Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Queers & Beers is a roving, irregularly occurring, independent music event that exists to promote community and visibility for LGBTQ acts across genres. Furthermore, it aims to combat rampant stigmas surrounding the (sadly) widespread perception that music by members of the LGBTQ community all sounds one particular way.…
San Antonio-born Karma Styles Talks About Dancing on Ryan Murphy’s ‘Pose’
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. It’s been almost a year to the day since we first mentioned Karma Styles, one of the original members of the San Antonio-based vogue/dance/art collective House of Kenzo. Karma moved to New York City in 2015 to pursue his dreams as a dancer. Born Charles Wilborn, Karma graduated…
House Of Kenzo Is Throwing A Ball – And Wants You To Dress Up Like a ‘Snack’
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. Long before contemporary white pop stars began using 1980s QPOC culture to further their careers, there existed houses and balls where fierce drag queens would vogue against the confines of a patriarchal society. In the documentary Paris is Burning, Jennie Livingston chronicles mid-to-late 1980s ball culture in New…
Wayne Holtz Jumps into the Spotlight
I’d met Wayne Holtz the photographer, shooting indie bands at Limelight and Hi-Tones. And I’d met Wayne Holtz the fashionista, kicking it with the vogue troupe House of Kenzo. But I’d never met Wayne Holtz the “pop star,” until he descended on Paper Tiger this summer, captivating an unsuspecting crowd with baritone crooning and a…
Paper Tiger Hosts Holiday Edition of ‘Queers and Beers’
On Dec 22, the Paper Tiger will play host to the third installment of Queers and Beers, “a big gay party” led by rapper Chris Conde and featuring performances by many of the city’s LGBT musicians. Earlier this year, the second installment of Queers and Beers, held on June 12 at La Botanica, served as…
Deep in Vogue: House of Kenzo’s Multidisciplinary Movement
I meet House of Kenzo (HOK) on the University of the Incarnate Word Sky Bridge, a phobia-tweaking pedestrian catwalk over the zooming traffic on Highway 281. It’s a sunny afternoon, and House of Kenzo are mid-photo shoot. They are beautiful, self-assured, gender-flouting, working their rainbow fashion gear into wind-whipped battle flags visible for a half-mile.…
Check out the ‘Get It’ video by gender-bending duo Ghetto Prom
Freshly formed local act Ghetto Prom recently premiered the video for “Get It” — and it’s ghetto fabulous. The gender-bending duo, made up of rapper Chris Conde and singer Alyson Alonzo, is the latest project to come from the two musicians who have been “sharing the stage for years” but never officially collaborated. In the video Conde is seen in drag performing as…
LGBTQA artists, crafters and performers unite for Queer the Cheer
Devised by local artist/educator/musician Ernesto Olivo and a handful of collaborators from varied backgrounds, the SA Queer Collective is designed to “emphasize and promote” the diverse talents of the Alamo City’s LGBTQA community. Initiated in 2013, the collective’s inaugural Cheer the Queer attracted 200-plus shoppers and browsers with its winning mix of handmade wares, tamales…