, we are thrilled to welcome food trucks, and showcase our partners, local sponsors and vendors.” For the curious, Nils does have a last name, and presumably responds to the more formal “Mr. Jiptner.” Free, 7:30 p.m., Wonderland of the Americas, 4522 Fredericksburg Road, wonderlandamericas.com. — Mike McMahan

FRI | 07.16 FI LM

MUNE: GUARDIAN OF THE MOON

Reminder:

Guardian of the Moon to its outdoor screen. Imagine a world where being a morning person or night person was literal — in the fictional world of Mune, that’s how it works. On an unnamed planet, people of the daytime and nighttime have lived in relative harmony for generations, protected by the

In its upcoming Family Flick movie night, the San Antonio

guardians of the Sun and Moon. But when the Sun is stolen

Museum of Art is bringing the French animated film Mune:

by its disgruntled former guardian, apprentice guardians

Showtime Boxing

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.

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her father and bring him to justice. The film is adapted from Charles Portis’ 1968 novel of the same name. Along with Wayne’s acting Oscar, the film was nominated for Best Original Song for “True Grit,” sung by Glen Campbell, who also played Texas Ranger La Boeuf in the film. Elvis Presley was the original choice to play the character, but apparently wanted top billing. Director Henry Hathaway would later admit he was unhappy with Campbell’s performance and said he only hired the musician so that he could sing the title song. Campbell agreed saying, “I’d never acted in a movie before, and every time I see True Grit, I think my record’s still clean!” The film was remade in 2010 by Ethan and Joel Coen and starred Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon as Rooster and La Boeuf. $6-$12, 1 p.m., Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St., (210) 2994499, briscoemuseum.org. — Kiko Martinez

Paramount Home Video

TUE | 07.20 FI LM

RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon is a fast-paced action-adventure Ursula Zavala

SUN | 07.18

fantasy that draws on Southeast Asian mythology to tell its fantastical story of dragons and divisiveness. Raya, played by Kelly Marie Tran, is on a quest to return unity to her homeland by retrieving scattered stone fragments and ultimately seeking “the Last Dragon” voiced by

ART

Awkwaﬁna. The best part may be the ﬁlm’s San Antonio-roots: it was

PAPER TRAIL SAN ANTONIO

co-directed by Alamo City native Paul Briggs. Food trucks and other ac-

San Antonio’s homegrown printmaking fair is back for one day only this year. After 2020’s COVID-induced hiatus, Paper Trail returns with a venue change and a slate of more than 50 artists, who will be slinging their wares at the Rock Box downtown. This year’s vendors include San Antonio and Texas artists include Ursula Zavala, Connie Chapa, Ray “Tattooed Boy” Scarborough, Sarah Welch, Dan Grissom and many more. Expect a veritable cornucopia of art prints, zines, stickers, T-shirts and other merch available for purchase — perfect for apartment redecorating, a wardrobe refresh or just a good old-fashioned shopping spree. Free, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Rock Box, 1223 E. Houston St., papertrailsa.net. — Kelly Merka Nelson

Champion, 17-0-1) in a ﬁght that will either consolidate Charlo’s status

more than he ever thought was possible.” $50-$200, 8 p.m., AT&T Center,

as the best 154 pounder in the world, or establish the hard-punching,

1 AT&T Center Parkway, attcenter.com. — Enrique Lopetegui

tivities will kick oﬀ at the 7 p.m. start time, and the movie will begin at dusk. Free, 7 p.m., Travis Park, 301 E. Travis St, (210) 207-3677, slabcinema. com. — Mackenzie Cook

unrelenting Castaño — who once beat the highly regarded Errol Spence Jr. as an amateur — as a force to be reckoned with. Having a unified, undisputed super welterweight champion of the world is something that hasn’t happened since Winky Wright in the early 2000s, but the significance of this event goes beyond that: these are two exciting, well-schooled fighters with KO power trying to make history live on

SUN | 07.18 FILM

Showtime. “There’s nobody out there that’s as fast, strong and elusive

TRUE GRIT

as me,” Charlo said at the match’s press conference. “Castaño doesn’t

The Briscoe Western Art Museum continues its 2021 summer ﬁlm series

possess anything I haven’t seen before, and we’ll see if he can take my

with the 1969 classic True Grit, which earned star John Wayne an Oscar

power and the pain I’ll bring.” Castaño responded: “This is the biggest

for Best Actor. Wayne starred as Reuben J. “Rooster” Cogburn, an aging

opportunity of my life and I won’t let it get away. I’ll make Charlo suﬀer

U.S. Marshal who is hired by a young girl to track the man who killed

CURRENT | July 14 – July 27, 2021 | sacurrent.com

Disney Animation Studios

FRI | 07.23 SAT | 07.24

comedy, however, has always been something he’s gone back to between projects. “I found comedy sort of disarms people,” Nealon told the Current in 2014. “I think people like being entertained, even if it’s in that sort of raw form of doing something funny or telling a funny joke. It’s kind of a way of being accepted.” Most recently, Nealon

COMEDY

appeared on four seasons of the now-canceled CBS sitcom Man with

KEVIN NEALON

a Plan, which starred Matt LeBlanc. Nealon played his co-star’s older brother and co-owner of their construction company. Coming up next for Nealon are a pair of TV movies — an untitled comedy by Man with a Plan writer-producer Tommy Johnagin and the holiday romance Christmas at the Madison starring Kimberly Williams-Paisley (Father of the Bride). $50-$200, 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Saturday, LOL Comedy Club, 618 NW Loop 410, (210) 541-8805, improvtx.com/sanantonio. — KM

SAT | 07.24 SPECIAL EVEN T Courtesy of LOL Comedy Club

NATIONAL DAY OF THE COWBOY

Courtesy Photo / Briscoe Western Art Museum

at heart, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Take a themed guided tour of the museum, play a game of horseshoes, learn how to lasso like a pro or check out one of a dozen or so other offerings for attendees of all ages. Don’t forget to save room for barbeque, of course, which will

Round up the entire family or a group of friends and mosey over to the

be served by Munch Food Truck. While the event ends at 2 p.m., you can

Best known for the nine seasons he performed on Saturday Night Live,

Briscoe Western Art Museum for its annual celebration of the National

swing back by at 6:30 p.m. for Sips and Sounds of the West, featuring

comedian Kevin Nealon went on to star in eight seasons of Show-

Day of the Cowboy. Starting in 2005, the National Day of the Cowboy

singer-songwriter Marcy Grace, Cake-N-Que Food Truck and a cash bar.

time’s Weeds and in Adam Sandler films including Happy Gilmore, The

has been celebrated in a handful of Western states to preserve cowboy

Free, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Briscoe Western Art Museum, 210 W. Market St., (210)

