San Antonio Current

I like the weekly current. It provides the overall «happenings».The publication gives one an opportunity to enjoy what San Antonio has to offer at the local businesses

It’s been at least four years since this alternative weekly publication had some interesting content that I actually wanted to read. Back then it was not so densely loaded with crummy advertising. I’m someone who thinks that good-​looking layouts make for an enjoyable reading experience. The Current is not in this category. Flipping through the pages, one sees mostly full-​color ads, most of them generated not by talented graphic designers who strive for some creative excellence, but by people who are merely competent in the basics of one of Adobe Creative Suite’s graphic programs (Photoshop, Illustrator or inDesign). One can easily imagine these layout «artists» on ridiculous timelines, desperate to crank out something fast so they don’t end up working for $ 8 an hour.
The sad result of all this out-​of-​control huckstering is a publication that is visually obtrusive and highly inelegant. Looking for editorial content among all the garish ads becomes a tiresome chore. I really dislike spreads with editorial content straddling the gutter (the blank space between facing pages of a publication) and bounded on either side by loud attention-​grabbing ads. I prefer not to impose bad design on myself so I do not read the Current as a deliberate choice. And guess what? I do not feel that I am missing anything important. I have subscriptions to really beautiful magazines that demonstrate the ideal mix of good writing and beautiful graphic design. My life is full of good things and I have great friends. I say: the less unsightly distractions in life the better.

Sorry, I’m with Sara and John on this one: it’s great that SA has a local publication to keep residents informed of local events in the food and music scene, but tends to highlight the same tired places and bands. For a city with so much going on, not every restaurant has to be a food truck or in South Town to be worthy of coverage.
It’s our main city publication, and just like any business it runs on profit so advertising placement is key to keeping it free– I just wish the writing quality would be improved and the professionalism could return to some of the journalism on their harder-​hitting articles. I appreciate recent efforts to get serious about local issues, but the perspective is still pretty skewed.

My favorite free weekly publication in San Antonio!
It comes out every Wednesday, and has gotten more impressive with the colors and glossy covers. I appreciate the types of articles that go in there. They’re general interest for the community, and generally highlight something positive going on in the area.
I bemoan the fact that they’ve cut down on content over the years, leaving out the best comics, columns, puzzles, etc. as time has gone on. Those were always my reason for reading.
The calendar is the best place to go for where to find out something cool going on around town. The Current Picks are usually pretty solid.
The best issue of the year is the Best Of edition. I suggest you hold on to that thing all year until a new one comes out so you can yell and point at it when San Antonio votes the best Italian as Olive Garden. It helps relieve stress.

Current shouldnt be so badly reviewed… yes it has some downfalls in writing and there is ample amount of advertising space used to full potential. But it embodies the city. San Antonio is not known for it’s highly intellectual groups running the city, we are about festivals, the spurs, and all around good times.
To say it lacks a bit of class would be too much, but I think they could flare out a bit more and offer a variety of events under critics picks, and really focus more on how they cover their topics.
San Antonio may be all about community… but don’t be afraid to have your readers (and writers) spread thier proverbial wings.

It’s great that San Antonio has an alternative free weekly, and it tries to present the progressive point of view, however, the SA Current just doesn’t stack up. It lacks in content and good writing, and the layout is filled with a lot of empty space. The gist of the SA Current that I get when looking at it is that San Antonians prefer not to read, they’d rather look at a bunch of dildo ads. At least, that is what their parent company, Times-​Shamrock Group, would lead us to believe. As sad as it is to say, the Current’s first focus is on advertising, followed by what is considered news, written at times more like gossip. The paper and their writers do hold a bias, and that’s fine and to be expected by a progressive alternative weekly, but they should always get the facts straight and not print stories based merely on perception. I really want this paper to improve, I want it to be more like the Austin Chronicle or The Village Voice, I want to see more in depth reporting and better writing overall, and a loss of staples. Sometimes I feel that the Express News seems more alternative to the Current, but that’s an overstatement. The Current isn’t always bad, but rarely do I find a story or article that really pulls me in.

San Antonio is sooo incestuous and the Current proves this.
Will your art show, band, writer, poetry slam, bar, restaurant or boutique get written up in the Current? If you aren’t friends with the faux hipsters running it, then probably not. Same ol’ crowd, same circle, same ol’ shizz. YAWN!
The music reviews are embarassingly bad. I remember reading about a noise/​electronic band being juxtaposed to ACDC. C’mon? Really?
If you ever attended ol’ SACford and read the weekly chronicle there, it’s quite comparable. ‘cept the kiddies at SAC at least try to be professional in the journalism.

This is the bible for things to do, people to see in San Antonio (or is it the other way around?). I work where the Current is readily available and read it every week. Anyone new to San Antonio can pick one of these up and instantly know what restaurants to eat at, what events will be happening, and where to get an «oriental massage.» The articles are well-​written and insightful and I tend to agree with the movie and restaurants they review weekly. The absolute best thing about the Current? It’s free.

One of the best ways to find out what’s going in San Antonio and the some of the surrounding area. Food reviews and a few inside notes on local hot spots can usually be found here. Mostly geared towards young adults in their 20s to 30s but you can find a wide variety of information regarding specific venues and restaurants.