Wedding Singer, Little Nicky, Anger Management and Blended. Standup

history. Whether you’ve got little ones to bring along or are just a kid

299-4499, briscoemuseum.org. — DN

SAT | 07.24

Warner Home Video

FI LM

PURPLE RAIN

A classic from virtually the moment it was released, Purple Rain has grown to become a defining piece of ’80s culture and a crowning achievement for the dearly departed musical icon Prince. Virtually everyone knows the soundtrack, which boasted a pile of Billboard hits, including the title track, “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry.” The album also includes one of the Purple One’s most notorious numbers, the explicit “Darling Nikki.” While definitely not a radio hit, the lyrics of that track inspired Tipper Gore’s LOL-inspiring, cringeworthy crusade against rock lyrics. (Don’t ask, kids. It was another quintessentially ’80s moment.) Many of us know the film and its iconic look, and this presentation could serve as a big-screen intro to the ’80s-curious younger set — or a slice of youth middle-aged parents force on their kids. Free, 8:30 p.m., Peacock Alley San Antonio, 110 Broadway, centrosanantonio.org. — MM sacurrent.com | July 14 – July 27, 2021 | CURRENT

Completing a hike around the entire perimeter of San Antonio highlights the need to finish its greenway system BY BILL BAIRD

everal months and many miles ago, I set out to circumnavigate the city of San Antonio on foot. It seemed just crazy enough to be interesting. Back in February, I began traversing the newly christened Howard W. Peak Greenway, which is wonderful but doesn’t fully encircle the city as seemingly advertised. So, where the trail ended, I trod under fences and through fields, sunk in slogs, squished into bogs and tramped through swamps. Along the way — and as documented in periodic reports for the Current — I discovered that Leon Creek, the Medina River, the Mission Reach and lower Salado Creek all hold innumerable revelations, abundant fresh air and escape from the urban hustle. North Salado Creek was all that remained to finish my circuit around the city. After completing the first stretches of my hike, my legs were sore, scratched and muddy, but thankfully both were still attached to my body. I’d sustained other minor injuries and scares in San Antonio’s far reaches — barbed wire nicked my pants a time or two and I dodged a few packs of dogs. By comparison, I expected the final leg of my journey to be less dramatic. But, in a city renowned for its history, I figured that North Salado might have as much to offer as any other ground I traversed.

Overflowing delight Heading north along Salado Creek from Comanche

Park took me past a KOA, one of the few camping spots within SA’s city limits. Further north, I reached the boundary with Fort Sam Houston, one of the region’s most noteworthy repositories of history. “We have more historic buildings than any other military base in America,” said Jackie Davis, director of Fort Sam’s base museum, who met me for a tour. Fort Sam, before it was called that, was simply known as the Post at San Antonio, and was located at the Alamo. Eventually, however, it moved out of downtown for strategic reasons. “Fort Sam is here precisely because of Salado Creek,” Davis said. “You’ve got water, plus you’re far enough from downtown so the soldiers can’t get into, um, shall we say, trouble in their downtime.” The museum is an overflowing delight, located in the base’s quadrangle. Room after room shows the development of the post, from dusty outpost to modern military facility. A cannon, similar to those depicted on “Come and Take It” flags, sits in one room. “I’d like to see you come and take it,” Davis said with a laugh. “This thing weighs thousands of pounds.” This proposed extension of the Salado Creek Greenway passes through the base, but it doesn’t follow the creek due to the barracks located along the banks. Instead, it runs through the old horse corral and paddocks. While not perfect, the proposed path is an essential piece, connecting the greenway’s north and south stretches. Thank goodness the base and the

city finally came together and worked out the kinks.

History along the trail From Fort Sam, I walked north, passing the site of the Battle of Salado Creek, which occurred in 1842. The fight unfolded after the area had been recaptured by Mexican forces. Texas Ranger John Coffee “Jack” Hays and 14 other riders lured Mexican soldiers from the Alamo to the creek, where they were ambushed by Texans lying in wait. The victory was a pivotal moment in Texas’ fight for independence, and Hays later joined the California gold rush, becoming one of the first residents of the city of Oakland. From there, my trek took me through Robert L.B. Tobin Park, a 100-acre portion of the towering arts patron’s estate, Oakwell, which was recently donated to be part of the Salado Creek Greenway. Tobin was a legendary character with immense oil wealth and a pedigree that went all the way back to SA’s original Canary Islands settlers. He was one of the city’s great champions of the arts, known for his generous donations to the McNay Art Museum. Tobin’s munificence wasn’t limited to the Alamo City, however. After a major dustup over the location of the medical center — Tobin wanted it downtown — he took his energy elsewhere, serving on the board of New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Opera. He also helped propel Santa Fe’s opera to worldwide renown. “He and his mother were two of the most generous patrons of the arts I have ever known,’’ said Beverly

San Antonio’s Morningstar Boardwalk allows pedestrians to pass without tramq pling the native meadow below.

Bill Baird

CURRENT | July 14 - July 27, 2021 | sacurrent.com

arts

Sills, chairwoman of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, in Tobin’s 2000 New York Times obituary. To her point, the Tobin Endowment, founded after his death, has contributed more than $65 million to the arts, including a $15 million naming gift to build the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts.

We can do better After walking through Tobin Park and the rocky cliffs below St. Mary’s Hall, my hike led to the Morningstar Boardwalk, a raised walkway allowing pedestrians to pass without trampling the native meadow below — one of the few I have seen in its natural, unmowed state. As I crossed the boardwalk, named for fallen Army Staff Sergeant Christopher Morningstar, the prickly pear cacti were in full bloom. It’s become one of my favorite spots in the city. Farther along, I headed off trail, following the creek along the fence of San Antonio International Airport. Planes zoomed overhead and the wondrous blooms of wildflowers spread in front of me. Later, I trudged the two miles of greenway along Wurzbach Parkway. While I was happy to continue along the trail, I wondered if it’s really a greenway when you’re on a highway access road. We can do better. However, the journey took me to Phil Hardberger Park, another highlight. Through this portion, Salado Creek is pocked with karst limestone, which filters San Antonio’s rainwater and fills its aquifer. The park’s newly opened land bridge set me fantasizing about similar bridges allowing me to visit my favorite local spots while skipping over sprawl, parking lots and strip malls. A green city, right on top of the old one. Hey, it could happen.

lived its use as a quarry, and not another landfill. It’s like the canyonlands, right in our backyard. From there, it was only a couple miles back to my starting point at The Rim, but the greenway’s connecting portion to Eisenhower Park was still under construction. Numerous Bloody, sweaty, random signs told me so. Since I had a ride picking me up there in an hour, I At that point, I sensed ducked under the orange tape and my hike was near an end. Read the sprinted around the construction My pace quickened. My earlier articles crews, through cedar breaks, pantlegs were aching, throbdocumenting Bill ing, sweating, bleeding and conbing, and my phone was Baird’s hike around fused. dead. I had no money, San Antonio. “Can I get to The Rim from here?” food or water. I probaPart 1: https://bit.ly/3hnop1k I asked a hiker I encountered along bly should have lost my Part 2: https://bit.ly/3dXgq93 the way. Eagle Scout designation Part 3: https://bit.ly/3hrYJRu Part 4: https://bit.ly/36mPoUy She looked at me like the bloody, over my poor planning, sweaty, random dude I was, and said, but hey, I was trying. “Don’t think so.” She moved along I continued, jogquickly. Can’t say I blame her. ging by the Medicine Wall, a newly opened I dodged the construction crew, avoided rock-climbing wall that was rugged and falling into the quarry and stumbled back wonderful and completely unexpected. to where I’d started my circumnavigation North of 1604, the trail squeezed between — weary but transformed. There’s something Camp Bullis and the Martin Marietta-Beckmagical about hiking a long loop — you end mann quarry. Seen through its chain-link up right back where you started, but somefence, the quarry was about as beautiful and how, your perception is different. You change dramatic a vision as I’ve seen anywhere. For your eyes; you change your understanding of the love of Texas, please turn this stunning your surroundings. site into a public access park once it’s out-

I stumbled into a Holiday Inn and the lobby clerk, taking pity on me, gave me an orange and allowed me to make a phone call. My journey was complete!

Outer limits Hiking the entire outer perimeter of San Antonio expanded my mind, blew out my shoes, sunburned my face and pulled back the curtain on our city’s rich history. It also exposed wide gaps in the Howard Peak Greenway’s proposed series of connected trails. There are still 71 miles to go at an estimated cost of $279 million. Will the gaps be filled? It remains to be seen. The 1/8-cent sales tax that funded the Peak Greenway was approved by voters four times since 2000. However, it’s since been reallocated to fund career training and VIA Metropolitan Transit. Yes, that means funding initially approved for open space and nature access has gone to more vehicles on the roads. My hike around San Antonio has convinced me that we all need to call our city representatives and tell them to restore funding for our greenways. Let’s complete the system of trails once envisioned as an “emerald necklace” and build a remarkable 21st century city.

Find more arts coverage every day at sacurrent.com

arts

Kiké San

Jenelle Esparza

just started painting on my own [but] I really didn’t do my homework,” he explained. That became crystal clear when he shared his homespun paintings with professor Daniel Rios Rodriguez. “He completely shot me down. And I’m glad he did, because he kind of knocked me on my ass. He let me know that whatever I was doing, I was not doing it the right way.” To make up for the foundational homework Guzman had jumped over, Rodriguez gave the aspiring painter a challenging assignment to complete during the summer before his senior year: paint realistic still lifes every day using exclusively black and white oil paint. While Guzman unsurprisingly got bored with what he sums up as “basic, boring shit that no one wants to do,” he took the task seriously and came out on the other side with technical skills and a newfound love for oil paint. By the time his senior thesis exhibition rolled around in 2019, Guzman had begun developing a signature aesthetic — abstract oil paintings that

incorporate representational aspects of From left: John Guzman with his the human form. Around this time, Prepainting The sound of making a sa House Gallery co-director Rigoberto living ; Guzman’s painting Rinse, Luna got a phone call from critic and curator Chad Dawkins, who was then wash, repeat the Southwest School of Art’s director of exhibitions. very lucky to have met him.” “Chad was like, ‘You really need to Reynolds also encouraged Guzman come and see this show,’” Luna said. to apply for NXTHVN — a New Hav“He was really excited. I barely made en-based residency and career advisit through the door before he said, ing program tailored for artists and ‘You need to come see John’s paintcurators of color. Established in 2019, ings.’ I was really blown away. I just felt the program welcomed nationally something as soon as I saw them. … At recognized San Antonio native Vincent the time, I couldn’t do a show with him Valdez as a fellow in unfortunately because 2020. we had already booked It took Guzman two the whole year. … And ‘I Would Have years to take the bait but then COVID happened. Killed to Seen It’ he finally applied for the [But] the entire opportuFree, on view by incubator in October of nity allowed us to get to appointment through 2020 and got an accepknow each other.” July 31, tance letter in March While Luna began Presa House Gallery, of this year. Seizing the organizing a future 725 S. Presa St., moment, Luna adjusted Presa House exhibition (210) 913-5842, the dates for Guzman’s showcasing Guzman’s presahouse.com Presa House exhibition, work, Connecticut-based which got teased in the collector William Reynmedia release announcolds emerged as an early ing NXTHVN’s 2021 fellows. That champion of the young artist. shout-out from the buzzy new program “He was the first person that started brought national attention to Guzman to take interest in my work,” Guzman and Presa House alike. said. “He’s helped me out so much in “We knew it was going to be a huge my life, not just by acquiring paintings deal,” Luna admitted. “It was really but just in general. He’s helped me out difficult to even do the install because [with] the idea of selling work [and] we were getting inundated with emails how to properly price my work. … I’m

On the Verge

San Antonio painter John Guzman is poised for success BY BRYAN RINDFUSS

here’s a decent chance you’re unfamiliar with the name John Guzman — but the San Antonio artist is quickly developing into a hometown success story. Raised on the South Side, he slid through East Central High School as a “terrible student,” sang lead vocals in a scrappy punk band dubbed the Cock Blocks and eventually landed a deadend job at the Apple Store’s Genius Bar. Although he’d always drawn in sketchbooks and occasionally exhibited during Second Saturday art walks, Guzman considered his art to be primarily for his own satisfaction. Encouraged by a friend who recognized his potential, Guzman quit his job and enrolled in the nascent BFA program at the Southwest School of Art. Three years into the four-year program, Guzman began to feel confined by his focus on drawing and printmaking. “It was almost an uncomfortable, claustrophobic feeling,” he recalled. He decided that painting was the obvious remedy for this conundrum and started experimenting with acrylics. “I

CURRENT | July 14 - July 27, 2021 | sacurrent.com

and phone calls from places that we could not believe we were being contacted by. It’s not like anything we’ve ever experienced.” By the time we arrived at the opening reception for Guzman’s Presa House showcase “I Would Have Killed to Seen It,” a few of his paintings had already sold — including an $18,000 piece titled The sound of making a living. Two days before he departed for NXTHVN, Guzman walked us through the exhibition to shed light on the assembled works, which are rendered in a layered, textural style that evokes the geometric curiosities of Cubism. Although not immediately obvious, the show’s six large-scale paintings draw inspiration from Guzman’s personal experiences as a witness to self-destructive behavior and cycles of addiction.

sort of like tearing paper or popping bubblewrap. It’s a comforting thing to do, but doesn’t really have any other purpose.”

The sound of making a living

“There was a night of a drunken stupor where I went to a ramen joint and I wanted to sit at the bar and drink by myself,” Guzman recounted. “I went with the intention of making titles for this entire body of work.” To his chagrin, he got seated at a table. “But it sort of worked out because I was next to the window and I was able to watch the rats walk by, the critters that run on our streets, sort of like the bandits of Kiké San downtown. It was pretty cool witnessing the city and drinking bottle after bottle of sake. [The server] asked if I wanted it hot or cold and it was fucking hot that night so I was like, ‘Please give me cold sake. And I need many of them.’” But that title doesn’t exactly speak to the imagery in the painting, which deals with confinement. “I was going to make a chainlink fence … [but it] was too much of a separation. … The faint grid allowed me to recreate this idea of a cinderblock — and being confined in some sort of prison.”

“Every week, maintenance men come and do yard work [at my apartment complex] but there’s something about the sound that really bothers me,” Guzman said. “So I decided to just put one of my annoyances in one of my paintings. … It’s two leaf blowers [with] little body parts to inform the human element.” To bond the two humanoid machines, Guzman gave them a shared pull cord, suggesting that one can’t turn on without the other.

Rinse, wash, repeat

“I wanted this piece to have this circular [motion]. I wanted your eye to move with the painting,” Guzman explained. “I tried to add small elements of the human body, but I removed the obvious body parts and just [kept] flesh, skin tone, a heel or a shoe. … I wanted the idea of time … and I came up with [the metronome].” As for that arc of red lines? “I love doing these lines. It’s

In case of emergency, please exit i

“I guess the concept behind this piece is how individuals in the household create toxicity in the home — for everyone,” Guzman said. “The reason I have this [orange strip is that] exit signs are always that orange color. When I was in situations Kiké San like this, I was always trying to look for the exit.” But is there an elephant in the room? “I get that a lot,” he confessed. “It was not intended to be an elephant. I think our minds engage with that automatically just by association. It’s really just [an] arm [representing] the idea of gyration and destruction.”

JULY 5-31

Would you like it hot or cold? i

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sacurrent.com | July 14 - July 27, 2021 | CURRENT

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CURRENT | July 14 - July 27, 2020 | sacurrent.com

screens

Of Mouse and Man Gabriel Iglesias is lending his voice to Speedy Gonzales in Space Jam sequel BY KIKO MARTINEZ

ctor and comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias was the focus of the previous Current’s cover story on his month-long run at the Tobin Center. But we had no choice but to corral him for another interview — this time about his role as Speedy Gonzales in the soon-to-be-released Space Jam: A New Legacy. When Warner Bros. asked Iglesias to voice the cartoon mouse in the upcoming animated sequel, he had no hesitation. “It was a ‘yes’ immediately,” Iglesias told the Current during a video chat last week. “I was a big fan of the original Space Jam, and I’ve been a huge fan of Speedy Gonzales forever. The fact that I could be the first Mexican to voice Speedy Gonzales was a huge deal.” While plenty of Looney Tunes fans cheered Iglesias’ casting, others called on Warner Bros. to retire or remodel the character because they feel it reinforces offensive Latinx stereotypes. It’s the same argument that got Speedy shelved by Cartoon Network back in 1999 before it reversed course and began to air his reruns after public outcry. When the debate over Speedy heated up earlier this year after Warner Bros. announced that Pepé Le Pew would not be included in the Space Jam sequel due to his history of unwanted sexual advances toward a cat, Iglesias made light of the Speedy situation on Twitter. “I am the voice of Speedy Gonzales in the new Space Jam,” Iglesias tweeted on March 6. “Does this mean they are gonna try to cancel Fluffy too? U can’t catch me, cancel culture. I’m the fastest mouse in all of Mexico.” During our interview, Iglesias talked about why he loves Speedy, his own skills on the basketball court and why Spurs fans will be happy to hear who he considers his favorite NBA player of all time. Space Jam: A New Legacy debuts at theaters and on HBO Max July 16.

Did anything surprise you about the comments you received after you tweeted about taking on the role of Speedy?

What surprised me was the level of attention that one tweet got. I was just being silly and having fun with it and trying to make fun of cancel culture. It caught fire! Warner Bros. was very happy because I was supporting the character. They want to see the character do

Warner Bros.

well. They’d like to see what the future holds for [Speedy].

What did you think about Speedy as a kid watching him on TV?

There was nothing negative about him. He was fast and he was Mexican. What’s the problem with that? That’s not a crime. That’s job security. He was awesome. He was always outsmarting the cat and he never got caught. He’s still undefeated.

What kind of direction did you get when creating his voice? Did you take into consideration how he sounded in past cartoons?

I was given the option of using my regular speaking voice. I appreciated that, but I didn’t want people to think of me when they saw Speedy Gonzales. If they’re thinking of me when they’re watching him, then I’m doing a bad job. I wanted to make sure that I got as close to the [original] voice as possible. Then they asked, “Well, do you think you can do his voice?” I was like, “Dude, that’s half my family! I got this!”

I mean, when I saw the movie, Speedy sounds like the Speedy I remember as a kid, so I think you nailed it. Yeah, I went from [my regular voice] to (as Speedy Gonzales), “Hola, amigos! My name is Speedy Gonzales — the fastest mouse in

all Mexico! Arriba! Epa! Ándale!” Dude, I can do that in my sleep. I told them, “Don’t think that just because I’m Mexican that I can only do Speedy. I can do all the Warner Bros. characters.” You want Marvin the Martian? [As Marvin the Martian] “Oh, my! My modulator!” You want Yosemite Sam? [As Yosemite Sam] “Hey there, rabbit!” You want Bugs Bunny? [As Bugs Bunny] “What’s up, doc?” I said, “You can fire the whole cast right now! I will do the whole movie for half!”

Not only is Speedy fast, he’s a pretty good basketball player. How are your own basketball skills?

I’m lucky if I can play horse. (Laughs.) I mean, I can play NBA2K, but my fingers aren’t even that fast. But one-on-one, I’m done. I’m just glad my character is very good at basketball.

Do you follow an NBA team?

I’m an LA guy, so it’s always been about the Lakers. But I’ve also been a Spurs fan for many years. My favorite player of all time is Tim Duncan. He spoiled so many Lakers games for me. I just respected him for that. There were so many great games between the Lakers and the Spurs. But Tim Duncan, hands down, my favorite player of all time.

Do you have a prediction for the SunsBucks NBA Finals?

I think the Suns are going to take it in five.

Find more film stories at sacurrent.com

Ron Bechtol

Getting the Bugs Out

Cuishe Cocina Mexicana delivers on the promise of its vast menu of interior Mexican cuisine BY RON BECHTOL

elative St. Paul Square newcomer Cuishe Cocina Mexicana is housed in a handsome space bounded by bare brick and accented by agave art, basketry lighting, patterned tile floors and a slatted, wood ceiling. The overall feel of the latest restaurant from the folks behind two Toro Kitchens and another Cuishe in Stone Oak is just thematic enough to reinforce the restaurant’s interior Mexican menu and its moniker, which is the name of an agave from which mezcal is made. And speaking of that menu, it’s a real piece of work — huge, complex and running the gamut from humble to thoroughly over the top.

At the low end, it includes humble tacos de canasta — sometimes known as tacos sudados — presented in a simple, reed basket. At the other end are big-spender items such as a tomahawk steak, weighing in at $126, which can be embellished with 24K edible gold leaf for an additional $38. Making up the middle are shock-and-awe offerings featuring bugs and larvae designed, perhaps, to convey gritty authenticity and macho creds. Let me hasten to add that there is nothing wrong with any of this — maybe apart from the gold leaf. The “sweated” taquitos, filled with bean, potato with chorizo and chicharrón come to you in tortillas glistening from a hot oil bath and accompanied by a

CUISHE COCINA MEXICANO 119 Heiman St. | (210) 960-8935 | cuishemx.com | Hours: Noon-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, Noon-2 a.m. Friday-Saturday, Noon-9 p.m. Sunday Brunch runs Noon-3 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday | Happy Hour is 2-7 p.m. weekdays Price point: $10-$126 (main dishes) Best bets: tacos de canasta, tacos de camaron, aguachile de callo, chile en nogada, sábana de invierno, pastel de campechana, mezcal cocktails The skinny: With its extensive patio seating, classy environs and huge Mexican menu, Cuishe should become a St. Paul Square oasis. Start with something simple such as the humble tacos de canasta or go straight for the lime-marinated aguachile de callo. Flirt with fried bugs and guacamole, your resolve fortified by a mezcal cocktail, then dig in to a hearty sabana de inviervo or the colorful chile en nogada. All while keeping in mind the opulent dessert that is the pastel de campechana.

CURRENT | July 14 – July 27, 2021 | sacurrent.com

fearless salsa verde. They’re especially fine as partners to a cocktail from the well-stocked bar. Since the restaurant’s name has ties to mezcal, let me point you toward drinks featuring that unbridled spirit: the San Miguel de Allende, which combines it with Jamaica, and the Toluca, which mixes it with both fresh and dehydrated pineapple. Cuishe also offers a variety of street tacos, including a trompo with puerco al pastor. But if you want to tentatively test your tolerance for bicho frito, or fried bugs, let me suggest the tacos de camarón. The bichos in question are dried chapulines, or grasshoppers, which have been pulverized beyond recognition and serve as a coffee-dark coating to the fried shrimp. A robust chipotle cream sauce provides a contrast in cool and heat. Setting aside the $48 sautéed escamoles, or nutty-tasting ant larvae, the next test for the bicho-curious might well be the crawlies served with guacamole and tiny tortillas. You’ll have to confront the critters head-on. The grasshoppers are joined by a few fried alacranes, or scorpions. Both surround a scoop of guacamole, which is just about enough to mellow out the limey crunchiness of the better-than-imagined bugs. Not sure my dining partner or I will order this again. But at least we’ll have bragging rights. After the bugs, a plate of aguachiles de callo — thinly sliced scallops cured with lime juice and served with serrano chiles and pineapple — seemed tame. Even so, they were tasty. Cuishe’s Cubano proved an excellent beverage partner. The drink is essentially an amped-up michelada with Maggi, Worcestershire and Tabasco plus lime and a chamoy rim as festive as a Fiesta wreath. The main dishes include chicken flautas at the low end and Wagyu arrachera — whole fajitas — on the high side. A standout was the chile en nogada, or stuffed poblano. With its Mexican flag colors of red, white and green, the dish is typically served in mid-September around Mexican Independence Day. The blistered and peeled poblano is usually stuffed with a picadillo, and Cuishe uses ground beef with pineapple and raisins for a restrained touch of sweetness. There’s nothing restrained about the lush and generously applied nogada — or walnut — sauce. It includes goat cheese, cream, white wine and sherry — lots of sherry. Yet I finished the whole thing with only a hint of regret. One person shouldn’t attempt to consume the entire sábana de invierno. The layered beef dish covers a massive plate and is even more generously smothered than the en nogada. Don’t think of the pounded and pummeled sirloin that forms the foundation as anything more than one of its many layers, which also include black bean purée, salsa verde, melted queso and crema. It’s all more than a little much, and yet I wouldn’t take a thing away. Though Cuishe’s menu is expansive, there are fortunately just three desserts: guava flan, a chilespiked chocolate brownie and pastel de campechana, an extravagant layered creation featuring vanilla ice cream, sugared puff pastry and cajeta. Since you’ll want the latter choice to warm up a little to facilitate eating, you may want to consider a Carajillo, a classic Spanish after-dinner drink consisting of dramatically flamed Licor 43 with an added shot of espresso. Even jaded critics can be seduced by flames.

food

ho’s got time to click through all of the food stories coming out of Countdown City these days? We get it, you’re busy and just need quick tidbits to get you caught up on the latest culinary happenings. Welcome to Hot Dish, where we offer up the latest savory scoops in quick, easy-to-digest servings.

OPENINGS

Rockin’ Into Southtown

Richard Casteel

Musician-turned-chef Paul Petersen aims to keep his forthcoming Bar Loretta approachable BY NINA RANGEL

eople frequently use the phrase “rockstar chef” to describe raucous, uber-creative culinary masterminds. Not so many chefs, though, can claim to have given up a chase for rock ’n’ roll fame to focus on their food. But San Antonio native Paul Petersen, chef at Southtown eatery Bar Loretta, which opens later this summer, did just that. After years pursuing fame and freedom with SA-based heavy alt-rockers Gollum, Petersen put away his drumsticks and picked up a chef coat. We spoke with Petersen about Bar Loretta, opening post-COVID and what it really means to be a rock star in the kitchen.

What can future guests expect from the experience you’re trying to create?

My food is definitely “fancified,” but we don’t want to be a pretentious restaurant. We want to have that neighborhood feel, so people can feel like they can come in on a Tuesday night, and not just for special occasions. My background is in fine dining, but I feel that fine dining is kind of dead in this day and age. People don’t want stuffy, the white tablecloths and all that. So, service will be attentive but not snobby. There are certainly fine dining elements in my cuisine, but I strive to make it really fun and playful, too. “Approachable” is a big word for us. At the end of the day, we’re right in the middle of the neighborhood, and we’re going to embrace that.

How did COVID-19 affect your opening plan?

The pandemic changed the whole game. We didn’t know what was going to happen from one day to the next, and when you fast forward to today, we’re still seeing the

Coffee and Mexican food spot Café Azteca is set to open in a new South Side location this week after riding out the pandemic by operating from inside Southside Craft Soda.

Houston’s Clutch City Cluckers will bring a new, permanent hot-chicken food truck to town and post up near UTSA. New country and western club Stetson Dance Hall will two-step into recently closed Cooter Browns.

impact. Getting product, from time to time, can be difficult. Prices fluctuate more than usual. We’re opening a little bit late, but that may be a blessing in disguise, because still, to this day, we don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ve just got to keep rolling with the punches, really.

New family- and dog-friendly food truck park The Farm is now open in Northwest San Antonio near O. P. Schnabel Park.

Let’s chat about your opening menu. I’m told your style is a little funky.

NEWS

I’m spinning all sorts of weird stuff these days. For example, we’re going to do a salmon pastor. A play on a pastor taco that … has all the components, but it’s not a taco. It’s just a striking dish. And I’m probably going to get a little crazy and toss some brussels sprouts with chamoy. Serve it with cotija cheese and chili-lime sunflower seeds. We’re having fun, and wanted to stay away from the cheeseball, gimmicky stuff. The brussels with chamoy, as weird as it sounds, just works. We have something to offer that’s new and different, and I think will be welcomed to the neighborhood. We just want to rock ’n’ roll, you know?

That’s a perfect segue. Back in the day, you aspired to be a rock star. I’m curious about how that creative background lent itself to how you think about food. Chasing rock stardom, I was chasing freedom. The thing about playing rock ’n’ roll music is the creativity that’s involved. That’s what led me to being a chef, is that creativity. A long time ago, I wanted to become a rock star just so I could have enough money to buy my own restaurant. When I realized becoming a rock star wasn’t going to happen, I decided to pack up and chase the other dream. Music and my cuisine is my creativity, my passion. And I do it with heart.

Austin-based Torchy’s Tacos has opened its fifth San Antonio location near the intersection of 1604 and Bandera Road.

Seasoning brand Tajín — an Alamo City favorite — has launched a pair of new hot sauces, including a Chamoy flavor. Rosella Coffee’s flagship location near the San Antonio Museum of Art has debuted a wine bar and extended hours. The city of San Antonio’s World Heritage Office announced its latest class of chef ambassadors, including John Brand of Hotel Emma and Kelly Daughety of the San Antonio Food Bank. San Antonio-based Taco Cabana is selling to California firm Yadav Enterprises for $85 million. The Tex-Mex chain’s headquarters will remain in the Alamo City. The maker of childhood fave Fla-Vor-Ice is now selling a boozy version of the frozen treat in Texas liquor stores. Over the Fourth of July weekend, a car smashed into Singhs Vietnamese on San Antonio’s St. Mary’s Strip — again. However, the eatery was back up and running within a couple days of the accident. Comfort Café closed its Bandera Road eatery until further notice due to a massive flood that ravaged the space.

Find more food & drink news at sacurrent.com

constant member. “It started when I was a teenager. My brother had a drum machine, and I’d lock myself in my room and record metal with blast beats on my computer.” On Saturday, July 17, Grasshopper is celebrating the release of A Cult That Worships a God of Death with an evening matinee show at the Lonesome Rose with likeminded SA noise rockers Pinko. (Make note of the gig’s early 6 p.m. start time, and also check out the Current’s interview this week with the album’s cover artist, John Guzman.)

DIY ethic

Jaime Monzon

Volume Dealers

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy hopes its new album will draw a wider audience. (While still crushing your skull.) BY SANFORD NOWLIN

Reminder:

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

hen a rock band talks about wanting to reach a wider audience with a new album, it’s often a sign a producer with a golden touch helped it craft radio-friendly hooks. Or that it’s lowered the guitar in the mix and thrown in a few power ballads. For San Antonio avant-metal act The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, it means that the majority of the eight tracks on its new album, A Cult That Worships a God of Death, have vocals on them. Not pretty vocals, mind you, but howling, anguished bellows. And, oh yeah, the band hired a publicist to help push the release.

Compromise isn’t exactly high on the agenda for the San Antonio-based trio, which for 16 years has energized adventurous listeners and confounded the other kind with a brutally loud wall-of-sound approach that defies easy categorization. Extreme metal? Post-hardcore? Experimental? Noise rock? Hard to say. And Grasshopper fans will tell you that’s key to the band’s appeal. “When it comes to making music, ‘palatability’ has never been part of the equation for me,” said guitarist-vocalist James Woodard, the band’s principal songwriter, and after at least 10 lineup changes, its only

Since his humble bedroom beginnings, Woodard has been Grasshopper’s Ahab, leading the band through a tireless recording and touring schedule. He’s not exactly been eager to wait around for someone else to take note. A Cult That Worships a God of Death is the band’s third long player and its second full album released through Minneapolis’ Learning Curve Records. Woodard himself isn’t precisely sure how many cassettes, EPs and digital tracks the band has released over the years, many on his own Canon Imprint label. He’s also hard pressed to remember the number of scrappy, do-it-yourself tours its logged during that time. However, a clear high point in all that roadwork was an eightcity Japanese tour the band did in 2019. “There’s at least one moment on every tour where I’m in someone’s living room at 4 a.m. and can’t get to sleep and ask, ‘Why am I doing this?’” Woodard said. “I think the answer is that I can’t stop. At this point, it’s a sick compulsion.” As evidenced by the band’s frequent turnover — it’s had a Spinal Tap-worthy number of drummers before Steven Barrera, who handled the job on A Cult That Worships a God of Death — not everyone shares Woodard’s compulsion. Indeed, the group’s other longest-serving member, bassist Mario Trejo, split after recording the album after a pandemic-inspired soul search prompted him to reprioritize his life. New bassist Oscar Moreno joined the band after falling into its orbit when he tagged along to photograph the Japanese tour.

Evolving sound While A Cult That Worships a God of Death places more emphasis on vocals than past releases, that’s not the only evolution it documents. The second side features two expansive tracks that showcase a quieter, less claustrophobic side to Grasshopper’s sound. The title track, broken into four parts, builds to a dreamy interlude marked by somber synthesizer swells and chiming guitar arpeggios. The song that follows, “Bullet Curtain,” is another slower number, portions of which wouldn’t sound out of place on a mid-’70s King Crimson record.

Woodard hopes A Cult That Worships “The music on the new album is still a God of Death will continue. In the challenging, and it’s going to be that end, though, the group’s hard-fought way because my brain is broken and success comes down to a willingness to that’s the way I write shit,” Woodard hit the road and put in hard work. said. “I love that caveman shit down on “The No. 1 thing that San Antonio the first five frets.” bands can do for themselves is to get Woodard is being self-deprecating when he describes Grasshopper’s music the fuck out of San Antonio,” Woodard said. “Play in front of strangers and rip as neanderthal. Sure, it’s pummeling their faces off. … The struggle is always and unrelenting. But it’s also likely to extending the network, meeting new be delivered in odd time signatures and include an abundance of dynamics friends. As an introvert, that’s been a challenge for me.” and stop-on-a-dime precision. But it’s one that Woodard seems to The band’s off-kilter rhythmic drive have made the best of. Collaboration brings the Jesus Lizard to mind, and has been a hallmark of Grasshopper’s its stone-fisted riffing evokes New output. York noise rockers Unsane. However, Over the years, it’s put out split observers point out there’s always releases with San Antonio scorchbeen a quieter side to Grasshopper’s ers Sohns, Atlanta-based noise rock chaos. After all, the band dropped a icons Hawks and sludgy Minneapolis pair of 20-minute synth-driven soundtwo-piece Gay Witch Abortion. Most scapes via Bandcamp in February, and recently, it collaborated with Crow in 2017, it released an eerie, ambient Lotus, singer for Lousoundtrack to the isiana-based metallic indie film Cavern. The Grasshopper Lies hardcore act Capra, “I’m not objective Heavy Album Release on a download-only about this at all: Show (with Pinko) cover of the Jesus Grasshopper have Lizard’s “Mouth always grabbed me When: Saturday, July 17 Breather.” by the balls,” said Where: The Lonesome Rose, Bobdog Catlin, a 2114 N. St. Mary’s St., San Antonio reThe long ride (210) 455-0233, cording engineer thelonesomerose.com who’s tracked and Both of Woodard’s Start time: 6 p.m. | Door: $10 mastered multiple current bandmates releases for the band are aware of Grassand collaborated on hopper’s frequent the Cavern soundtrack. “This is what lineup changes, but they said they see old people say, but they take me back their time in the band as a long-term to a time in the late ’80s and early ’90s investment. when people were putting out a lot After three years as its percussionist, of bizarre and heavy stuff. It’s like you Barrera said he sees himself as an intertook the first Fear album, the third preter of Woodard’s vision. A veteran Voivod album and pretty much everyof middle school drumlines, he added thing Cop Shoot Cop did and mixed that he’s able to apply conventional them together.” theory to the bandleader’s more intuiAs a member of seminal South Texas tive writing approach. That helps when metal act S.A. Slayer, Catlin knows his adding transitions and dynamic shifts heavy stuff. But it’s also worth noting to the songs. that most of his focus these days is “I feel like I’m here to connect the on recording and mastering classical dots,” he said. “Capture James’ lightmusic. For Grasshopper, he makes an ning in a bottle.” exception. Moreno said Grasshopper’s frequent “There’s something deep there,” he lineup changes gives him confidence said. “Nobody on earth communicates in Woodard’s leadership. He reads it as musically like James Woodard.” a sign the frontman isn’t willing to put up with members who can’t pull their weight. ‘Get the fuck out’ Indeed, Moreno said he knew he and the other members of the band were of Grasshopper’s challenging music a similar mind when they turned down isn’t likely to mean its members can an invitation to attend an overnight quit their day jobs. “This band is a party after one of their Japanese gigs so second job, and it’s an unpaid job, they could return to the hotel and stay mostly,” Woodard explained. fresh for the rest of the tour. However, its perseverance is paying “I trust James’ judgment,” he said. off with an international cult fol“He has a vision, and he has a plan lowing, better bookings and slots on where he wants to be with this band.” festival bills — an upward trajectory

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music

Soul Survivor

Up-and-comer Satara prepares to drop a new single and launch one-day festival focused on San Antonio musicians BY ENRIQUE BONILLA

an Antonio soul and R&B artist Satara Askew, better known by her stage names Satara or Lil Chicken Baby, has recorded dozens of songs, but only now is the 26-year-old singer getting comfortable about sharing her music. “I’ve made countless recordings — somewhere around 80 songs, but I’m starting to get momentum and learn how to be comfortable releasing music to the public,” she says as she talks about her upcoming single, “Appetite.” “It’s a really fun little bop, a summertime song with a fun message.” The release marks the opening of Satara’s musical vault, and it also prompted her to organize her own one-day music festival, Summer Slayout, which will take place at the Aquaduck Beer Garden on Friday, July 30. Satara’s sound is akin to New Zealand’s jazz-pop artist Kimbra combined with the sounds of contemporary jazz composer Esperanza Spalding. While her music bears a clear debt to soul and R&B, her influences range from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke to Ghanian-American experimental pop composer Moses Sumney, both of which fall under the alternative umbrella. As the singer readied to release her single — the precursor to a full-length album she also has in the works — she started thinking about how to approach performing in a post-COVID world. “I really wanted to perform, but as I was looking for venues and getting feedback on the song, I thought bring people together and give them a space to do ‘You know what? I know other people that want to what they’ve been wanting to do this whole time perform as well.” they’ve been practicing and creating? But not just Small conversations with other San Antonio artists that, ‘Here’s some money. Keep going.” evolved into group chats. Eventually, the conversaIt’s not enough just to provide a tions evolved into Summer Slayout. gig, she adds. Artists must be paid The fest’s all-local lineup will for their work. include DJ Zerktronic spinning Summer “You don’t get discouraged when dance-y house music all day, lo-fi Slayout you see green dollars coming into indie artist Mr. Pidge, bilingual your hand,” she says. “At least I pop performer Alien Babe, neo$10-$15 don’t. I feel like I’m getting the soul act Naalah and others. Satara 4 p.m.-2 a.m., Friday, July 30, resources to get to the next step will headline the bill comprised of Aquaduck Beer Garden in my musical journey, and that’s eight musical artists. 9214 Espada Road what I want to do, not just for myThe event will also be rounded (210) 600-3280 self, but my community. That’s the out by 30 vendors including printeventbrite.com most important thing for me.” makers, painters, vegan food and Beyond the Summer Slayout, an interactive photo wall. Satara has a busy journey ahead as “This is my first time taking an she readies her first full-length release. idea and trying to not only give people a great time “All the songs are done and I’m thinking by the end but show these artists that they’re worth something,” of summer I’ll be releasing it,” she says. “It’s titled Satara says. “[The pandemic has] been a questionable after the last single I released, ‘Don’t Die’. I’m doing time for everybody. What better time than now to

Alejandra Sol Casas

everything independently.” She adds: “I haven’t had the Yellow Brick Road type of life. But it’s time for me. Instead of dreaming and regretting it, I need to do something about it. My mother is going through chemotherapy, and it’s not an easy thing to deal with an ill parent. To that end, if there’s additional money after paying Summer Slayout’s performers, she plans to use the remaining funds to cover her mom’s last two chemo sessions. With a new album on the way, a talented live band and a vocal degree from Austin’s Huston Tillotson University, Satara appears to have a bright musical future ahead — one where she’s intent on playing the long game. “I’m enjoying getting more into the business side of my music now,” she says. “My entire life as a singer it’s been touch and go. When I’ve been in a consistent performance element, it’s been for the pleasure. It’s all been for that reaction, but now I want to switch over and sustain my life with my creativity.” sacurrent.com | July 14 – July 27, 2021 | CURRENT

music listings

Cooper Greenberg

COOPER GREENBERG Thursday, July 15

A singer-songwriter who cites an array of influences from Radiohead to Sturgill Simpson, Greenberg has steadily built a regional following over the past few years. He has been featured on Texas Public Radio and released a new album called Silverbelly earlier this month. Free, 8:30 p.m., The Rustic, 17619 La Cantera Parkway, Suite 204, (210) 245-7500, therustic.com. — Mike McMahan

Thursday, July 15

Tuesday, July 20

Stringman Consisting of multi-instrumentalist Don Stephens and percussionist Jeff Cowart, Stringman draws on influences from ’60s and ’70s rock. Originally from Indiana, bandleader Stephens went from coffee shop gigs to full stage performances during his 30year career. $10-$45, 8 p.m., Sam's Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — BE

Big Smile Big Smile checks all the boxes for an emo combo hailing from the Midwest. They're from Ohio, they play angsty songs and their music is likely to revive all those memories of listening to the car stereo with your indie boyfriend or girlfriend. Oh, yeah, and they also wear Vans. $10-$12, 7 p.m., Paper Tiger, 2410 N. St. Mary's St., papertigersatx.com.

Friday, July 16

Thursday, July 22

The Professor UnderFunk The Professor, who also answers to Cecil Yancy, lives up to his name with a sound that’s rooted in the blues and his limber bass lines. He pairs his instrumental prowess with a baritone voice and all the funk you can handle. Free, 7 p.m., Sanchos Cantina and Cocina, 628 Jackson St., (210) 3201840, sanchosmx. com. — BE

Dirty River Jazz Band With the word “jazz” appearing in both the name of the band and the venue, you know what you’re getting. The Dirty River Jazz Band came together at Seguin’s Texas Lutheran University after the members caught a performance of late jazz traditionalist Jim Cullum, who eventually became a mentor. They recorded their album Live & Krazy at Jazz, Tx. in 2019, so the band has a history with the club. With a diverse instrumentation including both tuba and banjo and the ranks loaded with music teachers, expect Dirty River Jazz Band to pull it off with style and Sunny Sweeny aplomb. $26, 7:30 p.m., Jazz, Tx., 312 Pearl Parkway, Bldg. 6, (210) 332-9386, jazztx.com. — MM

Prophets and Outlaws Ever heard of country soul? Well, now you have thanks to this outfit, which uses its emotional sound to tug at listeners’ hearts. The group even started the Little Bit of Love Foundation, which donates 100% of the proceeds from the band’s song "Little Bit of Love" to the North Texas Food Bank. $15, 8 p.m., Gruene Hall, 1281 Gruene Road, New Braunfels, (830) 606-1281, gruenehall. com. — BE

Saturday, July 17

Jean Frank

TAB BENOIT Tuesday, July 20

Guitarist Tab Benoit’s swamp blues sound draws on his soulful voice, stinging licks and Southern Louisiana roots. However, Benoit’s love for his home state shows not only in his songs but through his activism in preserving the wetlands where he grew up. $30, 8 p.m., Sam’s Burger Joint, 330 E. Grayson St., (210) 223-2830, samsburgerjoint.com. — Brianna Espinoza

CURRENT | July 14 – July 27, 2021 | sacurrent.com

Kash’d Out, Cydeways, Bonzai The appropriately named Way Too High for This tour is rolling into Saytown with its reggae-rock vibes. Orlando, Florida-based headliners Kash’d Out has made a splash on both the Billboard and iTunes charts, and it’s shared the stage with national acts including Less Than Jake. Cydeways hail from Santa Barbara, California, and recently released the singles “California Castaway” and “We Won’t Run.” $15-$18, 8 p.m., Vibes Event Center, 1223 E. Houston St., (210) 255-3833, vibeseventcenter.com. — MM

— BE

Friday, July 23 Amy Winehouse Tribute July 23 will mark the 10-year anniversary of iconic singer Amy Winehouse’s death, so Bang Bang will mark the occasion with a celebration of her music. Both DJ The General and DJ El Gato Scott Kimrey will be on hand to spin the tunes. If you’re saying “no, no, no” to rehab, what better place to pay your respects than a bar? Free, 10 p.m., Bang Bang Bar, 119 El Mio Dr., (210) 320-1187, bangbangbartx.com. — MM Divas The Divas are ready to serve up songs including "Tu muñeca," "Aún lo amo" and "Corazón de Piedra." If you don’t follow the Spanish, expect a lot of songs about love.

Brokenboard 15 Year Anniversary Bash

Thunder Horse

Friday, July 23-Sunday, July 25

Concert promoter Brokenboard Productions has spent a tireless decade and a half bringing heavy music acts to the Alamo City, and now it’s celebrating its career of evil with a three-day festival at St. Mary’s Strip live music stalwart the Mix. In keeping with Brokenboard’s musical specialties, expect showcases for punk, extreme metal and doom spread out over three separate nights. Friday’s punk bill will include veteran Austin troublemakers the Skatenigs with Houston’s The Cops and SA’s Cutthroats. Saturday’s extreme metal lineup will raise the horns for Houston-based blasphemers Morbosidad along with San Antonio’s Hod and Black Jackal. Sunday’s doom-focused closer will feature a trio of downtuned Alamo City acts: Thunder Horse, Maneaters of Tsavo and Hotzi. Earplugs may be a good idea. You know, just in case you’d one day like to hear what your grandchildren are saying to you. $15-$18 each night or $50 three-day passes, 10 p.m., The Mix, 2434 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 735-1313, themixsa. com. — Sanford Nowlin Individually, Mexican singers Lucía Méndez, Dulce, Rocío Banquells and Manoella Torres all had successful music and television careers in during the’80s, which makes their group moniker right on target. $54.50$124.50, 8:30 p.m., Majestic Theatre, 224 E. Houston St., (210) 226-5700, majesticempire.com. — BE

Saturday, July 24 Sunny Sweeney Though she spent her formative years in East Texas, country singer-songwriter Sweeney skipped off to NYC to really get it going. Texans are a forgiving bunch, though, and we’re glad she’s back after her hard work to get her songs out there. Her latest release, 2020’s Recorded Live at The Machine Shop Recording Studio follows 2017’s favorably reviewed Trophy. A real selling point is that Sweeny has dogs named Dolly, Nash and Merle. Not convinced? Her official merch in-

SATURDAY

OCTober 16, 2021 Crockett Park

100+ breweries 400+ beers

Last Call for VIP Tickets! Tickets on sale now at sanantoniobeerfestival.com

cludes a shirt emblazoned with “Drinks Well with Others.” $15, 7:30 p.m., John T. Floore’s Country Store, 14492 Old Bandera Road, (210) 695-8827, liveatfloores.com. — MM

Sunday, July 25 Roller Disco Glam Party If you like the sound of an evening at Studio 54, better lace up those skates. Promising a disco soundtrack — natch — but also “disco queen MCs, special roller disco performances, a pop-up glam room and a best dressed contest,” the Rollercade is pulling out all the stops to take attendees back to the golden age of groove. For those wavering, it’s worth keeping in mind that proceeds from the evening go to The Good Good Collective, which offers art education programs aimed at fostering the creativity of Latinx youth. Keep the beat alive. $18-$150, 8:30 p.m., Rollercade, 223 Recoleta Road, (210) 8266361, therollercade.com. — MM

benefiting

sacurrent.com | July 14 – July 27, 2021 | CURRENT

E M P LOY M E N T Logistics & Transportation Mgr. Manage logistics incl. plan, coord, ensure efficient, confidential, & safe air & land transport for exec. clients & equipm., mostly in USA & Mexico. Design & impl. travel & security protocols. Manage pilots & drivers schedules. Ensure all aircraft & vehicles registered & insured. Coord. flights. Open & close flight plans with originating and destination airports. Comm. w/ authorities in e.g. USA & MX to ensure all legal border crossing protocols are observed. Arrange svc incl. local drivers, bodyguards, & secure hotel. Min Req: Associate’s or 2yrs univ-level studies, & 2yrs exp. in aviation logistics & aircraft evaluation; knowledge of FAA regs re. private air travel (USA-MX). Fluent in Spanish. Intern’l travel req’rd ~3 days/ week. Job location: San Antonio, TX. CV to International Promotions, LLC, dolores. riojas@gs-mx.com. Sr. Dev. Ops Engineer (San Antonio, TX): Dvlp the s/ware, infrastructure & systems needed for the co’s products & platform. Reqs: B.S. in Com Sci, or closely related, & 5 yrs of progressively responsible exp as a Systems Engineer. & 1 yr of exp in ECS/EKS orchestration tools; Terraform & Ansible; CI/CD tools: GitHub, Jenkins; Amazon Web Services. Some telecommuting may be allowed. Resume to: HouseCanary, Inc., 201 Spear St., #1400, San Francisco, CA 94105, atang@housecanary.com

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Last year has been tough. Join us for a summer of resilience.

Metro Health Violence Prevention presents its Summer of Resilience series, featuring free, monthly online screenings of the docu-series Raising of America, followed by panel discussions. Topics cover childhood, education, trauma and building resilience.

To register for events, visit tpr.org

La Villita, located on the River Walk, offers over 20 galleries, restaurants, and artisan boutiques with unique, handcrafted treasures.

Open Daily

Restaurant hours may vary

La Villita | 418 Villita Street lavillitasanantonio.com @LaVillitaHistoricArtsVillage